It's done!!!! And by done I mean I've finished writing. This is the last beta'd chapter that I have. I've sent the next two chapters to my Beta and she's working on them so as soon as they're returned, I'll post them (and send her the next two chapters.) However, I thought I'd let everyone know it IS, at the very least, completed. Thanks for all the reviews and, as always, thanks to my beta, ladymars.

"Marshall?" Sarah called into his house. She knew that he was home; he had called her when she had gotten off the plane and his door was unlocked. She heard his footfalls above her head and seconds later he appeared, a little disheveled but smiling. He walked to her and hugged her, lifting her off the ground.

"Good to see you too," she laughed as she kissed him. He didn't answer, just kissed her again, then her neck, then her exposed shoulders. Sarah realized the dinner he suggested wasn't on his mind at all. He placed her back on her feet, kissing her again.

"Well, this is awkward."

The two jumped at the sound of Mary's voice, separating and turning towards the open door. Sarah looked down at her feet, slightly embarrassed but Marshall stared at Mary. He was annoyed and Mary could see it clearly in his face.

"What are you doing here, Mary?" he asked. "I just saw you an hour ago."

"I know."

Marshall realized that Mary looked confused. Her eyes kept darting from Marshall to Sarah and back again, question in her eyes. Unfortunately, he was just a little too tired to figure out what that question was. Then he noticed the two bags of Indian food in her hands. The food that they both loved but usually didn't get because the heartburn you got was so bad after you ate it. The food she always brought over after they had a trip exactly like the one they had just had.

Marshall was torn. He had called Sarah because he had wanted to see her. After a week of being away, Mary being the only one around, he had been ready for some distinctively female presence. On the other hand, the food in Mary's hands smelled like heaven.

"Marshall," Sarah said quietly. She had been expecting some alone time. She hadn't seen him for a week, hadn't been able to talk to him. The worst part was she didn't even know where he was or how long he was going to be gone. Now he was back and Mary was once again standing at his door. It seemed that he spent more time with her than he did with himself.

Both women looked at him, expecting him to pick her over the other. Marshall kept glancing between them, hoping that one would give in. One of them was going to get hurt. He had someone new in his life, someone Mary was just going to have to learn to accept, as impossible as that notion seemed. At the same time, he didn't want his relationship with Sarah ruining the friendship that he had with Mary. No one got him like Mary did.

"Maybe I should just leave," Sarah conceded, slipping from Marshall's grip.

"Sarah-" But she had already slipped out of the door and headed towards her car. Mary was smirking and Marshall had to resist the urge to hit her.

"She looks mad," Mary commented, smile still wide on her face. Marshall stalked past her, reaching Sarah before she got into the car.

"Please don't leave."

"You can't have us both there. Either you want to be with me or you want to be with Mary."

"I shouldn't have to pick between you two and it's not fair to ask."

"I'm just sick of being a relationship where I have to compete for my boyfriend's attention. That woman doesn't like me and she's bound and determined to push me out of your life." Her voice was harsh but whispered so that Mary wouldn't overhear.

"She's not trying to do anything of the sort. Mary is… complicated. She probably doesn't even realize that she's butting in. She just knows that, after a week like we had, it means Indian food at my place." He shrugged, not knowing how else to explain it to her. Mary just did what she did and never really thought about anything else. She didn't ask to come over because she never had to before. Why would she suddenly start doing it now?

Sarah's face softened slightly. "Tomorrow, can we have some alone time then? I missed you."

Marshall leaned down and kissed her, soft but long. "Come over after work. We can spend as much time as you like together." He kissed her again before helping her into the car. When he had lost sight of it, he walked into his house, not wanting to have to deal with Mary. But something had to change and, if he didn't take care of it now, then it was just going to get worse.

"Hey, they didn't have any green peppers, only red ones, but the curry is so hot my throat burns smelling it." Mary sat on the couch, her back to Marshall. She didn't look at him as she talked. When he didn't answer she turned to look at him. "Did you hear me? You Ok, Marshall?"

He wasn't Ok. In fact, things were going to get miserable pretty quickly. Mary was going to have to change and he knew how difficult, near impossible, that was for her. But if things were going to work between Sarah and him, something had to change when it came to his relationship with Mary.

"Sarah was angry."

"She'll get over it."

"She shouldn't have to get over it. She's my girlfriend, Mare. She's going to start hanging around here a whole lot more. You have to understand that; you have to be more careful when you come over."

Mary gave him a look between confusion and derangement. "What for?"

"Because of stuff like what just happened. I was planning to have an intimate evening with my girlfriend. Instead I'm having one with my partner."

"I wasn't planning on having an intimate anything with you, Marshall."

She wasn't listening because it was Mary and her hearing was so selective sometimes that it made Marshall want to tear his hair out. This time that didn't happen. This time the combination of exhaustion, frustration and anger caused him to explode at her.

"Could you stop to think of anyone but yourself for a second? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I like this girl? That I enjoy her company and you constantly interrupting us is not something I'm prepared to put up with!"

Mary all but jumped to her feet in defense. "What the hell, Marshall? You act like I'm trying to sabotage your relationship."

"Maybe you are!"

"Jesus fucking Christ, I am not! How the hell am I supposed to know I wasn't supposed to come over!"

"You could have called."

"You never seemed to care before."

"I wasn't dating anyone before! If you had spent five seconds thinking about it, the thought might have occurred to you."

"I don't have the energy for your drama, Marshall. When midnight strikes and you stop being a princess, call me." She grabbed her jacket and slammed the door as she left.

Marshall had been quiet most of the evening. He knew he wasn't being as social as he could be but he just was too stressed out to talk. Mary and he had been fighting for days now, every word coming out of their mouths being hurtful. The thing with best friends and partners was that they knew all the dirt on each other so when fights occurred, things got messy. Things were very messy with Mary and him right now. The worst part was he was sure she hadn't even done her worst yet. Stan had just about murdered the two of them and then left when they tried to drag him into it. Usually Marshall didn't give in to Mary's childish tendencies but they were getting less and less childish and more and more vengeful.

"What are you thinking about?"

Marshall looked down at the woman lying next to him. She shifted slightly to look at him and he could feel her bare skin slide against his own. He kissed her swiftly and just shook his head.

"Nothing important. Just letting my mind wander a bit." Marshall wasn't stupid enough to tell Sarah that he was thinking of another woman while in bed with her. Sarah accepted the answer and, with a cat-like smile, once again cuddled into his side.

"You've been really quiet tonight."

Marshall knew she was prying, but no amount of questioning would get him to tell her. "Just had a long week, I guess."

She was silent for another moment before hesitantly starting her next sentence. "Tonight was really wonderful, Marshall."

He smiled at her, glad that she had forgotten about the fiasco with Mary a few nights ago. "I'm glad."

"I'd really like to cook you dinner tomorrow night."

"That's fine. I can leave my key over the door for you again."

"I actually thought something else would be more prudent."

"Mmm?"

"Maybe you could give me your spare. Then neither of us would be without a key."

"Oh!" He had never really thought about it, though now that she mentioned it, it was logical. He knew that it was considered a big step, giving a key to your house to a significant other, but he liked the idea. The thought of Sarah being there when he got home, cooking, was a pleasant one. "That would be fine. Except…"

"Except?"

Marshall really didn't want to tell her this part but she would want to know why he wasn't giving her a key in the morning. "Well, I don't have any spares."

"You only have one copy to your house key?"

"No, I have three of them but I don't have two of them. I gave them to other people."

"Who did you give a copy of your house key to? Other girlfriends?" she joked.

"My parents have one," he told her. "Considering they live in Colorado I can't exactly go over there and ask for it back."

"You give your parents a key? That's adorable."

Marshall just shrugged. "They come to visit and I'm not always home when they get here. That way they can get into the house."

There were a few moments of silence before Sarah asked, "What about the third one?"

"What third one?"

"The third key. You said you had three copies of the key. Where's the third one?"

"… Mary has a copy."

Sarah sat up and gave him a look of disbelief. "Your partner has one? What does she need a key to your house for?"

"Because I was tired of her breaking into it. At the end of the day it was easier to give her one then have her take the window pane out every time she wanted to get in."

"Marshall, that woman is insane! Why do you insist on being friends with her? Associating with her at all?"

"She's my partner, Sarah. What am I supposed to do? Ignore her?"

"You take your relationship with her beyond just a partnership. Partners see each other at work. You insist on spending all of your free time with her too." She was looking around for her clothes, something that Marshall wanted to avoid. He didn't want Sarah to leave but he was tired of having the same argument over and over again.

"Your partner can't be just your partner," Marshall started to explain. "If your partner doesn't know you well, doesn't trust you, then it's not going to end well. I'm close with Mary, friends with Mary, because when things get dangerous, I know that I can trust her with my life."

Sarah's efforts to get dressed stopped but Marshall got the feeling it was momentary. The look on her face was so much worse than unhappy. It was unhappy, angry, and hurt. It was the last one that upset Marshall the most. He didn't want to hurt her, but she had to understand that he wasn't going to just stop being close to Mary. It wasn't really an option for him. If he wanted to stay alive, Mary had to be the most important relationship in his life. He wasn't going to phrase it that way to Sarah, of course, but that didn't change the reality of it.

"Why don't I go to a hardware store tomorrow and make you a copy of my key?" He spoke calmly, trying to reassure her.

"I guess I can deal with that. I just don't see why she's such a big deal. Can't you get a new partner?"

Marshall knew the question wasn't a serious one but that didn't mean that it had no effect. Mary was his partner, his friend and if it weren't for the fact that she was a girl, he didn't think that the situation would have been a problem. Sarah didn't care that he was friends with his partner. Sarah cared that she was a she.

"Are you going to be like this with all my friends or just the female ones?" His voice was harsher than he had meant it to be but he was annoyed. He knew why Mary couldn't play nice. She didn't play nice with anyone but he had thought Sarah more evolved than that.

"What do you expect, Marshall?"

"I expect that you're going to accept the fact that I have female friends. I expect that you're going to trust me." They were both quiet, angry, bound and determined to win the argument. "Mary is my friend, my partner and she's not going anywhere any time soon. If you can't accept that," Marshall shrugged, "then this relationship isn't going to go anywhere."

"Are you breaking up with me… for her?"

"No, I'm simply telling you that there are some things in my life that aren't negotiable. Mary is one of them."

"She seems to be the only non-negotiable thing," Sarah spat at him as she grabbed her clothing. Marshall wasn't trying to stop her.

"No, but you haven't met my family yet so I figured it would be a poor example."

She didn't answer him, just threw her shoes on and slung her purse over her shoulder. "You don't even see it. It's sitting right in front of your face and you can't even figure it out. I must have been an idiot, thinking I could make this work," she mumbled to herself.

"What are you talking about?"

"Marshall, you're in love with her. You're completely in love with her and you can't even see it. The woman treats you terribly, doesn't care one iota for you and yet you spring to her defense every chance you get. Open your eyes before you hurt another girl." She didn't give him time to respond, just left with a slam of the door. Not long after Marshall heard the slam of his front door.

Once again, another relationship had crumbled. Marshall put his sweats on and went downstairs to pour himself a glass of scotch. Sarah had been right; he was in love with Mary. He had been in love with her since about day one, but hadn't said anything. They couldn't exactly date. Not only was Mary opposed to that kind of thing, so was the Marshal Service. So he had hidden anything he'd ever felt for her and even tried to start relationships with other women. He thought he had been better at hiding his feelings this time around. A part of him had actually genuinely liked Sarah. That part hadn't been enough.

His romances always failed, probably because, at the end of the day, he knew they weren't Mary. Marshall knew he loved Mary; he just hadn't accepted yet that meant that no other romantic relationship would ever work out in his life.

His phone, sitting next to the doorway, rang loudly. The caller ID said Mary's name. He came really close to hanging up on her but answered anyway.

"What?"

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?"

"Mary, it's been a long night. What do you want?"

"Stan needs us in now."

"It can't wait until morning?" It was nearly midnight. If Stan was calling them in this late Marshall knew he'd be in there all night. It was the last thing that he wanted.

"Nope, I already asked. He said ASAP."

"Fine. I'll see you in a half hour." They didn't even say goodbye as they hung up the phone. He squeezed his hand around the phone, willing himself not to throw it across the room in anger. He didn't want to go to work tonight. He didn't want to have to face Mary who would, inevitably, find out about Sarah. He didn't want to have to play nice.

Marshall put the phone down on the counter. He would do all of it because he was a Marshal. He could put it all aside because, at the end of the day, it was his job.