Wow, been a long time since I've updated this one. I've struggled a little with this chapter but hopefully things will move along quicker now. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Please keep them coming!
Enjoy!
Plans, Promises and Golden Crowns
"I've got to say, after everything the two of you have been through, you both look well." Stan said as spooned some fried rice onto his plate.
They had ordered some Chinese takeout since neither Mary nor Marshall felt like cooking and knew that neither Nathan nor Stan would mind.
"Well, it was rough to start off with but we managed to make it work." Marshall replied, looking at Mary and smiling. "We got pretty settled up in Maine."
"Is that somewhere you would like to return to?" Nathan questioned.
"We haven't really discussed it yet." He answered.
"Do you think it's safe for us to go back?" Mary asked. "Or to stay here?"
"Well, like I've said back in New Hampshire, I believe most of the danger is over with." Nathan shrugged. "Everyone is either in jail or dead but you know how these things are, we can never be sure."
"I've done a bit of digging and I haven't been able to find anyone taking an interesting in you other than O'Conner." Stan added. "I think Marshall's arrest would have gotten the word out that you were back in town…"
"So either no one cares or they're getting ready to strike." Mary sighed, putting down her cutlery and Marshall reached over to take one of her hands.
"I have some of guys outside the house at all times, you'll be safe." Nathan assured her. "But I really don't think you have anything to worry about."
"So, you really think it's over?" Marshall asked his friend.
"I think anyone would be stupid to go after you now, especially since it wouldn't accomplice anything for anyone…"
"Other than pay back?" Marshall suggested.
"That's a possibility." Nathan conceded. "But no offense, I think they have more important things to deal with then couple of Marshals who did a runner just as things were kicking off."
"So, what do we do then? Just wait and see what happens?" Mary asked. "Wait and see if someone comes to kick the door down?"
"Mare, it's okay." Marshall told her.
"I can keep a team with you guys if that will make you feel safer." Nathan added.
"But where are we meant to go?" Mary questioned. "Where would you suggest we go?"
"It's not my choice to make." Nathan answer. "I could tell you, you are perfect safe here or you could return back to Maine but it wouldn't matter…What would matter would be if you felt safe…You're not going to feel safe if you're constantly looking over your shoulder."
"It's not something you need to decide to tonight." Stan told them. "I'm sure the two of you will want to discuss it alone but just know while you are here we all will do anything to help."
"Thanks, Stan." Marshall smiled gratefully at him.
"I did however tell Allison I would ask the two of you about your jobs." Stan told them. "We don't need a definite answer right now but I could do with something to keep her off all of our backs."
"Who is she and why is she so interest in us?" Mary asked.
"She's the US Marshal for our district…She hasn't had the job for long so if I were to guess I'd say she is trying to make an impression." Stan explained. "She likes to tell story about all the times she goes to the White House to meet the President…"
"What's that got to do with us?" Marshall questioned.
"You have to admit, your story is pretty interesting…A US marshal witnesses a murder and decides to go into hiding to keep everyone safe…Her partner and best friend gives up everything to go with her and then they fall in love and build a lovely new life together…"
"It has Hollywood smash hit all over it." Nathan quipped.
"Stan, please tell me she doesn't want to use us as some kind of promotional purpose…" Marshall stared at him.
"I don't know what she has planned but it wouldn't surprise me." He admitted. "That's why we need to take care of this without her…"
"Why can't we just tell her to mind her own damn business?" Mary snapped.
"Mare…" Marshall led his hand on top of hers. "It's okay…"
"I need to use the bathroom…" She pulled her hand away as she stood up.
"Is she okay?" Stan questioned after watching her walk away.
"You may have used the wrong wording…" Marshall sighed. "Don't worry, she'll be fine…"
"Wrong wording?" Stan repeated. "What did I say?"
"About me giving up everything to follow her." Marshall explained. "It took me a long time to convince her being with her is exactly what I wanted and I think she believes me but it still gets to her that she had to leave her whole life behind and she hates that I had to leave mine too…"
"I never meant to cause trouble…"
Marshall gave him a reassuring smiling. "Don't worry about it...There's just been a lot happening lately."
"Yeah, you're not kidding about that." Stan agreed. "But honestly, Marshall whatever you need, whatever you want to do then I'll do it."
"Thanks, Chief." Marshall said as he stood up. "I'm just going to check on her…"
"Do you want us to go?" Nathan asked.
"Nah, I'll be right back." Marshall shook his head. "We still have things to talk about anyway."
"Well, if you're sure." Nathan started to clear up the food. "I'll make some coffee."
"Thanks." Marshall replied before going to find Mary.
He knocked on the bathroom door before pushing it open, seeing his wife sat on the edge of the tub. "You okay?"
"The food made me a little nauseated…" She muttered as she rubbed circles her pregnant stomach.
He sat down beside her. "You sure it wasn't the conversation?"
She sighed and looked at him, annoyed. "Why did I think it was a good idea to come back here? Why didn't I listen to you?"
"Mare, you were right….We needed to come back." He claimed. "No matter what we decide we owed it to our families to explain what happened to us."
"We could have done it with a letter." She muttered and led her head on his shoulder.
He put on arm around her back and with the other rested on top of hers on her stomach. "We could have but we wouldn't have."
"So, did I miss anything? Did you decide where were going?" She entwined her fingers between his.
"You think I would decide that with them instead of you?" He looked down at her.
She glanced up at him. "You're the plan man remember."
"Yeah but this is our family...We decide these things together."
"I don't think I really care…I just want to be there."
He pressed his lips against the top of her head. "Do you want to stay here?"
"I think too much as happened to stay here."
"Okay so how about near here?" He suggested. "We could stay in New Mexico or go to Colorado or Texas…"
"Or Arizona?" She added.
"We could go Arizona…" He nodded, knowing she was suggesting it because of his family. "If it's somewhere you want to go…"
"I think it would be perfect." She sat up straight and turned slightly so she was facing him. "We can find somewhere between your family in Phoenix and everyone here in Albuquerque."
"Are you sure you don't want to go back to Maine?" He questioned.
"Do you?" She asked. "I mean, you were the one that had a career up there…I just had a job."
"You could have a career though." He told her. "Once the baby is born, you could go back to work in the Marshal Service."
"I guess but could it be that easy?" She wondered. "That we just returned to how things were?"
"We're not going to be able to go back to how thing were." He claimed. "I mean, unless you want to ditch me and pick up where you left of with Raphael."
"Don't be an idiot." She shoved him and he had to put a hand out to grab the sink to stop him from falling.
"How about we take one step at a time?" He suggested. "First, we spend some time with our families and then we can decide where we went to settle down…"
"Then what?"
"Then we focus on this one…" He put her hand on her stomach again; smiling a little he felt movement. "And on Hannah...We settled down…Everything else can wait."
Mary led her head back on his shoulder. "That sounds nice…Just the four of us."
"Wow."
"What?"
"Just hit me there is going to be four of us."
"I know, I was thinking about it before you came in here." She told him. "Thinking how when I was at this stage of pregnancy with Hannah, I was terrified."
"Me too…"
"Yeah right." Mary scoffed.
"I was!" He insisted, rubbing small circles on their unborn child. "I still am…"
"What do you have to be scared of?"
"Of something going wrong… Of losing you…both of you, then and now." He explained. "Of knowing there would be nothing I could do to stop the pain when you went into labor…"
"Hey, just say the word and we can trade places."
"I would in a heartbeat if I could…"
"God, you're such a walking cliché…" She rolled her eyes.
"Doesn't stop it from being true."
"Dork."
"Yep." He replied, not at all fazed by the insult.
"We should get out there…" She started to get to her feet.
"You sure?" He asked. "They would understand if you want to postpone… get an early night."
"No, we might as well finish this now." She replied.
"Okay, at least we have some chocolate cheesecake for dessert." He followed her out of the bathroom.
"You know the way to my heart…" She stated dryly.
Stan and Nathan were still sat around the kitchen table but now there was a pot of coffee in the center.
"Sorry about that…" Mary retook her seat and although she longed for a hot cup of coffee, she reached for the pitcher of water instead. "My bladder isn't what it used to be."
"I'll grab the dessert." Marshall headed towards the fridge.
"Mary, if I said anything to upset you…" Stan started but she held up her hand to stop him mid-sentence.
"You never, its fine." Mary assured him. "So, where were we?"
"Well, I just want you to know whatever you decide about where you go you'll have my support and I'll try my hardest to keep you all safe." Nathan declared.
"Same goes for me." Stan added. "And you don't need to worry about Allison, I can handle her."
"Thanks, that means a lot…" Marshall placed a plate of cheesecake in front of Mary and Stan before moving back to the counter to get Nathan and his own. "You've both done so much for us already…. we don't want to keep relying on you…"
Nathan rolled his eyes as he dug his spoon into the chocolate cream. "I told you not to worry about that…We're friends."
"Well, we have come to some kind of agreement regarding our future." Mary stated.
"You have?" Stan looked between the two of them. "Just now? In the bathroom?"
Mary smirked. "We had a conversation…What did you think we were doing in there?"
"What did you decide?" Nathan asked.
"We figured we might head to Arizona and see if we find anywhere we like there." Marshall told him. "I don't think either of us would feel comfortable back here…"
"But we'll be close enough that we can visit." Mary added.
Nathan nodded a little. "Sounds like a good plan…"
"What about Alison's offer about returning to the service?" Stan enquired. "Forgetting about what ulterior motive she may have, you both deserve the chance to get your career back… Even with your injury, Marshall we should still be able to find a position for you…I can make some calls."
"I don't know about Marshall but I haven't made any decision." Mary claimed. "Right now my focus is on getting the kids a home."
"Yeah and I don't know if a desk job is really for me." Marshall added.
Stan smiled a little. "Well, there is no rush, just let me know if you need to talk to some people…"
"Can we forget about us for now?" Mary asked. "Stan, you haven't told us what you've been up to since we've been gone."
"Yeah, what's the deal with you and Eleanor?" Marshall was eager for the conversation to be turned away from them for a little bit.
"We are just friend…"
"Ha, that's what we used to say." Mary waved her fork between her and Marshall.
He rolled his eyes and had to fight a smile, he had really missed them both.
XxXxX
"Morning, Squish…" Mary greeted sleepily when she walked into the kitchen the next morning and saw her sister sat at the table with a magazine in front of her. "Where is everyone?"
"Peter had to go into work to deal with a problem and Marshall is out in the yard with Hannah."
Mary moved over to the window to glance outside to spot her husband and daughter chasing a small ball around the grass.
"So, how did the last night go?" Brandi asked curiously.
Mary grabbed a glass and a bottle of orange juice from the fridge before joining her sister at the table. "Well, we didn't make any definite plans but both Stan and Nathan think that we're pretty safe now."
"That is great."
"The thing is, although it might be safe to stay here…"
"You don't want to." Brandi predicted sadly, cutting Mary off.
"It's not that we don't want to, Brandi…." Mary sighed. "It's just…it wouldn't feel right."
"Why not?"
"Because it all started here…because I don't think I would be ever relax enough to feel safe enough to stay here, no matter how many people say we're in no danger." She tried to explain.
"Oh." Brandi chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully and Mary couldn't help but see similarities between her sister and daughter. "So, you're going back to Maine?"
"We've talked about moving to Arizona." Mary informed her. "We're not sure where exactly but we wanted to go somewhere close to you all here in Albuquerque and Marshall's family."
"So, we can still see you?"
Mary smiled and reached over, placing her hand on top of Brandi. "Yeah, Squish… It'll just be a few hours' drive."
Brandi grinned widely. "Oh, Mary! That's great!"
"But there is something I want you to do for me."
"Of course…anything."
"Stay here." Mary stated. "Don't follow us to Arizona."
Hurt flashed across the younger sister's face. "You don't want us there?"
"I promise you that's it not like that." Mary assured her. "I've missed you all the last four years, Brandi but I've been talking to Peter."
"What did he say?!" She demanded.
"Nothing bad but he has been telling what you've been up." Mary replied. "He's told me that you've been working with him and how good you've gotten at your job…He's told how you've been doing some volunteering down at the homeless shelter and about all the dinner parties you host for your friends."
"See! I've changed…."
"I know, Squish…that's the point" Mary cut in. "I'm so proud of you, Brandi… You've done really well for yourself and you've done without relying on someone else to make it happen."
"I still don't understand why that means we can't live in the same state."
"It's no secret that we've a pretty rough time growing up and that there were a lot of mistakes made…by all of us but I also had to fix things…no matter how many times I complained about it or said I was going to just let you and Mom deal with your own problems, I would never just walk away." Mary stated. "But I wasn't helping you, Brandi… I never allowed you to grow up and take care of yourself…"
"Mary, if it wasn't for you I would probably be in a jail cell or dead." Brandi claimed.
"I haven't been around for the last four years, Brandi and you've done pretty well for yourself." Mary pointed out. "I just…. I don't want you giving up your life here where you have a good job and a whole bunch of friends."
"But you're my sister…"
"Look, I'm not saying this because I don't want you in my life…We're going to still see each other and we can talk on the phone and the over the internet but please, Brandi…please don't give up your life here." She asked. "And who knows what will happen in the future…Maybe Marshall and I will stay in Arizona or we might move on… May even come back here one day or maybe you guys might move closer to us but I don't want you to just because you feel you need to…You have a life here, Brandi…don't give it up just for me…I'm going to be there if you ever need anything…a few miles between us won't make a difference."
Brandi was silent for a while thinking about what she was told before speaking. "Okay."
"You understand why I'm saying this, right?"
"Yeah," Brandi nodded. "Yeah, I do."
"Okay, great…" Mary pushed herself to her feet. "Now I need some breakfast."
She was looking through the fridge when the door opened and Hannah ran in with Marshall following.
"Mama!" Hannah wrapped her arms around Mary's legs.
"Hey Little Miss…" Mary placed a hand on top of her head, running her fingers through her hair to push it out of her face.
"Hey, you're awake." Marshall greeted.
"Yep and starving…" Mary hoisted Hannah up onto her hip before returning to search the fridge.
"Take a seat and I'll fix you something." Marshall offered, joining her by the fridge.
"Fix me something or cook me something?" Mary looked at him. She was quite capable of sorting her own breakfast but if he willing to make an effort and cook for her then she wasn't going to argue.
"What would Ma'lady like?" Marshall questioned in with French accent causing Hannah to giggle and Mary to roll her eyes.
"Don't be a dork." She stepped away from the fridge. "I could go for some pancakes."
"Of course, should have known." Marshall took her place and started to pull out what he needed, looking at the expiry dates on the milk. "What's the date today?"
"May 3rd." Brandi answered.
"Marshall?" Mary said questionably when she saw him freeze.
"It's the 3rd…" He mumbled, running a hand over his face.
"Yeah, so?"
"SAT results are released today…" He sighed. "I promised Devon I'd be there."
After a rocky start, Devon Richarderson eventually began to trust Marshall and over the last four years, the two of them became close. Marshall worked hard down at the youth center and all the kids loved him and looked up to him but Devon was different…
"Call him." Mary suggested, understandingly.
"I shouldn't…"
"Marshall, you calling him is not going to put us or him in any more danger then us coming here in the first place." She claimed. "Call him."
He hesitated for a split second before stepping forward, kissing her forehead and then heading back out to the yard.
"Who's Devon?" Brandi asked once the door had closed behind him.
"One of the kids he worked with." Mary sat Hannah down at the table next to Brandi and then finished pulling the ingredients out for the pancakes.
"So, he was like a teacher?" Brandi questioned, sliding some white paper and crayons towards Hannah.
"He worked at a youth center." Mary answered. "When he first started there Devon was always getting himself into trouble but Marshall worked closely with him and been able to get him on the right path."
"And he's okay about leaving Maine and them all behind?" Brandi questioned quietly.
Mary set the eggs down on the counter to turn and look at her. "He says he is but…."
"But what?"
Mary sighed. "I don't know….Can you watch Hannah for a few minutes?"
"Yeah, sure." Brandi frowned a little and watched as Mary crossed the kitchen and out into the backyard.
When Mary stepped outside, Marshall turned to face her. "He's not picking up…"
"Well, it's still only about 9am out there and on a wekend, he's probably still sleeping."
"Yeah." Marshall looked down at the cell phone in his hand again.
"You okay?" She moved closer to him.
"Of course." He smiled.
"Marshall…We can still go back."
"What?"
"Those kids back in Maine…You care about them."
"Mare, we've gone through this…" He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I do care about them all but they'll be fine without me…Beside, they're just starting their lives, most of them will be going off to college soon and the others will follow in the next year or so…"
"But still…I saw your face when you realized you were not going to be there for Devon getting his results."
"Devon is different…" Marshall stated. "I had to work hard to gain his trust, he has already been let down by some many people but I'm sure as soon as I get hold of him, he'll understand…"
"Well, I hope so." Mary said softly, thinking back to when the teenager first become a part of her husband's life. "You've certainly earned him giving you the benefit of the doubt…."
"Hi, I'm here for Devon Richardson…" Marshall told the police officer as he approached the desk. It was strange being in a police station, an environment that he was once so comfortable with now made him feel on edge…As if the young man behind the desk (who didn't even look old enough to be a cop) would take one look at him and recognize who he really was.
The officer shuffled some paperwork before finding the right file. "Follow me, please."
He was led through a corridor towards the room where Devon was being held but Marshall stopped short of going inside. "Can you give us a minute alone?"
The officer nodded. "Sure, no problem…Just call me when you're ready to sign the paperwork."
"Thanks." Marshall watched him walk away for a second before opening the door and stepping inside.
Devon looked up at the sound of the door and scowled when he saw Marshall. Devon was tall for his age, his afro hairstyle normally added an inch to his height but today he had it braided into cornrows; If Marshall didn't know him, he could easily mistake him for a 18 year old.
"Hope you've got a good lawyer." Marshall greeted, moving to sit on the opposite side of the table that Devon was sat at. "This is what? The second time you've been caught in a stolen car."
"The first time I didn't know it was stolen, I was just catching a ride with a buddy." Devon said defensively. "And I don't need a lawyer…They're going to let me go."
"Yeah, this time but what about the next? And the time after that?" Marshall questioned. "Because you'll get caught again if you do not stop what you're doing."
"Whatever, man…You don't know what you're talking about." Devon muttered.
"Oh but I do." Marshall sighed. "Look, this is not a good path…You cannot win this way…You can realize this now and get on the right track or you can realize it later when you're in a jail cell."
Marshall knew that the teenager was putting on a act; trying to look tough but his nerves were given away by his eyes dancing all around the room and the way he kept clenching his hand together so hard his knuckles cracked.
"What do you care?"
"Care enough to come down here and bail your ass out of jail at 2am."
"No one asked you to."
"Actually, your mother did." Marshall replied. "Otherwise I'd be blissfully asleep in bed with my wife."
"My mom isn't here?" Some of the arrogance in his voice was now gone.
"No, your sister is sick and there was no one to babysit while she came down here since it's the middle of the night." Marshall told him. "So, she called me…asked me to come."
Devon was silent for a few seconds, letting the information sink in before his face hardened again. "Well, sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep…"
"Not as sorry as I am." Marshall shot back, remembering how annoyed Mary had been when the phone had rang.
"You can go…I don't need you to…I can walk home."
Marshall rolled his eyes. "You're just a child. They are not going to let you walk out here on your own."
"I'm not a kid!" Devon glared at him.
"You're 15." Marshall said. "You might act like a big man but you're not…"
"Go to hell…You don't know anything."
"I know that there is probably someone telling you to do all this stuff." Marshall answered. "That they are telling you that they will look after you…make sure you don't get into trouble and no one will mess with you…"
Devon folded his arms and leaned back in his chair but didn't speak.
"But where are they, Devon?" Marshall looked around the room to prove his point. "They're not here bailing you out…You're just some little kid they can get to do their dirty work for them…You're disposable to them."
"Vinnie wouldn't do that do to me…"
Marshall knew exactly who he was talking about, Vincent Gore. He ran a night club in the town. There were rumors of drug dealing, stolen goods, prostitution and violence but so far the police haven't been able to pin anything on the main man. Marshall couldn't help but wonder how a kid like Devon, who spent most of his free time kicking a soccer ball around with his friends, got mixed up with a guy like Gore.
"You keep telling yourself that." Marshall pushed himself to his feet. "Come on, lets go…"
It was another 45 minutes before they pulled up outside the small two bedrooms house that Devon's mother rented. Since leaving the police station, the teenager hadn't said a word but Marshall filled the silence with useless trivia that always worked well to annoy Mary.
"Where you going?" Devon questioned when he saw Marshall getting out of the car.
"Making sure you actually go inside…"
"Whatever." Devon mumbled with an eye roll and sulked up to the path towards the front door.
"Devon?" His Mom called out when she heard the door.
"Yeah…"
She appeared in the hallway. "I really don't know what to say…Getting into trouble at school…being arrested…"
"That's a lot for someone who doesn't know what to say." Devon muttered.
"Don't be smart." She pointed a finger at him warningly and then sighed tiredly when her young daughter started to cry. "Oh not again…"
Marshall stayed by the door watching the pair before Mrs. Richarderson walked up the stairs.
"I'm safely home…You can go now." Devon shot at him.
Marshall didn't leave; instead he followed Devon into the kitchen and watched him searching the fridge for something to eat.
"You should go to bed….You've got school tomorrow."
"Get lost, man."
"And a math test, right?" Marshall questioned, remembering one of the other boys from the center that was in Devon's class mentioning it.
"Like I'm going to take that…"
"You will." Marshall told him. "I'll pick you up at 7:30 and give you a ride to school."
Devon slammed the fridge door and stood up straight. "I don't need an escort…"
"It's almost 3am…which means if you go to bed now then you'll get about four years sleep…not a lot but better than none." Marshall ignored his comment. "The more tired you are, the worse you'll do one that test…"
Devon just stared at him. "Not like I'm going to do great to begin with…"
"Well, take the test tomorrow and then we can see what you do know and what you don't…The teacher will probably let you re-sit it in a week or so."
"We?" Devon repeated. "Where the hell does the 'we' fit in? It'll be me."
"True, it'll be you who's taking the test but I'll help you study." Marshall shrugged. "I'm pretty good with math."
"I don't understand…"
"I want to help you, Devon but I can't do it all for you." Marshall stated. "You've got to trust me."
"Why should I?" Devon asked. "Vinnie says…"
"Forget about Vinnie… He doesn't care about you." Marshall cut in. "He'll sell you out quicker than you can blink…"
"I can take care of myself." Devon stood up straight. "Vinnie said he'll give me a job and I can earn some money…"
"Devon, the job he is offering is not worth the money or the risks." Marshall advised.
"Why don't you just mind your own business?" The teenager snapped in frustration. "You think you know everything about me? You think I want to do this?"
"Why are you then?"
"Because I need to…Because Mom can't work because she can't afford to pay anyone to take care of Kiera…" Devon explained. "It's not like I'm smart enough to get into college anyway, I might as well start working and help with money now…."
"Devon, your mom doesn't want you pay your way…She would probably like you to help out with chores and things but she wants you to stay in school and out of trouble…"
"I'm the man of the house…It's my job…."
"Your job is to be a kid." Marshall insisted. "If you don't want to go to college then that okay but don't just give up because you don't think you deserve or can't have it…"
"I'm not one of the geeks and there is no way we have the money to pay for it."
"You don't need to be a geek, you just need to try a bit harder…" Marshall tried to assure him. "And from what I hear, you're pretty good at soccer…They give scholarships out…"
"Not to people like me…"
"Devon…" Marshall sighed tiredly. "If this is something you want then we can work on it together…"
"There's that we again…"
"I know you've been let down before but you have to learn to trust some people someday…might as well start with me." Marshall answered. "I promise I'll try my best not to let you down…"
"What about stopping treating me a like a kid?" Devon asked cautiously.
Marshall smiled a little. "How about I only treat you like a kid when you need to be treated like a kid."
Devon narrowed his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling that means nothing will change…"
"Go get some sleep." Marshall just grinned. "I'll see you at 7:30."
Devon sighed in defeat and did as he was told. Marshall heard him saying goodnight to his Mom before she appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.
"I heard what you said to him." She said softly, bouncing her 9month old in her arms. "Thank you…I appreciate the trouble you're going to."
Marshall just shrugged. "It's nothing…I promised I would do all I can to help the kids when I took the job."
"I don't think that means going this far."
"Mrs. Richardson…"
"Lorna, please…"
"Lorna." He amended. "Your son has just fallen in with the wrong people…He's a smart kid, despite what he says and I'm sure we can get him back on track."
"I hope you right." Lorna sighed tiredly. "Can I get you a drink?"
"No, I should get home…My wife will probably be waiting up even though I told her not to." Marshall replied, smiling at the baby and held out a finger to her.
"I hear you'll be having one of your own soon." Lorna commented, watching as her daughter gripped onto his finger.
"Yep, in about 5 weeks now."
She smiled softly. "You must be getting excited."
"Oh yeah, I can't wait." Marshall couldn't help but return the smile. "But I'm starting to get nervous too…"
"I'm sure you'll be fine." She assured him. "Everyone has those feelings."
Marshall didn't say how most his anxiety came from being located by the people they had been running from and also the fact they couldn't share this time with their families.
"Do you know if it's a boy or girl?" Lorna asked.
"A girl." Marshall couldn't help but smile at again. Although he was would have loved to have a son, he was ecstatic to be having a daughter. His wife had said he was crazy when he told her he wanted a mini-Mary.
"Well, teething in the early hours of the morning aside…" Lorna looked down her daughter. "Kiera has been a blessing…all children are…even when they turn into moody teenagers."
Marshall laughed. "It's been an adventure working with them down at the center, that's for sure."
"You're doing just fine." Lorna patted his arm. "Everyone is impressed with what you're doing down there."
"I enjoy it." Marshall told her. "But it's nice to hear I'm doing good job."
"If you can get Devon on the straight and narrow then you'll be a miracle worker."
"I don't know about that but I'll try my best." Marshall assured her. "I really should get going."
"I'll walk you out." Lorna followed him to the front door.
"I hope you get chance to sleep soon." Marshall said, turning to face her again when he had stepped outside, smiling a little when he saw Kiera's head was now resting on Lorna's shoulders, her eyes almost closed.
"Oh me too…" Lorna laughed lightly.
Marshall bid her goodnight once more before heading for his car. When he was sat in driver's seat, he pulled out his cell and wasn't surprised to see a miss call from Mary. Glancing at the time, he saw it was coming close to 3:30am but he knew his wife would want him to call her.
"Hello…" She greeted sleepily.
"Hey,"
"Did you bust him out or leave him there?" She mumbled and he could picture her burying her face into her pillow while she talked to him.
"I'm just leaving his house now."
"You'll be home soon, then?"
He paused for a moment before answering. "There is something I need to do first…"
"Marshall…" She whined slightly. "Don't go and do something stupid….Just come home."
"I need to do this…" He told her.
"But…"
"I'll be fine." He assured her. "I promise."
"Fine." He heard her sigh loudly and burying her face in the pillow again. "But if you're not, I'll kill you myself."
He chuckled lightly. "Go back to sleep…"
She mumbled something inaudible and he waited for her to hang up first before putting the phone down.
There was hardly any traffic on the roads and it didn't take long for Marshall to arrive at the Golden Crown club.
He walked past the doormen confidently, despite knowing he was being watched closely and curiously. He wasn't surprised that there were very few people in the club since it was early hours of Friday morning. He walked straight up the bar, when a waitress left the glasses she was cleaning to serve him.
"What can I get you?" She asked, looking him up and down.
"I'm looking for your boss."
"Look buddy, if you're here to cause trouble then…"
"No trouble…just want to have a conversation." Marshall held up his hands, glancing over his shoulder at group of men sat playing cards. "Is he over there?"
"Yeah, in the red shirt." She nodded. "Hey, Vinnie…someone here to see you."
Vinnie looked over in the direction as Marshall began to approach the table. "I can help you with something?"
"I want to talk to you about Devon Richarderson."
"Who?"
"The 15 year old who was arrested tonight for stealing a car for you."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Vinnie laughed. "I don't employee kids…"
Marshall rolled his eyes. "I want you to leave him alone."
Vinnie stared at him and Marshall refused to break eye contact. Vinnie Gore might be a big deal around this town but Marshall had faced a lot more dangerous people throughout his time as a marshal.
"Take a seat." Vinnie offered, gesturing to the other men at the table to stand up and waited until Marshall sat opposite him before continuing. "I get kids hanging around here all the time, looking to make some spare cash…"
"So, you figure since they can't come in here and serve drinks, you'd send them out to steal cars and sell your drugs."
Vinnie stared at him, surprised and irritated by his blatant approach. "You know, I don't think we've been formerly introduced…"
"No but I know all about you." Marshall leaned little closer to him across the table, making sure to be aware of Vinnie's crew who weren't stood too far away, watching the exchange. "And I know you use these kids to do your dirty work and then let them take the blame…You ruin their lives because you're too scared to take the risks yourself."
Marshall noticed the other man's jaw clench tightly before he lent back in his chair, trying to act like he wasn't bothered by Marshall's accusations.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Vinnie said coolly. "And you don't know who you're messing with."
Marshall tilted his head to the side slightly. "I've dealt with bigger scum then you before…I think, I'll be okay…"
Vinnie began to laugh, looking around at his crew who all started to laugh too. Marshall kept watching Vinnie, his own smile getting bigger when he saw Vinnie making a predictable move.
"Look, here you punk…" Vinnie stopped laughing and tried to sound menacing. "Who the hell do you think you are…?"
Marshall didn't hesitate when he saw the flash of a gun. He reached across the table, slamming his right hand down on Vinnie's wrist, causing him to cry out and drop the weapon to the table whilst Marshall reached down and pulled out his own that he still carried.
"Anyone moves and the Boss of the year, prize is a bullet to the head." Marshall warned, not taking his eyes on the man across the table from him.
"What the hell do you want?" Vinnie grounded out through is clenched teeth as Marshall tightened his grip on his wrist.
"I told you, I want you to leave Devon Richarderson alone." Marshall said calmly. "And any other kids you might be thinking of employing…If I hear of any of them working for you then I'll come back here."
Vinnie managed to smirk a little. "You and who else?"
"I don't need anyone else." Marshall shrugged, reaching across the table with his left hand and used the sleeve of his shirt to slid Vinnie's gun towards him, making sure he didn't get any fingerprints on it. "I'm betting the police will be very interested in this gun…"
Vinnie narrowed his eyes at him. "You're making a big mistake..."
"Here is the deal...If you do anything that I don't like, I'm going to hand this gun into the police...I'm sure with your fingerprints all over it, they'll have enough evidence to put you away for a long time…"
Marshall knew it was a big risk he was taking but judging by the look on Vinnie's face, he was right and that the gun was linked to something. He said no more as he slipped the gun into his pocket before releasing his hold on Vinnie.
"Nice meeting you." He grinned as he stood up.
"I'm going to get you for this." Vinnie claimed.
"Well, I'll look forward to that." Marshall said as he begun to walk away, his hand still on his own gun, just in case but nothing happened other than sound of a table being pushed over and Vinnie starting to rant angrily at his crew.
Once he was in the car, Marshall called Nathan and asked him to look into Vinnie, filling him in on what had happened. When he got home, he locked the stolen gun away in the safe in his office before climbing into bed. He groaned quietly when he saw it was already 5am, knowing he had to get up in an hour and a half if he was going to keep his promise to Devon.
"Did you do something stupid?" Mary mumbled, rolling over and throwing an arm across him.
"Me?" He asked innocently. "Never."
"Uh-huh…" She replied, fighting to stay awake as she rested her head on his chest. "Why don't I believe you?"
"Don't worry about it." He said softly, running his hand over her pregnant stomach, smiling when he felt movement. "How's our girl been?"
"She was asleep until you started talking and touching me…" Mary sat up, sending him an annoyed looked. "Now I have to pee."
"Sorry." He helped her to stand before watching as she stumbled sleepily towards their bathroom.
She was back within a few minutes, yawning. "You not tired?"
He shrugged a little. "I might just stay up…I promised Devon I'd pick him up 7:30 and take him to school."
"I hope he's worth all this effort…" She stated, climbing back into bed and returning to her position in his arms despite him telling her he wasn't going to sleep.
Marshall didn't answer; instead he just kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around her.
"Marshall?"
He snapped back to the present and saw Mary watching him curiously.
"You okay?" She asked. "Where did you just go then?"
"Just thinking…" He sighed, running a hand down his face. "He was worth all the effort, you know…"
Marshall had never told her what had happened that night but he knew she had probably guessed he warned off Vinnie Gore. Marshall knew he was risking a lot by making enemies but thankfully Nathan came through for him and within a week of the incident, Vinnie's club had been raided and he was arrested for possession of drugs. His so called crew all turned their back on him without hesitation and was sentence to 25 years in prison.
"I know that." Mary frowned a little. "I like Devon, he's a good kid…"
"Yeah…" Marshall looked down at his cell phone once more.
"Did you leave him a message?"
"Yeah, told him to call me." Marshall prayed that Mary was right and Devon wasn't answering his phone because was still sleeping and not because the teenager felt betrayed by their last minute, secret move.
"Then he'll call you back." Mary took the phone out of his hand.
"You're right." Marshall forced a small smile. "Come on, I think I remember promising someone breakfast."
"Damn right….We're starving."
"We?"
"Tadpole and me." She pointed to her stomach. "He's a growing boy…"
"She's a growing girl…"
"Yeah, we'll see." She grabbed his hand pulled him backwards into house.
TBC
So, a little insight to what Marshall has been up to. Please review and tell me what you think!