Bill Bright was not exactly what his name would imply, but the young man WAS a dedicated toady with dreams of grand rewards in time for his loyalty. Unfortunately, he chose to ally himself with Goldar, impressed with the big man's aura of toughness and menace. Goldar was everything young Bright dreamed of becoming.
So when he got wind of the fact that Blair Sandburg had humiliated his hero, in public…in front of a young LADY…Bill was beyond angry. Then he realized it was the perfect chance to raise his stock in his boss's eyes, and took it upon himself to teach Sandburg it wasn't nice to make someone as powerful as Goldar look stupid.
Having learned early in life that a good ambush could compensate for the fact he wasn't particularly strong or large, Bright selected a secluded spot along the route to town and waited for his unwitting prey. It took three days for their paths to finally cross, but Bright's patience was rewarded when his first swing, with a large piece of wood, took the former anthropology student down hard and fast. Only Blair's quick reflexes kept that first blow from being fatal, as his lightning fast reaction had resulted in the blow glancing off his head instead of hitting it full on. Still, he fell from his horse dazed and disoriented, blood streaming from the wound on his scalp.
Leaping from his mount, Bright rushed up to the fallen man, delivering a pair of vicious kicks to Sandburg's vulnerable ribs. Blair rolled away desperately, managing to stagger to his feet, mostly due to the adrenalin rush. Seeing the wild eyed young man stalking him with a arm-thick chunk of wood and a cruel smirk twisting his lips, Sandburg did the only thing he could think of under the circumstances.
"Jim! Help! Jim!" he shouted as loudly as he could, given his injured ribs made breathing in difficult.
"He can't hear you way out here, you're just wasting your breath," Bill taunted him, suddenly swinging his stick in a tight arch that connected with Blair's uninjured side, bringing him almost to his knees again.
Sandburg kept his footing with difficulty, managing to stagger away while desperately looking for something to defend himself with, cursing his tendency to not carry a gun. Bright stalked him with malicious good cheer, realizing his prey was fairly defenseless now, Bill decided to have some fun.
"You're all alone, nothing to distract you from thinking about how you shouldn't show up your betters. Can't believe no one's taught you this lesson before. Maybe you're just stupid and forgot, huh?" the younger man asked, jabbing Blair in the abdomen with the stick, despite Sandburg's attempt to deflect it. That blow managed to knock Blair down again, and Bright moved in quickly, striking a wicked blow to the downed man's hip, and then another that was aimed for his ribs smashed into his forearm instead.
"Learning anything yet?" Another jab, this one catching Blair in the chest as he attempted to rise and knocking him flat again. "Huh? Leaning?"
"I think the lesson is just about to start," came a cold and deadly voice from behind Bright. The young man whirled to find a furious Jim Ellison standing behind him, his stance deceptively calm and relaxed.
"You want some of this? Then step on up!" Heady with the power rush he'd gotten from beating a virtually defenseless man, Bright didn't realize the very real danger he faced in the Sentinel whose protective instincts were fully aroused. He took a swing at Ellison as the big man lunged forward, surprised when the blow was skillfully deflected and the stick knocked from his suddenly nerveless hand. His eyes widened in shock as he finally recognized the very real peril he faced.
There was no conscious thought in the Sentinel's mind, just the instinctive drive to protect his Guide, regardless the danger. Picking up the piece of wood that had been used on Sandburg, Ellison towered over Bright, all but feeding on the fear pouring off the younger man. At some primal level he'd understood that Bright had intended to kill Blair; at that level Jim felt justified in defending his Guide to that same end. He raised his weapon for the first blow when a desperate voice cut through the haze of fury in his mind.
"Jim! Jim, no! Stop!" Blair called desperately to his friend; he'd seen the look in the big man's eyes and understood Ellison was not completely in charge at the moment. He nearly wept with relief when Jim paused in his attack and looked at him with an oddly puzzled look.
"Jim, this is what Simon is for. You can't just take justice in your own hands, you know that. We've been trying to teach the kids not to respond to violence with violence, and it can't just be words. You have to SHOW them the right way to behave. You know that!" he pleaded desperately, understanding he'd only have this one chance to dissuade his Sentinel from the kill.
Jim locked eyes with his best friend, then gave a sigh of exasperation, acknowledging he was right. Bill Bright seemed to understand he was being let off the hook, and made a desperate scramble to escape, only to have Ellison smash him upside the head with the piece of wood, sending him into unconsciousness.
"Tried to escape, Chief. You saw that." Jim snorted, dismissing Bright and turning his attention back on Blair. "Let's take a look at you here. Damn, we need to get you to the doc. Think you can ride?"
"Sure, Big Guy. But, I'd rather just go home, really. There's nothing the doc can really do, except tell me I've got a lot of bruises, and riding all the way into town then back home again doesn't sound like fun, you know?" Blair protested quietly, looking up at his friend pleadingly as Ellison used his Sentinel senses to check over his Guide.
"Okay, I'll take you home, but I'm bringing the doc back by after I turn this trash over to Simon. You arm is broken, and your ribs need to be wrapped, so no arguments, Junior."
"No arguments, Jim. Thanks for the rescue, by the way. Your timing was excellent," Blair said quietly as he hunched over awkwardly in the saddle.
"If my timing was 'excellent' he wouldn't have gotten any blows at all. Wonder what the hell he thought he was doing?" the Sentinel pondered as he secured his prisoner and mounted his own horse.
"Guess he's getting revenge for the Zedd's foreman, Goldar. You remember I told you about the wagon incident? I really would have expected him to deal with it himself, though, you know? Wonder why he sent this guy?"
"No idea, Chief. But I'm sure Simon can get to the bottom of it. Come on, let's get you back home, let Hannah help you 'til the doc can get there."
The ride home was uncomfortable in the extreme for Sandburg, he was pale and sweating by the time they reached the ranch, and Hannah nearly had a fit when she saw him. Glad the children were all in school, she hustled him into the sickroom and started cleaning his head wound before he'd even had a chance to explain what had happened. Leaving the younger man in the kind woman's capable hands, Jim took the newly conscious and thoroughly furious Bright into town to turn over to Sheriff Simon Banks.
Goldar, backed by the Zedds and Bill Bright himself, professed his innocence regarding Bright's attack on Blair, who did indeed suffer a broken arm as well as four cracked ribs in the incident. Within a couple of days Bill was sentenced to a month in prison for the assault, and sent to Seattle to serve his time, knowing he was lucky Ellison hadn't killed him for what he'd done.
Though both Simon and Jim had doubts about Goldar's innocence, they had no evidence to the contrary, and were forced to let their suspicions go for the time being.
TS TS TS
"Hey, Stupid, move! You're in our way!" Bulk growled, shoving Billy roughly off the path behind the schoolhouse. The smaller boy stumbled on the uneven ground and fell, prompting the larger youth to follow up and plant a painful kick in his backside as he struggled to rise.
"Yeah, move Stupid!" Skull echoed, adding his irritating, braying laugh as Billy fell forward with a pained grunt, a stick digging painfully along his side. Satisfied for the moment, they continued on, leaving their smaller victim to get slowly to his feet.
The two boys, Farcus Bulkmeyer and Eugene Skullavich, were the school bullies, fond of picking on the smaller kids who couldn't defend themselves. Until recently they'd been without a chosen victim, since the Stevens family had left, taking their young son with them. Peter Stevens had been a pudgy boy with red hair and glasses, shy and afraid of his own shadow. The two bullies had made his life a living hell, made only worse by their skill at timing their attacks so there were no witnesses, thereby usually avoiding punishment, protected by the childhood code of silence.
But since Billy had joined the Ellison clan, they'd found a new victim; the perfect victim, actually. Not only was the new boy smaller and easy to pick on, he had no defensive skills, AND he was mute, so his tattling on them wasn't possible. They did learn to take care not to bother him when Jason was around, or any of the other of their bunch, but if he was out alone, he was fair game.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Billy jumped at the unexpected voice, and turned to find Tommy standing there looking at him worriedly.
"I saw what they did. Are you okay?" he reiterated.
Billy nodded slowly, rubbing his hands down the sides of his legs to remove the twigs and pebbles from his tumble. He started to brush off his shirt, then stopped, wincing in pain.
"What is it? Let me see," the half Indian youth offered, stepping closer to the other boy, ignoring how Billy flinched back from him.
Fixing the other boy with a worried look, Billy pulled up his shirt to expose a nasty looking scrape parallel with the ribs on his right side, a dark bruise already discoloring the swelling flesh.
"I think maybe you should have Hannah look at this," Tommy said, frowning.
The smaller boy backed away from him, shaking his head emphatically and holding a finger to his lips in the well-recognized symbol for silence. Tommy couldn't even pretend to not understand.
"Why not? Billy, you're hurt," the other boy protested, then stopped to consider his companion. "Okay, I think I get it. I'll keep quiet, but if it gets bad, you let me know, okay? Come on, everyone's about to head on home, we don't want to be late." He knew he'd made the right decision when the new boy relaxed and gave him his slightly crooked smile.
The next day was Saturday, which meant no school and plenty of free time to play once the chores were done. Tommy finished his portion of the chores quickly, then sought out Billy, who was alone in the barn cleaning stalls.
"Hey, Billy, I've been thinking. You know, when I was with the tribe, older kids used to pick on me, cause my dad was white. And this one boy, he was the son of the tribe medicine man, who was very wise, he felt sorry for me because I was always getting beat up. So he taught me how to defend myself when bigger boys attacked me, and I was thinking I could teach you if you want. So next time Bulk and Skull give you a hard time, maybe you can give them some back. You want to try?" He'd spent the night debating trying to teach the other boy how to fight, knowing Jim and Blair wouldn't approve. But, Billy was hiding his injuries now, afraid to let the adults see, afraid to let the other kids – especially Jason – see, knowing they'd be upset, and he was probably a little ashamed that he was losing the fights as well. Maybe if Billy struck back Bulk and Skull would back off, let him alone.
Tommy was a keen observer in is own right, he might not know the terms for things like Blair did, but he understood how life worked, how people reacted and related, almost instinctively. He'd seen the look in Billy's eyes when he looked at Jason, the look of near idolization in the green orbs. He'd seen Jason's gentleness in dealing with the timid smaller boy, and his fierceness in defending him. He'd noticed that Billy had become their protectee, the 'little brother' to all of them. That seemed normal enough for any new kid, but Tommy suspected Billy would remain the little brother permanently. At any rate, Tommy had seen the scars Billy was carrying, knew the blond had suffered the same kind of treatment he'd suffered a few years before, and felt an odd kinship to the silent youth. At first he'd resented Jim and Blair bringing home a new kid, feared his place was being taken, but those feelings had passed, and now he felt a strong desire to help the 'new boy', as he'd been helped not that long ago.
At the blond's shy nod, Tommy smiled clapped him on the back. "Good choice. Why don't you put the rake down, and I'll show you a couple right now, okay?"
Soon the two boys were engrossed in their project, having quickly discovered the most effective method was for Billy to first 'attack' Tommy, who would demonstrate the move he wanted to teach Billy, then Tommy would go on the offensive, talking his student through the defense, doing it several times, getting progressively more aggressive, until Billy had the move down. They were both having a good time, their lessons stopped frequently by bouts of laughter, however silent, and their eyes shone with spirit and humor.
"Okay, you've almost got this one down. I'm going to come in a little harder this time, and hold on tighter. You give it all you've got, okay?"
True to his word, Tommy grabbed Billy from behind tightly, striving to throw the smaller boy down, while Billy countered his move with surprising efficiency. It was at that moment that Jason came to the door and spied the other two boys, immediately jumping to the most logical, however wrong, conclusion.
"Let him go!" the dark haired boy shouted, running up behind Tommy and wrenching him from Billy, effectively throwing them all off balance. With the instincts of a fighter and a natural athlete, Tommy recovered quickly and countered Jason's attack, engaging the stronger boy in an all out fistfight.
Billy looked at the two battling youths and promptly tried to separate them, making an odd grunting sound as he fought to stop the fight he realized had started because of an honest mistake. He wasn't making any headway, given the fact the other two boys both had hot tempers that were fully enflamed at the moment, and was only getting hit with the occasional stray punch when Jim arrived on the scene.
The Sentinel had been in a consistently poor mood ever since Blair had been attacked four days before, and the sight of his two most difficult charges fighting was not likely to improve matters. With an angry shout he reached in and grabbed the two combatants by the scruff of their necks, separating them and shaking them both roughly.
"That does it! You two have just earned the whupping of your lives! You won't sit down for a week! There is no excuse for this…" his angry tirade was cut off by the sound of a rising cry, which effectively got all their attention.
"Noooo!" Billy screamed, launching himself at Jim in a flurry of small fists and awkward kicks. "Don't hurt him! Don't you hurt him! Don't hurt him! Don't hurt me!"
Jim released the other two boys and grabbed the distraught child in front of him, pulling him in close to contain the still flaying arms and legs, all the while trying to break through his hysteria. Billy bucked and twisted in his grasp, fighting desperately to escape some terror only he could see, a past horror still trapped in his mind by his inability to speak it free. Finally managing a grip that held the small body firmly but without hurting him, Jim raised his voice over Billy's barely coherent cries and spoke to Jason and Tommy.
"You two get yourselves to the woodshed and wait for me. And so help me, if I find you two fighting in there you may never sit down again. Am I understood?" He wasn't shouting, but the intensity of his voice coupled with the barely contained fury in his eyes got both boys moving without delay, despite their shock at their formerly placid friend's explosion.
Seeing the other children had been attracted by the commotion he glanced over at them wearily. "Go on, guys, get back to whatever you were doing. It's okay; it's under control. Go on," he encouraged them, sensing their unease but unable to address that now. The whirling dervish in his arms was finally starting to wind down, though the tears were showing no sign of abating. Shifting the slight body to a more comfortable hold, the tall man strode quickly toward the entrance, intent on taking his overwrought charge to the house, wishing Blair was there to help since the younger man was usually more successful in calming upset children.
Hannah met him at the front door with a worried frown, but Jim shook his head meaningfully before moving on into the sickroom. That would serve as a neutral place for Billy to recover his emotional equilibrium, comfortably familiar but not someplace he was every day. Though the little boy was no longer struggling against Jim, he was still crying and the still too-thin body was wracked with tremors, which worried the Sentinel with their intensity.
"Billy. Billy, come on Son, calm down. It's okay, you're safe, no one is going to be hurt. You're okay; you're safe. Shhhh, shhhh…" he crooned softly, rocking the child in his arms as he tried to calm the emotional storm. The combination of comforting words and the soothing motion of Jim rubbing his back finally got the boy calmed enough to speak coherently. Taking advantage of the apparent breakthrough in the child's silence, Jim began questioning him gently, easing the story from him with care and patience. With frequent pauses, and more than a few tears, Billy told the story of how his father was accused of killing children and was stoned to death in a small town in Oregon, unaware that Jim already knew that part of the tale.
The youngster needed to tell his side of the story, and someone needed to hear it, and Jim was willing to do whatever was needed to help Billy recover from his experiences. Using the plain language of childhood, the story poured out of him, the grim narrative somehow made worse when told in the soft, high tones of a child. He'd spoke of his father's death, and his own frantic exodus from Nordwick, and being captured by the two men who'd taken such delight in torturing him. It was at this point Blair joined them, a glass of cool water in one hand and a worried frown creasing his brow.
"How's it going in here?" he queried gently, taking in Jim's sorrowful eyes and the limp looking child who's soft voice he'd interrupted.
"Okay. Billy was telling me about how he ended up with Paddy and Tate, the two men we rescued him from. Go on, what did they make you do?" Jim asked gently, his hand still rubbing comfortingly along the boy's back and arms as he cuddled him close.
"I had to trick the sheriffs into following me to their ambush," the whisper soft voice replied, sounding thick and moist from the tears that still fell sporadically. "Then Paddy would knock them out and steal the keys to the bank, which the sheriff almost always carried. They'd rob the bank and ride out of town before anyone even knew what was happening. Then they'd celebrate."
"And that's when they'd hurt you," Jim concluded, giving his charge a comforting hug. "How'd you get the sheriffs to follow you?"
"At first I'd tell them I saw someone in whatever building it was that they had chosen to ambush him in," the boy explained softly. "Later, I'd just use gestures to get them to follow me."
"You were still talking when you were first with them?" Blair asked with a meaningful look at Jim. At Billy's nod he continued. "Why did you stop talking? What happened?"
At the question Billy's green eyes again filled with tears and Jim could feel the trembling return with startling intensity. Increasing his efforts at offering comfort he spoke with gentle conviction to the young victim in his arms. "It's okay, Billy. You can tell us, you're safe here. No one can hurt you again, they're never coming back after you. I promise, they can't ever hurt you again. It's okay to tell now."
The sadly aged eyes in the child's face searched Ellison's pale blue ones, seeking something only he would be able to identify. Apparently finding what he needed, the soft voice continued at last.
"They told me I could never tell anyone what they were doing. What they'd done, where they went, their names, anything. That I was theirs, and I could never get free, and if I tried to escape, or get someone to help me, they'd be sorry. That I'd be sorry. But…" he paused, unable to continue.
"Someone tried to help you, didn't they?" Jim asked in a whisper, hearing the child's heartbeat nearly double in his distress.
"Yes," was the nearly inaudible reply.
"What happened?" Ellison prompted him, hating the fact he had to hurt Billy any more than he'd already been hurt.
"They killed him. It was my fault, they said it was my fault, for telling him about them. I shouldn't have done it, I should have kept quiet. If I had he wouldn't have died, they slit his throat, and the blood was everywhere and they made me put my hands in it, it was on my hands and it was my fault because I talked and I shouldn't have…I …I…I….k….k" the boy's voice had gotten progressively faster before it dissolved completely as the tears returned in full force, robbing him of speech and breath.
"Oh, God, no, Billy. It wasn't your fault, it was never your fault," Jim told him with quiet passion as he held the shuddering body tight to him. "It was THEIR fault, and only their fault. You did nothing wrong, nothing. It's okay, let all that out, this pain shouldn't have been yours to bear."
Blair added his own words to Jims, his hands mirroring Jim's, trying to surround the wounded young soul with as much comfort and support as they could, wishing they could spare him the pain of these memories yet proud he'd found the strength to face them. Exhaustion finally brought the tears to an end, and the slender body relaxed completely into the Sentinel's strong arms.
Standing carefully, Jim gently deposited the slumbering youth on the bed, spreading a cheerful quilt over him against the fall chill. Placing the glass of water on the small table beside the bed, and caressing the young cheek one last time, Ellison herded his Guide out of the sickroom, pulling the door closed quietly behind him.
"It's amazing he was able to get that out, Jim," Blair noted, shaking his head in mild wonder. "It's what he needed to do, no matter how hard it was. Are YOU okay?" Ellison's tough guy image didn't impress Sandburg in the least, he knew full well how sensitive the big guy really was.
"Fine, Chief. I'm just sorry they got such clean deaths. If I'd known what they'd done…" his voice trailed off into a sigh.
"The most important thing is that they can never come back and threaten him again. At the time I was sorry Billy saw them killed, but now I'm glad he knows for certain they're dead. But what was this? The kids said Billy attacked you? What happened to start this?" the younger man asked, his right hand unconsciously massaging the cast on his broken left arm.
"I was breaking up a fight between Jason and Tommy…which reminds me; I still have them to deal with. I'm about at my wit's end with those two. Why don't you sit down and rest for a while, the doc said you're supposed to take it easy. I'll tell you about it after I deal with our two junior thugs," Jim said with a rueful smile for Blair's sake.
"Remember, Jim, they're just kids," Sandburg reminded him quietly.
"Yeah, I know. And kids that haven't had the easiest of lives. I know. But they're also kids who are likely to grow into physically strong men who will need to be able to control their tempers. I'll be damned if I want to see either of them in jail because they thought their fists were the answers to any problems they have. They're going to learn Chief. If they have to spend the rest of their childhoods in the woodshed, they'll learn," the Sentinel declared, taking a deep breath before striding toward the small shed where they stored their firewood, and where discipline for the boys was usually dispensed.
As he approached he instinctively reached out with his hearing, stopping when he heard the calm voices of the two boys who up to now had barely been able to pass a civil word with each other.
"So you weren't trying to beat him up?" Jason asked.
"Of course not. Why would I want to beat Billy up? He's smaller than I am, he doesn't have anything I'd want to steal, he's a nice kid, and he's probably been beaten up enough." Tommy sounded mildly scornful.
"But you attacked him."
"I TOLD you, Jason. I was pretending to attack him so he could learn how to defend himself. I thought maybe he'd feel better if he knew how to protect himself from the bullies that are always picking on him."
"But I can protect him from Bulk and Skull." A slight touch of anger colored Jason's voice, though not nearly as much as Tommy usually evoked.
"Not all the time you can't; you aren't always there. You can't be with him everywhere, and even if you could, I don't think he'd like it. He needs to be able to stand up for himself, so he won't be afraid to be by himself if he has to be. I know what it's like to be afraid, and learning to fight back helped me be not as scared." Jim could tell Tommy was searching for a way to say what he understood, but didn't have the vocabulary to express. His earlier ire with the two boys was forgotten as he listened to their conversation, as they unconsciously began a tentative friendship under what had to be the worst conditions a ten year old could imagine.
"But if he starts hitting back, if he's not any good, won't it just make the bullies beat him up more?" Jason wondered.
"I guess maybe. But right now I think he's afraid of letting anyone know when he gets hurt, because then you get into it with Bulk, and then get in trouble. And I think he's shamed, because he couldn't take care of himself." Tommy's tone indicated he was still feeling his way along, not trying to convince Jason as much as figure out the other boy's behavior.
"What do you mean he won't tell us?" Jason asked, his question hiding the sound of the door the Jim had opened.
"I would like to hear this as well," Jim stated, stepping into the small building.
"Is Billy okay?" Jason asked anxiously, as Tommy stepped up beside him, the same question in his dark brown eyes.
Ellison's expression softened at the twin worried looks being sent his way, and laid his hands gently on both boys' shoulders.
"He's fine. Well, he will be fine," he assured them.
"What happened? I never expected him to go wild like that," Jason asked with a frown.
"A lot of very bad memories kind of caught up with him all at once, I guess. But, now I'm wondering what this is you were saying about Billy not telling us when he's hurt," the Sentinel asked Tommy with a stern look.
Tommy quickly explained what he'd seen the day before, and how it had led him to offer to teach Billy some self defense moves, what Jason had wandered in on when he came to the barn and how the fight started. Jim had to admit there was a lot of sense behind what Tommy had proposed, he could understand how the two boys had ended up in a fight based purely on a misunderstanding.
Their story out in the open now, the two young miscreants waited unhappily for judgment from the big man who sat studying them with a grim expression.
"Jason, what did you do wrong here?" he queried at last.
"I acted before I really knew what was happening," he said after a moment's reflection.
"What should you have done differently?"
This required more thought, but finally the deep brown eyes looked up at Jim and the dark haired boy answered. "I should have pulled Tommy away, but not started hitting him. Just stopped the 'fight' then found out what was really happening?"
"Exactly. Tommy, what did you do wrong?"
"I fought back, even though I knew Jason didn't understand." The answer had come more quickly to Tommy.
"And what should you have done differently?"
"Not fought back, back away until I could explain, I guess."
"Right as well. So, it's obvious this fight could have been avoided, by both of you. And you both know the rules about fighting. This time you're getting a double punishment. When we're finished in here, you two will work together and spread that pile of manure over the garden patch. This means you're going to have to first pull all the dead plants and weeds, loosen the soil, then spread the manure as a covering for the coming winter. I don't care how you do it, you can work that out between yourselves, but I expect it to be finished by tomorrow night, just in time for your Sunday baths. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Yes, Sir."
Jim sighed and stood, removing the well-worn paddle from the hook by the door. "Okay, let's get this over with…"
TS TS TS
"So you really think this will work? Or should I be expecting to see a battle break out over there?" Blair asked Jim as they relaxed on the front porch relaxing and watching Tommy and Jason working in the garden. Further out they could see the rest of the children playing a spirited game of hide and seek around the barn and outbuildings. They'd been discussing the situation between Jason and Tommy, and Billy's emotional breakthrough, surprised at how much had happened already and the day wasn't even half over yet.
"I hope so. You're the one who kept saying they'll make great friends if they ever get past hating each other. Maybe this is their turning point. God knows I hope so." Jim leaned back in his seat as if exhausted, eliciting a grin from his companion.
"It has been an eventful day already, hasn't it? But if it sees the end of the battles between Tommy and Jason, and sees Billy talking again, then it's been worth it," Blair agreed. "And Tommy's idea really does have some merit, we should think about that. In fact, I may even have an idea all the children can use."
"Oh? And what idea would that be?"
"Let me look into it first, then I'll let you know. No sense in making you think I'm crazy unless the idea is likely to pan out," Blair decided.
"And you don't think I already think you're crazy?" the Sentinel teased his Guide, grinning at the smaller man's bemused expression.
"Jim, you just don't understand genius."
"Speaking of which, looks like we have some company," Jim grinned, shifting his gaze to the front door where Billy stood looking a bit pale and rumpled. "You okay?" he asked gently.
The small boy just nodded, then stepped up closer to the big man, finally looking up to meet the kind blue eyes directly. "I'm sorry for hitting you," he said in a voice that wasn't quite steady.
"Well, that is one of the biggest rules we have around here, and I think you know that. But something tells me you weren't really in control this morning, were you? Do you know what happened? It seemed to start when I said I was going to give them a whupping," Ellison said, watching the little boy's reactions closely. At the word 'whupping' the young heart picked up speed, and fear shone in the green eyes.
"They used to say that," he whispered.
"Paddy and Tate?"
"Yeah. Then they'd hurt me. It was always a whupping," he sighed.
Jim understood now what had set off the youngster. Already caught up in violent emotions he must have flashed back to the nightmare he'd endured before when he heard Jim use that word, and had tried to protect his new friend from a fate he'd endured far too often. The Sentinel reminded himself that Billy still didn't know them well enough to be totally comfortable, though he hoped the catharsis of this day would help.
"Just try to remember, around here a 'whupping' is nothing like what those monsters did, understand? Look over there at Jason and Tommy. They were punished a little while ago, and they're fine, aren't they?" Ellison asked, pointing out the other two boys who were laughing over something they'd found in the garden.
Billy looked over at his new friends and smiled a little. "Yeah."
"And speaking of being fine, let me see your side, where you got hurt yesterday," the Sentinel requested.
Surprised and flushing slightly, he lifted up his shirt to show the adults the swollen, bruised scrape along his side, flinching a little when Jim ran Sentinel sensitive fingers over it. Jim was relieved to find only deep bruising, no sign of damage to the ribs, but still it looked painful and he was less than thrilled that Billy had tried to keep it a secret.
"Looks like you'll live. But I don't want you trying to hide injuries like this. If you get hurt you have to tell us, okay? Sometimes serious injuries don't seem that bad at first, but if they aren't treated it can be dangerous. I want you to give me your word on this, Billy."
"I promise," the blond replied, holding out his hand to shake.
"Okay, then. Why don't you go on and join the others playing? Jason and Tommy are still being punished, so you can't help them there, but you can stop by and let them know you're okay," Jim seemed to realize the youngster had had enough turmoil for one day and needed to have some normalcy. But after shaking the proffered hand he pulled the slight body in for a quick hug before releasing the boy to his Saturday afternoon play.
Watching the youth hurry away Blair chuckled a little and turned to his best friend. "Who'd have thought that the catalyst for Billy to start talking would be attacking you?" he grinned.
"Yeah. You should have seen him; I've never seen a kid throw himself at someone like that. Talk about being determined to protect his friend!" Jim agreed.
"You know, Jim. I don't think that was a case of a little boy protecting his friend," Sandburg said seriously.
"Oh? And just what do you think it was, Chief?"
"To me it sounds more like a Guide protecting his Sentinel."
The End.