TITLE: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

AUTHOR: PEJA

FANDOM: THE SENTINEL/EMERGENCY/MAN FROM UNCLE

PAIRING: Jim/Blair

RATING: NC-17: Jim's one mean bastard

SUMMARY: AU: Blair is a stripper with a secret behind him and death ahead of him. As for Jim, well this is not the Jim we know and love

DISCLAIMER: Not mine, but don't tell them, they gripe enough when I'm shoving them back in their cages.

FEEDBACK: If you DON'T feed the well, the well dries up

AUTHOR'S EMAIL: daltonavon@yahoo.com

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: https://www.squidge.org/~peja/

ARCHIVE: Yes, to WWOMB and Belynda. Anyone else let me know first

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't rewrite the fanfic genre, so this is what a rough draft looks like in my house

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

By PEJA

Blair finished his set with his usual flourish and did a slow spin on the stage, taking in the rowdy Saturday night bar rats with a jaundiced eye. Benny would be expecting him to take at least three of those drunken slugs upstairs before the night as over. And it just wasn't gonna happen. Not this night. Not ever again.

Keeping a stage grin pasted on his gaunt face, he snatched up the cut-out grope-and-grab robe provided by the club owner, slipped into it before bouncing down the steps into the maddening crowd, heading for the bar and the first of many drinks, just like every other night for so long he couldn't remember.

Only tonight wasn't just like every other night. Tonight he planned to be free. The very thought of escaping had his heart beating like a trip wire. "Take it slow, man," he murmured to himself. "You can pull this off if you....Oh oh...."

Three bouncers, the ones that did Benny's dirty jobs, were bearing down on him. A quick glance toward the club owner confirmed his worst fears. Benny was holding the ticket that was supposed to set him free.

Now it would only make him dead.

"Oh shit..."

Casting a quick look around, Blair realized he was well and truly caught. He was gonna die. Just like Tony. He was gonna die bad.

Way beyond terror, Blair's gaze darted around, searching for any avenue of escape. He jumped as two long fingered hands curled over his shoulders and turned him around.

Expecting the face of Lou or one of his goons, Blair found himself staring, mesmerized by two of the bluest eyes he'd ever looked into. And a face that would have moved mountains.

The john grinned down at him. "How much, Kid?"

Blair's mouth opened, but no words came. He could only stare up at the walking wet dream.

Until another hand dug cruel fingers into his arm. "Chose another one, Johnny. This one ain't working tonight. Boss wants to see you, Blair baby. Now."

Regret flickered across Blair's pale-under-the-makeup features. "Sorry, man. I think I have permanent plans for what's left of my life."

The big man's blue-ice glare sliced over the bouncer. "I got him first. You gonna argue with a paying customer?" From somewhere two five hundred dollar bills appeared in front of the burly bouncer's eyes "That enough?"

Lou threw a glance toward Benny and shrugged. "Guess the boss can...talk to the kid once your finished with him." The bills disappeared into one meaty fist and Blair was thrust toward the man. "Enjoy this one, Blair. The next may not be as much fun."

Blair shuddered. He had seen Tony's body once he'd gotten up the nerve to leave his hidey-hole and scurry back to his room. The other dancer had been cut, beaten and burned past recognition save for the flying eagle tattoo. Man, he didn't want to go that way. "Lou, I...."

"Take your playmate upstairs, Blair," Lou interrupted. "For what he paid, he wants your ass bad."

Blair nodded. "This way." Clasping the revealing robe around himself, he headed toward the stairs that led to his cell.

Once more he was stopped by those gentle hands. "Not so fast, sweet cheeks."

Blair looked up into blue eyes. At least there would be some gentleness before....

Tony's body had been lying in an ocean of blood the last time he'd seen it. He would go the same way. Nobody walks away from Benny alive.

"Not here, my lovely," the man said, drawing Blair into the circle of his arms. "We're going someplace quiet."

Blair smiled though his despair. "Benny doesn't let us leave while we're....on duty."

The big man nuzzled Blair's neck. "You want to get out of here, right?" he hissed under cover of the embrace.

Blair jerked back as far as the strong arms would allow, staring into ice blue eyes. This guy knew what had been about to happen. Had known and had stepped in.

Blair swallowed hard and nodded. "Not enough to get you killed, mister. You're getting into something you don't want to be in."

The big guy smiled and tucked Blair into the crook of his arm. "Trust me."

As if by magic, a fight broke out on the other side of the club. Bouncers left their posts at the doors and converged on the brawlers, leaving a brief window of opportunity for them to escape.

Stunned by the speed of everything that was going on around him, Blair didn't resist as his savior hustled him out the door and into a nearby truck. Before he could say a word he was rocketing out of the club's parking lot with his fingers digging deep gorges into the dashboard. "Hey, slow down, man. Don't kill us getting there."

"Sit back and be quiet." the big man snapped. "I'll have us to our destination in a few."

Blair cut an apprehensive glance at the man behind the wheel. The compassionate, smoldering lover was no where to be seen. In his place sat a granite faced tyrant.

A wash of fear flooded him. "Look, you can let me off anywhere...." he began, hooking his fingers around the door handle.

"Sit still," the man commanded, snapping down the automatic door locks. "I paid for your ass tonight. I intend to get something for my money." Some clothes were thrust in Blair's direction. "Put these on. Don't want to lose you to a cop for indecent exposure." Frozen blue eyes swept over the younger man. "Not that I can really say what your showing looks indecent to me, but...."

"Look, maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Blair tried again, shoving a long leg into the jeans, then the other before shifting his hips forward to slid the too-long pants into place.

"What'd you do to piss off your pimp, Kid? Skim his profits?"

A dark, curly head popped through the neck of a black tee. "Yeah, right," Blair grumbled, ruffling out his curls. "That would get me killed before I could get the bills in my pocket."

The man cast him a curious glance. "Relax, Kid. Your heart's about to burst out of your chest."

Blair stared, stunned at him for a long moment then murmured, "Cute trick. Course I'm scared, man. I'd pissed Benny off already and now I do a vanishing act out of the club. If he wasn't gonna kill me before, guess I just gave myself the kiss to seal the deal. Look, turn us around. I gotta go back if I want any chance of getting out of this with my parts intact."

The big man's answer was to press down harder on the accelerator, hurling Blair back into his seat.

Moments later Blair found himself in a gloomy dive of a motel staring into the harsh eyes of a black man and his once upon a time savior turned captor.

"Ellison, this is not the man you went in to extract from the club," Simon snapped, waving a smoldering cigar way too close to Blair's chest for comfort.

Man, Blair, you are in it deep here. Get the hell out while you still can. This is just too weird.

The young dancer back-peddled toward the door, reaching behind him for the knob that spelled freedom. "Well, it's been nice, guys, but I gotta get going. You understand, right? Places to avoid. Torture and death to be out run."

Jim's hard glare swung in his direction. "One more step and I break your legs, Kid," he growled.

Blair believed him. So much so he did the only thing he could. He made a break for the door.

Three steps and a burly body hit him, knocking the breath out of him and taking him down. Hollering for release, Blair squirmed under the huge man.

"Easy, kid. Easy. It's all right." A warm tongue snaked out, teasing the junction of Blair's neck and shoulder. Warm breath tickled the spot before the soft lips returned to suckle briefly.

This he understood. Sex he could do. After all the beauty had paid and paid big for a chance to sample his ass. He stopped fighting and wrapped his arms around the bigger man's neck.

Blair was just starting to relax when a blinding pain struck out of the haze. He screamed, renewing his struggles as the big man bit deeper into his neck.

"Easy, sweet cheeks," the john murmured, lapping up the free flowing blood. His large hands soothed the trembling man. "I won't bite again....unless you want me to."

In a frenzy of confusion, Blair's mind latched onto the only thing that made any sense. "Don't do pain, man," he whispered. "Don't like...."

"What do you like, kid?"

"Wha....?" No one had ever asked that before. No one had even considered that he had any desires. Not even him.

Blood-flavored lips claimed Blair's mouth, invaded the warmth, exploring feverishly. Blair's head swam under the passionate assault. His hands sought fasteners as his legs wrapped around the bigger man.

Jim halted the roaming hands, kissing trembling fingertips. "No," he said softly, shaking off the young dancer's embrace. "We're not going to screw, Kid."

"But....?"

Hooded eyes roamed the shocked features. "I've imprinted you on my senses, Kid. I know your taste. Your scent." A predator's smile flickered on his lips. "Your heartbeat. If you run, I will find you. If you hide, I will track you down and drag you out of whatever hole you're cowering in. You can not escape me, Kid. Do you believe me?"

To terrified to speak, Blair nodded. He could do no less. In the hollow that had housed his heart Blair knew this man was telling the truth.

"Then believe this too. I bought your ass in that club tonight. A thousand of my own money went into getting you out. You belong to me until I decide to sell you off. Do you understand?"

Blair lost what little color he'd still had.

"Do you understand?" the harsh question came again.

Blair nodded.

"Say it, sweet cheeks." the man snapped. "I want to hear you say it."

Blair's mouth moved but no sound came. He swallowed hard and tried again. "Yes."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Tell me the rest."

"I belong to you," Blair whispered

"For how long?"

A quick glance toward the other man in the room convinced Blair there would be no help coming from that direction. "Until you sell me."

Jim gave a quick nod. "Good, now go clean that crap off your face and body. I demand a clean body in my bed. Not one reeking of days old smoke and layers of other men."

The heavy weight suddenly lifted.

Blair struggled to get his mind working, but too much had happened. He was scared past reason. His body moved like it had short circuited.

Dark fingers wrapped around Blair's wrist, tugging him to his feet. A gentle shove at his back got him moving toward the bathroom. "Listen to him, Kid. " Simon whispered so softly Blair had to lean in and strain to hear him. "He'll treat you fair, but you damn sure better do as he says. He can do everything he said he could."

From across the room, the shark smile appeared again. "I heard that."

CHAPTER TWO

"Okay, so why didn't you bring Tony out?" Simon demanded as the shower came on. "Why'd you leave him and bring out that kid?"

Jim crooked a brow. "You didn't really look at the kid, did you? He's heaven walking. Damn, Si, you saw him out of those oversized clothes."

Simon grimaced. "Stop making stupid jokes, Jim, and answer the question. Why is this kid here and Tony is not."

Jim went stone-faced. "Tony was gone. The bartender claims he left. Several of the dancers confirmed.....After turning that same unusual shade of white that the kid turns when he gets real scared."

"Gone? But where......"

Flat eyes met curious ones. "Read that as dead, Simon," Jim told. "Tony is dead."

"Oh, God..." Simon reached a hand toward the granite man.

"Don't." Jim dodged the hand. "As for why I took the kid out, well after I scoped out the lay of the land, I figured he was next on the hit list."

"How do you know?"

Jim gave a bitter laugh. "You know how when your turn comes up on death row, all the cons kind of pretend you aren't there, but the guards watch you extra close. That was the atmosphere at the club. I took matters into my own hands when they made their run on the kid."

"You think he knows?"

Jim turned a watchful eye on the bathroom door and nodded. "He knows."

"But he's asked to be taken back several times."

"Yeah. Ain't the slave mentality kewl?"

"You think he'll still head back?"

"At the first opportunity." Jim confirmed.

"Then what was that little production all about?"

Jim sauntered over to the apartment size fridge and snagged three beers. He handed one to Simon, then not bothering to knock, barged into the bathroom. A quick jerk had the shower open, exposing a well-scrubbed Blair to the world.

Blair was too numbed by the up-heaval that had become his life to do any more than blink up at the big guy.

"Beer," Jim said by way of explanation and thrust the can toward him.

Blair stared dumbly at the can.

"Ah Jesus, Kid. Take it. It won't bite ya." Setting his own beer aside, he popped the top and curled Blair's icy fingers around the can. Guiding the beer to the smaller man's lips, he forced him to take a long swallow. "Better?"

Round eyed, Blair nodded.

"See, Simon," Jim said popping his own can and taking a deep swallow. "The kid....Blair, isn't it?"

Blair nodded.

"Blair has been owned by the same man so long he needs a refresher on the rules of buying and selling flesh. Benny understood when he agreed to the thousand that I was taking the kid. He might have thought he could stop me with his bouncers and what have you, but he knew he'd agreed to the sale."

Jim reached into the shower and shut off the spray. "Watered down beer sucks, Blair." He handed the naked man a ratty towel. "Dry off and get into bed."

Blair did as he was instructed without a word.

"You are right, he is a damn impressive piece." Simon murmured, his chocolate eyes gleaming.

Throwing his shower dampened shirt, Jim settled down on the bed next to his latest toy. "Back off, Si. I am feeling damn possessive about this piece of ass." He reached out to play with one dark strand of hair, smiling as it curled around his finger.

"So what about Tony?" Simon asked "You just going to let it go? I don't think so. Not your style.

Jim cocked his head. "Blair knows what happened to our Tony, don't you, Blair?"

Blair's skin was almost translucent as he shook his head.

Jim jerked the handful of hair. Hard. "You know what happens when a slave lies to his master where I come from?"

Blair cut a glance between the two men. "No."

The shark's smile was back. "We cut out their tongue and feed it to them."

CHAPTER THREE

Stunned, Blair's mouth dropped open, exposing his tongue.

A finger under Blair's chin shut the younger man's mouth. "One warning, Kid. Next lie, I take that tongue."

He ducked his head, licking across Blair's pale lips. His tongue pressed more insistently. "Let me in, baby boy."

Blair's training was to deeply ingrained to be swayed by even the absolute terror possessing him. His lips parted wide, letting the bigger man ravish his mouth.

"Uhhh, Jim....Uhhhh....I gotta go....I think...." Simon stammered.

Jim eased away from Blair and grinned. "Why? Blair's just getting warmed up to tell us what he knows about Tony. Aren't you, Kid?"

The pleasured look fled Blair's eyes. "I...I don't....."

Jim silenced him with a finger on his kiss-bruised lips. "Remember what happens if you lie, Kid?" he said, sliding a switchblade from his hip pocket and snapping the blade open inches from Blair's rounded eyes. Jim grazed Blair's cheek with the blade, careful not to break the skin. "I can think of a lot of better things to do with that tongue other than boiling it, but if you insist....."

"Nonononono," Blair babbled, squirming against Jim's too tight embrace. "Please. I didn't lie. I didn't."

The blade snicked home and Jim gathered the shuddering dancer close, stroking his curls. "Easy, pet." he coaxed, smoothing the hair back from Blair's face. "Come now, sweet cheeks. You're not really going to make me hurt you, are you?"

"No," Blair whispered, "No, oh please, don't hurt me."

"Jim, back off of the kid a bit. You've already got him scared half to death." Simon said.

"He'd damn well better be afraid, Si." Jim snarled, his eyes blazing pools of blue flame directed at the young man in his grasp. "I mean everything I say. Tony was my partner, both at work and at home. This kid knows who killed him."

A vision of Lou's face swam before Blair's terrified eyes. "No."

"He knows how Tony was killed."

Tony's torn and battered body flashed in Blair's mind. "No."

"He knows what they did with the body."

The vat of lime in the sub-basement. Oh God, that's what they would do with him when they finally caught up, too. "Oh god, no."

"Hell he may very well have helped kill my mate." Jim's eyes narrowed. "Is that it, Kid? Were you blooded on Tony"

"Please, no. No. No, I didn't."

"Yeah, that's it, isn't it? What'd you do? Hold Tony down while they slit his throat? No? Maybe you put the knife in him? Nah, your the type to not want to get his hands dirty, aren't you? You'd use a gun. Is that what you did? You use a gun to kill my Tony, Kid?"

"No," Blair babbled, struggling in earnest now. "Tony was my friend. You don't make many friends in a place like Benny's but he was my friend. He told me he could get me out."

"And in exchange for his friendship, you helped kill him."

"That's not true. I didn't have anything to do with it. He hid me when they......." Blair clamped both hands over his mouth and stared at the two other men.

The shark's grin was back. "See, I told you he could fill in the blanks."

"No, I can't tell you anything. I don't know anything. Please, Benny will....."

Jim jerked Blair up close. "You're lying, Blair." The knife was back in his hand. "I warned you about that."

Blair fixated on the glittering blade. "No, I can't. I can't."

"I warned you, kid." Flopping Blair around and straddling the struggling dancer, Jim forced his jaws open.

Blair's eyes rolled back in his head and the world started to fade away, only to be thrown back into full color as Simon knocked Jim away and dragged him out of harm's way.

"Jim. Jim, dammit, get a grip."

Jim came up with fire in his eyes. "Don't interfere, Simon," he said, advancing on them.

The other man backed him down with a hand on Jim's heaving chest. "The hell I won't. Christ, man, think a minute. You don't want to hurt this kid."

"He knows....."

"No...." Blair shouted back from the safety of Simian’s broad back.

"Yeah, maybe he does, but cutting out his tongue won't get that information, will it? You want the boy talking, don't you? How's he going to do that if you lose all control?"

The rage went out of him as quickly as it had come upon him and Jim blinked, dropping the knife. "Oh, God. Oh, God." He caught the dancer's eyes as the younger man peeked out from behind his new savior. "Blair, forgive me."

"You okay, Jim?" Simon asked, drawing the boy from behind his back.

Not wanting to get too close to the out-of-control man who owned him, Blair clung to Simon. "Don't let him get me, please. Don't....."

"It's okay, Blair," Simon murmured. "Jim was just trying to scare you. See, he's out of the zone now. Look at him, Blair."

Wild curls swung as Blair shook his head. "No, don't want...."

Simon turned Blair in his arms. "Now you listen to me, kid. Jim is different. Special. Do you hear me?"

Blair stared at Simon dumbly. "Special?"

"That's right. Because of his unique talents, he needs someone who can keep him grounded. Tony did that for him."

"Tony..."

"Yes, Tony, but he's dead now, isn't he?"

Blair started to shake his head but Simon stopped him with his hands cupping both cheeks.

"Yes he is. And you know more about that then your saying, don't you?" The hands tightened, holding Blair still. "Don't bother to lie. I can see it in your eyes.

"You have the answers Jim needs. Since you won't spill, you owe him...Big. I'm gonna see to it you pay that debt."

"I....."

"Shut the hell up, Kid. Jim needs an anchor now that Tony's gone. You're gonna be that anchor for him."

"No," Jim snapped

"I can't...." Blair protested at the same time

"You will, dammit. And Jim will accept your help."

"He wants to kill me" Blair whispered. "And Lou and Benny too. I'm gonna die."

"Bullshit. Jim won't hurt you. And he won't let anyone else hurt you, either." Simon forced Blair around. "Look at him. You can feel how much he needs you, can't you? And you need him. It's written all over you."

Simon gave him a gentle push toward Jim and drawn by the magnet that was Jim, Blair found himself wrapping his arms around the bigger man.

Jim sagged into those supple arms, burrowing his face in the dark curls, in the scent and sound of the smaller body and a bond was forged in him. Master and slave.....Friend and lover.....Sentinel and guide.

CHAPTER FOUR

The quiet snick of the door closing hammered in Jim's ears. Lifting his face out of the dark, herb-scented curls, he swept the room. "Si? Ah, God, don't do this to me, Si. I'm not willing..."

Blair stirred fretfully in his loose embrace, reclaiming Jim's attention with tiny tasting licks at his throat while trembling fingers struggled with stubborn buttons.

Jim stilled the smaller man's roaming hands, capturing them in one of his own. "No, Blair," he said trying to disentangle himself from the amorous dancer. "No, don't." He tipped Blair's chin up to catch his aroused gaze. "Blair, you don't want to do this. You don't understand the consequences...There are things about me you must...."

Blair broke away from Jim's hold on his chin. In one fluid movement, he knelt at Jim's feet and leaned close to nuzzle the hard bulge hidden under well washed 501s.

Jim groaned as small teeth scrapped against him through the rough cloth. His hands buried themselves in the wild curls, urging Blair ahead even while he knew he should push the dancer away. This one was not qualified for what he was being drawn into. He'd sure as hell wind up dead before the first shots died down.

Lightening rippled along Jim's nerves as long, silken fingers curled around him and stroked once, twice, nearly bringing the big Merc to his knees. The younger man had gotten into his pants and freed him with the ease of a safecracker.

"Ahhhh, god," Jim whispered hoarsely. Repeating it as Blair leaned forward and kissed the head, licked around the crown and traced the large vein along the bottom with nipping love bites. And yet again as he took the throbbing cock in his mouth and slowly buried it in his throat.

An expert in the art of blowjob torture, Blair settled against Jim's crotch and worked his cock with his suckling mouth and throat for a bit before easing back. "Mmmm, taste good," he murmured dreamily looking up at the man who claimed ownership of him. "You like that, Jim?"

It was too much. All good intentions fled Jim's mind as he bundled the giggling Blair into his arms and dumped him gently onto the bed. He paused to stare hungrily down on the wriggling bundle of sexual electricity for a second, then threw off his clothes and joined Blair on the bed, gathering the eager man into his arms.

"Listen to me, Blair," he grated out. "I would have given you a choice, but no more. I need you too damn much, and that's your fault. In your innocence you've triggered me. I can't turn it off."

Blair grinned, nuzzling Jim's neck. "Don't want you too. Want to fuck you. Want you to fuck me."

Dangerous laugher rippled through Jim's chest. "No way you can stop me at this point, baby boy." He rolled them until he rested lightly on top of the smaller, writhing man and latched hungrily onto Blair's innocently exposed neck, sucking hard to mark his territory, imprinting the taste, the flavor that was uniquely Blair into himself.

"Gotta bite ya, sweet cheeks," Jim warned. "Gotta taste you."

Blair grunted as Jim's teeth broke through, groaned as Jim cleaned away the small trace of blood he had drawn then began a slow sampling expedition down the territory Blair.

Blair felt as if he were a buffet set out before a starving man. He didn't know how close to the truth that was.

Suckling his way between Blair's nipples, Jim brought touch into the fun, learning ever nook and cranny that made up the young body beneath him though his fingertips. That part of him that made Jim extraordinary absorbed each bit of sensory information, locking himself to the younger man from the soul out.

Tasting, scenting, absorbing the wriggling essence, Jim dipped his tongue into Blair's navel. Blair jerked as Jim's tongue swirled around and in and out of the small indentation, foreshadowing the act of love before the assault on his body moved lower.

Jim's hand broke virgin territory through dark curls, clearing a path to the root of the problem. Blair's cock jutted like a massive totem from it's bed of curls.

Wrapping a hand around the base, Jim licked and nipped his way to the ridge that separated shaft from crown. His tongue teased the underside before cresting to sample the glistening fluid that pooled there. Opening his mouth, he slowly swallowed the cock, burying his nose deep in the thick curls and inhaling the musk of his lover.

Blair had somehow moved just enough to follow the larger man's lead, sucking contentedly on Jim's massive cock, pushing the fever pitch higher still. The two men rocked together for a time until Jim suddenly pulled away

"Wha...?"

"Just slowing down the games, baby boy," Jim said, reaching into the bedside table for the necessary lube. Reclining against the headboard he handed the tube to Blair. "Prepare yourself for me."

Blair did as he was told, applying the gel to his asshole in quick order, then kneeling on the bed, lowered his face to the mattress, effectively hiding under the blanket of wild curls while he waited to be mounted.

And waited.

Finally Jim leaned forward and pulled the man into his lap. "You must be with me on this ride, Blair," he whispered, claiming lush trembling lips. "I want you to look at me. Look at me, baby boy."

Blair met the other man's eyes.

Jim smiled hungrily, sending a fission of fear rippling down Blair's spine. "This is your last chance to get out, Blair. Once we take it to the next stage the bond is complete."

Blair cupped Jim's face and kissed him. "Fuck me."

"Oh, Christ, I'm gonna regret this when it's over," Jim murmured

But even knowing that he positioned the smaller man on his cock and Blair impaled himself on the hard flesh, ripping satisfied grunts out of both men.

Firmly seated, Blair gave himself a moment to adjust to the man inside him. His eyes never flinched from the wild hunger in Jim's gaze.

Leaning up, Jim claimed his lover's lush lips in a passion-filled kiss. Blair began to move, sliding slowly up and down on the shaft that filled him. Jim's hands grasped Blair's narrow hips, teaching his lover the rhythm that pleasured him best, taking care to angle himself against Blair's sensitive prostate, leading his lover on a tour of the universe that ended in a million starbursts.

Exhausted, Blair melted over his sated lover and drifted into the sleep of an innocent.

Jim was not as blessed.

CHAPTER FIVE

Showered and dressed, Jim slipped from the motel room. His all-seeing eyes zeroed in on Simon, leaning restfully against the back-side of the door.

"Was he worth the full thousand?" Simon asked, striking a match and touching flame to the ever-present cigar.

"You're a bastard, Si," Jim grumbled.

"Me?" Simon quipped. "What'd I do?"

"Christ, man, you may as well have shot him through the head as turn him into my guide."

"That's a bit strong, don't you think?" Simon purred.

"A bit strong?"

"Listen, Jim, unless I miss my guess, we're going to be fighting for our lives before this night is over. You need to be grounded. I didn't see you bonding with one of the squad. I sure as hell didn't see you getting into my virgin ass. Besides the kid's nothing but a silly little whore warmed up as you can get. Seemed reasonable to me."

Rage burned in blue eyes as Jim slammed his friend hard against the wall with an arm pressed into Simon's throat just hard enough to make breathing uncomfortable. "Don't you ever belittle him again, Si. You got that. Not ever."

Jim was pulled off the other man before Simon could respond.

"What the hell is going on here?" Rafe threw at the two men.

"Nothing." they said together.

"Yeah, right. Jim was simply showing you a new technique for dying, I suppose. Hell the only time I ever saw him draw down on one of us was when we said something offensive about.....Oh. Oh, Christ, no. He didn't....Not with that slu...."

Blazing blue eyes cut of the words.

Simon chuckled. "Hey, it was either us or the kid. You want to guide our sentinel?"

Rafe instinctively held his hands protectively over himself and shook his head. "I think the word we are looking for here is no."

"Well, neither did I and I was in that room with him and the stripper when he started unhinging."

"I don't unhinge."

"Yeah, and that wasn't you all over the kid biting and sniffing like a cat in heat, either, was it? Hell, Jim, you started bonding to the guy at the club when he shimmied his buck naked, oiled up cheeks in your face."

Jim laughed throatily. "Damn fine ass on the man, Si. You gotta admit it."

~~*~~*~~

Drowning in a puddle of over-sized clothes, Blair gnawed on his lower lip and stared at the phone. "What are you waiting for, slut boy," he muttered. "Benny is gonna kill me, that's what." he answered himself. "Ah, what the hell, I'm gonna have to contact him sooner or later." He grabbed the phone and dialed before he could talk himself back out of it.

The phone was answered on the second ring.

"Terr? That you, man? Listen, I need..."

"Blair, are you insane?" Terr interrupted. "Benny is way past pissed, darling boy. He's..." The man's voice died away, leaving Blair listening to dead air.

"Terr?" he whispered, chewing his lip bloody. "Terr, are you there?"

"Hello, Blair baby," Lou's oily voice replaced the bartender's. "I been waiting for you to call."

Blair was silent for a long moment then said, "Yeah, ah....I..." He paused, his quick mind searching for words. "Hey, Lou, I was hoping I could get someone to send a cab this way and get me home."

"Is that what you were hoping for? Well, sure. Sure, Blair baby." Lou's voice was sickly sweet enough to give Blair a sugar high. "Hey, tell you what. Why don't you just wait out on the corner and I'll be around to pick you up."

"Ah, yeah, sure. Hum, Lou....Tell Benny I...."

"You'll have the chance to tell Benny whatever you want to Blair baby," Lou's voice was suddenly taunting and dangerous. "He's still real eager to....talk with you. You remember how he used to talk to Tony, don't ya, Blair baby? How he talked to Tony the night he....left?"

"Like...like Tony?" Blair rasped. "Lou, I...."

"Yeah. You remember, don't ya?"

"Remember?"

"Sure, Blair baby. You were hiding somewhere in that room, weren't you, Blair baby? You saw, didn't you?"

Blair didn't answer. Couldn't answer even to save his life.

"Didn't you?"

"No," All the horror building in his soul was in that one whispered denial.

"Blair, we've traced this call. I'll be there in about ten minutes. Do you hear me?"

Blair nodded, then realized Lou was waiting for him to speak. "Ten minutes, yeah."

"Be waiting for me on that corner, Blair baby."

"On the corner." Blair repeated.

"Be there, Blair baby. Lou has something special for you."

Oh God, please. "Special?"

"Like Tony, Blair."

"No...."

A dark chuckle sounded down the line. "Oh yeah, just like Tony. You remember, baby. Bet you still hear his screams, don't you? He screamed real pretty when I shoved that bat up his ass. You still hear that scream, Blair baby? Do you?"

"Yes."

"Good," Lou told him. "That's real good, Blair baby. Hey babe?"

"Yeah?" the word was almost silent.

"I got me a new bat." Lou told him. "Special for you. Gonna see if you can scream as pretty as Tony, okay, baby? Gonna see real soon."

~~*~~*~~

Jim spun toward the door to the room he had shared with Blair. "Damn."

"What's wrong?" Rafe asked, reaching instinctively for the gun that rested in its holster on his chest.

"His heart rate just spiked. He's bolting."

As his words faded, the door was flung open and a flurry of cloth and wild hair launched itself from the room only to be snatched out of the air by Jim's quick action.

"Nononononono," the hysterical man babbled, wild eyed.

Jim and Simon hustled him back into the room. Blair fought them but Jim held onto the younger man through the flailing arms and kicking legs letting the dancer tire himself before he settled down on the bed with the freaked out man in his lap.

"Okay, what's this all about?" he asked when Blair finally subsided into silent tears. "Come on, sweet cheeks. Something happened to set you off like that. Tell me."

Blair shook his head, burying his face in Jim's chest.

"Jim."

Jim turned to see Simon holding the phone in his hand. "It was dangling off the hook, Jim. He made a call."

Jim gently forced Blair to look at him. "Who'd you call, sweet cheeks?"

"Ah, come on, Jim. You know he called the club. He called them down on us."

"Is that right, Blair?" Jim asked softly. "Did you tell them where we were?"

Blair shook his head. "But they know. They traced the call."

"Why'd he go and call them?" Simon ranted.

"He's coming for me," Blair whispered. "He's gonna do me bad. Like he did Tony." Stricken eyes flitted between Jim and Simon. "I don't want to die like that. I....Please, don't let me die like that."

Jim hugged his young lover close. "No one's gonna hurt you, sweet cheeks."

"He's coming," Blair muttered again against Jim's chest. "He... he said he was gonna....talk to me. The way he..... They beat him to death, you know? Raped him and beat him with...." Blair stumbled over the words. "I was with him when they came. He shoved me into the....the closet. Told me not to come out. No matter what I heard. What I saw...Don't let them know you're here, Blair, he said."

Blair wrapped his arms around his stomach. "I should have helped him, I should have tried...." He choked on a sob. "I was so scared. Tony, I'm so sorry."

Rafe burst through the door, skidding to a halt. "They're on the move. Heading this way."

Jim's gaze was blue fire. "How many?"

"Four men. Two cars coming from opposing directions."

"Arms?"

"Nothing high assault according to Henry. He reported guns, police issue hand guns from what he could tell. A couple chains, metal crowbars and...."

"A bat," Blair whispered, rocking himself in Jim's embrace. "He said he had a new bat, special for....Oh God. Oh, God...Oh God...."

"Yeah," Rafe confirmed glancing at the shocky dancer for the first time. "How'd he know?"

Blair went deathly still. "He wants me to meet him on the corner. I have to go."

Jim's arms tightened around him, holding him firmly on his lap. "Forget it, sweet cheeks. You're not going to meet him."

"I have to go," Blair repeated, managing a quiet smile. "My punishment will be worse if he has to come find me." He caressed Jim's cheek. "Thank you for tonight. It almost seemed real. Like real loving, I mean. So nice to be able to pretend for a couple hours."

He leaned into Jim, giving him one last kiss.

Jim's hands slid into his lover's hair, his thumb finding the pressure point he sought and swallowed Blair's sigh as the young dancer lost consciousness.

Gathering the limp body in his arms, Jim rose to his full height and met Simon and Rafe's eyes. "Simon, we're bugging out."

CHAPTER SIX

Simon crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared at the sleeping dancer. "I don't get it. He's still trying to go back to the club. I thought after....."

"What?" Jim grumbled. "What did you think?"

"Well you took him to bed, didn't you? Did the bonding thing, right? So what the hell is up with that? Why isn't he...."

Jim rounded on the frowning man, his eyes shooting blue daggers. "Christ, Si, you don't understand a god damn thing, do you?"

"Huh?"

"What did you think. I'd fuck him and he'd be so eternally grateful he'd follow me into the fires of hell. Jesus...."

"Well, yeah...."

"You're a fucking idiot, Si," Jim raged. "A God-damned bloody fucking idiot."

"Could be," Rafe said quietly. "So why don't you tone it down before you wake the boy and tell us why we're so damn stupid. I thought the kid would be your fuck slave forever too."

Jim scrubbed his hands over his face. "I'm the one who bonds, not him." he said, with a bitter laugh. "I'm the fuck slave here."

Simon grabbed Jim's arm, snapping his friend round to face him. "Say what?"

"You heard me," Jim slumped into the hard chair beside the breakfast table. "I'm the one who attaches. Not him. To him I was just another fuck. A fuck that means nothing more than any other fuck he has had. One big zero..Zip...Nothing."

"Oh Jesus," Simon whispered. "We bonded you to a whore, Jim. He screws for money...with anyone...."

"And now you see part of the problem." Jim said.

"There's more?"

"Oh yeah, Si. There's more." Rafe said. "We're mercenaries, remember? We risk our lives on a daily basis fighting one or another battle for some guy with enough cash to make it worth our while. That kid hasn't got enough survival instinct to keep him running from Benny and his goon squad. How's he gonna live through a fire fight."

Jim's grin was more of a grimace. "Now you're getting with the picture. What good is a guide who can't keep his head down?"

"He'll get both of you killed first time out," Simon said.

"And that's the second part of the problem," Jim agreed. "Want to try for part three?"

"Part three?" Simon groaned. "What else could there be. Damn, Jim, can't you just take a new guide and let this one go?"

Jim shook his head. "A guide is a guide till one or the other is dead."

"So, a quick shot to the head..."

"Try it if you dare," Jim hissed.

"Part three." Rafe sighed. "Jim will protect that damn slut with his life."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Blair woke from his own screams, bolting upright in the bed. His hand flew to either side, tap tap tapping searchingly. "Light..Light. Light, where the hell is the light?" he rasped, his voice tinged with hysteria.

The bedside lamp snapped on, wrenching another cry from him. His wild gaze darted around, coming to rest on the watchful features of the man he'd spent the evening fucking. He scrambled back against the headboard, tucking his legs up close to his chest, and waited.

"You're afraid of the dark," Jim said.

Blair hit him with a Duhh-look. "Tell me something I don't already know."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you afraid?"

Blair snorted. "Stupid question, man. There's bad things in the dark. Things you can't see coming until their half way up your ass and tearing you apart."

Jim stood up and stretched. "That chair's damn uncomfortable, sweet cheeks. Why don't you move over and give a guy half the bed?"

"How come I'm here?" Blair asked instead. "Last thing I remember, I was supposed to meet Lou on the corner?"

"And you would have gone, knowing he intended to kill you."

Blair shrugged, "He owns me. Or at least he oversees Lou's stable."

Jim pushed his way into the bed, dragging the younger man down with him. "You are not going back, Blair. You said Tony was going to get you out. Well, you're out now. You're with me."

Blair shoved against Jim's chest. "You are crazy, man. Sure Tony and I talked about getting out. All the slut boys talk about getting out. Just the same as we all know we're never getting past the front door. Hell, man, screwing is the only thing most of us know how to do." Blair turned his most seductive gaze on the man who held him "The only thing I know how to do."

Jim brushed a kiss over his partner's pouting lips. "You don't have to do that anymore, Blair. I..."

Blair shoved harder, slipping out of Jim's arms and the bed. "You?" he snapped. "You what? You want your own personal bitch? Is that it? Is it? Well, maybe I need more than you can give. You ever think of that? Maybe I like fucking a dozen men a night. How about that? You gonna let me do that?"

"Blair....."

"What?" the young man raged. "I don't know what's going on with you, man? Why you want a slut boy in your bed? Why are you doing this?"

Jim bolted off the bed and bore down on him. "You want to fuck around?" he sneered.

"What if I do?" Blair retorted. "That's what I been doing for all my life. What of it?"

"Rafe," Jim roared. "Simon, get the hell in here."

His cruel fingers bit into Blair's tender forearm, holding him firmly in place. "Ok, you want to whore, that's what you'll do, bitch." He ripped the baggy clothes from the trembling dancer.

"Dammit, Simon, Rafe, in here now." he roared again, flinging the naked man down on the bed.

The connecting door exploded open and Simon and Rafe burst into the room, guns in hand. Both men skidded to a halt, in the face of their raging sentinel.

Jim pointed toward them, his eyes blazing hellfire. "Service them, whore," he growled.

"What?" Blair gasped.

"You heard me, damn you. Fuck them. When you're finished with them I'll call in the rest of the squad. You think that will be enough for you?"

"Please..."

"Do it."

Swallowing hard, Blair crawled off the bed and approached Rafe with tears shining in his downcast eyes.

"Now wait a minute, Jim," Rafe protested, back-peddling away from the pale man.

"Shut up, Rafe Just shut the hell up and enjoy the squad bitch." Jim shoved Blair roughly to his knees. "Suck him off, you damn whore."

A tear escaped Blair's control as he cupped Rafe's denim covered cock.

"Dammit, no," Rafe snarled, shoving Blair away. "Jim, stop this now."

"Get up," Jim raged, advancing on the man sprawled naked and trembling on the floor.

"Please, I didn't mean it," Blair begged, covering his head with his arms. "I didn't mean it."

Simon suddenly stepped between them, swinging a fist into Jim's jaw and stopping the rampaging sentinel cold. "That is more than enough, Ellison." he snarled, standing his ground firmly between the merc and the dancer. "What the hell is this all about?"

Blair peeked out from under his arms. "Let me go," he whispered. "Just let me go, man. I don't understand any of this. I don't want to understand any of it. Just let me go."

"No." Jim said firmly.

"Hush," Rafe said, gently bundling Blair up in the bedspread. He settled the smaller man down on the bed, but when he made to move away Blair clung to him, babbling, begging, pleading for his release.

Rafe smiled gently down on the man, brushing his wild curls away from his pale face. "Where?" he asked softly. "Where would you go? Back to the club? You just gonna go back and let them kill you. That's stupid, kid."

Tears slid from distraught blue eyes. "I....I don't know. Oh, god, why? Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know." Rafe said, gathering the sobbing man into his arms, patting his back clumsily. "I don't know."

Jim took a step toward the couple on the bed. Simon grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Leave the kid alone, Ellison."

"Get you hand off, Si, if you want to keep it."

"You don't scare me with your I-eat-babies-for-breakfast act, Ellison," he snapped. "What the hell is going on in here anyway?"

"My....my fault," Blair hiccuped. "It's my fault."

Simon whirled around in time to catch the look that passed between the buff merc and the erotic dancer.

"I....I said some stuff," Blair continued, picking at the fluff design on the spread. "I.....I....said...." A choking sob stopped the timid words.

Jim sprang past Simon, knocking Rafe out of his way and gathered Blair into his arms. "Hush, baby boy, hush. I'm sorry. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm gonna take care of you."

"Right. After this little scene I'm sure he's gonna just fall into your arms and believe that spiel," Rafe grumbled, picking himself up off the floor.

"I think," Simon said, guiding Rafe toward the door, "Jim needs to do some explaining to the kid right about now, Rafe. Alone."

"But..."

"It's all right," Blair said softly. "Something tells me I should hear what he has to say."

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Report."

Lou shifted from one foot to the other and back again.

Benny laid down the inventory sheet he'd been studying and looked up. "You got rid of the problem?"

"Well...."

Benny rose slowly to his feet. "You better not be about to disappoint me, Lou."

"Wish to god I wasn't," Lou said quietly.

"The little slut is dead, isn't he?"

Lou swallowed hard and shook his head.

"I can't hear you, Lou."

"No, sir. Blair was gone when I got there."

"Gone?" Benny snarled. "Gone where?"

"I don't know. The room he'd been in with the john was trashed like they'd cut out in a hell of a hurry."

"You checked for any leads to where they might have gone?"

"Yes, sir. Found nothing but a whole lot of ash in the bottom of the trash bin. In their room and the connecting room, too. The manager said the place had been rented by three men, not counting the whore."

"I'm very unhappy here, Lou," Benny growled. "You trained Blair when he first came into the club. If he'd been correctly conditioned he would never have run. So what went wrong?"

"He wouldn't have run I'd stake my life on it. That damn john must have forced him to leave with him."

"Fuck that, Lou. I want that slut dead. He knows to much about our operation."

Lou nodded. "He will be."

"Shit," Benny slumped down in his chair once more. "I knew we were buying trouble when Loco called in his favor. I knew we never should have taken that whore Tony off his hands."

CHAPTER NINE

Blair shifted uncomfortably in the long drawn out silence. Rafe and Simon had left them alone more than ten minutes ago, and in all that time the dangerous man had paced back and forth the length of the room, not once even glancing in his direction. It was as if he were not even in the room.

Not that that bothered him. He was so not ready to draw the crazy guy's attention. Nope, not if he could help it.

Feeling stiffness settling into his bones, he snuggled deeper into the bedspread Rafe had bundled him into. The memory of that made him smile. He liked the feeling of being pampered. Maybe even cared for.

"Now that's stupid," he berated himself under his breath. "Aren't you ever gonna learn, slut boy. Nobody cares for one of your kind."

Hadn't that misconception drawn him to the big man stomping back and forth before his eyes. Boy had he found out just how bad his instincts for people were.

"You're wrong, Blair." Jim said, suddenly on his knees before the tense man. "You have no idea how very wrong you are."

Blair fought the urge to scamper away from him, just curling his fingers tighter around the spread that covered him.

"I care, Blair." Jim cupped one pale cheek and leaned up to brush his lips against Blair's. "I care."

Blair moaned under the big man's pleasurable assault and Jim deepened the kiss, gathering Blair into his arms.

Blair enjoyed the sensation of being in the big man's arms for a bit, then realizing what he was doing, shoved him away. "You only paid for one, Johnny," he said firmly. "Benny doesn't allow freebies."

"Doesn’t matter what Benny allows, Blair," Jim lifted him bodily into his arms and settled them both down on the bed with Blair curled into his lap. "I guess I better have that little talk with you first, though."

"Talk would be nice," Blair assured him. "Long as you don't go bonkers on me again. I can only handle so much knocking around, you know?"

Chuckling, Jim tucked Blair's head onto his shoulder. "Thought it was in your job description, sweet cheeks."

"Only in the read-with-a-magnifying-glass fine print," Blair whispered. "You find out about that part once the deal's done."

"You hate what you're doing, don't you?"

"Whoring?" Blair shrugged. "Love it. Hate it. What difference does it make? It's the life I've drawn."

"Remember I told you I old have given you a choice if we hadn't gotten out of hand?"

Blair tipped a glance up. "When you were fucking me stupid? Yeah, I remember. Something about bonding and crap like that. Seemed like a silly thing to say, all things considered."

"Silly to you, but not to me," Jim sighed. "Blair, you understand that Tony was my mate?"

Yeah, I got that loud and clear." Blair meet his somber gaze. "I didn't kill him, but I didn't save him either. and for that I'm sorry."

Jim gave a sad little laugh. "What do you think you could have done, Blair?"

Blair thought that one over for a minute. "They would have killed me too."

Jim nodded. "You wouldn't have stood a chance. Tony knew what he was doing. He wasn't a man to take anyone with him. That's why he hid you."

"You really loved him, didn't you?" Blair marveled. "The I'd-give-my-life-for-you kind of love."

Jim didn't answer. He didn't need too.

"Guess that's something I'll never experience. I would have liked to just once, but....."

Jim cut the stream of words with a gentle kiss. "You never know what might come your way, sweet cheeks. Don't give up on it."

"Yeah right. Mister right's just gonna walk up to me between now and Lou catching up with me and sweep me up in his arms, I suppose."

Jim smiled. "You never know."

"Yeah, the slut boy and the prince. I can see it now." He snuggled down under Jim's chin. "Why was Tony in the Club, Jim. You didn't sell him. Not loving him like you did."

Jim's arms tightened around the man in his arms. "I seem to have made some very strong enemies over the years, Blair. One in particular thought he could cripple me by taking away my guide."

"Guide?"

"Yes, guide. Tony was more than the man I loved. I'm a sentinel, you see. He was my guide."

"Lost me, big guy. Don't have a clue what your talking about, but somehow I have a feeling I am not going to like the direction it's taking us. This has something to do with that bonding thing you mentioned, doesn't it?"

Jim nodded. "I am afraid I'm rather possessive of my guide."

"I don't think I want to hear this," Blair said, squirming in Jim's embrace. "It doesn't have anything to do with me, anyway. I ...."

"You are my new guide."

Blair froze, staring gape-mouthed.

"Do you understand what I’m telling you, Blair. I have bonded to you. You are my guide."

"Oh no," he said shaking his head firmly when he found his voice at last. "Oh, no I am not. I can't be. I don't want to be. I....."

"I warned you what would happen if we consummated. There is nothing that can be done about it."

"Well I don't accept that. I won't do it. There must be some way to reverse....."

"One of us would have to die."

Blair blinked. "Well, that's a bit permanent, don't you think?"

"Nothing more permanent."

Blair sighed. "Tell me what this guide has to do, then."

CHAPTER TEN

"That's it," Jim said, finishing his explanation in a quite voice.

"That's it?" Blair repeated just as quietly. "That's it?" he said again, his voice rising in volume. "That is it?" He rocketed out of Jim's arms. Fired with anxiety he raced back and forth in the same pacing pattern Jim had used an hour before, nearly bouncing off the walls in his panic.

"Well, there is just a little more you need to know." Jim added.

Blair backed himself into a corner. "Ok, I'm ready as I'm ever going be," he said, bracing himself against the wall with his eyes closed tight.

"Ready? To hear what I have to tell you? Not with your eyes closed."

"Hell no," Blair erupted, squeezing his eyes tighter.

"What then?"

Blair opened his eyes. "Shoot me"

"What?"

"You said one of us has to die to break this bond thing. Well my number's up anyway, or it will be once Benny catches me up, so I think you'd make it a cleaner death. Shoot me."

"Don't be stupid, Blair."

"Not taking the news as well as you hoped, is he, Ellison?" Simon said, slipping through the connecting door.

"You been listening all this time?"

Simon snorted. "After the last time we left you alone with the kid you really think I wouldn't have my cute little ear pressed up against the door?" He grinned, waving the ever present cigar toward the pale man wedged into the corner. "So, you gonna shoot him in here or take him outside? I'm here to tell you I'm not cleaning up the mess. And Rafe is getting some much needed rest. Wouldn't take well to being woke up with gunfire. Maybe you ought to use that switchblade of yours. Then you could hold him, maybe give him one last kiss while your sliding the blade in."

"Oh god..."

"Shut the hell up Si," Jim snapped, turning back to Blair. "Come on, sweet cheeks. I'm not gonna shoot you and I'm not gonna let Benny get his hands on you either."

"So, you gonna tell him the really good part?" Simon asked, making himself comfortable in an easy chair. "Or you want me to make sure all the doors and windows are locked first?"

"Shut the hell up, Si. You are not making this any easier."

"Hey, none of this is my fault...."

Simon grimaced under Jim's baleful glare.

"Well, maybe some of this is my fault." he grumbled. "But you put the situation in front of me to fuck up and you gotta admit, I did a beautiful job."

"No doubt there," Jim murmured

Blair's head was moving like a spectator at a tennis match. "Hey..Hey guys, this is making me dizzy. Both of you are stalling on this second thing, aren't you. It's bad, isn't it? I'm not going to like it even more than I don't like this guide thing, right? Well am I right?"

Simon laughed. "The dancer boy is a bright one, isn't he?"

"Blair," Jim reached out a hand to him. "Come here."

Curls flew as he shook his head. "No. Nope. Don't want to. Want to wake up all nice and safe in my bed and get ready to do the Saturday night set. God, I want this all to be one big nightmare with Tony lying next to me after we......." He clapped his hand over his mouth, staring wide-eyed at Jim.

"What?" Jim snapped, his eyes flashing.

"Oh shit, time to duck and cover," Simon said, shifting his weight forward to leave the chair.

"Don't you move, Si," Jim snarled, then turned back to Blair. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

Jim advanced on Blair. "You were fucking my Tony. You two bit whore, you were fucking my lover."

"Whoa, man, not again," Simon said jumping to his feet and intercepting the big man. "Rafe, Christ man, get in here. Jim's after the kid again."

"Get out of my way, dammit."

"The hell I will. You'll kill that simple minded fool and then beat yourself up for it when you realize what you've done."

Rafe appeared at the door. "What the hell's going on. Can't a man get an hour's sleep without something flaring up in here. Damn, stripper boy, why don't you just lay the brat and cheer him up."

A vicious roar erupted from Jim and he plowed through Simon, tossing the man aside like so much fluff. His fingers wrapped around Blair's arms lifting him from the ground until his was in his face. "You want to know the rest, Blair?" He ground out.

"No, no, no, "Blair said, shaking his head. "No more."

"We're going after, Benny, Blair," he said, smiling the shark smile. "And you are the bait."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Concealed in the shadows, Jim stared at the lonely figure of the stripper hidden, albeit poorly, in the shadows of the alley across from them.

"Why are you making him do this, Jim?" Simon hissed at his elbow.

Jim's glance was hard. "He slept with Tony."

"And Tony was innocent in the whole thing, right."

Jim glared harder, his jaw clenching.

"Jim, losing Tony was not your fault. You couldn't avoid being shot. You couldn't help being in coma for several weeks, or needing rehab to get back on your feet. Much as you want to blame yourself for all that, you were not in control of the situation. Hell, man we almost lost you, too."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Guilt Jim. Your guilt over not being there when Tony was kidnapped. Over not being there when he needed the comfort of another human being. The guilt you're awarding Blair for being the man he turned to for a little human kindness. Hell, Jim, when you consider the life those two survived, you should be down on your knees thanking that whore for taking Tony under his wing. But not you. Oh hell no. You're gonna get the kid killed."

"He'll be all right," Jim snapped, trying to convince himself more than the other man. "He'll be all right."

"How's he doing over there?"

Jim scowled and whispered into the radio, "Blair move deeper into the alley. I don't want them to see you until we know Benny is in the car."

Blair stopped his restless bouncing and did as he was told, hiding himself even from Sentinel view.

"He's scared, Si. Heart's up by three. I can smell the fear on him from here. Doesn't he ever stop bouncing around? It's like dealing with a ball on constant dribble."

Simon gave a sympathetic laugh. "He's one wired little guy, isn't he? Gonna throw you into chaos for sure."

"Did you hear that? Blair, everything OK over there?"

"Yeah, spooked a stray cat." came back the breathy answer. "Man, tell me again what's supposed to happen here. "

Jim hushed him. "You'll do fine, kid. Just do what I told you and drop when the fire fight starts."

"Hey? Blair sounded like a lost child. "It's dark here."

Damn. He forgotten the kid's fear the dark. Well, that explained why it sounded like a squad on parade over there. What the hell was the kid doing anyway? Christ, that sounded like he knocked over a trash can.

"Blair, quiet down over there. You're making enough noise to raise the dead."

"Mmmmhp...."

"Blair? Blair, speak to me, sweet cheeks."

"Oh shit....." Simon rasped.

Jim never completed the turn. Blinding pain cut him out of the picture and dragged him down to the darkness that frightened Blair so much.

*************

Oh God, this is so bad.

Blair went down on one knee before the man who had owned him for so long. his head bent in absolute submission.

"Nice of you to rejoin the family, Blair baby," Lou taunted from behind him.

Blair couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through him "Yes, master."

"You betrayed us, Blair baby," Lou said.

A fine sheen of sweat broke out over Blair's body. "No, I...."

Lou wrenched Blair's head back by a fistful of hair, nearly knocking him over by the force. "You betrayed us."

"Ye.....Yes, master," he managed.

Lou released him, sending Blair reeling face-down into the carpet.

Lightening pain short circuited his nerves as Lou's steel toed boot connected with his ribs and he cried out.

"Silent, Blair baby. Don't make a sound. Do you understand?" Another kick in his back. "Nod, Blair. You know how to respond."

Biting his lip, Blair nodded. And prayed for a quick death.

A third kick had him curling up in a protective ball.

"Strip him and put him on the cross," Benny's words came through the pain encased fog.

Blair's body screamed as the clothes were ripped from his body and he was hustled across the room to the X-shaped bar. Agony scored his mind as first his arms were jerked above his head and buckled onto the hard metal stand, then his legs were kicked out from under him and restrained.

Through it all, he did not resist. Did not make a sound.

The crack of a whip broke the silence. If he hadn't been shaking so hard from the abuse he'd already endured, he would have trembled.

"Now, Blair baby, Benny has some questions for you. You are permitted to answer. Do you understand?"

Blair nodded.

The lead-tipped whip hit, scoring Blair's chest open. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, master."

Lou chuckled, snapping the whip close enough to stir the air near Blair's face. "That's a good little slut boy." he stepped close, running a finger down Blair's pale cheek. "Now we'll start with an easy question, shall we? Tell Lou who Johnny is, slut boy?"

"I don't know," Blair whispered.

"You don't know." Lou's hand moved to toy with Blair's nipple, exciting it to hardness and then chuckling, he gave Blair's sensitized nipple a vicious twist. Blair screamed. Lou retaliated by slamming his fist into Blair's face and the boy tasted his own blood.

********

Jim came out of the darkness swinging his switchblade and taking down the thug who was man-handling him into the truck of a late model chevy. Encumbered by Simon's limp body, the second tough went out without a sound, his throat sliced ear to ear.

Snatching Simon out of the blood and gore, Jim swung the man over his shoulder and ran for the alley he'd last seen Blair hiding in.

The dancer was nowhere to be seen.

*********

"Who, Blair baby?" Lou snarled, slicing a fine line across Blair's chest with a razor. "Tell Lou who Johnny was." Blair remained stubbornly silent. "Come on, Blair baby, why suffer any more than then you have to, baby. Just answer our questions and we can bring this messy business to a close."

Blair's head lolled on his neck. Eyes, shining with more pain than a man should ever endure, lifted to his tormentor and he smiled. "You ......lose."

His body slumped, hanging limply from the restraints.

***********

Simon opened his dark eyes to discover Jim crouched down in a corner between the brick building and a huge trash bin, staring sightlessly into the darkness.

He crawled over to the way-too-quiet man. "Jim?" He shook Jim's arm. "Jim are you with me?"

"He was afraid of the dark, Si," Jim whispered. "Said bad things crawled out of the dark and you couldn't see them till they'd crawled up inside you and tore you apart." Jim turned to meet Simon's worried eyes. "I sent him into the dark.."

"Jim, where is he? Where is the kid?"

Jim gave a bitter laugh. "They took him. The bad things took him."

"He's probably dead," Simon decided. "That's why you're so....ungrounded?"

Jim shook his head. "Not dead. I won't accept that, Si. I put him out on the firing line. I won't let him die. Not like I let Tony die."

"If he isn't, he will be soon."

"No."

"Well, what then?" Simon demanded. "We heading for the club?"

"They won't take him there."

Simon sighed. "Jim this is not getting us anywhere."

"I know," Jim said, standing suddenly. "I know where they took him."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

Jim turned to stare into the distance. "I can hear his screams ....In my head."

*********

Simon crab-walked to Jim's side, peering around the other man to see what had frozen him to the spot. And wished to god he hadn't.

The dancer....Blair....was dangling from a metal cross bar. Blood covered every exposed square inch of the man, his naked state leaving nothing to question.

Simon's hands, one turned up the other down, rotated halfway round....Dead?

Jim gave a quick shake of his head....no. He pointed at Simon and then his hand curved around....You go around.

Simon nodded his understanding and held up his hand with five fingers up....Five

Jim returned the gesture with a quick nod. Simon took a step away, but Jim grabbed his arm.

He pointed to himself, made a grasping motion, pointed to the two men smoking in the light and mimicked the hand rotation Simon had made....I want them dead.

Simon pulled up his own shark's smile from somewhere and touched his hand to his head pulling it away....Understood. He pointed toward the men, made a jerking motion then blew on the tip of his finger.

Jim made the circling motion again and turned back to stare at the boy he'd sworn to protect. The man he had failed....miserably, and made a silent vow.

*********

Simon poked his head around a crate, catching Jim's attention. He pointed once, indicating his target. Jim nodded, held up his left hand while taking aim and counted down from three. Twin shots fired, taking out their targets without warning.

Jim scampered out of his cover and bounded to the injured man. "Blair?" He whispered, wiping blood from the battered face. "Blair, you come back to me. Do you hear me? You come back."

Simon worked fast to unrestrain the dancer, letting him slip down into Jim's possessive arms.

Blair groaned, opening his eyes. A weak smile curled the corners of his full, pale lips. "I've died and gone to heaven," he whispered as his eyes closed again. "It's gonna be a wild death with you here with me."

Jim chuckled, brushing his lips over the curly head. "And an even wilder life, sweet cheeks. Looks like we're stuck with each other now."

CHAPTER TWELVE

Four days.

Four days since the threat of Benny and his sadistic henchman, Lou had been canceled.

Four hell-driven days since Blair had fallen into unconsciousness in Jim's arms.

Four endless days and nights while Jim watched over the pale stripper, listening to the too slow heartbeat. The too slow breathing, getting slower and slower.

Four days spent on death watch.

"Oh god, sweet cheeks. Don't do this." Jim whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes closed against the picture of approaching death.

"Got you worried, does he, Jimbo?" A familiar voice taunted against the backdrop of an eagle's soul-wrenching scream.

Jim's eyes jerked toward the window sill and the majestic eagle roosting there. As he watched, the bird shimmered, morphed, reshaped itself into the familiar beaming features of the man he loved. "Tony?"

Tony tipped him a jaunty salute. "The one and only." He hopped down from the sill and sauntered over to the bed, brushing unruly curls away from the near death stripper. "I give you the gift of your next guide and what do you to with him?" He made a cooing sound at the unhearing figure of a man. "Not yet, Blair mine. It's not your time." His head swiveled around to Jim. "He's a beauty, don't you think?"

"Yes." Jim hissed.

A sad smile whispered over Tony's features. "He's not going to make it."

"He has to."

"Why."

Jim stared at the phantom figure, searching for the words. "He's my guide."

"Says you." Tony snapped. "And in the next breath you rejected him."

"I didn't reject....."

"He thinks you have. The elders agree."

"Well they better rethink it."

"You blame him for sleeping with me." Tony shot back.

This time Jim remained silent.

"You set him up to die, Jimbo."

"I didn't." Jim protested. "I thought I could......"

"Protect him?" Tony jeered. "Always you think you're the great white protector. You, who put him in the dark. Made him wait for death in the place he fears the most. You made his nightmare reality."

"I know," Jim whispered brokenly. "I failed him."

Tony nodded. "Quite effectively I'd say."

Jim's haunted eyes met the spirit guide's. "And I failed you."

"Try not to be a bigger fool than you have to be." Tony growled.

Jim's head ducked.

"Ah Jimbo, I shouldn't have been rude. Don't pout."

"Tony, don't take him away from me. I can't handle losing another guide. I wanted to die when ......"

"Take him from you? Me? Jimbo, I hand selected him as my replacement."

"But why?" Jim demanded. "Why did you want to leave me?"

"I didn't want to leave you, Jimbo. I had no other choice. I was dying when I was taken. "

"No....."

"Cancer, Jimbo. Inoperable. Doc told me I wasn't going to live out the year." He laughed sadly. "I'd been looking around for my replacement since I learned the truth. Didn’t plan to find your guide in a place like Benny's, but you play the cards your dealt and when I clapped eyes on this one, I knew. Had GUIDE written all over him, he did. So I courted the guy. Won his trust and started talking escape to him. Somehow Lou caught on to what I was about. He wasn't exactly happy."

"So he killed you."

Tony grimaced. "Yeah."

"I wish.....Blair said it was bad."

Another sad laugh rippled in the air. "Lou was a sadistic son of a bitch. But you know that. You see what he did to Blair."

"Yes." He sat on the bed and took Blair's chilled hand in his. "I want him to live, Tony. I want to make him come back." His eyes were tear-filled when he looked up into Tony's serene features. "I don't know what to do...How to make him hear me....I don't know how to bring him back."

"He can hear you, Jimbo." Tony murmured. He listens to every word from the Temple Of Choice. When he is ready, he will decide to go forward or come back. While he's lingering, there is a chance, but I won’t lie to you. The decision to go forward is almost impossible to resist."

"Jim," Simon's voice jerked Jim around and out of the zone.

He glanced around himself and found the room empty except for the unmoving Blair and Simon, who was shaking him by the arm..

"Come on, Jim. You need to get some rest. I'm taking you home....

"No."

"Jim, be reasonable, you need to get some sleep. You were zoned when I came in here.

"No, Blair needs me here. He needs to know I won't leave him. That I want him to come back."

"Jim, he doesn't know a damn thing. Think about it, for Christ's sake. He's been unconscious ....."

Blair gave a choking sound and his body jerked spastically. The alarms went off suddenly and the room was clogged with the code blue doctors ad nurses, jostling Jim and Simon out the door.

"We're losing him...."

Jim lost contact with the world, slipping into a sightless zoneout. His knees buckled and Simon went down with him, supporting him while he listened for a heartbeat that was no longer there.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Jim, You hear me, you big lug," a familiar voice beckoned through the shifting shadows. Familiar, but not the one he was waiting to hear. "Come on, Ellison. Bust through, dammit."

Jim turned his back on the voice, slipping deeper into the warm darkness.

"That's it." another voice, fading....fading..."You've been at this five ours, Johnny."

Five hours. Was it only five?

"The brain scan has barely fluctuated. Prep him for the move to the war wagon."

"You got it, Kell."

*************

A soft heartbeat called him back. And the strangely herbal scent that could only be....

"Speak to him, kid," Johnny encouraged. "Touch him."

"This is crazy," Blair slurred through his broken lip.

"Crazy or not, do it."

A hand, hesitant but there caressed Jim's chest. "Hey you big dope. What do you think you're doing anyway?"

"That's what I like to hear. A real take charge approach." Dr Kelly Brackett said, grinning.

Johnny Gage chuckled. "Right approach with this one. He's a stubborn son of a bitch if I ever saw one."

Brackett laughed, nodding. "Any changes?"

"Yeah, brain wave activity is raising." Johnny reported. "Keep going, Kid. Talk him home."

"I don't understand any of this."

"You're doing just fine," Brackett murmured in his best bedside manner.

Blair glanced between the two men and nodded. "Kay." He took a deep breath. "Come on, man. Where are you anyway?"

Nothing

"Hey, you told me I had to come back for you. Well I did, now same thing back at you."

Jim's lids flickered once.

"You know what happens to a slave when the owner dies? They put them up on the block." He swallowed hard. "Man, I'm not much to look at right now, you know? I'll be lucky to bring anything. Who wants a slut boy who can't make no money, huh?" His hands fluttered over Jim's chest. "They only put a guy on the block twice. After that they figure your not worth the cost and...."

Jim's strong fingers curled around a handful of curls and dragged Blair into a hungry kiss. "Your days as a slave are over, sweet cheeks," he whispered. "So what happened. I heard you die."

Blair grinned nervously. "A temporary condition."

"I’m glad to hear that." Jim swung his legs off the bed, sitting up with Blair cuddled in is arms. "You look like shit, Kid."

"Didn't I just say that?" Blair grumbled. "A zero sale on the block."

"You don't have to worry about that, Blair. You won't be going on any damn auction block. Not now."

"How are you feeling now, Jim?" Brackett asked, removing the monitors.

Jim hurled him a quick open smile. "They must have been worried, huh? Brought in the big guns."

"Stubborn SOB," Johnny complained. "You locked down so tight on this kid we had to pull him out of his recovery bed to bring you out."

Jim's arms tightened ever so slightly around his guide. "Then you better make sure no legal eagle try's to reclaim him as willed property in Benny's inheritance."

Already taken care of," Johnny told him. "Blair was officially drafted and inducted into the Sentinel Program the night of the warehouse skirmish."

"With no trouble?"

"With a whole lot of trouble. They weren't exactly happy to lose him."

Jim scowled, smoothing Blair's curls. "I'll keep him close."

"Yeah, well you're going to have to do just that. The kid belonged to the Rieche. Those crazies don't follow any rule but their own. If they want him back, there's no telling to what lengths they will go."

"If they want him back?" Simon asked, stepping into the treatment room. "No doubt about that, Johnny. And Jim was right about the legals. Just got a call from a lawyer asking if Blair was available for sale. Seems Benny's daughter has a special fondness for the kid and would like him back."

Jim felt the young man tremble in his arms. "No deals, Si. Johnny, how long before Blair will be ready for level one training?"

Johnny tilted his head thoughtfully. I can begin this afternoon."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Okay, Jim. We're going to begin by having you go into a deliberate zoneout," Johnny said, settling down in the chair next to Blair's cot. "Are you ready?"

Jim shifted nervously in his own chair before nodding once. "Yeah. Okay. What do you want me to focus on?"

Johnny scowled. "One minute here. I think we're going to have to clear up a couple of things first."

"What kind of things?" Jim grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Johnny gave him a hard stare. "You do trust Blair to pull you out, don't you, Jim?"

Jim cut a quick glance in Blair's direction. "I...Yeah, he can bring me out."

"Glad you think so," Blair murmured under his breath.

Jim reached over and captured Blair's fleeing hand. "Listen, baby boy, the link I've forged with you is so intense I could find you a state away. I hear you with my ears," he tapped his forehead. "And here."

"Are you saying you have a psychic link to the kid?" Johnny asked, bouncing in his seat.

"Why are guides all so damn hyper?" Jim groaned to himself. "Yeah, the night we nearly lost Blair I found him from his screams."

"But I didn't....Lou ordered me to remain silent except to answer their question. I didn't cry out....Not a sound."

"I know. I heard your silent screams."

Blair squirmed around on his bed, his eyes darting everywhere but the two men who insisted on taking him away from everything familiar. "Oh man, this is just too weird."

Johnny patted Blair's thigh. "Relax Blair. psychic links are rare, but not unheard of. Just makes your bonding all that more special."

"Don't want to be special." Blair pouted. "Want to be normal."

"Normal is over for you, kid." Johnny said softly. "You're down in the records as a guide. They're as hard to find as sentinels."

"You're telling me I'm trading one form of slavery for another?" Blair murmured. "How about you? How did you come to be a trainer?"

A deep sadness gathered in Johnny's dark eyes. "My sentinel....Dix....was killed during a skirmish a year ago. She took a bullet meant for me. Losing her left me in a mental fague. I..."

"Johnny can't return to fieldwork, Blair," Jim said with a shrug. "Leave it at that."

Blair winced, ducking his head. "Yes, sir."

"It's all right, Jim," Johnny soothed, watching the young man retreat deeper into himself with every breath. "Blair has every right to question me. In fact, he has to ask or he could wind up putting you or himself in danger. The best guides ask the most intense questions of their instructors." Johnny smiled sadly. "This young man asks the hard ones. He's got the makings of a damn good guide."

"How?" Blair whispered, his doubts written all over his face.

"How?" Johnny repeated, shaking his head.

"How can I make any kind of guide? I mean, I'm going to have to control ....him." he waved a panicked hand toward Jim. "Well just look at him. He's my....my master. A slave doesn't cont....control his owner."

"You'll do what you have to do."

"Wait a minute, Jim," Johnny interrupted. "Blair, will you tell me something....honestly?"

Blair looked at the dark haired man. "Yeah, if I can."

"Are you afraid of Jim, Blair?"

"What?" Jim demanded, glowering.

Blair blanched, easing a little farther away from Jim.

"Quiet, Jim. Blair, are you afraid of him?"

Blair nibbled at his lower lip. "I don't know where you would get an idea like...."

"Blair, the truth."

Light eyes lifted to dark ones, shifted to blue and back to the dark one. "I...."

"Tell me, Blair. It's important."

His lashes lowered, shielding his gaze. "Yes, sir." he whispered. "He scares me."

"Blair...." Jim said, hurt shining through the single word.

Johnny hurled a frown at him, silencing him. He curled a finger under Blair's chin and smiled encouragingly at the man. "Okay, now will you do something for me?"

Blair sneaked a glance in Jim's direction, nodding.

The smile became a devilish grin. "Say his name, Blair."

The lashes lowered again, veiling his panic.

"Come on, beauty. You're breaking his heart. Just his name."

Swallowing hard, Blair nodded. "J......I" Apprehensive eyes darted toward the silent sentinel. "J...Jim, I...."

Jim swept him up in his arms. "It's all right, sweet cheeks. I've been pushing you hard. I risked your life." He laughed bitterly. "Hell, I damn near got you killed."

Blair's hands fluttered as he struggled to get a breath in Jim's too tight embrace..

Johnny got into it, loosening Jim's hold a bit and laughing. "The downside of a sentinel, beauty, is that they all have this idiotic guilt trip thing going. Course they do compensate that with their oh so very nice cuddle reflex"

Blair sent him a twitchy smile. "Cuddle is nice."

"Better be, cuz that's your homework for tonight," Johnny said. "I can't get down to the training until the two of you are comfortable together. So tonight, Jim, take your guide out to a nice quiet motel and get comfortable. Room service, drinks, cuddles included. Got that?"

Jim tipped Blair's face back, gazing at his guide's nervously excited features. "Your the boss, Johnny. You are the boss."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Wandering restlessly around the lavish hotel room, Blair listened with half an ear as Jim placed an order with room service.

All too soon the now familiar long fingered hands curled over his shoulders, pulling him back against a solid, warm body. Jim's breath stirred his hair as he leaned down over the smaller man. "Why so jumpy, sweet cheeks?" he purred, turning the young man around to face him in his arms.

Blair's hands rose between them playing with the top button of Jim's shirt.

"Blair, why so nervous?" Jim asked again, smoothing back the curls that had fallen like a curtain over his face.

Exposed, Blair licked his lower lip. "Not...Not nervous."

A gentle tug on a dark strand tipped Blair's head back, forcing him to meet Jim's warm gaze. "Jim, remember?" he murmured. "Say my name."

Blair's eyes darted around the room before returning to Jim's

Jim grinned. Those hyper blink-and-you'll-miss-'em gestures were growing on him. Were actually quite adorable when you got used to them. And they spoke volumes. This bundle of bouncing energy in his arms was going to require some major adjusting to.

"Come on, Blair. It's a short name. Three little letters. Not hard at all to say."

A pink flush colored Blair's pale cheeks. "Jim, I...Tony...."

One finger across his lips silenced Blair's anxious words. "I'm not going to hurt you, Blair. I understand what happened with Tony."

"But how..."

"Unimportant." Jim banished the question. "Tony explained the whys and why nots to me. Don't ask, you wouldn't understand....just yet. There's something of a mystical side to this whole sentinel-guide thing."

Blair slanted a curious look up at him. "Like when I died, right? When I went to that jungle place and talked to the animal men? Did you know Tony was an eagle man? Well sure you must have, right? That's why he had that eagle tat, wasn't it? Do you have one, too? Am I gonna have to get one, cuz I gotta tell you man...."

Laughing, Jim wrapped the babbling man deeper into his embrace. "Yes, sweet cheeks on all counts, except the last, unless you want a tattoo. You're choice all the way."

Blair smiled shyly. "Tony was a lucky man to have you."

Jim crooked his brow.

"Jim," Blair whispered. "What's it like?"

"I need a little more, sweet cheeks." Jim said, chuckling. "What's what like?"

Blair hid his face against Jim's chest.. "Having someone, I mean. Someone who really cares if you live or die. Not because of the bucks you can bring them, but because they really care?"

"Blair there are a lot of people who care what happens to you. Why, there's Rafe, Si, Johnny...."

"They care about you, Jim. It's sort of a shadow thing, ya know? I get their concern cause you seem to think you need me to keep your head on straight. First time you realize what a load that is, I'm history."

"That's not true, Blair."

"It is true. I’m not stupid, man. I know the skinny. Know Tony was only using me as a replacement for you. A poor copy, at that. That's what whores are, right? A pale mirror of what Johnny really wants?" Blair tipped his head up to meet Jim's clear gaze. "Do you think you will ever like me?"

"Blair, I...."

"Oh, I know I turn you on, man," Blair cut him off. He pressed his hips against Jim's hard erection. "Hard to deny that isn't it? I figured out that you wanting to screw me has something to do with this guide bonding thing for you, ya know. But I'd like to think the sex was something a little more than getting my partner's rocks off before I'm put back on the floor."

"You listen to me, Blair," Jim said taking his face in his hands and forcing Blair to hold his gaze. "I have no intention of taking you to bed to have a cold fuck. You are right, I bed my guide. Not just to get my rocks off as you put it, but for the closeness."

"But...."

"No buts, Blair." Jim murmured, his eyes hooded. "I do like you. I like you very much."

Hope flashed over Blair's pale features. "Yeah?"

Jim leaned in, wetting Blair's lips with a teasing sweep of his tongue. "Oh yeah." He descended that last little bit, capturing Blair's lips in a gentle kiss. Blair opened under him shyly and Jim pressed the advantage, turning the kiss into a blazing inferno of passion.

A firm knocking at the door broke the inflamed couple apart. "Room service," Jim sighed. "I swear they must have all the rooms under surveillance. How else could they have such damnable timing?" he stole another quick kiss before releasing Blair and heading for the door.

Blair watched him for a moment, then moved across the room and slid a classical CD into the player. Soft music filtered through the room as the waiter pushed the cart into the room and quietly accepted his tip, leaving the two men alone once more.

Jim turned back into the room and watched as Blair set up the table for one and stepped away. He moved quickly so the other man back-stepped into his strong, possessive arms. "What you doing baby boy?"

"Preparing your meal, sir?"

Jim swept aside the chestnut hair and bet, nuzzling Blair's neck. "Our meal, baby boy. Get you setting over there now."

"But..."

"Now." Jim released him with a gentle shove and snagged the chilled Champagne from it's silver bucket. As Blair did his bidding, he poured out to flute glasses of the bubbling wine. He pushed a glass into Blair's hand, letting his fingers linger longer than necessary then picked up his own glass and savored a sip. "I have something for you, Blair."

Blair's eyes widened as Jim pulled a black leather pack from his back pocket and placed it in his hands. "What is it?"

"A gift." Jim told him through an indulgent chuckle. "Open it."

Blair fumbled with the gold clasp, finally popping the expensive binder open.

"You can read?"

Blair nodded. "Benny made sure of it. We had standing orders to go through any papers the johns brought in with them. Report back anything interesting."

"You understand what that is?"

"Jim, I....."

"You know what I'm giving you?"

Blair's eyes filled with tears as he fingered the golden words, nodding. "I don't know what to say." he whispered, staring at the papers again.

"Then don't say anything." Jim returned. "Just stay with me because you want to."

Blair flew into Jim's waiting arms, the papers forgotten, dropped onto the floor. One dim light shone down on the captioned, golden words....."Certificate Of Freedom"

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Blair giggled in delight as Jim lifted him high in his arms. His legs wrapped around Jim's waist. Jim's throaty laughter mingled with Blair's when the young man covered his face in a splattering of kisses. "Easy, sweet cheeks," he chuckled. "Don't get my hormones raging unless you're willing to face the consequences."

Blair stilled in his arms, staring into Jim's laughing eyes. "Unless I'm....willing?" he whispered, sliding down Jim's longer, thicker body. "I can decide?"

The laughter went out of Jim. "Well, yeah, Blair. I thought you understood. You're not a bed slave any longer."

"Yeah?" Blair husked. "Yeah. I can decide. I can say....no." He looked up in amazement. "I can say no."

"That's right, Blair," Jim said quietly, his voice neutral. "No one can tell you what to do now that you hold those papers."

"Jim, I....How can...." Frustration rolled off the guide in waves.

"What is it?" Jim said gently. "Tell me?"

"Jim, what if I can't....." His hands waved frantically. "All this. I don't know how...."

Jim pulled him close, smoothing a hand over the riotous curls. "You can do it, baby boy."

"How?"

"The same way as the rest of us, baby boy. One day at a time." He drew a deep breath. "I'm here for you, baby boy," he said softly. "If you want me to be."

"You?"

That stung like a slap in Jim's face.

He shrugged. "If you can't be with me...If I've been to hard on you, Johnny or Kell can hook you up with another sentinel.

Blair searched his face. "You'd let me go?"

Not able to face the glowing excitement in his young guide's ice blue eyes, Jim closed his own and prayed, .'God, get me through this.'

"If you wanted to leave me, yes, I would let you go."

Blair danced on the balls of his feet, to caught up in the changes in his own life to see the hell in his companion's reality. "Can I think about it?"

The words were a knife ripping through Jim's gut. His worst nightmare made real.

He hid behind a smile. "Yeah." He snagged their drinks, careful to avoid touching Blair was he passed him the glass. "Sure." He took a deep steadying sip. "Take all the time you need."

A curious frown crossed Blair's hollowed features. "You sure?"

Just drop it, kid. Let me bleed out in private. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, what about this bonding thing. You said..."

"Know what I said, kid,? Jim cut him off. "I lied."

Blair tilted his head, slanting a hard glance his way. "Why?"

"Why?" Jim gulped at the champagne. "Well, because..."

"Because why, Jim?"

Jim poured another glass and took another deep sip. "Have you noticed the view, Kid? It's spectacular. Why don't you...."

Blair was suddenly before him, plucking the glass from Jim's hand. "Fuck me, Jim."

"Wha...?" Jim back-pedaled a couple feet. "No, I..."

Blair curled his hands in Jim's shirt, dragging the stammering man into a blazing kiss. "I want you, sentinel."

Groaning in passion and pain, Jim shook his head.. "Blair, listen to me." He tried to stop hands that were everywhere, freeing him from his clothes. "Please, listen to me."

"Later," Blair promised, plundering Jim's lips.

Jim managed to break away and got a chair between them. "No, Blair. I'm...I'm not much for....casual sex." He stammered over the words.

"Why? Isn't that what we had that first night?" Blair demanded. "The night when you didn't bond with me. Tell me, Jim. What happens when a sentinel's bonded guide rejects him?"

"Blair...."

"Johnny said he had a breakdown when his sentinel was killed. You told me that sentinel's are the ones to bond, but that's not quite true, is it? Is it?"

Jim shook his head. "It takes time, but a guide does lock onto his sentinel. Johnny and Dix were together for five years. He loved her."

"And that's why he can't work in the front-lines any more, isn't it? Why he had his collapse?"

Jim desperately sought an answer, but found none.

"Tell me what would happen to you if you lost another guide so soon after the first?"

"Nothing." Jim answered quickly. "I'd get another assigned to me."

Blair shook his head. "Simon said you were coming unglued since Tony died. Hell, I saw it myself. You were hanging on by a thread."

Yeah, Jim thought. The same thread I'm dangling from now.

"Blair, this is pointless. Johnny ordered us to relax and have some fun tonight. There's a nice meal set out for us. Why don't we..."

"Can it, Jim. I'm not stupid. I was there when you told Johnny you'd formed a rare kind of bond with me. You're not fooling anyone with this 'I lied' ploy, man."

"Blair, let's just forget this, okay....?"

A look of horror passed over Blair's features. "You'll die."

"What...don be...."

"No, I remember. You said the link can only be broken in death. If I walked away from you tonight, you would die."

"That's silly, Blair."

"Your senses are locked down by me, right? You're like some walking monitor. You said you could track me from my scent, my heartbeat...you're constantly monitoring me to keep from zeroing out on one sense. If I leave you won't have the..the anchor and you'd zone. God, Johnny couldn't get you out without me. When you thought I had died, you....you were following me, weren't you? My god, I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I?"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"I don't know where your coming up with this," Jim denied after some time. "You must be riding some kind of high from seeing those papers."

A feral glow entered Blair's light eyes. "Is that right? All my overactive imagination? That what you’re saying?"

Jim nodded.

"Then prove it."

"How?"

A triumphantly devilish smile curved Blair's full lips. "No tangles casual sex, Jim. I want you, so fuck me and watch me walk away."

Paling, Jim grabbed the back of the chair. "No."

"I'm right." Blair crowed. "Don't you even think of denying it again. It's a waste of breath." He suddenly stilled, meeting Jim's gaze. "Oh shit."

"Yes." Jim pulled a deep breath. "Blair, I meant it when I said you were free to find another guide."

"And you?"

"I'll take my chances," he said. "But I won't sleep with you. I won't compound the problem by doing that."

"Okay." Blair sauntered back to the table, picking through a bowl of plump strawberries. Choosing one, he dipped it in the warming chocolate and nibbled at the tip. "Good," he murmured, turning to meet Jim's eyes where he stood rooted to the floor. "You said I chose?"

Jim swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving Blair's lips as he played at eating the plump berry. "Yeah."

"And you'll go along with my choice?" Blair licked at the dark chocolate. "You won't let anyone pressure me into changing my mind?"

"Blair..." Jim choked on the word.

Blair lifted a brow, taking another slow tantalizing swipe at the berry, before he held it out. "You want....?"

Jim had a death grip on the chair, his knuckles white, his arms bunched as he struggled to stay upright.

"You know, I've been practicing seduction since Benny sold off my mom after my seventh birthday." Blair said with bored indifference. "If I could be paired with someone who didn't flinch away from my backstreet upbringing," He slanted a mysterious glance Jim's way. "Someone who could accept what I was...." He paused to tease the strawberry again. "Someone who wanted me for me..."

"Blair..."

"You know someone who might fit that description, Jim?" Blair looked him full in the eye. "Do you fit that description, Jim?"

"Don’t walk away, baby boy." Jim whispered. "Don't leave me alone. Stay with me."

Blair swirled his fingers in the chocolate. "Why would I want to do that, Jim?" he asked, and sucked his finger into his mouth with a satisfied moan. "I love chocolate, you know? But Benny wouldn't let the whores have any unless we were extra good. Said he didn't want us to put on any extra fat."

Blair lifted his shirt to show off his washboard stomach. "What do you think? Am I getting fat?" he asked smoothing his chocolate stained fingers over the lightly furred skin, smudging himself with traces of dark chocolate. "Oh, darn. I made a mess of me."

A low pained groan broke from Jim's throat. "Blair, please...."

Blair rubbed at a stain, spreading the chocolate over his stomach and up over a nipple. "Jim, I really don't think I'm doing a very good job of cleaning myself up here, do you?"

He scooped up some more chocolate, licking it off his fingers one at a time in long lip-smacking strokes. "Why, Jim, you've broken out in a sweat. Should I open the French doors. You were saying something about a nice view." He turned on his heel and suddenly found himself scooped up and dumped down in the center of the huge bed.

Grinning up at the predator straddling him, he said, "Why, Jim, I thought you said no casual sex."

Jim's kiss was punishing in its passion. The kiss of a man who had been pushed past his tight resolve even though he knew it was a fatal mistake.

Blair moaned into the pleasure-pain Jim was inflicting on his not completely healed body. He was beginning to like the spice that pain added to sex. With this violent man.

Almost mindless in passion, Jim ripped the clothes off his young lover and bent to clean the chocolate smudges that covered all the right places.

Blair arched under his sentinel as the larger man dove down to suckle at his breast, his hand pinching the other with vicious need. "Oh yeah, Jim." he murmured.

"Tell me what you want, Blair." Jim husked, skimming out of his own clothes.

He rolled, placing the younger man on top. "Guide me this one last time before you leave me."

Pushed past gentleness, Blair raked his nails down Jim's chest. The bigger man whimpered, in pleasure, not pain. Blair smiled and scoured Jim again, a little deeper this time, drawing blood.

"Yes, like that," Jim urged him on. "Taste me, baby boy."

Blair traced the running cuts with his tongue, reddening his lips with the blood of his lover. He moved up Jim's chest and stole a deep kiss, then moved down to nip and suckle at Jim's arched neck, marking him for his own.

Jim writhed, sweet growls of pleasure rumbled from his chest, driving Blair on a wave of lust.

"I’m going to take you, sentinel," Blair said, the words coming from some dark primal part of him he did not recognize. "I'm going to mark you as mine."

He snagged the oils Jim had placed on the bedside table when they'd arrived and pooped out the cork, sniffing at the strange blend. Deciding he liked it, he dribbled the oils over Jim's chest. Jim purred softly, straining for more contact with the hands that caressed him through the slickness. He poured another dribble in an ever lowering path, caressing and smoothing the oils over every inch of skin he could reach until finally he reached his goal. Oil slicked fingers teased around the base of Jim's weeping cock.

"Touch me, baby boy. Oh god, touch me."

Blair's slicked fingers curled around the hard straining flesh and stroked it to glistening perfection before he reached lower, circling the entrance to Jim's body.

Jim rocketed off the bed at the first touch. "Now," he begged. "Want you now."

Blair gave Jim's thigh a stinging slap. "I say when." he murmured, drizzling the oils over Jim's slick cock and watching the slow tickling path they took.

Finally he could wait no more. He gently prepared his sentinel with first one finger, then two and three. Jim whimpered under him but held his tongue. After a bit, Blair gently tugged his fingers free and replaced them with his cock.

"So good," he murmured as he settled balls deep in the tightness. Jim lifted his hips, desperate for more and Blair gave him what he wanted. Together they moved in a world known only to them. Soaring, dipping cresting they raced the winds of passion and reached the summit together.

Wrapped in a golden glow, Jim gathered Blair to him and claimed his lips in a silent kiss. Blair broke the kiss after several moments and met Jim's smoky gaze. "Sleep now, my sentinel," he whispered. "Tomorrow will take care of itself."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The shrill ringing dragged Blair from sleep. "Jim. Jim, get the phone, man." he garbled, reaching out to shove his companion awake. Only to find dead air and a cold bed. "Jim?" he called sitting up, suddenly awake. "Jim, where the hell are you, man?"

No answer came to him but the insistent ringing.

He leaned across the bed and snatched up the phone. "Jim, where are..."

"It's not Jim, Blair," Brackett's concerned voice filled his head. "What's going on, Kid?"

"Jim's gone. I woke up and he's not here." Blair explained, panic coloring his voice.

"I know. He walked in here about half an hour ago and asked me to find you a new sentinel."

"A new....Ah hell, you're not going to do it, are you?"

"Seems Jim thinks you prefer to work with someone else."

"Dr Brackett, he's okay, isn't he? I mean...."

"I know what you mean, Blair." Brackett cut him off. "I wish I could reassure you, but I've had to put him on suicide watch. Didn't he explain about breaking the bond?"

Blair rocketed off the bed as soon as he heard the words 'suicide watch' and struggled into his jeans, the phone trapped between his shoulder and ear. "That first night he said something about the link only ending in death. Then last night he said he lied. That he could break the link...something about...taking his...chances...Oh god, Doc. I...this is my fault. He told me I could decide...That if I was uncomfortable with him he would understand and .....Well, it pissed me off, you know. I told him to prove it. To...but he said no. Damn, I seduced him into my bed and let him think I was going to leave him."

Brackett mumbled a curse. "Johnny is on his way. He should be there any minute. Now you tell me something and I want the truth. No hedging. Understand?"

Grabbing up his shirt, Blair nodded. "Yeah, ask."

Brackett didn't speak for a long moment, then, "Can you work with Jim without doing this sort of damage again? The truth, Blair. If I let you see him will you rip him apart like this again?"

"If you let me... Doc," he said, rooting around under the bed for a lost shoe "I need to see him. I need to... to..." He sat back on his heels, rocked by what he'd been about to say.

"To what, Blair? What do you need to do?"

"I...Doc, what's up with this? I can't imagine not being with him. He scares the hell out of me and makes me want to hide when he scowls down on me, but I can't bear the thought of not being at his side."

Brackett chuckled. "He's got ya, kid."

"The bond?"

"Locked down tight by the sound of it. Congratulations, Blair."

"Doc?" Blair said anxiously. "Doc, watch him close. Don't leave him alone. Hell, don't leave his guard alone with him. He's serious about freeing me....I feel it."

A knock sounded at the door. "Johnny's here. Gotta go."

"Blair, I'll talk to him," Brackett assured him. "Tell him you're on the way."

"Yeah. Yeah, do that. Keep him safe for me, Doc. "

"Do what I can."

Blair tossed the phone in the general direction of it's base, grabbed his jacket and sprinted for the door.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Blair vaulted from the car and bolted toward the hotel room where Jim had holed up with Johnny hot on his heels. Longer legs burned the distance between them and Johnny caught him up, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. "Whoa up, kid. You can't go busting in there like a bull."

Blair struggled in Johnny's grasp, squirming to free himself. "Let go, damn it. Jim needs to..."

"Jim needs a calm guide, Blair," Johnny said, giving the other man a little shake. "Not a wild man trampling all over his confusion."

Blair nodded, bouncing nervously from one foot to another. "Okay. Okay, tell me what I have to do."

"You're ready to listen this time?"

Blair cast a glance toward the hotel room again. Jim was in there. he was hurting. Blair knew he was the one who gave the big man that pain. He was the only one who could take it away.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, only hurry. Jim...."

"Kell is with Jim," Johnny said. "And Charlie. They won't let him do anything stupid. There's time."

"Charlie?"

Johnny gave him a sad smile. "Dix has been gone a long time, Blair. Charlie's the squad mechanic. Keeps the vehicles running smooth." His smile widened into an open grin. "And me, too."

"You're lover?"

"Yeah," Johnny acknowledged. "Least until I'm ready for active duty again."

"They'll separate you?"

Johnny shrugged. "Only sentinels and guides stay together forever, Blair. It's the way of life. Charlie knows I'm not a forever thing."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Were you okay with being a....slave?"

Blair grimaced.

Johnny clapped the younger man on his back. "Right, now this is what you have to do...."

*******

Blair's worried glance found Jim the moment he stepped into the room. He barely noticed the two men rise and slip out before the door closed, shutting them in together.

"Jim."

The big man never moved, staring out the window with unfocused eyes.

"Jim, turn around."

Jim sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"Claiming what's mine. Turn around, Jim."

Jim remained motionless.

"Okay," Blair drawled, crossing to the window and jerking Jim round. "I said turn around and face me."

"Why are you doing this?" Jim asked softly, his eyes downcast. "You're just making it all that much harder for me to break...."

"You are not going to break from me, damn you," Blair snapped. "You conceited bastard. First you make me your guide by fucking my brains out. Never mind that you didn't explain the consequences of that little bit of sport, then you tell me I can choose if I stay or go. And then....and then you go around making the decisions for me again. How do you think I felt when I woke up to an empty bed? When I thought I'd finally found a place where I belong? Where's the choice, you stupid asshole? When do I get to choose what I want?"

"But...?"

"Don't..." Blair raged. "Don't you but me. Goddamn you, Jim. Goddamn you to hell."

"Blair, please...."

"Blair, please..." Blair repeated sarcastically. "What can you say, man? You...You fucking bastard. You left me, Jim. You left me. Tony promised you could be trusted and you left me alone."

"I thought..."

"Yeah? When? I'd really like to know when you thought about anything."

Jim slumped in on himself. "I just wanted to do what was best for you."

"Oh, right. You rope me up tight with this bond and then walk away. That's the best thing, huh?"

Jim's blue gaze shot up, meshing with Blair's. "What?"

"Ah, now he's pretending to be deaf. You heard me, dammit. I'm locked in to you. If you ever leave me behind again, I swear you won't have to worry about the sentinel thing killing you. I'll find you and kill you myself."

Jim's smile was slow in coming. His embrace just as cautious, tightening only when Blair returned it. "I'm sorry I got you into this, Blair. I wish it could have been your decision to be with me."

"Why?" Blair murmured, nibbling at Jim's neck. "First time I laid eyes on you I thought you were a walking wet dream. Now I know just how right I was."

Chuckling, Jim laid claim to Blair's mouth with all the passion his heart could muster.

"Break it up, ladies," Johnny said, bursting into the room. "We’re wanted back at Command Central."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Striding to the center of the room, Captain Hank Stanley scanned the faces of the men assembled there. "Jim, has everything been settled between you two?" he demanded suddenly, the words loud in the broken silence.

Jim shrugged, discovering a serious fascination with his index fingernail.

Stanley directed his glance toward Blair and crooked a thick dark brow.

"Well, uh, yeah. Far as I'm concerned. That's not to say we don't have some talking to do. There's a lot this guy has to explain to me yet. And we have a ton of negative energy to get past, but we're...together, you can bet....oh," Blair's mouth snapped shut with a snap. "I mean yes, sir."

Shaking his head, Stanley chuckled. "We're independent forces, Blair, not military. You don't have to sir me accept in the field. Here I'm just Hank or Cap."

Blair ducked his head in an animated nod. "Yes, sir...Hank, sir....Cap....ah, crude."

Jim laughed, taking Blair's hand in his. "Give it up, sweet cheeks. Your drowning in your own words."

Blair nodded, hanging onto Jim's hand like a life line.

"Ease up, Blair. Nobody here is gonna eat you."

Blair threw him a tiny pout. "Nobody? That is so not kewl, man. I thought you...."

Jim's arm circled Blair's shoulders, the hand planting itself firmly over all-too-vocal lips. "That is not for the boys, Blair. I'm a jealous man. Can't have them thinking they can move in on my...." A slow smile spread over his face. "Guide."

Blair's lips twitched into a smile under the hand, shared by just them.

"So, what's the emergency, Cap?" Jim asked.

Stanley grew grim. "Benny Scholtz' daughter."

"Jim...?" Blair choked out the word nervously, clutching at his partner's hand.

"What about the daughter?" Jim demanded.

"She's been raising hell with the legals, Jim. Wants to break the draft on your partner."

Simon rolled his cigar to the corner of his mouth. "She can't do that, can she? Blair's got those papers that...."

"Oh no," Blair whispered.

Jim swung around to glare at the pale, restless man. "What?"

Blair latched onto the corner of his lower lip with sharp teeth. "I was worried about you, Jim."

"This sounds like it's gonna take some time," Johnny mumbled.

Jim made a full handed come-here gesture. "And?"

Blair erupted from his chair, waving his arms in the air. "All I could think about was you were in danger. I wasn't thinking about getting our stuff together."

"Oh, Christ. Don't say it, sweet cheeks."

"I left the papers in the hotel," Blair finished, flopping back down in the chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well that tears it." Stanley said. "Johnny, Charlie, get back down there and get those papers. Don't come back without 'em"

Johnny and Chet sprinted from the room without a word.

Stanley turned back to Jim, a dark scowl marring his features. "Jim, you take that man of yours and disappear until we have those papers back in his hands."

Jim rose, drawing Blair into the circle of his arms. The smaller man trembled in his arms. "What's the panic about, Cap? Blair is one of us, right?"

Stanley sighed, shaking his head. "Without those papers to prove our claim, the Scholtz woman can take him out of here."

"And it's a sure bet since she's going to so much trouble to reclaim your little sweet cheeks, Jim, she has some agenda in getting him back." Rafe grumbled.

"Revenge comes to mind," Blair said softly.

Jim held him close, saying, "Yeah, and silencing a witness. Let's hit the weeds, Blair."

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

"Jim. Jim, listen to me dammit," Blair said as his sentinel tossed him bodily into the truck.

"Buckle." Jim slammed the door before Blair could voice a protest, running around the front of the truck and sliding in.

"Jim, will you listen?"

He started the engine, peeling out of the parking lot. Blair was tossed back against the seat. He latched onto the dash to steady himself.

"Buckle, dammit."

Grumbling under his breath, Blair did as he was told. "You drive like a maniac, man. There is a speed other that lift off, ya know?"

Jim tossed him a quick glare and shoved his foot down on the gas.

"Okaaay, I'm guessing you're feeling little pissed at me here right about now."

Another glare and a hard right around a corner.

Blair hissed through his teeth, clutching at the dash. "Why don't you get me killed saving my life then."

The seatbelt was the only thing that kept Blair from hurtling through the windshield as Jim slammed on the brakes and popped his own belt. "You..." He waved a finger under Blair's nose. "You....You guide, you."

"Whoa, one syllable words and absolutely no sense. You are pissed major."

Jim's hands made a bee line for Blair's throat. The younger man backed himself into the corner. "Look man, killing me isn't gonna get it done for either of us. Ease up and....."

"Stop talking." Jim's jaw twitched, grinding his teeth. "Just....Just stop talking. Got it?"

Blair ducked his head. "Yeah. I got it."

"Good." Jim's hands retreated back to the steering wheel and he pulled back into traffic.

Blair gazed at his sentinel from behind his chestnut curls and grinned. "But if you'd just listen to me...."

Jim's glower choked off the rush of words.

For all of three minutes. "Don't know why you're so pissed at me. I mean it was you that ran off and needed to be rescued from your own stubbornness, wasn't it? I'm not a damn super-brain, you know? I was upset, for Christ's sake. Worried about a certain sentinel with a death wish. I didn't intentionally forget the...."

"That is it." Jim slammed on the brakes again, swooping into Blair's space before he could catch his breath. "You hear me, Blair," he said, getting into the smaller man's face. "I want....I need you to shut the hell up."

"But, Jim....."

"I said shut up." Jim latched onto Blair's lips, ravishing the mouth-that-would-not-stop to an inch of his life. Blair purred under the assault, curling his fingers in the buzz cut hair. Frustrated anger vaporized in the heat of savage hunger.

Until an impatient pounding on the window hit them like a shower of ice water.

Jim eased away from his partner, swearing under his breath. "It's a conspiracy. I just know it's a conspiracy," he grumbled, rolling down the window. "Afternoon, officer."

Grinning, Blair leaned around Jim. "Hey, Naps? How’s the significant other?"

The suavely dressed newcomer tilted his head, chuckling. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite bit of...."

"What can we do for you?" Jim broke in.

"Thought I recognized you in that clinch, Blair baby. This the new pimp?" Napoleon asked, bending down to lean on his arms against the window.

Blair smiled brightly. "Nope, Naps, Jim's my mate."

A hearty laugh filled the air. "You got free of the seamy side then, Blair baby? Illya will be delighted to hear it." He sobered. "Heard Benny and his boy toy were killed a few nights ago. Can't say as we're gonna miss those two."

"They got what they had coming." Jim snarled. "Bastards almost killed my Blair."

Sole frowned. "Heard that the daughter has an all points out for you, Blair."

Blair blanched. "You gonna take me in, Naps?"

The man nodded once. "I'm out of options, Blair. I have my orders. Hope you're willing to come along without a fuss."

Jim's hand snaked out, grasping Blair's. "Not without me, he doesn't."

Napoleon nodded again. "You have that right." He backed away from the truck, swinging open the door. "Let's do this gentle, boys."

Jim cast a weak smile at Blair. "Next time I tell you to shut up, shut up, huh?"

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

"We're coming in," Napoleon murmured into the cell phone.

"Proceed," a heavily Russian voice responded. "The door's open."

"Now or never," Jim mumbled, reaching toward the door's handle.

Blair's hand on his arm stopped him. He swung around, quirking a dark questioning brow.

Blair smiled and patted his hand, then leaned closer to the man who had arrested them. His hand moved to the well dressed man's sleeve, caressing the material and the arm beneath.

Turning into an underground parking complex, Napoleon chuckled and shifted Blair's hand to his upper thigh. "Use it where it will do some good, Blair Baby."

"Do my best, Naps." Blair purred, nuzzling his neck while he stroked the lean man through his dress slacks.

My god, Blair's coming on to him, Jim scowled.

"Where have you and Illya been hiding out, Naps," Blair cooed, leaning up to nibble an ear lobe. Almost affectionately.

Almost, hell. That was way too affectionate for Jim.

He growled a dangerous warning.

Napoleon chuckled again. "You're mate has a bit of the possessive primitive to him, darlin'"

Blair giggled his agreement, giving Napoleon's rigid cock a quick squeeze before backing off. "Oh man, this is it?" he asked as Napoleon eased the car into a parking area. "This is where we're going?"

"Yes, dove. The end of the line."

Napoleon glanced around, then drew Blair into a passionate embrace. Blair responded hungrily, deepening the kiss with a throaty moan of delight.

"That's enough," Jim wrenched Blair out of the other man's arms, his eyes blazing blue fire. "He's not your toy. You may be bringing Blair to that bitch but you are not...not sampling him in the process."

Blair tried to pull away. "Jim, you've got it all wrong, man. Naps is...."

Jim's fingers dug into him, holding him in place. "Shut the hell up, damn you. What the hell do you intend to do? Fuck every cop in the city....The fucking world, even? Because if that is how you think this thing between us works..."

Blair's eyes dulled. "Please, Jim, let go," Blair said. "You're hurting...."

"I'll do a hell of a lot more than a little hurting if I ever catch you cozening up to..."

The sound of a bullet chambering at his ear stilled the raging man.

"Odin' ebe" sya, drugoi draznitsy, kakay raznitsa? You'll be releasing the little shalava now." The accented voice carried as much danger as the gun at Jim's head. "What have you been up to my sweet petuh?"

Napoleon laughed softly. "Put up the gun, Illya. Blair belongs to the primitive one." He climbed out of the car and walked around as Illya urged Jim out.

Blair scrambled out behind him, grinning broadly.

Illya opened his arms. "What no embrace, bl'adovat? Have we been away so long you want to punish me?"

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Blair tossed a quick look Jim's way. "Ah, what the hell." He threw himself across the space separating him from the blonde Russian and into his arms. "I have missed you, Illya."

"And I you, shalava. More than I can say."

Napoleon tugged at Jim's arm, tipping his head toward a set of elevators. "We better get you both under cover. Scholtz has eyes everywhere."

"I don't understand any of this." Jim tossed a hurt look at Blair. "Not a bit of it."

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

"You might need this." Napoleon handed Jim a scotch. "Sit. Be comfortable. Blair, you know you're way around. I won't bother waiting on you, other than to say it's in the top left."

Grinning, Blair literally skip-walked into the kitchen. Sounds of youthful pleasure drifted from the room along with the music of kitchen puttering.

Napoleon stretched his long legs out in front of him, relaxing in the overstuffed wing back chair and sipped at his own drink. "Ahhhh, it's nice when everything's right with the world."

Illya turned away from the window he'd been scanning the street from and wandered over to stand behind Napoleon's chair. His hands drifted to the raven silk, finger-combing the short strands in a loving caress. "You're content now, my petuh?"

"Any time I can put one over on the Scholtz ring, I'm more than content, darlin'" He glanced up as Blair came back into the room a steaming cup in his hands. "Blair should have been ours."

"The offer was rejected," Illya said softly. "We figured it would be. Look at that face, that body and tell me you would sell him out of your stable. Benny made more in one night than we offered on that bit of ass."

"He's not a slab of meat," Jim said, slamming down his drink. "And I don't like you discussing him as if he were."

Illya leaned low over Napoleon's shoulder. "You are right. The man is a caveman. Not at all what I would chose for our Blair."

"He grows on ya, though," Blair grinned, settling cross-legged beside his partner on the sofa, and took a sip of his tea. "You've blended this perfectly, Naps. Don't know what I'd do about getting it without you. When you gonna share the specifics?"

Napoleon packed a cigarette against its box then lit it, humming the smoke into his lungs. "Left the ingredients and measurements to you in my will, Blair baby. Till then you'll just have to visit more often." He handed the cigarette to Illya, letting the blonde take a hit before reclaiming it for himself.

"Oh, man, that is such a nasty habit," Blair said, breathing in the tea's fumes.

Napoleon laughed. "I know what you're drinking over there, pretty one. You want to talk nasty?"

Blair gulped the last of his tea shaking his head.

"Let me top that off for you, bl'adovat mine." Illya took the cup and disappeared into the kitchen.

Napoleon tipped his head. "Jim, right?"

Jim turned glowering eyes on Blair. "I am not happy."

"Yeah, this is Jim," Blair confirmed, ignoring his partner completely to take the cup Illya handed him. "Man, this is sooooo good." He buried his nose in the cup again.

A box of chocolate carmels plopped into his lap. "Thought you might deserve a little present," Illya whispered, leaning in close.

"Oh, blessed be, I've died and gone to heaven." Blair set the cup aside and tore into the box. Popping three candies one after another, he groaned his delight.

Illya chuckled, rustling the chestnut curls. "Never grow up, Blair."

Blair picked up another caramel and tilted a seductive glance toward Jim. "You want?"

Jim shook his head once, sharply.

"Come on, man" Blair waved the sweet under Jim's flaring nose. "It's so wonderfully sinful. You want it, don't you?"

Jim shrugged, reaching for the candy.

Blair shook his head. "This way." He slipped the sweet nugget between his lips and tugged Jim toward him.

Jim resisted, briefly, then groaning, he opened his mouth to take the sweet. Blair pushed it into his mouth, his tongue following the dark chocolate past Jim's teeth to share the burst of mingled flavors.

Blair broke the kiss with a hushed sigh. "Chocolate covered Jim. There is no better treat." His hands crept up between them, thumbs flicked Jim's nipples to rapid excitement. Blair moved up to reclaim his lover's lips.

Jim gave him a none to gentle shove. "Don't. After all the free love you've been passing out, I'm not interested. I don't like being played."

Blair recoiled, the color draining from his face. "Jim, I...."

"Save it for someone who wants to hear it."

"But..."

"Forget it, Blair baby," Napoleon glared at the furious man. "He's not worth it.

Blair's distraught eyes sought Jim's but the other man turned away. Blair dipped his head, hiding his face behind a curtain of dark chestnut. "You don't understand, Naps. Jim, listen to me..."

Jim waved a dismissive hand. "I've seen more than enough, Blair." He retreated to the far window, scanning the darkness. "Blair, I can't deal with this side of you. The very nature of our....relationship..." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I just can't do it."

"You can't do it?" Blair flared. "You can't, huh? But you don't have a choice anymore, do you? You can't just walk away no matter how much you want to. Must bite like acid knowing you're as much a slave as I was. Slave to a whore."

Jim whirled, eyes blazing. "You bastard."

Blair shuddered, absorbing the hurting words. "That's right, Jim. Bastard shalava. That's me. Big shock there, hey? Should of realized that from the start. Remember where you found me, Jim. Remember what I am. What I'll always be."

"Easy, Blair," Illya said, dragging the raging man into his arms. "Napoleon is right. This one is not good enough for you."

Blair accepted the Russian's slow caressing touch. "Illya, can I....Can I stay here?"

Napoleon grinned like a child who had won the toy store. "Yes."

"No," Jim snapped at the same time. "Forget it, Blair. You belong to....."

Blair looked at him through dead eyes. "Myself. I belong to myself. You said it yourself. I'm a free man. Free to do what I want."

"Within the program. You can't just walk away."

Blair shook his head. "Who's going to stop me? You? You should be cheering."

"Blair, you can't walk away. They'll come for you. If you refuse to come back in....."

"What? They'll force me to go with them?"

"They won't let you fall into enemy hands. They'll kill you first."

Blair's bitter laughter chilled Jim's blood. "What's one more contract on my life? I want to stay, Illya."

"Then you shall stay, shalava. We've wanted you here from the first night we saw you."

A primal scream of rage rent the air. Jim, moving faster than anyone expected possible, pounced, snatching Blair up against his side, holding a gun on the two men who were seducing Blair away. "We're leaving, sweet cheeks."

Napoleon gained his feet. "No."

The gun swung around toward Napoleon. "I'm gonna kill you, you bastard," Jim ground out, his finger tensing on the trigger."

"No." Blair flung himself against Jim, grabbing at the gun. Jim tried to get control of the weapon. A struggle, seemingly in slow motion, and a shot. Then silence.

Blair, pale but for the red stain across his temple, looked into Jim's stunned eyes. "Jim....." he said. "You shot me."

His knees buckled under him and his body crashed to the floor.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

"Oh my god, Blair." Jim fell to his knees at Blair's side, searching with touch and hearing for signs of life in the still body. An unmoving Blair was a frightening thing. A thing that caught at his heart.

Illya crouched on the other side, batting Jim's frantic hands away. "You're doing more harm than good. Back off." He settled his fingers at Blair's throat. "Well, that's one thing. Blair's got more lives than a witch's cat."

Napoleon never shifted his leveled gaze from the man he held at gunpoint. "He's alive?"

Illya nodded. "A simple graze. Lots of blood. Little damage." he smiled, pointing to Blair's twitching fingers. "He's already starting to come around. "Napoleon, get me something to clean this blood up with. You know how queasy Blair gets."

"What about him?"

Illya spared another glance at Jim. "He's so out of it he'll be no trouble. Now put the gun away before someone else gets hurt."

"I'd like to hurt someone permanent."

Jim never looked away from Blair. "You think I care?"

"Not very much," Napoleon said. "Not about what's best for him anyway. If you did you would have realized he's close as a brother to us."

Jim snorted crudely. "He's your damn lover."

"You're a fool, caveman. Like Illya said one teases, the other fucks. Blair is our tease." Napoleon turned then, reholstering his weapon and sprinted to the kitchen for the things Illya needed.

"He's....Blair's not your lover?"

Illya shook his head. "Not very likely. We love him to death, but we do not use his body. With us he can forget for awhile what life has made him and just be a young man." He chuckled. "A highly sexual young man, but a young man at any rate."

Napoleon snaked his head around the corner. "You fucked up big time, caveman." He grinned maliciously. "Blair will not overlook it."

Blair's lids fluttered. A soft groan parted his pale lips. "Jim....?"

Jim leaned over him, brushing the disarray of curls back. "Here. I'm here sweet cheeks. I'm here. Oh god, Blair, forgive me."

A hand fluttered in the air, searching. "Jim....?"

Jim snatched Blair's hand to his chest. "Here, Blair.... It's all right. Just lie still."

"My head.... hurts."

Napoleon hurried back from the kitchen balancing a basin of warm sudsy water, cloths, antiseptic and bandages. Illya accepted the offerings, grimacing and set to work cleaning away the blood.

"He needs a doctor," Jim said, snatching his cell phone out of his pocket and hitting dial.

Napoleon grabbed the phone out of his hand and slipped it into his own suit pocket. "No doctors."

"But Blair....."

"Is in expert hands. Let us handle it, caveman. Unless you want to bring Denna down all over us."

"Jim, I want Illya to take care of me. He knows his stuff." Blair struggled to sit but Illya laid a restraining hand on his chest.

"Just a little longer," he said, laying the tapes over a white sterile bandage. "There, not so bad, shalave. And the scar will make you appear dangerous to your lovers, hey?"

Blair's lips curled in a sad smile. "Not in the biz anymore, Illya. Free man now. Don't need to fuck for my crust." He lifted up a bit, bracing himself on his elbows, swaying dangerously. "Oh man, this really sucks. What happened anyway?"

Silence blanketed the room.

"Jim?"

"Illya?"

"Naps? Come on guys..talk to me."

"What...." Jim choked on the word, swallowed hard and tried again. "What do you remember?"

"Oh right. You want me to remember. Christ, my head feels like it's been cracked open with a......Oh.....Oh no. Oh god no. No."

"Blair...." Jim circled him with his arms.

"No." Blair screamed, batting at Jim's confining arms and scrambling weakly into Illya's protective embrace.

"Blair, listen to me...."

"Yeah, Oh yeah right. Stupid uneducated slutboy Blair will fall like the leaves in Autumn for a sweet touch, huh? No way, man. You shot me. You shot me, damn you." His hands fluttered over Illya's face, his hair, searchingly. "Yes. Yes, Illya. Safe here." His blue eyes darted around the room, unfocused. "God, it's so dark. Why are the lights out, Illya? Please someone. It's too dark."

Jim waved a hand in front of Blair's face. And got no response. "Blair, what can you see?"

"So dark. How can it be this dark...Illya, please, turn on the light. I don't like the dark. Turn on the light."

"The head wound, you think?" Napoleon said.

"What?" Blair tilted his head toward the familiar voice. "What did you say? Naps, where are you?"

"What have I done?" Jim whispered. "Oh god, kill me now."

"Don't tempt me." Illya rocked Blair in his arms. "Hush. Don't fret, child. You're safe. I've got you. Nothing can hurt you here."

"Promise?"

"My word."

"Won't you turn on the lights. Just a little bit, Illya? Naps? Please?"

"We can't, Blair." Napoleon said softly.

"Why? Has Denna found....Oh no. No, please. No. Don't take away the light. Jim, help me. Help me."

Jim dropped his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Blair. I am so damn sorry."

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Closing the guest room door behind him, Illya crossed to the bar and splashed brandy into a goblet. He swirled the glass warming it in his hand for a moment before sipping at the drink.

"How is he?" Jim demanded, unable to hold his tongue any longer.

Illya lifted a challenging brow, grimacing. "Not good. But he's resting, finally."

"He'll be all right?"

Ilya's smile was not reassuring. "I've never seen him so...." His hand waved, searching for a word. "So still. It's like he's afraid to move. Like he's afraid he'll shatter into a million pieces if he moves."

"You've got to let me bring in Brackett."

Napoleon heaved a weary sigh. "We've been around this block before. No one at all can know abut this safehouse. Blair's life depends on it."

"This isn't any doctor off the street, dammit. He's one of our team. He's not going to bring this Deena woman down on us. Do you really think I would endanger Blair?"

Napoleon hurled a contemptuous glare. "I think you're a bigger danger to him than Denna. Have you looked at him recently. He's a mass of cuts, wounds and bruises. I'm willing to bet more than one of those injuries have your name on them."

Jim slumped in on himself. "You'd win. One way or another, I'm responsible for all the damage you see."

"Like that surprises me. Correct me if I'm wrong but you said the people you work for would kill Blair before they let him go. That was what you said, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"You tell me. How are they going to look at a blind man? Useful or expendable?"

Jim went still. "Command central would consider all avenues."

Napoleon arched a black brow. "And?"

Jim sighed. "He's new to the program. Untrained. Untried. He'd be put down to break our connection."

"Put down. Like he was an animal, huh?" Napoleon's lip curled. "How quaint. I suppose you have a nice humane method of exterminating him, too, don't you? Something that lets him just go to sleep and wake up dead."

"Back off him, petuh." Illya said. "Jim, is he expendable to you?" Illya asked, staring into his drink. "Do you want him killed?"

Jim sent a nervous glance at the door that barred him on this side, away from his guide. "No."

"Then forget about calling your doctor friend. I don't want to have to put you under guard if I don't have to. I think you'd prefer to have run of the apartment rather than be tied to a chair.

"I'd rather be with Blair."

"Yes, well we saw how well that works, didn't we?" Napoleon grumbled.

"Blair doesn't want you near him right now." Illya added.

"But..."

A raised hand stopped the tide of protest. "He's scared, Jim. Locked in a world of black, with no hope of reprieve as far as he can see."

"And I put him there."

"Self-pity isn't going to help either one of you."

"So what are you saying. What good am I out here?."

"You tell me."

Jim jerked erect, tipping his head, listening.

"What?"

"Blair needs me." Jim shot out of his chair and headed for the bedroom. "He's awake. Scared."

Napoleon intercepted the bulkier man. "You don't even think abou...."

"Jim," Blair's terrified shouts halted his words. "Jim, where are you? Jim?"

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

"Get the hell out of my way, damn you," Jim sent Napoleon flying into the wall and stormed the bedroom.

Blair's screams continued. Part of a nightmare that had caught him in its deathgrip.

Caught up in his own need to safeguard the self-tortured man, Jim strode to the bed without a backward glance at the two men who pursued him. "Blair." He sat on the edge of the bed, catching the flailing bundle that was his Blair in a tight embrace.

"Jim?" Blair's shadowed eyes popped open. His hands butterflied over Jim's face. "Jim?"

Napoleon hurried toward the pair, a look of pure intent on his face, his hand reaching for Jim. Illya halted him with a hand on his arm. "Wait."

Napoleon spun around. "But..."

"Watch."

Napoleon nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm here, sweetcheeks." Jim smoothed Blair's hair back from his face. "I've got you."

"Jim...? Jim, I had a terrible dream, man," Blair babbled. "Real bad one, you know? I dreamt...But it's real, isn't it? I can't see."

Jim drew Blair onto his lap, rocking him, running calming fingers through dark curls. I know, sweetcheeks. I know."

"You said...." Blair clutched Jim's shirt in a strangle hold. "You said....Oh god, you're leaving me, aren't you? You're leaving me."

"It's all right, Blair. I'm here."

Blair shook his head. "I can't help who I am. I can't stop being who I am. Who I've had to be all my life."

"Shush, Blair my own, shush," Jim's arms tightened around him.

"Don't leave me, Jim. Don't hate me."

"Never, sweetcheeks. I could never hate you."

"Maybe....maybe I can be better, you know? Maybe I can...You could teach me, huh? You think? You could..... You could punish me....I don't mind, really I don't. Lou used to beat me when I did something to upset the johnnies..."

"No," Jim and Napoleon shouted together.

"Oh...." Blair nodded, laughing sadly. "Oh, I see. Okay, I understand. I just thought...."

"No, Blair, you don't understand."

"When are you going to leave, Jim?" Blair tried to smile and failed. "Will you stay until I'm more used to the... dark. I'm just so scared right now. I can't see them anymore. The demons, you know? I'd feel better if I thought you might be there to...You don't even actually have to watch for them....I'd just like to think...."

"I'm not leaving you, Blair." Jim cupped Blair's face, staring deeply into sightless eyes. "Do you hear me? I...am...not...leaving....you."

Illya snagged Napoleon's arm and hustled him out.

"Because I'm blind?"

"No. Because I want to stay. I need you, you silly little fool. I need every disorienting, disturbing, neurotic quirky bit of you."

Blair's grin rocked his world.

"You do? Like Tony? Like forever?"

"Not like Tony, Blair. You are nothing like him. And I don't want another Tony. I want Blair. I want you."

Blair touched Jim's cheek as if he were afraid the bigger man would vanish in a puff of smoke. "You can have me, Jim. Anytime. Any place."

He ran his hands down Jim's chest, bunching the shirt in his hands as they roamed back up the solid tanned flesh.

Jim caught Blair's hands, breathing a quick kiss on his lips. "That's not what I meant, Blair."

Biting his lip, Blair traced Jim's mouth. "Did I do something wrong? I thought...you wanted me."

"I do want you. All of you, Blair, not just your body. I'm an greedy man. I want your thoughts. I want your laughter. I want your fears. The whole package. I won't settle for less."

Blair tilted his head thoughtfully. "Are you saying.....No sex?"

Chuckling, Jim cuddled the smaller man, nuzzling his neck. "No, Blair. No sex Not until we make this more than johnny sex."

Blair frowned. "Johnny sex is good sometimes."

"Not now, sweetcheeks. We'll make it...when it's more than just a quick animal fuck. When we trust each other more."

Blair thought that over for a moment. "You think you will ever trust me?"

"I think I'm damn close to it now."

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Music, hauntingly sad, pulled Jim from sleep. He reached out to tug Blair into his arms and discovered he was alone.

The discovery jolted him out of bed. His hearing opened, scanning the area in ever increasing circles for that one elusive heartbeat he recognized as Blair's. He found it, slightly elevated, wrapped in the music.

Feet moving of their own volition, he followed the sounds out of the bedroom, down the hall and into a large hardwood floored room.

Blair danced in the center of the room, swaying to the haunting strains, his movements, his body posture, a disturbing visual mirror of the music.

"He's amazing, isn't he?" Illya said, his accented words drawing Jim from the near zone out.

"When did his sight come back?" Jim asked with a bright grin.

"It hasn't."

"Blair knows this room. Every square inch of it. He's been choreographing his dances here for several years. How did you imagine he managed to get time out of the club?"

Jim shrugged. "Thought you bought him for the night, I guess."

Illya laughed. "Benny never lets his dancers off club property."

"Then how...."

"That's a long story. Let's just say we were sent out to find him by an interested party. Our backer wanted it legal so we were to buy him, but Benny reckoned he could make more money keeping the pretty one on his back than we could afford...Correctly so, I might add. Benny wasn’t adverse to letting us buy into the club though...And we agreed, provided we could have him three nights a week." Illya shrugged. "It got him out for short times at least. More than the others."

"And the buyer?"

"Took what he could get. It was not enough."

Jim tilted his head, watching the blonde through narrowed eyes. "How long have you known Blair?"

"Ten years. He was twenty-three when we made the deal for him. "

"You're going to tell me who actually paid for his freedom, such as it was, aren't you?"

"Don't guess it matters. Our boss wanted him for his new mistress. A slave he bought several years before." Illya glanced at Blair dancing with less sure feet. "His mother."

"Where is she now?"

"Dead. She wasted away grieving for what her son was forced to become."

"Does he know?"

"He knows she no longer comes when he's here. It as a long time ago. He must realize she is gone, but he was never told, no."

Blair faltered, missing a step, then caught the rhythm of the music, throwing himself back into the magic.

"He's worn out," Jim said, frowning. "How long has he been at this."

"A while. He'll finish soon."

Blair stumbled, falling to his knees. Gathering himself, he shoved relentlessly to his feet and began the desperate steps again.

"He'll pass out soon."

"Exactly."

"And you're allowing this?" Jim snapped, taking a step in Blair's direction.

Illya whirled him back. "Leave him. You hear that music. He wrote it. He recorded it. When he dances to it, he's chasing his demons. This is his way of dealing with the things that scare him. And right now he needs to exhaust himself to get any rest at all. He needs to escape the dark. To forget that Deena is out there looking for him."

Jim nodded. "Will she come here?"

"She's already been."

A once graceful spinning leap ended with Blair flat on his face. He staggered up, wiping blood from the cut lip with the back of his hand. And resumed the punishing pace.

"No more." Jim roared, breaking from Illya. His arms wrapped around the squirming dancer. "Stop it." He gave Blair a small shake. "Dammit, Blair. Stop it. I won't let you do this to yourself."

Blair stiffened briefly, then sagged in the security that was Jim. Jim scooped his guide up in his arms, thrilled when Blair curled an arm around his neck and snuggled down against his shoulder.

"Did you see, Jim?" Blair whispered through an exhausted yawn. "Did you see me fly?"

"Yes, sweetcheeks. Now you're going to sleep. And when you wake up we're going to have a nice long talk.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Blair clawed deeper into Jim's embrace, seeking his sentinel in his sleep.

"I'm here, sweetcheeks," Jim murmured into Blair's curls, "Rest."

"Guy can only sleep so long," Blair's words were slurred, groggy. "Even if he has nothing to wake up for."

That sounded like a dangerous line of thought. "It's a damn good thing you have a lifetime full of things to wake up for, then isn't it?"

Blair shrugged, squirming against Jim once more.

"Easy, Blair. You can't get any closer if you crawled up inside me and looked out my eyes."

Blair leaned back a bit, directing sightless eyes with unerring accuracy to Jim's own gaze. "What would I see if I did?"

You. Jim kissed his brow. "My World. Wrapped up in one small neurotic bundle of energy."

Blair huffed a small laugh. "You've been shorted, Jim."

Jim licked one puckered brow. "Not to my way of it."

Blair traced a finger over Jim's lips. "Were you here the whole time I slept? I can do a marathon doze after a dance session."

Jim smiled against the finger. "I didn't want you waking up alone."

"Been doing it all my life."

Blair's hand drifted away, leaving Jim strangely bereft. "You're not going to do it anymore."

Blair tried to roll away but Jim held him firmly where he was. "You're not putting this off any longer, Blair. We're going to talk, once and for all."

A stubborn look settled over the lean features. "Nothing to say."

"Oh, I think you have plenty to say. I think you need to talk."

He shook his head once, curtly. "You're wrong."

"Am I?" Jim caught a handful of Blair's hair and forced his head back just enough to tip his face up to him. "About which part?"

"Please...." Blair swallowed. "I don't want to do this."

"But you will, Blair. You must. You can't have any secrets from me.

"Can't? What a load of it, man," Blair began. "Who are you telling me what I can and can't....."

"Blair...."

"...Do. Of all the....

"Blair..."

"...Nerve. You claim I'm a free man and then tell me even my thoughts aren't private. You're no better than...."

Jim's hand clamped down on Blair's mouth. "Don't make that comparison, Blair. Don't insult me like that." Jim's hand fell away from silent Blair lips, waiting.

After a moment, he claimed those same lips in a gentle testing kiss. "I know what you're doing, you know? Finally figured it out."

Blair pushed against Jim's hard chest. And got nowhere. "Don't know what you mean."

"Don't you?"

"Jim, I...."

"Whenever I try to find out something about you, you blow up in my face. Every time, Blair. Every god damn time."

Blair ducked his head against Jim's chest. "You're wrong."

"Am I?"

"You know everything there is to know about me."

"I know the surface shit. I know what made up Blair the slave. He's dead, sweetcheeks. Blair the man? The dancer? He's alive. That man I do not know. But I'm going to. That's a promise."

"Nothing to tell. Let go. I gotta piss."

Jim stared at the petulant face.

"I'm serious here, man. I really gotta go."

Jim turned him loose. "I'll take you....."

"No!" Blair rolled away quickly, as if he were afraid Jim might grab him up again. "No, I can do it. I'm not a baby. Don't need you to hold my hand. Some guide I am, huh? Some kind of man."

"Blair..."

Blair backed away, holding one hand before him and searching behind him with the other. "I don't want your help. I don't want...anything."

Jim held his ground, letting Blair go."

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Half an hour later, Jim strode out of the bedroom and glowered down at the two men snuggling lazily on the sofa. "Where is he?"

Napoleon lifted his dreamy eyed gaze. "Who?"

"You know damn well who. Where is Blair?"

As if in answer, dark music filled the air. Blair was chasing his demons again. Running away from Jim's questions with dogged determination.

Well, two can play that game.

Jim stomped down the hall, flung the door open and stopped dead in his tracks.

Blair, rocking himself in a slow back and forth motion, crouched on the floor. Tears washed down his hollowed cheeks. Soft, muffled sobs formed a haunting backdrop to the despairing melody.

While Jim watched, Blair floated to his feet and began the exacting steps that would push him to exhaustion once more. The tears continued as he dipped, swayed, acting out the misery locked deep within him.

A kerchief dangled before Jim's face. "Did you know that nearly 75 percent of our slave population die as the result of suicide?"

Jim mopped up the tears he shared with the dancing man. "Why tell me?"

"I know Blair better than you do."

Jim's icy stare darted back to Blair. "He's all right."

Illya snorted. "Funny how we only see what we want to, isn't it?"

"He's strong. He won't give up."

Illya looked him in the eye. "He already has."

Jim blanched at the quiet spoken words. "He won't talk to me."

"Don't leave it too long, caveman," Illya murmured. "Save him."

"I wish I knew how."

Illya smiled sadly. "You better figure it out soon." Illya turned to leave, adding over his shoulder. "Bring him in. Dinner's ready."

********

Illya set a plate down in front of Blair. "It's an easy one this time, Blair baby. Pizza at twelve high, tossed salad ten and fruit, orange sections at four. Your tea's a high two." He set Blair's hand on the silver. "There's your fork, spoon and knife. Think you can handle it?"

Blair shrugged, rattling the cutlery. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"Need any help?" Jim offered, leaning close.

"He can do it," Napoleon snapped.

"Yeah," Blair muttered softly, his eyes cast down. "What he said."

Jim stared helplessly at his guide. Watching him tear apart the food put so carefully before him. Lift and put down a cup that never reached his pale lips. And finally push aside a thoroughly mangled plate without having tasted a single thing.

"Blair...."

"I'm kinda tired, Illya. Too big a day. You mind if I turn in now?"

Illya met Jim's eyes, silencing his protest with one glance. "Go ahead, shalava."

Blair pushed out of his chair and walked slowly across the room, holding one hand before him. Halfway to his room, he stumbled over a low table.

Jim bolted from his seat, but Napoleon and Illya each grabbed an arm and held him back.

Blair shoved to his feet and shuffled his way to his room without a word.

"How can you just sit there and watch this?" Jim spat through clenched teeth moments after the door closed. "He needs a doctor to look at his eyes. We have to find out if this blindness is permanent."

"No doctors." Illya said.

"Brackett could..."

"No."

"But...."

"Listen, caveman," Illya said. "Do you think Denna hasn't located your friends? You must realize she's got a tail on each and every one of them by now. You call them in and she'll be right behind. No doctors. No Brackett. No way."

Jim absorbed that, then nodded. "He didn't eat a thing, you know?"

"Yes."

"That dancing thing he's doing, it scares the hell out of me."

"I know."

"You're right, Illya. He's already gone."

"While he's breathing there is hope."

Jim slouched in on himself. "Wish I could believe that."

CHAPTER THIRTY

Jim leaned against the bedroom door, giving himself a second for his sensitive eyes to adjust to the darkness and just study the fading man lying on the bed.

"Don't bury him under your guilt, Caveman." Illya's parting words whirled in his head. "Don't steal his manhood. He needs to know he can manage on his own."

Is that what I'm doing? Hovering? God help me, I don't know what to do to help him.

"Are you just going to stand over there and stare at me?"

Jim glided across the thick carpet to the bed and settled down beside Blair. "Thought you were sleeping."

"Yeah right, with my eyes wide open." Blair's lip curled down. "Jim, why are you still here? Why haven't you cut me loose? I'm no good to you like this."

"I'm not going anywhere, Blair."

"It's that guilt thing Johnny mentioned, isn't it?"

"No, Blair." He cupped Blair's cheek, turning his face towards him. "You belong to me. With me."

Grunting, Blair shook his head. "Not now. Maybe not ever. I'm a liability. I'll get you killed."

"You're wrong there. Nothing, not even this can take you away from me. We'll get through it, Blair. I promise you. We'll find a way."

"What if I don't want to?" Blair shifted onto his side, his back to Jim. "What if I...."

Jim jerked him back around, pinning him under his bigger body. "Doesn't matter one twit to me what you want right now, Blair."

Blair flailed Jim's chest. "Stop. Let go. I can't breathe."

"Knock off the crap, sweetcheeks." Jim gave him a tiny shake. "You committed to me in front of Cap and the others and by damn you are going to hold your end up. Do you understand? You are my guide. Do you hear me? You are my guide. You are not....not going to wallow in self pity one minute longer. Hear me?"

A tear splashed Blair's cheek, stilling him.

"Jim?" He touched the wetness on his face, then, a look of horror filling his eyes, sought the other man's cheek. "Oh, god Jim. What are we doing to each other?"

Jim rolled away, flinging an arm over his eyes. "Go to sleep, Blair."

Blair fell silent for several minutes, his own breathing ragged. Finally he heaved a soul shuddering sigh and began to speak, "I was taken from Naomi right after I was born, you know?" His voice was soft as a whisper, the words forced through a tight throat. "The master...Benny, figured it was best to break the family ties immediately, but he didn't know how strong mom felt toward me. She would sneak around in the shadows, watching, taking every chance to let me know she was there."

"Blair, you don't have to do this," Jim told him, knowing he was lying, knowing he needed to hear the words, knowing Blair would not stop. Not now the dam was shattered.

"I remember she used to bring me stuff. I got my first taste of chocolate from her. Learned which herbs did what, you know? She was a healer. Wanted to pass the gift to me.

"It was her love that got me away from the club from time to time. Her last owner freed her." He laughed. "Married her, by god. And as a wedding present, Waverly tried to get me back for her. That's how I met Naps and Illya. They're good men, Jim. Devoted to each other. But I never slept with either one of them. They wouldn't have it. Said it dishonored my mom's wishes."

Blair went silent for a moment. "She's dead now. Illya tries to tell me she's coming soon, but I know." Another long pause. "She came to me after she died. Told me goodbye."

"Illya told me that she was gone."

Blair nodded. "Kind of figured he had. Anyway, I was turned over to Lou when I was seven. To learn the tricks of the trade."

"Seven?" Jim rolled Blair back into his arms. "That's criminal."

Blair shrugged. "Slaves are livestock, not considered human. And the johnnies like young meat. Think they would take us earlier if it weren't for the risk of killing us.

Jim brushed a kiss over Blair's brow. "No one's gonna treat you like that again, Blair. I swear it."

"It wasn't so bad. They start us out with the nine or ten year olds. Boys that had been through the training. Most of them were careful enough."

"This trainer was your first lover?"

Blair shook his head. "No ties, remember? The trainers did a rotation thing. If anyone seemed to be getting close to one of the other boys, we were taken to Lou." Blair's tormented laugh twisted Jim's heart. "He'd...explain the error of our ways."

"That bastard. If I hadn't already killed him I'd do it over again. Real slow."

"By the time I was nine and starting my own stint as a trainer, I was pretty sure how life was lived. Managed to avoid the wrath of the overseers by simply staying out of the way of everyone. That was when I started putting together the demon dance. Would lock myself away in the commons and just dance and dance. The others sort of stayed away from me after a couple weeks of that. Course once the johnnies got wind of it they made a run on my ass.

"Nine?" Jim choked on the word. "They turned you out at nine?"

Blair grinned sadly. "Being fucked sideways was better than being beaten. Wasn't long before I figured out I could fuck my way out of whatever trouble came my way."

Blair tipped his head up toward Jim. "Then I met you and the whole thing just fell apart. You don't play by the rules, you know? You don't drop your pants for me like johnnies are supposed to. And it's not like Illya and Naps either. I know you want me. I can feel you wanting me right now, but you won't do a damn thing about it, will you? You want to know about me and nothing as meaningless as sex is gonna put that aside, is it? You want more than a quick bit. And you're just gonna keep pushing till you have it, aren't you?"

"That's right, Blair. I want to be that first great relationship. I want to be your lover, not just another johnnie. I want you're trust. And I will have it."

"I'm a slave, Jim. No matter how many papers you get saying different, I don't think I can be anything else. My training is too set. And slaves are killed for getting attached.

"Is that why you don't want to see?" Jim asked softly. "Is that why you won't let yourself see? Because you think I won't keep a blind man as my guide and lover?"

Blair went still in his arms. "I can't see because I can't see. Can't get much simpler. I'm blind. End of story."

"Is it?"

CHAPTER THRITY ONE

"Is it?" Blair whispered hoarsely. "What does that mean? Is it? You think I'm lying? Pretending to be blind? Is that what your saying? You think I'm pretending?"

Jim scowled. "Blair...."

"I can't believe you said that." Blair hit him with a hurt look. "I can't even think...."

"Stop." Jim rolled Blair under him, silencing him with a rough kiss. "You need to stop. Do you hear me? You need to stop putting a wall of anger between us."

Blair pressed trembling fingers to his pouty lips. "I don't know how." Tears welled in searching, sightless eyes and he cupped Jim's face in his hands. "This is all so foreign to me. So different from what I've known all my life. I don't know what is expected of me in your world."

Jim caught a tear on his tongue. "No expectations, Blair." He nuzzled Blair's neck, tasting his jawline with a slow nipping lick

Blair groaned, arching up into the larger body. "But there are," he whispered. "Expectations I'll never be able to meet. I don't know how."

"I'm here for you, sweetcheeks. Lean on me."

Blair trembled violently, shaking his head. "Been there. Done that. Can't afford the heart ache, man. Trusting you tears me to shreds."

Jim captured Blair's lips in a possessive, hungry kiss, silencing the fear-laced words. "Hang onto me, sweetcheeks," he said, cradling his guide in his arms. "I'm probably our worst enemy, but I won't let anything happen to you." His lips brushed the sterile bandage covering the wound at Blair's temple. "Forgive me for hurting you, Blair. I'd give my life to reverse it, but that's not how it works.

Blair's fingers butterflied over Jim's face. "Jim," he husked. "Jim, I need...." His words drowned under a torrent of tears. Turning his face away, he squirmed to free himself from arms that clung like glue.

"Stop, Blair." Jim eased more of his weight on the fragile body beneath him. "Talk to me. What do you need?"

Shaking his head, Blair curled up under his sentinel's heavy weight and quietly cried himself to sleep.

******

Casting his sense of hearing out, Jim listened to the sounds of silence outside their bedroom and made a decision.

Moving in small stages, so he didn't wake the sleeping man curled against his chest, he eased off the bed. A predator's stealth had him across the room and out the door to the living room. He scanned the darkened room for signs of where their hosts and found himself completely along.

Not giving himself a moment to change his mind, he crossed to the phone and dialed.

"Command." Cap's voice had a sharp edge of worry to it.

"Panther one reporting in."

"Jim?" That one word held a wealth of relief. "Jim. Is that really you? We found your truck abandoned on the street. Thought.... Where the hell is the hole you fell into? Are you and the kid all right? Dammit, Jim answer me, will ya?"

"Give me a chance to get a word in and I will, Cap." Jim said in a hushed voice. "Did Johnny and Chet get the papers?"

Silence

"Cap?"

"There were no papers, Jim," Hank said. "The room had been rifled when they arrived. The papers are gone until we can get a new set processed."

Jim slumped down into the nearest chair. "But that means...."

"We don't know what it means for sure. Dammit Jim, where are you? We need to send a guard?"

"I don't know."

"You don't.....Jim, what the hell is going on? What have you stepped into this time?"

"Cap, trace this call. Blair...he's hurt....Needs Kel and Johnny..."

"Already doing that. What happen? The kid fall down the hole you're hiding in?"

Jim closed his eyes, replaying the terrible moment again in his mind.

"Jim...?"

"I shot him, Cap."

"What?"

"I shot him. We were struggling over the gun. The gun went off. I shot him."

"How bad?"

Silence.

"Jim, how bad is he?"

"That's not the point, Cap. Blair's my guide, Cap. I promised him I'd protect him. I won't let anyone put him down."

"Jim, answer the question. How bad is the kid?"

A beat of silence.

"Dammit, Jim..."

"It was a head shot. A graze. He should have come out of with a headache, tops."

"Jim, you're scaring me now. Give me the kid's condition. Now."

"He's blind. Totally blind."

"Christ." Cap said softly. "Okay, I have a lock on your position. I'm dispatching Marco and Joe to your location."

Sweepers. "No."

"Jim, listen to me. We need to clean up this mess. I know you feel strongly about the kid, but a blind guide....No way."

"I'll kill 'em, Cap," Jim said. "I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt him. You send Johnny and Kel. And tell then that they better be bringing aid and comfort not a hot shot. You got that? No one is gonna hurt Blair and live. No one."

"Yeah, Jim. I got it. I'll make sure everyone knows."

"And, Cap. Tell them to watch for tails. Don't bring Denna and her goons down on us. Blair has had enough." Jim slid the phone home and turned to face Napoleon's grim expression.

"You really are a dumb fuck, aren't you?"

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Jim whirled around, his eyes flashing blue fire. "I have had enough of you, Solo. Blair needs help, dammit. We need to know his true condition."

"His true condition?" Napoleon minced. "You've sealed his condition, you stupid jerk. Denna has eyes everywhere. She's sure to be watching this apartment for him to show up. What do you think will happen when your blasted doctor shows up here."

Jim's lips curled back in a sneer. "I've heard it all before, Solo. How do I know you're right?"

Napoleon tipped his head, staring down his nose at the sentinel. "You'd risk Blair's life on the possibility that I might be wrong?"

Jim barreled into the sardonic man, his momentum carrying them into the wall. He pinned Solo in place with a harsh forearm to Napoleon’s throat. "Now you listen to me," he growled. "That man is the most important person in my life. I'd risk anything....anything at all if it might give him a chance to see again."

"If you can keep your own people from giving him a...what did you call it? A hot shot, don't you mean?"

"They won't."

"Yeah? Keep saying it. Maybe you'll convince yourself."

"What's going on out here?" Illya demanded, dragging Jim off his partner. "Can't you two get along? If for nothing else, for Blair?"

"Not with Bright Boy here doing deadly stunts." Napoleon snarled, straightening his suit. "The fool decided to break out blanket of silence. Called his HQ and gave them our location."

"Damn." Illya hit the guest bedroom door running. "Blair, move it hot stuff. We're out of here."

"Wha...?" Blair bolted up in bed, his unseeing gaze darting around the room. "Illya, what...?"

"You have to get up, pretty one." Illya grabbed the dancer's flailing hand, tugging him gently to his feet. "We've been outed by the caveman to his people."

"Jim wouldn't do that." Blair said, letting Illya slip him into his clothes. "Jim, tell them, man. Tell them you wouldn't...."

"I caught him on the phone to them, Blair," Napoleon said gently.

"I don't believe it. Jim...?"

"Listen, Blair...."

Blair shook his head. "Tell them you wouldn't betray me like that. Tell them they got it wrong."

Jim stood in silence.

"Tell them you wouldn't betray me."

"Blair...."

"Tell them, you bastard," Blair hissed. "Tell...me."

"You need a doctor, Blair." Jim said. "I did what I thought was best for you."

"Oh God," Blair slumped in Illya's arms. "Oh God. Illya, get me out of here."

"Blair...."

"No, Ellison," he shot him down. "Don't say anything more, man. Just....don't."

"Blair, listen to me...."

Blair shook his head. "Illya, let's go, man. Take me out of here."

"Take my arm." Illya guided Blair's hand to his arm and started toward the door with Napoleon and Jim trailing after. A sudden loud knock froze the men in place.

"They're here," Blair breathed. "Illya, Naps, take the back way out. I don't want you caught in the middle."

"It's this way," Illya said, then stopped moving as Blair's hand fell away. "Blair...?"

"I'd just slow you down," he explained. "You get out of here."

"Leave you here?" Napoleon snapped. "With him? Not going to happen, Blair Baby. Not even a little bit."

"Johnny and Kel are not a danger to him." Jim returned, heading for the door.

"You better be right. If they even look at him cross-eyed they'll die. And you will be right behind them."

Jim met Napoleon's hard stare. "If Blair gets hurt, I'd welcome it."

"Well, if nobody's leaving will somebody just please let them in before they take out the door." Blair said softly.

Jim exchanged cold glares with the two older men, then, drawing his gun, opened the door.

"About time, Ellison," Johnny said, pushing into the room with Kel at his heels. Joe Early and Marco brought up the rear.

"What are they doing here?" Jim demanded, glaring at the cleaners with open distrust.

"Cap thought you might need some guards," Johnny explained, taking Blair's elbow. "Let's set you down here on the sofa, Blair. Let Doc get a good look at what's going on, okay?"

"Illya...." Blair rasped, curling his fingers tighter around Illya's arm.

"It's okay, shavlave," Illya cooed. "I'm here."

Johnny's questioning glance darted to Jim. Jim glared back at him silently.

"Relax, Blair," Brackett said in his best bedside voice. We're here to help you. Nothing more. Jim made himself crystal clear regarding you."

"Not that we’ve never been threatened before," Johnny chuckled, tugging the reluctant dancer to the sofa with the Russian dragged along for good measure. "That protect-the-guide instinct can really get annoying for us medics from time to time."

Jim followed up, standing behind Blair. His cold eyes carefully monitored each action the paramedics made. Sentinel sensitive ears locked on four sets of heart beats, listening for a sign of deceit. Nostrils flared over each potion that was used on the young man, scenting for anything that might signal a danger

Napoleon took his cue from Jim. From the easy chair, he watched Early and Marco, vigilante for any suspect movement.

Tense minutes later, Bracket set his medical bag aside with a tired sigh and rubbed his face.

"Well?" Jim demanded as the silence stretched past his breaking point.

Slanting a dark glance toward Jim, Bracket shoved to his feet. "Jim, I don't know how to tell you this....."

Suddenly more afraid than he could ever remember, Jim braced himself. "Give it to me straight. Is....is Blair....Did I...permanently blind him?

Keeping his back to Jim, Brackett exchanged a quick smirking grin with Johnny.

Johnny leaned over and patted Blair's trembling hand. "You're among friends, Blair. You hear me?"

Blair nodded, swallowing hard.

"Kel...." Jim asked.

"Okay." Brackett turned to face Jim. "In a nutshell," he took another stalling breath. "I can't find anything physical that would explain why Sandburg can't see. His eyes react to stimulus. It just doesn't make it to the brain."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not pretending, Johnny." Blair protested. "I swear. I wouldn't fake this. I...."

"No one is saying your faking this, Blair. It is very real to you. Hysterical blindness is in no way a fun thing."

Hysterical....but that's...."

"Very real to the person living through it, Jim." Brackett finished. "For some reason, Blair does not want to see."

"Impossible. His fear of the dark...."

"Is less than his fear of something else. Jim, the only thing that I can figure is that he is so afraid of you he would face blindness and termination to escape the situation."

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

"No." Blair's head shot up, eyes blazing. "No, that's not true. Illya..." His hand fluttered searchingly over the Russian's arm. "Illya tell them."

"It's.....all right, Blair," Jim said softly. "I should have realized...."

"No. Why are you listening to them? Jim, I don't....hate you. God, why won't you listen to me?" Sudden insight brightened his pale features. "Oh, I get it. I know why they're saying this. It's so simple...Jim, they want you to..."

"Don’t worry about it, Blair," Jim said, his voice tired. "It's all right. After what I've put you through....Well hell...."

"Jim, why don't you get ready to go," Kel said. "Cap wants you back in the fold before....."

"No," Blair launched himself at Kel, hurling ineffectual punches. "Why are you doing this? Stop lying to him. Stop, do you hear?"

Early wrenched the hysterical dancer from Brackett's chest, twisting his arms behind his back. "Johnny, sedate the guide."

Johnny glanced at Brackett. Brackett gave one, curt nod and after a heartbeat's hesitation, Johnny picked up the prepared syringe.

"I'm gong to need an arm, Joe," Johnny said grimly.

"No," Blair whispered. "God, don't. Johnny, please..."

"It's all right, Blair," Johnny crooned. "You'll just go to sleep. I promise. Just go to sleep."

"Jim...?"

The sentinel remained silent.

Blair's struggles ceased. "Okay. Okay, I won't fight. Please, let me go. I won't resist."

Johnny nodded to Early and the cleaner released Blair's arms. Blair rolled up his sleeve. "Quick, right?"

"Very." Johnny said, wiping a small bit of skin with an antiseptic. "Ready?"

Blair drew a shaky breath. "Wish I could have danced one more time." He nodded. "Okay, should I lie down?"

"There'll be time."

"Okay." He held out his arm. "Ready."

Johnny's hand brushed Blair's arm, startling him.

Blair's laugh carried on a nervous breath. "A little scared here, you know? Jim? Jim, please. Would you....hold me while....while it's done. It would be...easier if I could go to....to sleep in your arms. Jim....?"

Arms wrapped around him. "I'm here, shavlave."

"Oh.....Illya. Okay.....I...."

Another hand pulled him into stronger arms. "Blair belongs to me."

A sad smile whispered over Blair's lips and his fingers traced strong, familiar features. "You're the closest I ever came to.....trust, Jim." He stretched up, tugging Jim into a sexless kiss. "Okay, Johnny. Do it."

"Just a little stick, Blair." The needle rested on his arm, not breaking yet, but there, waiting. "Almost done."

Blair shuddered. "Just do it," he whispered, his voice husked by unshed tears.

Snatched into the air and tossed into Illya's waiting arms, Blair yelped. Jim snatched the deadly hypo from unresisting fingers, shoving Johnny away with a hand to his neck. "I told you what I'd do if anyone tried to hurt Blair."

"Marco, restrain the sentinel," Early snapped, taking a step toward Blair. He was hit by a whirlwind of anger in a light leisure suit. Fending off the wildman, Early snarled, "Johnny, get it done."

A gunshot rang out, shocking the combatants in their tracks. Several pairs of eyes turned toward Illya, and Blair shielded by his body. The grimly smiling Russian held an impressive gun on them, and he looked like he knew how to use it.

"Cutting the rescue call a little close, weren't you, Caveman?"

"Better to learn the truth before you attack."

"The truth almost killed Blair."

Jim's eyes flashed fire. "That was never a danger." He turned his angry gaze on Brackett. "But you bastards had this..." He waved the loaded hypo at Kel. "You planned this from the moment you walked in here. You were intending on terminating him no matter what the exam determined, weren't you?"

"He's blind." Kel snapped. "It doesn't matter how he got that way. It doesn't matter that it could rectify itself as quickly as it came. All that matters is that he is blind right now."

"Not to me."

"You think you can take on all four of us?" Marco hissed, taking an aggressive step forward.

"I don't think he has to," Illya said. "We've been protecting our little shavlava for so long already we're not going to step aside now, hey, Naps?"

The dapper man grinned. "Wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if he wasn't around to keep safe."

A flurry of activity at the front door had the men whirling round to see a petite woman and seven armed me barging into the apartment.

"Denna..." Napoleon whispered.

"Isn't this just too touching," the woman said, her lips curling into an ugly sneer. "Illya, Napoleon, I believe you have something that belongs to me."

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Jim stepped quickly in front of Blair, Adding his own body to the barricade Illya formed between Blair and this newest danger. "There's nothing and no one here for you."

Denna tilted her head to the left, smiling darkly. "You think...not?"

"I know not."

"Well then you must be working from misinformation. I've come to retrieve my dancer. The whore you stole from my father's....establishment."

"I rescued him at the cost of a thousand dollars cash, lady," Jim snarled. "The sale was legit."

"You have a bill of sale, then?" she smiled at his silence. "No, I thought not. Father would never sell our fey little dancer. He has....had a tender for the boy."

Jim tossed a look over his shoulder, and saw the color drain from Blair's face. The woman had struck a nerve with that shot.

"They were....lovers?"

"Yes." she responded.

"No...not like..." Blair stammered.

"Blair, darling. Don't lie. You know you slept with daddy more times than not...And with Lou, if daddy was of a mind to share your sweet ass."

"Like I could say no," Jim caught Blair's muttered words. Saw the distraught man sway as even more color poured from his face. "Like I ever wanted to be beaten until I passed out from it." his voice raised, reaching a panicked pitch. "Like I liked being cut open so they could gather my blood and make me drink it again. My own blood, for god's sake."

"Jesus...." Marco whispered, losing a bit of his own color.

Blair laughed harshly. "I've almost forgotten the taste of pufferfish venom, ya know. Almost forgotten...." He snapped his teeth shut over the memories spilling out of him and lifted his face to the ceiling, sighing. "All right. I'm ready. I can't do this any longer anyway. I don't belong on the outside."

Blair made to move away from the two men protecting him, but Jim blocked his path. "You are a free man, Blair. You don't belong to her."

"Is that so?" Denna smirked, holding out a delicately manicured hand. "Well then we can clear this up real fast, can't we. All Blair has to do is show me his papers and he proves your claim."

Jim grimaced. "I...."

"I lost them."

Denna smiled broadly. "No papers. No proof. I suggest you return my property. Daddy is being buried tomorrow. It was his final request that Blair join him in his final rest."

"You intend to bury Blair with....." Johnny rose and moved forward to join Jim and Illya. "I can't go along with that, Joe. No way.

"He will be tranquilized," Denna said. "He won't be afraid."

"Alive?" Illya snarled. "You mean to bury him alive. that's...monstrous."

"Daddy's request was very explicit. I'm stretching it by allowing the medication to ease his fear." She smiled a little sadly. "But Blair was always a favorite of mine. His dancing had a certain magic in it."

"Stop talking like he's already dead." Jim snarled.

"I already am, Jim," Blair said. "There's not a single law that will save me in time. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Blair took another step. Jim grabbed his arm and dragged him back, thrusting him behind his body into Johnny's arms. "Stay put, sweetcheeks. You are not her slave any longer. And she's not exactly equipped to take you away from us. Not with Early and Lopez to back us up."

Early shook his head. "No can do, Jim. Our orders are to terminate the guide. sounds like this lady will be more than capable of doing that for us."

"Jim, it's over, man," Blair said through a sigh. "Let it go. You can't win."

"Not a chance."

"Illya, Naps, tell him...."

"We would, but whose gonna tell us, Blair Baby," Napoleon said. "We're not backing down. Your mother would hunt us for the rest of our lives."

"No?" Denna smiled. "You think your partnership with my father will protect you? I don't care...." She snapped her fingers. "....That much about that agreement. It was dissolved with my father's death. Hand Blair Over...Now."

Jim braced his feet under him, taking aim. "I don't think so. Illya, Napoleon, take him out the back way."

A rush of feet behind them canceled that idea before it could take shape. several men, heavily armed and dangerous-looking appeared in the back hall.

Denna tilted her head, her smile cold. "Blair, come to me."

Sighing, the young dancer nodded. "Okay. Yeah, just don't hurt anyone else."

"No...." Jim protested, making a grab for Blair.

Early interceded, disarming Jim and pinning his arms behind his back. Marco and Brackett followed suit, drawing down on Illya and Napoleon.

"What's happening?" Blair demanded, hesitating.

"Blair, don't do this."

"Jim, I'm sorry, man. Ya gotta understand...I.." his voice broke. "I'm sorry..."

CHAPTER THRITY FIVE

"You bastards," Jim raged, storming like a furious panther through the living room. "You god damn fucking bastards." he repeated, taking Early down with a solid sock to the jaw.

Marcos sprang to his partner's defense and was sounded put our with a jarring kick to the groin. Jim turned on Johnny and Brackett, eyes flashing.

"You want some of me, too?" he spat out the words.

Johnny held his hands out before him. "No way, Jim. Figure those two deserved what you just gave 'em."

Jim paused his prowling and studied the Native American through narrowed eyes. "Yeah?"

"Jim, I liked the kid, too. I don't like what's being done here."

"I'm going after him."

"Finally got to that point, did you?" Illya asked, looking up from polishing his gun. He glanced at Napoleon. "Was wondering how long it would take him to mellow down enough to think straight."

"It's a sentinel thing," Johnny explained. "They're so tuned to their senses and their guides through those senses, they go off at the slightest hint of danger to their guide."

"I've heard sentinels can be downright dangerous if they feel the guide is in danger," Napoleon said, nodding. "Now I begin to understand some of what's been going on here."

"Hey," Jim snarled, waving his hand before Illya's eyes. "News flash, you jerks. I'm here. Don't talk about me like I'm some sort of experiment under a microscope."

Illya gave a careless shrug. "Know you're here, caveman. Just don't know how much of your brain has re-engaged. You up to getting down to a plan, or do you need to take out some more aggression on those two?"

Jim turned a vicious grin on Early who was just beginning to come around. "Guess I can hold off for a bit on that." He joined Illya on the couch. "So anyone have an inkling of a plan?"

Napoleon and Illya exchanged evil grins.

"Here's what we're gonna do..." Napoleon said, leaning over to close the distance between him and the others.

~~*~~*~~

A low growl erupted from Jim's tightly ground teeth as a huge goon slugged Blair, knocking him cold. Blair was lifted up and tossed into the waiting Plexiglas covered casket.

Sentinel sight recorded the young man stirring, coming awake. The horrified realization of where he lie, and who shared the confined space with him flickered over a pale face. Blair's screams cut the eerie silence of the grave.

"Jesus..." Napoleon whispered, "They said they'd tranq him. They promised...."

"And you believed her?" Jim rasped. "More fool you are."

"Yeah, well, I know enough to keep my head down and not get it blown off before we can extract the kid." Napoleon said, dragging Jim lower.

"He....He's freaking out," Jim whispered. "Can you hear him? The screams?"

Illya threw him a worried glance. "Dial down your hearing, Jim. Jim, do you understand? Dial down to normal hearing."

"He...God, he's crying. He thinks I've left him to die." Tears welled in Jim's eyes. "He thinks he's all alone."

Several men positioned the casket over the grave site and lowered it into the ground.

Jim trembled, his big body bunching to spring out of hiding. Two hands grasped his forearms, holding him in place.

"The plan, Caveman." Napoleon hissed, stick to the plan."

Jim nodded. "I just hope there is enough air."

The three concealed men waited in impatient determination through the half hour sermon. Waited another half hour while the grievers made their slow departures. Waited through yet a third half hour while the dirt was dumped back in sealing Blair and his grim companion in eternal rest. Waited a bit longer for everything to get quiet.

~~*~~*~~

Blair shook off the grogginess and knew he'd run out of time. The chill body beneath him. The scent of death in the small confines of his dying place.

There would be no reprieve this time. No second chances.

But, God, he didn't want to die. Not like this. Not like this.

A low keening rang in his ears and he knew it was him. His screams falling on deaf ears. Heard only by the dead. By his master, and himself.

God help him. Not like this.

A silent tear slipped from sightless eyes as he felt the box being lowered. All to soon the first thump of dirt hitting the casket greeted his straining ears.

It was really going to happen. There was no one to save him this time. He'd run out of time. Too late for anything else.

The sounds of the burial grew faint, finally dying away. And a calm descended on him. He closed his eyes and waited for the air to run out.

~~*~~*~~

"That's it." Jim snapped, bolting form concealment. "I won't wait any longer. We've got to get him out of there."

Illya and Napoleon were right on his heels as Jim darted down the hill toward where the digging equipment was stored.

Jim sprang onto the big tractor, sighing his relief when his hand found the key. "Get some shovels, picks, whatever and bring them along." he shouted over the roar of the engine.

Shoving the heavy tractor into gear, he headed for the gravesite.

~~*~~*~~

Blair stirred restlessly in his semi-conscious state.

What was that? Digging?

He laughed, softly at first, then hysteria caught him up and the laughter of insanity burst from him.

He was going to die. No matter what his desperate mind tried to tell him in an effort to comfort him, he was going to die.

Exhausting himself, he slipped deeper into unconsciousness.

~~*~~*~~

"I've hit something." Illya shouted, dropping to his knees and moving the dirt with frantic hands. "We've got him, Jim. Help me."

Jim dropped down shoving great mounds of dirt aside to reveal the glassed top.

And Blair, lying as still as death.

Attacking the dirt at the edge of the casket, Jim burrowed like a badger, flinging the moist ground away from the hasp that would free his lover.

Moments later, he popped the lid. His desperate hands dragged Blair's limp body from the box of death. Frantic hands searched for a pulse, a stirring in the too still chest, and found what he was looking for.

"He's alive." Jim choked on his tears, burying his face in the long burnt sienna curls. "He's alive."

Napoleon crouched down next to Jim. "Take him back to the safe house. Illya and I will cover up our little digging expedition. Let Denna think she succeeded."

Jim looked up, his tears flowing, streaking dirt and grime down his pale face. "Thanks, Naps. I couldn't have done this without...."

"Yeah, now go. Get him out of here before he comes out of it. Don't let him wake up here."

Jim nodded, gathering his limp lover in a tight embrace and smiling. "He's alive. That's all that matters."

THE END
The healing begins in
Rogue Agent

RUSSIAN TRANSLATIONS:

shalava: slut
petuh: a male used as a woman
odin' ebe" sya, drugoi draznitsy. kakay raznitsa: one fucks, the other one teases, what's the difference?
ebat': to fuck
bl'adovat' one who is fucked
bl'adki: fuck session
otsosi: blow me