Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jim and Blair are not mine. Neither is the concept of the Claddagh ring, though I do own one.

I'd like to thank Bobbie and Gerbil for the beta.

Claddagh rings are Irish -- the meanings are the same as in the story, and I always thought it was a very beautiful symbol of love.

December 1

Opening the door to the loft, Jim saw Blair was on the phone, and shut the door quietly so as not to disturb his Guide's conversation. Placing his keys in the basket, he came to stand behind his friend.

"Yeah, Mom, I understand," Blair was saying, the melancholy look on his face not making its way into his voice. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity -- I can't believe you're going to get to spend three months with the Inuit. I'll miss you, though. Yeah, I love you too, Mom. Bye." Blair's arm that was holding the phone, slowly lowered until it was hanging by his side. He just stood there for a long moment, a lost look on his face.

"Chief?" Jim asked softly, not wanting to startle his friend.

Blair looked up, surprised to see his partner home so early. "Hey, Big Guy," he said, a subdued tone in his voice. "What's up?"

"I guess Naomi's not gonna be able to make it for Christmas, huh, Blair?" Jim asked gently. His Guide's mother had originally planned to spend the holiday season with them -- but he guessed those plans were now canceled.

Blair nodded. "Yeah, a friend of hers is going to spend the winter with an Eskimo village, and she really wanted to go with her." He replaced the phone on the stand, flopping down on the couch with his hands clasped in his lap.

Jim sat perched on the couch arm, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, buddy, I know how much you were looking forward to her visit."

Blair put on a bright smile, and if Jim hadn't been a Sentinel, he wouldn't have noticed how false it was. "Hey, it's no big deal. She'll drop by soon. Probably around Valentine's or Easter. I can just see her in the kitchen dying eggs the old-fashioned way. She'll end up using every pot and pan in the loft and we'll end up with some really spectacular ornaments once she finishes blowing out the insides."

Jim chuckled slightly at the image of Blair's redheaded mother blowing the yolks from dozens of eggs. "Yeah, that'd be great... But it doesn't make it hurt any less that she's not going to be here, does it?" he asked, getting back to the subject at hand.

Blair sighed, his face crumpling as he leaned into his partner's side. "No, it doesn't," he whispered.

During the next few weeks, Jim saw that Blair, though he tried to put on a brave face, was really bummed about Naomi not coming for Christmas. His smile wasn't as bright, his eyes were dull, and he was only vaguely interested in Jim's senses.

In the two years that they'd known each other, Jim had come to know his partner pretty well, and he knew that it wasn't Naomi not being there for the holidays that made him sad, but that fact that he felt alone. Blair, for all his carefree and easy persona, didn't make friends that easily. Real friends. Sure, he had a lot of 'acquaintances' that he called friends, but when push came to shove, Jim was the only one who was willing to put him up when his warehouse blew up.

With a start, Jim realized that he'd been so caught in his work and personal stuff the past several months that their friendship had gone by the wayside. They hadn't spent much time together recently, and he knew that was mostly his fault. About eighteen months after Blair moved in, he'd realized that his feelings for the younger man weren't entirely platonic. They also included a healthy dose of lust. That's all it was at first. The love had come later.

Yes, love. At first it was just a physical attraction, albeit a visceral one. But over the next few months, it grew until he didn't know how he'd lived his life before the younger man came into it.

Unfortunately, he wasn't entirely sure that his affections would be welcomed by the object of them. Blair had never dated a guy in the two years Jim had known him, and while he knew that his Guide would have no problem with a guy having feelings for him (as evidenced by the polite refusals whenever a guy asked him out), being roommates with someone who was in love with him was a whole 'nother ballgame.

And yet... The past few weeks, since Naomi's call, he'd caught a new scent on Blair. It had been there even a few months before that, but it had grown stronger since the call. He could only term it as 'wistful' with a touch of longing. At first he'd thought that maybe Blair missed their close friendship, and started spending more time with him, but now he was thinking that perhaps he wanted something more than friendship. Like love.

Most people who didn't know him that well might think he wasn't afraid of anything, but emotions always scared the crap out of him. He knew what he wanted to give Blair to make him feel better -- his heart. But he wasn't sure he could go through with it. He'd decided to tell him, planned it all out, but when push came to shove, he wasn't sure he wasn't going to chicken out.

One way or another, on Christmas morning, Blair wouldn't be thinking about the fact that Naomi wasn't there.

Christmas Morning

Blair woke up, blinking his eyes at the light coming through the fire escape window. His mouth was as dry as a desert, and even though he would have preferred to spend the entire day in bed wallowing in his misery, he'd be even more miserable if he ignored his thirst.

Stumbling out of bed, he headed for the kitchen, opening the door and retrieving a bottle of spring water. Twisting off the cap, he drank deeply, and only then noticed that his roommate was sitting on the sofa.

Swallowing the last mouthful of water, he turned to his partner. "Hey, Jim," he greeted lacklusterly.

"Hey, Chief," Jim said nervously. "Uh, I have a present for you."

Blair perked up slightly. Presents were always good. And maybe whatever Jim got him would take his mind off his misery. "Yeah? What is it?" he asked curiously, going over to sit by his partner on the couch.

Picking up a small box from underneath the small Christmas tree, Jim handed it to his Guide. "Open it and see." He waited anxiously as Blair untied the ribbon and pulled the top off.

Blair looked at the contents, perplexed. "It's a Claddagh ring, isn't it?" he asked softly.

Jim nodded. "The hands symbolize friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart..." he trailed off, wondering if this had been such a good idea after all.

"Love," Blair whispered. He stared into Jim's eyes, tears brimming in his own. "You mean...like a brother? Or...?" he asked, hardly daring to believe that his dreams were coming true.

"I love you, Blair. I'm in love with you," Jim said fervently.

Blair sniffed. "I love you too, Big Guy."

Jim smiled softly at the hesitant words. Leaning towards his partner, he took the silver ring out of the box and slipped it on Blair's left ring finger, the heart pointing towards his chest. "That way, everyone will know you belong to someone."

Blair nodded, tears falling down his cheeks. "But...why now?" he asked, looking searchingly into Jim's eyes.

Jim took a deep breath. "Because you are my family, Chief. And I wanted you to know that I'll be here for you, always. No matter what," he promised.

A smile broke out across the anthropologist's face. Throwing his arms around Jim's neck, Blair said, "Thank you, Jim. For everything."

And as their lips met for their first kiss, Blair knew he would never be alone again.

End The Gift Of Love by Ami: [email protected]

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