part 5
If there was one part of the day that he would have happily missed out on, it was the part when Jim took him to the Clan break room and the entire Clan gathered to perform Ye Olde Ceremonie known as 'sniffing the Senior Guide Prime'.
Blair suspected that David had been through a similar ordeal, as he spent the entire time with a gleeful grin on his face. However, that was no comfort to Blair who, while he didn't mind his Sentinel sniffing him, had never had ambitions to be scented by a roomful of people who were mostly strangers to him.
The ceremony over, Blair dragged Jim into the nearest bonding suite and took his smug Sentinel to task.
"Would you mind telling me what the hell that was for?"
"It's so they'll know your scent if they need to track you down," Jim replied, lounging on the bonding platform.
Ignoring the practicality of that, Blair demanded, "Do you know how embarrassing that was?!"
"Well, it's done now." Jim shrugged. Obviously he couldn't see any problem with it at all.
Leaning over his Sentinel, the Guide said, "At least tell me that you had to go through the same thing when you became Senior Sentinel Prime!"
"Yeah, and I didn't make such a big fuss about it."
"Fuss?! Jim, they sniffed me!" He gave a squawk as Jim grabbed his arms and yanked him forward, then rolled to pin him to the bonding platform.
Lowering his head, the Sentinel snuffled at his neck and growled, "I sniff you all the time, Chief!"
Blair wriggled, then subsided when it became plain that Jim wasn't letting him up. "That's different!"
"Yeah, it is. But it's done now and it won't have to be done again."
Gasping as the Sentinel's teeth nipped gently at his neck, Blair tried to twist to one side. "Jim! We've got work to do!"
Jim raised his head for a moment and grinned triumphantly at him. "Relax. The paperwork can wait."
As the teeth bit deeper, Blair gave in to the bonding heat that was flooding his brain. Jim was right; they could get back to the paperwork later.
~'~
The days passed with no sign of Alex and no hint that she was even in Cascade. Blair wanted to believe the small, niggling hope that maybe she'd given up on him, maybe she'd left - but then the memory of her determination to claim him would return.
His fears weren't helped by Jim's over-protectiveness that had them shadowed, almost every minute of the day, by two Sentinel/Guide pairs. The only time they weren't under surveillance was while they were in a bonding suite or in their bedroom at the Sentinel suite - and even then, there were guards at the door.
It was beginning to drive Blair insane.
With that in mind, Blair set about persuading his Sentinel that their only chance to catch Alex was to lure her into a trap.
~'~
The Sentinel stared at his Guide in disbelief. "Lure her into a trap?"
"Yeah, see, Jim -"
"It's about time! Jesus, Sandburg, if you'd agreed about a week ago, we might have caught her by now!"
"Uh...yeah. That's not what I'm saying."
From the look on Blair's face, Jim could tell that he wasn't going to like this. "Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I should be the bait, Jim."
"What?!" The Sentinel was glad that his Guide had stayed out of reach on the other side of the table. If he hadn't, Jim might have throttled him.
In what was obviously meant to be a reassuring tone, Blair continued, "She's not going to harm me."
"I don't give a damn if she'll tuck you up in bed and sing you to sleep - you're not doing it, Sandburg!" Jim's Def-Con Five glare failed to have its usual effect.
"She wants to bond with me -"
The Senior Sentinel Prime growled at the thought of that Sentinel bitch getting within bonding range of his Guide. Ignoring his Guide's honeyed words, he stalked around the table, intent on reaffirming his Guide's place. At his side, not hers. In a bond with him - not her.
Blair backed away, still talking; circling the table in an attempt to keep his distance. "I don't want to bond with her!"
Well, at least his Guide had the sense to admit that.
"But if she thinks she can kidnap me, she'll come out of hiding, Jim - she'll try to grab me. And then you can stop her!" Bouncing around the table, the Guide wailed, "Listen to me!"
Planting his fists on the table, the Sentinel leaned forward, growling in anger at his disobedient Guide.
"Damn it, Jim, I'm your Guide - but we need to stop her!"
His Guide needed to stop moving about.
"If we stop her, you can take me home." As opposed to the frustrated tone of before, Blair's voice held a pleading note. "Home, Jim."
Forcing himself to speak, Jim ground out, "This isn't the way."
"It's the only way!" Blair snapped in return. "If you're the bait, she'll kill you from a distance then wait for a chance to grab me. If I'm the bait... She'll come out of hiding to get me, Jim, I know she will."
"And then I can get her."
"Yes!"
Damn it. Damn him. Damn her. Damn them all.
Reaching out his hand, the Sentinel grabbed his Guide's wrist and tugged him forward, pleased at the lack of resistance now shown. "We bond first, then we'll discuss it."
~'~
In the end, Jim did it. He didn't like it - hell, if he was honest, he hated it - but he did it.
Naturally, Alex would have suspected a trap if Blair had simply gone waltzing off to Rainier alone so, for the first few days, Jim went with him.
Oddly enough, Jim wasn't worried about this part of the plan at all. If Alex managed, somehow, to take him out in the middle of Rainier, there were plenty of Sentinels and Guides on guard around the campus to stop her before she got anywhere with Blair. No, the part of the plan that Jim was worrying about was when he was supposed to leave his Guide defenceless at Rainier, with only a couple of Sentinels to guard him. The Senior Sentinel Prime didn't want to scale down the protection surrounding his Guide; he'd much rather scale it up.
However, for the moment, here he was, the Senior Sentinel Prime of the Cascade Clan, sitting in a lecture hall listening to a lacklustre discussion on the cultural significance that sharks and rays held in Aboriginal society.
"Jim."
The Sentinel glanced at his Guide to show that he heard the almost silent murmur, then turned his gaze back to the silent audience.
"Stop staring at my students; you're putting them off."
Jim allowed a slight feral smile to appear. He hadn't lost his touch.
~'~
The bell rang and Blair watched his students hurriedly grab their coats and backpacks and all but flee from the lecture hall. As the door slammed shut behind the last student, he turned to face his Sentinel.
"Tomorrow, you sit at the back of the hall."
Jim got to his feet and stretched. "That's no good, Chief. I can't defend you from the back of the hall."
Yanking his jacket on, Blair snatched up his backpack and followed Jim to the door, almost treading on his heels. "And I can't hold a discussion while you're glaring at my students! Did you hear them today? Oh, no, that's right - you didn't hear them because no one would talk!" He paused as Jim checked the hallway then trotted down the corridor behind him, explaining as he went. "It's called a discussion group for a reason, Jim. The group is supposed to discuss things. Not sit there being petrified into silence because there's a Sentinel in the room looking like he's going to rip their heads off if they so much as breathe on the tutor." He fell silent again as Jim pushed open the front door and looked around. As Jim's hand latched onto the front of his jacket and pulled him along, Blair demanded, "Are you even listening to me?"
"Sure, Sandburg," Jim replied, his tone abstracted.
"'Sure, Sandburg,' he says; 'Hell, no!' he means." Once inside the truck, Blair smacked Jim's hands away from the seatbelt. "You know, I can do this myself; I've been able to fasten my own seatbelt for years. Naomi taught me."
"That's good, Chief."
The door shut firmly and Blair shook his head as he watched Jim heading around the front of the truck. If the Sentinel had his way, he'd treat Blair like he was incapable of doing anything.
"I can look after myself, you know!" He knew that Jim could hear him but the Sentinel would probably ignore him. Again. "I've been looking after myself for years now."
As Jim got into the truck and fastened his own seatbelt, Blair did some glaring of his own.
Finally, Jim glanced at him, a smile on his face. "Save it until we're in the Sentinel suite, Chief."
~'~
The next day was marginally better as Blair managed to persuade Jim to sit facing him as opposed to sitting staring out at the students. True, none of his students dared to approach the lectern and, when they left, they made sure to give the dais a wide berth, but Blair got them to pay attention to what he was saying as opposed to watching Jim so they'd have enough warning when the Sentinel finally snapped.
The day after was better again, although Blair wondered if that was because his students were growing more used to Jim as opposed to the Sentinel relaxing his vigil at all.
Thinking it over, Blair shook his head. Jim definitely wasn't relaxing.
Sighing, he followed his over-protective Sentinel to the front doors and allowed himself to be gently escorted to the truck. God, he hoped Alex turned up again soon; he really couldn't take much more of this and he was pretty sure Jim couldn't either.
~'~
"Okay, man, see you at lunchtime!" Blair determinedly grinned at him from the open door of the truck and it took all the Sentinel possessed not to grab his Guide, yank him back inside the truck, and drive off to the Sentinel suite to keep him safe.
Jim tried to smile but he knew the clenching of his jaw was giving him away. "Twelve o'clock, right?"
"On the dot. I'll be on the front steps, okay?"
"Yep. The front steps."
The door slammed and Jim instantly leaned across the seat and pushed it open again. "Sandburg!" As Blair turned, he added, "Be careful."
As soon as Blair had disappeared out of sight inside the building, Jim exchanged a nod with Sentinel Farnell and resolutely put the truck into gear.
By the time Jim reached the Cascade PD garage, his fingers were aching with the grip he had on the steering wheel. Flexing his fingers as he released the wheel, the Sentinel fervently hoped Barnes made her move soon; he really couldn't take much more of this.
Eleven forty-five saw him parking the truck outside the university once more. Glancing over, Jim saw that Farnell was still on duty on the front steps. Refusing to wait by the truck as Blair would undoubtedly prefer, Jim headed up the steps, gave a nod to Farnell and went inside. He'd been patient enough; it was time to collect his Guide.
~'~
The next day was the same, and the day after that too. Jim knew that Blair was being driven to screaming point about the amount of protection around him but...somehow the Sentinel knew that Barnes hadn't given up on her idea to claim his Guide. If it had been him, he couldn't have given up either.
As he parked the truck on Rainier's parking lot again, Jim glanced over at the Sentinel on guard on the front steps, then got out of the truck, frowning. Farnell was still, too still; his gaze fixed on a distant point. Jim broke into a run. Dashing up the steps, he slapped the Sentinel's arm sharply and heard the quick inhale of breath as he yanked open the door.
"Senior -"
Jim didn't stop to listen for more. He was early, sure, but Barnes might have counted on that. Racing down the corridor, he yanked open the lecture room door. No Blair. Damn.
The door slammed shut as Jim headed off down the corridor, reaching out with every sense, seeking the scent that mattered most to him in the whole world. Blair had been here, so had Sentinel Mulroony, along with another Sentinel. Jim recognised the scent from Blair's warehouse. It was Barnes.
Pausing for a brief moment as he heard the front double doors open and shut, Jim smiled slightly. Farnell must have alerted the others and now Sentinels and Guides were flooding into Rainier, blocking every exit. Wherever Barnes had taken his Guide, she couldn't get far.
~'~
Alex let the other Sentinel collapse in the corner of the janitor's room and smiled slightly at the moan that elicited. The Guide, her Guide, though the brat had bonded to someone else, was keeping his distance and Alex was glad of that. She didn't want him helping the Sentinel.
"What did you do to him?"
Glancing at the Guide, Alex opened the door slightly turned her attention back to the hallway. "Sprayed myself with bonding scent." She flashed a smile at him, pleased to see the puzzled look on his face. "Guide bonding scent." Her smile widened at the memory. He'd been like a dog in heat as she'd played the poor, dumb, hurt Guide and he'd fallen for it, hook, line and sinker. By the time he realised it was an act and the scent was false, the needle was already in his arm and it had only taken a few seconds for the drug to take effect. After that, it had been a simple matter of going to the lecture hall where her Guide was and letting him see the incapacitated Sentinel through the glass panel.
Alex snorted softly. The Guide had come running quickly enough then, unable to leave the Sentinel in pain and alone - no matter how willing he'd been to leave her in that state. Well, he'd learn. Once she got him away and flatlined him to break his bond, he'd know that he couldn't say no to her and get away with it.
She threw the twitching Sentinel a glance, ignoring the contorted grimace of pain on his face. He was practically worthless now - there was no way she could use him as a hostage to get out of here and she sure as hell wasn't going to try to carry him. The other Sentinels would find him, sooner or later. In any case, right now, he'd come in handy to keep the Guide under control. Blair was undoubtedly feeling pity for him and wouldn't risk the Sentinel's life even if he was willing to risk his own.
"Guide."
As the Guide moved towards the Sentinel in answer to his strangled whisper, she snapped, "Don't touch him!" He hadn't wanted to help her, comfort her. He wasn't going to help that Sentinel. Not if she had anything to do with it.
Her attention turned back to the hallway as she listened to the sounds of footsteps hurrying this way and that. The other Sentinel must have come out of his zone out alone and called for help - either that or Ellison had arrived even earlier than she'd anticipated. Well, it didn't matter. It complicated things, that was for sure, but Ellison wouldn't risk the life of his Guide.
His Guide.
Unable to stop herself, Alex demanded, "What did Ellison have to do to get you to roll over for him? Or was him being Senior Sentinel Prime enough?" That was probably it. Blair had been holding out for some kind of power, thinking he could do better than bonding with her. Everyone had their price; that must have been his. Position, and a Clan to command.
"Jim being Senior -"
She pointed her gun at his face, pleased when he got the hint and shut up. "Don't mention his name." If he did, she'd kill him. She wasn't going to listen to him talk of another Sentinel. A Sentinel he'd chosen over her.
Focussing, Alex reached out with her hearing, driving her fingernails into her palm to keep herself from getting lost. The Sentinels were getting closer. Swearing softly, she waved her Guide over. "We have to move now." As the Guide hesitated, she aimed her gun at the other Sentinel. "Move it or he dies."
The flicker of his eyes would have betrayed his nerves, even if his scent hadn't already done that for him. "That would bring them all running."
If that was the way he wanted to play it. "Then we all die. Move it. Now."
Reluctantly, he moved forward.
"Try to run and I'll come back and kill him." Alex knew he'd never take the risk of that. He'd try something - Blair was nothing if not resourceful - but it wouldn't be until she was far enough away from the other Sentinel to make it not worth the danger to make her way back.
Pulling the door open, she prodded him through with the muzzle of her gun, then followed him out into the corridor. With her concentration on the other Sentinels heading their way, she needed to keep hold of him to know where he was, and she grabbed his wrist and held on, then flushed with surprised pleasure as his other hand covered hers, his fingers curling around the edges of her palm.
Tugging at his wrist, Alex headed down the corridor, the plans she'd memorised telling her there was an exit this way, then she paused, hesitating as confusion began to fill her mind. She attempted to pull her hand free from a grip that was suddenly confining, then tried to bring the gun up to defend herself.
He elbowed it aside and leaned into her, his breath warm on her face as he murmured soothingly, "You don't want to do that, Alex."
The warmth of the bond flickered enticingly and she twitched away from it, knowing that something was wrong but not sure what, then gave in as it pulled her mind inwards with the alluring promise of telepathic unity. It danced ahead of her, just out of reach like a will o' the wisp then seemed to drift down, down, down into an endless grey void.
~'~
The Senior Sentinel Prime rounded the corner in time to see his Guide step back. Furiously rushing forward, Jim grabbed Blair and pulled him away, unwilling to let him stay near that other Sentinel for even a second.
"Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?" Jim's senses were telling him that Blair was fine, although his sense of smell told him that the Sentinel bitch had touched him. Ignoring the shake of the head that Blair gave him, he tucked his Guide into his side, and glared at the unresponsive Sentinel as members of his Clan surrounded her and bore her away.
Edwards was right; Blair had sent her into a zone out. A deep one.
"Sentinel Mulroony's in the janitor's room."
The quiet, subdued whisper pulled the rest of his attention back to Blair, and Jim tried, for one flailing, brief moment, to direct his senses towards the room. He failed. Like flowers soaking up the bliss of the sun's warmth after a storm, his senses were focussed, and stayed focussed, on his Guide.
"They'll take care of him. And her." Tightening his arm around his Guide's waist, the Sentinel added, "Let's get out of here."
Blair offered no resistance, allowing himself to be escorted to the truck and seat belted in place. His obedience would have worried Jim if he hadn't known that it was reaction to what had happened; the shock, along with a deep sense of remorse, that was making his Guide so docile. No Guide liked to hurt a Sentinel but his Guide had had no choice - had acted to defend himself and an injured Sentinel. Although it would probably take a while for Blair to accept that.
As Jim fastened the seatbelt around Blair, he took the opportunity to wipe off his Guide's hands, replacing the smell of that other Sentinel with his own scent. A quick swipe of his sleeve down Blair's side removed the last of the alien smell, although the Sentinel wouldn't be truly happy until the flannel shirt was removed and his Guide bore his scent alone. Even the faint scent of Mulroony's distress was to be resented.
Driving off, Jim headed for the loft. With Barnes removed from the picture, the Senior Sentinel Prime was now at liberty to take his Guide home to his own territory.
"This isn't the Sentinel suite."
"No, it's not." Jim smiled. The tone was still subdued but Blair was blinking, more aware of his surroundings than he had been. "This is where I - we - live."
Once inside, Jim tugged the flannel shirt from his Guide's shoulders, then took a moment to ram it deep into the trashcan. Returning, he pushed Blair towards the couch while he himself opened the shades and lit a fire. The place smelt unused and there was a faint trace of dust in the air, but a roaring fire and a quick wipe over with a cloth would fix that. And, Jim inhaled, closing his eyes to savour the smell, the scent of his Guide was here too. At last.
~'~
Sitting on the couch, Blair gazed into the fire, feeling the warmth flicker against his skin. He felt cold...again. He knew that he hadn't had a choice; if he hadn't stopped Alex she would have done her best to break his bond and leave his Sentinel to suffer from cascading senses time and again, before finally being lost in a zone out.
Blair couldn't have let that happen. Jim was his Sentinel; he was responsible for him, and the Guide knew that he would do whatever he had to to ensure his Sentinel's safety.
Wrapping his arms around himself, Blair realised that his flannel shirt was gone, then he remembered Jim taking it, though he couldn't think why. For a moment, he considered asking about it, then he realised. Alex. Her scent must have been on the shirt. With a small huff of laughter, he guessed that he'd never see that shirt again.
"You okay, Chief?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Good." Jim's hands rubbed his shoulders for a moment, the brief contact warming him far more than the fire ever could, before an afghan was wrapped around him.
Resting his head against the back of the couch, Blair listened to the quiet sounds Jim was making in the background. Running water and the soft clang of cups told him what Jim was up to, so he wasn't surprised when mugs of coffee were placed on the coffee table in front of him.
"We don't have any of your herbal teas," Jim told him, one arm sliding around him and tugging him to rest against his Sentinel. "We'll have to go shopping later."
Leaning in contentedly, Blair grunted an agreement before tilting his head back invitingly. There was a few seconds' pause, then the Sentinel moved them both so he could take advantage of the invitation.
He went willingly, letting his Sentinel arrange them as he wished. Finally, strong teeth closed over the soft flesh of his throat and bit down, sending a flush of bonding heat rushing through his system and driving out the cold for good.
Blair smiled. He really didn't care about the tea. He was home, and that was all that mattered.
The End
11th February, 2006.
