Hard Decisions

by Lori Belle

cenedra2@aol.com

This was inspired by Legion’s “Rough Road.” While similar in the beginning, I do plan on taking this in a different direction. I saw her Simon and was inspired! Legion was very nice in giving me permission to use the similar theme. Thanks!

Also, while in Peru, they are most likely speaking Spanish or Quechua. I just didn’t write it in that language to make things a bit easier for me. If you speak it, feel free to translate in your head but I don’t, so I felt that it’d be more accurate and I wouldn’t embarrass myself by leaving it in English. *grin*

All Peruvian Indian names were gained from http://www.quechuanetwork.org/.

A big thank you to my betas, Hawk and Karen! They did a wonderful job and any remaining mistakes are purely mine.

Summary: When Blair and Jim announce their relationship, not everyone is pleased. From that moment on, their lives take a drastic turn.

Only one sex scene that really makes this worth the R rating.

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor will they ever be. They belong to Pet Fly, Inc. and Paramount.


Hard Decisions
by Lori Belle

It happened slowly over a long period of time, but it did happen. Both men protested vehemently against their fates, but it did happen. Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison fell in love. The world didn’t change and the world didn’t end because two men fell in love, though both felt a profound change. Even Blair, with his anthropological background, felt like someone should have noticed the change in the two men.

Yet no one did. Rafe, Henri, Megan...they all went about their work as usual. No one commented on the fact that Jim could be seen with a smile on his face fairly often or that Blair seemed more content with being a cop after declaring his thesis a fraud. Even Simon didn’t notice that both men never dated or did anything without the other man with them.

And so the transformation from best friends into lovers went without a huge splash, but with a whisper. Jim and Blair settled into the new aspect of their lives without problems and fell into a routine of quiet nights at home together and weekends spent with friends but always coming home to each other. Jim would wake first and spend time just watching Blair sleep. Blair, never motionless awake, was the same asleep. He tossed and turned and wrapped the sheets around him, often stealing them from Jim who didn’t mind as he was often hotter at night than Blair. Blair’s hair would end up a tangled mess, spread across not only his pillow, but Jim’s as well.

Blair would slowly wake, feeling the strong gaze of Jim. The two would spend a few minutes kissing and just reconnecting for the day as they, more often than not, spent most of it apart. Blair’s expertise in mankind was finally being formally being recognized by the rest of the police department.

Homicide and Vice most often called upon Blair’s knowledge, and this kept him away from Jim, except for when he was out on the streets. Blair made sure to know Jim’s schedule so that he could go with him and help him with his senses.

Blair had become accustomed to wearing a gun and had fortunately never had to use it. He liked being able to help and especially loved that Jim could no longer make him stay in the truck. Blair made a difference at the station, helping point out connections in cases and doing profiling work. Simon had even commented that Sandburg had really made an impact on the department. No one was more surprised than Blair.

***

For over six months, the status quo continued. Blair and Jim were happy in both their professional and private lives. Jim’s senses hadn’t acted up in months; zone? What’s that? Blair had even been spending time exploring the mystical side of the sentinel equation – dying had really shaken the man. He took this quiet time of no weekly villain to find out how he and Jim could utilize the visions that were sent. Jim was more amused than interested, but accepted that Blair had to do this. Blair knew that Jim would use his knowledge so let Jim’s skepticism slide for the time being, but made sure to keep him up to date, and made sure Jim did his part as well.

During this grace period, the two men explored their sexuality together and learned what felt good. But this time had to come to an end and when it did, it crashed quite violently. Their lives would never be the same again.

The catalyst to make this change happen was caused by the last person they expected. They knew that their being together would upset many people in an atmosphere like the police station. If discovered, they could face being separated, something that neither would be able to handle; they could face prejudice from fellow cops; delayed help and even face the possibility that they could be attacked by cops who didn’t want them anywhere near the station.

They knew this, but felt that their close friends deserved to know. If something were to happen to either or both of them, they needed a person in the know to make sure they weren’t separated and to make sure the other partner would have support from a person who knew exactly was going on. Blair brought up the subject with Jim and they discussed who would be the best to be told. They both agreed that Simon, Megan, Rafe, Henri and Joel, most of Major Crimes and their closest friends, should all know. They’d start with Simon, Jim’s oldest friend and a good one to Blair as well.

***

The day came and Simon joined Blair and Jim in the loft for dinner. Simon had to take the stairs, as the elevator was once again broken. He had barely paused to knock on the door when it opened to show Jim smiling at him. “Damn it, Jim. Can’t you let me knock? Just once?”

“Well, Simon,” Jim started, “I’ll let you knock when you stop smoking those cigars that announce your presence as soon as you enter the lobby.”

Simon just growled and shoved his way past his detective, who was blocking the doorway. Blair was inside, still working on dinner in the kitchen. He looked up, “Hey, Simon. Glad you could make it. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, beer?”

“Beer would be great. But I can get it. Jim? Do you want one?”

“Sure, the game’s on and we can finish it while Blair finishes dinner.”

“What is dinner?”

“I’m not sure; it smells good and that’s all I want to know.” Jim shuddered, “He’s been experimenting again with tofu. You do not want to know what he made last night!”

“Hey! You said you liked it!” Blair’s voice carried over the sound of the TV.

Simon laughed and nudged Jim, “I’d be careful, Jim. He sounds like he’d make sure you didn’t enjoy a meal in a long time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Yak it up, Simon. At least I get a home cooked meal for me. Who cooks for you?” Jim asked pointedly, knowing that Simon’s repasts usually included Lean Cuisine and Hungry Man dinners.

“Hey, don’t knock the dinners. They’re quick and easy to make AND I don’t have to worry about finding bits of tofu in them.” Simon’s smile was smug but Jim just “hmmped” and turned back to the TV.

A few minutes later, Blair’s voice was heard again, “Guys, turn off the TV; supper’s ready. You have just enough time to wash up before I get it all on the table.”

“Wash up?” Simon whispered to Jim, “He makes you wash up?”

“You gonna face his wrath and not do it?” Jim looked over at Simon, disbelief evident in his tone.

“Oh, come on! You are so whipped! You’d think you two were married or something.” Simon didn’t realize how close to home his statement was.

“Um, yeah, right, Simon, married.” Jim’s voice went from a strong whisper to a weak squawk. “Blair will refuse to share his food if you cross him. Let’s just wash up and eat.”

Simon laughed, but went to wash his hands anyway. He and Jim took turns in the bathroom; Jim scooting in first and then Simon. When Simon came out of the bathroom, Jim was helping put the silverware, bread and butter and other miscellaneous dinner paraphernalia on the table. “Simon, what can I get you to drink? I think we have a good red that’d go wonderfully with dinner.”

“That’d be great. Maybe a glass of water as well?”

“Sure, Jim?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you get three glasses of water and put them on the table? I already pulled down the wine glasses, so if you want to get the wine poured, that’d be great.”

“Sure, wine and water, coming right up.” Jim poured three glasses of each, gesturing for Simon to sit down at the table as he did so. After finishing, he quickly asked Blair if he needed any more help, but Blair declined. It wasn’t more than a minute later when Blair approached the table holding a pot filled with vegetables and various bits of meat and other unidentifiable foods.

“Gentlemen, you are about to experience the most wonderful dish I have to offer. I call it ‘Sandburg’s Mélange Surprise.’ It’s an old Sandburg family secret; recipe only given out to blood relatives or spouses.”

“What’s in it, Sandburg?” Simon glared at the dish as if he could figure out the ingredients just by looking.

“That’s a surprise. But I promise there is no tofu or any other odd ingredients.” Blair glared at Jim, who just smirked and looked away. “Beef, chicken, carrots, onions to start off with. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“Uh huh,” Simon grunted. He still didn’t look like he believed Blair, but took a large helping despite his doubts. Blair watched as Simon took the first bite. “Not bad, Sandburg, not bad.” He started eating with enthusiasm.

“Glad you like it, Simon. Here, have some bread...it’s great to sop up the juices with.” Blair passed the basket of bread to Jim, who took a piece and handed it down to Simon. For the next few minutes, the only sound being made was the sound of three hungry men eating.

As the food disappeared, the men began to talk; they talked about Daryl and the Jags season and even about work—three cops could hardly stay away from that topic, even when trying to avoid it. Eventually, Simon pushed his plate away from him, leaned back in his chair and said, “Okay, that was great, Sandburg. But why did you really want me to come over for dinner?”

Blair stood up suddenly and started collecting dishes, ignoring Simon’s question. Jim just watched his mate and waited for Blair to start talking. Simon waited patiently, knowing he’d never get anything out of Jim and that Blair would eventually get to the point. However, after five minutes of watching Blair putter about, Simon’s patience was gone. “Sandburg! What the hell is going on here? Is it more sentinel crap? You know I hate dealing with that.”

Blair finally gained enough courage to finish the conversation. “Simon, you’re here as our friend, right? Not our boss?”

“Yeah...”

“So what’s said here is as friends?”

“Sure, of course. What’s going on, Blair?”

“Jim and I have something to tell you. We’ve wanted to tell you for a while now, but the time’s never been right, but now it is and well, Jim and I...we’re...”

“Spit it out, Sandburg.”

Jim snorted and tried not to laugh.

“Jim, you’re not making this easier for me! Do you want to tell him?”

“Me? Nuh huh. It’s all you, Chief.”

“Guys? If one of you doesn’t tell me in the next 30 seconds, you’ll both be wishing you had.” Simon had had enough of their evasion.

Blair and Jim looked at each other, both realizing this was it; this was the first time they’d admit to someone else about their relationship. Not even Naomi knew about them. They had agreed that Simon deserved to know, both as their boss in a highly dangerous job and as a close friend. “Simon,” started Blair. “Jim and I are together.”

“Together?” a bewildered Simon asked.

“Yeah, together.” Jim answered him in a gruff voice.

“What do you mean together? Together as in you live together, together? Sorry, guys; that one’s been out of the bag for a while now.”

“No, together as in we love each other and will always be together, together.”

“No. No, you aren’t.” Simon’s voice got a bit frantic, upset sounding. “You can’t be. Jim, you’re straight. What the hell did you do to him, Sandburg?” Simon got up and started pacing, his arms gesturing with his speaking.

“Simon, Blair didn’t do anything. I’m the one who persuaded him that we should just give in and admit that we were in love with each other. With this sentinel thing...”

Jim was interrupted by Simon, “Sentinel thing? You ALWAYS blame things on the sentinel thing. That’s no excuse. Blair corrupted you somehow.”

“No, he didn’t, Simon. It was me forcing the issue all the way. Blair has never wanted men in his life. Up until me, women were enough for him, so Simon? Don’t attack Blair. None of this is his fault.”

“Fine, Blair has nothing to do with this. Then what the Hell were you thinking? You know what could happen if this got out at the station?”

Blair spoke up for the first time since he told Simon about himself and Jim. “I know what could happen,” he whispered. “That’s why we haven’t told anyone. We’ve hidden it for six months now and you’re the first to know.”

Jim immediately went over and hugged his partner, trying to give him some comfort. This situation was turning bad and he didn’t know why. Simon didn’t seem the type to go ballistic on them.

“You shouldn’t have told me. I have a hard enough time defending you as it is. This sentinel thing has used up any favors I may have once had and I can’t help you with this. This is wrong.”

“Simon, we didn’t tell you so that you could defend us. We told you because you’re our friend. We thought you deserved to know. We aren’t planning on coming out at the station. Other than maybe Megan, we weren’t planning on telling anyone there at all.”

“Doesn’t matter, now that I know, I have to separate you two.”

“What!” Dual yells came from the Sentinel-Guide pair. Jim finished the thought, “Why do you have to separate us? We’ve been working together for six months without problems, why would it change now? You know I can’t work without Blair!”

“You’re going to have to, Jim. Significant others cannot work together. You’re on desk duty until we can transfer you. Or Sandburg. I’ve had a few offers for him. I know about it; I have to fix it.”

“We don’t need fixing. We have to stay as we are.”

“You can’t. This is one thing I can’t do for you.”

“Can’t or won’t, Simon? You don’t sound like you approve. Is it just the boss talking here or is it the friend as well?”

“Both. As your boss, I have the responsibility to make sure your involvement won’t affect others. As your friend, I think this is seriously wrong and is something that I can’t accept in a friend of mine.”

Jim was shocked. In all the time he had known Simon, this personality flaw had never popped up. Simon had vocally supported other gay couples in the police department. He was never one to stand for any type of discrimination. Now, here he was, prejudiced against himself and Blair. He just could not wrap his mind around the fact that Simon, the man who fought against prejudice every day would succumb to it. He also knew how close a sentinel was to his guide. This shouldn’t have shocked anybody by its revelation, especially Simon.

Jim knew that others had believed him and Sandburg were in a relationship from the beginning. Simon had helped Jim quash the rumors, but he had also been the person closest to the two men. He should have been the first person to see when the Sentinel/Guide pair’s relationship had changed. Jim was completely shocked at how unreasonable his friend was being.

Simon continued on. “When you come to work in the morning, you two are on desk duty. I’ll ask around and find where there is a free spot that I can transfer Sandburg to. Until then, you two will be separated. Joel and Megan can be split until Sandburg’s gone.”

“Simon!” Blair protested, “You know Jim needs me.”

“No. No, I don’t. For all I know this Sentinel thing has just been a big excuse to keep you two working together. In the morning, you will be separated.” Simon didn’t wait around to argue with his former friends. He got up, grabbed his coat and strode heavily out the door and down the stairs to his car. All he could think was how Jim could betray him like this and how he could let a hippy take over his life and make him something he was not.

Jim and Blair were completely stunned. Neither made a move to stop Simon from leaving. Blair, for once, was speechless. Jim tried to hope for the best, “It’ll be different in the morning. This was a shock and he’ll come around.”

For once Blair was not the optimistic one. “Jim, I don’t think so. Simon was seriously disturbed by this. What are we gonna do? You can’t work without me! We tried that while I was in the Academy. Neither Joel nor Megan could fully help you and you were prone to zone outs. So far I’m the only one who can prevent them totally. Simon was totally serious about transferring me and you know Vice has wanted me for ages! I don’t want to work without you!”

Jim grabbed his partner and hugged him close to his body. He rested his chin on his head and stared out into space. Blair settled in close and he relaxed against Jim, taking comfort in the firm, warm body that he knew was his. “I don’t want to work without you either. I don’t think I can anymore.” He stopped talking as he thought about the possibilities. “Well,” he started again, knowing full well the consequences of not talking things out with Blair and that this was no time to hold back, “we can always both quit the police department. There are other options out there. Even if he doesn’t split our partnership up, I don’t know if I want to work for Simon anymore. I don’t know if I can trust him to watch our backs. We couldn’t have made it this far without him.”

“What else could we do? You love being a cop. It’s what you do; it’s who you are.”

“No, being a Sentinel is who I am, what I do. And I can’t be that and work with the police without help. Simon’s help. You help the Sentinel part but Simon’s the one to make sure we can function in the real world, not our mystic, ‘are you sure you’re not high?’ world.”

Blair laughed. Jim had made great strides in handling the not quite black and white world of the Sentinels. He had also made great progress in believing in the spirit world, the panther and the wolf. But he still had an interesting way at looking at it.

“Do you want to stay a cop if Simon doesn’t change? You love being a cop.”

“We could. I just don’t know if I’d trust anybody else in the department with our secret, Chief. Maybe we could find someplace else we could work. I think I could change territories...”

“Before we decide what we are going to do, Jim, could we take a vacation? I’ll hope for the best, but I just have a really bad feeling about this. And I don’t want to jump into anything rash.”

“Sure, Chief. I could use a break, too. Where would we go?”

“Someplace warm.” Blair looked up and grinned at Jim. He still didn’t understand how he ended up in Cascade, Washington, of all places for so long. Looking at Jim, he realized why, but that still didn’t stop him from wishing for a warmer climate.

“Someplace warm, huh?”

“Yeah.” Blair’s face had an interesting look on it.

“You have someplace in mind?” Jim asked.

“Well...” Blair hesitated.

“Spit it out, Chief.”

“I really want to see Peru and the Chopecs, Jim. I want to see where you were and how you survived. You know I always wanted to explore what Incacha passed on to me and the best scenario would be me learning from a native Shaman. They may have some ideas on how to help with your senses. We’ve never really had the time, but I’ve always wondered if they might have more and better knowledge that would have helped you out.”

“Blair, I trust you. You’ve saved my life more than once and I don’t know what I have to do to make you understand that!” Jim quickly grew frustrated with Blair’s self-defeating attitude. He had tried to get through to him, but Blair seemed to refuse to grasp the idea that he was worthy of being Jim’s Guide.

“Sure, Jim.” Blair knew that he couldn’t argue with Jim and decided to drop it. “But what are we going to do tomorrow?”

“Just take things as they come, I guess. Maybe Simon will have come to his senses and not do anything. We’ll just wait and see what happens.”

“Okay.”

The two stood where they were for a few more minutes before heading upstairs to prepare for bed. Both got ready quickly. Within fifteen minutes, Blair was safely in Jim’s arms asleep and Jim was almost there himself. The morning would come too quickly for the both of them.

***

The next morning, the world was grey and rainy. Blair looked out a window and muttered, “Figures,” before he stalked into the bathroom to prepare for the day. Jim had gotten up earlier than usual and had prepared breakfast for the two. He completed the cooking just as Blair finished in the bathroom and started laying out plates and silverware on the table.

“Chief, when you’re done, I have food ready.”

“Okay!” Blair yelled from the bedroom. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

He finished dressing, holding off on putting his sports coat on until after he put his shoulder harness on, and started down the stairs. Finding everything complete and ready to eat, he sat down at the table and started picking at his food.

“Is everything okay?” Jim asked, concerned about the food and Blair.

“Yeah, it’s good. I’m just not that hungry. I’m too worried about what we’ll find when we get to the station.”

“It’ll be fine, Blair. If Simon is still being an ass, we’ll leave. We have other options. Maybe it’s time for me to stop playing cops and robbers and time to see what else I can do to satisfy my urge to protect. I’m getting too old to be in the hospital as much as we tend to be and it’s taking me longer to heal. I think I’m ready to do something else.”

“Jim! You’re not old!”

“No, I’m not,” Jim interrupted before Blair could get truly wound up, “But I’m still ready to start thinking about another career. If I get promoted, I’d be out of the field anyway and I don’t want to be stuck behind a desk. This way, we both can decide what to do and do it together. We can both be happy.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I am.”

Blair and Jim finished eating and cleaned up. After putting on their guns and coats, they made their way to Jim’s truck, Sweetheart. The drive to the station was quiet; the only sounds coming from outside the cab of the truck. They silently parked and made their way to the elevator to take them to Major Crimes.

As they exited the elevator they noticed that their quiet had extended to the bullpen as well. Rafe and Brown were not bantering back and forth as they tended to do. Rhonda had her head down and was intent on the paperwork in front of her. Joel and Megan were very quietly talking to each other in a corner. Simon’s office door was shut and Jim could see that he was glaring at the paper in his hands.

He sighed and started making his way towards the office but Megan started making quick “no” motions with her head and hands. Both her and Joel waved Jim and Blair over to their corner and started whispering.

“The Captain’s in a horrible mood. He came storming in yelling. He’s not making sense! He said that he was splitting you two up and that he had given you two too much leeway as it was! What the hell is going on, Jim?” Megan made it clear that she was going to be heard and that Jim was going to answer her, or else.

“Listen, why don’t you get Rafe and Brown and meet in the coffee room and we’ll tell you, okay? Five minutes?”

“Fine, but Ellison, if we don’t find out what Simon has up his ass then we’ll take it out on you!” Megan left to gather the rest of the gang and to herd them towards the coffee room.

Jim took advantage of the short time before everybody arrived to make sure it was okay with Blair to out themselves to their friends. “Okay, I just hope that none of them freak like Simon did.” Jim reached out and hugged his disheartened partner.

“They won’t. I’m sure of it.”

“Sure of what?” Henri Brown had gotten to the room first and had caught the last couple of words spoken.

Blair jumped and pulled away from Jim and started nervously running his hands through his hair. “Um...” he couldn’t think of anything quick enough to put Henri off for a few minutes. “Can you wait until the others get here? We’ll tell everyone then.”

“Sure; they’re on their way.”

Within a couple of minutes, everyone, including Rhonda, had gathered in the break room.

“So, what’s this you wanted to tell us?” Joel was the first to ask.

“We know why Simon is in such a bad mood. We invited him over for supper last night.”

Henri took advantage of Jim’s pause, “You let Hairboy cook one of his weird ostrich dishes?”

“H!” Blair looked insulted at the insinuation that his cooking was not good.

“Just calling it like I see it, Sandburg.” Henri grinned, knowing that he had broken the very intense atmosphere that the room had had before.

“Can I finish?” Jim smiled at Henri, grateful for what he had done, but really wanting to finish before Simon noticed that his bullpen was empty of his secretary and his detectives.

“Sure, go for it.”

“Thanks. We told Simon something he didn’t like.” Jim reached for Blair and brought him close, “We told him that we finally got together.”

Megan and Rhonda let out a noise that they would both violently defend was not a squeal, but to Jim’s sensitive ears, would be classified as one. “It’s about time!” Brown stated and Rafe just quietly said, “Congratulations.”

Joel looked happy, but he didn’t say anything until the others calmed down as he knew something must have happened for Simon to be as upset as he was when he came into work this morning. He asked, “How did Simon take it?”

Blair, who had brightened up with the positive response from his friends, now looked upset. “He didn’t take it at all well. He said that we were wrong, disgusting for doing something like that. He said that since we’re a couple, he was going to have to split us up. That he didn’t want to be friends with us anymore and that I had corrupted Jim,” he spat out.

His fellow detectives stood there stunned. They couldn’t imagine why Simon had gone off on them like that. None of them had imagined that Simon could be prejudiced against a gay couple. “Surely, he didn’t do that!” Joel was shocked that such crap came from Simon’s mouth.

“Yes, he did. We’re hoping he’s decided that he won’t split us up, but we don’t know yet.” Blair was worried about what Simon’s plans were.

Jim spoke up, “If he has, we’re quitting. You know that I can’t work with anyone other than Sandburg and even if I could, neither of us would want to.”

The others were shocked because they all knew how important this job was to Jim. They looked at each other and knew that they’d support the two no matter what, but really hoped that Simon would come to his senses. The shout they heard from the other room convinced most of them that that wasn’t going to happen soon.

“Where the hell is everybody?” Simon could be heard bellowing from his office doorway.

The group slowly filed out into the workroom and went back to their respective desks to work. When Simon saw Jim and Blair, his eyes narrowed and he called Blair into his office. When Jim started to follow, he growled, “Did I call you, Ellison? No. Go to your desk!”

When Blair passed Simon, he could have sworn he hear his boss growl something offensive. He looked over his shoulder at Jim and knew that he had. Jim was glowering at Banks and Blair knew that if Jim was anywhere else and if Simon was anyone else, the Captain would be in serious danger. “Calm down, Jim; I can handle it,” Blair whispered so the Sentinel could stand down and let his Guide handle the situation himself.

“Sit,” Captain Banks snapped out. Blair sat.

“I called around and found out that Vice needs another man. Effective immediately you’ve been transferred to their department. Captain Prelocks is expecting you. Leave.”

“Simon!”

“Captain, Detective! Show some respect.” Banks’ expression was one of extreme anger and Blair decided to leave before he went any further.

“You’re making a mistake, Simon. And I hope that when you realize this, that it’s not too late.”

“Leave your moralizing for someone who cares, detective. Your new captain is waiting for you.”

Blair left the office and headed for his and Jim’s desks. “Did you listen in?”

“Yes! The asshole. What do you want to do?”

“Jim, I’m not working for Vice. You know they have it in for me. But I don’t want this to affect your decision. You love this job and you’re good at it.”

Jim interrupted before he could go further. “Yes, I did love the job, but I love you more. We can find something else that I love just as much. Shall we go quit?” He smiled as he stood up and held out his arm to his partner, friend and lover.

“Yes, let’s.” Blair grabbed his arm and held on tightly for a second before letting go. He pulled out his wallet and removed his badge. He looked up and saw Jim doing the same was a sad look on his face. They both removed their service weapons at the same time and Blair spoke again. “I’m going to miss this place. There were some good people here.”

“I will too, but just because we don’t work here anymore, doesn’t mean that we won’t see them again.”

“I just have this feeling, Jim; like this is the start of something big. That something is going to change. Whether for better or worse, I don’t know, but something is going to happen.”

Jim looked a bit disturbed at that. When Blair felt something was going to happen, it usually did. He hoped that they would be able to survive whatever came their way and knew that no matter what, they would do it together.

He knew that nothing he had to say would comfort his lover, so he just shrugged and replied, “We can handle anything as long as it’s together, Chief,” and walked towards Simon’s door. He stood in the doorway until Blair caught up with him and the two stood tall in front of the desk. They had deliberately left the door open and Jim could feel their friends watching and listening to what was happening in the office.

Simon looked up and growled, “What? I thought I told you to leave, Sandburg.”

“Banks, shut up.” Jim took the lead and he could almost hear the gasp the people outside let out at his words. Simon’s expression got angrier and he looked like he was about to explode. “We told you something that obviously you disagree with. We told it to you as a friend, not a boss, but you won’t leave it there. You brought your prejudices with you -don’t interrupt, Simon, I meant what I said. We will not be split up and you KNOW that I can’t have another partner in the field other than Blair. That is a fact. Will you reinstate him?”

“Never!”

“Then you leave me, us, no choice. We quit. Effective immediately. Find yourself another pair of detectives, Captain.” Jim threw his badge on the desk so that it skidded across the length to stop right in front of Simon. He gently laid his revolver on the desk and walked out. Blair caressed the metal of the badge one last time and placed it and the gun on the desk next to Jim’s. He made eye contact with Simon but didn’t see anything remorseful in Banks’ gaze. He nodded once to himself and followed Jim out to their desks. They quickly packed up their personal belongings, answering the questions being thrown at them by their friends.

No, they didn’t know what they were going to do next; no, they weren’t going to come back; no, they weren’t overreacting. They reassured Rhonda that they’d be in Cascade for at least the next couple of weeks so that if anyone needed them for a court case or paperwork, they’d be able to be contacted. They reassured their friends that they wouldn’t do anything hasty and that they were all welcome to come over to discuss what had happened later that week.

When they were finished packing, the two straightened up their desks and gave one last look around to see if they forgot anything. They knew that this was an end of an era for the Major Crimes team and were sad to go. But, it was time to see what else was out there for them and, while they had hoped for a better ending, it was not to be. Smiling faintly, they said good-bye to the men and women that had supported them over the past several years and walked to the elevator. They waited patiently and got in the empty car. They rode in silence once again and finally reached the truck. They placed their boxes into the back and, still silent, got in and made their way back to 852 Prospect.

The silence lasted even further, until they reached their apartment. Neither said anything as they hung up their coats and put the boxes into the office bedroom that used to be Blair’s. When they met up again in the living room, they reached for each other, each wanting to be close to the other. They fell onto the couch and continued to comfort each other.

***

They fell asleep on the couch and the next morning woke cramped but peaceful. A major decision had just been made and both men were accepting of that fact. Now that it had been made, they were free to move on with their lives and find something that called to both men.

Little did they know that this new calling would come quickly to their door.

***

Jim puttered around the kitchen while Blair spent some time in his office, logging onto the web and searching for new job options that both men could enjoy.

They were interrupted by a knock on their door, especially surprising Jim as he hadn’t been paying attention to anything outside the loft. He walked over to the door, trying to figure out if he could recognize the person before opening it. He couldn’t. He recognized some of the smells the person carried with them—dense vegetation, water.

He slowly opened the door. The person standing there was not someone he knew. “May I help you?”

“Mr. Ellison?” An average looking man, dressed in a grey business suit stood on the doorstep. He nervously shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

“Yes?”

“May I come in? I’ve just come from Peru and have a message for you and your Guide.”

Jim’s hand reached out, almost without him thinking about it, to grab the man’s shirt front. He brought him close to his face and snarled, “Who the *hell* are you and what do you want?”

“Mr. Ellison! Please put me down!”

Jim didn’t react to the man; he just kept on waiting for an answer. He did put the man down when he felt a hand on his arm. “Jim, put him down. He’ll explain when he’s on the ground, right?” Blair’s question was pointed at the man dangling in Jim’s grip.

“Y, yes...” the man stumbled over his answer. He was quite pale by this point; the only spots of color were two bright red spots, one on each cheek.

“Jim,” Blair’s calming voice washed over the irate man. “Put him down *now*!”

Jim put the man down.

“Mr.?” Blair started.

“Gorden, Joseph Gorden.”

“Mr. Gorden. Please come in. Can I offer you anything? Tea? Coffee? Water?”

“No, I’m fine. As I was trying to say to your friend here, I was instructed to find the Sentinel and Guide of the Great City. That is you two, correct?”

“Yes, but how did you know?” Blair placed a restraining hand on Jim’s chest when he made another move to strangle their odd guest.

The guest eyed Jim warily, but continued to talk, “I was part of a small tour group down in Peru. We were on a road in the jungle when a native stepped in front of our jeep. The driver stopped just inches from the man. He made gestures for us to get out and we did. When he had us move away from the jeep, others came out of the trees. They surrounded us and led us to a village. They fed us and settled us in a hut. A couple of days went by. They didn’t talk to us or do anything to us but we were nervous anyway.” He paused and asked, “I think I changed my mind. Can I have a glass of water?”

“Of course,” Blair replied, getting up quickly from the couch where he and Jim had settled when Mr. Gorden started his tale. He went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water from the jug they kept in the fridge.

“Thank you.” Joseph took a drink to wet his throat and continued. “We were worried. While nothing bad had occurred, we didn’t know why we were being held in the village. Other than a few minutes to take bathroom breaks, we were not allowed to wander around in the village. We were finally called to another hut in the village. When we entered there were three men, dressed in traditional clothing, all carrying bows and arrows. One had several bags tied around his waist, filled to near bursting. He was the one to speak. He first spoke in Quechua, but none of us knew it. He switched to Spanish.” Joseph took another drink and started talking again. Neither Jim nor Blair interrupted him as they had been quickly drawn into his story.

“He asked us all many questions. What our purpose in the jungle was. Why we were in Peru. How long were we there for? Where we had come from. After awhile he focused on me and another gentleman, but with several more questions he dismissed him as well. The Chopec took the other members of the group and brought them back to the hut. The warrior and I were left alone and he kept on asking questions. After a fair amount of time, he seemed to come to a decision.”

Blair took advantage of the fact that Gorden took another drink to ask question, “How did you know they were Chopec?”

Joseph answered, “Before I had left home, I researched the areas I would be traveling. The Chopec are a fairly well known tribe—in fact, I saw mention of them in the _Time_ article that Mr. Ellison was in when he got back from the jungle.”

Blair nodded. It was nothing less than he would do before one of his trips.

Mr. Gorden continued. “He didn’t ask me any more questions but started telling me about tribal watchmen and their guides. He finished by telling me about you, Jim. He told me that you had returned home to become the Sentinel of the Great City and that I was needed to bring you a message.” He stopped and looked a bit hesitant.

Jim had been monitoring Joseph’s heartbeat throughout his story and noticed that while it did speed up once in a while, he did not seem to be lying. His tale had truth in it. Jim’s attitude had changed towards this stranger and his voice reflected it when he asked, “What was it? The message, I mean.”

Joseph licked his lips. He lifted the glass to his mouth again and finished the remaining dregs of water and put it on the coffee table. Blair picked it without asking and refilled it. When he came back, he placed it in front of the man and sat back down. By this time, Joseph seemed to gain enough courage to speak up. “He wanted me to tell you, tell you both that you are no longer needed here. That the other set of protectors for the Great City would take care of her and that you are needed back in Peru with the Chopec.” He seemed to be waiting for an outburst, especially from Jim.

To his surprise, there was no outburst. Neither man seemed to be shocked. Jim simply asked, “Was that it? Did they have anything else to tell us? When do we have to go?”

Blair whispered to himself, “Other protectors? I wonder who he was talking about. Protectors... The police?” He shrugged the problem off. If he was meant to know who the others were he’d find out when it was the right time.

“Um,” he stammered, “No, they seemed to think you would know when to come and that you *would* come.”

“Yes, they would.” Jim and Blair shared a smile. “Thank you, Mr. Gorden. I apologize for my behavior earlier, but not many people can be trusted with our secret. I know that if the Chopec trust you, I should as well. You didn’t have to tell me what they said, but I’m glad you did.”

They all rose and Blair and Jim escorted Joseph to the door. “Good-bye and good luck!” Joseph called as he walked to the elevator.

The two men stood just outside the loft and waved as the doors closed on the elevator. After the elevator doors had closed completely, they slipped back inside and ended up at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

Neither made any effort to talk the situation over. They both knew that they were being called to Peru and to a new start in their lives. The decision had already been made and all that was left was to accept the inevitable and start making plans for moving.

That night, they created lists and plans to help them pack up their lives in Cascade. Lists of people to contact, businesses to inform and decisions about the loft and their cars were covered. By the time they went to bed, they figured they had covered most things and that in the morning, all they had to do was start calling.

They decided that they were going to offer the loft to Rafe. He had been talking about finding another place to live as his apartment had just undergone a severe increase in rent. As the loft was paid off, Jim was willing to let Rafe rent it for the amount of taxes and upkeep. It would be a significant amount of savings for Rafe and one less thing for Jim to worry about as he would have someone he trusted making sure that nothing happened to it. Jim’s truck and Blair’s car were to be put in storage, along with the majority of their possessions. Blair had heard of a climate controlled, fairly reasonably priced place, not too far from Prospect Avenue. It was secure and had been there long enough that they felt safe leaving their valuables there.

Joel would be in charge of anything legal. Both of them had felt some pain at the idea, as they both thought of Simon as the first person they trusted with their lives. However, both men knew and trusted Joel almost as much as they had Simon and knew that he wouldn’t have the same problems as they had with Simon. They’d give him the keys to their safe deposit boxes that would contain their wills and financial information. He’d have limited access to their funds and complete access to an account they’d set up for his use. He’d make contact with their lawyer if there were any problems and make sure that their bills were paid on time and be a contact for them if there were an emergency.

The next day, they started to set everything up for their departure. Most aspects of moving went quickly. Rafe was extremely grateful for the offer as his time to find a new place to live was running out and he hadn’t had any luck in finding a place before they offered the loft. They asked him to pass the word on to the rest of Major Crimes, inviting everyone to the loft that night for dinner and an impromptu poker night. He agreed and when they hung up, did just that.

The day passed quickly, the duo running into few problems. The lawyer had been busy that day, but had agreed to meet them both the next morning. As all they really had to do was add on to their wills and make Joel their power of attorney, the meeting would be over quickly. The storage facility had two large bins open and was eager to rent to the two men. Jim had run out to the business and looked over the rooms for damage and to pick up the keys. Blair had started hunting down packing boxes and had gone back to the loft to start the process.

By the time Jim had returned, he had made a sizable dent in his office and their bedroom. They were leaving the kitchen and dining room for later, the dinner Blair was preparing would require a full kitchen. They also wanted to see if Rafe would want any of the furniture or kitchen supplies. They had already agreed to leave Rafe their food and any other perishables that they had, planning to tell him to give what he didn’t want to charity.

Blair checked the clock and noticed it was time to start supper. He put away the packing supplies and started cooking his famous ostrich chili. Jim came home just as he had put the finalizing touches on the meal.

“Hey! Just in time to test the chili, man.” Blair held out a spoon dripping with the sauce. Jim walked over and Blair fed it to him.

“Mmm, just right as usual, Chief.”

“Doesn’t need anything else? Chili powder is good?”

“Yeah, perfect. And you can always leave some out if someone wants it stronger, but I think it has a good bite to it.”

“Cool! So, how did your dad react to your announcement?”

Jim had made a stop by his father’s house after going to the storage facility to personally tell him about their plans. “He wasn’t too happy, but realized he couldn’t do anything to stop me. I gave him the contact information and told him that in an emergency we’d come home and that if he really wanted to, he could come visit.” Both Jim and Blair smirked at that. The image of proper, businessman William Ellison in the jungle amused both of them.

“Steven stopped by as well; he wished us good luck. I think they both understand that this is something we have to do.”

“Good, I don’t want you having problems with your family before we take off for the jungle, Jim.”

“Did you hunt down Naomi?”

Blair sighed, “No, no one’s seen her for months. She’s probably still in Tibet meditating. When she doesn’t want to be found, she isn’t. I left messages with everybody, though, and if she contacts anyone, she’ll know.” Blair moved to stir the chili. “Who knows? Maybe one day she’ll pop up in the Chopec village and demand to feng shui our hut!”

“God, I can see her now! ‘Boys, that mat needs to be in the South end of the hut. It’s great for harmony!’”

“Jim! You know that the South end is for longevity!” said as Blair laughed and turned to stir the chili once more.

“Whatever. I just know that the hammock and mats won’t be to her liking and that even in the jungles of Peru, she’ll find some sage to drive me out of house and home.”

“Hey! It wasn’t *that* bad.”

“Yes, yes it was.”

“Fine, it was that bad, but she’s my mom!”

“And like mother, like son.” Jim reached over and messed Blair’s hair up so that it stood almost on end.

“But you love me anyway!” Blair turned his award-winning super grin on his partner and was rewarded with a sappy grin of his own.

“That I do, Sandburg, that I do.”

***

The two had just finished up the cooking and preparing for poker night when the first guest came up the elevator.

“Chief, Rafe is on his way up.”

“Cool. I’m all ready here. I just have to put the chili on the table but I don’t want to do that until everyone’s here so it doesn’t have a chance to cool down.”

“Ok,” Jim answered. He walked to the door and pulled it open just as Rafe was about to knock. “Hi, Brian.”

“I hate it when you do that.” Rafe’s first words were not ones of love.

“I know.” Jim’s grin was very shark like when he opened the door wider as he gestured for his friend to enter. “We’re glad you could come early. We’re starting to pack up, but wanted to know if there’s anything you’d like us to leave? Couches? Kitchen wares? We’ve rented a couple of storage rooms not too far from here, but the less we have to haul the better.”

“Sure, my couch is about to go anyway and I’ve never had room for a kitchen table. I think I’m good on kitchen supplies though.”

“Great. Maybe in a couple of days when we’ve cleared out, you can come in and see if you want us to move more out. Do you want any of the office furniture?”

“Sure, I can use the desk and shelves that are in there.”

“Sounds good. Do you want something to drink, beer?”

“Yeah, sounds great. But I can get it. When is everyone else getting here?” The last was said over the man’s shoulder as he walked to the refrigerator.

“Soon. Megan had to stop at home for something and Joel wanted to pick up some low-fat chips at the market, but H should be here any second.”

Brian nodded around the mouthful of beer he had just taken. “Is there anything I can do to help set up?”

“Nope, we’re all ready to go. Blair has everything under control.”

“I’m good!” came from the kitchen as well as, “I think the game has started, go turn it on!”

Jim reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned it to the sports channel. The game had started and Rafe and Jim settled in to watch the Jags. They were cheering a particularly good shot when Jim stood up without warning and made his way to the door. He let in Henri Brown and Joel Taggert who had managed to arrive at the same time. “Hey, guys; come on in.”

Both men gave Jim a frustrated look. No matter how quiet they were, he always opened the door before they knocked.

Jim Ellison smiled again...he’d been doing that a lot lately...and handed them a beer he had just liberated from the fridge. Perhaps tonight would be the night he came out not only as Blair’s lover, but as a Sentinel. They deserved to know why they put up with him. Blair caught his eye and Jim knew that Blair understood what he was thinking. Blair shot him a thumbs up and a grin, telling Jim that he should go for it under his breath. Jim nodded and knew that he’d spill all his secrets tonight.

He didn’t have time to sit down before Megan walked up to the door. He reached out and pulled the woman inside. “’Bout time you got here, Conner.”

“Hey, a lady’s got to look her best, you know.”

“What lady? I don’t see a lady.” He oofed when she kicked him.

“Blair! Where can I get a beer?”

“Same place as usual. Get it yourself!”

The group became loud with the friendly insults and comments being thrown across the rooms. Finally, they sat down to dinner. Jim said, “After dinner we have something to tell you, a few things actually, and we really hope you understand and support us.”

“Is it about you two being a couple? Because we’d have said something if it wasn’t okay before this.”

Blair interrupted Jim before he could continue. “How did you figure it out?”

“You two weren’t that subtle. Anyway, from the day you walked in with Blair, there have been bets that you two have been sleeping together.”

“Yeah! How long *have* you two been sleeping together?” inquired Megan.

“About six months now, little more,” Blair answered.

“Yes!” Brian got up and did a little dance before sitting down sheepishly, blushing.

“Nice moves, Rafe,” Blair teased.

“Yeah, well, you’d be dancing too if you just won 2,000 dollars.”

“2,000 dollars! Dammit, Jim, I knew I should have put a bet in.”

“Blair, you know they wouldn’t have taken your money. You kinda have an inside track.”

“I could have tried!”

The rest of the group stared at the two. “What? Didn’t think we knew about it with eagle eyes Ellison? Yeah, right.”

Joel started laughing with Megan quickly following and the rest joining in. Pretty soon, everybody had been served and they were quickly devouring Blair’s chili. “Excellent, Blair! I really need the recipe!”

“Sure, Joel, remind me before you leave and I’ll write it for you.”

Joel stared at his friend. He had refused to give him the recipe before, claiming it was a family secret, but that he’d make it for the big man anytime he asked. He knew something was seriously wrong with the young man.

Blair looked around and seeing that people were mostly done, sat back and started, “You know how Simon wasn’t as laid back about us being together as you guys were, Joel?”

“Yes?”

“He was very upset. Wanted to split us up as partners at work. Moved me to Vice. Said he was ashamed to be friends with us.” Blair stopped, not wanting to go too far as these people still had to respect the captain in the morning.

Jim continued for him. “We hoped that he would change his mind, but when we got to work, he had already gotten the paperwork transferring Sandburg through. When he wouldn’t change his mind, we quit.”

Megan interrupted, “We knew this already. You told us at work.”

H also spoke up hesitantly, “But isn’t it policy that domestic partners don’t work together in the same department?”

“Yes,” Jim started, “but there’s another reason why we’ve been partnered together, Henri. Blair’s my Guide.”

“Your what?”

“His Guide,” Megan answered for the two men. She was glad they were finally coming clean. It would help their relationships with the men in the room, but was saddened that it came too late for their working relationship.

“You know about this, Megan?” Joel asked.

“Yeah, I found out during the Barnes mess. I found Sandy’s book on Sentinels, that’s what Jim is and figured it out on my own.”

“Sentinel?”

Blair jumped in and explained everything about Jim’s having five heightened senses. He had Jim demonstrate by having someone hide an object and Jim hunting it down by scent. A few other tricks convinced them but it wasn’t too hard as they knew Jim had some advantage. They were detectives after all, and the best of the best at that.

When they realized Blair’s job as Jim’s partner, they realized what Simon had done to them. “He knew about this from the beginning?”

“Yeah, we had to tell him. We needed someone to help us out and he was the best person. He did a great job, but for some reason, he couldn’t accept us as a couple.”

They talked for a little longer about it before Blair jumped in again. “Guys, there’s something else. We got a visitor from Peru. Jim’s Chopec tribe, the one that he stayed with, sent a messenger. They’re requesting our presence down there. We don’t know how long we’ll be gone. We suspect for quite a while. We’ve rented the loft to Rafe and are putting most of our stuff into storage. We fly out on the 20th.”

The quiet was broken by an uproar from their friends. “Rafe! You knew about this?”

“Just since this morning when they asked if I’d want to look after the loft! I swear I didn’t know about it before then!”

“He didn’t! We just wanted someone we trusted to look out for it. Joel, we were wondering if you’d help as well?”

“Sure, what do I have to do?”

“Nothing much; we’d like to give you power of attorney, but we just need you to make sure our bills are being paid and forward mail or anything important to us. We’ve set up an account to help you but we’ll tell you the details later.”

The rest of the night was spent talking. The gang tried to figure out why the two were so eager to go, but figured it was a Sentinel/Guide thing. They were right, but truly didn’t understand the compulsion the two had for returning to the jungles of Peru.

***

The week went by quickly and soon it was the day to leave. The two men were packed and ready to go several hours before their flight was due to fly out. For their last meal in the loft before their flight out of the States, each man had their favorite food one last time. Neither knew when they’d be back, if ever, and wanted their favorites just in case. Jim had egg fu yong and Blair had tongue bought from a deli down the street. After they finished, they cleaned up, did one last check around the loft and made sure that nothing was plugged in or left out that shouldn’t be.

Brian was moving in within a week and they wanted to make sure that nothing needed to be cared for to make things easy for their friend.

They stood in the doorway, Blair in front of Jim, looking at the almost empty apartment. Nothing remained that spoke of the two men; a clean slate waiting for Brian Rafe’s personality to claim. Neither said much in the few minutes they stayed there, but both were sad at the closing of this chapter in their lives.

***

After leaving the apartment, the two men caught the cab they had called earlier at the entrance to the building and made their way without problems to the airport. They ended up waiting for the full two hours they had budgeted for checking in to the flight as neither were stopped at any of the security checkpoints. Both of their passports were fairly new but had been used before. Their luggage had the appropriate security precautions on it and they had shipped more dangerous supplies such as knives and other weapons through a shipping company earlier that week. It wouldn’t arrive until after they had, but at least they would receive it and not have to deal with the heightened airport security. Neither wore any metal that would set off the detectors and both managed to make it through the whole process within 20 minutes. It only took that long because of lines.

Blair had brought books and cards for their entertainment and he and Jim played a few hands of gin before they got up and decided to shop at the airport store. The flight would be fairly long and the more chances they had to stretch their legs the better. Jim was not looking forward to being cramped in the airplane for the duration.

Eventually their flight was called and the two made it on board without complications. They settled in, half-listened to the emergency instructions and eventually just looked out the window. They watched their former home fade away into clouds as they rose high into the air. Both silently said good-bye and turned their minds to Peru.

There was a quick transfer in Southern California. Blair and Jim made this quite easily and were soon in the air again. This time, they were given entry documents and declarations that they filled out quickly. Both had visas that would allow them to remain indefinitely in the country but which would require updating once a year. They hoped that it wouldn’t cause any delays in exiting the airport.

They shouldn’t have worried. It seemed that for once, someone was on their side. They made it through customs and luggage claim without being stopped, without losing either each other or misplacing their bags. Everything and everyone had arrived in Peru without a problem. They even made their last hop to Iquitos from Lima without trouble. They made their way to the hotel they had picked to stay at until their shipped material arrived. Jim would make contact with a few former associates to gain information on the political situation in both Iquitos and in the jungle that he and Blair were trying to reach.

He didn’t bother trying to reach the Chopec. They were coming and would meet them either in town or on the way to the village. He had no fear that he and Blair wouldn’t be recognized. They had been called and the village would be ready for them.

Their packages arrived on time and without problems and both men were getting nervous. Nothing was this easy for them.

“Jim,” started Blair as they hopped into their jeep with their supplies, “Something has to happen! I’d be a lot happier if one of us got a sliver or was shot or something!”

Jim laughed. “Shot? Isn’t that a bit drastic?” He turned on the car and started to pull out of the parking lot. He knew generally where he had to go and figured once they were in the jungle, a member of the Chopec would find them and lead them to the village. There should be scouts that would be watching.

“No. Something’s gonna happen and it’s not gonna be good, Jim.”

“Don’t be over dramatic. We’ll be fine. Maybe our streak of bad luck has finally been broken.”

“Hmmph. Sure, Jim.” Blair crossed his arms and started to pout, just a little. While not completely serious about their luck, he was a bit worried that this was happening a little too easily. He quickly grabbed the dashboard as Jim hit a series of bumps. He ended up laughing at himself. “I know, I know. It’ll all be good, but I’m just worried. We have no idea what to expect.”

“Yeah, but we’ll be fine. We’re together. We’ve both spent time in the jungle before and I’ve spent a lot of time with these people, Chief. I know we’ll be just fine!”

“Okay, Jim. I guess I’ll take your word on it.”

The two stopped for the night near a stream that meandered through the jungle. Jim set up camp while Blair went and picked up enough water for supper. He disinfected it for cooking and started to make supper. Jim joined in after he got their tent set up and their defenses prepared. He set up motion sensors so they’d have some warning if something big entered their campsite.

Supper wasn’t anything fancy, just a thick soup with vegetables. They cleaned up quickly and turned in early. Knowing that they’d be up early, they didn’t even do anything other than wrap up in each other’s arms. They fell asleep quickly, both still tired out from their traveling.

The next morning they woke quickly. They got dressed and had a brief breakfast. They were finishing the breakdown of their camp when someone approached their jeep from the jungle. The native Peruvian approached quickly but cautiously.

He spoke in Quechua to both men. Jim answered him, but Blair understood as well. Jim had actually recognized him from his time with the village and trusted the man to lead them to where they had to go. The warrior got into the jeep and pointed the way for the Sentinel and Guide.

Two days later, the three pulled into a clearing. The native, Ajllasga, got out and spoke rapidly. “We need to leave the jeep here. It’ll be safe, but this is as far as we can go. We need to walk the rest of the way to the village.”

“Sure, we’re able to take everything with us.” Blair and Jim exited the jeep and started preparing their supplies in an easily movable way. They prepared backpacks and a small travois to carry the bigger pieces. They were ready quickly and started to follow their guide into the jungle.

Jim was the one pulling the small travois. He got hung up a couple times, but Blair followed behind and helped keep the path clear for it to ride smoothly. He made the group stop periodically when he saw rare plants he knew would be helpful for the village’s shaman. The guide smiled approvingly when he realized what the man was doing. At first he had protested the delay. “We need to get to the village quickly! They are expecting you!”

“I’ll just be a few minutes. I can catch up. But I think these *Commelina* plants are necessary. I know they’re hard to come by!”

The guide examined the few plants that Sandburg held in his hand and his face lit up. “Ah! Shaman was looking for these! He requested that we keep a look out for them on our watches. He’ll be pleased that you were able to find some!”

Blair replied, “I would have picked some anyway. They’re very useful in helping Jim soothe his headaches but I wasn’t able to bring any with me from the States and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any that have been this fresh.”

Jim looked at the tiny plant with even tinier flowers. “*That’s* what makes my headaches go away?!”

“Yup. Cool, huh?”

Jim didn’t reply, just looked in disbelief at the very small plant that was a miracle worker to him.

The guide grew impatient and drew them on again towards the village. “Come, we still have far to travel!”

Blair quickly put the plant into a small bag he had tied to his belt for that very purpose. He stopped a few more times on the way to the village, but after the first time, neither Jim nor the guide commented or asked for an explanation.

They traveled this way for most of the day until, at sunset, Ajllasga suddenly stopped. He held up one hand to halt their progress and paused to listen. Blair quickly walked up to Jim and put his hand on Jim’s arm. “Listen, man; what do you hear?”

Jim listened. He used the pressure from Sandburg’s hand to ground himself while he searched through the unfamiliar noise of the jungle. He eliminated noises from the birds, insects and other animal life. He ignored the wind flowing through the trees and the noise that came from the two men around him. He finally heard what Ajllasga knew was ahead. They had finally reached the village.

***

The entrance into the village was anti-climatic for the men. Other than a few children who ran around naked, no one noticed their arrival. Ajllasga led them to the center of the village to a non-descript hut where he pushed them through the doorway. He disappeared behind them, going, they would later discover, back into the jungle to join a hunting party.

“Welcome!” The greeting startled both men. A short, almost portly man was standing in front of them, slightly to the left. “Enqueri! Shaman of the Great City! We have been expecting you for many days.”

“We came as quickly as we could, Anka.” Jim recognized the man as the head of the tribe. Anka was considered one of the wisest headmen the tribe had had ever.

“We know, Enqueri, but we have become impatient for your guidance. It has once again become aware to us that our land is in danger and we require your assistance. We also require guidance from your Shaman. We have had only a temporary one since Incacha left, and he is going back to his own tribe. We need someone to replace him and help teach our children the ways of the tribe.”

Jim and Blair exchanged looks. Neither had known what to expect, but this was a surprise to both of them. “We’d be honored, Anka. If you’d show us our hut, we can settle in and begin our duties.”

“Of course. We have prepared one close to Haylli’s. He is eager to return to his own tribe but wants to talk with you, Shaman.”

Blair blushed. He still wasn’t used to being considered a shaman. Incacha had passed on the way of the shaman to him, but he had never truly felt worthy of the title. Who had heard of a Jewish Shaman before? “Of course, Anka. Once Enqueri and I have settled in, I’ll make sure to find Haylli.”

Anka smiled. He could already feel the luck of his village changing with the two new members of the tribe. They would celebrate tonight. He led Blair and Jim to their new living quarters. The hut was newly made and fairly large to accommodate both Jim’s height and Blair’s status as Shaman. Both men would acquire high roles in the village’s society and their hut was properly sized to match that status. Blair would also need a large amount of storage room and room to work his duties. The hut’s size would reflect this also.

Both Jim and Blair were pleased at what they found. The inside of the hut already contained a hammock and various tools and bits of furniture of Chopec life. The necessities of life had been provided for them. Their supplies would make a nice addition and the two knew they’d be just fine living among the Chopec. After quickly finding the basic supplies they had packed, Jim and Blair left their new home.

Jim went to find the other hunters. He had heard them moving around the village and wanted to help earn his keep. Blair walked quickly to the hut he knew had to belong to the visiting Shaman, Haylli. He was in the hut preparing a concoction for a sick child. While not serious, the child had a fever that needed to be brought down. The two men quickly got down to business and began discussing remedies for the babe. Blair brought out his fresh herbs and plants he had picked along the way, along with mentioning some of the remedies he had brought from Cascade. The shaman approved of the young man’s forethought.

The chief of the tribe had left the men to unpack and went to inform his wife and the other women to begin preparing a feast for the next day. It was too late to do it that night, but he wanted to quickly welcome both Jim and Blair into the village. After being scolded for his very presence, the women quickly got down to work, starting to plan the welcome.

The night passed quickly and, after a quick bite to eat, Jim and Blair fell into their hammock and went to sleep. Sunrise woke them both and they had a quick bath in the stream that the villagers used nearby. A playful water fight soon turned into something a bit steamier as Jim snuck behind Blair and grabbed him for a quick kiss. Blair turned in Jim’s arms to face Jim and began moaning when Jim’s lips met his. The naked men began rubbing against each other, using light friction to bring them both to arousal. Their hands slipped and slid on each other’s bodies; the water from their baths causing them to lose any firm grip on each other. Frantic motions from them both soon resulted in first Blair, then Jim releasing built up tension. As their breathing slowed, their kissing became less frantic and more tender.

“Well, hello there,” Blair chuckled.

“Hello, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Jim asked.

“Well, it just hasn’t seemed like a good time to do anything lately.”

“Yeah. I really hope that’s over with!”

Blair laughed. He slapped Jim on the chest and pushed him away. “You just love me because I’m good in bed, don’t you!”

“Yup,” Jim replied, “That’s it exactly!”

Blair took that moment for revenge and pushed Jim just hard enough that he fell over into the small pool they were bathing in. “Hey!”

“Hey, what?” Blair laughed at Jim again and took off for the bank. Jim grabbed him before he reached it and they both went down into the water laughing. They came up spluttering but both felt truly happy for the first time in a long while. Cares and concerns faded away and both felt renewed. They didn’t know if it was the new location, the bath or just the fact that they were on longer in a city, but they knew that this place would be where they settled down for the rest of their lives.

***

After a few more minutes of fooling around, Blair and Jim made their way back to the village. Jim only paused once to stare at the man that had watched them bathe with curiosity. He didn’t say anything because he knew that Haylli was only interested in making sure that the new Shaman and Warrior were worthy of the village. Haylli nodded at Jim as they passed and Jim knew that they had passed whatever test Haylli had created. Blair noticed the interaction but trusted Jim to take care of them both.

The rest of the day passed quickly and both men became involved with the village immediately. Jim went out to hunt again, this time looking for dangerous animals near the village. Several children had reported both snakes in the vicinity and a large cat. Both creatures were hazardous to the village and needed to be removed from the area one way or another. Jim took advantage of his senses to hunt down traces of both types of animals. He spotted signs of several snakes and two panthers. The panthers had already moved on, but the snakes were still nearby. By evening, all but one or two had been forced out of their homes or killed. The hunt was a success to all concerned.

Blair spent the day with Haylli. Haylli planned on leaving the next day, confident that Blair would be able to take over his duties. He explained what he had been doing and other projects he was involved in. Blair quickly absorbed the knowledge and made mental notes of the injured in the village. He, too, was exhausted by the end of the day and when he met up with Jim, both were ready to fall into bed once again.

Anka prevented them from retiring to their hut. “Wait! We have planned a feast in your honor. Everyone who has spoken to me today has had nothing but good words to say about you! Haylli informs me that you, Blair, are ready to take up the full responsibilities of his work here and that you are to be fully initiated into the tribe tonight as well!”

Blair was stunned. He had not expected the full inclusion into the tribe this quickly, if at all. “But, but...” he stuttered.

“But nothing! You are ready and are to be prepared!” Anka pulled Blair into his hut to begin preparing for the festivities that night. Enqueri had already been initiated on his original stay in the village so knew what was to occur. He wished his mate luck then returned to the hut to prepare himself for the evening ahead.

Blair was given a strange concoction to drink. He looked suspiciously at Anka but drank it anyway. He’d probably not want to remember tonight anyway. He gulped the thick drink down and grimaced at the taste but managed to finish. Anka started to strip him down and Blair protested, “Hey! I can do that!”

Anka grinned, but let the strange man undress himself. Blair stopped at his boxers, but Anka made him take those off as well. He offered Blair a loincloth, which he put on quickly. The Shaman, who had slipped in while Blair was undressing, brought out a couple of pots of dark substances which turned out to be body paint. He decorated Blair as suited a Shaman. He forced Blair to sit on the ground and knelt behind him. He plaited several locks of Blair’s long hair and placed beads and a feather at the end. A dye was placed in sections as well. By the end, Blair truly looked like the witchdoctor Jim had claimed him to be the second time they had met.

By the time they had finished with Blair, it was time for the feast and initiation to begin. Blair, at this point, was loopy from whatever they had given him. He waved and pointed at the pretties that floated by and was heard giggling. Jim, who had tuned into his Guide, shook his head, “Only Sandburg would get drugged and discover pixies in the rainforest!”

Blair was led to the village fire, which was surrounded by the entire Chopec tribe. Jim stood closest to the clearing where the initiation would take place and held the traditional tools for this rite. The village headman and the temporary village Shaman situated Blair by the fire. After an involved speech and ancient rite preformed by the two men, the chieftain took the tools from Jim. Jim was motioned to grab onto his mate and he did.

Anka took the primitive tattooing tools and proceeded to mark the new member of his tribe as benefited a full adult male and Shaman. The ring of marks was worked into the non protesting man’s bicep. Blair was happily drugged and did not feel any pain. “Ooh, pretty! Can I have another?”

All three men who heard the drugged man tried to keep from laughing. Anka knew that inviting this man into his village would definitely be an adventure. He also knew that it was the best thing he could have done for his tribe. They would survive and profit from his inclusion in the tribe.

***

After he was finished, the feast commenced. After eating, the dancing began. Jim dragged Blair to the hut at the first opportunity to disinfect the new artwork on his Guide. He did not want infection to set in. They were too far from civilization to get to help in time. He used alcohol to disinfect the new wound and then placed Bacitracin on top to help keep germs out. When the tattoo had healed a bit more, he’d let Blair use lotion to keep it lubricated, but until then, he hoped the greasy stuff would keep it healthy.

After he had treated his guide, he led the man back to the dancing. They weren’t gone long enough to be missed and were soon drawn into the festival. Blair joined in wholeheartedly but Jim had to be urged to dance. When he did, it was a bit awkward, but no one noticed or cared. The evening ended slowly, but eventually the fire died out and the villagers returned to their huts.

That night was the turning point for Sentinel and Guide. They were both full members of the tribe and had been accepted by all. They had their own duties and responsibilities and soon settled in to their new lives. The events in Cascade and those they had left behind faded to a pleasant memory.

Communication was rare but it did happen. Both occasionally wrote and sent out mail with the occasional native heading to the big city. Sometimes, the runner would bring back mail for the men and either Joel or Megan would have sent either just an update on Cascade or a small package with comfort food.

Neither Jim nor Blair expected to ever see their friends again. They were settled in and several years went by quickly. Jim and Blair had already sent word back to sell the loft; Brian had first chance at it. The rest of their belongings were to be placed in a small cabin Jim and Blair had bought just prior to their departure. It was sealed from the weather and would be secure enough to prevent any random person from entering. Joel had sent word back that he was willing to keep an eye out on it for them and they appreciated the kind hearted man’s offer. Once that was done, neither had any loose ties to that world. Their lawyer made sure their taxes were paid and that no legal difficulties came their way.

Once a year, they made their way to Iquitos to renew their visas and eventually became special citizens of Peru. Both were happy in this life and were glad that they had made the move. Perhaps one day, when both were too old to want to live in the jungle, they’d move back to the United States and retire in a place that had running water, but until then, the Chopec village was their home.

***

Life went quietly on; the occasional visitor came through the jungle. Mostly just tourists wanting to see village life and the occasional scientist looking for plants to examine. Blair was able to help these sorts of people out, making sure they got back to civilization safely. Jim would also keep an eye out for strangers in the area. He was able to divert several poachers and others up to no good away from the village. He and Blair’s knowledge of the wider world helped to keep these sorts of people legally away from the Chopec lands.

One day, Jim heard crashing through the jungle. He silently motioned for the men with him to surround the small group of white men trying to make their way through the jungle. No one was expected at the village and Jim wanted to make sure that this was not another group of people trying to take advantage of the Chopec. When he got close enough to recognize several of the group, he was surprised.

“Conner! Joel! What are you doing here, Rafe?”

Henri Brown answered, “We got your last letter a few months ago and Blair made the jungle sound pretty so we came to visit.” Jim grinned at the group.

“I’m glad you did! Blair will be ecstatic to see you guys!” Jim was truly happy to see his old friends. “The village isn’t too far away; we can get there in just a couple hours.” He led them through the jungle, taking the most direct route and the safest. At the edge of the village, he bade them to wait. He sent one of the warriors to fetch his partner.

“Jim? Misk’i said you wanted to see me?” Blair was curious. He had thought Jim was out in the jungle doing a recon of the area. They had been getting an influx of visitors lately and Jim had been trying to head most of the off. He looked around but didn’t see any strangers.

“I have a surprise for you, Blair.” Jim grinned. Boy, did he ever!

“What, what?” Blair bounced on the tip of his toes. It wasn’t often Jim surprised him and this was looking to be a good one.

Jim didn’t answer Blair, but turned to the jungle behind him. “Come on out! It’s okay!”

The ragtag group slowly filtered out of the jungle. Blair’s eyes got bigger as first Megan, then Joel, Brian Rafe and finally Henri Brown stepped out of the jungle. Megan opened her arms wide and Blair ran for his hug. “Oh! What are you guys doing here? Do you know how dangerous it is to walk into this jungle? I’m so glad to see you all!” Blair was passed from person to person, giving hugs to everyone.

“Hey, Hairboy, we missed you! After your last letter, we decided to come see for ourselves what you two were doing down here and here we are!”

“You have to tell me everything that’s been going on at the PD and in Cascade and the States in general!” Blair’s excited voice carried throughout the village and caused most people to stop what they were doing and look for their shaman. When they saw him happily chattering away with the strangers, most shook their heads in amusement at the young acting man.

Blair led them to the extra hut, one that was quite near his and Jim’s. He instructed the males to leave their baggage there and then led Megan over to the women’s hut. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay with the women. It’s not proper for unmarried men and women to sleep together.”

“I figured something like that would happen, Sandy. No worries.” She grinned and started to put her bags into the hut she was shown. “I’ve really missed you; are you sure you want to stay here?”

“Yeah, it’s our home now and it’d be too hard to leave. Maybe when we’re both old and grey; well, I’ll be grey, Jim will just be bald.” Blair and Megan both burst out laughing and were still chuckling when they met up with the rest of the group.

“What’s so funny?” Joel asked.

“Nothing!” Megan blurted out when she saw Jim’s expression. He had been half listening in to their conversation but wasn’t truly angry. He just felt like giving Conner a hard time like he usually did.

“Joel, it wasn’t anything...just making fun of Jim here.” Blair tried to relieve Joel’s awkwardness.

“Oh, okay. That’s okay, then,” Rafe butted in.

“Hey! Watch it!” Jim did not want to spend the next week or two being hassled by everyone.

“It’s okay, big guy, we’re just pulling your chain,” Blair reassured his lover. While they were falling into their old roles, things were still a bit awkward between the group. It had been a long time since they had all spent time together.

Blair fell back to talk with Joel and Brian. Megan and Henri kept in front with Jim. Jim led them to the chief’s hut; all visitors had to be made known to the head of the tribe and the shaman. As the shaman already knew them, they just had to be greeted by Anka, who was still leading the tribe. “Anka! We have visitors!” Blair called out in Quechua. He had had to concentrate on speaking English to his old friends and while the language still came easily, it was no longer his primary one and he had to concentrate on keeping words straight.

Anka came out of the hut where he had been working on fixing some clothing. “Visitors?” He was concerned, as they weren’t expecting anyone and most unexpected visitors tended to turn into complications.

“Yes, don’t worry. They’re old friends from our previous life.” Blair then introduced them all to Anka. Afterwards he formally requested permission for them to stay. “May they be welcomed to the village?”

“Yes, you and Enqueri are responsible for the group, but they are welcome to stay as long as they’d like.”

“Thank you!” After a few more minutes of chatting, Blair and Jim led them away for a short tour of the village. They pointed out the important things such as the privy and the water source. They cautioned them on going too far into the jungle without a proper guide and showed them where Jim and Blair lived. They stayed there, sitting at their hut as the small fire was still going and it already had seats prepared for guests. Blair started boiling drinking water for the group to drink and handed out fruit to snack on.

“Not quite beer and chips and the Jags on TV, is it?” Henri commented.

“Nope, but we think it’s just as good!” Blair did occasionally miss those things, but wouldn’t give up his current life for anything.

“It is good, isn’t it?” Megan looked pensive. “We were wondering if you’d ever come back, but you’re happy here, aren’t you?” She had seen the way people greeted the Sentinel and Guide pair and how they had responded. Both Blair and Jim were more open than she had ever seen them, even in their loft, in Cascade.

“We are, Conner. We’ve made a home here. We don’t have to hide any part of ourselves.” Megan and Jim shared a look here. Megan knew he wasn’t just talking about his sexuality. “The village needs us and we need the village. I hunt and help keep the village clear of predators. Blair is the Shaman of the village. He takes care of all of us. We...we fit.”

The others were stunned. In Cascade, Jim had never been known to make speeches and here he was speaking quite eloquently defending his way of life. Blair, on the other hand, just moved in closer to his mate. The lack of censor the villagers had shown made his normally reticent Sentinel open up and express himself more. Jim no longer felt the need to keep his feelings close to himself.

Joel, Megan, Henri and Brian stayed quiet and Jim and Blair let them. The two started preparing the evening meal; just a simple stew made out of fresh meat Jim had brought home from his hunt the day before. Henri and Rafe poked at the food on the plates Blair had handed them. “What is this?” They were quite suspicious of anything made by Sandburg. His ostrich chili, while good, was still a shock to their systems.

Blair tried not to laugh. He waited until they had all taken at least one bite of the stew. “Monkey, guys. You’re eating monkey.” He got out of the way as they spit out what they had just put into their mouths. Everybody but Henri and Brian started laughing.

Blair took pity on them. Just a bit, though. “While we do eat monkey, this isn’t. This is part of the llama that was killed yesterday.”

“That doesn’t improve this any, Sandburg.”

“Did you like it the first couple bites before you knew what it was?”

“Yes...”

“Then like it now that you know it’s llama. It’s no worse than ostrich and you liked that.”

“He has a point there, Henri. You did complain about the chili but you’re the one that makes it every poker night.”

“Hey! I thought that was our little secret!”

“All’s fair in love and llamas, Brown. Love and llamas.” Joel sagely nodded his head.

After a few more minutes of teasing, Rafe and Brown finished their dinner. Once they forgot what they were eating, they could focus on the taste, which was good. After dinner, Blair escorted Megan to her hut and wished her goodnight.

He walked quickly back to his hut, stopping briefly to say goodnight to his friends. He started to talk with Joel. They ended up back in front of the fire talking about the people left in Cascade. Jim’s father and brother were doing fine. William Ellison was enjoying retirement and Stephen was working long hours at his business.

Naomi had stopped by once, but hadn’t seemed surprised that her son had ended up in Peru. She had been given their lawyers contact information and their contact information and Blair joked that their next visitor would probably be Naomi. Jim laughed, but hesitantly as he knew that might just be a possibility. They both avoided the white elephant for a while until Jim took a deep breath and asked, “How’re Simon and Daryl?”

Joel cleared his throat. “Daryl is doing fine. He’s in college, Rainier University actually. He’s studying criminal law and still plans on becoming a cop like Simon. We’re all really proud of him.”

“That’s great; I’ll have to send something with you for him. I’m glad he’s taking the time to enjoy life before jumping in to work right away,” Blair said softly. “What about Simon?”

“He hasn’t been the same. Since you two left, he’s been cranky and easily upset. While our crime rate is still fairly high, morale is down.”

“Has he mentioned us at all?”

“For a long time, Blair, he didn’t do much talking at all. He was very angry. Now, now I think he’s just sad. I think he misses you two, not that he’d admit that he was wrong. I think he sees that he overreacted to the whole situation. He knew what was going on, but for some reason just didn’t want to admit it. When you two came out to him, he just couldn’t handle the added stress, I think. When we left, he stopped me and gave me something for you two.” Joel got up and went to his hut. He came back a few minutes later and handed them each a letter.

Blair and Jim opened theirs at the same time. The contents were encouraging. Maybe they hadn’t lost Simon as a friend forever. He apologized for his comments and his actions just before he left. He didn’t explain them, but said that his view point had changed and that he’d appreciate being able to communicate with them again.

Blair handed his letter to Jim and took the one offered to him. Similar things were written to both and no surprises met either man. They thanked Joel, but decided not to deal with it right away. Eventually they’d talk it over and decide to forgive Simon; after all they were not likely to see the man again anytime soon and the reconciliation could take as long as they wanted.

Joel said goodnight and went to the hut where Brian and Henri were already snoring. He chuckled, lightly kicked Henri to try to shut him up and crawled into his hammock. Blair and Jim went into their own hut and Blair ended the night in the arms of his Sentinel.

The rest of the visit went smoothly. They took their friends out hunting and showed them the daily life they now lived. Their friends were impressed with their new lifestyle and were amazed that they could get by with so few modern conveniences. Blair and Jim shrugged off their amazement. By now, it was just their life. Nothing special. They were used to doing without and in truth; both had lived like this before. Not for as long a time, but Jim had already lived this life after his helicopter crash and Blair had spent a lot of time in the jungle on his expeditions.

At the end of the visit, everyone was somber. No one really wanted to separate but the Cascade people had to go home and back to the police department. While Jim had arranged for guides back to Iquitos, neither Jim nor Blair were able to go with them on the journey. Blair had an emergency patient, a small boy had been bitten by a snake and his fever was still extremely high. Jim had almost volunteered to go but since he had started living exclusively in the jungle, his tolerance to city pollution was extremely low without Blair there to help him deal with the sensations.

“You’ll keep on writing, right, Sandy?” Megan asked for the third time.

“Yes, I promise to keep on writing. We won’t disappear, I promise.”

“Oh!” Megan grabbed Blair and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back just as hard. Megan started sniffling and pulled away. “You take care of yourself! Jim too, okay?”

“Of course.” Megan moved and hugged Jim quickly before moving away and picking up her pack. She moved next to the guide, wanting to leave before she broke down completely.

Blair and Jim quickly hugged and said good-bye to Brian and Henri. They stood next to Megan waiting for Joel. Joel stopped in front of his two friends. He reached out and grabbed them in a three person hug. “You take care of yourselves, now. I’ll keep an eye out for things for you so when you’re ready, you can come back and all your things will be just fine.”

“Thank you so much, Joel,” Blair started. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you!”

Jim didn’t say anything, just hugged his friend one last time and gestured to their guide to take them out. With one last look back at the two standing at the edge of the village, Joel turned back to his group and started walking out of the jungle towards Iquitos.

Blair and Jim moved together; Jim held Blair in his arms as they watched their friends leave the village.

“We will see them again, Chief.”

“I know. But it’s not going to be for a long time.”

“Yeah?” Jim asked.

“Yeah.”

Jim squeezed his guide a bit tighter and then moved them both to their hut. Other than occasional check-ups on the boy, the two spent a quiet day together in their hut. After the day was up, they went back to their normal schedule.

***

The years passed in quiet observance. For once, the Chopec’s normally hectic and dangerous life seemed to change into a slow and protected way of life. Jim and Blair preformed their duties to the tribe and were not bothered by serial killers, mad bombers, kidnappers or insane female Sentinels. The only real excitement was when Blair received a letter from his mother. Naomi was in Iquitos briefly. Blair and Jim made the trek and spent a day with her. She was understanding of her son’s desire to stay there and was enthusiastic about his embracing of native life.

Naomi was excited that her baby had found his true love and had seduced him away from the ‘pigs,’ as she called the police. She congratulated Jim on leaving the karma corruption that the she considered the police department. The visit was over quickly and Blair was glad he had gotten a chance to see his mother. Neither knew when they’d see each other again, but knew that they’d still be close no matter how long it was before the next time.

***

Jim and Blair loved living with the Chopec but as the years went on, they knew that their return to civilization was nearing. While Blair was significantly younger than Jim, he felt the urge to go back to Cascade more than his partner. He started to encourage two hopeful young men that seemed to be drawn to the shamanistic way of life. He received permission from the head of the tribe to start training his replacements. Within a couple of years, both young men were prepared to take over for Blair and were actually handling most of the tribe’s shamanistic duties for the aging man.

Jim helped train young warriors in honing their senses. While none had all five senses enhanced like himself, most of the young men had at least one that was heightened. These hunters would help keep the tribe supplied with food and help make sure that the dangerous predators, mainly large animals and men, were kept far from the village.

Eventually, Jim and Blair decided their replacements knew enough and that it was time to return to their former home. The entire village tried to prevent their leaving; they knew if they left, they would not be returning. After one final farewell feast, Blair and Jim left the jungle that they had made their home for over 25 years. Both men were ready to go back to civilization with indoor plumbing, hot water and toilets. Jim missed Wonder Burger; Blair did too even though he wouldn’t admit to it. Blair missed Chinese food and hot and cold running books. He couldn’t wait to go into a book store and buy whatever called his name.

The trip made through the jungle was made quickly and safely. Only one half scare with a young panther cub marred their journey to Iquitos. They ended up staying in the town for a few days to acclimate Jim to the city surroundings again. By the time they left, Jim did not have to rely on Blair to survive. They took a flight to Lima where they were able to get another one to California. Once they arrived in the States, they decided to travel immediately to Cascade. They contacted their lawyer and Joel to help get the legal parts of their return in motion and had a hotel room reserved for when they returned to their old home.

When they finally returned to the Great City, they were met at the airport. “Blair! Jim! I’m so glad to see you again!”

“Megan! We weren’t expecting anyone to meet us here!”

“How could you expect anything less? We missed you two. The Great City welcomes its Sentinel and Guide home.”

The group hug that Megan, Jim and Blair were in caused a bump in the flow of the people exiting the airport, but no one complained or thought anything bad. They smiled at the old friends seeing each other for the first time in years and seemed to recognize the awaking of a city that had been slumbering since its most treasured members had left it years before.


END