By Polly

*~*~*

Rating: R

Notes/Warnings: This is the last of it. Five nonsmoking days now, and I will blame any errors or lack of continuity on that. Grrrrr. Our tap water tastes like chemicals. It's awful. I forgot you got sentinel taste buds back when you quit smoking. Ugh. Oh, story warnings. No naked sex here just a little bit of foreplay.

*~*~*

Blair awakened slowly, ascending so gradually into consciousness that he wasn't sure when - if - he'd stopped dreaming. He felt wonderfully warm, cradled against Jim's strong form, his tank tee and boxers no barrier to that radiating body heat.

He sighed contentedly; dimly aware it must be very early in the morning, judging from the pearly gray light. The surroundings threw him a bit, and it took him a minute to remember they were still at Jim's dad's house... which led him to recall yesterday's events.

Simon's offer... the commissioner's press conference... Mister Ellison's revelations... all unimportant compared to where he was now.

Hadn't he decided days ago that nothing mattered more to him than Jim did? He was still at peace with that decision, and everything else was just details.

Good details, though, as William and Steven had been at some pains to explain after dinner last night. He was set financially, thanks to the settlement from Berkshire. He could go back to Rainier and get his doctorate - although not with the sentinel diss. At this point, he never wanted to see it again. Still, he'd gathered enough material for a workable thesis on the police as a subculture. Or he could go to the police academy and become a detective himself.

So much depended on what Jim wanted, and he wasn't martyring himself - he wasn't. He just- he wanted not to make Jim unhappy again, ever, because he couldn't be happy unless Jim was happy. He'd known that since Simon and Daryl were lost in Peru, and it was truer now than it had ever been.

He and Jim needed to talk, Blair realized wearily. He had to know how Jim really felt about the direction their relationship was taking. He had to be certain that Jim wasn't suddenly offering himself out of guilt, or because some weird-ass sentinel instinct was overriding Jim's better judgment. Most of all, he had to know if Jim genuinely desired him physically, which seemed unlikely given Jim's past choices.

For right now, though, he'd ignore it all, and let himself enjoy being in Jim's arms.

*~*~*

"Captain Banks. Good morning. Would you like some coffee?"

"Good morning, Mister Ellison. Coffee sounds great."

Simon followed William Ellison into the kitchen, where they sat at a plain wooden table like regular folks; William Ellison pouring Simon's coffee himself into a white stoneware mug.

The whole thing surprised Simon a little, and he realized he'd assumed that rich people always ate in their formal dining rooms, using their most ornate dishes, their every whim waited on by hired help... which led him to laugh at himself for being silly.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for coming by so early, but I wanted to check on Jim and Blair. When I found out they weren't home I got worried."

"I understand, Captain Banks."

"Please, call me Simon."

"If you'll call me Bill," Jim's father returned warmly. "I suppose it makes you nervous when you don't know where they are."

"Yeah, they're not usually missing for a good reason," Simon admitted with a frown, thinking of times past when one or both members of his best team had been missing... Lash, Brackett, Oliver...

"I wouldn't be surprised if they slept in. Blair was pretty shook up by everything that's happened and Jimmy's leg hurt, which is why I asked them to stay. Neither was in any shape to drive back into town last night. Frankly, I'm surprised your doctor is allowing you drive so soon, Simon." William arched one eyebrow, wondering if the captain of Major Crime needed a keeper as badly as his son and Blair. He was amused when Simon Banks gave him a sheepish grin.

"Well, strictly speaking..."

"Hmm. I thought so. You're a good friend to Jimmy and Blair."

"They've been good friends to me. Both of them."

"They do seem to come as a package deal," William noted amusedly.

Their eyes met across the table and both men were relieved to see affection and acceptance in the other's eyes.

*~*~*

Jim went from asleep to fully alert at his usual warp speed, senses informing him something had changed. He instantly determined that he'd been roused by Simon's entrance. Relaxing, he lay still and listened to his dad and Simon, briefly kicking himself for not having checked in with Simon last night. He could have spared his friend some worry... then his senses pointed out his current position and nothing else mattered.

Blair was lying with his back spooned against Jim's front, tight butt snugged against a morning erection that was suddenly demanding all of Jim's attention. Surrendering, Jim moved on pure instinct, pulling Blair into him as his hips pushed forward, his breath catching on the resultant surge of pleasure.

To his great delight, Blair drowsily pushed back.

"Mmm, morning. How's your leg?"

"What leg?" Jim asked huskily, nuzzling Blair's hair aside so he could kiss that warm nape, still lazily rocking into Blair's ass. It felt so damned good that he wanted to whimper, especially when his imagination wondered how much better it would feel naked.

Carefully closing his teeth on Blair's skin, he indulged his urge to mark his bedmate, arousal heightened when Blair writhed against him with a groan.

"God, Jim..."

"Hmm, you taste sweet. I knew you would."

"You knew? You mean, you thought about this?" There was enough audible doubt in that shaky question to cut through Jim's erotic haze. He unceremoniously turned them both, until he was lying half on top of Blair and looking down into wary blue eyes.

"Of course I have! I denied it to myself for too long. I denied you for too long. I never will again."

"Just like that? Just that easy?"

"Shouldn't something about this be easy?" Jim wondered with some exasperation, too aware of just how easy it would be to lower his head and swallow those fretful questions.

"So you think this is part of the sentinel thing," Blair asked flatly.

"Jesus, Chief, don't be an idiot," Jim snapped, insulted. "It's not a sentinel thing, it's a love thing!"

He was surprised when Blair started laughing out loud, so obviously full of joy and relief that he had to laugh, too, before strong hands cupped his face and pulled their lips together at last.

"I love you, too, James Joseph."

"Damn right, you do."

*~*~*

That was the best sound in the world, William Ellison thought, exchanging a grin with Simon Banks as they listened to that distant laughter.

Well worth a hundred grand gestures.

Fin

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