Author-- Devanie Maxwell
Rating -- PG-13
Category-- SRA
Spoilers-- First season
Summary-- Some actions have bigger reactions than others. WIP.
A/N-- Thanks to M for all the encouragement and getting me through the longest block I've ever had. I'm not sure I would have ever written again without your prodding; it's so appreciated. You rock. Thanks to Andi for all the advice and and the title and the brain-storming endurance and just for being my very best friend. :) Oh, and thanks to Maple Street for being the most amazing group of people I've ever been a part of.
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"All I'm saying is, why run off before you're due to come into a large
amount of money?"
Shrugging, Danny leaned back in his chair. "Maybe she had someone helping her."
Samantha sighed and looked at Jack, who offered no assistance. "You two should head up there. Check out her friends. Maybe one of them wanted a cut in exchange for getting her out of the country."
"What are you going to do?"
Jack motioned toward his office. "I'm going to make a few phone calls. See if we can't get this a little more media exposure."
She nodded and grabbed the files in front of her. "I'm always up for a wild goose chase. We'll keep you informed when we find nothing."
"Thank you." Jack turned his attention to Danny. "Watch your back."
Shaking her head, she tossed a tolerant smile to both men before leaving the table. Danny stood and started off in the direction she had just gone. "Let us know if Viv and Martin turn up anything."
Jack watched the two agents leave and walked toward his office, only to hear his name. Turning around, he was confronted with Van Doran and an agent whose badge identified him as being from Headquarters. "Agent Malone, this is Deputy Director Alan Cameron with the Office of Professional Responsibility."
He looked at Van Doran, but her expression was inscrutable. Sticking out a hand tentatively, he greeted the senior agent. "Deputy Director."
"Agent Malone. I've heard a lot about your work up here."
He could only imagine. "All good I hope."
Cameron's smile stayed fixed in the same position and Jack wondered if there was any good at all. "Should we go into my office?"
"We won't beat around the bush. We're all busy people and I know you have an unit to run. I've come with a transfer order for one of your agents."
Of all the scenarios Jack had run through his head as to why the OPR was there, losing a member of his team had never crossed his mind. "Excuse me?"
"Special Agent Samantha Spade. We feel her skills and experience with this unit over the last few years makes her a good prospect for a ASAC role in another office."
Jack felt the words like a punch. "Agent Spade is a valuable member of this team. With all due respect, we need her here." He looked at Van Doran. She didn't look back.
Cameron fixed him with a polite smile. "She is good. Which is why we think, given the caliber of talent on your unit alreadly, she'd be more useful to the Bureau in another capacity."
Trying to hide the hint of desperation in his voice now, he tried another angle. "Doesn't she get a say in this? You're completely uprooting her life."
"We feel she fits a good profile for a transfer. Not married. No kids. Doesn't own a home." He paused. "It's not optional when our office gets involved, no."
This wasn't about her skills, or her experience. "You come into my office and tell me I'm about to lose one of my best agents. You can at least tell me the real reason why."
"I don't think it's in your best interest to try to call my bluff, Agent. You can only damage her career. And your own."
There it was. He wanted to vomit. "What does that mean?"
"I think you know." The older man stood and placed a form on his desk. "The transfer will be effective immediately, pending reassignment and relocation. Someone from HR will be in contact with her shortly. You're her immediate supervisor, so we felt you should be given a heads up."
Jack ignored the offered hand and watched as Cameron let himself out. Van Doran started, "Jack..."
"This is bullshit, Paula. They don't know anything and they're going to ship Samantha off to some satellite office because of a mistake I made."
"This isn't about your 'mistake'. "
"It was a threat!"
Van Doran looked at the door, then lowered her voice. "It was a gift. There's not a lot of doubt at the higher levels that Spade lied straight-faced to their investigator when he was here. They could look harder, but they've chosen not to. There were two choices: transfer her or make her a four-bagger."
Speaking carefully, Jack fought to keep control of his anger. "They can't fire her without proof."
She conceded. "No, they can't. But how would suspension and censure look on her record? She'd be forced to appeal. It would forever be a black mark on what could be a promising career."
"So why promote her? To get her away from me? The relationship is over, Paula. It's been over for awhile. It doesn't enter our jobs. I'm trying to work it out with my wife."
"Glad to hear it." She gestured at the paper in front of him. "My word of advice to you is to sign that order. Her career can only improve and it would make yours a lot less complicated."
"The correlation between my career and my relationship with Samantha doesn't exist. It never has."
Van Doran shook her head and stacked a pile of folders. "What about the Mashburn situation?"
"What about it?"
"You broke protocol several times to get Spade out that bookstore." It wasn't an accusation as much as a reminder.
"I also diffused the situation and got everyone released. We were able to recover Sydney Harrison alive. Took custody of Mashburn and saved a federal agent in the process. But yes, maybe protocol would have been more effective."
She sighed. "Lose the sarcasm, Jack. I'm just trying to protect the best interests of both of you."
Jack stood. "I appreciate that." Walking to the door, turned. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go replace one of our best agents for no discernable reason."
Watching him go, Van Doran could only hope the new one would be male.
The call came as she and Danny sat at a diner; she picked up the phone as she dodged a straw wrapper he had aimed in the general direction of her head. Not recognizing the number on the display, she answered. "Special Agent Spade."
Danny looked up; it wasn't part of the team. Watching her expression change from curiosity to confusion, he was doubly concerned when a stricken-looking Samantha grabbed a napkin and a pen. He listened to her repeat dates, times, names--it wasn't until she wrote down a flight number that he realized this wasn't a lead.
Her voice was thick, tense. "Who authorized this?
He couldn't hear the answer, but whatever it was made her close her eyes. "Can I appeal?" A pause. "I understand that, but I didn't seek this out."
Danny caught her attention. "OPR?" He mouthed, wondering what else would require an appeal. He sat back when she shook her head impatiently. After a series of short, one-word answers, she pressed the end button and sat in silence. She looked shell-shocked.
"What was that about?" He asked, treading carefully.
Staring at him, she looked as though she had been punched in the stomach. "That was HR. I've been reassigned to another unit in DC."
Stunned, his mind rushed to come up with a response. "Transferred? Why?"
"Apparently the Bureau feels that I would be of better use elsewhere. They're creating an unit there similar to ours and thought I might lead it."
"So it's a promotion?" This was too much to assimilate. "Do you have to accept it?"
"If I want to keep my job." She had never sounded this desolate.
He kept his eyes focused on her, even though she was looking everywhere but him. "Do you want to accept it?"
"No." There wasn't any hesitation at all.
Shaking his head, he tried to come up with options. "Have you talked to Jack? Maybe he could fight this. Pull a few strings. He knows people in DC..." He trailed off as he realized that their boss hadn't been in a position to gain leverage in quite some time.
"I can't talk to Jack about this." Her voice was much more firm than just a moment before.
"Why not?"
"He ordered the transfer."
TBC