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Two men strolled through the doors of the University Memorial Library; one was bouncing excitedly and the other following at a more sedate pace.
Blair Sandburg spread his arms wide, taking in the lobby. "Welcome to my world."
"I'm not completely uneducated, Sandburg. I did need a BA in order to become an officer," Jim Ellison reminded.
"I know you're smart, Jim, but you hide it well."
Jim cut off his reply because they had reached the desk and the detective chose not to be crude in front of the female librarian.
"Good morning; may I help you?" She was a fifty-something-year-old, with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes. Her nametag read, "Peggy."
"Yes, we'd like to take a tour through the library," answered Blair.
She lifted an eyebrow and studied Jim. "Are you students here?" Her skepticism was unmistakable.
"No," Blair answered, "we're visiting the city and I convinced my friend here that he needs to experience some culture. The museum refused him, so here we are." He smiled widely and winked at his Jim. Then he laughed at the finger being displayed behind Jim's back, out of Peggy's sight.
"I just need you to fill out these cards and I'll need to see some ID." Peggy placed two cards on the counter in front of the men.
Jim looked down at the paper. "I need ID to get in here? Why?"
"Well, sir, it's for security. We have many rare books."
"Oh, right." Jim speedily filled out his card and both men showed their identification.
She copied the pertinent information down and then handed them their temporary cards. "Enjoy your day," she said merrily.
"Thank you," Blair replied as they walked through the nearby turnstile.
*
"So, really, why are we here?"
"I couldn't visit this city without coming here. They have an amazing collection of rare books on the top floor."
"Let me guess, it includes a book about sentinels?" Jim asked, smirking.
"Egocentric much?" Blair grinned at his friend. "No, these are plain, ordinary, run-of-the-mill books about non-sentinel topics."
Jim pretended to be aghast. "Why would you even read such things, Chief?"
"I like to live on the edge." Blair started wandering through the stacks of books, leaving Jim no choice but to follow. They walked along the first floor.
"It really is exciting."
"Yeah, thrilling," Jim agreed, deadpan.
"I know it's not as thrilling as a high-speed chase in your 'sweetheart,' but in its own way–"
"–it's exciting."
"Exactly." Blair smiled. "Don't worry, you'll love it."
Jim rolled his eyes in lieu of a verbal retort.
*
"What are you looking for anyway?" After two full floors of countless books, Jim was tired of following Blair around.
"Nothing."
"What do you mean 'nothing'?"
"I mean I'm not looking for anything in particular, I'm just browsing."
"You're window shopping in a library?"
"If you want to put it that way, yes."
"I'm going to die here, aren't I?"
"Only if you're lucky." Blair became intrigued by a tome he had plucked off the shelf and went to sit at one of the single desks that lined the walls.
At first Jim stood beside him. He was bored out of his mind, but knew this was something his best friend had been looking forward to and he couldn't deny Blair after all the extra hours he had been putting in at the PD, making certain Jim got his time off for their vacation.
The sentinel left Blair's side and started wandering around the general area. He tried to focus his hearing and find someone interesting to eavesdrop on. Okay, granted, it wasn't the most courteous behavior, but he really was bored.
It turned out to be a moot point, since there were absolutely no exciting conversations going on in the entire building. He sighed and switched to sight.
Eyeing the room with a false-casual air, he noticed a cute redheaded librarian stacking shelves in the corner. He stopped where he was and gave her a closer inspection. Apparently, she could feel his eyes on her, because she glanced sideways. When she spotted him, she smiled slightly, and returned to her work, perking up a bit.
Jim maneuvered to the left for a better view, planting himself in between the library shelves. He was so focused on the young woman that he tuned out his surroundings.
Unfortunately, he had placed himself within the movable stacks and he didn't notice the shelves closing in on him until the redhead looked over and her eyes widened in shock. He saw the movement and jumped aside, giving a little yelp as he skirted the hazard.
Jim's cry made him the very unhappy center of attention. Red-faced and on the verge of bolting, his mood did not improve upon hearing Blair's smothered laughter. He avoided the amusement in the redhead's eyes and marched out of the room.
Blair followed at a discreet distance. He caught up to Jim, still chuckling. "I just can't take you anywhere," Blair teased the normally unflappable man.
"Knock it off, Chief. This is all your fault."
"My fault? My fault?" Blair held up his hands in surrender. "How in the world is this my fault?"
"You're the one who dragged me into this place that sucked my brain dry from boredom."
"I could be mistaken, but I believe most people come to libraries to fill their minds, not empty them."
Jim refused to answer, merely grinding his jaw in response.
Blair could see Jim was almost at his limit. "Okay, just one more thing." He led the not-so-amenable detective over to the elevator. "I just want to see the special collection upstairs and then we can go."
Jim sighed, but he nodded.
"The only way to get up there is in a particular elevator. We ride the normal elevator to the fifth floor and then board the security elevator from there."
"You have twenty minutes," Jim warned him.
Once the elevator car came, the two men entered and Blair pushed the button for floor five. Jim leaned against the back of the elevator and closed his eyes with a sigh.
"You probably shouldn't stand there," Blair told his friend.
"Sandburg, I'm tired. I just want to take a load off."
"I mean that–"
"Seriously, is it too much to ask?"
"No, Jim, but–"
As the ride ground to a halt, the back door slid open, and Jim fell backward. He lay on floor, looking up at Blair, who was looking down at him.
"The elevator opens from both sides," Blair finished.
"Thanks, Chief," Jim replied, still on the ground. "If you find my dignity anywhere around, could you pick it up for me?" He held up his arm, which Blair grabbed and pulled him up. "Kill me now, please."
Blair laughed and slapped him on the back. "You'll be fine. Once we're outta here, I'll buy you an ice cream cone."
"A big one," Jim bartered as they entered the high-security elevator.
"The biggest," Blair agreed.
"No, make it a sundae, with the works."
"I'll put the cherry on myself."
Luckily, they arrived at the top floor and crossed the security checkpoint without setting off any alarms. Jim sat down on a bench and made a point of looking at his watch as Blair moved to look in the cases containing the rare and precious volumes.
Jim graciously allowed his friend nearly an hour before the muted atmosphere got to him. He cleared his throat and Blair glanced up and waved that he got the message. The young man thanked the collection's monitor and made his way back to Jim.
"You've been a very good boy, Jim. You might even get an extra scoop on your sundae."
"You're too good to me."
"Ain't it the truth."
After they rode the two elevators down—without incident—Jim made a beeline for the exit. Once clear of the building, the sentinel stopped, turned, and scowled.
Blair stopped beside him and caught the disapproving expression. "What?"
"Whoever said knowledge isn't dangerous should be shot."
Blair doubled over in laughter before pushing his companion toward the commissary. Next time he visited a library, he would send Jim to a movie; no sense taking any chances.