Back to Part 2 SVS-20: Lightning Strikes Twice by Rogue, Part 3 Marty inhaled deeply and carefully, then let the breath out slowly. "Wow," she murmured. "Don't think I'll be doing that again in a hurry." "You can't be afraid to use your gifts, Marty. Repression will only lead to trouble. You were given them for a reason; to be a tribal protector. It's in your best interests to learn control over them rather than run away," Blair said softly. She shot him a sharp glance. "I'm well aware of that, Mr. Sandburg. That's why I agreed to this, remember?" A moment later, she sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. That whole incident's given me a headache and I get pissy when I get hurt." He grinned at her. "Nothing I can't handle. Apology accepted, though, if it makes you feel better. Now, one of the things I brought you up here to discuss isn't exactly a test. It's more of a warning." "Friendly or otherwise?" "Definitely friendly. Believe me, I'm never in a mood to piss off someone who has a gun and the training to use it with deadly accuracy." Marty turned to look at him, then. "I would never attempt to harm you, Blair. Anyway, British cops don't carry guns. I thought that had already been explained to you? And after hearing about the incident with Alex Barnes, it makes me wish she were still alive so I could kick her teeth out of her head. Repeatedly." Sandburg smiled his thanks, then said, "Here's what I wanted to warn you about: sentinels are basically pre-civilized forms of humans. You can take the sentinel out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the sentinel." He leaned against the wall and continued in his best lecture mode. "Some of what you do is hard-wired by your genes; you have been genetically programmed to behave a certain way, especially around other sentinels. It's part of the reason why you guys are so testy around each other, remember?" She nodded. "Okay. I have to admit, I don't like this talk of primitive hard-wiring, but it does make some sort of sense." He snickered and Marty realized her inadvertent pun. Rolling her eyes, she made "keep going" gestures at him. "Uh, right. That testiness is because Cascade is Jim's established protectorate. This is his tribe's home and he's the sentinel. I think that given Cascade's population numbers we could afford to have at least one more sentinel helping to patrol the city, but Jim is really bitchy about that one. I think Alex spooked him too badly. I've tried telling him that Alex wasn't right in the head, that a true sentinel would be protective rather than destructive, but he won't listen to me on that score. "Not that it really matters, as we don't run into many sentinels, but the sentiment is there. This is his town and nobody else's." "That's rather dictatorial and possessive, isn't it? I mean, I have no intention of living in Cascade, but still!" "Jim is nothing if not dictatorial and possessive. He's damned lucky that I love him so much that I take the bad with the good. Well... not bad so much as frustrating, you know? But it's part and parcel with him and I wouldn't give any of him up." "Well, that's good to know. I must admit, I'm surprised he's letting you near me alone if he's that possessive." "We've had our share of long talks on the whole trust issue. He's working on it, slowly but surely. Besides, I get jealous, too. But I've got faith in Jim, so I do my best to let it go and get on with my life," Blair explained with a shrug and a grin. Marty chuckled and shook her head. "I'm already twitchy at leaving Janey with Ellison. I can't imagine how much worse it would be if we somehow were lovers as well." "Well, I can't speak for you, but I know that for me, whatever trouble comes around, what I have with Jim is more than worth it." She grinned again and then glanced around the city from the rooftop, taking in the sights. "So, what about my senses? Can you do anything with those?" Blair gave her a shit-eating grin. "Oh, can I." Downstairs, Jim sighed as he handed Jane another dish to dry. "Jim? What is it?" she asked, concerned. He gave her a lop-sided grin. "Oh, nothing, really. I was listening in on the conversation upstairs. It's kind of a personal matter between me and Blair, but what it all boils down to is that we've had a few 'discussions' about my trusting him with another sentinel. "I really do trust him, consciously, but there's always something inside me that starts getting squirrelly and possessive whenever there's a situation in which hypothetically something or someone could take him away from me." "You're not happy with Blair training Marty?" Jane asked, puzzled. "I am and I'm not. I'm glad that he's helping her so she won't end up in a psych ward or dead; on the other hand, I wish it could be me training her so they wouldn't be spending quite so much time together." "Well, why can't you train her? She could use some sentinel expert advice." "Because somebody has to watch out for zones. It'd be like the blind leading the blind if both of us zoned out together." "Um. Yeah, that does make sense," Jane conceded. She was silent for a moment, then offered, "You know, I bet Blair is feeling 'squirrelly' about me being with you, too." Jim glanced at her, a skeptically-raised eyebrow on his face. Not that he hadn't just heard Blair admit as much, but he wanted to hear her theory about it. "Yes, really!" she snapped, as she continued drying more dishes. "I mean, how often have you run across other guides? I've heard plenty about other sentinels, but not other guides. Blair's probably feeling possessive as hell, too." "Well, there was this one guy. He's an ex-Chicago cop partnered with a mountie up in Canada, but the mountie isn't a full sentinel and the cop doesn't have to watch out for zones in his partner..." Jane glanced at the tall man standing beside her, trying to determine whether or not it was a joke, then shrugged and let it go. "All right, so you guys haven't run into a lot of guides. Stands to reason, then, that Blair is feeling insecure and possessive, too." "Well, he's doing a good job of it," Jim replied with a grin. "But I sometimes doubt it." "Really? Why?" "Because he's not a screwed-up repressive jerk." Jane blinked, then turned to face him. "You mean you are? I thought Captain Banks was just joking around. You don't show it!" "Of course not. I'm on my best behavior for you. You don't have to live with me. Blair does. He knows all about it." She sighed. "So that's what I'll have to look forward to with Marty?" Jim shook his head. "I doubt that. Marty seems to be receptive to the idea of having her sentinel senses. Eager to learn how to control and use them. Plus, I think she had a fairly decent childhood, am I correct?" "Well, yeah. There's no childhood trauma that I'm aware of. She had a pretty good upbringing. Why?" "Mine was... difficult, to say the least. It's part of what made me what I am today, and I'm not talking sentinel, here. But as for Marty, I think she'll be easier to get along with, except for when her senses bother her. That's what your job as guide is going to entail; looking out for aggravated senses, finding a way to help soothe them, and keeping her from going off half-cocked when they do wonk out." "So I'm a walking pacifier?" Jim grinned. "Basically, but you'll also be many more things to Marty. You'll be a helpmate; a friend she can depend on with her life, and pretty much the other half of her soul. She'll know that, no matter who else enters her life, she'll always have you. Your mere existence by her side will ease any fears she may have on being alone or lonely. Of course, in exchange she'll always worry that you may be taken away from her, but it's something she'll just have to live with." Jane blinked again as she absorbed this information. To be so important to another person... to be the anchor of that person's sanity and well-being... She looked up at Jim and said simply, "Wow." He nodded. "Blair is all that to me and more. You and Marty won't be experiencing that 'more' part, being as you're cousins and all, but it will be a pretty good trip together. Just keep in mind one thing: no matter how cranky and ornery Marty may get, the last thing in the world she will ever purposely do is hurt you. Believe me on this, I know what I'm talking about." She nodded. "Got it. But she can expect me to get angry in my own right." "Of course. That's a good thing, actually. If you were to be so wishy-washy as to cower and capitulate every time your sentinel threw a temper tantrum, you'd be useless as a guide. A sentinel needs someone who is strong and dependable; that's you in a nutshell, I think. Otherwise, I doubt that you would have experienced that dream. I think you're a natural." Jane grinned and blushed. "Um, thanks. I think." Jim snickered. "Yeah, yeah. So, how do you feel about police work?" "Why do you ask?" "Because Marty's going to need her guide with her pretty much around the clock during the early part of her sentinel training." "Say what?" "You heard me. I needed Blair with me; I couldn't have lasted as long as I did without him. I know that Blair is gonna give you information about tests that you can run on Marty, but she's going to need you physically with her. So, do you think you can handle it?" "Uh. Well, wouldn't that require knowledge that could actually help her, police-wise? I'm an art major and a glass artist!" "What else did you study besides art?" "Um, history -- and, of course, anthropology. Thought it was gonna be a breeze, but I had to work at it. Only took 101, though." "That's quite a coincidence, Jane. Blair is an anthropologist. All of your knowledge and experiences can help. Hell, even your artistic talent can provide the imagination needed to deal with a sentinel. And remember, Blair had no experience with police work either. But his knowledge has helped solved numerous cases. "I'll talk to Marty about it. Do you know if she has a good relationship with her boss?" Jane handed him another dish to put away and shrugged. "She's always talking about him. She likes and admires him. Does that help?" "Well, she'll probably have to tell him about all this in order to get you signed on as a consultant or something, so trusting him is pretty important. That is -- if you choose to work with Marty and move to Scotland. You doing any better with that possibility?" Jane frowned as she dried the last dish. "I dunno. I really don't like the idea of being shot at or chased by a homicidal criminal and I don't want to be put in a situation where I'd have to hurt somebody. And the changes required... on the other hand, I don't want her to be left defenseless if something goes wrong with her senses during a case." She was silent for a long moment, then said, "Let me think about it for a while. If Marty does end up relocating to America, we'd have to end up explaining it twice and I think it's better that the fewer people who know the safer we'll be." Jim nodded. "Absolutely. Things go straight to hell faster than you can blink when too many of the wrong people get wind of it." "Like reporters?" she asked knowingly. "For one. Then there are rogue government agents, official government agents, and bad guys aplenty who would love to either make use of these senses or get rid of them permanently to protect wrong-doers." She shivered. "Oh, man." "You said it." He moved closer and wrapped an arm comfortingly about her shoulders. "Jane, I'm not going to lie and tell you that things are going to be all peaches and roses from here on in, but you'll be helping Marty do some pretty wonderful things. That, in and of itself, makes it all worthwhile." "Yeah?" "Yeah. For instance... you like kids, don't you?" "Well, yeah. I mean, I don't obsess over them, but they're okay. Why?" "Using my senses, I've helped save quite a few kids from what could have been nasty, unfair deaths or a lot of pain and suffering. The feeling I get when I realize I've just saved something so precious... it just doesn't compare." "Yeah, okay, I can see that. I guess all that remains is for me to come to terms with it all and learn what I can from Blair. But I will say that this whole thing is really pushing my limits of tolerance and credibility!" Jim laughed and hugged her tight. Just then, the front door opened and Blair and Marty stepped in. A set of green eyes narrowed with possessive irritation. The pair of blue eyes beside her narrowed with a tinge of jealously, but the feeling was quickly dismissed. Ellison saw it all and casually let Jane go and stepped back, smiling easily at his own guide. "Hi, guys. Get your tests done?" Marty nodded shortly as she stepped forward to lay a hand on Jane's shoulder, unconsciously pulling the shorter woman closer to her side. Blair nodded as well. "Yeah. Her hearing and sight are about as powerful as yours, but her sense of smell is even stronger." The male sentinel winced in sympathy. "Man, how have you been standing it here in the city?" "Why do you suppose I'm sluggin' down half a bottle of aspirin almost daily?" she snapped, still irritated as she smelled Jim's scent all over her own guide. "It's driving me crackers." "But we worked on establishing control over her dials; she'll be better now. Jane, you'll need to work with her some more on it. That reminds me: before you go, I'm going to give you a copy of my sentinel research. Read through it carefully; it'll help guide you in how best to guide her," Sandburg added with a grin. "You're such a wit," Jane replied with a smirk. "Half of one, at any rate," Jim teased, and dodged the elbow that headed for his ribs. "Who wants dessert?" "Sounds good. What are we having?" Jane asked. "Marty?" Blair prompted as Jim took a covered dish out of the breadbox. The Scot groaned. "I've already got a headache starting up, lad. You don't really want me to test that again, do you?" "It won't take long, and when you're done with that, I'll demonstrate some relaxation tips to help get rid of that headache that Jane can use later on." She sighed. "All right, all right." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as she felt Jane take hold of one of her hands. Squeezing lightly, she began reciting what her senses were reporting to her. "Butter, unsalted... bittersweet chocolate... eggs... sugar, both granulated and icing... flour... cocoa... coffee; instant coffee, at that." She opened her eyes, pleased that she hadn't zoned out. Jane was thrilled too, and she patted her cousin's back happily. Blair nodded. "Very good. What we're having is a dessert I made yesterday called Mocha Fudge Pie." "Damn, I'm already salivating, just from the name!" Jane groaned. "Wait'll you taste it. Jane, be ready to shake Marty hard when she takes the first bite," Jim said with a grin, putting out dessert plates and forks on the table. "When Blair first made this, I actually fought him about coming out of the zone, it was that good." "Oh, hell," two female voices sighed, then they grinned and high-fived each other. Once everything was prepared, they settled down at the table and each took a slice of the chocolatey brownie pie. Jane watched carefully as Marty took a small bite. The female sentinel gasped as the rich coffee and chocolate flavor burst across her taste buds, and she fell headlong into another zone-out. Blair and Jim grinned at each other and remained silent as Jane set to work on Marty. When she brought her sentinel out of the zone only two minutes later, they applauded as silently as they could. Jane flashed them a grin and helped Marty reset her dials, and then they all settled down to eat. Fortunately, Marty didn't zone again. By the time they finished dessert and Blair had successfully demonstrated relaxing massage and meditation techniques on Marty -- who thanked him profusely for making her headache go away -- it was nearly five in the evening. Jim stood by the front door chatting with the two women as they got their coats on, reminding Marty to keep her hearing turned down during the night while she slept. Blair came up to them just as they finished putting things together. He was holding a familiar locked box. "Here," he said, handing the box over to Jane, placing a key atop it. "My sentinel research. Use in good health." She stared down at it. "Is this the only copy?" "The only one printed out. We made sure Sid -- the publisher who leaked the whole thing to the media -- anyway, we made sure that he destroyed any copies he had." "Blair, if it's the only printed copy, I can't take this --" "You can," he said firmly. "I can always print out another one if I want to. You're going to need a copy of your own as a reference source. Just make sure that thing is always locked up tight when you aren't reading it." She nodded solemnly. "You got it." "So, see you all tomorrow?" "Well, I suppose so. I've got some work I want to get done in my shop, but I know Marty will be working with Jim. Should I meet you somewhere?" Jane asked. "No, not unless we call you," Jim said. "Marty can give me your phone number where I can contact you in case she needs you." "Okay, then. G'night, all." "Goodnight," Blair and Jim replied as they saw the two women out. When Marty and Jane had left, Jim shut and locked the door. Turning, he found Blair walking away towards the kitchen. Chasing after him, he heard Blair start to say, "So, I guess Jane's going to be a pretty good guide --" but he didn't let his partner finish. Reaching out, Jim caught hold of Blair's arm and spun him around. Before the surprised younger man could say anything, Ellison gathered his guide up in his arms and kissed him for all he was worth. Blair let out a short, stuttered moan and closed his eyes, giving himself up to the wonderful sensation. When Jim finally pulled back, he smiled at the dazed expression on his partner's face. "Have I said 'thank you' lately for being my guide?" "Uh, no," Sandburg whispered. "Can't say as you have." "Well, then, let me correct that: thank you, Blair Sandburg, for guiding me." With that, Jim leaned in to kiss his lover again. Between kisses, Blair managed to say, "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on? The sentinel thing with Marty?" "No," Jim replied as he slowly drew the other man out of the kitchen and towards the stairs that led to their bedroom. "I was talking with Jane and I realized a few things; one of those was that I am utterly grateful that you are my guide. I love you, Blair. Oh, God, I love you so much..." The younger man smiled, reaching up to lightly stroke one side of Jim's face. "I love you too. So much. Let's go to bed, Jim. We're going to need all the sleep we can get." The bigger man gave his partner a grin as they started up the steps. "Well, I had other plans, but if you think you need sleep more than you need me..." Jim laughed as he was abruptly grabbed and pulled up the stairs to the waiting bed at near frantic speed. Yeah, locking down for the evening could wait a little while, as could sleep. The capture of the international black market weapons trafficker, Jonathan MacLeod, didn't happen until a week from that first dinner at the loft. During the days, Marty and Jim -- and sometimes Blair -- would work with the Major Crime department and Vice in an effort to flush the criminal out. During the evenings, the Cascade team would meet with Marty and Jane at either the loft or Jane's house out in the suburbs to help coach them on how to work as an on-line pair. When Blair asked Jane why she lived so far out of town, she gestured at the huge garage-turned-workshop that was situated a hundred yards or so behind the house and said this way, she wouldn't disturb too many people when she fired up her furnace and began banging equipment around. He grinned when he told her that the near-isolation of her choice of living would help when she moved in with Marty. Jane had done the thinking she'd promised on the living situation and had decided that she wouldn't mind living in Scotland after all; the only living creatures she had to worry about were sheep, since Marty lived in a small village. Besides, if UK cops didn't carry guns, then Jane was all for living in a relatively gun-free environment. At the very least, she would be grateful not to have to worry about some gun-toting criminal wandering around in her vicinity most of the time. When Marty had realized the decision had been made, her gratitude had included a bone-crushing hug and a promise to pay for the major part of her friend's move, as well as a promise to start work on a workshop for her cousin to craft in, as it was only fair since Jane was giving up her long-time home in exchange for a new one so far away. When Jane protested the cost of such a venture, Marty had merely shushed her and said only that the people in the small community helped each other out on occasion in order to get by and that she'd take care of any recompense. Besides, the Scot knew of a farmer near her house who had a disused barn she could buy. Knowing that arguing further would only raise her blood pressure, Jane backed off. The two women responded well to the coaching by Jim and Blair, though Jane was still incredibly nervous, terrified that she would screw up and injure her cousin somehow. She worked through it, though, to gain enough confidence to be willing to take the initiative without being told when Marty zoned out during the tests. Marty made spectacular progress in honing her senses and gaining control of them, which left Jim feeling somewhat jealous at first and wondering if it were perhaps because Marty was female. Blair burst that little comfort balloon by saying it was less Marty's gender and more the fact that she wasn't a repressed anal-retentive bastard and was far more eager to use her senses than Jim had ever been. Jim found no suitable argument or retort for that assessment. Facts were facts and Blair knew them all. But finally, the hard work invested by Marty and the detectives of the Cascade PD did pay off, and they gathered in the dead of night to witness a buy of the weapons MacLeod had shipped in with him to Cascade. An undercover Vice officer was supposed to be the buyer and had reported in with the designated time and place of the meeting, which was an old abandoned lot close to the waterfront area with closed, unused warehouses surrounding the place. As they checked their gear and donned flak jackets during the last few minutes before getting into place, Marty grinned at Jim and whispered sentinel-soft, "I wish I could use my senses as evidence in trials. It'd make things a hell of a lot easier." He snorted as he adjusted the holster strapped to his right thigh. "Tell me about it. But unless you want to end up in a laboratory somewhere as a guinea pig, or kidnapped by some government agency and coerced into being an assassin, then it's better to lie low. Maybe someday, if there are more of us -- sentinels and guides in greater numbers -- it might be safe for us to reveal our abilities. But for now, we do the best we can in keeping our cities safe for the defenseless members of our 'tribes.'" She grinned up at him mischievously and then winked playfully before turning to head off into the shadows where they were to hide with Simon, Joel, and Blair while waiting for the moment to arrest the criminals. The surrounding cops, all dressed in black, hunkered in the shadows with radio headsets turned down low as they waited for the buy to take place. Hidden in the corner of the shadows next to Jim, Blair watched through a PD video camera. Lately, the cops had found it necessary to film their sting operations in order to close up any loopholes criminals might use to avoid conviction. While getting everything on film was sometimes awkward and always potentially dangerous, having the evidence on hand helped when the case went to trial. Finally, the buy was made and the police officers announced their presence. MacLeod was less than pleased. He and his men dove for the crates that held the weapons they had brought to sell. Taking cover, they pulled out the big guns, loaded them, and began to return fire. Jim, Simon and Joel crept forward, closing the distance between themselves and MacLeod. Jim kept track of the other officers and closely monitored Marty for signs of trouble, but she was apparently doing fine, focused on her task and utilizing her senses with ease despite the roar and chatter of gunfire and shouts around her. Because she had no weapons training, she was using her sentinel sight in an attempt to find a way to get around behind MacLeod. With stealth, she moved ahead of the barriers by fifteen feet or so. Then floodlights lit the area bright as day and while Jim was able to dial down fast enough, then duck behind a concrete pillar, Marty wasn't so lucky. She was nailed by a zone-out in less than a second. Blair caught sight of the helpless sentinel and immediately sent out a frantic whisper. "Jim, Marty's zoned!" Fuck! the American cop snarled mentally as he dialed his sight back up and glanced around. Miraculously, she hadn't been shot as she stood there frozen and unseeing, but that wouldn't last long, he knew. Especially when he saw one of the perps grab up a grenade, yank the pin out, and fling it in Marty's general direction. "Fire in the hole!" he bellowed as he charged forward towards his fellow sentinel. As cops scattered in every direction, Ellison threw Marty over his shoulder and ran for cover. He'd just made it to Blair's hiding spot when the grenade exploded. As Jim hunkered down, his body shielding Blair -- who, in turn, protected the inert Scot -- his own control slipped, and the concussive sound of the exploding grenade sent him straight into his own zone-out. Blair cursed when he felt his partner slump bonelessly over his body. He knew what had happened. Carefully, he wriggled so that Jim rolled off of him to the side and then he shifted to sit up slightly, aware of the gunfire still roaring behind him. After quickly checking on Marty, he turned his attention to Jim. Abruptly, Simon appeared beside him. "What's wrong with them?" he snapped. "Were they hit?" Before Sandburg could reply, Banks groaned as he took a closer look at the sentinels and answered his own question. "Aw, hell! They're both zoned?! What the fuck do we do now?!" Just then, there was another loud boom and suddenly, the cops were shouting as they surged forward as one unit. Simon risked a moment to lift his head above the barrier to see that the still-living criminals -- two of MacLeod's goons had been hit by police bullets -- were being subdued, cuffed, and read their rights. Turning back to Blair, he said, "MacLeod's in custody, along with the others. What do we do about our comatose friends?" "You take Jim and I'll take Marty and we get them out past the perimeter where there's less noise and confusion going on. Then I'll call Jane and tell her to get down here so she can get Marty out of it," Blair said, reaching for the female sentinel. "Why? You got her out of it easily enough when she zoned in my office," Simon grunted as he draped Ellison's limp form over his broad shoulders and stood. Holding Marty cradled against him, Blair turned and quickly began leading the way away from the arrest scene. "Because Marty's in deep this time. She's going to need a personal, close touch!" he called back over his shoulder. Grumbling to himself, the captain followed the consultant away from the center of the attention and past the waiting vehicles. They skirted the ambulances, sticking to any available shadows in order to keep attention away from them, until finally they settled down on the far side of the closest warehouse, sheltering in a doorway of the building. After propping Marty up carefully against the doorjamb, Blair pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Simon, who had propped Jim up on the other side. "Here, take my phone. Go to the end of the block so you can get a clear signal and hit speed dial number five. That's Jane's number. You know what to tell her." Giving the young man a sharp look, Simon nevertheless took the phone and trotted up the broken sidewalk to the end of the block. Dialing as instructed, he waited through four rings before the other end was picked up and a breathless, "Hello?" sounded in his ear. "Jane Leighton?" he asked. "Yes, this is she. This better not be a sales call." "No, ma'am. It's me, Captain Simon Banks, and --" "Oh, God," the woman whimpered suddenly, cutting him off. "Oh, no. Oh, please, no. That explosion... it wasn't Marty? Please --" "No! No, she's uninjured, Miss Leighton. I'm sorry for worrying you, but you do need to come down here. She's zoned out pretty deeply; Blair says she needs you." "Oh, damn. What happened? And is Jim okay?" "He zoned out too; Blair's with him now. But he says you need to take care of Marty." "Yes! Where do I need to be?" He gave her the address and directions on how to get there, then rang off and waited. Ten minutes later -- when the drive should have taken more like fifteen to twenty -- an older model Jeep Grand Cherokee slid to a halt a few feet away from the curb where Simon was standing. Jane leaped from the vehicle, slamming the door and running over to join him. Without saying a word, he nodded to her and turned to lead the way back down the sidewalk at a loping run, Leighton easily keeping up with him. Jane gasped as she dropped to her knees beside the unmoving Marty. Blair continued to concentrate on Jim, who was slowly coming around, moving and speaking groggily. Focusing her own attention solely on her cousin, Jane reached out and picked up one of Marty's hands while gently stroking the female sentinel's face with the other. "Marty? Cuz? You in there? You have to be, you know. Now, I have no idea what caused this one --" "Floodlights," Blair replied succinctly. "-- okay, so some floodlights knocked you out, but you're gonna have to come back to me now, kidlet. No way in hell are they gonna allow zombie-woman to continue as an Inspector if you can't get hold of yourself, so whaddya say we get you awake and then go see what happened, huh?" "MacLeod has been caught and arrested," Simon murmured quietly in Jane's ear. "Hey, great! You hear that, cuz? MacLeod's been nailed! That ought to cheer you up. So why don't you wake up now and we'll go celebrate! Besides, I've just finished a couple of new sculptures that I really need your input on --" "Rrrrrgh!" The irritated growl and the sudden squeezing shut of Marty's eyes were the first indications that the female sentinel had come out of her zone. "Marty?" Jane whispered. "Aye, I hear you!" the female cop snapped. She grimaced as she rubbed at her aching temples and then lightly felt around her closed eyelids. "My eyes are so dry. Have they been open long? Bloody hell, what's happened?!" "Well, for starters, you zoned out on the floodlights," Blair said quietly, lightly petting Jim's face with the back of his knuckles to help center his sentinel. Keeping his voice low, he filled her in on the events she'd missed. "Dammit!" Marty yelled. "I should have been there!" "But you weren't because you couldn't flaming move. I don't see what the big deal is, Marty. The scumbag's arrested; isn't that good enough?" Jane asked. "Not really, since I'm going to have to come up with a story for my captain and my report in general as to why I wasn't there to help make the arrest of the guy I've been hunting for close to eight months now!" the Scottish cop growled. "I'll help you with that, if you want," Blair offered. "I'm an old hand at it by now. And it'll give you and Jane some pointers on how to word things in the future. Besides, you're still going to have to explain it to your captain, right?" "Aye, but --" "So, no big deal. Try this for the official report: blinded by floodlights, removed to safety by Detective Ellison, both of you too close to the blast and slightly concussed. Because it was a gunfight and I'm a mere consultant, the two of you thought it was your job to shield me. How's that?" Marty blinked at him, then looked at the grinning Jim and the sighing Simon, then looked owlishly at her equally mystified cousin. Finally, she looked back at Blair. "That's friggin' brilliant, lad. But, what about medical reports...?" "We'll have you checked out by the paramedics. I'm willing to bet that they will pronounce you slightly concussed by that blast. Just because you both zoned doesn't mean it didn't actually happen. Actually, anyone who was near that blast is probably slightly concussed. Nothing to worry about." "Sounds right," Jim muttered, shifting slightly. He was white as a sheet and sweating slightly, and Marty was in no better shape. "So, what are we waiting for?" Jane demanded. "Let's go." Simon helped Jim up while Blair and Jane helped Marty. Blair stayed tucked to Jim's left side and Simon to his right as Jane draped Marty's right arm over her shoulder. The five of them walked back to the cordoned area where the police were still conducting the clean-up procedure. Taking the two sentinel cops over to the waiting paramedics, Simon, Blair and Jane stepped back to wait. Finally, the sentinels were released with the professional advice to get themselves checked out at a hospital -- since they were showing signs of minor concussions. Naturally both Marty and Jim elected to say "thanks, but no thanks," and joined Simon and their guides moments later. Simon, gnawing on his unlit cigar, said, "Everything check out okay?" "Yes, sir," Jim replied. "We both have raging headaches, but we're fine. Marty nodded her agreement and immediately winced at the movement. She smiled gratefully at Jane when the smaller woman reached up to stroke her shoulder comfortingly. Banks sighed. "Well, that's that, then. You all go home and get some sleep. Ellison, Sandburg, and MacLachlan, I'll expect you in my office tomorrow afternoon for your reports." "Very good, sir," Ellison said quietly, grinning. "Aye, Cap'n," Marty stated firmly. "Sure thing, Simon," Blair said with a grin. Simon sighed, shook his head, then walked off muttering about how his department had all the weirdoes in it. The two sentinels looked at each other, easily hearing the captain's grumbled comments, and burst out laughing. As they turned to head to their vehicles, they explained what was so funny to their curious guides. Before leaving, they agreed to meet at the loft for a late breakfast the next day about noon. Then the two pairs drove off toward their respective homes, intent on sleeping as soon as possible. "Ahhhh. That was great," Marty sighed, a delighted grin on her face as she settled back in her chair. "Sometimes, these heightened taste buds are a treat." "Especially when homemade blueberry waffles and corn muffins are what they're tasting," Jim agreed, bliss in every line of his face. Blair had made piles of his blueberry waffles and Jane had brought her family recipe corn muffins to add to the breakfast larder. They'd been toasted in the small toaster oven and the wide grin that split Jim's face when he first tasted one had been very satisfying for Jane. The two guides had immediately made plans to trade recipes, some of which made their respective sentinels alternately cringe and cheer. "You two look like the cats who... well, who just got their breakfast!" Blair laughed. They turned satisfied smirks on him and then grinned at each other. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't spontaneously shed in extreme happiness, please," Jane muttered, and they all cracked up. Blair finally finished chuckling and got to his feet. "Jane, c'mere for a minute. There's a few more things I've written up for you that I'd like to go over with you before we all split for a while." Jane glanced over at her cousin, who nodded amiably and then made shooing motions. Certain that Marty didn't need her for the moment, she got up and followed Blair into the downstairs office that used to be his bedroom. When they had disappeared, Jim and Marty got up and began cleaning up the dishes and the leftovers -- not that there were many. When the table was clear and the last of the muffins put away, they stood side by side at the sink, Jim washing and Marty drying. "So, think you can handle being an Inspector with heightened senses and needing a guide?" Jim finally asked. "Aye. I'm thinkin' it'll be fun, too, when it's all working right. And besides, Jane has always been my favorite in the family; havin' her around for the rest of my life will be great. No more bitching about incompetent mail servers or slow postal employees, at any rate," Marty replied with a grin, drying the dish Jim handed her. "Y'know, I've always wondered if I'd end up living alone, or if I'd finally find someone to spend my days with. Having that question answered, I have to say I'm glad that it will be Jane. If I had to have anyone around, senses or not, I'd want my cousin with me. I guess in a way, I'm grateful for Fate or whatever that she'll be an even bigger part of my life than the occasional letter or phone call." "Yeah, I know what you mean. When my senses came on-line about four years ago I suddenly found myself needing this scruffy little grad student who I ordinarily would have patted down for narcotics. I was really pissed off at needing anyone, let alone some kid with big, blue, naive eyes. I was hoping I'd only have to deal with him for a month at the most and then send him on his way. After I got to know him, then began to love him for who he was and not just for what he was, I was eternally grateful that these senses brought him into my life. "I probably wouldn't have given him the time of day otherwise, and I would have missed out on knowing the most wonderful person in my life." Jim turned to face the other sentinel when he felt her go still beside him. He thought at first she might have zoned, but when he faced her and saw her looking at him steadily, her eyes dancing lively, he relaxed slightly. "What?" he asked. A slow grin spread across her face. "Jamie, that was wonderful, to hear you say that. And if you could have listened to yourself! Maybe it was just these enhanced ears, but I swear your voice absolutely resonated with the love you feel for Blair. I'm glad that you're not alone, or lonely, any more." He grinned a little and nodded. "So am I. And I'm damn lucky too. I mean, how many more second chances can one guy get? She nodded in understanding, then glanced away. "I wonder if, someday, I'll find a man to settle down with who can provide that sort of love. Although maybe having Jane will be enough." Her words seemed more to herself than to Jim, so he wisely kept quiet. Marty turned back to him and smiled. "You are a lucky man, though, Jamie, and I admit to being envious of that. Especially considering what a handsome lad you are!" "Don't get any bright ideas, MacLachlan. I'm thoroughly taken and gladly." "I already noticed. Relax, you're safe with me. Unless, of course, you'd rather have Blair in here to protect your virtue from the big bad Scot? We Highland warriors are a feisty bunch, y'know," she said with a teasing grin. Jim gave her a look and then flicked soapsuds at her. "Cute, lady; real cute. But even if I had any virtue left to defend, Sandburg would be right there, front and center." "Leave me out of your sex life, Ellison." "Are all Scots as perverted as you are?" Marty only grinned at him and refused to answer. Sighing, Jim went back to washing dishes. A moment later, he turned to her and asked, "By the way, I keep meaning to ask, why do you always call me 'Jamie'?" "I'm sorry, do you not like it? 'Jim' sounds rather plain, almost. I like the different sound of 'Jamie.' But I'll stop if you don't like it." "No, no, it's fine. I was wondering why you called me that, that's all. I suppose I can learn to live with it," he said with a grin. "Good. I'd hate to think what would happen if you couldn't." "Oh, nothing much. Just... this!" And with that, he flung a handful of suds at her. She shrieked and swiped at the suds adorning her face, then twisted the dishtowel into a tight rope and, with an evil grin, advanced on him. In Blair's room, the two guides looked up at the sound of their sentinels horsing around, and then grinned at each other. Tribal protectors or no, those two could be really immature sometimes. Jim opened the door to the loft and grinned when he saw the person who was standing on the other side. "Jane! Hi, come on in." She did so, grinning up at the tall sentinel. "Thanks, Jim. You look good. Married life treating you okay?" He blushed at her teasing, for he and Blair had been doing a little lazy necking on the sofa prior to her showing up. When she giggled, he ruffled her hair and then stepped back to let Blair greet her as he mumbled, "Guides. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." "You'd better believe it, buster," Sandburg quipped as he gave the petite woman a hug. Grinning down at her -- still enjoying that novelty even though he'd been doing so for nearly three months -- he said, "Hi, Jane. What brings you by?" "Well, I have a gift for you, but I thought you might like to hear the latest news. I printed out Marty's e-mail and brought it with me," she said. "Sure. Coffee?" "Sounds good." She carefully set down the wooden box she was holding, then turned to hang up her jacket before sitting on the sofa next to Blair. She thanked Jim for the coffee he handed her a moment later, and when he was settled down on Blair's other side and had drawn him back to rest against his body, she opened the folded papers she had with her and began. "Hi, Cuz! Well, the big day is almost here. In a week you'll be over here with me in Bonnie Scotland. Your glass-making stuff has arrived safely and I've got it carefully stored. The application for change of use of the barn is being processed, but nobody is objecting so it should go through okay. I personally checked to make certain everything was in good nick; no, I did not zone. All that practice has been helping. "Also, I have the papers for your permit to stay ready for your signature. You'll have to sign them when you get here, but that ought to be dealt with fairly easily. And the paperwork for your consultant's pass has been approved. Took some convincing, but after the first couple of zone-outs, Chief Constable Graham was more understanding. That reminds me, we might be living a little short of cash for the first month or so; I had to reimburse part of those phone calls. The only reason he didn't demand more was because the whole thing scared him silly. Thanks, though, for being there to help out when he called." Blair chose at that moment to interrupt. "Marty zoned out and her captain called overseas for you to talk her out of it?" Jane nodded. "He held the phone up to her ear and patted her hand while I talked to her. She was a little freaked out by the oddity of the situation, though, and nearly decked him when she came out of it. The second time it happened, she was nicer about it. Both phone calls lasted for about an hour and a half, total. We're not at the stage where she can be un-zoned by just anyone. She still needs me." Both Jim and Blair shuddered, Ellison wrapping his arms around his guide in a bear hug. "Am I ever grateful that we aren't separated by thousands of miles, Chief." "You said it, man. Go on," Blair urged Jane. She grinned at them, then continued. "Things have been slightly hectic over here. The wheels of justice are grinding, but slowly as always; there's no date set yet for MacLeod's trial. By the way, when next you see him, could you tell Blair thank you for his report suggestion and coaching me on my responses? Without his help I would have flubbed up big time somewhere during all this. I've come close to blurting the truth once or twice, but managed to shut my big gob in time. But I'll be free to pick you up at the airport when you fly in. "I can't wait for you to get here, cuz. I miss you something fierce. There's a party for the evening after you get here that's been planned by our neighbors. Sort of a 'welcome to the community' type thing. You can get to know some of them that way -- not that there are that many to meet. Everyone's looking forward to meeting my American cousin. Anyway, must go now. Give my love to the boys, would you? Write back to me ASAP. Love, Marty." "Sentinel territoriality strikes again," Blair said with a grin. Jim gave him a mild tap against the head. "Before you mock it, try to imagine how stir-crazy Marty must be going over there. Her guide is half a world away from her. Of course she's going to want Jane to keep in touch as much as possible and as quickly as she can." Glancing over at the woman, he said, "You did mail her back before coming over here, didn't you?" She snorted and grinned at him. "Of course I did. Do I look suicidal to you? Don't answer that." Blair nodded his head. "You're right, sorry. It's been a while since I've had to deal with that level of over-protectiveness. I'd forgotten what it's like." "Yeah, well, we can always change that if you really want a refresher course..." "No! No, Jim, thanks anyway." Turning his attention to Jane, Blair said, "So, you looking forward to your new life in Scotland?" Leighton sipped her coffee for a moment before she replied. "Yeah, actually, I think I am. It'll be weird, at first, but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. Of course, being a consultant in a police station will be somewhat challenging, but Jim has assured me that everything I've ever learned will be of some help somehow, somewhere, so there's that." "Great, great. You still have the copy of the dissertation I gave you, and all the notes?" "That got shipped over in the box with my glass supplies. Less chance of anyone reading it that way. Marty will know what to do with it all, so relax, Blair. The last thing we want is another media fiasco," she reassured the younger man. Jim snuggled his guide to him, then glanced intently at the wooden box that rested on the coffee table. "So, what gift do you bring us?" "Well, I'm a glass artist. And when I saw those beautiful wood carvings of your spirit animals, I felt the need to make something as well," she said quietly. Setting down her coffee mug, she picked up the large box and set it on her lap. Carefully she opened it and peeled away the lamb's wool wrappings. Reaching in, she lifted out first one glass sculpture and then another, handing them over to their respective owners, who gaped in utter fascination with their presents. Jim tenderly cradled the glass jaguar, big enough to require both of his hands to keep it safe. The glass had been tinted a smoky black, the eyes a startling silvery-blue color. It stood in a poised position, its serious gaze staring off into the distance with its head slightly tilted, as though patrolling its borders. Blair held his silvery-grey wolf carefully, almost afraid that by touching it he would break it. He looked at the beautiful creation with sapphire-blue eyes set in its carefully-crafted face. The wolf was standing alert, ready to bound off in any direction at any given moment. After the two of them admired their own spirit animals, each turned his attention to appreciating the other's gift. By the time they were done admiring them, Jane had finished her first cup of coffee and had gotten up to fix herself another and returned, watching them closely with a smile. When the two men finally glanced at her, she said softly, "If you stand them next to each other, you'll see that though they look solid and beautiful apart, they're even better together." Sentinel and guide looked at each other, then leaned over to carefully place their spirit animals side by side, close to the wood carvings they already had. Jane was indeed correct; separately, the two glass figures were beautiful. Together, they were stunning. Jim looked over at the glass artist. "Thank you," he breathed. "They're beautiful. More than I can say." "Same here. Thanks. Why did you make them for us?" Blair asked quietly. "I noticed the wolf-etched window pane in the office, and these two wood carvings out here. I thought perhaps you might be collecting figurines that represent your spirit animals. And also, I wanted to give you a gift to thank you for all your help in regards to Marty and myself. Especially Marty. She could have been seriously injured or incapacitated if you hadn't been able to help her, or hadn't agreed to. I can't thank you enough for giving her the help she needed. And assisting me in seeing that I really am meant to be her guide," Jane said just as quietly. Blair held out his hand and she got up and let herself be pulled down to be snuggled between the two of them. All three were quiet for a long time and then after a while, she began wriggling to free herself. When Jim and Blair let her go, she stood up and grinned down at them. "I'd better be going. There's a few more things I have to get taken care of before I leave next week. Thanks for the coffee, guys. No, stay put. I can see myself out." She took her coffee cup into the kitchen and rinsed it out in the sink, then collected her jacket from the coat-peg. "Thanks again!" she called out, then left, shutting the locked door behind her. Jim listened to her go downstairs, climb into her SUV, and drive away. Then he turned his head to look down at his guide, only to find Blair staring up at him. "What?" Blair shook his head. "Nothing. Just ... enjoying the view, you know?" The older man grinned. "I do know." And with that, he bent his head to kiss his mate. Within minutes they had maneuvered themselves off the couch and begun heading towards the stairs, shedding clothes as they went. Halfway up, Blair pulled away from Jim's mouth and gasped, "Do you think this is the start of a trend or something? That other needy sentinels and guides will start showing up, asking us for help?" Letting his senses free to delight in the feeling and sight and scent and taste and sound of his aroused guide, Jim said firmly, "If they do, Chief, I have no doubt that you'll do as well for them as you did for Marty and Jane." "Me? Hey, you helped them too, you know." "Yeah, maybe. We can worry about it later, Sandburg. Now, what do you want first? Me in you, or you in me, or --" "Why don't we just love each other stupid, Jim?" Blair said breathlessly as they crawled onto their bed, buck-naked. Jim gave his partner a very sly grin. "That could take a while, Chief." "Good thing we'll be far from bored, then." And Blair pulled his mate down on top of him, lifting his mouth for a kiss. It wasn't long before soft, passionate moans and cries of love filled the air of Apartment #307.