The characters do not belong to me nor do I own any part of In Plain Sight. This is pure imagination. Adult language because it's Mary. This is my first story so reviews would be very welcome. More chapters to come. I'm just getting started! Please enjoy:)

One more look out over the city and Marshall turned to leave. Some time after he had arrived home and was laying in bed reading The History and Minds of Concubines in the Early Centuries, his cell phone started vibrating. Marshall hesitated to answer it, mentally flagellating himself about forgetting to turn it off.

He retrieved it from his nightstand and saw the read-out. Mary. Should he answer it or let it go. After all, he was technically on vacation. But this was Mary and he couldn't help but worry. What if something was wrong. After all she was calling him at one in the morning. He would be asleep right now if his mind would relent. He sighed loudly and opened the phone, allowing Mary a few more minutes of his time before he disconnected from everyone for two weeks.

He pushed talk, "Mary."

"You know I hate when you answer the phone with my name, right? I mean how hard is it to pretend your normal and say Hello or Yes, this is Marshall?"

Ah, same old Mary. Marshall couldn't help but smile to himself. "Hello, Yes this is Marshall, which you know because you called my phone. I'm in bed, it's late, and yet you still want to gripe at me when you call. How…like you."

"Ha-ha, ass-wipe. I need you." Her voice sounded low and slurred if he wasn't mistaken. Was she drunk in Cancun with Faber hours before she had to fly home? Even with these thoughts running through his head, the words 'I need you' coming from Mary set his blood on fire. When would this torment end?

"I can't help you. I'm in the U.S. That would be a bit difficult, even if I am Superman without the tights," Marshall drawled.

"Where the hell do you think I am? Come get me before these creeps at the airport try to rape me in the bathroom. I'm not up to my usual disembowelment methods and I think they know it."

"Where are you? Are you drunk?" He had already climbed out of bed and began dressing as she answered him.

"I'm at ABQ International. And I'm not drunk, though I kinda wish I was. I bet alcohol would mix real well with these drugs. I am feeling a liiitttle weird." Mary's voice dropped off for a few seconds then came back after Marshall called her name. "Yeah, why you yelling? Hey Marshall, hurry."

"I'll be right there, Mare." He hung up and rushed out the door.

It took over half an hour to get to the airport and then he had to call her back to find out what terminal she was at. When he finally found her she was slouched in a chair with her bags piled by her side. Her face was a sickly yellow color and when he bent down to help her up the coolness of her skin shocked him.

"Mare, what happened?" He asked hoarsely. His worry only increased when she looked up at him and her eyes lost focus for a few seconds.

"Marshall?" Her voice had become even more weak.

"Yeah, it's me Mare. Let's get you home." Marshall gathered her bags and Mary allowed him to hold her up as she walked beside him. He pushed his resentment and anger at her out of is mind and focused on Mary and getting her outside.

As he helped her into his truck some pills fell out of her jacket pocket. He picked them up and read the label. "Ah, that makes more sense."

Mary had obviously contracted a bug from Cancun. In order for her to be able to fly, a doctor would have made sure whatever it was couldn't be contracted. And she must have been well enough to come home. Her condition right now was caused by the prescription she had been taking.

Marshall, knowing that she would be okay, drove home in a much calmer state than when he had began. She woke halfway from the airport and seemed to be able to interact just fine.

"Hey Doofus, roll down the window. I need some air."

He smiled and rolled down the window so she could get a breeze. Mary laid her head back once more but kept her eyes open and on the road. "Thanks for picking me up. I was getting worried you had stubbed your toe and decided to stay in bed."

"I considered it, but then I would have to watch my back for a while and I thought this required less effort." Marshall hesitated before continuing the conversation. "How did you like Cancun? Did you have fun? Meet anybody interesting?" He couldn't help himself. He was just a glutton for torture apparently. He couldn't decide if wanted to hear her say she was with Faber or pretend she hadn't been.

Mary jerked straighter in her seat then relaxed again. "Does it look like I had fun? I was there for four days and I got whatever this is. I have been laying in a hospital in Cancun for two weeks, delirious and sweating. You better not ever try to get me to go on a vacation again unless you're willing to go too. I'm not gonna be the only one throwing up my guts in another freakin' country!"

Marshall's attention was focused on the road ahead when he asked his next question, "Where did Faber go?" He could feel Mary's eyes, still beautiful in spite of the condition she was in, center on his face for a minute before turning away. He thought she wasn't going to answer when she cleared her throat.

"What, you thought I left the country just go get my jollies off with Faber?" she asked sarcastically. When he didn't answer she spoke again. "He got there the second night. When I got sick he took me to the hospital and he left. I haven't seen him since." Her voice took on an edge he knew well, even though he could tell she was trying to mask it with detachment. His hands clenched tighter on the wheel but he followed her lead and asked distantly, "Should we find him? It would be an easy enough task, but you and I would probably go to jail for assaulting an FBI agent."

"Yeah, true. Besides, he isn't worth the trouble. Wasn't worth it to begin with was he?"

Marshall chose to ignore that as they pulled up in front of her house. Marshall helped her out of his truck and through the front door. He held her up until they reached her bedroom then sat her on the mattress.

"You should probably go to a hospital here you know." he told her, knowing it wouldn't do any good. Her color was already looking better and her skin felt warmer but not feverish.

"I just need some water to take some more of these. I should be fine by tomorrow. The doc said day after at the most. Once it's starts to fade, it goes quick." Mary said as she watched Marshall get some water from the bathroom tap and then rummage in her drawers for pajamas. Sometimes she felt as if Marshall knew everything about her. It reassured her that he at least didn't know where she kept her pajamas.

Marshall lay the pants and tank on the bed beside her. He leaned down to hug her goodbye, knowing she would refuse any help and trying hard to keep is feelings back.

"See you tomorrow, doofus," she said as he walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around once more. He couldn't just leave her hanging like this. He couldn't tell her okay and then not show up tomorrow.

"About that, Mare…I'm uh, I'm taking my vacation." He raised his hand to rub the back of his neck like he did when he was waiting for one of Mary's outburst directed at him.

She just looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay, fine. see in a few days. Just know that I'm not gonna do all your paperwork while your gone." She gave him a patented 'try and disagree with me look'. "Seriously, I barely do my own, there's no way I'm doing yours. Or going to see Jackson, so if you have him scheduled for a visit, forget it. That guy is fucking annoying." She put her glass down after swallowing all the water.

"Uh, Mary…I'm taking two weeks off."