A/N: all right. Here's the next chapter, with the help of Ally and Lia. I tried to upload it last night, but there was a formatting problem so I removed it. I'm sorry if the problems are still there. I tried.
An early apology to all my girls who are reading this, but there's only one more chapter. It's written, I'm just not happy with it, so as soon as I am happy with it, I'll be posting it, and it'll be done.
~*~
"I feel gross." Samantha mumbled, glaring at her reflection in the mirror, trying to scrub the make-up Jamie had applied to her face earlier that morning.
"You don't look gross." Martin assured her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and kissing the nape of her neck. "And you definitely don't smell gross."
"It's that perfume your cousin bathed me in this morning." She grumbled, throwing the tissues on the dresser. She turned around, Martin's arms still around her waist. "I give up." She muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm taking a shower." She kissed him briefly on the lips. "Alone." Kiss. "Because." Kiss. "There's something said," kiss, kiss. "About anticipation."
"All right." Martin whispered softly, and Samantha smiled, and kissed him one more time before breaking away from his embrace and disappearing into the bathroom. No sooner than the water started running, did Martin's cell phone vibrate, ringing twice before going silent.
"Talk about perfect timing." Martin muttered, grabbing his cell phone to double-check the caller-ID. Sure enough, it was Jamie, sending the signal that she was in the lobby waiting for him. Knowing from experience that she'd probably take a while, he pocketed the room key, and quietly slipped out of the hotel room.
*FLASHBACK*
"You love her, don't you?" Martin sat in Jamie's kitchen, holding little Ava while Jamie bustled around getting dinner ready.
"Of course I do." Martin said, sitting up straighter, as if slightly offended.
"And I know the girl loves you, so what are you waiting for?" The question was rhetorical, and both knew it.
"I'm not sure." Martin said quietly, slouching down slightly, turning his eyes to Ava, who was watching him with her round brown eyes.
"Life's too short, Marty." Jamie said quietly, shoving the pan of lasagna into the oven. Indeed, life was too short, and they both knew it.
*END FLASHBACK*
"Hey Marty. That was quick." Jamie said smiling, hugging him. "I was expecting to be waiting a while."
"Hey. It was perfect timing, she'd just gotten into the shower." He said, hugging her back. She smirked at him.
"She didn't want you to join her?" She said teasingly. Martin grinned.
"No, she said something about anticipation." He said, pretending to be confused. Jamie burst out laughing. Still grinning, she reached into her purse. She pulled out a simple jewelers box. "Thanks again for hiding it for me." He said, tucking the box into his pocket.
"No problem Marty." She said, hugging him again and kissing his cheek. "Now, go upstairs before she files a missing persons report."
"Yes ma'am." He said grinning, hugging her again before headed back to the room.
~*~
She wiggled closer to him, if that was even possible, feeling his warmth and breathing his scent. His breath hit the top of her head as he tightened his grip on her. The bracelet that he'd given her as a surprise, lay foreign on her wrist. His simple gold wedding band sparkled, and the sparkle caught her eye.
*FLASHBACK*
"I'm scared." She admitted, not quite meeting the younger woman in the eye.
"Why's that?" Jamie asked, her eyes not on Sam but on the chase that some of the younger kids were giving the older relatives.
"I'm not sure." She said softly. "My parents didn't have the best marriage, and my previous marriage lasted only a couple of months." She paused, slightly unsure of how Jamie would take the news, but she didn't look fazed in the least. "Every relationship I've been in, it either ended badly, or quickly, or most often than not, both."
Jamie looked at her, with wide understanding eyes. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I think he feels the same way." She said, nodding her head towards Martin. "But I can tell you one thing for sure; he has no plans on leaving."
*END FLASHBACK*
She was snapped out of her reverie but a sudden, but slow movement roused her as Martin moved his other arm to pull her closer.
"We did it." She whispered into his chest. "We got married."
"Yeah we did." He whispered back, his smile evident in his voice.
"Hey Martin?" She said suddenly.
"Mmm?"
"Do you think we still would've gotten together if I hadn't called you that night?"
"I'd like to think so." Martin said matter-of-factly, in a way that made Samantha smile. "Eventually maybe, but I don't know. Maybe it's like that 'two roads diverged in a yellow wood thing…but I'm glad that you did call." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you Sam." He whispered, tracing little circles on her back with his fingers.
"I love you too Martin." She whispered back, arching her back and shifting enough to be able to plant a kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss with equal passion as he gently pushed her backwards onto the bed.
~*~
"Hey welcome back." Vivian greeted the two when they walked into the office nearly two weeks later, smiling.
Martin and Samantha grinned back. "Hey. You miss us?"
"You wouldn't believe how much." Danny said from behind them, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Martin and Samantha both looked at him suspiciously for a moment before quickly going to their desks and starting a thorough search.
They didn't hear Jack come up behind them, only looking up when they heard Vivian answer Jack's silent question with, "They're making sure Danny didn't booby trap or tamper their desks."
"Would I do that?" Danny asked rhetorically, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation.
Martin, Samantha, Jack and Vivian simply looked at him, and Danny rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable." He groaned good-naturedly.
"I can assure the both of you that Danny has been nowhere near either of your desks while you were gone. Welcome back, by the way."
"Thanks." Martin and Sam said at the same time as they joined the rest of the team at the small conference table. The case that day was simple, or as simple as a case could get; a sloppy kidnapper who allowed the security cameras at the school where he'd kidnapped his daughter to catch his face.
As Jack sent them on their way, Martin and Samantha's eyes locked for a brief second and they smiled, finally content with the way life had turned out.