Chapter Text
Fear Factor
by Linda3
celticpryde1@insightbb.com
As Detective Jim Ellison walked across the parking lot from his truck to the Anthropology building at Rainier University, he looked around at the manicured lawns, stately old buildings and the students and faculty quietly going about their business. He silently marveled at how different it was from the hectic, often dangerous world of police work. It was no wonder his partner liked being here so much. And, to be honest, he knew that this was where Blair Sandburg really belonged, in the halls of academia and learning, not on the streets risking his life getting shot at and worse. But somehow, as only Blair could, he managed to live in both worlds and act as if doing so was the most natural thing in the world.
The tall detective shook he head as he smiled to himself. There had definitely been some rough spots along the way as they both had to learn to adjust to each other and their way of doing things. But fortunately, despite their vastly different personalities, during the past three years of working so closely together they had slowly managed to progress from just researcher and subject, to cop and unofficial partner, to now having a friendship that was deeper and closer than most brothers. Even more important, they were also now permanently Sentinel and Guide, with a bond between them that transcended everything else in their lives.
He knew that Blair took his role as the Guide to mean that it was his responsibility to keep searching for new information and to try to teach him how to continually adapt to something that made him different from everyone else. He also knew that, as much as he hated them, the constant tests that Blair put him through weren't just research for his dissertation on Sentinels but to also help him to learn to live with and use his unique abilities. Even though he rarely ever said so, he really was grateful for all his friend and Guide had done and was still doing for him.
As Jim neared his friend's office he opened up his sense of hearing, more from habit than from actually expecting anything to be wrong. Around the police station Blair had become known somewhat as a 'trouble magnet'. Even though the police observer often expressed his dislike of the term, it did seem that if there was a psycho, bad guy or just a dangerous situation anywhere in the area, Blair somehow managed to find himself involved. Jim had learned long ago not to take any chances where his very resourceful, but still untrained, partner was concerned.
The office was quiet except for Blair's breathingâ€"which sounded very deep and regular. Sure enough, when Jim opened the door there was his Guide, head on his desk, sound asleep. Jim wasn't surprised. For the past several weeks Blair had been running himself ragged. The semester had just ended, the busiest time of the year on campus. So for the previous few weeks Blair had had to prepare, administer and grade final exams for the classes he was teaching. Besides his own classes he had also agreed to take over teaching and giving and grading exams for two additional classes for Rick, a TA whose father had just recently had a major heart attack. Since Rick had covered for him last time he had been injured while working with Jim he could hardly refuse to return the favor. On top of all the extra class work, Blair also had to submit a detailed syllabus for each of the classes he would be teaching next semester. In addition to his school requirements, Blair had also tried to spend as much time as possible helping Jim with the Evans case. Normally during finals Blair all but stopped coming to the station. Jim understood that working as a fulltime Teaching Fellow, his increased school workload during this hectic time left him virtually no free time for anything else, with this semester's workload being even heavier due to Rick's classes. But this time it was different. This time there was Robert Evans.
Evans was a sadistic murderer who, with his two cousins, had left a trail of bodies across the country. They killed without mercy. Evans had sworn several times that he would not be taken alive and that he would take as many cops as possible with him when he went. They were now thought to be in the Cascade area, probably heading for Canada, and Jim had made it his personal crusade to bring them in before they could get out of the country. Concentrating and focusing intently for long periods of time meant that he needed Blair's help more than usual to keep his senses under control. And Blair never said 'no' when Jim needed help concerning his Sentinel abilities. So lately, if Blair wasn't at the University working, he was working with Jim. For the past few weeks his routine had become exhausting: starting early in the morning with a full day of both his and Rick's classes, office hours and faculty meetings then straight to the station to work with Jim, who didn't go in until late afternoon due to his night shift stakeout duty. Then after spending several hours helping with whatever pre-stakeout work the detective was doing that day, he was up most of the night at home catching up on his school paperwork. A few hours sleep, if he was lucky, then a quick shower in the morning and he was back at school to start all over again. Eating and any kind of meaningful sleep had become luxuries.
The last few days had been especially hard on the already over burdened grad student. He was facing his deadline to have all the final exams, both his and Rick's, graded then the grades entered and posted, as well as having his syllabuses turned in for review. At the same time it had been confirmed that Evans and his cousins were staying at the surveillance house but all three of them never seemed to be in it at the same time. Due to this new info the stakeouts had been intensified, and Jim's original surveillance partner had been re-assigned to work with another officer. Jim had insisted, then, that Blair now join him during his nightly stakeouts, claiming that he would be able to use his senses more freely and would be less likely to zone. He was not taking any chances that he might miss the opportunity of finding all three of the murderous cousins together. So, instead of indulging the usual cat naps that he took on all night stakeouts, Blair had tried to use this time to work, straining his eyes using the small, dim flashlight that Jim grudgingly allowed him to bring along.
Jim had become worried about his partner. There were dark circles under his eyes and he had obviously lost weight. His normally bright and excited eyes had become dull, while his usually bouncy step and expressive hands had become slow and his movements deliberate. Thank God most of it was over as of today.
Finals were over. Blair had come in today to post the last of his and Rick's classes grades, hand in his syllabuses and tie up a few loose ends until the new semester started. This time, thanks to the semester break and the University upgrading their computer system, Blair had two full weeks totally free from any school related responsibilities. As much as Jim wanted Blair's help fulltime, he was determined to see to it that his roommate also spent as much time as he needed catching up on lost sleep and eating on a regular basis. Starting now.
Rafe and Brown were taking over the night shift stakeout starting tonight so this would be the first night both men had had free together in weeks. Jim had been planning to take his overworked partner out to dinner. Now he wasn't sure if Blair would last through dinner. He looked down at his sleeping Guide. Oh well, take out and a quiet night at home sounds good too.
Jim walked over to Blair and shook his shoulder. "Come on, Chief, wake up. Time to go home."
No response. Jim shook him a little harder and raised his voice. "Hey, Sandburg! Wake up! Let's go!"
Finally the dark lashes started to flutter. Blair slowly raised his head, looking around with sleep filled eyes. "Wha--? Jim? Wha'timizit?"
Jim smiled. He wouldn't ever dare mention it out loud but Blair sometimes reminded him of a little boy when he first woke up. Maybe it was the tousled curly hair or the sleepy blue eyes or that he just looked even younger and more innocent than usual then. "Yeah, Chief, it's me. It's almost six thirty. No stakeout tonight, remember? Time for you to go home." For your first decent meal in at least a few days and a full night's sleep. God only knows what you've been eating lately, probably more junk food than you'd care to think about. He knew that Blair, unlike himself, really tried to eat healthy and usually only ate junk food as a last resort.
Jim reached down and hefted Blair's backpack. For once it wasn't filled with tests to be graded and books for class. He then picked up and held out Blair's lightweight windbreaker to him. Blair rubbed his eyes as he stood up. "I guess I dozed off for a minute."
"Yeah, just for a minute or two I'm sure, but I think your back would like it better if you slept in your bed instead of at your desk."
Looking around his desk, Blair picked up his glasses and put them in his shirt pocket. Taking his jacket from Jim he put it on, pulling the thick, dark hair out of the collar. He looked around again until Jim held up his backpack. "Got it, Chief. Let's go."
Jim waited while Blair shut and locked the office door. Still carrying the backpack, he kept one hand on Blair's back as he guided him out of the building to the truck. As he watched Blair climb into the passenger seat Jim was shocked at how pale and drawn he looked. You're going straight to bed after dinner and staying home all day tomorrow too. He climbed behind the wheel and was soon easing the truck into traffic.
"I thought we'd just pick up some decent take-out tonight and go home. What do you feel like, Chief? Pick a restaurant, your choice, my treat." Anything you want tonight, buddy, even some of that weird vegetarian stuff, just so you eat something.
Blair yawned and shook his head. "Sorry. Actually man, I'm too wiped to eat. I think I'll just head straight to bed tonight. Stop and get whatever you want." He leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes.
Jim looked at his gaunt partner. Another thought crossed his mind. "When was the last time you ate, Chief?"
C'mon Jim, don't start the Mother Hen routine now. I am so not in the mood for this tonight. Slight irritation crept into his voice. "I don't know, Jim. In case you haven't noticed I've been just a little busy for the past few weeks. Eating doesn't pay my bills, getting my University work done on time does." He gave a short laugh. "Priorities man. Eating has been pretty low on the list lately, way down there with sleeping."
Feeling somewhat guilty, knowing that Blair had been spending a lot more time than usual during finals with him, Jim glanced at his noticeably thinner partner, who was still leaning back with his eyes closed. It suddenly became even more important that he find out what and how much Blair had been eating lately. "So what exactly is the last thing you ate?"
God, Jim was like a bulldog with a bone when he wanted to find out something. Maybe if he answered him he'd just drop the whole subject, he certainly was tired of it already. Actually, I'm just tired. The overworked grad student had to think for a minute. "I don't know. I think, maybe, I may have tried to grab an apple or something for breakfast this morning or maybe it was yesterday morning. Who knows? All right? Can we just drop this now?"
Jim was stunned. Blair wasn't eating junk food; he wasn't eating at all. When was his partner ever going to learn to take care of himself? "So you think you may have tried to eat an apple early this morning? Or it might have been yesterday morning? And just how long has it been since you actually ate a real meal?" When Blair just shrugged Jim almost exploded. "That's it, Sandburg! You're eating dinner tonight even if I have to force feed it to you!" Even as he said it he knew that he would never actually try to force Blair to do anything. And his partner knew it too. He might be physically larger, stronger and better trained but they both knew that Jim would never lay a threatening hand on Blair or allow anyone else to either. Blair called Jim his 'Blessed Protector', and even through the title was usually said in jest, the role itself was something Jim took very seriously. Protecting his Guide, even from himself if need be, had become a top priority in the Sentinel's life.
"C'mon Jim," Blair answered, blatantly ignoring the threat, not even raising his head or opening his eyes, "I don't want to fight, especially about something like eating."
Hearing the tired strain in Blair's voice, Jim's own voice softened. "I don't want to fight either, Chief. But you've obviously barely been eating or sleeping for weeks now. I'm just worried about you. You really are looking kinda rough around the edges, you know."
He was rewarded with a closed-eye, wry grin. "Gee, thanks. Love you too, man. I promise, after I sleep tonight, I'll start eating better tomorrow. Okay?"
Any response was cut off when Jim's cell phone rang. He picked it up and hit the 'answer' button with one hand. "Ellison."
//Jim, it's Simon. Glad I found you. Sorry to do this on your first night off, but I need you back at the surveillance house. Now. Brown just called in. Evans and his cousins are finally all in the house together. This is our best chance to nail all of them at once. I'll meet you there.//
"Right sir, I'm on my way." Jim disconnected the phone and turned on the flashing lights attached to the truck's sun visor as he pushed on the accelerator. Less than a minute later they were headed in the direction of the surveillance location.
Jim glanced over at Blair, who was still leaning back with his eyes closed. He hadn't even asked about the phone call. That just proved that Blair obviously was in no shape for this, but there was no choice, he couldn't risk taking any delays. "Look Chief, Simon wants me at the stakeout house right now. This might finally be our chance. There's no time to drop you off so I have to bring you with me. When we get there you are not to leave this truck. Do you understand?"
"What do you mean 'not leave this truck'?" Blair turned his head and stared at Jim. "Of course I'm staying with you. That's my job, remember? Partners, Sentinel/Guide, watch your back."
"Not tonight."
"But Jim, if I'm not thereâ€""
"No buts. You're about to keel over right now. If I had time I'd drop you off at the loft first. Look, for once, Chief, please, just do what I tell you."
Blair turned and looked out the passenger window. "Sure, Jim. Whatever you say."
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Fortunately traffic was light, they were able to make it to the stakeout location in less than 10 minutes. After passing through the roadblock set up at the entrance to the older subdivision Jim parked the truck on the opposite side of the street so the driver's door was next to the curb. They were now on the same side of the street as the surveillance house but almost a block down from it. Blair watched through the window as the police operation was being set into motion. Most of the activity was focused on the tightly shuttered house under surveillance at the far end of the long dead-end street. Both uniformed and plain-clothed officers were scattered around the area. The uniformed officers were going to all the houses on the street, quietly evacuating the residents. Only a few families were still in the process of leaving their homes; most had already left. Obviously this was going to be big. No way could he let Jim do this on his own. Jim needed him with him, even if he was too stubborn to admit it.
Turning away from the activity outside the truck, Blair tried again. "Look Jim, I know I said that I'm a little tired right now butâ€"" He stopped in mid sentence as Jim pulled out his handcuffs and held them up.
"I swear to God, Sandburg, I will handcuff you to the steering wheel right now, unless I am totally convinced that you will stay in this truck. Hell, I may just do it anyway."
Shit. Jim only used the handcuff threat when he was really serious about his staying in the truck. One look at Jim's face told him that he was not about to take 'no' for an answer. Time for some seriously fast talking because he was not letting Jim do this without him. Jim needed him out there; he would be way too vulnerable to zoning in this type of situation. "Jim, man, what are you talking about here? You know you need me out there. You know you're tired which makes you even more susceptible to zoning. You need me to watch your back. I'm your partner, no way am I letting you go out there by yourself..." His voice trailed off, his eyes growing wide as he watched Jim silently open one of the cuffs and start reaching for his wrist. Jim had never tried to actually cuff him before. Okay, time to regroup. Obviously Jim's protective instincts were on mega high right now. This was one of those times that the Sentinel part of Jim had to win, actually needed to win. Even though it went against every Guide instinct he had, Blair scooted back on the seat towards the door and raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. You win." This time. "Just at least promise me that you'll stay with Simon. I'll feel a little better if I know he's with you, since I obviously won't be." Still not happy with the outcome of the debate, Blair slid down in the seat, crossed his arms and stared straight ahead.
Jim sighed. He really hated resorting to threats, especially since they only worked, maybe, half the time anyway, but sometimes Blair just didn't seem know what was in his own best interest. Staying behind tonight definitely fell into that category. He just wasn't up to something like this right now. Blair would probably stew all night about being left behind. All night? Hell, he'd probably be hearing about this all week. He turned back towards his obviously upset partner. "Look, Chief, I know you hate being left out and I know that you feel that you should be with me, but I just don't think you're up to this tonight. Evans is serious bad news, I don't even want you this close to him. I won't be able to concentrate on him if I'm worried about you." He held up his hand to stop the protests he could already see forming. "I am well aware that under most circumstances you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but face it, Chief, we both know that right now you are far from operating at your usual 110 percent. Besides, look around. I won't be by myself, I'll be totally surrounded by cops and Simon'll be there too. And I haven't zoned in ages anyway. I don't need you."
Jim regretted those last four words the instant they left his lips.
Blair shot straight up, turning sideways on the seat to face Jim, tired eyes wide open. He uncrossed his arms as his hands began to move a mile a minute trying to keep up with his words. His exhausted mind could only grasp one meaning from Jim's last sentence. "So that's what this is really all about, isn't it? You don't need me anymore. So when were you going to tell me? After all your paperwork was caught up? Forget it. I'll start packing as soon as I get ho-back to your loft. I'll bet you've even picked out your new partner already, haven't you? A 'real' cop, right? I can't believeâ€""
Jim reached out and grabbed the flying wrists. "Dammit Blair, stop it. Breathe already. I didn't mean that I don't need you anymore." Still holding Blair's wrists Jim looked directly into his partner's eyes. "Listen to me. I do need you, Chief. And you are my partner, no one else. I was just trying to say that I will be all right, by myself, tonight. Just for tonight. That's all. Got it?"
Jim looked closely at his distraught Guide. God, does he really believe that I still think that I don't need him? That I haven't finally realized that I can't do this without him? Now that Blair's brief adrenaline rush was fading, he could see the fatigue creeping back into the too pale face. He slowly lowered Blair's arms and released his wrists. "I hope you understand what I've been trying to say here. Why I want you to stay here this time."
Suddenly cocking his head, Jim listened for a minute. "Simon's looking for me. I have to go." Turning back to Blair he asked, "Are you okay? You'll be all right until I get back?"
Face flushing red at his sudden outburst, Blair lowered his head. He just nodded.
Jim climbed out of the truck, pausing beside the open door. Blair spoke while still looking down at his hands. "What?"
Jim hesitated. "You will be here when I get back, right?"
Blair nodded again then looked up at Jim. "I'll be here." Then he smiled slightly, "You may have to wake me up though."
Jim smiled back, relief evident on his face. "Nah, I'll probably let you sleep all the way home. But I'm not carrying your butt up to the loft." He closed the door and started up the street. He hadn't gone very far when he heard Blair's soft voice whispering to him, "Just please be extra careful tonight."
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Jim walked up to Capt. Simon Banks, his immediate superior officer and good friend. Simon was the only person that he and Blair had told about Jim being a Sentinel. The taller, dark skinned man looked around when Jim reached him. "Where have you been? And where is Sandburg?"
"Right here. As for Sandburg, Blair's totally exhausted right now, semester finals and all." Not to mention all the extra hours spent helping me with this case. "I've been convincing him to wait in the truck until this is over."
Simon looked skeptical. He was well aware of the younger man's almost fanatical insistence at being with Jim whenever the detective had to use his Sentinel abilities, especially on the job. "Uh-huh. And what gentle means of persuasion did you end up using?"
Jim grinned sheepishly. "Well, I did take out my handcuffs and threaten to cuff him to the steering wheel."
"Did you actually cuff him?" Nothing short of that would stop Sandburg if he thought Jim needed him. Probably not even that.
"Well, no. He said he'd wait until I got back."
"No...? He said...?" Simon snorted. "I'll keep an eye out for him."
Jim's reply was cut short by Simon's radio. After a brief conversation with the person on the other end, Simon turned back to Jim. "All the houses on the street have been evacuated. No movement from inside Evans' house so it doesn't look like they suspect anything yet. Our people are moving into position all around the house. Hopefully Evans and his cousins will realize that they're totally surrounded, out manned and out gunned." He sighed. "Maybe they'll just surrender without a fight and we can all go home early."
Now it was Jim who looked skeptical. "I doubt it. Not after what he said about not being taken alive."
They walked over and took up their positions directly across the street from the hideout. Simon pulled Jim aside. He looked at his best detective with concern. "Are you sure you can do this without Sandburg? I mean when you go into those deep zone things or whatever he calls them, nobody can reach you except him. This is definitely not the place for something like that to happen."
"I'm just going to monitor the house. Nothing too difficult. I'll be fine."
Jim wouldn't admit it to Simon but a part of him wished that Blair was there. Somehow everything seemed easier when his Guide was with him. When Blair put his hand on his back Jim knew that his concentration got better, his senses seemed sharper. Even when they weren't physically touching, just his presence was enough to give him better control and more confidence in his abilities. Blair could always talk him through any problems he encountered, he always just seemed to know what to do. But his partner was safer where he was and he was determined he would stay there. Suddenly he was aware that Simon was talking to him.
"â€"tell how many people are in there? Can you tell where they are?"
Jim opened up his hearing, concentrating on the house. One, two, three heartbeats. "All three of them are still in there. Two are in the front of the house, one in the back. Their heart rates are close to normal so I agree, I don't think they suspect anything yet."
"Good."
Simon spoke into his radio, issuing last minute instructions. He looked around. When he was satisfied everyone was ready and in place he spoke into his radio again. "Listen up everybody. Everyone is to hold their position until told otherwise. And everyone is to hold their fire unless absolutely necessary. Any questions?" After a brief pause in which no one answered him, he spoke again. "All right, let's do it." Raising a bullhorn to his mouth he gave a quick glance at Jim, who nodded to let him know he had turned his hearing back down to normal.
"Robert Evans. This is the Cascade Police. The house is totally surrounded. There is no way out. Throw your weapons out the front door and come out, one at a time, with your hands in the air."
The odds of them actually obeying the orders were slim, but it was always worth a shot. He handed the bullhorn back to the officer who had given it to him and waited.
Less than two minutes later the first shots were fired from inside the house.
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Blair sat in the truck trying to concentrate. Something had been nagging at the back of his mind almost since he and Jim had arrived, but he couldn't quite grasp it. Something important, something he was sure Jim should know about.
Come on Blair, think. That's what you're supposed to be so damn good at.
While Jim was out there facing God knows what, he was holed up hereâ€"holed up! Something clicked in Blair's brain. Holed up... hole... holes. Damn. The tunnels!
Suddenly Blair remembered what had been eluding him. A fellow TA who had lived in this area before had told him about the tunnel system. It seemed that this was a totally enclosed subdivision that had been built at the height of the Cold War, when people were seeing Communists everywhere. A 10-foot high stone wall with jagged rocks on top totally surrounded the neighborhood. The only entrance, located where the roadblock was now, originally had had two massive gates with a security guard verifying the identities of everyone who tried to enter. Part of the original construction was an underground tunnel system, connecting most of the house's basements together. The idea was that if and when the Red Menace attacked, the families could escape by going from house to house through the tunnels. Or they could hide in them when the Russians finally dropped The Bomb. It might seem a bit ridiculous now, but it was a popular selling point at the time. Supposedly, all of the tunnels had been permanently sealed shut years ago. In fact, most of the people living in the houses now probably never even heard of the underground system. But what if Robert Evans knew? What if he re-opened a tunnel? It would be the perfect hideout, a house with a built-in escape route totally hidden from the police.
It was just too much of a coincidence for Blair. He was partway up the street before he even realized he had gotten out of the truck.
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Within seconds of the sound of the first shot, every police officer was flat on the ground, weapon drawn. No one moved while several more shots rang out.
Jim turned to Simon, lying beside him. "So much for giving up without a fight and going home early."
Simon craned his neck to look around the wheel of the car they were lying behind. "Ya think? Can you hear anything in there?"
Jim tried to focus on the house across the street. He was almost overwhelmed by the sound of a couple dozen pounding hearts. Plus the ricocheting echo of the bullets kept ringing in his ears. Without his Guide's help Jim couldn't filter out the unwanted sounds well enough to focus on his goal. Before he could answer Simon, another barrage of gunfire erupted from the house. Jim had to quickly dial down his hearing.
After the second volley of bullets ended Jim felt Simon shake his shoulder. "Let's work our way closer to the house. You may be able to detect something that we can use to our advantage." Jim nodded. He and Simon slowly began to edge their way across the street towards the now silent hideout. When they got as close as they dared, on the lawn next door, Jim opened up his hearing again, concentrating on the house. Being closer helped. Simon saw a confused look cross Jim's face.
"What's wrong? What do you hear?"
Jim cocked his head again, then slowly shook it. "Simon, there are only two people in the house now. The one in the back is gone."
Now Simon shook his head. "No way. That house is still totally surrounded. No way in hell anybody could have gotten out without being seen."
Jim shrugged his shoulders. "I'm telling you Simon, there are only two heartbeats in there now. Either one of them is dead or one of them got out."
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Blair continued to slowly walk up the street. It was a lot longer than it looked from the truck, with the hideout being the last house on the block. Each time gunfire erupted he ducked between parked cars.
This is like so not fun. Although I don't know why I'm even worried about getting shot, Jim's gonna kill me anyway.
Blair looked around. There were cops behind him back at the roadblock, sealing off the subdivision, making sure no one could get in or out. In front of him, everyone was way up at the hideout. On top of that it was starting to get dark too. The streetlights weren't on yet and with all the houses on both sides of the street dark from having been evacuated it was almost creepy. There was nobody around where he was at all. Great, nobody to tell him where Jim was or to tell Jim that he was looking for him. He really didn't want to go up there. Partly because of all the shooting, but mostly because he did not want to face an angry Jim. He, as well as many a hardened criminal, had learned that an angry Jim was not someone you wanted to mess with. He could already see the clenched jaw and the glaring eyes that would be directed at him as soon as Jim caught sight of him. He was really too tired to have to deal with a pissed off Sentinel right now. There was still time to go back to the truck. But what if Evans escaped because he didn't go find Jim and tell him about the tunnels? Even worse, what if Evans killed some innocent person, when he could have stopped him? No, there really wasn't any choice, so Blair came out from between the cars and started walking up the sidewalk again.
As he was slowly passing by a well-kept lawn he caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning towards it he could just barely make out the shape of a large man standing beside some bushes next to the house. Didn't think there were any cops this far up. Then he realized that this wasn't a cop, this man was obviously trying not to be seen and there were only three people here who had any reason to hide. With a startled gasp he turned and started back down the street. Before he had taken more than a few steps two strong arms grabbed him from behind and pulled him off the sidewalk and into the shadows. Before he could cry out for help, one large hand grab his right wrist and twisted his arm painfully up behind his back, the other hand pressed a large serrated knife tight against his throat. Blair froze, sensing that the man behind him was much bigger and heavier than he was. A raspy voice spoke next to his ear. "Not one sound cop or you're dead where you stand. Understand?" When Blair slowly nodded the knife was eased slightly from his neck. "Well, well, well, what have we here? Looks like I caught me a little narc. Hey Little Narc, are you ready to be the first cop to go tonight?"
Oh man, this is not happening. Blair's eyes grew wide as he realized which one of the criminals had him. "Evans," he whispered.
"Very good, cop. Now I want ya ta slowly reach into your coat, pull out your gun and throw it away. Remember, Little Narc, real slow like."
Blair briefly considered telling Evans that he wasn't a cop, but quickly concluded that he might stay alive longer if Evans didn't think he was just another useless civilian. "I'm not carrying a gun."
"What? You workin' undercover or somethin'? Open your coat, real slow, like I told you before."
Using his left hand Blair slowly opened his thin windbreaker showing the larger man that he was not carrying a weapon. "See?"
"Yeah, okay. Now, Little Narc, you're gonna help me get through that roadblock down there. How many cops die here tonight will be totally up to you."
Blair was really starting to hate Evans's new nickname for him but mentioning it probably wouldn't be in his best interest right now. Glancing around he knew that there were cops at both ends of the street, but none in the immediate area. Okay, he thought to himself, Evans obviously isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the one he's holding definitely is, so stall him until help arrives.
"So you found out about the tunnels, huh?"
Evans seemed surprised that Blair also knew about them. "Yeah. Guess the rest of you cops thought I'd be too dumb figure them outâ€"didn't even have the other houses guarded. Just knocked out a small hole and walked right through into the next house and then out the back door. Just like my ol' cellmate Barney told me. So who's dumb now? Come on. Let's go."
Evans jerked Blair's wrist even higher and started to turn him away from the hideout towards the roadblock at the other end of the street. Blair grunted as his arm was lifted higher but he stopped walking, stalling for time. "So, if you're out here, where are your cousins?"
Evans laughed. It had a hollow, nasty ring to it. "Those dumb shits? I didn' even tell 'em. I figured they'd keep the cops busy while I got away. Worked too. 'Cept for you, nobody even bothered staying this far away from the house." His voice took on its previous hard edge again. "All right Narc, enough talk 'til we get to that roadblock. Move it. Now!" He gave Blair a push.
"I'm telling you, Jack, I heard voices coming from over here."
Blair and Evans both froze on the lawn as two uniform officers walked towards them on the sidewalk from the direction of the roadblock. Evans pushed the knife harder against Blair's throat and whispered close to his ear, "Don't move, don't even breathe loud."
He let go of Blair's wrist. By the time he was able to slowly lower his aching arm it was forcibly pinned against his side by Evans' forearm. Glancing down Blair saw that a very large and very ugly looking gun was now in the larger man's right hand. The left hand still had the knife to his throat. Evans leaned down and roughly whispered into Blair's ear again. "All right Little Narc, I want you to grab your right wrist with your left hand, and if I so much as feel you twitch like you're letting go, I'll slice you right open." Blair quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled it against his stomach. Evans pushed him forward into the line of sight of the two officers.
"That's far enough cops. One more step and one of ya ain't goin' home tonight."
Both officers stopped, open mouthed at the sight of Robert Evans holding a gun on them with one hand and a knife to Blair Sandburg's throat with the other.
"Okay," Evans growled, "I wasn't planin' on doin' it this way, but I want safe passage outta here. And Little Narc here is gonna guarantee that. You," he pointed the gun at the younger of the two officers, "go tell whoever's in charge here that I want a car. Have them leave it running in the street right here. No bugs or other surprises. Little Narc here will be goin' with me and if I suspect anything funny, well, let's just say he'll have a permanent second smile. Go! They got ten minutes or else Narc here gets real messy with or without the car."
Thomas Riley glanced at the now shaky looking Blair, then at his partner who quietly nodded his head. He started to run up the street towards the surveillance house.
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Jim and Simon were still standing on the lawn of the house next door to the Evans' house when Patrolman Thomas Riley came running up to Simon, obviously out of breath. "Capt'n Banks. It's Evans. He's out. Down there." His panting was slowing down as he pointed down the street. "He has a gun. On my partner. And..." Riley looked at Jim, "and... he has Sandburg."
Jim felt an icy cold hand grip his intestines. For a moment he forgot how to breathe. He and Simon spoke at the same time.
"Riley, explain the situation!"
"What do you mean he has Sandburg?"
Riley looked from Jim back to Simon. Having finally gotten his breath back he spoke to the superior officer. "We're stationed at the roadblock. I was just walking around a bit, a little ways up from the roadblock, when I thought I heard voices. We, my partner Jack and I, were checking it out. Suddenly Evans steps out in front of us on the lawn. He already had a gun on us and was holding a knife to Sandburg's throat." Simon felt Jim tense. "There wasn't anything we could do. He sent me to tell you that if doesn't get a car in the next ten minutes, he's gonna kill Sandburg. He kept referring to Sandburg as a narc, like he thinks he's a cop or something."
The icy hand now gripped Jim's heart. Evans thought Blair was a cop and he had sworn to kill as many cops as possible. If he thought he was trapped he wouldn't think twice about starting with his Guide, and then would probably shoot Riley's partner and any other cop he could.
"Sir," Riley was speaking again. "He also said that when he gets the car he was taking Sandburg with him."
"Over my dead body and not even then." Jim's eyes were like two pieces of blue steel. They all knew that if Evans got away with Blair, the young observer was as good as dead.
Simon looked at his watch. "We have a few minutes left. We'll use Brown and Rafe's stakeout car; it's still here. Maybe we can use it to stall or distract him." He sent Riley off to report to Sgt. Turner and have him send some of the uniforms down to where Evans was holding Sandburg. As he started to issue orders over his radio, he saw Jim turn to leave. "Ellison, wait. I know you want to get to Sandburg, but I need you here for a few more minutes." Jim stopped, clenching his jaw in obvious irritation. Simon finished talking on the radio and turned back to Jim. "I'm having Taggart take over here. Jim, I need you to scan the house one more time."
Jim thought that was what he wanted. He listened. "They know that Evans is gone but not how he managed to get away. They're starting to panic, I guess without Evans they don't know what to do. I think that with a little pressure they'll cave in."
"Thanks Jim, I know that this waiting is hard."
Jim's jaw tensed again. Hard? If he hurts Blair before I get down there, I won't be responsible for what happens next.
After instructing Joel Taggart to keep the pressure on the two cousins, Simon and Jim hurried down the street, almost afraid of what they would find.
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Jim hadn't realized just how big Evans really was. He towered over Blair, making him look even more vulnerable. All Jim could see was Evans and Blair, everything and everyone else seemed to disappear. Blair's eyes were wide open, fully aware of what Evans was capable of doing, he wasn't even pretending not to be afraid. To Jim it was the same look he had on his face when David Lash was pouring that drug down his throat. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to rush in and pull Blair away from the bastard. He had noted the large caliber handgun Evans was holding but his eyes were riveted on the serrated knife at his partner's throat. It was a large hunting knife, made to tear through tough animal hides, it would slice through Blair's neck with no effort at all.
Jim made sure he stood where Blair could see him. He wanted his partner to know that he was there. When their eyes met, Jim could see that part of the fear was replaced with relief and a look that could only be described as a total belief that Jim would get him out of this new situation he had gotten himself into. Jim was once again taken aback by the absolute faith and trust that Blair had in him. A trust he was not about to fail now.
Evans was not happy at the sudden appearance of several more cops. He started waving his gun back and forth. "Everybody just back up. Who the hell's in charge around here?"
Simon stepped forward. "I'm in charge. Anything you have to say, you say to me."
After briefly sizing up the dark man who answered, now fidgeting criminal made his first demand. "First off, tell all these damn cops to back off. Now!"
At Simon's motion, everyone backed up several steps. No one, except Blair, noticed that Jim had made his way behind the growing number police officers and was standing off to the side, partly hidden in the shadows.
Evans tried to ignore the bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. He glanced around uneasily, trying to keep an eye on everyone. This was not how he had planned things. It was supposed to have been so easy. Get out through the tunnel, hide in another house until the cops all left and get clean away. He was just about to go back into the new house after checking everything out when this longhaired, punk cop showed up and ruined it. Now everything was going wrong. He only had one chance now. He had to prove to the cops that he meant business, that he was not somebody to screw around with. "Where the hell's my car? Did ya think I was bluffing about what I'd do to Little Narc here? Just to show y'all I'm serious..."
Evans dug the knife deeper into Blair's neck and slowly pulled it across the taunt skin. Everyone stared as a bright red line followed the path of the knife. Then blood was running down Blair's neck and onto his shirt.
Blair jerked back when he felt the knife points dig deeper into his neck, breaking the skin. OhGodohGodohGod. He felt the pain of each serrated point as it tore through the skin on its grisly path across his throat. JIIIMM! He could feel his own warm blood running down his neck. Points of light danced in front of his now tightly closed eyes. His heart, which was already beating too fast, now threatened to burst through his ribcage. He had to control his breathing, afraid that if he took a deep breath he would find himself choking on his own blood. Instead his breaths became short ragged gasps. Oh God, it hurts. It took every ounce of will power he had just to remain standing, not to give in to his buckling legs. He slowly opened his eyes desperately searching the now blurry looking crowd for the one face he knew could save him from this new nightmare. Jim! Please. Oh God, Jim, where are you? Please don't leave me now.
But Jim had already stepped deep into the shadows, hidden away from everyone else. Simon was also looking around for Jim, afraid that the overwrought detective would simply lunge at Evans and end up get himself shot in the process. When he finally spotted the detective, standing off by himself, Jim looked anything but overwrought. He was standing perfectly still, staring at Blair. His eyes were just starting to glaze over. While Evans was distracted, watching the crowd for their reaction to his little show of power, Simon slipped into the background, hoping to reach Jim before Evans noticed he had left.
God Dammit Ellison, not now.
Fortunately, everyone else was still staring at Blair. Shit. How does Sandburg do this? Simon grabbed Jim's arm and started to shake him, talking between clenched teeth. "Jim. Snap out of it. Not now. Blair needs you." At his partner's name Jim gasped, then his eyes started to focus again. "Oh God, Simon, did Iâ€"?"
"Yeah, but only for a few seconds. No one noticed." Then he remembered what he had zoned onâ€"blood, Blair's blood, dripping down his neck, staining his shirt. "Blair!"
Jim's attention was now totally focused on his partner. Blair's face was completely drained of color; shaking uncontrollably, his vital signs were way too erratic. But it was his eyes that held the detective. Wide open, showing everything his Guide was feelingâ€"terror, pain and a panic like desperation pleading for someone, for Jim, to help him. He turned back to Simon. "You better get back out front before Evans realizes you're gone." And I don't want anyone else around right now.
Simon looked back at Jim, he seemed to be all right now. He also knew that Jim was probably already planning ways to rescue Sandburg, plans that he'd be better off not knowing about beforehand. "All right. Just please; don't do anything that I can't explain away later. We'll get him away from Evans, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Sir." Jim's face was a solid mask of resolve. "Besides, he's my partner. My Guide. I will do whatever I have to do to get him back." Alive.
Simon shook his head as he walked away. When Ellison got like that, there was no talking to him. And when it involved Sandburg, he was even worse. Besides, if anyone could do anything, it was Jim. At this point, as long as he didn't have to know about it ahead of time, he almost didn't care what Jim did to save the kid, just as long as it worked.
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Now that he had seen the shocked reaction to his little demonstration, Evans was feeling much more confidant that his demands would be met. Just had to show the cops who was boss. He smiled to himself as he watched Simon walk through the crowd back up to front of the group. Probably losing his lunch in the bushes. "Okay Mr. I'm-In-Charge, I want my damn car. And I want it now. Little Narc and I want to go for a ride, don't we?" Evans looked down at his ticket out of there. "Oh, and Narc, try not to bleed all over the nice upholstery." He laughed at his own joke, suddenly finding himself highly amusing.
Keep laughing asshole, you won't be for long.
Jim was keeping himself well hidden as he maneuvered himself around the area, looking for the best place to take his shot. He was barely able to keep his seething rage under control. That filthy animal had hurt his Guide and Jim wanted nothing more than to kill him with his own bare hands. To wrap his hands around the bastard's throat until he crushed his larynx and felt the life leave his miserable body. But he knew that any kind of physical assault right now would risk even more harm coming to Blair and that was not going to happen. It was getting darker and with no light coming from the houses he knew his Sentinel sight would give him a definite advantage.
The one thing that pained Jim was that he knew that his partner was looking for him. Looking for him to give any kind of signal that everything would be all right, a little piece of hope that Blair desperately needed to cling to right now. Jim felt as though he was abandoning his best friend when he needed him most. It hurt. A lot. But unfortunately, if Blair could see him, so could Evans and he needed to be invisible right now. Evans didn't even seem to have noticed that he was gone and he wanted to use that to his advantage.
Hang in there Chief, this will all be over soon, I swear.
Blair tried to concentrate on slowing down his breathing. Tried to ignore the now bloody knife still poised at his neck. It was hard to think about anything except the searing pain blazing across the width of his throat. How deep was he cut? How long would it take him to bleed to death? At least he could still breathe. He tried to focus on taking slow, regular, shallow breaths. His legs still felt weak but somewhat steadier than a few minutes ago. Okay. Try to ignore the pain. But man, it hurts. Think about Jim. You know Jim's out there somewhere. You know he won't leave you. Jim and Simon will do whatever it takes to resolve this. Hopefully with you still alive. Concentrate on staying upright and breathing, Jim will take care of everything else. You can do this. But it still really, really hurt.
Jim could hear Simon giving the orders for the car to be brought down from the surveillance site. That was when he planned to make his move; all he needed was one split second when Evans' hold on Blair wouldn't be so tight. The car would provide that second.
Everyone watched as the unmarked car stopped in the middle of the street, directly in front of Evans and Blair, facing the roadblock at the open end of the street. Per Evans' instructions, all the windows were rolled down and Rafe popped the trunk before getting out. He closed the driver's door, went around and opened the passenger door. Leaving that door open he glanced over and gave Blair what he hoped was an encouraging look before walking over to join Banks and Henri. He slowly shook his head as he crossed the street, between the fear, pain and shock Sandburg didn't look like he could hold on much longer. So where the hell was Ellison?
Evans grinned. He was enjoying watching the stupid cops obey his orders for a change. He had already ordered all the cops to stay across the street, which was on the driver's side of the car, leaving just the two of them on the passenger side. He had also told them that if anyone was foolish enough to actually shoot him, he would jerk and the knife would, as he put it, "... this time cut all the way to the Narc's neck bone. Kill me, kill him." Simon had issued an order that all weapons were to remain holstered.
Jim watched as Evans pushed Blair towards the car. He had found the perfect vantage point, from which he had an unobstructed view of everything. Unbeknownst to each other, both men planned on using the growing darkness to their advantage. As he watched, Blair stumbled a little at being pushed, still not quite steady on his feet. Jim's hatred for the man responsible for his partner's pain flared anew.
Just a few more minutes Chief, then you'll be safe again, just a few more minutes.
Evans walked Blair to the back of the car, making sure that the Narc was between him and the cops at all times. Taking a quick look inside the trunk he told Blair to slowly reach out with one hand and close the lid. After looking in the passenger rear window then the front passenger door Evans was satisfied that there wasn't anybody hiding in the car. He told Blair to open the passenger door wider telling him, "Do exactly as your told, no more no less." He raised his voice. "The gun is now right in the Narc's ribs, the same jerk reaction applies to it as the knife. Besides, in the dark you're just as likely to hit him as me."
I don't think so.
Evans pushed Blair down then told him to slide across the passenger seat and get behind the steering wheel. He then quickly got into the passenger seat and closed the door. Yes! He was home free now. Stupid cops thought they could outsmart him. Ha. He showed them. He showed everybody. Keeping his eyes straight ahead he relaxed his grip on the gun as he started to tell the now doomed hippie cop to start driving.
A single gunshot shattered the night air, followed almost instantaneously by the sound of breaking glass. At the sound of the shot every officer immediately turned towards the direction the sound had come from. There in the dim light of a nearby street light they could just make out the unbelievable sight of Jim Ellison standing on the roof of the house one door down from where the car was sitting, still holding his weapon out in front of him with both hands.
Blair heard a strange sound coming from beside him. He looked at Evans and gasped. The large man had both of his hands around his own neck, blood gushing through his fingers. He was making a strange gurgling noise. Blair bolted from the car. When he was behind it he sank to his knees. His stomach tried to empty itself but since there was nothing solid to lose, he was reduced to a series of dry heaves. Every strained pull of his throat muscles made his neck hurt even worse but he couldn't help himself.
Simon took charge as most of the cops ran over to the car. After quickly sizing up the situation inside the car he radioed for both of the ambulances that had been standing by at the roadblock to come to their location. Incredibly, Evans was still alive and Sandburg was injured.
Everyone, it seemed, started talking at once. "No way. No one could make that shot." "From the roof!" "Too far." "Too dark." There was no mistaking the bullet hole in the windshield, right in front of Evans. One amazed officer summed it up for everyone. "Ellison fired one shot from the roof of the house next door with a handgun in the dark through the windshield and nailed Evans dead center in the throat."
As if on cue Jim walked up still holding his gun in one hand. His eyes burned through Evans like ice blue lasers. "Nobody fucks with my partner."
The Ellison Legend just grew. In the less than one day it would take the story make it through the entire PD, it would be generally agreed throughout the rank and file that even if Sandburg grew his hair to his ass and started wearing a dress, very few of them would dare rag on Ellison's partner again.
Leaving Evans for other policemen and paramedics to deal with, Jim holstered his weapon and went to be with his partner.
----------------------------
He found Blair sitting on the ground, leaning against the rear bumper. His legs were drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around them, his forehead resting on his knees. Jim indicated for the two officers that were with him to leave, giving them a small nod and smile of thanks for looking after his partner until he could get there. He knelt on one knee in front of Blair. "You okay, Chief?"
Dark curls bounced slightly as he nodded his head, which remained on his knees. Jim knew that wasn't true. Besides the obvious knife wound, he had seen Blair heaving and could hear his heart pounding. The large detective reached out and gently put his hand on the smaller man's shoulder. He could feel the tremors running through him. Despite his own anger over what had happened Jim knew he had to keep his voice low and calm for Blair's sake.
"Blair, I need to check out your neck. Lift your head up for me."
Blair kept his head down as he shook it. "No. No more. I just want to leave." He lowered his voice, "Let's just go home Jim, please. Now."
Jim wanted nothing more at that moment than to be able to just take his distraught partner home, but he knew they couldn't leave yet. "I know you want to go, Chief. So do I. The sooner we finish up everything here, the sooner we can leave. That includes getting you checked out. So let me look, okay?"
Slowly Blair's head came off his knees. His eyes were beyond tired. Jim cringed inwardly, not wanting to upset his friend any more than he already was. It was a nasty looking cut, running across the middle of Blair's neck. Everything below it was covered in dried blood, including the collar and top part of his T-shirt. Jim lightly placed his fingertips on both sides of his partner's neck and honed his sight in on the cut. Since it was done with a serrated blade the edges were jagged, not smooth. Looking deeper Jim was relieved to see that it wasn't very deep, it probably wouldn't even need stitches. No under lying muscle had been damaged and since the bleeding had already stopped, no veins or arteries had been cut. Blair was breathing and talking without difficulty so his trachea hadn't been damaged. He breathed a small sigh of relief. It could have been much worse.
"Actually, Chief, it doesn't look too bad. Fortunately it's not very deep. It does have to be cleaned and disinfected though. I'd also say probably some butterfly bandages to keep the edges together while it heals." His eyes softened. "How does it feel?"
Blair considered lying, anything to be able to leave now, but he knew from experience that was no point in even trying to lie to Jim. "Hurts. But not as bad as before."
Jim took that as a good sign. Nothing upset the Sentinel more than seeing his Guide in pain. "Good. Then let's get you over to an ambulance so they can take care of it."
Blair looked up at Jim hopefully. "No hospital?" He really hated going to the hospital. By now he figured he was on a first name basis with almost the entire ER rotation at Cascade General.
Jim grinned at him. "Not this time. Unless the paramedics think you really need to go. At this point I don't think that the ER can do much more for you than they can."
He slowly helped Blair to his feet then grabbed him when he started to sway. Keeping one supporting arm firmly around Blair's shoulders, he carefully walked him over to the remaining ambulance, the other one having already left with Evans. Sitting in the back of the open ambulance while the EMT's were treating him, Blair realized that he knew a lot of the EMS crews in Cascade by name, too. He wondered at how much his life had changed in just a few short years. Simon soon joined them. He informed them that, as Jim had predicted, the cousins had soon given up without a fight. They were more than ready to spill everything they knew about Evans. He also told them that Evans was still alive and on his way to the hospital. Blair paled a bit when he heard about Evans being alive but didn't say anything.
As soon as the paramedics finished bandaging his neck and released him, with a list of instructions about how to care for his injury and the warning signs of infection, Blair told Jim and Simon everything, starting with when he remembered about the tunnels. When he finished Simon shook his head in amazement. "Tunnels. Who would ever have guessed that? I've never even heard of them. If you hadn't remembered that Sandburg, Evans probably would have gotten away. I'm going to need a full statement from you of course, but not tonight, you can come in tomorrow and give it."
Jim tried not to look as upset as he felt. And if you had just stayed in the truck, like you were supposed to, you wouldn't have gotten grabbed and hurt. Again. He looked at his pale partner. Blair was obviously fading fast. He had already been exhausted before this even began plus his thin jacket and short sleeved T-shirt weren't offering much protection now that the sun had gone down. "Hey, Chief, why don't you go ahead and wait in the truck? I shouldn't be much longer."
"Okay." Blair just wanted to be as far away from here as possible. The sooner the better. He nodded and started walking down the street towards the truck. He didn't want to be around a lot of other people right now.
Jim and Simon watched the small retreating figure. "Is he going to be all right?" Simon asked.
"Physically, yeah, fortunately the cut wasn't too deep. Emotionally and psychologically, I don't know. I know that Blair is strong and that he's bounced back from a lot of things already, but for someone like him to have some deranged criminal deliberately slit his throat just to make some damn point..." Jim's voice trailed off. "How can I tell him we can protect him when twice now he's been taken hostage while totally surround by police? The first time right in the police station itself. I'm just afraid that this might be the one that pushes him over the edge, the one that finally drives him away." Jim couldn't hide the worry in his voice.
Simon tried to reassure one half of his best team. "If Sandburg hasn't left by now, after all this time, after everything that's happened to him, I don't think he will over this."
God, Simon, you don't know how right I hope you are. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Let's wrap this up so I can get him get out of here."
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Blair walked over to the truck. The roadblock at the entrance to the subdivision was gone, as were most of the officers that had been on the scene. Both ambulances had left. In fact, since everything had happened farther up the street there wasn't anybody around where he was right now. He was grateful for that, he really didn't feel like talking to anybody right now. Instead of getting in he walked over to the driver's side front fender and leaned over it. The truck was facing up the street, from where he stood, using the streetlights, he could almost see the yard where it all started.
Looking up towards the hideout he realized it was now too dark to actually see that far, since it was at the far end of the street. But he still knew that there would be yellow police tape across the door and possibly around the front yard. The tunnel Evans used would also be taped off and a team would thoroughly go over the entrance and exit to find out how Evans had gotten through them. Closer in, but still a ways up the street, a tow truck was starting to haul away the unmarked police car. It would be going to the large evidence lock up yard for a more through going over by forensics later. Evans' gun and knife would already be tagged in evidence bags. He knew if he looked, there would be spray-painted lines in the street where the four wheels of the car had been. Someone would have already calculated the exact distance from the roof where Jim had fired from to the windshield. Tomorrow there would be reports and statements to be made. As the victim (once again) he would make his statement to another officer. As Jim's partner he would help him type up his official report of the "incident."
Blair shook his head. Not too long ago he didn't know and didn't care anything about police work. Now he was well versed in police procedures and he had discovered that he really did find those procedures highly interesting. He now knew what was involved in securing a crime scene. He was even more familiar with the step-by-step process of gathering information and evidence during an investigation. Making sure that the chain of evidence was kept intact so that later some shifty lawyer wouldn't be able to get it thrown out of court. Some of it was actually kinda fun. Interviewing suspects, trying to see if they slip and reveal something, helping Jim use his senses to go over crime scenes (well, at least the less bloody ones), and of course, Jim's love of high-speed chases. Yes, a lot of it was tedious too. Doing background checks, making routine phone calls, going over mountains of paperwork looking for that one little piece of information that can make or break your case. But when it all worked and you actually arrested (okay, so when Jim actually arrested) the bad guy, it was like so cool.
He was so glad that now that he had finally found his Sentinel, he actually had a really interesting job. What if Jim had been, say, an accountant? Not very likely, of course, but what if? Could he actually stand to hang around all day and watch Jim crunch numbers? He pictured big Jim Ellison, the man who hated any kind of paperwork with a passion, sitting at a desk all day happily working on spreadsheets. The image was so ludicrous that, despite everything that had happened earlier, he actually chuckled out loud. No, even though it was sometimes dangerous, Jim's job, his every instinct in fact, was to protect the tribe. And since his job was to protect Jim, this is where he would be too. Blair sighed. That brief moment of levity had been nice but now the depression and knot in his stomach were back in force, plus he could feel his earlier exhaustion catching up with him again. He just wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Come on Jim, I really, really want to go home now.
CONTINUES