I don't own the Sentinel.

Edited: 18 Feb 19

Chapter 3

Jim was surprised the door didn't shatter, considering how hard he'd shut it on his way out of Simon's office. Not that he would have minded, at the moment he was furious. He was furious with Simon for saddling him with a liaison whose sole purpose was to watch them like lab rats for a study. Though, more than that, he was furious that he was going to have to work up close and personal with a Guide when he didn't want to even be in the same room with a Guide. Of course, Simon couldn't know that since Simon didn't know what Jim was and that just made Jim angry and frustrated.

Going back to his desk, Jim sat down and glared at the paper work remaining in front of him, unable to concentrate on it anymore. Taking a deep breath in, Jim closed his eyes and attempted to calm down. He could already feel his tentative control beginning to slip and with a Guide in the building that was doubly dangerous. He had to get himself back under control before Sandburg came back and the bullpen started filling up for the day.

Making a quick decision, Jim jumped out of his chair and grabbed his jacket. He wasn't going to be able to regain control in the office, worrying that the Guide might return from his paperwork spree at any moment. He had to get out of there, at least for a little while.

Jim started heading for the elevator but stopped when he remembered how close it came to Vera's desk. He didn't know anything about a Guide's ability and did not want to risk getting too close to Sandburg right now. So, he turned an about face and headed for the stairs. The added physical activity would help calm him anyway. Several minutes later, he arrived at the parking garage and headed for his truck. He wasn't entirely sure where he would go, someplace quiet where he could collect himself.

Jim drove, taking a few streets until he found himself at the park between his home and the station. He pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. Sitting there for a moment, Jim turned on the radio to an AM station filled with static, turning it down till it was inaudible to normal hearing. It wasn't perfect, but it had roughly the same effect as some white noise generators, blocking out the minor noises from the growing traffic around him. He sat there for a while, not paying attention to the time, just focusing on his breathing and calming exercises.

Earlier in his life, Jim had not taken stock in any new-age meditation mumbo-jumbo, but all that changed when his heightened senses appeared and he became increasingly desperate to regain self control. He'd started looking into calming and relaxation techniques as almost a last resort and found they actually worked for everyday problems. Now, he meditated regularly as one of the only ways to maintain a tight control on his overactive senses. He knew some other lone Sentinels, not wanting a Guide and hiding from the GSC, turned to medications and drugs to dull the sensory input bombarding them. Jim didn't want anything to do with that method of coping. All too often, it led to a world of dependence and addiction which was no better than handing his life over to a Guide would be. So he threw his pride and skepticism into the wind and picked up meditation.

Finally, feeling himself calm down and regain his center, all levels at normal and under tight control, Jim opened his eyes and checked the clock. He'd been gone just over an hour, not too long, but he'd better be getting back to the station before anyone started asking questions. Plus, he still had to meet with his new liaison and straighten out any issues they might have.

Jim groaned to himself, thinking about the Guide he was going to have to work with for the next few weeks. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. If the kid was going to be observing the entire department then he wouldn't be hanging around Jim the entire time. Jim could even send the kid off on tasks, find ways to keep Sandburg busy and away from him until the study was done and Sandburg gone for good. If the kid put up a fuss, Jim could be a bastard better than most people and if push came to shove he'd just make the Guide want to leave him alone. Yeah, that's what he'd do. He pulled out into traffic and headed back to the station, determined to maintain control and his cover. Things would be just fine, Jim repeated to himself despite every instinct screaming the contrary.

When he arrived back at the bullpen Jim found the morning shift almost entirely there and already starting on the day's work. Sandburg was already sitting by his desk with a spare chair, going over a large stack of papers. He looked up as Jim approached and broke into that wide smile of his.

"Hello again! Looks like we're going to be working together," Sandburg said in a bright voice matching the wide grin on his face.

Jim just glared, grunting in response as he slipped out of his jacket and hung it up on a peg. He maneuvered around Sandburg and settled into his seat, careful not to touch the Guide. "Just don't get in the way," he growled as he went back to his paperwork. The ill-temper seemed to have no effect on the kid whose eyes remained on Jim for few extra seconds before flashing another bright smile with a shrug and returning to the stack of forms. Jim smothered a frustrated sigh, he was going to have to play hardball if he was going to get the Guide to stay away from him, but that was alright. By the end of the week, the Guide wouldn't want anything to do with him and they could both go their separate ways.

The silent paperwork continued for another few hours without any conversation. Sandburg tried to throw out a few "getting to know you questions", but Jim squashed every attempted with stony silence or monosyllabic answers. He didn't even look at the Guide when he did answer, just kept his head bent down over the paperwork and focused on his reports. It was a slow day, preceded by a slow week and the only thing left for the department to do was paperwork. Jim didn't usually wish for cases, considering that usually meant something bad had happened to someone along the line, but at the moment he'd give anything for a good murder to get out of the bullpen and away from the man sitting next to him, the man who was once again trying to engage him in friendly conversation.

"Man! I can't believe how much paperwork this is creating. You'd think a job as exciting as police work would have a little less paperwork… but, then again, I guess the exciting parts would have to be balanced out by equally boring parts. You know? Every force is met with an equal and opposite one?" Blair chuckled to himself before continuing. "Did you think you'd be stuck in so much paperwork when you first started this job?"

Jim didn't bother hiding his eye roll, in fact he made it a little bigger than strictly necessary. Unfortunately, Sandbug didn't see it as he was still bent over the stack of forms. "There's paperwork wherever you go, kid."

Sandburg laughed, ignoring the rough and sarcastic tone in Jim's voice. He even ignored Jim calling him a kid, again, even though he'd specifically asked Jim not to call him that since he was nearly thirty. "Ain't that the truth! I got into anthropology looking forward to expeditions and exploring new cultures. I never would have dreamed how much paperwork teaching and research creates and that's not counting all the papers I've written. That stuff I expected, it's the forms I didn't see coming."

Jim just grunted, hoping that would end the conversation. He glanced at the clock and almost groaned when he saw it wasn't even lunch yet. The day couldn't possibly drag by any slower he grumbled to himself. To make things worse he could feel a killer headache developing in the back of his head, probably from the constant effort of keeping everything in such tight control, tighter than normal, even. He spared a glance over to Sandburg hoping that his dismissive attitude was at least having some effect, but the kid was as relaxed as ever, leaning back in his chair as he twirled a pencil between his fingers, going over a paper filled with writing.

This was going to be a very long day.

TBC…