CALMING THE SAVAGE BEAST

Joel Taggert was normally a happy easy-going person.  So it was unusual to see an actual frown on his pleasant visage.

Brian Rafe nudged his partner and silently pointed to the larger man who was staring at the door of Major Crimes that led into the hallway.

Henri Brown, who was leaning over Rafe’s desk trying to read a file upside-down, looked over his shoulder then back at his partner in silent confusion.

“Hey, Joel.  Everything okay?” Rafe finally asked.

Without moving his eyes from the doorway, Joel asked, “Anybody know where Ellison is?”

“He’s out.  Interviewing that witness from the carjacking this morning.”  Henri reverently glanced upwards.  “Thank God.”

Joel relaxed.  “Good.”  Without another word, he got up and walked to the hallway.  Seconds later, he walked back followed by Blair Sandburg.

“Uh-oh,” Henri grinned.  “What did you do now, Hairboy?”

“Me?  Nothing!  I’m completely innocent.”  The suspicious smirk on Blair’s face, however, told a different story.

“Saw him peeking around the corner and lurking in the hallway,” Joel explained with a grin.  “So I figured he was trying to duck Ellison.”

“I am NOT trying to ‘duck Ellison’ as you put it,” Blair denied with a snort.  The laughter dancing in his eyes combined with the bouncy motion of his body even as he tried to stand in one spot caused the three detectives to look at each other with matching grins.

“You’re up to something,” Rafe happily accused.

“You guys are SO suspicious,” Blair chuckled.

“If it’s on Ellison, you’re taking your life in your own hands, my friend.  He’s been an absolute terror the past month.  Ever since…well, you know,” Henri shuddered.

“Hey, I live with the man.  Trust me.  I know the moods very well,” Blair acknowledged.

“Gentlemen.  Is there a reason I don’t see you working?”  Simon Banks’ voice cut through the laughter.

“Simon!  Captain!  Just the man I need to see.  Could I have a few moments of your time?”  Turning around, the young anthropologist gave Simon his most pleading look.

Simon’s dark eyes briefly narrowed.  “Since you asked so nicely,” he nodded.  “In my office.”  He glared at the other detectives who all shrugged.

Joel watched as Simon shut the door to his office.  They saw Blair briefly sit then stand and begin to pace, his hands waving as he grew more and more excited.  “I hope Blair knows what he’s doing,” the big man sighed.

They had barely returned to their desks when the door to Simon’s office banged open.  “Taggert!  Brown!  Rafe!  My office!  Now!”

“What’s Sandburg gotten us into now?” Rafe groaned.

They silently filed into Simon’s office, Henri closing the door behind him.

“Gentlemen.  As you know, we’ve all suffered this past month with Ellison’s bad temper,” Simon began as he sat behind his desk.  “But I think we’ll all agree Sandburg here has suffered the most.  After all, he not only works with Ellison but lives with him as well.”

The other three men looked at Blair who was bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet and grinning.

“And there’s a light at the end of the tunnel?” Rafe hopefully asked.

Blair nodded.  “I just need a little assistance.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was early afternoon when Jim Ellison returned to the bullpen.  The witness to the latest carjacking had recognized one of the teenagers involved.  It hadn’t taken much pressure to convince the boy to confess and implicate his partners.  One of them, a girl hardly 15, had broken down into near hysterical sobbing when arrested.  Since she hadn’t actively participated in any of the carjackings, merely having knowledge of them, Jim figured she would get off lightly.  Hopefully, the fear she was feeling right now would be motivation enough to change both her lifestyle and friends.

Despite feeling good about solving the rash of carjackings, the girl’s emotional outburst had somewhat depressed him.  ‘Only 15 and thinking stealing a car is okay to do when you’re bored.’  It was days like this that caused Jim to wonder if all the long hours and physical jeopardy was worth it.  As he entered Major Crimes, he saw Blair sitting at his desk intent on grading some exams.  ‘But Sandburg would say that if one 15-year old girl changes her life because of this, it’s been worth it.  He’s probably right.’

Blair looked up as Jim hung his jacket on the nearby coat rack.  “Heard you got those carjackers.  They were really just kids?”

Jim nodded as he sat down.  “The oldest was 17.  One of them was just past 15.  I think SHE’LL straighten out.  But the others…” he shrugged.  “Anything happening here?”

Blair lowered his voice.  “Simon’s on a real tear, man.  I’ve been staying out of his way.”

“What did you do?” Jim automatically asked as he pushed the button to activate his computer monitor.

“Not me,” Blair quickly denied.  “He was like that when I got here.”  He lowered his voice even further.  “He’s already had Joel, Henri, and Rafe in his office.”

Jim’s blue eyes flickered to his co-workers.  They were hard at work at their desks and seemed subdued.  Usually Henri and Rafe would be exchanging quips and jokes.  But even Henri had his head down, paying close attention to the file he was studying.  “No idea at all what’s going on?”

“I didn’t have the heart to ask them when they each came out,” Blair admitted.  “And they’ve been awfully quiet ever since.”

Simon’s door banged open.  “Ellison!  My office!  Now!”

Jim automatically nodded.

“Bring files on all your open cases!” Simon added as he walked back into his office.

Jim uneasily eyed the stack of folders on his desk.  As he slowly picked them up, he realized Blair hadn’t moved.  “You coming, Chief?”

“Uh…”  Blair glanced at the open door to Simon’s office.  “He didn’t call my name, you know.”  He flashed Jim a quick, hopeful smile.  “How about I get to work on your reports on the carjackings?”

Jim nodded as he handed that folder and his notes to his partner.  If Simon was raking everyone over the coals because of open cases, there was no reason to include Blair in it.  ‘I knew this was going to be a rotten day when I woke up.  If I can just get through tonight and maybe tomorrow, things will get back to normal around here.’  As he entered Simon’s office, he silently acknowledged he’d been a bastard to live and work with the past month.  And Sandburg had taken the brunt of it.  As he closed the door behind him, he silently promised to find a way to make it up to his partner.  After all, he wasn’t his fault Jim wasn’t going to be able to…

“Ellison!  I’m certain whatever you’re thinking about is important, but I’d appreciate your attention now.”

Jim stiffened at Simon’s sarcastic voice.  He quickly shut the door.  “Sorry, sir.”

Simon sighed.  “No, I’m sorry.  Sit down.”  As Jim settled into the chair opposite the desk, Simon briefly smiled.  “Good work on the carjacking case, by the way.”  He shook his head.  “Kids.  Is it just me or are things getting worse?”

Jim hesitated.  “I’m not sure I’m the one to answer that, sir.  You’d probably get a more objective answer from Sandburg.”

Simon grunted.  “An objective answer…perhaps.  A lengthy answer…definitely.”  Sitting up straighter, he opened a folder.  “I have a meeting later this afternoon with the Commissioner, the Mayor, and three representatives of the Governor’s office.  I need to detail every open case.  Status.  Projected closure.  The entire scenario.”  He glanced at the detective.  “There’s no pressure from me about your closure rate.  I simply need a detailed review on each open case.”

“Very good, sir.”  Privately, Jim thought the entire procedure to be a waste of time.  From the look on Simon’s face, he probably agreed.  Nonetheless, Jim opened the first folder and began reporting.  An hour later, there was a hesitant knock on the door.

“What?” Simon snapped.

The door opened and Blair slowly stepped inside.  “I thought you might want this one as well.”  He quickly handed the folder on the carjacking case to Jim.

The Sentinel took it but looked at Simon.  “Do you want to include it?  Technically, it’s closed.”

“It hasn’t been presented to the DA yet,” Simon mused.  “We’ll include it.”

Blair smiled in relief.  “Great.  It’s bound to help.  I mean, with all the publicity those carjackings have been getting…”  His voice trailed off as Jim shot him a warning look.

“Thank you, Sandburg,” Simon said in that gentle voice that actually meant ‘why-are-you-still-here-and-why-am-I-still-hearing-your-voice’.”

“Ummm…right.”  Blair reached behind him, fumbling for the doorknob.  “I’ll just…anything you need me to work on, Jim?  Simon?”

“That will be all, Sandburg,” Simon answered in the same gentle voice.

When Jim shook his head, Blair gratefully…and quickly…exited.

Simon sighed as he stared at the closed door.  “I’ll apologize,” he promised.  “The kid doesn’t deserve to suffer my attitude.”

“Mine either,” Jim muttered.  He caught slight smile on Simon’s face but ignored it.  “The next case…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blair had just finished stuffing his completed exams into his backpack when Jim emerged from Simon’s office.  He looked up in concern.  “Everything okay, man?”

“Yeah.  Simon has to attend some cock-and-bull meeting later with the Commissioner, Mayor, and some suits from the Governor’s office later today,” he explained.  He carefully split the case files into appropriate groups depending upon their status.  Almost in fascination, Blair watched the organizational process.  “So everybody had to review all open cases.”

“Bummer.”  Blair shook his head.  “But at least everybody’s up to speed now, right?”

Jim grunted.  “Thanks for doing those reports on the carjackings.”  He glanced over at his friend.  “I know I’ve been a real bastard the last couple of weeks.”

“True,” Blair cheerfully agreed.

Jim grimaced.  “What about grabbing dinner tonight?  You pick the place.  I’ll treat.”

“Way cool, Jim,” Blair grinned.  He reached for a textbook to put in his pack and saw a white envelope.  “Oh, man.  I forgot.  This came for you.”

Jim looked at the plain white envelope with his name nearly printed on the front.  There was no return address.  He studied the printing, but the block letters refused identification.  “Who brought it?”

Blair frowned.  “I don’t know.”  At Jim’s puzzled look, he half-grinned.  “I mean I didn’t recognize them ‘cause I was busy on those reports when some guy asked if this was Jim Ellison’s desk and I said yes and next thing I know the envelope was on the desk and he was gone but it can’t be a bomb, man, ‘cause it’s too little, you know?”

Jim’s brain finally translated the words pouring out of his partner’s mouth.  Frowning, he slowly opened the envelope.

Unable to restrain a smile, Blair looked up to see Joel, Henri, and Rafe eyeballing them.  He slowly nodded, and the three men began to grin.  The door to Simon’s office gently opened, and the Captain of Major Crimes leaned in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest.  A large smile spread across his handsome dark face.

“What in the hell?” Jim muttered.  In astonishment, he looked down at two tickets…third row…center stage…plus two backstage passes…for the Santana concert that night at the Cascade Coliseum.  Jim had been in Seattle when the concert, a benefit performance hurriedly put together when another group had cancelled and Santana had stepped in as a substitute, had been announced.  Everyone could date the beginning of Jim’s foul mood from the moment he returned from Seattle to find the concert already announced and sold out.

Jim looked up at Blair, for once openly confused.

Blair shrugged although a pleased smirk danced across his face.  “Hey, I happened to be the lucky caller who knew the right answer to the trivia question.”

“Which was what?” Rafe laughed.

“How long did the Hundred Years’ War last?” Blair asked.

Rafe shrugged.  “A hundred years.”

“See…that’s what everybody says.  But actually, it lasted longer because…”  Blair laughed as the other men groaned in anticipation of another Sandburg scholarly lecture.  “Go ahead and laugh it up, guys.  But look who was smart enough to know the answer.”

“And your fellow officers have agreed to cover your cases tomorrow,” Simon added.

“The review for the important meeting…”

“…was a way to get you out of the way until the tickets arrived by messenger,” Simon explained with a grin.

“Chief…you won the tickets.”  Jim looked up at Blair even as he tightly gripped the tickets and passes.

“Me?  At a Santana concert?”  Blair elaborately shuddered.  “Hey, I have an image to maintain, man.”

Jim slowly smiled.  “Well, I think I know someone I can persuade to join me.”  He quickly glanced at the clock.

“Go on.  Get out of here.  You’re off duty tomorrow as well,” Simon grunted.

“Thank you, sir,” Jim grinned.  He reached out and logged off his computer.  As he grabbed his jacket, he looked at the other detectives.  “I owe you guys.”

Joel walked to Jim’s desk.  “You owe Sandburg,” he quietly pointed out.  Glancing to where Blair and Simon were standing by the Captain’s open office door, laughing and talking, he meaningfully looked at Jim.  “He’s the one who put this all together.”

Jim slowly nodded.  “I was just really pissed at not getting a chance to see this concert.”  He sheepishly grinned.  “I mean…it’s SANTANA, Joel.”

The other man laughed.  “Enjoy yourself.”

Jim nodded.  “C’mon, Sandburg. You need a ride home, and I have plans to make.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We’re going to be late!” Jim snapped.  He glanced at his watch and silently wondered if it was just him or did everyone else in the entire world take three times as long as necessary to get dressed?  Granted, the end result was usually worth it.  Jim knew he was anxious to get to the Coliseum…even if the concert wasn’t for another two hours.  But those backstage passes were burning a hole in his pocket.

“Jeez, Jim.  Chill out.”  Blair trotted down the steps from the upstairs bedroom.  He finished pulling the royal blue colored sweater over his head.  Running a hand through his curls, he grinned.  “You’re worse than a five-year old heading for the candy store.”

“You should know, Mr. Immediate Gratification,” Jim snorted.  He pulled Blair into his arms and took several moments to explore the other man’s mouth.  “You taste good,” he murmured.

“Keep that up, and we won’t get to the concert,” Blair shakily warned.  His blue eyes danced, happy to see his friend…his partner…his lover is such a good mood.

“Bite your tongue,” Jim threatened.  Reluctantly releasing Blair, he grabbed their jackets.  “You sure you won’t be compromising your ‘standards’ by going to the concert?” he teased.

“I’m always open to new experiences,” Blair airily replied as he shrugged into his jacket.   “Besides, somebody’s got to keep an eye on you.  I’ve seen how groupies act at concerts.”

“Groupies, huh?” Jim grinned as he locked the door behind them.  “I like to think I’m more of a gropee.”  He quickly reached down and squeezed Blair’s ass.  He laughed when the smaller man jumped in surprise.

“Oh, you are going to be so much fun tonight,” Blair grinned.  As the elevator door opened, he leaned up and gave Jim a quick kiss.  “Happy Valentine’s Day, lover.”

Jim automatically put a hand on the small of Blair’s back as he let the younger man precede him into the elevator.  “Valentine’s Day?  That was earlier this week, Chief, remember?”  He grinned as the elevator doors closed.  “And I thoroughly enjoyed my present.  Loved unwrapping it as a matter of fact.”

Blair slightly flushed.  “Yeah, well, THIS present is for me, too.”

Jim’s eyebrows rose in silent question.

Blair grinned.  “Haven’t you heard that music calms the savage beast?”  Then he giggled as Jim buried his face in Blair’s neck with a mock growl.

February 2001
 

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