Disclaimer: I don't own these guys. (Dammit!)

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Daniel Ocean was not happy.

It was supposed to be a fairly simple job. The security at the Redden Ranch was good, but easy enough to get around with careful planning. Get Livingston to hack into the surveillance system, sneak on the premises, shoot the guard dogs with tranquillizer darts, avoid the cops-for-rent, crack the safe, waltz out with several million dollars worth of golden horse statues to be split three ways. A no-brainer.

But instead of pulling off that simple job, Danny was sitting in a drafty Texas jail cell.

A Little While Ago

Rusty had gone off a few hours before to do a final bit of recon around the Redden estate. Danny was supposed to meet him there at midnight. On his way, Danny had stopped at a Mobil station to gas up the car. Having a full tank in a getaway car was always a good idea. He'd strolled into the station's convenience store and handed a twenty to the young woman behind the counter with a friendly smile. "Twenty on Pump Five please."

"Sure thing, sir", said the young woman with a pleasant Texan drawl. Then she did a double take of his face. Her blue eyes grew huge, and she began to tremble violently. "Oh my…." She whispered.

Danny's smile faded, replaced by a look of confusion. "Is something wrong, miss?"

The girl's eyes grew even wider. "N-No! Nothin' at all's wrong. Nothin'!" Her voice grew higher in pitch as she fumbled to cash the twenty and turn on Pump Five. "Everything's just fine, mister."

Danny had a bad feeling. His gut was telling him to get out of there as quickly as possible. And if there was one thing a thief knew, it was the necessity of listening to one's gut instincts. Forcing one last smile at the clerk, he turned and walked out the door.

He never made it to his car. Suddenly, several police cruisers pulled into the shadowy parking lot, lights flashing and sirens blaring. The cops leapt out with their guns already drawn. The young clerk had hit the silent alarm beneath the counter. Danny put his hands in the air, mind racing to find a reason for all this. He hadn't even robbed the Redden place yet, and he'd never been in Texas before this. He had no previous convictions, though he'd been implicated quite a few times. So what was this about?

"Is this about the parking tickets?" asked Danny. "Because I was going to pay those."

"Shut your mouth and get on the ground, Gecko!" yelled a heavyset man with a thick, handlebar mustache. He wore tinted sunglasses even though it was nighttime. Danny guessed he was the sheriff. He certainly fit the cliché'.

Danny spoke clearly and calmly. "Gecko? Look, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding, Sir. My name is Daniel Ocean-"

BHAM! A shot rang out, interrupting him. Danny jumped back. He gaped at the sheriff, who had his pistol pointed in the air. "Next one goes right between your eyes, Gecko. Now get on the damn pavement!"

Danny complied, and several overzealous deputies immediately set to cuffing him and roughly shoving him toward the nearest cruiser. Before they put him in, the sheriff walked over. He stood close to Danny, looming over him. His face was a mask of contempt. "Now, I'm gonna ask you this once; Where's your brother?"

Danny sighed impatiently. "What brother? I don't have a brother. You've got the wrong guy, sheriff."

After a moment, the sheriff nodded. Then he slammed his fist into Danny's stomach. Danny let out a yell of pain as he doubled over, struggling to catch his breath. The sheriff grabbed Danny's chin harshly, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Now you listen to me you sick fuck. We're gonna find your brother, and once we do, we're gonna fry you both!" He squeezed harder. "Were you gonna kill that poor little girl in the store over there after you robbed her? Huh? I thought you usually stuck to banks. Must be really hurtin' for cash, huh?" He let go. Danny released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "You make me wanna puke." He walked away.

Danny was shoved into the cruiser and driven to the police station. There he was thrown into a cold cell with a big man named Shiv.

Now

Danny glanced down at his watch. Rusty would have known something was wrong by now and called the job off. He'd be concerned about Danny. Livingston would be trying his cell phone, which was currently in the car at the police impound. When that didn't work, he'd tap into the hospital, fire, and police computers to see if Danny or any of his aliases were registered. Hopefully, he'd notice that the very recently arrested Seth Gecko eerily matched Danny's description. It was all up to him, since the sheriff had denied Danny his one phone call.

Danny shifted his eyes to look across the cell at Shiv. Shiv had to weigh about three hundred pounds, most of it solid muscle. He wore black leather pants and an open leather vest, showing off the hundreds of tattoos adorning his chest and arms. His greasy black hair was tied back in a ponytail. He leered openly at Danny, obscenity in his eyes.

Danny really, really hoped Rusty and Livingston found him soon. This was just too much. Being arrested on the night of a job due to a case of mistaken identity, being mistaken for an amoral bank robber with no regard for the rules of thievery, having to deal with a sheriff who fit every southern cliché' imaginable, and being stuck in a cell with a sketchy looking man with questionable intentions towards Danny. Plus, his ribs were really starting to hurt from those punches.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came into earshot. "You've denied him his one phone call, his Miranda rights….this is an outrage. An utter travesty of justice. I demand to see my client immediately!"

Danny suppressed a grin as a clearly unhappy sheriff led a brown-haired man in a grey suit around the corner. The man stepped up to the bars. "Seth, are you al-"he stopped. He turned to the sheriff. "Sheriff, this man is not Seth Gecko!"

The Sheriff's face grew red. His eyes narrowed beneath his tinted sunglasses. "What the hell are you tryin' to pull?" He reached over and plucked a "Wanted" poster from the wall. He pointed to it furiously. "There is no way this guy isn't Seth Gecko! Look at the damn picture!"

The lawyer nodded. "I'll grant that they look remarkably similar, but I have been Seth Gecko's lawyer for many years, and I'm telling you that this man is not him." He paused for a moment. "There's one way to sort this out for good." He turned to Danny. "Sir, would you please remove your jacket?"

Danny shrugged and took off his expensive black jacket, ignoring Shiv's appreciative whistle.

"See? No tattoos. Seth Gecko has flame tattoos along his entire right arm. You've got the wrong man here, Sheriff." The lawyer waited expectantly.

The Sheriff swore harshly under his breath. Unhooking a key chain from his belt buckle, he opened the cell door. Danny stepped out, smiling as he briefly met the lawyer's eyes.

"You're free to go", growled the Sheriff.

"Thank you very much, Sir", said Danny brightly. The Sheriff scowled and stormed off. Chuckling softly, Danny and the lawyer strolled out of the police station.

At The Hotel A Little While Later

"Good thing you showed up when you did. A little while longer and I would have been forced to defend my honor from Shiv there."

"What honor?" Rusty emerged from the bathroom, the wig and grey suit gone in favor of his v-neck shirt and boxers. Danny glared up at him from the bed. Rusty ignored this and sat down next to him. He grabbed a few M&Ms from the bed stand and began to munch.

Danny sighed. "Weeks of planning down the drain because I look like some idiot who robbed a few banks down here. I hate Texas." He rubbed his side, where the bruises were the worst.

"Doesn't seem like it's too fond of you, either", said Rusty. He popped another M&M into his mouth. "Livingston's already hopped a plane back home. I suggest we do the same."

"Yeah", agreed Danny sullenly.

Rusty's eyes glinted mischievously. "Unless you'd rather stay here with your new boyfriend. I'm not one to stand in the way of true love."

Screw his sore ribs, Danny had to whack him with a pillow for that one.

A Few States Away

"Richie, I need you to come down here and pay my way out", Seth Gecko said into the phone. A burly police officer stood behind him. "No, I told them they have the wrong guy, but they won't believe me." His voice grew annoyed. "Look, just get your ass down here and get me out! I'm not spending the night in jail over this asshole Ocean's parking tickets!"