By: Denise James
Jim picked up the laundry bag and left the loft for the basement. He hated doing the laundry, but he wanted to help Blair out. He knew the kid was having a hard time trying to juggle everything. Jim felt that the kid over extended himself at times. He didn't see how Blair kept from having a nervous breakdown, but when ever he approached the subject, Blair would just scoff at him and reply, " The pressure reminds me that I am still alive and kickin'." Then he would add one of his common eyebrow wiggles.
Jim stopped just inside the doorway of the small room and turned on the lights. He was glad to see that no one else was here today. It was bad enough having to do the laundry, not to mention try to carry on a conversation with someone you hardly know or who has none of the interests you have. Jim was content to sit and read while he waited for the machines to go through their cycles. He could go back upstairs...but he knew that Blair would want to take the opportunity to do some sort of test. It was safer down here, and it gave him a chance to finally get started on a book he had wanted to read for a while.
The basement had been set up to house several sets of washers and dryers. Each occupant had to provide their own machines. It wasn't cold and damp like you would expect most basements to be. The owner had gone through great pains, to have air conditioning and heat installed. The furnace and the overhead pipes were the only reminders of your location in the building.
Jim began sorting the laundry. He wanted to do only two loads. he figured it would be easier to seperate the towels from the underclothes at least the towels could be folded while the other dried. as he reached the bottom of the bag, he found one of Blair's red socks. "That kid is determined to ruin every sock and T-shirt I own. Jim made it a habit to buy only white socks, T-shirts and boxers. It made laundry easier. But since Blair had moved in, his things were turning pink, light blue, and any other pastel color you could imagine. The kid really had a flair for colors. They looked great on him, but Jim did not appreciate the headaches caused by items being placed in the wrong hamper. He pulled the remaining contents from the bag and threw the red sock on top of the dryer. After a few minutes he had the towels going and he had settled down with his book to wait them out.
He heard footsteps coming down the stairs."Oh Great, so much for reading." He mumbled, before looking up to see who was entering the room. He didn't know the young woman carrying the basket containing sheets and what appeared to be curtains. He looked her over, but was sure he had not seen her before. Her hair was brown and shoulder length. He guessed that it was curly, but right now it was slightly frizzy. It looked like she had brushed it quickly this morning, not really caring how it turned out. He thought she might be in her late twenties. She was wearing a pair of cut offs and an old Ole Miss sweat shirt that looked like it had seen better days. When she finally noticed Jim sitting there she looked some what embarrassed. She hadn't expected to run into anyone. She tried to cover her embarrassment with a smile.
The smile made something flutter within Jim. It was kind of a shy smile. He thought it was cute the way she quickly glanced away from him as she approached a washer on the other side of the basement. Jim looked at the number above the set of machines. He couldn't beleive that she was right across the hall. He didn't even know that the owners had moved out, now he was intrigued with the stranger. Jim decided to introduced himself and see what type of neighbor he was going to be dealing with. He stood up and made his way over to the young woman.
"Hi. I'm Jim Ellison. I beleive we are neighbors." He was flashing one of his most dashing, charming smiles. His eyes danced as he held out his hand.
"Oh, Its nice to meet you." She sat her basket down, wiped her hands off on her shorts and took his hand. "My name is Danielle James."
"Its nice to meet you Danielle." Jim said as he leaned against the dryer. "So, I haven't seen you around here before. Did you just move in?" Jim inquired, forgetting about the book, which was still in his hand.
"Yes. Actually last weekend, but with work and everything, its hard to get everything unpacked and the way I want it." She said smiling as she began to load the washing machine. "Could you pass the detergent?"
"Oh....Sorry." Jim hadn't realized he was in her way. He handed her a bottle of liquid detergent and grinned sheepishly.
She smiled back at him noticing how pretty his eyes were. That was usually the first thing she noticed about a person. She had always felt that a person's eyes could tell a lot, especially if she should trust them or not. Sometimes a person would say one thing but their eyes would tell a different story. Danielle had a good feeling about this person. He seemed very sincere and he had the prettiest blue eyes she thought she had ever seen. They had a wonderful sparkle, and danced as he spoke. They were youthful, yet wise. He had a very handsome face with almost chiseled features, and his close cropped hair cut was nice too. He could pull that style off nicely. He was about six inches taller than herself, nice build and seemed to be in excellent condition. She suddenly felt a little self conscious. With her job and hectic schedule, she did not have the time she would like to have to care for herself properly. She would love to be able to work out and tone up.
Jim's movement startled her out of her thoughts. He was standing closer now. Instinctively her eyes shot toward the stairs leading to the basement door. She wanted to run. No! She thought to herself. He seems to be very nice. You can't live your life afraid of every man you meet.
She looked up at Jim, trying to force a smile on her face. She prayed he hadn't noticed the panic in her eyes from before.
Jim had noticed her jump, but merely thought he had startled her a little. She seemed very shy, but very nice. He definitely thought he would like to get to know her better. After all, they were going to be neighbors.
"So are you buying the unit?" Jim continued the conversation.
"No. It belongs to my mom and dads friends. Mr. and Mrs. Carter? Well Mr Carter was retiring and they have a condo in Florida. They are moving there and they said that I could rent this place while they decide if they want to sell it or not. They gave me a really good deal, I couldn't hardly pass it up. The Carters are really a sweet couple." She replied.
"Yeah, I only saw them a few times. I believe he worked a night shift or something, but he was always very nice. They were good neighbors. I hope that everything works out well for them."
They sat there and chatted about various things as they both did their laundry, traveling back and forth between each others machines. They were almost sorry to see that they were finished. Not wanting to let the opportunity get away, Jim decided to ask her if she would like to go out, but then decided to make it dinner at his place instead. "Since you are new in the area...would you like to come over to dinner one night?"
Danielle became nervous again. This was too fast, she needed time and some space. Jim sensed her nervousness and added, "I would like you to meet Blair, my roommate. Since we are going to be neighbors we may as well get to know one another." He looked at her hoping she would accept the invitation.
Finally she gave in. She couldn't turn down the eyes that she felt like she had known for years, even though it had been merely hours. "Okay. You twisted my arm. Just name the day and time and I'll be there." She was rewarded with a wonderfully huge smile that stretched across Jim's face. 'Oh man, he is so cute!' She thought to herself, as a warm feeling engulfed her entire being.
The smile remained on his face as he entered the loft.
"Hey Jim." Blair was walking out of his room when Jim came in. Blair noticed the smile on Jim's face. "Hey big guy. If I knew you enjoyed doing laundry so much, I would have let you do it sooner." He threw the comment over his shoulder and chuckled softly, while pulling a beer out of the fridge. He held up a second one, silently offering it to Jim. Jim nodded and accepted the cool beverage.
"No Chief." Shooting down the laundry comment. " I met our new neighbor. She seems to be really nice." Jim said while taking the cap off of the bottle.
Blair's eyes lit up instantly. "She?"
"Down boy!" Jim chided, taking a long drink from the amber bottle. He noted the mock look of hurt on Blair's face, but his body told another story. He was bouncing in anticipation, wanting to know more. Jim was tempted to make the kid wait, but decided against it. "She is probably a year or two older than you.... Very nice. We talked about everthing. She is leasing Mr. and Mrs.Carter's place across the hall."
Blair was right in front of Jim now still full of energy. His eyes widened, causing his brows to arch. "Come on man. What does she look like?"
"Well...she has brown hair, curly. I'm not sure how long it is, 'cause she had it pulled up. Nice green eyes...not much taller than you.
"And?...." Blair demanded, still bouncing.
"Well Chief, I can't say that she is a Miss America, but she has something. I don't know ... a quality..an air...something that I just can't put my finger on....but it sure is damn attractive, whatever it is. I think you'll like her."
"Oh....Hey, wait a minute. You didn't fix up a blind date between us did you?" His hands were held up in front of himself, as if in self defense. He could feel himself becoming angry at the thought of Jim pushing him into another relationship, when he wasn't ready for it. He just knew that Jim was trying to fix him up again.
Blair hadn't gone out in at least a month. He had, had a pretty bad set back as of late. After he and Samantha had broken it off, he had started seeing another woman. Amanda, the name still caused his heart to ache. It was all completely innocent at first. A quick lunch here, a quick dinner there and every once in a while a movie. Just something to do as friends. Then one night it happened. The one thing that changed everything. A kiss....A long passionate kiss. After that night she was all that he could think of. The sun rose and set in her eyes. They dated for several months, and Blair toyed with the idea of marriage. Finally one night he worked up the nerve to ask, but before he had the chance, she broke up with him. Amanda told him that she had met someone new. Blair couldn't say anything. He was in complete shock. He stood there silently as his whole world crashed and burned around his feet. All of the plans that he had made, all of his hopes and dreams, where gone. His excitement, that he had felt earlier that day, had been replace by numbness. It was a feeling he was sure he would never be rid of....at least, not for a long time to come. He left her house that night, with a broken heart and shattered dreams. Reliving that night caused his heart to ache once again. 'How many times do I have to tell him that it's just too soon. I'm not ready.' He thought, not hearing Jim.
"Blair are you listening to me?" Jim was standing in front of Blair, blocking the path that was beginning to wear in the floor.
" What?" Blair said, as he almost ran into the bigger man.
"I said no. I didn't set up a blind date, but I did invite her for dinner. She is new around here and I thought I would be great if we could get to know her and become friends."
"When?" Blair asked, feeling suddenly defeated.
"I don't know. I wanted to find out what your schedule is at the University this week, before I mentioned a day and time."
Blair is dragging tonight. Jim thought. More than usual, since he and Amanda broke up. Jim wasn't sure, exactly, what had happened that night. All he knew, was that Blair had left the loft all smiles and bounce, then came back, sullen and head down. He looked like a dog that had been kicked too much. Jim had asked him about it, but was unable to get the kid to open up. He knew that what ever had happened, it must have been pretty bad, because Blair usually bounced back after a mishap with the opposite sex, but this time he really seemed to have been knocked for a loop. Jim had been trying his best to cheer the kid up, but to no avail. He didn't think those blue eyes could look any sadder and he hoped that tonight would boost his spirits.
"You look great Chief." Jim said as he brushed past Blair in the kitchen. Blair was wearing a nice pair of black Dockers and a burgundy cable knit sweater. His hair was pulled back neatly in a ponytail, allowing the earrings, in his left ear, to sparkle in the dim light of the loft.
Blair cut his eyes at Jim as he watched Jim take a salad from the fridge. Jim didn't notice the glare that he was getting from the younger man. He was too busy trying to decide if it was to early to toss the dressing in. He decided to wait for about fifteen minutes, but went ahead and added the olives and other ingredients. Jim made a killer salad that even Blair liked.
"Are you okay Chief? You have been quiet all afternoon." Jim asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The answer was short and Blair didn't look up from the french bread he had decided to make.
Great! He's mad at me. What did I do this time? "Are you mad at me?"
"Just drop it, okay Jim?" Blair responded, while buttering the bread.
Anger rushed over Jim. "No, I think if there is a problem we should talk about it."
"There's no problem Jim, just let it go!" The anger was more noticeable in Blair's voice now as well. Blair sprinkled the bread with garlic salt, then placed the pan in the oven. He turned his back to Jim as he got plates and things together to set the table. I know what he's trying to do, even if he says he's not. He's trying to fix me up. I *don't* want to be fixed up. If I wanted to go out I would. I don't need anyone to help me in the dating department. He's the one that needs help! Blair was setting the table, shaking his head and occasionally gesturing in time with his thoughts.
Jim was about to press the issue when he heard Danielle's door shut and foot steps approaching his door. "Oh, She's here." He said nervously, as he threw a few items into the sink to get them off of the counter. "Blair could you get the door?....Please?" Blair still had his back to Jim. "Sure, why not." He said, while shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
Jim removed the apron he was wearing, stuffing it in a drawer. He suddenly thought that it might not be such a good idea to have the kid answer the door, especially in his state of mind, but Blair surprised him. He opened the door, just as Danielle was about to knock.
She was startled, and brought her hand backdown, grinning. "Umm, hi. I'm sorry I know I'm kind of early." She smile apologetically.
"No problem. Come on in." He returned her smile, as he held the door open for her.
"Thank you." She said as she entered the loft. Danielle saw Jim in the kitchen, she smiled and waved, mouthing a silent hi. Jim returned the greeting. She looked around noticing the similarities and the differences between her place and Jim's. It was definitely masculine, and it had a very nice personality. A lot like Jim. She thought, allowing a smile to come to her face.
Blair looked at Danielle. She wasn't at all what he expected, she looked very nice. She was just about an inch taller than himself. Her hair was swept up and little ringlets dangled down her neck. Her eyes sparkled and danced as she looked around the loft. He could see her shyness so he offered her a seat in the living room. "Would you like to sit down?"
She looked at him and smiled. "Yes. Thank you." She sat down on the couch and remembered the bottle in her hand. "Oh I brought this." She said as she handed the bottle of red wine to Blair.
He accepted the bottle and studied the label. "MMMM" He said. "This is a great year."
Jim was still in the kitchen, listening to the conversation. He started laughing. "Don't tell me....1969."
Blair started laughing too. Danielle looked from Blair to Jim. Her eye brows raised. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"That's the year he was born." Jim continued laughing.
"Let me get this in the kitchen." Blair said, smiling at Danielle warmly. He walked toward the kitchen, stopping briefly to show Jim the bottle. Blair wiggle his eyebrows at the older man. Jim smiled, happy that his guide was acting more like himself.
Danielle turned around on the couch and watched as Blair took several wine glasses from the cabinet and placed them on the table. "Is there anything that I can help with?" She asked hopefully, feeling slightly out of place. She wasn't accustomed to being waited on.
"No. We've got it under control." Jim smiled, as he started tossing the salad. A piece of lettuce fell onto the counter top, he picked it up and popped it into his mouth grinning. She smiled back. She watched as Blair took the bread from the oven. He seemed very nice, she thought. But she couldn't Imagine what brought this unlikely pair together. Jim was so clean cut, and Blair seemed so retro. Complete opposites. She sensed a little tension between the two men, but at least they were smiling at each other. She stood up and walked around looking at items on the shelves. She found a few of Blair's books interesting. Danielle carefully examined a few of the items and gently set them back in their proper places.
Dinner went smoothly much to Jim's surprise. The conversation had been going along fine. About five minutes into dinner Blair took over the conversation. Jim felt as though he were back at work, in one of the interrogation rooms. Blair was asking all kinds of questions of Danielle. She didn't seem to mind. She answered the questions easily and then shot one back at Blair.
"So where are you from?" Blair asked, picking at his salad, in search of another olive.
"Oh, I'm from Olive Branch, Mississippi." She replied.
"Humm, Olive Branch...Uhh..where exactly is that?"
She laughed. "It's just on the outskirts of Memphis."
"Memphis..kewl, near Graceland."
"Yeah ...Graceland, right."
"Have you ever been there?"
"Yeah, I had to drive there for my drivers test, and my science club stopped there, on our way to a science fair one year. It was really nice."
"Man, I would like to go to Memphis sometime, I love the blues."
"Great, maybe we can all go sometime. I'll show you around. We can go to B.B. King's, they have great spicy food there. It will have to be in May so we can grab some barbeque at Memphis in May.
Blair's mouth was watering, and Jim couldn't help but smile as he watched the young man lick his lips.
The conversation continued through dinner, touching on various topics. Soon they were all finished eating, and Jim stood up, taking his empty dishes back into the kitchen, to start the clean up. Danielle insisted on helping. While Jim washed the dishes, Danielle and Blair cleared the table. Jim could tell that Blair like Danielle, his curiosity always gave him away.
"So what do you do for a living?" Blair asked.
"Oh, I go to bars....pick up young guys...take them home....have my way with them, then I lock them in the closet until next time." She tried to look serious, but the look on Blair's face caused her to giggle.
"Really...I see. Umm, Jim? Is there a law against women locking men in closets?
"No...I don't think so Chief."
"Oh. Good. I'll be at Danielle's. Bye." Blair grabbed Danielle by the arm. "Come on. Use me, abuse me."
"Stop it!" She said laughing, swatting at him playfully. "Actually I'm a teacher, I teach third grade."
"No way. Really? Me too. I mean, well I'm a teaching fellow at the University."
"Really? What's your field?"
"Anthropology. "You?"
"Science, math, I was always a science nerd." She laughed.
"Hey, me too."
Jim was rinsing out the pasta pot. "Yeah, Blair was a science nerd. In fact, he stole a microscope one time, when he was a kid."
" Oh, come on man! You didn't have to tell her that." Blair's blue eyes flashed in Jim's direction, then back to Danielle. "I'm not a criminal Danielle, although I do feel like I'm living with a parol officer." He said, looking at Jim again. Everyone laughed.
The night went on. Everyone was having a good time. Soon Danielle looked at her watch. It was eleven thirty, she decided that it was time to go. "I'm sorry guys, but I really have to go. I had a really great time. I want to do this again, but next time it will be my turn to cook at my place. "Okay?"
Both Jim and Blair agreed in unison. "Sure, Yeah."
Jim walked Danielle to her door, wishing her a good night. Then he came back to the loft. Blair was stretched out on the couch. "Well what did you think Chief?"
"I think she's nice. It will be fun having someone closer to our age as a neighbor."
Closer to your age Chief. Jim wanted to correct the younger man, but decided against it. The night had gone by so well. Blair was in such a good mood and Jim didn't want to jeopardize anything, by making some stupid comment. "Well I am going to turn in kid." He said climbing the stairs to his room.
"Goodnight Jim."
"Night."
Blair stood up, stretched and let out a long lengthy yawn. He made his way into his own bedroom. Both men fell asleep, feeling warm and happy, about the friendship that had begun that night.
Two weeks later.
Jim shifted the weight of the grocery bag, as he unlocked the door. Stepping into the loft, he found Danielle and Blair laughing. They were sitting in the floor, using the coffee table as a make shift desk. There were stacks of papers in front of each of them. They were both wearing jeans and sweat shirts. Danielle had her hair pulled into a ponytail on top of her head, allowing the long curls to cascade down her neck. Blair had his pulled back in his customary manner. Jim looked back at Danielle, she had her reading glasses on. Then he looked back at Blair, he had his on too. This is just to eerie. Jim thought. He knew that Danielle reminded him of Blair, with her energy, her job and a few other things. Seeing them together, he was amazed at the actual similarities. They looked like siblings.
The two seemed to be getting along rather well. Better than Jim had expected. He felt a little pang of jealousy as he watched them together, laughing and bonding. Suddenly Jim noticed that the laughter had stopped, and they were both staring at him.
"Are you Okay?" Blair asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Jim replied, as he shut the door and turned to enter the kitchen. He sat the bag of groceries on the island. He smiled and tried to shake off the feeling he had, suddenly feeling guilty for the jealous pang. The laughter had started again. Jim listened, as he put the groceries way.
Blair and Danielle were exchanging stories about teaching. Some of the excuses students had given for not doing their assignments. Jim couldn't help but laugh at the last one.
He walked back into the living room, about to ask what they wanted for dinner, when he noticed the half empty box of pizza lying in the floor next to the coffee table. "I hope there's nothing seeping through that box." Jim scowled.
Blair picked up the box, revealing a sheet of foil underneath. "We've got it covered." Danielle and Blair looked at Jim, grinning happily.
Jim reached into the box and pulled out a slice. He sat on the couch listening to the conversation, gingerly nibbling on the pizza.
Danielle finally finished her stack of tests. She looked at Blair. "That's why I prefer Elementary School." She teased. "The tests are easier to grade."
"True." Blair retorted. "But you have more than I do."
Which, she had to admit, was true. She taught six classes a day and had at least thirty-five students in each class. Blair didn't have quite as many test to grade, but the complexity of the answers made up for the difference in volume. She looked back at Blair, sticking her tongue out. "Yeah, but my answers are either right or wrong. No in betweenies. I don't have to read each paragraph. I just look at my nice little answer key and it's either right or wrong."
Jim was waiting for Blair to say something like 'Well, my dad can beat up your dad.' They sounded like two kids arguing on the playground. He knew they were having fun. He looked at Blair. Blair's mouth opened as if her were about to say something in response to her last comment, but then closed it again. Jim couldn't believe it. Blair Sandburg, the king of obfuscation and embellishments, was at a loss for words. Chalk this day up as a day for the record books. Blair Sandburg has nothing to say. I wonder if I can get this on the front page of the Cascade Tribune. It would make one hell of a headline. He thought.
Danielle took one of the papers, from Blair's stack, and looked it over. The first page consisted of true and false statements and multiple choice. The next page had five discussion questions, which required a written answer not longer than two paragraphs. However it appeared that Blair Had a few over zealous students that required a little more space for their lengthy answers. She looked at Blair. "Are you going to read over all of these tonight? She asked incredulously, gesturing to the pages in her hand, and the stack in front of him.
He grinned, as he looked at her. "Actually, I just scan over them. I look for key words, and phrases." He admitted.
"Really?" She asked. "And you can decide whether or not the answers are absolutely correct?"
"Well it lets me pull out all of the B.S. answers. Once those are out of the way, I can concentrate on the others." They both laughed.
Danielle looked at her watch. "You know, It's still early. If you would like I can plough through these, checking the first half of the answers, leaving the essay questions for you. It may save you a little time."
"No, I couldn't ask you to do that." He said, shaking his head, as he reached into the pizza box for another piece. He gestured offering another to Danielle.
She waved it off. "No thanks. I'm trying to loose a few pounds. There's this really slinky dress that I want." Jim's eyes widened at the thought of Danielle in a slinky dress, or for that matter a slinky anything. "But I'm going to have to work for it. Anyway quit trying to change the subject. Gimmee!" She pointed to the stack.
Blair dropped his head, as if he had been beaten. Jim noticed that Blair wasn't putting up too much of a fight.
"Yes. You played into my trap quite nicely." Danielle said wickedly. "Now you owe me. I have semester exams coming up pretty soon, and I know where you live." She gave her best evil laugh.
Blair looked at Jim, his big blue eyes pleading for help. Jim raised his hands in the air as if surrendering. "It was only a matter of time before you fell prey to her. She has already conned me into helping her too."
She grinned at the two men evilly.
Jim shook his head and looked at Blair. "Sucker."
Danielle laughed, as she hopped up to fetch something cold to drink. She opened the fridge and pulled out a diet coke, which Jim had started keeping just for her. She called from the kitchen. "Can I get You guys a beer or something?"
Blair and Jim replied in unison. "Yeah." They grinned at each other. Blair looked at Jim. "Hey, Jim. Can we keep her? She doesn't eat much, and she is a pretty good maid too."
"I heard that" Danielle scolded, as she re-entered the living room, handing each of the men a beer and popping the top on her coke. "I'm afraid that you would be in for trouble. I don't do windows and I use lots of starch, when ironing. I'm afraid that I would make sure you wouldn't be able to sit down. If you catch my meaning."
All of a sudden Blair's boxers felt stiff and scratchy. "Yeah, it's all too clear." He said squirming.
Danielle sat back down in front of the table, looking at Blair with her wide green eyes, and giving him a gimmee gesture with her hands.
He pushed the stack of papers toward her and handed her his answer key.
She took a sip of coke, grabbed a red fleer pen, and settled down to grade papers.
Jim noticed that the two had become very quiet, and serious, as they slipped back into *work* mode. They worked easily together, as Danielle finished one test, she laid it in front of Blair for him to read. Their timing was perfect, at least until Blair ran into a few rather lengthy ones. He had thought about docking a few points for failure to follow instructions, but the answers had been so interesting, he had decided against it. Jim was feeling a little left out, so he got up to find a book or something to occupy his time. He feared that the television would only serve as a distraction for the two younger people.
When Danielle had finished her part of the test it was twelve fifteen. She stood up, stretching her long legs. She took off her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes. Blair finished the last test and placed it on the stack. He took off his glasses, as well, and allowed his head to plop heavily onto the coffee table. "Why did I ever agree to become a teaching fellow?" He mumbled, turning his head to see Jim and Danielle.
"Because you are a teacher by nature. It's what you do best." Jim said, as he marked his page and closed his book. Jim watched Danielle yawn. Her eyelids were heavy and what could be seen of her eyes, were bloodshot. He wondered how many times he had seen Blair in this same condition. Thanks to Danielle, Blair would be going to bed at a reasonable hour tonight.
Danielle picked up her paper plate and gathered her soda cans to be thrown away. She came back into the living room and picked up her tests, purse and other belongings.
Jim stood up. "I'll walk you home." He offered.
"Come on Jim, I live just across the hall." She fussed.
Jim walked over to Danielle and placed a protective arm around her shoulder. "Humor me." He said.
"Okay, but I draw the line at tucking me in bed." She replied, as she placed the strap of her purse and book bag over her shoulder and slowly made her way back to where Blair was sitting. His head still resting on the table.
Blair had watched the exchange between the two people. It was nice having Danielle around. She took some of the mothering, off of Blair, that Jim insisted on dishing out.
Danielle leaned down and patted Blair on the head, tossing his curls into his face. "Good night Blair."
"Night." He replied, too tired to move. He heard her laughing at his failed attempt of blowing the curls out of his face. One curl in particular was tickling his nose.
"I'll be back in a minute." Jim said, before walking out the door.
Blair raised his head and nodded. When the door shut, Blair stood up. "Whoa..... head rush, kewl." He stood there wobbling for a moment, finally his vision cleared and he regained his balance. He picked up his trash, throwing it away in the kitchen. He put the few remaining slices of pizza in the fridge, and grabbed a dish towel to wipe off the coffee table.
Jim came back in just as Blair was walking back into the living room. "You and Danielle seem to be getting along pretty well." Jim started. "Have you thought about asking her out?"
Here we go. I knew it would be just a matter of time before Jim tried to get me back in the dating pool. "No. I haven't. Actually I have been thinking about asking Samantha out again."
Jim raised his eyebrows.
Blair continued before any questions could be asked. "We have been talking a lot lately, working things out. I think we have most of out problems taken care of, at least the ones that caused our last break up. We are going to take it slow this time and see what happens." He finished, while picking up tests and placing them in his pack. Thinking that he could post the grades tomorrow.
"Oh, I see." Jim said softly.
"Look Jim, if you want her to have a date so bad, why don't you ask her out." Blair knew that there was electricity between Jim and Danielle. He also knew that Jim had been so busy trying to fix them up that he hadn't been able to see his own feelings for the young woman. Blair continued to wipe the pizza crumbs and moisture rings, from the beverage cans, off of the table, while Jim thought about what Blair had said.
Me...Ask Danielle out?...That's the craziest thing I have ever heard. I'm at least ten years older than her. We don't have anything in common.
Blair liked Danielle. He liked her a lot, but as a friend. They had too much in common for him to want to ask her out. In fact, he thought that taking her out, would be like dating a sister. They had a closeness that out wieghed anything sexual. He looked up from his efforts on the coffee table to see that Jim was lost in thought. He looked as if her were a thousand miles away. Blair walked around the table to the sofa, where Jim was sitting. "*Helllloooo* Earth to Jim. Come in Jim." Blair waved a hand in front of Jim's face.
"Humm? What?" Asked a startled Jim.
" You were about to zone on me man. Well are you going to ask her?" Blair asked, turning the tables on the older man, he felt like it was his turn to push the dating issue.
"Gimmee a break, Doctor Ruth."
Blair rolled his eyes.
"I'm too old for her." Jim replied, still deeply in thought.
"Come on Jim. Now you're too old to have some fun? It's just a date man. It's not like you have to get married or anything....Unless you're ....Chicken?" Blair raised his eyebrows, waiting for a reaction from Jim.
"Oh hell, why not. You're right, it's just a date." Jim agreed.
Ha! Victory! Blair thought.
Jim got up and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. This discussion, to ask Danielle out, had started butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He felt like a teenager, afraid of being turned down. This is craziness. He thought. I am a grown man, and she's a grown woman. If anything we can go out just as friends. Jim finished his water and turned out the kitchen lights. He realized, that sometime after their conversation, Blair had slipped off to bed without him knowing it. This was strange, since Jim usually knew where Blair was at all times. Me thinks that Lady Danielle hast cast a spell on me. Me thinks that it over joys me.
The morning was cold. Just as it had been for the last two weeks. Bitter cold. Blair refused to get up. He rolled over onto his side and curled into a ball, beneath the heavy layer of blankets. Jim had promised to get the heat fixed, but he had made the same promise last week. The unexpected cold snap had caught the good citizens of Cascade off guard. Blair stuck his head beneath the covers trying to warm his nose. Even with all of the blankets and the sweat suit, he was still cold. Unfortunately, he lacked the ability to turn his senses down, as Jim did, when he became too hot, or in this case, too cold. He was finding it almost impossible to sleep, since his body was constantly being racked with chills. Blair was beginning to think that the chill bumps, which covered his body, were becoming a permanent part of his anatomy. Suddenly frustrated at his inability to sleep, he crawled out of bed. He could feel cold air swirling slowly around the room. Blair knew the weatherstripping around the door, which lead to the fire escape, was bad, because cold air had been pouring in around the door for days.
He pulled his socks back up and adjusted the twisted sweat suit. He hated to sleep in anything more than his boxers and a tee shirt, but he was afraid he would wake up a popsicle if he didn't wear more. The sleepy young man left his room and slowly padded into the kitchen. He rinsed out the coffee pot and emptied the grounds from the night before. Reaching into the cabinet he pulled out the coffee. Blair noticed that it felt light. Taking the lid off he looked inside and decided that there was just enough for one more pot. Within minutes the loft was filled with the wonderful aroma of *hot* coffee. Blair began to warm up a little just thinking about the hot substance that his body craved. He walked over to the fireplace. Jim had let the fire slowly die during the night. Blair grabbed a log and after a little persuasion got the fire going. He added another log and went back to his room to get a change of clothes and entered the bathroom for a nice hot shower.
Jim's senses had been turned down as far as they would go. He felt really bad about the heating situation, but several attempts at trying to contact the landlord had proven to be fruitless. He turned his senses up just a notch and caught a whiff of coffee. The aroma tickled his senses. He realized he hadn't even heard the kid get up. He knew Blair hadn't been sleeping well. Jim had heard Blair tossing and turning well into the night, finally around three he had become very still, and his heart held a steady rhythm, which in turn lulled Jim to sleep. Jim heard the squeak of the pipes as the shower came on. He decided to stay in bed until Blair was finished with the bathroom. At least it would be warm when he got ready to take his shower. He rolled over and snuggled deeper into his blankets, listening to the various sounds that were felling the loft. The coffee pot and coffee dripping steadily into the pot. He knew by the sound that it was almost finished. He heard the crackling of the fire that Sandburg had started. The kid thinks of everything. he thought. Then he could hear Sandburg in the shower. He heard a soft moan escape Blair's lips as he turned the knob which changed the direction of the water from the faucet to the shower head. He could almost imagine the warm water rushing over him. Suddenly he felt the need to *go*. He hopped out of bed and made his way down the stairs to the main floor. He entered the bathroom, grinning mischievously. He loved sneaking up on the kid. Jim was welcomed by steam and the familiar smell of Blair's fruity shampoo. "Good morning Chief." He said as he began to take care of the business at hand.
Blair jumped as Jim's voice filled the air. "Geez Jim! Don't do that man! You made me drop the soap, not to mention almost piss on myself."
Jim laughed. "Sorry kid. Thanks for starting the fire back up, and making the coffee."
"No problem Jim."
"Chief?"
"Yeah Jim."
"Don't use all of the hot water." Jim said, still smiling. He knew he was bugging the heck out of Blair.
"Do you mind? I would like to finish my shower in private." With that Blair threw his wash cloth out of the shower hitting Jim on the back. Jim could hear Blair snickering in the shower. Jim left the bathroom to return to his room and change into a dryer shirt, while Blair quickly finished his shower determined to get the first cup of coffee.
Jim made his way downstairs as Blair sat his steaming cup on the bar. He was beginning to arrange bagels on a baking pan when Jim entered the kitchen. Jim looked Blair over, noticing how warmly he was dressed. Blair was wearing an old sweater of Jim's. It was too small for him thanks to an accidental trip through the dryer, but it seemed to be just right for Blair. A little big, but the, younger man didn't seem to mind, considering he wore it every chance he got. He had on his most comfortable jeans, and the thickest pair of socks he owned. "How was you shower?" Jim asked.
Blair began to answer but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and was able to answer. "Warm, very warm." He said, smiling.
"Are you okay Chief?" Jim asked with concern filled eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He wasn't going to worry Jim with something as silly as mere sinus drainage. My throat is a little scratchy that's all. Nothing to be concerned about.
Jim decided to let it go and walked over to the coffee pot, noticing that it was only half full. He looked at Blair suspiciously. "Thirsty?" He asked, motioning toward the pot.
Blair looked up questioningly then he realized what Jim was referring to. "Oh yeah, Jim. Big cup." He grinned sheepishly.
Jim looked at Blair's cup. Big wasn't the word for it. Where in the hell did he get that cup? Turning his attention back to is now inferior cup, and his need for the warmth of the coffee, not to mention the caffeine to wake him, he began to help himself. Blair had finished buttering the bagel halves, and placed them into the oven to toast. Nothing cold would satisfy him this morning. Jim joined Blair at the bar. "I'm going to talk to the landlord again this morning. Surely we aren't the only ones complaining."
Blair agreed, almost lost in his own thoughts. School was out for Christmas Break and he had yet to get Samantha a gift, not to mention Jim's.
Jim could tell Blair was a hundred miles away. Instead of disturbing the kid, he got up and checked on the bagels. They were beginning to smell wonderful. An extra sniff told him that Blair had added small amounts of sugar and cinnamon to each one. His stomach growled with anticipation. He turned the oven off allowing the bagels to finish toasting in the remaining heat. "I'm going to take a quick shower." Jim said, as he ran up stairs for a change of clothes. Normally he would just have just wrapped a towel around himself, or wear a robe when he got out....But not today, no way.
Blair nodded absent mindedly. He was going over his financial situation. Trying to think of something nice to buy for gifts that wouldn't scream *cheap*. He got up to check on the bagels and noticed the oven had been turned off. He smiled and decided to run downstairs to get the paper.
Jim undressed for his shower. The bathroom wasn't as warm as he had hoped. He turned on the water, it only took a moment for the water to reach a comfortable temp. Jim's reaction as he stepped into the shower was a simple smile. He stood for a moment allowing the chill bumps to recede beneath the warm stream of water. He adjusted the hot water knob just a bit to kick the temperature up a touch. Just hot enough that he could stand it. As he showered he thought about giving the landlord a piece of his mind. This time he would not accept excuses. He wondered if he should get the other tenants together. That might be something to try if today's visit gets me no where. Jim began to detect a chill in the water, so he quickly washed the crop and finished his shower. The towel he used to dry off with was nice and warm from the steam, which filled the bathroom. He wrapped the towel around his waist and set about his daily routine of brushing his teeth and shaving. He looked in the mirror and thought about regrowing his mustache. Maybe later. he thought. It was something he would have to think about. He was a different person now than he had been back then. He had been more of a rebel. A lot had changed over the last five years. When his partner had been killed, Jim had been content being alone. Married, divorced, and then alone again. He shaved the mustache, lost the earring, acquired sentinel abilities, picked up a guide/roommate/friend. He was no longer alone, and he was happier now than he had been in quite sometime. He had been dating Danielle for just over a month and everything was moving along quite smoothly. Nah...The mustache may jinx things. he smiled at his reflection. Jim quickly got dressed, straightened the bathroom and when he was satisfied he left and went back into he kitchen. Blair was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and loudly crunching on his bagel. The newspaper was scattered around on the kitchen table. Blair was scouring the ads in hopes of finding the perfect gift at an affordable price. It was so depressing. Ad after ad of small appliances, clothes, toys, toys and more toys. Maybe a tickle me Elmo....Not! He thought, as he looked up at Jim, who was looking down at the mess. "Oh hey."
Jim began placing the papers into a neat stack, to the side of the table.
"Yours are still in the oven." Blair said, holding up one of his bagels.
Jim scooped his cup up from the bar, filling it with the remains of the pot and turned the coffee maker off. He noticed the empty can on the counter and frowned. "Are you gonna to be doing some shopping today Chief?" He asked hoping the answer would be yes.
"Huh? Oh, yeah Jim. I've already got the list made up." He said while going through the next ad.
"Have you got coffee on the list?"
"Uhh..." Blair stopped to look at the pad, which was sitting beside his coffee cup. "Yeah, item number three."
"Good." Jim retrieved his breakfast from the oven and headed to the table. He was amazed by Blair's constant mumbling, as he flipped through endless pages of ads. "Whatcha looking for kid?" He asked before taking a big bite of his bagel.
"Oh, something for Samantha."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well I'm not sure. Something simple, you know? I kinda hoped that something would just jump out at me."
Jim reached over to the stack and pulled out an advertisement for a local jewelry store. He flipped through the pages and caught a glimpse of a nice pair of earrings. They were simple pearls with 14kt posts. "Something like this?" He flipped the ad around and pointed to the earrings.
Blair looked at them and his eyes perked up. "Yeah! Those are nice. Very clean looking." He could almost imagine Samantha wearing them and his eyes began to sparkle. He scanned the page and found a necklace that complimented the earrings. He thought that they would make a nice set. Then he decided to check the price. He was surprised to see that both items were on sale and in the price range he had been looking for. "What do you think about this necklace to go with them?"
Jim turned the ad around and looked at the necklace. "Yeah, that's Samantha. No nonsense. I think she will be very pleased."
Blair grinned broadly. He had a plan now. The only thing left was something for Jim, but he was beginning to figure that one out too. He knew it might take a bit of work though. "What are you getting Danielle?"
Jim looked up from the ad, he was studying. "Oh we talked about it the other night. She said she didn't want me to bother getting her anything because we really hadn't been dating that long. But I am thinking about these." Jim turned the ad back to Blair and pointed to a pair of beautiful blue topaz earrings. "Her birthday is the 20th so if I want to, I'll use that as an excuse." He said, smiling.
"OOOh, you *are* sneaky." Blair replied as he scooped the remaining ads up and threw them onto the pile. He stood up taking his plate and cup to the sink. The clock on the coffee maker said 9:45. I can get to the mall, just as the stores are opening. He thought, as he went into his bedroom and pocketed what money he had and grabbed his car keys. He slipped on his hiking boots before leaving his room. Blair picked up the grocery list as he walked past the table heading to the door. "I should be back sometime this afternoon." He said to Jim, who was now looking through the sports section.
"Okay, see ya."
Blair left the loft with a mission and a big smile.
The parking lot, of the mall, was packed. Blair drove for what seemed like hours in search of a parking space. He finally found one and he guessed that it had to be the furthest one from the building. Trying to fight the urge to go back home he secured the car. Not wanting to fight the crowds, he kept trying to imagine Samantha opening her gift. The smile that would be on her face out weighed the fact that he hated shopping, especially when there was barely room to move around in some of the smaller specialty stores.
Blair made it to the jewelry store just as they were opening the doors. The sales clerk was tall and very attractive. She practically fell all over herself trying to assist Blair.
"Hello, welcome to Manncini Jewelers. How may I help you today." She said, smiling broadly at Blair. This guy is nothing but fine. She thought to herself.
"Well I was looking at your ad this morning, and noticed that you had a pair of earrings on sale." He replied, while nervously looking around at the many different display cases. He hoped that they still had the items he wanted. So many times things are advertised only to be *temporarily* out of stock.
"Yes, we have a nice selection of sale items this week. Which ones were you interested in?"
"The pearls?"
"Oh yes. Those are very nice." She walked around on the other side of the display and reached in to remove the earrings. "These are an exceptional value." She said as she sat the set on the counter.
"Yeah...they are nice. Umm, there was a necklace too."
"Yes the single pearl?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
She moved farther down the display and brought the necklace back for Blair to see. A man was glaring at Blair from a doorway, which led to the stores office. Blair figured that he must be the manager, he wanted to yell *I have money! I'm not here to steal anything!* He could tell what the man had to be thinking. Blair got those looks a lot. But he wasn't about to conform just because he didn't meet someone's standards. He looked back around and the man was gone. Blair turned his attentions back to the clerk and the items in front of him. "These will look great on her.
"Are these a gift for your mother or sister?" The clerk asked, hoping to get a little info.
Blair smiled, he knew the game. "No they are for my girlfriend."
The girl felt heartbroken and she hoped it didn't show.
"This is our first Christmas together. And I really wanted to get her something nice."
She pulled a pad over and began writing the item numbers down. After she placed the items back in their proper display areas, she excused herself. "It will be just a moment. I have to get these from the back room."
Blair smiled as he nodded. He slowly walked around the confines of the store looking at various rings and bracelets. He came to the display which contained the wedding sets. He stopped and looked. Something pulled at his heart. Even though he and Samantha were taking it slow, and things were going great, he couldn't help but think about the commitment he had almost made to Amanda. That seemed like a lifetime ago, but it hurt like it was yesterday. He knew that someday he would have a wife, a warm home, and six kids. He smiled softly . Well maybe two, but definitely not just one. He looked up as the clerk came back into the area, carrying two small boxes. She opened them for Blair to inspect. He wasn't sure if he could wait until Christmas to give these to Sam. She closed the boxes and looked at Blair.
"That will be fifty four ninety five. How would you like to pay for this?"
"Oh umm cash please." Blair reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He found the hundred that Jim always teased him about, unfolded it and handed it to the clerk. She looked amused at the fact that Blair had, had such a large bill but she said nothing. Within minutes she was back with his change and a small bag which displayed the stores logo. "Is there some where I can get this wrapped?"
"Yes. There is a wrapping station near the food court."
"Thanks." He said, as he picked up the bag and turned to leave.
When he got back home, he found Jim putting the finishing touches on a tree. "Oh Jim that looks great." Blair said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Where did you find the tree?"
"The local boy scout troop had a site set up. It's been so long since I felt like putting up a tree I figured what the hell. Besides I think the fake tree is ready for the dump. It didn't look so good the last time I used it." The tree was really nice with simple decorations. Lots of white lights that twinkled and reflected off of the strands of icicles. The ornaments were clear glass which also caught and refracted the light. An old angel sat on the top, looking over the loft.
The sight made Blair feel almost giddy. He placed the two small wrapped boxes beneath the tree, and stood back for a better look. "Looks pretty bare Jim. Santa had better get busy." Blair smiled as he looked at Jim. "Or else there are going to be some very unhappy elves." He added a wiggle of his brows to the last comment.
Jim looked at Blair and shook his head. The kid was usually pretty energetic, but there had been a new light in his eyes the last few days. Blair was really beginning to get into the holiday spirit.
"Hey Jim." Blair said while moving lights around on the branches and scattering clumps of icicles.
"Yeah."
"Have you thought about Christmas dinner?"
"Not much to think about Chief. It's just me and you, unless you have plans with Naomi."
"No, I'm not even sure exactly where she is right now. She was pretty vague the last time I talked to her. I don't think she even knew where she would be next." He moved away from the tree to admire it.
Jim was sitting on the couch now also admiring the tree. The loft was beginning to take on the smell of cedar. He looked around wondering if he could decorate anything else. "Can you think of anything else we can do to spruce up the place?"
Blair looked around. "How about the stairs."
Jim looked back behind him at the staircase. "And what do you suggest Martha?" Jim looked at Blair with a very serious expression.
Blair walked up the stairs putting one hand on his hip and waved the other as he spoke. "Well we could wrap garland around the rail allowing it to swag. Then we could use some nice bows here and here." Blair stood there waiting for Jim to say something.
It was all Jim could do to keep from cracking up, trying to keep his voice from cracking he played along. "What color should the bows be?"
"Fusca."
"No I don't think so."
"Teal?"
"I was waiting for that one." Blair never resisted a crack regarding his previous vehicle. " Lets keep it simple shall we?"
Blair rolled his eyes upward and shifted his hips. "Oh, men. You just can't make up your minds can you?" Keeping his voice in such a high pitch was beginning to put a strain on his vocal cords, but he continued anyway. He looked at the tree. "Okay, keeping the theme that you have going, how about nice garland wrapped around the rail with white lights laced in? Then..." Blair was coming back down the stairs. "We can swag garland down the bottom of the steps and we can use silver bows or white depending on what we can find." Then looking at Jim. "Bows are a good thing." He smiled broadly.
"Done" Jim said even though Blair was being incredibly silly. It was a great idea. He didn't want anything wild and over powering.
Blair looked at Jim amazed that he had agreed. Suddenly he switched from Martha Stewart to Blair Sandburg. "Great. Umm do we have any more lights?"
"No we'll have to do some shopping. I'm afraid I gave Carolyn most of what we had. What you see on the tree is it."
"Oh. Well come on lets go." Blair was like a kid, and it was infectious. Jim raced him to the door grabbing a heavy coat and beating Blair out the door. "Hey wait for me." Blair yelled, following close behind, still trying to get his coat on.
They hopped into to he truck. It was taking a while for them to get used to the vehicle . Blair had to admit that he missed the mommie car. It was nice. Lots of room. They would really miss it the next time they went camping. Jim smiled at Blair as he cranked it and turned on the heater. Jim was beginning to fall in love with the truck. He liked the way it sounded, the way it looked. It was a *man's* truck. The fact that the insurance was considerably lower and it was paid for didn't hurt either. They headed for the local department store. The streets were jammed with cars. People doing last minute Christmas shopping. Blair hadn't realized there were so many people in Cascade. He couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across his face. He was so excited.
Jim looked over at him. "What are you up to chief?"
"Nothing. Why do you ask?"
"You're smiling." Jim looked at him again. "You excited about Santa?" Jim teased.
"Oh yeah man." Blair rolled his eyes, but then became very thoughtful and serious. "Actually I guess I am....in a way."
Jim waited for Blair to elaborate. When he didn't offer, Jim pushed a little. "What do you mean?"
Blair stared at the city through the old windshield. "We moved around so much when I was younger. I mean...we spent the holidays with relatives or with Naomi's *friends*. But this year is special somehow. Do you realize that I have never been in one place this long?"
Jim looked at Blair, eyebrows raised. Actually he had never thought about it.
Blair continued. "I've been here, I mean in the loft with you, almost two and a half years. I've been in Cascade a little over three. When I came here I hadn't planned on staying. I assumed I would be in another country, by now, working on some new discovery."
Jim spoke then. "Are you sorry you stayed?"
Blair quickly glanced at Jim "Oh no man! I didn't mean for it to sound that way. It's just...I never expected too..." He paused for a moment to find the right words then decided to just let it all out. "Oh hell Jim. I never expected to find a *home* here." There I said it.
Jim looked at him. "Do you mean that?"
"No. I lied....yes I meant it. This is the first Christmas that I remember where I feel like I belong. You know? I mean, I'm not just a girl friends son or the poor kid who has no where else to go, tagging along with friends." Blair force his attention back to the windshield, thinking about the past, and dreaming about the future.
The thought of his best friend being alone, this time of year, hurt Jim and he wasn't sure what to say. Blair's words were tearing at his heart. He had known that Blair had moved around a lot, but never thought about how he must have handled the holidays. He looked back at Blair who was still staring out the window, lost in thought. "Hey chief, I need to stop by the mall and the grocery store once we are finished here." Jim said as he pulled into the packed parking lot of the local department store.
"No problem it will save me a trip to get coffee, I forgot it earlier." He smiled somewhat sheepishly at the older man sitting next to him.
There was a steady flow of people coming in and out of the store. This was the only time of the year, that Jim thought being a cop was safer than being a store clerk. The store had the same old Christmas songs playing over the p.a,. Buggy wheels were squeaking under the weight of merchandise, children were crying or begging for toys. The whole thing was almost enough to cause him to go into over load.
Blair noticed his friends distress. The den was loud for him, so he could only imagine how it must be affecting Jim. Before Jim had a chance to say anything Blair spoke. "Hey man, why don't you turn your senses down a notch or two?"
Jim looked at Blair and winced a little.
"Really Jim I think we will be fine unless you try to grab the last Tickle me Elmo or Talking Bubba." Blair grinned as Jim made a face.
Jim felt much better after doing what his guide had suggested. "Come on Chief, lets get what we need and get out of here. I'm beginning to feel a little claustrophobic."
"I'm with you Jim" Blair agreed, trying to keep up with Jim's longer strides.
After thirty minutes of digging through shelves and baskets of tossed merchandise, Jim and Blair thought they had enough garland to trim the staircase. They were unable to find any white or silver bows, but Blair had found some red ones which were a nice size. They grabbed several boxes of clear Christmas lights and headed for the check out stands. The lines were terribly long. If Jim had been doing this just for himself, he would have set everything down and left. But he knew how much this meant to Blair and to keep that sparkle in his friends eyes he would be willing to endure almost anything. The wait in line was another thirty minutes. Blair kept himself entertained by playing with a baby behind them, while Jim browsed through various magazines.
Finally they were on their way, when Jim heard someone scream. "He's got my purse!" Jim sharpened his senses and zoomed in on a distraught woman, and a man running away with a purse under his arm. "Come on Chief." Jim said, as he jumped into the old Ford and started the engine. Blair was barely in the truck before Jim had started out of the parking space. "Hey man... what are you doing?"
"Someone just robbed a woman." Jim replied, as he threw the old truck into forward and pushed the gas pedal down. It was almost impossible to get up to a decent speed with all of the holiday shoppers around. But Jim was determined that he was going to catch this guy.
Blair's eyes grew wide. Always on duty. He thought. Blair held tightly to the bags, as Jim took a corner sharply. Jim saw the suspect get into a red Volkswagen, which was now approaching an exit. Jim had to swerve to keep from hitting a woman pushing a buggy. The man in the Volkswagen wasn't fairing any better. The driver had gotten stuck in a long line of cars. With cars moving on either side of him it made it impossible for him to move. He looked out of his window trying to find a way out. But his view was obstructed by a blue and white Ford pickup. The next thing he knew he was being pulled from the car by a tall man with short hair and very intense eyes. "Hey man what are you doin'?" The thief yelled, as Jim threw him against the car roughly, pinning his arm behind his back.
"You are under arrest." Jim replied, as he placed handcuffs on the man
"Arrest? For what? I didn't do nothin'!" The man protested, while struggling against Jim's firm hold.
"Oh yeah?" Blair asked as he pulled the purse out of the car allowing it to dangle from his finger by the strap. "Gee you really should use a neutral color with those shoes." Blair loved getting in on the action .
The thief looked nervously from Blair to Jim. He suddenly didn't have much to say. Jim was reading the man his rights when he heard sirens approaching. Luckily the store manager had seen the attack and had called the police.
Jim and Blair filled the officers in on everything they had witnessed. As they were about to get in the truck to leave, they were stopped by the woman who had been attacked.
"I just want to thank you again for what you did. If he had gotten away, my kids wouldn't have had much of a Christmas." She looked at them with eyes filled with tears and gratitude.
Jim smiled broadly. " I'm glad we could help."
Blair was watching the exchange between the two people with wide eyes. They became even wider as the woman kissed him and then Jim. Blair blushed as did Jim. They both wished the woman a merry Christmas and then left.
The truck purred loudly as Jim maneuvered, shifting easily, though the holiday traffic. Blair tried to hide a yawn. He couldn't believe how sleepy he was becoming. The mall had been even busier than when he had gone that morning. Jim had bought a beautiful pair of blue topaz earrings for Danielle. They were pair shaped, with a gold design draped across the stone. The grocery store was just as busy. Employees were busy trying to keep the shelves stocked. Jim had bought more than he usually did. Blair just figured it was because of the weather. The weather man had predicted snow, and the grocery store was always packed with people trying to stock up in the event of a bad snow storm. He yawned again. This time more loudly than the last. Jim looked at him. "Sorry. I guess fighting the masses has zapped me man. I could really use a nap."
"I know what you mean Chief. Lets make something light for dinner tonight and turn in early. We can put up the rest of the decorations tomorrow."
Blair nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes his throat was beginning to get sore and there was a hint of a headache starting. I will go home, take the stuff I bought, without Jim knowing, and crawl into bed. I should be okay after a good nights sleep. He thought to himself. The truck slowed to a stop. Blair opened one eye to see where they were. They were about a block from the loft. Traffic was at a stand still due to an accident. A cop was directing cars around the wreck, one direction at a time. The cars were barely moving, people were more interested in looking at the accident, than paying attention to the officer. When they finally got back to the loft Jim parked the truck. They both slid out an stretched. It felt as though he had been in it all day. Blair walked by his Volvo and noticed a note on the windshield.
"Stopped by to say hi. Call me." Love Samantha.
Jim was looking at him, he didn't have to ask, the look said it all.
"Samantha came by." Blair informed him, practically glowing.
Jim nodded "Oh, too bad we missed her.
"Yeah.. Too bad." Blair sighed.
They each grabbed an arm load of bags to keep from making more than one trip. Jim laughed at Blair. He was barely able to peep over the bags he was carrying.
"Hey man. You better hope I don't have the eggs in one of these bags...." He shifted the weight of his bags again. "...Or else they may get scrambled the hard way....free of charge."
Jim opened the door to the loft with his key and threw the key on the table beside the door. Blair hurried to the island in the kitchen to deposit his bags. He stood in front of them and let out a deep breath that he had been holding. As they set about putting the groceries away, Blair scooped up the cordless phone and dialed Samantha's number, while folding another sack up and starting to empty another. Jim was putting a few things in the fridge when he heard Blair clear his throat. He looked around to see Blair hold up a can of biscuits. Blair tossed them and Jim caught the can, easily, placing it in its *proper* place.
Samantha finally answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey Sam."
"Oh hey Blair I just walked in." She greeted, out of breath.
"Sorry I missed you earlier."
"Yeah, I have the package you were expecting."
"Great. Um...can I get it from you tomorrow?" He was turning his back to Jim. Like it will really give me privacy. He thought.
"That will work." She said.
"Great! I'll see you sometime tomorrow then."
"I can't wait." She said, while twisting the telephone cord around her finger.
"Betcha do." Blair teased.
"You're so mean." She laughed.
"Yeah I know. But that's why you love me."
"Oh, there's room for discussion there."
"I'm hurt." This time Blair laughed. "See you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye." The line went dead.
He hung up the phone, and looked around the kitchen to see what else needed to be done. He finished folding up the empty sacks and placed them under the sink just as Jim emptied the last one.
It was 7:30. "Is a sandwich okay with you Chief?"
Blair looked at him, trying to decide what he really wanted to do. "You know....I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just going to turn in."
"Are you sure?" Jim was beginning to get a little worried. He was tired too. But Blair looked little pale. Damn! if Sandburg gets sick because they won't fix the heat there will be hell to pay!!!
Blair could almost hear the wheels turning in Jim's head. "Yeah I'm fine. If I get hungry I'll get a snack. Okay?"
"Okay." Jim didn't want to push the issue.
Blair went into his room and grabbed his sweats and entered the bathroom. He pulled the package from his pocket. He had bought some sinus and allergy medicine when Jim was buying groceries. He read the directions and frowned. He hated taking this stuff. But it was better than trying to come up with and excuse to cook up a natural remedy. This was easier to do and it required no explanations. He swallowed two of the yellow caplets and quickly got ready for bed. He looked in the mirror. Geez!! He thought. It frightened him for a minute, what he saw. He was pale and his eyes were blood shot. I had better get to bed, and soon. He thought.
Jim watched as Blair left the bathroom and smiled when he saw the ragged Cascade sweatshirt. "Goodnight Chief." He called.
"Night Jim."
Jim listened as Blair climbed into bed. He could hear him fluffing his pillows and the sheets rustled as he crawled between them. Ten minutes later Blair was very still and Jim knew that his friend was sleeping peacefully. He had tried to break himself of listening to him fall asleep, but finally gave up. Knowing that he couldn't go to sleep himself until he knew if his guide was okay.
"I think I will go see what Dani is up too." He said softly to himself and left the loft.
Jim knocked on Danielle's door. He could hear her talking and decided that it may not be a good time to visit. As he was turning her door opened. She spoke into the phone and then to Jim " Mom? Hang on okay? Hi Jim, come in." She stepped aside to allow him in.
"Are you sure? I mean if you're busy I'll come back."
"No, no. Don't be silly, get in here." She smiled teasingly at him. She shut the door and turned to give him a warm hug. Still holding the phone to her ear.
Jim could hear the voice on the other end, without his senses being turned up.
"Who is there?" The woman asked.
"It's Jim mom." She looked at Jim rolling her eyes. "Yes mom...yes mom I will....Mom we have already discussed this....no I won't be able to come home for Christmas. I know. " She looked at Jim, who was still watching her. She motioned for him to sit down.
He looked at her, noticing how her previously happy expression had suddenly saddened.
"Mom I'm on a waiting list. But I'm not holding my breath. It's a long list. I sent the packages by Fed-ex yesterday. They should be there in time. Yes ma'am...two large boxes. I'll call on Christmas day to say hi to everyone. Yes ma'am." She turned her back to Jim but he could tell she was wiping tears away now. "Okay freeze some for me and I'll eat it the next time I'm there. Give daddy a hug for me and give DeAnne a hugburn for me." She laughed as she swiped the sleeve of her sweat shirt across her face. "I love you too mom. Yes I'm eating. Okay I'll talk to you in a few days. Love ya. Bye." She hung up the phone, staring at it for a moment, trying to compose herself. She turned to face Jim, startled that he was standing directly behind her. "Oh. Hey big guy." She said forcing a smile on her face.
Her eyes told Jim everything. He knew this was the first Christmas she would be away from her family, and he could tell that it was breaking her heart. Instinctively he reached out to hug her, wrapping his arms tightly around her, encasing her in his warmth and love. She snuggled her face into his chest enjoying the closeness. The words *I love you* had not been said. But the feeling was mutual between them. They were taking the relationship slow, one day at a time. What ever happened, happened. Jim knew that she had been hurt before, even though she had never spoke of it. He swore that she would not face that kind of pain again as long as they were together. The pain was evident in her eyes, and he knew that in time she would feel safe enough to open up to him about it. It would just take time, he would give her all that she needed.
She pulled her face away from his chest so her words would not be muffled by the thick sweater he was wearing. " You know I could stand here all night like this don't you?"
"Yeah, me too." He said, reluctant to let her go. He slowly pulled away from her looking down into her bright green eyes. The sparkle had returned and it warmed his heart.
She motioned him to the couch and practically pushed him onto it.
"Sometimes you can be a little too forceful." He said, and then laughed.
"Yeah but you like it! Do you want anything to drink?" She asked before sitting down.
Jim shook his head and she sat down beside him on the rich brown leather couch. "This maybe a stupid question, but what are your plans for Christmas?"
"Well I thought about a pity party."
Jim frowned.
"Just kidding...lighten up. No I guess Sam and I will go out for a nice walk. Maybe it will snow. Come home, eat dinner, and watch T.V. I may rent some movies or something.
Jim was still frowning. "Why don't you come over and have dinner with us?"
"Oh, I couldn't." She replied, tugging at her sweatshirt. She really didn't want to be alone on Christmas day, but then again she didn't want to intrude on their's either.
"Why not? I want to do something special for Sandburg. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and everything seems to be falling into place. If we can't be with our families, we may as well be with each other. Kind of a surrogate family, if you will."
She smiled as she thought about the idea. "Who all are you inviting?"
"Simon and Daryl, if he doesn't have any plans with his mother, you, Sandburg, of course, and maybe Samantha....Not your Samantha, Blair's Samantha.
Danielle giggled.
"Where is the little rugrat anyway." Jim asked, looking around the loft for the little silky terrier.
"Oh she's in bed. I guess she had a hard day of chasing crickets or something. She decided to turn in early. I'm surprised that she isn't down here." She looked up to the second floor at her bed. Peering over the top of her pillows were two small black eyes. Danielle had to giggle, since all that she could see were two ears and a little set of eyes. " I think we are being watched."
Jim looked up. "Yeah, I think you are right. Hey pooch."
The pillows were soft and comfy and she had the perfect view of the loft. That human is here again. He's had been coming over a lot lately. He seems to be okay, and he's good for an occasional scratch behind the ears. Although I really don't see what my pet sees in him. Oh, I guess she needs her playmates too. I will be keeping an eye on him though. I hope he's house broken. I wish the other one would come over more often. He's really cute....What do they call him? Bear...no Blair, that's it. I like my pets like I like my men. Lots of hair. Sam wagged her nubby tail mischievously, as she watched the proceedings down stairs.
They were both laughing now. "That sounds really nice. What shall I bring?"
"That's not necessary. I bought plenty today. "
"No I insist. I can make desserts or something."
Jim looked a little nervous, he had forgotten dessert. "Desserts would be great. To be quite honest, I was so worried about the dinner that the dessert completely slipped my mind."
"Great. Anything special?"
"No I'll leave it up to you. Whatever you come up with will be delicious I'm sure."
She laughed. "Blair did give me a good recipe..."
"Jim threw his hands up in protest. "No mold with maple syrup....Please!" They both laughed. Jim had shared his story of Blair's concoction with Danielle and it had been a source of humorous comments ever since.
Jim could tell her mind was going ninety miles an hour, and it was. She was trying to decide what to make, what ingredients she had, while making a mental list of what to get at the store. It was endless. Suddenly, her guilt and sorrow for not being with her family for the holidays were gone. She was a woman with a mission now. They sat and chatted for a while until Jim looked at his watch. 11:22 "Oh man, I need to get to bed."
She saw the time and agreed. Sorry that time had flown by so quickly. She walked him to the door. They stood staring into each others eyes in silence. Each person feeling so much but afraid of spoiling the moment with words. Unsure of how the other felt. Finally Jim wrapped his arms around Danielle pulling her close. She didn't resist the embrace. He slowly pressed his lips to hers, giving her a soft sweet kiss which sent a sensation not unlike an electrical current through her very being. She had been kissed before of course. But this one was different. There was tenderness, love, and the fear of where it might lead. It almost tasted of innocence. She could feel Jim's heart beating rapidly and that made it even more special. She knew that he was just as nervous as she, and it wasn't just a casual kiss for him. He pulled away slowly, searching her eyes, trying to see what she was feeling. Her eyes were bright and clear. The smile on her face filled him with relief. A month ago she would have been running for the nearest door to get away, she was becoming more comfortable with him everyday. They were taking their time and it was paying off. She was beginning to trust him. "I'll let you know about a time for dinner as soon as I get an idea of who all will be there." He said as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. She snuggled her cheek into the palm of his hand. Feeling the warmth of it. He moved his hand to her chin and tilted her head to allow his lips to meet hers again.
She felt like a teenager again, as her heart fluttered and her stomach knotted. She smiled almost blushing. "Yeah." She said almost in a whisper when he released her. "Let me know the time." Her head was spinning so, she barely remembered saying goodbye to him. When he left, she leaned back against the closed door and touched her lips closing her eyes, she could still feel his warmth. The warmth of his lips against hers. The warmth of his body pressed so close to hers, as well as the warmth of emotion that had welled up inside of her. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding. Allowing the act to clear her mind somewhat and loosen the knot in her stomach. "Slow down girl." She said as she walked around turning off the lights before turning in. Within minutes she was in bed. So excited she couldn't sleep. She closed her eyes and said a quiet prayer. Thanking God for allowing her a second chance at love and for Jim being so patient with her. She smiled again, rolling over she could smell the scent of his cologne on her hair. The scent brought back the feeling of security he gave her. The feeling that she so desperately needed. Soon she was asleep, the smile still on her face. Sam was curled up at her side, snuggled close.
Blair laid in bed, wide awake. Maybe I should have only taken one of those pills. He thought. The medication had him wired. His stomach began to growl so he decided to get up and make a sandwich. Blair noticed the loft felt a little warmer. He listened and could hear the air coming through the vents. "Finally." He said. He knew Jim was almost to the point of threatening bodily harm on the landlord. But at least now it wouldn't have to come to that.
Blair stood in the kitchen peering into the refrigerator trying to decide what kind of sandwich he wanted. Finally he decided on a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Jim always made faces at him when he ate them, but they were good. Jim just doesn't know what he's missing. Blair popped a few slices of bread in the toaster while he grabbed the banana and the peanut butter, placing them on the island. The toast popped up and Blair quickly placed the hot slices onto a paper towel. "Ouch!" He exclaimed, as the bread burned his fingers. He smeared peanut butter on each slice allowing the heat to melt it. Then he carefully sliced the banana lengthwise and covered the exposed peanut butter. Finally he placed the two halves together and wrapped the paper towel around the sandwich to catch the crumbs. Normally he would mix the peanut butter and banana together but he didn't feel like dirtying up anything more than a knife. He poured himself a tall glass of milk and made sure he had cleaned up the small mess he had made before leaving the kitchen to plop, down in front of the tv, on the couch.
The cold milk helped take away the soreness of his throat. Taking small bites of his sandwich, and chewing it well, seemed to help too. He was engrossed in a rerun of Perry Mason when Jim came in. Blair looked at him while taking another bite of his sandwich. "Hey, where have you been?" He croaked. He was shocked at how hoarse his voice had sounded.
Jim looked at him strangely, partly because of his voice and also for having his feet on the couch.. Blair realized what was wrong, so he unfolded his legs and stretched them out, allowing his feet to sit on the coffee table. He grinned at the older man, knowing that Jim would frown upon that too.
"I was over at Danielle's." He said as he came in and plopped on the love seat. Jim sniffed the air and then looked at Blair's sandwich. "Peanut butter and...." Another sniff. "..banana?"
Blair nodded, smacking against the peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth. Blair could see something different about Jim. It almost looked as if he were glowing. "Jim, did something happen tonight? You look a little .... funny." He laughed, bouncing his eyebrows.
"Oh, kind of. Nothing like what you are thinking. But still something special." He said softly, still thinking of the kiss. Blair waited for Jim to continue, wanting juicy details. The details never came and Jim looked as though he were miles away. Blair turned his attention back to the show.
Jim grabbed the phone and glanced at Blair, who was absent mindedly nibbling on his sandwich while watching tv. "Hey Blair?" "MMM?" He mumbled still chewing but looking away from the television, back at Jim. Jim waved the phone at Blair. "I'm going up stairs to make a few calls then I'm calling it a night."
Blair waved him off, trying to get the peanut butter down with a quick sip of milk. Finally he could reply. "Yeah sure, goodnight."
Jim caught the raspy voice again. "Are you okay? And don't give me any kind of song and dance, Chief." Jim had that don't mess with me look on his face.
Blair gave Jim a look of pure innocence. Who me??? "I'm fine, really. Just sinus drainage or something. Go to bed." Blair turned away from Jim hoping to drive the point home that the discussion was over.
Jim took the hint, but it didn't mean that he wasn't still concerned. "Good night Chief." Jim called backover his shoulder, as he took the stairs two at a time.
It was sort of late but he knew Simon would still be up. He quickly dialed Simon's number from memory. Simon answered on the third ring. "Yeah, Banks!" He yelled into the phone.
Jim puled the phone away from his ear, in reaction to the sudden outburst. It didn't sound like Simon was having a good night.
"Hello?" Simon said trying to get a response from his caller.
"Oh hey Simon." Jim replied still rubbing his ear. "I had to change hands."
"Jim?" Simon asked, finally recognizing the voice.
"Yeah...are you okay?"
"Yeah, I've got coffee going everywhere. I must of bought the wrong filters or something because the water isn't running through. Damn!" He exclaimed as he burned himself on the hot water, while trying to wipe it up. He jerked the plug out of the wall and took the coffee maker to the sink.
"I can call you back if it's a bad time." Jim said, although he would rather have talked to Simon now.
"No its alright. It think I've got everything under control now." He said, while throwing towels on the floor to wipe up the liquid that was cascading down the front of the cabinet. "What can I do for you at...." He looked at his watch. "10:30 at night."
"I know its late and I'm really sorry Simon but I was wondering what kind of plans you had for Christmas day?"
Simon stopped cleaning and stood in silence. " I hadn't really thought about it." He said, still in thought. " I guess I'll be here. I haven't found out for sure if Daryl will be with me or his mother. I only have one day off so going to my parents is out. Why do you ask?"
"Well I would like to have a get together here Christmas day...you know, dinner."
Simon perked up. "That sounds great. I think I can clear my calender." They laughed, "Should I bring anything?"
"Not necessary. Just bring yourself and Daryl if you can. Oh and Simon?"
"Yes"
"Leave the cigars at home." Jim grinned evilly.
Simon scowled at the phone.
"I'll let you know what time tomorrow okay. Oh yeah.... don't say anything to Sandburg. It's a surprise."
"No problem" Simon said, still thinking about the cigar comment.
"Good night Simon."
"Easy for you to say, see you tomorrow." Simon hung up. "Great, first no coffee and now no cigars. Someone is out to get me, I just know it." Disgusted Simon finished cleaning up the kitchen and went to bed, ready to get the day over with.
Jim looked in his phone book and found Samantha's number.
She answered softly. "Hello?" She sounded like she was half asleep.
"Hey its Jim. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
She looked at the clock. "Kinda. It's okay though, what's up?"
He explained what he was planning and that it was a surprise.
"That sounds wonderful. I'm suppose to go to my sisters. But to be quite honest, I really don't want to go. Every year it's the same thing. My brother in law gets drunk and she gets embarrassed when he makes an ass of himself. I'll be there!" She said, almost bouncing in bed at the thought of being off of the hook for one of her family's little get togethers.
"Great I'll get with you tomorrow okay?"
"Sure great."
Both parties hung up. Everything is falling right into place. He thought as he laid the phone on his night stand before getting undressed and crawling beneath the covers of his bed. Thankful that the loft was warm enough now that he would not have to go in search of sweats to sleep in. He snuggled down, still smiling. Before he had a chance to think about falling asleep he had.
Blair looked up at Jim's room. It was dark and quiet. It had been for hours. Blair had sat through late night re-runs of Perry Mason, the Golden Girls and Empty Nest. He was really bored. He clicked the television off, as Murphy Brown came on, and sighed. The tea, he had drank, wasn't doing the trick of relaxing him. You would think, after three cups, something would have to give. Deciding that his kidneys were the only thing feeling any changes, he got up and headed for the bathroom. After he was finished he prowled through the medicine cabinet. His head was pounding, his throat was sore and he was trying his best to suppress the urge to cough. Clearing his throat, occasionally, had helped. But now it was getting more demanding than before. Picking up bottles and moving them around he found half a pack of cherry cough drops, some more sinus medicine, which he quickly pushed aside. I have enough of a buzz right now, thank you very much. A small sample sized bottle of Nytol was in the back of the cabinet. Blair looked at the expiration date on the bottle. It still had a few months left on it. It's been here a while though. He opened the bottle he found that there was only a few left. Oh well He thought. I only need one." He grabbed a dixie cup and filled it with water then took one of the pills. It didn't feel as though it wanted to go down. Blair took another sip of water trying to force the pill down. Finally it moved. His throat felt so tight. I can't get sick, I can't get sick. He repeated until he shut the cabinet door and saw his reflection in the mirror. "Shit! I'm sick. Oh man, this really sucks."
Christmas Morning.
Blair's eyes fluttered open. They adjusted slowly to the light trying to make it's way into his room through his semi-covered window. He rubbed his eyes and then yawned increasing its effectiveness with a long and gratifying stretch. He flipped over onto his side, snuggling down a little deeper under the layer of blankets, and glanced at his clock. "10:45" He said, sleepily and closed his eyes again. 10:45...ummm the bed is so warm....10:45...something smells good...10:45 (stomach growl) I'm hungry...10:45...10:45 "10:45!" Blair's eyes flew open and locked on the luminous numbers on the clock, praying that he had seen it wrong. No, it was defiantly 10:45 well actually now it was 10:48. "Oh I can't believe this...I've over slept. I'll never make it to class on time. He sat on the edge of his bed, his head was swimming amidst a sea of thoughts. "Oh wait...today is Christmas." He felt really stupid. He sniffed slightly then rubbed his nose, absent mindedly, on the sleave of his sweatshirt. "Dumbass." He wondered why Jim hadn't woke him up. He could hear Jim banging around in the kitchen. He stood up and slowly made his way out of his room and into the kitchen.
"Good morning sleeping beauty." Jim said, smiling amused at Blair's appearance. His hair was a tangle of curls and a strange looking cowlick on one side. His sweats were twisted and his socks were just barely on his feet.
"Hi Jim." Blair replied, mid yawn. He stretched again, exposing his fuzzy navel. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"I was going to, but then I saw these..." Jim pitched the box of sinus medication at Blair. "I figured you would be pretty much wiped out by those so I decided just to let you rest."
"Thanks man." Blair said sheepishly.
"How are you feeling? Better?" Jim asked, busy stirring something in a bowl.
"Yeah, a little. Still a little scratchy." He rubbed his throat, then looking around the kitchen he realized what was smelling so good. "Isn't this a little much for breakfast Jim? How long have you been up?" He was eyeballing the dressing Jim was mixing up and pouring into a large foil pan.
This my friend is lunch. Some of us woke up at 5:00. There are fresh bagels on the counter." Jim motioned with his head. His hands full, trying to put the pan in the oven.
"Great. I'm starving. Ummm... why are you making so much? Are we having left overs through New Years?" Blair asked, half teasingly. He smeared pineapple flavored cream cheese on his bagel. Then he glanced at the coffee pot praying that there was some coffee. There was. Yes!!!
"We are having company over." Jim said, not wanting to give too much away.
"Really? Who?" Blair asked curious now. He was right beside Jim now, staring up at him with his questioning blue eyes.
"It's a surprise."
"Oh come on Jim. You know you want to tell me. I can see it in your eyes."
"Nope. You'll have to wait."
"I suppose we'll have to wait for the presents too then. Huh?" Blair was looking at the tree and presents.
"Yep. When you are finished with that, why don't you run the vacuum."
"I would rather play taster." Now Blair was looking at the turkey breasts Jim had just removed from the oven. His mouth was watering and he had lost all interest in the bagel.
Jim sliced a small piece for Blair and teased him with it before actually letting him have it.
Later that afternoon.....
After dinner, and after the dishes had been done, everyone gathered in the living area of the loft.Simon leaned back, pressing himself into the back of the couch. His stomach was so full, he hoped that the movement might give him a little comfort. Had it been just the "boys" , he would have just unbuttoned his pants. But there were ladies present, and he was always the gentleman.
Blair was slightly upset that Daryl had not been able to attend. Simon explained that his ex-wife had made a big production of being with her family, and that Daryl really should spend some time with his grandparents. She promised him, however, that Daryl could spend the whole day with him on New Years. Simon figured that she was planning an overnighter with her current boyfriend. He really didn't care, as long as he had Daryl.
Blair was snuggled in, next to Samantha on the love seat. Danielle was sitting on the couch next to Simon, while Jim stood next to the Christmas tree, wearing a Santa hat. "I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for being here today. I wanted today to be special, and it was, thanks to all of you." Jim looked at Blair, smiling and Blair returned the smile feeling a warmth well up within him he had never known before. This was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him. A real Christmas. It was all he could do to keep from crying from the joy of it all. Jim began again, not wanting things to become to mushy. "And now the moment everyone has been waiting for.....The Gifts." Jim looked at Danielle and his other guests and gestured at the pile of gifts under the tree, like Vanna White. Dani and Blair both let out a series of ooo's and Ahh's for effect. Jim reached beneath the tree and pulled out a box wrapped in gold foil and trimmed in purple ribbon. "Simon, I believe this is for you." Jim said, as he handed the box to Simon.
"Me?" Simon looked a little shocked as he accepted the gift. He shook it slightly and studied the size of the box. Then he grinned slyly. "Cigars."
Blair's eyes became as big as saucers as he looked from Simon to Jim. Everyone watched as Simon tore into the box, throwing paper and ribbon into the box that Jim had placed on the coffee table for that purpose. "I knew it!" He stated, as he held up the box of cigars.
"That's why you are a Captain, sir." Jim grinned.
Simon picked up the card, which he had placed in his lap in his haste to open the gift, and read it aloud. "May the holiday season bring you closer to the ones you love, and may the feeling of hope and cheer stay with you throughout the new year. Love Jim and Blair. Thanks guys, these are pretty expensive, and they are also my favorites. How did you know?"
Jim wiggled his nose a bit, catching Simon's attention.
"Never mind. It's not important. Thank you for the wonderful gift." Simon wanted to light one up so badly. But the stare he was getting from Jim reminded him of the no smoking rule.
"The next lucky winner of the Ellison lotto is.....Samantha." Jim placed the small box in Sam's hands, while Blair cheered her on to open it.
She looked at Blair and smiled. "What have you done?"
Blair motioned to himself. "Who me?...Come on, open it." He was practically bouncing on the love seat, as nervous energy surged through him. Please like it. Please like it.
Sam slowly tugged at the ribbon and then began to remove the paper carefully. Blair thought that he was going to have to do it for her if she didn't pick up the pace a bit. Finally the paper was off and she was gently removing the top of the box. Her eyes widened and became wet with tears. "Oh Blair...They are beautiful. I can't believe you picked them out." She wiped the tears away and beamed at him, then leaned over and gave him a long, lingering kiss on the mouth. The kiss would have lasted a little longer, but Jim cleared his throat, bringing the two young people back into the present. Both grinned sheepishly at Jim. As Jim removed the next box from the tree, Blair put the necklace on Sam. It fit her perfectly. She took off the earrings she had on and quickly replaced them with the pearls.
" Our next contestant is.....Me." Jim was about to set the box aside, to pass out another gift, thinking that he would open his last, when everyone objected.
"No fair Jim. It's your turn." Blair scolded the older man. The gift, that Jim had set aside, was from Blair.
Jim threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay." He picked up the gift and looked at the tag again. "From Blair." He narrowed his eyes at the younger man, wondering what might be in the box.
"Come on big guy, it's not going to bite...At least not until you stick your hand inside." Blair teased.
Jim removed the multicolored paper, revealing a plain white shirt box. He removed the lid. A smile crossed his face as he saw his gift. "How.."
"I have connections." Blair answered the question before Jim could finish it. Blair looked at Sam, mouthing THANK YOU.
Simon was growing a little impatient. "What is it Jim?"
Jim held up a sweatshirt. He turned it around allowing everyone a view of the front. "Property of the Cascade PD."
"Jim's other one is almost worn out." Blair informed the group.
"This one is mine Chief."
"Hey, no problem man." Blair held his hands up in defense.
.Jim sat the gift aside, and pulled another from beneath the tree. "To Danielle, From Santa. Hummm. I wonder what it could be." He teased her with the box before setting it in her slightly trembling hands.
"Jim, I thought we had agreed..."
"Oh, gee, that's right we did have some sort of agreement didn't we. Hummm, I must have forgotten. On the job stress will do that to you." He grinned.
Danielle shook her head, then tore into the box. She froze when she saw the blue topaz earrings. "Oh Jim. I don't know if I should wring your neck or hug it. These are my favorite, and they are my birth stone too. You sneak!" She carefully placed the lid back on the box and held onto it tightly.
"Aren't you going to put them on?" Jim was just a little worried that she didn't like them. After all, Samantha couldn't wait to put hers on.
"No, these are too nice for jeans. These are only for special occasions, they are the nicest pair I have." She blushed a bit, thinking that everyone thought she was crazy. But she thought that these were just a little too stunning for everyday wear, and the fact that Jim had given them to her, made them even more of a treasure.
Jim looked at everyone. "Why don't we watch the game and then open the rest later."
Blair squirmed a little. This did not go unnoticed by the sentinel.
"Just kidding...The next one is for you chief. Jim laughed softly as he handed the box to Blair.
Blair tore into the box like there was no tomorrow. The lid flew off just as fast as the paper had. Blair stopped.
Jim was laughing harder now. "Mine was worn out."
Blair held up a Cascade PD sweatshirt that matched Jim's. "I guess this means we can be Twinkies now." Blair grinned.
"Nope. We are going to make out a schedule so we don't wind up dressing alike."
"Whatever man, but I'm keeping the old one." Blair advised before being attacked by a sneezing fit.
Jim narrowed his eyes at the young man.
"Blair are you getting sick? You have been sniffling all afternoon." Samantha asked, feeling of Blair's head.
Blair swatted lightly at her hand, while staring at Jim. "I'm fine. I have allergies."
"What kind of allergies." Jim asked, folding his arms in front of himself."
Blair became very determined not to lose this battle. "I'm allergic to animals. Namely...Mother hens." He sneezed again, adding a silent curse.
I think that we have all had enough of Christmas...Let's just say that Danielle bought Jim something really nice, and Sam did the same for Blair. The tree has been taken down and all of the decorations have been boxed up until next Christmas. Due to the wonderful world of writing...Not unlike soap operas...we are going to jump ahead a bit...{{{{{{{{Poof}}}}}}} It's now Febuary.
Danielle sat at her dressing table, gently brushing her hair, while remembering the events of the night. Her head swam with wonderful thoughts of wine, dancing, and the wonderful man who held her heart. She laid the brush on the table, got up, turned out the light, and made her way carefully to the bed. After snuggling down beneath the covers, Danielle said her good nights to Sam who kissed her, somewhat sloppily, on the cheek. Danielle grinned as she wiped the doggie kisses from her face.
Sam carefully pawed Danielle's shoulder. Danielle knew what the little Silky Terrier wanted, so she lifted the covers, allowing the little dog to join her beneath them. Finally, both were settled in, enjoying the warmth from each others bodies. Danielle yawned, smiling again at the memories, closing her eyes, she allowed the memories to become her dreams.
The calls had been made and dates and times had been set. Blair looked nervously at the clock on the wall of the bull pen, for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. He glanced at Simon's office. He only wished he had Jim's sentinel abilities so that he could hear what was going on. Jim was gesturing, and Simon was chewing rather aggressively on an unlit cigar. Blair wasn't sure what was going on, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to know. Both men in the other room had a stubborn streak a mile wide. Jim's jaw was defiantly clenched, while Simon's was set with determination. Blair knew that whatever it was, Simon would win eventually. Even if it meant that he would have to pull rank.
"Finally!" Blair whispered to himself, as he watched Jim throw his hands in the air, backing away from the conversation. "Now maybe we can get this show on the road."
Jim left Simon's office, just as Blair was scooping up his back pack, throwing it over one shoulder. "Hey, how did it go in there Jim?" He asked, innocently.
Jim just shot Blair a quick look that said, "Back off, I'm not in the mood." and proceeded to pull his jacket off of the back of his seat.
"That good huh?" Blair added, shaking his head and trying to suppress a laugh.
Another one of Ellison's stares followed.
"Oh well, what ever it was doesn't matter now buddy. It's Saturday, February 14th. Time to do some romancin' and dancin'" Blair added a little spin to finish off the statement.
Jim just shook his head. He wasn't sure if he was in the right frame of mind for Sandburg's enthusiasm and energy, not to mention a romantic night out on the town.
"Come on Jim, we have a tight schedule to keep." Blair called as he practically bounced out of the bull pen, running into Joel in the hallway and almost causing him to drop the vase of roses he was carrying.
"Hey Blair, where's the fire?" Joel asked, his eyes sparkling as he spoke.
"No fire man, but definitely something hot. We've got a date tonight." Blair said adding one of his eye brow wiggles.
"You and Jim are going out together?" Joel laughed, enjoying the look of shock on the kids face.
"No." Blair shot a look at Joel that caused the older man to laugh even harder. "We're going out on a double date. Man, sometimes you guys are just too much."
"I knew what you meant kid. I just had to yank on your chain a bit." Joel said, trying to calm himself down.
Jim came through the door. "Hi Joel." Then he looked at the roses. "Got a boyfriend or something?"
Blair started laughing now. "That's a good one Jim."
Joel looked down at the roses and smiled. "These are for my wife. It's sort of our anniversary tonight. I asked her to marry me on Valentines day."
"Oh man, that is so romantic." Blair said, smiling at the older man.
"She thought so. Well I don't mean to appear rude, but I do have things to do."
"Hey no problem man. We are on a schedule ourselves. Jim we really do need to get a move on." Blair said, looking at Jim with wide eyes, trying to press the point.
"Yes I know Chief. Have a great weekend Joel." Jim added as he turned toward the elevator.
"You too." Joel called over his shoulder as he entered the bull pen.
The drive home was a quiet one. Jim concentrated on the rain drenched roads, while Blair dreamed of the night.
They made it home at 5:36. Blair threw his Backpack in the floor, kicking his shoes off as he ran for his room.
"Sandburg!" Jim yelled, staring at the mess Blair had made.
"Yeah?" Blair peeped out of his room, while wiggling out of his shirt.
"I know you aren't going to leave this mess in here." Jim said, with a tone not unlike a parent.
Blair looked at his shoes and grinned sheepishly. "No man, I'm going to get them, just as soon as I get finished. Don't worry. I remember the rules." He ducked back into his room.
Jim could hear drawers opening and closing as the kid searched for socks and underwear. Jim shook his head and went up stairs to start getting ready for the big date.
The bathroom door opened, allowing steam to escape the small room. Blair was startled to find Jim leaning against the wall, waiting for his turn. Blair grinned at Jim and began humming a tune, that Jim didn't recognize, as he walked back into his room. Within seconds Blair could hear the water start up in the shower. Blair busied himself by pulling his still damp hair back, then pulling his tux from the closet. He carefully unzipped the bag. Pulling the tux out, he laid it across his bed. He smiled devilishly as he thought about how surprised the girls were going to be to see Jim and himself dressed to the nines. For some reason he couldn't get the song Sharp Dressed Man, by ZZ Top, out of his mind.
"Why did Jim pick out this dress specifically?" Danielle wondered out loud. She held up the sequined gown, inspecting it closely. She hung it on the door and began rummaging around, in the bottom of the closet, for the shoes that went with it. Finally she found the box. She stood up and opened the it. The shoes still looked like new. It had been a while since she had, had a reason to dress up. She only hoped that the dress still fit.
With her make-up finally done to perfection, she began to focus on her hair. She glanced at her dress, trying to visualize herself in it, and decided that she should wear her hair up.
She opened her jewelry box and pulled out the earrings that Jim had given her for Christmas. She thought that the blue topaz would go wonderfully with the gown, she wasn't wrong.
She walked over to the dress said a silent prayer and took a deep breath. "Well here goes." She stepped into the dress. Finally after a little wiggling she was in. "Actually it fits better now than it did the last time I wore it." She beamed as she turned, admiring the fit in her mirror. Her admiration was cut short by a knock on the door. She glanced nervously at the clock on her bedside table. "Oh my gosh! It can't be 7:00 already!" She scooped up her shoes, ran down stairs, and did a series of hops, as she put on her shoes on her way to the door. "I'm coming!" She stopped only long enough to straighten her dress and take a deep breath. Then with a smile on her face, she opened the door.
"Oh Jim!" Danielle exclaimed when she saw Jim standing there in his tux, holding a dozen yellow roses, and displaying one of his most charming Ellison smiles.
Jim thought that Danielle's eyes were about to pop out. "Good evening Madam. May I come in?"
Danielle stepped back, allowing Jim into the room. She was speechless. She shut the door and turned, receiving a passion filled kiss quite unexpectedly. She blushed.
"These are for you." Jim smiled, handing Danielle the roses.
"Thank you. They're beautiful." She said, still blushing slightly from the kiss.
"They dim in comparison to you my love."
"Stop it." She swatted at Jim playfully and then looked at the roses now settled in her arms. "I'll put these in water." Danielle gave Jim a quick kiss before going into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase of water. "These are so pretty. How did you know that I liked yellow roses? I think that they are so elegant. Everyone buys red, but yellow ones are special."
Jim listened as Danielle went on and on about the roses. He smiled outwardly as well as inwardly at how she enjoyed the simplest things. He knew that's what he found so attractive about her. She wasn't drawn to material things, and was so appreciative of what she had. She never took anything for granted. This was a nice change from others that he had dated, although there had been very few since he and Carolyn had divorced.
Danielle came back into the living room and watched Jim for a moment. She loved his smile. She wondered what he could be thinking about to make him smile that way. He seemed to be a thousand miles away. "Yoo hoo." She waved her hands in front of him, trying to get his attention. "Hey cowboy. I'm almost ready. Can you spare just a minute?"
"Oh yeah, sorry."
"Danielle ran back upstairs to her room. She wanted to put on her pearl necklace, and bracelet. She came back down the stairs fastening the bracelet around her wrist, then held out the necklace for Jim, silently asking for his assistance.
Jim put the necklace on her, gently securing the lobster clasp. He hadn't realized how much he missed doing little things like this. It was nice to do it again. Jim caught a whiff of her perfume. It almost drove his senses wild. "You smell great." He said, as he took the opportunity to nuzzle her exposed neck.
"Jim, down boy!" Danielle giggled, somewhat nervously. "Are you ready?"
"I'm always ready." Jim replied, half teasingly.
"Jim!" Danielle swatted at him. "You dirty old goat. I mean are you ready to go?" She couldn't believe him.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Jim extended his arm for her, to escort her out of her loft. He couldn't wait to see how she would react to what he had waiting for her.
"Hang on just a sec." Danielle turned. "Sammy! Come here sweetie." Within seconds a soft tinkling sound was audible, as the little Silky made her way into the living room. "Hey baby. You be good for mommy, okay? I'll be back in a bit." Danielle patted the little dog. Sam stood up on her back legs, pawing at Danielle. Dani leaned over to allow the dog to give her a kiss good-bye.
As they turned to leave Sam barked.
"Bye, be good." Danielle said, as she left the loft.
^..^ You just make sure you have my pet home at a decent hour. ^..^ Sam thought, then walked up the stairs to make herself comfortable in bed.
Danielle and Jim rode the old elevator down to the first floor. She noticed that Jim was being awfully quiet. She wondered what he had up his sleeve. He held the front door open for her, as she walked out of the building she saw a long black limo waiting in front. Danielle furrowed her brows then looked at Jim. He only smiled, as he escorted her to the car. "No way......Are you serious?" Her eyes were wide now and her mouth was hanging open, half smiling and half in awe.
Yep that's what I wanted! Jim thought, happy to get the response that he had from Danielle. Jim held the door open for her, as Danielle looked disbelievingly at him. "Go on, get in." He laughed. Danielle climbed into the limo. Blair sat one side, and she made herself comfortable across from him.
"Hey Dani. Pretty cool huh?" He asked, his eyes dancing with each word.
"No doubt. I can't believe you guys. How long have you been planning this?" She asked, while taking in every inch of the interior of the automobile.
"For a while. Don't worry your lovely self about the details. The only thing you have to do is enjoy yourself. This is your night." Jim said, taking her hand in his and kissing it softly.
Danielle felt like Cinderella. She only hoped that it would not end at the stroke of midnight.
Samantha had pretty much the same reaction when she saw the limo. She and Danielle just shook their heads at each other. Then Sam turned her attention to Blair. She wondered how he had managed to find the money for this. She had to admit that it was a nice treat. She was about to voice her concerns when Blair cut her short with a quick kiss.
"No questions tonight. Just fun." He ordered, his eyes sparking with mischief.
"Yes sir." Samantha teased.
Within minutes the limo came to a stop in front of the Four Flames restaurant. It was one of Cascades finest, awarded a four star rating by some of the pickiest food critics. Jim and Blair escorted both of the beautiful young women into the establishment. The owner met them as they entered the fourier. "Welcome to The Four Flames, I'm Matthew Jefferies the owner, do you have reservations?"
"Yes, Ellison, party of four." Jim answered the older man.
The owner quickly checked the reservations list and found the name. "I'm sorry, you seem to be early and we do not have a table ready for you at this time. It may be a twenty minute wait."
Jim glanced at Blair, who was practically panicking. "Well Chief, what do you say. Wait? Or find something else?"
"It's Valentines Jim." Blair whispered, while pulling Jim to the side. "Everyone is going to be packed tonight. I think we should wait...." Then Blair looked back at their dates. "....that is if they don't mind."
Jim perked up, tilting his head slightly.
Blair noticed his friends actions and knew that something was up. "What, what is it Jim. What do you hear?"
Jim smiled broadly. "I think I have an idea, give me a second." Jim had a word with Mr. Jefferies and then returned to Blair. "Follow me." Jim walked over to Danielle and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the building. Blair looked at Samantha and shrugged his shoulders, taking her hand, he followed Jim.
Blair kept a close eye on his friend. When they were back out on the street, he saw what Jim had heard earlier and as he realized Jim's plan, he began to smile.
Across the street sat two horses in front of a carriage. Both couples made their way over to them. While Jim and Blair took care of the financial arrangements, the girls petted and cooed the beautiful quarter horses. "Lets go for a ride ladies." Jim called.
The women stared at each other in disbelief. Each wondering if the night could get any better.
The carriage could seat four comfortably. Blair and Samantha took the first seat behind the driver, while Jim and Danielle sat in the last seat. The driver coaxed the horses onto the street and then into a slow, graceful trot. They were taken through the older section of downtown Cascade. Although the day had been unseasonably warm, in the 60's, the evening breeze held a chill. Even more so as they approached the water front. Jim put an arm around his date, to ward off the cold. In the front seat, Blair did the same.
Danielle thought that this must be a dream. Or at least a dream come true. She listened as the sound of horse's hooves clapped rhythmically on the old cobblestones and echoed as they passed between old buildings. This was a beautiful part of the city, that had almost been forgotten. The good citizens of Cascade were now beginning to see the historical importance of this area, and extensive renovations had been done, as well as new business brought in to revitalize the area. Before she knew it, and much to her regret, the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant. She couldn't believe how quickly time had passed, as she was swept up in her own thoughts and dreams, snuggled protectively in Jim's arms. For a brief moment in time, she didn't have a care in the world. She longed for it to last.
Jim helped her down, and they waited for Blair and Samantha to join them in front of the building.
Once inside they were met again by the owner. This time, they were shown to a table without delay. After the women were seated, Jim and Blair sat down beside them. They were given menus by a waiter who introduced himself as Adalfo. Jim and Blair had to smile at the name. Blair hid behind the menu, trying to keep from laughing out loud. Jim was thankful, he could hear Blair trying to control himself by taking in deep breaths. Jim feared that if they had so much as looked at each other, that would have been all she wrote.
Jim ordered a white wine, while everyone studied their menus.
Finally the meals were ordered, and as they waited to be served they chatted, keeping the subjects light and amusing. Each man stealing long appreciative glances at their dates. Each woman doing the same. They were unaware of the attention that they were commanding from those who sat around them. People who admired the way each couple complimented the other. Each seeming like the perfect pair. Each lost in the others presence, exuding an ora of love and friendship that didn't go unnoticed by anyone, and was desired by everyone.
Finally the food arrived, and was enjoyed to the fullest. The conversation continued, taking different turns, staying light and casual. When dessert was finished, the dance floor beckoned. Each man lead their respective partners onto it, holding the keepers of their hearts close, they began to sway and move to the rhythm the band set. Time seemed to fly, as memories were made that night. Soon the band was playing their last waltz, and couples were slowly leaving the restaurant. The foursome were among the few remaining hardcore romantics, determined to make the night last just a little longer. Jim and Danielle clung to each other as the last song ended. No longer really needing the music to dance. Each finding a rhythm of their own to sway to.
The last call was made much to everyone's dismay. Blair and Jim took care of the checks and made their way back to their waiting limo. Jim glanced at his watch, disbelieving his own eyes, when he saw that it was 2:38 a.m.
The limo made its way quietly through the silent streets of the city. Everyone was quiet, afraid that speaking would somehow ruin the moment. The limo stopped first at Samantha's. Blair walked her to her door, while Jim and Danielle waited in the car.
"I had a wonderful night Blair. Actually, wonderful hardly begins to describe it. Have I told you how much you mean to me lately?"
"Yes, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again." Blair grinned.
Samantha leaned forward, taking Blair's face in her hands, kissing him passionately. "You wanna stay?"
Blair had to fight the urge to say yes. "You aren't making it easy for me to be a gentleman you know." He smiled somewhat evilly at her.
"And? Your point?" She returned the smile.
"Man, you make it so hard." Then looking at her with a funny realization of what he had just said, he quickly corrected himself. "To say no. You make it hard to say no." He blushed.
Samantha giggled. "Okay. I know you are trying to be a gentleman tonight so I won't push. But next time I won't give up so easily."
"I'm counting on it." He teased, as he stole another kiss before saying goodnight.
In the car, Danielle and Jim were already beginning their own goodnights. They jumped as the door opened and Blair got back in. The couple blushed slightly and grinned at each other, when they noticed how slightly flustered Blair looked. The ride to the loft remained a silent one. When they arrived, Blair quickly said his goodnights to Danielle and told Jim that he would see him in the morning.
Jim stood, with Danielle, at her front door and watched as Blair let himself into the loft across the hall. When they had the hallway to themselves, Jim looked deeply into Danielle's eyes. "Thank you." He said, simply.
She looked at him with knitted brows. "For what. It is I who should be thanking you. This has been the most spectacular night of my life." She beamed at him.
"Thank you for allowing me the chance to make it that way." He paused for a moment trying to collect his thoughts. "Ever since the divorce....I haven't wanted to do anything, not to mention like this. But since I met you, things have changed. You have brought out something in me, quite frankly, I never new existed. I never acted this way with Carolyn. I never really wanted to." He searched her eyes to see if she understood what he was trying to say. It was hard to tell what he saw at any given second. Her emotions changed so quickly. Love, compassion and fear.
Although she knew she had nothing to fear from the man standing in front of her. Danielle stood silently, unsure of what to say. But scared to say nothing. She opened her mouth but before she was able to utter a syllable, Jim kissed her.
"Goodnight." Jim said, hearing Danielle's heart speed up. "Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay." She said softly, still thinking about what he had said. She knew that the time was coming, when she would have to face her demons. Their relationship was beginning to demand it. She only hoped that it was strong enough to withstand what she would have to tell him. If she could tell him. She needed to do some real soul searching, to answer her own questions about their relationship, and where she wanted it to lead. Jim had been so patient with her. She owed it to him.
She opened her door, and gave Jim one last kiss before shutting it. She practically floated up the stairs, still high from the events of the night, and prepared for bed.
Jim and Blair got up around noon. "Man am I beat. I must be getting old or something. I remember when I could stay up all night. Now I can't even go past 3:00 a.m."
Jim listened as his young friend rambled on, while prowling through the fridge and coming out with a jug of orange juice in one hand and a grapefruit in the other. Jim began making toast while Blair started the coffee, halved the grapefruit, and poured two glasses of juice. Soon they sat at the table, enjoying their breakfast.
"Oh, by the way Jim, what time is the Jaggs game tonight?" Blair asked around a mouthful of toast.
"We aren't going to the game tonight Chief" Jim said flatly, as he looked at the morning paper, avoiding the looks he was getting from Blair.
"What do you mean? *we aren't going*. We've had these tickets for weeks." Blair was staring at the paper that Jim was now hiding behind.
"You said the key word. HAD." Jim replied, still hiding.
Blair narrowed his eyes at the hiding man. "Would you like to explain?"
"I had to use them in trade." Jim said, mostly mumbling.
"Trade for what. What could have been so important that you had to trade off our tickets?" Blair demanded, upset that his activities for the afternoon had been changed without his consent.
"The date last night."
"Huh?" Blair asked, somewhat confused.
"The limo service had a limo, but no driver. They called me at the last minute before we left the station. I had to give up the tickets in order to get a driver."
Blair remembered the previous day. Then remembered the scene in Simon's office. He narrowed his eyes at the paper held up in front of him. "Oh man, don't tell me. Not...."
"Yeah, Simon will be enjoying tonight's game."
Blair picked up a piece of toast and threw it over the paper, hitting Jim on top of the head.
"Hey kid, no playing with the food!" Jim dropped the paper, picking the piece of toast up from off of his lap, he crunched it loudly and smiled.
"Great, now what are we going to do?" Blair whined.
"Another double date?" Jim offered.
Blair smiled.
"Hey Jim!" Blair called, as he practically bounced into the loft.
"Hey kid. How was your day, as if I have to ask." Jim teased as he began tossing a salad for dinner.
"As if I had to ask." Blair mocked the older man. "Well since you are so curious. I had a wonderful day. I passed old man Grisham's test. I finished my notes for the lectures for the next three weeks. Spring break is coming up and I am *so* ready man. Everything is going my way. I can do no wrong." Blair strutted to the fridge and grabbed a beer.
"Whoa, You are awfully cocky tonight. I don't know if I will be able to stay in the same room as that swelled ego of yours."
"Oh please." Blair rolled his eyes.
Jim swatted Blair's behind with a towel as he scooted past the older man.
"Man, if you look under happy in Webster's it would say see Blair Sandburg." Blair laughed as he went into his bedroom, kicking off his shoes and humming a little too loudly for Jim's taste. Jim winced as Blair hit a note which should only be made by small dogs. Speaking of which... "Oh, hey Chief?"
"Yeah?" Blair asked, as he came out of his room wearing sweats and in his socked feet.
Jim shook his head. Danielle was rubbing off on Blair. You just couldn't keep shoes on that girl. "Dani is working late tonight. One of her students is in the hospital and she promised she would tutor them until they could get back in school."
Blair waited for Jim to finish and took a swig of his beer. When Jim didn't continue Blair looked at him and making a 'go on' gesture with his free hand he added. "Yeah, and?"
Jim made a face at the younger man as Blair snuck an olive out of the salad. "I told her that we would take care of the little ankle biter for her."
Blair's eyebrows perked up. "What do you mean by 'take care'?"
"You know, walk her, feed her, just make sure she has what she needs. This is Dani's baby after all."
Blair grinned. "Yeah, and someone has to stay in her good graces, huh?"
Jim narrowed his eyes at Blair, then swatted his hand as it reached into the bowl for another olive.
"Ouch! Don't get so touchy man. I was just teasin' ."
"Just remember that you owe me one."
Now it was Blair's turn to narrow his eyes at Jim. "I *owe* you?.....How?"
"The test the other day?"
Blair laughed and became somewhat defensive. "Oh come on Jim. I didn't mean for you to taste what was in that cup."
"Soured milk Chief. That stuff tastes bad enough with normal senses."
Blair winced, he couldn't even imagine how bad it was. He knew he should have put the cup in the sink at the time, but he was in the middle of cleaning out the fridge when he got the idea to test Jim's sense of taste. Jim was right. "Okay, I owe you. What do you want me to do?"
"Great Spunky..." Jim began with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "You can walk Sam while I finish dinner.
"Awe come on man. She makes me nervous Jim."
"She's a dog Sandburg. A small dog. The worse thing she could do to you is to chew a hole in the ankle of your socks...." Jim looked down at Blair's socked feet noting the holes in the toes and heels of them. "And from the look of your socks lately, another hole won't mean too much." Jim laughed.
Blair grinned and wiggled his exposed toes. "I have socks on my list of things to get the next time I go to Wally-World." Blair lied, making a mental note to pick up socks. He was just getting these broke in. "It's just the way she looks at me. It's eerie."
"Maybe she has a crush on you." Jim teased.
"Well of course. She is a she after all." Blair teased back. His voice dropping an octave trying to sound sexy. "She's a dog Jim. Dogs don't think that way"
"Oh, when was the last time you thought like a dog....Oh wait, was it when you were going after the table leg?" Jim grinned, enjoying the teasefest going on in the loft.
Not the table leg thing again. Blair stood there just staring at Jim. Blinking, wanting to say what he had on his mind but deciding to wait until he was out of reach.
"That's what I thought. Go on and take care of the rug rat. Dinner should be ready by the time you get back. The keys are in the basket."
Blair rolled his eyes as he walked to the front door picking up his shoes and grabbing his jacket. Then he moved the keys around in the basket finding Danielle's keys, he shoved them deep into his pocket. He opened the door to the loft and peeped back around it at Jim. "Jim?"
Jim looked up.
"The last time I had to think like any type of animal was when I was assisting a certain sentinel I know. I guess that doesn't count since I was dealing with an ape." Blair slammed the door.
Jim couldn't help but laugh as he heard Blair running across the hall giggling.
"No problem, I'll get you." He smiled. Turning his attention to the boiling ears of corn on the stove.
"Yep, Yep." ^..^ Who is it. Stay back, I'm warning you! ^..^
The door opened slowly and Blair peeped in. "Hey Samantha. How are you?"
^..^ OOO! It's Bear...I mean Blair. I'm fine sugar, and you can call me Sam. I would just love to run my paws through his fur. ^..^ "Bark, Bark" ^..^ Sit my pet.
Blair walked over to the couch and sat down. Good Boy. ^..^
Blair quickly put his shoes on. The whole time watching the little Silky.
Sam sat on the edge of the couch watching Blair's every move. When Blair looked at her, her tail would wag.
"I wonder...Nah, there's no way." Blair laughed at himself for even thinking of what Jim had mentioned.
^..^ Did you say something handsome?" ^..^ Sam cocked her head to the side.
Blair finished tying his shoes and looked at the dog. Her tail started again. "You ready to go for a walk?" He asked, spotting her leash hanging by the front door.
^..^ Well if you really need to go. I guess your human friend doesn't have you house broken like my pet. ^..^ "Yep Yep."
Blair retrieved the leash and bent down to place the harness on the overly eager little dog.
^..^ Careful love. Don't mess the hair up. I just had it done. ^..^
Finally, with the leash on, they were ready to go. Blair locked the door before heading to the elevator. As they were going out the front door Sam stopped and looked up at Blair. "What?" Blair asked, ready to get this over with.
^..^ hang on tight. I wouldn't want a cute thing like you to get lost. There are some real animals in Cascade. And they would eat a cute little morsel, such as yourself, up in a minute. Just stay close to me and you should be just fine. ^..^ "Bark, Bark, Yep." With that Sam turned and lead the way down the street. Leaving Blair no choice but to follow.
After about five minutes into the walk Blair notice clouds beginning to form. "This is not good. Come on girl lets get a move on."
Sam looked back at Blair. ^..^ Don't be in such a rush. ^..^ Sam stopped, ignoring Blair's pleas and coaxing, when she saw an attractive woman being lead by another small dog. ^..^ Patience Blair darling, one mustn't be rude. ^..^ "Bark, Bark." Then Sam directed her attention to her approaching friend. ^..^ Hello Maddie. How are you? ^..^
'Oh, I'm just wonderful and you?' Maddie asked, looking Blair over.
^..^ Oh perfect. ^..^
'I see you have a new friend. He's yummy.' Maddie's eyes flashed with delight.
^..^ Yes he is quite a catch. He lives with my pet's human friend across the hall. He must not be domesticated because he wanted to go outside, which is fine with me, I like my men a little wild. ^..^
Both dogs laughed at the comment.
Blair and Nancy, Maddie's owner, had begun a casual conversation.
^..^ Nice sweater. ^..^ Sam commented, noticing the new striped sweater that Maddie was sporting.
'Thank you it was a gift at Christmas. My pet thinks of everything. Besides I think she was feeling guilty about staying on the computer so much. Humans and their toys. What can you do?'
Sam nodded in agreement. ^..^ Yes, you can't live with them and you can't live without them. ^..^ Sam sniffed the air and picked up the scent of rain moving in. ^..^ Well we had better run. A storm is moving in and I just had my hair done. ^..^
'Yes I noticed. It looks nice.'
^..^ Thank you. ^..^
Both dogs tugged on their leash, giving the signal that they were ready to move on.
^..^ Don't be a stranger Maddie. ^..^
'That works both ways Samantha.'
Blair looked at Nancy. "It was very nice meeting you."
"Same here." Nancy replied. As Maddie pulled her in the opposite direction, she gave Blair an apologetic look followed by a sheepish grin.
Blair only had time to wave, as Sam was already making her way down the sidewalk. ^..^ Come along pet. We don't have all day. ^..^ "Yep, Yep."
They were only about a block away from the loft when the sky opened up and the down pour began. "Oh man, come on girl!" Blair scooped Sam up and took off at a trot.
^..^ Oh you are a strong one aren't you? ^..^ Sammy thought, with her tail going ninety to nothing.
They reached the front door of the building and Blair sat Sam down as they walked in.
Sam shook furiously, sending a spray of cold water through the air. ^..^ Oh great now I smell like a wet human (snort) well I guess I'll just have to take another bath. Come along love. Lets get you into something dry and cozy. ^..^ She lead the way to the elevator and then when the elevator stopped, she went to Jim and Blair's door.
"No Sam. you live over here." Blair said, trying to pull the little dog to Danielle's door.
^..^ I know where I live. Come on open the door. ^..^ She looked at Blair, standing her ground, she refused to move.
"Okay but Jim may not like this." Blair opened the door and Sam walked into the loft.
^..^ This place is filthy, but what should I expect from a couple of male strays. ^..^ Sam walked into the kitchen. ^..^ Hello human...Sorry, I mean Jim. ^..^
Jim bent down.
"Hey Sam! Oh hey, your all wet." Jim took the towel, that laid on the cabinet, and began to dry Sam off as much as possible.
"Oh, I'm fine Jim ...Thanks for asking." Blair threw over his shoulder, as he went to his room to get a change of clothes. He peeped out just in time to see Jim shake his head and continue to dry Sam off.
"Mean ole Sandburg. He should have known it was going to rain. Got the poor girl all wet didn't he."
Blair narrowed his eyes at the older man, and then cleared his throat.
Jim looked up.
"I need to grab a shower. Do I have time before dinner?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Sam wiggled her way out of Jim's grasp. ^..^ Shower? That's like a bath but more fun. Hmm that's just what I need. Hang on love. I'm coming too. ^..^
Jim smiled, as he watched Sam scamper into the bathroom behind Blair.
Jim began setting the table while he waited for Blair to finish his shower.
Sam sat by the door as Blair began to undress. Blair began to feel uneasy and then noticed the little dog. "Hey, stop watching me you dirty little dog."
Sam continued to watch his every move.
"Fine be that way." Blair growled. He stepped into the shower, pulling the liner across to block Sam's view. He finished undressing when he felt he had enough privacy.
^..^ Modesty...funny concept. ^..^ Sam waited patiently and watched as water logged garments were tossed out of the shower stall. Finally the water came on and steam began to fill the small room.
Sam caught a whiff of a botanical based shampoo. ^..^ Mmmmm, that's nice. Move over my little morsel I'm coming in. ^..^ Sam peeped into the shower, Blair had his back to her. She hopped in. ^..^ Oh this is so warm. ^..^ She pawed Blair, lightly, on the calf. ^..^ "May I borrow some shampoo?" ^..^
Blair whirled around, almost losing his footing on the wet porcelain tub. "Ahhgghggh!!! Get out!!! Jim!!" Blair screamed.
Jim ran from the kitchen, into the hallway, just in time to see Sam run from the bathroom, soaked again and with small mounds of lather on her. Jim started laughing and walked back into the kitchen.
Sam sulked in a corner in the livingroom. ^..^ I didn't want any of your damned ole shampoo anyway. ^..^
Someone knocked on the door. Jim looked at the clock...Danielle was right on time. He opened the door and let her in. "Hey sweetie." Jim greeted her, giving her a peck on the cheek as she came in.
"Hey!" She beamed at him. "It's really coming down out there."
"Where's your coat." Then he looked down at her bare feet. "And your shoes."
"At home." She said, with a matter of fact tone. Then she saw Sam sitting in the corner. "What happened?"
"Oh, they got caught in the rain." Jim replied, checking the rolls in the oven.
Their conversation was interrupted by a voice from the bathroom.
"Jim I can't believe it. I turn around and Sam's in the shower with me!" Blair began to rant while securing a towel around his still dripping body. "She was just looking at me." Then he saw Danielle. Blushing, he made a B-line for his room.
"Samantha is in the shower with Blair and you're here too?" Danielle looked at Jim just a tad bit confused. She wondered what went on in the loft when she wasn't around. And for Samantha and Blair to be so bold. She would have never believed it.
Jim laughed when he realized what she was thinking. "No. Not his Sam...your Sam." The human Sam and dog Sam were always being confused in conversations. Jim had to admit though, that it kept things interesting, to say the least.
"Oh I see." Danielle couldn't help but laugh as she pictured Sam in the shower with Blair. Then she thought that it was a little strange. Sam usually hated to take a bath. She shook it off as just another one of Sam's mood swings.
Blair came out of his room wearing dry sweats and the damp towel around his neck. He sat on the couch to put on a pair of socks then proceeded to finish towel drying his hair.
Sam walked up to him slowly, not sure if the human was still mad at her. ^..^ I'm sorry I scared you my love....Truce??? ^..^
Blair took the towel and began to dry the shivering dog. "You're gonna catch a cold." Blair chided the little dog.
Sam leaned into the towel as Blair rubbed. Blair sat back on the couch and Sam jumped up in his lap, pawing at the towel. Blair took the hint and continued to dry her off.
Danielle shook her head at the sight. They both looked like drowned rats. Danielle walked over and tousled Blair's hair. "Thanks for looking after Sam for me."
Sam growled at Danielle. ^..^ "Watch it pet. He's mine." ^..^
The low growl startled Danielle, forcing her to take a step back. "Blair....I think someone likes you. She is being awfully possessive."
Blair rolled his eyes.
"I told you." Jim said simply, while smirking. "But you think that you know everything....When it comes to women." Jim ducked as the wet towel came flying across the room barely missing him. He threw a threatening glare at Blair, then focused his attention back on Danielle. "Would you like to stay for dinner Dani?"
Danielle shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I bought Sam's favorite for dinner tonight. Pizza." At the word pizza Sam. perked up. "That's right you heard me. Do you want some Pizza?"
Sam barked and quickly hopped off of the couch. She ran to the door. ^..^ "Come pet. I'm starving. You wouldn't believe the day I've had. I'll tell you about it over dinner.....Oh, where *are* my manners?" ^..^ Sam ran back to the couch, hopped back on Blair, and proceeded to sufficiently coat his face with sloppy kisses, while Blair squirmed and shooed. ^..^ "Oh they are so cute when they're shy. Bye love. We'll have to go out again sometime." ^..^ Sam hopped down and looked up at Jim. "Bark, Bark." ^..^ "Take care of him for me big guy." ^..^ Then she ran back to the door.
Jim could hear the little dogs stomach rumble. "I think she's hungry."
"I'm sure she is. She likes to hold out for the good stuff." Danielle smiled and gave Jim a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks again Blair." She called out to Blair, who was now in the bathroom washing his face.
A faint voice could be heard "yeah sure...no problem. Yuck that's nasty. Dog breath...What does Dani feed her?"
"I'll talk to you later, Are we still on for tomorrow night?" She asked.
"You bet...." Then Jim laughed. "...Maybe we can let Sandburg babysit."
Sam barked at the idea. ^..^ "Yes!!!" ^..^
Jim and Danielle looked at each other... "Nah!" They said in unison.
To be continued.....