*** I have had 900 hits today without even posting a new chapter yet...you all ROCK!! Thank you thank you thank you. ***

*** This chapter is a bit shorter as I thought their first time together really deserves its own chapter, don't you?. It's really meant to be a long, descriptive chapter, but that'll have to go into the extended scene post. It picks up right at the end of activities in the kitchen. The extended scene will be nearly identical, but with A LOT more zest! ***

Baby tonight is your night
And I will do you right
Just make a wish on your night
Anything that you ask
I will give you the love of your life

---I'll Make Love to You, Boyz II Men

Kisses and caresses became more hurried and interspersed with moans and growls, Marshall following through with his threat to creatively employ ice cubes, and Mary's shirt being shed in the process.

As usual, Mary was able to get her way and delighted in her opportunity to finally please Marshall…please him so well he was ready to fall over where he stood against the counter and slowly released her hair. It was the side of him she hadn't yet seen and he was beautiful.

Marshall's eyes were closed with a look of intense pleasure and concentration, mouth open as he panted and groaned breathlessly. Mary steadied him with one arm while she stood and grabbed a chair with the other. Placing it next to him, she coaxed him to sit before he fell over, and Marshall oozed into the seat while Mary stood straddled over his thighs with a huge grin.

She took his face in her hands, and as he opened his eyes to gaze at the goddess before him she spoke.

"Welcome to Georgia, Cowboy."

His hands crawled up the back of her thighs to end up resting on her hips, "I don't remember that being the official state greeting, but I'd vote to keep it."

Mary studied him in the darkening kitchen, his eyes half lidded and dark blue with desire, cheeks flushed and a crooked grin. Caring for her, waiting for her, following her…

"I love you." She whispered, lowering her head to kiss him softly and draw her tongue along his lower lip.

Marshall's hands skimmed up to grasp her ribcage as her words made him ache again already. Kisses and nibbles shared as she stood over him. Suddenly, Mary stepped back and turned sideways as he reached for her.

"Are you just going to sit there all night?" she teased.

He wasn't entirely sure his legs would support him yet, so he stalled, "What did you have in mind?"

A moment later it wouldn't have mattered if his legs were made of jello, Marshall would've found a way to sprint. She did a slow strip tease and her bra was on the ground as she tempted him to her. Intent upon his target with a predatory gleam in his eye, he rose from the chair, hitched up his jeans and began to stalk towards her. Oh no, he was not yet started with Mary Shannon.

Mary retained her look of challenge as her partner moved towards her, then she saw him lean in a way that she recognized too well. "Oh shit!" she thought as she slid back rapidly with a yelp and turned to lope to towards the bedroom. She was laughing as she heard his footsteps padding swiftly behind her. Leaping into the bed as he caught her, they went down in a tangled heap of half naked limbs.

Marshall was thoroughly enjoying this chase, and zeroed in on his captured prey's sweet spots where he knew she was exquisitely ticklish. Mary squirmed and squealed, ineffectually grabbing at his hands and trying to roll away. Their laughter infused the cottage.

"Say, 'My partner is a weak male and I shall not taunt him with my boobies.'" Marshall instructed her between breaths, continuing to laugh at her as she tried to gasp out the phrase. The body parts of interest swaying and jiggling deliciously in front of his eyes.

She was in gleeful bliss, but squirmed just the wrong way and a familiar jolt of hot pain lanced through her abdomen. The pains were rare now, and only with excessive exercise, and Mary knew they faded almost immediately and now ignored them as a residual effect of the healing muscles. The involuntary flinch and gasp couldn't be hidden, though, and Marshall immediately ceased manhandling her to look at her with concern.

"Did I hurt you?"

"Don't even go there," Mary instructed with narrowed eyes, "you know how it is with injuries, sometimes they just twinge or cramp unexpectedly. It's already gone and I'm perfectly fine."

She didn't look anything but tousled, aroused and irritated, but Marshall hesitated for just a moment longer as he studied her.

She ran her hands through his hair as she was not going to let him get away, "If you're worried about it, why don't you kiss it and make it better?" raising her eyebrows expectantly.

He thought that was a stellar idea, and grinned slyly as he looked down at her lying on her back and slowly ran his fingers down the faint line of a scar as she shivered. No one had touched it besides her, and Mary's nerves jumped at the feather light caress Marshall traced along the tender skin.

He not only kissed it, he tasted her and included more than just her scar. Mary writhed for reasons other than being tickled, and Marshall's body regrouped for this new occasion.

Clothes were shed, and soon the two people sighed and tangled themselves together in mutual exploration and delight. Weeks, months…years of waiting translated into aching need that could only be satisfied by each other. Covers slid to the floor, pillows piled up against the headboard, wrappers tossed on the nightstand, and sweaty bodies slid and fit into each other with sighs, moans and muffled curses…limbs tightening and straining. Release came with mutual cries, actual tears escaping with the understanding that the future would be ever better than the past.

The ringing in his ears slowly faded as he became aware of his own breathing again, still fast as his heart found its rhythm. The intensity and utter abandonment of the moment was like nothing he had experienced before, and Marshall had fallen into the abyss of ecstasy with eyes squeezed shut. Mary was soft and panting beneath him, and he slowly slid off of her, not wanting to rest his full weight on her abdomen, rolling onto his back for a few minutes to cool off and wait for the room to stop spinning before standing to visit the bathroom. Mary barely moved, only occasionally moaning slowly and softly as her eyes remained closed with her limbs splayed on the bed. She looked utterly relaxed and spent and the small smile that curled her lips had him feeling a thousand ways possessive and protective. Bound.

"Come back to bed." she commanded softly without opening her eyes.

Mary had slowly come to awareness as Marshall slid to the side, missing his weight and warmth. She was floating in a languid pool of pleasure, never having felt quite this satisfied before and already wanting more, knowing she would never get enough of this man she now called a lover. Never imagining she'd want another…only him.

Her stomach muscles were aching and burning with effort, but she wouldn't tell him that. This sort of exercise was better than hundreds of sit ups and Mary just figured she'd have to get a lot of practice to strengthen things up. Not really able to move, she coaxed Marshall back to bed as she knew he was standing there looking at her.

Of course obeying, Marshall slid back in next to her after opening the window to let in a breeze. They had heated up the room nicely, and the coolness of the night air was a treat. He rolled over to lever up on one elbow and trace her face with his index finger. Mary smiled with the attention, then wrinkled her nose and swatted his hand as he tickled her nose to get her to open her eyes.

"Most people like to cuddle after sex, idiot." She scolded and played with his chest hair.

"I wanted to see your eyes." he chuckled and traced her hipbone with a hand thrown across her abdomen.

Looking up at him, Mary knew what he would see. Happiness, contentment, love, surrender…All things she knew she now had because of a fateful leap that ended up being a lot less scary than she had thought.

"Yep," he said, with a knowing grin, "I'm pretty sure I just spoiled you for any other man."

"Does that mean I'm stuck with you now?" grimacing for effect, but internally hoping he would say yes. She didn't want anyone else and hoped he didn't either.

Marshall huffed, "According to a casual observer, it's me who's considered stuck with you."

"Damn straight." she grinned.

Marshall smiled at the meaning behind her statement, confirming the unspoken decision to be just for each other. It was a step in the right direction.

Trying to roll towards him as the breeze was just a bit too cool now and she sought his warmth, Mary found it impossible to pull herself over and grunted with the effort. Marshall reached over to pull her to him while he chastised her.

"See, I knew you were hurting. It was too soon."

"I'm just sore, nitwit. Haven't used those muscles like that since they were rearranged," replied Mary and she looked up to meet his eyes, "I'm just going to have to practice a lot, but I'll need to take the top for the rest of the night."

"When I'm ready to saddle up again, I'll gladly give you the reins, Cowgirl." Marshall ran his hand down her back and curve of her bottom to grab her thigh and pull her leg over his as her head rested on his chest.

Mary snuggled into him, and he just enjoyed her softness pressed against him. She fit him perfectly, her browned skin a sharp contrast to his paleness…rounded curves atop sharp angles…seamless. Smoothing her hair, Marshall continued to caress her slowly and soon heard her breathing deepen and slow as she was lulled into sleep. He followed soon afterwards, dreams mingling with reality.

*** *** *** ***

Mary took advantage of his realistic dreams a while later, awaking him with a gasp as she saddled up and took the reins and Marshall just held on and prayed. He paid her back with skills that made her pull the fitted sheets right off the bed, carrying out his promise to devour her all night. The pocket protector supply dwindled, and by dawn they were limp and sated and left with only a pillow and a stray sheet still on the bed.

Marshall was curled around her sleeping form and his eyes fell on the pictures on the dresser that she looked at every day. His heart ached for the woman in his arms and he whispered "I'll always love you" as they drifted off to sleep.

***Well, I don't know about you, but I feel better! :D Do you want the extended scene? Of course you do :) It will be there, I promise. Let me know how I'm doin'...REVIEW! ***