See part 1 for disclaimer and warning.
Part 5
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Reality 1

Simon walked into the bullpen of Major Crimes and looked at all the grim faces. He had just received news from the hospital that Blair was stable, but still unconscious. They were still waiting on the test results, even though the doctor had put a rush on them. Hopefully, they would know more then, but Simon had the feeling that he shouldn't be holding his breath. Just like everything thing else, those tests would probably leave them with more questions than answers.

"Captain?" Simon turned to look at the young office that had called him. It was the newest transfer to Major Crimes, Detective John Camble. "I just wanted to say how sorry I am at the loss of Detective Ellison and that I hope Sandburg pays for what he did."

"Detective Camble, we don't know what happened and, until that time, Sandburg is still an innocent person."

"Yes, sir." The young detective turned and walked away. He let a small smile grace his lips as he walked out of the bullpen.

Simon watched Camble walk away and suppressed a shudder. There was just something about the young man that set Simon off. Even Blair had commented on how something was off about him and Blair usually got along with just about everyone. Sandburg did everything possible to avoid any contact with the new detective. **God what am I doing? He's just a new guy and hasn't found his niche yet and I'm going out of my way to figure out what is wrong with him. He just needs time to settle in and here I am ready to jump all over him. I'm not surprised that he's ready to fry Sandburg, a lot of cops are.** Simon continued to his office, wondering what had gotten into him. Just that morning he had yelled at Daryl for forgetting to put the cereal away. What he needed was a large cup of coffee and a few less reporters. 

"Captain Banks." Simon cringed as the Commissioner walked into his office with District Attorney Beverly Sanchez. "We want to know what's happening with Sandburg and how soon he can be transferred to jail."

"I suggest that you talk to his doctor about..."

"I have." Commissioner Roberts cut Simon off. "I keep getting the run-around, so explain what is happening."

"They're still running tests."

"What type of tests?" Beverly interrupted.

Simon sighed and sat down in his chair. "Everything from a tox screen to neurological exams. They don't know what caused the seizure last night or his inability to talk correctly."

"What seizure?" Beverly Sanchez sat down across from Simon. "They must have some idea what's happening." Even though she was eager for an arrest, Beverly still held a soft spot for Blair. They had become friends since Danny Choi was killed.

"We won't know anything until the tests come in. Even then, Blair's in no shape to stand trial." Simon hoped that Beverly would understand and back off for the moment. He knew that everyone was under pressure to make an arrest in Jim's murder, but it just wasn't possible at the moment.

"The other reason we're here is the murder investigation that Detective Ellison was working on." The Commissioner had been quiet until now, letting Beverly deal with the Sandburg problem.

"There's not a lot I can say. I know Jim and Blair had a few leads, but nothing concrete. Those leads died with Jim, and unless Blair 
suddenly comes out of this, he won't be any help." Simon hoped that the commissioner would leave it at that. They really had nothing to go on and it was somewhat of a relief that the case had been taken out of Major Crime's hands. It left more time to spend with Blair and to prove that the kid wasn't responsible for Jim's death.

"Fine. Keep me posted on the Sandburg matter. Good day." The Commissioner got up and left the office.

"Simon, keep me posted on what's happening with Blair."

"So you'll know when you can have him moved?" There was a hint of bitterness in Simon's voice, but if Beverly noticed it, she didn't say anything.

"No, I would just like to know how he's doing. I do care about him, too, Simon." With that, she left the room.

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Somewhere Between

Blair felt himself floating, but he knew that couldn't be right. The last thing he remembered was being in the hospital. Slowly, he opened his eyes, but didn't see anything other then a blurry mess. Just looking at it was giving him a headache. Closing his eyes, Blair started taking stock about how the rest of him was feeling. He still couldn't move his arms or legs, but at the moment that wasn't bothering him much since he could wiggle his fingers and toes. It was quiet around him, Blair noticed with a sense of 
relief. He wasn't ready to try and understand what everyone was saying. So instead of trying to focus on the world around him, Blair's thoughts turned to his memories of what happened in the bullpen.

<<Flashback>>

Blair and Jim had just gotten back from checking out a few leads when Captain Banks called them into his office. While they had been out, Seattle had called in reference to their serial killer case. It would seem that a dead child had been found on a playground. Simon wanted them to drive down there and check this out.

"Jim, if we're right, then that murder probably doesn't have anything to do with our case." Blair said as they left Simon's office.

"I still don't like what we came up with." Jim didn't want to start pointing fingers at cops if there was a chance that they were wrong.

"What? So you want to check this out with the possibility that it's something and take the time away from working on our lead?" Blair knew what Jim was thinking, but he also knew that there was going to be another dead child tomorrow. "This killing doesn't fit the pattern."

"Look Sandburg, we're going and that's that!" Jim yelled. Between the zoning and lack of sleep, Jim was on edge.

Neither Jim nor Blair noticed that the bullpen had become deathly quiet. Even Simon had come out of his office to see what the commotion was about. What he found was Blair and Jim at each other's throats. The case was tearing both of them apart.

"Fine, you go to Seattle," Blair finally said. "I'm going home." With that, the young Guide walked out of the bullpen without looking back.

Jim stood where he was for a few more seconds before walking to his desk. "What?" He yelled when he noticed everyone was looking at him.

<<End of Flashback>>

Blair was drawn out of his memories by a touch. Jim was leaning over him and smiling. At first, Blair didn't realized that his vision had cleared; he was just glad to see Jim. The memories of the loft and the blood were almost always at the forefront of his mind. Even though the two realities were still over-lapping, Blair returned his friend's smile. If anything this just made Jim happier. Suddenly, Jim's smile disappeared as he turned towards the room's door. Standing there was some doctor. Blair couldn't 
understand what she was saying, but he did realize the Jim was leaving. That, to Blair, was unacceptable. "Don't go."

Jim had stopped and turned back to Blair. He might not have been able to understand what his Guide had said, but he understood the look in his eyes. It was fear. Jim said something to the doctor and walked back to Blair. He sat down in the chair by the bed and took Sandburg's hand. Blair smiled again and squeezed Jim's hand. He was relieved that Jim had come back. As much as he was handling the present situation, he felt better to knowing Jim was by his side. Even the gap between them didn't seem so big.

Blair wondered for a second how the case was coming along. Had they made any arrests, or had there been anymore killings? At the beginning of the case, it seemed like there was nothing to link the children to each other. Not even the parents could be linked together. Each child that had been murdered had come from different parts of town. None of the parents worked for the same company. They didn't share the same friends and they even shopped at different stores. It would seem that the killings were completely random. Because of this, the police department realized it would be close to impossible to find this person. They had yet to make a mistake and if anything, the killer was getting better.

It was only after some digging that Blair found out what they all had in common. All the children had an older sister or brother who had been in trouble at one point or another. As Blair had dug even deeper, he had found one cop who had been involved with them all. Usually he had been the arresting officer, but this cop had usually taken his job a step further. He started working with these children and their families. Then, starting with the first child he arrested, a younger child within the family had died. It made some sense. There were no signs of a struggle from the children. This meant they not only knew the person, they also trusted him, because 
he was a cop. None of the families had mentioned him, either. Sandburg figured that they hadn't because they had never even suspected it could be a cop. Jim had agreed that it had to be him, but wasn't willing to act on it yet. He wanted more evidence. Then Seattle called. If it was this cop, then he would have never of killed in Seattle. No, Blair hoped that Jim had someone working on 
the case. Detective John Camble was the newest detective to Major Crimes and the newest serial killer to hit Cascade.

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