by Carol Roi
She nodded in response, her mouth full. Blair reached over and wiped a smear of sauce off her chin with his finger. He was about to wipe it on his napkin, when he had a better idea. He stuck it in his mouth and licked it off, watching Dee's eyes widen in surprise. Grinning, he attacked his meal again. This day was growing more interesting by the minute, and it was far from being over.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leaning back in the booth, Dee laced her fingers over her stomach, and groaned. "I think that second side of ribs was a mistake. I feel like I'm gonna explode!"
Dropping a bare bone onto his already littered plate, Blair nodded. "Yes, but that was the best barbecue I've ever tasted. We've gotta bring Jim here some time," he said, wiping his fingers on a napkin, and then tossing it on top of the remains of his meal.
Dee smiled at his reference to "we", wondering if he'd noticed he'd automatically included her in his plans. Better yet, she wondered how the three of them having dinner together would go over with Jim. "Say, Jim, the ribs here are great. By the way, Dee's a sentinel, and as much as you'd love to kill her right now, it won't do you any good. She's immortal." Oh, yeah, that's going to be a fun conversation. The trio of musicians taking the stage interrupted her mildly unpleasant thoughts.
"The band's warming up, Lobo. Why don't you come sit over here so you can see them?" she said, patting the bench next to her. Blair edged around the booth until he was sitting beside her, just as the music started. The pianist, bass player and drummer were quite good, running through an eclectic selection of blues, jazz and swing tunes.
Dee finished off her daiquiri, and eyed the plump strawberry the bartender had stuck on the glass as a garnish. She really was stuffed. "Hey, Blair, want a strawberry?" she offered, holding the fruit between her thumb and forefinger.
Nodding, Blair leaned forward, neatly grabbing the berry with his teeth, his lips closing lightly over her fingertips. Glancing up at her from that position, he saw her eyes were shining with a warmth he'd thought blue eyes were incapable of. A small smile parted her lips slightly, and as he watched, the tip of her tongue flicked out to wet them. It took incredible concentration to sit back up, chew and swallow. "Was it good?" she asked, her voice husky.
"Oh, yeah," Blair replied, glad the dim lighting hid the crimson flush creeping up his face. Oh, shit, she's a sentinel! Dim lighting, hell! He suddenly felt like he was sixteen years old again, and on his first date. "I, uh, um& .I'll be right back," he finally managed, crawling out of the booth and practically running for the safety of the men's room. As he passed Joe at the bar, the older man gave him a thumb's up.
Blair entered the restroom, and closed the stall door behind him, leaning his back against it, sorely in need of the support. What in the world was going on with them? What was the matter with him? Normally if a beautiful woman had been giving him those kinds of signals, Blair would have been all over her, hell, they would have left the bar for someplace more private long ago. It wasn't that he didn't want Dee, he just didn't want her the same way he had wanted all the other women in his life. Dee was& unique. He clapped both hands over his mouth to silence what would have been hysterical giggles. Unique!? Jeez, Blair, what a talent you have for understatement.
Sobering slightly, he realized what was shaking him up so badly. Even if she hadn't been psychic, or immortal, or a sentinel, she would still be the most important woman in his life. She trusted him completely. She didn't think he was weird or hyperactive or a nerd. She treated him with the utmost respect; she ignored the million times he'd put his foot in his mouth, and his clumsy attempts at passes. She genuinely cared about him. Why was she coming on to him now, after all those weeks of disinterest? Well, not really disinterest, but the strong impression that she wanted only to be friends. What had changed?
Joe's words came back to him. " I haven't seen Dee this happy in ages. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her this happy& " He had caused that, but how? And then it hit him, he had accepted her that afternoon, accepted everything about her, accepted her immortality, her champion senses, her past, and most important, he'd accepted her participation in the Game. Any walls, any barriers she'd kept between herself and him were gone. For the first time, he was seeing her as she truly was, beautiful, caring, playful, sensual& And Blair realized he was everything to her that she was to him; he was the most important person in her life.
Sliding down the door, he sat on the cold ceramic tile floor, not sure whether to laugh, or cry or both. He, Blair Sandburg, the man who loved women, plural, now loved only one.
Part 5
Rolling over on the hotel mattress, Jim stared at the clock again. It was almost midnight, and he still hadn't dropped off to sleep. He debated going for a run to tire him out, but it was raining in San Francisco, and while the bed might not be comfortable, it was warm. Rolling back on to his back, he crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
What in the hell was Sandburg doing in Seacouver, he wondered. He had heard Blair say something about research, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why, at this late date, he needed more research. Unless... maybe Sandburg had finally gotten the hint about Diandra Pallas, and was looking into her past on his own. That thought made Jim sit bolt upright in bed, and he almost reached for the phone to call his guide. And what was he going to say if Sandburg answered? Right, Jim. Go to sleep. He's fine. You would know it if he weren't.
Lying back down, Jim closed his eyes again, and this time he slept, dreaming of a silver wolf cavorting with a black horse, while a jaguar screamed in pain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Blair had finally pulled himself back together, he splashed cold water on his face and tried to come up with something to say to her. Everything he thought of sounded lame. "How about the truth?" he asked himself. "Oh, yeah, that'll go over real good. Say, Dee, while I was in the john, I figured out I'm in love with you? Not that you could possibly see anything in a geek like me, and we'd only have maybe 50 years together, a pittance to you, I know, but I could show you a good time until you have to put me in the home." He shook his head. "You can be such a moron, Blair," he said to his reflection in the mirror. "She cares about you, man. She really cares... " his voice trailed off to a whisper, as that thought both excited and terrified him. He stood in front of the restroom door for a few moments, then taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he headed back into the bar.
His heart plummeted to his feet when he saw their table was empty. "I wasn't in there that long was I?" he muttered. A horrifying thought suddenly crossed his mind. She'd said this was a hangout for Immortals. What if one had come in and challenged her, and she was out in the alley right now, fighting for her life? He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing until a gentle hand on his shoulder and a quiet "Hey," in his ear caused him to inhale sharply.
Turning around, he found Dee standing behind him. "Didn't mean to scare you, Lobo. I was just checking with Joe to see if he'd heard from my watcher. No luck." She watched as a hundred different emotions flickered across his face.
"I..uh... I was worried for a minute there, when I didn't see you. I thought maybe... " He couldn't even say the words.
Seeing the fear on his face, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Nope, no Immortals came in while you were gone. And I wouldn't go without telling you. Chances are the next battle I'll be fighting will be with the Immortal we're trying to trace, if he's still around."
The jazz trio was taking the stage again after their break, and Dee seized upon a distraction for both of them. "Come on, Lobo. Let's dance."
Blair followed her through the tables to the small dance floor, and they joined the other couples there in moving to the beat of the music. Dee was, he soon discovered, a fantastic dancer. He had never done much swing dancing, but following her expert instruction, he was soon jumping and jiving with the best
of them. By the time the piano trio began a slow song, though, he was ready for a rest. He started to lead Dee toward their table, but found he was grasping the hand of an immovable object. "Not so fast, Lobo," she said with a grin. "If you think I'm going to let you get out of slow dancing with me, you are sadly mistaken."
With those words, she pulled him into her arms, and Blair found himself nestled up against nearly six feet of warm, muscular, and very feminine Immortal. Not that he was complaining, mind you. Normally he hated dancing with tall women, but Dee was different, their curves and angles fitting smoothly together as if they were two halves of a whole. He slid his arms around her waist, and swayed along to the music with her, feeling her relax against him. It had been a long time since he had done this, just enjoyed the feeling of another body pressed close to his. No cares, no worries, just the two of them, in their own little world. He felt Dee bury her face in his hair, and inhale deeply. "You smell really good," she murmured, her eyes closed blissfully.
"You feel really good," he replied, and was rewarded with a smile that spread slowly across her face. They danced through that song, and the next, barely moving from their own little spot on the floor. A new song started, and Blair felt Dee begin to hum, then to sing for his ears only. Her husky voice sent little eddies of pleasure swirling through him. The song was "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered", and he quickly realized she was singing about her feelings for him. He squeezed her tighter, and rubbed his hand up and down her back. She responded by skipping the last verse and going back to the first one.
When the song ended, and the patrons of the bar applauded the band, Blair took a step back and gazed up into her face. Her eyes were shining in the dim light, her chocolate hair flecked with gold from the stage lights, a sexy half smile on her lips. Raising up on his toes, Blair pressed his lips gently to hers, tasting strawberries, barbecue sauce and her own unique flavor before he pulled away. Her arms around him didn't let him get far, and she pressed herself against him, bending to return the kiss. He felt himself getting lost in the gentle warmth of her mouth on his, and only came back to his senses when one of the other couples on the dance floor whacked him in the back with an elbow. Separating, they realized they were the only couple standing still during a wild swing number.
Dodging flailing arms and kicking feet, they made their way back to their booth and gathered up their things; Diandra shrugging into her duster, and Blair grabbing his backpack. He threw it over his shoulder, and then stepped into the waiting curve of her arm, feeling a sense of completeness as it tightened around his waist. His own hand resting at the small of her back, they headed for the door.
After stopping to say good night to Joe at the bar, they were walking toward the exit, when Blair felt Dee stiffen at his side, and glancing up, he saw the same expression of concentration on her face he'd seen that afternoon. "What is it?" he asked her, an icy knot twisting in his stomach.
Letting out a long breath, she relaxed. "A friend," she said, just as a tall, lanky, dark-haired man entered the bar, his intense brown eyes sweeping the room rapidly, until they fell on her.
"Diandra," he said in way of a formal greeting, his British accent apparent even in that one word.
"Adam," she replied, with a slight inclination of her head. "What brings you back to Seacouver?"
"Just passing though," he said, giving Joe a nod at the bar. "Tried MacLeod's place first, but no one was home."
"He's out of town," Dee informed him. "Blair and I are staying there tonight, if you had any ideas about using the spare apartment to crash in."
Adam shook his head. "I was planning on talking Joe out of his couch." His dark eyes quickly appraised Blair, who made a tremendous effort not to squirm under his scrutiny.
Seeing Adam's interest, Dee remembered her manners. "Adam Pierson, Blair Sandburg." Blair extended his free hand, which happened to be his left, and Adam shook it with his own. Blair immediately noted the Watcher tattoo, but filed his questions about a Watcher who was an Immortal away to be asked later, much later.
"Come on, Blair," Dee said, the arm she had around his waist gently tugging him toward the door. "We can talk to Adam tomorrow, if he's still around."
"Nice meeting you , Adam," Blair managed, before he found himself being dragged out into the parking lot.
Dee fumbled in her coat pocket for the keys to the Cherokee, and unlocked the passenger side door. Blair reached for the handle, but her hand over his stopped him before he could open it. He looked back at her, a question in his eyes.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Lobo?" she asked gently, giving him one last chance to run as far and as fast as he could away from her.
Blair didn't even hesitate. "Yes," he replied, his hand sliding behind her neck, pulling her close for a passionate kiss. When they came up for air, he found she'd backed him into the side of the Jeep, the side mirror poking him under the armpit. "I do have one request though, can we go someplace a little more comfortable?" he said gesturing to the mirror.
Laughing, Dee pressed her lips to his again quickly, then trotted around to the driver's side and climbed in. "Come on," she said, "the loft's only a few blocks from here."
Blair fastened his seatbelt as she started the engine, for one fleeting moment wondering what Jim would think if he could see him now. Then Dee's warm fingers entwining through his focused his thoughts on the night ahead of them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ellison awoke with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. He scanned the room quickly, finding nothing out of the ordinary. "Must have been a nightmare," he thought, sitting up, and running his hand through his sweat-dampened hair. For the life of him though, he couldn't remember much about it. A glance at the clock showed three am. He wondered if he pushed it, he could get the SFPD to process those prisoner transfer papers before 9 am. Then he could start back for Cascade. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something told him the sooner he got back there, the better.
Once again he thought about calling Blair, and this time gave in to the impulse. He tried the loft first, and got the machine. Trying the cell phone, his hopes were dashed when after a few rings, he got the message that the user was either out of the service area, or wasn't available. The prickling feeling on the back of his neck increased. Cursing Sandburg softly, he tried another number. The phone rang twice, and then a familiar voice said, "Hi, this is Dee, I can't come to the phone right now. You know how to use this thing, so do it if you want me to call you back." Ellison hung up without leaving a message.
Foregoing anymore sleep, he headed for the shower. Maybe he could get those papers processed by 6, and be back in Washington by early afternoon. If Sandburg was off somewhere with that Pallas woman, there was no telling what kind of trouble he could get into.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trip to Duncan's loft took a little longer than expected. Halfway there, Diandra realized there would be no food in either apartment, since MacLeod was out of town, so they made a side trip to an all night market. They finally reached the dojo a little after one am. Climbing the stairs to the apartment's outside entrance in the dark, Blair juggled the groceries and his backpack, while Dee had both their overnight bags. Unlocking the door, she held it open for Blair to enter, then followed him inside, flipping on the lights. "Kitchen's to the right," she said, heading to the bedroom to stow their things. Blair put the perishables in the fridge, then took a look around the apartment. It was small but cozy, a living area was at the center of the room, and the far wall had two doorways, which he assumed were the bedrooms since Dee had disappeared through one of them. Next to the door they'd entered was a freight elevator, a reminder of the days when the building had been a warehouse.
He walked into the center of the room, and stood there a little awkwardly. "Okay, now what?" he asked himself. He'd forgotten how strange the first time with some
one felt. In fact, right now he couldn't remember the last time he'd been with someone. He sat his backpack down next to one of the sofas, and wandered over to the stereo. Some music might be nice. He fiddled with the dials for a few minutes, but couldn't find a radio station to his liking. "Hey, Dee," he called to her, "you bring any CDs?"
"Um, yeah," her voice came floating back, "they're in a zip case in the bag I put on the table. I'll be out in a minute, I'm just putting sheets on the bed."
She was putting... sheets... on... the... bed. Blair shivered involuntarily. Oh, man, he had it bad. Finding the CD case, he opened it and found there was nothing he recognized. She must be really into customizing her music, he thought, finding titles like "Meditation," and "Workout #5." Well, "Meditation" sounded like it might be slow. He threw it in the player, and the strains of Santana's "Bella" filled the loft. He laughed out loud. What was it with Sentinels and Santana?
Dee entered the room at that moment, sneaking up behind Blair, and sliding her arms around his waist. Her lips nibbled at his neck, as she said, "Mmm that's nice. That would have been my choice, too."