Without a Trace

Author's note--Again with the "my fingers can't keep up with how fast my brain is flying!" thing! haha That's a good problem to have, though. Much better than "oh fuck writer's block AGAIN?"

And so...the plot thickens! I know, after this, you will probably have more questions than answers, and that's okay! Ask away! I love it when you guys do that!

Kudos to YOU!

Edit: Okay, so I didn't even mean for this to be a two-parter, but these take place at the same time, so I went ahead and broke it up into two parts! The old chapter title was "July 5th 11am" and the new title is "Eleven Hours Missing (Part 1)"
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Without a Trace

Episode 2

ELEVEN HOURS MISSING (Part 1)

Martin headed to the hospital and found the Malfoys’ room without much difficulty. When he walked in, though, it was empty, save for Parker, sleeping peacefully. He stopped short, looking around, frowning.

“Draco? HJ?” Martin called softly, and then felt dumb because it was obvious that they weren’t there. He went to go find a nurse, who informed him that she didn’t know where the father or other FBI agent were, but that she would be into the room in a minute to begin the evidence collection on the child. Martin expressed interest in speaking with the doctor as well, as soon as possible. When he got back to the room, he was surprised to find Draco standing near Parker’s bed, staring down at him silently. The blonde man looked up, trying not to smile and failing.

“Mr. Malfoy, we haven’t been formally introduced. I am Martin Fitzgerald, and I’m very glad that your little boy is okay,” Martin held his hand out, and Draco grasped it firmly.

“Agent Fitzgerald, it’s good to meet you. Please, just call me Draco. I am eternally grateful to you and everyone for finding Parker,” he said. The bathroom door opened, and HJ came into the room, face damp and flushed. His collar was slightly wet as if he had splashed his face with water and missed a little bit. He smiled when he saw Martin.

“Marty,” he said, shaking his co-worker’s hand. “I see you met Draco. Draco, this is Martin.”

“Yes, thank you, Harry,” Draco replied smoothly.

“The nurse is going to be here any minute—” Martin began, stopping abruptly as the door opened, and the nurse from before came in. She had a small tray with her, and Draco stepped forward, losing his smile while he placed a hand protectively on Parker’s head. Martin drew Harry to the side.

“HJ, Jack sent me here to relieve you,” he said. Harry shook his head.

“Thanks, Martin, but I’m okay here,” he replied. Martin cleared his throat.

“No, I mean, he wants you back at the office. We’ve got some theories, but since you knew these people, he wants you to fill in the blanks.”

“Okay, well, tell me what you guys talked about, and I’ll explain what I can.”

“HJ, why are you pushing this?” Martin frowned, unsure of why his fellow agent seemed reluctant to leave.

“I’m not pushing anything,” Harry realized he sounded defensive, and he racked his brain, trying to come up with a good reason why he should stay. “Alright, I’ll go after they examine Parker, okay? I want to talk to the doctor, too.” The lines in Martin’s face got deeper.

“Harry?” Draco’s soft voice ended the discussion, and Harry gave Martin one last look before walking to Draco’s side. Martin sighed and then joined them, standing beside the nurse. He didn’t miss the blonde’s hand discreetly reaching for the agent’s, and he suddenly understood why HJ didn’t want to leave.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, the nurse smiled sympathetically at Draco before turning to the tray and getting everything ready. Draco stood stiffly, his hand still on his son’s head. Parker, according to the nurse, was doing splendidly considering the severity of his hypothermia, and he had been given a sedative that should be wearing off within the hour. Normally the nurses explain the procedure to the child and the parents; with a young one like Parker who had an unrelated medical emergency, it would be easier to collect the evidence—with Draco’s permission—while he was asleep, especially since he was so young that it was unlikely he would understand what was being explained to him anyway. The nurse snapped on a pair of gloves and turned towards the child, and that’s when he got Harry’s attention. She was ready to begin, and he desperately needed the black-haired man’s support. Besides, he was experienced at this, so he would be able to explain anything that Draco didn’t understand. The tall blonde caught Agent Fitzgerald’s glance at their sides, but he didn’t pull his fingers away from Harry.

“Now, Mr. Malfoy, agents, I need to examine his genital area first to determine if there is any injury. Then I’ll need to take a light rectal swab, as well as scrape under his fingernails. Any bruising will need to be photographed, and I understand that he was kidnapped, but anything you can tell me about what happened will assist me,” she explained gently, turning Parker so that he was laying on his back. She lifted his hospital gown, folding it back, and carefully opened the little boy’s legs, using two fingers on his thighs, examining his area. Draco swallowed hard, clamping down on Harry’s hand.

“We suspect that he was penetrated digitally and possibly fondled,” Martin stated, clearing his throat to cover the thick sound of his voice.

“He was fondled,” Harry offered unhappily. “I tried to stop it. He also touched Parker’s hip, pulled his hair, slapped him, and he might have bruises from Spaulding’s grip on his head.” Draco whimpered, and Harry squeezed the pale hand in support.

“Not to mention the fact that he was bound hand and foot with duct tape,” Martin said. The nurse’s mouth tightened, but her hands remained steady and soft.

“There is no physical damage that resulted from being molested, as far as I can tell,” she reported, pulling back and looking at the three men. “Now, I need to swab his rectal area and anus.” She turned the little boy onto his stomach, pausing to examine his left hip. “You said that he was grabbed on his hip?” Harry shook his head.

“Spaulding was just stroking the boy’s hip when we got there. It was, uh, his right hip,” Harry paused, thinking back to the ugly scene on the boat. The little boy had been laying on his left side, Harry remembered.

Graham Spaulding sat on the bed, legs stretched out in front of him, fully dressed with his fly open and his hand down his pants. He was gazing down to his left with a predatory smile. Harry followed his eyes and saw the crown of pale blonde hair that was resting on Spaulding’s thigh. The top of the boy’s head was towards the door, and his body was lying sideways on the bed, partly obscured from view because of the man’s leg. Harry could tell, though, that the little boy was naked, and Spaulding had his left hand on the boy’s hip, stroking the baby-soft skin.

“The child has a bruise on his left hip that appears to be in the shape of a handprint,” the nurse frowned, holding her own hand over the bruise. “Someone grabbed him with their left hand and held him tightly enough to break the blood vessels.” She finished turning him onto his stomach and reached for a cotton swab. Draco held his breath, and crushed Harry’s hand in a death grip, as the nurse delicately parted Parker’s butt cheeks and gasped, nearly dropping the swab.

“Oh my god!” She exclaimed, looking up at the men. “There is no way a just a finger would cause that kind of tearing of the skin. I was hoping we might be able to pull some DNA off of the wound, but this was bleeding rather badly.” Draco couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They streamed down his pale cheeks, and Harry let go of his hand, not able to resist wrapping his arm around Draco’s waist. The blonde leaned against Harry, not caring what Martin thought. The nurse took several swabs, biting her lip as she examined the cuts and tearing on Parker’s backside. She excused herself for a moment to have a camera brought in right away. Harry turned to Martin.

“I should call Sam and have her check for what could have done this to Parker,” he said angrily, trying to stay calm for Draco’s sake.

“Can’t,” Martin replied, pulling out his cell phone. “She’s on her way to England. I’ll call Vivian, though.” Both Harry’s and Draco’s heads snapped up to gape at the other agent. He paused in his dialing, looking at them in confusion.

“She’s…she’s what?” HJ looked scared. Martin hadn’t ever really seen fear on his fellow agent’s face before, but there it was. Draco, meanwhile, had gone another shade paler, and he appeared distraught (but whether that was from Parker or the news about Sam, Martin wasn’t sure.)

“Jack sent Sam and Elena to England to trail Zabini and Snape until we figure out how to get them to come to New York so we can arrest them,” Martin said. “That’s why Jack wanted you back at the office earlier. What?”

“NO!” Harry practically shouted before he got ahold of himself, but he was still urgent. He let go of Draco, fumbling for his phone. “No, no, they CAN’T go near Blaise or Snape! They’re dangerous!” He pressed a couple of buttons, holding the phone to his ear as his expression morphed from ‘scared’ to ‘panicked’.

“HJ, relax,” Martin tried to calm him. “They’re seasoned agents. They can handle themselves. Besides, they’re not engaging them. They’re just keeping an eye on them so they don’t try to run.”

“No, you don’t understand!” Draco interjected, putting his hand on Martin’s arm. “Snape and Blaise are way more dangerous than you know. It doesn’t matter how well trained you are. They have ways…they’re just really dangerous. Don’t let them get near those bastards!”

“Samantha! Sam, where are you? Listen to me! Don’t get on the plane! No, just listen to me! Snape and Blaise are extremely dangerous! DON’T get near them! Where are you?” Harry was pacing and running his hand through his hair as he had a frustrating phone argument with Samantha that ended with him assuring her that Jack would call. She and Elena had just checked in and were in line for security, but it wasn’t HJ’s place to tell them what to do. Harry dialed Jack’s number, a sinking feeling coming over him.

“Jack! Jack, don’t let Sam and Elena go to—No, listen to—Yes, Martin’s here! What does that have—What? Yes, he told me what you said. No, listen to me! I’ll come to the office in a minute, but right now, Jack—Who is there? And they asked for me, specifically? No, Jack, LISTEN! Sam and Elena cannot go to England! Call Samantha and tell her not to go! Snape and Blaise are—WILL YOU FUCKING LISTEN TO ME?! DO NOT LET THEM NEAR SNAPE AND BLAISE! You have to call them! No, I’m sorry! Jack, I’m sorry! No, I know…I didn’t mean to yell at you—Please, Jack…Alright, alright, no, I’ll be right there! Jack, I’m sorry. Please, please call Samantha!” Harry hung up the phone and looked up at Draco. Both men were staring at him in shock, and the nurse was hovering in the doorway. Martin was completely taken aback at the unshed tears in HJ’s bright green eyes.

“Draco,” Harry said, his voice breaking. “Draco, I’m sorry, but I have to go. I can’t let them…Jack’s furious with me…someone is asking for me…I’m so sorry.” Draco stepped forward, reaching out to Harry.

“No, no, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” he reassured the panicking black-haired man. “You go. Just stop them.” He looked at Martin and motioned towards the door with his chin. “You can take him back to the office. I’ll be okay here.” The tone of his voice was dismissive, as if he were giving Martin permission to leave. Martin’s brow furrowed, and he looked like he was about to speak when he realized that he was no longer of concern to either man, since they were staring at each other.

“I’m sorry, Draco,” Harry whispered again, completely forgetting where he was and who was around as he pressed his lips to Draco’s briefly in parting before he turned and bolted out of the hospital. Martin’s eyebrows nearly shot off of his face, and he turned red, but the nurse came back into the room after jumping out of the Gryffindor’s way to avoid being trampled. Without a word, she picked up a wooden skewer and scraped under Parker’s fingernails; she also swabbed the skin around his wrists and ankles to confirm traces of the duct tape. Draco returned to his son’s side, cheeks pinking as he became conscious of Martin’s own red face due to their display of intimacy.

* * * * *

A tall man in a white lab coat, with a metal clipboard tucked under his arm, strode into the room, eyes lighting on Draco’s flushed face. The blonde looked up and quickly pulled himself together, setting his jaw in true Slytherin fashion. Martin, too, shifted back into ‘FBI agent’ mode, his face devoid of emotion. The doctor held his hand out to Draco first, and then Martin.

“Mr. Malfoy, I am Doctor Smith. You shouldn’t be up and about; you should be resting. And I assume that you are an agent, yes?” Doctor Smith’s smile took the edge off of his brisk demeanor, but Draco still bristled at being ordered around. Martin introduced himself, and Draco brought his chin up, straightening his shoulders, and looked the doctor square in the eye.

“Doctor Smith, I will rest when I feel tired, but right now, I have to be with my son,” he said authoritatively. He wasn’t the Lord Malfoy for nothing. The doctor nodded at him and turned to the nurse.

“Are you finished, Katie?”

“Yes, Doctor,” the nurse replied somberly. “I think the forensic person just arrived to take photographs, and the child psychologist you requested will be here this afternoon. I’ll have the lab begin processing this right away.”

“Thank you, Katie,” the doctor turned to Martin as the nurse wheeled the cart out, closing the door behind her. “Agent Fitzgerald, I spoke with a couple of your colleagues last night, and I made sure our lab sent a sample of blood to your office first thing this morning. We collected it last night; it’s routine upon check-in, you see, but I’ll make sure you get a copy of our lab’s findings from the rape kit as well.”

“Thank you, Doctor. One of my co-workers back at the office has been keeping tabs on that, and we appreciate your full cooperation,” Martin replied.

“Mr. Malfoy, I assume Katie or one of the other nurses explained your treatment from last night to you already?” The doctor flipped open the clipboard and consulted his notes.

“No, but I don’t much care,” the blonde replied. “Like I told her, it worked. But the question is, where do we go from here? When can I take my son home?”

“Mr. Malfoy, I would like to keep Parker here one more night, just to be on the safe side. I can discharge you later this afternoon, if you would like, since you appear to be recovering just fine. I warn you, though, take it easy. You might not feel tired, but your body has been through a lot, and right now the best thing you can do is rest and let it repair itself,” the doctor looked up at Draco.

“What about Parker? Who did you say is coming this afternoon?” Draco dropped his hand to Parker’s hair again, stroking it. They all looked up as the door opened, and Katie escorted a woman with a “Forensics” jacket and a camera into the room. They continued to talk as the bruises on Parker’s body were photographed. Katie even spread the little boy’s cheeks again, and pictures were taken of the way his anus looked.

“It is always a tragedy when children are involved in the heinous doings of others,” the doctor began. “I put in a call to a child psychologist who specializes in working with young children who have been abused. She agreed to come and speak with Parker to try and gauge what he remembers from his time at the hands of his kidnappers. It will help to determine what he thinks of it and how much future therapy might be necessary, as well as assist the DA with the case.”

“DA?” Draco looked over to Martin automatically, confused.

“District Attorney,” the agent clarified. “He’s pressing charges against your mother.” Draco nodded.

“Your son has had a very traumatic time,” the doctor stated. Draco snorted. “It is rare to see a case of such severe hypothermia in one so young, and so the short- and long-term effects might be slightly different than normal. He might experience dizziness or confusion, as well as the classic signs of Acute Stress Disorder. That is, basically, the short form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He might be fearful of strangers, especially men, overly clingy and unwilling to let you out of his sight, and maybe even have nightmares. There is also the chance that he won’t remember a thing, since one side effect of severe hypothermia is possible amnesia. We will know more once he wakes up, and once the child psychologist has had a chance to evaluate him. After she and I confer, I’ll be able to give you a much more certain idea of where to go from here. Do you have any questions for me?”

“He…he might not remember being…hurt by that bastard?” Draco wanted clarification. “Will he forget other things?”

“It’s doubtful, Mr. Malfoy, that the amnesia would extend to such things as long-term memory, so the letters and numbers he has already learned shouldn’t be affected. His short-term memory, however, is another story, and likewise, he may not remember the past few days, even simple things like being in a hotel room with you or going to Central Park. He may remember the attack, and he may not. Only time will tell.” Draco nodded, trying to absorb all of the information.

“How long before the results are in?” Martin asked.

“A few hours, maybe more,” the doctor replied. “I am actually on my way to the lab right now to mark his stuff as ‘urgent’ so I will let you know.” The agent nodded, smiling and offering his hand to the doctor. The doctor shook both of the men’s hands and walked out, along with the nurse and forensics photographer. Parker still slept on peacefully, laying on his back with his head turned, thumb in his mouth, looking angelic as ever. Draco dropped a kiss onto his temple and then laid back on his own bed, sighing.

“I’m going to grab a cup of coffee,” Martin said. “Would you like one?”

“If they have tea, that would be brilliant,” Draco replied, turning his head to smile at the gesture. Martin nodded.

“They should be bringing the lunch trays around soon,” he said, opening the door to reveal a nurse with a tray. “Scratch that; it’s here. I’ll get a sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs, and I’ll bring it back up here. I’ll be back in five, and I’ll get your tea.”

“Thank you, Agent Fitzgerald,” Draco said, sitting up as the nurse placed the tray across his lap. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until his stomach began to rumble. He lifted the lid of the lunch tray, barely noticing as the door closed softly behind the nurse and the agent. The vegetables looked a little bit pale and slightly limp, but the chicken breast and mashed potatoes seemed appealing, and Draco tucked in with gusto, glancing at Parker every so often, watching for signs that the little boy was awake.
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Chapter notes:

1. the short- and long-term effects might be slightly different than normal. I am not a doctor, medical student, or in any way able to diagnose anything. I had a bitch of a time finding out just what kinds of effects hypothermia has; Google isn't much help there. Except for the amnesia part, I made everything else up (the effects) because they seemed plausible. I have no idea if it's accurate or not, since I couldn't find any research on it. If anyone out there is a doctor or in the medical field, any help would be appreciated. :)

2. Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder These are real conditions, and I recommend the Wikipedia article on PTSD for more information about both. Essentially, someone has ASD at first, and if their symptoms persist for a certain amount of time, THEN it's diagnosed with PTSD. The symptoms I described are just a few of the possible reactions to the particular "triggers" in the story, but this is in no way, shape, or form meant to be a complete list or anything like that.

3. one side effect of severe hypothermia is possible amnesia I remember reading this when I first did my research about hypothermia, but now I can't find the article. I do remember reading this, though, so again, if anyone in the medical field has an opinion, I'm all ears. (Especially if I've gotten some portion of this wrong, because I like my stories to be informationally accurate as well as entertaining.)


Author's note--Wow, I feel ADD right now. It upsets me that I can't find the articles I read way back when, but oh well. Good news, though! I turned the nude patch off AND downloaded a whole bunch of shit for my Draco and his Harry! lmao (and for Harry's daughter Lily, who turned into a child today! It seems like she just got here, and she went from a baby to a toddler and now a child!) And poor Harry has had food poisoning for most of her childhood, but he's finally well now!

Oh and OMFG Okay, so you can buy a teddy bear for your child on the regular Sims 2. (Well, I mean, you can buy a teddy bear anyway...but the idea is that it's for a kid.) And someone in "Harry Potter Dreamland" actually modified it into Harry, Ron, Voldemort, and Draco Bears!!!!! The Harry Bear has round glasses and a patch of black hair on top of its head. The Ron Bear has red hair, and the Draco Bear has blonde. Voldemort Bear has red eyes and just looks relatively demonic. Seriously, if you're going to give your kid a Voldemort Bear....why not just Mark their fucking arm already? Jeez. LMAO So I downloaded the Harry and Draco Bears, and then bought a Draco Bear for Lily (since Harry is her father) and she played with it! WOO

And Draco's house now sports a dildo, masturbation chair, blow job chair, love bed (for blow jobs as well), masturbation mirror, and sex shower. FUCK YEAH BABY! AND AND AND THE NUDE PATCH IS G-O-N-E GONE! However, I did realize that the "normal" Sims skins are like Barbie and Ken dolls...not anatomically correct, but you can download penis patches (to give your Sims a penis)...so I think I might have to look into that. *grin*

God, I'm so fucking fucked up...

HPDMkawii--Yay, thanks! Sorry about the internet, but I hope you get it back to read this update!

WeasleyWench--haha Cool! I might be emailing you for advice, since I have a couple of points I'm not sure about, if you know English extradition laws! haha I know what you mean. Well, I go to school and all, but I really enjoy researching for something that seems worthwhile (like writing slash LMAO). Researching the death penalty isn't so exciting when I have nothing new to add. But looking up the laws of extradition to figure out what would *actually* happen in a case like this...TOTALLY relevant!

Glad that I can help relieve you of stupidity! Enlightening the world, one slash reader at a time! ;) Here's a bit more for you, so hopefully it's realistic and informative (and correct!) Thanks for reviewing!

KLS--I was thinking about that a lot, actually. At this point, it's not *essential* that he know about it, but Harry's going to have to come up with a better argument than "Don't send Sam and Elena because I told you not to" if he's going to convince Jack...so he might have to spill it yet. But you are absolutely on the right track that Jack especially (well, and the rest of the team too) knows that something's off. They have pretty much guessed that Harry (and Draco) are hiding something, and Jack doesn't do well with stuff being kept from him.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I like your gut! That's GREAT! "Hell hath no fury" eh? ;) Thanks!

thrnbrooke--Here is more about Parker and Draco. No, Harry hasn't checked on the twins, but I have a feeling we'll be hearing from them shortly. (as in next chapter, but still) thanks!

rafiq--AHA! No, you did not miss anything! It's just one of those things that hasn't quite been addressed yet, but it will be! (There's a clue in this chapter, but I can't say any more than that lest I give away all of my secrets!) Thanks for being quick on the uptake, though, and rest assured that it will be addressed!

Night--haha Us Americans...we just can't "leave it alone". Of course, after what Blaise and Snape did, can you really blame us? NO WAY Good point about Blaise...he is, though, a Slytherin, so he might not quite be as dumb as he's been appearing to be...I agree, though, that Snape is a tricky bastard. No one likes him. He should go jump off a cliff. And as long as the media doesn't know that Parker's been found (because THAT would spread like wildfire, even to the international stations) then they still have the chance to lure Snape purely on the kidnapping thing alone...if word gets out, though, Harry may have to go Snape-hunting...HAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH Wow, I'm a dork! (Get it? Snipe-hunting? Snape-hunting? *sigh* I know...LAME!)

LMAO I'll send you an email for the Sims stuff.


EmeraldGrey--hehehe Thanks! Every time I see WOaT on TV now, I'm just DYING to see these episodes! *sigh* If only...

Yeah, the first few chapters are all about the build-up...and then the climax...and then the tying up of loose ends...and then the special features (that lead to different types of climaxing! *wink wink*) But I know it can be a little bit frustrating because right now, you all have more questions than answers but *sigh* Tis as it should be.

And I've decided that, as long as I'm playing the Sims 2 and writing this story, the angst comes in the chapters and the "slash" comes from my describing my fucked up adventures with Sim Harry and Draco! (until the end of the episode, of course)

mariahs_fantasy--You are more than welcome! Here's more creepy-obsessed Sims info in this chapter too! LMAO Actually, I'm sort of ashamed that I downloaded a "Daniel Radcliffe" head and skin for the Sims 2. It looked SO much like him that I just couldn't help it! But it's one thing to lust after Harry and Draco, and completely another to do that to Daniel and Tom. (I mean, the fictional characters are fair game, but just think of how Daniel Radcliffe must feel, knowing that people out there are creating HIM in a computer game and controlling him....it's gotta be at least a little creepy for him.) And I'd rather not add to his creepiness, which is why I keep "Daniel Radcliffe" and "Harry Potter" separate (hence how I have NOT seen Harry Potter naked--except in the Sims 2--but I did go see Daniel Radcliffe naked, in person)

You do calligraphy? That's AWESOME! I used to. I was never any good at it, but I would pick it up off and on and wish I was better at it. haha Thank you for your review! Oh, and I've scratched "HP" and "DM" into my forearms before. It was more about trying to stay awake and privately being amused than actually inflicting self-harm (or "cutting")...but I did get a perverse pleasure out of seeing their initials in pink on my forearms. No blood, though. That's for fantasy (for me, anyway).

And good luck with the tattoo! *shudder* I hate needles, so I could never get one unless they knocked my ass out first. The "HP" font is cool...

Keep your questions coming! Answers will be had! Thanks, all and good night!