By JudyL

September 21, 2003

This started out as a different story, but segued into the sequel for "The Start of Something" whose concept actually came after the concept for Sentinel.com. I'm still working with the basic stories in My Sentinel Universe, but this is going to probably be a separate series and "universe," an AU from my AU. Who knows where it will go, I'm just keeping my options open.

Disclaimer: Not mine, but I'm still borrowing them. Hope there aren't any late fees on the return. Can you pay a monthly fee for unlimited access?

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"Hey, Jim. Come take a look at this would you?" Blair called from his spot at the table. He had his laptop hooked up and was staring at the screen.

Jim pushed up off the couch and came around behind his partner. "What's up?"

"Tell me what you see," Blair said indicating the screen.

The Sentinel looked at the screen. There were only two words on the screen and a box.

Enter password

Jim frowned. "I see a box for a password. What is this?"

Blair frowned up at his roommate. "Look closer Jim. What else do you see?"

Ellison's frown deepened. This is some kind of test. He took a deep breath and relaxed to let his enhanced vision take over. The pixels on the screen became more defined as his eyes searched for more detail.

Jim inhaled sharply as a picture took shape, faintly, in the background. The outline of a black panther sprawled across the screen. He reached down and typed in "panther."

Only asterisks appeared in the box, but when Jim hit enter another screen popped up.

This one was a questionnaire.

"What is this, Chief?" Jim asked perusing some of the questions.

Blair took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "I asked Jack for some help with security for a website and group."

"Kelso?"

"Uh huh. Remember when we talked about a more formal means of meeting other Sentinels and Guides, I just thought the internet might be a less obvious way of screening people. It's going to attract attention, if it hasn't already, all these strangers calling us and coming to Cascade to see us."

"You told Kelso?" Jim asked sitting in the chair beside his Guide.

"No, of course not. And he knows better than to ask. Although I'm pretty sure he already knows. Jack's cool Jim. He can be trusted. I just implied I needed a top of the line online security system for work. Jack came up with this." Blair gestured at the screen.

Jim's eyes narrowed as he looked at the laptop again. "You couldn't see the panther?"

"Nope. Only a Sentinel or someone looking through the right filter. The great thing about the program is that the password visual can be changed every time and the frequency is randomly determined by the computer."

"Okay. So the site administrator, that would be you I assume?" Blair nodded and Jim continued. "You change the password each time. What do you do, send the web page address anonymously to a suspected Sentinel? How do you find out about these people? And what about unbonded Guides?"

"Whoa! Jim, I just got started with this I haven't figured everything out yet. I was hoping you might help me with some of the problems, you know?"

Jim grinned. "Okay. So what do you have so far?"

Blair nodded returning Jim's grin. "Okay. First of all there is a search program I can set up to trace searches with specific keywords. The obvious words being Sentinel and Guide, but that's only going to catch people who've heard about my dissertation."

"Right. So what other keywords? Heightened senses. Enhanced senses, vision, hearing. Sensitivity to normal stimuli. The list is endless, Chief."

"Yeah, but this program is pretty sophisticated. It will actually log the e-mail address of people who search within the list of parameters we set and keep track of the number of times the same address hits on different parameters. This way we can cull the people who are just surfing from the ones who need our help."

"How many parameters will the program take?" Jim asked thoughtfully.

"Quite a few. Enough to do some major culling. But like I said that's just the first step. Once we have the e-mail address, we send an anonymous e-mail questionnaire. A few pertinent questions should filter the chaff. We can even use this visual program or an audio component to help.

Once they pass that test, we send them this screen with the password request. If they can get in, they get to answer more questions. By that point, if they aren't a Sentinel or a Guide with access to a Sentinel, we drop the communication."

"What if it's an unbonded Guide, Chief? We can't leave them hanging."

Blair shook his head. "No, of course not, but I don't see this particular mode of contact being used for unbonded Guides. This is going to be set up to get people who are or know a Sentinel and need help. The unbonded Guides aren't in dire need usually and won't be searching the net. We'll have to figure out a different way to reel them in."

Jim nodded. "So then what?"

"Well, if they answer the questions appropriately we send them a website address to Sentinel.com with a password that will only be valid for a limited time. This page will be accessible only by password that way if someone accidentally comes across it they can't get in.

The page will give just enough information to let the party know it's not a hoax or a trap, we need to work on that, and will invite them to join our Sentinel/Guide group. I want to get a few of our current pairs online to test it first, once it's up and running, to get the bugs out.

I figured we could also ask the guys, Simon, Joel, and the others to try and get in just as a test."

"Sounds like you've got it figured out, Chief. What do you need me to help you with?"

"Well, for starters I needed to be sure a Sentinel could see the visual. I'm not sure an untrained or unguided Sentinel would find it so easily though."

Jim regarded the screen thoughtfully. "It's hard to say, Blair. I've gotten used to letting my senses… go on automatic. A newly emerged Sentinel might miss it."

Blair turned worried eyes on his Sentinel. "You think? Man! I just don't know how else to keep it secure. I mean, for now, we can't risk some government agency or other looney getting in. I don't know what else we can do, Jim."

"What about sound? You mentioned an audio cue earlier. What if we used a subliminal audio cue to lead them to relaxing and allowing their sight to work?"

Sandburg leaned forward resting his elbows on the table as he stared ahead lost in thought. "Maybe… yeah… I think…" He sat up and started typing into the laptop.

Several minutes later he turned the screen toward Jim. "Okay, see what you think."

Jim found the same password screen facing him. He made himself hunt for a picture, trying to stay tense. It wasn't easy after all the years of working with Blair and being trained to relax into his senses. He heard a faint noise and focused his hearing.

The words were Sentinel soft and repeated over and over. Although the voice was artificial, Jim still found himself following the mantra that at least in content sounded like his Guide.

His eyes focused on the screen and he saw a dog in the background. Jim typed "dog" and hit enter, the screen blinked and remained the same. Jim's eyebrow's raised and he took a better look at the image. The dog in question was stretched out in a pointing stance. One side of Jim's mouth quirked up as he typed "pointer" into the box. This time he was rewarded with the questionnaire page.

Blair nodded. "Did you hear it?"

"Yeah. But we should probably use a real voice, maybe even your voice recorded with the message. I don't think a mechanical reproduction will have the needed affect on someone with no training. I've seen the effect your Guide voice can have on anyone, and that should do the trick."

"My Guide voice?" Blair asked amused.

"Yeah. Don't you know? I would have sworn you've used it on purpose sometimes." Jim looked at his friend suspiciously.

Blair hid his grin. "I've just never heard you admit to it before."

Jim cuffed him on the back of the head. "What's next, Einstein?"

Sandburg grinned. "We need to come up with suitable questions for each section. They need to be ambiguous, yet still identify the traits we're looking for. This is what I've got so far." Blair switched to another page on the screen and let Jim read it.

Hello,

1. Has the person in question been to the doctor for the problem and been told there is nothing wrong?
2. Was the person recently subjected to a period of isolation?
3. Is there a history of relatives with "strange" quirks or mental illness?

Please be honest, we just want to help.

Jim read the brief questionnaire then shrugged. "It seems pretty anonymous. What if they answer all the questions right and they aren't a Guide or Sentinel? What if it's just someone who saw the press releases?"

Blair nodded. "That's what the password page is for and the follow up questions. Those questions will be more specific and help us weed out anyone that gets past the first few obstacles."

The Sentinel nodded. "So how long will it take to set this up?"

"Not long once I have the page layouts set the way I want. It'll just be a matter of getting the right provider, Jack said he could help with that too, and uploading the webpage. I've already got the Search program working. We'll be getting results as soon as the minimum hits are made." Blair stared at the screen, lost in thought.

"Jack sure has been helpful with all of this. I suppose the online provider he's hooking you up with is trustworthy?"

"You know, Jim, I got the feeling that if he told me anything about the provider he'd have to kill me." Blair grinned up at his friend.

Jim grimaced. "That's what I thought."

"Come on, Jim. We can't very well go through a regular commercial provider. And I doubt we could get the government to cooperate and give us a secure online account without divulging everything. We just aren't ready for that yet." Blair grimaced. "I think we need a strong base of support out there before we try and go public. The more Sentinels and Guides we have working the better."

"I know. And I trust Jack. It's just hard to rely on someone we don't know for this. There's too much at risk."

"I'm sure Jack wouldn't put us in danger. I've known him a long time. I trust him."

"Okay, Chief, that's good enough for me. Why don't we both work on the follow up questions separately, then we can compare notes?"

"That'd be great Jim. Thanks."

********************

"Okay," Rafe said sitting back from the computer. "I've tried every trick I know, plus a few I shouldn't to break this program." He looked up at the Sentinel and Guide. "I can't get in. I started from every page you gave me and get stuck before I can get any real information. I think you're secure."

Blair grinned at Rafe then at Jim. "That's what everyone else has said too. This is great. I think we can go ahead and launch our group. Thanks Rafe."

"Your welcome, Blair. Are you sure you can't tell me where you got this software? I'd love to have a copy."

"Well, I could tell you," he started, "but then…."

"I'd have to kill ya," Rafe and Jim finished with a chuckle.

Blair laughed. "How'd you know that?" He shook his head. "Really, Rafe, I promised. It's only for this project."

"Speaking of this project, Chief, I've been thinking," Jim said.

"Pull out the fire extinguishers," the Guide said irreverently, then ducked the hand aimed at the back of his head.

The Sentinel growled and waited until his partner sat back up to tap him on the head. Blair grinned.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Jim continued, "are we going to limit the group to Sentinels and Guides? What about our support team here? Rafe," Jim nodded at the other detective, "Simon, the others? We can trust them and it might even be helpful to have people who aren't so intimately involved. They can offer a unique perspective being the friends of a Sentinel/Guide pair."

Blair blinked. "That's a great idea Jim. I don't know why I didn't think of it." He turned to Rafe. "That is if you guys want to," he added hesitantly.

Brian pursed his lips. "Well, it has certainly been interesting, both before and after we knew what was really going on." He nodded thoughtfully. "I'd like to help. I think Jim's right, we may not have insight on how to be a Sentinel or a Guide, but we can certainly offer a perspective on what it's like to befriend a pair."

"Thanks, Rafe," Jim said laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "We really appreciate everything you and the others have done to help."

Rafe smiled. "It's exciting. I've got a feeling this will lead to something momentous."

Blair and Jim grinned at his enthusiasm.

"Well, I doubt it will be earth shattering, but hopefully we can help a few people," Jim replied.

************

"Jim. Would you talk to Nathan? He sent an e-mail, he's having trouble, his eyesight keeps spiking," Blair said from his place in front of the computer in his room.

Ellison leaned over the rail in his upstairs room. "Why the hell isn't Ronny helping him?"

Blair sighed. "Evidently he and Ronny are having a fight at the moment. Ronny is spending the weekend at his parents house."

"Kids!" came the disgusted reply from upstairs.

Blair grinned recalling one too many times he wished he could have run home to Naomi when he and Jim were arguing. "Ah, they'll be all right. It takes time to accept the commitment. You know that, Jim."

Footsteps treaded lightly down the stairs and through the kitchen. Jim popped his head through the French doors grinning ruefully. "Yeah. I seem to recall a few knock down-drag outs of our own." He came in and nudged Blair's shoulder. "Move and I'll e-mail him back."

Blair stood, relinquishing the chair to his friend and went to get a couple of beers. This was the first time he'd had a chance to get online since they had sent out the first e-mails to prospective group members.

So far the search program had given them four e-mail addresses. Blair had sent the intro-letter to each of them and he was about to check for their responses. He was a little nervous about the whole thing, so instead of jumping right in, he'd taken the time to read the other mail first.

All of the Sentinels and Guides they'd met so far were on board with the SG Group and talking up a storm. They also had their friends from Major Crimes on the Group, including Daryl Banks. Everything seemed to be going well so far.

Blair hoped that eventually the Group would be the place the members turned to for help, but in the meantime, he and Jim were available as the most experienced S/G pair.

Jim touched his arm. "Are you ready to check on our potential newbies, Chief?"

Blair nodded and moved to stand behind his partner resting his hands on Jim's shoulders. "Go ahead Jim."

Jim grinned as his Guide's fingers drummed nervously on his shoulders. They had set up a separate online identity to deal with these e-mails and there were four responses waiting for them. Jim selected the first one and opened it.

Hi,

"Wow," Blair said unknowingly squeezing Jim's shoulders. "I'd say they fit our parameters pretty well."

"Yeah, poor kids," Jim patted Blair's hand, looking up at his Guide.

Blair realized what his hands were doing and he grinned, blushing slightly. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Chief, just do it right and get all the kinks out. You know how stiff my back gets sitting in front of this damned thing."

The Guide shook his head fondly. "Get up and I'll finish the rest."

"Naw, I'd rather have a back rub. You want to read them all first or respond as we go?"

Blair continued the back rub as he spoke. "Go ahead and send the response. But let's personalize it a bit."

Jim nodded. "Go ahead."

Blair paused reading what Jim had typed. He nodded. "Okay, add the link for the password screen and send it. If it sounds okay to you," he added quickly.

Jim grunted, added the link and hit send. "Ready for the next one?"

"Yeah. This is gonna work, Jim. It really is."

The Sentinel smiled. "I think so too, Junior."

************

"I think we should assign newbies to established pairs," Blair announced over breakfast.

"Why's that?" Jim said through a mouthful of eggs.

The Guide grinned. "Well, I don't think we will have time to mentor all of the newbies, partner. We do have a real job." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Speaking of which, we're going to be late if you don't hurry up." Blair set his plate in the sink and went back to his room for his backpack and gun.

Ellison grumbled under his breath. "Since when are you so bright and shiny this early in the morning?" He finished his eggs quickly, rinsed their plates and met Blair at the door.

Blair handed Jim his holster with a smug look and opened the door. The Sentinel donned his holster grabbed his jacket and pushed his partner out the door.

Once in the truck, they continued the conversation.

"So what made you decide this?" Jim asked easing out into traffic.

"Well, for one, we really don't have time to oversee all of the newbies and help the established pairs. Two, mentoring is a time-honored tradition for teaching. And three, I think it will also help the established pairs if they see that others are dealing with the same problems they had or maybe are still dealing with."

"Okay, I can see that, but we should still make ourselves available to help."

Blair grinned recognizing the standard Sentinel "protect the tribe" response in Jim. He seemed to be adapting his territory to include all of the Sentinels they were taking in. And although unbonded Sentinels were still not allowed free reign in Cascade, Jim didn't automatically bite their heads off either.

"It'll be interesting to see how everyone handles the territory issue," Blair said.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Chief. So far, most of our Sentinels pretty much stay in their own home town."

Blair's grin widened. He said "our Sentinels." I don't even think he realizes how big his territory has gotten. "Well, Jim, some of them will eventually travel. We do. What happens if we enter someone else's territory? Should we maybe establish a travel decree?"

"That's a good idea. We can list the cities that have Sentinels on the group and if someone is traveling to or through one of those cities they should ask the resident Sentinel for permission." Jim nodded with satisfaction at the decree.

Blair frowned and raised his eyebrows. "Ask permission? You mean you might refuse to let another Sentinel enter the city if they wanted to visit Cascade?"

"It's my city, Chief," Jim growled.

"Yeah, but come on Jim, if you wanted to go to LA and Sheila said no, wouldn't you be rather pissed off? I doubt that would keep you from going. Especially if it was work related. You can't seriously expect someone to ask permission to enter your city." Blair rolled his eyes. "I think we should let the resident Sentinel know when the visit will be as far in advance as possible, how long the stay will be and where the visiting Sentinel will be staying. No surprises, and that should be sufficient to keep everyone happy."

Jim grumbled.

"Come on Jim. Maybe if we get this rule set and it becomes second nature, we can avoid territory problems. Advance notice should be good enough if we know the Sentinel through the group."

"Okay, okay. It just really bugs me."

"I don't know why, Jim. You seem to do fine, once you know the Sentinel. You even admitted that you could tolerate Jeffrey after everything he did, once he was confined anyway." Blair turned to look out the window. It still hurt that they'd been unable to help the Sentinel.

Jeffrey had probably lost his Guide mere weeks before coming to Cascade. And even though he'd tried to take Blair, once Jim had recovered his Guide and arrested Jeffrey, the Sentinel of the Great City had felt more pity than anything else for the broken Sentinel. Jeffrey had zoned out for good while being detained in the Cascade PD holding cell.

"There was nothing we could have done, Blair," Jim said softly, knowing where his friend's thoughts had gone.

"I know, Jim."

*************

"Jim! Ah, man, you are not gonna believe this!"

The Sentinel joined his Guide at the computer and leaned over his shoulder to view the e-mail. They'd gotten an unexpectedly large number of addresses from their search program and most of those had turned out to be legitimate Sentinels and Guides. They were averaging three to five new S/G pairs per week.

"Whatcha got, Chief?"

"This e-mail is from a police captain in Milwaukee. He's captain of the Narcotics division. He says he has an officer who can smell the drugs before the dogs." Blair turned to look at his partner. "And get this, recently the officer started hanging out with a sociology professor, complete opposite of the cop. But the professor keeps the cop from "spacing out." Blair grinned at Jim.

Jim frowned. "Sounds vaguely familiar Chief," he drawled, tapping a finger on his chin as if trying to remember why.

Blair popped him on the arm. "Goof. This is too cool. I need to get Simon to contact this captain and talk to him." He turned back around and started typing.

Jim read the e-mail and grabbed Blair's wrist before he could hit send. "Don't you think we should follow the protocols to make sure this is legit?"

"Jim! This is… Come on, man! This guy is you. I don't want to leave him hanging. Without his Guide and support from his captain, he could end up dead before we finish the protocol." Blair turned worried eyes on his partner. Jim sighed.

"Let's call Simon first and have him check things out. You have the captain's name?"

Blair smiled gratefully. "Yeah, Captain Green."

"Okay, hold onto that e-mail." Jim went to get the phone. He came back a few minutes later. "Simon's going to call Milwaukee. He'll let us know."

"We may have to go out there, Jim, or get them to come here. Captain Green said that the officer, Nick Rantel was captured by a drug lord they were trying to bring down a few months ago. Nick was evidently locked in a shipping container for four days before he was found. After that he started having sensory problems, spikes, zone outs, the usual.

He almost literally ran into the professor, Sean Perales, just a couple weeks ago. Nick and Sean hit it off and Nick began to realize he had some control around the Prof. Nick confided in his captain. Green remembered seeing something about a super cop on the West Coast with heightened senses last year." Blair shrugged and continued, "and that's what lead him to us."

"Well, it's a good thing…" the phone rang interrupting Jim's response. "Ellison. Hey, Simon, that was fast. Really? Yeah, Blair thought that might be best. Okay, see you later."

"Well?"

"Well, Simon spoke to Green. It appears Green is ready to fly himself, Rantel and Perales out to Cascade on the next available flight. According to Simon they'll be here in about six hours."

Blair stared at his roommate.

Jim chuckled. "I never have a camera when I need one."

"They're coming here? Now? Oh, man!" Blair jumped up and started toward the kitchen. "We don't have anything to feed them." He stopped and grabbed Jim's arm. "Are you going to be okay with this?"

"Sure, why, Chief?"

"Nick's a Sentinel, man. He's coming into your territory, your home!"

"Our territory, Blair, our home. And it was sort of by invitation. It'll be all right. He's already got a Guide, remember? Why don't you shut down the computer and start some lasagna. I'll work on cleaning up a bit."

Blair did as Jim suggested then went out into the kitchen to see if he had enough ingredients for lasagna. "Hey, Jim?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"You think they'll want to stay here overnight?"

"Not at the loft," the Sentinel growled.

"Ah, no. Not here, but here in Cascade. I mean they're coming an awful long way. Maybe we should get them a couple of hotel rooms."

"Good idea, Chief. I'll call the Cascade Inn. It's not too far from here and pretty reasonably priced. Think two rooms will be okay?"

"Yeah, just get double beds. I doubt they're gonna be very comfortable with everything yet."

****************

"They're here, Chief," Jim said coming down the stairs as he finished pulling on a clean shirt.

Blair practically ran to the door and opened it before Simon could knock. Simon glared at his detective. Blair grinned and motioned him in.

"Come on in, gentlemen," Blair said smiling at their guests.

The first man in had to be Captain Green. He stood a little taller than Blair, had a shock of silvery gray hair and piercing blue eyes that took in every detail of the longhaired man at the door, then moved over to assess Ellison.

Behind him was a taller man, closer to Jim's height, with skin just a shade lighter than Simon's was. Blair would have known this was Nick even if Jim hadn't suddenly moved closer to the door. Rantel had the same air of awareness about him that Jim had. He moved gracefully, but cautiously and kept himself between Jim and the tall, thin man behind him.

Sean Perales seemed the epitome of a professor. He was somewhere between Jim and Simon in height, and lean. Wiry, might be a better term. His Hispanic heritage showed in his swarthy complexion and black hair. He wore glasses that perched in front of dark brown eyes that could not conceal his intelligence or curiosity.

Blair smiled, recognizing a kindred spirit. "Please, come in, sit down. You don't have anything to fear from us. We want to help." Blair's Guide voice seemed to calm the visiting Sentinel a bit.

Nick looked from Ellison to Sandburg and recognized the protective stance of the Sentinel as mirroring his own. He took a deep breath and offered a shaky smile. "I'm sorry. This is all very strange."

"I know what you mean," Jim said offering his hand. "I'm Jim Ellison. This is my partner, Blair Sandburg." Jim and Nick shook hands, but neither seemed inclined to allow their Guides to move any closer.

Simon cleared his throat. "Why don't we all sit down for a moment and relax." His tone made it more of an order than a request.

Jim took a seat in the armchair and Blair perched on the arm beside him. The visiting pair sat on the couch keeping Simon and Green between them and the Cascade Sentinel.

Banks made introductions for everyone and then gave Blair the floor. The Guide bounced up and started to cross the small space to sit closer to their guests. Jim caught his shirt and pulled him back to the arm of the chair.

Blair glared at his Sentinel. "So much for being okay with it," he said Sentinel soft.

"I said I'd allow them in our city and home, Chief. Nothing was said about getting close to my Guide," the Sentinel growled softly.

Nick stared at Jim for a moment realizing he was the only one who'd heard the exchange, then a relieved smile formed on his face.

"What Nick?" Sean asked, seeing his Sentinel's shoulders relax.

"I thought I was going crazy. But it's not me, is it?" he asked aiming the question at Blair and Jim. "It's this Sentinel thing the Cap told us about, right?"

Blair nodded and grinned. "Jim is a Sentinel and I'm his Guide. A Sentinel is…"

***********

Blair passed out another round of beers to the tired group. They'd made it through dinner and quite a bit of Sentinel 101. Jim and Nick had even relaxed enough to let their Guides out of their sight for a few minutes. Now they were relaxing a bit before the next round of questions.

They'd settled back in the living room, but into three different groups now. The Sentinels, the Guides and the Captains had paired off and gradually individual conversations began.

Nick watched Sean and Blair talking over by the sound system. They were discussing music and meditation. He could see Jim out of the corner of his eye also watching the Guides.

"Why do I feel so protective of him?" Nick asked confusion lacing his voice.

Jim looked at him and answered simply. "He's your Guide."

"I know that, you explained that, but why him? Why not someone else? And why do I feel like tearing your face off every time you look at him?"

Jim grinned. "Sean is your partner in this Sentinel thing. He'll help you with your senses, guide you in how to use them and keep you from zoning out. Eventually, you'll become very good friends too, but for now just accept that you need him. And he needs you too. If we've learned nothing else about Sentinels and Guides it's that they're a package deal."

"Doesn't it make you feel…" Nick waved his hands at a loss for words.

Ellison filled in for him. "Strange? Dependent? Helpless?" Jim shrugged. "I'll tell you, for the first few years we had a pretty tough time. Blair tried to help me, teach me what I was and how to use my senses, but I was pretty stubborn about it. There's more to being a Sentinel than the enhanced senses." Jim chuckled. "Blair swears other traits are enhanced as well, my protectiveness, especially towards my Guide, and determination are just two of those. However there are few people who can out-stubborn Sandburg, me included."

Jim took a sip of his beer. "There's a lot we have to sacrifice for the gifts we have, but I think it's all worth it in the end. I wouldn't trade Blair's friendship for anything."

"It is just a friendship, right," Nick asked nervously, "I mean, it's not physical?"

Jim looked at Nick thoughtfully. "We are more than friends, Nick. Blair's like a brother to me. My soul mate. And I suppose, if we were so inclined, we might be lovers. But trust me, that is not part of the deal. Not unless you want it to be. We do have a spiritual bond though. That's been one of the harder things for me to accept about our relationship." Jim gazed into his beer bottle, watching the bubbles rise to the top.

"How does this bond work?" Nick prodded when Jim didn't continue.

"Hmm? Oh, well, see there's a very spiritual side to this Sentinel thing. If you haven't discovered it yet, then be forewarned. You both have an animal spirit guide. Mine's a black panther, Blair's is a wolf. They sometimes guide you in dreams or visions. Don't ignore these visions, they are usually trying to tell you something very important. Blair died because I didn't listen."

Nick's jaw dropped. "What happened?"

"An unbonded Sentinel came to town, this was before we started our little social club. Blair thought he could help her, but didn't tell me she was here. I could sense her presence, but didn't know what I was sensing at first. It drove me nuts, I felt like something was threatening me, but at the same time I was claustrophobic, couldn't stand to have anyone around. I kicked Blair out of our home.

We finally figured out what was going on, but by then, Alex was one step ahead of us. She drowned Blair in the fountain outside his office at the University. I found him," Jim continued in monotone. "The paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. I couldn't accept that, couldn't give up. Somehow I was able to use my spirit guide to bring him back." Jim sat forward twirling the beer bottle between his hands.

Blair came over and sat on the arm of the chair sensing his Sentinel's despair. He started to rub one hand in slow circles on Jim's back. "I'm here, Jim. It's okay." The Sentinel nodded, but otherwise didn't move.

"I can see I shouldn't leave you two alone for too long," Blair joked trying to lighten the mood.

Simon stood and stretched. "I think it's time to call it a night. I'll drive these gentlemen over to their hotel. We can meet back here in the morning."

Everyone agreed and said good night. Simon ushered their visitors out, casting a questioning look at Blair.

"We're okay, Simon. See you in the morning."

Banks nodded and left closing the door behind him.

Blair patted his partner on the shoulder and stood to clear the table. He felt Jim come up behind him. "You told him about the fountain?"

"Yeah." Jim grabbed some of the dishes and headed for the sink.

"You were talking so softly, only Nick could hear you." Blair followed Jim.

"It's hard." He turned on the water to let it heat up.

"I know. I'm sorry." Blair laid a hand on Jim's shoulder.

Jim turned toward him. "For what? It wasn't your fault Alex drowned you."

Blair met his gaze. "No. I'm still sorry you had to go through that."

"And I'm sorry you had to go through it." Jim grinned wryly. "I'm okay." He started washing the dishes. "So what do you think?"

"I'm getting a weird feeling of déjà vu."

Ellison chuckled. "Yeah, but maybe without so many stumbles, huh?"

"God, I hope so."

***********

"Bye! Have a safe trip," Blair said with a wave at the four men as they walked out the front door.

"Thanks for driving them to the airport Simon," Jim called down the hall.

Jim pushed the door closed and as one, he and Blair turned and leaned against it with a sigh.

"I'm beat," Blair said softly.

"Yeah," Jim replied. Neither moved from the door.

"We definitely need help."

"Uh huh."

"Think Simon will mind if we're late tomorrow?"

"Uh huh."

Blair started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Jim asked finally pushing away from the door. He turned to stare at his hysterical friend.

Blair wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "Nothing, man. I'm tired and a little punchy. Think I'll hit the sack." The younger man straightened with a yawn and disappeared down the hall into his bedroom.

Jim stood by the door for a moment longer contemplating what they had accomplished. They'd certainly done what they set out to do. Contacted other Sentinels and Guides, offered assistance where needed and generally started paving the way for future pairs to be accepted by society. Not too bad for a few months work.

Nick and Sean, plus their captain, just happened to bring the whole thing home in a very personal way. It was comforting to know the Milwaukee pair would have the same support that he and Blair did.

The Sentinel locked the door and checked the windows. He did a quick sensory scan of the area then headed upstairs to bed. He ignored the occasional giggles from his Guide's room.

Blair got ready for bed, stifling his amusement as best he could. He wasn't sure exactly why it had struck him as so funny. The image of Jim and Nick in a huddle kept popping into his head. Blair had overheard part of the conversation quite by accident. Something about why Jim preferred silk boxers to cotton. The Guide had been hard pressed not to crack up at the time.

Now the long weekend had caught up with him, but his mind was still going a hundred miles an hour. And those stupid boxers wouldn't leave his thoughts. Blair was so tired that he even resorted to trying to count sheep. When they changed into silk boxers jumping over the fence, he gave up and let the laughter flow.

"Blair!" Jim cried from the room above. "Go to sleep."

Blair turned his head into the pillow hoping to muffle the giggles.

"Ha ha ha… silk… hahahaha…. Boxers….heeheheehehe."

"SANDBURG!"

"Heehehe…"

The end.

Please let me know what you think. Feedback keeps the stories coming. Judy

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