On the phone with tech support about my new non-functioning properly laptop. So much for Windows 7, Gates! If I have to send it back, I'm telling them to keep it. Anyway, my point is I almost forgot to post the next chapter. I hope you are enjoying it and thanks for the reviews.

Ch. 3: Food for Thought

After taking her place in the passenger seat of the truck, Mary quickly lost herself inside her own head.

As happy as she was to be out of the house and going to lunch with Marshall, she was tired. She had spent a large portion of the night before on her laptop searching for more information about her dad and Lauren, but coming up empty. Finally, she had resolved herself to the fact that she would need access to a computer at work in order to find anything concrete.

So now, in addition to her preoccupation with her father, she was also struggling with how to proceed. It was going to be difficult for her to come up with an excuse to be at the office while still on medical leave. Stan had forbid her from stepping foot in the place and she wouldn't put it past him to have had her passwords blocked in order to ensure she didn't try to get back to work before being cleared, but Marshall would help.

Marshall.

He was always the one she relied on without a second thought, the person who had her back no matter what, and the only person she trusted completely. But the more she thought about him now, the less she liked the idea of having to ask for his help in regards to her father.

He had specifically asked her about her father, not all that long ago, and she told him she hadn't been in touch with him. And in her mind, that was true, she hadn't made any contact and had no idea where to find him, but she also knew Marshall would see that as a technicality. They both knew she had only told him about Lauren because she didn't believe the woman had been telling the truth. She had kept the letters to herself and now she could only see his potential reaction as another reason to keep quiet about them.

As they drove toward their destination, Marshall noted how Mary gazed silently out the window.

The quiet didn't bother him, they often drove for hours with neither one of them feeling the need make conversation. Despite Mary's teasing to the contrary, he only chattered on endlessly when he knew she needed a distraction or if he was purposely trying to annoy her.

Today, though, something was different. It was not a comfortable silence and Marshall could see from her body language that she was distracted and deep in thought, her furrowed brow and unfocused eyes being the most obvious tells. He wondered if her current state had anything to do with whatever Jinx had asked him to distract her from. It was times like these when he wished Mary were the sort of person that would willingly talk when something was bothering her. But, then she wouldn't be Mary. So, instead, he concentrated on observing her carefully and waiting for an opportunity to try and get her to open up.

"The Artichoke Café?" Mary said in surprise as they pulled into the parking lot. "I expected burritos at that dive on the other side of town. What's the special occasion?"

"Does there have to be one?" Marshall responded. "Can't a person just do something nice for a friend?"

Mary glared at him skeptically.

"Fine," he said, knowing she wouldn't let it go without more of an explanation. "I know this is your favorite place and it's your first time out since the…since you got home." Marshall still had trouble referring to the shooting. As a result, Stan had ordered him to see a psychologist, which was something he still hadn't told Mary. He tried to tell himself it was because he didn't want to make Mary relive it, but he knew he was the one that broke out in a cold sweat every time he thought about how close he had come to losing her. "If you'd rather a burrito, we can…"

"Oh no, you don't, Mister," she interrupted. "Just park the car already." She was genuinely touched by her partner's thoughtfulness and realized that it shouldn't surprise her. He was always going out of his way for people, especially her. Then, her stomach growled in anticipation of the meal, distracting her from thinking too much about Marshall's motives.

They chatted about the office and Marshall filled her in on the latest gossip, which Mary pretended not to be interested in. After ordering, the conversation made its way to their witnesses. Marshall was still trying to find a way to get Mary to open up about whatever it was that was bothering her and decided that maybe he needed to remind her of just exactly where his priorities lie.

"So, I was over at the Billup's the other day," Marshall stated.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" Mary asked, concern in her voice.

"Always assuming the worst," he scolded, waving a finger at her. "Everything is fine. Just a routine visit, but they asked for you."

"What did you tell them?"

"The usual…that you're injured and are on medical leave, but you're fine and will be back soon."

"Leo's okay? And Vernon?"

"No problems. Carter said everything seems to have worked out really well. Even their other kids are referring to him as Uncle Vernon."

"One big, happy family," Mary said quietly before drifting off, lost in thought.

"We got lucky with that one, huh?" Marshall finally said after a couple of minutes in order to get her attention. "It could have been a real nightmare."

"Do you regret helping?" she asked, remembering the position she had put him in when she had asked him to help her keep Leo from his father against the Judge's orders.

"No," he replied adamantly. "And I'd do it again. You made the right call, Mare. And even if it hadn't been, I still would have backed you up."

"Like with Eps?" she asked, knowing full well that her partner didn't approve of her little indiscretion, and rightfully so, considering that it had compromised her ability to protect Eps during the police investigation.

"Yes," Marshall assured her, his insides twisting as he thought about her former witness and he couldn't stop him self from adding, "but I'd rather not spoil my appetite by talking about it, if that's okay with you."

Mary opened her mouth to make a snide comment, but quickly checked herself. Her partner had been there through all the crap, on and off the job, and she knew it wasn't fair of her make light of things she knew would upset him. Especially, when the real truth was that she was just being flippant to try and keep herself from thinking too long or hard about her lapse in judgement.

He could tell that Mary had been about to say something and had prepared for the usual snide comeback, but instead he watched her expression grow pensive. As much as he wanted to find out what was going on with her, he also wanted her to enjoy lunch and now felt bad about his comment.

"Well, I guess if I was forced to pick, I'd rather deal with Eps than O'Connor," Marshall drawled.

She tilted her head and raised her chin to look at him in response to his remark, not sure where he was going with that particular train of thought.

"The hair," he quipped with a bright smile. "I can't be in a room with O'Connor for more than five minutes without wanting to hold him down while you shave off that ridiculous hair."

"Me shaving O'Connor's head," she repeated back to him slowly, before adding sarcastically, "That's what you fantasize about." Shaking her head and unable to suppress a snort, she added, "You really do worry me sometimes, Marshall."

He couldn't help but laugh and she soon joined in, composing herself a few moments later as she caught sight of the waitress headed in their direction, food in hand.

The meal began and silence settled between them, each becoming more and more distracted by thoughts and memories.

Jinx's words from earlier in the day echoed in Marshall's head as he thought about just how rough the year had been on Mary, and ultimately, him. But what he had told Mary earlier was true; looking back he couldn't regret any of his decisions to help her. In fact, there were never actually any decisions involved. The only thing that haunted him was her shooting and he was working through it, or so he hoped.

Meanwhile, Mary's thoughts had taken a similar turn. The past year was flashing through her mind, snapshots of anguish and heartbreak, so much like her childhood. The difference, now, being the fact that it didn't just affect her, but also the one person she had allowed into her life, her partner.

Mary was not one to be sappy or emotional, but it didn't mean she was unfeeling. In fact, she often had more emotions than she could handle, leading her to ignore them altogether so that she could function. But, being shot and having a near death experience hadn't been what she imagined it would be and didn't have the expected profound effect on her. What did affect her, were the reactions of those around her to what happened, leading to Raph's eventual departure and her partner's increasing presence in her life.

While she knew he mentioned O'Connor as a joke, the name rattled around in her brain until it eventually brought her musings back to that time. Looking across the table at Marshall, she recalled everything he'd done, even flying to New Jersey, in order to help her. He had done more than expected without question, then, and more times than she could count.

"Thank you," Mary said, breaking the silence and causing Marshall look over at her with inquiring eyes.

"You're welcome," he replied, slightly confused by the words that seldom escaped Mary's lips.

"I'm not talking about lunch, you moron," she said, picking up a fry and throwing it at him. "Although, now that I think about it, thanks, for lunch and for getting me out of the house."

"Again, dare I say, you're welcome," he responded, earning him another french fry, this time in the face.

"I'm trying to be serious, Marshall."

"Okay, I can do serious." He had had a witty rejoinder in mind, but thought better of it as he took in the look on Mary's face. Instead, he stayed silent, motioning for her to continue.

"I just want you to know that this past year, everything that happened, I know I wasn't the only one affected. You did things…"

"Mare…"

"I need to say this, Marshall, and I'm not very good at this kind of thing, so pay attention. I don't want to have to do it again."

He nodded and she took a deep breath before continuing.

"Thank you. You've gone above and beyond for me, and my undeserving family. And done more than any partner should be expected to do. I need you to know that I appreciate it, appreciate you."

The conversation was interrupted as the waitress stopped by their table and asked if there was anything else they needed. Marshall was sure he saw Mary breathe a sigh of relief at the intrusion, as he dismissed the young woman with the assurance that everything was fine.

He was moved by Mary's confession and faced once again with the urge to comfort her, and himself, in some way. Not being able to do so physically, he had to rely on words. He planned carefully, before speaking, hoping she would take his words to heart.

"I once heard a wise woman say that at the end of the day, all that matters is you and your partner." He watched as she recognized her own words and then met his gaze. "And that you stand by that person, no matter what, because that's what partners do." He wanted to remind Mary that she came first and he'd have her back, always, the job be damned, if that's what it took. She never needed to ask and thank yous weren't necessary. He felt guilty as he spoke, considering he hadn't been there for her at Francesca's, but he knew this wasn't the time for that conversation.

"You do realize you just called me wise," she said with a crooked grin as she held his gaze for a moment. "Maybe I won't sell you out for that Twinkie after all, partner." Then, she added sarcastically, "Not unless it came with coffee, anyway."

He matched her grin, but she could see the concern in his eyes. She had thought he had been about to say something, and tensed in anticipation of his words, only relaxing when he went back to concentrating on the last bit of food on his plate.

Instead of questioning him, Mary took his lead and finished her meal. She had already said more over lunch than she had intended and didn't want to take the chance of getting sucked into another serious conversation.

The sounds as the world passed by, combined with the hum of the engine and her full stomach, quickly lulled Mary into slumber.

Once outside of the restaurant, she had asked Marshall to take her anywhere but home. It had felt good to finally be out of the house and she was in no rush to get back. Not having a specific location in mind, she had told him to just drive.

He knew she was tired and it took all of ten minutes for her to fall asleep. He smiled as he glanced over at her sleeping form curled up into a ball on the passenger seat, her head resting against the window. Marshall couldn't resist himself and he reached over to tuck Mary's hair behind her left ear in order to expose a small portion of her face. He had known by her breathing that she was already asleep or he never would have dreamed of attempting such contact without permission.

Pointing the truck toward the desert, he left the city behind. They had nowhere to be and no one waiting on them, which meant there was no reason not to let Mary take advantage of the much-needed rest. Knowing she was safe and sleeping, where he could keep an eye on her, allowed him to relax as well; and he temporarily set aside any of his current concerns about his partner's behavior.

As he drove, the sun continued to slide lower into the afternoon sky and Marshall began to feel the effects of his lack of sleep the night before. Deciding he may as well catch a few winks himself, he pulled off the road along a canyon near Petroglyph State Park and found a spot facing South that afforded them a view of the coloring sky, as well as a panorama of the city.

Mary began to stir in her seat and stretched, as her mind worked to catch up to her waking body. Having shifted in her sleep, her head had fallen forward slightly and as she remembered where she was, she jerked awake, banging her head against the window.

"Son of a bitch," she cursed loudly, rubbing the side of her head.

"Wha…What happened?" Marshall stuttered; startled awake by Mary's swearing.

"Wake up, asswipe," Mary ordered as she smacked him in the chest with the back of her hand.

"Are you okay?" Marshall still wasn't sure why she had called out and grew concerned as he adjusted his eyes to the brilliant red of the set sun pouring through the windows.

"I'm fine. I just cracked my head on the window."

Marshall smiled at the thought of her hitting her head, earning him another smack to the chest.

"What the hell are we doing parked out here, anyway?" she inquired of him, grabbing her cell phone from her belt to check the time.

"You said to drive, I drove," he responded matter-of-factly. "And then I thought it was a better idea to pull over then fall asleep at the wheel."

"It's 6 o'clock!" She knew she shouldn't have been so surprised by the time based on the position of the sun in the sky.

"And?" He paused briefly as she glared in his direction. "Somewhere you need be?"

"No," she answered sarcastically. "You?"

"Me?" His smile brightened before adding, "I am exactly where I'm supposed to be."

Mary regarded him for a moment before looking back to the landscape and silence descended through the cab once again.

As Mary lay in the dark of her room later that night, she thought about her day with Marshall. For the first time since the shooting, she had actually let herself relax and just be, even putting the thoughts of her father aside.

She didn't trust anyone other than Marshall enough let her guard down the way she had this evening and she had been surprised by the pang of sadness she felt when it was time to head home. Not wanting to feel vulnerable, she spent the trip concentrating on rebuilding her defenses and she knew she surprised him when she refused to let him walk her in upon their arrival.

It had taken the promise of a phone call if she needed anything and agreeing to let him come by with breakfast before Marshall finally let her ease herself out of the passenger seat. Even then, she had felt his eyes on her as she walked up the path and into the house, where she watched him from behind the curtain until he finally pulled away from the curb five minutes later.

After locking herself in her room for the night, Mary decided that there was no way she was going to get her partner involved in another one of her family dramas. What she refused to think about, were the real reasons behind her decision. She told herself it was for his own protection, considering her father was a wanted felon, and that was reason enough.

As she waited for the hours to tick by, she continued to go over her plan for getting into the Sunshine Building while she tried ignore to the voice of her partner that seemed to have taken up residence in her head. He warned her not to do anything stupid. Whispering over and over again, 'Just tell me what you need.'

"God damn it, Marshall!" she finally cursed into the darkness, "Get the fuck out of my head."

And with that, she slipped out of bed and got dressed, before sneaking into the kitchen to grab the car keys and slipping out the back door.