Title: Frozen Assets

Summary: Jim, Blair and Simon get away for a ski trip. Things are complicated by an avalance.

Disclaimer: The Sentinel and all its characters do not belong to me.

A/N: Like Beneath The Surface, Frozen Assets is complete. It will probably take me a little longer to post all the chapters, though, because several of them appear to have been corrupted and will need more cleanup. I will still try to get them all up as soon as possible. And as alway, feedback/reviews welcome!

"Okay, Gentlemen. I think I've had enough." Simon Banks glided to a stop at the bottom of the slope, deftly twisting his skis and ending his run in a cloud of snow powder. He quickly removed his skis and turned toward the cabin at the bottom of the slope, looking at it with great longing. The little cabin was set to the side of the ski run at the very bottom of the slope. Simon thought it looked like it belonged in Switzerland or in a fancy resort, the front built into the side of the hill, while the back stood up on stilts to keep the building level. An open deck ran the entire way around the cabin, and a large stack of freshly cut firewood was piled beside the front door. At the moment, the windows were frosted over, and the smoke curling lazily from the chimney beckoned. "I'll go start the hot cocoa. Are you two coming?"

"Not yet, Simon." Jim Ellison was already on his way back up the long hill. "I'm going for one more run." He glanced back at the shorter man beside him. "What about you, Chief? Are you cold enough yet?"

Blair Sandburg rocked back on his heels, grinning. "No way, Man! Ever heard of dressing warm?" He indicated the many layers of clothing he was wrapped in. "I'm fine! I'm game for another run."

"Okay, Simon. The abominable snowman and I will be in soon. We'll be looking forward to that hot cocoa." Laughing, he smacked his partner on the back of the thick hat that almost dwarfed his head. "Come on, Big Foot, let's go."

Sandburg made a token noise of protest and then trudged behind his partner, skis over his shoulder. Simon chuckled. The kid really did look warm. He was certainly wearing enough clothes. The two older men had laughed watching the young observer prepare for his outing. He was wearing a red and blue flannel shirt and jeans over long johns. Atop the shirt he had at least three sweaters layered, topped with a bright blue ski suit, a red scarf and matching knit hat. He was wearing two pairs of gloves, and Simon was willing to bet that he had on at least that many pairs of socks beneath his ski boots.

In direct contrast, Jim was most likely wearing one layer of clothing beneath his red ski suit, making Blair look even more ridiculous. Simon shook his head again and headed to the cabin. "Well don't stay out too long. The cocoa will be waiting." He turned and went into the cabin, basking in the heat that wafted from the room at the opening door.

Jim grinned and continued his long trek up the slope. "Come on, Sandburg."

The two continued up the hill in companionable silence that was broken only by the crunch of the snow as they walked. At the top, both men busied themselves with fastening skis to boots.

"This was a great idea, Jim." Sandburg pulled his hat down lower around his ears, causing his curls to stand out from his head. "I'm glad we came up to the cabin instead of going to a resort. No wait for the slopes. 'Course the food isn't nearly as good......"

"Yeah? Well, you've cooked some of it, too, so I wouldn't be saying anything about the food. Are you ready?" Ellison picked up his ski poles and pushed off of the top of the slope.

Blair laughed, deep blue eyes sparkling as he watched his partner ski down the slope. This had definitely been a good idea. He hadn't seen Jim this relaxed in weeks. He was only sorry that their interlude from crime and the seamier side of life was nearly over. Jim was a detective for Major Crimes with the Cascade Washington Police Department. Captain Simon Banks was his commanding officer, as well as a close friend to both men. Blair was a teaching fellow at Rainier University, working toward his doctorate in Anthropology. He was also Jim's unofficial partner and an official observer with Major Crimes.

Officially, he was gathering research for his thesis on closed societies, studying the police department in general, and Major Crimes in particular, through the eyes of Detective Jim Ellison. Unofficially, he was helping Jim control and utilize his five heightened senses, which classified Jim as a Sentinel, and Blair as his Guide. It had started out as Blair's real thesis subject, but over the past three years it had developed into a close friendship and an unparalleled partnership. Blair had even moved in with the tough as nails detective when his apartment had been destroyed not long after they began working together. Over the years, the two intensely diverse men had begun to rub off on each other. Ellison was no longer quite as tough, unless you happened to be a bad guy, and Blair Sandburg had learned to hold his own with the criminal element in Cascade, often even going undercover for the department.

Things had been particularly grim lately. Simon had abruptly announced that Jim and Blair were taking a week off, and then informed them that he would be joining them for a skiing outing at his cousin's cabin in the mountains. Neither man had protested too hard, both desperate to get away from things for a while.

Upon their arrival at the cabin, Blair had watched with satisfaction as Jim had slowly begun to unwind and enjoy himself. As for himself, even with the cold, Blair was determined to have a good time for as long as he could before returning to Cascade and reality. Shaking off his deep thoughts, Blair pushed off and headed down the hill as well. As the wind whipped his cheeks and tugged at his curls, he glanced down with a wide smile at his partner. The smile faded instantly at what he saw.

Jim had stopped halfway down the hill and was staring back up past Blair, frozen in place. From experience, Blair recognized that stance. Jim had zoned on something, but what? Sandburg looked around wildly for anything that could have caught his partner's attention, but everything looked in order. And then he heard it- a low rumbling sound coming from behind him. Whipping around in alarm, Blair watched in horror as a mountain of white roared down towards them. Intermingled with the heavy blanket of snow were clumps of dirt, boulders, twigs and branches that were collecting on the way down.

Blair thought frantically as he spun to look back at his partner. An avalanche. What were you supposed to do in an avalanche? Oh, yeah. Swim toward the side. But Jim was still standing stiffly below him on the hillside. He couldn't just leave him there. If the avalanche were to hit Jim standing stiff and unprotected, facing into the worst of it, he wouldn't stand a chance. Somehow he needed to at least get his partner turned away from the brunt of the impact.

Jim must have heard the avalanche as it was beginning and this was what had caused the zone. "Jim! Look out!" Blair pushed off again, crouching down to add speed to his descent. "Jim! Listen to me, Jim!" He looked back over his shoulder, heart pounding in fear as the blanket of white continued onward, swallowing everything in its path. "Simon! Simon, avalanche!"

Even as he shouted, the door to the cabin swung wide, connecting with the wall with a resounding crack. Simon, having heard the commotion, stumbled out onto the deck, still clutching the steaming tea kettle in one hand. Blair noticed his stunned expression fleetingly and then turned his attention back to getting to his partner before the snow. At least Simon would know where they went down. He only hoped the path of the avalanche did not continue as far as the cabin, or they were all sunk. He had almost reached Jim now, but the snow was right behind him; he could hear it nipping at his heels.

Reaching his partner, he reached out with his right arm and braced himself. As he flew past Ellison, he grasped Jim's right forearm tightly in an attempt to turn his partner away from the coming tide. It felt like he'd hit a brick wall, and his arm immediately went numb, but he hung on grimly, stunned from the impact. The pain in his shoulder was phenomenal, and he vaguely guessed that he had dislocated it, but he didn't have time to think about that now. His strategy was working. As his momentum propelled him forcefully down the hill, Jim staggered and turned toward the bottom of the slope. Blair had one moment to triumph in his victory, and then the sea of white swallowed them whole.

******

The first thing he noticed was the cold. It seeped through his ski suit and leached the heat from his body. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was skiing down the slope, and then something sounded wrong. He had extended his hearing to check it out, and now he was surrounded by something cold and wet. Pushing hard, he tried to force his way out, but he couldn't move. He tentatively tried to open his eyes, but they immediately filled with the cold wet substance and he snapped them closed again. He was blind anyway, so it didn't matter whether his eyes were open or closed. As his thoughts began to focus, he realized that he was most likely buried in snow, considering that was where he had been when he heard the strange sound.

It seemed to be taking a long time for his mind to catch up with his circumstances, but he felt like he was finally coming back on line. If he was buried in the snow, then that probably meant that the strange sound he had heard was an avalanche. He tentatively tried to move his fingers and toes, hoping he had at least some mobility. His toes were packed solidly in the snow, but he was surprised to find that his arms were both close to his upper body, and he realized that he had a small air pocket. As he moved, he realized that he had lost his gloves somewhere. How had he fallen face down? He had been facing the top of the hill, so he should have been buried on his back, arms most likely at his sides. Maybe the force of the impact had flipped him over before he had been totally buried.

He suddenly realized that the blanket of snow had also left him in a world of silence. The only thing he could hear was a muffled crackling sound that was reminiscent of being underwater or plugging his ears. It was a very strange feeling. The overwhelming cold blocked out his sense of touch; he was effectively blind, deaf, and pretty well paralyzed. If he got out of this, he knew that Blair would have a million questions for him. And he really wouldn't mind answering them this time. At least it would mean he was alive. And hopefully warm. He almost felt sorry for his young partner if this was how he felt all the time. He was so cold it hurt, and for some reason he couldn't seem to control his senses enough to turn his sense of touch down to a manageable level. He really needed Blair. He would........

Blair! He had been further up the hill than Jim. Had he gotten out of the way of the avalanche, or was he buried under this mess too somewhere? And what about Simon? Had the cabin been wiped out? The questions spurred Jim to struggle harder, and he suddenly became aware of the pressure on his right arm. It took him a few minutes to realize that what he was feeling was a hand that had a tight grip on his arm. Blair! But how had Blair ended up beside him? With growing horror, he realized what must have happened. Blair's fingers were curled around his arm from underneath, indicating that Blair was lying on his back. Now Jim understood why he was lying face down when he should have been on his back himself. Blair had somehow reached him before the snow hit him and turned him around so that he would have a better chance of survival. He only hoped his partner didn't pay with his life for his heroic action.

To be continued . . .