By the time Alex awoke the next morning he had formulated the beginnings of some sort of plan to present to Grantaire. To him it seemed solid and viable, he only hoped that the Grantaire, being the senior agent, would agree. Now he only had one thing left to do before he spoke with Grantaire, he had to make a deal with Chris.
He found the Customs agent sitting down at the kitchen table with what appeared to be a large stack of paperwork.
"Hey Chris can I ask you something?" Alex asked as he sat across from him.
"What do you need Levi?" Chris asked as he started twirling the pen his right hand.
"I need to borrow something," Alex continued.
Chris stopped twirling the pen, "Borrow something?"
"More specifically those bullets you picked up yesterday," Alex spoke nervously.
"The cop killers?" Chris looked at him in shock, "are you crazy? If even one of those gets loose on the streets and pierces the vest of an LAPD officer it will be on my head!"
"Chris please," Alex tried to reason with him, "I'll even get R to sign for them."
"Like that makes me feel any better," Chris grumbled.
"I'll do an entire week for you on the chore wheel," Alex tried to bargain.
"I dunno man," Chris scratched his head.
"Come on Chris," Alex sighed, "let those bullets do some good in the world."
Chris huffed, "Alright, but that's going to cost you two weeks on the wheel."
"Done deal," Alex held out his hand and they shook on it.
"Two weeks man!" Chris reiterated.
Alex nodded and went to go talk to Grantaire, he went upstairs and knocked on his door.
"Go away 'Ferre!" Grantaire shouted.
"It's not Combeferre," Alex replied.
"Levi?" Grantaire called, there was some shuffling and he opened the door, judging by his state of undress he had still been sleeping. "What is it man?"
"I have a plan," Alex replied.
"A plan?" Grantaire replied blearily.
"Yeah, maybe a way to get us closer to Brujon and his gang," Alex explained.
"Uh huh..." Grantaire nodded, "you have a plan," he sighed, "well then, let's hear it."
"So we should offer them something that they either want or need," Alex began, "and yesterday Chris got a case of cop killers, they could want those."
Grantaire just stared for a moment, "Okay, but I still don't see a plan here."
"I'm not done yet," Alex interjected, "we have someone go in as a Marine, these bullets were going out for shooting practice, but some didn't make it to the firing range."
Grantaire yawned loudly, "I'm not sure, seems risky, too many moving pieces..."
"Morning R!" 'Chetta called.
"'Chetta?" Grantaire scratched his head, "you came back last night?"
"Yeah," 'Chetta smiled, "he kicked me out, told me to go home."
"Couldn't get it up could he?" Grantaire grinned.
"Nope," 'Chetta replied.
"You know one of these days he's going to stop drinking," Grantaire smiled.
"Hey, aren't we going to do something about Patron-Minette?" Alex cut in.
"Not now kid," Grantaire held up his hand, "your plan has a few too many kinks that could go wrong, once you work those out then we'll talk."
Alex sighed and walked away, Musichetta's lips turned into a frown, "Little harsh wasn't that? Besides, what was his plan?"
"Send someone in as a Marine with those bullets Chris got and then arrest them when they leave with them," Grantaire sighed, "if that goes wrong it could be very messy."
"I see what you mean," 'Chetta nodded, "but is a good plan, give the kid credit."
"I know," Grantaire sighed, "so how are things with Bambi?"
"Do you mean Bamatabois?" 'Chetta frowned, "I hate the damn pig, and I can't get anything out of him because he won't talk business in front of a woman!" 'Chetta was slowly getting furious.
An idea slowly started to form in Grantaire's head, "I think I know how we can take Bambi down," he smiled.
"R, I couldn't ask that of you," 'Chetta pushed back a stray strand of her blonde hair.
"It's no big deal," Grantaire shrugged, "it would get you what you want, and what I want as well."
"What do you mean?" 'Chetta asked.
"Nothing really, but it will be good," Grantaire replied, "so how are things with you and that new ME's assistant?"
"What, Joly?" 'Chetta blushed slightly, "oh things are good, nice guy."
"That's great 'Chetta, now I've got to find Alex," Grantaire huffed.
'Chetta turned to him, "But didn't you just-"
"Doesn't matter, gotta talk, see you later chica!" Grantaire waved her off and walked towards Alex's room. He was stopped when he saw Cosette pulling down pictures from a pin board.
"What's going on?" Grantaire asked as he leaned on the door frame.
Cosette sighed, "DEA is pulling my cover with the Russians."
"So how are you getting out of there?" Grantaire asked as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Going back to Ukraine to care for my sick father," Cosette replied.
"What's ailing your Papa?" Grantaire asked.
"I thought of you, and he's Russian, too much Vodka," Cosette replied, "it's bad for liver, no?"
Grantaire laughed, "I bet they'll get you on something new soon, don't worry it will all work out, now I really must go talk to Alex."
"What about?" Cosette asked.
"FBI stuff," Grantaire waved her off, "gotta go!"
Cosette sighed and shook her head before returning to what she was doing.
"Alex," Grantaire knocked on the door, "Camp Pendleton called you up for active duty lets go."
Alex came to the door, "You mean we are using my plan?"
"For the most part," Grantaire nodded.
Alex could hardly contain his happiness, "I- I- Wow..."
"Don't thank me kid," Grantaire patted him on the shoulder, "we have work to do lets get cracking."
"Yes sir!" Alex replied, "I mean R..."
Grantaire called for Tony and Éponine to discuss what they were going to do, Tony was more than raring to go but Éponine was acting unusually quiet.
"'Ponine, are you listening?" Grantaire turned to her.
"Huh?" Éponine raised her eyebrows, "yes R, I'm listening."
"Okay, just checking," Grantaire nodded, "we have a lot of work to go over."
"Right," Éponine nodded looking extremely ill at ease.
That night Grantaire pulled Éponine off to the side away from everyone else, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Éponine grumbled.
"This certainly doesn't seem like nothing," Grantaire folded his arms across his chest.
"Trust me R, I'm fine," Éponine replied.
"If you were fine we wouldn't be having this conversation," Grantaire sighed.
Éponine looked out the window, "I don't want to talk about it."
"'Ponine, the reason I'm here to talk to you is because you need it," Grantaire smiled slightly, "let it out."
Éponine bit her lower, "I- it's about Jondrette."
"Jondrette?" Grantaire asked, "what do you know about Jondrette?"
Éponine twirled a lock of hair around her finger, "Well let's start with the fact that he's-"
"Hey, you two up for some drinks?" 'Chetta asked, "We were thinking we'd go to the Musain."
"We might see you there later," Grantaire nodded, "right now is bureau business."
"Okay then," 'Chetta nodded, "bureau business," she accented the words with finger quotes, "well don't leave us hanging!"
This left Grantaire alone with Éponine once more, "What were you saying?" he prodded.
Éponine inhaled, "Jondrette, well Jondrette is my father."
"Thenardier say what?" Grantaire's jaw dropped.
"It's true, Albert Jondrette is really Albert Thenardier," Éponine explained.
"Jesus Christ, that's insane..." Grantaire ran his hand through his hair, "we really need you but if you want we can try and get another agent on the case."
"I doubt he would recognize me," Éponine shrugged.
"Why is that?" Grantaire asked.
"I think the last time I saw him I was fourteen years old," Éponine nodded.
"Fourteen, that was what twelve years ago?" Grantaire did the calculation and then smiled, "Heh, trying to picture you at the wonderfully awkward age of fourteen."
"Oh stop it!" Éponine hit him playfully, "I wasn't that awkward," she paused, "okay maybe I was." Her tone quickly became serious again, "please swear to me you won't tell the others, they can't know!"
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Grantaire grinned.
"Shut your face," Éponine shook her head, "you are lucky I like you."
"Now how about we take up 'Chetta's offer and go for drinks?" Grantaire asked.
"Oh what's that old saying?" Éponine spoke thoughtfully, "I remember! Something like, 'Grantaire without a bottle in his hand is like a shopping cart without a broken wheel.'"
"Funny 'Ponine," Grantaire rolled his eyes, "maybe you should quit the bureau and do stand up comedy.
"Are we gonna get drinks or not?" Éponine asked.
"Alright, let's go," Grantaire started to walk away with Éponine behind him.
Next morning they were putting their plan into action, Alex was decked out in proper military garb including fake dog tags. As he finished getting dressed he couldn't help but notice that Éponine was being quiet throughout the process instead of cracking jokes or flirting, it was strange.
"So the main thing is to get Jondrette the bullets and get out," Grantaire put a hand on his shoulder, "but sell it, we can't have him doubt you for even a second."
"Got it," Alex nodded.
Éponine then offered him a small smile, "Good luck," she spoke in a quiet voice.
Alex nodded his reply before getting into the car with Grantaire, together they drove off to make their deal with Jondrette. They pulled up to a junkyard where they were met by two men baring guns.
"Tell Jondrette that Ben has brought him an important friend," Grantaire told them, one of then men ran off while the other stepped back as they drove deeper into the junkyard. They were greeted by a smiling man with brown hair and brown eyes. Something about the man and his appearance made Alex feel somewhat uneasy, there was a familiarity in his face, but he couldn't place it. Something about his crooked smile was nagging at Alex but he had never met him before, how was this possible?
"Benny you're here!" The man smiled.
"Jondrette, great to see you," Grantaire nodded.
"No please, you can call me Al," Jondrette smiled, "this is your important friend?"
"Alex, from Camp Pendelton," Grantaire explained, "a Marine."
"A Marine?" Jondrette nodded clearly impressed, "so what do you have for me."
"Floor is your's buddy boy," Grantaire smiled at him.
Alex got out of the car and grabbed the case of bullets and pulled them out, after removing the lid he picked up one. "We have for you several hundred rounds of cop killers, can pierce Kevlar like a knife in butter."
Jondrette looked at him incredulously, "Pierce through Kevlar? We'll see about that," Jondreette turned to his men, "bring out the bears!" He ordered.
"Bears?" Alex asked in confusion.
"Smokey bears," Jondrette gave him a toothy smile, "cops."
Soon lined up in various positions in a makeshift shooting range were five oversized teddy bears wearing Kevlar vests. Alex watched as Jondrette and his men loaded the bullets into their guns and began firing, and try as they may they couldn't hit their targets.
"What is this bullshit?!" Jondrette shouted at Grantaire, "what crap are you trying to sell us?"
Grantaire tried to smooth things over while Alex stayed silent, "I'm sure with a little practice-"
"Are you saying we can't shoot?" Jondrette snarled at him.
"No I'm not," Grantaire replied, "all I'm saying is-"
"That's exactly what he's saying," Alex cut in.
"Excuse me?" Jondrette turned on him.
"You can't shoot," Alex replied calmly, his voice never faltering, "at least, not until you know how, these bullets are heavier and will throw of your aim." Alex began to explain, he began talking as if quoting a text on firearms, "may I?" He held his hand out to Jondrette to take the gun.
Jondrette turned to Grantaire, "Will he shoot me?" he asked.
"If he does I'll shoot him," Grantaire replied cooly.
Slowly Jondrette have his gun to Alex who loaded it with new rounds, he walked over to the firing range and took aim. As he emptied the gun all the bullets hit their intended targets on the bears, the Kevlar vests that they were wearing. As he had said it pierced right through them with holes resembling Swiss cheese.
"Because of the weight of the bullets, if you aim lower on the target you will hit what you want," Alex finished as he handed the emptied gun back to Jondrette who smiled.
"I see," Jondrette nodded as he put the gun back in it's holster and began talking "business" with Grantaire. When the deal had been struck with a tentative idea that they would be getting closer to Brujon they loaded the case into Jondrette's car and they drove off the lot leaving Alex and Grantaire behind.
"So we have a tracker on them, don't we?" Alex whispered to Grantaire.
"Not unless you put one there," Grantaire whispered back.
"A picture of their plates?" Alex asked again.
"They switched them as soon as they left the lot," Grantaire replied.
"So we've got nothing on them?" Alex's eyes widened.
"'Ponine was right, you are a smart kid," Grantaire teased, "come on let's go."
Alex got in the car and there was a tense silence all the way until Grantaire turned off into an are populated by storage units and decrepit apartment buildings. "Levi, have you ever been to Guadalajara?" Grantaire asked.
Alex glared at Grantaire, "No."
"They have great food in Guadalajara," Grantaire smiled, "but there is one thing they don't have," he chuckled lightly, "and it's a downright shame," he turned to Alex, "they don't have sour cream."
"Okay," Alex replied incredulously.
"Yet here at Sun City Hot Dogs," Grantaire pulled up in front of a hotdog stand, "they have the Guadalajara Dog smothered with cheese, jalapeños and sour cream." Grantaire passed him a twenty, "I'm dying for one right now and root beer, get something for yourself as well."
Alex took the bill with a huff and walked up to the hot dog stand too see there was a long line. He ducked off to the side and made a phone call to the FBI LA office, "Can I talk to Henri Bordeaux? He's not in? Thanks I'll call later..." he hung up the phone and started pushing his way through the crowd to the front, "Excuse me, with LA animal control, let me through please."
All the people standing in line backed away in a slight panic, once he got to the front Alex smiled at them, "Don't worry, I'm not shutting it down." He placed his order at the stand and returned back to where Grantaire was rocking out to the radio.
Grantaire smiled, "Fantastic, chili cheese? You are such a rebel!"
"So why are we sitting here?" Alex asked.
"We are waiting, so eat your dog," Grantaire said between bites.
"Waiting? Waiting for what?" Alex asked as he began to unwrap his hot dog.
"Alex, do you trust me?" Grantaire asked, "be honest."
"No sir," Alex replied.
Grantaire nodded, "Okay so let's just watch the show."
Alex sighed, "What show?"
"Well Mr. FBI manual, it is safe to assume you know what a heat run is?" Grantaire asked.
"A heat run is when someone makes a series of random turns or speed changes to avoid a tail," Alex replied.
"Exactly, do you think Jondrette made a heat run after he left the junkyard?" Grantaire continued.
"If he was smart, then yes," Alex nodded.
"The thing about Jondrette is while he makes a heat run, he does the same one every time," Grantaire laughed.
"So you know exactly where he's going," Alex realized.
"Right, and if I'm right, which I usually am," Grantaire smirked, "he should be coming right about now."
There was silence, no cars matching Jondrette's drove by, Alex could see that Grantaire looked nervous, "Any minute now..."
Just then a large black SUV came around the corner, at the same time a large van pulled up with men jumping out bearing large semi-automatic guns, they forced Jondrette and his men out of their car.
"Whoa, what's going on?" Alex asked.
"It's Bamatabois' men," Grantaire answered.
"Wait, what?" Alex exclaimed, "aren't we going to do anything?"
"If you wanna go in there when they are all guns blazing be my guest," Grantaire gestured to the ensuing fight.
Alex sat back and watched as Jondrette was left empty handed and Bamatabois crew drove off.
"Okay, let's go get our bullets back for Chris," Grantaire took the car out of park and started driving, they parked in front of the karaoke bar that he had been at the night before with Éponine.
"Here," Grantaire tossed him a black tee-shirt, "don't need you all military now."
Alex switched shirts, took off the dog tags and followed Grantaire into the bar.
Inside Bamatabois was sitting there looking pleased as he sat there, "We've got what you asked, what do you have for me?" He then looked at Alex and cocked his head, "you look familiar..."
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Me? Oh I was in here last night with my girl."
"Ahh... That little brunette, right?" Bamatabois smiled.
Alex nodded but was cut off by Grantaire, "Now that we've got that cleared up lets make a deal," Grantaire pulled out a large black case.
Bamatabois had his men bring out the case of the remaining bullets and not even a minute later the club was flooded with agents. Two Ops agents took Alex and Grantaire outside while the rest rounded up Bamatabois and his men.
"How did you? How did they?" Alex stammered.
"Easy, called when you were getting the dogs," Grantaire replied, "by the way, who were you talking to before you ordered?"
A knot formed in the pit of Alex's stomach, "M-messages," he nodded.
"Messages?" Grantaire raised an eyebrow, "alrighty then."
"So why didn't you tell me?" Alex asked.
"Well you did say that you don't trust me," Grantaire shrugged.
"But there were so many things that could have gone wrong! Jondrette could have done a different heat run, Bamatabois could have-"
"It doesn't matter," Grantaire cut him off, "the point is that it worked."
Alex pursed his lips and stayed silent knowing it was useless to fight with his training officer.
xxxxxxx
That night under the simple reasoning that "because they could" the residents of Graceland (minus 'Chetta) gathered on the beach for beers and a bonfire. Tony was busy telling the story he had wormed out of Alex earlier about the bears... With his own twist of course.
"And so we begin the tale of our own 'Apollo the Impaler'" Tony began, "it all begins when after Alex broke into the junkyard, soon he was surrounded by giant bears!"
Éponine let out a highly dramatic gasp causing everyone to laugh loudly.
"The first bear, an ugly old brute, thinks he can outwit Alex by coming up on from behind... Big mistake!" Tony made his hands into a gun like shape and pointed it at Cosette.
"Oh great," Cosette rolled her eyes.
"Bang, bang!" Tony shouted.
"Oh no, he got me, he got me! Oh what a world!" Cosette laid down slowly in the sand.
"Next he comes up on the one called 'Papa Bear'" Tony turns his attention to Grantaire, "this only takes one shot, bam!"
"Ahhhh..." Grantaire groaned as he fell, "I hope they have honey in heaven."
"He hears the footfalls, or is it pawfalls?" Tony paused, "Whatever, he hears another bear coming up behind him, 'hands up!' he shouts!" Tony was now pointing at Éponine who threw her hands in the air, "Bang, the bear falls!"
Éponine chose to do it differently, "Don't you fret! I don't feel any-" she cut off her sentence as she let herself fall into Alex's lap and she smiled at him, this had caused him to blush but in the glow of the firelight no one could see.
"The next bear is a silent and stoic bear and remains unnoticed until Alex comes up behind him," Tony glanced at Chris, "and always being the gentleman and not wishing to shoot the bear in the back, he alerts him of his presence, but before the bear can do anything more than turn around he is dead!"
"Oh woe is me..." Chris replied after he swallowed a mouthful of beer.
Tony could see 'Chetta coming towards them, "This leaves us with one last bear, Alex searches everywhere and finally the two run into each other, the bear raises it's paw to strike Alex but his gun is too fast, bang, bang!" Tony pointed his "gun" at 'Chetta.
"What just happened?" 'Chetta asked.
"Levi just shot you!" Éponine replied.
"Okay," the blonde nodded, "hold this for a moment?" Musichetta handed her beer to Chris, "Ack! Oh! I'm wounded, I've been shot!" she fell to her knees and then onto her back.
"And that my friends is the tale of Apollo and the five bears!" Tony concluded with a graceful bow.
"Apollo?" Alex laughed.
"Yeah," Tony smirked, "no one has ever told you that you look like the Greek God incarnate?"
"No," Alex shook his head, "I can't say that they have."
After the campfire died down everyone went to go inside, Grantaire's phone rang. "Hello?" He listened to the other end, "I see, alright." He then hung up his phone, "Levi, we gotta go!"
Alex had been talking with Éponine, "Go, go where?"
Grantaire put his hand on Alex's shoulder, "Brujon calls."
With a sigh Alex followed Grantaire out to his car and got in, they drove to a more industrial part of town to an old warehouse by the water. They walked inside carefully, it seemed no one was there, they both had their guns drawn and were waiting in the darkness. Alex heard the metallic click of a gun being loaded and turned around to see Grantaire standing there with his gun pointed at Alex.
Confused and scared Alex raised his hands while Grantaire glared at him, "Who you been talking to?"