The Jamie Series #7

Lost & Found

by Gillan

"I still think it's crazy," Simon said, shaking his head. Daryl was at his feet with Jamie, supposedly observing him for a school project, but actually just playing cars with him on the carpet track the Taggert's had bought the baby as a gift. "Taking a toddler camping is nuts!"

"Well, since Jamie is still only taking three steps before he falls on his butt, I don't think he counts as a toddler, Simon," Blair informed him, coming out of the nursery with a bag of gear.

"Yeah," Jim agreed from under the stairs where he was checking his fishing rods. "A toddler actually has to toddle, Jamie is more into staggering and dropping."

"You know what I mean," Simon took a mouthful of his beer. "I mean, what are you going to do with a baby out in the woods?"

"Are you kidding?" Blair asked incredulously. "We have a back pack to take him hiking in, and we are camping right on the river in this perfect site. He is going to have a ball."

"It's a sweet spot all right," Jim agreed, stacking his rods and tackle by the door. "We are going to fish and eat fish and in between kick back and relax."

"With a baby," Simon said skeptically.

"It's never to soon to introduce a child to the wonders of nature," Blair lectured.

"And it's never too soon to teach a boy the wonders of fishing," Jim said, with gleaming eyes.

"Poor little dude," Daryl murmured, stroking brown wavy hair. "Prepare to be bored out of your tiny baby mind."

"Hey," Simon tapped his son's butt with one foot. "You used to love fishing."

"I used to like to spend time with you, dad," Daryl corrected in a superior tone. "Fishing was the price I paid."

Simon looked a little put out, obviously unsure whether he had been insulted or complimented. Blair grinned over at Jim who winked back. The captain caught the interplay out of the corner of his eye and turned on the two of them.

"You just wait till that one is fifteen," he said in warning tones. "You won't be so smug then."

"Yeah, we will," Blair grinned smugly.

000

The camp site was as good as promised, a nice level spot where they could park the truck, leading down to a flat area right on the sand where they could pitch their tent. Blair surveyed it with satisfaction as Jim started unloading some gear.

"This is great," Blair exclaimed, taking a deep lungful of fresh air.

"Commune with nature later, Chief," Jim ordered. "Right now let's get this gear unpacked while the piglet is asleep, hmm?"

Blair peered into the front of the truck where Jamie slept soundly, his bear under one arm and his juice bottle still firmly in his mouth. Now and then his lips would purse, automatically suckling, but finding nothing but air. Then a small frown would crease his smooth brow and he would fidget a little. Experience told Blair he would wake soon, so he hastened to follow Jim's lead.

"Do you think it will rain?" he asked his partner as they stacked the last of the gear into the two man tent twenty minutes later. Jim stood and stretched his back, then tilted his head and took a deep breath.

"Maybe later tonight," he said slowly. "But I think we are in for fine weather for the next couple of days."

"Okay, but I am telling you right now, if we get rained out we spend the rest of this week in that hotel we saw back in town." Blair sat down and again began fiddling with the camp stove. Jim snorted in laughter and sat down next to him, one hand on the other man's khaki clad knee.

"Remember the last time we went camping and got rained out?" he said suggestively, stroking the fabric covered skin.

Blair smiled as he recalled the time very clearly indeed. "We spent three days in this tent, eating cold wieners and making hot love," he purred, covering Jim's hand where it lay on his knee. "Oh yes, I think I remember that."

Jim reached out and cupped his lover's softly bristled chin gently. "Want an instant replay?" he breathed over pliant lips.

Blair answered by closing the gap between them and taking Jim's mouth in a lush kiss that left the bigger man gasping. With a muffled laugh Blair bore Jim back onto the ground, covering the muscular body with his own.

Long minutes later Blair was burrowing beneath layers of T- shirts and sweats when Jim arched his head back and groaned. "Blair, stop," he gasped.

"Why?" Blair mumbled around one erect nipple. Even before he had the word out he knew the answer and was reluctantly pulling back.

"Jamie's awake," Jim gasped, quickly pulling his shirt down over his exposed chest.

"He couldn't have slept ten minutes more?" Blair rolled onto his back, careless of the twigs and leaves beneath his hair.

"Ten minutes?" Jim said, making a huffy face. "I was planning on at least half an hour."

Blair watched as Jim climbed to his feet and discreetly adjusted himself in his pants before walking down the little worn track to the truck. With a groan the anthropologist sat up, shaking his hair to dislodge the flora that was always attracted to it.

Jim was unbuckling Jamie, gathering up his bear and bottle and bearing him back to the camp site, just meters away. "Here he is," he said gently. "Sleepy boy."

"Hungry boy," Blair corrected, reaching up and gathering the tired bundle in his arms. "That was a long sleep, Jamie," he said softly, kissing a sleep creased cheek.

"Num-num," Jamie said sleepily, a yawn splitting his little round face.

"I guess it's num-num time for all of us," Jim said in resignation, reaching for the cooler and kneeling by the stove.

"Anticipation makes it all the sweeter," Blair said wisely, and then spoiled it by giggling into brown wavy hair.

"I'll show you sweet," Jim mock growled. "Later tonight when Jamie is asleep, I'll remind you of those wieners."

That sent Blair into a gale of laughter, which a rapidly cheering Jamie joined in on.

The baby looked around with interest as Blair changed his diaper and buttoned him back into his corduroy overalls. It was already late afternoon, and the high blue sky was dotted with white fluffy clouds. A gentle breeze ruffled the tree tops, the soft susurration of the wind providing a constant backdrop of quiet sound. Blair wondered what it all sounded like to the sentinel baby.

"What does it make you feel, Jim?" he asked curiously, studying Jamie's wide eyes as he gazed at the softly swaying tree tops. "Being out here in the forest?"

"Communing with nature you mean?" Jim half smiled as he split the long buns and tucked them under the camp stove's grill. Long red wieners were already laying in the gently steaming water atop the stove. "At the moment it only makes me feel frustrated," he joked.

"Get your mind out of your pants, man." Blair stood Jamie on his feet and crouched next to him, holding his hands. The baby scuffed the dirt with his tiny hiking boots and attempted a step.

"The ground is too rough for him," Jim observed as Jamie teetered, only Blair's grasp on his hands holding him upright.

"Num-num," Jamie said, kicking his shoes on the ground again.

"I mean, do your senses react differently out here?" Blair insisted as the baby took one step and then another, still supported by Blair's hands.

Jim looked thoughtful. "I suppose they do," he said slowly. "It's quieter out here, so right away I don't have to filter out that constant background noise."

"Jamie seems almost dazed by it all," Blair observed as the baby plumped down on his bottom and began toying with some long grass.

"I guess it can be a little overwhelming," Jim admitted.

Dinner was delicious, and the three guys sat by the gently running river munching on their hot dogs. After the meal Jim put Jamie down with his bottle and rejoined Blair by the fire.

"Where were we?" he said in a seductive voice.

"Well, let's see." Blair reached back and loosened his hair, shaking it around his face. He eyed Jim speculatively. "I think we were about..." He pounced and a laughing Jim fell backwards onto the soft carpet of grass. "Here," Blair said in satisfaction.

000

Jim pushed through a veil of jungle creepers, emerging on the edge of a clearing he didn't recognize. Before him stood a wolf standing protectively over a bundle of black fur. The wolf turned and gazed at him with wise blue eyes, before bending down and licking the small round head of the panther cub beneath him.

Suddenly the beautiful beast turned and growled low in his throat, hackles rising. The trees stirred and a huge shaggy bear lumbered out. It lifted its head and sniffed, then rose majestically onto its hind legs and bellowed to the night sky.

The wolf crouched low over the spitting cub, whose tiny ears were set back on his head in fear. The bear shuffled forward and then a black streak was emerging from the jungle, screaming wildly. It was a fully grown black panther, and he sprang at the bears throat, claws extended. Blood spurted as the bear roared, and the wolf crouched protectively over its young.

000

Blair stirred to wakefulness as Jim sat up beside him. "Jim?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jim murmured, laying back down and drawing Blair close. "Just had a dream."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Maybe later," Jim promised.

000

"Okay, I'm going around the bend to get some fishing in," Jim announced, wading out of the water, resplendent in his rubber waders.

Blair looked up from the sand castle he was attempting to build. The loose lake sand made it difficult enough, but every time he had more than a few inches piled up, Jamie would take great delight in smashing both hands down on top of it. "No fish biting here?"

Jamie took Blair's distraction as an opportunity and smashed the latest sand structure, laughing merrily.

"You monster," Blair growled, climbing to his knees and baring his teeth.

Squealing delightedly Jamie clapped his sandy hands together and twisted into a quick crawl, covering a few feet on the warm sand before Blair snatched him up and tossed him up in the air.

"Mess up my sand castle will you," Blair panted theatrically, gently dumping the giggling baby back on his little shorts-clad bottom.

"Blair!" Jamie shouted, little hands banging down on the sand again.

"Well, let's see," Jim said thoughtfully. "For some reason the fish all seem to be scared away from this spot. Hmmm, why ever could that be?"

Blair huffed a laugh. "So you don't want us coming with you?" he joked, tongue-in-cheek.

"I'll manage," Jim grinned. "I won't go too far, just around the bend."

000

Jim waded into the cool swirling water and braced his feet in a perfect place in the rocks below. Then he cast, skipping the line gently until he found just the right spot. With all the patience of an ex-army ranger he stood still, enjoying the change in pace from the more active fly fishing. Sometimes it was just nice to sit back and let the fish come to you.

Letting his thoughts drift, Jim felt a smile crease his face, and he lifted his head to let the hot noon sun bless his skin. This had been a good idea, for all of them. The stress of the last months was beginning to show, and the greater demands on their time meant they just didn't have the free time to spend alone together like they used to. Not that they were by any means alone this weekend, but just being away from the pressures of every day life was enough for now. Jim could feel his tension unfurling within him like a flower.

Maybe later in the year he could convince Blair to take a weekend alone with him. The Taggerts would take Jamie, or maybe they could talk Simon into baby-sitting for a weekend. At the thought Jim felt his smile turn into a wide grin.

Suddenly the cop stiffened, an oddly familiar feeling washing over him. He was being watched, he was sure of it. Trying not to give away that he was aware of the observation Jim stretched his senses, unleashing his hearing and allowing it to expand outward from his position.

He could make out the sound of his loved ones, and he let his hearing supply his mind's eye with the details of what they were doing. Blair and Jamie were now paddling at the edge of the river, the sun-warmed waves just touching their toes. Jamie was muttering excited baby talk, his little heart pounding, Blair was quieter, but his heartbeat was steady and sure. He was unaware of any threat.

Next Jim backed his hearing up, scanning the high banks of the river behind him. With a prickle of primitive awareness on the back of his neck Jim heard him. Smelled him. A lone man, up high on the rock banks. Sweat, excitement... gun oil...

The sound of a rifle bolt being shoved home was like thunder in Jim's head and he gave up any pretence at ignorance, dropping his rod and twisting for the shore just as the sound exploded in his ears and pain blossomed in his shoulder. The river rushed up to meet him and with his last conscious thought Jim scrabbled for the rocks, desperate not to fall into the swirling eddies along the edge of the running water. Then he knew no more.

000

The sound of the shot punched the stillness of the forest, lifting protesting birds from their perches and echoing darkly around the entire area. Blair's head twisted and he stared for a moment at the bend of the river Jim had disappeared around.

"Jim?" he whispered. Jamie was crying, great wails of protest, his little hands coming up to his ears. Dimly Blair registered that the baby had probably let his own natural guards drop in this quiet place, and that the sound of the rifle must have been very painful to him. Automatically snatching Jamie up and holding him against his chest Blair stumbled over the warm sand, bare toes cramping as his entire body stiffened in terror.

"Jim?" he called out, voice faltering as the last echoes of the shot died away, leaving them in an eerie silence. Jamie's wails dissolved to sobs and he buried his head in Blair's neck.

Without waiting to pull on his boots Blair began to run along the rivers edge, fear driving his wild flight.

"Jim!" he screamed.

Suddenly a man broke out of the edge of the forest, rifle slung over one arm, its barrel pointing at the two of them.

"S'far enough," the man called.

Blair stopped dead, automatically turning to his side, shielding Jamie with his body as much as he could.

"Who are you?" he asked loudly, fear for his lover making him bold.

"You better get your boots on, and put something warm on the little one," the man drawled, walking closer. He was a thick set fellow who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties. He was wearing camouflage gear and an old Jags cap on his long brown hair.

Confused by the man's words and still choked with terror Blair only stared at him. "What?"

"We got a long, hard trip ahead of us," the man said, voice growing impatient. "Put your boots on and pack what you'll need."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Blair shook his head, taking a cautious step backwards. "I need to find my friend, I-"

"He's dead," the man said plainly. "I killed him."

"No," the moan started in Blair's throat and emerged as a scream. "No!" he lunged forward, pushing past the man, careless now of the rifle on his arm.

The man caught Blair by a sturdy shoulder and flung him backwards with surprising strength. Landing hard on his back Blair clutched at the baby, who was again wailing in protest.

"Now I ain't gonna waste my breath saying things twice with you," the man drawled angrily, leaning close enough that Blair could see his browning teeth and the yellow whites of his eyes. Blair drew back in fear but the man reached out with his free hand, grasping his ponytail and clenching it in a tight fist. "I can kill you both right now or you can do as I say, get that, boy?"

Blair gathered Jamie close to his heart, his mind racing with terror for his lover and his child. The man's eyes were shining with a feral light that Blair dully recognized as madness. He should know, he had seen it up close and personal before. With resolve, and ignoring the involuntary tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, Blair climbed to his feet. There was nothing he could do for Jim now, but their child was a warm weight in his arms, and his first priority must be to protect him.

With a last longing look at the bend in the river Blair turned and walked back to the camp site.

"Good boy," the man drawled approvingly. "Glad to see you're a strong one."

Blair ignored him as he sat down on the stump and struggled to get his boots on without letting go of the child in his arms.

"Dad-dad-dad," Jamie was muttering unhappily, over and over.

"You his father?" the man asked curiously.

"Yes,"

"And that other fella?"

Tears clogged Blair's throat but he swallowed them. Jim was not dead, no way, no how. This belief was all that kept Blair moving now, that and the need to keep Jamie safe.

"My friend," Blair answered. He was not ashamed of his relationship with Jim, certainly not in front of this animal. But he would not give the creature the power over him that any knowledge would bring. Suddenly he looked up, his wide blue eyes tear wet. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

The man's breath caught and for a moment he lowered his rifle, reaching out with one weathered hand to touch the soft skin of Blair's face. Then his face cleared and he stepped back.

"I thought you were a woman when I watched you from the hill," he revealed, "But this is okay too. You and the little one belong to me now."

"Belong?" Blair repeated in horror.

The man cast a look up at the sun and pointed the rifle at Blair again. "Hurry up and pack what you need to take. I want to get on the way."

Blair tied his laces as best he could and stood up. "Please," he said softly. "Let me take the baby to the ranger station. I swear I will go with you wherever you want."

The man was paying no attention to him. "Get moving!" he said loudly. "We got a lot of traveling to do before the sun comes up."

Blair had no choice but to follow the man's instructions, dressing Jamie warmly in his thick socks and boots, and filling a pack with tinned food and powdered milk. When he was done the man gestured with the barrel of the rifle to the trees he had appeared from earlier.

"Follow the trail," he instructed shortly, and with a last longing glance at their ravaged camp, Blair obeyed.

000

Jim stirred, one hand clutching at dirt, the other freezing cold and wet. A low sound rushed through his ears and a blinding headache pounded in his skull. With a groan he awoke more fully, his body automatically hauling itself from the edge of the water before his mind had even taken in his uncomfortable position.

Nausea assailed him as he raised his head, he lifted one scraped hand and touched a swelling knot at his brow. Then the hand shifted to a burning ache on his shoulder, and came away bloody. Memory returned in an instant.

Someone had shot him! Jim sat up as quickly as his body would let him, struggling to get his senses on-line, reaching out to locate his lover and son. Beyond the beating of his own heart and the wind in the trees he heard nothing.

Praying desperately under his breath the ex-army ranger hauled himself to his feet, one hand clutching the bloody wound high on his shoulder. He stumbled to the rough path and hurried as fast as he could around the bend of the river, terror tightening his throat. He didn't bother to call out, his senses already told him that there was no-one alive to hear him. The tang of his own blood was sharp in his nostrils as he rounded the bend and scanned the area.

Relief hit him like a bolt from the blue and he let his legs sag beneath him, clutching with scraped hands at a nearby tree. The camp was a mess of tumbled clothes and tins of food, but it was empty.

His most immediate fear, that he would return to the camp to find his family slaughtered, was gone, but the secondary fear remained. Where were Blair and Jamie?

On his way to the car Jim snatched up a towel and folded it into a rough pad, pressing it to his wound. He fumbled with his good hand for the car keys in his wet jeans and unlocked the truck, blessing the paranoia that made him keep it locked, even here. The glove box was next, the lock opening quickly, revealing his cell phone and his gun.

Jim tucked the holstered pistol in his belt and turned the phone on, hoping against hope for a break. A harsh beeping tone confirmed what the rangers had told them as they arrived at the park yesterday, they were out of cell range here. Jim tossed the phone back into the glove box and allowed himself one moment of weakness, leaning his head on the steering wheel and closing aching eyes.

"Blair," he whispered.

000

"Please," Blair gasped, stumbling to a stop and dropping to his knees. "I need to stop. Please."

The man behind him stopped and surveyed him impatiently, and then tilted his face to the sky, studying the sun briefly. "Five minutes," he said finally, sitting down where he was on the rough trail.

Gratefully Blair shrugged off the pack and sat, letting Jamie rest on his knees. The baby had grizzled for an hour and then dozed off into a fitful sleep, lulled by his own misery and the rocking motion of Blair's walking. Feeling his arms burning with fatigue Blair ignored his own weariness for a moment and quickly stripped off the sodden cloth diaper, replacing it with one from the pack, stretching the plastic tri-shaped grip across the front to hold it into place, before refastening the corduroy rompers.

"What's that?" the man asked curiously.

"It has hooks on the end," Blair explained wearily, letting Jamie rest in his lap and closing his eyes. "It stretches to hold the whole lot together."

"No pins?"

"No pins." Deciding that this might be the time to employ a little reason Blair opened his eyes. "My name is Blair."

The man studied him for a moment and then shrugged. "Even sounds like a girls name," he said, grinning a little. "I'm Harry. Harry Raglan."

"Harry," Blair said carefully. "Where are you taking us, Harry?"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a canteen. Unscrewing the lid he took a drink and then closed it back up, replacing it in his pocket.

Blair felt his mouth go dry and considered the bottle of juice in his pack. He could wait, he decided.

"I got a cabin, back there," Harry gestured with his chin towards the thick forest behind Blair.

"In a National Park?" Blair said in disbelief.

"Yep," Harry agreed. "But it wasn't a park when I moved in, some twenty years ago."

"Do the rangers know you are here?"

The man shrugged carelessly. "You ask a lot of questions," he observed. "Time's up, let's get moving."

Blair took his time standing up, shrugging the pack back on, settling Jamie in his protesting arms.

"Maybe you're trying to delay?" Harry asked, grinning laconically. "Won't do no good. There's no-one back there to follow us. Your friend is dead, and I saw what you have in your camp. Enough provisions for a few days only. It's going to be that long 'til someone misses you."

"We were expecting more friends," Blair filled in hastily. "They will probably already be there by now."

Harry studied him, eyes creased by years of sun were narrowed. "Maybe they are," he allowed. "But by the time they figure out what happened we three will be safe at my cabin. And no-one will find us there."

Harry turned and gestured for Blair to precede him along the path. As the younger man came abreast of him Harry spoke again.

"No-one ever has before," he said softly.

The hairs on the back of Blair's neck rose and he stumbled forward, feeling the eyes of madness boring into his back.

000

Jim gathered himself together as quickly as he could. His first priority was dry clothes, the river water was warm in the sun, but it was now late afternoon, and constant exposure to it had chilled him to the bone. Next priority was to take care of the wound, and Jim struggled with the first aid kit, pouring antiseptic into the deep graze and binding it with thick layers of bandage. He didn't know when he would be able to change it again.

It wasn't a serious wound, twisting as he heard the gun fired had probably saved his life, and sheer luck had kept him from falling face down in the water and drowning in his unconscious state. A glance at his watch told him at least three hours had passed since the shooting, three hours in which Blair and Jamie could have been taken anywhere.

Once his needs had been taken care of, Jim stood in the center of the camp and opened his senses, letting them tell him what he needed to know. Blair's scent was everywhere, as was the baby's, so he filtered them out. Another scent came to him and he quickly isolated it from his momentary flash by the river before he had been shot. Sweat, gun oil, and an indefinable scent that was unique to every individual. Only one stranger had been in this camp.

Eyes closed, Jim turned to a stand of trees near the bend of the river that stretched back into the deep forest. And then he opened his eyes, zeroing in instantly on the tip of a tree branch that was broken, the fragile stem of a woodland blossom crushed underfoot. Grass that was ever so slightly bruised and discolored. He had the trail.

Curbing his impatience, Jim scribbled a quick note on a page of one of Blair's ever present notebooks, leaving it on the front seat of his locked truck, weighted down by his useless cell phone. Then he filled his pack with essentials, the stripped down first-aid kit, blankets and water. Finally he shrugged it on and headed for the trail.

As he stepped onto it a brief flash of memory assaulted him and he closed his eyes in sudden recall. Another forest, thicker, lusher. Another search for his lost lover, grave danger around them. Prayers and hopes and thankful kisses as they were reunited. Keeping this memory firmly in his mind Jim disappeared into the trees.

000

Blair leaned back against a tree with a sigh of relief.

"Don't get too comfortable," his captor warned. "We'll be heading out again soon."

"But it's nearly dark," Blair protested. Jamie was crawling on the ground between his outspread legs, examining the pine needles that littered the forest floor.

"Don't matter. I want to be home before sun-up." Harry studied Jamie in the half light of evening. "He's sure a dark skinned little fella. Reckon he takes after his mama."

Blair stroked tumbled brown hair sadly and Jamie looked up at him, his wide brown eyes somber.

"He does."

"What is she, Mexican or something?"

"Or something," Blair said wearily. Harry reached out one cautious hand and without a second thought the younger man snatched Jamie up and held him close. Even the thought of that man's hands on his son made Blair's flesh crawl.

"I wasn't going to hurt him," Harry said defensively. "No need to snatch him up like I was a monster."

Anger rumbled in Blair's belly but he squashed it down, conscious of their precarious position. "You killed my friend," he said quietly, stumbling over the words he knew to be untrue. "You stole us away and now you're dragging us through the forest. How do you expect me to feel?"

Harry looked away, back down the steep winding path they had been following. "I'm sorry I had to kill him," he said slowly. "But I didn't need both of you."

Blair's heart pounded in his chest. "Need?"

Harry turned his gaze on the young man again, and Blair squinted in the half light, trying desperately to see the expression on his face.

"Time to go," Harry finally said, slapping his knees and standing up.

000

The forest was like an old friend, its peace and tranquility opening up before him, leading him on. Jim gave himself over to it, searching for and easily finding the anomalies that told him people had recently trodden this ancient track. The afternoon lengthened around him, longer and longer shadows stretching in the few places the sunlight played in this deep forest. Night closed in and still Jim kept up the pace, mindful of the hours head-start Blair's captor had on him.

As he covered the trail as quickly as he could in safety, Jim's mind played over scenarios in his mind, studying and then discarding all the reasons someone would have for killing him and stealing his family away.

He swiftly discounted a personal grudge, no-one he knew would have set a scene this way, shooting him down and then spiriting Blair and Jamie away. The scent trail told him that the stranger had never come near him as he lay by the river, and surely if someone had plotted to murder him they would have checked to see if he was dead? And why take Blair and the baby? Surely they would only hold the fleeing man back?

So if the attack was not aimed at him, if he had merely been an inconvenience to be dealt with, then the targets must have been Blair and Jamie. But if someone had wanted to kidnap them, why not take them to the road, into a car or van, and spirit them away? Why this trail winding further and further up this mountain and into the heart of the Cascade National Forest? Where could they be heading?

Jim's sight automatically compensated for the darkness and his hearing was his advance scout, searching for any signs of life. Steadily he trekked on into the night.

000

"I think it's only sprained," Harry announced, poking at the swelling ankle with the barrel of his rifle.

"I'll be okay," Blair said gamely, fighting the tears springing into his eyes.

"Maybe," Harry allowed. "But you won't be walking anywhere tonight." He hefted the discarded pack and strapped it onto his shoulders. "It's a real shame too, I was sure looking forward to taking you home with me."

"You're going to leave us here?" Blair asked faintly, fear tightening his throat at the resigned tone in the madman's voice.

"Just you," Harry said, pointing the rifle directly at Blair's face.

Fighting back a flinch Blair stared down the barrel. "You don't have to do this," he said softly, his hands clenching on the quiet baby's shoulders. Jamie stirred on his lap, his face still streaked with the tears of shock he had shed when Blair took a sudden tumble on the dark path.

The gun barrel wavered and then lowered. Blair breathed out a silent breath.

"Maybe you're right," Harry said. "If there is anyone following they would find us too quickly by the sound of the shot."

//Jim,// Blair thought longingly.

A soft susurration of sound signaled a long knife being drawn from a boot sheath. "I'm real sorry to do this, Blair."

His name sounded obscene on the madman's tongue. "Don't... don't hurt my son," Blair managed, unable to take his eyes from the long gleaming blade.

"I won't," Harry promised. "I'll take good care of him."

"Take him around the trail," Blair begged as the knife approached. "Don't let him see, please."

"Damn." Harry stabbed the knife back into his boot hilt and spat on the ground. "I hate to kill you, you're so pretty and all, and you've got such love for your boy. It's good to see."

Blair stayed silent, his eyes wide in the darkness, his hands on his child more a comfort to him than to Jamie.

"I'll leave you here," Harry decided. "I'll take the boy back to my place and then come back for you. If you're still alive then I'll carry you back home with me. If you die then it's God's will, and not by my doing."

Tears prickled Blair's eyes again and this time he didn't fight them, he let them run down his stubbled cheeks and off of his chin.

"Gimme the boy," Harry ordered, one arm outstretched.

Blair picked up Jamie, holding him close to his chest. Just for one wild moment he considered disobeying this madman. If he held as tightly to Jamie as his instincts were screaming at him to do, then how could this lunatic ever pull him free?

From your cold corpse, he lectured himself. Or he might hurt Jamie in the process. Where there's life there's hope, and as long as he was alive he would never stop searching for his son.

All the logic in the world couldn't quell his grief as he laid one last kiss on a soft round cheek and took one last breath of Jamie-scent. Then he was passing his child into the hands of a madman.

000

Jim paused for the first time in six hours, his nose lifting like a hunting dog scenting the wind, his head cocking as if hearing noises beyond even a sensitive hounds hearing. Far in the distance a sound reached him that raised the hackles on his neck and curled his hands into fists of pure rage. A baby was wailing out his song of grief to the night sky, and somewhere a man's soft sobbing echoed this mournful dirge.

Fired anew Jim narrowed his vision on the trail and took off, the panther that was always so near to him growling in his heart. And there was murder in his eyes.

000

Blair lifted his wet face from the cold ground, sniffing and wiping at his eyes. Jamie's crying had faded into the distance, and his own tears had run a river through him. And he had achieved nothing.

Gritting his teeth Blair swung his swollen ankle around and tried to lift himself, using a nearby tree as a brace. He got one leg beneath him, but as he tried to lay his other foot on the ground pain swamped him and he almost blacked out.

When he came back to himself he was again on the cold ground, the constant tattoo of pain hammering up his leg.

"Okay, so we don't walk," he muttered sternly to himself. "But we also don't lay here crying all night."

With grim determination he rose onto one knee, letting his bad leg drag behind him. And then he began crawling, not down the trail to safety, but up the trail, after his son.

000

Jim heard the heartbeat ahead, registering it and cataloguing it in his own heart before his mind had even processed the information. Long minutes would pass before he could see him and touch him, but Jim knew that Blair was alive, moving slowly but steadily along the path a mile ahead of him. Soft gasps of pain reached his ears, and a half a mile further on he could smell the sweet/sour tang of blood.

"Blair," he said softly under his breath as he gained the ground, running full tilt now, feet unerringly finding the safe path beneath him. "Blair," he called louder, trees and branches whizzing by at the edge of his sight, stars wheeling above his head at a dizzying speed. "Blair!"

"Jim?" He heard the cry as he saw his lover, crawling on one bloody knee, battered hands leaving red marks on the ground beneath them.

Blair's eyes were wide in the darkness, as if straining to gather every bit of moonlight to confirm by sight what his ears told him. "Jim," he cried, trying to rise but falling back to the earth in agony.

"Blair, Blair," Jim was saying as he fell to his knees by his lover's side, gathering him in his arms and holding him close.

"Jim, I knew you were alive, I knew it," Blair sobbed, bloody hands clenching into the back of Jim's jacket.

"I've got you now, Blair, I've got you," Jim repeated over and over, a mantra that helped him keep his sanity as sensitive hands raced over his young lover, finding every bruise and contusion.

"Jamie, that lunatic has Jamie," Blair cried out, pulling his tear streaked face from the curve of Jim's neck.

"What lunatic, Blair?" Jim asked urgently, raking his beloved's face with sentinel vision.

"He told me his name was Harry Raglan," Blair sniffed, wiping at his runny nose with his sleeve. "He said we belonged to him, Jim, he's a mad man!"

"Okay, okay," Jim soothed, pulling off his pack and rummaging through it for the first-aid kit.

"We don't have time for that," Blair said wildly, pushing the kit away. "We have to follow them!"

"And we will," Jim said firmly, catching hold of Blair's chin and gazing into his eyes. "Okay? We will. But we have to stop for just one minute and get you ready to travel. I can't have you bleeding all over the trail, okay?"

Blair's wild eyes calmed as he met his lover's gaze and he swallowed visibly. "Okay," he repeated, voice lowering. "Okay. I'm sorry, Jim."

"Don't apologise, Chief," Jim dropped a kiss on top of the younger man's head. "Even Simon couldn't blame you for this one. Where did this Raglan say he was taking you both?"

"He said he has a cabin back up here."

"In the National Park?"

"That's what he said. Jim, he's crazy as a loon, I swear."

"Yeah, we seem to attract them," Jim said grimly, wrapping the last bandage around Blair's palm and turning to his knee. It was in better shape than his hands, protected as it had been by the denim jeans.

"Don't we though?" Blair let a trace of a smile cross his mobile mouth, and then his face was collapsing as tears poured from his eyes. "I let him take Jamie, Jim! I had to, I had to!"

"I know, sweetheart," Jim soothed, gathering the man to his chest, feeling his wails of pain through his rib cage. "But we are going to get him back, I swear."

"Not we," Blair said, his breath sobbing out of him as he roughly scrubbed at his eyes. "I'm staying here, you'll move faster without me."

"No," Jim said, repacking the bag and slinging it on his shoulder.

"Jim, I will only slow you down," Blair said urgently, trying to catch his lover's eye.

"No, Blair, and that's final," Jim said harshly. He softened his tone at the agony on Blair's face. "We stay together."

"I can't walk," Blair pointed out painfully.

"Then I'll carry you," Jim returned, switching his pack to the front and strapping it on. He then crouched in front of Blair, his back to him. "Climb on."

"This is madness," Blair protested.

"You're wasting time."

Blair wrapped his arms around Jim's neck and hung on as the big man gripped his thighs and lifted him onto his back, grunting under the weight.

"You can't do this, Jim," Blair gasped as pain jolted through his ankle.

"Watch me."

000

The trail wound steeply and Blair hung onto Jim's strong shoulders grimly. He couldn't help but be glad that Jim had insisted on them staying together. They were getting closer to finding Jamie, Blair could feel that deep in his bones.

Hours passed in silence as Jim pumped them forward, gaining ground along a trail Blair could only occasionally make out in the stygian blackness of darkest night. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the side of his lovers head, absorbing the sheer mighty strength of the man who carried him.

The young man couldn't help but be assaulted by memories of the past, time not so distant, when Jim had again braved danger to track him down in the wilderness. Life is a circle, he thought to himself. Circles within circles.

Finally Jim was slowing, his steps silent as he trod carefully along the edge of the trees.

"There's something up here," he said softly.

"I don't see anything," Blair said, squinting as they broke out into a clearing that ran along the sheer edge of rock wall. Craning his head upwards Blair could see the dark blue night sky above the tan rocks. It was already streaked with pink and gold. Dawn was near. "Where's the track?"

"Track ended an hour ago," Jim said absently, head cocked to the side. Blair recognized that he was concentrating hard, so he stayed silent.

"I smell wood smoke," Jim said finally. "Not too far ahead."

"But there's nothing here, Jim," Blair repeated, looking right and left and then back into the trees they had emerged from. "We will have to find another trail, climb higher."

"He didn't go higher," Jim said, eyes on the ground.

Again Blair recognized the absorption and bit back the urgent words building in his chest. Cursing the injury that kept him a burden the young man strained to see what Jim was studying. He could see nothing.

"This is it." Jim stopped at the mouth of a long dry creek bed, its rocky spine snaking back between jagged cliff walls.

"What?" Blair demanded in puzzled tones.

"Blair, I need you to walk, just a little way, can you do that?"

Blair braced himself as Jim crouched to deposit him on one foot. Hissing in pain as blood returned to numbed limbs Blair nodded. "I'll crawl if I have to."

"I know you would." Jim reached out and cupped a grubby chin in both hands. "I love you so much," he breathed against his lover's lips.

Blair wrapped shaking arms around Jim's neck and held tight for a moment. "I love you, Jim."

"Now let's go get our son," Jim said grimly, wrapping one arm around sturdy shoulders and helping Blair turn sideways. And then, with red rock scraping his broad chest he carefully stepped into the dry creek bed and began to edge through the crack in the cliff face.

For long moments Blair could see nothing but the rock face before his eyes. He was forced to step awkwardly, supporting himself with one arm looped over Jim's shoulders. Once his chest seemed to jam in the rock and for just a moment panicked claustrophobia assailed him. Then Jim was tugging him along and they were emerging through the other end of the fissure.

Blair drew in a startled breath. There just meters in front of them was the sagging old wooden wall of a cabin, its dilapidated roof tilting precariously, broken wooden slates scattered haphazardly around it.

The niche the cabin stood in was narrow at this end, widening along its side and flaring out into a large rocky area behind it. Jim was leaning over and whispering in his ear.

"I can hear them around the other side of the cabin. We don't have much time. Wait here." He pulled out his gun and flicked off the safety.

Blair grabbed Jim's arm as he stepped away. "What about Jamie?" he hissed.

"He's safe," Jim whispered. "I think Raglan is chopping wood. Stay here."

And then he was disappearing around the side of the cabin.

000

Jim knew that his only hope of taking the man without risking Jamie's life was using the element of surprise. Right now he could hear Jamie babbling away to himself, his heartbeat reassuringly steady. The man who had stolen him away was close, a steady thunk of his axe burying itself in hard wood was echoing around the narrow niche of rock.

Keeping his back to the faded old wooden wall Jim edged around the cabin, gun at the ready, praying that the man was facing away from him. If he could approach him from behind...

And then all of Jim's hopes of taking the man by surprise vanished as he heard his son call his name.

"Dad-dad!" Jamie was shouting joyfully.

His ears picked up a flurry of movement and realising he had no choice but to act Jim raced forward, springing out of cover to face the man who had tried to steal away everything he had.

Jim saw the man for the first time, standing facing him with Jamie in his arms, tiny back to his burly chest, one brawny forearm holding him tightly to him.

"I killed you!" the man exclaimed.

"Yes you did," Jim agreed, swiftly analyzing the situation. Jamie was this man's hostage under one arm, his other hand was loose around the baby's neck.

Fear flickered across the man's face and then disappeared. "I used to be a better shot," he said conversationally.

"Give me the child," Jim said quietly, holding the gun steady. "I only want him back, and I will go and leave you alone."

"Until you bring the law back here with you," Harry said loudly. "I can't have that. Drop your gun or I will snap his neck like a twig." His dirty fingers stroked the infants soft skin threateningly.

"You don't want to hurt him," Jim said, trying to sound confident.

"But I will," the madman said. He tightened his grip just a little.

Jim had no choice but to lay the gun on the hard ground. He kicked it away rather than towards Raglan. Then he began to back away.

The man lowered his other hand and then crouched, picking up his discarded axe.

Jim continued his backward steps.

"Dad-dad," Jamie was calling, little arms outstretched.

"Please," Jim said softly. "I know you don't want to hurt the boy, put him down safely."

"You sound like that other one. Blair. Did you find him on the trail? I should have killed him too."

Jim was backed all the way to the fissure in the rock face, he passed it and continued around the wall of the cabin, his hearing telling him that Blair had retreated into the crack in the cliff. The younger man was standing there even now, his heart beating like thunder.

"You failed all the way 'round, didn't you, Raglan? You left me alive to follow you, and then you left a trail a blind man could follow. This is quite a hidey-hole you have here, shame it's not a secret any more."

Raglan's placid face was darkening with anger and Jim winced internally as the man's arm tightened around Jamie, squeezing him until he cried. His tactics worked as far as putting the man off balance though, he speeded his pace and passed the cliff wall, the axe now raised threateningly.

Now, Blair, Jim screamed internally, just as Blair emerged like fury from the cliff, a rock the size of a football in both hands. The young man struck with all his force at the back of Raglan's head, causing the kidnapper to stagger forward, the axe dropping from his hand. Jamie also flew forward and Jim leapt, hitting the dirt with his arms out, catching his son before he could hit the rocky ground.

"Jim!" Blair was shouting and Jim closed his eyes for a moment.

"I have him," he called.

"No, Jim!" Blair was screaming and Jim opened his eyes in time to see Raglan's hand reaching for the axe handle.

Blair was on the ground, his ankle curled up beneath him and agony on his face. Gathering his screaming son under one arm Jim twisted, kicking at the axe, sending it spinning along the dusty earth.

Raglan was on his knees, blood running down his face and neck. Jim leapt forward, depositing Jamie in Blair's arms.

"Just give me a minute," he said and then he was turning, facing the man now lumbering to his feet.

000

Blair gathered the precious bundle to his heart, feeling the little arms wrap around his neck, swearing to himself that no-one and nothing would wrest this child from him again.

He opened his eyes in time to see Jim fling himself on Raglan, knocking him to the ground. Scrambling away from the fighting men as quickly as he could Blair scrabbled over dirt and rocks one handed, searching for the gun Jim had kicked away.

Raglan was hurt badly, but Jim was exhausted from his long struggle up the mountain. Jim was on top, trying to get a punch in but the bigger man was too quick for him, twisting lithely and managing to pin the cop in the dust. It was brutal and silent, an occasional grunt of pain the only sound now echoing off the rock walls, that and the panting breaths. Even Jamie had fallen silent.

Finally the gun was under his fingers and Blair was turning, fumbling to hold it out. The battle was still under way and for the first time Blair could see the panther in Jim as he engaged in this grim struggle for life. Teeth bared in a primal snarl, eyes flashing, hands like claws as he grappled with his foe. It was a primitive and deadly show.

And then it was over.

The stone that Blair had struggled just to lift before hiding in the cliff crevice was still on the ground where it had landed, one side wet with blood and hair. Jim didn't lift it, he caught Raglan's head in his hands and quick as lightening he was smashing it down on the rock that had already laid him low. With barely a twitch Raglan was still.

Now the only sound in the rocky niche was Jim's panting breath as it sawed painfully in and out of his lungs. He collapsed onto his back and Blair slowly crawled over to him.

"Jim?" he said softly, and without opening his eyes Jim extended his arm. Blair crawled beneath it, resting their child between them.

000

Jim lay on his back for long minutes, until his panting breaths had subsided to normal and the world no longer seemed to spin sickeningly about him. Blair and the baby were a warm welcome weight against his side. It was Jamie's squirming that bought his eyes open and he squinted against the new sun rising in the sky above them.

"Dad-dad," Jamie was saying crossly, an enormous frown puckering his brow.

"Hey, Jamie," Jim said gently, lifting one scraped hand and stroking back dusty brown hair. "There's my boy."

The baby was in no mood to be placated, his lower lip was sticking out, his grubby cheeks were red. He opened his mouth and began to wail out his dissatisfaction to the world at large.

Jim couldn't mind however, he was just grateful to be here with these two safe and alive in his arms. Blair was raising his head too, a grin cracking the weariness his pain creased face wore.

"There's your boy all right," he smiled, patting Jamie's back comfortingly as the little boy hit Jim's solid chest with tiny fists. "He must be hungry and confused." The smile faded. "And scared too."

Jim pulled Blair tighter against him. "No," he denied. "He's confused, Blair, but he is too young to know what has been going on."

"I hope so," Blair whispered. "I know I will never forget."

"Me either," Jim said, nightmares in his eyes. Blair laid a gentle kiss on his bruised jaw and then sat up, groaning painfully. He glanced over his shoulder at Raglan and then away again quickly.

"Is he dead?" he asked, looking as if he knew the answer but still needed to hear it.

"He's dead," Jim confirmed gently, sitting up with Jamie in his arms. "I had no choice."

"He didn't give us any choices," Blair agreed, his face still turned away from Jim.

The big man caught his chin and turned Blair's face towards him. "No choices at all," he said deeply, trying to convey all he felt with his eyes. Blair's eyes filled with tears and he nodded, just once.

"What now?"

Jim climbed to his feet, groaning as stiff aching muscles protested. "We rest, eat and drink if this place has any decent supplies." He extended his arm and Blair grasped it gratefully, pulling himself to one leg. They began to make their way around to the cabin's door. "And then tomorrow we start down the mountain."

"Tomorrow?" Blair protested. "But it's only dawn now! Are you saying we should stay here for twenty four hours?"

"We don't have a choice, Chief," Jim explained as he took a step and waited for Blair to take a hopping step to keep up with him. "We are both too exhausted to start out now, and we are going to need all the daylight hours we have to travel."

They reached the cabin door which appeared to be hanging from rough leather hinges. Peering into the dimness Jim's eyes could easily make out the simple rectangular layout. An ancient old black stove stood on one wall, the fire inside it dying down to embers, a wood basket next to it holding only twigs. An equally ancient coffee pot sat on top of it. On the wall opposite the stove was a narrow bunk piled with army blankets and furs. The floor was dirt and the whole one room shack was painfully clean.

"This isn't so bad," Jim said bracingly, helping Blair over to the cot where he collapsed gratefully. Jim kept the sobbing baby in his arms as he looked around, automatically soothing him and patting his back now that he had a free hand. "It's okay, Jamie, you're okay."

Slowly the baby quieted while Jim sniffed at the coffee pot and poked the fire back into a last flare of life. "I guess he must have gone back to civilization now and then," Jim mused, poking at a half full flour bag and an old tin labeled coffee.

Blair's pack was on the rough wooden bench that ran along the wall and Jim rummaged in it until he found the canteen and Jamie's juice bottle, the lid on it still intact.

"Ba-ba!" Jamie said, a small sob still hiccupping in his voice, and without further ado Jim flicked the plastic lid off to reveal the teat, and stuck it into the baby's mouth. He turned to share a smile with Blair, but the younger man had already lifted his leg onto the cot and had a hand over his eyes.

"Good idea," Jim said. He grabbed the canteen and then laid Jamie on Blair's chest, waiting until the half asleep young man wrapped an arm around him. Jim took a swig from the canteen and then waved it under Blair's nose. "Drink some water, babe," he coaxed. "And then we'll both nap, okay?"

"'kay," Blair mumbled, lifting his head and sipping at the canteen. Satisfied that he had taken enough Jim stoppered the container and then laid down on the narrow cot, making sure not to jar Blair's injured leg.

"It's okay," Jim soothed Jamie as the baby slipped into sleep. He then stroked Blair's tangled curls back from his face and laid a soft kiss on his brow. "Everything's okay now."

000

Jim peered into the small cozy den, where a blue eyed wolf lay curled around a black bundle of fur. The panther cub blinked and then yawned, pink tongue curling, mouth opening to reveal row after row of tiny sharp teeth. A fully grown panther paced over and lay down beside them, one massive paw laid gently across his mate and cub.

Jim stared deep into wise blue eyes and smiled.

000

Blair awoke feeling stiff and sore. His pillow felt amazingly scratchy against his cheek, and his hair felt like a birds nest on his head. With a groan he opened his eyes.

"Welcome back, sleepy head," Jim greeted him with a smile from the floor.

"Jim?" Blair mumbled thickly, frowning through gummy eyes at the sight of Jim sitting cross legged on a dirt floor with Jamie on his lap, chewing on a biscuit. Coughing and wiping his eyes Blair propped himself on his elbow, memory an unwelcome pang as pain shot up his leg from his swollen ankle.

"Careful," Jim advised, standing up and holding out his free arm as a prop so that Blair could sit up.

"What's the time?" Blair asked, squinting out the open door where the sunlight bounced off of bare cliff walls.

"Two-thirty," Jim informed him. "You thirsty?"

Blair realized he was, almost desperately so, and he clutched at the canteen gratefully and gulped down some cool water. He felt considerably better as soon as it eased down his parched throat. "You two been awake long?"

Jim sat carefully on the edge of the cot and passed Jamie into Blair's waiting arms.

"Couple of hours. I woke up first and looked around. This place is incredible!"

Blair looked around the sparse cabin. "It looks old," he observed, sitting Jamie on his lap and kissing his grinning little face. "He... he said he has been here twenty years."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jim said, standing and walking over to a battered old box on the bench. "I found these." He held up some dog-eared old medals, their ribbons faded and worn. "Vietnam veteran I'd say," Jim said sadly, stroking the ragged ribbons before laying them back in the box. He pulled out an old patch and held it up. "Army recon, long range unit. These guys were picked because they were loners and their job was to advance scout through enemy territory."

Blair laid his cheek on Jamie's head. "No wonder he could live out here."

"I don't think he built the place," Jim continued. He nodded to some metal contraptions on the walls that Blair identified as animal traps. "Those things are probably a hundred years old, but he has them oiled for use. My guess is that he stumbled on the place some time after the war and just stayed on."

Blair looked around again at the painfully neat little dwelling, feeling a slight softening of hatred in his heart towards the man who had tried to take so much from him. "God, if he wasn't crazy before he would have been after twenty years in this hole in the wall."

"Crazy and lonely I'm guessing," Jim said, sitting back down on the cot and resting his hand on Blair's good knee. "I think he saw you two and lost it."

Blair shivered. "He said we belonged to him now. I wonder if he's ever done the same thing to anyone else?" Painfully he remembered Raglan on the trail, whispering that no-one had ever found his home before.

"There's no sign anyone else has ever been here," Jim said thoughtfully. "And I think we would have heard if people had started going missing up here."

"Yeah, I guess." Blair didn't want to ask, but he had to. "Did you... is he still out there?"

"I wrapped him in a tarp and pulled him around the side," Jim said gently. "You won't ever have to see him again, Chief. Neither of you will," Jim stroked Jamie's head and the baby smiled at him.

"Jamie really seems okay," Blair said wonderingly. "After all that he's been through."

"This is one tough kid," Jim grinned.

"He's going to have to be, hanging around us."

Jim heated tinned beans on the stove and they shared the only eating utensil, a fork from Jim's pen knife. Blair tried not to dwell on the strange man who had disrupted their lives so violently but his mind wouldn't leave the problem alone. What had Harry Raglan been searching for when he decided to steal the two of them away and murder Jim? An end to unceasing loneliness? Did he believe he could keep the two of them here forever, or was his motive more sinister? Somewhere on this mountain was there a collection of corpses of people who had once 'belonged' to him?

Aware that his thoughts were becoming increasingly morbid Blair tried to concentrate on their more immediate concerns, namely how to get down off this mountain.

"I've been thinking about that," Jim said, finishing the last of the beans. "I think I can convert this old cot into a travois and pull you and Jamie down the trail."

"But, Jim," Blair protested. "You're hurt, and that trail is steep and narrow in places. It's impossible."

"The only other option is leaving you both here, and I'm not doing that," Jim said firmly. "We stay together."

Just the thought of staying in this echoing place with Raglan's corpse was enough to make Blair break out into a cold sweat.

"Besides, with any luck we will have been missed by now. I left a note and marked the trail head."

"Good thought," Blair congratulated him. "You were thinking a lot more clearly than I was."

"You had to concentrate on staying alive," Jim said reassuringly. "And on keeping the baby safe, and you did that."

"Safe?" Blair laughed humorlessly. "If you hadn't come along and rescued us, as usual, I would still be crawling on that trail and that madman would still have Jamie!"

Jim wrapped his arm around his lover's shoulder and hugged him close to his side. "You're over estimating me," he said tenderly. "And under estimating yourself, as usual. We both played our part in this, Blair. And my big rescue attempt would have been worthless if you hadn't taken him down with that rock. Like every other aspect of our lives, we are just better together."

Blair smiled a little, weighing up the welcome words. "We are, aren't we?" he said finally. "I just can't believe this happened to us."

"We survived, Blair, that's what counts."

"We're together, that's what counts," Blair leaned his head on Jim's shoulder. "Jim?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"I am never going fishing with you again."

Jim snorted a laugh. "I think I have lost my taste for fish," he admitted.

000

"Jim, please rest for a minute," Blair called.

Jim stopped and lowered the legs of the cot with a grateful sigh.

Are you two all right?" he asked, his voice winded by his efforts.

Blair was laying on the cot which Jim had transformed into a travois simply by removing the back legs. Jamie was laying next to him held securely in his arms. The baby sat up and looked around when they stopped.

"We're fine," Blair insisted. "You're the one doing all the work. Please rest for a while."

Sinking down on the track Jim examined his hands which were already red from the wooden cot legs he was using to tow the make shift travois.

"Just for a while," Jim allowed, easing his aching shoulder muscles with a few stretches. "We still have a long way to go and I don't want to spend another night on this mountain."

"Dad-dad," Jamie said, holding out his chubby arms.

"Let daddy rest," Blair said to him fondly, stroking his cheek.

Jamie's lower lip stuck out mulishly and even as exhausted as he was Jim had to grin.

"Never too tired for my boy," he said gently, lifting Jamie from Blair's arms and holding him against his chest. "Oh man," he groaned. "I need to work out more, this kid is getting heavy!"

"He's growing fast," Blair agreed with a smile, but his eyes were sad.

"You okay?" Jim asked again more softly. This time he wasn't talking about Blair's injury.

"I was just remembering handing Jamie over to Raglan on the trail," Blair said solemnly, eyes on the baby's busy fingers that were exploring Jim's watch. "As long as I live I will never forget that. Do you know what I was thinking as he left me there alone?"

Jim shook his head silently.

"I was remembering Jamie's mother," Blair returned quietly. "When we lifted Jamie from her arms and left her there."

"Blair-" Jim began but the younger man interrupted him.

"I know," he said quietly. "She was dead and she died saving her baby's life. You and I would do no less for him. But I can't help thinking of her. I survived and she didn't."

Jim lifted his hand and took Blair's, holding it tightly. He couldn't help the shiver that crept over his skin at the thought of finding Blair dead on the trail, as they had found Jamie's mother all those months ago. This whole experience with Raglan had been like some surreal nightmare in which he relived his greatest fears over and over again. His nightmare search for Blair in the war torn jungle was replayed here in what should have been the safety of a National Park. Their rescue of Jamie from the hands of almost certain death that first time had been so terrifyingly accidental, so frighteningly random that even now he had nightmares about by-passing that lonely section of jungle track and never finding this bright eyed bundle of life he held in his arms. Now he knew his dreams would be about that narrow crevice of rock which had led to a crazy man's lonely bolt hole, and those moments when dirty fingers had circled Jamie's tiny throat.

"She didn't have a sentinel watching her back," Blair continued, squeezing Jim's hand where it held his. "The one she had in her arms was too little to help her."

"Maybe he warned her of trouble and that's why she was so far from the others when she died?" Jim speculated, stroking tumbled brown locks and then kissing a small snub nose when Jamie turned a grubby grin on him. "He certainly heard me coming up on the mountain."

Suddenly sounds far in the distance reached him and he turned his head to listen, barely noticing that Jamie's attention had also sharpened and that his head had turned in unison with his father's.

"What do you hear?" Blair asked in hushed tones.

Jim smiled, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Blair's beautiful nose. "They're coming," he said jubilantly. "Rangers!"

Jamie was infected by the good mood and he clapped his hands together happily. "Baff!" he called out joyfully, his happiest word of all. "Baff, Blair, Dad-dad-dad!"

Blair closed his eyes in relief. "Thank god," he breathed.

000

Blair relaxed back into Jim's desk chair with a sigh. Walking on crutches was a pain, but the doctor had assured him that the ankle was only sprained and should heal nicely. They still had a few days of vacation left, but Simon had phoned Jim to tell him there was now some information available on Raglan, so the detective had decided to drop into the station and see it for himself.

Reluctant to be parted from either Jim or Jamie, Blair had elected to accompany his lover, and bring the baby with them. It was the first time Jamie had visited the station and Blair had admitted to Jim that he was a little worried about their reception. That apprehension was banished the moment they entered Major Crime, when Taggert had descended on them like a tornado, unbuckling Jamie from his stroller and bearing him off triumphantly. He now had him sitting on his desk in the corner, entertaining what looked to be half the staff on this floor.

"Easy on the chocolate, guys," Blair called over, getting a glimpse of Jamie's happy, sticky face. "It makes him hyper."

"Yes, mom," Brown warbled in a falsetto voice.

Blair gave up, resigning himself to having handed over a happy placid baby and receiving a chocolate covered frenzy-monster in return.

Jim emerged from Simon's office.

"Hey, Jim. How did it go?"

"No problems, Chief," Jim assured him easily, perching himself on the edge of his desk. "Our version of events has been accepted without question and there will be no further investigation into Raglan's death."

"Phew," Blair puffed out a relieved breath.

"You didn't really think it would go any other way, did you, Chief?" Jim asked curiously.

Blair shrugged. "You never know."

"True, true." Jim turned to look at the circus Joel's desk had become. The big man was playing 'This little piggy' on Jamie's bare toes and the crowd was chortling and grinning along with the ecstatic baby.

"You think if we sneak out they will even notice?" Jim joked. "Hey, guys," he called over. "Don't give him any more chocolate, okay? It makes him hyper."

"Okay, okay," Brown grumbled, guiltily hiding a Snickers behind his back.

"What information did Simon have on Raglan?" Blair asked curiously. He still wasn't sure why he needed to know more about the man who had kidnapped them. Maybe it was to find answers to the questions he still carried around with him about that sad, crazy man.

"Not much. He did serve in the army, he was discharged in '74 and then he spent about five years drifting from job to job. Then one day he just dropped off the records, no social security, no income tax, nothing."

"One more nameless, faceless refugee floating in our streets," Blair said bitterly.

"Hey," Jim inserted softly. "He made his own choices, remember?"

"I guess." Blair sighed. "I suppose I just feel I should care more, you know? Even after all he tried to take from us I should care that a man is dead, shouldn't I? But I just... can't."

"Well, don't beat yourself up over that," Jim advised. "Better people die every day and they never resorted to kidnapping and attempted murder either."

"I know," Blair agreed, trying to throw off his somber mood. "So, what do we do for the rest of our vacation? And if you mention fishing..."

"No fishing," Jim said quickly with a grin. "But I was thinking water. Beach side hotel, room service, spa. Baby sitting service in the evening."

"Yeah?" Blair perked up. "Luxury, hmm? That sounds pretty good."

"It does, doesn't it," Jim said in satisfaction. "I'll make the reservations, you rescue our pride and joy and scrape the chocolate off him."

"Jim." Blair's hand on his knee stopped the cop from standing. "There is one more thing I want to talk about."

"We can't talk on the way?"

"I'd like to get the ball rolling on this," Blair said. "I know we never really discussed whether to raise Jamie in any religion."

Jim settled back down. "There's plenty of time for that, surely?"

"Yeah," Blair agreed. "But I'd like to get him christened. We know from his mother's cross that she was probably a Christian."

"Okay, Chief. I've got no problems with that. What's so important it couldn't wait though?"

"Well, I want to ask Simon to be one of his godparents. If we ask him now we can give him some time to think it over."

Now Blair had succeeded in surprising Jim. "Simon?" Jim glanced over his shoulder at the captain's office where Simon was sitting at his desk yelling down the phone at someone. "You sure about that? I was thinking of the Taggert's maybe.""

"Yeah, I'd like to ask Joel and Angela too. But, Jim, we owe it to Jamie to make sure he has the best of care if anything should happen to us."

"Agreed."

"So I think we should tell Simon about Jamie's hyperactive senses and then ask him to be his guardian if anything ever happens to us."

Jim's brows rose almost comically and he slid off the table and snagged a chair, pulling it close to Blair.

"Are you sure about that, Chief?" he asked quietly.

"No. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it."

Jim scratched his head thoughtfully. "Well, he is the only other person in the world who knows about me being a sentinel."

"Right. So at least he is in a position to understand this."

"But what does he know about hyperactive senses, Chief?" Jim asked reasonably.

"What did I know?" Blair returned. "But at least he'll have my six volumes of hand written notes about you as a starting point."

An evil grin slid over Jim's face. "Six volumes, huh?" He suppressed a snort of laughter. "That's a cruel thing to do to a man, Chief." Laughter broke out behind them and Jim turned to stare at the mob around the desk. "I don't believe this," he said incredulously.

Brown and Taggert were singing: "You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out," while Rafe held Jamie on his lap, moving his little hand back and forth. Mouths agape, Jim and Blair were then treated to the sight of the entire fourth floor breaking into a chorus of 'Hokey Pokey.' They were just 'shaking it all about' for the second time when Simon's office door slammed open.

"What in hell is going on out here?" he bellowed.

Silence descended on the squad room, punctuated by Jim and Blair's laughter and Jamie's excited cries of 'pokey pokey!'

"Am I running a nursery school here?" The captain demanded in ringing tones as detectives and uniformed cops and secretaries began slinking out. "I don't think so! This is a Major Crime unit, people." Simon glared at a hapless Rafe as he deposited Jamie in Blair's arms and scuttled away.

"Where are his shoes?" Blair demanded of Joel as he fled the room. Simon waited until everyone was gone before allowing a grin to cross his face.

Jamie smiled stickily at his fathers, little bare pink toes wiggling. "Pokey pokey," he said smugly.

"Yeah, you've been the center of attention, haven't you, piglet?"

"That kid is a disruption is what he is, Sandburg," Simon barked. "What are you guys still doing here anyway? You are on vacation. Shoo."

"Actually, Simon, there's something we would like to discuss with you," Jim began, exchanging a look with Blair.

"Is it important?" Simon glanced back and forth between them.

Blair smiled into Jim's eyes and then nodded. "It could be."

"Well, okay then. My office." He led the way.

Jim lifted Jamie from Blair's arms. His hand covered his lover's as he handed him his crutches.

"Okay, Chief?" he asked, eyes warm.

Blair smiled into those blue eyes, anticipation and joy coursing through him, banishing the dark hours of their separation.

"Just fine, Jim. Just perfect."

The End

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