A/N Thanks again for all of your wonderful reviews! I had already finished most of chapter 4 when a couple of comments in the reviews sparked an idea that took me off in a totally different direction than I had been thinking. So chapter 4 became chapter 5, and this new chapter was born. I hope you enjoy it!

Finally we get to the spoilers! This chapter has spoilers for both Switchman and Siege.

Blair sat down on his couch with a sigh. Home at last. He had been looking forward to this for three days now. It had been great spending time with Jim and getting to know him better, but the overprotective nature of the sentinel had really gotten old. He was used to taking care of himself; he had, in fact, taken care of himself since he was a small boy. Having that much assistance was just too weird.

He sighed. So now he was home. He just needed to figure out what to do first with all this freedom he had been bucking for. He looked around the large room that he called home. He lived in the warehouse district because it was incredibly cheap and offered lots of space, but his home wasn't quite as exciting after staying at Jim's for a few days.

Ellison may not have any decoration in his place, at least nothing like the colorful tribal masks and statues that Blair had parked around everywhere, but it had still been a much nicer place to live. For one thing, Blair was a very social person, and Jim actually had neighbors. People living in warehouses tended not to collect too many of those. The building Jim lived in was in much better shape than Blair's, also. No rats!

And as much as he hated to admit it, for all his fierce independence and his excitement about getting home to his own territory, Blair was going to miss Jim. He had only been there for three days, but he had gotten kind of used to having someone around, having Jim around. He sighed again, the third time in as many minutes.

Maybe I'll just take a nap. It was amazing how much it had taken out of him just to walk from his car into the building and up the stairs to his living area. Yes, a nap sounded really good. His musings were cut off abruptly by the sound of the phone ringing.

*****

Jim watched as Blair drove out of the parking garage at the station, still feeling overprotective in a way he didn't understand. He really didn't know Sandburg that well; they hadn't even been working together for a month yet. It didn't really make sense that he would be so concerned about the kid. He shook his head as he thought about their first official meeting, and how he had slammed the grad student up against the wall at his reference to being a throwback.

It was hard to reconcile that action to his reaction three days ago when he had received an urgent message that Sandburg was down in the parking lot and didn't look well. He had been in the middle of typing up an important report, but he had left the cursor flashing on his computer and had taken the stairs down because the elevator was running too slow.

When he had gotten within a few hundred feet of the Corvair, he had been able to hear Sandburg's heart racing and stumbling from inside the car. It hadn't sounded good and his protective instincts had ramped up, just like that. Now he wasn't sure how to turn them back down.

He headed back upstairs to the Major Crimes bullpen. He really needed to get back to work; those reports wouldn't write themselves.

"Ellison, my office."

Jim sighed. He had been expecting that one. Simon didn't understand why Jim would feel the need to take time off to help the kid out. It really didn't make sense to anyone who knew him. Nothing ever came before the job with him. It was one of the reasons for the breakup of his marriage with Carolyn. He rose and headed to Banks' office.

"Yes, sir?"

Simon gestured at one of his guest chairs. "Have a seat, Jim." He watched impassively as Ellison followed his instructions and settled into a chair. "First, how's the kid?"

Jim smiled. Apparently Simon wasn't as immune to Sandburg's dubious charms as he would like to admit either. "He just left to go home to his own place. He seemed okay."

Banks nodded. "Are you ready to get back to work now? These cases are not going to solve themselves." At Ellison's nod, Simon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desktop. "Jim, are you sure you need this kid? I just worry about him taking advantage of you."

Ellison nodded again. "Simon, I was ready to quit. You know that. I couldn't control the sensory spikes and focus on anything. Now I can start to actually use the senses to help in cases. You saw what I can do with that whole mess with Kincaid. I couldn't do any of that if it hadn't been for the tests and exercises Sandburg's been having me do. But if you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it!"

Simon grinned. Now this was the Jim Ellison he knew. "Alright, get back to work. "

Jim smiled back and headed across the room to his desk. Sitting down, he looked at his watch. Sandburg would have had time to get back to his place and settle in by now. Maybe he should just give him a call and make sure everything was okay . . .

*****

Blair grabbed the phone on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Chief? You okay? Your heart is racing. What are you doing?" Jim's concern filtered through the telephone receiver.

Blair rolled his eyes. "Jim, I'm fine. My heart is racing because the phone startled me, that's all. I told you, I will be fine!"

"Oh." Jim sounded properly sheepish for causing the racing heart.

Sandburg grinned. "Don't you have reports to do or something? Come on, Man, I promise, I am fine!"

"Okay, Chief. I'll let you get back to resting. Call me if you need anything."

Blair sighed. "Sure, Jim. Thanks for calling." He hung up the phone, shaking his head. I knew being on my own was too good to be true.

*****

Morning came too early, and Blair had to drag himself to the bathroom. He was hoping that an invigorating shower would help him to perk up, especially since he had been taking cooler showers since the incident the day he ended up in the ER. He was still convinced that Angie's hot towel treatment had somehow caused his collapse. He just wasn't sure how. Unfortunately, today even a cool shower couldn't seem to give him any energy.

Blair shrugged, then began to dress. He had been sitting home for too long; he needed to get back to Rainier and back to work at the station. He figured he would be okay as long as he took it easy and didn't try to do anything too strenuous or too fast. He also made sure that he ate a good breakfast, at least as big a breakfast as he ever ate. Since he had only consumed an algae shake the morning of the collapse, he was a bit concerned that this might have contributed to his problems.

Grabbing his heavy backpack, he walked slowly down the stairs and got into the Corvair. Even that much exercise was causing him to breathe heavily, but he was determined. He did not have time to be sick or lay around at home. He had way too many things to do. Blair started the engine , flipped the radio on and headed to Rainier.

*****

Jim sat at his desk, trying to concentrate on the reports he was supposed to be typing. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be getting very far. Every time he would really get going on one of the reports, his mind would start wandering, and he would end up wondering how Sandburg was doing. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer and picked up the phone. He knew the kid wanted him to back off, and he was really trying, but he just needed to make sure he was okay.

The phone rang fourteen times before Jim finally admitted that Blair wasn't going to answer. He had even given him extra time to get there in deference to his condition. His own heart pounding, he hung up the phone and strode quickly into Simon's office.

"Excuse me, Sir. I need to go out for a little while. I can't raise Sandburg, and I need to check on him. I knew I shouldn't have let him go home yet."

Simon looked up from his own paperwork. "Go, Jim. Let me know what you find out."

Ellison nodded and headed for the elevator. In the employee parking lot, he quickly got into his truck and headed for Sandburg's part of town. He had actually never been there before, but he knew the address and the general location. As he drove, he imagined numerous scenarios – Blair unconscious on the floor, Blair having fallen down the stairs, Blair trying to call for help but unable to get to the phone, Blair…not home? Ellison slammed his vehicle into park, stunned by the visual evidence. This was definitely Blair's address, which would be a discussion for another day. This was not an acceptable area of town for anyone to live in. He would have already had that discussion if he had seen the neighborhood before, but Blair had asked a friend from the university to bring his clothes to Jim's loft, so Jim had not had the pleasure before. This was definitely Blair's address, but there was no Corvair parked outside and there was no heartbeat coming from within. Ellison put the truck back in gear and headed for Rainier University. He was going to kill the kid himself when he found him.

By the time Jim pulled up beside Blair's Corvair in the lot beside Hargrove Hall, he had worked up quite a head of steam, gritting his teeth in anger. Did the stupid kid have no instinct at all for self preservation? They still didn't even know what was wrong with him. He could have another attack at any time. It wasn't helping things that Ellison had no idea why this was bothering him so much. He got out of the truck, slamming the door, and headed into Blair's building, automatically turning up the dial on his hearing to search for his missing guide.

He filtered through the noise coming from numerous classrooms and offices until he finally found Blair's voice. Shaking his head in disgust, he headed toward the sound. The kid was actually teaching!

When he arrived outside the classroom, he took a deep breath. Going off half cocked would not help anything. Opening the door, he slipped into the back of the classroom and found a seat. Blair was in the midst of an animated description of a dig site he had been on. Jim was slightly mollified to notice that the younger man was sitting on a chair, although that didn't seem to inhibit the rest of his body from moving. Both hands were in the air, gesticulating expressively as he continued his lecture.

"And then when they cleared the rubble away from where the wall had fallen, we found it. It was a whole room preserved from the…" Blair broke off when he noticed his latest student.

Jim smiled at him, deliberately utilizing the cold predatory smile he had perfected with difficult suspects. Blair visibly swallowed, then resumed his lecture, although a little of his energy seemed to have dissipated. After a few more minutes of attempting his lecture, punctuated by furtive glances up in Jim's direction, he finally gave up.

"Okay, that's enough for my first day back. You guys enjoy a little extra free time today. I'll see you on Thursday. And don't forget – you need to have read chapter 5 by then."

Jim leaned back in his chair and waited for all the young students to file out, all talking excitedly about the unexpected free time they had been handed. Once they were all gone, he rose smoothly and walked down to the front, where Blair had still not moved from his chair.

"Morning, Chief." He took a seat in the front row directly in front of Sandburg. "Nice morning, don't you think?"

Sandburg's head was down, and his heart was thundering again. He didn't respond, and Jim leaned forward with a frown.

"Chief? Are you okay?"

Blair's head came up sharply, and Jim noticed belatedly that the younger man was shaking with fury. "Just where do you get off chasing me down like a lost dog or something? I'm old enough to take care of myself, and I don't need you to follow me around and hold my hand!"

Jim found himself unexpectedly back pedaling. "Whoa, Chief. I know you can take care of yourself. I just got worried when you didn't answer your phone. I needed to make sure you were okay. I didn't mean to upset you. Take slow deep breaths, Buddy. "

Sandburg gave a short nod, then took a deep breath. "Look, I know I probably should have let you know where I was going, but I just needed to get back to work. I have papers to grade, classes I need to take myself, and a couple that I'm teaching. I was going to come over to the station when I was done here. Why do you care so much, anyway?"

Jim shrugged his shoulders, disgruntled and frustrated. "To be honest, I have no idea. I mean I appreciate all the help you've given me, but for some reason I seem to be over the top with this whole protection thing. I don't get it myself."

Sandburg's whole face lit up. "Oh, wow. Do you think that maybe it has to do with me kind of being your guide with the whole sentinel thing? Maybe it's some kind of ingrained response to help the guide stay alive so the sentinel has back up. I need to do some research!"

Jim groaned. "Well, can you do it at the station? I need to get back to work, and I seem to feel better when I can keep an eye on you."

"Sure, Jim. Let me get my bag." Sandburg stood up too quickly and swayed for a few seconds before getting his bearings. He held up a hand, averting Jim's aborted move to help him. "I'm fine. Just stood up too quick."

Jim shook his head, leading the way back out to the parking lot. "Are you okay to drive?"

Blair sighed. "I am fine! I will not leave my car here. I'll meet you at the station."

Jim nodded sheepishly. "Sorry, guess I'm going to have to work on that!"

*****

Blair sat quietly beside Jim's desk, heavily engrossed in the thick volume he was studying. He had spent the past few days attending necessary classes and functions at the university and then spending the rest of his time at the station, researching his new theories about the protective nature of the relationship between a sentinel and a guide.

So far Jim had not had any calls or interviews, so he had spent all of his time at the station, catching up on his reports and keeping an eye on Blair. Although he still seemed overly concerned about the younger man, so far things had gone relatively well. Blair's heart was still beating too rapidly and stumbling, but it seemed to be mostly under control as long as he stayed put.

"Ellison, Sandburg, my office."

The call from Simon's office instantly sent Sandburg's heart racing. He stood up shakily and followed Jim into Banks' office. Jim immediately pulled a chair over and got Blair settled into it. Sandburg didn't bother to complain, knowing he needed to pick his battles.

"What's up, Sir?" Jim stood behind Blair's chair, leaning against the wall.

Simon studied the two men. "I hate to do this right now, but Jim, I need you to go out and question one of your informants. Pete Washington called in a tip on the Gerard case, but he's your informant, and he said he will only talk to you."

Jim looked torn. "Sir, I really do want to talk to him, but I…"

"We'll get right out there, Simon," Blair interrupted. He held up a hand when Jim opened his mouth to argue. "Jim, I'm only here on a 90 day ride along, and we can't afford to lose any more time. I know you want to keep an eye on me, and that's cool. I'll stay in the truck. Then everybody's happy. You get to do your interview, Simon gets his information, and I get out of this office. I'm going nuts here, Man! I'm not used to all this inactivity."

Jim grinned, although he appeared to be trying to contain it. Blair shrugged it off; he knew they referred to him as the Energizer Bunny behind his back.

"Fine." Jim gave in gracefully. "But you will stay in the truck."

Blair agreed, and the two men headed for Jim's truck. Comfortable silence reigned the whole way to Pete Washington's pawn shop, which was not far from Blair's home. Sandburg had brought along his book and was still busily engrossed in it, and Jim was keeping one eye on the road and the other on his companion.

When they pulled up in front of the shop, which had a lit sign in the window proclaiming 'Checks cashed here', Blair put his book down.

"Stay in the truck," Jim warned as he got out to go inside. "I mean it, Chief. You stay put."

Blair rolled his eyes. "Jim, go talk to Pete. I'm just going to sit here."

Ellison nodded and headed into the shop. Blair could hear the tinkle of the bell as the door opened. Pete was behind the counter, and he came out into the store area when he saw the detective enter. Blair watched the animated conversation for a moment , and then looked back down at his book. His head had only dipped for a second when he heard the shatter of glass.

Jerking his head up quickly, he was startled to see the Pawn broker lying still on the floor, and Ellison standing stock still beside him, expression slack and dazed. Blair scrambled for the door when he recognized the pose. His partner had zoned on something at the worst possible time. Someone was shooting at him, and if Blair didn't get to him now, he was going to be a sitting duck. He swung the door open and dropped down to the ground, keeping low as he ran to the front door. The show window beside the front door was gone, and shards of glass were scattered all over the floor and Jim's informant.

Blair ducked inside the front door, taking a deep breath as the room tilted dizzily around him. Jim needed him. He couldn't let his partner down now. Crouching as low as he could, he pulled Jim down to the floor beside him.

"Jim, come on, Man. You need to come back right now, Big Guy!"

Ellison started and looked around the room in confusion. It only took a few seconds for him to figure out what was going on, and he dragged his protesting partner behind him, pulling out his weapon. "Stay down and behind me, Chief."

Blair looked over at the pawn broker, shuddering in reaction. "Jim, is he…"

"No, he's still alive." Ellison pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and shoved it behind him. "Here, call for backup. I'd yell at you for getting out of the truck, but I'm glad you did. Thanks."

Blair grinned unsteadily at him, hitting the speed dial for the precinct. "Yeah, you're welcome. I knew it was a good thing I came along."

Ellison was still searching for the sniper, keeping one ear tuned to his partner's pounding pulse. "You need to slow it down now, Chief. Your pulse is out of control. Come on, you know the drill. Deep breaths. Meditate or something. "

Sandburg chuckled. "Yeah, because this situation is really conducive to meditation, Jim! " At his partner's dirty look, he gave in. "Fine, I'll try my best. Do you hear the sniper? See him? Anything?"

Ellison took slow deep breaths and stretched his senses out as far as he could. Sandburg's hand on his back helped to center him, and he was finally able to hear the ragged breathing and pounding heart beat that was out of place.

"There!" He pointed to the building across the street, as the first police cars pulled up around them. Jim didn't move, gesturing to the building. "He's up there; try the third floor."

Both partners watched vigilantly until they heard the sound of gunshots across the street, and within minutes the gunman was apprehended and led down in handcuffs.

"Wow, what was that all about?" Blair asked, sitting up now that the danger was over.

"Pete was going to tell me what he knows about Gerard's operation, and unless I miss my guess, that was one of Gerard's men, trying to prevent that."

Blair shook his head. "Is your friend going to be okay?"

Ellison nodded. "The bullet hit him in the shoulder. He just hit his head on a display case on the way down and knocked himself out. He'll live to tell his story. I think we've got this case about wrapped up, Chief." He studied Blair closely. "How're you doing?"

"Just give me a minute," Blair huffed, still trying to slow his heart rate. "I'll be good in a minute." He concentrated on taking slow deep breaths and relaxing.

Jim sat still and watched him for a minute. "Chief, I really appreciate what you just did for me. If you hadn't come along, I might not still be here. So I have a deal for you. I know you're worried about not having enough time if Simon can't extend your ride along status, and I worry about leaving you behind. So for now, when I need to be somewhere, you'll come along with me and stay in the truck just like today. Then you'll be where I can keep an eye on you, and I'll be where you can keep an eye on me."

Blair grinned. "Sounds fair to me."

Jim smiled back. "And hopefully, when you get to see the cardiologist in three weeks, he'll be able to tell us what's wrong with you and fix it, and then things can go back to the way they were."

"It's a deal, Jim. Just until the doctor figures out what's wrong. Now help me up, Big Guy."

Blair held out an arm to Jim, and the detective pulled his partner slowly to his feet. Sandburg wobbled for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"You okay, Chief?" Jim looked at him with more concern than Blair would have liked, but at least the deal they had made was a good compromise.

Blair nodded, heading back toward the truck slowly. "Yeah, sure, Man. I guess I can handle living like this for another three weeks. And then the doctors will figure out what's wrong."

To be continued . . .

Thanks again for your continued support! Chapter 5 should not take as long to post, since much of it was already written and I mostly need to do some tweaking to make it fit a little better with this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!