Disclaimer: They are not mine. If they were... things would have been a whole lot different.
Spoilers: Up to episode 3x07
A/N: So this is my first ER fic since 1999/2000. I am not kidding. At all. I am really that old. And I never wrote Marsan before either. I was strictly a Rossaway or Caruka kinda girl. And Lucy/Carter, whatever that was called. I was a misinformed 14 year old. This is set after Susan comes back from Hawaii, but before she leaves for Phoenix. Anyway, deep breath and here it goes.
"Hey," he said as he stepped out into the cold air and walked across the roof towards her. "Don't jump."
"Never heard that one before," she intoned, rolling her eyes.
He walked over to stand beside her, close, but not touching.
"Scale of one to ten?"
"Five hundred seventy-four."
"That's bad, Susan."
"Well, it doesn't beat your record, but as a woman I am more emotional and therefore affected by the tumultuous events of the day."
"Man, you're tired."
She chuckled wryly and took a sip of her now cold coffee.
"How can you drink that?"
"The cold doesn't make it any worse. Jerry made this pot."
"You really are trying to kill yourself."
She smiled and he reached his hand over to rub her neck.
"How long has it been since you had a day off?"
"About the time Elvis died."
"That never happened, Susan Lewis, and it would be nice if you wouldn't joke about it either."
"Oh fine. Mmm, that feels good."
His hand slowed and she reached over to smack his stomach.
"Stop and I'll hit you harder and lower."
He chuckled and moved to stand behind her, using both hands to work out the tension in her shoulders.
"Susan?"
"Hmm?"
"Why don't you go home?"
"I still have three hours-"
"I'll cover."
"You don't have to do that."
"We're Mark and Susan. Covering each other's shifts is kind of what we do."
"I don't know how I feel about that. Lower please."
"How low?"
"How low can you go?"
"You're terrible."
"You like it."
"Keeps my on my toes."
They fell into a silence for a long time, watching the lights of the city and the cars driving by.
"Susan?" he asked, turning her around so he could look into her eyes.
"Yes?"
He slid his hands from her shoulders, down her arms until he could snake his fingers through hers.
"Mark, what's wrong?"
"I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Something?"
"Hawaii."
"Oh."
She pulled away a little but he kept his grip on her hands.
"Susan, just hear me out."
"Alright."
"I wanted to go with you. I really did. But I had no idea what you were thinking."
"I was thinking that I didn't want to go to Hawaii alone, and you needed a vacation too."
"So it was a convenience thing?"
Now he was the one pulling away and she was the one holding on.
"No, not at all. I just... Mark, I wanted you there. There was no ulterior motive. Just two friends. On vacation."
"So it wasn't a romantic gesture?"
She took a deep breath and looked down at her feet.
"It wasn't not," she confessed finally. She looked up and met his eyes, her breathing coming in shallow waves.
"Then what was it, Susan?"
The silence stretched out between them, and for some reason, it was totally comfortable. She stepped just a little closer and he slid their joined hands around her waist.
"What was it, Susan?" he asked again, leaning in just a fraction more. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to answer.
And then his beeper went off.
They stepped away from each other, but their hands remained together.
"I've gotta go," he whispered. He had never wanted to throw his pager off the roof more than he did now.
She nodded and he slipped his hands out of hers, then planted a quick kiss on her forehead before heading to the door.
Susan sighed to herself.
"I guess that was fate, Mark," she muttered, turning back around to face the city. A cold wind blew at her face and she bowed her head and sighed again. Phoenix was sounding pretty good right about now.