Disclaimer-I do not own any of the characters or the show, but that would be really cool if I did. Of course…then the whole thing would be Martin and Sam…
A/N-I love Without a Trace and I love the fact that Samantha and Martin are together now. I have missed a lot of episodes throughout the show though so if I mess up some details just let me know in a review and I'll do my best to fix it.
Chapter Two: Memories
"I'm here to see a Mr. Martin Fitzgerald," Jack said to the nurse at the desk. She looked at the clock and then back to him with her right eyebrow raised. It read two AM and the waiting room had been empty for the last hour.
"The others who came to see him left three hours ago," she said matter-of-factly as she flipped through a few pages, searching for Martin's record. Jack pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on the counter impatiently. She pulled a sheet out of a huge pile of papers. "Mr. Fitzgerald is in room 212. That's down the hall, third room on the left."
He nodded his head at her and turned to his right. His footsteps echoed through the hall. He knew he should have gone home and visited Martin tomorrow but he knew it would look bad if the other three were there right after the accident and he didn't show up at all. He turned to walk into what he assumed would be an empty room but was halted in his tracks.
Samantha was asleep, her head resting lightly on Martin's stomach and her blonde hair was spread across his chest. Her hand was lying gently on his left and her breathing was synchronized with his.
At first Jack wasn't sure what to do. Should he wake her up or just let her be? She looked very peaceful, as well as extremely comfortable lying there. He resigned to walk over and touch her back. She stirred and then opened her eyes. It seemed as if she wasn't quite sure where she was but as soon as Jack's questioning face came into focus she shot up and looked around nervously.
"Guess I lost track of time," she said rubbing her eyes frantically and smoothing out her jacket. She blinked fast trying to get the sleep out of her eyes and truly hoped that she looked somewhat professional and that Jack would attribute the mascara underneath her eyes to the fact that she was sleeping and not that she had been crying.
"You and I both," Jack said with a smile as he sat down on the opposite side of the bed. He gave her a brief smile and then looked at Martin's unchanging face. When he turned back to her she was looking at Martin too, an unreadable concern upon her face. Or maybe he just didn't want to know what it meant.
She turned back to Jack and gave a small half smile and looked down. He leaned in closer to say something to her but stopped when he saw something he hadn't seen in a long time, tear stains. What was she crying for?
As if sensing his eyes on her she stood up and announced that she was going to the restroom to freshen up a bit. She turned and walked semi-graciously (considering the fact that she was half asleep at two AM) through the hallway. She walked calmly and slowly through the bathroom door and then leaned back against the wall and slid down slowly until her knees were up under her chin. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and onto her pants but she quickly got control of them.
She stood up and brushed of any dust as she walked over to a mirror. She wet her fingers under the faucet and wiped underneath her eyes. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror she had to laugh. Her skin was pale, her cheeks were tear-streaked, and her hair was a tangled mess and all because of some guy.
But he wasn't just some guy and she knew it. Martin was something special. His friendship had meant more to her these last two and a half years than anything. And the way he cared about her meant even more.
There had always been a physical attraction between the two, even on his very first day. She had noticed him as he walked somewhat arrogantly and with a certain ease into the bullpen. She remembered having to suppress a smile whenever she realized that he was her knew co-worker. His smile immediately stood out to her.
Whenever they officially started "dating" it was pretty much lust, she knew it and wasn't afraid to deny it; at least, it had been for her. There was always something about the way he looked at her, even before that fateful taxi ride that made her uncomfortable. It was like he knew something she didn't, something she desperately wanted to know and ignore at the same time.
"I can't believe I'm turning into all of those girls that I've always pitied," she muttered under her breath as she ran her fingers through her hair in a failing attempt to tame her mane of blonde hair.
"It's not so bad," said a small voice in her head.
It may have been lust at first but it turned into something a lot more than that the longer and longer they were together. He amused her, made her laugh. He had always been able to make her laugh, that much was true, but his little quirks made her giggle. The whole "government-alien conspiracy" and "Mulder and Scully" incident seemed so hilarious to her. The fact that he knew all of that useless information was so out of character for him. He was so straight laced and well educated that it seemed absurd to her that he would know things about aliens and the X-Files.
He could make her laugh and that in itself was something special. Jack had made her smile, but Martin made her laugh. He filled her with a joy she had never felt before.
His Christmas getup got him a ceaseless teasing all through the holidays and not just from her. His uncle and cousins could not stop laughing at the Santa hat. He had indulged their joke and wore the hat the entire time they opened presents. She remembered the day of the party. Apparently he had been "full of Christmas spirit" as Danny had said later. She had been too preoccupied to notice.
That had been when she first realized, really understood that what she and Martin had was more than just a fling. Up until that point she had just entertained the idea that she was having a little fun and that she deserved a little happiness in her life. But that day, the day of Jack's divorce deposition, it seemed as though everything in her life was changing. She had been unable to get her mind off of Jack all day long. No matter where she turned it seemed as if Jack was there. One minute she's talking to Jack and the next she's running into and apologizing to Maria.
She was sitting in the party, trying to figure out the train wreck in her mind. Jack would be divorced soon, and free to date whomever he pleased. She was happy with Martin, but could it have been possible to be happier with Jack? Or was she tricking herself? It wouldn't have been the first time that she remembered being happier with him before realizing that she hadn't been.
But then she chanced a glance in Martin's direction. She wasn't sure what exactly had prompted her to do it. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she had barely recognized his existence the whole day, but whatever it was, she listened. She looked over at him as he was telling what she was sure was a very corny joke to two other agents who just wanted some punch. She gave a half hearted laugh at his hat with the badge clipped to the bottom. He looked like such an idiot but at that very moment, all thoughts of Jack and a future relationship with him left her mind. Jack Malone was absent from the thoughts in her head as she walked over to Martin.
She knew that she wasn't going to say those three precious words, it was too soon. She was afraid of them, afraid of how badly they could hurt. She did the best she could and Martin knew that, and although they were small in the big scheme of things, they were huge coming from her. He merely smiled at her, that smile that he reserved only for her. She smiled back and knew that from that moment on, Martin was the man in her life. It wasn't even until later that night, as she lay wrapped up in his arms on the couch watching old Christmas movies that she realized she hadn't thought of Jack since the party.
"Oh boy," she muttered, snapping herself back to reality. She smiled at her reflection and then turned to walk out of the door. It wasn't until she stepped out onto the cool tile that she realized she had taken her shoes off in the room and had been walking around barefoot.
"At least it's a hospital," she thought as she laughed at herself. She walked along the corridor, in much higher spirits than she had been in earlier. She usually felt that way after reminiscing about her relationship with Martin.
On her way back to Martin's room, she saw Jack exit and begin to walk towards her. He stopped and she could tell he would say something so she stopped as well.
"I'm just going to go home. There's not much use talking to him, he's a little out of it," he attempted to joke.
She smiled but didn't laugh.
"You should get going pretty soon. It's nearly three. We've had a long week." The concern in his voice was sincere but it went in one ear and out the other. She shifted uncomfortably in her spot as she thought of how to phrase her next statement without raising questions about her relationship with Martin.
"Well, actually, Danny and Viv were pretty worried and obviously I am," Samantha said the end of this with a small laugh which Jack did not return. "And I was thinking that one of us should be with him at all times, you know, in case he wakes up. That way one of us will always be here and can call the rest of the team." She nodded her head indicating that this should be a flawless plan.
"I don't know, Sam. With Martin being out, that already has us one agent short. It's probably not the best idea to always have one of the mobile ones here. I'm sure the hospital will call whenever he wakes up," Jack rationalized.
"No they won't. The only reason that doctor has come in as many times as he has is to hit on me. Most of the time he wasn't even checking on Martin," Samantha said, slightly outraged. Then she added, as almost a plea, "Please, Jack, I promise if a case comes in I'll come to work. But as long as there's nothing to do, can I just do this one thing?"
Something about the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes made Jack agree. She had to contain herself to keep from leaping for joy whenever he approved her idea. She bid him a goodnight and then walked back to Martin's room.
Jack watched her go and did not fail to notice the concerned stature her body took on the moment her eyes fell upon Martin's seemingly lifeless body.
A/N-I hope that was good enough for everyone. I wrote it in a bit of a rush and the beginning probably wasn't very good because I was in the process of watching Without a Trace while writing. Most of the writing was done during episodes I had already seen so hopefully it is okay.
I must say, that after watching the majority of the first season (I watch the third season but I just bought the DVDs) I am fully convinced that Samantha and Martin are totally meant to be together. I'm not sure that's what the writers are leaning towards but I definitely think that they should have Sam and Martin end up together. I don't care how much Jack/Sam/Martin triangle they put in as long as the final outcome is Sam/Martin. Just as long as they don't add Danny into the mix, I'll be happy. That would just be way too much drama.
Anyway, thanks for all of the great reviews. You guys are way better than the Harry Potter reviewers. Leave me some more okay? And I'll try to update some more soon. Hopefully before Lonestar airs but probably not likely. I have a break from school coming up so chances are that I'll get a lot of writing done then. Until next time, adios and leave a review!
