Restitution (Sentinel story)
| Jim/Blair Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Restitution |
| Author(s): | Helenish |
| Date(s): | 3 July 1999 |
| Length: | 13943 words |
| Genre: | Slash, Angst |
| Fandom: | The Sentinel |
| External Links: | Restitution at helenish.org Restitution at AO3 |
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Restitution is a Jim/Blair story by Helenish. In 2013 it was imported to AO3 as part of the 852 Prospect Archive import.
Author's Notes:
Number 3 in the Conventions a-go-go Series: it's the substitute story, set on either side of The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg. It's also a rip-off of not one, but two Francesca stories. Oh the shame. All unintentional, as damning as the evidence may seem. Jim briefly relives the eighties; Blair briefly has agorophobia. We learn that the police academy is a cross between seventh grade P.E. and that kind of summer camp where they make you play volleyball and softball and strange capture-the-flag-esque games with incomprehensible rules and it's all supposed to be loads of fun and all you want to do is read a book.
Series
- Eating at Home
- Seemingly Impermeable
- Restitution
- Not Exactly Funny
Reactions and Reviews
This one kills me. Jim calls in a substitution. Blair decides he objects.[1]
This fic has one of my all-time favorite of Jim’s description of himself: “He'd grown used to a certain response from women: he was in decent shape, and tall, and not an obvious asshole.” And I love the last line of the story.[2]
A woman Blair made a date with appears at the loft, but he never shows up. She and Jim have sex. Time goes by and they have sex again -- in Blair’s bed -- and Blair discovers them. He’s angry and confused and demands restitution. Jim concedes. This summary in no way conveys the angst and self-doubt, or the dry witty humor of this story. How could these two have lived together for four years and still be so unable to communicate and so clueless? It’s because they are men – men in love.[3]
Ah, Helen. Will we ever get her back from the wilds of boyband land? Those sparkly young lads can be pretty seductive, you know. For now, those of us who like our guys to be a tad less glittery can only look back and remember.Restitution is written in a style I just adore, a straight shot into the minds of Jim and Blair, with all the awkwardness and stumbling that a real guy's mind, that *those* guys' minds would have. It's brilliant, and I've aped her shamelessly in my own work.
And since it's Helen, it's also funny as hell... But it's not *just* the funny. Helen has a knack for being ruthless with her characters in wincingly realistic ways. Real life goes on and on and on, mistakes are made, arguments are had -- messily -- and there's no escape from any of it.
Because, well. You've gotta take the bitter with the sweet when it comes to love, don't you? [4]
Summary: The story starts about a year before the end of the show. Jim is making dinner when there's a knock on the door. Enter Sophie, who works at the university and had a date with Blair, which he obviously forgot about. Jim invites her to dinner. They talk, they flirt and eventually have sex. When Sophie later breaks it off with Blair because he's too "vanilla", Blair connects the dots and is pissed for a while but ultimately drops it. Life goes on.Fast forward to after the dissertation and Blair is attending the police academy. Things are strained between them and Jim is not at all sure that Blair really wants to become a cop, or even go on living with Jim. So both are pretty much in the dumps. On a night when Blair has a late class, Jim impulsively calls Sophie. She comes over and they again have sex, but this time Blair walks in on them. He's shocked and angered by the situation and demands restitution.
Reccer's Notes: This is such an odd but compelling story that I find believable because of the time frame. By Season 3 they had unresolved stuff that they chose to shove under the carpet (or perhaps into the closet), letting it fester until it came out in Season 4.
"Restitution" has humorous elements, although it's tagged as angst. It's almost a M/M/F -- just once removed. It's men doing guilt and ego and meaningless sex that substitutes for something much more important. Enjoy.[5]
Best Undershirtkink FF (and I'm Sorry to Report That I Actually Can Think of Other Undershirtkink Stories): Restitution, by helenish. The Sentinel, Jim/Blair/OFC. One of the more involved true triangles out there. This one also gets extra points for having Blair do exactly what every man does when he finds out a girlfriend has slept with a friend of his: ask for a point-by-point comparison. And it wins extra extra points for the whole "Blair is vanilla" line. Didn't you always know Jim would be the kinky one? [6]
References
- ^ Merrin Recs: because life is way too short to read bad slash, Archived version
- ^ Restitution by Helen (NC-17), Archived version at Crack Van. Posted 3 September 2007.
- ^ Restitution, Archived version at Rec50. Posted 8 February 2010.
- ^ Teland: Sometimes a girl just needs a man with excellent taste., Archived version
- ^ magician113. The Sentinel: Restitution by Helen aka Helenish, Archived version at Fancake. Posted 28 August 2014.
- ^ thefourthvine. Slashy Nominations 20: Things That Come in Threes, Archived version Posted 9 April 2004.