Ok so I have been up all night. I added another chapter to my one and only Harry Potter story and decided to try and add on to one of my IPS stories. Here the finished product of an entire night of no sleep. ENJOY ALL!
Disclaimer: I really isn't necessary...and to be honest, don't really want them right now...what with Marshall moving in with ABBY and all that bullshit...grrr
A low, steady beat resounded in her ear...
Even breathing matched her own to tell her he was near sleep...
The warm touch of his fingertip as they glided, gently over her shoulder in a calm, easy rhythm...
Mary let out a breath of air she wasn't aware she was holding and let her body sink into the warmth of her partner's. Marshall probably believed she had fallen asleep but she was actually wide awake. She lay there with him, taking in everything her senses picked up on. He could feel his head resting lightly resting atop her own and his arms secured around her body, just tight enough to to ease them both but also loose enough that she could still breathe, as well as move around if she felt she needed to. She listened to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ears as her head rested on his chest and she brought her arm up to rest over his torso, holding him to her.
She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about him. Mary had told her sister the truth...she really had never seen her partner that angry before. While it had excited her and made her preen with pride, it had also scared her. Of course, it would be a cold day in hell before she was ever afraid of Marshall. No, she was scared for him...in a way.
"Mare?", the soft, near whisper came from above her head. She turned her head up torwards him in order to see his face.
Marshall knew she wasn't asleep. He let her go on thinking she was a good faker, for now. No, he knew there would no chance that Mary would actually sleep until her sister called or walked back through that door. So he just lay there and held her. He rested his head gently atop her soft blonde hair and let himself indulge for the moment. Taking in the faint smell of lavender and gunpowder that was uniquely Mary, he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feel of their evenly matched beathing and just having his partner wrapped safely in his arms.
And then he felt it. The slight change in pattern as she let out a deep breath and actually...cuddled into him further. She barely moved at all except to bring her arm around him to hold him as he did her. No one else would have really noticed had they not been looking for it, but he could feel her move against him. Last he knew, Mary Shannon was not the cuddly type.
"Mare?", he questioned softly, not daring to disturb the peaceful little invisible bubble they had created. He watched her carefully as she turned her pretty face up to meet his.
He was slightly stunned for a moment. Marshall didn't think he had ever seen such a beautiful expression on his partner's face before. Her green eyes were soft and warm as she looked at him. She had the most content expression on her face that he had ever seen...if the only one he had ever seen, and he was amazed and curious as to what had caused her to relax to much. Just minutes ago she was in a near panic. Marshall was confused to say the least.
Mary loved to complain about her geek of a partner having rental property in her head, but truthfully, that went both ways and both marshals knew it. She could tell that he was confused about something just by the look on his face.
"Are you ok?" He asked her. Though he was quiet, she could still hear the concern in her voice.
"Are you?", she threw back at him, with just as much concern in her voice.
Marshall for his part was now officially confused. He understood if she was worried about her sister. Anyone taking on Jinx Shannon with no prior experience should merit some level of concern. What had him a little lost is her question, and the worry she leveled at him when she met his eyes. His partner seem genuinly worried about something, something that had to do with him and he had no clue what it was.
"Mare, what's bothering you? What are you worried about?" He asked her.
Instead of answering right away, she ducked her head back down to lay on his chest, directly over his heart. She decided to take comfort in just listening to his heart beat for a few minutes while she thought about how to answer his question. She let herself wonder if her worry was actually warranted at all.
This is Marshall we're talking about here.
He noticed her take a few minutes to gather herself. Marshall wondered why she seemed so skittish about answering the question. She never really had a problem confiding in him before. Atleast not if she was worried about him. Hell, Marshall knew that Mary was the first one to give him hell if he made her worry, made sure he KNEW she was worried. Now he was left a little off as to what was going on in his partner's head. As he watched her lay her head down and listen to his heart, her hand resting not far away, he began to think.
What had specifically happened in the last few hours that would have her worry. Worry over something, concerning him, that she was not upfront and ready to tell him.
It couldn't be the fight with Raphael...he'd have heard an earful by now.
He hoped it wasn't that he had grabbed his gun...he hoped Mary of all people knew him better than that.
It wasn't anything he had said to Bobby D or her sister...again, I would have had my head chewed of by now.
So what did that leave?
You lost your temper... his conscience whispered to him.
That thought hit him like an oncoming frieght train. He HAD lost his temper. All sense of judgement went clean out the window. But Marshall was certain that Mary knew he was always protective of her...didn't she?. But as he went over the entire brawl in his head, every movement, swing and word, he realized something. Yes he was always protective of Mary, as she was of him, but he had NEVER lost his temper like that before. He had never spun so far out of control like that...atleast not for Mary to see.
Oh. My. God...no... he cringed. He really didn't want to know the answer to this but he did. He knew he had to ask her.
Mary was pulled from the sounds of her partner's heart by his flinch. Her worry atually kicked up a little. Was she worrying him by being silent for so long? She knew she wasn't really a quiet person but she was sure Marshall knew that sometime she need to think, or just relaz a little before she let things out. Even with him.
"Marshall, what's wrong?" she asked gently.
Her question seemed so simple. Hell it actually gave him an opening to ask his own question without startling her from her little drift to wonderland. He didn't want to ask her, almost terrified of the answer, but he had to know...
"Mary...are you...afraid of me?" he asked her, hearing his voice nearly crack at the end.
If she wasn't curled up so close to him, Mary was sure she never would have heard him. She was stunned stupid for a second. Did she really just hear what she thought she heard?
What the heck? What did I just miss?
Her eyes snapped up to catch his, but was surprised to see him avoid her gaze...adamently. The expression on his face though told her her partner was thinking. Thinking of every possible answer she could give him, and every possible result of whatever the answer happened to be.
He's over-thinking again. she thought with a silient sigh of relief.
"Hey, look at me. Please?" She very gently lifted her hand and guided his face towards her so he would have no choice but to look her in the eye. When his eyes met hers she just looked at him. Watched his eyes, watching her, as she ran her fingers softly down the side of his face and across his jawline. She finally brought her hand back up to hold his head in place, satisfied that she had his attention.
"Marshall, I have no idea where you got that idea but, you have never once, in all the time we have known each other, made me fear you." she stated with the upmost conviction in her tone. "What in the word would make you think something like that?" she asked him carefully. She wasn't mad, just genuinely confused where such a rediculous notion had come from.
Marshall's eyes had not left his partner's the whole she spoke to him. He heard the conviction in her voice and saw the raw truth in her eyes, as well as misunderstanding.
"I lost my temper. Mary you have never seen me lose my temper like that before." he admitted, he begged and pleaded with his eyes for her to understand where he was coming from. "I can tell you're worried about something but when I asked, you wouldn't tell me. If I had worried you, I'd have known it by now. I already know why you're worried for Brandi, so I am stuck wondering what's bothering you, what's got you so quiet. It was the only thing I could come up with, that I had freightened you when I lost my temper earlier." Marshall explained. He was a little unsure how she would react to such a revelation but she had a right to know that he was concerned and why.
Mary wanted to let out the most undignified giggle right then. Somehow she controlled herself and instead she decided stop her partner's over analyzing imagination before it ran rampid through his over-active brain.
"Doofus, you never scare me. However you ARE what's got me worried." she told him.
That got his attention.
"Why?" he blurted out. "What are you worried about?"
"It IS about you losing your temper, just not like you think." she started. She quickly tried to finish at the look on her partner's face. "It's NOT that I'm afraid of you Marshall! I am more afraid for you! I wasn't sure you were going to completely lose it on me for a minute. That, and you're right, I have never seen you that angry before. So that's why I asked...Are you ok?" she let in a slight rush. She watched his expression calm as she continued. It was soft again as she voiced her concern for him again.
This time it Marshall's turn to close his eyes and rest his head for a few seconds. He took in those beautiful scents that always reminded him of his exotic animal and just let himself breathe. When he opened his eyes again, he was immediately drawn to that amazing green that hade recently become his new favorite color.
"I'm fine. I just want you to get better. I don't get angry like that Mare. When I do it's extremely rare. He just finally pushed my last nerve." he had to close his eyes again and lean his forehead against hers in order to calm himself as he thought about what had broken his control today.
"Marshall?" she prodded gently, her hand coming back up to his face to ground him.
"I almost lost you" he choked out. "I couldn't take one more thing, one more person causing you pain or...taking you away." he croked. His eyes were shut tight as he tried to get his breathing under control.
"I'm right here Doofus." Mary whispered to him. "I'm right here to terrorize you another decade, I'm not going anywhere." she promised, just as he had promised her.
He opened his blue eyes at her words and let out a grin, just for her. One that always put a smile on her face in return.
"And you've got nothing to worry about, Sunshine" he sent back at her with a smile and light kiss to her forehead. "But I do have a question for you.."
She heard the curiousity with a little trepidition thrown in for good measure. Mary knew he would ask sooner or later, and surprisingly enough, she was ready for it. She knew what she wanted, and though she firmly still believed she didn't deserve what she wanted, she also knew what Marshall wanted. Her brain could not fathom why, but she still knew and she was done causing her partner pain. Time to face her fears like the adult she was.
Dying, or even nearly, does strange crap to people...she observed to herself.
"Ok, what's cooking in that oversized brain of yours wikipedia?" she resonded, adding a little humor into the mix just to hear their banter she loved so much.
"Why...me? Why choose me over the guy you wanted to marry?" he braved to ask her. He held his breath as he watched her process his inquiry and then come up with the answer. While her decision had excited, and humbled him, he was almost afraid of this answer too.
God since when did I start asking questions of the masocistic nature? he wondered silently to himself.
"Because you are the only person in my life that I could NOT in anyway, live without. I can survive never finding my dad. I can certainly do without a steriod popping, controlling baseball player. However I can not function without you in my life...and no I do NOT want to learn...ever." she declared. "You keep me safe, you put up with my crap every day, though hell knows why. You know me Marshall, better than anyone in my life ever has and...and you love me for it. That is why I chose you, because I know that you love me." she finished. She took notice that he seemed to be breathing a little ragid and hoped that she had not just made the most monumental mistake of both of their lives.
Marshall was once agained completely stunned. His heart was threating to burst out of his chest while his brain was desperately trying to catch up, process and make his body function correctly.
This woman had better stop throwing him curve balls or was going to get whip lash trying to keep up with them.
So yeah I know all of you have been waiting for this conversation to take place and believe me it shall. As I was writing this chapter, that is what I had intended. Unfortunately this little build up is what came tumbling out and believe me it was a bitch to claw out. Please leave me a review on what you think of this chapter and what you might like to see later on in the story.
CherokeeOutlaw