Without a Trace

Author's note--Sorry, everyone, for the last cliffie but *sigh* it doesn't end much better here, either! (That's why it's Part 2 of 3!)

I would just like to reiterate that NOTHING HAPPENS TO PARKER THAT HARRY AND DRACO CAN'T HANDLE (which should--hopefully--reassure you that what DOES happen to Parker is...salvagable? Maybe that's a good word for it)

That being said...*groan* I feel like I'm throwing you to the sharks here...all I can say is "I'M SORRY!"

(and if it makes you feel ANY better, SlashPervert TOTALLY got me back for all of the angst and torture I inflicted on you with the most recent chapters of "Blind Beauty"...BEWARE of Chapter 7, though! It's more fucked up than anything I could have come up with...and that is saying a LOT!)
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Without a Trace

CLIMAX (Part 2)

Behind the cabin was just enough space for one adult to walk the width of the boat, and there was a smaller version of a yard light attached to the wall of the cabin, above the door. It was controlled by the same switch that turned the cabin’s interior lights on. There were two round railings along the back and sides of the boat that were knee- and hip-high to guard against falling overboard. Two gates were on either side that opened to allow ladders to be descended into the water for swimming. The ladders were upright in the middle of the boat, bolted to the railing on the outside, ready to be used. Graham dismissed the idea of using a ladder. He’d never be able to get it into the water soon enough, and he didn’t think he’d live very long if either of them got a hold of him.

The door was weighted to automatically swing shut, and it was already closing as Harry leapt forward and grabbed the handle. In pure Gryffindor (but not ‘FBI agent’) fashion, he charged through the doorway, looking to his right first. He was sent reeling into the rail, nearly falling overboard—but with just enough sense to keep his gun pointed downward so that no one was shot accidentally—because he turned his head into the blow, Spaulding’s fist connecting with his left temple. Graham was still holding Parker to his stomach, and as soon as he punched the unsuspecting agent, he backed up, out of the direct glow of the light, until he felt the rail. Draco halted as Harry was sucker-punched; he lunged and grabbed the black-haired man around the waist, keeping him from plunging face-first into the icy New York water (even in the middle of summer, at night and away from land, the water was chilly), but at the same time, their lower bodies were pulled flush against each other, Harry’s backside to Draco’s front.

Pants still unzipped, and with Parker whimpering at the cold, Graham slid the boy’s body down his own until Parker’s backside came in contact with his underwear-clad erection. He rubbed against the tiny, perfectly sculpted cheeks, regretting that this was the end. Graham Spaulding was no one’s fool; he knew he would leave the boat one of two ways: in handcuffs or a body bag. Honestly, he was a little surprised that they had found him so quickly; he acknowledged silently that he had been caught off-guard and, as such, hadn’t had the chance to penetrate the boy with anything more than his index finger.

As that image crossed his mind once again, Graham felt a familiar tightening and grinned. How fitting that he was about to finish against the blonde child in front of his father and his father’s…lover? Enjoying the delicious friction, he thrusted faster, very close to the edge. He watched as Draco pulled Harry to him; Graham knew that it was an instinct to keep the agent from going over the railing, but even in this time of crisis, Graham watched with interest the obviously loving grasp with which Draco was holding Harry, regardless that there was nothing sexual about it. The sight of light clutching dark, the two contrasted colors of their hair—one of the palest blonde, the other with nearly-invisible black hair in the night—silhouetted against the New York skyline and with intermittent fireworks bursting overhead, Graham Spaulding thrusted in the crack of the little boy’s creamy backside and came hard in his pants, only emitting the slightest sigh of relief, lest he draw their attention.

As soon as it felt like Harry had his footing, Draco turned his head to look at his son. His mouth dropped open as he watched Spaulding’s head tilt back in a blatant orgasm, clasping Parker to his genitals. Fury colored Draco’s cheeks as he released Harry, advancing on the child molester, but before Draco had taken two steps, Spaulding’s eyes flew open and one hand was immediately at Parker’s throat. Draco came to another abrupt stop just as Spaulding spoke, surprisingly coherent for having just finished.

“Stop, or I will cut off his air supply,” came the evenly-voiced threat. There was a feral look in Spaulding’s eyes where disorientation should have been. Harry, recovered but bleeding from a small cut above and to the side of his left eyebrow, faced Spaulding, gun still in hand but pointed at the floor.

“Draco, trade me places,” he said in a low voice, hoping that Draco wouldn’t try to be heroic. “I’m trained to handle these types of situations; now trade…places…with…me.” Draco’s eyes were locked on Parker’s; he could practically see the hope in his son’s eyes, so like his own, at seeing his father. Draco was so close to Parker, and yet, not able to take him in his arms and comfort him.

“It’s okay, baby, we’re going to get you out of this,” Draco said, trying to reassure Parker as he stepped back, allowing Harry to cross in front of him, his heart being ripped from his chest as Parker’s eyes widened in panic at the sight of his father moving away from him, eerie shadows playing over the both of them as Harry stepped into the spotlight and Draco moved to the edge of the glow.

“It’s over, Spaulding,” Harry addressed the kidnapper. “Put the boy down and no one gets hurt.” He was standing next to the door, in the middle of the boat, with Draco behind him, and his gun pointed at Spaulding and Parker in front of him. Graham put the boy down, the child’s knees nearly buckling as he was suddenly standing on the deck in front of the man, still naked and bound hand and foot. Graham crouched behind Parker as much as possible, knowing that the FBI agent would never fire this close to the child.

“The boy is down. Now…you put down your gun,” Graham replied, keeping a tight hold on the child. Harry blinked, not expecting Spaulding to be negotiating back with a gun practically in his face.

“Nice try,” he shot back sarcastically, confident that he had the upper hand, but Harry was proven wrong as Graham wound his hand around Parker’s body, sliding from his stomach to cup between the little boy’s legs, rolling the tiny piece of flesh in between his thumb and forefinger with a knowing grin on his face, staring directly into Harry’s green eyes. A low, strangled growl escaped Draco’s throat as he watched his son being fondled; his eyes never left Parker’s, and he could scarcely stand to see the palpable begging in his son’s grey eyes.

“Okay, okay, Graham,” Harry acquiesced, holding both of his hands up, gun now pointed upward instead of at the suspect. “Just stop touching him.”

“Are you sure you don’t wish to argue it further? I am thoroughly enjoying our little ‘chat’, but I thought you might see it my way,” Graham purred, letting his fingertips caress Parker’s nether regions before he let go; although he didn’t put his hand down, letting it hover over Parker’s skin but not making contact. “Gun on the deck and kick it here.” Harry’s eyes cut left; the door was shut, so he could not have kicked it into the cabin, away from everyone. He placed the gun on the ground, kneeling slowly and making no sudden movements.

“Spaulding, I’m not that stupid, but look, the gun is down,” Harry replied, slipping the gun behind him, back towards Draco instead of Graham. Keeping his word since Harry kept his, Graham reluctantly pulled his hand away from the child’s private parts, encircling his bicep instead. Harry was still kneeling on the ground, and he stretched his arms out in front of him, closing his fingers to his palm several times in ‘come here’ motions as he addressed Parker directly for the first time. “Parker, it’s okay. Come here; come to Harry.”

Parker crept forward, not able to take an actual step since the duct tape held his ankles together; but he made the attempt, despite the grip on his arm that didn’t try to haul him back like he expected. His gaze shifted from his daddy to the man on his knees with his arms open. Parker was a precocious child, smart for his age and damn nearly too smart for his own good, and, even with the poor lighting, he recognized this man’s black hair and green eyes from the tattered picture his daddy kept in the secret drawer of his desk. Sometimes his daddy would take the picture out of the compartment and just sit there staring at it and sighing intermittently; his daddy would lean his cheek on the top of Parker’s head as they cuddled in the desk chair. During those times, the little boy could sense an immense sadness that he didn’t understand, but his three-year-old brain knew that the boy in the picture was important to his daddy. The man in front of him was unmistakably that boy, due to his green eyes and black hair, and knowing implicitly that his daddy trusted this man made Parker trust him too.

* * * * *

Harry didn’t realize he was holding his breath as he nodded encouragingly to Parker. Just as it seemed like Spaulding was about to release his grip on the boy, Draco lunged for the gun unpredictably. Harry had his back to Draco and so didn’t see, but Graham did, and just as Draco’s hand was closing around the handle, Graham yanked the boy back, plucking him up and tossing him unceremoniously over the edge of the boat and into the black-looking water with a snarled “Deal’s off!” Draco immediately let go of the gun, surging past Harry—who was still on his knees, confused—and stepping onto the bottom railing; with a frantic cry of “Parker!” Draco executed a perfect swan-dive, pushing off from the railing as momentum to save his now-drowning child. Graham made a grab for Draco and missed as Harry’s eyes narrowed, and he twisted around, fumbling for where Draco dropped the gun in the shadows.

On his knees, Harry hit the ground on his side, hard, as Graham tackled him to keep him from getting the weapon. The wind was knocked out of him, and he wasn’t in the best position to defend himself or throw Spaulding off since his arms were basically pinned. He fought frantically to free them, trying to roll while under Spaulding. Having the advantage, Graham timed his weight to drop onto the agent as Harry twisted his hips forward, trapping him on his stomach. Graham grabbed both of Harry’s wrists and pinned them to the deck above the black-haired man’s head. Harry cursed himself silently for being helplessly straddled by the man, his eyes opening wide in shock as he felt Spaulding’s cock harden suddenly against his ass. Grinning wickedly, Graham was leaning forward over Harry and rutted just a little against his backside.

The two were so focused on the struggle for dominance that neither heard the soft suction as the door opened again, but Harry felt Spaulding stop moving above him just as he heard a familiar gravelly voice.

“Freeze, motherfucker!”

Graham was so intent on his newly captured soon-to-be victim that he almost didn’t notice his surroundings until a gun barrel was jammed to his right temple. Looking up in surprise, Graham looked directly into the unforgiving brown eyes of Jack Malone as they bored into him from behind the gun.

“Jack!” he exclaimed with a feral smile. “So glad you could join the party! Looks like you found my little clues after all. But I must say, while you are invited, you and your agent here,” Graham indicated Harry by pressing his hips back and forth against Harry’s, feeling the clench of Harry’s glute muscles as Graham’s now-hard cock brushed against the space between his butt cheeks; “are rather early and have ruined the grand finale I had planned!”

“Sorry to spoil the surprise,” Jack said dryly, his tone clearly indicating the opposite. “I made it just in time for the fireworks, though.” And as Graham’s face twisted in confusion at Jack’s statement, his mouth opening to give a nasty retort, Jack pulled the trigger of his gun, sending a bullet smashing through Graham Spaulding’s skull, entering in a neat hole over his right eye and exploding out the back of his head, spraying the railing with bits of skull, brain, and blood, finally ending the monster’s reign of terror. It was a necessary killing, and Jack felt completely at ease with what he had just done, even if the Bureau might not see it that way and would probably interpret it as an unjustified ‘cold-blooded’ murder. He leaned against the wall of the cabin with relief as Danny and Martin pushed past him, sheathing their guns to shove Spaulding’s lifeless body off of Harry and hoisting the stunned agent to a stand.

As soon as his shoes touched the deck, though, Harry turned around, breaking their grasp and threw himself at the far railing, startling Samantha, who was in the doorway, gun pointed down, with Vivian and Elena behind her. Harry clutched the railing, fearing the worst, as he scanned the water.

“Draco!” he screamed, leaning over and extending his arm downward even though there was no possible way he could reach the blonde. Samantha and Vivian put their guns away, grabbing one of the ladders and opening the gate on that side of the boat, lowering it into the water and fastening it down.
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Author's note--WHEW! I hope you guys enjoyed this little (well, okay, BIG) plunge! My family used to have a pontoon boat, so I'm going off of memory here, but I hope the descriptions of the boat are realistic enough. I am SOOOOO not a boater, and I basically created the "perfect" boat for Spaulding to rent for his exploits, so *shrug* I hope it makes sense.

And I know you're probably writhing that Jack killed Spaulding and not Draco or Harry...are you? Or are you okay that Jack took him out? I have an explanation for that. For those of you who are not familiar with WOaT, this might have come as a shock (or you might see it as a "weak" part of this story...?) but Jack Malone and Graham Spaulding have a history together that goes beyond Harry and Draco and Spaulding. Yes, I know that what Spaulding did here was pretty much the most reprehensible thing he's ever done, but still, given their history, Jack needed to be the one to take that bastard down, especially considering that Spaulding had been caught and released before (and THAT really burned Jack.)

As far as revenge...well, okay, right now Draco's in the water looking for Parker and can't come up to comment, but if/when he gets Parker back, he's going to be more focused on the fact that he's back and never letting him out of his sight than revenge...well, actually, he's going to want revenge so badly he can taste it, but once he finds out Spaulding's dead, he will be able to move on from being blinded by hate. It doesn't mean he forgives Spaulding for what he did (that is unforgivable, in my book) but Draco is going to focus on Parker (unless, of course, he doesn't get Parker back, in which case, I wouldn't put it past Draco to Ennervate Spaulding back from the dead, Crucio him a few times, AK him, and repeat the process)

So yeah...I hope that makes sense why Jack took Spaulding out. I know that you all were probably hoping for a torture scene where Spaulding was made to pay for each and every little thing he did (especially to Parker) but the longer you keep a monster like Spaulding alive (even to torture him) that's one more moment he could *potentially* escape and continue to do that to others. Jack finally had him, and he wasn't about to take him in for his "due process" because he got burned the last time that happened (because Spaulding walked).

Let's focus on the more positive...wasn't that CUTE how Parker "recognized" Harry??? I nearly cried when that happened in my head, and I was like, "Oh, that's too good NOT to be thrown in there!"

HPDMkawii--I understand how you feel about Ginny! Right now, I feel that EXACT same way about Lucius (thank you, SlashPervert!) and even in a fic where he's nice or even funny (heaven forbid!) I still have a seething hatred for him and want him to die. Yes, you will find out what happens with Ginny and Pansy! And that makes me think (if you think Ginny's a bitch...) that you either want her to die or don't care if she dies? haha Thanks!

WeasleyWench--lol Thanks for reviewing my stuff, too! And just so you know, GREAT finish to your story!! (as you already know, from my more-than-likely unreadable review!) Payback IS a bitch *sigh* We all get it on here, and we pass it on! haha We're "payback" buddies!

Yes, we will find out what happens with Blaise and Snape! Yes, we will find out what sort of repercussions there are from the elevator! Glad you liked their little "cuteness" moments! And I love "happily ever after" so.......yeah, if nothing else, that will end up being the ending! *sigh*

And yes, I have never read the books or watched the movies (yet). I know (more or less) the major story lines, but as far as the intricacies...no. I think that I will wait until #7 comes out (since we're so close) and find out what happens, and THEN read the entire series as a whole. And I've seen clips of the movies from youtube (mmmmmmmmm GOOD stuff, I tell you what!) but I haven't seen the movies themselves! I'm *almost* afraid to because I'll keep rooting for some Harry/Draco action or giggling at the clips I recognize from the H/D slash on youtube!


Night--Why does Draco not use "Accio" to get Parker back? Because that would ruin my story and the suspense! haha As far as I know (and again, this is just what I read on HP Lexicon) it is my understanding that you can't "Accio" people...just things...? Can't you? But yeah, that's my reason (and if it turns out to be invalid...then it's because he wasn't thinking clearly at the time and was just intent on going after Parker...plus if he had "Accio"-ed him, then Parker would have come flying out of the water, passing by Spaulding, who *might* have grabbed him again, and then we'd be right back where we started! Not a good plan!)

And thanks for reviewing twice! lol I appreciate it! Yet again, your predictions are correct! *spooky* Sometimes I wonder if I'm just THAT predictable or if you have somehow tapped into my laptop and are reading ahead...haha j/k

KLS--I know! I was cheering him on, too! "Queen of the Cliffies"??? Wow, I'm honored and flattered! *bows* Thank you very much! Wait...is that a good thing? haha

Resolution...check (well, almost) Justice...hopefully check. Hot-man sex....on the way (I promise!) Thanks for reviewing!

EmeraldGrey--Wow, I guess this is the chapter for double reviews! Damn, you always come up with the best analogies for my stories! Apples, roller coasters... :D

Harry *can* do wandless magic (now) but he's been (more or less) living as a Muggle for six years because magic makes him remember...and he doesn't want to remember (until now). He's been an FBI agent for six years, and so he's now used to going into situations with a gun drawn and his wits about him. (Keep in mind that that's almost as much time as he spent at Hogwarts learning to BE a wizard...so since he lived for 11 years as a Muggle and 7 years as a wizard, plus another 6 as a Muggle...he's technically more used to NOT using magic than USING it...hopefully that makes sense)

*sigh* I really toyed with the idea of Draco getting revenge. I really, seriously considered it. But in the end (being both a WOaT and HP fan) I had to go with Jack being able to exact his revenge for all of Spaulding's shit over the years, rather than Draco's one day in hell...I hope this makes sense, even though I can understand how you ("you" in general) would be outraged if you are not familiar with the Spaulding/Jack exchanges from WOaT.

Although...what you described sounds painful enough to me, so let's make that what happens to Spaulding in Hell! Does that sound better? (very creative, btw! +10 to you!) And *rueful smile* I know I'm evil. (That's more or less a compliment, so thanks! haha) Like I said, though, I received my own come-uppance from SlashPervert and "Blind Beauty"--if you think MINE is traumatizing...watch out for this fic! Thank you for reviewing, and I dub this an "orange peel" quality review! haha (Yeah, I have no idea what that means either! lol j/k)


Star55--Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the kiss!

Danine--Wow, really? THANK YOU, HON! *smirk* You like 'FBI agent' Harry? lol Bullet through the head...yep, you guessed it! And I am truly touched by your words. *shakes head* I'm sorry for putting you through the wringer, but I'm glad you think it's exciting! (It's been really intense for me too!)

xXBrokenDreamsXx--Oh good! I'm glad you didn't think it was out of character for him to act like he did! *sigh of relief* Thanks for your review!

Draca--Your review made me laugh! Thanks! (Trust me, I feel random and very ADD a lot of the time--especially when writing reviews--so it's no problem!) Yay for good weather! Thanks for the cookies! I need sustenance with all of the hotness that will be forthcoming in the "extras"! *naughty laugh*

thrnbrooke--*GASP* YOU'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been wondering where you were!!!!!! I missed seeing you recently, and *HUGS* YAY you read the story!!! Thanks for reviewing!

lissagal99--I know, I'm sorry!!!! *pat on the back* They can still handle it, I promise. I realize that that may or may not mean anything to you, but I have to have the "happily ever after" ending, so a damaged Parker does not fit into that equation!

xanth--Parlez-vous francais aussi? (You speak French also?) Thanks for the phrase! Damn it, I'm going to have to find that website and show you where I got the "Greeks" translation because I promise it said "Go to Hell"!!!!! Argh! Now I'm more motivated than ever to learn French! But anyway, merci for your review! (And I saw it JUST before I posted the chapter! haha)

AND OMG YOU GUYS!!! I was about to click "add chapter" (to add it) after I had just typed out EVERYTHING that is above, and a little voice in my head was like "copy and paste that into Word, just in case"...so I did...and then MY INTERNET GAVE OUT!!!! I had to reset it, but I didn't lose everything because I had already saved it (as is) in Word!!!!! THANK MERLIN!!!!!!

Thank you, everyone, for reviewing!!!! And for those who are just reading, I hope you like it too!!!!!