You Can Find Anything 13/? PG-13 for language (only one word really, but
better safe....)
---------------------------------
Realizing he was slowly drooping farther and farther down in his seat, Peter straightened, tapped himself on both cheeks and downed a slug of the iced coffee he'd stopped to buy on the way to the stakeout. After a minute or two and a reviving shiver, he cranked down the window for fresh air and began to quietly remind himself of the rewards he'd receive if this operation came out well.
"C'mon, Caine. Wake up, damn it! You're not just proving something to yourself here, you're showing those two rain-on-the-brain cops what you're made of. Tired? Me? Ha. Not in this lifetime. I worked too hard to earn a spot on this stakeout and I'm not givin' it up! Besides, I've got a rep to maintain.... never fallen asleep on a stakeout yet, an' I'm not starting with this one!"
Despite his resolve, Peter began to drift in and out of consciousness again a few minutes later. When the moment he'd been waiting three hours for finally arrived, he almost missed it. Only the sound of a truck slowly pulling into the bay of the warehouse a few yards away caught his attention and brought his chin off his chest. Drawing his gun, he pushed the door of the car open just enough to slip out and moved cautiously toward the warehouse entrance, ignoring the numbness in his legs and shoving aside the lightheadedness and shaking that were suddenly assaulting him. Even as the sensations got worse, he continued on, desperately focusing on the task ahead of him; making sure that the weapons in the truck never saw the hands of the gang-members that would use them indiscriminately to slaughter rivals and innocents alike.
Finally, he reached the warehouse and leaned gratefully against the wall a foot or so from the door, catching his breath and trying to rally his failing reserves of energy. Just as he felt ready to make a move, however, the world in front of him exploded with light and sound and he screamed. While half a dozen officers and the other members of the stakeout team descended on the warehouse, all Peter could manage was curses and cries forced through clenched teeth. As agony ripped through his head, his gun clattered to the pavement and he dropped to his knees. The icy barrel of someone else's gun being pressed to his temple momentarily made the pain worse, but the metal was pulled away immediately and Peter was soon collapsing sideways into Skelany's arms, keening out his misery and sheltering his face in her neck.
"Meg, he okay?"
"Yeah, he'll be fine. Just get in there and make sure all the exits are covered, okay?"
"You got it, detective."
"Pete.... what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be home resting, you idiot! I almost had you in cuffs, damn it! I could've shot you..... crap. Pete? What's wrong? Pete! Oh, God...."
Fumbling her cell phone out of her pocket, Skelany dialed a familiar number. "Caine? It's... how do you do that? Never mind. Peter.... yeah, same place as before. I don't know.... okay. Yes, I promise, no hospital. Just hurry."
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TWENTY MINUTES LATER
"Is he okay, Caine?"
"Yes. He is.... running on fumes, I believe you call it, but he will recover in a day or two if he rests."
"Pete rest? Maybe if you chain him to something heavy. Interested in borrowing my handcuffs?"
"I have my own methods. They are also... effective."
"I'm sure they are."
A few moments later Peter stirred and blinked up at his father. When the revolving, tinted lights of the police cars struck his eyes, however, he instantly closed them again, his expression twisting as renewed pain spiked through his head.
"Pop?"
"I am here."
"I... I'm sorry... you don't understand... I had to be here...."
"Be still, foolish child."
"Pop...."
"He's right. You acted like a spoiled little boy, now stop talking." Another voice chimed in, the tone shot through with obvious fury.
"Shit... Naomi...."
"You should know, Peter, that I never once used corporal punishment on Blair, but that doesn't mean I don't know how it works. As immature as you've been tonight, I think the universe would forgive me if I took advantage of your weakness, tossed you over my knee and spanked you until my arm fell off, but I don't want that on my karmic balance sheet, so listen to your father... and be quiet."
Unable to deal with his Guide's anger or the world in general anymore, Peter followed orders, whined faintly and buried his head back in Mary Margaret's shoulder. She gazed at him critically.
"Ohhhh, no you don't. You may be cute, but cuteness doesn't buy my sympathy. Caine, you wanna take him off my hands please?"
Peter's father nodded, reached down and easily lifted the young cop up and onto his feet.
"If you would tell Captain Blaisdell that Peter's illness was more serious than I first believed, I would be... grateful."
"No problem. I can't exactly keep tonight a secret, though.... I mean, other cops saw him here...."
"It is alright. Go and do your job, Detective. Thank you for caring for Peter."
"He doesn't make it easy...." she replied, watching the trio walk to Peter's car then turning back to check on the status of the warehouse bust.
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"That can't be right. He's in.... okay, he's not in bed. Mom, calm down... He did what?! No. No, don't bring him back here. He's your Sentinel, you ream him out. You did? What'd you.... that's more like a formal reprimand, mom.... You threatened to spank him? Whoa, you are ticked! Mom.... no, you're right, you don't need that on your record.... okay. Okay, I'll see you for breakfast.... the little diner next to the hotel. Good. Okay. Yes, mom. Night. Morning, whatever. Bye."
Slowly lifting his head, Jim turned sleep-dazed eyes on Blair.
"What is it? Emergency?"
"Could've been. Caine and Naomi handled it. Seems Peter waited for us to fall asleep, slipped out and went to the stakeout anyway."
This news brought Jim the rest of the way out of sleep. He whipped his head around to check the second bed, found it empty and returned his furious gaze to Blair.
"That conniving little.... Is he okay?"
"He will be. When the bust went down the lights and all the noise put him in a world of hurt, but that other cop, Skelany, was there for him. She called in the cavalry and watched over him 'till they showed up. Mom says we'll get the whole story at breakfast." Blair replied, settling back down and adjusting his pillow. Jim sat up.
"Is she bringing him back here?"
"No. They're taking him back to the dojo. She says Caine's got just the thing for keeping Pete in one place until he's a hundred percent again."
Nodding slightly, Jim went still for a long moment, then slid out of their shared bed and moved to the empty one. Blair opened his mouth to provide a gentle protest, but when Jim turned onto his side, presenting his back to his partner, the words froze in Sandburg's throat and he forced them back down. Punching his pillow, he too turned away and tried to drift back to sleep, but it never happened.
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BREAKFAST:
"Mom, don't look at me like that. If he actually were four years old instead of just acting like it, maybe I would have kept a closer eye on him, but he's a grown man."
"It's not really you I'm disappointed in, sweetheart. It's me. I'm doubting myself.... and I don't like it. It's disrupting the proper flow of my Chi."
"Guide isn't a synonym for perfect, mom. I blew it with Jim a thousand times in the beginning. It got a lot better once I got to know him; found out who he thinks he is, who he really is, who he wants to be.... and he discovered all the same stuff about me, but it took time and work. Besides, I never though I'd find anyone more stubborn and determined then the big guy here, but Peter.... he could even give Jim a run for his money in that department."
Jim cast a skeptical look on his partner, then, while casually pouring coffee from the common carafe, quietly threw out a statement that left Blair practically speechless.
"I'm determined? How many times have I pushed you away, Sandburg? How many times have I told you 'No, I can't make this work' or 'No, I can't control my senses that way, no matter how critical it might be' ? When it's down to the wire, you never let me give up on myself or the people I'm supposed to be protecting. Hell, you pack three times as much determination into that five-foot-something frame as half the CPD could muster put together. Thank God you do, too. I don't know how many lives you've helped save..... me, stubborn.... yeah, right." Jim chuckled, stirring sugar into his coffee and taking a cautious sip.
Blair stared at him, his jaw hanging slightly open. Eventually his mother reached across and closed it for him.
"Eat your food Blair, before it gets cold."
"Huh? Oh... oh, yeah. Okay...."
Jim smirked behind his mug, but said nothing more until all three had finished their meals.
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"I'll get the check." Jim offered, rising and pulling out his wallet. "Meet you out front in a few minutes, Chief."
Blair easily read the message that Jim was giving him a few precious moments alone with Naomi before the men escaped to explore the city for the day. Grinning, Blair dragged her out to the sidewalk. Naomi, however, kept looking back at Jim as he stood at the register.
"What is it, mom?"
"You and Jim.... you're so close. I know you said you genuinely understand each other, but.... he really does see to the core of you, doesn't he? He sees the essence of my Blair."
"Yeah.... He does, but it's not a bad thing, you know? He...."
"I didn't say it was bad." Naomi replied, turning to look at her son. "It's just.... I've never experienced that. I never stayed in one place long enough. I suppose the idea of that kind of deep connection frightened me a little. Will... will Peter and I have that? Will he know me that well?"
"Like I said, it's a little different for every pair bond, but... yeah. Once you start training with Jim and me, once you're spending big blocks of time together every day, it'll happen. You'll open up to each other, learn to trust. You'll find yourself telling him things you never thought you'd say to anybody. In your head, at first you go ' Oh God, what'd I just say?! ' , but after a minute you think ' It's okay. He's my Sentinel. My secrets will always be safe with him. He'll protect them the way he protects me.' It is scary in the beginning, but it becomes second nature.... like, you're still you, but he's always with you too. You're.... more."
"The way it is with the spirit animals?"
"Kind of, but I don't always feel or sense Lobo. He shows up when he's needed or when he has something to tell me. Jim.... I can't really explain it. He's like a... a touchstone in my pocket, except.... he's in my head. If I'm scared, or just feeling alone, I visualize myself running my hand over a rough, mossy rock somewhere in the jungle and.... it always makes it better."
"That's so beautiful, sweetie. I only hope Peter and I can reach that level of awareness."
"You will, but it won't be quite the same. You two will have to find your own way. The one thing I can promise you is that once you do get there, you'll wonder how you ever got through a day before you were bonded. It splits your whole existence into then and now.... and you realize now is so much better, there's just no comparison."
Naomi laughed brightly and embraced Blair.
"Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?"
Blair, faintly shocked, responded uncertainly.
"Uh... no. Not recently."
"I am. You've turned into a fine man, B.J. I couldn't possibly be any prouder, or love you any more." She told him, pulling away. "You have fun playing tourist with Jim today, alright? I will see you for dinner?"
"Yeah.... yeah, of course. We'll come to the dojo and pick you up."
"Great. See you then, darling."
Turning away, Naomi hailed a cab, climbed in and sped away. When Jim joined Blair a few seconds later, he was shocked to find tears streaming down his Guide's face and a shaky smile on his lips.
"Hey.... what is it? You okay?"
"Me? I'm good."
"Then what're the tears about?"
"Naomi.... she... said she was proud of me.... then she said 'You're a... a fine man B.J.' God, I can't believe..."
"B.J. ? Where... oh. Blair Jacob. Cute."
"It was my nickname.... she hasn't used it since I was a toddler.... it always made me laugh.... I thought she'd forgotten all about it."
Gripping Blair's shoulder with one hand, Jim pulled out a tissue from his jacket pocket with the other and offered it to his friend.
"Once in a while, parents surprise us, I guess. You still up for the All- Day-Sight-Seeing-Marathon? I know you didn't get much sleep after the phone call this morning."
"No... I'm fine. More than that, I'm super-fine. Find us a cab, oh Sentinel- of-the-Great-City. I'm in the mood for some serious running around."
Jim rolled his eyes slightly at the thought of having to keep up with his own live-action version of Tigger for several hours, but he was also smiling as raised his hand to signal a taxi.
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TBC........
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Realizing he was slowly drooping farther and farther down in his seat, Peter straightened, tapped himself on both cheeks and downed a slug of the iced coffee he'd stopped to buy on the way to the stakeout. After a minute or two and a reviving shiver, he cranked down the window for fresh air and began to quietly remind himself of the rewards he'd receive if this operation came out well.
"C'mon, Caine. Wake up, damn it! You're not just proving something to yourself here, you're showing those two rain-on-the-brain cops what you're made of. Tired? Me? Ha. Not in this lifetime. I worked too hard to earn a spot on this stakeout and I'm not givin' it up! Besides, I've got a rep to maintain.... never fallen asleep on a stakeout yet, an' I'm not starting with this one!"
Despite his resolve, Peter began to drift in and out of consciousness again a few minutes later. When the moment he'd been waiting three hours for finally arrived, he almost missed it. Only the sound of a truck slowly pulling into the bay of the warehouse a few yards away caught his attention and brought his chin off his chest. Drawing his gun, he pushed the door of the car open just enough to slip out and moved cautiously toward the warehouse entrance, ignoring the numbness in his legs and shoving aside the lightheadedness and shaking that were suddenly assaulting him. Even as the sensations got worse, he continued on, desperately focusing on the task ahead of him; making sure that the weapons in the truck never saw the hands of the gang-members that would use them indiscriminately to slaughter rivals and innocents alike.
Finally, he reached the warehouse and leaned gratefully against the wall a foot or so from the door, catching his breath and trying to rally his failing reserves of energy. Just as he felt ready to make a move, however, the world in front of him exploded with light and sound and he screamed. While half a dozen officers and the other members of the stakeout team descended on the warehouse, all Peter could manage was curses and cries forced through clenched teeth. As agony ripped through his head, his gun clattered to the pavement and he dropped to his knees. The icy barrel of someone else's gun being pressed to his temple momentarily made the pain worse, but the metal was pulled away immediately and Peter was soon collapsing sideways into Skelany's arms, keening out his misery and sheltering his face in her neck.
"Meg, he okay?"
"Yeah, he'll be fine. Just get in there and make sure all the exits are covered, okay?"
"You got it, detective."
"Pete.... what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be home resting, you idiot! I almost had you in cuffs, damn it! I could've shot you..... crap. Pete? What's wrong? Pete! Oh, God...."
Fumbling her cell phone out of her pocket, Skelany dialed a familiar number. "Caine? It's... how do you do that? Never mind. Peter.... yeah, same place as before. I don't know.... okay. Yes, I promise, no hospital. Just hurry."
------------------------
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
"Is he okay, Caine?"
"Yes. He is.... running on fumes, I believe you call it, but he will recover in a day or two if he rests."
"Pete rest? Maybe if you chain him to something heavy. Interested in borrowing my handcuffs?"
"I have my own methods. They are also... effective."
"I'm sure they are."
A few moments later Peter stirred and blinked up at his father. When the revolving, tinted lights of the police cars struck his eyes, however, he instantly closed them again, his expression twisting as renewed pain spiked through his head.
"Pop?"
"I am here."
"I... I'm sorry... you don't understand... I had to be here...."
"Be still, foolish child."
"Pop...."
"He's right. You acted like a spoiled little boy, now stop talking." Another voice chimed in, the tone shot through with obvious fury.
"Shit... Naomi...."
"You should know, Peter, that I never once used corporal punishment on Blair, but that doesn't mean I don't know how it works. As immature as you've been tonight, I think the universe would forgive me if I took advantage of your weakness, tossed you over my knee and spanked you until my arm fell off, but I don't want that on my karmic balance sheet, so listen to your father... and be quiet."
Unable to deal with his Guide's anger or the world in general anymore, Peter followed orders, whined faintly and buried his head back in Mary Margaret's shoulder. She gazed at him critically.
"Ohhhh, no you don't. You may be cute, but cuteness doesn't buy my sympathy. Caine, you wanna take him off my hands please?"
Peter's father nodded, reached down and easily lifted the young cop up and onto his feet.
"If you would tell Captain Blaisdell that Peter's illness was more serious than I first believed, I would be... grateful."
"No problem. I can't exactly keep tonight a secret, though.... I mean, other cops saw him here...."
"It is alright. Go and do your job, Detective. Thank you for caring for Peter."
"He doesn't make it easy...." she replied, watching the trio walk to Peter's car then turning back to check on the status of the warehouse bust.
-------------------------
"That can't be right. He's in.... okay, he's not in bed. Mom, calm down... He did what?! No. No, don't bring him back here. He's your Sentinel, you ream him out. You did? What'd you.... that's more like a formal reprimand, mom.... You threatened to spank him? Whoa, you are ticked! Mom.... no, you're right, you don't need that on your record.... okay. Okay, I'll see you for breakfast.... the little diner next to the hotel. Good. Okay. Yes, mom. Night. Morning, whatever. Bye."
Slowly lifting his head, Jim turned sleep-dazed eyes on Blair.
"What is it? Emergency?"
"Could've been. Caine and Naomi handled it. Seems Peter waited for us to fall asleep, slipped out and went to the stakeout anyway."
This news brought Jim the rest of the way out of sleep. He whipped his head around to check the second bed, found it empty and returned his furious gaze to Blair.
"That conniving little.... Is he okay?"
"He will be. When the bust went down the lights and all the noise put him in a world of hurt, but that other cop, Skelany, was there for him. She called in the cavalry and watched over him 'till they showed up. Mom says we'll get the whole story at breakfast." Blair replied, settling back down and adjusting his pillow. Jim sat up.
"Is she bringing him back here?"
"No. They're taking him back to the dojo. She says Caine's got just the thing for keeping Pete in one place until he's a hundred percent again."
Nodding slightly, Jim went still for a long moment, then slid out of their shared bed and moved to the empty one. Blair opened his mouth to provide a gentle protest, but when Jim turned onto his side, presenting his back to his partner, the words froze in Sandburg's throat and he forced them back down. Punching his pillow, he too turned away and tried to drift back to sleep, but it never happened.
---------------------------
BREAKFAST:
"Mom, don't look at me like that. If he actually were four years old instead of just acting like it, maybe I would have kept a closer eye on him, but he's a grown man."
"It's not really you I'm disappointed in, sweetheart. It's me. I'm doubting myself.... and I don't like it. It's disrupting the proper flow of my Chi."
"Guide isn't a synonym for perfect, mom. I blew it with Jim a thousand times in the beginning. It got a lot better once I got to know him; found out who he thinks he is, who he really is, who he wants to be.... and he discovered all the same stuff about me, but it took time and work. Besides, I never though I'd find anyone more stubborn and determined then the big guy here, but Peter.... he could even give Jim a run for his money in that department."
Jim cast a skeptical look on his partner, then, while casually pouring coffee from the common carafe, quietly threw out a statement that left Blair practically speechless.
"I'm determined? How many times have I pushed you away, Sandburg? How many times have I told you 'No, I can't make this work' or 'No, I can't control my senses that way, no matter how critical it might be' ? When it's down to the wire, you never let me give up on myself or the people I'm supposed to be protecting. Hell, you pack three times as much determination into that five-foot-something frame as half the CPD could muster put together. Thank God you do, too. I don't know how many lives you've helped save..... me, stubborn.... yeah, right." Jim chuckled, stirring sugar into his coffee and taking a cautious sip.
Blair stared at him, his jaw hanging slightly open. Eventually his mother reached across and closed it for him.
"Eat your food Blair, before it gets cold."
"Huh? Oh... oh, yeah. Okay...."
Jim smirked behind his mug, but said nothing more until all three had finished their meals.
------------------------------
"I'll get the check." Jim offered, rising and pulling out his wallet. "Meet you out front in a few minutes, Chief."
Blair easily read the message that Jim was giving him a few precious moments alone with Naomi before the men escaped to explore the city for the day. Grinning, Blair dragged her out to the sidewalk. Naomi, however, kept looking back at Jim as he stood at the register.
"What is it, mom?"
"You and Jim.... you're so close. I know you said you genuinely understand each other, but.... he really does see to the core of you, doesn't he? He sees the essence of my Blair."
"Yeah.... He does, but it's not a bad thing, you know? He...."
"I didn't say it was bad." Naomi replied, turning to look at her son. "It's just.... I've never experienced that. I never stayed in one place long enough. I suppose the idea of that kind of deep connection frightened me a little. Will... will Peter and I have that? Will he know me that well?"
"Like I said, it's a little different for every pair bond, but... yeah. Once you start training with Jim and me, once you're spending big blocks of time together every day, it'll happen. You'll open up to each other, learn to trust. You'll find yourself telling him things you never thought you'd say to anybody. In your head, at first you go ' Oh God, what'd I just say?! ' , but after a minute you think ' It's okay. He's my Sentinel. My secrets will always be safe with him. He'll protect them the way he protects me.' It is scary in the beginning, but it becomes second nature.... like, you're still you, but he's always with you too. You're.... more."
"The way it is with the spirit animals?"
"Kind of, but I don't always feel or sense Lobo. He shows up when he's needed or when he has something to tell me. Jim.... I can't really explain it. He's like a... a touchstone in my pocket, except.... he's in my head. If I'm scared, or just feeling alone, I visualize myself running my hand over a rough, mossy rock somewhere in the jungle and.... it always makes it better."
"That's so beautiful, sweetie. I only hope Peter and I can reach that level of awareness."
"You will, but it won't be quite the same. You two will have to find your own way. The one thing I can promise you is that once you do get there, you'll wonder how you ever got through a day before you were bonded. It splits your whole existence into then and now.... and you realize now is so much better, there's just no comparison."
Naomi laughed brightly and embraced Blair.
"Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?"
Blair, faintly shocked, responded uncertainly.
"Uh... no. Not recently."
"I am. You've turned into a fine man, B.J. I couldn't possibly be any prouder, or love you any more." She told him, pulling away. "You have fun playing tourist with Jim today, alright? I will see you for dinner?"
"Yeah.... yeah, of course. We'll come to the dojo and pick you up."
"Great. See you then, darling."
Turning away, Naomi hailed a cab, climbed in and sped away. When Jim joined Blair a few seconds later, he was shocked to find tears streaming down his Guide's face and a shaky smile on his lips.
"Hey.... what is it? You okay?"
"Me? I'm good."
"Then what're the tears about?"
"Naomi.... she... said she was proud of me.... then she said 'You're a... a fine man B.J.' God, I can't believe..."
"B.J. ? Where... oh. Blair Jacob. Cute."
"It was my nickname.... she hasn't used it since I was a toddler.... it always made me laugh.... I thought she'd forgotten all about it."
Gripping Blair's shoulder with one hand, Jim pulled out a tissue from his jacket pocket with the other and offered it to his friend.
"Once in a while, parents surprise us, I guess. You still up for the All- Day-Sight-Seeing-Marathon? I know you didn't get much sleep after the phone call this morning."
"No... I'm fine. More than that, I'm super-fine. Find us a cab, oh Sentinel- of-the-Great-City. I'm in the mood for some serious running around."
Jim rolled his eyes slightly at the thought of having to keep up with his own live-action version of Tigger for several hours, but he was also smiling as raised his hand to signal a taxi.
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TBC........
