#27 -- Parents

[crazy_magpie]

Disclaimer: I own neither Without A Trace, nor the characters involved. They belong to Warner Brothers Television. I make no money from these works, they are for entertainment purposes only.
Title: "Blame Booze and Melville"
Fandom: Without A Trace
Character: Martin Fitzgerald
Prompt: #27 - Parents
Word Count: 1,700 (approx)
Rating: PG

Comments

[le_mot_mo]

[crazy_magpie]

Thank you.

There's just so many little hints dropped about Martin and his family... the way Victor ends almost every conversation with "I'll tell your mother you're looking well" and Martin never says anything, Martin's complaints that his father never had enough time for him, or even the way that Martin's mother was at the hospital, "making arrangements." You get the idea that there's a lot of tension between the two of them and that Victor's almost not quite sure how to handle it (which really shows through every time he says 'believe what you want to.' It's like he's given up trying to convince Martin that he really does care).

The title just jumped out at me when I saw it on the list... just the combination of elements seemed so Martin. And given that the only one I've actually read of Melville's is "Bartleby the Scrivener"... well, the line just seemed to work.

[goodisrelative]

Yeah!
Great story. I love the title! :)
I love the last 2 paragraphs best. They are so telling.

But I love Martin acting as a child and his thought of if he was a grown-up then, why can't be play the pouting child now? :)

[crazy_magpie]

Great story. I love the title! :)

Hmm... I wonder where I got it ;)

One of the things I love about this show is the level of complexity of characters and relationships... even in the minor characters. You get the idea that there are a lot of levels of feeling between Martin and Victor... they're not all negative, but mixed together they create one messed up father-son dynamic.

And I don't know... the absence of reference to his mother (when does Martin ever refer to her? It's always Victor who brings her up), just seems to indicate that she's a major source of the tension.

[goodisrelative]

Yuo yup to all! :)
Your analysis is always great with Martin and a perfect fit to what I think about him a lot of the time! :)

[thekatebeyond]

*claps* That last line is fascinating - it's kind of up in the air whether he means he'd prefer not to face her or prefer not to survive it. Very fitting!

[crazy_magpie]

*bows* Thank you, thank you. Well, as you well know, without you that last line would not exist. This is why I love you, you not only point out the right, you point out the wrong as well (as a good beta reader should, but some don't). And I agree... with other characters the ambiguity might not work, but it's classic Martin.

[smilla02]

I'm slowly catching up with the stories you posted when I went away. This? So unbelivably good. So Martin, typical using his smartness to fend off Victor's comments, and the relationship with his mother (one I've always find even more fascinating than the one with his father because of the mistery that surround it) is well sketched, I wouldn't mind you going deeper in it.

Great writing all around the line, as usual. And thank you.

[crazy_magpie]

relationship with his mother (one I've always find even more fascinating than the one with his father because of the mistery that surround it)

I completely agree. You really do get the idea that he'd rather not have a relationship with his mother. I think one of the most fascinating things is the way Victor always says "I'll tell your mother you're looking well." It really gives the impression that Martin is estranged from his family, and his mother in particular. After all, he doesn't avoid Victor when Victor is around, he even sometimes goes out of his way to talk to him. But even when Victor brings Martin's mother up, Martin ignores any possible opening.

And just something about the way Victor said she was 'at the hospital, making arrangements' just seemed kind of weird. After all, he's the guy with all the political clout and connections and yet she was handling all the 'arrangements'. Even the word seemed off... and it adds up to the type of personality that would drive Martin insane.

I'm glad you like it.