So … How French to strike, isn't it ? What will happen to our Marshals in Paris ? You just have to read to know...
Thanks so much again Dispatchvampire :) Bujyo, the end is not what you think it is :)
Disclaimer : I own nothing –
Chapter 10 – Paris
J'me réveille dans tes bras, sur tes quais y'a d'la joie ...
"God I hate this country! How can they possibly strike? What for? How long will we be stuck in fucking Paris! Do we strike? No, when tourists come to the US, they are welcome, and nobody prevents them from going home. And those bloody French thinks it is completely normal for them to do so." Mary was moaning when they entered the hotel room they succeeded to book for the night.
"You're done, Mare? Can you call Stan to reschedule our flight as soon as possible? I need to call Abby. And you know, it's better to be stuck in Paris for one or two days than in Nowhereland, Arkansas! I'll make you go with me next time." smiled Marshall.
"Oh no you won't, moron. I don't want you to trivia me all day. Oh Shit! I hate this country! There's only one bed in here."
Her partner smirked. "Then either one of us sleeps on the floor, or we remember that we are adults, at least one of us is, and we share the bed. We have done it before, so…?"
Mary rolled her eyes "And I guess you are the adult in this? Dork. Of course we'll share. Otherwise your back will hurt and you will be grumpy all day long."
Marshall smiled. "And who told you I would be the one sleeping on the floor? Come on, Mare, let's go eating. I can prove you France is somehow worthwhile."
"Oh my God, I love this country. Food is just amazing! What's that called?"
"Coquilles St Jacques. The difference being they are fresh from the sea, not frozen, and cooked as they should be. But wait for the rest. I ordered some duck and the desert should suit you. A moelleux au chocolat… "
Mary was clearly enjoying her meal. Marshall had brought her in a little bistro close to the Seine River, from where they could see the riverboats. "And what will we do this afternoon? Any news on the strike front?"
He chewed one of his scallops before answering. "Stan just said he would call us when he can issue some plane tickets. As I hear, negotiations are on their way, and we could be able to leave France tomorrow evening. So it's just one day of delay. And as for this afternoon, what about a trip on the river?"
She looked at him, abashed. "Can you imagine me in one of these boats? You must be kidding me. There's nothing to do on that!"
Of course, they went on the riverboats. And of course, she truly enjoyed it. But would never mention it. He showed her the Parisian monuments, from the Eiffel tower to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. They got out of the boat close to the cathedral, and Mary was even taking pictures with her Blackberry. "Vous voulez que l'on vous prenne en photo ensemble?i" asked a man, passing by, and watching the both of them taking pictures.
"Mare, this person asked whether we want a picture to be taken of us both," translated Marshall.
"Sure, why not. It will make a memory for the office board," answered her partner.
"Oui, merci, avec plaisir monsieur 2." And then they were, taken by both marshals' Blackberries. A memory of Paris.
They went on walking through the streets, till they reached the Pompidou Museum. Mary was once again astonished. "How could they build something so modern in such a classic city?"
Marshall smiled. "It's one of the paradoxes of this city. So classic in its building, with lots of drops of modern things, which blend in wonderfully. I'll show you the Louvre next, you will see the glass pyramid. So beautiful."
Suddenly, Mary stopped walking. "You should be in Paris with Abby, not with me. This is a place for lovers."
Marshall sighed. "I love you, Mare, I've loved you for years. You just did not allow me into your heart. I understand that, even if it's painful. When you left for Mexico with Faber, it broke my heart. I understood you would never love me back. I had to move on to someone else. But that doesn't mean I have no more feelings for you. Maybe I will come back to Paris with Abigail. But now, I'm in Paris with my friend, and it's ok."
They silently walked their way to the Louvre museum. The beauty of the building, along with the pyramid of glass in the middle was breathtaking. "Wow! It's really beautiful," Mary said. "And guess what, we can go inside the pyramid! Come on!" They spent so time in the shops under the museum, looking through books, souvenirs and chatting. It's when they got out that they saw they had messages on their phones. Mary's got the message from Stan. They had a plane leaving the next day in the middle of the afternoon. She was turning to Marshall to tell him the news when she saw he was on the phone. She couldn't help but hear his conversation. And to be totally honest, she wanted to listen.
"Yes, I'm with Mary, and no, I can't tell you where I am. You understand that I'm a US Marshal, don't you? So of course, there are things I can't tell. Of course my SUV is there. We use one of the office's. Yes Abby, I will tell you when we come back. Tomorrow or the day after, surely. Movies? On Sunday? Well, if I'm back, no problem. OK. Yes, I need to go, now. You take care tonight? Ok? Yes, me too."
She turned quickly, so as Marshall wouldn't see she'd been listening. "Yes, me too". Answer to "I love you." She realized at that moment, in front of the Louvre's glass pyramid, that the man she fell in love with belonged to someone else. Finally. She could say it to herself. I love him. But I lost him. I'm the scumbag. "Mare?" he asked. She composed a face, as she did every day when meeting with witnesses, "Any news from Stan?"
She slowly turned to face Marshall "Yes. We have to be at the Charles Something airport at 2:00 pm tomorrow. They got us a flight, I don't know how. So we'll only enjoy this evening in Paris. Is there something else you want to show me?"
He smiled." There is. After dinner. We'll take a walk on the banks of the Seine." He said nothing else, even through the diner, to her numerous questions. He was beaming inside … She was asking a lot of questions on Paris, and he was more than pleased to answer for her. Finally, his trivia wasn't so boring.
He led her after they finished to one of the banks of the Seine. She breathed deeply the fresh air, and was suddenly surprised to hear music. "I can hear music!"
He replied with a smirk "Yes, you can. Here, on some evenings, they dance the tango. Come on, we'll have a look. You won't have to dance if you don't want!" And on the bank of the Seine River, there were around thirty people dancing tango on the small pavers, in the light of the riverboats. The music was incredibly modern for tango, and the couples were so close to each other, dancing and sharing the same breath of music. They were moving so closely, in the rhythm of music. Marshall looked at her: "You wanna dance, Mare?" and he took her arm.
"Marshall, you know I can't dance."
He led her to the pavers, held her close and whispered in his ear, "Then it's lucky I can." She couldn't help but follow him. She knew she shouldn't. She knew how her body would respond to being so close to his. He did not belong to her, but to some other woman. She shouldn't be dancing. The tango. With him.
"Relax, Mare. Just listen to the music."
And she relaxed. She let the music run through her, through them. And she let her take control of the dance. She followed, happily relaxing in his arms, taking advantage of his proximity. Smelling his odor. Feeling his hand on her back. Touching his neck with her head. Closing her eyes.
They couldn't say how long they remained dancing to the music, but went till the end of the event. Without a word to each other, they headed back to the hotel, neither of them wanting to break the mood of the evening. Wanted it to linger a bit longer.
The next morning, they awoke in the same bed, her head on his chest, his arm around her waist, his head in her hair, her leg between his."Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to …"
"It's ok Mare, don't worry. We should pack. It's almost 10, and we take off at 2pm".
They remained silent throughout the flight, trying to grab a bit of sleep before changing timezones again.
He took her back to her home, then headed to his.
Translation:
1: would you like a picture taken together?
So... The French break is over. They are back to Albuquerque. Stay tuned for next chapter … Please R&R, feel free to comment !
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