"Yes. I wouldn't mind saying we had one night and one night only together.
Wrong, A mistake. Caia's mine. No I wouldn't mind Samantha."
"Danny, I just don't want to get you into trouble."
"You weren't my boss and neither was I yours so by the book we 'did' nothing wrong. And he has no way to prove contrary to what we're going to say tomorrow. I was the one who traveled, not Jack."
"Sure, but you took Hannah with you."
"That's no proof of anything. Why the smile?"
"It's amazing how easy it is for us three to lie: Jack, you and me."
"Yeah. What are you going to do with what they know?" Danny asked referring to the students.
"I'll make sure all they know is I'm FBI Agent Samantha Spade."
"Sounds like a good plan," Danny said teasing her.
"I know it's not, but it's the best we've got."
Samantha and Danny were now talking normally, by the left board. When the bell rang the students started putting their things away, but just before they left, Danny stopped them. This made Samantha want to hide under the desk. How could he?
"Hey kids, hang on a second," he called their attention, "there's one thing we, I need to ask you." Watching that everyone had been kept in intrigue, he continued. "How many of you would help if it were necessary?...OK, because what's going on here is no joke. You see, there's a man called Farrell, he's after her head."
"And OPR investigator?" One distant voice said.
"Yes. He's coming tomorrow and I need to make sure that Samantha here sticks to something she said four years ago."
"That she didn't have anything with Jack Malone?" stated more than asked the same voice.
Samantha crashed into the chair making noise, but nothing could take the pupils off Danny's charm.
"That's right. You know they have a daughter, Caia. If you're asked, we'd appreciate if you didn't mention either of them. All you should say is that she is FBI Agent Samantha Spade, and she is your teacher."
The voice presented itself. It was Ann making thing easier for Danny to explain "What if Farrell knows Jack came here and took Caia with him? What are we supposed to say then?"
"Well, Caia could perfectly be somebody else's."
"A crazy night? Yours?"
"It could."
"Really? I'm in," Ann said letting Sam know that she would support her all the way for as long as it took.
"Thank you. What about the rest?" Danny questioned.
They looked at each other like saying 'I'll do it if you do it' and just said "Sure" without second guessing "Of course, why not?"
Samantha sighed, smiled and almost without breath said "Thank you."
"So he might talk to us?"
"The possibility exists, better not take unnecessary risks." There was a pause. "You can leave now. Thank you."
When the room was finally empty Paula Van Doren went in and surprised both agents by telling them "You're making a plot." When she saw their reaction she added "Don't worry, so am I."
"What could happen if we didn't arrange all of this."
"I don't know. That's why I warned you about it. I don't know how much power he has over you or over Jack but I..." Paula stopped for a second, "I wouldn't want to risk my agent's careers." She finally admitted it.
"I don't want to seem rude, but if there's nothing else I'd like to go home, try to get some sleep." Sam said fluently.
"Sure. But want to know the official...well, exact story."
"Umm. Danny and I had this crazy, stupid night together and I got pregnant. We agreed that I would take some time away, but Caia would get to know who her father is. He visited a few times a year. We wouldn't get married or even move in together because we weren't 'in love'. I'm living with Jack, and he's living with Polly and Caia spends time with him. We get along, I don't know."
"You're going to say you live with Jack?"
"Only if he asks."
"So in the past...? Does that back up...?"
"Sure, I only denied having had a sexual relation with him, not having feelings for him." Samantha said as if stating the obvious.
"I see, Samantha, go home."
"What about me? Don't I get to go home?" Danny teased.
"Agent Taylor. You get to go downstairs and find a missing person."
The three of them took off for different directions: Sam went home, Danny sat at the big table and Paula Van Doren, to her office.
* * *
The class started as usual. It was interrupted by Paula Van Doren who called out some names, those that had become closer to Samantha and those that were observers, from far away, barely seen in the crowd. By the end of the day, last but not least Agent Spade had been called to talk to the odious Farrell, to give him some answers. The 'truth'.
It didn't take him more than one day to gather everything, which was actually nothing, and organize it in a report format to give in with plenty of useless dates and details. He presented himself in Washington as the loser he was, with nothing but a white page in his hands. She was strong, it wasn't worth to fight: he would lose anyway.
So the stress was gone. Everything was normal again. Normal as their lives could be, as normal as their jobs allowed.
Three months passed by and in the mean time Samantha and her students had been called several times, for several cases. 'An interesting way of teaching' she thought. And then they received another phone call, one involving the local police.
"Danny, I just don't want to get you into trouble."
"You weren't my boss and neither was I yours so by the book we 'did' nothing wrong. And he has no way to prove contrary to what we're going to say tomorrow. I was the one who traveled, not Jack."
"Sure, but you took Hannah with you."
"That's no proof of anything. Why the smile?"
"It's amazing how easy it is for us three to lie: Jack, you and me."
"Yeah. What are you going to do with what they know?" Danny asked referring to the students.
"I'll make sure all they know is I'm FBI Agent Samantha Spade."
"Sounds like a good plan," Danny said teasing her.
"I know it's not, but it's the best we've got."
Samantha and Danny were now talking normally, by the left board. When the bell rang the students started putting their things away, but just before they left, Danny stopped them. This made Samantha want to hide under the desk. How could he?
"Hey kids, hang on a second," he called their attention, "there's one thing we, I need to ask you." Watching that everyone had been kept in intrigue, he continued. "How many of you would help if it were necessary?...OK, because what's going on here is no joke. You see, there's a man called Farrell, he's after her head."
"And OPR investigator?" One distant voice said.
"Yes. He's coming tomorrow and I need to make sure that Samantha here sticks to something she said four years ago."
"That she didn't have anything with Jack Malone?" stated more than asked the same voice.
Samantha crashed into the chair making noise, but nothing could take the pupils off Danny's charm.
"That's right. You know they have a daughter, Caia. If you're asked, we'd appreciate if you didn't mention either of them. All you should say is that she is FBI Agent Samantha Spade, and she is your teacher."
The voice presented itself. It was Ann making thing easier for Danny to explain "What if Farrell knows Jack came here and took Caia with him? What are we supposed to say then?"
"Well, Caia could perfectly be somebody else's."
"A crazy night? Yours?"
"It could."
"Really? I'm in," Ann said letting Sam know that she would support her all the way for as long as it took.
"Thank you. What about the rest?" Danny questioned.
They looked at each other like saying 'I'll do it if you do it' and just said "Sure" without second guessing "Of course, why not?"
Samantha sighed, smiled and almost without breath said "Thank you."
"So he might talk to us?"
"The possibility exists, better not take unnecessary risks." There was a pause. "You can leave now. Thank you."
When the room was finally empty Paula Van Doren went in and surprised both agents by telling them "You're making a plot." When she saw their reaction she added "Don't worry, so am I."
"What could happen if we didn't arrange all of this."
"I don't know. That's why I warned you about it. I don't know how much power he has over you or over Jack but I..." Paula stopped for a second, "I wouldn't want to risk my agent's careers." She finally admitted it.
"I don't want to seem rude, but if there's nothing else I'd like to go home, try to get some sleep." Sam said fluently.
"Sure. But want to know the official...well, exact story."
"Umm. Danny and I had this crazy, stupid night together and I got pregnant. We agreed that I would take some time away, but Caia would get to know who her father is. He visited a few times a year. We wouldn't get married or even move in together because we weren't 'in love'. I'm living with Jack, and he's living with Polly and Caia spends time with him. We get along, I don't know."
"You're going to say you live with Jack?"
"Only if he asks."
"So in the past...? Does that back up...?"
"Sure, I only denied having had a sexual relation with him, not having feelings for him." Samantha said as if stating the obvious.
"I see, Samantha, go home."
"What about me? Don't I get to go home?" Danny teased.
"Agent Taylor. You get to go downstairs and find a missing person."
The three of them took off for different directions: Sam went home, Danny sat at the big table and Paula Van Doren, to her office.
* * *
The class started as usual. It was interrupted by Paula Van Doren who called out some names, those that had become closer to Samantha and those that were observers, from far away, barely seen in the crowd. By the end of the day, last but not least Agent Spade had been called to talk to the odious Farrell, to give him some answers. The 'truth'.
It didn't take him more than one day to gather everything, which was actually nothing, and organize it in a report format to give in with plenty of useless dates and details. He presented himself in Washington as the loser he was, with nothing but a white page in his hands. She was strong, it wasn't worth to fight: he would lose anyway.
So the stress was gone. Everything was normal again. Normal as their lives could be, as normal as their jobs allowed.
Three months passed by and in the mean time Samantha and her students had been called several times, for several cases. 'An interesting way of teaching' she thought. And then they received another phone call, one involving the local police.
