Fourth story!
Title: Options
Author: Debbie
Email: debbie020556@yahoo.com
Category: Pre-slash
Rating: PG
Summary: Blair leaves Cascade thinking that’s what best for both him and Jim
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for Sentinel Too and The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg. Takes place after the last episode.
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Sentinel or any of the characters and this is written for entertainment purposes only.
Prompt by: Patt
Prompt: I think you’re out of options.
Jim Ellison hoped that things would work out. Of course, he had no idea whether or not it would. He knew that Blair had done what he thought he had to do, what he thought Jim wanted him to do. As usual, they hadn’t talked to each other. So it ended up that Blair Sandburg left. Not only the loft, but Cascade as well.
Jim had returned to the police department part-time after the shooting at the station. Blair had remained for about a week, when he tried to help Jim recover from his gunshot to the leg. He also spent a lot of time at the hospital, checking up on Simon and Megan, both injured by Zeller. It had been a miracle that no one, other than Zeller, had died.
Jim didn’t know how to discuss what they had gone through over the past six months. Truth be told, Jim didn’t understand it all himself and doubted whether Blair did either. What disturbed Jim the most was his attraction to Alex Barnes, especially after she had tried to kill Blair. It was a mystery to Jim why he was so attracted to Barnes. He suspected that it had something to do with the fact that both of them were Sentinels, but Jim couldn’t get Blair to talk about it. In fact, after they returned from Mexico, Blair didn’t want to talk about anything concerning Sentinels, Guides, or the mystical.
Jim came home one night and could tell that things were different. With a little investigation, he discovered that Blair had cleaned the apartment, gathered his clothes and a few other possessions, and left. Jim tried calling Blair’s cell phone, but it rang inside the apartment. Jim found it on the bed in Blair’s room. Beside it, was a note from Blair.
‘Jim,
Sorry to do this to you, but I think it best that I discover just where it is that I belong. I know it’s absolutely the wrong time to do this, but I need to think through some things and I feel it would be best if I didn’t do it at the loft. When I decide what I want and need to do, you’ll be the first person I tell. I need to explore my options. Take care, Jim and don’t overdue things.
Blair’
Jim stood in the room, holding the note. He knew that he had blown it with Blair and was wondering if there was any way for him to fix things. First off, he had to find out where Blair had gone. From past experience and from what Blair had said in the past, he knew there were several places that Blair mentioned he would go to think about things. Jim knew that he had to make Blair see how he felt. And Jim had to admit to himself how he felt about Blair. He had to let Blair know that he loved him.
“You’ve got to bring it out in the open and discuss it with Blair.” Jim left the room and got ready to go in search of Blair. To bring him back home. Where he belonged.
Blair pulled into the parking lot of the small diner. He turned off the engine of his car and sat there. He thought about what he had done. He had run. No matter how he tried to spin it to Jim about trying to ‘discover where he belonged’ the facts were clear to him. He had run away. Never in his life had Blair run away from a situation.
But in this situation, things were different. Because this situation involved Jim Ellison. Blair had never felt the way he felt about Jim. Jim was special and not only because he was a Sentinel. It was because Jim was a man. A man that Blair had feelings for. A man that Blair loved. He didn’t know if he could admit that to Jim. He didn’t know how Jim would feel about such a thing. Blair was positive that Jim was straight and didn’t go for guys. Especially guys like Blair Sandburg.
Blair knew that having feelings for his research subject was worse than going native and living with his research subject. Blair had lost all objectivity long ago. He would never be able to present his original subject matter now. If he returned to the university, he’d have to choose something different. That wasn’t what he was worried about now, though. He didn’t want Jim to know that he had feelings for him that went beyond friendship.
“Just be honest with yourself, Blair. You love Jim Ellison.” Blair shook his head and got out of his car, heading towards the diner to get something to eat.
Jim was surprised when he spotted Blair’s car in the diner’s parking lot. He knew Blair as well as he knew himself. Now was the hard part. Go inside the diner and convince Blair to come home. Tell him that they had to talk. And Jim had to admit to Blair his true feelings. He didn’t even know if Blair went for guys. He figured Sandburg was open to many things, but didn’t know if that included guys. Jim knew that he didn’t exactly come across as someone who would go for other men, but no one knew his past. He had experimented in high school and in the Army. There was never anyone that was serious that Jim wanted to have a long-term relationship with. Until now.
Jim walked into the diner and saw Blair talking to the waitress, an animated conversation by the way Blair’s arms were moving around and the look on his face. Jim focused his hearing on Blair and heard him explaining to the waitress about an expedition he had taken when he was a junior in college to a remote village and the things he had to do to be accepted by the tribe there.
Jim took the opportunity to walk over to the table and sit down. Blair quickly finished his tale.
“Can I help you, sir?” The waitress looked at Jim.
“Just a cup of coffee. Thank you.” Jim didn’t take his eyes off Blair.
The waitress walked away. Blair tried to look anywhere but at Jim.
“I thought you’d be harder to find.”
“Obviously, I didn’t run far enough.” Blair still didn’t look at Jim.
“Blair, look at me.”
“I can’t, Jim. I can’t do this.”
“That’s not true, Chief. Remember, I’m a human lie detector. Your heart rate just spiked. Why are you lying?”
The waitress brought over Jim’s cup of coffee and sat it down. It gave Blair a short reprieve from answering the question.
“Thank you.” Jim took a sip of his coffee. “Well?”
“Well? What do you want me to say, Jim? What do you want me to do? I can’t be a cop!”
“That’s not what’s wrong here, Blair. You could have told me that back at the loft. Why did you leave your home?”
“It’s not my home, Jim. It’s your home. I’m just a freeloader.”
“I don’t tolerate freeloaders. Just stop running. I think you’re out of options.” Jim leaned forward and whispered to Blair. “I love you, Blair.” Jim leaned back to watch Blair’s reaction.
Blair laughed. He looked at Jim to judge the sincerity of the statement. Jim wasn’t joking. “Do you mean…?”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. If you don’t swing that way, I understand. I just thought I should be honest with you.”
Blair laughed even harder. “I do swing that way, Jim.” Blair noticed that others in the diner were looking at them. “We should take this somewhere private.” Blair’s voice had dropped to almost a whisper.
“I totally agree. If I remember right, there’s a motel down the road about a mile. How about we get a room?”
Blair smiled. This was what he was hoping would happen, but hadn’t allowed himself to even think it would come to pass. “Let me finish my meal. I may need my strength.”
“Yeah, you’ll definitely need your strength.”
Jim got the keys to the room. Blair followed him, wondering just what was going to happen. Jim turned to face him.
“I think we need to talk. There’s a lot we need to discuss, a lot to clear up.”
“You’re right. I didn’t believe that staying with you was still an option.”
They walked into the room, both of them ready to embrace the future, whatever it brought.
Don't forget to give feedback to the author!
Author: Debbie
Email: debbie020556@yahoo.com
Category: Pre-slash
Rating: PG
Summary: Blair leaves Cascade thinking that’s what best for both him and Jim
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for Sentinel Too and The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg. Takes place after the last episode.
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Sentinel or any of the characters and this is written for entertainment purposes only.
Prompt by: Patt
Prompt: I think you’re out of options.
Jim Ellison hoped that things would work out. Of course, he had no idea whether or not it would. He knew that Blair had done what he thought he had to do, what he thought Jim wanted him to do. As usual, they hadn’t talked to each other. So it ended up that Blair Sandburg left. Not only the loft, but Cascade as well.
Jim had returned to the police department part-time after the shooting at the station. Blair had remained for about a week, when he tried to help Jim recover from his gunshot to the leg. He also spent a lot of time at the hospital, checking up on Simon and Megan, both injured by Zeller. It had been a miracle that no one, other than Zeller, had died.
Jim didn’t know how to discuss what they had gone through over the past six months. Truth be told, Jim didn’t understand it all himself and doubted whether Blair did either. What disturbed Jim the most was his attraction to Alex Barnes, especially after she had tried to kill Blair. It was a mystery to Jim why he was so attracted to Barnes. He suspected that it had something to do with the fact that both of them were Sentinels, but Jim couldn’t get Blair to talk about it. In fact, after they returned from Mexico, Blair didn’t want to talk about anything concerning Sentinels, Guides, or the mystical.
Jim came home one night and could tell that things were different. With a little investigation, he discovered that Blair had cleaned the apartment, gathered his clothes and a few other possessions, and left. Jim tried calling Blair’s cell phone, but it rang inside the apartment. Jim found it on the bed in Blair’s room. Beside it, was a note from Blair.
‘Jim,
Sorry to do this to you, but I think it best that I discover just where it is that I belong. I know it’s absolutely the wrong time to do this, but I need to think through some things and I feel it would be best if I didn’t do it at the loft. When I decide what I want and need to do, you’ll be the first person I tell. I need to explore my options. Take care, Jim and don’t overdue things.
Blair’
Jim stood in the room, holding the note. He knew that he had blown it with Blair and was wondering if there was any way for him to fix things. First off, he had to find out where Blair had gone. From past experience and from what Blair had said in the past, he knew there were several places that Blair mentioned he would go to think about things. Jim knew that he had to make Blair see how he felt. And Jim had to admit to himself how he felt about Blair. He had to let Blair know that he loved him.
“You’ve got to bring it out in the open and discuss it with Blair.” Jim left the room and got ready to go in search of Blair. To bring him back home. Where he belonged.
Blair pulled into the parking lot of the small diner. He turned off the engine of his car and sat there. He thought about what he had done. He had run. No matter how he tried to spin it to Jim about trying to ‘discover where he belonged’ the facts were clear to him. He had run away. Never in his life had Blair run away from a situation.
But in this situation, things were different. Because this situation involved Jim Ellison. Blair had never felt the way he felt about Jim. Jim was special and not only because he was a Sentinel. It was because Jim was a man. A man that Blair had feelings for. A man that Blair loved. He didn’t know if he could admit that to Jim. He didn’t know how Jim would feel about such a thing. Blair was positive that Jim was straight and didn’t go for guys. Especially guys like Blair Sandburg.
Blair knew that having feelings for his research subject was worse than going native and living with his research subject. Blair had lost all objectivity long ago. He would never be able to present his original subject matter now. If he returned to the university, he’d have to choose something different. That wasn’t what he was worried about now, though. He didn’t want Jim to know that he had feelings for him that went beyond friendship.
“Just be honest with yourself, Blair. You love Jim Ellison.” Blair shook his head and got out of his car, heading towards the diner to get something to eat.
Jim was surprised when he spotted Blair’s car in the diner’s parking lot. He knew Blair as well as he knew himself. Now was the hard part. Go inside the diner and convince Blair to come home. Tell him that they had to talk. And Jim had to admit to Blair his true feelings. He didn’t even know if Blair went for guys. He figured Sandburg was open to many things, but didn’t know if that included guys. Jim knew that he didn’t exactly come across as someone who would go for other men, but no one knew his past. He had experimented in high school and in the Army. There was never anyone that was serious that Jim wanted to have a long-term relationship with. Until now.
Jim walked into the diner and saw Blair talking to the waitress, an animated conversation by the way Blair’s arms were moving around and the look on his face. Jim focused his hearing on Blair and heard him explaining to the waitress about an expedition he had taken when he was a junior in college to a remote village and the things he had to do to be accepted by the tribe there.
Jim took the opportunity to walk over to the table and sit down. Blair quickly finished his tale.
“Can I help you, sir?” The waitress looked at Jim.
“Just a cup of coffee. Thank you.” Jim didn’t take his eyes off Blair.
The waitress walked away. Blair tried to look anywhere but at Jim.
“I thought you’d be harder to find.”
“Obviously, I didn’t run far enough.” Blair still didn’t look at Jim.
“Blair, look at me.”
“I can’t, Jim. I can’t do this.”
“That’s not true, Chief. Remember, I’m a human lie detector. Your heart rate just spiked. Why are you lying?”
The waitress brought over Jim’s cup of coffee and sat it down. It gave Blair a short reprieve from answering the question.
“Thank you.” Jim took a sip of his coffee. “Well?”
“Well? What do you want me to say, Jim? What do you want me to do? I can’t be a cop!”
“That’s not what’s wrong here, Blair. You could have told me that back at the loft. Why did you leave your home?”
“It’s not my home, Jim. It’s your home. I’m just a freeloader.”
“I don’t tolerate freeloaders. Just stop running. I think you’re out of options.” Jim leaned forward and whispered to Blair. “I love you, Blair.” Jim leaned back to watch Blair’s reaction.
Blair laughed. He looked at Jim to judge the sincerity of the statement. Jim wasn’t joking. “Do you mean…?”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. If you don’t swing that way, I understand. I just thought I should be honest with you.”
Blair laughed even harder. “I do swing that way, Jim.” Blair noticed that others in the diner were looking at them. “We should take this somewhere private.” Blair’s voice had dropped to almost a whisper.
“I totally agree. If I remember right, there’s a motel down the road about a mile. How about we get a room?”
Blair smiled. This was what he was hoping would happen, but hadn’t allowed himself to even think it would come to pass. “Let me finish my meal. I may need my strength.”
“Yeah, you’ll definitely need your strength.”
Jim got the keys to the room. Blair followed him, wondering just what was going to happen. Jim turned to face him.
“I think we need to talk. There’s a lot we need to discuss, a lot to clear up.”
“You’re right. I didn’t believe that staying with you was still an option.”
They walked into the room, both of them ready to embrace the future, whatever it brought.
Don't forget to give feedback to the author!