MMkay just so you know when I talk about the Duval case, it's the same case that Martin was working in Nevada where the men are kidnapped and then killed after 72 hours. Oh and italics are thoughts.
Enjoy!
As the emerald sun rose above the endless skyscrapers of New York City, the New Yorkers below hustled through the busy streets, hailing cabs and going about their daily business. As Martin stirred in his hotel bed, he realised just how much he had missed the city and all it's noises. You couldn't hear the traffic noises of the city from rural Nevada, nor get take out at two o'clock in the morning. Gently, he rose out of bed and stepped to the curtained windows, drawing back the curtains and watching with sleepy eyes as the sleepless city awoke for the day. He quietly slid the balcony door open and stepped out into the crisp morning air, breathing in the scent of the city. God, he missed this.
The gentle tap of fingers on the glass door behind him brought his attention to Maddy who was standing on the other side of the glass, watching her father with barely awake eyes. Martin smiled and slid the door open, scooping Maddy into his arms and shutting the door behind her.
"Morning Maddy-bean," he said as he kissed her temple.
His daughter coughed and rested her sleepy head against his shoulder. Cleary, she wasn't quite awake. He huddled her gently shaking body closer to his chest for warmth and let his gaze fall back upon the buildings reaching towards the sky and the rising sun reflecting it's rays off them.
"Daddy are we in You Nork?" Maddy asked, her voice muffled from being pressed into his shoulder.
"Ya baby we're in New York. Isn't it pretty?" Martin asked, cuddling her a little closer.
Instead of responding she nodded her head vigorously against his shoulder. "Daddy I'm cold."
Martin looked to the exposed flesh of her lower leg and noted the goose bumps. "Me too," he said. "Let's go back inside and get something to eat."
He carried her back inside the hotel room and placed her down on the floor, picking up the room service menu and reading off the options to her.
An hour later when they had both finished their breakfast, Martin helped Maddy get dressed and slide her coat onto her thin arms.
"Where now?" she asked him curiously.
"Well Daddy has to go work so you are going to go hang out with kids your age in the hotel daycare," Martin replied.
Maddy pouted. "But I don't wanna go to daycare!" she protested. "I wanna come to work with you and meet all your friends!"
Martin gave her a guilty smile and thought to himself that they might not even be his friends anymore, not after the way he left. "Mad I'm sorry but I can't take you with me today. Maybe sometime later in the week, okay?"
Madelyn pouted and narrowed her eyes in what Martin noticed immediately was her 'angry face'.
"I'm sorry baby. I really am," Martin said, slipping on his own coat, taking his daughter's small hand in his and leading her down to the lobby.
With a sad smile he dropped her off in the daycare with assurance from the concierge that his daughter would be fine and headed with dread back towards the building he had left almost six years ago.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jack swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he paced back and forth across the bullpen, black trench coat billowing behind him. Sam, Danny, Elena and Vivien all sat around the table, wondering what was bothering their boos so much.
"Jack," Danny prompted.
But either Jack didn't hear him or was ignoring him so he kept pacing.
"Jack!" Danny said again with a little more force.
"What?" Jack asked as he span around and stared at his expectant team.
"Care to tell us what's on your mind?" Vivien asked with concern.
Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his greying hair. "We're getting a new agent to help with the Duval case," he said simply.
He started expectantly at his team, waiting for some sort of reaction.
"Ok. What's the big deal?" asked Sam with nonchalance.
The rest of the team nodded their agreement.
Jack scrambled to think of a lie. "Nothing, I just thought that you guys might be upset when I told you."
"Well we're not," Elena said.
'Well you will be once you see who this new agent is,' Jack thought to himself.
"Ok good, I'll escort him over here once he gets here," he said with what he hoped was nonchalance.
The team just nodded and smiled.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Martin stepped into the all-too-familiar elevator and hesitantly pressed the floor's button, stomach churning as the elevator steadily climbed. Not only did he feel guilty about leaving Maddy in daycare all day, but the thought of how his ex co-workers were going to react when they saw him was driving him mad. As promised, Jack was standing at the elevator doors waiting for him and he breathed a sigh of relief to see that Jack had a slight smile on his face.
"Martin," he said curtly.
"Jack," Martin responded and shook Jack's outstretched hand.
"Good to have you back," Jack said and led Martin to his office.
Martin smiled sadly and took a seat in the chair opposite Jack. "Thanks but I'm sure not everyone thinks that."
Jack let his face bore no emotions.
"Do they known I'm back yet?" Martin asked sceptically.
Jack shook his head no. "I thought I'd leave that one up to you."
Martin nodded his head and let out a breath of air. "Can we just get this over with?"
Jack stared at him for a minute before saying, "Sure, but it's your funeral," then smiling.
Jack led the way down the hall with Martin half-hidden behind him. He took him to the table where he had been pacing in front of earlier and cleared his throat to get the attention of the occupants of the table.
"Guys, here's the new agent you'll be working this case with," Jack said when all eyes had flicked up towards him. He took a step to the side and revealed Martin, standing there with a guilty half-smile on his face.
"Hey guys," he said shyly.
'If only I had a camera," Jack thought.
