Title: THE RULES: Sentinel Style

Author: Scorpio

Archive: WWOMB

Fandom: Sentinel

Pairing: Jim/Blair

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: Pet Fly - yes. Scorpio - no.

Warnings: sloppy m/m sex

Summary: Based on "The Rules", a joke my mom sent me by email once. All Sentinel Rules are based on the "female rules" and all Guide Rules are based on the "male rules"...

The Rules: Sentinel Style

by Scorpio

1) THE SENTINEL ALWAYS MAKES THE 'RULES'

~late Monday night~

Aftershocks of pleasure washed over Jim's body causing his muscles to tremble and shiver. He wrapped his arms tighter around Blair and buried his nose in those lush silky curls. Each deep gasp for breath filled his senses with the combined scent of their musk, sweat and love. The sound of Blair's panting breath vied for dominance with the sound of his pounding heartbeat in Jim's ears. His world was perfect.

"Love you Chief."

"Love you too Big Guy, love you too."

With that throaty whispered pledge, Blair eased out of Jim's body and rolled over onto his side of the bed. Jim gasped and felt his stomach muscles twitch in response to the rush of cool air against the puddles of still warm ejaculate lying in the ridges of his well defined abs. Blair chuckled softly.

"Okay lover. I'll clean you up."

Twisting slightly, he reached over to the night-stand to grab the damp washcloth and the bowl of soapy water that they had brought up with them. As if it happened in slow motion, Jim watched as Blair's post-coital lethargic arm bumped against the bowl, sending it tumbling to the floor. His Sentinel sight zoomed onto the droplets of water as they splashed over the table, the bed and the floor.

"oops"

Jim closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again in time to see his beloved give him a sheepish look and a slight shrug.

"Don't worry Jim. I'll clean it up. Promise. I'll just go get a towel. Okay?"

Quickly, Blair slid out of the bed and started to head for the stairs. Inspiration struck as he watched the sexy globes of Blair's asscheeks flex as he walked away.

"New 'house-rule' Chief."

Jim paused for the expected sigh and eye-rolling from his better half.

"From now on, no more bowls of soapy water. We'll start stocking up on baby-wipes or something. If there is no baby-wipes to clean up with, then no sex that doesn't involve swallowing the mess. Deal?"

A flurry of emotions crossed Blair's elfin features, one right after another. He started to say something several times, but each time he stopped and re-thought it out. Finally, with a slightly bemused expression on his face, he nodded his agreement.

"You know Jim, I feel like I should argue against another 'house-rule' on principle alone, but you make it hard sometimes. I mean, how do you yell at someone who offers to solve your problem by giving you the best head you've ever had the pleasure of experiencing?"

Jim blinked as he watched Blair dash down the stairs after some towels. He hadn't thought of it that way, but Blair *did* have a point. Then another thought occurred to him. Was that all he had to do to keep Blair from arguing, complaining and basically trying to get Jim to do things in some new-age, weird-ass way? Just put out? And if he did put out for those reasons, did it mean *he* was manipulating Blair or that Blair was manipulating *him*? Did it matter if they both enjoyed it?

Jim grinned. It was worth a try either way.

2) THE RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION.

~early Tuesday evening~

It had been a long stressful day and all he wanted was to feel his lover's cock buried to the hilt inside him. The feel of Blair on him, in him, around him, taking him would drive all thoughts of this horrible day away from him. All the way home, all he kept thinking about was his lover, his Guide, his best friend. His skin, his eyes, his husky voice, his musky scent. By the time he had pulled the truck into the parking area outside the loft he was painfully hard.

He made his way up to #307 as fast as the elevator would let him. Opening the door, he quickly tossed his keys in the basket, yanked off his jacket and shoulder holster. Without even saying a word to Blair, he stormed into the kitchen, turned off the burners under the food and dragged his bewildered Guide into the living room.

"Jim man, what's up? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. *I'm* up. Stop talking Chief. Gods I want you. Just fuck me. Now!"

Figuring he had explained the situation succinctly, Jim attacked his partner's mouth in a deep, wet, air-depriving kiss. His hands roamed over the sturdy compact body of his lover, removing clothing as fast as he could. After a few seconds of shock, Blair responded with just as much fierceness and an all consuming desire. Jim moaned into Blair's mouth as a shiver raced down his spine. He *adored* being manhandled and Blair knew it.

Before he even realized they were naked, Jim felt Blair's passion flushed skin and rock hard cock pressing against his equally naked flesh. Hands roved and hips grinded. They devoured each others mouth, both taking and both giving.

"Chief, gods Chief. Fuck me. Fuck me now."

"Lube. Need lube man."

Jim cast about in an almost panic. *Lube!* Where the hell. Sudden inspiration struck him like a two-by-four. Pealing Blair off of him, he dashed into the kitchen like a demented and naked sex-freak, throbbing erection bobbing in front of him.

Frantically he searched through the cabinets. He pulled things out and shoved others aside. Jackpot! With only a brief smirk, he grabbed the extra-virgin olive oil and hurried back to his sexy lover in the living room.

Grabbing Blair by the shoulders, he turned him around and rushed him to the other side of the coffee table. Spinning him back to face him, he gave a quick shove so that Blair fell into a seated position in the middle of the couch. Opening the bottle quickly, he simply aimed it over Blair's leaking cock and poured. His Guide hissed and gasped.

"Holy Shit Jim! Warn a guy before you do that."

Jim let loose a low wicked chuckle and spared a few seconds to spread the oil into a thick coating. He put the dripping, sticky bottle on the coffee table, straddled Blair's thighs, lined up that beautiful thick cock to his opening and sat down on it.

Blair howled at the extreme and immediate pleasure that wrapped around his aching dick. Jim's fingers squeezed bruises into Blair's shoulders. Panting harshly, Jim waited for Blair's gorgeous blue eyes to open again and look at him. It didn't take long.

"Ready?"

Blair gave him a shaky nod. Jim grinned and began to ride up and down on Blair's cock. He made full and total use of his strong thigh, stomach and shoulder muscles to fuck himself on Blair hard and fast. His internal muscles squeezed and relaxed around Blair. He pulled almost off when he leaned up and slammed all the way to Blair's root on the way down.

Blair was babbling incoherently in several languages, his head thrown back and his eyes squeezed shut, his strong square hands gripping Jim's thighs tightly. Feeling himself getting close, Jim wrapped one of his own hands around his shaft and stroked it just once.

His entire body convulsed in pleasure and bright sparks flashed before his eyes. Every muscle tightened up to an impossible level of tension and then exploded. His throbbing cock pumped his completion onto Blair's stomach and chest, even as he felt his lover pour his seed into him.

In a wave of absolute relief and total relaxation, he melted against Blair's sweaty, cum coated body. Shaking arms came up around him to pull him close. Blair's breath panted in his ear.

"Jeez Jim. Not that I'm complaining, but... what was that about?"

Jim shrugged. It still seemed like too much work to talk. Blair chuckled softly.

"Well, I hope you got lots of baby-wipes, cause we made one hell of a mess here lover."

Jim stiffened up for a second and felt the blush spread across his face. He cleared his throat.

"Ummm... I didn't get any baby-wipes Chief. I, uhhh... "

Jim *was* going to say that he forgot all about them, but a little tiny part of him, the part named Pride, demanded that he say something else. Anything else.

"I changed my mind. About the new 'house-rule'. I figured that we shouldn't have to arrange our private sex life according to a shopping list. It doesn't allow for enough spontaneity. You know?"

Blair looked at him strangely for a minute and then burst out laughing with glee.

"What?"

"Well, until tonight, when you ran through the door like the demon of all paperwork was hot on your trail and then ravaged me without a word, I didn't even think you knew what the word 'spontaneity' meant. But, I have to agree with your methods, even if I don't quite yet understand the underlying madness that prompted it."

Jim just grinned at his delightfully baffled lover.

"Stop analyzing it Darwin and help me clean up this mess. Okay?"

3) THE GUIDE CAN NOT POSSIBLY KNOW ALL THE RULES.

~early Wednesday morning~

Jim heard the long suffering sigh and could imagine the accompanying eye-roll. This was followed by muttering and stomping footsteps leading back into the bathroom. Blair had long ago found that Jim could hear any whispered muttering, so he now routinely did so in a language that Jim wasn't familiar with.

It was annoying to know you were being insulted, but not knowing how to defend yourself, since you didn't know *what* exactly was said about you. The one time he had confronted Blair about that, his Guide had grinned and agreed, then he had informed Jim *that* was the whole point. Even so, Jim felt the need to re-state his point of view.

"Look Chief. It's *not* a big deal. I mean, I don't understand why you can't hang up your towels *before* you leave the bathroom. I mean, it doesn't take *that* much time. I don't know about *you*, but *I* don't want to live in a pig-sty."

Blair's head and part of his upper body popped out of the bathroom as he leaned through the open doorway. He had a vaguely disgusted look on his beautiful face. He reached out with one hand as if to point at Jim, and then realized his was holding a damp towel. Not phased by this discovery, he began to wave the towel in Jim's general direction to punctuate his remarks.

"Jim man, I love you. I really really do, but this... this is ridiculous. I mean, come on guy, the world will *not* end if I leave one towel on the floor and forget to rinse out the damn sink."

"Sandburg. When you shave, you leave enough whiskers in that 'damn sink' to build a small rodent with."

Blair pulled back slightly looking insulted. Jim grudgingly admitted that perhaps the 'rodent' remark was going a bit far, but this *was* a serious matter. Maybe it would finally get the idea through that curly head of his.

"You know Jim, this wouldn't be a problem if you weren't so rigidly set in your ways. I mean, everything has to be *just* so with you. And if you even *think* someone *might* do it a different way, you come up with some stupid and arbitrary 'house-rule' about it. There's too many of them, and frankly, I just can't keep them all straight in my head. With a billion 'house-rules' floating around in my head, I'm bound to forget a *few*!"

"Chief, I truly find that hard to believe. I mean, you're a damned *genius*! You remember trivial data about every culture on the fucking planet! I just don't know how someone with as many brains as you can not remember to rinse out the sink after shaving."

Blair let out an inelegant snort. Ducking his head back into the bathroom to finish cleaning up his mess, Jim heard the muttering begin up again. The only English words he heard were 'anal retentive Sentinel'. In a magnanimous gesture of generosity he forgave Blair for his moody grumbling, after all, he *did* win the argument and his bathroom *was* being cleaned. He could afford to be gracious.

4) IF THE SENTINEL SUSPECTS THE GUIDE KNOWS ALL OF THE RULES, HE MUST IMMEDIATELY CHANGE SOME OR ALL OF THE RULES.

~late Thursday evening~

Jim lay back in bed, a warm snugly Blair curled up against his chest. As he listened to the steady and soothing rhythm of Blair's heartbeat, he thought back over the day. There had been a thread of tension running between the two of them. At times it had been barely noticeable, but at others it had viscously pinched him in the ass. Reminding him of the fight they had the day before.

This morning, Blair had apologized for being insensitive to Jim. He started pacing and rambling on about Sentinel senses needing order and cleanliness to keep from being over stimulated. The nervous speech had bounced between promising to do better from now on and reaming himself out for not being a good enough Guide.

It was at that point that Jim had stepped in and stopped the presses. He thought he had made it clear that in *his* opinion, Blair was an excellent Guide, a generous lover, a brilliant scientist and a gentle and kind man. Being a slob didn't take away from that. It was just something he had to work on.

Blair had given him a weak smile and basically *seemed* relieved. However, Jim had over heard him talking to himself later on. It was a list of things,... 'house-rules' actually. He was trying to keep from forgetting the things that had to be done and the things that had to be avoided. At the time, it had filled his heart with pleasure to know that Blair was trying so hard to please him. He was so proud of his little Guppy.

Now though, well, now he was feeling a tad bit guilty. It *was* a lot to remember and Blair didn't have Sentinel senses, so he didn't realize *how* annoying things could be. He supposed that he could grit his teeth a little if it made Blair happy. He loved the man after all. Right?

Right.

Coming to a decision, Jim ran his hand up through Blair's lush, thick curls. With the other, he gently shook his beloved's shoulder until one sleepy blue eye blinked open to peer at him.

"Blairlove? Chief? You awake?"

"Hummmmph?..."

Jim smiled at his sleepy warm mate.

"I was thinking Chief. About the 'house-rules'. You were right. They *are* a bit much, so... Well, we can, maybe once in a while, eat in the living room. But only if we bring lots of napkins. And if you *really* have to flush after ten o'clock, fine, but turn on the white noise generator first to help block out some of the sound. Oh, and maybe I'll ease up on such strict laundry rotation days."

Jim peered up at the ceiling lost in thought, and thus totally missed Blair's look of complete confusion.

"I've still got to insist on rinsing out the sink after you shave, but I guess I can forget about squeegeeing the shower walls after it's been used. At least until we start getting mildew. You wouldn't *believe* how gross it is to zoom Sentinel sight on mildew."

He shuddered dramatically for affect.

"Oh, and I got some baby-wipes. That's not really a 'house-rule', but it *is* a good idea, so I figured we should stock up on some. Okay?"

He looked down into the wide staring blue eyes of his most precious love and smiled. Blair blinked stupidly at him.

"Well Chief, what do you think?"

"Huh?..."

Jim chuckled softly and cuddled his lover closer.

"Go back to sleep Chief. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Okay?"

5) THE SENTINEL IS *NEVER* WRONG.

~early Friday evening~

Jim had only been in the loft a few moments when Blair came stumbling in through the front door. He had a tired, but happy expression on his face and he seemed kind of rumpled. However, it was the fact that his lover was walking funny, as if he'd strained something in his back that caught his attention.

Hurrying over to help his Guide to the couch, Jim's delicate sense of smell began picking up something it hadn't in a long time. Something he hoped he would never smell again. The closer he got to Blair, the stronger it was.

Perfume. *Flowery* perfume. And a uniquely female scent.

It wasn't the musk of sex, but it *was* all over his Guide. It was if he had been holding a woman in his arms. The scent permeated his hair, his clothes, even his skin.

Jim gagged slightly.

Blair had been holding a woman. Cuddling her close to his body. And for a long enough time that the scent had lingered. Not just faintly either, it was strong. The foreign smell came close to overpowering Blair's own familiar and very male scent.

Jim stopped in his tracks. Black jealousy and anger swept over him in an all consuming wave. This was swiftly followed by hurt and betrayal. His beloved Guide had cheated on him. Okay, he *didn't* go all the way. There was no signs of actual intercourse,... yet.

How long until Blair gave up *all* pretenses of being in love with Jim? He knew from the start that Blair had never been with a guy before Jim and he knew that it had been a difficult adjustment for the skirt-chasing younger man. How long before Blair got bored with Jim in bed? How long before he wanted to be with someone closer to his own age?

Suddenly, fear, heart-clenching, gut-churning fear washed over him in an icy wave. He couldn't control the slight tremble in his hand and somehow, that made it seem all the more horrible.

"Why Chief? Why!?"

"Wha..."

Innocent blue eyes looked up at him in confusion. His anger flared anew.

"Don't play coy with me Blair. I'm a Sentinel, or did you forget? I can *smell* her on you. All over you."

"Ohhh... *that*."

"Yes! That!"

"Well, Jim. You see, there was this girl, Cindy and she..."

Jim gasped as pain spiked through him. He held up a hand towards his Guide and cut him off.

"Dammit Blair! I don't want to know her *name*!"

"Huh? What's up with you man?"

Jim looked at him, shocked. He shook his head and quickly grabbed his jacket and keys. He had to get out. He couldn't stand there and listen to Blair tell him that he was sorry it didn't work out, but he loved this *Cindy* now.

"Forget it Chief. I hope you and Cindy are happy together. I'm going out!"

With that, he slammed the door and stormed out of the building at a run. He didn't see the confused hurt and betrayal in his lover's wide blue eyes as he finally realized what Jim was talking about. He also didn't see the lone tear that slid down his Guide's cheek.

6) IF THE SENTINEL IS WRONG, IT IS BECAUSE OF A FLAGRANT MISUNDERSTANDING WHICH WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF SOMETHING THE GUIDE SAID OR DID.

~early Saturday morning~

Jim sat in the truck in his parking space outside of the loft. He was doing two things. One, he was blatantly using his Sentinel hearing to spy on Blair. He could hear his beloved pace back and forth talking to himself about stupid Sentinels. Two, he was trying to work up the courage to go in there and break it off with Sandburg, while hopefully keeping his dignity, or what was left of it, intact.

He felt that he owed it to them both. A nice, quiet, dignified break-up. He would stand back, suffering nobly, so that Blair could find happiness with this Cindy, whoever she might be. It didn't matter if his own personal happiness would shatter into a million pieces. It was Blair's that was important.

His bleak musings were interrupted when he heard the phone in the loft ringing. He turned up the dial on his hearing a bit. He felt a little guilty for spying, but he shoved that aside. He wanted, no *needed* to find out what was going on with his Guide.

/Jim! Hello, Jim!/

/Sorry, no. It's me, Cindy./

/Oh,... umm, hi Cindy. How's the ankle?/

/Broken. After you left, the doc checked me out and declared it to be broken. They transported me to the hospital where I got it set and then put in a cast./

Jim blinked. Broken ankle? Cast?

/Sorry to hear that. How are you now, though?/

/Much better. I just wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue yesterday. If you hadn't of found me when you did, I don't know how I would have made it to the Medical Center. How's your back? I know I'm not a light weight./

Jim heard the soft sound of Blair's quick chuckle.

/I'm fine. My back is fine. You weren't that heavy to carry and it wasn't that far. I'm glad I could help. As soon as I saw your ankle I *knew* you shouldn't put any weight on it. I'm just glad you're okay./

/Well, I just wanted to say thank you. As soon as I can start walking again, I'm going to bake you some of my famous Brownie's as payment. Well, I gotta go now. My roommate needs the phone to do some research on-line./

/Okay Cindy. Bye./

/Bye Blair./

Jim swallowed. Hard. Blair *hadn't* been cheating on him. He wasn't making out with a T.A. named Cindy in his office like he had thought. Instead, he had went out of his way to help an injured student he had found suffering alone on campus grounds. Jim felt like three kinds of dumb.

He had the grace to blush.

Still, he reasoned to himself, it wasn't *all* his fault. After all, Blair's track record kind of spoke for itself, didn't it? He had a big reputation as a Lady's Man. A love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. Not only that, but not once had Blair made any kind of commitment to this relationship. Oh, he said he loved Jim all the time, but he never talked about forever. When Jim brought it up, he hemmed and hawed and got this nervous look in his eye. Jim never pushed him, but it always bothered him. What else was he supposed to think?

Yes, this whole stupid misunderstanding was Blair's fault. If he'd just learn to open up and come down off of that fence, just tell Jim one way or the other. Yes, I'll be with you forever and there will never be anyone else, or No, I want to see other people because you are not the *one*.

Was that so much to ask?

Well, Jim was going to make sure that Blair understood just *why* this whole thing happened the way it did. His affections were *not* to be toyed with and it was about time that Sandburg knew that. Resolve firm, Jim climbed out of the truck and was determined to make his man see reason.

7) IF RULE "6" APPLIES, THE GUIDE MUST APOLOGIZE IMMEDIATELY FOR CAUSING THE MISUNDERSTANDING.

~early Sunday evening~

Jim sat at the elegantly appointed, candlelit table thinking fast and furiously. The delicious scents from the made-from-scratch gourmet meal made his mouth water almost as much as the heart-stopping beauty of his Guide. It was obvious that Blair had gone all out, had pulled all the stops and held nothing back.

The loft had been cleaned from top to bottom. All signs of the knock-down drag-out fight last night had been eradicated and every surface gleamed in the soft candlelight. The food was cooked to perfection and the wine was exquisite and full bodied. His lover was dressed in the softest bluest cashmere sweater and the tightest jeans on the planet. His long curls had been brushed out to hang loosely around his face and the highlights practically glowed. Jim's fingers were just itching to play with those silken strands.

All in all, this wonderfully romantic seduction scene was *not* what he had been expecting at all.

Yesterday morning, after sitting in the truck debating what to do about their relationship, he had rushed into the loft to set Blair straight and demand that he commit to him or let him go. He used logic, reason, and laid bare the facts. He figured that the scientist in Blair would appreciate his well thought out and thoroughly justified ideas.

Instead, his emotional Guide had exploded. The fallout had been extensive and several good coffee mugs had died a noble death during the process.

Proof of Blair's fear of commitment? His beloved Guide had lectured him about his 14+ years at Rainier University.

Proof that Blair couldn't commit to a *personal* relationship? His best friend and lover pointed out that not even dodging bullets and psychotic kidnappers could chase Blair away. He'd put up with that for over *three* *years*!

Proof of Blair's fidelity? His shrieking and pacing better half informed him that he turned down more dates in one *month* than Jim got asked out to in one *year* all so he could stay faithful.

Then! Then his peace loving, 'let's all just get along' wanna-be hippie love-pillow turned the argument back on *him*! He ranted on about how this was just another in a long line of examples of how Jim didn't *trust* Blair. How Jim just automatically assumed the worst and didn't even bother to let him explain.

If you can't *trust* me Jim, then how can you say that you *love* me?

Those words still haunted him. After that, Blair had stormed out of the loft yelling that he'd be at the U if he was needed. By the time Jim had calmed down enough that he was ready to try and make-up with Blair, Simon had dragged him into an all-night stakeout. He called his lover at his office and told him that he had to go to work and that he'd be home Sunday evening. He'd said that they would talk. Really talk.

Now he was home, at the loft, quietly eating an amazing meal by candlelight, not really sure what was running through the beautiful head of his complex and confusing Guide. He was almost afraid to ask. Still, he was just *dying* to know.

"Uh... Chief. Umm. I mean..."

He sighed. He wasn't good with words. Blair was the eloquent one, not him. It seemed that lately, every time he opened his mouth, he messed things up. Yesterday, when he tried to explain how he felt, he hadn't done a good job. Hell, he'd done a horrible job. He had seriously offended Blair and he *still* didn't know where he stood with the younger man.

He looked up from his plate to see his Beloved mauling his napkin in a classic 'Blair is nervous' gesture. Suddenly, his Guide hopped up from the table and paced in front of it for a moment, muttering to himself. While this was also a classic Sandburg maneuver, it made him nervous anyway. Something big was on his lovers mind.

"Jim. I... I've been thinking about what you said the other day and well,... while I didn't appreciate the way it all came down, once I got calm I could understand the fears behind it. I mean, it's *so* you. You know? A totally fear based response. Pure Ellison. When in doubt, get aggressive. So, once I got my head wrapped around *that*, I started to look at me and my own actions from *your* point of view and I must admit that perhaps I may not seem to be the model of faithful sincerity that I, in actuality, am. I wish that I realized this earlier and then maybe it wouldn't have come down in such a painful way and we wouldn't have had to suffer..."

"Chief! Whoa, Sandburg. Take a breath."

Blair looked up at him as he stopped pacing. He had a startled and almost naked look on his face. Then he took a deep breath and seemed to pull himself together. Jim could hear his lover's heartbeat start to calm down slightly,... but only slightly.

Looking Jim right in the eyes, Blair reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small, midnight blue velvet box. Taking a few shaky steps over to him, his lover slowly reached out and handed him the box.

With his own hands shaking slightly, he reached out and slowly opening the hinged lid. Inside, nestled on blue satin lining, rested two identical gold bands. He gasped.

"Jim."

Hardly daring to breathe, he tore his eyes from the twin rings to look into the scared face of his lover. His uncertainty and nervousness radiated from him just as clearly as his deep blue eyes shone with unending love and passion.

"Marry me?"

"oh chief..."

His hands shaking badly and his heart ready to burst, Jim pulled out the smaller ring and gently slid it onto Blair's finger. Just as carefully, he took out the larger ring and placed it in the middle of Blair's palm and then held out his own hand. Slowly, his Guide slid the warm metal band onto his finger.

Suddenly, the gentle hand on his tightened and the world spun for a second. The next thing he knew, he was being held in Blair's strong arms and he was being kissed within an inch of his life. His knees could barely hold him upright by the time Blair released his lips.

"Bed... now!"

The husky sexy tones of his Guide's voice sent a bolt of lust through him and he was running up the stairs stripping off his clothes before he even had time to think about it. He had half a second to wonder at that fact before he was tackled into the mattress by Blair. After that, all thoughts fled his mind as his lover prepared to take him and seal the promise of forever.

8) THE SENTINEL CAN CHANGE HIS MIND AT ANY GIVEN POINT IN TIME.

~early Monday afternoon~

Jim shifted in his seat slightly and winced. His ass was *very* tender and every little movement reminded him exactly *how* he came to be in this, ahem,... situation. A quick glance to the brand new wedding ring on his left hand told him *why*.

They had never gotten around to finishing Blair's home made dinner. As delicious as it was, once his lover had asked him to marry him, all Jim had wanted was to make love all night long.
Even though his tender bottom was paying for it now, it was well worth it to say that out loud to Blair. His well traveled, highly knowledgeable and extremely limber life partner had figured out a
way to combine elements from Tantric Sex, the Kama Sutra, and the b/d leather scene into a five hour journey of immense erotic discovery.

Of course, *now* he could barely sit down. It was only his pride that had kept him from calling out sick today. After all, he didn't think Simon would appreciate hearing that Blair had fucked him into a mindless pile of sated flesh and then played with him like a form of sexual play-dough, shaping Jim to his will. No, his Captain was a good man, an open-minded man, but even still, he would probably label that as *way* too much information.

However, Simon *was* Captain for a reason, and it wasn't his droll-worthy good looks. As soon as he had seen Jim come limping in like the last survivor of a fierce battle, he had called him into his office. Given no real choice, Jim had shown his friend the commitment ring and let Simon figure out the rest. It didn't take him long.

Being a good and kind man at heart, Simon had told him to finish up the few remaining pieces of paperwork on his desk and then to take the rest of the week off to celebrate. Jim had immediately called Blair at the U and gave him the good news. Blair had promised to try and find a way to have his classes covered so he too could have time off. He said he'd be by later with lunch to help Jim finish off the rest of the paperwork as soon as he had his schedule rearranged.

Now, it was a little before one o'clock and Jim could hear his Husband making his way up to Major Crimes. He tracked Blair with his hearing until he made it to the sixth floor and then Jim
opened up his senses wide to capture the whole experience of being near his beloved Guide. That's when he remembered lunch.

Thai.

His lover had Thai take-out with him. He had asked Blair to bring it with him so that they could have something to eat before they finished up the last of the paperwork. It smelled good, all hot and spicy.

*Spicy.*

Jim did some real hard and fast thinking as he watched the love of his life come closer and closer to his desk with the bag of wonderful smelling food. Spicy food was delicious as long as he had his Guide to help him control his senses. However, Thai food was spicy, not just going in,... but also coming back out. Jim cringed at the very thought of the food coming back out. His backside was *way* too tender to even contemplate it.

"Um, Blair?"

"Yeah Jim."

He eyed the great smelling bag with a mixture of longing and horror.

"I uh,... I don't think I can eat any of that."

Beautiful blue eyes flashed confusion at him. A slight line of worry creased between those beloved eyes, one that Jim recognized as Blair going into 'Guide Mode'. He had to let him know that it wasn't his senses acting up or they would end up spending their whole honeymoon doing tests.

He grabbed onto his lovers arm and pulled him closer so he could whisper in his ear. It was a little embarrassing to admit, but this was *Blair* and Jim felt he could tell him anything.

Blair leaned back up with a look on his face that clearly stated that he was 'processing' and then glanced at the bag of *very* hot and spicy food. He snickered once.

Turning back to Jim, Blair had a sweet and understanding smile on his face. His heavily lashed eyes twinkled with mirth.

"No problem man. You don't have to eat any of it. Hey, do you want me to go get you something else? And, ah,... think about it this time, okay? After all, *you* are the one who suggested Thai in the first place."

Jim just glared at his cheekily grinning partner.


9) THE GUIDE MUST NEVER CHANGE HIS MIND WITHOUT THE EXPRESS CONSENT OF THE SENTINEL.

~early Tuesday morning~

It was the first official day of their honeymoon and it was painfully early in the morning. At least, *Blair* thought it was painfully early. Jim knew this was true because his beloved Guide had told him that with those exact words. Still, Jim knew that Blair was looking forward to today as much as he was.

It had been a shear stroke of luck that had allowed them to get the only remaining places left in the week long Fisherman's Retreat package hosted by the Wildlife and Gaming Commission. The only reason they had been able to get it at all was due to a cancellation at the last moment. The Retreat was a week long vacation of hiking and fishing complete with well furnished and stocked cabins, a tour of the reserve, and free lessons in fishing, tracking and learning about the native wildlife.

They had been able to get up here last night in time to sign in and get in their private cabin, but had missed the B-B-Q and get-together with the other campers and Official Forest Rangers
turned Tour-guides. But that was okay. Today was a guided tour of the rivers and lakes that they would be able to fish the rest of the week.

With a barely awake Blair behind him, Jim hurried to the main docks where the tour would begin. His mind was filled with the glory and thrill of fishing and so he was completely startled when Blair's heartbeat sped up and his stumbling footsteps came to a complete halt. Confused and a bit worried, he turned around.

"What? What's the matter?"

Blair's guileless eyes were open wide and he seemed a bit pale. A slight tremor had set into his hands and he was staring at the docks. Jim turned to see the two Rangers and a bunch of men and even a few women by a couple of boats. He turned back to his Guide.

"Uh,... maybe we should just go back to the cabin and forget about the tour. I'm... ah, not so sure this is a good idea."

"Why?"

"Um, I, ah... I just don't, okay?"

Jim looked at his Guide. Something was bothering the younger man and it upset him that Blair didn't feel he could just come out and say it.

"Look Chief. This whole thing was *your* idea. *You* are the one who suggested this crack of dawn tour ride. Now you're not going to just back out of it without any good reason. Now give. What's so wrong about going on a ride around the lake?"

Blair looked up at him and then down towards the docks again. He blushed and his heart-rate increased again. He started to talk several times only to stop before any words came out. Jim started to get worried. Finally, his beloved gave vent to a big sigh and his shoulders slumped.

"You see that big guy down there in the olive khakis and the tan T-shirt?"

Jim glanced over his shoulder towards the docks. The man in question was about as big as him, but his weight was less muscle and more like the softness of too many beers and potato chips. He seemed to be around his age as well, but that was hard to tell. He was also surrounded by about three friends.

"Yeah. So?"

Blair took a deep breath.

"So... about a year before we met, that guy attacked me and a friend for being gay. *I* had never even been with a guy, not until *you*, but my friend was very open about his sexuality. He didn't care who knew, you know?"

Jim nodded. His throat got tight and he was almost afraid where this was going.

"Anyway, Cliff and I were working together on a project for the Anthro department. It was a display and lecture series for the freshmen and sophomores. After working hard all day, we decided to go out and have a late dinner and then call it a night."

Blair pointed to the guy down by the docks again.

"*That* guy ran into me and Cliff as we were coming out of the restaurant. I guess he must have known Cliff somehow, but he was drunk and assumed that I was Cliff's boyfriend. I got away
with a broken arm and bruised ribs, but Cliff ended up in the hospital needing reconstructive surgery."

Jim looked down at his beloved and saw the pain these memories were causing him. Those big blue eyes he adored so much had filled with unshed tears and unvoiced fear and shame. No tour, however nice, was worth it if Blair was going to feel out of place and frightened. With a sad sigh, Jim pulled his husband into his arms.

"Shhh, it's okay Chief. We don't have to go on the tour. We'll go up to the main Ranger Station and ask for a map instead. We'll say that we over slept and missed the boat. Okay?"

Blair sniffled a little and then flashed him a weak grin.

"Thanks Jim."

"No problem. Just promise me that if that jerk gives you *any* problems, no matter how small, that you'll come and tell me right away. Okay?"

"Sure thing Big Guy."

Jim glared towards the dock one last time. It took a supreme act of willpower not to go down there and break that guy in two. He wanted to. Badly. But right now he had something much more important to do. He had to cheer up his lover and get them fishing. Toad-face could wait till later.

10) THE SENTINEL HAS EVERY RIGHT TO BE ANGRY OR UPSET AT ANY GIVEN TIME.

~mid Wednesday afternoon~

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the pine scented breeze was mild and warm. Everything smelled fresh and alive and green. New growth was evident in all directions. Plants, trees, fledgling birds and small baby animals scurrying underfoot. And the best part, his Guide's non-stop chatter about everything and anything that crossed his mind or their path.

The hiking trail they were on wound it's way through the forest and up the sides of the mountain. The map they had promised that the views from the clearly marked rest stops were stunningly breath-taking. While Jim was certain that the views were lovely, he knew in his heart that nothing was more beautiful than his beloved.

Excitement and enthusiasm rolling off of him in endless waves of energy and cheerfulness. Fascinating tidbits of trivia and data poured from his smiling mouth. His deep auburn curls caught the sunlight and turned it a deep burnished red. Blue eyes sparkled as he bounced along the trail. Beauty, both inside and out. Jim felt as if he were the luckiest man alive.

As they slowly neared the first of the look-out points, something out of place tried to grab his attention. With most of his attention on Blair, he let his senses spin out further, tracing that elusive abnormality which had tugged at his mind.

Heartbeats. Laughter. Beer.

"Hey Chief."

His lover stopped mid-sentence and glanced over at him.

"Yeah Big Guy?"

"Company ahead."

Blair blinked and then nodded. Two steps later he was dashing headlong into another mini-lecture. This one was on the significance of the wild animals native to the region and their role in the local pre-Columbian tribal systems, both in the religious and economic sense. Jim wasn't sure what was more entertaining, listening to the interesting history lesson, or watching Blair's passionate teaching methods.

Jim was caught up in the joy of watching his lover when they turned the corner and entered the open space of the look-out point, so it was a bit disconcerting to watch the sudden transformation. Blair's face went pale and he came to a sudden stop, frozen in place. His speeding heartbeat seemed loud in the abrupt absence of his deep mellow voice. Turning his head, he tracked Blair's line of sight.

Toad-face.

And four of his friends. All five of them sitting around the look-out sight and guzzling beer.

The five men stopped laughing and joking when he and Blair had stepped out of the woods and turned to stare at them. Wanting to get Blair away from someone who had such an obviously upsetting effect on him, he glanced around quickly. He spied the next section of the hiking trail on the far side of the clearing. With a gentle nudge to his ribs, Jim pointed the path out to his stunned lover.

"There's the trail over there, Chief. Come on, let's keep going."

A shudder went through Blair as he shook himself out of painful memories. With a quick nod of his head, his Guide started towards the trail on the other side of the look-out point. Jim had a bad feeling seeping over him and it was only partially from the strange and unnatural silence and stillness as Blair walked quickly beside him.

They were almost back under the canopy of the lush forest when the unthinkable happened. The big man that his Guide had pointed out the day before lumbered to his feet, a full unopened bottle of beer in his meaty hand. From the stench and the unsteady lurch, Jim was certain that it wasn't his first,... or second of the day. From all the empties lying around, Jim would hazard a guess that it was more like his fourth or fifth. Then Toad-face pointed at Blair.

"Hey! Don't I know you?"

Toad-face blinked blearily at them and Blair's face went even more pale.

"Yeah! Yeah I do! You're that sissy-boy faggot!"

Toad-face snorted in amusement and Jim felt his teeth grind together as he clenched his jaw tightly.

"Got a new boyfriend I see."

Toad-face's friends all laughed. Blair went beet-red and Jim's hands curled into tight fights. A soft touch on his shoulder calmed him down immediately. He felt himself shift from 'Attack Mode' into 'Blessed Protector'. He had to get Blair away from these guys.

"Come on Jim. It's not worth it. Just forget them."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

They started to move away, Blair practically dragging him towards the tree line. A steady stream of soft words poured from his Guide's lips, encouraging him to 'let it be, let it go'.

"Oh yeah! Don't forget this."

Jim heard the whistle of the air coming towards them. He spun, trying to knock himself and Blair out of the way. As it was, the full beer bottle only clipped Blair in the side of the head instead of the full on impact it would have had. Blair dropped to the ground in a howl of pain and fear.

Jim's senses flared off of the map and his world turned bright red.

11) THE GUIDE MUST REMAIN CALM AT ALL TIMES UNLESS THE SENTINEL WANTS HIM TO BE ANGRY OR UPSET.

~~20 minutes later~

"Jim."

"Jim... come back to me."

A sweet soothing voice called to him. It was deep and mellow, like honey and sunshine.

"Jim, hear my voice. Follow it back."

There is was again. That voice. Calling him. Jim. He was Jim.

"Come on lover. Hear me. Follow my voice. I need you to come back now."

He was Jim. And the voice. The voice was... Blair.

Blair!

In a rush, Jim's senses came back on-line and the world flooded into his awareness. Blinking in a minor panic, he quickly focused on his Guide. He used his senses to check for injury and damage. He found nothing beyond a wildly beating heart and a good sized and very tender lump on the side of his head. It was only then that he bothered to look around.

"Uh... Blair. Where are we?"

His guide gave him a weak smile and a shrug. A line of worry had formed between those blue eyes he loved so much.

"I'm not too sure. We're still on the mountain side, but I'm not sure where *exactly* on the mountain side we are. You took us off the trail and started cutting across the wilderness about forty feet from the path."

Glancing down at himself, he noticed that his knuckles were bruised and bloody. His pants were torn in spots and leaves clung to him. He was sore in many muscles and he was certain that one of his ribs was out of alignment.

"What happened?"

Blair gave him a sharp look.

"What do you remember?"

Jim thought about it. His eyes unfocused slightly as he cast his mind back.

"Toad-face and friends drinking beer. He threw a bottle at you and you fell to the ground. Then... then I remember the color red."

Jim shrugged. He couldn't honestly say what happened between Blair falling to the ground and him waking up here. Whatever it was, it had his Guide upset. His heartbeat was fast. Steady,... but fast.

"Well,... You, uh,... sort of went into a Zone. But I gotta tell you man, it was like no Zone I've ever seen you go into before. Usually, you Zone and get all catatonic on me. No movement, no thought processes.

This time, you were a blur of action. You went after those guys by the look-out point and you took them all down. Fast and hard. Then, you ran over to me, flung me over your shoulder and dashed off into the woods at a dead run. This is where you finally stopped."

Jim looked around. He could feel a sort of horror well up inside him. He had never had a black-out before, but he knew that some people *did*. They were usually caused by some trauma, but still, it was frightening to think that *he* had had one. From what Blair had described, it sounded as if he had become a dangerous cross between a primitive Sentinel and a Covert-Ops Operative. It was a horrifying and deadly combination. It was only his own rigid moral code and strict discipline that kept him from being a monster. Without that self-control, he was his own worst nightmare. He turned frightened and self-recriminating eyes up to his beloved.

Instantly, strong steady arms came around him and his face was gently pushed into the warm space between his lovers neck and curly hair. Blair slowly rubbed is back and gently rocked him.

"Shhh... Love, it's okay. We'll figure this out. Shhh..."

=30=