This page is an entirely unscientific sampling of stories which have appeared at the two major gen Sentinel Archives during January .  The stories are out there ... what they all mean is a question for philosophers.


  The Week in Sentinel Fic

Looking back on fanfic for the week of January 9, 2000


Is the entire fandom predicated on Blair's suffering? You be the judge. The stories excerpted herein were archived at Guide Posts and the Cascade Library during the past week.

Jim walked around to the other side of the truck and was just about to open the door when Blair yelled, "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow."

Jim ran back around the truck and noticed Blair was on the ground holding his left foot. "Chief, let me see. What happened?"

"Sssssssss. I slipped on the ice. Sssssssss owow ow ow ow." Blair hissed in pain as Jim checked the foot out. It had already started turning black and purple.

"Sandburg. I'm afraid it's broken."

"Ugh, just great!" Blair said why slamming his foot down. "Oh sh.....ow ow ow ow ow ow."

Giving Thanks by Wolfshy
 

"Jim," he called, but it came out muffled, and found that his tongue didn't move well. It was like a dried-out, moldy sock had been shoved in his mouth. His brow furrowed, and he rotated his jaw, only to discover that he was gagged. He also realized that the banging was inside his head. His eyes flew open in panic. They roved around the room. It was dim, but had pink carpet and green and pink floral wall-paper. The only furniture in the room was the cot on which he was bound. His ankles were tied with rope, as were his thighs. His wrists were painfully secured behind his back, and the rope twined around his chest and upper arms. There was someone sitting at his feet. He looked down and his heart leapt to his throat.

What You Own, Part 1, by Juliet Benson

Strange sounds, screaming woke him up. A rough hand dragged him from the bed and a hood was pulled over his head. Blair, still asleep, started fighting back when a painful hit to his head made him lose consciousness for a few seconds. Long enough to be dragged from the room, put in an elevator and carried down to a waiting van. Tossed inside, his head hit the side of the van and he passed out.

The President's Son by Kaci

"This can't be happening Simon. I mean...it just can't." Jim rubbed his face again. He remembered holding Blair's hand as they rode to the hospital. His hand was so cold, his body practically lifeless. They had almost lost the young police observer in the ambulance, but because of the persistence of the EMT, Blair had held on.

'What if he flat lines again and they can't bring him back?' The knots in his stomach twisted, becoming still tighter. "Simon.....what happens if he...." Jim's voice was heavy with emotion.

This Isn't Happening by Denise James

After things had calmed down a little and the fire department had arrived, I started to lecture him on not following orders. It was then I noticed that he was holding his hands strangely, all clawed up and pressed protectively against himself, and he was biting his lip hard. I made him show me his hands, and when he slowly uncurled his fingers for me, the palms were red and blistered. I told him he was an idiot, and took him to the emergency room.

Cherry Pie by Laurie Borealis

The darkness of the basement was suddenly speckled with light, phosphenes trailing away out of the corners of his eyes as he struggled to take a breath. He felt a cramp in his neck like a hand around his throat, and had a sudden, vivid image of Jim finding him like this, hanging in chains in a filthy bathroom in the basement of a frathouse.

Unsleeping, Chapter 10 by Martha

Gently brushing the hair back from Blair's ashen face, he carefully untied and removed the gag from his mouth first, then checked him over quickly. When he couldn't see any obvious signs of broken bones or other major injuries, he carefully reached behind Blair's back and removed the ropes from his wrists, trying to jostle him as little as possible. The reddened and raw skin around his wrists and hands made Jim wince as he lay them gently back down to the ground. He decided not to try to pull Blair's arms out from behind him to roll him over onto his back, for fear of worsening any injuries.

Love, Guns, and Friends by Alberte

"AUGHGHGHGH!!!" Blair screamed in extremity, his every nerve twitching with agony at the unspeakable torture. It was even worse than that time when he'd been real young and Noami had looked away and he'd climed a tree and broken his leg.

Beyond the Deep by Starborn Greatheart

It was several hours later when Blair finally stirred. With a low groan he opened his eyes, peering about in confusion. His heart rate skyrocketed as he realized that he was in a moving vehicle. Then the frantic blue eyes met his and his guide calmed.

"Easy, Chief." The words broke the quiet of the truck's cab. "We're going camping, remember?"

Hot Spots by Ronee

"Bullet entered his shoulder, but went out the other side. It's a clean exit," Jim said quietly as pulled off his shirt and applied it firmly to both sides of the injured area.

Blair moaned again and looked up at his friends who stood and kneeled beside him. "I bet the next time I say I feel like a bug on the windshield of life you'll believe me," he smiled wanly and closed his eyes again.

Falling by Dolimir


Lean pickings this week in the post-holiday slump, but in other news, Blair gets a brother and a Furby, William Ellison's housekeeper passes away, and most surprising of all, Rafe and Brown are revealed for the 'N Synch fans they are.

Fanfic for the week of January 1, 2000

First Lines:
Since it's the beginning of a New Year, I thought I'd start the page with beginnings as well.    These are the first lines and opening paragraphs from stories announced at Guide Posts and the Cascade Library during the past week.

"I can drive you know." Jim said tersely as Blair parked the hayseed in the parking garage.
     Blair smirked, "I know, Jim. It's all right." Inside he was about to split a seam. No one would believe the caper they pulled off last night. Not in a million years!
 

The first thing that Blair Sandburg noticed when he regained consciousness was the concerned look n his roommate, partner, and best friend Jim Ellison's blue eyes.
 

"We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"
      Blair whirled around in a tight circle, feeling bile rising in the back of his throat God, I cannot DEAL with this right now…
 

"Hey, Jim?" Blair called softly. His partner, and roommate, was sitting on the couch, surfing through the channels.
     "Yeah, Chief?" he glanced up to see what was bothering his friend. He'd heard the hesitance in the voice, and tuning in, was able to discern that the younger man's heartbeat had accelerated somewhat.
     "Um, well," taking a deep breath in order to try and calm himself, continued. "Can we go out and look at the Christmas lights?"
     Frowning, Jim thought for a moment and asked, "When?"
     "This evening?" There was uncertainty and hope warring in his voice, almost pleading in his tone, but he wasn't able to keep it in check.
 

I feel like road kill.
 

After the meeting in the debriefing room, it was already one o'clock in afternoon, everyone had retired to their quarters for some well deserved sleep. Jim and Blair were assigned separate quarters, they went to Jim's room for some privacy and much needed heart to heart talk.
     Blair sat on the floor leaning against the couch, Wolf put his head in Blair's lap while Blair gently stroking Wolf's fur. Jim was sitting on the bed clenching his jaw with Jaguar lying at the foot of the bed. They sat there for fifteen minutes and Jim still hadn't said anything
 

What I remember most about drowning was waking up in the middle of surrender.
 

Jim hesitated, seeing Blair talking to a doctor. The doctor moved off and Blair caught sight of him.
     "Hey," his voice was still shaking. As was the rest of him. Jim felt something in him tighten and bury itself deeper. He had done this; caused Blair to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown.
 

The call had come just as he thought he might bring himself to shed his coat and actually step into the hot bath Sandburg had drawn for him. He knew his partner had hoped to ease the bone-deep chill that held him.
 

Ristle-ristle-whish-clinkity-ristle....
 

Blair rolled over and squinted at the alarm clock that was determined to ruin his wonderful dream; he had found a Sentinel with all five enhanced senses and was delivering his doctoral thesis to the sound of thunderous applause.

 
"Please, Chief. Think about what you're doing."
 

The tall figure turned in the saddle one last time before the fort closed its gates on him and his past life.  The beautiful spring day brought gold to the Dakotas and even the Black Hills seemed to profit from the benevolence of the sun.
 

It was a dark and stormy night as rain lashed the balcony of the loft where Jim stood alone outside the glass doors, a half-empty beer bottle in his hand and a wistful look on his chiseled features as the rain ran down his cheeks like tears and he whispered, "Blair" just as the door opened behind him.
 

Blair Sandburg slid his arm around Diandra Pallas' waist as they entered the municipal arena.


The statistics:

Example Imageby my count, 55 new stories, give or take a couple, appeared at the archives

Example Image 7 of these were Missing Scene stories : a whopping five of them for The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg, and two for Murder 101

Example Image Of the Crossovers, X-Files was the companion universe of choice (4 stories), closely followed by Highlander (3 fics) a lone Stargate SG1, and even one with Hunter

Example Image Misc:  Jim's a cowboy, Stephen dies, New Year's Eve was a big deal at the loft, but it can't compete with Christmas.  (what would Naomi say?)

Home