AN: My huge thanks to The_Dog_in_the_Manger for her beta talents :)

I had so much fun writing this story, I hope you'll have some reading it!

Thursday, 23rd February 2012.

Mary parked her car close to Marshall's. She had no problem finding it, with its hood opened, and a large oil spill coming from under it. But so far, there was no sign of her lanky partner. She sighed, looking around, and finally went out of her Probe, fighting with the door that would not open. She took in the view of the campus, the mesa style buildings, relishing in the light of the late April afternoon. The place was really beautiful, but she couldn't see where Marshall was. She took out her Blackberry, sighing again at the loss of time, and started typing when she saw a group of people come out of the front building. A dozen women stood there, chatting together, holding books, on which Mary saw the French flag, while the rest of the group headed towards their cars. Smirking slightly at her prowess of identifying another country's flag, Mary pocketed her phone, and headed towards the group, looking for her friend.

It wasn't long before she saw him through the large windows, talking to an older man, the teacher, who was packing up his things. Climbing the few marble steps, she carefully avoided the group of women, before heading towards the building, where she made her way inside the classroom.

"… parce que D'Artagnan est totalement amoureux de Constance. C'est le type même de l'amour romancé du 18ème siècle, bien que le roman ait été écrit au 19ème." the teacher was telling Marshall.

"D'accord. Et qu'étudierons nous ensuite monsieur Serizier?"Marshall took out his notebook, and noticed his partner had come in the classroom

Mary waved at Marshall, who was still speaking with the older man. He signaled her he would be coming in five minutes. She left the room to the sounds of French still being spoken.

"Et bien, Marshall , je pensais que nous pourrions commencer à étudier la poésie du 20ème siècle, avec Aragon, Prévert …." The teacher began to talk about the 20th century poets who would be studied during the next semester.

Nerds, Mary thought, leaving the two men to their conversation. She had heard enough French for weeks to come. How could you willingly take French classes, just for the fun of learning it? No wonder he never got laid.

Hearing the sound of an engine , she turned to see an Alpert Autoplex repair car parking on the other side of Marshall's SUV. At least this would be taken care of.

Everyone who has met Mary Shannon knew patience wasn't her main quality. She looked at her watch, realizing she had been waiting for four minutes so far, then turned on her heels, heading back to the classroom, with every intent of dragging her partner out , even by his hair, if necessary.

She barely acknowledged the group of women chatting beside her, but when she passed by, she heard a voice calling her. "You're here for Marshall?" and then, a giggle.

She is giggling? Mary thought, stopping dead in her tracks. What the hell for? "Yes. Why?"

The women started whispering shooting inquiring looks at Mary, while silently laughing together. Turning to the group, Mary gave the classroom a look, checking through the windows whether Marshall was still in conversation with his teacher, and took the bull by the horns.

"I said, why, girls?" Mary asked, using her US Marshal voice, and crossing her arms on her chest , eyebrows furrowed, annoyed that the women were talking about her behind her back.

One of the women, "a big boobs- blonde hair- tiny skirt" finally turned to her, assessing from the black boots to the tight jeans and the green tank top. Clearly, she was disapproving of Mary's choice of clothes.

The blonde finally spoke, "We just wanted to have a look at Marshall's girl of the month. No offense intended. You're just not the usual type."

It took Mary's brain several seconds to digest and analyze what the woman had just said.

What? This month's girl ? Of Marshall? What? Marshall has a new girlfriend ? Each month?

The blonde woman saw Mary's expression, and gently patted her on the arm. "Don't worry, sweetheart, Marshall is a very kind man, and you'll have fun with him, I can assure you. I'm Valerie, by the way," she said, extending her hand to Mary, while the other women resumed their giggling.

Shaking Valerie's hand, Mary was nearly speechless, but soon composed herself, unwilling to lose a battle against this bimbo. She had called her a sweetheart ! Nobody in their right mind would call Mary Shannon that. But she was cut short by another woman, a brunette, all smiles and legs.

"Oh, definitely! Marshall's the most exquisite man to go out with... and come home with," she added, giggling again. Mary hid her face behind her right hand, wondering how she could get out of this discussion. Or maybe... She had at hand, a lot of people willing to talk about a side of her partner she usually couldn't have any info about… Would she?

"So, you all went out with him? Marshall?" Mary made up her mind in a matter of seconds, too eager to learn about her partner's sex life.

"No, not everyone. Charlotte here," Valerie pointed at a lovely brunette "and Tina," another woman raised her hand" are married. He never asked them out."

Oh god, Doofus actually asks girls out? For dinner? Or to drag them whatever German film with subtitles?

"Yeah, he's quite a gentleman." Mary acknowledged sincerely. "And you're not jealous?"

"Oh, be assured, honey, that he is not always a gentleman. We can all tell you that he knows how to please girls ... and no, we're not jealous. Why would we? Oh, I see," Valerie added, smiling knowingly at her friends around, "he didn't talk to her yet." And she winked, before turning back to Mary. "You and him, it's just the beginning, right? He didn't take you to a restaurant yet?"

Yeah, you're right, Barbie, I barely know him, but Mary decided to play along ...

"No, not yet. What talk? Something I should be afraid of?" Jesus, that sounds so. .. Girly! She thought. Marshall can't seriously be dating this kind of girls... and what did she say? Marshall is a sex god? Marshall? Oh lord, this is just not possible, that I'm having this discussion with them.

"Well, it's no secret, so I can tell you. I'm Claudia, pleased to meet you…?" the brunette shook Mary's hand.

"Mary, it's Mary. So, what will he say?"

Claudia came closer to Mary, and glanced quickly at the classroom where Marshall was still engaged in the conversation with the teacher. She put her hand on her arm.

"Oh, nothing wrong, sweetie. He will be very clear with you. He will tell you before everything gets a bit horizontal that he doesn't want a long-term relationship. That this is only for the pleasure of having each other's company for as long as you both agree to it. No attachment at all. Just for the pleasure of hanging out together, and being friends with… benefits. If you want them, of course!"

"And you'd better agree to that part, Mary, because it's really worth it. No disappointment so far."

Valerie added, with a knowing smirk. All women around nodded their agreement.

"You're Mary Shannon?" the male voice made Mary jump. "Mr. Mann told me to keep you posted about the car, in case he wasn't here."

Mary turned to face a man, Steve, according to the tag on his shirt, and couldn't help but hear giggling and whispering going on behind her.

Mary settled a few details with the mechanics, and soon found herself looking at Marshall's truck being towed away. A few seconds later, she heard the familiar sound of cowboy boots on the ground, soon followed by the presence of her partner, standing at her side, watching his car too.

"Verdict?" Marshall asked, without even looking at her, still focused on the moving vehicle.

"He said something about a leak in the oil thing. They will need to check, I don't know what before they are sure. He'll call you when he knows better."

"Oil from the carburetor or transmission oil?"

"Don't remember. What does it matter?"

"Everything matters, Mare. Can we go? I have to work on an essay for the class."

Mary could hear the giggles growing louder, and just looked at the group of girls that were, without any possible doubt, staring at the two marshals, and talking about them.

"You could have asked Valerie. I'm sure she would have driven you home."

"I don't fit well in her Mini." Marshall realized he had answered Mary without thinking, too focused on his car. And he certainly hadn't expected Mary to talk to the women. They were so not her kind of girls.

Startled, he started to wonder what they had talked about, if they could possibly have shared some… things ? He didn't dare looking at Mary, afraid of what he would see on her face.

-o-o-

The air was filled with smells of rice, spices and the sound of Chinese voices coming from the kitchen. Just like any other day, the Imperial Panda was crowded. The restaurant was a tiny place near the old town of Albuquerque, but if you knew Pan Tien, the owner, you could always get a booth in the back. And Marshall happened to know Pan Tien very well, since they used to play badminton as a team. Each time they were coming to the restaurant, Mary had to suffer from shuttlecock and racket stories to no end. And she guessed that was why Marshall had dragged her here tonight, as he was now in a discussion with Pan Tien about the news regulations of Badminton for the London Olympic Games.

They both had carefully avoided talking about the women outside the classroom, Marshall out of hope she didn't know anything, and Mary, still processing all the things she had learned. She still couldn't believe there was so much she didn't know about her partner. But she could remember the oh so many times when she had told him to get laid, or taking pity of his lack of sex life … and Marshall, the gentleman, never told a thing about his dates … And she needed to know why.

"Okay, Shuttlecock Sisters, stop. I'm fed up with your stories. I have reached the moment when I can't take them anymore."

Pan Tien smiled, knowing Mary well, and bowed in front of them.

"I will make sure your Kung Pao is ready, Sunshine-Furen."

"My name is Mary, M-A-R-Y, Pan, not Sunshine! Already told you!"

"Sure, Sunshine-Furen."

Mary sighed. Pan Tien had taken the habit of calling her Sunshine ages ago, no doubt after Marshall had told him it was her nickname. She couldn't make him quit the habit. She turned to her partner.

"Now, you got to tell me. You owe me that!"

"What do I have to tell you, Mare? And what do I owe you?" Marshall didn't know what to answer, and he certainly wasn't going to talk about Valerie. And Claudia. And Brittany. And Helen.

"Come on, spill it, George Clooney. You've banged all these girls and I've never heard about it! That's not fair! I tell you everything."

It was Marshall's turn to sigh.

"Well, unlike you, there are things I am not willing to share with the whole world, and, oddly enough, they do include my private life. There are things that are better kept quiet. And that's all I have to say on that subject."

Mary pouted, and was opening her mouth to start speaking, but the look in Marshall's eyes prevented her from it. She was walking on eggshells now, and Marshall had his badass face, the one nobody wanted to mess with. She decided to back down, for now, with every intent to come back to it as soon as possible.

"You know I'll make you tell me, Moron."

"Not this time, Mare, not this time."

" Yes, I will.

"No, you won't"

"You will tell me!"

"No I won't."

"Here are your King Paos! " Pan Tien's intervention stopped the argument, and they both reached for their food.

-o-o-

Sunday, 26th February 2012.

The Spa. These two single words were like a promise of relaxation, of good times in Mary's mind. The Spa. For once, she didn't have to cancel it, for once, she would enjoy a full afternoon of massages, sauna and hamam, with nothing else on her mind other than her well-being.

She entered the lobby of the Embassy Suites Hotel, headed straight on to the spa, grabbed her towels, and in no time was at the indoor pool, taking in the beautiful view of Albuquerque that could be seen through the large windows. Mary had every intent to take a few laps in the pool before heading to the Jacuzzi nearby. Her massage session was a little hour away.

I should do this more often, Mary thought, relaxing in the Jacuzzi, her head comfortably resting on a cushion. The spa wasn't even crowded. She was drifting to a reverie when a voice made her come back to the real world.

"Mary? What a surprise! No, wait, don't move, I'm coming in!"

Valerie was already in the middle of the ladder before Mary had the time to make a single move. "You left in a hurry Thursday, we all thought you were a little upset about what we told you about Marshall. He is really a great guy. Did he give you the talk? Where did you go for dinner?"

Mary was stunned by how many phrases Valerie could speak without taking a breath. I should have known, she thought, that it would be impossible to have an entire afternoon at the spa all by myself, without any parasite to bother me.

"I think this is none of your business, Blondie. And I got to go, I have a massage waiting for me." Mary tried to rise to get out of the Jacuzzi; Valerie was already grating on her nerves.

"Oh, please, the girl will come to take you. That's what they are paid for, no? So tell me, did you go to dinner after his class? Did he tell you about her?"

Mary stopped dead near the ladder of the Jacuzzi, and looked at the blonde girl in her mini-bikini sipping on the straw of her smoothie. Her? Who was she?

"No he didn't; who is she? Another one of your women's club? "Mary couldn't help the tone of disdain in her voice, and made no effort at all to conceal it. Valerie was getting on her nerves with her perfect body, bikini, nails, and sipping on a straw without making any noise.

Valerie laughed before she took in Mary's stunned face. "Oh. He didn't tell you, did he? Well, then I'm not sure we can talk about that then …" Sipping back her smoothie, she smirked ironically, looking straight into Mary's eyes.

The blonde marshal could feel her temper rising; Valerie was the kind of person Mary could not stand at all: selfish, pretentious, egocentric. She could tolerate these when she was dealing with her witnesses, but in real life, Mary avoided them. Or if she couldn't, she was always ready to give them a piece of her mind. But this time, she had a feeling intimidation wouldn't work with Valerie. And Mary really wanted to know who this "her" was. She changed her tactics.

"Oh, you mean his old girlfriend? The brunette ! Yeah, he told me about her..." Mary was interrupted by Valerie's laugh. And even her laugh was perfect.

"His ex-girlfriend? Oh, my, you're kidding, right? No, Marshall will tell you his heart is already taken and has been for years. So don't raise your hopes with him, Mary," Valerie was openly mocking her now "you won't have him forever. If I couldn't, there is no way an insignificant woman like you will have him."

Mary rose to her full height, taking on the blonde in front of her.

"The difference between us, Blondie, is that I've known him for ten years. I even have a key of his house. Can you only tell where he lives?" Getting out of the Jacuzzi, Mary grabbed her towel, and turned to face Valerie, answering her silent question.

"I told you. I'm his partner. Not his girlfriend. Meaning I have the same badge he does. So", Mary knelled, and came close to Valerie's face "you'd better behave, or I'll be the one cuffing you. And I doubt you'll like it."

She straightened back to her full height, and headed to the entry of the spa, saying lightly "Now if you don't mind, I have a masseuse waiting for me."

-o-o-

Marshall was enjoying his Sunday afternoon. No witness emergency, no transfer to the other side of the country, no drama to solve with Mary's family. For once, he could just sit on his couch, watching a good movie – Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind - after finishing the reading of the Three Musketeers. The only thing he could hope for was to have someone by his side, and he had a very good idea of who this "someone" was.

On screen, Richard Dreyfuss was building a mountain with mash potatoes, when someone knocked on the door. Sighing, Marshall rose – he should have known this moment of bliss wouldn't last.

He was surprised to see Mary, holding on a bag of food from the Imperial Panda in her hand, impatiently tapping her foot on the wooden floor of his entry.

"Mare? What happened? Do we need to go?"

"Don't rush, Schumacher. I thought we could have dinner together. So I went to Pan Tien. He's quite friendly when he doesn't talk about shuttlecock and rackets, you know? Anyway, will you let me in, or do I have to break a window?"

"When you ask so nicely, how could I refuse?" Marshall slightly moved to let Mary in, trying to avoid noticing that she didn't wipe her feet on the mat, although there was snow outside, but it wasn't the first time, was it? "Mare, wait, weren't you supposed to enjoy an afternoon at the spa, and do not show up until Monday, fresh as a rose?"

Mary discarded her leather jacket on a chair nearby, and put the Imperial Panda bag on the kitchen counter.

"A rose, my ass. You know who I saw at the Jacuzzi? Your sweet Valerie. This girl's such a bitch. And I know what I'm talking about. I don't understand how you could, you know", she said, uneased, "bang her."

Marshall sighed. Here we go again. Let's make this clear once for all.

"First, Mare, I do not 'bang' women, that would be what you do with your one-night stands. Second, it wasn't your business on Thursday, what I do with women on my free time and it is no more your business today. And Valerie is a nice woman. She is the head of the marketing department of a big company, has a lot of interests, and is a great person to hang out with."

"Oh, come on, Sheldon, she told me fair and straight she wanted to be with you! Don't be so naive! She doesn't buy in your "The talk" crap!"

Marshall smiled widely "I knew there was a nerd inside you, Mare! You watch the Big Bang Theory ! I'm proud of you!"

"Whatever, numb nuts. This girl is like the praying mantis, the one that has sex with her partner and then bites his head when she's done. She will eat you alive !"

"And has it ever occurred to you, Laura Ingalls, that maybe I'd like her to eat me alive? Why are you suddenly questioning my private life, when did it become interesting to you?" Marshall's temper began to rise. He was really uncomfortable talking about sex with the woman he had been in love with for so many years. He could live with making love to these other women, even though each time he was with one of them he couldn't help but feel like he was cheating on Mary. But talking about it made it suddenly … real. And then it hit him.

"What did you say? What "talk" are you referring to?" He knew he shouldn't ask, knew that this would lead him to lose his temper…

"Oh, come on, you know what I mean! The "talk" you have with these girls saying you've been in love with someone for ages, and that you can't commit to any relationship because it wouldn't be fair! That might be the worst line I've heard to get laid! Come on, with that brain of yours, couldn't you think of something else ? I'm disappointed!"

Marshall turned away from Mary. He didn't want her to see the look on his face if he couldn't restrain himself from talking. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, hearing the sound of Mary's nails impatiently tapping on the kitchen counter, waiting for his answer.

His voice was loud when he began to talk.

"I don't get laid, Mary. I make love to women. That's entirely different. I care about them, I care about their pleasure, and I certainly hope they have a good time with me. Otherwise, it's true. I don't get involved with them. They really do not match my standards. But every man has needs. Look at you, you're not a man, but you have itches, and you do not hesitate to share your different experiences with us. Do not think I'm a monk, Mare. If once in a while, I spend an evening enjoying a lady's company, I really don't see what the problem is. Or when it became your business."

He closed his eyes, waiting for the explosion that would come in a few seconds.

"You didn't tell me you were in love with someone."

Ouch. He didn't expect this one. Marshall had thought Mary would move on, teasing him, fighting with him about Valerie and the other girls. He certainly didn't think she would come back to the subject that he had carefully avoided.

"I didn't think you would care."

"I'm supposed to be your friend, Marshall. You can tell me. It's not Abby, I think. Do I know her?'

Of course you know her , Mare, you just have to look at yourself in the mirror and you will see her.

"Do we have to have this talk now? I'm hungry." Marshall knew he avoided the topic, again, but he needed to collect himself before answering this question. He turned to the counter, to look at what was in the bag.

But Mary was too quick for him and swiped the take out on her side.

"You're avoiding the answer, Marshall."

His hand froze on the counter. He didn't know if it was because Mary had called him by his name, twice, or the tone she used, but there was a … kindness coming from her. Weird.

Marshall silently wished he could run away. Escape right now. He didn't want to tell Mary he loved her, once again, to have his heart broken, once again. He wasn't sure he could take it. He remained silent, and turned to the windows, losing himself in the view of the Sandia Mountains, under the snow. Maybe she would leave, and he would not have to answer that question … maybe. He closed his eyes.

"You know, I talked to Pan. He called me Sunshine, again. I asked him why he's doing it."

Mary's voice was soft, almost a whisper. From the sound of it, Marshall could tell she was at the same place; near the kitchen counter.

"I always figured he called me Sunshine because you told him it was my nickname."

I am lost, thought Marshall. She knows. She will make a fool out of me, and I'm not sure I can handle it.

He kept his eyes closed, wanting more than ever to run away. He put his forehead on the window, searching for every support he could find. He would need it.

"But no. Pan told me it was something else."

"He told me that one day he saw a change in you. That there was a sun shining in your heart. And when he saw us together, he knew who that sun was."

Mary's voice was soft, kind, without any hint of sarcasm or irony. A voice he rarely heard, but cherished.

Maybe …. no... No need to raise his hopes now, though.

"I've never been the sun for anyone. I've been the moon and the stars, but never the sun. It's better to be the sun, no?"

"Technically, the stars are suns from other systems or galaxies. But, yes, it's much better to be the sun. The sun shines, giving us light and night, giving us warmth. But most importantly, without sun, no life is possible." Marshall still hadn't opened his eyes, answering automatically to any question he was asked.

He didn't understand what was happening, why Mary wasn't laughing at him.

He almost jumped when he felt a hand on his cheek. He hadn't heard Mary approach him, too focused on trying to understand what was going on. He opened his eyes wide, relishing in the feeling of her skin against his, memorizing the place where she touched him, and turned to face her.

Mary didn't look away from Marshall's gaze, understanding everything he was conveying through his blue eyes, remembering all the times he told her what she didn't want to hear then.

But today, she was ready. And for once, she didn't run away. She would not run away anymore.

Here it is ! Hope you enjoyed !