December 24th 5:30 am
It was a rare sight to see the majority of the Major Crimes team assembled at the same time. Unlike other divisions, Simon's unit was comprised of the best of the best that the Cascade PD had to offer. Most of his teams operated with a certain degree of autonomy; working on investigations with something of a free-hand, unless a group effort was needed for stakeouts, task forces, and the like.
The holiday season was usually not the busiest time of year for the division. While other units, such as Burglary and Vice, seemed to pick up; the only large case they were working right now was the car-jackings. Due to the publicity and the timing of the crimes, the Mayor and the Chief of Police continued to pressure Simon to do whatever it took to crack this case before Christmas was over and the gang faded into the woodwork for another year.
For that reason alone, Simon decided to throw all of his available manpower into the parking lot surveillance on Christmas Eve. Borrowing personnel from practically every unit in the Cascade PD, Simon called for an organizational meeting at 7:30am. He also requested that his own people be in an hour and a half earlier to finalize the plans, since they would be in charge of the additional officers in the field.
Most of the men and women were not really pleased to be dragged out of their beds so early on Christmas Eve. Rhonda had brought in her own percolator from home to insure that there would be plenty of coffee for the semi-conscious cops that were shuffling through the door. In addition to the caffine-ladened cups she was handing out, Rhonda quietly dispensed some important advice.
"Sandburg got bumped off his flight. Watch yourself around Ellison today."
The simple words did more to wake-up the sleepy detectives than the coffee. Simon couldn't help but stifle a grin as he watched his people's eyes bug out in shock and fear when they heard the news. It didn't surprise him to see actual disappointment in the faces of those who knew the kid well; but even those who didn't know Sandburg were aware of the anthropologist's legendary partnership with Ellison, and realized the kind of mood the detective would be in after hearing that his former partner wouldn't be home for the holidays.
Simon couldn't fault his people for being fearful of Jim's temper today. Hell, he hadn't been in the best of moods himself since Ellison had called to inform him that Blair would once again be unable to make it back to Cascade. Although he'd rather have his teeth pulled out with pliers than admit it aloud, Simon had grown to admire and respect the anthropologist; not to mention consider him a good friend.
The hardest part had been informing Darryl that Blair would not be coming. The bond between his son and the then grad student had begun in the Peruvian jungle and only continued to grow over the years that had followed. Maybe it was Blair's age, but Darryl always seemed to be more comfortable with the young professor than Simon or Jim.
When his son began having difficulties at school three years ago, Blair managed to clear time in his already impossibly full schedule to tutor the teenager. The way Sandburg was able to once again make learning interesting for Darryl not only spoke volumes of the grad student's ability as a teacher, but also raised him to a completely new level of respect with Simon.
It was Blair who managed to uncover Darryl's biggest secret last year. The younger Banks possessed an amazing singing voice, but was afraid that if his parents knew of his talents, they would try to force him into the school chorus. Although Simon wasn't able to jump the generation language barrier, he was able to decipher that being seen with 'those choir dweebs' at school would destroy his son's 'hep' image. Again, it was Blair who found the solution to the problem, one that worked for both father and son. Darryl was able to thrive in the Holy Redeemer church choir, and not one of his friends from school gave him any grief about singing with them.
Shaking off the memories, Simon looked up at the clock. 5:55. Jim Ellison was the last of his detectives to wander through the office doors, looking as though he was experiencing a walking zone out. It didn't take twenty-odd years of police experience to read the Sentinel's facial expression and determine that Sandburg still wasn't able to find a flight. Despite the sympathy he felt for his shell-shocked friend, they had a job to do. Simon walked out into the bullpen and gathered his staff around.
"Good morning, people. I know that none of us are especially thrilled to be here so damned early, but the sooner we catch these guys, the sooner we can all go home to our families," Simon said in a voice that was a little too loud at six in the morning.
Sparing a glance at Ellison, the Captain was not surprised to see the detective's attention wandering. The Sentinel cocked his head to the side, a habit he had when he was using his senses to detect something. Simon was about to ask if anything was amiss, when Jim saved him the trouble.
"Am I going crazy, or do I smell food?" the Sentinel inquired. Before he could finish the statement, two teenaged boys ladened down with two enormous thermal-lined boxes walked through the door labeled Major Crimes. The scent of bacon and eggs wafted out from the packages in their arms.
"Um, we're looking for Captain Banks or Detective Ellison, Major Crimes unit?" One of the boys asked warily.
In a sheer act of physical will, Simon stopped himself from salivating at the tempting aroma that rose from the boxes. All traces of annoyance that he normally would have felt at such an intrusion into an important meeting were knocked down by the tantalizing scents that were causing his empty stomach to grumble in hope and anticipation. A quick glance at his men and women told him that he wasn't the only one in the room who had forsaken breakfast in favor of an extra fifteen minutes of sleep.
Returning his attention to the two anxious boys in front of him, Simon spoke. "I'm Captain Banks. Can I help you?" 'Oh please God, let that be for us,' he begged silently.
"Yeah, we have an order for you. Where do you want us to put it?" the kid asked in a hurry. Some of the detectives were already clearing space from their desks to make room for the food. Brown and Ryf quickly relieved the delivery boys of their burdens, almost as if in fear the feast they carried would somehow magically disappear without immediate attention.
Before the two detectives could open the boxes, a painful memory flashed through Simon's mind, one of a dusted Sandburg standing on a car in the garage shooting at imaginary targets. 'What if this is a similar trick, maybe those carjackers...' he let the thought trail off. Speaking aloud with suspicion clearly evident in his tone, Simon said "Just where did this come from?"
Both of the boys jumped at the booming voice. "We're from Lucinda's, she told us to deliver this before six, but we had a flat on the way over." As if to confirm his words, the taller of the two unzipped his heavy parka. The logo from Lucinda's Diner was visible on his sweatshirt.
Lucinda was one half of a mom and pop team that ran a local diner. The restaurant was a favorite of most of the police force, as it specialized in home styled foods and was open 24 hours a day. Despite the typical grease-laden menu that the name 'diner' implied, the food was actually very good, and healthy enough for even Sandburg to tolerate. Lucinda and her husband were very fond of Blair and Jim, as they had stopped an attempted hold-up they stumbled across one night when they came in for a quick bite to eat.
Belatedly, the kid reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a note and handed it to the Captain. He was clearly uncomfortable under Simon's intense scrutiny, so he grabbed the other kid by the arm and mumbled to no one in particular that they would be back in a moment with the rest of the order. Unfolding the glossy grease and flour stained paper, the Captain's eyes bugged out at the sight of the handwriting of the fax. He read it through once to himself before grinning and saying the words aloud.
"Hi guys, Sorry I couldn't be there, but I thought you all might be in need of some sustenance before going out and catching bad guys. Good luck today and Merry Christmas. Blair (AKA Sandburg, Professor, Hair-boy, Chief, Darwin, and Kemo Sabe)"
A rumble and muffled whoops of happiness passed through the people gathered in the office. Simon's eyes sought out Jim immediately. The Sentinel had a grin on his face, but knowing him as well as he did, the Captain could easily see that the smile didn't reach his pain-filled eyes. In fact, the detective's tell-tale clenched jaw was causing the muscles of his cheeks to jump rapidly.
The delivery boys came in with two more thermal boxes, as well as a bag of paper plates, condiments, and utensils. They helped Ryf and Brown spread out the feast of everything from scrambled eggs to French toast to doughnuts to muffins. 'This spread must have cost the kid a fortune. Just how much are they paying associate professors these days?' Simon thought to himself as he watched his people dig into the mountain of food on the two desks.
After accepting a hastily gathered tip, the teenagers tore out of the Major Crimes office. Someone commented that they were probably afraid of being mistaken as edible by the ravenous crowd of cops acting as though food was going to be outlawed in the next fifteen minutes. Looking around at his team, Simon couldn't help but notice that everyone was more alert and relaxed than they had been at the office Christmas party two days earlier.
Simon was about to try and get his people's attention to get back to business, but the sight of Jim slipping otherwise unnoticed out the frosted glass doors stopped him. Forgetting momentarily about the case briefing, not to mention the starving hoard of officers, he followed his best detective into the bathroom. Jim was leaning over the sink, wiping cold water over his face.
"Not now, Simon," Jim said with no preamble.
The Captain was momentarily taken aback, until he remembered Jim's enhanced senses. The Sentinel probably knew Simon was coming the minute he left Major Crimes, let alone when he opened the bathroom. It was obvious to the older man that his friend was more hurt than he was willing to admit.
Simon never tried to understand the friendship that Jim and Blair shared, it was pointless; he only knew that their relationship was closer than most marriages he'd ever seen, including Jim's to Carolyn. In fact, if he didn't know that Jim Ellison was totally heterosexual, he might have suspected that there was more to their relationship than met the eye. Not that he didn't believe Sandburg was willing to do a little fence jumping now and then, even though there was no proof to substantiate the theory.
Regardless of the nature of their relationship, Jim had been devastated by the younger man's departure. Simon could do nothing but watch his friend retreat into himself somewhat, losing some of relaxed attitude he'd managed to cultivated with Blair's help over the past four years. The return of the more reserved behavior was accompanied by depression and a constant stream of zone outs that was so debilitating, it left Simon with no choice but to put Jim on desk duty until he regained some semblance of control over his senses. It took some time, but the Sentinel finally managed to lose the gaunt, haunted look that he had sported since the weeks before Sandburg's departure.
Now, as he looked at his detective, that same pained expression was back. "Look, Jim, I know you were really looking forward to seeing the kid again. You get your new vacation days as soon as the New Year begins. Your case load should be light after this carjacking thing is wrapped up. Why don't you take a week and fly out to see him," Simon suggested.
"That's a good idea, Sir," Jim said. 'But it doesn't change the fact that he won't be here for Christmas,' he added mentally. The simple truth of the matter that although he would be overjoyed to see his Guide at any point time, having him home for the holidays was even more special. It was like going into a donut shop expecting a double-dipped chocolate boston-creme donut and coming out with a bran muffin instead. The thought almost put a smile on Jim's face.
Simon picked up the non-verbal cue in the formality of the statement. Jim either wasn't ready or willing to discuss the matter any further. By the look on his face, Simon correctly assumed that it was all the detective could do to maintain the wall that was holding back the tidal wave of emotions that were swirling within him. Not knowing what else to do, the Captain placed a hand on the smaller man's shoulder a gave it a reassuring squeeze before walking back to the bullpen.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Jim opened the bathroom door and rejoined the others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 24th 9:10 PM
//This is Christmas, Christmas my dear
The time of year to be with the one that you love.//
For the hundredth time that evening, Jim wondered exactly what he was doing at Simon's house. The party was already in full swing, almost all of the Major Crimes staff was here, celebrating like the world was going to end tomorrow. Because of the stressful nature of their jobs, cops tended to party hard. That feeling was doubled by the holiday spirit, than tripled by the euphoria of this afternoon's bust.
It had been Jim's Sentinel abilities that cracked the case that afternoon. While riding around in the parking lot, the detective heard the latest victim scream when the one of the carjackers pulled a gun on her. They managed to catch the gunman in the act, and after several grueling hours of interrogation and threats of revoking his parole, Ryf and Jim were able to get the suspect to roll over on the rest of the gang.
Although Jim was happy the case was finally closed, he really wasn't in the mood to celebrate. In fact, he was downright miserable. For the past four hours, the Sentinel had futilely been attempting to call his Guide, only to hear that 'the cellular customer he was attempting to reach was unavailable.' The battery in Blair's phone had probably given out, leaving the detective no way to reach him. After the briefing that morning, Simon reminded everyone about his annual Christmas Eve party, not that anyone had actually forgotten. Any hopes Jim entertained about ducking out early were dashed when his Captain personally pulled him aside and informed him how excited Darryl was about his solo at midnight mass.
Jim and Blair both promised that they would be in attendance for the younger Banks' big night, and the kid was going to be upset enough that Sandburg wouldn't be there. It wasn't as though listening to Darryl sing was an unwanted obligation. In fact, Jim was both touched and honored when the younger man called personally last month to ask that he attend; but the fact that he was supposed to have been there with Blair took most of the joy out of the prospect. It was the same for Simon's party.
There seemed to be a conspiracy among his co-workers to use any and every means to make the stoic detective enjoy himself. Each and every person in attendance made sure to speak to him at some point in the evening, but not one person mentioned Sandburg. The constant omissions did not go unnoticed by the Sentinel, in fact it only made him more painfully aware of Blair's absence. Jim couldn't help but remember Simon's party last year, and how his Guide had been the center of attention that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It had all started at the official department Christmas party. Like many offices around the country, Major Crimes did Secret Santas. The idea was that everybody drew a single name out of the bag and bought a gift for just that person. With a $25 price limit, it was the perfect solution to the problems of limited time for shopping as well as the limited budgets that most police officers faced.
The actual gift exchange usually took place at the office party on December 23rd. Jim was called into Simon's office right before the festivities began. The Sentinel emerged from the meeting to find a rather large professionally wrapped box on his desk with nobody nearby to claim responsibility. Jim patiently watched most of other staff members open their presents while waiting for his Secret Santa to come forward. He laughed at the gag gifts that were given, like the dog leash that Brown gave to Sandburg -- 'makes it easier for us to keep track of you,' Brown quipped; and smiled at the thoughtfulness behind some of the more useful presents, like the smoke-eating ashtray that Rhonda bought for Simon.
Finally, the Sentinel's unopened present was the only one that remained. Urged on by the calls of his fellow officers, Jim reached for the large box. A feeling of dread overcame the detective as he noticed the poorly hidden grins and stifled laughter of those in the room. Cautiously moving his fingers through the cellophane tape, Jim decided to have a little fun of his own by dragging out the moment, eliciting a resounding chorus of impatient 'hurry up, Ellison' calls. Jim carefully peered into the open box. There, amid a sea of red tissue paper was a two yard strip of Velcro. Puzzled by the gift, Jim dug further into the tissue paper to discover boxing headgear. Attached by a strip of red curling ribbon to one of the ear protectors was a typed note.
'Jim, With your tendency for head injuries and your habit of dropping your gun during arrests, I thought these might come in useful. Your Secret Santa.'
The embarrassment Jim felt was enough to make him turn red. At the sight of the flush, the entire office burst into laughter. When the detective reread the note once more, he knew instantly who his Secret Santa was.
"Sandburg!" Jim bellowed in mock anger. Near doubled over with laughter, Blair followed his part in the unwritten script and made a mad dash for Simon's office as Jim started to move towards him. The Sentinel caught his Guide by the scruff of the neck, and held the smaller man in place. Wearing his best poker face, Jim attempted to play the 'angry Neanderthal' role, but he knew that Blair could easily see the genuine amusement that kept breaking through his normally impenetrable mask.
"Oh, hey, Jim. What's up, man?" Blair asked in a conversational tone of voice. He couldn't, however, keep the twinkle out of his eyes, nor could he keep the laughter out of his voice as he innocently asked, "You want me to show you how to put that Velcro on your hand? You're a rightie, aren't you?"
The simple question was enough to break the normally stoic Sentinel. Laughing heartily, Jim adjusted his grip and pulled the younger man into a very loose, very masculine, back-pounding-type embrace. "You know you are going to pay for that, don't you, Chief?" Jim asked in a tone loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.
"Not as much as you're going to be," Blair answered before he moved away.
His Guide's words were prophetic. The gag gift and Jim's reaction to it were the hottest topics of conversation at Simon's the following night. Everyone was congratulating the observer on his ability to 'get a good one on Ellison,' and Blair was basking in the glory. Just the sight of the exuberance that practically poured from the younger man was enough to make the Sentinel smile, happy that Blair had finally been truly accepted by his co-workers.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn't a bad party this year. Maybe it was still too early in the evening for the more riotous behavior to come out, or maybe it was the subdued way people acted around him tonight, or maybe it was just him. Everyone else seemed to be having a blast, yet the normal infectious nature of party spirit was unable to reach Jim.
A hand on his arm, brought Jim out of his revelry. "Ellison, can we borrow you for a minute?" Ray Brown inquired. The younger detective stood with one arm wrapped around his wife, Karen. They had met each other at Blair's graduation party, and married a few short months later.
Joining Ryf and Simon, who had already been summoned by the couple, Jim walked to the corner of the living room. "What's up?" he asked.
Barely able to contain his excitement, Brown stumbled through his answer. "Well, we, um, we wanted you all to hear it first, Karen's pregnant."
All three men began offering their congratulations at the same time, delicately hugging Karen and back pounding bear hugs for Ray. Simon's question about the due date was interrupted by the doorbell. Excusing himself, the Captain began weaving through the crowded living room to the door on the far side of the room.
"I'm due in May," Karen answered anyway.
Smiling at the happy news, an idea struck Jim. Almost shyly, the Sentinel asked if he could touch Karen's abdomen. Although she was somewhat puzzled by the request, Karen was too giddy with happiness to refuse. Leaning forward slightly, Jim gently rested his fingers on the still-flat plane just below the stomach of the mother-to-be. Reaching out with his enhanced senses, the Sentinel used both hearing and touch to find the signs of life nestled within Karen's womb. With his head angled downwards, Ray and Karen missed the look of sheer wonder that crossed Jim's face. Piggybacking the two senses, he could not only hear the rapid heartbeat, but he could also sense exactly where the sound was originating from. Fascinated by this new aspect of his abilities, Jim didn't even notice that he was loosing touch with everything around himself.
It took Ryf a second to figure out what his partner was doing, but as soon as he saw the zone out beginning, he quickly put his hand on Ellison's arm and squeezed tightly. The sharp pain brought Jim back into reality, leaving him disoriented for a moment. The queasy feeling was quickly forgotten as everyone in the room started speaking at once, overwhelming his sensitive hearing.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The doorbell rang again as Simon fought his way through the crowd in his living room. His colleagues were so wrapped up in their conversations that not one of them made a move to answer the door, something that irked the Captain. By the time he reached his destination, he was miffed enough not to bother looking through the peephole. Although most of the staff who had RSVP'ed were actually in attendance, there were still a few no-shows.
Somewhere behind him, Simon heard several people burst into laughter. Swinging his head around to find the source of the merriment, the Captain pulled the door open, shivering slightly at the rush of cold air that blasted it's way inside. It was a moment before he turned his attention back to the latest arrival to the party.
Simon's eyes grew impossibly large as he openly stared at the person in his doorway. Speechless, he took in the small, sturdy figure, wrapped in a sub-zero weather parka. The bright blue scarf that covered the nose and mouth brought out the deep smoky blue of the eyes that couldn't contain the younger man's happy excitement. A gloved hand reached up and pulled down the cloth that concealed the pouting lips.
A thousand watt smile crossed Blair's face as he took in the almost comical stunned expression on the older man's face. "Merry Christmas, Simon."
Shaking off the surprise he felt at the sight of the man in front of him, Simon couldn't help the deep joyful laughter that welled up within him. Fueled by the dazzling smile on Blair's face, the Captain shouted out, "Sandburg!" and pulled his former observer into a hug of colossal proportions. The younger man started laughing as his feet left the ground, elated by Simon's highly unusual, not to mention emotional, greeting.
The sound of their Captain shouting out Blair's name over the loud holiday music was enough to attract the attention of most of the party-goers. Heads turned and necks craned to see what had caused such an outburst from their Captain on Christmas Eve. The sight of the anthropologist was enough to raise a cheer among the guests, several of whom moved over to greet the unexpected visitor.
Blair felt positively giddy at the sight of his old friends. Joel Taggert surged forward, and like Simon, pulled the smaller man into an enormous bear hug. When he found his feet again, Rhonda and Serena Baxter were taking turns to kiss his cold-reddened cheeks, chattering happily about his unexpected arrival. Blair smiled happily as he exchanged Christmas greetings with all three, but he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering around the room searching for the one man he just traveled 3,000 miles to see again.
Finally, he spotted Jim in the far corner of the living room with Karen, Ray, and Brian Ryf. Just the sight of his Sentinel's back caused Blair's heartbeat to start racing as a wave of pure desire swept across his body. Jim had let his hair grow a few centimeters longer since he had last seen him. Under the form-hugging cream colored cashmere sweater, the anthropologist watched the firm muscles ripple as Jim shook his head.
Joel, Rhonda, and Serena were completely forgotten as he watched his Sentinel turn around. Although he wasn't even aware of it, Blair's breathing picked up as blue eyes met blue eyes and locked. The music, the party, the people, everything else faded away as he moved slowly towards the man who managed to once again enchant him without even saying a word.
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