Axis Four

She stared at Martin's Chinese take out with desire in her eyes, then she brought her eyes to the stupid plate of salad lying on her lap. She felt disgusted by the red shade of the tomatoes and the green of the lettuce, besides the sour taste wasn't doing anything to help. Martin's food? God, her belly ached to taste some of that wonderful food. She never thought she'd miss take out so much in her life.

His dinner should be so much more enjoyable...

"Could you stop staring?" Martin said with the calm of someone relaxed, without taking his eyes from the television. He shoved one piece of chicken in his mouth and as he chewed it, Samantha started to drool.

"Just some?" She asked with her begging voice, one that Martin could not say 'no'. But he tried anyway.

"You know you can't, Samantha. The doctor said..."

But she didn't wait him finish his sentence for it was something he had said over and over again and she knew it by heart already. "Oh, and how the hell do you expect me to eat only 'light' food if you keep showing me all this..." Her voice trailed off as she stared again at his take out and bit her lip.

Martin sighed and finally took his eyes away from the television to look at her. "You've got to go see your doctor tomorrow, right?" She nodded and he went on. "So we ask him if you can change your menu, all right?"

"Ok, fine by me." She replied but didn't take her eyes from his take out and Martin noticed it. "But please, just..."

"Fine. You can have mine." He said with a heavy, tired sigh and handed her his Chinese, which she took with as much excitement as a child would take their so long wanted toy.

"Oh, thank you, Martin. Thank you so much." She smiled at him and it was like all the room had suddenly illuminated, as if there was a light shinning down right over them. The happy face she made as she shoved some food in her mouth was a sight to behold. He didn't care about the consequences because seeing her so full of glee was worth it.

"You're welcome." He managed to say with a chuckle in his voice.

He listened to the sound of the water running in the bathroom, carefully listening for any kind of strange sound. Samantha had gone to take a shower a few minutes before and his worry about her was getting the best of him. He didn't know how she could do anything with her leg the way it was. He knew the pills were stopping it from hurting but she was still weak and putting too much weight on her leg was dangerous.

Well, he couldn't get in the bathroom with her. Though he wanted to because if she tripped or her leg hurt or anything that could make her fall he'd be there. But he couldn't so all he could do was to wait and have faith in Samantha. He knew she wouldn't fall but he just couldn't stop feeling concerned.

He bent forward and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. Maybe there was something on TV to make him forget about Sam for a little while. Yeah, maybe, but nothing could make him forget about her. Just as he turned the TV on, he heard the water stopping and the doorbell ringing. 'What timing.' He thought as he got up, though he didn't know what he should do first, see if Samantha needed help or see who was on the door.

The door first, he decided. Samantha would be pissed if he went there to 'annoy' her as she liked to call. He walked to the door and opened it without looking in the peep hole. He was surprised when he saw Jack standing outside with a half smile on his lips. "Jack?" He shouldn't be so surprised, he knew about Sam and Jack's affair. It'd be normal if he came to her home to see her.

"Martin? What are you doing here?" He asked with a hint of surprise and curiosity in his voice.

"I should ask you the same question."

"I just stopped by to see how Sam's doing. It's been a while since I last spoke with her."

Just then Samantha emerged from the hallway, already chatting. Then she stopped talking suddenly and Martin focused on the silence that followed. "Hey, big guy, do you think you can give me a hand? I forgot my crutches..." She said loudly and added in a mockingly murmur. "... somewhere."

Martin looked back at Jack and smiled shyly. "Can you excuse me? She always does that." But before Jack could answer they both looked at Sam when her hesitant voice filled the room.

"Hi." She was heavily leaning on the wall for support, trying to put as much weight as she could on her good leg, but by the expression on her face the three of them could tell she was failing.

There was an extremely awkward silence between them, as if none of them knew exactly what to say until finally Jack found his voice and spoke up. "Hi, Samantha."

Martin bit his lip and turned his face down to stare at the floor. The tension in the room was so thick it was almost palpable and Martin began to feel as if he was intruding something. "You know, I think I'm gonna..."

"That's ok." Jack said shaking his head bringing his stare from Sam to Martin. "I'm already leaving." Then he looked back at Sam. "I just stopped by to see how you were doing but obviously--" He stopped and his eyes went quickly to Martin "... you're doing fine."

"Yes, I am."

"So... bye then."

"Bye." Samantha said back and watched as Jack turned to leave and Martin slowly closed the door, with his head down. There was a strange, lingering silence in the room, one that Samantha didn't like a bit. Being with Martin all that time made her used to have him around and talking with him. When they were together there wasn't an ounce of silence between them and it was somewhat comforting. Knowing she could talk to him like that was warming. She bit her lower lip and focused on his features, which weren't so soft any more. "Martin?"

He looked up, but not at her and cleared his throat before speaking, "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, fine."

"You sure?"

He finally looked in her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure."

She smiled back at him just before grimacing. "Good. Can you go find my crutches now?"

He woke up with the sounds of muffled cries. First his sleepy mind couldn't make out any senses around him but as he cleared his mind he realized it came from Sam's bedroom, which he had left the door open in case she needed him in the middle of the night.

She was whispering incoherent words and she sounded scared, he didn't know what she was saying but the tone in her weak voice was enough to put all his senses in alert. He quickly got up from the couch and hurried to her bedroom, walking silently inside. She was tossing slightly and murmuring something and getting close to her Martin could see the thin drops of sweat forming on her brow.

"Samantha?" He called.

But there was no answer.

"Samantha?" He called louder but again, there was no answer and she didn't stop her murmurings. Martin propped himself on her bed, putting one arm on her other side, using it to support him. His other hand went to her forehead, where he softly wiped the sweat away and to check if she had a fever. She stirred but didn't open her eyes. With the soft hand on her skin she topped murmuring but her face still held that line of worry between her eyes. "Sam?" He whispered and again, no answer.

She shivered and seemed to be crying in her dreams. Nightmares were something bad, specially when she was wounded, that worried Martin but even so he still didn't have the heart to wake her up fully. He let the hand on her forehead slide to her face, slowly running the length of her cheek and jawbone. She seemed to calm under the warmth of his touch but the nervous chill was still there.

"Ssshhh." He whispered. "It's all right. It's ok." His soothing touch and voice eventually calmed her and stopped Sam's shivering. When he thought she was fine again he started to get up but she stopped him with a soft hand on his.

"Don't go." She whispered in a small, childlike scared voice. She seemed so reticent and expressed need, one that wouldn't involve her being left alone. Her eyes were almost fully closed and he wasn't sure if she was still sleeping, if she was aware of herself.

"Ok." He said and ran a hand through her hair, taking the locks off of her face. She half smiled half sighed and he climbed in bed with her. What surprised him the most wasn't the out of reflex move she made to snuggle into him, but the breathy sigh she let out when she made herself at home in his arms.

"I'm so scared." She murmured into his neck and he felt the hot drop of obvious tears wetting his skin.

"It was just a dream." He whispered and tightened his arms around her, trying to give her the comfort she was seeking. She didn't say another word after that and soon her breath had told Martin she was in deep sleep again. Soon he followed her.

She woke up with the familiar press of human body beside her. First she smiled to herself, the feeling of warm flesh against her was unconcsciously very comfy and welcoming.

Right there, holding her, was Martin with one arm draped over her body, his hand gently resting over her opposite shoulder, and as if he had felt her waking, he opened his eyes and a pair of priecing blue balls stared back at her. Suddenly feeling embarrassed. Martin moved his hand almost imperceptibly across her shoulder and she wondered if he was attempting to release her before she noticed how intimately they were entwined. It hadn't occurred to her until then how warm and comfortable she'd been.

"Don't." She said a bit desperately, before she'd even decided to say anything and watched as his eyes dimmed with apprehension. "I... I mean..." Softly she grasped Martin's hand to keep him

from moving any farther away from her than he already had. "Don't go. I like this." She finally said with a small voice, almost embarrassed of herself.

Martin didn't say anything just put his arm tightly around her again and let his head rest over the pillow right beside hers. With his eyes staring right back at her, their faces so close to each other was almost overwhelming to him. The beauty of the woman he adored since the moment he set his eyes on her, lying there in bed with him seemed to be mere games of his imagination, as if his brain was playing with him, mocking him.

Her soft and warm breath right onto his face just seemed too real to be a trick of his imagination. Maybe it wasn't his brain playing with him but just the luck of a man that had prayed and dreamt so much about this single moment and it was finally coming true. He didn't care about the complications of what might be the moment after this one, he could only focus on the pretty face in front of him, her eyes almost closed, the fatigue of moment you wake up still lingering in her.

He wanted to close his eyes and just go back to sleep with her right there, yet he just wanted to keep them open and stare ate her for the rest of his life. Or at least for the magical morning he was having. Really, that was probably the best morning ever. It was strange though, because he hadn't slept with her, he hadn't even kissed her but just by the fact of being there with her in his arms was enough to make him the happiest man on earth.

Unfortunately all that is good has always to come to an end.... he was sure of that when, as she was unconsciously snuggling into him, his cell phone rang, startling them and interrupting the peacifulness of the moment.

He bit his lower lip, not daring to look at her while he took his arm from her warm body and reached it out to answer the phone. "Fitzgerald." He said formally, his face going from soft to his business expression. Watching his face change like that, Samantha knew this call wasn't social but from someone from the FBI. The way he talked and nodded firmly and looked anywhere but her eyes meant they had a case. Martin and the team, but not her.

'Not yet.' She thought petulantly to herself.

Martin hung up his cell and stared at nothing for a while until his eyes went to hers. He held hat embarrassed expression when he noticed the position and the place they where and bit his lip nervously again. With the spell of the moment completely gone, Samantha sat up straight trying to be a little away from him wanting to make the awkwardness of the moment a little less tense.

"We got a case." He said formally, slowly getting up too.

She cleared her throat before speaking, hoping her voice would come out as strong as it always had. "Yeah? What is this about?"

"A little girl went missing and the parents called for help." He said as he left the room to grab his clothes and put it on. He came back to the bedroom a few minutes later, fully dressed and an embarrassed look in his eyes.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, neither of them really knowing what to say until Sam broke then silence. "Good luck and don't worry about breakfast. I can do it on my own."

"You sure? I can do something real quick before I leave."

"I'm ok."

"All right. Anything call me, ok?"

"Yeah." She nodded giving him a small smile, trying to hide the disappointment of him having to go. She didn't want to admit, but waking up with Martin beside her, had felt more comfortable and less awkward than she thought it would. And she was actually surprised that she thought anything about waking up with Martin beside her.

"Bye." He said and waited until she had said her 'bye' to leave.