Author's Note: Special thanks to JMS529, JJ2008, BrittanyLS, and Jojo for the reviews!
QUOTE PROMPT #154 – MARY/MARSHALL
"It's sort of exciting isn't it! Breaking the rules."
"What are you doing here, Mare?" Marshall asked as she crept into his bedroom. She shrugged, but didn't really reply as she put her knee on the bed. "You were the one that wanted us to spend the night apart. Isn't this breaking the rules?"
"Screw the rules," she replied.
Marshall chuckled. "They were your rules."
Mary frowned. "Technically, they are society's rules. No seeing the bride before the wedding? Pfft. It's a dumb rule." She laid down beside him, throwing the crumbled blanket over both of them before settling on his chest, their legs intertwined. "I couldn't sleep." She paused. "And if you make one comment about that, you're going to be standing up there alone on your wedding day. Got it, buster?"
"Yes, ma'am." Drawing her closer, he slipped his hand under her shirt and stroked her milky skin with his thumb. After about a minute, Mary climbed on top of him and kissed him fiercely. Marshall muttered against her lips, "That didn't take long."
"Must be the rule breaker in me." Mary grounded against him. "It gets me all hot and bothered."
Marshall flipped her, pinning her to the bed. "In that case, I have a few more rules we could break."
QUOTE PROMPT #155 – MARY/MARSHALL/OSCAR
"He died this morning, 6:04am, the sun was rising, his favorite time of day. I sent this on so you might know he was thinking of you all, and that he appreciated knowing you would remember him well."
"Mary!" Marshall called out from the back door. "Mare, where did you go? You have to come see what the kids are doing! Mary!"
"I'm here," Mary said, softly when he reached the living room. She was sitting on the couch, clutching a piece of paper in her hands.
He sat down beside her. "What's going on?"
Mary had him the paper. "We got a letter from Abigail. Oscar died."
"What?" Marshall felt this heart thump in his chest. He had loved that dog, but had given him up to Abigail when their engagement had fallen apart three years ago.
"He got away from the dog walker," Mary explained, "and was hit by a car. He limped home, curled up on the stupid blanket that I gave you guys when you took him, and died." She angrily wiped away a few tears that had fallen. "It's stupid to be crying over that dog. He hasn't even been mine for years."
Marshall wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. He kissed her temple. "It's not stupid. You did love him and he was yours for at least a little while. And he clearly still loved you."
She looked up at him. "How do you know?"
"Because it was your blanket that he wanted in the end." With his words, Mary burst into sobbing tears. Marshall held her close, rubbing her back as he whispered soothingly in her ear. He was unsurprised when she abruptly pulled back a few minutes later.
"We should get back outside," Mary said, wiping her eyes. "Who knows what those hellions of ours are up to."
"I'll be right behind you," he promised as she rose. Marshall waited until she walked outside to stand himself. He took the picture of Oscar that Abigail sent along with the letter and placed it on the mantel. "Good-bye, old friend."
QUOTE PROMPT #156 – MARY/MARSHALL
"Lucky for you, my interests are varied, my career options infinite. If this whole thing goes horribly pear-shaped, whatever's next for me, my coat-tails are always there for you.
"It's gone."
Marshall's eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him. It was nearly three in the morning. Mary stood in her pajamas with Norah in one arm and her niece, Adriana, in the other. They all looked disheveled; Mary, in particular, looked near-panicked.
"What happened?" Marshall asked, clamping down his own alarm. He grabbed Adriana and ushered them inside.
"The house burnt down," Mary explained. She ran her hand through her tangled hair. "They think it was electrical. I was only able to grab the kids and get out. Everything's gone. All I have is what was in the minivan, which thankfully, included my overnight bag and the diaper bag."
Marshall grabbed her and hugged her close, horrified over the thought that he could have lost her and the girls. "I'm so sorry, Mary. So, so sorry."
Mary sniffed. "Can we stay with you for the night? It's so late to check into a hotel and Jinx is out of town. I know it's an imposition, but-"
"It's not," he interrupted, forcefully. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you want. My house is your house."
"Thanks." Mary snuggled, unconsciously, into his neck. She would never admit it, but from the time she got the girls out of the house, the only thing she wanted was to be safe in Marshall's arms, the one person that she could always count on. "It may be longer than a day. Jinx has a really small apartment."
Marshall leaned down and gave her a brief kiss. "You can stay here forever."
