Author's Note:

All things must finally come to an end. I have to admit I'm going to miss working on this one, though. This coda really is to tie up the remaining loose ends and suggest a bridge to what's next for Sam. But this being me, I had to work in a last surprise or two. Enjoy!

Epilogue

"So?" Sam asked Collins as he entered the room the next morning.

"Anton Hill is dead. You'll never have to worry about him trying to launch some sort of revenge from prison. But that means we need your written report to really nail everything down. And you'll be in for a long interview because they'll have to look carefully at Mickey's actions. So they'll ask you a hundred ways whether you think Anton was putting Monica's life in imminent danger," Collins gave Sam a significant look. He couldn't coach him any further, and he didn't have to. Sam nodded. He knew exactly what needed to be said, and he wouldn't have to stretch the truth to back Mickey anyway.

"What about the bus?" Sam asked.

Collins broke into a wide smile, "We got them free without any hostage situation, Sammy! Completely blindsided them. You're not gonna believe how much coke they packed aboard that fucking thing. This is by far the biggest single bust in Toronto history. We're still unloading it all.

And those bastards even made every one of those poor girls swallow half a dozen condoms of the stuff as well. Do you believe that shit? As if a lifetime enslaved in a whorehouse wasn't enough, they risked their health to pack that tiny bit more on top of having every square inch of that tour bus loaded with blow. Every inch of the seat cushions, luggage, you name it. I don't know who's worse, Hill or the Zetas. He had built a whole underground area that was basically a dungeon under his so-called Sauna Club to keep them right on site," Collins said with disgust.

"Are you serious? Thank God they didn't slip them through," Sam said.

"Yeah, and we weren't the only ones relieved. We flipped Hill's second in command who didn't like this latest venture, but was in too deep to walk away. We offered the dirt bag immunity and entry to Witness Protection for tipping us to a planned meeting between Hill and two of the Zetas' top guys if we actually succeeded in picking them up. And we got them, Sammy. Hopefully, all this is a big enough loss that they decide it's not worth trying to extend this kind of human trafficking across a second border again."

"That's amazing! How did you keep them from guessing something was up with Anton?" Sam asked, amazed.

"We kept things locked down at the hospital with Monica's help. Then put out the word that Anton's bad drinking and eating habits finally caught up with him on a big, stressful night, leading to a heart attack. We sent the flipped guy and Mickey in to meet with them in his stead. Fortunately, they were nervous enough about still getting paid that they showed. We took them down without a shot being fired. It was a thing of beauty. Mickey was in rare form. I'm putting her up for the force's highest commendation. And you're going to be up for something too," Collins clapped Sam on the shoulder, clearly basking in the success of his two protégés.

"In fact, I want to offer you a slot on a new investigation following up on some other information Mickey managed to dig up. It would be something absolutely on the down low. Not actually authorized by anyone else, as a matter of fact. The small team I'm putting together would have to seem like it's just mopping up loose ends and tracking down any possibility of the Zetas still trying to make a play in Toronto. If you think you might be willing, I'll fill you in further. This is going to be going after some very, very big fish around this city," Collins said, watching Sam's reaction closely.

Sam caught the gravity right away. "I might be very interested. But how would this cover work? I'd be able to live normally, and be assigned as a part of this small team under your direction, then?"

"Exactly. We're going to have to tread carefully while we start building corruption cases against some really big power players. Anton Hill had his tentacles into a whole lot more than we ever dreamed. You'll be working with some white collar crime specialists, but I need someone who knows how Hill's street operation ran. Both for the investigation and for keeping the purpose of what we're doing hidden. After seeing you keep your head yesterday, I think you might be ready for something like this. You'll learn how you build these kinds of cases against those at the top of the food chain. And you won't have to be on the front line of street activity. I'm assuming that would appeal to your need to be involved in major action, while keeping a new relationship together?" Collins raised a brow.

"I didn't think you were all that thrilled about my relationship with Andy. I thought you considered it an obstacle to your mentoring plans," Sam said, confused by Collins' new attitude.

"I think I misjudged her effect on you. She seems to be good for you after all, Sammy. I've never made any attempt to hide the fact that you remind me of myself when I was younger, but I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I need someone I trust on this team, but I also want you to do it because I'm going to try to help you find a way to do big things without making sacrifices you'll regret later," Collins said, clearly feeling the weight of his own regrets.

"Did yesterday scuttle your chance to patch things up with Julianna?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's not looking great. She's got an Italian temper, and I put her through far too much in the past for her not to think it's a pretty good indication that nothing has changed," Collins said sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but don't give up yet. If she was willing to talk about reconciliation, maybe getting pulled away for something this big won't kill all her hopes for you. As for your taskforce, if you mean it about supporting a personal life, I'm totally in," Sam said, trusting Collins completely as far as skirting rules and exceeding authority went. Sam knew he would only do it if it was necessary and worth the risk.

"OK. Well, as if having a dungeon to house slaves to service run of the mill customers with a thing for jail bait wasn't enough, Mickey recently clued into another secret about Hill's Sauna Club operation. He has a very secret, very exclusive VIP Penthouse floor set up for supposed total discretion and staffed with a handful of East European women who look like super models and are up for any kinky action you can name. Apparently, we must be the only ones who know Hill owns any of the Moscow Sauna Club, let alone runs the exorbitant VIP services. Because all kinds of prominent types were dumb enough to patronize the place. He's got blackmail tapes on most of the people he would need to squeeze to get in on all sorts of sweetheart development deals. So we're going to find out how many projects he's got a hand in through dummy corporations, and how many of them got helped along by jerk wads starring in these secret sex tapes.

He also made tapes in a few of the regular rooms to squeeze cops and Border Patrol agents. Anton's M.O. is to use both sticks and carrots instead of just bribes alone. Mickey says he thinks it's the best protection against last minute attacks of conscience. It's pretty brilliant really, in a twisted mobster way. And I've got a big bonus for you. You'll never guess who one of the dirty cops starring in one of them is," Collins smirked, drawing out the time before telling Sam the best part.

"What, do you want to play twenty questions or something?" Sam finally asked, wondering why Collins looked so smug.

"None other than your girlfriend's 'best buddy' Don Bibby!" Collins grinned.

"Are you kidding me? I knew Andy was right about that prick! How the hell did we miss that he was hooked up to Hill?" Sam muttered.

"I don't know, but it gets better. Ol' Bibby has got a thing for wearing panties and getting spanked by dominant blondes," Collins could hardly finish his sentence before he choked with laughter.

"Screw you, Collins. Why would you fuck with me about something like that?" Sam cut him off, annoyed.

"I shit you not. I'm dead serious. Bibby is literally a little pantywaist perv. The reason Internal Affairs was having trouble tracking down the money is that it wasn't skimmed evidence. Bibby was on Hill's payroll. Even the big bust that made his name was done at Hill's bidding to take out a rival. Classic Hill carrot and stick. The stick was just literal as well as metaphorical in Bibby's case," Collins smirked.

Sam started cracking up, "Seriously? Oh, man. I can't wait to tell McNally about this! She's gonna think she's died and gone to heaven. Steve Peck and his crew still give her and Diaz a hard time every chance they get."

"Yeah, well you can tell McNally I'm doing the two of you another solid. Because Bibby's tape is going to be exhibit A for every internal presentation explaining Hill's methods, every grand jury hearing, and every other occasion I can think to use it. No one is going to have any doubts her instincts were dead on when she reported him up the chain for the beating of that kid who pilfered his dirty money. That little weasel is going to regret selling us out and giving her a bad time, trust me," Collins grinned. "The videos of dirty cops we're letting out of the bag now because it goes straight to how he planned the bus scheme and kept his prior drug and vice rackets running. The rest from the VIP operation we keep close to the vest while we build the corruption cases."

"I'm all in. I'm not sure how much use I'll be making heads or tails of bank accounts and legal documents, but I'll do whatever you want to help run the team who understands them and piece together what exactly he was trying to do to pull off his political power plays," Sam said, starting to get excited about piecing the full story together.

"You'll be plenty useful. And we may even need you to pull Emily back in to help," Collins assured him. After a pause he added, "There's one other thing I'm going to tell only you and Mickey because the two of you earned my trust. No one else on the team needs to know. This you don't share with anyone, not even Andy," Collins waited for him to agree.

"OK," Sam finally agreed.

"Anton had one particularly juicy whale on the hook. None other than right-wing gadfly and former media baron Conrad Black. He's got plenty of legal troubles already, no pre-nup, and a wife who probably knows where all his off-shore bank accounts are. With this last straw, he would be staring down the barrel of a divorce that would put Paul McCartney's to shame. Since the whole story of our bust is something that will be splashed across the front page of many of his former newspapers, I had a little meeting with him this morning and mentioned that we had some more tapes that had 'technical problems' we didn't "think' could be solved. It seems the whole situation touched his philanthropic soul. He's very generously intervened with some politicians with whom he still has pull to get all those kidnapped girls political asylum. He's also donating his family's Bridle Path mansion to be converted into a private boarding school for them, along with getting some of his pals to kick in a nice endowment for its operation."

"You already pulled that off too? Do you ever sleep?" Sam looked at Collins in amazed admiration.

"I'll get to that in a few," Collins said brusquely with a careless shrug.

Sam just shook his head. He knew that he was smart and knew how to play hardball when he wanted, but to have pulled something like this off already… Well, Sam was just blown away. He could see this next assignment was most likely going to turn into one hell of a wild ride. He was really curious just who else Anton Hill had managed to snare in his sex pot trap and what he was able to get from it.

~~~~0~~~~

AN: I put a little red herring in earlier chapters by having both Anton and Collins use the phrase Achilles' heel in referring to Sam and Andy to plant the seed for some suspicions in those paying close attention that Collins might turn out to be in bed with Hill. I even toyed with the idea of actually writing that kind of betrayal. But at the end of the day, I decided I wanted him to be a kick ass good guy, with his flaws restricted to being too driven and having a fondness for salty language. ;)

He breaks a lot of rules, but for selfless reasons. I just decided I wanted the man who has shaped Sam the most professionally to be solid rather than turning out to be a huge traitor, even if that would have made for major drama.

Having Collins keep at least one sex video in his pocket for leverage to get selfless things is also an homage to a plot from another great cop show, The Chicago Code. If you haven't checked it out, it stars Jennifer Beals, who co-starred with Ben Bass in the And She Laughed episode of The Hunger.

Note that in real life, people aren't sure how much money Conrad Black still has, so you have to imagine for the purposes here that he managed to hide quite a lot. I thought about making the high profile mark be billionaire Ted Rogers, Jr., the CEO of Rogers Communications. Because who doesn't hate mobile phone and cable companies. But I decided Conrad Black is a better douche bag to have Collins squeeze. And since I don't write for an actual show, I figured I'd take full advantage of not having to worry about using real names. ;)