Author's Note: As you may or may not have heard, our beloved Vegas has been cancelled by those idiots at NBC...however, we, the fans, aren't taking this lying down...check out "lasvegas-theseries" for more information on Operation: Baby Booty.
Chapter 9
"Someone's out." Ed teased as he sat down in the opposite seat from Danny and the sleeping form of Mary, who was leaning against McCoy. The older man had just been up conversing with the pilot in charge of taking them back home.
"She didn't sleep well last night." Danny smiled, turning his attention from the tree-covered lands passing beneath them to the redhead at his side. He put an arm around her protectively. "I don't think either of us did." He looked up into Ed's eyes. "How long till we're back in Vegas?"
"Another couple of hours." Ed sighed, rubbing the weariness from his own eyes. The strain of the last week or so, and the lack of sleep in the past few days beginning to catch up with him.
"You should get some sleep too, Ed." Danny advised before a small, teasing grin appeared on his face. "I promise that I'm not going to go anywhere."
"What are you talking about?" Ed replied, waving off Danny's concern. "I used to pull all-nighters like this all of the time when I was with The Company."
"But you're not as young as you once were." Danny pointed out.
"And it's way past your bedtime, junior." a grinning Ed fired back, "What's your point?"
"Mike." a half-asleep Sam groaned from where she laid on the couch in Ed's office. The raven-haired woman had fallen asleep after helping Mike get caught up on the mountain of paperwork left by Danny and Ed's joint absence; her rest disturbed as the desk phone rang loud and shrill. "Mike, get the damn phone."
"Right." Mike muttered, asleep himself with his head down on the desk. After groping around blindly for a few minutes, he grabbed the phone and yawned into the receiver. Sam merely groaned once more and turned physically away from the noise. "Ed Deline's office?"
"Wow." Danny laughed, causing Mike to snap to immediate attention as he recognized his friend's voice. "You're so lucky that it was me calling and not Ed."
"Danny!" Mike exclaimed happily, prompting Sam to sit up.
"It's good to hear your voice, Mikey." Danny smiled, waving off Ed's questioning look about why Mike was lucky.
"Good to hear my…" a relieved Mike repeated, "Hell, D-Man!"
"Where is he?" Sam asked, getting up from the couch and walking over to Mike's side.
"You know that I've been away from home too long when I'm happy to hear Sam's voice." Danny chuckled, overhearing Marquez's voice. "Ed, Mary, and I are all on the plane home as we speak. We're all fine…a little tired and I'm a bit banged up, but we're good otherwise."
"All right." Sam exclaimed, hearing Danny's reply.
"And Henderson…" Mike grinned widely, anticipating good news.
"Got away unfortunately." Danny sighed, causing Mike and Sam both to stiffen in frustration. Their overjoyed looks quickly disappeared from their faces as the pair realized that the "battle" wasn't over.
"Mikey," Ed instructed, his voice loud enough for those on the other end of the line to hear. "I want you to start checking anything and everything you can think of to help us find that rat bastard."
"Not even a question, Mr. D." Mike nodded, clenching one of his hands into a fist.
Hearing the shower running as she passed by the bathroom that next morning, Delinda was just about to knock and wish her mother a good morning when the sounds of voices coming from the downstairs kitchen caught her attention. As she hurried down the steps to investigate, her confusion was magnified tenfold as she heard her mother's distinctive voice as one of the many.
"Mom? I thought you were…" Delinda asked, walking into the kitchen to find her mother preparing food for Mary and Ed, who were sitting at the breakfast table. "Oh, my God! DADDY!"
"Hey there, sweetheart." Ed greeted, a soft groan escaping him as his adult daughter launched herself into his lap and hugged him tightly.
"When did you…" Delinda asked, not letting go for a moment.
"About an hour or so ago." Jillian replied, watching the scene in front of her with a smile.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Delinda exclaimed, "Mary!"
"Uh…" a confused Mary said as Delinda pulled the same trick on her as she had with Ed. "Hi, Dee."
"God, I was so worried about you." Delinda said, not letting go of Mary for an instant. "Where's Danny? You did bring him back, right? He's not still…?"
"He's the one upstairs." Mary nodded, prompting Delinda to let go of her and race towards the stairs.
"He wanted to come straight to you, sweetheart," Jillian started to explain as her daughter darted past her. "But your father…"
"What?" Delinda could hear Ed grumble as she ran up the stairs. "Guy hasn't taken a shower in about a week, and I didn't want him stinking up my house!"
It seemed to Delinda that the walk up the stairs took hours longer than the one down them a few moments ago. In fact, it wasn't until she had caught her anxious breath once more and pushed open the door to see Danny standing there, having just finished wrapping a towel around his waist, that time seemed to resume its normal speed. As he heard the door open, McCoy turned around and smiled widely upon seeing the blonde-haired woman standing there. God! Had he missed her!
"Hey, baby." Danny said gently as tears came to Delinda's eyes.
"Oh, Danny." Delinda sobbed happily, throwing her arms around him.
"Hey, hey." Danny soothed, rubbing the woman's back tenderly.
"I never thought I'd see you again." Delinda managed to say through her tears as she looked up into his eyes. "I thought that you…"
"You really think I'd let some scumbag like that keep me from seeing you again?" Danny asked, cupping her face with his hands. "It would take a lot…more than any person on this earth has…to do that."
Feeling Danny's lips make contact with her own, Delinda simply sniffed before reaching up and putting her hands on McCoy's shoulders. As she kissed him back, she took a moment to silently thank God and whatever else was responsible for bringing him back to her safe and sound.
"Oh, there he is!" Mike exclaimed joyfully, getting everyone in the Montecito's surveillance room's attention as Danny walked in that evening. With wide smile on his face, Cannon walked up to and threw his arms around his best friend. "Good to see you, man!"
"You too, Mike." Danny smiled, hugging his buddy back.
"You know," Mitch teased as he came rolling over to the pair. "Henderson should just be lucky that Ed decided I should stay here, because…"
"What in the hell…?" Danny interrupted, exchanging confused glances with Mike. "What is he talking about?"
"Remind me again, Mitchell." Mike asked, folding his arms across his chest. "Just how many times have WE saved your ass?"
"None that I can recall." Mitch shook his head, the grin never leaving his face. "Now, if you were to ask how many times I've bailed you two out…"
"Well, this is just what I need." Ed interrupted with a weary sigh just as Mike and Danny looked about ready to reply. "The Three Stooges reunited!" He pointed a firm finger at Mike. "Mike, get back to work on Henderson and Broder. I wanted them found yesterday!" As Mike nodded and walked away, Deline turned his attention to Mitch. "You, keep an eye on the casino…and don't roll your eyes at me! I've got no problem hitting a man in a wheelchair if he deserves it!" Finally, he turned to Danny. "As for you…I thought I told you to stay at my place for a few days."
"I'd rather be here." Danny shook his head, "I just can't sit at home and do nothing while those creeps are still out there."
"I knew you weren't going to stay home." Ed nodded, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. "You're too much like me, kid."
"Is that a compliment?" Danny grinned.
"Depends on who you ask." Ed laughed, handing Danny the paper. "Here. I need you to go do an errand for me."
"What's this?" Danny asked, taking the paper from Ed and looking at it.
"Jack Keller's current address." Ed answered, causing Danny to open his mouth. "I know! I know! Believe me I know that he's an ass, but we may need him."
"Well, why can't you do it?" Danny wondered, folding his arms across his chest.
"I'm going to be otherwise occupied." Ed sighed, not willing to tell Danny everything about his upcoming activities.
"Doing what?" Danny demanded, picking up on the fact that Ed wasn't telling him everything he knew.
"Excuse me. Ed?" Mitch interrupted, "Your liaison with Nevada State just called up from the front desk. Reuben McDougal was brought here and taken to holding for questioning. Why did you bring…"
"Him here?" a visibly angry Danny finished, recognizing the name instantly.
"Thanks, Mitch." Ed said sarcastically before putting a hand on Danny's shoulder and leading him out of the surveillance room and into the hallway, so they could talk in private. "Look…"
"That whole thing about going to Keller's was to distract me, wasn't it?" Danny realized, pushing Ed's hand off of his shoulder. "After everything he's put me through, you didn't think that I had the right to know that he was here?" He paused momentarily as his anger shifted towards confusion. "Why is he here anyway?"
"We need someone who knows the insides of Henderson's operations." Ed replied, knowing his answer was not going to pacify Danny any.
"But him?" Danny said, "We can't trust him, Ed!"
"I know we can't." Ed reassured, "I haven't completely lost it." He sighed deeply and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But you know as well as I do that he's better than nothing."
"I'm going down there with you." Danny replied firmly.
"Do you need my help AGAIN, Ed?" the Professor scoffed as the door to the holding room he had been waiting in for the past half an hour swung open. To Deline's surprise and scorn, the older man was leaning back in his chair, casually resting his feet on the nearby table, and a confident look was plastered on his face. "You could at least post my bail!"
"Fat chance of that happening." Danny muttered, walking in behind Ed. His eyes fixed on the man sitting at the table like a cat that had spotted a mouse invading its territory.
"Ah, Danny!" the Professor said casually as if greeting an old friend. "It has been far too long!" He sat upright in his chair. "You're looking well, considering."
Danny remained silent, but Ed could tell just by looking at him that his protégé wanted nothing more than to rip the other man apart with his bare hands.
"He's only here because he left me no other choice." Ed warned the Professor and also reminding Danny, who walked over and sat down at the opposite end of the table, of that fact as well. "Do anything to antagonize him and I'll let him do what he wants."
"But not before you get what you want." the Professor chuckled, seeing through Ed's threats. "I know your plan, Deline, but the question is: what do I get out of it?"
"The fact that you're still alive isn't consolation enough?" Danny interjected before Ed could answer. The tall, above-average looking man gripped one of his hands into a tight fist and ignored the cautionary look Ed was giving him. "I should have killed you back in Ecuador."
"Hmm." the Professor commented, "Yes, I seem to remember you trying but failing like always."
"I won't again!" Danny growled, finally giving into his anger. In one quick motion, he rose from his seat and rushed towards the older man with a look of vengeance in his brown eyes.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Ed exclaimed, trying to place himself in between the two and restrain Danny, who had already managed to land a few blows on the older man. As McCoy eventually quit struggling against his mentor's strong grip, Deline lowered his voice so that only he could hear him. "Don't let him bait you like that."
"Sorry." Danny muttered as Ed let him go.
"Learn to keep your dog on his leash, Deline." the Professor said after checking to make sure he wasn't bleeding.
"Keep talking like that," Ed replied, staring directly into the Professor's eyes. "And Danny Boy and I will gladly take you out on a one-way trip to the desert. Understood?"
"Yes," the Professor chuckled nonchalantly, "I'd love to see you, CIA connections and all, explain to the authorities why I suddenly vanished. Even you couldn't escape the heat you'd take for that one, Ed." Shaking his head, he shifted in his seat. "So, I'm assuming that you had me brought here because, even though you clearly managed to rescue Danny, our friend Henderson managed to give you the slip?"
"That's the cliff-notes version, yeah." Ed confirmed, sitting down across from him. "Tell you what, McDougal, I don't usually make deals with scumbags like you, but since we're desperate…you help us catch that rat bastard or else, I will personally make sure that you'll be seeing even more of the inside of that jail cell."
"A fair deal." the Professor nodded, "However, I'm going to need assistance tracking him down as my resources aren't what they once were. So, I can only agree to your terms on one condition."
"That being?" a curious Danny asked before Ed could get the words out.
"You." the Professor said, turning physically towards Danny.
To be continued...