(no subject)
Title: In Due Course
Chapter: Final- Eight
Fandom: Without a Trace
Rating: PG-13
Note: I gave it an epilogue because it may be the last WaT story I write so I wanted to put some closure to it. This is the final chapter of the summer cliffhanger series. Thanks for reading.
Diego Riveria’s beefy body just fit in the leather chair he was seated in. He looked uncomfortable as Samantha walked into the conference room, Jack behind her. She noticed how he couldn’t quite look her in the eyes and instead concentrated on the door frame behind the two agents.
“Diego, why did you come here?” Sam asked, taking a seat, still studying his face.
His voice quivered slightly. “I’m so sorry, Shelly. Frankie told me that this was the best plan. He would get more famous than Kid Rock and no one would get hurt.” He looked at her then. “But people did ya know?”
“Yeah, I know Diego. Why are you here now?”
“I had to see you. I liked you Shelly.”
“It’s Samantha. My name is Samantha.”
“Samantha,” Diego said softly, “I had to make it right.”
“The picture is already leaked to the press,” Jack interjected, “There isn’t a way to make it right.”
“Yeah, there is man.”
Jack and Sam both looked at each other briefly.
“Explain, Mr. Riveria,” Jack said.
Diego sighed. “Look no brothers and sisters out there know what went down between you two. Only you do. And I do but Frankie forced me to watch.” He blushed slightly.
Samantha couldn’t help but give him a small smile. He was a minnow in the company of sharks, his decent soul still there that he would get embarrassed at such a thing.
Diego continued, “All I got to do is tell the press that Frankie told you, Shelly, I mean Samantha, to kiss Malone. And I was to snap a pic of it. So you two weren’t in the sack for real just acting. You know so you could capture Frankie.”
“That would mean we would all be lying,” Samantha said.
“Sweetie, if we don’t lots of killers could go free,” Diego responded.
Jack exchanged another look with Samantha. “Maybe we should talk about this privately.”
“Yes, Diego we’ll be back in a few minutes,” Sam told him.
“Take your time, girl,” Diego said staring down at his hands.
Samantha followed Jack back to his office, thinking about what Diego had offered them. It was crazy. It was deceitful. It broke all the rules but it might just work, she thought.
“Jack, I think we should take Diego up on his offer to lie.”
Jack leaned against his desk. His voice was quiet, hardly above a whisper but Samantha still heard his words. “I don’t know if I want to lie anymore.”
“What do you mean?” She wasn’t sure why her heart was suddenly racing.
Jack’s voice grew slightly more audible. “I’ve lied for years about us, about how I feel for you. I just...I want to stop lying.”
“Jack, you could lose your marriage.”
“I don’t know if I even had enough of a marriage to lose. Once again I married someone for all the wrong reasons.”
“Being with me was a wrong reason.” Sam didn’t know why her head was telling her to say this when her heart wanted her to leap into his arms.
“It wasn’t wrong. It was dishonest. You were never a mistake, Sam. You were the one thing I did right in my life. I one time I felt alive. My mistake was letting you go.”
“Oh, Jack. We can’t...you only want me as your mistress.”
“Now you can read my mind? You don’t know what I want.”
“When you had your chance to be with me after Maria left, you didn’t,” Samantha threw back at him.
“That’s because you were fucking Martin at the time!” Jack yelled and Samantha figured the rest of the unit had heard him.
“I wouldn’t had been if you had chosen me. You had plenty of time. Martin was a decent man.”
“You don’t want a decent man.”
“You’re right. I want you.” Her eyes filled up with tears.
“Why can’t we be together? Move back here.”
She shook her head. “I can’t work again with you. Our relationship would probably never work.”
“You don’t know that until we try.” He moved toward her, his dark eyes looking start into hers. “I want to be happy Sam, and the only time I am is when I’m with you.”
“Same goes for me,” she said.
“Then let’s stop torturing each other. Move here. We’ll figure things out.”
“What about the cases Jack, if we don’t lie they could get overthrown.”
“I’ll wait until that happens before I get worried about it.”
Samantha shook her head. “No, Jack we can’t do this. Do what you need to with Diego I, I’m going to go.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sam, don’t do this. Don’t run.” He kissed her forehead.
“Jack, we can’t, we...”
“You said you wanted me so listen for once to your heart.”
She wrapped her arms around him, tears flowing down. “Jack, why couldn’t I have met you when you were 20.”
“Well because you would have been way under age and I would have thought you were an annoying kid.”
She laughed and moved away form him. “How do you know how to make me smile?”
Jack shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
EPILOGUE
The truth sold many newspapers for a few weeks but then the fever died down. Celebrities and their new romances took over the front page. Frankie Harrington got what he wanted- fame but it lasted a mere 15 minutes. Diego Riveria left Chicago and moved to Atlanta to help out with a Habit for the Humanity house. He had sold his verison of the events for 30,000 bucks, which gave him a chance to start a new life away from people with evil attentions. Gary Lander was suspended but it never went to court. He left the FBI with a good pension. Jack was angered but as his bosses told him, the FBI needed less not more bad publicity. Trials were too much a PR machine. A few convictions were overturned but the hardened criminals stayed in jail where they belonged.
Samantha Spade didn’t return to Chicago though she turned her hair color back to a nice shade of blonde. She returned to Jack Malone’s bed but not his office. She instead went to work at a social services office helping out young families. It was equally rewarding work even though she missed carrying a gun. Jack and Samantha had rented a new apartment for themselves. An apartment that didn’t contain one piece of pottery. Lauren visited them on weekends and Sam enjoyed spending time with the little girl. Kate and Hannah visited as well but not as frequently. Maria wasn’t pleased to see Sam a main part of Jack’s life but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
Samantha was happy and more alive than she had ever been. She had Jack each day and every night by her side. She had him to come home to and vice versa. They didn’t speak of marriage even after his divorce was finalized. But they did deliver the first Malone son two years after they finally became an official couple.
The End
Chapter: Final- Eight
Fandom: Without a Trace
Rating: PG-13
Note: I gave it an epilogue because it may be the last WaT story I write so I wanted to put some closure to it. This is the final chapter of the summer cliffhanger series. Thanks for reading.
Diego Riveria’s beefy body just fit in the leather chair he was seated in. He looked uncomfortable as Samantha walked into the conference room, Jack behind her. She noticed how he couldn’t quite look her in the eyes and instead concentrated on the door frame behind the two agents.
“Diego, why did you come here?” Sam asked, taking a seat, still studying his face.
His voice quivered slightly. “I’m so sorry, Shelly. Frankie told me that this was the best plan. He would get more famous than Kid Rock and no one would get hurt.” He looked at her then. “But people did ya know?”
“Yeah, I know Diego. Why are you here now?”
“I had to see you. I liked you Shelly.”
“It’s Samantha. My name is Samantha.”
“Samantha,” Diego said softly, “I had to make it right.”
“The picture is already leaked to the press,” Jack interjected, “There isn’t a way to make it right.”
“Yeah, there is man.”
Jack and Sam both looked at each other briefly.
“Explain, Mr. Riveria,” Jack said.
Diego sighed. “Look no brothers and sisters out there know what went down between you two. Only you do. And I do but Frankie forced me to watch.” He blushed slightly.
Samantha couldn’t help but give him a small smile. He was a minnow in the company of sharks, his decent soul still there that he would get embarrassed at such a thing.
Diego continued, “All I got to do is tell the press that Frankie told you, Shelly, I mean Samantha, to kiss Malone. And I was to snap a pic of it. So you two weren’t in the sack for real just acting. You know so you could capture Frankie.”
“That would mean we would all be lying,” Samantha said.
“Sweetie, if we don’t lots of killers could go free,” Diego responded.
Jack exchanged another look with Samantha. “Maybe we should talk about this privately.”
“Yes, Diego we’ll be back in a few minutes,” Sam told him.
“Take your time, girl,” Diego said staring down at his hands.
Samantha followed Jack back to his office, thinking about what Diego had offered them. It was crazy. It was deceitful. It broke all the rules but it might just work, she thought.
“Jack, I think we should take Diego up on his offer to lie.”
Jack leaned against his desk. His voice was quiet, hardly above a whisper but Samantha still heard his words. “I don’t know if I want to lie anymore.”
“What do you mean?” She wasn’t sure why her heart was suddenly racing.
Jack’s voice grew slightly more audible. “I’ve lied for years about us, about how I feel for you. I just...I want to stop lying.”
“Jack, you could lose your marriage.”
“I don’t know if I even had enough of a marriage to lose. Once again I married someone for all the wrong reasons.”
“Being with me was a wrong reason.” Sam didn’t know why her head was telling her to say this when her heart wanted her to leap into his arms.
“It wasn’t wrong. It was dishonest. You were never a mistake, Sam. You were the one thing I did right in my life. I one time I felt alive. My mistake was letting you go.”
“Oh, Jack. We can’t...you only want me as your mistress.”
“Now you can read my mind? You don’t know what I want.”
“When you had your chance to be with me after Maria left, you didn’t,” Samantha threw back at him.
“That’s because you were fucking Martin at the time!” Jack yelled and Samantha figured the rest of the unit had heard him.
“I wouldn’t had been if you had chosen me. You had plenty of time. Martin was a decent man.”
“You don’t want a decent man.”
“You’re right. I want you.” Her eyes filled up with tears.
“Why can’t we be together? Move back here.”
She shook her head. “I can’t work again with you. Our relationship would probably never work.”
“You don’t know that until we try.” He moved toward her, his dark eyes looking start into hers. “I want to be happy Sam, and the only time I am is when I’m with you.”
“Same goes for me,” she said.
“Then let’s stop torturing each other. Move here. We’ll figure things out.”
“What about the cases Jack, if we don’t lie they could get overthrown.”
“I’ll wait until that happens before I get worried about it.”
Samantha shook her head. “No, Jack we can’t do this. Do what you need to with Diego I, I’m going to go.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sam, don’t do this. Don’t run.” He kissed her forehead.
“Jack, we can’t, we...”
“You said you wanted me so listen for once to your heart.”
She wrapped her arms around him, tears flowing down. “Jack, why couldn’t I have met you when you were 20.”
“Well because you would have been way under age and I would have thought you were an annoying kid.”
She laughed and moved away form him. “How do you know how to make me smile?”
Jack shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
EPILOGUE
The truth sold many newspapers for a few weeks but then the fever died down. Celebrities and their new romances took over the front page. Frankie Harrington got what he wanted- fame but it lasted a mere 15 minutes. Diego Riveria left Chicago and moved to Atlanta to help out with a Habit for the Humanity house. He had sold his verison of the events for 30,000 bucks, which gave him a chance to start a new life away from people with evil attentions. Gary Lander was suspended but it never went to court. He left the FBI with a good pension. Jack was angered but as his bosses told him, the FBI needed less not more bad publicity. Trials were too much a PR machine. A few convictions were overturned but the hardened criminals stayed in jail where they belonged.
Samantha Spade didn’t return to Chicago though she turned her hair color back to a nice shade of blonde. She returned to Jack Malone’s bed but not his office. She instead went to work at a social services office helping out young families. It was equally rewarding work even though she missed carrying a gun. Jack and Samantha had rented a new apartment for themselves. An apartment that didn’t contain one piece of pottery. Lauren visited them on weekends and Sam enjoyed spending time with the little girl. Kate and Hannah visited as well but not as frequently. Maria wasn’t pleased to see Sam a main part of Jack’s life but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
Samantha was happy and more alive than she had ever been. She had Jack each day and every night by her side. She had him to come home to and vice versa. They didn’t speak of marriage even after his divorce was finalized. But they did deliver the first Malone son two years after they finally became an official couple.
The End