Disclaimer: I don't own In Plain Sight, I just torment the characters...

Author's Note: Who doesn't love getting sick over a holiday weekend? I'm feeling better now, but the past couple days have been very bleh. Hopefully, I've gotten my groove back enough to make this update worthwhile! =)

Fish Out of Water

Chapter 10

Mary slipped her key into the lock and let herself in. It was dark; she'd spent the afternoon studying with Marshall at the mall food court. They'd finally had some time to pick up studying Romeo and Juliet again; they were done with their first read-through of the play itself and had moved on to thesis statements, a concept that interested Marshall far more than her, but she kept at it, determined to pull her own weight.

The most recent study session had been particularly productive, as Brandi had been invited to stay over at a friend's house and the two of them were alone. The next day was a staff development day at Brandi's school, so she was going to spend it there, granting Mary a reprieve from worrying about her sister while she was herself stuck in class.

As the door swung open, Mary was surprised to find her mother waiting for her, looking angry. She sucked on a cigarette and glared poisonously, the ashtray next to her considerably more full than it had been that morning.

"Mary, what is this?" Jinx snapped as her eldest daughter came in the door. She held a letter in her hand.

Mary's heart stopped; for a moment, just a moment, she was terrified that her mother had found the one thing Mary had always managed to keep secret. But even as the wave of anxiety hit, Mary realized the envelope wasn't right. The size was all wrong and it looked new, through ripped open. It was clearly not the goodbye letter her father had left, the one she'd kept a close secret from anyone else.

"I have no idea," Mary replied. "Why don't you tell me, since we both know you've obviously been sitting here all day stewing and waiting for the chance to do exactly that."

"It's a letter from a college in Colorado," Jinx bit out, her voice laden with venom. "You applied to college, Mary? Without my permission?"

"I'll be eighteen by the time I graduate. I'm not going to need your permission," she said evenly, trying not to engage her mother. When Jinx got like this, spoiling for a fight, it was always best to try not to give her what she was looking for. That didn't make it easy, though; Jinx could and would go for any sore spots that presented themselves.

"Not that this letter really matters," Jinx scoffed. "It's a rejection letter. But to think that you would even consider leaving Brandi and I, that you would abandon your mother and your little sister… Just how many applications did you send out?"

"A few," Mary said guardedly. In fact, she'd already received and discarded two rejection letters that Jinx obviously didn't know about. "It was just for a class at school."

"Well, I can't imagine what teacher would think college is appropriate for you," Jinx rolled her eyes and laughed humorlessly. "From the look of this, it doesn't seem like any of them want you anyway. And how you thought you'd be able to afford it is beyond me."

Mary pressed her lips together tightly. A dozen cutting retorts came to mind, most of them remarks about how Mary's lack of financial security was demonstrably Jinx's fault, but she held them in. It hadn't taken much for her to realize that Jinx had not only been stewing in her feelings of betrayal as she waited, but drinking as well, and Mary wanted no part of what she knew Jinx could dish out.

"This is so typical, Mary. Applying to colleges like you think you're better than us. Well, you're not. You're no better, and this proves it," Jinx hissed, shaking the letter that she clenched in her vise-like grip. "Where did you get such a stupid idea, hmm? Was it from that boy, that… Matthew or whatever, the one Brandi's always talking about? Is he the one who convinced you that you were entitled to this?"

"I told you, it was for a class," Mary growled, her self-control starting to slip. "And his name isn't Matthew, it's Marshall."

"Oh, Marshall," Jinx's voice lilted sarcastically. "Brandi talks about him like he's some kind of goddamn Prince Charming. Is he, Mary? What do you expect, that he'll sweep you off your feet and take you away from all this? That he'll marry you and save you from your poor pathetic life? Well, don't expect too much. He'll have no more use for you once he's gotten you on your back."

"Don't talk about Marshall like that," Mary muttered, her voice tight and her hands fisted at her sides.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your little-girl princess fantasies."

"Don't talk about Marshall like that!" Mary roared, the dam that held her emotions in check finally snapping. "He's not like any of those worthless bastards you've fucked for money!"

Jinx's hand shot out, lightning fast, and snapped Mary's head back with a hard slap. Mary recoiled back, her hand moving protectively to her cheek. Hunched defensively, she glared at her mother, her eyes burning with pent-up rage.

"Goddamn you, Mary!" Jinx screeched. "You are such an ungrateful little bitch! You don't know what I've done to keep this family together!"

"You call drinking like a goddamn fish 'keeping this family together'? What about spending our rent money on booze and dresses? Is it all part of your campaign for Mother of the Year?"

"You shut your stupid little mouth!" Jinx shrieked, tears trailing down her face. "You are the worst daughter… to think, I gave up my life to have you! I could have been so much more, if I hadn't had to deal with you weighing me down!"

"Are you sure that's why you're nothing? Are you sure it isn't because you're a boozehound whose only real talent is the ability to spread your legs?"

Mary knew she'd crossed a line, that her last statement, while not undeserved, would be the final blow that would make Jinx lose it, once and for all. She just didn't care anymore. Part of her wanted it, needed the confrontation; her anger had been brewing for the last month, ever since she'd spent the last week of winter break shoveling snow. Jinx had acted as if it was completely natural that they would be saved at the last minute, and not wanting to admit she was to blame for their predicament, she hadn't bothered to thank Mary even once.

Jinx flew at her, a spitting fury of incomprehensible screams and clawing fingernails. She pulled Mary's hair, hit her, scratched her, and Mary felt the fingernails draw blood on her cheek. Jinx shoved her against the wall, knocking the air out of her in a whuffing breath. Feeling cornered, Mary pushed back, and Jinx stumbled backward and tripped over the coffee table with a startled cry. Mary stood, shaking, with her back against the wall, and watched as Jinx picked herself up.

"You," her mother said, her voice low and dangerous, "get out. I don't care where you go, but I don't want you back in this house tonight."

Not needing to be told twice, Mary scooped up her backpack and bolted out the door.

Marshall slumped over his desk, his chin propped on his palm, and stared out the window, watching the rain fall on the empty P.E. fields. His biology class, supposedly advanced placement, was a redundancy in his education. It would look good on his record and would count as a college credit, but he wasn't learning anything he didn't already know from previous classes. It couldn't be helped that this district's standards were so much lower than that of his former school; the class was to be tolerated rather than enjoyed, and was all the more tedious on rainy days due to the fact that gym classes were held indoors and there would be no chance of spotting Mary outside.

He wasn't even sure she was at school. He hadn't been able to find her that morning, so he'd made the walk to school alone. He was worried about Mary, though he had no tangible reason to believe anything was wrong. It was completely possible she had simply run late, or gone in early. There were any number of reasons he might not have seen her that morning. He knew he shouldn't really be worried, yet, but he also knew he'd feel better once he knew where she was. Mary wasn't particularly given to deviating from routine, and for all the benign possibilities, there remained the chance that something was actually wrong.

The rest of his biology class passed by with agonizing slowness. Lunch would tell; she would either turn up in the derelict bathroom or she wouldn't, and he decided to let that decide whether he worried or not. It was senseless, because he was worrying already, but he could at least hold on to the comfort of that thought for the time being. It made the wait more bearable, but only slightly; twice, during the discussion of the film they'd watched about frogs, the teacher had caught him unable, in his distraction, to articulate an answer to a question she had posed, though he knew the answers perfectly well.

When at last the lunch bell rang, he darted off toward the restroom. At first glance, it appeared that no one was there, but on closer inspection he noticed that the door to the large, wheelchair-accessible stall at the end was closed. He moved closer and, bending down, peeked under the closed door. There she was, evidently asleep, her head resting on her backpack.

"Mary?" he called to her, softly at first so he wouldn't startle her too badly. He called her name louder when she didn't respond, and when even that failed to wake her, he slid his head and shoulders under the door and reached up to release the latch.

Once he'd gotten the door open, he had room to get a better look at her. There was a set of shallow but bloodied scratches on her face and she was wearing what he was almost certain were her clothes from the day before. He grasped her shoulder and shook it; still failing to rouse her, he pulled her halfway onto his lap and patted her face. She was warm; in fact, she was feverish, though not to an extreme degree, but it was certainly cause for concern. She moaned softly as she began to some around.

"Mary? Wake up, Mary," he urged her. "Come on, Mare, look at me."

Her eyes opened slowly. She looked confused to see him.

"Marshall?" she whispered hoarsely. "What're you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" he countered. "You were asleep on the bathroom floor."

"Oh… am I still in the park?"

"What? No, you're in the bathroom at school," he informed her, his brow furrowed. "Are you telling me you slept in the park?"

She nodded weakly. "Broke into the bathroom. Guess I came here in the morning."

"Jesus, Mary. Why?"

"Jinx kicked me out," she replied. "She was drunk and we had a fight."

"Oh, for the love of God. Why didn't you come to my house?" he asked, feeling frustrated that she hadn't let him help.

"Was late. Didn't want to upset your parents," she murmured quietly. "Cold…"

He pulled her closer to him. "You need to go to the nurse's office, at the very least. You'll be lucky if you don't get seriously ill from this."

"Can't actually get sick from being cold, dumbass."

"No, but prolonged exposure to cold can inhibit your immune system. Now, we either walk to the nurse's office, or I carry you. Which will it be?"

"Cold day in hell… before you carry me anywhere," she hissed. "Help me up."

Marshall lifted her, slinging her arm around his shoulders and wrapping his arm under hers and around her ribs. She leaned heavily against him, only weakly supporting her own weight. They managed a few steps together before she faltered, losing her footing and stumbling against him.

"Alright, that's that," he said, grunting softly as he scooped her up in his arms. "You're getting there one way or another. Just go with it."

"Fine," she replied, too tired to protest. "But take the long way around. Don't want everyone to see."

Marshall obliged, bearing her not insubstantial frame the added distance. She nestled against him as he walked, allowing herself to secretly enjoy his warmth even as she was drawn to it due to her feverish state. She felt herself fading out again, lulled back into sleep by the rhythm of his steps. His voice was a deep rumble from his chest where her head rested as he spoke briefly to the nurse.

Momentarily, she felt herself settled onto a bed, and something warm was draped over her, something that smelled of him; she curled into it, moaning softly as she nestled into the familiar comfort of the smell. A hand gently pushed her hair behind her ear and paused to caress her cheek before it pulled away. Her brow furrowed at the loss of contact, but the hand soon returned.

"Mare? Mary, honey, wake up," Marshall urged gently, sliding his hand under her neck to gently cradle her head. Her eyes squeezed shut more tightly for a moment, then slowly opened to look at him.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Take these," he held a pair of pills where she could see them before bringing them to her mouth. "The nurse says they'll help you feel better."

She accepted the pills, as well as the cup of water he held to her lips. Marshall was relieved. The pills were a simple pain reliever and fever reducer, but they'd allow her to rest easier. He suspected from the scratch on her cheek that Jinx had smacked her around before throwing her out, and sleeping on bathroom floors was bound to have made her sore in addition to the fever.

He sighed. It was incomprehensible to him that a mother, any mother, could have so little consideration for her child. Mary was lucky; if the weather had been any colder, or if she hadn't managed to find shelter in the bathroom of the park, she could have died. He didn't want to begin to contemplate the numerous other unpleasant fates that could have befallen a girl at night, unguarded and on her own.

He supposed it could be counted as a blessing that the school nurse thought it was a simple flu. He almost wished he could bring himself to tell her, or anyone who could do something about it, what was going on in that house, but Mary would see that as a betrayal, and he knew she couldn't take another one. As slow as Mary was to trust, which made perfect sense in light of her childhood and her continuing home life, she would likely never let anyone in again, and he would lose her.

Marshall tucked his coat more closely around her, having covered her with it when the nurse had declared in response to his request for a blanket that her office was not the Ritz. It seemed to be keeping her warm enough. He sat with her until the bell that ended lunch rang, at which point the nurse caught his attention with a loud harrumph.

"Isn't it about time you went to class?" she said pointedly, fixing him with a piercing stare.

"Don't sign her out until I come back," he replied evenly. "I want to make sure she gets home alright."

The nurse shrugged. "It doesn't look like she's going anywhere. She really should be sent home now. You're sure her mother isn't available?"

"Very sure," he stated, though he was anything but; what he did know was that bringing Jinx into the mix at the moment was a terrible idea.

He pushed Mary's hair back from her forehead, which was already a bit cooler. She looked like she was resting well, at least for the moment. After running his hand over her hair once more, he left for their English class; at least today, he would be able to explain Mary's absence to Mr. Brunswick's satisfaction.

Marshall shepherded Mary home carefully, making a stop by Brandi's friend's house to pick the girl up. When they got to Mary's house, for Mary was still feeling too ill to object to Marshall seeing her all the way home, they found Jinx passed out on the floor, a mostly empty bottle of vodka sitting in a puddle where it had fallen and spilled.

Mary stepped over the woman indifferently, heading directly for the bedroom and more sleep. Marshall wasn't even certain she realized he was still there, but at least she was able to cross the distance to the bedroom on her own. Brandi, he noticed, was checking to make sure Jinx was still breathing, and finding that to be the case, she rolled her mother onto her side.

"It's so she won't choke if she barfs," Brandi explained at Marshall's curious glance.

"Do you mind if I make Mary something to eat?" he asked, eyeing Jinx dubiously.

"No. Mary probably would but she's sick, so I guess it doesn't matter," the girl shrugged. "And don't worry about Mom. She won't wake up for hours, judging by the way she smells."

Marshall shook his head and made for the kitchen. There was nearly nothing there, except for an impressive assortment of liquor in one cabinet; the Shannon women didn't tend to keep supplies on hand and lived on an almost day-to-day basis. After searching around, he finally found a packet of ramen and a frozen bag of peas and carrots. He started to cook the noodles, adding some of the vegetables to the water as it came to a boil on the stove. Brandi came in and wrinkled her nose.

"You cut open the ice pack," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I did what?" he questioned her, confused.

"That. The peas and carrots. It's the ice pack," she clarified. "Mom says there's no point in buying an ice pack you can't eat."

"But then if you eat it, you don't have an ice pack anymore."

"Yeah, that's true. That's why we usually don't eat it," Brandi said with a laugh.

"Uh… right," Marshall said, deciding it was better to just go along with it than to argue.

When the ramen finished cooking, he made his way to Mary's room, stepping over Jinx in the process. He set the bowl on Mary's nightstand and sat lightly on the edge of her bed. His eyes came to rest on the clay heart that hung over her headboard. He recognized it; Brandi had shown it to him the day she brought it home from school, when Mary had gone to the bathroom.

He couldn't help but smile. He remembered how happy Mary's sister had been about making it for her, and it warmed his heart to see it in what Mary likely considered a place of honor. It was a sign of how much Mary's sister meant to her that she would reveal her feelings by displaying the memento, even somewhere she thought no one but her family would ever see it.

Still, something had to change. Mary couldn't live like this forever. Even though it wasn't far off, he was surprised she'd made it this close to her eighteenth birthday. Her mother certainly hadn't been any help. What Mary really needed was a shot at a real life.

He started as he felt something poke him in the arm; he turned, and found Brandi there with an envelope.

"Mary got this in the mail," Brandi stated, handing it to him. "It's a lot thicker than the others she got, the ones I saw her tear up and throw away. Don't tell her I know about those, okay?"

Marshall turned the envelope over in his hands. It was from the University of New Mexico. Brandi was right. It was especially thick. It was like the one he'd gotten, with an acceptance packet inside.

"Hey, Brandi…" he asked hesitantly. "What do you think about Mary going to college?"

"I dunno. I don't want her to go away and leave me here," she replied. "But… I don't want her to be stuck with Mom forever. It'll never get better than this. Mary says it doesn't matter, because she'll never be able to afford it."

Marshall nodded, deep in thought. "Listen, Brandi… don't tell her about this letter yet, okay? I want to talk with her about it before she sets her mind on anything."

"Okay, Marshall," she said quietly. "Is Mary going to be okay?"

"She should be fine. She just needs rest, if she can get any while she's dealing with… you know," he gestured toward the living room and Jinx in frustration.

Brandi nodded and moved to sit on her own bed as Marshall tucked the envelope away. He set about waking Mary up, a prospect that proved daunting until she realized he had food, at which point his task all but took care of itself.

"Where did you get the vegetables from?" she asked, prodding at the peas and carrots in confusion.

"He used the ice pack," Brandi informed her, grinning broadly.

"Oh, great. Now we'll have to buy another one," she grumbled, rolling her eyes as she spooned another mouthful in. "It tastes pretty good though. Who knew it would be worth eating?"

"Listen, Mary…" Marshall began.

"Spare me the big lecture, okay? I already feel like crap as it is," she muttered, a guilty look creeping over her face.

"Just… don't ever do that again," he murmured softly. She met his gaze and read in his eyes how worried for her he'd been.

"I won't," she replied, reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers through his. "I promise."

Marshall nodded and squeezed her hand, his throat suddenly tight with emotion.

"Don't get so worked up," she said consolingly. "It wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, Mary, I know," he sighed. "But it could have been a lot worse."

The pair sat in silence for a moment, both deep in thought as Brandi looked on. Everything was such a chaotic mess; college applications, sleeping in park bathrooms, and Jinx passed out in the living room, and there seemed no easy way to unravel it all.

A/N: I channeled some of my sick into Mary. Sorry, Mary! Every now and then, what's been going on ends up in my stories. Hope it works for y'all! Let me know what you think of this chapter, and stick around for the next one! =D