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chapter thirteen

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time expands and then contracts
when you are spinning in the grips of someone
who is not an ordinary girl
-Counting Crows, "Hard Candy"

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April 12, 2003
1:35 pm

"Uncle Marty!"

Martin looked up from the television, where Bubba Trammell had just hit a 2 RBI double to score Posada and Mondesi easily. Kelsey stood at the foot of the stairs between the living room and the kitchen, her hands on her hips and looking very important as she modeled her latest outfit

"What about this dress?" Kelsey asked. The young girl had been trying on every dress in her closet for the past hour.

On the television screen, Almonte flied to center.

"You look beautiful, Kels," Martin replied, not trying to hide his smirk as he heard Tim mutter under his breath.

"Damnit, Jeter. I miss you already."

"Mommy! Daddy said a bad word!" Kelsey yelled into the office, where Caro sat on the floor with Bridget. They were playing a two year old's version of Candy Land, which generally consisted of Bridget selecting the exact card she wanted out of the deck and after several such turns, then declare herself the winner. She was a very calculating two year old.

"Tim!" Caroline glared at her husband, then stifled a laugh as Bridget became distressed when she miscalculated her piece into the "Stuck in Molasses Swamp" space.

"Mom, what about this one?" Kelsey spun into the office and kicked up her heels as she went. As long as it was daylight and they were surrounded by family, the girls were improving every day.

"Whatever dress you choose, you're going to be beautiful," Martin said as he got up from the sofa and away from Tim's incessant ramblings about Derek Jeter's dislocated shoulder.

"Where are Grandma and Grandpa?" Kelsey asked suddenly. "Aren't they supposed to be here for dinner too?"

"They're downtown doing some grown-up errands, but we'll see them when we get to the restaurant tonight," Caro answered. Martin watched as she surreptitiously rearranged the cards in Bridget's favor while the small child wasn't watching.

Bridget cried with delight when she "won" on her next move, and Martin laughed silently with his older sister.

"Why don't you two go upstairs and pick out something for Bee to wear, okay?"

The girls nodded their assent, then climbed the stairs slowly, chatting quietly amongst themselves about the fancy dinner their grandfather was having "for them."

"Alright, Caro. I know that look," Martin's voice was laced with sarcasm as he took a seat beside her and leaned back against the desk. "Out with whatever's on your mind."

"Well," she started. He could see her calculating her words carefully, and thought it was no wonder Bridget was such a dirty cheat already -- it was genetic. "Becca happened to mention that you might be having a date at this dinner thing tonight. Is there anything on your mind?"

Call it a sixth sense, but he had a feeling this was coming. At least Rebecca and her husband Scott were stuck in Chicago for the weekend with some huge function that had been in their schedule books for months; that would be one less set of people to torment him.

"And if there were, it would be none of your business Caro." He doesn't mean to sound short with her, but he knew his answer was a little too defensive. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. There isn't anyone tonight exactly; this whole thing is pretty new for both of us and I just don't think it would be the right place or time yet."

"And you don't want to tell Mom and Dad anything because then they'll start meddling? Or because then they'll suggest four or five other women who you should be dating instead?" Caro joked, although it was less funny given the element of truth that she held.

"Well, that's part of it," he started. "I mean it's really, really new for us. And given the circumstances and what she does, we want to protect our privacy as much as possible for the time being. I promise, when we're ready, you and Rebecca will be the first to know -- but until then, just leave it be." He paused for a moment, considering what he said. Then he added, "I think you'll like her, though."

"Give me a little credit, Marty," Caro said, feigning hurt in her voice. "I can keep my mouth shut if you want - just be glad Becca can't be here. She'd definitely say something tonight, and I completely understand that you and Samantha want to keep things quiet for awhile."

Martin looked at her, stunned. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Oh, shut up!" Caro exclaimed before he had a chance to relocate his voice. "You are so easy to read, you idiot. I may have been preoccupied over the weekend, but I'm not blind. Fortunately for you, Becca and I both approve; Samantha seems wonderful."

Martin blushed, sensing no point in denying her astute observations. It figures, though. His sisters were always far more likely to get him busted for sneaking out as a teenager than his own parents' surveillance.

"Oh, and Marty?" Caro suddenly added. "Don't worry, I won't say anything tonight."

"Thanks," Martin said, unable to do anything else but shake his head in amusement. Sam did say 'nice and complicated, didn't she?

Apparently, though, Caroline wasn't done.

"... although don't blame me if Becca called Jamie and Allison and gave them a heads up."

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5:50 pm

Martin sat with his family around one end of the long table that stretched the course of the private dining room. At the far end of the table, there were two empty chairs that had been designated for his parents; Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Roger sat just next to the empty seats, cooing over Ava who sat in a high chair between them. Ron and Tim were deep in a conversation about the finer points of Interleague Play while Kelsey and Bridget were completely preoccupied with several coloring books, which Caroline and his cousins completely free to question him before his parents and the Missing Persons Unit arrived.

"So, she's pretty right? Becca said she was," Allison probed.

"She's pretty and she's punctual," Caroline replied with a sudden drop in her voice.

Martin held up a hand as though to hush all three of them, then turned to see two thirds of the Missing Persons team arriving. Vivian and Samantha entered through the glass partition that set their dining room apart, the man accompanying them Martin assumed to be Vivian's husband. He recognized him as the man who had brought pizza in while they were working on the case.

The family exchanged greetings with the three newest arrivals, and Caroline introduced Vivian, Marcus, and Samantha to Jamie and Allison.

He saw Allison give Caro a "That's her?" look, and Caro raised her eyebrows suggestively. But Martin was far too focused on Samantha herself to care what his sister and cousins were doing. Her black dress hung to her just enough to bring back the sensation of holding her, kissing her, touching her like he had the night before. It had taken ever fiber of his being to get up and leave her sofa, but he had promised Caroline he'd stay the night with her and help her and Tim out - both girls were still having nightmares and Bridget had gone back to wetting the bed.

Sam gravitated towards the seat directly to Martin's right, while Vivian and Marcus took the next two seats over on the opposite side of the table. Martin stood, grateful for once for the "my mother sent me to etiquette class" excuse, and pulled out the chair for Samantha to be seated. Glad for the chance to brush his hand against her back as he helped her adjust her chair.

"Hey," she greeted him as he sat back down. He just smiled back.

Martin felt Allison kick him in the shin and Samantha's hand squeeze his thigh underneath the table.

Yeah, he thought. This is going to be a long night.

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9:55 pm

Samantha rested against the plush back of the chair, as she sat sipping her wine and feeling unusually content.

The food had been excellent, and the company even better. Jack and Victor Fitzgerald managed to avoid each other almost the entire evening, which was probably best for both of them. Victor seemed to take to their team rather well since they'd found Kelsey and Bridget, but Jack and Victor getting along might be too much to ask at the present time.

It made her uneasy to think that Victor might know about her past with Jack, especially given the illicit thoughts she was currently having about his only son. She had really wanted Martin to stay with her the night before...

Samantha noticed how the moment went from hot and heavy to sweet and intimate with just a few touches of his lips against her shoulder. Still, though, it felt good, and she hummed in appreciation.

"You're beautiful," he whispered against her shoulder. And he repeated it several more times as he trailed kisses up her neck before reaching her jaw line, finally pulling back to look into her eyes. "Samantha -" he breathed.

She shivered in spite of herself. Not knowing how else to respond, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in closer to her.

Their lips met again, and their kisses escalated in intensity and want until Martin finally pulled away.

"I hate to do this, but I promised my sister that I would give her a hand with the girls tonight and if I'm here any longer, I'm never going to want to leave."

She watched as he laughed nervously, resting her hands over his in his lap. He finally stood up from the sofa and adjusted his clothing.

He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before he left, and when he was gone and she had shut the door behind him, she leaned back against the wall and rubbed her temples.

'I don't want you to leave, either,' she thought.

Sam was torn from her daydream as the waiter approaches her to ask if she would care for any more wine. She declined, noting that one by one, their party had begun to dwindle in number. First, Caroline and Tim left with the girls and Martin's cousin Jamie and her husband left to go home and relieve their babysitter. After that, the other adults had excused themselves one by one until now only she, Martin, Danny, and Naomi remained.

The four made casual conversation, and Samantha was surprised at how much fun she was having. She was almost disappointed when Naomi finally stood to collect her coat and Danny followed suit.

Martin cast a glance in her direction, and she nodded in assent. The two rose from the table and moved to the front of the restaurant to where Danny and Naomi stood trying to hail a cab.

Sam felt Martin's arm wrap around her waist as they stood waiting for his car to pull up. She noticed that several of his Secret Service Agents were close by and watching them, but otherwise the street was relatively empty for that time of night. Up ahead, she saw Danny help Naomi into a cab and stand, watching the cab drive off, before heading to the street corner and descending into the steps of the nearest subway station.

"What's between them?" Martin whispered into her ear as his car pulled up.

"I have no idea," she said, reaching an unspoken agreement with him as she climbed into the car. "I'm not sure they know, either."

He climbed in after her and shut the car door.

"Hi," he said finally, and she shivered as he reached up to stroke her face along her hairline.

"Hey," she offered him a shy smile as the car pulled into traffic. They sat together in the backseat for a few moments, and she was acutely aware of her own nerves. This was absolutely crazy, being here with him, going back to his place. But as crazy as it was, when he looked at her she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself. His eyes were trained on her like they could see deeper inside than any other man had been able to see before, and she was sure that if she let go now she was going to drown.

"So," she started, willing playfulness to replace the uncertainty she was feeling. It was surprisingly easy to do when she looked up into his eyes. "Can he see us up there?" She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head towards the front of the vehicle, where they sat separated from the driver by a tinted glass partition.

"He can't hear us, either," he said. "Well, unless we want him to."

She grabbed his arm as he leaned forward to press the audio button up against the side of the car, falling into his lap in the process.

In spite of the heat of the car, she felt a shiver run down her spine. She leaned forward to capture his lips with her own, pinning him against the back of the seat.

She felt his hands run across her waist and onto her lower back, and she realized that in that moment, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

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