Title: Whatsername
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: All of these characters (except Krystal and Seth) belong to Jerry Bruckheimer, CBS, etc.
Author's Note: AU story, one-shot.
Background: Martin and Sam knew each other in high school, dated for a very brief period. They lost touch and are unaware they both live in New York. Martin works for the FBI while Sam is a detective with NYPD.
---
Thought I ran into you down on the streets
Then it turned out to only be a dream
I made a point to burn all of the photographs
She went away and then I took a different path
I remember the face but I can't recall the name
Now I wonder how whatsername has been
Seems that she disappeared without a trace
Did she ever marry old what's his face?
I made a point to burn all of the photographs
She went away and then I took a different path
I remember the face but I can't recall the name
Now I wonder how whatsername has been
Remember whatever
It seems like forever ago
Remember whatever
It seems like forever ago
My regrets are useless in my mind
She's in my head I must confess
My regrets are useless in my mind
She's in my head from so long ago
And in the darkest night
If my memory serves me right
I'll never turn back time
Forgetting you but not the time
-Whatsername by Green Day
---
"Grande Iced Caramel Macchiato!"
Martin thanked the Starbucks worker and grabbed his drink. Taking a huge sip, he felt the rush of caffeine down his throat. He turned to leave, grabbing a couple napkins on the water out. Unfortunately, with his attention focused on his drink, Martin failed to notice the pretty blonde entering the store. They collided abruptly.
"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly, kneeling to pick up her belongings that spilled out of her purse.
"No, it's my-" His words failed him as he stared at her while she stood up. She stared back, curiosity in her brown eyes. "-fault."
"Do I know you?" She asked.
Martin shook his head, embarrassed for have stared at her. "I'm sorry. You looked familiar, that's all." She smiled and suddenly Martin felt his heart racing. He extended his hand. "Martin Fitzgerald."
"Martin." Her hand took his. An electric spark ran down Martin's arm at the touch. Her hand was smooth, soft and he picked up the faint smell of vanilla. "Nice to meet you."
He grinned. "And you are…"
A red blush tinged her cheeks. "Oh, sorry. I'm-"
A ringing noise jolted Martin out of his dream. His sheets were tangled around him, one of his pillows managed to land on the floor during the night. Raising his head slightly, he tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. The incessant ringing continued. Realizing it was just his phone in the living room, he dropped back onto his pillow. His answering machine could pick it up. If it was work, they could reach him at his cell.
Martin flashed back to his dream. He let out a breath. It was the third night he dreamt about her. Only this time he came somewhat close to catching her name. Shutting his eyes, her face floated in his mind. Soft blonde hair framed her face, contrasting her mysterious brown eyes. The thought of her killer smile made his stomach do somersaults. It reminded him of a past girl whose smile also made his stomach do flips. Martin smiled at the small memory. He wondered whatever happened to her. They didn't talk much after they broke up and he never heard from her again after graduation. Maybe Martin could call up a friend later and ask about her. His smile dropped into a frown as he realized he still didn't know her name. He racked his brain for it but came up blank. All of his yearbooks were packed in a box, buried somewhere in his parents' attic and he had no pictures of her.
Since lying in bed wasn't going to help him remember, Martin might as well get ready for work. He got up, padding himself to the bathroom. Stripping off his clothes, he stepped in the shower. The warm water cascaded down on him. The mystery woman floated in his mind. Martin smiled to himself, shaking his head to clear his mind of her. When the water began to run cold, he shut off the water. Checking the clock on his night table, he noticed he still had some time before he had to go in. He dressed quickly, tucking his cell phone in his pocket. On the way out, he grabbed his watch and his bag. Maybe his stop at Starbucks could turn his dream into a reality.
---
After a look around the bullpen, Martin realized he was the first to arrive again. Jack had mentioned a meeting in the morning so his office was currently vacant. He put down his bag, kicked it beneath his desk. Hopefully there would be a case today so they wouldn't be stuck with more paperwork. For some reason this team always had to catch up with theirs.
Martin took a sip of his Starbucks and grabbed the first file off his desk, working on them to pass the time until Jack got back. Half an hour later, Danny waltzed in.
"Hey, man." Danny greeted, dumping a stack of files ungraciously onto his desk. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate paperwork?"
Martin chuckled. "Every minute you get the chance."
Danny took a seat at the bullpen, twirling a pen in his fingers. "Yeah, well, can't blame me." He peered closer at Martin. "What's got you all wired?"
He blinked. Was he that transparent? He waved Danny off. "It's nothing. Just this dream I've been having."
An eyebrow rose. "Ooh, do tell."
Martin turned his chair around so he could face Danny, leaning back. "You really want to know?"
"Does it concern a woman?" Martin nodded. "Then fire away. I love hearing about your women problems."
He glared at Danny. "I do not have a problem with the women." Before Danny could say anything, Martin continued. "And don't reply to that. Anyway, it's just this dream about this woman I keep running into but I don't know who she is. Although she does remind me of this girl I knew back from high school."
"Really? Sounds interesting. You don't know who she is? Do you know her name?"
"No, nothing. I gotta tell you though, she does have this great smile. I mean, gorgeous. And, of course, she's really pretty. Last night, I ran into her at Starbucks before work. The night before it was just in the streets and before that, just a bump during my morning job. So far last the Starbucks encounter was the closest I have came to getting her name.
"Her smile's the only reason she reminds me of the high school girl. I could almost swear they are the same person just from that. The other problem is I don't remember the girl from high school either." Martin pointed out. He couldn't believe he was telling Danny about this.
Danny let out a low whistle. "First off, you have the worst memory for an FBI agent if you cannot remember your friend. Second, does this woman really exist, or are you conjuring up your fantasy woman?"
Martin grinned. "If it was my fantasy woman, then I have to say I really do hope she exists."
Just then, Vivian and Kristin walked in. Their conversation stopped when they managed to pick up the last of what Martin said. Vivian stared at the two of them while Kristin asked, "Are you guys discussing your sexual fantasies? Because if you are, please, let us know now so we can leave you two to it."
Martin laughed as Danny explained, "No need to worry, Kris. It's not my fantasy, more like Martin's. It's this 'mystery' woman he's been dreaming about."
Vivian just shook her head, heading for her desk. Kristin perched on the edge of Martin's desk. "Mystery woman, huh? You scared her off already, Martin?" She teased.
Martin playfully shoved her off as he answered, "I didn't scare anyone off, FYI. I don't even know if she exists or if it's my imagination playing tricks on me."
Kristin patted Martin as she walked by. "Good luck with that."
Danny laughed, earning a paper ball to fly in his direction. "I don't know what to say, Fitz. I can't help you on your mystery woman angle since we don't even know if she's real. But, you could call up a friend and ask about this other one. See if she's in New York."
"I was already planning on doing that. But I doubt-"
Jack walked in with not a folder in his hands, but a stack of files. Each of them groaned as they realized what that meant. Jack just grinned, grabbing his share of the paperwork and stalked off to his office. They reluctantly grabbed a portion and began working at their desk.
---
All day she had been in his head. He was unable to shake her off as he continued working on his paper. Not to mention Danny asking for updates every half hour.
Martin dropped his last file into his done pile. Stretching out in his chair, he glanced at the clock. 5:18. He could drop a call to one of his friends, ask up on his mystery gal.
Picking up his phone, he punched in a local number. Hopefully his friend hadn't gone out yet. It picked up on the second ring.
"Seth? It's me, Martin."
"Martin! It's been awhile. How are the criminals these days? Giving you a run for your money?" His friend greeted.
"You have no idea." Martin smiled, already missing his friend. "Hey, listen. I was wondering if you could help me with something."
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Do you remember a girl we knew back in high school, blonde, real pretty with a killer smile? I went out on a couple dates with her."
There was a pause as Seth tried to remember. "Cheerleader? Wait, no, you didn't go for them. Maybe…her name was similar to one in a book but I can't remember. First name starts with a T?"
Martin laughed. "I was hoping you could tell me."
"I don't know. If it's the one I'm thinking of, last we heard she married some guy straight out of high school but that's it." Seth told him.
He sighed. It didn't help much. "Alright. Thanks anyway, man."
"No problem." Seth said, and then added teasingly. "Next time, call if you wanna grab a beer or something. I'm not your girlfriend organizer."
"You got it."
He placed the phone back in its cradle. If Seth didn't know what happened to her, he doubted any of his other friends would remember. And Seth was always in the middle of the gossips.
Feeling as if he'd accomplished nothing, Martin gathered up his stuff, calling it a night. Maybe tonight would turn up some luck.
---
Again, Martin was the first in the office. He really had no life if all he did was arrive early to the office. He headed for the break room, starting a fresh pot of coffee before Danny could. Just the thought of Danny's coffee made him grimace.
Last night had brought nothing. It was becoming so frustrating Martin actually considered seeing a therapist about this dream. Maybe they could translate it for him. He let out a sigh. He might as well abandon the search for her. There was nothing to go on except for his ex-girlfriend from high school but no one knew where she was.
The coffee pot began to blink its red light, allowing the person to know the coffee was done. Martin grabbed a mug and poured himself some, taking it black. When he walked back, Jack was approaching them with a new case. It was about time.
"All right, we finally caught one." Jack announced, sliding a picture of a woman on the white board. "Meet Jannett Lebowski. She was last seen shopping with some of her friends then NYPD found her car. There was blood in the car; they're currently confirming whether or not it's Jannett's.
"Krystal and Danny, have a chat with Miss Lebowski's friends. See if she ran into anyone while shopping. Vivian and I will go talk with her family. Martin, you're meeting with a detective at the scene. They'll fill you in on the facts."
As soon as Jack was done assigning tasks, they got up from the table, grabbing their coats. Danny jogged over to Martin as they walked over to the elevator.
"So, anything new on your lady?" He asked, slipping into his jacket.
Martin shook his head. They waited for the elevator to approach the floor. "Sorry, man. And I don't think there will be."
"Don't tell me you're giving up the search for her." Danny frowned.
"Yeah, basically. In a city where millions of people live, I doubt I'll find her." Martin explained simply, stepping inside the elevator.
Danny didn't ask any more questions.
---
Martin ducked under the yellow tape, stepping into the crime scene. His eyes scanned around for the detective he was supposed to be meeting with but couldn't find him anywhere. CSIs floated around him, busily doing their job. Approaching one of them, he asked them where to find the detective since he didn't even have his name. The criminalist pointed him towards a lone person standing by the car. Martin thanked him.
As he came walked closer, he was surprised to discover the detective was actually a woman. She wore a long coat but it didn't hide her slender curves, blonde hair was tied neatly into a ponytail. Her attention was focused on the car in front of her so she didn't notice his approach.
"Detective?"
She whipped around and Martin froze. It was her. The woman in his dreams, and she was staring back at him. Her brown eyes took him in as she stared. He even picked up a light scent of vanilla.
Martin cleared his throat. "You're the detective I'm meeting with?"
She eyed his FBI badge. "I'm guessing you're with FBI."
He laughed softly, already enjoying the sound of her voice. "Yeah. That's me."
She closed her notepad, holding her hand out to him. A smile appeared on her lips. Martin took her hand cautiously. Deep down he was praying this wasn't a dream but when he took her hand, felt the warmth seep into his, he knew this was real. Martin smiled at her.
"Martin Fitzgerald."
"Samantha Spade."