Thanks for the reviews! Please don't hate Marshall... :/
Later that day after Mary had taken the girls to brunch along with Madeline and Mark, she walked into the office. Not seeing Marshall in his office she turned to look into the conference room.
Marshall was sitting in the conference room talking to Martha. He looked up when he heard the door open. Nodded in her direction and Martha turned to look at her.
"Hello Martha, how'd you sleep?" Mary said as she walked into the conference room avoiding Marshall's blue eyes.
"Hi Mary, it was ok. I didn't wake up once." Martha looked less scared and a little more comfortable.
Without looking at him Mary sat next to Marshall and together they began the process of the MOU. It took about two hours and Martha signed it.
Getting up Mary went to the kitchen and got herself a cup of coffee. She turned and saw Marshall leaning against the counter looking at her. "How'd it go with the girls?"
"Fine, they were happy to see me." Mary shrugged and looked in on Martha.
Marshall frowned asking, "What about Jinx and Brandi? Did they join you or are you meeting them later?"
Scowling Mary turned to look at Marshall, "No, Madeline and Mark joined us. Jinx is busy with her dance classes and Brandi…she's not around anymore"
She walked around to go into the conference room but Marshall stopped her with a hand on her elbow. "What do you mean she's not around anymore?"
Mary shrugged off his hand and moved a few feet away from him, "It doesn't matter, look I gotta take Martha to her hotel and then I'm taking the girls out for the rest of the weekend. Not sure if my phone will have any signal."
"Where will you go?" he let go of the fact that Brandi wasn't 'around' anymore.
"I don't know yet, but there is no need for you to call me. I don't think they'll find her here." Pacing in front of Marshall, "God I hope so, she's gone through enough already."
"Ok, I guess you have to relieve Mark's mother from babysitting duties, huh?"
Blushing Mary shook her head, "She was relieved this morning, and Ben is actually with the girls right now."
At Ben's name Marshall growled, "What?"
"Huh? What do you mean 'what?" Mary put her coffee cup down and put her hands on her hips.
"Why is he taking care of the girls? Why can't Madeline, Mark, Brandi or even Jinx watch the girls? Why him?" Marshall glared at her with hands on his hips too.
"I don't think that's any of your business Chief", she sneered.
Shaking his head Marshall looked in the conference room and saw Martha staring at them. "You got a witness that needs to get to her hotel." And walked away leaving Mary staring after him. He slammed his office door.
Dammit Mary! Thought Marshall as he sat behind his desk.
Dammit Marshall! Thought Mary as she walked into the conference room.
Mary drove into the parking lot on Monday morning, feeling as relax and happy as Marshal Mary Shannon could ever be. She had spent the weekend with Norah and Lizzie in the Sandia Mountains, in a rented cabin. Away from everyone, mainly Marshall.
As she got out of her car she looked up to see Abigail walking straight towards her. Alarmed she looked around to see if anyone was around, fuck not today, please not today. After the kiss with Marshall the last thing she wanted was to talk to his cheerleader.
"Good Morning Mary!" exclaimed the cheerful cheerleader.
"What's so good about it?" walking around her towards the sunshine building.
"Oh Mary, you're so funny"
"Yeah, I'm a riot"
"Actually Mary, I wanted to speak with you. Can you meet me for lunch?"
"No, I got work to catch up with"
Pouting she ran ahead of Mary and stood in front of her, not letting her pass. "What do you want Abigail?"
"I just want to have lunch with my fiancé's best friend"
"Huh, didn't you get the memo?"
Confused Abigail asked, "What memo?"
"The one where I'm no longer your fiancé's best friend"
She furiously blushed stuttering, "I'm sure th-that you misunderstood"
Her scowl deepened, "So, I'm not good enough to have you at my kid's birthday party, but ok to go to lunch with?"
"Oh come on Mary, what about dinner?" Abigail's flush deepened, but didn't comment on the birthday party.
Mary walked around Abigail and said over her shoulder, "I'm going to be busy, I have priorities in life that don't include dinner at the moment"
Abigail just stood there angrily staring after Mary.
Walking into the office Mary proceeds to sit on her desk, Ben was already sitting behind his. Going through some paperwork, he looks up when she sits down. "How was your weekend with the girls?"
Smiling she looks over at Ben, "It was great, they were very excited."
"I knew it! What about you? Did you manage to relax?"
Rolling her eyes at him she just nodded. For the rest of the morning she sat behind her desk working on her files.
At around noon she finally looked up and Ben was pouring himself a cup of coffee smiling at something Delia said.
Looking into Marshall's office she caught him staring at her. He smiled at her and continued to stare. She scowled at him and turned back to her computer. But she could feel his eyes on her. Marshall please, stop staring at me. How am I supposed to work with you looking at me?
Mary look up, look at me, Marshall thought. He kept glancing her way, she looked relaxed. Curiosity was killing him, where'd you go?
Shaking his head he turns back to his paperwork.
"Going on witness visits!" Mary walks out of the office, Ben and Marshall just stared after her.
Later that evening Mary and Ben were sitting in her living room drinking beer and eating pizza. Ben kept glancing her way from his position across the room. "Will you just spit it out?"
Laughing he looks directly at her, green eyes meeting hazel, "Are you going to the wedding?"
"Where did that come from?" evading the question.
"Try as much as you like, I still want to know if you're going to the wedding"
Rolling her eyes at him she shakes her head, "I don't know."
"What happened in the office the night we got back?"
Blushing Mary just glanced away, looking at the TV. Not sure what they were watching. Looking anywhere but at his hazel eyes. He wasn't good at reading her like Marshall, but he was persistent.
"That bad? Did he accuse you of something?"
"Let it go Ben. I'm not in the mood."
"Yeah, you're never in the mood. Look…how do you feel about the nuptials?"
Shrugged and growled, "I don't care!"
Ben looked at her and nodded understanding, "How long have you felt that way?"
"Felt what way?"
"Come on Mary, you're in love with the Chief!" getting up Ben took his beer bottle to the kitchen, coming back into the living room he picks up his jacket and turns to look at the shocked face of his partner, mouth hanging open in surprise. "I don't know what you have against love, but you both deserve to have it. Together"
"He deserves better" she murmured
Hands on hips he glares at her, "He deserves better? Better than what? Don't you think you're just what he deserves?"
Closing her eyes, a tear ran down her face, "I think I've done enough damage"
Groaning in frustration Ben sits next to her, not daring to touch her, "What type of damage do you think you've done?"
Mary felt her partner sit next to her, got up and walked over to a window. Moving the curtain aside she shrugged as she turned back to him, "I…I ran from him when he put himself out there"
"Oh Mary, I'm sure he would've understood if you talked to him" Ben tried to reason with her.
"Damn it Ben! I don't want to talk about my biggest screw up!" she ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head.
He got up and walked over to the door, holding the door knob he looked over at her, "I still think you should give each other the chance of happiness."
With that Ben walked out leaving a stunned Mary. She saw the door shut, whispering, "It's too late"
The week of the Mann-Chaffey wedding things started to unravel. It started with Allison Pearson walking in on Monday morning and closeted herself with Mary.
Marshall kept looking over to the conference room, door closed and blinds shut. Keeping everyone out from whatever meeting Alison had with Mary. Making Marshall nervous. What the hell's going on in there? What does Allison have to say to Mary for the past 2 hours?!
He sits behind his desk and waits, as patiently as he could. Then the thought crossed his mind, Mary's going to get transferred!
TBC