AN: Many thanks to Enfleurage and others for pointing out that it was in fact Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman. I'd like to pretend that it was a deliberate mistake, but it really wasn't and hopefully I've managed to rectify it without spoiling anyone's enjoyment too much.

"Got it!" Marshall sang out as he put the phone down.

Mary looked up and was overwhelmingly relieved to see the stupid grin on Marshall's face.

"Whoever this guy is, I think we can rule out criminal mastermind," he said as he tore the top sheet off his notepad. "The car's a rental, but he booked it under his own name, Michael Bostock, and a quick search of Navy personnel records confirms there's a Michael Bostock, Lieutenant Junior Grade, who is currently on shore leave in Albuquerque."

"So he was an officer," Mary muttered.

Marshall glared at her. "Way to focus there, Demi." Mary has the decency to look abashed. It didn't last long, being replaced by a glare as Marshall continued, "And just so you know for next time, it was Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman, not Demi Moore."

"Who?"

"Debra Winger. She was in..."

"Whatever," Mary dismissed, not keen on hearing either actress' full resumes at that moment. "How do we know we've got the right guy?" she asked, returning to the topic at hand.

"I've just printed out his picture," Marshall said and before he had finished speaking, Mary had grabbed the printout off the printer. "That him?"

"Yeah," Mary breathed in relief. She put the image down and leant on the side as she asked, "But why would an officer steal my badge and gun?"

"Only one way to find out," Marshall said, grabbing his keys.

xxx

Mary slammed the door behind her and stomped across Marshall's living room. Marshall trailed patiently after her, as always.

"I can't believe that jumped-up, tight-assed, little peabrain of a motel clerk wouldn't give us the room number!"

She spun to face Marshall, "Didn't she recognize your badge? Or does she just get perverse pleasure out of getting one up on me?"

"Perhaps you shouldn't have threatened to have her arrested for looking like a prostitute last time we stashed a witness there," Marshall pointed out mildly.

"Whose side are you on?"

"I'm just saying, she might have been less hostile if you had treated her with respect."

"And just where did your respect get you?"

Marshall just looked at her. She had a point. All his attempts at sweet talking the clerk had fallen flat. Their search for Michael Bostock had hit a temporary roadbloack in the form of a woman still smarting from her previous encounter with Mary. Their only hope was to try again the following day and hope there was a different clerk that would give them Michael Bostock's room number before Mary started breaking doors down at random. The marshals could only pray that Bostock wasn't planning to do something stupid with Mary's gun between then and now.

Knowing there was nothing more he could do until morning, Marshall shrugged as he shot Mary an impish grin.

"Nowhere," he admitted, "but I'm going to have a cold shower while I contemplate her final suggestion to you."

"Pervert," Mary shot back as Marshall strolled past on his way to the bathroom.

"After all," he called back over his shoulder, "now I've seen the goods, it shouldn't be too hard to imagine."

Mary fumed silently as she recalled the compromising situation that had started this chain of events. She had been denied her opportunity to vent her anger at the man that had perpetrated the crime, but the man who's suggestion had led to her picking up a guy in a bar and the only other witness to her indelicacy was within reach. She knew Marshall would hold this over her for years to come. He'd never let a hint of impropriety slip when they were in public, but he'd make little comments when they were alone. Already she could picture the look that would be on his face when he was remembering the scene in the hotel. Even if no one else did, she would know exactly what he was thinking whenever anyone mentioned handcuffs or restraint and he shot a covert glance in her direction.

It wasn't fair! she decided.

Their relationship was built on balance and mutual interdependence and they had been teetering recently. Now one more thing had happened to upset the delicate balance in their relationship, handing Marshall the upper hand. All because of his stupid suggestion and her hope that maybe this time...

Her fury slowly turned her mind to thoughts of revenge as she heard the shower begin to run. She needed to redress the balance, to bring her and Marshall back onto equal footing. A feral and conniving smile lit her face as she crept towards the bathroom door and waited until she was sure that Marshall was in the shower. She slid her belt off and inserted the buckle edge into the small mechanism that indicated the room was in use. She turned it 90 degrees and with unanticipated ease, the lock made a quiet click.

Mary coaxed the door open and edged inside. She froze as she heard Marshall groan on the other side of the shower curtain. It occurred to her that he would do more than groan if and when he caught her and, as Marshall heaved a contented sigh, Mary had to stifle a giggle.

As quietly as she could, she removed the towels that were in easy reach of the shower cubicle and leant back against the washbasin to wait.

Through the curtain she could just make out her partner and she allowed her eyes to travel the full length of his obscured body. She felt her breath hitch and skin flush. She averted her eyes then cursed herself for doing so. The man had seen her in flagrante. Starkers. Nude. Completely bare-assed and in a none-too-ladylike position. He hadn't looked away or blushed, but she couldn't even bring herself to gaze at the outline of her naked partner. She blushed more as she recalled the way his eyes had travelled over her body, devouring the sight of her. Maybe...

Her musing was cut short as the sound of running water ceased. The shower curtain snapped open. Behind it stood Marshall, dripping wet and pushing his hair out of his eyes as he stepped out of the shower. He didn't notice Mary as he turned to reach for a towel. As his hand came back from the towel rack empty, he spun to search the room and finally registered Mary's presence.

"Mary? Wh- What...?" he spluttered. "What are you doing in here?"

At that moment, Mary was struggling to recall her own name, let alone her reason for breaking into Marshall's bathroom, as she took in the sight of her partner. She had seen him without a shirt on several occasions but never had the sight of his bare torso affected her so. Maybe it was the rivulets of water running down his chest. Maybe it was the way locks of his wet hair kept falling forward into his eyes, refusing to stay when he pushed them back. Maybe it was his muscular and powerful thighs. Maybe it was all of this or something in between.

"Mare?" Marshall said gently as he moved his hands to cover his more intimate areas.

Marshall's hands broke into Mary's line of sight, ending her hypnosis and she was finally able to pull her gaze away from what had truly captured her attention. She looked up into his eyes and felt the blood rushing to her face as his amused and quizzical look registered.

"Ummm...I was just...You know..." Mary was still flustered and Marshall's lack of embarrassment was only serving to make her more so. Anger once again came to her rescue and she snapped, "Goddamn it, Marshall! Fair's fair. You've seen mine so...Tit for," she gestured to where his hands still rested lightly, "tat."

'It's just as well he has large hands,' she thought, startling Marshall with the girlish giggle that came so soon on the heals of her tirade.

Marshall took two slow steps towards her, closing the distance between them to inches, then to less than that as he leaned towards her. Mary held her breath as Marshall's body hovered so close to hers that she was sure she could feel the moisture from his skin seep into her clothes.

"Are we even yet?" he whispered into her ear.

Mary's breath was rapid and uneven as Marshall moved away. She glanced down and her mind grabbed onto what seem to be an irrelevant detail. Her top wasn't wet. He had felt so close; yet he had never touched her. It took her a moment to realise that he had used her distraction to grab one of the towels she had been hiding behind her body. What sort of man could provoke such a response in her without ever touching her? she wondered.

As her thoughts were in turmoil, Marshall was calming drying his hair with his back to her, giving her an unsurpassed view of his ass. His methodical movements and relaxed posture as he toweled himself dry allowed her to regain her composure and admire the view. When he was done, he turned back to her, now with the towel wrapped around his waist.

"So...pizza or Chinese?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.

Mary considered for a moment.

"Chinese," she answered.

She remained leaning against the washbasin as Marshall strolled out the room to get dressed and order the food. He was already in his bedroom when Mary remembered how to make her legs work so he didn't hear her muttered comment as she left the room.

"And, no, we're not even. Not when you can make me feel like that without even trying."

xxx

"Michael Bostock! US Marshals! Open up!" Marshall yelled through the motel door.

He and Mary heard a muffled, "Shit," from inside the room and an instant later the door opened.

Marshall pushed his way into the room and surveyed the scene. "Clear," he yelled to Mary, holstering his weapon and turning to regard the half-dressed man before him. Mary entered the room and Marshall saw Michael's eyes widen in recognition and fear.

"Hey, Asswipe," Mary began, "Where's my badge and gun?"

Michael didn't answer quickly enough for Mary's liking and found himself being pressed face first against the wall with his arm pushed up his back.

"Over there, in the drawer," he yelped, trying to indicate with his eyes which drawer he meant.

"Got them," Marshall called.

Mary instantly abandoned her abuse of Michael and rushed over to retrieve her possessions.

"There you are," she muttered to her gun, "It's okay, Mommy's here now, you're safe."

Marshall rolled his eyes at her affectionate tone and stepped over to where Michael was eyeing the door.

"Why'd you take them?" Marshall asked as he cut off the escape route.

Michael looked at Mary, now checking her gun for damage.

"No offence, Sir, but your partner doesn't seem the type to take no for an answer and I couldn't think of any way of ..."

"Of what?" Mary demanded as her attention snapped back to the other occupants of the room.

Michael turned towards Mary and took a deep breath before he answered. "The other night was fun and all," he drawled, "but I didn't want another go. I thought it might be safer for me if you weren't armed when I told you that. I was going to hand it in to the local PD when my shore leave was over," he reassured hastily.

"And what makes you think I would have wanted another go?" Mary snapped scornfully. "You weren't that good."

At the time she had thought he had been and she would have jumped at another chance sample his particular brand of pleasure. But that had been before last night and the discovery of a man who could leave her breathless without even touching her. Now she was too curious to see what Marshall could do if and when he touched her to give Michael a second thought let alone a second go.

"We done here?" Marshall asked her, breaking her train of thought and bringing her back to the present.

"Almost," she breathed. She turned to impart one last shot to Michael. "You had better thank your lucky stars that I don't like paperwork, or there'd be a official report heading to your superior officer now. If I catch you pulling a stunt like that again or if I even suspect there's a hint of anything hinky about you, I'll overcome my dislike of forms and you'll be just another washed out sailor before you can say dishonorable discharge. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good." She turned to Marshall. "Now we're done."

"Good, I'm starving. Let's get some breakfast."

AN2: I've decided this needs an epilogue, so there'll be one more chapter as soon as I've written it.