A/N: Eternal thanks to MOG who created the ATF AU and all the other fabulous writers who have expanded it. Enjoy the show!

CHAPTER 1

Vin Tanner was irritated. And bored. Not a good combination for an ATF agent during an undercover assignment. For the past week he accompanied Team 7's undercover agent Ezra Standish on three late night meetings. They had made contact with a member of the Genovese crime family. This crime family usually dealt with extortion, prostitution, and gambling; none of which fell in the parameters of ATF involvement. However, no other federal or state agencies had ever been able to get close to this family. With the FBI's encouragement, Team 7 got involved.

By some lucky chance, Ezra had been sought out by an underling thinking that he was connected to the family. This junior member, Danny Scolone, was so desperate to make a name for himself that he asked Ezra for advice constantly. Eager to make this productive, Ezra, or Elliot Samuels as he was known, insisted that the get-togethers happened at a distribution warehouse on the river that was a front for the family's activities. The team was able to get details about the layout and possible entrance points. There was no sign of any upcoming activity, but Chris Larabee, Team 7's leader, didn't want this opportunity to go to waste. So Ezra, along with his "bodyguard" Vin, met up with Danny to talk about the whiny concerns of a criminal peon.

Vin's face must have showed his displeasure with this situation. Danny looked scared as the two men walked through the warehouse entrance. "Did I interrupt something ya planned?"

Ezra patted the man on the shoulder. He noticed the weasel of a man was sporting a black eye. "Nothing that couldn't be rescheduled. Now what is so paramount that my attendance is required?"

"Huh?"

Vin growled, "Why are we here?"

"Well, it's gots to do with dis pick-up I had. It was supposed to be a simple job. My Uncle Johnny is gonna kill me when he shows up tomorrow."

All ears in the surveillance van outside the warehouse perked up with the mention of "Uncle Johnny." John Scolone was the right hand man of Antonio Genovese, the current head of the family. If he was showing up tomorrow, then something was definitely up.

J.D. Dunne adjusted some knobs on the equipment in the van. It was his job to make sure that everything got recorded for future reference and possible use in prosecution. The hidden mikes in Ezra's and Vin's jackets were picking up sounds well, but he didn't want to take the chance of missing anything that could be use later.

Buck Wilmington watched his partner and roommate fiddle with the equipment. "Did you hear that, Chris? Maybe we'll end up with a golden egg on this wild goose chase," he asked into the headset he was wearing.

In the SUV parked down the street, Chris Larabee and two other members of Team 7, Nathan Jackson and Josiah Sanchez, were also listening to the activity in the warehouse. "We can only hope," he responded. Just like the other members of his team, he was annoyed with the lack of progress they had been making. Granted, lack of progress meant no gunfights or trips to the hospital, which always seem to find them. Chris reluctantly admitted to himself that he would rather sit on a stakeout for the next week than sit in another waiting room. He pulled out of his thoughts to focus back on the whiny voice coming through his headset.

"I didn't know who else to call. I thought maybe ya could help me."

Ezra sighed impatiently. "Mr. Scolone, your admiration is prematurely assigned. What is the dilemma causing you such palpitations?" When the young man looked at him blankly, he amended, "What's the problem?"

Danny led them to a supervisor's office in the rear of the warehouse. He knocked on the door and then opened it. The agents led the man enter first to let their eyes adjust to the low light in the room.

A heavyset man sat behind the desk with his feet propped up. He was still snoring away, completely oblivious to the visitors. But that was not what caught Ezra's attention. It was the body on the floor that drew him into the room.

It was a woman, no, a girl really. She was lying on the bare floor on her back with one arm handcuffed to the bottom handle of a filing cabinet. Her other arm was across her chest, bloody and bruised.

Trusting that Vin to watch his back, Ezra crossed the room and knelt beside the girl. She was either asleep or unconscious. "Who is she?"

J.D. looked at Buck. "She?"

Danny whispered, "She was da pick-up. It was suppose da be easy. But things got rough and . . ."

"Who is she?" Vin demanded quietly.

The criminal instinctively stepped away from the sharpshooter. "Some cop's kid."

"What the . . ." Chris muttered. "Buck, call the Judge and tell him that we have a hostage situation, a possible kidnapping. J.D., get online and see if the FBI is working a kidnapping case involving an officer's child."

Ezra spoke up. "Her entire body is shivering, yet her skin is wet and clammy. One side of her face is bruised. She is taking quick, shallow breaths. Her right arm might be broken." He knew Nathan was listening. "How long has she been like this?"

"We grabbed her two days ago. She started getting sick last night."

Josiah kept his hand on the medic's shoulder, keeping him from running out of the SUV.

"I want you to uncuff her. How long has she been like this?" Ezra felt something on his shoulder and turned to see Vin handing him his jacket. When Danny released her arm, the undercover agent gently placed it on the girl.

Her eyes fluttered. "Daddy?" The raspy voice nearly broke the southerner's heart.

The thug sleeping at the desk had woken up at this point. One look from Vin and he knew not to say a word.

"She needs to be taken to a hospital immediately," Ezra stated.

Danny panicked. "No, she can't! That's da problem. How can I explain dis to the doc? No hospital, no hospital!"

Vin wanted to shove this idiot's face into the floor.

Ezra tried again. "Then, how about I bring the physician to her? I have a close acquaintance with medical training who will not ask questions."

Chris was distracted by Buck's voice. "Judge Travis wants to talk to you . . . now."

"Damn it. All right. Josiah, send Vin a text message and tell them to pull out. We'll meet at the gas station two blocks down. Buck, go there now and we'll follow Ez and Vin."

Nathan started, "But Chris . . ."

"I know, but we can't just bust in there. This seems pretty fishy. Plus, we could jeopardize the investigation," Chris reasoned out loud. He was trying to convince himself that leaving the girl there was the best option, but he knew it was weak.

As Ezra continued to question the flustered criminal, Vin felt his cell vibrate in his pocket. Knowing that communicating this way was always the last resort, he pulled it out. "Mr. Samuels, your wife is wondering where you are."

"Oh, dear. I forgot to inform my significant other of this change of plans. I am afraid she may not forgive my lack of attention this particular week," Ezra replied with the appropriate amount of worry in his voice.

"She's got ya pretty whipped, huh?" The whiny criminal couldn't help but smirk.

"She does wield a considerable amount of power over me. I think I should be in a personal appearance to appease her ire. Meanwhile, I will ponder your predicament and attempt to find an agreeable solution."

Danny didn't even attempt to translate the confusing words. He just looked at Vin, who sighed and said, "He's gonna go calm his wife down. He'll think about a way to get you out of this mess."

"Okay. And thanks, Mr. Samuels. I didn't know who else to trust."

Ezra smiled. "You can trust me, Mr. Scolone."

A few minutes later, Ezra's Jaguar pulled into the gas station where the other members of the team were waiting. Chris was standing away from the others, still talking with the Judge. Nathan first approached the pair.

"That was real smart of you, telling us her symptoms. How old do you think she is?" Nathan inquired.

"I'd venture to say she is in her mid-teens. Where is Mr. Dunne?"

Buck stepped up. "He's still listening. Your chivalry has given us a pair of ears in there," he replied, referring to the microphone hidden in the jacket.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Vin drawled.

"Damn it!" Chris threw the cell phone into the SUV. "Travis wants us to wait 'til he can confirm the kidnapping. Did JD find anything?"

"Nothing online," Buck replied. "How long do we wait?"

Ezra frowned. "That girl needs medical attention now. I fear the stark conditions of the warehouse have exacerbated the poor treatment given her."

"We have to follow procedure. If it is kidnapping, then the Feds need to get involved. And if she is an officer's child, then we need to contact Denver PD."

"There is a reason to doubt that claim," Josiah added. "This man is desperate to impress Ezra. Maybe he thought a higher profile kidnapping would do the trick."

"I don't care if she's the love child of Brad and Angelina. She's sick and needs help." Nathan was getting impatient.

"The Judge is calling Assistant Director Phillips from the Denver FBI office and Police Commissioner Mancuso right now. We've been ordered to wait for his call." Chris's glare was the sign that the discussion was over.

The next half hour was tense. Buck joined J.D. back in the van. Chris paced. Josiah divided his time between Nathan and Vin, both of whom were getting angrier every minute. Ezra kept thinking about what he had seen and what he should have done.

Suddenly the van door slid open. "We've been made," Buck announced.

Before anyone could say anything, J.D. played back some recorded audio. "Hello? . . . Oh, hi Uncle Johnny . . . What? ATF? Shit! . . . I didn't . . . OK . . . I'll get rid of her . . . Yeah, I know that spot . . . No problem. And I'm really sor . . . OK. I'll be there . . . Bye."

"They're on the move." J.D. pulled out a small black device. He smiled shyly. "I kinda slipped tracking bugs in Ez and Vin's jackets. I figured they'd end up in trouble at some point."

Buck slapped his shoulder proudly. "Good thinking, son," Josiah said. Chris nodded his approval.

Ezra looked shocked. "Is he insinuating that we are tend to find ourselves in perilous situations?"

Vin grinned. "I reckon he is."

"Let's follow them," Chris barked. "We won't engage them unless we witness a crime or get word from Travis." Ezra and Vin joined Buck and J.D. in the surveillance van, while the other three returned to the SUV. The van led the way down the road.

J.D. navigated the two cars through the warehouse district. The audio from the jacket was still working, but sounded muffled. "The signal has stopped moving. They should be about 50 yards ahead," he announced.

The team got out of the vehicles without speaking. They worked through way around packing crates. J.D. still had a headset on. "I think I can hear water."

"There they are," Buck pointed out. Ahead was the edge of the loading dock. The lights from the warehouses were not strong enough to penetrate the dark night. The outline of two figures carrying something between them could barely be made out.

"What are they doing?" Chris demanded. No one could see well enough to answer. But there were now close enough to hear the men grunted with the load they were carrying. Then, there was a splash.

"Aw hell, they dumped her," Vin whispered angrily.

Chris had already left his hiding place. He watched a car speed off. By the time he reached the edge of the dock, he had already pulled off his boots. He dropped his gun inside one and dove into the water.

Although the spring days were getting warmer, the river water was shockingly cold. Chris mentally blocked the cold from seizing up his muscles. He dove under the water, stretching out his arms and legs to maximize his search.

When he hit the surface to take another breath, he noticed Buck was in the water now, searching closer to the dock. The others were still on the dock, trying to see through the blackness to help out.

"Brother, there!" Josiah pointed to a spot behind Chris. He turned and saw bubbles on the surface. Taking a deep breath, he dove under again and reached down. He stretched as far as he could. Hair brushed his fingers. He wrapped his hands around the hair and with the last of his energy he pushed himself to the surface.

He broke through the water, gasping for air. He pulled the body up to lie across his chest as he swam towards the dock. Buck met him there and helped him lift the lifeless body up towards their waiting teammates.

Ezra and J.D. had already been sent back to the SUV for Nathan's medical bag and emergency blankets. They helped Chris and Buck out of the river while Nathan assessed the girl. Her hands were bound together with Vin's jacket in front. Her skin was deathly pale and cold. She had a steady pulse, but wasn't breathing.

Nathan tilted her head back, pinched her nose, and puffed into her mouth. He repeated this four times before she started coughing up water. He turned her on her side to help get the water out of her lungs.

She continued to cough roughly. Nathan pulled her up into a sitting position and moved behind her to keep her upright. He could feel the rattle of her lungs as she fought to breath. He took a blanket Josiah handed him and wrapped it around both him and the girl, trapping in as much of his body heat as possible.

Vin knelt down and cut through his jacket binding her hands together with a pocketknife. This gave Nathan the first chance to see the injured arm. "Nathan?"

The medic looked up to see the dripping and shivering leader of Team 7. "She needs a hospital. Now."

"I'll call an ambulance," J.D. offered.

Chris shook his head. "That will draw too much attention. We'll take her in ourselves."

At this moment the girl started to struggle against Nathan. "It's OK. You're safe," he tried to assure her. She continued to struggle, but weakly.

Chris knelt beside Vin. "We're not going to hurt you. We're ATF agents."

The girl opened her eyes and mumbled something.

"What?"

The girl repeated in a loud rough whisper, "P-Prove . . . it. Badge."

Vin chuckled. "Well, Cowboy. Prove it."

Chris glared at him as he dug into his soaked black jeans. He pulled out his wallet and opened it to show his shield. The girl reached out with her uninjured arm and touched it. "OK? What's your name?"

The girl's arm dropped down. She appeared to pass out.

"We need to go now. Josiah?" Nathan looked up at his friend. Smiling, the profiler easily scooped the girl into his arms. The team started back to where the vehicles were hidden.

Chris started giving orders. "J.D. and Buck, take the van back to the office and started logging anything and everything that can be used as evidence. Ezra, go with them. Call the Judge and tell him what the hell happened. Someone sold us out. If I talk to him right now, I'm likely to lose my job. Nathan, Josiah, and I will take her to the hospital."

"What about me?" Vin asked.

"Well, Junior, I'd appreciate it greatly if you would go in that damn water and find my manhood. That water was freezing," Buck growled.

J.D. smacked his shoulder. "It wasn't that bad."

"Do you want to find out?"

"Uh, no."

"Then, shut up, kid, and get in the damn van."