Title: RELEASE
Author/pseudonym: Candy Apple 
Email address: blair_lady@yahoo.com
Rating: MAO
Pairings: J/B

Status: NEW, complete
Date: 01-3-2000
Archive: YES
Archive author: Candy Apple 
Archive email address: blair_lady@yahoo.com
Archive category: Episode-related, First Times
Series/Sequel: NOPE.

Disclaimers: Pet Fly owns the guys and The Sentinel.  No money being
made.  Just for fun.

Notes: This story immediately follows Prisoner X.  We know Jim
wanted some time out in the open, but we don't know for sure he went
alone...

There's some mysticism ahead, so be forewarned if that's not your
thing.

Summary:   Jim craves some time "without walls", and retreats into the
night with Blair.  The two men make a discovery about their
relationship.

Warnings: m/m sex...but then, shouldn't I warn you if that *isn't*
included? <eg>
***********************************************************

See Part 0 for warnings & disclaimers

RELEASE

by

Candy Apple



     Jim made his way out the door, past the cops, past the
confusion of men and women being herded into police vans, busted for
their participation in the blood sport in which he'd just been forced to
participate.  Amidst the confusion, he found Blair's voice, his heartbeat,
and soon enough, his scent.  All senses focused on Sandburg, he
located him standing near one of the SWAT Team vehicles, talking to
the doctor.

     "Jim!"  He excused himself from the conversation and hurried
over to where Jim stood, still looking and feeling a bit dazed from the
blows and the fuzziness of his vision from the pepper spray.  "Sorry I
disappeared there, man, but with all the confusion--and some of those
people weren't exactly cooperating with the cops--I thought I should get
the doc over there out of harm's way.  What happened to your eyes? 
Jim, can you see me?"

     "You're blurry, Chief," Jim responded tiredly.  "I gotta get out
of here for a while.  Did you drive out here?"

     "I rode with Simon.  There's an ambulance here--"

     "There's nothing wrong with me that won't heal on its own.  I
need to get out of this place.  Get to some open space."

     "Hey, Coleman!"  Blair waved at one of the plain clothes Vice
detectives who had shown up at the scene.  "Could we borrow your
car?"

     "Borrow my...  What do you want me to do? *Walk* back to
Cascade?"

     "Catch a ride with Banks--he's inside."

     "Hey, Ellison, what'd the other guy look like?"  Coleman teased,
chuckling as he tossed Blair the car keys.  

     "Unconscious," Jim responded.

     "Nice going.  Remind us to recruit you for the PD's entry in the
tough man contest."  With that, Coleman headed inside.  The middle
aged cop had worked with Jim during his time in Vice, and the two
men had a good rapport.

     "Come on, Jim.  Let's head home and then--"

     "No.  I want to get out of the city, into some wide open space--and
 I don't mean the loft."

     "Are you sure we shouldn't just stop by the ambulance and let
them--"

     "I'm sure.  Let's go."  Jim started heading doggedly toward the
police sedan, and Blair gave up the argument.  He wasn't going to win
this one anyway.  

     Jim leaned back in the seat, feeling his body coming alive with
a symphony of aches and pains now that the action was over.  Even
Blair climbing into the driver's seat and slamming the door jarred him. 
His ears were ringing, his eyes felt like they were on fire, his head
pounding, his stomach churning and everything else was simply
*throbbing*.

     He was immensely grateful to Blair for starting up the car and
just driving.  He wasn't babbling, he wasn't nagging about going to the
hospital, he wasn't even fussing over the injuries.  He was simply
driving in blessed silence into the countryside.  When they had left all
lights, houses and signs of civilization behind, Blair turned off the road
and drove into the dirt trail that led partway into a large plot of vacant
land.  The nearest house was several acres away, the most striking
sound was that of crickets in the tall grass.

     Blair was in motion now, getting out of the car and rifling
through Coleman's trunk until he found the supplies he was after. 
Returning to the car, he opened Jim's door for him and held up a jacket
for him to slip into.  Fortunately, Coleman was a good-sized man, and
the navy windbreaker emblazoned with "POLICE" across the back of it
fit Jim easily, if not a little sloppily.  Over Blair's arm were a couple of
blankets, a first aid kit and a bottle of water.  Jim idly wondered if
Coleman knew his survival kit was going to be raided.  

     "There's an area over there that's not too overgrown," Blair said,
turning on the flashlight, aiming the beam in the direction he indicated. 
"We can put a blanket down there to sit on."

     Nodding, Jim rested a hand on Blair's shoulder for guidance,
since his eyesight was going through a number of interesting phases
from the pepper spray.  He was surprised when Blair slid an arm
around his waist and moved his shoulders both under Jim's arm, but
found himself enjoying the warmth and the solid support of his partner
next to him.  

     Blair spread the two blankets, then gave Jim a supporting hand
as he made the effort to lower himself down to sit.  Blair sat in a lotus
position on the fabric and opened the water bottle.  

     "Let's try flushing your eyes, Jim."  

     Jim held out his hands and Blair poured some water in,
repeating the process a couple of times.  While it didn't completely
erase the irritation, and his vision was by no means restored, the most
intense burning was relieved somewhat.  From there, Blair wordlessly
tended to a couple of scrapes and a cut, his touch light, his face bearing
nothing but concern for Jim's comfort.  

     There was nothing visible for a long way.  There were a couple
farmhouses in the distance, but it would have required more effort than
he wished to invest to extend his hearing or his irritated vision to
discern anything about them.  

     Now there were only Blair and the crickets, and the occasional
sound of the wind in the grass, or nearby trees rustling.

     "Drink some.  I know it's not all that cold, but you need some
liquid."  Blair held the bottle of water out and Jim accepted it, taking a
few gulps before handing it back again.  Then Blair set the water aside
and shifted so his back was against the large tree that sheltered their
little oasis.  "Lean back against me," he said softly, and it didn't occur
to Jim to do anything but obey, resting the back of his head against
Blair's shoulder, his blurry eyes still taking in the stars above, and the
utter lack of barriers around them.  

     Feather-light fingers massaged his temples, then worked back
into his scalp, one easing down to the back of his head and finding just
the right pressure point to quell a little of the pounding.  

     "Relax.  We're going to take control of all those dials now,
buddy.  All the stuff that's been keeping you awake, annoying you...it's
all going to get turned way down now.  Concentrate on even breathing. 
I know you're hurting and you can't do a lot of deep breathing, but try to
relax and keep it even.  That's it," Blair continued, his light massage of
Jim's head easing the pain until it was nearly gone.  The smooth, rich
sound of Blair's voice drained away much of the stress of what had
turned out to be a horrible undercover experience.  

     "First, we're going to work on touch.  Picture the dial, and then
turn it down slowly.  Leave it up high enough that you're aware you
have some hurts, but dial it down until they feel better."  Jim
understood the logic in the directions, as it wasn't really safe for him to
be unaware of the pain altogether.  He'd eschewed any medical
attention, so his body's signals would be his only warning if something
was seriously wrong.  Sighing in relief as his body ceased to torment
him and the pain receded to a bearable level, Blair's voice resumed it's
soothing monologue.

     "Now hearing, Jim...  Turn the dial back, pull back from the
ringing in your ears from all that cheering and the bells in the ring, and
the vibrations of the impacts...move back from it, and turn it down
slowly, until all you hear is the sound of my voice, and the crickets and
the wind in the trees."  All the while, gentle fingers still moved lightly
over his temples and scalp.  Everything seemed to fade until only
Blair's soft voice remained, accompanied by the sounds of the night.  

     "Breathe in the fresh night air, and tell me if you smell anything
pleasant...wildflowers, the clean smell of grass..."

     "Fresh night air," Jim murmured, sighing contentedly.  "Nothing
but fresh air, and you..."  He didn't think much of the last words,
finding great comfort in the familiar smell of Blair.  His hands, his
clothing, traces of shampoo and the faint hint of some styling product
that tried vainly to control the riot of curls held at bay by the hair band. 
There was some sort of soap, and a trace of aftershave.  Then there was
the scent of Blair's body, the smell Jim could find anywhere, though
he'd never shared that concept with Blair.  There was something that
seemed too...*invasive*, *intimate*...*primal*.  Like smelling one's
mate.

     "Did my deodorant keep me fresh all day like it promised?" 
Blair joked, and Jim actually chuckled for the first time in days.  

     "You smell fine, Chief.  Just like always.  Smells familiar...like
being home."  Jim could almost *hear* Blair smiling behind him.  

     "Relax and doze a little if you can.  We're okay here.  I've got
Coleman's back-up .38 and the cell phone.  Nobody's around.  We're
safe."

     "You've got Coleman's gun?"

     "I'm not going to sit in a field in the middle of the night without
some protection, man."

     "You've got some protection," Jim retorted.  "One of Cascade's
finest, right here," he joked weakly, yawning until his jaws stretched.  

     "Tonight, I'm taking care of you.  You're off duty.  You know,
there had to be times when primitive sentinels truly rested, and I
believe, when they did, their guides were the ones who protected them,
watched over them, cared for them until they were refreshed.  Let go,
Jim.  Rest.  I'm here, and I'm watching over you for a change.  There's
nothing here, no barriers, no doors, no locks, no walls."

     "No walls," Jim repeated, his voice barely a whisper.  Sleep
there, leaning against Blair, was so seductive...

     When Jim opened his eyes, he could detect the first hints of
dawn on the horizon.  Blair's breathing was even and steady, but he
wasn't asleep.  Jim reached up and took a hold of one of the hands that
rested flat on his chest.

     "How long have I been out?"

     "A couple hours.  The sleep was good for you.  You needed to
rest."

     "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

     "I told you, I was watching over you.  You can't do that and
sleep at the same time.  I wanted to protect you so you could rest
without worrying."

     "I did," Jim responded, realizing how restorative the
undisturbed, stress-free rest in the cool, fresh night air had really been. 
He straightened up and turned to face Blair, who smiled at him
immediately.

     "I really, really missed you, man," he said genuinely.

     On an impulse, Jim moved closer and pulled Blair into a gentle
hug, which the younger man returned enthusiastically.  At that moment,
Jim realized that one of his greatest stresses during the draining
assignment had been Blair's absence.  Seeing him at the prison had
been a brief relief, and yet he'd feared for his safety from the outset. 
The fate that would have awaited a man of Blair's size and
attractiveness in one of those cell blocks was not something Jim
wanted to dwell on, and it made him tighten his embrace.

     "I told you to stay away from that place, Chief.  Do you have
any idea what would have happened if you'd wandered into the wrong
area, or run into the wrong people?"

     "I wanted to be with you.  To be your back up.  That's my job,
Jim.  I'm your partner.  Not some guy from Detroit."

     "That's right, Chief, you *are* my partner.  But I don't love the
guy in Detroit, so that's why I wanted him in harm's way and not you."

     Blair pulled back and looked Jim in the eyes.  

     "Love?"

     Jim hesitated a moment, feeling as if he'd said too much, and
risked everything.  His feelings for Blair ran deeper than any he'd ever
had for anyone before...his family, his friends...even his wife.  Blair
was different.  Blair held his heart in one of those exceptionally gentle
hands of his.

     "Yeah, love."  Jim reached up and caressed Blair's cheek with
his thumb.  

     "I love you too, Jim.  When you were in that place, I just...I was
just going crazy.  I wanted to be with you somehow.  And they kept
finding reasons to cancel my class or keep me out...I just wanted to see
you every day.  Know you were okay."  Blair shook his head.  "I didn't
expect this to happen, but I guess I'm not too good at living without
you."

     "I know the feeling.  I didn't do all that great without you,
either."  Jim smiled, and Blair returned it.  

     "Um, Jim?  What kind of...love are we talking about?"  Blair
asked hesitantly.

     "Maybe we should experiment."  Jim slid a hand around the
back of Blair's head and pulled him closer, claiming the full lips gently,
probing them until they parted and two tongues tasted each other.  

     "We must have good enzymes," Blair said when they parted,
and Jim laughed.  

     "Where the hell did that come from?"  

     "Alec.  He told me kissing was good when your enzymes are
compatible.  So I guess we have our answer."

     "Hey, who are we to argue with enzymes?"

     "I don't want to argue with it, Jim.  I love you.  I know that's not
going to be easy for either one of us...but it's true.  And I don't want to
lose you."

     "I feel the same way."

     "I kept thinking this was just like, *major* friendship.  That
maybe I'd missed male bonding before this, and this was it."  Blair
shook his head.  "I never thought I was gay.  I mean, I wouldn't have
freaked out or anything if I were--but you're the first...the only man I
ever wanted to..."  Blair took a deep breath.  "The only man I ever
thought about...you know," Blair made a little gesture between them
with his hands.  

     "You already told Incacha we were having sex, so technically,
we've already come out at least once."

     "I told him *what*??"  Blair's eyes bulged.

     "That little gesture you did with your hands?  I hate to break it
to you, Romeo, but that's one of the gestures the Chopec make to refer
to being lovers or being married."

     "Jim, you don't suppose...I mean, why would I pick that
particular gesture?  You don't suppose that it was..."

     "That you instinctively knew it somehow?"  Jim suggested, and
Blair nodded.

     "What if we...Jim, do you believe in reincarnation at all?"

     "I think it's possible.  Since nobody can prove exactly what does
happen, I think it's as good a theory as any."

     "What if we were together in a past life?  What if you were one
of the ancient sentinels Burton wrote about, and I was your partner
back then?  Your guide?  What if we were lovers?  And somehow,
when I was communicating with someone from that culture, a Chopec
Shaman, I *remembered* how to tell him what we were to each other,
even though I didn't know it *from this life*?"

     "That's an interesting theory, Chief.  But right now I'm
interested in the present.  Do you have any idea where we go with
this?"

     "I don't have experience with men, if that's what you're asking. 
You ever experiment in the Army?"

     "No.  I never swung that way, and neither did my friends.  At
least, we didn't swing with each other, let's put it that way."  Jim smiled
and shook his head.  "I'm not interested in *men*.  I'm interested in
*you*."

     "Yeah, same here."  

     "Then we don't have a problem."  Jim took both of Blair's hands
in his.  "I love you, you love me, we live together already...where's the
problem?"  Jim had to smile at the wide grin that broke out on Blair's
face.  

     "No problem at all, man.  I think what we've got is something
really beautiful...not a problem."

     "My thought exactly.  At least, I have something really
beautiful."  Jim framed Blair's face with both hands.  "Really, really
beautiful."

     "I never figured you for a romantic," Blair said, as Jim felt the
cheeks beneath his palms warming with a slight flush of
embarrassment.

     "I have to be inspired."

     "It's kind of chilly out here.  Think we ought to go home, get
some serious sleep, and then...see how *inspired* we really are?"  Blair
raised one eyebrow and grinned evilly.  Jim chuckled and kissed his
mouth again quickly.

     "Let's go, Chief."  

     The two men gathered the blankets up and started back for the
car, Jim's arm around Blair's shoulders, Blair's arm around Jim's waist.  

     As the sun rose in Cascade, the two men returned Coleman's car
to the police garage, borrowed another unmarked sedan and managed
to slip away without being detained.  Simon knew Jim needed
downtime, and later in the day would be time enough for his report.

     When they finally returned to the loft, Jim headed toward the
bathroom, then paused and reached out his hand toward Blair, who
hesitated an instant and then took it, following Jim into the small room
and closing the door behind them.  

     Clumsy, nervous hands awkwardly removed clothing, piling it
in a heap on the floor until both were nude.  Seeing each other naked
wasn't in itself a major revelation.  There were times one or the other
streaked through the apartment, or times they were running late and
one shaved while the other showered.  Neither had ever been truly
 self-conscious around the other.  

     Now, though, the moment was charged with a new meaning,
and the tension hung heavy in the air until Blair reached out a tentative
hand to stroke over Jim's smooth chest, touching him in a way he never
would have thought to before, his thumb grazing over a nipple before
Jim mirrored the touch.

     "I don't want to make love to you with the stink of that place on
me," Jim said in a voice husky with emotion, his hand still resting over
Blair's heart.

     "Let's wash it away then, because I really want to make love
with you."  Blair led Jim to the shower, where he worked at adjusting
the water temperature.  

     Both men stepped in under the spray, Jim releasing Blair's hair
from its restraint, unable to resist kissing him soundly, just to
experience their newfound physical intimacy.  While he embraced the
smaller body, Blair managed to snag the soap and began washing Jim's
back, then moved away a bit and soaped up the broad expanse of chest. 
It seemed appropriate to Jim that Blair's hands wash away the last
traces of his ordeal in the prison.

     Jim snagged the soap from Blair and began lathering up the
springy curls of hair on Blair's chest, then embraced him again to wash
his back.  Finally backing away slightly, both realized what remained to
be washed, and it was Blair who took the soap from Jim and lathered
his hands, then knelt in the tub and carefully soaped the firm globes of
Jim's buttocks, and then ever so gently went about lathering up the
large, partially erect cock and the heavy balls beneath it.  Jim parted his
legs slightly, and Blair took the invitation to wash the intimate area
there, then lathered up Jim's long legs and washed one foot, then the
other, before moving away and steering Jim under the spray.  

     As soon as Jim was rinsed, he guided Blair up to his feet again
and reversed their positions, carefully washing Blair's buttocks, letting
a single finger trail over the little pucker hidden between them.  The
semi-erect cock seemed to harden a bit more at that, and Blair moaned
softly, spreading his legs to give Jim better access.  

     "Just a bath for now, baby," Jim said gently, continuing his
wash job.  When he straightened up, he took on the job of washing the
long hair, working the lather through it, smiling at Blair's little moans
of pleasure at the attention.  Shielding Blair's eyes from any running
soapy water, he guided the wet head under the spray and worked the
water through it until it was rinsed.  
     
     "You need some of this stuff in it too," Blair said, snagging a
bottle of conditioner that sported a hook for hanging on the shower rod. 

     "Show me how much," Jim said, holding out his hand, and Blair
put the appropriate dollop there, then closed the bottle and hung it up
again.  

     "Work a little into the top, but concentrate on the ends," Blair
said, closing his eyes and relaxing as Jim followed the instructions,
then rinsed the hair again.  

     Blair took his turn then at shampooing Jim's hair, and when it
was thoroughly rinsed, the two of them grinned at each other, reveling
in the new-found intimacy.  One more prolonged kiss beneath the
cooling water, and they turned off the taps and stepped out, both
grabbing towels.

     "You've got goose bumps already," Jim said affectionately,
bundling Blair up in one of the big white towels, moving his hands
vigorously to dry Blair and warm him up at the same time.

     "What about you?"

     "Being cold isn't exactly a problem right now, Chief."  Jim
kissed the end of Blair's nose and finished his drying job, doing his best
to ignore the erect cock that was almost at full attention.

     "My turn."  Blair took his time toweling Jim dry, lingering
gently over the bruised spots and admirably passing the opportunity to
further taunt the straining shaft that was taking an ardent interest in its
counterpart on Blair's body.

     "What about your hair?"  Jim looked at the mass of wiggly
strands, which he'd only blotted with the towel.  Already, a little fuzz
was forming around the curls.

     "I can take it from here."

     "Hey, I always complete an assignment.  Now what do I do?"

     "Okay."  Blair grabbed yet another bottle off the shelf near the
sink and opened it, squeezing a glob of white stuff that soon rose into a
snowball in Jim's hand.  "Gently mash that together in your hands and
just finger-comb it through my hair, and make sure enough gets on the
ends.  It can just dry naturally then."

     Jim followed the directions, figuring that the next time, he
could bathe his lover and pamper him properly without step-by-step
instructions.  

     "Still seems pretty wet to sleep on."

     "We both need some food first."  Blair let an eye travel down to
Jim's cock.  "And a little...*stress relief*."  Blair knelt on the bath mat
and stroked the turgid flesh a bit tentatively at first, and then, as Jim
leaned back against the sink, holding onto the edge, picked up the pace,
encouraged by the reaction.  Then, almost too quickly for Jim to see it
coming, Blair engulfed the head in a hot, eager mouth that worked the
top half of his cock while the pumping hand continued at the base.  

     "Oh, God, Blair...ugh..."  Jim gave up on speech, and just hung
on the edge of the sink, watching the head full of drying curls moving
back and forth, finally letting himself look at the full lips wrapped
around his cock.  "Blair...I'm going to..."  He made a feeble attempt to
pull back, but when he wasn't released, came in a burst down Blair's
throat.  

     Blair backed away a bit then, coughing a little, but still
swallowing what he'd already taken in.  

     "Blair, baby, you don't have to..."  Jim's protest was cut off by
Blair's tongue lapping at his spent cock, cleaning up anything he'd
missed when he had to pull back.  Then, Blair went very still and
looked up at Jim with a solemn expression on his face.  

     "I love you," he said simply.

     "I know.  I love you too," Jim responded, still out of breath and
feeling more than a bit boneless from the incredible climax.  He
reached down and gently gripped Blair's shoulders, pulling him up and
then holding him close, delving in for a kiss, tasting himself there.  "Let
me take you to bed and make love to every part of you," he whispered
in Blair's ear.  A needy whimper was his only response as Blair's whole
body undulated against him.  

     Leading Blair by the hand through the loft and up the stairs, Jim
realized he had no clue about the advanced mechanics of actually
having sex with a man.  He'd seen more than he wanted of the activity
in Vice, but nothing he'd witnessed there would guide him in how to
treat Blair.  This wasn't leather and whips and chains or a quick blow
job in a back alley.  This was making love.  Blair had given him a
wonderful first taste of being loved by a man already, and Jim vowed
that Blair's first experience would be no less wonderful.

     Once they reached the bed, both men climbed into it and slid
under the comforter, relaxing against the cool sheets.  Jim pulled Blair
into his arms and kissed him, thoroughly, then rolled them so Blair was
on his back, Jim rising above him braced on hands and knees on either
side of Blair's body.  

     The scent of Blair and his arousal, added to the visual image of
Blair naked, beneath him in their bed, brought out a primitive,
possessive streak in Jim as he leaned down and whispered hotly in
Blair's ear.  

     "You're my mate, Blair.  We belong to each other.  No one else
touches you but me; no one else touches me but you," he concluded,
and when he drew back, his eyes were met by Blair's intense gaze. 
There was something unsettling in those eyes, something compelling
and...familiar.

     "I give myself to you and I take you as my lifemate.  There will
be no others."  Blair rested a hand over Jim's heart as he spoke, and in
that moment, they were not in Jim's bed, or even in the loft. 

     Jungle plants surrounded them, the night air heavy with the
perfume of exotic flowers and the rainforest.  Jim claimed Blair's
mouth in a fiery kiss, all senses tuned to his mate.  

     Blair wrapped his arms around Jim and held on fiercely, giving
his all to the kiss that sealed their vow to each other.  The rustle of the
trees in the mild, moist air of the jungle night added accompaniment to
the symphony of their shared moans of pleasure as Jim licked and
sucked at the nipples lurking amidst soft chest hair, trailed kisses over
Blair's chest and belly, and finally reached under Blair's thighs and
pushed his legs up toward his chest.  

     The exposure of his most secret, untouched place should have
been reason for Blair to feel nervous, but he simply relaxed against the
soft blanket that separated him from the cool ground, and luxuriated in
the unthinkable sensations of his mate's hot tongue lapping at his balls,
a hot mouth licking and sucking at the tender skin of his perineum, and
finally, the tongue tip tickling his center as he writhed shamelessly and
tried to force himself down upon it.

     Nothing in the world existed for Jim in that moment except for
Blair.  Blair and the thought of claiming him, marking him, taking him
as his mate.  If this meant they would live in isolation, outsiders...better
that than to be mated like an animal with a chosen female in order to
breed offspring while his true heart's desire continued to serve him only
as a faithful assistant.

     Licking his fingers, he carefully slid one saliva-slick digit into
the tight hole his tongue had teased moments ago.  His lover moaned
and squirmed, bearing down on the invader.

     Blair felt the single finger slide into his body, possessing him,
claiming him, preparing him.  The powerful man hovering over him
was a perfect sculpture of toned muscle and...and *bronzed skin*. 
Somewhere in his mind it registered that Jim seemed darker somehow
than he should be...darker than he was even with a summer tan.  His
own hands, braced on the broad shoulders, were still his own...but...
darker, the strands of hair he could see beneath him seemed to have
deepened in color until they were nearly black, though they still curled
as always.  

     Jim slid a second finger into Blair's body, but quickly removed
it upon the little grunt of discomfort.  Saliva dried too quickly and
wasn't slippery enough to keep him comfortable...least of all this first
time.  Sighing with relief, he reached for the nearby leaves of an aloe
vera plant, breaking the fat, tender foliage and gathering the juices.  

     He was startled to find himself on the jungle floor, on a rough
blanket, looking into Blair's...deep brown eyes, his bronzed face
watching expectantly, strong legs still raised and parted wide in
invitation.  Garments of rough, primitive fabrics lay discarded nearby.  

     "Take me, Enqueri," the younger man gasped, reaching up to
skim the Sentinel's strong jaw with slightly trembling fingers.  Catching
the wandering hand and kissing it, he withdrew the two fingers that had
been scissoring inside his lover's body and replaced them with three,
smiling as the younger man writhed and shouted his pleasure, his cock
leaking with the evidence of his excited state.  

     The Shaman lay there, exposed, waiting for his Sentinel to
claim him.  He had spent many hours in deep meditation searching for
an answer from the spirits about their intention to escape deep into the
jungle together, to live as lovers, to break the codes and customs of
their people.  There would be no Sentinels born of this union, and a
fugitive and his Shaman/lover would not be able to serve any tribe. 
Still, this love...this overpowering *passion* would not be denied in the
name of duty or tradition.  

     In the final night before their departure, the Shaman had lapsed
into a trance and seen a powerful vision.  The panther, spirit animal
guide to the Sentinel, leapt and merged in a blinding light with the
wolf, spirit animal guide to the Shaman.  Taking this vision as a
blessing on their union from the spirit world, he had consented to their
escape into the jungle.  

     The Sentinel coated himself with the juices of the aloe vera
plant, and moved close to his lover.  Pushing in slowly, he closed his
eyes, relishing the moment of first connection.

     Jim opened his eyes, and looked into Blair's deep blue eyes,
mahogany curls fanned out on the pillow of their bed in the loft.  The
other man looked as confused and disoriented as Jim was himself, but
was soon brought back to himself by the sensations of their sex. 
Seeing that Blair was wincing now, his breathing becoming labored,
Jim ceased his movement and stroked a damp thigh lovingly.

     "Shhh.  Just relax and let it happen, baby.  Nice and easy now."

     "Jim....before...we were...we weren't..."  

     "I know.  I saw.  But we were still making love," Jim added
softly, easing into Blair's body a bit more.  

     "One soul, two bodies," Blair managed, as Jim slid the rest of
the way inside, finally completing the first penetration.  There was
considerable pain at first, and Jim stayed frozen there, one hand petting
Blair's thigh, the other reaching down to grasp and pump at his flagging
erection.  

     "I love you, Blair...relax for me, baby.  I know it hurts right
now.  We're going to take it real slow."

     "One soul...*one body* now, too," Blair said, smiling.  "Move,
lover.  Let me feel you inside.  Take me, Jim," he gasped, his body
relaxing and the pleasure of Jim's pumping hand and the bulk
stretching his passage outweighing the first discomfort.  

     Jim began to move slowly, pumping in and out in easy strokes,
Blair's legs wrapping around his body, pulling him in tighter as Jim
leaned down and claimed Blair's mouth, his tongue plunging into the
warm depths much the way he was plunging into the tight tunnel. 
Breaking the kiss, he kissed, licked and nipped his way down Blair's
chin to his throat, and finally stopped at a succulent spot on his neck,
clamping his mouth over it, sucking hard, pumping faster.  

     Blair was moaning and gasping with every thrust, driven mad
by the pleasure that still bordered on pain.  On one deep stroke, Jim's
cock hit Blair's prostate, and the younger man screamed then, his
fingers digging into Jim's shoulders more harshly than he planned.  Jim
repeated the motion, again and again, until Blair was screaming,
senseless with the pleasure, heedless of the noise he was making.  

     Jim had found the magic spot that was driving Blair into a
frenzy, and as the internal muscles, which massaged him vigorously on
every stroke, clamped tightly around him and Blair's completion
spurted forth onto Jim's stomach, he picked up the pace of his thrusts,
letting out a primal, animal scream as he came, and came hard, filling
Blair's body.

     "Love you," he managed, kissing Blair's reddened lips gently,
bracing his arms on either side of the younger man's head.  There was a
deep passion mark on Blair's neck, and only now did Jim's softened
cock slip from his lover's body.  He took a hold of Blair's thighs and
guided them gently back down to the bed.

     "I love you too.  Jim...did you see...?"

     "I saw, baby.  It won't matter how many lifetimes pass...we'll
always find each other again.  Always," Jim said, feeling that
conviction somewhere deep in his soul--a soul he suspected was much
older than he realized.  "Are you okay?"  Jim asked in a voice little
above a whisper.

     "Yes, I'm okay," Blair said, grinning.  

     "Not too sore?"

     "It hurts a little, but it was my first time."  Blair was still
smiling softly.  "You took good care of me.  Like always."  He accepted
Jim into his arms, even though the larger man's weight pressed him
hard into the mattress.  Strong arms wound around him and rolled them
over so Blair lay atop Jim.  "We found each other...that means that no
matter what happens to us in this lifetime..."

     "We'll be together in the next, somehow."  Jim kissed Blair
again, then moved down to lick at the passion mark on his neck. 
"You're mine now, Blair.  And I don't share," Jim said, no trace of
amusement in his voice as he looked deeply into Blair's eyes.  

     "I don't want to be shared."  Blair smiled, and Jim's expression
softened immediately.  But in that moment, there had been a very
definite trace of the powerful, primitive Sentinel who had claimed his
Shaman in the jungle generations ago.  "I always thought all the 
old-fashioned stuff about waiting until marriage was silly."  Blair sighed. 
"God knows, I'm no virgin that way...but I understand now how
meaningful it is to have some virginity to give when it matters most. 
I'm glad I had that to give to you."

     "It's a gift I treasure, Chief.  Almost as much as I treasure you." 
Jim slid his hands into the mass of soft curls.  "When I saw you in
the...dream?  Your hair was darker, your eyes were this deep, rich
brown--"

     "You were bronzed and dark, your skin more the color of...I
don't know, more like the Chopec, I guess.  And mine was too, what I
could see of myself."

     "We were breaking all the rules to be together," Jim
summarized, kissing Blair again, letting his hands wander down to
possessively squeeze and massage Blair's buttocks.
     
     "At least one thing remained constant, huh?"  Blair responded,
smiling, then purring a little at the hands that were rubbing his ass, the
fingers trailing toward his still slick, tender center.  He spread his legs,
straddling Jim, rocking against him as a questing finger rubbed over the
slightly inflamed flesh that was still tingling from their lovemaking.  

     "Oh yeah, that feels good, Chief," Jim gasped, his slick cock
sliding against Blair's with every move, his finger tracing the slippery
pucker he'd just claimed.  Pushing the finger into Blair's passage
carefully, he rubbed the slick walls while they rocked together.  Blair
groaned and rose up until he was almost sitting on Jim's finger, sending
it deeper inside his tender hole.  

     Blair leaned back down and licked over Jim's nipples, then set
to work at sucking one hard into his mouth, giving it the same rhythmic
stimulation Jim was giving him with that one devilish finger.  They
kissed again, roughly, and Blair returned to his work on Jim's second
nipple, his ass writhing wildly and shamelessly with the firm rubbing
of Jim's finger deep inside his passage.  

     Jim came first, and as his seed spurted over Blair's belly, he
picked up the pace of the internal massage he was giving his lover. 
Still out of breath and recovering from his own climax, Jim watched
Blair gyrating nude above him, wishing he had the stamina to go a third
round right that moment.  

     "Oh God...Jim...oooo...mmmm," Blair was bearing down on the
finger now, and Jim pulled him forward with one arm.

     "Bend over for me, baby.  Let me give you what you want," Jim
growled in a husky voice, withdrawing his finger and returning with
two, scissoring them inside Blair, making him writhe until one long
finger found his prostate and rubbed it firmly.  With a loud cry, Blair
came for the second time, collapsing on top of Jim, who was still
panting, recovering.  

     "Oh wow," Blair gasped, and Jim smiled, hugging him tightly.

     "Sleep now."  Jim cuddled Blair close and patted his butt.  "I
love you."

     "I love you too."  Silence reigned for long minutes until both
were nearly asleep.  "Jim?"

     "Hmm?"  Not inclined to jar himself out of his semi-sleeping
state with words, that was all the reply Jim was willing to give.

     "Where did the lube come from?"

     "The plant," he responded, shifting a little, stroking Blair's hair. 
"Go to sleep, Chief."

     "What plant?"  Blair raised up now, both hands resting palms
down on Jim's chest as two dark blue eyes stared at Jim's closed ones
until they surrendered and returned the gaze.

     "An aloe vera plant."

     "Where?"  Blair gestured around them.  There were no plants
nearby, and no sources of lube of any sort that Jim might have used. 
Yet there most definitely had been plenty of lube, and Blair could still
feel its slickness inside of him.

     "I just reached over and broke off some leaves and..."  Jim
frowned, looking around.  

     "Jim, there is *no* lube here."

     "There has to be."  Jim rose up a little, and Blair moved aside
while the other man rifled the night stand.  "I used something.  I
wouldn't have tried this without lubricating you first."

     "I know you did.  I can still feel it.  But there's nothing here,"
Blair recounted unnecessarily.  "Don't you see?  We did more than
dream, man.  We *traveled*.  Or our spirits did."

     "Our spirits went out and picked up lube?"  Jim frowned at
Blair.

     "Our spirits traveled back to the first time we made love, to the
first lifetime when you claimed me as your lover.  Our souls had to
come back, but we were *there*, Jim."

     "I don't know for sure where I traveled, sweetheart, but it was a
beautiful place.  I promise you we'll visit it through all the rest of our
lifetimes."

     "I promise I'll always look for you...no matter how unlikely it
might be, or what separates us.  In my heart, I'll always know I need to
find you.  Just like I did this time around."

     "Come here."  Jim gathered Blair close and pulled the sheets up
around them.  "You called me Enqueri, just before..."  Jim traced
Blair's lips with his finger.  "That's what Incacha called me when I
lived with the Chopec."

     "He knew, Jim.  He knew, and that's why he gave us that look,
and why I made the gesture I did, when I tried to tell him we were
partners."

     "If we have Incacha's blessing, and the blessing of the spirits, I
think we're in pretty good shape, don't you?"

     "Sounds like a lifetime deal to me," Blair responded, yawning
and snuggling into the embrace.    "Actually, it sounds like eternity," he
murmured before slipping off into sleep, his nose tickled by the far
away scent of jungle flowers...


********
THE END