SquidgeWorld Archive

JANUARY

"Cold...cold...cold...so very very cold..." Blair Sandburg hopped from one foot to the other as he nudged the loft door closed. "Frozen...popsicle...iceball..."

"For somebody who's supposed to be frozen, you're doing an awful lot of bouncing around over there." Blair's roommate, Jim Ellison, called out from the living room.

"I'd give you the glare of death, but I'm too cold," Blair muttered as he toed off his boots.

"You think it's time to trade in that heap of junk for a car that actually has a working heater?" Jim sarcastically asked.

"Stop ragging on my baby," Blair replied. "She's a good car."

"It doesn't have a working heater, Sandburg," Jim repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Blair sighed as he finally removed his coat, hat, and scarf.

"C'mon, Sandburg. Get over here."

"Huh?" Blair turned around from hanging up his coat and saw a fire in the fireplace. "Fire! Warmth!"

Jim refrained from snickering as his partner nearly ran across the loft, arms extended, towards the fireplace. "Here, sit and eat." He guided the younger man to a place on the floor near to the roaring fire.

Blair happily sighed as he sat cross-legged in front of the fire. Before he knew it, Jim had thrust a bowl of steaming hot stew and a spoon at him. "You made stew?"

Jim shrugged. "I just used the frozen veggies and that leftover roast beef. I won't vouch for the taste, though."

"Who care? It's hot," Blair decided as he began spooning the stew into his mouth.

FEBRUARY

"Where is it? I know you hid it somewhere, Jim! Now tell me where it is!"

Jim looked up from where he was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. "What are you babbling about, Sandburg?"

Blair put his hands on his hips and glared at the man calmly sitting on the couch. "Don't play innocent with me, man! You know what I'm talking about!"

Jim raised an eyebrow. "If you're talking about that pound of Godiva candy that you brought home yesterday, you finished it off about an hour ago."

"No, I didn't! I couldn't have possibly eaten the entire..."

Jim patiently waited.

"Could I?" Blair rubbed his stomach.

"Starting to feel a little queasy, champ?"

"Oh, man, all of it?" Blair began edging towards the bathroom.

"Every last piece," Jim assured him as he carefully folded the paper. "Smacking your lips in ecstasy with each bite."

Blair slapped his right hand over his mouth and ran towards the bathroom.

Jim shook his head as he followed Blair.

MARCH

"Oh, God, man, why didn't you stop me?"

Jim released a long-suffering sigh. "Because, as you've reminded me so very many times, you're a grown adult capable of making your own decisions?"

"Now you listen." Blair wrapped his arms around his stomach and groaned.

"I always listen, Darwin." Jim refrained from smirking. "C'mon, this'll help." He put a glass of liquid on the nightstand next to Blair's bed.

"Nothing's gonna help," Blair whined.

"Does this mean I'm supposed to put you out of your misery? My weapon's just upstairs."

"Oh, shut up," Blair groaned. He felt gentle hands on his shoulders helping him to sit up. "I've had green beer before, and it never hit me like this."

Jim grunted. "I doubt you ever celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a bunch of cops." He reached for the glass and held it to Blair's lips. "Drink slowly."

The younger man obediently sipped until the glass was nearly empty then pushed it away. "No more."

"Lay down and stay quiet," Jim advised. "You'll feel better in a little while."

"What was that?" Blair asked as he obeyed.

"Old Ellison family cure," Jim answered. He stopped at the door. "I don't want to know what's in your algae shake, and you don't want to know what's in the Ellison family cure."

APRIL

"Much more of this, and I'm starting to build an ark," Blair muttered as he parked his Volvo across the street from the loft. "I'm surprised Prospect hasn't flooded."

Turning the ignition off, he sat back and sighed. "I hate being wet," he muttered in aggravation. "Would it have been so hard for that idiot driver to swerve just a little to avoid splashing me?"

Sighing, Blair grabbed his backpack, checking to be sure it was securely closed then forlornly stared out the passenger side window at the falling rain. "Okay, I'm already wet so what's a little more? It's only water. Just like..." Blair jumped in surprise when the driver side door was suddenly opened.

"Hurry up, Sandburg. Let's not get both of us wet."

"Jim?" Blair's blue eyes widened as he glanced up.

"Who else would be standing here with an umbrella for you?" Jim patiently asked from under his umbrella.

"Uh...well, actually I can't think of anybody," Blair admitted.

"So, move it, Sandburg!"

MAY

"AHHHCHOOOO! AH-AH-HHAACHOO!"

"At least your sinuses are draining." Jim Ellison stood in the doorway of Blair's bedroom and sympathetically stared at his partner.

"Uh-huh." Blair miserably nodded and reached for another tissue. "I can'd unnerstad it."

Jim shrugged. "You helped open those artifacts from Cairo. God only knows what somebody used to pack them with. You just breathed in something that you shouldn't have breathed."

"Duh!" Blair irritably wiped his nose and glared at his partner.

Jim waited until he turned away to smile. Blair's reddened eyes and even redder nose made him look like a pathetic six-year old.

Blair sniffled then sneezed again. Blowing his nose, hewas grateful once again that Jim had gotten him several boxes of the tissue with aloe lotion.

"Here you go," Jim announced as he reentered the bedroom. "More tissues and juice. And you are going to take these antibiotics without argument, right?"

Blair sighed again and held out his hand.

JUNE

"School's out for summer!" Blair sang as he packed his backpack. "I can't believe I have the summer semester off! Only two articles to write, but the summer's mine!"

With visions in his head of more than enough time to run tests on his Sentinel Blair happily danced towards the door. When he opened it, he automatically stepped back when he saw Dr. Pierpont, the Anthropology department head, standing there.

"Ah, Mr. Sandburg, I was just about to knock. I need you to take over the Anthro101 for the summer semester," Dr. Pierpont quickly spoke.

"But..."

"Dr. Hinkle got the opportunity to join Dr. Isley in Bora Bora for that two month expedition," Pierpont continued. "Since it would be detrimental to the students for him to start the class but not finish it, I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking it for him."

"But..."

"Is there a problem, Mr. Sandburg?" Pierpont stared at Blair, almost challenging him to say 'yes'.

"No, sir. Of course not," Blair answered.

"I didn't think so," Pierpont nodded, forcing a thin smile. "I'll tell Dr. Hinkle. I'm sure he'll be grateful for your assistance."

Blair silently nodded. He closed his office door behind him and followed Dr. Pierpont down the hall.

"Have a nice week off, Mr. Sandburg!" Pierpont called out as he waited for the elevator to take him to his third floor office.

"Thanks." Blair's shoulders slumped as he trudged up the stairs. "Okay, I've only got a week and I have to prepare for a class so I'll just have to make the most of what I've got."

Trying to figure out what he'd done to piss off more than one deity since Dr. Hinkle was getting Bora Bora and he was getting the summer Anthro101 class, Blair was surprised to see Jim's truck parked next to his Volvo. "Hey, Jim, what are you doing here?" he asked when he got closer.

"Court got dismissed early," Jim explained. "Half of the jury's down with food poisoning."

Blair winced in sympathy. "And you thought of me?"

Jim grinned. "Thought about lunch. C'mon, get in. You can pick the place."

"I can?" Blair's eyes narrowed as he walked around the front of the truck and got in. "Were you listening?"

Jim nodded. "Yep, heard that you're stuck working this summer semester instead of being off."

"Is this a sympathy lunch?"

Jim turned on the ignition, then stared at Blair. "You prefer I pick where we eat?"

"A sympathy lunch sounds good to me."

JULY

"Who woulda thought a dumpy looking place like that would have such great food!" Blair happily patted his full stomach as Jim drove his truck out of the parking lot of Pop's Restaurant.

Jim nodded. "Joel was out this way to question a witness when he found the place. He's been raving about it for the last two weeks."

Blair frowned when Jim drove past the turnoff leading back to Cascade. "Aren't we heading home?"

"Got another stop to make," Jim explained. "It'll be dark in about ten minutes."

"So?" Blair frowned.

Jim turned his head and grinned. "You'll see."

Nearly twenty minutes later, Jim carefully drove the truck off a gravel road and parked.

"What are we doing out here?" Blair looked at the surrounding wooded area.

"C'mon. You'll see." Jim opened the door and got out. He waited until Blair joined him. Then he took the younger man's arm and began following a barely recognizable path through the trees.

Blair was about to protest when they came to the edge of the trees. He saw that the ground sharply dropped downward twenty yards away, but it was the view of nighttime Cascade that caught his attention. "Wow," he breathed.

Just then there was a barely audible 'boom' and bright yellow lights flashed in the night sky.

"Wow!" Blair widely grinned. "Fireworks!"

Jim nodded as he leaned against a nearby tree. "They won't be as impressive as from the waterfront, but..." He shrugged.

"But they won't hurt your ears." Blair bounced on his toes as he watched a soaring rocket. "Oh, man, Jim! This is great! I love fireworks!"

AUGUST

"Thank God the summer semester's over!" Blair hastily stuffed a stack of folders into his backpack. "Two weeks off and only two classes to teach next semester."

With an audible sigh of relief, he opened the door to see Dr. Pierpont standing there, hand raised to knock.

"Ah, Mr. Sandburg, I'm glad I caught you."

"Dr. Pierpont." Blair briefly closed his eyes. 'What can I do for you?"

"Dr. Hinkle decided to remain in Bora Bora to do more in-depth studies," Pierpont quickly explained. "So he'll need someone to take his Anthro201 and 301 in the fall semester."

"But..."

"Since you only have two classes to teach this semester, it shouldn't be a problem for you to take both, should it?"

"But..."

"Do you have a problem, Mr. Sandburg?" Pierpont stared at Blair with silent challenge.

"Actually, I think he might."

"Jim?" Blair looked around the corner of the open door to see his partner standing in the corridor. "Uh, Jim, this is Dr. Pierpont. He's the Anthropology Department Head. Dr. Pierpont, this is my roommate, Detective Jim Ellison of the Cascade PD."

"Ah, the department head," Jim slowly nodded. "That explains it."

"Explains what?" Pierpont cautiously asked.

"That you don't know that although Sandburg is only teaching two classes, he's also in charge of three study groups," Jim explained. "Purely voluntary, of course. But quite a bit of help to students who really need it." He stared at Pierpont. "It would be a shame to deny that help to those students if Sandburg is busy teaching two additional classes."

Pierpont blinked three times in rapid succession. "I see your point. Yes, it would be a shame. I wasn't aware of Mr. Sandburg's contribution to the study group program. Perhaps you could take only one of the classes, Mr. Sandburg?"

"I'm already teaching an Anthro201 class already so it wouldn't be a problem to take an extra one," Blair decided. "Lucinda Valentine covered for Dr. Richmond last year with a 301 class. If she's not overworked, she would do a great job taking it."

"I'll consult her. Thank you, Mr. Sandburg." With a nod, Pierpont walked away.

Blair grabbed Jim by the arm and pulled him into the office, shutting the door behind him. "You do realize that was the department head who can make my academic life miserable, don't you?"

"He won't," Jim assured him. "He'll let his boss know that he's distributed the work without endangering the study group program and look like a hero."

Blair grunted.

"You weren't going to actually take on two more classes, were you?"

Blair sighed. "Do you tell Simon 'no' when he gives you just one more case than you can reasonably handle?"

Jim snorted. "That's your job, Chief."

SEPTEMBER

"Ooooo. Ahhhhh. Ooooo."

Blair reached for more French fries and settled comfortably on the blanket. "This is so nice, Jim."

The Sentinel nodded as he leaned against the front tire of his truck and sipped his soft drink. "I thought it would be nicer to bring takeout from Pop's here rather than eating there and maybe missing part of the fireworks display."

Blair widely smiled as he watched the colorful display. "Fireworks and chocolate pie with two inches of meringue." He glanced over his shoulder. "And a good friend. What could be better?"

Jim grinned in silent response.

OCTOBER

"Where is it? I know you hid it somewhere, Jim! Now tell me where it is!"

Jim sighed as he looked up from his newspaper. "Do you remember Valentine's Day? Do you remember how long you worshipped the porcelain god?"

Blair stood in front the couch and crossed his arms across his chest. Tapping his right foot, he waited until Jim looked up. "Where is my Godiva chocolate? I got it especially for Halloween."

"And that's why you gave out Hershey bars and fruit treats?" Jim shook his head. "I didn't see a single piece of Godiva offered to the ghosts, ghouls, pirates, and princesses that graced our front door."

"Jim, I'm warning you..."

"The box of candy is upstairs. Top drawer of my dresser. On the left." Jim fondly watched as Blair pounded up the stairs. He began reading his newspaper again.

"Hey! There's only two pieces left!"

"I didn't say it was a full box, Sandburg."

NOVEMBER

"I can't do it again. I just can't."

"Yes, you can, Chief."

sigh "It just won't fit."

"Let me work it a little more."

"The poor thing's practically been worked to death, Jim! It's getting all wrinkly!"

"It'll expand."

"You hope."

"Okay, let me ask an expert."

"Who are you gonna call?"

Jim smirked over his shoulder. "You want a traditional Thanksgiving with stuffed turkey, Chief? I'm breaking out the big guns." He quickly dialed the phone. "Sally? Happy Thanksgiving! Listen, I've got a question about stuffing the turkey..."

DECEMBER

"I quit."

From the kitchen stove, Jim glanced over his shoulder to see Blair slumped against the closed front door. "Quit what?"

"I just...quit." Blair took off his coat and hung it up. "I guess you heard what happened at the station."

Jim sympathetically nodded. "Brown told me he heard Samantha tearing into you. He said to tell you that he didn't mean to overhear, but he was watching the corridor to head off anybody else walking in that direction."

Blair wearily nodded. "Yeah, it's not a good thing to have a crowd witness you getting your balls handed to you."

Jim nodded towards the answering machine. "There's a call from Samantha on the machine for you."

"Great," Blair sighed. He forced himself to walk towards the answering machine. "Oh, Dr. Pierpont sends his regards."

Jim glanced over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows.

"He hinted that he wanted me to take the Anthro301 that Lucinda's teaching," Blair explained. "She just found out she's pregnant, and her morning sickness is lasting until mid-afternoon."

"And you said?"

"I commiserated about Lucinda then talked for twenty minutes about my study groups," Blair half-smiled.

"Good," Jim grunted.

Blair hesitated then pushed the 'play' button on the answering machine.

"Hi, Blair. This morning was such an awful experience. I really hate it when I loose my temper like that. Let me make it up to you tonight. Call me."

Blair stared down at the machine then turned to look into the kitchen. He silently watched Jim stirring first one pot on the stove burner, then a second one. "What are you making?"

"Potato soup," Jim answered without turning around. "One's mine, and the other's yours."

"Why are you doing that?"

"You like more spices in yours than I do," Jim answered.

Blair studied Jim's back for a few moments then glanced around the loft. The Christmas tree was in the corner waiting to be decorated. There was a small fire in the fireplace giving off just enough heat to make the room comfortable. He took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

Quickly dialing, he glanced again at Jim's silent form. "Hey, Samantha, it's Blair. Yeah, I got the message. No, I'm not coming over. You were way outta line today, and I don't let anybody treat me like that."

With a grimace, Blair held the phone several inches away from his left ear for a couple of seconds. "Samantha...Sam! No! I don't think it's a game. And that's not what I consider 'love'. I think we should...well, that works for me, too. 'Bye."

"You drawing a line in the sand, Chief?"

Blair quickly walked into the kitchen and put the phone on the countertop. "Nope. Ending what was going to be a very bad relationship." Slowly he wrapped his arms around Jim's waist and snuggled against the Sentinel's broad back. "Besides, you love me."

Jim didn't move a muscle. "I do, huh?"

"Yep." Blair contentedly nodded. "You do."

"What makes you think that?" Jim turned off the burners and turned around.

"Warm fires, Dr. Pierpont, soft tissues with aloe lotion, old Ellison family cures, umbrellas, spiced soup, stuffing turkeys, and fireworks." Blair smiled up at Jim. "That only scratches the surface, you understand."

Jim slowly smiled. "Are you sure, Blair? I don't play the type of games that Samantha plays."

"Good," Blair nodded in satisfaction. "I don't play them anymore either."

Both men were startled when the telephone began to ring. They stared at each other, waiting for the answering machine to activate.

"Blair! Blair Sandburg, you answer this phone right now! Do you really think you can..."

Blair reached behind him and picked up the phone. Answering it, he quietly spoke. "Samantha? Good-bye." Hanging up, he replaced the phone on the countertop. Staring up at Jim, he saw the pleasure and love shining in the older man's blue eyes.

"And hello, Jim." Blair pulled Jim's head down for their first kiss.