(A/N): Hey, many apologies for the late update guys. I meant to update it sooner, but real life kicked me in my ass and I had to deal with that. If I'm being completely honest, I'm procrastinating by posting this too, but I can't be dealing with that right now. Too much haha. Thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed this story, you guys make my day! I hope you all enjoy this update and stay tuned for the next one!

I don't own In Plain Sight, I promise, otherwise I would have definitely had Mary/Marshall as canon.

Love you all,

HeavenSkye x

No Matter What

Chapter 3

Marshall was stood at the door waiting for his three charges, when Kelly bounced out of her room, wearing a baby pink sundress and matching ballet flats, a pink purse slung over one shoulder and her hair pulled away from her face by small butterfly grips. She walked up to him with a smile. "Hey."

"Hey." Marshall returned, getting a bizarre sense of déjà vu as he looked at the teenager, the blonde hair and sense of style reminding him strongly of Mary's sister Brandi and the amount of time she'd spend on fashion. Kelly smiled again.

"Why are you here, Marshall?" She asked sweetly. Marshall almost choked on thin air.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I figured you didn't know about us until Bobby told you, but why are you still here, looking after us? Or attempting to, at least. Believe me, if we didn't let you pull the protective shit, you wouldn't be able to do it." Kelly added, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"I…" Marshall trailed off, not sure how to answer the teenager. Kelly didn't need a reply, it seemed, as she observed him with shrewd eyes, before morphing back into the sweet, slightly dim façade she usually adopted.

"I see. Okay then. Babysit away."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"I didn't say anything."

"I know. You didn't need to."

"An explanation would be nice, Kelly."

"Eh, so would world peace and an end to poverty. Don't count on it."

…

Mary struggled against the thick rope binding her wrists tightly behind her back, tying her to the rickety wooden chair she'd been sat on almost constantly for the last three days. She'd been completely alone when she'd awoken in the room she was sat in, and no-one had been in to see her yet, other than a lone individual in black clothes and a mask that had been so kind as to untie her so she could use the toilet that was in a corner, only to knock her out again straight after and retie her to the chair. Mary glanced around the tiny room, with only one door and a tiny window placed so high up that Mary just knew she was trapped in someone's basement. Again.

Mary sent a quick prayer out in her head that whoever had kidnapped her had not found her kids. She knew at least Bobby would know that she'd gone by now. Norah, Kelly and Tommy would never disregard protocol that Mary had drummed into them from the day that Norah turned six. She hated knowing that she'd put the burden of the younger two on her eldest daughter, something she'd never wanted to do, but it beat the alternative of them staying naïve and open to threats when Mary couldn't save them was worse to the brash blonde marshal. Mary leant her head back against the chair and sighed. She wasn't sure she was such a great parent, but she'd never regret raising them alone. She gritted her teeth when she remembered the night she was taken.

Mary rolled her eyes as she pulled into the all night supermarket. She'd been so busy on a potential murder case involving a witness that she'd forgotten to get some groceries that week. As the case had just been closed, without causing another move for the witness in question, she had time to grab a few things before going home to her kids. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Kelly had gotten onto the school track team like she'd wanted to, and if Tommy was still the champion of his chess club. Norah wasn't so much into typical after school activities, but enjoyed both martial arts and baking, a combination Mary had never been able to wrap her head around.

Stepping out of her car, she locked it and began walking slowly to the doors, tiredness making her actions seem sluggish to the woman in question. A slight breeze behind her made Mary spin round, one hand on her weapon, but nothing was there. Her senses told her something was off, however, so she made a quick scan of her surroundings, but still couldn't see anything.

Taking another step in the direction of the supermarket, Mary felt a hand wrap around her long blonde hair, yanking her back into someone's arms as a damp, sweet smelling cloth pressed over her nose and mouth tightly. Mary managed to elbow her assailant in the gut, loosening their hold on her hair, but just as she tried to fight her way free of the chloroform soaked rag, another hand clamped over the first one holding it to her face, reinforcing it, ensuring Mary had no choice but to breathe it in. She tried kicking out at the unseen forces, but only succeeded in lowering herself to the floor.

One last thought ran through her head before she passed out; oh crap.

Mary shuddered. There was very little that Mary couldn't fight and emerge the victor of, but whoever these people were, they seemed to know her and her ways extremely well to work out just how to most effectively take her down. And, Mary had to admit, the fact that they knew her or knew of her so well was the scariest part. Well, after the thought that they could just as easily grab her kids, that was.

…

They had only been at the mall for an hour, and Marshall was more than ready to tear his hair out in frustration. No, he had to admit, Tommy wasn't so bad, but the 'debates' that went on between the two girls were more than he could stand. They'd argued about the best place to get new clothes, Kelly automatically wanting the more expensive, more girly items whilst Norah simply wanted new jeans and t-shirts, and then where the best place to eat was going to be.

Tommy sat beside Marshall with a small smile. "Don't worry, they'll both agree on the pizza place in about three minutes' time."

Marshall stared at Tommy, his frustration ebbing away to curiosity. "They've done this before?"

"Yeah. They have the exact same arguments each time we go to any mall, but this one especially. I'd worry if they stopped arguing. Now, me, I'm happy with jeans, t-shirts, and a good book, so we're going to a bookstore after we've eaten."

"And you know that how?"

"Because it's the order we do things in." Tommy stifled a laugh at Marshall's confused expression. "Look, we don't have a lot of order in our lives, so when we can get some, we go all out with it. Like the mall. We will go to the clothing stores in the morning, eat pizza, then go to the bookstore and then the music store before occasionally going in the pharmacy if we need to before heading home. Same agenda each time."

"You guys have a list or something?" Marshall asked with a grin, thinking of Mary and all her lists. It had been meant as a joke, but Tommy pulled his wallet out of his pocket and from that pulled out a piece of paper that he handed to Marshall. Marshall opened it with interest, his smile turning melancholy as he took in Mary's scrawling handwriting, still familiar after all this time.

Mall:

1. Norah and Kelly will fight, like always.

2. Clothes stores (Kelly, not too much designer stuff, or I swear I will take your iPod from you)

3. Dinner at pizza joint (most likely after more arguing)

4. Bookstore (Tommy, not too many books or you'll end up like Quasimodo) (Did I get that right, kid?)

5. Music store (You kids have the worst taste, I swear, at least in music)

6. Pharmacy for shit if and as we need it

7. Home (finally!)

Tommy watched Marshall closely as he read the note. Tommy knew that Norah was the well of knowledge concerning their mom and the life she had before her kids and the NYPD, but Norah had been surprisingly tight-lipped on the tall Marshal, though the anger in her eyes had also surprised the teenaged boy. Marshall looked nostalgic and sad, if Tommy was trying to guess at reading his face. Tommy took the note back, returning it to his wallet, and the wallet back to his pocket.

"Mary did love her lists." Marshall muttered, not intending Tommy to hear him.

"Still does, Marshall." Tommy responded calmly. He glanced at his watch and then up at his sisters. "Three, two, one, and…" He trailed off just as Norah and Kelly turned to them.

"Pizza!" They exclaimed in unison. Tommy sent Marshall an amused glance as he stood up.

"Told ya."

…

Kelly walked into Tommy's hotel bedroom without knocking, smiling softly when she saw Tommy lay on the bed upside down with a book open halfway through, despite only buying it about four hours earlier, with Norah sat sideways on the small armchair typing up an essay on her phone, to be transferred to her laptop when they got home. Kelly smiled, sitting on the edge of Tommy's bed and pulling up her feet. Tommy shifted his head a little to the side before he sat up and set down his book. Norah, seeing Tommy move, set down her phone and joined the other two on the bed.

"Guys, what are we gonna do?" Kelly asked once they were all sat together. Tommy frowned a little.

"About mom?" He checked, sighing a little when both of his sisters nodded. "I have no idea. If Bobby hasn't called, he hasn't found her yet."

Kelly and Norah exchanged a glance. "Should we call it in?" Kelly asked hesitantly.

"It's been like a day now." Norah admitted. "We need her back."

"What are you two talking about?" Tommy asked curiously. Both girls flushed and cleared their throats guiltily.

"Uh, we kinda have a device in mom's necklace." Norah told him.

"A tracking device." Kelly specified.

Tommy stared at them open-mouthed. "Why haven't you used it yet?!" He demanded loudly. Kelly and Norah were quick to hush him.

"Ssh, we don't want Marshal Marshall to know." Kelly hissed in his ear whilst Norah ran to the door to check where said Marshal Marshall was. "Look, mom made us promise only to use it in emergencies, and if she got taken, wait at least a day after we report it to the cops, okay?"

"Why?" Tommy whispered back as Norah ran back to the bed.

"Marshall's ordering Chinese take out for dinner, so he's busy. And Tommy, we don't know. Mom's a law onto herself and you know it as well as we do. Sorry."

Tommy nodded. "Okay. Are you gonna call Bobby?"

Kelly shook her head. "No, too risky. I'm gonna text Sam instructions to give a letter to Bobby that tells him how to activate it."

Tommy nodded again. "Is there anything else you guys haven't told me?"

"No, I think that's it." Kelly told him with a smile.

"No more secrets, guys." Tommy informed them with a smile.

"No more secrets." The two girls responded in unison, though Norah kept her fingers crossed behind her back. She felt immensely guilty for lying to them, but that would always take a backseat to keeping them safe.

…

Bobby sat on Mary's bed in her house staring at the sealed envelope in his hands, torn between pride and disapproval. Pride that the girls had thought to do something like this, and disapproval that they'd obeyed Mary in waiting so long to tell him. Well, to tell Sam, anyway. Sighing, he tore open the envelope and unfolded the sheet of paper that had fallen out.

Dear Bobby D. (Well, we assume it's you reading this),

Look, we know we're gonna be in trouble for this when you next see us, but we're just gonna have to take that chance. In mom's diamond necklace that we got her for her birthday years ago, there's a tracker. You know, the one you helped us pick out when you were babysitting us. Anyway, if you look on my (Norah's) computer, there's a file to get into a diary app. Click on it. It should ask you for a password. Type in: BugMunck1nL1ttleManAreW0rri3d00 and then it should take you to what looks like a webpage with three options; activate, deactivate, trace. Click activate and it should tell you her exact co-ordinates. If for any reason, the device cannot transmit, click on trace, and type in the date she went missing. It will give you detailed lists of all her movements, but it will take much longer than clicking activate. Still, we tried to think of every possible way to help. Look, Bobby, I (Norah again) lost my dad, and we know mom lost her mom a couple years ago too. Point is, we don't want to lose mom too. We didn't tell you before because we told mom about the device and she agreed to keep it on, but told us that after we report her missing, we also then must wait at least a day before telling you about the tracker.

We hope it helps,

Norah and Kelly.

P.S. Tommy doesn't know about it, so there's no point in asking him about it.

Bobby shook his head. Clearly, Norah wrote the letter with a few inputs from Kelly. Setting the letter down, he ran to Norah's bedroom and headed straight for her desk. After throwing pieces of paper aside, he finally found her laptop, the top covered in stickers, including one that stated 'blame my parents'. Booting it up, he found the app Norah and Kelly had told him about and typed in the password. Following the instructions the girls had left for him, he found the page he needed and hit the activate button.

…

"Ms Shannon."

Mary's head shot up at the sound of a deep, gravelly voice, watching cautiously as the only door opened. In the doorway stood a man about six foot tall with a muscular build, head to toe in black clothing. Mary looked at his face, only to realise he was wearing a mask, the kind anyone could get from a craft store and decorate themselves. It was completely blank, and meant that Mary could only see the man's eyes, which happened to be an intense shade of green. Mary quickly put her most bored look on her face and slumped a little in her chair.

"And you are? By the way, I'm not a fan of the décor. A little too… grungy basement for my liking." Mary smirked. The man stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Ah Ms Shannon, it is not my identity that is important here."

"Oh? Let me guess, you want fashion tips? Gotta tell you, your look is so not in right now." Mary gestured to his outfit as best as she could with her bound hands. "Maybe some jeans or a polo shirt would be better." Mary mentally rolled her eyes, silently wondering how she managed to sound so much like Kelly at that moment. The man's eyes narrowed.

"Do not rile me, Ms Shannon. It would be far too easy to bypass you completely."

"What?" It was Mary's turn to narrow her eyes at the other occupant in the room.

"Just wondering how easy it would be to leave you here whilst I found one of your oh so wonderful children to… motivate you."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"What do you want?" Mary asked instead.

"Oh, that will come all in good time, Ms Shannon. I simply want one answer from you right now."

"Which is?"

"Will you cooperate, or do I have to go after young Thomas?"

"Leave my children alone." Mary growled. "Just leave them be."

"So I have your answer?"

"I don't know your terms."

"My terms are simple. You answer my questions to the best of your knowledge, and I leave your children alone. They're my terms."

"It's that simple?"

"Of course. I'm not a monster, Ms Shannon. I simply want what's mine."

…

Bobby groaned as Norah's app made a ping, followed closely by a pop up window, stating that the tracker was offline. Biting back the urge to curse at the screen, he made his way back through the instructions, instead clicking on the button marked trace, typing in the date of three days before Norah had reported her mother missing.

"Find anything?"

Bobby looked up at the sound of his wife's voice, smiling when he saw Sam stood in the doorway to Norah's room.

"Not yet. Whoever took her is certainly making it difficult."

"I know, but you'll find her Bobby. I have faith in you, so do the kids." Sam sat down beside him at the foot of Norah's bed, placing her hand over his clenched one at the side of the laptop.

"What if I fail Sam?" Bobby whispered, though he still stared at the computer screen. "I can't take Mary away from those kids, and I can't fail Mary either."

"I know, I know, she comes across as bitchy, but at the end of the day, she's family. They all are." Sam kissed his cheek softly. "And you won't fail. But, as you seem to want to hear it, I'll tell you. Even if you don't get Mary back, the kids will still love you. They'd know you tried with everything you have."

"How did I get so lucky?"

"Mary is a stubborn friend to have." Sam answered with a grin. "Different question: Are you visiting the kids tonight?"

"Yeah, I am, why?" Bobby checked the laptop, but if stated that the results were still loading. "As soon as I get a result off of this."

"Tell Norah that it'll all be okay."

"What?"

"That girl puts too much on her own shoulders, and she'll be blaming herself whether she says anything or not. The other two are more laid back than Norah, and they deal with stuff better than she does. Norah needs the reassurance that she won't ask for. She's stubborn that way, just like Mary."

"Alright, I'll tell her. We'll get Mary back, right?"

"Right, we definitely will." Sam kissed his cheek again. "Now, I'm on another work shift, so I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Okay, love you Sam."

"Love you Bobby." Sam left the room and Bobby looked down at the screen again. Seeing a long list of results, he closed the laptop without turning it off and shoved it into his briefcase, turning off the light and exiting the room, without seeing the tiny red light that shined in through the window.

TBC