Take Your Daughter to Work Day

Jim picked up the phone, answering the call that had been transferred up. "This is Jim Ellison…Yes…I'll be right down."

"What's up?" Blair asked as his partner hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket.

"That was the school. The third grade had a science experiment go wrong or something. Unplanned fire drill." He slipped his jacket on and buttoned up against the cold that waited for him outside.

"You want me to come?"

"No, it's alright. I'll take Maggie home and get her settled." Jim patted himself down – keys, wallet, sidearm. Check. Blair leaned forward on his desk, concern plainly showing on his expressive face.

"Try to keep her in her room, where the stimulation is lowest. Oh, and there's a lavender rice pack in your kitchen. Nuke it for two minutes and have Maggie put it over her eyes. It'll help with the headache."

"I've got it. Check in with you later, Chief."

Jim hurried down the stairs from what had once been his bedroom and was now an office he shared with Blair. When they'd turned their old home into J&B Investigations, they'd also purchased the apartment next door and put in a connecting door; the other side handled Watchman Enterprises, the Sentinel arm of their business.

He waved at Gerald as he headed out the door. Gerald was their office manager, a Sentinelite who had enhanced hearing and exceptional typing skills. He kept things running smoothly for both sides of the business, dealt well with the other Sentinelites that came in for help, and made really good coffee.

It wasn't a long drive to the school but Jim had to take it slow in deference to the snowy road conditions. February in Cascade meant either snow or ice, and he was glad to have the former. He was also glad the school nurse had called and not just tried to deal with Maggie on her own. His daughter's sensitive hearing meant that the shrill peal of the fire alarm would throw her right into a painful migraine; they'd learned that back in September. Now Maggie was notified prior to impending drills so she could dial down.

Jim parked as close to the entrance as he could and waited impatiently to be buzzed into the building. He'd already isolated Maggie's heartbeat, which was running a bit fast, and knew she was in the nurse's office which was right next to the main office. She was lying on one of the beds, her face pressed into the pillow, but he could clearly hear her crying.

"Mr. Ellison, thanks for coming so quickly." The nurse, Mrs. Makely, kept her voice hushed as she stood up behind her small desk. "Maggie's having a hard time."

"Has she been sick at all?"

"She's had some nausea, but so far she's been hanging in there."

Jim nodded and sat down at the end of the bed. He put his hand on his daughter's back, gently rubbing, but he didn't try to talk to her. Mrs. Makely had been good enough to dim the lights and pull the blind over the single window, but there was still too much noise from the surrounding offices and classrooms.

"Daddy?" Maggie lifted her tear-stained face from the pillow, pain lines around her eyes and mouth. "I want Jaime!"

Jim had been expecting that and tried not to take it personally. Jamie was Maggie's Guide and as such he could almost instantly help her feel better. There was a five year age gap between them, though, which limited Jamie's accessibility and would only continue to do so in the future. They'd all worked with Maggie to make her as self-sufficient as possible, but clearly that wouldn't work all the time.

"Jamie's at school, sweetheart. I'm gonna take you home." He kept his voice as low as possible, but didn't go sub-vocal in front of the nurse.

Maggie started to cry again, but she let her father get her into her coat and hat and boots. Jim signed the form the nurse held out to him, then scooped his daughter and her pink camouflage backup up in his arms. Mrs. Makely patted Maggie on the shoulder.

"Feel better," she whispered.

"Keep your eyes closed," Jim instructed softly. He knew the sunlight reflecting on the snow would blast her headache into the stratosphere. He quickly got her bundled into the truck after a debate with himself over whether or not to let her lay down on the backseat; fear won out as it always did and so she was safely secured in her booster seat.

Jim drove home just as slowly as he'd driven to school, and made a mental note to put one of Blair's white noise CDs in the truck; it would've helped to have the ocean wave or falling rain sounds to help Maggie block out the traffic noise.

The next obstacle was the dog. Rinny was inside because of the weather, but he had a very loud, insistent bark. Maggie whimpered and pressed her face into Jim's neck as he got her out of the truck.

"Where's your dial at, sweetheart?" he asked. She just shook her head. Jim carried her to their house, the converted barn that sat the edge of the property that also contained Blair and Jenny's house. He was happy to get more space between them and the barking.

"I want Jamie," Maggie said again, her voice small and choked with tears. Jim carried her up to her room and set her on the bed, helping her out of her coat and boots.

"I know you do. But he has to stay in school, remember?" He turned on the white noise generators. They were generally superfluous these days – Maggie had learned to tune them out – but in the condition she was in right now they'd help cut back on ambient noise.

"Where's your dial at, Maggie?"

"I don't know," she whined.

"You have to turn it down. Just like Uncle Chief showed you." Jim could feel his own headache starting to throb. Maybe he should've brought Blair after all, he was so much better at this. And really, a Guide would be so much more helpful to her right now.

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

Jim sat next to her on the bed and pulled her into his lap. "You don't have to be sorry, princess. I know your head hurts."

He ran his hand over the back of her head, knocking against one of her braids. All that hair being pulled tight probably wasn't helping, so he carefully removed the elastics and finger-combed her light brown hair out into soft waves. Maggie sighed as some of the tension left her.

"I can see the dial, Daddy."

"How high is it?"

"Eight."

"That's pretty high. Can you turn it down to four?" Jim rubbed her back, and could feel when she became a bit more relaxed. "Good girl."

"When is Mommy coming home?"

"She'll be here tonight," Jim promised. Julie was in Seattle, meeting with the Starbucks people for a possible job on their new ad campaign. If she got it, it would be her first nation-wide account, and they were all keeping their fingers crossed. Luckily she could do most of that work from home; Jim didn't like it when she was too far away.

"Why don't you put your jammies on and I'll get you some juice."

"Can I have chocolate milk?"

"Sure."

"In my princess cup?"

"Of course." Jim would agree to anything at this point, just to keep her calm. While she got changed he went downstairs. A thorough search of the kitchen yielded no princess cup; it was probably over at Blair's. She'd have to make do with Superman. He sniffed out the lavender rice bag and tossed it into the microwave as instructed, letting it heat up while he fixed the chocolate milk. He carried both upstairs, where he found Maggie curled up on her bed wearing her blue butterfly nightgown.

"That's the wrong cup, Daddy."

"I think you left the princess cup over at the other house. You can use this one."

Maggie tried for a pout but she was clearly exhausted and still in pain. Jim let her drink half the milk, then had her lie down and put the warm, lightly-scented rice bag over her eyes.

"Smells pretty," she mumbled.

"It'll help you feel better."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, princess." Jim's chest tightened just a little as he looked down at his daughter. He wished he could take all her pain away and felt guilty that she had to suffer this way at all; he cursed the Sentinel gene he'd unwittingly passed along to his only child. He checked his watch; only four more hours until his nephews would be home from school. Surely he could handle that.

"Can you tell me a memory?" Maggie asked.

Jim settled back against the headboard. "Which memory?"

"When I was borned and Uncle Chief kissed the nurse."

He grinned. "Okay, let's see. How many years ago was that? Ten? Eleven?"

"Only five, Daddy."

"That's all? Well, I remember it like it was yesterday. Mommy and Aunt Jenny had been shopping, buying clothes for you and for Jacob. He was just a baby then, too."

"I'm the littlest."

"That's right. Mommy went into labor at the mall and by the time Uncle Chief and I got to the hospital you were almost born. You came much faster than the doctors thought you would."

"Cause Jamie was there and I wanted to see him?"

Jim grinned. Given the bond between his nephew and his daughter, he wouldn't be a bit surprised. "I'm sure that's why. Aunt Jenny held Mommy's hand and I watched you come into the world, all red and scrunchy. And when they said you were a girl, Uncle Chief grabbed the nurse and kissed her right on the lips, he was so excited."

That day would be forever burned into his memory. The man who thought he'd never want or need a family of his own was suddenly holding his tiny, newborn daughter. It had been overwhelming; Blair may have been over the top with his enthusiasm, but Jim had been an emotional wreck. He'd never thought he could love someone as much as he did that little girl, or worry so much about screwing up someone else's life.

"And everyone loved me right away?"

Jim lifted the rice bag and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Even the nurse you peed on when they took you to get cleaned up."

"Eeew!"

It wasn't much longer before Maggie fell asleep. Jim took the rest of her milk back to the kitchen and put it in the fridge. He did some unnecessary cleaning, keeping one ear on Maggie in case she woke up and needed him.

For forty-five minutes he puttered around the house, feeling increasingly unsettled. It took him a while to realize that it wasn't just worry for his daughter that had him on edge. He went out the front door and stood there a moment, looking across the yard. He did a full sensory scan but nothing seemed out of place. The watchful feeling persisted, and there was something familiar about it that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

There was a flash of movement out by the tree and Jim immediately narrowed his focus on it. He couldn't hear a heartbeat, or sense anything at all that would indicate someone was hiding there. And yet he couldn't shake the feeling that someone – or something – was there. More movement, and then he saw it slinking out from behind the tree; a cougar, tawny tail twitching.

Jim and the spirit animal regarded each other for a long moment, then he ducked back in the house and made straight for the phone, which gave one half ring before Jim snatched it up.

"What's happening?" he asked, already knowing who was on the other end.

"We've got a Sentinel, Jim, a full one. He's in rough shape."

Jim could hear the sounds of pounding and yelling in the background. A full Sentinel, the first one since Alex. No wonder he'd been on edge. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"But Maggie…"

"Stay away from him." Jim hung up the phone and took the stairs two at a time. He hated to wake Maggie and drag her back out when she wasn't feeling well, but he wasn't about to leave his Guide alone with a rogue Sentinel, not again. Especially one who sounded so out of control.

To his surprise, Maggie was waiting for him when he got to her room. She'd pulled on sweatpants under her nightgown and had her boots on.

"I'm ready to go, Daddy."

"So I see. How are you feeling?"

"A little better."

Jim crouched down in front of her and did a quick scan. She didn't seem to be in as much pain now, though he was sure she still had a pretty good headache. And despite that he was absolutely certain that they needed to go.

"I'm gonna get you two Children's Tylenol. Wait for me in the kitchen and get your milk out of the fridge, okay?"

Maggie went off without complaint or question, which was out of character for her but Jim could only feel grateful. He felt every second ticking away and the need to be with his Guide just got worse and worse. Maggie chewed the Tylenol with a grimace, and chased them down with the rest of her milk. Jim helped her with her coat and hat, and then they were out the door and in the truck.

"I'm sorry we have to go," Jim apologized.

"It's okay, Daddy. Uncle Chief needs us."

It took all of Jim's strength of will not to press down on the accelerator and rocket towards Prospect Street.

*o*o*o*

Maggie's head was still hurting a lot, but she tried to be a big girl and not let Daddy know. She understood that he needed to be with Uncle Chief, knew somehow that something was happening at Daddy's office. She thought maybe she'd had a dream about it but she couldn't be sure.

Even with her dial set low, she could hear lots of noise coming from the office as they rode up in the elevator. Daddy held her hand too tight but she didn't complain. When they got inside, Maggie was deposited on the couch and told to wait.

"Hey, Maggie," Gerald said. He was always nice to her. "Do you want to color?"

"Okay," she replied with a shrug. He kept coloring books, crayons, and puzzles in his desk drawer. While he went to get them, Maggie watched her dad go over to Uncle Chief and give him a big hug. She didn't know why he was so scared, and that made her scared too.

Gerald returned with coloring books and the big box of crayons that had the sharpener in it. "You've got your pick of superheroes, princesses, and zoo animals."

"What's going on?" she whispered.

Gerald shot a quick look at Uncle Chief and her dad. "A full Sentinel came in. All five senses."

Maggie knew that was important. "He's noisy."

"He sure is. All his senses came online today and he's freaking out."

Maggie could hear that the new Sentinel was in the quiet room next door. She'd been in there once. It was a plain room with lots of padding and stuff to keep the sound out; she could still hear him, though.

"Gerald, can you keep an eye on Maggie?" Daddy and Uncle Chief were standing by the connecting door, and Daddy had a hand on Uncle Chief's back.

"She's fine," Gerald said. "Right, Maggie?"

"Right," she agreed. Daddy smiled at her and then they were next door. She hoped they'd be able to calm the new Sentinel down so he wouldn't make so much noise.

Maggie colored and tried to let the office noises blend into the background. Jace and Ryan were out and she wondered if they were on a case. She wanted to chase bad guys when she got big enough, just like Daddy and Uncle Chief did.

The phone rang a few times and she listened to Gerald schedule appointments. When she got thirsty, she went into the kitchen; Uncle Chief made sure there were always juice boxes in the fridge. As she'd hoped, the noise in the quiet room had stopped.

Maggie didn't know how long she'd been sitting and coloring when someone came through the door. He was dressed in a uniform but it was different from a police uniform. She could hear his heart racing and saw that he looked scared.

"Can I help you?" Gerald asked.

Maggie abandoned the crayons, watching the stranger with interest. There was something familiar about him.

"I…uh…I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know."

"Just take your time, Sir." Maggie knew that Gerald could hear the fast heartbeat too.

"I don't know why I'm here. It's just…I had this feeling and I…I followed it."

"Why don't you have a seat," Gerald said. "Mr. Ellison and Dr. Sandburg are with a client right now, but as soon as they're free they'll see you."

"Yeah, okay." The man sat on the far end of the couch, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. He seemed so upset that Maggie wanted to do something to help him. She wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but she was sure that didn't count here in Daddy's office. Besides, Gerald was watching.

"Do you want to color?" she asked.

The man lifted his head and looked at her. "What?"

"Coloring is fun. It's boring to just wait."

The man stared at her for a minute, then his lips quirked up in a smile. "Okay."

Maggie scooted closer to him, bringing the crayons and books with her. "I'm using the zoo book, but you can have superheroes."

"Thanks."

Maggie handed him the book and they both colored in silence for a little while. She waited until he seemed more relaxed before she talked to him some more.

"I like your uniform."

"I'm an EMT. Do you know what that is?"

Maggie nodded. "It's someone who rides on the amb'lance, right?"

"That's right. I go to accidents and help people until they get to the hospital. My name's Ray."

"I'm Maggie." She held out her hand and Ray shook it solemnly. Her headache suddenly seemed better and she looked at her new friend more closely. Now she knew what was so familiar about him. He was like Jamie and Uncle Chief. He was a Guide. And there was a Sentinel in the quiet room that she bet needed one.

"Come on." Maggie tugged Ray off the couch. "We have to see my Daddy."

"Maggie, you can't…" Gerald protested.

"He's a Guide," Maggie whispered.

"But…"

"I know the way!" She led Ray through the connecting door to the office where Uncle Chief did his tests. They'd put an extra wall on the bedroom at the top of the stairs to make the quiet room and that's where Maggie took him.

"I don't think we should be in here," Ray protested.

"It's okay. My Daddy's here." She led him up the stairs and knocked on the door. Uncle Chief opened it, looking at her in surprise.

"Mags? What're you doing over here?"

Daddy appeared behind him, glaring over Uncle Chief's shoulder. "Who's this?"

"This is Ray. He's a Guide."

"What?" Uncle Chief looked at Ray, then back down at Maggie. "How do you know?"

She shrugged. "I just do."

"Wait, what's a Guide?" Ray asked.

"Why are you here?" Uncle Chief asked him.

"I honestly don't know. I've had this…I don't know…weird feeling all morning. It's like I felt compelled, somehow. I just headed in this direction and when I saw the sign I knew I was in the right place."

"He's an amb'lance guy," Maggie put in helpfully. "He saves people."

Daddy and Uncle Chief exchanged a look, and then they both moved aside. Uncle Chief gestured for Ray to step inside and Maggie saw no good reason why she couldn't follow. There was a man sitting in the corner of the room and he looked pretty miserable. He only wore a pair of doctor pants and there were lots of scratches on his chest and arms.

"What's wrong with him?" Ray murmured. Maggie noticed that his heart wasn't running so fast anymore.

"His name is Ben and he's having trouble with heightened senses," Uncle Chief explained. "Do you think you can help?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't know what I could do." But even as he said it he made his way across the room and knelt down next to Ben.

"Hey, Ben. My name is Ray. I see you're not feeling well. Can I take a look at these scratches?" He ran his hand down the other man's arm, being careful of where he was bleeding.

Ben lifted his head and looked at Ray, surprised. "Who are you?"

"Ray. I'm an EMT. Will you let me help you?"

Maggie wasn't at all surprised when Ben pulled Ray into a hug, though Ray's wide-eyed look of panic made her giggle.

"It's okay," Uncle Chief said. "Touch will help him."

Ray just nodded and hugged Ben back, whispering soothing things to him like Mommy did when Maggie had a tummy ache. Daddy took her hand and walked her downstairs.

"Will Ben be okay now?" she asked.

"I think so. Thanks to you." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "That was quick thinking, bringing Ray here."

Maggie grinned; she liked when Daddy said nice things to her. "He made me feel better, so I thought he could make the Sentinel feel better too."

"That's my girl!"

The upstairs door closed and Uncle Chief came down to join them. "Ray and Ben are getting acquainted. I think we'll put them in the safe house tonight, then have them both come in tomorrow for tests and training."

"Can you teach Ray to be like you?" Maggie asked.

"I think so, Mags. He has a natural affinity for it anyway, that's what drew him here." Uncle Chief put his hand on Maggie's head and the last bit of her headache faded away. "How are you feeling?"

"All better."

"How about you and I go pick up some lunch for everyone," Daddy said. "Are you hungry?"

"Really hungry."

Uncle Chief laughed. "I'll hold down the fort till you get back."

Maggie was pleased to see that Daddy didn't look scared anymore, though he gave Uncle Chief another hug; sometimes Daddy needed a lot of those. She held out her arms and he scooped her up so she could hug him too.

"Okay, Daddy?"

"All better," he replied.

"For true?"

"For true."

Maggie couldn't wait until it was time to pick up Jamie and Jakers. They'd never believe what a cool day she had. Plus, she got to meet another real Sentinel – something she hoped to be one day – and a Guide. Jamie would be so jealous!

"You did good today, kiddo," Daddy said when they got in the truck.

"I know," Maggie said. "Can we get Wonderburger?"

Daddy just laughed, and off they went.


AN: This wasn't originally in my list of ideas for this universe, but once it popped into my head I couldn't ignore it. This seemed like a good way to show Jim and Maggie's relationship, as well as giving a peek inside the J&B office. Hope you enjoyed!