A/N: Happy belated Valentine's Day, everybody! This is something I wrote for the Month of Mayhem over on the Mary/Marshall LJ boards. Enjoy!

"Sales ad at a store: 'You are my one and only'

Valentine's cards, now on sale: 4 for $5." ~Unknown

When I was a little girl, whenever February 14th rolled around on the calendar, you would see a magical transformation happen at the Shannon household. Mom would put away her special "medicine" bottles for the day and trot off to the salon to get her hair and nails done. Dad would get up earlier than usual to go to work, so that he could come home and have time to get ready for their date night. Mom would let me help her with her makeup and zip up her best dress before I was hustled across the hall to the neighbors for the night. The last glimpse I had of my parents was Dad arriving on the doorstep with a wilted bouquet of roses in his hand, and Mom throwing her arms around his neck with a squeal of laughter as the door closed behind them. For one moment on one day, they looked happy.

But like the commercialized Hallmark cards and flowers of the holiday itself, the magic only lasted for one day. The next morning found my mom barely able to get out of bed as she called for me to be a good girl and find her medicine. Dad would storm from the apartment without saying goodbye to either one of us and I spent the rest of the day tiptoeing around, trying not to make too much noise and helping out with the chores as much as I could.

Of course, by the time I was seven, Dad was gone and there were no more magical February 14th's. It had become just another day on the calendar.

February 14, 2004

"So, you're telling me that there isn't anything you like about Valentine's Day?" Marshall's right eyebrow rose and I could hear the disbelief in his voice.

I shrugged a shoulder as I kept my eyes on the road. "What's to like about a holiday that's been commercialized by the greeting card industry and its mascot is a grown man in a diaper that shoots arrows at people?" I snorted.

Marshall choked on his sip of coffee and I laughed.

"Geez, Mary, cynical much?"

I blew out a breath of air between my lips and contemplated how much of my checkered past to share with my new partner. There was just something about him that made me lower my walls and after knowing him for so short a time, I just didn't think I could trust him enough yet to let him know everything. "I – look, you know that my mom's an alcoholic and my dad was a criminal, right?" I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

He nodded.

"Well, Valentine's Day was like the only day they were happy – every other day of the year pretty much sucked, Marshall. So – it just seems kind of fake to me."

The silence stretched between us after my statement and I began to internally kick myself for saying that much – what was it about this skinny partner of mine that made me want to spill my guts?

"So, I guess you don't put too much stock into the idea of soul mates?"

I looked at him in disbelief at his change in topic. How did he know that I was uncomfortable and needed to get the focus off my past? Damn, he is already beginning to read me like a book.

Shaking my head, I replied. "No, my only true love is chocolate."

Marshall's grin widened. "Ah – my partner's Achilles' heel."

I narrowed my eyes at him briefly before turning back to the highway. "Give me time, Doofus. I'll find out what yours is."

"I have no doubt of that, Mer."

March 24, 2008

"I need chocolate."

My partner looked up from his desk and smiled. "Well, I need a second arm to type for me; you think you can help me out with that?"

My eyes swung away from the file I had been staring at for the past ten minutes and took in Marshall's weary frame; the arm in a sling from his gunshot wound, and the circles under his eyes. Waves of guilt swept over me and my mouth went dry as I found myself back in that abandoned gas station with Marshall lying on the concrete beneath me, not breathing.

"Mary!"

I jumped in my chair. "I'm sorry – did you say something?"

His blue eyes moved over my face compassionately. "Yes, I said get your ass over here since I'm too exhausted to come over there."

"Why – what's wrong? Are you in pain? Do you need-" My heart was hammering in my throat as I all but ran across the floor to his side. Propping my hip against his desk, I reached out to feel his forehead but his fingers wrapped around mine.

"I'm fine, Mer, just tired. I've overdone it a bit on my first day back, that's all."

My eyes fluttered closed in relief as I resisted the urge to slap his good shoulder. "I thought-"

"I know," he whispered. "I was there in that gas station with you, remember? I know how scared you were that I might-"

I jerked back from his fingers as well as his words. "I wasn't scared-"

He sighed. "No, of course not, Mary Shannon doesn't get scared," he said wearily as he turned back to his computer.

I stopped him by placing my hand over his. "That's not what I was going to say, Doofus."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "It's not?"

I shook my head. "I wasn't scared because you promised not to die, remember? You didn't have my permission to leave me."

He snorted and I smiled.

"So, if I help you type your reports, do I get paid in chocolate currency?"

He smiled. "I just might have something in my private stash that will satisfy your craving."

I grinned in reply and reached for his bottom drawer but he blocked me. "Work first."

Sticking my tongue out at him, I planted myself on his lap and pulled his keyboard towards me. I heard Marshall clear his throat and I turned my head to grin at him over my shoulder.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked in amusement.

"Very."

"You have your own desk chair, you know."

I shrugged. "I know. But this way, you can dictate your notes to me and while you're distracted-"

"You can try and make a grab for the chocolate," Marshall finished with a shake of his head and a chuckle.

We worked together for twenty minutes before I finally said the rest could wait. "You're done for the day. Stan won't mind."

Marshall's chin had been resting on my shoulder for the past five minutes and he said sleepily in my ear, "Okay. You can have your chocolate now."

I leaned down slowly, not wanting to dislodge Marshall's position since I could tell by his breathing that he was almost asleep. In his bottom drawer I found a small white box that held two chocolate truffles that I hadn't seen before. Where had my partner been hiding these? They didn't look store bought – they looked homemade. I bit into one and the flavor exploded on my tongue.

I groaned in delight.

Marshall stirred on my shoulder. "They're good, huh?"

"Oh my God, Marshall – good doesn't even begin to describe it! What – where did you get them?"

"They're dark chocolate raspberry truffles – I made them."

I shifted slightly on his lap to look him in the eye. "You did not!" I gasped as I took another bite, groaning as the flavors mixed in my mouth and my eyes closed involuntarily. The perfect combination of the bittersweet dark chocolate and the hint of raspberry liqueur created not only a delicious flavor profile in my mouth but were causing an almost orgasmic reaction in my body.

"I think I'm in love," I moaned as I took another bite. Feeling Marshall start underneath me, I hastily added, "With your truffles, not-" I didn't finish, not wanting to add insult to injury, knowing that he understood.

"Of course," he whispered. "I couldn't be that lucky."

I sighed as the succulent chocolate coated the inside of my mouth and I pretended not to hear his muttered words. I wasn't as naïve as everyone thought I was – I knew that my partner was in love with me. If I hadn't known before, the recent case with Treena and his getting shot would have proven it to me beyond a shadow of a doubt. And I loved him too – as my partner and my best friend. If he had died, I don't know how I would have gone on without him.

"Marshall," I whispered, turning on his lap to face him. "I really wasn't scared in that gas station that you were going to die."

His blue eyes called me a liar but all he said was, "You weren't?"

I shook my head as I wrapped my sticky chocolate fingers around his shirt collar. "I was petrified."

Marshall's right hand reached out and squeezed my shoulder. "I know."

February 15, 2012

"I can't believe that they were out of chocolate cherry frozen yogurt – I mean, how do you run out of chocolate?" I muttered as I threw my shoulder bag under my desk and flopped down into my chair.

Delia giggled. "Well, yesterday was Valentine's day – there probably was a run on chocolate cherry frozen yogurt." She poured cream into her coffee cup and bounced over to my desk. "You know, I still have some of my whole wheat, low fat, no sugar added chocolate bran muffins-"

"No," I hissed. "Those are not chocolate and will not satisfy my chocolate craving." I glared at her before my gaze fell on my partner's desk. "Where the hell is Marshall?"

"He's not back from lunch yet."

I snorted. "He never took long lunches before he started dating the Texas cheerleader."

"I'm glad to see him getting out and relaxing," Delia gushed. "Stan says this is the first serious relationship Marshall has had in a long time."

My head shot up from the computer screen. "Serious – what makes Stan think that it's serious?"

Delia leaned down and I had to fight the urge to back away as she whispered eagerly. "Well, the gossip around the water cooler is that our most eligible bachelor won't be one much longer!"

My mouth fell open in disbelief and I fought the urge to laugh in response. "That's crazy – just because they've moved in together doesn't mean-"

We were interrupted by the buzzing of the door and the sound of Abigail's laughter. Delia and I looked up to see Marshall and his girlfriend come into the office. I met Marshall's gaze across the room.

"Hey partner, what's going on?" I asked as I stood and moved towards his desk.

Marshall reached out and clasped Abigail's hand in his and looked at Delia. "Is Stan in?"

"He just got back – I'll grab him," Delia all but ran into the break room.

A knot of suspicion was forming in my stomach. "Marshall? What's-"

His blue eyes met mine reassuringly. "Everything's fine, Mer. We just want everyone to be here when-"

Stan and Delia came back into the room, both wearing identical Cheshire cat grins. "What's going on, Marshall?" Stan asked, rocking slightly on his heels.

Marshall looked down at Abigail, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You tell 'em, sweetheart."

Abigail took a deep breath before she held up their joined hands, showing off the diamond solitaire on her ring finger. "We're getting married!" she squealed.

For one moment, there was silence and then Delia's squeals matched Abigail's as the women embraced. Stan stepped forward to clasp Marshall's hand and thump him on the back.

I watched the scene unfold as if my feet had been nailed to the floor. The blood was thundering in my ears and I felt like I couldn't draw breath into my lungs.

Suddenly Abigail was in front of me.

"Congratulations – I know you'll both be very happy," I whispered.

"Thank you, Mary! That means so much," Abigail gushed as she pulled me to her in an embrace that truly did take my breath away. Over her shoulder, I saw Marshall smiling at us and I did my best to force my own lips to smile back.

Stan and Delia went to see if they could scrounge up some champagne and Abigail moved back to Marshall's side. Feeling the overwhelming need for some fresh air, I grabbed my heavy sweater from my chair and crept out to the balcony. From outside I observed the toasts and festivities, knowing that as Marshall's partner and best friend I should be inside to make one of them. After all, he had given the toast at my engagement party to Raph – even though his feelings for me had come out into the open.

But here I was hiding outside on the balcony, pouting like a five year old little girl who didn't get what she wanted for Christmas, not wanting to give a toast to his engagement because I wasn't happy for him. I wasn't happy for him because I hated change and I didn't like Abigail – it wasn't because I loved Marshall.

Because I didn't love him – really, I didn't. I couldn't.

I had no idea how long I had been outside but I had started to shiver slightly from the cold when I felt another jacket go around my shoulders. I inhaled the faint aftershave of my partner before I turned my head to meet his blue eyes.

"Cold?"

"Maybe a little."

He laughed as he came around and leaned against the balcony wall. "Maybe that's because you're out here in the middle of winter without a coat." He paused and shook his head. "May I ask why?"

I shrugged. "Needed some air."

His blue eyes were calling me a liar and for a long moment he said nothing. "Do you really hate Abigail that much?"

"I don't hate her, Marshall – I just don't-"

"Don't what?"

"I think you deserve better." I shrugged.

"Better," he repeated the word in disbelief. "Do you have any specific objections to Abigail?"

"I –" I cleared my throat, trying to find words to the feelings coursing through me. "You've only been seeing each other for a year and a half, Marshall. She's a few years younger than you and I don't think she really gets you like-"

"Like who, Mer? Like you?" Marshall pushed off from the wall and closed in on me, his voice low and intense. "You have got a hell of a lot of nerve, Mary Shannon. You've known for years how I felt about you and you've never once given me the slightest encouragement that my feelings could be reciprocated. And now that I'm engaged and things are going to be changing, what you're really afraid of is losing your best friend. You're not going to lose me, but you can't have your cake and eat it too anymore. I'm not going to be dancing to your tune, at your beck and call-"

"That's not what I'm trying to say!" I finally broke in angrily. "I'm just saying that I don't want you to rush into something because you're trying to be spontaneous and fun with her – or you're afraid of being alone." I paused and took a deep breath. "I don't want you to make the same mistake I almost did – I just want to make sure that you're happy."

Marshall's blue eyes softened and his hands came up to rest on my shoulders. "I am happy – Abigail makes me happy. I love her," he finished softly.

"Then I'm happy for you," I said as I wrapped my arms around him in a hug before he could see the tears in the corners of my eyes, but I couldn't stop the tremors that ran through me.

Marshall mistook my trembling for cold. "Let's go inside before you freeze." He kept an arm around my shoulders as he steered me back towards the office.

Sitting on my desk was a small white box and I turned back to my partner in time to see his knowing grin. "Sorry they're a day late. I've been a little distracted the past couple of days."

I made a disgusted face even as I picked up the box, lifted the lid and inhaled the aroma of the truffles. "TMI, partner. What does your fiancée think of you giving chocolate to another woman for Valentine's day?"

He shrugged. "She gave a box to her partner and I didn't mind – besides, Abigail doesn't even like chocolate."

I paused in the act of lifting a truffle to my mouth. "Abigail doesn't like chocolate? Are you sure she's a woman? Maybe she hasn't gone through puberty yet," I snorted as I took a bite, which quickly turned to a moan of delight, my eyes drifting shut.

"Mary," Marshall said with a growl of warning.

My eyes popped open. "Sorry, I promise I will try and lay off the insults where your little woman is concerned. Just keep the truffles coming – these definitely help."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "That's my girl."

"Well, at least I'll always have you," I silently toasted my chocolate raspberry truffle.

But as I swallowed, my eyes landed on my newly engaged partner across the room and for the first time, my one true love left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

A/N: Bet some of you didn't think I could write an unhappy ending, did ya? Reviews are sweet like chocolate - and they last longer. So go ahead and push the button!