"I heard he was *dancing* on stage." Rafe wiggled his hips while attempting to keep his coffee cup level.
"*Dancing*? You mean like stripping?" Henri shook his head. "*Our* Jim? You know, even I'd pay to see that one."
Joel looked stern. "These are only rumors. We shouldn't even be listening to them. Not without Jim and Blair here."
"Exactly, Taggert. Why are you all talking about rumors when you should be working?" Simon stood in his doorway.
"Sorry, sir."
"Working, Captain."
All over the bullpen, men and women were ostentatiously moving papers around and saying hello to non-ringing phones.
Simon gestured to Megan, who had been conspicuously quiet.
"Conner, get in my office, now."
Megan looked at the others and shrugged. He closed the door behind her and gestured for her to sit.
"All right, Conner. What's the dish?
She grinned. "Well, it is delicious. Jim apparently went to some sort of club last night, in a certain part of town. It's not clear what happened - some say he danced, some say he had a comedy routine, but all agree that he was not especially - macho."
"Jim. *Our* Jim? And where was Blair in all this?" Simon thought about all the rumors he'd heard when Jim had worked Vice.
Megan shook her head. "Sandy doesn't get a mention."
"Okay, Conner. When those two get here, I'll talk with them. But - cool it with the gossip."
"Gossip? I never..."
Simon grinned. "I know. I know very well you can keep a secret. Now, get out of here."
"Yes, sir!"
Simon walked out of the office with her.
Just as they did, the bullpen plunged into dead silence, and Rafe dropped his coffee.
Jim and Blair had entered the precinct. At least, Simon thought it was Jim.
He was wearing tighter than normal jeans, a gray tank top under a completely open bright blue plaid shirt, which was unusual but not unheard of. He was also wearing a silver earring set with a large blue stone in his left ear. Jim had not worn an earring in years.
But even that wasn't it. Jim had dressed unusually before. There was something else - something different.
Something in the way Jim was standing. He was more relaxed than Simon had ever seen him. More comfortable in himself. He also had one hand on his waist and the other around Blair.
"Care to tell me what's going on here - gentlemen?"
"Good morning to you, too, Captain. You are looking fine this morning." Jim *fluttered his eyelashes.*
Simon glanced down at his own outfit for a moment - same old red shirt - then sputtered.
"Gentlemen, in my office. Now."
Simon could feel everyone's eyes following him, except for Rafe who was busy trying to get the coffee out of his pants. He shut the door behind him for the second time that morning, but this time he also closed the blinds.
"Now, what is *this* all about?"
Jim was leaning against the conference table. This was perfectly normal, except that his hips were just slightly pressed forward as if...
"Nothing, Captain. Sandburg and I are just coming into work as usual."
"Jim, there have been rumors about you all morning."
"Rumors? Simon, what sort of rumors?" Blair sounded almost panicky.
"Were you with Jim last night?"
"Yeah. We were together all night."
Jim smiled at that. "We certainly were."
Simon blinked. What the hell was going on here?
"Blair, I think we'd better come clean."
Blair, still wide eyed, nodded.
Blair. Jim *never* called his partner Blair, unless he were stuck in an elevator with a bomb or something. He also had a hand on Blair's shoulder. That last was normal, but - different.
"Simon, do those rumors have me on Stonewall Street?"
"Yeah. That's about the only thing they have in common. You weren't dancing, were you?"
"Not on *stage.* Blair took me to see Mitch Jason."
"That gay comic?"
Simon listened to a story of comics and closets unfold in his office. At the same time, he noticed Jim - changing. As the story went on, Jim's gestures became more expansive, and less Jimlike. Or, Simon corrected himself, maybe more Jimlike.
"Queen of the *cops*?"
Jim...preened. "That was *so* sweet. It meant more to me than the award itself."
Blair nodded. "Rich gave us a copy of it. Jim's having it framed." Blair's face was a curious mixture of tolerance, pride and, yes, love.
Simon buried his face in his hands. He did not need this. He did *not* need this.
"Simon, you okay?" He felt Jim put a hand on his shoulder. Just as he always would.
Maybe if he opened his eyes, Jim would be back to normal and Blair would be laughing over their practical joke. He tried it.
It didn't work.
"Jim, what am I going to do with you?"
"Depends what you want to do with me, gorgeous."
"Jim!"
Between Blair's shout and Simon's own pained look, Jim settled back, but he still pouted.
"I'm sorry. So far as I'm concerned, you don't have to treat us any differently. Send us out on cases same as usual, and we will do the same job as usual."
"What about - you're not going to..."
"Simon?"
"What about *this* - this - 'queen' act?"
"*This*, Captain, is the first time in a long time I haven't been acting. And I'm *not* going back into that box. This is *me.*"
"This is you?"
Simon was definitely getting a headache. He'd learned to handle Sentinel Jim. He'd learned to handle - well, be handled by Blair Sandburg. He'd even learned to deal with all the rumors about them - since he was convinced they weren't true anyway.
"I'd heard things about you when you were in vice. They said you practically lived on Stonewall Street then."
"It was more home than home, Simon. And I could take care of people there whom I've been neglecting the last few years."
"Do you want to go back to Vice?" Simon forced himself to say that.
"And miss out on the fun here? Darling, you don't know *what* you're asking."
"So you want to stay in this department?"
"If you'll have us."
Simon made some espresso just to stall for time. Jim and Blair were not only his best cops, they were his friends. And he wanted them where he could keep an eye on them.
And Jim was Jim, no matter how flamboyant or repressed he acted.
"Do you promise not to redecorate the office?"
Jim grinned. "Just when I was thinking you could do with a little chintz."
Simon snickered.
"Get to work, both of you. And you *are* coming to dinner Saturday night? Daryl's looking forward to seeing you both again."
Jim stood still. "We're still invited?"
"Of course."
"Simon, I could *kiss* you. In fact, I will."
"Not on the lips, Ellison. Not on the lips."
Grinning, he endured both of them.
Blair literally bounced. "Toldya, man. Toldya. Simon's cool."
"Just, tone down the Queen Jim act out there, okay?"
"You got it, darling."
"Ellison!"
"Getting to work, Simon. Getting to work. That man is *such* a slave driver."
*******
Blair closed the door behind him, and collapsed on a chair by Jim's desk in relief.
"You okay, Chief?"
"I half expected us to be kicked out or separated or something."
Jim smiled and stroked Blair's hair. "So did I, sweetie. Simon is the best."
"Yeah."
"And totally droolworthy."
"Jim!"
"I can look, can't I?"
Blair laughed. "Looking only, sweetcheeks. You're *mine.*" He thought about running a hand down Jim's chest as revealed by that tank top, but thought better of it.
"Yeah, well, what about when the rest of the place finds out?"
"Good question, Sandburg." Blair looked up, and there they all were - Henri and Rafe, with Joel hanging on the edges and Megan off to herself in the background. "What about the rest of us?"
Jim went into what could only be called full flirt mode. He leaned against the wall, licked his lips and smoothed back his hair.
The guys all blinked at this.
"Jim...what's going on here?" Henri was openly staring.
"Nothing...H." Jim smiled and winked. Henri blinked and looked away.
"Uh...."
"Calm down, H." Jim grinned and sat down next to Blair. "What do you ladies want to know?"
The three men sort of shuffled around. Joel looked at his feet. Megan shook her head.
"What these brave, macho men want to know is 'are you really a poofta, Jim, or is it all an act?'"
Blair couldn't help it. The laugh just burst out of him.
"Calm down, Chief." Jim smiled at him, so sweetly, and then turned to the others. "What gave you girls the clue?" He leaned his chin in his hand.
"You - you really are?" Rafe sounded shocked. "I mean, there've been rumors about you two for years, but no! It's an act."
"Got the wrong act, Rafe." Jim shook his head. "I've been hiding myself for *years* with those *dull* clothes and that empty apartment, and all those *girls*. You have *no* idea."
"Why?"
"Joel, you tell them. *You* know."
All eyes, including Blair's, turned to Joel, who was trying to hide.
"Joel? You're not..."
Joel shook his head with a smile. "No, Blair."
"Then, what does he mean?"
Joel sighed. "I've known the big guy for years. Best detective in Cascade, bar none. He was *wasted* in Vice."
Jim shook his head. "I was good in Vice. They needed me."
"We needed you in Major Crimes more. And you agreed."
Jim bit his lip. "Joel talked me into acting straight and applying for the department. He said it would be a good career move."
"It was."
"I know, Joel, but the price was high. I even got married, and what a disaster *that* was."
"How...how did you do it? Fool us all?" Henri finally found his voice.
Jim grinned. "It's easy. I managed to fool all sorts of CO's when I was in the Army. I just pretend there's a rod up my butt."
"And you do it so well." Megan smiled.
"Thank you, darling. I love you, too." Jim blew her a kiss. "But we must talk about your *clothes.*"
"Blair?"
Blair stopped laughing. "Yeah, Rafe?"
"Did you know?"
Blair felt himself blushing. "He made a complete fool of me for four years. He never dropped the act for a moment."
The others looked at him in confusion. "Does that mean the two of you aren't..." Joel blinked.
"Uh..."
"Er..."
Blair looked at Jim. Jim looked back.
They both blushed and giggled.
"Wait a second - you're all surprised that Jim is gay, all except Joel, I mean, but you all also thought we were sleeping together?" Blair was honestly confused.
The other men all stared at each other.
Finally, Megan spoke up again. "Are you having me on? The moment I showed up in Cascade, both of you started sending 'hands off my fella' signals straight at me. I called Sandy there 'Chief' and both of you were about to jump down my throat. You know? I said to myself, Connor, these two are married. And then everyone else told me the same thing."
Rafe nodded. "After *her*, we figured it was safer for all concerned to warn Megan."
"*Her*?"
Blair blinked.
"You know - *her*. The one who made Jim the most..."
"Jealous bitch in the world? That *her*?" Jim blinked.
"Just who are we talking about?" Megan looked from one to another.
"She was just before your time. You don't want to know. And, yeah, Jim. Jealous bitch describes you. Megan got the message."
Megan smiled. "Megan didn't need the message. I don't break up couples - unlike that Wells woman you aren't talking about. We were wrong?"
Jim smiled and put his arms around Blair. "I was *such* an idiot. I spent three years living with the most wonderful man on the whole planet and I couldn't let that rod out of my butt."
"Oh, man. You had me *so* fooled." He smiled and took a deep breath. "I guess you know we did wise up. And a good thing, too." He leaned up and kissed Jim lightly.
"Isn't he fabulous?"
"Okay, okay!" Simon stood in his doorway. "Show's over, folks. Get to work. Now!"
As everyone scattered to their various desks, Jim stood and posed again.
Jim grinned as everyone scattered. "Sure thing, Simon darling."
Simon sputtered. "Not in the office, Jim!"
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