Title: Waiting

Author: Brynn H

Warnings: Mentions of violence. Bad language.

A/N: Thanks much to Punky for the lightening beta.

Waiting: Chapter 2

Jim was in the DA's office, going over – yet again – his testimony for the upcoming case. His cell phone rang, and once he saw who the caller was, he knew he'd have a good excuse to take it, and get out of the incessant drilling – if only for a short time.

"Yeah, Simon." Jim answered just a bit too enthusiastically. His mood was dulled considerably, though, once he heard his captain's voice.

"Jim," The caller's voice was serious and hesitant. "We just got a call from the owner of that health food store Sandburg likes so much." Just when the silence was getting to be too much for Jim, Simon continued. "The kid was kidnapped about forty-five minutes ago, Jim."

"I'm on my way to the scene."

Jim slammed his cell phone closed before he heard Simon say, "The hell you are! You stay right where you are!"

Jim wasn't even as far as the elevator when his phone rang again. Glancing at the screen, he jerked it open and yelled. "Chief?!"

A mechanically distorted voice answered instead. "If you mean your little hippy friend, he's a bit tied up at the moment. Watch the video we sent," and the line went dead.

Jim fumbled around, trying to figure out how to access the video, only to about half wish he hadn't, once he saw the contents. A struggling Blair lay in the back seat of a car that sped through the city streets. A large guy with a mask restrained him while a second, just as large, punched his face and stomach. Blair's hands and feet were duct-taped but he still managed to land a couple of pretty impressive kicks and to yell at the kidnappers invectives that Jim hadn't even realized that the kid knew.

Since the angle of the video suggested that the camera-man was sitting in the passenger's seat, it clearly showed two men in the back with Blair, and presumably someone one driving, Jim decided there were at least four future dead men involved in the abduction of his friend.

_____

By this time, the DA had caught up with Jim at the elevator. "Where the hell do you think you're going? The trial starts in half an hour."

"Well then, it'll have to start without me!" Jim pushed past her and stepped into the elevator. "My partner is in trouble, and there's no way in hell that I'm going to sit on my ass in a courtroom while he's being beaten!"

District Attorney Sara Anderson had managed to squeeze past the rapidly closing elevator doors and tried various avenues of reasoning on the way down. Jim had a random thought that if she didn't realize that Jim was already past all reason – that he always was when Blair was in danger – then she really didn't know him very well at all.

Fortunately, Jim thought, the opening doors revealed someone who did know him well.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Simon unknowingly mimicked Sara's words. Taken aback, Jim thought that maybe Simon didn't know him as well as Jim had thought he did. So, maybe not so fortunate that Simon had shown up at just that moment.

"Strike that," Simon continued, "I know just where you think you're going."

"Simon, Blair's…"

"I know! I told you! Remember? Rafe and Brown are already on their way to the scene – probably even there by now – and they'll handle this. You have a murdering pedophile to put away! Or did you forget that your testimony is pivotal in this case? Without you here, that creep is going to walk!"

Jim grabbed Simon's arms, but managed – just barely – to keep himself from throwing the man against the nearest wall. "I know it, god damn it, but this is Blair, and I'll be damned…"

"If you don't get your hands off of me this second, detective, I'll damn you hell myself!"

Jim dropped his hands as though he was burned and he even managed to look a little contrite. His voice calmed considerably as he explained. "He's being beaten, Simon. They sent me a video file." Simon's face softened only a little as Jim pleaded, "This is Blair!"

"…who is being searched for as we speak, and who will be rescued, while you wait to testify." After observing Jim's still stubborn face, Simon went on. "You're not the only good cop on the force, Jim. We'll find him and he will understand why you couldn't be there."

"Don't make me quit, Simon," Jim said through a clenched jaw.

"Don't make me fire your ass!" Simon countered. "Get to the court room now, detective."

Jim considered just quitting anyway and going after Blair, but he knew his friend wouldn't want to be the cause of a child killer going free. After a long internal debate that played out on the big man's face, he finally sent the video file to Simon's phone so the clues from that could be used to find Blair, and Jim stabbed the 'up' button for the elevator.

"I'll go, for now." Jim explained, "but if he's not found in half an hour…"

The elevator arrived and Jim stepped on, leaving the threat unfinished. Simon, for his part, decided just to let Jim think he had a choice in this…for the time being, at least. He could always disillusion him later, if necessary. For now, Simon just prayed that Rafe and Brown were as good as he'd told Jim they were, and that they'd find Blair before another showdown with Jim became necessary. Just in case, though, Simon forwarded the file on to Joel, called him to put him in charge of the investigation and took the next elevator to be with Jim in the courtroom. If his men didn't find Blair, someone had to be there to keep Jim from leaving the courtroom before the child-killer was brought to justice. Simon couldn't think of anyone else that even had a hope of stopping Jim, so he declared himself on watch-dog duty for the duration of the trial.

TBC