Author's Note: Special thanks to JMS529, Meg, JJ2008, BrittanyLS, Jojo78, Jayne Leigh, and thena-ditey for the reviews! Sorry for the delay in these, but I am months behind at this point.

QUOTE PROMPT #173 – MARY/MARSHALL

"Can I at least state my case first?"

"There is nothing that you can say to make this better," Mary informed him.

"But-"

Mary shook her head. There was a slight quiver in her chin. "No. I don't want to hear the positive side. I don't want you to wax poetically. This is not good. It's not. I was a fool to ever agree to it in the first place. I'm forty-four years old. I'm raising two kids. It was an insane idea."

Marshall grabbed her into a tight hug. "It wasn't an insane idea. I know you're tired, but you did this because you love me. And because I love you. We're good together." He pulled back to look at her. "Don't you think so?"

"I-" Mary's retort died in her throat when she saw the fear in his eyes. "Of course, we're good together. Still, this is going to take a lot of work; a lot of work and a huge lifestyle change."

"But it'll be worth it in the end. I promise. The baby will be worth it!"

"Baby?!" Mary repeated in disbelief. "Marshall, it's three!"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, you know, I was always an overachiever."

She pushed him, causing him to trip over his own feet and land on his butt. "I hope it was worth it because you're never touching me again."

QUOTE PROMPT #174 – MARY/MARSHALL

"You know, you look very stressed. This is not good."

"Is everything okay with Brandi?" Marshall asked as he sat down next to Mary. It was late fall, but warm enough for Marshall to host a cook-out while Stan was in town.

"She's fine," Mary grunted around a bite of her hamburger.

Marshall shot her a disgusted look. "She looks... stressed."

Mary sighed. "She has a newborn with colic. Of course, she's stressed."

"It's more than that," he countered. He studied Mary for a moment. "And you know it, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Marshall frowned. "Why are you hiding this from me? Why are hiding everything in your life lately that isn't going perfectly smooth." He grew frustrated when she shrugged. "Don't do that. Don't blow me off. I'm supposed to be your best friend, but you're blocking me from me that. You've been doing it for months."

Mary tossed her burger onto her plate. "I'm doing what you asked me to do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her.

"Leave it alone," she replied, standing up.

Marshall stood also. "No. I'm not letting you run anymore. What did you mean?"

Mary folded her arms across her chest. "I mean that you asked me to step back, to not call you, and that's what I did."

"But that was before-"

"Before Abigail left?" she finished. She threw her hands up. "It doesn't make a difference. There will always be another one."

Ire flashed through his eyes. "I think you're mistaking me for you. I'm not the one with a new guy every other month."

Mary's jaw dropped. "Go to hell, Marshall!" She stomped away towards Brandi, snagging Norah on her way. "Let's go, Brandi. We're leaving!"

"But-"

"Get in the car now, Brandi, or find your own way home!" Mary ordered.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Marshall shouted. In one swoop, she took Norah from her mother and deposited her into Stan's surprised arms and grabbed Mary's arm, pushing her into the house. "How long are you going to punish me for that speech?"

She glared at him. "I'm not punishing you."

Marshall refused to release her arm, no matter how much she tugged. "Correction, you're not punishing just me. You're punishing yourself, too." He sighed when she refused to say anymore. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. That was never my intention. I was trying to save us."

"From what?" Mary whispered.

"From this limbo that we seem to be stuck in where neither of moves on because our emotional needs are being met by each other, but our spiritual and physical needs are not. It's not good for either of us."

Mary glanced away. "So, maybe we, instead of pushing each other away, we should start meeting those spiritual and physical needs for each other."

He gripped her shoulders. "Do you know what you're saying? Because there's no backing out of this for me. With you, it's forever."

"With you, Marshall, how could it be anything else?"

QUOTE PROMPT #175 – MARY/MARSHALL

"Why? I have you as a friend. You changed my future once, right?"

"Hey," Mary said, walking into the kitchen where Marshall was feeding Norah.

"Hey, yourself." He rose to give her a quick kiss before returning his attention back to Norah. "So, Delia called. She wants us to meet the new man in her life."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"Because they're getting serious and she wants us to check him out," Marshall explained, patiently.

"Okay, but why us?"

Marshall gave her a look. "Because we're her friend."

She groaned. "Really? I have you. Isn't that enough friends?"

"Well, it's a start, but wouldn't it be nice to have some more? Ones that you don't," Marshall paused to cover Norah's ears, "have to sleep with?"

"Eh." Mary shrugged her shoulders. "It just seems exhausting having friends. You're enough of a pain, but at least I'm getting something out of it." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Down, boy. I was talking about you doing laundry."

Marshall laughed loudly at that. "Well, I still think it would be good for you to have another friend. Someone that you could complain about me to. Someone that you could go out and have fun with and not worry about what your mother is doing with Norah because I'll be here to watch her." He stood again and wrapped his arms around her. "Besides, I remember befriending someone once who claimed that she didn't need any friends and I somehow managed to change her life."

Mary shot him half a grin. "That you did. Okay, fine, we'll meet Delia's new man."

"Great." He lowered his hands to squeeze her butt. "And if you're a good girl, I'll give you a special treat." Marshall moved his lips to the outside of her ear to whisper, "I'll do the dishes for a week."