New Arrivals
Author-Allison Terry
Titles

Nicknames
by Allison Terry

Summary: Blair wants to share the wealth. ~G~

Disclaimer: They're not mine. Suing is futile.

Feedback: Mmmmm... author hungry.... author want FOOD!!!
Spoilers: Teensy weensie reference to The Rig.
Thanks To: My dad and Kathleen for betaing for me, and Lila for nudging me to post it.
Author's Notes: Welcome to my very first TSFF! This was spawned from a CT chat where Lila and I realized that Jim has waaaay too few nicknames. I stumbled on the last two used in this story (I wouldn't want to spoil them for you!) on Robyn's Sentinel Newbie Page a while back and thought they fit the boys perfectly.

A brown mop of curls bobbed through the front doors of the bullpen and the daily ritual commenced.

"Hi, Sandy."

"Hey, Hairboy. Whatcha think of Rafe's newest walk on the tame side of fashion?"

"Funny, H. Morning, Sandburg."

Blair smiled at the two detectives who continued to bicker about each other's wardrobe long after Blair sat down at his desk opposite his own partner, Detective Jim Ellison. Blair turned his attention to Jim, who was camped in front of the computer putting the finishing touches on the reports Blair had typed up the day before.

"Sandburg, you stare any harder and I'm gonna have holes bored through my head," Jim said without looking up from the monitor. "What's up?"

"Sorry, man," Blair grinned, "I was just thinking."

Jim gave him a sideways glance and then returned his attention to the report, a slight grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "With you, that usually means the evening's activities will consist of a barrage of tests instead of the Jags game." Jim hit a few keys, then sat back in his chair with a resolute sigh. "But I'll bite. What are you thinking about?"

"Nicknames."

"Nicknames," Jim asked, puzzled. "What about 'em?"

"Well, I was just wondering how I could have about fifty of 'em and you seem to have gotten off scot-free."

Jim let out a little snicker. "I haven't gotten off totally. What about that whole 'beefstick' thing?"

"C'mon, man. That's just one." Blair folded his arms on top of the desk and looked plaintively at Jim, who responded with a shrug.

"I guess I just don't have a lot of traits that people can tease me about."

Blair's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I don't know about that. I'm sure I can think of a few." Blair grinned slightly. "I mean, your time in the Army could bring up all sorts of GI Joe references," Blair told him with mock-seriousness. "But I think the ones that might stick could come from the whole cop/detective angle." He waited for Jim's comeback, but was rewarded with a studious gaze and a disbelieving grunt.

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously," Blair began, relishing the challenge. "You've said you used to watch Mannix and you've gotta admit you're just like him sometimes." Jim rolled his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Your driving -- uh -- technique is straight out of 'Starsky and Hutch' and, not to toot my own horn --"

"God forbid you should do that," Jim inserted with a wan smile.

"Heh, heh, heh. Very funny, Jim, but, not to toot my own horn, I HAVE always thought my first impression of you was pretty dead on."

"What? What first --" Jim's gaze fell to the top of his desk and Blair could almost see the way-back machine in Jim's head flick on and retrace their first meetings three years ago. A few seconds later, they were raised to meet Blair's, flooding with recognition. "The 'Joe Friday' thing? Come on, Sandburg. My sense of humor isn't that bad, is it?"

"I was actually referring to the similar thought processes, but I never would have thought of the parallels between the senses of humor. That's not my favorite, though." Blair's ever-present grin shifted to a smirk. He knew he was going to get a ton of flak for where this was going, so he fully intended to get as much entertainment out of this while he could.

"Ohhhh, boy."

Blair chuckled. Lots of entertainment. "It's not that bad, Jim. I just figured that, if we were on TV., or in a comic book or something, your senses would make you a prime superhero; in an X-Men kind of way."

Jim's eyes brightened and a self-satisfied grin replaced his scowl. "X-Men, huh?" He turned the idea over in his head and seemed to like it. "I can do X-men. Wolverine was always my favorite, but even Sabertooth wouldn't be too horrible." Blair's eyes flashed to the exits. Boy, was Jim going to be surprised. Right now, the best route to escape an aggravated sentinel was the front door. He might just need it.

"Um, actually I was thinking more along the superhero angle than the X-Men, themselves."

"'Superhero angle'," Jim asked, "How much of an angle are we talking about here?"

"Senseman."

"Senseman?"

"Yeah. Senseman. Y'know, it has zing and lots of heroic potential."

Jim opened his mouth to retort when the phone on his desk rang. "Ellison... great, just great. Where is it... mmmkay. We'll be there in fifteen minutes... Yeah. Bye." He rose from his chair and shrugged on his jacket. "Get ready, Phoneboy. We've got a DB over on the river front and Simon's already there, chomping at the cigar to get started."

Blair started to get up. "Okay. Ji-- Hey, wait a second. Phoneboy????"

It was Jim's turn to smirk at the sight of his partner in stunned suspension halfway out of his chair. "Yeah. Phoneboy." He reached in his jacket pocket, pulled out Blair's cellphone, which he had left at the loft that morning, and tossed it to him. "Every hero has to have a sidekick, right? The name fits, it has zing, and lots of sidekick potential." Jim's smirk broadened into a full-blown smile.

Blair hung his head and grinned as he mentally added his new nickname to the ever-growing list and wondered how he ever thought he could pull this scheme off without getting a new moniker himself. "All right," he said, bringing himself up to his full height and grandiosely puffing his chest, "I shall accept my duties as 'Phoneboy', sidekick to Senseman. I swear to help 'boff,' 'sock,' and 'pow' our way to a safer city and look great in tights while doing so." Blair rounded his desk and marched toward the door, Jim following close behind.

"Ohhhh no, faithful sidekick. No one said anything about tights."

End