THE ICE MAN RETURNETH

The prisoner was calm and cooperative as the two guards led him back to his cell. His face was a mask of resigned indifference, to any outside observers. But on the inside, the sophisticated brain was in high gear, plotting, planning...and anticipating.

He had just had a very enlightening visit from one of his most dedicated employees, who had informed him that everything was set up. The plan would soon be put into effect. The killer obediently entered his cell, then turned as the door was bolted behind him. He gazed blankly at the floor as he stuck his hands through the bars at the guard's order, and allowed the uniformed man to remove the handcuffs from his wrists.

"There we are, mack," the guard muttered, taking the cuffs and replacing them on his belt. "Nice of you to behave yourself back there," the guard chuckled, as he turned to walk back down the corridor with his partner. He called back over his shoulder, "But God knows why anyone would waste their time coming to visit YOU!" The guards' laughter faded as they disappeared down the long hallway.

The prisoner showed no emotion, no response to the taunt. He slowly sat down on the edge of his cot, then laid back, and casually rested his arms behind his head. As he heard the security door at the end of the cell block slam shut, a slow smile spread across his evil face.*Soon* he thought. Soon he would be free. Free to conduct his business again. Free to make things right....Free to take revenge. Detective James Ellison and his pipsqueak partner couldn't begin to imagine what was in store for them.

Klaus "The Ice Man" Zeller was still smiling as he drifted off to sleep.

* * * * * * *

*SLAM!*

The sound of the front door startled Jim out of his dreams. He sat bolt upright in bed, immediately reaching for his gun and turning around and down to face the front door. He quickly pointed the weapon at the ceiling as he recognized Blair Sandburg's familiar face, looking a little alarmed at Jim's reaction. Jim sighed mightily and replaced the gun in its proper place on the nightstand beside his bed. A glance at the clock told him it was 11:30 PM.

Sleep forgotten for the moment, Jim pulled on a pair of sweats over his boxers and came down the stairs, glaring at his partner. Blair didn't seem to notice Ellison's face, as he dropped his keys into the bowl on the table, and shrugged out of his backpack and jacket, tossing both onto the couch.

"Hi Jim. How's it going?" Blair asked cheerfully as he went to the fridge and pulled out the orange juice, which he proceeded to drink straight out of the carton.

Jim scowled at him, and then at the backpack and jacket left carelessly on the couch.

"Going? Oh it's going fine...just fine. Do you have ANY idea what time it is?" Jim was walking toward his partner now, who gazed at him innocently.

"I dunno, around midnight?" Sandburg looked genuinely confused. "What...you weren't asleep already, were you?" He looked closer at his friend's face.

"Oh gosh, you WERE!" Blair giggled a little. "I'm sorry man, really. But why are you in bed at midnight on a Friday night?" He replaced the OJ in the fridge, and brushed past Jim to walk over and sit on the couch.

Jim turned and followed him. "Yes, Chief, I'm already in bed. We can't all lead the wild life that you lead, you know." He came to stand in front of Blair. "I, uh, couldn't help but notice that your jacket and backpack have taken up residence on my couch once again." He pointed to the mini-mess as he spoke.

Blair glanced around. "Oh yeah, sorry man. I'll get it in a sec, OK?" Blair picked up his notebook and began to flip through it. Jim stared in disbelief.

"In a sec?" Jim sighed, and shook his head. "Sorry Chief, but it looks like you need a refresher course in the Ellison House Rules!"

Blair's head came up, and he gave Jim a pained expression. "Oh man, come on! Do we really have to go through this every week? My own mother wasn't such a hardass!"

Sandburg liked Jim a lot. Hell, the big guy was his best friend. But he could be a real dictator when it came down to his rules for living in the loft.

Jim ignored the last remark. "Come on Chief, let's have 'em." He crossed his arms and fixed Blair with a *look*. "Rule number one....," he prompted.

Sandburg sighed. "Yes, oh Great One," he began sarcastically. "Rule number one, no noise of any kind whatsoever after 10PM. This includes music, flushing the toilet, slamming the door..." He looked up at Jim with an evil grin, as the detective was turning away, victorious. "Or any other noise that might disturb the much-needed beauty rest of Old Man Ellison!" Blair finished with a giggle.

Jim whirled around and started for Sandburg, who let out a whoop and promptly scurried around to the far side of the couch.

"You think you're pretty funny, don't you Chief?" Jim's voice was low and dangerous, but Blair could see the hint of a smile pulling at the corner's of the big man's mouth. Jim quickly ran around the right side of the couch, as Blair ran around the other side, keeping the couch between them.

"Yeah, I do, man." Blair laughed and jumped away again as Jim came around the couch, chasing him. "In fact I was thinking of writing a whole stand up routine, based on you and your dopey House Rules!" He and Jim made a few more laps around the couch, changed direction, and ran around the other way again.

"Dopey? DOPEY?!" Jim growled in mock rage, as he and Blair continued their dosey-do around the furniture. "You'll be the one who's dopey by the time I finish with you!" The race around the couch continued for a moment more, then Jim gave the time-out sign and sat down on the coffee table, huffing.

Blair eyed him. "You all right, man?" He stepped right up against the back of the couch, still keeping the piece of furniture between himself and Jim, who continued to breathe heavily."Yeah, I'm fine." Jim kept his head down, but was secretly watching his roommate, waiting for him to come just a little closer.

Blair leaned forward against the back of the couch and smirked at him. "Can't keep up with the young ones anymore, hey pops?" Blair was feeling pretty sure of himself right about then.

Jim looked up at him, and sighed. "Sandburg, there's a phrase I learned in the military, and I think right about now you should get familiar with it." With that, Jim sprang to his feet and lunged clear over the couch to tackle Blair. The action caught the young man completely off guard, which was exactly what Jim had hoped.

"WHOA!" Blair cried, as Jim landed on him. Ellison pushed him onto the floor on his back, then straddled him, pinning Blair's wrists to the floor. Sandburg just stared up at him, amazed at how fast his friend had overpowered him.

Jim was grinning down at him, in smug satisfaction. "Expect the unexpected!" He shifted a little, but didn't release his partner. "It's probably the most important thing I learned in the military!"

Blair blew his hair out of his eyes. "OK...'Expect the Unexpected'. Sure, good lesson." He struggled under Jim. "So can I get up now?"

Jim pretended to think about it. "Nooooo, not just yet. Seems to me there was something we needed to discuss first." He smiled down at Blair. "Rule number one...."

Blair scoffed, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"C'mon Chief, you're just making it harder on yourself. I can sit on you all night if I have to!" To emphasize his point, Jim bounced up and down a few times, just slightly. "Rule number one...."

"Forget it man!" Blair spat, grinning in defiance. "I don't care what you do!" He turned his face away from Jim.

Jim was quiet for a long moment, thinking. Then a slow smile spread across his features, as he spoke down to his partner.

"You know, Naomi and I talked quite a bit when she was here," Jim said. When Blair looked up at him in confusion, he continued, "She told me a few things about you...and there was one thing in particular that I've been curious about." Jim grinned a sinister grin at Sandburg.

"What are you talking about?" That look on Jim's face was making Blair nervous, even though he knew they were just joking around. Suddenly, Jim crossed Blair's wrists above his head, pinning them with his left hand.

"What are you doing?" Sandburg asked, warily.

Jim reached down with his right hand and tugged Sandburg's shirttail out of his jeans, pushing the material up past his ribcage. "Just a little experiment, Chief." With that, Jim quickly stroked his fingertips across Blair's bare stomach.

The result was dramatic. Blair let out a yelp as his stomach muscles spasmed. He looked up at Jim with an expression of dread, as his friend grinned down at him, fingers poised over his belly.

"No.... No, Jim...don't do it....JIM...PLEASE...!" The rest of Blair's entreaty was lost in a fit of shrieking laughter as Jim began to tickle him. Blair struggled, but there was no escape; Jim was sitting on him and had his hands pinned uselessly to the floor.

"Wow, your mom was right. You ARE ticklish!" Jim exclaimed with a chuckle, as his fingers scrabbled across Blair's ribcage. "Very ticklish," he added, over his friend's hysterics. He stopped for a moment to let Sandburg catch his breath.

"This is great, what a form of persuasion this could become! I wish I had discovered this sooner," Jim laughed. "Now then, where were we?" He stopped to think, as Blair's laughter faded to an occasional hiccup. "Ah yes!... Rule number one, Chief!"

Blair was gasping for air, tears running down his cheeks, but he managed to sputter, "YOU, *hiccup* are an evil, evil man...."

Jim laughed, "Right, whatever you say...Rule number one!"

Still breathing hard, Blair pretended to rack his brain. "Uh, number one *hiccup*...rule number one...." He looked up innocently and managed a feeble shrug. "Sorry man, *hiccup* I can't seem to remem....AAACK!"

Jim resumed the torture, holding Blair's wrists to the floor with one hand and relentlessly digging his fingers into his ribs with the other.

"What, Blair?" Jim asked loudly. "What was that? I didn't quite understand you!"

Blair couldn't answer.

Jim was shouting now, beginning to laugh. "Resistance is useless! Vee have vays of making you talk!" The detective was laughing almost as hard as his victim, at this point.

Blair was helpless with laughter, partly from Jim's terrible phony accent, but mostly from the merciless assault of Jim's fingers scuttling across his belly. It was unbearable! Blair couldn't STAND being tickled, never could, even as a child. His stomach had always been extremely sensitive to touch.

*Great, I have a Sentinel stomach!* he thought, madly. A few of his past girlfriends had uncovered this weakness, and now to his dismay, so had his partner. Blair dreaded what might be in store for him in the future, now that Jim knew he had a way to get his young roommate to do whatever he wanted. Leave it to mom to divulge one of his best-kept secrets!

Jim was still tickling him, and Blair knew he was going to have to give in and admit defeat. God, he couldn't take any more of this! Through his hysterics, the young anthropologist finally managed to gasp, "Please...no more!..AUGH!...Stop! *hiccup*...STOP!...You win!"

Just then the telephone rang, and Blair sighed in relief as Jim hopped off of him and crossed to answer the phone. *Saved by the bell!* Blair thought, panting as he sat up, pulling his shirt down over his still-twitching stomach muscles. He wiped the remains of his mirth from his eyes and jumped up to follow Jim. *I wonder who it would be at this hour.*

"Ellison," Jim said, as he held the phone to his ear. Simon's voice came through, gruff as always.

"Jim, it's Simon. Sorry to call so late, did I wake you?"

Jim smiled as he replied, "No, Simon. YOU didn't wake me." He looked over at Blair, who hiccuped and made a nasty face at Ellison. Jim took a threatening step toward him, and Blair quickly turned and bolted into his room. Jim laughed.

"What's so funny?" Simon asked.

"Nothing, nevermind Captain." Jim quickly got serious. "So what's up?"

Simon continued, "Well, you remember you said a few weeks ago how you wished Sandburg had some self-defense training?"

"Yeah." Jim remembered; it had been right after Blair had been kidnapped by Alconte, in a futile attempt to steal money from Maya's father. After it had happened, Blair had felt terribly guilty for letting himself fall into such a situation. Jim had thought then, as he still did, that his partner needed some serious training if he was going to prevent it from happening again.

Simon was speaking again. "Well, I just got some good news. An old buddy of mine from the force, Steve Anderson, is stationed in Seattle, and he's giving a seminar this weekend on self-defense."

Jim thought about it. "Well, sure Simon, that sounds like a good idea," Jim said, "But do you really think we need to go all the way to Seattle? Surely there are seminars here in Cascade he could go to." Jim was all for his partner learning new skills, but why take such a long trip to do it?

Simon replied, "I know, that's what I thought at first. But this seminar would be ideal for Sandburg. Anderson specializes in teaching the sort of moves that can be used by women, and also by men who are...well...less than Mr. Universe." Simon chuckled at the other end of the phone.

Jim missed the Captain's last line. He was thinking about his partner, and how easy it had been to overpower him a few minutes ago. True, the worst thing Jim did was bruise his friend's pride and nearly tickle him to death...but still. What would happen to Blair if he were attacked by a killer and Jim wasn't around to protect him? Jim had saved Blair from several attempts on his life, but what about the one time he wouldn't be there?

He didn't like to think about it, but his diminutive young friend really was an easy target, whether he liked it or not. Several times, Jim had tried to get Blair to go to one of the department's self-defense courses. He'd even tried to teach his partner a few moves himself, but Blair always seemed to get frustrated and give up. Jim admitted that he wasn't the most patient teacher in the world; he suspected it was his own frustration with Blair's mistakes that put the kid off trying again. Maybe if Blair knew that this would be a class specially geared to people like him, he'd be more receptive.

"I think that sounds like a great idea, Simon," Jim said, the decision made. He motioned to Blair, who was peering cautiously at him from the doorway of his room. "Where is it?" Jim got a pen and piece of paper and wrote down the directions, as Simon gave them.

Blair came to stand at his elbow, to see what he was writing. His face lit up "Seattle? We're going to Seattle?"

Jim nodded and held up a hand to quiet him, as he listened to Simon. "OK Captain, sounds like a plan. Talk to you soon." Jim hung up the phone and turned to his partner, who was looking up at him in excitement.

"We're taking a trip, Chief." Jim said, waving the piece of paper.

"Yes!" Blair was psyched. "This is great! Do you know how many libraries and museums there are in Seattle?" The young man ran to get his notebook, which was still on the couch, and began to flip through it.

"This is soooooo cool! I'll be able to do so much research!" Suddenly he paused and looked up at Jim. "Oh...um...why are we going, anyway?"

Jim smiled at him as he crossed to the stairs. "Simon's friend is giving a self-defense seminar tomorrow afternoon, Chief." As he started up the stairs, he spoke over his shoulder. "Simon and I both think it would be a good idea for you to go." He continued up the stairs and got his duffel bag from under the bed.

Blair thought about it. Self-defense!

"I dunno Jim...." he began, moving towards his room. He stopped and watched Ellison packing clothes into the duffel bag on his bed. "Do you really think I need that? I think I take care of myself pretty well." Blair stood in the doorway of his bedroom. Jim zipped the bag, slung it over his shoulder, and came down the stairs as he spoke.

"Chief, c'mon. You practically need your own personal supply of butterfly bandages!" He set the bag down near the front door and held up a hand as Blair tried to object, adding, "I know, you've been lucky a few times against an attacker. But wouldn't you feel safer if you knew you had some real skills to help protect yourself, instead of just luck?"

Blair shrugged as he moved into his room. "I just... I just don't think I'm the right type for that kind of stuff. All those specialized moves they teach." He sighed and continued, "I could never handle someone bigger than me."

"Why not, Chief?" Jim asked, following him into the room.

"Well, I mean...." Blair turned and faced Jim, who came to stand in the doorway. "I'm not exactly...you know." Blair struck a weightlifter's pose, screwing his face up in mock concentration.

Jim laughed. "Chief, it's not physical strength that's most important." Blair dropped the pose, and sat down on the edge of the bed, casting a doubtful look up at his partner.

"Yeah right, that's why it's always YOU who has to pull MY butt out of the fire!" Blair laid back and covered his face with his arms. Jim sat on the bed beside him.

"That's not true and you know it!" Jim sighed before continuing. "Remember the oil?" Jim reached down and shook his friend's shoulder. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Chief."

Blair uncovered his face and gazed up at Jim questioningly. Jim nodded. "I mean it Blair. I really thought that was it for me, until you...." Embarrassed, Jim turned away from his partner. It wasn't easy for him to talk about the incident on the oil rig; he hated to feel vulnerable.

Blair sat up, thinking. Then he got to his feet and went over to the little cubby closet, and dug out a large Indian-print bag.

Jim watched him as he opened drawers and stuffed a few garments into the bag. Suddenly Blair turned and spoke to him.

"So what IS most important?"

"Huh?" Jim didn't follow.

Blair closed the drawer and picked up the bag. "You said physical strength isn't important." He stood in front of Jim. "So what IS?"

"Well, one of the most important things is understanding motion and balance," Jim replied, standing up. "If you can get an attacker off balance, even one much bigger and stronger than yourself, you have a great advantage."

Jim put his hand on Blair's back and guided him out of the bedroom as he continued. "Just knowing some moves that your attacker won't be expecting can help, too."

Blair looked up at him "Ah!... 'The Unexpected', right?" He was nodding his head in understanding now. "That's how you took me down before; I never expected you to jump over the couch like that!"

Jim smiled and slapped him on the back. "Exactly, Chief." Jim glanced at the clock, stretching. "Well, if you want to have some time to visit the libraries and museums tomorrow, we'll have to leave pretty early." Jim turned and headed up the stairs to his room, as Blair laid his bag next to the detective's. "Up at five....we have a four-hour drive ahead of us!"

Blair groaned, "Oh man, five AM?" He went into his room and got his laptop, which he carefully placed in his backpack. "Do you want me to do some of the driving?" he called up to Jim, who was pulling off his sweats.

"No way,...I've seen your state of mind at that hour!" Jim replied, setting the alarm clock. "That's all we need, is for you to nod off doing 65 down the freeway!" He laughed as he climbed into bed. "We've already totaled one vehicle this month; if it happens again, Simon'll make us drive a Yugo for the rest of the year." Jim smiled as he heard his partner chuckling downstairs.

"Good point, man." Blair finished packing up all his notes on Sentinel abilities, and left his backpack beside their bags. "Night, Jim!" he called, as he went into his room.

"Night...." Jim's voice trailed off as he drifted into slumber.

* * * * * * *

Across the street from the loft, a figure stood in the darkened room of a vacant apartment building. He held binoculars to his eyes with one gloved hand, and a listening device in the other. He pointed the ultra-sensitive microphone at the lighted window, where he could still see the young one puttering around, packing a small laptop computer into a backpack.

The watcher reached up a hand and took off the earphones that were attached to the listening device, and smiled. He'd heard every word of the detective's conversation with his partner; it was information he intended to put to good use.

He reached into his jacket and produced a cell phone, dialed, and spoke as the party picked up. "Gerad here....we're taking a trip." He paused as the other man spoke, then replied, "Seattle."

* * * * * * *

Jim squinted as the newly-risen sun flashed in the rearview mirror. Wincing, he reached down and snagged his sunglasses from the floor between the front seats, and slipped them on. *Much better* he thought. He looked at his watch, and nodded in satisfaction. 6:30 AM, they were making excellent time.

A snore reached Ellison's Sentinel ears, and he glanced over at his partner with a grin. Sandburg was zonked out in the passenger seat, with his dark curls hanging over his face, holding his backpack on his lap.

"Good thing you didn't drive, eh Chief?" Jim asked, knowing full well his sleeping friend wouldn't hear him. Jim looked down the long stretch of road ahead of them, and sighed.

It hadn't been as much of a chore as usual to get his roommate moving this morning. It was probably due to Blair's excitement over visiting Seattle. In fact, as they were getting into the vehicle, Blair had asked Jim again if he could drive. Jim had refused, which turned out to be a good decision, since Blair had fallen asleep less than 15 minutes into the trip. Ellison suspected his young friend had pulled another near all-nighter last night, since Blair had stumbled out to the kitchen that morning in the same clothes he'd been wearing last night.

Just over three hours later, Jim pulled into a narrow parking space around the corner from the hotel where the seminar was to be held. Not ritzy, but not too cheap, either. Good thing the department was paying for this excursion!

Jim hopped out of the vehicle and walked around to the back to get the bags out, grinning at the sight of the brightly colored bag Sandburg had brought. *Sandburg"s luggage is as colorful as HE is!* Jim thought, as he gathered up their bags and started toward the corner. At the thought of his partner, Jim went around to the passenger side of the vehicle and peered in the window. Blair was still asleep. Ellison decided to give his partner a few more minutes of rest. Checking that the doors were safely locked, he walked with the bags around the corner and toward the front door of the hotel.

"Here, sir, let me get those for you!"

Jim glanced up to find a short, kindly-looking older gentleman in a red Doorman's uniform. "Edward Sikes, at your service, sir. Call me Ed." The man smiled at Jim, and then reached out to take the bags from his grasp.

"Oh, thanks...Ed," Jim replied, feeling a little guilty as the small man hefted the bags, and started toward the front door. *C'mon Ellison, it's his job!* He thought to himself. At least the bags were light; he and Blair had only packed for a two-day trip. He followed Ed through the door.

In an alley across the street from the hotel, a pair of binoculars were tracking Jim Ellison's every move. The watcher drew back into the shadows as Jim briefly turned in his direction, black gloves tightening on the binoculars in his hands. Then as Jim disappeared into the hotel, the watcher turned to the hulking man beside him, and pointed silently toward the blue Ford.