A/N: Here is the epilogue…it may take the better part of your life to read it. Just kidding – but it is way too long. I know I always say that, but this time I am actually mad at myself for how long this got. I get certain things in my head that I really want to write, but then I will go back sometimes and regret that I acted on a whim and chose to include something that is extraneous or even pointless. Do with it what you will. If you're kind enough to read the whole thing, I hope you enjoy it.

XXX

Five Months Later:

XXX

It was the first Saturday in April, and Mary was astonished that it wasn't raining. For the past several years, her memories of the drippy month had included nothing but downpours, muddying their lawn and causing the grass to grow knee-high before May even arrived. Not only that, it made the days gloomy and long, as though spring would never truly arrive and they would skip right to summer with no stops in-between. From snow to eternal sunshine, that was how it usually went.

But, this April day, which happened to be the eighth, was sunny and clear, if not a little chilly. It certainly wasn't warm enough to open any windows without being frozen out, but when the breeze wasn't blowing, it was perfectly comfortable and put you in mind of even more pleasant days ahead. The budding trees out in the backyard were rippling what few leaves they had, with Knox tearing around in the grass trying to stalk poor, unsuspecting butterflies and bumblebees. Mary chuckled at his antics, unable to help being amused by his zealousness.

In fact, other than the dog, she had the entire residence to herself for the first time in what felt like forever. She was trying to use the opportunity to get caught up on some work, but continued to become distracted by Knox's barking and galumphing around in search of something she couldn't even see. Marshall and Alice had gone out to the bookstore in search of some new bedtime tales, and had said something about grabbing ice cream on the way home, promising to get Mary a pint of her favorite flavor.

Norah was at Mark's new place for the weekend, generously offering to help put together the finishing touches on the nursery. Sometimes, she did it grudgingly, but when the mood struck her right, she could pick out blankets and curtains and stuffed animals with the best of them. Though Mary was glad she was adjusting, she had cautioned her against going. Jill was two days past due and more spherical than one could imagine. Mary thought that, surely, she had never been such an enormous size, and everyone around her assured her of the same notion – she'd not been of Jill's heft, but even bigger.

And then, as though just thinking of her had summoned her presence, Mary's phone went off on the table beside her. She saw immediately that it was Norah, who had recently become more attached to her cell phone, and she answered without any feeling of foreboding in her soul.

"Hey, Bug. What's up?"

Truthfully, she was glad for a more proper diversion from her WITSEC life, and she half-hoped Norah had something immensely essential to discuss. It was Saturday, after all, and Mary enjoyed her recreation and laziness as much as the next person.

"Mom, I think you should come over here."

So much for recreation. Any relaxed sensation that had settled in her bones immediately whooshed out of her at the panic in Norah's voice. Sitting up straighter, pressing the phone to her ear so she could not miss a single word, she swallowed down a lump in her throat.

"Come over where?" she was proud of how even tempered she came off, even if that was not how she felt inside. "Are you still at your dad's?"

"Yeah, but he had to go meet a client with a big crack in one of their solar panels. He said he'd be up on the roof and wouldn't answer his phone for a little while. I tried him anyway, but he's not picking up."

"Well, what do you need?" Mary bypassed everything about her ex-husband to get to the root of things. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

The inspector didn't miss the wavering of Norah's vocal chords, "You don't sound fine."

"I am. I'm fine," she declared more assertively. "But, Jill's not. Or, I guess she probably is, but she thinks she's having the baby, and I don't know what to do."

The casualness with which this was reported might have made Mary laugh if her heart hadn't been about to crawl up her throat. Only a teenager would say that a woman was 'having a baby' as though it were happening right on the kitchen floor, right that very second. But, she couldn't expect Norah to use terms like 'in labor' or start spouting off about contractions. She might be Marshall's step-daughter, but she wasn't well-versed in such things.

Meanwhile, Mary did her best to keep calm. There was really nothing to freak out about. If Marshall were here, he'd be telling her right then that labor was as natural as blinking. She tried to remind herself that-that was still the case, even if anything involving childbirth made her squirmy. It stood to reason that if she'd been able to handle watching Robyn's entrance from the sidelines, she could handle anything, but that had been twelve years ago. Long enough to almost forget.

"Why does she think she's having the baby?" Mary repeated the phrasing almost exactly. "Is she in pain, did she pass out, is there blood – you haven't seen a head or anything have you?"

"That's disgusting," Norah informed her. "Do you have to be so gross? Ugh…"

Mary wanted to tell her that it was going to get a hell of a lot grosser if she didn't hurry up with the particulars, but fortunately, she didn't have to.

"She said her water broke. I don't know what that means, but in the movies when that happens, the woman always jumps in the car and goes to the hospital right away. She said she could drive if she had to, but…"

"No-no-no-no…" Mary cut her off right there, not one for acting nobly, but knowing she was going to have to in this case. "Tell her to stay put – you too. I'll come over there and I'll take her."

"You?"

"Yes, me," her mother answered, slightly irritated by the surprise in her tone. "Listen; don't go making a big production out of this, okay? Talk to Jill, keep her calm. Does she seem all right?"

"She seems nervous," Norah claimed. "Does that mean I should be nervous too?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

"Kind of…" shaky laughter erupted.

"Well, keep it together. It won't take me long to get there."

"Okay."

"All righty then."

X

For as many times as she'd been in it over the last three months, Mary still was not used to Mark's monstrosity of a house. In spite of the towering two levels, the manicured lawn, the cul-de-sac full of kids on bikes, and the elementary school a hundred feet away, she still expected to see his tiny one-story when she walked through the front door. But no, the inside was just as extravagant as the outside – shiny hardwood floors, winding staircase, cathedral ceilings, a kitchen with stainless steel everything, and plush living room couches. Only the smattering of packing boxes littering the nearby office and dining room marred the picturesque quality.

Trying to forget about the fact that a living, breathing, crying, needy baby was soon going to be occupying this vast space in a room upstairs, Mary shut the door behind her and found she was anticipating Jill and Norah waiting to greet her. Far from, they were nowhere in sight, and Mary sincerely hoped Mark had not come home in the middle of things and they'd dashed off to the hospital without telling her.

"Hello?!" she called, her voice echoing impressively, which only made her roll her eyes.

"In here!" came the answering yell, which belonged to Norah.

Pocketing her keys, Mary strode across the floor to find both Jill and her daughter in the living room, the wall-mounted television silent and black as sun streamed in through the high windows. Much to her relief, there was no dread written in either of their faces, no panting and moaning and groaning or anything of the kind. Jill did indeed look a little anxious, as did Norah, but both were standing up, which seemed to be a good sign. Jill even managed a smile, although it was weak and obligatory.

"Hi…" she trembled, hands moving from her round belly to her back.

"Hey…" Mary reciprocated. To Norah, "Hi, Bug."

"Hi."

Expending so much time on pleasantries seemed silly. This was awkward enough without sitting around waiting for a bomb to drop or, in Jill's case, a particularly brutal contraction.

"Are we ready to go?" taking control seemed to be the best option. "Either one of you get a hold of Mark?"

"Not yet…" Jill gulped and, for the first time, her eyes showed signs of wetness. "But, he said he'd be done around four, so…"

"I can have Marshall track him and speed things up."

"Okay…"

"Sure."

"Norah, would you run upstairs and get my bag, please? It's on the floor of the closet in the bedroom…" a hand went to her forehead to push her bangs out of her eyes, and Mary saw beads of sweat dripping there. "I…I'm sorry; I'm stupid, I should've thought of that before you got here…"

"Never mind…" Mary waved an errant hand to absolve her, and then encouraged her daughter to pick up the pace. "Get moving – let's go!"

Without a word, the thirteen year old dashed from the room and they could hear her thundering all the way up the carpeted steps out in the hall. Her disappearance seemed to be some kind of cue for Jill, who sunk down on the sofa with her knees all-but knocking together. Deep, rattling breaths issued from somewhere in her chest, but Mary knew this was not a labor technique – it was nerves.

The coffee table was glass and far too ritzy for the Mark she knew; it might shatter if she sat on it, but she did it anyway.

"I'm so sorry…" Jill launched in before Mary could get there, all her words tumbling and running together in a great rush. "I'm so sorry you had to come all the way over here and deal with this; I'm so embarrassed…"

"Forget it; I don't care," the other said, not sensitively, but sincerely. "And, forget thinking that Mark isn't going to make it; Marshall will have him flagged down in five minutes and he'll probably beat us to the hospital…"

"Right…"

"Are you really okay?" she initiated, her eyes grave and willing her not to fib. "It's all right if you're not, you know," taking a leaf out of Marshall's book with this one. "I was in way worse shape than you are now when I had Norah, just so you know."

A squeaky giggle eked out, but it didn't seem to alleviate her stress in any way. She kept fiddling with her hands and messing in her hair, running her fingers up and down her legs.

"I'll…I'll be better when Mark's here."

"Yeah," she understood the need to have the one you implicitly trusted by your side. "He'll be great; he really will," sharing past memories hadn't been in the cards, but Mary worked best under pressure. "He was a total pro when I went into labor with Norah – didn't faint, didn't throw up – good thing, too, because I would've slugged the shit out of him if he had."

Apparently, her odd brand of comfort was working because Jill's laugh was stronger and more genuine this time. It was the first time Mary had felt nice having Mark in common with her.

"It's gonna kill me, isn't it?" she speculated at random, taking Mary's candidness while she had it. "The pain. I'm gonna want to shoot everyone in sight, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you will, but you won't," the inspector shrugged. "Get the drugs – they're to die for. I was blessed to have them with Alice, but not with Norah. She came too fast."

"Oh, God…if that happens to me…"

"It won't," Mary insisted even though she knew nothing about it. "And, one way or another, you'll make it through – just remember that. All broads get there in the end."

When Jill looked at her in that moment, it struck Mary that she wasn't seeing her just as Norah's mom or as some snarky lady she had to make nice with every three or four days. She looked at her as a fellow woman, as a mother, and even – shockingly enough – as a friend. Mary surprised herself by finding that she enjoyed it, swapping stories and passing along insight like this. They had come so far.

"And, if Mark breaks out in a cold sweat or something, give him a smack from me, okay?"

Jill nodded and grinned awfully good-naturedly for a person about to birth a human being.

"Okay."

X

Five months earlier, when Mary had learned of Jill's pregnancy, she had not envisioned herself practically holding vigil in the hospital waiting room, taking up more than her share of the couch. By herself, it felt more than a little strange – she, the ex-wife, the one nail-biting individual to receive the first word of Baby Stuber's arrival? It wasn't right, and bordered on intrusive.

And yet, when Marshall arrived, Alice in tow, there was suddenly no doubt in her mind that this was where she belonged. Why his presence affected her so, made her certain that they should be part of the reception committee, was a mystery. All she knew was that they always did these things together, and if she was going to be a fixture at all, she wasn't going to be one by her lonesome.

"How's she doing?" Marshall huffed, as though he had been on pins and needles for a verdict; more likely was that Alice had been urging him up the elevator and his only option was to run.

Mary held up all the fingers on her right hand from where she was slumped on the couch with a magazine across her chest.

"Five centimeters. No meds yet – too early. Contractions are seven minutes apart."

It struck her suddenly how much she sounded like he usually did, spewing information on command like a walking encyclopedia. Oh, well. There were far worse people to embody.

Marshall let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, "Sounds like it's still gonna be awhile. Should we maybe go home?"

"No!" Alice shrieked from below, yanking on his hand like she was trying to pull him to the floor. "We haven't seen the baby yet! We can't go home!"

"We can't go home," Mary reverberated dully, head lolling to one side. "Norah's here, and she's set on staying – I'm gonna stay with her."

It was funny, how she was the one who had promised to be present for this endeavor now that her daughter wanted to be in the thick of it, but she had sworn nothing on behalf of her husband and younger daughter. Still, she spoke in terms of 'we' because she knew without asking that if her decision was to hang around, theirs would be too. They were one.

"Then that's that, isn't it?" Marshall observed, and Mary was not shocked to see that he suddenly looked eager at the prospects even though the main event was hours and hours away. "Hunkering down for the long haul. Excellent, yes. Brings back many memories…"

"Save them for later," his wife put up a hand in his face, not in the mood for shedding tears just yet. "We're going to need something to tide us over if we're gonna be stuck in here all night." Turning to the brunette, "Alice, there's a vending machine down the hall. You want a snack?"

"Yeah!"

"She just had ice cream…"

Mary ignored his stipulations and pulled three wrinkled one-dollar bills out of her pocket, handing them into Alice's grubby palm. The appearance of such riches was clearly thrilling; her eyes bugged in her porcelain face like she'd just won the lottery.

"You can have one snack…" Mary waved an admonitory finger. "Get whatever you want, and buy me a bag of those cheddar and bacon baked potato chips, you hear?"

"What about the other dollar?"

"Pick something out for Norah."

"What about daddy?"

"He's a stickler for health; he doesn't need junk food."

Marshall smirked at the backhanded insult, but didn't insist his little girl purchase him anything, instead waving her forward even in spite of her earlier afternoon treat.

"Stay quiet, Big Al, okay? And, come right back."

"Okay…"

The way she ran off at once, her little behind shaking back and forth in her pink sweatpants, elicited a chuckle from the man as he sat down at his partner's side on the sofa. This was probably her prompt to sit in a more ladylike fashion, and she ceased her slouch and allowed her legs to dangle over the side. She'd been at the hospital for a longer period and had been growing drowsy; adjusting her top and smoothing her hair, she tried to reawaken because she knew Alice wasn't going to lounge around and nap.

"If you aren't careful, Alice is going to want to start coming here for vacations," Marshall informed her, hands folded in his lap. "Free food and magazines with mazes in them…"

"No one in their right mind would enjoy being in a hospital," she argued. "If you think the baby fever is going to make her forget her appendix experience, you're crazy."

"Could be…" he wasn't up for a fight. "You mentioned Norah…" he glanced around, like he was expecting the girl to appear at his will. "What has become of her, exactly?"

"When we first got here, Mark was still on his way, and so I kind of had to field the forms and the wheelchair and the trio of Nurse Ratchets…"

"Quite lovely of you."

"Necessary, more like," she contradicted. "Anyway, it didn't last long. He got here a little while ago, but Norah's been out here on the phone with Robyn, so this has been her first chance to see Mark. She's in the room with him and Jill…"

"My goodness, heading for the end zone already, is she?" Marshall was awed by his step-daughter's maturity, she could tell, but also apprehensive. "You never know what she might find back there. I would hate for her to be soured on motherhood so early in life."

"For Christ sakes; she's not a labor coach and she sure as hell isn't an OBGYN," the woman reminded him. "Standing around and shooting the breeze for five minutes isn't going to have her viewing anything she can't deal with."

"That's good to know…" he was inspired by her faith and wiggled himself a few inches closer to his partner so that their hips brushed on the hard, uncomfortable couch. "But, is she going to be sporting the tense, edgy, tart aura you are currently exhibiting?"

Mary hacked like she had something in her throat, "Aura?"

"Characteristic. Quality. Manner. Behavior…"

"I know what it means, doofus," her teeth were clenched, though she wished to shirk her rigidity as much as he hoped she would. "But, the next time I catch you talking about me like a fortune teller…"

"Now, there is a way to pass the time! Palm reading! I'll bet Brandi knows a thing or two about that…"

"Brandi?" she scoffed derisively, craning her neck back to look at him quizzically. "Who said anything about Brandi? She's not coming down for this manifestation of life…"

"Fancy…"

"She isn't. This isn't a play…"

"Maybe not, but I think you're kidding yourself if you really believe she won't be paying us a visit soon," his grin was astute and devious. "Especially since Norah told Robyn. Mark my words, the Alperts will be here with bells on in an hour's time. I'll set my watch…"

"Good God…" Mary groaned, burying her face in her hands, because she knew Marshall was right.

"Hey, we're in this together, aren't we?" he said cheerfully, patting her back with her head still hanging.

"Together," she resonated with her forehead on her knees.

X

"Bet you two Oreos it's a girl."

"Trade you six M&M's for one Oreo and I say it's a girl too."

"Nuh-uh. Boy. Bet you nine Skittles."

"What flavor?"

"Lemon."

"Raw deal. Strawberry, then we're in business."

"Fine. Nine strawberry Skittles for your two Oreos, plus Alice's pretzels, since she thinks it's a girl too."

"You're gonna be the big loser here, Max. Not one single person thinks it's a boy, not even Jill. You should just cough up your candy now."

"Save me the cookies," the young man taunted his big sister. "And Norah's M&M's. Put them in the bowl."

There was an ancient glass bowl sitting on the crappy coffee table that Mary suspected had once upon a time been an ashtray. Now, it was being used as a holding cell for all the food the kids were wagering, trying to while away the hours guessing the baby's gender. As instructed, Robyn put in her share along with everyone else's. Mary could only assume that if Max was wrong, the girls would split the bounty between them; he would hold all the loot if baby Stuber turned out to be male.

"What do you think, mom?" Max turned from his spot on the floor beside his sister and cousins to address Brandi. "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

"Hmm…" Brandi twirled a strand of her hair absently, eyes straying to her cell phone on the table, which she had already perused several hundred times. "I don't know, sweetie. I'm not the best judge on this sort of thing. I never could decide what I thought you and Robyn were when I was pregnant…"

"But, just guess. I want to know."

When forced, Brandi would always spill, "I may have to side with the ladies on this one," she rumpled his sandy hair affectionately as a means to make up for her affiliation. "I see Mark with a girl."

Max moaned, and far louder than he would have a few months earlier, while the girls gave a silent cheer and traded superior glances.

"Don't get too cocky, misses," Marshall warned them from where he was curled up with Mary on the sofa, legs tucked under her. "It's a fifty-fifty chance no matter how you slice it. Don't give up hope, Max. Go with your gut."

"Yeah…" he sighed dispiritedly. "But, I know you think it's a girl too. I heard you say it months ago."

"My opinion means nothing."

"Since when?"

Mary had to laugh at this; it was so quick and clever of her nephew and sounded like something she herself would say. The noise alerted him to her presence, the one person he had yet to interrogate when it came to the child's sex.

"It's gonna be a girl, isn't it, Mary?" he didn't even really ask, but was already resigned to his fate as the sole male in their very mixed up family. "It totally is…"

His aunt wanted to lie, wanted to say that she had the same hunch that he did. And, truthfully, it would've been nice to have another Max around; she wouldn't mind a boy in the least; it would shake things up. But, try as she might, she echoed everyone else's sentiments. Maybe it was because Mark already had a daughter, maybe it was because she forever pictured Norah in competition with a younger version of herself, but all she saw was a female when she envisioned her ex's future life, bumbling through fatherhood, part two.

"We'll have to wait and see…" was all she would assign herself to. "But, think of it this way. Whatever it is, it's not changing now. If it's a boy, it was a boy nine months ago – same with a girl."

"Yeah-yeah…"

Left alone with his thoughts, Max left the treat bowl sitting in its place of honor among the outdated magazines and went to join his sister and cousins. They seemed to be doing a crossword in one of the reading periodicals, although there was no telling how old it was. One child did not stay behind with the group, however, but crawled across the ground to her parents, blue eyes on tenterhooks and throbbing for information.

"How long does it take to have a baby?" Alice queried, no doubt noticing that it was starting to grow dark outside, meaning they had been in attendance at the hospital for quite awhile.

"Hours," Mary replied vaguely. "Sometimes days."

"Days?"

"Yeah. You took the better part of twenty-four hours. That's a full day."

"What about Norah? Did she take that long?"

"Hard to say with her," Marshall chimed in. "When she was on her way, she kept quiet for awhile, biding her time, giving mom a break…"

"If that's what you want to call it…"

"But, boy, when she was ready, she was rocking and rolling. She was born three hours after mom got to the hospital."

"Three hours is a really long time," Alice remarked.

"It's all in how you look at it," her father declared. "Babies tend to want to take their time – aren't in much of a hurry. There are always exceptions, of course."

"It is endless and over so fast all at the same time," Mary alleged, knowing it was a hazy explanation, but also the best way she could describe it. "You think you're never going to see the kid, and then you blink and they're…" She gestured up and down Alice's form, "Well, your age."

"Hard to believe we were ever the major players in this stadium, isn't it?" Marshall was as metaphorical as always, his head rotating around to take in all the sights, drinking them in. Focusing back on his wife with tender eyes, "But, we were, weren't we, partner?"

Mary remembered a drizzling afternoon with Jinx, an infinite night pacing her house while contractions doubled her over, trying to hide her pain from Norah in the morning, and rushing off to the hospital the minute she left for school. Visits from her mother, Marshall's hand in hers, his perfect murmurings of support, and the squeal of a baby girl ran through her mind in a jumbled, discombobulated blur.

"We were the MVP's, I would say," she concluded.

Marshall seemed to like that idea, because he kissed her temple in praise.

"We sure were."

X

Darkness penetrated the waiting room. Streetlamps and headlights flashed against the windowpanes every now and again. Dinner had been hamburgers and chicken sandwiches and French fries brought by Joanna, who was calmly reading a magazine in one of the chairs. The remnants of supper littered the coffee table, and Mary knew one of them should get up and throw the trash away, but no one seemed interested in moving. Marshall was stretched out on the sofa, his long legs taking up the entire space, and Mary was practically in his lap, the back of her head against his chest as she fiddled on her phone.

Alice was hanging upside-down on the opposite couch so her head almost touched the floor. It seemed she'd exhausted every other waiting option. Max was drawing a picture on the floor while Brandi dozed in another chair. Norah and Robyn had gone off somewhere with many words of warning from those in charge to not get lost or make too much noise. Mary did not know where they had ventured to, but her niece had said something about a cute boy.

"We haven't had an update in awhile," Mary said to her husband. "You think everything's okay?"

"I'm sure it is," he told her. "Busy time for them – don't want to be bothered going to-and-fro."

"I guess."

"They have spent quite a lot of time in the hospital, though. We were pretty selective when Alice decided it was time to make her appearance. We were at home the entire night."

"Who wants to deal with a bunch of quacks and IV needles and monitors if you don't have to?"

"Well, I imagine Jill's water breaking got her first-rate admittance, but I do see your point."

Thinking back to the time Marshall had referenced, a November over seven years ago, it was the first time Mary did not feel like she was looking into someone else's life, that the instance had happened so long ago it almost felt like it hadn't happened at all. On this occasion, she could pull forth the details like it had occurred yesterday. Maybe it was being so close to birth right now, but Alice's arrival suddenly stood out clear as day in her mind – especially the infinite number of hours before they'd packed their bags and climbed in the car.

"Jesus. That was such a long night," Mary blurted out, feeling Marshall twirl a single strand of her hair around his finger.

"What? When Alice was born?"

"Yeah, when we were at home," she helped him out. "You begged me to try and sleep and I couldn't."

"Not a wink."

"You were quite the gentleman, though," it wasn't often she paid him such a raw compliment, but now felt like a good time for one. "So sweet."

"Well, thank-you," he bowed his head behind her. "I like to think, as a mere spectator, that I did the most admirable job possible, as you were the one who had to do the grunt work."

"You bet your ass I did."

Mary wasn't used to her home without lights on. It was normally so full of screaming children in the afternoon hours that every surface was illuminated lest someone trip or fall or lose something important. But now, at a quarter till three in the morning, the only light she could stand was a lamp on the end table. Every other bulb was extinguished because they gave her a gut-wrenching headache that made her feel like she was going to vomit from the glare. Like vomiting already didn't seem all-too easy.

Pacing her living room floor with her hands on her lower back, her belly becoming more and more weighted by the second, she tried to brace herself for the next contraction. They'd been getting stronger and closer together, which was both encouraging as well as frightening. The length of time she'd already spent staving them off was befuddling to her. Norah had been popped, cleaned up, dressed, and resting comfortably in the NICU by this time, but here was her second daughter, unable to budge.

Marshall was almost asleep standing up against the wall, his eyes fluttering open and shut – until Mary groaned, and then it was like a bell had started clanging against his skull.

"Oh, shit…"

Heat waves radiated through her back to the point where she felt like her entire spine was burning and inflexible all at the same time; it caused her to bend over onto her knees, which was new, and entirely unwelcome. She needed to walk; to remain upright in order to keep the pain manageable, but suddenly found she couldn't stand up. Her thighs began to tremble so they felt like they couldn't hold her. Her belly tightened so violently and so quickly she didn't have time to prepare herself; pain exploded like firecrackers in her midsection and she forgot all about how she was supposed to breathe and stay tranquil. She'd been doing so well, and now all of that vanished to make way for fear of the unknown. It was getting worse.

"Come here…come here…" Marshall rushed over as though he had not been half-asleep and tried to help her stand, knowing this was her preferred method. "Start walking; you'll feel better…"

"I can't…" she gasped throatily, clutching her stomach and squeezing her eyes shut. "I can't; I don't want to anymore…"

That wasn't entirely true, but between the ache in her belly and the ache in her back, the one in her back had suddenly intensified tenfold and crouching was the only way to alleviate it.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No…"

Big, fat, messy tears spilled from her eyelids without warning; she did not know where they had come from and they distracted her to the point where she could not inhale and exhale at all. Giving up for this round, her hands found the coffee table and rested there. Marshall rubbed her back gently, first up high and then down low, while all she did was weep, humiliating herself, as she had managed not to cry until now. She couldn't throw in the towel; she wasn't anywhere close to being done.

"It's okay…" Marshall murmured as though he were reading her mind and could sense her mortification over losing her cool. "It's okay; you're doing fine…"

"I'm tired…" Mary managed pathetically once she was able to speak.

"I know…" two words were so sympathetic coming from him, laced with compassion as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I wish there was something else I could do."

"You're doing everything," she blubbered.

"Far from."

"As long as you're here, you're doing everything."

With the contraction having abated, she was able to cautiously stand up again, and all her limbs felt like rubber, her cheeks now sticky and wet with tears. Marshall reached over and sweetly wiped them away with his index finger, pushing her hair behind her ears, never once mentioning that their presence were a sign of more vicious things to come.

"Well, I am here," he promised. "I have no plans to go anywhere unless you say the word."

"I'm not going to say that," she assured him. "You deserve a break, though…"

He tried to float a joke, "A break? Me? I think not. I could go all night…"

"Like a warrior or something, huh?"

"Oh, no…" he breathed sensually, slinking even closer and pulling her into his side where he could plant yet another kiss on her cheek. "I am not the warrior around here, partner."

Mary's cell phone went off in her lap and startled her out of her reverie. It seemed to have awakened Marshall as well, because he jumped from where he was positioned behind her. The woman had a hunch they'd both been lost in the same seven-year-old evening, even if neither one of them mentioned it.

But, in the present, there was another life to consider, and when Mark's name flashed at her on the screen, she knew her hankering for an update was going to be fulfilled.

"Hey…"

"Hi," Mark was breathless and harried and there was a lot of noise in the background – talking, moving, clanking. "I…I just wanted to give you a head's up because I'm not going to be able to leave the room and I only have a minute…"

"What's going on?"

"Jill's at ten centimeters; she's getting ready to push."

Mary's reaction was automatic; she didn't consider it at all, and she found she liked it that way, because her response was to smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, well…thanks…" she couldn't think of what else to say, finding that her unexpected excitement was taking over. "You should probably get going, then…"

"I…I will…"

He didn't seem to be going anywhere, though; she could still hear his ragged breathing through the speaker, and all at once she realized what was keeping him. He was right in the trenches and now, when he had to climb the tallest tree to get out after being trapped in the jungle for eons, he didn't want to begin the trek. He was scared. Mary found it oddly endearing, on this side of things.

"You'll be okay…" her voice was as placid as she knew how to make it. "You'll be fine – both of you will. Remember, Jill's the one in the undertow; all you have to do is keep pulling her to shore."

"How romantic," Marshall whispered in her ear.

"I…I'm just…my mind is all mixed up; I want to help and I feel like I'm not doing anything and I can't believe after all this time…"

"Calm down…" she cautioned. "This isn't brand new. You've done this before, remember?"

"Yeah…I-I know…"

"And, you were great. You were really good to me when I had Norah; I was glad you were there…"

"Please…" he was disbelieving. "I was an amateur. I'm no Marshall."

"Well…" Mary snickered with a chuckle on the end. "If you're aiming that high, we're gonna be here an awfully long time."

X

The waiting was different now. It sang a different song, cast a different atmosphere over the entire space as the clock worked its way toward midnight and they all wondered if the child's birthday would be April eighth or ninth. What had for so many hours been a sense of lethargy had transformed into silent strain. Nobody spoke, although many of them moved. Even Alice seemed to sense that she should be quiet, a rare feat in and of itself.

Mary wanted to open her mouth and say that all the dramatics were unnecessary. Babies were born every day; they didn't need to act like the sky was falling or that everything in their lives hinged on this moment. But, she knew it would be wasted energy.

Marshall played with his phone, but didn't make any calls or type any texts. Brandi twirled her hair so fanatically it was going to be wound into a knot before long, with Robyn examining split ends beside her. Joanna sighed every few minutes and crossed and uncrossed her legs at the same time. Alice and Max played rock-paper-scissors with the minimalist amount of talking between them; both glanced up every few minutes as though expecting the baby to wander out on its own two feet and wave hello.

Mary and Norah couldn't sit still. Norah wrung her hands and shifted from the edge of the coffee table to the arm of the couch to the end of the hallway so many times that it made her mother dizzy. The inspector herself could only pace. It put her strongly in mind of the memories she had already traded with Marshall of her own labor, and it felt like she was making progress by moving her feet.

On Norah's third trip to the edge of the hall, the point she had not crossed since her initial visit with Mark, Mary called her back, tired of seeing her work herself into a bind over something she had no control over.

"Bug, come back over here…" she waved her hand and Norah obeyed. "Sit down. Relax. We could still be twiddling our thumbs an hour from now…"

"I don't want to sit," she insisted adamantly. "Besides, you're not."

"I know, but I think this thing is like a watched pot…"

"Look, you said at 10:45 when Robyn and I came back from the cafeteria that Jill was getting close…" the blonde had chosen not to use the technical terms with her teenager. "Well, were you lying? Was she not as close as you made it sound like?"

"It's just…it's hit or miss on things like this…" she fabricated clumsily. "It's like I told Alice – she took all night and most of the morning, you were out in a single afternoon…"

"But, we've been here forever. It can't really be that much longer, can it?"

"I don't know…" Mary placed a hand on her shoulder. "I just think that lingering around like you are is only going to make you crazy when…"

But, her advice soon became moot and was sucked up in a single breath when Marshall immediately sat up on the sofa, pointing his finger like a sailor spotting land for the first time in six months. Norah saw him first, and peered around Mary's frame to see just what the sudden discovery was, causing her mother to turn around as well.

"Hey-hey…looks like we might have something…" Marshall announced, and Mary saw at once to what he was referring.

Mark was jogging up the hall, all decked out in a pair of blue scrubs, a surgical mask dangling around his neck like he'd just been performing an operation. He looked so official that it was almost comical; it was as though he were a little boy dressing as a doctor on Halloween. For some reason, Mary could never quite get the image out of her head that this man who she loved was nothing but a child – if an adorable, kind one. If anything, on today of all days, she should be seeing him for the adult he was and had been for a long time.

"That's Mark!" Robyn made them all aware when she peered over the back of the sofa with Brandi copying her movements. "Mark, did Jill have the baby?!" she bellowed for the whole floor to hear, which made her mother scold her with a shushing.

He was too far away to answer properly, though he didn't slow his pace, and Mary could feel her heart beginning to quicken its speed. Part of her wanted to shout out as well, to demand to hear the news, because patience never came easily to her. Instead, she tightened her grip on Norah's shoulder, and distinctly saw her swallow hard. She'd been sitting stagnant for the entire day, just waiting for a scrap of information, and now that they were nearly in the clear, she was balking.

Mary could practically see all of her daughter's old feelings of inferiority and resentment and being second best manifesting themselves in her features. The idea of a baby was one thing – an actual baby was quite another. She squeezed her shoulder even harder.

Marshall was on his feet and so were Max and Alice, scrambling up from the linoleum, Joanna discarding the magazine she'd had in her lap.

"Let's go see!" Alice suggested, about to break into a run. "It's a girl, it's a girl; I know it's a girl!"

"I'll go with you!" Robyn volunteered at once, taking her cousin by the hand. "I want to know her name!"

They were in the midst of taking off, leaving everyone else behind, but Brandi reached out and snagged both their collars, holding them back before they could be at the waterfront to meet the boat first.

"Hang on…"

"Why?"

"Mark, come on; hurry up!"

But, Mary understood, and one shared glance with Marshall told her that he did too. They were in this together, yes, but when it came down to it, this epic did not really belong to them. There was family, and then there was family, and she knew without uttering a single word that Robyn and Alice should not be the ones to greet the new father.

"Norah, go ahead…" she urged, giving her daughter a push. "Go see him; go see what he has to say. We'll be here."

She thought it might take her a minute to register, to get her legs working enough so that they could surge forth, but she didn't need to be told twice. Now that Robyn and Alice had been stalled, she took the opportunity in two hands and ran out to hail Mark down before he could become overwhelmed by the legion of people waiting for him among stiff couches and crappy, colored-on books.

It had been what felt like years since she'd truly seen Norah run at a full sprint, and watching her now made her think of her more youthful years – red sneakers, baseball jerseys, matted hair, pumping her legs so hard they might fall off, very nearly flailing her arms, forgoing dignity to get where she was going just a little bit faster. It wasn't Mark who suddenly seemed so childlike anymore, but Norah, and it wasn't such a bad thing.

Marshall stepped over to his wife and put his arm around her back, the pair of them witnessing the girl at a distance as though it were a miraculous exhibit in a zoo.

"Good call, mom," he decreed, underlining her notion to let Norah have the first taste of what their new life was going to become.

Mary didn't comment, but instead inclined her head forward, "Look…she's there."

The duo had met at the periphery of the wide expanse in front of them, too distant to hear, but close enough to read the expressions on their faces. Joanna had gone along as well, which Mary thought was only right, and she knew she and Marshall were not the only ones gawking. Brandi, Robyn, Max, and Alice were all frozen in their spots, staring almost obscenely, trying to gauge just from moving lips and hand gestures what the outcome was going to be.

Mary willed herself not to blink, her man's hand pressing into her back, and she saw Mark begin to chatter a mile a minute, arms flying in several directions, gaze leaping from his daughter to his mother at warp speed. His face was split into a cheesy, tipsy smile so that it lit up his entire body, from the tip of his head to the toes on his feet. And, though Joanna and Norah had their backs to the group, Mary noticed the older woman put a hand to her mouth and then pull her son into her arms. He was laughing now, accepting the embrace, before he wiggled himself out of it to look down at Norah.

His motor mouth took pause and his big brown eyes fluttered. A hand went to each of her shoulders so he was holding her with him, forcing her to face what had been promised for the last nine months. And, in seconds, his stupid grin broke into a hearty laugh and he had swept Norah up against him, pressing her hard and fast into his chest, kissing the top of her head and holding her so tightly she was likely to suffocate.

Mary unexpectedly felt tears spring to her eyes, and she gulped to try and shove them back inside. But, with the dampness came a weak, watery smile; when she averted her gaze to Marshall, she saw that his face was nearly identical to hers.

"I think we have a baby," he whispered. "What about you?"

"Yeah, it looks that way…" her voice was oddly constricted.

"Seems like yesterday that was me…" he motioned at Mark's reddened cheeks and his dopey giggle. "Finding out you're a dad. There's no other feeling like it in the whole world."

"It's nice seeing him like that…" the blonde decided. "All chaotic and confused and trying to figure out which end is up, but all over the moon at the same time. Babies do the weirdest things to people…"

"Can turn anyone into a doddering old fool."

"Well, if he's any indication…"

But, the reunion between father and daughter appeared to have come to an end, and Mark must've given Norah the green light to scream his news from the rooftops – an admirable bequest. He stayed behind with Joanna, still babbling like he'd had about ten drinks, and Norah came running back to the fold. Her face was all joy and reprieve and unrestrained exhilaration. Mary knew if you told her five months ago she'd be this thrilled with the new arrival, she'd have said you were out of your mind.

But, she welcomed the change, and at her appearance, Robyn and Alice blasted off like bullhorns.

"Is it a girl?! Is it a girl?! What is it?!"

"It's a girl – it has to be a girl!"

"It is a girl, isn't it?!"

"It's not!"

Norah's voice drowned out the rest as it came flying out of her chest, breathless and tingling, and before Mary could absorb the negation, the rest was streamed high into the open air.

"It's not a girl – it's a boy!"

Gasps and yelps of shock and awe erupted into the room – even Mary was surprised, though her reaction was certainly understated compared to the kids'. Alice bawled, "No way, no way, no way!" over and over, dancing on the spot like she might take off and fly at any second. Robyn's mouth hung open, but she got it together enough to throw her arms around Norah just like the sixth grade girl she was, as though they were the ones who had created life this brisk spring evening.

Max was as Mary had never seen him before – he screamed and flung his hands in the air, not before scooping up the entire bowl of treats from the coffee table and stuffing two Oreos in his mouth whole.

"I knew it! I told you! I knew it was a boy!" he shouted between mouthfuls, spewing crumbs everywhere in his gusto. "I win!"

Brandi, charmed by his delight, hugged him hard and then leaned over to peck a kiss on Norah's hair.

In all the disarray, the two Marshals stood mostly silent, drinking in the scene, content to be bystanders than to be in the fray. At work, they were the first ones on the frontline, but here, they hovered at the edges, the captive audience enjoying the magic as it unfolded.

In truth, Mary did not know what she would've said had she been expected to contribute right away, but she was about to be given the opportunity. Mark was rejoining the gang, holding Joanna's hand, which meant that he received a flurry of smooches from Brandi and Robyn and Alice hanging off his legs to bleat their excitement, girl or no girl. This meant that Norah was able to pry herself from the action and wander up to the two individuals she probably wanted to confide in most of all – those she never had to hide from or put on a mask for.

But, the mother could tell just by looking at her that there was no façade to be had. Her glee had been real, rampant and impulsive and all-consuming. And, suddenly, she knew what it was she wanted to say.

"Lucky guy, this boy…" her hand made a fist and Norah pounded it without hesitation. "Having a boss sister like you."

"Very lucky," Marshall echoed. "Wonderful news, Norah. You seem excited…"

"I am…I guess…" she laughed drunkenly. "I don't know. I want to see him – dad says he looks like me."

"Well, I'll be," Marshall took a more refined approach and shook her hand rather than high-fived or hugged her. "Then he must be quite the stunning fellow."

"I was so sure it was a girl," Norah confessed. "Everyone was."

"Life is full of surprises," Marshall told her.

"I don't know what it's like to have a brother. I can't treat him like Alice…"

"You'll pick it up," the man proclaimed. "You're a smart girl."

She grinned at the compliment, obviously unsure what to do with herself amidst all the hoopla, but fortunately, Mark gave her the chance to slink away. Disentangling himself from the boisterous reception, he made his way over to Mary and Marshall, where Marshall offered up his wholehearted congratulations complete with handshakes and a one-armed embrace. Mark appeared too dazed to take any of it in – until he came face-to-face with Mary.

She knew what the appropriate phrases were, and yet they seemed like such a cliché. She'd known Mark almost her entire life – much longer than Marshall. To think of him beginning this chapter all over again was disorienting and baffling, and also fantastic on some other level. Once upon a time, they'd become parents together; she'd had her chance to do it without him, and now he had the same. Still, the way they'd learned had been with each other – aimless and blind and sleep hungry and dizzied. There was solidarity in that.

"Congratulations…" her voice came out soft and sweet, and her hug was much the same, gripping him with both hands and her chin over his shoulder. "A son. It's…mind-blowing."

"I'll say it is," he laughed and stepped back to look at her again.

"Well, if he's anything like you, he'll be a hellion and a sweetheart and I won't have a clue what to do with him."

"Thanks…" he chortled. "I think."

"What's his name? Does he have one?"

"He does. Cody. Cody John Stuber."

There didn't need to be a justification, but he gave one anyway.

"John was my dad's name."

If there was anyone who knew about ties to one's father, it was Mary.

"That's great," she stated plainly. "I'm sure he's gorgeous. You should be proud, Mark."

"I am…" for once, they agreed. "I really am."

X

Marshall stood outside the NICU, ogling unattractively at the woman inside, surrounded by dim bulbs and incubators with tiny babies resting inside them. It was like they were separated by two universes here. He was in the safe one – outside, in the light, protected from uncertainty and disappointment and haranguing worry. He was all stimulation and anticipation, so much so that his fingers were twitching and he had to tell himself not to overdo it.

Because, not all worlds were safe. The one behind the glass was a battlefield, full of the figurative gunfire and land mines and blood turning the green grass to a deep crimson. In there, you could never be sure what would come next; you had no wrest on the future and even no control on the present. You relied on yourself and yourself alone, and it was the most isolated feeling you could have, especially when you'd been poised to cross the victory line and take a plane home.

So, Marshall remained in his sanctuary only a minute longer, because he could not allow his best friend to lie gushing on the ground when he, the infantry, could easily run in and drag her to shelter. He could mop her wounds and wrap them in bandages and, while she might not necessarily be healed, she would be okay. She could solider on.

Pushing the door open, Marshall let himself be enveloped by the hush of darkness and the chunk-chunk-chunk sound of the beating machines. Other than them, the air was silent. A beep penetrated every now and then, but the babies lay still and sleepy, relying on rest and tender, wise hands to nurse them into health.

One step at a time, he approached the chair where his partner sat stationed, an enormous billowy gown resembling a tent on her still-paunchy frame. Though her face was less moon-shaped, it was streaked top to bottom with tears, leaving tiny railroad tracks on her cheeks. She bit her lip to stop it from quivering, her hands clenching her gown in her lap.

Nearby, there was a second chair, and he dragged it over to place it next to hers. If she knew he was there, she gave no sign, only continued to stare at the little girl snoozing behind the glass in front of her eyes.

"Mare, what's wrong?"

He didn't expect an answer right away, and he didn't get one. He got a shuddering sob that caused a few more tears to fall, but she swept them away this time now that there was someone to watch her.

"Is she okay?" he dipped his chin to try and see her face more clearly, referring to the child that lay before them. "What have they said?"

Mary nodded and her words came in jumbled chunks, "She…they said…she should be fine…" she confessed, but not as though it brought her any comfort. "She needs to get warm and…get bigger – gain some weight…"

"She's over four pounds," Marshall observed, pointing to the card on the incubator. "For thirty-two weeks, that is a huge accomplishment."

"Then, why is she so small still?"

Saying this aloud caused another cascade of tears, which she tried her damndest to hide, covering her face with her hand and turning away from her partner. When she spoke again, her voice was muffled.

"Why are you here?" it was obvious she longed to be able to veil herself from onlookers and wallow in her misery alone. "How come they even let you in? Can't you go away…?"

"I don't want to go away," he wasn't pushy, but absolute. "I wanted to see you – I wanted to see her. Jinx told me what you decided."

"That moronic blabbermouth…"

"Well, did you think I was never going to find out?" rhetorical questions probably weren't a good idea, here in the warzone, but he couldn't help himself. "I'm proud of you, Mary. This is a big step…"

"It isn't anything but stupid…" here, she showed him her face, dulled in the dim lights, making her look pale and washed-out from fear as well as the exhausting task of delivering a baby into the world. "Me thinking I can be a mother? I've lost my marbles…"

"You can absolutely do this. You're so intelligent, you're so defensive; you know everything there is to know about taking care of people…"

"This isn't the same," she moaned dejectedly. "This isn't a witness, this is my daughter; I can't get in her face and take her by the collar and scream at her if she doesn't do what I want…" And then, the most astounding words of all dribbled out of her mouth, words Marshall knew she would probably wish to take back later. "I need help…"

It was in his nature to seize them, to cling to the opportunity to be more to her than just the dork she shared an office with. When she called, he came – every time.

His hand migrated and found her shoulder, which was shaking beneath his palm. What he wanted to do was wrap both arms around her and pull her face against his chest and let her cry as long as she wanted. But, he knew the touch of his fingers was all she would tolerate.

"I'll help you," he promised soundly.

And, to his amazement, she didn't scoff or dismiss him or shrug his hand away. She didn't even roll her eyes. She looked at him like he'd just sworn to her he would pilot her straight to the sun because her little girl needed to be warm, that he would feed her day and night because she needed to grow. Like he was the answer. Like he had taken all her worries and, if not eliminated them, then pulled them into his heart so they became his as well. Theirs.

"You will?" she whispered.

His response was etched in care and deep, flooded concern, "Of course I will."

"Because I don't know if I can do this without someone telling me how. She's so tiny; she's fragile; she needs someone and I can't screw it up…"

"She has you."

"But, I'm not her mom – I'm just some lady that got knocked up."

"You are her mom," he clapped her shoulder this time and looked straight into her watery orbs. "And, if what you want is to do right by her, then that is what you will do. This is about choices, and if your choice is to give her the very best of yourself, then nothing is going to stop you…"

He made it sound so easy, so painfully simple, that it was just too hard to believe. Mary still thought it had to be about more than conscious effort – she had to be able to love and sacrifice and put herself second nine times out of ten. It was no longer about her. It was about Norah.

"I gave her a name," she whispered to her partner.

"I know…" he nodded again at the card taped to the front of the casing, smiling fondly as he did so. "Norah. It's beautiful."

"Like her. Right?"

"Now, you know that is something you don't have to ask me."

"I had to ask you for help, didn't I?" the snark meant she was feeling better, and Marshall's heart soared.

"And, I thoroughly enjoyed the invitation. And, to answer your question – yes, she is gorgeous. Like her mother."

"Don't be getting fresh with me, Poindexter."

"Copy that…"

"I didn't think we'd ever be here again – staring at a baby through the looking glass, so to speak. I think you described it best earlier. Mind-blowing is what it is."

"Well, it's not like he's our baby. Let's keep things in perspective, here."

"True enough. But, he's gonna be part of us, one way or another, because he's a part of Norah."

"Like I needed you to tell me that."

"I never know what you take in sometimes, inspector…"

"All I know is that he can be a part of us so long as we're not the ones doing the three AM feedings and the changing and the burping."

"Yeah, it is a bit of a bonus to escape that part of it."

"Remind me to rub it in Mark's face later."

"You are shameless, Mary."

Hands pressed to the dividing wall, the woman looked down into the nursery below and at the baby boy wiggling his nose and fighting his blankets in the front row. He had a card exactly like the ones Norah and Alice had boasted at their births, only it read, "It's a boy!" in blue letters rather than, "It's a girl!" in pink ones. It even had the same stork holding the bundle that theirs had possessed. It was nice to know that some things stayed the same.

Cody was, apparently, an ideal size – much bigger than Norah had been, but smaller than both Robyn and Alice at just seven pounds, ten ounces and nineteen inches long. His tag declared that he had indeed arrived before midnight on April eighth at 11:32 PM. At the moment, he looked like he was in the mood for achieving a nice nap, the way he was fidgeting and squinting at the lights, nearly dislodging his blue knit cap.

"So, here you are…" Mary muttered at him, still finding it strange to see him in the here and now. "The latest member of the Shannon circus. You can be the lion tamer."

"Who's on the trapeze?" Marshall was curious about the analogy.

"Robyn. Duh."

"The clown?"

"Alice."

"Ventriloquist?"

"Gotta be Max…"

"Then, who is our ringmaster?"

"Norah, clearly. She's the oldest."

"That she is."

Hearing Mary think about Cody as part of the gang, even in ridiculous terms, couldn't help but boost Marshall's spirits. She, like Norah, had come a long way when it came to acceptance, and he knew without a doubt that she now couldn't envision their future days without the little man in them. The children's reaction to his entrance said they were already prepared to take him under their wings.

"It'd be strange to have a brother or a sister thirteen years younger than you…" she changed tack in the silence. "When Norah's thirty, he won't even be done with high school yet."

"Oh, my…" Marshall breathed theatrically, throwing his head back for effect. "Norah at thirty? Makes me feel ancient. That puts Alice at twenty-four."

"Yikes."

"They could both be married by then and have kids of their own."

"Okay, you're right – let's stop there," Mary put a hand in his face, not realizing what she'd gotten herself into. "Because, you have now graduated the two of us to grandparents, and I'm not busting out any wheelchairs and walkers yet."

He laughed in a jolly way, "I think we're still pretty far off from that stage of life. Especially when you consider those whose lives are just beginning…" he tapped the glass and made eyes at Cody, sticking his tongue between his teeth.

"So, in spite of what you said, this probably isn't the last time we're going to be gaping into a nursery at a kid that feels like our own," she speculated, turning away from the boy to look at the man with a wily glint in her eye. "Huh?"

"Well, I suppose not – not if grandparenthood is on the horizon…"

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…" Mary exhaled. "We're gonna be one of those couples with ten little ankle-biters running around our house in our old age, aren't we? It'll be a nightmare…"

"Well, and think of it this way…" he was getting into the spirit of things now. "You add in Robyn and Max, and we'll get to be Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle Marshall! Won't that be something?"

"What the hell is so 'great' about that?"

"More love to go around…" he offered with a boyish shrug. "Isn't that what we all want? More love?"

"Maybe you do…"

"Don't think you can fool me any longer, my wonderfully wise wife…" piling on the alliteration. "Yes, you were once closed off and guarded and unable to let anyone in even the tiniest smidge – not even yours truly."

"I suppose you're going somewhere with this…"

"Oh, but I am," his professor finger was raised and ready to educate, just like the Marshall she had always known. "It is a badge of honor you have rightfully lost. Only truly healthy, warm, kind, giving individuals could welcome in the child of their ex-husband without a single qualm."

"So, is that what I am now?" Mary was unable to adjust to the idea. "Healthy and warm and kind and giving?" the phrases just did not fit who she considered herself to be in the least. "You're on something."

"Gonna have to face it…" he held out his hands, palms up, and his handsome face was exactly the same as Mary remembered it when she'd fallen in love with him so many years ago. "Tragic as it is, I think you grew up to be a good person after all."

A snort escaped because she knew he was teasing her and, for once, she was the one to stand on tiptoe and press her lips to his bristly cheek. His skin glowed a fantastic, glittering pink like he was the be-speckled, gangly kid on the playground being wooed by the fifth grade's most popular girl.

"Shame on you for turning me decent, doofus."

"I'd say it was a job well done, partner."

XXX

A/N: The end! Thank-you so much to everyone who has stuck with me through this story – it's all about quality of my reviewers, not the quantity, and you guys are a great bunch. Thanks to BrittanyLS, JJ2008, jekkah, Jayne Leigh, carajiggirl, Adelled, Jojo78, Ares' Warrior Babe, and any and all guests. You guys are awesome. There is no telling if or when I will be back, but I always hope the wheels will keep spinning. Thanks so much for sticking with me.