Coping Mechanisms

Coping Mechanisms

Three months had gone by since Brandi and Jinx had gone into Witness Protection. In Albuquerque, Mary sat in the kitchen enjoying the silence of the house. She'd been able to set the house up the way she'd originally intended, minus the bullet room. She glanced over the front page of the paper as she waited for the coffee to finish brewing. Mary had to admit, she did miss her mother and sister every now and then. The house was awfully large for one person. She was so focused on the paper that she didn't hear the front door open.

"Mary?"

She looked up at the sound of her name being called. "Raph…what are you doing here?"

Things had been strange between them since Brandi's departure. Mary hadn't told him what had happened but she got the feeling he knew something.

"I just want to stop by and see how you were. Maybe we could go out…to dinner sometime?"

Mary couldn't hide a smile. She took the few steps to close the distance between them and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'd like that. How about tonight…pick me up at seven?"

He looked surprised at her response but it quickly dissolved into a contented smile. "I'll pick you up at seven." He leaned down and kissed her.

She returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stood together, wrapped in each others' arms, enjoying the moment until a loud gurgling sound caught Raphael's attention. He pulled out of the kiss and looked over her shoulder.

"Uh…Mary?"

"What?"

"I think your coffee is going to…explode."

She spun around to see the pot rattling in the coffee maker, threatening to spill the contents. Mary rushed forward and grabbed the pot, shutting the machine off. She pulled the pot out and took a sniff, wrinkling her nose.

"Great….it's ruined."

"I buy you a cup of coffee. Come on."

She dumped the contents into the sink and grabbed her keys and jacket. It couldn't hurt to just get a cup of coffee before work with him. She could drop him off back at his place before she headed to the office.

"So…where do you want me to drop you off?" she asked as they pulled up to a stop sign.

"My place is fine."

She nodded. "So where were you thinking of going tonight?"

"Wherever you want to go."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye via the rearview mirror. "You pick. I hate picking."

"Ok…it will be a surprise."

A short time later, Mary had gotten her necessary morning dose of caffeine and dropped Raph at his place. She pulled into her parking spot just as her phone began to ring. She picked it up and climbed from the driver side.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you here yet?" Marshall asked on the other end.

"Yeah…just got out of my car. Why? We have somewhere to be I don't know about?"

"No…I was just going to ask if you could pick up some donuts."

She rolled her eyes. "Screw you." Minutes later she walked into the office and gave her partner a dark look.

Marshall just gave her a smirk and went back to browsing the files on his desk. He couldn't help messing with her every now and then. Now that she didn't have to worry about her family at home, she found fewer problems to bitch about.

Mary sat down at her desk and looked through the files waiting for her. As she flipped through the contents, she couldn't help but feel the curiosity building in the back of her mind. Where were Brandi and Jinx? What were they doing? Had they adjusted to their new lives? Were they following the rules? Myriad questions whirred through her brain at light speed until she finally turned to her computer. She pulled the search page for the Bureau and was about to type in Brandi's name when Marshall leaned over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing…"

"Doesn't look like nothing."

"I was just…curious."

"Curious? About what?"

"What do you think?"

"Mary…you can't."

Mary rolled her eyes again and motioned for him to move closer. There was no need for Stan to overhear their conversation. Marshall wheeled his chair as close as he could get without encroaching too much on her space.

"I know I can't but…I just…I'm worried. They could barely hold themselves together when I was paying for the house, for everything." A pause. "You and I both know the Bureau only provides for witnesses for a certain length of time."

"I know you want to know how they're doing but it is out of our hands."

"God….this is what they feel isn't it."

"What who feels?"

"The families…the people left behind." She wore a stunned expression. It had taken three months to really set in. She'd lost her family and she wasn't going to see them again.

Marshall placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Come on…let's get to work. We'll find something to take your mind off of this."

She nodded and ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of anything but her mother and sister. "Raph and I are going to dinner tonight."

Marshall smiled. "Good. See there you go. Something positive to think about."

Some twelve hundred miles away, Brandi pushed a strand of hair from her eyes as she stood behind the register. It had been three months since she and Jinx had been relocated to Elk River and they had finally settled into a routine. They were both gainfully employed and were supporting themselves. Jinx was waitressing in the twenty-four hour diner and Brandi was working in the small mall at the heart of town. She had quickly moved from running the register to making sales.

"Miss…could you help me?" a familiar voice called.

Brandi looked up to see Jinx standing next to a rack of shirts and smiled a little. "Mom I thought you were working a double shift today."

"I am but I'm on my break. I thought I'd come see you. And I need a few things."

Brandi cleared her throat, feeling the manager's eyes on her. "What can I help you find?"

"Well I was thinking something…flashy."

"Flashy…ok why don't we go look back here." Brandi steered her mother towards the less expensive clothing and out of her manager's field of vision.

Jinx browsed the hangers on the wall next to her while Brandi went to look for a few items she believed would make her mother happy. When she retuned, Jinx had piled several tops over her arm.

"Do you want to try any of these on?"

"Oh honey you don't have to be all professional…she's not watching."

Brandi rolled her eyes. "I do have to be professional. You're a customer, Mom."

"Fine." Jinx let out a breath. "I'll try them all on I guess."

"You can take in three at a time." Brandi led her mother back to the dressing rooms and took the majority of the clothes from her mother.

"I'll be back." With that, Jinx shut the door to the small room.

Brandi stood outside waiting to exchange clothing when her manager walked up. Brandi immediately straightened her posture and stopped toying with the hem of one of the shirts.

"How are things going?"

"Oh…good. She's got a lot to try on. I'm just…waiting."

"I see that. Let's hope she buys something."

"I'm sure she will. She needs some things for work."

"Well just remember…employee discount doesn't apply to family." With that, her manager walked away.

"Honey…what do you think?"

Brandi turned to see Jinx in a flattering yet low cut top. "Not for work. But…I like it."

"Oh good." She was about to take the next handful and return to the stall when Brandi stopped her.

"Mom…just look at prices ok? I can't give you a discount."

"Oh…right of course." Jinx took the mass of hangers from her daughter's arms and examined them quickly. She put the majority of them on the hanger mounted to the wall.

"I think that will be fine."

"Great. I'll meet you up at the register to ring this up."

As Brandi returned to the register to wait for her mother, she couldn't help but think about what Mary was doing. There had been times in the last three months where she'd almost called home just to check. But she'd remembered that if she didn't follow the rules, she could end up in prison. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice her mother return with the few items she'd picked out.

"Brandi…is something wrong, sweetheart?"

Brandi blinked and shook her head. "No…I'm fine…just thinking about Mary." She began to ring up the shirts.

Jinx reached over the counter to give her daughter a comforting pat on the arm. "I'm sure she's fine…I mean...she has to be."

"Yeah…I guess you're right. I just miss her sometimes."

"I do too. But we're fine here…we're really doing well. We have to believe she is too."

Brandi finished ringing and bagging the clothes and took the credit card her mother handed her. She handed the bags over the counter and gave her mother a smile.

"I'll see you at home later. Love you."