The Letter
Blair held the note reverently, his eyes skimming the words over and over again, imprinting them forever in his mind. He had been so lost when Naomi had died in a car accident in Germany. His world had crumbled and no one, not even Jim had been able to pull him from his deep depression. Then the call had come from Naomi's lawyer. Hell, he didn't even know Naomi had a lawyer. There had been a sizable estate, left to Naomi by her parents and now belonging to Blair. He vaguely remembered meeting them once, just before they had died. It had been a very unhappy visit, with both of them angry with Naomi for having and keeping her bastard son. The visit had been very short before Naomi and Blair had taken off yet again for greener pastures. He was a bit surprised they had left anything to their daughter, yet it did explain how Naomi had always found money to travel around the world.
His fingers traced the cover of a thick, leather bound photo album. The face of the book had been hand tooled by a close friend of Naomi's. Dark imprints of fingers that had lovingly turned the pages were still visible and Blair imagined he could still feel the warmth of Naomi's hands as she guided him through memories of his childhood. He had lost himself in the book. Trying hard to remember when and where some of the photographs had been taken. Then, on the last page, he found the photo that had absolutely riveted him. It was a young Naomi, not much older than about 16. Her long red hair blowing gracefully around her face as she was held in the loving embrace of a brown-eyed boy not much older than herself. What had caught his attention was the love visible even in the aging picture. The date on the photo was 1968. With a start, Blair realized this was quite possibly his father. He had removed the photo from the album for a closer look and found a note from Naomi behind it.
After all the years of questioning, he finally had an answer. The tall brown-eyed boy was indeed his father. The photo was taken the day before he had joined the air force. Naomi hadn't known she was pregnant yet when he left and by the time she had found out, the young man was nowhere to be found. Her parents had demanded she have an abortion. After all, they didn't want their good name damaged by a bastard child. Rather than give up the product of young love, she ran. She wanted her baby to grow up surrounded by love and not hated because of the circumstances of his birth. She had raised Blair to be a child of the world, to see and do things most people had only dreamed of. The only thing she had ever denied him was the one thing he had wanted most of all, the thing he craved. The knowledge of who his father really was. Denied it to him until now, after her death. It was her final gift to him. How to find the man now though. All he had was a name and a branch of the military. For all he knew his father had died long ago. Still, he had to try. He looked up as Jim entered the loft.
"You okay Chief?" His sentinel questioned, eying the puffy red eyes and tear-stained face. Jim sat beside Blair on the futon bed. "Going through Naomi's things? You should have called, I would have come home to help."
"I…I found something, Jim. Something really important." he handed the note to his friend who read it silently. "Can you help me find him?"
Jim looked into the pleading eyes of his guide and felt his heart melt. He patted the younger man's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll do what I can Sandburg. I still have a few military connections." He went to the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Max? It's Jim Ellison. Look I need some information on an air force man by the name of Jonathan O'Neill . He apparently goes by Jack…"
Blair held the note reverently, his eyes skimming the words over and over again, imprinting them forever in his mind. He had been so lost when Naomi had died in a car accident in Germany. His world had crumbled and no one, not even Jim had been able to pull him from his deep depression. Then the call had come from Naomi's lawyer. Hell, he didn't even know Naomi had a lawyer. There had been a sizable estate, left to Naomi by her parents and now belonging to Blair. He vaguely remembered meeting them once, just before they had died. It had been a very unhappy visit, with both of them angry with Naomi for having and keeping her bastard son. The visit had been very short before Naomi and Blair had taken off yet again for greener pastures. He was a bit surprised they had left anything to their daughter, yet it did explain how Naomi had always found money to travel around the world.
His fingers traced the cover of a thick, leather bound photo album. The face of the book had been hand tooled by a close friend of Naomi's. Dark imprints of fingers that had lovingly turned the pages were still visible and Blair imagined he could still feel the warmth of Naomi's hands as she guided him through memories of his childhood. He had lost himself in the book. Trying hard to remember when and where some of the photographs had been taken. Then, on the last page, he found the photo that had absolutely riveted him. It was a young Naomi, not much older than about 16. Her long red hair blowing gracefully around her face as she was held in the loving embrace of a brown-eyed boy not much older than herself. What had caught his attention was the love visible even in the aging picture. The date on the photo was 1968. With a start, Blair realized this was quite possibly his father. He had removed the photo from the album for a closer look and found a note from Naomi behind it.
After all the years of questioning, he finally had an answer. The tall brown-eyed boy was indeed his father. The photo was taken the day before he had joined the air force. Naomi hadn't known she was pregnant yet when he left and by the time she had found out, the young man was nowhere to be found. Her parents had demanded she have an abortion. After all, they didn't want their good name damaged by a bastard child. Rather than give up the product of young love, she ran. She wanted her baby to grow up surrounded by love and not hated because of the circumstances of his birth. She had raised Blair to be a child of the world, to see and do things most people had only dreamed of. The only thing she had ever denied him was the one thing he had wanted most of all, the thing he craved. The knowledge of who his father really was. Denied it to him until now, after her death. It was her final gift to him. How to find the man now though. All he had was a name and a branch of the military. For all he knew his father had died long ago. Still, he had to try. He looked up as Jim entered the loft.
"You okay Chief?" His sentinel questioned, eying the puffy red eyes and tear-stained face. Jim sat beside Blair on the futon bed. "Going through Naomi's things? You should have called, I would have come home to help."
"I…I found something, Jim. Something really important." he handed the note to his friend who read it silently. "Can you help me find him?"
Jim looked into the pleading eyes of his guide and felt his heart melt. He patted the younger man's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll do what I can Sandburg. I still have a few military connections." He went to the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Max? It's Jim Ellison. Look I need some information on an air force man by the name of Jonathan O'Neill . He apparently goes by Jack…"