Sentinel fic - The Wrong Guide, part 3
Part 2.
Blair had no doubt that Sentinel Edwards could hear every word that was being spoken in the dean's office, but he had no way to eavesdrop on the confrontation. Leaning back in his chair, his thoughts turned inwards. He knew, he had known from the start, that he should not have come to the Guide School in an attempt to ward off his Sentinel's confrontation with his ex-Dean, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. Jim had been furious when he'd left the loft and Blair had had no doubt that Dean Edwards was in for the shock of her life. While part of him had relished the idea of the snobbish dean being put in her place with all the fervour of an angry Sentinel, the Guide part of him had insisted that he had to try to save his Sentinel from being in any situation while he was so extremely irate.
Of course, getting caught trying to sneak into the dean's office to warn her of her impending doom had gone down like a lead balloon with the said irate Sentinel.
Blair glanced up at his guard. Edwards was standing approximately two feet in front of his chair, which meant that any attempt to run would be easily thwarted. He had no doubt that that was not a mere coincidence. Even so, if it weren't for the fact that he knew that running would set his Sentinel off even more, he would have been sorely tempted to give in to his flight instincts which were screaming with all the urgency they could muster.
As the door to the office opened, he did his best to stamp down on his feelings. He didn't need to push his Sentinel over the edge into Blessed Protector mode - he guessed that the journey home would be bad enough as it was.
The Clan emerged with, Blair was hopeful to note, satisfied smirks on their faces. All the Sentinels reminded him of cats who had just caught and eaten a rather large bird, and the Guides weren't that far behind them.
"Guide."
Biting down on his lower lip, Blair rose and obediently went to his Sentinel's side. One large hand gathered him in and the Sentinel scented at his neck and ran his other hand over him checking for injuries. Blair tried to relax but he knew it wasn't working as the arm tightened around his waist.
"Let's go."
With the Clan around them, they were escorted to Jim's truck. Blair accepted being helped into the truck with all the tenderness a mother hen Sentinel could provide but, if the truth be told, he was dreading reaching the loft.
The Clan did not depart until Jim and Blair were at the loft door. Jim unlocked the door, ushered his Guide in and locked it behind them and Blair was left to face his Sentinel alone. Not that he'd had any hope of a Clan member being so foolish as to attempt to interfere between the Senior Sentinel Prime and his Guide. Bonded Sentinels were not known for being suicidal.
"Go and sit down. I'll finish making lunch."
The words were said quietly but Blair knew that the Sentinel was in control. Instead of obeying, he followed his Sentinel to the kitchen, preferring to get any confrontation out of the way before trying to eat. "I know you're angry with me."
~'~
The Sentinel turned to face his Guide. Yes, he had been furious to discover that his Guide had disobeyed him but he understood why his Guide had done it: to protect his Sentinel. In a way, it proved how right he had been to bond with Blair - his Guide was prepared to risk his anger in order to protect him. And even if he had been inclined to remain angry, his Guide's distress had disarmed him. Blair was insecure in his bond and Jim, and the Sentinel, recognised that fact, and realised why. The urge to bond and to reinforce the bond, to make his Guide realise that this was for life and that no insecurity was needed, was growing, and while the Sentinel would have preferred to feed his Guide first, it seemed that the Guide needed reassurance more than he needed food right now.
Accordingly, the Sentinel reached for his Guide and pulled him to his side, scenting at his neck aggressively as his mind sought to enter his Guide's. He was pleased when his Guide, instead of stiffening as he had in the secretary's office, relaxed and dropped his barriers readily, although the Sentinel noticed the relief that showed his Guide had been afraid his Sentinel wouldn't want to bond with him. Tightening his grasp on his Guide, he hauled him towards the couch. Lunch would have to wait.
~'~
Almost overwhelmingly relieved his Sentinel wasn't blocking him out, the Guide went willingly, not minding at all as he was unceremoniously shoved down on the couch and pinned in place. Tilting his head back, he jumped as his neck was bitten harder than ever before, then melted into the bond. His Sentinel needed to emphasise their bond more forcefully after the events of the day, and he knew that he needed that emphasis too.
~'~
As Jim had expected, Blair had crashed after bonding with him and was now out for the count, sprawled on the couch. He covered up his Guide carefully to keep him warm, then smiled and stretched, popping his spine to his satisfaction. He'd let Blair sleep for a couple of hours then wake him up to eat an early dinner.
His previous bad mood had disappeared, and Jim went back to the kitchen and finished making a sandwich with a smile on his face. He had no doubt that Blair would still need reassurance in the bond, but he was more than willing to provide that, being quite happy to pounce on his Guide morning, noon and night in order to bond telepathically with him.
As for those who had upset his Guide....
Dean Edwards had retracted Blair's expulsion, and he doubted if she'd dare to give him any more trouble at all. He knew that Blair would prefer to simply graduate from the Guide School but he hoped the kid would go back to the university and finish his degree.
His father, however, might pose more of a problem. But if it came to a choice between his Guide and his father, there was no contest. It might be a challenge to get his Guide to believe that but, as there was no chance of lying in the bond, he could always prove it that way.
~'~
Blair sighed and opened his eyes, then smiled at the hint of deja vu that swept over him. He was lying on the couch, his shoes were missing and he was looking at that fireplace again. However, this time he had no doubts about what had happened. He and Jim had returned from the Guide School, Jim wasn't angry with him, and his Sentinel had practically dragged him into a bond. Life was looking better again.
"It's about time you woke up, Chief - you need to eat."
He stretched and yawned then grinned as his stomach loudly agreed with Jim. "I'm starving!"
"I'm not surprised. You missed lunch, remember?"
"I'll settle for dinner, Jim, as long as it's food." Blair paused, thinking back to the last time he'd woken up on the couch. "Oh, and can I have my shoes back?"
"You don't need 'em to eat dinner," Jim retorted, his voice full of laughter, "and we're not going anywhere."
Blair grinned.
~'~
The next day saw them at the PD, where Blair got to meet Jim's colleagues in the bullpen and his boss, Simon. He also got to see the break room which boasted a vending machine and a coffee machine. Sitting at Jim's desk, he stared down into the cup of coffee Jim had brought him.
"Wow."
"Yeah, that's what we all said when we first tasted it," Henri, one of the Major Crime detectives, told him. "But," he took a gulp and grimaced, then continued hoarsely, "after a while you get used to the taste."
Blair shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this taste. It's...different."
"Makes you wonder what they do to the coffee while it's in the machine, doesn't it?" Jim asked, taking his own gulp of coffee and then shuddering slightly.
Blair looked up, mischief in his eyes. "Of course, with you having an enhanced sense of taste, it's worse for you, Jim. Maybe you should tell the Chief of Police that you need a better coffee machine. In fact, one of those espresso machines would be good." At Jim's look he added, "All in the name of Sentinel comfort, of course!"
"Just so long as we get to use it too," Henri threw in.
"I'll see what I can do," Jim replied. "But, speaking of Sentinels...it's time to meet the ones who work here. C'mon, Chief."
Blair tried to hide his dismay. "Okay. Nice to meet you, Henri."
"You too, Hairboy," Henri grinned.
Jim paused for a second, smiled, then pulled one of Blair's curls before continuing out of the bullpen, his Guide right behind him.
"Senior Sentinel Prime, Senior Guide Prime." As Sentinel Edwards greeted them, all chatter in the room came to a halt.
"I thought I'd bring Blair in to meet everyone. Blair, this is the Sentinels and Guides' break room."
"Is the coffee any better?" Blair asked, eyeing the coffee machine with trepidation.
"Only just," Edwards replied. "How are you doing, Blair?"
"Fine, thank you, Sentinel Edwards." Blair took a step backwards and collided with Jim as Edwards leaned forward to scent him.
"Relax, Chief, they have to do this." His hand was warm on Blair's shoulder.
Blair did his best to relax but muttered, "They never mentioned that in Guide School!"
"They wouldn't. Only the Senior Guide Prime is scented by all the Sentinels. It's so they know you if they need to find you."
"Oh." Despite the explanation, Blair still felt slightly freaked out as all the Sentinels in the room scented him. His nerves weren't helped when Jim growled as one Sentinel leant towards him.
The Sentinel instantly stepped back. "Your Guide, Senior Sentinel Prime. Claimed and marked."
"Jim?"
"My Guide, claimed and marked," Jim replied, his tone as formal in return. His hand flexed possessively as he murmured, a hard tone in his voice, "Sampson is unbonded."
"I've met a Guide at a mixer, Senior Sentinel Prime. We hope to bond this week." Sampson was looking nervous and Blair didn't blame him in the slightest.
"From the Guide School?" Edwards asked, breaking the tense moment.
Sampson took the opportunity to step back and turn away from the Guide in front of him. "She's from out of state."
Jim's hand relaxed slightly. "I hope you'll be happy."
"Thank you, Senior Sentinel Prime."
It wasn't until they were out of there that Blair had the chance to ask Jim about it. The reply he got surprised him.
"Sampson is unbonded. If he tries to talk to you, I'll break his neck."
Blair raised his eyebrows. He guessed Jim was feeling a bit possessive today.
~'~
After a while, Blair got used to splitting his life between the loft, Rainier University and the Cascade PD. True to her word, no matter how reluctant she was, Dean Edwards had allowed Blair to graduate (with honours) from the Guide School and he was more than happy to drop that part of his curriculum.
As an anthropologist, he found the police station to be fascinating. Every team was like a little tribe of its own, with its own rules and hierarchy and a lot of friendly rivalry. For instance, Homicide believed themselves to be far superior to Vice, who didn't believe that in the slightest and took every opportunity to point it out. It certainly made for interesting times though as Blair got to know the different Sentinels and Guides in the departments.
The coffee in the machines remained awful, but Blair discovered that Simon, Jim's boss, had his own machine with coffee that tasted like nectar in comparison. The Guide wasn't above begging his Sentinel to save him from the vile break room coffee, although Jim was running out of excuses to offer Simon. Simon, for his part, played along. The reports he was getting from Jim had improved a hundredfold since Blair had started writing most of them and, for that alone, he was willing to overlook the regular disappearance of cups of his coffee.
The only fly in Blair's ointment was his Sentinel's father. Since William Ellison's disastrous attempt to interfere with their bond, Jim had refused point blank to have anything more to do with him. Therefore, William was trying to make his apologies via his son's Guide, which wasn't pleasing the Senior Sentinel Prime at all.
If he was honest, it wasn't pleasing Blair either. William Ellison, having very little actual knowledge about Sentinels and Guides (as there's nothing quite like burying your head in the sand), had a habit of laying his hand on the younger man's arm in an attempt to convince him of his sincerity. And he was sincere. However, he was severely underestimating how much information Blair could pick up from him every time he touched him. Blair could easily tell that while Mr. Ellison was being honest, his actions were provoked by the fact that Jim was his only heir and not motivated by love for his son. Blair also realised that the elder Ellison still had a major problem with his son bonding with a social nobody and, being human, this annoyed him no end.
Another ramification was that Jim could tell every time his father had been near Blair, and it was driving the Sentinel to become even more possessive of his Guide.
In the end, Blair took to ducking out of Rainier by the side or back exits in order to avoid meeting Mr. Ellison, as going home with William Ellison's scent on him was a sure fire way to ensure that his evening would be spent bonding regardless of what other plans he'd made. He was inadvertently helped by Jim, in that the Sentinel still insisted on collecting him from and dropping him off at the university. And Mr. Ellison was not so sure of his welcome that he'd chance running into his son in a public place.
Therefore, during the one lunchtime he spent at Rainier during the week, Blair ducked out of the side entrance and headed towards the library, reasonably sure that he wasn't about to bump into either Ellison. He noticed the large black limousine parked in front of the Guide School but paid it very little attention. There were quite a few children of wealthy parents who were studying at the Guide School as some, like Gerry's father, saw it as an opportunity for social advancement.
He spent a very happy hour in the library reading through some texts about Sentinels that had been widely discredited and were now counted as nothing more than Guide propaganda issued during those troubled first years when Sentinels and Guides had first stepped back onto the public stage.
In them, the authors had asserted that Sentinels were control freaks who would bond with whosoever they chose. They would subsequently become exceptionally possessive and territorial over their Guides, even going so far as to fight other Sentinels in defence of their bond.
Blair couldn't imagine where they'd got such outlandish ideas from, but he wished he could show it to Jim just to see the resulting fireworks. Unfortunately, the texts could not be borrowed by anyone, and only Sentinels or bonded Guides were allowed to read them.
Cynically, Blair wondered if they were afraid of putting off any prospective Guides. There were a lot of financial incentives offered to anyone wishing to study as long as they also studied in a Guide School. Therefore, the said schools were overwhelmed with applications from eager students who wished to avoid having a massive debt when they left university.
Grinning to himself, and wondering how much those applications would drop if the prospective Guides could read the warnings in those texts, Blair left the library to head back for his afternoon class. The black limousine was now parked outside the library but it wasn't until he was passing it that he paid it any heed.
The driver's door opened and a well-dressed chauffeur, his over-developed muscles straining the seams of his uniform, got out, blocking Blair's path. Glancing up at the impassive face, Blair muttered an, "Excuse me," and went to step around the man but the lights went out.
With a heavy cloth over his head, Blair automatically dropped his backpack in an attempt to fight. A loud curse told him that it had landed on someone's foot, and Blair reeled away to one side as he tried to push the cloth off him. Strong arms grabbed him and he yelled, his voice muffled, then something hit him on the head and the world slid away from him.
~'~
"Dean Edwards!"
The dean looked up and frowned severely as her normally unflappable secretary came rushing into her office. "Delicia?" Her tone was heavy with disapproval but, for once, it was ignored.
"They've just kidnapped the Senior Guide Prime!" Delicia came to halt in front of her desk and panted for breath in a most inelegant fashion.
For a second the dean froze. Whoever it was who had taken him, they obviously had ill intentions towards the Guide. Her mind hovered between hoping he'd be disposed of so that the Senior Sentinel Prime could have a Guide who was worthy of his position, and the memory of the Senior Sentinel Prime's face the last time she had seen him. Her mind made up, she reached for the phone.
~'~
Blair groaned to himself as consciousness returned. His throat was dry, his mouth felt as if something had died in it, and there was a brass band playing in his head.
His attempt to curl up into a ball in order to convince the orchestra that he really didn't want to listen to their symphony, thank you very much, maybe another time, was defeated by the fact that he couldn't move his arms or legs. He tried to open his eyes in order to see why but that only encouraged the trumpet section, so he gave it up as a bad job and went back to hoping whoever had paid them hadn't paid them enough to keep on playing for long.
The trumpets were just packing up for the night, leaving the French horns to battle it out with the tubas when he heard a voice. It seemed to be speaking to him but as he refused to open his eyes, having learned from the last time, it gave up and went away again.
It returned later bringing someone else to chat with, presumably because Blair didn't feel like being very good company. Fortunately for him, the tubas and the French horns had apparently come to an understanding and were now playing somewhere in the distance, so he could hear what the voices were saying.
"- important meeting if you were going to give me a tour of your basement, Christian!"
Blair frowned. He knew that voice.
"Now, now, William, be patient. I wanted to show you something or, should I say, someone."
William...of course, William Ellison! Blair started feeling quite proud of himself. He'd vanquished the trumpets and now he was recognising voices. The day was looking up.
"Someone? Who on earth could you have in your base - Blair!"
Blair winced. Did Mr. Ellison have to shout like that? Uh oh, now he was touching him again. Jim was gonna be pissed.
"What's he doing here, Christian? And what's wrong with him?"
"There's nothing wrong with him, William. My fool of a driver hit him over the head when he started struggling. I had something to sedate him with that would have kept him out for longer, but it doesn't really matter now."
"Does matter!" Blair protested, although he wasn't sure the words were getting out. "I had to listen to a brass band." Ah, they were ignoring him. He guessed he hadn't actually said anything then. Well, either that or they were just ignoring him. Given that one of them was William Ellison and the other was, he suspected, Gerry's dad, being ignored was a definite possibility.
"It does matter!" Jim's father sounded almost indignant although that could have been because he agreed with Blair on something. Blair put that thought to one side and tried to concentrate on the rest of what the man was saying. "What do you think Jim's going to do when he finds out your driver hit Blair? And what do you think he'll do to you when finds out you've kidnapped his Guide? Did you think of that, Christian?"
Mr. Ellison was shouting and Blair wished he wouldn't. The brass band might come back and start playing again and he didn't think he could take it. However, Mr. Ellison was making a couple of good points in spite of the shouting. "Take that, Christian!" Blair muttered.
"What? What was that? Blair, can you hear me?"
"Course I can hear you, Mr. Ellison. No need to shout."
"He's barely conscious, Christian, and you say it doesn't matter. We need to get him to a hospital!"
"Am conscious." Blair winced. He'd definitely sounded whiny then, however the other two were ignoring him again so maybe they hadn't noticed.
"We don't need a hospital, William. We have everything we need right here."
There was silence for a few seconds and Blair tried to prise his eyes open again. He was almost sure he'd got his right eyelid in a co-operative mood when Mr. Ellison started speaking again, his tone far quieter than before.
"What is all this? What are you up to, Christian?"
"It's quite simple, William. We have your son's Guide. We break the bond between them, get your son over here, and your son and my son bond as they were supposed to in the first place."
"I - I thought their bond was for life?"
Blair had hoped that his ears had deceived him but, from Mr. Ellison's reaction, he didn't think they had. He tried to talk once more but all he managed was a low keening sound as his grief filled him.
"It is. All we have to do is flatline the Guide for a few seconds. Once he's clinically dead, the bond is broken."
"Christian, that's murder!"
"Not at all. We revive him straight afterwards and he'll be fine."
"You can't do this, Christian!"
Desperate hope crept in and Blair managed to silence himself as he waited, although the gulps of air he was taking were shuddering through him. They couldn't break his bond with Jim, they couldn't - he'd sooner stay dead than live without his Sentinel.
"Look, William, you and I had plans for the Sentinel Clan before this nobody got in the way. Are you telling me you're willing to give all that up?"
"I never planned for murder!"
"You're either with me or you're against me in this, William. Now make up your mind - I don't have the time for your scruples!"
There was silence for a few seconds, then, "All right. You're right." The man sounded almost regretful as he laid a hand on Blair's shoulder.
"I knew you'd see it my way. I'll go and fetch Gerry then call in the medical team. The sooner we get this done, the better."
Footsteps showed that he was leaving and Blair gulped, trying to get his voice to work enough for him to argue, persuade, beg if he had to...but all he managed was a continuation of the low wails he'd started before.
The hand patted him again and moved away. There were a few beeps then the man spoke again. "Jim? Now don't hang up on me - I know where Blair is."
Blair gulped again, this time trying to stop the tears of relief that were threatening to spill forth.
"How did you know? Look, that doesn't matter now, just get here as quickly as you can. Christian's planning on killing Blair to break your bond...all right...just hurry."
~'~
Jim disconnected the call and tossed the phone to his passenger, not caring as it bounced off Edwards' knee into the foot well. He would have preferred to stay connected but the grieving sounds he could hear from his Guide were distracting him and he needed to stay in control to get his Guide out of there in time. Briefly, he thanked God that Dean Edwards' secretary had recognised the limousine as belonging to the Westwards and that the dean had had the good sense to phone him. He didn't know what Westward was up to, but he was going to kill the man with his bare hands.
~'~
"All right, Blair. Just hang on, Jim's on his way." William hurriedly grabbed at the straps holding his son's Guide in place and started working the buckles loose. He didn't know how long they had before Jim would arrive, but he couldn't let them kill Blair. If he did, he'd never get his son back.
Just as he helped Blair to stand up, he heard the door open again. Christian was back. Carefully, he propped Blair up on the gurney he'd been strapped to, hoping the boy would be able to keep himself upright, then turned, keeping his body between Blair and Christian.
"I expected better of you, William."
"Better? Or more immoral? Killing Jim's Guide won't make him bond with Gerry."
"Kill? Blair?" Gerry looked stunned, as well he might. "Dad, what's going on?"
William chose to answer that. "Your father believes that by killing Blair he can force Jim to bond with you."
Gerry shook his head, his mouth working but nothing coming out.
"Once the bond is broken, Jim will bond with any Guide near him. And that'll be Gerry."
"No...no, Dad -"
"Be quiet, Gerry. This is what we've worked for for a long time. And that Guide isn't going to stop us."
"Us? There is no 'us', Christian. I'm not with you on this, your son isn't with you on this. The only people with you are your hired flunkies." William's voice was hard as he stared at the supposed medical team backing Christian. "Whoever hurts his Guide will face the Senior Sentinel Prime and his Clan. Are you paying them enough for that, Christian?" He could see the doubt on their faces. Obviously Christian hadn't mentioned just who the Guide was. "Are you paying them enough to face a Sentinel Vendetta? You know that Jim won't stop until they're all dead. He'll destroy anyone who harms his Guide."
"It's true, Dad. He threatened me and that was before they were even bonded! And I hadn't hurt Blair - I just wasn't telling him who Blair was."
The medical team was thinning out now; the ones at the back taking the opportunity to slip away. William did his best to memorise their faces. He wouldn't let them get to Blair if he could help it, but he'd be damned if he'd just let them go.
There was a banging in the hall, then a crash which William presumed was the front door bursting open. For a second they all froze, listening intently, then people started moving again. Gerry hurried towards William although whether he was seeking refuge or wanting to protect Blair, William had no way of knowing. The rest of the medical team fled, streaming away into the cacophony of noise that heralded a battle that was fast approaching their position. Only Christian was left standing by the door. Even his wealth couldn't protect him against a Sentinel Clan.
"Dad, for God's sake...just give up."
Christian's gaze met William's, the gleam of what was surely madness apparent. "Never!" he spat, then whirled and ran up the steps into the hall.
Gerry made to go after him but William grabbed his arm. "Don't!" Nothing could save the man now. He heard Christian shout a challenge and heard the answering roar from a Sentinel. William had no doubt it was his son. By his side, Christian's son began to shake. William knew he understood what was happening not so far away.
"Jiiimm?"
Almost forgotten by both of them, Blair stirred at the sound of his Sentinel.
"It's all right, Blair. He'll be here in a minute." Turning, William put his arm around the boy. "Y-you're safe now, don't worry."
Gerry's shaking intensified. "It's my fault. It's all my fault. I should have just gone to that stupid gathering."
"Nooo...changed his mind. Wasn' gonna bond...."
William didn't think that Gerry heard Blair as the Senior Sentinel Prime came into the basement, his Clan behind him, and Christian Westward nowhere in sight.
"Dad!" Gerry bolted for the door but was stopped by another Sentinel who shook his head.
Jim ignored them as he headed straight for the armful of Guide William was holding onto. William let go readily as soon as Jim had hold of him and stepped back.
"Jiiimmm...?"
The Sentinel wrapped his arms around his Guide and held on tightly. "It's all right, Chief, I'm here."
~'~
In the end only one ambulance was required, although the Senior Sentinel Prime insisted on two. Gerry Westward, once he realised that his father was truly dead, had collapsed with shock, and Jim couldn't bring himself to allow Blair to travel in the same ambulance. In the Sentinel's mind the Westwards were still a threat to his bond.
Once at the hospital, it was obvious that Blair was recovering from his concussion but the doctors kept him in overnight anyway. Naturally, his Sentinel stayed with him. It was soon after Blair had been installed in the private room William Ellison had insisted upon that a quiet knock at the door interrupted Jim's thoughts.
Pushing open the door, William stuck a foot into the room, but didn't come any closer. He was obviously learning fast. "Jim? I brought some coffee."
Jim struggled with his Sentinel side for a second. He knew his dad was no threat to his bond. Not now anyway. "Thanks, Dad."
"Is it okay if I come in?"
"Sure." Jim took the cup and moved back to Blair's bedside, indicating the other chair as he went.
Picking up the chair, William moved it towards the door. He really was learning. "Sentinel Edwards took your truck back to the loft. I thought I'd give you and Blair a ride in the morning, if you'd like."
"That'd be good, Dad. Thanks."
He hesitated. "I would never have..." He shook his head. "He's your Guide, Jim. I couldn't hurt you like that."
"I know, Dad. It's okay."
William nodded slightly. "Captain Banks is here too. I...I think he wants to see that Blair's okay." He paused. "The boy grows on people, doesn't he?"
"Yeah." Jim smiled as he gazed at the fast asleep Blair, mouth open and a hint of drool escaping from one corner. "He does."
"Well, I'll see you in the morning then."
"Okay, Dad."
William put his chair back and moved towards the nearby door.
"Dad?" Jim waited until his father looked back, then smiled. "Thanks."
"Any time, Jim."
The door shut behind him and Jim moved up onto the bed, spooning up behind his Guide, needing to feel that his Guide was safe. Shutting his eyes, he took a breath, rubbing his face into the hair beneath his cheek. His Guide's scent was overlaid with hospital smells and whatever that antiseptic was that was supposed to be Sentinel friendly but still stank like hell, but his scent was there.
His eyes shot open suddenly as Blair's heart rate changed, then Jim smiled as Blair turned his head to peer over his shoulder at him.
"How you doin', Chief?"
"I'm okay." He shrugged. "Head hurts a bit. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Blair frowned, concern filling his eyes and warring with the tired pain there. "What about Gerry?"
"The doctors sedated him."
He got a sigh for that. "You had to do it, man. He was crazy."
"I know. Don't worry about Gerry right now. He'll be fine." Personally, Jim considered that Gerry was better off without his insane father, but he doubted if Gerry was ready to face that thought yet.
"Okay." Blair snuggled down into the pillow slightly then jerked his eyes open. "Your Dad! Is he all right?"
"He's fine, Chief." The Sentinel tightened his arm around his Guide as they sank into a light bond. "Go to sleep."
Blair sighed and the lines of pain faded from his face.
"Oh, and you know what?"
"Whaat?" His Guide's voice was slurring.
"I think he likes you."
~finis~
22nd November 2004.