Marian loved Much. She truly did. Yes, she'd once told Robin she was a bit jealous of the bond they shared, and she'd meant it. Because truly, no one would ever know Robin the way his friend and former servant did. There was an entire side of him, a whole life that she'd never truly know. He spoke of that time rarely with her, but she knew of it, knew the bits he did tell her, knew the reasons it kept him up until all hours of the night at times, or woke him with a start. Much had lived through it with him, and knew him. But honestly? She was grateful to him for it. It caused her to love him that much more and be that much happier that he'd found his way to Lawrence. Robin needed him, and she wouldn't begrudge them that. Besides which, he'd become a friend to her in his own right, helping her when she needed, talking to her late into the evenings, and, well, saving her from a loveless and potentially dangerous marriage.
That didn't mean she wasn't happy to have some time alone with her husband again. Castiel and Lydia and the little group of men who lingered around "her" boys, they'd all been lifesavers, taking time with Much so she and Robin could have a bit of time to themselves. But now that Much lived next door, she could appreciate that time even more. So when business was slow that evening and they'd decided to cut labor hours, Marian had jumped at the chance to leave a little early. She was almost certain Robin would be home and if he wasn't, maybe she'd just surprise him with a nice dinner or something. Whatever it took to enjoy her evening with him.
She pushed open the door and placed her keys and purse on a nearby table, shrugging out of her jacket. "I'm home?" she called uncertainly, glancing around the room. No sign of him, but she heard the sound of the shower running and smiled. She could wait. Instead, she'd tidy up, give them more space.
At first when she saw the disaster that was the coffee table, she rolled her eyes. Robin wasn't a slob by any means, just sometimes he got distracted and left things everywhere. Which could get annoying but at least it was more tolerable than the habits her coworkers complained about. She reached down to at least neaten the pile of bits and paper when she caught sight of what they were.
The travel brochures weren't that surprising. For a man, he'd been as involved as he could be in the wedding planning. Some of the locations made her smile, some made her wince, but the fact that he was taking his task so seriously was adorable.
But the other papers, the scraps tossed in the middle of it all, the bits of this and that... She probably shouldn't have read. Private and all. But he had left them laying around so fair game. But she started reading and she had to smile. Almost without knowing she'd done so, she sat in the corner of the couch, curled into the cushions as she went from paper to paper, reading the bits and pieces he'd jotted down. And yes, fine, she got a little teary. But that was to be expected when she was reading incredibly loving words from a man she thought had been denied her not all that long ago.
The world kept trying to tear them apart. And they kept finding ways to return to each other.