SVS-07: Regrets by VampyrAlex, Part 2

SVS-07: Regrets by VampyrAlex, Part 2

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Dinner was over and the restaurant was long deserted at last. Shane was cleaning up the place as he waited for his love to show up. And as usual, he thought with a rueful smile, his love was late. He heard the door opening and swiveled around with a smile, but to his disappointment, it wasn't who he'd been waiting for.

"We're closed," he said.

"I know." One of the two huge, bulky men blocking the entrance to his restaurant told him with a cold smile. They began to advance and something in their faces made Shane move back.

"What do you want?"

"Not what, who," the second man said. "And the answer..." he drawled as he pounded his right fist menacingly into his left palm. "...is you."

They lay in bed snuggled against each other after an intense lovemaking session; Blair's head resting comfortably on the older man's shoulder, his hand caressing the smooth chest beneath it.

"A penny for your thoughts," Jim whispered and could feel Blair's smile.

"I was just thinking about how the pieces suddenly all fell into place."

"What do you mean?"

"All that traveling Naomi and I did... I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great to spend a whole summer with my uncle Tom driving the rig across country, or spending some time with my cousins in Forth Worth checking out all the rodeo action, even hanging around Robert and learning just which horse or team to bet on," Blair quipped with a smile. "And going to other continents, all the cultures and people we met... I wouldn't trade it for the world, but sometimes I had this feeling that Naomi didn't really want to leave. It was more like she had to leave. Now it all makes sense."

"She couldn't afford to stay in one place too long for fear her parents might find her," Jim voiced the unspoken thought.

"Yeah. And to be honest, after what Anna told us, I wasn't expecting Joseph to surrender this fast. But this afternoon was so cool, I'm really glad he changed his mind about me. I could still feel him holding back, but at least we're talking and getting to know each other."

"He's a good man," Jim ventured.

"Yes, he is. Naomi's leaving hurt him a lot, I get the feeling she was everything to him, that's why he was so mad."

"There's a thin line between love and hate," Jim quoted and felt Blair nod against him.

"Exactly. I don't think he ever hated her, but he was so hurt it was easier to think she was dead. God, I do hope Naomi gets my messages before it's too late! It would be so cool to see the three of them together again... Did you notice the way they kind of adopted Shane? They took him under their care and watch over him as if he's family. I think it's really sweet," Blair chuckled. "You know, I have a feeling Shane was up to something tonight. I offered to stay after dinner to help with the cleaning, but he told me I didn't have to, practically threw me out of the restaurant!"

Jim tilted his head, listening, "He's still there, I can hear him talking to someone," he frowned suddenly.

"What?" Blair asked, raising his head as he felt Jim's body tense up.

"There's something... Shit!" Rising from the bed in one swift move, Jim donned his jeans rapidly and grabbing his gun, ran out the door.

"What the...? Jim!" jumping from bed as well, Blair put on his jeans and followed his lover across the street and into Shane's place. He saw Jim bursting into the restaurant and as he walked in seconds later was greeted to the sight of Jim aiming his gun at two men. One of them was holding Shane's arms behind his back allowing the other to hit the young man at will, without fear of retribution.

"Let him go," Jim growled, and Blair was relieved when after exchanging a brief glance the two men released Shane and stepped back. "Blair, call Sheriff Ashwood and tell him to come and pick up this garbage."

"Right."

Blair made the call while Shane tied the criminals together under Jim's watchful eye. Better safe than sorry.

"Who do you work for?" the cop queried, and was met with stony silence. Jim shrugged at the two young men. He was supposed to be on vacation anyway. Let the Sheriff deal with the two thugs.

Ashwood arrived promptly with two of his deputies not ten minutes after Blair made the call. He shook everyone's hands with a friendly smile, "Good evening, folks. Harry, John, take these two to the car. I'll be out in a minute," he told his deputies.

"Right, Sheriff."

They watched the criminals being taken away, then Ashwood turned to the others, "You know, it won't do any good to arrest those two. It will be just like the others before them. They never talk, never say who hired them, and most of them are out on bail before we finish the paperwork."

"You mean you caught some of Boyden's goons before?" Blair queried, surprised.

Ashwood grimaced. "You mean 'alleged' goons. We never could prove they worked for Boyden. And yes, we managed to catch a few of those bastards. And the end result was always the same: every single one of them were outsiders, they were never the same ones, none would say who paid them to do the job. It's a vicious circle and I doubt these two will be any different," he sighed wearily, then looked at Shane's somewhat battered condition. "Need someone to have a look at those bruises, son?"

Jim shook his head. "I'll do it, Sheriff. Thanks."

Ashwood nodded. "In that case, I'll go and take care of those two. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sheriff."

After Ashwood left Jim turned his attention to Shane. The young man's handsome face was already showing the signs of his close encounter with the two men, the worse being a split lip and a rapidly darkening bruise on the left cheek. Jim could only imagine how his body must look and feel like.

"You have a medical kit?" he asked.

"Behind the bar."

"Okay. Let's do something about those cuts and bruises."

Jim was almost done when Tom Boyden stumbled through the door, his mouth open wide as if about to say something. He stopped short as he took in the scene before him. Jim Ellison, the man he'd met that morning in his brother's office -- barefoot, wearing tight black jeans with the top button undone, his chest bare for the world to see and apparently caressing Shane's cheek lovingly. Tom saw red.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he growled, taking a menacing step closer to Ellison.

Before things could get any worse, Shane stepped in between the two men, "Tom, take it easy! It's not what it looks like."

"What do you mean it's not..." he stopped suddenly. "What happened to your face?" Tom brushed the bruised cheek tenderly.

"Two bastards just walked in here and tried to make pancakes out of me. What do you think?" Shane snapped, then sighed at Tom's hurt expression. "Damn..." he pulled the black man to the kitchen. "Excuse us." he said to Jim and Blair.

As soon as he closed the door, Shane embraced Tom eagerly, keeping him in his arms until he felt his lover relax against him.

"God, I missed you...!" Tom exhaled softly, his arms embracing Shane's slender frame. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Jim and Blair got here just in time to stop the creeps. I'm sorry I snapped at you, I didn't mean it," he gave Tom a mock-pout. "And you're late, again!"

"Sorry. Lew dragged me to another boring business dinner. He's still trying to get me to join the company," He paused, as if weighing what to say next. "Tom, I want to tell him about us. I love you and I want the whole fucking world to know."

Shane sighed sadly. "Love, we talked about this already. What do you think will happen if your brother finds out you're in love with another man, especially if he hears that man is me? You think I enjoy this situation? Having to meet in secret, never being able to go anywhere together, never being able to spend any time together..." He looked away with an odd expression and Tom frowned.

He used his hand to cup Shane's chin and raised his head until they were locking gazes, "What's wrong, Shane?" Tom queried gently, his thumb sliding over his lover's pouty lips.

Shane flushed a little in embarrassment, "I... It's just that this is getting too intense for my liking. Before, Lewis was just trying to ruin my business. You know how much I hated what he was doing, hell, I nearly gave up when that little kid almost died, but... now he's making it personal. The idea that he wants to hurt me...!"

Tom suddenly grabbed hold of Shane's dark coal hair with both hands, possessively, their faces inches from each other, "Listen to me! I love you, I won't let anything happen to you, I won't let him hurt you! I promise, Shane..." he vowed fiercely, and Shane found himself believing the words somehow.

They kissed tenderly, their hands roaming each other's bodies until Tom brushed across a particularly painful bruise causing Shane to whimper softly.

"Sorry, Love. Come on, let's get rid of your guests and get you in bed. I'm spending the night, no way am I going to let you out of my sight tonight. I'll make up some excuse for Lew tomorrow, your health is more important."

They said their goodbyes to Jim and Blair, and after locking the restaurant, went up to Shane's apartment on the first floor. Tom undressed his lover tenderly, kissing every bruise to make it better. Shane enjoyed the feeling of being pampered too much to get annoyed at his lover's whimsical mood. He just allowed the mother hen routine, then sighed happily as they climbed into the bed and Tom spooned behind him, his arms around him to keep him safe. Shane soon fell into an exhausted sleep; he never noticed Tom standing guard and watching over him the whole night.

Back in their room at the Inn, Blair settled down on the bed with his own contented sigh.

"Man, what a night!"

"Yeah," Jim mumbled, his head resting comfortably on his lover's shoulder. "You know, I suddenly feel like a character on the Westside Story but with a twist," he chuckled ruefully.

"Why?"

"Tom and Shane are lovers."

Blair looked down at him, surprise written all over his face. "You're kidding?!"

"Nope."

"Oh, my God!... How did you know... never mind, Sentinel senses. I take it Lewis Boyden doesn't know about it?"

"I didn't want to pry on them, but I think he doesn't know, yeah. If he did, things would be even worse for Shane."

"Damn... It can't be easy for them! Still going to talk to Boyden tomorrow?"

"Oh, yeah!... I want to have a word with him now more than ever. It's obvious he sent those guys tonight to beat Shane up, he's turning up the heat."

"Come by the restaurant when you're done, I want to know what happened. I promised Shane I'd help out the whole day."

Jim bit him gently on the junction between neck and shoulder, "I will. Goodnight, Blair."

"'Night, Jim."

They snuggled together and were soon fast asleep, the worries of the day forgotten in slumber.

The next morning Jim and Blair had breakfast with the Sandburgs at Shane's place. McKenzie was grinning from ear to ear in spite of multiple injuries and the two partners couldn't help chuckle at the obvious reason; they'd seen Tom leaving the restaurant wearing the same clothes from the day before. It didn't take a detective to realize that the younger Boyden had stayed the night.

Halfway through the morning, Jim left to have his long awaited conversation with Lewis Boyden. As he said, Tom wasn't there. In his place was a woman who Jim guessed was the Catherine Tom mentioned the day before.

"Good morning. How can I help you?" she greeted softly, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"My name's Jim Ellison, I'm here to see Lewis Boyden."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, I don't. That's his office, isn't it?" Jim queried, already moving towards the mentioned door.

"Wha...? Sir, you can't go in!" She tried to stop him, but it was too late. In two easy strides Jim burst through the office door where two men stood up to face him.

"What's the meaning of this?" a tall black man standing by the desk demanded. By the imposing way he stood and the other man's submissive body language, that had to be Lewis Boyden.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Boyden, I tried to stop him..." Catherine began with a whine.

Boyden shooed her away with a wave of his big hand, "It's okay, Catherine. You can go."

After the receptionist walked out, Boyden turned his chocolate brown eyes on Jim, "Please sit down, Mr. Ellison. What can I do for you?"

"I'd rather stand, thank you," Jim replied, as he watched Boyden and Bangle settle back into their seats. The Sentinel raised an eyebrow quizzically, "You know my name." Somehow it wasn't a question.

Boyden smirked, "News travels fast and Wolf Point's a small place. Nothing much happens in this town without me knowing. Besides it's not every day that Joseph Sandburg's long-lost grandson comes for a visit."

"So you must know why I'm here."

"To talk about my attempts to buy McKenzie's Restaurant."

"Attempts that seem to be a little too forceful, Mr. Boyden," Jim commented, his steel blue eyes never leaving the black man's dark ones.

The other man in the office, a Hulk Hogan look-alike squeezed into an Armani suit, jumped to his feet, his face red with fury, "Just what do you mean by that?!"

Boyden glared at his assistant, "Eric!" his hard voice echoed through the room. "You have to forgive my assistant, Mr. Ellison. He tends to get upset very easily. Those 'forceful' attempts as you call them are just rumors. I never did any of those things I'm being wrongfully accused of. I admit I want to buy Shane's place and maybe I've been a little... intense in my negotiations with him, but that's all. All the rest is just vicious rumors started by those who oppose progress."

"Call it what you like. The fact is Shane doesn't want to sell and that's his final word. Sheriff Ashwood has his eye on you and for as long as I am in Wolf Point so will I. Remember that, Mr. Boyden," Jim nodded his head in a parting greeting. "Good day, gentlemen."

Silence reigned in the office for a few minutes. Then Eric walked over to the window and watched as Ellison crossed the street and drove away, "We have to do something, Mr. Boyden," he said.

"I agree, Eric. Are you sure the two men arrested last night won't talk?"

"Yes, I paid them enough to shut up. They know better than to double-cross me."

"Good, good... Find someone else for tonight. Someone... nasty," Boyden finished with a grin. "I want Shane McKenzie dealt with once and for all."

Bangle smiled back, "I know just the person for the job. Consider it done, Mr. Boyden. By tomorrow afternoon the McKenzie Restaurant will be yours." He paused for a moment. "And this Cascade cop?"

"He has no jurisdiction here and Ashwood has nothing on us. I own Wolf Point and I want to keep it that way. No one will stop me or get in my way." Boyden's eyes had a hard glint in their depths. "No one..."

Shane put up the 'Closed' sign and collapsed on a chair with a grateful sigh, "God, I thought dinner would never be over!" he huffed, grinning happily at Blair who was seated next to him looking just as tired and just as happy. Both their grins disappeared as they took in the cleaning job ahead of them. The restaurant looked a mess.

"Shit!... Might as well get to it," Blair muttered, silently cursing his lover for offering to drive the Sandburgs home after they all had dinner at Shane's. They could really use another pair of hands to help out.

The two young men rose and were preparing for the hard task ahead when Tom Boyden crushed through the door, "Shane, you have to get out of here!" he said in a frantic voice.

"What?"

Tom stood in front of them panting with exertion, "I heard... Lew and Eric talking over dinner. Eric hired someone to get rid of you tonight after the restaurant was closed."

"We're closed now, that means... oh, man!..." both Blair and Tom turned to see why Shane had suddenly gone white as a sheet. They found themselves face-to-face with a monstrous looking man aiming a handgun at the three of them.

"Too late," Tom whispered brokenly.

The man grinned, "Hello, boys! Name's Riche Caddy, at ya service. I wasn't expecting such a crowd, but you know what they say, the more the merrier."

"What do you want?" Shane queried with a strange feeling of deja-vu. He'd asked that exact same question just the night before to the two men that had beaten him up.

"Well, let's see. I was hired to kill you, but I'm easy. If you pay me double what I was offered before, I might just let you all live."

"How much?"

"I was paid 10,000 dollars, so for you I'll make it 20,000 dollars."

Shane grimaced, "I can't get that kind of cash. Business hasn't exactly been booming lately."

The man raised his gun, "Too bad then, isn't it? I'll just have to kill you."

"Wait!" Blair interjected frantically. "Uh... My... my grandparents, yeah, my grandparents have money. They can get you the 20,000 dollars, maybe even more."

He was prepared to bullshit the guy some more -- after all, no way in hell someone would have that kind of cash available these days and all the banks were closed, but the man got a thoughtful expression on his face then simply nodded. Apparently he was big on muscle, not on brain. He moved to the bar where the phone was resting, his eyes never leaving the three young men. He practically threw the phone at Blair.

"Call them."

Blair made the call, silently thanking his good fortune at having memorized his grandparents' number. He listened as it rang, hoping Jim was still there, then Anna answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Blair. Is grandpa Jim still there?" he tried to keep the wavering from his voice, but wasn't completely successful. Hard to do that with a gun aimed at your face, he thought ruefully.

"Grandpa Jim?! Child..." something in Blair's voice must've registered, because when she spoke again, she sounded frightened. "Is everything okay?"

"No. I just need to talk to him."

"Oh, God... He's talking with Joe, I'll go get him, Blair, hang on."

Not two seconds passed before Jim's worried voice came through the phone line. Blair suddenly felt safe. As long as he could talk with Jim, things would be okay.

"Blair, what's wrong?"

"Well, there's this guy here at the restaurant, he was paid to kill Shane, but if we pay him double of what he was given before, he'll let us live. I was thinking you could pay him, grandpa."

"Shit, Blair!..." Jim's voice choked. "What's with you and psychos?!" A deep breath, and Jim the cop was on the line, replacing Jim the frantic lover. "What kind of fire power does he have? Is he alone?"

"Just one, grandpa. And yes."

"Right. One gun, and he's alone. Thanks, that should help us some. Hang on, okay? I'll be there in a few minutes. Anna will call the Sheriff as soon as I hang up. Just... don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Right. He wants 20,000 dollars for the three of us."

"Three?" Jim queried, and Blair could almost see him frown.

"Me, Shane and Tom Boyden."

"Shit!... I'm on my way, Chief."

"Uh... grandpa Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Blair. It'll be all right," Jim vowed gently, the love plain to hear in his voice. "I promise."

"It's done," Blair told the man once he hung up. "Now we have to wait."

Unnerved by the slightly dazed look of the man that held them captive, the three young men wisely sat quietly down close together to wait for help.

As soon as they arrived at the restaurant, and after making sure every possible escape route was covered, Jim and Sheriff Ashwood began to think of strategies to apprehend the man without hurting the hostages. The Sentinel had lost precious time convincing Blair's grandparents to stay home and wait for news. They were both worried sick about both Blair and Shane and had wanted to come along. But having them there would only make things worse, and Jim had finally managed to win the argument, promising to call as soon as he had freed the young men.

A car pulled over and Lewis Boyden and Eric Bangle got out, cutting through the gathering crowd to meet with Ashwood.

"What the hell is going on?" Lewis demanded. "One of your deputies called me and said my brother had been taken hostage in some situation at McKenzie's Restaurant."

Ashwood nodded, "It's true. Shane, Tom and Joe's grandson, Blair, are inside with a man holding them hostage at gun point."

"What?! And what are you doing to do rescue Tom?"

"Whatever I can," Ashwood's voice turned hard. "To rescue him and keep him and the others alive. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Whatever he was about to say next was lost as the restaurant's door was suddenly opened and the armed man walked out with Tom Boyden held against his chest as a shield against the cops.

"I have hostages!" He shouted. "I want my money. Now!"

He took a couple of steps back, dragging Tom with him, but when the young man began to struggle against his hold, the criminal lost what little patience he had. "That's it, kid! Time to make an example out of you." He lowered the pistol from Tom's temple to his leg and squeezed the trigger. Tom cried out as the bullet hit him, then fell to the ground.

"Pick him up and carry him inside!" the big man ordered, and Blair and Shane rushed to obey, the latter feeling as if his heart were about to stop as he gazed at his wounded lover. If Tom died...

The two young men busied themselves tying a tourniquet on Tom's leg to keep him from bleeding to death.

Out on the street, Jim and Ashwood lowered their guns with a curse, never having had time to get a clear shot of the bastard to end the young men's torment. Things could still get worse.

"My God..." Lewis whispered in shock, his eyes bright with unshed tears as he turned to his assistant. "What kind of psycho did you hire?! My brother..." his voice broke on the last word. "Tom's the only good thing in my life, the only thing that truly matters... You bastard!" he suddenly roared, his face inches from Eric's.

"I only did what you wanted!" Eric shouted back. "A nasty bastard to kill Shane, that's what you said, isn't it? Well, Caddy's the sickest bastard I ever met, an ex-con with no conscience. He was perfect! Not my fault that weakling you call a brother got caught in the middle!"

Before things could get any worse between the two men, Sheriff Ashwood approached them, a huge grin lighting up his face, "Gentlemen, you are both under arrest. You just confessed to hiring that man to kill Shane McKenzie in front of several officers of the law." he chuckled. "No getting out this time, Lewis. Mr. Bangle, would you be so kind as to tell us the name of the man you hired? It might save us some time."

"Richard Caddy," came the sullen reply.

"Thank you. Harry, take them away and read them their rights. I don't want anything to go wrong with the arrest."

"Yes, Sheriff."

"Well," Ashwood told Jim after the two men were taken away. "Half the problem's gone. I can't believe it was that simple. Especially after years of trying to get Boyden to make a false move. Who would've thought his love for his brother would be his downfall?" the Sheriff shook his head in perplexity. "Now we need to get that guy to release the hostages without any more bloodshed."

Jim nodded wearily, "That's what I'm worried about, Sheriff," he muttered, his senses straining to keep tabs on his lover. For the moment Blair was okay, although his heart was hammering in his chest, but they still had to stop the madman.

"Sheriff!" the criminal yelled from inside the restaurant.

"Yes?"

"You have two hours to get me my money. After that I start shooting again."

"Right!" Ashwood turned to Jim. "What money is he talking about?"

Jim told him about his phone conversation with Blair and the Sheriff nodded in understanding. "You have a very smart partner, Mr. Ellison. That money and the man's greed are probably the only thing keeping them alive. Now if we can only keep them that way..."

Time was ticking away at an unbelieveably slow pace for everyone involved in the hostage situation. The cops tried to negotiate with the man, but Caddy refused to answer the phone or to speak through the window. He remained seated on top of a table in the back of the restaurant, his eyes resting on his hostages, occasionally straying to the clock on the wall.

Blair and Shane watched helplessly as Tom grew weaker by the moment, both sitting close to the injured man, both silently hoping the people outside managed to get them out of that terrible mess before it would be too late.

"You tricked me," Caddy told Blair suddenly, his voice sounding oddly calm.

"What?"

"Your grandparents can't have that much cash at home and the banks are closed. You called the cops instead, didn't you? That's why they suddenly showed up outside. Get up!" he ordered angrily. "Both of you, get up!"

"The two hours aren't up yet, maybe they'll..." Shane tried desperately.

"I won't fall for that again! I'm getting out of here and the two of you are going to help me. Now, let's go!"

When the door of the restaurant opened anew, every law officer in the place reached for their guns and aimed, Jim included. Maybe this time they'd get lucky.

Blair and Shane walked out first, slowly, side by side, Caddy hidden behind them.

"I want a car to drive out of here, or these two'll die!" Caddy shouted. "Do you hear me, Sheriff?"

"I hear you, hang on a minute. I'll see what I can do."

"Make it fast!"

Blair peered over his shoulder, "What about us?"

"I'll let you go as soon as I'm safe," Caddy told them, but both Blair and Shane could tell he was lying. The two young men locked gazes. They had to do something before it was too late.

'Right', Shane suddenly mouthed and Blair frowned in confusion. Shane moved slightly away from him, to his own right and Blair understood. 'Left' he mouthed back and saw Shane nodding very lightly so Caddy couldn't see.

Blair looked straight ahead, his eyes finding Jim and locking with his lover's, "Jim," he whispered Sentinel soft. "Get ready," he could see Jim's jaw clenching as he understood Blair was up to something, then the cop said something to the Sheriff and both men took careful aim. "Shane and I are going to move away just about... Now!" Blair shouted and jumped to the left, as at the same time Shane jumped in the opposite direction.

Caddy blinked as he found himself without his human shields, but by the time his drugged mind told him to react it was too late. His shot was lost amidst the confusion. Jim's was not. By the time everyone began to take stock of what had happened, Richie Caddy lay dead on the ground.

Richie Caddy, it turned out, was an ex-con with a drug addiction and no money to support it. It was already dawn when everything was finally taken care of and Sheriff Ashwood allowed the two partners to go back to the Inn for some much needed rest.

"Did you call your grandparents?" Jim queried as they were undressing for the night. Or the day, he thought ruefully.

"Yeah. They were so relieved when they heard my voice... made me feel really good, you know? Anyway, I swore I was okay, and that Shane was too, gave them a short version of what happened and told them about Tom. We're going to meet them in the afternoon and drive to the hospital to see Tom. Think he'll be okay?"

They snuggled down on the bed. Jim spooned behind his lover, surrounding the sturdy body with strong arms. "Yes. You and Shane did a great job keeping Tom from bleeding to death, and the hospital isn't too far. Plus Shane is with him. Those two will be just fine," the Sentinel finished with a smile.

"Just like us," Blair grinned.

Jim chuckled, "Just like us. Sleepy?" he purred, his groin sliding enticingly over his lover's bottom.

Blair chortled, "Not any more!"

He rolled over slowly, smiling up at Jim who was crawling languidly on top of the younger man, blanketing him with his larger body.

"You know, Blair, one of these days we're going to have a little talk about those stunts you pull to get yourself out of danger. Jumping out of Caddy's way might not have worked if the man hadn't been drugged to his eyeballs."

"Hey, it was Shane's idea, not mine!"

"Right," Jim told him sarcastically. "I didn't see you arguing with him."

Blair grinned, "I couldn't, could I? Caddy would know something was up."

"Blair?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," Jim ordered with a teasing smile, leaning over for a passionate kiss. Blair was there with him, alive and pliant in his arms, and that was enough. It would always be enough as long as they were together.

Their mouths met again in a slow, lingering kiss, their tongues dueling for supremacy while Blair's hands traveled down his lover's flanks, down to the powerful hips and thighs, taking the Sentinel to higher levels of arousal. Their hard cocks brushed against each other, the touch inflaming them, and control was a thing of the past. They rolled about in the bed, bodies entwined, wrestling playfully, until Jim finally used his bigger bulk to pin his lover down.

Jim found his partner's mouth anew and nipped on that enticing full lower lip, his tongue sliding over it sensually, dragging a small whimper out of Blair. Jim released the lush mouth with a regretful sigh, then began nibbling his way down Blair's neck, kissing and licking the musky skin, feeling as his lover wrapped his arms around him, nimble fingers caressing his back.

"Jim..." Just a whisper, Sentinel soft, but it made the older man shudder.

Blair thrust his hips up against his lover's, frantic, wanting Jim to make love to him. He moved his body against Jim's, flesh sliding over heated flesh, stroking the taut chest with greedy hands, caressing the strong pecs, fingers brushing over pebbled nipples.

Jim pushed down against Blair with his whole body, trembling as his lover thrust back. They were both lost in delirious sensation, in the pleasure, touching every part of the other they could reach, hands and mouths caressing, lapping, sucking, nibbling, calves and thighs sliding together as body moved against body.

Rubbing their bodies together with fierce passion, lips locked in a devouring kiss, they drove each other closer to the edge until Jim's lips parted from Blair's, his voice suddenly filling the room as he shouted his lover's name, head thrown back, body rocking as he came, the shattering release shaking him utterly.

His fingers closed around Blair's still erect cock, pumping a couple of times as his lover thrust into his hand. It was all it took for Blair to climax as well, shuddering in ecstasy.

"If that was my punishment for going along with Shane's plan," Blair panted a few seconds later. "I have to tell you, I think you're going about it all wrong, Jim."

"Moron," came the mumble from his lover. Jim was draped over Blair's smaller form, their legs entwined, his head resting on Blair's shoulder.

The younger man snickered, and embraced his Sentinel, "I love you," he whispered softly.

"I love you too," Jim replied just before surrendering to his exhaustion, but his lover didn't hear him; he was already fast asleep.

The phone disturbed them a few hours later. From the sun coming in by the window, Jim guessed it was already midmorning.

"Hello?" he muttered, his voice rough from sleep.

"Jim, it's Anna. I'm at the hospital," her breath hitched. "Joe collapsed during breakfast. The doctors told me the cancer has spread, that's what caused the collapse. He had a complete system failure, his body is shutting down... Oh, God!... Jim, he's dying... my Joe is dying..." she began to cry earnestly and Jim felt utterly helpless. It wasn't a feeling he was comfortable with. He was used to reaching out, doing something, taking action. But not even him, with the Sentinel gift given to him, could fight this terrible disease.

"It's okay, Anna," he said gently, with a calm he didn't really feel at the moment. "I'm going to wake Blair up, we'll be there soon, I promise. Hang on tight, okay, Sweetheart?"

He could hear her take deep, shuddering breaths in an effort to control her emotions, "I'm okay, I just... Thank you, Jim. I'll be waiting."

Anna hung up and Jim turned to his peacefully sleeping lover, shaking him gently, "Blair, wake up. Blair!"

"This better be good, Ellison!" came the mumble from under the covers.

"Come on, Chief, we have to get up."

Blair sat up and blinked sleepily, his eyes settling on his lover's pale face and worried frown, "What's wrong?"

Jim took his hand gently in both of his, "Anna just called, Blair. Joseph is in the hospital."

"Oh, God!... What happened?"

"From what I understood, the cancer spread and caused his body to shut down. Blair," Jim hesitated slightly, wondering if there was an easier way to say it. He couldn't find it. "...he's dying."

Blair turned hurt filled eyes on his lover, "Jim..." he seemed to be pleading for something, his blue orbs shining with unshed tears.

Jim hugged him tightly, sharing his lover's pain, "I know, Blair, I know... We'll be okay, it's okay..." he rocked them together until Blair was calm enough to get up and get dressed. Jim figured he must have broken every traffic law in existence to make it to the hospital.

Blair's breath caught painfully as he walked into the hospital room and his eyes fell on his grandfather's too still form resting on the impersonal white bed. He looked so frail lying there, with all those wires and machines beeping all around him...

Blair moved closer and reached gently for Joseph's cold hand, keeping it secure between his own warmer hands.

"Blair..."

The young man looked up and found his grandfather's shining eyes resting on him. He tried valiantly to smile in an effort to hide his despair from the older man.

"Hey, there... thought you were sleeping."

"Nah..." came the whispered reply. "I'm glad you're okay... we... I was worried last night. I know... we talked on the phone, but... it's great to actually see you..."

This time Blair's smile was genuine, if a little shaky, "I know. I could tell how scared you were when I called. I... it meant the world to me, Joseph... to know you cared, I mean..."

The older man closed his eyes and was silent for so long, Blair thought he'd fallen asleep.

"Blair," Joseph finally whispered. "I think... I'd like it very much if you called... me grandfather or grandpa if you prefer," he said, his eyes filled with amusement.

"Okay," Blair choked, his vision blurring suddenly. He blinked the tears away. "Shit... I'm sorry," he muttered, wiping a few rebellious tears from his cheeks.

Joseph squeezed his hand weakly, "It's okay, Blair, honest... I suspect my death will be a lot harder on all of you... I accepted the fact that I was dying some... time ago... I had a good, long life... lived well... my only regret..." he seemed to be tiring rapidly. "I need you to do me a favor... when you see your... Naomi, tell her that... I never stopped loving her, that I forgive her and hope she forgives me too, that... that it's okay..."

Blair nodded brokenly, completely incapable at the moment to stop the tears that fell freely down his face. It wasn't fair! It wasn't supposed to be like that! He was supposed to get to know his grandfather better, Naomi was supposed to get there in time... He wanted to shout out his pain, to break something, to cry until there were no more tears, to crawl somewhere and never come out again. He wanted to make Joseph healthy again, he wanted a miracle to happen so that everything would be okay once more. But nothing happened, nothing changed. No miracle. Joseph was still lying in the hospital bed... dying.

"And Blair..." Joseph caressed his grandson's cheek with a thin, shaking hand. "I'm damn proud of you... I couldn't have asked for a better grandson... the way you help others, the way you care... I'm glad you came and... I love you, Blair..."

Moved beyond words by the emotion he could see in the older man's eyes, Blair leaned down and brushed his lips over his Joseph's forehead, "I love you too, grandfather... I'm glad Anna wrote... Oh, God!... I love you..."

Joseph brushed his fingers against Blair's cheeks, wiping away the fresh tears. He smiled and nodded, a peaceful expression settling over his face.

"I'm going to sleep now. Call Anna for me?"

Blair nodded back, "Okay. I'll be back later to see you again, grandfather. Sleep well," giving the older man another tender kiss on the forehead and squeezing the hand he still held, Blair finally left the room feeling totally drained and completely numb. Soon the numbness would disappear and the pain would be unbearable, but for now it allowed him to function and help Anna through her own pain. Jim would be there for him later when it was time for him to grieve.

He wiped his face and took a deep breath before joining the others in the deserted waiting room. As soon as she saw him, Anna rose and nearly ran to embrace him.

"Okay?" she asked softly, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Yeah," Blair sighed tiredly. "We talked a bit. He... said some stuff I needed to hear. What about you?"

Anna nodded slightly, sighing in gratitude as they both felt Jim wrap his arms around the two of them in silent support, "I knew this moment would come, thought I was prepared, but still... it's so very hard!" she said fiercely. "I love him so much, I don't want to let go..."

"I don't want him to die either, I've only just met you two. But... there's nothing we can do," Blair said softly, feeling his eyes blurring again. "At least there's no pain and... I don't know how to explain it, but I feel a sense of peace coming from him... I think he's finally at peace with himself and what happened with me and my mother," he took a shuddering breath. "God, I wish she were here!..."

"Things don't always work as we want them to," Anna sighed and backed away from the two men. "But you being here has been more than enough. And I can't tell you what it means to me. Thank you both."

Blair kissed her gently on the cheek, "He wants to see you. Think you'll be okay?"

She smiled sadly, "Yes. I promise to call if it gets too hard."

They watched her walk silently into the room, then Jim turned his gaze on his lover, "Blair?"

"Jim, would you do something for me?"

"Of course, Blair! What?"

"Kiss me... please?"

"Oh, God..." Jim moaned and embraced his lover gently, leaning down and letting his mouth cover Blair's in a desperate kiss. They both poured every emotion they were feeling into the kiss, the pain, the hurt, the anger, the sadness, the helplessness...

It took them both a few minutes to realize they were no longer alone. When they parted, they found themselves face-to-face with the woman standing frozen at the room's entrance.

"Naomi!" Blair exclaimed, his voice a mix of dread and happiness.

Naomi stood before the two men, her usually animated face for once showing only a blank expression.

"I take it this is a recent thing?" she asked in a casual tone, but Blair thought he could see her lips twitching slightly.

The two lovers exchanged an embarrassed glance, "Pretty much, yeah," Blair finally mumbled.

"Good," she stated finally, a grin crossing her face although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "We'll have to talk about this later. And Jim, hurt my baby and your ass is mine. But now... I went to the Inn and they told me you were here. My father?" she asked in a pleading voice, chocolate irises bright with unshed tears.

Blair took her hand tenderly, "Come with me."

He took Naomi to Joseph's room and knocked lightly on the door before peeking inside. His grandfather was awake, talking quietly with Anna who sat by the bed, holding his hand lovingly. They smiled at him.

"What is it, Blair?" Anna queried gently.

"I have a surprise for you." Blair held open the door, allowing Naomi to enter the room.

"Naomi!" Anna shouted, rushing to her child and hugging her fiercely, both mother and daughter crying brokenly. They never noticed Blair leaving the room.

"Oh, mom..." Naomi whispered, her own arms embracing Anna just as tightly. "I'm sorry for everything, I'm so very sorry..."

They stayed locked in each other's arms until Anna run out of tears. She pulled back regretfully, her eyes roaming over her daughter eagerly, "Naomi," she breathed softly. "You look wonderful!..."

Naomi smiled sadly, "So do you, mom. And God, I never realized how much Blair takes after you!..." her gaze turned to the bed and the man lying there watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Dad?" even to her own ears, Naomi's voice sounded small and hesitant.

Joseph Sandburg extended a hand towards his daughter. It was all it took. Naomi ran to him and fell on the bed, her head on her father's shoulder as she hugged him as fiercely as she'd hugged her mother.

"God, I missed you so much... I'm so sorry..."

"Shh... it's okay, Naomi, everything's okay now, Butterfly," he soothed as he caressed her head lovingly, his fingers carding through her silky hair. "I love you, Naomi..."

"I love you too," she raised her head and looked at Joseph, "Can you forgive me? I've always regretted running away like that, but after a while it was easier to just keep running than to come back and face you. All I could think was how disappointed you had to be... I didn't have the courage to turn back and I should've. I..."

Her father stopped her gently, a finger brushing over her lips, "I forgive you, Butterfly... We both made a mistake and we both paid... for it... It's time to let the past rest... You're here and... that's all that matters..."

Naomi nodded, "I love you, dad, always have."

Joseph smiled at her, then turned his gaze on his wife, "You were right... we all needed the closure..." he sighed tiredly. "I think I'm going... to sleep a little more now," his eyes were filled with love as he looked at the two women. "I love you both," he whispered softly.

His eyes closed slowly, his heart gave one last beat, then everything was over.

They were the last ones leaving after the funeral. Blair watched as Jim wrapped a gentle arm around Anna, guiding her to the waiting car, while he and Naomi followed a little behind.

"I never asked how you ended up getting here on time," Blair said.

"We returned from the Amazon earlier than expected. One of the friends I was with broke a leg, so we all decided to come back, and I got the messages from the people you had contacted. I called Simon, and he told me you were at the Homestead Inn, so as soon as I got here I drove to the Inn. The receptionist told me what happened."

"Why did you tell me they threw you out?" Blair asked suddenly, a question that'd been plaguing him for days.

Naomi took a deep breath, "I started regretting running away almost from the day I left. At the time I was just so angry!... Angry with my father for wanting to rule my life, for wanting me to marry some guy I didn't even know just because I was pregnant, angry at my mother because she always supported his decisions... I never thought about what my behavior was doing to them, how much they were also suffering. All I wanted was to live my own life," she sighed unhappily. "And once I was out on my own I realized the mistake I'd made, how hard life really was when you had no one to depend on, but by then..."

"They would've taken you back."

"I know that now, but at the time I didn't think so. So I kept going, living my life as best as I could, raising you the best way I could. And then you began to ask about your family and I just couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth. It was easier to make something up, something that would make you never want to look them up. So I told you that they threw me out and you never asked again," Naomi sighed again, her eyes following her mother's weary form. "You know, I heard a song yesterday that said something like 'What I used to be ain't what I am.' If I could just go back in time... We lost so much time..."

"But you said good-bye to your father and you and Anna are together again. Joseph was right, let it go, Naomi, or it'll eat you up alive. Stay here with Anna for a few months, help her recover from grandfather's death, get to know her again. It will heal you both."

She turned to her son and smiled softly. "When did you get to be so wise?"

Blair smiled back, "I take after my mother. You did a good job raising me, you know?"

She nodded, accepting the statement as the truth, then turned serious eyes on her son. "Blair, about what I saw at the hospital..."

"Yes?"

"Just how seriously are you and Jim involved? Are you sure this relationship is what you want for your life? You know I love Jim and I'm not really surprised with the way your relationship changed, I could see it coming for some time now, but I can't help worrying. I mean, being a gay couple isn't exactly an easy thing even now, especially in the world Jim works in and..."

"Naomi," Blair interjected softly. "Jim's 'The One.' He showed me what I really want from life, mom."

"Which is?" Naomi queried, a gentle smile caressing her face.

"Someone to be there alongside me until the death do us part thing. Someone to laugh with, to cry with, someone to fall asleep by my side and wake up next to me, bad breath and all," he quipped. "Someone to talk to, be silent with, to agree with, to fight with, someone to share the magic, the good, the bad, and the lousy stuff in life, someone to pick me up when I'm feeling down, someone I can offer shelter to on a rainy day," he shrugged. "Someone, Naomi. And Jim's definitely that someone."

She stopped walking and turned to her son with a smile, "Then I'm happy for you both. I'll always worry, but I understand," she hugged him tightly. "You can count on me, Sweetie."

He sighed happily, "Thanks, mom."

Naomi nodded and they began walking back to the car again. She took one last look at her father's final resting place, a deep sorrow inside her heart. Yes, she'd said good-bye and had been forgiven, and she was slowly rebuilding her relationship with her mother. But the regret would always be with her -- a part of her would always wonder what those thirty years could've been like if she'd stayed. But it was too late now. The only thing left to do was learn to live with the past, let it become a part of her, and concentrate on the future.

Breathing softly, Naomi wrapped a loving arm around her son's shoulder and continued walking through the path that lead out of the cemetery.