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Chapter Two: My Father's Son

Martin and Danny parted ways, the lawyer going in one direction and the agent in the other. He wished that they could spend more time together but for now he would have to deal with secret lunches and after hour visits. One of these days he was going to get up the courage to tell his father how he really felt. He'd deal with the aftermath, as bad as it would be. There would be yelling and screaming, maybe his father would even disown him. What he feared most was that his father would find a way to transfer him out of the state. What would he do then? He wouldn't really feel right asking Danny to accompany him, to leave behind his small private practice just so they could stay together. It wasn't fair. He waited until Danny disappeared into the crowd before he headed toward the Government Issue car parked along the curb further up the block. A few minutes later he was pulling out into the busy New York traffic.

His cell phone began to chirp again when he stopped at a red light. Checking the number he saw that it was Sam calling. He answered and listened in silence as she went on a tangent about the case she'd been working. She complained about the new girl, Elena, and how hard it was to understand her half the time. Martin could only smile. He'd yet to have the privilege of working with the new recruit but he already knew that he didn't look forward to it. He liked when it had just been the four of them. Why did they need a new person on the team anyway? The light turned green and he eased into the intersection as Sam changed her tune, asking him what he was going to be doing this coming weekend. He tried to think of a quick exit from the conversation. He knew what she was seeking and he didn't want any part of it. Over the last few weeks he'd noticed a change in her, one that started out subtly and grew with each passing day. There was something on her mind. He was good friends with Sam, nothing more, but he wasn't sure if she was after something more or just needed to talk. Maybe he'd pull her aside at the end of work, see what was on her mind.

Their conversation finally ended as he pulled into the parking lot at work, sticking the vehicle in one of the reserved spots. He wove his way through the bustling lobby and stepped onto the elevator, hitting the button for the floor the Missing Persons Unit was on. There were far less people walking around as he stepped off the elevator. As he neared his desk he could hear Jack talking with Vivian. They were discussing the new girl. Martin opted for staying out of the conversation as he took a seat at his desk. There were files that needed to be gone through as he finished wrapping up his latest case; a dentist who had gone missing a week earlier. They found the guy after he'd failed faking his own death to escape the debt he'd created. This was Martin least favorite part of the job; the paperwork. He settled in for a long afternoon of typing, his mind never far from thoughts about Danny.

The report took him longer than it should have since he couldn't keep his mind focused on the task. Close to the end of shift Elena and Sam returned, both of them looking tired and nearly dead to the world. Their case had finally come to an end. The person they'd been searching for hadn't even been missing. They'd just gone away for a vacation without telling anyone where they were going, or that they were even leaving. All that time spent looking for someone who wasn't really missing…At least all the cases were finished, off the table. Martin knew from experience that there would be more work to do tomorrow; someone else would go missing under unusual circumstances and they'd be put on the case. He just prayed that the call didn't come in the middle of the night, taking him away from his lover earlier than planned.

The sun sank below the horizon as they all began to shuffle through the last motions of the day; clearing up paperwork, locking things in drawers, gathering their stuff so that they could head home. Martin was closing the bottom drawer on his desk when he caught Sam out of the corner of his eye. She looked to be sleeping, her chin resting in her hand, her arm propped up on her desk. He remembered that he was supposed to talk with her but now he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea or not. Elena and Vivian walked out of the office chattering about their experiences as mothers and when he looked toward Jack's office he could see his boss talking to someone on the phone. He didn't look happy about it, whatever the conversation was about. Alone with Sam he decided that it would hurt to see if she wanted to talk.

He cleared his throat loudly, the noise jolting her out of her nap. She looked around at the empty office and then her eyes settled on him. He could see the blush creeping across her cheeks. "Work that boring today?"

She shrugged absentmindedly as she started gathering her stuff. "Just been one of those weeks, that's all. I haven't been getting much sleep at home…"

"Any particular reason why?"

"No, not really," she muttered. "Just…it happens, you know? This job, after awhile all those images from past cases…they build up and then you start having dreams about people you haven't thought of in years."

"Tell me about it," he said. "I keep thinking about that little girl from a year ago."

Sam looked at him. "Susie Michaels? Yeah, I've been thinking about her too. What do you think happened to her?"

"Hard to say," he shrugged. "Any number of things could have happened to that poor girl. She could be happy and well, living in another country for all we know."

"Or she could be dead."

"Or she could be dead," he echoed, agreeing with her. There was something more to her mood, he knew it but whatever it was she didn't seem interested in talking about it. "How about we go out this weekend? I have someone I want you to meet."

She looked at him, a coy twinkle in her eye. "Why, Martin, have you finally found someone to love? What's her name? Where does she work?"

He smiled; shrugging off the fact she instantly thought he was dating a woman. He'd given her no other reason to assume otherwise. "Why don't we just make plans to hang out this weekend? Do some talking? I think this person might be able to help you…what do you say?"

"Sure, what the hell, why not?" she said, pushing her chair away from her desk and standing. "It's a date, Martin."

He walked her out, making sure that she got to her car and that she didn't seem in the least bit drowsy before he got behind the wheel of his own vehicle. As he started the engine he tried to figure out why he'd set up a date with her this weekend, one involving the presence of Danny. What would she think when she learned the truth about him, that he liked to date men and not women? Part of him was deeply afraid of her reaction while another part was excited about the idea of having someone know. If she knew then he would have someone to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off of. Someone to help him understand the way he was feeling.

The drive home took far too long. He was afraid that he would get there and Danny would be upset with him but when he got up to his apartment he found the door locked. He frowned. A month ago he'd given Danny a key to his apartment. Maybe his lover had just gotten tied up with a case and would be running a little late. He'd start dinner and get their romantic night together ready so that they'd be good to go when Danny did arrive. Putting his key in the lock he turned it and pushed open the apartment door. A slip of paper that had been pushed under the door rested on the carpet inside, waiting for him. Thinking that maybe it was a message from Danny he bent down to pick it up. He didn't read it until he closed the door behind him, settling his stuff on the couch. Opening the folded paper he read the words that sent his world into a downward spiral…

Martin Fitzgerald, son of FBI director Victor Fitzgerald, you're going to play a little game. If you fail to abide by the rules then a lawyer by the name of Danny Taylor will wind up in an early grave.

Martin felt a chill run down his spine, wondering who would play such a sick joke. He was close to crumbling the paper and throwing it away when something told him to hang onto it. Refolding the note he reached for his cell phone, only to have it ring as he fingers brushed against it. The sudden sound made him jump in the otherwise quiet apartment. He chuckled at his own jumpiness, picking up his phone. All sense of humor drained from him as he saw that it was Danny calling. For some reason he was suddenly filled with a feeling of dread.