By Sunglow

Blair was the first person to congratulate Megan on getting permanent residency and he was the first one she invited to her new apartment when she moved in. He'd been the one she'd gone to for advice on buying it, despite his protests that he knew nothing about real estate and that his last residence before Jim's was a rat-infested warehouse.

"But you've done wonders with Ellison's place. The Captain told me his place used to look like a hospital room. I need help here Sandy."

*~*~*

Jim looked up with a slight smile as Blair breezed into the bullpen but it faded at his words of greeting.

"Jim, where's Megan?"

"How would I know where she is?"

"Come on, tell me where she is." Blair waggled his fingers near his ears.

Sighing, Jim extended his hearing and was able to point Blair in the direction of the break room. where he had picked up the nasal tones of an Aussie accent.

"Cool, catch you in a few, Jim." And he was gone, backpack in hand.

"Did I hear Sandburg just now?" Simon stopped at Jim's desk.

"In the break room."

"Get him and come into my office, I've got a job for you two."

Jim got up and went to the break room where he found the two of them sifting through fabric swatches.

"You want something that's going to last, Megan, all of these have been treated with Scotch guard and Kate says she can have it done in a couple of weeks."

"I can't believe that ratty old sofa will look any better."

"Megan, you're on a budget, and Kate loves doing projects like that. Now, pick a fabric."

"Sandburg, the Captain wants us." Jim watched as Megan wavered between two samples before picking the terracotta and cream check.

"Great, I'll tell Kate." Blair shoved all of the samples back in his backpack and headed for the door. Jim noticed one sample on the floor and picked it up.

"Sandburg…" His fingers smoothed over the dark brown suede and fell into a light zone, only coming out when Blair touched his hand and spoke his name.

"Nice fabric, isn't it?"

"You think she'd recover mine as well?" Jim felt like an idiot but had to ask anyway.

"I'll ask."

*~*~*

"Hi Megan, how's it going?" Megan's immediate neighbour arrived home at the same time as Megan and they walked up the stairs together.

"Great, I'm useless when it comes to decorating so a friend is helping me out."

"Is that the cute longhaired guy I've seen coming and going? Always carries a backpack?"

"That's Blair alright. I'm having an open house this weekend, Jill, and some of the others from the PD are helping me decorate. The door's going to be open all day so you're welcome to drop by anytime."

"You mean we're going to be treated to hunky cops all weekend?" Jill fanned herself. "I'll tell the rest of the single ladies here in the building." She leaned close and whispered "just not Eileen from number 63, none of us have a chance when she's in the vicinity."

*~*~*

"Oh come on, Jim, we promised."

"You promised, Chief. I never said anything about decorating Connor's apartment."

"Well I've committed us to going."

"Well un-commit us."

"That's not even a word."

Jim hated it when Blair got that look on his face. It usually meant that he wanted Jim to do something he didn't want to do, like more tests. Unfortunately it also ended with Jim doing exactly what Blair wanted him to do, anything to bring that sparkle back to his eyes and that

smile back on his lips.

"Alright, alright." Jim finished his coffee and rinsed his mug out.

"Cool man, just let me get my painting jeans on."

Blair, on his way to his room, missed the whimper that escaped from Jim. Jim knew those jeans. They were faded to almost white; they had rips in the knees and clung to Blair's ass like ivy. How the hell was he going to get through the day?

*~*~*

"Captain! I wasn't expecting you to come." Megan was astounded when Simon Banks turned up just after Jim and Blair.

"Sandburg insisted. What do you want doing first?"

"The living room." Megan pointed the way.

Simon found that he wasn't the only senior officer Blair had press-ganged into helping.

Lieutenant Madison from Traffic was busy painting the skirting and one of his officers was up the ladder painting the ceiling.

"Not you too, Tom."

"Simon! Remind me again why you have Sandburg attached to your department?" Tom Madison grumbled good-naturedly.

Simon just grinned and picked up another brush.

*~*~*

"Sandy, I'm not sure about this lilac." Megan said, watching Jim cut in at the top of the wall.

"It's your study, Megan. Lilac's a good color for studies."

"Too girly for you, Connor?" Jim turned his head and shot her a grin.

"Just get on with it Ellison." Megan turned away as someone knocked on her open door.

"Jill! Come in!"

*~*~*

Megan, Jill and two of her other neighbours Nikki and Tanisha were in the kitchen making coffee for the workers.

"Megan, you are so lucky." Nikki was craning her head to see into the living room where Tom Madison was rollering a wall. "Working with all this eye candy."

"They're nothing special." Megan poured hot water over the teabag in Blair's mug.

"You mean you've never gone out with any of them?" Tanisha asked, eyeing up Simon.

"Only in a group to a bar after work."

"I still say you're lucky."

There was another knock on the front door just then and they all turned to the door.

"Hellooo? Oh hi, I'm Eileen from number 63, I heard you were having an open house this weekend and I thought I'd pop along and welcome you to the building."

"She's been here three weeks, Eileen." Jill said dryly.

"Well better late than never. I brought you some quiche."

Megan didn't want to tell her that the men currently in her apartment would eat glass rather than quiche, but she thanked her anyway and put it in the fridge.

"Jill, would you take the coffee into the living room while I take these to Blair and Jim?" Megan lifted the two mugs not sitting on the tray and headed for the study, Eileen trailing behind her.

*~*~*

Megan heard Eileen give a sharp intake of breath when she saw the two men in the study and she had to admit they made a striking picture. Blair was sitting on a paint can chattering away to Jim who was up a ladder painting the wall and smiling indulgently at whatever Blair was saying.

"Hey!" Megan got their attention and two pairs of blue eyes swung in her direction. She held out the mugs and Blair bounced to his feet while Jim was more careful, placing the roller back in it's tray before descending the steps.

"Hi, I'm Eileen, number 63." Eileen held out a perfectly manicured hand for Blair to shake then turned to Jim.

"Sorry, paint all over my hands." Jim took the coffee from Megan. She thought about calling him on the fact that he didn't worry about getting paint on her hand as he took it.

"Oh, you have paint all over your jeans." Eileen's eyes were glued to Blair's ass and she reached out to brush at the circle of paint currently adorning it.

So smooth it looked rehearsed, Jim stepped between them and nudged Blair towards Megan who handed him his tea.

"That's okay, it'll be dry by the time we go home." Blair grinned at Jim, knowing that if it weren't dry he'd be sitting on newspaper before Jim let him in the truck.

"You boys live together?" The wheels were turning in Eileen's brain and Blair was the only one who seemed oblivious to Jim's possessive stance.

*~*~*

"You guys were so bad." Megan snickered as she and the girls washed up. "Telling Eileen the Vice cops were decorating the bedroom was a stroke of genius as far as I'm concerned." Nikki protested. "Did you see the look on her face?"

"Did you see how fast she made her exit?" Jill burst out laughing.

*~*~*

"You dry, Sandburg?"

"Think so, Jim."

"Let me see." Jim brushed his hand over the ass that had been teasing him all day. Blair leaned against the cab waiting for the sentinel seal of approval and it was soon given; not, however, in the manner he was expecting.

"Uh, Jim?"

"What?"

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"I think so." Jim smiled as a wave of pheromones hit him.

"Oh." Blair pressed his ass back into the large hand that was cupping it.

"You know what the girls called us?" Jim bent and whispered in his ear.

"What?"

"Eye candy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and I've got a sweet tooth."

Fin

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