tthdrabbles | The Zippo

Since there's 6 drabbles, instead of saying it six times, I'll get this part out of the way first:
Challenge: #078 - Six Degrees of Crossing Over
Disclaimer: I did not create nor do I own these characters.

Title: A Pirate's Life
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/PotC
Faith glanced at the cards in her hands. She was pretty sure the guy across from her didn’t have anything to beat a full house. She was out of cash to match him, though. Lighter will have to do. ‘Sides, it’s my lucky piece. Never go wrong with that lighter.

She set it on the table and looked at the younger, cockier version of Keith Richards sitting opposite her.

“All right, I’m all in. Show me what you got.”

She tossed her cards down.

Jack grinned, savoring the moment. It had been a long time since he had run across one of them. But this girl was worth the wait- every bit as much fun and mischief as her many times great grandmother had been, with a dash of the whelp thrown in for good measure. Shame we’re not playing strip.

“Well, luv, it’s been wonderful while it lasted, but straight flush says everything on the table is mine.”

He pocketed money and lighter in one smooth move.

The girl glared at his cards.

“Wait a minute…I discarded that ten! You cheated!”

He gave her his most self-satisfied smirk as he purred, “Pirate!”

Sparring with Turners never got old.

Title: It Runs in the Family
Word Count: 200
Fandom: PotC/Ocean's 11

Jack listened fondly to his great grandson detailing his latest scheme. He was going to rob a casino. Three casinos, actually. In Las Vegas. The boy made him so proud. Enough to consider giving him a nip from the Fountain. Having him around for eternity would liven things up.

Rusty looked at him expectantly.

“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out. But what happens if your mate chooses the girl?”

“Why would he choose the girl?” Rusty sounded puzzled.

Jack sighed. Apparently there were areas in the boy’s education still lacking.

“Listen to your granddad, boy. I’ve been around a bit longer than you. I’ve seen it all and done it all. And I’m telling you right now, you lot aren’t stealing one thing. You’re stealing two. And should it come to the girl or the money, which do you think your man Danny will choose?”

Rusty frowned.

“It had better be the money. Tess doesn’t split eleven ways.”

“Precisely! So you need a backup plan. And with backup plans, you play your cards close, savvy?”

“Savvy.”

“One more thing…”

Jack tossed him the Turner girl’s unusual lighter.

“Lucky charm. Never know when it might come in handy.”

Title: The Finishing Touch
Word Count: 200
Fandom: Ocean's 11/CSI

Nick sighed. This case was a nightmare. The sheriff and undersheriff had been breathing down everybody’s neck to find someone, anyone they could arrest in the robbery of Terry Benedict’s casinos. The only bright side that Catherine was currently on excellent terms with Sam Braun, who found his rival’s embarrassment hilarious.

The group that had pulled the heist off had worked so many simultaneous cons it was hard to sort out what had actually happened. It had taken Archie a week with the security footage to find a starting point. And there was practically no physical evidence. These guys, whoever they were, had managed to work astonishingly clean. No fingerprints, no hair, very little for trace. The best thing CSI had to go on right now was a lighter recovered from the warehouse the robbers had used as a staging area, apparently overlooked in their cleanup effort.

“Please tell me you got something, Mandy.”

“Well, there was a clear fingerprint on the lighter.”

“Ok, that’s good news.”

“Not exactly…the print came back as Terry Benedict.”

Nick groaned.

“Those sons of bitches meant for us to find this. They’re taunting us.”

“Actually, I think they’re taunting Mr. Benedict,” Mandy replied.

Title: Playing the Odds
Word Count: 200
Fandom: CSI/L&O:SVU

Nick grinned at his cousin. Usually she’d go to his parents’ place. She’d gone to Vegas once. But this was the first time he’d visited her in New York. He had enjoyed meeting her partner and his kids.

Olivia grinned back.

“Good to see you smiling again, little cousin. I was worried about you after that stalker incident.”

“Yeah, everyone was,” Nick said, trying not to think about how closely that had come to ending badly.

“Cheer up. It goes with the territory.”

Nick fingered the lighter in his pocket. It had become something of a lucky charm for him after that nutcase had invaded his apartment. Something about it made him feel safer. Funny considering it had been evidence in a casino robbery, presumably pickpocketed from its owner. When he’d tried to return it, he’d been surprised to hear a gruff, “keep it.”

“Nicky? You’re a million miles away.”

Liv’s voice brought him back to the here and now.

“Sorry. Just thinking. You ever notice how many of the family are involved with the law one way or another?”

Liv nodded.

“You ever think maybe it’s just a matter of time before something happens to one of us?”

Title: Missing
Word Count: 200
Fandom: L&O:SVU/ X-Men (movie)

Olivia looked at the young teacher sympathetically. SVU had handled a few cases involving mutants before, so she supposed that was why Xavier’s School felt comfortable coming to them about a missing student.

“John’s…well, he’s troubled. We’re hoping he’ll come back of his own volition, but…” he trailed off.

“Ok, I’ll need you to fill out a description of Mr. Allerdyce, along with last known whereabouts and anything distinctive he would be wearing or carrying. There’s a lot of runaways in New York, so be as detailed as you can.”

When he shoved the completed form back across the desk to her, she frowned.
“Always has a lighter? He a smoker? Or has the city just gained another pyromaniac?”

Scott winced at the detective’s choice of words.

“It’s his lucky piece. He’s never without it.”

Olivia sighed.

“Lucky lighter, huh? Here,” she dug in her desk and pulled out her cousin’s cross adorned Zippo. He’d left it in her apartment. “This one’s supposed to be charmed too. Maybe it’ll work for you, bring him back.”

Scott mustered a shaky smile at the well meant gesture. Lucky or not, the silver trinket couldn’t bring back all they had lost this week.

Title: I Want the Fire Back
Word Count: 200
Fandom: X-Men (movie)/BtVS

Dawn sighed. She hated to see Scott hurting like this.

Professor Xavier had contacted Buffy a few days ago. When they’d heard about Jean, the Summers sisters had caught the next plane to New York. It was a good thing they had. Scott was a mess.

“Starving yourself won’t help anything, Scott. Buffy made your favorite, and if you don’t eat her cooking, we move on to mine.”

Scott grimaced at the threat. Dawn’s defective taste buds had been a family joke for years.

“Very funny, brat.” He tossed her the lighter he’d been playing with all morning. “Better remove temptation if you’re going to cook for me.”

He pulled the plate of food over. He really did like Buffy’s baked macaroni and cheese. At Dawn’s startled exclamation, he looked up.

“What? Are you ok, Dawnie? I didn’t mean it…”

“Forget your lame crack about my cooking. Where did you get this?”

She held up the lighter.

“Someone trying to cheer me up gave it to me. Said it was lucky.”

“Darn right it is! Faith got cheated out of it in a poker game a couple years ago! She’ll flip when she finds out we got it back!”