Thank you all for your support. It is really a blessing and one of the medicines for the cold I've been suffering through this week. In honor of the (as I write this) 10 reviews 7 favorites and 8 alerts! I give you Eleanor's POV.

Disclaimer: I don't own IPS or Mary and Marshall, I only wish I did.

Through Eleanor's Eyes

She was there on business, or thats what she claim if asked. In truth she was here for Stan. She'd missed him more than she was willing to admit to just now and all the phone calls and emails could not replace the comfort of just being near him.

Like the eery calm before a storm, the Witsec office had been quiet. Too quiet in the chief's opinion.

Her presence in Stan's office now, was in no small part due to his need to hear her opinion on the behavior of his inspectors. "They're just different" was all he'd managed to tell her over the phone when she called him from the road.

She was early and had hoped to kill the hour or so while Stan finished up his regular meeting with the finance department watching her favorite Soap Opera M&M... she laughed to herself it fit didn't it? The M's in question had yet to appear (Charlie had let her into Stan's office and then hid behind her former desk before running off on 'errands' ... I wonder what Mary's been telling him) and she feared she'd have no insight to share with Stan over lunch.

A loud argument started up behind her, bursting through the elevator doors... Speak of the devils...

Even without picking up on the line of the argument she could see they were consumed by it. They were each completely unaware of anything but the other. Not all together strange of course but usually one or both of them would have an eye out at all times. It was this vigilance, Stan said, that made them one of best teams in Witsec. In the back of her mind she found it a little disturbing that neither of them had noticed her there but for the moment she reveled at the chance to catch them unawares.

She noticed quickly how Mary had verbally and physically backed Marshall into a corner. She also noticed that Marshall had let her and that they both were enjoying the exchange entirely too much.

"I know you have it so give it up" Mary said with that spark that was part play and all predator, lesser men would have shrunk away from her but not this man. He jumped into the fire feet first.

"give what up" he shrugged not so innocently

"Its been in your coat pocket all week"

"How do you know what's in my pockets?"

In answer Mary dove in going for said pocket only to find herself pinned to the wall in the position she'd planed for Marshall. He'd seen it coming of course and, Eleanor realized with a gasp that she clamped both hands over, Mary knew that he would and had ended up precisely where she wanted to be.

Eleanor bit into her fist as she watched their stances grow soft, the tension that always followed them shifting to something just as intense but somehow softer, deeper. Mary's right hand reached up between them to pull at Marshall's collar till his head dipped and his stance spread to frame her against the wall. A piece of hair fell into his eyes and Mary smoothed it behind his ear as she cupped his cheek leaning in for a long sweet kiss.

As they parted and breathed deeply as one Mary's left hand emerged from the folds of Marshall's coat a small cherry wood box in the center of its palm. Marshall looked down at it and up again into Mary's eyes. His thumb gently swept away the tears that had begun to slip down her cheek.

"Its been in there for two weeks" he whispered giving her a smirk which she returned.

"and you were waiting for the right moment?"

He leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. "I was waiting for this moment"

"Dufus" she shook her head before locking her lips over his once more.

They broke the kiss smiling breathlessly at one another. Glowing.

Mary laughed nudging Marshall a little with her fist "So?"

"So?" his befuddled confusion made her laugh.

"It's your proposal, Cowboy" she prompted him.

Marshall was laughing so hard in relief, in happiness... that he had trouble composing himself enough to take Mary's hands in his and opening the cherry wood box between them ask...

"Mary Elizabeth Shannon, for reasons that I do not fully comprehend and with full knowledge that you will probably be the death of me... I need you to know that I love you, that I want to live for you and that I will be eternally happy if you would agree to try forever with me. Will you Marry me Mary?"

Mary looked him straight in the eye and without pause answered "yes, Marshall, yes."

All the kisses before were pecks compared to the deepness of the kiss that followed, so deep that even Eleanor turned aside. She had nearly put her fist in her mouth trying to keep from disturbing the precious moment between the pair.

She had nearly choked when a cell phone rang and Marshall's, now faintly husky, voice answered. Mary slipped the ring onto her finger as she looked worriedly up at Marshall who signaled that she should join him as he made to leave the office. One of their witnesses was in need and with a flick of a switch they were back in work mode. That professional exterior only faltered for an instant when, as the elevator doors clicked shut, Marshall lifted Mary's left hand to kiss the finger where the ring now rested looking as if it always belonged there.

Eleanor let out a breath, a myriad of thoughts racing through her mind.

Oh Wow!

How big had the pool gotten?

Did she really just..

What had Marshall chosen for Mary's ring.

Wait Mary had accepted a ring... from Marshall...!

And as she crossed her legs and settled more deeply into his chair...

boy did she have some insight for Stan!