Title: Circumspect
By: Caroline Crane
Fandom: Without a Trace/CSI: Vegas
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Danny/Martin, Nick/Greg
Summary: Danny and Martin head to Vegas for a case, and Danny looks up an old friend while he's in town.

~

I don't know what I was expecting. I mean Danny and me…it's crazy, right? For one thing, we work together. Really closely together, which doesn't really help with trying to get over this…thing with him. Okay, so I'm attracted to the guy, but who could blame me? He's hot, he's got a smile that could stop traffic, and I've seen the man handle a gun. There's no way anybody could watch that and not want him. But it's just a little crush, and I've been telling myself for months that it doesn't mean anything. I even believed it for awhile, until Jack told us we were going to Vegas to follow up on alleged sightings of our latest missing person.

This trip isn't any different from any other assignment; at least it hasn't been until I turn the corner and see Danny standing in front of the elevators with his back to me. We've just finished interviewing a witness and hit yet another brick wall, so we're calling it quits for the day and starting fresh tomorrow. He's got his cell phone pressed to his ear and I assume he's calling the office to check in, but something about the sound of his voice when the line connects makes me stop in my tracks.

"Hey. It's…uh…it's Danny."

There's a pause, and I tell myself I should walk away. I don't have any right to eavesdrop on his conversation, even if he's just calling to check in with Jack one last time before we call it a night. But his voice is different somehow; deeper and lower than his normal speaking voice, and unless he's sleeping with Jack I'm pretty sure he's not checking in with the office.

"Not bad, not bad. Listen, I'm in town. Last minute thing, working a case. But we've done all we can for the night, so I was wondering…you know, if you're not busy."

I've been accused of being a little slow on the uptake before, but even I get from that that he's trying to hook up with somebody. Somebody he knows, right here in Vegas, of all places. My first thought is 'how the hell does Danny know someone who lives in Vegas?', but then it dawns on me why he's trying to hook up with whoever-it-is and the jealousy eclipses pretty much everything else. I know I don't have any right to be jealous – it's not like he's mine. I'm not even sure if I want him to be, because we work together and work and pleasure don't usually mix all that well. It's the reason I haven't said anything so far, even though I'm pretty sure he swings both ways.

Not that I've actually asked him. I mean how do you bring up something like that? I've never been all that good at this kind of thing as it is, so I can't really see myself saying something along the lines of, 'So, Danny, Sam and I were taking bets on which one of us you'd rather sleep with if you got the chance'. With my luck he'd pick Sam even if he did like guys. The thing is, I'm not even sure if he likes me as a person, let alone as…well, anything else. We work together, but that's pretty much it. And even though he's lightened up on me some since the beginning, I still get the feeling sometimes that he's only holding his tongue because Jack told him to.

"Listen, I don't wanna…are you sure he won't…? I mean if it's gonna cause problems with you two…"

He pauses and listens for a second, then laughs and I feel like a jerk because I'm still just standing there next to the elevators listening to him talk. But the conversation's starting to make less sense now, and I can't talk myself into walking away when I'm busy trying to figure out what's going on. A minute ago it sounded like Danny was making a date with somebody, but now it's starting to sound like his date's got some other guy to worry about.


"Yeah, okay. South Strip, the Howard Johnson."

He laughs again and the sound does this weird thing to my stomach, but before I can decide what that means he starts to turn and I realize if I keep standing there he's going to catch me listening. I back up just as he reaches up and runs a hand through his hair, and I catch a glimpse of his smile.

"Per diem, man. You know what it's like to travel on the government's dollar. I'll see you in awhile."

I manage to make it around the corner before he looks up and catches me. I have no idea what I'm doing; suddenly I feel like some kind of stalker, listening in on his conversations like it's any of my business what he does in his spare time. He's just a guy I work with, it's not like we've ever even hung out after hours. Like I said, I don't even think he likes me all that much. But I heard enough to know that he was talking to a guy, and that the mystery guy has another guy that Danny didn't know about. The whole thing's a little weird, and even though it's none of my business I know I'm going to be wondering who he was talking to until it drives me crazy.

Finally I pull myself together and round the corner again, catching up with him just as the elevators open.

"Hey," he says when he sees me, "I thought you were already downstairs."

"Stopped off in the john," I answer, trying not to watch his shoulders as he reaches out and presses the button for the ground floor. "So you wanna grab some dinner or something? Go over the case again?"

He glances over at me and just for a second I wonder if maybe I missed something, because it looks like he's actually thinking about it. A second later he shakes his head, though, and even though I was expecting him to turn me down I'm still disappointed. "Can't, sorry. I'm meeting up with a friend."

"Oh, yeah? Didn't know you had friends in Sin City."


He laughs at that but doesn't look at me again. "Just somebody I used to know."

Before I can say anything else the elevator door opens and he steps out into the lobby. I watch him go for a second, then shake myself and follow him out to the car. It's none of my business who he's meeting, and it's pretty obvious he's not planning on inviting me to join him, but I can't help being curious. I mean I'm FBI, it's my job to be curious, right? The only problem is that he's FBI too, so if I start asking questions he's going to figure out right away that I was listening to his end of the conversation.

We drive back to the hotel in silence, and I can tell his mind's a million miles away. Usually we'd be tossing out theories on the case or at least running down the evidence we've got so far, but the truth is this trip's been pretty much a dead end from the start, and he probably doesn't feel like rehashing it again any more than I do. I have a feeling he's too busy thinking about his mystery date to worry about the case anyway, and I'm too busy wondering who he's meeting to care that we're blowing off work.

I follow him from the parking garage into the hotel and stop in front of the elevators. He doesn't say anything until we're in the elevator and headed up to our floor, but once the doors close he turns toward me again. "Look, man, I'm sorry about bailing on you. You gonna be okay?"

Maybe I should be offended by the fact that he thinks I can't manage to entertain myself for one night, but the truth is that he's right. I'm not really looking forward to hanging out by myself, especially in Vegas. It would be one thing if we weren't here on a case, but I can't exactly go out and find the nearest party to get lost in when we have to interview more potential witnesses bright and early tomorrow. "I think I can handle it."

I can feel his eyes still on me when the elevator doors open on our floor, but I don't look at him again as I step into the hall and turn toward my room. Maybe he can tell that I'm not that crazy about the idea of him ditching me for some 'old friend', but if he can I don't want to know about it. Mostly I just want to go back to my room, take a shower and try to stop thinking about Danny's plans for the evening. It's obvious he's not planning to invite me along, after all, so it's not going to do me any good to spend the whole night wondering what he's doing and who he's doing it with.

"Hey."

I'm almost to my room when I hear his voice again, and I hesitate a second before I look over at him. "Yeah?"


He's looking at me like he's trying to work something out, and just for a second I think maybe he feels sorry enough for me to ask me to go to dinner with him and his friend. There's no way he's going to volunteer to let me horn in on a date, though, especially when his mystery guy's probably hiding this whole thing from his boyfriend. I think I manage to look like I don't really care one way or the other what he does, but it's hard to tell from the way he's looking at me whether or not I've pulled it off.

"Nothing. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. See you." I turn away and tell myself I'm not disappointed; it's not like I was expecting anything from him, not even before he arranged his little mystery date. I sure as hell wasn't planning on making a pass at him just because we're alone in Vegas for a few nights. We still work together, and no matter how much it bothers me that he's out with some guy I don't know it doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the fact that sleeping with a coworker is stupid, and in Danny's case probably dangerous. Getting involved with Deputy Director Fitzgerald's son could be a career-ender for anybody in the Bureau; if I were Danny I wouldn't sleep with me either.

I let myself into my room and tell myself I'm not going to think about it anymore. I'm not thinking about Danny changing in the room next door, not thinking about whoever he's meeting and what they're going to do once they're alone. I'm just going to get some dinner and then come back to my room and take a long shower that definitely won't involve jerking off to the image of anybody from the office.

I'm not that pathetic.

And okay, maybe it would have been easier to go get something to eat before I went back up to my room in the first place, but I wasn't really thinking about food while Danny was standing next to me looking at me like he was trying to figure out which species I belong to. Now that he's gone I can relax a little, even if I have to do it on my own. I ditch my suit jacket in my room and check to make sure I've got my wallet before I head back down to the lobby, pausing by the front desk to check out the tourist information. I'm definitely not hanging around the lobby waiting to see him come down; I'm just checking out the maps of the Strip, that way I can go pick up something to eat without having to deal with a whole bunch of tourist traffic.

Twenty minutes later I can't even convince myself that I'm not waiting around for Danny to come back downstairs, so I turn toward the front of the lobby. That's when I see him, standing near the door scanning the room. His eyes glance over me and I can tell casing the lobby is more of a reflex for him than a conscious thing. Right away I know this is who Danny's meeting, and I know he's a cop. Even if he wasn't casing the place I could have made him; for one thing, he holds himself like a cop, shoulders squared and oozing that swaggering confidence. Usually it just makes me laugh to see the young guys strutting around like that, but on him I have to admit it looks pretty good.

There's no denying he's a good-looking guy. Dark hair, dark eyes, broad shoulders and when he turns to glance at the elevators I can't help checking out his ass. The fact that he's wearing a pair of pretty tight jeans doesn't really hurt, and I ignore another little flash of jealousy when I find myself wondering if Danny's going to be peeling those off him any time soon. A second later his whole face lights up in a grin, though, and I back up a little so I'm not in Danny's line of sight as he gets off the elevator and crosses the lobby.

So maybe I am that pathetic, because I stand there watching while they greet each other. No hug, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. If it was one of those friendly guy hugs – quick pat on the back, not too much body contact – it would make me feel a little better, but the fact that they don't touch at all makes it seem like they've got something to hide. Of course, the fact that Danny called specifically to hook up with this guy already told me that, but part of me was kind of hoping when I came down here that I'd see them together and realize that I'd read Danny's end of the conversation all wrong.


Maybe I was hoping I'd heard wrong and he was meeting a girl. Maybe I was hoping the mystery guy would be ugly. Or taller. Taller and skinnier, maybe a little geeky.

Yeah, definitely pathetic.

I wait a minute or so before I follow them out the door, glancing around to make sure Danny doesn't see me. I'm not even sure why it matters if he spots me; I mean I've gotta eat, right? Besides, he already said he was going to dinner with a friend, so it's not like he's got anything to hide. Still, the whole thing feels…weird, especially when I see them again. The cop's got his hand on Danny's shoulder as he unlocks the passenger door of a black Tahoe, and I can just barely make out Danny's grin before he climbs in. I hang back until the cop gets into the driver's seat and pulls out of the circular drive in front of the hotel, then I let out a sigh and start walking in the opposite direction.

~

Danny let out a low whistle as he climbed into Nick's truck. "Nice ride."

"Thanks," Nick answered as he pulled back onto the Strip and eased into traffic. "It's kind of a pain in the ass on the Strip, though."

Danny laughed as he looked out the windshield at the traffic in front of them; it was at a dead stop, as usual, and he knew from experience that it was only going to get worse as the nightlife on the Strip picked up. "Don't you have a siren in this thing or something? That would get them out of the way."

"I'm not a cop anymore." Nick grinned at him and shook his head. "Haven't been a cop for a long time."


"Yeah, but you work for the police department, you should still get to abuse the system."

"This from a Fed. Nice, man," Nick said, but he laughed as he eased onto a side street and left the traffic jam behind them. "Besides, I don't need a siren. I know all the shortcuts."

Danny laughed but didn't answer; he stared out the passenger window as the lights of the Strip faded into rows of neat houses and kids playing out front, the part of Vegas that tourists never saw. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty for leaving Martin on his own, especially when his partner had given him that sad puppy look when Danny had turned down his dinner invitation. It wasn't like Martin had been asking him out, though; he just wanted to talk about the case, and that was the last thing Danny wanted to do. What he wanted…well, he wasn't going to get what he wanted, so there was no use thinking about it.

"So tell me about this guy," he said, pushing the image of Martin to the back of his mind and turning to look at Nick again.

Nick shrugged, but there was no hiding the grin that lit up his face at the mention of his new guy. When he'd told Danny on the phone that it wasn't gonna happen because he had a steady thing now Danny had been disappointed, but now that he saw Nick's face he couldn't help being happy for the guy. They'd known each other for a long time, after all, and even if they only saw each other once or twice a year it was nice to see Nick smiling like that about something.

"He's hard to describe. I've known him forever – he works in the crime lab. DNA tech."

Danny laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. "Are you kidding me? Nick Stokes fell for a science geek?"

"Hey, man, I am a science geek, remember? Besides," he added as he parked the car, "Greg's not a geek. He's a genius, but he's definitely not a geek."


Danny shook his head and climbed out of the truck, following Nick into the restaurant. It was still hard to believe that Nick was in an actual relationship; in all the time they'd known each other Danny couldn't remember Nick ever being serious about anybody. In fact, Nick was the last guy he'd ever expected to see settle down, so he couldn't help wondering if maybe this Greg guy was just a passing thing. "So how long have you guys been together?"

"About six months," Nick answered as they settled at a table and opened their menus.

Or maybe it was serious after all. Danny raised his eyebrows but Nick was too busy reading the menu to notice, so he swallowed his surprise and looked down at his own menu. "That's…that's great."

He felt Nick glance up at him but didn't look up; he knew how it had sounded when he'd stumbled over the words, but he wasn't jealous. Not for the reason Nick probably thought, anyway. Sure, he was a little disappointed that it wasn't gonna happen after all, but he could deal with that. There were never any guarantees with them, and the fact that they both understood that was what made it work so well. But he couldn't help being a little envious of his friend's happiness, especially considering Nick was the last person he'd ever expected to settle down. If either of them should be reveling in domestic bliss by now it should have been Danny, but his job made it practically impossible to keep a relationship going.

"Look, man, are you sure you're okay with this? I mean I know it's kinda weird…"

"No, I'm cool. Really," Danny assured him, looking up from his menu to smile reassuringly. "It's just hard to believe. I mean I never would have pictured you for the commitment type."

"That makes two of us. I'm still not really sure how it happened. To tell you the truth, I didn't even want to go out with him. Then the next thing I knew it had been three months and he was spending practically every night at my house. I was in so far over my head I didn't know what was going on; that's when I decided I had to break up with him before it was too late."

"You guys broke up?"


Nick shook his head. "No. I opened my mouth to tell him it was over and somehow I ended up asking him to move in with me. I still don't know how it happened."

"Man, you really are whipped," Danny said, laughing at the image of Nick stumbling over his words while he tried to figure out how to get himself out of a commitment he'd never meant to make. "It looks good on you."

"Thanks." Nick grinned and Danny had to work hard not to laugh. It was weird to watch Nick talking so casually about his relationship. The last he'd heard Nick was still single and pretty much in the closet, so he couldn't help wondering what had happened in the past year to change all that. "So everybody at work knows about you guys?"

"Our boss does," Nick answered. "I was a little freaked out at first about telling him, but I figured it would be better if he heard it from me. Besides, there's no rule about dating coworkers. Supervisors aren't supposed to date their employees, and we both work for the same guy so there's no problem there."

"Yeah, but…I mean come on, you're not a cop anymore, but you're still pretty close."

Nick shrugged and looked down at his menu again. "It's not like we advertise it. I mean people talk, but we both do our jobs so nobody has a reason to make an issue out of it. What about you? I thought the Feds were supposed to be setting an example for the rest of us, non-discrimination and all that."

"That's the official line, yeah." Danny paused when the waitress approached the table again, waiting until she took their orders and left before he continued. "My direct supervisor is a pretty cool guy, he knows. I mean it's not like I advertise either, but I don't know what would happen if I was dating somebody from the office."

"So what about you, man?" Nick asked as he leaned back in his chair. "I mean you called so I assume you're not seeing anybody."

Danny shook his head and picked up the club soda the waitress had brought him. "You know how it is. The job doesn't exactly make it easy. Last date I went on I had to bail in the middle because of a case; after that happens a few times you just stop bothering. It's not worth the effort when you know the other person's just gonna get tired of you canceling plans all the time."


Nick nodded and picked up his beer, swallowing before he nodded. "I remember what that was like. But Greg pulls as much overtime as I do when we've got a big case, so that makes it a little easier."

"Sounds like a pretty ideal situation."

"It has its ups and downs. To tell you the truth I'm still getting used to waking up next to the same person every day."

Danny smiled a little wistfully at that, looking down at the table so he wouldn't have to see Nick's expression. "Sounds pretty nice."

He could feel the weight of Nick's gaze on him but he didn't look up. Suddenly he found himself wishing he'd called Nick back and cancelled when Martin asked him to go to dinner; he wasn't even sure why he'd called Nick in the first place, but hearing about his perfect relationship wasn't helping his mood. At least with Martin he knew where he stood. There wouldn't be any discussion of personal lives, and even though it would have been boring at least it wouldn't have been depressing. Then again, maybe it would have been, because he'd still be stuck in Vegas with someone he couldn't have.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Danny answered, forcing a grin when he looked up at Nick again.

"Danny. Hey, it's me, man. We go back far enough that I can tell when something's on your mind. There is somebody, isn't there?"


"No. I mean okay, there's this guy. But most of the time I want to smack him, not go out with him."

It was true; most of the time he'd just as soon knock Martin on his ass as kiss him, but that just made it harder to be around him when they were alone. He wasn't even sure whether Martin was into guys; he used to think Martin was into Sam, but lately he found himself wondering. Every time he did he told himself it was just wishful thinking, but he still hadn't managed to shake the feeling that he was missing something when it came to the other man. Martin brought him coffee at least as often as he brought it to Sam, and then there were the times he'd look up from paperwork and find Martin watching him. It was a little unsettling at first, but lately he couldn't help wondering if it meant something.

"Anybody I know?" Nick asked, and Danny smiled at the other man's attempt to get him to continue.

"I don't even know if he'd go for me. I mean usually I can tell, but this time…maybe I'm losing my touch or something." He let out a heavy sigh, then grinned ruefully and leaned back in his chair.

"What, you think he's straight?" Nick asked, and Danny could tell by the way his lips were twitching that he was working hard not to laugh.

"I don't know. Maybe. He's got such a stick up his ass it's hard to tell what his deal is. At first I thought it was because of his family; typical spoiled rich kid, daddy pulling strings to get him whatever assignment he wants. His old man's the Deputy Director, he could have gotten any assignment he wanted. Why he ended up in Missing Persons…" Danny shook his head and let his shoulders fall a little.

"Wait, his father's a Fed too? Man, that's bad news," Nick said. "I mean yeah, Greg and I work together, but at least I'm not sleeping with the boss' daughter, you know?"

He knew Nick was right, but the reason Danny hadn't done anything about his attraction yet didn't have anything to do with Martin's family. The truth was that he wasn't sure if he wanted to start anything between them, because he had a feeling if he did that it wouldn't be nearly as simple as he wanted it to be. He had a feeling that nothing with Martin was ever simple; not the reasons behind his transfer to Missing Persons, and not his approach to relationships. He was so intense on the job that there was no way it wouldn't carry over to his personal life, and Danny wasn't sure if he was ready to deal with that.

"You're right," he finally answered. "It's a bad situation. I don't know, I guess I've just been working too hard or something. He's the only guy I ever see these days, maybe that's the problem."


"Maybe. I mean if you really like him…" Nick paused as the waitress came back with their dinner, waiting until she set their plates down and asked if they needed anything else before he continued. "Look, all I'm saying is that you've gotta decide whether or not it's worth risking your job."

"So Greg's worth risking your job for?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows when Nick looked up at him.

"Oh yeah," Nick answered, and there went that smile again. "Definitely."

~

It's early when I hear a knock on my door, but it still makes me jump. I grab the remote off the mattress next to me and turn the TV off before I answer the door. "Who's there?"

"Martin, it's me. You awake?"

I glance at the clock next to the bed: 10:15. I wasn't expecting to hear from Danny until morning, but I pull the door open and stand aside to let him in. "I thought you were going out."

"I did." He looks me up and down as I shut the door, and suddenly I'm very aware of the fact that I'm not wearing anything but a pair of cotton pajama bottoms. Something about the way he's looking at me makes me even more self-conscious than I usually am around him, and I cross my arms over my chest and frown.


"What?"

"Nothing. I never figured you for the pajamas type."

"You spend a lot of time thinking about what I wear to bed?" I ask, wishing as soon as I say it that I could take it back.

He shrugs and crosses the room to flip through the file I left open on the bed. "Not a lot."

And okay, that's new, but his back's to me so he can't see my raising my eyebrows at him. I'm not sure what he's doing here, but suddenly I'm a little scared to ask. He doesn't sound like he fell off the wagon or anything, but I can't think of another reason for Danny to come looking for me after what was supposed to be a date. "How come you're back so early?"

"It was just dinner," he answers, dropping the file and turning to look at me. He's smirking again, and I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not. "Why, you jealous?"

"Jealous of what?" And God, I hope I don't sound as nervous as I feel, because if he's just joking around I'm going to end up looking like a complete asshole by the end of this conversation.

He shrugs and sits down on the edge of my bed. That's when I notice that he's wearing jeans and a black button-down, untucked and open almost to the center of his chest. I can see a hint of golden skin under his collar and my knees buckle a little, so I reach for the nearest chair and sit down hard. "Danny, what are you doing here?"

"Thought you might want to go over the case."


And I should have known he was just messing with me, but it still feels like somebody just punched me in the stomach. "Oh. Right. Well I went over what we've got so far, but there's nothing much to work with. I think this trip's pretty much a waste of time."

"And taxpayer dollars."

"Right." I smile at the joke, but my smile falters a little when he kicks off his shoes and moves a little further back on the bed. Instantly my throat goes dry, and I consider raiding the mini-bar for a five dollar bottle of water. If I didn't know better I'd swear he was trying to seduce me, but there's no way. I have to be imagining things, or else I'm having a very vivid dream and Danny's not really here at all.

"You know, it doesn't have to be a total waste."

His voice drops an octave or two and suddenly him seducing me doesn't seem like such a crazy idea anymore, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions I can't take back. "W-what?"

He shrugs again and picks up the case file, then he stands up and walks over to the table where I'm sitting. The file hits the table with a little thud and I feel my heart skip a beat; he's close enough to reach out and touch, and it's way too tempting so I curl my fingers into my palms and look down at the file so I don't have to look at him. I can feel the heat radiating off him, see his legs just a few feet in front of me, and I know any second now he's going to touch me. The air in the room is tense, thick enough that I think I might choke on the desert in my throat before he finally makes his move.

Then he lets out a soft sigh and moves away, and I have to fight to stop myself from standing up and going after him. When I look up he's standing by the window, one hand on the back of his neck as he stares out at the Strip. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"Danny," I say, hoping I sound a little calmer than I feel, "did…did something happen on your date?"


As soon as I say it he turns around, fixing me with an unreadable expression for a second. "What makes you think it was a date?"

"Danny, come on. I saw you with that cop in the lobby." He's still staring at me and I know that's not good enough, because what I saw in the lobby was just two guys going out to grab a bite to eat. "And I heard you on your cell phone. Before we came back to the hotel."

I watch while he processes that information, watch him remember what he said on the phone and how it probably sounded to me. I expect him to yell at me for eavesdropping, or maybe pick up his shoes and go back to his own room, but instead he just sighs and turns back to the window. "It wasn't a date. I mean it was supposed to be, but that's not how it worked out."

"I don't follow."

He turns away from the window and walks toward me, stopping when he reaches the bed and sitting down on the edge. "He's not a cop. His name's Nick Stokes, he's a crime scene investigator. He was a cop when I met him, but that was a long time ago. Back then he was on the Dallas P.D.; his old man's a big-time judge in Texas, so the department was grooming him for bigger and better, you know? Anyway, they sent him up to New York for a conference on law enforcement, and I was there giving a briefing on the Bureau. He came up after the briefing and we got to talking. We hit it off right away; I was on the wagon by then, but when he invited me to his room for a drink I went anyway. You can probably guess the rest."

He looks at me when he finishes talking, and I can tell he's trying to figure out if I'm disgusted by the idea of him and this Stokes guy or not. I'm not sure how to make him understand that the last thing I am is disgusted, not without overplaying my hand, anyway, so I smile a little and my heart skips a beat when he smiles back. "So you…what? You stayed in touch?"

"Sort of. I mean we kind of had an understanding; whenever one of us was in town we'd get together, as long as we were both single. And Nick's always single, even when he's seeing somebody. This is the first time he's ever turned me down."

"Oh." I hear how flat my voice is, but I feel like I've swallowed lead suddenly and I'm beyond caring whether or not he can tell how I feel. "So what's this? Plan B?"

"No," he answers, and when he looks up I'm pretty sure he means it. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have come over here. I'll see you in the morning."


He stands up and starts toward the door, but before he reaches it I'm out of my chair. I don't even know what I'm doing until my hand closes around his arm, but when he looks at me again I know I don't want him to leave. "So what is it, then?"

"I don't know, man." He looks down at my hand on his arm, but I don't let go and he doesn't try to pull away. "I haven’t said anything because we work together, and you don't poison the well, you know? But I just spent hours listening to Nick talk about this guy he's living with, and I never thought I'd hear him talk like that about anybody. I mean he's the last person I ever would have expected to settle down."

I don't want to believe what I'm hearing; I tell myself he's just lonely, that being away from home and working too many long hours is just getting to both of us. It's not like he's suddenly in love with me or anything, but I can't help going back to one thought: I never said anything because we work together. That has to mean he's been thinking about us, right? I mean even if this is all because he had a lousy time with an ex-boyfriend, at least he's been thinking about the possibility before tonight.

Later I'll probably hate myself for being so desperate, but right now I want to hear more. "What are you saying?"

For a second he just stares back at me. I can feel his breath on my face, and I know if I just lean forward a few inches…I'm not sure who moves first, but a second later his mouth's on mine, his lips parting against me. There's a little voice in the back of my head telling me that maybe we should talk about this some more, but that voice hasn't really gotten me anywhere since I moved to New York so I ignore it and part my lips under his. His hand lands on the back of my neck to hold me in place, and I realize that I'm gripping his arm way too tight.

I let go and slide my hands down his chest instead, fumbling with his buttons like some nervous teenager. And that's kind of how I feel, because even though I've done this enough to know what I'm getting into, I've never done it with Danny. I never thought I'd get the chance, and now that it's standing right in front of me I'm a little worried that I’m going to do something to screw it up.

As soon as I get his shirt open I push it off his shoulders, and he lets go of me long enough to let it hit the floor before his hands are on my skin again, gripping my arms to steer me toward the bed. When my legs hit the edge I fall backwards, dragging him with me to land half on top of me. I gasp when his elbow digs into my ribs, breaking the kiss long enough to stare up at him. "This could be dangerous," I say, because even though I don't want to I feel obligated to warn him about possible consequences.


"Sorry," he mumbles against my neck, "I think I tripped over my shoe."

"No," I choke out as he bites down on the skin just below my ear, "not…I meant because…because of my father."

The last part comes out in a rush of breath, and I'm not even sure if he hears me until he lets go of my earlobe and pushes himself up on one elbow. "How's he gonna know?"

"You'd be surprised," I answer, but the truth is that unless the room's bugged, one of us would have to tell him. I know it definitely won't be me, and I'm pretty sure Danny wouldn't either. Not unless he was really pissed at me, and even then he'd just be jeopardizing his own career. Besides, if this is just one night…but I’m not thinking about that now, not while Danny's trailing kisses down the center of my chest. When he reaches my stomach I let out a shudder and he looks up at me, and when he smiles at me I stop worrying about consequences. His mouth starts moving against my skin again and I let my head fall back against the mattress, closing my eyes and telling myself there will be plenty of time to worry about consequences tomorrow.

~

Danny didn't leave the restaurant planning to seduce Martin. Sure, he'd been thinking about it since they boarded the plane at La Guardia, but he didn't have an actual plan when he knocked on Martin's door. He just wanted to see him, to see if it was just Nick's talk about his relationship or if there really was something between him and Martin. He could still hear Nick's words when he knocked on the door, and when he sat down on Martin's bed and kicked off his shoes he wasn't exactly sure if he was trying to seduce the other man. He still wasn't sure if this thing between them was worth risking his career, but when Martin admitted that he'd been listening to Danny's phone call he decided that it was worth a try.

He didn't know if they'd wake up in the morning regretting this, but even if he knew for sure they would he didn't think he'd be able to stop. Not now that he knew how Martin kissed, and not when he lifted his hips and let Danny slide his pajamas off. And he should have figured Martin for the pajamas type; he was from a pretty upscale family, after all, and although Danny had never been part of that world he knew enough about it to expect certain things.

He was pretty sure Martin owned coasters, for instance, and he was willing to bet that all his living room furniture matched. He probably had curtains and a headboard and someplace to keep his toothbrush that didn't involve a paper cup. Martin was everything Danny wasn't, and that intrigued him as much as it scared him. He wanted to know everything about the other man; he'd wanted to know since the first moment Martin walked into the office, even though he never would have admitted it back then. There was no way he was going to let a Fitzgerald get by without proving himself, but for some reason even after Martin did prove himself Danny hadn't stopped pushing his buttons.


Maybe it was because that was the safest way he had of getting a reaction out of Martin; if he couldn't have him the way he wanted him, he'd take what he could get. Only now he could have what he wanted, and he already knew one night wasn't going to be enough.

The hand in his hair tightened and he glanced up long enough to meet Martin's gaze, grinning at the other man's slightly glazed expression. He liked being the one to have that affect on Martin; he liked seeing him just a little out of control, finally letting down some of his defenses. He liked knowing that he was the one doing that, and he wanted to see it a lot more.

Once he got them both out of their clothes he took a moment just to look, his knees on either side of Martin's legs and his fingers trailing over the other man's thighs. The skin under his fingers flinched and he smirked when he looked up to find Martin glaring at him.

"That tickles."

"Yeah? You ticklish anywhere else?"

Martin shook his head, but judging by the nervous look in his eyes Danny figured he wasn't telling the truth. He let it go for now, reminding himself that he had plenty of time to discover all Martin's ticklish spots. He grinned at the thought and leaned down for another kiss, moaning into Martin's mouth when strong arms wrapped around him to pull him closer. The body underneath his rocked up hard against him, and Danny swallowed a groan as he rolled his hips in time to Martin's thrusts.

He lifted himself up far enough to get a hand between them, closing his fingers around Martin's length and stroking until he was even harder. Martin gasped against his lips and tore his mouth away, his eyes flying open to watch Danny's fingers moving on his cock.

"Do you have any lube?"

Martin shook his head, his lips moving a few times before he managed to form words. "I wasn't exactly planning on this."


"That's alright," Danny said, letting go of the other man long enough to stand up and reach for his jeans. He dug a condom out of one pocket and set it down on the mattress, then he crossed the room and disappeared into the bathroom. When he reappeared a few seconds later Martin was propped up on his elbows on the bed, a slow grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watched Danny cross back to the bed.

"Haven't used this stuff since high school," Danny said as he dropped the tiny bottle of lotion on the bed. "Beats going back to my room, though."

Martin picked up the condom and held it up, raising and eyebrow when he met Danny's gaze. "I thought you said you weren't planning this."

"I wasn't," Danny answered, pulling the condom out of Martin's outstretched hand. "This morning I was planning on sleeping with somebody else. But that didn't work out, remember?"

As soon as he said it he regretted bringing it up; Martin's smile faded just as quickly as it had surfaced, and Danny could see the tension creeping into his jaw. "Look, Danny…"

"I didn't mean it like that," he interrupted. "To tell you the truth, I’m kind of glad it didn't work out. If Nick hadn't gone and fallen in love with some science geek I probably wouldn't have gotten the nerve to knock on your door tonight."

"Yeah?"

Danny smiled at the tentative edge in Martin's voice. "Yeah."


He leaned forward and pressed their lips together again, letting Martin pull him down until their bodies were flush. When Martin bucked up hard against him he broke the kiss with a loud gasp, pushing himself up onto his knees and tearing the condom wrapper open. Once he finished he looked down at Martin, his cock twitching at the expression on the other man's face. He knew he should ask how Martin wanted to do this, but he'd been thinking about it for too long to pass up the chance to feel the other man inside him.

His hand closed around Martin's cock again, stroking a few times before he looked up. When their eyes met Martin nodded once, and the ball of desire in Danny's stomach tightened in anticipation. He rolled the condom over Martin's length before he reached for the tiny bottle of lotion, shaking a little onto his fingers and spreading it over the condom. As soon as he was done Martin sat up, catching Danny around the waist and pulling him forward. The kiss was all teeth and tongues, wet and urgent and needy. Danny's fingers dug into Martin's shoulders as he pushed his knees apart, letting Martin pull him down into his lap.

He sucked in a harsh breath at the first stretch, but a few seconds later he relaxed enough to let Martin in. It had been awhile since the last time he did this, so it took him a few seconds longer than usual to adjust to the sensation. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed locked together that way, neither of them moving or even breathing. Then Martin's hand left his back to slide into his hair, and Danny slowly pulled off and then sank back down into the other man's lap again.

Their mouths were still pressed together, sharing air more than kissing as they rocked together. Then Martin shifted a little underneath him and hit that spot that made Danny gasp and clutch his shoulders hard enough to bruise, and Danny tore his mouth away from Martin's to bury his face against the other man's neck. He sucked hard at the juncture between neck and shoulder as he rode Martin, the muscles in his legs twitching with the effort as Martin's hands gripped his hips to urge him even faster.

Any second now his legs were going to give out, but there was no way he could stop even long enough to change positions. He didn't want to, because Martin's chest felt good pressed against his and he was raining down hot, frenzied kisses on Danny's neck. Danny lifted his head far enough to capture Martin's mouth again, swallowing a groan as the other man shifted under him again. Martin was leaning back against the headboard now, his fingers digging into Danny's hips hard enough to leave ten finger-shaped marks. The slight shift in position was enough to let him thrust a little deeper, his hips practically lifting them off the mattress with each stroke.

Danny reached between them and closed a hand around his own cock. He leaned back a little, breaking the kiss to watch the other man as they rocked together. And now all Martin's carefully guarded control was gone; his eyes were dark and his mouth was slack and kiss-bruised, his hair clung to his sweat-slick forehead and Danny could tell that he was close to losing control. Even in all the times he'd imagined this he'd never come close to picturing Martin without all his defenses. There was no way he could have, because he never would have believed it if he wasn't seeing it for himself. And now he knew why this was such a bad idea; there was no way he was ever going to be able to look at Martin again without picturing him like this, and he had no idea how he was ever going to get any work done again.

The thought made him laugh, low and shaky in the silence of the hotel room. As soon as Martin's hand closed around his the sound shifted to a moan, and he looked down to watch their joined hands moving over his dick. The sight was enough to push him over the edge, and he squeezed his eyes shut as his orgasm rocked his body. He was still shaking when he felt Martin let go, thrusting up once and letting out a low moan as he came.

Danny waited until Martin relaxed back against the headboard before he climbed off him and collapsed onto the mattress. He knew he was going to have to take a shower before he could get to sleep, but there was no way his legs were going to support him yet. When he felt a kiss pressed against his shoulder he smiled and opened his eyes, watching Martin climb off the bed and head for the bathroom. He heard water running but he didn't open his eyes when the mattress next to him dipped again. Something warm and wet landed on his stomach and he cracked one eye open, watching as Martin ran a washcloth over his sticky skin.

He let out a weary laugh that quickly shifted to a moan when the washcloth dipped between his legs. "Jesus," he murmured, letting his legs fall a little further apart to give the other man better access, "I should've known you were a gentleman."


"Yeah, you should've," Martin answered, but he was smiling when Danny opened his eyes again. He stood up and carried the washcloth back to the bathroom, and Danny moved over to give him enough room to stretch out on the mattress. When he felt warm skin brush against his own he turned his head, forcing his eyes open to watch Martin prop himself up on one elbow.

"What?"

One of Martin's shoulders lifted in a half-shrug, but it was obvious from his expression that he was a little nervous. "Isn't this the part where we talk?"

"Depends what you wanna talk about."

"Well, we've got one more night in Vegas and then we head back to New York. So…"

"So what happens when we get back to our real lives, right?"

Martin nodded and Danny reached over, tugging on the other man's arm until he got the hint and stretched out on top of Danny. "Guess that depends on whether or not you think it's worth it," Danny answered, his hands sliding up Martin's back as he spoke.

"Worth what?" Martin asked, and Danny couldn't help grinning at his confused expression.


"Worth risking our careers, for one thing. Jack knows about me, but some people might not be that crazy about the idea. Your old man, for instance."

Martin smiled and shifted until he was settled a little more comfortably between Danny's legs. "Well, working for Jack already kind of makes us pariahs, right?"

"Pretty much."

"Then I guess this isn't really going to change anything."

Danny thought about telling him that it actually changed everything, but when Martin kissed him again he decided it could wait until later. They still had another whole night before they had to go back to their lives, after all, and there would be plenty of time for regret and second guesses once they were back in New York. For now there was no one around to spread gossip or look at them funny when they thought neither of them would notice, and he was going to enjoy their freedom for as long as they had it.