Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Chapter Two

By

Cat

Copyright 2000 © Cat

This work is not to be reproduced in any way without the express written Permission of the author.

*****

The ride home to the loft was silent, except for the sound of Blair’s ragged breathing. Jim kept one eye on the road, the other on his partner. His Guide sat huddled against the door, not responding to any of Jim’s attempts to draw him out.

Reaching the loft he pulled into a parking space and turned off the truck. He turned to look at Blair, “We’re home, Chief.”

The anthropologist nodded, but made no move to get out of the truck. Frowning Jim jumped out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side and opened his partner’s door.

“Come on Blair,” he said gently, unfastening the younger man’s seatbelt. “Let’s get you inside.”

The Sentinel reached in and took hold of Blair’s arm, carefully but firmly guiding the unresisting man to the pavement. As he did so, he was caught by the look of bleak, hopeless in his Guide’s wide sapphire eyes. Remembering Peter’s words, Jim shivered and looped his arm around the younger man’s shoulders. With gentle pressure, the detective directed Blair into the apartment building and into the elevator.

Within a few minutes he was unlocking the door and ushering the anthropologist inside. Jim took Blair’s coat and hung it on a hook by the door, then took his own off, hanging it up. He tossed his keys in the basket on the table and watched as his Guide went to stand, looking out the balcony doors.

“Blair, do you want anything? Beer, juice, tea, anything?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen, trying to sound calm and as if everything was normal. He sighed when the younger man actually replied.

“A beer would be ok.”

Jim grinned, “Coming up.” He leaned into the fridge snagging two. He removed the caps, dropping them in the recycle bin and walked out to join Blair.

“Thanks man, sorry, I kind a freaked out there for a minute,” his partner said, still staring out at the dark clouds rolling in off the harbor.

“You want to talk about it, Chief?” He asked.

“No man, this is just something I need to deal with. You know,” Blair replied taking a long pull from his beer.

“Blair, we really need to talk about this. Its —“

Blair gave a choked laugh and stared at his partner anger and disbelief warring on his face. “Now you want to talk,” he hissed. “Well, I don’t.”

Jim grabbed Blair’s arm as the young man tried to push past him, heading for his room. “What’s that supposed to mean, Sandburg?”

The small Guide swung around glaring at his Sentinel. “I wanted to talk. Jesus Jim, I practically begged you. But no, you wouldn’t listen. Couldn’t be bothered to even give me a chance.” He turned away fighting for control, fighting the pain that wanted to rip him apart.

“Blair….”

“Leave me alone, Jim. Just leave me alone.” The younger man walked away.

Jim heard the doors to Blair’s room close. Turning up his hearing he heard his Guide lay down, then a small gasping breath. His nose twitched as he smelled salt and realized that his partner was crying. That shook him to his core. As high-strung as his Guide was, he almost never cried. The only times Jim had heard him cry had been when Maya left and while under the influence of the Golden.

Walking to the doors he knocked softly, “Blair? I’m sorry, please let me in,” He called softly. But only the sound of Blair’s ragged breathing greeted his pleas. “I’m sorry Blair, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, resting his hands on the glass for a second, then turned and went back into the living room slumping down on the couch.

*****

“Simon, I just don’t know what to do.” Jim sighed, sitting across the desk from his friend and Captain. “This is tearing him apart. Do you know he made an appointment to get his hair cut yesterday? Thank God, he changed his mind at the last minute, but damn it really upset him.”

“Talk to him Jim, find out what’s really bothering him. You know we can work around all most anything,” Simon replied.

“I tried Simon. He won’t talk to me,” Jim said gruffly.

Simon raised his eyebrows, “Sandburg won’t talk… since when? Most of the time you can’t shut him up.”

Jim stood up and began to pace the office, his head bowed. Finally he stopped in front of the desk, again looking at his Captain. “When the story about my Sentinel abilities broke, Blair wanted to talk about it. He kept at me trying to talk, trying to explain and I wouldn’t listen. Turned my back on him until he did the only thing he could to prove to me that it wasn’t his idea. That it wasn’t what he’d wanted to have happen.”

“God Jim, why?” Simon asked, leaning back in his chair to stare at his best detective.

“I was so wrapped up in what it was doing to me, and how it was affecting my ability to protect Bartley and get Zeller, that I didn’t even think about what kind of trouble it was causing Blair,” Jim answered sadly.

Simon nodded then, looking rather ashamed himself. “Yeah we all were. We were all so tied up in what was happening with Bartley that we weren’t paying much attention to him except to rag on him.”

“Yeah, he was getting it on all fronts. People wanting him to shut it all up and the ones wanting to exploit it,” Jim replied bitterly. “But that’s not the worst of it. In the last two weeks he has gotten all kinds of bills calling in his school loans. I — took a peek at them, damn Simon they total over thirty thousand dollars.”

Simon whistled, “God, he’s in deep. But he’ll have a regular and damn good paycheck once he’s out of the academy and here in the department. And he’ll breeze through those written tests on procedure. About the only thing he really needs the academy for is the firearms training and some hand to hand training.”

“I think that’s part of the problem Simon,” Jim answered, shaking his head. “Blair is a great partner and he’s proven that we can rely on him in a pinch. But he’s only held a gun a few times in the last four years and usually just to keep some perp restrained. He doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t want to touch them most of the time.”

“Jim, none of us do,” Simon acknowledged gently. “Hell, I pray every morning that I won’t have to pull my gun for any reason. But you get over that, its just part of the job.”

“It’s deeper for Blair, Simon,” Jim stated. “It goes against everything he believes in. Everything Naomi taught him. And Simon, this wasn’t the job Blair worked his whole life for.”

“I know that Jim,” Simon responded. “Look, let me check around and see what I can find out. See what other options we have that could work for Sandburg and still have him here in Major Crimes as your partner. In the meantime you talk to him. We can’t afford to lose him – not you, not me and not Major Crimes.”

Jim nodded, “Thanks Simon.” With a sad smile at his Captain, the Sentinel left the office closing the door quietly behind him. His mind was racing. Blair had been totally unapproachable that morning, barely acknowledging his presence in the Loft. How was he going to get the younger man to talk to him? Then an idea came to him and he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, heading out the door.

End Chapter Two