A very special shout-out to BuJyo who read and re-read this chapter as it grew and developed into its current form. I know you've waited patiently for this chapter and to thank you, I was up most of the night to get it finished so forgive any errors you may find. While this could be considered the end, there will most likely be a small epilogue.

Ch. 10: Open Hearts and Doors*

Mary stretched and rolled over, sighing in contentment as she nuzzled into the warmth of the sleeping form next to her. She felt rested and at peace, as if she were exactly where she was meant to be and nothing else in the world existed. It was then her consciousness began to stir and she woke with a start, remembering everything.

He breathed in her scent, only to let out a moan as she snuggled into him. Holding her close, Marshall drifted between sleep and consciousness, something telling him it was different this time; that she was really there and it wasn't just a dream. Feeling her body tense, he was instantly awake and on full alert, very aware of her in his arms.

"Mare?" he whispered, barely audible. He knew she was awake, but he also knew that something was wrong and he didn't want to startle her. As he waited for response, he couldn't help but wonder if her current state had anything to do with the fact that she was regretting waking up in his arms. They hadn't had sex, but he had a feeling that last night was the most intimate Mary had ever been with a man. She had allowed him to see her at her most vulnerable, to hold her and comfort her. Not having gotten a response, he urged, "Please, Mare, talk to me?"

Not wanting to cry, again, she took a moment to steady herself before facing him and propping herself up on her elbow. "It's just...waking up like this...with you..." She saw the subtle change in his expression, the hurt in his eyes and realized that she wasn't being clear, not at all. "This isn't coming out right. What I meant was that it felt good, Marshall. I felt good," she admitted with a small smile that faded quickly as she continued, "I had forgotten about everything else for a second." She fell back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling.

Marshall's heart skipped a beat as she admitted to being happy, but he understood what she was saying. She couldn't truly be happy until she dealt with the past and reconciled herself with the present. Only then could there be a future. He wanted to help her, more than anything, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Mary needed to deal with the information regarding her father in her own way and in her own time. He would have to settle for being there for her, being whatever she needed, whenever she needed it.

What he didn't want was to see her hurt again because of her father and his gut was telling him that if she decided to pursue it any further that's exactly what would happen. But, regardless of the path she chose, he'd be there and he needed her to know that. He needed to say it.

"I'm here," he told her as he rolled onto his side and placed his open hand on her stomach. He leaned into her bringing his mouth to her ear. "I hope you know that, but I'm telling you anyway. As long as I walk this earth, Mary Shannon, you will never be alone. I will always be there for you, even when you think you don't need anyone." He poured his heart into the words he spoke and as he pledged himself to her, he leaned in and brushed his lips against her ear. "That is one thing you can count on and you never need doubt. You have my word."

She turned her body toward him and her face came to rest in front of his, noses touching. He started to pull back some when she slid her hand along the side of his face to the back of his neck to keep him close. No more words were spoken as each one poured every fiber of their being, every bit of their soul, into the look they now shared. When she was sure he wouldn't pull away, Mary took her hand from his neck and slowly traced along his jaw with her fingertips, letting them come to rest on his lips and linger there.

Taking his hand from her belly, he moved it to her hip before sliding it around and under the fabric of her t-shirt, widening his fingers to span the small of her back. He applied a hint of pressure with his palm, holding her body to his and memorizing the feel of her under his touch. He knew it couldn't go much further, that she wasn't ready and he wasn't willing to risk their future by doing something stupid, but the longer they stayed this way the harder it was getting to remember why they shouldn't continue.

"Mare." It came out half moan, half plea as he struggled against his body's growing desire.

"I know," she replied, her voice reflecting a similar struggle. "Just one more thing." And before he could respond, she placed her lips softly against his; once, twice, a third time. With each touch of her lips, she let them linger longer, applied slightly more pressure until she kept them there, her tongue teasing his lips and requesting access. He couldn't suppress his smile as she deepened the kiss and he teased her back, tongue flirting with hers, a matching smile on her lips until he finally allowed her access.

A groan escaped from the back of his throat as she kissed him, truly kissed him, and left him in no doubt of her feelings for him. He responded in kind and felt as if his heart may explode as he told her he loved her in the only way he could at present.

Eventually, the pace began to slow until Mary broke the kiss altogether and buried her face in Marshall's neck. He pulled her close and they clung to each other, trying to stay in the moment as long as possible, afraid that letting go would cause it all to disappear.

"Thank you for not giving up on me," Mary finally whispered into his neck, remembering the promise she had made to herself the night before to tell him that very thing. There was more she needed to say to him, but it was all she was capable of under the current circumstances. Her life was in shambles. Marshall was actually the only part of it that made any sense, but she didn't want to become dependent on him.

They had always had an equal partnership and she wanted it to remain that way, even if it meant not being able to take their relationship any further than it had already gone, at least for the time being. She needed to deal with what her father had done and the effect it had had on her life, but knowing Marshall was there and what the future held for them was something she could draw strength from and find comfort in.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say it's been easy," Marshall said as he loosened his embrace, wanting to look at her while he spoke. "There were definitely times that I had to take a step back, for my own sanity. But I can honestly say that when push came to shove, there was nothing that could have made me walk away from you. Not even you and Lord knows you certainly did try."

They shared a knowing smile before he wrapped his arms around her once more, wishing the early morning hour never had to end. Eventually it would, however, and they'd be forced back into the world. The moment came sooner than he would have liked as she whispered, "Take me home, Marshall."

***

They were on the road and headed back to Albuquerque before sunrise.

He could sense that she was anxious, so he kept the stops to a minimum; gas, coffee and food to go only, with the occasional stop in the rest rooms. Nothing more had been said about what had happened earlier that morning, if fact, not much had been said at all. Mary spent the trip pensively watching as the world flew by and he let her have time with her thoughts, hoping that by the time they reached home she'd have made some decisions.

They were back in Albuquerque by 5pm and Marshall made his way directly to Mary's. She was relieved not to find any cars out front, not wanting to deal with a lot of questions from Jinx or Brandi as to where she had been the past few days. Marshall had told her that he'd called Jinx and explained they'd be gone, but she knew there would still be questions.

He walked her in and helped her get settled. She was moving slower again and it was obvious that the past week had taken a physical, as well as a mental, toll on her. Not wanting to put any additional stress on her at the moment, he decided he'd call her doctor in the morning and make the appointment for her.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, trying not to hover.

"Yeah," she said, not able to hide the wince as she sat on the bed and bent over to remove her shoes. "Could you grab me a bottle of water from the fridge?"

"Sure. I'll be right back." He had a feeling she was just trying to get him out of the way while she changed, so he wouldn't see exactly how much pain she was in. So he headed toward the kitchen, taking his time and helping himself to a glass of water before heading back to the bedroom. He was surprised to find her lying in bed, an unspoken admission of just how tired she really was.

"Just put it on the nightstand," she said in reference to the water and he complied, taking a seat on the edge of the bed as he did so.

"How're you doing, really?" he asked as he reached over and gathered her hair behind her ear to allow him a better view of her face, caressing her cheek as he did so.

The glare she shot him told him what he already knew, that she wasn't doing well and had no intention of talking about it.

"Okay," he said, conceding, "okay." As he studied her, his thoughts drifted back to the unspoken promises made earlier and he knew it was time for him to go. "Call me if you need anything."

She nodded, but didn't look at him, so he placed his hand gently under her chin and waited for her to look him in the eye. "I'd stay…I want to stay, but we both know that's not what you want right now. So promise you'll call." He paused a moment, then added with a smile, "even if it's just to listen to me breathe."

Her response came again in the form of a nod, but this time it was accompanied by a faint smile.

Bending, he whispered a thank you in her ear and couldn't stop himself from placing a soft kiss on her cheek as he pulled away. He watched her unconsciously place her fingertips on the spot his lips had touched, making it that much harder for him to walk away.

"I'm going to check in with Stan and then if it's okay with you, I'll hang out a bit and wait for Jinx or Brandi to get back, run a little interference so they won't bother you…at least not tonight anyway."

"Thanks, Marshall," she said, reaching out and taking his hand in hers, relying on her ability to convey her thoughts to her partner without having to say a word.

He gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go and walking out of the room. It took all the strength he had not to turn around, not to take her in his arms and hold on for dear life. Instead, he reached for his phone and hit 2 on the speed dial for Stan.

***

Over the next week, Mary struggled to get her recovery back on track, while Marshall stood supportively by, offering encouragement when needed and making sure she had everything she needed before she asked. She didn't speak a word about her father, or anything else that happened in California, and he didn't push.

Much to his dislike, Marshall was forced to go out of town the following week to accompany a witness to trial. It was a high profile case back east and involved several days of planning since he was down a partner and would be working with people he didn't know, therefore couldn't trust. The trip itself would be at least two days, possibly more, depending on how long they kept the witness on the stand. The only part of the situation that concerned him, though, was the fact that he had to leave his still recovering partner behind.

He wasn't the only one bothered by the situation. The witness he was transporting was one of Mary's and she had more than a few colorful things to say when she found out she'd be missing the trial. She trusted Marshall with her witness, but she didn't trust the other Marshals with Marshall and her witness.

During the days of preparation, he'd call to make sure she was eating and taking her medicine and she texted to double check his exit strategies and contingency plans. They saw each other briefly when he'd make a detour on his way to and from the witness visits he needed to make before leaving town. Then, the night before he left, he showed up at 10pm with pie.

Mary had promised Marshall that she'd concentrate on taking care of herself while he was gone and she really did try. If the doctor was happy with her progress at her next visit, he promised to clear her for desk duty and she couldn't wait to get back to work, even if it meant doing paperwork. The problem was she couldn't stop thinking about Marshall and it was driving her to distraction. There had been plenty of assignments in which they'd been separated before, so she couldn't figure out why this time was so different.

He called her to let her know they'd made it there without incident, but she still had trouble sleeping. She laid in the dark and thought back to that morning in California. While neither of them had said the words aloud, they had laid their souls bare and promises were made. The same sentiment echoed in their phone conversation earlier.

"Be safe," she said.

"Take care yourself," he replied.

One thing was said, while another implied. And that was when she realized it was simply that she missed him.

Getting out of bed, she went into the closet and found the box of father's letters, which she'd avoided since her return. Taking the letter Lauren had given her from her drawer, she laid it side by side with the first letter she'd received from her father and she knew it was time to lay the past to rest, for good this time.

The next two days felt like weeks and she thought she was going to explode as she paced the floor, waiting for him to walk through the front door. It was after 1am and he'd told her to get some sleep and that he'd see her in the morning, but she'd told him to shut the hell up and get his ass over to her house or it would be his fault that she didn't sleep all night.

The truth was that he'd missed her and would've given anything to be near her, so it hadn't taken much for him to agree to head straight to her house. He used his key to enter and wasn't surprised to find her standing there since she'd been texting him ever since the plane landed.

"Bout damn time, Doofus," she said, glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"Well, there was the small matter of making sure your witness was tucked back in safe and sound," he stated, trying not to smile at the sight of her pretending to be agitated.

"And exactly what did this tucking in of Janice involve?"

"Aw, c'mon, Mare," he drawled, as he made his way over to her. "You're not jealous, are you?"

She raised her hand to smack him in the chest, but he caught her arm in his hand and pulled her close.

"I'm glad you're home," she said, resting her head on his chest.

"It's good to be home," he replied, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"I'm tired," Mary said after a moment, "let's go to bed."

Marshall looked at her in surprise. "What about Jinx and Brandi?"

"Brandi's at Peter's," Mary said with a gleam in her eye. "And Jinx, well she's just going to have to find one of her own, I don't share."

Taking his hand, she led him to her bedroom and for the first time in days, they each drifted off into a restful sleep.

***

Three days later, Marshall was driving Mary to her doctor's appointment and she was hoping it was the last time anyone would have to drive her anywhere. If the doctor cleared her today, she could start going into the office the next day and driving herself; or better yet, she could drive Marshall.

Her thoughts then took a turn to the fact that he hadn't stayed over since the night he returned from his trip.

"Hey, how come you have only been coming by during the day?" she asked warily.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard me. You snuck out the other morning without waking me and you haven't stayed over since." The fact that he was avoiding giving her an answer was starting to annoy her.

"I didn't sneak out. I had to get to work and didn't want to wake you," he answered calmly.

"And?" she asked, suspiciously.

"And nothing, Mare," he responded, getting defensive. "I just think it's better if I don't. I just don't want to confuse things."

They pulled into the lot and he killed the engine.

"Confuse things? What the hell…you know what, never mind. Thanks for the ride." Getting out of the car, she slammed the door and stormed into the office.

***

Marshall had been waiting for her when she was finished with the doctor, but she hadn't said a word to him, not even to tell him that she had gotten her clearance.

She had remained stoic in the car, not responding to his subtle attempts to engage her in conversation and when they reached the house, she had left him sitting at the curb. Now, as she sat in her room on the verge of tears, she wondered what her problem was. She had sworn that she wouldn't jump to conclusions or fly off the handle when it came to Marshall and here she was, doing exactly that.

Grabbing the box of letters and her jacket, she found her car keys and headed out. Enough was enough. It was finally time for certain things to be said.

She found him sitting on his back step, beer in hand, staring off into the distance. Setting the box at his feet, she sat down next to him and took the beer from his hand.

"You sure that's a good idea," he said, still not looking at her.

"Relax, Nelly, got cleared today." She took a swig, then sat with her elbows on her knees and picked at the label of the bottle. God, you really do deserve so much better."

"I have everything I want sitting right next to me." Reaching over, he took her hand in his and began to rub his thumb along of it.

"You were right, you know," Mary told him as she nodded toward the box. "Its lies, all lies. Every single word he ever wrote was to ease his guilty conscience. I've let him ruin so much of my life, but I refuse to let him ruin the rest."

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, worried that she'd regret it. But as he looked into her eyes, he could see her resolve and despite the slight tremor in her voice, there were no signs of tears. She had finally made the decision to let her father go.

"Do you remember when I told you that one day we would talk about what I need?" she asked softly, turning her hand over so that she could intertwine her fingers with his as he nodded yes in response. "Could you say it?"

"Tell me what you need," he whispered.

"What I need is the one person that I trust and count on every day. I need my best friend and the only man to ever stay, no matter how hard I pushed him. But most of all, I need you, Marshall Mann, the one person that accepts me for who I am and that I can't live without. I love you, Marshall."

Everything was quiet and it felt as if time had stopped while she waited for a response, but none came. She was still staring at their hands, afraid to meet his gaze when she felt his hand on her cheek and she looked up into sparkling blue eyes that made her breath hitch.

"I love you, Mary Shannon. I love every last thing about you and don't ever want you to change, especially not for me, because you are perfect just the way you are. And nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

***

As they sat in each other's arms, watching the past go up in flames, they looked forward to what the future would bring. They were in no rush to get there, though, because to them, the present seemed pretty damn close to perfect.

*Title is from an original song by Antigone Rising.

Now, satisfy my craving for reviews and let me know your thoughts since we have pretty much reached the end of our story.

I hope you enjoyed it.