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laniew1So very Alternate Universe.
I wanted a story where Martin never joined the FBI and actually had a supportive father. Then I wanted Danny thrown into the mix just to throw Martin insane. And since I knew no one else was going to write it…
This series (and I use that phrase lightly) should be about five stories long.
Feedback is always welcome.
SERIES: At First Glance
TITLE: The Blind Date
RATING: PG (for language)
PAIRING: Danny/Martin
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.
At First Glance – The Blind Date
At first glance Martin Fitzgerald knew that he looked dependable, reliable, staid… first glances could often times be misleading.
When he’d asked Kyle out he’d been turned down because Kyle had thought him boring.
But then Kyle’s idea of a good time had been reading his old literature textbooks so really what had he known anyway.
Martin rubbed at the headache forming behind his eyes and scowled.
It was nine in the morning, starting the day with a headache didn’t bode well for the rest of it. He glanced at the picture of Kyle sitting prominently in the middle of tax laws and forms and sighed.
“You need to start dating again,” Martin scowled and refused to look at the door. Maybe if he ignored her she’d go away?
“It’s been over a year Martin…”
That’s right Jessie wasn’t his father, she wasn’t that easy to get rid of.
“Do we really have time to talk about this today?” Martin knew his voice was snarky and annoyed and he made no move to hide the fact.
They’d known each other since they were kids, there was really no way that she didn’t already know that he could be an ass sometimes.
“We’ve got all the time in the world today,” Jessie grinned at him, settling herself into a chair across from his desk. She looked to damn cheerful and he eyed her suspiciously. Jessie grinning? Either somebody she hated was being audited or Tax season was done.
He glanced at his calendar to make sure he hadn’t slept through the tax deadlines. He didn’t think he had, it was kind of hard to miss something that widely proclaimed, but he’d been kind of distracted lately.
“Did I miss something? Was a tax holiday declared while I was in the bathroom?” Jessie snorted and rolled her eyes and Martin leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers as he waited.
Either one of them would get tired of the stare off or Donald would come in to find out why they weren’t working.
He was kind of hoping for Donald’s interference because he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jessie. Not after going home the night before and having to field the same exact questions from his father.
He swore they planned this sort of stuff out ahead of time just to see if they could drive him insane.
Victor Fitzgerald may have almost had a stroke when Martin had finally come out during his senior year of college but he seemed to have adjusted to it very well. He wasn’t waving flags or marching in parades but Martin wondered if he wasn’t about to start.
Especially since his mothers death three months prior meant that all of his fathers attention was focused entirely on him, with just the tiniest bit being diverted to his sister and her family.
She was married and happy and he wasn’t after all. And he was about a two phone calls away from paying her to have another baby.
It was a bit unnerving to go from having a father that barely acknowledged his existence to having a father that called him every night to make sure he’d gotten home from work safely.
The next time he was down in D.C. he was searching for the pod or hiring a hit man.
Victor was absolutely determined to get Martin settled into in a happy, fulfilling relationship and while grandchildren hadn’t necessarily been mentioned yet Martin had no doubt that Victor had either picked out some nice young woman with good genes and a name to be a surrogate or had a discreet adoption center already selected.
“You know if you don’t want to do the bar scene thing again I can always set you up with somebody.”
Martin froze, visions of the last blind date Jessie had set up for him dancing before his horror stricken eyes. He hadn’t thought Jessie knew anybody outside of the six people that worked in their office. He’d almost been terrified that she was going to set him up with Donald.
She hadn’t but by the end of the date Donald was looking mighty attractive.
Bulge, receding hair line and all.
“I beg you not to.”
Jessie propped her feet up on the edge of his desk, she looked utterly relaxed and then her expression turned serious. “He wouldn’t want you to mourn him forever Martin.”
“He’s dead he doesn’t get to choose,” Martin muttered and he knew he wasn’t being fair. Not to Jessie, not to Kyle and not to himself. This wasn’t how he’d thought he’d be spending his life.
“Okay we’re tired of watching you brood.”
“Have you been talking to my father again?” he asked suspiciously.
“This is a nice guy,” Jessie persisted, cocking her head to one side her face the picture of innocence even though she couldn’t meet his eyes.
“A nice guy…” Martin repeated. “You said Steven was a nice guy…”
“Okay I’ll admit Steven was a little… strange.”
“A little strange, he named his food before he ate it. He had a steak named Carla and a baked potato named Marcus.”
“I promise Danny doesn’t name his food.”
“Danny… you’ve already set this up, haven’t you?” Martin’s eyes narrowed and Jessie at least had the good grace to look sheepish. “Jessie.”
“Look, if I’d asked you first you’ve have just said no so…”
“You’re going to call and cancel this.”
“He’s going to pick you up here at seven…” Jessie continued as if he hadn’t even spoken. Coming to her feet smoothly, smiling absently at him.
“Jessie.”
“Donald says we’re ordering in lunch so we can finish Sympatik’s forms today; let Connie know what you want from the Deli.”
“Jessica.”
“Wow look at the time,” Jessie moved for the door. “I should get back to work before Donald comes looking for me.”
Martin stared after her with a dazed expression. He had a date tonight.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, a glance at Kyle’s picture and he frowned. It was going to be a really long day.
******************************************************************************
“Connie have you seen Desmond’s deduction folder? It was on my desk and now it’s gone…” Martin rubbed at a spot between his eyes. The folder had been there and then had been gone and the only proof that he had that he’d even had it was the semi-filled out form that he’d been working on before he’d gone to get a soda.
“Connie?” he looked up and noted that Connie’s desk was empty, the light on her desk was off and someone that he didn’t know was sitting in a chair looking at him with a bemused expression.
He opened his mouth, closed it and then stated decisively, “you’re not Connie,” before feeling like a total idiot because obviously this wasn’t Connie. He’d known Connie for going on five years and just that morning Connie had been 5’3” with graying hair that hung in a braid down her back and he knew that he could be a little out of the loop but he was pretty sure that she hadn’t had a sex change since then.
At the very least someone would have mentioned it at lunch.
“No I’m not,” the voice said smoothly and Martin felt a prickle of interest at the appraising look and smirk that followed that statement. Well at least now he knew his libido hadn’t died along with Kyle because it was standing up and taking considerable notice of the man who could only be undressing him with his eyes and wow… he really wanted to be standing behind something desperately bad because this could get embarrassing really quickly.
“Were you waiting for somebody?” Martin asked, a quick glance around showed most of the offices dark and he wondered exactly how late it was before returning his attention to the man lounging in the front office chairs.
That pose should be illegal… or at the least the clothes should be gone. And he didn’t know this man and should really not be picturing him naked and sprawled out on Connie’s desk. Of course unless this man could read his mind he didn’t think it would really be a big issue.
“You,” the voice was still amused and the smirk was still there, growing into a leer as Martin stared at him in incomprehension. “Jess told me to give you till 6:45 before I went in to get you. She said I could drag you kicking and screaming from your desk if I was up to it,” he made a big show of glancing down at the watch around his wrist (nice watch, Martin thought stupidly) “you had ten more minutes.”
“Okay… oh…” recognition dawned and Martin flushed. Blind date, Jessie, Danny, he’ll be by around seven to pick you up. “You’re early,” he managed. He probably looked like an idiot.
Or a workaholic.
He wondered which would be worse in this mans eyes. Wondered why he cared.
******************************************************************************
The night was never going to end, Martin had decided. It was like they were stuck in some time loop that made seconds feel like hours. It was hell.
And Danny had some sort of masochist streak or something that kept him smiling at Martin like he knew things that Martin didn’t. That had disturbed Martin so much at the beginning of the night that he’d run through a mental inventory of events that could be used to humiliate him.
It wasn’t his birthday so he was pretty sure he was going to be spared the humiliation of a surprise party, of course part of that was because he threatened to murder Jess and his father and feed them to the lions at the zoo if they ever tried to do that again.
But that unfortunately left about a million other ways that his father and Jess could team together and humiliate him. Like setting him up on a blind date with this guy that oozed sex appeal out his pores days before the tax deadline. Maybe Jess was trying to distract him from something at work so he’d get fired? The only problem with that was the firm was half his so she’d get fired before he’d leave.
And she didn’t hate him enough to do that. He didn’t think.
He could fire her though and maybe he’d do that tomorrow, it might relieve the stress of this ever happening again.
He stabbed a piece of lettuce on his salad plate viciously, imagining Jess’ face and the look on it when he said the magic words; the chuckle sent shivers down his spine and he had to look up.
Danny was watching him with that same amused look that he’d had all night.
Martin was beginning to hate it.
He’d thought Danny attractive? He smothered a snort by shoving the mutilated lettuce into his mouth defiantly, his libido was obviously desperate to get laid or something because there was no way that Danny Taylor was attractive.
Oh who the hell was he kidding?
He wondered if he fake-choked on a crouton if Danny would perform the Heimlich or if he’d go right to mouth to mouth.
Martin knew which he’d choose.
Christ it was like he’d turned fourteen and just discovered his dick again.
“You doing okay over there Martin?” Danny’s amused voice broke through Martin’s contemplation of his croutons. Damn restaurant kept them within some sort of safety standard. There was no way in hell he could choke on one of them without looking like a fucking idiot.
“Fine,” and now his voice was even squeaking like he was fourteen again. Could the night get any worse?
“Martin is that you?” Martin’s eyes widened and he choked on the crouton that he’d just swallowed. He should have known better than to tempt the gods.
And Danny didn’t even pat him on the back or anything, of course in order to do so he would have had to shove the waiter and Sam out of the way as they fought for the honor in pummeling him.
If they left bruises he was suing somebody.
“Are you okay?” Sam rubbed his back gently, circular motions as he coughed and reached for his water glass. Half-coughing, half gasping for breath. He gulped his water, the waiter that had been tag-team beating him on the back refilling it a second later.
He was either efficient or bucking for a really good tip.
Danny on the other side of the table watched with that same bemused expression and a look passed between him and Sam that had Martin questioning whether they knew each other.
It was the sort of half nod jerk thing that you used with co-workers when you wanted to acknowledge them without actually saying that you knew them.
He’d used it on Donald enough times in the past and he wondered how they knew each other.
“Martin?” Sam was still waiting for him to answer her and he coughed lightly before taking a sip of the water in his hand.
“Fine,” he cleared his throat, another sip of the water and a deep breath. “I’m fine.”
Sam smiled gently at him, her hand laying softly on his shoulder, “are you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked with a strange knowing smile on her face and his eyes narrowed.
She sort of, kind of worked for his father and if she was here to make sure that he’d actually gone on the blind date that Jessie had set up that she’d insisted his father didn’t know anything about he would kill somebody.
“Sam Spade, Danny Taylor,” he waved a hand between them and they definitely knew each other, he scowled.
This whole thing smelled of a set up and had his meddling fathers’ fingerprints all over it. Didn’t he get like a year to grieve or something?
“You two know each other,” it wasn’t a question simply a statement of fact and he didn’t have to look up to see the expressions on their faces. Well maybe a quick glance and that was enough to confirm at least a few of his suspicions.
Sam looked sort of sheepish and vaguely guilty; Danny though had a strange look that he couldn’t decipher on his face but there was no guilt. Of course it was entirely possible that Danny wasn’t guilty and was instead some innocent bystander that had been roped into getting him back into the dating scene.
He looked at Danny again and wished he hadn’t. Danny and Sam were having some sort of conversation without words, just a raised eyebrow, pursed lips; Danny was pissed and Sam was trying to placate him without saying a word.
They’d obviously been friends for a while.
Sam looked apologetic and was shuffling on her feet, Danny was scowling and tapping his fingers against his plate, Martin had a sudden urge to stab something viciously and the waiter reappeared with a wide grin, chair in his hands for Sam.
Martin frowned. So she was joining them now? When had that happened?
The waiter oblivious to the tension just smiled brightly at them. “Dessert?”
******************************************************************************
I wanted a story where Martin never joined the FBI and actually had a supportive father. Then I wanted Danny thrown into the mix just to throw Martin insane. And since I knew no one else was going to write it…
This series (and I use that phrase lightly) should be about five stories long.
Feedback is always welcome.
SERIES: At First Glance
TITLE: The Blind Date
RATING: PG (for language)
PAIRING: Danny/Martin
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.
At First Glance – The Blind Date
At first glance Martin Fitzgerald knew that he looked dependable, reliable, staid… first glances could often times be misleading.
When he’d asked Kyle out he’d been turned down because Kyle had thought him boring.
But then Kyle’s idea of a good time had been reading his old literature textbooks so really what had he known anyway.
Martin rubbed at the headache forming behind his eyes and scowled.
It was nine in the morning, starting the day with a headache didn’t bode well for the rest of it. He glanced at the picture of Kyle sitting prominently in the middle of tax laws and forms and sighed.
“You need to start dating again,” Martin scowled and refused to look at the door. Maybe if he ignored her she’d go away?
“It’s been over a year Martin…”
That’s right Jessie wasn’t his father, she wasn’t that easy to get rid of.
“Do we really have time to talk about this today?” Martin knew his voice was snarky and annoyed and he made no move to hide the fact.
They’d known each other since they were kids, there was really no way that she didn’t already know that he could be an ass sometimes.
“We’ve got all the time in the world today,” Jessie grinned at him, settling herself into a chair across from his desk. She looked to damn cheerful and he eyed her suspiciously. Jessie grinning? Either somebody she hated was being audited or Tax season was done.
He glanced at his calendar to make sure he hadn’t slept through the tax deadlines. He didn’t think he had, it was kind of hard to miss something that widely proclaimed, but he’d been kind of distracted lately.
“Did I miss something? Was a tax holiday declared while I was in the bathroom?” Jessie snorted and rolled her eyes and Martin leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers as he waited.
Either one of them would get tired of the stare off or Donald would come in to find out why they weren’t working.
He was kind of hoping for Donald’s interference because he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jessie. Not after going home the night before and having to field the same exact questions from his father.
He swore they planned this sort of stuff out ahead of time just to see if they could drive him insane.
Victor Fitzgerald may have almost had a stroke when Martin had finally come out during his senior year of college but he seemed to have adjusted to it very well. He wasn’t waving flags or marching in parades but Martin wondered if he wasn’t about to start.
Especially since his mothers death three months prior meant that all of his fathers attention was focused entirely on him, with just the tiniest bit being diverted to his sister and her family.
She was married and happy and he wasn’t after all. And he was about a two phone calls away from paying her to have another baby.
It was a bit unnerving to go from having a father that barely acknowledged his existence to having a father that called him every night to make sure he’d gotten home from work safely.
The next time he was down in D.C. he was searching for the pod or hiring a hit man.
Victor was absolutely determined to get Martin settled into in a happy, fulfilling relationship and while grandchildren hadn’t necessarily been mentioned yet Martin had no doubt that Victor had either picked out some nice young woman with good genes and a name to be a surrogate or had a discreet adoption center already selected.
“You know if you don’t want to do the bar scene thing again I can always set you up with somebody.”
Martin froze, visions of the last blind date Jessie had set up for him dancing before his horror stricken eyes. He hadn’t thought Jessie knew anybody outside of the six people that worked in their office. He’d almost been terrified that she was going to set him up with Donald.
She hadn’t but by the end of the date Donald was looking mighty attractive.
Bulge, receding hair line and all.
“I beg you not to.”
Jessie propped her feet up on the edge of his desk, she looked utterly relaxed and then her expression turned serious. “He wouldn’t want you to mourn him forever Martin.”
“He’s dead he doesn’t get to choose,” Martin muttered and he knew he wasn’t being fair. Not to Jessie, not to Kyle and not to himself. This wasn’t how he’d thought he’d be spending his life.
“Okay we’re tired of watching you brood.”
“Have you been talking to my father again?” he asked suspiciously.
“This is a nice guy,” Jessie persisted, cocking her head to one side her face the picture of innocence even though she couldn’t meet his eyes.
“A nice guy…” Martin repeated. “You said Steven was a nice guy…”
“Okay I’ll admit Steven was a little… strange.”
“A little strange, he named his food before he ate it. He had a steak named Carla and a baked potato named Marcus.”
“I promise Danny doesn’t name his food.”
“Danny… you’ve already set this up, haven’t you?” Martin’s eyes narrowed and Jessie at least had the good grace to look sheepish. “Jessie.”
“Look, if I’d asked you first you’ve have just said no so…”
“You’re going to call and cancel this.”
“He’s going to pick you up here at seven…” Jessie continued as if he hadn’t even spoken. Coming to her feet smoothly, smiling absently at him.
“Jessie.”
“Donald says we’re ordering in lunch so we can finish Sympatik’s forms today; let Connie know what you want from the Deli.”
“Jessica.”
“Wow look at the time,” Jessie moved for the door. “I should get back to work before Donald comes looking for me.”
Martin stared after her with a dazed expression. He had a date tonight.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, a glance at Kyle’s picture and he frowned. It was going to be a really long day.
“Connie have you seen Desmond’s deduction folder? It was on my desk and now it’s gone…” Martin rubbed at a spot between his eyes. The folder had been there and then had been gone and the only proof that he had that he’d even had it was the semi-filled out form that he’d been working on before he’d gone to get a soda.
“Connie?” he looked up and noted that Connie’s desk was empty, the light on her desk was off and someone that he didn’t know was sitting in a chair looking at him with a bemused expression.
He opened his mouth, closed it and then stated decisively, “you’re not Connie,” before feeling like a total idiot because obviously this wasn’t Connie. He’d known Connie for going on five years and just that morning Connie had been 5’3” with graying hair that hung in a braid down her back and he knew that he could be a little out of the loop but he was pretty sure that she hadn’t had a sex change since then.
At the very least someone would have mentioned it at lunch.
“No I’m not,” the voice said smoothly and Martin felt a prickle of interest at the appraising look and smirk that followed that statement. Well at least now he knew his libido hadn’t died along with Kyle because it was standing up and taking considerable notice of the man who could only be undressing him with his eyes and wow… he really wanted to be standing behind something desperately bad because this could get embarrassing really quickly.
“Were you waiting for somebody?” Martin asked, a quick glance around showed most of the offices dark and he wondered exactly how late it was before returning his attention to the man lounging in the front office chairs.
That pose should be illegal… or at the least the clothes should be gone. And he didn’t know this man and should really not be picturing him naked and sprawled out on Connie’s desk. Of course unless this man could read his mind he didn’t think it would really be a big issue.
“You,” the voice was still amused and the smirk was still there, growing into a leer as Martin stared at him in incomprehension. “Jess told me to give you till 6:45 before I went in to get you. She said I could drag you kicking and screaming from your desk if I was up to it,” he made a big show of glancing down at the watch around his wrist (nice watch, Martin thought stupidly) “you had ten more minutes.”
“Okay… oh…” recognition dawned and Martin flushed. Blind date, Jessie, Danny, he’ll be by around seven to pick you up. “You’re early,” he managed. He probably looked like an idiot.
Or a workaholic.
He wondered which would be worse in this mans eyes. Wondered why he cared.
The night was never going to end, Martin had decided. It was like they were stuck in some time loop that made seconds feel like hours. It was hell.
And Danny had some sort of masochist streak or something that kept him smiling at Martin like he knew things that Martin didn’t. That had disturbed Martin so much at the beginning of the night that he’d run through a mental inventory of events that could be used to humiliate him.
It wasn’t his birthday so he was pretty sure he was going to be spared the humiliation of a surprise party, of course part of that was because he threatened to murder Jess and his father and feed them to the lions at the zoo if they ever tried to do that again.
But that unfortunately left about a million other ways that his father and Jess could team together and humiliate him. Like setting him up on a blind date with this guy that oozed sex appeal out his pores days before the tax deadline. Maybe Jess was trying to distract him from something at work so he’d get fired? The only problem with that was the firm was half his so she’d get fired before he’d leave.
And she didn’t hate him enough to do that. He didn’t think.
He could fire her though and maybe he’d do that tomorrow, it might relieve the stress of this ever happening again.
He stabbed a piece of lettuce on his salad plate viciously, imagining Jess’ face and the look on it when he said the magic words; the chuckle sent shivers down his spine and he had to look up.
Danny was watching him with that same amused look that he’d had all night.
Martin was beginning to hate it.
He’d thought Danny attractive? He smothered a snort by shoving the mutilated lettuce into his mouth defiantly, his libido was obviously desperate to get laid or something because there was no way that Danny Taylor was attractive.
Oh who the hell was he kidding?
He wondered if he fake-choked on a crouton if Danny would perform the Heimlich or if he’d go right to mouth to mouth.
Martin knew which he’d choose.
Christ it was like he’d turned fourteen and just discovered his dick again.
“You doing okay over there Martin?” Danny’s amused voice broke through Martin’s contemplation of his croutons. Damn restaurant kept them within some sort of safety standard. There was no way in hell he could choke on one of them without looking like a fucking idiot.
“Fine,” and now his voice was even squeaking like he was fourteen again. Could the night get any worse?
“Martin is that you?” Martin’s eyes widened and he choked on the crouton that he’d just swallowed. He should have known better than to tempt the gods.
And Danny didn’t even pat him on the back or anything, of course in order to do so he would have had to shove the waiter and Sam out of the way as they fought for the honor in pummeling him.
If they left bruises he was suing somebody.
“Are you okay?” Sam rubbed his back gently, circular motions as he coughed and reached for his water glass. Half-coughing, half gasping for breath. He gulped his water, the waiter that had been tag-team beating him on the back refilling it a second later.
He was either efficient or bucking for a really good tip.
Danny on the other side of the table watched with that same bemused expression and a look passed between him and Sam that had Martin questioning whether they knew each other.
It was the sort of half nod jerk thing that you used with co-workers when you wanted to acknowledge them without actually saying that you knew them.
He’d used it on Donald enough times in the past and he wondered how they knew each other.
“Martin?” Sam was still waiting for him to answer her and he coughed lightly before taking a sip of the water in his hand.
“Fine,” he cleared his throat, another sip of the water and a deep breath. “I’m fine.”
Sam smiled gently at him, her hand laying softly on his shoulder, “are you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked with a strange knowing smile on her face and his eyes narrowed.
She sort of, kind of worked for his father and if she was here to make sure that he’d actually gone on the blind date that Jessie had set up that she’d insisted his father didn’t know anything about he would kill somebody.
“Sam Spade, Danny Taylor,” he waved a hand between them and they definitely knew each other, he scowled.
This whole thing smelled of a set up and had his meddling fathers’ fingerprints all over it. Didn’t he get like a year to grieve or something?
“You two know each other,” it wasn’t a question simply a statement of fact and he didn’t have to look up to see the expressions on their faces. Well maybe a quick glance and that was enough to confirm at least a few of his suspicions.
Sam looked sort of sheepish and vaguely guilty; Danny though had a strange look that he couldn’t decipher on his face but there was no guilt. Of course it was entirely possible that Danny wasn’t guilty and was instead some innocent bystander that had been roped into getting him back into the dating scene.
He looked at Danny again and wished he hadn’t. Danny and Sam were having some sort of conversation without words, just a raised eyebrow, pursed lips; Danny was pissed and Sam was trying to placate him without saying a word.
They’d obviously been friends for a while.
Sam looked apologetic and was shuffling on her feet, Danny was scowling and tapping his fingers against his plate, Martin had a sudden urge to stab something viciously and the waiter reappeared with a wide grin, chair in his hands for Sam.
Martin frowned. So she was joining them now? When had that happened?
The waiter oblivious to the tension just smiled brightly at them. “Dessert?”