And to Think It All Started with a Baseball by Sammi M.
The small area they were using had been set up exactly the way Blair had requested earlier that morning. He'd taken great pains in the design because he didn't want anyone to feel any less in his sight. Across the front row, three sets of three chairs with little nameplates and programmes on them drew the attention of their intended. Jim sat to Naomi's right and Schuyler to her left. Simon, Daryl and Megan made up the next three and Joel, Henry and Rafe quickly found their seats in the final grouping.
Behind them, one long row of chairs filled quickly with the doctors and support staff that were still around from Blair's time. In the very front, a long table with a podium held the place of honour, and off to one side was an opened coffin beside another, smaller, covered table.
Most of the Cascade group marvelled at the fact that the coffin actually looked like, well … a coffin. They realised Becky had tried to warn them, but seeing a real child's coffin had thrown most of them for a loop. But, what was most amazing was the colour of said object. With proof positive staring them right in the face, it wasn't that hard to put something mentioned during the story of the "Pongo Incident" together with this sight and come up with the young Blair's favourite colour. Of course, what had the detectives totally thrown was how on earth the people at the Centre could have found a deep purple casket in those times.
Robyn quickly made her way up to the front of the room to join her two companions and Becky stood to address the small crowd once she was seated and everyone was settled. "Good morning. I would like to welcome the Sandburg group back to the Centre as well as to say thank you to our staff who have also joined us." She waited for the applause to die down before continuing. "As you know, today marks the closing of a chapter in another survivor's life. In my time here, I've been witness to many of these ceremonies, but none have brought me as much joy as this one." She smiled as she turned slightly to look at the young man seated beside her. "Today marks a special anniversary for me because I've found myself coming full circle. Blair Sandburg was my first case – my first success story and no one could be happier to have him here doing this than me. So, rather than me rambling on about what all this means and why we do this and all of that other stuff I usually do, I'm going to turn the floor over to him."
As Blair stood, they embraced and he placed a quick kiss on her cheek. He waited until she was seated beside her friend before turning to face the people who meant the most to him. "Well, guys, as most of you know, I really like to talk." He smiled obligingly as the expected comments rang out from his friends. "So, it pains me a great deal to *not* take this perfect opportunity to regale you with all sorts of native practices this brings to mind. Instead, I've decided to forego a lot of the usual reminisces and just move on to the good part."
The young man moved down to the table next to the one with the glorified box and looked out at his friends and family. "When they told me I could put anything in here I wanted, my mind was filled with thousands of possibilities. I mean, my stash was infinite and my imagination knew no bounds. I played over several scenarios for when I opened the box and what each item would mean to me when the time came. Funny thing is none of those scenarios played out and the night before my part I still had nothing. So, being the true son of my mother, I decided to try something that always seemed to work for her – meditation.
"I positioned myself the way I'd seen her and I started taking all of these deep breaths and clearing my mind and trying to become one with my surroundings and … absolutely *nothing* happened." He chuckled. "I must have sat there for like thirty minutes and nada. If the spirits or forces were handing out wisdom and answers, I guess I was on the wrong frequency because I wasn't picking up a thing.
"I don't know. I guess I kind of gave up and pulled the covers over my head because the next thing I remember was opening my eyes and … just knowing." Taking a deep breath. "By the time they came to get me the next morning, I had everything ready and without questioning my choices, I let them seal the coffin."
Blair smiled at his group and quirked his head. "Now, when the guys brought it in to me the weirdest thing happened - I sort of panicked. For the life of me, I couldn't remember one thing I'd buried and that bothered me because I'd thought there'd be this … glorious moment of clarification where as soon as I saw the casket, everything would be crystal clear." He shook his head. "Didn't happen like that at all, let me tell you. I still didn't recall my reasoning for placing the stuff I did even after I had looked at everything for about fifteen minutes. Nothing came back to me until I went to bring you guys here." His hands suddenly came alive. "Standing in that doorway, it all hit me. I knew exactly what everything represented and all the stuff I wanted to say and for the first time in a while things were a lot clearer."
Without much effort, he quickly pulled back the covering and dropped it beside him. "Once I knew what to say, I asked Becky if I could do things a little differently and she agreed. So, here we are – just like we were meant to be. Now, things are going to seem a little strange to you at first, but humour me. Hopefully, by the time I'm finished, you'll see what I see."
Blair reached to the far side of the table and picked up one of those sealed packets of toy sets that one could pretty much find in any department store. Along the top, it read "International Man of Mystery Spy Set" and several of the guys laughed because of its familiarity to things from their own childhoods. "Yeah, I know, it's cheesy, but I got this at one of my friends' birthday party as a door prize and the package looked so cool I couldn't bear to open it." He nodded to the man on the far end, "Rafe, could you come up here for a minute?" The detective shrugged and kind of dazedly moved to his friend's side. "This is for you," Sandburg explained as he handed the set to the taller man. When his friend didn't take it and gave him a more confused look, the younger man smiled. "Go on, it's not dangerous." Hesitantly, Rafe accepted the gift and shrugged out at the audience. "Now, I bet you're wondering why I called you up here to give you a toy. Well, the title sort of says it all.
"In the time I've known you, you've had this mysterious side that I'm not even sure Henry has been able to fully see or understand. Several times, you've popped up with little bits of information or known a procedure for something that's helped all of us out of a jam and even after we would ask you'd just shrug it off and say you'd picked it up somewhere." He looked out at his audience and winked. "That set my imagination running wild," hearing the groans from the people who really knew him, "which isn't always a *bad* thing, guys. I eventually came up with this wild plot where you had this top-secret past that you couldn't reveal under penalty of death." Blair laughed along with the rest of his friends. "Yeah, I know, but it was something to do while I finished Jim's mind-numbing paperwork. You guys were always speculating how I could work for hours without complaint, well, Rafe was my secret weapon - one of his new adventures was enough to get me through a good two-hour session."
He pointed to the child's toy. "Once it came to me what I was supposed to do, Rafe's gift was the easiest to figure out and then all of the others just fell into place." Returning his gaze to the man beside him. "By giving you this, I guess I'm kind of thanking you for just being around and for helping keep my imagination flowing – albeit without your knowledge – in a place where it could have easily faded in the face of so much pain and fear and inhumanity."
Rafe's confusion had slowly been replaced by understanding and – by the time the observer finished – acceptance. He no longer saw a simple toy, but the depth of the man who had given it. "Thanks, Sandburg." Holding out his hand, he grinned broadly as his co-worker took it enthusiastically. "I promise I'll take care of it … and your imagination. Just do me a favour, in your next scenario, could you make sure I get the girl?"
"It's a promise, man."
"And that she's *not* a redhead. Redhead's really leave me cold."
Blair laughed, "I'm sure Jim's happy to hear that." While he waited for the rest of the laughter to die down and the detective to return to his seat, the anthropologist reached over to the far side of the table and grabbed a small bundle. He turned to face the group and motioned to a grinning Brown. "You're up, H."
In no time at all, the larger man was standing beside Sandburg. "So, how's it hanging, Hairboy?"
"Easy, man. Just easy." He smiled. "You know, you might not realise it, but what you just did has a lot to do with what I'm about to say." Blair carefully unwound the bundle on the table and handed several items to his perplexed friend. He silently watched as Henry held up a small brown leather vest with fringe and silver and turquoise pieces sewn on it and equally as small brown leather chaps. "I know they're a bit too little for you, but maybe one day your future kids might enjoy them."
"You know something I don't, Sandburg?" The big detective chuckled.
"No, but we can only hope, H. There's gotta be somebody out there for you." He ducked quickly to avoid the playful punch that was headed his way. "No, seriously, man, I went through this phase right before I got sick where I was so cowboy-obsessed. Mom had taken us to Arizona and I had found this museum and just fallen completely for the whole cowboy experience. I read books and watched movies and documentaries and talked to anyone who knew anything about the subject. I lived and breathed it like you would not believe." He grinned at his mother. "I know there were like times when she just wanted to throw her hands up in defeat, but instead, she found this little lady who made these leather suits and bartered me one.
"You should have seen me. I was like on top of the world and nothing could touch me cause I was a cowboy." Looking into his colleague's eyes. "One of the things I loved most about the whole experience was how those guys were mavericks. They did what they wanted when they wanted. They were usually happy with their choices because they basically only answered to God, the trail and whatever drove them. They picked their friends really carefully because they knew they'd have to rely on them in a pinch and those friendships usually lasted for life.
"When I first started coming into the station with Jim, it wasn't too hard to see I was looked at as an outsider. I told myself it didn't bother me, but," he chuckled, "you can only take so many glares before you start to wonder if there's something wrong about you. I mean, I know I didn't fit the common mould for a cop, but that didn't seem to bother Jim or Simon – much." Blair winked at his two friends as Ellison gave him a dramatic sigh and Banks rolled his eyes and snorted. "Anyway, I had started stopping in the restroom before heading into Major Crimes to tie back my hair so the guys would see I was trying to make an effort. I'm not sure the exact date, but I remember going in and running some water over my face. I had just started to pull my hair back when these three massive guys came in. At first I panicked, but then I realised they weren't there to harass me, so I calmed down. It didn't take me long to pick up on the stares, though. It was just about to the point where it was uncomfortable when Henry walked in." He paused. "Now, in my mind, this wasn't *really* any better because he was just as big as the others in there and, though I'd seen him around the floor, I didn't know if he was friend or foe. In typical Brown fashion, the man swaggered up beside me and sort of leaned back like there was a fence post or something behind him and smiled. Before I could hit him with a grateful one in return, he winked at me and asked loud enough for the others to hear, 'So how's it hanging, Hairboy?'
"To say I was stunned was an understatement. I mean, though it wasn't the most original nickname, it still wasn't something I was expecting, so I answered him with the first thing that popped out of my mouth, 'Easy, man. Just easy.' I guess it was the right thing to say or he just took pity on me, but he clapped his hand on my shoulder and laughed. 'Then hang on my friend. Just as easy as you please and don't go bending unless it's what you want to do.' It took me a couple of seconds to figure out what he was getting at, but when I did he gave me a nod. 'So, what say you and I head on back together and give our respective partners a little something to puzzle over? Might be fun having them wonder what we're up to.' I nodded and, without a glance at the stunned cops standing around, Henry helped me gather my stuff and walked with me back to the bullpen spouting comments about everyone we came across until I was laughing so hard I was almost in tears. Right before I hit Jim's desk, Henry made some comment comparing my partner's jaw-clenching and something that I can't mention in polite company and I just lost it. At that moment, I didn't care who saw me losing it – all I knew was that if I tried to contain my laughter, I was going to explode. It took me a few minutes, but I finally managed to get some control back and prepare myself for the looks of disgust from some of the others. Surprisingly enough, all I found when I opened my eyes was a squad room full of laughing people without a clue of why they were laughing, but enjoying it all the same.
"In that tiny moment, it didn't matter if I was a long-haired hippie in a room full of hard-nosed cops – all that mattered was that we were laughing." Placing his hand on the larger man's shoulder. "You started that, man. Ever the cowboy, you stepped out on your own and helped me feel like I was one of the gang. You let me know I was acceptable no matter how I appeared and you gave me your friendship that has never wavered – well, except for that time you wouldn't let me buy back that present for Sam."
Brown raised his hands like he was hiding behind a wall. "Man, even in that I was being your friend. She was definitely a window that needed closing."
"Since it took a while for my eyebrows to finally grow completely back, I'll have to give you that one." He held out his hand and watched as the older man shook it in a hearty handshake. "Thanks, H."
Always the joker, Brown held up the small outfit in front of him and pretended to model it on his way back to his seat - much to the enjoyment of his friends and the rest of the audience. As the other man sat, Joel shook his head, turned his eyes toward heaven and proceeded to Blair. Before the anthropologist could say a word, the ex-captain of the bomb squad held up his hand and started talking. "Before you start telling stories about how I've been this great big teddy bear for you and all that, I just want to tell you if anyone owes you anything, it's me to you.
"Blair, I don't think I ever told you how much it meant to me when you helped me get around my fear of that bomb. If you hadn't been there to talk me out of it, who knows what would have happened. But, you didn't stop there. For weeks after, you'd just stop by to see how I was doing and listen to whatever was going on in my neck of the woods. When the doctor told me I needed to slim down, you didn't ask any questions or demand why I let myself get into that situation – you just helped me set up a healthy diet and an exercise programme and then celebrated with me as the pounds dropped off. You were the first person I told about wanting to go back to the detective work I loved so much and you encouraged me to go with what I felt was right for me even though I had pressure from a lot of people about giving up such a good position." He smiled and tilted his head. "I'm getting married in a few weeks and I have you to thank for that, too. At first, I thought you were nuts when you told me about Rhonda and how you'd seen her watching me a few times. I just couldn't see it, but thank goodness I listened to you. I'm being blessed with a woman who understands the nature of my work and accepts my job for what it is and that's all because of you.
"So, you see, I owe you for a lot more than you could possibly owe me."
Everyone looking at the younger man could see how much the gentle giant's words had touched him. From the beginning of the speech, a glow had settled around Blair and now it seemed almost blinding in its intensity. "Wow," he chuckled as he tried to regain his composure. "I guess I should have expected that considering who you are, but you got me." Damp blue eyes locked into equally damp soft brown ones.
"Joel, you make it sound like I did something really hard by befriending you, but I can tell you it was one of the easiest things I've ever done." He took a deep breath and relaxed a bit more. "You've trusted me to help you with some of the most important changes in your life. You believed in me enough that you put what amounts to your life in my hands and you never questioned any of it. Even before that time Jim was missing, I knew I could trust you with not only my physical life but also my emotional one as well. Behind the scenes, after all the action had died down, you'd always ask me how I was doing or pat me on the back or drop by the university on the pretence of needing a recipe or wanting to know more about an obscure reference I made. A couple of times when I really lost it at a scene, you covered for me so that Jim and Simon wouldn't have to worry so much and lose time with the case. And when I'd get down afterwards for being such a wimp, you'd let me know that true strength was dealing with the pains and the emotions on the spot and then moving forward rather than what most cops did by burying it and trying to get rid of it later. You wouldn't let me believe I was any less of a person just because I had to let go of the ugliness I was seeing."
Quietly, Sandburg moved a few items around until he found a small wooden statue and rested it in his arms. Obviously a warrior's piece – complete with a spear and ceremonial headpieces, the squat figure boasted two heads – one looking forward and the other turned at almost an exact ninety-degree angle. He held it up so that the others could see it. "This is a nkisi from the Gbi tribe that had set up a small village not too far from the town of Grimari in the Central African Republic. It was considered a very special gift granted to only a few warriors after a period of ten hunting seasons. Only one artisan in the tribe was said to possess the skill to create these pieces and before he died he would pass the gift on to whomever the gods told him was worthy. Each artisan would take the knowledge passed on and add to it so that it represented the warrior to receive it as well as the craftsman who designed it – so no two were ever alike.
"This particular one was given to me when I was touring the region with my mom, Leigh and Brenda. While they were out helping some of the people who couldn't come into the village we were staying in, I was left with one of the Sisters at the clinic. Being a naturally curious person, I didn't stay where I belonged and ended up at this huge tree behind what could only be described as a hut. Underneath it was this little gnarled man who seemed to be staring off at nothing. At first, I was scared – he didn't move for the full five minutes I watched him and I wasn't too sure he was breathing, but then he smiled at me and about thirty years dropped off his face. He motioned for me to sit beside him and because he wasn't strange, I did." Catching the confused looks of his friends and the chuckles from his mother and sister, he explained. "Mom taught us to be wary of strangers and I chose to take her literally. So, I kept close watch for people who were strange and was … wary … of them. Anyway, neither of us could understand what the other was saying, but - in the way that only small children have of understanding what they want to - I was able to figure out he made these really neat figures. When I had come up, he'd been waiting for his latest two to dry out in the field behind his hut and now that I was there, he was ready to get them. I never understood how he knew I was coming, but I let him pull me along anyway.
"When we were about halfway in the field, we stopped and the man let out a little noise. I looked down and was completely puzzled because these things resembled nothing I'd seen before. I turned my confused eyes up to the man and found him grinning like Santa Claus and I watched as he reached down carefully and picked up this little guy. I watched as his old hands gently brushed off the dirt and other things that had settled on it and my eyes grew huge when he started trying to hand it to me. All I could do was shake my head no, but he wouldn't accept that and just kept trying to give it to me. Finally, I took it and he seemed to calm down. He picked up the other figure, took my hand and we headed back to his hut with him happily talking in his language all the while.
"Once inside, he showed me where to sit because it was dark and then went about fixing me something to eat. As if he knew I'd been told not to drink any water, he didn't offer me any, but that didn't stop him from stuffing me with all sorts of fruits and things. By the time I finally heard everyone calling me, I was feeling very well fed and I almost didn't want to get up when he opened the door and called out. Man, you should have seen the looks directed at me when my moms, official and unofficial, showed up. It was not a pretty sight, but my new friend must have known the deal because he said something to Leigh and she passed it on to Bren and Naomi. Before I knew what was happening, I was dragged into three separate set of arms and given three separate hugs and mildly scolded by three separate voices – which was definitely a lot better than it could have been. After they let me go, I returned to my friend and said thank you, the only thing I knew in Banda Gbi, and gave him a hug. He just kept on smiling and waving until I couldn't see him any more.
"When we went back to the clinic, the Sisters were a little amazed that he had given the figure to me and Leigh explained to them what the man - Adygei – had said when they came up. The Sisters, having been born to the tribe, looked at me rather intensely and then touched me saying something that sounded almost like a blessing. Not understanding any of it, but knowing better than to question the adults while they were taking care of business, I waited until they had gone before asking what that was all about. Leigh lifted me into her arms as she took a seat and told me the history of the nkisi and then told me how special I was to have been given one.
"She explained how with times having changed, Adygei didn't make as many statues because there weren't really any more true warriors and that, now, he only made them according to how the spirits led him. I asked her if the spirits had told him that I was going to visit him since he made me one. She smiled this really beautiful smile and told me that he'd said the spirits had led the 'little warrior' – me – to him and that I was only following the path laid out for me. I think that one phrase has stayed in my mind no matter what I've done or where I've been because it's explained how right my choices have felt."
Blair looked down at the statue. "That evening, Leigh explained to me exactly what the symbols meant on the nkisi and, though, I haven't seen it in a long time I still remember every one." He lovingly caressed the spear first. "See how the spear seems to flow like it's heading to a point but instead is rounded at the end? That represents a quiet strength – a power hidden. The headpieces are symbols of great wisdom and beacons of guidance – though the men and women who were gifted with these weren't the leaders or protectors of the tribe, in times of danger, the people would know they could follow them to safety. The widened eyes taking in everything around the heads represent a beauty of the soul recognising and accepting the equal beauty of Nature and her gifts - which roughly translates into the ability to see people and situations not for what they appear, but as they are. Finally, there are the two heads." He looked up and his eyes sparkled. "This symbol is the strongest of all of the others because it's the one that you see first and so it most represents the one it's made for. Separate, the younger head represents newness and the older head represents an age beyond measure. Together, the heads represent the ability to change - to always take in what's around them and adapt accordingly."
He held out the statue to his friend. "Just as much as this little fellow was created for me, I believe, ultimately, it was meant for you."
Joel shook his head in denial, "No, Blair. Everything you said … it's you to a T. I can't accept something that is so obviously yours."
"But, you see, it's you as well. If you were to ask any of our friends here to name one thing that you did that fit the characteristics of this nkisi, they could probably come up with tons of examples without even really thinking about it – and with a little thought, they could probably come up with tons more." Holding out the statue again. "No matter what you believe in – fate, karma, the gods, whatever – I'm just the delivery man."
The older man stared at his friend for a moment drinking in the sincerity that practically flowed from him and it was obvious to everyone he wouldn't be able to hold out too much longer. Joel, never one to fight the inevitable, reached out his left hand and gently took the statue at the same time he pulled Blair close to him with his right. If the group hadn't been touched by the sentiments behind the words, they were touched by the depth of friendship within the embrace.
When they finally pulled apart, neither man seemed the least bit embarrassed at the emotions clearly evident nor did they try to hide their faces as they wiped away tears. With the cherished statue held securely in his arms, Joel quietly made his way back to his seat – not releasing it even after he'd been seated.
Megan watched as Sandburg picked up a small box and gifted her with his best smile. Though he motioned for her to come up, she refused shaking her head, "Sandy, there is absolutely no way you could have anything for me … You've only known me a few months."
Blair held out his hand to her, "Megan, trust me."
Not understanding what he meant or why he wanted her up there, she hesitantly joined him near the table and took the hand.
If possible, his smile grew. "See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" He laughed as she playfully tugged on one of his curls. "You know it's not nice to abuse the bearer of gifts. Really bad karma." He held out the box and watched devilishly as she simply held it after taking it from him. "Knowing you the way I do, I know it has to be killing you to just hold that. I promise it won't bite."
Megan worried at her lip a bit before accepting the challenge and opening the box. As the hinged lid slowly opened, a soft gasp escaped the Inspector and her eyes lifted quickly to her friend's. "Sandy, it's beautiful."
"I told you it wouldn't bite." Reaching into the box, he lifted out a gold chain with a medium-sized crystal on the end. "When I was sick, a lot of my 'aunts' brought me things they felt would help me recover. They brought oils and special foods and herbal drinks and anything that anybody had heard was good for this sort of thing. Because I knew there was a lot of love behind the gifts, I'd just sit back and take whatever and pretend it was actually helping so they would leave feeling good about what they'd done." Blair held up the necklace so the sunlight coming in through the high windows could hit it. "None of them ever doubted they'd helped me and I thought I'd gotten away with it until Aunt Cecile brought me this." He chuckled. "I had just finished up with one of the aunts' mud treatment and I was feeling pretty tired. I hoped no one else was planning on visiting, but then I heard the door open and I knew I was out of luck. Without opening my eyes, I listened to the person moving around the room hoping whoever it was would think I was asleep and would leave. If it had been anyone else, I might have been able to get away with it, but as soon as I heard that voice I knew the gig was up.
"'Blair David,' she called in that quiet way of hers, 'I know you're not asleep cause I can hear your breathing. Pretend all you want, but I know. So, you might as well open up those pretty blue eyes and face me like the man I know you are.'" The anthropologist shrugged. "What else could I do except open my eyes and smile at her. 'Sorry about that, Aunt Cile, I was just resting my eyes.' She snorted in disbelief and shook her head. 'Uh huh and I'm an Air Force pilot. You were trying to fake out anyone who stepped into this room and you know it. You just weren't counting on me being the one who walked through that door.' Knowing I was basically trapped, I apologised for ignoring her and she patted my hand in understanding and let it slide. She then told me she'd brought me something and I perked right up -- Aunt Cile always brought fun stuff with her. She reached into the outer compartment of her bag and pulled out the necklace and held it for me to see. At that moment, the light hit it and my room was transformed into this riot of colour. I was so surprised that I raised up and started laughing with a delight I hadn't felt in a few days. Aunt Cile must have been waiting for that because she found my hand again and squeezed a little until she had my attention. When I turned back to her, she smiled and started telling me all about prisms and light and rainbows -- her gifts always came with a good lesson or two. By the end of her little lecture, she had moved beside me on the bed and had me in her arms, 'I know what you've been doing with the aunts, Blair David, and don't go trying to give me that innocent look because you know it's wasted on me. I've listened to some of the things they've come up with and I know half of that stuff wouldn't have helped a fly let alone a very sick little boy. But, they all couldn't wait to tell me how much better you said you were after their little treatments so I figured out your plan. So tell me, is it just in your nature to make everyone around you feel better even when you're feeling like shit?'" Blair snorted and rolled his eyes at the remembered comment. "Cile was always the only one who cussed freely around us kids. Anyway, I tried explaining to her that I did it so they wouldn't feel bad about not being able to help me. She hugged me tighter and gave me one of her best Eskimo kisses that she reserved only for me, 'You're such a wonderful little thing. Ever since you were born, you've brought colour and light into everyone's life, mine included. From what I've been told, you've put the sparkle in a lot of eyes. So, I decided to bring some back to yours.'
"Now, out of everything the others tried to do for me, I think her gift helped me the most. Whenever things would get really bad, I would focus on my rainbow-maker and think of all of my colours and what Aunt Cile had said about me and all the sickness and stuff wouldn't be quite as bad. She never mentioned anything about the healing properties of crystals, but I think she had a dual purpose in mind." Remembering past times. "Up to the day she died, she continued to maintain that I was the light and colour in her life -- which really touched me because she'd been blind since birth."
Blair cleared his throat before his eyes met Megan's, "When I met you, I didn't know what to expect, but I had a feeling whatever it was, it was going to be interesting. Sure enough, your first official act was to get me into a rather exciting car chase that truly had me appreciating Jim's driving." He waited for the murmurs of agreement to quiet down before continuing. "From that day on, I saw all of our encounters as an adventure and I actually looked forward to them. You always brought your unique way of seeing things and you kept me on my toes. The best way that I could describe you was 'colourful' and I wasn't just referring to your pink-dingo jacket, either." Again the Sandburg smile made an appearance. "You became my human rainbow-maker and I could think of nothing better to symbolise how much that meant to me." He nodded towards the woman's neck and when she tearfully smiled and turned her back to him, he raised up and placed the necklace on her. "I'm sure that Cile would appreciate your having it."
Once he was finished, Megan turned back and kissed his forehead, "Thank you, Blair. For this," grasping the crystal, "and for being my ray of sunshine as well. You've made what could have been a very lonely stay into one of the best experiences of my life." Her voice broke, "And, no, that's even with having to ignore that comment about my favourite coat." Before she could totally break down, Megan returned to her seat wiping tears away as fast as she could.