Fathers And Sons 4

by Belladonna

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asb/belladonna/father04.php
Summary: After Blair's dissertation disaster, he runs to his father...and away from Jim

As they traveled through the mile deep corridors inside Cheyenne Mountain, Jim felt the familiar feeling of 'brotherhood' that he'd enjoyed while he'd served with the Rangers. It was the bond that was formed by blood and battle, sweat and tears. For Jim it was a physical smell and it was thick in this place.

Jack opened the door to his office and led his guests inside, then shut it. He gestured to the chairs and picked up his phone. "Sergeant, I'm not to be disturbed." There was a pause and he smiled. "Yes, except for the President, Dr. Jackson, Carter or Teal'c," and he hung up. He eyed his son, then his son's companion. "So, ready to hear the gory details?"

Jim took in a deep breath. "I'm ready." He caught Blair's grin from the corner of his eye.

A knock at the made Jack scowl. "Cripes, not even two seconds. It had better be important!" he called out.

The door opened and Daniel poked his head in. "I'm taking Blair with me. We've got a meeting."

Blair made a face and Jack laughed. "Yeah sure Danny. I guess I can tell Ellison what he needs to know."

Daniel scrunched his nose and his eyes squinted uncertainly behind his glasses. "Are you sure?" He cleared his throat. "Um, I can get Sam in here."

Jack gasped theatrically, "I'm hurt. I'm the General now and you don't think I can handle disclosure? Geez."

His lover only shook his head. "C'mon Blair. Let's go to the conference room."

Blair bounced up and shot his father a grin. "I'll see you later." Then he touched Jim's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Jim smiled up at his guide. "Once I hear what's going on, I'll let you know." Blair patted him reassuringly and left with Daniel, both men babbling about something about lost societies. He kept one ear out for Blair as he turned his attention to Jack. "So, what do you do here?"

Jack leaned back. "We go through a wormhole to visit other planets." That's the ticket, keep it short and uncomplicated.

Twisting his head slightly, Jim eyed the older man. "You don't look crazy, and you obviously believe what you just told me, but...." And a new sound made him cock his head. "Something's happening."

The sound of claxons and the loudspeakers announcing, "Unauthorized offworld activation," made Jack swear and jump to his feet. "Come on Ellison. It's easier to show you than explain."

Jim obediently followed the General down a set of metal stairs into the controlled chaos of was obviously a control room. He gawked out the windows at the huge metal ring for a long moment before getting jostled by someone. Startled he stepped out of the way of the chaos as people tapped on computers, and people rushed to and fro. "Who is it, Davis?" the General asked.

The master sergeant sitting at the computer shook his head. "No IDC yet, sir."

Jim kept silent though he wanted to ask questions. Then Davis said, "It's SG-13, sir!"

"Open the iris," Jack ordered.

As he watched Jim was abruptly aware of the sound of his guide's heartbeat, and the sound of booted feet coming down the stairs. "Stay with me big guy, don't zone," he heard, and was glad for it for when the metal iris peeled itself back, he was totally unprepared for the awesome sounds and sights of the wormhole as it exploded out and settled back.

Blair's hand on his arm made him smile, a little embarrassed. "Thanks, Chief."

"So'kay, who is it?" Blair asked quietly.

"The guy at the computer said SG-13," Jim replied just as quietly. Whateverthefuck that is.

There was a hiss of noise, and Blair was about to speak but Jim held up his hand. He'd heard something over the speakers.

Jack leaned into the mike. "Heeellloo?"

"Sir!" came a voice, then more crackling and hissing. "We're under attack and coming in hot!"

"Understood!" Jack said calmly, "Security and medical to the gateroom," he announced before taking another set of stairs down.

Jim took a protesting Blair and gently shook him. "Stay put."

"Jim, man, what do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

"I have medical training Chief, I can't not do something," he trotted down the metal stairs after Jack.

In the gateroom Jack grabbed an extra weapon from one of the Marine's. "Here, Ellison. If its eyes glow, aim for its head. If they don't, aim for the belly." The SF's glanced as the big guy in civvies, but since the General gave him a weapon they shrugged and focused their attention back on the gate.

"Jesus," Jim replied, taking the weapon and aiming it automatically, all of his Ranger training plus the years as a cop, keeping him relatively calm. "So, I take it there are aliens trying to kill us?" he asked mildly, making conversation.

Jack snorted, "Oh yeah." And then everyone's attention was on the men who were running or limping out of the event horizon.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Blair chanted in the control room as first Sgt. Wells, then Balinsky and Bosworth stumbled down the ramp.

"Get them off of the ramp!" Jack barked then he grabbed Bosworth. "Where's Dixon?"

Bosworth turned. "He should be--" And suddenly a man flew through, staff weapon fire on all sides. Jack kept his focus on the gate as he caught Ellison out of the corner of his eye helping the downed man. "Dix?"

"Close the iris!" Dixon croaked, but as the iris began to swirl shut an arm in familiar black armor pushed through, then the rest of a Kull warrior stepped into the gateroom.

"Zats!" Jack yelled and immediately the room was filled with the hiss and whine of zats. "And get Carter to bring in that other thing!" he ordered calmly as he began to fire.

Dizzy and nauseous as shit, Dixon rolled to his knees and reached behind him with his good arm to grab his own zat. He grabbed the unfamiliar man in civvies who had been helping him and handed it to him. "Press here, aim and fire. Don't hit one of us."

Jim obeyed, pressing and firing the unfamiliar weapon continuously at the large soldier. The sheer amount of power seemed to slow it down, but it definitely didn't stop it and he automatically stretched his senses to find a weakness. He tuned out everything else, keeping Blair's heartbeat firmly in his ears as balance and let his senses roam the alien.

"Jim, what are you doing? Stay with me," he heard Blair's voice in his ear and it steadied him to the point that he detected the weakness he was looking for. "Aim for the head, it's weakening there!"

Jack glanced over and saw Jim raise the borrowed zat and increase his fire. He shrugged and did the same, and in a matter of minutes the Kull warrior seemed to collapse upon itself.

"Thank Christ," Jack said.

Jim shook his head in disbelief. "What in the hell IS that?"

"That's one our run of the mill bad guys," Jack said, then he grinned. "Gonna change your mind?"

Looking around, Jim shook his head. "Is it always like this?"

The chorus of 'yeahs' from everyone in the gateroom to the controlroom made Jack smirk. "Hey, you all are going to give Ellison the wrong idea," he called to his troops who collectively rolled their eyes.

"Oh, I think I've got the right idea," Jim said. He looked up into the control room and smiled at his guide. "I guess I'd better work here. Who else is going to keep Sandburg out of trouble?"

Blair smiled with delight, then he belatedly heard Jim's comment. "Hey!"

*^*

Jim regarded himself in the mirror with doubt-- the beret with its Ranger flash and the new silver oak leaves on his shoulders made him shake him head, "I don't know, light colonel seems extreme. I'd be happy being a captain again."

Blair looked at his father, who was leaning in the doorway between the locker room and the bathrooms. "You have the experience and the requisite time in service as a reservist, even if it was inactive reserves," Jack said. "Believe me, I did my own research and talked to people-- you're a natural leader. Relax."

"And my senses, you kept them out of it?" Jim asked quietly.

Jack nodded. "No point in bringing undo attention to us. You'll have to tell your team--" he waited for Jim's nod of acknowledgement, "and that means it's bound to get out eventually, but when that happens we'll deal with it." He looked at his watch. "You and Blair have a million files to go through, and training begins when you get back from Cascade." He glanced at his watch again and smothered a curse. "I've got to go. See you both later." And he left.

Jim looked over at Blair. "Well, how do I look?"

Blair looked at his lover and shivered slightly with arousal. Jim looked hot. He was wearing navy blue bdu's with the SGC patch, silver oak leaves embroidered on the collar, and his black beret with the Ranger flash. As he gazed at his lover, Blair noticed something else. In uniform, Jim was different. Rangers were the best of the best, they had a strict code of conduct and it was as if when he put on the uniform, Jim had put on the persona of the Ranger as well.

"You look like you're ready to face anything that the world throws at you," Blair said seriously as he moved to stand beside his Sentinel, both men reflected in the mirror.

Jim smiled at his guide. "As long as you're beside me? I can face anything."

Sheer emotion made Blair's heart roll in his chest, and he turned and hugged Jim tightly. "I love you, Jim."

Jim's arms tightened around Blair. "Me too, Chief."

*^*

While Simon handed out assignments he thought about his detective of the year and his scrappy partner. He missed them. Jim had called to reassure him that he was fine, thank Christ, while the public relations people had been fending off the press for the past week when it became known that Jim had been on the crashed airplane in Colorado Springs.

The spiel of, 'Detective Jim Ellison was on flight 34 from Cascade to Colorado Springs. He survived the crash with a minor head injury and is staying with friends in Colorado Springs,' had been heard about a thousand times. Knowing Blair was with Jim gave him a modicum of peace anyway, though he couldn't wait until he read the riot act to both men for scaring him to death.

"Simon?"

Simon glanced up and inwardly groaned. "Hello Carolyn, what beings you to Cascade?"

Jim's ex-wife glared. "Why didn't anyone call me about Jim?"

The head of the Major Crime's unit leaned back in chair. "You've been divorced for three years. Carolyn." he pointed out.

"Still, we were married and someone should have called me."

She'd seen the press coverage of Jim's heroics, Simon thought uncharitably, and wants to be part of it. "Sandburg called when he found Jim, and then Jim called to let us know he was fine. He didn't ask us to call you, Carolyn."

Carolyn bristled. "Sandburg? He's with Blair Sandburg? I thought it was proven that he duped Jim, that he was a fraud and Jim finally kicked him out."

Now Simon sighed. He knew that Sandburg wasn't a fraud and he knew that Jim was really a Sentinel, but that was something that no one wanted Carolyn to know. "I guess they've made up."

She made a face. "Unbelievable."

Simon's phone rang and he answered, "Captain Banks."

"Hey, Simon."

"Jim!" Simon said with pleasure. "How are you?" He winced as Carolyn sat down to eavesdrop unabashedly.

Jim turned his head to look at Blair who was talking excitedly with Daniel about some dead civilization or other. "I'm great, we're great. How's Darryl and everyone?"

"Darryl's great, tell Sandburg that he loved the Rockies and Broncos' jerseys that you sent."

"Hey Chief, Darryl liked the jerseys," Jim called and Blair grinned, "Excellent, man."

Faintly, Simon could hear Sandburg's voice in the background and it made him smile. The kid sounded happy.

"So, when are you guys coming back?"

"We're catching a plane out tomorrow morning. Jet Blue flight 109 out of Denver. We'll be in Cascade at 11:04."

"Are you sure about flying again so soon?" Simon asked in concern.

Jim grimaced. "It's not my favorite mode of travel right now, but we need to get back and get things started."

The wording of this made Simon's alarm bells ring. "Get what started?"

"Jim, you idiot! We were going to tell him when we got there!" came Sandburg's voice in the background.

"Um, we're gonna have you over for dinner Simon, tomorrow night, ok?" Jim covered clumsily.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

Jim sighed. "I don't know. Talk to you tomorrow, Simon." And he hung up the phone.

Simon gently lay his phone down in the cradle, "Well, Carolyn, you can see him for yourself. They'll be back tomorrow."

She stood. "Thank you Simon," she snipped and swept out leaving behind the smell of Obsession.

Ignoring her, Simon stood and closed the door to his office. He wondered what the news was that Ellison and Sandburg were going to hit him with. It couldn't be good, they wanted to feed him first. Always a bad sign.

*^*

It was a beautiful day when Carolyn let herself in with her old key and looked around the loft with undisguised curiosity. Without Blair's things it looked as bleak and uninviting as it had when she'd left Jim. The sound of footsteps caught her unprepared and she glanced quickly around before she went to stand behind the couch. The windows were bringing in a lot of natural light and she remembered how Jim liked her in that very spot.

Outside, Blair pushed Jim against the door, pressing his body as close as he could. "I can't until we make love all the way," he whispered huskily and Jim moaned. They'd kept their love making to frottage and blow jobs, but now they wanted to take it to the next step and they'd both agreed that the loft was the perfect spot to consummate their love. It had been the promise of that next step that Blair had teased Jim with throughout the entire time they were on the plane. That and the fact that Blair was with him were all that kept Jim from quietly freaking out during their flight out.

Jim pushed Blair gently away, and turned to unlock the door to the loft. Blair pressing his cock against his ass overwhelmed his senses so that when the door swung open he never noticed Carolyn standing there-- instead he picked up the grocery bags and smacked his lover on the head. "Cut it out, Chief."

The surprised look on Blair's face made him stop in surprise then he noticed their visitor, and winced. "Hello Carolyn."

"Jim, how are you?" she asked, keeping her voice calm as she moved forward to kiss her ex-husband. Jim accepted the kiss on his cheek, then stepped as far back as politely possible.

Blair sighed, "Hey, Carolyn," he said politely. When there was no answer he made a face and grabbed the grocery bags. "I'll just start dinner," and he went to the kitchen.

"That was fucking rude, Caro," Jim said harshly. He knew Blair wasn't hurt, but he was.

Carolyn made a disparaging noise. "He's a fraud and yet you're still friends with him?"

"What? Of course I am!" Jim replied, his voice incredulous.

"What are you thinking?" Carolyn asked, her voice shrill. Shrill enough to make both Jim and Blair wince.

Jim scrubbed frustrated hands though his short hair. "Carolyn, you do know that he can hear you? And it doesn't matter what I'm thinking, it's my life!"

Blair, who, because of the open floorplan did hear everything, was tempted to laugh. Jim just didn't get that Carolyn was jealous, and he didn't think that she realized it either.

"I just don't understand why you went after him. He made a terrible mess of your life with all of his lies, then that press conference where he confessed that he'd lied." She shook her head. "And then I had to hear from the news that you'd been in a plane crash. You couldn't call me?"

Totally amazed and a lot uneasy, Jim bluntly asked, "Why?"

Now Blair did snort. Can you spell clueless?

Carolyn threw Blair a narrow look but he was bent industriously chopping vegetables. She moved closer to Jim, "We mattered to each other, Jim. Don't you remember?" Her voice was low and she had on what used to be his favorite perfume. Unfortunately for her, at that moment it was making him nauseous and now he was buying the fucking clue.

"I remember a lot, and yeah, we had some good times. We also had some very bad times, hence the divorce," he grabbed her hand carefully as she reached out to touch him. "Listen, Carolyn. I'm sorry that you had to hear it on the news, but I don't owe you anything anymore. Now, Blair and I are expecting company. So could you, well, leave?"

Realization slowly dawned. Jim wasn't pining for her anymore. Hadn't missed her, and hadn't thought about her. Carolyn hadn't realized how much it would hurt. "Of course, I'm sorry to have overstayed my welcome," she said, her voice brittle.

Jim opened the door and watched as his ex-wife marched out. He shut the door and eyed his lover wryly. "I'm so fucking sorry about that."

Blair only shook his head. "It's okay, man."

A little freaked by his emotional ex, Jim came into the kitchen. "You're not mad?"

The younger man waved the cucumber he'd been slicing. "Why would I be mad?"

His lover's cheerful tone made Jim relax as he leaned against the countertop. "Because you're jealous?" he asked hopefully.

"Shut up, man." Blair chuckled. "I know who you belong to."

The supreme confidence in Blair's voice made Jim go all hot and horny in a second. "Jesus, Blair." He pushed off of the counter, intent on Blair but a sound made him stop and sigh. "Simon's here."

Blair's eyes rolled, "Then answer it, you big dummy."

Jim laughed and opened the door, just as Simon was going to knock. "Come on in, Simon."

Simon grumped around his unlit cigar and walked into the loft. "Sandburg, you finally came home I see." He shook his head in amazement. "And without your hair."

Blair walked over and gave the Captain his hand. "I did. How are you and Darryl?"

Simon's heart sank. This wasn't the Sandburg he remembered, this one had a peacefulness, a self assurance that meant he'd found somewhere else better to be. "We're good. Great. He's actually visiting his mom right now."

"Damn," Blair pouted. "I wanted to see him while we were here."

"While you're here?" Simon pounced. "Where are you going?"

Jim cuffed Blair gently. "Knucklehead."

"Shit," Blair said. "Everybody sit down, the rice is done and the stir fry is ready." And he went into the kitchen.

"It had better have some meat in it, Sandburg, and not all of that healthy crap," their friend called out.

Jim chuckled as Blair snorted, "I made it for you carnivores, don't worry Simon." He set everything on the table and sat down.

Simon served himself up, then looked at his friends. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Are you sure you want to know this before you eat?" Jim asked seriously.

"Might as well get this over now."

Blair sighed. "I'm working for the Air Force now. I'm not coming back to the department."

Simon's eyebrows went up, "The military? Who are you and what have you done with the Blair Sandburg I used to know?"

"I was made an offer I couldn't refuse," Blair said seriously.

Suddenly suspicious, Simon asked, "Were you coerced? Because if you were I still have contacts and I can help you get out of it."

Both Jim and Blair laughed. "No Simon. I want to do this, it's important," Blair said earnestly.

The Captain of Major Crimes hadn't been a detective for nothing and he turned to stare accusingly at Jim. "What does that mean for you?"

"I'm going to give my two weeks notice on Monday," Jim said. "I've reupped."

"Are you crazy? You must be! Nuttier than a fruitcake! You're willingly rejoining the military with your abilities? Aren't you worried that they'll use you for a science experiment?" Simon glared accusingly at Blair. "Was this your idea?"

Blair rolled his eyes, but wasn't sure whether to burst into laughter or be hurt that Simon was insinuating that he'd willingly put Jim's life on the line.

"Calm down, Simon," Jim said. "Blair joined almost three weeks before I even flew out there. He had no idea that I would be offered a job, or that I'd accept it."

"Can you tell me what it is at least?" Simon asked quietly.

There were two negative headshakes. "It's classified. You understand."

And unfortunately, as a former Marine officer Simon did understand, all too well. "Well god-damn sonofabitch." Then he took a large bite of the stir-fry, chewing it slowly while he sat thinking. Abruptly aware of his friend's worried eyes on him, he waved his fork. "Tell me about Colorado Springs."

Blair grinned. "I'm working for my dad."

Simon bobbled his fork in surprise. "What? I didn't think that you knew who your father was!"

"Well, there were several candidates, but Naomi didn't want me to know who it was. When I was younger I would stay with an Air Force officer and his wife occasionally, and I always called him dad," Blair shrugged. "I just was never sure until now that he was my dad. Then Naomi lied to us both when I was 19 and I didn't see him until a month ago."

"That's not like Naomi."

Jim could feel his Guide's pain and placed his palm on Blair's jean covered leg, squeezing gently. "We didn't think so either. It was a surprise." He watched as Blair gave him a small, smile, then he looked at Simon. "Carolyn stopped by."

Simon winced. "Damn, I'm sorry Jim. I didn't think she would come here. She was upset that no one called her about the crash."

"It was awkward, but I think she understands now that she's a part of my past." Jim shrugged.

"What about Steven and your Dad?"

Jim made a face, "I haven't told them yet. My dad's probably not going to be too terribly happy and Stevie will probably want to visit. I'm not ready to explain what's happening-- not yet."

The men finished their meal and went into the living room. Simon watched in surprise as Blair snuggled in beside Jim, and Jim didn't make a fuss. Then it hit him, the two men had resolved their difference and become closer...much closer apparently. About to say something, he was stopped by the happiness that was clear in their eyes. It was clearly none of his business-- they were both adults and knew the risks. The tableau in front of him also made him delay the other topic of discussion he'd planned. It could wait until the morning.

"So Sandburg, are you staying for the next two weeks?" he asked instead.

"No, I've got things I have to do. I'm going to get everything ready for the movers, and then I fly back on Sunday. Though I'd rather stay until Jim flew back," Blair gave Jim a look that said it was an old argument.

Jim rolled his eyes. "I need to get back in the saddle, Chief. I'll be fine."

"How did you do on the flight today?" Simon asked.

"It sucked," Jim smiled. "But I had Blair with me, so it wasn't so bad. The next time I'll get a few beers before I get on."

"Oh that's right, put yourself into an alcohol induced coma," Blair sniped cheerfully, squawking when Jim tried to grab his head and give him a noogie.

Simon smothered a smile and looked at his watch. "Well, I need my beauty sleep." He stood up. "I'll expect you both in the morning."

Blair and Jim stood, and Blair grimaced. "Are you sure? I mean, not everyone will be happy to see me," he pointed out, thinking that it was painfully obvious.

"Sandburg," Simon said quietly, "anyone that knows you knows that you'd rather chew your arm off than lie. I think people will surprise you."

Skeptical, Blair said, "We'll see."

Jim showed their friend out while Blair cleaned up. At the door, the questions in Simon's eyes made Jim ask, "What?"

"Are you sure, Jim?" There was more than one question asked in that short sentence, but Jim could read his friend loud and clear.

"I have never been surer of anything in my life."

Simon nodded. "Just checking. See you tomorrow."

*^*

Jim stood in the doorway for a long moment, listening to make sure that Simon made it to his car safely, and then he went back to the kitchen where he found his lover buried in the refrigerator, mumbling something about science experiments gone awry. "Hey Chief, I forgot to remind you. Call the General."

Blair pulled his head out and laughed. "I can almost hear you use capitals when you say that."

"He's the General, Chief! It would be disrespectful to call him anything else." Jim shook his head as Blair smirked at him.

"He's practically your father in law."

Jim made a face at this. "And I still can't think of him as anything but 'the General' or 'Sir'."

His guide stood and closed the door to the fridge. "Fine, call him the General," he said, then stalked over to his Sentinel. "And how about you call me sir?" Blair purred, and then pounced. He fused his mouth to Jim's, swallowing the startled moan from the bigger man. His tongue demanded entrance and tangled with Jim's, trying to possess him.

Wrapping his arms around his lover, Jim pulled Blair close, his erection pressing against his lover's stomach. Pulling back from the kiss, he gasped, "God, baby. I think I'm going to self combust!"

"Sorry, no self combusting down here," Blair smiled, taking Jim's hand and leading him upstairs. "We have a date, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I remember all of the things you promised me on the plane," Jim said silkily, "including your tight ass."

Blair stumbled over a stair and threw a smile at his lover. "Geez, Jim."

Upstairs, clothes were roughly removed and reverent hands caressed and stroked skin, skin that was so different. "I love your chest, I love the hair," Jim murmured, sliding his fingers through it, slipping the occasional teasing finger over an erect nipple.

"Must the novelty factor," Blair gulped and arched into Jim's touch.

"Mmmm," Jim murmured agreeably as he slid his hands up and cupped Blair's face, kissing him, tongues mating. After a long moment, Jim pulled back and both men were panting. "Lie down on your side, babe."

Both he and Blair had done extensive research and picked and chose how they wanted to try their first time together. He watched breathlessly as Blair lay down and rolled to the side, lifting one leg so that Jim could see the swollen scrotum peaking beneath his leg. "Ah god," he whimpered.

"C'mon Jim, I need you." Blair was rewarded by Jim grabbing the lube and settling himself behind him, the bigger man's cock sliding up through the cleft of his ass. Just that small movement caught him on fire. "More, please...." And gasped as he felt the slicked up finger insinuate itself into his hole. "Oh!" was all he could say.

Jim wasn't feeling any more in control of himself-- his fingers were in Blair's tight, hot and slick ass, and it was making him crazy as he tried to imagine his cock sliding into the tightness. He slid his fingers out to add a third, caressing Blair as he stiffened. "I know it hurts, but trust me, its better we stretch as much as we can," he said desperately.

"Not hurting... it's good, please Jim... now," Blair moaned between pants.

Blair's wriggling was destroying his self-control. It made Jim slide his fingers out and lube up his cock, studiously dialing down his sense of touch so that it wouldn't be over before they'd begun. "Hang on baby," he said and carefully placed his cock at Blair's entrance, dialing up the sensations and almost crossing his eyes at the feel of heat on the head of his cock. He pushed against the muscle and the slipperiness of the lube on his cock and the lube in Blair made him slip inside surprisingly easily. Then the muscles clamped shut and he almost howled at the pain/pleasure. "Blair!" he gasped.

He was rewarded by a wicked laugh, and a gasp as he thrust forward, "Oh yeah!" Blair exulted as he felt Jim slide inexorably into him. It was better than the books, better than either of them had realized it would be. "Jim, pull out," he abruptly ordered.

"What?" Jim croaked incredulously. .

"I want to see you," Blair insisted, trying to wiggle off so he could turn around.

"Stop for a goddamned minute," Jim gasped, grabbing Blair's hips. "Just give me a sec," he begged as Blair froze. He carefully pulled out, ruthlessly suppressing touch and trying to hold onto his control by spiderweb thin threads as his lover turned to lay on his back, pulling his legs up to expose his now rosy anus.

"Now, Jim."

That was it. Self-control snapping like an over-stretched rubber band, Jim grabbed Blair's legs, directing his cock into Blair with a barely restrained shove, then as his younger lover's eyes widened pushed all the way in, feeling the muscles inside give to the force of his cock.

He watched as Blair arched up in surprise, the two men gazed in astonishment into each other's eyes and knew...they could feel the spiritual connection thrum between them and knew that they were bonded, Sentinel and Guide. It was a deeper twining of themselves than they had ever felt with another partner, a deeper knowing, a deeper love.

*^*

Daniel watched as Jack walked disconsolately around the house, picking up things and moving them centimeters before walking away. He could tell that his lover was missing Blair terribly. "Jack."

Jack didn't turn around. "I miss him. It's strange, he's back in my life after ten years and it's like he never left."

"You're going to have to get used to it. I hardly think that he and Jim will live with us forever," Daniel said with a grin. "I really like him, you know. And he's making friends all over the mountain. You raised a good son, Jack."

"I'd like to take credit," Jack replied quietly, though he gave his lover smile. "Naomi deserves it though."

"Bullshit." Daniel stood and walked over to stand beside Jack. "He's got your integrity and sense of humor. He's more your son than hers."

Jack hugged Daniel tightly. "Tell me that he's going to be okay." He didn't just mean in Cascade, but working for the SGC. And he knew Daniel understood.

Daniel squeezed Jack reassuringly. "He's gonna be okay."

*^*

Jim walked into Major Crimes and was greeted loudly and enthusiastically. For about a minute. Then there was a chorus of, "Where's Sandburg/ Hairboy/ Sandy?" which made him laugh and hold up his hands.

"Whoa! Sandburg's down in personnel. Majel and Jeanine saw him and squealed, then dragged him into their office."

Megan scowled. "He'd better be here or I'll..." then she squealed, "Sandy!" and all but leapt across the bullpen to squeeze Blair. "You cut your hair! Wow, you're so beautiful!"

Blair blushed. "It's just hair."

Rafe ruffled it. "It looks great. H can't call you 'Hairboy' anymore."

H merely grinned. "You my man, are going to be a babe magnet." And chuckled when Blair turned even pinker.

"Ellison, Sandburg! My office," Simon barked.

"Trouble magnet, more likely," Jim said dryly, not even flinching when Blair smacked him.

"Hi, Captain," Blair said cheerfully, as though they hadn't had dinner the night before.

There was a short silence, then Simon said dryly, "Well. He called me Captain, I'm honored."

Jim shared a laugh with his partner. "So, what's up Simon?"

"I didn't want to ruin dinner last night, but the past three days we've had six murders," Simon said bluntly.

"We haven't heard it on the news!" Blair uttered in shock.

"News blackout, Chief. They're denying the perp the media coverage that he wants, and keeping the city from panicking," Jim pointed out quietly.

"Oh," Blair said, making a face.

"What I want you to do," Simon interrupted, "is visit all six crime scenes. See if you can pick up something that we missed. Darlene has the files on your desk, Jim."

"Well, I thought I was just here for a visit," Blair said rhetorically before standing up. "C'mon Jim. Crime scenes wait for no man."

"Chief, wait," Jim said as he placed a restraining hand on Blair's arm. "Simon, what about the Commissioner? You know how unhappy he was, about..." He made a face, "You know. It's bound to get back to him that Sandburg is back on crime scenes with me."

"You leave the Commissioner and anyone else that complains to me," Simon said with finality.

"What did the Commissioner say?" Blair asked, but was ignored as he was towed into the bullpen. "Jim? C'mon man, I'll bet he blew a gasket, didn't he? Is there going to be a problem if I come with you?" He was peripherally aware of the wave of amusement coming from their friends.

"Chief. Relax," Jim said patiently as he got his gun and slipped on the harness, settling it into place. "If they get mad, what are they going to do? Fire me? I've put in my two weeks notice, remember?"

There was shocked silence from Major Crimes, then a chorus of surprised "What?" Jim looked at his audience. "I'm not being fired. I'm moving to Colorado Springs with Sandburg. And this will have to wait until later. C'mon, Chief." Blair waved and the two men left.

In the truck Blair looked through the crime scene photos while Jim drove. "Oh, just yuck. How can one human being do this to another?"

Jim glanced over. "I can't even begin to understand the criminal mind. See if there's a common placement of the, um, parts."

Blair made a face but obediently glanced over the pictures. "Leg, leg, arm, ick, leg, leg..." Silence, then, "Wait a goddamned minute, these are laid out in letters. That wasn't mentioned in the report."

"Who are the investigating officers?" Jim asked.

"Domingues and Garon," Blair read with a groan. The two homicide cops were competent but couldn't think outside of the box if their lives depended on it. "Aw man, this sucks. Anything we see different is going to be tossed out by their Captain. You know Reynolds hates us."

"Captain Reynolds is the least of our worries. Simon wants us on this because of our results," Jim pointed out as he pulled up to the first of the crime scenes. Inside Blair helped Jim with his senses, but as he suspected, they weren't needed. Blair's sharp eyes had found the most revealing clue.

After crime scene number three, Blair began to lay out the photos on the hood. He checked the backs for dates and began to arrange them in order. "Ok, this is an 'M'."

Jim made a face. "What did he use? Legs and arms?"

"Looks like," Blair murmured absently as he eyed the remaining photos. "Okay, we have an 'm', 'y', 't', I think this is an 'i'-- oh, how original, he used the head to dot the 'I'". He made a face. "Here's an 'h', and this looks like another't'."

"What does it spell?" Jim asked.

Blair opened the door to the truck and pulled out a notebook out of his bookbag. He took a pen and began to scribble. "Well, treating it as an anagram, we have an 'h', a 'my', and a 'tit', but I don't think that's what our killer is saying." He swatted Jim who was laughing. "Cut it out."

Jim was about to reply when his cellphone rang. "Ellison." His face went grim and he said a couple of 'uh huhs' before closing his phone. "Grab the photos, Chief. We have a new crime scene."

"Oh great," Blair grumbled. He shoved the crime scene photos into an envelope, then they got into the truck and headed off.

*^*

They got out of the truck and looked around in disgust at the circus of vehicles and crime tape. "If the media didn't know before, they do now," Blair muttered for his Sentinel's ears only.

Jim nodded, noting that Blair's heartbeat was speeding up slightly, a sure-fire sign that his guide was starting to get anxious.

"Well, if it isn't the wondercop and his dog, the incredible fraud, Sandburg," drawled a sarcastic voice.

Blair turned and smiled sharply. "Never one to be original, hey Domingues?" His snarky comeback was directed at the Hispanic homicide detective standing on the sidewalk with his hands on his hips.

Taken aback by the confident reply, where in time past the curly haired teacher would've turned his head and ignored him, Domingues was about to open his mouth when his partner stepped out and barked, "What in the fuck are you two doing here?"

"Hello, Garon. If you'll get off your fucking high horse for a second, you'd figure out that we were called to look around. Not to take over. Why would we want to have all of the paperwork?" Jim said reasonably.

The fat blond detective walked down the steps and waved an ironically polite arm towards the house, "Take a look then. I guarantee that there's nothing you'll find that we haven't already."

Blair rolled his eyes at this patently untrue statement. "How many murders does this make?"

"This is the seventh in the past three days. The killer is escalating his attacks," Garon said.

"Ya think?" Jim heard Blair say under his breath and he stifled a snicker. All laughter died as they stepped across the threshold and the sickly coppery smell of fresh blood coated his tongue, threatening to overwhelm him until Blair touched him.

"It's okay, big guy. Just filter it out. Geez, it's amazing how much blood the human body has. You never quite appreciate it until its spread all over the floor," Blair rambled. He was breathing through his mouth so the other smells that dead bodies put out wouldn't make him humiliate himself by puking over Garon's two toned shoes.

Jim patted his shoulder. "I'm okay, Chief. Check out the bodies and see if this is the same killer."

Blair nodded and, steeling himself, he walked to the doorway. "Oh yeah, this one too, Jim."

"This one what?" Domingues challenged.

"The body parts are arranged in a pattern, Domingues. I think this one is the letter 'E'," Blair replied quietly. The techs and crime scene photographers who had all paused in anticipation of a confrontation were now startled by what they heard.

"Bullshit!" Garon sputtered in disbelief.

Jim watched as Blair shook his head. "No bullshit." He pointed to the parts that were about to be taken away by the coroner. "Check it out. One hand at the top, the leg as the long part, a foot in the middle, and the other foot as the bottom of the letter. You almost can't see it for the gore and blood, but it's an 'E' all right."

Blair looked at Jim. "I know what it spells now."

"What, Chief?"

"My Tithe."

"Shit! Shit! Fucking sonofabitch!" Domingues cursed, then he spun on his heel and stalked out.

The 'Tithe' murderer had struck Cascade in the mid 1980's, killing 29 people before disappearing. His MO was chopping up the body parts to write short messages or, in some cases, poems with the blood. He wasn't fussy, he chose men and women, blacks, whites, Asian and Hispanics for his 'messages'. According to the profiler, the word 'Tithe' wasn't especially religious in overtone, the killer had meant that he'd been tithing, or sacrificing, the people in honor of the poets. He had a real twist for obscure poets.

One of his last victims had been Domingues' mother.

~*~

Blair had been right. Chaos reigned. The media had finally gotten wind of what was going on, and someone had spilled the beans and now the lurid headlines of the 'Tithe Killer is back!' was all over the news.

Because of Domingues, Homicide had accepted Major Crimes' help without a murmur. The anticipated harassment of Blair and Jim had never materialized either, the crime was too big and bloody for pettiness. Plus the Commissioner and the Police Chief wanted to present a united front when the Feds inevitably showed up.

Back at the station, Blair was leaned back in his chair, his glasses perched on his nose as he reread the old reports from the 80's. His feet were propped up on Jim's thigh as the other man also read through the old reports. Megan cast the occasional smirk their way, but there were no other remarks. It seemed that the new 'Jim and Blair' were a non-event in Major Crimes.

"The old profiler says he thought it was a single, white man in his forties, but I don't think he's right," Blair mused aloud.

Jim looked up, affection squeezing his heart as he gazed at Blair. His partner was rumpled but focused, and the wire rimmed glasses made him look absolutely scrumptious, not that he'd tell Blair that. "Why's that, Darwin?"

Blair looked up. "I took Advanced Literature with Professor Allman-- he's been teaching at Rainier for almost 40 years. He was a ruthless teacher and was fond of very un-run–of-the-mill texts. We studied Lord Byron, some really obscure Robert Frost, Jean de la Fontaine, Bertolt Brecht, and Vladimir Mayakovski among some."

Jim sat up abruptly and Blair's feet slid off his leg with a thump. "Those are the same authors in the reports, Chief."

Nodding grimly, Blair said, "I know." Jim stood, looking visibly undecided when Blair's cellphone rang.

"Sandburg."

"Hey kid, how's everything going?" Jack asked cheerfully.

Blair smiled, just hearing his dad's voice could make him feel better. "Oh, fucking terrible, but thanks for asking." At Jim's raised eyebrows, he mouthed, 'dad'. Jim nodded and headed for Simon's office.

Jack sighed. Daniel had notified him 'officially' when Blair had called to let him know that he wasn't going to be back when he thought. "So, I hear that you're stuck in Cascade on a case."

"I was going to call you tonight, but I knew that Daniel would tell you anyway."

"Is it that case we're seeing plastered all over the news?"

Hearing the concern in his dad's voice, Blair said, "Yeah, but don't worry. I'll be fine."

"You tell Ellison that he'd better take care of you or he'll answer to me," Jack growled.

Jim was walking back out and made a face as he overheard his new CO, but Blair only chuckled. "He's taking great care of me, dad. Tell Daniel hi and I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Be careful, son." Jack told him, and the men hung up their respective phones.

"Chief..." Jim began but stopped as he saw the familiar bull-headed 'Don't you start' expression on his Guide's face. "Never mind."

"That better be all I hear about me going home," Blair uttered repressively. He rolled his office chair over to Jim's computer and began to do a search.

"What are you looking for?" Jim sat beside Blair and nudged him affectionately. One, just so he could enjoy touching his guide, and two, to subtly apologize for even thinking about sending Blair home.

Blair absently patted Jim's leg in acknowledgement. "I'm going to search Rainier's records. After all, twenty years is a long time between murders. Either he's been amusing himself somewhere else or he's been in prison or a mental institution, so I'm going to cross-reference names. "

Megan looked up from her computer. "I hadn't thought about prison or the mental institutions, but I've been checking for similar murders and coming up empty."

Blair nodded, still typing. "Okay, I'll concentrate on the college and mental institutions, then."

"Aren't medical records private?" Rafe asked from his desk.

"Sh." Blair held up a finger to his lips. "I won't tell if you don't."

"We'd better solve it soon. I'm expecting the Feebies tomorrow morning," Simon announced.

"Whoopee." Henri muttered, and there was easy laughter in the bull pen.

*^*

Back at the loft that night, Blair was distracted from his reports by Jim's body. His partner was lying on his stomach, head pillowed on his folded arms while the sheets were pulled down just to the delicious curve of his ass. Clenching of said ass made Blair's eyes shoot up to Jim, who smiled smugly and said, "Put down the reports, babe."

"Okay," Blair said enthusiastically. He dumped the sheaf of papers onto the bedside table along with his glasses before he rolled back to eye Jim. "What do you want to do?"

Jim shrugged, making his back muscles ripple. "Surprise me."

"Okaaayyy," Blair breathed, a little overwhelmed by the bounty in front of him. He moved up to kiss Jim's shoulder, then Jim's lips when they were offered. He let his tongue twine with Jim's for a long moment before pulling back to gaze into his lover's eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, but if you don't get a move on..." Jim threatened and Blair laughed.

"Yeah, yeah Mr. Impatience. Geez, you've never heard that patience is a virtue?" He nipped and licked over Jim's broad shoulders and down his spine before ending at the top of his ass. "And I'm about to take your virtue..." he purred, letting his tongue slide into the cleft and lower.

"Ohgod," Jim whispered as he felt himself being arranged then opened and Blair's hot tongue slipping over and over his opening. His senses went multicolored as the pleasure swept over him, making him moan long and low. His cock was so hard and the pleasure so enormous that he was close to losing it, just from what Blair was doing to him. "Chief," he croaked.

"Jim?" Blair hummed, the pleasure in his voice almost visible to his Sentinel.

Jim took a deep breath to try and rein in his frazzled control. "I'm close, babe."

A satisfied purr. "Good." And Jim heard the click of the lube bottle, then felt the shiver from his lover as he spread the cool stuff over his rampant cock.

"Hang on, baby," Blair murmured and he slowly pressed his way into Jim, inching into the incredible glorious tightness and heat that was all for him. His fingers tightened on Jim's hips as he leaned forward. "You are so mine," he gloated into Jim's ear, loving the helpless groan he received in return. He pulled out, almost wailing as Jim's muscles clenched around his cock, then he plunged in and felt Jim shudder.

"You're so tight, so hot. So mine. Forever and ever."

Jim felt the pleasure start to overwhelm him just from the sound of Blair's voice. "Oh Blair, ooooooohhgod..." he moaned as his balls drew up and his cock swelled and came, long luxurious pulses that melted his brain.

Blair felt Jim's muscles squeeze him and he thrust forward until he felt like he was so deep that he could feel Jim's heartbeat, then he let go, grunting as he felt his come fill his lover. "Love you," he murmured before lying on Jim's heaving back.

"Uhg," Jim said. He was boneless with satisfaction and he let himself slump onto the bed, loving the fact that Blair was still buried inside of him. He felt Blair snuggle onto him and he felt himself and his guide slip into sleep.

*^*

The phone ringing made Blair grumble and shove his head under the pillow while Jim rolled to answer it. "Ellison."

"Hey Jim, Sandy's search came up with a hit," Came Megan's voice. "Simon wants you to interview an Allen Gaines."

Jim sat up, winced slightly and yawned. "Just a minute Megan," he reached over and grabbed a pen and pad of paper. "Hit me."

"Don't tempt me. Dr. Allen Gaines, 1412 Mulberry Woods Lane."

Jim murmured it aloud, then jumped as Blair tossed his pillow up and sat upright in bed. "Did you say Dr. Gaines? Allen Gaines?"

"Yeah, hang on Darwin," Jim finished writing the address. "Why, you know him?"

"He's an assistant professor for literature at Rainier. I did some subbing for his classes," his eyes narrowed as he correlated all of the facts that he knew. "Hmmm," was all he said as he rolled out of bed and trotted downstairs naked, leaving a drooling Jim on the bed.

"Jim?" Megan's voice penetrated his lust-induced fog.

"Um, yeah. Tell Simon we'll interview him this morning." And he hung up, rubbing his hands over his face while he tried to get his libido to settle down.

"C'mon man!" came Blair's voice up the stairs, "We need to get going."

Jim grinned and rolled out of bed. "I'd move quicker if I didn't have to follow the naked hottie around. It makes it harder, pardon the pun, to walk." He stayed at the top of the stairs to listen as his guide's heartbeat did a little syncopated rhythm.

There was a startled silence, then Blair appeared at the bottom of the stair to smile at him. "I love you too, big guy. Now come on, let's take a shower."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Jim took each step in a deliberate manner, making his lover squirm, the younger man's cock starting to rise and his body to flush with arousal. "Take a shower. I assume you mean together?" Jim asked as he pulled Blair close and gave him a deep kiss.

"Oh..." Blair sighed as he accepted another kiss.

The phone ringing again made them sigh, resting their foreheads together. "Machine?" Blair asked hopefully.

"Sorry, babe," Jim said and let go of Blair to answer the phone. "Ellison."

"What in the hell are you doing there? Why aren't you interviewing our subject?" boomed Simons' voice.

Jim winced and dialed his hearing waaay down. "We're about to jump in the shower Simon, hold your horses."

Simon rolled his eyes. "TMI, Jim. Get going, I want this thing solved before the Feds arrive, capisce?"

"Yeah yeah, I got it," and Jim hung up. He walked to the bathroom to discover a laughing Blair trying to shave. "What's up Darwin?" he asked, enjoying the happiness on his lover's face.

"I wish I could've see Simon's face when you told him we were about to jump in the shower," Blair burbled between laughs.

"He'll get over it," Jim said firmly as he palmed Blair's ass, making the younger man freeze then moan. "Sorry we can't play since we need to get going."

"Yeah," Blair sighed.

*^*

Daniel groaned as he opened his eyes. "Owie."

"Daniel Jackson," came Teal'c reassuring rumble. "Do not move about. You are chained to the wall."

"Of course I am," Daniel said with resignation. He felt blood in his mouth and looked blearily around, noticing that his glasses were gone. Again. "What happened?"

Sam spoke up from her place where she was chained in the corner, "Apparently the 'gate is sacred, to men."

"Shit," Daniel swore. "So, we spoke with them on the MALP, they didn't see Sam and they didn't mention that they hated women? Fucking great." He rattled his chains in frustration.

Teal'c smiled very slightly. "General O'Neill has been a bad influence on your language." The look on Daniel's face made Sam snicker.

Daniel had to shake his head, it could only be really bad if Teal'c was cracking jokes. "So, what happens next?"

Sam shook her head. "We've passed the check-in time and no locals have come in. They took everything, including our weapons and gdo's."

"And my glasses," Daniel added morosely.

*^*

Back at the SGC, Jack was stalking back and forth in front of the camera. "It was unintentional. Just give us our people back and we won't bother you again."

The head of the Nuramhun bowed politely. "You have violated our laws. We will keep them for four sun cycles, then when they are purified they will be sacrificed." And then the man walked away.

"Christ," Jack said. He looked at one of the new archaeologists, "What is a sun cycle?"

The man smiled. "The Nuram sun cycles last 37.4 hours, so we have 149.6 hours, or since they've been there for almost 36 hours, we have four days and 7 hours, give or take. Most sacrifices are at sunset or sunrise."

Jack nodded decisively. "Find out everything you can about them. Get Daniel's notes. Get hold of the Tok'ra, the Jaffa, anyone and see what we can find out."

"Yes, General O'Neill." The man bobbed his head and scurried off.

Jack smiled slightly. Daniel had hired the archeologist on Blair's recommendation and, at first, Jack wasn't sure the man would cut it. David Jordan was a small, sunburned, quiet man with a tendency not to say anything which made him unique in a department that had both Blair and Daniel. But he was good at his job, and already was frequently asked for by SG team leaders.

"Sir, Davis says we have the MALP telemetry on the computer. Dixon and I want to check it out, see if we can go in for a rescue," Colonel Coburn said.

"Do it," Jack ordered. "I'll be up there in a minute." Coburn nodded and looked up at the control room where Davis nodded back, then he headed out. Jack stared at the gate, and prayed that Daniel, Carter and Teal'c would be all right. That he wouldn't fuck this up. That he would hold Daniel in his arms again.

*^*

It had taken two days to track the Professor down-- he'd apparently had gone to Seattle for a conference and was supposed to return that day. Blair shuffled nervously as Jim knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came a muffled voice.

"Dr. Gaines, it's Cascade PD, we would like to talk to you about an ongoing investigation." Blair looked at Jim with approval. The detective had kept his voice light and unthreatening and the door opened to a man who was in his mid to late 40's, heavy built, with light blue eyes and short dark brown hair that was just beginning to gray.

The man looked at them guilelessly. "Why, Blair, it's good to see you. I understood that you moved away?"

"Hello, Allen. Yeah, I've moved to Colorado, but came back to visit Jim and he asked me to ride along today." Blair smiled. "This is Detective Ellison, Jim, this is Allen Gaines."

Jim conducted the interview, never pointing a finger but leading the Professor to believe he was helping with the investigation. All the while Jim was trying to restrain himself from reaching across the antique mahogany table and throttling the man. He could smell old blood on the man, and other scents that he could identify with the various victims. He met his guide's eyes and he could read the knowledge in them.

Ruthlessly restraining himself, Jim finished the interview and led Blair outside, getting into the car and driving away. When he judged they were far enough, he banged viciously on the steering wheel. "Son of bitch!"

Blair just sighed. "What did you sense?"

"He's taken trophies. I'm sure of it. I could smell old blood, something with the third victim's perfume, and the fourth victim's brand of deodorant. Why didn't anyone catch that he'd been taking trophies?" Jim asked plaintively.

"What we need to worry about now is how to get a warrant," Blair pointed out, "Drop me off at the loft, I left the crime scene photos there. I'll catch a cab to the station."

"I can wait," Jim protested.

Blair shook his head. "Nah, man. You go ahead. I'll gather everything up and grab us something for lunch. The FBI is probably already there and you can give them your impressions. I'll be there in an hour, okay?"

Jim pulled up in front of the loft and kissed Blair. "All right. But don't be too long, or you'll get there and find Simon trying to hold me back from strangling a Feeb."

"Don't you dare, Colonel Ellison," Blair said severely, then grinned when his lover straightened his already ramrod straight spine in response to his new title with the SGC. "See you later, babe." He waved cheerfully and headed inside.

With a smile, Jim pulled away from the apartment, not noticing that they'd been followed.

*^*

Dixon shook his head, "I just can't see a way in there. The buildings were already there when whatever goa'uld dumped the bastards there. Dr. Willis said the former inhabitants were obviously militarily oriented. He was right, the placement was sheer genius, but that means we can't get any intel, or find SG-1. We don't have the eyes and ears." His voice was frustrated with angry helplessness.

"Eyes and ears..." Jack said thoughtfully. A crazy idea began to form.

*^*

Blair grabbed all of the folders, stuffed them in his backpack and grabbed the cooler that he'd put their lunches in. He hoisted it up, then cursed. "Damn." He'd forgotten to call the taxi. About to call Jim instead, he smiled when he heard a knock at the door. He walked across, flung it open while saying, "How did you know..." then his cheerful voice dried up as he saw the man they'd interviewed that morning, "Allen?"

"Hello, Blair. We need to talk." And the other man pulled out a gun.

*^*

At the station Jim kept looking at the clock. Something was wrong. He snatched the phone and dialed the loft but no one answered the phone. He then dialed Blair's cell and when he received no answer from there he jolted to his feet. "Something's wrong!"

Simon looked over from where he'd been quietly disagreeing with the Feds. "What?"

Jim started to shake, with anger or fear he wasn't sure, "I dropped Sandburg off at the loft after our interview with Gaines. He was going to gather up some papers, make a lunch and take a cab here. He's not answering either phone, and that's not like him. We have to carry our phones around 24/7, the General ordered it and Blair would never forget something that important."

"The General?" one of the FBI agents asked curiously.

Simon waved an impatient hand. "It has to do with Sandburg's new job." He watched as Jim grabbed his gun and slipped it into his holster, then unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out his ankle holster and clinch piece. "Take Henry and Rafe as backup," he advised the Sentinel, before he turned and barked, "Connor, call the Professor and see if he's home."

*^*

The incessant ringing of his cellphone made Blair jerk awake and shake his head groggily. He lifted his head and swallowed against the abrupt swelling of nausea in his stomach, focusing his eyes on the man in front of him. "Allen?"

"Ah, you're awake." Gaines cast a peevish look at the cellphone that continued to ring.

Sitting up, Blair swallowed again. "I need to answer that. It has to do with work."

"You're not going to work again, so you don't have to worry about getting fired," Gaines said, the evil glee in his voice making Blair shudder. Scared, he didn't want to end up as this sicko's latest piece of artwork. He tried to clear his mind, knowing that Jim was moving heaven and earth to find him. He only had to give his Sentinel time.

Suddenly he had an idea and began to make retching noises.

*^*

Outside of Major Crimes, Jim was striding toward his truck when he stopped in his tracks and suddenly began to smile. "Sonofabitch."

Rafe and Henri exchanged glances then asked, "What?"

Shaking his head at his stupidity, Jim said, "Blair's and my new job just may save his life." He pulled out his cellphone and dialed it quickly, ignoring the FBI agents that had followed them. "Yeah, this is Colonel Ellison, connect me with either Colonel Carter or Sgt. Davis," he ordered.

"Colonel? What's going on here?" one of the FBI agents asked in surprise.

"Shut the fuck up," Jim snapped, then said, "not you Davis, sorry. Listen, Blair's been kidnapped and you need to trace his cell for me." He listened for a moment. "No, I haven't told the General yet, I'd like to get Blair back before he dismembers me." He swallowed uneasily at his bad choice of words.

At the SGC, Sgt. Davis laughed sharply. "You'd better." He was tapping the computer keys so quickly that his fingers were almost a blur. "Okay, here it is, the map says Yokasuka street, um..." he tapped again. "7897 Yokasuka Street."

"Thanks, Davis."

"Get him back, sir." the Sergeant warned. He knew that Blair was the General's son, and losing Blair, on top of this mess with SG-1, would kill the General.

"I will," Jim promised and hung up. "7897 Yokasuka, and we need to hurry."

*^*

Blair started to shake violently and the man jumped forward in startlement. "What in the hell...?"

"Alll-erggic rrrr-reaction..." Blair stuttered, then he pretended to convulse. He dropped his head, making himself slide down in the chair as much as the ropes allowed. 'Closer, closer...' he said to himself, then when the Professor was bending over him, Blair snapped his head up. He caught Gaines hard in the face, making the older man scream and his nose start to gush blood.

Quickly jolting to his feet with the chair connected to his back like a turtle shell, Blair headbutted the wailing man in the chest. This made the bleeding man stagger back to trip over a rug on the floor, fall and catch his head on the corner of the heavy oak coffee table. He was unconscious before he hit the linoleum.

"Jesus," Blair said, stunned and more than a little grossed out by the bloody man lying on the floor. Wriggling his wrists absently, he realized that in the struggle the knots had come loose and he quickly divested himself of the ropes and the chair. "Amateur." He scoffed at the downed man, absently rubbing his wrists before he grabbed his still ringing phone. "Sandburg."

"Blair? Are you okay?" Jim's frantic voice washed over him, soothing the rough edges and making his panic recede.

"Yeah babe, I'm good. Professor Gaines needs an ambulance though." He heard the sound of pounding feet outside and walked over to the door, opening it in time to prevent Jim kicking it down. "Hey." He smiled at his lover and their friends from Major Crimes.

"Is the bastard dead?" Jim asked tightly. He didn't bother to look around, letting the others move around him as he checked out Blair's contused wrists. His head came up and he grimaced. "Is that your blood?"

Blair raised a startled hand to his hair and pulled back bloody fingers, "Noooo," he said slowly, "I don't think so, but I was unconscious until a while ago." They had to move to one side as the paramedics arrived and he watched as they checked out the Professor, determining he was alive but concussed. "He hit that table on the way down," he offered helpfully and the paramedic nodded.

"Did he hit you?" Jim asked as he checked for any wounds.

"He had a 9mm H&K and he made me turn around, then he clocked me with it. I don't think I was out very long." Blair watched as Jim's face went still and his lips thinned with anger. "I'm okay, Jim." He rubbed his hand against Jim's shoulder to keep the anger from heading over into homicidal rage.

"Keep Gaines under lock and key, I don't want him to escape under any circumstance," Jim ordered, making the late arriving FBI weenies raise their eyebrows. He was reasonably sure that they wouldn't, this was a big case and they wanted the credit for bringing in the Tithe murderer, but he felt better for saying it.

As he gingerly checked Blair's head, his eyes met Blair's and he let him silently know how damn sorry he was. Blair rolled his eyes and silently let him know back that he wasn't to be stupid, it wasn't his fault. They smiled at each other in complete understanding and stepped back.

"Aside from a bad lump it looks like it's all Gaines' blood." Jim shook his head admiringly as the stretcher went by with the still unconscious and bloody man on it. "What did you do to him, Chief?"

About to rub his head, Blair thought better of it. "Something that Daniel told me. Let the enemy underestimate you, then 'pow', surprise him."

Joel came up and grinned, "Nice job, Sandburg. We're sure gonna miss you around here."

Jim's phone rang and as he was about to answer it, he froze. "It's gonna be the General. I am so screwed."

Blair took the phone and looked at the caller I.D., then opened the phone. "Hello? Oh, hey Walter." He grinned at the look of utter relief on his Sentinel's face.

"Blair, are you okay?" the Sergeant, who'd been one of Blair's first friends in the mountain, asked anxiously.

"Never better. The cavalry rode in on their rusty steeds and the FBI just took off with the bad guy," he said cheerfully. "Does dad know?"

"No, I didn't tell General O'Neill. Though I was about to if I didn't hear from either you or the Colonel." His tone was severe, but he kept his voice low so no one in the controlroom would overhear.

Jim took the phone from his Guide's hand. "Hey, Sergeant. He had already freed himself before we even got here. He has some rope burns on his wrists and a bump on the head, but you should see the other guy."

Jim heard Davis laughing quietly, "Trust those anthropologists. They can get themselves out of the tightest spots."

Next: Fathers And Sons 5