A/N Faber's back...sorry. We are almost at the end of the road. The next two chapters will wrap this story up. I really hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Thanks!

Chapter 10

Stirring the Pot

Faber was pissed. The little bitch had broken his wrist. She had invited him to Mexico, and then reneged. He had every right to peruse her. What a tease. He had gone straight home, and to the hospital to get his wrist casted. He was not about to have it done in Mexico. They had given him some good pain pills, and he was at home, half passed out on the couch when his phone rang. "Hello," he slurred.

"Faber, man, how's the wrist?" His buddy from the bureau asked. Faber had called him and filled him in on his excursion to Mexico.

"Fuckin hurts, but the pain pills are good. What's up?"

"Well, I thought you might like to know that a certain blonde Marshal, with a violent streak, may be without a partner soon."

It took his drug induced brain a moment to comprehend what his buddy was saying. Once it caught up, he sat straight up from his perch on the couch. "What?" He said, his voice squeaking.

"It seems that a certain Marshal Marshall has been scouring the job boards all evening.

I have some helpful connections, and since your lady friend decided to go rogue on you, I've been researching her and her partner. It seems he is taking an interest in transferring out of his current situation."

"Interesting..." Faber replied. He could tell Mary had been more on edge than normal. He glanced at his wrist, which held the proof. Was there trouble in paradise? Was poor little puppy sick of pining for his partner? Faber grinned. If there wasn't a problem with the partners, there would be when he was finished.

"Mike, you still there?" His buddy's voice brought him out of his scheming, and back to the current conversation.

"So, is there anything else I should know? Has he contacted anyone yet?"

"No, like I said, this was 'unofficial' knowledge that he made some inquiries about some possible openings in the Marshal Service. Sorry I couldn't give you something more concrete."

"No worries, man. This info will help me more than you know! Thanks" Faber's thoughts returned to his simple, but effective plan as he disconnected the call.

He grabbed his phone and found Mary's number. He typed up a quick message, designed to cause Mt. Saint Mary to explode! Then, he settled back down on his sofa, pleased with himself. Payback is hell, isn't it Mary?

Mary awoke early the next morning, excited to be going home. She wanted to wear the blue sundress that Brandi had snuck in her suitcase, but figured she would just distract Marshall from what she needed to tell him. The last time she wore something that showed off her chest, Marshall couldn't even look at her. She smiled, remembering the warm feeling that crept over her when she realized why he couldn't look her in the eye. Just the thought of seeing Marshall again sent shivers down her spine. She had the entire flight to figure out what to say, thank goodness, because right now, she was flying blind. But, it felt good!

She was able to get on an early afternoon flight, so she had some time to kill. While she waited in the hard, plastic chairs outside the gate, she decided to check her messages. She'd only been gone a couple of days, so there shouldn't be any, but part of her was hoping Marshall had texted her again.

She opened her phone and went into text messages. She saw one from Faber. Good God, didn't the broken wrist give that asshole a clue? She almost deleted it without reading it, but the curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the message.

"Trouble in paradise, Kitten? Word is your precious partner is looking for a new gig. Do you have that effect on all men, or is it just the ones you work with?"

Mary read the message twice; trying to make sure she read it correctly. Was Marshall really looking for a new job? What the fuck? She could feel the familiar anger start boiling up. He almost left once before, so why should she think anything had changed? Damn him…she had changed. He made her change. He cornered her in the elevator, got into her head, made her think, and now he planned to leave?

She closed her eyes, and put herself back in the elevator. All she had been thinking about these past few days was Marshall, and how stupid she had been. How she had been so blind. She heard his voice in her head, "You need to open your eyes and see what's right in front of you, before you screw things up so bad, there will be no going back." Is that what he meant by no going back? He was giving me an ultimatum? How dare he? One of the biggest problems in her relationship with Raph was that she knew he would make her chose one day between her job and him. And there was no choice. But was Marshall really telling her that if she didn't choose him, he would leave her? What a fucking hypocrite!

"Final call for flight 1578 to Albuquerque. All passengers please proceed to Gate 5 for boarding." The announcement brought her back to reality. She handed her ticket to the agent and boarded the plane, wondering what in the hell she was supposed to do now.

With every minute that passed, her anger grew. How dare he challenge her to feel and to think about the future? Their future. Maybe it would be best to just ignore what happened and let things go back to the way they were. But they wouldn't, would they? He plans to leave. He promised he would stay. What would I do without Marshall? A world without Marshall was a scary one, indeed. Nobody there to keep her grounded, to diffuse her anger, to talk rationally to the witnesses. More importantly, no late night pizza and movies at her house. No more leisurely lunches discussing their next transfer. No random facts about the places they visit. No car rides fighting over the radio station and stopping for a quick snack when she got hungry, which was all the time.

A lone tear escaped her eye without her knowledge, and slid silently down her face. She began to realize what an important role Marshall really played in her life. He was her partner, sure, and her best friend, and dammit, she was totally in love with him. Could she give them up when she just realized it?

By the time the flight arrived, she had come to a decision. She was not give up, and she wasn't going to now! He wanted her to think and dammit, she did. Now, he was going to hear what she had to say, whether he wanted to or not.