FOUR MONTHS LATER

"Blair," Simon said softly. "Blair, you know, you don't have to do this." Simon was kneeling in front of the young man sitting in the office chair before him. "They have enough evidence to convict both the Wallace brothers already; you don't have to testify." Simon laid a hand on the bony shoulder, wincing at the complete lack of weight. Blair's physical health had deteriorated greatly in the months following Jim's death, and Banks had mentioned his concern for the young man on more than one occasion. Simon sighed. It seemed the young man had developed some sort of a nervous muscle tic in his hands. He watched as the unexplained motion of Blair's hands began again, one hand clenched in a fist, the fingers of the other hand stroking through the air above it.

Blair didn't look at Simon. He rarely made eye contact with anyone nowadays. It seemed whenever he looked too deeply into someone's eyes, all he could see was Jim's eyes, full of tears as he had faded from sight. He held Jim's feather tightly in his fist, stroking the stiff vanes in a loving caress. He took the feather everywhere he went, now. It was all he had left of his love.

Blair sighed, and stopped stroking the feather to run a hand through his limp, dry hair. His curls didn't have nearly the healthy gloss they had before. Probably had something to do with the fact that food was low on the list of Blair's priorities anymore. He only ate when he couldn't walk in a straight line anymore, and when he did it was barely enough to keep a bird alive. Blair grinned a little as he remembered Simon's failed attempts to get him to go to a therapist.Yeah Doc, you see I'm depressed because the man I love died, came back with wings, cherished and protected me for two glorious days, and then faded from view right before my eyes. Think Prozac can do anything for that?

"Blair, did you hear me?" Simon asked gently, shaking Blair's shoulder a little. He winced as the lifeless eyes, once so childlike and full of spirit, turned to gaze dully up at him.This man's heart is dead, Simon thought.

"I know, sir," Blair said softly. "In fact, I will understand if you choose not to allow me to testify, since my... mental health has come into question," Blair broke off to snicker a little, thinking about what the other officers must be saying about him. He cut off the Captain's protests as he continued, "But it's something I need to do. I... I NEED to be a part of this, Captain." He looked up pleadingly into the brown eyes of his friend. "Can you understand that?"

Simon bit his lip at the tone of the tiny, lost voice. He nodded, and patted his hand in a fatherly way on Blair's arm. "Of course, kid," he whispered. "I understand... perfectly."

The hearing was to be in three days. Simon ordered Blair to go home and rest, and to eat, for a change. Blair had laughed, just a little, and promised to do as Banks asked. Then he slowly gathered his coat and backpack, and shuffled out of the office. He smiled weakly as officer Brown patted him on the back. Brown had somehow talked him into going on a double date with him. Payback, Brown said, for the time he'd covered with Peggy. Blair nodded as Brown reminded him of the time and place of the date. He turned away and continued on his slow, listless way toward the elevator, barely lifting his head in acknowledgment as Taggart walked past and patted him on the back. Blair basically tuned out everything not having to do with his teaching fellowship now, and even that was not going well. Frequently, Blair called in sick, and would just lay in Jim's bed crying all day, wondering what he had to do to make the pain in his heart go away for good.

Blair drove home, parked, and made his way up the stairs of 852 Prospect. As he climbed the stairs, he considered again moving out of the loft he and Jim had shared for so long. The place was wall to wall memories, most of them painful now, but still Blair couldn't bring himself to leave.

He walked up the stairs, and rounded the corner to head down the hall to 307. He didn't even glance at the middle-aged woman lingering in the hallway. If he had, he would have realized that she was not a resident of the building. Had he been more alert to his surroundings in the past few days, he might also have recognized her as the mysterious figure who had been following his every move at Rainer. But Blair was too lost in his world of sorrow to notice that Kathy Wallace, wife of Liam, was stalking him.

Blair woke up with a start, and found he couldn't breathe. Gasping, choking, he stumbled out of Jim's bed. He couldn't see, his eyes were stinging and tearing as he grabbed at the air in front of him, trying to remove whatever it was cutting off his oxygen. He managed to get one eye open for a moment to see that the loft was full of thick, black smoke. In the distance, he heard a familiar roar. Fire!

Grabbing Jim's feather from under his pillow, Blair stumbled to the stairs. He hugged the wall as he descended as fast as he could, despite the burning in his lungs. Why hadn't the loft's smoke alarms gone off? Jim had been very big on safety, he'd made sure both the bedrooms, and the kitchen were installed with state-of-the-art smoke alarms. But they were silent.

Blair was thankful he'd worn his boxers and tank top to bed, rather than sleeping naked as he ran to the door of the loft and threw it open. He ran out into the hall, and gasped as a blast of searing heat slammed him up against the wall. Through the tearing in his eyes, he saw that the stairs leading down to the street were engulfed in flames. He wasn't getting out that way.

Blair turned and ran back into the loft, wondering vaguely if anyone had called the fire department yet, if everyone else was getting out of the building safely. He stumbled back through the kitchen to his tiny room, trying not to notice the flames climbing the walls as he headed for the back door. He grabbed the knob of the door that led to the alley and pushed. It didn't budge. Blair leaned his full weight against the door, but still no luck. In desperation, he drew back and kicked, then hopped around on one foot swearing as he bruised his toes. The door had been barricaded from the outside, it seemed. Blair's heart began to pound in terror as he realized this fire was no accident; someone was trying to kill him again.

Giving up on the back door, Blair stumbled through the apartment again, staying low to try and avoid the strangling smoke. He moved carefully out the front door again, planning to risk a run down the burning stairs. Perhaps the worst that would happen would be he burned his feet a little. Blair rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and froze; the stairs were gone. The entire flight leading down to the street had collapsed.

Blair fought down panic as he looked around. From within the other apartments, he heard the wailing of alarms. The other doors were all open, Blair noticed. Looked like he was the only one left on the top floor.... Blair's head shot up. The roof! If he could get to the roof, maybe he could jump to the roof of one of the neighboring buildings. With this thought in mind, Blair ran down to the end of the hall and through the door leading up to the roof.

Blair heard the sirens approaching as he staggered out onto the tar surface of the roof. He winced as the melting tar burned his feet, from the heat of the fire below. Blair started across the roof, and yelped as he felt a section of it begin to give way beneath his feet. Desperately he dove forward and rolled as the section collapsed, leaving a flaming pit in its place. Blair got shakily to his feet, holding a hand up to cover his mouth and nose as the fumes from the burning tar stung his sinuses. He moved away from the toxic smoke, heading for the edge of the rooftop, and stopped short as another section of roof collapsed less than a foot in front of him. He jumped back, and screamed in pain as his right foot broke though the roof, and began to scorch. Jim's feather dropped from his grasp to stick in the melted tar of the roof.

Blair wrenched his foot free, trying not to notice the smell of his own flesh burning as he lurched away from the new holes appearing in the roof. He was beginning to lose consciousness from the heat, and the poison fumes of the burning tar filling his lungs.Give it up, his mind said calmly. Blair stood in place, watching detachedly as more and more of the roof caved in around him. It was over. He was going to die. Slowly, he sank to his knees, oblivious to the burns rising where his skin touched the scalding surface of the roof. He lay limply on his side, watching as Jim's feather vanished in flames. He closed his eyes, and waited for the end.

Simon Banks stared in horror at the inferno that was once 852 Prospect. He been woken at home by a phone call from Taggart, informing him of the reports of another fire bomb. When Taggart told him the address, his heart had fallen into his feet. Sandburg.

Blair listened to the roar of the flames fading in his ears as darkness came over him. Peaceful, painless darkness.

"Blair?!"

Just a few moments more, and the pain would be gone forever. He would sleep....

"BLAIR!!!"

What? Nothing. His imagination. He was alone....

Strong hands gripping his upper arms. Being lifted to his feet. Big arm around his waist, holding him up. Hand on his face, stroking, slapping lightly. Blair turned his head, trying to get away from the persistent slaps. He opened his eyes a slit. A face. A body. Silver. Glowing. Wings.... Jim.

"Blair?! It's OK baby, just hang on now, we're getting out of here!" Jim bent over and hooked an arm under Blair's limp legs and swept his unconscious love up in his arms. He pillowed the curl-covered head against his bare shoulder, and charged toward the roof's edge as he heard the rest of the roof collapsing behind him. Jim ran as hard and fast as he could, risking a glance back to see the collapsing section of the roof at his heels. In desperation, he lowered his head to get a burst of speed, and leaped into the air. He heard a roar behind him, and knew that the entire roof of the building had just collapsed in flames.

Simon was moving swiftly through the crowd now, searching for any sign of the young, curly-haired anthropologist. His feeling of doom grew as he searched. "Sandburg!" he called. "Blair Sandburg!" Simon grabbed the arm of one of the ambulance technicians as she passed, heading for the ambulance. "Excuse me," he said, fighting to keep his voice calm. "Have you seen a young man who lives here? Short, blue eyes, long dark curly hair?" Simon held a hand up indicating Blair's height.

The woman thought for a moment, then sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, no I haven't." She pulled her arm from the man's grasp, then continued on her way to the ambulance for supplies. She glanced back over her shoulder, and clucked as the big man continued his desperate search through the crowd.Poor man, she thought,Must be someone he really cares about..., She froze as she came around the open back doors of the ambulance. There was a young man laid out on the stretcher inside, covered in tar, soot, and burns. She studied the limp form for a moment, then ran to call the rest of her team. She caught sight of the black man who had accosted her before, and waved him over as well. "Sir, I think I found him!"

Jim was watching Blair sleep. He looked so peaceful when he slept, like a little boy. Jim leaned forward to carefully pull the sterile white sheets up to Blair's chin, then knelt to tenderly kiss the rounded forehead. Blair was going to be fine; he'd heard the doctors say. Minor burns, and some lung irritation, but he would make a full recovery. Jim had nearly wept with relief. The person responsible for the fire bomb that destroyed 852 Prospect had not yet been identified.

Jim drew back from Blair's side into the shadows of the darkened room as the young man moaned. Jim watched as the blue eyes fluttered open, looked around briefly, then closed again. Jim's hearing picked up the deep, even breathing of sleep, and he moved forward again. He had decided not to show himself to Blair this time, since he would only be staying for a short time. He couldn't face seeing the look of despair on his love's face again when he disappeared. Jim could feel the inevitable pull beginning already. The Higher Powers had been very generous in allowing Jim to make the second trip to Earth when he saw Blair was in danger. He did not resist now, as the pulling sensation increased. He just bent down one more time, and gently pressed his lips to those of his sleeping love. "Good-bye, baby," he breathed, as he vanished.

Blair's lips tingled. He opened his eyes, and slowly, painfully, sat up. He scanned the darkened room of the hospital, where he'd been for the last two nights after the fire. Blair didn't remember anything after he collapsed on the rooftop, he had no idea how he'd ended up in the back of that ambulance. Everyone who heard the story said it was a miracle.

Blair raised a hand to touch his tingling lips as a tear ran down his smooth cheek. A miracle....

Blair's testimony, coupled with the still unexplained telephone connection, was enough to get Liam and Derek Wallace the death penalty. Blair's satisfaction at avenging Jim's death was immense, but it still didn't put a dent in the sorrow he felt. He was still haunted by the memory of Jim's eyes as his Guardian Angel had slowly faded from sight that morning in the loft, his final declaration of love the last thing Blair saw. The memory made the young man's heart ache with sadness.

The crowd cheered as Blair stepped out of the courthouse. Blair looked up, and sighed. There were reporters pushing their way through the crowd toward him. He pushed down the thoughts of his lost love and put on a glad face for the eyes of Cascade as television cameras were pointed at him. There would be time to mourn Jim later. Lots of time. Blair smiled, and waved to the multitude of shop owners that the Wallaces had terrorized. He was a hero to them. He was a hero to Cascade; if it hadn't been for Blair, the Wallace Brothers would still be free, holding the city in their iron grip.

The reporters were all sticking their microphones in his face. Blair politely declined their questions, and allowed Simon to usher him along toward the parking lot. The other people in the crowd made way for him. Blair tried not to think about how proud Jim would be to see this, but it was too late. The unwanted thought had snuck into his brain and taken root. Blair swallowed hard as his eyes filled with tears.Oh Jim, he thought sadly.It's really over now, isn't it? Blair lost himself in his thoughts. He didn't notice the older woman in the crowd who stood in his path now, unmoving. He was oblivious as she quickly reached into her coat and withdrew a small handgun.

Simon turned back from warding off the reporters just in time to see Kathy Wallace aiming a gun at Sandburg. "LOOK OUT!!!" He roared. But it was too late.

Blair heard Simon shouting. The young man raised his head, and made eye contact with the woman. An instant later, the world exploded in pain as he felt the slug strike him dead in the chest. Blair was thrown backwards, into Simon's arms. The shooter was screaming, laughing and pointing at Blair. She was quickly tackled by half a dozen people.

"I got the little bastard!" Kathy screamed. "I did it for you, Liam!" She cried, as she was wrestled to the ground. "I did it for you!" she screamed, over and over.

"Get me an ambulance!" Simon bellowed, cradling Blair's head in his lap. He reached down and laid two fingers on the pulse in Blair's neck. It was slow, faint, and fading fast. "Hang on kid, " Simon said quietly. He looked up gratefully as Taggart handed him an overcoat. Gently, he tucked the coat around Blair's body before carefully cradling him in his arms. Simon kept his hand pressed into the gaping wound, feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes. Blair wasn't going to make it; he could tell already.

"S...Simon?" Blair said faintly. He hurt so bad! "Simon... what happened?"

The Captain looked down at him, and tried to smile reassuringly. It looked more like a grimace. "Just lie still now, Blair," he said. "You've been shot." At Blair's confused look, Simon elaborated, "Liam's wife shot you." Simon had to stop speaking then, for fear of losing control of his emotions. He looked up as Brown pushed his way through the crowd to them.

"There's an ambulance on the way, sir," said Brown, as he came to knelt beside his Captain and Blair. He looked down at Blair, and reached to lightly touch the narrow shoulder. "Hey..., hair boy.... You hang on now, hear?" Brown's voice cracked as he looked into Blair's glassy eyes. "You and I have that double date next week, remember?" Brown tried to smile down at the young man, once so vibrant and alive, who now lay dying in Simon's arms. As Blair's eyes fluttered closed, Brown stood, fighting back tears, and turned to the milling crowd. "Everyone, please... get back! Give him some room, here!" He saw Taggart doing the same, reaching up to brush away moisture form his face.

Simon closed his eyes and held Blair tightly in his arms, feeling the strength slowly seeping from the smaller man's muscles. Blair's breathing was growing more shallow with each passing moment. Then suddenly, a sigh issued from the dying man's lips. Simon opened his eyes to see a look of complete and total joy pass over Blair's sweet face. Blair's hand slipped from under the covers to reach up toward something Simon wasn't seeing. He followed the young man's gaze, but didn't see what had so captured his attention. All he saw was a sea of faces staring down.

Blair felt the pain of his wound quickly fading away as Jim came toward him. The big man passed through the crowd, literally moving through the bodies as if they did not exist. He came to stand over Blair, great white wings slowly unfolding, his entire body glowing. Blair reached up as Jim knelt and extended a glowing hand toward him. He smiled radiantly as Jim's fingers closed around his cold hand, warming it from within. Jim smiled back. Blair closed his eyes as the glowing hand tenderly stroked his brow. "Jim," Blair breathed.

Simon couldn't fight back his tears any longer as Blair whispered the name of his lost lover. Then the small body went limp, the blue eyes slowly fluttered closed, and Blair breathed for the last time. "Oh no," Simon choked. He looked up helplessly as Brown and Taggart turned to face him again. Simon shook his head sadly at his men as he hugged Blair's lifeless body against his chest. "No, no, no...."

It was a beautiful day. A day made for picnics, for playing frisbee, for enjoying the outdoors. It was not a day to bury the youngest member of your team, a man who had brought a little lightness and innocence into a rough field of work. It was not a day to say good-bye to your second close friend in a short time, Simon thought, as he brushed the tears from his eyes again. He was the Captain. He had to stay strong, as an example to the others.

The funeral was short, compared to Jim's. There was no flag ceremony, no rifle salute. Instead of Taps on a bugle, a young female friend of Blair's sang "Blowin' on the Wind", fighting to keep her voice steady as tears coursed down her cheeks. The gathering consisted mainly of students and faculty from Rainer, but Simon also noticed quite a few of the officers from the station. He also noticed a lot more tears than had been evident at Jim's funeral. Simon sighed as he realized just how much Sandburg had touched the lives of those he came into contact with. He bet there wasn't a single person in the group who couldn't tell a different, delightful story about the young man.

Naomi stood at Simon's elbow, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief as her baby was committed to the Earth. "Good-bye sweetie," she said softly, "I love you." She pressed her face into Simon's shoulder and sobbed as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Then she raised her head, and glanced around with uncertainty. She touched a hand to her tingling cheek, as the touch of invisible lips faded. She looked around a moment longer, then sighed and let Simon pull her into his arms.

Simon held Blair's mother as the service came to an end. It was a long time before the group began to disperse, some heading slowly back to their cars, others turning to wander dazedly around the grassy cemetery. Simon waited for Naomi to move away from the grave, then draped an arm around her shoulder to guide her back to the car. Just as Simon was turning, he caught a glimpse of movement near a large oak tree at the other end of the cemetery. He blinked uncertainly for a moment, before shaking his head and dismissing what he'd seen as a stress-related hallucination. For just a moment, he could swear he saw Blair sitting on one of the low branches of the tree, swinging his legs.

The cars slowly pulled away one by one. Simon and Naomi were the last to leave, Simon taking one last glance toward the tree. Blair smiled from his perch on the branch, and waved, but the Captain had turned away again. Blair sighed in disappointment, and slid backwards off the branch to hang by his knees. He grinned as Jim stepped out from behind the trunk of the tree to glare at him. "Hi Jim!" Blair called cheerfully to the upside-down Angel.

"Hi yourself," Jim said. "You know, you're going to get in trouble now, right?" He grinned as Blair's smile vanished, to be replaced by a pout.

"Aww Jim," Blair whined. He tried to pull himself back up onto the branch, but couldn't quite make it. He smiled as Jim came over and gave him a boost up. "Why?" he asked.

Jim sighed as Blair began to bounce up and down on the branch, making the leaves shake. "Because," he said, reaching to stop Blair's movement, "You aren't supposed to reveal yourself, except to the one you've been sent to help. Didn't you pay attention to Dr. Sagan?" Jim couldn't help but chuckle as Blair pulled a face, and pretended to fall asleep.

"Oh man, that guy was like, snore city!" Blair griped. "How can they expect anyone to listen to him for more than fifteen minutes? All that talk about BILLIONS and BILLIONS and...," he broke off as Jim burst out laughing. "What?" Blair asked.

Jim just shook his head. "Nothing, baby. Just thinking." Jim reached up and yanked Blair off the branch to cradle him in his arms. "About what's going to happen if they decide to let you teach the new recruits." Jim leaned down to press his lips to Blair's. He sighed happily as the young man's arms wound around his neck. The kiss was just becoming interesting, when the sound of a throat being cleared caused Jim to look up.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," Danny said, trying not to smile as Jim blushed.

"Well, yeah, you are actually," Blair said with a grin. "But that's OK, we forgive you." He scrambled out of Jim's arms to walk over to Danny. "So...," Blair began, trying to sound casual. "What brings you here?" The young man's eyes were glittering with excitement.

Danny noticed the look in Blair's eyes and chuckled. "Why do you think I'm here?" he asked, teasingly. He winked at Jim, who leaned against the trunk of the tree and smiled at both of them.

Blair was nearly vibrating with barely-contained excitement now. "Aren't you here... because of my... you know...," Blair couldn't keep still as he waited for Danny's reply.

"Your what?" Danny asked, feigning ignorance. He heard a snort, and saw Jim quickly turning away to hide his amusement at the look of disappointment that crossed Blair's expressive face. "What are you talking about, Blair?" Danny asked, all innocence.

Blair looked uncertainly from Danny to Jim, feeling his excitement melting away. "But... but you said...," he began hesitantly. Suddenly uncomfortable, Blair studied the ground, digging one of his big toes into the soft dirt. "It's because I showed myself to Simon...," he whispered. "Isn't it?" Blair sighed sadly, shoulders sagging. He looked up at Danny and pouted, lower lip trembling pathetically.

Danny held up his hands as if to ward off evil spirits. "Ouch!" he exclaimed. He turned to Jim, gazing at the big man in awe. "How can you stand that?" he asked in disbelief, gesturing at Blair, who continued to pout.

Jim shrugged. "I've built up an immunity over time," he said with a grin.

"You wish!" Blair muttered, aiming his deadly pout at the big man. He smiled in satisfaction as Jim promptly crossed to sweep him up in a bear hug, lifting off the ground. "Wacky Dough in my hands," Blair whispered smugly into Jim's ear.

Danny was laughing at them. "OK, OK, break it up you two," he said. He motioned for Blair come over to him. When the young man came to stand before him, Danny laid a hand on his shoulder. "Now," he began, "This is going to hurt a little.... Are you ready?"

Blair closed his eyes, and slipped his hand into Jim's, then nodded.

Naomi Sandburg gazed quietly out the window, deep in thought as Simon carefully drove through the cemetery. She was thinking about Blair... where was he right now? She glanced up as two figures on the crest of a hill at the far side of the cemetery caught her eye. One was tall, sturdy, and muscular. The other was shorter, slight, with long curly hair. As Naomi stared, the two came together in an embrace, then linked hands and turned away from her. Naomi held a hand to her lips as she saw the two pairs of white wings just before the figures faded from sight, leaving a silvery glow behind. Naomi smiled.

THE END