Quickie bonding fic - The Trick

[dimity_blue]

Written last night due to an inordinate amount of nagging by raphe1 (sorry, Nancy!). Hope you like it. :oD

The Trick
(or Sneaky Sentinels)
by Arnie



Blair stared at Jim in disbelief. "You want to bond with me?!"

"Yep." Jim smirked at him and stretched, like a big cat on a hot day. "I thought you'd realise that."

"No!" Blair snorted. He couldn't believe this! He'd thought Jim was a friend - a friend who liked him for himself and wasn't just pretending to like him for the sake of the bond.

"I want to bond, Chief," Jim's face turned serious and he stretched out a hand towards Blair's hair, then let it fall when Blair stepped back, "but I never lied to you. You're my friend. You're my best friend."

"But you wouldn't have given me the time of day if I wasn't a Guide!" Blair snapped.

Jim sighed and Blair glared at him. "Sandburg, take a look at yourself. You hardly look like someone who hangs around with cops! No, I didn't expect to like you, but I do. I don't want to bond with you just because you're a Guide and I'm a Sentinel - I want to bond with you because you're *you*!"

"Nice try, Ellison!" Blair snapped, then headed for the door.

"Sandburg!"

He ignored the plea and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Damned Sentinel! If Blair had wanted to bond, he could have - plenty of times! He'd had Sentinels lining up to bond with him. But he'd always valued his freedom. The ability to take off and go wherever he wanted, instead of being tied to a territorial, possessive Sentinel who'd go berserk if another Sentinel so much as looked at him.

Then Jim had turned up.

Leaning his forehead against the wall, Blair sighed and admitted that, for the first time, he'd been tempted.

They were on the same wavelength. Jim was the first Sentinel Blair had ever been able to laugh with. Sometimes all it took was one look and they'd know what the other was thinking. And now...it was all too obvious that Jim had been using him.

Lying to him.

Pretending to like him for the sake of the bond.

A thud from inside the room got Blair's attention and he pushed the door open and peered around it. "Jim?"

The Sentinel was on the floor, his body twisted as if he'd been trying to stop himself from falling, and failed.

"Jim?" Blair spoke louder, then stepped inside the loft, closing the door behind him. Had Jim collapsed? Was he zoned?

Blair moved closer still then paused, his sixth sense prickling. It could be trap. But...

Jim was lying so still, so quiet. Was he even breathing?!

Blair hurried forward and fell to his knees beside Jim's body. "Jim?!"

Leaning forward, Blair touched Jim's face, then jerked backwards as the Sentinel's eyes snapped open.

He gave a screech as the Sentinel lunged forward and grabbed him. Then yelled with indignation as he was pushed to the floor and pinned in place, his hands caught either side of his head.

The Sentinel smiled down at him, a feral look on his face. "C'mon, Chief, you were concerned for me. You were worried I'd zoned."

"Get off me, you son of a bitch!" Blair snapped, trying to buck free then wriggling when it became obvious that Jim wasn't going to be moved.

"Admit it, Chief," Jim leaned forward, his nose grazing the side of Blair's face, "you want to bond."

Blair jerked his head to one side. "Not with you!"

Casually, Jim settled himself, using his weight to hold Blair in place. "I never lied to you, Chief."

Staring at the balcony doors, Blair ignored him.

"You're my friend. Now, I know I couldn't bond with you if you weren't a Guide, but I don't like you because you're a Guide...I like you because you're you."

Blair grit his teeth and wished he could plug his ears. Damned Sentinels and their need to claim their Guides. Furiously, he bucked again, then snorted. "You'd say anything to get me to bond, Ellison. Don't think I haven't figured that one out!"

"You're a Guide, Sandburg; an empath!" Jim sounded like his patience was running out. "Damn well read me!"

Turning his head, Blair glared at the Sentinel, then lowered his barriers slightly. Well, Jim certainly believed he was telling the truth.

"See?" Jim's tone had gentled, and he smiled slightly. "I'm not lying to you."

"Fine. You're not lying. Let me up."

There was silence, and Blair raised his eyebrows as he gazed at the Sentinel.

"Okay, Sandburg, let's try this." Jim grinned and Blair decided that he really didn't like that look on the Sentinel's face. "There's no lying in the bond."

As the Sentinel's head plunged down, Blair shrieked with fury and twisted desperately as he struggled to escape. He felt Jim's teeth bite into the vulnerable flesh of his neck, and yelled again, partly in pain, partly in shock, then moaned as a flush of warmth raced through his system. Blair's mental barriers fell, and sweat broke out on his forehead as his internal temperature soared.

Gasping, he reeled mentally as his mind was invaded, then gave a sob as his Sentinel's shields closed around his mind protectively.

Blair's eyes slipped shut as resistance seeped from his body and he felt as if he were melting into the floor. With their minds joined, he could see how much Jim cared for him - as a friend, and as a Guide.

"I told you I didn't lie."

The smug tone in the Sentinel's voice won a half-smile from Blair and he tried to answer, but words were beyond him and he let them go. He could tell Jim when he woke up.

The End