Disclaimers: Pet Fly and Paramount own the copyright to The Sentinel 
and its characters. This piece of fan fiction was written solely 
for the love of the characters and to share freely with other fans. 
No profit is being made from the posting of this story.

Notes: I've just returned from vacation with the family to Disneyland.
After having been there many times before, this trip held no charm for
me. This story is my way of venting a bit. Normally, I relate more to
Blair than I do to Jim, but in the case of this story, Blair
represents my family, and I'm Jim. Well, I wasn't *quite* as bad as
Jim, but you get the picture. {g}

Summary: Jim and Blair visit the Land of the Mouse. (A personal rant.)


DISNEY DAZE
  by Nancy Taylor
  July, 2000


     "You're going to love it, man!"
     "Yeah, sure I am," came the reluctant answer.
     "Don't be such a wet blanket. This is the 'Happiest Place on
Earth'!" Blair bounced on the balls of his feet as he stood in line to
enter the park. "It's going to be great fun! You'll see!"
     The pair filed through the line, and into the park. Wandering
through the gates, the whole world of Walt Disney opened before them. 
     "Hey, Jim! Look!" Blair was pointing excitedly to something a
short distance away. Slowly, and without a lot of enthusiasm, Jim
turned to look. Standing not a hundred feet away were Pooh and Tigger,
two Disney employees dressed in costume. "C'mon!" Blair was tugging at
his sleeve now. Jim reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged across
the town square.
     "This is great! Isn't this great, Jim?" Blair was bouncing again.
Jim smiled despite himself as his excited colleague shoved a camera in
his hands. "Take our picture, okay?" Blair situated himself between
the characters, hamming it up for the camera.
     Jim snapped the picture quickly.
     "Now it's your turn." Blair bounded across the intervening space,
grabbing the camera and shoving Jim toward the characters.
     "Oh no you don't, Chief. I took your picture. That's good
enough."
     "Get with it, man! Have some fun. C'mon. You can do it!" Blair's
enthusiastic cheerleading *almost* elicited a smile from the somber
Sentinel. He settled himself between Pooh and Tigger, managing to
plaster a crooked grin on his face as Blair snapped the picture.
     They finally had started up the street, when Jim felt the camera
once again being pressed into his hands. This time Blair simply walked
off without explanation. Jim soon noticed why, as his friend stopped
in front of "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast. The pretty, dark-haired
girl was dressed in the elaborate yellow ball gown from the animated
film. 
     Blair bowed deeply before her and took her hand, lifting it to
his lips for a kiss. Before the startled Belle realized what was
happening, she was swept into an impromptu waltz in the street.
     Jim stood, shaking his head at the antics of his irrepressible
partner and friend. Loath to lose the moment, he snapped several
pictures before Blair returned, slightly breathless and flushed with
excitement. "You just can't contain the Sandburg charm, can you?" he
teased.
     Blair had the courtesy to blush slightly before pushing Jim
toward one of the horse-drawn trolley cars. They boarded, and rode
down to the central plaza.
     Disembarking, Blair tugged on Jim's sleeve once again. "Let's
head over to Critter Country and get a Fastpass for Splash Mountain."
With that statement, he was off, slipping through the crowds to an
area on the far side of the park.
     Jim followed, using his enhanced sight to keep track of his
exuberant partner as he threaded his way through the throngs of
people. He finally arrived at their destination, several minutes
behind Blair.
     "We can come back between 2:10 and 3:10, and get right on the
ride!" Blair exclaimed triumphantly, holding up the Fastpass tickets.
     "So what do we do until then?" Jim had a strange feeling he
wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.
     "Let's start with Tomorrowland and work our way back here." And
Blair was off again, leaving his friend to shake his head in defeat.

     "Do you have to walk so fast?" Jim asked, catching up, finally,
back at the central plaza.
     "Do you have to walk so slow?" came the retort. Blair grinned.
"I'm usually the one having to jog to keep up with you!"
     "Oh, you're just a barrel of laughs, Chuckles," Jim mumbled.
     Tugging at Jim's sleeve, Blair pointed to a commanding,
futuristic-looking structure. "Let's ride Space Mountain!"
     Jim noted that the wait in line was only forty minutes. *Only*.
He sighed and followed Blair to the line.
     When they finally boarded the ride, Blair turned to the Sentinel.
"Better dial down the hearing," he suggested. "It gets pretty loud on
these rides."
     "Thanks, Chief." Jim concentrated on turning down his hearing as
the car started up the steep ascent to the start of the ride. He
barely had a chance to prepare himself before he was thrown into
"space" on the wild rollercoaster ride.
     Beside him, Blair was yelling and throwing his arms into the air
as the car dipped and turned with reckless speed. Hanging on for dear
life, Jim allowed a slight smile to curve his lips.

     "Wasn't that *great*?" Blair was nearly breathless as they
disembarked the ride a few, short, minutes later.
     "Yeah, Chief. It was ... exhilarating."
     "Wanna go again?"
     Jim shook his head. "How about we find something to eat? I'm
starved." He steered his partner toward Redd Rockett's Pizza Port.
Going through the cafeteria-style line, he picked up a huge slice of
pepperoni pizza and a cola.
     "That stuff's going to kill you," Blair commented, settling for a
large chicken Caesar salad and an ice tea.
     "But I'll die happy," Jim retorted, settling at a table and
digging into the greasy pizza with gusto.

     "We'd better try something a little quieter until that lunch has
settled," Blair announced, leading Jim through the crowds of New
Orleans Square. "How about the Haunted Mansion?"
     "Do we have to?" Jim muttered under his breath, but Blair was
once again tugging him into line.
     He sat quietly through most of the ride, listening to his
partner's endless prattle, but found another smile gracing his lips
near the end when a holographic spectre appeared in the seat between
them. 
     Blair turned in surprise when he heard a chuckle from the seat
beside him. "Having fun yet?"
     "Not that I'd admit to you," he said, grinning. The remark earned
him a slap on the shoulder.
     "You feel up to Splash Mountain? It's time to get over there."
     "Yeah, sure. Why not?" Jim fell in line as Blair led the way back
to Critter Country.
     "That lunch of yours settled yet?"
     "I'm fine, Davy Crockett. Let's go."

     Entering through the Fastpass entrance, the pair found themselves
quickly boarding one of log boats and heading out on the ride. A
series of short flumes set the riders at ease. Blair really got into
the spirit, throwing his hands in the air and yelling at each wet dip.
Jim was beginning to wonder if this was such a wise idea, as long,
soft curls kept whipping into his face.
     A quiet trip through the Brier Patch, with cute animatronic
characters, relaxed the younger riders on the boat, but set Jim's
teeth on edge. 
     All too soon, the boat ratcheted into a slow, steep climb. Blair
looked over his shoulder, delight sparkling in his eyes. "Here we go!"
     There was a brief pause at the top before the boat plunged at a
forty-five degree angle for five stories. Blair was screaming at the
top of his lungs, hands flung in the air, loose hair whipping into
Jim's face. Jim, for his part, gritted his teeth and hung on for dear
life. Short seconds later, the stomach-wrenching drop was over and
they were once again floating through animatronic hell.
     "Oh, God!" Jim murmured as they disembarked. "I'm going to have
'Zip-a-dee-do-da' going through my head the rest of the day...."
     As they walked through the exit, Jim felt another tug at his
sleeve. "I'm going to buy a picture."
     "You're *what*?" Jim looked horrified.
     "We have to have proof, don't we?"
     "Proof that we look like a couple of idiots?"
     Laughter erupted from deep within Blair's chest. "Proof that we
had *fun*, man!"
     "If you say so."
     "I do," Blair stated defiantly, going to stand in line for a copy
of the picture automatically taken of the passengers just as the boat
begins its death-defying plunge.
     Jim waited impatiently as his friend stood in line, aching feet
and nowhere to sit beginning to wear on his frazzled nerves.
     Ten minutes later, Blair shoved the picture, proudly proclaiming
"I survived Splash Mountain", into Jim's hands. "For you."
     "Gee, thanks. Can we find somewhere to sit, please? My feet are
killing me and it's hotter than Hades out here."
     "Wanna go on Splash Mountain again? That'll cool you off."
     "Uh-uh. No way! I am *not* listening to 'Zip-a-dee-do-da' again."
     "I know what'll take care of that!" Blair began pulling on him
once again. 
     Jim followed blindly, aware only of how tired he was getting. He
wasn't even paying attention as he was pulled through the crowds past
New Orleans Square, through Frontierland and Fantasyland, to the very
foot of "It's a Small World."
     "Nooooooooo...!" His groan echoed as the cheery tune floated
across the artificial river to assault his sensitive hearing.

     Hours. How many hours had it been? His blisters had blisters.
He'd have sworn they'd ridden every ride, even the Teacups in
Fantasyland. Just how much longer could Sandburg's energy last,
anyway? He sank down on a bench back at the town square. Blair had
wandered off to do some souvenir shopping for the gang back in
Cascade and had left him here to rest.
     A crowd was beginning to fill Main Street when Blair returned.
The sun had set, and a blessed breeze caressed lightly sunburned skin.
He barely noticed the announcement as all the lights began to dim,
until a whisper in his ear warned him to turn down his senses again.
     Glancing next to him, he saw his partner's face turned upwards,
looking in the direction of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Soon, the
magnificent fireworks display began. Every night, at the cost of
$41,000 per show, the rockets went off, exhorting everyone to believe
in magic.
     He felt an arm slip around his waist, and a pleasant weight as
Blair leaned against him. Wrapping his own arm around his friend's
shoulders, he allowed a smile to play across his features, a sigh to
escape his lips.
     "Isn't it beautiful, man?"
     "Yeah," Jim had to admit, "it is."
     As reds and greens and golds played across the sky in sparkling
tribute, Blair turned and looked up into the Sentinel's face, a
question written across his expressive features.
     "Yes, I had a good time. Really." Jim smiled and ruffled the hair
of the younger man.
     Breathing a sigh of relief, Blair rested his head against the
Sentinel's shoulder. Maybe dreams really could come true. He smiled.

THE END