Fortunate Journey Season 5: Vegas

Author: ShaViva

Rating: T, perhaps bordering on M in places

Content Warning: Adult themes, sexual situations, language, some violence here and there.

Season: 5

Summary: In the city of Las Vegas, Detective John Sheppard works to solve a string of unusual murders. Challenged by a woman who refuses to be treated like a one night diversion and unexpected temptation, John discovers that nothing is as it seems.

Classifications: Drama, Romance

Pairings: John Sheppard & Original Character

Spoilers for: BIG huge honking plot and dialogue spoilers for S5E19 Vegas.

Acknowledgements: I used the Gateworld dot com transcript to back up my own viewing as I worked through this episode. Thank you Gateworld!

Disclaimer: The Stargate characters, storylines, etc aren't mine. I am unfortunately not associated in any way with the creators, owners, or producers of Stargate or any of its media franchises – if I was that movie so would have happened, and sequels as well … lots of sequels. *sighs dejectedly*. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, equipment, etc are the property of whoever owns them. The original characters and plot and anything else I made up are the property of me, the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

Copyright (c) 2011 ShaViva


Authors note:

Wow – here I am, actually posting something for the Fortunate Journey series! This isn't the full season 5 story … I decided to start with the Vegas episode, since it's a standalone and doesn't impact on the rest of season 5. I've also done this one in the third person too, just to make it feel as AU as the episode itself felt when first watching season 5. It's multi-chapter, a little story in it's own right, that I'll be posting over the next week. Oh, and yes, I will be working on the rest of season 5 during July - thank you to anyone who's messaged me letting me know you're still interested!

This story is for BrneyesTX – to say thanks for the continuing enthusiasm for the series and to say Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoy the story


Chapter 1: ... play games ...

"Ms Scott, Mr Adelson would like to see you in his office."

Sabina Scott looked up from the cards to her immediate supervisor, giving a quick nod to acknowledge his request. Jim Norwood smoothly made the transition in dealers, smiling at the four players awaiting the next card while Sabina stepped back. The change rarely made an impact – people intent on the game rarely noticed the dealer, except in those rare cases where they tried to pin their string of bad luck on one.

Walking purposefully but at an unhurried pace, Sabina made her way to the lifts, taking them up to the third floor, where the administrative officers for the casino were located. At the very end of the hall was the chief executive officer's suite. A member of security was always posted outside the door. When Sabina approached, the current one gave the door a brisk knock before opening it to let her through.

"Ms Scott," Sheldon Adelson greeted her formally.

"Mr Adelson," she returned, stopping a few steps from his desk and standing straight, poised and awaiting instructions. It wasn't the first time she'd made the same trip and for she assumed would be the same reason. Sabina wasn't simply a dealer for the casino. Her primary role was to be on the floor sure, but only so she could use her role to spot those who thought they could cheat the system and take home more than luck alone could earn them, without them getting cagey and bolting before security could have a word with them.

Sabina had always been good at math. She had a way with computers too, and a turn of mind that let her use those skills to think and act like the cheats, to anticipate the various ways they'd come up with to get in where they didn't belong. Early in her career she'd worked more in the field of business security, being hired to legitimately do everything she could to hack their systems. If she couldn't get in they got the big green tick. If she could, which was more usually the case, they got a report and a stack of recommendations to ensure her performance couldn't be repeated.

If not for a chance meeting with the man before her, Sabina would have continued in that role indefinitely. Instead, Sheldon Adelson had seen the potential in what she could do as a means to cut down on his casino's losses from card counters and other cheaters. So she'd come to Vegas after her last hacking job, instead of getting in her car and seeing where the road would take her. She'd stayed … for going on five years, the longest she'd ever stayed anywhere. Whenever Sabina thought about moving on something made her hesitate ... a feeling that there was something about Las Vegas that she needed, something she was waiting for.

"There's someone in the high stakes poker room I want you to assess," Adelson got straight down to business. "You'll replace the current dealer at the next deck change."

"Of course," Sabina agreed immediately. "Any particular suspicions?"

"I'll let you form your own opinion," her boss replied. "Dan will accompany you and report back to me once you have something."

Dan Carlson was the head of security for the private gaming rooms, and familiar with Sabina's true role at the casino. They'd gotten to be friends of a sort, as close as Sabina even let anyone get. She'd learned too early in life that permanency was more of a concept that something she'd ever get to apply to herself. The people close to her had a way of ending up on the wrong side of dead – at the end of the day the only person you could count on was yourself.

"Busy night," Dan commented as he escorted Sabina down the long corridor towards the upstairs poker room.

"I guess," Sabina agreed. When she'd come in for her shift the night hadn't seemed any different than any other Saturday night, but then she didn't work security so those kinds of numbers weren't her thing. "Who do we have in there?" she asked as they reached the closed door.

"Frank and Steve," Dan began, naming two of their poker regulars, Frank Vincent and Steven Schirripa. They had connections – to the mob and to things Sabina was sure she didn't need to know anything about. As long as you acted with honour while you were in Sheldon Adelson's place, he didn't care what you did outside it. Since that was the kind of life philosophy that kept you living, Sabina was more than happy to go along with it. "Benny," the security chief continued, "Priest, Phil and Joel."

"And our mark?" Sabina questioned, recognising that it wasn't likely her boss wanted her checking out guys who's played plenty of times before.

"Yeah, and the mark," Dan acknowledged. "He's been in a couple of times before tonight, always poker, always wins. Real quiet … and real unfriendly. This guy won't be winning any popularity contests, you get my drift?"

"Okay," Sabina nodded, straightening and rolling her shoulders a couple of times to get herself into character. Dealer, professional, just part of the scenery. Nothing to draw attention. It was a mental preparation too. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and imagined an impenetrable barrier between her and the outside world – protection for the mind that always showed as a complete lack of personal interest in anything while on the job. If any of the players did look at her, all they'd see was 'the dealer' – nothing to take note of, nothing special - a person with no real interest in them. "I'm ready," she said, motioning for Dan to open the door.

"I'll hang out here," Dan stated – Sabina knew it wasn't a suggestion; more an order from the Boss who didn't want anything to happen to so useful a staff member as Sabina had turned out to be.

"Hopefully it won't take me long to work out this guy's angle," she acknowledged.

"Buzz me if you need help," Dan said, giving Sabina a stern eye. There was no room for heroes at the casino – you did your job the best you could and left everyone else to do theirs.

"Will do," Sabina promised, waiting until he opened the door for her before striding confidently inside.

The security guard inside the door nodded as Sabina murmured that the Boss wanted a dealer change at the end of the hand. She walked forward, ignoring the bar and the few patrons sitting and talking quietly as they watched the game, stopping beside the second security guard to wait unobtrusively. The current dealer, a veteran of the casino, gave her a brief nod before turning back to his work. While he ran through what looked like the last round of raise before the inevitable fold or call, Sabina stood beside the guard, hidden in the shadows, and took the opportunity to observe.

It was a testosterone haven, the seven players all eying each other while keeping their tough guy poker faces well in hand. Frank and Steve looked like exactly what they were – two Italian men of advancing years well used to success and to getting their own way. They were talking about a housekeeper and a missing finger. From the sound of it, that was a conversation Sabina was glad she'd missed the beginning of.

Beside them sat the mark – the only guy at the table Sabina had never seen before. She glanced beyond him to Benny – dressed in his usual black leather jacket and sunglasses, even though it wasn't all that bright in the room. Benny thought if no one could see his eyes they'd have a harder time picking his bluffs. Sabina could have told him tells were rarely that obvious and that he should ditch the glasses and watch the way he held his arms close into his body when he had a good hand instead, but that wasn't in her job description. Next to Benny sat Priest – so nicknamed because he preached the good life, the wisdom of God and all that, all the while spending his free time in what many would call a den of sin. He was a straight up guy though, and maybe he was right when he said he was on God's mission. Maybe God needed people like him in a place like the casino more than in a church where everyone already believed.

Rounding out the table were Phil – an accountant who, wrongly, thought that a talent for financials should translate into a talent for cards because they were both about numbers – and Joel, the youngest regular at the table. Sabina knew his interest was career related – he wanted to play professionally at the big, televised tournaments, and was putting in his time in as many games as he could swing. He was good – maybe he'd even make the tournament circuit one day.

Finally, Sabina turned her attention back to the stranger, watching him closely. His hair was more grey than any other discernible colour although he didn't look especially old. He wore it long enough that it draped the shoulders of the black long coat he was wearing. He kept his eyes down and the way he played was beyond casual – actions taken with very little thought and with hardly any attention paid to his fellow players. He looked like he didn't even want to be there … which was odd enough to make a note of, because no one came to a high stakes poker table unless they wanted to win.

It came down to Steve and the stranger in the end. The dealer gestured to Steve, awaiting his next move.

"I know, I'll see him," Steve said. He picked up his cards and laid them down – revealing a weak hand he'd hoped to bluff into a winner. The stranger did the same, revealing a better hand and taking the pot.

"Nice hand, huh?" Steve said, annoyed. "Got me again. It's almost like you can read minds, huh?"

Sabina held back a smile – no serious poker player liked being caught out in a bluff. It was always something the other player did that gave them the edge, rather than a mistake on the bluffee's part. Although, mind reading was a bit extreme as far as excuses went, even for Steve.

"Only yours," Frank retorted.

"Look at this guy," Steve continued, motioning to the stranger. "He won't even look at me! You've been taking my money all night; you won't even look at me?" He addressed the stranger but got absolutely no response. This guy was as cold as ice and as calm.

"Whoa, whoa, leave it alone," Frank urged, looking worried. "He's a freakin' whacko."

"Interesting," Sabina thought as she moved forward, nodding to her fellow dealer before taking his place at the table. With the only remaining empty seat beside her, the dealer position put her almost directly opposite the mark, perfect for observing without being obvious.

The man gave her a quick once over - finding nothing of interest, he quickly returned his attention back to the table top.

Sabina disposed of the old deck, taking out a new pack and showing all the players that it was still in the wrapper. Breaking it open she spread the cards out on the table in front of her, pushing them around randomly to 'wash' them of any potential deliberate ordering. She then gathered them up, squaring them into a deck before splitting them for the first riffle. The sound of the cards flicking each other in quick procession was satisfying, something she'd liked from the first day at the six week poker school she'd had to attend before beginning her then new job. She kept the cards low to the table – no chance anyone would catch a glimpse of any of the faces. She riffled them again before boxing them for another split.

Before she could begin, the door of the room opened. After a short conversation and the requisite pat down from the guard at the door another man walked in.

Sabina looked up just as Frank and Steve saw the man, their reaction making it obvious that they knew the newcomer. Glancing up herself, the breath caught in Sabina's throat and her heart rate quickened, although she couldn't have said exactly why.

He was tall and lanky, his dark hair unruly in a way that didn't come out of a hair dresser's armoury. Neither did the stubble that darkened his cheeks – the result of neglecting his razor rather than by design. There was nothing especially riveting about him – sure, he was good looking, and wore the black suit coat, open collar shirt, and jeans well enough that any red blooded woman would want a second look. He'd stand out anywhere, but Sabina was used to men like him. The dangerous, purposeful type who radiated the 'don't mess with me' vibe without even trying. The casino was usually full of them … and none of them had ever raised Sabina's pulse after a single glance.

She was staring, a fact that only became obvious when the man's lips curved in a subtle smirk that said 'busted'. Feeling the flush of embarrassment riding up her throat to her cheeks, Sabina's eyes shifted into focus and connected with his with a snap that was almost electric … they were hazel, alluring, and oh hell, she could almost read the trouble burning behind them. This man had issues, conflicts … hot desires she was suddenly sure had little to do with human contact and more to do with whatever he'd come to the table for.

"Serious gambler," she thought, disappointed. That made it easier to tear her gaze from his, to push aside the rush of connection, of almost knowledge that had sizzled between them while they maintained eye contact.

"Aren't you a little out of your league here?" Steve asked. It didn't sound derogatory, which was interesting in itself.

"What are you, my mother?" the man retorted, his voice rasping just a little in a way that just completed the sexy package Sabina was doing her best to ignore.

The newcomer sat beside Sabina, shifting to let the waitress place his chips in front of him. As she left he turned to Sabina.

"Go ahead. I'll ante," he said, his gaze locked on the same man she herself was there to observe. With a sudden burst of intuition Sabina was sure that this man was just as interested in the stranger as she was. But why? What was his connection to a man suspected of something as innocuous as card sharping?

"Player in," Sabina confirmed in a low voice, intent now on observing both strangers. She began the shuffle from scratch, washing the cards again before completing a series of riffles and boxes until she was ready to deal. Squaring the deck, she placed the cut card on the table and then cut the deck on top of it. The cut card always remained on the bottom of the deck so the players couldn't see the undersides of the cards. Holding the deck in her left hand, Sabina began to deal, pitching each card from the front right corner so they skimmed low to the table. After dealing two a piece, she paused, waiting for bets to be laid.

The man beside her looked at the mark, who broke his study of the table top to stare back. His façade was blank – there was no way to see what either of them was thinking but there was no doubt the tension at the table ramped up as the game progressed.

The uncanny thing was, the mark kept winning, hand after hand. He seemed to know when to throw in his cards and when to hold and he never, ever fell for a bluff. Nobody was that lucky but Sabina was at a loss to explain it. The guy was cheating, she had no doubt, but not by any means she'd seen before, and she'd seen them all. Mr Adelson wouldn't be happy unless she could solve the mystery – but regardless, once she reported her findings the stranger would not be welcome at the casino again. It was Adelson's place and he didn't need to give a reason for banning someone.

Later, after hours of play, a hand came down to the too intriguing man beside her and her mark. She watched them eye their cards, her mark having first bet. He threw in some chips and the black haired man followed suit. Sabina burned the top card – placed it in the discard pile before dealing the community cards as was the usual practice. Quickly dealing the three cards, she revealed the six of spades, the seven of spades and the seven of hearts. It was a good flop, the potential for a full house or a straight flush there depending on the cards already in hand.

The mark immediately placed another stack of chips into the pot, the dark haired man following without hesitation.

Sabina dealt the fourth card, another seven. Now the potential for a game winning four of a kind was staring everyone in the face. The mark barely reacted, throwing down his bet like he didn't even care how much he was risking.

"Twenty-two thousand to call," Sabina announced.

The black haired man eyed the mark silently, each trying to suss the other out.

Steve shook his head. "He doesn't have it," he commented, a break it etiquette. Players never contributed once they were out of a hand.

"Shut up," Frank retorted, giving his friend a stern glance.

The staring match continued for a few more moments before the dark haired man abruptly gave in, tossing his cards face down on the table. Sabina couldn't help but look at him … frown lines appeared between his brows and he pursed his lips like he was swallowing back something distasteful. He looked … disappointed, but not with the result of the hand. More like disappointed that he hadn't stepped up and risked the twenty grand to see if the last seven had been in his opponent's hand.

Without a word the mark reached forward, collecting his chips.

Steve couldn't contain himself. He shook his head again, his eyes on the black haired man beside Sabina. "He didn't have it. No way."

The mark gave a small nod of the head to the black haired man – as much acknowledgement as he'd given anyone, and then stood up. Clearly he was done for the night. Sabina kept her expression blank but she wasn't surprised when Steve spoke up. No one liked to see a winner leave the table before their luck had turned.

"Wait. Where you goin'? You can't leave now!" he accused angrily. "Look at this guy!" he tried to get support from the other players as he got to his feet. "Hey!" he said again when the mark ignored him. He reached out to grab a wrist and that's when all hell broke loose.

The mark growled like a vicious animal, slapping Steve's hand away and then hurling him backwards across the room. Poor Steve crashed down on a glass table top, shattering it as people yelled in panic. Sabina pressed the hidden 'panic' button under the table before she shifted back quickly, getting out of the way as the security guard began to move forward to head off trouble. The alarm would register down in the control room, sending up more guards to assist if a fight broke out, which looked all too imminent.

The black haired man beside Sabina leaped up just as the mark jumped onto the table, running across it and shoving the other man to the floor. He ran for the door, taking out the first security guard too easily. The security guard at the door was ready for him, his pistol already out. Sabina watched, open mouthed as three shots slammed into the moving body of the mark. He didn't stop, didn't even pause, just powered forward, shoving the guard out of the way too before disappearing out the door. Sabina heard Dan yelling from outside the room, more shots firing, even as the black haired man regained his feet and gave chase, pausing only briefly to pick up the guard's dropped gun before he too disappeared out the door.

"What the hell?" Frank yelled, already at his friend's side.

"Everyone stay calm," Sabina ordered. "Security guards are already on their way up here. If you all wait I'm sure we'll get this situation sorted out quickly."

"Situation?" Frank laughed harshly. "Did you see that guy? Ran through bullets, like freakin' superman."

"Vest," Joel said quietly, thankfully keeping his cool. "Had to be. Probably Kevlar. Nothing less than military grade FMJs will even make a dent."

His quiet demeanour and logical explanation did more to reduce the panic levels than Sabina's assurances of help on the way. Giving him a grateful look she moved forward, eyeing the mess on the table with dismay. There was no standard call she could make for this one. Chips were everywhere, the cards scattered amongst the chaos so that whose stake was who's was anyone's guess. Mr Adelson himself would have to come down and reach an equitable solution for everyone.

Sabina knew she should stick around but at the same time she wanted to follow the black haired man, find out what the hell had happened. Joel's suggestion had calmed the room but Sabina knew it was implausible at best. Every player was subjected to a pat down before they got in the room. If anyone had been wearing a vest the guard would have detected it, and no way was anyone getting in wearing something that yelled 'I expect trouble!'.

It had been a minute, maybe less, but Sabina couldn't stand it. An inner tension was building, urging her to action. She hurried for the door, putting a hand to Dan's elbow on the way out. "Tell the boss I went to see if that guy caught our mark," she said, not waiting for Dan to protest. Once she'd cleared the door she broke into a run, sprinting down the corridor and then down the stairs, hoping to see signs of where the two men had gone. On the casino floor it was all quiet.

With a defeated sigh, Sabina slowed. She'd lost them. Still, maybe she'd see signs of which way they'd gone once they'd gone outside the casino.

Hurrying again, she hit the front door at a half run, skidding to a stop a few steps past the entrance and glancing around. Something made her look right first, just in time to see the mark exiting the side lane that led to the back of the hotel. He stumbled a few steps before his steps evened out and lengthened. She broke into a run even though she knew there was little chance she'd catch him.

By the time she got to the lane he'd disappeared into the mess of people walking along the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Puffing slightly, Sabina turned to the lane, making her way forward with her eyes to the ground. She saw what looked like blood, a long smear glinting wetly in the moonlight. She wasn't sure why but instinct have her looking up.

He was there, the black haired man from the game, looking down. They watched each other for moments before Sabina shifted slightly, telegraphing her intention to leave.

"Stay there!" he shouted, pointing down at her to get his point across.

"I don't think so," she shouted back, turning.

"Hey!" he yelled.

Sabina stopped in spite of herself, glancing up again. The moonlight glinted again, this time off a LVPD badge.

He was a cop!

"Like I said, stay there," he ordered again. "I'm coming down."

"Of course you are," Sabina muttered, sure that somehow her night was about to get worse, even though it hardly seemed possible.