Agent Fox Mulder (i_want_2) wrote in multi_fiction, @ 2009-05-06 16:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | au, het, magnificent 7, rated: adult, without a trace, x-over |
Fic: It's Just A Sweet Fantasy 4/7 The Magnificen Seven/Without A Trace
Title: It's Just A Sweet Fantasy
Author: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not own The Magnificent Seven or Without A Trace.
Characters: Chris, Vin/Martin, Danny, Jack, Vivian, Buck, JD, Ezra, Mary.
Prompts: rounds_of_kink Day Off From Work, Hating Undercover Assignment.
Words: 23,261
Sequel to: Hide And Seek
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven/Without A Trace
Pairing: Martin/Danny, Chris/Martin.
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Angst, Language, Sexual Content, Violence, Ensemble.
Summary: At a conference in New York City, Chris goes missing. His disappearance dredges up old memories and an old case thought long solved.
Author's Note: Fall - 2002. Thank you to huntersglenn for the inspiration.
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Part 4: My Time At Last.
Tuesday - 5:43 p.m.
There was a siren blaring in the distance. He couldn't make out how far or from what direction. Everything sounded far away, until suddenly, it all came screaming in to his head. He winced from the pain, moaning as he clenched his eyes shut.
He wanted to ask someone what the hell had happened, but he couldn't think of the words. That probably had a lot to do with the pain throbbing behind his ear. It felt like someone had shoved a baseball beneath the skin when he reached up to touch it. Upon making contact, he hissed and pulled his fingers back.
Okay, so touching the goose egg was a stupid idea.
That left him with wanting to know where he was. It was a simple question, one that he could easily answer. Taking a steadying breath, he gently pried open one eye just a crack. There wasn't much light where he was, but it was enough to make him flinch.
Obviously he was suffering from a concussion. His training told him that going back to sleep was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. Silly him, the moment he thought about it, though, he realized how exhausted he felt.
He wondered what the hell had happened. Why had he been attacked? There was no denying that fact. From the sounds, and now the smell, he could tell that he was in an alley of some sort. Not a very clean one either.
Common sense told him he had to get up. He couldn't stay there. There was just one small hitch in his plans, though. The world quickly phased out of existence before he could remember why it was a bad idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 5:44 p.m.
Sitting across the desk from Jack, Ezra barely kept the wince in check. His cheek still smarted from the hit. It was nothing he couldn't live with. The bruise, however, was going to be a nightmare to cover up. "I apologize for the violence of my colleagues. As I stated earlier, they are not known for their civilized manners."
"Doesn't bother me. I'm not the one that got sucker punched." Jack could barely conceal the glee over that fact. Allowing a small smile to touch his lips, he sat back in his chair. "The question now is what do we do now? How much do you know exactly about this case?"
"I suspect we know the same amount. I know Chris received a note yesterday and a package today. Whatever was in the package sent him in to a rage." Gingerly feeling along the edges of his sore cheek, Ezra winced again. "Mr. Larabee is known for his grace under pressure. There is little I know of that could send him in to such a rage."
"Yes, that was mentioned in his psych profile. The last time he went on a rampage was in ninety-three. If I recall, that lead to three men being shot, two of them fatally." Personally, Jack could whole heartedly understand and agreed it was the right thing to do.
"Then I would suggest there is a good chance the same circumstances are applicable here." Ezra clicked his jaw. When his eyes went a little wide, he forced himself to stop messing with it.
"Yes, we figured that out as well." This was getting pointless fast. If nothing new came of it, Jack was going to give the other man a matching bruise. "You know something about this case you are not telling me. Don't bother denying it, I know you, Ezra."
Sighing, Ezra glanced over his shoulder through the window. There were people out in the office watching them closely. He knew which ones were a threat. "There are those who guard their secrets carefully. They do not care for inquiries."
"I found that out three years ago." With a snort, Jack snapped his fingers to get Ezra's attention. "What are they hiding?" His patience were fast wearing thin.
Turning around to stare at Jack, Ezra gave him a bored look. "They had a plan to prevent Chris from discovering Martin was alive. Someone else beat them to it." He snorted at Jack's disbelieving look.
Before Jack could question Ezra on it, a knock came at his door. Looking up, he found Vivian standing there. "Come in."
Pushing her way inside, she smiled at Ezra, then Jack. "There is something here you should see. I think we might have found what was delivered to the suite."
Intrigued, Ezra popped up from his chair. It made his cheek hurt, but he didn't let that stop him from being the first through the door. There was no way in hell they were keeping him from finding out what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 6:01 p.m.
Vivian pointed to the computer screen as the lab Tech activated the video. "This was inside the trashed DVD player we brought in." From the corner of her eye, she saw Danny's posture stiffen.
"Time stamp indicates this was yesterday." Tapping out her controls, the Tech highlighted the bottom corner. "It was recorded yesterday at noon by the office security camera. I checked the archive; the cameras had been turned off for a period of twenty minutes by Agent Taylor."
Jack looked over at Danny, only to be met by a shrug and a smirk. "We'll talk about this later." He shifted his attention back to the Tech. "All right, can you tell who turned this one back on?"
"No. The info was deleted from our servers. Whoever did this knows how to circumvent our security protocols, even the ones I've personally added." Glancing about the computer room, she pushed up her glasses. "This had to be done by someone here in the lab."
"Turn that off." Jack indicated the screen where Danny and Martin were groping each other. "Send the DVD down to the anti-terrorist unit. Since we don't share lab staff, it should be impartial." A quick thought made Jack glance back to Danny. "You escort it down there."
"Aw, come on, Jack. It wasn't..." He trailed off with a smile at Jack's warning glare.
"I believe this explains why Mr. Larabee decided to give in to his animal urges." Ezra's voice was laced with amusement at the thought. "That still leaves us with the question of where did he go?"
"I believe I can answer that." The Tech swiveled her chair to face Jack and the others. She held out the evidence bag that contained the DVD to Danny. "I've analyzed the security footage from the hall at the hotel. They caught him making a call on his way to the elevator. We don't have any sound, but you can see Mr. Larabee's lips moving."
Taking the DVD, Danny gave her a warm smile. "Let me guess, you're a lip reader too."
"Not hardly." Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she returned his smile. "We have facial recognition software that comes with certain other features. It's still in development, but thankfully Mr. Larabee uses a common, mid-western pronunciation on most of his words." She jumped when Jack cleared his throat. "Oh. He set up a meeting with someone at the Prime Meridian Deli for eleven this morning."
"Prime Meridian Deli?" Jack glanced to Vivian and Danny for recognition. When they returned his blank expression, he looked back at the Tech. "I think your software needs more fine tuning."
"Duh, that's obvious." She frowned at her immediate response. "Sorry. It's just, well, nothing. The software was working correctly. We ran the video by someone from Surveillance just in case. He agreed with what the computer came up with."
This had Jack rolling his eyes.
She pushed her chair to the side so that she could reach another computer. Turning to access the keyboard, she activated the station. Her fingers flew over the keys until she had the information. "Prime Meridian Deli. It's about seven blocks from the hotel."
"Print the address." Jack already had his cell phone out and was dialing when he looked to Vivian. "I'm going to need you to stay here and deal with the crowd back in the office." He snapped his fingers at Ezra. "You and your gang are also staying here. No buts."
That earned Jack a haughty scowl from Ezra.
Sighing, Vivian checked her watch. She knew getting off work tonight was going to be a long way off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 6:20 p.m.
JD watched as the FBI Agent listened to her boss on the telephone. She seemed like a nice lady, but he wasn't sure about that. There were plenty of ball busters he had met who pulled off the sweet routine when it suited them.
Whatever had happened must have been bad. He could tell by the way her smile grew. The more she smiled, the worse it got. That was one of the first lessons he had learned about dealing with witnesses. Never let them see you frown.
That memory made him sigh. Chris had taught him how to be a good agent. If it hadn't been for the man, JD knew he would probably be just another nameless Tech in a lab some where. He shifted so that he could look at the rest of the team. They weren't one without Chris.
JD shuddered. He need to do something to take his mind off this. They all needed to. Only one topic he could think of would do that. "I wonder what he was doing."
"Who?" Buck looked like he needed a stiff drink. The only thing that kept him there was the same thing that kept them all there.
"Vin, or rather, Martin." This earned JD a few looks. That was good, at least they were doing more than sitting around. "Do you think he was undercover, investigating Chris?"
Rubbing at his forehead, Ezra winced. "That is a very astute question, but I'm relieved to say the answer is no." He dropped his head back over his chair. "That very thought once too crossed my mind when I found him."
"You're a damned liar, and a poor one at that." Glass of water clutched in his fingers, Travis studied it in the light. There was nothing untoward about it, but he looked like he still didn't trust the contents. "You probably asked him if it was you he was after."
Ezra snorted. "I see small minds think alike. Agent Fitzgerald assumed the same as you." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Had he been in his right mind, he would have known that there was no possible way. Our paths would not cross for several years at the time he went undercover."
"Then, genius, what was he investigating?" Glad to have something to draw his ire, Nathan turned his full attention on Ezra.
Raising his head, Ezra narrowed his eyes at the other man. "It may have slipped your simple grasp, but there happens to be a great deal of crime in Denver."
"Enough, all of you. This is not helping anyone." Buck used the back of the chair he was straddling to help him stand. It wasn't a stable thing, but he had to start some where. "What's happened has happened. Vin, Martin, whatever his name is, he did his job and now he's back where he came from."
"And whose fault is that?" Now that his anger was awakened, Nathan was ready to snap at anyone who earned it. "I distinctly remember telling you it was a stupid idea!"
"What are you talkin about?" If Nathan wanted to play, Buck was willing to give it to him. He turned to stare the other man down. "Vin left on his own, he didn't need any help from us."
Nathan stared up at him in disbelief. "Chris and Mary certainly needed a helping hand to get together. A whole lot of good that turned out to be, though." When the man didn't even so much as blink, Nathan shook his head. "You stupid... Chris fucked her that night! Vin caught them!"
Eyes going wide, Buck paled. Swallowing, he shook his head. "You're lyin."
"His hat was by the god damned door, you fool! Chris was frantic when he found it!" As he spoke, Nathan rose from his chair. "You had to play that stupid prank to 'get them together'. Did you even bother to ask Chris why he didn't want to be alone with her?"
"I didn't know." Buck's voice was almost a whisper in the deathly silent interrogation room.
"Didn't know? They shared the same bedroom!" Nathan was near to spitting as he leaned over the table. Only a steady hand on his shoulder kept him from going across it. He looked down to find Josiah watching him with concern.
Josiah squeezed Nathan's shoulder. "Not everyone is as observant, brother. Their relationship comes as a surprise to many of us. You saw what we did not think to look for."
"Not everyone has to hide their relationship, you mean." Shrugging his shoulder free, Nathan looked to the Director. "I'm splitting. Tell Jack and the others they know where they can find me."
Closing his eyes, Travis nodded his assent.
JD had a feeling this was going to get a lot uglier before the night was over. Too many bad memories had passed between them without resolution. A quick glance over to the door revealed the Agent was now talking with one of the other tall suits.
He didn't recognize half of them, but knew most were from the ATF building back west. The ATF didn't seem to trust the FBI, and with good reason obviously. No matter what Ezra said, JD didn't believe for one moment Vin/Martin hadn't been sent there for Chris. No one in love hid their relationship that well, he would have known.
Hell, Nathan thought he had been slick with Rain. Her daddy had been none the wiser, but JD had seen. He had known long before she was pregnant they were messing around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 6:48 p.m.
As their sedan rolled to a stop at the end of the block, Jack stared out the driver side window. Red and blue lights flashed from several cars blocking the street. A sea of uniforms filled the sidewalks, moving up and down the street. Several were even shining flashlights in the alleyways.
"What the hell is going on?" From the passenger seat, Sam had a better look down the street. She saw several news vans parked in tow away zones. "It's got every local and national station represented as far as I can tell. Look, that's CNN over there." She pointed to a small bus at the end of the street.
"Why do I get the feeling that Agent Larabee's got something to do with this?" Putting the car in park, Jack shared a look with Sam. He reached out and opened the door a half second later.
Climbing out, he had to raise a hand to block the sudden glare of a camera light. This was fast becoming a nuisance. Looking over the car, he met Sam's stare and jerked his head towards the police tape. At her nod, he made a break for it.
There came a cry from behind them. His heart was pounding in his ears too loud for him to make out the words. More lights zoomed in on him, casting his shadow on the sidewalk.
By the time he made it to the police line, he was a little winded. Jack knew it was past time for him to start up his exercise program again. The winter wasn't to blame so much as the constant case work. A pang reminded him that his entire team had been stretched thin lately.
After this case, he decided, they were all taking two weeks off. If the suits up stairs didn't like that, they could complain to his empty desk chair. There was no way in hell he was sticking around after this circus.
He finally caught wind of Sam's perfume as she came in behind him. Jack had his badge out and flashed it to the uniform at the tape.
The man took one look and his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "Wow, everyone really is showin up tonight."
"Excuse me?" Jack folded his wallet and stuck it back in his jacket. "Who else beside the NYPD has shown up?"
"CIA, Homeland Security, NSA, you name it, they've come across this line in the past twenty or so." The man shook his head in amazement. "You've never seen so many badges."
At Jack's throat clearing, Sam stepped in close to the man. "Just what exactly happened here?" She pulled her hair back from her neck as she spoke.
Unable to take his eyes off her, the man smiled. "I know what you're doin, but that's okay." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "So long as you ain't the press, I haven't been told to keep my mouth shut. There's a dead woman in the alley behind the Deli. She was stripped naked and beaten to death."
"Why are the other agencies involved?" Tugging at her collar, Sam rolled her eyes as his followed her fingers.
"Lady's purse was found two blocks away. She's CIA." As he said it, the smile slipped from the man's face. He glanced over at Jack and grimaced. "It's a real mess. We've found two wallets with it. One was hers, the other belongs to an ATF agent. I was kinda expecting them to show up before you guys."
Jack swallowed. "Was the name of the Agent Chris Larabee by any chance?"
"How'd you..." The man trailed off with a snap of his fingers. "You guys are after him." He snapped his fingers again as something else occurred to him. "Hey! You think he might have done this?"
"It's not his style." Jack pulled out his cell phone. So this was what he was reduced to, a damned operator for the FBI. "He only shoots cops and bad guys."
This caused the man's eyes to do the popping again. "No shit?"
"No shit." Heading away, Jack hit the auto dial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 6:50 p.m.
"All right, I'll be sure to tell them." Hitting the disconnect button on his desk phone, Danny stared at it with wide eyes for a moment. "Okay, I guess that answers that question." When he closed his eyes, he lowered his chin to his chest. They at least knew where the missing agent had been. Martin's location was a complete mystery.
There was quiet among the gathered agents. Ones from different agencies kept casting looks at the others. A murder involving multiple branches of the law never ended well.
Since it seemed that no one else would, Vivian cleared her throat to get their attention. "As of this time, this is still a missing person's investigation. While you may wish to stay involved, your presence here is more of a hindrance. Those of you who do not absolutely have to be here, please leave."
When no one stood up to go, she closed her eyes. They were really going to make her do this. "All right, fine. If you are not currently assigned by the Bureau to this office, get out." Moving around Danny's desk, she picked up the phone. "You have five minutes and then you will be escorted out."
A woman with blonde hair huffed at Vivian's words. Adjusting her jacket, she crossed her arms. "Your security agents will not remove me."
Danny snorted as he watched the action unfold. He could say something, but why waste the breath when Viv had it well in control?
"Oh, we will." Vivian couldn't keep the smile off her face. "But that's not who I'm calling."
As if she was the nominated leader, the woman stood up to confront Vivian on a more equal level. "Then just who do you think you are calling?"
"Tell me, Senator, have you ever participated in a perp walk?" As she began to dial, Vivian put the phone to her neck. "Right now, you, your staff, and the rest of these people are hindering a Federal Investigation. I can arrest you, but I would rather you leave on your own. The choice is yours."
Danny couldn't stop the grin from splitting his face. If he couldn't get satisfaction one way, he would take it where he could get it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 6:53 p.m.
It was pure confusion as far as Jack could tell. There were people milling about, some walked in circles, others talked to each other or on cell phones. The one thing he needed, he couldn't seem to find. He glanced to Sam to see if she was having any better luck.
For her part, Sam just stood there shaking her head. "I think our best bet would be to find a local. They were the first ones on the scene, they would know the most, I believe." She didn't sound half as confident as she wanted.
"Sounds like a plan." That settled, Jack narrowed his search for someone with a badge. There were plenty of uniforms, but he wanted a Detective. That meant following the officers with his eyes until they lead him to a Detective. He didn't have to wait long.
Tapping Sam on the shoulder, Jack pointed to the man he located. The Detective looked to be older than both agents combined. Making his way over, he had to dodge three men in suits that looked as if they should have been back at the office.
By the time they made it to the man's side, he was busy with someone else. Jack waited patiently, figuring this was the one in charge of the scene despite number of different agencies represented. Eventually, he was rewarded with the man noticing him.
The smile on the man's face was almost pleasant as he turned to Jack and Sam. He raised a hand to point at them. "Which ones are you? There's so many letters here, I feel like we should bring in the Post Master."
For the first time, Jack cracked a smile. He already had his badge out and flipped it open for the Detective to see. "I'm Special Agent Jack Malone, this is my team member, Special Agent Sam Spade."
"Spade and Malone, cute." The man reached out and took the badge from Jack. He studied it in the light from a street lamp. When he ran his thumb over the badge, he whistled. "That's either the best forgery I've ever seen, or you're the real deal. You got any more team members? Marlowe perhaps?"
It took a moment for Jack to realize what the man was talking about. "Oh, no, but I think he might be working down in accounting." He accepted his badge back with a shake of his head. "We're working the Larabee disappearance."
"Ah, then you've come to the right place." The man raised his eyebrows and cocked his head with a sigh. "Well, about seven, eight hours ago may be. All we've got is a body and some identification here."
"So we've heard." This made Sam grimace. At least they were on the right track now. "Is there anything you can tell me about what went down here?"
"Certainly." Almost as if he noticed her for the first time, the man smiled at Sam. "You know, you're a very attractive woman for the Bureau. Last I heard, there was a strict code of only homely women with big guns."
"The big guns part still applies." At his chuckle, she couldn't help but smile. Sam looked down to keep her reaction in check. "Okay, can we get back to business? Please?"
"Sure, anything for a smart and funny lady." Gesturing at the alley twenty feet from them, the Detective nodded once towards it. "That's the crime scene. Our boys are processing it now, at least, if we can keep the federal gawkers out of it. The body was discovered there about an hour ago behind a dumpster."
"A trigger happy robber shot up the Deli when they didn't hand over the cash fast enough. He made his escape out the back. The son of a bitch didn't get very far before someone decided it was better not to waste tax payer money on a trial." His half smile said what he thought about this.
Shaking his head, the Detective sighed. "The responding officers found her during the innitial sweep for evidence. At first, they thought she was some hooker that a John had worked over until she bled to death. An observant patrolman noticed her nails and dental work didn't jive with that theory."
"You found her purse and the extra wallet during a parameter sweep?" Her note book out, Sam wrote down the last of the Detective's statement.
The Detective glanced to Jack. "I can see why you hired her." Reaching in to his jacket, the Detective pulled out his own note pad. He flipped through a couple pages before he found the right one. "Two wallets containing Federal IDs, a purse, and four holsters. These two, they carried a primary and a backup piece each. I don't think this was a social luncheon."
"That's our theory too." Jack glanced over to Sam before he faced the Detective. "What about the woman's name?"
"Her driver's license said Gloria Allred, but her CIA badge told a different story." Glancing down at his notes, the Detective raised his eyebrows. "A Charlotte Louise Wattson-Richmond. What a mouthful." Looking up, he shook his head in disbelief. "Hyphenated last names, there's a step towards equality I could live without. Call me old fashioned, but one's good enough for me."
Sam snorted. Turning a little red, she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Is there anything else?"
"Hey, Lennie!"
The Detective cast a look over his shoulder at the sound of his name. Upon seeing a black Detective, he held up a finger. "Yeah, there's one more thing. Your guy, he walked away from this. We found bloody bare foot prints leading out the back of the alley. From the amount of blood, though, I'd say he didn't get very far without help."
Jack held up his business card. He smiled when it was accepted, then his hand shook. "Thank you for your time, Detective. If your people find anything at all, please don't hesitate to call me."
"Any time I can help out the big guys." The Detective snickered as he shook hands with Jack, then with Sam. "You keep an eye out, there's a lot of grabby hands with this crowd."
"Tell me about it." The smile came naturally to Sam as she shook hands with the Detective.
Pulling out his cell phone, Jack once again dialed it. He didn't wait for a response, instead he spoke when he heard the line picked up. "We're on our way back in with new information for the timeline."
TBC