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A Knock at the Door-Sentinel Thursday Challenge #412: Freedom.
By Patt
Sentinel Thursday Challenge #412: Freedom
Summary: Who is at the door and why isn't Blair answering it?
Email: PattRose1@aol.com
Warnings: Gen, but if you look really hard, it's pre-slash. *grin*
Blair was sleeping on the sofa and having an awful dream of wild cats, when he was woken by a soft knock at the door. Blair knew it wasn’t Jim, because Jim had a key. Blair was leery of opening the door to anyone else at one in the morning. And speaking of that, where was Jim? He was supposed to be home by eleven the night before.
The soft knock sounded again. Blair tip-toed to the doorway and put his ear to the door. All he heard was breathing. He couldn’t even tell if it was a guy or a girl. Blair didn’t want to open the door.
Blair still had his ear to the door when the knock grew much louder. This made Blair jump and move away from the door very quickly.
Then the strangest thing happened, all he could hear was growling. Oh my god, it’s a vampire. Blair knew that he had been watching too much ‘Blade’ on VHS. Blair went into the kitchen and slid down the front of the cabinet and hugged his legs tight to his chest. The pounding and growling continued and Blair knew he was in deep, deep trouble.
Then Blair thought he heard a snarl and the sound of a vicious wild cat. Oh God, Jim is going to find me mauled to death by some vicious panther or something like that. Man, I knew I shouldn’t have watched Cat People alone tonight.
By this time, Blair was shaking to his very core. Where was that damn Jim when he really needed him? If it was a vampire, he was a goner. If it was one of the Cat People, he was a goner. Basically he was just a goner.
Blair heard the person on the other side of the door, fiddling with the lock and suddenly it turned and the door was open. Blair waited to die, quietly. He didn’t lift his head or scream. He was a strong man and wanted to go out like one.
Then he heard Jim’s voice. “Sandburg, what in the hell are you doing down there? Why didn’t you open the door for me?”
Blair jumped up and hugged Jim around the waist, like he was saving him from a fate worse than death.
“I didn’t know it was you and all I heard was growling and then wild cat sounds. What would you have thought?”
Jim smiled. “You were watching Blade tonight weren’t you?”
Blair knew he had been found out. “Yes and I was scared out of my mind.”
Jim glanced at the screen on television and said, “There is the wild cat sound you heard. I take it you’re watching Cat People again?”
“Geeze, I’m so embarrassed. Sorry, Jim. I’m going to stop eating so late and watching scary movies by myself.”
“No harm, no foul. Now, I’m getting ready for bed. Three days of stake-out after work is killing me.”
“See you in the morning,” Blair answered.
“Night, Chief.”
“I’ll do all of the locking up,” Blair said.
“Okay. Thanks.” Jim walked to the bathroom whistling a happy tune from the soundtrack of Cat People.
Blair knew Jim was making fun of him. He walked to the front door and opened it up and there were scratches on the outside of the door. Like those made from a wild animal. Blair hurriedly shut the door, locked it and jumped into his bed, after he shut his door and locked it.
The next thing he heard was a jiggling of his doorknob and he about flew off the futon in fear. He didn’t know what to do.
Blair could hear an odd sound calling to him and wondered what it was. He listened closer and heard Jim softly saying, “Chief, I forgot my keys at the station, could you open the door for me?”
Blair sat up and realized he was on the sofa once again, except this time he was awake and he could hear Jim, clearly calling out his name. Blair jumped up and opened up the door and hugged Jim tightly around the waist. He had recently felt like he had the freedom to do this small gesture with no explanations.
“Chief, what’s wrong?” Jim asked.
“Nothing. I had a bad dream and I got scared when I heard your voice and the knocking. I’m sorry.”
“Were you watching Blade or Cat People again? You watched them last week and you were on edge all weekend long. Now, I have to grab a shower and get ready for bed. If you have any more nightmares, just yell.”
Blair locked up the loft and slid into his bed, in his room.
Off in the distant night, Blair could hear howling and a wild cat screaming. He put his pillow over his eyes and hoped the night would slip by quickly.
Jim heard his Guide’s fast heartbeat and stepped into his room. “Want to sleep in my bed with me tonight? It’s a king, it’s not like we’d even know the other one was there.”
Blair jumped out of his small bed and ran past Jim so quickly that it made Jim laugh.
Blair called out, “Laugh it up funny boy, but if a vampire comes they’re getting you first. I’m sleeping on the other side of the bed.”
Once he was settled in Jim’s bed, he closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep. He didn’t hear Jim come up the stairs and didn’t hear the purring sound coming from Jim as he slid into bed next to Blair. No, if he would have heard that, he would have slept in his car.
The end
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