A/N: Betaread by Fanwoman.
Diana had killed Tom.
He'd been too late. Late by not much more than 30 seconds, but it made all the difference. Marco wonders how much time he'd wasted trying weasel some kind of appreciation out of Diana, how many seconds he'd spent needlessly ranting about how she took him for granted.
She does rely on him. A lot of people do. Tom had.
He's always been there for her when she's needed help, doing his job with pleasure, especially when it's for or with her. And yet, when it'd truly mattered, he'd being thinking only of himself.
They'll tell him it wasn't his fault, remind him he was under the influence of the 4400, like everyone else – like Tom. But he knows himself, and he thinks he could have tried harder somewhere, sometime during it all. The bottom line for him is he failed. He failed to do his job, and he failed her.
She won't see it that way; she won't think it's anyone's fault but hers. That or she'll rationalize it was necessary, which it was, but that doesn't stop the pain. If he could take all the blame just to make her feel better, he would, but she won't speak to him. Maia is sick; Diana is off duty due to the shooting, and he's in the middle of another crisis along with the rest of NTAC. He wants there to be time to make things right, but he suspects that's a futile wish. This time, he can't help fix the problem; he can only hope to help fix her.