Author's Note: Special thanks to JMS529, BrittanyLS, JJ2008, and Jayne Leigh for the reviews! I love hearing what everyone thinks about these!

QUOTE PROMPT #028 - MARSHALL

"I can't try to save humanity without holding on to what makes me human"

"I'm sorry," the police officer told Marshall.

Marshall stood in the middle of the chaos, feeling a bit disoriented. It wasn't the first time that he lost a witness and it wouldn't be the last, but that knowledge didn't make him feel any better. The worst of it was that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.

Lily Barnes was just twenty-two when she entered the Witness Protection Program. A cheerful young woman that was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and walked into the middle of a gang war. She dutifully gave her testimony and settled into a quiet life in Albuquerque, working in a children's clothing boutique.

She never caused them any concern. Lily responded to any of their queries. She had few friends, but the ones that she did were all squeaky clean. She was saving up for a little house on the edge of the city where she could have a cactus garden in the backyard. By all indications, she lived a fulfilling, though banal, life.

That ended just over two hours ago when her car hit a patch of ice traveling down Interstate 40 on her way to meeting dinner with a few girlfriends. The car spun out and off the road where it hit a tree. Lily died instantly, a blessing, Marshall supposed after he saw the condition of the car.

"You ready to head back to the office, chief?" Delia asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Marshall sighed.

Delia shot him a sympathetic smile. "Lily was a good person. Did I tell you that she asked me to teach her how to make muffins? She was thinking about starting a side business."

Marshall felt his eyes well up at all of the things Lily would no longer get to do. His chest tightened. He had just taken a shaky breath when his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi, Daddy! Hi, Marshall!" his daughters shouted into the phone. Norah snatched the phone and wandered away. "Are you coming home soon? Mommy won't let us stay up and wait for you."

"Your mom's right. I won't get home until very late." Marshall grinned at Norah's sigh. "But I'll tell you what, when I do get home, I'll come in and give you a kiss."

Norah huffed. "Okay. Hold on. Lorelei wants to say good night. I love you, Marshall!"

"I love you, too." Marshall stifled a chuckle as he heard the back and forth between his daughters.

"Hi, Daddy! Mommy said she's going to read us a story, but she doesn't do the voices. Can you make her do the voices?" Lorelei pleaded.

Marshall shook his head. "Your mommy doesn't do the voices, but she's the best story-reader there is. Listen, I have to go, princess, but I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The voices of his daughter warmed his heart as he made his way back to the office to give Lily's family the news.

QUOTE PROMPT #029 – MARY/BRANDI

"I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. Y'know, I let Dad down, and now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down, too. How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mary asked her sister. Mary's eyes were hard, covering up the sadness in them.

"Because I knew you would do anything and everything you could to find me a cure," Brandi replied. She held up her hand. "And I knew there wasn't one. I just wanted to spend my last few months with my son and my family. I don't want to be in a hospital trying to eke out a few more days or weeks."

Mary rubbed her mouth with her hand. "There has to be something we can do. I'll ask Marshall. He can do some research; found a specialist or-"

Brandi stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Mary. There's nothing to do. I'm okay with it. Well, I've made peace with it anyway. But you can do something for me."

"Anything," Mary whispered.

"I want you to raise Alexander for me." Brandi shook her head at Mary's sound of protest. "I need you to do more than just raise him. I need you to be his mother. I need you to not feel guilty the first time he calls you 'Mommy'. I need you to treat him just like you treat Norah. Can you do that?"

Mary nodded, tears in her eyes. "Of course, I can. I love that kid. You know that."

"I know."

"And I'll tell him all about you; how amazing and funny you are and how you always look on the bright side of things and never let life get you down," Mary promised.

Tears streamed down Brandi's face. "I know you will. I need you to do one more thing for me."

Mary wiped her own eyes. "What?"

"I need you to forgive yourself. There is nothing that you could have done; nothing that you could do; can do. Sometimes, things happen and they're nobody's fault. Mary, this isn't your fault. I need you to believe that," Brandi pleaded.

"I-"

"No!" Brandi cut her off, forcefully. "You blame yourself for Dad. You blame yourself for all the years Mom and I were a mess. You blame yourself for Mark moving away, for me not knowing who Alex's father is, for Marshall's marriage breaking up. You shouldn't. I know you do, but you shouldn't. Don't take this on, too."

Mary took a deep breath. "I'll try... for you. I'll try for you."

QUOTE PROMPT #030 – MARY/MARSHALL

"If I had the choice of hanging out with anyone in the entire world or sitting at home with you eating a pizza and watching a crappy TV show. I'd choose you every time."

"Hey."

"Hey," Marshall replied, moving off to the side to let Mary into his apartment. He waited a few moments for her to speak. "What are you doing here, Mary?"

Mary shrugged. "I heard about what happened."

Marshall huffed. "You heard that I got dumped the night before I was suppose to marry the only woman that ever loved me?"

"She's not the only woman that ever loved you," Mary shot back.

"My family doesn't count. Not in this," he said, angrily. "Why are you here?"

Mary frowned. "Because I thought you could use a friend."

Marshall folded his arms. "Oh, so you're my friend again?"

"You're the one that told me to let you go!" Mary shouted.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

Mary turned away from him. "It hurt too much," she admitted in a small voice. "Every time I saw the two of you together all happy and in love, it made my chest hurt."

Marshall grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "Why?"

"Because I could have had that. With you. If I had just once taken the hand that you offered, that could have been us having a disgustingly beautiful life." Mary refused to look him in the eye, keeping her gaze centered on his chest. "I couldn't keep being your friend because that kernel of hope that someday we could happen is now a weight on my shoulders instead of the one thing that got me through the week."

"I had no idea," he whispered. "I thought it was always one-sided." He paused, his heart pounding. "Do you... still wish we could have that disgustingly beautiful life?"

Mary's breaths grew shallow and her skin paled. She suddenly felt as if her entire life hung on this one answer. She closed her eyes briefly before looking deep into his. "Yes."

Marshall gently cupped her cheek. He lay a soft kiss on her lips and pulled back to search her face. Mary smiled at him, desire in her eyes. He captured her lips again, but this time, it was all heat and lust. Marshall broke the kiss with a heaving gasp.

His lips hovered just over hers. "Good. Because I still want that, too."