A/N: Thanks ever so much to M for the beta and all the encouragement. Without her enthusiasm, this story would still be sitting alone on my hard drive. Continued love to the rest of Maple Street. Best. Forum. Ever.
Continued from Chapter Eight.
Chapter Nine:
The office hadn't changed much, with the exception that her old desk was no longer her desk, and the place she used to occupy at the table was now filled by someone else, a woman who now had the attention of the four other agents sitting nearby.
Holding back near the entrance, she caught Jack's gaze as he gave out the assignments, the group slowly collecting their reports. Trying to figure out how she had begun to feel like an outsider in the space of several weeks, she approached. "You better move a little faster. The missing person isn't going to find himself."
Danny was the first to react, and before she could give a greeting he wrapped her in a tight hug. "This is a surprise."
Taken aback by the reaction, she laughed. "I decided to come up for the weekend."
He pulled back. "It's great to see you."
Vivian and Martin followed, and both seemed legitimately pleased to see her. Martin gave her a short but awkward hug, and Samantha felt a bit of guilt for not keeping in touch with anyone but Jack since she had left. There had been a few calls to Danny, but that had been where the contact ended. It had just felt easier to break most of her ties. "I've missed you guys."
"We've missed you, too." Vivian tilted her head slightly. "Dressing down?"
Samantha looked down at her apparel-- jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers, a purple visitors' badge completed the ensemble. "I just came in what I wore on the plane."
"I just don't think I've ever seen you in anything without heels."
She grinned. "And I don't think I've ever not seen the top of your head."
Vivian smiled and stood back as Jack approached with Melissa; Samantha made eye contact with him briefly before turning her attention to the brunette.
"Melissa Armstrong, this is Samantha Spade. She's with Development down at Headquarters now."
She nodded and gave Samantha a thin smile. "I've heard quite a bit about her."
"It's nice to finally meet you." Samantha offered her a tentative hand and the other woman hesitated briefly, as if afraid of catching germs. She shook it loosely and Samantha slanted her eyes at Jack, who looked bemused.
"I'll be at my desk, Jack. I'm sure you two would like to catch up."
Samantha stared at her back as she walked away, turning back to him when she was sure Melissa was out of earshot. "She's pleasant."
"I don't think she likes you," Jack countered, bluntly.
"She doesn't know me."
"Your reputation precedes you."
She snapped her head toward him. "What reputation?"
He looked innocent. "As a capable, intelligent agent with an impressive service record. She's probably afraid for her job." At her skeptical look, he continued. "How was your flight up?"
"Short. I got in a couple hours ago, so I've been walking around. It seems like I left years ago."
Nodding, he took a step closer to her than was professionally appropriate, but not so close that a bystander couldn't pass it off as accidental. "I don't know how late I'll be here tonight; I have a meeting with Van Doran over a court appearance."
"Is it a case I know?"
He shook his head. "Danny and Martin should be able to get out of here soon if you want to spend some time with them."
"I might for a little bit, if they don't have plans. I'm a little tired."
Jack slipped his hand into his pocket and removed his keys. Sliding a silver one off the ring, he deposited it into her palm. "Feel free to let yourself in if you get back before me."
Even though she had given him a key two weeks ago, coming from him the gesture seemed incredibly intimate. It was an openness that the plastic cards from hotels just didn't allow.
They stared at each other before she spoke again. "I'll see you tonight then. I'll go find Danny and Martin." She paused. "I don't know where you live."
"Same building as before. 542."
"542. Got it."
"Maybe I should write it down."
She looked at him quizzically. "I think I can remember that."
Placing a hand between her shoulder blades, he directed her toward his office. Entering through the open door, Samantha felt, not saw him walk in behind her. The door closed, and she suddenly felt the wall behind her back as he leaned against her, his lips meeting hers as his hands traveled from her shoulders, down her sides, until they rested on her hips. His thumbs felt hot against her skin as they pressed between the waistline of her jeans and the hem of her sweatshirt. Responding to the contact, she wrapped her arms underneath his jacket and increased the intensity of the kiss until pulling away quickly several moments later.
Jack took a step back, confused. "What's wrong?"
"We're in your office."
"This office has seen worse." His tone was almost comically matter-of-fact.
"It just seems weird." It wasn't the most eloquent of responses, but he seemed to understand her reservations.
Smoothing down his jacket, he met her eyes. "What apartment do I live in again?"
Still slightly out of breath, she responded instantly. "542."
"You were right. I didn't need to write it down."
"I told you." She squeezed his hand. "I'll see you later."
After a quick trip to Jack's to drop off her bag and to change into something more appropriate, Samantha sat inside a restaurant; a small but trendy place in the Village that she and Danny had gone to several times when she had lived nearby. The menu was small and eclectic, and the dining room lacked the crowds that most places had at this time of the day.
Danny and Martin arrived together and she waved to catch their attention. Watching as they navigated the maze of tables, she slid over to make room as Danny sat next to her, Martin taking the seat directly across. He was still in the clothes he was wearing at work, but had removed his jacket and tie. Danny had obviously found time to change. "Nice jacket."
He looked down at himself. "What's wrong with it? I thought you liked men in leather."
"It's green."
"Patina, actually."
Martin just shook his head. "I've never heard of patina."
"That's because it's not a shade of gray." Danny reached around Samantha for a menu. "Have you eaten at all today?"
"Two packs of pretzels on the plane; I'm starving."
"You want to split the calamari?" At Samantha's nod, he looked to Martin.
"I'll pass."
Danny turned his attention back to his menu, both eyebrows raised. "That's a first."
"I'll get my own appetizer; I'm just not a big fan of squid."
"It's fried. Put some marinara sauce on it and it tastes just like chicken."
"With little chewy tentacle rings. No thank you."
After placing their orders, Samantha leaned back into her chair. "Anything new going on with you guys?"
Martin shook his head. "Work's been about the same. Melissa and I just got back from a lead in California, so that got us out of the office for a few days."
"Is she nice to work with?"
"As long as work is where it ends."
His response intrigued her, but she refrained from asking him to elaborate. She didn't usually shy away from gossip, but she found herself wanting to know as little about her replacement as possible. "She seemed nice," she offered blandly.
Danny snorted. "That's diplomatic."
Nodding, she took another sweetener from the plastic bin. "I got the impression she didn't like me."
"Well, it's probably hard for her. She came in and took over your spot--it has to be a little awkward."
"That's what Jack said."
"He's right." He swallowed a gulp of iced tea. "Did you tell anyone you were coming?"
Her reflex was to lie, and she realized that even if she had a reason to, her response wasn't incriminating. "Jack."
"You've been in contact with him a lot?"
"I'll bet."
She turned toward Martin. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
Danny had been following the exchange with amusement. "No, man. They used to have something. Not anymore."
Snapping her head around, she stared at him. "Thanks for the discretion."
"Martin knows."
She ran a hand over her eyes and waited while the server brought their plates. "Did you tell him?"
Martin looked almost uncomfortable. "Jack let it slip during the Mashburn…incident. Van Doran asked him if he could keep his cool with you in there."
So Van Doran knew, too. Between the rest of the team, Jack's supervisor, OPR, and Jack's wife, Samantha suddenly wondered if there was ever anything to keep them from having sex on the briefing room table. "What did he say?"
"He said he could use it to his advantage."
Looking down at her drink, she smirked. "That sounds like him."
The food arrived and so did a welcome break from conversation. Taking a piece of calamari, she had barely finished chewing when Danny spoke around a mouthful of food.
"Which hotel are you staying at? Martin and I can come over later and raid the mini-bar."
Samantha hadn't made it through Quantico without being able to recognize a trap, and her response was immediate. "I don't have a mini-bar."
"That's too bad." He looked across the table. "Isn't that too bad, Martin?"
"A real shame."
"You wouldn't mind if we came over anyway, right? Take some time to catch up."
Whether it was the consistency of the food or the line of questioning, Samantha still swallowed hard. "We're catching up right now." She gestured to the neon string lights around the perimeter of the restaurant. "Much nicer here, too."
Smelling blood, Danny moved in for the kill. "I'm getting my apartment fumigated…"
"I'm staying at Jack's." She sounded only mildly irritated, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of seeing her rattled. "Did you guys orchestrate this? Good cop, manipulative cop?"
"It works on suspects."
"Whatever is between me and Jack is between me and Jack. I don't want this getting out."
Martin stole a piece of fried zucchini off the edge of Danny's plate. "We're not telling anyone. It was just for our own edification."
"Besides, it's not like we couldn't put it together. You leave and Jack starts raking in the frequent flyer miles." Danny shook the end of his straw at her. "We're trained investigators."
"And I'm sure all your victims are reassured by the fact that you're putting that to use finding out dirt on your colleagues' relationship."
"I'm sure." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was softer. " Has he been going down there since right after you left?"
"No. We had ended it quite awhile before I went down there."
"What brought it back on?"
It was a personal question, and one that she would usually hedge at. But somehow the distance from her old job had seemed to distance her from her old reservations as well. "We don't work together anymore, his marriage is over…it was a mutual decision."
"I'm glad." Martin spoke, and she had briefly forgotten he was there. His response surprised her, and he elaborated. "Things have been better around the office recently."
"I still don't think that has anything to do with me." She didn't. While the concept touched her, Jack simply wasn't the type to let one person dictate his happiness. He had come to decisions about the office, about his marriage, about her. He had come to a sense of peace himself; she was only a part of that. To take any more credit would be a burden she didn't want or need.
There was silence at the table for a few moments before Danny spoke again. "Are things serious?"
She laughed softly. "As serious as they can be when you're in a long distance relationship with your still-married ex-boss."
"But it's working out?"
"For now." The stomachache she had been suppressing for the better part of two days started to reemerge.
Martin smiled, and it seemed sincere. "I'm happy for you."
"Thank you."
Her cell rang, and she checked the LCD display. "It's work. Mind if I take this?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "You need to learn to turn that thing off."
She pressed the send button while he started to tell Martin about the last call she had gotten when they were out together. That faded to the background as she answered, a distant voice filling her in on information she had been waiting to receive for the last 48 hours. Barely cognizant of her own replies over the din of Danny and Martin's conversation, she heard Nieper end the call. She closed the phone and suddenly needed to be anywhere but there.
"That was work. I need to go take care of something." They looked confused, and she flashed them a smile. "I'm sorry."
Danny was staring at her now; he didn't buy it. At the moment, she didn't care. "I'll try to see you again before I leave Sunday. You know how it is."
Standing to let her out, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay, Samantha?"
"Fine." She reached into her pocket and placed a couple of bills on the table. "This should cover the bill." Before they could protest, she added "I make the big bucks now. It's okay."
Giving a quick hug to both men, she headed out the door and onto the sidewalk, the noise and crowd that she had so missed suddenly feeling very confining. Walking the short distance to her car, she quickly stepped inside and laid her head back against her seat. She tried to control her breathing, taking long, deep breaths while focusing on the center of the steering wheel. She hadn't had a panic attack in years, even after her shooting and the recovery process.
Not even after her life had been uprooted, after she had been sent to Washington, sent away from her friends and the only real relationship she had known in New York. That had been different somehow. When she had left New York she had felt slightly out of control, but with that came a sense of freedom. For a brief time her friends and contacts had been expendable. Jack had been back with Marie, and while it hurt, she had also begun to relish the fresh start.
Now she was starting to reestablish a connection with her friends, and Jack was with her. No entanglements. He was with her and she was with him and for the first time it seemed like it was where they both wanted to be.
It was everything she had wanted, except for one thing:
She had just been offered another fresh start.
TBC
