Mary waited till the weekend to issue the challenge. It was Friday afternoon, around three o'clock. For two days, they'd been stuck in the office. According to protocol, the new men weren't allowed in the field just yet. That meant that any field trips to see witnesses were made solo, which neither Mary nor Marshall were pleased about. Starting Monday, Teddy and Royce would be official and they'd be permitted in the field. Before that happened, Mary and Marshall both needed to make sure they could handle it.
Marshall sat at his own desk, filling out his 240, Mary had already finished hers. Royce was pouring himself a cup of coffee, hovering by Teddy's desk, talking about who knows what. Because they were 'in training', so to speak, they'd be stuck in the office till 6. Mary stepped up to the two of them. It was the first time she'd actively engaged in conversation with them since they'd arrived. She'd given them the cold shoulder out of protest, but knew that after tonight, Teddy would be her partner, whom she needed to be able to trust with her life. And Royce would be Marshall's, whom she needed to trust with his life; Hence, the challenge. She held out her hands, a business card in each, toward the two men, "Here. Tomorrow, noon, be there."
Both men took the cards, somewhat surprised to be hearing Mary's voice. Royce looked down at the 3.5 x 2 piece of paper. "Where exactly are we going?"
"We're going to see if you're as good as you think you are." Royce had spent the last two days bragging not only about his prowess in the bedroom, but in the ring and on the range as well. Mary was sure his skills were over exaggerated in all three arenas.
A devilish glint sparked in his eye, and he took a step toward Mary, invading her comfort zone. "Oh, I promise you, sweetheart, I am every bit as good as I said." He hadn't taken Mary's initial comment, or Marshall's warning, the day he'd arrived to heart, though he made sure his new partner was nowhere in earshot whenever hitting on Mary. Mary knew that Marshall had warned him, but rather than tell her boyfriend about the jackass's continued advances, she'd decided to wait until Saturday. She had no worries about being able to drop this sleaze in the ring. Maybe after she kicked his ass, he'd stop staring at hers.
She resisted the urge to smack him, and simply smiled. "Well then, this should be interesting." Without giving him a chance to say anything further, she turned and walked away.
She grabbed her bag off of her desk, and stuck her head into Stan's office. "Hey, Stan, Marshall and I are headed out. Our 240s are in our outboxes. See you Monday." Stan, who was on the phone, simply waved goodbye.
She moved out of Stan's office and toward the door, where Marshall was already standing, holding it open for her. She threw him a smile as she walked through and pushed the button for the elevator. They stepped inside and when the doors closed, Marshall reached over and took hold of her hand. "They're not so bad, right?"
Mary rolled her eyes, looking over toward her partner. "Teddy looks like he should be carrying a piece of chalk and an apple, not a badge and gun. And Royce's head is so inflated, I'm not even sure how he makes it in the damn building. I don't like them."
Marshall chuckled. "Do you remember what you thought about me, when we first met?"
She did, that day stuck in her mind like it was yesterday. That was the day everything had changed for her. Marshall had given her so much, a new job, a new home, a new life, and he'd been the first person to earn either her trust or her respect, and eventually her love. Of course, she hadn't known that at the time. "I thought you were a geeky mama's boy who couldn't shoot a gun to save his life, and that being a WitSec inspector meant you couldn't hack it in the real marshal service."
He gave her hand a squeeze, "And what have you learned since then?"
"That I was only half wrong." She threw him a smirk. "You are a geeky mama's boy. But you can shoot, and WitSec is just as hard as the FTF, harder actually because we're trying to keep our people alive, not arrest them."
"See what I mean, maybe Teddy and Royce are more than they seem. Royce was a member of the JPATS team for five years, he can't be that soft. And Teddy has been with IOD for a decade. They're not wet behind the ears." Marshall and Mary had both pulled the profiles on their former partner's new partner. Neither cared so much about their own safety, so much they did about the other. Royce had been a college baseball star and had briefly considered joining the majors. He'd decided instead to go into law enforcement. He'd been a beat cop in Virginia where he'd lived all his life, until deciding that the marshal service offered more opportunity. He'd joined the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transport System, where he'd stayed for five years, before taking this transfer. Teddy had joined the marshal service right out of school, where he'd earned two degrees, one in criminal justice, the other in computer forensics. He'd been on the fast track through the Investigative Operations Division, but had decided for a change of pace. For all intents and purposes, the two replacement marshals were very similar to those they'd be replacing. But that didn't make the change any easier.
As the elevator doors opened, Mary conceded. "I know, there's a good chance we'll get to the training facility tomorrow and be quite impressed with both of them, but until that happens, I reserve the right to think this whole situation blows."
"Fair enough. So what's tonight's plan? Or are you going home so you're well rested for tomorrow?" Marshall threw her a lecherous wink, knowing that that wasn't the case.
"Please, I'm pretty sure I could have taken both of them on a year ago and still wiped the floor with their sorry asses. Besides, tonight is special." A year ago, today, she had woken up from her coma, after being shot.
Because they were in the parking structure, and because he had parked against the wall, Marshall took this opportunity to pull her in close, hidden as they were by his SUV. "Is that right? What pray tell is so special about tonight?" He leaned in and kissed her, his hands moving to rest on her hips. When they'd first started dating, Mary had warned him she wasn't big on anniversaries or Valentine's Day. But that didn't mean he hadn't managed to make sure she knew he was keeping count.
She pushed him away after a moment, not wanting to let him win, "Who are you trying to fool? You and I both know you've had reservations at Bien Shur for weeks."
Marshall pulled back from where he'd been placing soft kisses on her neck. "You knew about them?" Though he tried to never under estimate his gorgeous better half, she still managed to surprise him.
She smiled at the look on his face. She leaned in and kissed him, so happy to have this man in her life. "Of course I knew. It's my job to know these things. What kind of inspector would I be if I didn't?" She pulled him closer, so that her back was against the car and his body was pressed against hers. They didn't often risk public displays of affection, but after two days of barely speaking in the office, despite being mere feet apart, she missed him. Not to mention having to make solo runs to visit witnesses. It wasn't something she was going to get used to easily. Hopefully after this weekend, Teddy and Royce wouldn't need any more hand holding and things could get back to some semblance of normal. At least, maybe they'd be able to have a conversation in the office, rather than spending their time going through files.
Marshall pulled back this time. They had come to work separately this morning, because Mary had needed to stop by one of her witnesses to check some paperwork. "So, I'll pick you up in an hour?"
Mary nodded, unable to speak just then. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then released her hold on Marshall so he could step back. "Ok, I'll see you then." Marshall watched her walk away and slide into the driver's side of her car. When she had pulled out of her parking spot, he followed suit.
He'd had this night planned for weeks, He knew she didn't want the new situation at work to be the catalyst for his proposal, but that wasn't going to stop him. He had been set on popping the question long before she spilled the beans. He arrived home and showered quickly, anxious about how the evening would play. She knew he had a ring and was planning to ask, but that didn't mean she knew it was coming tonight, or even that she planned on accepting. Not that he would let that stop him. She'd already told him she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, otherwise she never would have allowed Stan to assign them new partners. But just because she'd said so, didn't mean she'd take his ring.
He straightened his tie, looking in the mirror. It was pale blue, with darker blue diagonal stripes. It went well with his crisp black suit. He picked the ring box up off the dresser, opening it to look one last time at the ring he'd picked out. It was a set, the wedding ring a simple silver band that fit perfect under the engagement ring. But it was that part that had sold him. He hadn't known when he first went out what would be the perfect ring, but when he'd seen this one, he'd been sure. The claddagh was a beautiful symbol, promising not only love but friendship and loyalty as well. In his mind, nothing represented the relationship they'd had more. The heart of the design was a 3 carat diamond, polished smooth so that the ring wasn't a hindrance. She'd be able to wear it without worrying about getting it caught on anything, like her gun. He closed the box and slid it into his jacket pocket.
He hopped in the SUV and headed to Mary's by way of the florist to pick up the single red rose he was going to give her. When he got to her house, he didn't bother knocking; he knew she'd left the door unlocked. He walked in, calling out his presence. "Mare, you're knight in shining armor awaits."
He heard her footsteps coming from the hallway. Her voice entered before she did. "You better not be wearing armor, we'll clash." And then she stepped into the room. For a second, Marshall forgot how to breathe. Her dress was gray and fell just above the knees. It was strapless and had a black studded belt around her waist. His gaze roamed her body, stopping for a moment on the four inch heels she was wearing. She was almost as tall as he was. Her hair was straight, and parted to the side. She looked stunning. When he'd recovered, he stepped forward and pulled her flush against him.
"How bout we forget dinner and just stay in tonight?"
Mary almost melted from the heat in Marshall's gaze. "No way, you made me get all dressed up, we're going." Marshall leaned in and placed feather light kisses at each corner of her mouth. "Nice try, Romeo, but we're still going."
She felt Marshall smirk from where he'd placed his head next to her ear. "Alright, but I take no responsibility for my actions form this point on. If they throw us out because I can't keep my hands off you, it's not my fault." To make his point, he slowly ran his hand down her side, leaving a trail of heat through the material of her dress. He then took a step back and held out the rose, assuring her that he would in fact be a perfect gentleman this evening.
Mary couldn't help the blush that colored her cheeks as she took the rose, never in her life had she been the type to go all mushy when a man tried to be romantic. But it was different with Marshall. She brought the rose to her face and inhaled, breathing in the flower's fragrance. When she looked up again, Marshall was holding his hand out for her, she reached forward with her free hand and took it, letting him guide her toward the door. She grabbed her clutch on the way out and made sure to close the door.
Dinner was perfect. They had seats right next to the west facing window, and so had a beautiful view of the setting sun. Marshall didn't bother ordering wine, as he knew Mary wasn't that fond of it, nor did he try and coax her into drinking champagne, which she hated. They simply enjoyed the meal, the atmosphere, and each other. When the main course was finished, and dessert ordered, Marshall reached across the table and entwined his fingers with Mary's. He was treated with a smile.
"Mare, the day I met you, I swore I'd go insane if we had to spend three days together on the job. Now, I can't even imagine going three days without hearing your voice. We've been together for eight years, and there is no one on this planet who knows me as well as you do. Just like there's not a soul who can claim to be so well versed on you as I. For eight years, you've had my loyalty as a partner, the promise that I would do anything to protect you on the job and off. For eight years, you've had my friendship, the guarantee that I would be there for you, no matter what you needed. And for eight years, you've had my heart, whether you've known it or not, the pledge that no matter what happens, I could not possibly abandon you. I know that you're scared, but I have never been more sure of anything in my life." He reached forward with his other hand and placed the ring box beside their clutched hands, open for her to see.
A tear made its way down her cheek, and she took a moment to thank God she'd remembered to use the waterproof mascara. Then she shook her head. "You're wrong, Marshall. I'm not scared, not of this, and never of you." She squeezed his hand.
Marshall took that as an invitation to continue and before she could stop him, he stood and moved around the table, kneeling in front of her. "Mary Shannon, will you marry me?"
Eyes sparkling, Mary nodded her head; "Yes, Marsh, yes." He stood up, pulling her to her feet as well. He wrapped his arms around her and brought his lips crashing to hers.
For a moment he'd been afraid she'd say no, unwilling to commit so fully. It was one thing to promise to stay with someone; it was another to literally attach yourself to them. But she'd said yes, and that was all that mattered. He moved his lips to her ear, pulling her close in a hug. "I love you, Mare."
"I love you, too, Marshall." She too had wrapped her arms around him. When the applause broke through their touching moment, Mary pulled back slightly. The other guests in the dining room were all smiling and clapping for them. Mary felt her cheeks redden. She looked up at Marshall for some kind of clue as to what to do next.
Marshall too was slightly embarrassed. He hadn't expected to become the center of attention. He kept a strong arm around Mary's waist and turned to the watching diners; "Thank you, everyone, sorry to interrupt." He helped Mary back into her seat and then took his own. "Well, so much for low profile."
Mary smiled. "I think we're allowed a little attention right now. Besides, it's not like we're ever gonna see anyone here again." Marshall nodded his agreement.
They stayed at the restaurant for another half hour, enjoying their dessert. They then left and returned to Marshall's. He had long since straightened up the living room from the break in, which had been deemed completely random. One of the robbers had worked at the post office and had taken note of the packages Marshall received. He'd mentioned them to his friend, who had a penchant for theft, and the two of them had decided to see what they could get.
Not that Mary and Marshall wasted much time in the living room that night. Upon entering the house, the couple went directly to the bedroom, eager to celebrate their engagement.
