Illusion? (Completed)

[PlainJaneIAm]

I don't blame Sam for wanting to slap that old lady. I'm about ready to slap her myself. Someone has obviously scared her into silence. I hope she'll tell the truth soon, so Martin won't have to hide.

And now Jasmine shows up on Sam's doorstep... this should be interesting. I wonder what it is she's gotten into that's caused so much trouble for them all.

You better update again soon niping! Don't leave me hanging for another three months ;D

[niping]

Here's another bit!

Chapter 14

“Who is it mummy?”

Sam was shaken from her state of shock by Anna’s shout but it still took her a few moments to try and think up a reply. She wasn’t quick enough for her inquisitive daughter though and Anna came running out into the hallway to see for herself. Jessica was hot on her heels with Jamie not far behind and Sam found herself trying to introduce a woman she barely knew to her family.

“This is my friend Julie,” she improvised quickly and then could have kicked herself for not coming up with another name, sure that Jamie had seen through the lie, “she works with me and Uncle Danny.”

“Our next door neighbour is called Julie,” Anna provided helpfully as Jasmine tried to think of something to say, “She’s going to have a baby soon, she’s really big.”

“Are you new? We’ve never met you before,” Jessica pointed out and Sam quickly replied,

“She’s doing my job whilst I’m away from work.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Realising that Jasmine was still standing on the doorstep, Sam ushered her inside and shut the door.

“Does she know Daddy?” Jessica asked with a slight frown, “She doesn’t think he’s bad, does she?”

“No sweetheart,” Sam replied, bending down to her level, saddened to hear that Jessie was still troubled by that thought, “she doesn’t think he’s bad.”

Sam was surprised when Jasmine added, “I think your daddy is a very nice man. He was very kind to my sister when she needed help.”

Jessica accepted the praise with a nod and a smile, “He isn’t here now but I think he would say you are very nice too.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Jasmine replied with a smile for the little girl.

“Come on girls, let’s go watch the film again,” Jamie said, trying to lead the twins away. She knew that Sam would tell her what was going on eventually.

“Do you want to watch it with us?” Anna offered but Jasmine shook her head.

“I need to talk to your mum, but thank you anyway.”

Sam watched until the girls were out of sight before turning back to Jasmine; she was surprised to see tears shining in the younger woman’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Jasmine whispered brokenly, “this is all my fault.”

Sam didn’t know whether she agreed or disagreed so she went with silence. She gestured for Jasmine to follow her and headed to the kitchen.

“Sit down Jasmine,” she eventually said, “and tell me everything. From the beginning.”

Jasmine nodded and took the seat Sam offered her. She tried to think of how to start before deciding to be completely honest. She looked at Sam and admitted,

“I started using again.”

Sam just nodded and waited for Jasmine to go on.

“I was clean for about three months but then a friend of mine, Jonny, he asked me to come by the music store where he worked one night and offered me some stuff. It was free and there was so much of it and he said that it was really good gear, I had to try it, you know. So I did and it got me hooked again. He kept calling me to come over, always on the same night every week, but he never told me where he was getting the gear, or how he paid for it, until one night when he admitted it wasn’t his, that he was only watching it for someone but that they wouldn’t notice if we took a bit for ourselves every once in a while.”

“Go on,” Sam urged when Jasmine trailed off.

“I don’t really remember what happened all that well,” she admitted quietly, “I was off my face. All I remember is Jonny being really worried about something. He was twitchy and nervous and that was before he shot up. I remember I was lying on the couch in his back office when there was banging downstairs. Jonny went to see who it was. All the security cameras feed into that room and I could see what was going on on the TV in front of me, though I was too out of it to make much sense of what I was seeing at the time.”

“What happened?” Sam asked.

“They killed him,” Jasmine replied, “they killed Jonny. There were three of them, and I saw them kill him. I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do. I was so wasted, I couldn’t think straight but I remember thinking I had to get out of there. I was gonna make a run for it but something made me turn back. I don’t know why it mattered so much, but I wanted to get the tape.”

“From the CCTV?” Sam asked quickly and Jasmine nodded.

“I knocked some stuff off the desk when I was trying to get it and they heard me but I managed to go out the back way. They chased me for a bit but gave up after a while. I woke up the next day in a park nearby and I couldn’t really remember what happened. I still had the tape though and when I watched it back, I realised what had happened.”

“What did you do next?”

“I went to my place. One of the men on the tape was a cop and I knew it was only a matter of time before they found out it was me. Everyone knew Jonny and I were friends. I grabbed my things and went to stay with Gary.”

“The guy from the bar?” Sam guessed and Jasmine shot her a surprised look.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy. He let me crashed at his place whilst I tried to figure out what to do. I was going to just let them get away with it, but then I remembered your husband. I called Jane and asked if she would help me and she said she would.”

Sam nodded, “She called Martin and he said he’d help. You didn’t turn up the first time though,” she pointed out and Jasmine nodded.

“I couldn’t. By that time the cops had found out it was me they’d seen and they’d been asking all my friends about me. They came to talk to Gary when I was there; I had to hide in his wardrobe. I heard them say that they thought I had something to do with the murder and I knew I had to speak to Jane before they did; I didn’t want her to think I’d done it. I went round that night.”

Jasmine swallowed and swiped at the tears threatening to fall. Sam placed her hand on top of hers and asked,

“What happened?”

“Jane could tell right away that I’d been using again. She was so angry and disappointed. I’d promised her I was clean and she didn’t want to listen to what I had to say. We argued for ages until I finally gave up. I gave her the tape and told her to watch it and then left.” Jasmine was crying now as she added, “I went back the next day to meet Martin and saw all the police and I knew. I knew what had happened to her. It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault Jasmine,” Sam argued, trying to sooth the younger woman, not wanting to draw the attention of the others sat in the living room.

“I’m so sorry you got caught up in this,” Jasmine whispered as she wiped away her tears, “I should have just disappeared and none of this would have happened. I was going to disappear,” she added quietly and Sam frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I was all set to leave. I heard what had happened to Jane and I just thought, screw this, I’m out of here. But then I heard that they were trying to pin it on your husband and I couldn’t do it. I wanted to,” she admitted in a small voice, “I was at the bus stop, ready to go, but I just couldn’t leave knowing I could prove he was innocent.”

“I thought you said that you gave the tape to Jane?” Sam asked with confusion and Jasmine smiled weakly.

“I gave that copy of the tape to Jane. Gary made copies of it for me; he knew that if the cops ever caught up with me, they’d never kill me if they knew someone else had a copy of the tape.”

“Smart guy,” Sam complimented before adding, “Do you have a copy with you?”

“No,” Jasmine replied, “I didn’t think it was a good idea to walk around with them. I hid them.”

“We’re going to need a copy,” Sam replied, “Where are they?”

“The nearest one is at a bus stop downtown. It’s stuck on the roof.”

“The roof?” Sam repeated and Jasmine smiled.

“It’s not exactly the first place you’d look, is it?”

“Good point,” Sam conceded, standing up. “I’m going to go get it.”

“What, now?” Jasmine asked, standing up.

“Yes,” Sam replied over her shoulder as she headed for the living room. She caught Jamie’s eye and mentioned for her to come into the hall. The girls were happy watching their film and took no notice.

“What’s up?” Jamie asked quietly, eyeing Jasmine as she stood in the kitchen doorway.

“This is Jasmine, Jane’s sister,” Sam replied, adding when Jamie looked shocked, “It’s ok, she’s here to help us. She can prove that Martin is innocent.”

Jamie nodded without hesitation, “What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to stay here with the girls and Jasmine until I get back,” Sam replied, “I’m going to call Danny and get him to come over,” she added when Jamie looked about to protest.

“I could come with you,” Jasmine offered but Sam shook her head.

“You should stay here. I’m going to get the tape and then me, you and Danny are going to go to the DA’s and tell them everything.”

Jasmine and Jamie nodded their agreement and Sam breathed a sigh of relief, glad she didn’t have to argue with them. The sooner she could get the tape, the sooner Martin could come back home.

“Girls,” she called gently, walking over to them, “I have to go out for a bit.”

“Why?” Anna questioned as Jessica stopped the film and looked up at her.

“Jas...Julie,” Sam corrected quickly, “is going to stay with us for tonight but she forgot her sleeping back so I’m going to go fetch it for her.”

“Cool, sleepover!” Anna called and bounded over to their new friend, “We can eat marshmallows and tell stories!”

“I think marshmallows are more of a camping thing poppet,” Jamie replied with a smile at her niece’s enthusiasm, “but a story does sound good.”

“Aunty Jamie tells the best stories,” Jessica told Jasmine and Anna quickly agreed with that statement.

“Apart from maybe mummy,” Jessica added as an afterthought. “She tells good stories about her and daddy. Do you want to hear one?” She asked Jasmine and after a quick look at Sam, who just shrugged, Jasmine quickly agreed.

“I’ll tell you the one about the time daddy proposed to mummy, cos that’s my new favourite one now.”

“I haven’t heard that one,” Anna complained with a pout in Sam’s direction; Jamie quickly soothed her ruffled feathers by saying,

“Neither have I; Jessie can tell us both.”

Sam quietly slipped away as Jessica began her story, hoping and praying that by this time tomorrow their family would be back together again.

[blu]

Awww the girls are so cute! Loving all these updates Niping!

[niping]

And another bit for you

Chapter 15

Sam pulled out of the drive and headed for downtown, pulling her cell phone out of her bag as she tried to keep one eye on the road. She found Danny’s number in her quick dial list and pressed call, placing her phone to her ear and using her shoulder to keep it in place so she could use both hands to drive. She listened to it ring and ring, wondering where the hell Danny was and why he wasn’t picking up his phone. As she pulled up to a set of lights her phone slipped from her shoulder onto the floor by her feet.

“Shit!”

After a bit of fumbling around under her seat she managed to find her cell and quickly sat up again; the light had changed and the cars behind her were tooting their horns impatiently for her to get moving. She put her foot on the gas and took a look in the rear view mirror. The guy in the car behind her was gesturing angrily at her, but it wasn’t him that caught her attention. It was the car behind his that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up; it looked suspiciously like the one she had spotted outside the house earlier on.

Sam called Danny again as her eyes flashed back and forth between the road in front of her and the car behind her. Was she being paranoid? She took a random turn, and then another, and still the car stayed behind her and she suddenly wished she had her gun with her. Since the girls had been born neither she nor Martin had wanted to have a gun in the house so she always left it at the office. Now she really wished they weren’t such careful parents. And where the hell was Danny?!

“Hey, I’m busy, leave a message...”

“Shit, shit, shit,” Sam muttered to herself, disconnecting and then calling Danny once more. It went to his answer phone again so Sam decided all she could do was leave a message and hope he picked it up soon.

“Hey Danny, it’s me. Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone?! Jasmine turned up at my house tonight; the tape is CCTV footage of the cops murdering a drug dealer. I’m on my way to get a copy of the tape that Jasmine hid, I need you to go to mine. Jamie and Jasmine are there with the girls; we can go to the DA when I’ve got the tape. Call me back when you get this Danny, I think I’m being...” Sam was about to say that she was being followed but when she looked up into the rear view mirror the car was gone. She frowned, still wary, but it had definitely gone. “Never mind, just please call me.”

Sam hung up and tossed her cell onto the seat beside her and focused on her driving. She kept checking to see whether the car had returned but she didn’t see it again; telling herself that she was just imagining things she kept her eyes on the road and her mind on remember the directions Jasmine had given her. She took a few wrong turns and had to back track twice but she eventually pulled up across the road from the stop where Jasmine had hidden the tape.

Climbing out the car, making sure to lock it behind her, Sam took stock of her surroundings. There were a few cars parked nearby but no people and Sam, relieved by that fact, headed across the street. The closer she got to the stop, the bigger it seemed until, standing next to it with her hands on her hips, she looked up and muttered,

“Jasmine, how the hell did you get it up there?”

Taking a quick look around to make sure she really was alone, Sam jumped up and grabbed hold of the edge of the stop; with an effort she managed to pull herself up so she could see over the top. It took a few seconds but she spotted the tape just as her arms gave out and she had to let go. Landing, Sam gave her arms a shake; it had been a while since she’d done chin ups. The tape had been about two feet from the edge and Sam knew she would have to climb up there and get it; she headed back to her car for something to stand on.

Opening the trunk she sent a quick thank you to Martin for being so pernickety; her tool kit, de-icer, scraper, windscreen wash and other car related paraphernalia were all neatly tucked away in a box that she quickly upended with a smile as she imagined her husband’s dismay. He was one of those guys who kept their cars completely spotless and tidy and she made a note to thank him for it later.

Box in hand, Sam headed back to the stop and, placing it on the floor in front of her, stepped up and reached her arm up towards where the tape was. She patted the top of the roof in a wide arc, huffing with frustration when she came up empty. The street was quiet except for the sound of her mutters of frustration as she stood on her tiptoes and looked over the top of the roof. Spotting the tape she reached her hand out and stretched; her fingers brushed the edge of it and she smiled with success,

“Ah, gotcha.”

She’d just managed to pry the tape lose from the cellotape holding it in place, her mind completely focused on the task, when a voice spoke directly behind her and she went completely still.

“Don’t move.”

***

“You look like a cave man.”

Wyn laughed as Martin scowled at Danny,

“Thanks. Jeez, remind me again why we’re friends.”

“Because I tell it to you straight Marty boy, and there’s no way of getting around the fact that you look like hell,” Danny replied with a grin and Wyn chuckled as he agreed,

“He does have a point, although I think you look more lumberjack than caveman.”

Danny pretended to consider the possibility, “Yeah, I can see that. Swap the jumper for a plaid shirt and braces and you’d be set.”

“Alright,” Martin said, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably, “knock it off. You’re supposed to feel sorry for me, not take the piss out of me,” he pointed out with a frown at his two unrepentant friends.

“You’ve been doing a good enough job of that all by yourself lad,” Wyn pointed out with a knowing look; he’d witnessed Martin’s ups and downs and knew the strain he was under. It had been him who had sought Danny out once more, surprising the younger man with his appearance and request to come over and cheer Martin up.

“Exactly,” Danny seconded, gesturing between him and Wyn, “so it’s our job to make you realise that things could be worse.”

“How could things possibly be any worse?” Martin asked with a reluctant smile.

“You could be a lumberjack,” Wyn quipped and Danny laughed into his beer.

Martin smiled as he shook his head and took a swig of his drink. He had been going stir crazy with all the waiting but felt a little better now that Danny had told him what he and Sam had been up to, and about how it had gone with the witness. Though the news was mixed Martin was glad that they were finally getting somewhere, however slowly. At least a part of him was. The greater part of him just wanted to go home. He missed his wife and his children.

“Are you going to see who that was?” Wyn asked, nodding towards Danny’s phone that was buzzing and flashing angrily at them. Danny had been determinedly ignoring it for the past ten minutes.

“And risk having Mrs Taylor find out where I am?” Danny replied, reaching for his beer, “I think not.”

“You should see who it was,” Martin chided with a smile, “it could be important.”

“Fine,” Danny huffed, pushing himself out of his chair. He smacked the back of Martin’s head as he passed him on the way to collect his phone from where he’d left it on the kitchen counter.

“What the hell was that for?” Martin asked, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at his friend.

“For spoiling my fun; it’s not going to be anything important but I’m going to have to leave and it’s...”

“All my fault,” Martin finished for him as Danny frowned down at his phone’s display, “Ok, I get it.”

“Well?” Wyn asked when Danny didn’t say anything, “was it your wife?”

“No, it was Sam,” Danny replied, looking at Martin as he added, “There’s two missed calls and a message.”

He pressed the message button and pressed his phone to his ear to listen to what Sam had to say.

“Hey Danny, it’s me. Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone?! Jasmine turned up at my house tonight; the tape is CCTV footage of the cops murdering a drug dealer. I’m on my way to get a copy of the tape that Jasmine hid, I need you to go to mine. Jamie and Jasmine are there with the girls; we can go to the DA when I’ve got the tape. Call me back when you get this Danny, I think I’m being...never mind, just please call me.”

Martin watched the emotions play across Danny’s face and quickly stood up. “What is it?”

“Jasmine is at your house,” Danny replied before deciding to listen to the message again. What had Sam been about to say?

“What?” Martin demanded, shocked. “How did she...?”

“Shhh,” Danny said, “I can’t hear what she’s saying.”

“Ok,” he stated when he’d listened to the message again, “From the sounds of it, Jasmine just turned up at your unannounced. According to Sam the tape is CCTV footage of a murder.”

“Whose?” Martin asked.

“A drug dealer, she didn’t say his name,” he added when Martin looked about to interrupt. “And that’s not all.”

“What do you mean?” Wyn asked, coming to stand with them.

“Sam was right,” Danny replied, looking between the two of them. “The men on the tape, they’re cops.”

“Shit,” Martin muttered, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Where’s Jasmine now? Is she still with Sam?” He asked Danny.

“No,” Danny replied, shaking his head, “Jasmine is at yours with Jamie and the girls but Sam is on her way to get the tape.”

“What?!” Martin almost shouted. He couldn’t believe Sam had gone on her own, knowing that these guys were after Jasmine and that tape. “Call her back Danny, now.”

Danny nodded and dialled Sam’s number as she said, “I’ll go to yours; she asked me to come over so we could take Jasmine and the tape to the DA’s.”

“I’m coming with you,” Martin stated firmly and Danny, after a slight hesitation, agreed. There was no answer as Sam’s phone went to the answer machine. Martin was watching him so Danny shook his head.

“Fuck,” he whispered and turned away as Danny tried again.

“She’ll be ok Martin,” Wyn tried to reassure him, “she knows how to take care of herself.”

“If anything happens to her,” Martin couldn’t go on, shaking his head to try and clear it of the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. He kept seeing flashes of Jane as she lay dying on the floor, imagining Sam lying there instead...

“Dammit Sam, pick up,” Danny muttered as he tried her yet again. Where the hell was she?

***

Sam waited in tense silence for the next instruction, her blood pounding in her ears as she frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation. She could have kicked herself for letting herself get caught out like this; she should have been more careful!

“Have you got the tape?” The voice asked and Sam nodded.

“Then step down keeping your hands where I can see them.”

Sam did as she was told, making sure to keep a firm hold of the tape as she stepped down from the box and held her hands out to the sides. She jumped slightly when the tape was snatched away from her, even more so when there was a loud crashing noise on the floor behind her. There goes the tape, she thought.

“Step to the side,” the man told her, nudging her away from the road, “start walking.”

Sam stumbled slightly as he gave her a little shove and when she righted herself her breathing was coming hard and fast. Think, think! There had to be a way out of this, there had to be! Her panic increased tenfold when she saw that they were headed towards a dark alleyway further up the street. The perfect place to leave me, Sam thought grimly, no one will find me there until tomorrow at best. As she walked blindly into the darkness, knowing he was behind her, undoubtedly pointing a gun straight at her back, Sam was suddenly struck by a wave of déjà vu. She was back in the scrap yard with Niran Kiet at her back, knowing she was going to die. Except she hadn’t been ready to die that day and she sure as hell wasn’t ready to die now either. Her husband and her daughters needed her and she wasn’t going to give up without a fight!

Looking down at the floor in front of her, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, Sam frantically searched for something she could use against her opponent. She spotted some empty bottles by a dustbin a little way ahead of her and stepped towards them, hoping they’d be enough. She pretended to trip and fall, reaching out to grab hold of wine bottle by the stem as her captor shouted at her to get up. Sam took her time getting to her knees, careful to keep her hand out of sight, hoping he would lose his patience with her. Her plan paid off and he came closer, bending and reaching out to grab hold of her shoulder.

Sam didn’t give herself a chance to hesitate; she span, her arm whipping around in a wide arc, the bottle smashing against the side of his head and slashing across his face. He screamed and clutched at his face with his free hand, the blood pouring between his fingers as Sam rolled to the side, out of range. She knocked him to his knees with a kick to the back of legs and, using all of her body weight, forced him to lie on his front. Grabbing hold of his hand she twisted his arm behind his back and wrested his gun from him. One hard whack to the back of his head and he was out cold and Sam could finally breath again. She scrambled back and took several deep, gulping breaths, her whole body shaking. Staring at the state of his face, Sam felt almost horrified by what she’d done. He needed medical attention, and fast, but as she stared at the prone man a sudden realisation hit her. If this was one of the men on the tape, that meant that the other two were still out there; she had to get home!

Shaking herself into action, Sam ran out of the alleyway into the street. She went via the bus stop, pausing to gather up the remains of the tape, just in case, before heading over to her car. She quickly got in and snatched up her cell from where she’d left it on the passenger seat, not noticing the missed call symbol in the bottom corner. She dialled 911 as she pulled away, thinking to get the man help, knowing that his testimony, if he survived, might be crucial in clearing Martin’s name.

***

Running up the front steps to the house, Sam dropped her keys, swore, tried to use the wrong key and then, when she’d finally got the right one, couldn’t get it into the slot. She swore again and told herself to calm down, that it was going to be ok. She finally got the door open and, letting it bang shut behind her, hurried towards the living room.

“Jamie, we have to go. Where are...?”

Jamie and Jasmine looked up from their seats on the couch as Sam came to a dead stop just inside the doorway, her face whitening.

“Good evening Mrs Fitzgerald.”

[dee24]

Holy crap whats going to happen next. This story just keeps getting better and better.

Awesome update more soon please

[Bright Eyes]

Firstly Niping, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

FOUR updates in TWO days!!! That has to be a record! Every time I left the computer, another one seemed to appear!!


Sam sure did think on her feet when the girls wanted to know who Jasmine was. All I could think was 'I hope she wasn't followed!'

I feel so sorry for Jasmine. It must be soul-destroying to slip back into the habit and then have to face your loved ones, knowing they'll guess straight away.
I have to say, she was very brave to grab the tape and wise to contact Gary so he's look after her. And clever of him to make copies of the tape.
And though her sister was murdered and she just wanted to run, she still thought of Martin, an innocent victim in the whole mess.
Now, when Sam announced she was calling Danny to come to her house to look after everyone there, I was thinking "Don't go alone Sam!! Call for back-up" But no.


As soon as she couldn't contact Danny, I knew something bad was going to happen. And when she saw the car following her I kept thinking 'Drive to the FBI Building!' (Yeah, definitely watch too much TV!)
I just knew it was still following her and I froze when the voice told her not to move.

But the little scene with Martin, Danny and Wyn and their merciless teasing of Martin was hilarious. But Danny, why oh why didn't you answer your phone?

Sam was so brave the way she fought her way out of that alley. She sure kicked the gunman's ass! The way she pulled herself together, how she thought of picking up the broken tape, calling 911 and then racing home - what an agent!

But you threw in that shocker at the end, just as I thought everything was going to be okay!!

Now I'm extremely mad at you.
How the hell could you leave it there? OMG!!!

You just better post another chapter soon madam! Or I'll bump you off the board!!


(Excellent updates!!!)

[PlainJaneIAm]

Good Lord girl! The writing bug sure bit you all of a sudden!!

I'm glad they're finally making progress with proving Martin's innocence. Now if they can just stay alive long enough to tell everyone about it!

You know, after what... 4 updates you think I'd be content, but then you had to go and stop with that creepy "Good evening Mrs Fitzgerald"!!! Who is it? Is it the other 2 guys? Surely not. If it is, I hope Danny and Martin get there before they take the girls away.

You better update again soon!!! ;D

[niping]

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Time for a show down...

Chapter 16

“I’ve told you before you asshole, its Agent Fitzgerald to you.”

Jamie couldn’t believe her ears; Sam had actually lost her mind. Didn’t she watch cop shows? Everyone knew that the first rule of any hostage situation was not to aggravate your captor. She watched with fear as Chambers laughed and used his gun to motion Sam to stand over by the couch with Jasmine and her. He moved into the doorway, his back to the hall and kitchen as he replied,

“I can’t say I’m happy to see you again Mrs Fitzgerald, though I have to admit I’m not surprised. I suppose you made short work of Callaghan, didn’t you?”

Sam nodded, never taking her eyes off the two detectives. Chambers was clearly the one in charge as Brandon stood off to the side, silent and watchful.

“You see,” Chamber said to Brandon, waving his gun around carelessly, “I told you you should have gone after her.”

Brandon didn’t answer and Sam took the chance to demand, “Where are my daughters? If you’ve touched them I swear I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Chambers taunted, taking a threatening step towards her. Sam stood her ground but Brandon moved to intervene.

“They’re upstairs, we haven’t touched them,” he replied as he grabbed Chambers by the arm and pulled him back a step. Sam got the impression that the other detective wasn’t quite in control and thought for a way to use it to her advantage.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Chambers drawled, “your precious daughters are safe. Let’s just hope they know what’s good for them and stay where they are,” he added with a glint in his eye, “we wouldn’t want to have to take care of another two witnesses.”

“You bastard!” Sam practically shouted, ready to launch herself at the man grinning at her. Brandon pushed her back and rounded on his partner,

“That’s enough! What’s the matter with you?!”

“Me?!” Chambers shouted, raking his eyes over Brandon scornfully, “You’re the one who…” he bit off whatever he’d been about to say and muttered darkly, “You better not be bailing on me now Brandon. We’re in this together.”

“I know!” Brandon replied sharply; he took a deep breath before adding, “But let’s just get this over and done with.”

“You’re not going to get away with this, not again,” Sam argued and Jasmine rose to stand beside her as she added,

“She’s right; too many people know the truth.”

“Shut up!” Chambers shouted but Sam ignored him as she pressed on; she spoke mostly to Brandon, knowing that he was the less sure of the two.

“You won’t be able to cover it up this time; there’s no one you can pin it on…”

“Isn’t there?” Chambers replied with a smile. He gestured to Jasmine and said, “Jane’s sister, devastated by her sisters murder, decides to come here to confront you about it.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of white powder as he added, “She’s coked up to the eyeballs, naturally, and things get out of hand, both of you are killed, along with your innocent friend here caught in the crossfire. Sounds pretty plausible to me,” he finished with a self-satisfied grin which Sam quickly wiped off his face when she reminded him,

“What about the tape?”

“Ah yes,” Chambers sighed, putting the packet back into his pocket, “the tape. We were just talking about that, weren’t we Jasmine, before you interrupted us. Do you have it?” He asked suddenly and Sam shook her head.

She was confused; from what Jasmine had said, she had assumed that they had taken the tape from Jane, probably thinking that it was the only copy. Why else would they have killed her and trashed her place?

“The other guy destroyed it,” she said eventually; it wasn’t a complete lie and the two detectives fell for it.

“Good, one less thing for us to have to take care of,” Chambers replied with a smile, raising his gun to point it at Sam’s chest. “Now where were we?”

“There’s copies!” Jasmine blurted and Chambers frowned at her; he didn’t lower his gun and Sam’s heartbeat was so fast it almost hurt. Please let Danny be on his way, she thought, please!

“What?” Brandon asked, coming forward.

“I made copies,” Jasmine replied, glad that her voice only shook a little bit.

“You’re lying,” Chambers accused but Jasmine shook her head,

“I’m not. And I left one with a friend to take to the police in case anything happened to me.”

There was a tense silence as the two detectives looked at each other. Neither Sam or Jasmine noticed as Jamie suddenly stiffened and then tried to shuffle to the other end of the couch, away from the two men.

“Fuck!” Chambers suddenly shouted, making the rest of them jump. Sam watched Brandon. He was wavering, she could tell. She could imagine what had happened and didn’t envy him for having to try and control Chambers. She aimed her arguments at him,

“It’s over. There’s no way out of this for you now. You should stop before you make it any worse than it already is…”

“SHUT UP!” Chambers all but bellowed and Sam cringed, knowing that if he got any louder he’d wake up next door, let alone her daughters asleep upstairs. He rounded on Jasmine and levelled his gun at her as he shouted, “Bitch, this is all your fault…!”

***

“Can’t you go any faster?”

Danny glanced over at Martin as he pointed out, “We’ll be of no use to them if we’re dead Martin; I’m already breaking the limit.”

“Right, sorry,” Martin replied with a sigh. He knew Danny was right, he did, but he was having trouble being logical right now. Sam still wasn’t answering her phone and Martin wasn’t sure how much more uncertainty his nerves could take. And it was taking too damn long to get home!

“Danny,” he began but his friend cut him off with a brusque,

“Knock it off! I’m trying to concentrate.”

Martin didn’t say another word until they’d pulled into his street. He spotted the strange car parked outside first and pointed it out to Danny. He tossed him his phone and told him to call 911.

“And tell them what?” Martin asked and Danny pulled to a stop about 20 metres away from the house.

“Whatever,” Danny replied, reaching to the glove compartment for his weapon, “Just get them here.”

Martin went with telling them there’d been a break in and once it was done the two of them slowly headed for the house. The downstairs was mostly lit up, which was normal, and there didn’t seem to be anything out of place from what they could see. As they crossed the front lawn though Martin noticed that Sam’s car was almost half on and half off the drive and frowned over the shoddy parking job; Danny noticed it too and quietly said,

“That’s not like Sam.”

They were just climbing the steps up to the front door when they heard a man’s shout from inside; Danny froze and Martin paled, his knees weakening for a moment as realisation hit.

“Come on,” Danny whispered, pulling Martin away, “we’ll go around the back way. You’ve got your key, haven’t you?”

Martin nodded, not trusting his voice. As they crept around the side of the kitchen to the back door there was another shout and it took all of Martin’s control not to just burst in, knowing it would probably get them all killed. As Danny was unlocking the backdoor as quietly as he could Martin suddenly wondered whether the girls could be downstairs and then wished that he hadn’t. He couldn’t shake the thought and he swore he’d kill the bastards himself if they’d touched his daughters.

Danny finally got the door open far enough for them to squeeze inside and they kept low behind the kitchen counters as they moved towards the open doorway that led into the hall and the living room. That was where the voices were coming from and as they got close enough Martin heard a man saying,

“...coked up to the eyeballs, naturally, and things get out of hand, both of you are killed, along with your innocent friend here caught in the crossfire. Sounds pretty plausible to me.”

“What about the tape?” He heard Sam reply as he followed Danny as he edged closer to the door. Staying pressed with his back against the wall, Martin listened to the conversation going on in the next room as Danny peaked around the doorframe to take a look.

“Ah yes, the tape. We were just talking about that, weren’t we Jasmine, before you interrupted us. Do you have it?”

Danny looked over his shoulder at Martin and mouthed, “Sam, Jamie and Jasmine; no girls.”

Martin sagged against the wall as relief swept over him; the feeling was short lived though as he heard Sam’s reply followed by,

“Good, one less thing for us to have to take care of. Now where were we?”

“There’s copies!” A woman whose voice Martin didn’t recognise and who he guessed to be Jasmine suddenly said.

“What?” A new voice replied, this time male.

Danny shifted his position so that Detective Chamber’s back was firmly in his sights, thanking God or whoever was listening that both detectives had their backs to the door. Sam and Jasmine were focused on the two men in front of them, but Jamie happened to glance towards the kitchen and spotted Danny; her eyes widened with shock and she sat up a little straighter but she didn’t show any other outward reaction to his presence, for which Danny was grateful. He carefully motioned for her to move to the other end of the couch, thinking to get her out of the way as silence descended on the rest of the group.

“Fuck!” Chambers suddenly shouted and Danny tensed, gripping his weapon firmly in two hands. He knew he had the advantage of surprise but he was outnumbered; he could take one out, but there was still a risk that the other could hurt one of the three women. As Sam occupied Brandon’s attention Danny chanced a half a step forward so he could get a clearer shot.

“It’s over. There’s no way out of this for you now. You should stop before you make it any worse than it already is…”

“SHUT UP!”

Danny saw Chambers swing around and aim at Jasmine and knew that this was it.

“Bitch, this is all your fault…!”

***

When Chambers rounded on Jasmine, Sam acted without thinking. She dived to the side, pushing Jasmine out of the way, her momentum knocking both of them to the floor. Two shots sounded almost simultaneously and the pain that slashed across her shoulder told her that one of them had hit her. The other had come from Danny, hitting Chambers in the back and causing him to miss his aim, saving Sam’s life.

Alerted to Danny’s presence, both detectives span and aimed their weapons; fuelled by adrenaline, Sam scrambled to her feet and launched herself at the one nearest to her. Jasmine wasn’t far behind and the two of them knocked Brandon to the ground as Danny and Chambers exchanged shots. Chambers missed, hitting the wall besides Danny before Danny shot back, hitting him in the chest.

When the shooting had started Martin, thinking only of Sam, had rushed out of the kitchen and run over to where Sam and Jasmine were trying to pin Brandon down whilst wrestling his weapon from him. Martin kicked the gun out of the man's hand before adding his weight to the two women’s, pulling Sam into his arms as he did so.

After checking that Chambers was dead, Danny came over to join them, careful to keep his gun trained on Brandon even though the detective had finally accepted that it was over. Sam and Martin were oblivious to all that though as they clung to one another. Sam was crying and shaking so hard she couldn’t speak, and Martin was becoming more and more agitated as he asked her again and again if she was alright and didn’t get an answer. Just as he noticed the blood soaking through Sam’s shirt she pulled away from him and, with a stricken look, tried to scramble to her feet. She tripped in her haste, falling heavily on her knee, but carried on undeterred. Martin was only a second behind her and Danny, momentarily confused, suddenly understood where they were going when they both headed for the stairs.

Sam took the stairs two at a time, Martin right on her heels as the sound of the girls cries got louder the closer they got. She called out to them, her voice breaking with her own tears,

“Girls! Girls, it’s ok.”

“Mummy!” Was the terrified reply as Sam finally reached their room and opened the door.

Anna and Jessica, huddled together in the corner of Jessica’s bed, hidden under the protective cover of the duvet, let out a scream when Sam burst into the room but almost immediately realised it was her and began to cry. Martin appeared in the doorway a moment later and despite his new beard and the room being dark, Jessica instantly recognised her dad and almost leapt off the bed in her bid to get to him. Martin met her halfway and, pulling her into his arms, sat down heavily on the bed, reaching out with his other arm to pull Anna to him. Sam somehow managed to find space and the four of them huddled together on the bed, Martin trying to reassure his crying daughters and wife whilst fighting back his own tears.

“Shh, it’s ok, it’s ok,” he soothed, tightening his hold, “it’s over now. All over.”

[PlainJaneIAm]

Thank goodness those guys are finally caught! I knew those detectives were no good!! It's a shame that Jane and Jasmine couldn't even trust the police. If you can't trust law enforcement, who can you trust? At least Martin was there to help them and got himself into a bit of trouble because of it.

Thankfully, the family is okay and they caught the bad guys. Great update! ;D

[cludwig]

Okay, I am way behind since you gave us so many wonderful updates. But I do have to thank you for providing us with the English translation of the Welsh anthem. As well as for the character of Wyn - hetruly is a character.

[niping]

Wyn is based on a mixture of my Global Security lecturer and a guy I lived with in halls last year- they're both Welsh and crazy

[Bright Eyes]

OMG!!! That was so exciting! Talk about action packed! My blood pressure is just about back to normal!!

I KNEW it was those 2 cops who were waiting for Sam. That Chambers guy sounded as if he might have tried a little bit of the white powder - he seemed totally unhinged.

Sam played it cool, trying to negotiate with Brandon instead. All I kept thinking was 'Where the hell are Danny and Martin?'

They were quick to notice something was wrong at the house and Danny orchestrated the rescue to perfection. Chambers will be no loss to society.

And Sam, with her motherly instincts and no matter about herself, running up the stairs to get to her girls. Thank goodness they were unharmed, but they were petrified.

I could just see them all there on the bed, hugging each other and crying.

Thank goodness it's over, though the memory will stay with them a long time.

Brilliant update Niping!! Loved it!!

[niping]

Hi, sorry about the delay, I've been at my grandparents for the weekend and they have no computer!

There's not much of this story left now, just a handful of chapters, so I hope you've enjoyed it

Chapter 17

Danny decided that some conversation was in order as he and the woman beside him kept a watchful eye on Brandon.

“So, you must be Jasmine,” he commented and she looked up, surprised, and nodded.

“Uh, yeah.” He seemed to expect something more and so she asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Danny,” he replied and Jasmine nodded again.

Danny inwardly smiled at her expression; she was looking at him as though he’d gone a bit mad. Deciding to have a little fun he cheerfully said, “Well, it’s lovely to meet you Jasmine.”

“Yeah,” Jasmine replied, unconvinced, and Danny smiled.

“You ok over there Jamie?” He called out after a moment; Martin’s sister hadn’t moved from her position on the couch.

“I feel like I’ve been on a rollercoaster non-stop for the past hour,” she moaned pitifully and Danny almost laughed at her tone.

“Yeah,” he agreed, thinking that was a very apt description of how they all probably felt, “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll pass eventually.”

Danny heard the sound of sirens in the distance and noticed Jasmine stiffen as she undoubtedly heard it too. He tried to reassure her,

“It’s ok, Martin and I called them on our way here. And a few of the neighbours probably reported the sound of gunshots too,” he added and Jasmine nodded.

“How are we going to explain to them about...?” She asked uneasily, gesturing between the two detectives.

Brandon, who had been silent until that point, decided to speak up, “I can talk to them for you.”

“How very generous of you,” Danny replied sarcastically, pushing down on Brandon’s back, “But I’ve got a better idea; you save your breath for you defence and we’ll tell them what happened.”

Upstairs, Sam and Martin noticed the sirens too and looked at each other over the top of their daughter’s heads; Jessica was in Martin’s arms and Anna in Sam’s.

“What are we going to do?” Sam whispered, her face blotchy and her eyes red. The adrenalin had left her all of a sudden and she was relying on Martin to take care of them now. She’d had to manage for so long on her own, she couldn’t do it anymore.

“We can’t take them downstairs,” Martin stated and Sam quickly agreed, knowing what was waiting for them in the living room.

Jessica shifted slightly before snuggling further into Martin’s arms, a tired sigh escaping her lips. Her eyes were closed and she looked to be almost asleep, exhausted by the ordeal but feeling safe in her dad’s arms. Anna was also almost asleep, Martin noted, and he looked at Sam as he whispered,

“They seem pretty tired.”

Sam understood what he was getting at and quietly suggested, “I could stay here whilst you...”

“What about your arm?” Martin reminded her and Sam glanced down at her shoulder; the bullet had only grazed the skin but the cut was quite deep and was now stinging something fierce.

“It’s not too bad,” she lied and Martin shook his head,

“You should still get it checked out; you might need stitches. And,” he added when she looked about to argue, “they are going to want to talk to you about what happened.”

Sam opened her mouth to argue but knew he was right and nodded. They were silent until Sam reluctantly suggested, “We could ask Jamie to stay with them.”

Martin agreed that that was probably a good idea and they fell silent again. They watched their daughters sleep, relieved that for the moment at least the twins didn’t seem too traumatised by what had happened. It wouldn’t last though, they both knew, and Sam tightened her hold on Anna as she whispered, “I don’t want to go anywhere; I don’t want to leave them.”

“Neither do I,” Martin admitted just as the sirens became even louder and the sounds of a car pulling up could be heard. Jessica stirred slightly at the noise but a few whispered words from Martin calmed her once more.

“Go answer that,” Danny instructed Jasmine with a nod in the direction of the front door, “I’ll stay here with him.”

Jasmine did as she was told and went to the front door; she opened it to find two patrol cars on the drive and four cops, their weapons drawn, waiting expectantly.

“We had a report of shots fired at this address,” the nearest one stated and Jasmine nodded.

“You better come in; one of them is...well, just come in.”

She held the door open and the four of them filed in, heading for the living room where Jasmine told them Danny was waiting. If she weren’t still so shaken she probably would have smiled at the varying reactions they all had to the scene they walked in upon.

Danny immediately took charge when he saw the patrolmen; “I’m Special Agent Danny Taylor, a friend of the family. This is Jasmine Zoyalinos and Jamie Turner.” Danny purposefully avoided using Martin’s name for the moment as he added, “Upstairs are the couple who live here along with their two daughters. That man there is Detective Chambers and this one here,” he finished, gesturing to the man on the floor, “is Detective Brandon. Both of them work for the NYPD. They attempted to take the three women and the two girls hostage. Sam, she’s upstairs, called me and I was able to stop them before they could kill anyone; Chambers as you can see was killed in the process.”

The four men looked like they were struggling to take it all in and it was clear to Danny that the two detectives were known to them. That suspicion was confirmed when one stepped forward and repeated with apparent disbelief,

“Detective Brandon? You must have the wrong guy, he works at my...”

Frustrated, Danny pulled Brandon up to his knees and let the patrolman take a good look at him. Brandon, to his credit, accepted what was happening and said,

“There’s no mistake. Chambers and I we...god, it’s a long story,” he admitted with a shake of his head, “but Agent Taylor is right, we did take these women hostage.”

Another patrolman who didn’t know Brandon or Chambers personally came forward and took control,

“Higgins, get him out of here. Grey, call and get a crime scene unit here and then get a hold of Detective Poole. The occupants of the house are upstairs?” He checked, turning to Danny as two of his colleagues grabbed Brandon and began to lead him away.

“Yeah, with their daughters,” Danny replied; he gestured to Jamie and said, “I think it’s probably best to let Jamie got a fetch them; they won’t want to leave their daughters alone and Jamie is their aunt.”

“Ok,” the other man agreed and Jamie quickly got up and headed upstairs. Danny approved of the way the patrolman was handling things and said,

“I didn’t catch your name,”

“Blair,” the man replied, “Tony Blair.”

“Really?” Danny asked, amused.

Blair sighed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, unfortunately. And spare me any jokes, I’ve heard them all before.”

“I’m sure you have,” Danny agreed with a grin. There was silence for a long moment as they waited for the others to come downstairs. Jasmine was stood nearby, her arms wrapped her middle, and Tony, noticing her unease, asked,

“Are you alright ma’am?”

“I’m fine,” Jasmine replied quickly, surprised by the enquiry. She was shaking and tried to hide that fact by holding herself even tighter.

“You should take a seat,” Tony suggested mildly, “It may be awhile until we can get all this sorted out...”

Tony had realised someone was coming down the stairs and had half turned as he’d been speaking to see who it was. When his eyes fell on Martin he abruptly cut off the rest of what he’d been about to say to Jasmine and quickly reached for his firearm. He recognised that face and suddenly the names Fitzgerald and Zoyalinos became much more significant.

“Freeze!”

Martin stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs but Sam stepped in front of him and shouted back,

“What are you doing?”

“Step away from him ma’am,” Tony replied, his tone firm.

Danny waded into the fray, “Blair, this isn’t what you think. Martin didn’t kill Jane, Chambers and Brandon did. They came here tonight because Jasmine and Sam found out the truth and they wanted to silence them. Martin didn’t kill anyone.”

“How do I know you aren’t lying?” Tony countered and added, “You’re a friend of the family.”

“True,” Danny agreed, “but you heard what Brandon said, he admitted to taking Sam and the others hostage.”

“That may be true,” Tony said after a long hesitation, “but that doesn’t change the fact that that man is a fugitive. I have to arrest him,” he added firmly when Sam began to protest.

It was Martin of all people who agreed with him; “He’s right.”

“No!” Sam cried, forgetting about Blair as she turned to Martin, “I’ve just got you back, I’m not going to let them take you again.”

“Sam, I’ll be back before you know it,” Martin tried to reassure her. Sam shook her head and latched onto Martin’s arms, her fingers leaving imprints in his skin.

“No. No, you can’t go, you can’t! I need you here.”

Martin reached up and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him as he implored, “Sam, I need you to hold on little longer. Just until this is over. Please, just a little longer.”

“I can’t,” Sam choked, tears streaming down her face, “I need you.”

“I need you too Samantha,” Martin replied in a hushed voice, not wanting the others to overhear all that he and Sam were saying. He pulled Sam towards him and whispered in her ear, “Please, I need you to do this for me. Just hold on a little longer and then it will all be over.”

“It was supposed to be over already,” Sam pointed out and Martin sighed into her hair. He watched warily as another patrolman came in, took one look at him and reached for his gun. Blair silently disarmed the situation with a wave of his hand and a stern look as Sam took a shuddering breath and finally replied,

“I’m coming with you.”

“Ok,” Martin agreed; he had wanted her with him anyway and he was relieved they weren’t going to be parted for long.

“I mean it,” Sam thought she better make clear, “I’m not letting you out of my sight until...”

“We’re both too old to see?” Martin suggested with a lopsided smile and Sam smiled in spite of herself.

“Exactly,” she replied and then pulled away. In a moment she was composed again and Martin was so proud of her he almost smiled.

“Detective Poole just pulled up,” a voice called from just outside the front door as Sam stepped away from Martin and allowed Blair to come forward.

“I’m not going to cuff you,” he stated and when Martin looked surprised he explained, “I figure you know better than to make a run for it twice in a row.”

“I can explain that,” Martin began but was cut off by another voice wryly commenting,

“And I hope that someone can explain this god awful mess to me because boy am I confused right now.”

“Detective,” Blair began, turning around to face his superior.

“Ah, Blair. Do you mind telling me why Brandon is sat in that patrol car out there. In the back of that patrol car,” Detective Poole added meaningfully and Blair hastened to explain the situation.

“I did wonder why Chambers was just lying there,” the detective replied looking down at the body at his feet and Sam, Martin and Danny all exchanged slightly startled looks at his cavalier attitude. Where had all the normal NYPD detectives gone? They breathed a collective sigh of relief a moment later when Poole turned to them and said,

“I’ve known for years now that Chambers wasn’t exactly a credit to the force, but I’m surprised about Brandon. I guess you never can tell, huh?”

“Then you believe us?” Jasmine asked and Poole turned his disconcertingly perceptive eyes on her.

“I don’t not believe you,” he replied enigmatically; he smiled and added, “I’d say that’s a start, wouldn’t you?”

“Look,” Martin stated with a sigh, “can we please just get this over with? I’m tired of everyone thinking I’m a murder; I just want this whole mess cleaned up so I can be with my family.”

“I don’t blame you,” Poole replied with a look at Sam who still hadn’t decided what to make of him. “You’re daughters are upstairs?”

“Yes,” Sam replied, “My sister in law is going to stay with them whilst we go to the station with you.”

“We’ll have to get a statement from her, but otherwise that’s fine.” Poole turned to Blair and said, “You take Mr Fitzgerald in. Quinn knows what’s going on, ask for him when you get there.”

Blair nodded and moved to take hold of Martin’s arm. Sam got there first and threw her arms around her husband’s neck.

“Hey, it’s ok. It’s going to be alright.”

“Promise?” Sam murmured, her face buried against his neck.

“I promise,” Martin whispered and Sam finally allowed Blair to lead him away. She watched after him, unaware that everyone else was watching her.

“It’ll be ok Sam,” Danny said, coming over to her, “He’ll be home in no time.”

Sam managed a wan smile and then turned to look up at her friend. She laid her hand against his cheek as she quietly said,

“Thank you Danny. You saved my life.”

Danny shrugged, “It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

Sam saw through his bluff and looked at him patiently; Danny sighed and quietly replied, “You know I’d never let anything happen to you Sam. To any of you,” he added with an upward glance and Sam leant up on her toes to press a kiss against his cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered and Danny smiled softly,

“You’re welcome.”

[PlainJaneIAm]

Aww, Sam just got Martin back and now he's leaving again. At least this time it won't be for long (hopefully ;D). It's a good thing they got the evidence on tape because those NYPD guys are having a hard time believing that Brandon and Chambers are the bad guys in this whole situation. Surely it'll all get cleared up soon though, and Martin will be off the hook and be able to go back to his wife and family for good!

Great update! ;D

[Bright Eyes]

Enjoyed it? You bet I have!! ;D
(Hope you had a nice visit with your grandparents!)


I think poor Anna and Jessie are going to take a bit of time to get over the trauma they've been through - Martin and Sam too.
But they have each other and their love will pull them through.

I'm not surprised Sam reacted the way she did when Martin was arrested. She's just worn down with everything that's happened. But Martin was able to persuade her to stay strong a little while longer.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight until...”

“We’re both too old to see?” Martin suggested with a lopsided smile and Sam smiled in spite of herself.

Loved that bit!!

And with everything that's happened, Sam still thought to thank Danny. He's a true friend to both her and Martin.

So now, let's hope Martin get's everything sorted at the station, and the family can be together again.

And I wonder if Sam will finally get to meet Wyn??


Awesome update!!!