Fic: It's Just A Sweet Fantasy 6/7 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. ______________________________________ Part 6: One Of These Mornings.
Tuesday - 8:35 p.m.
Staring through the observation window, Jack watched his team's reaction as reflected in the glass. While they all looked a little dismayed, none of them spoke. He wasn't certain what to think himself.
Beyond the one-way mirror, they could see a figure laid out on a bed. Held in place by five point restraints, he wasn't going any where. It seemed as if the man was unconscious.
"Let me go, you assholes!" Surging up against the leather straps, Martin jerked his arms and legs. His actions were futile and soon came to an end.
Stepping back from the mirror, Sam stared at him in shock. "What the hell is going on here?"
At the side of the window, with her hand on the speaker control, Agent Brooks smiled at them. "Agent Fitzgerald has been uncooperative. When he became violent, we had to sedate him."
Jack put a hand on Danny's arm to keep him quiet. "When did the bondage come in?" Turning to face the woman, he kept his tone civil.
"Medical sedation was inadequate for the threat we felt he posed." Brooks lazily blinked at the glares she received. Unphazed by their blatant hostility, she turned to observe Martin through the glass. "It seems he has a higher tolerance to sedatives than we were led to believe."
This time there was no holding Danny back. Stepping up to the woman, he leaned in to her face. "That's because, you stupid..." He trailed off in a snarl. "Tolerance comes from constant use. Martin's a recovering addict to sleeping pills."
Brooks raised an eyebrow. "We will have to update our files."
"Yeah, you do that." Shaking his head, he pushed past her. There was no need to be gentle. Grabbing the door handle, Danny tried turning. When it wouldn't give, he glared at her.
"As I stated, he is a threat." There a was a hint of a smile on her face as she reached to her belt. Grabbing the key ring on a tether, she elbowed Danny out of her way. "Excuse me." With a quick twist, she had the door unlocked.
"Don't push it." Danny grabbed the handle again. Shoving the door open, he stormed in to the room. Why had this been allowed to happen? That was put from his mind by the sight of Martin laying in front of him. He drew to a stop at the foot of his lover's bed.
Having been roused by the opening of the door, Martin focused his ire on the person who stepped through. Seeing that it was Danny dampened his anger a bit. "Finally! What took you so long?"
Unable to resist, Danny smirked at Martin. "Sorry, we were a little tied up." Snickering, Danny reached down to grasp Martin's foot. "I'm glad to see you're all right."
"No thanks to that crazy bitch." Martin indicated with his chin Agent Books. He sneered at her, wishing she was within reach and he was free. "Let me out of these straps or I'll..."
"You'll do nothing." Releasing the keys from her belt, she let them zip back to her side. Brooks stuck a hand in to her pocket and pulled out a key. "You may use this whenever you please." She tossed it to Jack as she past for the door.
Catching it, Jack spun to face her. "Hold on a minute. I want some answers from you."
Pausing at the door, she snorted. "Don't hold your breath. I don't answer to any of you." With that, she turned and walked out of the cell.
Sam moved to go after her, but heard Jack clear his throat. She cast him a outraged look. "You can't seriously expect us to just let her go. After what she's done? She held Martin against his will, to say the least."
"We can't do anything about that now." And it was correct. No matter how much Jack hated it, he knew that this would probably go unanswered for. So, he did the only thing he could. "Hey, Danny."
"Yeah?" Turning back from grinning at his lover, Danny faced Jack. The next instant he was sent scrambling as Jack tossed him the key. "Lousy throw."
"So sue me." Smiling, Jack turned on his heel and strode out of the cell. Once outside, he indicated Vivian that he wanted her to follow him.
Quickly falling in to step beside him, Vivian frowned. "What's the problem?"
"There's still something we need to do. I want it done while Martin and Danny are distracted." As they passed through the security door, Jack looked about for other agents. It was past time for them to have gone home, but in Secure Holding, one never knew. "I realize the hour, but do you think you can head on over to Manhattan Gen and complete the follow up interview?"
Closing her eyes, Vivian nodded. "Yes, I can do that." Wiping at the corner of her eyes, she took a calming breath. "Marcus is going to take Reggie home. I will swing back by when I am through before heading there myself."
"Thanks, Viv." He did another once over of the office before heading out. There was someone he needed to speak to.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 9:00 p.m.
Putting out a hand, Jack prevented the elevator doors from closing. He stepped on to the car and faced the other occupant. "I want some answers, and I want them now."
"Figured I was still in the building and came looking?" Victor checked the control panel. He sighed when Jack slapped the 'Stop' button. "What do you really want, Jack?"
"The truth." Stepping up to the older man, Jack clenched his hands in to fists. "Don't give me your usual bllshit either. You kidnaped your own son and I want to know why!"
Victor didn't give the other man the satisfaction of completely facing him. "Careful, Jack, you are stepping awfully close to insubordination." When the other man snorted, he returned it. "You enjoy that position, don't you."
"I'm not leaving until I get my answers." Raising his chin, Jack took a sideways step so they were face to face. "Did you have something to do with that Agent's death? I keep asking myself, why me, why this case? You didn't have to do anything that pissant Ezra said, so don't give me that load."
"You're right, I don't have to do anything that 'pissant Ezra' told me to." Since it looked like he wasn't going to get out of this one by intimidation, Victor decided to throw the ass a bone. "As for why Martin was held in detention, you'll find out for yourself in less than ten years."
"What?" That made absolutely no sense to Jack. Before he got a chance to ask another question, two large men grabbed him by the arms and dragged him off the lift.
"Sorry, can't talk now." Victor smiled and gave Jack a short wave. "I'm due back in D.C. by tomorrow." The doors closed upon his grinning visage with a thump.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 9:38 p.m.
A knock at the door made Chris turn away from the television. The news was running and the top story was about him. They didn't have any specifics, but there was enough evidence to link it to him. It wasn't his first time being front page news, but it was for being outside of Denver.
Being as they were in the middle of the story, he was a little upset about being interrupted. Oh well, it was HNN, they would be running it again in twenty minutes. Turning it off, he swallowed down a mouthful of water. "Come in."
Far from the nurse he had been expecting, it was a woman in a suit. She had an easy air about her that made it easy to smile around her. Chris automatically settled on her being a government agent. "Which branch are you?"
Her badge out, Vivian smiled at Chris. She let her eyes drift over his upper body and face. "I can see why he liked you."
That knocked the smile off his face as if he had been slapped. Swallowing, Chris set his glass aside. He winced as he used the bed rails to push him back against the pillows. "I've looked better."
"No doubt." She didn't wait for an invitation to walk over and sit down beside his bed. Handing over her badge, Vivian pulled out a pad and pen. "I hear being beaten and left for dead takes a lot out of a person. Any idea who might have done this to you?"
"Thugs. Most likely after our money." Chris didn't have to examine the badge to know what branch she was with. He did it just to show he could. "I don't remember much about the attack itself. There were four of them, all in dark clothes. They were Caucasian, in their late teens, early twenties."
"I see." Vivian didn't write anything down. "Why were you there, Mr, Larabee?"
With a grimace, Chris handed her back the badge. He considered ignoring her question for a moment. "You know why." Reaching up, he rubbed at his nose. "Speaking of which, when can I see him?"
"Martin is busy. I want to know why you were speaking to Agent Wattson-Richmond specifically. If you were searching for a FBI agent, the CIA was hardly the place to start." As she pocketed her badge, Vivian leaned forward on the edge of her chair.
"She was the name given to me by an old contact. I hear you spoke to him. I guess this means that number is no longer in service." That made Chris a little relieved. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to contact that bastard ever again. "She didn't give me the answers I was looking for though."
Vivian shrugged. That wasn't her problem. "Well, I guess this wasn't for nothing after all. You got your answers."
Snorting, Chris let the facade of pleasantness fade. He turned the full brunt of his anger on her. "Why are you really here?"
Closing the pad, Vivian gave up the ruse of an actual interview. This was an interrogation. "We have a leak in our department. As you are aware, you were never to know that Martin was alive. Someone familiar with our systems sent you a security vid from our offices. I believe you might know whom."
So there it was. Chris had been expecting something, but this was a bit of a disappointment. "I'm never going to be allowed to see him again, am I?"
"That's not up to me." Vivian frowned.
Closing his eyes, Chris looked away. He reached a shaking hand out to pick up his glass. "I wish I knew, just so I could be a witness at the bastard's trial."
With a certainty, she knew that he was completely clueless. All they had done was dangle a carrot in front of his face and he had gone off full gallop. Standing up, she gave him a tight smile. "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Larabee."
He listened to her go, keeping his eyes closed until he heard the door shut. When she was gone, he grabbed the remote and turned off the television. He was no longer interested in the news story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 10:20 p.m.
"I can't believe you did that." Tucking his shirt back in, Martin stormed out of the cell. He didn't bother to wait for his lover. The man was a jerk anyways.
Following closely behind him, his shirt still hanging open and untucked, Danny smirked at Martin. His hands were stuck deep in his pants pockets to keep them from grabbing the other man. "Hey, I'm a man with needs."
That stopped Martin dead in his tracks. He whirled on the other man. "There are cameras in those cells!"
"So?" Danny shrugged like it was no big deal. "Hey, do you think they'll make copies? I'd like one for my collection."
"I can't believe you. You're a real piece of work." Martin shook his head in disgust. Unable to take it any more, he continued on ahead.
"Don't blame me if you're too much a prude to do it in front of a camera. I offered to make a video in privacy at home. This way I get what I want and you can save face by saying you had no choice!" By the time he finished, he was having to shout so Martin could hear him. Seeing that his lover wasn't going to believe him, he grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday - 10:23 p.m.
"So, that's it?" Sam stared blankly at the white board as Jack erased the timeline. "We just take their word for it and close the case?"
"That's what we do." After he finished wiping away the marker, Jack set the eraser on the ledge. He stopped long enough to look at the picture. It wasn't a very flattering image. He wasn't sure where they had gotten it from, but it had been in the file they sent over.
"Yeah, but, this case isn't closed. There was still a crime committed. We should be investigating if for no other reason than it is was done while on our watch." Even though she knew it was a losing battle, Sam felt there was a need to at least try.
"Actually, the only crime that happened was before we were even assigned the case." Coming back from the printer, Vivian scanned her words carefully. Satisfied with what she saw, she handed it to Jack. "Here's my final report on the Larabee Case."
"Thanks." Taking the paper, Jack clapped her on the shoulder. "Go home and get some rest. I'll make your two weeks of vacation official tomorrow."
Vivian snorted. "Two weeks?" There was no way in hell they were going to get two weeks off. "Nice sentiment, though."
"We can only hope." He wished she could take the full two weeks off. Hell, they all deserved it. One grueling case after another. They were only one team, it was going to catch up to them soon. "Good night, Viv."
"Good night, Jack." She gave him another exhausted smile before turning to the conference table. There she found an equally tired looking Sam watching her. Coming up to her, she reached around to wrap the other woman in to a quick hug. "You need to get some rest too."
"I'll get some tomorrow." Chuckling, Sam returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. "Bye, Vivian, I'll see you when we get called back in."
"I'll see you tomorrow." Glancing back to Jack, she had a mischievous look about her. "But not before noon. I plan on sleeping in."
"Sounds good." He saluted her with the file. Walking over to the evidence box, he dropped it inside. After he picked up the lid, he smacked it down on top with more force than strictly necessary. That man had been nothing but trouble since he had shown up three years ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday - 6:35 a.m.
Humming to himself, Martin bustled about his kitchen. The radio was playing on the counter loud enough that his cat had gone and hidden under the couch. That suited him just fine, he wasn't in the mood to be rubbed on this morning.
There was fresh coffee in the pot. He had made it thinking he was going to need it, but hadn't felt like drinking it. Something about the smell had turned his stomach.
The pan of scrambled eggs was almost done. He wasn't a bit hungry and the runny Yellow mass didn't even look appealing. Still, he used the spatula to turn them. Martin violently shook the pan over the flame. It was gas, something he had learned to live with in Seattle.
Eventually, the eggs were finished and he set the pan aside. After turning off the burner, he glanced about the kitchen. There wasn't anything else that needed to be done. When he looked down, the floor reflected his tired face back at him.
A thump came from the front door.
Excitement made Martin's heart beat faster. The paper was here! Walking to the sink, he washed his hands quickly, yet thoroughly. When he was done, he used the dish towel on the stove's handle to dry them.
He hummed louder as he left the kitchen and entered the living room. His cat batted at his pant leg as he wandered past. He would have played with it, but the paper was here. Stopping at the door, he checked his hair in the mirror by the door.
Biting his lip, he unlocked the door and pulled it open. Much to his relief, he found only the paper waiting for him there. He kept his eyes on the hall as he bent down to pick it up. He quickly had it in hand and was back in his apartment in a flash.
After locking his door back, he snapped the rubberband off his paper. He dropped the rubberband in the jar on the coffee table as he headed back to the kitchen. Once in there, he pulled out a chair and carefully sat down to enjoy his morning news.
Unrolling the paper, the pleasant smile fell from Martin's face.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday - 7:43 a.m.
The lights were out in the office as Jack entered. He knew it was stupid coming in this early after a day like yesterday. There would be no one for hours but him. That was the part he liked most.
His morning paper tucked under one arm, he headed for his office. He didn't need to look at it to know what was on the front cover. Some things were best left to the imagination.
As Jack neared his office door, he found a white envelope taped to it. The name on it was familiar, but he didn't recognize the handwriting. A sick feeling started in the pit of his stomach. With a shaking hand, he reached up and pulled the envelope off his door.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday - 8:21 a.m.
Zombie like, he shuffled to the door. He scrubbed at his eyes so that he could see where the knob was. When that didn't clear his vision, Danny blindly grasped about. With a moan of success, he found it.
He gave it a vicious twist and jerked the door open. Whoever was on the other side was about to get a nasty surprise. Opening his eyes and his mouth to yell at them, Danny froze when he saw who was there.