Crossing Ninevah

Fanfiction
Title:	Crossing Ninevah
Author(s):	Polly Bywater
Date(s):
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	The Sentinel
Relationship(s):
External Links:	online here
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Crossing Ninevah is a Jim/Blair story by Polly Bywater.

Reactions and Reviews

As in far too much of everything else in my life, I remain seriously (woefully, embarrassingly) behind in current TS reading, so this month's recs will most likely be of the Old School, Fic I Cut My TS Teeth On sort. Probably mostly -- or maybe solely -- slash. Since I'm in that kind of mood. :-) And probably -- or maybe solely -- fic that is less about Sentinel and Guide and more about Jim and Blair as Jim and Blair (since that's the way I roll. Usually. Although not always :-)). Polly Bywater has a gift for writing a William Ellison I like (a lot), and also for writing J/B angst I like a lot; this fic combines both of those things in a wonderful and satisfying mix of misunderstandings, family feeling (I'm talking extended family here, not just the Ellisons: there are several wonderful throwaway moments between Darryl and Blair, for example), protectiveness that pretty much covers the board, and all kinds of feel-good moments, spiked by insecurities and a touch of h/c and a delicious slow reveal of what actually happened.

If you haven't yet read this fic, I don't want to spoil the reveal, so I'm skipping an excerpt and will just say:

Jim wakes up in the hospital.

Things are confusing.

Then they become less confusing, until he manages to confuse them all over again (if differently), in a typically Jim way...

I've read this story many times; it never lets me down. Off to a desert island and want some very pleasingly written feel-good fic with an excellent side of angst and a satisfyingly wry, if somewhat blindsided Jim? This fic is a perfect fit.

After a doctor ignores Blair's orders and gives an unconscious Jim heart medication (which nearly kills him), all of Major Crimes and Jim's family band together in worry.

I've waffled over this one for quite a while. On the one hand, I really, really like the initial premise of the fic: a doctor overrides Blair's medical power of attorney and the fallout of same. The problem is, this part of the story is essentially abandoned for Jim/Blair romance angst and, despite being a self-avowed romance angst whore, I just wasn't as interested in that as I was in the original idea.

A few other minor issues: -There are something like ten male characters in this fic and three female characters. *All* of the male characters are presented in a relatively positive light, while the three female characters are: the doctor who nearly killed Jim, a nun, and Connor.

-The POV veers all over the place, for no reason that I can see.

-The use of baby and babe as endearments...

-Romance melodrama from Blair that comes and goes every few pages and doesn't make much sense.

To off set the above, you have some great MC-Ellison family bonding, William being awesome, and the intial premise, which really is very awesome. It just isn't enough for me to rec, I'm afraid.