Easy Come, Easy Go
By Sunglow66
*~*~*
Rating: G
Author Notes: This is for Fluterbev who is down with the flu. Thanks to Moonglow11066 for the use of her computer and the beta. There is a second part to this which will be posted tomorrow.
*~*~*
It was Jim's turn to go out for the bagels he and Blair were planning on having for breakfast. Blair had managed to get hold of the last tub of strawberry cream cheese at the deli the night before; for some reason there'd been a shortage in their area and Blair had come in all excited and pumping the air in jubilation.
On his return Jim discovered the mailman had been as well as the morning paper and he dropped them all on the kitchen table before going to bang on Blair's French doors.
"Rise and shine, Chief, get your ass in gear before I eat all the bagels."
He went back into the kitchen and poured two mugs of coffee, then went back to wait outside Blair's room. He could hear the signs that Blair was emerging from his nest and took a sip of coffee. The door opened and a hand emerged. Jim placed a mug of coffee in it and it withdrew back into the bedroom.
"Thnks J'm."
A few minutes later a marginally more awake Blair came out and headed to the bathroom, coming out ten minutes later showered, shaved and dressed, although his hair was still wet.
Jim handed him another coffee and busied himself laying out the bagels and cream cheese, and pouring orange juice.
"Here's your mail, Chief." Jim handed him half the stack having already sorted it and opened the paper.
"Junk, junk, bill, junk, bill, statement…" Blair flipped through his stack and started opening them.
"Chief, why do you open the junk mail? Why don't you just bin them?"
"Hey, sometimes you get free gifts, and samples." He opened one of the bulkier ones and showed it to Jim. "Look, a free pen. Cool, it's one of those biodegradable cardboard ones."
Jim shook his head and went back to reading the sports page, only to be alerted a few minutes later by the increase in his partner's heart rate and breathing.
"Oh man, there has to be some mistake." Blair was staring in shock at his bank statement.
Jim zeroed in on the bottom line and nearly choked on his orange juice.
"You been holding out on me, Chief?" He asked.
"Jim…"
"I know; it's a mistake." Jim took the statement out of Blair's unresisting fingers and whistled. "Pity, I thought for a minute I'd finally get my back rent paid."
Blair was about to protest that he'd pay Jim back when he caught the laughter in Jim's eyes.
"You dickwad."
"Go call your bank, Chief. Get it sorted before you're tempted to go on a spending spree."
"Oh man, the things I could do with this." For a second Blair allowed himself to dream of no more school loans; a cherried out Volvo; a really expensive warm winter coat… Sighing, he took the phone Jim was holding out and dialled the number of his bank.
Jim didn't need sentinel hearing to know that the bank was denying all knowledge of the transfer into Blair's bank account.
"There hasn't been a mistake, Mr Sandburg, the bank doesn't make this kind of mistake."
"You must have."
"Mr Sandburg, I don't want to argue with you about this…"
"I'm not arguing; I'm trying to have a rational conversation about this. I want you to check your records. Someone must be wondering where their two million dollars are."
"I assure you, Mr Sandburg…"
"Look, don't bother, I'll come down and sort it out. What time are you open 'til?"
"One o'clock."
"Fine, I'll be there before then, goodbye." Blair pressed the end call button on the phone and placed it back on the table.
"They deny all knowledge, Jim. I have to go down there to sort this out."
"Want a lift?"
"No thanks, I need to stop by my office to pick up a few books I need this weekend."
"Give me a call if you run into problems."
"Will do, see you later Jim." Blair grabbed his keys and coat and was out the door.
*~*~*
Blair's usual account manager wasn't working so he had to see someone who wasn't familiar with his account; and that was the problem. He couldn't make them see that it was a mistake; that someone out there was missing two million dollars.
Finally, unable to convince the bank, he decided to open a high interest account and deposit the two million there until its rightful owner claimed it. He also didn't want to be tempted into spending any of it.
He made an appointment to see his usual account manager on Monday then left to go on to his office.
*~*~*
"How did it go, Chief?" Jim came out of the bathroom with the bucket of cleaning things, having just finished in there.
"They told me to stop complaining about my good fortune."
"Really?"
"No, but I could hear it in their voices."
"What did you do with it?"
"I put it in a high interest account and made an appointment to see Derek on Monday."
"Not even tempted to spend it?"
"Oh man, was I ever! I couldn't though, Jim. What if it belongs to a charity? I couldn't live with myself if I spent any of it." He looked into Jim's eyes. "And you couldn't live with me either, could you Jim?"
"I will admit I'd have tried to persuade you not to spend any."
*~*~*
For the rest of the weekend Jim found Blair picking up and looking at his bank statement, apparently unable to believe the number of noughts on the bottom line. It was a relief when Monday morning came and he was able to drop Blair off at the bank, the Volvo having refused to start.
"Hi Derek." Blair shook hands with his account manager.
"Hi Blair, what can I do for you?"
"I need an explanation of this." Blair showed him his bank statement.
"Whoa, you win the lottery, Blair? You've come for some investment advice?"
"This money isn't mine, Derek. There's obviously been a mix up somewhere and this money was put in my account by mistake. I want you to sort it out."
"Let me check for you." Derek brought up Blair's accounts, including the new high interest account. "It may take some time to trace the transfer, Blair, but I think if anyone's missing two million they'd be screaming by now." His phone rang just then. "Excuse me."
Blair could tell by the way Derek kept glancing from Blair to his screen that the person on the other end of the line was discussing the transfer. His suspicion was confirmed when Derek put the phone down.
"Would you come with me Blair?"
Derek led the way to an inner office that Blair would never normally get to see. Two men were in the room, both in designer suits, exuding power.
"Mr Sandburg, sir." Derek ushered Blair inside and left them to it.
"Mr Sandburg, I'm Harold Bennett, President of this bank, this is Charles Benedict the Third."
"Pleased to meet you." Blair shook their hands.
"I understand you're here about a transfer into your account?" Bennett said.
"Yeah, nearly had a heart attack when I saw it. I knew it had to be a mistake. I guess you know who it belongs to?"
"Yes, it belongs to Mr Benedict here."
Blair looked at the other man and smiled at him.
"Guess you're pleased to see it again."
Charles Benedict laughed, responding to Blair's charm.
"Very, it seems that your account number is very similar to my company charity fund account number."
"Where do I have to sign to get it transferred back to you? I opened a high interest account and put it there for safekeeping."
"I'll just get the paperwork." Bennett got up and left through a side door to another office.
"A lot of people would have spent some of it." Charles commented.
"Oh man, I would never have heard the end of it from Jim if I'd spent some and then found I had to give it back. I have enough debts without taking on more."
"Jim?" Charles was unable to stop the question; the glimpse into this honest young mans life was irresistible.
"Jim Ellison, he's a detective in Major Crime. I'm working on my doctorate and ride with him for research. He also let me move in with him when my warehouse blew up."
"Mr Sandburg…"
"Call me Blair."
"Blair, would you be free for lunch? I'd like to thank you for the return of the money."
"Hey, you don't have to thank me, as I said before, it wasn't mine in the first place."
"I'd still like to take you to lunch."
"I never turn down a free meal." Blair grinned and Charles smiled back at him.
*~*~*
"…so anyway, there I was doing the Macarena in the elevator, all so that the bomber wouldn't hear Jim and another cop trying to weld us to the shaft."
"It must have been terrifying." Charles took a sip of coffee.
"Well yeah, but I knew Jim would get us out of there."
Charles could see and hear the worship in Blair's eyes and voice, and even if he hadn't the number of times Jim's name had come up in the conversation would have given him a clue.
"Would you like some more coffee, gentlemen?" The waiter came up to them just then.
"No thanks, I have to get to the station, Jim's expecting me." Blair checked his watch.
"No thank you, just the check." Charles shook his head.
"Listen, thanks for the lunch. I know we probably won't meet again, but I really enjoyed talking to you."
"It was my pleasure, Blair. I'll tell my grandson about the dinosaur exhibition at the institute, I'm sure he'll be fascinated."
"You're welcome, I remember my obsession with dinosaurs when I was six."
Blair stood up and picked up his backpack, heaving it over his shoulder before holding out his hand to Charles. The shook and Blair bounced out, leaving Charles with a smile on his face as he signed the check.
*~*~*
"Hey, it's Money Man." Brown greeted Blair as he entered the bullpen.
"Not any more, H, I'm a poor grad student again."
"Damn. Only you, Hairboy, it could only happen to you."
"Hey Jim." Blair dumped his backpack under the desk.
"Chief. All sorted?"
"Yep, money all gone back to its owner."
"Here, this'll cheer you right up." Jim handed him a stack of files.
"Oh man." Blair could see it was going to be an afternoon of report writing. "No rest for the newly poor."
*~*~*
Later that evening Jim was channel surfing when Blair came to sit down beside him. Seeing that Blair obviously wanted to say something, he put down the remote and gave him his full attention.
"Jim?"
"Chief?"
"You know I'll pay you your back rent when I can, don't you?"
Jim sighed, wondering if this had been worrying his partner and roommate all weekend.
"Chief, it was a joke, you know that don't you? I know I don't say it very often but…Thanks. Thanks for giving me my sanity back. If you hadn't come along when you did I'd be in Conover by now."
"Don't say that, Jim."
"It's true. I thought I was going crazy, then you come along and make sense of all the craziness."
"I'd been looking for you for most of my life, Jim."
"I know - Holy Grail."
"Yeah, never thought it'd look…" Blair stopped suddenly, a faint color touching his cheeks.
"What?" Jim heard the increase in his heart rate and suddenly noticed the color.
"Nothing."
"Chief…" Jim's hand snaked out and cupped the back of his neck, forcing Blair to look at him.
"Look what?"
"Like a Greek god, okay?"
"You…" Jim cleared his throat and started again. "You find me attractive?"
"Well duh! I may wear glasses but I'm not blind. Of course you're attractive."
"You find me attractive."
"Well, yeah."
"You. Skirt-chasing Sandburg? You."
"What, you want it in writing? Yes! I find you incredibly attractive. Gorgeous, hot, sexy, want me to go on?"
"No, I'd like you to shut the hell up." Jim pulled him forward and Blair found his fantasies were nothing like the reality of Jim Ellison kissing him.
That didn't stop him from kissing him back and soon they were acting out one of his favourites, the one with nakedness and moans of "Blair…oh god…yes…there…" and "Jim! So good…mmm…"
As Blair lay there in a sated puddle of goo, he reflected that he may be as poor as a church mouse now that he'd given back the two million dollars, but with Jim's love he was the richest man in the world.
Fin
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