Title: Fresh Start

Author: Belynda

E-mail: belindat@ihug.co.nz

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: Jim/Blair Alex/Richie

Status: New, Complete

Parts: 1

Date: 10 August

Series: Traveling

Story Sequence: Beginnings, Fresh Start, Meetings, Confusion

Website: http://members.tripod.com/~belyndat/index.html

Summary: Richie and Alex discover a new immortal in Cascade.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! The following story is about a male/male relationship. If you have a problem with m/m relationships or are under 18 years of age, please leave now. You have been warned.

"Hey, man, I said I'm all right. I just want to leave and go home. Jim, you are police officer; can't you make them let me go home?" Blair Sandburg begged from the hospital bed upon which he was sitting.

"Chief, maybe the doctors are right. You were without oxygen for several minutes." Detective Jim Ellison replied.

"Oh man. Why won't anyone believe me? I feel fine. In fact I feel great. I don't need to stay in hospital. Why can't I rest at home?" Blair asked again.

Jim and Simon Bank exchanged a look. Both knew that Blair was going to keep on whining until he got his way. And to look at him, you would think that he didn't need medical attention. But he had drowned. He had been without air for several minutes. And he had been declared dead by the paramedic's and by Jim.

Jim had heard Blair's heart beat getting slower and slower until it had stopped. Nothing the paramedic's had done had made his heart start again. Jim broke down then, not hearing Blair's heartbeat for what seemed like the first time in years. He had watched the paramedic's gather their equipment and started to make their way to the ambulance. Then he had heard it. Just one beat. And then another. And another. Disbelieving, Jim had stared at Blair, realizing that the beat he was hearing was a heartbeat. Blair's heartbeat. And it was getting stronger.

Jim had fallen to his knees beside Blair then, and had reached out an unsteady hand to his young friend. "Blair?"

Blair had responded by moving his hand, and then with a gasp he drew in a deep breath. Jim had watched and listened in stunned disbelief as the color returned to Blair's pale skin, and how his chest rose in response to the air filling his empty lungs. With a quiver, Blair had sucked in another deep breath, and then Jim knew that Blair was alive. His shout had made the paramedics turn back, and once they had gotten over their shock of seeing the same man they had declared dead only minutes before, breathing on his own and blinking sleepily up into the sunlight, they had gotten into action and had taken Blair to the hospital.

Once the doors to the ambulance were closed, Jim and Simon had rushed for their cars, and had broken several traffic laws in their hurry to get to the hospital to make sure that Blair was going to be all right. And he was.

Frowning over the nurses and doctors standing around him taking tests, and more tests, Blair looked to Simon. "Simon, will you please tell everyone I'm all right. It's not like I died or anything."

Jim and Simon shared a surprised look. Obviously no one had thought to tell Blair what had happened. "Chief, that's just it. You were dead, at least for a couple of minutes anyway. The paramedics had declared you dead. And then as they were about to leave, you started breathing again. By yourself. Then the paramedics rushed you here. The doctors are just checking to make sure that the lack of oxygen didn't do any damage. Do this. For me." Jim asked putting on his most concerned face.

Blair looked first from Jim to Simon to Jim again. "I died?"

"Any more dead and you would have been pushing up daisies'." Simon put in earning himself a dark glare from Jim. He then moved away from the doorway, further into the room, as the nurses and doctors left the room.

"Oh man. Oh man. I can't believe this. I was dead and then I just came back to life again? This is just too weird. Man, I've read stories where people have died and then later came back, but man, I never thought that it could happen to me. And yet I feel great. Like I have had a really good night's sleep. Are you sure I was dead, man? The paramedics couldn't have just been wrong, could they?" Blair asked.

Jim waited until the room was empty of medical staff, then he crossed to Blair's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Chief, I couldn't hear your heartbeat. It was getting weaker and weaker until it stopped. And then a minute or so later it just started again. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard Chief."

Blinking in surprise at Jim's emotional words, he looked up at his best friend. "Thanks man. That's so sweet."

"If you two have stopped paying each other complements, I would like to get down to business." The Sentinel and his Guide flushed and looked toward Simon. "Now Blair, I need to go over what happened today and I don't want you to miss anything out, okay?"

After telling Simon all about his ordeal, Blair had then set about getting himself discharged from the hospital. Both Jim and Simon had wanted Blair to stay in over night, but Blair had been stubborn and had finally got his way. So three hours after being admitted and declared healthy, Blair had been discharged. Saying good bye to Simon, he and Jim had headed home.

Blair headed straight to the fridge and got himself the carton of cold orange juice out. Filling his cup and draining it twice, he filled it for a third time. Putting the carton back into the fridge, he turned to the silent Sentinel. Jim sat on the couch, watching Blair. Ever since they had left the hospital Jim hadn't said a word. Taking his cup with him, Blair joined him on the couch. Making sure that he put the cup down on a coaster, Blair turned toward Jim. "Sssssooooooo. How long are you going to keep up with this silent treatment, man? Even I get a little tired of hearing my own voice. Come on man, say something, anything."

Jim reached over and took one of Blair's hands in his. It was the first time he had touched Blair ever since they had left the hospital. He looked down at the hand held within his and couldn't help thinking how he had almost lost Blair for good today. And how he had never told Blair how he felt about him. Oh, Blair knew that he loved him, and that they were best friends, but over the last few mouths, those feelings had changed. So much so that Jim had pushed them to the back of his mind, vowing never to tell the younger man how he felt, for fear of losing him. But today had made it clear that he had to tell Blair the truth.

"Hey, man. You're scaring me here. What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Jim looked down at their joined hands. "Well, today, when you died, all I could think about was that I wouldn't lose you. Not when I had never told you how I felt about you."

"Jim, man, I know how you feel about me. And you know that I feel the same way too, don't you. I love you, man, you're my best friend. I will always know that you love me."

"Sandburg."

"Yes Jim?"

"Shut up. As I was trying to say, all I could think about was that I had never told you how I feel about you. And that scared me more than not telling you. I was standing there watching them work on you and I just kept thinking, 'If he comes back I will tell him how I feel about him'. Over and over again. And then you died. God, it was horrible! You were just laying there, not moving, not breathing, and I hated myself for not telling you the truth before today. And then you started breathing again. And I had never heard a more beautiful sound than your breathing. I almost couldn't believe it. But here you are. Alive and well."

Squeezing Jim's hand, Blair couldn't even begin to fathom what Jim had gone through, seeing him die. He could only guess what it would be like for him to see Jim die. "I'm never going to leave you Jim. Never again."

Grimacing, he continued. "You might change your mind after you hear what I have to say. I do love you yes, but over the last couple of months that love has changed. Grown. Changed in such a way that I have been scared to tell you how I feel. But I know what I feel is true. And there is no easy way to tell you but to just say it. And however you feel, I want you to tell me only the truth. Okay. Blair . . . I love you but I am also in love with you." Biting his lip, Jim watched for Blair's reaction to his confession. And he waited. And waited.

Blair was in shock. After years of lusting after Jim, here Jim was telling him that he felt the same way toward him. It had only taken him three years to realize that he was in love with Blair, where as it had taken Blair only the first few months after they had meet, to realize that he was in love with Jim and that Jim was straight. As soon as he realized that Jim would never return his feelings he had began the campaign to forget him. And that included having relationships with both women and man, left, right and center. Of course he had never told Jim straight to his face that the times he went out with a man was a date not as a friend. And now, after three long years, Jim had decided to declare his feelings toward Blair. And it had only taken his death to prod Jim along.

"Wow." He finally uttered after five minutes.

"Wow? Just 'Wow'? Chief I just told you that I am in love with you and all you can say is 'Wow'?" Jim was puzzled, confused and a little angry. After all it wasn't every day that you told your friend- roommate-partner, that you wanted him. "Can't you say anything besides just 'Wow!' How about 'Gee thanks Jim but no I don't feel that way toward you', or . . . 'Jim, I am in love with you too'."

"Oh Jim, I am in love with you too, but please can't you give a little time to think first?"

Silence.

"You're in love with me?"

Silence.

"Yes I am. Oh god, Jim I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that. I suppose with the shock of you telling me about how you felt about me just flew me for a lope." Blair tightened his fingers around Jim's. "We'll try this again. Jim, I am in love with you too. I have been for years."

"Years?" Now it was Jim's turn to be shocked. "Why didn't you say anything before now?"

At the same time, both realized what they had declared to each other, and they laughed. "God, the two of us. We are such twits."

"Ah, speak for yourself there Chief. I have never and never will be a twit."

Shaking his head, Blair leaned closer to Jim, until his lips were only a few inches away. By now all laughter had vanished and only the promise of things to come, stood between them. "Jim?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up." And then he closed the distance between them. Their lips touched, and all the repressed wanting and needing, exploded in a flash, setting them on fire. Blair couldn't help groaning into Jim's hot mouth as it took him to new heights of untouched passion. Arching up into Jim, he threw a leg across Jim's lap, aching to get closer.

Jim responded by leaning forward, pushing Blair back into the couch, while his hands never stopped their exploration of his new lover Blair. He settled over the younger man, making sure that he wasn't crushing him, and started to rub his throbbing erection against Blair's.

Both gasped and stilled. Then with a burst of motion, they attacked the other. Hands ran all over the other. Cloths were removed. And bodies were worshiped. Tongues, teeth and fingers came into play. Each trying to learn the other as fast as possible.

Finally it was Blair who broke first, who after having wanted Jim for so long, was overloaded with the taste, smell and touch of Jim, that with a cry, arched up into Jim's hand that was pumping his erection, and came screaming Jim's name. This proved to be Jim's undoing, and still wearing his jeans, exploded into orgasm seconds after Blair.

They must have fallen asleep, for the next thing Jim was aware of was the fact that he was lying on his side with a naked sleeping Blair cuddling up next to him. Just taking a moment to look at his lover, Jim remembered that he had almost lost him for good. Tightening his hold on Blair he made a promise. "I will never let you go Blair. For as long as I am alive, I will never let you go. Never." And then, pulling the throw rug off the back of the couch, he covered himself and Blair. There would be plenty of time to head upstairs to his bed, but for now he just wanted to watch over Blair, to make sure he was alive. Like the Sentinel he was, he was protecting what was his and he would allow no harm to come to his lover. Never.

* * * * * * * *

The next day across town

Alex had just sat at the dinning table to read his breakfast, when two arms wrapped around him. Relaxing into the kiss that was lavished upon his neck, he moaned. "Richie. God, what you do to me."

"Hopefully, I'm making you hard enough so you can fuck the shit out of me. Oops, pardon the pun." Richie teased and pulled away with one last lick.

"You have totally ruined your chances now, young man." Alex teased, grinning up into the face of the younger immortal. "Next time, choose your words with more care." He indicated the food spread out across the table. "What do you want to eat?"

Leaning down for a long kiss on the lips, Richie pulled away and sat next to Alex. Looking at the food spread across the table, he made his selection. Taking a long sip of orange juice, he watched his lover read the paper. "Anything interesting?"

"Not really. Just reading the business section. But you can have the front section if you want?"

"Thanks."

Alex turned the paper over so it was at the first page, and took the first section in his hand. But before he had even lifted his hand, a name jumped out at him. The mornings teasing suddenly vanished as he read the article.

Richie, with his hand stretched out to receive the first section, realized that whatever Alex was reading must be important to wipe all laughter from his lover's eyes. Getting up he moved until he could read what Alex was reading. As the paper was folded into four, there was only one article that was readable without having keep on turning the paper.

'Police Observer is Declared Dead only to Rise Once Again', the title of the article said. Feeling a chill at the words, Richie suddenly knew what had grabbed Alex's attention. The article went on to give the details of the case Blair Sandburg had been working on when he had been drugged and drowned in a fountain at Rainier University. After several minutes of CPR the paramedics had declared Mr Sandburg dead and had started to clear the area, when Mr Sandburg started to breathe by himself. After a short stay in the hospital, Mr Sandburg had been realized. The two paramedics and accident were now being investigated as to why Mr Sandburg had been declared dead, only to begin breathing by himself a short time later. The article went on to tell about how not only did Mr Sandburg worked at the University but how he also worked as a Police Observer with Cascade Major Crimes department.

Richie sat back down in his seat. He knew what Alex was going to say even before he said it. "You think Blair Sandburg is Immortal now, don't you?"

Saddened, Alex put the paper down and look Richie in the eye. "I meet Blair a few months ago. But I don't think that he is immortal. I know it. And before long someone else will to."

Richie knew that by the look in the older immortal eyes that they would be paying Blair Sandburg a visit very soon. Sighing, he cast the pile of pancakes a longing look. "When do we leave?"

END PART 2

To be continued.