Wow, you guys are awesome! Normally I don't update so fast, but I thought I'd be nice today. Or evil. I'll let ya'll judge. Bwhahaha. This chapter's song is Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

IPSIPSIPSIPS

Before the doors close

And it comes to an end

With you by my side

I will fight and defend

-Avril Lavigne, Keep Holding On

Stan McQueen heard the shots, but he couldn't tell where they were coming from. He reached for his gun, but was reluctant to fire into a group of civilians and other marshals. He heard Mary cry out, and he turned in time to see Marshall pull his partner to the ground. They were supposed to help civilians, but he had learned long ago with Mary and Marshall to never try to predict them. So he pushed himself through the crowd, shouting orders as he retrieved his gun. Luckily most of the people there had the sense to hit the ground, and by the time the shooting suddenly ceased, Stan was the only one left standing. He quickly pulled out his phone and called for backup. Then he called 911 and requested medical assistance.

Someone was crying as Stan put his phone away and made his way to his fallen marshals. Protocol demanded that he see to the civilians, but the off duty marshals could handle it. So he continued toward Mary and Marshall.

Mary's head pounded viciously as she came around again, and it only took a moment to remember what had happened. There was a heavy pressure on her chest, one that she vaguely recognized, and a pain in her shoulder that she didn't. Swearing softly, she slid out from under the pressure. Her vision was slightly blurred, but it only took a split-second for her to realize where the pressure was coming from.

"Marshall!"

His shirt was saturated with blood, and the smell permeated her senses. Without hesitation, she pulled her jacket off and draped it over his back. Another pair of hands joined her, forcing her to look up.

Stan met her eyes and tried his best to reassure her. "He's going to be okay, Mary."

Of course he was going to be okay! This was Marshall they were talking about. She scooted closer to Marshall's head and ran her blood-stained fingers through his damp hair. She had counted at least three entry wounds, and the blood that pooled beneath him screamed that one or more of those bullets had gone straight through him. His face was pale, too pale. Ignoring Stan, Mary leaned closer to Marshall and whispered into his ear.

"I need you to hang on for me, Marshall. Just hang on."

He didn't respond, but she didn't expect him to. All that mattered was that he knew she was there for him. As long as he lived, she would fight for him. Her free hand slipped into his and held on for dear life.

Stan finally heard the wail of an ambulance approaching, and he breathed a soft sigh of relief. Marshall's blood had soaked through Mary's jacket and was turning Stan's hands red. Mary was going to be furious with him once she realized what Marshall had done. Right now, she was in shock and dealing with her own blood loss. But she would realize it soon, and it wouldn't be pretty.

Mary put up a fight when medics suddenly swarmed them and tried to separate her from Marshall. Her own blood loss was making her weak, but she was running on adrenaline and fear for Marshall's life. She wouldn't allow them to take him from her.

Stan had to finally step in. "Mary…" He wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her to her feet. "Come here… Let them work."

She stared, numb, as her jacket was pulled off of Marshall. His shirt was completely drenched in his blood, sending Mary's stomach into painful knots. The medical jargon was lost on her, but she did understand what a scoop and run meant. It meant that they didn't have time to stabilize him here, so they would have to get him into the ambulance and keep him alive until they got to the closest trauma center.

Just as she thought, a stretcher was produced, and Marshall was quickly placed on it. Reacting fast, Mary yanked herself away from Stan and followed the stretcher and its precious cargo.

Marshall was loaded into the back of the ambulance, but as Mary started to follow, one of the paramedics stopped her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't have the room-"

"Try to stop me, and I'll take your goddamn arm off," Mary snarled. Even injured, she was a force to be reckoned with, and this idiot was trying to keep her from Marshall. She was downright dangerous now.

Stan quickly intervened. "She'll stay out of the way, but she's injured too, and this is the only way she'll get checked out." He was a smart man, and he knew just how stubborn his inspector was, especially when it came to her partner. She was much like a fierce lioness, and Marshall was her cub. She would draw the blood of anyone who dared to step between them. And he was absolutely right about Mary's injury. She would try to brush it off as just a graze and refuse to get medical attention for it. At least this way, a medic could look at her while the others tended to Marshall.

The medic looked exasperated. "Fine. Get in, but stay out of the way."

Mary cast Stan a grateful look and climbed into the back of the ambulance. She quickly found a place to sit by Marshall's head. The medics had placed him on his side so pressure could be applied to the wounds in his back and front. Blood had never made Mary squeamish; not her own, not anyone's. But the sight of Marshall's blood made her sick and furious. She was going to kill whoever had done this to him.

Without thinking, she leaned over and rested her head beside his. Her shoulder ached, but it barely registered in her mind. Marshall was hurt. His wounds were more grievous than any other time he had been shot, and there was a real chance that he would die.

The doors of the ambulance slammed shut, and one of the medics slammed his hand against the roof, signaling that they were ready to go.

Stan watched the ambulance doors slam shut, his bloody hands shaking slightly.

"Hang in there."

Mary couldn't help draping an arm over Marshall as the ambulance lurched forward. She had never been a touchy feely sort of person, but right then, all she wanted was to never have to let him go.

One of the medics placed an oxygen mask over Marshall's face while another cut his shirt away. Mary averted her eyes and focused on Marshall's pale features. Her arm tightened around him.

"He's lost a lot of blood."

Mary looked at the paramedic. She had heard a few names, but everything was so blurred together that she didn't know who he was, and he seemed to sense that.

"Name's Robbie. His name is Todd," Robbie said, nodding to the other paramedic.

Mary nodded briefly. "Mary. This is Marshall."

"Don't worry, Mary. We're going to take good care of him."

She nodded, but she wasn't reassured. Marshall was a fairly light sleeper, and he always roused easily for her. She couldn't get over the fact that he wasn't responding to her at all. She desperately needed something, anything. A flicker of the eyes, a twitch of a finger. Anything.

Robbie spoke again, telling Mary the name of the hospital that they were en route to. She knew it was a good hospital, but at the moment, all of her energy was focused on Marshall. Her hand slipped into his and held on tightly.

Halfway to the hospital, Marshall stopped breathing.

Stan arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes after the ambulance did. He burst into the entrance of the ER, loosening the tie around his neck. Before he even saw her, he heard Mary shouting. He followed the sound of her voice, flashing his badge at anyone who dared question his presence.

He found Mary in one of the treatment rooms. She had been stripped to her pants and a white tank top, which was saturated with blood. A doctor was attempting to pull the bullet out that had been lodged in her shoulder. Just as he was about to start yelling as well, he saw Mary's glassy eyes. At least they had given her some kind of anesthetic. But ever the stubborn pit bull that she was, Mary was fighting the drug that clouded her mind.

"I have to see my partner!"

Stan approached the bed, his expression soft and understanding. "Mary…"

Mary spun in the direction of his voice, further frustrating her doctor.

"Ma'am, hold still, please!"

Mary's expression was pleading. "Stan… Stan, I have to see Marshall."

This was not a side of Mary that Stan was accustomed to seeing. Mary was not a needy person, and for her to admit that she needed her partner… Well, it wasn't a surprise, because he knew that she did need him. But hearing the actual words was…unsettling. "Mary, settle down. Marshall's in surgery. You can't see him right now, so let the doctor work on your shoulder."

"But Stan…"

"No buts, Inspector." Stan looked at the doctor who was trying to retrieve the bullet. "Her partner was brought in with her. Marshall Mann."

"Sorry, but I don't know his condition." He let out a triumphant noise as he finally removed the bullet and dropped it into a metal tray. "I'm at the end of my shift, and we were able to determine that the bullet wasn't very deep. So we preferred to remove it here, instead of sending her into surgery." He began the tedious process of stitching the wound closed.

A strange, sad look crossed Stan's face. When Mary realized what Marshall had done to save her, he wasn't sure how she would react.

Mary looked at Stan helplessly. "Stan…Marshall…"

"Shh, Mary. Let the doctors take care of you. I'll find out how Marshall is."

That seemed to settle her down. "I still want to see him…"

"I know you do, kiddo. You'll see him as soon as possible."

She grunted softly, and Stan was relieved when she finally passed out. He nodded at her doctor and left the treatment area, determined to find out how Marshall was doing.

There was a nurse's station down the hall, and he gave the staff a charming smile. "Could I trouble you ladies for some information about my friend?"

The head nurse, Lucy, looked him over. He quickly produced his I.D., and she nodded. "Who is your friend?"

"Marshall Mann. He was brought in with several gunshot wounds."

Lucy tapped on her keyboard. "Mr. Mann is in surgery."

Stan tried not to look impatient. "Do you know anything else?"

"I'm sorry, sir."

Sighing, he nodded and walked away from the nurse's station, trusting them to find him when there was an update on Marshall's condition. Mary was listed as his next of kin, but with her incapacitated, that responsibility temporarily fell to him.

Finally he found himself outside, and his fingers trembled as he reached for his phone and started dialing. The person on the other end answered after the third ring.

"Mr. Mann? This is Stan McQueen. There was a shooting…"

Thousands of miles away, Seth Mann's hand trembled as he lowered his phone to his side. His youngest son's boss had just called with news that Marshall had been shot. He had known for years that this could happen, and it wasn't the first time. Marshall was a fifth generation marshal, and Seth, though he would never say it, was so very proud of his youngest son.

Trembling slightly, Seth called out to his wife. They could be in New Mexico in just a few hours, if they could catch a plane right then.

But above anything, he wanted his boy to be okay.

Stan finally walked back into the hospital a half hour later. He was informed that Mary had been transferred to a private room upstairs, and that she would be released the next day. He almost laughed at that. He knew his people better than anyone else. As soon as Mary was conscious, she would be at Marshall's side once he was out of surgery. There would be no convincing her otherwise.

He easily found Mary's room and eased inside. Mary was asleep in the bed, her arm in a sling and her brow furrowed even as she slept. She often carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, and right now, Marshall was her world. He knew that much.

Grabbing an uncomfortable chair, he sat down by her bed and made himself as comfortable as he possibly could.

"You two are going to kill me."

The only response he got was a gentle sigh from Mary as she slept, but that was enough for now.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Don't worry, ass kicking Mary is coming very soon. And we'll see some gentle Mary, too. Thanks for reading, and please review!