Title: Bottled Aggression
Summary: Response to a challenge from DawnC on SentinelAngst to write a story using a prewritten paragraph.
Disclaimer: They aren't mine
A/N: The lines in italics are the prewritten paragraph from Dawn's challenge.
Jim Ellison got stiffly to his feet, stretching. "Hey, Chief, what did you do with my water?"
Blair Sandburg looked up from the computer, peering over his glasses at his partner. "It's in the break room refrigerator. I thought you might like it cold." This information disbursed, he immediately returned his attention to the report he was furiously typing. "How are you coming on your filing?"
Ellison grimaced. "I feel like an office clerk. You get to do the fun part." He cuffed Blair on the back of the head as he walked by.
Blair laughed. "Yes, I do. But that's because I'm much better with words, remember? Simon prefers my reports. So deal with it. And go get your water, would you? You're interrupting my thought flow!" Playfully scowling, he went back to typing, his fingers flying over the keys.
Ellison chuckled as he headed toward the door of the Major Crimes Bullpen. "We can't have that, now can we?" This remark prompted chuckles from several of the detectives scattered around the room.
"Yeah, yeah, real funny, Jim." Blair shook his head as his partner left the room, then settled back to work.
"Hey, Ellison!" Jim smiled at the small gathering of officers in the break room, pushing through to the refrigerator. Opening the door, he reached in and quickly scanned the contents. Spotting a bottle of his brand of water, he grabbed it and backed away.
"How's it going?" He twisted off the cap and took a sip, smiling as the cold liquid trickled down his throat. Leaning back against the door, he settled in for some serious breeze shooting with some of his friends.
************
"Hey, Hairboy, c'mere for a minute, will ya?" Blair looked up, startled, at Henri Brown's sudden interruption.
"Sure, man. What's up?" He stood up and headed quickly to his friend's desk. Leaning against the edge of the desk, he smiled at Brown. "What can I do for you? Do you need advice on anthropology? Fashion? Women?"
Brown threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, that's it. Dream on, Hairboy!"
************
Jim looked at his watch for the fifth time. He really should be getting back to the Bullpen. He felt a little guilty leaving Blair with all of the work. Grinning, he took another sip of the water. Only a *little* guilty. He was enjoying his break with the guys. Taking one last sip, he took the empty bottle across the room and dropped it into the recycling bin.
"Well, Gentlemen, I hate to break this up, but I need to get back to work. Nice talking ........" Suddenly a sharp pain pierced his head and he staggered back a step.
"You okay, Ellison?" Vance Johnson from Robbery stepped forward, grasping Jim's arm.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Jim shook his head, trying to free himself of the lingering pain. "I don't know what that was...I just got a splitting headache."
************
"Sandburg!" Jim's voice boomed through the bullpen. Blair, perched at the edge of
Brown's desk, stopped his conversation with the detective and looked up.
"Hey, J--" His greeting faded when he saw the unrestrained rage on the Sentinel's face.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" In three long strides, Jim closed the difference between them, pulling his
arm back as he delivered a powerful blow to Blair's jaw...
Sandburg fell back at the contact and slid to the floor. After a moment of stunned silence, the Bullpen erupted into chaos. Henri dropped to the floor beside the young observer, helping him to sit up slowly. Joel stood up and headed toward Jim.
"Captain!" Megan looked frantically toward Simon's office, hoping for some assistance from the only other person who knew the partners' secret.
Simon emerged from his office, glowering. "What's going on out here, people?"
"Jim?" Blair slowly stood up, rubbing his jaw. He was studying his partner carefully. "What was that for?" His eyes filled with pain as he realized that Jim had hit him in anger in front of the entire Bullpen. "What did I do?"
Ellison stood stiffly, hands clenched at his sides. His eyes were still blazing with fury as he glared at Blair. "What did you do?" His voice mocked Blair's tone. "You....." Suddenly the anger drained from his face, replaced with a growing confusion. "You.....uh...."
Blair took a step forward, the hurt in his eyes suddenly replaced with concern for his friend. "Hey, Big Guy, you feeling okay?"
Jim stepped back. "My head hurts." The confession sounded as though he were a small boy, the confusion evident in his tone. Then his face tightened in anger again. "And you brought the water!"
The detectives looked from Blair to Jim, trying to follow the story unsuccessfully. But Sandburg stepped forward another step. "You think you got a headache from the water?"
"You know I did. What did you put in it?" Jim's face contorted in rage. "You tried to kill me!!"
"Jim, think about it, Buddy." Blair stepped forward another few feet, still talking in a low soothing voice. "Why would I do that? You're my partner, my best friend! You know I would never do anything to hurt you! Why don't you let us help you? We can get somebody to take a look at you and see what's wrong, okay?"
Jim looked confused again, and Blair noted with growing concern that his friend's face was pale and sweaty. "You....didn't....try to ...." Ellison's eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped toward the floor.
Blair grabbed his partner, holding him up off the floor. "Simon!" His voice was tinged in desperation.
Simon immediately stepped forward to help Blair ease Jim to the floor. "Somebody get a medic up here!"
************
The first thing he was aware of was the pain in his head. He vaguely remembered feeling this pain earlier, but it had seemed much sharper. Taking a deep breath, he cringed at the scent in the air. He'd recognize that hospital smell anywhere. Slowly, he opened his eyes, cringing as the pain grew. Letting his eyes adjust to the light, he looked around the room.
His eyes settled on the figure slumped bonelessly in a chair beside the bed. Blair was tipped sideways in the chair, his head pillowed on his arm, deeply asleep. Jim closed his eyes in pain as he took in the ugly bruise on his partner's jaw. He didn't remember much about what had happened, but he knew that he had put that bruise there.
"Chief?" His voice sounded almost rusty with disuse, and he wondered fleetingly how much time had passed. "Blair?"
Sandburg flinched, opening his eyes with a start. "Jim!" He sat up so fast that Jim was afraid he'd pass out from the head rush. "How you feeling, man?"
"Chief, what happened?"
"You had a close call there, Jim." Blair looked at Jim somberly. "There was a slight problem with the bottled water. We found out later that they had to pull the whole shipment off the shelves in the stores. There was some kind of bacteria in the water. Most people just got a little queasy. But with your senses......you kind of freaked out. Then you collapsed and we rushed you here. It took a while for the doctors to stabilize you and you've been on antibiotics and sedatives for three days while they cleaned the stuff out of your system. But you're going to be fine!" The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile, tightening the bruise at his jaw.
"Chief, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." Jim grimaced and looked away. He was stopped by the hand on his shoulder.
"Jim, don't worry about it, man. It wasn't you....it was the water. Don't sweat it! We're good, okay?" Blair stared intently at the injured man, his blue eyes sincere. "...........And if you *ever* hit me again, you're fair game. Got it?" He smiled broadly.
"Yeah, Chief. I got it. Thanks for......well....just thanks." Ellison smiled back. "Now.....when can I get out of here?"
Blair laughed. Things were definitely back to normal.
Finis