Disclaimer: The Sentinel and its characters are the property of Pet Fly, UPN, Paramount, and The SciFi Channel
Much appreciation goes to Shallan for her beta work...thank you!
Carole
As thunder rumbled in the distance, Jim was drawn to the large balcony windows that overlooked the bay. He stood, motionless, gazing out into the night with a dejected frown.
It was raining. Jim could hear the rain tapping on the windows, gurgling down the drains, tumbling through the gutters. He could hear the splash of the water as the cars drove through the puddles. His mood was as grey as the clouds.
"Hey, Jim... Jim?"
Jim blinked, startled, as his eyes focused on Blair's distorted reflection in the glass before him. "Chief?" he murmured in surprise, turning around to face the younger man.
"Yeah. Are you okay?"
Without responding, Jim closed his eyes for a long moment, allowing the welcome soothing cadence of his Guide's heartbeat and voice to sweep over him.
"Jim? You're not okay, are you?" Blair asked in a voice barely above a whisper as he took a step forward, close enough to lay his hand on Jim's shoulder. "What's wrong? Is it your senses? Oh, man, I..."
Taking a deep breath as he opened his eyes, Jim raised his hand to stop the flow of concern, then gestured toward the wind-blown rain pelting the glass. "I was just listening to the rain."
Blair gazed at Jim, searching his face intently. "You sure?"
"Yeah," Jim reassured him. He looked at his partner questioningly. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow night."
Blair grinned as he shrugged off his backpack to let it drop to the floor beside him. "I wasn't going to, but tomorrow's just a wrap-up day so I won't miss anything important. And," he paused, "I was ready to come home."
At the sight of Blair's beaming face, a smile of his own teased at the corner of Jim's mouth. "I'm glad you're back," he said simply, placing his arm around Blair's shoulders to pull him close for a few seconds.
Blair laughed, patting Jim affectionately on the back. "Me, too, man. Me, too."
"How was the seminar?"
"Jim, I can't wait to tell you about it. It was so cool! The keynote speaker had worked on a dig in Peru a few years ago, and one of the things he said reminded me of something in Burton's manuscript. Did you know..."
Jim chuckled as Blair's hands began to fly in synch with his words and his eyes danced with excitement. "Sandburg," he interrupted, anticipating a long lecture. "Why don't you take a few minutes to unpack and get settled, then you can give me all the details."
"Okay," Blair answered, his enthusiasm only waning slightly. "I really do need to get out of these clothes, and a shower would feel good about now."
"Hungry?"
"Yeah," Blair admitted. Rolling his eyes, he added, "All I had to eat on the flight was a little bag of honey roasted peanuts and a Pepsi."
"Sandwiches okay?"
Another brilliant smile flashed across Blair's face. "Sounds great! I'll be out in a few."
Jim grinned down at his friend fondly. "Okay, Chief."
As Blair left the room, Jim was drawn back to the large balcony windows that overlooked the bay. He stood, motionless, gazing out into the night with an elated smile.
It was still raining. Jim could still hear the rain tapping on the windows, gurgling down the drains, tumbling through the gutters. He could still hear the splash of the water as the cars drove through the puddles. But his mood, despite the grey clouds, was now as bright as the noonday sun.
~end~
May 2001