Chapter 28
~*~*~*~
January 22, 2009
FBI Building, NYC
The room was quiet as Danny finished talking; the only sound the soft click of the arms from the clock on the wall. He reached over and grabbed his glass of water, chugging the last of it down in a quick gulp. Setting his glass down, his eyes darted around the table, waiting for the inevitable questions by the committee intended to poke holes into his story.
It was Director Johnson who moved in first, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. He fixed his gaze on Danny and evenly asked, "And that's how it happened?"
Looking up, the memory of rescuing Martin still vivid and fresh in his mind, Danny met the Director's eyes. "Yes, sir."
The Director nodded, leaned back in his chair and shared a quick knowing glance with Van Doren and Olcyzk as if that were precisely the answer he expected.
"Very good," Special Agent Cole declared, his tight voice slicing through the soft quiet like a dentists drill. He straightened up a few sheets of paper before setting them aside and clicking his pen again. "Now I'd like to ask about…"
"Actually, I think we're done here," Director David Johnson interrupted, cutting the junior agent off mid-sentence. Cole sat up straight, looking ready to protest when the Director gave Cole a pointed look. Conceding, Cole sank back into his chair. Shifting his attention back to Danny, the Director gave him a small smile and said, "Thank you, agent Taylor. That will be all. You can leave now."
Effectively dismissed, Danny scooted his chair back and stood up. He glanced at the group of agents, giving them all a polite nod before heading to the door.
As Danny reached for the doorknob, Agent Cole looked over at him and said, "Please send in Agent Spade."
Danny shot him a perturbed look but nodded agreeably and exited the conference room. As he stepped out, he was deflated to see that Elena was gone when he spotted Sam down the hallway talking with Victor Fitzgerald. Victor seemed to be listening intently to whatever Sam was saying, a look of deep concentration on his face.
As he walked towards them, the memory of his first encounter with Victor after they had found Martin washed over him…
~*~
Clutching Elena's hand tightly in his, Danny glanced around at the rest of the team as they sat in the waiting room. Viv was sitting quietly, observing the scene while Sam had her cell phone pressed to her as she checked up on her son. Leaning against the far wall, was Jack, looking pensive and concerned. It wasn't easy after so many adrenaline-fueled days to just sit and wait but at the same time, he was relieved that this was finally over and Martin was found alive.
After they rescued Martin, he was immediately transported to St. Anne's. Claire rode along with him, both for comfort and also because she needed to be checked out as well. Danny changed into dry clothes and he and the rest of the team headed for the hospital, leaving Draper and his team to clean up the mess. When they arrived, they learned that Claire was being treated in Triage while Martin had been moved into surgery. It seemed that Ivo's methods of extracting information didn't end at breaking Martin's fingers. The doctors thought considering the extent of Martin's injuries that it was best to sedate him as they repaired his hands as well as examined the fractures to his ribs and knees.
Using his free hand, Danny pulled the beanie off his head and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He ran his fingers through his hair in a futile attempt to comb it out when he heard a vaguely familiar voice that sounded like Paula Van Doren.
"Jack?"
Danny looked up and spotted Van Doren and Olcyzk striding directly towards them. As Danny stood up to meet them halfway, he noticed that Victor Fitzgerald and Martin's mother, Margaret, were walking directly behind them. There was also another distinguished looking couple walking alongside that he didn't recognize but judging by their intensely worried expressions, they had a very vested interest in what was going on. Before Danny could contemplate who they were, Victor moved ahead of everyone, headed directly towards Jack.
"How's my son?" Victor asked, his eyes worriedly scanning the faces of the entire team before landing back on Jack.
"He's still in the OR," Jack replied, his face tight with worry.
Martin's mother, Margaret stepped forward, looking ready to take the helm of this crisis involving her only child. A role she has taken on before when Martin had been shot. "Has anyone been out to update us on Martin's status?"
"Not yet but someone should be out here very soon," Danny replied, offering her a look of reassurance. A role he was familiar with as well.
"What about Claire?" asked the older man that had accompanied them.
"And you are?" Jack inquired.
Victor stepped back and gestured to the other couple. "These are Claire's parents – Professor Charles Roberts and Dr. Diane Roberts." Victor paused, as everyone acknowledged the couple before taking a deep breath and asking, "How is Claire?"
"She's fine. She's being treated in Triage," Jack replied, jerking his chin to the nurse's station.
"I'm sure she will be thrilled to see you," Van Doren said, gently placing her hand on Claire's mother's shoulder. "Let's go talk to the nurse."
Danny watched as Victor and Margaret shared a mutual look of sympathy with Claire's parents as Van Doren escorted the Roberts' to the nurses' station where a short, portly looking nurse nodded her head and guided them down the hall.
As soon as they were gone, everyone moved back to the waiting area. Sam and Viv each clicked off their cell phones and put them away, curious as to what Victor's arrival might shed light on. Danny sat back down next to Elena while Victor and Margaret sat down opposite him with Jack and Olcyzk taking a seat on either side of them.
"I didn't know you knew Claire's parents," Jack quietly said, sounding like he was trying to make casual conversation to draw everyone's focus away from their worries about Martin.
"I don't but I promised Martin," Victor began, pausing to swallow. "He asked me to fetch Claire's parents from Boston the moment this was all over. It was the one thing he asked me to do."
"It must have been hard for her family to go so long without being able to see her," Elena softly said.
Margaret nodded. "They missed her very much."
"That was part of the reason why Martin was trying so hard to get Claire out of this," Victor said as Margaret gently reached over and ran her hand over his back. "He knew how much she missed seeing her family. He even sent his cousin Allison to see her parents since she is going to school in Massachusetts."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked
"He wanted to give Claire a gift for Christmas so he had Allison take a camcorder and get some video of her family sending Claire some private messages," Victor explained, a small melancholy smile on his face.
"That might have been dangerous," Olcyzk commented.
"Martin was very careful," Victor replied, defending Martin's actions. "He showed it to Claire once and then put it on a USB stick and hid it somewhere."
Danny looked over at Jack, sharing a knowing look. Jack reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the USB stick out of his pocket. "I guess I don't have to give this to Lucy now." He held it out for Victor. "We found this in Martin's apartment."
Victor took it, looking at it with a sad expression on his face. "Thank you. I will be sure to get it to Claire." He put the USB stick in his breast pocket when the doors to the OR slid open and a short, stout woman in scrubs emerged.
"Hello, I'm looking for the family of Martin Fitzgerald," she asked.
"That's us," Victor replied as he and Margaret abruptly stood up, fear evident in their eyes. "He's our son. How is he?"
"Hello, I'm Dr. Winchester," the doctor replied, stepping closer. "We still have a lot more to do but the good news is it doesn't look like there is any permanent nerve damage to his hands…" The doctor went on to explain that while many of the bones in Martin's hands had been broken, they were confident that once they were reset they would heal and with some physical therapy, Martin would regain full mobility of his hands. He had bruised ribs, small burns, and several contusions, but while he would be sore for the next few days, they should all heal over time.
Victor placed both his hands on Margaret's shoulders and asked, "So he's going to be alright?"
"He's going to be fine," the doctor replied with confidence. "I'll come out and update you again as soon as I can."
"Thank you," Margaret said as Dr. Winchester walked back through the OR doors.
As soon as the doctor was gone, Margaret turned to look at Victor and said, "I'm going to call Jamie and let everyone know what's going on." She reached down and squeezed his hand before stepping away.
"I should head back to the bureau office and check on things," Olcyzk said to Victor, relief evident on his face.
Victor squared his shoulders and nodded, no longer the emotional father but the consummate Deputy Director. "Thank you. I want that man put away for a long time---so no mistakes."
"Of course, sir," Olcyzk replied before leaving.
Victor kept his gaze trained on Olcyzk before turning and taking his seat in the waiting area once again.
Everyone went quiet again; each lost in their own thoughts. Vivian sat back on her chair, her elbow propped up on the arm of her chair and her thumb delicately rubbing over her lips as she stared off into the distance. Jack leaned forward, his head bowed and his legs spread with his elbows propped up on his knees. Sam sat straight up, wringing her hands as her eyes were focused on a CPR chart posted on a far wall.
Reaching over and taking a hold of Danny's hand, Elena gave it a gentle squeeze as she announced, "How about I go get everyone some coffee?"
"Sounds good," Sam said, standing up and pulling her wallet out of her jacket pocket. "I'll go with you."
"Me, too," Vivian said, standing up and smoothing out imaginary wrinkles on her pants. "I need to find the ladies room anyway."
"Be right back," Elena said, giving Danny's hand one more squeeze before letting go as she and Sam headed down the hall to the vending machines.
As soon as the women were gone, silence fell heavy again when Victor sat up straight, his expression stoic and pensive as he said, "I want to thank you both for all your hard work in finding Martin."
Raising his head, Jack laughed softly. "You know, I kept waiting for you to turn up."
Releasing a soft chuckle, Victor replied, "I promised Martin I would keep my distance. He was afraid that I would compromise the investigation by worrying more about his safety than keeping what he was doing under wraps." He folded his arms and shook his head. "I'm sure he was right. When I found out he was missing it took about all I had to not tell everyone what was really going on so I could use all means necessary to find him." He bit his lip and added, "When it comes to Martin I'm not exactly objective."
Jack nodded his head knowingly. "No parent ever is."
Sharing a smile, Victor continued, "It wasn't easy for me but my son has a lot of faith in all of you. He trusted that you would be the ones to end this."
Smiling, Danny nodded. "Yeah, well, we have a lot of faith in him, too."
~*~
Clearing his throat as he approached, Danny smiled as they both turned to look at him.
"Director," Danny greeted, extending his hand. As the two men shook hands he said, "I didn't expect to see you here today… but I guess considering the stakes, I shouldn't be."
Releasing his grip, Victor actually offered up a self-deprecating smile as he replied, "Martin's doing well so I figured I'm allowed to meddle again. I just want to make sure everything is wrapped up and my son's name is in the clear."
Sam nodded her head agreeably before looking at Danny and saying, "Elena wants you to call her."
"Where is she?"
"We landed a case." Sam must have noticed that Danny's interest was piqued, wanting to get to work when she shook her head and added, "It was a teenager and she and Viv already found him on his way to see his girlfriend in Baltimore. They're taking him home right now."
"I like cases that are quick with happy endings," Danny replied when he remembered the message he was supposed to relay. Thumbing toward the conference room door, he said, "You're up next by the way."
Nodding, Samantha took a step back and gave Victor a slight nod. "Please excuse me; it was good to see you again."
"You as well," Victor replied as she turned and walked to the conference room. As soon as she entered, Victor shifted his attention to Danny and said, "How did it go in there? I'd like to be able to tell Martin that this part is officially over."
Tilting his head thoughtfully, Danny replied, "I can't say for certain but judging by my own interview I don't think you or Martin has much to worry about."
"Good," Victor said, looking relieved as he nodded his head. "What are you up to now?"
"Well, since we don't have an active case I thought I would head over to the hospital and see Martin," Danny cheerfully replied, pleased that in this visit the weight of all that had transpired may finally be put to rest. Meeting Victor's eyes, he asked, "Have you had a chance to see him today?"
Victor nodded. "He's getting stronger and is almost fully lucid today." Over the last few days, Martin was still being heavily drugged to combat the pain. His physicians were careful to monitor his doses and control all aspects of his medication considering his history with narcotics addiction. "I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you. I think between his mother and Claire, he'd welcome a visitor with a 'Y' chromosome besides me."
Danny smiled and replied, "I'm off then."
He shook hands with Victor again, bid the older man goodbye and started for the elevator. A short while later, he emerged from another elevator at St. Anne's hospital.
The nurses at the station waved hello, knowing his face from his numerous visits over the last few days. Unlike the first time Martin was in the hospital, Danny made sure he stopped to check up on his friend as much as possible.
Knocking on the door as he pushed it open, Danny entered Martin's room. Inside, Martin looked over at him, giving him a sheepish smile.
"Hey," Danny greeted him.
Slowly, he shifted to a sitting position. "Hey yourself," Martin replied, looking banged up, but much better. Both of his hands were wrapped up in gauze with his fingers in splints. Parts of his face were still swollen and bruised, but he looked remarkably better than he had the day before.
Eyeing the raw, exposed skin on the tips of some of Martin's fingers, the sight of which still made Danny cringe, he asked, "Where is everyone? I didn't think Claire or your mom would let you out of their sight."
Giving him a small smile, Martin replied, "My mom's back at the hotel taking a nap and Claire went to get me something to eat. I'm sick of hospital food."
Danny glanced over at the plastic tray on the counter. On a plate sat some sort of meat drowning under brown gravy. He smiled. "Wow, we've finally found food Martin Fitzgerald won't eat."
Martin chuckled softly, instantly wincing at the pain it elicited in his side. Drawing a breath, he asked, "How did it go today?"
Danny pulled over a plastic chair alongside Martin's bed, pleased that Victor was right at how lucid Martin was today. "About as expected but I think this should all be wrapped up today." He gestured to Martin's hands. "What about you?"
Martin held up his bandage-wrapped hands and the many finger splints, he shrugged. "Other than feeling like Edward Scissorhands, I'm just happy that this is over." The two men shared a look of understanding when Martin guiltily said, "Look man, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you what was going on."
Danny gave him a hard look. "I'm not going to lie; I was pissed that you didn't tell me." Licking his lips and shaking his head, he continued, "After all that happened with Jack…and all we've been though together…I couldn't understand why you didn't tell me." He locked eyes with Martin and finished, "That was until I found out just how messed up the whole thing with Claire was." Martin nodded his head, seemingly relieved that Danny understood. "I just hope that this is the end of this. I want our team to feel like a team again. No more hidden agendas or secrets."
"You don't have to worry about me," Martin replied, tilting his head back so it rested on the pillow. "I'm done with secrets."
Sitting back on his chair, Danny took a breath and looked directly at Martin. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Anything," Martin replied, rolling his head so he could face Danny.
"They wouldn't let us read your report yet," Danny replied, pausing to lick his lips. "Can you tell me what happened? How did Ivo get the drop on you?"
Furrowing his brow, Martin said, "I thought you were there when Jack and Draper got all the details during the confession from Ivo?"
Shrugging, Danny replied, "I want to hear it from you."
Martin looked away, an anguished expression on his face. Danny considered telling him to never mind when Martin started talking softly. "It happened pretty damn fast." He stared on a landscape painting hanging on the far wall as he spoke. "I had just left Claire at Jamaica Bay and was on my way home when two of Ivo's black SUVs drove me off the road. Three armed guys got out and motioned for me to get out of my car." He turned to face Danny and said, "I knew I couldn't fight them off myself and I didn't have my gun – I had to surrender my service weapon earlier."
"Sam said you had your own weapon," Danny replied, confused. "When we checked your safe at home, it was gone."
"I had given it to Claire to keep in her car," Martin replied. "I was worried that she wouldn't have a weapon if Risto or Ivo turned on her." He smiled lamely and added, "I wasn't thinking about what would happen if I didn't have mine."
"Then what?"
"Marco – one of Ivo's guys – pulled me out of my Jeep and told me that Risto and Ivo wanted to have a conversation."
"We found your car at the airport," Danny commented.
Martin shifted on his bed, not an easy task considering his injuries. "They had another guy get in my Jeep and drive it. I guess they wanted you to think that I pulled a runner."
"It almost worked." Danny nodded in agreement. "What happened next?"
"They put a bag over my head and shoved me in one of the SUVs. When they finally stopped and removed it, I realized that they took me to a warehouse. There was only one guy in the room with me so I took a chance and tried to take him down. I almost had him when two more guys showed up. Suffice it to say, I got the ass kicking of my life." Suddenly an image of the scene Ivo referred to earlier appeared in Danny's mind. Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply and continued, "Ivo came in and put a stop to it but that's just because it interfered with his own plans…" Martin's eyes flew to his hand, a flash of pain crossing his face.
Leaning forward, Danny asked, "Is that why Ivo put you in the cage instead of…?"
"Instead of killing me?" Martin asked, eyebrow cocked. Danny nodded. Taking a breath, Martin said, "I don't think he was ready to kill me – at least not right away. He was so angry that I didn't tell him what he wanted to hear that I think it was just another version of torture…"
~*~
Martin had never felt this level of pain and exhaustion. Inhaling a shaky breath that made his chest contract in pain, he could feel his body aching to surrender and slip out of consciousness. His hands were throbbing in agony, nine of his ten fingers were broken and his body was bruised and battered from multiple hits and kicks. Just as his eyelids began slipping shut, suddenly he was doused with a bucket of cold water poured over his head, the icy chill rousing him wide-awake.
The sting of the icy water reignited the pain causing all of his senses to come alive. His eyes flew open and he lifted his head up to find Ivo standing in front of him, smoking another one of his cigarettes.
"We can't have you falling asleep, we're not done yet," Ivo unceremoniously said before smiling at his men. "What is it they say to cope with aches and pains? First ice and then heat?" Nodding to himself, Ivo reached over and extinguishing his cigarette on Martin's forearm, eliciting an anguished grunt in response. "There, we are ready to begin again."
Red hot pain danced across Martin's eyes and all he could focus on was trying to cope. When the pain finally began to ebb away, he rolled his head up and focused his attention on Ivo. Despite his body screaming for some relief, he forced himself to keep his face stoic and hard in an effort to show Ivo he wasn't winning. Despite his broken, bruised and burned body declaring the opposite.
"You are stronger than I gave you credit," Ivo commented
"I aim to impress," Martin deadpanned.
"So let me ask you – again," Ivo began, methodically pacing the floor in front of Martin as he pulled out another cigarette and lit up. "When the FBI agents were interrogating you, what did you tell them about Risto's business?"
Martin could feel blood pooling at the corner of his mouth. Licking it away, he feigned a smile at Ivo and replied, "I think you need to have your hearing checked. I've already told you…" before he could finish, Ivo wordlessly grabbed Martin's tenth finger and snapped it back. White-hot pain flashed up Martin's arm. "AUGH!"
"That was your last good finger, Agent Fitzgerald," Ivo commented, leaning in close and seething into Martin's ear, his hot, smoky breath assaulting Martin's nostrils. "You do not want to know what I will start breaking off next," he seethed, punching Martin in the groin.
"Augh," Martin rumbled before starting to cough. He took deep breaths, quick inhalations through his flaring nostrils. He tried to use his breathing to steady himself out. He could taste blood in his mouth, so he spit it out, carefully aiming for Ivo's shoes.
Ivo was quick to try and dodge the spittle but not fast enough, some blood still managed to hit his Italian loafers. He shot Martin a dirty look before picking up a nearby towel. As he wiped his hands he shook his head and muttered, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I had hoped we would be further along by now but I can see you aren't going to break easily." He tossed the towel to the counter and said, "That's alright, I am a patient man."
He turned and locked eyes with Martin. "I think maybe you need to take a dip."
Martin felt his heart stop, wondering what the cryptic phrase meant when Ivo started out the door and motioned for his two men. "Our friend is stinking up my fish, take him to the cage for a bath."
The men nodded and walked directly to Martin. He tried struggling against their grip but his body was tired of fighting and he found it futile. They lead him to the rear of the warehouse and when he glanced around he didn't see any signs of activity considering it was the middle of a day. His heart fell when he realized that they were isolated and alone, no hope of rescue anywhere in sight. He didn't know if it was the exhaustion or the despair, but his knees suddenly buckled and he collapsed to the ground. Undeterred, the men just tightened their grip and dragged him to a metal cage that looked like the sort divers use for diving into shark-infested waters. They shoved him inside where he immediately crumbled onto the floor.
Almost relieved for the reprieve from Ivo, Martin's eyes slipped shut as he rolled onto his back. Moments later the cage began to move and shake. Opening his eyes, wondering what fresh hell awaited him, he opened his eyes to see that the cage was being raised up by a large crane and moved directly over the water. As he was lowered into the water and he immediately struggled to a standing position as the ice cold water flooded the cage. Any aura of calm he was trying to emit faded rapidly as panic began to set in at the thought of being submerged underwater in a locked cage. He tried to grab the bars but knew it was useless, his hands too far gone to be of much use. The water rose up, past his knees, his thighs, his waist, his chest and then the cage jostled/yanked to a stop. The water lapped around his shoulders. He thought about screaming but there was no one in range to hear him – except Ivo's thugs.
So there he waited, praying for the team to find him as the freezing water rose slowly higher and higher.
~*~
"I didn't even know you guys had arrived until I saw Claire swimming towards me but by then…" Martin trailed off, the words lodged in his throat. He blew out a breath and looked back at Danny as he said, "Well you know the rest."
"I still can't believe…" Danny paused, his tongue searching out the right words. He didn't want to make Martin feel worse than he was already feeling, so he shook his head and smiled, releasing a light chuckle as he finished, "I can't believe we didn't suspect anything." He reached over and playfully hit Martin's leg. "You totally had us fooled, man."
Martin nodded, a relieved smile on his face looking grateful for the levity. "If it helps, I had to work very hard at keeping it a secret." He shifted again, slumping lower against his pillows. "I wanted to tell you all the time. Which is why I had to skip out on our post meeting dinners so often. Those meetings are like going to confession when I was a kid – making me want to spill my guts." Danny chuckled knowingly when he saw Martin's eyes drift over to a woman's sweater hanging on the coat rack mounted on the wall. "It was especially hard because of Claire. You and Elena kept trying to set me up and I was running out of excuses."
Danny laughed. "Using an acronym of her name to list all the women you were 'dating' was pretty clever."
Furrowing his brow, Martin stared back at Danny perplexed. "How did you know…?"
"You told me." Danny replied, chuckling as he relaxed into the conversation. "Let's just say that those first 48 hours after your surgery you fluctuated between drowsy and chatty." Leaning back onto his chair and propping his feet on the metal edge of Martin's bed, Danny added, "You told me about the acronym for Claire's name… and that you loved me."
Martin blanched. "I did not."
"Don't be ashamed, I'm hard to resist," Danny replied with a smirk. "Just be happy that Claire wasn't around when you said it. You might've made her jealous. Of course, it did make your mom laugh." Martin shook his head, embarrassed, and laughed softly. Danny rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and propped the side of his hand on the palm of his hand. "For what it's worth, I like Claire… a lot."
At hearing her name, a wide smile spread over Martin's face. "It's hard not too. I think she's pretty incredible."
"She'd have to be for you to risk so much for her."
Raising his head, Martin said, "I didn't do anything you wouldn't be willing to do for Elena."
Danny gave a nod of agreement. "That's actually what made me understand. After meeting Claire…not Sanya, but the real Claire, she explained how your relationship…evolved and I got it." He watched as Martin's expression changed at the mere discussion of Claire and he added, "I can see that you care about her very much. I get that."
Martin nodded wistfully. "It still feels surreal. After I started meeting with her about the investigation…it happened so fast."
"Well, you had a history so that changes the ordinary dynamics of any relationship," Danny said, thinking back to how in his case, his past with Elena was actually an obstacle for them but right now the conversation was about Martin and Claire.
Licking his lips, Martin carefully replied, "When I met her, I thought she was amazing – but off limits…"
"Because she was married," Danny finished, recalling his conversation with Claire about how she and Martin had worked together in Seattle.
Nodding, Martin continued, "So I was resigned to just being her friend." With a queasy smile, he added, "Something I end up doing more than I like." Sharing a frown with Danny, he shook it off and shrugged. "But this time when we met up again, everything was different…"
~*~*~
Sitting behind the steering wheel of his Jeep, Martin took a long drink of his coffee. After placing it back into the cup holder, he stared out onto the water, brightly illuminated under the full moon. He loved fall nights like this when the air was crisp and cool enough to warrant wearing a jacket but warm enough to linger outside if anyone wanted.
He glanced at the clock on his dashboard that read 3:24 a.m. She was late. He knew that with her working undercover, she couldn't guarantee that she would always be able to meet him but it was times like these that his gut twisted tight with worry. Needing a distraction, he clicked on the radio but didn't care for the song that was playing. He pressed the 'scan' button and listened idly as it surfed through the channels for something he liked. So far there was nothing he wanted to listen to so he sighed heavily and slumped down into the passenger seat when he noticed a pair of high beams driving down the road to the parking lot.
He smiled to himself, his heart racing excitedly like it always did lately when he knew he was going to see Claire.
Her BMW pulled in alongside him and she stepped out, sending a bright smile his way as she walked up to his Jeep. He still found it disconcerting to see her as 'Sanya' dressed in a halter-top, skinny jeans and high heel boots accentuated with large gold hoop earrings and several gold chains. The woman he remembered wore loose fitting dress pants, flats, and comfy but professional blouses.
He reached over and pulled the door handle, giving the door a gentle shove to open it for her. "I was about to give up on you," he said as she slid into the passenger seat.
"Sorry," she replied, shutting the door. "It took me three tries to balance the night's receipts. It's hard enough working undercover much less actually having to manage a business." She blew out a breath and leaned back in her seat. "Seriously, it's exhausting."
"Here, this might perk you up," he said, handing her the coffee he picked up for her.
"Thanks," she mumbled, bringing the cup to her lips and taking a long, savoring drink. Lowering her cup she looked over at the illuminated panel for the radio and asked, "How was your day?"
Touched that she always managed to ask him about his day no matter how hard her own was, he replied, "It was fine, thanks."
The radio continued scanning when it landed on a retro station playing a sappy love song that conjured up an image of a mullet having singer in Martin's mind. Claire reached down and pressed the select button, exclaiming, "I have not heard this song in years."
"Maybe because it's a crappy slow ballad?" Martin teased, cringing inwardly at having to listen to it now. But he also knew that he'd gladly listen to this music all day if it made her happy.
"Shut up," she replied, rolling her eyes at him. As the piano intro played, Claire sat back with a nostalgic smile on her face. "This song was 'the' slow jam when I was a senior in high school." She shifted in her seat so she was facing him, pulling one leg up and bending it underneath her. She leaned into her seat, smiling at him as she talked. "I remember it playing at my senior prom."
Liking hearing more about Claire's personal life, Martin asked, "Let me guess: your prom date was your popular quarterback boyfriend."
"Actually, he was the fullback," she replied with a grin. "And he wasn't my boyfriend. It was sort of a blind date thing."
"You went on a blind date to your prom?"
She shrugged. "My friend Shannon felt sorry for me so she set me up with Jeff who was a friend of her boyfriend."
"I find it hard to believe you needed to be set up. I pictured you as the popular cheerleader with a line of boys asking you for a date."
"Not even close," she replied, smiling at his look of surprise. "Contrary to popular belief, middle children of a physics professor and a forensic anthropologist are seldom considered one of the cool kids." He laughed lightly and she continued, "I was that egg head who preferred French club and student senate to pom-poms and pep rallies."
Reaching over and grabbing his own coffee, Martin asked, "Did you at least have fun at your prom?"
Nodding, Claire explained, "It was exciting getting dressed up and riding in the limo but the guys were more concerned with partying than being entertaining dates. Jeff ended up getting drunk and puking in the bathroom." She gave him a syrupy, sweet expression as she sarcastically mocked, "It was so romantic."
He stared at her for a long beat when he reached into his console and grabbed a pen and pad. "What was his last name? I'm going to look him up and give him a piece of mind…"
Laughing, she swiped the pen from his hand. "I appreciate the offer but I've moved on thank you very much." She tossed the pen onto his dashboard and continued, "Besides, I ended up ditching him. Some of my fellow nerds who couldn't find dates planned on going to a midnight showing of 'Bladerunner' so I met up with them and actually had a really good time."
"I bet you were the prettiest girl in the movie theatre," Martin commented, knowing that he was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. When he saw her he didn't see Sanya under all the heavy make-up and trashy clothes. He saw Claire: the woman who ate cheeseburgers, quoted science fiction films, and spoke multiple languages. The woman who lost a husband, risked her life in Iraq, and had a generous heart.
Taking another sip of her coffee, she replied, "Well, I was definitely the most dressed up."
~*~
If I see you next to never
How can we say forever?
~*~
"Were you disappointed?" he asked, taking a drink of his coffee and setting it back in the cup holder.
"Only that I never got that dance floor moment," she wistfully, titling her head side to side as she stared out at the water. "You know, that moment when you get to slow dance with a cute boy that you really like under the glimmering lights."
Martin nodded when an idea occurred to him. He rolled down his window, grinned at her and said, "Get out."
"What?" she asked, baffled.
"You heard me, get out of the car," Martin ordered again as he reached over and turned up the radio's volume, switched on his headlights and opened his own door to exit the Jeep.
As he stepped around to the front of the Jeep, he waited and watched as she got out and closed the door, her eyes studying him warily.
When she moved closer, he gave her a shy smile as he held out his hand and asked, "May I have this dance?"
She lowered her head, as if embarrassed by his offer. "I don't know…" she looked up, hesitation evident on her face. "I'm a terrible dancer. I might step on your feet…"
"I'll take my chances," he replied, waving her over insistent. "C'mere."
She shook her head slowly, as if declining but still slowly stepped towards him, raising her head and holding out her hand. Taking her hand in his, he gently pulled her towards him as the music from his car stereo filled the air.
~*~
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you.
~*~
As they swayed to the music he leaned his mouth close to her ear and breathed, "So far, so good."
"Yeah," she replied sounding choked up as she nodded her head against his shoulder.
Pulling his head back so he could look at her, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Doing her best to avoid his gaze, she shook her head. "It's nothing, it's stupid." He stopped dancing, wanting her to tell him. In her silhouetted profile against the headlights to the Jeep, he saw her take a deep breath before finally looking up at him. "It's just … recently, I was starting to forget what being 'me' felt like. But lately, getting to see you it's…" she trailed off, her eyes glistening with tears threatening to spill. She took another deep breath and quickly said, "It's just I like being myself… my real self, with you, that's all."
He stared down at her, in awe of how beautiful she looked in the shadows of the moon and lights from the car and replied, "I like being with the real you, too."
Their eyes locked, the moment filled with tenderness and open emotion that without any hesitation he leaned in and kissed her.
~*~
I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if I'm with you
I'll take the chance
~*~
~*~*~
"I guess you know what happened after that," Martin replied, smiling.
Danny nodded when a now very familiar woman's voice asked, "After what?"
They both looked over to see Claire enter the room carrying several bags. She smiled widely at the two of them. It still caught Danny off guard to see her dressed as herself – not Sanya. Gone were the stilettos, cleavage, and gold jewelry replaced with blue jeans, black boots, dark green v-neck sweater and charcoal gray coat with a cream colored scarf. Her hair, once over styled and straight, hung in soft, loose wavy curls and instead of heavy make-up, her face was fresh and natural with no more than a little mascara and chapstick. Her face only marred by the bruises around her eye and cheek from her fight with Ivo.
Martin beamed at the sight of her. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," she replied, setting the bags down on a nearby counter. With a large grin on her face, she stepped over and gave Martin a small kiss and gently ran her hand through his hair. Looking over at Danny, she greeted, "Hola, Danny."
"Hola," he replied, warmed by the sight of Martin and Claire finally being able to be openly affectionate.
"What did you get me?" Martin asked, peering over her shoulder at the bags.
"I got you the magazines you wanted and some take-out from Tacos Matamoros," she replied, sitting on the edge of his bed and reaching over to brush some hair away from his face.
Grinning, Martin quipped, "Excellente."
Claire and Danny shared an amused look at hearing Martin's lame Spanish accent when she said, "Oh, I have something for you, too, in case you stopped by." She hopped off of Martin's bed and grabbed one of her bags. It was a small white bag with no label on the outside. She held it out for Danny and smiled. "I got you a little something."
Taken aback, Danny glanced at the bag and asked, "Really? For me? Why?"
She shrugged. "Just a very small token of some well deserved thanks," she replied, sitting back down on the edge of the bed next to Martin. "I was walking by a shop window and thought of you."
He opened the bag and looked inside, a smile spreading across his face. "Ah, you shouldn't have." He reached in and pulled out the confection, holding it up as his grin widened. "A donut just for me."
End A Treasonous Heart
Epilogue To Follow
FYI: The song referenced is "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx.
