The Bear Facts
Summary: An old stuffed toy and a long-forgotten tee-shirt jog Jim's childhood memories.
Notes: I wound up writing two epilogues to an earlier AU story, Maternal Instinct. This is the alternate version. Rated G.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Written strictly for fun.
"Hey Jim," called out Blair as he descended rapidly down the stairs from the loft bedroom, an empty laundry basket under one arm and a piece of colored cloth in his other hand.
"Thanks for doing the laundry, Chief. What's up?"
"No problem. Actually, I wanted to ask you about this." He set the wicker basket down and held up the garment to his partner sitting on the couch. Jim hit the mute button on the TV remote and turned his head to look up.
"I found this at the very bottom of your hamper. Must've gotten mixed up with the rest of your stuff. It looks like a kid's tee-shirt." He eyed his six-foot plus roommate and raised an eyebrow. "Hard to believe you were ever this small."
"Must've been something I saved from a long time ago," frowned Jim. "Can't remember why though."
Blair inspected the faded little top. "It's cute. The tie-dye looks original, too. I don't know why, but it seems real familiar to me." He grinned widely. "Don't tell me you or Steven used to wear this."
Jim snorted. "Hardly."
Leaving it draped over the sofa arm, Blair went into his bedroom. "I could just toss it in the rag bag if you want," he called out over his shoulder.
Jim reached over and picked up the shirt. He fingered it then sniffed the cloth. It was musty, from being packed away for so long, and yet, underneath that was the faintest of scents. Something vaguely familiar. He shrugged, put it next to him and reached for the remote.
"No, it's okay. I'll hang on to it for now."
A few days later he came home and found Blair kneeling on the floor, digging through a storage box.
"What are you looking for?" he asked as he hung up his coat.
"Naomi called. She wants me to locate some old photos and send them to her. I haven't got a clue as to where they are." He continued to grumble to himself as he picked up an old album and began flipping through the pages.
Opening the refrigerator, Jim pulled out a beer and snapped the top off. He closed the door and leaned back against the counter. As Blair sorted through a packet of negatives, he suddenly zeroed in a dark lump in the box.
"What the heck is that?" he asked, pointing.
"Huh?" Blair looked into the box. "Oh, you mean this?" He lifted up an old, worn teddy bear and put him gently down on his knee. The bear was missing an eye and his fur had been rubbed off in places. "I loved this little guy. He went with me wherever we moved. I called him Old..."
"...Smokey," finished Jim. Blair looked up at him in amazement.
"How'd you know his name?" he demanded, as he got up off the floor.
"I'm not sure," said Jim, putting his beer bottle down. "I think I used to have a teddy bear just like him."
"Really?" Blair crossed the floor, holding the bear in one arm. "That's an amazing coincidence, don't you think?"
"Let me see him for a minute."
Blair held the bear out as Jim reached for it. His eyes narrowed as he fingered the threadbare spots and ran his thumb over the dark glass eye. Suddenly he froze. "Wait a minute." He shoved the bear back at his roommate then turned and trotted upstairs to his bedroom. Pulling out the small tee-shirt Blair had found the other day, he returned to the living room.
Blair stared at the small garment again. Then at the bear. "What's going on here? What does that top have to do with Old Smokey?"
Jim cleared his throat. "When I was about twelve or so, my mother found this baby. A toddler. He was lost and she brought him home. He wore this little tee-shirt."
Blair stared back at him, his eyes widening with interest.
"We didn't know his name, so I called him L.G., for Little Guy." Jim smiled fondly as he looked down at the bear. "He was such a happy kid. The happiest I'd ever seen. And he made my mom laugh. She gave him my old bear to keep."
"What happened to the toddler?"
"His mother finally called, so my mom went to drop him off. I never saw him again. But he kept the teddy bear and I kept his little tee-shirt."
The two men looked at each other in silence.
"Well I'd be the first to admit that's one heck of a story, but the chances of me and this bear, being one and the same are about a zillion to..." he stopped as Jim took a step forward, reached out a hand and gently tugged on a lock of hair.
"He had curly brown hair and blue eyes," he said softly. "His mother's name was Naomi."
Blair gasped and clutched the little bear tighter against his chest. "Oh my god," he said faintly.
Jim plucked the little bear out of his partner's arms and put the little shirt over the bear's head. It was oversized, but he pulled its arms through the sleeves, rolled them up then handed it back to his stunned roommate.
"Here, I understand the Sixties look is big now."
Blair held Smokey up and examined him, tee-shirt and all. "Looks good to me," he grinned.
Jim reached out and ruffled his partner's hair. "I know, L.G. I know."
*~ The End ~*
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