Disclaimer: Mary and Marshall belong to David Maples. If they hadn't been misused by others I wouldn't be writing this.

Sonn of Mann – Chapter 36 – Jinxed

MARY POV

After his revelation in the hallway Marshall gives me a heartfelt hug and hot foots it back to the office. I find the bathroom, fasten my jeans and wash my face. I walk the hallways alone. I walk right past my gynecologist's office. Should I go in and . . . and what? Yell at him? Thank him? This pregnancy is his damn fault. If he hadn't taken me off birth control I wouldn't be pregnant. And that would be a good thing?

The timing that got me here is unbelievable. Why did Dana decide to bring Martin to meet Marshall two months before his wedding? What are the odds that I would be off birth control pills when Marshall's fiancée decides to dump him? Who knew we would have sex and I'd get pregnant after only one night? Truth is stranger than fiction.

I never wanted children, but now, after Norah, I want this baby with a fierceness I never thought I'd feel. I stop in the deserted hall and use my hands wipe my eyes. I will do everything I can to carry this one the full forty weeks. Whatever it takes, quitting WITSEC, bed rest, anything. I feel my eyes fill again. This baby has to be healthy, perfect. It's Marshall's.

When I first started working with Marshall I would have had anyone who suggested I would end up having his baby sent straight to the loony bin. How could such a geek make it in the marshals? I'd checked him out on that first cross country trip. Yep, there were muscles under that ordinary black jacket. He was a tall drink of water topped by clear lake blue eyes. He didn't have any visible bruises or scars so he must be able to stay out of trouble.

In FTF even the fastest baddest marshals got injured once in a while. Yet Marshall seemed unblemished, and not just his skin, his soul. I couldn't understand how he could do the job and remain untouched. When I discovered his family connection I was sure that was the only reason he made it in the marshals. Everyone knew Seth Mann. Marshall had to be a distant relative. Seth had a reputation as a hard ass hardnosed fugitive hunter. Marshall is nothing like that.

Watching him effortlessly take down scumbags I realized that not only was he strong, he was smart. Minimum effort for maximum effect. I loved watching him manhandle recalcitrant witnesses. They were dance moves with a criminal as an unsuspecting partner. That's when my fascination turned to admiration. Of course I couldn't tell him that. Instead I teased him mercilessly.

Somewhere along the way my admiration became something more. I ignored it. I denied it and when I was frustrated and angry seeing Marshall with her, I took Mark to bed, the ultimate 'so there.' I couldn't stand seeing him with Abigail. But when I saw she made him happy, I gave in. He deserves to be happy. Will he really be happy with me?

Would Marshall and I have gotten together if I hadn't reinstated him as my best friend and decided to take him out drinking to mourn his dis-engagement? I need to think about that when I have more time. I'm down to the first floor, at the door leading out. If I'm not going into work I should call the office.

"Hey Delia."

"Yeah, I'm . . ." It's so unlike me to admit I'm anything but fine, it's hard to say the words. "I'm not feeling so hot."

"Yeah, getting shot twice in two months can do that." I've used that excuse before but it works this time too. "I'll be in tomorrow. Uh huh. You can call me if something comes up."

Delia is just too damn perky, and too nosy. She's been doing more stuff on her own – witness visits, reports, even a few witness transfers with other marshals. She's handled a few hairy situations without me. She's a smart cookie. If anyone is going to put two and two together and come up with Marshall and me it will be her.

I start driving aimlessly. I wish I had a girlfriend – besides Marshall. Someone like Mia who wouldn't mince words or fancy up her advice. I'm at a stop light when I notice I'm near Jinx's dance studio. I never thought I'd say this but I want my mother.

Parking near the studio is ridiculous. Classes must be ending and all the parents have come to fetch their little darlings. Reluctantly, I park a few blocks away. I can use the time to . . . . To do what? Figure out why I'm here? Decide what I want to say? I have no idea. I just want to see my mom.

By the time I walk to the studio the parking lot is empty. There are no tiny dancers at the barre. I push the door open and the bell tinkles. "Jasmine? I've got your shoes," her voice echoes in the empty room. Jinx comes bustling out, holding a small pair of pink ballet shoes.

"Mary!" she smiles brightly, then looks at me carefully. "What is it?" Something in my demeanor makes her change gears. She drops the shoes and envelopes me in a hug. An empty section of my soul is filled. "Sweetpea? Come with me." She leads me to her tiny office which barely has room for her desk let alone a chair.

I give the frail looking chair the hairy eyeball. Will that hold me? Will I fit? Do I really want to be here? What can I learn about being the mother of two from the woman who never mothered me? She was a perfect example of what not to do.

"What's going on Mary?" I take a deep breath. The fact that I showed up at her studio tells her something major has happened. "The baby?"

I clear my throat and lean back so I can fish the sonogram out of my back pocket. Her eyes light up and she holds it close as if she actually could tell what was swimming in the grainy grey oatmeal. "Oh Mary." Her voice is bright with excitement. "When are you due?"

"Doc says October, October 16th. We'll see." I put my hands on my knees bracing myself for her next inane comment.

She smiles at me her eyes glistening. "You can do this Sweetpea. Norah's going to be a wonderful big sister – just like you."

I hadn't even thought of that. So much has happened. Before I can think what to say she asks, "How's your blood pressure?"

Shit, I don't know. I was staring at the sonogram and I don't remember what the nurse said. "I. . . I'll have to ask Marshall, he always remembers shit like that."

"Marshall? Marshall was at your doctor appointment?" Too late. Jinx put two and two together. "He's the father?"

I nod, checking out the floor. She'd know eventually. It's not as if I could wait till the baby is three and looks like another Marshall mini me. "Oh Sweetpea, have you told him?"

I nod. "Yes."

"How is he taking it?"

"Marshall?" I give her a watery smile. "He's happy and hovering," It's more than that. I swear his feet weren't touching the floor after we saw the baby on the big screen.

She takes both my hands. "And what about you? How do you feel about it?"

"I want this baby," I confess. "But I'm scared. You know I'm too old. I shouldn't be pregnant."

"Nonsense," she sputters. "There are much older women having healthy babies these days. You're in good health, you're . . . "

"Mom, I was shot last month." She knows about the donnybrook at Donny's but she doesn't know about Denver and I have no intention of telling her.

Her forehead furrows and she peers at me. "But you're okay now?"

I take a deep breath determined not to worry her. "That's what the doc says." I squirm trying to fit my contours to the chair's contours. "You need more comfortable chairs Mom." My stomach growls adding its own complaint.

"Somebody's hungry," she titters.

It's going to take more time to bring Jinx up to speed. "How about dinner? We can at least sit in comfortable chairs."

"What about Norah?" she counters.

Oh yeah, that. I call Marshall and hear kids screeching in laughter. I ask to talk to Norah but Marshall says she's busy being tickled by his dad. I tell him my plans and make him promise to call me so I can talk to Norah before she goes to sleep.

"Was that Marshall?" I nod.

"He and his Dad are at my house." Of the four of them I'm not sure which two are the kids. I smile, sad to be missing out on the fun. I'm tired and hungry and need some time to face the reality of this baby.

"His Dad?"

I put away my phone and extract myself from the chair. "Seth came to see Marty and Marshall. Beth is working on the decorating part of the house repair. He figured it would go faster without him underfoot. Seth will take Marty to Marshall's place after dinner and baths. Marshall will stay with Norah."

She gives me a pointed look. "Don't worry." I assure her. "He's done it before."

"Well," she says brightly, tilting her head. "Follow me home. I need to change. It will just take me a minute then you can drive us to the restaurant." Mom knows I like to drive. Besides she's the one with a DUI.

I stay in the van as she unlocks her door and drops her things inside. Tutus aren't acceptable at The Antiquity a quiet upscale restaurant with a decent salad selection. I must have zoned out because suddenly she's climbing into the passenger seat. When we arrive at the restaurant I find a table away from the clatter of the kitchen. Jinx perches eagerly on the edge of her overstuffed chair. "I want to know every little thing. Are you still having morning sickness?"

She's really concerned and anxious, not judgmental and snarky. Maybe the booze made her bitter. "I only threw up a few times, but I really emptied out when I did. After a couple of weeks, two maybe, it stopped. I mean I was still nauseous all the time and I wasn't hungry, but I didn't hurl." I take a sip of water. "I asked the doc if that meant something was wrong and she said no, that every pregnancy is different."

"When I was pregnant with Brandi I wasn't as sick as I was with you."

Brandi? How does Mom feel with one of her chicks missing?

"Any cravings?"

"Oh yeah. I want rabbit food, any kind of salad. When have you known me to pass up steak for a salad?"

"Never Sweetpea." She knows me well enough to understand how odd this is.

The waiter interrupts and takes our orders.

"Have you . . .," she whispers. "How did you tell Marshall?"

The restaurant is half empty. We could be any mother and daughter. "He found me worshiping the porcelain god one night. When I fessed up to being pregnant, he got all weird because he didn't know it was his. I had to explain."

Our food has arrived so I can stop talking as I fork another load of lettuce into my mouth.

"Why didn't he know he was the father? He must have been there."

I told her how Abigail dumped him, and how I decided to comfort my best friend with a still-a-bachelor party which devolved into another kind of party.

She takes a sip of her drink – water with lemon, preferred by recovering alcoholics everywhere. "I've never seen Marshall drunk."

I hadn't either. Not until that night. "Well he was snockered. The next morning he only remembered little bits of what happened. He thought that it was a dream." I scrape the dressing off the plate and lick the fork eyeing the desserts being delivered to the next table.

"So Marshall dreams of you?" Jinx makes it sound like it's something reasonable for him to do.

I stare off into space. "So he says." Actually it was Abigail who said he moaned my name in his sleep.

Mom laughs. "So you're his dream girl? What did he say when you told him they weren't dreams?"

It took weeks for us to get to that point. "He was relieved. He thought he was going crazy and was about to make an appointment with a shrink."

Mom smiles and then her expression turns serious. "This is a lot for him to deal with honey. He just found out he has a three year old and now he has a baby on the way?"

"He's okay with it." I take another sip. "More than okay," I confess. "He proposed."

Jinx inhales. Ack! I shouldn't have said that. I run my hand through my hair and scan the room to see if anyone heard me. My mother doesn't have the tightest of lips either. I lean across the table. "You can't tell anyone about this. Not about the pregnancy. Not about the engagement. Got it? Nothing. Not a word." Damn hormones! I wanted to keep the fact that we're engaged on the DL. "In a few weeks we'll make an announcement but until then you have to promise me to keep this to yourself."

Mom puts her fork down, sits up straight and mimes zipping her mouth. Despite her compliance I can tell she's miffed thinking I don't trust her. "Does Joanna know?"

"About the baby? Yeah. She saw me throwing up. About Marshall and I? She probably suspects. She's got eyes. We haven't told her." That placates her.

I spy the waiter with the dessert menu and wave him over. "Seriously Mom this could mean our jobs. Marshall could lose his position if this gets out before we're ready." This baby has a sweet tooth. I check the menu. All the desserts look divine. I'll order two and Mom and I can share. Maybe.

"What are you going to do? You know I'll help any way I can."

After the waiter leaves I spill the rest of the beans. "I've applied for another job. I can't work for Marshall. All that nepotism and sexual harassment crap."

"You're moving?" Leave it to Mom to jump to the wrong conclusion. She looks as if she would actually miss me. I am the only daughter she has contact with.

"Not if I get this job. Its downtown." Oh my gawd. This triple chocolate fudge with chocolate ice cream and chocolate brownie is divine. Despite the two spoons delivered with the dessert, I don't offer any to Jinx. She watches me but doesn't reach for the additional spoon. She knows I'd slap her hand.

"When will you know about the job?"

I cough nervously. "Two weeks, maybe three."

Now it's her turn to reach across the table. "Oh Sweetpea. I may not have been much of a mother when you were young, but I'm here for you now and so is Joanna. And," she brightens. "You'll have Marshall."

She looks at the chocolate then asks, "He actually proposed?"

I smile. "Sort of. He gave me this." I hold up my hand with the silver twist tie. "He told me it's a package deal – him and Marty. I told him getting Marty was worth putting up with him." She laughs.

"Raph gave you a lovely ring," she reminisces fondly.

"Yeah, but I didn't want what came with it – him. Marshall and I will pick out rings when, if, I get the other job."

"What if you don't get it?"

I sigh, and stare off into the distance. "I'll quit. I can get another job."

"You'd quit the marshal service?" She's stunned. She knows how hard I worked to get into the service.

My mouth goes from savoring the chocolate to gulping in distress. "I'm getting too old for the job, Mom. This position doesn't have as much travel. I need to be there to tuck the kids in bed every night."

She agrees. "They need two parents." She's right about that. As Chief Marshall has less chance of being injured.

"Have you talked to Mark?"

I know he's been working some big installation job in Utah. "Umm" I manage around a big chunk of brownie. "I'm sure Joanna has talked to him. But he can't know about Marshall and I till everything else is in place."

"How do you think he'll take it? He and Marshall seem to get along."

"We haven't thought that far ahead Mom. Why can't Norah have two Dads? Beats having none."

A/N: Thanks for reading this story. Remember, reviews fuel the muse!