Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot. Please keep them coming.

Enjoy!

To the End of the Earth

Handcuffs and Grudges

It didn't take long for Nathan to be shown to the room where Marshall was being held, making him feel a little better about the whole thing, his calls to his contacts had obviously worked or he wouldn't have gotten past the front disk. There was also a small part of him that feared Marshall wouldn't be there, that someone would have taken the opportunity to settle the score.

He saw one of his team, Tony standing guard outside the door and waited until the FBI agent who had shown him through had walked away before speaking.

"So, have they spoken to him yet?" Nathan asked. "Has anything been said?"

"No, as soon as we got here, we made it clear that he wouldn't be speaking to anyone until he had his lawyer present."

"Good…"

"But there is a small thing…"

Nathan narrowed his a little. "How small?"

"They think he's a cop killer…"

"Tony…"

"He got roughed up a bit…"

"What do you mean a bit?!"

"Black eye, split lip…and probably some bruised ribs…"

"Jesus, Tony!"

"It happened before we got here." He claimed. "We've made sure one of us has been with him ever since."

Nathan sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Where O'Conner?"

"He went off somewhere." Tony shrugged. "Said to let him know when you got here."

"Get him." Nathan told him. "Tell him, he better get down here fast or Marshall and I are walking out…"

Tony paused for a second. "Can you do that?"

"If he messes me around, then you just watch me." He answered before pushing open the interview room door.

Once inside, he nodded to Lucas, his other agent, telling him to leave. He silently moved across the room and took a seat across the table from Marshall.

"You doing okay?"

Marshall lifted his head and glared at his friend.

"Okay, stupid question." Nathan held up his hands in defense. "What happened?"

"They think that I killed their buddy…Trying to get even, I guess." Marshall winced a little as he shifted in his chair. "Can you see someone about getting these cuffs off me?"

"Surprised you don't know a magic trick to free yourself." Nathan commented he stood up, moving around the table and pulled a pocketknife out.

"You know O'Conner is going to pretty pissed at you, right?" Marshall said as Nathan began at picking the lock. "He's a control freak and won't like you coming in messing with his case."

"He'll have to deal with it." Nathan replied, stepping back and removing the cuffs.

"Thanks." Marshall rubbed his wrists but Nathan could see he was struggling to move his right arm. "You could have just asked someone to un-cuff me, though."

"I like to cause trouble when I can." He smirked before retaking his seat. "What do you think O'Conner is up to? You think he was a part of the corruption?"

"No." Marshall shook his head. "I think he's nuts and probably on his last chance as far as his career goes but I don't think he's corrupt."

"So, you think this about Mary and getting even over what happened with her sister?"

"Only thing I can think of…I could see him trying to prove he was right all along…that Mary was guilty of whatever he thinks she's guilty of." Marshall told him. "Maybe he thinks that it will help his career if he can prove it."

"Anything I need to know about what happened before he gets here?"

"Like what?"

"Like what really happened?" Nathan asked. "I've read the notes…I know that there was supposedly some coke that meant missing…"

"Mary did nothing wrong." Marshall said defensively. "Let's get that straight, right now."

"I believe you." Nathan assured him. "But what about Brandi?"

Marshall sighed. "That's where things get tricky."

"So you think she was involved in the drugs deal?"

"Her boyfriend was…there's no doubting that but Brandi is easily influence…I think, if she did have some involvement, she changed her mind." Marshall claimed. "She did the right thing by calling the police…even if it was anonymously."

"And what happened to the drugs?"

"No idea." Marshall shrugged. "And to be honest, I don't think Brandi has a clue either."

"They couldn't have just vanished…"

"Well, they did but this all old news…There is no way O'Conner can bring that up now without becoming a laughing stock and getting ridiculed by everyone in the FBI…Also from what I've seen, Brandi has sorted herself out…kept herself out of trouble."

"So, if it's not that…then what?"

"Could be just revenge…Messing with us because he can?" Marshall suggested. "Or he actually thinks I did it."

"Hmmm…" Was Nathan's reply as he thought about it all.

"You know I didn't, right?"

"Didn't want?" He asked, looking back to Marshall.

"Kill him." Marshall claimed. "You know it wasn't me that killed Marcus."

Nathan stared at him for a few seconds. "Of course I know you didn't, idiot."

"Just checking…"

"I know exactly where you were when it happened and I also know that someone was arrested and found guilty of his murder because of pretty damning evidence." Nathan started. "Which makes me wonder how O'Conner has been allowed to get this far with his little theory…?"

"Because he has an ulterior motive…"

"And even if I didn't know all that, I know you wouldn't have killed Marcus." Nathan continued. "I know you guys were good friends…"

Marshall sighed quietly, guilt creeping over him…He couldn't help feel responsible for Marcus' death…he had died protecting him. He thought back to the day they had found out about it. Nathan had turned up personally to tell them the news and it was first time and only time until today that Mary had met Nathan…..

Mary hummed as she moved around the kitchen, tiding up as she prepared dinner. She had worked the morning shift at the café and finished at 3pm while Marshall didn't get home until about 6pm which meant she had another twenty minutes. She wondered what her Stan, Eleanor and her family would say if they saw her now. She never cooked while she was at home and while she wasn't the best chef, she was slowly starting to master certain dishes. Then there was her relationship with Marshall. They had slipped easily into their relationship and while they had only become husband and wife as part of their story but Mary now considered their marriage real…even if they had only been officially together for a few months. She missed her family and Stan and while working in the café wasn't actually her ideal job, she did enjoy it. If they got told they could go back to their old lives, she wasn't sure if she would want to. It was the first time in her life that she enjoyed all aspects of her life. She liked her job. She loved her house. She loved her man. They had a good life together and it was something she didn't want to give up.

She was surprised when she heard the doorbell, hesitating before moving out of the kitchen and down the hall. Living so far from the town meant that they rarely got surprised visitors. She checked the peephole and didn't recognize the guy on the other side. Sliding the security chain on, she opened the door slightly.

"Yes?"

"Hi…I'm looking for Marshall….I'm a friend."

"I know all his friends." Mary replied.

The guy smiled. "You must be Mary."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

"I was in the area and thought I'd drop by."

"Right…" Mary said slowly, unconvinced. "Well, he's not here right now…"

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll wait…"

Mary just looked at him for a few seconds, wondering what the best thing to do was. Marshall was due home any minute and while she didn't trust this guy, she didn't want Marshall to turn up to find him hanging around outside.

"Okay, hold on a minute…" Mary closed the door, reaching into the desk draw and pulled her gun. She tucked into the back of her jeans before removing the chain and re-opening the door. "Come in."

He smiled at her but then the second he stepped over the threshold, she whipped the gun out and pointed it at him.

"Well, I should have seen that coming…" He commented, holding up his hands."

She reached into the draw again and pulled out a pair of cuffs this time. "Put these on."

"I'm not here to hurt you…" He told her but did as she said.

"Whatever." She replied and when he had clicked the cuffs on, she took his arm and pulled him roughly to the living room; pushing him down onto the couch. "Don't move."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Mary gave him another glare before stepping back a little, pulling her cell phone out while keeping the gun trained on his back.

"Hey, Mare…" Marshall answered after a few rings.

"Hey, how long you going to be?" She asked quietly.

"About ten minutes…What's up?"

"We have company…"

"What?"

"Some guy has turned up…He's cuffed on the couch but I don't know if he's alone or not."

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be better when you get here…" She told him.

"I'll be as quick as I can…"

"Be quicker." She said, before hanging up.

She moved across to the window and closed the curtains before peeking out of them to check the surrounding area but all she could see was trees. Sighing, she moved away again, pressing her back against the wall where she could keep an eye on their guest.

Marshall arrived within five minutes of the phone call, entering the room with his own gun drawn.

"Mare, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine."

"Hey, buddy…Finally got to meet your girl…She seems nice."

"Nathan?" Marshall lowered his gun slightly as his friend turned his head to look at him.

"You're Nathan?!" Mary stepped away from the wall.

"Nice to meet you." He smirked.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" She demanded as Marshall un-cuffed him.

"You didn't actually ask who I was…" He shrugged.

"What are you doing here?" Marshall questioned.

"I have news."

"Good news?" Mary wondered, moving to Marshall's side.

"Some good…Some bad."

Mary and Marshall looked at each other before back to him.

"What happened?" Marshall asked.

"Why don't you guys take a seat and I'll tell you."

Marshall took Mary's hand and pulled her over to the armchair, waiting until she was sat down before taking a seat on the arm of the chair, not once letting go of her hand.

"Okay, so go on…" Marshall said once they were settled.

"There have been a lot of arrests over the last couple days….So far there have been about 43 from all across law enforcement as well as some major players in the drug world." Nathan told them. "There are probably going to be a lot more but it's bound to break on the news in the next couple of hours…I wanted to give you guys a heads-up."

"What does that mean for us?" Mary questioned.

"Well, the men that were at the house when Jacob Kyle was murdered were the first to be arrested…It didn't take them long to start talking, admitting to the murder but also giving names." Nathan told them. "So, it's pretty unlikely that you'll be needed to give evidence…"

"So, it's over?" Marshall looked at Mary quickly.

"There is still a long way to go as far as the investigation goes but all the people that were a direct threat to you are behind bars." He claimed.

"We're safe to go back to Albuquerque?" Mary asked.

"Possible…"

"Nathan." Marshall gave him a look. "Just tell us."

"From all accounts, the people after you are pretty small fry in all of these…the higher players…the ones that are still out there would be crazy if they tried to come after you…and there is no reason for them to now since the only threat was you identifying Kyle's murders." He stated. "But you know how these things work… I cannot guarantee anything."

"Basically, what you're saying is that it probably won't ever be safe to go back?" Marshall predicted.

"In my opinion, it would be risky to go back to your old lives…" He said softly. "But that doesn't mean that sometime in the future you couldn't get in touch with your families."

Mary looked up at Marshall, wondering how he felt now that the last chance of going home and back to the job he was born to do was gone. She wondered whether she was going to be enough for him or if he would start regretting his decision now.

"Well, I guess nothing much is going to change…" He said, squeezing Mary's hand. "So, is that everything? If that's the bad news, then I guess we got off lightly considering."

"Actually, that wasn't it."

"I knew it." Mary muttered.

"The thing that started all this was Marcus." He started. "He began receiving threats because of his involvement in the case and also for information about your whereabouts."

"But he doesn't know where we were…" Mary cut in.

"I know but they obviously didn't….After a few weeks and a couple of attempts on his life, he was taken into protective custody." Nathan told them. "But he contacted me after a few days…he didn't feel safe…he had discovered several corrupt officers and agents so knew how serious this was getting."

Marshall opened to his mouth to ask what was so bad about that but even though it had been a long time since he last saw Nathan, he still knew him…he knew this was something more serious than Marcus going into witness protection.

"You didn't get to him in time?" He guessed.

Mary's head turned quickly towards him, her eyes widening. "What?"

"He was killed two days ago." Nathan said quietly. "I'm sorry…"

"God…" Marshall let go of her hand and rubbed his eyes. "God…no…"

"He was smart…set up surveillance and his murder was caught on camera." Nathan continued.

Mary sat forward a little so she could turn her body towards Marshall, rubbing her hands in circles on his leg, trying to comfort him. "I'm so sorry…"

He looked down at her with sad eyes, lowering one hand to squeeze her shoulder.

"I wanted to come tell you myself…I didn't want you to see it on the news." Nathan told him.

"I can't believe this…"

"He knew what he was doing so don't even think about feeling guilty, either of you." He continued. "He knew you would do the same for him if the role was reversed and there is no way he could just sit back and let them get away with this."

"Yeah…" Marshall agreed but didn't sound convinced.

"Look, I'll go… let you guys take all this in."

"Where are you going to go?" Marshall asked, standing up when Nathan did. "We've got a spare room if you need somewhere to stay."

"Nah, you guys need some space." He told them. "But I saw a bed and breakfast back in the town so I'll be around if you have any more questions or need anything."

"I'll give you a call tomorrow…." Marshall nodded a little, following him out of the room. "Maybe we can grab a drink or something…Raise a glass to Marcus."

"Yeah, that's a plan." Nathan shook his hand before heading for the door.

When Marshall returned, Mary crossed over to him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered. "I know Marcus was a good friend…"

"Yeah, he was…" He sighed, holding her tightly. "So, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" She pulled back a little to look up at him.

"For the rest of our life?" He cupped her cheek gently.

She stared up into his eyes and again began to contemplate their life. It was so different to just a few months back and she couldn't help but think it shouldn't be working, they shouldn't be happy…but they it was and they were. She realized for the first time that she could live without being a marshal but she couldn't imagine retuning to how things used to be. She couldn't live without his arms around her during the night…his soft kisses in the morning… the normal, easy routine they had where they passed items and ingredients to each other wordlessly as they prepared breakfast and coffee…the text messages they sent each other throughout the day, with still the same banter and wit they had back in New Mexico….the conversations over dinner about their day, filling each other in on what they missed…never going to bed feeling lonely or scared…but then she thought about him…about the life, the family, the legacy he left behind… It seemed like he had given up more than her…

"I am." She whispered. "Are you?"

He smiled and pressed his lips against her forehead. "You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this…"

She instantly relaxed into his arms, taking comfort in the sound of his heartbeat

"So, Mr. Mann, are you ready to talk now?" O'Conner entering the room snapped him back to reality. "Or do you not go by Mann anymore?"

"I'm a man of many identities…" Marshall replied.

O'Conner stared at him for a few second before deciding not to rise to the bait. He looked to his left at the other agent. "I thought he was cuffed…"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." Nathan pulled the handcuffs from his pocket and dropped them on the table. "Been a while since I had to pick a lock…I couldn't resist."

"I didn't catch your name earlier…" O'Conner glared at him. "Who are you again?"

"I didn't give you my name earlier but I bet if you answered the calls you were getting from you bosses then you would know who I am."

"Can we get this over with…my head is banging." Marshall cut in.

"Yeah about that…" Nathan looked from back to O'Conner. "What happened between the house and here? And don't tell me he tripped."

O'Conner looked Marshall up and down, frowning a little, making Nathan wonder whether he hadn't noticed the bruising before now. "I'll look into that…

"Make sure you do." Nathan sat down beside Marshall.

"Right, where have you been for the past four years?" O'Conner took his own seat opposite them.

"He's not answering that." Nathan said.

"I don't think you realize the seriousness of this situation…This is a murder investigation."

"Yeah, one that was solved three years ago." Nathan rolled his eyes. "What is it that you really want, O'Conner?"

"I want to know how where you been and who you've been with."

"Not information you need to know." Nathan claimed.

"It is if they were helped by a wanted fugitive."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

Marshall let out a laugh. "He's talking about Mary's Dad…"

"James Shannon is on the FBI most wanted listed…"

"Okay, we're done here." Nathan cut him off and stood up. "Come on, Marshall."

"You cannot just walk out of here!" O'Conner jumped to his feet to block them. "He is under arrest."

"Well, I suggest you release him and stop wasting all our time."

"You really think I would go to him for help?" Marshall asked him. "You think after everything he did to Mary I would let him anywhere near her?"

"Oh how sweet…" O'Conner replied sarcastically.

"I come from a family of marshals…do you not think if I needed to turn to anyone it would be them?" Marshall continued.

"Look, you disappear for over four years without a trace just like someone else…"

"Release him, O'Conner…now!" Nathan insisted.

"Sir…" The other FBI agent spoke for the first time. "Maybe you should…."

O'Conner looked at him for a few second, his jaw clenched tightly. "I'm not done with this…"

"Yes you are." Nathan replied as O'Conner stormed from the room.

"I'll get the paperwork together to get you out of here." The agent said.

Marshall sighed in relief when the door closed behind him. "I don't know how to thank you…"

"Oh please, it's been a while since I had to play lawyer…It was fun."

Marshall smiled a little. "You know, I owe more than I could ever repay…"

"Hey, we've been through this, remember? You saved my family's lives…there is nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"I think we're pretty even now."

"Let's wait until this is all over before you say that." Nathan claimed and then changed the conversation. "Once we're done here, I want a doctor to check you over."

"I'm fine…just a few bruising."

"And your arm?"

"That's nothing…"

"You were shot and had the bullet removed in some dingy hotel….It needs to be check out."

He sighed. "Just get me home to Mary and Hannah then we'll discuss it."

"Fine, have it your way." Nathan held up his hands. "But Mary is on my side on this."

"Yeah, I could have guessed that." He muttered.

TBC

Please review and let me know what you think!