TITLE: INTERVENTION 2

AUTHOR: PEJA

FANDOM: The Sentinel/The Pretender

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: Blair/m

Warnings: discussion of RAPE/TORTURE/Blair ooowies that make Jim Oooowies

Summary: Naomi arrives with a friend who thinks he can help Blair through the horrors of his attack.

Author's note: Michelle, played by Lucca Stamatis, who also played Naomi, is the mother of Sydney's son, Nicholas, on The Pretender. The pasts of both her characters and well as the past of Nicholas so nicely follows the Sandburg family history, I thought what if they were hiding from The Center under this identity. Some of the canon and timeline facts have been distorted to make this scenario work.

EMAIL: daltonavon@yahoo.com

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ARCHIVE: The WWOMB. If anyone else wants it, ask.

At the first soft knock on the door, Blair bolted from his chair, knocking it over in the process. After the second knock, Blair retreated backwards into the nearest corner, shaking in abject terror.

"Ease up, partner. Its your mom." Jim hurriedly set the cup of steaming tea he'd been bringing the younger man on the table. "Remember, she called from the airport to let us know she'd be here about this time?"

Blair remained frozen in the corner, his wide eyed stare locked on the door.

Knowing from experience he wasn't going to get the other man pried away from his sanctuary until he'd opened the door, Jim rushed to beat the third knock. The one that would have Blair screaming silently and curling into a fetal ball with his arms curved over his head.

That silent scream scared Jim more than anything,

He threw the door open just as the tall stranger's hand dropped that knock, swinging the door out of the way and grabbing the thick wrist with his other hand before that fatal sound erupted over Blair's world.

"Don't." Blue eyes locked on ice blue eyes. "Knock again." A dark scowl crunched up Jim's high brow. "Who the hell are you?"

A soft rustle, the sound of Blair sliding down the wall, jerked Jim's blazing glance around just in time to see the desolate creature curl in on himself. His haunted, wide-eyed stare glued on the stranger.

But, for once, the silent scream didn't come.

Jim turned back to the stranger, suddenly alert and curious. "Does Blair know you?"

The tall dark haired man smiled crookedly and dipped his head in a near nod. "In a way."

A flurry of brilliant sarong announced Naomi's rushed arrival. "Of course Blair knows Jarad, Jim." Moving steadily forward she captured Jarad's arm and dragged him along in her headlong push past Jim into the loft. "This is Jarad. I've known him....Well, since before forever."

Naomi came to a sudden halt when her searching blue gaze found Blair. A stricken look of pure anguish spasmed over her face and she turned to Jim, then Jarad. And back to Blair.

Before she could speak, Jarad swung her back and his hard glare pierced her. "Naomi, remember what we discussed."

"But...." Naomi waved an anxious hand toward the broken creature that wore Blair's face. "Blair...."

"Naomi..."

Tears welled in her eyes, making them diamond bright. "Yes. Yes, of course." She forced her distress down under a firmly controlled smile and turned back to Blair. "Blair, darling, its so nice to see you again."

Blair ignored her, picking at a ragged edge on his nail.

"I thought you might like it if I came for a visit, darling."

Blair feigned a yawned, leaning his head down on his knees.

"Come on, Chief. Your tea's getting cold."

Coiled and alert, Blair pushed himself up the wall. His wary gaze flicked from one to another, tracking the distance between him and them with measured care while he made the circuitous trip toward the table. Ever watchful, he picked up the cup and gulped down the tepid brew in one long swallow. He set the cup down with great care and darted away from the table, wiping his lips dry on his sleeve.

Jim padded to the table and set the chair that Blair had toppled earlier up-right again. "Blair, sit down. You're tired."

A ripple of fear spasmed over his lean features when Jim remained near the chair.

Jim didn't need any more to understand. He moved back, his hands spread before him. "Sit, Blair."

Swaying slightly on his feet, the younger man eyed him leery.

"Come on, Chief. You're going to fall down if you don't." Jim smiled. "Then I'll have to help you up. I'll have to touch...."

Blair manned the chair without another pause, watching Jim from under his lashes.

"Good." Jim smiled softly. "Now....Are you hungry?"

Blair's glare unfocused and he gazed blindly past him.

"I made up a cheese and roll platter," Jim said over his shoulder, heading for the kitchen area. "Thought you might be hungry when you got down here, Naomi."

"Hungry?" Naomi's voice cracked but Jarad's hand on her arm settled her. "Yes," she agreed with forced brightness. "Yes, of course. It was a long flight. You know how I hate airline food."

"I'll have you fixed up in a few." The clatter of meal preparation drifted from kitchen.

"Can I help you out there, Jim?" Jarad threw Naomi a warning glance before he followed the sounds. "What can I do in here?"

The coffee carafe clattered, spilling a small bit on the tray. "Damn," Jim slammed his fists into the counter. "Damn." His head dropped forward against the cupboard and his shoulders slumped. "I..." He shook his head, lost.

"It's all right," Jarad told him softly. "It's all right to be scared."

Jim turned on his heel, settling his hips on the counter. "I...You...." He sighed, glancing toward the living area. "I....miss him."

Jarad nodded. "Has there been any change in his condition?"

Jim shook his head. "Not in his." He laughed shortly. "Now me, I've changed."

"Toward him?"

"Nah....well, probably." He turned, snatching the tea kettle off the stove before it could cripple him with the ear piercing scream. "I...He needs a gentle hand, you know? Jim poured the warming water out of the teapot and dropped several bags into it. "He's so damn...fragile. Like a harsh glance will tear him apart." He poured the boiling water into the pot and set the delicate lid in place with another threatening clatter.

Jarad pulled the tray away before Jim could pick it up. "I think it would be safer if I carried this out, don't you?"

Jim threw him a sheepish grin, nodding. "Why is it that Naomi brought you here? You her latest....friend?"

"I've known Michelle since I was a child." Jarad told him. "She...was good to me when I really needed someone to be good to me."

"Michelle?"

Jarad smiled crookedly. "Naomi. When I met her she was Michelle."

Jim absorbed that, too emotionally drained to ask questions he knew should be burning for answers. Maybe he'd deal with it later. "And she needs a friend now?"

"That's part of it, I suppose. But more importantly in this case, I've got a bit of experience dealing with victims of trauma like this. I am here to help Blair."

"Your a professional?"

Jarad shrugged, not answering.

Jim slanted a curious glance his way. "Just who the hell are you?"

Smiling crookedly, Jarad shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told ya."

"I don't like people who keep their secrets to close to their chest," Jim grumbled, raking through his shorn hair.

"Everyone has secrets, Ellison." Jarad's blue eyes, so like another pair of eyes, probed Jim's soul. "Even you."

A chill settled in the pit of Jim's stomach. How much did this stranger know about him? "Yeah," He slid past the other man, heading for the dining area "Yeah, right."

Jarad grabbed his arm as he pushed past him. "Ellison," he said, waiting for Jim to met his eyes. "You have to trust someone."

"Do I?"

"Times running out, Ellison. For Blair, and for you. You know that as well as anyone."

Jim glared defiantly a moment longer, that sighing, he slumped in on himself, nodding. "Okay. Okay, so I trust you. Not because I want to, because I don't have much choice. What of it?"

Jarad chuckled. "Its a start. Now we get through to Blair and get him to tell us what happened to him. Isn't that what you want?" He picked up the heavy tray and carried it into the dining table, carefully setting it down of the end opposite of where Blair watched his every move.

He grinned "Its been a long time, hasn't it, Nicholas?" He flicked a glance toward Naomi. "What has it been Michelle? Five years since I last saw Nicholas?"

Naomi nodded absently. "Something like...that."

Jarad nodded, chuckling softly. "Sydney was a real trooper that time, Michelle...Riding to the rescue like a white knight. He's wasted in the labs, you know? Should be doing more field work."

A tiny whimper escaped Blair's pale lips.

"You remember that, Nicholas?"

Blair turned his head toward the balcony window.

Jim set a filled plate before the silent man. "Blair's been a little...quiet since the...accident."

Jarad threw Jim a dark glare. "Your mother tells me you work as a consultant for the police department here in Cascade. Sounds exciting." He moved around the table until his probing glance met Blair's. "And dangerous."

Trembling visibly, Blair picked the crust off the roast beef sandwich and crumbled it into fine grains.

"Hmmm, Blair hasn't felt up to going in to work since the..accid..."

"The attack?" Jarad emphasized.

Blair crushed the sandwich in his fist.

"I don't think...."

"Jim, its in Nicholas' best interests if you don't whitewash what happened to him. Both of you need to face the attack head on. Nicholas, what happened to you was not an accident. It was a planned, vicious attack. You were brutalized. You are a victim, but in no way are you to blame for what happened."

Snarling, Blair shoved out of his chair, once more knocking it over in his haste, and dashed to his room.

"Blair..." Naomi started after him, but again Jarad intercepted her, shaking his head.

"Leave him."

"But..."

"Michelle, I warned you this wasn't going to be easy. You know what I can do, but I'm not going to be able to get anywhere if you insist on interfering You have to trust me."

Naomi lifted tear bright eyes to him. "Yes, I understand."

"Well, I sure as hell don't understand," Jim crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down his nose at her. "What's going on here, Naomi? Who the hell is this guy and why is he calling you Michelle?"

"I can't discuss this now." Tears stained Naomi's drawn features. "Blair....I....God, this is all my fault. I knew I should have made him leave here sooner. I knew...."

"What? What did you know, Naomi?"

"Jim.."

"Do you know who assaulted Blair?"

Naomi shook her head, sobbing openly. "No....Yes.....Maybe....I...I..."

"We don't know anything." Danger sparked flame in Jarad's eyes and his lips quirked crookedly. "But we will."

Jim rolled his eyes, "Right. So tell me, how are you going to find out more than the entire Major Crimes Division?"

"Blair."

"Blair's not talking, Naomi. He hasn't uttered one word since we found him. Not one. Do you know what its been like, seeing him so silent? So quiet? Its like he's afraid he'll break apart if he makes a sound."

"I wonder if he remembers the other time he was abducted?" Jarad murmured. "He didn't seem to recognize Sydney's name when I mentioned it. Or the part he played in getting Nicholas away from Lyle."

Jim's eyes narrowed on Jarad. "Hold up there, Tonto. Are you saying this sort of thing has happened to Blair before? He's been kidnapped before?"

"Oh, Jim," Naomi whispered brokenly. "You have no idea what my dear little boy has been through in his life. The constant running. Always looking over our shoulders. Being afraid to..." Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Naomi, are you on the run?" Jim demanded.

She nodded.

"Yes," Jarad rumbled. "And no, detective."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jim glared at them from full cop mode. "What are you wanted for, Naomi? And is Blair involved in this?"

"Its not like that, Ellison," Jarad said firmly." You won't find a warrant for Michelle, Nicholas or me. The people who want us are far more determined and dangerous than any law enforcement agency. "

"If not the law, who are you running from?"

Jarad shrugged, "No one you'll ever hear about in one of your police briefings. The people who want us have been in operation long enough to have plenty of government and organized crime clout to hide every illegal activity they commit. If they want to they can make both you and Nicholas disappear and no one would ever remember you were alive."

"Okay, lets shelve that for a moment. Naomi, what can you tell me about this previous kidnapping, and how might it tie in with this assault."

"Nicholas and his friends were kidnapped by militants. The Center had Lyle take a cleaner squad out after them. He ordered the entire group killed...except one man he left behind with a message for me. He knew who Nicholas was and he realized he could use Sydney's son to pull Jarad out of hiding. They'll do anything....use anyone to get Jarad back. That's when we knew Nicholas would have to die if he was ever going to have a life."

"You're not making sense, Naomi. Blair...."

"Yes, Blair. Sydney arranged an accident for Nicholas. He died... and then we went to work. He had to forget everything he knew about his father. He had to forget the life we'd spent on the run. It wasn't easy, but Sydney knew how to make it happen. We took away his past and gave him a new set of memories. Ones that were close to the real ones. I didn't want him to lose everything, so we built his new life around the old one."

"Are you saying his life, his travels are products of brainwashing?"

"Yes...No...He, Jim, Nicholas was a gifted teacher. God knows he was world traveled. Blair has the full range of his travels and studies. I couldn't take that away from him. His memories of those places are real. He just has a slightly altered memory of why he was there."

"Did he agree to this?"

Naomi tossed a pleading glance toward Jim. "How could we ask him? Nicholas had only learned the man he thought was his father wasn't. He had just accepted his biological father. He wouldn't have agreed to what we were planning."

"My god," Jim whispered, shaking his head. "Do you realize what you took away from him?"

"I had to do it, Jim. I .....Nicholas' sprit was dying. He's always been such a free soul. I was desperate."

"So you took away his past? Is this why you stayed away from him for the most part?"

"I did it to protect him. He wanted to have a normal life, Jim. He wanted to be able to settle down. Have friends, a family."

"So you took away his memory of the danger he was in and left him defenseless?" Jim's hands failed the air. "Jesus."

"I did what I had to do." Turning her back, Naomi buried her face in her hands and sobbed silently.

"Leave her alone, Ellison." Jarad gathered the small woman in his arms, comforting her as best he could. "You've never been in Naomi's situation. You've never had to run for your life every day simply because someone thinks you can do something for them."

Jim flinched at that, knowing his own secret could very easily put him and Blair right in that very situation.

"If The Center has decided Nicholas is valuable to them everyone who knows him is in danger. Sydney did the only thing he could do to protect the woman he loves and his only son. ."

"Just exactly what is your part in this? Why do you know so much about it?"

Jarad sighed, spreading his hands before him . "I escaped from The Center several years ago after they used me in an experiment concerning bring the dead back to life."

"You were dead?"

Jarad smiled bitterly. "They killed me several times over the course of the experiment."

"Why?"

One shoulder lifted in a lazy shrug. "The people of The Center don't need a reason other than idle curiosity. Both children and adults who are nothing but test animals in their insane game of manipulation. This was just one of the things they've done to me and the rest of the people they are keeping prisoner there."

"I can't believe this can happen in this country."

"Jim, you aren't stupid. Your own military background hints that you know exactly what horrors can be done on this country's people under the guise of national security."

Jim scowled. "You know about my time in the military?"

"I know a great deal about you." Jarad said cryptically.

Suddenly uncomfortable about the way this conversation was going, Jim crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his chin up, gazing past his nose at the other man. "Okay, let's say I'm buying that this could happen, given certain circumstances. But if it is true, dammit, Naomi, Blair needs to know everything."

"Maybe in time he should hear the truth." Jarad agreed. "But not now. For all we know, there may very well be someone watching Nicholas to see if Michelle communicated with me. To see if I have arrived on the scene."

"What the hell makes you so darn important to this....this....center?" Jim snarled.

"Jim," Naomi told him. "Jarad is their greatest accomplishment. You've heard of people who can walk into a doctor's office or hospital and impersonate a trained professional for years without being exposed. Jarad can do that. Since he was a child, the Center has been using his ability to enter so deeply into any given profile to research a multitude of simms. Given enough background he could tell you exactly what you experienced during your life in Peru. He can become anyone....do anything given a few days to research his subject and profession."

Jim thought that over. "I can...imagine how that might be useful." He paused a long moment. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Right now Sydney needs time to look into the attack from his end. If the Center had anything to do with it, he'll find out. We have to wait until he contacts us."

"And Blair?"

"I'm going to do my best to bring him back."

END