Kidnapped

Disclaimer: See the Fan Fiction Page

Series: This one deals again with David McDouglas. I introduced him in my story "The Rookie". "Kidnapped" is the second story of my "David" AU series. (My mind came up with a better title for this series, but I won't tell you now, because that would spoil the story…J)

Warnings: Warnings for violence and the usual cussing. J I don't know much about the rating in the US, but I'd say this would be rated as PG 13 or maybe a slight NC-17…

Thanks go to Elaine for her wonderful beta reading and to Mishale who helped me with some aspects of the story and helped me out of the writer's block. Without her, it would have taken me even more time to write it.
I also want to thank my fellow student Sandra who took the time to read over this whole thing and pointed out some obvious mistakes.

Note: Italic words indicate thoughts; //…// indicates overheard conversations and ***…*** indicates "flashbacks".

The Sentinel
- Kidnapped -
written by Franzi (November 2000 - February 2001)


"Damnit! Another a dead end!" Banks slammed the folder on his desk, his expression a mixture of anger and despair. Seven days. It had been seven days that Jim Ellison had been missing. And they still didn't have a single clue.

He looked over Ellison's desk where Blair Sandburg and David McDouglas were going through Jim's old cases. The captain could tell from their faces that they hadn't found anything, yet.

David was a young and enthusiastic detective. He had come to Major Crimes about three months ago and one of his first actions was saving Jim's life as Ellison was shot during a stakeout. Since that day Jim counted David as a
friend. In the last three months Jim, David and Blair became very good friends. They spent a lot of time together. Simon was glad that the three of them got along so well, because Jim and David had had some trouble in the
beginning. But after the shootout, Jim even made a joke about David being his Blessed Protector.

And now - three months later - Jim was in trouble again and Blair and David were doing everything they could to save their friend. Neither of them had slept for days and Simon decided to give them the rest of the day off.

"McDouglas, Sandburg - my office!" He barked.

"Have you found anything out, Simon?" Blair asked with an expectant look on
his face.

"No. Just another Dead End."

Simon felt a lump in his throat as he saw the disappointment and hopelessness on the young men's faces.

"Then why did you call us?" David asked.

"I want you to take the rest of the day off. You really need some sleep."

"But what if." Blair started to talk as Simon interrupted him.

"In case we find anything that may lead us to Jim, I'll call you. But you won't do him any good if you collapse because of exhaustion."

"But." Blair began again.

"No argument here. Go. Now."

"Yes, Sir." Both of them answered, realizing that they wouldn't win thisargument with Simon and that the captain was right. They really needed some rest.

~~~~~

"You want something to eat? I could get us something at Wonderburger." David asked Blair. They decided it would be the best for the both of them if David slept at the loft. Blair couldn't stand to be alone there. Without Jim the
loft seemed so - empty. And it was now a week without his Sentinel. Every time he was there alone he jerked whenever there was any noise, hoping that it would be Jim coming home.

And David needed someone to talk to. He lived alone, and though his relationship to with Jim was not as intense as between Jim and Blair, he still missed him. Being alone at home didn't help him much. He just felt the
need to stay with Blair this night - having someone else around and and having someone he could talk to.

"Wonderburger? Oh man. Jim loved - loves - to eat there and I always tell him that this is so not healthy! Does every cop like Wonderburger?"

Blair tried to sound as if he was making a joke, but he didn't really succeed. It wasn't the first time David reminded him of Jim. The way he moved, talked or tilted his head - all so familiar to Blair. But maybe it was just his imagination.

"So you want something, or not?" The sudden interruption of his thoughts jerked Blair back to the present and he realized that David was looking at him.

"No. I don't think I could eat anything right now. Maybe tomorrow."

"Yeah. I feel the same way. Is everything alright with you?"

"Huh? Yeah. I was distracted."

"Jim. You always think of him, don't you?"

"Yeah, of course. I mean we're best friends. In the last five years we've become really close. I won't give up until we find him - alive or."

"I understand." David nodded. He didn't really know what to answer. To say "I know how you feel" was a lie, because he couldn't imagine it. He had never been in a situation like Blair was now. The rest of the way to the
loft neither of them said a single word.

~~~~~

Back at the loft, both of them sat down on the couch. David switched on the TV and flipped channels without really paying any attention to the program.

Blair's thoughts were drifting off to the day Jim was kidnapped.

*** The three of them were having a good meal for lunch at a Chinese restaurant near the department. They had just solved a difficult case together and everyone was happy that five weeks of hard work were over. David and Blair went back to the bullpen while Jim took his truck and went to the grocery store to get something for dinner. He never returned. They found his truck in the parking lot in front of the store - the bag with the food stored right behind the passenger seat. There was a small amount of blood on the front seat, but it was only Jim's. There must have been three or more of them, otherwise it wouldn't have been as easy for them to kidnap him as it was. Jim would have at least injured one of his assaulters. The other possibility was that they injected him some kind of drug, but Blair
didn't want to think of it, because you never knew how Jim would react to drugs and medication.

Forensics didn't find anything in Jim's truck or anywhere in the parking lot, except Jim's blood. No clue who might have kidnapped him. The following twenty-four hours they waited for any calls from the kidnapper. But there was nothing. No blackmail demands. Nothing. They went through all of Jim's old cases, trying to find a clue. Again nothing. ***

"Something's wrong?" Blair recognized David's voice.

"Yeah. Why are you asking?"

"Because you've been watching me since we got here."

"It's just that you remind me of Jim in so many ways. You talk like him, move like him. Hell, you even *drive* like him."

"Maybe you're just imagining it."

"No. You're really a lot like Jim."

Blair stopped in the middle of the sentence. Wait. Something's not right here. It took him some time to realize that the TV was on, but he couldn't hear a thing.

"Why did you turn off the sound?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh." Immediately David switched the TV off. "I didn't want to disturb you. You seemed lost in your thoughts."
"I was thinking about Jim and the kidnapping. By now it's clear that this has nothing to do with Jim's career at the Cascade PD. It must be something else. Something from his past - before he became a cop."

"You got any ideas?"

"No. Not yet."

"What do you know about his past?" David asked, hoping that they would find the answer there.

"Not much. He hardly ever talks about it and only when necessary. But maybe we can ask his dad. He and Jim don't get along very well, but Jim's still his son. Maybe he knows something. He also got a younger brother - Steven -
but he's in Thailand at the moment. Must have something to do with business. So we can't ask him."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Yeah. Let's go."

Both of them stood up and grabbed their jackets. They took David's car - a silver Corvette.

The whole way to William's house neither of them spoke a word.

~~~~~

A bit nervous, Blair got out of the car and headed towards the door. He knocked three times and immediately William opened the door.

"Blair Sandburg, right?" William greeted him.

"Yeah. And this is Detective David McDouglas."

"Nice to meet you." William said, taking David's hand.

Blair noticed that David's face turned from a healthy color into white. With shaking hands, the detective took William's hand. "Sir." David's voice was trembling.

"Everything's alright?" Blair asked his new partner.

"Sorry, Blair. I don't feel so good. Can you do this alone? I'll stay in the car."

"Of course. I hope you're not catching the flu."

"Yeah." David turned around and walked - almost ran - towards his truck.

"So, why are you here?" William began after they entered the living room and sat down on the sofa.

"I'm sorry. I've got some bad news for you. About Jim."

"What is it?" William's face showed the sorrow he felt in this moment. He and Jim didn't get along well in the past, but after all, Jim was still his son.

"Jim has been missing for a week and we haven't any clues." Blair tried hard to keep his voice calm and to fight the tears. "We checked all the cases he's worked on during his time at Cascade PD, but obviously this has nothing to do with it. So it must have something to do with his childhood or his time at the army. Can you think of anything that could help us?"

"Oh God." Blair could see the shock in William's face. "I... I don't know much about his time in the army. As you know, he worked at Covert Ops. And his childhood. sorry, but I can't think of anything at the moment. I'm
sorry."

"It's okay. But would you please think about it? And call us, if you remember anything?" Blair asked the elder man.

"Yes, of course. Call me please when you have found him. Would you?"

"Yeah. Thanks for you time, Mr. Ellison."

"You're welcome."

~~~~~

After Blair finished talking to Jim's father, he and David drove back to the loft, hoping that they would find some sleep this night.

"What was that all about at Mr. Ellison's house?" Blair

"What do you mean?"

"The way you reacted when you saw Jim's father."

"It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you one day." David answered, obviously nervous.

"We've got time. I doubt either of us will sleep tonight. So there's plenty of time for you to tell me."

"Okay, but first you need to promise me not to tell anyone anything about this – except Jim if – when – we've found him, okay?"

"I promise."

"As I've already told Jim, I lived with my mother in Scotland for the first four years of my life. When I was four years old, my mother died and my aunt –my mother's sister – and her husband adopted me. They both live here in Cascade."

"What about your father?"

"That's the interesting part of the story. Mom left him when she was pregnant with me. And she never told him about me."

"Why?" Blair didn't want to interrupt, but he had this strange feeling about David – and he had to know what it was.

"Because I was … special. That's what she called it. As a child I was able to hear, see, feel, taste and smell things other people can't."

"Oh God!" Blair didn't realize his mouth hung open until he started to speak again.

As if he hadn't noticed Blair's comment, David continued talking.

"When I grew older my gift disappeared for most of the time. Though my aunt knew about it, she couldn't teach me how to use it and somehow I've lost control. Every once in a while it comes back, but it doesn't last long. One day my aunt told me who my father is and where he lives – here in Cascade. She showed me a photo of him, but I decided not to visit him."

"Why?"

"Because my aunt also told me why my mother left him. She said that I have an older brother who has got this gift, too. But our father always suppressed it. He got angry every time he used his senses. When she was pregnant with me, she left, 'cause she didn't want Dad to control me, too. She knew that I was special even before I was born, because she had those senses, too.
I had this strange feeling when I saw Jim the first time. And when I witnessed him as he heard strange sounds in the house we were observing… It became clear to me… He's my brother. And he also has this ability, right?"

Blair was speechless. He just sat there, staring at his friend, wondering how to answer. David being Jim's brother… It was some kind of a shock.

"Blair, are you okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, I just don't know how to begin. To answer your question: Yes, Jim is also a Sentinel. That's what people with this gift are called. In ancient times every tribe had a Sentinel who's duty was to protect the tribe. I'm writing a dissertation about sentinels, but for a long time I couldn't find any one person with all five senses heightened. Until I 'found' Jim. He suppressed his abilities after a tragic incident in his childhood, involving him witnessing the murder of his friend Bud. When he was lost in the Peruvian Jungle, his senses came back. Back in Cascade, he suppressed them. But one day they showed up again, and this time he couldn't control them. That's when I 'found' him. I could teach him how to control them and how to use them. First he didn't want my help, but when I saved his life as he had a zone out, I became his Guide. He trusts me completely."

After Blair finished talking, both men just sat there. Silent. David was obviously thinking about Blair's words.

"What about Jim's brother. Stephen? You mentioned him earlier. Is he a Sentinel, too?"

"I don't know. I met him once and as far as I can tell, he isn't. Guess, it's a genetic thing."

"So you can help me, too? Help me to gain control?"

"If you want to, yes. I mean, maybe we can use those senses of yours to find Jim. When your senses are working, you can control them, right?"

"Yes. It's just that they are not always there. I can't use them whenever I want, but I have to 'wait' until they show up."

Blair pondered a while about it and finally his mind came up with an idea. He went to the balcony, gesturing for David to follow him.

"David, do you see the car driving over there? Can you tell me what music the driver is listening to?"

David closed his eyes and tried hard to hear it, but no matter how hard he tried – it didn't work. "Sorry, Blair. I can't."

"It's okay. We'll try something different. Close your eyes again." Blair stepped over to the couch where David was sitting and laid his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Take some deep breaths and concentrate solely on my voice. Now imagine (the kind) some kind of dials just like on a radio. Five dials, each representing one sense. Got it?"

David nodded and he again reminded Blair of Jim. He remembered when he did the same exercise with Jim some years ago. Jim had been shot in the shoulder and he couldn't keep the sense of touch down. Blair shook his head as if to shake those thoughts off.

"Now dial your sense of hearing slowly up. One – two – three – four – five – six. Okay. That should be enough. Can you now hear the music?"

"Yeah. The radio's playing Santana. I think it's 'Samba Pa Ti'."

"Great. That's it. Now open your eyes again. We're going to do some more tests."

The rest of the evening they worked on David's senses, until David was able to control them again. He had only minor problems with zone-outs. His mother – and later his aunt - must have been good teachers for him, Blair concluded.

~~~~~

The next morning, after another sleepless night, David and Blair stepped from the elevator and headed into the bullpen. They walked straight to Simon's office, surprised by the fact that someone else was already there. Someone neither of them knew.

"Captain." They greeted him.

"David, Blair, we were waiting for you. Please take a seat. This is Special Agent Diana Riggs. She works for the FBI. Maybe she can help us finding Jim." Simon said, pointing at the woman.

"Good morning, Agent Riggs." Blair and David greeted her.

"Good morning. I'm afraid I don't have good news for you. For six months we've been pursuing a group of people who are doing some kind of cruel ritual. It started six months ago in Vancouver, when the local police found a dead body. The murderers tortured the victim in hideous ways. They cut the shape of a snake in the back of the victim. Then they injected him with snake venom. Once this kind of poison is in the blood circulation, it takes only a few minutes and the body is paralyzed. You can't move, but you don't lose your sense of touch and you also stay conscious. They then raped their victim. In the end they slit the throat of the man. They always kill at midnight when we have full moon. This time we were able to track them down to Cascade. But we only have 12 hours to find them or they will kill again."

After Agent Riggs finished her explanations, David threw a worried glance at Blair, who was visibly shocked. Obviously he tried to pull himself together until the FBI Agent left the office.

"What makes you believe that Jim will be their victim tonight?" David asked.

"The time frame. They always kidnap their victims about one week before. And the victims are always male."

"Isn't there any pattern in the cases?"

"Well… All of the places where we found the victims had something to do with snakes. Whether it was in the name or something else. We think that they chose the river "Snake" to perform their ritual this time. It's situated in Eastern Washington."

Immediately, Simon was on his computer, searching the database for a map. Some mouse clicks later he got it. "Snake" was a long river.

"Okay. There are five possible places near this river where they could hold Jim." Simon said. "There's this old warehouse, two deserted mills and two houses where no one lives anymore. We can send in two teams. I'll lead one of them and Rafe'll lead the other. Agent Riggs, you're going with Rafe and his team. Blair, David, you're with me. We'll take the two mills and the warehouse. Rafe'll take the two houses. We need six hours to get to the first mill and another two hours to get to the other mill. So let's hurry. Jim doesn't have too much time left!" Simon barked.

Blair rose from the chair. Finally they were *doing* something.

~~~~~

Jim jerked as the door of his prison was opened and the bright light struck him. He didn't know how long he'd been here or why he was here at all. For the most time he wasn't aware of anything that happened around him. He was starving and didn't have much strength left– even enough to stay awake. At least, they gave him enough water so he wouldn't die of thirst.

But this time they didn't bring him water. One of the three men walked toward him and released him from the chain around his neck. The other two just stood there and watched. Once the chain was opened he tried to fight his kidnapper, but his body was too weak. Though he landed some punches, three men were just too much for him. He took some nasty hits into his ribs and when a fist struck his face, he lost consciousness.

~~~~~

"DAMNIT!" Simon shouted. They just left the second mill and hadn't found anything. It was just as deserted as it was supposed to be.

"Rafe, have you found anything?" The captain asked him on the phone. He waited until Rafe finished his disappointing answer.

"Okay. Then we'll meet at the warehouse. See you there."

"Simon, what'll we do if Jim's not in this warehouse?" Blair asked, his voice full of concern.

"He has to be there, Blair. We'll find him and he'll be okay. Now come on. It's almost eleven. We have to hurry."

"I hope you're right."

Blair climbed on the passenger seat of David's Corvette. They drove in silence for about twenty minutes.

Let him be there. Let him be okay and let us arrive there before they… Blair spoke those silent prayers the entire trip. He didn't care that David might hear him; all that mattered to him now was Jim. Since Jim had turned up missing Blair couldn't eat much and hadn't slept more than one or two hours at night. Hell, I don't know what I'd do if we find Jim dead. Blair felt a single tear running down his face.

~~~~~

As he awoke again he found himself tied stomach-down on some kind of an iron table. They had undressed him completely and used iron chains to secure his arms and legs to it. He extended his hearing so he could listen to what the three men were talking about.

//He's awake.//

//Then let's begin with the ritual. It's almost midnight.//

//Hand me the knife.//

Jim flinched inside. A ritual. That's why they kidnapped him. He didn't know what was yet to come, but he knew one thing: if this was one of those damn rituals they were going to kill him.

He flinched again as he felt the sharp blade cutting through his flesh. Being too weak to control his senses, he couldn't fight the pain. He bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming. He tasted blood, but it didn't help. The pain overwhelmed him and he let go a bloodcurdling scream.

Smelling and tasting his own blood, he vomited and then screamed again. For Jim, the torture seemed to last several hours and when it was over he was almost unconscious. He wondered what was next as he felt a needle in his hip. They injected him something. His vision blurred and the last thing he felt was a hand massaging his naked butt. Then the convulsions began.

~~~~~

"Jim's up there." David said, pointing at the old warehouse. He paused and saw the questioning look on Blair and Simon's face. "I heard him scream."

"Oh my god!" Blair ran towards the building, not caring about any rules. All he wanted to do was to free his friend. He could hear his captain cursing. Simon barked some orders and followed him together with some other policemen to the warehouse.

Though he wanted to, Blair wasn't so stupid to enter the building on his own and so he waited in front of it, impatiently gesturing for Simon to hurry.

Simon signalled for five of his men to cover the back of the warehouse. Then he counted silently down from three to one and slammed the door open. He flinched at the shocking sight.

One man stood right behind Jim, ready to rape him. The other two men were trying to hold Jim's convulsing and blood covered body still.

"Freeze! Police!" He barked. "Get away of him, hold your hands up so I can see them!!" The three men were so surprised by the sudden interruption of their ritual that they did what they were told. Immediately three police officers arrested them and motioned them outside. Turning to his men he bellowed: "I need Sandburg and the Paramedics in here! And get me the key to those damn chains! NOW!"

A few seconds later Sandburg and David were with Jim. Blair paled when he saw the jerking body of his partner.

"Oh god please let him live." He said again and again.

After David opened the chains, Blair and Simon carefully moved Jim to his back. Blair's heart nearly stopped when he saw the bluish color of Jim's face. "Help him!!! He can't breathe!" He shouted in horror to the arriving paramedics. He kneeled beside Jim, stroking his friend's head soothingly and chanted "Jim, please be okay" again and again. Tears were running down freely down his face, dropping on Jim's cheeks.

"Sir, please, we need you to move away." One of the paramedics laid a hand on Blair's shoulder and spoke in a soft voice to him.

"NO!" Blair cried out. "I need to be with him!"

A moment later David and Simon dragged him away from Jim and forced him to sit down on the floor. They spoke soothingly to him, trying to reassure him that Jim would be okay. But he didn't listen. All he could hear were the voices of the paramedics.

// Okay, we've stopped the convulsions. Now try to intubate him! //

// I can't! His airway is too swollen! //

// Then we'll do a tracheotomy! //

// Are you sure? //

// It's the only way he can survive this! //

// I've got it. How's his heart rate? //

// Dropping. We're losing him! //

// Cardiac arrest!!! Start CPR! //

Blair watched in a daze as they shocked Jim several times. It felt all so unreal, seeing his friend dying on that damn table – god, it was so painful. Every time they shocked Jim he held his breath, but there was nothing. No heartbeat. He remembered his own near death and now he really knew how painful it must have been for Jim. Though Blair knew that Simon and David were there right beside him, he didn't really notice them. The only thing he was aware of was Jim and the flat line on this damned heart monitor. They shocked him again – and this time it 'returned'- the steady blip on the monitor representing Jim's heartbeat.

Immediately the paramedics rolled Jim on his side and treated the wounds on his backs. Blair had to fight hard against the urge to vomit as he saw the large amount of blood.

David still tried to soothe Blair by stroking his back and speaking in a soft tone to him. "He's back, Blair. They brought him back."

Blair raised his head and David looked into a pair of tear-stained eyes. "They've got him stabilized and are now ready to move him into the ambulance. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital." He said, his voice trembling as he felt the tears in his eyes.

~~~~~

"Damnit! Why isn't anybody telling me anything about Jim's condition?!!" Blair lashed out, kicking the wall in anger.

"Blair! Try to calm down, okay?" Simon stood right behind him - a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want to calm down!" Sandburg yelled. "Not until someone tells me something about Jim's condition!"

"Blair. Please. Try to calm down a bit…"

"NO! No… no…" Blair's anger turned into fear as he slid down the wall, his whole body shaking from sobbing.

Simon eased him on a chair, putting a coat around his shoulders to warm him up. He didn't need to feel Blair's skin to know it was cold. He was definitely going into shock. After Simon got him some coffee and resting on a couch in the waiting room, he turned his attention towards David. For the first time since their arrival at the hospital he took a closer look at the young detective. He sat there, his head tilted slightly with a focused expression on his face. In a scary way, it reminded Simon of Jim when he was using one of his senses – or when he had a zone-out.

"David? You're okay?" He asked.

No response. Simon grabbed David's shoulders, shaking him lightly.

"David? Are you with me? You're okay?"

Suddenly David took a deep breath and looked at Simon – obviously confused.

"What happened?" He wanted to know.

"Well, that's what I wanna ask you. You sat there, not responding to me…"

"Just the shock. I'm okay." David obfuscated. Actually he'd overheard the medics who were treating Jim. And then he must have zoned on Jim's fading heartbeat. Simon still looked at him with a questioning expression. Oh yeah… Of course. Blair had told him that Simon knew about Jim and his… abilities. Maybe he suspected something.

David heard the doctors leaving the room. One of them was heading right towards the three of them.

"Gentlemen. I'm Dr. Stone." He greeted them. He was a young man in his thirties with short brown hair.

"How's Jim?" Blair interrupted him.

"You know the drill. Would you please come with me?"

They followed Dr. Stone into a smaller room with a table and some chairs. He handed each of them a cup of coffee, but they only sipped at it.

"What's wrong with Jim?" Blair asked again. This time indicating that he wouldn't tolerate any more delays.

"First the good news. The cuts on Detective Ellison's back are pretty deep and he lost a large amount of blood. But they will heal and will leave only faint scars. He's also got some broken ribs and some bruises due to the assault. But they will heal just fine. His chances to recover completely are 80 to 85%."

"And the bad news?" David asked.

"Well… Detective Ellison was poisoned with a mixture of different snake poisons. They didn't inject him with a large amount of it, but for some reason Detective Ellison reacted very strongly to it. Since his arrival at the hospital he has three seizures and gone into cardiac arrest twice. Fortunately we could get the antidote within an hour. After we injected him the antidote, the seizures ceased and his body stabilized. Due to his reaction to the poison, his kidneys and lungs shut down completely. But there's no permanent damage done. All we can do is wait. We don't know how long it will take him to recover. It could be a matter of days or possibly several weeks.
Right now, his lungs are not working and we have him on a ventilator, but his kidneys have improved a bit. Despite this he still needs to be on dialysis. He gained consciousness for a while and we're glad to tell you that there's no brain damage.
We sedated him, so it was easier for us to insert the tube. Right now they're getting him settled in the ICU."

"Oh my god. Dialysis. Respirator…"

Blair felt his knees getting wobbly and he had to sit down on one of those chairs.

"I guess, you must be Blair Sandburg, right?" Dr. Stone asked him. Blair only nodded. "As far as I know, you're listed as his next of kin. So you can visit Det. Ellison as soon as he's settled in the ICU. I won't restrict your visiting time, 'cause Dr. Cuthbertson told me that is has some kind of soothing effect on Det. Ellison when you're with him."

"Thank you…" Blair muttered, still shocked from the events of the last few hours.

"When can we see him?" David asked.

"As soon as he feels strong enough. You are…?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm David McDouglas… Jim's…I'm a colleague of Detective Ellison."

Simon didn't miss the hesitation in David's voice when he introduced himself. Something's going on, here. And I'm not sure if I want to know… His thoughts were interrupted as Dr. Stone led them to Jim's room.

~~~~~

Blair sat on a chair next to Jim, holding his hand as he always did when Jim was in a hospital. He looked at this friend, who was unusually pale and way too thin. Must be the result of the dialysis and 9 days without much food.

"Hey buddy. It's me, Blair."

He stroked his other hand over Jim's cheek. "Jim. It's safe to wake up, now. C'mon, big guy. Open your eyes for me. Let me see those blue orbs that make all the girls fall for you." Though he knew that Jim was only asleep, he was still scared as hell that Jim would never awake again. Seeing his friend lying there – not even able to breathe on his own – hurt so much.

Blair thought he'd just felt Jim's hand moving under his grip. No. This was just my imagination. He looked into Jim's face – and was surprised when a pair of blue and fear-filled eyes stared back at him.

"It's okay, Jim. You're in a hospital. I'm so glad to see you awake!"

Now he really believed that Jim was going to be okay. Blair realized that Jim was trying to say something.

"No. Don't try to speak. Due to the poison, your lungs and kidneys shut down, so you need to be on a respirator. Don't fight it, just let it breathe for you."

He could easily read the unspoken question in Jim's eyes.

"Yeah, buddy. The doctors are confident that your kidneys and lungs will recover completely. You've also got some broken ribs and the wounds on your back will heal just fine." Blair saw the relief that Jim felt right now.

Jim nodded slightly and tried to smile. His eyes displaying everything he felt right now. The fear that was still present, the happiness to see his friend again and the relief that he would be able to return to his job at the PD.

"Sleep now, Jim. You need the rest. You're safe and I will still be here when you wake up."

Jim's eyes slowly shut and Blair was content to sit and watch him sleeping. He was so glad that they found Jim – alive and before his kidnappers could rape him. Blair didn't want to think about what would have happened if they arrived there only an hour later.

Not having really slept since the day that Jim was kidnapped, Blair finally fall asleep on the small chair next to Jim's bed, still holding his sentinel's hand.

~~~~~

One week later…

Blair smiled as he entered Jim's hospital room. The doctors had taken him off dialysis 2 days ago, and finally took him off the respirator last night and transferred him to a regular hospital room this morning. Jim was even thinner than one week ago and still very pale, but to Blair it was a welcomed sign that he was breathing on his own. Jim's breathing was still a bit too fast and shallow, but the doctors assured him, that he would be 100% again in two or three weeks.

"Good morning, Jim." Blair greeted his friend.

"Good morning." Jim smiled back. His throat was still a bit sore and hoarse and speaking hurt.

Blair sat down on a chair next to Jim's bed taking his hand. "How are you?"

"Better. What did the doctor tell you?"

"Dr. Stone said that you're going to be just fine in a few weeks. They'll keep you here for another week to be sure that you're doing fine and then you'll be released. You'll need to take some days off to gather strength again. That's how you are physically. But Jim, how are you really feeling? And I don't mean your body."

"I'm okay, Blair. I've been through harder things than this. Believe me. I'm okay."

Yeah, sure. Blair thought. He knew that it wouldn't do any good if he kept asking Jim about this. He needed to wait. Wait until Jim feels like talking.

"Are you up for a visitor? David's here and he wants to see you."

"Yeah, sure. He can come in."

"David?" Blair whispered and suddenly David stepped in. Now what was that? Jim wondered.

"Hi Jim." David started to talk. "Or should I say: Ciamar a tha thu, mo bhrathair?"

Jim threw a questioning gaze at the two of them.

"David's just asked: 'How are you?' in Gaelic." Blair explained.

"I'm going to be okay, according to Blair and the doctors." Jim smiled weakly.

"Jim, there's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah sure. What is it?"

Jim observed David and Blair exchanging knowing gazes. What the heck is going on here?

"Do you remember what you called me after you'd been shot some months ago?"

"Blessed Protector. Why?"

"Because that's how it should be – between … brothers."

"Bro- Brother? David, Blair would you mind telling me what's going on?" He asked puzzled.

"Well, to make a long story short – you are my brother. When my – our – mom was pregnant with me, she went back to Scotland, where she came from. Until I figured it out a few days ago, I never knew who my father was. I only got a photo showing him and our mom at their wedding. Before you ask, Mom died in a car accident when I was four years old."

Jim threw another questioning look at Blair, who immediately knew what he wanted to know.

"Yes. David's also a Sentinel. And your mother was one, too."

"I… I just… don't know what… to say." Jim stumbled. "My brother…"

"It's okay. I was a bit shocked, too when I found out." David said.

Jim was still puzzled… He just didn't know how to react.

"You need some rest, now. It would be better if we talk later. Guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?"

"Yeah, a lot of…"

"Gotta go now, I have some business to take care of. See you tomorrow, brother."

After David had left, Jim turned his attention back to Blair.

"Blair, there are still some things I don't understand. David's my brother - and a Sentinel... So why is it that I didn't get territorial again? As I did when Alex showed up. Or why didn't I sense the presence of another Sentinel?"

"To be honest: I don't know exactly. I guess this has something to do with David being your brother. And by the time you met him, he wasn't able to control his senses. They showed up now and again and weren't there all the time. Maybe that's why you didn't sense him. But that's only a theory."

Jim nodded. "Did you tell Simon?"

"Not yet."

"He's surely not going to be very happy hearing this."

"What, gentlemen? What is it that you're talking about?" Simon asked. He was just opening the door as he heard Jim saying those words.

"I don't think you really want to know." Blair stated.

"And I'm sure that I want to know it."

"To make it short: David's my brother and he's a Sentinel." Jim said.

"Are you kidding? This must be some kind of a joke, right?"

"No, sir. According to Blair and David – this is not a joke."

"Great. This is just great. Why did you tell me?"

"We told you, you wouldn't want to know." Blair smiled. "But you insisted on hearing it, and so…"

"I think I need a cigar right now…" The captain said, heading towards the door.

THE END

Author's Note: I already have some scenes in mind for part three; all I need now is the time to write it J. And no, in the third part I won't hurt Jim again. I guess the three of them need some vacation, don't you think? But they still have to deal with the aftermath of Jim's torture… so be ready for some emotional angst J.

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