SquidgeWorld Archive

Get Ellison
by Chopecdar (Dar Hutson Scally)
May 7, 2000

"You stay in the truck." Jim Ellison said, as he pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

"Oh, come on, Jim. I thought we were done with that." Blair Sandburg complained. "I mean I am your official partner now.

I'm not supposed to be waiting in the truck."

Jim looked over at his partner and smiled softly. "I know that, but this time you will. Chief, this guy is on edge. He knows me and he's expecting to see only me. If you go in with me, he's liable to bolt and we can forget the whole deal."

"Ok." Blair agreed, reluctantly. "But if you're in there too long, I'm coming in after you."

"I can live with that." Jim said.

He took one last look at his partner, then opened the door and slid out into the night.

Blair lost sight of him before he even got to the warehouse. There were only old storage buildings and abandoned warehouses down here and it wasn't very well lit. Blair said a little prayer for his Sentinel's safety, then turned and looked toward the warehouse where Jim was meeting the informant.

He had a bad feeling about this. Maybe it was because he had gotten used to going with Jim since he had finished the Police Academy and become an official detective. His hand gripped hard on the door handle as he forced himself to stay put. What right did Jim have to tell him to wait in the truck? He was a real detective. He had every right to be there, covering his partner's back. But then, Jim was the senior partner. That did give him the authority, officially at least, to give him orders.

But then, Blair "free spirit" Sandburg had already realized that he wasn't very good at taking orders.

He took one more look toward the warehouse and made his decision. He would sneak over and just listen at the door and be ready in case it sounded like Jim needed help. Just as he started to open the door, he noticed a car driving by. He stayed put and watched. It was a dark colored Lincoln Continental and it pulled around the side of the warehouse.

This changed things. Blair jumped out of the truck, shutting the door quietly, and ran toward the warehouse. He had to let Jim know company was coming. Nobody could expect him to stay in the truck now. He had to back up his partner.

Bernie Saunders stood nervously by a stack of crates inside the old warehouse. Close by, stood Jim Ellison. Not too close. Bernie was too skittish to allow anyone too close to him. His life was hanging by a thread and he knew it. He didn't know who to trust, but he knew he had to trust somebody and hoped he had made the right choice. He had dealt with Detective Ellison before and felt pretty sure that he was a good guy. If anybody could save him from this mess, it would be him.

"So, what is it you need to tell me, Bernie?" Jim asked.

"I..I.saw something happen." Bernie started. "Something..I shouldn'thave seen."

"They know you saw?" Jim asked.

Bernie nodded. "They're going to kill me."

Jim took a step toward him, but Bernie immediately backed away, keeping his distance.

"You're going to have to trust me." Jim said. "Tell me what you saw. Let me get you somewhere safe."

Bernie nodded. "It was Vance Drummond. You know the boy who was kidnapped?"

Jim nodded. "Jimmy Taylor."

"Yeah. I saw Vance Drummond kill him." Bernie said. "He told his guys to bury him out in the National Forest."

Jim grimaced. The kidnappers of the Taylor kid hadn't even collected their ransom yet. He wondered why they would take a chance on killing the kid before they had gotten the money. "What happened? How did he kill him?" Jim asked.

"The kid was nothing but trouble. He kept getting away and they kept catching him. I wasn't supposed to know anything about it. But I was in the office and the office has windows and I couldn't help seeing. So, last night, the kid got loose again and was running and they caught him right in front of the office. They dragged him back inside. I was curious. I was kind of hoping the kid would be all right, that they would let him go when they got the money. Stupid, huh?"

"So, I went over to the warehouse from the inside and I was hiding upstairs behind some crates."

Jim waited patiently, while Bernie looked around. Satisfied that nobody was sneaking up on him, he continued.

"They held the kid down and Vance gave him a shot of something. I think it was just supposed to knock him out, but then he started shaking, like a seizure or something, and blood came out of his mouth and then suddenly he stopped moving.

I thought maybe he had passed out, but one of Vance's guys felt for a pulse and said he was dead. Vance checked then and got so mad he smacked the kid. He smacked the body, I should say, cause the kid was dead."

"Then what happened?" Jim asked.

"Well, then they put him in the trunk of Vance's car and Vance sent his guys out with directions of where to bury him.

They pulled away, but Vance was still standing there.

And just as I turned to go back out the way I came, I tripped over something and Vance ran and flipped on the lights to the second floor and saw that it was me. He started after me and I knew he was going to kill me. I just work in the office. I'm completely expendable. So, I ran. Vance didn't have his car so he couldn't follow me once I got in mine."

"Okay. Let me take you somewhere safe." Jim suggested.

A noise in the back of the warehouse alerted him that they were about to get company. Jim tensed and looked into the darkness. Bernie looked at him.

"What is it?" Bernie asked nervously.

Jim pushed him into the space between two big crates. "Hide in there and stay quiet."

Then, Jim slid into the shadows on the other side of the room. He opened his vision wide enough to see the back of the warehouse as if it was bathed in light.

There were four of them, all goons of Vance Drummond. He hadn't even come out to do his own dirty work.

Just then, Jim heard someone approaching from the open front door that he had come through. He turned his attention that way just long enough to confirm that it was his partner. He had been expecting Blair to come in any moment. He knew he would have probably seen the others arrival and beat it in here to help. He only hoped he had called for backup before coming into the warehouse.

Blair couldn't see a thing. It was darker in here than outside. At least outside there was moonlight. He crept slowly along the wall and then stopped, listening. It was quiet, too quiet. He kicked himself for not getting in here faster. But, he had followed procedure and called for backup first. Now he was glad he did. He hadn't heard any gunshots or anything so he had to assume that Jim had heard them coming and had hidden the snitch and himself.

He almost screamed when a hand came around his mouth but within a moment he instinctively knew it was Jim. He was pulled back into a corner and released. He didn't make a sound as he turned to face Jim, looking around him for the informant.

"Where's Bernie?" He asked, whispering.

"I have him hiding." Jim answered, quietly. "They're coming in from the back, four of them."

Blair nodded. "I called for backup." He pulled his gun out and flipped the safety off. It made him feel nervous to think he might actually have to shoot someone in a few minutes.

Jim put a hand on his shoulder. He could sense his nervousness as soon as he had pulled the gun out. He knew Blair never wanted to have to shoot anyone, as if anyone did, but Blair had been raised to abhor violence in every way. The fact that he was a cop now meant that he had already pushed away some of his lifelong beliefs, but if he had to shoot somebody, Jim knew there would be some serious issues to be dealt with. He had hoped it would be years before they would come to that, if ever. Many officers went through an entire career without ever having to fire their gun except at the firing range. Why couldn't Blair be one of those?

"I'm okay, Jim." Blair said.

"I know." Jim said.

At that moment the lights were flipped on and their hiding place wasn't such a good hiding place anymore. They were standing right under a bright light. As they both ran toward the stacks of crates nearby, gunshots rang out all around the lighted corner. From behind a crate, Jim shot the light out. It didn't help much. There were still at least seven more lights spread throughout the warehouse, but at least they had cover now. Jim peered over to the crates where he had left Bernie and saw him crouched down between two crates. He just hoped he would stay there and stay quiet.

Blair peeked out from behind the crate; gun ready. He could see two of the men, walking cautiously up from the back of the building.

"We have to keep them occupied." Jim said. "Distract them from finding Bernie."

Blair nodded. "Where is Bernie?"

Jim pointed across to the other side of the warehouse. "In between those two big crates."

Blair nodded and got ready to start shooting.

"Ready?" Jim asked, holding his gun up at the other side of the crate.

"Ready." Blair said.

They engaged two of the four men in gunfire, but Blair wondered where the other two were. He glanced at Jim and noticed his head turned, his ears tuned to the rear of the warehouse, even as he shot one of the two men advancing on them.

"Jim, where are the other two?" He asked anxiously, firing off another shot and ducking back behind the crate. A splinter of wood shattered off the crate and smacked him in the chin. It stung like a bee sting, but he ignored it.

Jim took another shot and the other man went down. Then he turned to Blair. "You all right?"

"Yeah." Blair answered.

Jim pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed Blair's chin with it. He was bleeding.

Jim took a moment to assess the cut and determined it was minor. He handed the handkerchief to Blair.

"You stay here. The other two have split up. One of them is on the other side of the room. He's getting too close to Bernie.

The other one is still near the back door. Be alert." Jim said.

"Be careful." Blair said, watching Jim sneak around the crates toward the front of the building.

Moments later, Blair heard movement from the back of the warehouse moving closer. It must be the other guy coming.

He glanced over toward where Bernie was hiding and decided a little distraction was in order. On the floor next to him were several old pieces of wood. He picked one up and stood up, throwing it toward the back of the room. Then he ducked down and listened. It sounded like the other man had turned around and was moving back toward the rear door.

Blair turned his attention to the other side of the room. He couldn't see Jim but he could see the other man creeping along on top of the crates stacked along the wall. He'd be able to see anybody on the floor from there. Blair knew he had to do something. But did that mean he had to shoot the guy?

Before he had a chance to decide what to do, he saw Jim jump up behind the guy and tackle him. They fought.

Blair started to make his way over toward where Bernie was hiding. As he stepped out from behind the crate, a gunshot whizzed by his hand and he pulled back. The other man had started walking up from the back. Blair pulled his gun up and shot back toward him. The guy jumped over behind a crate on the opposite side. The gun battle resumed as the hand-to-hand combat intensified above.

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and Blair looked over just in time to see a tumble of crates fall to the ground. He looked all around. No sign of movement. Where was Jim?

The guy he had been exchanging fire with took off running and the back door slammed behind him. Blair waited, looking for any movement. There wasn't any. He crept out over to the jumble of broken crates on the floor, gun ready in case the other guy came out of hiding.

But then he saw the other guy and knew he wasn't going anywhere ever again. He was lying on his stomach, a piece of wood sticking out through his back. The sight of it made Blair want to puke, until the fear gripped him. Where was Jim?

He started frantically going through the debris. "Jim..Jim, where are you?"

Splinters cut into his hands from the pieces of crate he hurriedly lifted and threw behind him, but he didn't even notice. Nothing penetrated his awareness, only the single minded effort to find his partner.

A noise. He stopped and listened. A groan. Yes! It was Jim. "Jim, can you hear me?"

Another groan. It was coming from under this mess, but farther in, closer to the wall. He resumed moving pieces of crate. "Hold on Jim. I'm coming."

Finally, he found him. He had been under a hollowed out space up against the wall. None of the debris was actually pinning him, but he had taken a hit in the head. He was lying curled up against the wall, his hands on his forehead, blood seeping around his fingers.

"Jim, can you hear me?" Blair kneeled next to him, pulling his hands away from his head. Blood ran freely from a large gash on the left side of his forehead. His eyes were closed.

"Jim." Blair pleaded. "Answer me. Please be all right."

Jim moaned but didn't open his eyes or say anything. Blair looked around, wondering where Bernie was and where that backup was.

"Bernie?" He called out. No answer.

The front door opened with a strong voice calling out. "This is the police. Lay down your weapons."

"It's okay." Blair called out. "I'm Detective Sandburg. I need a medic unit here. My partner's down."

The place filled up quickly with uniformed officers. The one who had first entered came over to Blair.

"What happened to him?" He asked, looking down at the unconscious detective.

Blair had pulled out the handkerchief Jim had given him earlier and was holding it against the head wound. He glanced up to see Officer Daniels. He had always been a friendly face around the station.

"He fell when the crates fell and banged his head on something." Blair answered. "Listen, there was an informant we were trying to take into protective custody. Jim had him hidden, but I don't know what happened to him. His name is Bernie. Do you think you guys could look around for him?"

"Sure thing." Daniels said. "And don't worry about Ellison. He's got a hard head. He'll be okay."

Blair nodded. "Thanks."

Jim moaned and opened his eyes. Blair put his hand on his shoulder. "Jim."

"Chief, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How's your head?"

"I'm okay. Help me up." Jim said, starting to sit up.

Dizziness overcame him and he fell back down.

"Take it easy. You're going to the hospital." Blair said.

The medics came in then and motioning Blair out of their way, began assessing their patient as Blair hovered a few feet away.

Simon Banks charged through the emergency room doorway and up to the curtained cubicle with the number ten hanging over it.

This was where the attendant had said Detective Ellison could be found. He pulled the curtain aside to find an empty bed and Blair Sandburg sitting back in a chair with his legs propped on the side of the bed.

"Hey, Simon." Blair said, wearily.

"How's Jim?" Simon asked tensely. "All I heard was a head injury."

"He seems okay. They took him to get x-rays." Blair explained. "But he's coherent and alert, just a little dizzy."

Simon breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That's good. And how about you? Are you okay?"

Blair looked at his Captain and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. It could have gone a lot worse. And we still don't know what happened to Bernie. The patrol officers searched the area, but couldn't find him. At least they didn't find his body, which hopefully means he just slipped away."

"He'll turn up." Simon said.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will. I just hope he's still alive when he turns up." Blair said. "You know how Jim's going to feel about this.

He's going to feel guilty that he didn't protect his informant."

"What did Bernie have to say, anyway?" Simon asked.

"I don't know." Blair looked down at the floor, embarrassment plain in his face. "Jim made me wait in the truck. I didn't go in until I saw the goons arrive and I had to help Jim. That's when I called for backup."

Simon smirked. "You mean, for once, Jim told you to stay in the truck and you stayed in the truck?"

Blair nodded.

"That's amazing." Simon said. "Well, I guess there's a first time for everything."

Blair looked offended. "Hey, I've stayed in the truck before, lots of times." Then he appeared to think about it. "Well, at least once or twice."

Just then they wheeled Jim back in a wheel chair. He was a little pale but otherwise looked all right.

"Hey, Simon." He said as he stood up and hopped up onto the bed. "How long have you been here?"

"Just a few minutes." Simon said. "Well, I have to say you look fine. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Simon. Just a little tired. Did they find Bernie?" Jim rubbed his temple, then seeming surprised to find a gauze pad taped to his forehead, he dropped his hand in his lap.

"No, no Bernie. He's probably holed up somewhere." Simon said. "What did he tell you?"

Jim glanced sadly at Blair before speaking, knowing this news was going to upset his sensitive partner.

"He told me he saw Vance Drummond kill Jimmy Taylor." Jim said. "He said he gave him a shot of something that was supposed to knock him out but the kid had a seizure and stopped breathing. Then he sent some of his goons out to hide the body somewhere in the Cascade National Forest."

"They haven't collected the ransom yet. The drop off is supposed to be tomorrow night." Simon said.

Blair gave Simon a disturbed look. "Do you tell the parents? Or let them go through with the payment thinking they might still get their son back?"

Simon grimaced. "It's a tough call. But I think I have to tell them what we know. We can't confirm that their son is dead. We only have the word of an informant who can't even be located for further questioning."

Blair nodded. "So, do we check the National Forest?"

"If only it were that easy, Chief." Jim said. "They could have buried him anywhere. Do you realize how big the National Forest area is? Besides that, we only know Vance told them to bury him there. How do we know they didn't decide it was easier or quicker to dispose of him somewhere else?"

Blair nodded. "I guess you're right."

PART 2

The doctor chose that moment to interrupt. "Detective Ellison." He said, ignoring the others. "Your x-rays show that you have a mild concussion, nothing to worry about. Just take it easy for a few days, take Tylenol if you need it, and you should be fine."

"Thanks, Doc." Jim said. "Can I get out of here now?"

"Sure thing." The doctor said. "I'll have them get your paperwork ready. Just stop out at the desk on your way out to sign your forms and you can be on your way."

"Thanks." Jim said as the doctor walked away.

"Friendly guy." Simon commented, not taking well to be totally ignored.

"It's okay, Simon. I don't exist either." Blair said, having already been ignored by this doctor earlier when Jim had first come in.

"Well, we can't all be in the spotlight." Jim said, smiling. "Now, let's go home. I'm tired and hungry and it's way past my bedtime."

Blair giggled as they walked out of the hospital. Jim and Simon looked at him.

"What?" Jim demanded.

"I just realized. For once, I'll be the one waking you up every hour all night long." Blair said.

Jim frowned. "That won't be necessary."

"Yes, it will." Blair insisted. "You know I have to. Just remember all of the times you've done it for me. I won't let you down. I'll be setting my alarm and waking you up every hour precisely." He smiled. "It's my duty as your guide."

"Yeah, well you don't have to enjoy it so much!" Jim complained.

Simon laughed, relieved that they were both okay. "You two take it easy. Just get into the office some time tomorrow to do your paperwork on this."

"Okay, Simon." Blair said, as they walked away toward the truck. Blair was glad now that he had followed the ambulance in the truck. As hard as it had been to drive and worry at the same time, he was grateful to be able to drive Jim home.

Jim started to head toward the driver's side but Blair steered him to the passenger side.

"No way, buddy. You're a passenger tonight and you know it, so just get in and enjoy the ride."

Jim looked at him and smiled, then saluted. "Yes sir, boss."

It was four in the morning when Jim woke up looking at the clock. Blair had been waking him every hour and he was due any minute. He stretched and threw the covers back, sitting up on the side of the bed, suddenly realizing he was thirsty. He cocked his ear and listened, hearing Blair's deep even breathing from downstairs. Apparently, his alarm hadn't gone off yet. Well, he was awake anyway. No need for Blair to be awake as well.

He got up and quietly slipped into his guide's bedroom, turning the alarm clock off. Then he went to the kitchen and pulled out a fresh bottle of spring water. Sitting down on the couch, he took a sip of water. The first swallow was good, but then he noticed it had a strange taste to it. He wondered if it had been poisoned. Just as that thought occurred to him, he wondered why he would even think such a thing. Then, after another moment's thought, it seemed obvious. Of course, someone would try to poison him. They were out to get him, weren't they? How else had he been hit on the head. Obviously, someone was trying to kill him. He wondered why Simon hadn't ordered him into protective custody.

But, maybe Simon was in on it. No, Simon was his friend. He probably just didn't realize he was in danger.

He needed to get away, to hide himself so no one would be able to get to him. He set the tainted water down on the coffee table and hurried upstairs to get dressed. He chose all dark colored clothes so he could blend into the night more easily. They'd never get him. He had learned a lot of secrets during his years in Coverts Ops. His experience would get put to good use now. He briefly wondered why they were after him and who exactly was involved. But it didn't really matter, did it? They wouldn't get him.

He strapped his back up weapon on his ankle and reverently placed his duty weapon in its holster on the back of his belt. Then he pulled a switchblade out of his dresser door and slipped that into his pocket. He was ready. He walked quietly downstairs, not wanting to wake Blair, and headed for the door.

Just as he was about to walk out, he remembered the water bottle. He didn't want Blair to drink any of the poisoned water. He took the bottle off the coffee table and dumped it down the sink. Then he proceeded to dump all of the remaining water bottles from the refrigerator down after it. When that was done, he looked again in the refrigerator. There was orange juice, milk, and three beers left. What if they had also been poisoned? Whoever had done it wouldn't stop with just the water, would they?

He methodically dumped every drop of liquid down the drain, then, tossed every scrap of food into the trash. He didn't think they were after Blair, but he didn't want to take a chance on him getting hurt because of him. When he was done, he looked around the kitchen. Seeing nothing out of place, he sniffed. No strange odors. Hopefully he had gotten rid of anything dangerous.

Again he started toward the door and stopped, thinking maybe he should leave Blair a note. At least give him some warning to be careful. He grabbed a pad and pen from by the phone and carefully wrote a note. Then he ripped it from the pad and stuck it on the refrigerator where his partner would surely see it. He took one last look around the loft and sent up a quick prayer that he'd be able to come back home soon, then grabbed his jacket and keys and headed out the door.

Blair woke suddenly, sitting right up in bad. The sun was streaming in through his window. The alarm hadn't gone off. Damn. He had let Jim down. He hopped out of bed and raced up to Jim's room, fear gripping his heart. His sentinel had been fine last time he had checked, but that had been at three in the morning. It was now eight. Anything could have happened in that amount of time.

He gasped as he reached the top of the steps and found an empty bed. Quickly, he checked the other side of the bed, thinking Jim may have fallen onto the floor. No Jim .

Bathroom. He ran downstairs to the bathroom. No Jim. Where could he be?

At that moment the phone rang. He ran to answer it, hoping it would be Jim calling to explain where he was.

"Hello."

"Hello. I'm calling for James Ellison. This is Doctor Lowry from Cascade General."

"I'm Blair Sandburg. I'm Jim's roommate. He seems to have gone out." Blair said.

"Gone out? That's not good. Is he with someone?" Dr. Lowry asked, worriedly.

"I don't know. I just woke up and he's not here. I don't know where he went. Is something wrong?"

"Were you with Mr. Ellison last night when he was in our emergency room?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, I was there. He just had a minor concussion so they let him come home." Blair said, biting his lower lip worriedly.

"Well, we routinely have a senior staff member go over all x-rays from the day before, just as a precaution, and I'm afraid the doctor on duty last night missed something. I really need Mr. Ellison to get back in here right away. There could be a problem. We just need to take another look to be sure."

"What kind of problem?" Blair demanded. "A serious problem?"

"I'd rather not discuss it over the phone. Can you please, just bring Mr. Ellison back in to the emergency room as soon as possible and ask for Dr. Lowry. I'll be waiting for him."

"Can't you tell me anything?" Blair asked.

"I'm sorry. I'd really rather not. Just please bring him in right away."

"Okay, as soon as I find him." Blair said.

Hanging up the phone, Blair walked over to the door. Jim's jacket and keys were gone, so wherever he went he probably drove. Damn him. Mr. Invincible, driving around after just getting knocked out. If Jim ever caught him doing that, he'd never hear the end of it. He looked around. Spotting the note on the refrigerator, he grabbed it and read.

'Chief, I'm sorry I have to disappear on you like this, but they're after me and I have to get as far away from you as possible. I don't want you getting hurt. Don't worry. I checked the loft and got rid of anything that was poisoned. You should be okay now. Just make sure you stay alert. With me gone, they probably won't come after you, but just be extra careful, okay? Don't trust anybody, well, maybe Simon. Bye, Jim.'

As he read, a sick feeling came over him. Something terrible was wrong with Jim. He was delusional or paranoid or something. He opened the refrigerator, wondering what Jim had thought was poisoned. It was empty. There was nothing left.

Blair grabbed the phone and dialed Simon's office, hoping he was in by now.

"Banks." Simon answered.

"Simon, it's Blair. Something's wrong with Jim and he's gone. I don't know where he is but he threw away everything out of the refrigerator and left me a note saying it was poisoned and somebody's after him and a doctor called from the hospital and said I need to get him back in there and I don't know what to do."

"Sandburg!" Simon called. "Calm down. Take a deep breath."

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried." Blair said.

"Okay. Let's start at the beginning. When did you last see Jim?"

"About three in the morning. I got up to check on him and he seemed okay. Then I set my alarm to wake me again in an hour but it didn't go off and I just woke up at eight and Jim was gone and the phone rang and it was the doctor from the hospital asking me to bring him back in right away cause there's something wrong but he wouldn't tell me what and then I saw the note on the refrigerator and it sounds paranoid and I looked in the refrigerator and he threw away all of the food and even the water and beer. There's nothing left. It's a big empty. And"

"Sandburg! Blair!" Simon yelled. "Stay right there and try to calm down. I'm on my way over there."

"Okay, Simon." Blair took a deep breath and hung up the phone. Then he read over the note again as he paced back and forth across the room.

Jim put the last branch over top his truck. It was pretty well covered up now. He didn't think anybody would notice it. Then he picked up his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and walked into the woods. They'd never find him deep in the forest. He could hide here for years without anybody finding him. He hoped it wouldn't have to be that long. He was already missing his guide. Maybe he should have brought Blair with him.

No, that would have put him in danger too. This way, at least his partner was safe.

The door opened before he could knock and for a brief moment Simon thought Jim must have come home. But it was just Blair, opening the door again to see if he was there yet. He seemed surprised when he was actually standing there this time.

"Simon." Blair said. "Come in."

Simon followed him inside and closed the door. Blair handed him the note and watched as he read it. When he looked up, Blair motioned to the kitchen. "Look in the refrigerator." He said.

Simon took a look. "Okay, what exactly did the doctor say?"

"He said they usually have a senior staff member look over all the days x-rays and when he looked at Jim's this morning, he saw something. He wouldn't tell me what. But he wants me to get him back in there. Maybe he'll tell you, Simon."

Simon nodded. "Let's get over there."

Blair nodded and started for the door, stopping only when he realized Simon wasn't following.

"What?" He asked as he turned back and saw Simon looking at him.

"Don't you think you should get dressed first?" Simon asked.

Blair looked down at his t-shirt and shorts and back up at Simon. "I'll just be a minute."

Simon waited as he heard Blair flinging dresser drawers opened and closed. Within moments, Blair walked out dressed simply in jeans, a blue t-shirt and a blue plaid flannel shirt. He slipped hiking boots on as he walked toward the front door, grabbed his jacket and keys and walked out. Simon followed, making sure to lock the door on his way out.

He stuffed Jim's note in his pocket and pulled out his keys as he followed Blair outside.

PART 3

Jim turned quickly around and peered into the woods behind him. He had definitely heard a noise. Maybe they were following him. He took a deep breath and wished he had thought to bring some Tylenol for his headache. All quiet now.

It must have just been an animal. He turned back and kept walking. He wanted to set up his campsite before dark and he wasn't far enough into the woods yet.

Dr. Lowry took Blair and Simon into his office and put the x-ray up for them to see.

"See, right here?" He asked. "There appears to be a sliver of bone loose there."

"But you're not sure?" Simon asked.

"I'd really like to get some more pictures, maybe a cat scan, to check further. But it does look like a bone fragment and if it is, he'll need surgery to relieve the pressure."

"What happens if we can't find him?" Blair asked.

The doctor looked to the floor, then back up at them, a grave expression on his face.

"If this is what it appears to be, he is probably feeling some symptoms now. This could exhibit itself in several ways.

He may be dizzy or just have a headache. He may exhibit signs of schizophrenia or paranoia, or see or hear things that aren't there. If it goes on very long, he'll most likely pass out and go into a coma. We need to get him in here before it gets that far."

Simon pulled the note out of his pocket and handed it to the doctor. "He left this note."

Dr. Lowry read the note and handed it back, nodding.

"This leads me to believe that I'm right about what I'm seeing on this x-ray. You need to find Mr. Ellison as quickly as possible and get him in here."

"How long?" Blair asked.

The doctor looked at Blair and shook his head. "I can't even make a guess on that."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Simon." Blair said, as they got in Simon's car.

"Why not? How else are we going to find him?"

"But an APB will have officer's all over the place looking for him. If they see him and go after him, it's just going to feed into the paranoia. I'm just afraid he might be too good at getting away and if he sees any real evidence that someone is after him, he's just going to hide better and we'll never get him to come out." Blair said.

"I can put the APB out with strict instructions to notify me if he's sighted and take no action." Simon said.

Blair nodded. "Okay. I just hope we can find him soon."

During the ride to the police headquarters building where the Major Crimes office was located, Blair thought about where Jim would hide. As he thought, he remembered all of the fun times he had spent with Jim during their years together. He couldn't let that end. He couldn't let Jim be lost to something like this. He would find his sentinel. He wished that when God or nature had put together the sentinel and guide dynamic, it had included some kind of magic string that would let them always be able to find each other.

Wouldn't that have come in handy in the past? Usually it was Jim trying to find him and somehow managing to do it just in time to avert tragedy. He prayed he would be able to do the same, only he was afraid he wasn't up to the challenge. Jim always found him because he had an edge. He could see and smell clues where no one else could. Blair didn't have that advantage. How was he going to find Jim?

The answer came to him in a flash. Meditation. He was the guide, the shaman. How did shaman figure things out? They meditated. They visited the spirit world and gained insight. He could do that. All he needed to do was to get Simon to drop him off at the loft.

He didn't figure the Captain would approve of him trying to achieve a trance state so he could walk in the spirit world. Simon's tolerance was already stretched to its limits with the so called "Sentinel thing". He didn't think he needed to hear about spirit walks.

"Hey, Simon." Blair said. "Can you drop me off at home?"

"Home?" Simon asked, glancing suspiciously at Blair.

"Yeah, I want to check and see if there are any messages on the answering machine. I'll come in to the station a little later, okay?"

"Okay." Simon said, turning to take him home. "You're not planning to take off on your own looking for him are you?"

"No. I promise I won't do that, Simon." Blair said. "I'll meet you at the station in a little while. Just promise me you'll call me if you hear anything."

Simon nodded, pulling up in front of the loft. Blair got out and waved as he walked into his building.

Jim examined the inside of the cave. It was perfect. He could set up his camp in here and be able to watch for anybody sneaking up on him, while still staying warm and dry. He could smell that a bear had once lived here but was long gone. He started gathering wood. He could build a small fire just inside the cave. Then he would set up a couple of snares nearby and see if he could catch some dinner, maybe a rabbit or squirrel. He was glad he had remembered to grab his camping gear out of the truck.

PART 4

Blair sat down, legs crossed, on the living room floor. Candles lined the coffee table in front of him. The assorted fragrances and the flicker of the candlelight would give him something to concentrate on to help him achieve a trance state. He had only gotten to a trance state twice before, and only recently. He hadn't even told Jim he had done it yet. He wasn't sure he had actually walked on the spirit plane but he had been somewhere otherworldly. This time he would concentrate on finding Jim. He was sure something would come of it. He just had a feeling.

He took a deep breath, eyes closed, and cleared his mind. It was difficult, at first, to let go of the tension and worry over Jim, but he knew if he didn't let it go he'd never be able to achieve a trance state. He had to make his body relax into a restful state, deeper than sleep. He felt himself falling into a fuzzy darkness, floating freely, no cumbersome body to hold him down. For a while he was unaware of anything except a feeling of freedom and peace.

He found himself floating over a wooded area. Why am I floating? I should be walking. I'm not going to find Jim in the air. Almost before the thought was finished, he found himself walking. He felt light, like no gravity held him, and he was sure if he jumped he would fly. He looked around, deciding from the scenery that he was in the Cascade National Forest. He closed his eyes and thought about Jim. He imagined he felt a pull in one direction, so he opened his eyes and started walking.

He hadn't gone far when he noticed a smell. It smelled like meat cooking. He kept walking but soon the smell started fading as though he had passed the source of it. He turned around and tried to concentrate on following the smell. What he could do with Jim's sentinel nose right about now. He stopped and sniffed every couple of steps following the smell.

Suddenly as he stepped around a bush, he heard a voice. It was a child's voice. He looked toward the sound and saw the well-camouflaged entrance to a cave. He briefly wondered if he could float through a bush, but before he could even make a decision to try it, he found himself on the other side.

The cave was small but well lit from the campfire in the center. Beside the fire sat Jim, tending to a piece of meat on a stick that he held over the fire. The child's voice belonged to a boy who was standing behind him. The boy looked up at Blair and smiled.

"He doesn't see me." He said. "I've been trying to talk to him but he doesn't hear me."

"You're Jimmy aren't you?" Blair asked. The ten year old looked very much like his picture.

"Yeah, Jimmy Taylor." He said, smiling. "I know. You don't have to tell me."

"What?" Blair asked.

"I'm dead." Jimmy said. "I know. They killed me. I've been trying to tell this guy where to find me. I need to make sure they find me so I can move on. See, I'm near here, where they left me. When I saw him here, I figured I could tell him and he'd find me but he doesn't hear me."

Blair looked at Jim. He seemed okay for the moment. He had pulled his meat off the fire and was blowing on it to cool it off. He didn't seem to notice either one of them.

He looked back at Jimmy.

"Well, I can hear you. How about you show me and I'll show them where to find you."

Jimmy nodded. "But, you're like me. How can you get them to hear you?"

"I'm not dead. I'm just in a trance. I'm going back soon." Blair explained. Blair felt the pull of his body calling him to come back. "We need to hurry. Show me now. I have to go back soon."

"Okay, this way." Jimmy said, leading him out of the cave.

They walked about half a mile away and Jimmy showed him a pile of leaves and branches covering a spot by a big tree. Blair looked around at the surrounding scenery and tried to memorize the spot.

"Okay, I think I can remember how to get back here." Blair said.

"I really didn't want to leave my parents, but I'm okay now." Jimmy said. "I can't really move on until they find me. I need to see, to be sure. I can't go on until my parents know what happened to me. I don't want to leave them wondering."

Blair nodded. "I'll try to come back soon. I have to go now." Blair said, feeling the pull to let go. "Jimmy, I'm sorry we couldn't save you."

Jimmy smiled. "It's okay. It was meant to be this way."

Suddenly Blair felt everything around him get dark and a whooshing sound flowed through him. He opened his eyes and found himself in the loft. His legs were stiff and the candles had burned down, several of them had gone out. He looked at the clock and saw that several hours had passed. Slowly, he worked on straightening out his legs and getting up. He had to get to the office and tell Simon what he had learned.

Jim woke suddenly, looking around. Satisfied that no one had snuck up on him, he relaxed and put some more twigs on the fire. He shouldn't have fallen asleep. Anything could have happened. But he had such a bad headache. Satisfied with the fire, he got up and went to the mouth of the cave, peering through the greenery he had placed there. It was late afternoon and getting colder. He wished he had brought a warmer jacket. If he had to stay hidden very long, it would be getting pretty cold out here. The fall weather would soon give in to winter cold.

He sat back down by the fire, warming his hands over the low flames. He missed his home and his guide. He hoped Sandburg was okay. It occurred to him that he didn't remember who was after him. Something about poison in his water. He remembered dumping everything down the drain. He looked away from the fire and realized he was feeling a little dizzy. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. He could see shadows around the cave, figures bouncing in the firelight. He looked back at the fire and wondered how he had come to be here.

"I know where he is, Simon." Blair said, walking into Simon Banks office.

Simon looked up. "And how do you know this?"

Blair smirked. "Do you really want to know?"

Simon, realizing this was apparently one of those "Sentinel" things, decided he'd rather not know. He got up and put his jacket on.

"Okay, so where is he?"

"In the Cascade National Forest." Blair said.

Simon raised his eyebrows. "Great. That's narrowing it down."

"No, really, Simon. I can find him. I know where to look. Trust me." Blair said.

"Okay, let's go."

Jim threw down his gun and grabbed his off duty weapon from his ankle holster. He turned back toward the enemy and fired and kept firing until that gun was also empty. Whey hadn't he thought to bring more ammunition? He looked back to where the men he had killed should be lying strewn about the ground. Where were the bodies? There should be at least ten of them. He was sure he had hit at least ten of them.

A movement off to his left drew his attention. No more guns. The only weapons he had left were his switchblade and his hands. Well, he could do a lot of damage with either one of those. The figure off to his left materialized into one of Vance Drummond's goons. Strange. He thought he had killed that guy the other night. Wait a minute. The other night was when they had started chasing him. That's what this was all about. They knew Bernie had told him about the Taylor kid being killed.

The man jumped out at him and he pulled the switchblade and stabbed him swiftly in the heart. The man fell back and disappeared. The switchblade fell unnoticed to the ground. Jim turned, feeling a tap on his shoulder, and fought off two more attackers. As he put them both down, he saw another one coming at him. He was getting tired. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for too much longer. He thought briefly about his friend and partner, and hoped Blair would be okay without him. Then he continued the battle.

Simon and Blair walked through the woods. They had been walking a good thirty minutes already and Simon was beginning to doubt that Sandburg knew where he was going, but every time they came to a split in the path, Blair seemed so sure of the right way to go. It was still light, being early evening, but it wouldn't be much longer. Simon swung the flashlight in his hand, feeling the heavy weight of the cold metal, and hoped it was fully charged.

"How much farther...."Simon started to ask.

"Shhhh." Blair whispered. "We're getting close. I don't want him to hear us too far in advance."

Simon nodded, quietly following Sandburg off the trail. Suddenly, Blair stopped short and pointed at a mound of leaves and brush. He looked sadly at Simon.

"That looks like a grave, doesn't it?" He asked.

Simon looked at the ground, then back at Blair, nodding. "Yes, yes it does."

Blair pulled a red handkerchief from his pocket and tied it to the tree nearby, marking it so they'd be able to find it again. Then he looked back at Simon.

"Come on. We're almost there." He said, leading the way.

Jim struggled with another assailant. This one was trying to strangle him and was doing a pretty good job of it. He was feeling lightheaded and nauseous, along with the steadily worsening headache. He kicked out with his knee and threw off his attacker. Breathing a sigh of relief, he realized they were all gone. Maybe now he could get some rest. He sat down by the dwindling fire and breathed deeply, trying to relax. Maybe that had been the last of them and he could go home in the morning. A good nights sleep in his own bed sounded like just what he needed.

A noise from outside drew his attention. Someone was coming. He perked his ears up toward the sound he had heard. Footsteps. Quiet footsteps. Two men were approaching, one with heavy feet, the other with a smaller, bouncier step. He sniffed the air. They smelled like home. At least one of them did. The other smelled familiar, friendly. It was a trick. It had to be a trick. They were using his own senses against him now. What better way to sneak up on him than to make him think they were his friends. Well, he wouldn't be fooled. He stepped quickly to the side of the cave, ready to attack when they entered.

Blair spotted the hidden cave entrance easily. He briefly wondered if Jimmy was around, maybe watching him, maybe talking to him and wondering why he wasn't answering. He pointed the cave out to Simon, who started reaching to move some of the branches covering the opening.

"Wait." Blair said, reaching a hand out to stop Simon. "We need to tell him we're here."

Simon looked at Blair and nodded, deferring to the guide to know how to proceed.

"Jim." Blair called out. "Jim, it's me, Blair. Can you hear me?"

No answer. Maybe Jim was inside, lying unconscious. Maybe trying to talk to him was a waste of time.

"Jim?" Blair called. "Please, Jim, answer me. I want to come in and help you. I brought Simon with me. Jim?"

Still no answer. Blair waited a moment more, then nodded to Simon to clear the cave opening.

Jim waited patiently. They thought they could trick him, using his guides voice to call to him. He wasn't so easily fooled. He knew Blair was at home. There was no way he could have found him here. Only the bad guys knew where he was. It could only be them trying to sneak in on him, trying to catch him off guard so they could kill him. Well, they wouldn't find him to be such an easy target. He was ready. Let them come in.

Blair stepped through the doorway and found himself immediately thrown to the ground. Disoriented, he watched as Simon came tumbling down after him. He started to stand, hoping that once Jim got a look at them, he would realize who they were and stop fighting. But Jim didn't seem to be seeing them, at least not for who they really were. Before he had even gotten all of the way up, Jim had him in a stranglehold, and for the first time, Blair was afraid his sentinel would actually kill them before they could get through to him.

Simon pulled Jim away from Blair, yelling at him. "Jim, Jim, it's okay. We're your friends."

Jim threw Simon against the wall, then turned again toward Blair, who was just standing up. Blair called out to him. "Jim, it's Blair!" A moment later a fist caught him in the jaw and he fell, passing out.

"Blair, Blair, wake up now." Simon's concerned voice penetrated the darkness and Blair opened his eyes to see Simon bending over him.

"Jim?" Blair asked, looking around him.

"He's okay." Simon said. " He's resting."

Simon motioned to the other side of the fire, where Jim appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

Blair sat up slowly, reaching up to feel his aching jaw. It was swollen and he knew he was going to have an impressive bruise. He looked at Simon.

"How?" He asked.

Simon looked embarrassed. "I had to use the flashlight on him. I did it as gently as possible. I didn't have a choice."

Blair nodded. "It's okay, Simon, I know. It wouldn't have done him any good to let him kill us both."

"I have help on the way." Simon said. "I set flares up outside so they can find us. We'll have Jim in the hospital within the hour, and I have a team on the way to check out that possible grave you found."

Blair nodded. Getting up to go sit beside Jim, he stroked his sentinels face, praying that they had gotten to him in time, that he would be okay. Jim stirred under his hand and mumbled.

"Chief......."

"I'm here, Jim. It's okay. I'm here." Blair spoke softly.

"Chief." Jim said, smiling in his sleep.

PART 5

The hospital waiting room was cold. Even all of the pacing he was doing wasn't keeping Blair warm. Maybe it was the stress, making him cold. In any case, he could really do with something to warm him up, an afghan maybe, or a cup of something warm to drink.

Simon had slipped out a few minutes ago. He thought he had said something about making a phone call, but he really hadn't been paying attention. All he could think about was how cold he was and how Jim had better make it through surgery. The doctor had said something about possible brain damage from having the pressure build up from the bone fragment. Blair couldn't imagine Jim with brain damage. He refused to entertain the idea that God could let his sentinel be diminished. There couldn't be very many sentinels in the world, in fact maybe Jim was the only one left. He couldn't be spared. He was needed: not only by the inhabitants of the "great city", but also by one lonely guide, who would be lost without him.

Blair was torn from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder.
"Blair." It was Simon.

"Come sit down. I brought you some coffee." Simon said, leading him over to a chair.

"Thanks, Simon." Blair said, taking the warm cup in his hands.

"They found the kids body in that grave." Simon said. "How did you know?"

Blair shrugged. "It just looked like a grave."

Simon looked at him suspiciously. Then he remembered Blair's little smirk from earlier and his question when he had asked how he knew where Jim was. 'Do you really want to know?' And he decided, that no, he didn't really want to know, at least not now, maybe not ever.

"Good news." Dr. Lowry said, making an entrance into the waiting room. He smiled, as he sat down next to Blair. "He's come through surgery just fine. It didn't appear to have caused any significant damage. The swelling has already been reduced.

I would say, all in all, that Mr. Ellison has a very good chance of a full recovery."

Blair smiled, sending a little prayer of thanks. Then he looked at the doctor. "Thank you."

Dr. Lowry nodded. "Now that I've given you the good news, let me go over what you can expect."

Blair and Simon nodded, listening.

"First, he's going to be out for awhile yet, probably twenty four hours or more. When he does wake up, he's probably not going to remember much of his recent past, possibly the last few weeks. What he does remember will probably be bits and pieces, like fragments of a dream. He also may be a bit uncoordinated for a while. That's normal. Don't let it worry you. We have every reason to believe that he'll make a full recovery. It just may take some time. He'll need the support of his family and friends, but from what I've seen, that won't be a problem. Any questions?"

Blair thought for a moment. "Only one." He said. "When can I see him?"

"It will be a little while, but just stay here and I'll have a nurse come get you." Dr. Lowry said. "But I want you to limit your visit to fifteen minutes, then you go home and get a good night's sleep before you come back in here. And a decent meal, I'm sure would be a good idea. He's not going to wake up while you're gone and I promise I'll have someone call you if there's any change whatsoever."

Blair nodded. Simon smiled at the doctor. "I'll make sure he follows those instructions, doctor."

"I'll leave it to you, then Captain." Dr. Lowry said, smiling, as he hurried out.

Jim woke to a blurry cascade of images that gradually cleared as he blinked his eyes a few times. The vision he was left with

was the inside of a hospital room. The small size and bare functionality of it made him realize it was probably an ICU room. The pinch in his arm told him he had an IV and the steady beep signified a heart monitor. Suddenly a swooshing sound almost threw him into a panic until he realized it was an automatic blood pressure cuff inflating. He took a deep breath, grateful that he was breathing on his own, but the sore dry feeling in his throat told him he had probably had a ventilator hooked up some time recently.

He tried to remember what had happened to him but it was a big blank.

Another noise pulled at his attention and he concentrated, listening to that sound only, filtering out everything else. It was a random rumbling, almost a snorting sound. He turned his head toward the sound and focused in, smiling when he saw the source.

His guide was curled sideways into a chair, his head back over one side, his legs hanging over the other side. His half open mouth was contributing to intermittent snores.

The entrance of a nurse drew his attention. She seemed surprised to see him awake.

"Mr. Ellison, it's nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm okay." He answered. "What happened?"

She smiled. "I'll let the doctor know you're awake." She turned and walked out.

Blair stirred and groaned, reaching up to feel his bruised jaw. Then he looked over toward Jim's bed, seeing his sentinel awake and watching him.

"Jim." He said, jumping up, only to sit back down as he realized he was aching all over. A bit more gradual of movement was in order, he decided, slowly stretching his limbs.

It only took a moment for him to get to Jim's bedside. Leaning over him, he touched the side of his face. "Jim, are you okay?" He asked, worriedly.

Jim smiled, reaching a hand to gently touch Blair's jaw. As he did, a vision flashed in his mind, a vision of him hitting Blair, knocking him unconscious. The smile quickly left his face, replaced by a pained grimace. Had he hurt his guide, his friend? Why would he have done that?

He closed his eyes, trying to remember.

"Jim!" Blairs voice called to him. "Jim, talk to me. You're scaring me here."

The fear in Blair's voice got his attention, and he opened his eyes to look at him again.

"Chief. " He said. "Did I do this?"

Blair pulled Jim's hand away from his chin. "It's okay, Jim. It was an accident. Do you remember anything?"

Jim gave it some thought. "Some flashes of things. I remember being in a cave, fighting with somebody. And I think I remember a warehouse and some stuff falling. Now, tell me what happened. I need to know."

By the time the doctor walked into the room, Blair had just finished explaining the events that had led up to this moment, leaving out the spirit walk. That was a conversation best left for another day, maybe another month, Blair thought.

Dr. Lowry checked him out carefully and was truly amazed at how well Jim was doing.

"I'm going to have to reassess my previous estimate of how long of a recovery time you're going to need. At this rate, you'll be able to go home in a few days. It's amazing. I wouldn't even be surprised if you get your complete memory back. That very rarely happens, you know."

Simon banks chose that moment to make an entrance, immediately happy to see that Jim was awake and apparently doing well.

"Jim, it's good to see you." Simon said.

"Well, I'll be going. I'll check in on you later." Dr. Lowry said, smiling as he walked out. He was extremely pleased with his patient's progress.

"Simon, I don't remember much, but Blair filled me in." Jim said. "I just have one question."

Simon nodded. "Okay, what?"

"Did Bernie ever turn up?" Jim asked.

"Actually, yes, he did. He called in to talk to you just this morning. He wanted to let you know that he's in Canada, Toronto to be specific. He apparently used to spend a lot of time up there and knew a cop up there, the only other cop he trusted, so he went up there to turn himself in for protective custody." Simon explained. "He said this cop would see him safely back here whenever we need him to testify. Meanwhile, he'll stay up there. He says Detective Knight can keep him safe."

Jim nodded, smiling. "I'm glad he got away okay. He's not a bad guy, just got mixed up with the wrong people. Maybe after all of this is over with, we can help him get started over somewhere."

Simon nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Me too." Blair said.

Jim nodded, smiling at his two best friends. "I know. Thanks for finding me. I'm sorry I fought you."

"We're just glad we got to you in time." Simon said. "If it hadn't been for Blair, you'd probably still be out in the woods right now."

Jim looked at his partner, just then realizing that Blair had kind of skipped over that part in his story.

Blair looked nonchalantly away, trying to think of a good diversion tactic. He didn't think Jim was any more ready to hear about spirit walks right now than Simon was.

"Just how did you know where to find me, Chief?" Jim asked.

Blair looked at Jim, then Simon, then back at Jim. "I don't really think you're ready to hear the answer to that one yet, Jim, and I know Simon isn't. Don't worry, it wasn't anything illegal or dangerous."

Jim stared at Blair for a minute before deciding this was a topic he would wait a little while to cover. He needed to catch Blair at home when he was relaxed. Then he would get answers. For the moment, he would just be happy that they had all come through this little drama intact.

"Okay, Chief. I'll leave this subject for another day, a not too distant day." Jim said. "Right now, I could really go for a Wonderburger Deluxe. Now, which one of my friends is going to go get one and sneak it in for me?"

"Well, you know how I feel about Wonderburger, Jim. I could go over my grease allowance for the week just by walking into the place." Blair said.

Jim looked at Simon.

"Well, you know, Jim, I'd love to go get that for you, but if I sneak food in for you, then I'm going to have to sneak food in for every other one of my detectives when they're in here, and you know how some of them eat. I just don't think I can afford it. I mean, you're choice is cheap enough, but what about Rafe? I just know he'd ask for filet mignon with a baked potato and a salad on the side, and Brown, well I've heard he's into seafood and you know how expensive that is, and Conner would probably want me to have some fancy imported food catered. No, I'm sorry Jim. I just don't think I can afford to start this."

"Come on, guys." Jim protested.

"Hey, Simon." Blair said, looking at his Captain. "You know, I'm really getting hungry here and that filet mignon dinner sounded pretty good. What do you say we go hit the steak house up the street?"

Simon smiled, looking at his newest detective.

"Sandburg, I knew there was a reason I had you promoted right into Major Crime." Simon said. "That's a wonderful idea. Let's go."

They turned and started toward the door. Blair glanced back at Jim. "I'll be back in a little while, Jim." He said.

"Guys, come on." Jim grumbled. "Chief, don't do this to me!"

He listened to them as they walked out into the hall.

"Hey, Simon, you know I have Jim's credit card with me. How about I buy dinner?" Blair said.

Jim smiled in his bed. They were going to pay for this one. He kept his ears tuned to them as they walked down the hall.

"You're going to take him a Wonderburger, aren't you?" Simon asked Blair.

Blair laughed. "How'd you know?"

"He has you wrapped around his little finger." Simon said, chuckling.

"Does not." Blair insisted.

"Does.." Simon said.

He lost them as the elevator door closed and they started to descend. He knew his guide wouldn't let him down. He could just taste that Wonderburger now.

The End

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