Title: Obsession

Author: Scorpio

Archive: Yes, to any and all.

Fandom: Sentinel

Pairing: Um... hard to explain. J/B implied, but...

Rating: R

Catagory: Drama, Romance (in a weird twisted sort of way)

Disclaimer: Anything Sentinel is owned by Pet Fly Produtions. I own the mistakes and typos. (Lucky me, huh. Think they'll be willing to trade?)

Warning: angst, violence, minor insanity, villian POV

Summary: Lee Brackett meets Brad Ventriss while in prison...

Obsession

by Scorpio

Westoverly Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary
Block D, Cell 37

Lee Brackett gently and carefully laid the neatly clipped newspaper article on the small wooden shelf-like desk that was bolted to the wall and floor of his cinder-block cell. Stepping over to the narrow locker that served as his clothes closet and storage space, he reached up to the top shelf and carefully took down the well cared for photo album. Turning back to the desk, he laid it on the worn surface. Carefully, with ritually precise movements, he sat down and arranged the edge of the book to align with the edge of the desk.

Slowly, without a hint of emotion showing on his handsome face, Lee opened the book to the first page. There, on a faded piece of paper, written by his own hand was one of his favorite sayings. It was frighteningly appropriate.

*There is a fine line between Love and Hate... Obsession.*

He turned the page. The first article in the scrap-book was a headline story. Front page edition of the Cascade Herald.

LOCAL HERO CAPTURES ROGUE CIA AGENT

That article, and the five following it all contained similar stories. All of them devoted to the amazing capture of Special Agent Lee Brackett by Lt. Detective James J. Ellison of the Major Crimes Division of the Cascade P.D. along with his partner, Police Observer Blair J. Sandburg.

Taking care not to overlook a single word, Lee Brackett read about his own capture and then moved on to the other articles and photos that he had clipped and saved over the years. He re-read about David Lash, Veronica Seras, Iris, The Cascade Jaguars and the Patriot Sons.

He read about Alex Barnes and the death of Blair Sandburg. And as he read the articles surrounding *that* event, he felt the tears well up in his eyes anew and remembered the horrifying nightmares that he had suffered. The very thought of a world without Blair Sandburg made him cringe.

He turned the pages and read article after article. Finally, he came to the section that caused him the most difficulty. The news stories about Blair's Sentinel Dissertation. When he first heard about it on the evening news in the small recreation center he had been slammed through the heart with an intense feeling of black anger and soul chilling betrayal. He had lashed out at his fellow prisoners immediately and with astounding violence.

By the time he had been released from solitary confinement, the hubbub had calmed down and the media circus was winding up. Slowly, little by little, Lee had pieced the puzzle together until he realized that Blair had *not* betrayed Jim and himself, but that it was Blair who had been betrayed. Seeing a recording of Blair's hastily called press conference, he had silently forgiven the beautiful young man as tears flowed silently down his face.

Gently wiping the mist from his eyes that gathered even after all this time, Lee turned the page to the last of the articles. It was a graduation announcement for the latest class from the Cascade Police Academy. Lee Brackett smiled at the clipping.

Turning one final page, he found himself looking at a blank page. A tingle of pride and joy swept through him. Carefully pulling back the clear plastic coating, he reverently lay the new clipping into place. With practiced movements, he smoothed the plastic coating back into place so that it could begin it's goal of protecting the precious newsprint paper.

It was another front page headline story from the Cascade Herald.

COP OF YEAR AND ROOKIE PARTNER SAVE HOSTAGES

Reading the entire article once more, Lee Brackett gently closed the photo album and tried once more to figure out if he was in love with the two men, the Sentinel and the Guide,... or if he hated them.

~~~

Westoverly Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary
North Outside Exercise Yard

Lee Brackett stood back from the dangerous group of men that had latched onto him since his arrival here. They called themselves the *Court* and referred to anyone that was not a true part of the group as *Pawns*. Everyone else was *"on the wrong side of the Chess Board"* to their way of thinking. Lee personally found it amusing, but he let them have their fun as well as their illusions that they were of any importance to him. After all,... he might actually have a use for them someday.

A harsh tone and quick movements drew his attention to the far side of the yard. Moving slightly to hear better and be able to focus on what was happening, Lee inadvertently discovered another adversary. Someone was standing on the wrong side of the Chess Board. Again.

He listened to the latest transferred prisoner talking to some Pawns. And planned.

"I'm going to get out of this place, some how, some way and when I do... I'm going to *kill* that son of a bitch Sandburg. Him *and* that damn fucking cop that he follows around like a puppy dog."

The Pawn flinched. Violently.

"Hey man. Keep that kind of talk down! If you're talking about Professor Blair Sandburg and Cascade Detective James Ellison, then you best keep *those* thoughts to your damn self!"

"What?! *Why*!?!"

"Why?" The Pawn pointed and Lee Brackett smiled a cruel and chilling smile at the two. "*He's* why."

The transfer shrugged carelessly and snorted inelegantly.

"What's *he* gonna do about it."

The Pawn looked at the new man as if he had lost his mind and shuddered. With one last frightened glance in Lee's direction, the Pawn fled.

~~~~

Westoverly Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary
Block D, Cell 24

Officer Benjamin York ran his flashlight over the body of Brad Ventriss and sighed. Taking the hand held two-way radio from the case on his belt, Ben quickly connected to the main security room for Block D.

"John? It's Ben. Unlock Cell 24,. I uh... I think we got a corpse on our hands."

There was a hum of electronics and then a solid sounding clank that was loud in the general quiet of the early morning hours. Slowly, the bars slid sideways on their greased tracks. Stepping into the room, Ben walked over to the bunk and pulled away the thick wool blanket.

Dead vacant eyes stared up at him sightlessly from pale skin. Ben sighed again as he lifted his walkie-talkie.

"John? Yeah, it's confirmed. That new transfer from Wellington Correction? Ventriss? Well, he's dead. Inform the Medical Lab, would'ja?"

"Sure thing Ben. I'll do it now. Um... any idea how the kid bought it?"

Officer York lowered his flashlight beam so that Brad's bare chest glowed in the dim yellow light. Two letters and two symbols had been carved in the boy's flesh and then hastily wiped clean by the gray blanket that had covered the cooling body.

Neatly, carefully, the murderer had written: J & B inside of a slightly lopsided heart.

Ben gagged and felt himself go pale. With a raspy voice and a trembling had, he answered Officer John Colewood.

"Yeah John, I do know who it was."

Stepping out of the small cell where the scent of death still lingered, Ben turned and looked unerringly towards Cell 37.

END
Obsession