Nice & Easy

"Roberts, Shawn A."

Simon Banks
'It was supposed to be nice and easy,' Simon Banks thought with a slight smile.  'All Sandburg was supposed to do was help

Jim learn to control his senses.  Instead he infiltrated Major Crimes with all the wiles of a fox.'

Simon glanced to his right and smiled when he saw his son, Daryl, sitting tall and proud in the uncomfortable folding chair.  The teenager had developed a close relationship to Blair Sandburg.  Simon wondered what Daryl had thought when Blair had pronounced his dissertation a fraud.  His son had never mentioned it to his father, and Simon couldn't see that Daryl's friendship with Blair had changed.

Simon looked past his son and saw Joel Taggart frowning as he stared at the object in his lap.  He silently chuckled.  'Good thing we have backup.'

"Robertson, Ericka J."

 

Daryl Banks
'This is supposed to be nice and easy.  Man, I hope my high school graduation doesn't take this long.'  Daryl quickly glanced his father from the corner of his eye.  'Hope he plays it cool then, too.  Hope he plays it cool today.'  He gingerly flexed the fingers of his left hand.  'Hope he doesn't find out I knocked Keshawn Damron flat on his ass for shooting off his mouth.'

Daryl sat up straighter.  'Don't care if he does find out.  And I'm not 'pologizin' 'bout it, neither.'

He heard Joel's exasperated mutter and smiled.  Silently, he held out his hand to the older man.  "Let me," he whispered.

"Ryan, Allen M."


 

JOEL TAGGART
'This is supposed to be nice and easy.  How is it that   I can disarm a sophisticated bomb, but can't load film into a camera?!'  Joel closed his eyes and silently counted to ten.  Then he took a deep breath and eyed the camera in his lap.  'When did these things get so difficult, anyway?'  Joel knew there would be plenty of pictures, but he wanted to take the best ones.

'Now isn't that something, Joel Taggart?  It's not like Sandburg is your kid or something.'  Joel stopped for a moment, remembering how Blair had helped him regain his nerve while Joel was still in the Bomb Squad.  And the younger man had been one of the first to welcome him to Major Crimes upon his transfer.  'Blair means a lot to me.  And I intend for him to have the best pictures possible.'

Sighing, he started down at the camera and frowned.  Then he saw Daryl reach
for the camera.  With a smile of relief, he gave it to the teenager.  He then glared at Henri Brown who sat next to him, snickering under his breath.

"Salvarez, Juan E."


 

HENRI BROWN
'Yeah, you just thought it was going to be nice and easy, huh, Taggart?  The
more complicated the camera, the harder it is to get good pictures.  Betcha
my little disposable camera does just a good a job as that new expensive one
of yours.' 

Grinning in silent satisfaction, Henri idly played with the small camera in his hand.  'And the party's gonna be a blast!  This is one time that Hairboy's gonna cut it loose and blow off all that steam.  And I can't wait to get out of this monkey suit!'  He glared at his partner who sat to his left.  'Unlike some people!'

"Sampson, Rita J."

 

BRIAN RAFE
'Wearing a dress suit is always nice and easy, H.  It's a matter of style and attitude.  Ever think that's why the DA tends to put me on the stand rather than you?  You look far too uncomfortable in a suit, and that makes you look unsure of yourself.'

Rafe innocently smiled at his partner, then caught the warning frown thrown in his direction by a stern-faced Simon Banks.

'Now Sandburg...he's comfortable everywhere,' Rafe mused as he faced forward.  'Who would've thought?"

"Samuels, Phillip E."

MEGAN CONNOR
'Nice and easy, Sandy.  It's almost over.'  She sympathized with the young man.  'Just a little too much pomp and circumstance for the occasion to my way of thinking.'  She caught a glimpse of Blair and inwardly sighed.  'Poor guy.  He's got about as much color as he does after riding with Jimbo on one of his high-speed chases!'

"Samuelson, Christopher R."

JIM ELLISON
'It was supposed to be nice and easy, Chief.  You help me get these damn senses under control, and I let you study me for your dissertation.'

It was only by exercising all the control at his command that Jim refrained from growling.

'I guess you figured out just how much I hated that dissertation when I snooped and read that first chapter, didn't you?  And the damn thing lay there between us from that point on.  I'd broken the trust we had in one another, then had the nerve to question your integrity!'

Jim spotted their friends in the audience.  'Wonder if you ever found out about the pool where you either get a new partner, a new roommate, break my jaw, or rearrange my innards with one of your potions?  I think Connor has that one.'

Jim heard his cue and stepped forward. 

'Course there's also that pool where we announce that we're a couple.  Think we ought to put them out of their misery, Chief?'

"Sandburg, Blair J."

 

BLAIR SANDBURG
'This is it.  Nice and easy.  Don't hyperventilate or anything else.  Don't embarrass everybody.  Wish Naomi was here.  No, wait...I don't think that would be a very good idea.  Oh, man...I don't know if I can...'

Blair looked up as Jim stepped in front of him.

"Do you, Blair J. Sandburg, promise to protect and defend the citizens of the City of Cascade?" Jim began.

Blair felt his anxiety and concerns slipping away.  Smiling, he raised his right hand.  "I so swear."

Neither man was aware of the cameras and flashbulbs.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

"See ya in a couple of hours!" Blair cheerfully called to his friends as he and Jim exited the City Hall Auditorium.

"C'mon."  Jim tugged at his partner's sleeve and headed back inside.

"Where are we going?" Blair asked.  "I thought we had just enough time to get home and change before heading to Simon's for my party."

"Your party?"  Jim innocently asked.

"Yeah, the one you guys have been planning that I'm not supposed to know about."  Blair happily answered.

"Jeez, Sandburg," Jim growled.

Blair held up his hands.  "Hey, don't worry.  I can do surprised.  Just let me know what the reason is that we're going over to Simon's so I can work it into my obfuscation."

Jim sighed as he pushed the button for the elevator.  "Simon's invited us over for a quiet dinner to celebrate your graduation."

Blair nodded.  "I can do that."

"Inside, genius," Jim grumbled as the doors opened.

"So where are we going?" Blair asked a second time as the doors quietly closed.

"That depends on you," Jim slowly smiled.

"Me?"

Jim nodded.  He punched the button for the fifth floor then folded his arms across his chest.  "Judge Martin is on the fifth floor and is in chambers."

"Judge Martin?"  Blair half-frowned.  "Judge 'Marry 'Em' Martha Martin?"  His eyes suddenly widened.

Jim studied the tips of his shiny dress shoes.  "Today's a new beginning for you.  I'd like it to be a new beginning for us.  I don't think there's anybody in Major Crimes that hasn't figured out you were lying at your press conference even if they haven't said anything about it.  And I wouldn't mind telling them about us as friends to friends and unofficially." 

Jim saw Blair's expression and quickly continued.  "I know we've only been together...you know, as lovers for a few weeks, but we've really been together for years, you know?"

Silence.

"You could consider that we've been dating for at least a year or so."  Jim
winced.  "Well, okay not exclusively, but the others never worked out, did
they?"

Silence.

"I guess what I'm saying is that..."  Jim took a deep breath.  "...even with all my...with all the walls that I put up and with all the crap I've thrown at you that..."  He closed his eyes.  "C'mon, Chief.  Help me out here."

Blair smiled and leaned against the elevator's back wall.  Mirroring Jim's position, he also folded his arms across his chest.  "Oh, no.  I deserve to hear this."

Jim glared at his partner, then his expression changed.  "Yeah," he quietly agreed.  "You do deserve to hear it."  He punched a button on the control panel to prevent the elevator doors from opening.

"I love you, Blair Sandburg.  You've been the best person in my life for the past couple of years, and you always will be the best person in my life.  It's got nothing to do with my senses or spirit guides or any of that stuff.  It's you and me.  And I want it to be you and me for the rest of our lives.  And past that if you can figure out a way to do it."

Blair happily smiled.  "I'll start working on it."  He leaned forward and lightly kissed Jim's lips.  "Consider that a 'yes'."

Jim grinned and pushed the button to open the elevator door.

Side by side, the two men casually walked down the hall towards Judge Martin's chambers. 

"Does she know?" Blair asked.

Jim half-smiled.  "Well, I did call and ask if she still performed commitment ceremonies," he admitted, then laughed.  "She said she'd marry or commit two gerbils if they agreed to it.  So we're more than qualified."

Blair snickered, then caught Jim's hand before the older man could knock on the door.  "Hey, who's got today in the pool for us announcing that we're a couple?"

Jim eyes narrowed in thought.  "Actually, I think it's Daryl.  Henri thought it was funny to let him in on the betting."

Blair grinned.  "Cool, he's been trying to come up with some money for a down payment on a car."  He chuckled as Jim opened the door.  "Simon's gonna just love this."

Jim laughed as he followed his partner into Judge Martin's chambers.  'Nice and easy, Chief.  That's the call for the rest of our lives.  Won't be easy.  But it'll be worth it.'

April 2003

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