"Well, no, I don't think that it's one person actively changing the other," Marcello replied. "I'm not that naive. But it's not like I'm sitting htere thinking I want to change, either. It just happens."

"You two are adorable. Frustrating. But adorable. Go consummate your marriage some more." She gave him a harder look. "And if anything terrible just happens to befall poor Duncan, at least pretend to be broken up about it."

"More?" Marcello asked jokingly. "We've hardly gotten to consummate it at all." He nodded, and gave her a little salute. "G-Thank you for talking to me." He grinned. "And not giving me too hard a time."

"You're lucky I'm easily distracted," she told him. "I meant to give you a hard time about the killing-yourself thing, but Black got to you first, and she is way nicer than me." She put her hand back on his shoulder, raised herself onto the ball of one foot, and kissed his cheek, leaving a bright blot of color on his cheek.

Marcello smiled, and rubbed at his cheek. "Then I'll have to thank Black properly," he replied. "She'll at least appreciate it if I offer her a pie," he added, with a wink.

"You can probably rent her mercenary services for a pie," she said dryly. "Don't test that, by the way. I'm out." She rubbed his arm in passing. "Don't do anything stupid!" she called over her shoulder.