Fic: Love Only Knows, Without A Trace, Danny/Martin part four, END

[veronicaluv]

Martin figured it'd be at least a couple of weeks before he and Danny could make actual plans to get together. He would've gladly made the five hour drive, but there was more to it than that. The infamous Frankie wasn't Danny's only client, and while Martin's life returned to its mundane rhythm, Danny had his hands full.

As promised, they called each other every morning that week, often talking so long that they lost track of time until one of them figured it out and then there was a mad scramble amidst a lot of laughter and hurried goodbyes. It surprised Martin, how lost they could get in conversations that had no real purpose--they talked about Danny's clients and Martin's students, but they also had spirited discussions about little things, like how much spice in Szechuan food was too much and whether a designated hitter should be allowed in the Hall of Fame.

But all of those conversations did little to defray Martin's fear that the return to the everyday world would take Danny away from him, no matter how much both of them promised that wouldn't happen. Their relationship was far too new to entertain high expectations, and Martin didn't want to put any pressure on Danny one way or the other. As much as he treasured their early morning conversations, they still were living two separate lives five hundred miles apart, and even the strongest bond would be tested under those circumstances.

By the time Friday rolled around, Martin was fighting the temptation to throw Clancy in the truck and make the drive, but he knew it wasn't going to happen. They'd discussed it, but Danny had been honest and said he couldn't afford the airfare to fly down nor the time to drive or take the train. Martin had been equally frustrated--he could spare the time and afford the flight, but there was still too much to do around the house and Clancy wasn't up for a five hour road trip anyway.

Their conversation Friday morning ended earlier than the ones before, leaving Martin with a faint sense of dread, that everything that had happened the weekend before had been, if not a mistake, maybe just a fluke, a once-in-a-lifetime moment that couldn't stand up to the light of day.

At four-fifteen, he decided to call Danny and find out if that feeling of dread had any basis in reality, because the one thing they couldn't afford was being dishonest with each other. When Danny didn't answer, he tried not to worry since there could be a hundred reasons why Danny was unavailable, so he just left a brief message, tried not sound too needy, and ended the call. When eight o'clock rolled around and Danny still hadn't called him back, he left another message, one that he hoped came across as funny instead of lame.

He was ready for bed at eleven-thirty, but not ready to sleep, so he punched a couple of pillows behind his back and sat up in bed reading, hoping that would distract him from wondering why Danny hadn't called him back. Clancy had recovered to the point where it was easy for him to jump onto Martin's bed, so he was spread out and snoring beside him, making it a Friday night like so many Friday nights, except this time, Martin was deeply missing someone who'd been just a memory to him only a week ago.

At midnight, he gave up and climbed out of bed, thinking some hot tea might relax him enough to make sleep possible. It was a cool night but he was comfortable in sweat pants and an old black t-shirt as he walked bare-footed into the kitchen and turned on the overhead light. Clancy joined him, no doubt hoping that Martin's nocturnal wanderings would include some kind of food, and Martin couldn't deny either of them.

Sitting at the counter with his Kindle, a plate of Oreos beside his tea and a couple of biscuits for Clancy close by, Martin kept telling himself not to look at his phone and to concentrate on his book. A nudge against his knee reminded him that he wasn't the only one up past his bed time but just as Martin was reaching for a biscuit, Clancy perked up, ears forward and head tilted.

Martin thought he heard the sound of tires on gravel and when Clancy gave a soft yip and ran to one of the windows, he stood up and trotted into his bedroom to retrieve the Glock he kept in the nightstand, the unexpected surge of adrenaline making his cane a hindrance instead of a help. This neighborhood had never had any trouble before, but the house was isolated and he'd never lost the vigilance that the FBI had drilled into him for almost twenty years.

His heart jumped when Clancy let out a full bark and ran into the mud room, but it almost stopped when someone started pounding on the door. Easing back the safety on the Glock, Martin shooed Clancy out of the way and entered the mud room.

"Who's there?"

There was a muffled thump, followed by someone saying something too low for Martin to hear.

"Okay," he yelled, "not asking again, who's out there?"

"Who do you think? Unless you're expecting a midnight visit from Mrs. C., let me in!"

Martin frowned and lowered his gun. He knew that voice, but what the hell was Danny doing here? He lunged to the door and flung it open to find Danny Taylor standing there, shielding his eyes against the glare of a motion-activated light, a duffel bag on the concrete step beside him. He was grinning, but as soon as he saw the Glock in Martin's hand, his smile disappeared and his eyes widened as he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay, next time I'll call first. Can I--hey, Clancy!"

Martin still hadn't quite grasped the reality of Danny standing in front of him, but Clancy didn't seem to have any problem with the concept. He pushed past Martin to give Danny his version of an ecstatic welcome, which was enthusiastically returned as Danny went down on one knee to greet him.

"Glad someone's happy to see me," he said. He looked up at Martin with laughter in his eyes, and that finally broke Martin out of his shock. Resetting the Glock's safety, he placed it on top of the dryer and then waited until Clancy was satisfied and trotted back into the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone.

"Why didn't you call?"

The question, innocent as it was, had a deeper meaning. They'd talked all week about how they would work at being together but acknowledging at the same time that it would take effort and careful planning. If Danny had decided to come to Virginia, it could only mean one of two things--either Danny had felt as miserable as Martin, or he'd decided that this whole thing was too complicated and he'd come to tell Martin in person.

"Because," Danny began, then dropped his gaze to the floor. "Because I didn't want to give you the chance to talk me out of it." He looked at Martin, a small smile quirking the corner of his mouth. "And I missed you."

"Danny," Martin whispered, but there really weren't sufficient words for what he was feeling. He stepped forward and reached out, hauling Danny close and burying his face in the curve of Danny's neck. Strong arms circled his waist and pulled him tight, then Danny lifted his hand to the nape of Martin's neck, cradling his head so that their cheeks touched.

"Yeah," Danny whispered. "Exactly."

*

"Danny?" Martin's voice was soft as he sat up, supporting himself on his elbows and squinting through the darkness as Danny walked past the foot of the bed.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

The bed dipped as Danny slipped between the covers, then rolled over until he was flush against Martin's side. Dropping a kiss to Martin's bare shoulder, he slid his palm across Martin's midriff and tugged him close.

"I'd say I'm good," Danny continued in a whisper, "but I don't think that quite covers it."

"Oh, man," Martin said with an amused groan, "pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

He could feel Danny's smile against his skin. "That's not what I meant, but don't get me wrong, I'm flattered." He stroked his palm along the curve of Martin's pelvic bone. "How's the hip?"

Martin twisted a little and was relieved to feel only a slight twinge. "Not bad at all. Where'd you go?"

"Hmm?"

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me yet. You got up and left the room, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Just wanted to get some water. Oh, and I ran into Clancy, who forgave me for kicking him out of here when I gave him a biscuit."

"Guess he has you pretty well trained." Curling his fingers around Danny's wandering hand, Martin closed his eyes. "You can take him for a walk in the morning, make it up to him."

"I can take him for a walk? What about you?"

Martin shifted his shoulders and turned his head until he was face to face with Danny. "Not me. I have a bad hip, remember?"

Danny's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really? If I recall, there was nothing wrong with your mobility about an hour ago."

"What can I tell you? I was highly motivated at the time."

Lifting his hand to Martin's cheek, Danny stroked his fingers through the hair at Martin's temple. "There's a joke in there somewhere," he murmured, "but I'll be damned if I can think straight right now with you looking at me like that."

"I know," Martin replied, "I'm having a little trouble believing this is all happening."

"But we're agreed, right?" Danny's voice lost its teasing tone. "About going forward?"

Martin lifted his head and leaned forward to press his mouth to Danny's, and when he realized that wasn't enough, he slid his hand behind Danny's neck and rolled on to his back, taking Danny with him until Danny blanketed him, their legs tangling together.

Danny's hands on his body, Danny's tongue in his mouth, it was all so damn good that the surprising renewal of arousal he hadn't thought possible only a few minutes ago now seemed inevitable. It was a slower ride this time, sweeter, less about urgency and more about sharing the intimate knowledge they'd gathered the first time they'd made love. And when it was over, no less perfect for lacking the giddiness that saw them through the initial clumsy enthusiasm of new lovers, when Danny was curled around Martin as they let their breathing even out, Martin realized he hadn't answered Danny's question.

Danny showing up in the middle of the night despite all the solid reasons he'd had for staying in Brooklyn had clarified the situation for Martin the moment Danny was in his arms. It'd been foolish of them to try and act reasonably when every instinct they both possessed told them to hold on to each other and never let go. Too many years had passed, years they should've had together, for them to risk losing precious time in pursuit of goals neither of them really wanted or needed.

It was in the midst of their first time together, when everything had been raw and new and perfect, that Danny had confessed with a few muttered words that he would give up his entire life to be with Martin. And Martin, drunk on the scent of Danny's skin, had answered with words to the same effect, no less sincere for being mouthed against the warm skin of Danny's flat abdomen.

"Hey." He said the word softly, in case Danny had already fallen asleep. If he had, Martin didn't mind, because he knew that his answer would be the same in the harsh light of day. He just needed to make sure at some point that Danny understood that his commitment was just as strong.

But Danny was still awake, his breath warm on Martin's shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Whatever we have to do to make this work, Danny, it doesn't matter. Just as long as we're together."

"It's you and me now, Martin." He felt the gentle touch of Danny's mouth to the nape of his neck. "The way it was always meant to be."

~~~

Six months later.

Clancy's happy bark of greeting alerted Danny to Martin's arrival, which was confirmed when he heard the front door close. Wiping the flour from his hands with a dish towel, he tossed it onto the kitchen counter and walked into the living room to find Martin setting his briefcase, jacket and cane on the nearest chair.

He paused outside of Martin's line of vision, content to look for a moment. Since moving to Seattle, Martin seemed to walk straighter, his broad shoulders more square, and while he still needed the cane, it hadn't stopped him from introducing Danny to all the parks and recreational activities their new home offered practically outside their front door.

It'd been Danny who'd suggested Seattle, much to Martin's surprise. That first weekend together they talked endlessly over possibilities and the obstacles in front of them but when Martin stated that he had no problem giving Quantico either a request for transfer or his resignation, that had been the first time Danny realized that they really could go anywhere.

At first, he'd mentioned the city almost as a joke. He knew Martin had liked working in Seattle but back then Martin's goal had always been to return to the excitement and opportunities in the New York office. That move had also brought him closer to his family, but having met Martin's father on several occasions, Danny could never tell if that was a blessing or a curse. But those days were behind Martin, his infatuation with New York long over and his career with the FBI at a dead end.

Martin had laughed, probably because he'd assumed Danny would never leave New York. But the idea of starting over together somewhere completely different had captured Danny's imagination. Aside from his clients, the only other attachment he had was to Sylvia and the kids, but they'd moved upstate and he hardly ever saw them. He'd already been edged out of most of Sophie's life and now their relationship was conducted almost entirely over the phone.

They'd left it that, but not before Danny had seen the thoughtful gleam in Martin's eyes. Exhilarated by this sudden freedom, Danny brought it up again later that day. It didn't have to be Seattle, he'd said. Chicago could be cool, or San Francisco. Danny could practice law anywhere, but law wasn't his only alternative.

What it actually came down was he didn't care what he did or where he was, because as long as they were together, everything else would work.

And it did, far better than Danny had ever thought it could when he'd first brought it up. Choosing Seattle became almost a foregone conclusion, and not just because Martin had once lived there. Danny was intrigued by a city so different from New York, and Martin's glowing descriptions of clean air, soft rain, and preternaturally polite residents made it sound like the perfect antidote to a life he'd recently found dark and dull. Martin's eyes had lit up when Danny mentioned it again, and almost before they'd realized it, the decision was made.

Two months later they arrived in Seattle, renting a house on Lake Washington until they found a place they wanted to buy. Martin quit the Bureau but decided to rent his house in Virginia since he owned it outright, and while resolving his current caseload, Danny stopped taking new clients, leaving them both without encumbrances. The Seattle house was small but had an open backyard that led down to the lake, and Clancy settled in right away, apparently having no problem trading one lake for another and making friends with the neighbor's two Dalmatians almost immediately.

It was the kind life Danny had never imagined he'd be allowed to have, yet it was exactly the life he'd always wanted, even as a kid. Martin was his partner in every sense of the word, something Danny and Elena had never come close to achieving. Decisions were made together, fears and worries were shared, and when there was conflict--unavoidable, given their personalities, their history, and their equal allotment of bullheadedness--they worked hard to resolve it as quickly as possible. It was something they recognized in each other, maybe a product of maturity or their years together on the squad, but they both knew they'd been given a chance at real happiness, something that Danny had once thought forever out his reach.

Watching as Martin greeted Clancy, Danny leaned his shoulder against the door frame and crossed his arms. He still liked watching Martin when Martin wasn't aware, little stolen moments when he allowed himself to admire Martin on a purely aesthetic basis. The boyish good looks were still there, the deep blue eyes and the dimples, but the edges had been worn away, and what remained still had the power to take Danny's breath away.

Having finished with Clancy, Martin reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Curious, Danny waited until Martin had found whatever it was he'd been looking for, then cleared his throat, making Martin jump.

"What," Danny complained, "no kiss hello? What are you looking at?"

Martin grinned as he held out the phone so Danny could see its face. "Checking the Mets score. They're up two to one in the bottom of the fourth."

Danny straightened up and walked toward Martin. "The Mets? Aren't we supposed to be following the Mariners now?"

"Hey, I don't want you to go into culture shock just yet." Martin tossed the phone onto the chair. "You don't like the pizza--"

"Arugula and prosciutto wouldn't be my first choice, but I'm getting used to it."

"And you don't like the bagels--"

"Not true, we found those new ones at Whole Foods, I like those."

"And you're still mourning the fact that Seattle doesn't have a pro basketball team."

Danny placed his hands on Martin's hips, tilting his head to the side as if contemplating that unhappy truth. "Well, okay, that is pretty unforgivable, but we can always take a trip to Portland and catch the Blazers." He dropped a quick kiss on Martin's lips. "Welcome home."

Martin curved his arms around Danny's waist, pulling him tight as he kissed Danny with single-minded devotion. All talk of food and sports was forgotten as they reconnected, because every welcome home was something to be celebrated.

"Hmm," Martin murmured as he let Danny go, "you have flour in your hair. What have you and Clance been up to today?"

Danny linked his arm through Martin's and led him toward the kitchen. "Well, in between working on my briefs for the Foster case and booking our weekend in Astoria, I decided to try make that cookie recipe your mom sent us. And Clancy, well, he's been supervising. From the couch in the living room, of course."

Martin gave him a teasing look. "Cookies, Danny? Really?"

"Hey, enjoy the domesticity while you can. If this Foster thing goes to trial, you'll be the one preparing dinner and doing laundry."

"Yeah, it's called making reservations and dropping off clothes at the dry cleaner. Wow, that looks good."

Martin honed in immediately on the bowl filled with cookie dough sitting on the counter. He started to dip a finger in the mixture but Danny slapped his hand away.

"Stop that. Go change your clothes while I get these in the oven and then I can show you where we're going this weekend."

"All right, all right. C'mon, Clancy, let's get out of Danny's way." Martin started to leave the kitchen, then pivoted to kiss Danny's cheek. "Love you," he whispered, then left the room before Danny could reply, Clancy following Martin upstairs.

Touching his cheek where Martin had kissed him, Danny smiled. He leaned his butt against the kitchen counter and gazed out the window, absently noting that once again he couldn't see the water's edge because of the prevailing mist that obscured the view.

It came to him almost as an afterthought, that there was literally nothing that he lacked in his life. Once he'd been cleared to practice law in Washington, he'd found a job as in-house counsel for a local victims' advocacy group, enabling him to do exactly the kind of work he'd set out to do when he'd first taken the bar. Martin was hired almost immediately by the Washington State Patrol's criminal investigations department, a more active position than he'd had at Quantico but one that didn't require putting himself in harm's way on a daily basis, a perk that made Danny a lot happier than Martin.

Right now, the only shadow on their horizon was Martin's upcoming hip surgery. Martin was excited about the possibility of losing the cane but prosaic about the risks, whereas Danny was dreading seeing Martin in a hospital bed again. He kept that particular worry to himself, determined to support Martin without letting on how hard it was going to be to fight off all those bad memories. But he knew Martin would figure it out anyway and make Danny talk about it, and Danny both feared and looked forward to that moment. While he wanted to be strong for Martin, the vulnerability that they brought out in each other, a trait Danny had once thought of as a weakness, had instead become one of their strengths.

Turning back to the bowl, he placed the Silpat on the cookie sheet and started spooning out the dough, making them slightly larger than Martin's mom had instructed, his mind still on how his life had changed. If he hadn't been asked at the last minute to attend that dinner, if his life hadn't been so fractured and aimless, he never would have found Martin again.

The thought stilled his hands, his eyes losing focus as he contemplated what his life would be like now if they hadn't met in Virginia, if there hadn't been a storm, if unexpected time together hadn't broken down walls years in the making to force them to face feelings that had always been there, yet never acknowledged. Would he still be working in Brooklyn, miserable with the way his life had turned out and wondering if there was any way out of the mess he'd made?

Maybe, but it was a useless line of thought. He had loved Martin for years, and loved him more now than he thought he could ever love anyone, and he had no doubts that his love was reciprocated. They were methodically, joyfully building a life together, the lessons from their complicated past serving as guideposts for their future.

Hearing Martin and Clancy roughhousing upstairs, Danny quickly finished portioning out the dough and placed the sheet in the oven. After setting the timer and giving the counter a quick swipe, he rehung the dish towel and hurried up the stairs, anxious to get in on the fun, to hear about Martin's day, and to simply enjoy the contentment this unexpected life had granted him.