by Carol Roi
He closed his eyes, not wanting her to see the fear he felt rising up within him. It was too much, the responsibility was too much. What if he failed, what if he accepted his senses, and someone died? It had happened before. He remembered the girl at the dam, strung out on Golden; his senses hadn't helped her, had they? And Blair, god, this was just the latest in a long line of injuries, emotional and physical, he had suffered as a result of this Sentinel thing.
Disentangling his hand, Jim looked up at her. "Megan, I can't, I can't. My senses have only caused Blair harm. It would be better if I didn't have them at all."
She took a step back, frustration evident in her expression. "Augh! Why do you have to be so damned stubborn? Until you accept your role in this world of course he's going to be hurt, you're going to be hurt. You're working at cross-purposes. Blair's embraced his role as a Guide, he knows who he is and where he belongs. Until you accept that he is part of you and you are part of him, you are going to be stuck in this limbo, going around in circles, hurting each other, getting in each other's way."
The sentinel shook his head vehemently. "No, I can't handle this right now, I can't deal with this on my own…"
Suddenly Megan understood his fear, understood where he was coming from. "Jim, look at me, damn it!" Grasping his chin, she turned his face toward her. "You are not alone in this; you haven't been alone since the day you met Blair Sandburg. Why in the hell do you think a sentinel has a guide, a champion a companion? Because no one can do it on their own. This sentinel thing, this gift, this responsibility can only be harnessed by two people, a sentinel and a guide. That's the only way it works; anything else is a disaster." She watched his expression change from fear to puzzlement, to comprehension.
"I feel so stupid," he finally said quietly. "That's what Sandburg's been telling me all along, only I guess I wasn't listening, because I never got it. I never understood until this moment."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Megan gave him a one-armed hug, feeling his arms go around her in a careful embrace. "That's okay, Jim. You were working at a disadvantage. You didn't grow up in a Sentinel culture, you had to figure it out on your own, and Blair had to do pretty much the same thing, though he figured it out quite a while before you did. The important thing is you get it now, you understand."
"Yeah, I finally do. I would have saved myself and Blair a lot of heartache if I'd only listened before."
"Hindsight is always 20-20, Jim. You can't look back, you have to look ahead, you have to find some way to keep Blair with you now." She straightened up, and Jim let go, his hand finding hers again.
"Yeah, that's something we're going to have to work on, but with Simon's help, I'm sure we can figure something out."
Megan gave him a smile. "I'm sure 'we' will."
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Walking around to the passenger side of the Volvo, Blair opened the door and extended his hand. Diandra grasped it, allowing him to help her out of the car; she teetered slightly on the uneven asphalt in her high-heeled pumps. Tucking his arm through hers, he smiled up at her, still getting used to the increased difference in height. She'd always been taller than he was, he knew that, but never had he noticed the extra inches so profoundly. It had to be the whole outfit, he decided, thinking back to the moment she had descended the stairs of her loft.
She was gorgeous, as always, but normally she didn't play it up unless they were going to the Latin dance club they frequented. Then she would wear a dress, low heels, and a smidgen more makeup than usual. But tonight's outfit telegraphed her nervousness about meeting his mother. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant twist, and her eyes, cheeks, and lips were carefully made up, highlighting the exotic side of her beauty. But it was the dress that took his breath away. Any fashion consultant would call it "the little black dress", the staple of the tailored woman's wardrobe. But it was so much more than that. On the surface, it was demure, conservative even, high neckline, long sleeves and the hem came to mid-thigh, not an inch of skin showing. But it clung, god how it clung, form-fitted to every curve, outlining every muscle, every….He paused in mid mental ramble, realizing that she had to be wearing nothing underneath.
"Cat got your tongue?" she asked playfully.
He shook his head. "No, you, do. My tongue, my heart, my soul, my…" He gestured at his crotch.
"Your attention?" Laughing, Dee moved toward him, bending to kiss him hungrily. "We could just stay home," she tempted. At his headshake, she sighed. "It was worth a try. At least I know I'll still have your interest if I'm a flop with your mom."
"Changed your mind about staying home?"
"Hmm, no, just admiring the view."
She made a noise in her throat suspiciously like a purr. "You are no slouch yourself, Lobo."
He felt her blue eyes running over him, taking in the black leather suit jacket over a royal blue shirt. A wolf's head bolo tie at the neck matched the silver clasp holding his hair back. God, they were pathetic in their desire, but it felt so good for everything to be right between them instead of the fear and uncertainty that had plagued them the past few days.
He held the door of the hotel open for her, then took her arm again as they strolled through the lobby, feeling like a rock star on the arm of a supermodel. Everything was perfect--until he felt her stiffen beside him as they approached the entrance to the restaurant. He glanced over to find her brow furrowed in concentration. Damn it!
She swore softly under her breath. "Whoever it is, they're in the bar." She peered into the dimly lit room, her heightened vision swiftly locating the other Immortal. A strawberry blonde sat at the bar, a drink glass in front of her. Diandra's buzz drew her gaze upwards and their eyes locked, blue meeting brown, the blonde's eyebrow raising in challenge. Diandra felt the hair on the back of her neck raise, and she had the uneasy feeling the woman had been waiting for her.
"Dee?" Blair's tone was worried.
She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this." She headed into the lounge, leaving Blair standing in the hallway, fear wrapping him in its icy grip.
The blonde met her halfway. "I know a nice, secluded little place close by. We can get this over quickly and I can get back to my drink." Her smile reminded Diandra of a snake baring its fangs.
Diandra straightened, exuding a warrior's confidence. "I don't think so. You want to test your sword against mine it will have to be some other time. I'm here to have dinner, not to fight."
The woman's expression hardened. "You can't refuse a challenge." She peered around Dee, spotting Blair waiting nervously in the entrance to the bar. She licked her lips deliberately. "He yours? Such a tasty little morsel." Dee refused to dignify her question with an answer. "To the victor go the spoils. I think he will be first on my list when I take your head. I hope he likes it rough; I like discovering how much pain mortals can endure before they become unable to perform." She smiled again.
Diandra inhaled slowly, fighting the urge to knock the bitch through the wall. "Fine," she finally spit out between clenched teeth, "I'll answer your challenge. Now." She exited the bar, pulling Blair aside.
"Dee? What's going on?" Blair clutched at her arm, his heart racing. When she turned to face him, he was shocked by the intense fury in her eyes. "Dee, no…"
She shook her head. "I can't refuse a challenge, Lobo, and in this case, I don't want to. Tell your mom I was held up. This shouldn't take long." Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him fiercely, then in a swirl of coattails, she was gone.
Blair stood in front of the restaurant, his hand pressed to his mouth. Oh, god, what was happening to Dee, what was happening to them? He'd never seen her like this before a battle. Normally she was resigned, regretting what was about to happen, but knowing it was a part of her life. This time she had seemed almost...eager. Eager to kill someone she'd just met. He was just about to go after her when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Blair, sweetie? You okay? I thought you were bringing your girlfriend?"
Turning around, Blair found Naomi approaching. "Uh, hi, Mom. Dee's going to be a little…uh, late. There was something she had to take care of first." He gave her a hug.
Naomi squeezed her son back, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I hope it's nothing serious. I'm really looking forward to meeting this woman. You know, it's been a long time since I've met one of your girlfriends." She linked her arm through Blair's. "Do you think she'd mind if we went ahead and got seated?"
"Um, no, Mom, that's fine." He followed her into the restaurant, but couldn't help looking back at the door Dee had disappeared through. Please, God, please let her be okay, please let her win.
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Diandra followed the other Immortal out of the hotel and down an alley to a construction site a block away. She couldn't shake the feeling that the blonde had known she was going to be at the hotel, that she was waiting for her. Still, she didn't hear anyone else or see any kind of trap. She opened her coat, making her sword easily accessible.
The other woman entered the construction site, dodging piles of building material until she came to the concrete foundation of the skeletal structure. "This satisfactory?" she asked, producing a light broadsword, which she shifted from her right hand to her left.
The Amazon drew her katana. "It'll do." She took a step back into a fighting stance, the tip of her sword coming up.
"I'll make this short and sweet then." A gun appeared in the blonde's right hand. Dee heard the silenced shot a fraction of a second before fire lanced through her chest.
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"Honey, did you hear what I said?"
"Huh?" Blair tore his eyes away from the restaurant's entrance. Dee would come back; she had to come back. "I'm sorry, what was that again?"
"I said, I'm going down to Big Sur for a while to meditate, clear my head, try to karmatically atone for all the problems I've caused."
Reaching over the table, Blair squeezed her hand. "Really, Mom, it's okay. I forgive you, Jim forgives you, we're cool."
"Look, sweetie, why don't you come with me? I'm sure a couple weeks of fasting and meditation will help you get things back in order."
He felt like banging his head on the table. Much like Jim, she still didn't get it. "Mom, please, I know you mean well but my place is here, with Jim, with Dee, with Megan."
Naomi frowned. "What's Megan got to do with anything? Is she like Jim?"
"No! Naomi! She's my friend. She's in the hospital, along with Jim and Simon. They need me."
"Blair, they are not your responsibility. That man didn't shoot them because of you, he shot them because he was a criminal. And now he's dead, and you ended your life here yesterday with your press conference. I don't see why you can't come with me, why we can't be together like we used to be. We used to be so close, Blair." Naomi tightened her grip on his hand. "It would be the perfect way to start over, just you and me, like we were before."
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe she was doing this to him again. Ever since he had hooked up with Jim, she had been after him to leave. Even now, even after he had sacrificed everything for Jim, she still thought he could just walk away. "They are my friends, Mom. They've taken care of me over the years. I owe them."
She leaned over toward him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "If it hadn't been for them, you wouldn't have been hurt, wouldn't have needed taking care of. If it hadn't been for them, you would have your doctorate now, and a nice, safe teaching position at some prestigious college. Ever since you met Jim, you've let them take advantage of you. Jim got a partner and someone to help him with his…you know. Hell, Blair, you were doing him a favor, and he made you pay rent! Captain Banks got an extra body to put on the front line, one he didn't have to pay. And what do you have to show for it? Nothing but a big stack of hospital bills! You didn't even get a dissertation out of it, which was the whole reason you got involved with Jim in the first place. I don't know where you're coming from, Blair, I didn't raise my son to be a doormat."
Blinking back tears, Blair snatched his hand from her grip and stood up. He didn't need this, he didn't want to hear this, especially from her. But looking at it from her point of view, everything she said was true. Hell, to anyone on the outside, every word was true. Jim had taken advantage of him, had used him, and not followed through with his end of the bargain. It just hadn't felt that way to him, still didn't feel that way, or did it? Being Jim's guide was important, wasn't it? When he'd stood at that podium yesterday, that had been all that mattered, being the guide, protecting the sentinel. It had been the most important thing in the world…but now….
It still was. He opened his mouth to explain that to his mother before he walked out. The pain came out of nowhere, blossoming inside him, every nerve ending, every cell on fire. His knees buckled, and he clutched at the chair, but only succeeded in pulling it down to the floor with him. He could hear Naomi screaming his name, screaming for an ambulance, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered but what the pain meant. She won. It was his last thought before he succumbed to the darkness.
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Diandra did the only thing she could do under the circumstances, she reacted. She threw her sword in a hard, underhand thrust across the space between them, impaling her opponent. The gun and sword dropped from the blonde's hands as she instinctively clutched at the metal jutting from her stomach. Unable to get enough leverage to remove it, she sank to her knees, her head coming up as Dee approached, her expression frightened.
The Amazon kicked the gun out of reach and picked up the blonde's sword, then stood breathing heavily, feeling her body forcing the bullet back out as it healed.
"I hit you…I know I hit you…" The blonde's words were whispered, but Dee heard them clearly.
"A small caliber bullet and bad aim are not going to do much damage to someone my age. Certainly not going to slow me down enough for you to take my head." She laid the edge of the broadsword against the other immortal's throat. "Whoever sent you didn't tell you everything, did they?" The woman's heartrate increased and Dee knew she'd hit upon the truth, even though the other woman didn't answer her. "Who sent you?"
"Go to hell, bitch! But you'd better make sure I'm dead first. You leave me alive, and your little pet is liable to turn up missing!" She threw her head back, presenting a perfect target.
Her rage boiling over, Diandra brought the sword around in a short arc, removing the blonde's head. Throwing the broadsword to the side, she grasped the hilt of her katana and pulled it free of the other's corpse. Taking a step back, she braced herself, but it still wasn't enough. The first Quickening strike drove her to her knees, the second strike to all fours, where she remained until the storm passed.
When it was over, Dee got slowly to her feet, every muscle aching, but singing with power at the same time. She swallowed with difficulty, her throat raw from screaming, and glanced around. Now how to dispose of the body?
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As the last bolt of lightning flickered away into nothingness, the Phoenix slumped to the roof of the building she'd watched the battle from. Christ, she hadn't expected that to happen. Poor, stupid, Denise. She had at least thought her former student could hold her own, especially with Diandra being wounded.
That had been her idea. She'd expected Dee to win, of course, but she wanted to see if her fighting style had changed at all over the years, wanted to see how she compensated for an injury, wanted to shake Dee up a bit, rattle her. But that…that was a bloody execution. Her stomach suddenly rebelled, and she vomited onto the tar and gravel roof, then sat back, shaken, running the back of her hand over her mouth.
Pull it together, she to
ld herself. Pull it together, get out of here, and regroup. It was more obvious than ever that Diandra was the biggest threat out of the four. She was the foundation. Remove her, and like a house of cards, they would tumble down after her.
Getting to her feet, the Phoenix headed for the stairway. She had a hell of a lot of work ahead of her.
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Blair felt as if someone had taken an ax to his skull. His head was pounding, and his mother's hysterical ramblings were doing nothing to ease the pain. He forced his eyelids open, blinking once to bring her features into focus. "Mom, I'm okay. I'm fine." To prove his point, he sat up with a minimum of wincing.
