This story has been split into three parts due to length.

Covert Operations

by Rogue

Author's website: http://moodyblusr.com/roguesgallery.html

Author's notes and disclaimers can be found in Part One.

Covert Operations -- Part Three

Blair came out of his meditation trance almost two hours later, feeling decided clearer and freer from the turmoil that had been clouding his mind. It was the first time he'd ever been party to something like that, and it had not sat well with the gentler aspects of his soul. Although, that close call earlier when Jim had ducked just in time to avoid being gutted by an enraged terrorist, had sparked an ugly need in Blair to tear the enemy to pieces. He'd done some heavy meditating on that score.

Getting to his feet, he noted that full darkness was about to descend and he winced. Shit! Jim's gonna kill me, I know it! he grumbled to himself and stepped out on to the pathway to return to the village.

He pulled up short when he found Jim sitting calmly against the base of a giant tree, his rifle in his lap. The captain looked up, saw him staring, and got to his feet. With a nod of his head, he turned and began walking back to the village.

Startled and feeling slightly unbalanced in a weird, warm way at this display of protectiveness for himself, Blair stayed silent and eventually he began following the older man. His hyperactive brain wanted to kick into high gear to puzzle this out, but his body was way too tired to agree to it.

Some days it's better to roll over and play dead, Blair told himself, and take things as they come. Higher reasoning can be dealt with later.

When the two men bedded down in the hut later that evening, Blair fell asleep to the sight of Jim Ellison's calm face.

Two days later, the village rang with the roar of an infuriated, incredulous, and grieving Ranger Captain.

"How the fuck did it happen?! He was supposed to be getting BETTER!'" Jim Ellison bellowed with rage. His fists were clenched tightly, his jaw doing the same, his eyes narrowed, and his body rippling with controlled power. He gave the appearance of a very dangerous wild animal that no one in their right mind should provoke. It was why the Chopec kept a distance from him, watching in awe as the younger stranger bravely approached him.

Blair, his own heart tight with the grief of coming back from another successful assault to find that Williams had died while they were gone, slowly approached his enraged captain. He held his hands up and out, his eyes wide, in a submissive posture. "Jim, Captain, I don't know! I don't know how it happened, but we can look. I'll ask, just give me a minute to ask what went wrong-"

Suddenly, Jim had him by the upper arms, as usual, and he found himself pulled hard against that tall, strong body as the older man snarled down at him. "What went wrong is that we were sold out by our own government! What went wrong is that our chopper was shot down when that never should have happened. What went wrong, Sandburg, is that a lot of good men have died for no good reason!"

"I - I ... Jim, I know, I agree with you. But there's nothing we can do about it now; we need to find out what killed him and then we need to bury him, to honor him like the others." When the hands tightened further on his arms, he closed his eyes and whispered, "Jim, please, you're hurting me!"

He found himself sitting on his ass in the dirt at the abrupt release from Jim's hands. He stared up at the infuriated, internally grieving man who stared back down at him wildly. Then Jim's face screwed up into a grimace and he wheeled around, heading for the healing hut. Blair scrambled to his feet and ran after him.

Incacha was already there, slowly looking over the body, searching for what had gone wrong despite the healing that had been done. The medicinal poultices had been applied, they had gotten water and mashed foods into the ill man, so what could have caused the death was unknown ... until now. When he felt the simmering presence of the angry soon-to-be Sentinel filling the healing hut, he lifted Williams' left arm and pulled it back to expose a bloody welt under the arm, near the armpit. He pointed to it and said softly, "It is part of the sickness that did not travel to the skin, but instead went deeper into the body. We did not know about it and so nothing was done. I am sorry for your pain, Sentinel, and for your loss."

Blair translated and then stepped between the shaman and the captain when Jim tensed and took a step toward the Indian belligerently. Holding up his hands submissively again in a stalling gesture, the private said quietly, "Jim, it looks like a boil that was undetected inside his arm and it popped while inside. The pus leaked into his bloodstream and killed him-"

"I'm a trained medic, Sandburg, I know how it works!" he snapped coldly. He closed his eyes and shuddered, trying to keep a tight hold on his anger and grief. "Tell the shaman I understand and thank you for doing his best to heal Williams. Tell him I'll take him for burial now."

Sandburg did as instructed and then waited until Incacha had left the hut before turning to face his Captain again. "When should I tell them we'll be back? Will we be back?"

"One: we are not going anywhere; I am going alone to attend to this. Two: of course we're staying here; we have a mission to accomplish, remember? The pass is not yet rid of the insurgence and we don't leave until it is. The information about their armament may have been phony, but this pass does need to be cleared out and defended. So we stay until it's taken care of and the Army comes in after us, you got that, Private?"

"Captain-"

"I said, do you understand, Private?!" Jim yelled.

Blair shut his mouth with a snap and nodded, saluting. He stepped back, took one last look at Williams, then turned on his heel and marched out of the hut.

Jim sighed and scrubbed hard at his face, then steeled himself for the unpleasant task ahead of him. Wrapping the dead man up in the blanket he'd been laying on, he heaved the body over his shoulder. Stepping out of the hut, he found his rifle propped against the wall of the dwelling. Picking it up, he shouldered it on the other side of his body and then left the village without a word to anyone, not noticing a certain pair of blue eyes watching him go with his sad parcel.

Blair continued to watch for a long moment after his captain had left, then started when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked into Incacha's eyes.

"Go after him this time, young one," the shaman advised, "but wait for him to come to you. As always, this part of the task he needs to do alone. After this, never let him be alone again."

The young American stared at the Indian for a long, long time. Then, nodding, he shouldered up his own rifle, grabbed up a couple of canteens, and followed slowly after his captain.

Incacha watched him go with his sweet smile, then turned away to gather up a few items. He had to get the healing hut purified from the taint of death it had acquired over the last few days.

Jim finished patting down the last of the earth, tamping the grave neatly, then tossed the crude shovel of a piece of rotary blade he'd been using, away. Gasping quietly, he tore his T-shirt into strips and bound the cloth around his cut and bleeding hands. It left him wearing only his khaki tank-top, but that was fine. A shirt didn't matter in the least. Especially not since he was standing here staring down at seven graves that should not have been. Getting control of his breathing, he carefully draped Williams' dogtags around the marker he'd erected for the dead man, then stepped back. He didn't linger, barely even glanced at the graves; only long enough to satisfy himself that they had not been messed with, either by humans or animals, then turned and walked off back into the jungle towards the Chopec village.

He walked along, the rifle slung over his shoulder, staring ahead or glancing around occasionally to check for signs of hostile activity. And he absolutely refused to think of the fact that he had lost the last of his trained unit and was now alone to carry out his mission with Blair and the Chopec.

Suddenly, he halted, freezing in the pathway. Twilight was beginning but he had seen or heard nothing wrong, but ... but that smell.... Jesus! I must be fried if I'm suddenly starting to smell Blair out here! The kid is back at the village; he wouldn't have followed me and besides, how could I smell him anyway? The kid doesn't stink THAT badly!

Shaking off the sudden disturbing experience, he was thankful when the illusion of Sandburg's scent seemed to fade away. He started walking again when he stumbled and fell to his knees, clapping his hands over his ears as the jungle seemed to explode in sound. Birds voices chittered through the air of the late afternoon, their chirps ringing in his ears. The singing of crickets and the sighing of the wind through the trees were all amplified; the crunching sounds of bugs chewing through plants were horrendous, and he could've sworn he heard the waterfall, though it was perhaps eight miles away.

No. NO! he denied vehemently, shuddering. This is impossible; it can't be happening! Make it stop! he howled mentally.

Abruptly, Blair's voice came to him and he froze, his eyes wide and staring blankly at the ground before him. It didn't sound like a memory, but as though he were hearing the kid from not more than a few feet away.

"...let him come soon, God, please," the younger man was muttering. "I shouldn't have left him alone; Jesus knows what kind of state of mind he's in. Fuck, what'm I going to do if he's spaced out? I don't know anything, I'm good for nothing on this mission-"

And then Jim's hearing swiftly returned to normal as rage blasted through him. Whether he believed this was happening to him or not, he knew, without a doubt, that the kid had come after him and was waiting for him. And if that were not enough to irritate the shit out of him, what he'd just heard Blair say about himself was aggravating in the extreme.

He pushed himself to his feet and began to run through the jungle, homing in instinctively on where the younger man had stationed himself waiting for the older man.

Blair waited by one of the larger trees along the pathway. He was currently in the process of wearing down a nice, large, soft patch of grass with his pacing. He continued to mutter to himself about his general inadequacy and worry for his Captain, hoping against hope that Jim hadn't been driven over the edge by this latest blow.

Suddenly, he heard the pounding sound of heavy, running footfalls and he whirled, bringing his rifle up automatically, searching for the source of the imminent attack. When he saw Jim running towards him, hell-bent for his position, fury etched across the handsome face, Blair froze in shock. Belatedly, he listened to his subconscious screaming at him to get the fuck outta there, run, save himself, and he caved in without a moment's hesitation. Instinctual preservation was forcing him to flee, knowing he was in for a world of trouble.

He had made it about thirty yards when he found himself tackled off his feet and landing hard on the ground. The impact drove the breath from his lungs with a "whoulf!" and then he was rolling over and over again until finally, he came to a halt face-up on the ground. He struggled to sit up and froze again when he heard a low, menacing growl. Glancing over, he found Jim crouched near him, glaring at him heatedly, a crazed look in the intense blue eyes. Dropping back onto his elbows, Blair lifted one hand out to his captain, instinctively asking for leniency as he whispered, "Jim...?"

Ellison heard the beautiful young man whisper his name in that smooth, throaty voice of his. He watched the hand lift toward him, saw the pleading in the bright blue gaze, and his control snapped. With a half-wild snarl, he was upon the younger man.

Blair cried out when 200+ pounds of wired-up Ranger Captain suddenly landed on top of him, then found his breath stolen again as a hot, wet mouth latched hungrily, powerfully onto his own. He shuddered as the handsome, sexy older man kissed him hard, savagely. Briefly he wondered if he should do something to save himself, but his rifle had been knocked from his hand when Jim had tackled him and lay too far away to do him any good. And when Jim's tongue thrust hotly into his mouth to taste, stroke, and drive him wild, he gave up on any thought but giving himself to this man.

Ellison shuddered and growled at the hot, delicious taste of the young man beneath him. He wanted this, needed this, was going to have this boy if it was the last thing he ever did. This boy was his! His, and his alone, and Jim was taking his mate now. He held the soft, close-shorn head steady with one hand and dropped his hand to the waistband of Blair's fatigues pants. Swiftly, he fumbled the fastenings open and slipped his hand beneath the elastic of the younger man's underwear and gripped the hot, throbbing erection firmly in his hand, pulling and stroking fiercely on it.

Sandburg bucked and howled beneath his captain at the hot, rough touch on his cock. Shaking, he writhed and twisted against the older man, wanting more of that touch as he kissed back hungrily. He lifted his hands, settled them on the bigger man's shoulders, and dug in hard with his fingers as he tried to pull Jim closer to him, his hips bucking up into the fist that wrapped around him.

The newly-born Sentinel growled in approval at this submission, relishing the intense taste of the young man. Gripping the material of the pants, he yanked, pulling them down to the tops of the still-laced boots. Too impatient and too incoherent to think beyond getting inside the tight, beckoning heat of the other man's body, he ignored any attempt to get the rest of the clothing off. He pulled back, gasping for breath and then stuck two fingers into his own mouth, sucking and wetting them thoroughly. When that was done, he used his hands to bend his mate's legs at the knees and spread them. He purred roughly and took Blair's mouth again as he spread the silky buttocks and pushed the wet fingers into the younger man's virgin channel.

Blair cried out and twisted at this hasty, solid invasion where no one had ever been before. He wasn't frightened, exactly, since he wanted it so badly, but it felt strange. Jim moved to place more weight over top of him and continued to kiss him thoroughly as those fingers moved in and out of him, stretching and wetting him. The fingers abruptly left him as did Jim's mouth; the fingers were wetted down again and again slipped inside him, reaching further, and this time Blair welcomed them, lifting his hips to reach for them and give them better access. When one of the fingers brushed against a tiny, hidden nub inside him, he went wild, his hips bucking as his head thrashed back and forth on the jungle floor, desperate moans and howls spilling from him pleadingly.

And that was all Jim could stand any longer. He pulled the fingers out quickly and staggered up onto his knees. He yanked open his pants, pushing them and his underwear down around his hips, freeing his aching erection. He spat into his hand and used that and the pre-cum that dripped from the slit of his cock to slick the throbbing member. He had to do this; had to ready himself so he wouldn't hurt his lover unnecessarily. Reaching the last of his control, he flipped Blair onto his stomach, drew his hips up and back, the younger man's knees spread wide. He gripped the silky ass cheeks, forced them apart, and drove into him with battering force.

Blair screamed in pain and pleasure, digging his fingers into the dirt and vegetation of the jungle floor, his body shuddering as he felt himself filled. He feared for a moment that it was more than he could take, that he was going to be done some serious damage but then his body abruptly relaxed around the invading cock and he let go of his fear. He braced himself against the fierce, rapid, hungry thrusts behind him, excited beyond belief. He lifted his hips higher, wriggling back against Jim in an effort to take him deeper, though it didn't seem possible. Behind him, Jim groaned with each pounding movement, wild, guttural sounds that ignited something primitive and dark and delicious in Blair, making him crave the intensity of this animal fucking. And when the hot tip of Jim's cock stroked repeatedly across the hidden nub inside him, he arched up and howled his demand to be fucked harder, deeper, faster 'cause yeah, oh yeah, he wanted it, wanted Jim, had to have it, have it all c'mon man deeper harder yeah please JimJimJimJimJimJim*Jim*!-

Blair's soul-shattering scream of ecstasy ripped through the surrounding jungle as he felt himself dissolve in an absolute surfeit of pleasure. He feared for one bright, brief moment that he was dying, that he was going to die and that Jim would be all alone, but then knew he would never leave the other man alone again so of course he wasn't dying. But damn, if he was, then what a way to go.

Jim tensed when his lover's orgasm hit, listened to the ululating wail the younger man let loose with, then growled gutturally as he smelled the scent of ejaculate, felt the tight, hot channel convulse and tighten around him rhythmically. Shuddering hard, he gripped Blair's hips in his hands and pounded harder, faster, thrusting desperately until finally, oh yes, finally, and he shoved violently into his lover and held himself there, shuddering, a hoarse, primal roar ripping through him as his orgasm shook him to the core. His hips slammed convulsively a few times as he emptied his seed from his throbbing cock into Blair's tight, hot, sweet ass, and then he collapsed atop the younger man, forcing his body to the floor. Before either of them could even think about moving, they passed out.

Some undetermined time later, Jim awoke. He grimaced at the throbbing in his head, the throbbing in his lower back, and the throbbing of his dick which, oh by the way, was buried deeply inside Blair Sandburg's ass.

He froze, completely shell-shocked by this sudden assessment as to the location of his body parts.

When he felt some command of brain function returning, he took stock of their situation. They were lying on the jungle floor as full evening began slipping upon them. Their pants and underwear were down around their ankles and hips, apparently intact - Thank God! - and his cock was imbedded in the young man he'd been lusting after for almost two weeks. Blair lay face down in the dirt and greenery of the jungle floor, breathing easily - Thank you again, God! - and unhurriedly. To all appearances, he was simply sound asleep and unconcerned about anything.

Jim lay still a moment as bits and pieces of memory came back to him and he cringed, his stomach roiling as he remembered the savagery with which he'd taken the younger man. He also couldn't believe how badly he'd needed to, had actually acted to lay claim to Blair.

Like I've got any right to any part of him, he snarled to himself. Especially now, after the way I practically mauled him. I'll be lucky if the kid doesn't go stark raving pissed off and guns me down where I stand when he comes to and remembers all this.

Carefully, he began moving, attempting to slip gently out of the younger man so he could ascertain the damage, if there was any physical damage that had been done. He froze again when he heard a questioning whimper. His expression tender, he reached up and lightly stroked a finger down one angular cheek, skipping the curve of the lush mouth. "Shhh, Chief. It's just me. I ... I'm going to pull out now, okay? Just relax, I'll be out in a moment."

"Don't want you to," came the distinct mutter and Jim's jaw unhinged. He gaped down at the young man beneath him incredulously. "WHAT?"

Blair yawned sleepily and lifted his head, turning it fractionally until his sleepy blue gaze met the wide, stunned one of his captain and new lover. He smiled softly, reassuringly. "I don't want you to leave me," he said clearly. "I want you to stay in me; I want to do it again."

"Oh, God," Jim muttered hoarsely, his cock hardening to instant, painful erection.

The newly-born Guide let out a shivering sigh as he felt the hardness inside him stretching him again. He loved that, loved the feel of it, and as he shifted, he could feel the bruises that Jim had given him during their frantic sex, and loved the feel of the other man's marks upon him. He pushed backwards with his hips gently and said, "Do it again, Jim."

"No." Carefully, swiftly, Jim pulled out of Blair, then helped him turn onto his back. He smiled down at the confused young man. "Not like this. If you really want this; you're sure you want me, then we're doing it right this time." So saying, he stripped off Blair's boots with a few quick tugs on the laces and soles, then pulled the pants and underwear down and off the strong, sturdy, hair-covered legs. Reaching up, he gripped the bottom of Blair's T-shirt and pulled that and the khaki tank-top underneath upwards until finally, Blair lay nude except for his dogtags.

"You, too," the young man whispered shyly, then smiled up at his lover.

Jim paused to stare at this fascinating young man below him. The mix of wanton and shyness, and the smile that he'd never seen before; so wide and open and carefree, it nearly blinded him. He moaned softly and reached down to grip the base of his cock, squeezing hard and halting the imminent orgasm that he had felt rushing up on him just at the sight of the eager man alone.

Blair smiled, realizing what the other man was doing, and flushed with pleasure at the knowledge that he did that to Jim. He stretched softly and shifted, enjoying the feel of the desire coursing through him. "Jim, take off your clothes," he said quietly.

Dazedly, Jim did just that, letting the clothing fall where it may.

It was Blair's turn to fight off completion as he gazed on the sculpted perfection that was Jim Ellison in the nude.

Smiling as he recognized the signs of need in his lover, Jim bent and began to taste every inch of him. His hands and lips ghosted over the younger man's throat and shoulders, moving down to nibble his way through the surprisingly abundant chest hair. When he found the stiffened nipples, he tongued and suckled them, enjoying the shouts and writhing his lover let loose with. When Blair's hands came up and around to stroke up and down his back and over his hips and buttocks, he shivered and arched, purring, into the firm, warm touch. Then, gathering his concentration again, he began moving lower and lower until finally, he bent and inhaled deeply at Blair's groin, taking in the rich, musky scent of his lover, coupled with the smell of their semen. It made his mouth water and so he moved until he could move his tongue in one long, trailing lick from the base of the hard shaft up to the pre-cum wet tip.

Blair shouted and arched up wildly. God, the sensation of that hot, agile tongue streaking up his cock...! He couldn't believe it, and he wanted it again, immediately. "Jim ... please...."

Chuckling, Jim bent and opened his mouth slightly, pursing his lips, and slowly, ever so slowly, slid his mouth down over the tip of his lover's cock. When his lips wrapped firmly and snugly around the head, he sucked hard, once, and had to hang on to Blair's hips in an effort to keep from being choked by the enthusiastic response his lover gave. Keeping the frantically writhing hips pinned to the ground, he began to slide his mouth further and further down the shaft, relaxing his throat to take it all in. When his nose was buried in wiry brown curls, he carefully took a deep breath and then swallowed, rippling the muscles in his throat around the hard cock in his mouth.

Sandburg screamed hoarsely, his back arching up since his hips were imprisoned. His head thrashed back and forth as he chanted Jim's name, begging him for more, for something, for completion; he cajoled, he pleaded, he threatened, and even talked dirty, using a few words and phrases he'd picked up on his travels with his mother. None of them worked, though they definitely affected the bigger man, who quivered lustfully at the thought of Blair doing some of the things he'd mentioned to him.

Oh, yeah ... his tongue up my ass before his dick gets there.... Yeah, I can see that happening, he thought, then began to slowly stroke his mouth up and down the hot, throbbing erection.

Blair groaned gutturally and Jim wished he could laugh when he heard the garbled, "outta my mind, back in five minutes" that came from his young lover. Instead, he concentrated on pleasuring Blair with his mouth and one hand. When he sensed the shudders preceding his lover's orgasm, he pulled back slowly and then sat up and back, resting on his knees between Blair's spread thighs. He watched, smiling, as the younger man slowly became coherent again.

When Sandburg finally noticed the lack of stimulation to his body parts, he lifted his head, ready to demand the return of the pleasure giving caresses. The words strangled and became a whimper in his throat when he saw that Jim was stroking his own erection, slowly, lazily, his large hand drifting up, then down in a steady, unhurried rhythm. When the captain smiled at him, grinning mischievously, his whimpers became louder. "Oh God, please...."

"You want it? You want me?" Jim said softly, still stroking his cock lazily.

"Yes," Blair growled. "Yes, please...."

"All right," the older man soothed, stopping his caresses and moving forward, positioning himself. "You'll tell me if you're too sore to take me, baby. Okay? Tell me?"

The young man nodded, gazing up hungrily at his lover, his wide blue eyes shining.

Jim smiled. "That's good, baby, that's very good. I'm gonna come into you now, lover, okay? I'm gonna slide into you, fill you up with me ... I'm gonna be hot, and hard, and so very good...."

Blair shuddered, whimpering as he felt the hot, large, throbbing erection beginning to push into him. The full, hard sensation combined with Jim's hot words were making his nerves sizzle with want and need. "Yes, yes, yes," he chanted softly, reaching up to wrap his arms around his lover's neck. "Jim, oh Jim, yes, Jim, yes...."

Ellison slid all the way into his lover, still smiling reassuringly. He began moving and this time he was tender, lingering over the smaller man. He gently kissed the beard-roughened throat Blair bared for him, one hand sweeping down the chest to play with Blair's nipples before moving to fist Blair's erection. He didn't pump, didn't stroke, but simply held on as he moved slowly in and out. Blair lifted his head to press soft, feverish kisses along Jim's brow, nuzzling the hairline that he could tell would recede as the other man grew older, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the man in his arms, in his body, and the loving he was receiving from said man.

Jim rode him for a long time, slowing when he felt either of them approaching climax, not yet ready to succumb. He supported his weight on one of his forearms, his other hand still wrapped around Blair's cock, and their gazes locked as he moved in and out of the younger man. Blue eyes stared into blue and they both knew as they arched and writhed together that neither of them would want anyone else as a lover ever again. When Jim couldn't hold off his climax any longer and Blair's whimpers became tinged with notes of desperation and distress, he sped up his rhythm. He moved fluidly, smoothly inside his lover as he began to stroke the younger man's cock until finally, Blair cried out and gripped his buttocks, pulling him in hard and deep. As Blair's seed spattered both their stomachs and chests, Jim shuddered and bucked with the force of his orgasm and jetted his semen into his lover.

The bigger man collapsed atop the smaller, panting harshly for a moment, then rolled to his side so he wouldn't crush the younger man. Neither of them said anything, but as they held and stroked one another, they realized nothing really needed to be said.

A year and a half passed and within that time, the Chopec Pass was cleared of the terrorist insurgence and defended against renewed attempts to reclaim it, and the Chopec tribe became the dominant tribe in the jungle. They grew prosperous and established their territory and were left in peace; the lesser tribes warred with each other for various things, but no one challenged the Chopec, who held the largest territory.

Which their Sentinel patrolled.

Jim had gradually come to accept his abilities and Blair's uncanny knack of guiding him through them. The younger man fretted constantly about the fact that he couldn't get his hands on any research material that might give him significant clues as to help the older man when certain problems cropped up, but they muddled through. Eventually, he gained more and more control over his senses, though the occasional "zone-out" still happened, but he never worried about it. His Guide, Blair, was always there to bring him out of it.

It was a bright, sunny, warm day as Jim stood in front of the seven graves that held the remains of his dead unit. He watched as sunlight filtered through the swaying branches of the trees overhead, glinting off the dulled and corroded metal of the fallen men's dogtags, and sighed. Lord, he was so tired. He and Blair had been out here for a year and a half, defending the Pass against the terrorists, and even that had tapered off thanks to the reputation the Pass had gained. After all, no one who came into it with harmful intentions never left the area alive. The jungle was littered with unmarked graves of the foolhardy men and the few women who had tried to invade it anyway.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply again, drawing in the scents of the surrounding area, filtering through and cataloging them. He supposed he could have dialed up his hearing if he really wanted to know if anyone was nearby, but the scenting did two things. One: it let him keep that particular skill honed, and two: he didn't want to get an earful of every single noise within a five mile radius and then have to wade through them one at a time. There were far less differing scents surrounding him than there were sounds, and with the headache he was sporting right then, he wanted less work to do.

Opening his eyes again, he looked down at the graves, his eyes unerringly ending at Sarris'. It still hurt, though a little more bearably now, at the fact that Robert Sarris was forever buried and gone from him. Besides being his part-time lover, the other man had been a wonderful and true friend, working his way up beside Jim through the Army ranks. The captain still missed his friend sometimes. He missed all of them.

Immediately, his ears perked as he recognized the approach of a familiar and beloved heartbeat. When he felt a hand touch his shoulder, he let the hurt and loneliness and exhaustion fade, knowing he wasn't truly alone. Not as long as he had the man who stood beside him, offering his help and friendship and everything else so willingly, looking up at him with wide, trusting blue eyes.

Blair Sandburg. Army Private, Chopec-Shaman-in-Training, Guide to the Chopec Sentinel, and beloved of James Ellison.

Though the older man had yet to say so out loud. He was afraid to, for the simple fact that he knew how his luck ran. He was terrified that if he said it, he'd then lose what he cherished the most. So he stayed quiet and was silently relieved that Blair never pressured him about it.

Turning to fully face his Guide and lover, Jim smiled down at the smaller man and reached up to brush his fingers down the angular cheek with its constant five o' clock shadow.

Blair grinned and moved closer to his Sentinel and lover, reaching up to touch the other man's cheek in a mirror gesture. "Hey. Are you okay, man?"

"Yeah. Just more than a little tired, Chief," Jim replied, giving the smaller man a tired, loving smile. He reached up and ruffled the two-inch curly locks of hair that had grown in since they'd been shot down a year and a half ago. Jim had Blair trim his hair occasionally with one of their razor-sharp knives because he wasn't comfortable with long hair, but it was too much trouble to tame the surprisingly curly thick mass Blair called his hair. Besides which, the Guide had wanted to let it grow out, insisting that it probably wouldn't matter when they got back to the States.

"I know. I wish I could do more to help you, but..." Sandburg trailed off, shrugging helplessly.

"You do more than enough to help me, baby," the Sentinel stated emphatically, reaching to pull his Guide into an embrace, wrapping his arms firmly about the younger man. He smiled when Blair instinctively and willingly snuggled in, placing his head on the taller man's shoulder.

"Thank you. I wish I could make the tiredness go away, but I'm afraid I'm here to ask you on the behalf of the Chopec to come back to the village. An emissary from the Pinawa tribe is going to arrive soon; they have news of a new nest of invaders setting up. Bad shit's been going down, according to them."

Jim frowned and hugged tighter. "Then it sounds like we have a job to do." Sighing, he let his lover go and pulled back to grin down at Blair. "Which means it's you and me to save the world, huh, Chief?"

Blair's mischievous grin, which Jim absolutely adored, flashed across his tanned, stubbled face. "Again?" he teased in reply.

Laughing, the Sentinel ruffled his lover's hair again and then set off toward the village, his Guide trailing along behind him and soaking in the sounds of his lover's laughter.

Sentinel and Guide sat together and quietly listened as the emissary from the Pinawa tribe explained about the new tribe of invaders who had taken up residence twenty miles from the Chopec Pass. Already, smaller tribes who lived closer to civilization had been hit hard, many of them slaughtered but those who were of use had been taken away to the invaders' territory. A few children had been saved, but that was all. The invaders were harvesting the coca leaves in their chosen territory as well as the plants from the tribes' region. Scouting parties had already gone to observe the invaders' base, but they could see neither hide nor hair of the Indians. There were, however, a few fresh, unmarked graves near the edge of the jungle. A fair-haired man seemed to be the leader of the new invaders.

Blair and Jim glanced at each other, the Sentinel's jaw clenched tightly, his blue eyes snapping with angry energy. "Sounds like a new drug harvesting terrorist group," he growled in English.

Sandburg nodded sadly. "Yeah, and the Indians taken captive are probably forced to process the stuff. The graves mean a few of them either died from labor or fought back and were cut down," he replied in the same language.

"Shit. Apparently they've listened to the rumors told about this Pass and are striking quickly, quietly, and lethally. In and out before we noticed and definitely not lingering." Jim grimaced and then spoke up and repeated what he'd said in Quechua. During the 18 months they'd been there, he had quickly become fluent in the language, which gave Blair a respite from being a translator.

"What is your advice, Enqueri?" the leading tribal elder asked.

"I will need to see this place for myself, Lanaqua. I would like to take a scouting party to this place for the next five days. I will familiarize myself with their habits and then advise the warrior parties who participate accordingly," Jim replied.

Lanaqua nodded and then glanced back to the Pinawa representative. "You agree, Pinawa-tay?"

A short, sharp nod was the affirmative. "Yes, Chopec-tay Lanaqua. The invaders must be removed before they become a serious threat to the tribes of the Chopec Pass."

The Chopec gathered in the Warrior's Circle nodded. "Very well. You and your Pinawa brothers who came to us will join the scouting party tomorrow. When the party returns and Enqueri has told us what they have seen of the invaders and how to deal with them, you will take this news to your elders."

"Yes, Chopec-tay Lanaqua," the Pinawa said.

"Thank you," Lanaqua replied graciously, smiling, and then rose from his seat on the ground, signaling the end of the meeting.

Blair and Jim retired to their hut to talk quietly. Dinner was long since over and there was really nothing else to do. "So, how do you want to play this?" Blair asked as they stripped out of their boots and the rest of their clothing. As hot and humid as it was, they frequently slept nude in the evenings.

"I want you to stay here for this trip, Chief," Ellison said immediately. "I've got my senses well enough in hand and can speak the lingo. These new thugs sound more pro than con and things could get hairy; I'd rather not have you in the middle of it."

"Me? Man, what about you? Sure, you say you've got control, but what if you zone? You do that, Jim, and things'll be hairier than an Afghan dog!" Blair replied indignantly.

"I won't be alone on this trip, Chief. The Chopec all know the signs of a zone-out and can bring me out of one. All it'll take is a firm shake and a talking to."

"Yeah, and if Hinakti is along on the trip, maybe a bit more," the younger man growled as he settled onto his bedroll, running his fingers through his hair to untangle his curls. The thought of the beautiful young Chopec warrior anywhere near his lover was enough to drive him up a wall and severely agitate him.

Jim went completely still, then finally turned stiffly and asked, "What do you mean, Sandburg?"

"I mean, Hinakti would love any chance he could get to lay his hands on you!" Blair snapped. "He's always nearby, he's always following us, he's constantly touching you and chatting you up! The guy has serious hots for you, Ellison, and you can't tell me you haven't noticed!"

"Hell, yes, I noticed! It's not like I could miss it when he blatantly tells me he's mine for the taking if I ever want him!" Jim barked. "I've told him no a hundred times over, that he's not you, but he keeps persisting! Jesus, Blair, you can't really mean you think I'd take him over you?!"

"Why not?" Sandburg mumbled, turning away and drawing his knees up, resting his chin on them. "He's a warrior, he's beautiful, he's brave, he's-"

"-not Blair Jacob Sandburg!" the older man growled. He rose up on his knees, reached out, and spun the smaller man around to face him. Pressing forward, he pushed Blair down flat onto the bedrolls beneath them, moving to cover him. "He is not my lover. He is not my Guide. You are, Blair. You're beautiful, you're brave, and you're warrior enough for me. Hell, you're practicing to be a Shaman, just like Incacha, and you don't see him acting like a terrified pansy, do you?!"

Blair frowned. "Is that what I do? Act like a terrified pansy?" he demanded.

"No!" Jim yelled. "I was trying to make a point, dammit, not imply anything untruthful - ah, hell, you know I'm no good with words-" He knew it himself. So he gave up on talking and moved to showing, since that's what he was good at.

Blair moaned as his mouth was taken in a sweet, hot, hungry kiss. He opened his mouth, inviting Jim inside, and the Sentinel dove in, ravaging with his tongue as his hands swept down the lithe, muscular, hairy body.

Gasps and growls, moans and guttural groans broke the stillness of the air inside the hut, as the two lovers tasted and touched frantically, needfully. One moment Blair's head rested on a bedroll, the next it was between Jim's taut, muscular thighs, milking the older man's erection for all he was worth, sucking hungrily on the throbbing flesh. Then he found himself straddling Jim's shoulders, bracing his hands against the wall and stifling his cries as his lover grabbed hold of his hips and moved him in and out of the hot, wet mouth. He could feel his cock swelling in Jim's mouth, his own balls drawing up, and he pulled back. Blair didn't want to come there; he wanted to be inside Jim's ass, and he moved further down the large, buff body.

"I wanna be inside you," he whispered, settling between eagerly spread legs and lifting Jim's hips slightly. "Wanna be so deep inside you, you'll never, ever get me out again...."

"Already there," Jim gasped. "Already ... where it counts...."

Blair shut his eyes tightly, fighting for control so he wouldn't come right then and there. "God, I love you, Jim," he said, his breath hitching slightly.

"Baby..." Ellison breathed, his hips twitching slightly as he reached down to stroke the soft, silky curls. Then he moaned gutturally and his hips arched when he felt his ass cheeks spread wide and Blair's hot, hungry tongue was there at his entrance, eating him from the inside out. He shuddered and bucked and writhed as that talented tongue touched and licked him everywhere, bathing him for possession, and he grit his teeth, struggling to hold on. He didn't want to come until his lover was deep inside him, hot and hard and wanting him.

"Now, Blair! Now! Now!" he cried out. "Come into me and take me, baby."

Sandburg gave one last swipe of his tongue to his lover's entrance then sat up, kneeling between the wide spread, straining thighs. He stroked his hand down over his erection, coating himself with his pre-cum, then gathering Jim's - eliciting a moan during the process - and using that as well. Finally, satisfied that he was lubricated enough, he positioned himself and leaned over, grabbing Jim's wrists and pinning them to the floor. He caught his lover's gaze with his own. "Want me, Jim?" he asked softly.

"Ride me, baby. Please, Blair, in me; take me," Jim pleaded hoarsely.

"Yesss..." the younger man hissed softly, and he pushed inside swiftly, claiming his lover once again in this loving act.

The rhythm was firm, yet unhurried. Blair moved steadily in and out of the older man, who panted and arched and moaned and whimpered, relishing the sensation of his lover's cock stroking him so deliciously. Blair watched him, enjoying the abandon with which Jim gave himself to him, and then he reached down and fisted the Sentinel's cock, his hand keeping pace with his hips as he began to move faster and harder, his hips rocking into Jim's fiercely.

Finally, Jim's fists opened and clenched spasmodically and his face tightened into an ecstatic grimace of pleasure. His mouth dropped open as his hips snapped upward helplessly and he gasped, "Oh, God! Oh, yes, Blair, I'm coming! Blair, I'm coming, Blair, my Blair..." and he arched, shuddered, and managed to strangle the scream of pleasure that struggled to get out of his throat. His channel clenched hard around Blair's thrusting cock as his own erupted in staccato bursts of thick, creamy seed.

At Jim's desperate claim, calling him "my Blair," the young man whimpered low in his throat and he drove in hard and fast, pumping his own orgasm deep inside his lover, his hot seed bathing the grasping channel. Then he collapsed, panting, atop Jim's chest, shuddering uncontrollably in the aftermath of his pleasure.

The two men lay there, Ellison somehow having found the energy to wrap his arms around his Guide to lovingly hold the younger man close. Finally, he managed to roll them onto their sides, where they lay breathing in each other's scents softly, nestled close. As their breathing calmed and they slipped toward sleep, Blair snugged his face closer to Jim's neck and murmured, "Tha' was won'erful ... you were won'erful...."

"Yeah, I know," Ellison replied with a grin, pressing a gentle kiss to his lover's temple.

"Conceited ass. It was me who did all the hard work...."

"Yeah, I know that, too. It was just like it always is with you, baby: better each time," the older man said softly, and kissed Blair again, smiling at the contented hum he felt against his neck.

"Love you," Blair said very quietly and drifted into sleep.

Jim held his lover close and thought, I love you too, baby and then closed his eyes and was asleep himself.

Lanaqua and the other three tribal elders, Incacha, and Blair stood waiting as the scouting party assembled early the next morning. Jim stood still, staring at his lover with a tiny smile twitching the corners of his mouth. He and a few of the other Chopec who had learned how to accurately fire a gun, were carrying rifles as well as a crossbow and a quiver of darts. Blair was fiercely glad that he got to at least keep his with him - Jim had insisted on it, in fact - because Hinakti was carrying what used to be MacKecknie's rifle. The beautiful young Chopec warrior had taken to learning to use the weapon with eager determination and was the best of all the Chopec in the use of it. At the moment, the Peruvian Indian stood beside and slightly behind the Sentinel, the stance of his tall, lean body somehow giving both the impression of passivity and alertness at the same time. His expression was calm, confident and prideful, especially when he turned his glittering dark brown eyes on the tall American he stood next to. When Hinakti glanced over to the young Shaman-to-be, he gave Blair a shit-eating grin and subtly shifted closer to Jim. The Sentinel saw his lover's blue gaze turn to icy daggers that were thrown off to his right and heard the sudden pounding of said lover's heart, and knew the Indian was taunting the smaller American man. He turned his head and glared warningly at Hinakti, then pointedly moved away from the young Chopec upstart.

Hinakti grinned and shrugged unconcernedly.

When everyone was assembled, Jim stepped forward and said, "The scouting party is ready, Lanaqua. We will go now and return in five days' time."

"May the Great Spirits walk with you, my brothers," Lanaqua replied, nodding to the gathered warriors. He truly hoped for their continued safety on this dangerous journey.

Incacha blessed the scouting party with a brief prayer that Blair helped with, and then Jim turned to lead the way out of the village. He'd only gone two steps before he stopped and walked back to where Blair stood silently.

The Guide looked up, confused, and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong. He never got the chance to say anything as Jim reached out and lifted him up against the older man's tall, strong body, his feet dangling above the floor. His eyes blinked wide and then slowly shut on a soft, blissful moan as Jim claimed his mouth in a hot, hungry, thorough kiss that left them both gasping breathlessly.

The surrounding Chopec and Pinawa let loose with whoops and catcalls and laughter, delighting in this show of affection and possession. Knowing that as the Sentinel claimed the Guide, the Guide had a claim on the Sentinel as well, or the tribal watchman would not have gone back to him for a last kiss.

Jim slowly lowered the young man to his feet and steadied Blair when he stumbled slightly. "Hey," he said softly, looking deep into his lover's eyes. "I'll be back." Then he leaned down for one last quick kiss and turned to go.

As the Sentinel walked out of the village with the scouting party, his smug grin widened when he heard Blair murmur dazedly, "Hey ... I'll be waiting."

The scouting party was a little over half way between the Chopec Village and the new terrorist camp the next morning when the pre-dawn quiet was shattered.

At least for the Sentinel, it was.

The Indians and the American had just broken camp when Jim went rigid and shuddered, a look of horror on his face.

The Chopec and Pinawa exchanged puzzled glances among themselves and then Hinakti stepped up to Jim and began stroking his arm. "Enqueri, what is it? What is wrong?"

"Good L-Lord..." Ellison stuttered in English, then switched to Quechua as he shuddered again. "Gunfire ... screams..." he choked out. "The village; the invaders are taking the village!" Then his features twisted with rage and he threw back his head and roared, "BLAIR!!"

Whirling around, he bolted flat out back in the direction they had just traveled, hell-bent on getting to his Guide and lover as well as his adopted "family."

Without hesitation, the Chopec and Pinawa warriors raced after him, rage and fear filling their hearts as they realized they had left the village vulnerable to attack by the invaders.

Blair moaned in pain as he came to; the throbbing in his head making everything hurt down to the molecules in his eyelashes. His stomach roiled nauseously and he swallowed hard and tightened his jaw, fighting back the instinct to retch. Oh, man, please, no. I HATE to barf, I really, really hate it...

And then the matter was beyond his control as memory suddenly kicked in and he watched as the Chopec were cut down, slaughtered, before his eyes. He and Incacha had been involved in a spirit journey, trying to track down the elusive thing that was making the Shaman and his student so uneasy the past few days. When the gunfire had shattered the relative quietness of the village, he had jerked out of his trance and met the wide, regretful brown eyes that were seated across from him. Too late, they received their answer of the wrongness that had been plaguing their subconscious.

Scrambling to their feet, they had peered out of the doorway to the hut and watched as Peruvian men dressed in camouflage pants and shirts stalked into the village, firing precisely with one shot at the Chopec they'd come across. The remaining warriors had gathered their weapons and begun launching a counterattack, but they were distinctly outgunned. Lanaqua had run past, his crossbow and quiver at the ready, and he'd bellowed to Incacha, "Gather the children! Take them and hide! Go, now, go!"

"I will distract them with return fire," Blair had stated immediately. "You begin hiding the children. I'll meet you later in the forest." With that, he had bolted out of the hut and made his way towards the one he and Jim shared and snatched up his rifle and the last two clips of his ammunition. As always, he forced down the compassionate, caring, gentle aspect of his soul and prepared himself for the fact that he would be taking a human life. Several, from the looks of things.

Leaving the hut, he took position behind the wall of another one so he was provided with some cover - Battle Rule to Live By #8: If the enemy is in range, so are you; and Blair had no intention of getting his skull ventilated by a bunch of murdering psychos - took aim with his rifle, and began firing back.

That got the terrorists' attention right quick.

He and the mercenaries exchanged fire - none of it friendly - and Blair had kept an eye on Incacha's progress. Already, the shaman had guided two groups of terrified children out of the village. He was coming back for the rest that had survived the initial assault when his gaze met Blair's. The brown eyes widened and Incacha began to run toward him, lifting his blowdart pipe toward his mouth.

Sandburg had needed no words to understand that he was in serious trouble.

Ducking, he had rolled and barely missed the butt of the rifle that would have cracked across his skull. Instead, he took a glancing blow in the chin and landed hard his side, slightly dazed. The goon who had attacked him was moving in to finish the job when a dart landed in his right eye, toppling him over sideways. Twisting around, Blair had rolled up into a crouch and was ready to dive for cover when he saw, too late, another terrorist sneaking from behind another hut. "Incacha! Get down!" he had bellowed in Quechua, too late, too late, too late....

Blair's eyes snapped open, unseeing of his surroundings, as memory played out brutally in his mind's eye. He saw Incacha twitch and stumble as two bullets found their mark in his spine and side. Then the Indian was down and twitched once more before going still. Blair had bellowed in denial then and wished he could now. He had become deluged in the fierce need to avenge this man who had been a father to him, to avenge the Chopec who had been cruelly murdered. He had given a single, fleeting, regretful thought for his lover, all the love he held for Jim filling and sustaining his heart, and he had leaped up with his rifle in hand and had blown Incacha's killer's head off. Turning, he tracked his gun around to where another group of the mercenaries stood, hoping he'd take a few of them with him when they gunned him down as he knew they would. Then he had felt a sharp sting in the back of his neck. Hissing, distracted, he had reached back and yanked a tranquilizer dart from his skin. He had stared down at the tiny thing in his palm stupidly, then looked up when he heard a noise near him. A large, beefy fist had slammed hard into his temple and darkness had thankfully descended immediately.

Now Blair lost his hold on his stomach and rolled to his side, retching helplessly. His body convulsed as he emptied his guts of that morning's breakfast until finally, he trembled from shock and pain and the gut-wrenching spasms of dry heaving. He lay passive, letting the shock move through him and around him until he at last had some semblance of control over himself again. Calming his breathing, he looked around and realized he was in a very dimly lit room, chained to a wall. There was a partition in front of him, canvas tent flaps and beyond it, he could hear the muffled movement of many bodies. The air was hot and stale and smelled vaguely of something familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Suddenly, the tent flaps parted and what little light was on the other side of the material streaked in and drove sharp shards of brilliance into his unprepared retinas. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut and tears leaked out as he covered his head reflexively.

A moment or two later, he felt someone sliding their hands under his armpits and hoisting him up until he was let go and his back thumped back against a surprisingly solid wall. One of his hands was taken and a glass of water - he could tell by the condensation on the container - was placed in it firmly. Then a voice with a faint German accent spoke. "Drink up, boy. There is someone who wants to talk to you and it will help considerably to have your throat in some sort of useable condition."

Blair was tempted to pitch the water in the direction of the man's voice, but he didn't. His self-preservation instinct was strong and so he carefully began drinking the water, not tasting any weird chemicals in it. By the time he was done, he found he could open his eyes again and see relatively clearly. He looked up to see a lean, fit, blonde man regarding him coolly. "Who ... are you?" Blair croaked around his lacerated throat muscles. "What ... d'ya want me for?"

"For myself, I merely want you and the rest of your little Indian friends out of my way so I can increase production of the cocaine harvesting. For my visitor, however, I haven't got a clue, but then again, I'm not certain I want one. You will find out for yourself soon enough and I believe you won't want to know, either."

"You're the new drug harvester," Blair whispered, his head aching, feeling dizzy. Shit, if that were the case and he was in the base camp, then Jim was probably nearby, along with the rest of the warriors. His Sentinel would be able to track him down and rescue him easily....

"Correct. My name is Carl Reischer and you and your Indians have been making things incredibly difficult for me regarding the Chopec Pass," the blonde man replied.

"Hey, 's what we do, man. 'S our job, y'know?" Sandburg slurred his words, letting his head loll to give the impression that he wasn't yet very coherent. He needed to obtain information, just in case he managed to get away and get to Jim.

"Not any longer. And if you're waiting for your captain to show up, you're going to have to wait a while. By now, he's probably back at the village and burying the remains of the tribe. But don't worry; my men are under orders to bring him in as soon as he is captured so my visitor can begin interrogating you both."

"Who's th' man?"

"Oh, come on, son," came a new voice near the tent flaps and both Blair and Carl turned their heads to look at the new arrival. The man walked in wearing a wide, triumphant grin and Sandburg felt his stomach lurch. "You couldn't have forgotten about me already? I know it's been a year and a half, but it hasn't been long enough."

Eyes wide, wishing he could puke again, Blair let his head thump back bonelessly against the wall. "Colonel Oliver," he whispered.

"Hey! All right, you do remember. Good boy! I knew there was a reason I picked you for this mission. Actually, there were several reasons I picked you for this mission, but I'll clue you in when Ellison gets here. Shouldn't be too long, now," Oliver said, grinning smugly.

Blair forced himself to meet the inhumane gaze. "Y' goin' to kill us, aren't you?" he slurred quietly.

Another predatory grin. "Smart kid. Too bad you're too damned smart and too moralistic to leave alive. I could've used someone with your brains." He turned and left the tiny alcove with a nod to Reischer.

The German drug harvester and dealer stared down at Blair silently for a moment, then turned and left without a word.

Blair sighed and settled back against the wall, closing his eyes. Well, Stan, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into, he joked lamely. A tear trickled out from under one closed eyelid and he let it fall. Oh, God, Jim... I wish you were close enough to hear me. Damn, the shock is going to hurt him so bad and I won't be there to help him if he zones out. Hmph. He'll have other people on hand to help him, though.

And that triggered a thought. The invaders had come in from the less protected side of the village and had clearly been waiting for the scouting party to leave. However, they couldn't have been hiding close by for very long, or Jim would've heard them before then. So, how would they have known to attack when they had, and to know where Blair was for capture, unless ...

Blair's eyes snapped open and he growled dangerously as realization slammed through him. Oh, shit! It was a trap! Sprung from the INSIDE! JIM!!

Captain Ellison, Army Ranger and Sentinel, gaped numbly at the carnage that greeted himself and the rest of the scouting party as they entered the now silent village. The scent of blood and feces and urine were everywhere, as well as more gun oil than the few rifles available warranted. Death was everywhere his eyes roamed, sprawled haphazardly and messily here and there. Mothers were wrapped protectively and uselessly around their equally dead babies or toddlers. Teenage bodies were lying twisted and silent where they had fallen. Lanaqua and the other tribal elders still held their crossbows, their eyes staring silently and accusingly toward the heavens. Old women and men had tried to take defense and had been cut down swiftly and fiercely. Jim hoped that the absence of most of the children meant they had gotten away from the terrorists, rather than having been taken.

Of his Guide and lover, there was no sign.

His ears were ringing from the rush of blood pulsing through them. He forced his hearing to orient itself so he could hopefully find that beloved heartbeat. He didn't hear it, but he did smell that Blair had been here. He began to walk through the village, pacing slowly and carefully, searching for some sign. He passed by Hinakti, who was staring horrified at the carnage. Jim paused, noting that the young Chopec's pulse and scent were off the charts and while that was expected, they both held the taint of disbelief. Almost as if....

No. That was not important. Blair. Finding Blair was important.

When Jim found Incacha sprawled face down in the dirt near the Sentinel and Guide's hut, he cried out and ran to the Shaman as he heard the faint, weak heartbeat still thrumming inside the Indian. Dropping to his knees beside the prone form, he carefully turned the shaman over and cradled the older man in his arms. Dark brown eyes, dull with pain, slitted open and then a weak, sweet smile flitted across the charming face. "Enqueri..." Incacha burbled weakly.

"Incacha..." Jim said thickly, emotion tangling his voice. He'd come to regard the man as a friend, brother, and surrogate father-in-law after seeing the way Blair took to the shaman. He counted Incacha as a close friend and seeing death coming to take him away was heartbreaking for the Sentinel. "Who ... how did ... Blair? Where is my Guide, Incacha?"

"Heard ... the invaders ... speak. Believed I ... was dead. Listened ... hoped you ... would return ... in time to ... hear," the Shaman gasped out as the other warriors gathered around. "A man named ... Reis ... Reischer ... sent the invaders ... on behalf of ... a man named ... Oliver. They made ... your Guide fall ... asleep with ... their sleeping darts ... and fists. Others nearby ... to take you ... to Oliver."

Ellison's jaw was hurting very much, as tightly as he had it clenched. "How did they know to find us here? How did they know when to take the village?" he wondered aloud.

"Hinakti..." Incacha wheezed. "I heard them ... say ... Hinakti."

Jim went very, very still.

The young Chopec in question was standing beside the Sentinel and the dying Shaman and he gasped when Incacha identified him. And when icy cold blue eyes lifted to meet his brown ones, he found his death promised to him and it would not be pretty. "Enqueri ... no..." he whispered.

"Enqueri!" Incacha barked with the last of his strength. Once he had Jim's attention again, he said painfully, "Must go ... after your ... Guide. All else ... unimportant. Go ... save him...."

Indians and Sentinel alike watched as the light and soul fled from Incacha's eyes and the Shaman sagged limply in Jim's arms.

Tenderly, carefully - numbly - Ellison lay the body down on the ground and then slowly got to his feet. The Chopec and Pinawa backed away cautiously, not knowing what his reaction would be. The loyal warriors knew one thing, however, and that was that the traitorous Hinakti deserved the Sentinel's wrath when it was turned on him.

Hinakti backed away from the approaching Sentinel. Death gleamed from intense blue eyes as they stared down at the retreating Chopec. "Why?" Ellison asked, his voice soft and smooth as silk. The tone was nowhere near friendly, however, and Hinakti shuddered with fear.

"Enqueri ... please ... I can explain!" he gasped desperately as he stumbled over Lanaqua's body, grimacing at the action.

"Yes, you can. You will. Now. While you can still talk." The voice and the gaze were implacable.

Backed against a hut wall, ringed in by the quietly raging Ranger and the surviving warriors spread out behind the American, Hinakti glanced around fearfully, then back up to the taller man. "Enqueri, it was not supposed to be like this," he said hoarsely. "I was approached while on hunt three days ago. The men were clothed in your warrior's clothing and they assured me they meant no harm. They asked if I had seen you or the young one."

"And you told them you had why?" Jim hissed. "The invaders wear this manner of warrior's clothing as well. You know this, damn you!"

"Not just your warrior's clothing, Enqueri!" Hinakti said frantically. "Their skin was as pale as yours, except for two others, who's color was as rich brown as the cinchona tree! They wore the same symbol as your clothing does!"

Jim paused. Rangers? Here? After all this time? But that didn't make sense! They wouldn't make war on an innocent tribe just to get hold of he and Blair. But Incacha said Oliver was involved. If that were the case, then Jim knew that this was no rescue operation, but a silencing operation. After 18 months and Oliver just now coming after them, he knew it could be nothing more than a death trip.

He focused his thoughts again and turned hard, cruel eyes on the panicked young man. "I see. There's something else that puzzles me. You never refer to my Guide as 'my Guide'. Why is that? Did these new warriors promise you something if you were to deliver my lover to them?"

Hinakti was sweating profusely, but he nodded slowly. "Y-Yes. I ... Enqueri ... I can be your Guide. I can be so much more to you, help you as he never could. I understand more of this land than he does and I am a warrior. I can be at your side in battle and you would never need fear for your Guide being taken from you!" He flushed when the other Chopec and the Pinawa glowered and sneered at him. Voice shaking, he continued. "The warriors from your land promised me that you would be given over to my care once they had questioned you about your mission. All I would need to do is let them know when you might be separated from him for a time."

"And it never occurred to you that they were lying through their teeth?" Jim snarled. He gestured to the dead Chopec laying nearby. "You thought your skills were a worthy enough prize to trade your tribe's lives?!"

"No! It was not supposed to be like this!" Hinakti yelled. "I did it for love of you and my desire to help you."

"Yet because of your selfish actions, your family is dead. And because you did it on my behalf, that makes me - the protector of this tribe - ultimately responsible for their deaths." Jim stepped away, glaring contemptuously. "Incacha said there are others nearby waiting to take me. We will take them instead," he said, gesturing to the other warriors, then turned and walked away.

"Enqueri!" Hinakti cried out. "What ... what happens to me now?"

"Rest assured, I do not care. But though I am done with you, they are not," the Sentinel snapped, again gesturing at the other warriors, and walked away from the small group.

As Hinakti watched the other warriors slowly approach with enraged, murderous gazes, he accepted that he would not live to further regret his actions or see his dreams fulfilled. With a heavy sigh, he flung his crossbow away and spread his arms wide, tipping his face up toward the sky, offering himself to his executioners.

They fell upon him with single-minded vengeance. And when it was finally over, and he lay still and the air stopped ringing with his screams and cries, his body was dragged off and left to rot in the bushes; a traitor's burial. He did not deserve an honorific burying, unlike his unintentional victims.

Hours later, one of the warriors walked up to stand beside the Sentinel, who was scanning the jungle for the terrorists' heartbeats. "Are the invaders out there, Enqueri?" he asked, his voice rough and hoarse from grieving for his family.

"Yes, Minakwa," Ellison replied, then frowned slightly.

"Enqueri?"

The Chopec was confused when the American warrior suddenly smiled delightedly. When Jim turned and yelled for the others to join them, his simple explanation lifted the hearts of the Chopec and Pinawa alike. "Survivors!"

The Indians followed Ellison as he tore off into the brush. Minutes later, he began calling out familiar names. A chorus of loud, high-pitched cries lifted into the air and with a great rustle, the bushes in front of the approaching warriors parted in the wake of a tide of children. Along with them, were a few of the younger women, all in varying stages of pregnancy. The warriors erupted in glad cries as they gathered these precious people close; the cries escalated when they were joined a moment later by a few elderly men and women from the decimated tribe.

The garbled tale was spilled out, of how the invaders attacked and as the tribe and Enqueri's Guide leaped to defend, Incacha gathered up as many children as he could and the adults he could reach to watch over them. The attack noises had ceased, but no one had come for them until now. Mournful wailing rose from the survivors when they were told that everyone except for the Guide had been killed and that the Guide himself had been taken against his will as part of a trap for the Sentinel.

Jim turned away at this point, moving off to gaze in the direction of the terrorist's camp. Hang on, Blair, he pleaded silently. Hang on, baby; I'm comin' for you. I'll find you, I promise!

Later, as he helped set up camp for the evening down by the waterfall pond - no one wanted to sleep in the village - Jim found himself regretting that he had never actually told Blair how much he loved him.

Jim Ellison stared down at the small band - only 25 men - of terrorists who had made camp as evening began falling. From his perch in a tree, he watched as the Chopec and Pinawa warriors took up positions around the perimeter of the camp. It had already been discussed that he wanted most of the invaders killed, but a few were to be allowed to flee the region and go back to their base camp in their vehicle. It wouldn't take as long for him and the two men who would accompany him - Minakwa, and a Pinawa warrior, Siloke - to get to the base as it would on foot, and waiting any longer than was necessary to get to his Blair was not an option.

Finally, after a long fifteen minutes wait, the majority of the men began bedding down for the evening. It was then that Jim gave the signal to attack and ten of the terrorists went down in the first volley of arrows and Curare darts, another five screaming in pain from the arrows that gouged into their bodies. Before beginning their final pursuit of the invaders, the war party had gathered up certain plants that had lain about and mixed them into a paste that, when touched by human flesh, burned with such an acidic pain that it was nearly overwhelming. Judging from the sounds coming from the ground below him, Ellison judged that the arrowheads that had been dipped in the paste were more than doing their job.

Automatic rifles were quickly picked up and aimed into the surrounding dense foliage. The terrorists fired blindly but the Indians had learned well how to defend against weapons such as these. They took shelter behind very thick tree trunks or crouched low, using natural rocky outcroppings for cover. When the firing stopped, they moved with a smooth economy of motion and leaped up, firing more arrows and darts before ducking back under cover again, their projectiles striking with only a little less accuracy as the terrorists began wising up to what they were facing off against.

The whole skirmish turned into a rout. The terrorists were angry, hurt, and panicked at these unseen, deadly assailants, and they began fleeing, trying to seek shelter. A few men made it to the truck and moved to start it and that's when Jim decided now was the moment to take advantage of the melee below. Gesturing at his companions, the Sentinel shimmied down from his tree and ran low before diving beneath the truck. Minakwa and Siloke followed exactly and the three men took a moment to catch their breath. Then Jim showed them where to wrap their hands and feet on the bars and pipes that made up the underbelly of the truck and they hung on as the vehicle started. Assuring them that this was perfectly normal a noise for a vehicle such as this, Jim concentrated on hanging on as the truck lurched, then began rumbling as it drove away.

As the truck bounced haphazardly across the jungle floor, using the logging road that had been cut into the forest by an oil company before environmentalists put an end to it, Jim listened with grim satisfaction to the pain-filled cries of the dying terrorists behind him.

Blair glanced up as the canvas flaps were pulled aside and two men entered his "cell". He struggled to keep his expression neutral as he saw Oliver and Reischer come into view. During the last 30 hours he'd been left alone with only a bottle of water for sustenance, surprised with even that much benevolence. He had hoped that by now, Jim would either have somehow snuck in and rescued him, or would have been brought in and then somehow rescued them both.

However, as he watched an angry Colonel Oliver approach, he realized that Jim had managed to foul up the Colonel's plans and Blair Sandburg was about to pay for it.

"How the fuck did he do it?" Oliver snarled quietly as he stood in front of the chained, helpless young man.

"Do what?" Blair asked detachedly.

"Slaughter 97% of a well-trained tracking and capture group?!"

"Oh, did he do that?" A sly grin twitched the corners of Sandburg's lush mouth, but he successfully tamped it down.

Oliver lashed out with a vicious backhand that knocked Blair back into the wall and then over onto his side. He loomed above the younger man threateningly. "How. Did. He. DO. It?" he hissed slowly.

"Ask your survivors. I don't know what went down; I wasn't there, remember?"

The Colonel drove the steel-toed tip of his boot into Blair's unprotected belly, cruelly enjoying Sandburg's gasp of pain. "All right, then. Here's what happened according to my men. They were making camp for the evening when out of nowhere they're attacked by a bunch of Indians. Three of my men made it out alive; the rest were cut down."

"So Captain Ellison wasn't even sighted? How do you even know he was involved?" Blair gasped as he gingerly sat up.

"Because this attack was way too coordinated and way too military a maneuver for a bunch of primitive Indians. The whole thing reeked of a Black Ops raid; Ellison was the Captain of the unit and the other one of two survivors. His job was to come in here and teach the tribes how to defend themselves. Looks like he's been doing his job."

"The job you set us up for. Only we weren't supposed to have lived long enough to even get that accomplished, were we, Oliver? But we did survive, and we taught the indigenous tribes well, and guess what? Your men most likely died because they were part of the raiding party that slaughtered a tribe of innocent people. The Indians who attacked your men were the survivors of your nasty little ambush and it's payback time. They won't stop until everyone involved is responsible and if Jim is with them, it's a sure bet they know you're here. And they're going to come for you, Colonel. Captain Ellison taught them good. You won't stand a chance!" Blair snapped, grinning wickedly.

Oliver drew back his fist and put all his weight behind the punch that slammed into Blair's jaw. The younger man fell back hard with a cry of pain, his mind spinning dizzily with this assault. He had enough presence of mind to recognize the need to shield himself as blow after blow rained down on him and he curled himself into a fetal position, his arms up to shelter his head. Long moments later, the beating stopped and he was hauled into an upright position and slammed back against the wall and pinned there. Blair cracked open his eyes to see Oliver crouched over him, a lit cigarette held in his fingers as Reischer looked on impassively behind him.

"You know, it would've gone perfectly if you two hadn't survived; that way, if the team was ever traced and the wreckage found, there would have been no story to tell. You were supposed to have freaked out and sabotaged the 'copter, killing everyone aboard because you couldn't stomach the upcoming mission due to your hippie childhood. And my pipeline for drug profits and the Cali Cartel would've been secured. And while some brass in the Army might doubt the tale of an ex-hippie Army Private, they'll really sit up and take notice if a commissioned officer blows the whistle on me. So you two have to go." Oliver placed the burning tip of the cigarette close to the sensitive skin of Blair's neck, where the corner of his jaw met his ear. "Now, I want to know where Ellison is most likely going to be right now and what he'd be most likely to do."

Blair said nothing, merely tightened his jaw and glared balefully at Oliver.

The Colonel grinned coldly at him and pressed the tip of the lit cigarette to his skin. Blair stiffened in pain, hissing at the contact. The cigarette remained pressed against him, however, and he soon cried out with the pain of his burned skin and seared nerve endings. He shuddered, panting as Oliver pulled it away from him, taking a deep drag on the cigarette to get the tip burning brightly again. This time, he placed it very close to one of his exposed nipples and Blair cringed as he felt the heat so close to a very sensitive part of his body.

"I'll ask you again," Oliver began, unaware of the new arrival who silently entered the small room behind him. "Where is Ellison most likely going to be?"

Blair glared up at him, then grinned maliciously. "Right offhand? I'd say he's behind you."

Oliver sneered, disbelieving, but Reischer was startled enough to whirl around, checking to see if it were true. His jaw dropped in surprise at seeing Ellison standing there so close to him and reached for the gun tucked into his waistband. His actions were met with the slamming of a rifle butt into his face, the butt rebounding against his chin with a resounding crack, his lips split and his nose broken and bloodied. He lurched back and then crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Oliver whirled and straightened, pulling out his gun and aiming it straight at Jim, who had advanced with his rifle trained on Oliver. He froze, the two of them at a Mexican standoff, and for a long moment, neither of the three men moved or spoke.

Finally, Oliver grinned, studiously ignoring the implacably cold and death-filled blue gaze directed at him. "Well, well, Jim. Been a while, hasn't it? What, about eighteen months?"

"Shut the fuck up, you murdering bastard," Jim spat. "Put down your weapon and surrender before I take your head off just for the sheer fucking joy of it."

"Now why would I do that, Ellison?" the Colonel practically purred. "I've got you in a stalemate. You can't take me into custody without putting your gun down. Now, if that happens, I shoot you dead quick as can be. But, if you even think about trying to strong-arm me, then I blow your little buddy's brains all the way across the room. What's it going to be?"

"It's going to be, Colonel Oliver, that you are under arrest for drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and a whole list of various crimes pertaining to those two charges," said a new voice. Suddenly, more men were filling the doorway behind Ellison, the canvas flaps pushed aside to show a troop of Airborne Rangers. A young black man with captain's stripes stepped forward. "I'm Captain Mathis and you, Colonel Norman Oliver, are under arrest and will be extradited to the United States to stand trial. Put down your weapon and surrender, sir."

Oliver glared at the men facing him. How could it have happened? What went wrong? He didn't know. But he did know that if he was going out, he wasn't going alone. Filled with rage, he turned, bringing his gun to bear on Sandburg-

And howled in agony as a heavy weight slammed with blinding pain into his genitals, nearly crushing his testicles and definitely putting a crimp in his dick. With a whimpering gurgle, he hunched over and fell to the ground, blacking out from the excruciating pain.

Blair, who slowly lowered his booted foot, grinned smugly at the fallen man. "Rat-biter," he said mildly, then grinned up at the Rangers who stared down at him with barely masked approval and surprise. "He was dickless already. I was just making it a little more physically obvious to him."

The Rangers began laughing and Jim let his rifle clatter to the ground. He walked forward and knelt before his lover, his fingers reaching out to brush carefully over the bruises and the burn, then he gazed deep into Blair's eyes. A slow, sweet smile spread over his face and he said, "You've got all the moves, don'tcha, kid?"

Sandburg nodded happily, agreeing. Then he waggled his arms, making his chains rattle, and said, "Although, I bet I could move a lot more easily if somebody would please get me out of this?"

"Evans, search him," Mathis said, pointing to the fallen Reischer. One of the Rangers walked over and none-too-gently searched the drug harvester. Finally, he pulled out a set of keys and then walked over to crouch next to Blair and Jim. He grinned at Sandburg and said, "Hiya, kid. Hang on, I'll have you out of here in a jiffy."

Blair nodded and a few minutes later, he was climbing to his feet with Jim's help, his shackles falling free of his wrists. He looked up at his friend and lover and grinned as he massaged his wrists. "I can't wait to hear the story behind this," he said.

"It'll have to for a little while, Chief. We need to get you out of here, get you checked over, and see if any of the terrorists are still alive. I doubt it though, as pissed off as the Chopec and Pinawa were," Jim said, grinning back at the younger man. His teeth flashed brightly amidst the black war paint on his face.

"Well, then, let's go! You know how I get when there's a story I wanna hear," Blair laughed, casually smacking the older man's arm. He then noticed the odd glances the other Rangers were giving him at this familiarity and he straightened up subtly, adding softly, "Captain."

Jim shook his head and reached out, squeezing Sandburg's shoulder. "Blair, with all we've been through together, you should know by now that I won't insist on the formality. I'm still Jim with you, okay? Don't be so uptight."

Sandburg was silent for a moment, then flashed the mischievous smile that Jim adored so much. "Yeah, well, I learned from the best, big guy. Come on, let's get out of here. I've spent all the time down here that I want to."

Nodding, Jim turned and escorted the younger man out into the larger underground room where the captured Indians had been forced to make cocaine from the coca plants and up a ladder and through a trap door to the outside. Gathering up the two fallen bad guys, Mathis and his Rangers followed a moment later.

"...so I'd pinpointed your location with my hearing - and I was so angry I thought I was going to go totally berserk when I heard you yelling in pain - when out of nowhere come Mathis and his Rangers. At first I thought they were corrupt soldiers on Oliver's side, but it became pretty fucking obvious that they were there to stop the Colonel. Well, I identified myself and Mathis gave me this weird look and blurted 'You're Ellison?!' and I asked him why that was important. He said part of his orders were to locate me and the other survivor - namely, you - and protect us at all costs. We're too valuable to the court martial hearings or something, I guess. I still don't understand why he was so shocked by me. Anyway, I told him I had 'seen' Oliver head over this way, 'found' the trapdoor by 'accident', and then led the way down into the processing room. From there it was simple to find you, Oliver, and Reischer. I got to go in first and you know the rest." Jim sighed and stretched from where he was laying on one of the large, flat-topped, sun-warmed rocks by the waterfall pond. He glanced over at his lover, who sat beside him. "How about you, Chief? Are you okay?"

Blair shrugged and rubbed a hand through his short, curly hair. "I will be eventually, Jim. Don't worry about it."

"Kind of impossible, baby. I love you; I can't help worrying about you," Ellison replied blithely.

"Jesus! Be careful, will you? Anyone could hear you!" Sandburg hissed, glancing around wildly.

"I've got my hearing dialed up. No one is within two miles of here. We're safe." The older man reached out and lazily stroked his hand up and down Blair's back.

Blair sighed in relief and then froze as the words registered fully. He slowly turned to look down at his lover. "You what?" he choked out.

Jim didn't insult his intelligence by playing games. He sat up to face his young lover, reaching out to stroke his hands slowly from Blair's shoulders down his arms to his wrists, repeating the action over and over. "Blair, I love you. I'm sorry I never said it before now, that I waited so long, but I was terrified that my luck would run true to form. That I would tell you I love you and then have you ripped away from me and taking my heart with you. I know it was stupid of me, but God, Blair ... I was being selfish, I know. I thought it would keep you with me longer. And then, when I realized you'd been captured and could be killed at any moment, it hurt so bad to realize I had never told you I love you. I promised myself that if I got the chance, I'd rectify that mistake. I love you, Blair; I really do, baby. I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."

"Ah, God ... Jim," Blair gasped out, sniffing hard and blinking away tears. Then he smiled, a huge, delighted smile that made Jim feel like he could fly through the air with the greatest of ease. "Don't be sorry, man. I understand why you waited. No one ever wants to chance jinxing a good thing and, baby, you're never gonna get it better than me." His grin turned wicked for a moment, then so blatantly loving that Jim felt himself stop breathing. "I love you, too, Jim. You know that already, but I do love you, so much. I'd die for you, man. But I'll tell you what, I'm really looking forward to living with you a lot more!"

Laughing, Jim reached out and scooped his lover into his arms and lap, taking his mouth in a hot, sweet kiss. Maneuvering them off the rock, Blair's legs wrapped around his waist, Jim walked them into the pond and they floated in the water, kissing each other hungrily. They had already made love twice since arriving at the pond so Jim found no reason to wait. Carefully, he spread his lover's cheeks wide, positioned himself, and slid into the snug, slick heat of Blair's ass. He groaned into the younger man's mouth, thrilling at the soft, answering cry, and then they were writhing and twining against each other, moving in a slow, sensual dance that made them shudder in pleasure.

Finally, the pressure and pleasure was too much and Jim braced one large hand against the small of Blair's back and reached between them with the other to stroke his lover's hot, throbbing cock. Blair threw back his head, his teeth clenched on a raucous howl, and spurted into Jim's hand and the water. A moment later, he felt his lover shudder and buck and hot cream was filling his snug sheath and he smiled happily.

They rested in the water, Blair content to lounge against his bigger, stronger lover, floating in the pond lazily. A few moments later, Jim gathered enough strength to walk them out of the water and back to their rock again, the two of them stretching out in the delicious sunshine.

"I'm gonna miss the Chopec," Blair murmured. "But I'm glad the Pinawa are going to watch over them until such time as the kid's are grown up enough to begin populating the tribe again. And little Shinoqui will make an excellent Shaman. She's got the calling for it and then some. The Pinawa shaman will take over her training, and I'm glad of it."

"Me, too. I have to admit, though, I'm more than ready to get back to the States. I can't tell you how often I've fantasized about a huge, greasy pizza loaded with everything or a hamburger the size of an entire cow. And beer! Let's not forget beer. And movies, and radio, and books, and actual cold weather-"

"I can do without that last one, man," Blair replied, shivering. "I so do not like the cold!"

"You don't? Why not?" Jim asked, surprised.

"Man, I don't look good in goosebumps!"

"Then why were you in Washington of all places?"

Blair shrugged. "That's where Naomi and I ended up when I turned sixteen. I was tired of moving around; I knew it was time for me to start making my own way in life. So I hooked up with Washington State University for a little while and the State government paid for my tuition because I was a minor. When I turned eighteen, though, I joined up with the Army because the job I'd been working didn't pay anywhere near enough to get me through college. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"And luck. Lots and lots of good luck," Jim said softly, winding his arms around his lover. He was so very lucky that his love had ended up in Washington. He was certain he would have turned out to be some hardened, bitter old crank with a burr up his ass about everything otherwise, if he weren't in the loony bin because of his senses.

"Yeah, that too," Blair agreed, snuggling closer. "But, Jim, when we get back to the States, remember what I told you about dialing down during your medical exams. If the medics report your heightened senses, the brass will be all over you like flies on shit and you'll be locked away in a bunker and never come out again. I don't want that to happen."

"Shhh, baby. I know. Don't worry, I'll do everything I can to hide my senses from them. And speaking of which..." he sighed, and then let Blair go with a last quick kiss. "Mathis is coming this way. We'd best get dressed before he has a coronary."

By the time Captain Mathis arrived, Jim and Blair were stretched out on different rocks, dressed in their usual clothing of fatigues pants, only sans boots and war paint and bandannas wrapped around their heads. He grinned, thinking the two men resembled nothing more than giant, lazy lizards sunning themselves, and ambled forward. "Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Two heads popped up and while Jim grinned at his fellow captain and lay back down, Blair sat up and offered a salute. Mathis nodded. "At ease, Private Sandburg. We've got another few days before we get out of here. As far as I'm concerned, you can be just as you usually are. I won't raise a stink."

"Thanks, Cap'n," Blair murmured, and dropped back down to soak up the heat of the sun-baked stone.

"What's up, Mathis?" Jim asked on a yawn.

"Well, Ellison, I came down here to check on you two and make sure you guys are okay. Seeing that you are, I've got to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"It's concerning your unit. I've been ordered to exhume their bodies and bring them back to the States for proper burial, but I would still like to ask your formal permission to do so. They were your men, after all," Mathis said quietly.

Jim sat up slowly and stared down at the other captain. Finally, he nodded slowly. "Permission granted," he said roughly, and sighed, glancing away.

Mathis nodded and turned away to speak into his walkie-talkie. He issued orders to begin the exhumation, then turned back to Jim and Blair. "Are you all right, Jim?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so. It'll be nice to get home and put this all behind me, I think," Ellison said softly.

"And you, Blair?"

"I'll get there eventually, Captain Mathis. Don't worry about me," Sandburg replied.

"Okay. If that's all, then ... um, Minakwa said you'd better hurry if you want to be there for the communal dinner."

Jim glanced sharply at the other captain. "I didn't know you speak Quechua."

Mathis grinned. "I don't. But apparently someone's been teaching some of the locals English," he replied, laughing, then turned and walked away, waving.

"Chief..." Jim began, turning to face his lover.

"I didn't think it could hurt. That way they wouldn't get gypped or anything if they ran across terrorists or something. You know? Being able to understand the local dialect means less of a chance on getting screwed," Blair said defensively.

Laughing, Ellison nodded. "Yeah, I get it. But you realize all our private moments haven't been all that private, then."

"Yeah, so? Fair trade considering we came in already knowing their language."

"Okay, okay. Let's head back and spend a little while with our adopted tribe before we go back to clammy ol' Washington state."

Blair sighed and hopped down from his rock. "Cold and wet is gonna be my world," he said mournfully as he followed his lover through the brush.

Jim's laughter echoed through the late afternoon air.

ONE MONTH LATER

"Dammit to all sheep-pissed hells!!"

Jim looked up from where he lay on his bed in the two-bed room the two of them shared in the BOQ on the base. He watched his lover come storming through the door, slam it, and then fling himself on the other bed and pound on the pillow for good measure. He even began cursing fluently and creatively in several different languages.

"What's up, Chief? Something go down at the debriefing?"

"No, but their bullshit is piling up ass-deep to a giraffe!" Blair snarled. "I just don't get it! I've told them over and over again what happened, word for word, and yet they keep calling me back for another report! I'm getting so tired of this, and all because some Major General from Frog Balls, Tennessee, doesn't want to think that an ex-hippie boy could come through a harrowing experience with the shining colors his captain commended him with!"

Jim finally managed to stop laughing and then he got up and walked over to sit next to the younger man on the other bed. Reaching out, he began rubbing his lover's back gently. "It's okay, Blair. I understand. You just need to relax; nothing's gonna happen. There's only so many times they can pull this, and they've reached the end of it by now. I'm done with the debriefing, I'm willing to bet you're close to it if not actually done after this, and then I'm resigning my commission and we're both being honorably discharged. And that'll be that." He refrained from mentioning their plans on living together once they left the Army. The room was bugged and they didn't want to stir up any kind of trouble by letting the brass know they were lovers.

"Well, I've got a final meeting with the review board tomorrow and then we'll settle up. Oliver has been court martialed and sentenced to 35-40 years in Federal prison, his cohorts and accomplices have been rounded up thanks to that Chavez guy who dropped the dime on all of them, and we're home free."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I guess I've just got itchy feet or something. I wanna get out and see what kind of changes have been made around here. And I need to find a place to live. Haven't gotten in touch with Naomi yet."

"Why not?" Jim let the housing thing slip by; Blair's firm grip on his hand negated any worried thoughts about alternate plans.

"She's out globe-hopping again. The messages I left in various places'll get forwarded to her eventually and she'll blow in like a whirlwind, make sure I'm okay, rant at me about the evils of the pig military regime, and then whirl on out again with a promise to make sure I stay okay. She'll be happy about me leaving the Army, though," Blair said with a grin.

Jim chuckled. "I'll just bet." He stretched casually, then, and said, "Hey, I'm heading out to pick up a pizza. What do you want me to bring you?" Since his debriefing was done and he was still a captain, he was allowed to leave the base; Blair, as yet, was not.

"You know that Greek restaurant in town?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd really love one of their spinach, feta cheese, and extra mozzarella pizzas!"

"What is it with you and not being able to eat anything normal?"

"Hey! That's normal! Perfectly normal Greek food that's been Americanized! C'mon, Jim, you'll have to try a slice. I guarantee it's a melt-in-your-mouth treat."

Jim gave his lover an incendiary look and a sly wink. He grinned at the carnal blush that spread across Blair's face, then stood up. "Okay, okay. You won't mind if I get myself something American, though, will you?"

"Hey, your money, man. Do what you want," Blair said, waving dismissively.

"How benevolent," Jim teased. He grabbed up his wallet and keys, stuffed the former into his back pocket, and reached out to ruffle his lover's hair playfully. "Be back in an hour or so."

Blair nodded, grabbed hold of the hand that had ruffled him and pressed a quick, silent kiss to the knuckles, then shooed the older man on his way. When Jim had left, he settled back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Since they'd been back, they had attended the memorial service for the rest of the unit that had died when their plane went down. Jim had done yeoman's duty trying to comfort Jacqueline and Veronica; Robert Sarris' wife and daughter. While Jackie seemed to accept it readily enough, Veronica continued to glare coldly at the soon to be ex-Captain and would turn her back on him. Apparently, she had it in her mind that Jim should have been able to keep her father safe and alive. Her opinion of Blair being the survivor and not her highly-trained father did no good at all for Blair's self-esteem and already stewed up guilt. Jim had given him a stern talking to when he'd begun to question himself and he accepted the older man's words when Jim told him in no uncertain terms that all the training in the world could never have saved Sarris if it was his time to go. While this fact sucked big time, that's the way it was, and Veronica would have to accept that in time.

Blair had also checked in on his college work and found that he'd been granted his Bachelor's Degree post-humously - since he'd been reported dead - and steps were being made to change that fact on all the records and he'd have the degree by the time he'd be discharged. He grinned, feeling inordinately proud of himself. Even though he'd been stuck in a jungle for 18 months, declared dead during that time, he'd still managed to get his Bachelor's. Some things just really went right.

And as for things going right, he and Jim had talked when they'd gotten a chance to get away from prying ears and eyes. Blair had theorized that a Sentinel had to defend his tribe and asked where Jim's hometown was, stating that since he was anxious to leave the Army, then the Army clearly wasn't his "tribe". Jim said it was a town called Cascade and the two of them were making plans to move there once they'd been discharged. Jim had already made calls to a real estate agent and was having her look for property, especially near the waterfront.

Blair had some other theories on the Blessed Protector idea, though. According to Jim, the older man had always been protective of weaker people, those who were too nave or vulnerable to protect themselves, even as a child. Sandburg was convinced that his need to protect as a Sentinel - though a dormant one - was part of the reason he became a Ranger in the Army. And once they became civilians again, his Sentinel would need an occupation that would help fulfill this need. Making a few inquiries and checking things out via the new Internet thing that had cropped up in the last few years, Blair had found that Rainier University was in Cascade as well as one of the top Police Academies in the state. He was going to try to convince Jim that the older man could take the fast track course in the Academy to become a detective, thus being a "watchman" for the city in a legal capacity. He was debating whether or not he wanted to join his lover in this little venture. He really wanted to continue his work in Anthropology and get his Doctoral degree. He knew exactly what he was going to do to get it, too. He was going to write about his experiences with a bona fide "Sentinel". Only the Chopec Sentinel, who had vanished during the melee in Peru. It would be a minor obfuscation, but Jim would be mentioned no where in the thing and everyone would assume that "Enqueri" was a Chopec Indian.

When a knock sounded on the door and then was opened, Blair sat up, startled to realize an hour or so had passed while he'd been thinking. He grinned as Jim entered their room with fragrant food that made his mouth water, that grin turning into a laugh "just because" when Jim grinned back at him.

Leaving his musings for another evening, he settled in for an enjoyable meal, happy when he convinced Jim to try his spinach pizza and the older man declared that it was good.

Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg slowly wandered around the spacious living room of the apartment as the real estate agent looked on. Apartment #307 on 852 Prospect had been vacant for a while and the two men had immediately opened the balcony doors to air out some of the musty smell. Jim had been the most vehement about doing so.

Now they prowled, checking out the small room downstairs just off the kitchen. The bathroom was also back there, big enough and serviceable enough for the two of them. A back door was situated a few feet beyond the bathroom door, leaving them an alternate route in case the front door was not an option. The kitchen was a huge, wonderful affair that had a cooking island and lots of cabinet space and long counters. An old freyon model fridge stood toward the far wall of the kitchen, and would be turned on when occupants finally began living in the apartment.

Eventually, they wandered up the sturdy brick staircase to the single room upstairs that was clearly designated as a bedroom. Skylights made up the ceiling and the two of them grinned at each other as they realized the fun they could have, stargazing and whatnot, as they lay in bed.

Standing close beside his lover, Jim murmured softly, "What do you think, baby?"

"I like it, Jim. I want to live here. It's perfect," Blair replied equally soft. "It's equi-distant between the university and the precinct station, so that'll make things cool, commuter wise."

Jim nodded as he continued to look around, mentally placing furniture here and there. He had agreed to Blair's proposed idea of joining the police force, liking the idea immensely of "protect and serve". After all, Blair had, a long time ago when they'd first landed in the jungle and talked of Sentinels, explained how great an asset a Sentinel would be to the police force. His one condition had been that Blair go through it with him so he could be Jim's partner. Jim had met up and talked with an old friend of his named Simon Banks, who was now Captain of the Major Crimes Division down at the Metro station. He had promised that if Blair went through the fast track with Jim, he would keep them on as partners, especially once the two of them had told him about and then demonstrated Jim's senses and the need of a Guide for Jim to the police captain. Blair would still attend evening classes at Rainier University - his tuition paid for in full by the Army as part of his "hush money" settlement - and be on call as a detective during the day.

Jim, for his part, was glad that his lover would get the opportunity to pursue his Doctoral degree, especially on Sentinels, once Blair had explained exactly how he would work that out. Since Jim's name wouldn't be mentioned anywhere, he was fine with that. And since no one in the military - not Mathis and his Rangers or anyone else - had ever heard him called "Enqueri", he was safe there, too. The two of them had been given hush money over the whole thing and between the two of them, they had enough to buy this apartment and two separate vehicles, plus whatever furniture they would require. And Ellison had astounded his young lover by mentioning that whatever their hush money didn't cover, he came from a very well-off family and had a trust fund in his name that would more than take care of it. He grinned as he recalled the choice words Blair had had for him regarding being such a repressed bastard about his family history.

The two of them went downstairs and informed the real estate agent that they wished to move in immediately. The woman grinned happily, seeing a sizable commission coming her way, and said the papers could be drawn up and signed within two days, if that would suit them. In the meantime, they could start shopping for their furnishings and get their home ready for their eventual occupation.

"That's fine, Ms. Hathoway," Jim said with his most charming smile, noticing Blair's grin at her blush out of the corner of his eye. "That's all just fine."

"Good, good, I'm glad, Captain Ellison," she said quickly.

He shook his head. "Just Mr. Ellison. Or Jim, if you prefer," he said with another smile. He had to fight down a laugh when Blair's sub-vocal comment of "Whoa back, Don Juan. You're mine, remember?" reached his sensitive ears.

"All right, Jim," she said. "I'm Clara, then."

"I'm stunned," Blair murmured, then jumped and rubbed at his ribs when Jim nudged him with his elbow. He coughed and then gave the woman his most blinding smile as he said, "Call me Blair, Clara."

She dimpled, enjoying the two beautiful men before her. "All right, Blair. Tell you what, guys. Since you're still relatively unsettled here in town, how about after we get out of here, I treat you out to dinner, what do you say? I know this great little restaurant nearby."

Jim and Blair exchanged glances. "Works for me," they both said, then laughed.

As they followed Clara out the door, they grinned briefly and patted one another on their rear ends. Yeah, things were going pretty good for them. Now they only needed to settle in and wait and see what Cascade would have to throw at the Sentinel and Guide.

End Covert Operations by Rogue: rogue_ch@juno.com

Author and story notes in Part One.

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