A disclaimer, this is.
AN: So, I was trying to get my head round Mary and John's relationship for the next story in the Ares and Artemis 'verse, and it produced this. As an illustration. Title from Zeppelin.
Walk the miles
"I figured it out," Mary said to Colleen as she dropped into the porch swing next to her friend. Inside, John and Mark were playing with the kids; Anna's shrieks of laughter echoed through the windows and across the lawn.
Colleen's eyebrows rose. "Figured what out?"
"Why I'm in love with John."
"Other than… he's handsome and funny and sexy as all hell and can take all your infinite crap without even flinching as well as being the only guy I've ever met who can stand up to you?"
"Other than that, yes," Mary grinned.
Colleen rolled her eyes and poured them both another glassful of wine. "Enlighten me."
"He's a jerk."
Colleen blinked. "I think you lost me there, honey."
"He's a jerk," Mary repeated. "He's arrogant and unforgiving and brutally honest, he doesn't know when or how to quit and he can get me angry faster than anyone I've ever known."
"Many people would actually consider those traits flaws, Ria."
"Oh, come on. You know me. I'm the queen of evasion. Nobody can pin me down to anything."
Colleen thought she was beginning to understand. "Except for John."
"Except for John," Mary agreed. "Because he's a jerk. Because right after Cold Oak? He didn't even ask to be taken along. He was just there. Always there, always near me, never backing down, never trying to be sweet and nice and give me space, never accepting my… my quirks, just ignoring them. And eventually I couldn't do the evasive thing anymore."
"But it doesn't hurt that he's sexy as all hell and probably damn good in bed," Colleen added. Something in Mary's voice told her not to take this seriously just yet, to let the other girl open up in her own time.
Mary had to put her wineglass down, she was laughing so hard. "Doesn't hurt at all," she said, blush creeping up her cheeks. Colleen twisted in her seat a little to peer through the window as a particularly loud yell from both Anna and Tom shook the glass pane.
"It's not that I tried really hard," Mary said, not looking at her, and Colleen didn't turn back round. "With the evasion, I mean. I got sick of it after I left high school. Suddenly, not so much fun anymore."
"Then what?" Colleen asked quietly, still not looking at her.
"He could see right through me," Mary said. "Right from the start. And I… I knew him. Understood him. I wanted to know him. I wanted him to know me. I just – I didn't know how to deal with that. What to do with it. Sure as hell couldn't control it. And after everything, I really value my control. So, default setting."
"Evasion," Colleen said. She turned back to Mary at last and put an arm around her shoulders, hugged her close.
Mary nodded against her shoulder, shaking a little. It wasn't cold.
"Promise me something?"
"Sure, anything."
"Change your default setting. Now. Permanently. What you guys are together, it's pretty special, Ria."
Mary smiled. "Figured that out, too."
"Good."
"Hey, do you know where Mark stowed my guitar?"
"You stowed it in the attic, dear. Never to be seen again. Why?"
"I think I might take it with me when we leave."
"That's a good idea."