A Sense of Belonging by katef, illustrated by PattRose
Genre: Slash
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Violence, rape, non-con (mostly off-screen and implied rather than graphic).
Original work: A Sense of Belonging, at ASR3
Summary: Set in a world where Sentinels and Guides are known and revered, a very different Jim and Blair meet. Blair is a traumatised and abused kidnap victim, and Jim is a highly respected but unbonded Sentinel Detective working undercover. These stories track their progress as they fight to fulfil their destiny as Cascade's Alpha pair.
Read:
Book 1: A Sense of Belonging.
A long, dark story set in a universe where Sentinels and Guides are known and valued, and Blair and Jim are not as canon. Blair is a traumatised and abused kidnap victim, and Jim is a well-respected but unbonded Sentinel Detective working undercover.
Book 2: You Belong to Me.
Jim and Blair’s developing partnership and their role as Cascade’s new Alpha Sentinel / Guide team are explored. The story continues after Blair’s release from testing at the Sentinel / Guide Department, and covers the pair’s return to the Major Crimes Unit at Cascade Central Police Department.
(N.B: The Mayan fertility ritual is fictional. I have no idea if it bears any relationship to an actual ritual, Mayan or otherwise)
Book 3: Friendship and Family Matters.
In the aftermath of Jim and Blair’s first case as the Major Crimes Unit’s resident Sentinel / Guide pair, they continue to develop both their personal and working relationships, while dealing with the reactions of friends and family members as Jim helps Blair to regain some of his former life.
Book 4: The Birthday Party.
It has been a year since Blair’s kidnapping by Vittorio Galbini. How are he and Jim coping with their responsibilities to each other and to their work?
Book 5: The Prodigal Son.
How far would William Ellison go in order to lure Jim away from the PD?
Book 6: The Holiday.
Jim and Blair take a relaxing vacation in order to repair and strengthen their bond.
Book 7: Temporary Insanity.
As the anniversary of their bonding approaches, Jim and Blair’s happiness is threatened by unforeseen outside influences.
Book 8: The Water’s Fine.
As the second anniversary of their bonding approaches, both Jim and Blair acknowledge that all is not right in their world. Can Jim come up with the means with which to heal their bond for good?
Author's notes: First posted in May 2010, 'A Sense of Belonging' was my first long story in The Sentinel fandom. It was never intended to be the first of a series, so was never posted as such. However, I found that I enjoyed the universe so much that a further six stories eventually appeared.
I always intended to tidy them up and repost them as a complete collection, but never got round to it until The Sentinel Nostalgia Big Bang 2016 gave me the extra incentive I needed to complete the task. With the help and encouragement of my amazing beta, Sheila (Bluewolf), I not only managed to tidy up the original seven stories, but also wrote a final episode to round off the whole set.
All in all, it has been a thoroughly satisfying exercise, and I offer my sincere thanks to Sheila, without whom it would not have been possible, and also to Morgan and Patt for providing me with the opportunity to complete this project.
