I don't own the main characters, just the storyline, it's written only for entertainment.

Sorry for any mistakes which I made, although it was beta read by Annie and Brynn who I thank from the bottom of the heart for amazing beta job.

Hope you enjoy it.

I'll be thankful for any ideas and, of course, constructive critic. English isn't my first language. Please be gentle and let me know your oppinion.

Trouble Magnet

by miafka

Detective Jim Ellison was on his way home, driving through the crowded streets of Cascade in the middle of the rainy night. He felt totally exhausted and disheartened. For the last few weeks, he and Blair had concentrated on solving an especially complicated case involving two murdered children and another one who was missing. Now it was over, but he wasn't satisfied with the result of the investigation at all. The police hadn't found the third lost child. Nearly two month after the kidnapping, they didn't know if the boy was alive or… not.

Maybe it was a Sentinel thing, as Sandburg liked to so eloquently name his protective instincts, because even now he couldn't stop thinking about it, and wondering if his decisions were right. Even now after he and Simon had meticulously interrogated the possible perpetrator, who had admitted his deeds, and the pieces of evidence had been gone over by forensics, he wasn't so sure they'd caught the right man. It was a very disturbing thought and his mood dropped even more.

Jim had a feeling that something wasn't right. He just didn't know what it was. He was almost sure he'd just lost a very important piece of this puzzle and now he couldn't find it.

Jim sighed deeply and tried shake the exhaustion from his mind. He was really tired but he knew that undisturbed sleep would be a luxury he hadn't earned yet. He rubbed his eyes, trying to forget about the case, but the little pale faces spattered with dirt and blood, those big, open, lifeless eyes haunted his thoughts ceaselessly. As if those images weren't enough, he had been told just before he left the bullpen that the woman who was the main witness in this case had suddenly committed suicide in a safe house.

As the detective in charge of the investigation, he wanted to go out there, but Simon sent him home, knowing that he was hardly able to take another shift without collapsing from lack of rest. When he tried resisting, Banks practically ordered him to go to bed, treating him like an unruly, small child.

When he finally found himself at home on his couch, his eyelids began to close of their own accord. He couldn't move and he let himself to doze off, unaware of the warm blanket Blair wrapped around him.

"It wasn't suicide," announced Simon grimly without preamble, entering the meeting room the next afternoon.

Jim sighed, guilt blossoming in his chest. He should have watched the woman more closely, or let Sandburg talk to her but he hadn't and now it was too late.

Almost everyone looked at Simon. Nobody had ever seen him that angry before. His dark, usually friendly face was contorted with unhidden fury as he hissed, "The autopsy confirmed it and we have strong evidence that somebody killed Evelyn Crowe, in a safe house. Under our protection. Can anybody tell me how that's possible? How did the murderer get in and then out of a highly secured area without being noticed by anyone? Can anyone answer this simple question? Roberts!"

Some of the people in the meeting room cringed like unprepared kids in the classroom when Captain Banks found his victim. The tall, slim, black haired man shot Simon back a cold glare. Jim was leaning against the wall and could see a strange animosity on Roberts' pale face.

"Roberts, who was with you in the safe house with her?" Simon's eyes almost drilled holes in the head of said man.

"Inside, only me, sir. But outdoors there were several people watching the entire house and the neighborhood. Nobody…" Roberts' explanation was cut short by Banks who shook his head, huffed in disappointment and continued questioning other policemen about the circumstances of any intrusion into the guarded area.

While Simon was trying to understand all the circumstances and was lashing out with his disappointment and fury at his detectives, Roberts inwardly smirked. He was certain they hadn't left any traces for the forensic team to find.

Fred Roberts had come to Major Crime a few months earlier from a smaller police station in Cascade and had soon become one of the best detectives in that department, although other crew members tried to avoid him like a plague. But there was someone who always tried to approach him with a small, but bright smile. Blair Sandburg. Roberts sent him a signal to halt those small attempts at friendship. They couldn't get that close. Ever. After that, he bullied the kid, slowly, deliberately. Venomously. Especially when they were working alone. Sandburg was the perfect prey for him. But it changed suddenly when Roberts was caught saying harsh and unfair comments to Blair.

When everybody saw him treating Blair as potential threat to their confidential work, and a civilian who was only nuisance and a burden, it started a war, Roberts versus whole Major Crime unit.

'Even Simon Banks backed up that scrawny kid! The little bastard!' thought Roberts furiously, when Simon reprimanded him for his hostile behavior towards his co-workers.

He hated that chatty, brainy, annoying, unofficial police observer with a passion. From first sight. And he had good reason. Sandburg had everything he lacked, an easy-going attitude, open-minded and understanding nature. In addition he was a close friend to Ellison, one of the best detectives in the state. They worked together, solved the cases together and rescued damsels in distress. Talk around the water cooler had it that Ellison had taken the kid in as a room-mate a few months earlier.

'Simply unbelievable', Robert sighed, shooting a hard glance toward the pair. He couldn't understand how the friendly little leech had so many people wrapped around his little finger.

He noticed the angry look on Ellison's face as the detective hissed something into Sandburg's ear.

He couldn't stop the cruel smile that made his eyes flash with contentment. He could see that something was going on and younger man wasn't smiling as usual. He was clearly irritated, with a bit of sadness pouring from those innocent, blue eyes.

Exiting from the meeting room he followed Jim and Blair who entered a small interrogation room and closed the door on seeing him. Roberts sneaked into the observation room, where he could see Ellison and Sandburg shouting angrily at each other. After a few minutes of that, Sandburg ran out in a hurry, heading toward the elevator. For few minutes, Roberts wasn't sure if he should go after Sandburg or try to talk with Ellison. He reluctantly decided to follow Blair and see where he was going.

After less than fifteen minutes of chasing Sandburg's car he found himself next to the safe house they'd used for the Crowe woman. He knew somehow that he shouldn't let the kid get straight back to Ellison. He worked hard not to be suspected, but now his luck seemed to end. The man narrowed his eyes and suddenly smirked, approaching the house slowly and let himself imagine that he could snatch young man's life like he had that woman and nobody would stop him. Nobody would know if Sandburg mysteriously vanished into thin air.

But he knew there were too many people who wouldn't stop until they found the kid and hunted him down. He couldn't kill Sandburg right now; it would be too dangerous for him.

He noticed the unofficial police observer talking quietly to a bearded man outside the small house. When the kid loomed over his shoulder and noticed him, Sandburg seemed to be nervous for some reason.

'How nice', Roberts' eyes glinted maliciously while he stalked after the young anthropologist.

Blair Sandburg was nervous and tried to mask it with an angry expression plastered on his face. He knew somehow that Roberts had followed him. He wanted to help on his own with the investigation that seemed to be stalled. There was no evidence, although he was completely persuaded that it was Roberts who'd murdered their important witness just to keep her quiet. Blair was tired of Jim's overprotectiveness, but now he wanted to just kick himself for being stubborn and plain stupid!

He really hated that he was labeled as hopeless prey by all the bad guys and again had been targeted by someone like Fred Roberts.

He parked near the "safe house" and he was about to talk with the neighbors next door when he noticed Roberts' car. Blair sighed, trying to figure out what to do.

What Simon had told them just before the meeting had frozen Blair's blood and his memories from his encounter with Hawk, and Viper's cruel words resurfaced in his mind. The man was indeed a good detective but he had another, much darker side. That man was suspected of killing many people who were inconvenient witnesses of other crimes committed by the unscrupulous, wealthy people who just paid him for cleaning their mess, but there was no evidence, no traces that may lead to him.

When Jim worked himself almost into exhaustion with the case, Blair after long conversation with Simon was trying to check out Roberts. Even the latest financial operations lead to the many accounts, open in different banks in four or five states, that had been managed under a few false identities where were stored some not too big amount of money. But when he add them all, it occurred something completely different. Roberts was a perfectionist, a cruel and emotionless professional and get paid well for it. But sometimes Blair thought he liked doing this for his own purposes as well. It gave him creeps.

Blair tried to compose his expression though he really didn't feel as confident as he acted. He never liked situations like this. It was simply too unpredictable to go smoothly. But it was him who'd make the decision and gone after a hunch.

The young observer knew there weren't any traces left, although he was almost certain that Roberts had killed their witness in order to somehow protect the real murderer of those poor children. He didn't understand why and how, though he suspected that Roberts had been paid to falsify the results of the investigation and do away with anything – or anyone – that could identify the real perp. Meanwhile, an innocent man was sitting in jail and might well pay for a crime he didn't commit.

Blair tried to reveal those revelation earlier to Jim but the detective didn't want to hear him before the meeting because it was another theory without a strong prove. So the young observer went to collect any evidence he could find to back up his hunch.

Blair swallowed hard. He discreetly glanced over his shoulder to see if the Roberts was following him. Unfortunately he was, quite close, without playing around. When he saw an old man sitting in front of the small house, Blair smiled stiffly and exchanged a few words with him. He was glad that a few days before he'd let Jim place a small tracking device in this jacket he was wearing so it was easier to locate him in case of complications. When he approached the safe house, he cautiously went around the back. In the backyard he noticed something that might be important. He took out his cell phone and was about to call Jim when all of sudden everything went black.

Ellison sat in Banks' office and look at his watch nervously. It was already late and long past the hour when Sandburg was due to call him.

"I don't like it. It's already three, almost four hours past the time when he should have called. We need to do something," said Jim, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He tried to smother his concern but Simon's earlier words about Roberts made his mind replay his latest case and he remembered that lost little boy, and in split second in his place, he saw Sandburg. "Roberts didn't show up in the bullpen after the meeting and he was seen leaving just after Blair. If he hurt Sandburg in any way… "

Simon clenched his teeth around his cigar and looked up at his friend. "I know, Jim. I don't like it either. But Sandburg volunteered to help us and he's not a child. He's an adult.

"I know that, Simon! But it's not his job to go and catch the bad guy. He's just an unofficial police observer, for God's sake. And what is most important, he's not ready yet to face that bastard, Simon! He rushed his decision because he didn't want you to see that he is still not himself after Hawkins and his crazy friend who is still hiding somewhere. He still receives Viper's lovely calls in the middle of the night – that psycho just called him two days ago! It makes him almost fall apart. Sandburg barely sleeps without having violent nightmares..."

Black eyes shot Jim a concerned glance as Simon suddenly stood up. His face was contorted with a very, very angry and dangerous expression.

"What?!" He thundered furiously. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier, Ellison?"

Jim sighed and shook his head, looking sorry and tired. "Well, I don't have a good explanation, sir. Sandburg made me promise to keep this secret," the Sentinel explained and approached the window, looking outside. He remained silent for a while then abruptly turned around and said quietly: "For him it's really hard, Simon, he doesn't want to show us his weakness. He still doesn't really believe that he is one of us. "

'Even now.'

Simon perched on his desk, trying to understand how Sandburg's mind was working. For him the kid was the source of the efficient ideas that had led to the unit's success rate. He smiled inwardly as he remembered his own harsh protests at the beginning of their cooperation. He rarely expressed his mistakes, but he had to admit he'd been wrong about this young man.

Now he knew Blair's true value and his well earned place amidst the best members of Major Crime.

Roberts looked down on the face of his captive, who was still immersed in a drug-induced haze and smiled triumphantly, seeing sheer fear and shock breaking through the false, forced calmness on the kid's face. His sharp, black eyes glinted with cruel amusement when he took out Sandburg's cell phone from the pocket and dialed up Ellison's number. His fingers brushed lightly across the kid's bruised face and pushed the strand of long, curly damp hair away from the kid's unfocused eyes completely ignoring the involuntary flinch. He grabbed Blair's chin and tilted his head back, making the anthropologist to looked warily up at him.

"Well, Sandburg, it's time to talk with Ellison. Despite your attempt to escape, I think I'll let you talk to him. But, remember – be good, or else," he uttered dangerously, noticing Blair trying to get away from his iron grip and curl tighter into himself at his threat.

He wanted to shout and kick him hard, but he contained himself. 'The kid was a fighter'. He remember that phrase repeated over and over in the bullpen while he was subjected to hearing about Sandburg in a difficult situation. But now that almighty Sandburg couldn't fight back, tied up, drugged and totally helpless. Absolutely in his power.

"Hello, Jim. Of course, he's here. Rather unscathed and still breathing. You'd probably want to know that I had to punish him. But don't worry, nothing too harsh. Now he's a little more cooperative after his futile attempt to escape. You should teach him how to fight, he's a very lousy opponent. Now, now, Ellison, if I were you I'd quit such empty threats and listen to me. If you'll be nice I let you chat with him. Otherwise, I can just lash out my anger at him. Surely you don't want that." Roberts let out a cruel burst of laughter when he heard Ellison's desperate voice. "I don't want any funny games, Ellison, or you'll never see him again… alive or not. I don't give second chances. Understand?"

He started list his demands unaffected by the fact the Major Crime crew members were probably frantic to find him by tracing the phone call. He just knew they'd fail.

Jim almost threw his cell phone on the desk and wanted to scream in sheer frustration when he ended Roberts' call. He sensed that his Guide was unable to give him any clue as to where he was kept. He should never have let Sandburg leave this building. The consequences were simply too high for the kid. For both of them.

The bargain that Roberts proposed was, well… clever and just unacceptable for Jim.

On his desk he noticed the few small pieces of paper full of Sandburg's notes. At first he was certain that it was something for lectures which the kid simply forgot to take with him, but when he read it thoroughly, he suddenly felt cold sweat going down his spine. Between the handwritten notes and the printed financial documents, Blair had some pretty good proof that someone was paying Roberts off to stay out of jail.

Over the next few hours, he and others who just wanted to find Blair, spent feverishly check out the long list of incoming and outgoing conversations from Roberts' cell phone, his recent bills and everything they could think of.

He froze when he saw two or three calls redirected to a federal prison where Hawkins was incarcerated. His mind swirled and almost went blank with the grim ideas that his imagination provided him. He knew very well that Hawkins and that creepy serial murderer hiding under the name Viper had wanted to hurt Sandburg and use his Guide against him.

'What if they or one of them had somehow paid that bloody bastard for bringing Sandburg to Viper's hideout and…?'

That thought made Jim literally growl in fury and he just couldn't let himself finish it. It frightened him quite enough and he thought back to Blair's violent panic attacks after each of Viper's calls. He could even imagine how petrified he would be if he was forced to face his tormentor.

They also tried to find Blair via his tracking device unfortunately without a success. They learned only that it was somewhere not in Cascade but very close to the town.

He took a long sip of coffee ignoring his tiredness. He closed his eyes for a second and sighed deeply looking around. The bullpen wasn't as empty as it normally was at this hour, despite of late evening.

'Hang on, Chief', thought Jim wanting to calm his own distressed mind. 'I'll get you out of it.'

It was the worst few days for everyone in the Major Crime unit. It was clear the deal which Roberts tried to make was his way out of Cascade and possibly out of the country. He demanded a complete immunity for himself before everything else. Jim could remember with a suppressed shudder what else that man wanted for keep Sandburg alive and safe.

In an excruciating week of frantic and futile search for the unofficial member of the Major Crime, the policemen had already found about others cases there were mysteriously close or stalled as the main evidences get lost in strange circumstances. The same was with the witnesses who suddenly lost their memory of the event or disappeared. Reading the five or six thick files about it, Jim was almost beside himself from worry and frustration.

Jim was sitting on the couch at his apartment and was skipping once more time through the his notes about those cases. He should sleep as Simon had ordered him to but he couldn't set his mind in peace. He couldn't stop thinking about that lost child and his friend He was dragged from his thoughts by the loud and unexpected sound of his cell phone. It was Roberts who, without a preamble, hissed:

'Ellison, if you ever want your precious Sandburg back, you can trace him via that clever little tracking device you slipped into his clothes. However, I won't be anywhere around when you get there. So, which will it be? Save your precious little friend, or arrest me? You only have about two hours to find him alive...or even less now...so you won't have time to do both.'

"What? Roberts! What have you done to him? Where is Sandburg?" Jim shouted in the phone but it was no response, only the steady beep in the background.

It was totally unexpected and Jim was suspicious about that. A man like Roberts didn't let his captive to just go. He killed all the previous witnesses and now he suddenly decided to let Sandburg go? The detective narrowed his eyes trying to figure out this latest ploy.

In his hideout, 'Roberts tossed the delicate cell phone on the table and answered the detective's earlier question. 'Now, if I told you exactly what I did to him, it would ruin all the fun. Don't you think?'

Jim was driving back to the station when he heard the short information from the police central about a newly discovered murder and a frightened, crying child found at crime scene. Fortunately, the child was physically unscathed and there was no sign of violent treatment, which was soon confirmed by a gentle and quick examination.

The detective sighed and looked at his was for hundredth time in the few last minutes. He was trying to break through the traffic jam. If Roberts wasn't lying, Sandburg had less than an hour and Jim didn't have any idea where to search. The tracking device could lead them astray instead of to Blair. They had no prove that the small electronic item was close to Sandburg.

It was an utter misunderstanding. He couldn't believe how often his friend and unofficial partner was taken hostage, drugged by some mad and bloodthirsty criminals.

"…and it was so late after curfew Roberts gave but you were still alive, barely." The Sentinel ended his grim story, shaking his head, still amazed by the circumstances and the strength of his young Guide who was peacefully, safely sleeping in the most hated place, hospital. The thought about where and how he was being treated earlier made Jim shiver.

He had found Blair almost four days ago in an old summer house not far from Cascade, which was probably one of the places where Roberts had been using as a main hideout. Now, it was a hollow and abandoned place. It was no sign of someone living there. Even the wine basement was too clean. Even though, with his heightened senses, he could smell the grime and blood. And that was a very omitting statement.

"Chief, promise me, that you will let me know and explain to me what's on your mind without rushing off, ok? " Jim delicately moved the unruly locks from the pale face that was covered in bruises and tiny cuts. "We still have an investigation to close when you get better, Chief. But remember, this time I won't let you out of my sight. Is that clear, Sandburg?"

The only response was a steady beeping of the machine monitoring Blair. A long minute later, with his hearing dialed up, he was sure that the anthropologist answered him somehow. It mumbled sound or just sigh but it meant a lot to overprotective Sentinel.

The end