"Because, I have family that works there." Blair said softly and Jim could tell that Blair was hiding something from him.
Just as Jim was about to ask again Blair started bouncing on his side of the sofa. Jim watched as a man, shorter than the rest, came running out from the back and doing little jumps while forming an 'x' with his arms over his crotch.
"Who's that?" Jim asked, more than a little freaked out by the curly haired man on the screen.
"That's X-Pac." Blair said and was about to go on when the beginning of X-Pac's match stopped him. Jim started getting worried when Blair sat and didn't move. He was beginning to wonder if there were such a thing as a Guide zone-out when Blair started shaking his head, fear in his eyes.
Jim looked to the screen in time to see the curly haired man go down and not move. Together they watched as the referee stopped the match and called for the EMTs.
"No! No, Seany... No... No... No... NO!" Blair screamed as he ran to the phone and frantically started dialing.
Jim watched as Blair paced waiting for someone to answer on the other end.
When they did Blair all but cried in relief. "Kevin... Blair... Seany? Oh god... Yes... North Eastern Memorial... Be there soon... Don't let him go and do something stupid like die... Okay... " Blair hung up the phone and was running. Jim stood and followed watching as he threw some clothes into a bag and started dialing the phone again.
"Yes... I need a ticket to Toronto... Yes... It's got to be soon... You do? I want it." Blair rattled off his credit card number and then hung up.
"Where's the fire, Chief?" Jim asked as his small lover went running by him with his bag in one hand and grabbing his keys with the other.
"I've got to get to Seany now... If you need me I have my cell phone... " Blair was about to rush out of the loft when Jim caught him by the arm.
"Whoa. You're not going any where until you tell me what's going on."
"My brother Sean was just taken to the hospital after getting a hit to the head... He's already broken his neck twice... It can't be a third time." Blair said as he kissed Jim on the lips and ran out of the loft.
A moment after the door closed Jim processed what Blair had said. "Brother?"
******
Jim sat staring at the little kid who was staring at him over the back of the air plane seat. As soon as he had thought about what he should do Jim had called Simon and told him that Blair had had a family emergency and they would be going to take care of it. Simon had given them the time off without much thought. It was a slow month for Cascade and the captain had known his best detectives could use the time off.
//We will be landing in Toronto, Ontario. It is a sunny 62 degrees. We hope you have a pleasant stay and fly with us again soon.//
Jim disembarked and after a slight disagreement with customs over his metal badge and gun, Jim was off to find his lover.
******
Kevin was pacing like a caged animal as Scott and Blair sat with the still unconscious Sean. He should have known better than to let the kid go up against that monster... "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!" Kevin growled as he fisted the wall then shook his hand at the sting.
Just as Blair was about to say something Kevin started pacing again and Scott shook his head to the young man.
Blair shrugged and went back to watching Sean.
*****
Jim was just walking to the fourth floor nurse's desk when a familiar sense came to him. From somewhere a vision came and hit him right between the eyes.
In this he seen himself as a jaguar walking toward two wolves, one of which was laying down the other was standing guard over him, a large black hawk perched on a near by branch watching everything around the group, and a slightly graying male lion paced angrily.
As quickly as it had come it was gone. Jim shook his head and walked toward the nurses' desk again.
"I'm looking for my partner, Blair-" before Jim could get the request out he seen Blair in one of the clear fronted cubicles and went on his way.
Just as Jim was walking into the doorway a large fist came out of nowhere punching him hard enough to send him back into the wall behind him.
*****
Blair watched Kevin punch the man walking into the room and groaned. Getting to his feet, Blair walked over and started to apologize to who ever Kevin had punched, then he seen who it was a groaned again before going to help Jim to his feet.
"Hey, Jim. You okay, man?" Blair asked as he brushed his hand over Jim's shoulder and unconsciously over his heart.
"Fine..." Jim growled as he glared at the large man that had punched him.
"You know him, chico?" Scott asked as he looked at the man Blair was leaning unconsciously into.
"Oh... Kevin, Scott, this is Jim my room mate and partner." Blair smiled lightly until he looked at Sean's still closed eyes... And then the tears finally came. Blair turned his head into Jim's chest and started crying softly.
"Shush... It'll be fine, my love... I promise." Jim said after he had gotten over his shock of Blair's tears. Kevin and Scott watched as Jim wrapped his arms around Blair and rocked him slightly while murmuring soothing words in his ear between pressing soft kisses on his cheek.
When Blair had it under control he raised his head in time to catch Jim's lips in a soft kiss full of the comfort he needed so much right then. "Thank you."
Jim's expression was happy until he caught Kevin and Scott watching them.
"Come on. Sit with me." Blair said pushing Jim over into the chair he had vacated when Kevin had punched Jim. As soon as Jim was comfortably situated he pulled Blair into his lap, as if staking a claim.
Kevin laughed softly as he went to Scott and pulled him into a loose hug, as if doing the same thing.
Scott and Blair both sighed and snuggled to their larger lovers.
"Whas goin' on? Orgy an' I wasn' invited?" Sean said hazily from the bed, where he had just woke up.
"Seany!" Blair said as he popped up and went to his brother's side.
"Hey, Blair... So that's Jim... Cute... huge, but cute." Sean said with a yawn that cracked his jaws. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost two days." Kevin said as he and Scott drew closer.
"Where's the others?" Sean said as he looked around for the other Kliq members.
"Paul cried himself to sleep out in the waiting room and Shawn's with him. Do you want me to get them?" Scott said softly not wanting to disturb what had to be a huge headache.
"Naw, let him sleep. How bad was it this time?" Sean asked noticing that he wasn't in a halo to stabilize his neck from it being broken.
"Severe concussion and a couple broken blood vessels. Nothing serious." Scott said as he thought over everything that the doctors had told them.
"Cool... I survived. Going to have to watch that asshole in the future." Sean said as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Let me get me hands on that no good son of a-" Jim clamped a hand over Blair's mouth and shook his head with a small smile. Apparently Blair reacted the same to his brother being hurt as he did to Jim being hurt.
Sean looked closer at Jim then smiled. "I almost feel like I know you..." he muttered as he studied Jim, as if trying to recall where he knew him from.
"It's probably from all of the letters." Blair said pushing Jim's hand away and leaning back into him. Sean nodded slightly. "Maybe."
Just then a tall built blond came running in with a smaller blond right behind him. "Sean!" The large one started crying as he collapsed beside the bed. The other blond walked over and put his hands on the kneeling one's shoulders.
"Paul, I'm fine." Sean said putting a hand to the downed blond's hair.
Paul took a shuddering breath and nodded before letting the other blond help him to his feet.
"Hey, kid. Good to see you awake." the other blond said as Paul nodded and laid his head on the smaller one's shoulder.
"I'd think you were happy that I was sitting still for more then a minute, Shawn." Sean said as he yawned again.
"I'll tell the doctors." Jim slipped out feeling more than slightly overwhelmed. Blair, seeing this, followed him.
"Sorry about that, man. They're a family... And sometimes over emotional... as in Paul's case." Blair said as he joined Jim on the way to the nurse's desk.
"I could see that... You do know that I'm going to ask a lot of questions once we get to the hotel tonight." Jim's voice curled around Blair and he shivered.
"Yeah... but right now I need to concentrate on Sean..." Blair said softly looking into his lover's ice blue eyes and smiling slightly at the understanding he saw there.
Jim nodded then gestured a nurse over so that they could tell her that Sean was awake.
******
"We'll be back in the morning, Sean... Do you need anything before we go?" Blair asked as he, Jim, Kevin, and Scott were preparing to go. Shawn and Paul had left earlier so that they could call and tell everyone that Sean was awake.
"Naw... I'm fine. And I'm sure that the nurses will get me anything I need... won't you, Shelly?" Sean said looking at the nurse who was writing something on his chart at the end of his bed.
"I'll take good care of you, Mr. Waltman." the woman purred then giggled.
Blair shook his head as did the others then they all headed out leaving Sean to the care of the giggling nurse.
******
In his and Blair's hotel room, Jim stripped down to his boxers and laid down on the bed to wait for Blair to get out of the shower.
Blair came walking out and sat down next to Jim studying his Sentinel's calm features.
"So... A brother." Jim said softly as he pulled Blair under the covers and up to his chest to snuggle. He knew how cold Blair was when he got out of the shower.
Blair cuddled up next to Jim and sighed at the warmth as Jim tucked the covers around them. "Yeah... well, half-brother. Sean is one year younger than me... though I act a lot older sometimes... All right all of the time." Blair smiled at the rumbling in Jim's chest showing the larger man's laughter.
"I could kind of tell." Jim said still chuckling. "I can see parts of him in you... and parts of you in him." Jim said softly pulling Blair just a little closer.
Blair raised his head to look into Jim's eyes and leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Sean can act like a toddler at times... then at others he can be almost too old... And I'm going to take that last comment as a compliment." Blair raised an eyebrow asking if he had interrupted the statement right.
Jim remained silent for a time then nuzzled Blair's neck while whispering in his ear, "I love every side of you, Chief... The child, the man, the wolf, the guide... every one of them. Because they're a part of you... And I think I'm going to love Sean too, because he's part of you too."
Blair felt tears sting his eyes then nodded as he took Jim's lips again in a hot wet kiss. Once he had broke it for breath Blair's eyes locked with Jim's. "I love you too."
"Get some sleep, Blair... I think you're going to need it to put up with that brother of your's."
Blair chuckled, but did as Jim asked, with the large detective only a few minutes behind him.
******
Kevin and Scott lay silently holding one another and thinking about their little Gypsy's close call. "I think I'm getting too old for this, chico." Scott said softly over Kevin's heart.
"Know the feeling. Maybe now he'll take our advice and slow down a little." Kevin murmured putting his hand into Scott's freshly washed hair.
Scott raised his head and arched an eyebrow. Both men started grinning. "Naw." Then Scott shook his head. "If the kid went and done that, he wouldn't be the Sean we know and love."
Kevin nodded then lifted Scott's head by pulling softly at his hair. Scott looked up him and a smile formed only to be covered by his larger lover's mouth in a soft kiss that had been meant to sooth, not arouse, but he wasn't complaining as he sent his tongue out to play and duel with Kevin's.
"I love you... Promise me you won't leave me?" Kevin whispered as he turned them over and he settled between Scott's legs looking into his lover's dark eyes.
Scott put his hands on either side of Kevin's face. This was an old thing for them. It wasn't that Kevin was afraid of Scott leaving him for someone else. Kevin was scared that one day Scott was going to get himself killed in the ring or outside of it.
"I love you too, chico... And I won't leave you any sooner than I absolutely have to, I promise." Scott gently pulled Kevin's head over his heart and for the first time since the kid had been hurt they fell into a deep and restive sleep.
******
"He's coming with us!" an unfamiliar set of voices said from inside of Sean's room causing Jim and Blair to look at one another worriedly.
"No he isn't!" Paul's voice said from another part of the room sounding just as angry as the first set.
Jim pulled his gun and together he and Blair went to see if they could see into the room.
Using the slight reflection on the glass of the window Jim could see two men he didn't recognize standing beside Sean who was looking around in disgust.
With a flick of his hand Jim pushed the door open all of the way and pointed his gun at the two unknowns.
The one with the braids gasped and stepped in front of the more built bleach blond. "I don't know who the hell you are but you had better put the gun down and get ready to be busted." Braids said glaring as he started for the phone only to be cut off by Sean cracking up laughing.
"Guys, I would like you to meet Jim Ellison, Blair's boyfriend and partner in the police force." Sean said when he could stop laughing long enough.
Blair stepped into the room and recognized the two unknowns the voices belonged to. "Brian, Kip! It's good to see you again. I didn't recognize your voices before. Sorry about Jim. He gets over-protective." Blair explained as Jim put his gun away slowly.
"Sorry." he said shortly before retiring to a corner to watch the happenings in the room.
"Now what was the fighting about?" Blair asked as he positioned himself on Sean's bed and looked out at the other Kliq members, who all looked sheepish.
"I'm being released tomorrow and I can't stay on my own because of the head trauma. They're fighting over who I'm going home with... Even though I keep telling them I'll be okay on my own." Before Blair could respond to Sean's words a large woman came in glaring.
"Why in the hell am I always the last one told?" she demanded as she shoved Blair out of her way and hugged Sean.
"Sorry, Jo... We didn't know if you had gotten back from Japan yet. We were going to call you." Shawn said then went on. "I think you should let him breathe otherwise the only person he's going with tomorrow is the coroner."
Jim watched as 'Jo' blushed and then let Sean go who coughed and smiled up at the Amazon. It was apparent the moment she noticed Jim. Her eyes widened and for a moment she shivered. "Great. Another one of you. Incacha warned me on the flight I would be meeting his favorite." She muttered just load enough that a Sentinel could pick it up. She walked over and held out her hand to Jim. "Joanie Lauer. Resident shaman. A pleasure to meet you Enqueri."
Blair was the first one to react he walked over to Jim who was just staring at her in shock. "Hi, Jo... A shaman? I wished I'd known because Jim and I could have used your help on number occasions."
Jo smiled down at Blair and for the first time noticed the wolf spirit that almost eclipsed his delicate human one. "Damn... Another Sentinel and Guide, can this life get any better?"
"Wait, another?" Jim asked immediately going on guard.
Blair sent his eyes around the room and then turned so that his back was to Jim's, just in case. "Yes, another. What I don't understand is why you haven't felt them... Maybe because you're both in neutral territory." Jo said as she kept her eyes from going to the other Sentinel/Guide pair in the room.
"I'd often wondered about that!" Blair exclaimed, filing it away for a safer time to talk about. "Jo, don't take me wrong on this, I trust you, almost as much as I trust Jim and Sean, but I can't trust another Sentinel. Especially one Jim can't sense."
Joanie watched their actions and her eyes narrowed. "You were harmed by a Sentinel?" Her voice was so soft and deadly that those who knew her drew back to a safe distance.
Blair let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I was harmed by a Sentinel. She also killed me." Blair's eyes kept darting over the men in the room trying to find which one it was.
Just then Kevin let out an animalistic roar. "SOMEONE HURT A GUIDE!" His eyes were glowing with a dangerous light and the rest of Kliq didn't know who to be more afraid of, Kevin or Jo.
"Shush, chico. He's fine now. Jim saved him as you saved me." Scott calmed his Sentinel with a touch and a few words. Kevin looked down into Scott's eyes and calmed the spirit inside of him telling him to protect the younger guide.
Jim and Blair watched this and realized that it wasn't a rogue Sentinel, but a Sentinel/Guide duo in the room. This caused them both to relax tremendously, but they were still on their guard as they well should be after the Alex incident.
"Sorry about that." Kevin said with a light blush running over his cheeks. Scott put his arms around the larger man's waist and for a moment Jim was standing in the jungle watching the graying lion from before snuggling the black hawk. Then lion looked up and it's startling gray eyes locked on Jim's and when Blair's voice finally broke threw he was still looking into those eyes. Only now they were set into the tall human he knew as Kevin.
Scott had had to pull Kevin almost physically out of the zone out. When his tall lover came back he was staring directly into the blue eyes of the jaguar. He wasn't in the least startled by the fact they were now in Jim Ellison's face.
"Now onto less stressing things!" Brian said brightly taking everyone's attention from the two large Sentinels. "Sean is coming home with Kip and I to recover!"
Paul glared at him. "He's coming with Shawn and I!"
Scott stepped into the fray. "I think it would be best if he came with me and Kev."
Finally Sean spoke up. "I can go home and take care of myself!"
"He's coming with Blair and I." Jim spoke up suddenly causing all eyes to turn on him. Seeing everyone wanting an explanation he went on. "I'm assuming that all of you are wrestlers and are traveling?" At everyone's nod he went on. "Blair and I live only an hour away from here and we're home almost every night."
Blair brightened and nodded. "This would be great! Think about it Seany. You've been wanting to visit for a while."
Sean thought about it and finally nodded. "Yeah. I think I would like that. And the fed is going through Cascade in a month, which is what the doctor told me to take off I can just get back on the circuit there. Do you think you and Jim could put up with me for a
month, Blair?"
Blair looked to Jim who answered for them. "We have a spare room open for you when ever you need or want it."
Sean gave his brother and his brother's lover a wet eyed smile and nodded. "Thank you."
"One thing, Kid." Jim started out not ever realizing he was calling Sean by his nickname. "I don't know where you stand on the issue, but if you try and burn sage in the loft I'll kick your butt to the curb."
No one in the room got it except for Blair and Sean, who broke up laughing. "What's sage got to do with anything?" Paul asked not getting and seeing that most of the guys didn't either.
"Naomi burns more sage in one week than most people burn candles in their entire life." Sean said when his laughter had tapered down to chuckles.
TBC
