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“Please, Uncle Simon, Jess has so many women in her family, unmarried or divorced women, and there are hardly any eligible men on my side. Is there no way you can persuade some of your male officers to come to the reception? There’ll be free food….”
Simon sighed. Nick was his favorite nephew, one of Joan’s brother’s sons who had babysat Darryl many times, but Simon couldn’t order his men to come along, but maybe he could guilt them into it….
***
Simon was feeling relaxed as he propped up the bar. The food was good, the drink, also good, and he was chatting to the bride’s attractive aunt when the bridegroom came over.
“Going well, isn’t it, Uncle?”
Simon smiled. “Yes, it is.” He patted his nephew on the shoulder. “You did good, son,” he said.
Nick smiled back. “I want to thank you for getting your men involved. That guy in the smart suit, he’s a real hit with the ladies.”
Simon looked over to where Nick was pointing. “Rafe? Yes, he has a reputation at the office for being fashionable.”
Which wasn’t a lie. Rafe had the nickname ‘Mr. GQ’, not that Simon knew that officially of course, it was all done in fun as far as he was aware and Rafe seemed to take it in a good spirit.
“But those two over there,” Nick brought his uncle back, “the ladies keep coming up to me to ask what’s up with them? They don’t seem interested. Are they gay? They seem so, as Jess would put it, into each other. I don’t want to cause you problems, Uncle, but, Jess, well she asked me to ask you to… have a word?” he finished, weakly.
Simon’s eyes narrowed. At that table sat his two best men, Ellison and Sandburg. Not that Sandburg was officially one of his officers, not yet at least, but Blair fitted in so well, he was regarded as one of the team by everyone, including Simon.
The two of them were sitting, heads close together, and they were laughing.
“No, they’re not gay,” Simon said to his nephew. “They were working late so need to get with the program. I’ll go over and have a word.”
Nick nodded. “I mean, it’s fine if they don’t want to join in, but I have to keep the women on my side and if your men are just here to eat….” He looked thoroughly uncomfortable and Simon took pity on him.
“I’ll go and check on them. Don’t worry.”
Simon wasn’t sure what to say to his men. “Hey why aren’t you dancing?” sounded as good as it got. And better than “I asked you here as a favor, and you are eating my nephew’s food and drinking his drink without anteing up.”
On the other hand, he’d sometimes watched Jim and Blair, the way they were, well, into each other. Simon had put it down to the Sentinel thing that he really didn’t want to know about, but sometimes, he’d admit to himself, he wondered. Truth was, if they were gay, and if they came out to him, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. If he knew officially, he might have to separate them, and that would cause so many problems. Simon was positive he’d lose his best team and his best friends if he had to ask Blair to turn in his observer badge. Sarah Finkleman had soon found out the folly of trying that one.
Deep in thought, he found he was standing near their table.
“And then, she said, ‘It went too far up the freeway!’”
Jim roared with laughter, wiping away tears. “Only you, Sandburg, only you.”
“Honest, Jim. It’s the truth!”
“I believe you, Chief! It’s too farfetched for it to be anything but!”
“Gentlemen.” Simon chose that moment to interrupt.
Blair turned his head. “Oh, hi, Simon!” he said, as if surprised to find anyone else there.
“Hi Simon,” echoed Jim, looking up, a large grin still on his face. “Blair’s been telling me about the faculty lunch he had to attend. It’s because of that we were late. I had to collect him. His car’s in the shop, again.”
“I keep telling you, Jim, she’s a classic….”
Simon cleared his throat. “I’m glad you gentlemen got here, but if you remember, I asked if you would attend as dance partners for my nephew’s in-laws, and his new bride is getting pressure put on her, which puts pressure on my nephew, which, in turn, puts me under pressure.” Simon really hoped he’d got the message through.
“Oh, sorry, Simon,” said Blair. “I forgot we have to dance for our supper.”
“You did say that, barring any big cases coming up, we could get off the late shift, didn’t you, Simon? For coming here and letting the ladies dance on our feet…” Jim added.
Blair shook his head. “Bribery and corruption in someone I’ve always thought of as an outstanding officer.”
Simon’s eyes narrowed.
“Come on, Chief,” Jim said, quickly pulling his friend up. “Let’s not keep these lovely ladies from the dance floor.”
“Okay. Look, Simon, we’re dancing.” Blair ‘moon danced’ away. Jim grabbed Blair’s collar and dragged him to where some ladies were smiling at them.
Simon shook his head and got a cigar out of his pocket, only to put it back quickly as one maiden aunt frowned at him.
Sometimes you follow.
Blair kicked off his shoes and socks, and rubbed his feet. “I think they’re black and blue! Look!”
“I see, Chief. Mine are too, not to mention my backside! Who knew that Nick’s in-laws could have roaming hands, or that stilettos are back in fashion?”
“And they wouldn’t let me lead! It was like a fighting match out there, with no rules!”
Jim nodded grimly. “Next time Simon wants an escort service and resorts to bribery, remind me to say no.”
“Amen, Brother.” Blair leaned back. “I don’t think I’m a bad dancer. I mean, mom taught me some basic steps one time.”
“Dad insisted I take lessons, but today, I should have worn my combat boots.”
“Rafe didn’t seem to be struggling the same way as us….” Blair said, musingly.
“No. I guess he did much better than us. He was the perfect partner – apparently, from what I overheard.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m going to take a shower and then turn in. I just hope I can get my shoes on tomorrow over the bruises!” Jim turned towards the bathroom and so missed the thoughtful look on his partner’s face.
“Jim?”
“Hmmm?”
The soft strains of some R and B music floated around the loft.“God, Blair, can I have some peace and quiet? Haven’t we had enough noise for one night?”
“Dance with me.”
“What? Now? Why?”
“Please Jim.”
Jim sighed. “Okay. Turn off the Puppy-dog eyes. Whatever it is you feel you need to test, it had better be good!”
They moved into each other’s space. At first it was awkward. Neither man knew where to place their hands. Then something magical happened. Blair’s right hand found Jim’s left. Blair’s left went to Jim’s shoulder as Jim’s right snaked around Blair’s waist, and they started to move together, their bodies relaxed against one another.
Blair rested his head against Jim’s and he breathed a sigh. Jim pulled Blair a bit closer, breathing in his friend’s scent.
As the music came to a stop, the two men were still gently swaying together.
They slowly stepped apart and Blair looked up at Jim’s face. He gasped at the expression he saw there and he dropped his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said, hesitatingly.
He didn’t see the pain flash across Jim’s face to be quickly hidden by anger.
“Sorry? You’re sorry?” Jim pointed at Blair. “You know what you are, Sandburg? You’re a tease and a flirt!”
His anger quickly died and he sighed. “Never mind. I’m too tired for all this shit. I’m just going to bed. Maybe this will just be a bad dream.” He hesitated and then added, “I’ll see you in the morning, Chief.”
He got as far as the second step on the stairs then Blair called out to him.
“Jim, wait. Please.”
Jim half turned. Blair looked wretched.
“What now?” Jim asked, tiredly.
Blair took a deep breath. “I’m not a tease or a flirt – well maybe I am a flirt, so are you, but I am an idiot.”
“No argument from me, Chief.”
Blair flinched. And Jim was immediately sorry. He came down the stairs and leaned against the back of the couch.
“Okay…” Blair said, “I guess I deserve that. God, where to start!”
“I’m listening.”
“Right. Okay.” Blair chewed on his lip. “Right. You said that Rafe was the perfect dance partner.”
“So I heard some of the ladies saying.”
“Which is cool, but look at us when we cook or do just about anything around the loft. It’s almost as if we anticipate what the other is going to do before he does it. It’s an art form, Jim, a perfect dance, and we do it without thinking! We’re in perfect sync. That’s one reason why I wanted to dance with you. I wanted to know, if, if we fit in other ways…” He paused. “I think I’ve loved you for a long time, but I didn’t think you felt the same way until we stopped dancing and I saw your face. God, to have so much love for me directed at me… it was overwhelming, and I panicked.” He looked searchingly at Jim. “You saw the same emotion on my face didn’t you?”
“I thought I did.”
“I… do. And it’s scary.”
“Blair, love is scary.” Jim moved closer. “You open yourself up to someone, and step off the edge of a cliff with no knowledge of if there will be someone there to catch you. But I will be there, whenever wherever you fall. I promise. Trust me?”
“I always have. It felt… right, us dancing together. The way it should be for us. Do you remember that story, Plato, I think, about how the gods created humans with two faces, four arms and four legs? But Zeus split us into two, and how we’ve all gone through life searching for our other half? That’s how we are. You are the other part of me.”
“The taller, better looking part?”
“The irritating half I can’t do without.”
Jim laughed. “Okay, I can live with that. So when you say, I’m your other half, what do you have in mind for us? Something like this?” He tentatively lifted Blair’s chin, and leaned in to kiss Blair’s full lips.
When they separated, Blair swallowed. “Yeah,” he said, huskily. “Something exactly like that.” He cupped the back of Jim’s head and pulled his partner down to kiss him.
“Hey, Jim,” he whispered against Jim’s lips. “How do you feel about doing the horizontal mambo with me?”
Jim laughed again. “Consider your dance sheet filled for the next millennium, Chief.” He took Blair’s hand and lightly pulled him towards the stairs.
“Fine with me, it’ll save on the shoe leather!” Blair said, as he jogged after Jim.