Without A Trace - Paternity Eternal

Summary: Another day, another case...but its Martin who's missing. Is the team ready for the secrets they will divulge?

Disclaimer: If I did, what I be writing FanFics? Hell no! I'd be writing scripts! :D

Author's Note: I was going to wait a week before uploading this just to be evil and keep you in suspense...but I couldn't be bothered. Enjoy ;)

Chapter Eight: DOA

Every fibre of her being told her that this wasn't possible. It wasn't happening. But when she looked down at his pale and bloody face, reality sank in. His skin was cold to the touch as she placed two fingers against his neck, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't as dead as he looked.

Vivian and Elena had left the room, dragging out Jason Hartley in cuffs as he stared incomprehensively at the body of his fallen brother. Sam almost felt sorry for him as she too feared she had lost someone dear.

She pressed her fingers on his neck. And felt nothing.

Sam let her head drop as her way of telling her team her discovery. She kept her fingers planted there, feeling her heart being ripped in two. Danny staggered on his feet, coming to kneel next to his friend. Jack kept his hands on Sam's shoulders, trying to offer her comfort while his own emotions were thrown into turmoil.

But then she felt it.

A rhythm played enticingly beneath her fingertips. She looked up suddenly; hope reignited in her being. It was faint; barely there at all. But it was there. It took a vital millisecond to choke out the words. "I've got a pulse. Oh my God! He's alive!"

Instantly Jack jumped to his feet, yelling in his communicator for an ambulance, a paramedic, something. He gave Sam a reassuring look and left the room to hurry the help, knowing every moment was a step closer to the end.

Danny leaned forward, just scooting Sam's fingers out of the way to confirm it himself. At first he didn't feel it either, but there it was. Faint but unmistakable. He pulled away; his mind filled with images from Martin's last knock at death's door. Danny had stayed with him while they waited for help; desperately trying to keep his friend alert and alive. The amount of blood that encircled Martin was disconcerting and a painful reminder of how close they had cut it.

Martin stirred al little. Just the tiniest bit. He let out a soft moan; refusing to open his eyes. The pain was unbelievable. It stabbed in his head with sharp points and white lights danced across his mind's eye. He didn't even try to move, fearing an increase of throbbing to his dazed temples.

"Martin? Can you hear me?" Sam spoke quietly, something that he could be thankful for in his current state. He twitched his hand to reply, and she took it gratefully. He attempted to open his eyes and ended up grimacing in pain. "It's okay, we're here. We found you."

The dim light of the room was blinding to the one retina he dared to reveal. He could just make out the fuzzy outlines of two figures. He had already identified Sam by her voice, but the other remained a mystery.

"Hey Fitz," greeted Danny, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you dare try to move buddy, help is on the way."

Marti had no intention of moving. The pain that had spiked from the simple twitch of his hand had pretty much diminished any ideas he may have had of trying to get up. He blinked one eye blearily, his right eye sealed shut with blood. He murmured quietly, his voice barely louder than a breath. "Anya?"

Sam smiled. Or at least Martin thought she did. It was difficult to tell. "Don't worry, she's safe. She's back at the office." She let out a soft laugh. "I'm pretty sure she's drawn in black marker pen on every vital document you had on your desk."

If Martin could have smiled he probably would have. The image of his daughter attacking bureaucracy with a marker pen flashed across his mind. "That's my girl."

Despite the situation, Danny had to ask. "Why didn't you tell us you had a kid?"

Martin had been thinking about that all day. But now he had an answer. He could feel the blackness pull at him again, encouraging him into the comforting darkness. "Nobody asked."

One Hour Found (12:00 midnight)

Anya snuggled herself deeper into her aunt's lap as the exhaustion of the day overtook her young mind. She was grateful to see a familiar face after an evening spent with strangers. They were nice strangers, she liked them. They worked with her daddy so they had to be nice. Daddy.

Fitfully, Anya rose from her sleepy state and sat up with a new wave of worry enveloping her. The nice strangers had said that her daddy was lost and that they were going to find him, but it had been so long. Then they had left and Aunt Jessie sat with her, comforting her into sleep. She looked up at her aunt who seemed off in a daze. Anya didn't like that look. That's the look her nana had had on her face when she had told Anya about her mommy being with the angels.

Suddenly, activity filled the quiet office. Two of the strangers; Viv and Elena she thought their names were, entered the bullpen from the elevators, their hands secured on the arms of a man.

Anya gasped. She knew that man. He was one of the bad men. Aunt Jessie seemed to wake from her daze and hugged her tighter to reassure her. Anya was filled with fear and as much anger as her eight-year old body could muster. Aunt Jessie whispered gently in Anya's ear "its okay. The FBI guys are gonna lock him up for a very long time. He's never gonna hurt you again."

The pair waited patiently for news. The following five minutes were agonizingly long. But then the two agents headed towards them. Anya tried to read their expressions, but their faces were too confusing. She thought they looked relieved, but they also seemed worried...afraid...angry.

When the agents finally reached them, Aunt Jessie immediately stood up, blocking Anya from hearing any possible bad news. Before Anya could figure out what had happened, she was swept into a tight hug by her aunt. "It's alright. They found your daddy, and they got the bad men."

Anya smiled happily, not knowing that there was more to it than that. "Can I see him? I want my daddy!"

Jessie watched as the two agents headed towards them, anxiously trying to read them. Elena smiled reassuringly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, and Vivian looked just as worried as she had when the team had left. She stood instantly as they approached, gently pushing Anya back just in case the news wasn't as she hoped. "You found him?"

Vivian nodded. "Yeah, we found him, but...but he was in pretty bad shape. They've taken him to the hospital, but it's too early to tell if he's going to make it."

Slowly Jessie took the information in, wondering how she was going to explain that to Anya. She indicated the direction they had taken Jay. "You only got one suspect, what happened to the other?"

"He fired on us when we entered the house," explained Elena. "We were forced to shoot him dead. Jason gave up pretty quickly."

Jessie nodded grimly, part of her pleased with the sticky end the creep had met. She quickly swept Anya into a hug, telling her only what she needed to hear. At Anya's reply, Jessie looked pleadingly at the agents. They agreed. "Yes angel, we're gonna go see him now."

Two Hours Found (01:24am)

Sam hated hospitals.

Maybe it was that sickly sterile smell, or the impossible whiteness of the walls. Maybe it was all the sick people. Maybe it was the threat of death that hovered in the halls. She shuddered at her own thoughts, trying to shove the idea out of her mind. But once it was there, it was stuck. Eerie coldness swept down her spine as she remembered Martin's pale, deathly face.

Her back was beginning to ache from sitting on the plastic seat, and her body was tiring from the long day. Sitting next to her was Jack, and next to him was Danny, both men putting on their macho acts to mask their true feelings.

Martin had been in surgery for two hours now. Sam tried to figure out if that was a good thing or not. No one had come and told them anything since he had disappeared behind the OR's swinging doors.

The thought of losing Martin cut her deep. She had thought for a long time now that their relationship was over...but old feelings don't die hard. They just fade. Sam remembered saying that to him that night in the office when he had found out about her affair with Jack. It was such a long time ago, but she found herself going over every aspect of the whirlwind office romance. He had always wanted more; she had known that and it scared her, but now she found herself wanting more too. Shame it took a Near Death Experience to make her see.

The doors to the waiting room swung open as the rest of the team and Martin's family entered. Sam noted that Victor Fitzgerald had failed to show and smirked to herself. Jessie held Anya's hand and led her into the room, taking a chair opposite Sam. Anya waved at the agents in greeting, but Jessie was too caught up in her own worries to notice their existence.

"Have we heard anything?" asked Vivian as she took the seat on the other side of Sam. Elena sat next to Danny, immediately offering him a hand of comfort. Sam shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Vivian nodded, understanding, and pulled Sam into a hug.

They sat like that for a while. The five agents lining one wall, Jessie and Anya sitting opposite. After about half an hour, Anya had climbed onto her aunt's lap and cuddled her until she fell into an uneasy sleep.

But then everything changed. Four hours after the OR doors had closed, separating them from their fallen comrade, they opened.

The surgeon did not appear to be happy.

Just when you think everything's gonna be okay, I throw in an unhappy medical professional. What could this mean for Martin? Was the rescue simply too little, too late?

Thanks to irishtwins04 for reviewing again, much appreciated :D As well as martinsmaid, hope this was a quick enough update!