Title: Deep Freeze

Author: Angelee

Fandom: The Sentinel

Pairing: Jim/Blair

Summary: Can one lone Guide unfreeze a frozen Sentinel.

Beta: By Bobbie. With much thanks. All remaining errors are my own-with apologies.

Deep Freeze

“It can’t be done,” Simon Banks told Blair Sandburg, biting into his cigar viciously.

“Why?” The curly haired Guide asked softly.

“He’s gone too far inside himself. No one can reach him. And believe me, the best in the business have tried.”

“But…”

“Blair, no. No!”

“Why?”

Simon tossed his mangled cigar on the table. “Because the way he is right now, he’ll chew you up and spit you out. In pieces so small we’ll never find all of you.”

Blair ran his hands through his curly hair, which he realized he probably shouldn’t have done when his hand got stuck on some curls. Time for deep conditioning. Simon watched as the young Guide tried to untangle his fingers, the ends of his mouth curling up in a smile, after Blair managed to get untangled with only losing a small amount of hair.

He gave Simon an apologetic look. “Sorry. I haven’t taken care of myself the way I should,” he said sheepishly.

“I’ve noticed. You’ve also lost weight.”

“I get caught up in research and forget to eat.”

Simon snorted, picking up his cigar. “You need a keeper, Blair.”

Blair sighed softly, as he looked around Simon’s office. The Director of Sentinel Studies had books lining all the walls. A rare copy of Richard Burton’s book on Sentinels sat behind a glass enclosure. He’d love to get his hands on that book. “I guess. Please, Simon, let me try.”

“Jim Ellison is too far gone even for you to reach. It’s as if his heart has frozen inside his chest. He sees, he hears, he feels. Responds when he’s suppose to. But he’s cold, so cold to everyone around him. Not at all the way a Class One Sentinel is suppose to be responding. He hurt Rafe when the Guide tried to reach him. He doesn’t want anything to do with anyone. He just wants to do his job and be left alone. He’s even said so.”

“But he can’t do his job that way. Sentinels are sensory by nature. It’s ingrained into their very being. They need to touch.”

Simon rolled the cigar between his fingers. “I know, but he doesn’t let anyone near him, much less touch him.”

Blair blinked away the tears. “He must be starving.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got to let me try and help him,” Blair just about begged. “I know I can.”

Simon frowned. “You’re one of the best Guides I have. I can’t afford to see you laid up with a broken arm like Rafe.”

“Let me try.”

“And if you bond him?”

Blair gave him a brilliant smile. “Then I’ll have the Sentinel I’ve always wanted.”

“He could hurt you-badly,” Simon warned.

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take. Let me try, please, Simon. I promise to never ask you for anything else, ever.”

Simon snorted. “Until the next time you ask me for something.”

Blair crinkled his pert little nose at him. “Heh.”

Simon rolled his eyes, behind gold rimmed glasses. “Geez. Alright. You can try. Be warned that if he hurts you, I will personally take him out in back of the Sentinel Center and shoot him myself.”

“He won’t hurt me,” Blair said with utter confidence; a confidence Simon was no where near to feeling. “Where is he?”

“In the lounge.”

“Is there anyone else in there?”

Simon shook his head. “Hell, no. Everyone’s afraid of him. They run when they see him coming, an odd thing to see, being as he’s a Sentinel, and a darn sensitive one at that.”

“That’s why he must be starving. Sentinels need to touch the way people need to breath and as sensitive as he is, he’s bound to be in some serious pain.”

“Yeah.”

Blair stood, suddenly in a hurry to go to Jim Ellison, with an urgency he very rarely felt. “I’m going to go see him now.”

“Should I have an ambulance waiting?”

Blair stopped at the door. “If you want, but I won’t be needing it.” With that, he walked out.

Simon sighed softly as he watched his favorite Guide leave the room. Not that he would ever tell Blair that. Deep down, he knew that if anyone could reach Jim, it would be Blair. Something else he would never tell the gifted Guide.

***

Blair watched the Sentinel for the longest time. Jim hadn’t moved in ten minutes, as he sat on the couch. The TV was on, but the Sentinel wasn’t watching it.

Jim’s blue eyes were unfocused and glazed. Every now and then, Blair would catch a glimpse of pain flashing through their depts.

Blair winced inwardly. It had to hurt. Sentinels touched, a lot. It kept them sane in an often insane world. From what Blair understood, Jim hadn’t touched another living soul in two weeks. How he was still sane, the Guide didn’t understand.

Blair sighed softly. The Sentinel was so beautiful. The light coming in from the windows that lined the lounge clearly illustrated it. Pale, flawless, skin was pulled taut from pain and lack of proper nutrition. Eyes, crystal clear blue stared out into a world the Sentinel wasn’t seeing and probably hadn’t seen right in some time.

Jim wore a tight, sleeveless t-shirt and worn blue jeans. His feet were in black slippers. Jim took good care of his body, if the clearly outlined six packed abdomen was any indication. Or at least he had.

Blair sighed softly as he approached the Sentinel, who sat eerily still. “Jim?”

The Sentinel blinked once, but other than that, there was no reaction.

“Jim?”

The Sentinel had gone deep within himself. It was going to take some major doing for Blair to bring Jim back to the land of the living.

Blair nibbled on his lower lip as he thought about what best to do for the hurting Sentinel. His eyebrows went up when he lit on a plan. It wasn’t conventional, but hey-if it brought the Sentinel back, so what?

He closed the door to the lounge and made sure it was locked. When that was done, he began removing his clothes. First to go was his white and black flannel shirt, followed by his sneakers and jeans. Last to go was his socks.

Finally nude, he made his way to the silent and still Sentinel. Jim sat so still he could have been a statue. A living, breathing statue.

He stood in front of Jim, as close as he dared and waited. It took about five minutes before he saw the Sentinel’s nose begin to twitch as the warmth and scent from his body began to affect him.

Blair had taken a shower this morning, but that was at seven, it was now four and Blair’s natural scent would have begun to take over. Blair hoped and prayed that the Sentinel wouldn’t find it too offensive.

Blair watched as Jim’s eyes began to slowly close as he gave in to scent. The Guide was only inches from the Sentinel. He was positive that Jim would have been able to feel his heat in the waiting room. Hell, he was so sensitive he could probably feel it five miles away.

Jim’s nose began to twitch even more. His tongue came out to taste the scent that Blair was sure was tickling the back of the Sentinel’s throat.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jim began moving closer. If Blair hadn’t been a trained observer, he wouldn’t have even noticed.

Blair wondered if he could reach out and touch the Sentinel yet? Or should he let him touch first?

Jim came closer still, eyes opening slowly, slightly, but still unseeing. The Guide decided to wait for the Sentinel to make the first move.

It came by way of a trembling hand on his tummy. Blair bit his lip as the cold fingers raised goose bumps, yet he held still. The fingers warmed as they began a gentle exploration.

Jim’s free hand came up to cup Blair’s right hip, pulling the Guide to him, until his head rested in the middle of Blair’s chest. Nothing happened for the longest time after that, until the Sentinel began rubbing his nose back and forth across the hair spattered across Blair’s chest. Jim’s breathing was deep and regular. There was no sign that the Sentinel was getting agitated, which Blair was grateful for.

Suddenly Jim found the ring on Blair’s left nipple. All motioned stopped. Suddenly Jim took the nipple and the ring into his mouth, startling Blair.

He knew for a fact that all Sentinels were bi. They were so tactile, the need to touch overrode any other consideration, such as gender. To them it just didn’t matter. Male, female were of no concern. They just needed to touch.

That was where the Guide came in. The Sentinel would bond with his chosen Guide, touching them as needed, giving the Sentinel what they need. This came in handy, as otherwise the Sentinel would constantly be getting slapped or slugged by the outraged populace.

Blair looked down at the Sentinel. He just wasn’t expecting this. Felt good though. Boy, did it feel good.

With a low growl, Jim pulled Blair to him tighter, as if afraid he would pull free or object.

Blair sighed softly. His hands finally came up and gently caressed the Sentinel’s baby soft hair. Objecting wasn’t even a word in his vocabulary at the moment, if ever.

The growling coming from Jim was getting louder as the smell of Blair’s arousal reached deep into the Sentinel’s psyche, waking him from the deep freeze he’d been in and releasing the hunger so tightly held in check.

Blair was going to be in for the ride of his life to be sure. He bit his lip hard at the intense wave of pleasure that just about curled his toes.

The Sentinel’s continued growling felt really good, too. Suddenly Blair was on the floor of the lounge looked up, trying to catch his breath and wondering where the heck what had hit him. ‘It’ straddled him, blocking out his view of the tiled ceiling.

Blair moaned softly when a big body covered his. Jim was warm, really warm. Trembling hands tangled in his hair, holding him still as the Sentinel began nuzzling his face with his nose, eyes closing to allow smell and touch full reign.

Blair wondered idly if Simon would consider this being ‘attacked’?

It felt too good to be an attack, as Jim began to go lower and lower. Sniffing and licking the whole way.

When Jim began to smell his groin, Blair gave an embarrassed giggle, feeling slightly mortified beyond belief that anyone would do that. He thought back to this morning and was double he’d taken a shower. The last thing he needed was to smell like a skunk. He guessed he didn’t, as the Sentinel seemed to be enjoying himself way too much. He wouldn’t be doing that if Blair smelled icky.

Blair was startled when the Sentinel started licking, murmuring happily the whole time. He bit his lip hard to keep from moaning. Goddess, Jim certainly knew what he was doing.

When his legs were lifted and placed over broad shoulders, he didn’t say anything. What’s there to say when you want it so bad it’s hard to talk? When Jim began sliding into him, Blair had to respond. It hurt. The Sentinel stopped when he heard Blair’s whimper, blue eyes clearing even more of the haze covering them. He blinked as if not quite understanding what was happening.

Blair reached up an unsteady hand. “Do it. I want it. I want you.”

Jim spoke for the first time. “I…”

“I know. You’re confused right now. Probably don’t even know who I am. Finish what you’ve started. We’ll talk afterwards.”

Jim slid in a little more as Blair wiggled. Making them both moan softly at the sensation. He began to thrust, gently at first, giving Blair a chance to get used to him, then building to a rhythm that had the curly haired Guide lifting up from the carpeted floor.

Blair ran his hands over a muscled chest covered in sweat, continuing up to cup an angular cheek. Blair smiled as the Sentinel moved his face into it, gently kissing the middle of Blair’s palm. Suddenly passion and lust took hold, as Jim moved violently within Blair’s body. Both were lost as it flung them into a realm they never been to before.

Jim came back to awareness, still moving inside of Blair, as if unable to stop the need of his body. He lowered himself fully onto Blair, moaning softly when he felt legs lift and wrap around his waist. Jim lowered his head to rest against a neck that smelled of home. The way home would smell if it was comforting and welcoming.

He sighed softly before looking up to meet wide blue eyes with no condemnation in their depths. They held warmth and gentleness, something he was positive he shouldn’t been getting.

He startled slightly when he realized what he’d just done. “I…”

Fingers were placed gently on his lips. “Shh.”

“I…” he tried again.

“Everything is alright.”

Jim shook his head slightly. “N… no.” he whispered softly. “I hurt you.”

Blair smiled up at him. “No you didn’t. I liked what you did.”

Jim pulled the fingers away. “I…I don’t even know who you are.”

“My name is Blair Sandburg.”

“Shouldn’t we have had a first date before…?”

“Maybe, but this is going to be an unconventional relationship anyway, so what does it matter?”

“W… we have a relationship?”

Blair nodded. “Oh, yes,” he replied softly, tightening around the Sentinel who, up until then, hadn’t realized he was still inside of the man he’d never seen before today.

Jim inhaled sharply. “Ah.”

“Shh, rest your head against my shoulder again. We’ll talk everything through later. Rest. You’re safe. Everything will be alright, you’ll see. Rest.”

Jim blinked dazedly, doing as the seductive voice urged and laid his head back down. He trusted this man; he didn’t know why he trusted the man under him and whose body he was in, but he did.

He laid his head down and slowly felt himself melt into a warm puddle of goo. Without realizing it, his eyes slowly closed as he slipped into sleep.

Blair ran his hands over a broad, well-muscled back. He sighed softly, contentedly. There were still problems to solve and explanations to give, but that could wait. He wrapped his arms around Jim and held him close.

It could wait. Time enough for that later.