pairing: Brennan/Adam and Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg (pre-slash on both)

Rating: R

series: Merging

website: www.geocities.com/the_tenth_muse1

archive: sure! just let me know!

summary: After Blair's press conference to give Jim his life back, Adam attempts to woo the young anthropologist onto his team and inadvertantly exposes Blair and Jim to the notice of a secret government agency with ties to the underworld.

warnings: bad language and gun play. but then, it wouldn't be Blair and Jim if there wasn't, right? also, Haircut alert for fans of Blair's curls. poor Blair. :o(

disclaimers: not mine, never will be, not making any money from this. The Sentinel characters belong to PetFly Productions and MutantX to Tribune Entertainment.

*****

It was raining, big surprise, and cold, another shocker. Blair looked out the window, cradling the hot mug of tea in his hands and staring at nothing.

"Chief? You all right?" The silent padding of Jim's bare feet over the hardwood floor got closer and then large, warm hands were on Blair's shoulders.

Blair smiled briefly up at Jim and answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Uh oh. Watch out world."

Snorting at the teasing, Blair took a sip of his tea and wished it were as relaxing as the box had claimed.

"What about?"

"Just things."

"Things as in the Academy things? Or, things as in still having to go to the U and pack up your office, things?"

Damn. That's what happened when someone knew you so well. Sighing, Blair admitted, "Both."

The hands squeezed gently and Jim rested his chin on Blair's head. "I want to go with you.

"Trying to protect me?"

"Yes."

It had to be bad if Jim was being that honest about it. "I don't think they're going to stone me."

"Better safe than sorry."

Startled by the grim tone, Blair faced the larger man, breaking contact. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Jim answered, "You've always told me how vicious the academic world is. I just want to make sure you're not hurt."

Blair smiled. "I'll be fine, big guy. Don't worry about me."

"I do," Jim replied, frowning. "Let me go with you?"

And since Jim asked him for so little, how could Blair refuse?

* * * *

When they made it back to the loft, Blair was shivering violently and hunched in on himself in the passenger's seat. Not in his worst nightmares had he ever expected anything like what he'd just gone through. Without a word, Jim turned off the engine and pulled Blair into his arms, warming him through the hug. And how much worse had it been for Jim who could clearly hear the hateful whispers whenever Blair had come into a room or hall? "God, Jim.I never thought."

"It's all right, Blair, I've got you," Jim soothed, holding tight.

And he soaked up the comfort of his friend like a desiccated sponge.

* * * *

Jogging was never going to be something that Blair enjoyed. Ever. In this life, or any other. As a matter of fact, his own, private version of hell would be running track for eternity. But even in as good shape as he was, his wind was terrible and Blair knew it. If he was going to make it through the academy and become Jim's partner for real, he knew that he had to get better.

The bitch of it was that, through no fault of his own, he might not be able to make it better. His little stint in the fountain and subsequent battles with pneumonia had taken their toll on his lungs and now they fought any kind of long-term stress with a vengeance. Staggering to a halt, his lungs screaming for air, Blair bent over and tried not to throw up what little he'd had for breakfast.

Algae shakes didn't look appealing even without being regurgitated.

"Are you all right?"

Looking up, Blair found an older, dark haired, dark eyed man gazing at him with concern.

Unable as yet to speak, Blair waved an assurance at the stranger.

It didn't, apparently, do its job, because the man frowned and came closer. "You look like you're going to throw up. You should walk it off, not stop short like that. That's what my friend is always telling me when he drags me jogging."

Finally able to draw in a stray breath, he gasped, "Fine. Thanks."

"You don't look fine," the man observed. "And I'm not just talking about the throwing up, either."

Not feeling entirely comfortable with such scrutiny from someone he didn't know, Blair straightened, ignoring the severe pinch in his side, and took a couple of steps back. "See? I'm fine."

"If I admit this meeting isn't as coincidental as it seems, will you listen to me, Mr. Sandburg?"

Panic fluttered his already wildly fluctuating pulse and Blair looked around for anyone who seemed out of place.

Holding his hands up, the man said, "My name is Adam and your mother asked me to check on you. She's worried about you."

Blair groaned. When would she mind her own God damned business!? Wiping at his sweaty forehead, Blair replied, "I'm sorry to waste your time, Adam, but my mother doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Can we talk? So I can at least assure Naomi that you're really okay?" Adam asked.

Looking into the earnest dark eyes, Blair found nothing duplicitous in them and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. All right. Have a seat."

They moved to the nearest park bench and Adam sat while Blair stretched out muscles that already felt like jelly.

"I didn't just come because of your mother," Adam said with a faint smile. "She only told me a little about what happened, then I did my own research."

Blair stiffened, though he tried not to show it. "And?"

Adam shrugged, replying, "And nothing. I've worked for a long time in research, I know what the academic set is like. Just the fact that you called that press conference tells me what kind of man you are. Then you stated that the research was never meant to be published, that it was `fake.' That, in my mind, finished the story. You were taken advantage of in the worst way, but still tried to make things right for your friend by taking the blame for it. I must have watched that conference a dozen times and could only come to one conclusion."

Wary, Blair asked, "Which is?"

"That you're a good, brave man who got a bad deal in a terrible situation."

Maybe it was the quiet, steady way Adam spoke, but something told Blair that the other man wasn't lying. It could also have been the warm regard in the open eyes gazing at him. Hesitant, Blair said, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

Shrugging, Adam pulled out a business card and held it out. "If you find yourself in need of a friend, I hope you'll give me a call."

Blair looked at the card: Kane Enterprises. Adam Kane.why did that sound familiar? Then his eyes widened in shock as he made the connection and he sputtered, "Oh my God! You're Dr. Adam Kane, the geneticist!"

With a grin, Adam confirmed, "I hope you won't hold that against me."

Jaw still somewhere around the vicinity of his knees, Blair stammered, "No, but...you dropped off the face of the planet! One day you were the man to know and the next, poof! You were gone! What happened?"

"Let's just say that I discovered my research was being applied in ways I didn't find acceptable and I took steps to remedy the situation," Adam explained vaguely.

"Adam."

They both looked over at the woman's voice and Blair's eyes widened at the beauty before him. She was slender, blond and had the most amazing eyes. The way she moved towards them was purposeful, strong, and tough. Startled, Blair realized that Jim had the exact same walk. Adam got to his feet and introduced, "Blair, this is Shalimar Fox, a friend."

"The one who drags you jogging?" Blair questioned with a smile.

They both grinned in response and Shalimar shook her head. "I don't run unless chased, thanks."

Blair shared the smile and agreed, "Me, too. Or, not well at least."

"You were doing fine," she assured him. "You might want to keep your arms closer to your torso, though, less exertion that way."

"Ah, thanks."

Tugging Adam's jacket, she continued, "Time to go. Brennan said we're cutting it close as it is."

Blair watched with fascination as Adam changed from congenial to commanding in a split second, without moving a muscle or even a facial expression. It was the same trick that Simon had and he wondered where this man, a doctor, had picked it up.

Adam held out a hand and said, "It was good to meet you, Blair. I hope you'll call me. You have more options out there than you probably realize right now, with everything still so raw."

Shaking the hand, Blair half-smiled. "Thanks, man, I appreciate the offer."

Then they were striding away from him, completely in synch, and Blair was left wondering if he'd just had a job interview.

* * * *

Jim saw the faint bruising on Blair's cheek the moment his roommate came through the door. He did, however, manage to restrain himself from jumping on the other man with demands to know what had happened. After all, it was the same thing that had been happening for the last three weeks, since Blair had first gone into the Academy. The only thing that changed was the perpetrator. Keeping his voice neutral, Jim continued to prepare the salad and asked, "You all right?"

Tossing his book bag on the floor, Blair crashed onto the sofa. "I'll let you know in eleven weeks. If I live that long."

His stomach tightened at the defeated, wounded tone in Blair's voice. Jim hadn't heard him so badly off since the day they'd cleaned out his office at Ranier a couple of months ago. When the wooden utensil in his hand cracked, Jim looked down in surprise to find it broken in two. Grimacing, he moved to the trash barrel and threw it away.

This wasn't doing either of them any good. Blair had eleven more weeks of hell to go through, and Jim was in his own hell wanting desperately to protect his friend from it, and being unable to do so. Making a decision, he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and strode to the sofa, squatting down and putting a hand on Blair's shoulder.

Deep blue eyes opened and regarded him with surprise as Blair asked, "What's wrong?"

"This. All of this. You shouldn't have to go through any of it, and I want it to stop."

Frowning, Blair pushed himself onto his elbows. "It was just a bad day, Jim. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. I'm not fine. Hell, even Simon's not fine these days," Jim informed him, snorting.

Concerned, Blair sat the rest of the way up and demanded, "What's wrong with Simon?"

Jim shrugged with, "Nothing, really. Just.you're not there. It's throwing all of us off kilter."

A grin surfaced suddenly and Blair said, "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Eyes rolling, Jim got to his feet. "Don't let it go to your head. All I'm saying is that you don't need to do this. We can find another way."

Serious again, Blair also got to his feet and countered, "How? There's no other way for me to be your partner, and unless I'm your partner, fieldwork is out for you. We've tried Megan, Simon and Joel, but none of them keeps you grounded."

"Then maybe I..."

They looked at each other as Jim nearly swallowed his tongue keeping the words from being said. That maybe he shouldn't be a cop. Maybe it was time to do something else. It was something they'd both been avoiding since the press conference, that Blair had to live in Jim's world, because Blair didn't have his own any more.

Sighing, he ran a hand over his head and muttered, "Oh to hell with it. Blair, look. This is killing you. And it's killing me watching you go through it. Nothing is worth you taking this kind of shit from anyone, let alone punks who don't even know a thimble-full of what you do. We'll find something else. I don't know what, but something. And it's not like I'm destitute. I can support us comfortably for a long time, definitely until we figure something out."

"What if there's nothing else to figure out?" Blair questioned softly, bitterly. "What if no matter what we try, nothing works? I know, in my heart, that you're destined for this work Jim. It doesn't matter how we tread around it. You're a Sentinel, and with that is the need to protect. There aren't a hell of a lot of positions that come with that job description."

Helpless, Jim asked, "But what about you? We can't just think about me, here."

Blair sighed and tugged on his hair. "I don't know. Maybe.maybe it was just too soon? I could drop out of this session and wait until the next one. The instructors would still know me, but time to let things fade out a little wouldn't be a bad thing."

"If you'd just let me go to the Commi..."

"No!" Blair interrupted, almost violently. "Forget it! Politicians are the most untrustworthy of all, and that's not my mother talking, either."

Which Jim knew was true, really. "It's just so."

"Frustrating?"

"Yeah."

"I know."

"Do you mind if I take a walk? I need to.think," Jim said slowly.

Blair motioned towards the kitchen. "What about supper?"

"I'll eat when I get back. Go ahead, if you're hungry."

Shaking his head, Blair said, "I think I'll just take a shower and go to sleep early."

"Sure. I'll clean up."

Blair snagged his book bag and headed into his room. Jim watched the doors close before grabbing his jacket and heading outside.

* * * *

Lying on the futon, Blair eyed Adam's card as he would any other dangerous temptation: with great caution. It had been almost two months since their one and only meeting, and he hadn't called the man once. He knew, vaguely, what he would find when he called. There would be a sympathetic ear, someone to commiserate with, that wasn't actually involved. And at the end of it all would be, most likely, a job offer of some kind.

The only problem with that was that it would mean leaving Jim behind, and there was no way that he could do that. They were bound together in ways that he didn't completely understand, but recognized. It was bone and blood deep, not something to be separated capriciously or, perhaps, at all. It had been four years since they'd been apart for more than a week at a time and even on those few occasions, it had felt to Blair as though he were being torn apart.

But maybe...what if they both left Cascade? What if Jim could be happy working for another police force? What if he could go through the academy as a nameless rookie and breeze through? Adam was someone who could pull strings, the invisible kind that touched most of the unseen power; Blair knew that instinctively. He had seen it in the very manner and bearing of the older man.

After another hesitation, Blair picked up the phone.

******

Groaning at the sore muscles Brennan had tricked him into getting from a too-long workout that morning, Adam picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Ah, Adam? It's Blair, Blair Sandburg."

Surprised, Adam replied immediately, "Yes, hello Blair! I'm glad you called!"

"I uh, I'm not sure..."

There was a long pause, then Adam suggested, "Take your time. Start from the beginning. What's wrong?"

"Everything."

There was such a wealth of misery and pain in that one word that Adam winced. He could imagine exactly the reception that Blair was getting at the police academy. And he knew what kind of support he was getting from the academic community, which was to say none. "Go on."

"It's just...Jim needs someone to watch his back and he doesn't work well with anyone but me. So we figured, I'd go through the academy and we'd be partners. Everything would work out and we could get on with our lives."

"But that hasn't happened."

"The press won't leave me alone. I'm not on the front page anymore, thank God, but every so often, Jim and I pop up in the gossip column, or in the back section. On top of that, the other cadets are making my life a living hell. A few days ago, I got a cracked rib when someone accidentally-on-purpose bumped into me and I fell down a flight of stairs."

Adam winced again. Definitely what he'd imagined.

"And now Jim's having second thoughts. He wants me to quit, but how can I? It's not like there's a lot of job opportunities available for him."

"You talk like being a cop is the only thing he can do," Adam questioned lightly, careful not to make too much of the fact. This was such a delicate thing he was doing.

There was a pause, then, "Well, no, of course not. But that kind of job is what he's best at. He's driven to protect people, you know? Like you and I are driven to find out what makes people tick, even if you do it at the cellular and I do it in the ancient."

Adam chuckled and said, "True. We all have our strengths."

"Anyhow. I'm sorry to bother you with all this, I just.I don't really have anyone to talk to about it and it was a rough day."

"I was hoping that you'd call," Adam assured him. "I was worried about you, to be honest. You seem very capable, able to do whatever you set your mind to do, but prejudice is one of the hardest things to overcome, regardless of the type you encounter. I know we don't know each other well, but I hope you'll call me if you need to vent."

"Well, I certainly did tonight, didn't I?" Blair replied dryly.

Chuckling, Adam agreed, "Yes, you did. I..."

Brennan's voice came over the comm and interrupted with, "Adam!"

"Blair, hold on," Adam asked, putting his hand over the phone. "What is it, Brennan?"

"Emma just got news over the wire that a friend of mine escaped from prison. A really good friend," Brennan replied. "I want to go after him."

Adam sighed. "Brennan, I don't think..."

"Look, he's not a violent guy and he's probably in need of a hand. I want to get him to turn himself in. Please?"

Aside from the noble sentiment, that near-pleading tone always cut through all of Adam's defenses where Brennan was concerned. Sighing, he agreed, "All right. But take Jesse with you and be careful. You don't know what's really going on."

"I will."

Putting the phone back to his ear, Adam asked, "Blair? Are you still there?"

"Yeah. Everything all right?"

"Relatively speaking," Adam answered, wry. "A friend Brennan's is in trouble and he's insisting on helping out."

"I didn't meet him when you were out here."

"No, but he's actually around your age. He doesn't speak as many languages as you, but I think you'd find things in common," Adam teased.

Blair groaned. "My mother was bragging, wasn't she?"

"Just a little."

"I hope it's nothing serious?"

With a sigh, Adam said, "We'll find out."

"Did you need to go?"

Adam shook his head automatically, then said, "No, Brennan does his own thing, he was just checking in with me to let me know."

"Oh. Um, good."

"So. What else is going on?"

* * * *

When Adam hung up almost an hour later, he was dead certain that the young man would be an incredible addition to the team. Meeting Naomi had been a chance encounter at a café, about three months ago. She'd looked so sad, and beautiful Adam had to admit, that he'd asked her what the problem was. Resistant at first, the whole story of the disaster of what she'd done to her son had eventually flooded out.

Without even thinking twice about it, Adam had told her that he was going to be in Cascade and would check in on Blair while he was there. Even though he'd never even heard of Cascade outside a vague reference as one of the most dangerous cities in the nation. Then he'd gotten home to Sanctuary and done some research on the young man, finding the press conference and subsequent fallout with startling ease.

Intrigued by the `superman' comments the press had been flinging around about Det. Ellison, Adam had researched Blair's dissertation and asked Jesse to get a copy of the actual document if at all possible. It had taken a few days, but Jesse had come through and Adam had spent an entire afternoon and a good portion of the night poring over the file.

It was excruciatingly detailed with specific tests and findings, as well as anecdotal evidence spanning three years. At the end of it, Adam knew that he had to have the young man behind the thesis on his team. He had no doubt that the earnest, sincere, and optimistic quality blazing through the entire dissertation was the core of Blair Sandburg.

He also knew that Jim Ellison was everything Blair's results documented him to be. Adam had been itching to get his hands on the man's genes to find out how his natural DNA compared to mutant DNA ever since. To see if, perhaps, what he'd done in the lab hadn't been the evolutionary leap that Adam and Eckhart assumed it to be.

So, naturally, the next step in his research had been on Det. Ellison himself. The man's military records hadn't taken long to unseal, but going over them and making sense of them had taken almost as long as Blair's dissertation, if for different reasons. Brennan had finally had to drag him away from his computer and force him to eat and get some rest.

From there, it had been a crunch to find time enough to research Sentinels because of their own series of disasters and emergencies, let alone actually go out to Cascade and meet Blair. He'd originally been going to go on his own, but both Shalimar and Brennan had nixed that idea in the bud. The meeting had gone better than expected, Blair trusting as soon as his mother had come into the conversation.

Adam hadn't missed the instinctive search for escape routes that Blair was making before that happened. Not that he blamed the young man, given the government's SOP when it came to things of that nature. Adam was sure that both Blair and Det. Ellison had several plans set in place in case of a sneak attack from the government or another rogue agent acting on his or her own.

Rubbing his eyes, Adam left the office and headed for the computer area to find out what was going on. He met up with Shalimar on the way and asked, "What's happening?"

Shalimar growled faintly. "I'm not entirely sure, but I've got a bad feeling about it."

With a silent groan, Adam thought, *I hate it when she says that.*

* * * *

Turned out that Shalimar was right to be worried. Brennan might not remember much between the time he was injected with the adrenaline enhancing serum until the time the antidote was administered, but the imprisonment before that was very clearly etched into the younger man's face and eyes.

Adam could see how haunted Brennan was from the time in jail, though it was well hidden. All he wanted to do was erase that time from Brennan's memory, make it go away and stop the pain from whatever had happened the first time Brennan had been imprisoned. That was a time that Brennan never talked about, no matter how much any of them probed.

Hesitant, Adam knocked on Brennan's bedroom door and waited. There was a muffled call to come in, so Adam opened the door and went through. He found Brennan lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Choosing a neutral topic, he asked, "You and Jesse work things out?"

"Yeah. We talked and admitted we were both idiots."

Snorting, Adam observed, "I very much doubt that, but I'm glad you talked. I know how much the friendship means to you."

"Yeah," Brennan agreed with a sigh. "Why don't you just ask what you're dying to ask. You've been avoiding the topic since we got back."

Well, that was blunt. Then again, Brennan was nothing, if not direct. "Are you all right?"

Surprised, Brennan eyed him for a long moment before answering truthfully, "I will be, sooner or later. It's just.gonna take some time, Adam."

"I know," Adam said softly. They stared at each other for a long moment, then he continued, "If you need anything, Brennan, please ask me. Even if you think it's small, or stupid, or needy. I'm your friend and I care for you."

Brennan opened his mouth, then shut it again.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, it was something. What is it?" Adam questioned, stepping closer to the bed.

Sitting up, Brennan hesitated again then answered, "The thing that sucks the most in jail, well, one of the many, many things that sucks the most, is having to watch everything you say and do, worrying about how someone else will take it. There's no, ah, contact unless it's violent, and um...I don't...God, this is stupid!"

But Adam guessed what the other man was trying to ask for, and closed the distance between them, sitting on the bed and pulling Brennan close. The taller man stayed stiff for a few seconds, then held tight, burying his face in the hollow of Adam's throat. Adam sighed and knew it was going to take a while to recover from this latest misadventure.

* * * *

The knock at the office door surprised both Jim and Simon. When Simon's door was closed, everyone knew better than to interrupt, regardless of whom he was meeting with. Looking over, Jim found Rhonda's anxious face at the door and immediately tensed, knowing that Blair was in trouble. He stood and opened the door.

"I'm sorry Simon, but the hospital just called for Jim. Blair's in the emergency room," Rhonda reported.

"Son of a...!"

Simon was already on his feet and ordered, "Cool it, Jim. You don't know what happened. It could have been a car accident."

Dialing back on the anger that had flooded through him at the announcement, Jim knew that Simon was right. It didn't necessarily mean that the punks who'd been roughing up Blair had gone too far. Being of a naturally suspicious nature, though, Jim was certain they had.

"I'll drive," Simon finished in a voice that brooked no refusal.

Jim glared, but didn't argue. He knew better.

* * * *

Blair's drugged and querulous voice led Jim right to his roommate. He ignored the medical personnel and made a beeline for the other man. Pulling aside the curtain, Jim stopped in shock at the sight that greeted him: Blair's arm was strapped to his side and his face was bruised, one eye almost swollen shut. Aside from that, the curls that were Sandburg's trademark, had been shorn, leaving a wild and painful looking haircut.

Meeting Jim's gaze, Blair grinned and slurred, "You shoulda seen th'other guys. Gave'z good'z I got, Jim."

Shaking himself from the shock, Jim forced a smile and walked the rest of the way to the bed. His hand hovered in the air above Blair's head, then settled on the soft mess that had been left behind. "God, Blair, I can't believe they would do this."

"It'll grow back," Blair answered philosophically. "Kinda s'prised I got by the barber-thing in th'firz place anyhow."

Jim kept his anger under a tight wrap, hearing Blair's too-rapid pulse and knowing that his friend couldn't take a scene just then.

"Jesus Christ," Simon said in a shocked voice from behind.

Blair brightened unexpectedly and exclaimed, "Simon! Man, am I glad to see you. You can stop Jim from goin' and murderin' someone."

Jim heard the barely muttered, "Yeah, but who's going to stop me?"

Louder, Simon agreed, "Absolutely, kid. Doc says you can go home as long as you stay in bed for a few days."

"Awesome!"

Grinning briefly at the heartfelt relief in Blair's voice, Jim said, "I'll go find your clothes and get the instructions from the doctor. Who is it today?"

"Dr. Hansfeld," Blair answered sleepily. "I like her...she's quiet...doesn't ask too many...questions."

Jim ran his hand through Blair's short locks soothingly, waiting until the dilated eyes slowly closed and the younger man fell asleep. Then he looked at Simon and saw his Captain was on the exact same page. "I'll get the names of his attackers, if you get the paperwork taken care of."

Nodding unhappily, Simon asked, "How long will you be gone?"

Looking at the worn face, so pale against the hospital bed, Jim whispered, "As long as it takes to make him happy again."

* * * *

"You can't just unilaterally decide what's best for me!" Blair shouted furiously. If he had the complete use of his arms, he'd be gesticulating wildly. As it was, the inability to do so only added to his frustration.

Just as hot, Jim exclaimed, "I damn well can if it's going to keep you from getting beaten to death."

"It wasn't that..."

"Three broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, concussion, and fourteen stitches in various places," Jim snapped. "Tell me again how bad it wasn't?"

Taking a breath, Blair said, "Jim, man, I think we both need to step back from this for a while."

"That's exactly what we're doing."

"No," Blair exclaimed. God! Was the man being deliberately obtuse, or just trying to drive him insane? "I'm not going to let them drive me off like that, with my tail between my legs."

In an icy voice, Jim stated, "This wasn't *hazing*, Sandburg, this was *assault and battery*, with intent. Another three weeks when they're better trained, it'll be homicide and you know it. This has nothing to do with how brave you are. For Christ's sake, Blair, I know how much courage you've got and it shames me!"

Shocked, as much by the statement as by the emotion fueling it, Blair didn't know what to say at first. "What, what do you mean?"

Scrubbing his fingertips over his head, Jim answered in an agonized voice, "You gave up everything to put my life back together! How do you think that makes me feel? Like a coward. I'm hiding behind you and ruining your life in the process. I've seen the hate mail that you've thrown out since starting the academy. I hear the threats on those rare mornings you let me drop you off. Please, please don't make me go to your funeral because I'll tell you something...I really don't think I'll survive it."

Unable to do anything, not even breathe for a few moments, Blair just stared at Jim. Then his feet moved without him remembering to tell them to do so and he was across the room and in Jim's arms, clinging as hard as he could, trying to comfort the shaking man who'd always been his rock. "It's all right, don't worry. I won't go back, I promise that I won't go back."

*****

Things were better after the emotional storm, Blair had to say that much. He identified all four attackers and they were charged with assault and battery, as well as thrown out of the academy. He withdrew from the academy himself, not caring what anyone else thought. Even the blurb in the paper about the whole thing wasn't enough to derail the hard-won peace.

The phone rang and he eyed it for a few rings before deciding to let the machine pick it up. He was too comfortably ensconced on the couch with his blankets and laptop to be bothered.

"Ah, hello. This is Adam Kane calling for Blair Sandburg. I'm sorry to bother you at home, Blair, but I've had..."

Wincing as he skidded to a halt too late and jarred his ribs, Blair grabbed the phone with his good hand and greeted, "Hello? Adam?"

"You're there," Adam exclaimed, relieved.

Hobbling back to the couch, Blair carefully sat back down and answered, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"I hate to ask this, knowing how busy you are with the academy and all, but I have a research grant that I need help with. I was hoping that I could entice you away from Cascade when you graduated. Maybe even make it a working vacation and bring your partner with you."

Stunned at the generosity, Blair stammered, "That sounds, actually, that sounds great. I ah, I withdrew from the academy about a week ago."

"That's good timing then."

The very casualness of the other man's tone set off alarm bells, but they were nice ones to hear, since it meant that Adam had been following him closely enough that the other man knew what was going on. Smiling, he said, "You're not fooling me, Dr. Kane."

A warm chuckled reverberated over the phone and Adam replied, "Shalimar said you wouldn't go for it."

"Oh, I'll go for it, I just don't believe that you don't know why I left the academy," Blair said.

"Yes, well, that's true," Adam admitted. "Are you all right?"

Blair sighed. "I'm getting there. They roughed me up pretty good, but Jim and everyone else is taking good care of me. I should be pain med free in another two days."

"Ouch. That bad? The paper didn't mention what your injuries were."

"A few broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, minor cuts and bruises. Basically, I look like a patchwork quilt," Blair joked darkly. "Or Frankenstein's lesser-known experiment: the anthropologist who wasn't."

"I can remedy part of that at least."

"Which part?"

"The anthropologist part."

Blair's breath caught in his throat. "How so?"

"You need a thesis to complete your graduate studies, right?"

"Right."

"Well, it's a little far afield, I'm afraid, which probably won't do your reputation any good, but you were looking into a closed society, right? I recently came across a society that was completely cut off from the outside world through artificial means, right here."

Blair's jaw dropped open. "Excuse me?"

Adam laughed and repeated, "A completely cut off group of people, a town really, for the last hundred or so years."

"Holy shit!"

"Is that a yes?"

"Ah, it's a definite maybe," Blair answered, excitement running through him. "I have to talk to Jim. Where are you located, anyhow?"

"East Coast."

"That's informative."

Chuckling, Adam ordered, "Talk to Jim. I will say that it's not cold and wet here, and would be a distinct change of scenery, which could do you both some good."

Blair sighed deeply and commented, "It would do us both a lot of good."

"You could stay with me, I've got plenty of room and it's only about an hour's drive to the site. Since I suspect that it would probably be about two days before Jim went out of his mind with boredom, I have a few security jobs he could consult on, if he was of a mind," Adam suggested.

Blair had to shake his head in disbelief. "Why are you being so nice to us? You barely know me and don't know Jim at all."

"I don't like it when good people are given a raw deal," Adam answered quietly.

With a trace of caution, Blair asked, "What if Jim wants to meet you first?"

"Then I'll come out and meet him. Look, Blair, I'll be honest. Depending on how well you and Jim get along with everyone else here, I'd like you to keep an open mind about a job offer I want to make you. I can't go into details right now, but I think it would be right up your alley. For both of you. Tell you what, I'll be out in Cascade again on business on Friday. How about we meet then?"

Nodding dumbly, Blair finally connected his brain and tongue, and agreed, "Sure. Ah, give me a call when you get in."

"I will."

Blair stared at the phone, unable to believe that after so much bad luck maybe things were finally changing for the better.

* * * *

Keeping his thoughts and suspicions firmly to himself, Jim parked the truck in front of the best Thai restaurant in Cascade. He followed Blair to the door, stopping short when his roommate swung around and pointed at him. Surprised, by the about-face, Jim asked defensively, "What?"

"Best behavior, Jim. I mean it!"

Contriving to look as innocent as possible, Jim replied, "Aren't I always?"

"Very funny."

Rolling his eyes, Jim held the door open for the as yet hobbled Blair and automatically scanned the room for hostiles and escape routes.

Blair elbowed him rudely and murmured, Sentinel soft, "It's a restaurant, you big doof, I doubt anyone's going to start trouble here."

Jim snorted in plain disbelief, but didn't comment. He did, however, dial down his sense of smell, the spices already causing a line of sweat to break out on his forehead. "You know I hate Thai unless we're at home."

"Suffer," Blair informed him mercilessly.

With another eye roll, Jim shadowed Blair to the table where Dr. Adam Kane, whom Blair had been talking about almost exclusively for the last two days, sat. He was surprised to find a quiet, dark- haired man waiting for them. The man was older than Jim was, but probably only by a handful of years; and handsome, careworn was actually the word Jim would use to describe him, he realized. The man was dressed casually, but Jim recognized the quality cut. The smile was genuine as the older man greeted Blair, and the heartbeat steady.

So far, so good. He settled in to watch, keeping his senses open for anything out of the ordinary or suspicious. Blair might trust this man, but Jim didn't as yet.

"Blair! It's so good to see you," Adam greeted, holding out his hand. "You're looking, ah, mostly healed."

Blair took it with a grin. "Thanks, but I know I still look like a shorn sheep."

Adam replied, diplomatically, "It's a change."

Blair turned towards Jim and introduced, "And this is my best friend, Detective Jim Ellison."

"Dr. Kane," Jim greeted, taking the handshake. He was pleased at the firm, but unassuming grip. So many men tried to use the handshake to impress him, gripping hard, subconsciously intimidated by his stature. At least, that's how Sandburg explained it. Dr. Kane, however, was as easy going as Blair had described and didn't do anything but accept Jim's hand and smile.

"It's Adam. And it's very nice to meet you, Detective."

Nodding, Jim echoed, "You, too, Adam. Call me Jim."

"Have a seat," Adam offered, taking his own again.

When the waiter came over and took their drink order, Jim noticed the fourth place setting and tensed. "Is someone joining us?"

"Just me," a woman said from behind.

They all stood when a young woman with red hair and pale eyes stopped at the table. Adam smiled and introduced, "Jim, Blair, this is my assistant, Emma de Lauro. I hope you don't mind that she joins us. I didn't want to leave her ghosting around the hotel by herself."

Jim shook his head, Blair doing the same, and took her hand. Something set him on edge as he took the hand, but it wasn't anything he could pinpoint, so he just smiled and murmured a polite greeting.

By the middle of dinner, Jim's head was throbbing and could no longer hide the fact, especially when Blair called him on it with a concerned, "It looks like you're getting a migraine."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jim closed his eyes and pressed fingers against them. "Yeah, I am."

"I'm sorry, I should've changed the restaurant," Blair apologized, contrite.

Adam frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Jim has allergies and sometimes they flare up when we're in a place where there's a lot of stimuli," Blair explained, rubbing the back of Jim's neck. "We have to go. I'm so sorry."

Adam and Emma stood when they did, but Jim was so far gone with the pain that he barely noticed. He grabbed hold of Blair and pulled the other man close, not caring how it looked or that they were in public. Breathing in his partner's scent helped shield him from whatever was going on, enough so that he could see again at least. All he saw on Adam and Emma's faces was concern and it prompted him to say, "I'm sorry about this. It must be something in the air, I was fine when I got here."

"Don't worry about it," Emma assured him, smiling gently.

Adam nodded agreement and said, "I'll give you a call tomorrow before we leave, is that all right, Blair?"

"Yeah, sure," Blair agreed, his attention completely focused on getting Jim out of the restaurant and whatever irritant had entered Jim's system.

As they reached the door, Jim caught a stray comment from Emma that made him frown. "Maybe we should rethink this, Adam."

Then a wave of pain hit and washed the odd statement away.

* * * *

Adam shook his head at Emma's suggestion. "No. It only benefits us all to join forces."

"But if being near just me sent his senses into overkill like that, surely being around all of us will be excruciating," Emma countered softly.

Frowning thoughtfully at the door that Blair and Jim had passed through, Adam posited, "I think it's more that his senses were searching to explain you and couldn't. They were looking for a normal woman, but your aren't one. Because your DNA is different, you smell subtly different, you probably even sound a little different and I'd bet for sure that you taste different to a man like Ellison."

Emma blushed a little at the last statement, delivered as it was in a deliberately teasing manner. "So once he knows that I am different, his senses will stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole?"

With a nod, Adam agreed, "That's it exactly. Well, of course we can't be sure until he freely interacts with all of you knowing everything. At least I can get started on samples of his DNA with everything he touched and ate tonight."

Grinning, Emma commented, "The staff is going to think it very odd that you're bringing everything back with us."

Adam winked and replied, "The benefits of throwing around a lot of money. They assume you're rich enough to afford being eccentric."

* * * *

Jim was nearly back to normal by the time they got back to the loft, convincing Blair that it had definitely been something in the air at the restaurant. He parked easily and got out to help Jim, but the other man was already on his feet.

"I'm fine Sandburg, just a little embarrassed," Jim said, waving him off.

Blair grinned as they started walking towards the building and teased, "Emma seemed quite taken with you, even if you were more monosyllabic than usual."

Giving Blair an incredulous look, Jim exclaimed, "She's a kid!"

"Must like old men, I guess. Sorry, I meant older men."

"Why you little...!"

With a laugh, Blair ran the rest of the way, not stopping at the door to wait for Jim. He went inside and pushed the elevator button so it would be there when Jim got in.

"You're so dead, Sandburg," Jim threatened with a grin, entering the lobby.

Making a face, Blair countered, "I've heard that before."

His phone rang, so he pulled it out of his pocket and answered, "Hello?"

"Blair, it's Adam."

"Adam, hey! Jim's fine, it really must have been something at the restaurant," Blair assured him.

"That's not why I'm calling. I'm afraid that my presence here has put the both of you in danger."

Blair froze, then tugged Jim's jacket to get his attention and pointed to his ear. Jim nodded, so Blair asked, "What do you mean, put us in danger?"

"It's very hard to explain, but you shouldn't go home."

"We're already here."

"Damn it! All right, have Jim make sure no one's in the apartment before you go upstairs. There's probably a team of government agents waiting for you."

Worried, Blair met Jim's eyes and mouthed, `What should I say?'

Jim took the phone. "Look, Kane, I don't know what you're playing at here, but it's not funny."

Adam sighed and answered, "I'm not being funny, Detective. Please, just use your senses to check the apartment! Please?"

Covering the phone, Jim said, "I don't think he's lying, Chief."

Worry changing actively to fear, Blair took the phone back and waited as Jim closed his eyes and cocked his head in a hearing position. When the large man tensed and opened his eyes, Blair knew that Adam was telling the truth. "What do we do?"

"Go to the park where we met, we'll be there," Adam ordered. Then his voice softened and he apologized, "I'm so sorry, Blair. I'll make this right, I promise."

Blair hung up without answering as Jim pulled out his gun and headed for the door. He scanned the parking lot and Blair joined him there. "What should we do?"

"I don't see or hear anyone outside, they must be sure of themselves," Jim answered.

"Make like we forgot something?"

"Yeah. You go first and I'll come after you."

Gripping Jim's arm for a moment, Blair took a deep breath and opened the door, jogging back towards the truck. Halfway there, he turned and shouted, "I am not driving all the way back to the restaurant for something you forgot all by myself. Get your ass out here now, Ellison!"

Jim strode across the pavement and called back, "It's your fault I forgot it!"

"Doesn't matter, now move!"

Blair reached the truck and unlocked the driver's side, before jogging around to the passenger's side. Jim got there without incident and all he could think was, *Almost there, almost there. Just a little longer and we're gone.*

He'd just gotten inside and reached over and put the keys in the ignition for Jim when gunshots were exchanged. The steady, one-two- three from Jim's police issue and a hail of semi-automatics cracked through the quiet night. Blair turned on the engine even as he ducked down for cover.

Jim finally dove inside and gunned the truck backwards with, "Stay down, Sandburg."

Clutching the door and the dash, Blair nodded. If he had a weapon, things would be different. From the fact that Jim had tossed his gun onto the seat, he knew the other man didn't have time to reload. Blair felt the awful thud of bodies hitting the truck and closed his eyes, praying that no one was killed, even if these were the bad guys.

* * * *

Adam paced the area by the bench where he'd first met Blair, worried that they'd gotten Jesse's warning too late. Good thing they'd had him monitoring the air traffic for Cascade or they'd never have known. As it was, the suspicious arrival of unknown government aircraft to Cascade International Airport was too timely to mistake as anything other than an attempt to capture Jim.

Yet again, his good intentions had wrought disaster onto an innocent.

"They'll be fine, Adam," Emma softly assured him.

Jaw tightening, Adam replied, "If they're not, it'll be my fault. I led the way, straight to them!"

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known."

Adam didn't even look at Brennan, just kept his eyes in the direction where Blair and Ellison would be coming from. "I should have anticipated it!"

A gun cocked and Adam felt a cold, metal barrel against the side of his throat as Ellison questioned in a neutral, and yet completely threatening, tone, "Should have anticipated what? What's going on?"

"There's not enough time for explanations. You have to come with us," Adam replied.

"Son of a bi..."

"Brennan! Don't do anything," Adam ordered, seeing a glow to his right. He knew that the younger man had his powers lit up like a neon sign, ready to slam the electricity into Ellison to get Adam safe.

"But, Adam!"

"No! Detective, we're wasting time. The government agents will be coming any moment. Where's Blair?"

"You give me mine and I'll give you yours," Shalimar offered suddenly from out of sight. Her voice was chilling in its deadliness.

"Let him go!"

Feeling events spinning out of control, knowing that Shalimar must have Blair in some kind of dangerous hold from Ellison's furious order, Adam snapped, "Stop it! All of you! Shalimar, let Blair go. Detective, we're not here to hurt you or Blair, we're here to protect you."

"Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like."

The gun pushed harder against him and Adam winced. "We have to trust each other right now, Detective, there's no choice here. I give you my word that no harm will come to either of you from myself, or my people."

"Let him go, Jim," Blair said quietly.

"Chief, no..."

"Let him go. It's going to be all right, I promise. We're going to be fine. You just need to put down the gun and show them that you're not going to hurt Adam and then she'll let me go, right Shalimar?"

Wondering at the soft, soothing tone, feeling almost a compulsion to relax, Adam realized that Jim Ellison wasn't the only one who was more than he appeared to be. Keeping still, Adam waited until the gun finally left its position against the back of his neck. In the next second, he was grabbed by Brennan and hauled to safety, firmly thrust behind the larger man for protection.

He watched, fascinated, as Blair moved slowly to Ellison and took the gun from a death-grip, literally prying it from the police officer's hand.

"Come on back, Jim, come on back to me," Blair murmured several times.

Adam knew this was a `zone-out,' but it didn't match the ones detailed in Blair's thesis. Ellison seemed fully aware of his surroundings, his nose flaring and his eyes constantly scanning the area for danger. Then an arm snapped out and yanked Blair solidly against the bigger man in an alarmingly fast move. Ellison dropped his head to the hollow of Blair's throat and did much the same as he had in the restaurant. Understanding struck that this was the `grounding' process also described in the thesis.

Not wanting to interrupt, Adam nonetheless said, "We have to go."

"Who is after us? And go where?" Blair demanded, looking uncomfortable in the tight hold of Jim's arm across his chest, despite the soothing motions of his own hand against the barrier.

Smiling faintly, Adam answered, "Home, Blair. To Sanctuary."

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Created on ... April 29, 2003