Title: Love Potion 101
Author: Angelee
Fandom: The Sentinel
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Summary:
Beta: By Bobbie. With thanks. All remaining errors are my own.
Love Potion 101
“Ready, Blair?”
The curly haired man looked up from his book, startled. “Chloe?”
The beautiful red head smiled at him. “Forgot, didn’t you?” she asked, indulgently.
Blair blinked his big blue eyes at her innocently, completely clueless as to what she was talking about. “Hmm, what exactly was I not supposed to forget?”
“Renaissance Faire at the park. Remember? We were going together at 2.00.”
“Renaissance Faire.
Chloe rolled her green eyes at him, shaking her head. “Got caught up in a book again, didn’t you? You’re still in the book zone.”
Blair smiled. “Yeah. It’s about Sentinels and their Guides. It’s so cool. Wish I had me a Sentinel. Did you know that they can sense changing weather patterns and that…”
Chloe interrupted him. “Tell me about it as we tour the Faire,” she said, knowing that if she didn’t stop him, he’d go on for hours and they’d never get any of the turkey legs or fresh kettle popcorn she’d been thinking about for days.
Blair closed his book reverently. “Okay,” he replied as he gathered his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. “It’s truly fascinating…..”
***
Blair stared at the booths in fascination as he happily munched on popcorn. There was so much to see and do. They’d watched jousting over near the lake, eaten turkey legs and now they were wandering thru the park just looking at the booths. Blair’s blue and white jester’s hat jingled happily as the curly haired man turning from side to side.
One of the booths caught his eye. It sat all by itself, away from the other booths. Blair left Chloe watching the belly dancers as he walked over to the booth.
He couldn’t see any sign as to what the older lady sitting inside was selling. “Hello,” he said, softly, shyly. “What are you selling?”
Dark grey eyes stared at him curiously. After a moment, she stated, “Love potions.”
Blair’s eyebrows went up. “Love potions?”
“Yes.”
Blair moved closer, curious despite himself. “Do they really work?”
The old lady smiled up at him. “Oh, yes,” she said with supreme confidence. “It will give you your heart’s wish for all eternity.”
Blair’s eyebrows went up. “Wow. Too bad I don’t know what that is. Otherwise, I’d buy one.”
The old lady reached into an ornate wooden box, pulling out a small bottle filled with purple fluid. She offered it to Blair.
The curly haired man took it, once he’d put down his bag of popcorn. “What’s in it?”
“It won’t work if I tell you.”
“Oh,” Blair sighed softly, offering it back. “I don’t have anyone I would want to us it on. Besides, what would be the fun in it, if I took away the other person’s free will? I’d never know it they loved me for me, or if it was the potion.”
“This potion would not do that. It would only hasten what is already in their heart.”
“But still, it wouldn’t be right.”
The old lady smiled again, almost as if to herself. “The divinities have chosen well. Take it. You do not have to use it. Carry it around with you as a charm for good luck.”
Blair shrugged, reaching for his wallet. “Okay, I guess. How much do I owe you?”
“For you, it is free, Blair Sandburg.”
“Cool,” Blair replied, placing the small bottle in a secure compartment of his backpack, not questioning how a lady he’d never met before in his life knew his name. “Thank you. I guess I better go meet my friend over by the belly dancers. It was nice meeting you.”
The old lady smiled. “It was nice meeting you as well, Blair Sandburg. Good fortunes to you.”
Blair returned the smile, before walking away. The smile disappeared when he realized that she had called him by name and he didn’t remember giving it. By that time, though, he was near the belly dancing. He looked back to ask her how she knew his name, only to find the booth and the old lady were both gone.
“Chloe?”
“Yeah?” Chloe asked, frowning at the perplexed look on her friend’s face. “What’s the matter?”
“Did you see a booth over there by those big trees?”
Chloe turned to look over to where he was pointing and saw only a couple snuggling on a blanket. “Nope. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Guess I’ve had a little too much sun.”
Chloe smiled at him. “Let’s get you some lemonade and watch the jousting from under some trees to give you a break from the heat.”
“Good idea. I could use some lemonade.”
“Did you already finish your popcorn?”
Blair nibbled his lower lip as he thought about what he’d done with it. “No, I left it on the…” He stopped himself. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Well, let’s get that lemonade and find you a nice shady tree.”
Blair looked back toward where the old lady’s booth had been, frowning. “Alright,” he replied distractedly, before following her toward the lemonade booth.
***
Two weeks later Blair’s backpack was being ransacked by the biggest cop he’d ever seen. Handsome and well built too, if you were into that sort of thing. Which Blair might have been, if he’d had the courage jump to that side of the fence. Lack of nerve and downright fear kept him straight and true, but he had thought about it. He eyed the cop going through his bag. Goddess, he had thought about it.
“What have you got in your bag, junior, drugs?”
Blair rolled his blue eyes. “How many times do we have to go through this? I don’t do drugs. That shit’ll kill you, man? And besides, are you holding me to some weird cop profiling thingie?”
“What?”
“Yeah, profiling. It’s because of my clothes, huh? My clothes make it look like I do drugs. Or is it my curly hair? It’s gotta be something. Like there’s thousands of people on this campus and you pick on me.”
“You’re acting suspicious and there’ve been reports of illegal drugs on campus.”
Blair glared at him. “I knew it, you’re profiling me. I should report you to the police or something.”
The man looked at him quizzically. “I am the police, numbnuts.”
Blair smiled at his impishly. “Oh, yeah.”
Now it was the policeman’s turn to roll his eyes. “Oh, brother. So, then what’s this?” He asked, bringing up the small vial from deep within Blair’s backpack.
“Oh, man-I forgot all about that. Some old lady gave me that at the Renaissance Faire. I forgot all about it.”
“What is it?” The man asked curiously, eying the purple fluid suspiciously.
“She told me it was a love potion.”
“What’s it do?”
Blair eyed the man as if he’d grown another head. “Hmm, it’s a love potion.”
“Yeah, well-what does it do?”
“Ah, well, if it’s a love potion, my guess would be that it makes someone fall in love with you. You know, but I’m just speculating.”
Icy blue eyes frowned at him. “Are you some sort of perv?”
“The old lady gave it to me. I forgot I even had it.”
If possible, the icy blue eyes got even colder than before. “Right.”
“No, truly. Cross my heart and hope to die,” Blair followed words with action. Still, that didn’t win him any brownie points with the policeman.
“I’m going to have to take you in.”
Blair sighed. “Fine. Whatever.”
As a big, beefy hand reached for him, the policeman’s other hand must have tightened automatically. Both of them heard a snap. Blair watched as purple fluid mixed with blood from where the broken vial had pierced skin.
“Oh, oh,” he whispered, softly, cringing as he bit his lower lip, nervously looking up to see what the damage was.