Chapter Eleven: Too Hard to Handle

Martin let the door of his apartment swing closed as he stumbled into the darkness. Part of him should have been worried about the events of the day but it was how things went. The only thing he was truly worried about was whether or not his father would be paying him a visit. He sure hoped not because that was a distraction, a bump in the road that he could do without. As he tugged off his tie he headed toward the kitchen. He had things to do, people to call. And none of them worked at the office. He felt bad that he'd let both Sam and Jack down, that he'd left himself get caught with pills again. But worse than that he knew at some point he would have to confess about this little incident to Danny. And he wasn't sure he ever wanted to do that. Danny had so much faith in him, believed that he could break the habit permanently. If he could go years without a drop of alcohol than why couldn't Martin drop the pills for good?

Grabbing his cell phone he dialed quickly the number he'd committed to memory. Then reached into the fridge to grab himself a can of soda. Something stronger would have been nice but he didn't keep stuff like that around his apartment for the simple fact that his lover was a recovering alcoholic. He wondered when someone stopped being 'recovering' from their addiction. Did they ever fully recover? Would he ever fully recover?

"Hey, it's Martin," he said when the person on the other end finally picked up. "I thought I would let you know that the plan is running smoothly." He listened in silence, nodding his head though the person on the other end couldn't see him. "All right, just buzz and I let you in."

He hung, leaving his phone on the counter and took his can of soda into the living room where he switched on a light. The place looked gloomy and dark. A flash of color caught his attention. One of Danny's shirts with the wild pattern, something that he'd worn on one of their nights out to a club. As he picked up the shirt he marveled at how strong Danny really was; he could go to a club where a lot of people were drinking and not a drip of alcohol would touch his lips. Martin prayed that Danny was strong enough to make it through whatever tests he was being given. The sound of the buzzer brought him back to the here and now. Shirt still in his hands he pressed the button that admitted entrance into his building. He made sure to ditch the shirt in the bottom drawer of his dresser before his visitor knocked on the door.

He opened it and stepped back, letting the other man in. When he closed the door he made sure to lock it.

"So all is set to go?" Rafi said.

"Yep," Martin replied. "I managed to get myself arrested this morning."

"Wow, I bet your boss was happy about that one."

"Happy enough to put me on a leave of absence," Martin smiled. "It worked like a charm."

"Just like you said it would."

"Now that I'm not bogged down with the obligation of work, what's our next move?"

--

Danny shivered involuntarily. For some reason his captors had thought it fun to dump a bucket of water on him. The fact that he was drenched didn't really bother him. Who cared if his clothes clung to him like a second skin? What did bother him was the fact that the water was cold and he'd be soaked for quite some time. He'd catch a chill. And in this place the last thing he wanted was to get sick. There was no telling what sort of viruses and bacteria lurked within the scum of his holding cell, for that was how he thought of it. This place was no longer a room in a rundown building, it was a holding cell. He only hoped that it didn't become his tomb.

He had to have faith in Martin.

The Fitzgerald could be so indecisive at times and maybe a little laid back but Danny could see that someone stronger lurked just below the surface. All that Martin needed was the right motivation, then there would be no stopping him. Danny hoped that he was the right motivation. Their relationship had been so…amazing. After the path his life had taken the last thing he expected was to actually fall in love with someone. It didn't bother him that the person who held the key to his heart was a guy. He'd gotten over that a while back. Now he just enjoyed the time they spent together, happy to be making memories that weren't painful or unpleasant. Though right now they made his heart ache. Would he get the chance to tell Martin that he loved him one more time? Would he get the chance, and the courage, to finally tell his brother that he was in love with a man? A man that just happened to work for the FBI. For some reason Danny figured that Martin's job would be a bigger problem than the fact that he was a guy.

He smiled. What would the two of them do if they ever got together?

He heard the familiar sound of the locks being undone. Instead of getting to his feet he remained in the corner where he was sitting. Why should he let them think he was afraid? Maybe they'd think he was trying to escape if they found him standing, waiting. No, he would sit on the dingy floor and keep his mouth shut and eyes adverted until told to do otherwise. He vaguely remembered working on a case in his schooling days where a woman had been held captive by a madman. The only reason she walked away alive was because she did everything he wanted her to do. He could do that, too. He would do anything to see Martin again.

Anything.

The door opened and in walked the familiar man in the mask. "Get up," the guy ordered.

Danny tried to stand but he was shivering so much, his legs wouldn't co-operate.

"Get up," the guy snarled.

Danny thought of a choice phrase but kept it to himself; the gag they'd placed in his mouth might have had something to do with it.

"What's the problem?" the other man asked as he came to stand in the doorway.

"Our little baby here seems to think he doesn't need to listen to orders anymore."

"Is that so?"

Danny wanted to tell them that he couldn't move, that he was cold but he couldn't.

The one who'd been standing in the door walked across the room and grabbed him roughly by the upper arm, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, we have a way of dealing with insubordinate people." The guy shoved him toward the door.

His friend laughed. "Look at the poor baby shiver. We'll make him nice and warm, won't we?"

"And I have just the way to do it, too."

As he slipped outside the room for the first time in…he didn't know how long he felt a shiver run down his spine. Something told him that everything was about to go from bad to worse.