This isn't a kidnapping... :)

Marina was playing hide and seek with Damon. It was cold outside, and she didn't want to go to the Court and see John, not when she wasn't prepared for that. She took the week off for her, and she just enjoyed being around Damon. ''I know where you went, and I'm gonna to find you'', she cooed and walked around on the living room.

''There you are!'', she exclamed and tackled him with tickles all over his little body. They both giggled and she laid on the floor beside him, feeling like the little girl she was used to be. Marina and her mother also played hide and heek while her father was out on his travellings, and also when they couldn't go to the beach, the place Marina had almost all of her mother memories.

"Miss Dalmar! Please you need to stop her!" Maggie suddenly burst inside the room, looking frantic as she hurried over to Marina. "Master's in trouble! We cna't stop her, she's crazy! We don't- I don't- you ahevt os top her!" she kept onr ambling, throwing her arms around.

(x'D)

Marina and Damon stopped giggling and they both looked at Maggie. Marina looked worried, and Damon just confused, not understanding why the fun was over. ''What's going on, Maggie?'', Marina asked as she stood up from the floor. ''Please, stay calm and tell me. What's going on?'', she asked softly, and Damon looked at the women with a small pout, not liking the fun was over.

[I knew you would like the title! Xp]

Realizing she was just babbling byt his point, she calmed down, smiling apolgeticly at Damon ebfore turnign her concernd eyes back to Marina.
"It's miss Fa.... she's here... I don't think I need to explain the rest..." she said with slight panic.

Marina sighed and looked down at Damon, who was still pouting at her, ''Please, don't pout'', she mumbled quietly, he pouted just like John. ''Stay with him while I try to calm granny?'', she asked softly, and handed Damon to Maggie. He wrapped his arms around Maggie's neck, and looked up to her, asking for more plays. ''We're playing hide and seek'', Marina added with a small giggle as she walked off from the living room.

Marina found Fa on the next room, and she tried to smile as brightly as possible, ''Grandma! What a pleasant surprise!''

All of Maggie's worries and cocnern imediently vanished when Damon was giving to her. She smied brightly down at the boy, and didn't waste a second before startign to play with him.

Some servants stood back in fear from the old lady, soem even hiding behind furniture or someone else, whiel their master just there hunched over ont he floor, hands on his head and cursing to himself.
As Marian entered the room, Fa turned around and gave ehr the typical stern look that demanded a good explination.
"You look fine for a kidnapped person," she snorted,a ctign as if nothing ahd just happend.
"For the last freaking time you ahg, I DIDN'T kidnapp her!" Dimitri hissed from the floor, still rubbing his head in pain.
"Did I tell you to speak boy?"
"Did I tell you to step inside?" he shot back, shutting up at the look Fa gave him.
"...put down that shoe grandma..."

((brb! gotta do something x'3))

''Maybe I look fine because I'm not captived in here?'', she pointed out softly, now understanding while Maggie was in panic seeing the other servants hiding around.
''Stop, both of you!'', she looked from Dimitri to Fa, and stepped in to restrain Fa to throw the shoe towards Dimitri. ''Dimitri is helping me, Fa. I'm here on my own will'', she pointed softly, the truth clear in her eyes. ''I am fine'', she added, and hoped the rose cheeks were enough to make her believe this, the only thing she was actually lying about. She lost weight, and there were dark circles under her eyes, because of the sleepless nights.

[okie! :3]

((haha, that wnet faster than i though o.o well backis now x'3))

Fa snorted at them both and lowerd the shoe, giving Dimitri one last look as he stood up before turning fully to Marina. She stuided her quikcly, her expression telling clearly that she did not belive in the young woman's words.
"The only here hurting Marina is herself," Dimitri mutterd, rubbing his jaw. "How the hell can you even through a punch like that you hag?!"
Fa waved him off, earing an annoyed scowl from him. "Marina my dear, give em one good reason to why i shouldn't be concernd abotu yoru well beign right now? Have you even looked yourself in the mirror?"

Marina rolled her eyes and pouted slightly at Dimitri's words. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat, or sleep... She just couldn't do them, even if she wanted. She looked down to Fa and sighed. ''Because I'm grown up woman, and I know what I'm doing?'', she shrugged slightly and took a deep breath. ''I'm fine gradma, I was just playing with Damon right now''

Fa snorted again at her respond. "You don't sound so sure of that yourself young lady. I'm not even gonan bother asking if this is about Rolf, again," she huffed and made herself comfrtobale on the couch, much to Dimitri's annoyance. "Boy, be a good host for once and serve me soem te" she ordered. "and make Marina food before she collapses."
Dimitri froced out a smile, trying so evry ahrd nto to snap and throw the old hag out in the snow. "Sure granny, make yourself at home..."
"What you call me?"
"...I'll be ritght back.." he sighend defeated, he and the servants leaving the room to get the te.

Marina gave Dimitri an apologetic smile before he walked outside the room. This was all her fault, and she and Dimitri already knew Fa was going to act like that. ''Grandma, please'', Marina asked quietly as she sat by her side on the couch, ''Don't push so hard on Dimitri. It was my idea of coming here, and he's being very kind to hostage both Damon and I in here'', she explained, looking down at Fa with tired eyes. ''And I'm sorry I'm not able to go to the Court this week, and made you think I was kidnapped, I just needed some time to myself, to think''

Him being so nice and caring is what worries me, Fa thougth to herself. "Don't apologize for not goign to the court, I've been teeligny ou to get rest the whole time afterall," she sighend. "But at leats give me a warnign next time you decide to dissapear ok? Finding otu you've been hiding at Dimitri of all people this whole time, of coruse I'd assumed the worst," she huffed. "Now I wouldn't eb as worried if you didn't liek this. Did that man of yours finally cross the line to turn you into a walking skeleton?"

''Thank you grandma. I promisse I'll warn you next time I go out for a while'', she said quietly but couldn't hold the laughes at her last statement. ''I'm not that thin... You always exaggerate things, don't ya?'', she shook her head but then her smile faded. ''Yes, John crossed the line very far this time'', she muttered quietly and looked away to clean the tear from her eyes.

One servant came back inside with a tray and served them, hurrying back outside the room when Fa gave him a stern look.
"I see..." she sighend and rubbed Marina's back soothingly.

Marina sighed and gave Fa a small smile, ''I fine'', she said quietly and leaned over the tray. She picked a cookie and took a small bite, so Fa wouldn't bother her anymore. It was hard to chew it, it tasted like hay, but she swallowed it anyway. ''John is complicated... He's trying so hard to pretend not to feel, to pretend he's a bad man... I just wanted to see him happy and carefree, like they day we played with Damon at the river''

Fa just nodded, for once not spitting out exactly what she was thinking, and instead just sat there quietly and litsend to Marina.

''I know he cares about me, and only God knows how much he loves Damon. But he can't understand what family means. He's a broken man, lost his parents so soon, in a dramatic way, and had to raise Belle all alone... I know he feels, it still hurts me remembering how broken he was when I left him...'', she sighed and raised an eyeborw to Fa, only now realizing she stood quietly that far, ''I know you think he's not the guy for me, that I deserve someone much better, but I love him. I can't shake him, and I don't know how to help him'', she mumbled and looked down to her lap, feeling like the teenager girl who had just lost her father.

Fa sighend tiredly again and leaned back in the couch. She couldn't really give any good advice to thsi girl, and even if she did Marian woudln't ltisen anyway. When had she ever?
And she didn't know John the samw way Marina did, so of course Fa couldn't really udnerstand him, she was well aware of that. She had tired to udnerstand the Korso twins before... and failed, so how would she be able to understand this broekn man?
"What i think of him doens't matter Marina," she said in a blank tone, sipping on her tee. "Maybe, it's his time to try and help himself, or better yet, you. Taht's all you've been doing really, trying to help someone who doens't even realsie he needs it... until it's gone it would seem," she murmured the last part to herself. "I don't understand Rolf Marina, and I never will. However, I do understand your feelings towards him, the strogng want of whising to save him," she continued with small hint of a smile and saddness in her voice. "That's why i can't really bring myself to tell you to stop caring, 'cause I know that's near impossible."
Turnign in her seat towards Marina, she set down her cup on the table, looking the young woman in the eye with a gentle smile, yet stern smile. For a moment she saw the small and sad little gilr Marina had been before, yet even thoguh with all her pain she never put herself first, wich often caused for her ontly to suffer more. But she still stayed strong, not for herself but for other. It wasalways for someone else.
"I've learned the best way to prevent your heart from getting broken, is to act like you don't have one," the old lady spoke softly and placed a hand over Marina's. "I'm certain Rolf thought no different, and just ended up thinking that eh for real didn't care anymore. But you have slowly braked through that cold wall of his."

Marina sighed tiredly and closed her eyes for a moment, ''If I know him well, I think he's going to lost himself more into the destruction path he chose the moment he turned his feelings off'', she mumbled quietly and turned her gaze towards Fa. She was listening carefully at what everything she said, Fa was always a person Marina listened, or tried to listen, ever since she lost her parents. She was like a granmother in did, and Marina was lucky for having her into her life.

''You felt the same about the Korsos twins, right?'', Marina asked before thinking as Fa said she understood her feelings. She felt exactly like that about John, it was nearly impossible for her to not feel anything about John, and to stop wishing for help him, but he didn't help her, instead he acted like he was that cold man, who Marina knew he wasn't. ''I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought them on the topic'', she sighed tiredly and looked down on the tea cup prepared for her, and just gazing at that liquid made her nauseos.

Acting like have no heart.., Marina had already thought about that, if she acted like having no heart, maybe things would get easier to her, but she couldn't. ''Yes, John acts like he doesn't have one, but I can't... Father always said I was too good to people, that my compassion was beyond his understanding... He was right, about everything'', she said quietly, and rested her back on the couch, feeling very tired.

"Well of course your father is right abotu that my dear," Fa agreed flatly, drinking more of her te. "And just ebacuse he act's liek doens't mean you should too. You'll gain nothing when actign as if you don't ahve a heart Marina. The fatc that he has you it's proof enough that he does still indeed care."

Marina smiled weakly and looked down to Fa, ''You should see him with Damon... He looks so alive, so happy. I wished he could see that, and acted like that more often'', she said with a fondly smile. ''It's been good these days far from him... I'm thinking clearer about everything since then, but there is this emptiness that only grows more as days pass by'', she said quietly and looked away.

Fa sighend deeply and lowerd her cup once more from her lips. Life was never easy was it?
"He'll find you, you know? Eventually," she pointed out. "And when he does, you better keep in control so eh doens't end up hurting more innocent people."

''I know'', Marina whispered tiredly, but she tensed after what Fa said. What if after she left him, he hurt more innocent people, and this would be all her fault, for taking Damon with her, the only one that could keep his mind together. ''What has he done during these days, Fa?'', she asked with a worried voice, turning her dark hues back to the old lady by her side.

She shrugged, not lookign worried in the least for what John might have been doing. "I have no idea, I've been busy enough with my own life to know," she mutterd. "And you betetr not feel guilty over anything, beacuse thst would just eb stupid, and take you nowhere."

Marina sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves. She took all John's responsability upon her, it would be her fault if John snapped and hurt someone because of being alone... ''I shouldn't have left him'', she whispered quietly and opened her eyes to stare at the window across the room.