SquidgeWorld Archive

A Change Can Do You Good
By Patt

Summary: Blair is having a bunch of changes happen in his life, so what would one more be?
Word Count: 5287
Genre: Pre-slash
Warnings: Language
Rating: Teen

When Blair left the station for the day, he smiled at how much he loved his new job. He was a paid consultant and he could be used by Homicide or Vice if they felt the need. Jim wasn't crazy about that part, but Blair loved the part where he would still be able to work at the station with Jim. When Simon had found out that Blair didn't want to be a cop, he ran this idea to the Commissioner. When he okayed it, Blair was on board. Jim was thrilled, Blair was thrilled and Simon was fairly happy. Blair didn't think that Simon was ever too happy about anything. The best part was the paid part. He had money in savings already.

As Blair drove down the street, he saw a house that spoke to him. Okay, it didn't speak, but he had feelings about this house. He pulled up in front and looked at it closely. It was a foreclosure and Blair knew one thing for sure, he might be able to afford this house. It wasn't too big, but yet, it wasn't too small either. Yes, he was going to write down the number and call and see if he could see it tomorrow on his day off. Jim would be in court all day, so Blair was free to move around without too many questions. Right now, he was just looking to move, he wasn't sure about anything and would need to be sure when he finally told Jim he was moving. Jim had put the loft into Blair's name, too, but Blair was just going to sign it back over to Jim. It wasn't fair to either of them for him to live under the stairs. Especially, when Blair wanted the two of them to share the room upstairs. That all started about two months before and Blair couldn't shake the feeling of want and need for Jim. He had to seriously think about disgusting things to keep his pheromones from coming to light. Jim would never understand. It would just be easier to move.

Blair wrote down the number that was on the sign and called it quickly to see if it was already gone. Blair could afford very little, but he might be able to afford this house. It wasn't a fancy neighborhood or a fancy house. But, it was very nice at the same time making Blair want it all the more.

"Hello?" the voice said.

"Mr. Keller?" Blair asked.

"Yes, this is Bob Keller, who is this?" he asked.

"My name is Blair Sandburg, and I'm a paid police observer at station 12 and I was driving by on Center Street and saw the foreclosure that you have listed and wondered if you still have it," Blair said.

"Yes, I could meet you there in about ten minutes if you'd like to see it now. It's pretty darn nice inside. Doesn't need a whole lot of work, so it's going to move fast."

"Yes, I would love to see it now," Blair said, excitedly, even though, he was supposed to be at home cooking dinner.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. See you then, Blair."

Blair got out of his car and looked up and down the street to see what kind of neighborhood it had and it didn't look too bad. The houses were all taken care of and you could see the pride in ownership in every home he glanced at. Then he walked around the back of the house to see the yard. It was all fenced in, and he couldn't see over the six foot fence. That's pretty nice to have a tall fence. I like that.

Blair went around to the other side and saw a gate and tried to open it. It opened and Blair walked back there very cautiously. He sure didn't want to get arrested or bit by a dog. As far as he knew the house was empty, but you never do know.

As he walked by the patio he could see the house was empty. The kitchen was off the patio and it was really nice. Blair hoped he could afford this place, because he was in love. He looked at his watch and realized he needed to get back out front again. He walked out of the yard and shut the gate once more.

As he was walking up to the front, the real estate agent drove up. He parked and got out and stuck his hand out towards, Blair and said, "The name is Bob Keller and you must be Blair Sandburg?"

"Yes, I am. I have no idea if I'm wasting your time or not. I can't afford anything really expensive, but I was hoping this might be lower since it's a foreclosure. What is the price?" Blair asked.

"It used to be listed on the market for 250,000 but now it's up for 130,000 dollars. What do you think of that price?" Bob asked.

"I could afford this. Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. I've been trying not to get too excited about it. But it's too late, I love this house," Blair said.

"Let's go inside and see it," Bob said as he led the way to the front door.

Blair even loved the front door. It was beautiful, just needed a little sprucing up and it would look like a new door.

They walked into the house and Blair asked, "They took the carpet?"

"Yes, they did and all of the appliances. So, you would have to offer less to pay for that. Someone I showed the house too put an offer in and got it, but their loan didn't go through, so they had to back out. They went as far as to have the inspection and it came back with very little wrong with the house, other than the missing things. So, you'd be safe that way. The roof, the heater, the water softener, the water heater and the air conditioner are all new. They had put a lot of money into this house to sell it, but it didn't sell and they lost it. But, also keep in mind that there is no garage on this house. Just a carport is all. That changes things a little bit," Bob said.

"I don't mind not having a garage," Blair replied.

"You might if it's cold and snowing," Bob pointed out.

"I really love this house. How many bedrooms does it have?" Blair asked.

"There are three. Two nicely sized ones and one small one you could use for an office. The kitchen is very nice and just needs the appliances. There are two bathrooms and they are both fairly nice. Just need a good cleaning and some paint. The entire house needs painting," Bob said.

"I love this house. I'm sold already, but I haven't been preapproved yet and I'm sure that's a big concern," Blair said.

"Let's look at the rest of the house and then we can set up a meeting for pre-qualifying tomorrow at the bank. How does that sound?" Blair asked.

Blair followed him through and couldn't believe how nice it was. Bob was right, every room needed paint, but Blair figured he could have a paint party and pizza party and everyone could pitch in to help. He had some good friends at the station that was for sure.

Once they finished the tour, Blair said, "I want it. I don't want anyone else to have it."

"You haven't looked at any other houses, Blair. Sometimes people choose too quickly and I don't want you to have buyer's remorse. Why don't we look at a couple in this price range tomorrow after you get pre-approved?"

"Okay, I will. But I'm telling you, I love this house." Blair did a spin as he looked it all over again and laughed.

"I do believe you're in love with this house. It doesn't happen a lot. Sometimes it just works for a person. It's not too far from the station, so that's good. Even if something happened to your car, you could walk," Bob said.

"I never even thought of that. That's a great idea. I like it even more, now."

"Okay, here is my card, why don't you come and see me tomorrow at 9:00 and we'll get the bank business done and then see at least two more houses in this price range."

"Thanks, Bob," Blair said, as he put the card in his pocket.

"I'll see you in the morning, then," Bob said as he walked Blair to his car.

"Thank you for everything, Bob. See you at 9:00."

On the way home, Blair stopped at Wonderburger and got two supersized meals to go. He didn't have time to start anything at that point. Jim would wonder what was going on, but Blair didn't really care as long as he could sit and think about his new home. The only part that upset him at all was the fact that he had to leave Jim behind. It couldn't be helped. It was time for a change. Blair really believed that a change could do you good.

When Blair pulled into the parking lot at the loft, Jim pulled up at the same time.

"Hey, Chief."

"Hey yourself. Want to help carry dinner and drinks?" Blair asked.

"Wonderburger? You're kidding, right? I was craving one today. How could you have known that?" Jim was thrilled.

"Don't let it make you too happy. You'll have to work out twice after you eat it," Blair teased.

Jim laughed and grabbed some of the dinner and a drink and walked towards the building. They got on the elevator that worked for a change and got upstairs just in time to have Jim's stomach growl, very loudly.

"Did you eat today?" Blair asked.

"I had a Snickers bar. Blair, that's all I had time for. I was going to go and get some lunch but they called me up and said I had to be ready in a half hour. Well, you know you can't walk all the way down there and get a dog in that short time. So, I got the Snickers and counted myself as lucky."

"I should have went along with you so I could have gotten you something," Blair said, sounding guilty.

"Want to go tomorrow? I have to sit all day and do the same thing," Jim explained.

"Actually, I was going to a book store tomorrow and making a day of it. Do you really need me in court?" Blair asked, hoping Jim wouldn't notice the lie.

Jim looked at him oddly and then said, "No, I was teasing. You have a nice day off."

"Thanks, Jim. I have my eye on a couple of good books," Blair said.

They sat down and had dinner and talked about the court case during most of it. Jim didn't ask Blair anything about work, which was odd, but Blair figured that he must have been focused on something else.

That night, Jim went to bed early and Blair sat in his room looking at houses in that price range he had looked at that day. He found nothing that suited him like that one did. This made him even more determined to buy it. He was going to be so sad, if he didn't qualify for it.

Blair looked at some used furniture places while he had his computer on and saw a few things he might be able to afford. Blair was trying not to get too excited, but he was afraid it was too late.

Jim lie in bed that night looking through the skylight and wondered what was going on with Blair. Jim had a feeling it had something to do with a woman. He must be getting serious. He was lying earlier and Jim knew that something was going on. He wished that Blair didn't have to have secrets when it came to the two of them, but Blair was secretive sometimes. Jim knew this to be true. He could hear Blair down in his room humming a happy tune and could just tell he was bubbling with excitement. This must be some new girlfriend.

Blair got ready for bed and fell asleep pretty darn quickly. He was exhausted from the excitement of the day.

When Blair got up the next morning at 7:00, Jim was already gone. Blair was actually relieved. He wouldn't have to lie because he didn't lie to Jim that well. Blair took a shower, did his hair and left by 8:00. He was so excited, he didn't care that he was an hour early. He remembered to take all of the phone numbers he would need and his loan application information, including a months worth of pay stubs. Blair was ready for this.

When he drove up to the real estate office, Bob came out smiling and motioned for him to come in. Blair walked into the office, smiling.

"I had a feeling you would be early today, so I came a little sooner that I usually do and I made coffee. Would you like a cup?" Bob asked.

"I would love a cup. I forgot all about my coffee fix when I left this morning. I was too darn excited. The house is still there, right?"

"Of course it's still there. Oh, I see what you mean, is it still available? Yes, it is. No offers today so far, but it's early," Bob teased.

Blair laughed and then so did Bob.

"Here is the paperwork they're going to ask for, so why don't you fill it all out now and that way it won't take so long when we get there. You'll be all set," Bob suggested.

Blair took the papers and started filling them out. He was quite into it when he noticed Bob was looking over his shoulder. "Is something wrong, Bob?"

"No, I just find it amazing that I gave you something to do and you're doing it. Without questions. What a concept," Bob joked again.

When Blair was done he handed it all to Bob and Bob looked it over and said, "You did this perfectly. You must fill out forms for a living."

"Sort of, I'm a police observer and I fill out a lot of forms. It's almost nine, are we leaving soon?" Blair asked, excitedly.

"We're going across the street to this bank, Blair. My friend is the loan officer there and he's expecting us. Let me call him and see if he's almost ready for you," Bob said.

Blair heard him on the phone and he walked out of his office, smiling. "He's waiting for us now. He'll let us in early," Bob said, happily.

"Thank God, that wait is over," Blair said, ever so dramatically.

Bob laughed all the way over to the bank and Blair had no idea why. He didn't care why he just wanted to get his house.

Bob handed all of the paperwork and copies of Blair's pay stubs and everything else that was needed to Mike Miller. "Blair, this is my friend, Mike Miller. He's the one that you have to make the offer to on the house. His bank owns it."

"Oh my gosh, really? Wow, this is going to be swell," Blair said, bouncing in place.

Both Mike and Bob burst out laughing and Mike said, "A bouncer and someone that still says, swell."

Blair blushed and said, "I can't help it. I really loved the house."

Mike asked, "I thought you were going to look at some others while I did the paperwork?"

"I decided last night that it was the one for me. I don't need to see any others," Blair said, happily.

"You and Bob sit down while I run the numbers and come up with your results," Mike said.

They sat down on the sofa outside Mike's office and Blair said, "How long does this usually take?"

"It just depends, Blair. I have no idea how long it will take. Might be an hour, might be two," Bob guessed.

"Damn, I was hoping it would be quicker," Blair said, sounding disgusted.

Bob handed Blair a Homes Beautiful magazine and told him to relax.

"Oh, by the way, Blair, I have a cousin who sells appliances and he'll give you a good deal on a nice set for the house, if you get it. And I have another cousin who sells and lays carpet and he said he would give you a good deal, too."

"Oh that's great. Then that would just leave a house full of furniture and painting I'd have to do," Blair said nervously.

"Second thoughts, Blair?"

"No, just know that I won't be able to get everything at once. That's a bummer," Blair admitted.

"I also have a cousin, who sells used furniture. Maybe you could find something there pretty cheaply," Bob said.

"Wow, you have it all covered, don't you?" Blair teased. Blair looked at his watch and realized it had been almost an hour since they had gotten there. He sighed and went back to reading the magazine.

Mike walked out the door and said, "Blair, follow me?"

Blair followed him into his office and sat down when Mike motioned him over to a chair.

"Well, you qualified for the house. Now, we just need to draw up the papers with the offer on it. How much do you want to offer?" Mike asked.

"Mike, to tell you the truth, I love the house, but I need to put all new carpet and appliances in the house and that's going to cost a lot. So, I have to offer less and I sure as hell don't want to offend you," Blair said.

"Let me get Bob in here with the paperwork he brought," Mike said as he left the office for a moment.

Bob walked into the office, smiling. "Mike tells me you're ready to put in an offer but you need help in deciding. That's my job, Blair. What were you thinking about offering?"

"Well, Bob, I was thinking one hundred and twenty thousand would be a good place to be. What do you think?" Blair asked.

"I think that's a perfect place to be. Let me write it up and get you to sign all of the papers and we'll get Mike in here to do his thing," Bob said as he filled out more paperwork.

Blair just sat there nervously and waited for everything to be done. Once Bob was done, he said, "Sign here, here and here. Then I can give it to Mike and we'll await his decision."

Blair signed everything he needed to sign and asked if he could have some coffee to calm him down.

Mike and Bob both laughed at the idea of caffeine actually calming anyone down.

Mike said, "Blair wait back out in the lobby again and I'll call you as soon as I have an answer."

"Thank you, Mike. And you too, Bob. You've both been great, no matter what happens."

Blair sat down out in the lobby and waited for another hour. Finally Bob came out and said, "Follow me, he's got your answer."

"Already?" Blair said, somewhat shocked. He figured it would be bad news, because it didn't take long enough for good news.

Blair walked in and stood there looking at the floor. "Well, Blair, you are the proud owner of a new home. You have to have the inspection done and utilities turned on, but we accepted your offer. It was a good offer, by the way," Mike said.

Blair grabbed his hand and shook it hard and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Don't get too excited, there is another month before you will get the keys and move in. But you're one step closer aren't you?" Bob asked.

Blair shook Bob's hand next and thanked him over and over again. Mike gave Blair the list of inspectors to call and Blair said he would do it right away.

"It's one hundred dollars for the inspection, Blair. And then if he sees anything that looks odd, he might call in some special inspector and that will cost more. Welcome to the world of owning a house. Now remember the sooner you get the inspection, the sooner we can move on everything else," Bob said.

"I'll call as soon as I'm home," Blair said, wondering suddenly what in the world he was going to tell Jim.

Bob walked Blair out to his car and told him, "Congratulations, again, Blair. You knew what you wanted and went for it."

"Thank you, Bob. I'll see you later. Are you going to be there for the inspection?" Blair asked.

"I usually do, so call me as soon as you have a time and date. See you soon, Blair."

Bye, Bob," Blair called over his shoulder as he got into his car. He was so excited, but nervous too. He had to tell Jim now. This was going to be hard.

Blair sat right in the parking lot and made the call to the first name on the list that sounded good to him. Tom Logan was the inspector and Blair liked the sounds of his names. He called and Tom answered, "Logan, here."

"Mr. Logan, I just bought a house and I need to have it inspected as soon as possible," Blair said.

"I can do it in three days, does that give you enough time to turn on the utilities?" Logan asked.

"Yes, that would be perfect. I'll call immediately and get them turned on, if there are any problems, I'll call back. What time and day?" Blair asked.

"Friday, at 7:00 if that's possible. I like to get them done with early," Logan said.

"I'll let you know if that can't be worked out. Thank you," Blair said.

"You do know that you have to give me a check up front for one hundred dollars, right?" Logan asked.

"I'll have the check with me, Mr. Logan. My name is Blair Sandburg and the house address is 2010 Center Street."

"I'll see you on Friday, if you don't call to change it. Have a good day, Mr. Sandburg."

After Blair finished he called Bob. "Hello?"

"Hi, Bob, the appointment for the inspector is on Friday at 7:00 if you can make it that soon. I've got to get the utilities turned on really fast in order to get that inspection done."

"Call right now and set it up. They can do it from their offices. It should be easy as pie. See you on Friday," Bob said.

As soon as he was done, he called the Water Department, the Electric Company and last but not least, the Gas Company. Once they were all set up, he felt better. The utilities were going to be turned on, Thursday. So, Blair was having a good day after all.

On the drive home, Blair was trying to think about what he would say to Jim and realized he was really nervous about that. He didn't know why, but he wondered if Jim might take the news badly. After all, they had lived together for over four years. Jim was a creature of habit and didn't like changes. Blair hated to do this to him, but it was necessary.

He dialed the bullpen and Connor answered, "Connor, may I help you?"

"Hi, Megan, I wanted to tell you my good news. I bought a house today. Do you believe it?" Blair asked.

"Sandy, you and Jim are moving from the loft?"

"No, just me. I'm moving. I bought a house today. Just signed the papers about two hours ago," Blair said, happily.

"And you're not taking Jim?" Megan asked, quite concerned.

"Why would I take Jim?" Blair asked, point blank.

"Because, he's in love with you, you drongo," Megan almost shouted.

"Hey, he's not in love with me," Blair shouted back.

Connor tried to calm down a little and said, "Meet me at the Boozer. I'm going to make up a story to Simon. I'll meet you at Brad's Place."

"Fine, but you're wrong, Megan, dead wrong."

They both hung up and Megan was shocked at how lame-brained Sandy could be from time to time. She was going to have to set him straight.

At Brads:

Blair had gotten a booth and Megan slid in opposite him. "Let me start Sandy, because I'm the one that knows what's going on."

"Fine, what's going on?" Blair asked.

"Jimbo is mashed when it comes to you. He thinks of little else. One night on stake out with me, he zoned and I asked him to tell me the truth about what was wrong with him. He told me he was in love with you. He didn't say you, he said, a guy that I know that dates tons of women."

"Megan, did it ever occur to you that it was someone else?"

"No, he's gone around the bend for you," Megan said, trying not to laugh at the face Blair was making.

"You must be wrong. Surely, you must be. I can't believe this. I have to tell him I'm moving now. God, I can't believe I didn't talk to you first." Blair put his face into his hands and just moaned.

"You have to tell him the good oil. And I mean that, Sandy."

"Megan, I have no idea what that even means," Blair said, sounding lost.

"It means, he needs the truth," Megan said.

"Why didn't you just say that?"

"I did, Sandy, I did."

"I don't know what to do now. I can't go back on the house offer. It wouldn't work that way. God, I'm so dumb sometimes."

"Tell him you're mashed with him too," Megan answered, "then tell him about the house and you have good oil too."

"What the hell does that mean?" Blair asked, looking lost again.

"You're in love with him and you have good information about moving."

"You're certain that he's mashed with me?" Blair asked, feeling somewhat odd using the Australian lingo.

"If you don't know Christmas from Bourke Street, then I give up," Megan said.

"Again, I know nothing of what you just said," Blair said.

"Just ask him to move in, Sandy. And tell him you were yips about it," Megan said.

"I give up. I'll talk to him tonight. I have to go and practice what I'm going to say," Blair said.

"Sandy, I'm telling you, just tell him the truth, don't be a drongo."

"God forbid that I be one of those," Blair teased.

"See you later, Sandy."

"Thanks for everything, Megan."

They both left in separate directions and one was smiling and the other looked confused.

Blair got home and started pacing. This wasn't really his home anymore and now he had to try and figure out what to tell Jim. Would he tell him the truth or would he lie and say it was a surprise all along? God, I have no idea what to do here.

Blair knew that one day, he would own his own home, but he never dreamed it would be with Jim. Could he break down and ask him? And as far as the house was concerned, when the dust settles, would he be willing to move from his home to be with Blair? All good questions and they all needed good answers. Blair continued to pace.

At 2:00 the phone rang and he answered it all stressed out, "Sandburg."

"Blair, what's wrong?" Jim asked, on alert right away.

"I have to talk to you and it's sort of important. When are you going to be done?" Blair asked.

"I'm done, I was going to ask you if you wanted to meet at Brad's for a sandwich and beer," Jim asked.

"Sure, that's as good a place as any, I guess," Blair said, sounding on the edge.

Oh, fuck, he found out about how I feel about him. Jim thought.

Jim hung up and drove over to Brad's and got a booth. Blair walked in about ten minutes later and sat across from Jim, looking like he had lost his best friend.

"You're never going to believe what I did today?"

"Okay, then just tell me since you don't think I could guess," Jim answered.

"I bought a house for us today. What do you think of that?" Blair asked.

"You bought a house for us? I have a house, Blair, if you can remember that place we call home," Jim said, sounding sort of pissed off.

"So, I guess that means you're not moving in with me?" Blair asked.

"Why would I move to a place I had no say in?" Jim asked, getting angrier by the moment.

"I shopped for both of us. It was an impulse buy and I wanted a big bedroom for the two of us," Blair said, and then blushed.

Jim realized what he was saying and smiled. "You want me to move into your bedroom with you?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'm not doing a very good job of this."

"No shit, Chief." Jim said, laughing.

"Why aren't you angry anymore?" Blair wondered.

"Because I didn't know I was included in the move. I mean, as your partner."

"What do you think about having dinner with me tonight?" Blair asked.

"That would be good, so you could tell me about our new home. Am I at least going to like it?" Jim asked.

"I doubt it. It's in the edge of the suburbs and it doesn't have a garage, just a double carport. It needs all new carper and appliances, but I love the house. The bedroom is huge. It would fit everything we own in there. It's about ten blocks from work and the neighbors all smiled at me when I walked out after looking at it. Oh, and one more thing, it has a bathroom off our bedroom."

"I would love to move in with you," Jim said, sweetly as he took Blair's hand into his own and then pulled it up to his lips and kissed Blair's knuckles. "The bathroom off our bedroom sounds super nice, doesn't it?"

"Oh man, you're a romantic aren't you? You're going to be the death of me. I'm so glad I wasn't a drongo and just came right out and told you what was going on."

"Drongo?" Jim asked.

"Megan said it means, slow, stupid or idiot. She told me not to be one," Blair explained.

"What has Megan got to do with this?" Jim asked.

"Oh fuck, you didn't talk to her about me did you?" Blair asked, almost panicking.

"It doesn't matter, Blair. What matters is we're going to be together. That's the important part of this," Jim pointed out.

"I love you so much, Jim."

"We could have lunch here and call it a date and then go home and make love," Jim suggested. "I'd love to show you how much I love you."

"Okay, I can live with that. You did kiss my hand after all. This is a date," Blair teased.

They didn't take their eyes off of one another for the entire meal. They weren't drongos after all.

The end