Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the delay! I'll try with all my might to post more regularly.

Mary rolled over and stretched, a huge smile on her face, Marshall had not visited her dreams the previous night. She sat up, pushed the blankets off and got out of bed while humming the entire time. She usually wasn't a morning person, but the fact that she had finally escaped the dream realm where Marshall was her roommate gave her the ultimate high.

That is until, she walked into her adjoining bathroom and looked herself in the mirror, there in her eyes, she could see the sadness that she wouldn't let herself feel. She shook off the feeling, turned the shower on and undressed before getting under the hot water spray.

After she was done with her morning routine, she went to find Norah; the tot was sitting on her crib and stood immediately after spotting her mother at her bedroom door.

"Morning Bug," she walked to the crib and pulled the 10 month old child up in her arms, blowing raspberries on the child's belly.

"Mama!" Norah giggled and held onto Mary's damp hair.

"Come on, breakfast is awaiting"

An hour later, still on her high she dropped Norah off at Mark's place before driving to work. She swiped her card on the gate doors and walked into the office. She saw Delia in the conference office on her cell phone, she looked over to Marshall's office and saw him on his office phone, he didn't look happy at all. Not like his usual self, she noted that he was still wearing the same clothes from the previous day.

Then it hit her, her happy demeanor vanished the moment her eyes saw him, she had really missed him the previous night, her chest felt tight. Even when she ignored him in her dreams, she at least had him.

Mary frowned as she sat behind her desk, shrugged off the feeling of forgetting something, something that was supposed to be important. She had just logged onto her computer when she saw Marshall slam the phone down. She looked over to his office and waited to see if he would let her know what had upset him. Then remembered that they didn't share anymore.

Marshall had seen Mary enter the office with a calm smile on her face and scowled, he hadn't left the office because of a witness that needed to get transferred to Albuquerque, NM. He had been dealing with the final details of the new witness to even go home, meaning that he hadn't slept the previous night. He hadn't dreamed of his Mary, and he sorely missed her. At this point, he didn't care that she ignored him and the stupid sex bed; at least they were together, a team.

He walked out and stopped by her desk, "Morning Mare, had a good night?"

She looked up at him startled, she had not been expecting that question, "Uh…yeah I guess, could've been better…"

She didn't elaborate and he nodded as he saw Delia through the glass in the conference room, "Delia's going on a witness transfer and no, you're not going this time."

"What do you mean; I'm not going this time? What the hell's that about?" Mary stood up and walked around her desk to stand toe to toe with her Chief.

"Mare, I need you here, Cheryl needs you here," he explained as he reminded her about her new witness that hadn't had a good transfer and was still reeling about it.

"Cheryl will be fine for a day or two," she scoffed as she walked over to the kitchenette to get a cup of coffee.

Marshall followed close behind, checking out her behind since she couldn't see him doing it, "No, you know the signs are there, she's ready to do something and we can't risk you being gone for her to pull something off."

She turned and leaned against the counter as she watched Marshall take down his own mug to pour himself another cup of coffee, "What number is that?"

He looked down at the coffee and grimaced, he didn't have to ask what she was talking about, he already knew, he understood her language and how fast she would change subjects, "Uh…20? I lost count after 5."

"I could've stayed late and helped with this transfer I'm not going on," she muttered as she took a sip of her too hot coffee.

"I know," and he did know, but he also knew that spending the night at the office opposed to spending it with her daughter wasn't something he wanted to take from her.

The day was spent running around getting Delia ready for her transfer and Mary trying to tie her witness down before she made too much damage. By the time it was time for Mary to go home, she didn't fight to stay and went home to go to sleep. Dream Marshall awaited and she couldn't wait.

She stood for a minute, letting herself adjust to the dream before she slowly pivoted around and found him sitting on the bed.

She smiled, "Welcome back"

He grinned his dorky grin and nodded, "it's good to be back, I guess you missed me last night?"

"Yeah right, that'll be the day I shoot myself. What's to miss?" but her smile contradicted her words.

"Oh I can think of a thing or two"

"Mmm-hmm"

She walked over to the wall and he stopped her, "Mare, come on. I promise this isn't a sex bed."

Mary turned and glared at him, "Fine!"

She moved over and made him get off before she pulled the comforter, pillows and the hanging curtains, leaving only the mattress and headboard intact.

"There, that's better," she climbed up and sat at the end of the bed against a post across from him.

"You just got rid of everything that makes this bed comfortable," Marshall mock complained as he climbed up and sat against the headboard smiling over at her.

"Sex beds are normally very comfortable, this is better," she shrugged and smirked at him.

"If you say so"

"I do and if you keep talking about it, you'll have to find someplace else to sit"

"Hey! I sat here first"

"So? I sat here last"

"Fine…"

She grinned and pumped her fist, "Yes! I won. I love it when I win."

"So?"

"So…"

"How's Norah?"

"She's fine, actually she's great. She's teething and it's a headache, but it's part of having a kid, right? I never thought I'd feel this…this…damn, I can't even explain it. She's one of the reasons I've adapted to change."

The look of awe on her face had Marshall falling head over heels in love with her yet again. How the hell did I think I was over her? Or even think of marrying another woman? I'm a damn idiot, that's why!

"Yeah, I can guess, what are the other reasons?"

She looked questioningly at him, "What do you mean?"

"You said, one of the reasons you've adapted to change. What other reasons are there?" he inquired curiously looking at her closely. His dream Mary was a dream and was sharing more with him within this dream then the previous dreams.

She blushed looked away, head down letting her hair cover her face, "I don't know…having you as a Chief instead of a partner, I've had to change in the ways I treat my witnesses and such."

"Hmm"

Mary looked up and frowned, "Hmm, what? Are you now my psychiatrist? If you have something on your mind, speak it, don't' hmmm it!"

"No no no, of course not, I'm just glad that you've made changes that make you happy"

"I didn't say they made me happy, I don't think there's anything out there that makes me happy," she air quoted, knowing full well that there was someone out there that could make her happy but she had screwed him over too many times to count and shrugged, "But for Norah and…" she stopped and shook her head, "For Norah I'm willing to do a lot of things."

"Unconditional love"

She smiled and nodded slowly, "Pretty much"

Marshall grinned and said, "Oh no! A pod person is being born."

Mary reached down and plucked a pillow from the floor and tossed it at his head, he caught it and held it against his chest, and it was a heart shaped pillow.

Mary startled awake and grinned, she turned on her side and fell asleep, hoping dream Marshall would come back to her.

Marshall groaned awake and pulled the other pillow into his arms, he grinned into the pillow and slept with thoughts of Mary on the sex bed.

TBC...hope you enjoyed and it wasn't too long.