A little bit of Jinx, some more Norah, and Stan the Man! Of course. You can't beat the former chief! Please enjoy!

"Mom?" Mary poked her head into the small office, she was pretty sure was a closet when her mother took over the studio,

"MARY! My darling, how are you? Where's Norah?" she searched for the three year old, her eyes automatically going to her daughter's waist, and all around her feet, "Why don't you ever bring- Jinx looked up, seeing the dark, brooding face of her daughter, a tear streaked and lamenting expression overcoming her normally beautiful features,

"Mom?" Mary's chin wrinkled, and her forehead creased and within seconds her mother had her in her arms, her hand fingering through the blonde hair on her head, the same way Mary did when Norah was upset.

"What sweetheart? What's wrong?"

"I did something…. Something really bad." She cried, shuddering and sobbing, grasping onto her mother's shirt like a small child wanting comfort after having done something terrible.

"What's wrong partner?"

"Promise you won't be mad at me daddy?" the little girl wept, rubbing the tears away with her fists.

"I promise."

"You're still gonna love me after right?"

"Of course!" He grunted as he lifted her into his arms, "I'll love you no matter what. You're my little girl, my partner- no come on, tell me what happened."

"I- I-

"What do you mean 'bad'? Huh sweetie, what are you trying to say?" Right now, Jinx was the mother Mary never had as a child, ever since she got that job at the ballet studio, and Norah and Riley came along, she hadn't been the usual overbearing, annoying, pathetic excuse for a maternal figure Mary had ever seen.

"I- I- she hiccupped, heaving in huge amounts of air as her mother attempted to coax out the information Mary had been trying to tell her, "I- I slept with Marshall." She whispered.

Jinx stopped running her fingers through her blonde strands and took her daughters face in her hands, her eyes were icy blue and piercing, with what sort of emotion Mary couldn't tell.

"You did?" Jinx gulped, "Didn't he just marry that Detective Chaffee character not too long ago?" As if she didn't know her eyebrows rose and her voice went higher.

"Mhmm." Mary couldn't look her in the eye, couldn't admit to her mother what she had truly done, not yet.

"Did he tell her?" Jinx didn't seem to really be curious; her tone had changed drastically,

"I don't think so, I just told him-

"What?" he expression was quizzical now, "You had to tell him you slept with him?" Mary knew Jinx was honestly asking her, so she was tempted to bite her tongue and make a lame excuse, but she couldn't bring herself to lie,

"I told him- I told him-

"Spit it out Mary!" Jinx screeched.

"About the baby…" She couldn't help the tears that fell after that, she heaved and sobbed on her mother's shoulder.

"You're pregnant?" was the high pitched squeal that came from Jinx's mouth next.

"Yep. He knocked me up mom, and he doesn't even care, he doesn't even-

She couldn't breathe; she couldn't seem to find any air to inhale.

"Here baby girl, sit down. A baby? I never dreamed you and Brandi would give me one grandbaby yet alone, three!" Jinx had this ridiculous, inappropriate smile across her face,

"How the hell are you so h- happy?" Mary sobbed.

"Aren't you happy you're having a baby? A baby Mary! Sweetheart, it's going to be fine!"

She sat there her eyes puffy, doing her best to stop crying,

"MARY?! – Jinx continued- Who cares what Marshall thinks or doesn't think? He can be married to that little witch and Brandi and I can take care of you!"

"I care what he thinks- I do! Mom, I think I'm gonna- she sighed- I think I'm gonna ask Stan if he can get me a transfer to D.C." Mary admitted.

"Why?! You're a Marshal! You can do any kind of law enforcement! You don't have to leave Albuquerque!" Jinx's face went a bright shade of red, and her daughter did what she could to stop one of her fits,

"It's not that easy Mom." She sniffed.

To her surprise there was no yelling, nothing of the sort, her mother got up and sat beside her,

"Honey, I really wish you wouldn't make these decisions in such a hurry. Norah won't have Mark or Joanna anymore, you'll practically be tearing everyone else's life apart trying to run away from your own…" She placed her hand on top of Mary's.

"Mom, I'm just so…. Scared." Mary heaved.

"You don't have to be sweetie, I'm right here; I won't let you be alone."

Mary shook her head, somewhat taken aback by her mother's reaction.

"Thanks."

Jinx squealed a few seconds after,

"Oh my GOODNESS, Brandi is gonna be so excited! Do you know how far along you are?" Jinx pivoted in her seat, her legs moving back and forth, she was restless, clearly in need of a subject like Mary was.

Although she felt no desire to talk babies or discuss this topic, she figured after the scene she had just caused she had to appease the bubbling woman in front of her,

"Eight weeks and change." She smirked.

"How exciting!" Her legs ceased the movie, her hands moved to her cheeks, to hide the wide grin overcoming her expression.

"Yep."

"Oh Mary- I love you and- and Marshall loves you too-

"No he doesn't, you didn't hear what he said to me!" She pulled her hand away from her mother's, attempting to display her contempt for her mother sticking up for him. Suddenly she felt childish.

"I know I didn't. But Mary, get it through your brain! If Marshall slept with you, he clearly feels something for you. He'll come crawling back-

"HE WON'T! He loves Abigail. We're done Ma. It's done; the only evidence of this affair is the ultrasound hiding in my bag, and my developing situation down here!" Mary gestured at her still flat stomach, she had come back from Norah- not so quickly, but she had done it. Now she would just have to do it all over again in nine months' time.

Jinx seemed to completely ignore everything she didn't want to hear, and bombard right through Mary's episode,

"You had an ultrasound?"

Figures. Her mother would hear that out of everything she had said.

"Yeah, I have an ultrasound. Do you want to see it?" She pretended to be burdened by the suggestion, but she rummaged through her bag before she could answer, "Here's the little brat." She handed her mother the slides, wiping at her eyes with a clenched fist.

After some "oooing" and "ahhing" and a few " oh, stop it mom's" her mother finally thought it to be the right time to teach the group of small girls that had been piling up in the studio while Mary wept on her mother's shoulder. Mary was grateful once one of the angry mothers began banging on the door, Jinx hadn't stopped looking at the ultrasound and she just wanted out, so she could go and get Norah.

"Okay, go teach those little rug rats how to stand on their tippy toes, kay Ma?" Mary pointed toward the source of the relentless knocking, and stood up to straighten her blouse and wipe at the tear stains on her jacket, "I promise I won't bail without fair warning." She smiled, and grabbed her bag. Jinx reached over, ultrasound in hand. "Oh yeah." Mary turned back around and grabbed the three copies she had handed to her mother. She held them for a second, staring down, "How can a tiny blob complicate things so much? Anyway- Mary ripped one of the copies off of the slides- Thanks for your help mom." She handed it over to Jinx, who hesitated before finally clutching it between her thumb and index finger.

"Really?" Jinx asked, holding her free hand to her chest.

"Frame it or whatever, I'm gonna go home. Sulk by myself."

"Don't sulk, you sulked your entire pregnancy with Norah! Oh honey, don't let all of this get to you, just think, another baby, maybe another Norah! How exciting is that? I want you to think real hard before you convince yourself that this is a mistake. It's no mistake- I hope you realize that."

Mary rolled her eyes,

"Sure Mom."

With her head down, ignoring the stares of the pissed off women, tapping their feet awaiting Jinx to return to their children so they could also leave, she exited the studio. She rolled her eyes again at her mother's sudden philosophical guidance, sighing as she made her way to her car.

xxx

"What do you mean there are no openings in D.C. WITSEC? Stan, come on!?"

"Mary, calm down, I'm sure whatever blow up happened between you and Marshall can be worked out! Besides, we both know you wouldn't be happy here, you belong in Albuquerque!" Stan argued from the other end of the phone.

"Stan! Please? You don't understand!"

"I do understand, it's just one of your silly little arguments, both of you will get over it, and make up in no time, you can't call me every time you're unhappy with the way Marshall is running things and expect me to transfer you nearly half way across America Mary! No!" He was scolding her like a small child and she didn't appreciate it.

"Silly? You have no idea what's going on here in New Mexico, you have no clue!" Mary was breathing heavily into the phone and Stan's annoyance was much too obvious even miles away, "I'm sorry Stan; I'm just not feeling… Like myself lately."

"I could push to get you hooked up with Albuquerque P.D., would you prefer to be over there?"

"NO! - The word had slid out of her mouth so abruptly; she bit her tongue in hopes that her former chief wasn't as taken aback as she imagined him being- I can't be near Detective Chaffee either." Mary replied coldly.

"Yikes, what the hell happened? I'm sensing some ice in your tone Inspector, is there something you want to tell me? Because I'm definitely missing something here." He was perplexed; Mary could practically see the quizzical expression etched upon his face.

"It's just a mess Stan, a gigantic mess and Marshall's being a dick about it."

"Oh, a dick eh?" Mary could hear the paper work being pushed around on his desk, the sliding of a cup and few pens being thrown in a drawer.

"Yeah, that." She sighed, yawning a little. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Norah's bedroom light was still off, so she could say what she was about to say.

"Well Mary, if Marshall is being a dick, perhaps you should speak to him about it."

"I tried; it's not as easy as you think."

"Did you really try? Did you say Marshall, you're being a… ahem… dick."

"Yes I did, as well as telling him to fuck off." Mary snorted, chewing on her fingernails.

"Oh, well strong choice of words Inspector, but I still feel like I'm missing something." He laughed, and Mary heard the creak of him reclining just slightly in his chair.

"Yeah, you're missing quite a bit." Mary responded, not finding this conversation to be the least bit comical.

"Okayyy, quit beating around the bush then! Get on with it Mary!"

She lay back on the couch, resting her hand on her stomach, crossing her ankles.

"I'm pregnant Stan."

"Oh, well- er, I- I- Congratulations!" He stumbled; the obvious sounds of him fumbling with his cellphone filled her ear drums, and she exhaled dramatically.

"And it's Marshall's." Mary's lip quivered, but she managed to maintain her composure.

"Uhh- I- well-what?-

"Mommy?" The higher pitched, tired little voice came from just behind her.

Mary jumped up, her ankles uncrossing, her hand flying away from her tummy,

"Stan I gotta go!" Mary chucked her phone to the other end of the couch. She was pretty sure he wouldn't realize she was even gone. In fact, he was most likely still holding the phone to his ear, mouth agape in the reaction she had expected him to have.

"Bug? What do you need?"

"Who was dat?" She asked, climbing onto her mother's lap.

"Just Stan, Norah, why are you up?" Mary questioned, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"Well I heard you talkin'." She answered without pause.

"Mhmmm… What did you hear?" Mary could tell her eyes were wide, and her jaw was tensed, but she couldn't seem to soften her expression.

"I heard you talkin, I awweady said dat." Norah scrunched her nose.

"Okay Bug, well why don't I go put you to bed?"

The little girl yawned, and nodded.

Norah snuggled into Mary's chest, closing her eyes shut tight.

As Mary laid her daughter in her bed, she thought she had dodged a bullet. Mary flicked her night light on; the bulb gave the room an orange glow, making it easier for her to see where she was stepping.

She began to tip toe from the room, but the rustling of blankets halted her,

"Mommy?"

"What Nor?" Mary turned around to face her daughter again.

"What's dat word mean?"

"What word?" her mother asked her brow furrowing.

"P- p- Pwe, Pwegant?" she asked curiously, swiping her tangled blonde hair from her face.

Mary walked back into her daughter's room,

"Bug, come here." She ordered politely, "You heard that?" Mary wondered, holding her little girl in her lap once again.

"Is it somethin' bad?" Norah asked worriedly.

Mary was silent, staring down at the little wonder in her arms, remembering Jinx's words and feeling slightly annoyed she was about to take them into account,

"No- She pressed her daughter tight to her chest-

It's not bad." Mary whispered, "Not at all."

I tried for a sweet Mary- Norah moment. I don't know if I did so well. There's a similar fic out there I hope you guys continue to like mine as well.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, how does Tuesday sound for the next update- no later!

Please Review- I love to read your opinion on the chapters! How was Stan, helpful? You know, in a Stan way? Tehehehehe- Stan the Man, what would we do without him?