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Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy.

-Unknown

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If there was one thing that Mary hated more than anything in this world, it was dress shopping. She hated it when she had to go through it for Treena's wedding and that was just for the fitting for the bride's maid dress. Apparently, when you're the actual bride, you have to spend all of your day off looking at frilly and lacy dresses that you have to try on, even if you think they're the ugliest thing you've ever seen.

Mary sighed. This was the sixth dress that Brandi and Jinx had managed to get her into, and each time Brandi had insisted on taking pictures.

"To help you decide what style you like," she insisted. "You don't have to choose one today. We have plenty of time to pick one. Plus, this is just so much fun! I can't wait till we start looking for the bride's maids dress."

Mary about puked at the idea of another day, or more, of looking for a dress. She just didn't understand the whole thing about the dress. A dress was a dress, wasn't it?

Standing on the platform, Mary looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was pretty, as far as dresses go. A satin, off white bodice with a smaller train. Not too much lace, but enough to be noticeable. It had a sweat heart cut and off the shoulders straps.

"Raph wouldn't like it. Not enough lace and ruffle, or a bow." Scowling at Brandi taking more pictures, she thought, "Marshall would like it though. It has an old Western feel. I'd just need some elbow length gloves." Taking her picture yet again, Brandi busted into Mary's thoughts.

"Now there's the smile that we've been looking for all day! Do you like this one?"

Mary's demeanor became nonchalant as she looked at Brandi in the mirror. "It's a dress. What's not to like?"

Brandi's smile faltered a bit with her sister's comment, but before she could say anything, Jinx said, "Stop being thoughtless Mary. Brandi is just trying to help. I know you don't like trying on all these dresses but it's for your own wedding. You could at least try to look like you're happy about getting married. It isn't like you're getting ready to stand in front of a firing squad." Mary just glared at her mother through the mirror.

Brandi found something the attendant was holding very interesting and went over to talk to her about it. "I mean, if you don't want to do it, at least do it for Raph. But then we all know that you find it so hard to do things for other people lately."

Turning to face Jinx, Mary crossed her arms over her chest. "And just what does that mean?"Jinx turned her attention to the veil in her hands, ignoring her daughter's question. "Mom?"

Playing with the lace, Jinx cried, "I just don't understand what is so secret about your job that you can't tell any of us about it."

"Mom, I am not having this conversation with you again. Quit making what happened all about you."

" You got shot, Mary, and that affected everyone who loves you. Not just you. Why can't you just find some other job that isn't so dangerous? Why is it so important that you won't leave it?" Then Jinx's eyes raised to look at Mary. "Or maybe, it's not the job that you won't leave. Maybe it's someone that you work with."

Mary just stared at her mother, not quite sure what she was implying, but knowing that whatever it was she wouldn't like it. "Get over yourself," was all Mary said as she walked past Jinx and grabbed Brandi to help her take off the damn dress. As far as she was concerned, she would wear jeans to the wedding, if just to piss Jinx off. Marshall would get a laugh out of it anyway.

**

That evening found Mary out on the deck with Peter. Jinx had opted to disappear for the afternoon, which was just fine with Mary at the moment, and Raph and Brandi were bringing out the kabobs for the grill since Marshall and his date were due to arrive any moment now. Mary couldn't help but feel apprehensive about Marshall bringing some woman over to her house. The feelings of possessiveness that she had been experiencing lately whenever Marshall was the target of female attention began to stir in her gut, and it was kind of unsettling. What did she care who Marshall dated? It's not like she was dating him or anything. She was engaged to Raph for Christsake.

"Mary!" Brandi yelled from inside the house, "Marshall and his friend are here."

"I think I'm gonna need another beer, "Mary said to herself, but Peter heard her and smiled a knowing smile.

"You haven't finished the one in your hand yet." Mary looked at Peter and as an act of defiance, chugged the rest of the bottle, eyes on his the entire time.

"Starting early, I see."

Mary turned to look at Marshall as she set down her bottle and replied, "I was told that I had to finish my first one before I could have another. I was just following the rules."

Brandi snorted, coming out with a pan in one hand and a drink in the other. "Since when have you ever followed the rules?"

Marshall jumped in with a smile on his face, "She doesn't."

"Ha ha. Okay, so who's your friend, Marshall?" Mary gave the woman once over. Tall, athletic build, short red hair, and stuffy clothes, Mary figured she probably had money.

The girl blushed, hesitantly introduced herself as Alice Potter and held out her hand for Mary to shake. "Funny", she never pictured Marshall go for the timid type. Or redheads.

"Mary Shannon," Marry returned shaking her hand. "You've already met Brandi and Raph. This is Brandi's boyfriend, Peter." Turning an even deeper shade of red with so much attention on her, Alice managed to squeak out a hello to everyone in return.

Marshall was looking at Alice with amusement on his face. He couldn't help but think that Alice's timidness was refreshing and adorable. So different from the blonde that was across from him.

"This should be ready in just a few minutes, querida. Why don't you help Brandi bring out everything else." Raph was talking to Mary, but his eyes were on Marshall, as they had been throughout the entire exchange.

He couldn't help but notice the way Mary smiled when she first saw Marshall, nor the fact that she was sizing up the woman with her partner. As if she was figuring out if the woman was some kind of threat. Marshall used to look at him like that when they first met, but since his engagement to Mary, he just noticed the sad longing in the others man's eyes when he thought no one was watching him while he was watching Mary.

"Would you like some help?" Alice asked, and Mary gave her a smile that was normally reserved for her witnesses.

"Sure. Marshall, want a beer?" She didn't even wait for his reply before walking into the house, but then again, Marshall didn't expect her to.

Dinner was going as smoothly as anything could in the Shannon house, especially what with the nice weather and cold beer, until Brandi mentioned the shopping expedition that they had gone on earlier that day. And of course, Alice and Marshall wanted to see the pictures. At least Alice was genuinely curious. Marshall was just trying to get ammo to use against Mary later.

"Just don't let Raph see any of them!" Brandi exclaimed.

"Why not?" Raph asked, sounding genuinely hurt.

Alice raised her finger and claimed, "Because it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the wedding," as if that explained it all, then went back to gushing over the photos with Brandi.

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Raph directed the question to Mary but Brandi answered instead.

"Better safe than sorry. What if Mary gets one of the dresses that she tried on today? You'd have bad luck before you even start."

"I think it's a bunch of crap," Mary said sipping her beer. "Let him look if he wants."

Brandi firmly said 'no' then squealed. "Oh, look at this one! It's the only picture that I got with her smiling. Doesn't she just look beautiful, Marshall?" Marshall looked away from Mary, an amused smile on his face at her obvious discomfort, and at the photo, prepared to make some wise crack at Mary's expense, but instead the words locked up in his throat.

She was in a satin, off white dress that buttoned up the back. The top was a corset with a sweetheart cut, embroidered with snow white flowers. The train wasn't very long, but on Mary it looked just perfect. He could imagine her with her hair up, gloves on, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and her gun in the other. He glanced up at Mary and knew that he had been caught. She was sitting across the table with a smirk on her face, a knowing look of amusement in her eye. The look he gave back to her said, "What? I'm a guy."

"That is the look of a woman in love," Alice stated, intruding in on Mary and Marshall's silent conversation. "You can just feel the emotion radiating off of her about the person she's thinking about. You're a very lucky man, Raph, to so strongly hold the heart of a woman like you do Mary's."

Raph looked over at Mary and nodded his head in agreement. For some reason, Mary felt guilty and couldn't meet his eyes. Maybe because the person that she had been thinking about at the time the picture was taken was most definitely not her betrothed, and for some reason she had a feeling that Raph knew that.

"What do you think, Marshall?" Alice asked, repeating Brandi's previous question.

Marshall looked up from the photo and found Mary's eyes across the table. "I think that Mary looks beautiful in anything she wears." Then he smiled. "Even if she does look like a girl."

"And we all know that I'm no girl, right?" Mary asked smiling.

"Right."

**

It was late in the evening." The sun has gone away and the stars have come out to play", Marshall mused to himself. Currently, he was the only one outside, everyone else inside playing a very intense game of old maid.

He was happy that the evening had gone as well as it had. Truth be told, he had been anticipating a disaster in the making. He was even kind of happy that he brought Alice over for the afternoon. She was just so shy that Marshall couldn't help but think that she didn't get out much. She probably didn't even talk to anyone she didn't know outside her art gallery unless she had to. She was adorable and smart as a whip, if you got her talking about art and art history. She might even be able to give Marshall a run for his money on the subject. But while he always had a nice evening with her, that's all they were, nice. There was no spark and all predictability. So different from his strong, fierce, and unpredictable Mary. "Stop thinking like that, Mann. She's not yours. You heard Alice today, she could just feel Mary's emotions for Ralph pouring out of that picture. You haven't even stepped up to bat and you've struck out." Sighing, Marshall ran a hand through his hair and took a drink from his beer when he heard the patio door open to let someone out.

"It is a nice night, isn't it?" Raph asked, leaning on the railing a little ways away from Marshall.

"Very." That's all they said to each other for a while, with Ralph looking at the people inside playing the card game and Marshall looking out over the pool. The quiet male companionship was nice, and both rested in its solace for the moment.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Marshall glanced at Raph. "Alice? No, not really. We only met a couple of weeks ago."

Raph just keep looking at the scene inside and considered his next words. "She's in love with you, you know."

Marshall, startled, dropped the pretense of not understanding what Raph was saying. "No, she isn't."

"How do you know?" Raph turned his stare on Marshall and held his gaze.

"I'm her partner and best friend. I think that I would have noticed something like that."

"Even if she doesn't realize it herself?"

"Especially if she didn't realize it herself. Plus, she's engaged to you. She made a promise to marry you and Mary keeps her promises."

Raph took a drink of his beer and thought for a moment. "Maybe." Shaking his head, Ralph walked back into the house, feeling Mary watch them from inside, and left Marshall to collect his thoughts for a moment.

Finishing his beer and taking one more look around the yard, Marshall turned to go into the house wanting to burn out Raphael's words. It was getting late and he still had to take Alice home.

** Think that now is a good time to state that I love Raph's character. Just not with Mary. So there will be no Ralph bashing in this flick.

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