*** The men in Mary and Brandi's lives are often left standing around wondering what the hell just happened. This is one of those times.***

Have you no honor, have you no soul?
What is it they're dying for, do you really even know?
Have you no backbone, have you no spine?
Whatever happened to, no one gets left behind?

– No One Gets Left Behind, Five Finger Death Punch

Peter stood to gather Brandi into his embrace and the sobbing woman pushed at him. "Let me go, Peter. I need to talk to her."

"Now's probably not the best time," warned Marshall softly.

"I can't let her think that I forgot about…" Brandi shook her head and walked down the hall to Mary's room. She didn't even try to knock, just opened the door and went in.

Marshall waited for the yelling. Silence. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a very, very bad thing. The emotions that had rippled across Mary's face while she was staring at that picture frightened him at some level. It looked as though she was breaking inside, and the fact that she had allowed tears in the presence of others worried him.

He reached carefully into the fireplace to snag the little ball of photo paper lying outside the reach of the flames. Smoothing it open, he felt his chest tighten. Oh, Brandi. Why would you leave this out for her to see? It would've been kinder if Brandi had flayed her sister alive. Marshall felt his own eyes prick with tears for his partner.

"What set her off like that?" Peter came up beside Marshall and looked at the picture. "Other than the obvious buttons that Brandi tends to push."

Marshall glanced sideways at the other man. He didn't know how sympathetic Peter would be towards Mary. He also didn't know how much Peter knew about Mary and Brandi's past.

"Mary's father used to call her Princess," Marshall offered. He flipped the photo over to look at the date.

Peter would never claim to understand Mary, but the tidbit of information Marshall revealed resulted in a moment of commiseration. "I see," he said.

Marshall handed the picture to Peter to keep. "How much do you know about the girls' upbringing?" he asked the shorter man. They wandered back to the couch to sit.

Peter took a long drink of water as he thought. "Brandi tells stories that are more like adventures she's read in books. All narrative with a naïve point of view. Things tend to sound more realistic once she's talking about high school, but up to then it's…sketchy." He sat back to cross his legs and looked towards the back rooms. "She doesn't talk about it much, but I never got the impression that she was unhappy or abused in any way. What Mary said today made it sound pretty perilous."

Marshall knew Mary had protected her sister as they were growing up, but he hadn't realized how deep that had gone. Brandi probably hadn't been unhappy. Mary had seen to that. Likely at a cost to herself.

"It certainly wasn't a cake walk," Marshall agreed. He peeled the label off his beer bottle as he thought about his partner's words.

"What about Mary?" Peter asked the pensive man. "What does she say?"

Marshall chose his words carefully, "Mary was thrust into the role of caretaker when her father left them. Her life was turned upside down and there wasn't anyone there who could right it. I think she threw all her energy into making sure Brandi made it through unscathed, and whatever was left she had to use to tend to Jinx. Mary didn't really have a childhood."

Peter rubbed his mouth as he thought about what Marshall said and what Brandi had been talking about ever since Scott came to town. "So, Brandi never knew her father and now has finally met those who would tell her the stories she's been trying to get out of her sister for so long. The problem is that Mary remembers too well the pain of abandonment and wants nothing to do with those who would come forward with tales of love and affection that were denied her."

Nodding, Marshall silently applauded Peter for putting the pieces together so quickly. "Mary didn't want to believe her father had started a new life. Raged against that thought for a while. She seems to have accepted it, but until today I think it was just something she could ignore. Other than strangers with claims to share her parentage, there was no concrete evidence of her father's transgressions. That picture tore away any illusions she may have harbored."

"They don't know why he left?" Peter asked.

"There's never been an explanation," Marshall answered. He avoided any elaboration on James' past.

"Hmmm," Peter grunted. "New life, new name, no contact with his past. Do you think he went into witness protection for some reason?" Peter looked at Marshall as if he expected an answer.

Marshall stared at the other man without expression. Assessing. "I wouldn't know," he answered slowly. "I don't know much about that program. It's obviously fairly secretive."

Peter blinked. "Right," he muttered. He knew what Mary and Marshall did. He hadn't built an automotive empire by being a stupid man. Marshall's answer and nonverbal cues advised him to back off, so he did.

"What do you know about this Robert?" he asked Marshall instead.

Marshall thought about the sisters' reactions to the comment with a sense of dread. Something bad had happened. "Nothing. Mary's never mentioned it."

"Why do I feel the need to exact retribution on a man I've never met?" Peter asked.

"You'll have to get in line," Marshall muttered.

Both men looked towards the hallway in anticipation as they heard the bedroom door open.

*** Peter and Marshall slowly bonding a bit through the sisters. I've always thought they both must wonder what the other sees in the woman he's with :) What are those girls doing? Stay tuned and let me know what you think! Please REVIEW :) ***