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"How do you mess up something so badly?" Mayberry asked herself as she scribbled something over the wrong answer with her red pen.
"Genuinely, I.. I'm almost impressed by how wrong this is."
Martha nodded. Her chin brushing against Mayberry's snow white hair.
Mayberry had taken her usual spot in Martha's lap to grade her students' papers.
This had become an odd routine for the two.
Mayberry would come home to the cabin, pour herself a glass of something strong, hop into Martha's lap, and then settled in for a long night of grading papers until Martha inevitably did something that distracted Mayberry and made her forget all about her students papers.
That's how it usually went, but tonight things were different.
Martha was oddly peaceful throughout all this. She seemed content to just have her face buried in Mayberry's hair.
It's not that it wasn't nice, but it wasn't what Martha usually did. Mayberry obviously took notice.
She had noticed a few things off about Martha. Her touches on Mayberry seemed shy possibly nervous?
Her breathing seemed deep and heavy.
She had been scarily silent the whole time Mayberry was grading papers. It was almost unnerving how quiet she was.
Mayberry couldn't pretend not to notice any longer.
She set her papers and pen aside and shifted in Martha's arms to face her. "Okay, it's been twenty minutes and you haven't tried to seduce me yet. What's wrong?"
Martha was pulled out of her thoughts and tried to wave off her partner's question. "Wwwwhhhaaatt? Psst. Nah. I'm alright. Just not in the mood is all."
Mayberry raised an eyebrow skeptically.
Martha was usually a good liar, not today though.
"You're not in the mood. You, of all people, are not in the mood?"
For as long as Mayberry knew Martha she always seemed to be in "the mood" whenever she was around her so something was definitely wrong if she wasn't in the mood.
Martha knew she had been caught. She raised her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, ya caught me."
"So, you going to tell me why you're so oddly docile?"
Martha let out heavy sigh. She rubbed the back of her head nervously causing her large purple hair to bounce.
Her usually mischievous gaze shifted to one of sorrow it seemed.
In Mayberry's entire time of knowing Martha she had only seen her look sorrowful once back when they first became partners.
"I'm sorry." Martha said quietly.
Mayberry's tail twitched with curiosity. "You're... sorry?"
"Yeah."
"For... what exactly?" Mayberry questioned.
Martha was silent for a moment, rubbing her bicep nervously. The words seemed to get stuck in her throat.
"I... I'm sorry I ruined your life."
Mayberry's eyes widened in surprise. In all the time she had known Martha she was rarely sorry or regretful about anything.
Martha used to tell Mayberry stories of some of the crazy, scandalous, or down right evil things she used to do back when she was alive. She told those stories proudly without a hint of regret or remorse in her eyes, in fact many of those stories she seemed to take great pride in but right now there was no golden glint of pride in her eye, just regret.
Mayberry was silent she didn't say anything. She was too surprised to say anything at all.
Martha took Mayberry's silence as a sign to continue.
"I should have never slept with your husband. If I hadn't done that maybe you'd still be alive back on Earth and happy."
Martha's regretful eye was locked on Mayberry, waiting for her response. Mayberry just looked dumbstruck.
"Well... ya gonna say anything?" Martha questioned. "Come on, say something May."
Mayberry took off her glasses and cleaned with part of her sleeve before placing them back on her face.
Mayberry let out her own sigh before saying
"Part of me should be happy you said that... but I'm not. I'm glad you ruined my life."
"Huh?!" Martha exclaimed.
"Martha, if you hadn't slept with my husband it would have been someone else. The fact he was willing to sleep with you just shows that our marriage was already out the door." Mayberry seemed sad for a moment but quickly shook that sadness off and returned to comforting Martha.
"If you hadn't slept with my husband, I still would have caught him eventually, killed him, and then myself. I still would have ended up down here... just without someone to keep me company."
Mayberry raised her hand, cupping Martha's face. Martha jumped a bit at Mayberry's touch, but eventually relaxed into it.
Mayberry spoke gently. "Look, am I still incredibly pissed that you slept with my husband? Yes... but I think you've more than made up for it."
Mayberry glanced around the large wooden cabin she and Martha called home. Martha built this place from scratch just for them. You don't just build a whole house for someone unless you really care about them.
"Martha, believe me when I say if I still hated you, this," She motioned between the two of them. "Wouldn't have happened. I don't hate you for what you did. Honestly... I'm gonna glad you did it."
Martha had to chuckle at this point. "You're glad I slept with your husband, broke up your marriage, and drove you to suicide?"
"Well, when you put it like that it sounds more messed up then it is." Mayberry chuckled.
"No, look, if what happened didn't happen I would have never met you, I would have never found out I'm actually a lesbian, and I'd be stuck in a slowly dying marriage probably drowning my sorrows in cheap booze at some bar somewhere. Instead I get to drown my sorrows in cheap booze with an incredibly sexy woman next to me."
Mayberry said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Martha just had to laugh at this point. Despite everything she had done to hurt Mayberry she still loved her.
"Now I know you're as crazy as me. No one in their right mind would love someone like me after all that."
Mayberry smirked proudly and said "Then call a mental hospital cause I've lost my marbles."
Martha laughed, grabbed Mayberry and pulled her down into bed. Mayberry yelped but quickly adjusted when she felt Martha's arms wrap around her. Mayberry wrapped her arms tight around Martha, digging her nails deep into the fabric of her dress.
Martha nuzzled her face into Mayberry's hair before pulling her back up to meet her face to face.
There was something warm and soft in Mayberry's eyes despite everything she had done to her, she still loved her, she still adored her. Martha had no idea how she got so lucky to end up with Mayberry in Hell. She knew she shouldn't have gotten this lucky. She should have been punished for all the messed up things she did back on Earth but instead of eternal torment, it was more eternal fun.
Martha moved forward a bit, catching Mayberry's lips against hers. Mayberry's eyes fluttered shut as she relaxed into the kiss. It was much more gentle and sweet than most of their other kisses.
Mayberry knew she should be mad at Martha for everything she had done to her. She ruined her life! But she wasn't.
She couldn't be more happier to have someone ruin her life.
The kiss broke after another moment. Mayberry muttered softly against Martha's lips.
"Thank you for ruining my life."
"You're welcome, hon." Martha then pulled Mayberry back in for another kiss. Mayberry's hands wandered off Martha and tried to grab her papers but Martha's hand pushed the papers and pen off the bed, sending them to the floor.
Mayberry giggled into the kiss.
Welp, it looks like there would be no more grading of papers tonight cause Martha was back to her old mischievous self and Mayberry couldn't be any happier.