No warnings for this one. Really :-) Rated PG-13
Audrey Lynne
Strains of Santana filtered in from the other room, and Jim Ellison smiled to himself. It seemed the kid had pretty decent taste in music after all. Either that, or the past two years of living together had worn off. It was certainly better than that tribal music.
Actually, once he considered it, the tribal stuff wasn't really so bad. But this was better.
Jim glanced through the French doors to the bedroom, smiling as he saw the brown curls bouncing in time to the music.
On a whim, he stepped inside and swept her into his arms, smiling at the giggles it earned him.
Jamie Sandburg squirmed in his arms, her expression making it clear that she was enjoying it despite her protests. "Uncle Jim! Put me down!"
Jim obliged, dropping her straight onto the bed. "There." He sat down on the bed beside her, then pulled her into his lap. "So, how was school?"
"It was really cool," Jamie began. "We had this substitute, Miss Bailey, and she doesn't usually teach fifth grade, you know? I mean, she said she's used to kindergarten and stuff. So, anyway, we got to play these games most of the day. They were learning games and all, don't worry, but they were fun..."
Jim shook his head, smiling as he listened to her ramble on about her day. She had the Sandburg gift of gab, no doubt about that. Oddly enough, he wouldn't have had it any other way.
"So what'd you do?" Jamie asked, once she'd finished explaining the intricacies of one of the particular games.
"The usual cop stuff," Jim answered. He tried to shield her from the worst parts of his job whenever possible. In the first place, she was only ten years old. In the second place, he knew she'd only worry. He'd never really lied to her... he just didn't tell her everything. "There were some guys trying to steal some important stuff from a warehouse. We caught them; they're in jail now." The story of the resulting shoot-out could wait until she was older.
"Anyone get hurt?"
"Nope." Thank God. Megan had come pretty close to taking a bullet, but she'd ducked out of the way at the last minute. It was times like this, thinking back on it all, that he wondered why on earth he'd ever let Blair stay with him out in the field all those years when he was just an observer.
Yeah, Ellison, like you really have to ask. You needed him.
And, in the end, Blair Sandburg's life had ended in the place everyone thought he'd be the safest. In his academic world, on the campus of Rainier University. Irony was a bitch.
It had been two years, but Jim wasn't fully over it yet. He doubted he ever would be. It was only the knowledge that Blair had trusted him to care for Jamie that had pulled Jim through those initial weeks after the shooting.
Jamie had clung to Jim in the same way. She'd lost her mother when she was only two years old -- then lost her father just six years later. It was hideously unfair to Jim that someone so young would have seen so much sorrow already.
From their shared grief, a different kind of bond had emerged. Somewhere, unconsciously, she had realized that Jim would need someone to guide him. She hadn't known quite what she was doing, but she imitated anything and everything she had seen her father do in similar situations. It had somehow worked. Together, they were learning. Jim was grateful for her help, but at the same time, he didn't want to rob her of her childhood. Fate had taken too much from Jamie already; Jim didn't want to demand that she give up more.
Jim leaned back on the bed, holding the little girl close. She didn't seem to mind -- in fact, she snuggled against his chest. As he closed his eyes, a vision flashed in front of him... the jungle, a spotted jaguar.
You've got to be kidding me. That was a fluke, right?
He hadn't seen the spotted jaguar since he'd last seen Alex Barnes. When he had last seen HER, she was in no condition to cause any trouble for anyone.
Jim was unaware that his grip on Jamie had tightened until she began to wiggle around. "Uncle Jim, you're squishing me."
"Sorry." Jim relaxed his grip a little, but still kept her close. Something was going on, and he didn't know what. Whether it was Alex, another Sentinel, or something else entirely, there was going to be some challenge before this was over. He could... well, sense it.
And he'd be damned if he made the same mistakes he had last time.
Years of time to think it over had led Jim to figure out exactly what he'd done wrong when he'd last encountered Alex Barnes. His territorial nature had come into play before he'd known it, and all he could think to do was protect the Guide. Someone else wanted his Guide, and she sure as hell wasn't going to get him. So he'd sent Blair away, thinking that Blair would be safest if he weren't around Jim.
He'd had it all wrong. Alone, Blair was vulnerable -- there was no Sentinel to protect him, or for him to protect. Alex had taken advantage of her opportunity right away.
No, this time, he was going to get it right. He couldn't afford to screw up this time. He still had to protect the Guide... but this time, he was going to keep her close. Very close, like he should have done with Blair before. There was no way that Jim was letting Jamie out of his sight until this was over.
Jamie seemed to know nothing of the possible danger, only that Jim was worried. She'd asked him what was wrong several times in the truck, on the way to the grocery store. He'd told her that it was nothing for her to worry about (HE would do all the worrying, thanks), and ruffled a hand through her hair.
Even at the supermarket, Jim kept one hand firmly gripping Jamie's. He didn't think that anything would happen to her there, but so much had happened at so many places that he now wondered, rather cynically, if there was anywhere safe. Jamie had started to protest that she was ten, and didn't have to hold his hand the WHOLE time, but then she'd looked up at him and given in.
Jim wondered what he looked like, what would convince her so quickly to just trust him. Maybe that's all it was, just blind trust. A trust that, he realized, worked both ways.
"Is Miss Megan still coming over?" Jamie asked, once they were safely back in the truck and Jim had released her.
"Yeah." Jim nodded. He'd asked Megan to drop by so they could review a few case notes. "She should come soon." He pulled up in front of 852 Prospect and then went around the truck to open Jamie's door. She hopped out, automatically grabbing his hand. The shopping bag was in her other hand.
As they went up the stairs, Jim sensed something coming from the loft, a sound. A heartbeat. No, two of them. Not his and Jamie's, these heartbeats were inside. Every alarm built into his system went off. Without thinking, Jim clutched Jamie tightly to his chest, grabbing his gun with his free hand. He turned his back after kicking the door open, using his body to shield Jamie. By the increase in HER heart rate, she was terrified, but not questioning him just yet.
In the living room, Megan jumped at Jim's dramatic entrance and held her hands up instinctively. Rafe, sitting beside her, did the same. "Jim! It's only us!"
Damn, this is a bit of deja vu. Jim shook his head, and released Jamie. "Megan. Geez, you scared the hell out of me."
"I could say the same," she countered, though not angrily. "You gave me a spare key, told me to let us in if you weren't home."
"I remember now," Jim replied, walking over to sit down across from them. Jamie took a spot on the floor, content to observe the action. "Sorry."
Megan shrugged. "It's okay. But... why so territorial all of a sudden? You haven't done that in a long time."
Rafe grinned, a daring twinkle in his eyes. "Maybe it's some Sentinel time of the month?" Both Jim and Megan glared at him. Jamie, who hadn't experienced that particular joy of womanhood just yet, only looked confused.
"I'll tell you someday when you're older," Megan promised her. She had assured Jim that when the time was right, she would take care of having 'that' talk with Jamie -- for which Jim was eternally grateful. He hadn't a clue what he'd have told her.
Jamie shrugged, obviously used to that line.
Jim sighed, feeling he owed them at least some explanation. "I don't know what's going on. I've just got a feeling that something's up. Something that's not going to be good."
"Alex Barnes?" Megan guessed.
"I don't know. I just know that there is something about to go down, and we'd better be on our toes."
The next day, Megan approached Jim's desk with a file folder in her hand. "Here's the background check you wanted."
"Thanks," Jim said, taking it from her. He looked back up after previewing it. "There's not a lot in here."
Megan sat down at her own desk, nearby. "Wasn't a lot to find. Just managed to pull up a teaching license, a few related documents. Who's Amanda Bailey, anyhow?"
"A substitute at Jamie's school," Jim answered. "Something about her just doesn't seem right, from what Jamie says... but I don't know what. I almost wish I hadn't left her there today."
"She's at school, Jim." Megan ran a hand over her hair. "I doubt anything's going to happen to her there. Maybe we're not finding anything because this Bailey woman got married recently and changed her name."
"No, Jamie called her Miss."
Megan frowned slightly. "Jim, kids confuse that sort of thing all the time. Adults do, too. You sure you're not reading too much into this?"
"Maybe I am," Jim allowed. He flipped through the papers again, then focused on something. "This license. It's a fake."
Megan didn't seem to follow. "Of course. It's a copy."
"No, Megan, it's a fake. The original is! See that mark on the paper?" Jim pointed it out to her. "For that mark to show up on a copy, the original would had to have been chemically altered!" He grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door without another word.
"Jim!" Megan jumped up and followed him out.
"No, do me a favor and stay here," he requested. "Someone's got to mind the store -- and handle Simon. I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Megan called after him.
"I'm going to get Jamie!"
Jim knew he couldn't take Jamie to work with him once he picked her up, but by the same token, he couldn't just take her home. He was going to have to leave her with someone, but it had to be someone he trusted. Someone he knew would fight for her.
His cell phone rang, and he flipped it open. "Ellison."
"Jim! Lovely to hear your voice! How's everything?"
Jim gazed upward, having identified the voice immediately. Thank you. "Yeah, you too. Listen, Naomi... are you in town?"
"Yes, for a few hours."
A few hours would have to do. "I'm in a real hurry here, no time to talk. But this is really important, Naomi. Can you meet me at my place as soon as possible? I need someone to take care of Jamie for just a couple of hours. Until I can get some things settled at the station."
Naomi agreed quickly -- no way was she going to turn down the chance to spend some time with her granddaughter -- but cautioned Jim that she had an evening flight to catch. She said she would be back in a few weeks and have more time then. Jim would take a couple of hours over nothing.
He wished he could explain more, to both Jamie and Naomi, but he didn't want to worry them, at least not any more than they already were. He was, however, going to check into one Amanda Bailey...
Jamie said she wasn't used to teaching fifth grade... it's all coming together now, the faked license...
Was this related to his vision with the spotted jaguar? He had no way of knowing. But he was going to investigate every avenue. He had already lost Blair. He would not lose Jamie, too.
Whether it was because Simon had long since stopped questioning 'Sentinel things', or whether he felt the same obligation to protect Blair's daughter that Jim did, Jim was able to get the rest of the afternoon off without much of a hassle. He had called the school, to be told that Jamie's usual teacher had returned and that Miss Bailey was gone.
No, they wouldn't know where, Jim thought bitterly. This all seemed a little too designed to be coincidental.
As he drove home, Jim had another flash of a vision. The spotted jaguar was back, but now it was hiding from the black jaguar. Jim thought he could see a wolf in the corner of his eye, but he turned and it was gone. Probably his imagination. He hadn't seen the wolf since Blair had died.
Jim had picked Jamie up and given Naomi a ride back to the airport, trying to keep everyone calm. Trying to go about with activities of daily living. As if nothing were amiss.
He stopped the truck at a red light, then glanced out of the side window. The black jaguar was standing in the middle of an empty lot, beckoning him. He looked again and the vision was still there.
If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.
Jim pulled the truck over, checking to make sure that his backup revolver was still in its holster. He might need it. He looked at Jamie, trying to keep his voice even. "Jamie, I need to look into something." He almost told her to stay in the truck, but he dismissed the idea right away. Blair had never stayed in the truck, why should he expect Blair's daughter to? Besides, if he left her alone, there was no telling what could happen. "Come with me, but stay close."
She nodded solemnly, seeming to grow up a little more before his eyes. "Okay."
The jaguar dashed into the wooded area behind the lot, and was gone. With Jamie close by his side, Jim followed. He could almost hear Blair's voice in his mind, exactly what Blair might say at such a time.
"All right. Had enough of Oz, thanks! Toto wants to go home now."
It was so clear in his mind that it was almost as though Jim HAD heard it. He glanced to Jamie, who didn't seem to have heard anything. Well, it had been worth a try.
Suddenly, Jamie's head jerked to one side as she saw something up ahead. "DADDY!" she shrieked, tearing away from him and running at break-neck speed.
Jim swore softly. He didn't blame her; there had been a million times when he thought he'd seen Blair and gone running, only to be disappointed. But this was a really bad time. Terrified that he'd lose her, Jim took off after Jamie, piggybacking his sight onto his hearing to follow her.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the clearing Jamie had darted for. There, in front of him, refusing to be denied, was a sight he would never forget as long as he lived.
There was one very alive anthropologist flat on his back, with one very happy little girl sitting on top of him, smothering him with kisses.
And one very confused Sentinel who could do nothing for the moment but stare.
"Blair?" Jim squeaked Yes, squeaked, Jim... as coherent thought began to return to him.
"Think so," came the reply from the ground.
Jim hurried the final few steps over. Jamie scrambled out of the way, not wanting to get caught in the middle, but she stayed close. Reaching down, Jim picked Sandburg up off of the ground and pulled him into a crushing hug. "My God, Blair... you... how... it's so good to... but... you were..."
Blair returned the hug, then reached out with one arm to snag Jamie and draw her close to his side. "Jim. Calm down, man, before you zone out or something. I'll explain everything later. Right now, we've got to get out of here. I didn't expect to find you just yet... and I've got a psychotic bi--" He stopped, glancing at his daughter. "Well, a psychotic woman on my trail."
"Alex?" Somehow, Jim knew.
"Oh, yeah." Blair nodded, his expression speaking volumes. "This thing could blow up pretty spectacularly and I know that neither of us wants Jamie anywhere near it when that happens."
"But I'm not a baby," Jamie protested, still clinging to Blair's side. "I wanna stay with you."
"I know, sweetie." Blair bit his lip. "But this lady, Alex... she's very dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt. We've handled her before, though. We can take care of it. If she shows up."
You and I both know it's a question of when, Jim thought, but best not to scare Jamie unnecessarily. "Well, if she's onto you, we'd better hurry, Chief." He wrapped an arm around Blair's shoulder, needing the contact, the tactile sensations to tell him that this was real. That Blair was truly back, by some miracle. Blair smiled back at him, looping the arm that wasn't holding Jamie's hand around Jim's waist.
Nearly anything could have happened at that point, and it would have been fine with Jim. His world had been strangely off-kilter for the past two years, since Blair had been gone. Now, things were falling back into place. He had Blair again -- and it seemed that the time was coming for one final showdown with Alex. His territorial and protective instincts were in full swing... anyone, especially any Sentinel, trying to mess with his city or his 'tribe' would have been well-advised to come prepared for a fight.
Jim shook his head in disbelief as he headed up the stairs to the loft, Jamie and Blair right behind him. He tossed a look back over his shoulder. "So Alex drugged you? What with?"
Blair shrugged. "I don't know. Something good enough to fool medics, obviously. I think it was some bio-techno thing that she got her hands on."
Jim unlocked the door and walked inside, still trying to figure everything out. "All of it was set up? The fight, the shooting... everything? Alex faked your death because she wanted you?" It made a sick sort of sense once he thought about it. And it was possible, actually... very possible. Blair's body had been gone by the time Jim had arrived at the University and might have been able to sense the drug, somehow. And there had never been a body at the funeral, Blair had -- well, someone had been cremated, anyway.
"That was the best I could ever get out of her." Blair looked around after turning to shut the door. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see this place again."
"Where did she keep you for two years?" Jim asked. Two years that you couldn't get a phone call or letter out. He knew Blair would have if he'd been able to.
"Someplace in Alaska," Blair answered, sitting down on the couch. "Drove there. I came around on the way." He looked speculative for a moment. "I'd always wanted to see Canada -- just not from the inside of the trunk."
"So how was Alaska?" Jim teased, knowing how tolerant Blair was of cold temperatures.
"It sucked. I'm sure some parts are nicer, but..." Blair ran a hand through his hair. "It was always cold. Always. And then it's bright half the year and dark the other half... and we were out in the middle of freakin' nowhere..."
"To avoid you from contacting the outside world?" Jim guessed.
"Partly," Blair agreed. "The other part was the whole 'solitary time in the wild' thing... she wanted to sharpen her skills. We had a cell phone, but just one, and she kept it with her all the time."
"So, how ARE her skills?" Jim asked, wondering what he was up against now.
Blair rolled his eyes. "She was impossible to work with. I mean, talk about stubborn -- beyond what you ever were in your worst day. She's got power, but she doesn't have a handle on it, even after all this time. That was how I was able to get away in the first place. She said she had some business back in Cascade, some safe deposit box to take care of... I convinced her that she needed to take me..."
"And gave her the slip the moment some odd noise or sight somewhere caught her attention," Jim supplied.
"Precisely!" Blair grinned. "She'll find me, eventually... but there's no way I'm going back."
Jim looked his friend over with a critical eye, not for the first time since Blair's return. "You're sure you're not hurt?"
"I told you before, Jim. Trust me. I'm pretty severely pissed about the whole thing, but I'm not hurt. She figured a healthy Guide was a productive one, I s'pose..."
There was another thing Jim wondered about. How in the world had Alex gotten Blair to cooperate with her for two years? He knew that Blair had a definite stubborn streak, and it had gotten him out of situations alive before... but...
Blair apparently noticed Jim's inner debate. "Hey, it's not like I wanted to work with her or anything."
Jim was shocked that Blair would even think that he'd thought that. "I know you didn't--"
Blair cut him off. "I know, Jim. Really. Believe me, I wasn't thrilled about it, but... Alex said she had people watching Jamie. I couldn't prove that she didn't, but I couldn't take the chance that she did. She said she'd have Jamie killed if I didn't work with her."
"Wow." Jim felt a sigh leave him. That would have done it. Damn Alex, anyway. She'd found Blair's most vulnerable spot and twisted it to make him her pawn, essentially. He was silent for another moment, watching Blair as Blair watched Jamie in the other room. Jim had always figured that Blair would have made a good father, given the chance -- his compassionate nature made him a natural. But, watching his friend now, Jim knew without a doubt that if Jamie were to seriously ask Blair to dance through the streets of Cascade in his boxers, singing 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'... Blair would have done it. Simply because she was 'his girl'.
How dare Alex take that love and manipulate him with it?
"Jim?" Blair asked, tilting his head to one side slightly. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just thinking. About how dead Alex is going to be when I catch up to her."
Blair chuckled. "You do that, Jim. In the meantime, I'm starving." He grinned as Jim started to speak and cut him off. "And before you say anything -- yes, I know where the kitchen is."
Jim shook his head. They'd been reunited for less than two hours and already it seemed like there had been no time lost at all. He listened to Blair rummaging around in the refrigerator for something to eat.
"Hmm... pizza? No. WonderBurger? Definitely not. I don't even want to know what THAT used to be! Hey, there is so not anything... Jim! What on Earth have you been feeding my child?!"
Jim couldn't shake the feeling of impending trouble, but at least he knew the reason for it now. Alex was definitely back in town. What was more, once she caught up to them, she would undoubtedly want Blair back. There was no way Jim would allow that to happen.
As he dwelled on it further, Jim realized that they could probably use all the help they could get. Maybe their friends couldn't help much when it came to Alex's Sentinel powers, but she WAS a criminal. And criminals were the bullpen gang's specialty. He picked up the phone, glancing at Blair as he did, and dialed the number to Megan's cell phone.
"Connor," came the curt reply.
"Megan." Jim smiled, he could hardly wait to see their faces when they found out that Blair was really alive. "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"Well, it doesn't sound like your bad news is all that horrible. Go for it."
"Seems Alex Barnes is back in town," Jim explained. "I've got it on a good authority. I'm not sure where she is right now, but odds are she'll make her presence known soon enough."
"I don't doubt that... but... Alex? How would she have gotten out, or...?"
"I don't know yet," Jim confessed. "I'm guessing details will come in time."
"So what's your good news?"
Jim's grin widened even more. "I'm bringing a surprise along with me."
"If this is anything like that 'surprise' last year..." Megan warned.
"I promise; you'll love this one," Jim broke in. "Do me a favor?"
"Depends on the favor."
"Tell Simon I said I'm bringing the kid by," Jim requested. "I figure he'll know what I meant. I don't want it to be a complete shock."
"Oh, that's all? Sure. When will you be here?"
"We're leaving in just a few minutes. Thanks, Megan." Jim hung up, knowing she would too. If she needed anything else, she'd call him back.
He looked back over to the couch, where Blair was sitting with Jamie in his lap. She had a hand in his hair, her fingers lovingly tangled in his curls. Normally, Blair would have been protesting by that point, but this was Jamie. His daughter had him as wrapped around her finger as his hair was around hers.
"You ready?" Jim asked, after watching them for a moment. He was still 'processing', as Naomi would have probably called it. He was eternally grateful to have Blair back in his life -- but letting go of the grief he'd carried with him for two years wasn't an instant process. A large portion of it was gone, though, and he supposed that was what counted.
Blair nodded enthusiastically, a much easier task now that Jamie had let go of his hair. "I can't wait to see everyone again."
"Me too!" Jamie added, bouncing with excitement. She looked back up at her father, blue eyes wide. "Everyone's going to be so happy you're back! I knew you'd come back; I knew it!"
"How'd you know?" Blair asked.
"I just did." Jamie smiled back at him.
Blair chuckled, tapping the end of her nose affectionately, as he had when she was younger. "My little shaman, eh?" His smile widened as he caught Jim's expression. "Well, you never know, Jim."
"That's true," Jim allowed, thinking of all the times he'd needed Jamie's help in the past couple of years.
"Now let's get outta here." Blair smoothed his hair back into place, and took Jamie's hand as they stood. "I'll let you play with my hair again later, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed.
"You know, you could always play with Jim's hair, too..." Blair's expression grew mischievous.
Jamie shook her head. "Nah. It's not as fun."
"Why not?"
"Uncle Jim doesn't have enough hair to play with."
Jim shook his head, trying to hide his own amusement. If I didn't love her so much, I might think I've just been insulted.
Jim noticed the shocked murmur passing through the room immediately upon their entrance into the bullpen. He'd expected that, and had automatically dialed down his hearing -- fortunately, right before a couple of coffee cups crashed to the floor, having been dropped by their surprised owners. Many of those who hadn't known Blair Sandburg had known about him, whether through his role as an observer, detective, or consultant.
Megan had looked up once the cups had fallen. Rafe, Brown, and Taggart were out doing some field investigation, so there hadn't been anything else to warn her. Shock had taken over her expression, and by the time Jim and Blair (with Jamie safely in tow) reached her desk, she was still only able to articulate a few short words at a time. "Wow... I... SANDY?"
"In the flesh," Blair replied, grinning at her.
"Yep, he's back!" Jamie contributed.
"Sandy..." Megan repeated.
Blair reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back over soon. We've just got to swing in by Simon's office before he starts yelling and getting everything out of 'harmonic convergence'."
Jamie looked up at him. "You sound like Naomi."
Jim shook his head. "As long as you both leave the sage out of it." They headed towards Simon's office.
If his hearing hadn't been dialed down, Jim might have caught the faint scuffling noise behind them, followed by a soft 'thump'.
Jim knocked on Simon's office door, then entered. Blair and Jamie were only a couple of steps behind him. "Hi, Simon."
Simon Banks looked up from his work, and froze instantly upon seeing Blair.
Blair shifted, a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny, and waved. "Hi, Simon."
"But... you're... he's..." Simon came around the desk, his gaze never leaving the anthropologist.
Blair shrugged. "Well, let's just say that reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Jim shook his head. Somehow, I know he's just been waiting for the right moment to use that line.
After another awkward moment, Simon impulsively grabbed Blair and hugged him.
"Jim?" Blair managed, his voice a bit muffled. "You DID tell them beforehand, right?"
Jim suddenly realized his mistake -- Simon had been told 'the kid' and had automatically assumed Jamie. And why shouldn't he have? He'd had no reason to believe that Blair might have been alive. "Okay, so I should have probably been a little clearer." He started to laugh at the scene before him, knowing Simon would probably forbid them from mentioning it to anyone.
"What's going on?" a female voice asked a second later. "Everyone's looking this way, Connor's just coming around, and--" She stopped. "Oh, my God..."
"Carolyn! Long time no see!" Blair cried as he pried himself loose from the large black man threatening to smother him.
"But... you're..." Carolyn Plummer frowned. "You're dead."
"I was, but I got over it." Blair flashed a grin.
Jim was still laughing as he sat back with Jamie and enjoyed the action. He didn't know how or when Carolyn had gotten in from California -- probably yet another of her trips to check up on him that she'd been making for two years now, despite his assurances that he was fine. He knew Simon would probably try to keep the story from circulating, having a reputation to uphold. But he also knew that he hadn't felt this good in a long time, and he was enjoying every moment.
It took a while to explain everything to Carolyn, Megan, and Simon, but eventually they had the story as straight as they ever would.
Carolyn shook her head. "So let me get this straight. This Barnes woman fakes his death, then kidnaps him... just so she can turn him into her slave?"
"Essentially." Blair shrugged. "Before you ask why she didn't get someone else, I don't know. Keep in mind that the woman has done time in a mental hospital."
"This is all starting to get way too strange for my tastes," Simon sighed as Megan and Carolyn were heading out of his office.
"Starting?" Jim teased.
"Okay, it's BEEN too strange for my tastes. For far too long now."
"Hey, you didn't LIVE with Alex for two years," Blair pointed out. "Now THAT was weird. Why am I always targeted by the psychos? Can someone tell me?"
Jim shook his head. It did seem that way -- David Lash had been the first in a long line of nuts who had focused on Blair. Jim hoped that Alex would be the end of the line, and that Blair would be able to get back to a normal life once this was over. Well, what passed for normal in the Sandburg Zone, anyway. "Don't know, Chief. Come on, let's see who else we can't surprise."
Jamie grinned widely. "Yeah, this is fun!"
"I'll say." Jim grinned at Simon.
Simon glared, pointing his cigar at Jim for emphasis. "Not one word, Ellison," he warned. "Not ONE word."
Jamie was a couple of feet ahead of her father and her favorite 'uncle' as they headed out of the bullpen. At the station, Jim figured, it was safe to give her a longer leash, as long as she stayed in view. Blair seemed to agree; he didn't object.
Rafe and Brown were coming through the door, and encountered the girl first.
"Hi!" Jamie greeted them.
"Well, hello." Brown hunched down so that he could be at her eye level; Rafe took a seat on the nearest empty desk. "How're you today?"
Jamie giggled. "Great. My daddy just got back from Alaska."
The two detectives exchanged a look, obviously debating how to respond. Jim glanced to his Guide, who smiled and nodded. Jim understood what Blair had meant -- just let the scene play out until intervention was necessary.
You are having entirely too much fun with this, Jim thought. Then again, how often does someone return from the dead?
Rafe finally spoke after an uncomfortable silence. "Oh, did he?"
"Yeah," Jamie said, nodding. "He said it sucked because it was too cold."
This WAS getting fun, Jim had to admit. The looks on both Rafe's and Brown's faces were priceless.
When they failed to come up with a response, Blair stepped forward. "Aw, c'mon, Jamie. I said that PART of it was bad. I never saw the rest of Alaska."
If Rafe's eyes had gotten any bigger, they'd have popped out of his skull. Brown lost his balance and promptly fell backwards onto his rear end.
"How... what... when...?" Not one of the million questions Brown must've had quite found a sentence.
Blair reached down to help him to his feet. "Who and why, too? Okay, short version. I was kidnapped. I'm back."
"Kidnapped?" Rafe asked.
"Yeah. Alex Barnes decided she still had a use for me, I guess. Flattering." Sandburg's voice nearly dripped with sarcasm.
Jim strode over to join them. "Yeah, and she's still in Cascade somewhere. If you happen to hear anything, let me know, okay?"
"Um... sure," Rafe replied, still staring at Blair. "Wow. You're... here. Wow."
Brown chanced a squeeze to Blair's shoulder. "Good to have you back, Hairboy."
Blair laughed at the old nickname. "Thanks, guys. It's good to BE back."
The next day, Jim swung by the loft on his lunch hour, to find Blair lying on his stomach on the floor, flipping through classified ads in the newspaper.
"Gee, Blair," he joked, setting the Chinese take-out he'd picked up on the table. "Fifteen years in college, a Ph.D., even, and you still can't find a job?"
Blair grinned up at him. "Ah, that whole 'death' thing was a career killer..." He rolled his eyes at his own joke. "Okay, that was bad; I admit it. It's apartment listings. Finding a place to live would be good."
"What's wrong with here?" Jim asked, mock hurt in his tone. He actually happened to know that the apartment directly below him was going to open up in a week. His dependency on Blair wasn't so much now that they had to live together, but keeping him close would have been nice.
Blair sat up. "You've got to admit, Jim -- this place really isn't big enough for three."
It wasn't, and Jim knew it. But he was still enjoying harassing his friend. "Just stay a week."
"A week?" Blair scoffed. "Last time, 'just a week' was six and a half years!"
Jim struck a thoughtful pose, and snatched a framed photo of Jamie from the counter. He looked it over, then turned it around so Blair could see. "At least she's cuter than Larry."
"Cuter than..." Blair shook his head, then his expression became contemplative. "Spill it, Jim. What are you up to?"
"The place downstairs opens up next week. I'm not saying you have to, but if you're interested..."
Blair looked like a little kid at Christmas. "Jim! It'd be perfect! Jamie would be able to stay around her friends, she wouldn't have to switch schools..." He glanced to the clock. "Oh, man. Speaking of which, she gets out of school early today. I've got to pick her up..." The school was fortunately a close enough walk that getting there and back on foot was not impossible.
"I can pick her up," Jim volunteered. "If you want, I mean. I've still got some time before I'm due back at Central."
"That'd be great." Blair stood up to stand next to him. "Um... Jim... I... well, I don't know why we males tend to find this so hard to say... but... well, it's obvious you've done pretty well with her... and, um... thanks."
Jim hugged him. "Not a problem. Believe me, there were days I think I needed her more than she needed me."
"Well... thanks just the same. I felt a lot better knowing it was you that would have had her."
Jim nodded, and squeezed Blair's upper arm with the hand that still lingered there. "Now, this is getting far too maudlin for my tastes, Chief. Lunch is on the table; I'll be back with the munchkin in a few."
Jim was nearly at the school when his cell phone rang. He flipped it open with one hand, keeping the other on the wheel. "Ellison."
"Jim, it's Megan. I got some more information on Amanda Bailey."
The substitute. Since Blair's reappearance, he had forgotten all about her. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Jim." Megan sounded worried. "I got a picture. This Bailey... she's Alex Barnes. At least she looks exactly like her."
"Dammit!" Jim threw the phone aside as he floored the vehicle. He had to get to Jamie, right away.
A school full of kids, and Jim had to find one. A petite one, at that. He took a breath and extended his hearing to search for Jamie's voice, hoping that she was talking. Knowing Jamie and her father, it was probably a pretty safe bet.
Sure enough...
"I don't know. Daddy said he'd pick me up."
"Come on, sweetheart. You can trust me; it's okay. You can call him on my phone if it makes you feel better." Alex. What was she up to -- other than kidnapping Jamie? Jim concentrated on following the sound of their voices.
"Well..." Jamie sounded highly doubtful. For a trusting child like her, that alone was a sign of trouble.
There was the sound of buttons on Alex's cell phone being pushed, then Jamie's small gasp of surprise. Alex's throaty chuckle followed.
"Sorry, kid, we're out of my area. That call would've cost me a fortune."
Damn! Jim thought. What had Alex done to Jamie? He broke into a run, heading in the direction he'd last heard their voices now. But Jamie was uncharacteristically silent, and Alex had quickly shut up after her last comment. Maybe her skin was tingling like Jim's was, with the warning that another Sentinel was close by.
Just as Jim raced out into the parking lot, he saw her. Alex was carrying Jamie, who was limp in her arms. Jim took a closer look; there were no obvious injuries on the girl. Some kind of sedative, then? It didn't matter; what mattered was getting Jamie back.
Alex tossed a look over her shoulder, and her eyes widened. She must have seen him, since she hurried to the driver's side of the car and took off. Jim was already running back to his truck -- which was unfortunately parked on the other side of the school. He muttered a steady stream of curses under his breath as he ran, only a few of them in English.
Once in the truck, Jim extended his hearing past the throng of children, listening for a voice, the engine of Alex's car, something. Anything.
Nothing! Dammit! Nothing that he would have been sure of, anyway. And he didn't have the time to be going on wild goose chases.
There was really only one option at that point for Jim. He was going to have to call upon the help that the rest of Major Crimes had offered. Kidnapping WAS a crime... his own personal score with Alex could be left out of the official reports.
Every protective instinct he'd ever had was in full gear. The Sentinel was driven to defend the tribe, and Jim Ellison was driven to protect his best friend's daughter. The two made for a formidable combination. He was going to save Jamie, no matter what.
Blair's head snapped up as Jim came practically flying through the loft's front door, looking much like a man possessed. "Jim?"
Jim only grunted a response and began tearing through the drawers in the kitchen, grabbing items he would need.
"Um, Jim?" Blair stepped over. "C'mon, man, you're scaring me. What's up? And where's Jamie?"
"Alex took her!" Jim snapped.
"WHAT?!" Blair demanded, his eyes going wide. "How in the hell... how could you let Alex get her?!"
"Let!" Jim gave him a look. "I didn't LET anything. She had Jamie before I could get there!" He resumed his search.
"So you should've gotten there sooner!" Blair snapped. He sighed, wiping a hand over his face. "Sorry, Jim... that wasn't fair... but you should have!"
Jim realized that he could have probably broken the news to Blair a bit more gently. He tried to make up for it. "Now, Chief, don't overreact. We'll find her."
"Don't overreact? Don't overreact?! This is my little girl and you're telling me not to overreact? Man, that is SO not gonna happen!"
"Blair." Jim put both hands on the shorter man's shoulders. "After this, I'm going down to Central. Come with me. We'll get help, and we WILL find her. I swear."
Blair took a deep breath, obviously fighting to keep some degree of calm. "I... well... c'mon, let's just hurry!"
Thirty minutes later, they were in Simon's office. Blair would have been actively pacing if it weren't for Jim's steady hand on his shoulder. He tried to calm down enough to pay attention to what Simon was telling them.
"I've put out an APB on both of them," Simon said, waving his cigar in the air as he spoke. "They probably haven't gotten too far; for once it's good to have bad traffic." His attempt at humor fell flat, and he went on. "I'll keep the feds out of it as long as I can."
"Thank you," Jim sighed.
Blair understood. The last thing they needed at the time were FBI agents trying to take over. He hoped Simon wouldn't object to his coming along. He knew he wasn't a cop any more, but this was his daughter. And Jim needed him, too. "I'm going with you." His voice was solid, almost challenging anyone to argue with him.
Simon appeared about to object, but then stopped. "I suppose I can't stop you. At least you've HAD some training before. But for heaven's sake, be CAREFUL." He glared at Jim -- and Megan, who had just come back in. "That goes for all of you. You know how dangerous Alex can be."
There was a knock on the door, right before Joel Taggart entered the office. He looked at all those assembled, and hurried over to Blair. "I'll be damned, Blair -- it IS true!"
"Would I have lied to you, Joel?" Megan asked with a smile.
Blair uneasily accepted the hug, then sighed. "It's nice to see you, too. Listen, I don't want to look antisocial or anything, but we've got a serious problem, here."
Joel frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Jamie's been kidnapped," Jim explained, "by Alex Barnes. My guess is it's some ploy to get Blair back."
She always knows how to pick the right bait, Blair thought forlornly.
"Damn," Taggart hissed. "Damn her!" He looked at those surrounding him. "I'm with you guys on this one. Anything you need, just call me."
"Thanks." Blair tried to relax, but jumped as the phone rang.
Simon leaned forward, and switched the speakerphone on. "Banks."
"Why, hello... Captain," a female voice purred. "Been awhile, hasn't it?"
It was Alex. The rage Blair had been fighting to contain took over. He was by the desk in a split second, and snatched the receiver from its cradle. "You bitch! Where is she?!"
A lazy sort of laugh came from the speaker, and Alex took another moment before responding. "Oh, Blair. You DO get rather protective when it comes to the little brat, don't you?"
"Dammit, Alex! Where IS SHE?"
"In due time, my dear Guide. The important thing is that I have her. Frankly, I liked you a lot better. How 'bout we make a trade?"
Blair snuck a quick look around him, wondering if they had anything to say. For the most part, they just looked taken aback by his shift of behavior. He realized that they had probably never seen him like this. Well, it didn't matter. They could think anything they liked, as long as Jamie was okay.
"Well?" Alex asked. "What's it going to be? There's a lovely fountain out front here -- I could be rid of her pretty quick."
Blair growled, and threw the receiver down, instead directing his fury into the speaker. This was beyond anything he'd ever felt in his life, for anyone. "So help me, Alex. If you harm ONE hair on her head, I swear I will kill you!" His words surprised even him, but what surprised him even more was that he was pretty sure he'd meant it.
Alex didn't seem to buy it. "What, everyone's favorite pacifist? That'll be the day. I'd like to see you try."
"Don't tempt me," Blair warned.
Jim had managed to get (and remember) the license plate number of Alex's car, and a search was initiated as well. Blair tried to relax, knowing that the best possible detectives were on the case -- and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would indeed do everything possible. He couldn't relax, but at least he'd tried.
It hadn't taken terribly long for Simon to get clearance for them to work on the case. He couldn't report it as a kidnapping, of course -- that would bring the feds running. He simply wrote it off as an 'investigation into the report of an escaped criminal'.
There were days Blair loved government speak.
About two hours after Alex's call -- two hours of pacing and planning -- the phone in Simon's office rang again. Blair was about ready to answer it himself if Simon didn't get it by the end of the second ring.
Simon grabbed it halfway through the first. "Banks." He listened, apparently with rapt interest, then nodded. "Thanks. We're on it."
"Well?" Blair, Jim, and Megan asked at once, as soon as Simon hung up.
"A car with Alex's license plate was spotted just north of Seattle a few minutes ago, apparently headed toward the Canadian border," Simon explained. "A woman was traveling with her child, and they both match the description we put out. They're tracking her."
"Well, then, let's go." Jim was already heading for the door.
Simon grinned at them. "My thoughts exactly."
Blair was by Jim's side in two quick steps. "The Canadian border..."
Jim looked over at him as Megan joined them. Simon was only a few feet behind. "You think she's headed back to Alaska?"
"I wouldn't put it past her." Blair shrugged. "With Alex, you never know. Two years with her, and I still never knew what she'd do next. The important thing is getting Jamie back."
"You got that right." Jim nodded. "But where do you think she called from? She said there was a fountain out front..."
"I don't know. Rainier, maybe. She always had a flair for irony. Or maybe she was just taunting me." And you. Jim had never admitted it, but Blair knew that Jim still had his own reservations about that fountain.
Jim nodded. "Well, we know that she has Jamie with her in the car. We've got to hang onto that, and just intercept her."
"We're already two hours behind," Blair lamented, stepping behind Jim into the elevator. He hadn't been terribly fond of elevators since the Wilkenson Building, but he occasionally took one when there was little other choice. Like now. He couldn't waste time on the stairs, giving in to his fears. Not when his daughter's life was at stake. And now, thinking back on that whole experience, he couldn't understand how Wilkenson had held out so long with Caitlyn's life at stake. He hadn't understood then, but he understood even less now that he had a daughter of his own.
As they raced out to the vehicles, Blair couldn't help but remember his promise to Alex. That if anything happened to Jamie, he'd kill Alex himself. He hated the idea of taking a life, even one as twisted as Alex's. But he couldn't know what would happen until it did. His reason became very confused where his little girl was concerned.
"Chief?" Jim's voice startled Blair out of his reverie. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Blair assured him. "Just thinking, that's all. Let's get this show on the road. We've lost enough time already."
The drive, in reality, took less time than it should have -- thanks to Jim's driving habits, as well as the assistance of sirens and lights. But to the occupants of the vehicle, it took twice as long as it did. Finally, they arrived at the clearing where the police of Kensington, Washington had stopped Alex's vehicle. A blonde woman was sitting on the hood, a dark-haired girl in her lap.
Blair was out of the truck and dashing over before Jim had completely stopped. "Jamie!"
The child turned to look at him, surprised by the outburst.
It wasn't Jamie, and Blair felt his heart sink. "What... what's going on here?"
Simon raised an eyebrow, looking to the officers already on the scene for explanation.
"Well," one of them began, "we got this license number and tracked the car down. It's registered to an Alicia Barnett... which isn't this lady, which is why we questioned it."
The blonde shook her head. "My name's Gayle Everett. I knew this was a bad idea when I took the job, but... well, Samantha -- that's my daughter -- and I were in this bus station back in Cascade, when this woman approached us. She had a little girl with her, too -- looked kind of like Sammie. This woman said her name was Alicia, and she and her daughter were moving up here to Kensington. It happened to be the same place we were going -- to see my mother..."
"What happened?" Blair asked, growing impatient. Gayle seemed to be a genuinely nice person, but Alex still had Jamie somewhere and he didn't have time for all the cute details.
"Well, Alicia offered me some money -- $500, actually -- to drive her car up here, since she had some things to take care of here, something to do with her daughter's school. Janey, I think she said her name was..."
"Jamie," Blair corrected automatically. "Her name's Jamie." He paused. "Did she look okay?"
Gayle shrugged. "She seemed fine -- a little tired, maybe... but, anyway, Alicia said that she was going to take care of some things and then she and Jane -- er, Jamie -- were going to take the bus to Kensington. She said if I drove the car, I could have the cash right away, and there would be a little bit of a bonus when I arrived. I knew then it wasn't a great idea, considering all that could happen, but we've been in a tight spot since my ex-husband left us, and..."
"It's all right, Ms. Everett," Simon broke in, cutting her off.
Blair sighed. The only thing Gayle had really done wrong was make a colossal mistake in judgment. Couldn't arrest her for that.
"What's wrong?" Gayle asked, her eyes widening.
"We're investigating a kidnapping," Simon explained, before either Blair or Jim could respond. "That little girl, Jamie, was kidnapped by a woman named Alex Barnes -- who's also called herself a lot of other names, Alicia Barnett -- or Alicia Bannister -- among them."
"Oh, my. I'm so sorry... and I..."
"You didn't know." Simon looked at her. "But what could be really helpful to us is if you remembered anything that Alex -- Alicia -- told you about her activities. We've got to figure out where she might have taken the girl."
"Let me think..." Gayle ran a hand through her hair. "You don't think she'd hurt that girl, do you?"
"She's killed before," Jim said flatly, his hand finding its way onto Blair's shoulder. "We want to stop her before she can do it again."
"Anything at all would help," Megan added. "Any detail..."
Gayle shook her head. "She mentioned Cascade Elementary... Jamie's school... but not much else, except for..."
"For what?" Blair demanded.
"She said something about seeing an old friend," Gayle recalled. "Someone who used to teach at a university. She said she'd be meeting him there that evening, but she didn't say which university."
They didn't have any more time. Evening was fast approaching, thanks to the delay in chasing down Alex's car. They thanked her for her time, and got back on the road for Cascade as soon as possible.
"What university?" Megan wondered. "You don't think she meant Rainier?"
"She does love irony," Blair pointed out. "But I don't know..."
"Isn't that too obvious?" Jim asked.
"What, and kidnapping a child from her school in broad daylight isn't?"
"Good point," Jim replied. "We'll try Rainier first, then."
Blair nodded, leaning back against the seat, his thoughts filled with concern for Jamie.
"Hold on, sweetheart," he whispered, gazing out the window. "Just hold on."
Blair's thoughts were filled with a maelstrom of memories all the way back to Cascade. The excitement and fear he'd felt when he'd first discovered that he was going to be a father. The day Jamie had been born. The horrible day that Maggie had been killed, and trying to explain to a two-year-old that Mommy wasn't coming back. The first day of school... various events over the years that had made Jamie who she was, made her unique.
He had missed two full years of her life, years they would never get back. In some ways, she was still the same person, but she'd changed a lot, too. Blair wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fully forgive Alex for stealing that from him. When the crisis was over, and Jamie was safe, he was going to have a long talk with Jim about what had happened. He wanted every detail. Did she still have the same favorite foods? What was her current favorite color? Her favorite school subject? All of those were questions that her father should have immediately known the answer to. But he didn't. He felt in a way as though he were getting to know her all over again.
Blair wondered how she was at that moment. Poor kid was probably scared to death. That makes two of us. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right, but to do that, he first had to get her away from Alex.
Have you been half asleep, and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
For a moment, Blair thought he was imagining things, until he realized that the radio was on and playing the song. 'The Rainbow Connection' was Jamie's favorite song -- at least, it had been two years ago. She'd used to put it on a repeat loop on the CD player for hours on end. Blair smiled faintly as he recalled the many times he'd sworn if he had to hear the song just one more time, he would go crazy. He remembered Jim's muttering about singing frogs with banjos and what needed to be done to said frogs. And now, Blair would have given anything to hear her singing along with it again. Absence did make the heart grow fonder, it seemed -- and, it WAS a nice song (as long as he wasn't hearing it for the twentieth time that hour).
As they pulled into Rainier's parking lot, Blair started glancing around, looking for any sign of Jamie or Alex. Jim appeared to be doing the same thing. As soon as the vehicle stopped, they were all out.
"Where do we start?" Simon wondered, taking the surrounding area in with a glance. "It's a big campus."
Megan looked to Blair. "Where was your office at?"
"Hargrove Hall," Blair answered, then shrugged. "It's as good a guess as any. Let's go." He started running -- it hadn't been so long that he'd forgotten how to get to the building from just about any point on campus.
It was after hours, so very few people were around. The building's main doors had been left unlocked, like always, depending on the locks in the offices and rooms for security. Blair raced down the hall to the stairwell, the others falling in step behind him. The elevator in the building always took forever to arrive and even longer to go up even just one floor. Upon arriving in front of his old office, Blair swept the area with a glance. There was no sign of Alex or Jamie. The door to Room 211 was securely locked.
"Jim?" Blair asked, desperately hoping for some kind of sensory help.
Jim shook his head. "They're not on this floor, at least. Maybe we should look downstairs?"
"Yeah..." Blair's eyes widened, as he thought of something. "You guys keep looking here; I'm going to check on something."
"Blair..." Jim warned.
"You'll find me," Blair promised. "I just need to check into it, and we can't afford to waste the time looking if I'm wrong."
Jim nodded. "You've got a point." He reached inside his jacket, and pulled out his backup revolver. "Take this. If you run into Alex, you may need it."
Blair looked at the weapon with some measure of distaste. Even after his time spent on the force, he wasn't fond of guns. But he'd come to realize that in law enforcement, they were a necessity sometimes. He returned the Sentinel's nod, and slipped the weapon into the inside of his own jacket before dashing off.
Alex had killed him at the fountain years before. She'd faked his death there two years ago. Blair didn't know what the obsession was, but he wasn't going to take the change that she was going to try for a repeat, with Jamie.
He just hoped he'd be in time.
As Blair arrived at the fountain, he heard a familiar voice, her tone amazingly light for the situation. "Blair! How nice of you to join us!"
"Alex," he growled, whirling around to grab her by the forearms. "Where's my daughter?!"
"In due time, my Guide," she purred, leaning her head forward to brush his cheek with hers. "We make such a lovely pair."
"I'm not your ANYTHING," Blair snapped, shoving her away. "Now where's Jamie?!"
"DADDY!" The scream came from behind the nearby bench. Blair rushed in the direction of the voice.
"Jamie! Hang on, sweetheart!" It was dark, and the area wasn't well-lit. He was having a hard time finding her.
Alex beat him to it. She undid the handcuffs that kept Jamie tethered to the bench, then pulled the little girl close to her with one arm. In her other hand, Alex held a gun, which she pressed to the girl's temple. "Don't try anything heroic, or she dies."
"Why are you doing this, Alex?" Blair demanded. "What's she got to do with it?"
"I love pulling heartstrings," Alex deadpanned, moving around to hold the struggling child. "She's the weak point in your armor, Blair. You'd do anything for her, wouldn't you? Like come back to me. That's what it's all about. I'm only using her because I know you'd do anything to stop her from getting hurt, wouldn't you?"
Blair shook his head. "I think there's another possibility here, and that's just that you're a bitch!"
"Another good one." Alex smiled cruelly. "Your mind is running with questions, isn't it? How I got out of that overload in the first place. Two years and I never did tell you."
"I don't care HOW it happened; I just regret the day it did."
"Well, let's say that the hospital had an excellent shrink. And in a private, locked room -- it's easy to depend on your senses again." Alex chuckled to herself, harshly. "I thought I'd broken your loyalty to Ellison."
"Never." Blair glared at her. "Now let Jamie go!"
Alex shrugged. "Just a moment." She shifted the gun so she could retrieve some sort of patch from her pocket. "Since you don't show any signs of returning, I really don't need her any more." She slapped the patch onto Jamie's neck, and the little girl immediately went limp.
"NO!" Blair shouted, racing toward Alex. "What the hell did you give her?!"
"Just something to make her sleep -- permanently." Alex turned and dropped Jamie's body into the fountain. "There. She's all yours now."
Fighting against the fear that threatened to paralyze him, Blair ran to the fountain, barely noticing the water that splashed around him as he stepped into it. He scooped Jamie up into his arms, and carried her onto the grass. Immediately, Blair's hand went to Jamie's neck, feeling for a pulse. There wasn't any. He laid her down flat on the ground, feeling his world begin to fall apart. She was so young, with so much ahead of her in life. She couldn't die!
"Jim, if you're listening, I could REALLY use your help." Blair didn't shout; he didn't need to. Without delay, he positioned Jamie's neck for artificial respiration, giving her two quick breaths. As he did, he used his free hand to search her chest for the landmark for compressions.
Alex grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. "Forget the brat. Now you're mine again."
A rage unlike any he'd ever felt overtook the anthropologist. He threw Alex to the ground with a right cross, then pulled the gun from his jacket. He hauled the surprised Sentinel off the ground just enough to put the gun under her chin. "I was never yours! And I never will be!"
"Blair..." she pleaded, sounding more than a little unnerved, "you wouldn't really kill me. I know you and your peace-loving ways."
"You killed my daughter!" Blair shouted, shoving her back to the ground. Her gun fell out of her hand and he kicked it out of her reach. "All bets are off, Alex." He fought back the tears that sprung to his eyes -- there'd be time for that later.
"So work for me. You've got nothing left now. Your whole family's gone, except that flake you call a mother..."
"Shut up!" Blair yelled, hitting her again. His knuckles were sore, but it was nothing compared to the pain of losing Jamie. And that would keep him fighting for a long time.
Alex reached for the gun in his hand, and snatched it. She grinned at him. "Who's the big talker now, Blair? I hear Jim coming... but he's so distracted. Keeps seeing visions, probably. She raised the gun. Blair ran for her gun, grabbed it, and aimed.
"Don't try anything," Blair advised, falling back into his police training easily. "Put the gun down."
"You first." She turned her gun to aim at him. "This one's real, Blair. If I shoot you this time, you WILL die. And you're only allowed one resurrection per lifetime."
Blair was no Sentinel, but he could see her finger going for the trigger. Just as her finger tensed to pull the trigger, Blair fired the gun. Alex cried out, then went down in a heap.
"Chief?"
Blair had never thought he'd be so glad to hear Jim's voice. He turned to see Simon and Megan arriving behind him, then he pointed to Alex. "Check on her. I'm going to Jamie."
"Sure..." Jim squeezed Blair's shoulder.
With the immediate crisis past, Blair could now allow himself the luxury of falling apart. He picked Jamie's lifeless body up, and cradled her in his arms. The tears came easily now. He knew that there was no hope now. The minutes spent fighting Alex had destroyed Jamie's chance of survival. If they did revive her, she'd spend her life a vegetable, attached to machines. One part of him wanted to try; at least she'd be alive. But he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't condemn her to that kind of existence.
"Jamie..." Blair's voice was a strangled whisper. He stroked her cold, still-wet cheek with one hand. "I love you, baby. Always." He pulled her close, sobs now shaking his frame. He looked up, feeling a hand on his shoulder, and found himself looking into Simon's eyes. The concern in them was overwhelming, but it only added to Blair's misery. Nothing was going to be all right. Not any more.
"Sandburg?" Simon asked.
"She's gone," Blair replied, in a voice choked with tears, and tears yet to be shed. "Oh, God, she's gone."
Simon's eyes went wide, and he knelt beside Blair. Blair figured that the captain was probably thinking of Darryl. "Oh, no. Oh, Blair... I am so sorry..." He shook his head slowly.
Blair would have normally caught Simon's use of his first name, but very little mattered to him at the moment. He clutched Jamie tighter. "She killed her... Alex killed her!" He barely noticed as Simon's hand stayed on his shoulder, or as Megan pulled him into a hug.
"Oh, Sandy..."
Jim came over next, frowning. He touched Blair's arm. "Hey, Chief?"
Blair pulled out of Megan's embrace and away from Simon's hand. It was nothing personal; he just didn't want to be comforted. Not then. Maybe later. "Alex?" he asked Jim.
Jim went to his knees next to his Guide. "She's dead."
"Good," Blair said, with a vengeance that surprised him. He ran his fingers through Jamie's hair.
"I called an ambulance," Jim said, running a finger over Jamie's cheek as well.
"They can't do anything," Blair whispered. "It's too late... she's gone, Jim. I can't believe she's gone." He lowered his head and wept.
"Blair..." Jim began.
"Please... just for a minute. I--I want to be alone..."
"Blair, she's not dead. She's still with us, buddy."
Blair shook his head. "I don't know what Naomi's been feeding you, but..."
"No." Jim took Blair by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Blair. She's not dead. I can sense it. She's been drugged. It's some kind of biochemical stasis. Probably the same stuff Alex used on you."
There was a glimmer of hope, and Blair grasped at it. "She's not...?"
Jim shook his head. "No."
In the space of a few seconds, Blair had gone from absolute despair to pure joy. Jamie needed medical attention, but she was alive. That was all that mattered.
"Oh, Sandy." Megan echoed her words from before, but now it was a much happier tone. "She's going to be all right."
"That's a relief." Simon stood up, then looked to Alex's body. "Don't worry about her..."
"She's dead," Blair recalled. He'd shot people before, when he still worked with the department. But this was different.
"Don't worry about it," Simon advised. "We saw it. It was clearly self-defense, Sandburg."
"That wasn't what I was thinking when I pulled the trigger," Blair admitted. Sirens could be heard in the distance, but they were growing nearer. "I was thinking about Jamie. I thought she'd killed my daughter, and I wanted her dead for it." His eyes were a bit haunted at the revelation. "What does that make me?"
Simon met his gaze, and put his hand back on Blair's arm. "It makes you human."
Much like her father, Jamie was seemingly made of foam rubber. She was released from the hospital the next day, and other than a few nightmares, she had completely recovered from her ordeal.
"Doesn't seem like it's been two weeks, does it?" Jim mused, stepping into Jamie's bedroom.
Blair tossed his friend a look over one shoulder. He was packing Jamie's things up for the move. It had been a few days longer than expected, but the downstairs apartment Jim had mentioned had finally opened up. He and Jamie would move in the next day. "Since I got back?" He threw another teddy bear into the box.
"Yeah." Jim sat on the edge of the bed. "What amazes me more, though, is how easily things went back to normal -- well, as normal as it ever gets around here."
Blair nodded. "Guess it says something for the power of friendship, huh?"
"That it does." Jim sighed. "So, when do you start back at the University?"
Once they'd been sure that Jamie would be all right, Blair had gone back to Rainier to see about finding a job. He wasn't sure how difficult it would be, considering all that had happened. It had been remarkably easy, though. The current chancellor hadn't asked many questions about the past couple of years, apparently deciding that he probably didn't want too many details, and the professor they'd hired to take over Blair's position after Blair's supposed death was retiring after the current semester. Blair would go back to teaching full-time once the new semester began in two months. In the meantime, he would act as a sort of substitute.
"Well, this semester, I'm really filling in for people who are out," Blair explained. "I've got a lecture I'm covering tomorrow. Sexuality in Precivilized Cultures. Could be fun."
Jim shook his head. "Only you, Blair."
"Hey, I've taught it before. And you have no idea how fast that class fills."
"ANY college class on sex is bound to fill fast," Jim reminded him, laughing.
Blair nodded. "True." He picked up another stuffed animal, but paused to examine this one. "Well, I found that Kermit doll she was looking for."
"This one doesn't sing, does it?" Jim teased.
Blair laughed. "No, I don't think so."
"It's not REALLY such a bad song," Jim allowed. "But after the first few thousand times..."
"Hey, I know, man." Blair held his hands up in front of him. "I had to live with it. You at least had the option of coming back here!"
"Not once she moved in."
Blair nodded, conceding the point. A thought occurred to him. The last verse of the song... It's something that I'm supposed to be. He had his life back, after far too long. He was back in Cascade, back at Rainier -- and most importantly, back with his family. His daughter... and his brother. Maybe not by blood, but by a bond even stronger. He was the Guide to the Sentinel of the Great City. And, in a few days, he would once again be an official consultant to the Cascade Police Department, Major Crimes Division. It WAS where he was meant to be, all of it. "This is gonna sound really cornball-ish, Jim, but I think we've finally found it."
"Found what?" Jim asked.
"That 'rainbow connection'. Maybe this is all it is, just being where we belong in life. Being with the people that matter most to us. Maybe it's really that simple."
Jim raised an eyebrow, considering it. "You know, that's really pretty profound, Sandburg. You might just be right, though. Maybe we ARE there."
It wasn't perfection, but it was probably as close as they would ever get. Blair put an arm around Jim's shoulder, the packing momentarily forgotten, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."
"For what?" Jim asked, surprised.
"Everything, Jim. Just... everything."
Jim shook his head. "No, thank YOU. You came into my life exactly when I needed you most. And you've always been there for me. Even when I was a total ass, you were still there. I've chased off a lot of people in my life, Blair.... I'm just glad you were always too damn stubborn to not be one of them."
Blair smiled widely. "Thanks, man. That means a lot." He laughed at the expression on Jim's face. "You really ARE uncomfortable with the mushy stuff, huh?"
"And when did you become a psychiatrist, Dr. Sandburg?" Jim teased. He thought for a moment. "Yeah. I am. I don't know... maybe it has something to do with the way my father was... he always told Steve and me that 'real men' never cried, never did this or that..."
Blair nodded. "Somehow, I kind of figured that. Just remember -- if you ever want to talk, I'll be there." He raised an eyebrow mischievously. "After all, I was raised by hippies, remember? You wanna talk about a group of people NOT afraid to express their emotions..."
Jim grinned. "I'll remember that. Now... since you're back, I do need to do a little investigation. A few of my own tests, if you will."
"Like what?"
"Like..." The grin turned menacing. "Are you still ticklish in the same spots?"
"Oh, Jim..." Blair tried to back away, but the headboard of the bed stopped him. "No... c'mon..." His protests dissolved into helpless laughter as Jim's hands found all the sensitive spots. He tried to squirm away, but Jim pinned him in place with one knee. "Jim!" His voice had gone up nearly an octave. "Now stop that... JIM!"
Blair was fast asleep on the couch, when Jamie's scream woke him. Instantly awake, he rushed into her bedroom to find her struggling with the blankets. He reached out to wake her. "Jamie... c'mon, sweetheart, wake up. It's just a dream."
Blue eyes slowly opened, first looking at him with confusion and fear -- then love and relief. "Daddy..." She reached for him.
Blair pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He rubbed her back with one hand. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe. No one's gonna hurt you now."
"Is she all right?" Jim asked, coming into the room.
Blair kissed Jamie's forehead, then nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Nightmare?"
"Uh-huh." Blair picked Jamie up, and carried her to the couch. Her hands clutched his shirt tightly as she buried her face in his chest. Blair stroked her hair gently, welcoming all the love a clinging child could offer. "Shhh... just relax, honey. You're okay..."
Jim sat down beside them, and Jamie lifted her head to look at him. She scooted over a little so that she was partly on her father's lap and partly on Jim's. She had calmed down considerably.
Still stroking Jamie's hair idly, Blair smiled at Jim, wondering if his friend's thoughts were similar to his own. They might have made a somewhat atypical family, but they were family just the same. Nothing wrong with being a little different.
Jamie, now safely cuddled between her two protectors, drifted back to sleep shortly.
Blair turned to whisper something to Jim, but noticed that the Sentinel had fallen asleep as well, one hand still resting tenderly on Jamie's arm. Still protecting the tribe, even in his sleep, Blair mused. He smiled and settled back against the couch. As he drifted back to sleep, he couldn't help but think that for just that moment, all was right with the world.
Author's notes/acknowledgements: Wow -- I finished this one remarkably quickly -- thanks in no small part to the wonderful folks over at Sentinel Angst, whose comments gave me some real insights. A major thank you to both Steph and Jen as well, who both guided (no pun intended) me through some of my writer's blocks, and provided some great ideas. And thank you both for the beta assistance that kept me from falling flat on my face a few times! Any remaining mistakes are not theirs, just mine. Have to thank Ceci as well for all her cheerleading and for being there for me to bounce ideas off of. As usual, the typical disclaimers apply -- I don't own the show's characters, Pet Fly does, I'm making no money off this. Please don't sue... I don't have any money anyway. "The Rainbow Connection" belongs to Kermit, who belongs to Jim Henson's company. Thanks for the fun and the memories... that's all, folks! For now, anyway.
Why are you still reading? I told you it was over.
No, really, it's over.
What are you waiting for?
Oh, all right. I'll spell it out for you. THE END. Happy now? :-)