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Different Road, Same Journey

They ate their dinner in a comfortable silence and Mary was surprised at how much she enjoyed the food. It was simple, comfort food and with Die Hard playing on the TV, Mary almost forgot why she was there. Almost.

She glanced across at him a few times, seeing he was engrossed in the movie and didn't want to disturb him.

"Just say it." He broke the silence, his eyes never leaving the TV.

"What?"

"Whatever it is you want to say."

"I don't need to say anything." She turned her eyes to the TV quickly.

He reached for the remote to pause the DVD. "I do this as a job…I noticed you looking at me and your hands keep fidgeting."

"Maybe my hands are just cold." She folded her arms, hiding them from view.

"And why do you keep looking at me?" He asked, smirking a little. "My incredibly handsome good looks?"

"Yeah, you wish…" She scoffed.

"You can tell me, you know."

"Tell you what?"

"Whatever it is that's going through your head." He told her but she stayed silent. "Look, we don't need to talk about what happened or what's going to happen next but you obviously want to talk about something and I can't imagine it's going to go away until you do talk about it."

"You're the most irritating, smartest, annoying, geekest person I've never met." She said frustrated.

"Smartest?" He questioned with a smile, ignoring the insults.

"Marshall!"

"Come on…talk to me." He turned on the couch so he was facing her. "I won't even speak if you don't me to."

"I just….being here…." She started but stopped. "I don't know."

"You don't like being here?"

"No!" She said quickly but then was a little embarrassed but her quick denial. She sighed and decided she should at least try and be honest with him. "I really like it here…It's nice…I feel safe."

"Isn't that a good thing?" He asked. "Isn't that what you wanted? To feel safe."

"Yeah…" She frowned a little. "I just did expect it to be this easy."

"I don't understand." He replied. "What's wrong with that?"

"I'm not used to this…I've grown up looking over my shoulder…always waiting for something to happen." She tried to explain. "I've always known how to look after myself so it's never been really an issue but I've never felt like I could let my guard down before."

Without thinking, he reached out a hand, placing it on her arm. "I'm glad you feel safe here."

"But isn't it too soon?" She asked.

"Too soon from when?"

"Last night was one of the most traumatic experiences I've ever had… I thought I was going to die now I'm here…with you, watching one of my favorite movies and feeling more relax then I have for a long time." She replied. "It couldn't be that easier, could it? I mean, I'm going to have to deal with it all at some point, right?"

"Yeah, Mare, you will but it doesn't have to be tonight." He assured her. "You don't need to push yourself…If you want to talk or deal with it then I'm here for you…if not, then I got all the Die Hard movies."

She smiled a little. "You're good at this."

"I mean it, Mare." He told her. "Just tell me what you need."

Without realizing, she shifted closer to him. "Can we talk? I mean, I don't want to talk about what happened yet but can we talk like we do at the bar?"

"Sure." He shrugged.

"Tell me about your girls." She relaxed back against the couch cushion and saw the surprise look on his face at the request. "You seem close to them both."

"I am." He answered. "I know I've had a lot of help, both here and in New Mexico but being a single Dad has made our relationship special."

"I bet it hasn't been easy."

"A lot of people would tell you that nothing worth having comes easy." He replied with a small smile. "But yeah, it has been hard at times…They're both can be handfuls but they're great kids."

Mary smiled a little. "Just wait until they're teenagers."

Marshall groaned and dropped his head back against the couch. "Don't say that."

She laughed. "I bet they have you wrapped around their little fingers."

"Pretty much." He admitted with a small smile.

"What are they like?" She asked.

"Well, Ava is my little whirlwind…She doesn't seem to let anything affect her and she's not shy at all…"

"And she's okay, right?" Mary hesitated slightly. "I mean, you said she was sick when she was first born."

Marshall shrugged a little. "Considering how close I came to losing her, she's doing okay… She struggles a little with learning sometimes but the doctors say that's normal and she also suffers from seizures every now and then."

"That must be hard."

"Yeah, it's pretty scary sometimes." He nodded a little. "But we get through it."

"Are Alexis and her similar?"

"Nah, they're completely opposite…Alexis is actually really mature for her age." He claimed. "I worry that she is too grown up…She got it into her head that she needs to take care of both Ava and me."

Mary smiled a little. "It's the role of the big sister to take care of things."

"That's my role…I'm their father…she's a six year old…her only job is being a six year old girl."

Mary stared at him for a few seconds, wondering why it had never sounded that simple for her and Brandi.

"What?" He asked a little nervous with the look she was giving him.

"Nothing…" She shook her head slightly. "Just you're a good dad."

He frowned. "You get that from me just saying a few words?"

"I've come to believe you don't say things you don't mean it." She told him. "She was what? Three when her mom left?"

"She had just turned three." Marshall nodded once.

"She was probably old enough to notice she was gone but not old enough to know why."

"I keep telling her it was nothing she did or didn't do…that it's not her fault and I think she does understand that." He claimed. "She's a smart girl…and I mean really smart…She loves reading and ask questions about everything."

Mary smiled; after spending some much time talking with Marshall at the bar, she knew where Alexis got it from.

"I just wish Ellie would realize what she's missing out on." He sighed. "They're great girls and no matter what happened between the two of us, I don't want them to miss out on having a mom."

Mary leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "That's what makes you such a great Dad."

Without thinking, Marshall moved a hand to her cheek, cupping it gently before softly pressing his lips against hers. Mary's hands over to the back of his neck, holding him in place as she shifted closer to him, deepening the kiss. After a few seconds, Marshall broke it but didn't pull back and instead rested his forehead against hers.

"We keep doing this." She whispered, her hands sliding down to his shoulders and then down his back.

"I know."

"And you keep stopping me."

"I know." He sighed. "I really care about you, Mare…You know that right?"

"But you're not ready to start anything?" She predicted, her arms falling away from him down into her own lap.

"It's not that…" He pulled back enough to run a hand down his face. "When I found out you were taken…my heart split in two…I would have done anything to get you back."

"You did it…You found me."

"I really want to be with you but after everything that has happened I don't think it's something we should rush." He told her.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"I think we should focus on getting you through the next couple of days and dealing with the mess your sister has gotten herself into….Then we deal with us."

"So, no more kissing?"

He smiled a little, picking up one of her hands and kissing the back of it. "Well, not for tonight anyway."

"I've never met a man like you before…" She threaded her fingers through his. "I never knew they existed outside of fairytales."

"I'm nothing special, Mare…" He squeezed her hand. "I just care about you and I want whatever it is between us to work, so we need to do it right."

"I guess waiting for a bit isn't too bad." She claimed, turning so she could rest her head against his shoulder before glancing up at him quickly. "You sure about the 'no kissing' rule?"

He groaned. "I'm still a guy, Mare…don't tempt me."

She laughed a little. "Fine, have it your way."

He wanted to tell her it wasn't the way he wanted, it was just the way it should be for now.

"Are you tired?" He asked. "It's getting late."

"Are you trying to get me into bed?"

"Mare…" He said warningly.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." She grinned at him.

"You can take my room tonight…I'll sleep on the couch…"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm not kicking you out of your bed."

He rolled his eyes. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I let my guest sleep down the couch?"

"You've done so much already for me tonight, Marshall…But I wouldn't feel right taking your bed." She claimed. "Honestly, I'll be fine here…Your couch is ridiculously comfortable…I think it's actually more comfortable then my own bed."

Marshall hesitated a little. "Are you sure? I don't mind…"

"I'm sure." She said firmly.

"I'll get you a pillow and some blankets then."

Mary sat back, glancing around the room as she waited for him. There were two plastic boxes in the corner, over spilling with toys. Framed photographs hung on the wall, most of them of Marshall and the girls at various ages. A teddy bear under the coffee table caught her eye and she immediately thought of Biscuit, the bear that she had given to Brandi years ago. She begun to wonder whatever happened to him. Did Brandi still have him or did she get rid of him; not really knowing the attachment Mary once had with him.

"Mare?" Marshall broke her train of thoughts, causing her to jump. "You okay?"

"Yeah…Yeah, I'm fine." She shook her head, looking up at him holding a pile of blanket and pillows. She reached her arms out to take them. "Thanks."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Marshall asked, watching her comfortable on the couch.

"I'm sure." She led down. "I'm practically asleep already."

"Do you need anything before I go?" He asked. "Some water or…"

"Marshall, go to bed." She cut in.

"Okay…" He sighed. "Well goodnight."

She had just led down on the pillow when she felt his lips against her forehead.

"I thought you said no more kissing?" She said, as he flicked the light off, leaving on the lamp on the small table beside the couch.

"That doesn't count." He called back from the hallway causing her to grin.

Mary listened to him climbing the stairs and heard him moving around for a few minutes before she turned off the lamp and settled down, closing her eyes. She was tired, felt like could sleep for weeks but she could not get her brain to stop thinking. She went from Brandi, wondering just how much trouble she was in. Then she thought about Jinx; her mother had teetered on the edge of destruction for most of Mary's life and she couldn't help but wonder just how far this latest drama would push her. She still couldn't get her head around her new friendship with Marshall…she had never had anyone in her life that she would consider a friend and Marshall seemed to be so much more. She found it hard to believe that it could be as simple as taking things slow. Marshall had kids…two daughters he who obviously adored. Mary had no idea how she would fit into his life…she wasn't good with kids…She didn't like kids. Then she began to wonder whether it would even be an issue. Would Marshall even want her around them?

Sighing loudly, she sat up a little and turned the lamp back on. This wasn't like her…Wasn't who was she. She had never let a man get this close before and she had idea what to do next. Not 24 hours ago, she was chained up in some dirty basement and was certain she was going to die. Shouldn't she be thinking about that? Shouldn't she be worrying about nightmares and about Spanky coming after her again?

Again, her eyes landed on the teddy bear and without thinking, she stretched out to grab it. She smiled when she saw a plastic marshal star pinned to the bear's black waist coat. She ran a finger over it gently, still not believing she got on so well with a US Marshal. Despite having a clean record herself, she had always felt like all law enforcement were the enemy ever since her father had left. She wasn't naive enough to believe her Dad was innocent but there was always a small part of that blamed them for him going away.

She led back down and tucked the bear under her arm but she kept the light on. Looking at a photograph hanging on the wall opposite of Marshall and the girls all pulling faces at the camera; she wondered just how much her life was going to change now she had him in it.

XxXxX

The first thing Mary realized when she woke up the next morning was that she felt the sun on her face, which meant that she had slept through the night without being awoken by a nightmare. The next thing was the feeling of being watched. She slowly opened her eyes, ready to tell Marshall that it was creepy to watch someone sleeping but was surprised to find it wasn't him. She blinked a few times, unsure what to do or say to Ava who was stood staring at her. The first time Mary had seen a photograph, she could see similarities between both girls and Marshall but it was even more noticeable in person; especially the eyes.

"Ava?" She heard Marshall whisper as he crept into the room. "I told you to stay out of here…"

The second the little girl heard her father, she grinned widely and held her arms up to him.

"Sorry…" He sighed when he saw Mary was awake. "She slipped away when I wasn't looking…She can be sneaky when she wants to be."

"It's okay…" Mary pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Who 'dat?" Ava asked, pointing a finger at Mary.

"This is my friend, Mary." Marshall told her.

"Why she here?"

"Well, she was sleeping until you turned up." Marshall teased, tickling her.

Ava laughed and squirmed in her arms. "Dada…no…"

Mary smiled a little, watching them as she pushed her hair out of her face and stretched out of her arms.

"Marshall, do you have Ava…" Kelly entered the room but then stopped suddenly when she saw Mary. "Oh sorry…"

Mary looked from her to Marshall, her eyes widening a little as she wondered if she should say something.

"Ava, why don't you go with Aunt Kelly and get your stuff ready for camping?" Marshall said to his daughter.

"She has Stan the Bear." Ava claimed, pointing again at Mary.

Mary looked down to the other end of the couch at the bar and was relieved that she had been discovered clutching the bear but judging by Marshall's smirk, he had probably guessed that at some point of the night, she had done.

Marshall reached down and grabbed the bar, handing it to Ava who grinned and hugged it tightly.

"Okay, come on you." Kelly held her hand out to Ava.

"Kiss." Ava looked at Marshall and demanded, pouting her lips.

Marshall smiled before giving big, noisy, sloppy kisses, on each cheek, one on her nose before a final one on the lips causing her to giggle again.

He set her down and she ran out the room, leaving Kelly to follow her.

"Sorry about that." Marshall said again. "The girls just needed a few things for their trip…I was hoping they wouldn't wake you."

"It's fine." She assured him. "I was already awake….What time is it anyway?"

"Almost 9am…How did you sleep?"

"Really well, actually."

"Good." He smiled. "There's some breakfast in the kitchen when you're ready."

"Thanks, Marshall…" She said softly. "For everything."

"You're welcome." He flashed another grin. "I better go make sure Ava is doing as she's told and not causing trouble."

Mary sat up fully once he had left the room and reached for her cell phone. She had missed calls from both Brandi and Jinx, along with several text messages asking where she was. She quickly sent Brandi a reply, telling she was with a friend and that she was fine even though they hadn't asked that.

She sat back; listening to movement from upstairs and she debated whether or not to risk a trip to the bathroom but decided against it. The last thing she wanted was to run into one of the girls or Marshall's sister in law.

Marshall exited Ava's bedroom, leaving her trying to decide which of her stuffed toys to take camping with her. She had wanted to take them all but Marshall managed to convince her that wasn't a good idea.

"I thought you had work?"

Marshall jumped at the sound of Kelly's voice and turned to see her smirking. "I did…I do."

"So, the woman sleeping on your couch…?"

"Just a friend who needed somewhere to stay for the night." He stated.

"Hmm…If you say so…"

"Kelly…"

"I'm guessing this is the girl we were talking about the other night?" She asked and Marshall's silence confirmed. "I meant what I said, Marshall…It's time to move on and if you like her then, I think it's great."

"Like I said before, it's complicated…" Marshall sighed. "But I do like her…too much to rush this."

Kelly smiled and reached out to pat his arm. "Well, whenever you're both ready, I can't wait to meet her properly."

"I don't think that will be for a while." Marshall stated.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you might say that." She smiled. "Right, well I'll grab the girls and get out your way."

"Thanks again for this, Kel." He said. "I don't know what I would do without you and Jack."

"Just promise me you won't let what happened with Ellie effect what happens with this girl."

"I won't."

"Good, you deserve to be happy." She said before walking into Ava's room.

Within ten minutes, Kelly had both the girls ready to leave. Ava demanded more kisses and hugs from Marshall before heading out the front door. Alexis was a little demanding but still willing hug and kissed him goodbye.

"Hanging on, I got you something." Marshall stopped her before reaching into his bag and pulling out a book.

"All you need to know about camping?" Alexis read the title.

"I thought you and Lizzie could have some fun reading it."

"Thanks, Dad." She said looking up at him. "I wish you were coming with us?"

"I wish I was too…" He reached down and pushed her hair back from her face. "But I'm off next weekend and we can do whatever you like…"

"Ava has wanted to go to the beach for ages." She shrugged. "Maybe we can do that."

"Yeah, we could…" Marshall nodded a little. "But what do you want to do?"

"I don't mind going to the beach."

"Well, we have two days…How about on Saturday we do the beach and then Sunday we go to that science museum?"

Alexis couldn't help but grin widely and threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his stomach. "Love you, Dad."

"I love you too." He replied, bending down to kiss the top of her head. "You better go, Aunt Kelly is waiting."

"Okay…" She stepped back, clutching her book tightly. "Bye."

He followed her to the door, watching as she climbed into the car and waited for them to pull away.

Mary had been behind the living room door, listening and decided that she had been right the night before. He was probably the best Dad ever and it scared the hell out of her that it made him more attractive to her.

TBC

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