Title: When in Doubt Act V, Scene 2

Author: The GPP

Rating: NC-17

Tagline: When in Doubt… Blame the FBI!

Summary: It's time for the funeral! Does anything ever happen lit it should when it comes to the Shannon family?

A/N: We're so sad that this is the final chapter! :( Let us know what you think!

The next morning dawned bright and cold. Birds sang good morning to the sun and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. It seemed to Mary as if the world itself was telling her it was a day for joy and not for mourning. There would be some of both before the sunset; of that, she was certain.

She showered, blew her hair out straight and dressed in black from head to toe. She didn't apply any makeup, tears were almost guaranteed and she would rather not have raccoon eyes on top of everything else. She went about her morning routine in silence, her mind nearly empty. She didn't want to think today.

Marshall ran home just long enough to grab his suit. He wore black pants with a black jacket, a black necktie, and a charcoal gray shirt. He sat on his bed and pulled on his cowboy boots that he had reserved for occasions such as these. They were shiny black leather and he had made sure to polish them before donning them.

He combed his hair back with a little bit of gel before grabbing his wool coat and heading back to Mary's.

She let Marshall drive her to the cemetery. She wasn't sure she could drive now and she knew she couldn't be able to drive home.

The green grass was damp with dew under her heels as they made their way to the graveside. She clung to Marshall's arm, borrowing strength from her rock solid partner.

It was a small gathering. Jinx leaned against Mike Faber, Brandi and Peter stood side by side, hands clasped, and Stan and Eleanor Prince stood a few meters back; supportive but not wanting to intrude. A priest stood just beside James' headstone, a worn brown leather bible in his hands.

Mary and Marshall stood closest to the gravestone, she leaned into his side. One hand absently reached up and grasped the Virgin Mary medallion she wore around her neck.

Marshall snuck his hand discreetly to her waist and pulled her closer. He tilted his head so that it rested on hers and placed a kiss there; not caring that Stan was a few feet away.

After the graveside ceremony, an open house was held at Mary's home. There were sandwiches and bottles of beer as well as non-alcoholic beverages for those who needed them. Various friends and acquaintances of the family stopped in to express their sympathies as well as to bring offerings of food and flowers.

Mary retreated to the shelter of her room fairly quickly. She couldn't take the curious stares from people who had only ever known James Shannon as the man who'd abandoned the Shannon women long before they came to Albuquerque.

Marshall waited a few minutes to give her space before following her. He knocked softly on the door. "Mare?"

Mary rose from her bed and opened the door. She gave him a half smile and gestured for him to enter.

He stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind him. "What's going on?" he looked at her; searching her eyes for answers.

Mary sighed and began to pace the room. "It's these people. All these friends coming to watch the spectacle." She ran her hands through her hair, "I feel like a circus freak."

Marshall's fingers itched to follow her hands as they wove through her golden tresses.

"Mare," he said softly; hoping to get her attention.

She stopped her pacing and turned to face to him. Her eyes were dry, but every inch of her face drooped with sadness.

He stepped closer and put his hands on her shoulders. Marshall leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, "You're MY circus freak," he whispered before stepping back.

Mary laughed a little at that. "Doofus." She slipped into his arms and held him tight for a moment. "Is it my fault he's dead?" She asked in a child's voice.

Marshall looked at her in disbelief. How could she think that?

"Listen to me," he pulled her back so he could look into her eyes once again, "none of this is your fault. You're not the one who exposed his identity."

"The letters." She said softly. "If I'd kept them to myself... or burned them without reading..." Tears welled up in her eyes and one by one spilled down her cheeks.

"Mare, hindsight is 20/20 but we both know those letters were a good thing for you. They let you know that your father loved you. No one would have known they existed if your mother hadn't told Agent Faber about them."

Mary searched his eyes for a moment, considering his words. She nodded slowly, tears drying as anger surged hot through her veins. "You're right." Her eyes hardened and turned dark green as the anger she felt spread through her body.

Marshall pulled back and attempted to read her thoughts. She looked dangerous and he wanted to make sure she wasn't going to do anything that she'd regret later. "Tell me what you need," he said softly hoping to talk her down.

"Wait here?" She asked, unable to meet his eyes directly, knowing if he saw the rage burning within them he would never agree to let her out of the room alone.

"What's going on inside your beautiful head?"

"Closure." A smile flickered across her lips at the thought.

Marshall saw her plans the minute that smile appeared. "Can I watch?"

She met his eyes this time, expression calculating. "You won't interfere? I'm a big girl. I don't need your help on this one."

"Oh, hell no... I know when to stay out of your way. Just make sure you use your first two knuckles this time. You've been working on your right hook, right?"

This time the smile stayed, "Thanks for the tip, coach." She said rising on her tip toes to press a quick kiss against his cheek.

"Go get'im, Dragon Lady," he smacked her on the butt as she left the room and he eagerly snuck into the living room to watch.

Mary didn't even object to the nickname. She strode into the backyard with purpose; her eyes locked on Faber. There was no force on earth strong enough to derail this train.

Agent Mike Faber stood by the pool, a glass of red wine in his left hand. He gestured with his right hand as he spoke. He was in his element. Most of the people at the house had never met a real live FBI agent before and were eager listeners; it didn't seem to matter than most of what he said had happened to someone else, often a fictional character from a novel he'd read. They thought he was fascinating.

Jinx had wandered off a few minutes ago and he'd barely noticed.

What he did notice however, was Mary Shannon walking purposefully across the lawn, a predatory glint in her eyes.

"Mary," He said brightly when she was close, "There you are. Your mother was looking for you." It was a bald-faced lie, but he wasn't FBI for nothing.

Jinx was across the yard talking to some of her friends when she saw Mary striding across the yard. She frantically looked for Marshall; when she didn't see him, she made her way back to Mike.

Inside, Marshall was bouncing in anticipation.

"Faber." Mary said coldly, stopping a few inches from him.

"Sweet Pea," Jinx said in her pitiful voice, "what's going on?"

"This man," Mary spat the word man, grinning on the inside when Faber flinched, "is the reason we are all here for this glorious celebration."

Jinx interrupted her, "Mary..."

"Now, Kitten," Faber held his hands up.

Marshall made his way closer to the sliding door; he did not want to miss this.

Mary's eyes narrowed at the hated nickname. She took half a step backwards to give herself swinging room and punched Faber in the face.

Her first two knuckles collided with his nose and there was a sickening crunch of bone and cartilage. Faber staggered backwards as he tried to regain his balance.

Unfortunately, he forgot about the pool until it was too late. The sound of his body hitting water brought all conversation to a halt as thirty people turned as one to see what was going on.

Marshall cringed as he saw her fist make contact with his nose; he'd have to take a look at it later to make sure it wasn't broken. Stepping outside, he made his presence known, "Is there a problem here?" His eyes smiled as he struggled to keep his face stoic and calm. Inside, he was jumping around like a kid on Christmas.

"Not at all." Mary said, grinning up at him.

Faber spluttered to the surface, blood streaming from his, probably broken, nose. "Bitch!"

Marshall's head whirled around as Faber said this; his eyes darkened with smoky blue fire. Reaching into the pool, he grabbed Faber by the tie and pulled him closer to the edge. Crouching down, he leaned in real close to Faber's face and sneered at the older man.

"Don't you EVER let me hear you call her that again you worthless son of a bitch," he tightened his grip on the necktie and dragged Faber higher into the air with a surprising amount of strength. He swung his right hand back as he twisted his upper body to give him momentum as he swung wide to punch him in the left cheek. Faber's jaw cracked under the force of Marshall's punch and he flew back into the pool as the grip on his tie was loosened.

Marshall turned to Mary and shrugged, "Sorry, I couldn't help it. I'll still keep my other promise though," he said as he turned to walk back into the house.

Mary turned to look at the group of relative strangers in her backyard. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be alone with Marshall. "Alright, show's over," she said, "thank you all for coming."

It didn't take long for the house to clear. No one wanted to risk Mary's wrath. Mary called an ambulance to pick up Faber as Jinx was too angry to drive safely. Within an hour, she had her wish.

"You want me to go too?" Marshall was sitting on the couch; looking at her sheepishly while icing his hand. He held an ice pack out for her to take.

Mary sat in his lap and wrapped both arms around him. "Never. You owe me an entire weekend, remember?"

"I suppose I can live up to that promise," he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him.

"You better," She took the ice pack and held it menacingly in front of his face for a moment before applying it to her swollen hand.

Marshall kissed her while turning her so that her back was to the couch; the majority of the day almost forgotten. "Did you know that the first known contraceptive was crocodile dung? It was used by the Egyptians in 2,000 B.C." he murmured against her lips.

"Idiot." Mary whispered. She could feel the rumble of his laughter as she kissed him. It was perfect.