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by
Cassie leaned against the radiator on the far wall. One thing still troubled her. During the entire conference in Simon's office, Jim had not made any mention about her new hairstyle. Even Blair had not offered a compliment. Something was very wrong here.
"So what are you saying," Simon said, trying to see the supposed point in Blair's dense-as-jungle-foliage statement. "You want to go in as a staff worker?"
"No," Blair said, restating the thrust of his words. "As a patient. It's the only way I'm gonna get close to Chapel. He won't let his guard down unless he thinks I'm mentally ill."
For once, Simon actually agreed with what Blair was saying. "You being mentally ill is the only part of this that's believable."
Jim rolled the idea around before adding his opinion. "Now I'm not crazy about it," he said. "But the kid has proved himself to be pretty damn resourceful. I think it's worth a shot."
"Jim," Simon said. "There has got to be another cop somewhere in this damn city with enough experience to pull this off."
"No," Cassie said, agitation evident in her movements as she spoke. "It can't be a cop. Chapel will know; it's instinctive. He will smell a cop, and he will kill him."
Jim took a sip of coffee and watched for Blair's reaction.
Blair countered. "I'll be fine, all right? My door's going to be unlocked. I'm gonna have access to the whole place. There's video surveillance cameras all over. I'm gonna be fine. I can do it."
"Besides," he said. "He won't peg me as a cop. How can he? There's no cop in me - unless you count Jim."
Jim snorted, almost choking himself on the coffee.
Simon rolled his eyes towards the ceiling of his office. What was going on between these two off-duty? And why did Sandburg have to bring it up now? He turned his head and glared at Jim.
Jim coughed and cleared his throat, his face blooming a bold crimson. "Got something down my throat," he said.
Simon closed his eyes and shook his head. No way was he even going near that remark.
Jim wiped the coffee from his lips.
"Blair," he said, "could I have a word with you." He motioned with his fist towards the Major Crimes bull pen. The thin, taut smile on his face, barely containing the anger and embarassment underneath.
Blair was confused. "What? Bad plan, or something?"
Jim guided Blair out of Simon's office with an outstretched hand. He leaned close and whispered something into Blair's ear.
Blair gritted his teeth, wincing at Jim's words.
Cassie could barely make out what they were saying, as Jim closed the door. Blair seemed to have said something about being such an idiot.
Cassie pondered what she had just seen.
Warren Chapel, the serial killer, already weighed heavily on her mind. But this troubled her, there was something about this. Something odd about Jim and Blair.
She tapped her lips with her fingernail. Her mind sifted through the past meetings with them, looking for any meaningful links.
Two single guys living under one roof for almost three years.
No women in their lives.
She considered Blair's so-called dates, but dismissed them as mere figments of fantasy - dog wishing it had a table leg kind of stuff.
Of course!
Confidence swelled within her. Why hadn't she seen something so obvious before.
Jim and Blair were best friends - like brothers to each other. The corner of her mouth revealed a knowing smile. The pieces of the puzzle had finally come together.
Cassie now knew why, even though she was Jim's new partner as TPTB told her, she had received so little screen time. Jim and Blair were best buddies, and that was why she was getting shafted - or rather why she wasn't by Jim.
Cassie excused herself from Capt. Banks, and slowly walked back to Forensics, her mind deep in thought.
Sown plans had ripened. It was time to oversee the harvest.
Cassie stood outside the loft with Jim and Blair, watching as the officers tossed the re-captured Warren Chapel into a police cruiser.
She smiled.
Her plan had worked flawlessly. Chapel may have been intelligent, but no one tries to kill Cassie Welles, without facing divine retribution - hers.
She mentally replayed the details of her plan. How she lured Chapel into it, bit by bit, letting him think it was his own idea. How she pretended to be afraid of him. How she knew he would escape, only to be re-captured by her intervention.
She had played him like a puppet, and now he had to live with this failure for the rest of his life. Or, until she got bored and wanted to smack him down again, with another plan of "his" own making.
Laughter filled Cassie's soul, expressing itself externally as a slightly bemused smile.
"Well," Jim said. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat, huh?"
Blair eagerly seconded the idea - almost getting killed seemed to stir his appetite. "I could eat," he said.
"All right," Simon said. "I'm buying. We'll go over to Bobby H's, and get that steak sandwich."
"See you there," Jim said.
Jim glanced upward at what was left of the loft. "Captain, is the department going to pick up the tab for the damage done to the loft?"
"You're joking, right?" Simon said, laughing as he walked back to his car.
"No, sir," Jim said. "I was dead serious." His words fell on deaf ears - Simon was getting into his car.
Jim, Blair, and Cassie walked over to Jim's truck.
"You know," Cassie said. "I know a really good designer."
"And I have to admit," Blair said. "I took a couple classes as an undergraduate."
"So did I," she said.
"Well, good," Jim said, reaching the limit of putting up with Cassie. "Why don't you two start up a business? This'll be your first job." His words had a stinging, sarcastic ring to them.
He gripped the handle of the truck door with brute strength. He and Blair had a good thing going. Why did women, especially the jailbait Blair used to drag home, always have to butt into that and get between them. Jim's ex, Carolyn, was the last one to try that, and she had moved to San Francisco, never to be heard from again.
Jim resented it when Blair brought home all of those BotWs - it seemed like it was every weeks' business. Jim hated having strangers treading on his territory - territory which included Blair.
But Jim was a clever predator, and figured a way around the problem.
He would invite an acquaintance over to stay whenever Blair brought someone home. That way, Blair couldn't sleep in his own bed, or on the couch, and always ended up having to bunk with big buddy Jim. Not the ideal solution, but it was comforting being in the same bed with Blair.
Things were different between them now - now that he and Blair were more than roomies. The BotWs had almost disappeared from their lives.
Then Cassie showed up.
As he opened the door of the pickup, Jim glanced into the truckbed at a shiny, meticulously clean shovel. He smiled at the thought of burying his problems.
Jim, Blair and Cassie got into the old pickup and belted up.
"Cassie," Jim said. "Ever been to Cascade National Forest. We go up there whenever we can. The peace, the quiet, the fresh air. You should really go with us sometime."
Cassie looked upon the eery calmness that had suddenly come over Jim. Jim could be odd like that at times - usually when he was around Blair.
"Sure, I guess" she said. "This weekend maybe?"
Jim smiled with contentment. "I can't wait."
Jim started the truck, looked both ways, and pulled out into the street. He followed a few car-lengths behind Simon.
"I do my shaman bit up there," Blair said.
"You know, it really amazes me," he said, chuckling to himself. "Jim never gets tired of seeing me re-enacting tribal dances. Imagine it. Me, Blair Sandburg, wearing just body paint and a loin cloth."
Jim glared at Blair, who quickly changed the subject.
Cassie ignored the small talk, watching the glowing reflections off road signs that passed by. She twisted and played nerviously with a lock of hair. Oh god, she thought, is this what my life has become. If this keeps up, they'll write me out of the show.
"Umm, I think that's mine," Blair said, pulling a strand of his hair from Cassie's fingers.
Cassie realized she had been playing with Blair's hair, mistaking it for her own. She mouthed a silent "Sorry"
Jim's posture stiffened. He puckered his lips like he had just sucked on a lemon.
"I took Carolyn up there," Jim said. "I think you'll like it there. I guarantee you'll find it very peaceful."
[ And she was never seen on the show again.]
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