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Chapter 7Three months had passed and Sam's pregnancy began to show, at least, that's what she thought every morning when she looked at her stomach in the mirror. However, being pregnant didn't scare her anymore, on the contrary she was getting used to the idea of being a mother…being a mommy.
Danny was helping her a lot and his love for children was infectious. Every time he talked about kids, some sparkles appeared in his big brown eyes and Sam regretted not being in love with him because he would sure be a wonderful father for her child. But they were friends, good friends and it would never change. She knew that the baby would be born without a father, but he or she would have a loving mother and a funny sweet uncle to take care of him/her. No, Sam wasn't afraid anymore. The only thing she had to do now was tell Jack and the rest of the team, and she was ready to do it this day.
As for the boys, they were doing a very good job at ignoring their personal issues. Danny was still looking for excuses not to talk to Caitlyn but Sam had stopped telling him to do it. After all, she had never admitted her feelings to Martin, so she considered she had not right to judge his actions, or non-actions.
Martin, for its part, was still dating Stacy Rockwell. He had got rid of his feeling of oppression and only saw the positive aspects of this relationship, not realizing he was slowly losing his soul. He had changed for a few months; he had become colder, more arrogant and more insensitive. But for once in his life, his parents were proud of him and that was all that mattered to him. He could still remember the look of his father when he had known about his addiction; he had often disappointed him but never to that point. But now, he had an 'appropriate' girlfriend, a good match as his father said, and he attended almost every gala his mother organized, talking about politics, power and money with 'important' people, people as shallow as rich. Yes, Martin had changed.
The members of the team and especially Danny had noticed the changes in his behavior but they didn't know how to tell their co-worker and best friend that he was slowly but surely turning into a jerk. Moreover, each of them was focused on their own problems. Sam was thinking about her pregnancy; Danny was worried about Sam and in the same time, was thinking about all the failed relationships he had had in his life; Vivian had trouble with his son and his teenage fits of anger; and Jack was getting tired of everything. Since the shooting, nothing had been the same. Martin had gotten addicted to painkillers, Sam's past had come back to haunt her but his real problem for now was Danny. Their relationship was falling apart and he regretted the time his young agent had a blind trust in him. He couldn't count the times they both had argued and even fought since Dornvald and his goons had tried to kill his agents. On good days, everything was all right; they joked and everyone could think they were close but on bad days, that were now more numerous than the good days, all their problems resurfaced and they eventually ended up saying things they both regretted.
However today wasn't a good day to deal with their respective problems, Holly Miller, a 30-year-old woman was missing and they had to find her. As Martin and Danny left the bullpen, heading towards the elevator, they heard someone shout "Agent Fitzgerald, wait…". Martin turned around and a shadow came across his face. A young agent was walking his way but that was not what bothered Martin. What bothered him was that he was accompanied by a gorgeous woman, a woman Martin didn't expect to see. "Fuck, that can't be real" he mumbled under his breath as Danny raised an eyebrow, startled. "Here he is" the agent told the woman as they drew level with Martin.
"Thank you" the woman smiled at the agent, who walked away. She then turned her head to Martin and they started gazing into each other's eyes, no word being spoken. Danny didn't know her but somehow she looked familiar to him. Frowning, he looked at her carefully and noticed she had the same piercing blue eyes as Martin's. He then recalled the phone conversation he had overheard a few months ago.
"No, I don't know where she is…Probably in Las Vegas squandering your money! Why did she call you? What? She wants to come back in New York? Great…Just don't tell her I changed my apartment…Yeah, I know, it's my sister but don't be hypocritical, you're not glad to see her coming back, are you? Listen, we'll talk about it later ok? Yeah, bye…"
At the time Danny had thought that he hadn't heard properly but now, he realized he did have. But could she really be his sister? From what he knew about Martin's family- that is not much-, Martin was an only child; but the woman who stood in front of him was definitively a Fitzgerald, except maybe in her choice of clothes. While Martin was wearing a classic grey suit, she was wearing some old blue jeans, a navy blue hood sweat top, and her untamed curly hair was scooped up in a loose bun. After what seemed an eternity, Martin eventually spoke:
"What are you doin' here?" his voice was as cold as ice and Danny started feeling embarrassed, not knowing if he should stay or walk away.
"Should I have a reason to say 'hi' to my big brother?" she tried to be cheerful but Martin kept looking daggers at her.
"Yes! I haven't seen you in…well…three years, so I'm guessing that if you're here, that means you're in trouble…"
"No, I'm not! I just came back in New York to make up with you…"she said, her eyes being much softer than his. Martin started laughing sarcastically, "yeah right"
"Look Martin, I'll wait for you in the car, ok?" Danny said, wanting to leave them alone.
"I'm coming with you, I have nothing to say to her" he replied, looking away from his sister as she gently grabbed his arm, "Marty, listen…" she began but he sharply pulled his arm free from her grip.
"No, you are gonna listen to me! You had many opportunities to come and see me, for example when I was in hospital after being shot but you didn't. So, please don't play the hi-bro-it's-been—a-while card with me, you're a stranger to me and to the rest of the family. Nobody wants you here, gotcha?" he yelled as tears welled up in her eyes. He then walked away from her and headed towards the elevator, not bothering to see if Danny was following or not.
"I'm…I'm sure he didn't mean it…" Danny gently told Martin's sister, who was swallowing her tears back. He couldn't believe what had just happened before his eyes; he had never seen Martin being so cruel before.
"Martin had been shot?" Martin's sister asked, stunned.
"Yes, eleven months ago, he nearly died…I was with him during the shooting, he went through a lot…" his voice trailed off, remembering those painful memories.
Her blue eyes darkened, "And of course they forgot telling me…" she said to no one in particular. "How he is now?" she then asked Danny. He sighed heavily and shrugged his shoulders; how Martin was? He couldn't tell, he had changed so much…
"Could tell him that…that…"she shook her head, "just keep an eye on him for me, please…" she asked as Danny nodded gently. "Are you gonna be alright?" he put a hand on her arm.
She looked at Danny, "Sure…where is the bathroom, please?"
"Down the hall, on your left"
"Thanks"
He watched her go away, feeling anger boil in his veins. He didn't know her or what happened between her and her brother, but what Martin had told her was cruel. Danny knew too well what was like not to be wanted by his family. He shook his head and walked towards the elevator. What was wrong with Martin?
Samantha opened the bathroom door and her attention was drawn to a young woman leant against the wall, her eyes closed. She frowned, trying to remember where she had seen her before. When the woman opened her big blue eyes, Sam knew right away who she was.
Sam took Martin's hand as they entered the church. He squeezed it gently, glad she was there. His beloved aunt Bonnie had died from cancer three days ago, and even if he tried to be strong for his uncle and cousins, he couldn't pretend with Sam, she just could see through him.
"I wish I could say something to make you feel better but…" Sam said but he cut her off, "you're here and that means a lot to me" he smiled gently as he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around to meet his sister, wearing a black dress. Her makeup had slightly slid down her face due to crying.
"Calista, you're here" he hugged her, then turned his eyes to Sam, "Sam, this is my little sister Calista; Cal, this is Sam, my co-worker…my friend"
"Nice to meet you" Calista shook hands with Sam, who replied, "You too, I wish it was on better circumstances"
"Yeah, me too…" she said, then frowned. "Where are Dad and Mum?" she asked Martin, who sighed.
"Mum has a meeting to attend and Dad is…"
"They won't come, will they?" Calista cut Martin off. He shook his head, his jaw clenched.
"It's Bonnie's funeral, Dad's sister! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air.
"I know Cal," Martin sighed, "I know…"
Sam smiled gently. "Hi, Calista…I don't know if you remember me" she said.
"Oh yes I do, you're Samantha, right?" she replied as Samantha nodded, "It's been a long time, glad to see you"
"You too," Sam told her, "So, you're here to see Martin?"
"Yes, I've just seen him in the hall…" her face went pale, "I…ehm…I have to go, have a nice day" she smiled faintly at Samantha and then walked away quickly. Samantha raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her behavior, "thanks, you too". What had she said to make her run away?
Danny went down to the parking lot and saw Martin, a few steps ahead of him, striding towards his car. He quickened his pace to catch him up but Martin didn't even look at him. "I don't want to talk about it…" he told him gruffly as Danny sighed heavily.
"What's your problem?" Martin stopped.
"No, what's YOUR fucking problem, Martin?" Danny raised his voice, "Look at you, you're too busy kissing your father's ass to realize you treat people like shit! Come on, it was your sister!"
"Shut up Danny, you know nothing about Calista, she's trouble ok? Stay out of it, all right?" Martin started yelling, "Besides, you have no right to judge me, I'm not the one who ignored his brother for almost ten years!"
Danny laughed, "Is that the way you wanna play? With personal attacks? I got one or two for you, about your girlfriend, for example" Danny had just finished his sentence when Martin slammed him against a car, "What about my girlfriend?"
"She's a cold, heartless and merciless social climber and from the few times I had the displeasure to meet her, I can tell she doesn't give a damn about anyone." Danny pushed Martin away, "You know what? I was wondering what you could find in her, but now I realize you two make a wonderful item, the bitch and the bastard!"
That was too much for Martin. He punched Danny in the left cheek, making him stumble back, "Take it back" he yelled as Danny spit some blood on the ground.
"Try a little more and you'll be just like your father" Danny said, rubbing his swollen cheek.
"At least my father is not an alcoholic who hits his kids!" Martin replied spitefully. The both men kept staring into each other's eyes, ready to fight, when eventually Danny looked away, shaking his head. "Screw you Martin" he simply said to the man in front of him, the man who used to be his best friend. His words had hurt him much more than his punch. Martin raked a hand through his hair, stepped towards his car and got into it, not looking at Danny, who took place next to him a few seconds later. A deathly silence hung in the car during all the way and even during the boyfriend interview, they both avoided to look at each other.
Sam was nervous. She had decided to tell Jack about her pregnancy and she kind of feared his reaction. Jack had always been jealous of the men she dated after him, especially of Martin, and she didn't know how he was going to react when he would hear that she was pregnant from a man met in a bar. Besides she was afraid that he would force her to stay at the office, doing boring paperwork. She was only three-months pregnant and she was perfectly able to go to the field. When she heard Vivian exclaim "God, Danny what happened to you?", she lifted up her eyes and saw a big bruise on Danny's face.
"It's stupid, I've knocked against a door" he tried to be convincing, realizing he was using the same excuses as the ones he used when he was a child. Jack looked at him, then at Martin, who was unusually quiet, and he knew that something had happened between the both of them. He said noting though, knowing it wasn't the appropriate time and place to sort things out.
"So, the boyfriend?" Jack asked, not taking his eyes off the two agents.
"He's clean, his alibi is solid and his tears were real…" Martin eventually spoke, "but he told us that he has noticed changes in her behavior lately"
"What kind of changes?" Sam asked.
"Irritability, anxiety, trembling, sweating…she also has difficulty paying her bills though she has a good job and salary" Danny answered as Vivian gave him a knowing look. "Drugs?" she asked.
"Looks like indeed…" Danny replied.
"Hey guys, check this out!" Sam snapped her fingers. They all gathered around her desk to see the face of a young Hispanic man appear on the computer screen. "One of Holly's neighbors got a record, listen to this: Roger Morales, 28, arrested four times for drug possession and trafficking. Holly didn't need to go far to get high…"
"Martin, Sam, what if you paid a visit to Mr. Morales, find out what he's hiding…" Jack said as they nodded, grabbing their coats. Danny gently took Sam's arm, "you want me to go?" he asked, gazing at her.
"Why?"
"You know why" he whispered. It's not that he particularly felt like being alone with Martin again but he wanted to protect her and her baby from dangerous situations.
"I can make it Danny, I'm pregnant but I'm still a trained FBI agent" she replied on the same low tone. She was glad to have someone like Danny to take care of her but sometimes he tended to be overprotective towards her. "I'll be fine"
Danny sighed, giving up, and watched her go away, knowing he should have insisted. "Danny, in my office now" he heard his boss say. Thirty seconds later, he was standing in front of Jack, who was reading some file at his desk.
"Does it hurt?" Jack asked, not looking at him.
"What?"
"The nice black eye you got"
"I'm ok"
"Are you gonna tell me how it really happened or am I supposed to guess?"
"…"
"Look Danny, I don't know what's the matter between you and Martin but somehow, you two have to sort things out fast and out of the office, you got me?" he finally lifted up his eyes and gave him a very Jack Malone look. As Danny opened his mouth to protest, Jack cut him off, "You-got-me?" he repeated sternly.
"Yes" Danny clenched his jaw, which made him wince in pain.
A few minutes later, in the car…
Sam turned his head to his former lover, who was focused on the road. "I've seen your sister today" she said and saw him roll his eyes. "Oh not again, please" he replied, exasperated, "I don't want to talk about her, why don't you guys understand it?"
"Alright, so we could talk about how you punched Danny, and don't even try to deny it!" Sam kept staring at him.
"I don't deny it, I punched him and I would do it again if he keeps talking to me the way he does" Martin replied in a cold, calm tone, "but it's none of your business, so stay out of it!"
Samantha shook her head, she couldn't believe she had been in love with that guy. "You may talk shit to people, that's one thing, but punch Danny, your best friend? God, you must be out of your mind!" she raised her voice.
"Danny, the so perfect Danny…" Martin laughed sarcastically, "He should clean up his own back yard before criticizing others"
Sam started seething with anger. She couldn't stand hearing him speak ill of Danny, especially after the three months he had spent taking care of her. "I hope you're happy with your new life and your new acquaintances because you will end up losing all your friends!" she told him but he didn't bother answering.
Twenty minutes later, they had reached Holly Miller and Roger Morales' building. Walking up two floors, they found Roger Morales' apartment. A skinny Hispanic man opened the door and frowned.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Mr. Morales, I'm Special Agent Fitzgerald and this Special Agent Spade." Martin replied, "We're with the FBI and we're investigating Holly Miller's disappearance. We'd like to ask you some questions."
Roger Morales raked a hand through his hair, looking nervous. "Okay…Come in" he stepped back against the wall to let them in. Martin's eyes swept around the tiny and messy apartment and he noticed quickly a big travelling bag put on the ground.
"You're going somewhere?" he asked turning around. Things happened then very fast. Roger Morales took a pistol out of his pocket, grabbed Sam from behind and put the gun against her head. "Let me go or she's dead"
