Author's Note: I know absolutely nothing about opera. Any information in this story was found on Wikipedia, so if it's wrong, you can most definitely blame me.

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She probably thought he couldn't hear her, getting ready to leave. She always did the same thing at the end of the day: she closed the last file and plopped it on the huge 'Out' pile, let out a relieved sigh when she saw there was no more paperwork, chugs the last of her coffee and throws it in the trash can by her desk. Then, she'd always yell something along the lines of 'Hey dumbass, you done yet?' despite the fact that he was almost always done before her. And the fact that the office was always so empty by that point that he could've heard her if she whispered.

Today, though, she was trying to be quiet. The clang of the coffee cup in the trash can was muffled, and instead of a yell to jolt him from what appeared to be deep sleep, Mary carefully pulled her few personal items from her desk drawers and was quietly walking across the bullpen to the door when he finally spoke.

"You're not trying to sneak out early avoid my kind invitation, are you?"

Mary sighed. She'd hoped to be gone before her woke up. "I don't care how many people you had to threaten, bribe or blackmail to get those tickets, Marshall, I'm not going to the opera with you!"

"Come on!" Marshall remembered his arguments from earlier today, when he'd sprung the invitation on her as she was comfortably seated in her chair. She was still angry with him, but it wasn't his fault that she couldn't swallow her coffee before she tried to yell.

"Opera is a classical wonder! You haven't lived until you've heard the finale of Simon Boccanegra, or watched the Wolf's Glen scene of Der Freischütz!" Marshall spoke with passion about two of his favorite operas, trying to convey his love for the freedom and beauty of the art to his uncultured colleague.

Mary stared at him with confusion and disgust. "What language is that, Greek?" She asked disbelievingly. Her partner knew a lot of useless junk, but she didn't know he could speak Greek!

Marshall sighed. "It's German. And it has a very distinctive sound."

Mary snorted. "If by distinctive you mean exactly like a rhino with a chest cold." She pulled on her thick coat: Albuquerque may be in New Mexico, but at night temperatures dropped like the Times Square Ball on New Year's Eve.

"Wait!" Marshall scrambled to pull his stuff out of various drawers. "I'm coming too, and we're going to the opera!" He tried to stand, and found himself unable to. Marshall tried to stand again, more slowly, and spluttered "What the-" when he found his clothes attached to his chair.

"Yeah, I decided I really didn't want to go to the opera." She put on a sweet voice and mimed talking on a phone. "Hi, I'm Mrs. Mann, you can just cancel those tickets and send the refund to the credit card. We decided to stay in tonight!"

Marshall gasped and lunged for his phone, only to find it wasn't on his desk, but unplugged and tossed on the floor in the middle of the bullpen. He tugged at his pants, trying to see if they would come free of the chair.

"I wouldn't try that," Mary warned. "That staple machine is really good!" She said, motioning her hands to emphasize exactly how great the stapler was.

Marshall internally punched himself. Never fall asleep when Mary's angry!

"See you tomorrow!" Mary waved exaggeratedly as she exited the office, leaving Marshall attached to his chair in an empty building.

Marshall sighed. He could get out of this, but there was no way he would be able to make it to Don Giovanni, which had just premiered at the Santa Fe Opera House.

Damn stapler! Marshall thought angrily. The he smiled as he planned his revenge.

This isn't over!

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To be continued…

I have some plans for Marshall's revenge, but if anyone has any suggestions, I might change my mind…

(sorry about the repost- a very stupid mistake was pointed out to me, and I just couldn't let it go)