Author's Note: Special thanks to JMS529, BrittanyLS (I thought I would do something a bit different with Brandi this time. LOL!), JJ2008, and Jayne Leigh for the reviews!
QUOTE PROMPT #031 – MARY/MARSHALL
"Love is not only blind but stupid."
"I can't believe you did that!" Marshall shouted, storming into the office. Both Delia and the new marshal, Stephen, shot their heads up.
Mary jumped up from desk, taking a few steps back. "Now, Marshall-"
He advanced on her. "You knew how much I loved her! How much I wanted her!"
"I-I know, but-" Mary stuttered.
"No! I'm tired of your excuses! This is it!" Marshall's eyes burned with fury. "That last cookie from Mrs. Reynolds was mine! I even put my name on it."
Mary bit her bottom lip as Marshall's shoulders hunched in disappointment. Cautiously, she stepped around the desk and laid her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Marshall. It was just sitting on the counter and looking all delicious with it's fluffy icing and sprinkles. I tried to refuse it, I really did, but the baby wanted it."
"The baby wa-" Marshall froze. His eyes grew wide and a slow grin spread across his face. "The baby wanted it?"
"Confirmed it this morning," she told him, unable to keep her own smile hidden. "Congratulations, Daddy."
Marshall whooped and picked her up. He spun her in a circle before kissing her hard. "For the next nine months, you can have all the cookies you want!"
QUOTE PROMPT #032 – MARY/KENNY/MARSHALL
"Here's to the best friend I've ever had, could ever hope to have, a girl for whom no man will ever be good enough, I hope you know that... I love you and I wish for you nothing but a lifetime of happiness."
"- happiness."
"You son of a bitch!" Mary seethed, stepping out from the shadow of the bar.
Kenny's eyes widened as he took in her face. "Mary! What are you doing here? I can explain."
She stalked towards him. "Explain? Explain that you used the speech that my best friend gave me to show how much he loved me, how much he would always be there for me, to get into this hussy's pants?"
"Hey!" the brunette that Kenny had been talking to shouted.
Mary held her hand up to the brunette's face, essentially blocking her. "I should have known better. I should have known that you were nothing but scum. I can't believe I trusted a few kind words from you! I can't believe that I let you around my daughter! What is wrong with me?"
Kenny shrugged. "I guess now would be a good time to bring up that we're over."
"Oh, we are so over." Mary reared back and slapped his cheek. She turned towards the brunette. "Save yourself the aggravation and pick up someone else."
With that Mary, stormed out of the bar. She drove to Marshall's house before she realized that she had done so. Mary laid her head on the steering wheel, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't bring herself to knock on the door, not knowing if Marshall's fiance was inside.
"Mary," Marshall called out, rapping on the window after about ten minutes. He waited until she rolled down the window. "What are you doing here?"
"I-" Mary's voice cracked as emotions threatened to overwhelm her. "I came to apologize. I have been a lousy friend for a long time. Not that I was ever a really great one, but I really pulled away from you after you gave that speech at my engagement party."
Marshall frowned in confusion. "Where is this coming from?"
She shook her head. "It's a long story."
"Come inside," he ordered, gently, reaching into the car to grab her keys. "I have whiskey. We can talk."
"I don't want to disturb your evening with Abigail."
Marshall smiled, sadly. "Abigail moved out last month. You don't have to worry about her."
Mary's face fell even further. "I'm sorry. Really. Why?"
"Because," Marshall took a deep breath, "at the end of the day, she simply wasn't you."
QUOTE PROMPT #033 – MARY/MARSHALL/NORAH
"Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself."
"What about Pete?"
"No," Mary grumbled, stabbing her eggs.
Marshall shrugged. "Myka? Artie?"
She glared at him. "Where are you getting these names?"
"Um," Marshall stalled. "Well, then what about Wesley or Geordi? Maybe Beverley?"
"We are not naming it, Marshall!" Mary ordered. "If we name it, we're going to want to keep it! And we can't. We... just can't."
Marshall's face fell. He opened his mouth to argue when his step-daughter entered the kitchen. She skipped over to her mother.
"Mommy! Say hello to Jean-Luc!" Norah sang, swinging the frog in her hands at Mary.
"Oh, joy. You name it," Mary told her, sarcastically. "And you named it after a Star Trek character." Mary rolled her eyes at Marshall. "This is all your fault. If you had just taken her to the movies like I told you to instead of the nature walk that you ended up on, I wouldn't have ended up with a frog!"
Marshall grinned. "It could have been worse, Mare. She was looking for a skunk."
