Title: Raising Blair
By DarkAngel
Fan Fiction - The Sentinel
Characters - Blair, Naomi, some oddly familiar guys
Rating - G
Spoilers - None
Category - General Smarm
Archive: Sure, just include a link back to http:www.angelfire.com/wa2/cascadePD
Disclaimer: Blair and Naomi Sandburg and belong to Pet Fly, Paramount, and currently SCI-FI. I claim NO rights to them, or THE SENTINEL and no profit will be made from this work.
Raising Blair
by DarkAngel
June 11, 2001
***********
1971
-----
"Hi!"
The officer looked down to see a naked little urchin with big blue eyes, lots of curly hair and no tan lines. "Hi there, little man, what's your name?"
"Beahw."
"Bear, huh?" Not too bad, could have been FreeLove or God or Hashish, all of which he had heard before. "Bear what?"
"Beahw Sambuhwg."
The officer knelt down and held out his hand, "Hello Bear Samburg, I'm Bruce."
"Hi Bwhuce!" Blair took the man's hand and shook.
Bruce looked around for signs of grown-ups, nothing. "Say, Bear, how old are you?"
"Dis mamy," Blair held up two fingers.
"That many, huh? Well, old man, what are you doing out here on the beach all by yourself?"
"Nod by sef, Mommy too."
"I see, and what is mommy's name?"
"Maomi."
"And does mommy have another name?"
"Uh-huh," The child nodded. "Maomi Sambuhwg."
"Ah, Mommy Samburg. Okay," Bruce thought for a moment. The little boy squished his toes in the sand and giggled.
"Bear, why don't you tell me what mommy looks like?"
"Phwetty."
"She's pretty?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, that narrows it down. Uh, Bear, do you know where you live?"
"Hehwe."
"Here? On the beach?"
"No, HEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHWWWW." The boy illustrated, throwing his arms open and turning in a circle.
"O-kaaaaaay," Bruce said, not quite knowing how to interpret that. "Well, tell me, Bear, do have any clothes where you live?"
"Yep. Die-Dye. Mommy made!"
"Your mommy makes you Tie-Dye clothes?"
Blair nodded, smiling, "Phwetty."
"Why aren't you wearing your clothes, Bear?"
"Wet."
"Wet? You're wet?"
"No, shit wet."
"Shit wet?"
"Uh-huh, Die-Dye."
"Oh your SHIRT is wet! I see."
"Uh-huh," Blair looked out at the water. "Bye-bye!" He waved and started to scamper off. Bruce ran after him.
"Wait, wait!"
Blair stopped and turned, "What Bhwuce?"
"Listen, little guy, you can't just run around out here naked on the beach."
"Why?"
"Well, because you have to wear clothes."
"Why? Body BOOOOOOO-TEEE-FUHW!"
"Yeah, I'm sure, but not in public."
"Why?"
"Look, Bear, let's go find your mommy, okay?"
"Why?"
"So she can put clothes on you."
"Why?"
"So you won't be naked."
"Why?"
"So . . . so . . . look, let's just find your mom, kid."
"Otay, MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Blair looked around.
When no one appeared, Bruce decided that maybe it was time to involve child welfare. "I tell you what, Bear," he scooped the child up in his arms. "Why don't you come with me to where I work, wouldn't you like that?"
"Whehwe you wohwt?"
"Yes," Bruce answered, walking toward his patrol car.
"STOP!" Suddenly an angry mama bear, in the guise of a long haired hippie chick in a tie-dyed mini-dress and no shoes, came barreling toward them. "Let GO of my BABY, you PIG!!!" the mama bear screamed at the uniformed officer who was trying to kidnap her cub.
"MOMMY!" Blair yelled, delightedly.
"Uh, miss, your son was unattended on the beach, naked-"
"He has EVERY RIGHT to be here! You don't own the beach, you fascist!" Naomi pulled Blair from Bruce's arms.
"Miss, I wasn't-"
"Get AWAY from us! What were you going to do? Arrest him? Take a two-year-old and put him in a cell for not living up to YOUR propriety? He's a BABY, for Christ's sake!"
"Uh . . .I . .um-"
She abruptly turned and stalked off.
"Bye-bye, Bhwuce!" Blair called from over his mother's shoulder, and blew him a kiss.
Well, he was right, she is pretty, Bruce thought as he resumed walking his beat.
1972
"Mommy! Mommy! Look! A butterfly!"
Naomi opened her eyes and glanced heavenward for patience before smiling at her three-year-old. "I see, Blair. She's very pretty." She closed her eyes again & resumed the lotus position.
"Mommy?" The boy plopped himself into his mother's lap. "What are you doing?"
Naomi opened her eyes again, taking in the angelic countenance of her son. With his big blue eyes, adorable smile, and dark blond curls, who would ever guess that he could be such a little demon? After a morning tantrum over breakfast - he wanted the Batman bowl, damn it! - and a serious disagreement over semantics - crash "No, no, sweetie, don't throw your cars."
"Okay."
Crash
"BLAIR! I said DON'T throw your cars!"
"I didn't throw it, I just tossed it."
CRASH
"Like that, see?"
"Blair Sandburg! That was naughty! You give me those cars right now."
"NO! Mine! NO! NO! MINE!"
- Naomi decided it was definitely time for some serious negativity cleansing. So, she lit some sage in the sink and brought Blair outside to run around while she meditated. Or rather, while she tried to meditate.
"I'm having some quiet time, sweetheart. Why don't you go and play in the sandbox?"
"How come you hold your fingers that way?"
"It helps me meditate."
"What's meditate?"
A light bulb went off in Naomi's head. Hey, maybe this would work. "Oh, baby, it's something grownups do."
"Can I do it?"
Naomi frowned in thought. "Umm, maybe when you're a little bigger, sweetie."
"Mommy, please?"
Naomi sighed. "You really want to try it?"
"Yeah!" Blair nodded vigorously and his curls bounced wildly.
"Well…" Naomi pretended to think it over. "Okay." Naomi lifted him off her lap and set him down beside her. "Now, cross your legs like me. Uh huh, and hold your second finger under your thumb like this."
"Like this?"
"Not quite." Naomi laughed, and readjusted the little fingers. "There. Now put your wrists on your knees. And close your eyes and we're going to think of just one thing. Okay?"
"Okay. Can I think about puppies?"
"Anything you want, sweetie."
There was almost five seconds of silence before a small voice piped up. "What are you thinking about, Mommy?"
"Solitude," Naomi sighed.
"What's that?"
"Blair, we need to be quiet to meditate, okay?"
"Okay."
***
"Mommy, how did you know that butterfly was a girl butterfly?"
"Do you know what quiet means?"
"NO talking."
"That's right."
***
"Mommy, I hate this, it's like a nap. I'm gonna stop now, okay?"
"Yes, sweetie, why don't you go play in the sand box?"
"Okay." Blair scampered off.
Naomi closed her eyes and concentrated. "Om."
***
"Mommy, will you play with me?"
*** *** ***
1975
"Mom! Mom!"
Her son's cry woke Naomi from a sound sleep. She rushed to his bedroom. "Blair, I'm here, sweetie."
"Oh, Mom!" The six-year-old threw himself into her arms, shaking and crying.
"Hush, sweetheart," Naomi sat him closer and rocked him. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Blair nodded an sobbed louder.
"Shh, shh, it's alright. It's okay, now."
But Blair wasn't calming down, in fact, he was getting more and more agitated. "It got me! It got me! It bit my leg off!"
:"Blair, listen to me. Find your center, baby. Let's focus now, find your center."
Blair's shaking slowly subsided.
"Good, good," Naomi soothed, wiping tears from his face. "Now let's take a cleansing breath." Naomi demonstrated, inhaling through her nose. "Hold it….and let it go," she exhaled through her mouth. "Come one, sweetie, you do it. Breathe in." Blair copied his mother. "Hold it….now breath out….Good. Again."
After several more, Blair had visibly relaxed. "That's it, sweetheart," Naomi kissed him. "Feel better?"
"Yeah," Blair yawned, rubbing his eyes with his left fist.
"Good," Naomi cuddled him close. "Now tell me about your dream."
"Um," Blair put his head down in Naomi's shoulder, facing away from her. "Do I have to?"
"You don't want to, huh?"
Blair didn't answer.
Naomi kissed the top of his head, the soft curls tickling her lips. "Okay. Well let's get back under the covers, here, Bear," she said, using his old nickname from before he could pronounce "BL". She pulled the covers up to his chin. "You going to be okay now?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess," Blair said.
Naomi brushed his hair off his forehead. "You sure?"
"Here you are," said a quiet voice from the doorway. Naomi's live-in boyfriend, Rich, came into the room and sat on the other side of Blair's bed. "Wow, you guys guess what? I had this wild nightmare."
"You did?" Blair asked.
"Oh, yeah. It was about this big shark. Really scary."
"Aww.." Naomi patted his back.
"Man, I don't know if I can go back to sleep." Rich shook his head, then he looked up like he'd just had an idea. "Hey, Champ, how 'bout you come snuggle in bed with your mom and me? I think that'd make me feel better."
"Yeah?" Blair smiled. "Okay!"
"Okay, then." Rich lifted the boy out of his bed, swung him up onto his shoulders, and galloped down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Naomi. Once they were all tucked in, Blair in the middle, they practiced their Kundalini breathing until soft snores were heard from the center of the bed.
"I TOLD you this would happen if you took him to see Jaws," Naomi accused.
Rich gave her his most innocent look. "Honey, I told you, we went to the Mariners game."
"Yeah, right." Naomi wasn't buying it.
"…….Well, okay, but he really, really wanted to go."
"Well I really, really DIDN'T want him to go, Rich!"
"SHHH, shh, babe, you'll wake him up." Rich gave a contrite sigh. "Okay, you were right and I was wrong. I'm sorry. But Blair gave me the puppy eyes, Naomi! I mean, come on, I'm only human!"
Naomi grinned and shook her head at him. "Go to sleep, you big cream puff."
**** ***** *****
1980
Naomi came home from work to find her son sitting in the lotus position, in front of a lit candle. She let him finish his meditation as she started dinner. Half an hour later, Blair blew out the candle, stood, and stretched.
"Hungry, sweetie?" Naomi called.
"Not really, Ma." The usual spark was gone from his voice.
"Blair? What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, Blair," Naomi came out of the kitchen and hugged him. "Tell me what's the matter."
"Mom, don't take this personally, but I just need some space, okay?"
"Sure, sweetie," Naomi nodded, backing off. She went into the kitchen and put the pot of Jamaican Eggplant chili on the stove to simmer, while she read the new issue of Ms. An hour later, she ladled some of the spicy mixture into bowls. "Blair, soup's on."
"I'm not hungry," Blair called from his room.
"Come on now." Naomi carried a bowl to his room, surprised to find his door open. "Just eat a little bit for me, huh? Make you big and strong."
"Quit dreaming, Naomi, I'm never gonna be big or strong," Blair answered in a tired voice.
Naomi put the bowl down on Blair's dresser and sat herself directly in front of him on his bed. "Alright, kiddo, spill it."
Blair rolled over to face the wall. "Mom, I don't want to talk about it. "
Naomi crossed her arms. "Well that's too bad, 'cause you are going to talk about it."
"Maaaa," Blair whined. "Leave me alone!"
"No."
Blair crossed his arms, too, and ignored her, resolutely staring at the wall.
"Did something happen at school?"
Blair didn't answer.
"Is someone making fun of you?"
No response.
"Blair Sandburg, you answer me!"
Blair turned back to her with fire in his eyes. "YES!"
"Yes what?"
"Yes, EVERYTHING! YES something happened at school! YES they make fun of me! YES! Okay, mom?! YES! You happy now?"
"Who made fun of you!"
"Mom, what difference does it make?"
"Blair! It makes a big difference! Honey, if he's doing it to you, he's probably doing it to other kids."
"No, Mom, you just don't get it! They aren't picking on anyone else, they're picking on ME. Because they're all 13 and 14 and I'm only 11, and I'm short, and I'm smart, and my voice hasn't changed, and I get all the top scores but nobody wants me on their team in gym class. THEY HATE ME BECAUSE I DON'T FIT IN! And I hate being me! And I hate school! And I hate everything!" Tears stood in Blair's eyes.
"Sweetie." Naomi was shocked speechless. She tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't flinch, so she leaned down and kissed him.
"Mom, was my dad short?"
"Oh, sweetie, I don't know."
"Mom, please, just look at me! I don't look like you or any of the other Sandburgs. I must remind you of somebody! Mom, please, think!"
"Oh, Blair." Naomi hugged her son tight. "Baby, if I knew, I swear, I'd tell you in a second. But I just don't."
Blair sat up and put his arms around his mom. "Why do I have to be different, Mom? I hate it."
"Blair Bear, I know it's hard on you now, and I'm so sorry. If I could make it better, I would. But you're special, sweetheart. You're unique and brilliant and beautiful. I promise, when you get older, things will be easier."
Blair let her go and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. "Mom, why did you name me Blair?"
Naomi smiled. "I named you after a good friend of mine who took a trip he couldn't come back from."
Blair sat up, eyes wide. "You mean, he OD'd?"
"Well, yes."
"Oh, wow," Blair said softly. "Nutty."
"Hmm," Naomi said. "But he was a beautiful man, full of love, always smiling, a peaceful man."
"Was Blair his first name or his last name?"
"Oh, neither. His name was Libra, I just transposed it to make Blair. I thought it would be kind of confusing to name you Libra when you're a Gemini."
"Thank you," Blair said with relief. "That's a little more special than I need to be."
Naomi laughed and ran her fingers over his tickle spot, it was on his left side about two inches up from his belly button.
Blair curled up and giggled. "STOP! STOP!"
"What?" Naomi asked, still tickling. "I can't hear you. What?"
"Sto-o-o-p!"
"Oh, stop! Oh, okay." Naomi stopped. She kissed Blair and stood up, walking his dresser and picking up his bowl of chili. "So. I Guess I'll just pour this back into the pot, huh?"
Blair sat up. "Wait, uh, is it still warm?"
Naomi felt the bowl. "Yes."
"Oh, well I guess I'll eat it for you, then."
"Okay, thanks." Naomi put the bowl back, careful not to smile until she'd left he room. She ignored the bowl she'd set out for herself and went straight to the phone.
"Hello? Doctor Katz? This is Naomi Sandburg. You remember my son, Blair, from last summer? … Yes… Oh he really learned a lot too…Uh-huh…I think he could use a few more sessions …. Right…When could you fit him in?….. Okay, great, thanks….Yes….I'm looking forward to seeing you again, too, Doctor. Good bye."
*** **** *****
(more years as the muse hits me, THANKS so much for reading!)
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http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/cascadePD