by Athena
Fandom: The Sentinel
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Summary: Henri invites Jamie over for poker night
Series: A co-story to Having Your Baby
Rating: NC-17 for adult subject matter)
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Ami for her Beta read
(thank you - Ivan Reitman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Devito, Emma Thompson, and everyone else involved with the production of the movie Junior for the inspiration.)
Jamie's Universe 5: Poker
by Athena
Jamie went upstairs to Major Crimes with her reports showing the indentations in the mud came from a brand of boots only sold in one store in the greater Cascade area. The perpetrator had used a credit card.
"H," said Jamie. "Two people brought that size and brand of boot at the shoe store. Both had credit cards. One was from California; the other is local. I have the addresses."
Henri looked over the report. "Thanks. You could have emailed me."
"This information could solve the case and I didn't want it lost in the spam."
"We have catching up to do. How about you join us from poker at my place?"
"You and Rafe accused me of using my senses to cheat."
"Simon set us straight and said you're too much of a Boy Scout."
"With my skirt and white socks, I look more like a Girl Scout."
"Either way, you're too much of a goody-goody."
"I risked death for others but am nervous about risking my life for my own happiness." Jamie didn't feel right about having life-threatening surgery simply to improve the quality of her life.
After she had been living six years as a woman without the surgery.
Henri pulled out a chair for Jamie. "Risking your life for happiness. Sounds serious. You aren't talking about your hernia."
"My intestinal hernia hasn't given me trouble in years. I'm thinking of getting my old jeans out of my closet." Jim subconsciously winced at the thought.
"That look of pain says otherwise," said Henri.
Jim swallowed back his saliva. "I know it's healed mentally. I picture wearing jeans and a belt and-"
"I rather not hear about your latest surgery. I'll see you tonight at the poker game. I trust you and Rafe is in Arizona."
"Arizona?" Jamie placed the file on Henri's desk.
"Can't get warmer or drier," said Henri. "He had it with Cascade living up to its name."
Jamie got up from her seat and pushed in the chair. "Poker tonight. Your place."
"If I think you're cheating, I'll say tight jeans."
"You are so cruel. H., one of these years your amazing good health will fail. Just remember we all grow old."
After work, Jamie picked up Devin at her school and Chicken Chow Mein for dinner. As the rice was cooking, Jamie changed into tee shirt and jeans, no belt. Her tee shirt said, "I'm not staring. Predators always observe their prey before striking," just the right message for poker night. Then she got back to slicing the vegetables for the stir-fry. Jamie cooked almost everyday while she was home with Devin. Now that she and Blair were both working, they could share the cooking.
Blair came home as Jamie was adding bean spouts to the Chow Mein. He kissed his wife's neck as she was turning off the heat. "Smells good."
"You smell better," Jamie turned around to kiss Blair. "I'm going over H's to play poker."
"He called you a cheater."
"He apologized. It's not until eight-thirty."
Jamie served Blair and Devin dinner before serving herself. Afterwards, she put on a necklace, refreshed her lipstick, put on a fall jacket and kissed Blair. "Good-bye, Chief."
"Mommy, don't go," Devin grabbed Jamie's leg.
"Devin, I'll be back tonight. You'll see me in the morning." Jamie picked her up to kiss her. Then she placed her on the sofa and got her purse from the basket by the door. "Good-bye, Honey. Be good for Daddy. Mommy will be back soon."
After waving one last good-bye, Jamie left for Henri's house. The Browns lived in the same three-bedroom house that Jamie remembered from a previous poker night. Jamie felt guilty about going out after being away from Devin all day. However, Serena Chang let her go in time to get Devin by four-thirty, so she would only have one hour in afterhours' care.
"Joyce and the kids went to see the latest Star Wars film," explained Henri.
"I only see Disney films lately." Jamie joined the others at the living room table.
Henri said, "Jamie, you remember Scott Jefferson. Carmen Perez is our newest detective."
"Hello," said Carmen.
Jamie and Carmen shook hands.
"Jamie used to work in Major Crimes," explained Henri, "before her baby was born."
Carmen asked, "How old is your baby?"
"Devin is five," said Jamie.
Carmen sat next to Jamie. 'I thought I was going to be the only woman tonight. How did you handle being the only woman around these men?"
"I wasn't the only woman. Conner, an exchange cop from Oz, also worked in Major Crimes while I worked there."
"We women can show the men how poker is played," said Carmen.
Simon coughed.
Henri said, "Those cigars are going to kill you."
Jamie dialed down her sight and smell to normal levels. Reading people was part of the game, but she shouldn't smell if someone was lying and Henri's sweat glands broadcasted that he was lying louder than most people. After Joel arrived, Henri passed out some beers and dealt the first hand.
After Carmen won the first hand, Scott Jefferson said, "The women are conspiring against us."
Simon said, "I only see one woman in the room."
"Just because I'm not wearing a black shirt that clings to my breasts doesn't mean I'm chopped liver," said Carmen.
Jamie said, "Blair bought the shirt. He says I wear too many browns and pastels. Black isn't me."
"You look good," said Scott.
Simon dealt the next hand.
"The shirt was supposed to be intimidating." Jamie looked at her cards. "I'm supposed to be big and scary."
"You in a dress is scary," said Simon.
"I've been complimented on my legs," said Jamie.
Joel said, "Stop picking on Jamie. She's doing well after hanging around Blair for so many years.
Jamie may have coined 'The Sandburg Zone', but weirdness follows Dr. Sandburg. Some is bound to rub off."
Carmen said, "Your husband is a doctor."
"Of anthropology," said Jamie.
"Like studying ancient societies," said Carmen.
"He did his dissertation on police officers as tribal watchmen," explained Jamie. "My last partner died and I had trouble coping with a new partner. Suddenly, I found myself with this professor."
Joel laughed. "I feel sorry for all those native tribes he studied."
"They are probably still recovering from the Sandburg Effect," said Henri.
"I'm a Sandburg now," said Jamie.
"Only through marriage," said Henri.
Carmen said, "Jamie's husband must be a hit at parties."
"An old Peruvian shaman passed the way of the shaman onto him before he died," said Simon.
"Dr. Sandburg can make the most boring stake-out interesting."
"You'll meet him at the Christmas party," said Jamie.
"I would never date a co-worker."
"Blair was a civilian observer. He works for the university and I work for the police department. After my first marriage, I learned better than shitting and eating at the same place," said Jamie.
"Your first husband was a cop?" asked Carmen.
"My ex-wife headed forensics," said Jamie.
Scott laughed, causing the beer to go out his nose. "You have a daughter?"
Jamie simply said, "Donated egg."
Carmen laughed, too. "Then Captain Banks's comment wasn't directed toward me."
Scott said, "We're here to play poker."
Everyone folded except Simon and Jamie. Jamie wanted to boast his senses to see if Simon was literally sweating, but that would be using an unfair advantage. However, Simon had insulted him twice, three times if he counted the cough. Jamie looked at his two pair, aces and jacks.
He looked at Simon with his sight still turned down, way down. Vengeance would wait until another day. "I fold," Jamie said in a half-whisper.
"Speak up," said Simon.
Jamie put his cards face down on the table. "I fold. You win." Jamie went to the kitchen to get another beer.
Joel followed. "You can't let him get to you."
"Simon is right. I'm ugly."
"You have a beautiful smile and the most gorgeous baby blue eyes," said Joel. "So what if you're big boned? My wife is a big woman and Joyce Brown wouldn't fit in anyone's pocket."
"I'm going home. I'll see you at work."
Joel hugged her. "Jamie, don't be a stranger."
"I'll be in the basement, smelling pond water or feeling invoices for imprints of addresses and phone numbers." Jamie, still holding her beer, walked out of Henri's kitchen then sat down on the sofa to finish it because it was a shame to waste good beer.
Carmen sat beside Jamie. "How about I take you home? I want to meet the Indiana Jones of Cascade."
"Blair hasn't been on an expedition for over ten years."
"Shaman, anthropologist, police observer, I bet he's handsome, too," said Carmen.
"He's mine," said Jamie.
"You're one lucky woman. You belong home with him, not here with us losers."
"You aren't a loser. Simon acts like I let him down. I go off the hormones and have a bit of liposuction and I look like my Cop of the Year photo, only older. Simon hasn't answered how do I feel like me." Jamie drank more beer. "Looking like me is easy. How do I think like the old me?"
"What happened?" asked Carmen.
"I tried to go back to the old me. I wore my old clothing outside the house. By the time Devin was two, I realized it wasn't going to work. I registered at college under my married name." Jamie went to the kitchen to get more beer. "I wore a pull-over sweater on AM Cascade. With a tee shirt, dress shirt and sweater, I sweated under the studio lights, but I looked almost male."
Henri took the beer. "You've had enough."
"Henri, Joel, help me get Jamie to my car," said Carmen. "We don't want her giving out the real location of Shangri-La or the secret of the Aztec gold."
"Leprechauns," said Henri.
Joel said, "I'll follow. You drive Jamie's Ford."
Carmen pushed some Jamie's hair out of her eyes. "Give me the keys to your truck. I'm driving you home." Carmen got in the driver's side and adjusted the seat as Henri and Joel helped Jamie into the passenger seat and buckled her in.
Jamie gave Carmen directions to the loft. The lights looked pretty. Jamie was going to have headache tomorrow. `If Joel insisted on walking her to the loft, she would give him what for.
However, Jamie's what for's were less threatening than Jim's were. All anyone saw was a woman ranting. Jamie in her cotton blouses and dress slacks wasn't as intimidating as Jim. The "observing prey" tee shirt didn't change the fact people saw a middle-aged woman.
Carmen parked the truck and handed Jamie the keys. "Do you want me to walk you up?"
"It takes more than three drinks to get me wobbly. I don't need to drink to get diarrhea of the mouth. The fertility drugs I was on had me babbling nonsense for months." Jamie got out of the truck and walked toward the building.
Carmen walked beside her. "That may be so, but I'll feel better if I was you to your door."
"Dr. Jones belongs to me." Jamie opened the door to 852 Prospect.
Jamie and Carmen took the elevator up. When Jamie opened the door, Blair was reading on the couch. "Blair, this is Carmen. She drove me home."
"What did you do to the truck?" asked Blair.
"Carmen drove me in the Ford," explained Jamie
"Hello, Carmen," Blair said, looking over his book. "Thank you for driving Jamie home."
"I'm a police officer. I can't let someone drive home drunk."
"Simon was there?" Blair closed his book.
"Simon insulted Jamie a couple times," said Carmen. Jamie sat on the sofa near Blair and wrapped her arms around him. Carmen made her good-byes. "I need to get back downstairs. Joel is waiting to drive me to my car."
Carmen waved good-bye and left.
"Simon is one man," said Blair. "You can't let him get to you."
"He called me a fraud," said Jamie.
"You know you aren't a fraud," Blair climbed onto Jamie's lap and put his legs over the side of the sofa.
"I guess I still have issues with you calling yourself a fraud." Jamie placed her arms around Blair. "Simon knows how to push my buttons."
"You can't let him, man."
"I know. It's just that you risked you career for me and I kept on accusing you of betraying me. You would never betray me. I was a fool. You're the best thing that ever happened to be and I was too proud to see it."
"That's ancient history."
"I almost lost you. I take you for granted and I shouldn't."
END