My second In Plain Sight fic. This time I'm putting in some of the other characters, just for good measure. Let's see how you all like it. Please read and review! I like to hear my readers thoughts, so tell me what you think please. No flames. Constructive criticism, nice comments, positive feedback and I'm thinking of possibly making this a two-shot or writing another short follow up story to it, so tell me what you think if you want to hear more.
I am sorry for any OOCness. I absolutely hate it when I write them out of character. Mary's mother is a little strange since she came back from rehab, so I didn't know what to so with her, but I tried my best.
She kicks off her sandals and falls onto the couch with a heavy sigh. "It's starting to sink in," Her mother says from the corner and both Mary and Brandi look up at the woman. "I'm finally starting to enjoy being sober. It's...nice." Her mother had been a bit out there since her return from rehab but out of all the things that Mary had heard her say, this one is actually quite humorous. She's never going to last more than a week, a month, tops, if she's really going to attempt. Mary snorts and both gazes snap to her.
"What was that for?" Jinx Shannon questions. Now, Mary doesn't mind butting heads with anyone, especially not her own mother. Hell, they would fight almost every day of the week before she went to the rehab. But now, not really knowing how to relate to Jinx, Mary has been treating these situations with delicacy. Brandi's eyes fall onto her sister, looking ready to come to her mother's defense if they were all about to go at it. But, to Mary's relief, her phone goes off just in time. Getting to her feet, she's knows full well that it's about the meeting set to start in about twenty minutes. Perfect timing.
"I know, meeting's in twenty. Yeah, I'm just leaving now. I'll see you there." Disconnecting the call, she eyes the other two women carefully and then shoves the phone in her pocket. "Sorry, I'd love to stay and finish this stimulating conversation, but I gotta get going...meeting tonight."
The blond woman walks into her room and grabs up her jacket and the gun under her mattress to shove into her ankle holster. Someone taps her shoulder and Mary spins around, hand on her gun all ready, only to come face to face with Brandi. Rolling her eyes, the Marshal sighs at her sister. "Squish, in case you didn't know, sneaking up on me when I've got a gun is probably not the most intelligent thing you could do."
"Mary, what was that all about?"
The older woman squints, trying to play dumb. "What was what all about?"
Her arms cross on her chest as Brandi glares up at her older sister. "Mom's trying her hardest. What was that smart-ass little snort for?"
Mary's one hand falls to her hip. She hadn't planned on this conversation but Brandi is pissing her off more and more by the second, plus, she was the one who asked for it. "Oh please Brandi, you and I both know that mom will never make it a month until she is drinking again, and that's if she's actually trying."
Her sister rolls her eyes at her statement. "What if she is actually trying, smart-ass?"
Mary's eyes widen in disbelieve as she usual ghost of a smile passes over her face. "She's not."
Brandi sounds a bit whiny now. "How would you know she's not?"
Mary's annoyed eyes meet Brandi's impatient ones. "She's not."
Both women stand still for a few seconds. Brandi clears her throat. "You're going to have to give me better than that."
"No I don't," Mary shoots back childishly. "She's been drinking our whole lives. It's not changing squish. She'll last a couple weeks at most and then one day, we'll come home and she'll be passed out in the living room of Barbie's Dream House with the bottle almost lodged in her throat."
Now, things like that are just uncalled for. There's no reason to be treating mom like this. She can change. "Why do you start out assuming that she's going to let you down? In fact, you do that with everyone. Isn't it time you gave people a chance?"
Her arms crossed over her chest, Mary's eyes never stray once from her sister's. Those words had absolutely no truth to them. None, whatsoever. Brandi has no right to speak this way to her anyway, with everything that she's recently done to screw up Mary's life, not to mention her own. "I don't have time for this. I have somewhere to be. This conversation ends now."
Mary stalks toward the door, Brandi moving into the room behind her and putting her hands into her jeans pockets. "Yeah, that's how it always is. You always make your way out before actually discussing any real problems."
Whirling around to face her sister, Mary is fuming. "Right now the only real problem is you. Just go back to being a failure at life and leave me alone." Saying no more and not giving Brandi a chance to respond, Mary slams the door on her way out.
She hops into her hunk-of-junk car and slams that door shut too, instantly regretting it knowing that the thing is about ready to fall apart anyway. Damn Brandi. I know exactly what will happen. Brandi just doesn't want to believe it because she wants mom to stop drinking. But Jinx Shannon would eventually go back to the bottle, too weak or too stupid to just commit to something and see it all the way through. When she turns the key she only gets a whirring sound for a moment. Just great. How would she ever make it in time now that Brandi had wasted five minutes of her life defending the fact that Jinx was trying to do something she would eventually give up on anyway? She turns the key again and eventually, with some cussing and persuasion, the car sputters to a start. She grabs the wheel and backs out of the driveway, making tracks toward the office.
How could Brandi even say things like that to her? What's more, how the hell could she actually believe in that load of garbage that she was spewing? How could anyone be so naive? Their mom is an alcoholic, through and through and she always will be. There is nothing that can be done on this earth that will change that fact. Mary could tell her all the stories that their mom never did from when they were kids and Jinx had been too sloshed to do anything so Mary had to. Yeah, there were all those times that Brandi, at her current age, still did not know of. So where did she get this idea that Jinx wouldn't drink again and why would she defend her without even asking one question first?
Oh well, Mary would have to worry about that later because right now, she is at the office and is all ready late for the meeting with the witness. Andy had currently been having problems with his landlord and was looking to move into a house of his own. Mary and Marshall had set up this meeting tonight with him to discuss his options and see where he actually stood, since they had not spoken since he was last relocated.
Mary places her files down on the desk, all eyes in the room trained on her. She looks around, all ready in a bad mood. "What?"
Marshall looks down at his watch. "You're late."
Mary shrugs. "I'm not always on time. I am human, though it may be hard for you all to wrap your minds around that concept." She sits, Stan now trying to avoid whatever was bothering his Marshal, and focusing on the moving paperwork in front of him. However, Marshall's not playing it as safe this time. He'd normally wait it out like everyone else, but he knows that something is really bothering his girl right now.
"Something bothering you?" Even knowing that he only wants to help her doesn't matter. She's too pissed off to care if he's trying to help or not. Right now, she'd rather not discuss it anyway.
Glaring, she places both hands on the table, extending them in his direction as if to say, "Back off or else." But what comes out instead is a very blunt and quiet: "No."
The two Marshals look at each other for a moment, Marshall confused at the bad mood and concerned for her and Mary just wanting him to shut up and leave it alone. He finally shrugs, breaking the stare. "If you say so."
Mary nods, then turns and looks at Andy. "So, Andy, I guess we're going to move you again huh? Anywhere in particular you have in mind this time? How about the Florida Keys? Yeah, we'll put you up in a nice condominium with a pool and a pretty view of the ocean..."
Andy just eyes her cautiously, his one hand tightening nervously in place over the other. "Um, well...just a house..." But Stan cuts him off, essentially saving him from Mary's venomous banter.
"So then, Andy...you're absolutely sure this is what you want to do?"
Andy nods and then Marshall chimes in as well. "You've been moved a lot in the last couple of months. Moving again is going to be pretty hectic."
Shaking his head, the former witness makes his reply. "I just don't want to have a landlord. I want to move into my own house with my wife and baby, when he's born."
They had reconciled since Mary had last talked to him, she presumed. "Well then, let's get this fun process started, shall we?" Her voice is sarcastic, like it usually is but they all know this isn't her usual bad mood. This is way worse than her usual bad mood.
After the meeting, Stan leaves with Andy to take him back to his apartment. Mary and Marshall sit at their desks doing paperwork.
"So," He holds his hands out to his sides in question. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or what?"
She looks up at him, a fake smile plastered on her face. "What do you think?"
He sighs. "So it's a no, all around huh?"
She nods at him. "Pretty much, yeah."
"Okay then, I'll guess..."
Mary simply resumes gazing at the seemingly endless pile of paperwork sitting on her desk before her. Her cell phone suddenly rings. Stupidly, she just answers and doesn't check the caller ID.
By half way through the conversation she all ready has her hand on her forehead. Marshall can tell this is either her mother or her sister, one of them in some kind of crisis. By the end of the conversation Mary is so frustrated that she just hangs up on the caller and then folds her arms and puts her head down on the papers, cussing.
"Jinx?" Marshall asks.
She picks her head up to look at him, one of the top papers sticking to her skin. Laughing slightly, Marshall points at her forehead. "You've got some paper stuck to you there."
Peeling it off, she about rips it in half and then throws it on the floor. "Thanks for letting me know that, since I obviously hadn't known it was there."
He shrugs, smirking. "Happy I was able to make you aware,"
Mary nods. "That was Squish. We got in a fight before I left and after that she must have told mom about it because now I hear she's sitting at home bawling her eyes out because I don't believe in her or something like that."
Marshall only nods at his partner's words. She adds this. "My family is so screwed up, I swear to god."
"That fact stands undisputed," Marshall adds, smiling at her.
She just continues to stare, her gaze bleary. "I'm just worn out. I couldn't give a rat's ass if she thinks I believe in her or not. She's been just a joy to have around these past few days, spacing out, looking all cloudy…looking lost. But for her to be sitting at home, crying? Jesus Marshall...I just...just..." She trails off here, he gets her point.
"No need to elaborate Mare," The man stands now, walking over to her desk and leaning onto it. She watches him carefully. "Why not come back to my place for a while? You clearly don't want to go home and I can't really blame you there."
Her eyes fill with shock. It's very occasional that they visit one another's houses though each of them knew they were always welcome. It's just not a scenario that typically comes up. It's only on holidays or late nights back from relocating witnesses. But for him, for her partner…her Marshall to suddenly just ask her to come over like this is certainly something she needs time to adjust to the idea of. For a moment the office is quiet, both of them just looking at staring quietly at the other. Marshall awaits her reaction.
