This was written by request of Lauranna on SA (Hei!)
This takes place past TSbyBS, with spoilers for that episode as well as S2:1 and S2:2
Warning for bad language - rated PG
NIGHT TERROR
by Ceci
Blair couldn't sleep. He argued with himself whether or
not he should go
upstairs and wake Jim. If he didn't, Jim would never tell him about what
the nightmare was about. But if he did, he had no idea just what Jim would
do. When the screams became louder, Blair made his mind up. He just
couldn't lie there, listening to his friend's distress. He got out of bed
and walked carefully up the stairs to Jim's bedroom. He didn't like what he
saw.
Jim was tangled in his sheets, his body covered in sweat. His legs were
kicking and his arms flailing wildly, as if he was trying to defeat an
invisible enemy. And he screamed. "You won't get him, you fucking
bitch! You don't deserve him!"
Blair stood frozen, no longer certain what to do. There was a sudden change
in Jim's behavior. He was no longer screaming, his voice was soft, filled
with despair. "Oh, my God.... No, nothing...." After a brief pause, Jim
began pleading, desperately. "Come on, Chief.... Breathe, damn it!"
Now Blair knew what this was about. Alex. The fountain.
Jim went on. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't
be happening.
Come on, Sandburg. Come on. Come on, Chief. Come on. Come on, come on."
The other members of Major Crimes had told Blair what had happened that
day. Not that there was much to tell. Alex had killed him, and Jim had
brought him back. But Jim still didn't talk about it.
Jim again interrupted him. "What do you mean, 'sorry'? Wait. This isn't
over. Come on, Sandburg. Come on! Come on, come on. Come on, Sandburg. Come
on, damn it! Come on, Sandburg."
Now Blair knew he had to wake Jim up. He moved to his friend's bedside, and
was just about to shake Jim's shoulder when Jim sat up and yelled "No! No!
He's alive!"
Jim began flailing his arms as if trying to break free from someone's grip,
and unfortunately his right fist struck Blair square on the nose.
Blair put his hand to his nose. When he took it away, there was a little
blood on his fingertips.
"Just what I need, a nosebleed.... Jim, come on, buddy. Wake up."
Jim did wake up, and he looked at his friend with a puzzled look on his
face. "Chief? What are you doing here? And what happened with your nose?"
Blair sighed. "You were having a nightmare, and I tried to wake you up.
Jim, we need to talk."
"Are you OK? Do you need a doctor?" Jim's voice was filled with concern and
guilt.
"I don't need a doctor, the bleeding's almost stopped. What I need is to
talk to you."
"What is there to talk about? I had a nightmare. Big deal."
"Yes, Jim, it is a big deal. You've had this nightmare before, and you've
never wanted to talk about it."
"Since when do you share your nightmare with me, Chief? Now, let me look at
that nose."
"Come on, Jim.... I wasn't referring to the nightmare. I was referring to
what the nightmare was about. What went on in that head of yours before
you...WE had the vision?"
"Keep your nose pinched, Sandburg. I'll go get something to get you cleaned
up."
"But then we have to talk, Jim. I'll keep dogging you, you know."
"Yes, I know. Sometimes I think I let Dr. Phil move in here."
"You watch Oprah, Jim?" *I had no idea. Wonder how he could keep that from
me....*
Jim returned with a wet paper towel, and handed it to Blair. "Humor me,
Chief. Here you go."
Blair began cleaning his face. "Now spill it. What happened at the fountain?"
"Well, Conner and I tracked Alex to a foundry. Alex knocked me down an
elevator shaft; Conner fought her and helped me up. Alex was gone, and I
had a flashback to a dream I had where I...." Jim couldn't continue.
"What? What did you do in your dream? Come on, Jim, this could be important."
"I... I shot a wolf with a crossbow, and then it...it morphed into you."
"You're telling me you shot my animal spirit with a crossbow?"
"Yeah."
"Burton must have forgotten to include that chapter!" Blair's try at
lighting up the atmosphere didn't work very well. "OK, then what?"
"Then I kind of knew where to find you, at Rainier. Me, Megan, Simon, Rafe
and Brown went over there and found you face down in the fountain."
Blair blew out a puff of air. "OK. Go on."
"Banks ordered that someone call an ambulance, while Henri and I lifted you
out of the fountain. Simon said he couldn't hear a heartbeat and asked me
if I could."
"In front of everybody?"
"Yeah. We were trying to save your life here, that is much more important
than my sentinel abilities."
"Thanks, Jim. Then what?"
"I told him I didn't hear anything, and we began CPR. Then the EMT's
arrived and took over. After a while one of them told us he was 'sorry',
and they began packing up their stuff. I couldn't believe it, so I
continued doing CPR. Simon and the others believed it though, and pulled me
away from you. I began screaming and fighting them to get back to you. Then
I had the vision, and you came back."
Blair was amazed. "Wow.... I knew you cared, but not that much. Thanks."
"For what, Chief?"
"For bringing me back."
"I had to, you know."
"Yeah, you didn't know who else could be your guide."
"That has nothing to do with it! You're my best friend; you're more of a
brother to me than Steven ever was."
"You really mean that, Jim?"
"Yeah."
Blair's face lit up with a bright smile for a moment, but then it faded as he continued.
"But
now we need to figure out why you've been having this nightmare."
"It was kind of a traumatic event, Chief."
"Well, in the past you're had a tendency to repress traumatic experiences.
But maybe it's a Sentinel/Guide thing."
"Well, it's been all this stuff about the dissertation leaking out and all."
"And your press conference. Who would have thought that two months later
I'd have a Ph. D. in Anthropology and a paid consultant position at Cascade
PD? And that the city would have forgotten all about Sentinels - especially
about you being one."
"Maybe it's a reminder to treasure what we have. Or maybe it's a big
brother/little brother thing. Are you hungry, Sandburg?"
"Hungry? It's 4 AM, Jim!"
"Well, I'm hungry. Let's have an early breakfast."
"Sure, Jim. Now the nightmare's over."
"You're right about that."
"Now, about the big brother/little brother thing...."
THE END