A/N I do not own IPS or any of the characters. This is strictly for therapeutic and entertainment purposes only.

As for me, this is my first attempt at an IPS fic. I'd love to know what you think.

Spoilers through Season 2: Miles to Go.

Two Days Ago

Stan rose from the conference room table as soon as he heard the elevator. He asked Eleanor to keep the latest person to be put under their protection company and quickly shut the door behind him as he tried to figure out how he was going to handle telling his Inspectors about this latest situation. Any thoughts in his head were quickly washed away as the two Marshals exited the elevator already deep in conversation, if you could call it a conversation.

"…but it was hard enough Marshall, you just need to work on your technique."

"Now wait just a minute, there is nothing wrong with my technique. Just ask Janice."

"That 60 year old granny. You think she's going to risk losing her youngest and best tipping client by saying different you moron. And what was with that big tip. If I'd known you were shelling out that kinda cash I would have given you a few pointers myself," Mary spat back as she made her way to her desk. It was as if neither of them even noticed Stan staring at them with a look of pure confusion on his face.

Mary threw her bag under her desk and looked back to see the frown on Marshall's face.

"Jesus Christ Marshall, don't be such a girl. I mean seriously, if you can't take the criticism you never should have asked me to tag along."

"Well considering I'm your chauffeur because your car is in the shop again," Marshall responded raising his voice slightly.

Mary's body tensed and she started to scream back, "What the hell does that have to do with any.."

"Will you two shut up and act your age for once!"

Mary and Marshall froze at the sound of Stan's voice echoing through the office. After glancing at Stan as if he were out of his mind, their eyes locked challenging the other to continue. Mary stuck her tongue out at Marshall and was about to open her mouth when she heard a strange sound.

"What the hell was that? It sounded like a cat." She had a frazzled look in her eye and was waiting for her partner to give what she hoped would be a cliff notes answer to her question.

"Now how the hell would a cat get in here." Marshall replied in a tone that earned him his partner's patented shut up or I'll shoot you look. He started to smirk when he heard the noise as well.

Before Stan could come up with a response, the pair was on the move in search of the source. They didn't take more than a few steps before the conference room door opened and Eleanor appeared before them.

"What is going on out here?" She demanded. "Are you all insane? Are you trying to scare the little guy even more? Honestly, I don't know who thought it was a good idea to send him here. I can't for the life of me imagine how you're going to handle this one," she said in a sarcastic voice, as she looked Mary up and down. Then she turned and made her way back into the conference room.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mary shot back. She then turned toward Marshall and said again, "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Marshall shrugged his shoulders. "I do not want to even try to guess, but I have the feeling we are about to find out." He tried to sound sympathetic because he had a very bad feeling in his gut and didn't want to do anything to upset his partner any more than she already was.

"Stan?" she said more accusatory than questioning as she finally decided to recognize her boss's presence in the room. "Are you going to tell me what in God's name is going on around here or am I going to have to beat it out of her?" She said nodding her head in Eleanor's direction.

"Now Mary, just try to stay calm. There is a perfectly good explanation. Why don't you have a seat and I'll fill you both in on your latest assignment." Stan kept his voice calm as he tried to guide Mary back to her desk chair. He hated having to deal with her in situations like this. He wasn't any good at it and always delegated Marshall to run interference. Unfortunately, today had to be one of the many days that Mary's car didn't start which meant Marshall had to pick her up and was not in the office at his usual early hour for Stan to debrief him. So now instead of dealing with just Mary, Stan had both of his Inspectors looking to him for answers and he did not like it.

"I don't want to sit down. What the hell is going on?" Mary pulled away from Stan and headed toward the conference room with Marshall on her heels.

"Calm down Mare. I'm sure it's not that big a …" Marshall Mann did not finish his statement. He stood looking over Mary's shoulder into the conference room and found himself speechless, something he was not accustomed to being, at the sight of Eleanor cradling a baby in her arms.

"Mary, Marshall, I'd like you to meet Matthew," Eleanor said holding the baby up just a little higher so that they could get a better look at his little face.

Having gotten over his initial shock, Marshall moved toward the baby as he held out the long index finger of his right hand, "Well hello there Matthew. Aren't you a cute little guy." He smiled brightly as Matthew grasped his finger and looked up at him.

"I really just don't get it," Mary said more to herself than to the others as she watched Marshall with the baby. "Just don't start with the baby talk or I'll make sure your next move is a nose dive off the balcony," she said glaring at Marshall who just shook his head at her and turned his attention back toward Matthew.

Stan dropped two large folders on the table and then joined the group huddled around Matthew. "Eleanor would you mind taking him into my office for a little while. Maybe you could see if he's hungry while I bring the Inspectors up to speed."

"Sure Chief," she replied as she grabbed the oversize diaper bag from one of the chairs. "And Mary. I'll be sure to come get you when he needs to be changed."

"You really do have a death wish, don't you?" Mary yelled after Eleanor as she left the room and then turned her attention back to her boss. "A baby Stan? Really? This is a joke right? The kid is really Eleanor's nephew or something. You guys have really sunk to a new level using a kid to..."

"Mary, please," Stan said interrupting her before she could continue. "This is no joke. Matthew was born on January 15, 2009 as Michael Davis. His mother is Emily Davis, who is in the program. She used to be Emily Harrison the wife of Michael Harrison."

"Whoa Stan," Marshall interrupted, "you don't mean the Michael Harrison on the FBI's most wanted list?" which came out less like a question and more like a statement as Marshall had already come to his own conclusions.

"The very one," Stan replied in a steady and serious tone. "The DOJ has been trying to get the goods on Harrison for a few years, but it wasn't until a year ago that they were able to bust one of his distributors and make a deal. The week after the indictments were handed down, they found the guy with a bullet in his head and a suicide note. Unfortunately, CI found nothing to rule out suicide. Without a witness…"

"The Attorney General dropped the charges," Marshall said matter of factly. "That still doesn't explain why his 6 month old son is in our office."

"Well, it seems the young Mrs. Harrison had no clue that her husband was head of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the Pacific Northwest. After he was arrested, she found out she was 3 months pregnant and took off. Turned out that the family doctor was in her husband's pocket and was more than willing to share the news of his wife's pregnancy. Once released, Michael tracked her down and threatened to kill her parents if she didn't come back. A few months later they found out it was a boy. It was then that she over heard her husband making plans to kill her as soon as his son was born. Emily Harrison waited until her husband was away and used the maid's cell phone to call the Feds. She was placed in the program as Emily Davis and gave birth to Michael Davis a few months later. The day she brought him home from the hospital, the decoy security detail that left the hospital 2 hours before the real one was ambushed."

Stan was surprised that he hadn't been interrupted and looked up to see Mary and Marshall waiting for him to continue. "The DOJ does not have a strong enough case to indict Harrison, so as of now he is walking around a free man and is obsessed with finding his son. Emily and Michael have been relocated twice since his birth, but each time someone from the Harrison organization has shown up in the area. Two weeks ago, the FBI discovered that there was a $1 million bounty out on Emily Harrison aka Emily Davis and they were put in a safe house. It was then that Emily requested that Michael be relocated within the program and agreed to give up all parental rights as long as he was kept safe. The DOJ has spent the last two weeks trying to make her understand what she was doing and is convinced now that she will not change her mind. She wants him safe and you two are going to make sure he stays that way."

"Jesus Mary and Joseph. What am I, an adoption agency? I already found a home for one kid this year. It's not like there are a lot of stable families in the program willing to take on a baby."

"You're right Mary, there aren't," Stan replied. "So it's a good thing you don't have to find him one."

Mary and Marshall exchanged a quick glance before turning to look quizzically at their boss. Knowing what was in store if he let Mary control the conversation, Marshall decided he better jump in first. "So what exactly are we supposed to do with the little guy Stan?"

"Michael Davis no longer exists. As far as the world is concerned, he died of a rare complication at the age of 5 months. The child in my office is Matthew Young, born on January 25, 2009 right here in Albuquerque. He lived with his mother, father unknown, until her death in an automobile accident two days ago when he was taken into the custody of the State until such time as they can find any extended family capable of taking care of him. In reality, he is under the protection of the U.S. Marshal Service and will remain so as long as his father is out there looking for him. I'm not sure what is going to happen long term, but for now a safe house has been set up and he will be under your 24 protection." Stan finished his summary of the situation without looking directly at either of his Inspectors.

Mary noticed his inability to look either of them in the eye and said, "Just exactly who is in charge of this case? Just because I have boobs doesn't mean I know anything about babies."

"Mary please," Stan said holding up his hands as if to shield him from the verbal onslaught he knew was coming. "This is obviously a situation that WITSEC has never had to deal with before so there is no point of reference. Since a baby requires constant attention and care under normal circumstances, it was decided that you are to handle this as a team. We want to make sure that he gets the care and stability he needs until he is placed in a more permanent home. He has been moved around enough and now he has lost his mother as well"

"So, in other words, you are saying that Mary and I will be coordinating our efforts in protecting him as well as being his caretakers." Marshall could only imagine what was going through Mary's head right now and was pretty sure he was going to take the brunt of her anger when the meeting was over.

"Yes Marshall, that about sums it up. Now if you two will excuse me a moment."

"Now way! Stop right there Stan. Don't think you can just drop the bombshell that we are now glorified babysitters and walk away." Mary said angrily in order to hide the fact that she was really freaking out over the idea of having to take care of a baby. She had no clue about what to do with a baby.

"C'mon Mare, doesn't sound so bad. I mean how much trouble could one little baby be?" Marshall asked knowing that he would distract Mary long enough for Stan to escape the room, but well aware of the fact that this was going to be one of those assignments that would test their partnership.