Thanks to Amy for the plot bunny that wouldn't quit
after she suggested the idea to me in feedback for my
May Day obsenad :) I just had to write this...

<h2>The Lucky Necklace</h2> 
May 04,2002
<hr>

Suddenly there was a hail of bullets flying in the air
from the building where the perps were holed up.  Jim
was returning fire, then he was falling, falling hard.
<P>
“Jim!” Blair screamed at him, more scared than he’d
ever been.
<P>
The weapons fire continued for several minutes, then
abruptly fell silent.  The SWAT team was moving in,
rounding up and cuffing the suspects.  Blair raced
towards Jim, desperate to get to his lover’s side.
<P>
He fell to his knees next to Jim, frantic with worry,
looking for bullet wounds.
<P>
“Chief, Chief, Blair, I’m okay,” the voice protested
weakly.
<P>
“Jim, Jim, oh god, Jim,” Blair’s voice broke on a sob
as he finally took in that Jim was in fact not just
alive but uninjured.
<P>
“I’m okay,” Jim repeated, struggling to a sitting
position, Blair helping him to rest against the side
of a car.
<P>
Blair’s fingers continued to explore, to reassure
himself that his partner was in fact all right.
<P>
Simon joined them.  “Ellison, you all right?” he asked
gruffly.
<P>
“I’m fine, Simon,” Jim replied reassuringly.  “The
vest did it’s job.”
<P>
“There’s blood here,” Blair said, pointing to Jim’s
hip.
<P>
“It’s just a scratch, Chief,” Jim said.
<P>
“Get you checked out by the Paramedics, anyway,” Simon
ordered.
<P>
“Yes sir,” Jim said and allowed Blair to help him to
his feet.  As he did so, something metal tinkled on
the ground.
<P>
“What’s that?” Simon scooped it up off the ground.
<P>
“The necklace Blair gave me,” Jim said.
<P>
“Why weren’t you wearing it?” Blair asked accusingly.
<P>
“The cord broke,” Jim said, showing Blair the split
ends of the leather.  “I was going to get a
replacement at lunchtime.”
<P>
The metal looked strangely dented and out of shape,
even more so than it had when Blair had given it to
Jim.  Blair fingered it thoughtfully as he helped Jim
in to the back of an ambulance to get his side
checked.
<P>
“It’s only a graze,” Jim said to the paramedic who was
looking at the wound.
<P>
“A lucky miss,” the paramedic said, examining the
bloody gash on Jim’s hip bone.
<P>
“I think the bullet hit this,” Blair said, holding up
the necklace.
<P>
“Really?” the paramedic looked at the small piece of
metal.  “That some sort of lucky charm?”
<P>
“I guess you could call it that,” Jim agreed, smiling
at Blair.
<P>
Blair smiled back.  “Very lucky,” he said.  It seemed
the Beltaine gift he had given his lover had done it’s
job after all.
<P>
<HR>