22 October

Detective Rafe stalked across the university campus. He was tired and really wanted to go home rather than go back to the station. This investigation was about to drive him nuts. Why'd he have to get stuck with it? Everyone knew that Ellison and Sandburg had more connections at the university, so usually they got all the campus cases. Sandburg even spoke the same language as the professors, which made their work easier. But with the anthropologist working long hours on his special museum project, Jim begged off this case and Simon assigned it to Rafe. To be fair, Rafe knew about the close call of Blair's boss during the freak blizzard last week. He understood why the younger man was spending all of his time at the University. If the professor were anything like Sandburg, it would be a full time job just keeping her from overdoing it while she recovered.

He sidestepped the slower moving students as he stalked down the sidewalk. A bitterly chill wind made him stuff his hands deeper into his coat pockets. He thought seriously about calling Brown and telling him that he would be back in the morning. He looked up when he heard someone shouting.

"Look out!"

"Catch her!"

A group of jocks had been rough housing on the wide front verandah of the student union building. Their game of snow tag had gotten out of hand, resulting in disaster. A young woman ignoring their rambunctious game in her concentration on walking across the icy patio had inadvertently stepped into the game. There she had been run into by one of the larger men. Her balance lost, she was careening toward the slick steps. One of the young men grabbed at her coat, his fingers missing by less than an inch. She slid over the edge of the first step.

Rafe broke into a run, hoping that she could at least keep her feet under herself. If she did, he might have a chance of catching her. Otherwise, between the cold stone steps and the ice-covered railing, she didn't have a chance of getting out of this unhurt. So far, so good. The woman was still on her feet. If he could get there in time, he could catch her, keeping her from ending up flat on the pavement.

To his own amazement, he caught the girl as she flew down the last few steps. Her soft gasp as she landed against his chest sent warm air across his neck. Shuddering from the sensation, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as he staggered backwards, coming to a stop against a heavy concrete planter. Once he had regained his balance, he looked down and lost himself in her eyes.

Her eyes were a pale green, reminding him of new leaves, edged with a trace of silver. Wide with fear and shock, their pupils acted like black holes, pulling at his soul. The pale skin of her cheeks slowly regained their golden hue as she began to recover. As his gaze continued, a faint blush began to tint her face. The hands that clasped his chest so tightly slowly released him as the eyes stayed firmly in contact with his own hazel gaze.

Whistles and cheers broke into their mutual stare. The blush on her cheeks deepened and she stepped back. Rafe forced himself to let her step away, but he could not force himself to let go of her waist. He smiled down at her, the smile gaining strength as she returned it.

"Are you all right?" He whispered, wondering why he was whispering.

She looked up at him and smiled again. Her voice was soft, caressing his ears with its accent. "Yes. Thank you for catching me."

"Anytime. I live to have beautiful women fall into my arms," he teased gently. Her eyes flickered to his in confusion and looked away. "My name's Brian Rafe. What's yours?"

She looked at him again, her tongue lightly moistening her lips. "I really should be going..."

"I promise you, I'm harmless." Rafe could feel the smile on his face get even brighter. She was shy. He would have to move very slowly with her, but he could feel that this pursuit would be well worth the costs. He pulled out a card from his coat pocket. "Look, I can give you references. Just call anyone at this number and they'll vouch for me."

She didn't even look at his hand. She was watching his face and his eyes, measuring him and his words. He put the card back in his pocket and placed the hand back on her waist.

"My name is Kyrie." Even as she spoke, she didn't know why she gave him her real name. Technically, it wasn't her real name, not any more, but it still fit her so much better. No one except family had called her that for a very long time. She slowly smiled at the incredulous look on his face. The delight in his eyes as he tried out her name warmed a corner of her soul she had ignored for too long.

"Kyr-i-eh?" He spoke slowly, trying to get the accents right. She nodded, shivering as the wind picked up again.

"Can I walk you somewhere?" With an effort, he let go of her waist. He moved his hands laterally to her elbows and then down to her hands. Some part of him insisted that he had to be in contact with her. As their hands met, so did their eyes and he felt a shock as skin touched skin. Curiosity filled her eyes and for a second, the look of confused innocence that crossed her face made him pause. Then she smiled again and the light in her eyes danced happily. "Or maybe buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Tea?"

"Yeah, that's okay too." He smiled and released one of her hands, pulling the other one up into the crook of his elbow. It seemed so natural that neither of them questioned the gesture as they slowly walked up the steps she'd flown down just minutes before.

Rafe escorted Kyrie into the campus grill. She leaned on him slightly, the first evidence of a limp in her gait. He noticed that several students looked at him twice. The glances weren't quite friendly once they noticed that his companion was limping. One pair of jocks even came over to them, the looks on their faces making him stiffen. Wondering what was about to happen, Rafe shifted their path slightly so they were closer to him, approaching obliquely. He didn't want her to be in their line of attack.

"Are you okay --" Before the young man could say another word, Kyrie grinned.

"Tony, Jacob, this is Mr. Rafe. He saved me from a nasty spill." Her grin was infectious as she looked over at the students. She turned back to Rafe, eyes sparkling merrily. "Rafe, these are two of my photography students. They also are part of the informal, keep the teacher out of trouble league."

"But..."

"How on earth?" The boys looked flustered at her comment.

"Everywhere I go on campus, it seems these two have already warned everyone to be nice to me." The sparkling laughter in her voice brought a smile to Rafe's lips. "They thought I wouldn't notice or overhear them."

"Umm. Well, we were kind of asked to keep an eye on you." Jacob actually blushed as he spoke. "We didn't think it would be --"

"We'll be going now." Tony interrupted, elbowing his friend in the side. "Sorry about the interruption, Teach."

Taking in their discomfort, Rafe fought another grin. He nodded to the two young men, watching them as they headed outside. Turning back to Kyrie, he lea her to a seat.

"I think you might want to see a doctor about that limp." He spoke softly as he helped her sit down. He grabbed another chair and lifted her leg onto it.

"I'm fine, Rafe. I only ..." She paused, frowning as she tried to think of a word. "twisted... it. "

"It could be more than that." Rafe tried to convince her. But Kyrie only shook her head, smiling at him.

"No. I've done this before. If I take it easy for a day or two, it will heal." She smiled up at him, enjoying the way he was trying to comfort her. For the first time she understood the comments she had heard all of her life. Tia Elena was right. When the right man appeared, life changed in one single heartbeat. Life just flipped inside out and upside down as she watched Rafe. Oh, god! Why now? Why here? part of her wailed. The rest, trained early to be calm and rational, added this occurrence to the equation. She could do this; she could accept the little pieces of joy that were handed to her. All she had to do was keep her life even more compartmentalized than normal, make sure nothing overlapped. It was bad enough for there to be so many potential targets without her bringing more people into the equation. She had made sure Jim and Blair were safe, now she had to find a way to safeguard Brian Rafe too. Her thoughts whirled restlessly as she watched him go to the counter for the tea.

Blair looked up worriedly at AJ's entrance. He still couldn't believe Jim had given her a key to the loft. Of course, he had demanded a key to her apartment in exchange. The young woman moved slowly as she hung her coat beside the door. When she turned to face him she smiled brilliantly. For the first time since he'd met her, the photographer was truly happy. Her face lit up with her excited joy and the pale eyes had their original impact again. The odd twist in his gut as she met his gaze was far better than the evasive glances he'd gotten used to lately. He made a note to himself to find out everything he could about whatever had made her smile like that.

"AJ?" He asked quietly. "What's up? I got worried when you weren't home this afternoon."

"Everything is fine." She grinned, as she walked across the loft to the balcony doors. "I had an accident and fell down the steps at the center. Then this..."

"Are you all right? Were you hurt?" Blair interrupted her, coming to his feet and heading for her side. Pulling on a sweater, Jim came down from the upper level of the loft, worry evident on his face.

"I'm fine. Calm down, both of you. A young man helped me and then we got to talking over tea." She turned to face them and took two steps before Jim grabbed her and swung her up into his arms.

"Put me down, Enqueri."

"You're limping."

"I'm just sore. I didn't notice while I was with him." She mused, her eyes distant.

"Sore? He hurt you?" Blair's voice rose.

"What? The steps did that silly." Her pale eyes went from one frowning face to the other. Both men looked very upset with her words. "What? What did I do now?"

Jim silently set her down on the couch and lifted her leg, placing it on the coffee table. Her eyebrows rose at this blatant violation of the house rules. His glare was enough to smother her comment. Blair's equally tense expression made her frown.

The sentinel gently ran his hands over her foot and ankle. He moved up to her knee and nodded to himself as she winced and tried to pull away. He studied it, feeling the joint carefully through her jeans before announcing quietly. "It's not broken. There's a little swelling so it's probably not even a mild strain. You need to stay off it for a day or so."

Blair frowned watching her nonchalance. He knew she was still unused to living in the States. This could be a perfectly innocent case of two people meeting, but... then again. The joy in her eyes made him happy and scared at the same time. What if she'd met an abuser or a psycho or a stalker or a serial killer? She wouldn't know how to notice the warning signs... not that he could say he was any judge of psychos. He had to get more information, try to find out who this man was. He joined her on the sofa. "So what's the hero's name?"

"Why?" Her eyes evaded his, settling on his partner's face.

"Just curious."

"Ni lo creo." She joked, turning to face him and looking deeply into his eyes. Shock, followed rapidly by anger, crossed her face. She read worry, speculation, suspicion... and something else, something that reminded her of another time and place. She reacted bitterly to the last emotion. "Nobody owns or controls me. No one tells me who I may or may not befriend. I am, like, so out of here."

Jim's hands on her leg kept her sitting on the couch. AJ tried to remove his hands so she could leave. Instead the big man caught both of her hands in one of his. The other hand rose to her chin and forced her to look at him. Pale blue eyes met pale green eyes, one set calm and determined, the other furious and defiant.

"He's just worrying about you." The voice he used was soft, quiet. He sat down on the edge of the table, boxing her in between Blair and the arm of the sofa. "The Dean made you his responsibility. That gives him reason to care. You are our friend, not to mention the fact that by Chopec law, you're my little sister. Both of us have plenty of reasons to care. We know your history, and that makes us worry even more. There aren't too many innocents running around Cascade. We don't want anyone to hurt you."

Blair gently pulled one of her hands from Jim's. He sat quietly, letting Jim try and explain. He had the feeling that if he opened his mouth and said the wrong thing even Jim wouldn't be able to force her to stay.

"We just want to make sure you are safe. It's not that we think you can't take care of yourself. We both know you can handle a lot of things. But you are used to handling things in relatively uncivilized places. As far as most college students, you are a babe in the woods." Jim kept his eyes on AJ's, reading the thoughts flittering through them.

"I think I missed something in translation." Her eyes were wary as she looked from the sentinel to his guide. "I can take care of myself. I've already proved that. If I have to I can stop someone from hurting me."

"That's not what I mean." Jim looked embarrassed by the turn the conversation was taking, but he wasn't backing down. "We both know that you haven't been ... well with anyone before and it can be dangerous without proper... I mean, well, it's not like you've been..." The look he shot at Blair was slightly lost and finally he blurted out what he meant. "You're an innocent, especially when it comes to relationships."

"You know what?!?" AJ screeched, her voice hitting pitches that made the wine glasses in the kitchen vibrate.

Jim pulled back, grabbing his ears. Finding herself free, AJ scrambled over the back of the couch. Blair ignored her, reaching for his sentinel. He murmured under his breath, alternating between cursing at the young woman and considering vile punishments. He knew she knew sentinels have sensitive hearing.

Jim glared up at her and had to grin after a moment. AJ was as red as a beet and still getting redder. She leaned on the back of the couch, watching him warily. From the expression on her face she was torn between worry at his reaction and outrage at his comment.

"Ooops?" she offered softly. "I forgot."

"Ouch," he murmured. His eyes shut as he fought back a sigh of mixed pain and relief. "Yeah, you're forgiven, Hidalga."

"Thank you." Her tone was formal. She watched them warily as she gingerly sat on the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and blushed again, biting her lip. "How did you know?"

"When you were sick, we saw the virgin's cord." Blair explained gently. At his words, AJ's hand crept to the leather and bead cord at her waist. He glanced at the other man and shrugged. "Both of us recognized it for what it is. As long as you wear that, well, people like us will recognize it."

"I guess I've picked up a lot of un-American habits."

"Let me see, tribal taboos, carrying curare tipped darts, camera always with you, door locks, I'd say just a few."

"I lock the doors."

"Only after I reminded you," Jim growled at her. Both of the men had to grin at the memory of sneaking up on AJ earlier that week.

She glared at them for a moment before she began to chuckle. "Maybe, but I still decked you fairly well."

Blair struggled with what he wanted to say. She was just too trusting about this. "AJ, do you know how dangerous dating is in America?"

"Yes, Blair, I know. I've met some of your old girlfriends and they've warned me."

Jim choked down a laugh and leaned down, arms wrapping around his ribs. He looked over at his partner, trying not to laugh at the embarrassed expression on his face but couldn't. He began laughing loudly; the sound of his deep rumble forming a counterpoint to AJ's higher pitched chuckles. The younger man cuffed the older one's head, laughing himself.

AJ sat on the back of the couch, enjoying the moment, watching the two men. When she was no longer paying attention to him, the ex-ranger grabbed her arms, tumbling her onto the couch. With the same smooth move, he went from sitting on the coffee table to leaning above her, his hand on her throat.

"You can't let your guard down until you know this man. Please be careful." Jim's words stopped as her free hand moved slightly. A knife pricked his chest. When he released her throat, the knife withdrew.

"I will be careful." Her eyes were serious as she grinned at him.

"Tell us his name?"

"And have the two of you make our lives a living hell? No."

"AJ, this is serious. We worry about you." He solemnly stared down at her. "We don't want you to rush into something and get hurt. Physically or emotionally."

"I promise not to rush anything, but I'm only here another seven, maybe eight, weeks. Once Uncle Zel arrives, I'll be leaving." AJ refused to let her thoughts dwell on Zel's disappearance. He would arrive in December. He had to. She refused to accept any other thought or possibility. She looked up at the two faces above her and smiled softly at them. "I will talk to you before I make any 'life changing' decisions. And I won't let him push me into anything. Good enough?"

Blue eyes looked at each other and came to an agreement. Blair leaned forward, patting the tightly coiled hair. Then, with a wicked grin, he retreated, pulling out a handful of the hairpins. Jim reached down and picked out another handful. Then they sat her back up, hair cascading around her. Blair quickly ruffled the heavy locks, spreading them across the couch.

"Hey!" she grumbled as they stepped away.

"What do you think, Chief?"

"It'll take the little goose girl at least an hour to get that straightened out."

"Whose turn is it to cook?"

"Pizza?"

A small voice spoke from under the mound of hair. "What's pizza?"

Two incredulous pairs of blue eyes turned to look down at the young woman. In unison, the two men spoke. "Pizza it is."

Major Crimes Department, 23 October

Rafe whistled happily as he typed up his report. Jim and Blair stopped at his desk to peer over his shoulder. They frowned and shook their heads.

"Solve the case?" Jim asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yep. I met a student who gave me a couple of clues. Turns out one of the assistants was short of cash and selling university equipment on the side." Rafe finished the form and hit the print button. He turned to look up at the tall detective. "What?"

"You're awfully happy. Too happy."

"Don't you have something better to do?"

Jim looked over at his desk and shook his head. He looked at Blair. Blair shook his head. "We're finished our paperwork and I don't have to be in court for another hour. Nope, nothing better to do."

"So, what's the student's name?"

"Candy Jones. Nice girl, Sgt. Howard's niece."

"So, who has you so happy?" Blair rephrased his question.

"Oh, no, you don't. There is no way I'm telling you her name. The next thing I know, you'd pull out that Sandburg charm and she'd be part of your harem." Rafe folded his arms and glared at the younger man.

Ellison choked on his coffee and had a hard time swallowing for a moment. Once he'd gotten his breath back, he grabbed his partner by the scruff of the neck and began herding him back to their desks. His words were broken up by muted laughter. "Come on, Chief. We know when we're not welcome."

Rainier University Apartments, that afternoon

AJ jumped as the phone rang. Blair paused, his coat half on as he watched. She grabbed the phone and raised it to her ear, eyes expectant.

"Aloa?" The accented voice was husky, hopeful. The growing light in her eyes told him that her new friend was calling. She caught his eye and spoke softly. "Could you hold for a moment?"

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Blair hoped she'd tell him to stay.

"I'll be fine. I promise to stay off my leg and rest." She smiled, trying to reassure him. "I'll see you in the morning."

"If you're sure." Blair zipped the coat, and out of excuses, let himself out. Then, with one of his wicked smiles, pulled out his spare key and locked her in. If she was really staying put, the door needed to be locked, didn't it? He chuckled as he walked down the hall.

"No, you're not interrupting anything. My friend was leaving anyway." Kyrie listened to Rafe's voice over the phone. Closing her eyes, she could picture him sitting beside her. She smiled dreamily.

"What was that about your leg?" Rafe's voice was worried. He wished he could see Kyrie. Something was wrong, he could tell from her voice.

"I did a little too much and it doesn't like me." Her accent was softer than normal as she concentrated on listening to Rafe and what was going on in the background. "What are you doing?"

"I just got off work. I was heading home." He paused, wondering if his next suggestion would be considered moving too fast. "I was going to ask you out to dinner. But, since you can't walk, maybe I could bring dinner to you."

Kyrie bit her lip, tilting her head back and resting it against the wall. She smiled into the phone, "I don't know. I've been warned against trusting too easily."

"Okay, maybe that is going too fast." He frowned at the traffic around him as spoke into the cell phone. "How about when you get back on your feet, I take you out? Dinner and a movie?"

"That sounds reasonable." She smiled, listening to him contentedly as the sounds of traffic disappeared. He must be pulling up to his house.

"Look, I need to call you back. I want to talk on a real phone." He got out of his car, still talking softly to the quiet woman on the line.

"Give me a few minutes to eat first?"

"Sounds good to me." He smiled as he put his key into the lock. "I missed you today."

"I missed you too, Rafe." Kyrie whispered back, tears catching her unawares.

"Hey, are you okay?" He heard the catch in her breath. He knew she was close to tears. How could he know that? "Kyrie?"

"I'm fine, Rafe. It's just been a long day." AJ fought against the visions that had been teasing her all day. They had not let her sleep and she refused to let them ruin her evening.

"Talk to me. Tell me about it." He turned, heading back to the car. "Do you want me to come by?"

"No. I'm fine. There's nothing to tell. Just a long day working and I'm tired." She smiled at him over the phone. "Take your coat off and go eat. Call me in a little while. I'll be waiting."

"Only if you're sure you'll be okay."

"I'm sure."

25 October, Major Crimes Department

"Hey, Brown?" Ellison's voice was soft. "Did you and Rafe have a stakeout last night?"

The detective slowly shook his head. He looked over at the dozing man. "Must have had another late night. He seems to be having them lately."

Hazel eyes opened and looked at them warily. "I'm awake."

"Good." Megan walked up, a folder in her hand. "We have a new case."

"You're my partner on this?"

"Yes, we get to play married. Is that a problem?" The grinning Aussie sat on his desk. "I wouldn't want your lady friend to get anxious."

"How did you...?"

She pursed her lips and held out a pink 'while you were out' message slip. "She left a message on your voice mail. I hit the wrong number when I tried to access mine this morning."

"Give me that." Rafe snatched the paper from the other detective's hand and read it quickly. With a smile he shoved it in his pocket.

"Hey, Megan?" Blair pushed his glasses back on his nose, watching the interplay from his desk. "What did it say?"

"You think I give out other people's messages?" Her tone sounded hurt.

Jim held up a five-dollar bill. "I'll pay for the message."

Megan held out her hand. When he laid it on her palm, she began quoting the message. "I'll meet you there at seven. I miss you too. Kyrie."

"A date? You have a date?" Blair grinned at the man. "It's 4 o'clock now. If you leave now, you might, and I do stress might, be presentable by then."

The other detectives in the bullpen laughed at the comment as the man they teased about being a GQ fashion plate looked at himself with a frown.

Rainier University Apartments

"Blair. This is Fortaleza. I won't be home later. I'm going to the movies with my friend. This is just so you don't worry. We're going to see that movie you were raving about." AJ smiled into the phone. She slowly stroked the silk blouse she was wearing. "Oh, thank you for the shirt. You're right. Silk is the best of sensations."

A moment later, she skipped out the door. She had just enough time to catch the bus. She didn't want to be late meeting Rafe.

852 Prospect, #307

"Jim, I'm worried about her. It's after eleven and she's not home." Blair paced the loft, hands raking through his hair.

"Blair." Jim grabbed the younger man and pulled him to a stop. "Let it go. She's a big girl."

"But, she..."

"She told us to back off. She doesn't want us to interfere." Jim was trying hard not to laugh at the younger man's antics. He could not believe how touchy Blair was about AJ. After all the lectures he had received over the years about Blair having the right to stay out all night without a big brother waiting up for his return, to see Blair doing the same thing was more than amusing. The sound of the phone made them both jump.

Blair raced to pick up the line. He whispered a rapid prayer as he skidded across the wooden floor. "Let it be her, please."

Jim smiled to himself as he grabbed the receiver before Blair could get it. He barked into it as he held it between their heads. "Ellison."

"Fortaleza." The echo of his tone was enough to make him grin. AJ sounded happy. "Just checking in. I'm home and alone. Satisfied?"

"Go to bed, kid." Jim growled at her.

"You too," was the smart reply.

"I intend to." He hung up the phone on her stifled laughter. "Now, do you think you can let us go to sleep, Chief?"

26 October, Etterman Wing, Natural history Museum of Cascade.

"Blair?"

"What's up, A.J.?" He looked up to see her hanging from the museum rafters. Thank goodness he didn't have to hang the flying displays, he thought, wincing at the sight.

She hung upside down from a cable, one leg wrapped around the black rope, holding herself steady. Her hair hung from her head like a braided rope. She carefully attached a thin fishing line to a display. Measuring the distances with her eyes, she began tightening the nearly invisible threads, pulling the display fully upright. Finishing, she looked over at him.

"Do you know how to dance?" She looked away and then rotated back towards him.

"What kind of dance?" He set the statue he was working on down in its frame. He adjusted it, keeping an eye on the dangling woman.

"You know, American dances, the kind you dance at school. Like the waltz, Fox trot, Charleston, couple dances, that kind of thing." With an abrupt flip, she righted herself and descended. She stared up at the hanging canopy before nodding and disconnecting her climbing rig.

"Why?"

"I want to go to the end of semester dance." She picked up her camera and began photographing the display.

"Another date with your friend?"

She turned and caught his worried look. The camera flashed in her hands, catching his expression. "It's a group thing. The girls from the photo class I'm helping with asked me."

"You're making more friends? That's great." Blair beamed at her. He was delighted. First, she meets a guy, okay, he still wasn't happy about that one, but it was a start. Now, she's making friends with other females about her age. Things were going great. Maybe life would stay on an upswing for a while.

"I don't know how to dance. Well, not real dances." The words were stilted, embarrassed, and harsh, even with the musical accent. She looked down at her feet, her fingers fiddling with the camera. At Blair's stunned silence, she spoke softly, sounding lost. "Never mind. I shouldn't go anyway."

"What do you mean, you shouldn't go?" Blair walked over to her. His hands were gentle as he pulled her head up. Her eyes were sad and nervous as they met his. "I've seen you dance... you got up in front of my class and helped me show them the different styles of ritual dances. You're good at it."

"But that's not the kind of dance I need to be able to do." Wide eyes met his and a pale face tried to pull away. Stark fear etched lines in her face before it was slammed away behind a cracking facade. "I can't do things other people my age can do! It's awful! I don't fit in here or anywhere else!"

"You can go to the dance, there's nothing to stop you. No one will criticize you." He found himself using what Jim called his Guide tone, trying to calm her down. "It'll be okay."

"No it won't. I don't know how to waltz or boogie or whatever it is that they do." Tears were being held firmly at bay. He could see the effort it took for her to hold them inside. "I don't want to disappoint the girls. It means so much to them that I agreed to go."

"I'll teach you. After we finish here, we'll go to the loft and dance." His voice was still low. His face reflected her pain. Blair remembered the feeling of not fitting in with the others at school. He remembered how bad it felt to realize that everyone else in the group took for granted things he'd never experienced. Every now and then, her background hit him hard as it mirrored his own. He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead. His whisper was more to himself than to her. "You'll be the belle of the ball, sweetheart."

852 Prospect , #307

Jim looked up at the loft in puzzlement. Beside him, Megan Connor froze, her words stopping as she waited for him. The Australian was on her way up to pick up a book she had loaned Blair several months ago. Every time Blair intended to return it to her, something came up and it ended up back at the loft. Jim watched the loft and after a moment smiled.

He could hear the strains of soft music, music that he wasn't used to hearing. He heard Blair's heartbeat and another, Fortaleza's. The other noises were confusing, though. Soft thumps, almost like steps but not quite. Then a slide and another thump. No voices, no laughter, none of the things he'd come to expect when she showed up. A single shadow crossed the curtain. It was Blair's shadow and it slowly swayed and dipped its way past the window.

The music stopped. Blair spoke quietly. "Think you can do that?"

"I'll try." The accented voice was toneless. The silhouette that crossed the curtain was tense and moved far too stiffly. Fear accented every move.

"Let's try it together. Just follow my lead." The gentle voice wrapped itself around his sensitive hearing. He watched as Blair's shadow joined AJ's and they began to dance. Slowly, the stiffness left the woman's body and she leaned into Blair. He smiled to himself as he listened to the softly whispered instructions.

"Looks like it's dance night." He whispered to the puzzled woman as the silhouette crossed the window again. "Come on, let's join them."

They quietly entered the loft, listening as Blair instructed his dance partner's moves. AJ listened to his soft words, so focused she never heard their entrance. Her head rested on Blair's shoulder as he led her in the waltz. Blair's eyes met his and Jim heard Blair's heart rate speed up. The sentinel grinned mischievously and placed his finger to his lips.

AJ's eyes flew open as Jim tapped her shoulder. "May I cut in?"

Wary eyes met his as she sought Blair's agreement before nodding. Jim took her hand and smoothly led her into a whirl. After a moment's shocked stiffness, she relaxed, allowing him to lead her around the room. As the music ended, he murmured. "Has he shown you how to tango?"

"No." Her voice was soft, her eyes wide, waiting for his next move.

Jim's every move was correct and proper as her led her over to the couch and sat her down. With a wicked grin, he kissed her fingers, bowed and winked. "Prepare to watch one of the most sensual dances in existence."

Blair's eyebrows rose as he watched the quiet exchange. He knew his partner was up to something, he just wasn't sure what. The detective strode over to the sound system and inspected the CD's laying out on it. Then he rapidly went through his music collection until he found the disc he was looking for. He smiled wickedly at his partner and cued the music. He stalked over to Megan and waited for the song to begin.

At the first strain of the violin, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his chest. As the music played, the two flowed about the room. The dance started simply, following the normal course of the tango, two figures spinning apart and together again.

The dark music and the fluid moves formed an erotic counterpoint to each other. Slowly, the sentinel trailed his body along his partner's, teasing without touching. The music thundered in their ears, blinding their senses to everything else. The tension climbed, driven by the throbbing beat of the music, the close contact of their bodies and the heated glances they kept exchanging.

Watching her friends dance was fascinating. Without even noticing what she was doing, Fortaleza pulled out a camera and began shooting film of the two of them. The forceful movements and the synchronicity between the two moving bodies were perfect. Too perfect to miss. So this was the tango, she mused as she rapidly took pictures of the dancers. The fleeting brushes of their bodies and the long, clinging glances were more than she thought she could manage. As the film sped through her camera, she made up her mind. She had no idea what plans the sentinel had, but she had a feeling that she was not expected or needed. It was time to leave.

When the music ended, Jim and Megan grinned at each other as Blair clapped.

"Well, mate, if I had known you could tango, I would have asked you out dancing." Megan quipped, eyeing Jim with a speculative gleam in her eye.

"The question would be, who gets to lead?" Jim teased her.

"Depends on the dance, Jimbo."

"Um, guys?" Blair interrupted. "Did either of you notice that AJ left?"

"Did we scare her off?" Megan looked a little flustered at the thought. "She's not dating you, is she Jim?"

"No. She's just a friend." Jim answered.

To which Blair muttered, "Friend? He worries over her as much as he worries over me."

Jim glared at his partner, ignoring the amused expression on Megan Connor's face as he headed for the telephone. "And just who was pacing and arguing for her to have a curfew on Sunday?" He responded as he dialed a number. "No answer. Remind me to get her an answering machine. I hate not being able to leave her a message."

Megan couldn't help herself. At the frustrated look both men threw at the phone, she burst out laughing. "Remind me to thank my brothers for not being like you! I would have gone bonkers with you in the family."

Blair and Jim looked at each other, neither quite understanding why Megan only laughed harder.

27 October, Rainier University Apartments

AJ smiled at Rafe as he raised his eyebrows. "I'd love to! I have to call someone first, though. I'll just be a minute, Rafe. Thanks, querido." The phone rang as she reached for it.

"Aloa." She answered the phone with a grin. She knew who it was and why he was calling.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Jim's voice was always gravely this early in the morning. "Blair said you two did a lot of work at the museum last night. I just wanted to make sure you made it home safely."

"Como siempre." She murmured. She laughed as he yawned sleepily in her ear. "Tired?"

"A little. Blair's going to be late."

"Let him sleep in, Enqueri. He has the day off and he deserves it." AJ watched through the open doorway as Rafe studied the books on her living room shelf. "I made him work hard at the museum."

"Yeah, he did." The deep voice was amused. "About last night..."

"No problem at all. You two were kind of occupied. I don't think you need to teach me the tango. It might give people the wrong idea." She smiled, as Jim began to splutter a denial to her comment. She decided to change the subject. "I take up enough of your time as it is, so I'll see about getting dance lessons elsewhere. Okay? Enjoy your day off, both of you."

"How do you know my schedule?" He was curious, but not too suspicious. Fortaleza could ferret information out of just about anyone, he'd discovered.

"I have my ways." Her accented words made him laugh. She listened to him for a moment before saying good-bye and hanging up the phone.

She quickly crossed back into the living room, watching as Rafe gracefully turned to face her. She wondered if he knew how to tango. Maybe he could teach her. That thought made her wonder speculatively if they would generate as much heat and passion as the tango she had watched the night before. She smiled softly. She thought they would.

"So, are you ready to go?" The smile he gave made AJ slightly breathless. She nodded, placing her hand in his.

"Do you know how to dance, Rafe?" she asked as they walked out the door.

30 October, Rainier University Apartments

Rafe would arrive soon and she wasn't ready. She looked around and sighed. Her new clothes were strewn all over the room. She just couldn't decide what to wear. Her face was rueful as she smoothed the skirt of her white dress. When she'd allowed Blair to talk her into buying it, she'd thought it was perfect. Now she wasn't quite so sure.

She turned; her eyes on the mirror as she double checked her outfit. The warm, silky material flowed and sighed under her hands, briefly clinging to her like a second skin. She still wasn't used to the way the full skirt flared out, its handkerchief styling fluttering around her legs. The material clung to her from collarbone to waist and along both of her arms, making her feel wanton. But she had to admit to herself that she liked the feeling.

There was a firm knock on the door. Biting her lip, she looked down at herself again and raced to the spy hole. Rafe stood, leaning back slightly, watching the lower edge of the door. He smiled and looked at the viewer.

"Hi." She opened the door shyly. She hadn't worn a dress in so long; she wasn't certain how she looked. The slow smile of delight that spread across his face dissolved her fears.

His eyes widened as they roved over her, taking in the changes in her. He'd never seen her in anything except jeans and her boots. He'd known she was pretty before, but now he was stunned. The difference was well worth whatever time she'd spent getting ready for his arrival. He brought his hand from behind his back, showing her a single rosebud. The tightly closed flower was a velvety red; the edges tinted a golden yellow. "You look lovely, Kyrie."

"Thank you, Bri." She stepped back, opening the door fully. "Would you like to come in?"

Rafe stepped up to her, bring the rose to her cheek and slowly trailed it across the bone. His free hand closed the door, as he leaned close to the wide eyed woman. His hazel eyes were locked on her pale green ones as he slowly dipped his head. When his lips touched hers, both of them closed their eyes.

He nibbled gently on her lower lip, tugging on it lightly. He felt Kyrie's lips part as her arms came up to grip his dark jacket. Taking her movement for the shy permission it was, Rafe deepened the kiss, keeping his moves slow and gentle. He traced the line of her lips, still nibbling on them. As her mouth opened wider, his tongue slid into her, sipping and tasting her mouth. Then her tongue traced his and began it's own exploration. The rose fell forgotten to the floor as he brought his hands up to hold onto the woman who was blowing away all of his expectations. He'd been wondering what it would be like to kiss her and each time they got together, his curiosity had grown.

Kyrie could feel Rafe's fingers gently massaging her scalp as they cupped her skull. The two large hands held her as if afraid she would bolt or break. When the kiss ended, the hands stayed as he pulled back slightly. She opened her eyes dreamily to find him watching her. A thumb slowly slid over the sensitive skin of her cheek down to her lips. There it paused, rubbing lightly.

"No one has ever kissed you before." Rafe's words were quiet and astonished. His eyes were dark, gleaming with an emotion she was not familiar with. She blushed furiously at his comment.

"I guess it's pretty obvious," she murmured, looking down at his chest.

"Yeah, it is." Rafe's voice was lower and deeper than normal.

"Am I that bad?"

He gently tipped her head back, forcing her to look at him. His lips gently claimed hers again. "It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I can't believe you waited so long . . ."

"I never wanted anyone to kiss me before." Kyrie felt her eyes widen at the husky sound of her own voice. Rafe smiled softly at her.

"Thank you." He leaned down and kissed her lips gently.

"For what?" She was confused. She looked up at him, still dazed from the kiss.

Rafe sighed and pulled his hands out of her hair. With one hand he cupped her cheek, closing his eyes briefly as she leaned into his palm. His words were a surprise to both of them. "For waiting for me. Every first is special. It's precious and shouldn't be undervalued."

Kyrie smiled at him. Then she turned and kissed his palm, breathing deeply the scent of his skin, memorizing the texture of it against the softness of her skin. She felt him shudder and looked into his eyes. They had narrowed, darkening further, as he took in the sensation. A small voice in her head told her that he was looking at her the way Ayuane looked at his wife when they didn't realize she was around. The thought that she might have found what her Calim'a friends shared made her smile.

Rafe held onto her, playing with a long strand of hair that had escaped the complicated twist she had arranged it in. This was the first time he'd seen it, even partially, loose.

"Let me see it down?"

She looked at him, her eyes wary again. To Rafe, she knew, the request was a simple one. She considered the idea. How many people had ever seen her, literally, with her hair down? Only those few she trusted and considered family and she could literally count them on her fingertips. Her fingers trembled slightly as she began reaching for the hairpins.

"No. Let me do it." Rafe's voice was quiet as he easily read the emotions as they crossed her face. He reached up and pulled the first pin out of her hair. He paused at the second, startled by the weight of it. Slowly he pulled it out. Made of fine steel, it came to a sharp and deadly point. He raised an eyebrow. "Is that for me?"

"A person always needs to be able to enforce her opinions." Her voice was low, but held a cold edge. The gentle woman he'd been kissing disappeared as her face changed, hardening at a memory. "Some people don't listen and don't understand the word 'no'."

"Tell me his name, Kyrie." Rafe's voice was hard, his jaw clenching in fury. The idea that a man could consider it consensual when a woman said 'no' always bothered him. The thought that someone had tried, maybe succeeded with the woman in his arms, made him furious.

"He's dead." Her eyes stared up at him, watching his reaction, cataloging it. "My people took care of it then and there. He didn't hurt me. He just scared me a lot."

The taut shoulders relaxed as the fear left him. Rafe bent down to kiss her again, keeping it light and brief. "I'm glad your friends took care of him."

She reached up with one hand and traced his lips with a trembling finger. Then she reached up and rapidly pulled out the pins holding her hair up, freeing it. Like a slow moving avalanche, the long tresses slowly slid down, cascading over her shoulders and back. Rafe's hands met hers and together they pushed it away from her face. He met her eyes as he lifted a lock to his face, rubbing it between his fingers.

"Vanilla. You smell like vanilla." He breathed in, the lock of hair held close to his nose.

"I like vanilla."

"I like the scent on you." He found his head bowing to hers again and their lips met. This time there was no hesitation as she kissed him back. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him to her. His fingers wound through her hair, tilting her head and holding her in place. As the kiss deepened, they both pressed closer together, each trying become part of the other.

They finally broke the kiss, fighting for breath. Rafe loosened his fingers, unwrapping them from her hair. He ran his fingertips along her jaw, noting the rapid tempo of the vein there. Her lips were swollen, glistening moistly, and tempting him far too much.

"We need to leave if we're going to eat before we go to the dance lesson." He spoke slowly, fighting the urge to claim those lips again.

"Let me put my hair back up." She stepped back, turning away from him.

"Leave it down for me?" He asked, watching as it rippled with her movements.

"I..." she looked at him and then shook her head, blushing. "Where I grew up, things are very different. There, a woman lets her hair down in front of their family, in her home. After puberty, no woman lets it down in public except at her wedding, family burials... things like that. Unless she's a loose woman, a... a prostitute. It's hard to change that idea, that custom."

Rafe stepped up to her and wrapped his arms loosely around her, pulling her to his chest. He rested his chin on her head. "If it bothers you, then put it back up. We both know that you are not a loose woman, Kyrie."

He followed her silently into the bedroom. There he sat her down in front of the mirror and picked up her brush. He brushed out the long brown tresses, watching her watch him in the mirror. The two of them slowly pulled her hair up and pinned it back into the intricate twist. The mirror and its ability to allow them to exchange long silent glances hindered them greatly. As did Rafe's fascination with Kyrie's bared neck.

"What time is that lesson?" Kyrie whispered as he explored the line of her neck with his fingers. Their eyes met in the mirror again.

"Eight."

Her eyes flickered over to the clock. "As in 15 minutes from now?"

He bolted upright and looked at his watch. His cheeks began to darken. "Well, so much for dinner. If I run the lights, we can make it on time."

"Lights? What do lights have to do with getting to the class?" She let him help her to her feet.

Rafe led her to the front door, grabbing her coat from the closet. He was helping her into it as he spoke so he didn't see how pale she became. "It's one of the side benefits of being a cop. I can talk my way out of traffic tickets."

Silently, she prayed she'd misheard him, but she knew she hadn't. She'd known there could only be one Rafe. She'd heard Blair and Jim mention working with a Detective Rafe. So she'd had no excuse, she'd known he had to be a cop. She'd just refused to believe. She was just glad he wasn't a member of the Major Crimes Department. Trying to keep the sentinel out of her love life would be impossible if he was. Thanks to Cage's photo, she knew all of them on sight.

She trusted Rafe. He was a good man. She trusted her instincts and her instincts told her only good things about him. The uniform was not the same here as it was elsewhere. Here good police officers existed. She'd already met several, Ellison, Connor, Banks, and Sandburg, even if he was just an observer. She'd just have to take things as they came and trust her instincts. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad.

Kyrie forced herself to release the breath she was holding. Now was not the time for a panic attack. Rafe was safe. They were going dancing and were going to enjoy themselves. She had nothing to worry about. She missed the look he gave her as she carefully schooled her expression. The quick realization and the dawning understanding in Rafe's eyes as he noted her quickly controlled panic would have sent her carefully arranged thoughts into a tailspin.

31 October, Rainier University Apartments

She woke suddenly, but didn't move or change her breathing pattern. Someone was in the room with her. Someone who hadn't been there when she'd gone to sleep. She rolled, knife slipping into her hand. She sat up, ready to throw the knife, and opened her eyes.

Jim Ellison was leaning against her doorframe.

"Good morning, Sunshine." He smiled wickedly. "You're late for breakfast."

"So you let yourself in and tried to see if you could scare me?" She stretched sleepily, eyeing the grinning sentinel. With a shrug, she snuggled back down into the bedcovers.

"You always meet me in the drive when I come to pick you up for breakfast." The gray blue eyes watched her thoughtfully. The room smelled as if someone had been there, but it was too faint, too long ago, for him to decide if he knew the person. The other room had too many scents for him to make sense of without Blair to guide him. He moved over to the bed and sat down. "I take it you had a late night?"

"Yes. He brought me home around three."

"Look, it really isn't my business, but how well do you know him? There are a lot of diseases running around. Are you sure you know what you're doing?" The tall man felt embarrassed even as he asked the questions. Somehow, he'd found himself in the role of big brother and it wasn't always the easiest of positions.

"Nothing happened. We had a dance class until eleven and then we went out to eat. We closed the cafe, just sitting around drinking tea and talking." AJ grinned and sat up, sliding the knife back under her pillow. She stretched again, yawning sleepily at Ellison. "It was fun and different."

"I'm allowed to worry about you." He met her eyes, trying to convey the meaning behind his words. AJ shook her head at him with a grin.

"Yes, oh, Sentinel and Protector of the tribe." She ducked as he hit her with the spare pillow. "Hey!"

"It's part of the job description." He reached over and traced one of the tattoos on her shoulder lightly. "As long as you wear that, you are part of the tribe I swore to protect."

She sighed and nodded, acknowledging the hit. "So, why didn't just call me from your cell phone and wake me up? Why come in and try to get knifed?"

"I did call. You didn't answer the phone, but I could hear your heartbeat, so I came in to check it out." He watched as she bolted from the bed, frowning fiercely.

He grabbed her robe and followed her to the living room. There she accepted it, pulling it on over her sleeveless gown. She tried the phone. After a moment she hung up, still frowning as she stared thoughtfully at the phone. "That's odd. No dial tone."

"Must be out of order. I've noticed that the lines on campus have a tendency to fail on a regular basis, especially when they are doing new construction. If you call maintenance from the loft, they can probably fix it before lunch." He bent down and studied the rose sitting in its vase on the table. It had begun to open, golden edges showing on the deep red petals. "Nice rose. Are you still coming over for breakfast? Or are you going back to sleep?"

"And miss Blair's pancakes? No way, Ellison. I plan on eating my share. Besides I wanted to talk to you anyway." AJ headed back to her room. She yawned as she passed the sentinel, her head tilting to the side. With her eyes half closed, she missed the way his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He grabbed her arm and tilted her head back.

"You'd better tell him to go easy on your skin, kid." His eyes were flat. His finger traced a faint mark on her throat. "It took you a long time to loose the bruises the thieves put on your neck. I don't think you need any new ones."

"What are you talking about?" She pulled away from his grip and went to the mirror. "I don't see anything, Enqueri. Look at my skin with your sight set at normal levels."

"I still see it there." He murmured, turning down his sight. It was barely notable unless you knew the mark was there. The kid bruised too easily for his sanity.

"Can you wait for me to take a shower?" She turned away, heading for the shower.

"Yeah. So, what did you want to talk about?" He heard the shower start. Knowing her the way he did, she would expect him to be listening and kept talking.

"Why are you a policeman?"

He thought about that for a moment. Jim never asked, but he had noticed that she avoided the station and carefully skirted anyone in uniform. The information he'd been able to gather on her was often vague, very little substance in the file at all. The only clue he had for her phobia was the fact that her mentor, Dr. Zelinski, had been jailed in Chile during the 1980's. It had taken an international outcry to obtain the release of the renowned anthropologist. There was no mention of her location at the time, but he had a feeling she'd been there. Pinochet's uniformed goons had given an entire generation a deep fear of uniforms and government. Between that information and the black and white photograph from her files, he could guess at the reasons for her avoidance.

He waited for the water to stop. "To me, being a police officer is part of who I am. Here the motto of the police is 'to protect and serve'. Blair says it's the same instinct that makes a sentinel patrol his village. I think a lot of the officers in my precinct have the same instinct."

AJ stepped out of the bathroom, tucking her T-shirt into her jeans. She looked at him critically before nodding and grabbing her boots. "I think I can accept that."

As they went to leave, she paused and looked around the living room. Something wasn't quite right. Then she noticed. "Thank you for finding a vase for the rose. I forgot all about it last night."

Jim froze and looked around at her. "I didn't do it."

She stopped and turned to him. "Are you sure? I'm sure I left the rose on the table last night. We were running late to our class and then I was too tired to think about it when I got home this morning."

"Maybe your friend put it in the vase when he brought you home."

"He walked me to the door. He didn't come in, Jim."

He pulled out his cell phone and pushed the speed dial. "Sandburg, yeah, we're running late. No, she's fine, just overslept. I want to check something out before we leave. Yeah, you can talk to her."

"Blair?" AJ watched as the detective began pacing the living room, searching for anything that didn't belong. "I'll try not to let him get into anything and I'll get him home as quickly as I can. Look, I can't watch him and talk to you too. Bye."

"Is anything else out of place?" He barked at her as she turned off the phone.

"I don't think so, not today." At his glare, she shrugged. "Jim, I've been misplacing things lately. Nothing lost, just put away wrong. I thought that Blair moved them while we were working on the displays."

Jim studied the lock on the door carefully. "It's been picked, probably more than once from the looks of it. We need to call it in."

She sat down slowly. "What proof do you have? A rose put into a vase? Scratches on my lock? Things being moved in the living room? All of them are circumstantial. There would be no point in calling your police."

"At least let me fill out the forms."

"Fine, tomorrow when you go in. Not today. And I am not going into the station."

"I want to know everything about the man you've been seeing." At his words her head shot up.

"No. It can't be him. Really, it can't." She saw his expression and backed down slightly. "He works at the police station too. You know him. He's trustworthy."

"Give me his name then."

She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. She knew that Rafe was not her intruder. She knew that the same way she knew she could trust Jim and Blair to back her up if she needed help. "No. Jim, I won't believe that of him. If I can't trust him, then I can't trust you either. You have a key, he doesn't."

"AJ!" The insult hit him hard and he grabbed her arm, pulling her to face him.

"Listen to what I'm saying. I trust him. It comes from the same place that my trust for you comes from. If I can't trust the one feeling, how can I trust the other?" The big man tightened his grip on her arm. "That hurts, Sentinel. Enqueri, let go."

He released her arm as if she'd burned him. She continued speaking. "I'm a trained shaman. I can read some things in people. If I'm wrong about him, if I'm misreading him, am I misreading you too?"

"I will never try to hurt you, Hidalga. You should know that."

"I do." She closed her eyes and sighed. The first steps had been taken and she had missed them. She had a lot of research to do and fast. But she would have to wait. "I know you will not hurt me."

"What do you think they want?" All of Ellison's senses were sifting the clues around them. Papers that weren't quite in the perfect files she kept, a man's cologne, an artifact not quite in the same place as it had been just a few days ago. The cologne, he knew that scent. Suddenly every little piece of evidence came together. The expensive cologne, the questions about the cops, the long nights... Rafe's tired behavior on matching mornings... yeah, Rafe would take good care of AJ. He wondered briefly if he should tell Blair and decided against it. Blair would accidentally mention it to someone or in front of someone and they were obviously being very quiet about the whole thing. He'd let it rest for now.

"Whoever it is hasn't come in while I was home and attacked me. None of my personal stuff has been touched. It must be someone after the artifacts." AJ was running her fingers over a set of notes as she spoke, her mind racing. Notes, notes, which notes had disappeared, which had been moved. The missing computer disks! What had been on them? Nothing that would cause trouble, she decided after a long moment. The king knife! I can't look for it with Jim in the apartment. I can't let it see him.

"I want you to move into the loft."

"No, Enqueri. I won't do that." She stared at him, ignoring his angry glare. "I'll let you change my locks and I will report this to security. I'll tell them the same thing I told you. I think it's the artifacts and all of them are in the museum. Okay?"

"For now, but if anything, no matter how small, happens you move into the loft."

"I can accept that." She watched him, waiting for his acceptance. At his nod, she relaxed. She didn't finish the sentence aloud, knowing he would never accept it, but not if it risks either of you. I refuse to let it come to that.

852 Prospect, #307, much later that day

Blair silently massaged his partner's shoulders. The big detective was as tense as a rock. Something didn't quite feel right about the day. The other two were trying to protect him from something. So he'd waited patiently, knowing that once AJ was gone he could get the information from Jim.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

"What are the artifacts you work with worth?"

"Depends on which ones. Most are worthless to anyone but a collector. Then they are priceless." He frowned. "Why is someone trying to steal them? It makes no sense, none at all. They'll have a hard time. They have some of the best security on some of the display cases I've seen in a long time."

"Why?" Alarms were going off in Jim's head. He waited patiently for Blair's response.

"You'd have to ask AJ." He frowned thoughtfully. "The content of those cases are supposed to be a special loan, but she hasn't received that shipment yet. What's going on?"

"Someone went through her notes, rearranged things while she was out last night."

"When is she moving in?"

Jim had to smile at Blair's instant assumption. "She's not. Refuses to even think about it."

"Why haven't you put her in protective custody?"

"No proof. Just a really bad feeling."

"That usually is enough for Simon. But I guess if AJ refuses to cooperate, he can't force the issue."

"Got it in one."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I already advised the museum that there are rumors of a heist involving some of its antiquities. The department is going to send a regular drive by patrol for the rest of the semester." Jim looked over at his partner unhappily. "That's all I can do without a case to work."

"What about the guy she's seeing? Could he be part of it?"

"No. He's safe. In fact, I think he's probably safer than anyone I could introduce her to myself." Jim looked up in time to see the flash of pure astonishment that crossed Blair's face. He grinned wickedly. "She says she knows she can trust him the same way she knows to trust us. It took me a while, but I think I know who it is. If I'm right, he is a good man."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense... to her at least. She still didn't tell you who he is but you figured it out.? So are you going to tell me?" Blair's voice was silenced as the bigger man grinned wickedly and shook his head.

"Nope. I'm going to let them be and so are you."

Rainier University Apartments, same time.

She glared at the heavy obsidian blade on the table. The candle flames flickered off of the shiny black stone and the gold banding of its hilt glowed in the light. With quietly muttered words, she lit the herbs in the brazier next to the king knife. In the back of her head the knife's angry voice growled while premonitions and visions fought for her attention.

"Ñoqa Kyrie Eleason Alessandre Jacobo Fortaleza y Trujillo ka-ni. Ñoqa sagrada ka-ni. Ñoqa amaru ka-ni. Kay-kuna amigu-s-ni-y, runa-y-kuna." AJ's voice picked up as she whispered the words. She set a photograph of Jim and Blair in front of the knife. She dropped a single strand of long curly hair and a pair of shorter, dark hairs on the knife. "The sentinel and the guide are my family. They are under my protection. As long as I am sagrada... as long as I am consegrada, you may not taste their blood."

An unhappy wail rose in the back of her head. Ignoring it, she smoothed the linen dress, pushing a loose sleeve up, hooking it to her shoulder. The lowest group of tattoos was slightly swollen, the newest one surrounded by angry red skin. AJ's eyes were dark as she raised the king knife to the tattoo, letting the cool stone rest on the stylized eye over a shield. She waited for a long moment before placing the tip of the blade at the notch of her palm and pressing it home. Blood spilled, flowing thickly over the glittering black blade like a ribbon of liquid color.

Her hard held barriers broke and visions of flames, blood, altars, and screams overwhelmed her. The knife fell to the floor as AJ collapsed. Beside her a young lynx whimpered, placing itself between the woman and the black blade. In the distance a howl echoed through the sound of a panther's roar but neither the unconscious woman or the lynx stirred.

852 Prospect Ave, Apt 307

"NO!" Blair's voice broke the silence. He sat up, eyes turning instinctively to the figure that rushed to his side.

"Chief? What's wrong?" Jim's voice was worried.

"Just a nightmare. Man, was it a doozy." He shook his head at his sentinel. "All I could see were... bodies. They were everywhere. I could see altars and masked priests of many differenct groups, all working together." He shuddered.

Jim crouched at his side, studying his guide, measuring the still too rapid heartbeat. "You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, just no more of that new espresso while studying." Blair smiled up at his friend. Jim only shook his head and ruffled the younger man's hair. "Hey! Not the hair."

"Goodnight, Chief."