It took Danny every ounce of power he had not to bang his head against the wall.
What had he done?
He just wasn't responsible for his action.
It was late at night, or maybe early in the morning, he couldn't remember. He and the team had spent their night going through documents. They were working on a tough case. A boy had disappeared without a trace, an 8 year old boy. Medias were all over the story. That's what happens when a boy scout's missing. The public was expecting the FBI to find the boy before it was too late. The bureau knew better, the case was hopeless. The boy had no enemies, the parents had no enemies. There were no clues. Nothing on the phone records, nothing on the boy's computer files. There were absolutely no leads in the case. All of them knew that: Jack, Samantha, Danny, Vivian, Martin. But they just couldn't stand there doing nothing, waiting for the corpse to be found. So they double checked every information, interrogated everyone until the phone ringed.
Jack picked up.
Vivian nodded sadly.
Samantha took her stuff and went home.
Martin stood still, waiting for Jack to hang up and give them the dreadful piece of news he knew was coming.
Danny watched him.
"He's dead".
The case still wasn't closed. The boy had clearly been murdered, but why? It was a mystery.
Jack told them to go home but Vivian insisted on staying.
So, there was only Danny and Martin in the elevator. A very shaken Martin and a very worried Danny.
"Do you need a ride home?" Danny asked, breaking the silence.
Martin looked up.
"I'm alright", he said. "I'm not thinking about the case".
"That wasn't the question" Danny replied.
"Yes it was".
And they went silent again.
"Let me give you a ride", Danny pleaded.
Martin took the offer into consideration; Danny could see the wheels turning in his head.
"I think I need to be alone right now", Martin whispered.
"No you don't".
Danny had almost yelled this one. Martin was starting to get on his nerves. Why did he always shut everybody out? When something was wrong, Danny would always lean on others for support. Martin thought he had to deal with this his problems on his own, and it was slowly destroying him.
"That's why the work gets to you, you keep everything in", Danny added.
Martin wouldn't meet his gaze.
Danny stepped closer to him.
"You can talk to me Martin", Danny said softly.
Martin, who until now had been gazing intensely at his shoes, raised his eyes. A look of pure surprise and dread crossed his face when he realised how close Danny was. He wasn't the only one surprised, Danny hadn't realised either, but here he was, only inches apart from a man he very much liked.
Tension filled the air. Martin couldn't move. Danny felt like he was choking. And we all know what happens when there's no oxygen in the lungs: the brain stops working.
Danny wasn't responsible for his action.
He leaned forward, pressed his lips against Martin's.
That's when the doors of the elevator opened, the sound of it shaking Martin out of his trance.
Danny felt Martin's hands on his chest.
A second later, his back hit the opposite wall.
Martin was gone; he had pushed him away and ran.
When the doors closed, it took Danny every ounce of power he had not to bang his head against the wall.
What had he done?
TBC
