Danny had found some justice in that Martin had also been pushed up against the wall and frisked, and the TSA Agents had not found it amusing when he giggled the entire time, or when he asked if there was going to be a strip search, and if so, then could they let him get some underwear out of his bag afterward? Oh, yeah, they had taken that part really well, Danny thought as he watched the security officer put the cuffs on Martin a little tighter than they needed to be.
Danny did take some comfort in the looks on all of their faces after Martin had called his father. Victor had turned around and called someone else, someone up the food chain for TSA, and that person had quickly called Denver. The handcuffs were quickly removed, and ice was even found for Martin to put on his wrists to ease the bruising. Apologies had been made, and the Agents had even repacked their bags for them, folding each and every piece of clothing carefully. It was good to have a partner whose father had enough power to get this kind of reaction. It almost made up for the fact that that same partner was the one who'd gotten them into the mess in the first place.
Danny smiled slightly as he remembered the sound of Victor's voice when Martin had handed the phone to him. The elder Mr. Fitzgerald asked if Martin was as drunk as he sounded, and Danny didn't waste any time assuring the man that Martin was probably more drunk than he thought. Oh, Martin would make him pay for that once he was sober and had heard from his father, but it was worth it. Not only was Martin in trouble for getting himself in trouble, but since he was doing it on FBI time, he was also in trouble for tarnishing the image of the Bureau. Danny didn't think that there would be any official punishment coming Martin's way, but he was pretty sure that Victor would make life Hell for Martin for a few weeks, at the least.
Of course, there was now no time for coffee, but Danny knew he'd be able to get some on the plane. And some for Martin, too. Hell, at this point, he'd pour it directly down his partner's throat if necessary, because there was no way that he was going to risk being held by security before they could get out of LaGuardia. And there was also no way that he was going to spend this flight listening to Martin complaining about how he wasn't allowed to put his underwear on, even though there had been a strip search and they'd unpacked his bag. Danny had tried to explain to Martin that having his shirt pulled out from his pants wasn't a strip search, but Martin seemed to have other ideas about that.
As he got Martin onto the plane, Danny reflected that Martin should be happy that there wasn't a strip search. God only knew how he'd explain Martin's shaved state, provided Martin didn't jump in with his own version of how he'd been shaved, or of the week he'd spent with Larabee. Nope, Martin might be too drunk to realize that he'd been lucky, but Danny was more than willing to thank God for the both of them over that little mercy.
The passengers had already started to get on the plane by the time he and Martin had reached their gate. With it being so early in the morning, many of the passengers seemed intent on getting more sleep, and Danny was lucky that he found one blanket for Martin. As for a pillow? He couldn't find a single one.
Martin had quieted down once they entered the plane, and as Danny secured Martin's seatbelt, he found himself glad of that. He was hoping that Martin would soon fall asleep, and then sleep the entire flight. Hell, he would even forego giving Martin coffee if the guy was sleeping off the alcohol.
As Danny placed the blanket over Martin, he was treated to one of Martin's smiles. "Thanks, Danny. I never worry about getting cold when I fly with you."
Danny smiled back. "You're welcome. And I can't risk you catching a cold or something, so keeping you warm isn't that big a deal. Once we're in the air, I'll get you some coffee and warm you up a bit more."
"And Jack."
It was Danny's turn to be confused. "And Jack?"
Martin nodded. "He keeps me warm, too. One time he even took off his coat and put it over me."
While Danny thought that was nice of Jack, he didn't like the way Martin was eying his jacket, as if he was expecting Danny to offer it to him. "Right. Guess the old man can surprise us sometimes, huh?"
"Yeah. But he wouldn't have packed my underwear and made me go without any," Martin said, and that damn pout was back.
"He also wouldn't have dressed your ass, so count your blessings that you were with me and not him this morning."
"Is he your boyfriend?" A young voice came from Danny's right, and he turned in his seat to see that they were sharing the row with a little girl who looked to be all of ten years old.
"He doesn't want me," Martin said. "He takes care of me, but doesn't want me."
Danny didn't have to turn around to know that Martin was still pouting. Ignoring Martin's comment, Danny smiled at the little girl. "You should just ignore him. He's not feeling very well right now."
"Is he drunk? He looks drunk. My Daddy's eyes look like that when he's had too much to drink, and then he and Mommy argue a bit, and then they send me to my room and start giggling. I think they go to make out then, don't you? I mean, why else send me to my room unless they're doing it?"
Definitely some kind of cosmic karma coming back on him, Danny thought. There was no other way to explain why he should be stuck on a plane between his drunk, yet cute partner and a precocious little girl who didn't seem to have an off button.
Danny leaned forward to look around the little girl, hoping to catch a glimpse of her parents. He knew that if he had a kid and was separated from him or her on the plane, then he'd be craning his neck to keep the child in sight. However, the other passengers all seemed to be intent on getting ready for the flight, and not at all interested in the little girl.
"Where are your parents?" Danny asked as he did his best to ignore her earlier questions about Martin and what her parents did to make up after arguing.
"Home," the little girl replied. "I was out here visiting my Grandma, and now I'm going home. Mommy said that I'm big enough now to be able to fly alone, although the airline people keep an eye on me. You should put your seatbelt on, it's the rules." The little girl looked from Danny's waist to his face, her gaze intense.
"I was just about to do that. Is your seatbelt on the right way?" Danny asked as he secured his own belt.
The little girl nodded. "I've flown enough to know how to put it on. Were you visiting relatives here or were you on vacation?"
The little girl was definitely nosy, but in a way it beat trying to have a conversation with Martin right then. "It was business," Danny replied.
The little girl nodded. "My Daddy travels a lot on business. Mommy says it's too much, and that he's probably getting a little on the side, and then they argue. Do you get any on the side when you travel?"
Danny should have gotten some, he thought. Would have, if not for his own insecurities and fears. And not 'on the side', either, but the real and honest thing. Even if he thought the little girl had any clue about what she was talking about, Danny had no intention of answering her. He wasn't going to discuss his sex life, or lack thereof, with a child.
"He's too scared to try anything like that," Martin said, and Danny bit back a groan of despair as he saw that Martin was awake. The guy had been quiet over in his seat, and Danny had thought that he'd already fallen asleep. "Says he loves me, though, but then is too scared to do anything about it."
The little girl nodded solemnly, her eyes now holding pity in them as she looked at Danny. Damn Martin, anyway, Danny thought. The guy was supposed to be asleep and not revealing his secrets to the whole damn plane!
The little girl tugged on Danny's sleeve and he looked down at her, wondering what new nosy question she was about to drop on him. "Mommy says that it's always best to just face your fears. She says that it's gonna be hard, and it's okay to be scared, but if you just face up to them, then you'll get over them. And even if you don't get over them, then they won't be as scary the next time."
Wow, Danny thought. That was some pretty deep advice from a little kid, and he smiled at that. "I think that your Mommy's right. You should listen to her. So, I'm Danny and that's Martin. What's your name?"
The little girl folded her hands in her lap. "Can't tell you. Mommy says to never talk to strangers, and you're a stranger."
Danny ignored the snort that came from Martin's direction, and instead tried to focus on the good part of what the little girl was now saying. He should have a quiet flight now that the child had remembered not to talk to strangers. Smiling, Danny rested his head against the back of his seat, for once looking forward to not talking on a plane ride.
"Do you think we'll get breakfast?" Martin asked. "I'm starving."
Danny grinned, "You're always starving. But yeah, I'm pretty sure that they'll give us breakfast. It might be made of cardboard, but it'll be something."
The plane began to leave the gate, and Danny's seatmates grew quiet as the flight attendant went over the safety instructions. Danny thought it was a waste of time for her to explain to them how to use their seats as flotation devices, since the plane wouldn't be going over any water until it reached New York. Still, Danny tried to not think too hard about needing a flotation device, since that would mean that the plane had crashed, and he really didn't want to think about their plane crashing. Martin started to talk about breakfast again, and the little girl joined in, leaning over Danny a bit as she told Martin just how hungry she was.
The plane had been airborne for just a few minutes when the little girl asked Danny if he could reach her bag, which had been placed under the seat in front of her. Undoing his seatbelt, Danny retrieved it for her, and then smiled indulgently when she opened it and began to pull out dolls.
His indulgent smile faded though, she shoved a male doll at him. "We can play house while they're getting our breakfast ready. You be the Daddy, and I'll play the Mommy."
Danny ignored Martin's giggle as he 'walked' the male doll toward the little girl. "Good morning, dear. Is breakfast ready?"
The little girl sighed. "You're doing it wrong. The Daddy is supposed to kiss the Mommy first, and then ask about breakfast. Try again."
"Yeah, Daddy. Try again," Martin urged.
"You think it's so easy, you be the Daddy." Danny shoved the doll at Martin, who grinned as he took it. His grin grew a bit wicked though as he 'walked' the doll over Danny's lap, and then had to lean over Danny in order to interact with the girl. Danny could understand Martin needing to lean over, but he wasn't so sure that Martin needed to lean over quite as much as he was doing, and he sure as Hell didn't think that Martin needed to place his hand that high on Danny's thigh. It wasn't as if the guy was in any danger from toppling over. And even if he did somehow lose his balance, the seats were so closely packed together that Martin would never hit the floor, he'd just land on Danny's legs.
"Good morning, honey," Martin said as he inclined the doll toward the blonde haired doll that the girl held. "You look beautiful this morning." Martin then made a silly smooching sound as he pushed the head of the doll against the head of the other doll. This apparently was a satisfactory kiss, because the girl giggled, thanked him and went on to tell him to set the table because breakfast would be ready soon.
"You call that a kiss?" Danny teased, keeping his voice low since Martin's ear was so close and he didn't want to deafen the man.
Martin turned his head, "Oh, that's a good doll kiss, or at least that's what my nieces tell me. My kisses are much, much better than that, remember? That's something you could enjoy every day, if only you'd reconsider this whole stand-offish thing you've gotten yourself believing."
"Martin!" Danny couldn't believe that Martin would try to talk about that on the plane, especially with a child sitting right there, sober or drunk.
Martin's grin grew broader, and Danny would have sworn that the man was going to blurt out something that they'd both regret. Instead, the little girl interrupted them by telling Martin's doll that he could sit down now to eat. Martin returned his attention to the game, but he did give Danny's thigh a firm squeeze.
The little girl, who finally told Martin that her name was Allie, but who still refused to tell Danny her name, what with them being strangers and all, kept Martin busy until the flight attendant came around with breakfast for them. They'd had the choice of eggs or pancakes, and all three of them had chosen the pancakes. Allie had milk and juice, he and Martin had coffee and juice, and Danny planned to ask the flight attendant for more coffee for Martin. He wasn't sure if Martin was as drunk as before, or if more alcohol was now in his bloodstream. It was pretty difficult to gauge the sobriety of someone whose entire actions for the past thirty minutes had been centered around playing dolls with a child. Not that Martin talked down to Allie, far from it. It was just that the subject matter wasn't all that adult, and didn't require a lot of thought. Then again, Danny apparently had no skills when it came to playing dolls, so what did he know? Maybe Martin was having to put a lot of thought into having his Daddy doll volunteer to cook so the Mommy doll could relax for a change. The main thing was that Martin was so busy playing with Allie that he didn't have time to make barbed remarks to Danny about his decision to not pursue a relationship. Of course, that was countered by the fact that Martin kept touching Danny the entire time he and Allie were playing, and the only thing that saved Danny from embarrassing himself was the fact that Martin's blanket had fallen down over Danny's groin when Martin had first leaned over him, so neither Martin nor Allie could see just how easy it was for Martin's touch to get him aroused.
As he ate, Danny couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. A quick glance to his left told him that Martin was intent on his pancakes, so it had to be Allie who was being so attentive. Danny turned his head slightly and was able to confirm that guess. Allie had quickly cut her pancakes into huge pieces, and was mindlessly shoving them into her mouth as she watched Danny.
"What?" Danny asked, feeling slightly amused at her attention. She'd all but ignored him so far, preferring Martin's company, so he wasn't sure if he should be honored or worried now that she was paying attention to him. "Do I have syrup on my face or something?"
Her mouth full of pancake, Allie slowly shook her head. She began to quickly chew, and after swallowing what was in her mouth, she grinned up at him. "I was thinking that now you've watched us play, you can play next, seeing as you know what to do know."
"Well, I am a fast learner," Danny replied.
"Oh, I could teach you all kinds of nice things," Martin said from his other side. Danny chose to ignore him, and kept his attention on Allie, hoping that she hadn't heard Martin's comment. After everything else that had happened that morning, Danny didn't want to get off of the plane in New York just to face accusations of corrupting a child!
Allie speared a syrup-heavy chunk of pancake and gestured toward Danny with it. "Just remember that kisses come first, and then you can ask about eating."
As Allie shoved the last of her breakfast into her mouth, Danny nodded. "I'll remember that. Kissing first, then eating."
And he'd just ignore the snicker that came from Martin's direction. "Yeah, you've definitely got *that* order down pat."
Danny turned his head to glare at Martin. "You hush! Allie doesn't need to be hearing things like that from you," Danny said, trying his best to keep his voice low enough so that the child couldn't overhear him.
Martin simply glared back. "I wouldn't need to say things like that if you were a sensible man, Danny Taylor. I love you and you say you love me, everything after that should be simple. I don't see why you have to make it so hard." Danny was slightly surprised that Martin had kept his voice down, but that surprise was quickly replaced by remorse as he watched Martin's glare turn to a gaze of sadness as the man spoke.
"Martin...we've been over this. I am not going to hurt you…"
"Says the man who is tearing my heart out and ripping it to shreds," Martin interrupted, his voice not so low this time.
His appetite suddenly gone, Danny carefully placed his fork on top of his plate, but his gaze remained on Martin. "I'm sorry. If I could find a way to not hurt you at all, Martin, then I'd take it. I don't like myself much for hurting you like this, but I'd hate myself if I hurt you even worse if I didn't do this now. It might not bring you a lot of comfort now, but this *is* for your own good as much as it is for mine."
"Bullshit!" That fire was back in Martin's eyes, and Danny sent up a mental 'thank-you' to God for that small favor. He could handle an angry Martin far easier than a sad and morose Martin. Especially when he knew that he was the cause of Martin's sorrow. "You're just taking the easy way out because you don't have enough balls to face your own demons and put them to rest."
For a moment, Danny began to once again wonder just how drunk Martin still was, but it quickly passed as the insult sunk into his brain. "Easy way out? You don't think that this is hurting me, too? I finally have the chance for love, have the chance to be with someone I care about, and you think it's easy for me to turn that away?" Danny shook his head, knowing that it was useless to be mad with a drunk, but unable to push that feeling aside.
Martin's eyebrows rose. "Looks easy from where I'm sittin'," he coldly replied.
"You know what? I think that we should just avoid talking to each other for the rest of this trip. If we don't, then we're going to end up saying things we don't mean." Danny didn't want to be angry with Martin, and he sure as Hell didn't want to get into an argument with him as they flew home. This was between them and no-one else, and while Danny didn't really care if the whole plane knew he liked being with other men, he didn't think that Martin, once sober, would appreciate knowing that they'd outted themselves during the flight.
"Sounds good to me," Martin quickly replied. "And as far as I'm concerned, we can just take separate cabs to the office, too. The less time that I have to spend with you, the better."
"Fine." Danny stared down at the rest of his pancakes, his appetite now gone as well.
"Good." Martin replied, and Danny could have sworn that he heard Allie snickering. Let her laugh it up, he thought, and see if I play house with her for the rest of the flight.
On his other side, Martin pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, leaned his head against the bulkhead of the plane and closed his eyes. Hopefully, the man was going to sleep and would be more himself once they touched down. Of course, Martin sleeping meant that Danny really would be stuck playing house with Allie, but Danny was pretty sure that he could handle that. She was just a kid, how hard could it be to keep her entertained?
Part Eighteen