Author's Note: Special thanks to JMS529, thena-ditey, JJ2008, and Jayne Leigh for the reviews!
QUOTE PROMPT #055 – NORAH/MARSHALL
"I'm still in love with him. I am. I've been in love with him since I was 23 years old. He's everything to me. He's my life. I feel complete when I'm with him and I feel empty when we're apart."
"But, Mom, I love him!" Norah pleaded.
"I know, Bug, but-" Mary tried to reason.
Norah shook her head, emphatically. "You don't understand! I love him more than I have ever loved anyone! I can't be separated from him!"
Mary put her hands on her hips. "I am not arguing with you about this, young lady. It is time to get into the car and go home."
"No!" Norah wailed, falling to her knees. "I love him! Please, Mama, please!"
"Norah, quite being so over-dramatic," Mary told her. "You can see Oscar the next time we come to visit Marshall's house."
Norah stopped her lament to look up at Mary, a twinkle in her eye. "Or we could just have Marshall and Oscar move in with us."
Mary froze. "Are you kidding me?"
"Think about it, Mom. Marshall and Alexis are at our house all the time anyway and this way, we wouldn't have to worry about forgetting our homework at one house or the other," Norah explained. "Besides, then Alexis and I can be real sisters and Oscar can be our dog."
"You are one sneaky pain in my butt, Bug," Mary teased. She pulled Norah up on her feet. "You know, it would mean a lot of changes. It's been just you and me for a long time now."
Again, Norah shook her head. "No offense, Mom, but it hasn't been just you and me in forever. It's been you, me, Marshall, and Alexis, even before you and Marshall started dating."
Mary took a deep breath. "I'll agree to think about it, okay?" Norah nodded, a wide smile on her face. "And I'll talk to Marshall about it." Again, Norah nodded. "And if that dog does anything to my house, I'm holding you responsible for it."
QUOTE PROMPT #056 – MARY/MARSHALL
"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue that counts."
"Marshall, you have to get up," Mary begged. Marshall's response was to bury his head deeper into his pillow and tighten the blankets around him. Frustrated, she ordered, "Inspector Mann, get your ass out of this bed right now!"
Marshall threw the blankets. "I am not an inspector anymore or have you forgotten?"
Mary sighed, sitting on the bed. "No, I haven't forgotten."
"What do you want, Mary?"
"I want you to get out of this bed. I want you to take a shower. I want you to get on with your life," she told him.
Marshall glared at her. "Life? What life? I've been suspended from work. I buried my father two weeks ago. My wife decided she would rather play house with a tycoon than be married to my sorry ass. What exactly do I have to get out of this bed for?"
Mary snatched a photo from the nightstand and shoved it in his face. "This! You have this to live for!" She took a heaving breath. "Your suspension will be lifted as soon as the heat dies down. And your bitch of a wife never deserved you! But this, these kids, you are everything for them and they need their dad."
"I... don't feel good enough for them," he admitted, quietly.
"Marshall," Mary cupped his cheek, "there is nobody in this world better for those boys than you. Trust me. I've been relying on you for a long time now." She stood up. "Now, get out of bed and get on with your life. I'm pretty sure that your boys are tired of staying with us girls."
"You're with me?" Marshall asked, his eyes pleading.
Mary nodded. "Always." She waited until he nodded before turning to leave.
"Mary," Marshall called out as she hit the doorway. "Thanks."
QUOTE PROMPT #057 – MARY/DELIA
"I think one of the most universal human experiences is feeling alone. You'd never know it, but there's most likely tons of people feeling the exact same way. Maybe because you're feeling abandoned. Maybe because you realize that you aren't as self-sufficient as you thought. Maybe because you know you should've handled something differently. Or maybe because you aren't as good as you thought you were. Either way, when you hit that low point, you have a choice. You can either wallow in self-pity, or you can suck it up. It's your call."
"Mary, girl, what are you doing?" Delia asked, walking over to Mary standing at the bar.
"I'm sucking up the free alcohol while I can, duh," Mary retorted, taking a large sip of her drink.
Delia sighed. "I mean, what are you doing over here by yourself. It's Stan's engagement party. You should be over there mixing it up."
Mary glared at her. "Yeah, because that's what I usually do."
"Look, Mary," Delia said gently, but firmly, "I understand that after your recent break-up with Keith-"
"-Kenny-"
"-whatever- that you might be feeling a little bit down about love right now..." Delia's voice trailed off as she watched Mary deliberately not looking at Marshall and Abigail. "Oh."
Mary looked at her sharply. "Oh what?"
Delia put her glass on the bar. "Mary, can I be frank with you?"
"Only if I can be Judy."
"You're in love with Marshall," Delia continued, ignoring Mary's retort. She gave Mary a hard stare to keep her from protesting. "We all know it. Well, everyone but Marshall. You have him pretty fooled."
Mary turned her head away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Delia put her hand on Mary's arm to draw her attention again. "Sure, you don't. I understand that you're scared. It's terrifying putting yourself out there."
"He's married," Mary whispered.
"Not yet."
Mary huffed. "He's engaged and almost married. It's too late... even if there was anything to say."
Delia shook her head. "It's not. I think you owe this to yourself... and to him... to tell him the truth about how you feel."
"He loves her," Mary said, her eyes welling up despite her best effort.
"Not like he loves you." Delia paused. "Mary, you don't have to be alone anymore. You just have to reach out and grab it." With that, Delia hurried away.
Marshall popped into the space that Delia vacated. "Everything okay? I... saw you and Delia talking. You look upset."
"You were watching me?" Mary gave him half a smile when he shrugged. "You always are."
"Mare?"
Mary took a deep breath. "Marshall, there's something I need to tell you. Can we go outside and talk?"
