Sleep amidst the Clouds

EJKatz

The figure stood in the near darkness staring down at the sleeping body on the bed. The only light came from a street lamp far down the street but it provided enough light for the tall man to see by. His face was set in a serene mask; a small smile of fondness lit his features. His short-cropped hair was mussed as if he had just risen from sleep himself for indeed he had. The small whimpers of nightmare, the sounds of his roommate’s plight, had reached his subconscious bringing him awake.

He had raced down the stairs and was halfway to the small room under his before he was fully aware of what had awakened him and why but that hadn’t stopped his movements. He had entered the room to a sight that was not an unfamiliar one; just one he wished a hundred times over that he could end forever.

The smaller man, thrashed beneath sweat soaked sheets, heart racing and breathing ragged. He was gripped in whatever nightmare had caught him this time, though Jim was sure he knew what it was. For long minutes he had held the shaking body in his arms until finally with nightmares banished, Blair had fallen back asleep, safe in the knowledge that his Blessed Protector was there, watching over him.

Jim had laid him back on the small bed, retreating to the kitchen to gather his own defenses. He had filled a bowl with warm water and grabbed a facecloth from the bathroom before returning to Blair’s side. Slowly, gently he wiped all traces of the nightmare from his friends sweat soaked body, bathing him instead in the force of his love. He had returned the bowl to the kitchen when he finished and now, here he stood standing guard over the life that had come to mean so much to him.

How this neo-hippie, witchdoctor punk had gotten under his skin he would never know. Jim smiled with fond memory at the title. It had become a joke between the two friends. The only reason it was so pleasant a memory now was due to the strength of the friendship that had developed since that first fateful meeting. If it hadn’t been for the anthropologist turned observer coming to the rescue of a man who believed himself to be going insane, Jim would not be here today. Then again neither would Blair.

His mind drifted back to the cause for Blair’s nightmares. The case they had been working on had been hard on both of them. It had been far worse for his sensitive friend due to the nature of the beast. A man, huge and unrelenting in his actions, had preyed on young men. Most of who had borne a striking resemblance to Blair. Long hair, slim of frame and gentle of features were the most striking commonalties but there were others also. They were all students though not all from Rainer University. All were under thirty. When they had set the board up with the pictures, Blair had taken one look at it and realized what the other members of Major Crimes had been saying all along. The knowledge had hit him hard, sending him reeling into the washroom, fighting to keep the nausea under control. It had taken Sandburg nearly ten minutes to calm enough to continue.

The one thing that no one had counted on was the guy coming after Blair. The Simon and Jim had suspected and so everyone had taken turns watching the young man, never leaving him for more than enough time for bathroom breaks and even then, the guards remained close by.

Ellison himself had been relentless in his search for the suspect. He had reverted back to his lone wolf tendencies when working. His temper was short, his work methodical and efficient. No one was willing to get in his way and after the first fight with Sandburg over his accompanying him out in the field, they had left the detective to his own devices. He refused to allow Blair to be with him for fear that if they did manage to get too close, the suspect would get to him.

But even with all the precautions, it had been futile. The suspect, Robert Hanson of 852 Prospect, apartment 201, had gotten Blair. Right out from under the guards’ noses, right out from their own home.

It had taken Jim only an hour to track them down but the damage had been done. Hanson had beaten Blair, badly, before Ellison had jumped him, knocking him off of his friend’s limp body. The fight that followed had been brutal as only hand to hand combat can be. Only Ellison’s protective nature, the need to guard his young guide gave him the upper hand. Bloody and hurting he managed to knock Hanson out. Breathing heavily he had limped to Blair’s side, gathering him close while they waited for the ambulance and back up.

The guide had awakened at the jostling movement; panic flaring briefly before recognition set in and he snuggled closer to the warmth that was his Sentinel. Tears leaked from tightly closed lids while Jim rocked him, whispering encouragement and soothing words. The closeness more healing than anything else would have been. A reaffirmation of brotherhood, a joining of souls that had been ripped apart but only temporarily for the kind of bond they had could never truly be broken.

When the ambulance arrived along with Simon Banks and half the Major Crimes Division things had calmed down significantly. Sentinel fingers had determined that no bones were broken. The bruises Blair had received were not life threatening and while he would be sore there was no real need to go to the hospital. When Blair had pleaded with Jim not to make him go, Ellison had relented, agreeing only upon the condition that if Sandburg felt worse there would be no further arguments. The condition had been agreed upon and the Sentinel had taken his guide home.

Now, hours later, the once macho tough-guy cop stood peering down at the man who had turned his life upside down and inside out. The same man who had brought love, trust and faith back into that once cold heart of his. The man who had given his own life to make his friend’s a better one.

Love. A word that Jim had rarely used before now but it was the only appropriate one for what he felt for his guide. It no longer felt weird on his tongue as it passed his lips. It was an emotion that was no longer foreign, no longer something to deny and avoid. That was a gift worth more than anything he could give in return. It was overwhelming.

He sank to the side of the bed as the present returned with a moan from the man on the futon. One hand reached out and gently touched the warm forehead. The pulse was more normal now but there was tension still in the muscles of that beloved face. Gently stroking the smooth skin until the traces of pain and fear vanished. He smiled broadly as Blair’s head turned into the touch. Dark blue, sleep-filled eyes flickered open.

“’im?” Came the quiet question.

“Hey, buddy. It’s okay, go back to sleep. I was just checking on you.”

“Everything okay?” Blair struggled to sit upright but the hand on his chest kept him in place with its warmth.

“Fine, Chief. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay. I was…” He paused as if not saying the words might make it all go away.

“You were having nightmares?” Jim asked, his hand still stroking rhythmically on Blair’s head, into the froth of curls there. They bounced slightly at the tentative nod. “Yeah, well, me too.”

Those softly spoken words caught Blair’s sleepy attention and he pushed himself upright. Jim allowed him the movement, helping him even. The younger man held out his arms and the detective willingly closed the embrace.

“Ah, Jim. I’m sorry,” he whispered. He turned his face so it nestled against the warmth of Jim’s throat. The pulse beat firmly against his forehead, easing his own hurt, leaving him able to comfort his sentinel.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Chief. It wasn’t your fault.” Jim swallowed the lump in his throat at the thought of how close he had come to losing his friend. “I should have seen it. I should have kept you with me and this would never have happened.”

Blair felt the tremors that rocked the bigger man’s body. His arms tightened reflexively around his sentinel, his hand stroking his back. “Shh. No, you were right. Besides, I had two guards on me. No one expected it to be our neighbor.”

There was nothing to be said for that logic though both men knew that the guilt would take a little longer to dissipate completely. For now, however, it was enough just to be close. Blair felt the tender bonds of sleep pressing upon him now but he was too content to try to move. His body was too sluggishly comfortable.

He was only vaguely aware of Jim shifting to lay them both side by side on the narrow bed but he was fully aware, even as sleep conquered him of being wrapped in arms that soothed and comforted. Warm, soft, like sleep amidst the clouds.

The End

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