A/N: Hi readers! This is a short one-shot I wrote for the LJ post finale fic challenge. Not that I think the finale needed "fixing" this year - it was awesome! (Not like last year's) But this plot bunny has been bouncing around in my head and is my version of what happens after the lights went down on S4. It is a stand alone story and is totally separate from my "We're having a baby" series - which I will be getting back to soon, I promise. Enjoy!

Marshall tried to focus his weary eyes on the clock to see what time it was even as his hand tried to find his phone on the bedside table.

2:33 AM

He groaned and his hand nearly swept the clock off the table but his fingers still didn't come in contact with his ringing phone.

"It's on the floor," Abigail mumbled next to him. "Oscar knocked it off the table when you got into bed."

"Damn dog," he muttered under his breath as his fingers closed around his phone. He brought the object to his ear and mumbled sleepily into, "This is Marshall."

"Hey partner, I'm sorry I woke you."

His eyes flew open at the sound of Mary's voice on the line. She had checked herself out of the hospital soon after baby girl Shannon was born and had left town, leaving everyone in a panic. Mark, Brandi, and Jinx had been beside themselves with worry and had begged Marshall to find her. He had traced her credit cards and phone but Mary was smart – she had withdrawn cash from her bank account instead of using her cards. She had left him one voice message saying she was fine and just needed some time away before turning off her cell.

He hadn't known what else he could do – he could have asked Abigail to put out an APB on her car, but he didn't really have anything to back it up. She hadn't abandoned her baby – not when the biological father was here, not to mention an aunt, grandmother, and the extended family of Stan and himself. So he had instead trusted his instincts that told him that Mary Shannon was nothing like her father and would be back – she was just scared, overwhelmed, and had panicked.

And now, his instincts about his partner had paid off. He wanted to yell at her for leaving her newborn daughter behind. Yes, she had had her father – but she needed her mother.

He wanted to enfold her in his arms and never let go. He could still hear her voice as she called his name as she collapsed at the chuppah at Brandi's wedding that never happened. The panic and fear in her eyes as the paramedics confirmed that she was in labor.

Marshall was brought back to the present by Abigail shifting beside him. "Marshall, who is it?"

He made a shushing motion with his hand. "Where are you?"

"Outside your door."

"Damn it, Mer!" He exclaimed as he threw back the covers. "Why didn't you ring the bell?"

"I didn't want to wake up the Texas cheerleader in your bed and have her answer the door. I don't think I can take her perkiness at this hour."

He slipped a wife beater over his boxers and headed down the hallway for the door. "And why didn't you go home?"

He swung the front door open and in unison both of them hung up their phones. Marshall took in his partner's appearance in silence. Her eyes were red rimmed and swollen, her hair was tangled and greasy, and her clothes looked like she had slept in them for a couple of days.

She shrugged. "Brandi's in the guest room, Mark's on the couch – I just didn't want to deal with all that drama right now, you know?"

He nodded, as he moved aside to let her step inside. "We've all been worried about you."

She nodded. "I know."

He leveled a serious look at her. "You could have sent another message to let me know you were okay, or even where you were-"

She shook her head. "No, then you would have found me and I needed to be alone."

He sighed and decided to change the subject for the moment. "So, would you like some tea?"

"I can have coffee now."

"I don't think that's such a good idea at this time of night. Besides, it looks like you need some sleep and I don't think coffee would help." He moved towards the kitchen and she followed.

"Are you saying I look like shit?"

"I'm saying you look like you haven't been taking care of yourself. I think you've been off in the desert somewhere worrying yourself to death and you're about ready to break."

Mary stared at him in astonishment for a moment before whispering, "You bastard."

Her hand came up to slap him but Marshall caught her wrist and held her firm in his grip. Mary turned into a snarling, hitting, kicking hellcat but Marshall managed to parry all of her blows and in the end held her tight against his chest while she wept into his neck.

He heard a slight sound and looked up to see a wide-eyed Abigail standing in the kitchen doorway. Without releasing his hold on Mary, he nodded that everything was all right and watched as a veil came down in Abigail's eyes. She left as silently as she came and he sighed, wondering what the future held for them.

Mary shifted in his arms and his attention was drawn back to her. "Feel better?" he asked softly.

She shook her head against his neck. "No. I'm a terrible mother, Marshall."

"Well, if it's any consolation, your daughter is too young to remember any of this."

She pulled away and slapped his chest, playfully. "I'm serious! She was less than two days old and what did I do? I ran – proving that running does indeed run in the Shannon blood! I mean, Brandi ran from her wedding, and Dad ran away from his family not just once but twice! And even though Jinx didn't run, she definitely had her own brand of escapism in the bottle!"

He grasped her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "You are nothing like your father, Mer! You stayed and raised your sister when you should have been focused on your own childhood. You also picked up your mother from the floor and the local bars and eventually got her to face the fact that she's a blackout drunk. You don't run from your problems – or your witnesses' – you run after them!" he chuckled.

She shook her head at him. "Marshall, you can't deny the fact that this time I did run away! I kept seeing pictures of babies with horrible birth defects and cleft palates and blaming myself for not taking better care of myself. I kept hearing your voice saying that I needed to slow down and take better care of myself because I was pregnant and then my voice saying that women had been having babies since Eve and everything would be fine. And look what happened! I missed my sister's wedding and she panicked and ran and I went into premature labor-"

"Mary, stop it!" he shook her shoulders a little harder. "Look, let's sit down, all right?" He led her over to the couch. "You and I both know that all the 'what if's' are going to drive you crazy. But I do know that since the moment you found out you were pregnant, you took excellent care of yourself. Sure you could have slowed things down at work but Stan and I kept you both as safe as possible. You may not have read any pregnancy books but I did-"he paused when she rolled her eyes. "Hey, I told you we were having a baby!"

Mary shook her head at him and was quiet for a moment before she whispered, "Have you seen her? Is she – all right?"

His heart broke at the vulnerability and fear he heard in her voice. "I've visited her every day. I've held her and sung to her, and told her that you'll be there to see her soon. She's perfect, Mer, and the tiniest version of you I've ever seen."

The tears were slipping down her cheeks. "Really?"

He nodded. "Just a minute." Marshall slipped into the kitchen to grab his phone and scrolled through his pictures, bringing up the most recent. He sat beside Mary on the couch and handed it to her.

The phone trembled in Mary's hands. "Squish was never that small," she whispered.

Marshall smiled. "She's gained half an ounce since her birthday," he stated proudly.

"I've missed a week of her life," Mary sighed. "And she's really-?" she let the question hang in the air between them.

He nodded. "Ten finger, ten toes – and she has a birthmark on her left shoulder blade. She's getting medicine to mature her lungs but she's fine, Mer, I promise."

"I can't- I don't – I still haven't decided-"

He nodded again. "I should tell you that I got Mark a job at Home Depot. He's planning to stick around in Albuquerque and raise his daughter no matter what you decide."

She jumped a bit at the news. "Seriously? My ex is turning over a new leaf? I can't believe it."

Marshall smiled and tapped the screen. "That's because you haven't held this little angel yet. She's wrapped me, Stan, and Mark around her little finger."

Mary snorted. "What about Brandi and Jinx?"

He shuddered. "I try to avoid being present in the NICU when the Shannon women are present – let's just say that I've heard they can be quite boisterous."

She laughed. "Sounds like my daughter has quite the support system already."

"She stills needs her mother."

Mary smiled sadly. "Does she have a name yet?"

He shook his head. "No, I convinced Mark to wait for you."

Her eyes met his. "How did you know I'd be back?"

"Instinct."

"Doofus," she teased him, as she curled up against the other end of the couch. "Do you remember that conversation we had in the baby store about if I decided to keep the baby and you said you'd support me? Does that offer still stand?"

His heart was suddenly beating faster as he whispered. "Why?"

Her gaze was fixed on the picture of Baby Girl Shannon on his cell. "Just curious."

"Of course it still stands, Mer." He paused and waited until her eyes met his. "You're my partner, my best friend. I'll always support you – times ten."

Her free hand reached out and wrapped around his. "Good to know."

~FIN~