Title: Practice

Author/Pseudonym: Merlin MacAbre

Email Address for feedback: merlinmacabre@yahoo.com

Archive: Yes

Fandom: The Sentinel

Pairing: Jim/Blair

Category: First times

Rating: PG

Warnings: Slashiness

Author's Notes: This is unbetad and dedicated to Carrie, my gifted and wonderful encourager and beta

reader. She's currently betaing my Andromeda story, and since I don't have to be at work until 1:30 today,

my little slash muses demanded that I write a quickie.

That makes this officially my second slash story to be posted.

Practice

by Merlin MacAbre

"Where are you going? Dinner’s almost ready."

Hand on the door knob, Jim turned to his roommate. "We’re almost out of beer."

Blair’s mild exasperation gave him a moment’s pause. "Why do you always have to have beer in the fridge? Jim, don’t be obsessive. Let yourself run out just this once, okay?"

Jim was caught up in indecision.

"I don’t want you to go right now. Come on. Stay home with me."

The sentinel closed the door and strode the ten feet to his partner. "Chief, is everything okay?" he asked, taking him by the arms. "What’s the matter?"

Blair’s lower lip protruded in a pout. "Nothing. I just don’t want you to leave. Let’s just eat dinner, okay?"

Jim sighed. "Okay, Sandburg, you win." He sat down at the table to wait. "After supper, we’ll go together and get the beer, okay?"

Blair’s face fell. "Okay."

Jim had noticed Blair’s increasingly disturbing possessive attachment to him and it was beginning to intrigue him. "Or we can do without the beer tonight."

"I’ll make some tea." The compensation was endearing. "And I’ll give you a back rub. That’s better than beer any day, don’t you think?"

"Yeah." Jim smiled at him in surrender. "Better any day."

What amazed him most about his guide was the indirect way he controlled his sentinel. No one else in his life had ever been able to do so. Five years ago, Jim had realized that his heart was lost to the curly-haired anthropologist and had done nothing to stop it.

Blair set their plates on the table and seated himself adjacent to him to eat. "I really need to talk to you, Jim."

Jim met his eyes and realized the look was serious. "About what?"

The younger man cleared his throat. "Don’t get upset, okay?"

Jim stared at him. "I think you’d better just tell me what’s going on, Chief."

"I heard from my mom today."

"And?"

"And she’s coming to visit."

"I’d be happy to see Naomi, Blair. Why would her coming for a visit upset me?"

"There’s more."

"Okay." Jim waited pensively.

"She thinks we’re...you know..."

"What?"

"A couple. She thinks we’re together. Like THAT. You know."

Jim’s jaw dropped. "Why does she think that, Blair?"

"She wants me to be happy, Jim. She thinks it’s important that I obtain love and stability in my life since she never did. She kept ragging on me about going out more, finding the right woman, getting married. She wanted me to break away from you because she thought you were holding me back. So I told her that

you were the one. Can you understand, Jim?" Blair flinched as if his partner had threatened him.

With a sigh, the sentinel nodded wearily. "Actually, I DO understand, and that’s a little depressing. So when Naomi gets here, we have to pretend to be gay, right?"

"Um, yeah. Don’t be depressed, Jim. She just wants me to be happy."

"Yeah, well, so do I. Why aren’t you?"

"I am. I promise you. I’m happy."

"I’m glad to hear that."

"Thanks, Jim. I appreciate that you’re taking this so well."

"You know, Blair, she’ll expect to see us doing all the lovey-dovey stuff couples do like hugging and kissing and smiling those secret little smiles."

"Do you think we can pull it off?" Blair was apprehensive.

Jim laid a hand on his arm. "I don’t think it’ll be such a stretch of the imagination." He said.

Blair’s gaze was solemn. "What’s that mean?"

"That means we can do it, Chief. No problem."

"If she would just trust my judgment, we wouldn’t have to go through with this."

"You can’t talk to her about it?"

"Jim, you don’t fully understand how persuasive she can be."

"I understand perfectly. I’m in love with her son, who’s the most persuasive person I know."

"You’re getting the hang of it. If you say things like that to her, she’ll be convinced."

Jim pulled him into his arms. "You’re so...unenlightened, Chief. Should I bonk you on the head?"

Blair looked momentarily worried. "You want to hit me?"

"No, I don’t want to hit you. I want to kiss you. Maybe we should just practice?"

"Practice what?"

Jim’s lips grazed his cheek. "Being lovers, genius. Come on. You want her to believe this, don’t you?"

Blair met the kiss and went weak when Jim made it passionate. His heart raced as he tore away. "Oh, man. I didn’t expect that."

"Didn’t expect what?"

"That kind of kiss. That was a great kiss, man."

"There’s plenty more where that one came from."

"You’re so cool, Jim. Thank you."

"So, when’s she coming?"

"Tomorrow. It’ll just be for a couple of days."

"And then what?"

"Then..." Blair looked into his eyes. "Then we won’t have to pretend any more."

"I’m not pretending now."

Blair’s blue eyes were moist.

Jim kissed him lightly again. "I need a lot more practice, because I don’t think I can go back to anything less after a kiss like that."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Me, either."

"Not when I love you like this in the first place."

"I think you know I feel the same way. I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve."

"Yeah, I know. That’s one of the things I love about you. So, more practice?"

Blair smiled and went into his arms. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

the end