Disclaimer: Sentinel characters belong to Pet Fly.
Author Note: This story originally appeared in CTYS 7

Bonds That Tie

By Summer Rain, Wanda and Wolfling



     Blair Sandburg, his Guide, his roommate, the love of his life was gone. He had
been gone for 3 days, and would be gone for two more. He was at some stupid
conference in Orlando, Florida. And it was driving Jim Ellison up the wall.
He hated going to bed at night and not having the cover hog, space stealing,
cuddle monster with him. He hated getting up in the morning and having to
deal with the idiots all day. The people at the station were starting to
give him wide space, he was snapping at them so much. He hated having Blair
gone. Hated it, hated it, hated it!
 *And you're whining.*
 He jumped as he heard his Guide's voice in his head, the amused tone that
went with it not putting him in any better mood.
*I hate it when you do that Blair! Give a guy a little warning, will you?* he grumbled back. The bond between them was a wonderful thing when one of them
was in trouble, but it annoyed the heck out of him any other time. And
Blair knew that, so he used it any chance he got. The pest. It was a good
thing he loved him, or his Guide would have been throttled by now.
 *Gee, it's a little hard to give a warning about this. I pop in, annoy you, and
run back to my own mind gleefully. I was sure that was the way this works
big guy, or have you’ve been reading something on Sentinels I haven’t?* The
amused tone was much,  much stronger.
Jim had gotten out of bed, and pulled on some clothes by this time. He was
walking down the stairs, trying to decide if getting up was really going to be worth
it if this is how the day was going to start.
   *So you’ve popped, annoyed, now run gleefully along. Some of us have better
things to do than lounging in the sun.*
*It's been three days. I thought you'd be over being grumpy about me being
away by now. I mean, I had come up with some great twists on phone sex using
the bond, but if you're going to be like this....*
*Sandburg,* he growled. A hint of a smile came over his face even as he
tried to stop it. The kid was just too good at this.
*I know, I know, scoot. Didn’t I ever tell you you're a pain before your
morning coffee?* Blair didn’t even give him a chance to answer. *And scoot
I will, the lecture is starting soon. I’ll pop up later. Love you. Bye.* And he was gone, the bond closed down again.
   Jim stood shaking his head as he cooked some eggs for breakfast.
“I could have gotten a dog, but nooo...."


********************


         Buried under a ton of paperwork, Jim was becoming grumpier and grumpier.
He knew that he should have stayed in bed. Blair popping into his head like
that after three days was a sign from above.
   *Nope, it was a sign from below and to the east.*
 Jim jumped again, spilling coffee all over the papers on his desk, and on his pants.
His light brown pants. He grabbed a handful of paper towels, blotting and
cursing the whole time. The whole bullpen was looking at him till he
growled at them all.
 *I HATE WHEN YOU DO THAT!* he yelled back at Blair through the bond, wishing his Guide was there so he could do that throttling.
He tried to remain angry but he felt the corner of his mouth quirking in reaction to the laughter he could feel coming from his Guide over the link.
 *I hope you're happy Sandburg. You've got half the bullpen suspecting I'm crazy!*
*Yeah the other half don't suspect it, they know it,* his Guide retorted.
 This time Jim did smile but was able to hide it as he bent
his head to continue blotting at his pants. He sighed and straightened and
headed for the bathroom to grab some more paper towels since he had
exhausted his supply of tissue at the desk.
 *Enjoy the coffee, babe?* he heard Blair ask, amusement coloring his tone.
Jim growled, startling the woman who was exiting the elevator. He didn't spare her
a glance as he headed for the restroom.
  *Yeah laugh it up Chief. Guess who is gonna redo all the paperwork that got wet?*
 *Oh come on Jim! I've spent the last few weeks preparing for this conference and I'll be real busy when...*
  *Now who's whining Chief?* Jim countered as he entered the bathroom and grabbed the paper towels.
 The back and forth continued until Jim got back to his desk. He had to admit he felt slightly more relaxed than he had that morning.
In some ways anyway.
 Hearing his Guide's voice was good. Being apart from him was not. He couldn't wait until he had his Guide safe in his arms again. 'Then again,' he thought as he looked at the papers scattered on his desk -- coffee stains on all of them, 'maybe not.'
 *I think it's safer for me where I am,* Blair said.
 *You have to come back sooner or later.*
Jim smiled wickedly at the groan that came over the bond.


********************


         Robberies in progress. He hated them. But then, he had hated most of this day.
He got out of the truck already extending his hearing to try and determine exactly what it was he was going to be faced with. He was alone until backup arrived and he didn't want any surprises.
 He looked around, instinctively dialling up his vision. The streets were quiet since it was past working hours. There were just a few people outside. Some kids working on a bike across the street had looked at him curiously when he had exited his truck but quickly turned their attention back to their bent wheel.

     Jim climbed the front steps and reached for his gun in his holster at the same time. The library's silent alarm had notified the authorities that there was trouble but there was no way of knowing how many people were inside or just what they were trying to steal for that matter.
He looked in through the window but didn't see anyone. Reaching the door, he pulled on the handle, tensing as the door opened slightly.
Jim wasn't sure about library procedure but he could be pretty sure it wasn't policy to leave the door unlocked like that. Which meant that the perpetrator or perpetrators had been brazen enough to come in through the main entrance.
 Taking a deep breath he entered the library. He listened in and nodded when he detected only one other heartbeat in the building. Behind him he could hear police sirens in the distance but they were still a mile or two away.
He decided to go in first. There was apparently only one thief and he could take him down if need be.
  'Blair loves this place. He’s spent hours at a time here.  I wouldn't want anything to happen to it. Some of the manuscripts and stuff in here are pretty rare, one of a kind. A thief could make a lot of money here unless I stop him.' Jim thought to himself.
 Drawing his gun, Jim moved inside silently, his hearing turned up high as he followed the trail of the lone heartbeat. After a moment's listening he determined that the culprit was on the upper level and began to move cautiously toward the stairs.
His footsteps sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet of the building. For a moment he thought he had given himself away. He realised however that it was his enhanced sense of hearing that made him feel his every move would give him away.
As he stepped onto the second floor he began to pick up other sounds as well -- harsh breathing and the rustling of papers being moved. It was a fairly simple task for him to track these sounds to the room where the most valuable books and  the rare manuscripts were kept.
'Not a surprise,' he thought. 'What else would be worth the time and effort to steal? Definitely not the harlequin romances.'
 Noiselessly Jim moved between the rows of bookshelves, preparing to catch the literary thief unawares. The rustling of paper continued in the room housing the rare books and manuscripts.
So intent was he on stalking his prey that he failed to hear the second heartbeat that had entered the building. Or the footsteps that came up behind him, until it was too late...


********************



     Several thousand miles away, Blair was carrying on a lively debate with one of the other conference participants when a wave of pain and disorientation washed over him. He stopped in mid-sentence, doubling over and grabbing his head with a sharp gasp.
*JIM!* he sent along the bond but there was no answer.
 Fighting down the rising panic along with the shared pain, Blair quickly made his way out of the convention centre, brushing off the concerned inquiries with a mumbled "migraine."
 All the way back to his room he tried to establish contact with his lover but all that came through the link was pain.

     His hands were shaking so bad by the time he reached his room that he almost couldn't get the key in the lock. Once inside the first thing he did was pick up the phone and with trembling fingers dialled a familiar number.
 "Cascade Police."
 "Captain Simon Banks." Blair was amazed that his voice was so steady.
 "One moment..."
  'Hurry, damnit,' Blair thought bouncing agitatedly. 'Jim could be...' He firmly cut off that thought before he could finish it. 'Just hurry.'
  "Banks."
  "Where's Jim?" he blurted out, his voice no longer so steady as his lover's pain continued to pull at him.
  "Wha- Sandburg is that you?" The police captain sounded less than pleased.
 "Yeah, it's me. Simon, you've got to find Jim. He's in trouble, hurt somehow...
Please you've got to help him. I think- I think it might be really bad."
   "Whoa, back up there Sandburg. And calm down. What are you talking about? I thought you were in Florida."
"I am. Simon please, there's no time to explain. Just please, please check on Jim."
 Blair could hear the desperation in his voice and it became apparent that Simon could hear it too.
 After a second's silence Simon sighed and said, "Hold on."
  Then Blair heard the muffled sound of the captain's voice calling out to the bullpen to track down Ellison.
  There was a minute of silence then Simon was back on the phone. "Dispatch said Jim was checking out a silent alarm at the library. The backup units are arriving right now."
 Blair felt his tension ease a little at the thought that help had gotten to Jim. But his continuing inability to reach his lover made certain he didn't relax too much. "Could you let me know when they find Jim?" he asked.
"Jim's probably waiting with a suspect in custody..."
  'I wish he was, Simon, I wish he was,' Blair thought. "If he is you can chew me out, but please can you check for sure?"
  Simon muttered under his breath but then Blair heard him call out the request for information.
  Again, there was a pause, longer this time. When Simon came back on his line his tone had changed.
 "I don't know how you knew Blair but the perps got the drop on him. The uniforms found Jim on the second floor, unconscious. They're waiting for the ambulance right now."
 "Oh god..." Blair moaned, his grip on the phone's receiver turning white knuckled. "How bad is he hurt?"
"It doesn't look too bad. They found a bronze bust next to him. Looks like the thief knocked him on the head with that. The uniforms said he was already showing signs of coming around so it's probably a mild concussion at worst."
As Simon was reassuring him, Blair felt the first stirrings of returned awareness through the bond.
 Sagging in relief, he let the muzzy and confused thoughts of his partner wash over him.
"I'm sure you're right Simon."
Simon said something back but Blair didn't hear it as he hung up the phone, closing his eyes and laying down on the bed, all the better to concentrate on reestablishing the bond with the most important person in his life.



********************



     Jim was aware that he was surrounded by people. A lot of people. Next came the realisation that there were police sirens still wailing. Finally and abruptly came the realisation that someone was waving smelling salts under his nose.
He practically gagged as the strong smell almost sent him into another zone. He batted the smelling salts away weakly and finally opened his eyes to see his surroundings.
 The area where he was at was crawling with police officers. Two paramedics
hovered over him watching him with concern.
"Did we get them?" he asked hoarsely.
  "Just what do you remember?" the paramedic asked after exchanging glances with her partner. They began to check him over while they waited for his answer.
 Jim gave a succinct account of what he could remember. He threw in his name
and birth date just for good measure to assure them that he was feeling okay.
 After running him through all the standard tests used to see if someone was in charge of their faculties and a brief argument about going to the emergency room which they lost, the paramedics left him alone and Jim was able to grab a moment of relative
peace.
He leaned back against the police car he had been propped up against and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to try and regain his equilibrium.
  *You scared the crap out of me!*
  Jim jumped and then sighed. So much for a minute or two of peace and quiet.
 *What are you talking about Sandburg? This isn't the first time one of us has got hit on the head. Actually I think you're still a few up on me in that regard.*
 *You don't get it do you Jim? You were gone, man. I couldn't feel you at all. All I felt was pain.* There was a slight pause and Blair's mental voice was soft and hesitant when he continued. *I didn't know what had happened. I thought that you might be...* He trailed off.
Jim shivered as he felt his lover's fear wash over him. He had really scared the kid. *I'm fine, Blair,* he reassured him. *Just a bump on the head. Didn't even need a bandaid.*
  He could almost see his lover taking a deep breath and steadying himself, as he felt the fear slowly dissipate.
*What the hell happened?*
 *I was checking out a silent alarm when one of the thieves got the drop on me.* Jim grimaced. It wasn't exactly his finest moment.
 *Got the drop on you? How?*
 *I was tracking one thief by his heartbeat. Guess I was concentrating too hard on that and didn't notice it when his partner came in.*
*You ZONED?!* Blair yelped.
 *No,* he denied. *Well, not exactly. More like I was too focused on what I was doing.*
There was a second or two of silence. *Jim,* Blair began patiently. *That's the definition of a zoneout.*
  *Blair...*

         *Jim...*
 Jim almost laughed outright at the warning tone he could practically feel across their link.
  *Okay, okay. I zoned.*
Blair was silent for a moment before finally whispering, *I knew I shouldn't have gone to this conference.*
 Jim immediately straightened from where he had been slouched against the
car.
 *No way Chief. Don't you dare take the blame for this,* he sent sternly. He knew how important the conference had been to Blair and there was no way he was going to let his Guide feel guilty over what had happened.
  *I know Jim, I just.. .Are you sure your okay?*
 *Yeah Chief. I'm gonna get a ride to the loft with Brown.*
 *Okay I'll check in on you later. Love you Jim.*
Jim smiled feeling Blair's love for him via the link. He sent the same feeling back, imagining he could see his lover's smile as if he were right before him.


********************


     Jim stripped as he went through the loft, for once not really caring. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and then climb in to bed and sleep for a week. Of course the ideal thing would be if his Guide were in the bed with him but for that pleasure he would have to wait a few days.
    He stepped into the bathroom turning the shower on and stepping back to remove his boxers. It was quiet in the loft except for the running shower. It was a quiet he was no longer used to. He missed the familiar heart beat of his Guide, the familiar scent that told him Blair was near.
    He shook his head and stepped into the shower letting the hot water run over his body and soothe away the aches and pains. He closed his eyes as he stood under the shower and willed his body to relax.  He shivered as he felt a whisper along the connection that he shared with Blair. The voice so low that for a moment he thought he had imagined it.
    * Blair? *
    * Yeah, its me big guy. * Blair responded, his voice over the bond still whisper soft.
    *What are you doing? *Jim asked lazily, even as his body responded to his Guide’s soothing tone.
    
* Just thought I would help you relieve some of your tension * Blair answered.
    * How are you gonna do that Chief? * He asked.
    * Just listen to my voice Jim*  Blair said.

    Jim instinctively tuned into his Guide. He could feel Blair’s calmness over the bond. Blair’s earlier fear had abated but the young man was still concerned. Underlying those surface emotions was the feeling of love he held for his Sentinel.
    It was a feeling that was mirrored in the Sentinel and one which he now sent to his Gudie over the link.
    He could feel Blair’s contented sigh before the young man continued his litany of soothing words.
    * Okay Jim, follow my voice. Let it soothe you Jim. * He said softly.  
Jim nodded  and followed Blair’s direction blocking out everything else except for his voice.


********************.


Jim shivered slightly as the water became cold and then it was then that he realised he had been standing under the water for a long time letting Blair’s words run through him until he felt safe.
He turned the shower off and stepped out drying himself off  quickly with a towel. Blair had gone silent for the moment but he could still feel his Guide’s presence over the bond.
He smiled realising that in his haste to shower he had forgotten to get a pair of clean boxers to wear. Luckily the loft was pretty warm, not that he minded the cold anyway, unlike his lover. He left the bathroom and padded up the stairs to the loft.
 If Blair were  there in person he would shake his head at the sight of his lover parading naked across the loft.
* I don’t need to be there in person, I can imagine it*  Blair practically groaned over the bond.
Jim laughed aloud at the groan before smiling softly at the beginnings of arousal he could feel directed at him over the link. It would never cease to amaze him the way his Guide responded to his body. It wasn’t so hard to understand though when he really thought about it. Blair’s reactions to him were the same as his own reactions to his Guide.
Blair dressed in layers even when they were relaxing in the loft. It had been Jim’s pleasure to slowly unwrap the layers of clothing. It was is if he was getting a gift each time he made love with the younger man.  Finally when the layers of clothing had been stripped away, the beauty of his Guide was there for his eyes to feast upon.
Jim could feel the blood in his body begin to quicken even now as he thought about Blair.  He wished more than anything his Guide were there. He wanted to touch the beautiful body and bond with his Guide again to reaffirm their connection.
* We can still make love Jim *his Guide sent over the bond.
* That’s kinda hard Chief *
*Yeah it is but so is yours I imagine *
Jim blinked and then laughed aloud before groaning at his lover’s pun.
* I meant that it would be hard to make love with us so far apart * He clarified.


    *Jim. Making love is a state of mind. We can still be together even though we are not physically together. * his Guide said seriously.
* Of course I would like nothing better than to throw you across the bed and fuck you senseless but we’ll just  need to make due with our version of phone sex *Blair continued.
    Jim moaned aloud as his penis got almost painfully hard at the image Blair’s words evoked.  It was reminder of their last night together before Blair had left for the conference.
Blair had slowly driven Jim nearly insane with his maddening touches before finally ending the sweet torture and taking his Sentinel long and hard until he let Jim come in what had been the most mind blowing orgasm of his life.
    * You’d like that wouldn’t you Jim? * Blair asked smugly over the link.
    * I’d love you to do that with you again * he continued, deliberately making his voice low and  husky over the link. *  I would love to do that right now * he continued.

    Jim took deep breaths as he tried to steady himself. Once again there was silence over the bond though he wasn’t certain for who’s benefit it was. He could no longer tell who’s arousal it was that flowed over the bond. He couldn’t separate what was him and what was Blair and he didn’t want to.
    He was in a sensual haze, lost in the workings of his mind as parts of his body ached with the need for his Guide’s touch.

    * You can feel it can’t you Jim? My touch on your body, enough pressure so that you can feel the caress but just light enough that you need more, much more. Your body arching toward mine as the heat begins to race through your body *  Blair whispered.
    *Yesss * Jim hissed over the bond, his body trembling. He could feel his knees begin to weaken and so sat down on the bed.
    * Do you know what I’m wearing Jim? * The younger man asked.
    * No, what are you wearing? * The older man asked raggedly.
    * Nothing except my smile. *  He said chuckling softly as the Sentinel once again moaned across the bond.
    * I’m going to touch myself now lover but I know it’s really you touching me. I can feel it. Your strong hand gliding across my stomach lower and lower driving me mad with the need to feel your hand on me. Do you feel it Jim? Do you feel the heat pouring off my body when you caress me like you do?*
    * Yes I can feel it Chief * Jim responded as his own hand went of it’s own volition to trace the path Blair had just described on his own body.

    * I can feel it now. Your hand is around my cock and you begin to stroke gently. I see your cock next to me rising from your body. It’s so beautiful I have to touch it. I reach out and caress it, letting my hand stray to the soft sacs underneath. Do you feel it Jim? *

        Jim could only grunt in response one small part of his mind wondering how Blair had the presence of mind to talk at this moment when he felt as if he were drowning in a wave of sensation.
    His Guide’s words surrounded him like a cloak, warmth spread throughout his body yet somehow centred on his groin.

    * Oh yeah lover. I can feel your strokes become more insistent as you feel me heading towards the edge. *

    Jim stroked his erection harder as he heard Blair’s words begin to slur slightly as his Guide approached his orgasm.
    * Yeah Baby, come for me * he whispered softly to his Guide delighting in the soft gasp that came over the bond.
    * Yeah, I love when you arch into my hand and a blush begins to spread over your body as you are about to climax...it’s enough to make me come right there baby. It’s like a gift each time to know that it’s me that does that to you Jim continued fondly.*  He could feel his balls begin to tighten at the impending orgasm and he called to his Guide softly wanting the other man to go with him.
    * Blair, I want to feel you babe, come for me let me know that it’s me that does this to you*
    * Yes, it’s you Jim. It’s always you * the younger man responded brokenly.
    * Let go* Jim commanded softly. He had just enough presence of mind to recognise his lover’s cry of completion over the bond before his own body tightened and his orgasm ripped through him.




Jim blinked as he tried to regain awareness. He could feel his lover’s soothing presence through the bond. His nose twitched as he noted the smell of his own semen and he smiled chuckling softly.
* Blair that was incredible * he said softly over the bond knowing that his Guide was on the verge of sleep and feeling the waves of drowsy contentment that flitted over the bond. * Your incredible * he added.
* So are you big guy. I love you * Blair responded softly.
* Thank you Blair for this and…for what you did today*
Blair was silent for a moment as he tried to remain alert for just a moment longer.
* I did what I had to do Jim. I’m your Guide its what I do, it’s my job to keep you safe.*
Jim nodded before sighing and sinking down into the mattress.
* Blair? *
* Yeah Jim? *
* I want to imagine one more thing. I want you to imagine you are here with me in bed and you have your arms around me keeping me safe  *
* Done * Blair responded.
*Good, I feel safer already…” Jim said.
The last thing he heard before he went to sleep was the throaty chuckle of his Guide and the last thing he felt was Blair’s arms around him in a protective embrace.

--The End--