Author's Note: I don't even know what to say...I have never, never, had a response to a first chapter like I did with this story! You all just blew me away! And now that the pressure is on, I hope I continue to please all. Thank you so much for your kind words and alerts.

The Blue Line Job

Chapter Two: Vacation Giveaway

Wachusett Village Inn, Fitchburg, MA

Nathan was used to staying in nice hotels during jobs but Hardison had gone above and beyond when he booked a sprawling Inn that was part hotel and part bed and breakfast. It hosted weddings mostly which meant lots of cover by out of town guests but the on site restaurant and elaborate gardens were much more than the normal Hyatts and Hiltons that they called temporary homes. Sophie, however, looked pleased with the lodging choice but everyone else was just as surprised as he was at the layout.

"And why are we staying here, Hardison?"

The hacker tugged on his messengers cap. "Fitchburg isn't all that big of a town so I figured there would be a lot of eyes watching Jo come and go from wherever we were staying. Since this is going to be information gathering at first, we're gonna have to meet with Jo. And this place doesn't have security cameras to catch her visits and it has a back door." He pointed towards a breezeway that connected the rooms to the entrance of the Inn. "All other hotels were in the downtown and we would stand out among the locals."

"Well, I think it's charming," Sophie replied.

"Too much open space," Parker countered.

"See," Hardison spoke up, "most people would like the open space."

"I like the open space," Eliot added.

"Let's check in and set up," Nathan interrupted before an argument started. Parker was already on edge about their client being a cop. And thinking of their client..."Jo is going to be here within an hour before starting her shift tonight." With the order given, everyone quieted and started hauling in suitcases and equipment. No sooner did Hardison turn on his laptop and connect to the internet an hour later, than there was a knock at their suite door. Nathan opened the door and let a uniformed Jo into the room.

"Everyone, this Officer Jo Wyatt," Nathan announced. He motioned towards his right. "This is Sophie, Hardison, Eliot and...where's Parker?"

"She's a cop!" Parker's disembodied voice echoed around the room.

"I asked you all for your help," Jo spoke up. "There's no way you're going to be arrested by me."

"Come on, Parker," Eliot shouted. "You knew she was a cop."

The bathroom door opened and Parker peeked out. "It's different seeing her in uniform. She looks too...cop-y."

"Cop-y?" Hardison repeated. "That's not even a word, Parker."

"I just said it, didn't I?" the blonde countered.

Hardison opened his mouth but Eliot cut him off.

"Let it go, man."

"Parker," Nathan spoke up. "Are you going to join us?"

She huffed but perched on the arm of the couch.

"Wonderful," Nathan turned back to Jo. "There's my team."

Jo smiled. "Excellent. What's the plan and what do you need me to do?"

"First," Hardison jumped in, "we're going to send your partner on a two week vacation."

"Kyle only has eight days of vacation saved up though."

Hardison smiled. "I was able to hack into your PD database. All I need is Kyle's last name and he's got fourteen days of vacation coming his way. And by the way, you have five sick days added onto your payroll too in case we need you out of the way during the con."

"Greatly appreciated, thank you. Kyle's last name is Swanson. He has a wife and two kids, not sure if that's going to put a cramp on the vacation planning."

"No cramps whatsoever." Nathan answered.

"Any particular place he wanted to go?" Hardison asked.

"He always wanted to take his kids to Disney World. He's been saving up for over a year. And, if you could, add in a pass to SeaWorld?"

"Disney World and SeaWorld it is," Hardison made the arrangements immediately.

"Sophie will come in later on today and give Kyle the good news." Nathan explained. "Tomorrow, Eliot will show up as a rookie on probation but his original precinct doesn't have an available senior officer for him to partner with for another two weeks."

Jo frowned. "Chief Reilly is going to call whatever precinct you tell him to make sure this isn't a set up."

"And that call will get forwarded to my cell phone," Nathan held up his blackberry. "While you show Eliot around town and we get to listen in on your conversations for information gathering, Parker will pay the post office a visit to see who picks up the mail. Once we have some more information and a lay of the land, we'll be able to plan the con."

Jo nodded. "So I'll just carry on as normal?"

Nathan smiled. "And let us do our job."

Sophie walked into the police department building in Fitchburg around 3 that afternoon. Eliot had been following Jo and her partner for a couple hours. He had just informed her that Jo and Kyle had returned to the precinct to drop off one of the town drunks. There wouldn't be any paperwork as they just let him sober up in the drunk tank and release him so she was limited in time. The receptionist looked about eighteen and was very bored so Sophie plastered on the widest smile she could and raised her voice a few notches.

"Hi, Honey. I was wondering if an Officer Kyle Swanson was working today?"

The girl look up at her and continued to chew on her gum. "Uh-"

"Can I help you?"

Sophie was surprised to see Jo standing in front of her. If Parker thought she looked "cop-y" back at the Inn, she should have seen Jo now. Still in uniform but Jo's attitude had done a 180 degree turn. She was quiet, eerily calm, not a hint of a smile and her right hand was resting on her gun. Sophie would have to make sure to tell Nathan that Jo could definitely handle being part of this job.

"I was just looking for an Officer Swanson," Sophie began her spiel again. "I'm from Apple Vacations and just came to deliver some good news to Mr. Swanson."

"Can I see your ID, please?"

Sophie handed Jo the laminated Apple Vacations ID Hardison had made up for her that morning. Jo gave it a thorough look and handed it back to her.

"This way." Jo weaved her way through cubicles and desks until she stopped by one where a tall, lanky blond man was sitting and talking on the phone. "Kyle?"

He covered the receiver with one hand and looked from Jo to Sophie. "What?"

Jo actually smiled, a genuine one. "This lady has some good news for you."

He spoke into the phone, "Honey, can I call you back? Okay, love you too. Bye." He returned the phone to it's cradle and turned towards Sophie. "So what's the good news? I won the lottery?"

Sophie laughed. "Kind of, darling. We're going to be opening a new office for Apple Vacations here in Fitchburg and as our way of saying 'thanks' we drew names from Fitchburg's finest for a two week vacation to Disney World. Your name was the one we drew!"

Sophie loved watching the surprise and ultimately the joy that spread across people's faces when good news came to those who deserved it. But a tinge of worry came across his face.

"I don't have two weeks of vacation available."

Jo starting typing on her computer. "Actually, you do."

"What?"

"Says so right here," she swung the monitor around to show Kyle his vacation and sick day bank.

"So," Kyle turned back to Sophie, "when do I leave?"

Sophie laid down his plane tickets and passes on the desk. "Your flight leaves tomorrow. There's four tickets and four passes to Disney World. And," Sophie produced four more passes, "look what I just found. Four one day passes to SeaWorld."

Kyle took the SeaWorld passes and actually teared up. "My wife will love these. She, uh..." he cleared his throat and Jo jumped in.

"She was a marine biologist until she was diagnosed with lupus."

"That's why she asked for the SeaWorld passes," Hardison's voice crackled in Sophie's ear. "If I had known that I would have given them week long passes."

"Can you do that?" Sophie asked as quietly as she could.

Hardison sputtered. "Can I do...Can I do that? I hacked into the White House database and you have the nerve to ask me if I can get a week pass to Sea World? I have never been so hurt in my life."

"Well," Sophie started, more in an effort to drown out Hardison. "Since that's the case, maybe I can work out something for a longer stay at Sea World for you and your wife."

"This..." Kyle started. "This is just..." He stood up and grabbed Sophie, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much."

"Well," Jo stood up from her side of the desk. "I'll go tell the chief I'm down a partner for the next two weeks."

Sophie watched Jo make her way across the rest of the floor and knock on Chief Reilly's door. Before she entered into the office though, she looked over her shoulder and gave Sophie a large smile, mouthing the words "Thanks" before shutting the door behind her.

"Can I do that..." Hardison was muttering. "Cut me to the bone, woman."

Jo was told that Eliot would be tailing her and Kyle that day to see what would be entailed in police work but she didn't see him until she ended her shift in the predawn hours. He was sitting in her niece's car under a broken streetlight and she wouldn't have recognized him if Nathan hadn't told her Eliot would be there. It wouldn't be too hard explain why she was being picked up after work since her car had become a casualty that morning. A quick glance around the area showed there were no signs of life around as she quickly slid into the passenger's seat.

"So," she started, "was your day as exciting as mine?"

He cracked a brief smile as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Not as exciting as Kyle's. I didn't realize there would be so many calls in such a small town. What's your most common?"

"Domestic disturbances and public drunkenness are the major ones. Have, uh, have you ever posed as an officer before?"

"A couple times. FBI and detectives mostly but never for two weeks."

Jo shifted uncomfortably but couldn't tell if it was from what he just told her or from the ease at which he was navigating the Fitchburg streets to her home. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea anymore.

"Hey," he broke into her thoughts, "you tell me what to do and I'll do it. Tell me the inside track and I can adapt my character to whatever is going to let me blend in with everyone in the precinct."

Jo studied Eliot's profile for a few minutes. Nathan had described Eliot's job as the "hitter," the one in charge of protection and fighting when it came down to it. He was the best choice to fill an officer role and had the stamina and training to pull it off. But in order to help people like herself, he had to have a heart under that tough guy exterior. "The guys in the precinct are macho, chauvinistic blockheads. All the things you hear about cops who hang out at the local coffee joint and hit on anything with a skirt, it's true in this department."

"All the cops are that way?"

"No, not all. Kyle is a stand up guy and there are a few others."

"Like you?"

"I try to be a good cop." Jo sighed tiredly.

"It's tough when you see the ones that break the rules succeed though."

"It does wear on you."

He pulled into her driveway and turned the car off. "Well, that's about to change."

"Hardison is sending me to Disney World too?"

He actually laughed slightly.

"How are you getting back to the Inn?" Jo asked.

No sooner did the words leave her mouth than a dark sedan pulled up at the end of her driveway. Eliot handed her the keys to the car, quickly made his way to the waiting car and was gone in a matter of seconds. Jo stood there a few minutes, watching the sun start to peek over the horizon. It was a new day that was going to bring new allies into her life. A flicker of hope had been ignited and she had make sure that the last few years of dead ends and frustrations didn't smother that spark.