A/N: All right, everyone, here is where the rating goes up. This chapter contains details of what happened to Mary the night Kenny was killed - and it may contain triggers for some. I don't know what anyone's history is, so please be advised that there is violence of a sexual nature in this chapter, though I have tried to keep it as short and as lacking in detail as possible. But this is why this fiction is rated M.


TWO MONTHS AGO

Kenny's House

"Mary, come in! You look amazing – and you're right on time." He led the way to the back of the house to the kitchen.

Mary glanced down at her slacks and red blouse, glad that she had had a clean outfit in her go bag in the car. "Actually, Kenny, I'm going to have to eat and run tonight. Marshall and I-" She noticed the clenching of her boyfriend's jaw at her boss' name but she ignored it as he turned and led her through the living room to the kitchen. "Marshall and I have to go over this old case file in prep for a trial tomorrow-"

Kenny stopped and turned back to her, kissing her lightly on the lips. "No problem, babe. I understand how important your work is to you. But I thought Marshall was the boss now – not your partner." He handed her a glass of white wine.

She took a sip. "He is – but this is a case he and I worked on together so-" she shrugged, figuring that the words 'old case' were self-explanatory. "This place looks great – are you going to give me a tour?"

Kenny checked the clock above the stove. "Yeah, we've got some time before the steaks are done – let's go."

He gave her a whirlwind tour, ending up in the bedroom, kissing and licking the side of her neck. Mary gently but firmly pushed him away. "Kenny, I told you I have to eat and run tonight. Let's not start anything we can't finish."

"Come on, babe. Don't you think we've waited long enough?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "We've been dating a month, Kenny. We've gone on six dates, counting this one – and we each have a child. Can you blame me for wanting to take things a little slower this time around?"

He gave one last suck to her neck as the oven timer went off. "I guess you're right," he sighed. "And that's the dinner bell anyway, so let's eat."

Over a steak and baked potato dinner, Kenny shared with her the sad news that his ex-wife had been offered a job in San Francisco and was seriously considering it.

"But what does that mean for your son?"

Kenny shrugged. "The bitch has full custody so I don't really have a say, you know? I should just feel honored that she shared this information with me instead of dropping me an email telling me of her new mailing address."

"You sound bitter."

He laughed drily. "Bitter? I'm paying child support and alimony and she's the one with full custody and a full time job. Yeah, you could say I'm a little bitter."

Mary toyed with stem of her wine glass. She had been feeling woozy for the last few minutes even though Kenny had only topped the glass off one time. "I need to get going-"

"Wait, you haven't had dessert yet."

She got to her feet and the room tilted. "I really – need to- Kenny, what did you-" she sank to her knees.

He chuckled. "Just something to help you relax, babe."

She looked up at him in confusion. "I don't need – I need – to go."

He slowly began to unbutton her blouse. "And I say you need to relax and do as I say." He slipped the blouse from her shoulders.

"NO!" Mary gathered what remaining strength she had left and shoved him away, crawling in the direction of the door. Kenny grabbed her heel and pulled her back to him, knocking her head against the table leg.

"Women don't say no to me," he snarled as she felt the room going dark around the edges. "Just relax, Mary. I promise it will be good for you too."

Mary was swimming in and out of the darkness but when she finally came to enough to realize what was happening, Kenny was on top of her, naked, moving in and out of her, moaning and groaning. She screamed, "NO!" and clawed at his skin and he slapped her across the face, twice. Mary saw stars but her fingers groped along the carpet looking for a weapon when her quest was rewarded. Gripping the steak knife, she slashed up and out and felt it sink into his flesh.

"You bitch!" Kenny roared as he reared back and pulled out of her.

Mary rolled away and grabbed her blouse, ignoring the spinning and her nausea the best she could as she grabbed her bag and fled out the front door, leaving a cursing Kenny behind.


Albuquerque General

"No, please, stop! Don't!"

Mary sat up in the bed, looking around her with wild eyes, as a nurse approached her slowly and carefully from the right. "It's all right, ma'am. You're in the hospital – you're safe. No one's going to hurt you here."

Mary took several deep breaths, trying to calm the wild beating of her heart as her eyes landed on the female police officer in the corner of the small curtained off area. "Why is there a cop here?"

The nurse lifted a hand but Mary shrank back. "I'm sorry but it's the law – we have to call the police with injuries such as yours-"

"Such as – oh God." Mary groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Where's Marshall? I need Marshall."

"The friend who brought you in? He's in the waiting room."

Mary's head snapped up. "Well, go and get him! Why the fuck isn't he in here?"

The officer spoke for the first time. "I'm sorry but until I've taken your statement and he's been cleared-"

Mary's Irish temper rose to the forefront. "Are you completely incompetent? Marshall is my partner and best friend – he would never-"

"With all due respect, it's not uncommon for victims to defend-"

"I am NOT a victim! How dare you-"

"Mary."

The words died on her lips as her eyes swung to see her partner standing by the curtain, his eyes pained and his face lined with worry. She wanted to weep and hold her arms out to him like a little child but she held herself in check, not wanting to show any sign of weakness in front of these idiots.

"Marshall, tell this douchebag that you had nothing to do with my current state."

The tick in his jaw grew more pronounced and she could tell that his own anger was barely being held back. "I think that needs to come from you for it to carry any kind of weight."

"The man responsible for my condition is Kenny Evans, the man who until this evening, I was dating, all right?" Mary snapped. "Now get out. That's all I'm going to say until I get some time alone with Marshall."

The officer's eyes flicked back and forth between the partners, silently assessing their body language. "I'll go get some coffee and be back in a bit."

"Don't hurry." Mary hurled the words at the retreating officer's back and waited until Marshall pulled the curtain shut before curling into a ball, burying her face in her knees. She felt the bed dip as Marshall sat next to her, his arm come around her shoulders and she let out a sob as she fell into him, fisting her hands in his T-shirt. The sobs came bubbling up from somewhere deep inside and she didn't know how to stop them – or if she would ever be able to.

Marshall cradled her against him, running one hand through her hair, the other rubbing her upper arm. "Shh, Mer. I've got you. You're safe now. I love you. Let it out – just let it all out."

His words washed over her and surrounded her like a warm blanket and Mary wanted nothing more than to pull the covers up over her head and go to sleep and wake up in the morning and have everything be fine – have this night be nothing more than a horrible nightmare. Marshall was in love with her, he had asked her to think about him as more than a friend and instead of breaking it off with Kenny so that she could do that with a clear mind, she had continued to see him. This was all her fault.

He pushed her roughly back from him. "The hell it is, Mary."

She blinked in confusion before she realized that she had spoken those last words out loud. "Yes, it is, Marshall. If I had broken up with Kenny after you told me how you felt, none of this would have happened."

"You don't know that – he might still have-" Marshall cleared his throat, his own eyes now wet with emotion. "I'm sorry, but I have to know – did he rape you?"

Mary shuddered in his arms. "Almost – I blacked out for a bit and when I came to – he was inside me. I screamed and fought him, he hit me back, but I was able to stab him with a steak knife and get away before-" she swallowed and shuddered again.

He drew her further into his embrace. "I'm so sorry, Mer."

"Why are you sorry?" her voice was muffled against his shirt.

"It's my job to protect you and I failed."

This time she was the one to pull away and look him in the eye. "That's crazy, Doofus. You can't protect me from the big, bad world – and neither of us thought that Kenny was capable of this. I'm the one who's sorry. I should have broken up with him sooner – I should have fought harder-"

Marshall cupped her good cheek. "You're talking nonsense, Sunshine. You fought like the hell cat you are – especially under the circumstances."

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

He took a deep breath and dropped his hand. "The doctor drew your blood and it came back positive for rohypnol – he slipped you a roofie, Mer."

She swore. "No wonder my memory is a little foggy – I don't remember much after leaving his house. How did I get to you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know how you drove your car but I don't think his new house is very far from mine, thank God. All I can tell you is that you somehow made it to me and I'd barely had a chance to open the door and take in your appearance before you collapsed in my arms. I brought you straight here."

"So you didn't call the police?"

"No – the hospital staff did that. The nurse told me that it was hospital policy and after they saw the condition you were in, they kicked me out and wouldn't let me stay with you until after you regained consciousness and told them who was responsible."

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry they wouldn't let you stay with me – fucking idiots."

"Mary, they were just following the rules. They don't know us – as far as they were concerned I could have been the one who did this to you."

"You would never-"

He cupped her good cheek again and changed the subject. "How are you feeling? Are you ready for the inquisition and the rape kit?"

Mary startled. "They didn't already do one?"

He shook his head. "They need your consent – and I wasn't about to give it, even if I am your medical next of kin."

She swallowed. "Do I have to? I mean, technically he didn't-"

"Mary-" Marshall's hands slid to her shoulders. "That man physically and sexually assaulted you. Just because he didn't 'finish', doesn't mean you weren't raped. Did you say no?"

Mary flinched. "Repeatedly."

"And did he ignore you and force himself on you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Look at me, Marshall. I think my body answers that question for me."

His jaw ticked. "Then we need all the physical evidence we can get to prosecute the asshole."


Present Day

Marshall's hospital room

Marshall looked at Mary, his eyes wide with horror and pain at all she had revealed about the night of her sexual assault. He somehow knew she hadn't told him everything – knew that she was sticking to the bare facts. But with every word she said, he got a clearer picture of just how close their bond really was.

"Why did you come to me afterwards instead of going home?"

Mary looked up at him in surprise. "You – we're best friends, Marshall – you take care of me. Besides, I didn't want Squish, my sister, to see me like that. She's pregnant and it would have upset her."

He frowned. "And those are the only reasons?"

"Your house was close to Kenny's – I was drugged and not exactly thinking clearly at the time-"

"Mary."

"What?" she snapped, standing up and beginning to pace. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth."

She flung her hands out in a desperate gesture. "I've told you the truth – Kenny nearly raped me that night and I got away and ran to you. You took me to the hospital and then back to your place for the night."

"I took you back to my place?" he repeated, his head cocked to the side. "Why didn't I take you home? Better still, why didn't you stay in the hospital overnight?"

Her eyes fluttered shut. "Because I hate hospitals – and so do you. They make us crazy – if you were in your right state of mind, you'd remember that. After the doctor did the rape kit, I begged to go home but he didn't want me to be alone so you said you'd take me to your place."

"Why do I think there's more to it than that?"

She gritted her teeth. "There isn't. Someone had to watch over me, wake me every couple of hours because of my slight concussion and I didn't want to scare Brandi with my appearance. I didn't want to deal with all the drama of telling her and Jinx-"

"Who's Jinx?"

Mary sighed. "My mother – she's a peach. You'll meet her soon enough. Anyway, you instinctively knew all this and volunteered to be my watchdog for the night."

"And the cop didn't have a problem with this?"

"She didn't have a choice. I refused to answer her questions until the next day after I'd gotten some sleep and the doctor backed me up, saying I needed rest. So you took me home."

Marshall let her words sink in for a minute before asking, "So if I promised to look after you, how did I get in a car accident in the middle of the night? And why am I suspected of murdering your boyfriend slash rapist?"

Mary flinched. "He was never my boyfriend – he was just someone I was dating, all right?"

His eyebrows knit together in puzzlement. "That sounds familiar – have you said that before?"

Her lips twitched in annoyance even as hope rose inside of her at the possibility that Marshall had remembered something more about their past. "No."

"Oh – so what's the answer, then?"

She took a deep breath before replying. "I'm not sure – all I know is, when I woke up around one-thirty in the morning, you weren't there and your truck was gone. I had a bad feeling that maybe you'd gone to see Kenny and so I got in my car and started to drive over there." She began to shake and Marshall held out his hand. She looked at it warily but took it. He pulled her back to sit next to him on the bed.

"You saw the accident happen?"

She nodded, the ability to speak having temporarily left her.

He pulled her against his shoulder and for a second she resisted before giving in and laying her head against him.

"I lost the two most important things in my life that night: myself and my best friend."


A/N: Oh, Mary. Will Marshall remember what happened in time to keep himself from being arrested and help Mary heal? Stay tuned. Reviews are LOVE.