Chapter 8

xxxxxxxxxxx

Victor Fitzgerald and his wife, Elizabeth, rode in the taxi in silence. Each staring out their respective windows lost in their own thoughts. He glanced over to where she sat and wondered if she was blaming him too. When he told he what happened she demanded to see the email video and despite his better judgment he let her. After watching it she looked at him and said, "Promise me you'll find him Victor." But she had been relatively silent since then - the entire flight to New York she was quiet.

The cab stopped at a light and Victor spotted a man walking down the busy sidewalk with a little boy on his shoulders. The little boy was pointing to things around him and the father looked like he was giving explanations. He must have said something funny because the little boy started laughing as the father reached up to tickle him. He never did that with Martin, there was never enough time. At least that's the excuse he gave Martin whenever he would beg him to play or read him a story. He remembered when Martin was a little boy who would come running to the front door excited to see him. Victor mentally cursed the man he was then, the one who told the big blue eyed boy that he had work to do and he needed some peace and quiet. He wished he could go back in time and tell that man that those moments were precious and that someday that same boy would grow up and instead of running to see him would make sure to get assigned to a position across the country so he would be as far away as he could get from his father.

As the cab started moving again he remembered when he had tried to talk to Martin before his graduation from Quantico and convince him to let him pull some strings and get him a position in Washington.

Martin was laughing and talking with some of the other new agents as they prepared for the ceremony. Clearly Martin was telling a story because his hands were animated as he talked. He wondered if Martin knew just how much he looked like his grandfather when he spoke; they both used hand gestures whenever they told stories. He walked towards Martin but when they met eyes he felt a pang of disappointment when Martin's smile faded. "Hi, Dad." Martin said in a calm professional tone.

"Congratulations, Martin." Victor reached out to shake Martin's hand.

"Thanks." Martin gave him a small smile as they shook. He introduced his friends to Victor, who couldn't help but notice were quite happy to be introduced to the Deputy Director personally.

"Can I have a word with you?" Victor asked quietly. Martin nodded and excused himself from his friends and the two of them walked over to a corner where they could talk in private. "Big day."

"Yeah, it's pretty exciting." Martin smiled and Victor saw a little twinkle in his eyes.

He hoped that when he told Martin his big news that his smile would get even wider. "I've arranged to have you put in domestic terrorism here in Washington."

Martin frowned and replied. "Well, thanks but no thanks. I want to work White Collar in Seattle."

"Martin, this is Washington. Do you have any idea how many of your fellow new agents would kill for a prime position like this? This is the jumping off point to moving up to ASAC in record time." Victor argued back. Martin was throwing away a golden ticket to the top.

"Look, that's your plan. Not mine." Martin replied furiously, nostrils flaring. "I want to do this on my own."

"Martin, don't be a fool. Think of your future."

"I am thinking about my future." Martin rubbed his chin with his hand as he considered his words. With a steely look he said, "How can I be respected as an agent if my father is constantly pulling strings? No one will ever take me seriously, can't you understand that?"

Victor was stunned that Martin would be so ungrateful when all he was doing was trying to help him. "I think you are just doing this to spite me."

Martin shook his head at him in disbelief and said, "Not everything is about you."

Victor sighed heavily and thought back to the video that he had watched several times, looking and searching for any clue as to who would want to harm Martin as a means of exacting revenge on him. It was extremely difficult to watch; not just because of the threat but to see pictures of his only son and realize that he truly wasn't around for most of those photos and that the song was incredibly appropriate. He had missed so many milestones of Martin's life, just believing that there would be time later. As if Martin would remain in suspended animation until he was ready. But no, Martin had grown into this man that he knew almost nothing about. He just prayed that Martin would be found safe and he could make up for the lost time.

He looked over at his wife who was still looking out the window. He reached out for her hand and grabbed it. She turned to look at him and gave him a sad smile. He squeezed her hand, pulled her to him and whispered, "I'm going to find him, Beth. I am going to find our boy."