SquidgeWorld Archive

Extreme Justice
By Patt

Word Count: 6213
Warnings: Violence, angst
Genre: Pre-slash (First Kiss)
Ratings: Teen
Summary: When you have no where else to look, someone might find you and be able to help you. This is what Jim Ellison does. Blair Sandburg is going to find out that Jim Ellison dishes out extreme justice, but there is always a price.
Beta: Kerensa (Thank you, sweetie)

Jim Ellison was in the court room waiting for the verdict. Sitting beside him were two younger women. They looked scared to death. Jim had promised them that he would see to it that the man that killed their father would get his rightful punishment. Jim did just that. He tricked the man that was on trial for murder, because after all, he had committed murder once before and gotten off. Jim wouldn't allow it to happen again. This time there was more proof.

The jury came out and they had reached a verdict. The head juror said, "We find the defendant, Lee Brackett to be guilty of murder. He will get life with no parole," she said before she sat down once again.

The two women looked at Jim and said, "Thank you so much for helping us put him away, Mr. Ellison. We know that we now owe you one favor. Call on us at any time." They both got up as Jim did and they hugged him. He wasn't use to the affection and didn't know what to do. He finally hugged them back and hoped they wouldn't cry or anything. The emotional stuff, got to him a little bit, but when you deal in a life like these people live through, you are bound to be emotional.

Jim Ellison was a multi-millionaire, son to William Ellison who had been killed five years earlier. His brother, Steven had witnessed the murder and fingered the people that did it, but they got off on a technicality. There was no justice for Jim or Steven. So, they decided they would invest their money wisely and open up a shop that did nothing but helped people that had been wronged. They watched the newspaper and got the clients names, that way. They went to the clients, not the other way around.

Jim was sitting at his desk, rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose. He had another one of those terrible headaches. He decided he was going to go to the emergency room and see if there was something behind the headaches. He had to be on the top of his game and he wasn't at this time. Even Steven had told him he was worried about him.

While Jim was at the hospital, a young man came in and gave him a card and said, "See the man. He knows what's wrong with you. The medical doctors can't see anything that isn't on a test. He'll be in his office tomorrow at 5:00. Please come," the man finished and left.

The doctor came into the room and said, "Mr. Ellison, there is nothing wrong with any of the tests, so I suggest we see a psychiatrist and go from there."

"We? Do you have a toad in your pocket?" Jim asked. "Thank you for your time, but I'm going home now." Just like that Jim got dressed and left the hospital.

Jim felt like he needed to see this man tomorrow and see if he could help him with his senses. Jim was so tired of it all. And he had four cases that needed work.

Yes, tomorrow he was going to see the man, as stupid as that sounded.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blair Sandburg sat in his office hoping that the man from the hospital would show up that day, but he sure couldn't push him into it. So, he had to be patient. Blair was fairly certain that he was absent the day God gave out patience. He had none.

There was a knock at the door and he opened it to the handsome man from the day before. "Hello, Mr. Ellison, my name is Blair Sandburg. I bet you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you."

"You could say that. You said you could help me with this problem I seem to be having, when all of the other doctors have given up and want me to seek mental help. What could you possibly do?" Jim asked.

"Well, first of all, there isn't something wrong with you. You don't have a condition that can be cured. You've been blessed with something that is going to take a lot to understand and believe. It's isn't a case of getting rid of it, but rather learning to work with it and making your life better. Are you ready to try and understand what this is?" Blair asked.

"I think you're nuts, but go ahead, tell me," Jim answered.

Blair went on to explain all about Richard Burton, the explorer, not the actor and what he believed to be true and then went on to describe everything Jim had been going through for the last two months. Jim didn't know how he could have possibly known all of this without stalking him, but he was going to find out.

Jim grabbed Blair and shoved him up against the wall and shouted, "You neo-hippie witch doctor punk, how long have you been stalking me?"

"Hey, let me down. I haven't been watching you at all. I asked the nurse at the hospital to let me know if anyone ever came in with hyper senses and you were the one. She called me and I went up. I've never seen you before today. I swear," Blair said. "I bet you can tell if I'm lying or not, just by my tone of voice, my heartbeat and so on. Can you?"

Jim let go of Blair and said, "Yes, I can. You don't seem to be lying."

"That's because I'm not, Mr. Ellison," Blair said.

"It's Jim, don't call me Mr. Ellison," Jim said.

"Okay, Jim. I can help you with zone outs, that's where you leave for a short time and come back very confused. We can work on that. Do you trust me?"

"Coming from you, I find this entire conversation scary as hell. I guess I trust you as much as I can," Jim admitted.

"Maybe we could meet here every day and work on some things," Blair suggested.

"I'd rather go to your house," Jim said.

"My apartment blew up last night, so I have no where to live. I'm going to be living in my office for the next however long it takes," Blair explained.

"I have a huge four bedroom house that my dad left me and you could use one of the bedrooms in exchange for helping me, couldn't you?" Jim asked.

Blair looked at Jim as if he were out of his mind. "You don't even know me, man. Why would you take a complete stranger into your house?" Blair asked.

"Why would I allow complete strangers into my life, is the better question and the answer is because I think you might be able to help me," Jim said.

"You never said, what do you do for a living?" Blair asked.

"I find justice for people. I'll explain more as time goes on. Right now, I just need you to focus on helping me get through all of this without losing my mind."

"That sounds different, I bet you help people in some way, am I right?"

Jim smiled and said, "Yes, you're right. I help people that the law has turned their back on. It's complicated."

"I bet it is. Well, I'm going to take you up on your offer and just hope that you don't kill me in the middle of the night," Blair joked.

"If I was going to kill you, I would have already done it, Sandburg."

"My name is Blair. You can call me that," Blair said.

"I'll try to remember that," Jim said, smiling.

"What are you working on right now?" Blair asked.

"A psychopath who killed someone and got an easy sentence in a mental institution is out and the family members aren't happy at all. They are seeking justice. And I don't mean, I hurt him or kill him. Instead I find his weaknesses, stalk him and go for the jugular after that. A man like that shouldn't have been let out of the institution," Jim explained. "It won't be long and he'll kill again."

"So, you go after him in different ways and call the police on him?" Blair asked.

"Yes and believe me, you would do the same thing if it was your family that suffered a loss from him," Jim said.

"What is his name?" Blair wondered.

"David Lash and believe me, he's no one you want to deal with, ever," Jim said, very seriously.

"Oh man, he's the one that killed people and took over their lives, right?" Blair asked.

"Yes. And they have the nerve to say he's over that? They're all insane if you ask me. Someone like him doesn't get better in two years. They just learn how to hide it better. I'm going to see to it, that he never hurts anyone again," Jim swore.

"I could help you with some of this. I believe in your cause," Blair said, truthfully.

"I will accept that offer. Where are you things, we could take them over to the house right now?" Jim asked.

"I don't have anything. It all burned up in the explosion. I lost my laptop, my clothes, my shoes, everything but what's on my back," Blair said, sadly.

"Do you have a car?" Jim asked.

"No, it was right outside the building and the explosion spread to the car. I have nothing, man. I'm telling you. Nothing," Blair said, again.

"Come on, Blair. We're going shopping. I can't have you living at my house with one set of clothing to wear. Come with me," Jim ordered and Blair did the obvious thing, he followed.

~~~~~~~~~~

When they got to Jim's house, Blair couldn't believe this is where he was going to live. It was huge, beautiful and totally out of his league.

Almost like Jim knew what he was thinking, he said, "I wouldn't live here except I have tons of room for my work. And it's free, so that leaves more money for other things, like my business. It's a little overwhelming at first, but it grows on you as you live here awhile."

Blair was trying not to drop some of the packages that Jim got him and Jim was doing the same thing. They should have made more trips to the SUV.

"Let's get everything in your room and then we'll go and get you your wheels. I can't have my assistant walking or riding the bus," Jim said.

Blair's face lit up and he said, "Assistant? Wow, you move fast."

"I'm going to put you to work, believe me you're not getting anything for free here. You might end up hating me before it's all said and done. "

Blair smiled at the serious man and said, "I could never hate you. You're too good a man."

"Thank you, Blair. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said," Jim confessed.

"I just want a used car," Blair said, getting back to the car business.

"No, you're going to have an SUV, just like mine, but in the color of your choice," Jim said.

"Why would I need that big thing?" Blair asked.

"Don't question my decisions, Blair. I'm serious. If I want you to drive an SUV, you'll drive one. You have to look good to work for me," Jim said. "Before I forget, give me your paperwork for the student loans. I'm paying them off. We can't have any debt hanging over our heads."

"You're going to buy me a new SUV, pay off my student loans and let me live here for free? Do I understand this correctly?" Blair asked, wondering when the twilight zone music would start playing.

"No, you don't understand correctly. First you'll be helping me with this crap that is my life with my senses. Then you're going to work for me, doing research and helping me in many ways. Nothing that will harm you, I assure you," Jim said.

"Okay, so you're not going to ask me to pay for things with sex?" Blair teased.

"Well, now that you mention it, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Jim joked back.

Both men laughed as they put things into the bedroom that Blair chose as his. It was a large one, with a king sized bed in it and Blair couldn't believe how lucky his life was starting to become.

Blair asked, "Can I take a shower and change my clothes before we look at cars?"

"As long as you hurry up, the showrooms close at 9:00," Jim pointed out.

"I'll hurry, I promise."

Jim showed him where everything was and went downstairs to see if anything new was going on with Lash. He sat at his desk and started reading some things and that was all she wrote.

When Blair got out of the shower, he dressed and walked down the stairs. "I feel like a new person, you know what I mean?"

There was no answer, so Blair went looking for Jim. He found him in his office, zoned out on something he was reading. Blair touched Jim's back and rubbed it softly and said, "Come on, Jim, come back to me."

Jim blinked his eyes and said, "Damn it. I did it again."

"We're going to work on this, Jim. What did you zone on?" Blair asked.

"I was reading this article that said Rainier University is willing to give David Lash a fresh start at their school and I thought about you being so close to him and that's all I remember," Jim explained.

"You were worried about him being near me, right? That's normal. Sentinels are very territorial. We'll work on some of this and you don't have to worry about me hanging out with David Lash, ever."

"Good, that's something I won't worry about then. Although, if he takes your class, you would be hanging out with him. Do you have any say in who gets in or not?" Jim wondered.

"I'll be careful, Jim. I promise you. Now, let's go and look for an SUV."

~~~~~~~~~~

Four Weeks Later:

Blair really liked living with Jim Ellison and he found Jim's devotion and dedication to justice very promising. He was not some vigilante he was a man out to prove that these people should have been put away. Blair had met a lot of people through Jim. The Captain of Major Crimes, named Simon Banks was nice and Blair had had dinner with him twice, along with Jim. Then Blair met all of Simon's officers and they all seemed pleasant too. Basically everyone seemed to like Jim Ellison. Blair found himself liking Jim more and more every day. Too bad, it wasn't in the same type of way as the other people. Blair had a crush on Jim Ellison and couldn't do a thing about it. Jim was a man on a mission; he had no personal life at all.

In the last two weeks, Jim had learned a lot about how to use his senses and how to control the zone outs. He was doing very well and seemed much happier having that all under control. Basically, things were going rather well.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blair took his papers out of his briefcase and put them on the podium and prepared, mentally for his next lecture and class. He loved Anthropology and was hoping he was reaching some of the class. His class started filing in about five minutes before the class would start and in came the dean of the school.

"Blair, I have a new student for you. I want you to show him the ropes. He needs some guidance, so I hope I can count on you to give it to him," Dean Marshall said.

"Or course you can count on me," Blair answered, smiling at the new student who was older than Blair.

"David Lash, this is Professor Blair Sandburg. He will show you the ropes," Dean Marshall said before he left the room.

Blair couldn't believe it. What was he going to do now?" "Find a seat and take it, Mr. Lash," Blair instructed.

"I'll sit up front, where I can ask questions easily," Lash said, staring at Blair like he could see through him.

So, nervous or not, Blair started his class as usual and asked questions and had answers for everyone else's questions. The class was actually going quite well and Lash seemed uninterested in Blair at all. So, this was good. Once the class was over, Lash asked, "Could I linger behind and ask you some questions?"

"Sure," Blair answered, trying to remain calm.

Lash asked questions about the class and seemed happy with the answers. Then he got up from his chair and said, "I'll see you in two days."

"I'm glad you like the class, Mr. Lash. Keep up the good work," Blair said, hoping that encouraging him would be the right thing to do.

"I'll see you on Wednesday," Lash said as he walked out of the class.

Blair's heart was pounding and was glad that Lash wasn't a Sentinel. He would have been found out after about two minutes. Blair knew that Jim wasn't going to be happy to hear this news at all.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blair got home that afternoon and asked, "What's on the calendar today?"

Jim smiled and said, "Nothing. We're caught up for a change. I need you to go through these files and see if any of these cases should be looked into. I trust you to tell me if the need is there."

"Oh, guess who started taking a class with me?" Blair asked, casually, but Jim could hear his heart pounding.

"No way. Lash is in your class? Blair, I don't know what to say or do about that. I'm watching him, but he's not screwing up yet. I've got eyes on him day and night and he's just staying at home and going to school. I should have known he was going to be taking center stage. Because, he will. I'm telling you, he's evil. Do you see it when you talk to him?" Jim asked.

"Yes, I see it and sense it. There is something not right about him. And he's really interested in my class. I don't feel like I can get out of it," Blair explained.

"You'll be too close to him. He might choose you, to become. Transforming into another person was his specialty. I don't like you there. Is there any way you can take a leave of absence?" Jim asked.

"No, Jim. I already spend most of my time here. I really don't want to spend twenty-four hours a day at the house doing research. I'll watch him. You've got someone inside, which is something you wanted to do, right?" Blair asked.

Jim frowned and then began to pace. "I didn't want you in there."

"What difference does it make who it is?" Blair wondered.

"He's going to see how good you are with the students and others and he'll want to become you," Jim stated, coldly.

"Then don't let him. Watch him, Jim. Keep your eyes open all the time. When I'm at school, you can look through his house and his things. Can't you?"

"Yes, it would help if I knew where he was. But, not at the risk of him using you as his next victim. I can't live with that, Blair."

"Then don't. Watch him like a hawk and find out what he has planned. You'll get him the old fashioned way. I trust you to protect me, Jim."

"Thank you, Blair. I just hope we won't regret this."

Blair said, "I'm going to relax and read the files and see if I see any new cases that can be worked on." He sat down and pulled out the first file and saw that it was a man that killed his secretary and someone saw him, but she disappeared and couldn't testify. Blair set that one to the side to see if it would interest Jim. The man looked shady in his pictures. Blair believed that a picture told a thousand words. Blair was listening. And Jim must have felt something about this case, or Blair wouldn't be reading it at all.

There were nine files and three of them, sounded like something Jim would be interested in, so, Blair put those in one pile and the ones that were left in another. He walked into the kitchen and saw Jim looking out the window just staring off into space.

"I didn't zone. I'm thinking," Jim said.

"That's good, I haven't seen you zone in ages, so I was hoping. I found three that I thought fit into your criteria. They would probably keep us all busy for a few months. Do we have people that we're going to contact to help us this time around with Lash?" Blair asked.

"I've got four people working on Lash as we speak. They all were willing to give up time and energy for the cause. Steven can't believe how I get these people to work with me. He doesn't work well with others," Jim kidded.

"I've noticed. I don't think he likes me too much," Blair confessed.

"He doesn't like that I'm attracted to you. That's what he doesn't like," Jim pointed out.

"You're attracted to me? Wow, that's so cool. I'm attracted to you, too," Blair said, smiling big time.

"Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?" Jim asked.

"First, I have to ask you some questions about you. I noticed you carry a gun, why is that?" Blair asked.

"To defend myself or anyone around me. I have a permit, so I can carry concealed. I've never had to shoot anyone yet, but I practice at the shooting range every week, just in case," Jim explained.

"Okay, and secondly, how do you live on what you make, you don't make anything? You know that I've seen the books. You couldn't possibly live as well as you do on nothing coming in."

"I've invested wisely, but I also don't use a lot of money for anything out of the ordinary, either. I'm very low maintenance. I would think you would have figured that out yourself," Jim answered. "And you haven't met any of the clients that actually pay a million dollars instead of doing the favor, or they do both. So, that's in a fund to help support us too. I do pretty well, considering."

"I wanted to tell you that I appreciate what you pay me too. It makes living so much easier when you don't have to struggle all the time. And I love my SUV. You were so right, Burgundy is my color."

"Thank you for everything you do, Blair. But now I have something important to discuss with you. I need you to check in four times a day while you're at the University so I know what Lash is doing. Do you think you can do that?" Jim asked.

"Of course, I can. I know you would be able to concentrate better if you weren't worrying about what he was doing. I don't think he's interested in me, though. He doesn't seem to be at all," Blair said.

"So, what do you say to dinner tonight at Claim Jumper?" Jim asked.

"I love their Filet Mignon. It's so good. Yes, I would love to go with you," Blair answered, smiling.

"Did you mention you have a class tonight?" Jim asked.

"Oh shit. I forgot, so how about a rain check on dinner. I have a lecture tonight. It'll take about an hour. I'll be home by 8:00. I can't call you from the lecture, so you're going to have to watch me," Blair pointed out.

"I'll come at the end of the lecture and walk you to your car," Jim said.

"Thank you, Jim."

"You're quite welcome. Would you be opposed to a first kiss, before our date?" Jim asked, nervously.

"I would love to kiss you," Blair moved into Jim's space and Jim took Blair into his arms and they began to kiss lazily. Finally, Blair pushed Jim in the chest and said, "Enough. I'm never going to make it to the lecture if you keep this up."

Jim smiled and said, "Go and get ready. We have our entire lives to kiss."

Blair smiled all the way into his bedroom and got into the shower. He wanted to dress pretty nicely because a few of the other professors were going to be there and Blair wanted to look professional.

Once he was ready, he grabbed two bottles of water and kissed Jim goodbye. Jim said, "I'm going to go and interview one of our new clients, so I'll go to the lecture as soon as I'm done."

"Sounds good, Jim."

~~~~~~~~~~

At Blair's lecture, he was shocked to see Lash there. This bothered him somewhat, since none of his other students were there. Blair started the talk on Closed Societies and he was off and running. He made it super interesting and when he was done everyone clapped. But Blair noticed that Lash didn't clap. He was moving out of the lecture hall very quickly. Blair was almost relieved to see him go, but at the same time, he wondered what happened to him. Where did he go? Professor Mason walked up and told Blair what a good job he had done and then introduced him to many other professors. After about an hour of mingling, Blair realized that Jim must have gotten held up.

Blair called Jim really quickly and Jim said, "I'm on my way. I got sidetracked and didn't notice the time."

"Well, they're closing up the lecture hall, so I'm going to head home. Watch for me to get there," Blair said.

"I'd feel better if you waited for me to get there," Jim said, sounding anxious.

"Lash left about an hour ago, so I think I'm safe, Jim."

"He was there? At the lecture? Don't go outside by yourself. Wait inside for me," Jim instructed but he heard Blair's phone fall to the floor along with a body. The phone was picked up and Lash said, "I don't suppose you'd be interested in knowing what I plan to do to him would you?"

"Lash, please. Leave him alone. I'll be there in ten minutes and you can take me," Jim said.

"I don't want you, I want to be Blair. I've already got the hair dye and everything. HE's going to be easy to replace. You won't even be able to tell it's not him," Lash teased.

Jim shouted, "Leave him alone, you bastard!" But Jim knew that it was falling on deaf ears. Jim hurried, hoping he would get there in time. He dialed his phone and got Connie. "Connie, you were supposed to be on Lash tonight, did you stay with him?" Jim asked.

"He's at the university and he just put a rug into the trunk of his car. Why is he moving a rug?" Connie wanted to know.

"Connie, I need you to stay with him, but far enough back that he doesn't get spooked. I need to find him now," Jim said, urgently.

"I won't let you down, Mr. Ellison," Connie said as she pulled behind Lash, but kept four car lengths between them. She saw Lash turn on a deserted road and Connie followed him, but much later. At least she knew it was a dead end, so Mr. Ellison would be able to find him.

She saw the car parked and saw Lash get out and get the rug from the trunk. Connie knew that he had a body in the rug. This is how he did it. This poor person had very little time before his or her time would be up. Connie had to do something. First she called Mr. Ellison.

"Connie, do you still have him?"

"He's at Alfred's Pond. I have no idea why, but he's there. He has someone with him and I'm going to go and knock on the door and see if I can distract him," Connie said, foolishly.

"No, Connie. Am I understood? You stay in your car and I'll be there in a moment. I'm almost there now. I'm armed, you're not. You let me take care of him," Jim insisted.

"Okay, but I feel horrible sitting out here doing nothing. He could be killing the person already," Connie reminded him.

"I'm coming up the road right now, Connie. Hang in there. I'll take care of things," Jim said and then he hung up the phone. He needed to listen to see where Blair was at.

As Jim got closer to the building, he could hear Blair talking.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you were cured?" Blair asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Blair Sandburg and I'm a college professor. Everyone that knows me likes me and wants to be like me. I will have my pick of girlfriends and maybe I'll even start a family," Lash said.

"You're insane, David. You know who you really are, and you can't be me. I'm in love with someone and you don't know who, do you?" Blair egged him on.

"What do you mean, you're in love? I've seen you with no one. I know everything there is to know about you. You're just trying to stay alive longer," Lash spat out.

"Nope, I'm in love. It's a man, how do you feel about men, David?" Blair asked.

"My name is Blair and I would never be in love with a man. I want to have a family and I will. Now, it's time for you to go away. I need to dye my hair first. Then I can get the color right and you can tell me how I look just like you."

Blair didn't say anything, because he saw Jim in the window putting his finger up to his lips as to say, shut up. Blair almost smiled at the thought. Jim was there. He was going to save him.

Lash came out of the bathroom with his hair dyed and said, "My name is Blair Sandburg, what's yours?" Lash didn't see the figure behind the door waiting for him. Jim had his gun out and said, "David Lash, you're going to go downtown with me."

He went crazy and wild at the same time. He knocked Jim's gun right out of Jim's hand and got a hold of the gun. Lash had the gun leveled in the direction of Blair's head and asked, "Now, who are you again?"

Lash wasn't keeping an eye on Jim, which he should have because Jim had another gun on his ankle. Jim pulled it out and shot Lash without any warning. Jim wasn't going to give Lash a second to think about killing Blair.

Jim walked over and made sure that Lash was dead and then he untied Blair. Jim then pulled Blair into his arms and said, "This was too close, Blair, I'm never using you for another case."

Blair backed away from Jim's space. "Then, I'll be moving on. I want to do my fair share. I can help you, Jim. I have an insight into people that sometimes other people don't see. I'm a born observer and could help you in many ways. If you don't want to make use of me then I'll be on my own way," Blair said.

"Fine, but don't expect me to like it. This was way too close for comfort. Thank God for Connie outside watching you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known where he was taking you."

"I didn't say you had to like it, but I'm going to work or move on. Your choice," Blair said, seriously.

Jim pulled Blair back into his arms and said, "And by the way, I love you, too."

"Cool, I thought maybe you did," Blair guessed.

Jim pulled his cell out and called Simon Banks.

"Banks," Simon answered.

"Simon, I just shot and killed David Lash. I just thought I would call you and give you a heads up because the police will probably take me in. I was hoping you would help in any way possible."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Alfred's Pond near the park. You can't miss it. See you soon, Simon," Jim said before he closed the cell.

"Blair, they are probably going to have to take my gun and arrest me for the time being. I want you to call my lawyer. His name is Michael Samson. You'll find his number in my desk. Don't look so worried, I'm not. It was a clean shoot, Blair. He would have killed you if I gave warning. I couldn't live with that. I can live with this," Jim said, honestly.

Jim said, "Let's go outside and wait for them to get here. We don't have to stay and look at Lash any longer than need be."

As they walked out the door, Connie said, "Did you kill him?"

"Yes, Connie. I'm sorry, I know you wanted him to go to prison, but he was going to kill Blair. I had to shoot him," Jim explained.

Connie hugged Jim and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ellison. I'll be able to finally sleep peacefully once again. You did just the right thing. Now, I think I had better get out of here, don't you think?"

"Yes, better leave now, so I don't have to explain why you were here. Have a good life, Connie," Jim called out as she walked to her car.

Jim turned to Blair and said, "I thought she would be happier."

"She wanted to kill him herself I would guess," Blair wondered.

Connie had no sooner left and sirens started coming their way. "Just remember to call the lawyer for me, Blair."

"I will. It's not like I would forget it," Blair kidded.

Simon Banks and four other cars drove up with sirens and lights flashing. It gave Jim an instant headache.

Blair was watching and said, "Turn the dials, down, man. That'll help with the lights and sirens."

Jim did just that and was impressed that it worked so easily. Jim felt like he could take on the world, once more.

Simon got out and asked, "Is he inside?"

"Yes, I didn't want Blair to have to spend any more time with him. I followed him here and he got my gun in a scuffle and I had to shoot him with my second gun. He had his sights on Blair's head," Jim explained.

Brown and Rafe got out and Rafe asked, "Is it true? You killed David Lash?"

Jim frowned and said, "Yes, it's true."

And the weirdest thing happened. All of the cops clapped him on the back and said, "Job well done, Jim."

Simon looked over at the surprised look on Ellison's face and asked, "Why don't you take Sandburg back home and then come into the station in the morning to fill out the paperwork? It won't take long at all."

"Thank you, Simon. It's been a long damn night. Are you going to take my gun into possession?" Jim wondered.

"Sorry, but we have to. You'll get it back in a week or two. See you in the morning, Ellison. You too, Sandburg."

"Thanks for everything, Captain Banks," Blair said, gratefully.

Jim led Blair over to his SUV and they took off down the road, as quickly as they could.

"Jim, what was so important tonight that you almost forgot about me?" Blair teased.

"Don't even joke about that. I don't know that I could have lived with losing you. You mean too much to me. I really do love you, Blair and I want to take you out tomorrow night, if I'm not in jail," Jim said.

"I have a feeling the Mayor will be giving you the Key to the City for this," Blair said, seriously.

"They don't like non-cops shooting people. So, they might frown on it a little. It's okay with me. I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

"I want to go out tomorrow, so I hope they hurry up with business and we can get on with our lives. Speaking of our lives, what's up next, boss?" Blair asked, smiling.

"It's the file that you put on top, Blair. I think this man had something to do with the death of the witness. We just need to find out how he did it and where her body is. It'll give us plenty to do."

"I can't wait, Jim."

"Thanks for everything, Blair."

The end