"Any leads on the case?" Gaines asked when they met after lunch the next day.

"A few. The Latin Lords were surprisingly helpful, probably because they know we're helping one of their own. They confirmed Jose's alibi, and gave us two names," Jim told him. "Jason 'Mad Dog' Cooper and Damian Travis. We were told that if the Knights want to 'ice' someone, Cooper's the one to do it. Travis is a new member and has been seen hanging around Cooper lately. One of the Lords said that they are both seen frequently at the MAG Center."

Gaines nodded. "It's possible. Siohban's way of knowing what's going on is to allow actual gang members to visit the center. As long as they're just there to have fun and hang out with the other kids, and don't make trouble..."

"And if they happen to join the center later even better," Blair nodded.

"It wouldn't be the first time. Some kids actually realize they're better off at the center than in a gang. Come on, let's go talk to her."

Siohban greeted them with the same ease as before, but she looked a bit strained. "Earl, it's always good to see you. Detectives. I just heard that Grisha died; what can I do to help?" she asked, as once again she led them to her office, gesturing for them to sit down.

"What can you tell us about Mad Dog Cooper and Damian Travis?" Jim asked, getting right to the point.

She winced, then sighed wearily. "They come here frequently, I'm afraid. Jason has been coming since the beginning, Damian only for a couple of months. He's new in the neighborhood."

"Can you describe them for us?" Gaines interjected.

"Well, Jason is tall and muscled, has brown hair and eyes, and a goatee. I'm guessing he's about seventeen. Damian looks about thirteen, although I believe he's two or three years older. He has long blond hair and brown eyes."

"Anything else you can tell us about them?" Jim asked, and noticed the slight grimace.

"Unfortunately, they've become good friends with Daniel. I tried to warn him about them, but Danny refused to listen. I can't help the feeling that maybe if my son hadn't befriended those two, he might not be in jail now. Jason's a bad influence."

"Why don't you stop him from coming to the center?"

She sighed. "I can't do that, Earl. Most of the other kids hang around with him. If he stopped coming, so would the others. Then they would have no one to help them, no place to come to. Better to keep a rotten apple, than to lose the whole flock. Anyway, Damian doesn't bother me, but Jason..." She shuddered. "That boy is evil incarnate. I --" she seemed to hesitate. "There's something else you need to know. I -- God, this is hard!"

"What is it, Ms. Stubbs?" Blair asked gently.

"The night Grisha was shot..." she took a deep breath. "Jason and Damian came knocking on my door, said they had a message for Daniel. That when I went to visit him, I was to tell him 'the goose is cooked.' I didn't understand what it meant at the time, and they wouldn't answer my questions. But after the shooting... I'm afraid they might have shot Grisha to stop him from testifying against my son." She looked down at her hands. "I know I should've told you before, but I was afraid of what they'd do. There's no telling what Jason might do if he knows I'm talking to you. Like I said, he scares me. I've heard about some of the things he's done. I know he has friends locked up and my son's up there. I don't want him coming after me or turning on Daniel."

"That's not going to happen, Ms. Stubbs," Jim promised. "We can move you to a safe house if we have to. I'm going to call for a squad car to keep an eye on things here while we search for the two boys. If you notice anything suspicious, please let us know immediately."

"I will, and once again, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Fear can make you do stupid things, things you wouldn't normally do. I let it cloud my judgment and that was a mistake."

"We understand, Siohban, but you know we're going to have to mention this in our reports. Withholding testimony is considered obstruction of justice. I'll have a word with the DA for you, though. Once they hear your reasons for remaining silent, I doubt they'll bring charges," Gaines assured her. "You did the right thing today."

"Did I?" she asked softly as they were leaving.

Once outside the building, the ring of Earl's cell phone broke through the quiet and he fumbled for it. "Excuse me," he said.

Blair watched him walk away for some privacy, then turned to his partner. "Think she told us the truth this time? The whole truth?"

"I checked her vitals, but you know that doesn't always work." He shrugged. "Her pulse was a little fast, but that could be from being afraid of Cooper. There was no other sign that she might be lying."

"Yeah. Here comes Earl."

The three men climbed into Jim's truck and drove back to the station to check if either of the kids had a record. They were getting closer.

Jim was typing Cooper's name into his computer when his phone rang. "Ellison," he answered, fingers still working the keyboard.

"Hey, Ellison. It's Henderson."

He went instantly alert as he recognized the Seattle detective's voice. "Henderson. What's up?"

"Things don't look good for you. Keanu's missing, nobody knows where he is," Henderson said. "I talked with a few of his friends and no one's seen him since the day before Grisham was killed."

"Any of them know why he was looking for Grisham?"

"Not exactly. But one of the kids told me he and Keanu were watching a TV special on gangs three days ago. Grisham was featured on that special. There was an interview with him at the MAG Center in Cascade, then speaking in some school. Apparently Keanu was watching the show when he suddenly began to say something like 'I don't believe it, the snake's in Cascade. The little viper's in Cascade. I've got to warn Grisham,' or words to that effect. Keanu's friend had no idea who the 'little viper' was, though. Oh, and remember how I told you Keanu used to belong to the Loop Crew gang? The Crew were the rival gang involved in the shootout with the Killers when Daniel was arrested. Keanu was also arrested at the time. They did time in the same institution; they had to know each other."

"Shit," Jim muttered, then blinked at the computer screen. "This just keeps getting worse."

"What?" Henderson asked.

"I was checking the database for a new suspect, Jason 'Mad Dog' Cooper --"

Henderson interjected with a bark of laughter. "He's there too? That's a vicious one! Born killer if I ever saw one. He was one of the Killers, but managed to escape arrest. Disappeared from Seattle after the shootout."

"And turned up here. This is beginning to look like a Killers convention. Thanks for the help, Henderson."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"You've been more than helpful. Thanks for calling and for taking the time to do this, I appreciate it. If you're ever in the neighborhood..."

Henderson laughed. "No, thank you! I've heard about your city, Ellison. What goes on there is not normal!"

Jim chuckled. "Well, thanks anyway."

"No problem. Good luck on the case."

"Thanks. I'll need it," Jim stated, just before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Blair asked from his perch on the desk.

"Henderson," Jim replied, telling his partner what the Seattle detective had found out.

"What are you thinking?" Blair asked.

"That either Keanu's still in Cascade, or..."

"Or he's dead," Blair finished for him.

"Yeah. Keanu came to Cascade to warn Grisha about someone he saw on that TV special. He didn't know where Grisha lived, or where to find him, so he probably spent the day searching for him. My guess is that he didn't find Grisha and that night Grisha was shot. He would have heard about it, it was all over the news. What would he still be doing here after Grisha was dead?"

"Doing something about that viper he mentioned?" Blair wondered.

"Exactly. Or maybe the viper got to him first. If he'd returned to Seattle, his friends would've met with him by now. Grisha was shot nearly forty-eight hours ago -- plenty of time to get back," Jim said as he printed a photo of Keanu that Henderson had emailed him the day before. "Rafe!" he called.

The other detective approached their desk. "What's up, Jim?"

"I need a favor. Put out an APB on this guy, Keanu Davis. And..." he hesitated for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Check with the morgue for a John Doe with that description as well, okay?"

"Think this guy might be dead?" Rafe asked as he looked at the photo.

"It's a possibility, yeah."

"Okay, I'll take care of it now," Rafe said, already on the way to his desk.

Jim turned to the anti-gang unit detective, talking quietly with Megan. "Hey, Earl! Want to help us with Cooper and Travis?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Gaines told him with a grin.

"Let's go, then."

The three men left the station and drove to the Bayside area to search for their suspects. They were finally getting somewhere.

The next day their confidence was gone. Cooper and Travis were no where to be found. There were units searching for them throughout Cascade, but nothing had come up yet. They were probably hiding safely within the 'hood, protected by the Bayside Knights.

Jim was busy looking through the statements they had so far when Rafe approached his desk. "Jim, Keanu Davis' body is down at the morgue. A couple of kids playing soccer found him. He was shot in the back, three days ago. I asked Forensics to check the bullet against the one the doctors removed from Grisha's skull, and they matched."

"That means that Cooper and Travis may have killed him as well," Blair stated with a frown.

"Yep. Rafe, you have the address where they found the body?"

Rafe grinned. "Knew you'd ask for it. It's a deserted field in the Bayside area. I spoke to the guys who answered the call and asked for directions. Here."

Jim reached for the piece of paper. "Thanks, Rafe. Come on, Chief, let's check out the crime scene."

"Woof!"

"I won't even bother to answer that, Sandburg!"

"Whatever," Blair replied with a grin, following his partner to the elevator.

"You want me to do what?" Simon asked, so startled he nearly swallowed his cigar. "You're out of your mind, Jim! No judge is going to give us a warrant based on a hunch."

"It's more than a hunch, Simon, and you know it. Come on, are you really telling me that you believe all this stuff is just one big coincidence? Daniel Stubbs is up to his neck in this gang business and his mother probably is too. We need to find out what's going on. And the only way we're going to get anywhere is by tapping her phone lines and bugging the center and their place. I didn't find anything in the field where Keanu was killed, and Cooper and Travis have gone underground. We're stuck, Simon!"

"Yeah. I mean, we know Keanu and Daniel knew each other. And Keanu had to know Siohban or at least know of her, since she testified at the gang members' trial." Blair piped in.

"Simon, I'm almost a hundred percent certain that Daniel had Keanu and Grisham killed. Think about it. He's in jail, but he can still pull the strings from the inside. He, Cooper and Travis are friends. Cooper is supposed to be the triggerman for the Knights. It would be easy for him to kill both Grisham and Keanu. And being old rivals, Cooper and Keanu probably knew each other. He'd probably jump at the chance to do it."

"The Grisham kid I get, it would stop him from testifying. But why would Stubbs want Keanu dead?"

"They belonged to rival gangs. If Keanu saw Daniel on that TV show and decided to get even for his time spent in Juvey..." Blair shrugged. "Daniel's in jail now, but with Grisham dead, he may walk. And it wouldn't do to have Keanu waiting for him."

Simon sighed wearily. "I'm sorry. That's not nearly enough and you know it. It's still just a hunch, nothing concrete. You said it yourself -- being from rival gangs, Cooper and Keanu probably knew each other. There's nothing to say Daniel Stubbs ordered his death. Or Grisham's for that matter. However, I'm sure you'll be able to think of something else," he remarked dryly, and Jim knew his friend was referring to his senses. "You're supposed to be out looking for Cooper and Travis. I believe you told me they used to hang out at the MAG center. Why not start there? Maybe you'll... catch something?" he raised an eyebrow in question.

The partners grinned. "Gotcha, Simon."

"On our way, sir."

"I'll have Brown and Rafe relieve you later. They might not have your... dedication, but they might still find something."

"Yes, sir."

A few hours later they were in truck, parked close to the MAG center, Jim's senses on full alert.

Jim yawned as he glanced at his watch. Rafe and Henri would be there in another hour. He was bored out of his mind. Both he and Blair had spent most of the stakeout talking, but after a while both were too bored to even try engaging in conversation. Blair was doing a crossword puzzle, he was watching the center.

The sound of a phone ringing inside the building had him sitting up straighter, listening carefully to every word. He smiled slightly as Blair's hand touched his shoulder gently, grounding him.

"MAG Center, Sunna speaking."

"Hey, babe. It's yo' man," A male voice purred lazily from the other end of the line.

"Hey, Mad Dog. What's up?"

"I'm bored, bitch, let's score us some cash. Let's go out tonight. We can hit a couple of stores."

"Sounds good. Just the two of us?" the girl asked.

Cooper chuckled. "Damian's coming too. How's the Queen?"

"She's fine. A little upset with everything's that been going on, but what can you do?"

"Whatever. Meet me at 8:00 pm in front of Jefferson High. And pack a piece."

"Hey, man, I don't want to kill anyone!" Sunna whined.

"You don't have to. But how else are we going to talk those scrooges at the stores into give us their money?" Cooper laughed. "Don't worry, bitch, it'll be okay. Just show them the gun and they'll give you everything, no hassle."

"Okay. See ya tonight."

"Bye, Sunna."

"We got them," Jim murmured once the call was over. He related the conversation to his partner. "All we have to do is wait for tonight and catch them in the act. On top of everything else, they'll be charged with attempted robbery."

"Isn't Sunna the girl that gave us Keanu's description?" Blair asked.

"Yeah. Should've known she was too good to be true."

"I wonder who the 'Queen' is?"

Jim shrugged. "Probably a nickname for Siohban. She does run the center." He glanced up. "There's Rafe and Henri, finally."

"Hey, guys!" Henri greeted. "Anything exciting happen?"

"We have work tonight. Cooper, Travis, and a girl named Sunna are planning to rob some stores."

Henri nodded. "Okay, how do you want to handle it?"

"We still have two hours to go. For now, keep an eye out here until we get back. I'll think of something then. Sandburg and I are just going to grab a bite to eat. Let's move, Chief, I'm starving. See you guys."

"Bye Jim, Hairboy."

"You know H, one of these days I'm going to get you for the 'Hairboy' thing," Blair mock-growled, making the others laugh.

"And I'll pay to see it!" Rafe grinned broadly.

"Well, I'll believe it when I see it," H chuckled.

"I'll make you a believer yet, H," Blair promised as he walked away with his partner. "I know just the thing to use," he whispered with glee.

"What's on your mind, Chief?" Jim grinned, having heard the soft-spoken words.

"You'll see. It's going to be a beaut," Blair chuckled as he planned his revenge. Henri Brown was going to turn blue -- literally.

Fifteen minutes before 8:00 pm, Jim and Blair climbed into the old Ford truck while Rafe and Brown walked over to their car, and the four men drove to Jefferson High School to wait for their prey.

At 8:00 sharp, Sunna climbed out of a bus and walked over to the school. She remained outside, leaning quietly against a wall, probably waiting for Cooper and Travis to show up.

"Allah Akbar," Blair whispered, reading the writing on the wall beside the teenager.

"Know what it means?" Jim asked.

"'God is great.' Not the sort of thing I was expecting to find in this neighborhood. This place is more the 'God is dead' type."

"That must be them," Jim alerted suddenly, watching a blue Chevrolet stop by the girl. Sure enough, she got in and the car drove away. "We're on," Jim said into the radio.

"We saw it," Brown replied. "What's the plan? Let them rob a store?"

"Too dangerous, these kids are wildcards. There's no way of guessing what might go down. Let's follow them and wait until they reach the first target. We move in before they do anything."

"Copy that."

They followed the Chevy at a safe distance, watching it roll all over Cascade in search of a convenient target. The three teenagers finally parked in front of an isolated gas station and began to pile out of the car.

"Damn! It had to be a gas station! Blair, call for back-up!" Jim growled, getting out of the truck. "Cascade PD! Freeze!"

Unfortunately, the gang members decided to resist. Bullets started to rain down all around them, causing them to crouch down behind their vehicles and return fire. Rafe ran towards the back exit, to prevent the kids from escaping, Jim and Henri supplying cover fire.

Two more squad cars arrived, tires screeching loudly and adding to the cacophony of sound. More bullets flew, breaking windows and windshields, creating a cascade of shattered glass that fell over them.

The next few minutes were a twisted version of a Mexican standoff, with both sides shooting and failing to do any damage. Jim and Henri kept firing, trying to keep the shooters pinned down, waiting for the three teenagers to run out of ammunition.

They lasted a surprisingly long time, but finally Jim heard the familiar 'click' of an empty gun.

"I'm out of ammo," he heard Sunna pant.

"Me too, MD," a new voice replied. Travis, Jim guessed. "What now?"

"I still have a couple of bullets. Let's go out with a bang. I'll go first and cover you."

"They'll kill you!" Sunna started.

"Well, I'm not going back to jail without a fight. Let's go!"

The three teenagers left the gas station at a run, Cooper leading the way, but Jim was prepared. "Drop your gun!" he yelled, his gun aimed directly at Cooper.

Cooper froze, looking at the officers who had them surrounded, then at Jim. Their eyes met, staying locked for a long moment. Then suddenly Cooper dropped his gun and raised his hands.

"Drop your guns, guys," Brown instructed to Sunna and Travis, who obeyed immediately.

The gas station was suddenly filled with police, Henri and Rafe keeping their guns trained on the suspects until they were cuffed. Jim shared a grin with his partner. They finally had Cooper and Travis in custody.

Half an hour later Damian Travis was sitting alone in an interrogation room sweating it out, while Rafe took Cooper to the one next door. Jim had a feeling it would be impossible to get anything out of Mad Dog Cooper, but Travis was another thing altogether. The kid was scared and it showed.

"H is with Sunna now. Come on, Chief. Let's see if we can spend a minute with those two before their lawyers show up."

Jim's guess turned out to be right. Cooper didn't utter a word during the whole time he was questioned. He just sat there and smirked, making Jim want to beat the smile off of his face. Only Blair's soothing presence prevented him from pouncing on the kid and doing some serious damage.

Finally tired of talking to what felt like a brick wall, Jim gestured to his partner and they left the interrogation room. "It's no use," Jim growled. "The little bastard won't say a word. It's time to try Travis."

They stepped into the next room and Jim was forced to agree with Siohban -- Damian Travis didn't look a day over thirteen. He was sitting quietly by the table, looking calm and at ease, but Sentinel senses picked up the scent of fear and the hammering heart.

"Damian, I'm Detective Ellison. We've already told you why you're here."

"We didn't kill anyone!" Damian snapped, suddenly angry.

"Really? That's not what Cooper told us," Jim bluffed.

"W-what?" Travis stuttered, his eyes widening. He frowned. "You're trying to trick me. Mad Dog wouldn't --"

"Wouldn't he, Damian?" Jim grinned broadly. "He's spent some time in Juvey before, did you know that? A couple of times in fact. He's eighteen now. Charged with murder, he'll be tried and sent to prison to rot for the rest of his days. Not to mention we caught you red-handed, trying to rob a gas station. You really think he cares what happens to you, kid? He's out to save his own skin."

"No, no!" Damian whispered, sweat pouring from his brow. "That's not -- He's not --"

"Maybe you want to think about it?" Jim asked, gently. "He's going to cut a deal and throw you to the wolves, Damian."

"No! No!" Damian shouted, rising from his seat. "He was there too! He made me do it! I just wanted to join the Knights, was sick of getting beat up by the older kids in the 'hood. He said they would take care of me, that no one would bother me again! I-I didn't -- I didn't want to kill him!" he wailed, angry tears falling from his eyes.

Jim shared a startled look with Blair. He'd been expecting Cooper to have shot Grisham, not Travis. "Do you know a kid by the name of Keanu Davis?" he asked, and narrowed his eyes when Damian gasped. "Well?"

"I-I-"

"You better tell us everything, Damian. We'll go easy on you if you confess."

Damian gulped noisily. "Mad Dog killed him."

"When?"

"Same day we did Grisha."

"Why?"

"I don't know!"

"Why? Tell me why, Damian, or I won't help you!"

"I don't know!" Travis shouted back at him. "I think they knew each other or something like that, but I'm not sure. He wouldn't tell me, said it was his business."

"What happened?"

"We were hanging around the center when Keanu showed up looking for Grisha."

"Didn't Keanu see Cooper?"

"No. We were all sitting on the floor, next to some big couches. He never even looked our way."

"Then what?"

"I wasn't paying much attention, there was this good looking chick there, I was trying to get her to go out with me. All I know is that Mad Dog suddenly came up to me and said we had to go. We left the center right after Keanu and followed him around Bayside as he went looking for Grisha. When he was moving through a deserted field, Mad Dog suddenly drew this gun from his jacket and shot him in the back."

"What did you do then?"

"He made sure Keanu was dead, then hid the body behind some tall bushes. The field was abandoned and not that many people go there, so he figured it would be a while before the body was found."

"What happened to the gun? Cooper didn't have it with him."

"We hid it in an old warehouse after I shot Grisha."

"Why did you kill Grisha?"

"He was going to testify against Daniel for stabbing that other kid two weeks ago."

"You know what that fight was about?"

"About some girl, I think."

Jim nodded, satisfied with the answers for the time being. "You did good, Damian. I promise we'll go easy on you. Now, I need you to tell us the address of the warehouse."

"It'll be easier if I show you. I know how to get there, but not the address."

"Okay," Jim agreed. "Wait here."

When he exited the room with Blair, Rafe was waiting outside. "H is still with Sunna. She's not talking."

"Thanks. Can you go with Travis to check an address? Cooper killed Keanu and Travis killed Grisham. He's going to take you to the place where they hid the gun. Take a couple of lab boys with you. I don't want anything slipping past us."

"On my way," Rafe assured him. He opened the door to the interrogation room and gestured to Damian. "Come on kid, you're coming with me. We're going for a ride."

"Think Cooper was the viper Keanu was talking about?" Blair asked once Rafe had left with Travis.

"Looks that way. If the TV special showed Grisham at the MAG center, it's possible the footage showed Cooper there as well. I still think it was Daniel he saw, though."

"And?" Blair prompted, knowing by Jim's frown that there was more.

"I don't know. I'm missing something here. Something vital to the case, some piece of the puzzle," he sighed in exasperation.

"Let it go for a while, Jim. If you try to force it, it'll never come to you. Just let it happen."

"Yeah, you're right, Chief. Let's go wrap this up and talk to Simon. At least we now know who killed Grisham and found out what happened to Keanu Davis. It's more than we had a few hours ago."

"Keanu Davis saw Cooper on TV, had some kind of bad thing going with him and decided to warn Grisham against him. Cooper spotted him first, killed him, and made Travis kill Grisham because he was going to testify against Daniel Stubbs. Am I getting this right?" Simon asked as he looked at his best detective team.

"Yes, sir. As for Sanchez, he had nothing to do with the killing, probably because he couldn't get Grisham alone," Jim replied.

"So, Cooper and Travis did it. Case closed?" Simon asked hopefully.

"I think so."

"You think so, Jim? Why aren't you certain?"

"I don't know, Simon. There's something nagging at the back of my mind, but I haven't been able to figure out what. Give me a day or two, okay? The report is done, all the evidence is logged in and locked in the evidence room, we got every statement written down and printed. All it needs is our signatures. If I can figure out what I'm missing, great. If not, I'll sign the report and hand it over to you."

"Fine. But you've only got twenty-four hours, Jim. I can't give you any more time."

Jim nodded. "Fair enough. Thanks, Simon."

"Just be sure of what you're doing, Jim. Don't screw this one up when we already have the criminals behind bars. Go on, get out of here. Maybe once you've had a good night's sleep you'll be able to get your head straight."

"Right. See you tomorrow, Simon." Jim rose from his chair, his partner right beside him as they left Simon's office. "Still up for Chinese tonight, Chief?"

"Yeah, man. Why?"

"Just making sure," Jim said with a grin.

An hour later they were back at the loft, snuggled up together as they munched happily on their dinner. Blair closed his eyes as he leaned against his lover's chest with a contented sigh.

"Man, this is the life!"

"Yes, it is, Chief. Yes, it is," the older man answered, the smile clear in his voice.

Jim stroked his cheek tenderly, and Blair nuzzled into the big palm with a smile. He looked up at his lover, and Jim leaned down to kiss him, tongue laving his lower lip gently, asking permission to enter. Blair found himself responding to the kiss whole-heartedly, their tongues meeting and battling lazily for a while, letting the passion slowly build.

Halfway through the kiss, Blair suddenly realized that Jim was no longer an active participant. He broke the kiss and looked at his lover's unfocused expression. "You know, Ellison, it's a good thing I'm such an easy-going kind of guy. I could take offense to the fact that while I'm trying to dive for your tonsils, your mind is somewhere else."

Jim had the good grace to blush. "I'm sorry. It's not you, Blair. I can't seem to stop thinking about this damn case."

"Thinking what exactly?"

"Remember the 357 case with Gaines?"

"Yeah?"

"Behind everything they did, was someone else -- Williams. These kids, they're small time -- they're 'doers,' not 'thinkers.'"

"So you think there's someone behind Grisha's murder? Who? Daniel?"

"I thought it might be Daniel, yes. He, Cooper, and Travis become good friends. He knows that Cooper has no problems killing people. He gets involved in a fight, stabs a kid, gets arrested. Grisha's going to testify against him and he doesn't feel safe. He's been in Juvey before -- with this new conviction, he's sure to be locked up for some time. And with Grisha out of the way..."

"But you don't think it was him?"

"No."

"So, who do you think is behind it? And what about Keanu?"

"I think Keanu was just a coincidence. He showed up at the wrong time, at the wrong place. Whether he saw Daniel or Cooper, or even Siohban in that TV show, the fact is it sealed his fate. I do believe that murder is all Cooper's doing. And as for who is behind Grisham's and why... This might sound crazy, but I'm thinking Siohban Stubbs."

"Why?"

"I'm almost certain Siohban knows what Cooper and Travis have been up to. Her son's locked up, but for all her visible sorrow, she doesn't sound too upset about it. That's been bugging me. She seems to love him very much, and yet she doesn't seem upset that he might be going to jail? That doesn't add up. Plus, she gave us too much information; she was just too willing to put the blame on someone else. And of course there's her background. We know she was involved with the Killers, even if just to house their meetings or as a hideout. But what if she was in deeper and the Seattle PD just never found anything?" He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'm going to speak with Simon in the morning. I want to keep the stakeout at the center going, for a few more days at least. I know I'm right, Blair. I just know it."

"Then we'll figure it out. It'll work out, Jim. You'll see."

They remained nestled together on the couch, watching TV and caressing each other's bodies occasionally, until their awareness of each other was at its highest. Then they climbed the stairs to the bedroom hand in hand, stopping only to undo a button or lower a zipper, before lying naked on the soft bed.

Their mouths met in a slow but thorough kiss. Blair ran his hands down Jim's back, fingers caressing his burning flesh, arousing him further. They rolled about in the bed leisurely, until Jim finally pinned the younger man down. He leaned down, nibbling on Blair's full lower lip, licking it sensually, feeling Blair shiver in anticipation.

He released Blair's mouth to nip his neck, growling deep in his throat as Blair arched beneath him. He sank his teeth lightly into the sensitive juncture of his neck and shoulder, then licked the spot he'd just bitten to sooth the hurt, inhaling deeply at the same time.

"Oh God," Blair whimpered. "I love it when you do that, focus your senses on me... Drives me so crazy..."

Jim chuckled wickedly. "I know," he purred, lapping a bead of sweat as it pooled in the hollow of Blair's throat. "Your heart speeds up, your scent gets sharper, your voice drops... And you let out this throaty whimper that drives me crazy."

He felt his lover reach down to grasp his buttocks while thrusting his hips up, frantic, begging Jim to take him over the edge. Obeying the silent request, Jim moved his body against Blair's, stroking the furry chest with greedy hands, tongue playing with the twin pebbled nipples until Blair whimpered helplessly.

Blair pushed up against him again, trembling when he thrust back and forced him back down on the bed. Control was lost; they couldn't get enough of each other. Hands and mouths reached out, sucking, nibbling, caressing relentlessly, taking them closer and closer to the edge. Finally it was too much, and Blair broke away from his kiss, head thrown back, body rocking as he came, Jim's name on his lips.

Jim froze, awed at the unleashed passion beneath him, knowing he was the one that made Blair look that way, moan that way. He watched as Blair opened his eyes, arousal still shining from within, and smiled. His hand closed around Jim's aching erection, pumping it slowly.

"Come for me, Jim," the whisper demanded, and he was unable to refuse that husky voice. A few powerful strokes was all it took for him to climax, shuddering into ecstasy in Blair's arms. He fell asleep on top of his lover, limbs draped over him, their legs still entwined, his head resting safely on Blair's shoulder.

"Call coming through to the center," Jim announced suddenly, dialing his hearing up, carefully piggybacking it with sight so he wouldn't zone. He could clearly hear Siohban's voice as she answered the phone.

"Siohban Stubbs."

"It's Tyree," a male voice announced.

"What do you want?"

"Did you know that Sunna, Mad Dog and Damian were arrested yesterday?"

"Yes," Siohban replied. "So?"

"So what if they spill to the badges? We don't need more pressure, Queen."

"They won't talk. They confessed, which is true, after all. They won't say any more."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I think the cops suspect I know more than I'm saying, but they can't prove anything. Nothing more will happen, everything is back as it should be. They will do their time and return to the fold. Everything will be fine."

"If you say so. I just wanted to make sure." He paused. "What about Daniel?"

"Hopefully without Grisha to testify against him, he'll go free," Siohban replied. "If not... he'll do his time same as the others. It'll do him good. He should've thought before getting involved in a fight over a piece of ass. He put us all at risk."

"Coming back tonight?"

"No. But I might need you. I'm waiting for an important call. Depending on how it goes, I'll need the Knights as back-up."

"A new dealer?"

"Yes."

"Cool. Bye.

"Goodbye, Tyree."

Once the call was finished, Jim related the conversation to his partner. "Sounds like the reason Cooper and Tyree caller her 'Queen' is because she's their leader. She's probably just using the MAG center as a smoke screen. She fooled everyone, even the police. I bet she uses the center to recruit new members like Damian."

"That's twisted, man. No wonder Daniel's the way he is, with a mother like that! Anyone would be a little screwed up. Hey, there's Rafe and H!" Blair grinned as he watched Rafe park next to them. "Cool," he whispered, taking a small package from his pocket and placing it on the dashboard.

"What's that?"

"My revenge."

"Afternoon, guys!" Rafe greeted, leaning against the truck and resting his arms on Blair's open window. "How's everything?"

"What are you doing here?" Jim asked.

"We're on our lunch break and thought we'd stop by." Rafe replied. "We know Simon only gave you twenty-four hours to get something on Siohban. Anything?"

"Not yet, but it looks good," Jim said, remembering the phone call.

"Hey, what's that?" Henri asked, gesturing towards Blair's little package.

"Caramels," Blair replied. "My mother sent them from France. They're pretty good."

"Can I have one?" asked Brown, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Sure," Blair replied innocently. He watched as Henri stuffed one of the caramels into his mouth, chewing the small treat delightedly, and making appreciative 'mmmm' noises. "Well?" he asked when Brown was finished.

"Oh, man!" Brown sighed, licking his lips. "They're great! Want one?" he asked his partner.

Rafe took one look at Henri and began to laugh, followed closely by Blair and Jim. "Oh, man! H, you should see your mouth!" he chuckled.

"What about it?" H asked, his confused expression making the others laugh harder.

"It's all blue! Your lips, tongue, your teeth -- everything's blue!"

"What?" Brown used the truck's mirror to look at himself. "Oh, man! You little shit!" he growled at Blair, but his eyes were shining with amusement. "How did you do that?"

"The caramels are rigged. Something Naomi found in Paris. Once you stick them in your mouth and they begin to melt, they turn blue. Gotcha!" he grinned.

"Smart-ass!"

Rafe pushed his partner away from the truck. "We better be going. If you need any back-up, call us. I'm going to take 'Smurf' here to the closest bathroom for a wash," he finished with a chortle.

Jim chuckled. "Will do. Thanks, guys."

Grinning at each other, Jim and Blair settled down for the afternoon. With a little luck they'd still be able to catch Siohban and the Knights.

Three hours later, Jim heard the phone ringing again. The coordinator answered before it could ring twice, showing how anxious she was about the upcoming call.

"Siohban Stubbs."

"Johnson. I have the stuff. There's a burned-down building on the outskirts of Cascade, the Hammer Brewery. Meet me there at midnight. Bring the money and we'll do business."

"I'll be there," Siohban replied, and the call ended.

"Chief?" Jim said softly.

"Yeah, Jim?"

"We got her," Jim grinned, and they high-fived.

"Cool. What did you hear?"

"Siohban is going to meet the dealer at the Hammer Brewery tonight at midnight. Let's go back to the station and find Simon. But first..." Jim sank his fingers into his lover's curly hair, angling the other man's head so he could taste his mouth, tongue exploring the moist heat he was so addicted to. When they finally parted, he nodded with a grin. "That's better."

Jim looked at his watch: 11:00 pm. One hour until the meeting. Everything was in place. Blair was by his side, both hidden behind a few large crates. Simon and Megan were to his left, Henri and Rafe to his right, and there were other officers concealed throughout the building and grounds. All they needed was for the dealer and the 'Queen' and her Knights to arrive.

They didn't have long to wait. Half an hour before the meeting was scheduled to occur, Jim heard the sound of an approaching car, and minutes later, three men entered the building. One of them was walking ahead of the others, probably Johnson. Cold gray eyes checked the area, failing to see the trap set up for them. He wore an expensive-looking suit which, along with the graying hair, gave him the look of a businessman. The other two men were clearly his bodyguards -- their impressive bulk and the way they stood behind the front man easily gave them away.

The three men moved to the middle of the burned-down area and remained there, silent, waiting, no words exchanged between them.

Fifteen minutes later a second car stopped in front of the brewery. Jim felt Blair touch his shoulder as Siohban crossed over to Johnson, four teenagers standing close behind.

"You have the stuff?" she asked.

"You have the money?" Johnson retorted.

Siohban nodded. "Tyree," she called, looking over her shoulder, and one of the kids walked towards her. He held an open briefcase full of money. "As you can see..." she told Johnson. "The drugs?"

One of Johnson's men stepped forward, also holding a briefcase. When he snapped it open, Jim could see it was full of cocaine. He watched Tyree sampling the stuff to check its quality, then grin to Siohban.

"It's good, Queen."

Jim glanced towards Simon, who nodded. They had enough. "Cascade PD! Freeze!" Simon shouted, and all hell broke lose.

Gunfire erupted all around them, with Johnson and his men trying to make a break for it. They were easily subdued, and so were the two Knights who tried to fight back. Tyree and Siohban surrendered their weapons.

Jim handcuffed Siohban. "It's over, Queen," he told her.

"Why?" Blair asked her.

She shrugged. "Oldest reason in the world, kid; money."

"So you formed the Knights to do your bididng and used the MAG as a cover and to recruit new members?"

"Of course. You have to admit it was brilliant. I sell drugs and guns. What better way to do it, than to recruit kids and use them to sell the product in their own schools?"

"And the Seattle Killers? Were you doing the same then?"

"No. I guess you can say I was learning the trade there. They taught me everything I needed to know."

"Rafe, get this trash out of here," Jim said, disgusted.

"With pleasure," Rafe replied, grabbing Siohban by the arm and leading her to a squad car while he read her her rights.

"It's over," Blair said.

"It's over," Jim confirmed.

"We're done." Blair said.

"We're done," Jim confirmed.

"We should celebrate."

Jim grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, I'll tell you when we get home," Blair replied in a sultry voice.

Jim narrowed his eyes. "In that case, let's get back to the station and see to the paperwork," he said, walking back to the truck to the sound of his lover's laughter.

Samantha Grisham buried her only son, and was still grieving for the child that had been taken away from her. But in a show of amazing generosity, she agreed to provide a permanent roof for Valentina and Jose Sanchez, a place where they would be able to live in peace and be loved unconditionally. Things were still being set up with Social Services, but with Simon's intervention and even a good word from the Mayor, there wasn't any cause for worry.

Samantha also took over as the Coordinator of MAG. She wanted to make sure that what happened to her son wouldn't be happening again. That kids from every gang in Cascade would have a safe haven to go to, a place where parents could learn how to keep their children away from gangs. A place where no gang colors were allowed, a neutral ground for everyone involved. Blair spoke with the woman a few times, and she agreed with a few of his ideas. Maybe he would even help out when he had some free time.

Keanu Davis' body was sent to Seattle, and from what they heard from Henderson, the Seattle Killers paid for his funeral and made it a big shindig, a sort of Irish wake to celebrate life, not death.

Blair sighed contentedly as he signed his name on the case report. It was finally over. Siohban and Daniel Stubbs were behind bars, held without bail until it was time for their trials, as were Mad Dog Cooper and Damian Travis. They were still looking for the remaining Knights, but the major players were all accounted for.

Blair raised his head and gazed around the bullpen. Two things happened at once: first, he spotted his missing package of rigged caramels resting on top of Megan's desk. He'd left it in Jim's truck and never thought of it again. Second, he watched in slow motion as Simon Banks -- Captain Simon Banks of the Major Crime Department of Cascade, Washington -- reached for that same package, and before he could utter a single word, stuffed a caramel in his mouth.

"Oh, God! I'm dead," he muttered, watching Simon chew with dreaded fascination.

An eerie silence settled over the bullpen as he watched the captain finish the caramel and return to his office. He was just about to take a deep breath, thinking that maybe that hadn't been his package after all, when a growl was heard throughout the floor, coming from Banks' office. "Who did this? Who's the little joker? I'll have them writing tickets for the rest of their life!"

The door to the office burst open and an apparition of hell in Simon Banks' guise walked out. "I'm waiting!"

"Well, you see, Simon --" Blair began, but closed his mouth at the calculating look in Simon's eyes.

"Sandburg," the big man purred softly, the effect completely ruined by his blue mouth. "Have I mentioned how long it has been since my car's been washed? And how I prefer to have it hand washed? Every week?"

Blair noticed Brown wiggling his eyebrows gleefully and suddenly realized how the package had ended up on Megan's desk. His revenge had backfired. He banged his head on top of the desk a few times, ignoring the amused snickering around him. It was going to be a long day.

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Author's E-mail: alexandra_ramos@clix.pt
Author's Webpage: https://www.squidge.org/~stageira/alex/