Hiya guys! This one is longer, but I couldn't help it. I tried to keep it short, I really did, but, as you will see, this Tony character has a mind of his own. And besides, we get to hear all about Marshall, so who's gonna complain about that? Enjoy!

As always, I own nothing. Very sad.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Hawaiian Airlines, we would like to welcome you to Las Vegas. If this is not your final destination, we invite you to speak with the representatives outside of our gate, who will be happy to direct you to your connecting flight. For those of you for whom Las Vegas is your final destination, we thank you for flying with us and hope to see you again soon. We will be docking shortly at gate A 16. Again, on behalf of Captain Todd Brewer and your entire flight crew, we thank you for choosing Hawaiian Airlines, and hope you have a pleasant day. Aloha."

The entire cabin sleepily chorused "Aloha" in return, and soon, the clicks of seatbelts could be heard, even though the Fasten Seat Belt sign was still plainly lit.

Mary didn't say anything. She stared out of the window, as she had been doing for most of the flight, watching the workers on the tarmac and the planes coming in and going out. She hadn't slept at all. Her mind was too busy, her body was too restless. She'd tried walking up and down the aisles of the plane during the flight, but the flight attendants had asked her more than once to take her seat and remain in it. Normally, that would not have gone over well with her, but this time she didn't have the energy to fight over it.

The plane jerked to a stop and she sighed, unbuckling her seatbelt. Now it was time to go and find this Tony character, whoever he was. She wasn't exactly in the mood to be meeting new people, and prayed that he wouldn't try to carry on a conversation with her. But if he was a friend of Marshall's, there was no guarantee of anything.

She pulled out her phone and called Marshall's number, wishing she hadn't promised to call again, but knowing that if she didn't, he'd just call her anyway. He picked up after the first ring.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi yourself."

"You sound tired."

"Probably cuz I am."

He made a slightly frustrated noise. "Didn't you sleep?"

"Not at all."

"Mary," he scolded. "You should have tried to sleep."

"I couldn't."

Something about her tone must have warned him off of the topic, because he only said, "Hmm. Well, try to sleep on this last leg, ok? You need to rest."

"I thought that's what the vacation was for," she muttered, standing up and reaching for her satchel in the overhead compartment.

"Technically, you're still on vacation. Stan still won't let you come in until Thursday."

She swore under her breath, then sighed. "What am I supposed to do, Marshall?"

"Hey, don't think about it. We'll figure it out when you get here, ok? Right now just go get your bag and find Tony. You're almost home, Mare."

"Yeah." She waited a moment, as the aisle filled with other passengers, then started to make her way to the front. "Marshall?"

"Yeah, Mary?"

She swallowed down an unexpected lump in her throat. "Thank you."

A brief silence followed, and then, "Anytime, Mary. You know that. I'll see you in a few hours, ok?"

"Ok. Bye." She followed the line of passengers off of the plane and into the concourse, avoiding eye contact with anyone, and shouldered passed what seemed like hundreds of people. Baggage claim was a zoo, and she was forced to wait nearly twenty minutes at the carousel for her one suitcase. She would make it a point to never again travel anywhere for any length of time that would require a bag that could not be considered a carry-on.

Finally, irritated, tired, and emotionally drained, she headed for the doors, where several people stood with signs. She glanced through them all briefly, and near the end of the line, she saw one that caught her attention

Marshall's Mary.

She stared at the sign for a moment, heart stuttering a touch, then looked up at the man holding it. He was tall, maybe 6'2, well built, and, except for the indications of lack of sleep, rather attractive. His hazel eyes twinkled as they met hers and he grinned in an almost mischievous way. "I take it you are Marshall's Mary, then?" he asked, a hint of a Southern twang coming out.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

His grin grew, crinkling his eyes at the corners. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that." He looked her over once, and the mischievous light dimmed a little, the smile growing gentler. "You look like you've had a hell of a night."

She nodded. "You could say that. Is it too early to drink?"

He shook his head immediately and took her suitcase from her. "Nope. It's Happy Hour somewhere, and, lucky for you, I always keep a stash handy for my passengers."

"Thank God."

He chuckled softly and placed a hand on her back. "C'mon, let's get you home, Mary."

He led her out of the airport to his truck, then drove them out to one of the smaller strips behind the main terminals. He hadn't said anything else to her, and she was grateful for it. She really didn't need to be entertained at the moment, and any attempts to do so might get him shot.

Soon enough, they were both walking out to his small plane, and, after helping her up the stairs, Tony went back out, leaving her to check out her surroundings. It was small, but by no means cramped. Six passengers could sit comfortably without any of the awkwardness that accompanied major airline transportation. The seats were a bit larger than average, which she was grateful for, as she had every intention of curling up into a ball until they landed in Albuquerque.

"Ok, Mary, we're all set," Tony announced as he climbed back up, two cups of coffee in his hands. He handed one to her and she took it, looking surprised. He grinned. "Paul down there is used to me making random trips at all hours. He knows I need my coffee to be worth anything."

She took a drink gratefully as he closed the door and locked it, then moved up to the cockpit. "Nice plane you got here," she said softly.

"Thank you. It's a Cessna 525 Citation CJ1+, not that that means anything to you," he added, looking back at her with a crooked smile.

She smiled back and shrugged. "Sounds impressive."

"That's why I say it," he quipped as he sat down in his seat and began fiddling with the controls, sending the plane humming to life. "Gets me all sorts of action."

Mary snorted into her coffee.

He turned slightly and glared at her in mock severity. "Don't mock the pilot. I can drop you off anywhere and you won't be able to do anything about it."

She quirked her brows. "Oh, really? Did you forget who my partner is?"

He grinned. "Nope. Good ol' Marshall boy, and you're right, he'd kill me."

"Flay you alive."

"Grill me up and serve me to the dogs."

"Put you up on a spit and wait for the crows to descend."

He made a disgusted face and shuddered. "Yuck. Thanks, Mare."

She stilled at the nickname and hesitated, but Tony didn't seem to notice as he started communicating with the tower, so she let it go. It was only natural to shorten her name that way, it shouldn't trip her up like that just because Marshall was the only one who called her that on a regular basis.

In almost no time at all, they were taxiing out to the small runway. Tony cupped one hand over his mouth and began speaking in a nasally voice: "Ok, lady, the captain would turn on his fasten seatbelt sign if he had one at this time, but due to lack of such sign, he requests that you do so anyway. Please keep your tray tables in their upright and locked position, and all carry-on bags safely under your seat. We will be in the air shortly, at which time you may pummel the pilot with the complimentary peanuts in the back. Thank you."

Mary chuckled in spite of herself and shook her head. "You are such a dork."

He grinned. "Did you forget who my friend is?"

Her smile widened. "Nope. Good ol' Marshall." As the nose of the airplane began to rise into the air, she studied her pilot as carefully as she could without seeming creepy. He wasn't at all what she had expected. He wore khaki's and a dark green button down shirt, which didn't do anything to hide his athletic build, which she suspected was intentional. He had dark hair that was spiked up, and she could see the moisture of product from where she sat. His eyes were currently covered by an expensive looking set of Oakley's, but she remembered they were hazel, border-lining on the green aspect. He really was very attractive, but he had an air of the player about him, which made her wonder how he and Marshall had become friends.

"How do you know Marshall?" she asked when they had reached their altitude.
Tony grinned. "I grew up next door. I'm a few years younger, so I'm better friends with his brother Alex, but I guess you could say Marshall's always been looking out for me. He was…he's like a big brother."

"He does that," she murmured fondly.

When Tony didn't elaborate, Mary knew she liked him. Basic answer to a basic question. Straightforward and clean. Wondering just how open he would be, she decided to ask a question she'd been carrying in the back of her mind.

"Who's Karrie Harrison?"

Tony looked at her sharply, then burst out laughing. "You heard Marshall on the phone, didn't you?"

She shrugged. "Guilty. And curious." She unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her feet up under her, and waited.

He sighed, smiling. "Karrie Harrison was the most gorgeous girl in the entire school. She was a grade above me, just below Marshall. She was way smart, athletic, student body president, and smokin' hot."

"Hate her already," Mary muttered.

His grin widened. "I was obsessed with her, and I'm pretty sure everybody knew it. She and Marshall were in the little brain squad whatchamacallit together, and I was always begging him to hook me up."

"But he never did?"

"Nope. Not that I blame him. I was a total loser. She would have shot me down in a heartbeat and I would never have recovered. But now, thanks to you and your emergency, assuming I play my cards right, I may actually have a shot!" He grinned at her with pride and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

She chuckled and shook her head. "If only you weren't a loser now, I might actually believe that."

"Ouch! Hey!" he howled in protest. "I'll have you know I have worked very hard to get out of that. Boy, Marshall was right about you!"

That shut her up, and she looked at him, wondering if she should be worried or offended. "Right about me?" she repeated carefully.

Tony nodded. "He said you were tough as nails, brutally honest, and didn't take crap from anybody. He also said you could dish it, but taking it was a bit harder for you."

She squirmed in her seat, but said nothing.

He turned his head and stared at her, though she couldn't see his eyes through his shades. "Don't get excited, Mary. That man practically worships you."

She swallowed hard, feeling an odd choking sensation start. "Does he?"

"You doubt it?"

She thought about it, thought about everything that she and Marshall had been through together, everything he had ever done for her, every comforting thing he had ever said to her. She remembered his sixth sense that seemed to revolve around her and her needs, his uncanny ability to see past all her defenses, his desire to protect her no matter what…

I hope you know that…I love you. His voice echoed in her mind, and her breath caught in her chest. "No," she managed to get out. "No, I don't doubt it."

Tony nodded in satisfaction and turned to face the front of the plane again. "Good."

For a few minutes, they just sat there, letting the silence speak for itself. Hundreds of thoughts swirled in her mind, thoughts about Marshall, about her, about Raph… She shook her head, trying to get rid of those depressing thoughts. She'd have to deal with them eventually, but right now, she wanted to be distracted.

"Tony?" she began slowly, trying to sound sweet.

He turned his head only a fraction to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "Mary?"

She decided then and there that he would absolutely tell her. "What in the hell did you do that made you owe Marshall enough to fly me to Albuquerque?"

Again, Tony laughed loudly. "Well, first of all, if the twad had told me it was you he wanted me to fly, I'd have done it for nothing."

"Seriously?" That surprised her.

"Uh-huh."

"Why?"

He snorted. "After hearing all about you for years, you think I was gonna miss an opportunity to meet you? Seriously, every story Marshall tells is "Mary this" or "Mary that" or "when Mary and I"." He laughed again, and shook his head. "You were always my favorite part of the story, Mary."

"Wow." That was all she could say, really. So Marshall talked about her a lot. That was slightly uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do about it. Besides, if he felt about her the way Tony thought, and the way she was starting to suspect, it's not like he would have said anything embarrassing. Maybe he was even proud.

Feeling slightly better, she tossed her hair over one shoulder and eyed her pilot again. "Ok, what's second of all?"

"Huh?"

"You said first of all. What's next? Why do you owe Marshall?"

He looked at her, his mouth twitching. "What did he tell you?"

She shrugged. "He said I didn't want to know."

Tony's smile grew amused. "He did, huh? What a pal. That's because it is highly embarrassing and if it weren't for Marshall, I'd be totally and royally screwed."

"Sounds like a good story."

"Oh, it is," he assured her. "Sit back and listen, Miss Mary. And just pretend you have some popcorn. So about ten years ago, Marshall, Alex, and I were all in Vegas for Derek Trellis' wedding. Derek was one of the guys in the neighborhood where we all grew up, and his dad worked with Marshall and Alex's dad sometimes. Anyway, it was the evening of the wedding, a few hours before, cuz they decided to get married at midnight, for some twisted reason. We were here all goofing off, well, as much as Marshall ever goofs off," he broke off here for a snort, which Mary echoed, "and I saw this completely gorgeous girl. I mean, wowzers. Total babe. 15 on the 10 point scale, right? And I was ever so slightly an idiot in those days, so I went right over and chatted her up, even though we were both drunk out of our minds. And I can see Marshall watching us, just giving me that look of his…you know the one I'm talking about."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, I do. I know it well."

"I bet you do. Anyway, he gets distracted by something or other, so this chick and I slip out, cuz who wants big brother watching you get a score, right?"

"Sure," Mary said, starting to think she knew where it was going, and a smile was beginning to form.

"So she takes me up to her hotel room, and we're going at it, I mean seriously, and it's getting down to the wire, and all of a sudden the door opens and there's Marshall. The girl starts laughing like crazy and doesn't even cover up, just flat out falls off of the bed. Marshall throws me my clothes and gets a robe for her, and I feel like I'm about 5 years old, right? Big bad daddy come to get the naughty son. But all he says is, "I knocked, but obviously you were otherwise…occupied.""

Mary shook her head, still smiling. "That is so Marshall."

Tony chortled, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, you don't even know the half of it. As soon as I had my pants on, Marshall grabs my arm and hauls me off to my room. There he shoves my head under the faucet of really frickin' cold water, and keeps pulling me in and out until I'm slightly coherent. And by the way, that man is a lot stronger than he looks."

Mary smiled softly. Yeah, she knew that. "So who was she?"

"Oh, just the cousin of Derek's fiancée. And the maid of honor."

She clapped a hand over her mouth, unable to resist laughing a little. "So if you had gone ahead…"

"She probably would have missed the wedding. And everybody would have known that she had slept with me and we were playing around in Vegas somewhere. And then her own very large body-builder fiancé would have killed me."

Mary swore softly, still trying not to laugh. "So Marshall pretty much saved your hide."

"Oh, yeah. He knew who the girl was before I ever left the bar. When we were gone, he made up some story for the clerk or something, got her room number, a copy of the key, and hightailed it up to us. Good timing, too, cuz I saw the rhino she was engaged to coming up one of the elevators when we were going down. And the chick didn't remember a thing." He grinned and looked over at Mary. "But she looked like crap at the wedding, though."

She returned his smile. "And Derek?"

"Never found out how close I came to ruining his wedding." His grin faded a little and he sighed. "Or how close I came to blowing my whole life away. I owe Marshall big time. Still do. You know, he has never brought this up ever? He's never once made me feel like I owe him, never held it over my head for any reason, until now. I always expected him to way before this." He looked over at her and smiled gently. "You must mean a hell of a lot to him, Marshall's Mary."

She couldn't answer, couldn't even formulate a reply in her mind. She brought her knees up to her chin and rested her head there. She knew she had meant a lot to Marshall, but had she ever really guessed how much? And did he have any idea what he meant to her? There was so much to think about, so much she didn't know, so many questions she didn't have answers for yet. She was such a mess inside, and she didn't think that's what Marshall meant by 'messy'. Tears started to fall softly again, as the confusion within her swirled.

"Mary?"

She turned her head and looked at Tony, who had taken off his shades and was peering at her intently.

"I'm not sure what happened to you down in Hawaii, I'm not sure what's been going on in your life, and frankly, it's none of my damn business. But I want you to know this: I know Marshall Mann, and there isn't a finer human being on this earth. He is an intelligent, generous, caring man and he never does anything without reason. He is someone you can trust in and believe in without question. He is the safest bet on the planet, and if I were a woman, I'd snatch that up in a heartbeat." His eyes turned mischievous, which seemed to be their natural look. "As it is, I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a little in love with the guy myself, and I'm as straight as they come."

She burst out laughing and wiped at her eyes. "Now that's what I call honesty."

"If you ever tell him that, I'll kill you."

"Fair enough. It will be our secret."

He nodded, then looked at her in an apprising manner. "How good are you at keeping secrets?"

She returned his look with one of her own. "Depends on what the secret is."

"Want me to tell you some Marshall stories? Or do you want to sleep?"

She grinned deviously in response.

Tony laughed, and immediately started in on a story about twelve-year old Marshall and an old tree in a neighbor's yard that ended with a trip to the ER for two and four months of doing the same neighbor's yard work.

Mary listened to story after story as Tony flew, laughing most of the time, and smiling the rest. Her pain, her emotional cesspool, was still in there, but Tony and his Marshall stories provided a happy distraction, and eased the burdens, and it wasn't long before Mary found herself lulled to sleep, as the stories of her partner filled her mind and her dreams, soothing her as home grew ever closer.

Sigh...I wish I had the time and space to make up all sorts of Marshall stories, but alas... Anyway, review please! And I PROMISE that we're getting to some good stuff. I mean REALLY good. *wink*