Mary sat in her living room looking at her hand; no, not at her hand, at the ring on her hand. The ring that was absolutely and completely perfect. Raph's ring had been beautiful, but it had been big and noticeable. The kind of ring that got in the way when you were wrestling with a suspect, the kind of stone that got caught on the sleeve when you were trying to take off your jacket, the kind of symbol that shouted, 'hey look at me," and invited questions into her personal life. Those were all things she could not afford to have in her line of work or in her life. But this one was none of the above. There was no obnoxious stone to blind you when it caught the light. There was no bulk to weigh you down and throw you off center. There was no heavy presence that drew attention and put her in an awkward position full of questions. What there was, was truth.
Her boyfriend, scratch that, fiancé, had managed to find a ring that fit her perfectly. The engagement and wedding ring fit together to form the three parts of a claddagh. And it was there that her fiancé had succeeded. Instead of buying her a ring that everyone would notice, effectively laying claim to her, he had instead gotten her a promise. Sliding it on her finger he'd explained its meaning. And for once, she had listened, even though she already knew the answer, even though she spent her days with the human encyclopedia. The hands represented friendship, which they had spent years cultivating, against the odds. They'd overcome her issues and his insecurities to create a bond that surprised all that knew them. The crown represented loyalty, which they'd both sworn and proven over the trials they'd encountered. The past, her family, WITSEC regulations, nothing had been able to come between them, not once they'd sworn to stay true. The heart represented love, which had been present from the beginning, but had remained hidden under fear, both his and hers. Surprising both of them, she had been the one to use the word first, she'd yelled it at him during a fight over an injury she'd sustained in the line of duty. He'd told her afterward that if he didn't know her better, he might think she'd said it just to have some quiet.
She admired the ring for a few moments more. Her fiancé had left about ten minutes ago. She and Marshall had an early day, sex was not an option tonight. Thoughts of her partner pulled her attention from her engagement, or rather the appreciation of her ring. There was something she needed to do. Last time she'd worn a ring on this stupid finger, she'd hid it. It had caused problems between her and Marshall and tension in their relationship. Her reluctance to display the ring had come off as shame and he had doubted her happiness. She wouldn't let that happen this time. She wanted Marshall to know, that this time, she was happy; this time, it was right.
She grabbed her keys and headed outside, climbing into her car and directing it toward her partner's house. Trying to keep the important things from her partner had hurt him in the past, and she did not want him to think for a moment that she was trying to cover this up. She parked in his driveway, relieved that his truck was in fact also there. She climbed quickly from the Probe and dashed up the steps. Once on the porch, she stopped. She considered using the key she'd had for years, but decided to knock instead.
It took him two minutes to answer the door. When he pulled it open to reveal her, a look of confusion crossed his face, "Mare, what are you doing here? We're supposed to be at work at five for Marla's transfer."
She waved her hand dismissing his words, "I know, I know. But this couldn't wait. I need to talk to you."
A look of fear crossed Marshall's face, but he schooled his features quickly. If she hadn't known him as well as she did, or for as long, she might have missed it. Despite his fears, he stepped aside, ushering her in. She moved through his entryway to the living room, taking a seat on his couch as she had done a hundred times over the years. He followed, falling onto the cushion next to her. He took a moment, then turned to his partner. "What's up, Mare?"
She let the smile she'd been keeping back shine through and held out her hand for him to see. "I didn't want you to think I was hiding it or keeping it secret. I wanted you to be the first to know. You're my best friend, Marshall. I wanted to share my great news with you." She watched his face as she spoke, happy to see a smile rise in response to her own joy. "I'm engaged."
Marshall let out a sigh. He took hold of his partner's hand and tilted it left to right, to examine the ring. "So you are. It's an interesting ring. No stone, though. This one's not nearly impressive as your last."
Mary pulled her hand from his grasp and smacked him on the shoulder, "Shut up, doofus. It may not be the size of a skating rink, but it's ten times better." She didn't know why she felt the need to defend the ring, but she did.
He grabbed her hand again, running a thumb over the new piece of jewelry. "Interesting design, the claddagh, I mean. It's named after an Irish village, just outside Galway, on the West Coast of the island. The design is dated to the 17th century, but the symbols it encompasses date much further into Celtic tradition."
Mary rolled her eyes. "You're going to give me a history lesson now?" She didn't take her hand from his, instead letting him hold it, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth over the ring.
Marshall smirked, "Far be it for me to try and impart some kind of knowledge to you."
Falling into their usual banter, Mary answered in a tone full of both exasperation and pride, "I already know all I need to know about this ring, okay. I don't need to know where it came from or what the first one was made out of. The guy who gave it to me told me everything I needed to hear."
Marshall paused his movements and looked at Mary, interested to hear what she'd already learned that meant something to her, "Really? What exactly did he tell you?"
Mary held her hand out, her gaze again locked on the ring. She watched it, and Marshall watched her. "He told me that it symbolizes something. That it represents love and friendship, and loyalty." Mary's voice had gone soft as she listed the words; the three things that meant so much to her. "Those are things I didn't have in my life before, and now I do." She didn't notice the tear that began to fall, but her partner did.
He reached out and wiped it away and she turned into his touch. He said her name softly, the way he had a million times over the course of their relationship, when he wanted nothing more than to pull her close, but didn't for fear she'd pull away. "You shouldn't need a ring to know you have those things." His heart broke for her, for his beautiful partner, who had spent so much of her life alone.
But she shook her head, bringing her newly ornamented hand to hold Marshall's to her cheek. "I don't need the ring to know that. I never did. I'm not wearing the ring for me." Marshall looked at her for a moment, trying to understand, and she continued. "The ring is for you, doofus, so that you know you have those things. And so that you know I'm proud to claim your heart. And that I'm happy to give you mine." She leaned forward and kissed him, moving their hands from her face and entwining their fingers.
Marshall pulled back after a moment, placing his forehead against hers, bringing their hands to his lips and placing a kiss on her ring. "I'm really glad you decided to share that with me. Loving you has been the most wild experience of my life, and I would not trade a single moment of it for the world."
Mary's smile had returned and she brought her free hand up to swipe tears from her face. "I couldn't sleep until I'd shared the news with my best friend. It's how I know that all this is real. After I met you, I figured I was doomed to be alone in life, because there was no way there could be more than one guy out there who understood me so well. Turns out there isn't, and that suits me just fine. My only regret is that it took me so long to let you in."
"Don't be an idiot, Mare. You let me in the day we met. Everything we are now is because we had time." He held her hand up, once again showing her the ring, "There's no heart without the hands and the crown. We never would have found the love if we hadn't forged our partnership and pledged our loyalty first."
She smirked, amazed beyond belief that this man had chosen her to love. "Sometimes, you really are quite smart."
He saw the twinkle in her eye, heard the tease in her voice. She was his Mary, through and through. "Only sometimes?" To prove his intellect, he leaned forward and captured her lips again. After a few minutes, he broke the kiss and pulled his fiancé toward him, settling her in front of him, her back to his front, his back to the couch, and stretched out. "Now that you've shared your news, let's get some sleep."
She reached for his hand, lying on her waist, and interlocked their fingers again, "Sounds good." And as she drifted off, she repeated the words he had said when he'd handed her the ring earlier that evening, "Just so you know, you hold my heart in your hands, too."
Marshall placed a soft kiss to her head. He had never been happier than he was tonight, holding tight the woman he loved, his hand wrapped around her own, the smooth metal of his engagement ring present. His voice was soft as he whispered back to her, "I promise I'll take care of it."