By JudyL

May 17, 2004

This story was inspired by a photo challenge. Suisan put together a great cover shot, but didn't have a story to go with it. The challenge was issued and my muse raised her hand… bad muse, because I had several (meaning a lot) of other plot bunnies already insisting on equal time. However, I did start writing the story in February (2004). Then musey got stuck on a technical problem and I was able to go back to work on several other stories.

May rolled around and suddenly (maybe inspired by watching a few new eps of CSI) my muse said "hey!" how about this? And I was relieved to find the answers to several questions I had for this story, namely, what happens? And how do they solve it? I know, little problems, but sometimes it is nice to know where the story is going when you sit down to write it <G>.

Warnings: Not really, but this does follow "My Sentinel Universe" so Blair is a cop. Some strong language.

Thanks to my wonderful cousin and beta, Cheryl and thanks to Suisan for the great pic and also fast beta. Hope you like the result.

Anyway, here it is, finally with a few, hopefully, unexpected twists. Enjoy.

Disclaimers: My cats and dog belong to me, plus a few other sundry items that really aren't worth much. The boys and Grissom all belong to someone else, pout, I'm just borrowing them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gil Grissom grabbed his carry on bag and fished out his cell phone as he waited to leave the plane. Now that they were on the ground he could check in with the office.

"CSI, Willows speaking."

"Hey, it's me. Thought I'd check in. We just landed in Cascade." Grissom moved into the aisle and followed the slow procession to the exit.

"Grissom, you've barely been gone four hours. Don't you trust me?"

"You know I do, otherwise I would never have left for this seminar."

Catherine chuckled.

Grissom rolled his eyes. "So fill me in on the cases…"

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

Jim and Blair waited on the other side of the metal detectors for the forensics expert they had to pick up.

"I hate seminars, Chief. It doesn't matter what they're about," Ellison griped scanning the crowd for the CSI.

"Give it a rest, Jim. As much as you help out with the forensic part of the investigation, Simon has every right to insist we go to this conference. Besides," Blair bounced holding the sign with 'Grissom' written on it above his head with one hand, "it'll be cool to see exactly what you can do compared to the 'experts' and their fancy equipment." Blair grinned smugly up at his Sentinel confident that Jim could at least match most of the fancy-smancy techniques.

Jim tried to keep the grin off his face, but failed. It felt good knowing the kid had so much belief in his abilities. It was true that he relied on his senses more now than he had in the beginning. He also used them much more efficiently now that Blair was his official partner and had the same access to crime scenes as Jim.

The Sentinel's ears picked up a phone conversation and he focused on a middle-aged man with graying brown hair who was busy raking someone over the coals.

"I think that's our guy, Chief," Jim said pointing at the man.

Blair held the sign higher and waved his other hand in the air to get Grissom's attention.

The CSI continued to talk on the phone but acknowledged them with a nod as he closed the last thirty feet or so.

"I don't care what Greg thinks. Apprentice means just that, he does what we tell him. I do not want him out on the scene while I'm not there, you got that?" He paused, waited for a response then nodded. "Okay, Catherine. I've met up with my ride. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Grissom turned off the phone and smiled at the two men waiting for him. "Sorry, I had to check in." He looked at Blair with the sign and then at Jim. "You were looking for Gil Grissom, right?"

Jim stuck out his hand. "Detective Jim Ellison." Grissom shook his hand and then turned to Blair as Jim introduced them. "This is my partner, Detective Blair Sandburg."

Jim watched the CSI warily as he shook hands with Sandburg. He felt himself relax as Grissom smiled and seemed not the least bit fazed by Blair. Then Grissom's eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Sandburg?" he asked.

Blair raised his hands and prepared to verbally defend himself.

"You aren't by chance related to Naomi Sandburg are you?" Grissom asked.

Blair's mouth fell open.

Jim chuckled. "Naomi is his mother."

"How do you know Naomi?" Blair asked sending a quick glare at his partner.

Gil smiled. "We went to high school together." He shrugged. "I lost track of her when her family moved just before we started our senior year."

Ellison was a bit surprised to feel a smile on his own lips. He didn't usually feel comfortable around newcomers this quickly. But for some reason Grissom seemed to be slipping under his radar.

Blair nodded. "Naomi said her Dad's job moved them around quite a bit. Of course she left home not too long after my grandparents moved to Cascade."

Grissom frowned but let the subject drop as Blair continued.

"So, Dr. Grissom," Blair said as they headed for the baggage claim area, "I've read several of your articles. I'm not well versed in the forensic sciences, but I found your use of insects to determine time frames and to verify the location of the initial crime scene fascinating. How did you get interested in entomology?"

"Chief," Jim interrupted, "give the man a break. He's here to talk about bugs and forensics all weekend. Maybe he'd like to talk about something else for a while."

Gil shook his head, amused by the playful give and take between the partners. They were obviously good friends. "I don't mind. Entomology is a hobby of mine, but it also happens to offer a unique tool for investigating certain crime scenes. Insects have a set life cycle that is dependent on very specific environmental factors…"

The three men picked up Grissom's luggage and made it all the way to his hotel with Grissom and Blair discussing the use of insects at a crime scene. Jim listened shaking his head periodically, but taking it all in. It was quite fascinating. And who knew when some of that information might come in handy.

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

Jim and Blair had been assigned as Grissom's official contacts during the conference. They would make sure he was entertained during the off hours and help out as much as possible during the seminars. Even though Serena Chang and Dan Wolfe would be attending the conference, Simon had insisted that the two detectives would be less likely to get into trouble if they were baby-sitting Grissom.

So, the next morning found the partners standing outside the small meeting room off the main conference hall while Grissom set up his demos. The CSI insisted on doing all the work himself so that there wouldn't be any contamination of the samples.

Once Grissom was finished the three men ate a quick breakfast in the hotel lounge then headed for the first seminar of the day. Gil Grissom wasn't the only expert speaking at the CSI conference, but from what Blair had heard about the various guest speakers, he would be the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, folks," Grissom said. "Now we're going to move on to a little practical demonstration." He packed his notes into his briefcase as he spoke. "In the next room I've set up a series of evidence gathering tests. Each of you will inspect the items and make notes on them. Once you're finished, return to this hall and we'll discuss the correct answers." Grissom grinned as he emphasized the word 'correct.'

"Just pick up your scorecards as you enter the room and please try not to contaminate the evidence for your fellow officers," Grissom teased. The room filled with appreciative chuckles.

Blair approached Gil as the other officers started to file into the 'evidence' room. "Did you need us to help with anything?" he asked.

Grissom shook his head. "Everything's set up. Go ahead and take your turn through the room."

Jim and Blair got into line. Blair's eyes gleamed with undisguised anticipation. Jim rolled his eyes. Tests. And he's got Simon and the department's full backing. Ellison sighed.

Blair whapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, Jim. This is going to be fun." He looked around and lowered his voice. "Now I want you to fill out two cards. The first one will show what you detect without using your senses. Then on the second, I want every bit of input you get off of each piece of evidence. Got it?" Blair asked.

"Sure Chief," Jim replied. It won't be so bad. Actually, it'll be nice to know how accurate I am without the use of black lights and finger print powder.

They entered the room and Blair picked up three cards, covertly handing two to Jim. The two men stayed together as they worked around the room, but each inspected the evidence individually and made their own notes.

When they finished, Grissom pointed to the answer key he had on the overhead projector. Jim and Blair picked a quiet corner to check their sheets.

**********

Jim shook his head and grinned at his friend who could not sit still on the seat beside him. They had eaten dinner with Grissom and were now heading home.

"I can't believe how much you picked up, Jim," Blair said excitedly. "I mean, I can…" he waved his hands. "I knew you could. I just didn’t really realize how sensitive your senses are. Even after all these years of working with you." Sandburg took a quick breath. "Where's that sheet, Jim? I want it for my notes, then I'll put it in the lock box with the rest of the Sentinel research."

"What do you mean, Chief? I gave it to you."

"No, Jim," Blair exhaled. "I told you I'd hand in the 'real' answers to Grissom and for you to hold onto the Sentinel answers."

Jim's eyes widened and he glanced over at Blair before returning his attention to the road. "No, Sandburg, you took the Sentinel sheet for safe keeping and I handed in my own answers."

Blair stared at Jim. Ellison stopped at the next light and turned to his Guide. "You handed in two sheets?" he asked softly.

Blair nodded.

"Shit," they both said together.

~~~~~~~

Grissom pushed his glasses back up and grabbed the next scorecard. He wanted to get the percentage of correct answers for each test figured out so that he could report the findings to the officers tomorrow. The information would be helpful in tightening up their crime scenes. A little extra training in the appropriate areas could make a world of difference.

He frowned at the card in his hand. There were a lot of notes on the card. He read the information for the first item. It was a small statue found at a murder scene, of course Grissom had prepared all of the 'evidence' and it was not really part of an investigation. This statue, according to the caption, had been found at the crime scene and was believed to have been the murder weapon.

All he had asked the officers to do was look at the statue to determine what physical evidence was still on it. They were allowed to use the black light to fluoresce the blood stains, but for this test they were to pretend there were no fingerprints. Unfortunately, to put that many officers through the same tests and achieve an accurate evaluation of skills, Grissom had to minimize the 'evidence' on each object. It was also impossible to start fresh once something was dusted for prints.

This scorecard however listed all of the blood stain locations as well as the one inch strand of hair Grissom had planted and twelve complete fingerprints, four partials and three of the prints were duplicates exactly matching three others on the statue. There was also a note about a missing chip of paint from the base of the statue, 'probably where the murderer hit the vic,' the small neat handwriting said.

Grissom stood and retrieved the plastic bag containing the statue. He placed it on the table and pulled out his ever-present evidence kit.

Twenty minutes later, he had confirmed all of the information on the scorecard, although he'd had some trouble finding all the fingerprints (which were his) because of the awkward locations. How the hell?

He stared at the statue then at the mystery scorecard. "Someone must be pulling my leg," Gil said to himself, but his curiosity was peaked. He continued to work through the rest of the test items, his other report forgotten.

*****

"It's the damnedest thing," Grissom told Blair and Jim the next morning. "I spent most of the night corroborating the answers with my findings. This guy found things I didn't intend to leave on the items." He shook his head. "The one that got me though was that he identified the brand of detergent I used to wash the shirt with by smell." Gil looked at Blair then Jim. "I washed that shirt three days ago."

Blair and Jim exchanged disbelieving looks then faced Grissom. "I don't know, man," Blair obfuscated. "It sounds like someone is trying to pull one over on you."

Grissom tilted his head then shook it. "I thought about that, but I prepared those items the night before and the hotel assures me no one had access to the room. I even had them check the security tapes."

Jim lifted his head suddenly. "Oh, hey, there's Dan and Serena," he said trying desperately to change the subject. "We'd better get to the next lecture, don't want to be late."

Grissom followed but his expression indicated that he was not going to let the matter drop.

*******

Later that afternoon Jim and Blair took a few minutes to find a private place to talk.

"What are we going to do Chief?" Jim asked frustrated by the whole situation.

"Look, Jim, don't panic," Blair said calmly. "There is no way he can tie that scorecard to you. All the test results were anonymous. Grissom can wonder all he wants, but it won't do him any good."

"Blair, he's a genius in his field," Jim pinned him down with a glare. "If someone dropped evidence in your lap that a real Sentinel existed in this day and age, wouldn't you do anything you could to try and study him?"

"Of course, what do you think that whole Dr. McKay thing was about?" Blair blinked and grimaced. "Okay, okay, I get your point. But I had your name and whereabouts. Grissom doesn't know who turned in that card."

"What about fingerprints, Chief?"

Blair stared at his partner. "Oh, shit," he said softly.

Jim just nodded.

**********

Grissom twirled the brush over the surface of the card shaking his head in self-deprecation as the powder settled. "Why didn't I think of this last night?" he muttered as the prints became clear. Gil pressed the tape down onto each print and fastened them to a sheet of paper. When he had lifted all the prints, Grissom scanned the sheet into his computer and sent an e-mail to Catherine asking her to check the prints against the officers at the convention.

**********

Blair excused himself from speaking with the attractive brunette and went over to where Jim and Grissom were standing. "Hey, guys, you go ahead and grab something to eat without me, okay?" Blair glanced over his shoulder at the woman and smiled before turning his attention back to the two older men. "I've got a date."

Jim frowned. "Simon wanted us," he stressed the word us, "to make Gil feel at home while he's in town, Chief."

Grissom grinned. "It's okay with me, Jim. I really want to head back to my room early tonight and get some things done."

Blair smiled at Grissom then met Jim's frown. "Cool. Don’t wait up for me, big guy." He winked and spun on his heel heading toward the woman at a quick pace.

"Table leg, Chief," Jim called not too loudly.

His partner turned and walked backward a few steps as he stuck his tongue out at Jim.

Jim and Gil chuckled.

"Guess it's just you and me then, Gil," Jim said. "Any preferences?"

"Do you have a good Thai place in town?" Grissom asked.

Jim grinned. "A man after my own heart."

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

Blair smiled as he stepped off the elevator. Although the evening hadn't gone exactly as he might have hoped, he had had a great time with Toni. She was intelligent, funny, pretty and unfortunately on the rebound. So while she currently wasn't interested in a new relationship, Toni promised to keep in touch.

The lobby was quiet this time of night. In fact, Blair noticed he was the only person around, besides the desk clerk. He seems awfully alert for two in the morning. Blair waved at the man, giving him a tired grin followed by a big yawn. The clerk nodded stiffly.

Something's not right. Blair went over to the desk. "Hey, man, do I have any messages? I was supposed to get a call, but the phone hasn't rung all night," he said affecting a harried but agreeable attitude. "I thought maybe the phone was on the fritz, ya know."

The clerk's eyes widened a bit before he glanced down at the computer screen. "Uh, what, what's your room number?" he stuttered avoiding Blair's eyes.

Blair's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "214," he lied.

The guy tapped away at the keyboard for a second then shook his head vigorously. "Nope, no messages. Sorry," he said quickly.

"Oh," Blair replied, "thanks anyway. Can I borrow your phone?" he asked pointing at the desk phone.

The man's face went a shade paler. "Um, sorry, it's against policy. There's some pay phones over there," he pointed across the lobby.

Blair turned letting his gaze follow the man's finger. "Okay. Thanks man." He headed for the pay phones. He stuck a couple of quarters in and dialed the loft, deciding it would be too obvious if he used his cell phone. Blair heard the line ring for the second time then sensed someone behind him. He turned just in time to see an object coming toward his head.

*********

Jim frowned as he searched the room for Sandburg again. His partner hadn't called to say he wouldn't be home, but considering the company Blair had been with, Jim wasn't too surprised. He had, however, expected to find Blair bright eyed and bushy tailed in the lobby when the Sentinel arrived this morning.

Dan and Serena joined Jim handing him a cup of coffee from the refreshment table.

"Any sign of Blair?" Dan asked.

Ellison shook his head. "He's here somewhere, but I haven't seen him."

Serena frowned. "You couldn't," she fingered her ear, "you know," the forensics expert said reminding Jim that she also had been told about his senses.

Jim's frown deepened. "I tried, but I couldn't find him. I can't seem to keep my focus," he admitted, frustrated.

"Well," Dan suggested, "who was he with last night? Can you find her?"

The Sentinel raised his eyebrows and set to scanning the room for the brunette. He was interrupted by the squeal of the microphone as Grissom turned it on for his next lecture. Jim winced as he continued to search the audience. Where are you, Chief?

"All right people, please take your seats and we'll get started," Grissom instructed from behind a sheet-covered gurney. "As I'm sure you are aware, this portion of the lecture deals with cadavers." He grinned at the many grimaces and frowns in the audience. "Don't worry, the hotel wouldn't allow me to bring a real body in here so I've had to resort to making up a life size CPR doll."

Jim jerked his head toward Grissom. Blood?

The CSI patted the sheet-covered dummy on the abdomen. The dummy moaned and an arm fell out from under the sheet on the side of the gurney facing the audience. Grissom stared for a long second at the blood seeping through sheet before he flipped the corner back.

"Blair!" Jim screamed as he pushed his way to the front of the room followed closely by Dan and Serena.

"Someone call an ambulance," Grissom shouted.

Dan sent Serena to his car to get his medical bag while he took Blair's vitals.

Grissom took charge of the scene. "This is not an exercise people! I need this room sealed off. No one is to leave without giving a statement. Someone call Cascade PD and tell them to get a crew over here ASAP."

He checked back with Dan and Jim. "What have we got here?" Grissom asked concerned for the energetic young detective.

Dan met Grissom's gaze. "Looks like a stab wound and a pretty nasty contusion on his forehead. He's lost a lot of blood," Wolfe answered as he used the sheet as a makeshift bandage.

"Jim," Grissom said, "see if you can find the woman that we saw Blair with last night."

Jim growled, "I'm staying with my partner."

Dan met Grissom's eyes and shook his head. "If you saw her, you should look, Jim won't leave Blair. Trust me on this."

Gil frowned but started to make his way around the room taking names and information until the Cascade people arrived. He spotted the woman a few minutes later and went to her next.

She looked up at him with worried eyes. "Is he going to be all right?"

"It looks pretty serious, Miss?" Grissom asked.

"Toni Mills, CSI out of Wichita. I'm just in town for the convention," she glanced back over at the tableau around Blair. "He left my room around two this morning. I swear. He was fine. We planned on getting together for lunch today before my plane leaves."

"Okay, Ms. Mills," Grissom said taking notes. "I'll need you to make a statement to the Cascade PD when they get here. Can you think of anything that might help?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "No. He said he was going to catch a cab home, he didn't want to wake his roommate. I offered to let him use the phone in my room, but he said he'd use his cell if there wasn't a cab downstairs." Toni shrugged. "I wish I could be of more help."

"That's all right, Ms. Mills, just let us know if you think of anything else," Grissom went back to taking information from the other officers.

A few minutes later the ambulance and the Cascade PD arrived. A large black man seemed to be in charge. Grissom went back over to the gurney.

"What the hell happened here, Jim?" the big man asked chomping an unlit cigar.

Ellison just shook his head while Dan updated the paramedics and helped them load Blair onto the stretcher.

Serena took Captain Banks to one side. "The last Jim knew, Blair was with a CSI woman here in the hotel. He expected to meet Sandburg this morning, but Blair never showed. We were looking for him when Mr. Grissom started his lecture and discovered that his demo dummy was real."

Grissom took the opportunity to interrupt. "I'm Gil Grissom, Las Vegas CSI." He held his hand out.

"Captain Simon Banks, Cascade Major Crimes," Simon returned. "Do you have any ideas?" he asked waving his hand toward Blair.

"I spoke to the woman we saw him with last night," Grissom turned and pointed at Toni. "She's ready to give a statement to your people. She said Blair left her room around 2am." Gil frowned. "My dummy was in the hotel vault behind the front desk. I'd like to take some people and start checking out the area."

Banks frowned and glanced at Serena.

"I'd love to have Mr. Grissom's help on this Captain," she said.

"All right," Simon agreed. "Tell Taggert what you need, I'm leaving him in charge."

Grissom and Chang nodded. Banks headed out to follow the ambulance.

~~~~~~~~~~

Simon watched Jim pacing the waiting room. Periodically he would stop and stare at the cubicle where the doctors were working on Blair. The captain knew it was useless to tell Ellison to sit down.

Jim paused and stared at the cubicle again. He could hear Blair's sluggish heartbeat and the hushed commands from the doctor followed by quick replies from the nurses. He closed his eyes briefly, but the image of Blair's all too pale face forced them open.

What happened, Chief? What the hell happened? He continued his pacing, willing the doctor to come out with good news.

A few minutes later the curtain parted. Simon stood up and joined Jim. The doctor caught the movement and nodded when he recognized the two men.

"Captain, Detective," the doctor greeted solemnly. "I'm Dr. Blake. Detective Sandburg's condition is grave. He's lost a lot of blood. The wound appears to have been made by a long sharp object, maybe a knife," he shrugged. "It nicked his liver causing him to bleed into his abdomen. Another twenty or thirty minutes and he would have bled out."

Jim paled and gulped a quick breath. Simon put his hand on Ellison's shoulder to steady them both.

"We've started a transfusion and will have to go in and repair the damage, but not until he's more stable. At this point, Detective Sandburg's heart is having trouble due to the low volume of blood. It may be several hours before I can operate."

Jim and Simon nodded. Jim looked toward the cubicle. "Can I sit with him until then?"

Blake nodded sympathetically. "Of course."

Simon watched Jim go through the curtain then addressed the doctor as he pulled out his cell phone. "What are his chances, Doc?"

"I don't like to give percentages, Captain," the doctor said. "You might want to call his family. But with these two," he shrugged and grinned a little. "Let's just say I'm giving Sandburg the benefit of the doubt here."

Banks returned a small grin himself sending up a prayer to whichever gods were listening that the doctor was right. He dialed his phone as the doctor went back to his duties.

"Taggert."

"Joel, what's going on over there?" Simon asked.

"Well, sir, Grissom has the entire lobby and ground floor cordoned off. Our people are going over it with at fine tooth comb," Taggert answered. "How's Blair?"

Simon sighed. "He's in serious condition, Joel, lost a lot of blood. The doctor is waiting for him to stabilize before going in to repair the damage."

"Damn," Joel sighed. "Keep us posted, will you Simon?"

"Of course. And you do the same."

"Yes, sir," Joel said ending the call.

**********

Grissom had spoken to the hotel manager. There were several bronze artifacts for the hotel's art exhibit being stored in the vault, but none of the guests had declared anything overly valuable. Now they were trying to contact the desk clerk who had been on duty last night as well as each guest who had checked something into the vault to verify that the item was still there.

His cell phone rang and Gil flipped it open. "Grissom."

"Hey, I got the ID on those fingerprints you sent me."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," he ordered.

"Two sets. One belongs to Blair Sandburg, the other to James Ellison. Both are detectives with Cascade's Major Crimes unit," Catherine replied.

"Yeah," Grissom said pulling his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. "I know who they are. Look, Catherine, we've got a situation here. Sandburg was stabbed early this morning. I'm not sure if he's going to make it."

"God! Did they catch the perp?"

"No one saw a thing. We found him on my cadaver table this morning." Grissom replaced his glasses and continued. "I'm going to stick around and help with the investigation. Cascade CSI wants my help and I owe it to Blair."

"Okay," Willows said. "Don't worry about things here, we're doing fine."

"Thanks, Catherine. I'll talk to you soon." Grissom hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket. He considered the information Catherine had given him. Either Sandburg or Ellison had been able to detect fingerprints, scents, small fractures and even the hum from a clock with a very low battery without the aid of any equipment. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but right now he'd give anything to have the man with the hyper senses checking out the crime scene.

*********

Jim watched as the surgical team wheeled Blair through the OR doors. The doors swung shut and he rubbed his face with one hand. Blair had not regained consciousness, though the doctor had not expected him to, due to the extreme blood loss and the blow to his head.

It had taken over two hours for his vitals to stabilize to the point where the doctor was willing to go in and repair the damage and thus stop the bleeding. Blair had received several liters of blood and plasma to replace what he had lost and continued to lose, even if it was on a smaller scale.

Simon put his hand on Jim's shoulder. "What do you say we get out of here for a while? The surgeon said he'd be in there for at least a couple hours."

Jim shook his head. "I need to stay Simon."

Banks frowned and started to say something when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it. "Banks."

"Simon," Joel said. "We've got a bit of a situation here."

"What's going on?"

"Well, Grissom wants to know if Jim can help out with the investigation or if Blair was the one with the superb detecting skills."

"What?" Banks exclaimed.

"I know, Simon," Joel sighed. "I don’t know how, but I think he knows."

Simon looked at Jim who's attention was solidly focused on the OR doors. "Joel, let me call you back, I need to speak to Jim."

"Okay, I'll stall him for now," Joel replied.

Banks shut his cell phone and walked back over to Ellison. "So, Jim, Grissom wants you to do your thing at the crime scene," he said nonchalantly.

Jim's head jerked toward his captain. "What?"

"You heard me. How did he find out?" Simon demanded.

Ellison closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "We were testing out my senses against his evidence demos. I made two sets of notes. One for Grissom and one for Blair. There was a bit of a mix up and Grissom ended up with both cards." Jim met Simon's gaze with a weary shrug. "Grissom probably checked the fingerprints on the card with the Sentinel notes."

Simon closed his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened them again, he was not any calmer. "There's only so much I can do to protect you, you know, Jim? If you two aren't a bit more discreet, you might as well go public with the whole Sentinel thing and get it over with."

"I know, Simon," Jim sighed. "It was stupid. And you're right we have gotten careless. I've gotten careless." He tilted his head ruefully. "It's just been nice being able to tell the gang and trust that they'll keep it quiet."

Banks took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I understand that, but we are going to have to sit down and have a long talk when Blair is feeling better," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Jim replied.

"Now," Simon continued, "I think it would be best for both of us to go to the hotel and help with the crime scene. We can figure out what to tell Grissom and maybe find a clue as to who did this to Blair as well."

Jim glanced back at the OR doors and nodded reluctantly. "Let me just give the desk my cell number."

"Give them mine, too, Jim, just in case they can't reach yours for some reason," Simon said.

**********

Grissom looked up from the list of items that were supposed to have been in the vault. Ellison and Banks towered over the desk, but the effect was ruined by the uncertainty in their eyes.

"Captain, Detective," Gil said cordially. "How is Blair?"

"He's in surgery," Jim replied. "Have you found anything?"

"Oh, I've found quite a bit, Detective," Grissom stated, "but whether or not it's related to the attack on Sandburg is what I've yet to determine." He waved his hand at the list on the desk. "This is the printout of the personal items the guests supposedly had stored in the vault. I've compared it to the inventory your people took earlier and there's nothing missing."

Banks frowned. "What about the security tapes? And the desk clerk who was on duty?"

Grissom nodded. "Conveniently, the lobby and front desk cameras went off-line around 1am. Taggert and Chang are checking the other tapes. The hotel has cameras in the garage and in the elevators. We may pick up something there." Gil continued, "no one's been able to get hold of the clerk. Taggert sent an officer to the man's house."

"What about the woman Blair was with?" Jim asked.

"Toni Mills," Grissom supplied. "She checks out, said he went downstairs to call a cab around 2am."

"That's about the time the phone rang at the loft, but it stopped after two rings," Jim remembered. "Blair didn't have his cell, wallet or gun on him at the hospital. Have they turned up here?"

Grissom shook his head. "I'll make sure Chang has her crew check the trash cans. We'll need to get the phone company to trace the origin of that call." He sighed. "Otherwise, we've got a number of as yet unidentified fingerprints on the vault door and surrounding front desk area as well as inside the vault. We're getting prints from the guests and employees."

"You mind if I take a look around?" Jim asked.

"Be my guest, just don't touch anything…" Grissom grinned slightly. "I guess you're well aware of crime scene protocols."

Jim tilted his head. "I'll let you know if I find anything." He caught Simon's eye and led him off across the lobby.

"Where are we going, Jim?" Simon asked.

"I want to try and retrace Blair's steps. We know he would have come down from Mills' room, I may be able to pick up his scent in the elevator or the stairwell."

Simon raised his eyebrows and cast a wary look over his shoulder. Grissom was watching them thoughtfully. "Well, you'd better have a good explanation for Grissom."

Jim shrugged. "I'm more concerned with finding the guy that stabbed my partner."

Simon followed Jim into the elevator and Jim pushed the button to shut the doors. He closed his eyes and concentrated on filtering out the various odors.

"You ever stop to think how many different smells there are in such a small space?" he asked Simon.

"Nope. And now that you mention it, I don't really care to know either," Banks replied truthfully wrinkling his nose.

Jim grinned then continued his search. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, he was here. Open the door Simon and stay close, I'm going to focus on you so I don’t zone."

"Great," Simon mumbled following the Sentinel out of the elevator.

Jim moved slowly into the lobby following the faint scent of his Guide. The trail led to the front desk then over to the pay phones on the far wall. He stopped and zeroed in with his sight on a thumbprint he was sure belonged to Blair.

"What have you got?" Grissom asked startling both Jim and Simon.

They turned as one glaring at the CSI.

"I think Blair might have called from this phone," Jim replied grudgingly. "Has anyone dusted for prints here yet?"

Grissom shook his head. "I'll do it right now," he said setting his kit on a nearby table and then opening it up. He started to work on the phone and surrounding booth while Jim studied the area around the phones.

"Jim?" Simon inquired when the Sentinel was still for too long.

"There's a scuff mark on the floor here, Simon," Ellison replied pointing at the floor.

Grissom turned from the phone. "Outline the area with chalk and I'll get someone on it," he said not even commenting that he couldn't see the mark.

Ellison exchanged a glance with Banks then did as instructed. He noted several other scuffmarks leading back to the vault.

Gil called over a couple of Serena's people to finish with the phone and start on the scuffmarks. He didn't want to miss any of Ellison's show.

Jim was now standing in the vault. He turned his head and met Grissom's eyes. "Have you found your demo dummy?"

"No."

"Where was the gurney parked?"

"Right along this wall," Grissom said pointing out the area.

Jim nodded focusing his sight and sense of smell on the spot. He could see the small drops of blood on the floor and smell the distinctive chemical odor of the Luminol the forensics people had used to find them. No need to point out clues they already had. Considering the amount of blood Blair had lost, it was amazing that so little ended up on the floor. The Sentinel turned in place trying to find anything that seemed out of place.

He frowned suddenly recognizing an odor that should not be in a hotel vault. "Did you find any evidence of drugs?" he asked Grissom. "Cocaine specifically."

Grissom frowned. "No. Though I doubt anyone would admit to storing cocaine in here. Where was it?"

Jim regarded Grissom thoughtfully for a moment then moved to a shelf and pointed. "Here. I don't think there are any finger prints, the area's been wiped clean."

"So, what do we have here?" Simon asked for now ignoring Grissom's blind acceptance of Jim's statement. "A drug drop that Sandburg stumbled onto? And when they found out he was a cop they stabbed him?" Banks shook his head. "Seems sloppy, they didn't make sure he couldn't identify them."

Grissom pursed his lips thoughtfully. "We don't have any hard evidence that there was cocaine in the vault." Jim glared at him. "Yet," Grissom clarified. "Let me run a few tests to prove your… suspicions. If you can smell it, there's a good bet some trace amount leaked from the container. That will be enough to show up."

Minutes later they had quantifiable proof that there had indeed been cocaine in the hotel vault.

Grissom looked up from the test tube that proved that cocaine had been stored on the shelf. "Well," he said wryly, "now we just need the who, why and how."

********

Jim entered Blair's ICU room and went to stand by the bed. After so many trips to the hospital, he could describe the picture on the wall without looking at it. He also knew the names and functions of all the machines currently attached to his partner, although the Sentinel preferred to rely on his own senses for the information they provided.

He focused on his Guide. Blair's still sluggish heartbeat did seem stronger than before. His lungs were clear, though the doctor was keeping the younger man on a respirator until he woke up.

The bruise on his left temple stood out sharply against Blair's pale, almost translucent skin. Jim held his Guide's cool hand and shifted the blanket a bit higher on Blair's chest, slipping the arm that wasn't acting as a pincushion under the blanket as well. "They never keep you warm enough, Chief," he rasped placing his right hand on the juncture of Blair's neck and shoulder and finding his pulse with his thumb.

Jim's eyes wandered back to the bruise on his partner's forehead. The colors were spectacular. Black, blue, purple, with even a small amount of greenish yellow around the edges. The Sentinel found himself zooming in closer until he could see pores and follicles clearly. There was something else, a pattern of some kind.

~~

"Jim. Come on Ellison, snap out of it," Simon Banks insisted shaking his detective's shoulder brusquely. "Damn, I hate it when you do this. Come back now, Jim. Wake up."

Ellison blinked and slowly turned his head toward his captain's voice. "Simon?"

Banks sighed and nodded. "Finally. How long have you been here?"

Jim frowned and looked up at the wall clock. "Damn," he exclaimed softly rolling his stiff shoulders and neck. He must have been zoned for close to an hour. "Did one of the nurses say something?"

Simon shook his head. "No," he exhaled loudly then admitted, "I don't think anyone would have noticed unless they tried to talk to you or knew what a zone looked like to begin with."

"Simon," Jim said abruptly, "I picked up a pattern on Blair's skin. If I draw it, maybe we can match it to the object that put that lump on his head."

"Okay," Simon breathed wearily. He pulled out his notepad and pen and handed it to the Sentinel.

Jim sketched the pattern quickly. "Did they find anything more at the crime scene?"

"No. Grissom and Chang have pretty much wrapped things up there," Simon said watching Jim's pattern emerge. "They've taken the pictures and other evidence back to the lab. Taggert's still working on interviews. What is that?"

Ellison shrugged and handed the pad back to Simon. "I don't know." The irregular pattern he'd drawn covered less than one square inch.

Simon frowned as he studied the picture. "I'll take it to the lab and let our experts have a go at it. Is this to scale?"

Jim nodded. He met Simon's gaze. "Any word from Naomi? I tried her again after Blair got out of surgery."

The captain shook his head. "That woman is harder to get hold of than…" he shrugged, "well, I don't know what. We should fasten a GPS transponder permanently around her neck."

Ellison grinned.

Simon returned the grin then let his eyes slide over to Sandburg. "How's he doing?"

Jim sighed. "The doctor's keeping him on the respirator for now, his heart rate is still irregular. They're also concerned about the head injury."

"The kid's head is harder than a rock. He'll be fine," Simon assured Jim.

"Even a rock will break if you hit it often enough, Simon," Jim replied softly.

Simon settled his hand on Jim's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

*********

Grissom sat staring at the various pieces of evidence spread out over the table. Something just wasn’t adding up. Why go to all the trouble of stashing a few kilos of cocaine in the hotel vault? There were much easier ways to set up a transfer. He shook his head. What am I missing?

That was the problem, nothing else was missing from the vault, except the cocaine. And no one was admitting that the drugs were missing.

He gazed over the photos of the items stored in the vault. It was a large vault for storing any valuables that the guests didn't want to leave in their rooms. There were smaller drawers for jewelry and money, but most of the space was open. The lock drawers took up the back wall and shelves lined the other two.

Personal items included baggage, golf clubs and other sports equipment, an English saddle, someone's laptop. One corner was reserved for the hotel's art pieces. They stored the various paintings and statues in the vault until they had time to box them and return them to the museum that had lent the hotel the pieces. The hotel had just swapped out their collection, so that corner contained a number of rare artifacts. But again, everything was accounted for.

Serena came in with a printout. "Gil, we just got the results on the swab from Blair's stab wound. There were traces of bronze paint," she said handing him the sheet.

"Paint?" Grissom puzzled as he looked at the results. He shifted his gaze to the photos. "Did the hospital send over a picture of the wound as well?"

Serena nodded. "It should be… right here," she replied lifting the picture from the table.

Grissom took that photo and picked up another. His eyebrows lifted questioningly as he met Serena's eyes.

"We didn't find any blood on that spear tip," she insisted. "I made sure to check any possible stabbing weapons myself."

Gil nodded. "I think we need to take another trip to the hotel vault."

*********

Simon stalked into the hotel lobby. He'd just missed Grissom and Chang at the lab. They'd better still be here. He took a deep breath when he saw the vault door open with a harried looking employee watching from behind the front desk.

He heard a voice he didn't recognize coming from within the vault.

"This is outrageous," the man said. "These pieces are all originals, it's part of our agreement with the museum."

"Well," Grissom's voice said calmly, "if that's the case, then a simple test will prove it."

"If you damage that spear tip," the other man threatened, "you'll answer to the museum."

"What's going on here?" Simon asked as he brushed past the poor desk clerk and saw Grissom and Chang with another man.

"Captain," Serena answered. "This is the hotel manager, Mr. Brooks. We found a trace amount of bronze colored paint in Blair's wound. The size and shape of his injury also correspond to this spear tip."

"A quick test will show whether the tip is bronze or painted," Grissom said. "If it's real, no harm done, if it's painted, then you've got another problem on your hands," he said to Brooks.

The manager sighed and nodded reluctantly. Grissom put on a pair of gloves and folded a piece of plain, white paper in half and set it down on a shelf so that the crease covered the edge. He picked up the spear tip, then with just the right amount of pressure dragged the spear tip against the edge of the shelf.

He examined the spear tip and then the paper and shook his head. "Well, I can't say with one hundred percent certainty that the spear tip is bronze, but it is not painted." The paper did not have any paint residue at the site of the scrape. "Let's check it for blood again at the lab, Serena," Grissom said placing the tip into a bag and handing it to the forensics expert.

"Again?" Simon asked.

"Yes, sir," Chang replied. "I tested it before, but did not find any evidence of blood. There's no way that they could have cleaned off all the blood," she said with a frown.

"So what does that mean?" Simon pondered. "Is there another spear tip in the exhibit?" he asked the manager.

"No," Brooks said. "It was a small exhibit, just highlighting the uses of bronze through the ages."

"So, if this spear tip wasn't used to stab Blair," Grissom said thoughtfully, "where is the painted one that was used?"

"A fake?" Serena countered. "Why would anyone want to steal a bunch of bronze artifacts? A collector might, I guess, but it's hardly worth attempted murder."

Grissom turned to the manager. "Were all the objects made of bronze?"

"Well, no," Brooks said sardonically. "The paintings were on canvas, but none of them were valuable, they only depicted the stages of bronze casting used to create the objects on display." He paused for a moment. "But there was one vase that had precious stones inlaid on its surface."

Grissom barely kept from rolling his eyes. "Can we see it? You didn't just leave it sitting loose on one of these shelves, did you?"

"No, no, of course not," Brooks replied as he sifted through a ring of keys and then used one to open a lock box. "Here it is," he said as he started to touch the vase.

"Stop!" Grissom commanded. "Don't touch it."

The manager jumped back then glared at the CSI. "I suppose you'll want to take it down to your lab as well?"

Grissom put on a fresh pair of gloves and gently lifted the vase from the box. "Actually, don't you have a jewelry store here in the hotel?"

"Yes," Brooks replied confused.

"Does anyone there happen to be a gemmologist?"

"I don't know," the man said thoughtfully.

"Would you find out and have them come here, please?" Grissom asked.

Brooks nodded and left.

Grissom held up the vase. "Let's check this for blood while we wait for Mr. Brooks to get back." Serena nodded and the two CSIs went to work.

Simon frowned. He pulled out the notepad with Jim's sketch and compared the drawing to the vase. "Hey, does this look like an impression the vase might make?" he asked holding the pad out for Grissom and Chang to see.

They both examined the drawing and then the vase.

"Could be," Grissom said. "Where'd you get that?" he asked nodding at the picture.

"Ellison…" Simon started, but was interrupted by Brooks returning with another man in tow.

"This is Mr. Denning," Brooks said.

Grissom faced Denning holding the vase with both hands. "Can you tell the difference between a real, high quality stone and a fake or poor quality one?"

Denning nodded. "Sure." He put his loupe to his eye and studied the vase. "Oh, well, these are not real stones. They are not even poor quality gems, just plastic."

"But… how?" Brooks stammered.

"And no blood on this vase either," Serena mumbled catching Grissom's eye.

He nodded. "Mr. Brooks, you need to have someone check the authenticity of the other items in this group. Ms. Chang will assist you. Captain, a word?" he asked leading Banks out of the vault.

They moved across the lobby to a more secluded area, leaving the agitated manager to figure out what to tell the museum.

"Where did Ellison find that imprint?" Grissom asked Banks.

Simon regarded the CSI thoughtfully.

"Look, Captain," Gil said, "I just want to get to the truth. I don't care if Ellison can fly. I just want to help find the man who did this to Sandburg."

Banks sighed. "He said this pattern was on Blair's head where he was hit. Do you think it's a match with the vase?"

"I believe so," Grissom said frowning at the drawing. "I'll have to do an imprint at the lab. So far we have two possible weapons that physically match the wounds, but there is no trace of blood or skin on either object." He looked back up at Banks. "They wouldn't have had time to clean the items. But why is one real and one a fake?" Gil rubbed his jaw with one hand.

Simon watched and could almost hear the wheels turning in Grissom's head.

"Okay, how about this?" Grissom offered. "Blair comes down stairs, maybe something doesn’t seem right. He goes to the pay phone to call Jim. The call only rings twice before Blair is hit with the real vase. The perp drags him to the vault and then Blair is stabbed with the fake spear tip. They leave him on the gurney taking my dummy with them for some reason. They find the cocaine and take it with them as a bonus. We find Blair the next morning."

Simon nodded slowly. "All right, but why didn't Sandburg use his cell phone? Why would they stab him and not make sure he was dead? No witnesses, right?" Grissom shrugged. "And why would they take your demo dummy?" Banks sighed. "We're also not sure that the cocaine was even in the vault when this happened. That could have been weeks ago."

"True," Grissom replied. "We need to talk to the desk clerk who worked last night."

"We haven't tracked him down yet?"

"No, he evidently had some time off planned starting today," Grissom said.

**********

"Jim?"

Ellison looked up and into the worried eyes of Naomi Sandburg. She seemed rooted to the floor as she stared at her son. Jim stood and went over to her. "He's getting better, Naomi," Jim said. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the bed. "Hey, Chief, your Mom is here."

"I got here as soon as I could," Naomi said softly. "What happened?" she asked gently brushing a lock of hair back from Blair's face.

"We think he interrupted a robbery," Jim sighed. "I'm not really sure."

Naomi sent a quick accusing glance at the Sentinel. "Why weren't you with him? You're supposed to protect him aren't you? Isn't that what this whole Sentinel/Guide thing is about?" she spat, her voice slightly hysterical.

Jim caught his breath at the sudden attack then exhaled noisily. "He was on a date. I can't be with him every minute of the day, Naomi." He continued sounding more frustrated with each sentence. "I can't keep him from doing his job or trying to help people. I can't keep him from putting himself into dangerous situations. Don't you think that I want to keep him safe?" he snarled softly.

Naomi closed her eyes briefly. "I'm sorry, Jim. I… I know Blair is his own person and neither of us can keep him from doing the right thing." She turned her head to look at her son again. "I just wish the right thing wasn't always so dangerous."

Ellison swallowed hard. "Me, too, Naomi. Me, too."

***********

Serena scanned the impression she'd made of the vase into the computer and pulled up the earlier scan of Jim's drawing. With a few keystrokes she was able to overlap the two images and manipulate them. She shook her head in frustration. It was close, but not an exact match.

"No go, eh?" Grissom asked coming into the lab carrying two cups of coffee.

"No," Serena sighed accepting one of the cups. "Not that we expected it to match. This definitely lends credibility to the theory that the real vase was used to knock Blair out." She lifted a sheet of paper and handed it to Grissom. "The museum sent over this picture of the original vase and estimated value." Serena watched Grissom with a sly grin.

"Five hundred thousand dollars?" Gil said.

Chang nodded. "And the gems are uncut. If the right person did the job, those eight rubies would be worth millions." She shrugged one shoulder. "Of course, the intact vase is irreplaceable."

A knock on the door brought their attention to Joel as he stepped into the room smiling. "We found the desk clerk. You'll never guess where he's been this whole time."

*********

Joel and Jim strode down the hall to room 415. Taggert caught Jim's arm and stopped him before they entered the room. "Jim, let me do the talking in here, all right?" he asked his brown eyes full of compassion yet also unyielding.

Ellison frowned.

"Jim, Simon said you could come to make sure the guy tells us the truth," Joel clarified, "but I have the authority here. Don't make me regret having you along."

Jim exhaled and nodded. "All right, Joel. I'll be good," he promised with just a hint of humor in his eyes.

Joel smiled and turned to knock on the door. A young man in his late twenties opened the door with a broad smile. His smile turned to confusion as he realized he didn't know the men at the door.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Taylor Knight?" Joel asked.

"Yes."

"We're with the Cascade PD. I'm Detective Taggert, this is Detective Ellison. There was a break-in at the hotel where you work last night and we need to talk to you."

Knight opened the door wider. "A break-in? Was anyone hurt? What did they take?"

Joel put his hand up. "We don't want to disturb your wife, son, could we talk to you out here?"

"Tell them to come in Taylor," a female voice said from inside the room.

Knight shrugged and motioned the detectives to come in. After quickly introducing them all, he addressed the officers again. "When did the break-in happen? I was on shift until 12:30 or so, I got a call that Peg was at the hospital and rushed right over."

"Do you have anyone who can place you here between 1am and 3am?" Joel asked.

Taylor nodded. "There are a number of nurses and of course Peg." He frowned. "Am I a suspect?" Knight asked anxiously.

"Right now we're just trying to find out what happened," Joel reassured the young man. "If you would, tell me exactly what happened last night."

Knight nodded taking his wife's hand in his as he spoke. "Well, as I said, it was about 12:30. I had just finished helping a guest retrieve something from their box in the vault. The phone rang and it was the hospital saying that my wife had just been admitted. I locked up the cash register and headed straight here."

"You didn't call someone to replace you?" Jim asked sending an apologetic look at Joel.

Taylor met Jim's gaze with a worried gulp. "I… well, to be honest, I meant too, but I just totally forgot." He looked at his wife who smiled at him. "This is our first baby and I got so rattled by the call. I couldn't even remember which car I'd driven to work that night. It took me ten minutes to find it in the parking garage."

Joel nodded. "Okay, go on Mr. Knight."

He nodded quickly and continued. "Well, let's see, I got here and there was some confusion. The hospital didn't have any record of Peg being here. I called the house and the line was busy, so I had the front desk check the admittance logs again." Taylor sighed and shrugged. "It was another hour before we found her."

Peg shook her head. "I keep telling you, Tay, I didn't even call the hospital until after 1:30." She looked up at the detectives with a grin. "He was so nervous I'm surprised he could remember his own name let alone drive here."

Jim and Joel grinned.

"So, Mr. Knight," Joel said. "You got the call from the hospital at 12:30am?"

"Right around there," he replied with a nod. "You can check the vault log book. We keep track of each time we open it for a guest. There's also an automated sensor that logs entries as well. Mr. Brooks would be able to get that for you."

Joel looked at Jim to see if he had any other questions. Jim shook his head slightly. "Okay," Joel said smiling at the couple. "Thank you for your time. If we have any other questions we'll let you know."

"Detective?" Knight asked as the two men headed for the door.

"Yes?"

"You never said… was anyone hurt?"

Jim answered with a somber nod. "My partner interrupted the burglars."

Taylor and his wife seemed genuinely distressed. "I'm sorry," Peg said.

"Thanks," Jim replied. "And congratulations," he added with a soft smile.

The Knights smiled in return and Jim and Joel left the room.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Jim?" Joel asked as they headed for the elevator.

"Only if you're thinking that the call from the hospital was one of the luckiest ruses in history," Jim replied.

********

Grissom picked up a piece of chalk and moved to the board. "All right, here's our time line. 12:30am, Knight gets a call from the hospital saying his wife is in labor, he locks the cash register and leaves," he said tapping the chalk on the board where 12:30am was written.

"1am, the cameras in the lobby and surrounding areas go off-line," Grissom continued. "2am Sandburg leaves Toni Mills room and goes down to the lobby. 2:04am he makes a call to his home number, but it is disconnected before Detective Ellison can answer."

Jim nodded thoughtfully. He had reluctantly left Blair's side to help, but only because his Guide was improving and Naomi was there to keep him company.

"Sandburg is presumably hit in the head at that time then dragged to the vault, stabbed and placed on the gurney in lieu of my CPR dummy. 3am the cameras come back on. Approximately 7:45am, hotel workers move the gurney into the conference room. And at 8am Detective Sandburg is discovered injured on the gurney." Grissom looked out at the detectives from Major Crime. "Anyone have anything to add? Established facts only please."

No one said anything so Grissom nodded at Serena. "What do you have, Serena?"

"The phone company should have the origin of the call Knight received for us soon. All of the prints from behind the front desk have been matched to employees, except one set. We're running them through the database right now. We finally found your CPR dummy," Chang added with a grin, "in a dumpster several blocks away. Detective Sandburg's wallet, cell phone and weapon are still missing."

Joel spoke up. "We've called Blair's credit cards in, so any activity will be flagged. I've also got a team on the loft, just in case," he added meeting Jim's eyes.

Ellison barely nodded.

Henri spoke next. "We've spread the word with our contacts. If anyone hears about this vase or someone wanting to fence high-quality, uncut rubies, we'll know about it."

Rafe grinned savagely. "We let them know that it was Sandburg who had been injured. We'll get a fast response."

Low chuckles went around the table while Grissom watched confused.

Megan saw and explained. "Sandy's known on the streets as being a fair cop," she grinned. "Besides the fact that no one with brains wants to get on Ellison's bad side, most of our snitches really respect Sandy."

Grissom nodded thoughtfully and turned back to face the blackboard. The vault logs corroborated Knight's story. They were tracking down the last guest entered in the logbook. He might have seen something or someone.

The phone rang and Simon answered it. "Major Crime." He listened, scribbled something down on a piece of paper and then said, "Thank you," before hanging up. "That was the phone company. The phone call to Knight was made from was a pay phone," Banks continued with a growl, "in the lobby of the hotel."

"Which phone?" Grissom asked.

Simon shrugged. "Here's the number. Get on it. Ellison, you go with him. We'll check the tapes of the lobby around 12:30am."

Jim nodded and led the way. Grissom grabbed his kit and followed Ellison at a trot.

**********

Ellison and Grissom checked the phone numbers on the pay phones and found that the call had come from a phone just two down from the one Blair had used. Grissom dusted it for prints while Jim checked the surrounding area.

The Sentinel donned a pair of gloves and bagged several hair samples while Gil lifted the prints he'd found. Jim tucked the evidence bags into Grissom's kit and watched as the CSI finished up.

"Dust inside the coin return," Jim suggested.

Grissom raised his eyebrows. "Any particular reason?"

"I've just noticed that a lot of thieves seem to be penny pinchers, they look to recoup every last cent." Jim looked at Gil and tilted his head. "Why do you think they have so many arguments about fair splits? The old adage 'honor among thieves' is a bunch of hooey."

Gil grinned broadly and dusted the coin return. He did manage to lift several partial prints.

Jim's cell phone rang and he answered. "Ellison."

"Jim," Simon said, "we have a match on our mystery prints from behind the desk. They had to be pulled out of the juvie files, that's why it took so long."

"A kid?" Jim snarled.

"No, he was fifteen at the time, but that was three years ago," Jim could almost hear Simon's feral smile. "He's an adult now. Oh and get this, he worked as a janitor at the museum up until two weeks ago."

"Was he fired?" Jim asked.

"No," Simon answered. "He quit. But he definitely had knowledge of where the vase was on display and it's value."

"Where can I find him?"

"1522 West Purdue. Jim, if you get there before backup, wait," Banks commanded. "You hear me, Ellison?"

"Yes, sir. What's his name?"

"Wildes. Kenneth Wildes."

"Right. Thanks, Captain," Jim said ending the call. He turned to Grissom. "They got a name to put with our mystery prints. And I've got an address. Let's go."

~~~~~~~~

Jim slammed his palm on the steering wheel. "Damn it!" he exclaimed. No one was inside the house.

Grissom pursed his lips then went ahead and asked. "Want to fill me in?"

Ellison whipped his head around surprise to see Grissom in the passenger seat and not Blair. "What…" The Sentinel frowned and tried to collect his thoughts. I would have sworn it was Blair beside me. Why the hell am I so comfortable using my senses around him?

"Jim?" Gil asked. "Are you all right?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Jim stuttered trying to cover for his lapse. "There's no car in the driveway, I just figured no one was home," he finished lamely, wishing he had Sandburg's gift for obfuscation.

Grissom's eyes narrowed. "I saw the score card, Jim. And although I must admit to being curious, all I want to do right now is find the guys who hurt your partner." He tried to project his sincerity in his voice. "You have very sensitive touch, hearing, sight and smell. I don't understand why or how, but those abilities have helped us in this case. And I want to keep using them to close it."

Jim took a deep breath and exhaled. "And taste."

"Huh?"

"All five of my senses are enhanced. Sandburg says it's a gift I was born with," Jim met Grissom's eyes frankly. "He calls people like me Sentinels."

Gil frowned briefly. "Like a guardian or watchman," he nodded. "It fits. So were you listening to see if anyone was in the house?"

Jim nodded. "No one's home." He turned to look back over his shoulder and saw H's car pull up behind them.

Henri and Rafe hopped out of the car and came up on either side of Jim's truck. Jim and Gil rolled down the windows.

"Any luck?" Rafe asked.

"No one's in," Jim replied. H's eyes darted from Jim to Grissom and back again. Jim sighed. "It's okay, guys, he knows I'm a Sentinel."

The younger detectives' eyebrows rose.

"Okay," H said. "We're going to hang here and keep an eye out for Wildes. Serena wants you back at the station to look at some video. They have a guy making a call from the pay phone at the right time, but can't make out a face."

Jim frowned but Grissom nodded. "We can process these prints and samples while you check out the tape, Jim."

Ellison nodded. "All right. I want to check on Blair too."

********

"No, Jim," Naomi said into the phone. "He hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor says he's getting stronger. I've been channeling positive energy to him. Are you coming back?"

"Not just yet, we have another lead on a suspect." Jim paused. "Look, Naomi, tell him I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?"

"I will Jim, don't worry. You just catch the bastard that did this to my son."

********

Jim squinted then closed his eyes and rubbed them with the palms of his hands. He grabbed the remote and backed the tape up again. He was having trouble focusing. Simon had already pulled him out of two light zones.

"Look, Jim," Simon sighed. "Maybe we should just take a break."

"No, Simon, I know I can do this. The image isn't that bad. It's not as fuzzy as that Mickey Mantle watch from those bank jobs, remember?" Jim asked frustrated. "I just can't get my eyes to cooperate." He rubbed the middle of his forehead against the headache forming there. "If Blair was here…"

"Yeah," Simon breathed, "I know. I keep telling you I'm no good at this Guide stuff."

Jim smiled slightly. "It's not your fault Simon."

The door opened admitting Gil Grissom. "We're running the prints from the second phone now." He looked at the screen. "Any luck?"

Jim shook his head then frowned. "Gil would you mind trying something for me?"

Grissom raised his eyebrows. "Sure. What do you want me to do?"

"It's pretty easy," Jim said hesitantly. "Just put your hand on my shoulder and talk to Simon about your hobby."

Now Grissom really looked confused and so did Simon, but Ellison just waited his eyes pleading with them not to ask why.

"Okay," Gil replied and started a mini-lecture on insects.

Jim tuned out the words and just anchored himself with the sound of Grissom's voice and the touch of his hand. The Sentinel hit play then paused the video at the clearest point. He focused on the man's face. The Mantle watch had actually been a lot bigger and easier to see. This time he had to focus on a reflection on the phone to see this man's face. The photo imaging equipment couldn't blow up a clear enough picture from the reflection, but Jim knew he could do it. He had to, for Blair.

The Sentinel grinned suddenly. "That's it," he said grabbing the pad of drawing paper and quickly sketching what he saw. Banks and Grissom watched the face unfold on the pad.

"You ever consider becoming a sketch artist?" Grissom teased.

Ellison grimaced. "Sandburg says it's got something to do with my hand-eye coordination." He held up the page. "This is the guy."

**********

With Jim's sketch and the fingerprints from the phone they'd managed to ID the man in the security video as Barry Wildes, Kenneth's uncle and up to now, a small time smash and grab artist. A tip from an informant had led them to an abandoned apartment building.

With the evidence at hand, the judge had quickly issued a search warrant. They now had the building surrounded and were waiting for the word to go in.

Jim glanced over at Grissom who was sitting in Blair's place once again. I'll figure it out after we get these guys. He focused his hearing on the building starting with the first floor and moved slowly up until he heard voices.

Jim blinked and picked up his radio. "Sounds like two of them are coming down from the fourth floor."

"Okay, people," Simon's voice came over the radio. "Move in and be careful."

Jim got out of the truck and pulled his gun. Grissom did the same.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jim asked as he checked his weapon.

"With you," Gil replied. "You're backup is in the hospital, remember?"

"I don't need any backup, and you're out of your jurisdiction."

"That didn't seem to be a problem when you needed my forensics expertise," Grissom argued.

Jim growled. "Look! Just stay in the truck Sandburg!"

Grissom frowned. "What?"

Ellison blanched and then his cheeks flushed pink. He stood staring at Grissom for a long moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. We'd better go before they get away." The Sentinel turned and loped toward the building. Grissom followed close behind wondering what that slip had meant.

They moved into the building far behind the rest of the team. When they reached the landing to the second floor they saw Joel and Megan cuffing Kenny and Barry Wildes.

"Any sign of the third guy?" Jim asked.

Megan shook her head.

"Come on," Jim told Grissom and they headed up to the next floor.

Ellison stopped and listened at the door to the third floor. He shook his head and pointed up before leading Gil up the next flight of stairs. The same result on the fourth floor led them to the roof exit.

Jim put his finger to his lips and nodded. Grissom nodded his understanding and with weapons ready Jim opened the door. A bullet pinged off the open door and both Jim and Gil rolled through the doorway and darted behind the nearest heating unit.

Grissom listened hard, but couldn't tell where the perp was. He looked at Ellison and saw a slight grin tug at the detective's lip. Jim pointed one direction then tapped Gil on the shoulder and directed him to go around to the right. The Sentinel tapped his own chest and tilted his head to the left.

Gil nodded and on three they both ran for the next patch of cover. Two shots rang out, but Grissom couldn't tell who they'd been aimed at.

Jim leaned back against the maintenance shed. Sounds like Sandburg's gun. I wonder if the clip was full? He grimaced. Of course it was full. Blair was very conscientious about his firearm. That meant ten rounds. Shit. The guy was bound to get lucky once. Ellison sighed.

"Come out with your hands up Harley," Jim yelled. "You're under arrest. Surrender peacefully. No one has to get hurt here." Ellison winced as a bullet ricocheted off the far side of the shed.

"How do you know my name, man?" Harley screeched. "Did Barry roll over on me? It wasn't my fault! Just go away and leave me alone." Another shot hit the shed.

Well, that's four. Jim reached out cautiously with his senses. He could hear Harley's heart racing and… Cocaine. He shook his head. Great! The moron was high. "You know, Harley," Jim said trying to think of something to appease the junkie. "We know it wasn't your idea. Wildes planned the whole thing, right? You just went along for the ride."

"Yeah! Yeah, man, that's right. It wasn't my fault that hippie dude got in the way."

Jim clenched his jaw. Easy. "Of course not," he said. It came out much calmer than he thought it would. Ellison peeked around the corner and saw Grissom making his way closer to the perp. Careful. "You're absolutely right, Harley. Wildes' plan went bad. You can't be held responsible for a rotten plan." God, I sound like my partner.

Harley stood up as Grissom darted closer. "Tha's right. Not my plan. No' my fault." He waved the gun and fired it accidentally. "Oops!" he giggled.

Grissom slipped on some gravel getting Harley's attention. The coke-head aimed and fired missing by several feet.

"Harley!" Jim shouted as he raced toward the two. Everything played out in slow motion for the Sentinel.

He saw Grissom roll once and bring his weapon to bear on Harley. The perp spun clumsily, firing the gun again then Jim saw the end of the muzzle line up with him. The Sentinel dodged to the right and heard two guns discharge simultaneously. A streak of fire raced along Jim's left arm as he too slipped on the gravel and fell, rolling several times on impact to avoid further bullets.

When he stopped, Ellison saw that Harley was down and Grissom was busy handcuffing him. The pain in his arm flared sharply and Jim let his head rest back against the ground.

A short time later a soothing voice broke through the pain. "Are you all right, Jim?" Grissom asked.

Jim opened his eyes and squinted against the light. "Yeah, I'll be okay." He studied Grissom for another moment. "You kinda look like Blair, you know?"

Grissom raised his eyebrows at the non sequitur. "Okay," he said slowly. "Why don't we get you down stairs and get that arm looked at?"

Jim just nodded as Gil helped him to his feet.

********

Jim opened the door to Blair's room slowly. Naomi looked up and smiled until she saw the sling on his left arm.

"Jim? Are you okay?" she asked rushing over to him and guiding him into the chair by Blair's bed.

"I'm fine, Naomi. It's just a scratch," Jim assured her taking a long look at his brother. "How is he?"

Naomi frowned, but let the subject of Jim's injury drop. "Better. Stronger. We're just waiting for him to wake up," she finished optimistically.

"He hasn't regained consciousness at all?" Jim whispered his mouth dry.

"No," Naomi answered in kind.

Jim sat forward in his chair and took Blair's hand in his good one. "Hey, buddy. We caught the bad guys. Could have used your help out there." He paused glancing up at Naomi. She smiled and he continued. "It's time to wake up, Blair. Your Mom is here and I have a lot to tell you." Jim watched his partner's face for a second. "Come on, Chief," he said raggedly.

Naomi put her hands on Jim's shoulders and massaged gently. "Relax, Jim. I bet you haven't eaten all day."

He shook his head relaxing into her hands. "Do you remember a Gil Grissom from high school?" Jim asked absentmindedly.

Naomi's hands stopped and Jim heard her heart speed up. "Well," she said abruptly, "Jim, you just wait right here and I'll bring you something to eat. Heaven knows what I'll find in the cafeteria, but I'll try to get something nutritious."

Naomi spun and left the room so quickly that Jim could still feel the heat from her hands before the door swung closed. "What did I say?"

Ellison dragged his hand down his face feeling the day's beard rough against his palm. He leaned forward and rested his head on the bed beside Blair. "Chief, this has been the strangest day. And one of the longest," he said softly.

The Sentinel wrapped his hand around his Guide's wrist and found his pulse. You are getting better, Chief. Jim sighed allowing the almost normal sound of Blair's heart to fill his being. He closed his eyes and teetered on the edge of sleep when Blair took a deeper breath and the arm by Jim's head moved slightly.

"Blair?" Jim said sitting up to look at his friend's face. "Come on, open your eyes, Chief." He held his breath.

Blair's eyelids fluttered. "Time to wake up, sleepy head," Jim teased softly. This time he was rewarded by the sight of two bleary, blue eyes. "Hey, buddy. Welcome back." Jim smiled at his friend. "Take it easy, Blair, you're on a respirator. I'll page the nurse and we'll get it removed, okay?"

Blair nodded following Jim with his eyes still not quite awake, but trusting his partner to take care of things.

******

Naomi shook her head. Not only was the cafeteria too far from her baby's room, but the food they offered hardly qualified as such. Jim will just have to be satisfied with a sandwich. Probably a stale one at that. She grimaced. Where on earth did he hear Gil Grissom's name? And why would he connect him to me? Naomi stopped outside of Blair's room, gave herself a little shake and closed her eyes. I am calm. I am calm. I'll just tell him the truth. Gil was someone I knew in high school.

"Naomi Sandburg?"

Naomi's eyes flew open and she dropped the sandwich and juice from nerveless hands. "Gil?" she choked out. "What are you doing here?"

Grissom knelt to pick up the sandwich and juice bottle. "I'm here to visit Blair."

"But…" Naomi stammered. "How did you know?"

"Know what, Naomi?" Gil asked curiously. "I'm in town for the police forensics conference. Jim and Blair are my liaisons. I helped find the guy who hurt him."

Naomi gulped and glanced toward the door to Blair's room.

"What is it you think I found out, Naomi?" Grissom asked suspiciously. He followed her gaze and looked back to see guilt and apprehension in her eyes. "You're barely old enough to have a son Blair's age. What is he? Twenty-nine? Thirty?" Gil's eyes widened as the numbers added up. "Oh my God. He's my son."

Grissom caught Naomi's shoulders. "He is, isn't he?" he asked louder.

"No!" Naomi suddenly found her voice and stood up straight within Gil's grasp. "He's my son."

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" Gil asked dropping his hands. "We could have…"

"What Gil?" Naomi snapped. "What could we have done?" She waved her hands hopelessly. "My parents were furious. My Dad moved us out of state for God's sake. Your parents wouldn't have been any better. What," she emphasized each word, "could, we, have, done?"

Grissom ran his hand over his face. "I don't know. But you could have at least told me later. I could have been a part of his life."

Naomi swallowed hard and shook her head. "I… I ran away from home. My parents wanted me to have an abortion. I wanted to keep him." She looked into Gil's eyes begging for understanding. "I was underage," Naomi shrugged and started to pace. "If I was found, in those days… my parents had the final say in what would happen to my baby. I couldn't chance anyone knowing where I was."

Gil closed his eyes. "And now?" he asked opening them again.

"I never told him who his father was," Naomi admitted. "I guess I was afraid that he'd… oh, I don't know, Gil!" she dropped into a nearby chair. "I was scared of losing him."

Grissom sat in the chair beside Naomi and slowly reached over to pat her knee. "I think I understand. Are you going to tell him now?"

*******

Jim picked up the phone and called the nurse's station. A few moments later he hung up and grinned at Blair. "Okay, Chief, the doctor will be here shortly and we'll get that thing out of your throat. Just be patient for a while longer."

Blair huffed and rolled his eyes, a bit more lucid than he had been.

Jim turned his head toward the door. "Naomi's back with my food, Chief," he said facing his partner again.

Blair tried to say something past the respirator then grimaced in disgust.

"Yes, your Mom is here, Sherlock. She's been worried about you." Jim's grin faded. "We all were."

"No!" Naomi's voice came through the door. "He's my son."

"What Gil?" Naomi snapped. "What could we have done? My parents were furious, my Dad moved us out of state for God's sake. Your parents wouldn't have been any better. What," she emphasized each word, "could, we, have, done?"

Jim met Blair's horrified gaze and frowned. Blair's hands flew to the respirator tube and Jim barely kept him from trying to pull it out on his own. "Easy, Chief! Just take it easy," Jim said his eyes pinning his partner. "You'll find out what that's all about a lot faster if the doctor doesn't have to sedate you, okay?" He waited until Blair nodded slowly.

"Stay quiet and wait for me, I'll go see what's going on. I promise Chief, no secrets," Jim watched and waited for Blair to concede once again, then patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Ellison slipped through the door and caught the tail end of their conversation.

Grissom sat in the chair beside Naomi and slowly reached over to pat her knee. "I think I understand. Are you going to tell him now?"

"You damn well better," Jim snarled softly.

Naomi and Grissom both stood at Jim's intense tone. Naomi went white.

"He's awake?" she asked. Her hands flew to her mouth. "He heard?"

Ellison nodded without sympathy. "If you're trying to keep something a secret, you shouldn't have a screaming match in the hall."

Naomi moved to go into the room, but Jim caught her by the arm. "Don't. Let the doctor remove the tube first." He looked down the hall and saw Dr. Blake heading their way. "I'll tell him you'll explain everything after the doctor leaves."

Naomi lifted her chin and nodded. Jim followed the doctor into the room.

~~~~~~~~

Blair looked up as a man he didn’t recognize entered the room with Jim right behind him. Must be the doctor. Good I can get rid of this tube and find out what the hell is going on!

Jim moved around to the other side of the bed. "Calm down, Chief. Naomi's waiting to talk to you outside once the Doc here gives the okay."

"My name is Dr. Blake," the doctor said putting his stethoscope on. "Let me just take a look at you, Detective and then we'll see about removing that tube." He checked Blair's vitals, listened to his heart and lungs and inspected his incision. "Well, you're doing much better than when you came in," Blake said with a slight smile. "Let's get rid of this tube and you can prove to me that everything else is in good working order."

Moments later Jim offered Blair a few ice chips to help ease the irritation in his throat.

Dr. Blake took out a penlight and looked at Blair's eyes. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked.

"Blair Sandburg," Blair whispered.

"What's my name?"

Sandburg raised an eyebrow and shared an amused look with Jim. "Dr. Blake."

Blake grinned. "Good. I'm just testing to make sure that blow to your head didn't do any permanent damage. Do you recognize this guy here?" he asked nodding toward Jim.

Blair stared at Jim for a long moment. Ellison glared at him and Blair grinned. "That's my cranky partner, Jim Ellison."

The doctor chuckled while Jim tapped Blair ever so lightly on the back of his head.

"Watch it, Chief," Jim said with a fond smile. He looked at Blake. "Is he up to more company?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Nothing too stressful though. It's going to take your body some time to recover from the extreme blood loss you suffered." Blair frowned.

"I'll explain everything later, Chief," Jim supplied.

The doctor continued. "Don't push yourself too hard, Detective. You'll tire faster and need more sleep than normal for several months, and even after that don't be surprised if your endurance is lower than you expect."

Blair nodded his understanding, already exhausted after being awake for just this short period of time. "Thanks Doc," he said.

"Sure. I'll have the nurse come in and give you something for the pain. We'll start weaning you off the IV fluids tomorrow as long as your temperature stays down and you drink enough to keep you hydrated. The IV is how you're getting your antibiotics right now," Blake clarified as he stood to leave. "I'll check on you in the morning."

"Night, Doc," Jim said turning his attention to Blair as the doctor left the room. "I think you might want to rest before you talk to Naomi, Chief."

"Jim," Blair growled softly. "I need to know," he sighed. "I'll take it easy, I promise." Blair shifted on the bed and winced as his injury made itself known.

Jim frowned doubtfully at his friend. "All right. But I'm staying and if you get too stressed, I reserve the right to kick her out."

"She's my Mom, Jim," Blair protested.

"Yeah, but I'm your Sentinel. That takes precedence," Jim said with a mock glare.

Blair smiled and nodded. "Okay. Would you ask her to come in, please?"

Jim nodded and sighed as he went out into the hall. He pinned a real glare on Naomi. "Okay. The doctor said you could talk to him, but any sign of stress and I'll remove you from the room myself Naomi."

Naomi's eyes widened then narrowed. "How dare you? He's my son, I'd never do anything to hurt him."

Ellison's frown deepened. "You don't really want me to remind you, do you Naomi?"

She set her jaw and shook her head. "Fine. Play it that way if you want, Jim, but I love Blair. I would never intentionally harm him."

Jim sighed and ran his hand through his hair resting it briefly at the base of his head before looking her in the eye again. "The best intentions can go wrong, Naomi," he said sadly. "Come on, let's get this over with, he needs his rest."

Jim opened the door and let Naomi enter the room first. He stood by the door and waited.

"Hey, sweetie," Naomi said going over to Blair and kissing him gently on the cheek. "I was so worried about you."

"Mom," Blair returned softly. He caught her eye. "Tell me the truth, please. I heard you and Gil talking. Is he my father?" he asked plaintively.

Naomi took Blair's hand in hers and nodded slightly. "It's a long story, baby. Gil didn't know."

"Why, Ma?" Blair asked his eyes full of uncertainty. "Why couldn't you tell us? What is so bad about Grissom being my father? About me finding out?"

Naomi faced her son and began to tell him what she had told Grissom in the hall. Deciding that things were under control, Jim slipped out and closed the door behind him.

Grissom was sitting outside the room looking a bit shell-shocked.

"Quite a surprise, I guess," Jim said as he sat beside Grissom.

Gil looked up. "You knew," he stated.

Jim frowned. "No. I think I suspected it though. You see… a Sentinel needs a partner, a Guide to help him, to watch his back while he uses his senses. Blair's my Guide. When we," Jim motioned with his hand to indicate Gil and himself, "were working together," he shrugged, "it felt almost the same as when I work with Blair."

Grissom pursed his lips thoughtfully. "That's why you called me Sandburg earlier."

Jim gave Grissom an embarrassed grin. "Yeah, I think so. You 'feel' like Blair to me. Like a Guide. I think that's why I couldn't pin down Blair's location in the hotel this morning. I kept sensing him, but with you in close proximity and Blair's injury affecting his heart rate, well, the combination threw me off." He shrugged again. "Blair's going to have a field day with this when he's feeling better." Jim grinned wryly.

"How is Blair taking all of this?" Gil asked warily.

"Oh, he'll be thrilled as soon as it all sinks in," Jim said with a smile. "Ever since I've known him, Blair has claimed not to care who his father is, but deep down inside there's this little boy that needs to know." Ellison patted Grissom on the back. "Trust me, Blair is glad to know and more than a little worried that you won't want to claim the relationship."

"What? Why would I do that?" Grissom asked standing to pace the floor. "I mean, it is unexpected, but it's not like I've suddenly found myself with a young child to take care of. Blair's a grown man with his own life." He met Jim's gaze. "I'd love to get to know him, see what kind of relationship we might form. But what if he doesn't…" Gil stopped and studied the floor.

Jim grinned surprised to see Blair's insecurities echoed in his father. He tamed his smile before Grissom looked up again.

"Well," Gil said. "I never planned to have a child and now that I have one, I find myself extremely anxious that he… approves of me." Grissom snorted and shook his head as if amazed by the realization.

"I'd say that is probably a natural response," Jim assured him. "And I'll bet Blair is having the exact same thoughts."

Gil exhaled sharply. "Well, I hope he is, it will certainly make our reunion easier if we both want it."

*******

"Here you go Captain," Joel said slapping a folder down onto Simon's desk. "Signed, sealed and delivered. The Wilkeses sang like canaries. They'll get charged for theft and reckless endangerment in exchange for testifying against Harley Cates." He sat and accepted the cup of coffee from Simon.

"Give me the run down," Banks requested.

"They knew where the most expensive pieces were being displayed because of Kenny's job with the museum. Barry planned the robbery. Cates was the wheel man. Blair came down stairs and saw Kenny at the front desk. When he went to use the pay phone, Barry knocked him out with the original vase. He then dragged Blair back to the vault planning to lock him in when they left.

Unfortunately for everyone, Cates has a bad cocaine habit. He had been rifling the other bags in the vault and stumbled onto someone's stash. Evidently Cates had indulged before the job started and was already on edge. When Barry brought Blair into the vault, Cates' paranoia peaked. He checked Blair's wallet and found out he was a cop.

Cates and Wilkes argued, and when Blair started to come too, Cates stabbed him with the fake spear tip. They freaked thinking they'd killed a cop, and so came the elaborate," Joel rolled his eyes, "plan to keep the body hidden for as long as possible."

Taggert shook his head. "Once I told these two that Blair wasn't dead, they couldn't talk fast enough to clear themselves of the attack. Cates is going to clean up the hard way, cold turkey, doing some hard time."

"Good," Simon grunted. "Jim just called from the hospital. Sandburg's awake." Joel grinned relieved that Blair would recover. Simon nodded his agreement. "I think Blair has the wrong spirit animal, he should be the cat."

Joel snorted. "The officers from the conference should all be headed home by now. Well, except for Grissom."

Banks nodded. "Thank goodness this conference is over. Maybe now we can get back to our normal brand of chaos."

**********

Blair poked at the Jello with his spoon grimacing as the green blob wiggled back and forth. Even the Jello was making him nauseous. Another side effect of the blood loss and antibiotics, the doctor had assured him.

A knock on his door distracted Blair from his dietary dilemma. "Come in."

Gil Grissom peeked in. "Mind if I join you?"

Blair waved him in. "Only if green Jello doesn't scare you too much."

Grissom smiled. "You're feeling better."

"A bit," Blair replied feeling tongue-tied.

Gil studied his son for a moment as the strained silence stretched on. "So, um, did Naomi fill you in?" Grissom asked finally.

Blair nodded. ""It must have been quite a shock to find out you have a full grown son," he offered.

His father tilted his head. "Yeah, actually it was." Blair's face fell a bit. "But a good kind of shock," Grissom admitted with a grin. "What about you? Were you shocked?"

Blair grinned back at his father. "Sure. But mainly I was surprised that Naomi came clean so easily after hiding the truth all these years. Plus I figured there was some horrible secret that she didn't want to face, so the truth was a pleasant surprise indeed."

Grissom sat in the chair by the bed. "So, did Jim tell you I know about his senses?"

The younger man nodded. "Earlier this morning. He had to go into the station to give his report." Blair met Gil's gaze solemnly. "Thank you for saving his life."

Gil raised his eyebrows. "Truthfully, he saved mine first, but you're welcome. He's an extraordinary man, your partner."

Blair smiled his agreement. "Jim also said that you helped him use his senses. He thinks you're a Guide."

Grissom shrugged. "It wasn't hard to do, anyone could have done the same."

Sandburg shook his head. "No, that's what I thought at first too, but the Guide is just as specialized as the Sentinel. I believe the traits are genetic." He grinned ruefully. "Don't let me get started or I'll talk your ear off on the subject."

"That's okay. You let me go on and on about bugs the other day."

"So, um, what should I call you?" Blair asked suddenly.

Gil started at the unexpected question. "Well, what ever feels comfortable." He shook his head slowly. "I don't know that I'd answer to Dad," Grissom grinned, "I haven't had any practice at it." Blair grinned back. "Why don't you call me Gil for now and we'll play it by ear."

"Okay, Gil," Blair said relieved to have gotten past that. "Have you ever known anyone with enhanced senses before?" he asked.

"A Sentinel?" Grissom frowned. "No, I don't think so."

"Oh," Blair said disappointed. "I guess I was hoping you had. It would be cool to compare notes, you know?"

"Yeah. Sorry, but I didn't know such a person even existed until this weekend."

*******

Grissom flipped through the photos again. Blair had given him a few copies of himself as a child and several more recent ones that featured Blair and Jim. Then they'd gotten a disposable camera and taken a couple of different group shots including one of him and Blair and even one with himself, Blair and Naomi.

Gil stopped at one picture that showed Blair and Jim holding up a fish as they stood knee deep in a stream. They both had happy smiles on their faces and seemed totally at ease with each other.

Grissom leaned his head back against the seat and let his mind drift. A sudden pang of sorrow brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them away. Scott. Now why would I think of him? That was years ago.

Scott Parsons had been his first roommate in college. They'd hit it off immediately and had a lot of fun in the three brief months they'd shared a room. The holidays came and Grissom headed home to spend them with his family. About half way through the break, the school had called to let Gil know that Scott had committed suicide.

Grissom gasped at the suddenly renewed pain of Scott's loss. At the time he'd been devastated, but unable to understand why Scott's death hurt so much. Now Gil couldn't comprehend how such an old memory could be so excruciating.

He jerked as the stewardess touched his shoulder.

"Sir, your cell phone is ringing," she said kindly.

Gil blinked up at her. "Ah, thank you," he stammered as he pulled out the phone and answered it. "Grissom."

"Hey, Gil," Catherine said. "I hadn't heard from you. Is Sandburg all right? Did you wrap up the case?"

Grissom wiped his eyes brusquely with one hand and straightened in his seat. "Sandburg is recovering and yes, we did get the guys responsible." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "So, fill me in on our current cases, Catherine. I'm ready to get back to work."

The end

Comments are always welcome, please let me know what you think. Judy

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