Crossroads by Alyjude (NC-17)

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

Fandom: SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: alyburns
Author Website: Stories by Alyjude
Why this must be read:

One of the things about Sentinel fandom is that if there's pain to be dealt, physical or emotional, Blair Sandburg inevitably gets the short straw because he does "hurt" so well. And those are great, but sometimes you just need a story that shows the side of Blair that rises to whatever challenge life throws at him, that shows his strength. Crossroads has Blair and Simon badly hurt in the middle of nowhere and shows Simon's growing respect as he leans on Blair to get them out of trouble.

"i'm moving. why am i moving?"

"Well, see," he paused, tried to catch his breath, but failing that, threw words out around his strugging pants. "It's like this. If I move... you move. When... I started to drag you... to that safer - place I mentioned? Well... got stuck. No choice... but to drag your... sorry ass -up this fucking... mountain."

"Sandburg, stop right now." The voice, the command, both unmistakable.

Blair kept going.

"Sandburg, did you hear me? This is an order. Stop right this minute."

"Well... I'd like to, Simon... but - I've got this rhythm... going, you know? Hate... to break it now."

Crossroads

Comments

[intheyear2004.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is one of Alyjude's fics I really *do* love, although it could do well without the cobbled-on slash at the end as this somehow weakens the impact of the first part which is very well done.

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, the slash is so separate from the rest of the story that I think it works better without it, in this case, but I frigging love the Simon/Blair interaction throughout.

[intheyear2004.livejournal.com]

Absolutely and I adore this Blair who drags Simon out of the wilderness after first using all his anthropological and other skills to come up with that sled-like thingy and everything. And then he just goes and goes and goes... Sigh... This should teach Simon a valuable lesson of never again underestimating the observer he can be glad o have in his unit.

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

Seriously! People forget that Blair's the guy who jumped out of an airplane and took back a whole police station held hostage. Simon and Jim need a little perspective change now and then.

[tatkreiswok.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! Blair is, after all, the one who took on Kincaid's men with a vending machine and led them on a merry chase while the cops were the ones being held hostage.

Fic writers tend to automatically assign Jim the lead role and Blair the doormat role, but they always seem to forget that in the series, Ellison usually goes -- literally and figuratively -- wherever Sandburg leads him.

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

I think it's more that Jim is very stoic and closed off, so Blair reacts better when you hurt him unless you're talking about actually breaking Jim. Which means Blair's hurt and Jim has to hold it together.

But you're right, Blair's usually got the burden of being the creative thinker when bullets are flying. All in all, it's a surprisingly equal partnership.

[(Anonymous)]

I always like stories that play off of Jim and Blair's images in the reverse -- like the one you rec'ed -- because in the series, both characters have shown aspects of what the other is more known for emotionally (say, Jim when he sees his father again, and Blair when any friend of his is killed - he goes off alone when Jim's trying to be emotionally available). But, it is, as you say, a surprisingly equal partnership, and one of the reasons why it's so much fun to watch.

Jim's open about some things, closed off about others. So is Blair -- he just knows how to tap-dance verbally around people better than most.

I guess because(in the series) Blair is often the one being hurt as plot facilitation, and Jim is often the one doing the rescuing because he's the cop, it translated in fandom as Jim=strong/stoic, and Blair=passive/weak/etc. It's a good example of how fanon often reads into characterization rather than character.

[tatkreiswok.livejournal.com]

I always like stories that play off of Jim and Blair's images in the reverse -- like the one you rec'ed -- because in the series, both characters have shown aspects of what the other is more known for emotionally (say, Jim when he sees his father again, and Blair when any friend of his is killed - he goes off alone when Jim's trying to be emotionally available). But, it is, as you say, a surprisingly equal partnership, and one of the reasons why it's so much fun to watch.

Jim's open about some things, closed off about others. So is Blair -- he just knows how to tap-dance verbally around people better than most.

I guess because(in the series) Blair is often the one being hurt as plot facilitation, and Jim is often the one doing the rescuing because he's the cop, it translated in fandom as Jim=strong/stoic, and Blair=passive/weak/etc. It's a good example of how fanon often reads into characterization rather than character.

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. I think you're right on the mark, there.