The planning and coordination for the night's press conference and stake out was organized quickly. Jim suggested he partner DiNozzo and Blair partner McGee.
"DiNozzo and McGee don't have the experience yet to handle zones and spikes, it'll be safer if I back him up. Besides, neither of them knows the area so they should have one of us with them."
Blair made a mental note to organize some time off after the case. While Jim wasn't afraid DiNozzo was a danger to Blair, the Sentinel was not about to let an unbonded anywhere near his Guide. Blair wasn't sure if Jim even recognized the cause of his reasoning, but knew some serious bonding was in their future. He bit back a smile a few moments later when he realized he was looking forward to it.
Douglas' sister was overjoyed to be doing something to get her brother back and willingly followed the script Blair laid out for her, and Ziva was going to stay with her on the off chance someone might try something. Simon and Gibbs planned to stay back in a control van and pick up as much evidence as possible.
~o0o~
Everyone was in place thirty minutes before the scheduled press conference. The news people were cooperating and had been hyping the upcoming spot for the past few hours so the team was reasonably assured their marks would hear it. That left them playing the waiting game, and the DC contingent took the opportunity to ask a few questions.
"Detective Sandburg, can I ask something?"
"Sure, Agent McGee, what's bothering you?
"Detective Ellison started to mention something earlier that has me wondering. He said this gig was a lifetime commitment, and –"
"And you're wondering exactly what that means." Blair interrupted. "It is a huge commitment, I won't kid you, and nature or God or whoever setup this relationship wasn't above using emotional blackmail, but it's worth it to me."
"What do you mean 'emotional blackmail'? Tony's not trying to blackmail me."
"No, I'm sure he isn't, but think about it. Sentinels just *cannot* survive without their Guides, especially in the modern world. Guides do just fine without their Sentinels, at least physically, but we also tend to be compassionate and caring people. Could you say no to Tony, knowing you were probably handing him his death notice, even if you had to give up your career, goals, or even a family?" Blair intentionally painted the picture darkly so McGee would have some idea of the sacrifices he might be required to make someday.
Obviously surprised by the last sentence, McGee sat thinking.
"I'm not trying to panic you, but you just don't have any idea of what will happen. No, the relationship isn't sexual, and there's no reason you couldn't have a family. Finding a woman who understands and accepts it might be a problem, though. But I *never* imagined myself as a cop, I planned to spend my life traveling the world and studying and writing about ancient cultures. If I'd had any idea what these last years were going to entail, I'm not sure I would have chased after it so completely. I don't regret my life, but it's completely opposite what I had planned."
"And the longer you two are together the more permanently you will be joined. There's a bond that's equal parts physical, emotional, and spiritual. There will come a day when any lengthy separation will be physically and emotionally painful for both of you. But Jim's my best friend and brother in every way that counts, and that's a relationship few people are fortunate enough to have in this world."
Blair subsided when Simon reported the beginning of the press conference over the radio and left McGee deep in thought.
~o0o~
Jim was listening to Blair's explanation of life as a Guide when DiNozzo interrupted his surveillance.
"How bad will it be?"
"Depends on what you mean." Jim winced at the 'emotional blackmail' bit from Blair and reluctantly tuned out their conversation.
"The senses can get pretty bad at times, mine went totally haywire when I took some cough medicine. And there've been some pretty miserable days over the years, but you will learn to control them. It's a lifetime commitment, but not a life sentence."
"I got the impression from you earlier that McGee will get the short end of the deal?"
Jim sighed, not sure how to answer this question. "Part of me regrets ever meeting Blair, not because I don't like him or don't want him around, but because his entire life has changed because of me. He's been kidnapped and shot more times than I care to remember, and he committed professional suicide over the dissertation. He'd like to get married some day, but he has little free time to meet someone. Besides, it would take a very understanding woman to accept the relationship, not to mention the bonding thing." Jim mumbled that last phrase, but Tony heard it anyway.
"What 'bonding thing' do you mean?"
"Blair didn't really want to get into that just yet." Jim sighed. "It's difficult to explain, and will probably freak you both out more than you already are."
Just then Simon's call came across the radio and Jim ended the conversation. "It's just one more thing we'll have to go over later."
~o0o~
Gibbs sat with Simon drinking the ever-present coffee and contemplating the weird direction life had taken the last few days.
"This is the best team I've had in years, am I going to have to break it up?"
"There's no reason for it. They'll have to make a decision in a few years when one of them is promoted or transferred. They're a single unit now, and while Sandburg was truthful earlier when he said they could work apart, they can't *be* apart. They lived together until Blair graduated from the academy, partly because, as a student, he had very little money, but when he did leave, he only moved next door. And they've put a doorway between the two apartments. They treat each other's homes as extensions of their own."
"When one's hurt, the other one can't be convinced to leave the hospital. If Jim's having trouble; Sandburg is single-minded, nothing can get between them. I've seen him rip into men six inches taller and fifty pounds heavier to protect Jim. It's both frightening and awe-inspiring to see it."
"Your biggest problem is going to be writing reports to hide what DiNozzo can do and still provide a semi-reasonable explanation for why or how you did or found things. Sandburg's a master at covering Jim's abilities."
Ziva announced the beginning of the press conference, and Simon passed the information along. All three cars settled into silence while they waited for the show they hoped was coming.
~o0o~
"Please, Jon, don't ruin your career. You told me you loved the Navy, whatever's wrong we can work through it. Come back. I love you." Miss Douglas ended the press conference with the script Blair had given her and ignored the shouting reporters as Ziva escorted her from the room.
Jim listened to the perp watching the press conference and reported to the other teams.
"He's pretty agitated, I think it's working. I just hope my guess was right and they *don't* just kill the ensign. Hold on, the phone's ringing."
~o0o~
Gibbs, seeing a Sentinel in action for the first time, was astonished.
"He can hear what's going on inside the room from a parked car down the street!?"
"I told you report writing was going to get interesting." Simon smirked.
~o0o~
Jim was listening to the phone conversation. Tony, after some practice with Jim while they waited, was trying to also.
/"You're right, we need to ditch the sailor. I'll shoot him with drugs and alcohol and dump him somewhere, they'll think he went on a bender and overdid it."/
Jim grimaced at the turn of the conversation.
/"No, wait, we can't guarantee they'll buy it. He's a sailor; they might get suspicious if he's been deployed for months and just now started drugs. Knock him out and bring him here. I'll call that detective tomorrow and say he just showed up. It'll throw off any suspicion they might have and keep them away in future. Can he identify anyone?"/
/"No, that might work. Just lay low for a couple of months till things cool off."/
/"Okay, the place is usually pretty dead by 4 am. I think we can sneak him into a bed. I'll keep one near the back exit empty."/
Jim relayed the update and turned to Tony, who sat staring into the night, completely zoned. Jim smiled sympathetically, with no practice and no guide around it was guaranteed he wouldn't be able to handle his first conscious effort to use his senses. Debating whether he should bring him around or drive to Blair's location he decided it was more important to keep surveillance for now.
"Tony, come on. I don't want to call McGee just yet. We need to keep this place covered." Jim continued the discourse while rubbing the agent's arm. Tony stirred, but didn't surface so Jim reached for the kit Blair insisted he keep in his truck. Doubting Blair's scent would help, he ignored the piece of flannel sacrificed from an old shirt, and pulled out the eyedropper of lemon juice. He put a couple drops on Tony's tongue and watched him jerk back to reality.
"Stay calm, it's okay. You just zoned listening to the phone conversation. You'll be fine now."
Rubbing his head, Tony sighed. "How can I keep my job if I'm doing that? I'll get myself, or worse, someone else killed."
"We told you earlier it would take practice. You can keep your job. You'll just have to work at it. Until you have better control, don't try to use your senses without McGee. It'll be fine, in time."
From the control van Simon organized surveillance for the rest of the night and told everyone to get some food and sleep so they could be back by three am for the drop off. They hoped to identify some other players and begin unraveling this operation. Since there were only a few hours until they needed to return to the shelter, the group split with plans to meet the next night for Blair's first Sentinel 101 lecture.
