Days slowly turned into weeks, and eventually Martin was allowed to return to work. "Glad to be back?" Samantha asked with a slight smile teasing her mouth as they rode the elevator up to the violent crimes divisions. Martin laughed.
"Yeah, but I know that I'll be regretting that by the end of the week." He said as the elevator doors opened with a 'bing.' "Especially since I probably won't be allowed back into the field for a while." Martin added as they walked towards the bullpen, gesturing towards his leg, which was currently wrapped in an ace bandage to give extra support.
"Mmmm." Samantha agreed. The rest of the walk was silent, or as silent as the FBI's New York Field office could ever be in the early hours of the morning while everybody was beginning to work. The two of them joined Vivian and Danny at the small conference table, waiting for Jack to come out of his office with a case. Vivian and Danny welcomed him back warmly, immediately including him in their conversation. Martin was glad to see that there was no residual guilt in Danny's eyes, and he felt like he'd never left. If it weren't for the slight ache in his leg, than he'd probably be questioning his own sanity, wondering if the past few weeks actually occurred.
About twenty minutes after Martin and Samantha arrived, Jack emerged from his office with a file folder in hand.
"Thirty-seven year old Todd Bryant." Jack said, putting a photo of a pleasant looking man with bright green eyes and messy brown hair. "He was last seen dropping his seventeen year old daughter off at school before headed into work. Samantha, go talk to the daughter, Danny, Viv, check out his work. Martin, I want you to do a credit and background check on him and his wife, see if anything interesting pops up. I'll be talking to the wife."
The team remained silent as they began to work. As Samantha approached the door to the bullpen, she turned and smiled at him. He smiled back, and watched until she'd disappeared from sight.
Martin turned to face his computer and began typing his request in. "Martin." He looked up and saw Jack standing in front of him. "Take care of her." He said, and without letting Martin respond, turned and walked off.
~*~
"Daughter says that there was nothing unusual going on, at least that she noticed. But she did say that her parents had been fighting less." Samantha said.
"Did they fight a lot?" Danny asked. Samantha shrugged.
"Apparently."
"Nothing interesting popped up on the background and credit checks. No outstanding debts, they've got a good line of credit. I've started checking out his co-workers, see if any of them have anything." Martin added.
"Good idea." The three agents jumped at the sound of their boss's voice. "Neither of you got anything probative?" Jack directed the question towards Danny and Samantha. Both shook their heads.
"You know Jack, I'm beginning to feel like this guy left on his own volition." Danny ventured, his brow furrowed. Martin and Samantha nodded their agreement.
"Mmm." Jack mumbled, looking thoughtfully worried. "Danny, come with me, we're going to talk to the wife again." Danny nodded before jumping up to follow him.
~*~
"Mrs. Bryant, is there any possibility, any at all, that your husband would have left on his own?" Jack asked the distraught woman who was doing a remarkable job holding herself together, mainly for the benefit of her daughter.
"If you were to ask me seventeen years ago, I'd say yes. But now, no." She said softly, her leg bouncing anxiously.
"Why, what was going on seventeen years ago." Danny asked quizzically. Mrs. Bryant sighed.
"He was twenty, I was just barely nineteen when I got pregnant. His parents went crazy. It's not like mine were happy, but his were over the edge. We ended up getting married. The first two years were filled with so much fighting that I nearly split. But I figured that my daughter deserved to know her father. Eventually we worked things out, and I couldn't imagine life being different."
"Do you know the reason why Todd's parents were upset? Other than the fact that their twenty-year-old son was going to be a father?" Jack quickly amended. Mrs. Bryant nodded.
"His parents never approved of me. They kept pushing him to be with some other girl, a country club type. When Todd married me instead, his parents were furious, cut him out of their lives. Being twenty-year-old father-to-be while trying to finish college and support a family isn't exactly a perfect recipe for happiness."
"Do you know her name?" Jack asked, pen poised over his notebook.
"Kathryn Daniels."
"Thank you." Jack said as he and Danny stood, and headed straight for the door.
~*~
"Ms. Daniels, open up, FBI." Jack called, with his Danny behind him. The heavy oak door slowly cracked open.
"What do you want?" The tired looking woman asked wearily.
"Ms. Daniels, we're looking for Todd Bryant, he's been missing since early this morning."
"An adult male? How do you know he just didn't want to escape the pressure of a family?" She asked, opening the door a little wider. Both Jack and Danny picked up on her unease.
"Because he's a dependable guy who wouldn't just up and leave. Do you mind if we come in?" Jack said, shivering with the early autumn wind.
"Do you have a warrant?" She snapped back, clutching the door a little tighter.
"No."
"Well then. You just answered your own question." She said sharply before slamming the door shut. The two men sighed and began to walk away. As they climbed into the car, Jack's phone rang.
"Yeah."
"Jack, it's me." Vivian's voice said. "Samantha showed Kathryn Daniels' picture to Todd's daughter, and she recognized her. Said that she saw her a few times when they were out, but never thought much of it."
"Great." Jack said wryly. "She was very jumpy, wouldn't let us get through the front door without a warrant."
"Another thing. Martin ran her credit history. Yesterday, she made a large purchase at a hardware shop, mainly rope and duct tape."
"When in doubt, use duct tape." Jack said pointlessly. "Thanks Viv."
"No problem."
~*~
"Ms Daniels, FBI. Open up." Jack said, pounding on the heavy oak door an hour later. He felt a sudden wave of deja vu as the door cracked open.
"Now what do you want?" She whispered, looking scared.
"We have a warrant to search your premises in connection to the disappearance of Todd Bryant." Jack said, brushing past her, followed by the rest of his team, including Martin.
Without verbalization, the team split up to cover more ground. Martin and Danny headed into the basement, Samantha and Vivian stayed on the first floor, and Jack headed upstairs. The house as a whole was very clean, immaculate even, not much clutter. The basement was a different story. Boxes and used furniture were scattered haphazardly around, and the two had to be careful not to bump their shins.
With their guns drawn but at a downward angle, Martin and Danny poked and prodded around the obstacles in their way, even going as far as opening some of the larger ones.
"Rest of the house is clear. You guys get anything?" Jack's voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
"No, but we're only half done." Danny called up, moving to peer around a particularly large bookcase. Martin snickered.
"If that." He mumbled, moving slowly toward the water heater. "Guys, I found him!" He called out, holstering his gun.
"I've got your back." Danny replied instantly, more out of instinct than anything, moving towards Martin, his gun raised slightly higher. Jack, Samantha and Vivian came clattering down the stairs as Martin pulled Todd out from behind the water heater.
"He's unconscious, but he's got a steady pulse." Martin reported. Jack nodded to Martin, while pulling out his cell phone and calling for the paramedics.
"Let's go arrest Ms. Daniels, shall we?" Jack said wryly, headed upstairs.
~*~
"The doctors say that he'll be fine, he's just a little dehydrated." Jack announced, stepping into the bullpen where the team was finishing their reports before heading home for the night.
"That's great." Danny commented, leaning back in his chair."
"Mmm." Jack agreed, his eyes shifting to Martin. "Good work. There's not much to be done, why don't you guys head home." It wasn't a suggestion as much as an order; and the four stood and began to pack up. Vivian left first, eager to be with her son. Danny left next, saying that he had a date. Martin and Samantha left last, together. They weren't holding hands as they went down the hall, but they were walking close together, practically attached at the hip, and their body language screamed to anybody who was watching that they were an item.
The walk was silent, each just gathering joy from being with the other. Both were exhausted, and were looking forward to a night of quiet cuddling. The elevator was empty, and Samantha used that opportunity to lean into Martin's muscular form.
"I don't want to wait." Samantha said suddenly, taking Martin by surprise.
"Wait for what?" Martin mumbled into her hair.
"You. Me. Us." She turned and looked at him. "I want to get married." Martin didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at her with a thoughtful look on his face. Then he leaned down, and covered her mouth with his own.