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2020-11-04
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2004-10-10
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Trapped

Summary:

After a particularly hard case for Blair, the men of Major Crime take off for a relaxing week in a cabin in the woods. Takes place late in the second season.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and locations belong to Pet Fly and Paramount. These stories are written purely for the entertainment of the writer and the readers. If any money changed hands, someone forgot to tell me.
Warnings: This story contains a few bad words.
Author's Notes: To see what the traction splint mentioned in this story looks like, click onto this link: http://www.galls.com/shop/viewproduct.jsp?catcode=206. The first, third and ninth pictures are traction splints. The third and ninth are the better pictures. What look like four pads along the length of the splint are actually folded-up straps. When the splint is used the straps are opened and wrapped around the leg. I would seriously suggest you go look because I'm sure my verbal description leaves much to be desired .
There are a few people I need to thank for their help with this story. First, CarolROI, for making the picture used with the story. Her way with pictures is amazing! Drop her a line at CarolROI2@aol.com. Second, Kimberly, who responded to a medical question that I posted and ended up giving me several good pointers for the first half of the story. Third, but certainly not last, Susn, who despite several other major things going on in her life, took the time to give this story an extensive beta reading (my first beta'd story). Her invaluable ideas and suggestions, as well as correcting all my mistakes, greatly improved the story. My thanks to all of them.

Chapter 1: Part 1

Chapter Text

Trapped
by Linda3
celticpryde1@insightbb.comcelticpryde1@insightbb.com

 

Jim Ellison listened to the sounds coming from the bedroom below his as he packed his bags. He had been looking forward to this time off in the mountains for weeks. Now, finally, he, Blair, Simon, Brown and Rafe were leaving soon for their getaway cabin for a week of peace and quiet far from the noise and mayhem of the city. Once Blair had informed Simon when the University's two-week semester break would begin the captain had arranged for himself and his detectives to have a week off during that same time period. It had taken some skillful juggling of schedules to allow all four police officers to be off at the same time but as Simon had said, "What's the use of being the captain if you can't take advantage of it once in a while?" Now Simon would be picking them up soon in his rented Chevy Suburban. They had decided that since there would be five of them and their luggage it would be easier to rent one large vehicle that could carry everyone and everything.

He was especially relieved that Blair was able to go. Their last case, involving savage attacks on young, male, college students, had hit too close to home for Blair. Not only did he fit the profile of the victims but he also knew some of them personally. Eric Wade had brutally beaten his victims then left them at various places throughout the Rainier University campus. Two of Wade's targets didn't survive the assault. Blair never said anything about how it affected him, never tried to avoid working with Jim or be any less involved in the case, even with his busy school schedule. It had been a valiant effort but Jim had watched as, with each attack, the strain of working the case had taken more and more out of his younger partner. By the time Wade had finally been caught, Blair had obviously lost weight and the dark circles under his eyes were a testament to how little he was sleeping. Jim was grateful that they had caught Wade right before the semester break started thereby allowing all of them, especially Blair, the time off to go on the trip. He just hoped that some quiet time spent out in nature, away from everything related to the case, would be just what the exhausted grad student needed to start to forget the horrors of the past few weeks.

Just as he snapped the large lock securing his duffel bag and headed towards the stairs he heard Blair emerge from his room and add what sounded like his backpack to the small pile by the door. Even though it was early spring, Blair had packed like it was the dead of winter, stating that he fully expected it to still be cold up in the mountains, especially at night. Blair's low tolerance to being cold was well known, to the point of making him the butt of many jokes that he usually just laughed off. Jim knew though that now was not the time to make any jokes or comments about what Blair was bringing. If packing a few more sweaters or extra pairs of sweats made him feel better then so be it.

"You about done, Chief? Simon and the guys should be here any time now." He and Blair were going to be the last ones picked up before they headed out.

Blair stood up, looking over the pile of bags. "Yeah, I think so. I can't think of anything else. You did say we would be in a cabin, right? As in indoors, with plumbing and heat?"

They had been over this countless times already, ever since the idea of a vacation in the mountains was first mentioned. "For the hundredth time, Sandburg, we will be in a heated cabin with all the comforts of home. Like I've told you already, they may have been poachers but they obviously didn't believe in roughing it while they broke the law."

Jim saw the grad student's shoulders sag as Blair turned away. "Okay. Sorry."

Dammit. Blair's emotions had been right on the surface for some time now; getting snapped at over nothing was the last thing he needed. One of Wade's victims that hadn't survived had been a close friend of Blair's, one of several brutalized men that Blair knew personally. But Chris had been special to the anthropologist; he and Blair had gone through their Master's programs together and both were working on their Ph.D. in anthropology. He had gone to the funeral with Blair and had seen the almost overwhelming guilt in his partner's eyes as he tried to console the pregnant young widow of his murdered friend.

"Uh, look Chief, I guess we're all still a bit on edge. Hopefully, the farther we get away from here the better we'll all feel. You need any help with anything?"

Smiling his acceptance of Jim's version of an apology, Blair shook his head. "I don't think so. I can't think of anything else. Well, maybe some help in carrying it all down to the car."

"That's why Brown and Rafe are coming." Jim grinned. "Sometimes it's good to be the senior detective." He was pleased to see Blair laugh out loud; it'd been too long since his usually upbeat friend had really laughed.

"You're awful, man, taking advantage of your underlings like that. But hey, if it gets them to help haul all this stuff, well, works for me."

Just then there was a knock on the door accompanied Simon's deep voice. "You guys better be ready, Sandburg."

Blair tried to look injured as Jim opened the door. "How'd you get from 'you guys' to 'Sandburg' in one sentence?"

Simon stepped in followed by Henri Brown and Brian Rafe. "Because I know you, Sandburg." He waved at the pile of bags by his feet with his ever-present unlit cigar. "See? I knew it. You've probably got half the loft packedâ€"" He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Jim pointedly shaking his head at him. He quickly switched tracks. "Anyway, let's get this stuff to the car and get going. I'd like to get there before dark."

Blair had to hide a smile when Jim picked up the two biggest bags and handed them to Brown and Rafe. "Here you go. Make yourselves useful." It was even harder when Jim turned and winked at him.

With the five of them it didn't take long to load up the Suburban and get on the road. Simon and Jim sat in the front with Blair sitting between Henri and Brian on the large back seat. The rest of the vehicle was filled with luggage. Less than an hour later, Blair was fidgeting. Finally, Rafe had had enough. "Sandburg, what's wrong? Can't you be still for five minutes?"

"Hairboy? Still for five minutes? Never happen." Henri couldn't help chiming in with his opinion.

"Yeah," Jim added. "Last time he was still for that long I was tempted to check to make sure he still had a pulse."

"Oh real funny guys. I guess I'm just used to being by the window. I can't see much from back here. So, Simon, how much longer till we get there?"

Simon stared at Blair in the rear view mirror. "It's going to be a least a couple of hours. And the first time I hear 'Are we there yet?' you will get out and walk the rest of the way." He turned to Jim. "How far 'til we leave the highway?"

"Jeez, you guys are grumpy today. Must not be getting enough fiber in your diets."

Jim ignored Blair, secretly pleased to hear the smart comeback, as he reached in the glove box and took out the pre marked map and a typed set of directions. He studied both for a minute before answering. "Well according this we get off this highway at Exit 23 and get onto Route 4, it looks like we're about three hours or so from the exit. We then follow Route 4 for about 25 miles or so until we get to Jacksonville. A couple miles past Jacksonville there's supposed to be a sign at the turnoff road that leads up to the cabin. It looks like it's about two or three miles up that road to the cabin. I guess these guys really wanted their privacy, understandable considering what they were doing." He refolded the map but left it out.

Blair leaned forward towards Jim and put his arms on the back of Simon and Jim's seats. "Hey Jim, let me have the map. At least it'll be something to do." He reached for the map only to have it snatched out of reach as four voices shouted "No!" simultaneously. Blair sagged back in his seat and crossed his arms. Jim could hear him muttering to himself. "One little mistake and they never let you forget. And we weren't lost, just going the wrong way. There is a difference." He straightened up again. "Well then, at least explain again about this cabin. I never really got the full story. It was used by poachers but now the city owns it? So how come we get to use it?"

Simon spoke up, glad for the distraction from driving. "That's right. Apparently a group of poachers had been quietly working in those mountains for years. The local police didn't even know they were poaching, thought they were just seasonal hunters. They even built themselves a nice home away from home up there. Eventually, they were caught running drugs in Cascade, turns out that poaching was just a way to help finance their drug operation. Anyway, the cabin was confiscated by the city who really didn't know what to do with it. So they removed all the poaching paraphernalia, fixed it up, added a few more modern conveniences and now rent to out to upper level city employees for vacations and such. Which is why we get a nice, three bedroom, secluded cabin in the mountains for a week dirt-cheap. Taggert's brought his family up here before and said it was really quiet and peaceful. Being a captain does have a few advantages. Which reminds me," Simon's voice took on a sterner edge, "Since this cabin is rented in my name, I'm responsible for it. So it had better be in the same pristine condition when we leave as when we arrive or there will be hell to payâ€"from me. Everybody got that?"

Choruses of "Sure thing" and "No problem" answered him. After that everyone settled in for the long ride. Blair picked up his backpack from the floor and after some digging pulled out his glasses and a book on the ancient tribes of South America. Rafe open the latest issue of GQ while Henri turned on a Gameboy. After a few minutes of quiet, Simon peered at the backseat through the rearview mirror. Looking forward again he whispered to Jim, in a voice only the sentinel could hear, "Looks like the "kids" all found something to amuse themselves with. Wonder how long the peace will last?" Jim turned around to see for himself. As if sensing Jim looking at him, Blair glanced up, smiled, then went back to his reading. Jim turned back around, content that everything was fine for now and opened the newspaper he had brought with him.

For the next two hours, the back seat was quiet except for an occasional page turning and the beeping and chirping of Henri's computerized toy. Gradually, Jim noticed that there had been no noise at all coming from behind him for a while. Turning around, he had to smile at the sight now in front of him. Rafe was still reading his magazine but obviously trying to turn the pages as quietly as possible. Henri was sitting very still, no longer playing his Gameboy, having lost the use of his right arm, thanks to Blair. The grad student was leaning up against him, his curly haired head on Henri's shoulder, glasses slightly askew, sound asleep with his anthropology book still open on his lap.

Rafe tilted his head towards his fellow back seat travelers. "Aren't they just adorable?" He just grinned when his partner slowly turned his head and glared at him.

Jim leaned forward to shake Blair awake. "Sorry about that H. He's been running himself ragged lately; I guess it all just finally caught up with him. I'll wake him up."

Henri Brown was a big man who considered himself a pretty macho guy and quite a ladies' man. He prided myself on the fact that very few perps got past him. But he had a soft spot in his heart when it came to one short, longhaired police observer. They had hit it off almost from the start and were often seen laughing together and trading secrets on how to attract the fairer sex. The fact that Blair seemed to be the only one who could make his old, obstinate computer actually sit up and work right only added to the relationship. More often than not, he called Blair by his personal nickname for him, "Hairboy". So as Jim was reaching over the seat to wake Blair, Henri shook his head and spoke softly. "Nah. Don't wake the boy up. He's cool where he is. We should be stopping soon anyway, he can get up then." Henri looked down, then back up at Jim and whispered, "He looks like he hasn't slept in a week. Is he all right?"

This time, Jim shook his head. "Not really. That last case we worked really got to him, you know, with all the victims being students at Rainier and all. Especially with his friend being one of the two that died. I think he felt like he should have been able to do something to stop Wade before Chris was killed. I don't think he hardly slept at all during that whole time." His eyes softened as he watched his partner. "I'm hoping that this vacation away from any reminders will help him start to put it all behind him."

Rafe and Henri nodded. The South African native spoke for both of them. "Don't worry, we'll all try to help. Right Henri?"

Before the large detective could answer, Simon spoke up, never taking his eyes from the road ahead. "That's right. We take care of our own."

Jim turned a startled face towards his captain. "Thanks Simon. Even though I think Blair would be surprised to hear you say that, I know he'd appreciate it." I know I do.

"Well, considering he's around the station more than some paid cops I know, I think we've all just gotten used to him being there. That's all, got it? I don't need him starting to think he's got special privileges or anything. It's hard enough to get him to listen to me as it is."

Simon's gruff exterior didn't fool Jim for a minute. Ever since Blair had, fear of heights and all, jumped out of a plane to rescue him and his son, Simon's attitude toward Blair had changed significantly. The tall police captain was just leery of letting anyone, especially Blair himself, in on that fact.

"Right Captain, whatever you say."

"Humph. How about we stop when we turn off the highway? We'll take a pit stop and stretch our legs. Some of us may be short enough to be comfortable sleeping in a car but others have longer legs. We can switch drivers then too."

Everyone agreed, then settled back for the rest of the ride. Almost an hour later they reached the exit for Route 4. Shortly after turning onto the new road Simon turned into a large gas station/food mart.

"Okay, everybody out. Do what you've got to do now cause we won't stop again until we get there." He popped the latch to open the gas tank then turned to Jim and handed him the keys. "I'll fill it up, then it's all yours." With that he climbed out and stretched his back complete with audible popping sounds. "Ohh that feels good." He straightened back up and walked to the side of the car and unscrewing the gas cap, proceeded to fill the tank.

Rafe looked at his partner. "So, you gonna wake up Sleeping Beauty now?"

"Yeah. I gotta go if you know what I mean. And I ain't taking him with me." He gently nudged Blair by shrugging his shoulder. "Hey. Hairboy. Time to rise and shine, my man." He shrugged again.

"C'mon Jim, stop it. Five more minutes, man. Really." Blair settled back down on Brown's shoulder mumbling, "Just five more minutes."

Rafe and Henri both looked up at an amused Jim who was watching from the front seat. Henri finally spoke, "Uh Ellison? A little help here if you don't mind, he is your partner after all."

Jim grinned and tilted his head towards Rafe's door. "Get on out, Rafe. I'll get him."

When Rafe was out, Jim slid in next to Blair. Putting one arm around Blair's shoulders, he shifted the younger man off of Henri and onto himself. "C'mon, Chief. Brown needs his arm back now." He jiggled the still sleeping form. "Wake up, Sandburg. We've got to get going again soon." Blair slowly blinked open his eyes and looked up.

"Hey Jim. We there yet?"

Jim shook his head. "Not yet. This is just a rest stop. Come on. Let's get out of the car."

Seeing that Jim had Blair, Henri opened his door and climbed out. "Thanks, Jim. Right now I've got to go see a man about a horse. Come on Bri." Rafe joined him and they started across the parking lot towards the building, Henri rubbing his right arm and flexing his fingers to get the blood circulating again.

Jim slid out and then stepped aside so Blair could get out. He watched as Blair stretched much as Simon had done, put his glasses in his shirt pocket and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Just then Simon came around the car.

"It lives. Poor Brown will probably never use that arm again."

Blair looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

Jim slapped him on the shoulder and steered him towards the building. "Come on. I'll tell you as we walk."

A short time later after everyone had used the facilities and had gotten a snack, they all headed back to the car. Jim got behind the wheel, starting the engine while waiting for everyone else to get in. When Simon started opening the front passenger door, Brown spoke up. "Hey, Captain, why don't you let Hairboy sit up front. That way when he falls asleep again, he'll just drool on the window." He made a show of examining the shirtsleeve on his upper arm where Blair's head had been resting.

"I don't drool!"

"Doesn't matter anyway. If you think these legs are getting in the back seat, think again." Simon got in the front passenger seat and shut the door with a definitive slam. "You guys work out the back seat seating arrangements yourselves. Just hurry up about it."

Blair looked at Henri. "I didn't really... you know... on your sleeve, did I? I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. Sorry." To Brown, Blair looked far too guilty for such a minor thing.

"Nah. I was just playing with you, Blair. Go on, get in." He made a point of leaning towards Blair and whispered, "But if you get tired again, you just go right on back to sleep. It's no big deal." He was rewarded with a small smile from the tired grad student.

"Thanks, but I think I'm awake now."

Jim watched and listened to the conversation between his partner and the larger, dark skinned detective. Henri Brown had just moved up a few notches on the short list of people he trusted where his Guide was concerned. As soon as everyone was settled, in the exact same seating arrangement as before, Jim pulled the Suburban out onto the road and in the direction of Jacksonville.

It didn't take long before they reached the small town of Jacksonville, WA. They were in a fairly rural area without a lot of traffic, a welcome relief from the usual commuter headaches in Cascade. As they passed through what appeared to be the main drag, Blair couldn't help but make comments about smaller towns in general and how they were slowly being sucked into mainstream culture thanks to mass media and the infiltration of chain stores and restaurants into even the remotest rural areas. Looking at the fast food restaurants, the Wal Mart and Home Depot crowding out the local, one of a kind businesses, it was hard to find fault with the anthropologist's observations. Soon they were passing through the town's outer boundaries. Jim turned to Simon, "Okay, start looking for the sign that shows where to turn off. It should be coming up soon."

A few minutes later Simon pointed to something up ahead. "That must be it." A large sign loomed in front of them almost obscuring the dirt road beside it. Jim stopped so they could read it.

 

PRIVATE ROAD
PROPERTY OWNED BY
THE CITY OF CASCADE, WA

AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY
NO TRESSPASSING

 

"Well," Rafe commented, "What a nice, cheery welcome."

"Yeah," Blair chimed in, grinning, "Gives me warm fuzzies just reading it." When they continued to just sit there, he spoke up again. "Uh, Jim? We going up there or what? I hate to think we came all this way just to read this sign, lovely and heartwarming as it is."

"Yeah, Chief, we're going." Jim pulled the large vehicle onto the side road. There was nothing but woods on both sides of the dirt road during the short drive to the cabin. It was a fairly large, one-story building with a covered porch in the front. Five steps led from the walkway up to the porch. A smaller, rutted path led from the road to a large worn area beside the cabin that was obviously meant for parking vehicles. Jim pulled the Suburban into this area, parked and announced, "Okay, I guess this is it. Let's see how it looks inside before we start unloading."

A small parade led by Simon, who had the keys, made it's way from the car, up the stairs, across the porch and finally into the cabin itself. The door opened into a large open living area. A huge stone fireplace took up most the back wall. Several feet back but facing the fireplace was a comfortable looking loveseat with a matching large couch at a right angle to it. A square wooden coffee table sat on a colorful area rug between the couches. Angled directly front of the hearth were two leather recliners. Set against the left wall facing the couch was an entertainment center holding a TV, VCR and stereo system. On either side of the entertainment center was a well-stocked bookcase. To the right of the living area, behind the couch, was the open kitchen complete with a modern looking stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave oven. Between the living area and the kitchen was a rectangular table with six chairs around it. On the far left end of the back wall with the fireplace was a hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom. All five stood by the doorway looking over their home for the next week. Blair was the first to speak.

"Wow. This is nice. I'm gonna go check out the bedrooms." He started to walk away but was stopped by Simon's loud voice.

"Sandburg! Stop!"

Turning back around, the younger man looked puzzled. "What?"

"I already know about the bedrooms. There are three. One is the master bedroom with a queen sized bed and private bathroom." He looked around at the others. "Don't any of you even think about it. The other two have two twin beds each. They're directly across the hall from each other and there's a shared bathroom at the end of the hall. I'll let you gentlemen decide who gets which room. I, on the other hand, am going to start unpacking." So saying he turned and went back out the front door. The remaining four men looked at each other then followed their captain back outside to begin bring in their luggage.

Jim and Blair walked down the hallway towards the bedrooms, each carrying two bags. After looking into each room, Jim entered the one on the right. Blair followed and without a word placed his bags on the bed furthest from the door. It was automatic now that he took the back bed and Jim took the bed closest to the door whenever they shared a room away from the loft. After losing several arguments about it, Blair had finally concluded that Jim's insistence on always having the first bed came from an inborn instinct to protect his Guide. If anyone were to get into their room, they would have to deal with the Sentinel first. Now he not only accepted it but secretly cherished the idea that someone thought he was important enough to them to want to protect. A far cry from most the 'uncles' he had lived with growing up. Shaking his head to rid himself of those memories, there was no point in dwelling on the past, he headed out to get the rest of his bags. He left a surprised Jim wondering where the warm smile his partner suddenly gave him on his way out of the bedroom had come from.

Soon all of the luggage was brought in and unpacked. Jim's things were neatly folded away or carefully hung; Blair's were more or less put away. After a light late afternoon lunch everyone decided, even though it was too late to actually do any fishing, to walk down and check out the lake behind the cabin. No point waiting until the last minute to pick out the best spots. An early morning wake up was planned for the next day to begin a full day of angling and casting, officially starting their vacation. Each man had his own reasons for looking forward to the break from work to begin. Simon had a new lure he was dying to try out. Among the many things Blair had brought with him was his prized Cree fishing spear, even if he didn't catch many fish the joy was in the challenge. Henri and Rafe were just looking forward to some seriously relaxing downtime. Besides recharging his own worn down batteries, Jim was hoping Blair could begin healing his battered, guilt-ridden psyche during this quiet time away from everything that had happened during the past few weeks. It had surprised and warmed him when all three of the other supposedly hardened cops had agreed so quickly to help him help Blair. Now he just hoped they could.

The short walk along the dirt path from the cabin to the lake was pleasant and relaxing in itself. Soon the five men found themselves at the edge of a large crystal clear lake. The narrow, rocky shoreline seemed perfect for fishing; numerous natural niches could be seen from where they were standing. The niches were close enough that they could easily be within shouting distance from each other but still far enough away, with trees and rocks between them, to give each person a sense of privacy and seclusion. They spent the next hour walking along the shore arguing and joking as each man picked out 'his' spot for tomorrow. By the time everyone was satisfied he had the best location, there was a noticeable drop in the temperature as the sun started going down. The wind coming in off the lake was getting colder too. Jim was beginning to think that Blair might have been right after all about how cold it might get at night. As if to prove his own point, he watched a shiver run down Blair's spine even though Blair himself hadn't said anything about getting cold. He raised his voice to make sure that everyone could hear him.

"Hey guys! It's starting to get dark. How about we head back now, pop some popcorn and pick out a movie to watch?"

Within a few minutes they had all regrouped and were heading back up the path towards the cabin. By silent, mutual agreement, Jim led the way back in the growing darkness. Simon was right behind him with Blair, Henri and Rafe a few steps back bringing up the rear. He heard Rafe whisper to Henri, "How can he see where he's going? I can barely see what's right in front of me." Blair's voice answered quickly, "Yeah, it used to freak me out too until he told me once it was from night maneuvers training with the Rangers. Taught them how to take advantage of any available light. He doesn't even have to turn the light on when he gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom." Henri spoke up, "Now that would be handy to be able to do. I don't know which is worse, that stabbing pain in your eyes when you first turn on the light or stubbing your toe when you don't." Rafe joined in again, "Especially if you're not alone in bed, if you know what I mean, and you're not at your place. You don't want to bother her by turning on the light but you don't know your way around well enough to try to make to the bathroom in the dark." The discussion of turning on the light vs. not turning it on continued between the three younger men. Simon moved up closer to Jim and spoke in a low voice, "Sandburg was pretty slick there. He gave them a somewhat plausible explanation then got the whole conversation off onto a totally different track with them even realizing it. I gotta admit the kid's quick on his feet." Jim sighed to himself as the cabin appeared in front of them. It was nice to hear his captain praise his partner; he just wished he would actually say it to Blair himself once in a while instead of just to him.

It didn't take long for everyone to stake out a seat in the living room. Rafe and Blair claimed the two recliners after turning them to face the television. Simon stretched his long frame out on the large sofa while Jim and Henri each took a corner of the smaller love seat, both with their feet propped up on the coffee table. After each man had gotten a beer and the popcorn was placed in a large bowl on the coffee table, all the movies in the entertainment center were carefully scrutinized with the winner being "Die Hard 2". Blair put the movie in the VCR and turned out most of the lights before raising the footrest and settling back in his big comfortable chair, beer in hand. Jim picked up the remote and hit Play. For a while the only sounds heard came from the TV or an occasional commentary from someone in the room.

About three fourths of the way through the movie, Jim looked around. Rafe was lying full length in his recliner on his back, snoring softly. Blair was on his side, curled up in a ball, totally oblivious to the rest of the world. Turning his head Jim saw that Henri was still awake but not by much. He and Simon looked at each other. Simon shook his head sadly. "Kids today just can't hang like us 'old folk'." He tilted his head towards the movie still playing on the TV. "You want to watch the rest of this?"

"No, I've seen it before." Jim picked up the remote and hit Stop then Rewind. "Besides, I think it's time to put the children to bed."

Henri's sleepy voice piped up. "Hey. Watch who you're calling children, man. Some of us are still up." He sat up and stretched.

Simon watched as Jim got up and starting picking up the popcorn bowl and beer bottles. "Well, since you're still awake, why don't you get your partner up and head off to bed. I plan on getting everybody up bright and early." He stood and stretched himself then turned towards Jim who was in the kitchen rising out the popcorn bowl before putting it in the dishwasher. "That goes for you too, Ellison. Fish wait for no man."

Henri had managed to get Rafe on his feet and both detectives were heading towards the back bedrooms mumbling "G'nights" as they left the room. Jim wiped his hands on a towel and came back out into the living room. He looked over at Blair who hadn't moved. "I'll let H and Rafe finish in the bathroom before I make him get up. Once he hits the bed, he'll be gone for the night."

Simon looked directly at his friend. "How are you doing, Jim? Really. I know you're worried about Sandburg, about how hard he's taking all this, but what about you? This had to be pretty hard on you too. I know how you tend to take this type of crime, like it's a personal affront to how well you can protect your, how does Sandburg put? your... tribe."

Jim turned away from his best friend to his captain. "I'm fine, Simon. And you're right; it was hard. Wade had us chasing our own tails for a long time and that was so damn frustrating. I kept feeling like I was letting everybody down, like I was missing something. In the end, I couldn't believe he hurt all those young men just because his girlfriend dumped him for a student at Rainier. But now that he's behind bars, it's over. I've done my job. I can let it go, but then it wasn't as personal for me as it was for Blair. Some of those students had taken his classes and then Chris... My God, Simon, Chris' dying almost did him in. After the funeral he stayed in his room for the rest of the day. Then he became obsessed with finding Wade. You saw yourself how he was. Thank God we finally caught him because, to tell you the truth, I honestly don't know how much longer he could have kept it up." He paused. "But I'm fine, really. It's not me you have to worry about." Jim tilted his head in the now familiar 'I'm listening to something' position. "Brown and Rafe are both in their room. I'm going to get Blair to bed then turn in myself. See you in the morning, Simon."

Simon watched as Jim knelt beside Blair and gently shook his shoulder. The sleeping observer woke with a start but a few seconds later he nodded at something Jim said, lowered the footrest and slowly got out of the chair. Jim turned him towards the hallway and gave him a small push then followed him through the doorway.

He wondered if Jim was even aware that even though he had asked him how he was doing, the majority of his answer had been about how the case had affected Blair. As he watched them, he was amazed again at how differently Jim acted when Sandburg was hurting physically or emotionally. Gone was the hardened, ex-Ranger cop, gone were the usual macho insults and slaps to the head and back. Instead, Jim would focus solely on Blair's well being, doing whatever he thought was necessary to make his friend feel better and to hell with everyone else. Of course, Sandburg was the same way. Everyone had learned early not to mess with a hurting Ellison when Sandburg was anywhere around. Blair had given Jim the title of Blessed Protector after he had rescued the observer from Lash's warehouse but as far as he could see it definitely worked both ways. He finished turning out the lights and locked the door before heading into his own bedroom. As he had told Jim, fish wait for no man, including sometimes bewildered police captains.

 

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"Let's go Sandburg! I just know there's a big fish out there with my new lure's name on it." Simon grinned at the other three men waiting by the door, fishing gear in hand. "I've been waiting since last season to test this baby out. Probably catch me the biggest fish of the day. Maybe even the whole week."

"No way, Cap'n. My titanium rod and scented baited are guaranteed to have the fish just jumping into my net." Rafe sounded pretty confident.

"Okay, Rafe, if you feel that way, why don't we just have ourselves a friendly little wager. Say, whoever catches the biggest fish today doesn't have to clean any fish for the rest of the trip."

"You're on."

"Hey." Brown jumped in, not wanting to miss out on a good thing. "Can anyone get in on this? I'm feeling kinda lucky myself today."

Simon smiled around his as yet unlit cigar. He knew that between Jim's senses and Blair's lectures, he wouldn't be able to smoke in the cabin, but outdoors was a whole different ballgame. "Sure Henri." He turned towards Jim. "What about you Ellison, you game?"

"Sure, why not? Skill will always win out over fancy gadgets any day."

"Good. One rule thoughâ€"no cheating."

"How can you cheat at fishing?" Rafe looked at his partner. "I mean you either catch the biggest fish or you don't, right?"

"You'd be surprised what some people can do." Simon looked right at Jim. "Isn't that right, Jim?"

Jim had a look of total innocence on his face. "I suppose some people might have to resort to cheating but not those of us who are just good."

"Uh-huh." Simon looked at the still empty hall doorway. "What is he doing? Sandburg! Get your scrawny butt out here before all the fish decide to go back to sleep."

As if on command, Blair came through the doorway. Jim immediately noticed two things: Blair was carrying his backpack over one shoulder instead of his spear and he had on his brand new hiking boots, which he would never wear if he were going to be fishing all day. Before he could comment, Henri spoke up. "Hey Hairboy, I thought you were going to show us how to catch fish with some kind of spear. Now what, you plan to scoop them up in your backpack instead?"

Blair reached the group and stopped. "Uh, actually, guys, I'm not going fishing today. I thought I'd go for a hike instead."

Jim moved forward until he was standing directly in front of Blair. "You feel all right, Chief? Anything wrong?" He knew that Blair had been looking forward to showing off his native fishing spear so the sudden change in plans was raising an alarm.

"Nothing's wrong, Jim. When we were at the lake yesterday I saw a trail that leads into the woods. I thought I'd take a nature hike today. Do some thinking. I just need some time to, you know, process... stuff."

"You want some company?" He had really been looking forward to a relaxing day of fishing but if Blair was ready to talk then he would be there for him.

He was rewarded with a now rare genuine smile. "Thanks, but no. I think I just need some time alone right now. I don't think I'd be very good company. But..." he turned to the others, "... tomorrow I'll get my spear and show you guys what real fishing is all about."

That broke the tension. "Yeah, right, Sandburg. Like some kind of wooden stick is any match for my hi-tech gear. Guess we know who'll be cleaning the fish for the rest of the week."

"In your dreams, Brian. The Cree were catching fish with this type of spear for thousands of years before any of your fancy 'gear' came along. Obviously, they were doing something right. In fact, did you know that the Cree were among the first toâ€""

Simon quickly broke in. "Oh Lord, he's going into lecture mode. Let's go now or we'll be fishing by moonlight." He started herding everyone out the door. "And, Sandburg, we're on vacation, no lectures for the rest of the week, got it?"

Blair smiled. "I'll try, Simon, I'll try."

It didn't take long to get to the lake. The early morning sunlight sparkled off the water while a soft breeze rustled through the trees. All five men stopped by the water's edge and unconsciously took deep breaths of fresh air. The peace and quiet alone was enough to start soothing frazzled nerves. After a few minutes Blair broke the silence. "Well, I guess I'll be going. Don't catch all the fish, guys, I still plan on surprising you tomorrow." He had just reached the trail when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't have to turn around to know who was there. "Hi Jim."

Jim walked around until he was standing in front of his partner. Reaching out, he again placed one hand lightly on the smaller man's shoulder. "You sure you're all right, Blair? Maybe wandering out in the woods alone isn't such a good idea. Maybe you should be with other people right now."

"Jim, I'm fine. I need to do this. I just need some quiet time alone... to put everything in perspective. I'll probably be back before you guys are done fishing." His uncertain dark blue eyes looked up into Jim's strong light blue ones. "Maybe... when I get back... we can go somewhere and talk, just the two of us, if, uh, if you don't mind."

A small sense of relief flowed through Jim. Blair wanting to talk was the best sign yet that he was coming to terms with what he had been through. Blair was constantly getting him to open up about anything and everything and the teacher in him could talk for hours about every subject under the sun, except himself.

"Sure, Chief. I'd like that." Jim gave his friend a warm smile then looked up. "You'd better get going. It looks like a storm's coming in later today. If you want that hike and I want to fish we both better start now. But don't go too far, you want to be able to get back before it hits."

"You can tell a storm's coming later today? Oh wow. How can you tell? Can you actually see the storm? Or is there a barometric drop in pressure you can feel? Maybe we should test this."

"You remember what Simon said? This is a vacation, Darwin. No lectures and no tests. There'll be other storms. Now, if you're planning on getting in a hike, you better get going, just don't be gone too long. Don't make me have to go out in the rain to find your lost butt." His voice was gruff but his eyes said that a hurricane wouldn't stop him from coming after his friend.

"Right. See ya later."

The woods soon swallowed up Blair as he followed the trail leading away from the lake. Jim watched until he heard Simon call out to him. "Hey, Ellison! Last I heard there aren't any fish in the woods." Then, in a softer voice that only he could hear, "He'll be all right, Jim. Just let him go." He slowly turned and joined his friends at the lake.

 

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Blair continued to follow what looked like an old deer trail. The weather was perfect, cool enough for a sweater but not cold enough to need a jacket. Until the storm hits. How could Jim tell that a storm was coming? He couldn't wait to test Jim on this new discovery. It seemed as though every time he started to think he knew just about everything about Jim and his senses, something new would pop up and he'd realize once again that he might never learn all there was to know about what a Sentinel could do. For some reason, that thought both pleased and frustrated him at the same time. He continued on, letting the serenity and beauty of the woods act as a balm on his troubled spirit.

Every so often he stopped for a short while just to absorb the healing aura he felt radiating all around him. Other times he'd take a drink from his water bottle while he watched some seemingly oblivious small animals as they went about their daily lives with no greater worry than where to find the next nut or berry. He loved being outdoors, watching nature in harmony with itself. Especially now, when he was so desperate to reclaim some of that harmony for his own aching soul. The deeper he went into the woods, the farther away all the chaos and violence of the city seemed to be. The deer trail was becoming narrower and fainter the farther he got from the lake. When it finally became all but invisible he decided to turn back; the last thing he wanted was to actually become lost, he'd never live it down. He was about halfway back when he saw a large rock a few yards off the trail to his right that he hadn't noticed before. It stuck out from a small hill with the top of it being almost flat. The perfect place to stop for lunch. Climbing up the hill, he was able to walk straight onto the rock itself. Settling himself in the middle he slid off his backpack and leaned back on his arms. The sun was being filtered through the trees but enough shone through and he turned his face up, sighing in contentment as it warmed him more than just physically. God, if only he could stay here and not have to go back to the city with all it's ugliness and brutality. He would never understand how people could do such unspeakable things to each other.

Sitting up, Blair pulled his backpack closer so he could rummage around inside it. Finding the now nearly half empty water bottle, he put it aside and pulled out the sandwich, apple and granola bar he had packed for his lunch. Between the hike and the outdoor air, he had managed to work up quite an appetite. Lunch was gone in no time. Almost too quickly. Now he had no more distractions from what he really came out here to do. Reaching once again into the backpack, he pulled out a new, stiff backed notebook, a pen and his glasses case. After putting on the glasses, he opened the notebook to the first page and stared at it. He had heard years ago that if you were really mad at someone to write them a letter expressing all your feelings, no matter how bitter or angry. Then take the letter and tear it up or burn it. It wasn't about whether or not the other person ever saw the letter; it was the act of writing it, of getting to express how you feel that was so cathartic. He had tried it once and found that it really worked. That's how he had discovered that the best way for him to confront anything that was upsetting him was to write it out, letting out all the feelings and emotions that were so hard for him to express verbally. Now, hard as it would be, he was going to do just that concerning this last case.

Soon the only sounds were the natural bubbling of a nearby stream and the artificial sound of a pen as it quickly scratched its way across paper. Once Blair started, he couldn't stop. The words just flowed out of him as if a dam had finally broken. He poured everything onto the pages of the notebook. Starting with the brutal attack on the first victim then on to the horrifying realization that a serial attacker who only assaulted male Rainier students was loose on campus. His campus. His fear when he discovered that *he* fit the physical profile that the assailant sought. His determination, despite that fear, to continue to working with Jim. The brutalized students he knew from his classes. The first victim to die. Then Chris. Oh God, Chris. They had helped and supported each other all through their Master's programs. Had been there for each other whenever it got to be too much for either of them. He had been the best man at Chris' wedding. Now Pam was pregnant and alone. Another child who would feel the pain of never knowing his father. At least this child would know who his father was, a good man lost to him forever due to senseless violence. The pen point pressed deeply into the paper as he wrote of his total, absolute resolve to catch this person, by himself if he had to. The frustrations with the case. His belief that he wasn't doing something right, that he should have figured things out better. He obviously must not have helped Jim as well as he could have or they would have caught Wade sooner. Rainier was his territory; everyone was counting on him to know what would work best there. What more could he/should he have done? Jim had depended on him and he had let him down. It was his campus and he still hadn't been able to do anything to stop the attacks. He couldn't even protect his own students or his friend. They had counted on him and he had failed them. But worst of all, he had failed Jim. Again. Blair noticed that some of the words were distorted on the page. Water was mixing with the ink. Tears, running down his cheeks and onto the paper. He didn't even know when he had started crying. He carefully laid the open notebook aside and, taking off his glasses, let the tears fall, hoping they could wash away the pain and frustration that still lay deep in his heart.

When Blair next looked up, the sun had changed position in the sky. It was getting dark sooner than he expected. The temperature had dropped too and the wind had picked up quite a bit. Looking at his watch, he saw that he had been gone now for over four hours. Time to head back. He grabbed his backpack and put the notebook, pen and his glasses back inside. Pulling out a large Ziploc plastic bag, he put all his trash from lunch in it and put it in the backpack too. He kept the water bottle out, deciding to refill it from the stream before starting back.

As he packed for the return trip, he took stock of himself. His eyes stung a little from crying but, all in all, he actually did feel somewhat better. Finally letting his feelings out had helped lift some of the heavy weight from his shoulders which, of course, was the whole point of the exercise. He still needed to talk to Jim, let him know how sorry he was for not helping him like he should have, like he was supposed to. He knew that how Jim responded to his apology would determine how soon he could start to get over this. While intellectually knowing that one person's opinion shouldn't matter that much, shouldn't be able to dictate how he should feel about himself, he had long ago conceded that Jim's opinion of him had become paramount in his life. Never before had he wanted someone's approval and respect as much as he wanted Jim's. The thought that he had let his friend and partner down, yet again, was still weighing heavily on him.

Checking once more to make sure he had everything, he slung the backpack over his shoulder and picked up the water bottle. After climbing back down the small hill, he walked around the rock towards the stream on the far side. A few steps past the rock, he heard an unexpected metallic click followed instantly by a sudden, blinding pain starting from his lower right leg and quickly spreading upwards. His vision turned black with bright spots of light shooting in front of his eyes. He wasn't even aware that he had screamed as he felt himself falling backwards towards the ground.

 

continues