I wasn't entirely happy with The Queen's Gambit Job. There were several gapes and things that just didn't make sense. I don't intend on re-writing the whole thing, just the first couple of scenes. For now this story is rated K but as of part three the rating will go up to M. Be sure to read the warnings. There are three more parts planned.

Nathan Ford saw his target and took a deep breath before twisting the wheel and skidding to a halt. A part of him was wondering on the best way to return the car as he stepped out and started forward but he was slow compared to his passenger. She was already out and throwing herself into her father's arms.

Nate leaned back against the hood of the car, crossing his arms as he watched Sterling hug his daughter hard, years of separation making him reluctant to let her go. Finally he pulled away, father and daughter staring at each other for a moment longer before he looked at Nate.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Nate smiled slightly. "Don't thank me yet. The others are really pissed at you."

"We needed the diversions."

"By drugging my people and getting them arrested?"

An expression Nate couldn't identify crossed the other man's face then was gone so quickly thought he had imagined it. "It kept everyone busy and I knew it wouldn't stick." Sterling pulled a passport from his breast pocket and handed to Olivia. "Here. Your real passport." His smile matched his daughter's as she opened it to look at her birth name. "Go on." He nodded toward the private plane nearby. "I'll be with you in a moment."

"Okay." She hesitated before giving him another hard hug then turned to run for the plane.

Sterling watched her go before turning back to his former friend. "Still, thanks."

Nate nodded slowly. "You can get her out of the country?"

Sterling smirked. "Thanks to your friends. Livingston and his people are so busy dealing with them he doesn't even realize Olivia's gone. Three more hours and she'll be out of his reach."

"Yeah." He looked after the girl, standing in the plane's doorway, looking anxiously at her father. "Take care of her."

"Don't worry about that."

"I don't." Nate reached into a pocket and pulled out a slip of folded paper, handing it to the other man.

Sterling took it, eying it cautiously. "What's this?"

"A name. I want all the information you can get on it." He turned away. "And maybe I won't tell Eliot where to find you."

"So we're even then?" Sterling called after him.

He wasn't surprised that he didn't get an answer.

XoXoXoXoX

Flashback
How this all started

The door opened just as Nate was turning to follow Sophie up the stairs. "Sorry, we're closed," he tossed over his shoulder.

"H'llo, Nate," a familiar voice said and he paused. After a moment, he turned to stare at his former friend.

"Sterling. What's with the beard?"

Sterling smirked. "I rather like it." He hesitated, looking away for a moment. "I need your help," he said finally.

Nate laughed. "Right. You really expect us to help after the last time. Trust me, there's nothing you can say –"

"I need your help to get my daughter back."

"You have a daughter?" Nate said, startled.

"Yeah. It's a long story."

"I didn't even know you were married."

Sterling walked over to a chess board set up nearby. Idly he fingered the white queen. "I wasn't. Like I said. Long story." He looked at the other man, arching an eyebrow and Nate sighed.

Pouring two glasses of scotch, he picked them up and offered one to Sterling before sitting at the chess board. Sterling sat across from him, watching as Nate made the first move.

"Her mother and I never married." Sterling explained. "We did consider it when we realized she was pregnant but," he paused thoughtfully, absently rapping the pawn he'd just taken on the table. "But we both knew it would never work. We made better friends then we would spouses. Everything was fine. We shared raising Olivia but then Katherine fell for a man named Livingston."

"You never told me about either of them." Nate moved a piece and took a pawn off the board.

Sterling studied him for a long moment. "I guess I didn't want to admit how badly I screwed up. I trusted Kathryn. When she married Livingston she assured me nothing would change but then they moved overseas and I couldn't see Olivia as often. And then Kathryn was killed and it all went to hell." He stared at the board unseeingly then looked at Nate. "The minute I heard about Kathryn I sued for full custody. And I won it. Here, in the States. And Great Britain as well. But Livingston has powerful friends and possession is 9/10ths of the law."

Nate moved a piece, face deep in thought. "How old is she?"

"Thirteen. Almost fourteen." Sterling reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a photo, handing it to the other man.

Nate took it, smiling slightly at the beaming girl pictured there. "You've managed to stay in contact?"

"Yeah. Not often. Every now and then, about every six months, Livingston lets me see her. A gesture, really. To help keep the courts and the Embassies off his back. Always in one of his heavily guarded homes and never alone. If I can get her out of there and out of the country then we'll be fine."

"You have a plan?"

"Yeah. Just so happens Livingston's involved in something Interpol is interested in." He reached over and pulled a folder from a nearby briefcase. "Here. Here's all the information. Just a couple of things." He hesitated. "I don't want you telling any of your team about Olivia."

"I have to –"

"It might affect how they act." Sterling ran over his words. "How they feel about the job. They hate my guts and that could affect how they treat this job."

"They wouldn't endanger a child. Not even yours."

Sterling glared at him. "Sure about that? Look." He cut Nate off. "You can tell them afterward. I just don't want them to know during. It would change the way they act, no matter how good they are."

Nate bit his lip, studying the board as a distraction. After a moment he moved a piece. "And the other thing?"

"This one will undoubtedly make both you and your team happy. I will have to stay on the outskirts of the job." He leaned back into the chair, smiling slightly at the look on Nate's face. "Livingston knows me and so do his people. And he is paranoid. They see me, they will assume I'm trying to snatch her. So I figure I can help out with the planning and anything that needs done outside. And help with this part of it." He tapped the folder.

Nate eyed the folder before moving a piece and rising. "I'll call the others."

Sterling smiled, looking at the two queens squaring off against each other on the chessboard.

The rest of the story is similar to what was in the episode with some minor changes. I'll leave those up to your imagination or they may come out in future tales.