Title: All in

Summary: Vin's entire strategy depended on Ezra being a good man.

A/N: Set in a modern AU, where the seven are all federal law enforcement agents.

All In:

Someone who didn't know Chris Larabee wouldn't have noticed, but he was extremely relieved. Grateful to have Vin done with this particular stint of undercover work. Glad to be done with this entire mess of a case.

Vin, on the other hand, looked happy. Oh, he was hiding it well, but he was happy to see one of the men in cuffs. Chris frowned, and tensed to intervene. Then he realized that the man in custody was the FBI agent who had saved Vin's life when the operation went sour the first time, about a month back. The agent on whose report and assistance Vin had insisted that they could rely, in wrapping the operation up. They had, and they'd taken down the entire drug-and-slave running enterprise. Vin's entire strategy had depended upon Ezra Standish being a good man.

The uniforms took the criminals to their various holding cell. Ezra was covertly re-routed back to talk to Vin, Chris, and some other FBI and joint-taskforce superiors. For now, it was just Vin, Chris, and Ezra.

"Good to see you again, Agent Standish." Vin said with a grin, "I like you better when you're not doing your best to swing a tire iron at me as lightly as possible without giving away that you weren't one of them."

"I should say that you do." Agent Standish agreed, before fixing Vin with a fey look. "That was ... unwise, Agent Tanner."

Vin gave Standish his crooked. I'm-amused-by-something, grin.

Seeing that was like a punch in the gut to Chris, as it made the team leader realize that the hell of a mess that Standish was in, was now CHRIS'S mess. Vin, who was like Chris's own baby brother, thought of this man Ezra as his friend, and that meant that Chris Larabee had to care about his fate. He owed that to Vin.

The chameleon continued to scold Vin, oblivious to the significance of Vin's smile, or its consequence that Chris had decided to take Standish under his wing.

"One should never put all of one's eggs in one basket." Ezra continued. Chris noted with some interest that Ezra now sported a southern accent, which seemed at odds with his previous guise as a mid-western accountant cum thug. His entire demeanor had changed. Chris's ruefulness turned to incipient pride - his team could use a man like Ezra. And if Vin had faith in Ezra...

Vin shook his head. ""M not that dumb, or crazy, Agent Standish. We knew that you were FBI, goin' back in."

The undercover agent only raised an eyebrow, but Chris thought that he was slightly taken aback. One thing for sure, he was a cool customer.

"If you got that far, Agent Tanner, then you undoubtedly uncovered the stain on my reputation at the bureau. Your entire strategy depended entirely on my being an honest man." Ezra Standish seemed genuinely startled. It made Chris like him a little better, despite giving the impression that Ezra was not a man who was honest that often. That and his trying to explain Vin's mistakes to the stubborn fool.

Vin just grinned wider, either oblivious to his boss's frustration or, more likely, uncaring. "Yep. I bet everythin' I had on Ezra Standish being a good man." He leaned closer to the undercover agent as he undid the man's handcuffs. "And I was right."

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