OK. I'm working on a really long one, at least I think it's going to be really long. In the meantime, here's a little something to help keep my mind clear and focused. No need to zone out on anyone, is there?

I can't remember who asked for a hero du jour for Simon and Blair, but here it is.

"Sandburg, tell me again why I'm driving you around town?"

"Uh, because we're trying to find a birthday present for Jim?"

"I know that. But why are you and I together? Don't you have your own plans for his present?"

"Sure. I just thought that..." He sighed, realizing what he was about to say, but knew he needed to say it anyway. "I'm sorry. I just thought that I could tag along with you and save the gas. Sorry." Losing his enthusiasm at the project.

Simon was surprised. "You can't afford the gas to go to the mall?"

"Um, no." Squirming a little in the seat.

"Want to tell me why?" Casting a quick glance at his subdued and obviously uncomfortable passenger. "I mean, the department is paying you, now...isn't it?" Suddenly wondering.

"Uh, not yet."

"Sandburg!" Growling in his annoyance, "It's been over a month. You still haven't received your first paycheck?"

"No." Squirming in his discomfort.

"You should have said something. I'll check on it when we get back." Exasperated at the younger man's not complaining. Realizing that Blair's insecurities showed up in the most unusual ways. "Do you have enough to get Jim what you wanted to?" He asked, kindly.

"Oh, yeah. I've been saving up for it for months, now. Not a problem, there." But he could really use those missing paychecks. Because of his new status as a paid member of the police department, he was now required to make payments on his student loans. The missing paychecks had left him even poorer than before. Not so bad that he wasn't making it, only that there was very little left at the end of the month. His small salary as a teaching fellow was a bare pittance. And his grant money was starting to run out, as well. He wasn't planning on trying to renew his grant. Not with the pay from the PD. But that hadn't started, yet. And he had been too busy, distracted, OK, cowardly, to ask about it. But now that Simon knew, he knew that it would be fixed.

"You did fill out the auto-deposit paperwork, didn't you?" Simon asked.

"Huh? What?"

"You have to have your paycheck automatically deposited to your account. You did fill out that paperwork, didn't you?"

"Uh, I think so. I filled out that ream of forms you gave me and gave it back to Rhonda. Was it in with all that?"

"It should have been. I'll check. If you did, did you remember to specify that it be deposited to your checking account? Otherwise, it goes straight into your savings."

Blair stared at him. "Uh, I don't remember. My bank has a branch at the mall, could we stop by there on our way to the sporting goods store?"

"Sure." He smiled. Hopefully, it was a minor clerical error like that. He'd hate to have to complain that one of his people wasn't getting paid. Especially not this man.

Simon stood behind Blair and a little to the side when the smaller man got up to the teller's window. His blush of embarrassment clear on his face when he realized that he had indeed failed to indicate the proper disbursement of his paycheck. He quickly filled out the proper bank form and transferred most of the money to his checking account, making the correct notations in his ledger. He gave the captain an embarrassed grin, who returned it with a smirk of relief.

As they headed down the mall toward one of the major sporting goods stores, Simon asked, "Haven't you gotten any leave and earnings statements?"

"Uh, no. That's why I thought I hadn't been paid." Looking up in confusion.

"I'll check on that. Maybe they goofed on your address." Then he grinned, "Or maybe Jim accidentally filed them with his statements?"

With a shrug, Blair smiled. "I have no idea. Let me check with him before you do anything about it, OK?"

"Not a problem, Sandburg."

At the sporting goods store, Blair immediately headed for the camping gear. He'd noticed that Jim's sleeping bag had some tears and was leaking stuffing. He'd taken a good look at the bag, and had started saving up for the top of the line down bag. It was going to cost him about two hundred and sixty-five dollars, but he felt that his friend was worth it. His bag was rated for forty below zero. The one he planned to get Jim was rated equally. Just because his friend could turn down his sensory dials, didn't mean he couldn't freeze to death. Simon was looking at the fishing gear. Jim was so easy to buy a gift for. Fishing and camping gear were always welcome.

Blair had pulled down one of the sleeping bags, smiling at his perception of Jim's reaction. He turned back to Simon, to watch him pick out some new fishing flies and lures. Simon was also going to custom make some flies for their friend. He was even thinking of getting him some fly tying equipment of his own. He held up a selection of flies to show Blair, "So, what do you think about these?"

"They're pretty gaudy." Blair blurted out, without thinking.

"Your point being?"

"Do fish actually like hot pink?" Wondering.

Simon chuckled, "I have no idea. Do they even see colour? All I know, is that bright colours seem to attract them better than the dull ones."

There was a sound from the back of the store. Both men stiffened in reaction, turning surprised and dismayed expressions on one another. "Wasn't that the sound of a shotgun being pumped?" Blair whispered.

"Yeah." Cocking his head to the side, straining to hear anything else; motioning Blair to stay behind him, they made their way to the end of the aisle and Simon cast a quick glance around the corner to see what was going on. He quickly ducked back. "Call for backup. There are four guys. They look like they plan to clean out the gun racks.

Blair grimaced in distaste. "On it, sir. Why does this sort of thing always seem to happen to us?"

"You mean, you? It's the nature of police work, Sandburg. If you weren't involved with the Police Department, and Jim, specifically, you'd probably never have any of these experiences. Well, you might still have had the stuff that's happened to you at school. What do you call it? Bad Karma?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He punched the speed dial for dispatch. "Hi, uh, this is Blair Sandburg. I'm with Captain Banks at the Sportsman's Outlet at the mall? There are four guys robbing the place. They seem only interested in stealing guns...right. Uh huh. We'll try to contain them, or at least slow them down. Just hurry, OK? ... Yeah. Thanks." He disconnected and then hit the speed dial for the squad room, careful not to press Jim's speed dial number. It wouldn't do to have him arrive to discover his birthday presents just yet. Rafe answered the phone.

"Hey, Rafe. Simon and I are at the Sportsman's Outlet. There are four guys stealing guns. I've already called dispatch. Look, I'm willing to take any help we can get, but can you keep Jim away? ... Because we were buying his birthday presents. ... Uh huh. It's a week from Tuesday. Right. Thanks, man. That's great. OK. Bye." He turned off the phone and smiled at the captain. "We're in luck." He whispered. "Jim's gone down to talk to Cassie in forensics. He won't be back for a while, at least. They're standing by in case we need them."

"Well, the uniforms had better hurry. The only good news is that they haven't loaded the guns they're taking." Simon looked around. There had to be something they could do to slow these guys down. He looked up. There, hanging over the back of the store, were several displays. He nudged Sandburg, gesturing. Blair followed his motion. Seeing what he saw. He traced the ropes to each side, realizing that they could get to the cleats without being seen. He grinned.

"I'll go right, you take the left?" Blair offered, thinking that with Simon on the left side of the store, he would be able to use his gun more easily, if needed.

"OK. We'll be able to see each other, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. We'll also be out of their sight. I'll take a peek at them and signal you when to let the displays drop."

"OK." He moved to the other end of the aisle, dashed across the centre aisle, after checking to see if anyone were looking his way. They were in luck. Once they were in position, Simon took a quick look around. The robbers were still gathering guns, laying them out on the counter, wrapping them up in blankets for transport. All four of them bunched in the middle. The store clerk and manager standing against the wall, hands up, pale and sweating in fear. Simon went to the wall cleats and released the cords holding up the displays over the counter. He chose the two displays directly over the robbers. He carefully held on to the cords above the cleats to prevent them from accidentally shifting before he was ready to release them. Blair duplicated his actions from the other side. Watching each other, Simon then crept up to peer around the corner at the perps. They were still all bunched up at the counter. Pulling back, once again. He nodded to Blair, held up three fingers, counting and closing each finger down into his fist. On three, both men let go of their respective ropes. The displays came crashing down, catching all four robbers by surprise. Simon and Blair ran around their respective corners and raced to the counter, Simon, with his gun drawn. Of the four men, two had been knocked unconscious by an aluminum canoe, the other two were struggling to escape the huge cabin tent than had collapsed on them as it came down.

"Cascade Police Department! Don't make a move, unless you want me to shoot you." He was standing to cover all four men, while Blair went behind the counter and, with the help of the clerk and the manager, pulled the displays off of the four robbers. Blair, for the first time, pulled out his brand new set of handcuffs and cuffed the two unconscious men together. Right hand to right hand. He then looked at his captain for direction. Simon tossed him his handcuffs and motioned the two standing robbers to assume the position against the back wall. Blair frisked the first one and handcuffed him. Moving to the last man, he reached to start frisking him. This being his first time actually doing this, he was extremely cautious. When the man made a move for the gun in his belt, Blair jumped back and using one of his newly learned skills, knocked the robber's feet out from under him. As he fell, the robber's gun went off.

Everyone froze.

Blair turned shocked eyes on Simon, who quickly looked the smaller man over, searching for any injury. "Simon? I'm OK. What do I do now?" Totally at a loss.

"Get his gun." The perp was on the floor, not moving. Gingerly, Blair moved over to him and cautiously turned him over. The man gasped in agony with this movement. Blair paled. Swallowing hard, he gently removed the gun. As quickly as he could, he finished frisking the man.

"Simon? I found out where the bullet went. It's in his hip. It looks really bad." He grabbed his backpack and pulled a clean handkerchief out and applied pressure to the man's wound. The man gasped and cried out in pain. "Easy. Don't try to move any more. I'm sorry, but I have to apply pressure to keep you from bleeding to death, OK?" He wasn't surprised when the man didn't answer. To the others, he recited the Miranda speech. Staring at their injured comrade, they decided that silence was a good idea.

Simon, in the meantime, had placed another call to include an ambulance. They had been very lucky. Fortunately, Tuesday mornings tended to be slow and no one else had been in the store. The first of the patrolmen arrived as Simon hung up his cell phone.

A crowd gathered with the arrival of the half a dozen uniformed officers. They stood outside the store, craning their necks to try and see what was going on inside. When the paramedics arrived, the crowd grew even larger. Then the media arrived. Only, the media were smart enough to stake out the exterior exit, figuring that they would be bringing anyone out that way to the ambulance. They guessed right. When the paramedics brought out the injured robber, the reporters swarmed them, asking what happened, who was the injured man, etc. The paramedics directed them toward the imposing black police captain, unlit cigar in his mouth. Recognizing him, they immediately swarmed over him, almost trampling the smaller man with him.

Blair tried to sneak away, but Simon's big hand snaked out and caught him by the sleeve before he could make good his escape. "You're as much involved in this as I am, Sandburg. So stick around." He growled. Blair paled, an incipient panic attack causing him to tremble. Seeing it, Simon relented. "You won't have to talk. Just stick around. OK?" Blair nodded, taking a deep, relieved breath. Simon almost laughed, the young man who could teach entire classrooms of students, talk the ear off of a terrorist, yell at a psychotic killer, was afraid to talk to reporters. Who would have figured?

After the crowds had dispersed, they went back into the sporting goods store, where they were offered tremendous discounts, which they had to turn down. Blair suggested that they make a donation to the Police Athletic League, instead. They were always in need of equipment. Simon smiled at the smaller man's gall. But didn't put him down about it. With their purchases safely wrapped and placed in the trunk of Simon's car, they returned to the station, where they both had to undergo Jim's scrutiny. Satisfied that his partner was all right, he managed to refrain from asking why they had been at the mall. He grinned as Sandburg had to write his report on his first bust.

They made it home in time for the six o'clock news. It was the lead story.

"This morning, four gunmen entered the Sportsman's Outlet, located at Cascade Mall. The men were intent on stealing the store's entire supply of firearms. Unbeknownst to them, there were two police officers also in the store. Captain Simon Banks and Detective Blair Sandburg had gone unnoticed when the men entered the store. The two officers remained hidden and called for backup, but they were worried that the four gunmen might harm the clerk or manager, and also did not want to endanger any of the rest of the mall's patrons, should they finish and attempt to escape. Working quietly, they managed to get to the controls for the displays suspended over the counter area, where the four men were gathering up the weapons. Dropping an aluminum canoe and a large cabin tent on the four, two were momentarily knocked out. Having subdued and restrained three of the robbers while Captain Banks kept them covered, Detective Sandburg began his physical search of the fourth and final robber. That man, identified as Dick Valenti, went for his gun, Detective Sandburg, reacting according to his training, knocked the feet out from under his suspect, who accidentally discharged his firearm, shooting himself in the hip. Detective Sandburg then applied first aid, until the arrival of the paramedics." They then showed the footage of the injured gunman being taken out on the gurney and loaded into the ambulance, as well as the other three being placed in patrol cars for transport to the city jail. After that, they showed the interview with Simon.

"It was purely a fluke, our being in the store when the crime went down. We couldn't very well let them rob the place. We certainly couldn't let them leave with all those weapons. We just happened to get lucky. It was almost a comedy of errors. After all, what are the odds of two police officers being in there at the same time as someone wants to rob it? It's got to be pretty astronomical." He was smiling and chewing his cigar. Polite, friendly. Blair stood quietly, not quite behind him. Looking interested, none of the fear of talking to the media in evidence, smiling while Simon made the official statement.

"We just did what we felt we needed to do. The firearm's discharge was, I'm sure, an accident. I can't imagine anyone intentionally shooting themselves in the hip. He's lost a lot of blood, we won't know anything for a couple of hours." In answer to one of the questions thrown out, "Yes, his wound was self-inflicted. Detective Sandburg was about to search him, and he went for his gun. Sandburg reacted exactly as he was trained to, he knocked him down, unfortunately, Mr. Valenti's gun went off."

Someone asked why they had been in the store in the first place. With a quick glance at Blair, Simon lied through his teeth.

"We were planning on finding Detective Sandburg an appropriate handgun. He doesn't like the automatics that the department issues. We were looking for something more suitable for him." Never a flinch or a tic to give away the lie.

Jim stared at Blair. "You went to look for a gun?" Shocked and amazed, knowing how Blair felt about firearms.

"Well, um. You know. You've seen how much trouble I have with those huge pistols. We just thought I'd have an easier time with something smaller. Like a revolver."

Jim didn't buy it for a minute, but couldn't figure out what else it could have been. "I don't believe that for a minute, Chief."

Blair turned his best puppy-dog eyes on his partner. "Jim. I'm hurt. Would I lie to you?"

"Yes. Lie, obfuscate, embellish. Whatever it takes for you to distract me from the truth." Seeing his friend's discomfort, he relented. "I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Not if you don't make it." Blair softly replied.

They looked at each other for a few moments. With a shrug, Jim gave in. "OK." He stood. "You want a beer?"

"No. I'm still a little shaky after today. Could you put the kettle on for some tea, though?"

"Sure. Not a problem." Going to the kitchen.

EPILOGUE

The three robbers pled guilty, avoiding a long trial and saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars. Mr Dick Valenti died from a staph infection of his wound, saving the citizens of the state even more money.

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