Love Kills, but is Death the Only Answer
March 25, 2009
Okay here's the next part in the series. As with most of my stories, it all started when I was talking to Judy. See, it's all her fault. J
I noticed that Musetta Vander played Lila Hobson in TS's "Love Kills" and Shan'auc in SG's "Crossroads" and then this storyline popped into my head.
For you TS fans, there is a bunch more TS in this story than the first one. The SG stuff is mostly at the beginning and the end… with little twists thrown in the middle.
I took some creative license and fiddled with some of the dates. Well, not some of the dates… just the first one. The ep. "Children of the Gods Part One" was originally aired March 1996. That didn't work with my timeline so I changed it. Oh and I change the "Seth" ep because that was originally shown in 1999. If you are a diehard Stargate fan, this may bother you. But, don’t worry because you won't notice any time differences later because it no longer exists by the end of my story. I figure when you add the time it takes for the injured member of SG1 to recover (I mean really… at least one of them gets hurt in half the episodes) and then add in the time it takes for some of the eps. (like the one where Jack is missing for almost a year, or the one where they lose several weeks because they were attached to a wormhole), it will eventually catch back up to where I want it. You've been warned so don't complain to me later.
I started this story with the opening scene from the Stargate ep. "Children of the Gods." It took forever to do 'cause I couldn't find a transcript online so I had to do it myself. Frame by painful frame. I finally got it done, wonderfully well if I say so myself, and then Judy said it was too much unnecessary stuff that didn't advance the story. What?!? Judy the queen of "it's good, but it needs more…." (Big pout) Really big pout… several years of pouting later I dug the story back out and cut out all of my hard work. Okay, I'm done pouting now… mostly. And it doesn't matter that she may have been right. (sniff). LOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gateroom, Stargate Command 1990
Alarm klaxons sounded around the base. The call to arms had been sounded by a dead man in an attempt to protect the base from an attack no one had expected or would have believed before today. The day the world changed forever… again.
Apophis turned toward two of his remaining people. "Go now. Find out and report back. Do not fail your God!" he commanded, his eyes glowing in emphasis.
The
two quickly removed their armor before handing it and their staff weapons to
the serpent guards who were staying behind to defend Apophis. The infiltrators were now wearing simple
white robes with hoods. The loose folds
well able to disguise the remaining weapons they carried. An oriental looking
man glanced at the exotic looking woman next to him. Lo was supposed to have
had two more
Apophis
ordered the remaining
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lo was annoyed and frustrated. His task for Apophis was not going as planned. The journey away from the Chappa'ai had been child's play. The slaves of this world were fat and lazy. Once they reached the surface, Lo sent Shan'auc to find information. What she came back with made Lo realize they were going to have to set up a base of operations and it was going to take a lot longer than Apophis had intended.
The slave leaders surrounding the Chappa'ai, the landmass
named
The time had finally come to act. His small sample of Nishta had multiplied enough to be useful on more than one human. Lo had obtained the services of a small group of very loyal slaves.
After studying the ways and dress of the humans around them,
Shan'auc had used some of the Nishta on a tattoo artist. He was able to design a very intricate tattoo
which disguised the primta sack nicely.
She could now move freely about this world and not have to worry about
being found out as a
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Milly Tari's Bar and
Grill,
As the name might have suggested, the place was crawling with military men. The drinks were cheap, the women were 'friendly' and hey, the food was halfway decent. Who could ask for more? Captain Jim Ellison thought sarcastically as he glanced around the smoky room with a painful sigh.
Wonder how much longer
I'm going to be able to wait for my contact to show up. Jim took a sip of his beer and looked
down at his watch. I've got two more weeks of leave before I
need to report back in. That will give
me time to get back stateside.
It would be so good to see them again. They may not want to see me as much as I want
to see them, but they should hear what happened from me in person. I can't believe they're all gone, my men, my
family. Someone bumped in to the
table as they walked past on the way to the bar. "Oops, sorry,
mate," the sailor slurred as he weaved off. Jim said abruptly "It's fine," not
really noticing the man.
Jim rested his chin in his hand. Well,
at least if they slam the door in my face, I can send the condolence letters
I've written. I've missed Betty,
Veronica,
I just hope I can handle these heightened senses
by myself. If only I could have figure
out a way to bring Incacha back with me. I know that he said my true partner
would show up soon, but it was still so hard to leave him there. I feel like I left a part of me behind.
Along with the memories, the noise and fumes were starting to get to Jim. Incacha's tips weren't helping as much as they had been when he'd had first left the rainforest. Jim wasn't sure if it was distance, time apart, or the recent stress that he'd been under, but something was making it harder and harder to control his senses.
"I'll give him five more minutes," Jim muttered as he looked at his watch. "And then I'm out of here." I'll find some other way to get the information I need to prove that Colonel North was the one responsible for getting us shot down. His damn drug pipeline.
Jim drummed his fingers on the table until the noise started to pound in his ears. He tried to concentrate and turn down the noise, but before he could get a good handle on it, some strange smell started to overwhelm him. Jim looked up into a pair of beautiful green eyes.
"Hello," the woman purred as she released the green Nishta at him.
"Hello," Jim coughed. He tilted his head, still trying to figure out the original smell as he choked on the second odor and then his hearing spiked and he heard two…TWO heartbeats from the svelte figure in front of him. What the hell? It was the last free thought he would have for a long time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Altic Hotel,
"I do not believe he has any further relevance to us," Lo stated. "I must admit, it had not occurred to me to sell illegal drugs before this one suggested it. But, on this world as is true on many others, money equates with power."
Lo walked around the room, patting Jim's shoulder as he went past. "Now, his advice of taking over an existing operation was one I can truly understand. It is far easier and requires fewer slaves. Yes, that is good advice. Shan'auc, excuse me, I mean Lila, dispose of this one and find out which is the most powerful drug family in this area. Also find out the key players and who will be easiest to replace."
"I'd like to keep him, just for a while longer," Shan'auc said calmly.
"What!"
"I believe that he still has more to offer. I can get him to introduce me to some more of his contacts and if we kill him there may be too many questions. I was seen leaving with him," she added. Besides, he is very handsome and an interesting bed partner… and for some reason I feel protective of and protected by him.
"Fine, but make sure he remembers nothing."
Shan'auc bowed in agreement then escorted Lo out the hotel room door. She turned back toward Jim and purred, "Are you feeling tired after all that talking?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later
Jim woke up in a strange hotel bed. He looked around the room and saw the green
eyed woman from the bar. The one that
had the unusual odor on her. As he got
out of bed he noticed that he didn't have any clothing on. He grabbed a floral print shirt that lay on a
nearby chair and put it on. The woman
was wearing a camisole and panties that left little to the imagination. Jim rubbed his face as he tried to get his
brain to work. What happened? I remember the
bar… but, not leaving it. "Um, Hi," Jim said as he walked toward
her and noticed a strange looking knife on the dresser. Um, Hi! How
much lamer can you get, Jim? What's the
deal with this knife? I've never seen
one like it before.
The woman spun around to face Jim. She looked scared for a moment and then she smiled as she took the knife away from him. "Hi back, lover boy. I bet you're thirsty after that workout. Here you can have some of mine." She glided closer until her body was plastered against his, her hips doing a gentle grind against his groin as she offered a glass of colored liquid she'd removed from the dresser.
"Um, sure," Jim stuttered. Mister suave you aren't. What is this? It tastes terrible and … wrong. He started to sway.
Shan'auc grabbed him and pushed him back on the bed. The Nishta is no longer working on this human. Fortunately, I had some Balik near by. It should reinforce the controls long enough for him to forget what really happened last week. I really wanted the Nishta to keep working on this one. I would have liked to keep him with me.
Shan'auc 'reminded' Jim of the week he and Lila had spent in the hotel, mostly in bed. Then she sent him to his room to sleep off the effects of the drug. Shan'auc packed and left the hotel with a sad smile. Lila Hobson would now be on her way to becoming the next hit-woman for the Shang syndicate thanks to Jim Ellison's advice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning
Jim woke up with a hangover beating a drum in his head. Oh, it's not in my head, it's the radio. He hit the snooze button on the radio and stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower. Jim stood under the spray of water a lot longer than he normally would. His head felt worse than any hangover he'd ever had. He was having trouble concentrating and he had a weird taste in his mouth. Jim dried off, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and then tried to figure out where he was.
He looked around the strange hotel room. He opened the dresser and found his clothes
neatly put away in the drawers. His uniforms were hanging in the closet, the
shoes tucked in on the floor. "What the hell?" he wondered as he
rubbed his throbbing head. He walked over to the bedside table. There
were a couple of pamphlets for local hotspots and restaurants on the table. "
Jim sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. "What the hell happened?" he asked again. He slowly got back up and downed some aspirin with a glass of water from the sink. He felt years older than he had a few minutes ago. And for some reason he felt guilty.
At first the water tasted like rust and sediment, then it just tasted like water. The lights got blindingly bright and then returned to normal. Jim could hear music and yelling and birds and termites and then just the music from the clock radio as it came back on. His skin started to itch from the rough sandpaper his clothes had turned into to… and then it felt like a cotton shirt. He almost gagged on the smells coming from around him and then they too returned to normal.
"What the hell did I drink?" Jim moaned.
"Why am I in
Hours later he'd returned to the bed and grieved. They're
all dead. All of them. What the hell happened? I can remember bits and pieces now, but the
rest is just gone. I can't think. He pinched the bridge of his nose, stood up
slowly and took some more aspirin.
"I wish this damn headache would go away. What else have I forgotten?" He looked at the letters again and
sighed. I feel so guilty. I must have
screwed up some how and gotten my entire team killed. I should have died too. I'm a disgrace to the service and their
memory. The only thing left is to leave
them… leave my family behind and try to find some way to make up for my mistake.
Jim placed the letters in envelopes, sealed them, and took them to be mailed. On the way back, he ran into an acquaintance who asked about the lovely Lila, with accompanying hand gestures. Jim just shrugged and suggested they get together some time. He escaped as soon as he could and locked himself back into safety of his hotel room.
"Lila?" Jim concentrated. "Green eyes, pretty hair… something odd…" Jim had to stop as a wave of pain came crashing down. He stumbled up to get more medicine and crawled in to bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stargate Command 1998
"General we have a problem," Daniel
Jackson said as he walked into the conference room. "You know how we stumbled across those
old tapes when we were cleaning level 26 to make them into extra short-term
housing and you wanted me to double check how Apophis dialed out when he came
to Earth that first time?"
General Hammond nodded, a slight grin on his
face as
"Well, you guessed right. He had his
An oriental looking man was facing the
camera. His eyes glowed in the typical
Goa'uld manner. The second figure's back
was turned toward the camera. The two
men from Earth watched the screen as the two intruders left through the
bulkhead doors and not back through the Stargate.
"General," Daniel said, "we
have another Goa'uld loose on Earth."
"Get the rest of SG1 up here,"
A short time later, Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter,
and Teal'c entered the room and were quickly brought up to speed.
Teal'c looked at the screen once again. "I know this Goa'uld. He is a minor minion of Apophis. His name is Lo."
"Low," Jack snarked. "Like gimme the Low down on the lo mein
they're serving for dinner?"
Teal'c looked at O'Neill then returned his
gaze toward General Hammond. "Lo is
devoted to himself first and Apophis second.
If he is still alive, he will be somewhere where he can be in
power…"
Jack interrupted, "And that's different
from the usual Goa'uld how?"
"While not calling too much attention to
himself," Teal'c finished.
"Okay," Jack nodded. "That is
unusual. So what are our orders,
Sir?"
"We'll start trying to find him the same
way we did Seth and then go from there," General Hammond stated.
~~~~~~~~~~
The
same day, The Golden Pavilion Restaurant, Cascade,
Jim and Blair walk out of the restaurant
reading their fortune cookies.
"Huh, "Blair smiled, “'You will love and be loved by many.' Well, mine's right. What's yours say?" he asked as he popped some of the fortune cookie into his mouth.
"'Your partner puts the 'dim' in dim sum.'"
Blair
started to laugh as they continued to walk down the street. "Did you think of that all on your own? It's funny.
You know, I had this friend once. Every time he had to make a major
decision in his life, he'd go to the same Chinese restaurant and get a fortune
cookie. So one day, he gets offered this big job in
Jim had been looking around, only partially paying attention to what Blair was saying. He was distracted by a smell. One that seemed very familiar. He tried to concentrate on where it was coming from and accidentally bumped into a woman on the sidewalk. "Oh, sorry," Jim apologized as helped the woman push her purse strap back up her arm. What is that smell? "Lila!"
Lila looked scared for a moment then smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I think you've got me confused with someone else. Excuse me," she said insincerely as she turned away. She walked quickly to the corner yelling "Taxi! Yo, taxi!"
"You know her?" Blair asked.
"I thought I did," Jim said in confusion, forgetting about the strange, dissipating smell.
The woman got into a taxi. Jim focused in on the license plate of the cab before it pulled away.
The sound of sirens blared just before two squad cars rapidly passed by.
"What's going on?" Blair asked.
"I don't know. Let's find out," Jim said. The two men ran down the street and end up at the scene of a murdered monk.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Major Crime, later the same day
Jim
sat at his desk talking on the phone. "That's right. She was picked up
this afternoon by one of your taxis, license plate 0-7-8-F-G-E. Uh, about
"Nothing. I'm not saying anything."
"You don't need to say anything." Jim said. You think loud enough for two people some times.
"I'm good."
Good at laying on the guilt and puppy dog
eyes. Jim sighed. "Her name is Lila Hobson. I met her when I was in
"How involved? Not end of story." Blair sat up a bit more in his chair with a smile. He was always eager to find out more about Jim's past.
"We
had one week together. One morning she just left. I tried to track her down,
but I couldn't." Jim turned
slightly away from Blair and spoke into phone, "yeah? Yeah, I know the
"Uh, you need some moral support?" Blair asked, hoping for more information.
Jim just gave Blair 'the look' and then walked out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summit Hotel restaurant, later the same day
Jim walked into the hotel just as Shan'auc crossed the lobby. "Lila," he called out.
Shan'auc's expression froze for a moment as she tried to figure out how to respond. She decided to see how much he remembered and to make sure her cover was still intact. So she turned with a slight smile. "Hello, Jim."
They moved toward a table in the bar, sat down, and ordered drinks.
Jim looked at Lila. "So, why did you act like you didn't know me?"
"Well, I just wasn't prepared to see you. So, how have you been?"
"Good," Jim said, squinting as his headache returned.
"You still in the military?" Shan'auc questioned, trying to gain more information for her threat assessment.
"No. No. I'm a cop here in Cascade."
A cop. That could be useful. "It seems to fit you well," Shan'auc said, glancing at his well toned body as she sipped her wine.
"Yeah,
most of the time," Jim agreed.
"How about you? You still living in
"Yes,
I sell textiles for a design firm," Shan'auc added to the cover story
she'd told him seven years ago. "I'm
here on business. Jim, I'm sorry I disappeared like that in
"Yeah," Jim hesitated then said, "I always thought it was something I did."
"Hmm-mm," Shan'auc said as she shook her head in denial. "It wasn't you."
Jim rubbed his forehead as his headache suddenly seemed to worsen. He looked back up at Lila. A bright flash of light sparked around her face, spiking his vision into overdrive and sending his headache toward migraine territory. He winced in pain and looked away from Lila trying to get his senses under control.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Jim said as he tried to concentrate on the conversation. "How long are you here for?"
"Till Friday," Shan'auc said looking around for Lo. She sensed he was near by and didn't want him to see her.
"Maybe I could show you around a little bit...take you to some of the sights that tourists don't get to see," Jim offered, his head still pounding. He took a sip of his drink, hoping it might take the edge off.
"Well,
actually, Jim, there is another reason I'm in Cascade. I'm here to meet my
fiancé," Shan'auc lied, suddenly wanting an excuse to get Jim to back off
a bit. "He's down in
Of course, she's engaged. Oh God, my head is going to fall off. "Congratulations. When's the big day?" Jim forced himself to go through the motions, wanting nothing more than to crawl under the table and curl up in a ball of pain.
"Well, I haven't actually set a date yet. We were thinking maybe the end of summer."
Light flashed around Lila again, this time followed by his hearing spiking. Suddenly the sounds in the bar were overwhelmingly loud. Jim squinted and rubbed his temple losing track of the conversation.
"Jim? What's wrong? Are you ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah, yeah," Jim repeated, trying to convince both of them. "Yeah, sometimes I get migraines."
"Is there anything I can do?" Shan'auc asked with some concern as she tried to remember her mission and not the feelings she had for the man.
"No. No. It'll be all right. I'm sorry.” Jim stood up. “I'll see you later," he said as he started to walk very carefully toward the door. His senses sharpened and he was suddenly overwhelmed with a powerful smell. One that seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. The headache pounded at him with a vengeance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summit Hotel, Cascade,
"Oh, excuse me, Ms. Hobson," the front desk clerk said as he reached for a long flower box. "These came for you."
"Thank
you," Shan'auc said as she accepted the box. Sorry I left so suddenly. Can we have dinner? Jim.
Shan'auc got into the elevator alone, but Lo stopped the door from closing completely and joined her.
"Flowers," Lo sniffed in disgust.
"They're from an old friend," Shan'auc said a bit nervously. I don't want you to know that they are from Ellison.
"You don't have time for friends," Lo growled, his eyes suddenly started to glow and his voice changed. "Remember why you are here.
"I don't need you to remind me," Shan'auc shifted a bit then added. "I am still loyal to our God, Apophis."
"As
am I," Lo said. "You said you didn't
need me in
~~~~~~~~~~
"Jim, come on man, don't shut me out," Blair said as he opened the door to the loft still juggling the box of flowers Jim had thrust at him. "You know the doctor said that you need to take it easy, opium poisoning is nothing to sneeze at." Blair stopped and winced when he heard what he had just said. "No pun intended, big guy, really."
Jim slumped on the couch and tried to figure out how to get Blair out of the loft without a lecture or hurting his feelings. He wanted to be alone to brood and think about what could have been.
Blair gently set the flowers on the table and came over to sit by Jim. "How about if I just help you turn your senses down a bit so you can get some rest without any more spikes? Then I'll leave and go out with Sam."
"Okay," Jim gave in and sat through readjusting his dials to a lower level.
~~~~~~~~
Later that night
Jim woke up to loud knocking on his front door. He tried to sense who it was, but for some reason he couldn't raise the level up past where he and Blair had set them earlier.
Sandburg, that better not be you forgetting your keys again. He grabbed his robe and opened the door to… Lila.
"May I come in?" Shan'auc asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. Sure, come on in," Jim said enthusiastically.
Shan'auc walked in, still not sure if she should have come.
Jim got a hint of an odor, shrugged his shoulders and shut the door.
"The orchids you sent me were beautiful," Shan'auc said.
"Is that why you sent them back?" Jim questioned with confusion.
"No," Shan'auc stated. "Why did you come to see me at my hotel?"
Jim walked closer to Lila. "Why did you come here tonight?"
"I shouldn't be here. I just..." Shan'auc walked over to the door and opened it.
"No,
no," Jim taunted, "you're just going to keep running, huh? Just like
in
Shan'auc
sighed and closed the door. "What
do you want from me? Hmm? What do you want? I'm engaged, okay? I'm
engaged." Shan'auc was almost in
tears. What is it about this male that brings such overpowering emotions to
the surface?
"You're here," Jim paused. "What went on between us before -- maybe I'm idealizing, I don't know, but I can't get it out of my head."
You can’t get it out of your head! That is just the memories I gave you. What is my excuse? "That was a long time ago, Jim," Shan'auc said, trying to get herself under control. "The truth is, we...we barely know each other."
"So?"
"So," Shan'auc pushed past Jim and paced further in to the loft. "What if you don't like what you find?"
Jim once again closed the distance between the two. "I'll take that chance." He removed her coat and silently asked her to talk.
Which story? Not the whole truth… but, maybe I can give him part. She walked over toward the balcony keeping her back to Jim. "My parents died when I was ten. They had no money. Nothing. So I lived on the streets. I stole clothes...food...anything to stay alive. As I got older, I...I did some things -- things I'm not proud of."
Jim once again closed the distance between the two of them and turned her to face him. "Lila," he gently caressed her face. "I don't care who or what you were. I'm interested in who you are." He leaned in to kiss her and a bright light blinded him. He senses kicked back in to high gear for just a split second and he was overwhelmed by a strange odor and heartbeats and… then everything went back to the lower level and Jim was left with a headache.
He squinted and backed away from Lila.
"Jim?" Shan'auc grabbed his arm.
"Sorry. My head."
"Come sit down," she said, following him over to the couch.
Shan'auc offered to fix tea and while Jim wasn't looking she added a few drops of a human drug, GHB into the mug. Humans have developed some very interesting drugs. After he finished half the mug she leaned over and asked, "How are you feeling? Any better?"
"Hmm..." Jim answered a bit fuzzily as the drug started to take effect.
"Maybe you should see a doctor," Shan'auc said trying to stay in character.
"No, no. I've seen a doctor. It's just...job stress."
"Well, maybe you just...need to relax a little more," Shan'auc said as she reached down and felt that he was starting to react to her and the drug.
"Hmm..." Jim shifted to get more comfortable. He leaned toward her and she accepted his kiss. "What about your engagement?" he asked, trying to be a gentleman while his body was screaming at him to ravish her. Lila moved closer and they kissed again.
"What about it?" Shan'auc whispered, as she leaned in to kiss Jim a third time. She helped one thing lead to another until they ended up upstairs and in his bed.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning
Shan'auc woke up to the sun streaming in her face. She looked around and realized where she was and that the drugs would have worn off by now. "Oh, my god, I'd better go." She tossed on her dress quickly before he saw her 'tattoo' and walked down the stairs as she fastened her watch.
Jim followed her down, trying to put on his pants. "Let me drive you. The truck's right downstairs."
"No, that's okay," Shan'auc brushed him off gently. "Thanks, Jim. I'll just take a cab.
"You'll do nothing of the kind," Jim said as he hopped around trying to follow Lila and still get dressed. "I'll get the truck warmed up and..." he trailed off as Blair walked in the door.
Shan'auc smirked, admiring the dark haired young man. Oh my, if he had only been here earlier.
"Hey, Chief."
"Hey," Blair grinned. "Morning."
"Uh, Blair Sandburg, this is Lila Hobson."
"Hi," Shan'auc smiled.
"Hi," Blair responded. The only one uncomfortable with the situation was Jim who finally managed to get his pants on.
"Uh, Jim, I really have to go," Shan'auc said.
"Oh. All right. Here," Jim helped her put on her coat. "I could call you a, uh...a jet or something."
"No." Shan'auc kissed him. "Thanks."
"Let me get that," Blair said as he opened the door. "Nice meeting you."
Shan'auc walked out the door and Blair closed it behind her. He turned to Jim with a big, happy grin on his face and a chuckled, "so I guess the orchids worked."
"For you?" Jim snarked back as he put on his robe.
"Oh, yeah. How you doing?"
"Aw, I'm all right," Jim shrugged, wincing a little with the residual headache. He tied his robe closed. "I had one of those sensory spikes again last night. My head's still kind of funny."
"Really?" Blair asked. He was concerned about the number of days Jim had had a headache and or sensory spike. He followed Jim into the kitchen. "You know, I've been thinking. Both times you've had these sensory episodes, you've been with Lila. What are the possibilities of you being in love?"
"You come up with that all by yourself, did you?" Jim asked pouring a glass of water.
"No. I'm serious here," Blair said. "What's the old adage -- when you're in love, the sky seems bluer. Maybe in your case, that's the truth."
"Let me off the couch, Dr. Ruth," Jim grumbled. "And help me find some aspirin."
"All right," Blair agreed, opening cabinets and drawers as he tried to recall where he'd last left the aspirin bottle. "So, uh, Jim...last night...after you had the sensory episode, were your senses still heightened when you were, uh... you know?" Blair made a couple of gestures and chuckled.
Jim glared.
"No. I'm serious," Blair said trying to go for sincere. “Give me some details and be specific. It's for my book.”
"You want photos?" Jim asked.
"You took pictures?" Blair hurried after Jim not really believing him.
~~~~~~~~~~
Mid day Summit Hotel
Jim started up the stairs and ran in to Lila as she was coming down them.
"Jim," Shan'auc said, startled to see him.
"Hi. I was just in the neighborhood. I thought we could have some lunch, maybe…" Jim said with a smile.
"Oh, well," Shan'auc looked around nervously for Lo. "This really isn't a good time, Jim. I'll have to call you later, okay?" Shan'auc headed back into the hotel.
Jim gave her a few seconds head start and then followed after her. He stopped on the stair, having a bit of trouble catching his breath as he caught a whiff of that familiar odor again, only this time it was overwhelming. "Lila," Jim finally managed to wheeze.
Shan'auc turned and said urgently "Jim. Oh, Jim I just can't…" she trailed off as she realized that something was really wrong with Jim. "Are you all right?"
Another flash of light almost doubled Jim over in pain. Between trying to get his breathing and sight back under control, he never heard Lo come around the corner. He didn’t even know the man was there until he hit him.
The fight didn't last long. Jim started out at a disadvantage and was never able to gain ground. Lo's eyes started to glow and he was getting ready for the killing blow when Shan'auc called out to him in Goa'uld.
"There are people coming. Don't kill him. You are always talking about keeping a low profile," Shan'auc said desperately.
"This is your fault," Lo hissed, then stopped as he too heard people heading their direction. He dropped Jim to the floor, grabbed Shan’auc by the arm and dragged her off still arguing.
~~~~~~~~
Major Crime, Simon's office
Jim paced around the office. "They were killed with a weapon with a triangular blade, dipped in a toxin similar to curare."
"But
it's from a plant in
"Where
does that leave us with Boz Tate?" Simon asked. "
"We've got him under surveillance, Captain, but it looks as though monk number three has gone to ground."
"We got to find him before the killer does," Simon stated.
"We're going to do our best, sir."
Simon studied Jim for a moment. “Jim? What happened to your face?
"Just a little misunderstanding, Simon. I'll catch you later. Let's go, Chief." Jim hurried out of the office.
"Sandburg, hang on a second. Shut the door," Simon ordered.
Blair paused and then followed the order.
"What's going on with Jim?"
"Uh...nothing."
"Blair, you're usually a better liar than that."
"Um, well, there is something going on with his senses. I mean, all of the sudden, they're just going haywire. He's seeing this new woman and I think they're somehow connected."
"Connected how?"
"I don't know yet," Blair admitted. "But, he's had a lot of sensory spikes and horrible headaches, and… he's just seemed a bit off the last few days. All of this started the same time he met 'Lila'."
"Well, try to keep an eye on him… and her, and keep me informed."
"All right, I will," Blair promised as he left.
~~~~~~~~~
Major Crime, Bullpen, same time.
Jim was sitting at his desk when his phone rang. He answered with his typical abrupt "Ellison."
"Jim, it's Lila. Can we meet and talk? Please."
"Where?" Jim asked after a pause and a brief doubt about his sanity.
"There's a Chinese garden by the Art Museum. Meet me there in half an hour."
"All right," he agreed and hung up the phone. He saw Blair walking toward him. "Chief, do me a favor?" He handed Blair his jacket wrapped in plastic. "Run this over to forensics, see what prints they can pull off the lapel."
"Isn't this your jacket?" Blair asked with confusion.
"And put a rush on it," Jim added, not answering Blair's question as he left.
~~~~~~~~
Chinese Garden, Thirty minutes later
Jim walked toward Lila wanting answers. "Would you mind telling me what's going on here?" he asked calmly.
"Oh, my god, Jim," Shan'auc moved toward him and gently touched his bruised face. "I'm so sorry." She patted a little bit of Balik in to the open wound. It would render him malleable to her control.
Jim gently, calmly pushed her hand down to her side. A fog momentarily settled and then lifted from his brain. "Just talk to me."
Shan'auc was puzzled by his lack of response and almost told Jim the truth, but in the end she couldn't betray her God. She was confused as to the pull Jim seemed to have over her and how little affect her drugs seemed to have on him. She sighed, if only it was just Lo. She looked at Jim and then she turned away and lied once more. "My fiance is very wealthy. You see, the fear of kidnapping is very real to us. That man who attacked you is his bodyguard. He thought you were assaulting me. He was just trying to protect me."
"I just wanted to talk to you. I should throw him in jail for assaulting a cop."
"He didn't know you were a policeman, Jim," Shan'auc said trying to salvage the situation.
"So he just goes around and whacks people who come close to you, huh? This is nuts. I must be out of my head. I don't know what I think about sometimes. You've got a fiancé and..."
Shan'auc
stopped him right then by putting her fingers on his lips. Maybe if
he swallowed it? The liquid form worked last time.
Jim moved her hand away. Gripped it in his and then let it go. "Maybe we should just leave it the way it was. Take care of yourself," Jim said as he left.
Shan'auc
was overwhelmed by emotion. Why does he affect me so? And why
don't the drugs seem to work as well on him as they do on everyone else?
~~~~~~~
Major Crime, the next day
Jim was upset that Tate died and the assassin got away, but more than anything he wanted his headache to go away.
Blair walked up holding out a large bottle of aspirin.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy. Don't shake it. It sounds like a freight train," Jim admonished Blair.
Henri Brown approached, file in hand and a smile on his face.
"Hey, Jimmy. How you feeling, man?" he asked, but not really paying attention or even wanting an answer. He wanted the details on the date. He had a bet riding on the outcome.
"I'd feel better if you were a little quieter."
"So, how'd that flower thing go?" H asked as his grin got bigger.
"Like a charm," Jim said trying to keep his head attached. "What do you have?"
"I've got some great news for you," H continued to grin.
Jim held out his hand for the file and Brown slapped his hand. Blair tried not to laugh.
"Sam just sent some stuff up from forensics," H added.
"All right," Jim said and held out his hand again. Brown slapped it again. This time Blair couldn't stop the smile so he turned his head slightly.
"Are you ready for this? They got fingerprints off your leather jacket."
Jim held out his hand again and again Brown slapped it. Blair bit his lip, trying not to laugh. Jim had finally had enough of the slapstick routine and grabbed the file away from Brown. "Would you just give me the damn thing, man?"
"It was some cat whose name is Lo Minh," H said having read that far in the file.
Jim
opened the file and started to read.
"Lo Minh? This guy's wanted by the
"Who is this guy?" Blair asked.
"I don't know," Jim said. "Let's go find out."
"Hey, Jim, you want to tell me anything more about your date?" H asked as the two men walked away. "Damn, have to catch him later for the details. Got a bet to win." Brown walked off, his good mood still in plain sight.
~~~~~~~~~
Stargate Command, the same day
"General,"
Daniel said as he walked into conference room already talking a mile a minute,
"I think we may have found something. Lo's picture showed up as a 'person of
interest' in one of the databases we searched." Daniel handed around copies of the papers he
had in his hand. "This one,"
he said pointing to a recognizable picture of Lo "was found in an
international drug taskforce database.
It's assumed that he is a member of the Shang Syndicate that operates
mainly out of
Jack
sat up straight in his chair with a frown.
"No way in hell. No more of
that shit comes into my country, especially not because of some damn
Goa'uld. General?" He looked imploringly
at
"Calm
down, Colonel,"
"They're not sure yet, but…" Daniel trailed off and bit his lip.
"Yes," General Hammond said, "I am open to speculation on your part. Where do you think he might go?"
"It's
not really my theory," Daniel stumbled to a stop and then tried
again. "A city in
"Sounds
like a good place to start to me," Jack said. "Where in
"Colonel,"
"As soon as the general gives his permission, of course," Jack responded as he rolled his eyes.
Everyone looked at Daniel. He shrugged and said, "Cascade."
~~~~~~~~~~
Break room, later the same day.
"He was staying at the same hotel under the name Tyler Chin. The desk clerk saw he and Lila Hobson together several times. The hotel clerk said they checked out last night," Jim said.
"It certainly fits the profile of our killer. What I want to know is how she fits into all this. What is she, just some high-priced mistress?" Simon asked innocently.
Jim sighed heavily.
Blair looked up at Simon, winced, then rubbed his eyes muttering, "She's the girl."
Jim continued on as if he hadn't heard. "Whatever the connection, sir, they're definitely together."
"Sorry, Jim," Simon said gruffly. "But, we’ve got to find these guys before they leave the country. I'll notify immigration." Simon started to head out of the break room.
"Uh, but their job's not done yet, sir," Blair stated. "The third monk is still alive."
"The kid's got a point, Captain," Jim agreed wishing he could think clearer. "The triad probably has to kill this guy to set an example for the other members."
"Well, it's gonna be pretty hard to kill this monk inside our city lock-up," Simon stated.
"So, let's make it easier." Jim suggested.
~~~~~
The plan had been running smoothly until the truck blocking the road scared the monk into taking off. Jim chased after him until a motorcycle appeared. Jim got another sensory spike off the rider's helmet, but refused to let it stop him. He continued running after the monk.
Someone set off a string of firecrackers startling the monk who thought it was gunfire. He turned around and ended up heading back toward Jim. The monk saw Jim and then spun the other direction which put him back in the path of the motorcycle rider.
Jim grabbed the monk and then prepared to defend the two of them against the knife wielding rider. He wasn't sure how effective he was going to be since he was mostly blinded by the visual spikes he continued to get.
Shan'auc started to strike with the knife, then paused, backed away, and got back onto the bike, and sped away. She couldn't do it. A while later, she pulled in front of a storage garage and hid her bike inside. As she removed her helmet, Lo attacked, grabbed her by the neck and started to choke her.
"Why didn't you kill him?" Lo demanded. “He was right in front of you! You hesitated because of your ex-military cop friend, your lover. If I tell Apophis about this, he would order me to kill you. I could, you know, with just my hands. You have one chance. One! Kill him. Prove your loyalty to your God once and for all...or I will kill you.” His eyes suddenly glowed in emphasis. Lo let go abruptly and Shan'auc gasped for air. It hurt going down her abused throat, but she felt her symbiote start to heal the damage Lo had done.
The Loft, still the
same day
Jim briefed Simon on what had happened.
"If it was Lo, why didn't he kill you?" Simon asked.
"I don't know, Simon. It doesn't make sense to me."
Blair came out of his room talking on the phone. "Thanks, Sheila. Thanks for all your help." He hung up the phone and placed it on the table. "Hey, guys. I had a friend at the university do some research on daggers. And it turns out that a triangular-shaped dagger that's dipped in poison is a favorite weapon of the Chinese Triad. They use it for assassinations. She faxed me over a picture." He turned it around to show Jim and Simon.
Jim started to get another headache the minute Blair started talking about triangle daggers. When he looked at the picture the headache intensified. "Oh. Sorry, guys." Jim turned his back to the picture. "Phew. Mmm," he sat down abruptly at the table.
"Jim, what's wrong?" Simon asked moving toward Jim.
"Uh... my, my head. Uh..." Jim moaned giving up on forming a more coherent thought.
"Why don't you take a look at this picture again?" Blair asked as he practically shoved the picture at Jim.
Jim looked, then pushed it away grabbing his head.
"This picture's causing the spike," Blair said in a 'eureka' moment. "Jim, have you ever seen a dagger like this before?"
"No, no. I don't know. Uh..." Jim trailed off.
"This could be the key," Blair said. "I want you to take a look at this again and then free-associate, all right? Just, just...see where it takes you."
"How could a picture cause anything?" Jim asked, wondering where Blair was leading him off to now.
"Come on, we've done this before. Just relax and do your breathing," Blair said, taking a couple of deep breaths himself to try to show Jim the way. "Look at it. See where it takes you."
Jim glanced at picture, tried to get his headache back under control, then took a deep breath and tried to relax.
~~~~~~~~~~
Flashback,
Jim and Lila were in bed kissing, then they both sat up. Lila made a couple of approving noises "Mmm! Mmm. We better get ready for dinner. Mmm"
"Do you think?" Jim asked.
"Mmm," she said as she handed Jim a necklace. "Would you tie this for me, please?"
"Mmm," Jim agreed and started to tie the corded necklace around her neck.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Present day, loft
Simon joined Jim at the table while Blair hovered and asked, "Anything?"
"Yeah.
Lila and me in
"What were you doing?" Blair questioned.
"We were in the hotel room...right before dinner."
"All right, well, take a look at this again, 'cause it's obviously triggering something," Blair suggested.
Jim looked at the dagger again.
~~~~~~~~~
Flashback,
Jim was still trying to fasten the necklace.
Lila chuckled, "Jim! You take too long." She got up out of bed, holding the necklace and walked toward the bathroom.
"It's a two-man operation," he said in his defense as he got off the bed.
"Uh-huh," she agreed from the bathroom.
"Anything else I can do?" Jim offered.
"Would you get me my lipstick, please, love? It's on the nightstand."
"I can do that," Jim assured her.
Jim walked over to dresser and saw the lipstick at the top of her purse. He also saw an intricately carved handle once the lipstick had been moved. It was a triangular dagger. Lila came of the bathroom and saw what he had in his hand. "It's for self-defense. To protect me from men like you." She smiled at him as she took the dagger and placed it back in her purse.
Jim held up the lipstick.
"Thank you," she said and kissed him.
Just as the flashback started to fade he had a momentary flash of Lila and Lo in a room asking him questions. The image faded almost as soon as it formed.
~~~~~~~~
Current time, Loft
"But how could I forget that?" Jim demanded.
Simon handed Jim a glass of water and some pain reliever.
"It
was seven years ago -- it was right after you got out of
"I don't understand this bit about the dagger," Simon said. "I thought she was causing his sensory spikes. What does the dagger have to do with it?"
"It's probably my senses warning me, Simon." Jim suggested
"Right. Like an alarm," Blair agreed. "She and the dagger have always been connected, so when he looks at the dagger, it would set off the same spike."
The phone rang and Jim answered it. "Ellison."
"Jim?" Shan'auc asked.
"Lila," Jim responded as he made eye contact with Simon.
Simon grabbed his cell phone and tried to set up a trace.
"The police were at my hotel looking for me," Shan'auc said accusingly.
"We know all about you and the Shang Syndicate. The best you can do is to turn yourself in," Jim said.
Simon kept his voice down as his call was answered. "This is Captain Banks. I need a trace put on Detective Ellison's home phone."
"Jim, you don't understand," Shan'auc said.
"Then explain it to me and then turn yourself in," Jim stated.
"If I do, he'll kill me, Jim," Shan'auc said almost willing to try.
"We're gonna protect you," Jim assured her.
"They can reach anyone, anywhere."
"I'm gonna be with you," Jim stated. "Nothing’ll happen to you. You'll be safe.
"All
right," Shan'auc agreed. "But
I'll only turn myself in to you. Meet me at the McNeil Athletic Field at
"Thanks," Simon said and disconnected his call. "She was on some sort of tricked-out cell phone. They couldn't get an exact fix."
"She
wants to meet me at the McNeil Athletic Field at
"Absolutely not, cowboy," Simon stopped that thought immediately. "We'll send somebody else."
"If we send the posse, she's going to smell a rat."
"What about these spikes?" Simon attempted to get Jim to see reason. "You'll be completely helpless."
"Not necessarily," Blair jumped in to the fray.
"What?" Simon gave Blair as look of shock and disbelief.
"We're talking about your senses here," Blair said. "They're to protect you and the tribe, all right, and you can dial them back. And I can help you."
Jim gave in and took the pain medicine waiting to see what Sandburg was going to cook up next.
"So you had spikes when she was here that night even when they were lower than normal?" Blair asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," Jim said. “It was just as bad as when they were set to the normal levels."
"I'm going to guess that your levels went back up from where we set them without you really noticing," Blair paused, looked down at the table, and then added, "due to the outside stimulus that was going on at the time."
"Hey," Simon and Jim both exclaimed, but for different reasons.
Simon went on, "TMI, Sandburg."
As Jim added, "that's private."
Blair cocked his head in puzzlement and then the light dawned. "Oh no, man I'm not talking about the sex," he grinned as a chuckle escaped. "I'm talking about before, when she walked in the door after she woke you up. You had probable already started to let your dials reset themselves back toward normal as you slept. Then she came in." Blair left the rest of the conversation alone.
“What we need to do now is set them and get them to stay down, even when you see her," Blair stated. "And here's what we're going to do."
~~~~~~~~
McNeil Athletic Field shortly before
Jim and Blair pull up next to the athletic field. Blair was driving due to the concern that Jim's lower levels would make his driving more hazardous than normal. Jim objected, but Simon said they would send someone else to pick Lila up if Blair didn't drive. Jim gave in reluctantly and had given Blair a hard time the entire drive over.
Jim couldn't see them, but he knew that Simon, Brown and Choi were watching from across the field as backup.
"Jim?" Simon asked over the radio.
"Simon," Jim acknowledged that they were in place. "All right, when she shows up, I need five minutes before you move in."
"You got it," Simon said.
"You all right?" Blair asked a final time.
"Yeah," Jim said. He inserted the ear piece into his ear and got out of the truck. He set the radio on high to compensate for his lower hearing level.
"Radio check. Radio..." Blair said.
Jim almost doubled over in pain. "Turn it down."
Blair turned the volume down lower and said, "I'm sorry."
Blair drove off and made the turn to circle the field so that he could meet up with the backup.
Jim continued to walk toward the main part of the field while Simon watched his progress through binoculars.
Unknown to anyone, Lo also walked toward the field. He was on the balcony of the tall building next door. He was carrying a sniper rifle complete with scope. He would not let Shan'auc disobey him. His eyes glowed for a moment.
Jim continued to walk along the sidewalk looking for Lila. He tried to raise his dials for just a moment so that he could really look, but Blair had done too good a job. Jim couldn't raise them. He saw a motorcycle heading his way. It looked like the same one he had seen during the attack on the monk. When the helmet was removed, Lila was revealed.
"All right, she's here," Simon said. "Five minutes, everyone."
Lila walked toward Jim.
"You wanted to talk," Jim said, keeping a little distance between them.
"Please don't hate me," Shan'auc said as she tried to move close enough to administer the Balik.
"You're a murderer," Jim said flatly as he backed away from her slightly.
"I told you, you might not like the truth," Shan'auc reminded him. She tried to close the distance again.
"Did I ever hear any of the truth?" Jim asked, backing away again.
"Most
of it," Shan'auc lied again, frustrated that he wouldn't let her get
close. "I grew up in
"How tragic," Jim said insincerely.
"I was ten years old, Jim! Living on the streets. Do you have any idea what that's like?" Shan'auc let some of her real background and emotions slip through before she got herself back under control and continued with her cover story. "The syndicate took me in. They fed me. They protected me."
"They also taught you how to kill," Jim said with disgust.
"They were the only family I had," Shan'auc said, meaning the other priestesses at the temple.
Blair joined Simon and the rest of the team watching Jim. Simon handed him a set of binoculars.
"Hey," Blair said in greeting and in thanks.
"Who is this man… Lo?" Jim asked.
"He's
my overseer," Shan'auc said, trying to stay as close to the truth as
possible. "Last month in
Jim started to have a sensory spike and closed his eyes. Two heartbeats?
"I want to get out, Jim," Shan'auc said sincerely. "I want to start over. I want us to be together."
Jim grabbed his head. Two heartbeats?
"Jim, what's wrong?" Shan'auc asked as she reached for her waistband.
"Oh," Blair exclaimed. "He's in trouble."
Shan'auc pulled the triangular knife from the front waistband of her pants. She looked around and sensed Lo watching her.
"Oh, she's got a knife!" Blair exclaimed. He spoke into the radio, "Come on, Jim, dial it back. You can control this. Dial it back."
Blair's voice was enough to remind Jim of the controls they'd set in place earlier. He looked down and saw the knife. "So, you want to kill me now, huh?"
Shan'auc turned back to look at Jim. "I can't," she admitted and threw the knife away violently.
"He's okay," Blair said with relief.
Jim placed a handcuff around one arm, "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney."
Shan'auc turned to face Jim. "I lied to you about who I am, Jim...not about how I feel."
Lo was getting annoyed with Shan'auc's games. He decided to take care of the situation himself. He aimed and cocked the gun.
The unmistakable sound of a gun being readied penetrated the shields Blair had placed around Jim's senses. He looked up toward Lo and then pushed Lila out of the way of the bullet and behind cover. "Look out!" Jim yelled.
"We have sniper fire! Somebody give me a location!" Simon said urgently.
More gunshots rang out pinging off the limited cover Jim had.
"There! Sniper's on the balcony of the building next door," Simon said.
Jim pulled out his gun, but when he attempted to fire, Lo shot at him again.
"I can't get off a shot," Jim growled in frustration.
He stopped in surprise when Lila moved around in front of him. She kissed him, then ran out into the open heading toward her knife.
"Lila!" Jim yelled in surprise and dismay. He had turned to see if he could get off a shot from the other side of the pillar and hadn't realized she'd moved until too late.
Lo shook his head in disgust then fired at Shan'auc hitting her mid back. "She will recover and maybe learn something from this mistake." His anger at Shan'auc left him open for Jim to shoot him. Lo looked down at the hole in his chest in surprise. "I've been shot. Insolent human, you will have to pay for that!” It had been a while since Lo had had to deal with pain, the blood loss made him lightheaded and he lost his balance falling forward and over the railing to the ground many stories below.
"Sniper's down! All units move in now!" Simon commanded.
Jim ran toward Lila, re-holstering his gun automatically. He gently turned her over and held her in his arms. "Hang in there. You'll be all right." His hearing was still dialed up and he momentarily heard two heartbeats before his hearing shut back down to the levels Blair had set.
Shan'auc looked at him one last time. "I lied to you about who I am, Jim...not about how I feel. I'm really a Jaffa priestess from the Red Hills of Chulak, she whispered breathlessly.” Jim couldn’t quite make out what she said. Her head fell to the side as she attempted to reach kel'no'reem. She needed to shut down to give her symbiote time to heal her.
"Lila," Jim cocked his head to the side trying to hear her heartbeat. His hearing wouldn't go above human 'normal' so he couldn't hear a heartbeat even if one was there. He tried to feel a pulse, but couldn't find one. He put his head down on her forehead and again smelled that unusual odor. He rocked her slowly as his brain fogged over. He didn't know what to do and so he numbly let Simon and Blair take over everything.
~~~~~
"Jack, that's Jim Ellison," Daniel exclaimed as Jack stopped their vehicle behind the last Cascade police car.
"Who?"
"You know the guy at the alternate SGC… The… um.. Sentinel. The one with heightened senses," Daniel tried to explain.
"Are you sure?" Jack demanded.
"I've never forgotten the faces of people who've saved my life," Daniel said quietly and sincerely.
Jack clasped his shoulder in understanding.
"I wonder if he has heightened senses in this reality, too?" Daniel wondered. "And if he found his guide."
"Crap,” Jack exclaimed, “that’s just what we need, someone who can tell there really are aliens. Unless he’s working for us."
"What's a guide again?" Sam asked off handedly. "And by the way, the woman your Ellison has in a death grip is a Jaffa."
"Great, just what we need, more complications. Where's Lo?" Jack grumped. "I guess it's a good thing that T couldn't come. We don't need to explain living ones when we've got to cover up 'dead' ones.
"A guide is someone who helps the Sentinel work right," Daniel continued, refusing to get sidetracked from his original conversation.
"Okay, who's his guide?" Jack humors him.
"Dr. Blair Sandburg," Daniel stated. "Or at least he was in the other reality.
"Medical doctor," Jack nodded. "I can see how that would help."
"No, not medical.
PhD Anthropology. From
"So," Jack asked, "Do you know him?"
"Jack, why would I know him? I'm an archeologist. We didn't go to the same schools. I haven’t even met the guy," Daniel said putting his hands on his hips.
"I meant the other one," Jack said as a diversion, even though he had meant this reality's Sandburg.
"Nope, he was busy the whole time. Wouldn't know him if I passed him on the street. Just because we are both …" Daniel sputtered.
"Geeks," Jack smirked.
"Jack," Daniel glared.
"Nice geeks," Jack said as he raised his hands in defense and capitulation. "At least in your case. Okay, so you don't know the guy. So what next?"
Daniel muttered, "I can't believe you expect me to know the guy. Should I have asked you if you know Ellison?"
"Why would I know Ellison?" Jack asked.
"Well," Daniel snarked, "you were both in the military at the same time…."
Jack whacked Daniel on the back of the head. “Let's get this over with. I hate pulling this kind of shit on the good guys.” Jack got out of the car and placed his cover on his head, straightening it just so.
He marched to the center of the situation and flipped open his ID. "Colonel Jack O'Neill. I'm really sorry gentlemen, but this is now a matter of national security. We're going to have to ask you to leave the area and let our people handle it."
"What?" Simon bellowed.
Jim just sat on the ground holding Lila, unaware of the chaos swirling around him.
Blair had to physically remove Lila from him, before Jim started to react. "What?" he asked fuzzily.
"Jim we have to leave now," Blair said softly. He tried to help his partner off the ground. Jim's legs didn't seem to want to support him and he started to fall down taking an off balance Blair down with him.
Hands reached out to help. Simon and Sam ended up with Blair while Jack and Daniel managed to keep Jim upright.
"Thanks," Blair said as he replaced Jack's hold with his own. He led the unresisting Jim toward Simon's car. He wanted the military as far away from his partner as possible. At this point he could care less what they wanted with Lila as long as they didn't want Jim too.
"Blair," Jim turned slightly toward his partner, "What happened?"
Blair looked at Jim in stunned confusion. "What do you mean?"
"What? Where?" Jim looked around and noticed the police cars and the ambulance. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Jim," Blair looked at his partner. He was worried about Jim's apparent confusion and seeming memory loss. "Are you okay?" he asked turning Jim's face more toward him. "Did she give you anything?" He noticed Jim's pupils were slightly dilated. "I think we need to get you checked out, big guy."
"Aren't we supposed to be on that stake out at Metz's?" Jim asked.
Blair looked nervous. "Metz? Jim that was two weeks ago."
The end
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