Work Text:
ILoveYou!
by Gina Jones
Jim sat at his desk and sulked. Blair, his partner, his roommate, and, recently, his lover, was off playing anthropologist with a few of his students, out of state. Jim was bored, and Jim was lonely.
"When had Sandburg, Blair, taken over so much of my life?" he wondered as he thumped his pencil, repeatedly against the desk blotter.
Simon leaned against the doorway to his office and watched his best detective brood, childishly. Sighing, he advanced into the bullpen and sidled up to Ellison. "Jim," he muttered, his voice too low to be noticed by others in the room, "when does the kid get back?"
"Saturday," Jim stated, his eyes never leaving the telephone that sat upon his desk.
Simon followed Jim's gaze and grinned, slightly. "Call him. Maybe then you 'll be able to get your mind back on work, for a while."
Finally turning to face his boss, Jim grimaced. "I don't want him to think I can't get along without him. I mean, I can. I can. I'm just in a funk, today, that's all. I can handle this."
Simon's smile wavered as he heard a twinge of desperation in his friend's voice. He wondered, suddenly, if there weren't more to Ellison and Sandburg 's relationship than just friendship. "Whatever you say, Jim," he stated before returning to his office.
"I can handle it," Jim repeated to no one in particular. "I can." He grabbed a file out of his in basket and attacked his keyboard, angrily.
An hour later, he was just about to shut down his computer when his new mail icon flashed. Still grumpy, Jim clicked on the small envelope and waited as his mail program delivered the new message.
"ILoveYou," the message header simply stated.
Jim smiled. Then he looked worriedly around the office for unwanted screen watchers. Seeing that both Rafe and Henri were busy at their own computers, Jim took a calming breath and scrolled down to read the message he was sure was from his lover.
"kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me." was the message he saw.
"Kindly check the attached." Jim said to himself in wonder. "That doesn't really SOUND like Blair." He shrugged and stared at the cryptic message before him. "Maybe he had somebody interrupt him, so he had to rush the message, or something." Sliding the mouse over to the attachment icon, he stopped as he heard his desk phone ringing.
"Ellison," he stated, as his eyes returned to the computer monitor.
"Jim?" Blair's frantic voice sounded from the earpiece.
"Chief?" Jim was surprised, happily. "What are you up to? I just got a message from you! I'm opening it now."
A horridly loud, "NO!!!!!!!!!!!" could be heard coming from the telephone within the Sentinel's grip as Jim clicked on the attachment.
"What? Blair? Are you okay?" Jim shouted into the phone.
"Jim," Blair's voice became a whisper, as he fought to keep the panic from becoming too noticeable. "Please tell me you didn't just open a love letter on your computer."
A sense of foreboding coursed through Jim as he stared at the screen in confusion. "Uh, well, uh."
"Oh, God!" Blair's voice regained its earlier volume.
"Blair?" Jim asked, just as both Henri and Rafe began to open their new email. He placed his hand over his mouth and whispered, "Are you saying that you didn't send me the love letter?"
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