May

Mary was almost four months into her pregnancy when she suspected something was different. Her clothes were getting tighter much faster than they had last time, and if her breasts had been enlarged before, they were ridiculous now. She wasn't even halfway through her pregnancy and she felt like she had when she was seven months pregnant with Norah. At least the nausea had subsided somewhat, but once again she found herself with an extreme distaste for coffee. She was grateful when school let out for the summer around the third week of May. She liked being a teacher more than she thought she would have, but she missed being a marshal.

She missed Marshall.

The first weekend after summer vacation began, Mary loaded up her daughters to take them to the local playground. The twins were thriving and Norah was growing like a weed. Mary couldn't believe how much of a difference just two months had made in their lives

Before going to the playground, Mary decided to make a quick stop at her bank. No doubt the girls would want ice cream during their excursion, as would she, and she didn't have any cash. So she retrieved the girls from their seats and put Norah in her stroller before guiding them inside the bank. Mary headed straight for the closest available teller and pulled her checkbook out of her purse.

Maggie and Olivia stayed close to Norah's stroller. They had taken to being big sisters with great enthusiasm, and Mary supposed she would never have to worry about Norah as long as Maggie and Livvy were nearby.

A man entered the bank as the teller greeted Mary. Mary was surprised when she felt a tug on her pant leg. "What is it, Liv-love?"

Olivia pointed to the man, her blue eyes wide and wary.

Mary didn't have time to turn around. A single gunshot was fired and chaos erupted in the small bank.

"Hey, Marshall."

Marshall briefly glanced up from the file he was poring over. Stan stood in front of his desk, his hands in his pockets and concern shining bright in his eyes.

"What's going on, Stan?"

Stan leaned against the desk. "You know, it's been three months…"

Anxiety welled up in Marshall. He clenched his pen tighter.

"…since we lost Mary. And I was thinking…maybe it's time to clean out her desk."

"No." The word escaped Marshall before he could stop it.

"Marshall…"

"I won't do it, Stan." His eyes went to Mary's desk.

"I know this is hard for you, son, but Mary's not coming back. We need the desk for her…"

"Replacement?" Marshall spat.

"No one is saying that, Marshall. We could never replace Mary. But your workload is heavy, and we need another inspector here to help out."

Silence fell over the room. Marshall continued to stare at his desk until he finally looked up and Stan was gone. There was a large box on Mary's desk.

He couldn't do this.

Every nerve in Mary's body screamed at her to act, to do something to subdue the crazed man waving a gun in the air. She was no longer, however, a U.S. Marshal. A teacher wouldn't know anything about taking down a madman with a gun. A teacher would hide and protect the children in her care, not confront the threat headlong.

Luckily the question was taken out of her hands when a blond she vaguely recognized launched forward. "SBPD! Freeze!"

Norah let out a shriek that startled everyone in the room but Mary. Everything slowed to a crawl as the maniac spun on the small blond and took aim. Mary didn't think, didn't breathe, didn't hesitate. Lunging forward, she slammed herself into the petite blond just as the gun went off. They both slammed into the floor and the other woman didn't waste precious time. She held her gun up and fired several rounds, all hitting their mark.

The gunman hit the floor several seconds later, his eyes wide and unseeing.

Breathless, Mary rolled away from the cop and looked for her children. Maggie and Olivia were on either side of Norah's stroller. Their little arms were stretched protectively over Norah and their hands were clasped tightly together, determined not to be separated.

Her hand went to her rounded stomach and absently rubbed circles over her unborn child.

This was going to cost her.

Within nine minutes, the entire Santa Barbara police department was swarming the bank. Mary was checking over her daughters and trying to ignore the paramedics when a booming, albeit panic-filled voice called out.

"Juliet!"

Ah, that was it. The cop's name was Juliet. Mary watched from her seat on the floor as the lanky cop practically shoved anyone in his path in his effort to reach his partner. She ran toward him as well, but with a slight limp due to Mary's collision and subsequent shove to the floor.

"Carlton!"

They reached each other and Lassiter didn't hesitate to snatch her up in his arms. Mary had to look away as he reassured himself that Juliet was safe.

Marshall had been able to do that with her just once. Now she was dead to him and he would never look at her that way again.

Maggie and Olivia crawled into her lap and snuggled into her chest, still unsettled and frightened. Mary refocused her pain and grief, turning it into comfort for the girls she held in her arms.

She had to get back to Marshall.

He regretted it from the moment the drunken desire crossed his mind.

Mary had been gone for three months now, long enough for his mind to logistically accept she was never coming back. But his heart was a traitorous creature that tormented him in every waking moment with thoughts and memories of hers. The only thing capable of silencing it was alcohol, so he went to the closest bar and ordered an entire bottle of whiskey. He remembered the first few drinks, the burning in his chest and the sting of tears in his eyes. He vaguely remembered someone taking his hand and leading him out of the bar, someone with brown hair and blue eyes.

Someone who wasn't his Mary.

Yet he didn't stop her. No, in his desperate need to feel something other than grief and regret, he followed her to her street, her apartment, and into her bed. The rest was lost in an alcohol-induced blur.

By the time Mary got home from giving her report, her marshal was there waiting with a new identity and a new city. It wasn't her fault, but she had witnessed and helped stop a crime, so she had to be relocated. She and the girls were put on the first plane heading east, thousands of miles from Marshall, Santa Barbara, and anything even remotely familiar to her.

The only comfort she had was a picture of Marshall she had secretly tucked away in the back of Maggie's stuffed bear. She knew the rules and dangers, but there was only so much pain her heart could take, and not being able to see his face ever again would kill her.

I'll come for you, Marshall. I swear to God, I'll come for you.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Now that I have all five seasons, my muse is coming back! And Wednesday is my birthday, so it's party time! Thanks for reading, and please review!