A/N: I had intended on getting this finished within three weeks. But, I didn't. Sorry.

A/N2: Still for InSilva. Still happy birthday

They headed out early next morning to pick everything up – well. They planned to head out early. But by the time Danny had stopped complaining about the itchy blankets, and Rusty had stopped complaining that fixing his hair the way he liked would probably draw way too much attention, and they'd both eaten a large plate of something called kedgeree, because as odd as a rice-and-fish dish was for breakfast, it was always going to be preferable to kidney, by the time they'd finished with all that, early had come and gone.

The fake diamonds were pleasingly large and bright, the letterhead was suitably official, and the puppeteers were confident they'd got something realistic and frightening.

"So," Danny said, leaning back in his seat at the Exhibition coffee house, cup of coffee in his hand. Just for devilment, he'd tried asking for a cappuccino. It hadn't gone well.

"So," Rusty agreed, staring at his own coffee like he was trying to turn it into a milkshake by force of will alone...which, come to think of it... "We're set?"

"We're set," Danny nodded.

Rusty looked thoughtful, drumming his fingers against his mouth.

Danny sighed. "What?"

"We could maybe do with something a little stronger for the distraction." He was gazing out over the crowd.

Danny followed his gaze. "Like shouting, screaming people, maybe?" he suggested.

Rusty grinned. "Read my mind."

They spent most of the rest of the day people watching, ostensibly looking for likely candidates to metaphorically shout "Fire" in a crowded movie theatre, but really, they were enjoying the sunshine and the calm before the hurricane. And just because the people here were all hats and lace and crinoline, didn't make them any less fascinating or familiar.

The awkward young man and the shy young girl on what was obviously a first date, walking a metre apart and stealing half glances at each other, her scowling chaperone walking two steps behind with a clear expression of not-good-enough; the old couple walking along arm in arm, each wrapped in their own constant monologue, never apparently listening to each other, but still smiling amicably all the time; the group of grey-haired ladies dressed in black who were watching the crowd more than they were, scowling at everyone who seemed to be having a good time, tutting superiorly at the sound of laughter...all of them were so familiar.

"Guess people don't change much, huh," he said.

Rusty shrugged. "In some ways. They always find a way to surprise." He smiled. "You always find a way to surprise."

They'd found a couple of young guys who thought it all sounded like a good laugh and were more than happy to take the money and not ask why. Hell, Danny thought they would probably have done it for no reason at all, but money was always going to help.

They made their move at around five. The exhibition closed at six, and they were meeting Joseph at quarter to, but it was important that no one would have the opportunity to check their story out.

"How's your English accent?" Rusty asked.

He grimaced. "Pretty much non existent," he admitted. He sounded like Dick Van Dyke, that was as close as he came.

"Guess I should - "

" - be my guest," Danny agreed, and so it was Rusty who walked up to the agent on the door and flashed their new credentials very quickly.

"Meet me outside in two minutes. Do not let Captain Charleston or his men see you leaving," he said in a low voice and a crisp English accent.

To the agent's credit, he just stood there, not even glancing at their faces or watching them as they stole out of the room, confident that Joseph hadn't even spotted them.

They found a deserted corner and and waited and sure enough, three minutes later two of the agents appeared.

"What's all this about?" the one Rusty had spoken to asked.

"I'm Major Thynne of the Queen's personal guard," Rusty introduced himself. "This is Agent Bellevue, on loan from our American cousins, but a good chap in spite of that."

Danny shot Rusty a carefully crafted sardonic look. "Thanks," he said dryly.

Rusty held out the papers again, not quite close enough to encourage the agents to take them."These are our credentials, please feel free to study them, but I'm afraid we don't have much time and our mission is of the utmost priority."

The two agents glanced over their intimidating-looking papers and exchanged a quick glance of their own. "I'm Edwin Drake, and this is Morris Saunders," the agent introduced them. "What's going on, and how can we help?"

"Thank you, gentlemen," Danny said gravely. "Our investigation has uncovered a plot to steal the Koh-i-Noor."

"Impossible," Edwin snorted. "It's under constant guard."

Rusty looked round them warily. "It's the guards that are the problem," he said intently. "We have information from the most impeccable sources that Captain Charleston has been turned. As far as we're aware his motivations are nothing more than the crass desire for money, but we're not ruling anything out at this time. Obviously we must consider all of his men potentially compromised."

"Our information is that he intends to move tonight," Danny took over. "Probably within the hour."

"He's set up some kind of distraction to go on while he's giving a private viewing," Rusty added. "On the basis that everyone will, naturally enough, be watching the unknown element rather than your own colleagues."

Edwin was looking quietly overwhelmed. Danny looked straight at him, keeping up the intensity. "Now, we've managed to get under his rada..." He caught himself and winced imperceptibly. "His guard, in order to be that unknown element. Our plan is to catch him red handed. That way he will reveal the names of his conspirators in the hopes it will be taken into account at his court martial. That's where you come in," he added, putting his full measure of charm and charisma into his smile. "We're gonna need your help."

"He'll be watching you to see when you're distracted," Rusty added. "We need you to act naturally but be ready to grab him the moment we give the word." He took a deep breath. "Our orders come directly from the palace, gentlemen. Let's not let her majesty down."

The agents stood a little straighter. "You can rely on us, sir," Edwin promised crisply.

"Good man," Danny said warmly. "Now. Remember. Don't let Charleston suspect a thing."

"We won't," they promised.

As they were walking away, once he was certain no one could see, he shot Rusty a grin. "So here we go," he said. They were poised at the top of the roller coaster, and this was the moment it felt like they were flying.

They met up with Joseph at the exit door of the Koh-i-Noor room, just as he was letting the last visitor's out. He waited until the visitors were round the corner before he turned to them with a smile. "Glad you could make it," he said expansively. He took a step closer to Rusty, pushing lightly into his personal space and setting Danny's teeth on edge. "I must say, I'm looking forward to our engagement later. I've been thinking about getting you alone from the first time I saw you."

"I've been looking forward to it too," Rusty said softly, but Joseph didn't seem to care, already turning to Danny.

"Shall we get on then?" Joseph said, rubbing his hands together.

Huh. Seeing someone look past Rusty to him as if his opinion was the only one that mattered wasn't exactly a new experience, but this was the first time it had happened on what might be called a date, even euphemistically. Joseph really had no grace at all.

They stood and admired the diamond and the way that the agents absolutely didn't look at them with any more or less suspicion than they'd looked at anyone else. These guys were pros, you had to respect that. He'd be willing to bet they wouldn't take a couple of strangers in for a private viewing. Which was probably why they were quite so ready to believe Joseph was up to no good.

"It sure is beautiful," Rusty sighed gormlessly.

"Huge is what it is," Danny said, casually walking around the case so he was standing on Joseph's other side. "How much do you think it weighs?" He glanced easily past Joseph to where Rusty was standing on the far side and a step behind. Alright. They were ready. Time to fly.

Outside the clock struck the hour. It had barely stopped chiming when the shouts started.

"Tiger!"

"My God, the tiger's escaped!"

"Man eating tiger!"

"Tiger! Tiger!"

"What the hell?" one of the soldiers exclaimed, and they were moving towards the door, guns drawn.

At the same moment, Danny reached into his pocket and lightly pressed a button on his phone, setting off the playback function, and the loud angry growl of a tiger echoed around the room, just as the shadow of some enormous creature stalked past the open door. Oh, those guys had outdone themselves.

"Close the door!" Joseph shouted shrilly, and it looked like they were considering it.

No one was looking. Danny's hand plunged into Joseph's pocket, easily lifting the key to the diamond case in one easy motion, and a second later, Rusty bumped into Joseph, sending him sprawling into the case.

"We need to get out of here!" he cried in a panicky voice, drawing attention as Danny smartly shoved the key into the lock.

One of the soldiers stuck his head round the door cautiously. "There's no tiger," he reported disgustedly. "It's just those shadow-puppet fellows."

"I heard a growl," Joseph protested, his hands still resting on the case.

"Captain Charleston?" Danny said calmly. "Would you mind stepping away from there?"

Joseph frowned at him. "What?"

"Do as he says, Captain," Edwin said, walking up and gesturing towards the key. "Unless you can explain this?"

"What? That's not mine," Joseph protested immediately, reaching frantically for his pocket.

Danny smiled coldly inside as he caught the split-second of frozen bewilderment, as Joseph realised that not only was the key not there, but there was something large and diamond-shaped in his pocket, right where Rusty had planted it. That moment right there made him feel at least a little better about all the shit Joseph had said to Rusty.

"I must have dropped them," Joseph said lamely, closing his hand over his pocket protectively. "But, I mean, the diamond is still there, right? That's what matters."

Silently, Morris stepped up beside Edwin and drew his gun, training it straight on Joseph.

There was sweat beaded on Joseph's forehead. "The diamond doesn't appear to have been tampered with, sir," Morris pointed out to Danny.

Joseph's eyes grew huge. "Sir? Wh...what's going on here?!"

They all ignored him. "I think we should search him," Danny said firmly. "Just in case."

Edwin looked over to the soldiers. "Are you going to cooperate?"

They all looked pale and confused, but they nodded. "Yessir."

"Alright then," Edwin said satisfied. "Don't move for the moment. If Captain Charleston tries anything, stop him."

He helped Edwin manoeuvre Joseph up against the wall while Morris kept him covered with his pistol. Rusty, meanwhile, hung back, staying close to the case and the real diamond.

Danny let Edwin do the pat down. Some things were better discovered by an independent witness. Besides, he really didn't relish such close contact with Joseph.

It took about thirty seconds for him to find the 'diamond'. And that was the point when everyone in the room was staring straight at Joseph.

"That's not mine!" Joseph shouted immediately, with absolute honesty.

Edwin's eyes blazed. "No indeed! It belongs to her majesty, Queen Victoria."

"Is that the real one or the fake one?" Morris asked, peering over with a frown.

Danny made a show of looking between the fake diamond in Edwin's hand and the real one in the case. "I can't tell," he said, sounding frustrated. "The key was in the case. He could have had time to make the switch. Maybe if we had a side by side comparison?"

"Good idea," Edwin agreed.

And of course, Rusty was standing right by the case and no one even batted an eyelash when he reached in and removed the diamond.

Danny waited until it was securely in his hand before pressing the button on his phone again. The tiger roared and, as expected, everyone jumped and looked round. "Oh, no you don't," Danny snapped decidedly to Joseph, pushing him back as if he'd been taking advantage of the distraction to escape, and of course that really got everyone looking round, and by the time Rusty brought the diamond over and gave it unhesitatingly to Edwin, it too was fake.

"I really can't tell which is real," Edwin marvelled, looking down at the two pieces of beautifully cut crystal.

"I didn't do anything," Joseph protested desperately.

"Because you didn't get a chance to," Danny told him seriously, and he wasn't talking about the diamond.

"It's you," Joseph said, staring at him. "It has to be. Drake, you have to believe me."

"We have the diamond and the fake," Rusty said, his accent flawless. "And you have the prisoner secure. We'll go and telegram for reinforcements. We need to try and get this all sorted out." He permitted himself a small smile. "I rather think the next few days are going to be very busy. For all of us."

Edwin nodded. "Very good, sir."

Like Rusty had said, as far as they were concerned the diamond was safe, so even if they had any suspicions, they had no reason not to let him and Rusty leave, and they marched right out of the room, only breaking into an easy stroll when they were safely round the corner.

Danny shot Rusty an enquiring look, and Rusty reached up casually and patted his coat meaningfully. Well, alright. He kept the grin carefully hidden inside. That didn't mean Rusty couldn't see it.

He took a step towards the nearest exit, but Rusty grabbed his arm. "This way," he said, pulling him in the opposite direction.

"Any particular reason?" Danny asked, following obligingly.

"You'll see," Rusty said, and a moment later they stepped into the room with all the locks they'd seen on the first day. There was a small group of confused-looking visitors still milling around, but everyone official had vanished, possibly in search of the tiger.

Danny looked at the locks and then looked back at Rusty. "You know," he said in an undertone. "They're going to come looking for us soon."

"By my count you got less than three minutes," Rusty told him, leaning easily back against the wall. "Impress me."

He smiled. "Didn't know I had to."

Rusty's eyes told him he didn't.

With a grin, he set about the locks with enthusiasm, and the visitors crowded closer as one by one the locks fell open. He basked in the soft gasps of shock and wonder. He had to admit, he loved an audience. It was probably a disadvantage in his line of work, but after all, what mattered most was the soft smile on Rusty's face.

"Time?" he said, as the last lock opened.

"Two minutes forty," Rusty said promptly. He pursed his lips. "Over two and a half minutes to do something impossible? You're slipping."

He just looked at him.

"Happy Birthday," Rusty said. "We should really get out of here."

"Wait," one of the visitors said, pushing forwards. "You opened the locks. The manufacturers will want to talk to you. There's a prize!"

"Sorry," he said easily. "I prefer to remain anonymous."

Somewhere in the distance, someone was shouting. Probably Joseph had managed to persuade the agents that there was something strange going on here.

Rusty looked at him. "Run?"

"Run," he agreed.

They ran. Out of the room and down a corridor until they were standing in front of a blocked door, in a dead end, well out of sight of everyone.

Rusty pulled the playing card out of his pocket. "Time to go," he said lightly.

Danny grinned as he touched the card and the world dissolved. Now here was an exit strategy to end all exit strategies. No one was going to follow them into the future.

The world rebuilt itself, and they were back in Vegas, sitting in front of that fire, and the whisky in front of them still had ice in them.

He looked down at himself. Huh. He was wearing the same suit he'd been wearing before they'd left. And he knew he'd left that in a hotel room in 1851. He looked across the table at Rusty and raised an eyebrow. "You're cheating again."

Rusty looked sulky. "You want to explain why you're suddenly dressed like an 1850s fop? I thought this would be better."

"Probably," he agreed. "Shame. I was starting to get used to the high collar look."

"Mmm." Rusty tilted his head. "It might have found its way into your wardrobe. Just in case."

"Just in case?" he asked.

Rusty shrugged. "You never know. Tess might like the Pride and Prejudice thing."

He laughed. "So, can I see it?"

With a smile, Rusty pulled the diamond out from his jacket and laid it on the table and they stared at it in silence for a moment. It was unfathomably big, and breathtaking to look at. Every facet seemed to shine in the firelight.

"Happy Birthday," Rusty said again softly.

He swallowed hard. "Thank you," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Some days he found it difficult to believe that this was real. Rusty offered everything wonderful and impossible, just because he could. He cleared his throat. "So, what do you do with the largest diamond in the universe?"

"Not the universe," Rusty said comfortably. "There are entire stars made of diamond out there."

Oh. He turned and looked at Rusty, wondering, but not quite asking the question.

Rusty caught his eye and laughed. "Discovery channel, Danny," he promised. "And I don't know...you could always send it back with a polite note."

He grinned, enjoying the thought of the consternation that would cause. "Or maybe it would just look good on the mantlepiece," he suggested.

"Oh, I think it would look excellent on the mantlepiece," Rusty agreed.

"Wait, is that real?" They looked up, taken by surprise by Linus' voice, and saw him, Basher and Yen standing over them, staring down at the diamond.

Danny laughed and pulled the diamond away easily, making it vanish beneath the table. "It's a fake, Linus. You think we're just sitting here with a priceless diamond?" he asked.

"We're good, but we can't just make diamonds appear out of nowhere," Rusty smiled.

Linus blinked drunkenly at both of them. "That means it is real!" he declared loudly. "Because if it was fake you'd have tried to tell me it was real, so if it's real, it must be fake...or not?"

They exchanged a very quick amused look. "Unless that's what we want you to think," Danny said gravely.

"Maybe we've decided to lie to you by telling you the truth," Rusty added.

Linus looked like he thought that was entirely believable and more than a little worrying.

"It does look real though," Basher commented. "'s pretty."

Yen nodded his agreement and, eyes narrowed, suggested they would absolutely just sit there with a priceless diamond if they felt like it. Which, of course, was true.

"Anyway," Basher went on. "Reuben was looking for you. Something about ordering pizza."

"It's almost four o'clock in the morning," Linus protested.

"Perfect time for pizza," Danny said firmly, glancing at Rusty. "Go on, we'll catch you up."

They left, and Rusty pulled the playing card out of his pocket and glanced at it. "Huh. There's still enough left for at least another trip. You want to - "

Danny reached out and curled his hand around Rusty's. "Why don't we save it for next year?" he suggested.

Rusty looked at him and smiled. "Next year," he agreed. "Wherever and whenever you want to go."

Didn't really matter, in the end. What mattered was he was with Rusty, having fun and doing the impossible. What better birthday present could a man ask for?