DISCLAIMER: : I do not own these characters, or at least most of them. No profit being made, no harm intended.
SPOILERS: No spoilers. Picks up four years after the series finale.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Saving Me
By Berg
Part 1
How did she get into such a mess?
Jo looked around the small coffee shop she sat alone in. Aside from the occasional "grab a coffee and run," the place was otherwise empty. Then again, it was 2:15 in the morning. Most people would be home in bed, sleeping. Jo realized quickly, "I should be home in bed sleeping," she mumbled to herself.
"Jo?" called the voice from the door as the hesitant blond approached her.
"Blair," Jo looked up from her coffee to see her friend, wearing a baseball cap, blue jeans, and tee-shirt approach her slowly at first, but quickly engulfing her in a hug.
"Blair?" Jo said the name again, this time it held a question. First, why was Blair calling to meet her at some shady coffee place that served breakfast all day. Second…what the hell was Blair Warner wearing exactly? And third…well to be honest Jo just couldn't get past the second question. What the hell was Blair Warner wearing? She'd seen Blair in jeans, even a t-shirt on the random occasion, but now…a baseball cap. The Red Sox none the less. "The red sox?" Jo raised an eyebrow.
"The who?"
"Your cap," Jo pointed up.
"Oh is that what that stands for. I just assumed it was a fashionable hat with a new clothing design. Sort of like the red hat society?"
"Blair it is good to see you, but what's with the Magnum PI meeting?"
At the exact moment the question left Jo's mouth, a plate crashed to the floor causing the blond to jump into her friend's arms. "It's only a plate," Jo said warmly. Okay now she was getting a little worried. It had been over 20 seconds after the plate had dropped, and Blair Warner was still sitting next to her, wrapped in her embrace. Not that she minded; there were plenty of other worse situations she could imagine herself in. "Blair what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry for asking to meet you like this," Blair bit the side of her lip. She pulled out of the embrace slowly. "I wasn't sure who to speak with or how to deal with it."
"Deal with what?"
Blair pulled an envelope out of her back pocket. She handed it to Jo who looked still slightly confused. "Mail?"
"Read it," was Blair's only response.
Jo opened the paper and began reading. After the forth sentence in she looked up at Blair. "Blair…did you bring this to the local police?"
"No. I wasn't sure if that would be a good idea."
"A good idea?" Jo's voice seemed confused if not slightly irritated. "This is a death threat Blair. How did you come up with the concept that calling the police may be a bad idea?" Jo didn't wait for the answer she continued reading on. "When did you get this?"
"Two days ago."
"And you're out strolling around at all hours of the night. That's not safe Blair. And why didn't you call me sooner? Or better yet, as I asked before, why not call the local police?"
"This could be a PR nightmare."
"A PR nightmare? Jesus Blair, we're talking about someone threatening your life here. What does PR have to do with it?"
Blair took a breath. It was going to come out sooner or later. Swallowing her pride, she looked Jo in the eyes and said the words she never thought she'd say. "The money is gone. All of it. Daddy lost the majority of his investors, as well as my trust fund."
"You're broke?"
"I still have my job at Eastland. But Daddy's trying everything he can to bring the Warner name back to status quo."
"Again, what does this have to do with PR?"
"That's exactly it," Blair took the letter from Jo. "If I went to the police with this, someone could use it against Daddy, or even me. They could claim it was a hoax, a publicity stunt. I can't do that to my father Jo. Not when he's working so hard. Not when my job is the only thing I have left. How would it look if the parents of the students from Eastland thought their children couldn't be safe because of death threats? I won't do that to those kids, or our school."
"But you'll stand by and let someone possibly kill you?" Jo felt her blood pressure rising. She wasn't shocked. In all the years she'd known Blair, the woman was the only one who could have this effect on her.
"No I won't stand by and do nothing. That's why I came to you."
"Blair we need to report this. No ifs, ands, or buts."
"There has to be another way."
"There is. It could involve a body bag, Warner and I'm not taking that chance," Jo pulled out her cell phone.
"Jo you can't! Please!"
"Jack it's me," Jo spoke into the phone. She paused seeing the look on Blair's face. Damn her, Jo thought silently. "I'm sorry for calling you this late. Listen Jack, can you tell the captain I'm going to be out of town for awhile. I had a family emergency." Jo paused nodding. "Yeah. I filed that paperwork first thing this week," Jo took a breath. "No, I don't know how long for sure. I promise I'll call the moment I know something new. No. No it's personal. Thanks Jack. Say hi to Molly for me," Jo smiled and hung up. Instantly the smile faded. She'd only been on the force for two years now. After her time as a social worker, she felt she could do more from the other side.
Four years later, she was back in the place where this all started. "Okay Blair," Jo took a breath. "I'll see what I can do." She stood up. "In the meantime, if I agree to this, you're going to have to listen to me, do what I say. No arguments. No famous Blair Warner lines. Got it?"
"I understand," Blair nodded.
Jo pulled out her cell again. "Who are you calling now?" Blair asked.
"The Inn. I need a place to stay while I'm here."
"No," Blair reached out her hand. "No Inn. You'll stay with me. I insist. I've got the room, and to be honest I'd feel better with you there."
Jo smiled and snapped her phone shut. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that. To be honest I'd feel better being there," she adjusted her badge and gun as she slipped her jacket on. "Lets go Blair."