Title: Empty Life

Author: NikiMeg

Disclaimer: Without a Trace and the characters do not belongs to me.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Samantha/Martin

Spoilers: Pilot, Friendly Skies, The Bus.

Summary: Samantha and Martin story. Going from present to past. WARNING: Major character death.

Author's Note: Thanks to Vera for beta-ing it for me. Hope you enjoy. Please R&R.

*~*~*

Samantha got off the elevator. She walked into the room, looking around. It was her first day there since...Her first day since Martin got shot. Her first day there since Martin's death.

In her way toward her desk she couldn't stop thinking of Martin. His presence was everywhere she looked at. His empty desk telling that he was not a member of New York FBI Missing Person Unit anymore. But his sweet perfume keeps denying it. He was there, everywhere in there.

The Conference Room was the place where she met him for the first time. Jack introduced Martin Fitzgerald to the team. She instantly noticed his beautiful smile. Later that day she realized he was more than a cute guy. She felt terrible to have judged him as soon as she met him.

As the cases went on day after day she had the chance to know him better. So did him. When he asked her to go out for some drinks she really wanted to say yes. Later that day she thought she should had called to Eric gave him an excuse. A stupid excuse. And, went out with Martin. Why she has not done it. Even her didn't figure it out.

Martin had not given up on her. When she needed a friend he was there for her. For the first time on her life she had a shoulder to cry on and he wasn't asking for something back. He just wanted to help her while she was going through so many issues. That was when she found out she had feelings for him.

The following months they went out every single day after shift. Well, at least when they hadn't stayed later working on a case or when they didn't need to travel looking for someone missing. Four months later he moved to her apartment. They couldn't be happier. Everyone could see the shine on her eyes the day they left to go together to their apartment.

They got married a month after Samantha found out she was pregnant. She told him he didn't have to marry her just because she was pregnant but he said he was not marrying her because she was having his child. He was marrying her because he loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her as her husband.

Bianca was born in a sunny day. Her dad bought as many pink balloon as he could carry. The little girl was blonde like her mom and had blue eyes just like her dad

***

"Did you call to Jack?" Danny asked, sitting on the floor next to Bianca.

"This morning." She looked at Danny playing with her little daughter.

"Who I am?" Danny asked, catching a male doll.

"Not that." Bianca took the doll off of Danny's hands quickly, placing it on the couch. "You can be Patty."

"Okay, I'm Patty. Who will be the boyfriend?"

"No one. I don't want to play anymore." Bianca rose from the floor and made her way toward her bedroom.

"Bianca." Danny called her.

The little girl didn't stop. He turned to look at Samantha. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry. She's angry all the time." Sam said in a very sad tone of voice.

Danny felt terrible for the girl. He knew what Bianca was going through; he had lost his parents when he was a kid, too. At least, she had Sam to take care of her.

"So, what Jack told you?"

"He's not quite sure if I'm ready to go back at work."

"Are you?"

Samantha sat onto the couch, placing her elbow on her leg and putting a hand in her head.

"I'll never be. But I can't stay home 24/7. I have to work again. This place... I can't stay here all the time." she stuttered.

"You could wait a couple of weeks. After all, it happened..." Danny stopped speaking; he was uncomfortable.

"A month. A month since he passed away."

Danny didn't know what to say. He had also lost his best friend.

Samantha leaned her head against the couch, looking at the ceiling. There was silence between them for a while.

Danny started to pick up the dolls from the floor.

"I do that later."

"Sam, if you do want to go back at work. I can talk to Jack. We can see what happens"

"Thanks Danny. You are a great friend."

"I'm going to see Bianca. I'll see if she's still angry at me." Danny walked through the hallway toward Bianca's bedroom leaving Samantha in the living room with her own thoughts.

He knocked on the door, opening it slowly. Bianca was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, holding a book next to her chest.

"Are you reading?"

"I'm five. I don't know how to read."

He smiled. "Do you want me to read it for you?"

"My daddy used to read it to me."

He sat down on the floor in front of her. "I read this book to Randy. He likes it."

"He doesn't know anything. He is a boy."

Danny chuckled. This was exactly what Randy said about girls. Boys and girls are so similar and so different at the same time, he thought.

After a while, Samantha rose up from the couch and made her way through the hallway standing in the doorway of Bianca's bedroom. After a long time, her daughter was laughing again. Bianca was chuckling of the funny voices Danny was doing while reading to her.

Samantha stepped back, leaning against the wall. She felt tears slipping over her cheeks. Tears of happiness for seeing her little girl smiling again and, on the other hand, tears of sadness. A five-year-old girl shouldn't go through all that. She should grow up with a father complaining about her boyfriends and protecting her from the world.

She ran toward the kitchen and started to cry. She couldn't allow Bianca to see her crying; she should be strong to support Bianca. She had to make her believe everything was going to be all right

Danny entered in the kitchen. He stopped when he saw the tears on Samantha's face. "Sam, are you okay?"

She turned toward him, looking at down. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Bianca slept. I have to pick Randy up."

Samantha nodded her head.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Danny was worried about leaving Samantha alone.

"I will. Go pick your son."

"I'll ask Alex to call you. You two could do something together."

"Sounds good."

Danny walked out of the kitchen, making his way toward the front door and left through the door.

A couple of days later, Samantha got a call from Jack saying she could go back to work if she felt she was ready. In fact, what Samantha wanted was to run away as far as possible. But she couldn't. She had a little girl to raise.

So she answered she would be there on the next day.

To be continued.