Title: In Which Martin Knows All
Author: Kate Anderson
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I'm just borrowing them and playing with them for a while.
Spoilers: The Bus, FO, AYNOHYEB
**
This was not what Martin had in mind when he had agreed to have a few drinks with Sam.
"And then he told me that it really was ooooooooover!" Sam wailed and loudly blew her nose on the sleeve of his jacket.
Martin put a hand on Sam's shoulder, not to comfort her but in hopes of exorcising the demon that apparently taken over her body. In hindsight, he should have known that something was going on with Sam and Jack. After that whole hostage situation ending with Jack trading his life for hers it should have been painfully obvious.
Martin himself wouldn't have done what Jack did, unless the hostage happened to be an all beef patty with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes on a sesame seed bun.
"He was so tender," Sam said - well, more slurred. "He was always so attentive to my neeeeds!"
Martin grimaced and did his best to erase the mental image that was forming. He reached for his beer but finding that his glass was empty, he grabbed Sam's instead. It wasn't like she really needed more of it.
"You're drinking my beeeeeer!" Sam cried. "Jack never did that!"
Martin pushed his chair back and stood up. "Come on, Sam." he said. "I think it's time that we got you home." He had a feeling the rest of the bar patrons were in agreement with him. All three of them.
Sam made a pouty face but with her puffy eyes and red nose, she looked like something from a bad horror movie. "But I'm having such a lovely time." she protested.
Martin grabbed her hand and attempted to haul her to her feet. After a few false starts and several broken glasses, Sam was resting comfortably against him. He threw a wad of bills onto the table and dragged Sam out into the crisp fall air. Maybe it would help sober her up a bit.
"This is hell," Martin muttered as he hailed a cab.
Sam was attempting to make a break for it and Martin found himself struggling to hold onto her. He'd hate to have to explain to Jack why his former mistress had ended up splattered all over the road.
"I was wearing these jeans when I got shot." Sam said, having given up on trying to get free. "Well, not these ones because then they'd be all ripped up and bloody."
Martin dutifully looked at Sam's jeans. "They're nice jeans."
"Do you want to see my scar?"
With a horrified expression, Martin watched as Sam began to industriously unbutton her jeans. "No!" he cried and frantically grabbed her hands. "Um, maybe later."
Sam sighed dramatically and Martin sighed with relief when a cab finally pulled over to the side of the road. He opened the door and stuffed Sam inside before going around and getting in the other door.
Sam was surprisingly and thankfully silent for most of the ride to her apartment. It wasn't until they were almost there that she spoke. "Jack and I did it in the back of a cab once."
The logistics of this boggled Martin's mind.
"Well, it was more like I did it to him." Sam clarified with a giggle.
Martin wanted to rip open the seats and crawl inside. When he didn't show up at work the next morning, they could launch a search for him and find that he taken up residence in the seats of a cab due to extreme embarrassment.
The cab slowed to a halt and Martin quickly paid the driver and pushed Sam out before she had a chance to reveal more details about her apparently torrid affair. Jack seemed to have the ability to do things that even a much younger man, such as Martin himself, could only dream of.
Martin thanked the elevator gods and managed to get Sam to her door with only a few minor problems. He pitied the person who would find the vomit in the potted plant.
"I had a really great time," Sam said as she wobbled in front of him. "We should do this again."
Martin marvelled at how Sam looked like one of those things that simply waved back and forth when you hit it. He wondered if whether he gave her a push, she'd wobble more violently. She was making him dizzy as it was.
"Sure," Martin said. "We'll do it again." Some place far, far away from any source of alcohol.
"Do you want to come in?"
"Uh, no." Martin replied, shaking his head. "It's late, you've had a long day. Get some sleep." It was the second time that he'd told her that.
Sam nodded, suddenly seeming more sober than she should be. The fog in her eyes seemed to lift. "Okay." she whispered.
Martin watched as she fumbled with her key, cursing each time she missed the hole. He took it from her. "Thank you," Sam said as the door swung open.
She smiled at him and a wave of sadness washed over Martin. There were tears in her eyes and he understood then that whatever had happened between her and Jack wasn't just an affair. She was in love.
"Good night." Martin said before the door was closed on his face. He heard a crash followed by a muffled curse. Part of him wondered if he should have stayed, just to watch her but she probably needed to be alone.
Martin headed downstairs and while in the elevator he realized a couple of things. One, he had no business being with Sam. She was on the rebound. And two, he was really hungry.
He could deal with number two but number one was going to take more time and thought. Martin sighed and made a mental note never to let Sam get drunk again.