An Unlikely Fairytale

The day Mary brought Andrew home was the day she would have been exactly thirty-seven weeks pregnant. She had been admitted to the hospital after going into premature labor at Brandi's failed wedding. The doctors were able to stop the labor that day, but put her on immediate bed rest. When she was caught attempting to leave the hospital room the next day, the decision was made to not only keep her on bed rest, but to keep her in the hospital as well where she could be monitored. Mark disappeared after a few days with an apology and a promise to terminate his parental rights. Mary only breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone. It was simply too much for him.

For Mary, it was the longest three and a half weeks of her life. It was made worse by the near constant poking and prodding by the hospital staff and the daily visits from her mother. Jinx spent most of her visits lamenting Brandi's decision not to marry Peter and wondering where Brandi had disappeared to. No one had heard from her since she left Mary's car at her house and a note stating she was sorry and would be in touch soon. The one bright spot in Mary's life were the nightly visits from her partner.

Marshall came every night after work and stayed way past visiting hours. When Mary inquired about Abigail's thoughts on him spending so much time with her, he would only reply, "She understands. You're my partner, my best friend." Mary was so grateful for company that she didn't want to strangle that she let it slide even as she sensed there was more to the story. Marshall spent his time filling her in on their witnesses, the latest office gossip that she pretended not to care about even as she clung to his every word, and whatever latest trivia he had learned.

Mary was in the middle of here thirty-fifth week of pregnancy when she awoke early in the morning with sharp pains in her abdomen. Within minutes, the room was full of people as her various monitors began to beep. Mary hadn't bothered to learn what the machines were for specifically, but knew that the beeping was very bad. She was given more medication to once again stop the labor, but this time there was no stopping it. Marshall, Jinx, Stan, and Peter, who continued to check up on Mary and Jinx, were all at the hospital when they took Mary into delivery. However, it was only Marshall that she allowed into the room, over her mother's loud protests.

The baby boy came into the world with a single strangled cry. Mary and Marshall caught only a glimpse of him before he was whisked to the corner of the room to be examined. There were tears rolling down Mary's face from exhaustion, fear, and love. She felt repeated kisses to her forehead, temple, and hand. Glancing up, she caught the tears in Marshall's eyes. "You did great," was all he said.

The baby spent his first few days in the NICU to help with his breathing. Marshall took Mary down for her first visit. They stood in awe of the tiny 4lb 7oz baby boy. He stretched whenever either of them touched his tiny hands or feet and made cooing sounds when they stroked his head.

"Andrew," Marshall whispered, putting his arm around Mary. She gave him a questioning look. "It means 'brave.'"

"Marshall," Mary responded. It was Marshall's turn to give her a questioning look. "Andrew Marshall Shannon."

Mary spent as much time as she could in the NICU. Marshall spent as much time as he could with Mary. Stan took over many of his daily duties at work. He brought in a temporary marshal to help in the office. Delia stepped up to help, too, finally coming into her own as a marshal.

By his fifth day, Andrew was breathing completely on his own. By his sixth day, he was being monitored for jaundice, which cleared up by his eighth day. By his ninth day, he was beginning to suck on his bottle with little issue. By his eleventh day, it was time for them all to go home.

Mary stopped suddenly outside her front door, causing Marshall to nearly walk into her. He carried the diaper bag, Mary's bag, and the various gifts that had been sent to her in hospital. Mary glanced at the baby carrier in her arms and then to Marshall, panic in her eyes.

"I don't have anything ready. I don't even have a place for this kid to sleep! I wasn't sure I was keeping him."

"Mary, it's okay. We've got you covered." Marshall jerked his head to get her to move into the house.

Inside, she found a "Welcome Home, Andrew" banner clearly drawn by Jinx, but no one inside. Marshall informed her that he made sure no one was here for their homecoming, but offered no other details. She spotted a playpen and some sort of tiny chair that she'd have to ask Marshall about later in the living room and a high chair and bottles in the kitchen on her way towards the bedrooms. Marshall steered her towards Jinx's former bedroom, having dropped the items in his hands off in the living room.

Mary opened the door to the bedroom and peaked inside. The walls were now painted a light navy blue with a border of what appeared to be silver marshal stars. There was a crib, dresser, changing table, and rocking chair in a light wood color. Mary placed the baby carrier in the middle of the room and ran her hands over the crib. The crib sheet and matching comforter were a dark blue with white marshal stars and cowboy boots. Mary turned to Marshall, tears in her eyes.

Marshall was cradling Andrew in his arms, showing him around the room. He smiled at Mary. "I painted the walls and put the furniture together. Your mom painted the stars on the walls, got all of the clothes washed and put away, and stocked up on diapers, wipes, bottles, and formula. My mom made the comforter and the sheets. She's also making him a baby blanket, which she is threatening to deliver in person."

"It's beautiful. Thank you," Mary told him, uncharacteristically appreciative. She hugged Marshall and kissed him on the cheek before leaving him to lay Andrew down.

Mary wandered into the living room to find Marshall laid out on her couch with Andrew on his chest. They were both facing the television where an animal documentary was airing. Marshall was whispering softly into Andrew's ear as he gently rubbed his back. Mary sat down on the coffee table to get his attention.

"Marshall, it's not that I don't love having you here," Mary breathed deeply, "but you've been here for over a week. What does Abigail have to say about that?"

"You don't want me here?" Marshall replied, hurt and confusion flooding his eyes.

Mary leaned forward. "What did I say? I love having you here. I just don't want to cause you any issues. I know she wasn't happy about what happened at the courthouse. She can't-"

"You don't have to worry about Abby. We broke up while you were still in the hospital, before Andrew was born."

"Marshall, that was weeks ago!"

"You didn't need anything else to worry about." Marshall kissed the top of Andrew's head. "She wanted me to choose between her and you. It's not a contest, Mary. I will always choose you."

Mary bit the side of her mouth to stop from smiling even as she felt a blush settling into her cheeks. Mary glance downward, focusing on Andrew's face. "Where are you staying then? You gave up your place."

"Well, I've been at the hospital or I've been here. My stuff's in storage and Abigail said she'd keep Oscar until I found a new place."

"You can stay here until you find something. You can even bring that miserable mutt here; make a clean break of it."

Marshall caught her hand as she got up to leave. He squeezed it tight. "Thanks, Mare."

Mark's termination papers appeared in the mail nearly two months later. Mary checked them over to make sure every line was signed before tucking them into a safe box under her bed. She never gave him a second thought after that, even when she gazed into Andrew's dark eyes. Uncle Marshall was all the male role model Andrew would ever need.

Brandi showed up on Mary's doorstep the day after Andrew turned four months old. It was a crisp autumn day. Mary was one month from returning to work. She and Marshall were sitting on the living room floor trying to get Andrew to role over. Oscar watched them curiously from the couch, waiting to pounce at the first sign of distress from the baby. Mary answered the door when it the bell rang, one hand trying to restrain Oscar. Marshall attended to Andrew's cries that erupted when the dog began to bark.

Mary and Brandi stared at each for several minutes before Mary enveloped her into a hug. Brandi had put on some weight since she left Albuquerque; she no longer appeared gaunt. She regaled them with stories of her last five months as a bartender in a little dive bar in New Orleans, confessed that she hadn't been in touch with anyone, expressed remorse at missing the first four months of her nephew's life. She oohed and aahed over Andrew, called Mark a bastard for abandoning them, and offered to baby-sit while Mary was at work.

Mary went to protest when Brandi decided she was moving back in, but was cut off by Marshall. He pulled her into her bedroom so they could talk, told her that she needed Brandi for when she went back to work, that he had overstayed his welcome anyway. He asked to crash on her couch for just a few weeks longer until he found a place. She agreed, disappointingly, but Marshall couldn't pinpoint why that would be. Mary was always a private person and he was sure that she had only let him stay as long as she had because of guilt over his break-up with Abigail.

Mary lay awake in bed that night, sleep elusive. Oscar lay at the bottom of the bed, staring expectantly at her. Mary huffed at him. "What do you want from me? It's not like I can ask him to put his life on hold anymore than he already has."

Oscar sighed, sounding strangely like a scoff. Mary glared at him, but he only looked lazily back at her. Mary slammed her hands against the bed before rising from it. She snuck down the hall, past Andrew's and Brandi's rooms, where they were fast asleep, to the living room. Marshall was curled up uncomfortably on her couch, a pillow tucked beneath his head, clutching one of Andrew's blankets close to his face. She placed her hand on his hand, startling him awake. She grabbed his hand and pulled him wordlessly off the couch, back down the hall, and into her bedroom. She sat down on the bed and looked at him expectantly. Marshall sat down beside her.

"I don't want you to move out," Mary admitted after several minutes of silence, "but I don't have any right to ask you to stay."

"You want me to stay?" Marshall repeated, his voice holding a tinge of disbelief and confusion. He nervously ran his hand through his hair.

Mary fiddled her hands. "I don't know why... it's taken me so long to figure this out. I knew you loved me; you're my best friend. I knew I loved you, too; I'm your best friend."

"You are."

"I knew you were attracted to me. It would have been hard to miss that one. I knew I was attracted to you, too, but that no good could come from acting on that. I knew that I was jealous whenever you were in a relationship, no matter how small: Marguerite, Dana, Shelley, Abigail. I knew it went beyond simply the fear of losing my only friend. I know I tend to make dumb mistakes when you're not around: agreeing to marry Raph, telling him about WitSec, letting Faber into my good side, Mark..."

Marshall reached out and grabbed her hand. "Mary."

"I hated every minute that you were with Abigail. I have never felt so happy as when you told me that the two of you had broken up, even as I felt so guilty for being the cause of it." She put two fingers against his lips to halt any protests. "I also know that the last four months here with you and me and Andrew have been the happiest in my life. I know that if there's a chance in hell that you still want me, I have to try to take it because I want you. I-"

Mary was cut off abruptly when Marshall crashed his lips upon hers. His hands were on her shoulders, her neck, her face, in her hair. He urged her on her back, hovering over her, pulling back just enough to say, "I will always want you."

Mary pulled him back down for a searing kiss. She urged his shirt off, caressed the muscles on his back. She groaned when he trailed kisses across her jaw, down her neck, slowly make his way to her breast. He kissed her left breast through her t-shirt, running his thumb over the other, causing her to shiver. Marshall went for her shirt only to halt when Andrew let out a loud shrill.

"That kid has the worst timing," Mary sighed, her breathing labored.

"My son has excellent timing. It's his parents who need to lessons in timing," Marshall retorted.

Mary playfully smacked his butt. "Well, go get him, Dad."

Marshall gave her one last chaste kiss before jumping up to attend their son. Returning a half hour later, he found Mary fast asleep. He crawled into bed beside her, thrilled to his toes when she sought him out in her slumber, curling into his body. Marshall quickly followed her to sleep.

Mary returned to work without much fanfare. In less than a week, she was back to bossing around her witnesses, her partner, and Stan. She still argued with the lawyers, rolled her eyes at nearly everything, and respected almost no one. But, she had changed in subtle ways. She took the time to talk to Delia and the new marshal, Harry. She listened to her witness' complaints with a bit more patience; waited until she was out of the room to call them "idiots."

The change in their relationship surprised no one. Brandi asked what had taken so long and Jinx began to push for a wedding. Mary and Marshall took it all in stride. Marshall's parents came to Albuquerque for Andrew's first Christmas. Marshall's mother insisted that Andrew call her "Grammy" as her other grandchildren did and made good on her promise to hand deliver his baby blanket: blue and silver striped.

Andrew fell in love with the blanket the first time he felt it. It wasn't long before it became the only thing that would put him to sleep, much to his father's delight and his aunt Brandi's lament as she had a tendency to leave it wherever they traveled during the day, only to rush back for it at nap time. As Andrew's first birthday approached, Mary asked Marshall if he wanted to adopt Andrew. She wanted to leave no doubt as to Marshall's role in Andrew's life. Marshall pointed out that it would be easier for him to adopt Andrew if they were married.

"So, ask me to marry you, dumbass," Mary retorted. They were engaged within a week.

The ceremony was held six months later at City Hall. Mary wore a simple, white silk dress; Marshall, a black suit and cowboy boots. Only her family, his parents, Stan, and Andrew were in attendance. The reception was held that evening at their house and included Marshall's brothers and their families, various law enforcement officers, and even Peter and his girlfriend, Sarah. Peter had remained a positive influence in the lives of the Shannon women. Sarah and Brandi had even become good friends.

As the night wound down, Mary found herself looking for Marshall. They had gotten separated while thanking people for coming. She finally discovered him in the corner of the dining room, sitting on a chair, rocking a sleeping Andrew. Marshall looked so peaceful and content that Mary felt her heart my burst from the scene.

"Hey," she whispered, leaning down to kiss him. She placed a kiss on the top of Andrew's dark head.

"Hey, yourself," he replied. "I'll pass him off to Brandi in just a bit. I think he was a little overwhelmed by all of the people."

"I don't blame him." Mary stroked Marshall's hair lovingly. "I'm sure he just wanted his daddy."

Marshall smiled. "Are you sure we have to leave him for a whole week?"

Mary smirked. She had anticipated this question. "You think I don't know my guys can't be away from each other for a week? We're coming back here tomorrow to pick him up before heading to the beach."

"I love you," Marshall sighed, gleefully.

"I love you," she muttered before kissing him once again. "But you better be prepared to give me some of the greatest sex of your life tonight, buddy. I'm talking can't feel my spine, howling at the moon kind of sex."

"Always an order with you."

"Come on, Mr. Mann. Let's get going." Mary grabbed his hand to force him up. They passed Andrew off to Brandi with a barrage of kisses until they were afraid of waking him up. They bid farewell to their guests before slipping out of the house.

"Thank you," Marshall told her, grabbing her hand once again when they were inside the truck. Mary tilted her head in confusion. "For this life. It's more than I could have ever dreamed."

"Thank you," Mary replied, "for not giving up on me until I could see the life we should have; our fairytale."

Marshall chuckled and kissed the back of her hand. "Your mush is showing, Mare."

"Get me out of here, numbnuts," Mary shot back.

"That's my girl."

THE END

Author's Note: I can't believe I wrote this all in one night. Please excuse any inaccuracies. I swear I tried to do some medical research via Google, but it was a bit confusing and conflicting. Hope you enjoyed!