Marcelo has almost wept at getting the text message. Nearly a week of pretending everything was fine to the outside world and spending his time inside the penthouse not really living in it. He played with Sancho and mostly kept to the third bedroom. The rest of the large domicile looked not lived in since they had left for the party.

It had been rough since the first night back. When the alcohol he had drank the night of the Hellfire Club party reacted with his pain meds. He had vomited and smacked his head against the side of the bathtub. He spent the night sleeping in the tub after he had washed his suit off the easy way.

He had started going back to work early. If for nothing else than to work with Sage to figure out how to take Sebastian Shaw down. He was trying hard to hold himself together during this meeting. He managed to last almost to the end before he excused himself. He went back to his office to pull himself together and cut out early.

He needed to go home to grab Sancho, shave a week's worth of growth off his face, and dress to impress. She had said she loved him, but he desperately needed to hear it. To make sure it was true. If he had to dress to impress to do it, he would.

After loading up Sancho and all the supplies so the cat could stay with Stephanie, he stopped to pick up flowers. He got a dozen roses as he called Xavier's to let them know he was coming.

Even if he got there and Stephanie turned him away, he needed someone to take the cat and maybe the flowers to Stephanie. Whatever it took. He would wait. And he would get more reason to take down the people who had harmed her most.

His hands were shaking by the time he got to the school. It took him a few minutes once he was parked to get himself together. He grabbed the pet carrier and the flowers.

Here went everything.