It took two days for Mary to open her eyes. They kept her unconscious until she was able to breathe on her own and the tube could be removed. After that, they had to wait for the drugs to wear off. When she did wake up, the man sitting next to her bed was not the one she wanted to see. But he was certainly the one she needed to see. The moment she'd seen the gun, she'd had only one thought, Marshall's gonna kill me. Staring death in the face, she hadn't thought about her fiancé, she'd thought about her partner, her best friend, the one person in the world for whom she would rather die than live without. It was quite a wakeup call. She had painted herself into a corner with Raphael, and now she needed to find a way to get out of it.

She took a deep breath and turned to face him, "Raph…"

Mary noticed that there was no relief in his eyes, though it was present in his voice. "Mary, sweetheart, thank God."

Mary tried to shrug, but didn't quite have the strength. "I didn't mean to worry you." Though she sincerely hadn't meant to upset him with her words, she saw a flash in his eyes.

"Then you should be more careful. You've had us all worried sick. Jinx, Brandi, and I have been sitting in this hospital for two days, waiting for you to wake up." Raphael didn't mean to sound angry. But seeing her these last two days, lying still, pale, looking so lifeless had taken a toll on him. So had the constant presence of her partner, who always seemed to be in her room, regardless of the time.

Though she should have seen it coming, she still felt as though the air had been kicked from her chest. She hadn't even been awake for ten minutes and already someone was starting in on her, blaming her for her lack of consideration; as though she had intentionally gotten shot just to put her family out. "Well, I never asked you to sit around staring at me. It's not my fault that you all don't have the sense to listen to the doctors."

Raph bristled at her hostile tone. "Do you have any idea what its like to know someone you love is lying in a hospital bed and not know whether they were going to wake up?"

Against her own will, images of Marshall flashed through her mind, tubes in his arm, leads on his chest, eyes closed. She'd sat by his bed for several hours after he'd been shot, and she'd sat by his side watching him struggle to breath in a diner. Each hour that passed had seemed like an eternity. "Yes, I do Raph. And I'm sorry that I couldn't recover from my gunshot in a more timely fashion. I promise that next time, I'll be more punctual."

For a moment, confusion registered in Raphael's gaze, "Next time? What do you mean? This isn't going to happen again."

Mary understood what Raph was trying to say, but it would never be a concession she was willing to make. A very wise man had once told her that love was wanting to be with someone because of who they were, not despite. She was a U.S. marshal, and no man who truly loved her could ask her to be anything less. And yet, she could read in Raphael's eyes that he was going to do just that. She tried to keep her cool. "Raph, you know I can't promise that. Gunfire is a part of my job, you know that."

"Then perhaps it is time for a change. I almost lost you, Mary. You had a tube down your throat, and at one point your heart stopped beating. I can't handle that happening again." Raphael was trying to be honest.

Mary didn't have the strength to make a fight out of this. And to be honest with herself, she didn't want to. "And I won't ask you to."

"So you'll quit?" Raphael couldn't believe his ears.

"Leaving the marshal service would break my heart, Raph. I love my job, I need my job. It is the first thing I've ever had in my life that has been mine. When nothing else in the world makes sense, being a marshal does. When I feel like everything in my world is falling apart, I know that I can find sanctuary at the office. It's more home to me then the house we live in. And the people there are more of a family than Jinx and Brandi have ever been. Asking me to quit is like pointing a gun at me yourself, do you get that?" The IV drip attached to her arm had effectively knocked down her walls. She found herself being a lot more honest than she normally would be.

Raphael understood then. "You're not quitting." He watched Mary shake her head. He nodded his own in comprehension. "Then I guess this is the part where I tell you to stay safe and that even if I'm not your fiancé, I'm still your friend." He saw her open her mouth. Not sure what she would say, but sure he wasn't ready to hear it, he placed his fingers over her lips and leaned forward placing a kiss on her forehead. "It's alright, Mary. You're right, asking you to quit your job would be unfair. I know how much it means to you. And one day soon, you'll find the man who can stand by your side and watch you face danger. But I'm not him."

She watched him walk away. But she felt no true loss. Instead, she was focusing on what he had said. She already had a man who stood by her side while she faced danger, except he wasn't just standing there, he was watching her back, making sure that danger didn't sneak up on her. And he had been doing it for seven years, that and so much more. And she loved him for it, a fact she hadn't been able to admit until she was staring down the barrel of a gun. But now that her eyes had been opened, she was going to need to talk to him.

She didn't have to wait long. The subject of her thoughts stepped into the doorway not five minutes later. He had an odd look on his face that disappeared the moment he saw her open eyes. "You're awake," a smile bloomed across his face.

Mary felt an answering one spread across her own. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Marshall shook his head. "No waiting, you're right on schedule. The doc said it would take about ten hours for the drugs to wear off, so you're actually a little early." He crossed the room and fell into the chair that Raph had vacated.

Mary shook her head. Anyone in her family would have reacted just like Raph, allowing her to shoulder the blame and pointing out what an inconvenience it all was. But Marshall rarely ever let her take the blame, at least not completely, even when it was her fault. Wanting to set him at ease, as he always did for her, she turned to their usual banter, "Wow, early? I guess there's a first time for everything."

Hearing the joviality in Mary's voice lifted Marshall's heart. He'd spent the last two days in a constant state of worry. "Indeed there is." He took a deep breath and then decided to inquire about Raph's departure. He'd seen the man leaving on his way in but couldn't understand why he would be going if Mary was finally awake. "So, I saw Raph headed out. Was there something you needed from the house…"He left the statement open, hoping she'd be more inclined to explain.

Mary let out a sigh, Marshall was one of the few people who ever bothered to pay attention to her life. Sometimes it was a pain in the ass, but other times, she was amazed. He was giving her the perfect opening to bring about the topic she wanted to discuss with him. "No, I don't need anything. He's not cut out to be a cop's wife. He doesn't want to spend the rest of his life waiting for the call. And I'm not cut out to be anything other than what I am. It just took a hole in my stomach for both of us to admit that."

Marshall nodded, understanding what Mary was saying. He couldn't exactly blame Raphael. He never wanted to receive another phone call that sent him rushing to the hospital, hoping to see the woman he loved alive when he got there. But at the same time, he would rather be waiting for that call than not in Mary's life at all. Of course, he shouldn't ever be getting that call to begin with, because he should be there by her side. "I'm sorry, Mare." And he was, though he hated the idea of her marrying another man, he would never wish pain on her. And though she seemed to be handling this well, he knew watching men walk out of her life was painful for her.

Before Mary could broach her new found realization, she needed to know where Marshall stood. He'd been out on a date two days ago. If he saw any potential in that woman, Mary didn't want to ruin it by dumping her feelings on him. "Don't worry about it. So how's your love life going?"

Confusion clouded Marshall's face, "What do you mean?"

Mary rolled her eyes, "The date, numbnuts, how'd it go?"

It took Marshall a moment to figure out what she was saying, but when he did, the guilt was suffocating. "Mare, I am so sorry. I never should have left you there alone. I should have cancelled and stayed with you. If I had thought for a second…though I guess that was the problem, I wasn't thinking. I was…"

"Marshall, stop it. I didn't mean it like that." She stopped his self-damning tirade. She hadn't meant to suggest she blamed him. "I told you to go, remember? I don't blame you, and if you ever try to blame yourself, I will beat you to within an inch of your life, got it?" She waited for him to nod before continuing. "I honestly just wanted to know how your date went. My fiancé just walked out on me, I'd like to know there's still some hope out there." She phrased it so that he would think she wanted reassurance that love was still out there, but in reality, she wanted to know if he was still out there.

Marshall took a moment to push the guilt back down. It didn't matter what she said about whose fault it was, he knew he'd always blame himself. And he felt fully justified with that because he knew she still blamed herself for what happened to him. It was how partners worked. Then, knowing the story of his ill-fated date would cheer her up, he shared. "Sorry to disappoint, but if you're looking for reassurance that love is, in fact, in the air, I'm not your guy. I took her to the Balloon Museum," he watched as Mary rolled her eyes. He'd dragged her to the museum at least once a year since she'd moved to Albuquerque. "Everything was going fine at first then she asked where the 'lead zeppelin' she kept hearing about was."

Mary laughed, and regretted it instantly, not that it stopped her. Zeppelin was one of Marshall's all time favorite bands, hers too. "Wow, I bet that was painful for you. Are you sure she wasn't joking?"

Marshall shook his head. "She followed it up by asking how they got it to fly if it was full of lead. Anyway, I was pretty much done after that, and was kind of hoping you'd call with an emergency and save me." Realizing what he said, he was quick to continue, "Of course, if I'd known you were fixing to get yourself shot, I would have gladly just ended the date early. Trust me, there is nothing so bad out there that a phone call like that could be considered a reprieve." His eyes flashed over to the EKG machine, as if checking to make sure her heart was still beating.

She felt for her partner, there was a time not too long ago when she'd sat in this very hospital in a very similar position, her eyes frequently darting to the monitor to make sure he was still alive. "When did you get here?"

He didn't have to ask when she was talking about. "A few seconds after you did; I watched them wheel you down the hall. They had lost your pulse on the way over. I tried to stay with you, begging you to hold on, but they wouldn't let me. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't brought you back."

Though it was painful to move, Mary reached her hand out to cradle Marshall's cheek. "But they did. I'm fine, Marshall. A few weeks of recovery, I'll be good as new." Seeing the haunted look in his eyes, Mary decided it was now or never. "Marshall, there's something I want to talk to you about."

Marshall felt fear seep into every bone in his body. Despite what she'd said about ending things with Raph, he feared that getting shot would cause Mary to reevaluate the job. She didn't have to be in WitSec to be a marshal, and she didn't have to be his partner to be in WitSec. He tried to keep his voice calm when he responded, "What is it, Mare?"

She took a deep breath to gather her resolve and let it out. "When it comes to the job, I'm really good at what I do. I can see what people are trying to hide and I can figure out the best way to handle pretty much any situation that arises. But in my life, I'm really bad at seeing what's right in front of me. It's one of the reasons that things with my family are the way they are. But sometimes, I do catch on, and when that happens, I can't just ignore it. I know I've asked a lot from you over the years, and I've placed a lot of crap on your shoulders. And you don't need this extra weight," she felt the tear slide down her cheek and cursed herself for not being strong enough to hold them in. She wanted to tell Marshall what she'd figured out, needed to do it, but a part of her was afraid that telling him would drive him away.

But Marshall reached out and brushed the tear away, "Hey, I'm your partner, you can tell me anything. Whatever it is, we'll handle it together, just like we always have." Her obvious distress was not helping his own state of emotions. But he'd rather have her spit whatever it was out then watch her cry.

"I'm not so sure it's something we can handle together. I think I'm on my own with this one. And that's okay," She wanted to reassure him, to let him know she wasn't expecting her feelings returned. She just couldn't keep them to herself. While normally she was tight lipped about her emotions, Marshall had always been the one exception to the rule. He could read her too well. She didn't want to try and lie to him about this, and she didn't want to take the chance that she kept quiet and they missed an opportunity at something greater.

"Mare…" He needed her to spit it out so he could figure out the next step.

"I love you, Marshall. I don't know when it happened but I do. When I saw that gun, you were the only person I was thinking about. And when I woke up, I was disappointed you weren't the one by my side. You were the first person in my life to ever tell me that what I want matters. And before today, I never really knew what that was. But I do now. I'm not looking to have you say it back, I don't expect you to feel the same. I just didn't want to hide it, and I've never been able to lie to you anyway. I've never been in love before, Marsh, and I just didn't want to miss the opportunity of saying it, at least once." She felt like an idiot. When she'd started this, she'd felt so sure telling him was the right choice, but now the fear had grown and she was scared he wouldn't take her affection well.

Marshall let out a sigh, releasing the fear that had been building in his own heart. "Jesus, Mare, you really had me worried for a second." He watched confusion settle into her features. "I thought you were going to leave WitSec, or ask for a new partner or something." Off her look, he continued, "Those are the kinds of things I wouldn't have been able to handle. This, I actually have some experience in."

Mary was still confused, "Experience?"

"Well, yeah, seeing as how I've been in love with my partner for the last seven years." Surprise registered on Mary's face. Marshall smiled. "What, you thought you were the only one?

Mary laughed, a gentle release of fear and tension, "Yea, a little bit." She considered the possibilities, her mind reeling with what could be. "So what now?"

Marshall gave her a searching look, assessing her state. "Well that kind of all depends."

She cocked her head to the side, "On what?"

He leaned forward, "On you. I've come to terms with loving you from afar, I can keep doing it, if I have too. The ball is in your court, Mare. I'm not going to push you on this one. It's up to you."

For a moment, Mary couldn't speak. It amazed her how well this man knew her some times, to just hand her control of the situation, even one that affected him just as much as it did her. It was the final push she needed. "I wanna try, Marshall. I want to see if this is the thing we've both been looking for. I'm tired of being afraid, and I don't want to risk missing out on something that could make us both happy."

Marshall nodded, his heart swelling. But before he was willing to answer, he needed to make sure she understood the possible consequences. "You know what could happen, right?" He took a breath, not wanting to scare her off, but needing her to understand the risks. "If it goes badly, we might have to get new partners. Hell, if it goes well, we might have to get new partners. And while I can promise I'll never abandon you, I can't promise that I won't leave." He hoped she got the difference. He would never do to her what her father had done, but they worked a high risk job, and they both knew from personal experience that death was no stranger.

He watched her face as she considered his words. She met his eyes again, "It's funny, I've spent my whole life hoping I didn't inherit the gambling bug from my father, but I'll be damned. Because right now, I'm willing to risk everything on you. There is only one thing in my life that I want less than to lose you, and that is to wake up one morning and realize I never had you."

He read the sincerity in her eye, leaned forward and kissed her. After a few seconds, he pulled back, "You have me, never doubt that you have me."