A/N: Final chapter—short and hopefully sweet?!

And Into The Night We Go

You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain
You took your suitcase, I took the blame
Now I'm trying to make sense of what little remains
'Cause you left me with no love and no love to my name
I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in
'Cause I got time while she got freedom
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break
No it don't break, no it don't breakeven…

It was Eleanor that found the hastily written message on the wedding invitation. Brandi had gasped, slack jawed and honestly confused; Jinx, disappointed at her daughter's flight reflex. Stan, far more confused than even the maid of honor, had to have Eleanor quietly explain the situation twice over before all the pieces fell into place before him: his inspectors were in love, yes…with each other. With a 'how-could-you-have-truly-missed-that' eye roll from Eleanor, all Stan could do was lament over the paperwork he'd have to start filing.

It was the groom, though, that was the least surprised of all. One's coping mechanism tends to build when they've been rejected before. He'd given her time, more than he should have, and she'd run. Like he knew she ultimately would.

But this time she wasn't running away. This time she was running to someone. And that someone wasn't him.

It never really had been him.

He picked up the engagement ring, silently slipping out of the room. The words of the note echoing in his mind. They'd stay there for a while, the hurt of being left behind.

I know what I want now. I know who I want. And I just can't do this.

Sorry,

Mary.

XOX

Somehow, she knew he'd be here.

It had been four months since he'd been in their WITSEC office. His desk was empty, cleared of all personal items. She had kept his nameplate, hidden away in a drawer, stolen out of his box. She hadn't been able to part with the last piece of him. Stan had yet to get around to finding the abrasive inspector a new partner—out of fear of confrontation, or simply out of fear, Mary hadn't figured out—and she would have no conversation on the topic. Her dramatic mood swings typically favoring absolute terror, so much so that even Eleanor's tough skin had been broken more than once, or a downshift into deep depression, leaving Mary feeling more alone than she'd ever felt before.

It was four months of hell no one wanted to relive.

She was relieved to see his familiar form leaning on the balcony. It had taken her longer to get here than she'd hoped; her car had had a few problems starting, like usual, and had to be…kicked into gear, so to speak. Her hair was falling from its pristine bun; the curls losing their bounce. Make up smudged from the New Mexico heat and the earlier waterworks—still wearing her wedding dress.

By now, Mary guessed, they'd found the note. She'd apologize later, and would no doubt be pounced on and harassed by her mother and sister when she finally went home.

He heard her behind him—felt her behind him. The wedding had either been very quick or very…Mary.

"How was the wedding?" He asked evenly, no emotion touching the words.

"I wouldn't know," She replied quietly. He turned to face her, surprised. In all the years he'd known her, no matter his opinion, she rarely listened to him, if at all. And now his best friend stood before him, the picture of Cinderella after midnight, a little worse for the wear and still beautiful, even as her world fell apart. "I didn't make it. See, I have this friend that…that I count on. I count on him to be there for me, whether or not I'm making the biggest mistake of my life, or just being a selfish bitch. I count on him to tell me that I'm wrong. I need him to save me from myself, and myself from the world and tell me that everything will be okay—even if it won't. That he'll never leave me. And today, he wasn't there. Today I realized that he's the biggest factor in my life. And if I needed him to be there, to that extent, to make him watch while I married someone else...knowing he was sacrificing his happiness…then he wasn't my friend. He could never be just my friend."

She swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her admission. "Everything has been so wrong without you, Marshall."

He stared at her for a long time after that, absorbing her long winded statement. Everything had been wrong without her, too. She was the biggest factor in his life. She was everything.

"It's been wrong without you too, Mare," Marshall conceded. A watery smile touched her lips. She opened her hand, revealing the star necklace.

"I chose you. I've spent four months wishing for you," she whispered.

He picked the delicate necklace up from her open palm, undoing the clasp. She turned away, allowing him to place the necklace around her, hands lingering on her shoulders, before turning her back to face him.

"Mary…will you promise me to stay, even when you feel like running; will you promise to talk to me, even when we're so angry at each other that we start using Eleanor and Stan as personal messengers; and will you promise to love me, even when you hate me…until some higher force intervenes, as long as we both shall live?"

She tilted her head to the side, seeing the honesty of his—proposition, more so than simple proposal—in his wide, hopeful eyes. And she knew from Marshall that it wasn't a marriage proposal. Not yet. He knew her far better than that, than anyone ever would.

She smiled, brighter than she had since he'd left, leaning up to whisper in his ear.

"I do."

He laughed lightly. "Then I now pronounce us, Marshall Mann and Mary Shannon, by the state of New Mexico, for all intents and purposes, officially together."

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, before replying.

"Marshall Mann, you may now kiss the most messed up girlfriend you will ever have."

"She's the only one I ever wanted. I wouldn't have her any other way."

"Good, because you're going to be stuck with me for a very long time," Mary said primly, pulling his face to hers to seal the proposal.

No alters, no flowers, no flashing cameras and flashier rings, no limos, no cake and throwing rice, no music…just two friends on a balcony, promising everything they could.