The Right to Remain Silent

Fanfiction
Title:	The Right to Remain Silent
Author(s):	Justine and Kass
Date(s):
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	The Sentinel
Relationship(s):
External Links:
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The Right to Remain Silent is a Jim/Blair story by Justine and Kass.

Reactions and Reviews

Set after "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg" when Blair is entrenched in his new life as a cop, Blair tries to recapture some of his old passions but finds an unexpected new one instead - one that shocks him to the core...I love this story. I love this story. It has a small shot of "case" story and a large dollop of wonderful Jim and Blair interaction as they deal with their changing relationship.

Um, yum. You read enough stories in a fandom, and their relationship starts to seem inevitable; both guys start to be written as far too knowing and sophisticated about each other. Magically enough The Right to Remain Silent, by Justine and Kass, sent me back to the beginning -- when it wasn't inevitable, when they really were two straight (ish) guys living together, and writers worked to make me believe that they'd end up together.

I love a good, post-"TSbyBS" story, and it seems to me that there should be more of them. I think the changed dynamic of a more equal canon relationship causes a lot of authors to shy away from exploring the boys' lives post-series. There's a certain "safety" in keeping ‘Jim as detective of the year, and Blair as tag-along Anthropology post-grad,’ or ‘Jim as Sentinel, and Blair as Guide figuring out things as they go along.’ What I think some of those authors forget is that Jim and Blair – at least in my mind – have been equal partners in every sense of the word from the start of their relationship. Jim’s Sentinel abilities need a focus to guide them, and that’s what Blair provides. Likewise, Blair knows a smattering of everything and is all over the map without someone more pragmatic like Jim to tether his esoteric skills to practical uses. Each needs the other in order to be a better Jim or Blair. In The Right to Remain Silent, Justine and Kass brilliantly concoct a post-series story that matures Jim and Blair one year after TSbyBS. Blair goes out for an evening on the town to re-visit some old haunts with one of his few friends at Rainer who’s still speaking to him. While it starts out as an object lesson in why you can’t go home again, the way the evening shapes up for Blair leaves him with more questions than when he started out – including ones about his attraction to Jim. This story is beautifully written, with terrific characterizations, fabulous dialog, and an amazing post-"TSbyBS" evolved Jim and Blair. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

"The Right to Remain Silent" is so wonderfully written! Jim and Blair -- Blair especially -- just jump right off the page at you. I love how Kass and Justine evolve the boys, so much so that they can now joke (even badly) about coming home and finding all the furniture hauled to the basement, and how Blair, while secure in his new existence, still harbors some yearnings to have things the way they were pre-TSbyBS. It's just a gorgeous piece, and an innovative take on the shoe of 'I didn't know I was gay/attracted-to-you until a guy kissed me.'

What gets me every time is Jim's sense of Blair's boundaries, and teasing about being Blair's sidekick. It's really a Jim who's made peace with what he is, and has enough to give of himself instead of working from emotional poverty. I always love evolved!Jim.

Best FF That Uses Kissing to Precipitate a Sexual Identity Crisis That Is, Frankly, Long Overdue: The Right to Remain Silent, by Kass and Justine - kassrachel and sanj. The Sentinel, Blair Sandburg/Jim Ellison. There's a lot of competition in the Significant Kissing category in this fandom, but this one stands out because there's more than one Significant Kiss. Basically, Blair Sandburg goes over his nightly quota of said kisses, and finds himself switching teams before the week is out. Jim Ellison gets bitten and finds himself having sex in a car. All becomes right in the Sentinel universe. Readers everywhere cheer enthusiastically. And I end this set before I develop a tongue fixation.