Author's Note: I hate neglecting my writing. It makes me feel irresponsible. School and writer's block took me out and I'm sorry for the delay.

Anyway, before my little hiatus, I had started to really get into forming the M/M, which I did. Now, it's time to turn up the heat. From here, it's going to be a slow burn. Well, not too slow.

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

"Thanks for the room."

"It's no trouble. We're partners. We take care of each other."

"Still, thanks. I…well, I'm trying to be nicer to and appreciate the ones in my life that bother to stick around without raising any hell."

Marshall immediately discerned the pain within her tone and his heart broke a little for her. Mary was so used to being left behind, she expected it. Everyone eventually abandons me, she was saying. Even you will after a while.

He would prove her wrong. He would there for her. He would love her even if he couldn't tell her. His reasons for holding back were real. They were best friends. They were work partners. She didn't feel the same way…well, maybe she did.

There were signs. She was talking to him, really talking to him and she was more tactile. Sometimes, she'd grab his hand or brush hair out of his eyes when it got mussed. Then, there was the fact was that she had personally seen to his recovery from his bull related injuries. Although, that could be more out of guilt than love…

God, he hated all this insecurity, this limbo they had been stuck in for years. He wanted to be with her fully, not just as a friend, not just as a work partner.

He wanted to be her everything, to be able to touch her the way he desperately wanted to.

A shiver went through him as he remembered the cool silkiness of her hands on his chest, his face…

"Marshall…Earth to Marshall…"

He blinked and met her confused gaze.

"If you're on Cloud Nine right now, you either go and lie down or bring me up with you." she demanded.

Marshall chuckled and then replied wryly, "Then it wouldn't be Cloud Nine. It would be a brand new circle of hell."

She slugged his arm before shoving him out the door, a genuine smile on her face.

//////////////

Nothing soothed her better than a hot shower.

The only thing that came close was a few hours at the shooting range. Well, that and a shot of Jack. Mary tended to avoid the latter unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, she didn't want to end up like Jinx, a slave to her own desires.

Mary thought that the alcohol was responsible for much of her craziness.

Her behavior over the last few days proved that. After she had been released, Jinx had gone home and had wept at the sight of the house. Not because of the holes in the wall or the insulation hanging down. No, she wept because her entire stash of alcohol was gone, poured out by the Feds in pursuit of more drugs.

Then, of course, there was her reaction to her ending it with Raph for good. A normal mother would've been proud, would've praised her for growing up, for casting off the dead weight. No, not Jinx.

"God, Mary, what were you thinking?! He was the only man who could've put up with you and you pushed him away! You destroy everything good that happens to this family! You're an idiot and now, you're going to die alone and dried up!"

Gee, thanks for the support, mom. She would've been happier if I told her I was going to slit my damned wrists…

On the bright side, it showed how wise Mary had become. Old Mary would've lashed out after that diatribe. She would've gone headfirst into the nearest dangerous job, gotten plastered afterwords (if she were still alive), and would've gone back to Raph, tail between her legs.

Not New Mary. Instead of doing all that, she had merely hung up on her mother mid tirade. Shortly afterwords, she had changed her number and had called a locksmith. Jinx would be unpleasantly surprised to find new locks on the house. Hey, she was still working on it and no Mary, old or new, would tolerate being spoken to like that!

Climbing out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a borrowed towel and headed to the sink. Immediately, she noticed that her toothbrush now had a place next to Marshall's and there was another wall mounted toothpaste dispenser. Putting her finger tip underneath, she was surprised to see the toothpaste she preferred. With a slight smile, she put it on her toothbrush and turned her thoughts to a more pressing matter.

Marshall. As this whole suitcase mess stretched on, he was there for her without complaint, without an ulterior motive. He was there because for some odd reason, he wanted to be. Mary's eyes were opened that fateful morning and she wanted them to stay that way. Simply, she wanted to be with Marshall. She loved Marshall and was painfully obvious that those feelings were a two way street.

He loves me. I love him. We love each other. Good. So, why aren't we together?

Because one of you needs to make the first move. Actually, you do., her ever helpful inner voice replied.

Me?! Why me?! He's the man in this little to do! Isn't it his job to do it?

Normally, yes but this isn't a normal situation. The ball's been in your court for years and since he's been waiting for so long, most likely he doesn't know how to do anything else.

So, I have to give him a swift kick in the ass. Okay, I can do that. You know where the hell he is?

If you don't, I don't. I'm not real. I'm just a part of your psyche that you've been ignoring out of…

Great. Now, the voice had been infected with his Zen, let the river flow around and under the mountain bullshit. If she didn't love the jackass so much, she'd shoot him for it.

//////////////

"I love you."

The knife nearly sliced his thumb off but he managed to recover enough to look at her wide eyed. A flash of heat went through him at the sight of her towel clad body but he suppressed it quickly.

"Like an $8 whore, right?" he quipped, trying to make light of things, trying not to get his hopes up.

She sighed heavily and replied, "No, like the way those stupid black and white movies you like so much always trumpet, like the way Hallmark makes billions off of, like the way Juliet did before she offed herself for her pedophile boyfriend. I fucking love you, okay?"

Despite being in a towel, her chin was defiantly up and her eyes blazed with determination. She meant what she said. Even so, Marshall could only look at her dumbly, thinking that he'd be waking up any second…

"Well, say something, you douche bag! I'm freezing, here!"

Yeah, definitely not dreaming. Carpe Diem, Mann!

Discarding the knife, he closed the distance between them and forcefully, tenderly, finally kissed her. Mary whimpered (she could whimper?) and kissed back with equal abandon. Her tongue plunged into his mouth and Marshall actually growled (that had never happened before) as he slammed her into the nearest wall.

Tearing his lips from hers, he looked at her. There was a pretty pink blush on her face and her lips were red and swelling already. Her eyes were still serious and it took all he had not to take her against the wall just so he could watch the celery orbs roll into the back of her head.

There's plenty of time for that.

"Damn.", she finally wheezed, making him grin at her roguishly.

"Damn is an understatement. Mary…you know what this means right? We can't go back after this so if you want out, now…"

Her lips cut him off and his eyes did the rolling, both from the kiss and the sudden brutal smack upside his head. Damn, she could hit hard!

"Of course I mean it! Marshall, I'm a lot of things but I'm not a liar! Well, except for the whole WitSec thing but that so does not count…yeah, I mean it! I'm not going to risk fucking things up between us for anything less!" she snapped indignantly as she shoved him.

Yeah, she meant it. His heart did a mental back flip and he finally let the words he'd been holding back from Day 1 out.

"I love you, Mary."

Her anger abruptly left and she gave him a sad smile, one that was usually reserved for distraught witnesses.

"May God have mercy on your soul. I just hope you feel that way later on. I'm not exactly the domestic, June Cleaver type, you know…"

"June Cleaver scared the hell out of me and I certainly wouldn't mind you being hard on my Beaver."

He couldn't remember a time when she laughed harder and he grinned like a madman as he returned to cooking their dinner.

She loved him.

Holy crap.