Fornell's Dilemma (3/3)
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Major case Squad room 11 a.m.
Martin stood, looking lost, his arms around a box that contained all the possessions he had accumulated in the admittedly short course of his FBI career. Those few items had been decorating his cubicle in the Bullpen until a couple of hours ago, when the orders had finally come through. Move his ass into Fornell's squad room. He had joyously obeyed the order, ignoring the looks he had been given by certain of his peers. He knew what they were thinking, not without some justification. They thought he had slept his way into the squad, but he was used to the poisonous atmosphere of gossip in the building, and he didn't give a damn. He was going to be close to his partner. Nothing else mattered.
"Can I help you?" The senior agent in the squad approached him. Martin could tell that he was recognised. Everyone round here knew about Victor Fitzgerald's son.
" I had orders to report here." Martin fumbled with his paperwork, blushing as he awkwardly tried to juggle paper and box.
"You're sure you're in the right place?" Sacks looked puzzled. "We're not expecting anyone except..." Martin could almost see the wheels turning in the man's brain. "Oh my God! You're Fornell's partner?" They were all staring at him now. "Victor Fitzgerald's son! No wonder he's been keeping quiet about his partnership!"
"Where can I put my things?" Martin said hesitantly. He could see that Fornell's second in command was tempted to say something disparaging, but the agent restrained himself with visible effort. Not through any respect for Martin; wariness of what Fornell might do motivated him.
"There's a desk in the corner." He gestured vaguely. Martin found it easy enough to find. There was one in every squad room. The desk no-one wanted, in this case because it was directly under the vent for the air conditioning, so you would always feel either too hot or too cold, depending on the season. Oh yeah, and it was next to the door to the men's room. He busied himself in arranging his possessions, trying to make his small, lonely corner of the squad room more welcoming.
"Martin..."
The young agent turned towards the voice and his face lit up in a smile.
"Sir," he said softly. He and Tobias had agreed on formality in the squad room.
"You settling in alright?" Tobias couldn't quite hide the affection in his voice when he spoke to Martin.
"Uh-huh." Martin said. "Your agents were a little surprised to find out that I was your partner." He glanced round the room. Though the few agents there appeared to be working hard, he just knew they were being closely observed. A blush. "I think they would have been less surprised if my father had been the one standing here!"
"Victor and I don't get on." Fornell sighed. "I'm sure you'll hear about it soon enough. He has some control over our budget, so he likes to think it gives him a say in our day to day operations..."
"He likes to control people," Martin acknowledged. "Why should you be any different?" He gave a small, tight smile. "That makes no difference to us. I don't give a damn about what he thinks any more."
"He doesn't know about your partnership, does he?" It was Fornell's turn to sigh.
"I haven't spoken to him for weeks," Martin said. "But I've heard the rumours about him partnering up with his secretary... So much for twenty five years of marriage to my mother!" A frown. "As far as I'm concerned, he can go to hell. He has no right to criticise me."
He lowered his eyes but Fornell could tell he was upset. He had to force himself not to pull his young partner into a hug. That would definitely shatter the image he had carefully cultivated over the years as the biggest bastard in the FBI, but it was hard. His hand reached out and rested on Martin's shoulder, reassuring. The young agent responded by gripping Fornell's hand, briefly linking their fingers in a small gesture of intimacy.
"I'll let you settle in." The moment was over. "Be prepared for a mountain of my paperwork!" Martin smiled wryly.
"Anything for you," he said softly.
*****
Later...
"He doesn't know, does he?" Sacks shook his head at Fornell, marvelling at the man's audacity. Though he, like the rest of the team, had harboured doubts about Martin, so far they had proved to be unfounded. The young agent had been deluged on his first day, by all the team's paperwork. Yet rather than complain or brood, he had taken it as a challenge and had achieved remarkable results.
The first time he had come to Sacks, pointing out a connection between two suspects and a certain financial institution, the agent had been surprised. But since then, Fitzgerald had mapped out the accounts of a major mafia family, re-organised the way they recorded suspect profiles and, best of all, distracted Fornell when he was in a temper. Oh yeah, Martin Fitzgerald was turning out to be an unexpected asset for the squad.
That last benefit had come about almost by accident. Fornell had been frustrated over the lack of progress they had made on catching the Partner Virus terrorists. As usual, a frustrated Fornell had proved to be the world's biggest bastard, yelling at his team, throwing things, promising to send the worst offenders to permanently occupy the FBI offices in Anchorage, Alaska.
And yet Martin had just gone into Fornell's office, pulled down the blinds and...
Well, to be honest, Sacks didn't really want to know what went on between the too-pretty young Fitzgerald and his boss. He could make an educated guess (which made him feel sick, Fornell being such a bastard) but he preferred not to think about it. Besides, it was obvious that Martin had it bad for Fornell - the way his face lit up whenever the boss's name was mentioned, and the starry-eyed way he had of looking at him. Sacks had a partner too. He knew what partnership felt like. Even if loving someone like Fornell was beyond Sacks' understanding.
Anyway, Fitzgerald had emerged from Fornell's office with a cat's-got-the cream smile, slick, too-red lips and ruffled hair. Fornell's mood had completely changed. He had been cheerful, perhaps even happy, not to mention productive. For the rest of the day, they had blitzed their case load and had come up with at least three new lines of enquiry.
So Fitzgerald was useful. Not the loser they had all expected him to be. Quiet, efficient and happy to be a team player. But...
"No. He doesn't know yet." Fornell sighed. "And I don't really know how to tell him..."
"So he doesn't know how much his father hates you. Or that you've had a feud with him for the last two years, because you punched him in the face and broke his nose. That you prefer not to be in the same room as he is in case it happens again... That in fact, if one of you was on fire, the other wouldn't piss on him to put the flames out!"
"Succinctly put, but accurate." Fornell said. "How the hell did we end up in this mess?" He raised his eyes heavenward, or to be more accurate, he looked towards the top floor offices of the eponymous Victor. "And how the hell did he produce someone like Martin."
"If it helps any, we all like him." Sacks shrugged. "He actually fits in quite well around here. He works hard and he doesn't bring a big ego with him, unlike daddy dearest." A sly smirk. "And he manages you quite well!" Fornell glared at him. "Victor will find out, sooner or later, that his son is working for you. He'll start asking questions, and then..."
"Yeah, I know." Fornell said. "The shit will hit the fan!"
He had known, from the moment that he had accepted Martin into his life that he would have to deal with Victor Fitzgerald. That son of a bitch. Fornell hated him. He really did.
Of course, Martin had his flaws too. A good dose of naiveté, and of course, the fact that he was years younger than Fornell. But there was only one real obstacle to their relationship.
Oh yes. Victor fucking Fitzgerald.
******
The end, for now.
Author's Chapter Notes:
An NCIS/Without a Trace crossover
Chapter End Notes:
The end, for now. Probably will link into further Partner Universe stories, though my work rate is glacially slow.