~Marcus, at dinner with everyone~<br/><br/>In the flick of an instant, the mood around the table changed as the tension became as thick as molasses on an ice cold day.  Marcus knew it would happen eventually, something sliding into their lives and creating discord, but he never would have guessed it would happen so soon.  Bo’s words, at least in his opinion, weren’t meant as anything other than a suggestion from the heart but one of them had taken it a different way.  At least that was his interpretation of what he’d just heard.  Glancing over at Tool, he saw the way he was turned, all of his attention focused at the other end of the table where Bo sat.  Stark, edged, grim…that was the face that Marcus saw and the words that flowed from its mouth were the same, grin or no grin.<br/><br/>A gauntlet had been laid, one that might have called to the warrior in Bo’s soul under most circumstances, but tonight only the man sat at the table.  After a lengthy pause, the ex-soldier spoke again, this time trying to lighten the mood and defuse the situation.  It was a move that Marcus could respect and did, one that should have ended the tense moment, but it didn’t.  Tool wouldn’t let it go, talking about guidelines and rules, and then making a plea to the group.  Marcus turned the words over in his head, carefully analyzing each of them, still a bit baffled that they’d ended up there at all.<br/><br/>He never had a chance to comment though, his entire train of thought completely derailed by the touch of warm skin on skin, the very thing he least expected to experience in that moment.  Glancing down, he saw Mila’s hand resting under his own now, the gesture a clear call for comfort in his eyes.  The contact forged an unexpected bond between them, sending a tiny thrum through his body, and he peeked at her through his eye lashes, seeing her downcast gaze.  With a gentle smile, he gave her hand a squeeze, letting his warmth wrap around her in a protective manner.<br/><br/>Theirs weren’t the only hands touching that night though as movement caught his attention and drew his gaze back to the table.  Nicci had moved, reaching out to clasp Tool’s hand, and then spoke to the group.  The words flowed and flowed, filling up the silence around them, causing Marcus to blink.  Those were quite possibly the most words he’d heard out of Nicci all night but he couldn’t fault the merit in them.  Taking the bottle of wine next and refreshing his glass, he joined her toast.  “And to wisdom, strength, and beauty” he added, glancing at Mila and squeezing her hand again.<br/>