"Sandburg! For God's sake, sit down, will ya?" Jim growled. The irritation was obvious in his voice.

He'd spent four hours on these damned reports, and that was only since he'd brought them home.

Having Blair Sandburg dancing around the loft was *not* helping matters. For his part, Blair seemed oblivious to his partner's serious agitation. "SANDBURG!"

"What?" the younger man said innocently.

 "Could you just...sit down, or something?"

 "Why? I'm enjoying the music," Blair grinned maniacally.

 "'Cause if you don't, I'm gonna shoot you!" Jim gripped the arm of the sofa, glaring up at his friend dangerously.

 "Wow! Chill out," Blair sniggered, "Something is seriously blocking your Chi, man."

 "An' something's gonna be 'seriously blocking' your windpipe if you don't wind down a little." Jim took a deep breath. Picking up his pen, he tried again. "It's like living with a hyperactive five year old." he grumbled almost inaudibly.

Blair just laughed out loud. There were those who would feel at least a little trepidation at the thought of upsetting a Sentinel, especially one like Jim Ellison, but Blair Sandburg was not one of them. Hell, he knew Jim was a pussycat at heart.

"What's wrong? Those long words giving you hell again?" he taunted.

 Slowly Jim lifted his head. "Are you deliberately trying to jerk my chain, or what?" Blair wiggled his eyebrows and grinned with evil intent. "Blair, please, just...go away. Simon's going to be here in an hour to pick these up, and I'm nowhere near finished."

 "Did anyone ever tell you that you're beautiful when you're angry?" Blair whispered seductively.

 Jim groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Sandburg!"

 "You need to get in touch with your inner self, partner. You might not get so uptight."

 "I only get uptight because you make me that way."

 "Oooh, I can make you *lots* of things," Blair moved close, almost touching Jim's face.

 "Go away, Blair," Jim pleaded

 "Wanna do something more interesting?" Blair whispered in his ear.

 "Only if it includes my foot and your ass."

 "Wow, gonna need more lube for that one!" Blair let free a shriek of laughter.

 "Sandburg!"

 "So, ya wanna play rough, huh?" Blair slid his hand inside Jim's shirt, searching for the ticklish spot he knew was there.

 "Would you just get away from me?" his partner pleaded.

 "Oh, we're playing hard to get," Blair moved in even closer. "I like a challenge."

 Jim attempted to grab the hands that had begun to roam across his chest.

"Will you just STOP IT!" Jim yelled at last, "So God help me, Sandburg, I'll tie you up and dump you outta the window if you don't stop."

 "Bondage? Oh yeah, you really know my weak spots don't ya, handsome?"

 "What the hell did I do to deserve you?" Jim mumbled.

 Blair giggled, leaping to his feet once more and dancing his way towards the kitchen.

 <At last> Jim thought, returning to the page that tormented and mocked his inability to concentrate.

He'd completed one line when Blair changed the music and began dancing again, only this time he sang along as well.

"That's it!" Jim grouched. Climbing to his feet, he set off on a Sandburg hunt.

The 'creature' was tracked down, having returned to its favorite hangout, the kitchen.

Blair turned around when he heard footsteps. Jim moved closer, looming over Blair like a storm cloud.

 "Hey, Jim, isn't this track cool?" he beamed. Jim made no sound. Nothing showed on his face. Blair's smile slowly melted. " Not your scene? Here, how about this one?" As he turned to change the track, Jim grabbed him. With one heave he swung the smaller man up over his shoulder.

 "Whoa, caveman tactics, huh?" Blair giggled. "Strip me, wash me and take me to your tent!"

 Instead, Jim dropped him heavily against the stairs. With a quick movement, he took his handcuffs from his pocket and slipped one onto Blair's wrist.

 "Hey, man, kinky time, eh?" the younger man tried to joke, but somehow he felt that this was possibly not foreplay. Jim lifted his arm, slipping the 'cuffs through the staircase, then fastening them tightly around the other wrist, leaving Blair standing, arms in the air, firmly attached to the stairs.

 "Peace at last," Jim smiled as he walked away.

 "Hey, c'mon! You can't leave me like this!"

 Jim settled himself back on the sofa, pulling the paperwork back onto his lap.

 "Jim." A pathetic little voice drifted across to him

 "I'm not listening." Jim began to hum.

 "Jim!" the voice called a little more loudly.

 "Shut up, Sandburg. If you're a good boy, when I'm finished, I'll let you free."

 "I'll have lost the use of my arms by then," Blair pouted. "Oxygen starvation to the muscles causes *considerable* weakness. If I can't use my hands anymore what will I do?"

 "Use your imagination instead," Jim mumbled, not really listening. He busied himself, finally dotting the i's and crossing the t's. As he was trying to put the report back in some kind of order, he heard something downstairs.

 "Shit, it's Simon!" he hissed.

 "Get me out of these," Blair said in a near state of panic.

 Jim searched his pockets hurriedly, "I can't find the goddamned key."

 "You'd better be kidding me, man," Blair's blue eyes widened in horror.

 "I'm *not* joking," Jim glared at him.

 "Well, don't just stand there," The younger man stated, "*Do* something. Can't you break them?"

 Jim looked at him with a sense of amazement. "I'm a Sentinel, not Hercules! These *are* police handcuffs, you know, they're not designed to break when they get a little uncomfortable."

 "Okay, okay, just hurry."

 A knock sounded at the door.

"Just a minute, " Jim called. He frantically searched the kitchen. "Maybe they dropped out when I picked you up?" He crouched down behind the counter, tuning up his eyesight but to little avail. "I can't find them." he whispered harshly.

 "JIM!" Blair gasped.

 "I'm trying!"

 Outside the door, Simon smiled at the young woman who stood next to him. It didn't take Sentinel powers to hear the commotion inside.

"Yeah, er..Jim Ellison is one of my finest cops, tough, but fair," he tried to think of a suitable topic of conversation, but none would manifest itself. The young woman just listened, eyebrows raised as a voice echoed.

 "For God's sake, Jim. Hurry," a breathless voice pleaded.

 "I'm going as fast as I can," an equally breathless and strained voice echoed.

 "I'll have to let Simon in, he may be able to get me a spare key," Jim said desperately. Blair looked mortified.

 "Jim, you can't."

 "Just act 'casual', Chief," Jim shrugged, as he reached for the door.

 Blair nodded. <Yeah right, act like everything's completely normal,> he thought with a sigh.

 "Hey, Simon. Oh?" Jim Ellison looked right into the face of a young woman.

 "Jim, this is Assistant D.A Jefferson, she's on loan to the city for a few months, just to help out," Simon looked at Jim in puzzlement.

 "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Jim Ellison," he held out his hand. "Come in."

She took his hand shaking it firmly as she walked into the loft. Simon closed the door behind him and turned, staring in amazement at Blair Sandburg.

 "Hey, Simon," Blair tried to sound 'casual'.

"Sandburg?" Simon gaped.

 Jim suddenly turned as the young D.A spotted his erstwhile roommate. He felt a flush creep from his toes to engulf him. "Oh, er..Ms. Jefferson. This is my roommate, Blair Sandburg."

 "Hey!" Blair half smiled, trying to wiggle his hands in a greeting.

 "Mr Sandburg," she said quietly.

 "Sorry I can't shake your hand," He smiled. "Only my 'roommate' has handcuffed me to the stairs, and now he can't find the key."

 In the background, Jim had turned an interesting shade of scarlet. The young woman looked at him quizzically.

"He was dancing...drives me crazy.." he stumbled, the power of speech now totally deserting him.

 "So you handcuffed him to the stairs?" she asked.

 Jim stared at her for a moment. "Yeah." was all he could utter. <This woman thinks I'm a lunatic with a thing for bondage. God, I hope all my cases are simple and straight forward while she's in charge.>

 "Right," she nodded.

 "Hey, I know how this must look..." Jim began defensively.

 "Detective Ellison, your private life is none of my business," she gave a knowing smile.

 "What? No, you don't understand."

 "Er. .Excuse me? Could someone *please* consider getting me down from here?" Blair spoke up.

 "Sure, Sandburg. I'll go radio in for a spare key," Simon smiled. He walked over to where Blair hung pathetically. "You gonna be okay there a while longer?" he snickered.

 "Sure, you gonna sell tickets for the show?" Blair hissed "I really need the entire precinct turning up here with a key."

 "Sandburg, would I do that to you?"

 "Yes, Simon! Hey, Jim's right, this looks *way* worse than it is."

 "Oh, I believe you Sandburg," Simon fought off a grin.

 "Sorry about this, Simon, those damned keys must have dropped out of my pocket when I threw him over my shoulder and carried him over here," Jim tried to explain, suddenly stopping, glancing up at his companions. Even Simon's eyebrows were raised into his hairline.

 "You want a shovel Jim?" Blair grinned. Jim frowned at him. "For that hole you're digging yourself into?"

 "Wh..? I.." Jim tried desperately to find suitable words, something that didn't dig him even deeper into the shit.

 "Jim, I understand." Simon slapped him on the shoulder.

 "No, you don't," Jim tried frantically to think of a sensible, rational reason for having hoisted his friend over his shoulder and handcuffed him to the stairs. Unable to come up with anything, he decided to take the fifth.

 "I...er...think I've seen enough, Captain. I'll leave Detective Ellison and Mr. Sandburg to their 'entertainment'." Ms. Jefferson smiled, trying not to show how amused she really was. "It was, 'interesting' to meet you, Detective. I'm sure our paths will cross again. Mr Sandburg." she nodded.

 Blair flapped his hands helplessly.

 "I'll be back," Simon said quietly, looking from Jim to Blair before shaking his head ruefully.

************************************

 "Jim," Blair said wearily. "I'm going numb, man."

 "Where?"

 "What d'you mean, 'where'? All over," Blair's voice rose an octave. "Everything's tingling."

 "Sounds kind of nice," Jim tried to joke.

 Blair shot him down with an angry look. "It's not goddamned funny," he growled. "I don't know which is worse, the humiliation or the discomfort." He waved his captive hands painfully.

 "Hey, Chief. You're not the only one who's been humiliated here."

 "It's your fault!" Blair yelled. "You *deserve* to be humiliated. I hope she seriously chews your ass the next time you meet."

 Jim wandered over to his stricken partner. He ran a gentle hand down Blair's cheek.

"You don't mean that, Sweetheart," he whispered seductively.

 "Yes I do," Blair insisted, trying to retain his anger. Jim always did this to him. "Don't think you can get around me *that * way, man."

 "What way?" he asked, letting his fingers slide inside the younger man's shirt, barely caressing the skin.

 "*That* way," Blair said, his voice beginning to lose its clarity. "Sex, you always use sex."

 "Look who's talking," Jim grinned, leaning over and kissing him lightly, barely touching his lips.

Suddenly the Sentinel stood bolt upright.

 Blair swallowed hard, grateful that the sensory assault had stopped. Seeing his partner's face take on a serious expression, he panicked. "Jim, what's wrong? Jim?"

 "Someone's coming."

 "Who? Who?"

 "So many" Jim paused, "One of them is Taggert...yeah, I can smell his aftershave."

 "What do you mean, Jim? One of them, how many are there?" Blair's blue eyes opened so wide he resembled a deer caught in headlights. "Come on, man, work with me here, how many?"

 "I dunno, a lot!" Jim gasped.

 "Don't let them in. I mean it, don't you dare let them in," Blair's voice quivered.

 "Wow, they've sent the elevator back down." Jim's face was stony, listening intently.

 "Oh, God, this is it! I'm *never* coming back to the precinct, man. Not after this."

 "Oh, here they come, better let them in." Jim walked towards the door.

 "NO!" Blair yelled.

 "Come on, Chief. We gotta get you down from there."

 "No. I'll gnaw off my hand or something. Anything! Man, it's taken me *so * long to get any respect from those guys, now all of it's wasted."

 "Relax," Jim cooed. He opened the door. "Hey, guys? We're gonna have to do this in shifts. Brown? Don't be so insensitive, man, no cameras."

Blair whimpered. Suddenly, Simon strolled into the room swinging a lone key. His face was alive with mirth. Jim laughed out loud, seeing the stricken look on Blair's face.

 "First time I've ever been called a crowd," Simon sniggered.

 "Really? And you do it so well," Jim smiled. Both men looked over at Blair, cartoon grins on their faces.

 Blair felt his knees weaken. "Bastards!"

 finis