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Blair peeked out from behind the rock, but couldn't see a thing. He wondered if his partner was faring any better. He knew they were surrounded, but he had faith.
Several feet away, Jim Ellison crouched behind a large oak. He had his partner located, but so far, using his senses, he'd only been able to pinpoint the location of two of their three attackers. That wasn't good since it meant the missing attacker could be anywhere.
Damn, he wished -- wait, what was that? Jim flipped around, body tense.
***
Feeling suddenly vulnerable, Blair decided to go for the outcropping of rock to his left. He counted to ten... and made a run for it.
"Bang!"
***
Hearing the shot, Jim turned in time to see Blair fall. At the same instant, he heard a rustling sound from the right -- they were coming for him. He needed to move, to find new shelter. Refusing to look at his fallen partner, Jim ducked his head for a moment, took a deep breath and, body low, made a run for it.
"Bang-bang!"
Jim went down, his body rolling hard. He came to rest next to Sandburg, his hand falling across Blair's chest with a light 'thwap'.
The sun beat down on him and he squeezed his eyes shut before managing to say, "I never thought it would happen like this, Chief."
Blair squirmed a bit before saying, "Me either...Ji...Jim."
The sun was suddenly blocked out by three shapes. Jim cracked open one eye.
Three voices, full of smug satisfaction, rang out. "gotcha, granpoppy! gotcha, granddaddy!"
Blair lifted his head, gazed into the laughing brown eyes of six-year-old Cherilyn Naomi Porter-Ellison-Sandburg (Cheri for short), groaned loudly and fell back, arms spread wide in mock defeat. Jim looked at eight-year-old Jacob Blair Porter-Ellison-Sandburg (or BJ to his family and friends) and said, "We're goners, BJ. Goners."
A chortling sound came from the smallest shadow and both men turned their attention to four-year-old Simon James Porter-Ellison-Sandburg, who crowed, "you be so goners, granpoppy. we got you good."
With lightning fast speed, Jim shot his arm out, connected with Simon's jeans, yanking just hard enough that the giggling boy fell happily into his arms.
That was all it took for Cheri and BJ to jump on their grandparents. Moments later, all five were rolling in the grass, laughing, tickling and sharing Eskimo nose rubs and butterfly kisses.
Several yards above the happy group, Jacob Michael Porter-Ellison-Sandburg and his wife, Cherry, stood on the patio watching the action. Cherry elbowed her husband and said, "I thought you told me they'd never be able to handle retirement?"
"Give me a break, it's only their first day."
The End