Note: Jim and Blair have moved to San Francisco, where Jim is going to be part of the SFPD's Officer Exchange Program for the next six months. They've found a second-floor loft apartment near the Berkeley campus, where Blair hopes to generate a little income to help out by tutoring. It's October 19, and a rather warm day in the Bay area. (It's also to be noted here that we've decided that since "Sentinel Too", Jim and Blair not only have become lovers, but have discovered more of a psychic connection between then in their Sentinel/Guide relationship. A bit more psychic/mystic stuff all around, in fact. We never thought the show had near enough of that!
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Blair Sandburg stretches his tired muscles. He leans on the last box of kitchen ware and surveys their new digs. The new loft here in San Francisco is a mess, but that is par for the course... since they've just moved in. He wipes his hands on his jeans and pulls off his sweaty tee-shirt, his long curls tied back with a leather thong. "Whew! Man, do I need a shower!" he mutters to himself.
Coming in the door of the loft with two pieces of mail in his hand, Jim Ellison again has to struggle with one sense in particular. The air is full of dank odors from the musty loft, and his nose is twitching fiercely. Moreover, when he enters, another odor assails his hypersensitive nostrils. [Whaaaa?] Reeling, he backs against the closed door, trying to dial that sense down. The door closes behind him with a loud click.
Wandering over to look out at the breath-taking views through the large window that led out to the balcony, Blair hears Jim return... he speaks without turning around. "Oh, hi, Jim. Isn't it beautiful here?"
Jim sets the mail down on a pile of boxes inside the door, promptly forgetting about it, trying not to sneeze. He fails big time, sneezing loudly once. In his effort to manage his sense of smell, he hasn't heard his partner speak.
Blair hears Jim sneeze, turns to look at his lover. "You okay, Jim? Not catching a cold, I hope."
The Sentinel has his eyes closed, his hands half raised in the air. The influx of fresh air from the window is beginning to have an effect, but it will be a few seconds yet before Jim gets his sense to a manageable level.
"Uh-oh." Realizing that his partner's senses are a bit overwhelmed, Blair doesn't move, but immediately wishes he'd dashed in for a quick shower before Jim returned. "Damn! I'm sorry, Jim..."
Breathing slowly, Jim opens his eyes again, his balance somewhat restored. He looks up, sees Blair by the balcony, watching him, realizes that Blair's been talking to him. "I'm all right, Chief, sorry. New place, new smells, some, ah, more pungent than others." He smiles slowly, and pushes off from door.
Blair flushes with some embarrassment... but then suddenly can't help his usual aroused reaction while watching his lover's smile... his graceful easy body movements.
Now that his sense is normalized again, Jim can appreciate the comforting and familiar scent of his partner, one of the new familiar things in this strange city. It's an anchor for him. Where that scent is - okay, maybe not this riper version of it - but that's where home is.
"Been working hard while I've been out, I see, Chief." Jim's smile warms as he comes slowly into the main body of the largest room.
"Yeah," Blair grins. "The kitchen's coming along nicely, but I'm too tired to lug all my books up to my new study-area, so..." He shrugs.
"Study area?" Jim follows Blair's glance up the narrow, spiraling staircase. "Oh, you mean... what did you call it, our 'meditation space'? Listen, Gup, you've got your doctorate, it's not like you want to 'study' up there. I can think of other uses for all those pillows, and the futon..." He winks at his beloved.
A rush of lust hits him and Blair grins widely at his lover. "Oh yeah... so can I!"
Jim happens to turn to survey the room just as Blair's grin lights up, so he misses it. "So, we're not going to leave the furniture all over there at one end, are we? Damn, I hate arranging furniture."
Strolling closer to Jim... Blair senses something... odd. It makes him pause. "Yeah... so do I...." His voice trails off.
Ellison, for the record, is wearing a Jags tank top and cut off shorts, so there's a tasty factor operating there. He hears the change in Blair's voice, glances back. "What?"
Blair's eyes are a bit unfocussed... almost as if he's listening for something... but not quite. "I dunno..." Blair closes his eyes for a moment, focussing inward.
Idly Ellison notes his lover's sweaty condition again, not just the scent, notes the damp mat of fur on his naked chest, the streaks of sweat on his muscled neck. [Mmmmm, tasty indeed...] but Blair's attitude distracts him. "Well, tell me when you get a clue." He turns away to pick up a box to open up.
With his eyes closed, Blair senses a quick flash of something - a memory of a vision... something that he normally only "sees" while deep in meditation... a silver wolf... but not alone - a pack of wolves, silver-haired and silver-eyed... Then the vision abruptly vanishes. Shaking his head after a few moments, as if to clear it, Blair muttered, "God, was that weird!"
"Weird is par for the course for you, Sandburg, what else is new?" Jim speaks absently, leafing through the junk in the box.
Eyes still a bit blurry, Blair reaches out to his partner. "No, Jim... this was really weird. I saw wolves. A whole pack of 'em. Like the vision you had of me in the jungle... in my spirit-form. I've never seen them before. Not even while meditating."
Eyes widening, Jim instinctively reaches out to him, his Protector mode engaged. "Wolves? Like your spirit guide?"
"Yeah. Exactly." Blair pauses then. "No... wait, not exactly... their eyes... they were silver. Almost glowing."
Jim frowns, looking down at his beloved. "Silver. Eyes. Yeah, right, Sandburg, whatever you say." Then he forces a quick laugh. "I suppose that means this city has a whole team of Shamans already and doesn't need you or some stuff like that?"
His Guide represses a slight shudder. "Yeah... maybe... I don't know, Jim. It's just a feeling I had. Kinda... creepy."
The Sentinel looks at him closely, then lays a comforting hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "I've learned from you, Blair, that these weird feelings are to be respected. Heck, I'm the one who had the stuff with the spirit animal before you did. Me, the cop, not you the neo-hippie... you know." He has to smile again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a black jaguar stretches, purring.
Blair smiles at his lover... feeling stronger for the reassurances. " Thanks, Jim." He places a hand on Jim's arm.
Despite Blair's, er, condition, Jim leans in for a quick kiss, dialing down his sense of smell as far as he can. "Tell me if you keep having these feelings, eh?"
Blair kisses Jim back, then replies, "I will. I promise. So what's in the mail? You brought it up, I see."
"What? Oh, hell, what did I do with it?" Jim- looks around, sees the mail sitting on the box nearest the door. "Let me get it. I didn't even look at it, I'm afraid." Reluctantly he lets go of his partner, but not before giving him a teasing pat on the cheek. Then Jim maneuvers past the boxes and the large pillar dividing the foyer from the rest of the main room, returning to the door. He picks up the two pieces, brings 'em back. "Hmm, this one looks like an ad, our first junk mail. Something about carpet cleaning. Trash." he tosses it into the nearest paper sack of trash. -
Getting a strange vibe from what Jim's holding in his hand... a brief sense of strangeness.
Jim glances over, notes Blair's look. "Now what? Really, Blair, I think Berkeley's doing stuff to you." He chuckles, and waves an unopened letter around. He hasn't even glanced at it yet. "More vibes, Chief?"
"No... just... no, forget it." Blair shakes his head again. "I'm gonna make some tea. I think I need it. You want anything, Jim?" He heads for the stove.
Now Jim looks at the letter for the first time. It's from the San Francisco Police Department. "No, tea, just grab me a coke, could you, please?" He begins to open the letter.
"Sure." Blair detours to the fridge, pulls out a soda and hands it to Jim, then paces back to the stove, starting a pot of water boiling.
His lover shakes his head, wondering how Blair could drink hot tea. Jim pauses to open the can, and then guzzles some good cold soda down. "Thanks, Chief, this is great." He sets the can down, and resumes opening letter.
Blair continues rummaging through the cupboards, choosing a likely combination. "Hmmm... raspberry and chamomile? Or perhaps blackberry-cohosh?" To Jim, "You're welcome!" While waiting for the water to heat up, he gets a tall glass and fills it with ice... finding some sugar-in-the-raw... perhaps some lemon...
Jim opens the letter, then freezes. Immediately Jim is in Peru again, at the Chopek compound, near the temple. The black jaguar paces toward him, evidently restless, then the reason comes out from the shadows. A Raven sits on the crumbling stone of an altar, cawing an awful racket. The jaguar eyes it with rage, but keeps its distance, knowing the troublesome bird can peek its eyes out. -
Jim stands, gaping at the bird, then he and the black jaguar start as the Raven flies off a short distance. Jim/jaguar, now one, follows through the brush, then stop as the Raven settles on a peculiar stone statue that Jim has never seen before, not in Peru. It reminds him of the carvings of the Haida Indians who live off the coast in the Pacific Northwest, who worship the Raven. But the statue is of a wolf.
Suddenly the wolf statue comes alive. The wolf looks nothing like Blair's spirit wolf, its fur silver and its eyes.. silver. Just like in Blair's vision! The black jaguar and the silver wolf stare at one another, and something in their spirits resonate together. The jaguar feels something of an acceptance from the strange wolf. Yet the Raven is still agitated, and the reason soon becomes clear. On the edge of the clearing are two more wolves, but their eyes glow a greenish-gold.
Then Jim comes back from the spirit plane, and looks at the name signing the formal welcoming letter from the Officer Exchange Program of the San Francisco Police Department. The name: Detective Frank Kouhanek.
Blair finishes brewing his tea, adds sweetener and poured it carefully over the ice. He begins to take a swig, when, over the rim of the glass, he notices Jim is reading something. "So... what'cha got there, Jim?" He wanders over to see.
Jim does not answer at first, still locked into the strangeness of his "spirit-walk". He stares at the name, somehow associating the name with the Raven in his vision.
"Jim? What's wrong?" Blair is a little concerned at his lover's silence.
His voice a little haunted, Jim murmurs, "Blair... I think I've seen your wolves, or at least one of them. I had a vision right when I opened this letter." He hands the letter over to Blair, then stares at nothing, rubbing his chin, thinking.
His roommate takes the letter from Jim, reading it. "You did? Oh man, is that ever weird!" Blair frowns as he reads. "This is from the SFPD." The letter states that Det. Kouhanek and Det. Toussaint will be the mentors for the two visiting police officers, Det. Jim Ellison and Det. Nicholas Knight.
Jim shakes his head, and looks back at the letter, reading again over Blair's shoulder. "No, but somehow Detective Kouhanek is connected to a Raven. And I saw a silver-eyed wolf, and two more with green-gold eyes. You see any like that?"
Blair finishes the letter and hands it back. "Green-gold eyes? No, man... just the silver-eyed ones. And you also saw a Raven?" He is getting excited. "The Raven is associated with the Trickster-God in Native American mythology."
"I wonder... perhaps this Frank Kouhanek is a Sentinel? But that would be a jaguar or a black jaguar, I thought. What would a Raven mean? Either way, it sounds like trouble."
"Yeah..."
"What do you think the wolves mean, Chief?" Jim is glad his partner knows about these things.
"Well... I'm not sure." Blair thinks about it.. "You say you only saw one? That's odd in itself, because wolves are pack animals, and that's how I saw them in my vision... and then you saw two more, after the first one... that could mean the first one you saw was the Pack Leader... and the other two were interlopers or something."
Jim shrugs and lays an arm across his lover's shoulders. "I don't know. Perhaps it's just the chief wolf? The one with silver eyes? The other two didn't seem to look like the silver one at all."
"Yeah..." Blair represses a shiver. "Their eyes... " He slips an arm around Jim's back, giving him a quick hug.
The quick show of affection from his diminutive partner gives Jim Ellison a twinge of love inside for this neo-hippie punk of a Shaman and Guide. He is very glad he has Blair to help him with this strange mystic stuff.
Blair catches a whiff of himself. "Uh... Jim, let me get cleaned up first, but after that, I think we should try a little meditation... a session to see if we can get a feel for the meaning of what we both saw. Okay? You wanna try it?" Mentally he's already going over in his mind where the boxes are that contain his CDs, candles, aromatherapy oils and crystals.
"Meditation? Ah, that's your bag, Sandburg, I don't know..." The Sentinel feels a little uncomfortable with his lover's suggestion, thinking he'd rather either just romp in bed and forget about wolves, or go take a long walk or something.
The Guide turns to look up into Jim's eyes. "I think it'd be good for us, Jim. We're in a new city, with new surroundings... we need to clear up this matter first... I think there's a deeper meaning to it all. We can't ignore a warning like this." He traces with his fingers along Jim's forearms as he talks earnestly to his lover. "Please, Jim?" Blair smiles slyly up at the Sentinel. I promise to make it up to you... later on." He brushes his lips across Jim's neck briefly, teasingly.
Jim Ellison looks down into those wide, honest, trusting Blair-eyes that Blair knows damn well just melts him into a huge pile of mush. Damn. "Take a shower, Darwin. Then get your butt upstairs with all your mojo gear. I'll be waiting." He smirks, waves him away to the bathroom.
The other heads for the shower, waving back. "Okay!"
A SHORT WHILE LATER...
Jim is upstairs in the loft area of the apartment, the high open area that overlooks the main floor. They've already hauled pillows and Blair's old futon up there, and there are a few boxes holding some of Blair's "mojo gear" as Jim calls it.
The Sentinel, having discarded the tank top, is shirtless, and wears a bandana on his head like he did when a Ranger in the jungles of Peru. He sits cross-legged on the futon, waiting.
Sitting lotus-fashion on a large pillow, the Guide lights a white candle and studies his lover's face across the flickering light. A steady drum-beat plays softly in the background. Blair picks up a large white crystal from a bowl of sea-salt and nods at Jim to pick up the other one.
Rolling his eyes, Jim picks up the other crystal and holds it awkwardly.
Okay, Chief, let's get on with it...""Now," Blair begins, his voice altering, "this is just like we've done before, but instead of closing our eyes to let the visions come to us, we try to focus on what we saw today... The crystals are individually attuned to each of us, so just stare into it and follow the sound of my voice... I'm hoping we can reach a deep meditative level at the same time, fairly quickly."
As Blair drops into Guide-tones, Jim finds himself automatically centering, letting their Sentinel/Guide relationship start the focus here. Jim nods and takes a deep breath, relaxing, then carefully redials his senses so his hearing is the strongest. He stares into the crystal as told, and focuses on his Guide's heartbeat, breathing, and voice.
The drum beats echo their heartbeats as Blair's voice drones on... "Breathe... in and out... in and out... Remember the wolves... the Raven... keep breathing slowly... listen to the sound of the drums and my voice. Blair's baritone drops to a whisper.
And Jim finds himself in Peru again, back in the clearing. Only this time, the black jaguar is not alone. Beside him is the brown timber wolf with the gold-speckled eyes that he knows as Blair's spirit guide. The jaguar noses a greeting briefly to his brother and mate, the wolf, then the two oddly matched animals turn together to face the two stranger wolves who now edge into the clearing.
But the clearing is suddenly full of sound. The Raven screeches an angry warble to the Silver Wolf, who stands implacably, watching the strangers approach. Blair-wolf growls in warning, for none of these wolves are like he is. There is a sense that they are wolves in appearance only, that they are far more than they seem.
The strangers hiss, revealing long white fangs, and Jim has a flash of human faces, but with fangs! At the moment all he can think of is: werewolves??
The Raven suddenly flies before Silver Wolf, angrily screeching, as if beseeching him to intervene, to guard the black jaguar and brown wolf. Evidently Silver Wolf knows Raven, and will listen to him. But there is still far more here.
The clearing, the jaguar notes, is now surrounded by other silver wolves. More faces with fangs flash by, too fast to recognize features. The stranger wolves back off, then one, the larger of the two, boldly steps forward to the Silver Wolf...
Abruptly Silver Wolf turns and shoots a rapier gaze at the black jaguar and brown wolf. "Forget" the Silver Wolf speaks... and the vision is ended. Jim is staring at Blair, stunned. "Blair.. did you see...?"
Blair feels as if he's been pushed... hard... he's back in his body, back from the spirit-walk, but a bit shaken by what they've seen. "Uhhhhh... yeah.... I saw it. Them..."
Jim, too, is shaken, breathing deeply, his heart pounding. "What were those, Chief? Um... werewolves or something?"
"God, Jim! What were they? What did we really see? It can't be THAT!" There's real doubt in Blair's voice as he gazes back at Jim... a little fearful.
The Sentinel reverts to his comfortable state of denial of all this "heebeejeebee" nonsense, and shrugs it off. "A hallucination, Darwin, just a hallucination. There are no such things as werewolves." He glances back at his wide-eyed lover. "Tell me there aren't werewolves?"
"Uh....Well..."
"Sandburg!"
The older man doesn't like the look of bewilderment on his Guide's face, nope, isn't fond of that look at all, and does the only thing he can think of. Collecting his lover into his arms, he descends onto his mouth to kiss the bad things away.
Wrapping his arms around Jim's neck, Blair closes his eyes and opens himself up to his lover's welcome attentions, thankful for the moment for the distraction. The fear and trepidation which accompanied the visions melts away under the warmth of Jim's love.
As usual, Jim's tough, can-handle-anything veneer melts with the rush of love for his Blair, and he settles into kissing him deeply and most thoroughly, intending to spook out all hobgoblins threatening to frighten his Guide.
Blair runs his hands down to caress Jim's biceps and chest, loving the strength inherent in those muscles.
Not even werewolves are going to be allowed to shake their peace, their happy world together. The black jaguar will see to that! It's just the newness of their move, the unsettled feeling of being in a new city. Werewolves, indeed!
Enjoying the feel of the hands running over him, Jim dials his sense of touch back up.
The familiar sensation of Jim's body pressed against his makes Blair moan in their kiss, and move his hands lower to grip Jim's ass.
Jim breaks the kiss, gasps. "Going to make us both forget about wolves, baby. " He writhes as Blair's hands grasp his ass. "Oh, damn, yes..."
Blair arches his growing erection up against Jim's crotch, their bodies still confined by their clothing.
Jim's hands rove over his lover's torso, as always amazed by the sensual feel of his very masculine lover and that Blair even loves a big dub like James Ellison.
Jim's hands move like silk over Blair's chest, through the hairs and across his taut nipples... teasing his nipple-ring briefly which rouses a hot wave of lust deep inside Blair. "Oh, GOD, Jim!"
"Love you, Blair-babe... " Jim's voice is rough as a surge of desire washes through him, and he is eager to forget the unsettling vision for a while.
Wolves, (were- or otherwise) are long-gone from Blair's mind... Blair's completely focussed on Jim and what he's doing to Blair's very-willing body.
Something about the still-playing jungle drums are bringing out another beast in Jim Ellison, and he, too, has no more thoughts of wolves, intending only to make passionate love to his Blair. His mouth starts on Blair's neck, tongue working a path downward as he inhales deeply, imprinting Blair's scent into his nostrils, needing to be filled with Blair scent.
His hands moving restlessly up and down Jim's back, Blair moans as Jim's tongue drives him slowly wild.
Breathing heavily, Jim nips lightly at Blair's throat, daring to make a small mark there, a bit of Sentinel territorialism showing itself. Blair is HIS! -
"Uhhhhhh!!!" Blair clutches at his lover, the feeling of Jim's teeth on his flesh making his passion soar. "Yes, Jim!! Yes!"
Suddenly Jim's hands are everywhere, and besides indulging in FEELING his Guide, he quickly unzips Blair's jean shorts, stripping him in one smooth movement even as he lays him back on the futon beside him.
Blair's erection is dripping with pre-cum... he wriggles his hips, glad to be free of his clothing.
Jim's eyes widen as the beautiful endowments of his lover are revealed, and he takes Blair into his hand, rubbing the precum over the head to make it slick. "Feel so good, Blair..."
"Uhhhh!! Oh yeah, Jim!" Blair closes his eyes for a moment, reveling in the feel of Jim's hand stroking him. He reaches to pull off Jim's shorts...needing to feel him as well.
Jim's own crotch feels painfully tight as his erection presses to get out. "Strip me, baby..." He shifts to let Blair get at the zipper of his shorts.
Blair releases Jim's cock as he strips off the shorts... moaning in pleasure at the sight.
His partner groans as he is released. "Damn, Blair, I want you so bad..."
Tossing the shorts aside, Blair murmurs, "God, Jim... I want to taste you so bad..."
Jim grins suddenly. "Works for me." He shifts position so that he's facing Blair's feet and Blair is facing his. "Come here, you." Jim grasps Blair by the hips and licks at just the head of his cock for starts. He inhales deeply, nearly zoning on the pheromones. Jim moans, then rubs his face over Blair's shaft and balls, sighing. "You feel so good, babe."
"Mmmm, so do you, man!" Blair swiftly swirls his tongue around the head of Jim's straining erection, then taking it into his mouth... the salty-sweet taste delicious and familiar.
The other man grunts as Blair takes his cock into his mouth, then takes Blair into his own mouth, swirling his tongue around the head. Jim moves his hands around to Blair's ass, caressing and massaging the cheeks of his ass, loving the feel of him.
Blair moans in pleasure as Jim works on his cock. Begins to suck and stroke his lover as well, cupping his balls... the musky scent pushing Blair farther into lustfilled oblivion.
Jim's senses are straining into overload - the lust-soaked scent of his partner, the silken, strong feel of his skin, the taste of his skin, precum, the pounding of his heart, loud in his ears, the beauty of him... something black jaguarish and animalian takes over, as Jim is literally drowning in Blair...
Yet though Jim is lost in his sensing, he is not afraid, for the Black jaguar is Protector, and he cannot hurt his Blair-wolf. Just love him to absolute completeness.
Gripping Jim's ass, Blair moves his mouth along his lover's cock, licking, sucking, stroking, tasting all of him.
Grunting with the onslaught of sensations, Jim works his lover's cock hard, sucking it down and taking it deep in the throat. His fingers slip into the crack of Blair's ass, and gently massage his anus.
Blair wriggles his ass against his lover's gentle fingers. The sensations on his own cock are making him blind with lust. Blair sucks harder on Jim's cock and moans with pleasure.
Jim is deep into zone-out, and feels the waves start to build within him, powerful forces aching to erupt.
Finally the eruption ignites and Jim comes powerfully hard, shooting his load into Blair's throat even as he still sucks hard on his lover's cock.
Feeling his balls draw up against his body, Blair explodes in Jim's mouth and throat... while drinking down everything Jim has to offer.
The splash of cum into his throat makes Jim come even harder, his orgasms making him convulse, helpless in their force.
Holding his lover's shaking body tightly, Blair continues to stimulate Jim's cock with his mouth.
The taste of Blair's cum sends him even deeper into zone. Jim is GONE, locked into his sensing, completely unaware of his environment.
Blair's mind is reeling from the force of his own ejaculations. Swallowing one last time, Blair releases Jim and falls back, still cradling Jim against him, panting hard.
Blair's softening cock slips from Jim's mouth, and he falls back on the futon also, his eyes blank. He, too, is breathing hard, swallowing convulsively, but his mind is gone... One by one the overstressed senses have cut out completely, like a blown short circuit. Touch, gone. Scent, gone. Taste, gone. Sight, gone. Hearing will be next...
Moaning, Blair rolls around to gaze at his beloved Jim... noticing for the first time how deeply-zoned Jim is. [Uh-oh.] In his "Guide-tones" Blair attempts to talk Jim back. "Jim! Sweetheart, lover... Jim, listen to me.. listen to the sound of my voice, Jim...Come back to me... focus on the sound of my voice..."
Jim barely hears anything, his senses one huge throbbing owwie, blown out and shut down. He barely hears the Guide voice, even in those tones.
Blair gently strokes his lover's face, his neck, his hair... all while keeping a level, calm tone of voice, trying to Guide Jim back to the "here and now".
The continual soft application of Guide voice eventually penetrates and begins to draw Jim back. Automatically he tracks on the voice...
The Guide keeps up the familiar chant. "Jim... focus, Jim... come back to me... this is Blair... come on, big guy... I know you're in there... Focus, Jim... listen to the sound of my voice... dial the rest of it down... C'mon, lover..."
Gradually Blair's voice has its usual effect, though Jim has rarely ever been this deep, possibly never THIS deep before. His breathing slows and becomes more regular, and his eyes regain some awareness, blinking.
Seeing his lover respond (at last!) Blair grins happily, but doesn't stop talking Jim back to awareness. "Oh Jim! Man! I'm here, baby, it's me... god, you were so zoned-out I wasn't sure... " Blair rains kisses on his lover's face as he talks rapid-fire.
For the moment, only Jim's hearing is handling things. His mouth falls open, and he croaks, "Blair?" Sense of touch starts to return, as does scent, but the other senses remain off-line. "Still... gone, Blair..." Jim sighs, feeling the kisses finally.
Blair strokes Jim's forehead. "Damn, Jim... that spirit-walk must have really worn you out, I mean, you never zoned so far when we've made love before... I should've let you rest.. I'm sorry, Jim..."
Jim sighs deeply, and moves finally to pull Blair back into his arms. "Wanted you bad, baby. It's okay. You brought me back."
But the younger man just wraps his arms around Jim, hugging tightly. "God, Jim..."
The older one tightens his arms as well. "I was drowning in you. You totally blew out my senses. I shouldn't have left them so turned up. But I was drunk on you!"
Blair groans. "As romantic as that sounds, that is NOT a good thing for a Sentinel to do... I don't know what that would've done to you, lover... what if I couldn't bring you back?"
Jim's mouth curves into a smile, and he kisses his lover's cheek softly. "You'll always bring me back."
A hint of panic and concern roughen Blair's voice. "I hope I always do, Jim!" Gazing into his lover's eyes, he realizes what a horror it could be if Jim should lose all his senses that way... and there be no way for Blair to reach him...
"Besides," Jim went on, "somehow I have a feeling we're going to see that Raven again. I have a feeling that is someone who will be important to us here. Someone we can perhaps let in on my secret."
Coming out of his reverie, Blair frowns. "You really think so? I hope it's a good omen."
"Me, too. You're the Professor, but isn't the Raven either a trickster or a guardian bird? Different things to different cultures?"
"Yeah... I hope it's not the Trickster this time."
Jim blinks, sighs. He still cannot see yet. But Jim still trusts his senses will return all the way. "The Raven wanted to protect us from the strangers, I think."
Blair cuddles in his lover's arms...hoping Jim's right this time. He whispers, "Yeah."
Enjoying the cuddling, now that he can feel again, Jim murmurs, "Sleepy, Chief. Nap with me?"
"Mmmmmm-hmmmmmm" is the only response.
Before Jim falls asleep with his Guide cradled against his chest, he has a quick flash of the Raven chattering at the Silver Wolf, with whom it seems royally pissed for some reason. The noble Silver Wolf, just taking the abuse, perhaps smiling faintly? Interesting...
THE END
