By JudyL

May 31, 2004

Here's a short piece, sorry it took so long. Other plot bunnies were running amok and this one was being stubborn. Have another one hatching for the fourth in the series, but I can't promise a speedy post.

Warnings: I don't think so. No action, a lot of planning. Promise the next one will be more action oriented. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: There's a small, very small, minuscule crossover with Due South, I don't own them or anyone else in the Sentinel universe.

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

"Damn! Damn it!" The words coming from Sandburg's room were soft, but not so soft that the Sentinel couldn't hear them from his room above.

Jim knocked on the doors to Blair's room and when no answer was forthcoming slowly pushed them open. He saw his partner leaning both elbows on his desk with his hands covering his face. The light from the computer console bouncing off his friend's glasses as they dangled from one hand.

"What's wrong, Chief?" Jim asked closing the distance between the door and the desk.

Blair shook his head. "It's not enough. It's just not enough," he whispered despair clear in every word.

Jim frowned and clasped Blair's shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze. "What's not enough Blair?" he asked.

The Guide looked up and into the computer screen, Jim could see his troubled reflection in the monitor. "Remember I asked Ray and Frazier to check on that new Sentinel in Minneapolis?" Jim nodded. "Well that was a couple weeks ago, they got busy with a case and couldn't get away. They finally made it out yesterday." Blair closed his eyes.

Jim could almost feel the grief pouring off his friend. "What happened Chief?" he asked softly.

Blair opened his eyes. "The kid cut his wrists. He was dead when they got there."

"Oh, God."

"We should have reached him sooner," Blair said pushing the chair back to stand and pace the narrow area between the desk and the bed. "Even if we couldn't match him up with a Guide right away, we could have helped him, let him know he wasn't alone."

The despair in Blair voice cut straight to Jim's heart. He moved to his brother and caught him in a hug, not allowing the younger man to squirm free.

"Blair, it is not your fault. We can't be there for everyone. It's just not possible."

Blair shook his head refusing that argument. "It's not enough, we could have helped him, Jim."

Jim shook his head. And Blair thinks my territory has expanded. I wonder if he realizes his has too? "Maybe, Chief. We might have been able to help him, but if he was that close to the edge then we might not have."

Blair stopped trying to extricate himself from Jim's hug and leaned his head against his Sentinel's shoulder. "There's got to be something else we can do, Jim. It's getting too big to handle part time."

Ellison nodded. "I know Chief. Let me talk to my Dad about it. I have an idea." This time he let Blair go when the younger man pulled away.

"What's that, Jim?" Blair asked intently.

Jim took a deep breath and stared at Blair thoughtfully for a second. "I think we need to go public."

"WHAT?!" Blair shouted. "You can't be serious. After everything we went through to cover it up and discredit my thesis, now you want to go public?"

Jim sighed. "Chief," he shook his head and continued, "that was when it was just the two of us. Now there are literally hundreds of people who need our help, our protection. So far we've been lucky and as far as we know, the government hasn't decided to set up a Sentinel camp of their own. But that won't last. Someone's going to decide Sentinels and their Guides should work for good old Uncle Sam or some other agency."

Ellison started to pace himself as he spoke. "They'll end up killing a high percentage of Sentinels and Guides at first because they won't understand the dynamics involved. Then they'll use that bond to force them to work for whatever agency "for the good of the country."" Jim grimaced. "No one will be safe. But if we go public, with a big enough support group, then the government won't be able to touch us. And with the right spin, the rest of the world will accept us as normal but talented individuals who just want to help."

Blair stared at his friend. What he said made sense, but seemed so out of character for Jim Ellison. That is so not fair. He really has worked on his attitude this last year. On opening up and sharing how he feels. Course he hasn't had much of a choice, with all these other Sentinels to show the ropes, Jim's had to admit a few things to himself that he'd probably rather have kept hidden.

"Okay, Jim. So what do we do?"

"Let me talk to my Dad about some financial backing, then we need to make a list of other people we can trust to support us in other areas."

"What other areas?"

"Well, in the media, academically, legally," Jim paused and grinned, "a little celebrity help wouldn't hurt."

Blair returned his grin knowing Jim was thinking the same thing he was. "Cool!"

"Yeah, cool!" Jim replied heading for the phone.

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

Jim confirmed with William Ellison that he had a substantial trust fund that he could tap for the project and that his father was willing to help in whatever way he could.

They set up a meeting at William Ellison's house with a number of key people. Jim, Blair, William, Steven, Sally, Naomi, Simon and Daryl Banks and the rest of the Major Crime crew, all of whom already knew about Sentinels, were invited. They also included Eli Stoddard, Jack Kelso, Wendy Hawthorne, Orvelle Wallace, and Vince Deal.

Jim wasn't so sure about including Vince at this point, but the aged actor had proven himself to be loyal and was currently back in public favor with his newest Maddock's Way movie. They would need his star power.

They'd set up the Ellison living room to accommodate the crowd, pushing all the furniture to one end of the room and bringing in folding chairs. Jim watched as the people "in the know" mingled with those who didn't and tried to decide how each of them would react.

Blair caught his attention with a softly spoken "they're all here," and he cleared his throat loudly. Everyone turned already highly tuned to every move Jim had been making. "Take a seat please and we'll get to the reason for this meeting." Jim met his partner at the "podium" end of the room and together they turned to face their audience.

A few phone calls had briefly informed Simon and the others what to expect today. The other attendees were people who had supported Blair and Jim after the dis fiasco. Whether they believed the lie or not.

Blair fidgeted beside him. He was especially anxious about how Orvelle and Dr. Stoddard would respond. Although Blair had spoken to both men during the last year, his thesis had not come up as it could hardly be considered polite conversation. Now Blair would learn what his mentor and childhood idol really thought about him.

"Thank you all for coming," Jim began putting a settling hand on Blair's shoulder. "Some of you have no idea what this meeting is about, so let me just clear that up for you right away." He took a deep breath. "I am a Sentinel. The paper that Blair wrote was true. A copy was inadvertently sent to a friend of a friend," he paused letting his eyes fall on Naomi long enough for her to acknowledge that she had been forgiven, "needless to say, you all know what happened.

Blair did what he thought needed to be done at the time to protect me from being hounded by the press and others who might be interested in my abilities."

Wendy Hawthorne raised her hand.

Jim smiled. "Wendy, if you'll let me finish, we'll be glad to answer all your questions." She nodded with a frown and Jim continued. "Not long after Blair's press conference, we began to get visits from other Sentinels, and Guides as well. Blair is my Guide. He helps me with control, teaches me how to use my senses and basically keeps me centered. Every Sentinel needs a Guide.

We are currently in contact with several hundred Sentinels and Guides. The reason we called you all together is that we need your help. We want to create a foundation to help these people, to train them so they can help others and to keep them safe from subversive agencies. A true Sentinel is genetically inclined to protect the people around them, their tribe. But we can't do that if we have to worry about being kidnapped in the middle of the night." Jim stopped suddenly realizing he'd said what he needed to and the best way to continue would be to answer questions. He and Blair each grabbed a chair and sat down facing the group.

Wendy raised her hand again and Jim nodded to her.

"Okay, Jim. Let's assume for the moment that we all believe you are a Sentinel…"

"No," Dr. Stoddard said standing. "Let's not assume that. Why should we believe that? If you are a Sentinel, how could you allow Blair to ruin himself like that?"

Simon stood. "Dr. Stoddard, I'm Captain Banks, Jim and Blair's boss at the PD. Believe me when I tell you Jim is a Sentinel. I've," he waved his hand at his other officers, "we've seen what they can do. It's true. And as for ruining Blair's career, this meeting is not about that, you need to talk to him, later."

Blair stood. "Please Eli, just accept it for now. I'll explain everything later. This is too important," he caught his mentor with that puppy dog look. Eli nodded slowly and sat down.

"Right," Wendy continued as both Blair and Simon also retook their seats. "So, why us? What can we do and why do you think we can help?"

Blair answered. "We've been very careful to keep our network of Sentinels and Guides a secret up to now. Only those of you in this room and a few others attached to the Sentinel/Guide pairs are privy to the secret. What we want to do is create a teaching foundation and lay the groundwork for legislation that will protect S/G pairs and allow things picked up by Sentinel senses to be admitted as evidence in a court of law."

Blair waved his hands getting into the topic. "There are any number of things that need to be addressed to help prevent abuses within the partnership as well as keeping the S/G pair from being misused by outside forces. There are a lot of talented people out there that just want to help, but can't risk exposure. The Foundation will ultimately provide that safety net for S/G pairs."

Jim cut in. "To answer your question, Wendy," he grinned at Blair who rolled his eyes, "you and the others in this room are in unique positions to help set up the Foundation and support it financially as well as lend it credibility."

Jack Kelso spoke up. "It seems that your best bet is to get the Foundation set up first, have it running with guidelines to show that your Sentinels have ethical boundaries so as to reassure the public that they're not being spied on. Then you could come out of the closet so to speak."

Jim and some of the others in the room nodded. "That's a good idea, Jack."

"What about financial backing?" Vince Deal asked. "You can't get a whole lot of money without letting people know what they're supporting."

William Ellison stood up. "I've been thinking about that," he said moving to stand beside his son. "I think Berkshire Publishing needs to publish Blair's book."

"What?"

"No way!"

"Are you kidding?"

The room erupted with various like statements and general disagreement as Jim and Blair stared at William's calm smiling face.

The senior Ellison raised his hands to quiet the room then continued. "Let me explain. Berkshire is liable for wrecking Blair's career. It was their agent who made the thesis public against Blair's wishes. He could sue the company for millions and win. Blair hasn't pursued the lawsuit out of his own sense of right and wrong. However we could use that to our advantage."

"What exactly do you recommend, Will?" Blair asked suspiciously.

"We can go to Berkshire with your "fictional" book, rename it, change the names of the characters, the city, etc. and offer to let them publish it for the last advance they offered plus a high percentage of the royalties. If they argue, we can point out to them the liability issue as a little encouragement to comply. They've already decided it would be a best seller, any money earned could be put toward the Foundation.

It also has the benefit of introducing the idea of Sentinels to the world at large in a very positive "entertaining" way." Will shrugged. "If it's eventually made into a movie, that's even better. Just think how movies influence people. Make the characters lovable and worthy and the audience easily sympathizes with them. When we actually go public, the idea that Sentinels are trustworthy and deserving of respect will be easy to establish because it's already been introduced to the mainstream."

Simon snorted and shook his head. Crafty old fox. Now I know where Ellison got it from.

Many of the others were also agreeing with William Ellison's idea. Blair was struggling, but could see the advantages. I can change Sentinel to Watchman or Guardian, change Jim's name like I planned all along. Set it in another city, maybe make up something, like Gotham for Batman. Yeah. This just might work.

"What do you think, Chief?" Jim asked softly.

Blair nodded. "Will you help with Berkshire, William?"

"Of course, Blair. If it's okay with you, I have a lawyer friend who deals with publishing. I think it would be wise to enlist his aid. Also, the firm I use would be able to work on any legal questions for the Foundation. I'll set up an appointment when we're ready."

Orvelle raised his hand and cleared his throat when Jim acknowledged him. "I can see why you need people like Mr. Kelso and Ms. Hawthorne, and even Mr. Deal to help," he met Blair's eyes. "But why are you risking telling me about this?"

Blair stared at his idol for a long minute then sighed saddened by what he could only consider Orvelle's lack support for them. For him.

"I'm sorry, Orvelle. I thought… that is…" Blair stumbled over his words, uncomfortable now knowing that the man he looked up to saw him as a disgrace.

"Orvelle," Jim said, "you saw first hand what a Sentinel could do. Without Blair to help me with my senses, you would have gone to jail for murder. We need that kind of endorsement to show the positive side to Sentinels. We naturally thought of you. And the fact that you're a close friend, we had hoped you would want to help."

Orvelle's eyes widened as he realized how his question had sounded. He looked at Blair who now wouldn't meet his gaze. "Blair, I'm sorry. I have always believed in you. I knew you wouldn't do something like that… I'm sorry if I didn’t make my support clear. I do want to help you and Jim. And the others like you, too. Just tell me what to do."

Blair looked up and met Orvelle's eyes, gratitude and hope shining from his own. He smiled at the former basketball player.

"Well, good," Jim said smiling. "If it's okay, we'll divide up into groups to answer any other questions and brainstorm a bit."

They separated into smaller groups, the newbies split among those already in the know. Dr. Stoddard caught Blair and dragged him off to a quiet corner.

"Look, Eli…" Blair said.

Eli held up his hands. "Blair, let me speak please." He took a deep breath as Blair watched anxiously. The professor seemed to be struggling with his thoughts. "I never… I couldn't believe that you had purposefully written a fraudulent thesis. I hoped you would come to me and explain what had happened, but when you let the lie persist… well, that was your choice. I wish you had come to me when it happened. We could have figured out some way to preserve your reputation and protect your Sentinel."

Blair raked his hand through his hair. "Looking back, Eli, I know there were a lot of possible actions I could have taken. But I was desperate and needed something that would work fast." He shrugged. "Things haven't worked out exactly as I expected in my life, but the most important thing, the one thing I've wanted more than anything was to find a Sentinel." Blair smiled. "And I did Eli. More importantly, I found MY Sentinel. And now there are more Sentinels and Guides out there that need our help. That's all that matters now. Please help me, Eli."

Stoddard regarded his young protégé. "Well, things are certainly looking to be a lot more interesting around here. What do you need me to do?"

Blair grinned and wrapped his arms around his mentor. Eli returned the hug with a chuckle. They broke the hug and Blair led Eli to a pair of chairs where they both sat.

"I was hoping you could put out a few feelers in the academic world. If there are others out there that feel the same way you do, who know that my paper was real, but have kept quiet. We need teachers. People with open minds who don't have a problem being one step ahead of their students or even on the same step.

They'll have to be willing to deal with special students, not ones with learning disabilities, but students with special needs and special abilities. It's all going to be trial and error at first, I need people who can think on their feet."

Eli nodded. "I understand. I'd like to help too, if there's a place for me?"

Blair smiled, relieved. "Of course, always. I hoped you'd want to join us."

"Good. There are a few people that come to mind that we can trust without hesitation. After that we'll need to be careful, really test the waters before accepting someone new."

"Everything okay?" Jim asked coming up beside Blair.

The Guide smiled at his Sentinel and nodded. "Great, Jim. I don't think you two have ever been properly introduced. Jim, this is Professor Eli Stoddard, my mentor. Eli, this is Detective Jim Ellison, my Sentinel."

Eli shook Jim's hand. "Maybe someday, Detective, I'll understand what happened. For now I'm willing to take Blair's word that he's okay with everything. I hope we can be friends."

Jim smiled. "Professor, I'm still not sure why Blair puts his trust in me, but I'm grateful every day. And I hope I never give him cause to doubt me again. I'm glad you decided to join us. Blair was counting on you."

Blair cleared his throat a little self-consciously. "Maybe we should join the others," he suggested. All three men made their way back to the living room and saw that the smaller groups had reformed into one large group.

Simon waved them over. "We've got some ideas and questions for you two."

"What's up Simon?" Blair asked as he, Jim and Eli sat. The chairs had been formed into a large circle.

"Well," Jack Kelso started, "our first question is a matter of security. How are we all going to keep in touch and yet make sure that no one is tapping into our conversations? I assume that internet program I got for you is currently being used to contact your other friends." Blair nodded. "Okay, then, maybe we can use that same setup for this group. I don't think regular phone calls or meetings like this are a good idea."

Rafe picked up the thread of conversation. "We also think it's a good idea to involve a select number of our current S/G pairs." He paused blushing a bit as he realized what he'd said.

Blair grinned encouragingly. "Go on Rafe, which of our pairs are you talking about?" he asked slightly accenting the word "our."

The detective grinned back and continued. "Well, I won't name names for now, but there are a few I can think of that have contacts in their own cities that would be helpful. It's a little early to include every S/G pair, especially the newer ones and the younger kids, but some of them will be indispensable to our project."

Steven added his voice. "It's also going to be necessary to set up a board of trustees and assign people to various tasks." He looked around the room with a critical eye. "We have a lot of talented people here whose abilities lies in various areas. We need to make sure not to waste our resources."

Jim smiled warmly at his brother and then turned a quick grin to Blair. This is going to work.

Blair's eyes echoed that thought.

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

"Blair, it's Jack. I think I found what we're looking for. Can you pick me up at Rainier around 5pm? Call me if that doesn't work, otherwise I'll see you then."

The answering machine clicked off and Blair looked at his watch. 4:30pm. Should be able to make it. "Hey, Jim. Come on, man, Jack has something for us."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Well," Jack said carefully wheeling himself onto a more level spot of ground. "What do you think?"

Jim and Blair looked out across the field.

"There's a deep fresh water well. I thought that would be a big selling point. We can have our own power generator. Add whatever security measures we want once the buildings are up."

Jim turned in place taking in the panoramic view. The property was edged on the west by a cliff that dropped off into the Sound. To the north the tail end of a mountain range bordered the piece of land.

"It's a little far from Cascade," Jim commented, not too concerned.

Jack grinned and tilted his head. "I just figured the SGF would have a helicopter or two. We could put Sandburg to work."

Blair rolled his eyes. "Only in emergencies, guys."

Jim grinned and faced Blair. "What do you think, Chief?"

"I think it's perfect. Not too far from civilization, but not too close either." He nodded gazing out over the land with a satisfied smile. "Just perfect."

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

Jim looked up from the pieces of paper scattered across the table and sighed. "We need to figure out some other ways to finance this thing, Chief." He shoved a couple of sheets across the table to Blair. "The complex is sucking money in like a vacuum."

Blair lifted one of the bills and studied it while Jim continued.

"Steven and Dad are doing a great job investing the money from the book, but it's just not enough."

The Shaman nodded. "It's time to call on our SG pairs to support the Foundation. Some of them have money contacts. I think it's only fair to expect them to help, seeing that the SGF is being built for their well-being."

Jim nodded. "Maybe we should put pressure on Berkshire to start the movie deal too. I think we can finance the production, Vince said he'd help, and then a good deal of the profits can go straight into the SGF."

"All right," Blair agreed. "You work on that, I'll send an e-mail to the group outlining our plans for the SGF and what we need help with."

**********

Keeping up with the hectic schedule of working at the PD and setting up the SGF finally became too much. Blair resigned his position with the Cascade PD and Jim decided to take a leave of absence. Although Simon hated to lose them, he understood, especially since the captain and every other member of Major Crime were out at the SGF site as often as possible.

Blair looked up from the blueprints and shook his head. He quickly located his partner talking to one of the newest arrivals. They had the basic utilities, water, sewer, electric, gas, one building completed and various temporary shelters. The SGF hadn't even officially opened its doors yet and they were already crawling with people.

Eli had come through and managed to entice brilliant minds from various sections of Academia to join the venture. Some of them had shown up with their own lodgings, tents, RVs, or just a sleeping bag ready to help however they could.

It was the arrival of the Sentinels and Guides, bonded and unbonded that confounded them. A select few had been contacted about the Foundation to secure additional funding and support. They didn't plan on 'advertising' the SGF until they had living quarters, classrooms and such.

But somehow, word had gotten out and they were currently hosting twenty some odd individuals confirmed to be Sentinels or Guides. Fortuitously, several bonded pairs from the online group had also arrived and helped to organize the youngsters.

For the most part things were peaceful. Several unbonded Sentinels and Guides had discovered their soul mates and this had necessitated impromptu lessons for the new pairs.

Blair sighed as he walked toward Jim. The Sentinel turned and seeing his Guide dismissed the young man he'd been talking to. He joined Blair and the pair walked away from the activity.

"What's up, Chief?" Jim asked slinging a companionable arm over Blair's shoulders.

"I hate to do this, Jim, but I think we need to invest in some more temporary buildings." Blair stopped and looked at his brother. "It'll be faster and we need to be able to keep the unbonded Sentinels and Guides separated. Not to mention giving the Sentinels their own space."

Jim frowned. "Did something else happen?"

Blair nodded. "Professor Donaldson broke up a fight over a Guide. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the Guide was not…" Sandburg trailed off. Jim pulled his Guide to him for a hug.

"You should have told me sooner, Blair. Who was it? I'll have a talk with them."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Blair snorted with more of his normal humor. "Donaldson may be a mild mannered professor, but he was also a captain in the Marines."

Jim grinned. Few people could match a bonded Sentinel for sheer scary when it came to protecting someone, but a Marine captain would come pretty damn close. "I'd still like to talk to them, Chief, Sentinel to Sentinel."

Blair nodded turning to look back toward the construction site. Jim moved up behind his partner and snagged his arm around Blair's chest pulling him close until Blair's back rested against Jim's chest. "Close your eyes, Blair," the Sentinel said softly. The Guide obeyed.

"Now, picture the main hall in your mind. Wide stone steps lead up to double doors. Giant stone panthers guard the entrance and above the door, the Eye of God. Can you see it?"

Blair nodded again. "Good. Now go up the stairs into the lobby. See the tiled floors, the wood-paneled walls. The reception desk is mahogany and there's this cute little red-head sitting behind it…"

"Jim," Blair said softly, amusement tingeing his voice.

Ellison grinned. "Just pay attention, Junior. As I was saying, the receptionist greets you, "Good morning, Dr. Sandburg," and you smile back as you continue on to the back hall. Can you hear it, Blair?" Jim asked even softer.

The Guide's head moved infinitesimally in a negative response.

"You hear eager voices, go closer, down the hall to the first door on the left, Chief. Look in through the window and see them. You can feel it can't you? That they are Sentinels and Guides?" Blair nodded catching his breath as he was caught up in Jim's narrative.

"They're here and learning about their gifts because of you, Chief. Because you didn't give up on a stubborn, pig-headed detective with heightened senses," Jim grasped Blair's shoulders and spun him gently until they were face to face. Dark blue wondering eyes met sky blue determination. "It's going to happen, Blair. Give it time and don't be so hard on yourself. You've done more than anyone should expect."

Blair swallowed, blinking hard against the emotion Jim's words stirred. "I couldn't have done anything without you, Jim," he answered Sentinel soft, not trusting his voice.

Jim's smile conveyed the love and trust he had for his brother. "I guess we're even then, Chief." Blair's brilliant smile was all the agreement the Sentinel needed.

**********

They stood anxiously on the stage behind a closed curtain. They could hear people beyond the curtain, but a quick glance at a watch showed it wasn't time to start yet. Both men felt a little silly, but Vince had insisted on the dramatics. "You put me in charge of publicity, damn it, let me do my job," the elderly film star had grumbled.

Jim grinned at his partner as Blair fidgeted yet again with his collar. He batted Blair's hands away and straightened the shirt letting his hands rest a moment longer on his Guide's shoulders. Not that Ellison wasn't a bit nervous as well. His stomach was doing acrobatics, but if Blair needed a calm presence, he would exude calm.

Sandburg snorted and met Jim's eyes almost as if he'd read his thoughts. Jim met Blair's grin with one of his own. "Soon, Chief."

Vince strode across the stage to the pair and rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he smiled at them. "Almost time, boys. Don't be nervous. We're all friends out there tonight."

"Thanks for all your help, Vince," Blair said squeezing the older man's shoulder with one hand.

Deal grinned. "It's been a blast, kid. And I don't think the fun is over yet. Curtain call in two," he said heading off the stage.

"Never dreamed it would all come to this, Jim," Blair said softly. "Never in a million years."

"That's the thing about dreams, Chief," Jim said cryptically waiting for Sandburg to look at him. When he did, Jim continued. "The really good ones take on a life of their own."

Blair and Jim locked eyes and didn't notice the curtain rising. Only the sudden applause broke their tableau and they turned as one to see the auditorium full of friends, family and co-conspirators all standing in ovation.

The Sentinel-Guide Foundation was officially open for business.

End

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

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