by Carol Roi
"Maybe. Thanks, Jim." She went up on her toes and planted a kiss on the side of his face that wasn't bruising up. "What time?"
"Eight? That gives us all a chance to get cleaned up."
"Fine with me." Lee, using the cane in her left hand to support her weight, slowly hobbled from the room, heading towards the bedroom Diandra had turned over to her.
"Ellison?"
Jim turned to see LaFollet staring at him. Not with the rage and hate he'd seen in the man's hazel eyes before, but with concern. "LaFollet?"
"Don't hurt her."
With those words, the man left the room, heading down the hall to the other spare bedroom Jim knew existed. The sound of a radio being turned up, in the bathroom according to the echoes he picked up, followed the sentinel as he made his way over to his own place. He had a date to get ready for with a woman who fascinated the heck out of him.
Diandra and Blair don't run the water for very long. I'm glad. I really want to rid myself of the dried sweat covering my body and slip into the new pants suit I'd bought Saturday, which Jim Ellison has just returned.
I spend very little time under the hot water myself. I've always have been proficient and never wasted time on my toilet. Calling out to Jan-Michel that the bathroom is free for his use, I step into the bedroom, only to find my hostess waiting for me there, sitting on the bed. "Diandra…"
"Wait a minute, Lia. I have something to say to you and I need to hear the truth. Okay?"
I nod, accepting her gentle rebuke.
"You are going to tell Jim that you're immortal, right?" Her blue eyes bore into me, reading my soul. I cannot lie to this woman, I never could.
"Yes, but not right away, Dee." I finish toweling my hair dry then reach for the comb on the table next to the bed, to work the tangles out. She stops me.
"Let me. Sit down." She points to the floor in front of her, and I sit, scooting back against the bed and closing my eyes as she starts to work the comb through my hair. "I just wanted to make sure, Lia. Jim is Blair's best friend and, as such, I cannot allow you to hurt him, physically or emotionally. He's been through too much in his life as it is."
"I don't want to hurt him, Lady D. But I want to get to know him before telling him that I'm Immortal. You saw how he reacted earlier, can you see him just standing by while I take on a Challenger?"
She stops combing for a few seconds, then starts up again as she sighs. "Jim's a cop, Lia. He's sworn to protect others. But he also knows about us, and the Watchers, and I think once you explain to him what you are, he'll probably kick your ass back into shape so he knows you can take care of yourself."
I pull away, turning to face her from where I sit on the floor. "You were right, you know that, Diandra?"
"About what?"
"Azir coddled me. The head I took last year? I was lucky. The man was a newborn who got overconfident in his new found skills with steel." I drop my eyes, "I was only able to take him because I was quicker on my feet."
She smiles at me. "Well, at least you're still honest with me. And there is a chance that if you hadn't slipped on the flooring, you would've saved yourself. But you still need to get back into top form if you're going to seriously train J-M."
"I know. Will you help me?"
"Of course. Now get back here so I can work on that hair of yours." After a while, once my old friend is done getting the tangles out my unruly mass of hair, she plaits it in a braid. That done, she turns me to look at her. "Now, why the story about a bad knee earlier?"
I smile as I get up off the floor, no injury to hinder my movements, and reach for the cane I used earlier. "Can you think of a better way to get a sword past a cop?" I pull the top end of the cane, exposing the blade within. "Azir had this made for me, years ago, while we were stationed in Saigon."
I hand the blade into her waiting hands, watching as she tests the balance of the weapon, and the feel of the hard wood scabbard. "Sweet. It's perfect for you, Lia. And the scabbard, it's sturdy enough to use as a weapon as well?" She hands the blade back to me.
"Yes. Azir had it made of ironwood."
"Okay, so you use it tonight as a cane, then what?"
"I don't know. I want to see how the date with Jim goes before I decide when to tell him the truth." I place the sword cane, a Japanese Zatoichi actually, on the bed as I reach for the outfit I've chosen to wear.
I hear her sigh again as she gets to her feet. "Fine. But, Lia, I'm going to put a time restraint on your telling Jim you're Immortal."
"Why?" I ask as I slip into the white silk shirt.
"Because, Blair and I are planning to leave on a vacation this Friday and I feel you should tell Jim before we leave." She crosses the floor and pulls open the door, stopping to look over her shoulder at me. "That way, I can handle any questions he might have before we go. Now, finish getting dressed, you wouldn't want to keep the man waiting would you?"
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Blair stood at the doors leading to the balcony, watching as the snow flurries started. "Jim? You sure you and Lee going out in this weather is such a good idea?"
"We'll be fine, Chief." Jim's voice floated down from the loft's upstairs bedroom. "I'm just taking her to the Dragon Pearl, not up the coast to Seacouver." The detective started to come down the stairs, fiddling with his tie as he did. "Damn, I'm all thumbs tonight. Can you help me with this damn thing?"
Turning to help his friend, Blair was shocked to see Jim dressed in his best suit and trying like crazy to get the tie unknotted. "Whoa! Don't you look nice? What's with the suit?"
The suit was brand new, dark gray wool, blended with silk and tailored in such a way as to hide the fact he was carrying a gun. The shirt was light blue and the tie was one Brian Rafe had helped him choose: one of the last Rush Limbaugh 'No Boundaries' ties ever made. It was silk, and had not only blues and greens, but black, gold and orange as well. Very pleasing to the eye.
"I felt like it. Now, help? Please?" Jim held the tie out to his friend, begging the younger man for assistance.
"Sure. But let's do this over by the stairs. You know I can't do this without being behind you." Within a few moments, Blair had the tie done and was admiring his handiwork. "That'll do. So tell me the real reason for this outfit?"
His dress shoes clicking across the wood floor as he made his way into the kitchen, where he grabbed a bottle of water from the 'fridge, Jim tried to tell him. "Chief, have you ever felt that, maybe, love at first sight was real? Not lust, but real love?"
"You're joking, right?" Blair saw the pain in the sentinel's eyes and realized he said the wrong thing. "Oh, man, you're not. Lee?"
Opening the bottle of water and taking a healthy swallow, Jim nodded. "I think so. And no, before you ask, it's not a pheromone thing either. At least I don't think so."
"Man, this is so not you, Jim. I'm the one who's supposed to be a table-leg chaser, not you." Walking into the kitchen to stand beside his roommate, Blair took the bottle from Jim's hand and placed it on the counter. "Just be careful, okay? I'd hate to see you get hurt."
Jim scowled at his partner. "Sandburg, that is the third or forth time you've told me that. Are you holding out on me? Is there something about Lee you know that maybe I should know?"
"I'm just worried, that's all. I mean, she does have someone out there," he waved his hand towards the balcony and the cityscape beyond, "who has tried twice to kill her. I just want to make sure you're on top of your game, ya' know?"
Jim smiled as he delivered a soft cuff to the back of his guide's head. "I'll be extra careful, Mom."
"I'll 'Mom' you…" Blair managed to get a light punch landed on the sentinel's arm, then he looked up into Jim's face, noting the bruising that was getting quite colorful along the jaw. "You really ought to let Dee take care of that for you."
"No, I don't think Lee would understand…"
"Lee knows. When Dee and I talked with her on Sunday, she asked
why you had called out to Dee in the alley, so we had to explain." The single knock on the loft's door was the only warning either man got before the object of their discussion walked into the room.
"Lobo's right, Jim. Lee knows about my ability to heal, and I think it's only fair I heal what I did to you." Diandra approached her fellow sentinel, obviously having heard everything he and Blair had talked about. "Besides, a suit that nice really clashes something fierce with the bruising."
"Fine. Looks like I'm out numbered anyway." Blair watched as Jim gave in as gracefully as he could, allowing the woman to lead him over to the dining table and sit him down so she could easily reach his sore jaw. Reaching out, he laid a hand on Jim's shoulder to anchor him, to keep his partner from zoning on the peculiar sensation he knew Dee's gift caused.
"Damn, I do good work." Dee stepped back away from him, admiring her work. There was absolutely no trace of the bruise or swelling left on Jim's face. "Lee's almost ready, just give her a few more minutes and then go on over."
"Thanks, Dee." Jim stood back up and walked over to the table by the door, picking up his keys and his handgun, slipping the latter into its holster under the suit coat at the small of his back. Then, as if he'd remembered something, he trotted back up to his room. By the time he came back downstairs, long black overcoat on his arm, Dee and Blair were cuddling next to each other on the couch. "You two rabbits behave… At your place tonight, Dee."
Looking over her shoulder at the dapper detective, Diandra stuck her tongue out at him. "Party-pooper."
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Closing the door to his loft behind him, Jim took the few steps needed to cross the hall to Diandra's place, only to stop, suddenly a little nervous about the whole thing. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he knocked. The door was opened by Lee herself.
The woman was dressed in a teal green pants suit with a blinding white shirt underneath the jacket, her hand resting on the cane she'd used earlier. "Jim, my, you do clean up well." She stepped back to let him inside.
"I tried." He closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room. "You look very nice as well, Lee."
"Thanks. I just need to grab my coat and we can go."
He watched as she used the cane to steady her gait as she disappeared down the hall to her room. LaFollet came out before she did. "It's against my better judgment, but Lee convinced me to leave the two of you by yourselves tonight. Otherwise, I'd be right on your tails."
"I'll take care of her, LaFollet. You have my word on that."
"That's all I'm asking, Ellison." Jan-Michel turned around when he heard the tap of Eolia's cane on the floor of the hallway. Moving over to her side, he silently helped her into her coat, then disappeared down the hall to his room.
"He's not happy with me, but he won't follow us. Not tonight anyway." Lee smiled up at Jim, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm ready if you are."
The walk down the stairs to his truck was silent and for the first time in a long while, Jim regretted having 'classic' set of wheels as he handed Lee into the passenger seat. Her words to him on that matter, as he climbed into the driver's seat, made him chuckle in relief.
"This is such a beautiful truck, Jim. A 69, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He cranked the engine over and backed out of the parking space.
"That was back when Detroit still knew how to make a car. You ever think of 'tricking' this baby out?"
The talk on the drive to the Dragon Pearl was about classic cars and trucks and the show circuit for such things. Jim found out that while Lee enjoyed classic trucks, she really loved the 1955 Thunderbird and was actually looking for one to restore.
Mr. Singh, the owner of the Dragon Pearl, sat them at his best table, situated close to the indoor waterfall and Koi pool and, per Jim's request over the phone earlier, had a bottle of plum wine ready for them. He also refused to give either of them a menu, just asking Lee about any food allergies, reassuring the detective that he and his chef knew of his, and then disappeared into the kitchen. A waiter came over and opened the wine, quietly pouring a small amount for Jim to taste. At his approving nod, he poured a glass for Lee, then topped off Jim's glass and then he, too, disappeared.
Part 17
Dee leaned closer to Blair on the sofa, her fingertips tracing across his cheek and over his nose lightly. Catching her hand in his, Blair pulled it gently away. "My nose is fine, Dee. It was an accident."
Biting her lip, she shook her head, and he could see the tears forming in her eyes again. "I could have killed you, I could have killed Jim…"
He pulled her closer, cradling her against his chest. "No. Never. I refuse to believe that. It was an accident. I've taken worse punches sparring with you."
"But I lost it. I was completely out of control. That hasn't happened to me in years…"
"No, angel. You were terrified. You believed you were fighting for your life." He ran his fingers through her hair.
"How…how did you know that?" She straightened up to look him in the eye.
Blair tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I felt it, in here." He laid his hand over his heart. "You were so scared, like the other night, when you had that nightmare about being buried under the temple." He rubbed her back as she leaned up against him again. "You're claustrophobic, aren't you?" He felt her nod against his shoulder.
"I guess you could call it that. I have a fear of being buried alive, and when there's anything on top of me, making me feel like I can't escape, I panic. And because of that, you got hurt."
Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Blair said, "It's okay, baby. I'm okay, Jim's okay. You need to forgive yourself."
"I'll try," she whispered.
Giving her a quick hug, Blair got up from the couch then extended his hand to her. "Come on, I know what we need."
Taking his hand, Dee got to her feet. "What's that?"
He gave her a grin. "Some food, some hot water, and lots of bubbles. Follow me." Gripping her hand firmly, he led her out of Jim's loft and across the hallway.
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Water sloshed against the sides of the deep bathtub as Blair got in behind his lover. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he settled himself against the end of the tub, then pulled her back to rest against his chest. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "See," he told her, "isn't this better?"
"Mmm, much," Dee answered him. She laid her arm along his, lacing their fingers together. There was silence between them for several long minutes, as they both enjoyed the hot water's effect on their tired bodies. Finally, she spoke, her words soft and a little hesitant. "I love you so much, Lobo. I don't ever want to hurt you."
Blair could feel her trembling and he hugged her closer, resting his cheek against her hair. "I know, angel, I know. I feel the same way." He held her tenderly, knowing she needed this, knowing she needed him. And that was an interesting feeling, being needed. It wasn't one he'd ever been really familiar with, always being somewhat of a loner in his life. Oh, Blair had always had plenty of friends, but nothing ever deep, or lasting, until he had met Jim. Through his relationship with Jim, he'd met Dee, and found something he hadn't even known he was looking for--love. And though he knew Jim needed him, that together they made something much bigger than the two of them apart, he also knew the sentinel's background wouldn't allow him to show that need, not this openly. Dee had no such qualms. She was as open and vulnerable in his arms at that moment as she'd ever been. Blair felt incredibly honored by her trust.
"Did Jim and Lee get off on their date okay?" Her question startled him out of his ruminating.
"Yeah, yeah. Jim's got it bad for her. He was asking me if I believed in love at first sight."
"Oh, damn it," Dee said softly. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have given Lia a time limit. I would have made her tell him tonight, or I would've told him mys
elf she's immortal."
"Time limit? What are you talking about?" Blair asked, suddenly a little worried.
She trailed her fingers through the bubbles on top of the water. "I had a talk with her before she left. I told her she had until Friday to tell him, if she's serious about him."
"And?"
"She said she wanted to get to know him a little better first, and I agreed with that. But if he's already in love with her…"