Chapter 7 – Through the Looking Glass

Both women turned to look at him and Marshall had the sudden feeling of being the prey trapped by its predator. A predator that was doing a team tag. "What?" he asked defensively as both women continued to look at him, Mary with a disconcerting gleam in her eye and Eloise with that way she had of seeing straight into the core of his being. He began to uneasily suspect he had been the subject of conversation between them. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Eloise who flashed a beaming smile at him. She had told him a great deal about herself and her abilities in the hours they had spent together. Was she interfering? And would that be such a bad thing? If she helped him obtain his goal? He glanced at Mary.

"Coffee. Now." Mary said, her hand outstretched. Eloise was more demure, patiently waiting for Marshall to hand her the cup of hot liquid.

Eloise disappeared into the bathroom and shortly Marshall heard the shower running. He threw his jacket across the bed and pulled his phone out, moving over to the corner of the room and peering out the window while talking to Stan. He turned around to see Mary standing in front of the mirror over the dresser. He drank her in, the long blond tresses flowing over her shoulders, the curve of her waist, her shapely derrière, her long jean clad legs. His eyes traveled back up her body. As he watched, she slowly placed one hand uncertainly on her abdomen, her expression puzzled. Marshall closed the phone and moved over behind her, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, piercing blue eyes meeting troubled green ones in the mirror.

"Talk to me Mary," he said softly. He held her gaze in the mirror and Mary swallowed. She couldn't look away from the intensity of his eyes.

"Eloise said carrying a baby was the closest one could possibly be to another person, because one would always have a part of that person... inside...growing...the joining together of two. I just was trying to imagine that..." she trailed off as she saw Marshall's eyes darken. He skimmed one hand slowly down her arm, his fingers barely grazing her breast, and moved around her waist, ruching up her top and splaying his palm against the bare skin of her abdomen. There was something very possessive about the gesture. She felt like he was branding her with the heat of his hand. M is for Marshall...or Mine. Mary normally hated anything that smacked of possessiveness, but somehow, the idea of belonging to Marshall didn't disturb her. Her expression softened. Yes, she thought, I would give myself to you totally. Because you would never try to own me, to force me into being someone I'm not.

He responded to the change in her eyes, his open palm on her abdomen moving across to close over her hip, pulling her back against him. She heard his breathing become more shallow, felt his body become taut. He was radiating heat from where they touched, from hips up to shoulders, his arm across her belly keeping her still, not allowing for escape. Like I would want to escape this particular embrace. This feels right. She watched him in the mirror, drawing her hair back away from her shoulder and leaning down to place an open, moist kiss where her shoulder met her neck. He kept his firm hold on her, trailing his other hand down her arm to tangle his fingers with hers. His thumb started tracing slow circles over her wrist, keeping a slight pressure on her pulse.

"I think that Eloise is very insightful. And very much in love. That is the best description of the ultimate opening up to another person I have ever heard." He gaze bored into her. Mary closed her eyes and let her head fall back against his shoulder. She covered his hand on her belly with her own, holding him close against her. He bent down and placed another kiss below her collarbone, just above the swell of her breast. Her pulse started to race, as his warm breath caused goosebumps on her exposed flesh above her low cut top.

"Do you want kids Marshall?" she asked in a small voice. His hand was very warm on her skin. He rubbed his palm gently across her belly, an intimate gesture that made her catch her breath. She hadn't felt this exposed, this vulnerable, when she was totally naked with other lovers. Did I just classify Marshall as a lover? How could he do this with just a touch? She had a prescient flash of Marshall standing behind her, arms around her, his palm tenderly cupping her swollen belly. The vision didn't scare her near as much as she would have thought.

"Yes," he said simply. "I do." Mary opened her eyes and met his gaze once more in the mirror. His eyes were smoky blue, hungry. Wow. I've never seen that shade of blue before.

"Do you?" He continued to caress her abdomen. She was going to be that puddle of goo at his feet in a minute if he kept this up.

"I don't know. Maybe." She slowly turned around to look at him directly, finding she missed the warmth of his hand as he released her.

"I broke off my engagement with Raph yesterday." Marshall's surprise showed in his face. And a flash of hope. "You were right. He wouldn't make me happy." She searched his face, uncertain what she was looking for. He brought his hand up and cupped her cheek.

"How do you feel about that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Relieved and sad at the same time. Happy it's ended and there won't be any more arguments. Sad that I've hurt someone I really care about. I'm always doing that."

They turned as Eloise emerged from the bathroom and stepped apart. Marshall looked a long moment at Mary, trying to decipher her confused, unhappy expression, then ran his thumb lightly over her cheek before he turned and started packing up his bag and gathering Eloise's few belongings together.