THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

AU: ATF UNIVERSE

FIRESTORM OF THE HEART

CHAPTER 1

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and there is no profit expected. The Magnificent Seven belong to Mirsch, CBS, MGM and Trilogy. No copyright infringement is intended.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Language, Violence, Adult Situations

NOTES: I have written three complete TMS fanfics set in the old west and have a fourth in progress. This is my first attempt at a TMS AU ATF fanfic.

Summary: A new woman enters Chris Larabee's life and, for the first time since losing his wife and son, he feels he may just be ready to love again. All the usual folks are present plus some new faces.

(Promptly at 6:30 p.m. Chris calls Catherine back and is more than relieved to hear the friendly note in her voice.)

"Hello, Chris."

"Guess you're willing to give me a second chance since you checked your Caller I.D. and still answered the phone."

"Yep."

"Decided what you'd like to have for dinner tonight?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. You know a place called 'Pop's Crab House'?"

"You know about Pop's?"

"Indeed, I do. How about I meet you there in thirty minutes?"

"Be easier if I came by and picked you up. Pop's is nowhere near either of our offices and it's a little hard to find if you're not familiar with Denver."

"I know exactly where Pop's is and how to get there from my office. Besides, the GPS in my Bureau SUV is up to date. See you there at seven?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I'll be there. Do you have my cellular number in case you get lost?"

"I have it, but I won't get lost. See you in thirty."

(Ending the call, Chris turns to his computer and pulls up Catherine's personnel file; something he should have done when he first found out they were going to be working together. A few minutes later, Chris leans back in his desk chair and whistles softly under his breath. Everything Judge Travis told him about Catherine Stewart is true. What the Judge didn't tell him is that Catherine was born and raised in the Denver area. He also didn't say that Catherine's parents and both her maternal and paternal grandparents were quite wealthy and well-known in the state of Colorado and beyond. Her paternal grandfather made a fortune several times over in the oil and aviation industry and her maternal grandfather and grandmother were both extremely successful corporate attorneys. Her mother was also an attorney and made a killing in investing in several thriving business in the Denver area, and her father made his father's oil company even more successful. Since they are all deceased and Catherine is an only child, she inherited quite a fortune and owns a good chunk of the state of Colorado including a huge horse ranch a little ways out of town. Not only does Catherine know her way around Denver and exactly where Pop's Crab House is located; she owns the place! Glancing at the clock, Chris realizes that he's going to have to hurry or he's going to be late meeting Catherine. Telling Vin to pull up Catherine's file and look it over on his way out, Chris takes the stairs down to the parking deck and heads to the restaurant.

While waiting for Catherine's file to load on his computer, Vin glances around the room and sees most everyone else working at their desks. Buck, however, is leaning against the counter near the coffee maker staring out the door Chris went through moments before.)

"Where's Chris going in such an all-fired hurry?"

"He's having dinner with Catherine."

"He's what?"

"He's having dinner with Catherine. Thought it would be a good way to make up for this afternoon."

"Well, if that don't just beat all! Only known the woman a few hours and already taking her out to dinner."

"I didn't say he was taking her to dinner, Buck. I said he was having dinner with her."

"Ain't that the same thing?"

"When a gentleman takes a lady out to dinner, Mr. Wilmington, he picks her up from her residence, drives her to a lovely restaurant, engages in interesting and meaningful dinner conversation with her, pays the bill, and escorts her home."

"That explains why you usually only have a couple of dates with a woman, Ezra."

"That wasn't nice, Buck; not nice at all."

"Now just hold on here a minute, Nathan. Buck wants to know why Chris is having dinner with Catherine and so do I. I think I have a right to know since I'm the one who told you about her in the first place."

"It ain't a big deal, J.D. We all know Chris put his foot in his mouth with Catherine this afternoon and he just wants to try and smooth things over."

"What are you studyin' so intently, Vin?"

"Catherine's personnel file."

"How did you get into the Bureau's system?"

"Same way Chris did, J.D. You ain't the only one around here with wicked computer skills."

"Well?"

"Well, Buck?"

"Well, what does it say?"

"It says she's a very smart, very capable F.B.I. Agent."

"Come on, Vin, it says more than that."

"Pull her file up for yourself, J.D."

(Completely unable to resist the challenge, the young man does exactly that and soon he, Buck, Ezra, Nathan, and Josiah are crowded around his desk reading Catherine Stewart's personnel file. Thoroughly disgusted with the lot of them, Vin logs off his computer, grabs his jacket and tells the rest of them he'll see them tomorrow. After he leaves, the five members of Team 7 that are left finish going through the information on J.D.'s computer. As soon as Catherine enters the restaurant, Emmett spots her from across the room and immediately moves to greet her. Enveloping her in a huge bear hug, Emmett grins from ear to ear as he greets Catherine.)

"Heard you were moving back to Denver. How are you, Catherine?"

"I'm doing just fine, Emmett, and it looks like you are, too."

"Can't complain. Now, you know that Claudia is going to want you to come over for dinner just as soon as possible."

"And I'll be glad to take her up on that invitation once I get unpacked and settled. Looks like you've got a full crowd tonight; need a hand?"

"Not that I don't appreciate your offer to help, Catherine, but you've got a guest coming to have dinner with you. Hope it's a nice, young man. Claudia and I worry about you."

"You and Claudia know perfectly well that I can take care of myself but I love you both for being concerned. I am having dinner with a young man but it's not a date. We're going to be working together now that I'm here and we're going to be reviewing cases."

"Chris Larabee. He's a fine man."

"Now just how did you know who I was having dinner with?"

"Chris and his team love Pop's! They eat here quite often, along with Mary Travis and a whole slew of folks from the Denver P.D., and I know the F.B.I. and the ATF frequently work together. Now, I set-up a nice, quiet table for you out on the back patio. There's only a few other folks who'll be eating out there, so you and Chris won't have to shout over all the noise in here to be heard."

"Fine. In the meantime, I'm going to go to the kitchen and see if I can help out."

(And placing a daughterly kiss on Emmett's cheek, Catherine determinedly strides toward the double-swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. Watching her walk away, Emmett feels a bitter-sweet sensation sweep through him. He and Catherine's father were best friends from the time they were five-years-old and he thinks of Catherine as a daughter as does his wife, Claudia. In fact, he and Claudia stepped in when Catherine's parents were killed in an automobile accident during her first year of college. Whenever Catherine came home to Denver after that, she came home to their house. Although she looks wonderful, Emmett can sense a lingering sense of sadness in Catherine; not as great as right after her parents died, but it's there nonetheless. That young lady has been alone for far too long in his way of thinking, and he intends to see if he can't change that. He knows Chris Larabee quite well and respects the man enormously. If he and Catherine are going to be working together, there's no reason it has to be all work, does it?

Fifteen minutes later, Emmett spies Chris walking into the restaurant and makes a beeline in his direction. Quickly seating the ATF Agent, Emmett heads straight into the kitchen and shoos Catherine out to the back patio. Right behind him is their server and in no time they have placed their orders and are finally by themselves.)

"Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me, Catherine. I'd like to apologize for over-stepping this afternoon."

"Apology accepted. After I left your office, I realized that you were just trying to be helpful. You do know the men on my team better than I do. It's just . . ."

"It's just what?"

"I'm a woman in a job that is predominately a man's world. From my first day at the F.B.I. Academy, I've had to work harder than any man to be successful; most all women in law enforcement do no matter what bureaucrats want the world to think. When a woman is put into a supervisory position at the Bureau, well, let's just say that the going can be a bit rough sometimes."

"I read your file, Catherine. You were first in class and have quite a few commendations on your record. From everything I've seen, you're exactly the right person for the job. Can't let misguided resentment get in your way."

"I know that, Chris, but it's a very, fine line that I'm walking here. Bill Peterson was a good Agent and had a long and successful career with the Bureau, but he got a little sloppy the last year or so before he retired. I'd go as far as to say that he more or less let his team run themselves. The fact that Washington waited almost six months to replace him has further eroded my guys' ability to work with any superior let alone a woman. If I were a man, they'd still grumble about having to shape up but they'd do it ASAP. I've officially been their supervisor for all of twelve hours now, and the only one of them who isn't glaring daggers at me is Ethan Smith. And that's because he's fresh out of the Academy and this is his first assignment."

"They'll come around."

"Yes, they will. The question is, will they do it quickly and on terms on which we can all agree or am I going to have to play the bad guy to get their cooperation? Well, that's my problem. How about we get started on the open cases?"

(An hour later, Catherine and Chris have thoroughly discussed the three open cases on which the F.B.I. and the ATF are collaborating, and they both agree that the cases are progressing well. The only one of the three that gives either of them more than a moment's worry is one concerning a suspected serial rapist and murderer who is also thought to work for a huge drug cartel out of Columbia. The suspect lives in Denver and has, so far, kept his nose clean, but neither Catherine nor Chris is stupid enough to think he'll stay out of trouble. The Denver P.D. is handling the investigation of the rapes and murders of five women but have been unable to tie the suspect to any of those five women. The F.B.I. and the ATF are involved because of the Columbia connection but they are taking a wait and watch approach.

All during their discussion, Chris has found it increasingly difficult to keep his mind on the business at hand and off of the way the fading sunlight reflects off Catherine's hair, the way her emerald-green eyes seem to be talking to him at every turn, the way her full, berry-colored lips seem to be begging him to kiss them. Realizing that he is staring at Catherine's beautiful mouth, he forces his eyes back up to meet hers and feels himself flushing at the amused expression on her face.)

"Can you think of anything else we need to discuss, Chris?"

"Nothing about work."

(And just like that, the very air surrounding their table seems to be charged with electricity. Catherine's eyes widen slightly as she realizes just exactly where Chris' thoughts had been headed and she is momentarily flustered. Tearing her gaze from his, Catherine places her napkin on the table and stands up which, of course, is Chris' cue to stand as well.)

"Well, then, I have to go back to my office and finish some things. If you read my file, then you know that I own Pop's so dinner's on the house. I'm glad we were able to start over, Chris. I think we're going to work well together."

"As do I, Catherine."

"Good. I'll see you later."

"You can bet on it. Thanks for dinner."

"Anytime. Goodnight."

(Chris watches Catherine as gracefully makes her way into the restaurant and then slowly follows her. Emmett Danvers stops him as he is about to go out the front door.)

"You and Catherine have a nice dinner?"

"It was great; please thank your chef for me."

"I'll pass that along. So, what do you think of Catherine?"

"I think the F.B.I.'s lucky to have her and we're all lucky she's been assigned to the Denver office."

"Yes, she's very good at her job. . . . Beautiful, too, inside as well as out. Catherine's got one of the most giving hearts of anyone I've ever known."

"Emmett, you do realize that we had a business dinner, don't you?"

"Of course, I do, Chris, but you're not going to stand there and tell me you didn't notice what she looks like, are you?"

"No, I noticed. I also noticed that the lady has a very sharp mind. Something tells me she wouldn't appreciate knowing that we were having this conversation."

(Emmett Danvers eyes the young man standing before him with a new appreciation because he realizes that Chris Larabee has most definitely gotten the right take on Catherine Stewart.)

"No, Son, I don't believe she would. All right then, see you next time."

(Chris drives home on automatic pilot because his mind is still on Catherine. He's right back in the moment when he was gazing at her mouth and thinking how very much he would like to kiss her. Where are these thoughts coming from? He's seen plenty of beautiful women in his time; Hell, he sees beautiful women every day. What makes Catherine Stewart so special? How has she been able to break through the carefully constructed barriers he built after Sarah and Adam died when he's known her less than twelve hours? What in God's name is happening to him?

Catherine is nearly shaking as she walks into her bedroom and throws her keys on her dresser. Planting both hands before her, she takes several slow, deep breaths until she feels a little more in control of herself. Lifting her head and staring at her reflection, Catherine is somewhat surprised to see that she is flushed. Just the thought of Chris' very sensual mouth on hers and his large, strong hands on her body sends heat rushing through her. All through dinner she watched that mouth and those hands and had to work really hard to push carnal thoughts out of her mind and concentrate on the business at hand.

Good Lord, Catherine, get a grip! Chris Larabee isn't the first man you've been attracted to and he certainly won't be the last. Just because you haven't had sex in a gazillion years is no reason for you to go off the deep end over this man. Besides, with things the way they are with your team, you can't afford to be sidetracked.

Just as she is giving herself this little pep talk, her cellular phone rings. Smiling as she sees the name of the caller, she quickly puts all thoughts of Chris Larabee out of her mind and connects the call.)

"Hello, Mary. I was wondering when I was going to hear from you."

"You would have heard from me sooner but I was tied up in court all day. How'd your first day go?"

"Well, it could have been worse."

"Start from the beginning and do not leave a thing out."

"As I suspected, five of the six guys on my team hate me, and the one who doesn't is so wet behind the ears I'm tempted to take a couple of towels to work with me tomorrow."

"Ethan Smith's a good kid, Catherine. I've worked a couple of scenes with him and he does all right. He just needs some guidance which I'm sure he'll get now that you're here. And as far as those other idiots, just ignore them. You're the Team Leader and they're just going to have to learn to live with that."

"Yeah, but I don't want to take a hard line approach with them, Mary. In fact, Chris suggested that I try a kinder more gentle way to get them to play nice."

"So you met Chris Larabee."

"Yep. Your father-in-law took me over to the ATF office and introduced us. I met his team members, too. Interesting group."

"You don't know the half of it, but they're the best at what they do. In fact, I have a confession to make."

"Well don't leave me hanging, Mary!"

"Vin Tanner and I have been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now, and I think that, well, this one may be a keeper."

"Wow. He must be perfect because you've never, ever settled for anything less. . And you shouldn't have to, either. How does he get along with Billy?

"Billy adores him and Vin seems to adore Billy. He makes me happy, Catherine. When Steven died, I thought I'd never be happy again, but Vin has made that happen."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mary, but I'm a little worried, too. Steven was DEA and he was killed in the line of duty. Are you really going to be able to handle Vin being ATF?"

"I'm a big girl. I know the risks. I also know that I'm tired of being alone and of being lonely."

"Oh, Mary. ."

"Hey, I'm okay. This is a good thing, Catherine. Promise."

"Then you know I'm happy for you. One word of caution, though. . If this thing with Vin doesn't work out please remember that you are going to have to continue working with him from time to time and you'll probably run into him socially; maybe with another woman."

"I know all that but I've decided to give him, to give us, a try,"

"Okay, then. I'm behind you one-hundred percent."

"Good. Now, let's get back to Chris Larabee. What do you think of him?"

(And just that quick, heat rushes through Catherine at Mary's innocent question. She leaves her reply so long that Mary jumps right on it.)

"Catherine? Are you still there?"

"I'm here. I, um, I think Chris is, um,"

"Oh. My. God! You like him! And I'm not talking about the eight-year-old kind of like, either!"

"Now, Mary, don't go jumping off the cliff here."

"You find him attractive! Admit it!"

"I am a healthy, heterosexual woman, Mary, of course I find him attractive. Doesn't mean a thing. We're going to be working together, remember? I can look, but I'm definitely not going to touch!"

"Why not?"

"And now we're back to your first question. I need to get the guys on my team on the same page with me as soon as possible, and I cannot afford to be distracted from that by anyone or anything."

"You can't always control these things, you know."

"Well, I can control this!"

"We'll see."

"I have to, Mary, I don't have any choice."

"You've excelled at everything you've ever done, Catherine. You're very highly thought of in the Bureau. I mean, you were a Profiler in the BAU, for Pete's sake! What more confirmation that you're headed up the ladder do you need?"

"This isn't about moving up the ladder. Rumor has it that Clay Henniger, the Special agent In Charge of the Denver office, is going to be retiring in a year, and I want the job. In order to be considered for it, I have to prove to Washington that I can handle my own team and do it well. So far, I'm not getting it done."

"Still, with your experience . . ."

"Mary, the reason I left the BAU was because we got a new Unit Chief six months ago and I was given a choice; request a transfer to a location of my choice or be sent to one randomly. Either way, it was made clear to me that my days in the BAU were numbered."

"So the new Unit Chief didn't like working with women or was he just a jerk?"

"She felt threatened."

"That's even worse! I can't believe you let her get away with it!"

"There's a lot of politics inside the Bureau, Mary. It's not right, but it's there and, sometimes, it's just better to accept things and move on."

"But you loved the BAU."

"I love Denver, too. It is my home, after all. I'm good with this transfer, Mary, really. I just have to find a way to get my guys on board."

"You will. I've known you a long time, Catherine; I have faith in you. This will all work out."

"I hope so. Let's get together for lunch in the next couple of days."

"Sounds good."

(After ending the call, Catherine changes into a comfortable, over-sized sleep shirt, brushes her teeth, and climbs into her king-sized bed determined to get a good night's sleep. Two hours later, she is still tossing and turning and trying very hard to put Chris Larabee firmly out of her mind.)