A BIG thank you to CytheraofNaxen for beta'ing the story for me!

On Her Own

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She had herself pressed up against the hood of their car feeling like nothing more than a spectator when Sam flicked his head toward her. "Ally." He called out, with no sign of what he wanted in his voice and then just held out his hand and looked at her expectantly. The only way they were going to get through this was to make it look like they knew what they were doing - like they'd done it all before.

So there he was, hand held out waiting for her to make the next move. Wordlessly she pushed herself off the hood, took the few steps to the passenger's door and pulled out the bag that had been resting under her legs. She placed it in Sam's hand and waited just a step behind him.

"Now let's see 'em." Sam finished.

Andy loved watching him, the way he stood held such a firm believe in himself. That air that he was always in control of everything around him, regardless of the situation or how outnumbered he might be. He was right and in the end he would win. She wanted that; being near him allowed her to draw from his confidence.

"This way." Johnny said as he led them to boat shed that looked like you could almost push it over.

Sam held her behind as Johnny and Chase entered the shed first. She watched him as he took in who was left outside with little more than the flick of his eyes. Andy jolted as light from the open doors broke into the shed and hit on the wire cage inside. A few of the girls started to scream or yell, while others huddled in the back. As she swallowed a breath, she wondered if her reaction was the reason Sam had held them back.

"Hey." She brushed past Sam as she saw Chase raise his hand to the young girl who was standing in front of the group. "I've got them from here." Andy placed herself between the girl and Chase.

"Really?" Chase said as he pushed himself a little closer to Andy.

"Yes. Really." Andy said without flinching. Despite this Chase didn't back away until Johnny called him back to the entrance of the shed leaving her alone with 12 very scared girls. Andy wasn't sure that any of them were over 18, in fact the longer she looked at them she was starting to doubt they were even over 16.

It did make Andy like the one that was willing to stand up to Chase a little more. She also had the feeling that she was going to make Andy's job in all of this a little harder. "Okay." Andy started as she checked over her shoulder that Sam still held Johnny and Chase's attention at the entrance. She noticed that he seemed to be shaking his head but dismissed it as she turned back to the girls. "Does anyone speak English?" She asked keeping her voice low while scanning the girls, none of them seemed to register what she'd said. "Great … I am going to help you?" She checked over her shoulder again, this time Sam was running his hand through his hair, it would've looked natural to anyone else but to her it was worrying. Something had happened and he wasn't comfortable with it. "I am going to help but you are going to have to follow me and in an hour you'll be away from these guys forever." 'Still nothing.' She thought as she looked at the sea of blank faces. "God, please if you just follow me and we'll be fine."

"Ally. You ready?"

Andy turned at the sound of Sam's voice, she froze for a second before she looked back at the girls and then back to Sam. "Yeah." Pushing her hands into the pockets f her light jacket hoping to warm them a little before they the limited protection the shed was offering from the wind outside, she drew in a deep breath glanced at Sam who was focused on her and not wanting to make herself more nervous she turned back to the girls. "Lets go." Andy whooshed her hands toward the front doors and all she could do was watch as they pulled themselves further back into cage. Scared to leave, scared to stay.

"Okay, right now I really need you all to just get up and follow me out the door and into a van." Andy had given up that she was going to be able to get the girls to do anything. 'God only know how Sam thought she was going to in the first place.' "Listen girls if you don't get out of here I don't know what,' Andy pointed to the front door, "they are going to do but I can guarantee it wont be good."

With that simple action the girl who had faced up to Chase started to pull the girls quietly toward the door. "Guess I just needed to point them in the direction." Andy said under her breath as she led them like a mother duck out of the shed and to the waiting van. "Here." Andy held out her hand to help one of the smaller ones into the back.

"Ally." Andy turned and Sam was holding out his hand, she looked at him a little confused for a moment and held out her hand to take his. Using that as leverage he first pulled her a little closer to him, Sam had his mouth just an inch from her ear as he started to speak. "Good job but we have a problem, instead of leaving us with the girls and Ryan, Johnny wants Chase to come to the exchange."

"But." She stopped talking as Sam narrowed his eyes.

"I need you to ride with the girls, keep them clam." Sam helped her in and just before he dropped her hand. "Keep down."

That was his way of telling her he didn't know what was going to happen at the other end. "Nate." Andy hoped that her expression was enough to tell him that he should also keep himself safe. He was willing to put himself in the front line but wanted her hidden away, as safe as he could make her.

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Belleville

The hour drive from Kingston was feeling like one of the longest of his life. Sam was confident that Boyd wouldn't have marked cars or uniforms with him but he wasn't so confident and about the immigration guys. They just loved their windbreakers with all the letters on them, he used to joke that they were always worried someone would lock them up by mistake.

He had to admit the worry about having Andy in the van and what was waiting for them at the other end did mean that he didn't have to really listen to Chase. That was until he started about talking about Andy. "What was that?"

"You can't tell me you haven't had that." Chase repeated.

"No I haven't." Sam was short with his reply as he pulled the car followed by the van into the last street before the arranged meeting point. "I don't pay for it."

"No." Chase laughed for a moment. "You just make 'em give it up."

"Can't say I've ever had to do that." Sam guessed in Chase's case it was the only way he got it and he probably liked it that way, he also guessed it was normally some scared young girl that was a long way from home. He wanted to get these guys and if nothing else they would have Johnny and Chase. But after seeing these girls Sam wanted to stop the trade altogether, so unless they could get the guys that Johnny normally traded the girls to someone else would just take his place.

"Thinks she a bit special for my liking." Chase continued as if Sam hadn't said anything. "Could change that easily enough, make her a-"

"We're here." Sam was thankful as he cut him off, the sooner this was over with the happier he was going to be. Rather the sooner this end of the operation was over with the better. He wouldn't need Andy for the next part, he could get her out of this and safe. Because right now she was anything but.

"That them?" Chase asked as he pointed to a group on the far side of the lot that Sam had pulled into.

"Yep." He needed to get out of the car and show Boyd he wasn't alone as quickly as he could. "Hey." Sam said as he jumped out of the car. "This is Chase." Sam flicked his head toward the passenger seat.

"Nate." Was all that Boyd said in reply.

"Here." Sam walked him around the back of the van all too aware that Chase was watching his every move. "Ally's in the back. Drop her off at the usual point?"

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The Club – 10pm

They pulled into the back parking lot at the club just as Johnny arrived. Sam had guessed that he was also watching them and it made him a little less concerned that he was with them instead of watching Boyd. However Sam had been checking and he wasn't following them on the way back, he'd even taken a longer way and still they arrived at the same time. He guess that meant he was doing something else, but what?

Johnny tapped on the driver's window to get his attention. "Nate, come in, have a drink?"

It had been a long day, the three-hour drive to Kingston and back again but Sam knew he couldn't just go home. A block and a half from his apartment and he knew he had to stay. "Sure." Sam pulled his cell from his pocket and typed a text to 'Ally's phone' wanting her to let him know when she was back okay.

"Chase give us a minute." Johnny said as they entered the backdoor of the club.

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10:40pm

"Yours or Swarek's?"

Andy pulled her cell from her jacket pocket and read the message again. "Sam's, thanks." Showing up in person was much better than a message.

"Well." Boyd focused on her with the car stopped at the end of Laxton Ave. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Andy guessed for Boyd it would be too hard for him to actually take her to Sam's place. In fact she thought it wouldn't have mattered where she said she wanted to go, Boyd would have been dropped off in the same place.

It was cold, late and her feet were killing her and now she was walking almost the full block to get to Sam's for what? So she could tell him she was fine. The same distance and she could be home. If she hadn't gone to the fishing cabin, if she'd followed what she'd wanted all a long she doubted that Sam would even be undercover for her feet to be hurting this bad.

"Well, Ally."

And she wouldn't have been so lost in her thoughts that she might have noticed Chase pulling his car to a slow crawl next to her. "Hey."

"Delivery completed then?"

"Yep all packed up." Andy didn't look at him instead kept her focus straight ahead as she took her next few steps.

"He's not there?"

"What?" This time Andy did turn to face the car.

"Nate, he's with Johnny … business."

"Well … yeah …" Andy was lost for a moment faltering in her step. "I'll catch him later." For the first time since she entered this she was worried. Instead of being just a few hundred metres away Sam could be anywhere and she was with Chase.

Andy looked from the car to her hands, she was fidgeting. With a shake of her head the solution was simple. "Thanks." Andy turned and started in the opposite direction down the one-way street. This plan had two benefits, the first Chase couldn't follow in his car and the second at least now she was heading to her house and once in she would be on camera and safe.

The first Andy knew her plan wasn't going to work was as she turned the corner out of Sam's street.

"Now don't be like that." Chase said as he placed a hand on Andy's shoulder with enough force to pull her back half a step.

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