Of course I don't own these characters. I just borrowed them for a little while. I am making no money on any stories involving them and am returning them safely at the end of my visit with them. I am posting this to the Sentinel Angst list as my Dues but since it is my first ever Sentinel story I am not posting exclusively. I have an empty web page I need to start filling up. Hope you like it. send comments to Chopecdar@yahoo.com. thanx, dar.

Street Kid

By Dar Hutson Scally

(November 14,1999)

"What are these things supposed to be?" Henry Brown demanded, holding up a greenish tinted item resembling a potato chip.

"Good question." Jim Ellison said, smiling and looking toward the kitchen at his partner,

who was busy stirring something in a bowl. "You'll have to ask Sandburg."

At that moment, Blair Sandburg walked over to the table carrying a bowl with what appeared to be onion dip.

"Veggie chips." He said as he set the bowl down next to the chips.

Brown, Rafe, and Simon gathered around the table and stared down at the chips and dip.

Finally after a few minutes hesitation, Brown shrugged and muttered, Here goes.

He dipped the chip he was still holding into the dip and flipped the whole chip into his mouth chewing quickly. Within a moment his face contorted into a grimace and he quickly grabbed his beer bottle off the table and guzzled it down.

"All right, Hairboy." He said. "That was funny. Now where's the real food?"

Sandburg grimaced. "This is real food."

"Wait a minute Sandburg." Simon said. "You mean that's all the snacks you got?"

The others took a menacing step toward Blair, as Jim sat calmly at the table and grinned.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Sandburg."

Sandburg backed away toward the coat rack, pulling his jacket off the rack and slipping it on. All right, guys. I get the message. I guess the tofu burgers I had planned are out too.

"I'll just run down to Jakes and grab some snacks."

"Sandburg."Jim called, as Blair opened the door. "Don't get the low fat chips!"

Blair looked back at the guys."For you guys, I'll pick out the brand with the highest fat content. Will that make you happy?"

"Yeah." They all said at once.

Blair smiled and turned to go.

"Hey, Sandburg." Rafe called after him. "Hurry back! We need your money!"

The door closed after him as Jim started the first deal and everyone took a seat, proving that poker night could commence even without the required junk food.

Blair walked the two blocks to Jake's mini-mart. As he walked he thought about the recent changes in his life. He still couldn't believe he was actually a cop now. A badge carrying, gun toting cop. He suddenly realized he had walked out again without his gun. Jim never went anywhere without his gun. Neither did any of the other cops in Major Crimes. It was like getting dressed to them. You put on your pants and your shirt and you strap on your holster and check your gun before you take one step out the door. And here he was again, walking around with a badge and no gun. And he didn't even feel naked. Jim would definitely feel naked without his gun. Blair smiled, wondering if it would ever feel natural for him to carry a gun.

He thought about the case they had just wrapped up. He had gone undercover for just an evening, pretending to be a street kid. With his new shorter haircut, he looked much younger and found he could easily pass for a kid again. All he had to do was hang around the streets for an evening and pick up whatever info he could about a new drug that had recently hit the streets. It had turned out to be something a local high school kid had designed and they were able to stop production and shut him down before it got too far.

The kid was genius material and had just done it for kicks cause he was bored. He had never been in any trouble before and seemed genuinely sorry. They figured he'd probably get community service hours.

Pretending to be a street kid had stirred up some old memories for Blair. He had done a lot of thinking back to when he was fourteen. He had spent a summer on the street then

when his mom had been overseas and had left him to stay with a friend. He hadn't been able to handle some of the stuff his moms friend had wanted him to do, so he had taken off. He had taken a couple hundred dollars from the guy and hitched rides to get as far away as possible, which happened to land him in Cascade two weeks later when his money had run out. So he had spent the rest of his summer doing whatever he had to do to survive while he waited for his mom to get back to the country. She was due back at the beginning of September just in time for him to go back to school. He could handle living on the streets for awhile during the summer but there was no way he was going to miss any school. Even at fourteen he had considered his education the most important thing in his life. He had always had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and by that age had already known for two years that he wanted to be an anthropologist. He had traveled extensively with his mom and had taken to observing the differences in the customs of the people they had met along the way.

Arrival at Jakes interrupted his thoughts. He went inside and started comparing fat and additive contents of several brands of potato chips. After carefully picking out several bags of extra greasy chips and two tubs of onion dip, he got in line to pay. Jake was working the cash register.

"Hey Blair. How ya doing tonight?" the elderly man asked, smiling heartily. Blair was one of his regular customers and was always friendly with him.

"Great, Jake." Blair answered, smiling. "Hows Julie doing?"

Julie was Jakes granddaughter. She was living with him while attending college at Rainier University. Her parents lived in Arizona. But when she checked out colleges she had found that Rainier offered her the best scholarship opportunities and the best program for her field of study. Also, since they offered post graduate coursework as well, she had figured that would save her having to move to a different school later. She was working toward a degree in Archaeology, one of Blairs interests, so they had become friends after having met in Jakes store a year ago. She was in her second year at Rainier now and Blair always checked to see how she was doing. He wanted to be available to help her out if she ever ran into any problems with her coursework.

"Shes doing fine. Shes at a seminar this evening, in fact. Thats why I'm running the register on a Friday evening." Jake answered.

Blair smiled. "Shes really lucky to have you, Jake. Letting her take off whenever she needs to."

"Hey, I wouldnt make her work at all if it was up to me. She insists on helping me whenever she can."

Blair paid for his purchases and Jake bagged it up for him, handing him the bag.

"You take care of yourself now." Jake said.

"You too, Jake." Blair said, taking the bag and heading toward the door." And say hi to Julie for me."

"I will." Jake answered.

Blair headed out and started the short walk home. He had just gotten to the corner when someone bumped into him from behind, making him drop his grocery bag. He started to turn to see who it was, expecting to find someone apologizing for knocking into him, but he was instead whirled around and shoved into the alley. It was at that point that he realized he was being mugged. He could tell there were two of them, but they wouldn't let him turn around and get a look at them. The cop side of his brain recognized that as a good thing, meaning they didn't intend to kill him, just take his money. He tried to be cooperative, putting his hands out to his side in a non threatening gesture of surrender.

"Take it easy. I'll give you whatever you want. Just take it easy." He said.

Before he could make another move or say another word, he felt a ton of bricks drop on his head. At least it felt like a ton of bricks. He felt his legs give out and the world spin around him. He felt them going through his pockets, then the exclamation, "Shit, hes a cop!" and another voice saying, "Lets get out of here!" and the sound of footsteps running away. He tried to get up but when he moved his head everything went black and he fell back and passed out.

The poker game was running closer than it ever had before. Everybody at the table had won a hand and lost a hand. Simon was getting ready to deal again. Jim stood up and stretched, looking toward the door, suddenly realizing that Sandburg had been gone a long time. Simon noticed his glance at the door and looked at his watch. It had been an hour. "Getting worried?" he asked Jim.

Jim looked back at the other guys. Not wanting to get teased for being the Blessed Protector mother hen, he shrugged. "He's probably too busy flirting with Julie to notice the time."

"Julie?" Rafe asked.

"Yeah. Shes Jakes granddaughter. Shes living with him now while she goes to college." Jim said.

"Hey, I'm hungry." Brown said. "I think I'll walk down and hurry him up. Deal me out this hand." He got up and headed for the door.

Jim watched him leave, thinking he should be the one going to check on Sandburg. For some reason, his partner seemed to bring out the protective instincts in all of them. It had always been that way, but even more so since the haircut. They had all been shocked to see how much younger his short hair made Blair look. When he had walked into the bullpen after his haircut, Jim had almost not recognized him at first glance. He looked like a high school kid. His hair curled up even more than it had when it was long and they had cut it so that he ended up with some falling over his forehead like bangs. Blair had insisted they weren't bangs, as he was too old for bangs. So, they weren't bangs, they were just hair hanging down in front .

Jim sat down and tried to pay attention to play another hand of poker. He had noticed when he stood up to stretch that Blair's gun was hanging in its holster on the coat rack. He wondered how long it would take him to train his partner to think of his gun as an extension of himself. Maybe he never would. That had seemed to be the only part of becoming a cop that had bothered him. Sandburg had been raised to feel that guns were inherently evil, not just a tool to be used for either good or evil. How do you convince someone that a gun is not evil, only certain people who use them.

The pounding woke him up and he opened his eyes to find himself face down in an oil spot. It took him a moment to realize that the pounding was coming from inside his own head. He reached to the back of his head and felt a sticky wet spot and a lump. Somebody must have hit him. He looked around and realized he was in an alley. In the distance he heard sirens and other city noises. Well, that was normal for Cascade. About time to get moving, he thought as he struggled to his feet. He pulled his jacket around him and stumbled down the alley, not really thinking about where he was going.

Rounding the corner, he realized he was at least five miles away from the part of the city where he usually hung out, which meant a pretty good walk to the boarded up warehouse he currently considered his home. He looked around and spotted an open backed pick-up truck stopped at the traffic light. Since it was headed in the right direction, he casually walked over and quietly slipped into the truck bed, laying down so the driver wouldn't notice him.

The light changed and the truck started off down the street.

PART 3

Henry Brown walked into Jake's mini-mart, going straight to the counter where Jake was finishing up with a customer. The customer took her bag and started out the door.

"Can I help you?" Jake asked.

"Yes sir." Brown answered. "I'm Detective Henry Brown. I work with Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg."

"Oh,yes, detective. Blair was just in here a little while ago."

"Yes sir. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Sandburg came down here to buy some snacks for our poker night but he didn't come back. We were getting worried so I came down to see if I could find him. How long ago was he here?"

Jake looked at the clock. "Oh, it's been forty five minutes or more. He bought some chips and dip."

Brown nodded. "Thankyou sir." He said, starting out the door.

"I hope he's okay." Jake called after him.

"Yes sir. Me too." Brown said.

The phone only gave half a ring before Jim picked it up. It had been half an hour since Brown had gone looking for Sandburg. Everyone in the room had been trying not to think the worst, but it was getting harder and harder to keep from thinking something had happened to him.

"Jim" Brown said, "You'd better get down here. I found Sandburg's groceries dumped over in the alley by the store, no sign of Blair anywhere. It's been almost an hour now since he left Jake's."

"Be right there." Jim said.

"What is it?" Simon asked.

"Something's up. Blair left the store almost an hour ago with groceries. The bag is spilled over in the alley at the corner by the store and there's no sign of Sandburg anywhere."

Simon stood up. "Let's get down there."

Jim and Simon stood in the alley, Jim concentrating his vision piercing the darkness trying to find any indication of what might have happened to his partner. Rafe and Brown had started walking the neighborhood to question people and see if anyone had seen Sandburg.

Jim tilted his head, sniffing the air and stepped oer toward the dumpster.

"Something?" Simon asked, following him.

Jim slipped a glove and an evidence bag out of his jacket pocket. Putting the glove on, he

bent down and picked up a brick from beside the dumpster. Walking over by the street light,

he held the brick up to examine it. There was a dark substance on one end.

"Blood?" Simon asked.

Jim nodded grimly. They would get it tested to verify if it was Blairs blood type but the way it looked there wasn't much doubt.

The pick-up truck slowed going around a corner and he tumbled over the side and scooted into the alley, the driver never having realized that he'd had a passenger. Once he got into the alley, he took a break and sat down against the brick wall of the building on the corner. He was feeling a bit dizzy and confused. How had he ended up so far away. He had no reason to go across town like that and judging by the contents of his pockets, empty, he'd apparently gotten himself mugged. It was getting cold and he didn't seem to have his gloves with him. In fact, the jacket he was wearing didn't even seem familiar to him and he wondered what had happened to his army coat. It was a lot warmer than this unlined leather jacket he was wearing. He got up and started walking down the alley toward home, thinking as he walked that it seemed awfully cold tonight for summertime. Something strange was going on. It seemed much later in the year to him, like late October or even November. But if that were true Naomi would have come home by now and he would be back in school.

He made his way through the debris surrounding the warehouse to the boarded up window with the loose board. Pushing it to the side he slid through the window and down onto the concrete floor. He reached around to his back pocket for his flashlight before he remembered that he'd been mugged. No flashlight, no matches, no way to find his blanket in the dark. He was cold, tired, and feeling very confused. He curled up in a ball right there on the floor and hoped there weren't any rats around tonight as he drifted off to sleep.

PART 4

Simon handed the picture of Blair Sandburg to the patrol watch commander for the midnight shift. He would distribute it at roll call so that every uniformed officer on patrol during the might would have it and be looking out for Sandburg. Then, if he hadn't been found by morning, the night shift would pass it on to the day shift. Simon had blown up a copy of the most recent picture they had of him, the picture from his new police ID card.

"We'll get this right out, Captain." The Lieutenant in charge of the night shift said, taking the picture. "We'll find him."

"Thank you." Simon said.

Jim Ellison drove slowly along the street, shining his search light up every alley. He just knew Sandburg was wandering around hurt somewhere. That was the only explanation for his disappearance that he could accept. The only alternatives were that the muggers had taken him with them for some reason, which couldn't be good, or that they had killed him and taken the body away to get rid of him. That really didn't make much sense though. If they had killed him, there would have been no reason not to leave him laying in the alley where it had happened. So, the fact that he was missing should really be taken as a good sign. At least that made Jim feel fairly certain that he was still alive. It also didn't seem likely that muggers would have felt the need to take him with them, unless he had seen them and maybe they saw that he was a cop and got scared.

The cell phone in his pocket started ringing so he turned the searchlight off and pulled over to answer it. "Ellison"

"Jim, it's Simon. The lab confirmed it is Blairs blood type." Simon said.

"I'm not surprised." Jim said. "I know that's not conclusive, but you know how Blair's luck is. I think this is another example of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I know what you mean, Jim. I have his picture out among all the patrol officers. He'll turn up."

"I know Simon. I just hope it's soon." Jim said.

The night passed slowly. Jim spent most of it driving and walking around looking for any sign of Sandburg. He had gone back to the alley by Jake's and tried to pick up a trail but there was nothing there. By early morning, he was very tired and getting frustrated. He had stopped for coffee several times during the night, but even his caffeine buzz was wearing off now. He was exhausted.

Blair woke up stiff and sore. He was cold and hungry. Looking around, he was surprised he had slept all the way through the night. He had never been one to feel comfortable in the dark. He usually slept with his flashlight in his hands, ready to turn on at any moment if he should need it during the night. He got up slowly, stretching. His head still felt sore and he reached back and felt the lump still there. At least it wasn't pounding like it had been last night. First thing he needed was to get some breakfast. Then he'd have to see about scrounging up some money so he could get a new flashlight. He didn't want to have to face another night without light. He needed to call Naomi's attorneys office and see if she had left a message there for him. He knew she would leave a message there for him to let him know when to expect her back. He hoped she would come back soon. He missed her and he wanted to get ready for school to start. He couldn't go back to her "friends" house in Las Vegas. He couldn't understand how she had ever been fooled by him. Well, maybe he was nice to her. He probably only came on to boys. Blair thought back to the week he had spent living with Rick after Naomi had gone on her Africa retreat. Rick had started out fine but within a couple of days, he had started walking around the house in his underwear or even nude and kept rubing up against Blair every chance he got. Then he had started fondling himself in front of him and saying smutty things to him. On the fifth night, Blair had felt really wiped out and gone to bed early. He had thought the big meal Rick had cooked had made him sleepy but later he decided maybe Rick had slipped something into his drink. He slept soundly through the night but when he had awakened the next morning he had been naked. He had definitely been wearing shorts and a t-shirt when he had gone to sleep. The idea that Rick had been touching him while he was asleep made him throw up. Then it made him decide to leave. By that night he had been on a bus headed out of town. He might never know what Rick had actually done to him while he slept but he knew he wasn't going to give him another chance to do anything.

Blair pushed all the old memories out of his head, climbing up and out of the window. He headed over toward the bakery several blocks away. They had always left the stale donuts out back on the ledge for anyone who was hungry enough to eat them. Looking up at the overcast sky, he wondered if he'd be too late to get anything. It seemed pretty early in the morning but it also seemed way too cold for summertime. He was still feeling a bit of confusion, almost like he had fallen asleep for a couple of months before waking up in that alley. Maybe something had happened to Naomi and she was late getting back. He'd definitely have to call that attorney's office today and check.

Harrisons bakery could be smelled several blocks away in any direction. Blair could have followed his nose if he hadn't already known the way. He kept to the back alleys as much as he could, just because he had learned in his 2 months on his own, that street kids were better off keeping a low profile. Attracting attention to yourself would either get you locked up, beaten up, or raped, all of which he could do without. He had known kids who had gotten locked up and sent to juvie hall. Some of them told stories of being sexually assaulted there by gangs of bigger kids. One boy who had been there told him about being forced to give one of the attendants a blow job, threatening to have the gang of big kids rape him if he didn't. No, Blair definitely didn't need any of that kind of attention. He had already had to do things he never would have thought he could make himself do, just to stay alive and well while he waited for his mom to come back. He didn't even want to think about it.

He peaked around the corner at the back of the bakery. Relief surged through him. There they were, Stale donuts lined along the ledge, wrapped in paper towels. It didn't look like any had been taken yet. It must still be early. He was the first to arrive. Nobody else in sight, he decided it was safe, so he walked over and grabbed two donuts off the ledge, then found himself a comfortable spot to sit across the other side of the alley. He wanted to watch the donuts disappear and see if anybody he knew showed up for breakfast. He was actually surprised he had beaten Lenny today. He was usually first at any known food supply. Blair ate his donuts quietly, watching the rest of the alley while he ate. Nobody would be sneaking up on him.

A little girl ran down the alley, giggling as another little girl chased after her. Blair took a second look before realizing he was looking at twins. They were about six years old he guessed. They each grabbed a donut off the ledge and started eating. Blair had just begun to worry that they were out here all alone when their mom came down the alley, telling them to sit down and be quiet. She took a look at Blair, then got herself a donut and sat opposite him in the alley. The girls sat down next to their mom, looking nervously over at Blair. They whispered back and forth to each other as they ate, sneaking occasional glances over at him. Finally one of them looked right at him. "Hey, what's your name?" she asked him.

"Blair." He said, smiling. "What's yours?"

"I'm Kiri and she's Miri." The girl answered. "Are you all alone?" She asked, looking at him sadly.

Blair nodded. "Right now I am."

"Where's your mommy?" Miri asked.

"She's away in another country." Blair answered. "Far away."

"Aren't you lonely?" Kiri asked.

"A little, but she'll be back soon and then I'll go home and go back to school."

"School?" Kiri asked.

Blair nodded. "You haven't been to school yet?"

"No." They both answered.

"You'll probably go soon. You'll like school. It's fun." Blair said, finishing his last bite of donut. He stood up and stretched.

"You're leaving now?" Kiri asked.

"Yeah, got lots of things to do today. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." Blair smiled and walked down the alley. He heard them calling goodbyes after him and waved back before turning out into the main street.

Jim and Simon walked into the pawn shop. Officer Logan was waiting for them and handed Jim the wallet. He took one look at the wallet, the wallet he had just given to Blair as a gift for graduating the police academy. It had his initials engraved on the front and inside had a badge holder and a special spot for his police ID. Blairs badge and ID were still in the wallet as were the credits cards, health insurance card, and several photos. Only the money was gone. Jim handed it to Simon who looked it over, then gave it back to Jim.

"The pawn shop dealer, Mr. Cramer, gave the kid $20 for the wallet. Then he called us. He didn't want the kids to be suspicious but he thought it strange that they had a police officers wallet so he figured this way he'd get it back and then give us a description of the kid who had it." Officer Logan explained. "He's waiting in the back room to talk to you. Says his father was a cop so he feels like he should watch out for any other cops."

After talking with Mr. Cramer, Jim and Simon were able to put out a description of the kid who had pawned the wallet. He had given an address several blocks away. It was probably fake but they went to check it out anyway. The kid had given a name of John Smith. When they got to the address the kid had given, it was a vacant lot, formerly the location of the Clark Apartment house, recently condemned and torn down. Jim wondered if the kid had actually lived there at some time and just remembered the address.

PART 5

They were driving back to the station when a broadcast went out over the radio. A patrol officer had spotted Sandburg walking down Dalaney Street. He was following him now but had not pulled over to speak to him. The officer was waiting for instructions from Major Crimes since it was their APB.

Jim and Simon were about five blocks away. They advised the officer to just keep an eye on him until they got there. Moments later, Officer Malloy was on the radio reporting that the subject had spotted his patrol car and had taken off running. His partner, Officer Reed, had taken off in foot pursuit.

Jim pulled his truck up by the patrol car and hopped out. "Which way?" He asked the officer.

Malloy pointed down the alley. "Ran down that way."

Jim took off down the alley just as Officer Reed was walking back up. "I lost him. That guy is fast!" He said, panting.

"Why was he running, anyway. I thought he was a cop." Malloy asked, when he saw them walking out of the alley.

Jim grimaced. "He was mugged last night. We think he may have gotten hit on the head and gotten disoriented."

"You mean like amnesia?" Reed asked.

Jim nodded.

"Well, we'll keep looking for him. Before he spotted us, he seemed like he knew the area. He was acting like a street kid, checking all the payphones he passed by for loose change, bummed dollars off a couple of people and as soon as he saw us, he took off, just like every street kid around here does."

Well, thanks for trying anyway. Jim said. I appreciate your call.

Malloy smiled. Hey. I know how Id feel if it were my partner out there. He looked over at Officer Reed. I remember the things he put me through when he was a rookie.

We all understand. Reed said. Finding your partner and getting him back safely is top priority on the street right now. You have every cops eye trained for him. Well find him. Dont worry.

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. Jim said.

You really should go get some sleep. Malloy suggested. I know its hard but if you dont take care of yourself, youre going to be in no shape to help Sandburg when hes found.

I appreciate the concern, but I just cant quit looking yet. I think Im going to just take a walk around the neighborhood. Talk to some people, see if anyone has seen him. If I dont find him soon, Ill go home and take a nap. Jim answered.

Take it easy, Ellison. Malloy said, as he and Reed got into their patrol car.

Thanks. Jim said.

Simon Banks sat at his desk sipping a much needed cup of coffee. Chocolate Macadamia, nectar of the gods. He had been up most of the night, finally crashing for a few hours sleep on the couch at Jims place. He figured if either of them were going to sleep at all, it should be there, just in case Sandburg called or came back home. If he was wandering around in a daze, he could come to his senses any moment, and if that happened it was only logical that the first thing he would do would be to call home or if he was close enough maybe just show up there.

But there had been no word. Simon had gotten up and come in to the office. As his coffee was brewing he had heard the report that two patrol officers had spotted Sandburg but he had run off before they could get to him. Well, at least that was good news in one way. If he was able to run that fast, he must not be badly hurt.

Simon thought about all the close calls the kid had had over the years he had known him. He wondered if his luck had always been so bad. Sandburg had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Was it his association with them or had he always been a walking trouble magnet? Maybe it could be said that his luck was actually good. It was true he always seemed to find trouble easier than anyone hed ever known but he also always seemed to wiggle out of it. He was a survivor. And the fates had seen fit to hook him up with Jim Ellison, a guy with a superman complex, who needed to save people on a regular basis just to feel usefull. No, it wasnt really fair to say that. Jim needed Blairs help desperately when they came together, and Blair had seemed to need a big brother figure, someone to care about him, to worry about him if he was late coming home, something it seemed he had never had growing up with his free spirited world traveler mom.

The phone ringing broke into his thoughts and he took another swallow of coffee before answering.

Banks.

Immediately the voice of the woman he had just been thinking about came over the phone line.

Simon, Whats going on with Blair? Naomi demanded.

Naomi, How did you know?

Just tell me. Is he okay? Naomi said, urgency in her voice. I can be there by tomorrow, but I need to know whats going on.

Calm down. Hes okay as far as we know. Its just, he was mugged last night and we think he got hit on the head and maybe lost his memory or just got confused, cause he walked off somewhere and seems to just be wandering around the city.

That explains the phone call then. Naomi said. Blair called my attorney less than an hour ago asking him if I was back in the country yet. The attorney said he sounded like he thought I was in Africa. That was a trip I took one summer when Blair was fourteen.

I spent the whole summer thinking he was with a friend of mine while he had run away less than a week after I left. He spent most of that summer living on the streets, most of the time in Cascade.

Do you know what area he stayed in then? Where he was sleeping? Simon asked. If he thinks hes fourteen again he would go back to his old habits from then.

I wish I knew anything. He would never tell me about that summer, just that he was fine and he wanted to get back to school. He told me that the guy I left him with, Rick Daniels, had tried to do some things to him so he had to leave. He would never even tell me exactly what Rick did and I guess at the time I felt so guilty for leaving him there, that I really didnt want to know. I was just happy that he seemed fine once I was back.

Naomi, can you contact your attorney and tell him that if Blair calls again to set up a meeting point. Tell him youre back and youre anxious to get him started back to school. Simon suggested.

Okay, Ill do that. But he might not call again for a week or more. She answered. I think all calls into my attorneys office are recorded. Im going to see if I can get a copy of his call.

Good, can you have them send a copy to me? Simon asked. Maybe if Jim listens to it hell be able to pick up something about where he was calling from.

Okay. Tell Jim Ill be there some time late tonight. Im in Dallas right now visiting a friend. Assuming theres a flight available right away, I should be able to get there by then. Naomi said.

You call us to pick you up from the airport. Simon said.

Thanks, Simon. Naomi said.

Simon called Jim to tell him about the call and found that Jim was out walking around the area where Blair had been spotted earlier. It had been several hours ago but Jim felt that he was still probably hanging around the same area. Especially after hearing what Naomi had to say. Blair had just pretended to be a runaway on their last case. That had only been two nights ago. That must have brought back memories for him. Maybe that was why the knock on the head had thrown him into the past like that. If he really thought he was fourteen again and back in that time, he would revert to whatever his behavior had been at then. Living on the streets for two to three months he must have learned a lot of street survival skills. Jim decided the best way to predict what Blair might do was to ask a runaway street kid. Any kid who hung out in this area would know where to go to sleep and where to scrounge for food. Maybe he could pick up a clue or two. This in mind, when he got off the phone with Simon, he started looking for any homeless people. It would be better to talk to a kid to get a real perspective but any homeless person from the neighborhood could tell him where the food could be found.

Chances were Blair would show up to get something to eat sometime.

PART 6

Blair was getting hungry again. He didnt know what time it was but it was definitely past lunch time. He knew he had gone before for days without food and had learned to ignore the hunger. He wondered why it was bothering him so much now. He pulled his money out of his pocket. He had managed to accumulate seven dollars just from looking pitiful and asking for it. He had found when he had first come out on the street that it was easier to get money out of the older women, the ones who seemed motherly. They thought he was cute and he reminded them of their own kids so they wanted to help him. He hardly ever asked for money from men. It was too dangerous. Too many of them wanted something in return. Too many of them had tried to get him to go into the gas station bathroom with them or even get in their car and go somewhere nice with them. He didn't want to think about where he might end up if he did that. He was no idiot. Most of them just wanted a quick blow job, but you never knew how far they would go if you let them get you alone. He wasn't about to put himself in a situation where he might end up getting raped or killed. He had too much stuff he wanted to do in his life. He just wished Naomi would get back soon.

Well, seven dollars would buy him lunch anyway and if he was careful he'd have a few dollars left to buy some bottled water and he still needed to get himself a flashlight. He walked down to the Wonderburger at the end of the block. Naomi would have fits if she saw him eating this kind of food. But then, she wasn't going to be too thrilled when she found out he'd been living on the street all summer while she'd been gone. She'd had good intentions when she'd left him with Rick, thinking he'd be a good father substitute, that it'd be good for him to live with a strong male role model for a little while. What a mistake in character judgement that had been. Rick was a snake.

He ordered a cheeseburger, french fries and a vanilla milkshake and wondered how the prices had gotten so much higher than they were last time he was in here. The price of fat must have gone up, he thought, chuckling to himself as he found a seat in the back of the fast food restaurant. He sat at a small table where someone had left him a newspaper to read. He was always interested in reading, pretty much anything he could get his hands on, but a newspaper was the best. He took a bite of his cheeseburger and turned the paper to the front page. It didn't take long before he noticed something was not quite right here.

Then he looked at the date on the paper. November 2, 1999. His first thought was that this was one of those joke newspapers like you can get made up at amusement parks some times, have a picture of yourself put on the front. But then he took a really close look through the paper. It didn't look like that kind of paper. Then he noticed the sale adds in the middle of the paper. There were adds in there for computers, a Pentium III 500mgz processor with a 27gigabyte hard drive and 128mb ram, a 56k modem, and a 120mb Superdisk drive. What was that?

Blairs head started pounding and suddenly his food held no appeal. He wrapped it up in his bag, grabbed his milkshake and headed for the bathroom. Something had happened to him. He had been sucked into a time warp or something and the only thing he could think of was that he needed to see himself in the mirror right now. Had he lost years of his life somewhere along the way?

He pushed through the door into the men's room and looked into the mirror. Well, he did look a bit different, but not too much. He certainly didn't think he looked 16 years older.

Sixteen years. That would make him thirty years old. He pinched his face and scratched at what looked like about a weeks worth of beard growth. When had he gotten facial hair to that extent? He must not have shaved for a couple of weeks by the looks of it. His hair just didn't grow that fast. Then he noticed the area around his eyes maybe wasn't quite as smooth as usual. He looked down at his chest, pulling his t-shirt down a little to see his chest hair peaking out. He didn't remember that being so thick before either. Well, maybe 16 years had passed. He didn't look all that much different, but if 16 years had gone by what had he been doing all of that time? Where had he been? And even more important, Where was Naomi? Hadn't she ever come back for him? Something must have happened to her. But the attorney hadn't said anything had happened to her. He'd just taken his message, just like always and said he'd pass along the message when she checked in. He ran his hand over the lump on the back of his head. Maybe that explained it. He had hurt his head somehow and lost his memory. Surely, he couldn't have been on the street for sixteen years. He had to figure out what was going on. He looked at his shaking hands and walked out of the bathroom and out of Wonderburger. He needed to get to a phone. He'd call the attorney again and see if he could tell him what was going on.

Jim and Simon listened to the timid voice of Blair Sandburg on the tape. This wasn't the voice of Blair Sandburg, thirty year old man. This voice sounded quiet and insecure with a twinge of fear.

"Do you think she's coming back soon?" Blair asked.

"I haven't heard from her in several weeks." Mr. Clarey answered. "Are you all right, Blair?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm just fine. I just need to talk to Naomi." Blair answered. "Just tell her to leave a number where I can call her."

"I'll do that, but I don't know when I'll hear from her. Is there anything I can help you with meanwhile."

"No, thanks. Ill call back." Blair said. "Bye."

Simon looked at Jim. The Sentinel had had his head cocked to one side for most of the conversation. Now a glimmer appeared in his eye. "I know where he was when he made that call, Simon."

"How do you know?" Simon asked.

"I could hear a voice in the background. It was Vinnie at the hot dog stand at Bennet and Maple. I could hear him dealing with customers in the background. Blair must have been at the payphone in front of the news stand there."

"Which at least gives us an idea where to keep watch for him to make another call." Simon said. "Lets go over there and see if Vinnie is still there. Maybe he can keep an eye out."

It was getting late in the evening when Blair stepped up to the payphone and dialed the number to Mr. Clareys office. As the phone rang, he realized the attorney had probably already left for the day. He turned around and the hot dog vendor standing nearby looked up at him and waved. Blair turned around quickly. He didn't need to encourage anything. Who knew what kind of perversions the guy might have. Maybe he wanted to take a kid home with him to warm his bed for the night.

The answering machine picked up, a secretary's voice saying the office was closed for the evening and would reopen at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning. Blair hung up the phone and turned away, glancing over to see that the hot dog man was staring at him. Blair looked over at the street. A police car had just stopped at the traffic light. The officer in the passenger side suddenly noticed him and called out. "Sandburg!"

Blair hesitated only a moment before taking off down the alley. He didn't know what he had done to make the police chase after him, but he wasn't about to get caught just to find out. Those other cops early this morning had seemed determined to catch him. He climbed the fence at the end of the alley and took a moment to glance back. Seeing an officer on foot running after him, he ducked behind a dumpster and crouched down in the dark. At least for the moment, he was glad it was November. If it was still summer time it wouldn't be dark yet by this time of night and hed have a much harder time hiding.

He listened but never heard the officer go over the chain link fence. He must have given up. Blair waited a few more minutes, then peaked back into the alley. The cop was still standing there, looking through the fence, waiting to see him come out of hiding. So, he was pretty sure he was still here. Well, Blair Sandburg could wait him out. He'd just stay so still, the cop would give up and go away in a couple of minutes.

PART 7

Jim pulled the truck up in front of Vinnie's hot dog stand. Vinnie was packing up for the evening but looked up when he saw Jim and Simon getting out of the truck.

"Detective, Is something wrong with Blair?" He asked.

"Have you seen him?" Jim asked. "We're looking for him. He got hit in the head last night and seems to have amnesia."

Vinnie nodded. "No wonder he looked at me so strangely when I waved to him."

"How long ago did you see him?" Simon asked.

"Just about ten minutes ago." Vinnie answered. "He took off running when an officer from that police car called out to him." He pointed to a police car parked just around the corner.

Jim pulled Simons arm and started toward the alley. "This way,Simon. Come on."

They walked up the alley. Jim could see a uniformed officer standing at the end of the alley looking through a chain link fence. They walked up to the fence.

Officer Perry turned as they approached and signalled them to be quiet.

"My partner went around the block to try to come up behind him. I think he's hiding behind the dumpster. I saw him peek out at me a few minutes ago."

Jim stepped up to the fence and concentrated his hearing and vision toward the alley. He tuned out the little whispers between Perry and Simon, and the traffic sounds from the street.

There it was, a rapid heartbeat and quiet breathing. Then a quiet whispered chant. "Go away, go away, go away, go away."

It was Blair. Jim's first thought was to climb the fence and go to him, but if he didn't remember any of his life since he was fourteen, he wouldn't know Jim or Simon. He wouldn't even know that the cops weren't after him but were only trying to help him. He must be terrified. He was probably expecting to be run off to juvenile hall for being a runaway.

Jim suddenly thought of Naomi and wished that she had gotten here. If she were standing here right now, Blair would know it was okay to come out.

Officer Perry's partner, Margie Cromer, chose that moment to try to sneak up behind Blair from the other direction. Jim saw her trying to stay in the shadows, trying to silently move closer to Blair. Jim held his breath watching her slow progress closer and closer.

Suddenly, Blair jumped out from behind the dumpster, yelling "No, I didn't do anything. Leave me alone!" He pushed past Officer Cromer and started running away.

Jim started over the fence, yelling out. "Sandburg, Chief, wait. It's Jim!"

He was at the top of the fence getting ready to drop over when he saw Blair stop and turn around. He stayed still and waited, hoping the sight of him would jog Blair's memory.

Blair looked at the man on the fence. He semed familiar. It felt wrong to be running away from him. He had called him Chief. What did that mean? It sounded like some kind of nickname, but he didn't remember having anyone call him that before. It did kind of make him feel warm all over. This man seemed like a friend. He was just about to go to him when another image popped into his head, an image of that same man slamming him up against a wall, an angry expression on his face. No, this guy could be trouble. Blair took off running as fast as he could.

Jim finished dropping over the fence and took off after his partner. He had thought Blair was going to come to him, but then something had changed his mind. He wondered if he had learned to be this suspicious from living on the streets when he was fourteen.

He followed Blair for several blocks, then turned a corner into another alley and realized he'd lost him. He stood still and focused a minute but didn't hear or see anything. No breathing, no heartbeat, no running footsteps. How had he disappeared so fast. Jim looked around. This alley was bordered by old warehouse buildings on both sides. One was an old paint factory that had gone out of business only a few months ago. The other was what remained of an old department store warehouse. He trained his hearing on each building but didn't hear any movement from either one. Reluctantly, he turned to walk back to meet up with Simon.

Blair flopped down on his mattress in his little corner of the old warehouse. He was glad he had explored the building a little earlier in the day while it was still light enough to see. He hadn't gotten a chance today to get a new flashlight. But he had found an old mattress and moved it into a corner on the second floor that was right by a window where there was a street light that gave him just enough light to see around him. He closed his eyes and thought about his day. Some strange things had happened to him today. He really wished he could remember what ever it was that he had forgotten. If Naomi would just come back. Maybe she could explain it all to him. He had obviously missed something major. He felt the lump on the back of his head. The swelling had gone down and it wasn't so sore anymore. So, if his head was better, why couldn't he remember? If sixteen years had passed by that he couldn't remember, what was wrong with him? Maybe something terrible had happened to him and he didn't want to remember. And who was that guy that had seemed so familiar. He had said his name was Jim. He could picture this Jim in so many different places and with so many different expressions on his face. He could even picture him with Naomi. He saw them sitting on a bed together talking, eating something and drinking out of wine glasses.

So, maybe he was one of Naomi's friends. Maybe he was like Rick. Maybe he'd better just stay away from him. He fell asleep thinking about this Jim guy, wondering who he really was.

Jim stalked back to his truck where Simon stood waiting for him. The expression on his face was enough to tell Simon that Blair had somehow gotten away.

As they got back into the truck, Jim's cell phone rang. "Ellison." He answered.

"Jim, it's Naomi. Have you found Blair yet?"

"He's been seen a couple of times, Naomi, but we haven't caught up to him yet. I saw him tonight though. He's all right, physically, anyway. He just doesn't seem to remember. He's confused."

"Well, I'm at the airport. My plane just landed ten minutes ago. I"ll catch a cab and meet you at your place."

"We're not that far from the airport, Naomi. We'll head on over there and pick you up."

"Okay. I'll be at the American Airlines gate. I'll watch for you." Naomi said.

PART 8

Monday morning. It was Monday morning. Blair had been running around lost all weekend. Maybe lost wasn't the right word. He knew 'where' he was. He just didn't know 'when' he was. And actually not knowing when he was meant that he didn't really know who he was either. He only knew who he had been, when he was a self sufficient, lonely, fourteen year old kid who had chosen to live on the street for a summer rather than let himself by sexually assaulted by the man who was supposed to be responsible for him. Jim cringed as he thought about how Blair, the teenager, must have felt then. His mom had gone away on a summer long trip, thinking she was leaving him with a trusted friend, thinking she had set up a perfect male-father figure bonding situation for him. And less than a week later, he had discovered that this man he had thoght was a friend wanted to use him, maybe wanted to have sex with him. Naomi didn't seem to have any details of exactly what had happened. But that was the impression she had gotten from Blair at the time. Rick had wanted something sexual from him and he had refused and hadn't felt safe living there. So, he had felt safer living out on the street in a city where he didn't know anyone, where he had to beg for money and eat what other people didn't want.

Naomi came out of Blair's bedroom. Finding Jim sitting at the table sipping a cup of coffee, she got one for herself and sat down across from him. He looked up at her. She gave him a little smile.

"I have a good feeling we're going to find him today." She said.

"I hope you're right, Naomi." Jim said.

"I'm going in to work with you." She said. "If He's spotted anywhere, I need to be there. He'll come to me."

Jim nodded. "How often did he call in to Clarey's office during that summer? Do you know?"

"I think once every week or two, maybe more often toward the end of summer when he was expecting me back. He wanted to make sure that when I came back and found he wasn't where I had left him that I didn't worry. As it turned out, I talked to Mr. Clarey about a week before I was planning on coming back and found out Blair was living on his own, so I came back early."

Naomi explained.

"Where did you meet up with him when you got back?" Jim asked.

"We met in front of the old Cascade Library. He made me go in with him so he could get a library card and check out a book to take to the hotel that night. He said he'd only been reading leftover newspapers all summer long and he needed to read as much as he needed a warm bath and a real meal."

Jim smiled. "That sounds like Blair."

Blair struggled to free himself from the straps that bound his wrists and legs together. He was in a chair, like a dentist office chair, in a dark building that was falling apart around him. He could hear fighting going on somewhere nearby and he knew Jim was fighting the killer, the guy who had kidnapped him and was planning to kill him. He was sleepy, drugged, and fighting to stay awake and aware, wanting to see who came back to get him, if it would be Jim coming to save him or the killer coming to take him off to be drowned. Behind him he heard a sound and his heart jumped up into his throat. Then a hand reached for his shoulder and a calming voice reached into his heart. "It's okay. It's Jim." And he knew he was going to be all right.

Blair woke with tears in his eyes. He had dreamed about that man he had seen the other night. In the dream, Jim had saved him. So Jim really was his friend. He should have trusted him. He could probably tell him what had happened to him.

He got up and stretched. He'd go to the payphone and call Clarey's office. He wondered where Naomi was. She wouldn't still be on her Africa trip, but it wouldn't surprise him if she was off far away in some other country. She had never been one to stay settled down in one place for long. And now, if he really was grown up, she didn't have to worry about him anymore. She probably traveled even more now. No wonder Mr. Clarey had asked him if he was okay when he had called. He probably hadn't heard from him in sixteen years.

First stop, donuts. His stomach rumbled. He had been so tense yesterday he hadn't really thought about eating anything. Now that he was beginning to think things were going to turn out all right his appetite was returning. All he needed to do was find Naomi or Jim. He was sure either one of them could help him get his memory back. He made his way carefully out of the warehouse and headed for the bakery.

Jim drove his truck slowly down Riverside Avenue, scanning the sides of the road as he drove. The smell of fresh baked goods filtered in through the closed windows from Harrison's Bakery on the corner. Jim looked carefully around by the bakery. He had talked to several homeless people on Saturday and they had all said that Harrison's was one of the places in the city known to put out food for the homeless. Jim turned the corner and pulled into the alley running behind the bakery. Naomi looked at him questioningly. "You mean what they say about cops and donuts is true?" She asked.

Jim opened the door. "It smells so good and Ive heard they put out the day old donuts for the homeless. I just want to see if anyone here has seen Blair."

He got out and walked up the alley. There were donuts wrapped in napkins on the ledge. Across from the bakery sat a young woman and two little girls who looked like twins. They looked suspiciously at Jim when he walked up. The woman looked tense, like she was ready to get her children up and run with them any moment.

Jim smiled pleasantly and stopped walking any closer. "Hi." He said. "I'm looking for a friend. He's lost. I was wondering if maybe you had seen him. His name is Blair Sandburg. I have a picture." He pulled Blair's picture out of his jacket pocket and held it up for them to see.

The girls both yelled out "Blair." excitedly. "We saw him. He had breakfast with us."

"Did you see him today?" Jim asked.

The woman nodded. "He was here about ten minutes ago. He was here yesterday and the day before too. But today he was in a hurry. He said he needed to make a phone call."

"Thank you." Jim said. He handed her one of his cards. "Would you hold onto this for me and if you see him again give it to him and tell him I really want him to call me. Tell him his mother is looking for him. Will you do that?"

The woman took the card and nodded. "I probably won't see him again till tomorrow morning."

Jim nodded and walked back to the car.

By the time they got in to Jims office there was a message waiting for them from Mr. Clarey. Blair had called him just ten minutes ago. He had given him Jims cell phone number and home number and told him that Naomi was in Cascade looking for him and to call her at one of those numbers. Mr. Clarey had also said that Blair had asked him if he knew where he had been and what he had been doing for the past few years. He had seemed to realize that he was no longer fourteen years old but didnt know how old he was or where he lived. Mr. Clarey had told him that they knew he had been hurt and lost his memory and that he had a lot of friends who were looking for him because they wanted to get him home. Blair had still sounded suspicious but had taken the phone numbers and said he would call and talk to Naomi.

They had just sat down at Jims desk when the cell phone rang. Jim started to answer it, then thought better of it, and handed the phone to Naomi.

Hello, This is Naomi Sandburg. She answered.

Mom! Blairs voice rang out in excitement. I wasnt sure youd be there.

Im here, honey. Ive been waiting for you to call. Where are you? She asked.

He hesitated. Jim couldnt help listening in. Blair still sounded like he wasnt sure what to believe. Mom, I dont know what Ive been doing for the last sixteen years. Where have I been? Do you know? He asked, his voice cracking with the effort to fight off tears.

Blair, its okay, honey. Youll remember. You got hit in the head and lost your memory but Im sure it will come back to you once we get you home. Naomi said. Tell me where you are and Jim and I will come and pick you up.

Jim. Blair repeated. Who is Jim? I saw him the other night and it seemed like I knew him but I wasnt sure. Im not sure of anything, so I ran away. But Im tired and cold. Is Jim one of your friends?

Jim is your friend. Hes your partner and you live with him.

Partner? Blair asked. What kind of partner? His mind was suddenly thrown into visions of himself growing up to be gay, having a relationship with another man. But that didnt seem right. He hadnt wanted that when Rick had suggested it. But maybe that was just Rick and the fact that he was still a kid then. Maybe he had spent longer on the street than he thought he had and had ended up giving in and selling himself for money to get warm clothes and food. He sort of remembered coming close to that point but he didnt think he had done it. His memory was all screwed up.

Your partner at work, Blair. Youre a cop, a detective. Naomi said.

He was silent.

Blair.

Huh? He wasnt sure she had said what he thought she had just said.

I said youre a cop. You work with Jim. Hes your partner. You work for Cascade police. Naomi explained.

Im a cop. Is that why theyve all been after me? He asked. I thought I must have done something wrong.

No, honey. They were trying to find you to get you help. You were mugged and hit in the head and youve been wandering around confused for a couple of days. Weve all been trying to find you. Naomi said. Now, please, tell me where you are.

Okay. Im in front of the Wonderburger on Maple Avenue. Blair said. Can you come now?

Yes, well be right there. Why dont you go inside and sit down where its warm? Naomi suggested.

Cant. Blair said. Dont have any money. They dont let anybody sit in there if you dont buy something. Cant even use the bathroom.

All right. Well be right there.

Ill be here. Blair said.

PART 9

Blair stood by the payphone and waited. It was cold this morning so he started pacing to try to keep warm. This jacket was too thin for this kind of weather. People walked by him going in and out of Wonderburger and just passing by on the sidewalk. This was a pretty busy area during the average work day. A lot of office buildings lined this road and for several blocks in any direction. Being the beginning of lunch time, the sidewalk traffic had been picking up for the last few minutes. Blair wondered if he had enough change for a cup of coffee. That would get him inside and get him something warm to drink. He started pulling change out of his pockets and was just counting what he had in his hand when someone grabbed his arm.

He looked over and saw that a big husky guy, about seventeen years old, had grabbed his arm and was pulling him. Suddenly, his other arm was grabbed by another guy. This one was tall and thin, about the same age. They pulled him along though the noontime crowd and before he knew it, he was in the alley behind Wonderburger.

He struggled to pull away from them and managed to get his arm loose from the skinny guy but the other one had his arm like a vice.

"Hey, whats up with you guys? " Blair yelled. "What do you want?"

"You." The skinny guy answered." Its your fault the cops are after us now. You must have given 'em a description of me."

"What?" Blair said." I don't even know who you are. What's your problem? "

The big guy laughed then. "We don't have a problem. You do." He threw Blair against the brick wall.

Blair felt like he had been shot out of a missile. He hit the wall hard, his head banging against the brick and bouncing back. Before he could fall to the ground, the big guy grabbed him again and shoved him against the wall, holding him there. He tried to focus to see what they were doing but his vision was blurred. Suddenly, he felt a sharp jab in his stomach and he crumbled into a ball on the cold concrete of the alley, feeling himself fading away. The last thing he was aware of before he sank into darkness was the sound of his attackers running away.

"I don't see him. Do you see him?" Naomi asked, worriedly. They had pulled up in front of Wonderburger but Blair wasn't there.

"Maybe he went inside." Jim said, parking the truck in the no parking zone in front to the fast food restaurant. He stuck his flashing blue light on the dash and got out, walking toward the front of the store. Naomi got out and followed.

It was crowded inside, being lunchtime in the business district, but not so crowded that Jim wouldn't have been able to spot Blair if he had been there. He wasn't.

"I'm going to check the mens room." He told Naomi, heading toward the back.

As Jim approached the mens room door, his sense of smell was assaulted by an all too familiar odor. Blood. For some reason, he was sure it was Blair's blood. Before he could even give a thought to how he could possibly distinguish Blair's blood from anyone elses, instinct drove him through the door in search of his guide.

No Blair. But, the first thing he saw upon stepping into the room was the blood being washed down the sink. It was dripping from someones hand. He drew his gun and pointed at the two occupants of the room. Two teenage boys, one tall and thin, one tall and wide, both standing by the sink as the thin one washed the blood off his hands.

"Freeze!" Jim shouted." Cascade Police."

They both looked up at him and did just what he had told them to do. They froze. Neither of them had ever had a gun pointed at them. And one look into this cops face told them he was serious and would not hesitate to shoot if they didn't listen to him.

Naomi opened the men's room door and peeked inside. "Jim." She called out, having heard him shout.

"Naomi, call me some backup, now." Jim ordered. "Hurry." He handed her his cell phone. She took it and made the call. He didn't listen in, but turned his attention back to the two nervous kids in front of him.

"Where is he?" He demanded.

"Who?" The big guy asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Dont play stupid with me." Jim said, angrily. " Where is the man whose blood you were just washing off your hands?"

"I was just washing ketchup off my hands." The thin guy said.

Jim gave him the meanest look he could muster, which he had been assured in the past was a pretty scary look to have directed at you. "If he dies, you can be assured, you will be tried as adults, and you will spend the rest of your lives in prison. Unless, of course, they give you the death penalty."

The thin guy started to cry, so Jim looked directly at him.

"Cop killers usually get lethal injection in this state." He said in a menacing voice. He continued staring directly into the kids eyes, seeing the tears and the sweat, hearing the pounding heart, the chattering teeth. The kid was almost hysterical with fear.

Just as he felt the kid was about to talk, the door opened and 2 uniformed officers pushed their way in.

The big guy decided then that it was time for him to speak up. "We're not saying anything until we talk to our lawyers." He said, getting a smug look on his face.

"Detective?" One officer asked.

Jim nodded. "Go ahead. Take them, and read them their rights. I didn't get a chance yet."

As the officers cuffed the kids and hustled them out of the bathroom, Jim opened his senses wide to see if he could pick up any more clues. There had been something in the background since he had entered the bathroom, something that had been calling to his senses, trying to get his attention. He stood still and let it come to him, tuning out every sound, and smell that belonged there. He felt Naomi's hand touch his shoulder in an attempt to keep him grounded. In the back of his mind, he realized she must have finally read her copy of Blairs dissertation. He dismissed those thoughts to be dealt with later and listened. There was a sound. As he tuned out everything else, it got louder, and gradually he became aware of what it was. He turned suddenly toward the door, looking at Naomi. "Blair's heartbeat!" He said, quickly taking off out the door.

Within moments, Jim was in the back of Wonderburger.

"Blair!" He called, seeing the semi-conscious man curled up by the brick wall next to the dumpster. There was blood on his hands and on the front of his shirt and open jacket. There was also a lump on his forehead that was scraped and bleeding.

Jim rolled Blair onto his back, stretching him out to see the damage. Then he saw the knife lying partly under the dumpster. So, it was a knife wound.

Naomi had come up behind Jim and immediately used his cell phone, which she still had in her hand, and called for an ambulance. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jim was surprised that she was staying so calm. He had always thought of her as the borderline hysterical type.

She handed him a thick scarf out of her bag as she knelt by her sons side. Jim rolled the scarf into a ball and used it to apply pressure to the knife wound. Blair stirred and opened his eyes, trying to pull away.

"Blair, its okay. Settle down." Jim said calmly. "You're going to be all right."

Blair stilled and looked at him. "Jim?"

"Yeah, its Jim. Theres an ambulance on the way, Chief. Just keep breathing."

Blairs eyes started to droop.

"Blair, honey." Naomi said. "I'm here."

Blairs eyes popped open and he looked at her. "Mom?" He got a confused look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"It's okay, honey." Naomi said. "It's going to be okay." She brushed his hair back and smiled at him.

Blair managed a crooked smile. "Two most important people in my life." He said.

He drifted off with half a smile on his face.

PART 10

It was almost twenty-four hours later before Blair woke up again. He opened his eyes slowly. At first he thought he was alone. The room was dimly lit and he could hear the constant ping of a hear monitor in the room. He had barely registered that he was in a

hospital room, when Naomis face came into view at the side of his bed.

He smiled. "Mom."

"Hi, honey. How do you feel?" Naomi asked.

Blair took a moment to assess himself and decide how to answer that. Actually he thought he felt pretty good for someone who had been stabbed and thrown against a brick wall.

"Im okay." He said." Just a little sore, I guess."

"Youre on a lot of pain medication." Naomi pointed out. "Youre going to be fine. The doctor said you probably won't have to stay in the hospital for more than a few days."

Blair looked around the room, then back at Naomi." Is Jim here? " He asked.

"He just went to get us some coffee. He should be back any minute."

As she spoke, Jim walked in. Seeing that Blair was awake, he quickly set the tray of coffees on the table and came to the bedside next to Naomi.

"How're you feeling, Chief?" He asked, hesitantly, wondering if Blair was going to remember him. He had seemed to, in the alley.

"Jim, Im sorry." Blair said, looking embarrassed.

"Whoa, Chief, sorry for what?" Jim asked quickly.

"I didnt remember you. I ran away from you in that alley. I didnt know if I could trust you." Blair said.

"You got hit in the head, Chief. You lost your memory. You wandered around the city all weekend, confused, not knowing who was your friend and who was your enemy." Jim said. "Youre certainly not responsible for that. Those two kids who hit you with a brick are responsible for that."

"A brick?" Blair repeated. " I wondered what they hit me with. Did you catch them?"

Jim nodded. "Only after they managed to stab you. I'm the one who should be sorry, Blair. I was so focused on finding you, that I forgot to go after the bad guys. If I had concentrated on the case, I could have caught up with them before they had a chance to run into you and hurt you again."

"Jim, you know that's not true. You were trying to find me. I needed you to find me. I was sooo lost." Blair said. " I was doing okay when I thought I was still fourteen years old, but when I saw that newspaper and realized I had lost 16 years of my life, I have to admit I got really scared. I knew I couldn"t have been living on the street all of that time, but I didn't remember where I belonged. I didn't remember Naomi ever coming back from that trip to Africa. And if she hadn't come back, I was imagining what would have happened to me, and I started to think that maybe I had been doing things I had promised myself I would never do. He fought off the tears that threatened to come and felt Jim take his hand and give it a squeeze.

"It's okay, Chief." Jim said. "Whatever you did when you were fourteen was what you had to do to survive. You made the best out of a lousy situation and you got by."

Blair looked at Jim and then at Naomi and back at Jim, finally smiling.

"But, its okay. I remember everything now and I remember that I didn't do anything during that summer that I didn't want to do. I have to admit, at one point I came very close to letting this guy pay me to go to a motel room with him. I knew what he wanted and I was hungry and lonely. I almost went with him just for the company, to have someone to talk to." Blair suddenly laughed. " But then I realized he probably wasn't figuring on having conversation anyway. But, Mom, at the end of that summer, when you picked me up, I remember the first thing I did was look in the mirror. It was in the car, when we were driving away from the library, and I looked at myself and I knew I was okay, cause I could still look in the mirror and like the person I saw."

Jim and Naomi glanced at each other, smiling. They had both been worried that Blair's little regression into the past may have been his subconscious minds way of forcing him to cope with some well buried demons. But he seemed to not have any demons, at least concerning that part of his past. He seemed quite proud of the way he had handled himself when he was a fourteen year old runaway.

"I'm proud of you, Blair." Naomi said, smiling at him. "You were always so strong, so capable. I never really needed to do much mothering. I guess it's a good thing. I was never really the maternal type, you know."

"Thats crap, and you know it. You've always been the best mother. If I could go back in time and pick my own mother, I would still pick you." Blair insisted.

"Thank you, honey." Naomi said. "You don't know how much better that makes me feel."

Blair smiled at his mom, then looked at Jim. "So, when did they say I can get out of here?"

"Couple of days, Chief." Jim answered.

"The sooner the better." Blair said. "Now that I remember where home is, I'm really anxious to go there!"

(So, they all smiled and lived happily ever after and yada, yada, yada..)

The End!