Back to Part 1 SVS3-04: Thanksgiving Past by Kerensa, Part 2 "Spirits!" Bay-lair thought vehemently. "I thought he realized how old I am." The young man slumped and watched as the blanket covering the opening to his wigwam settled back down after James' painfully slow entry. "I am too old for him," Bay-lair acknowledged sadly. He knew that most of his friends had bonded long before they were his age, many of them by the time they were sixteen summers old. Bay-lair had resisted any and all unions, because he wanted to wait for love before he joined his soul together with someone. 'Now I have found that love and it is too late,' Blair thought sadly. He carefully scraped the ground root onto a cleaned leaf and then poured the yellow, powdery substance into one of the pouches on his belt. Bay-lair resigned himself to living alone, just like he always had, because he didn't want to roam from person to person, the way his mother did. Bay-lair realized that Jim was going to leave soon; he knew the signs. The young man had seen them enough in his lifetime. Naomi would get twitchy and decide it was time to move on and off they would go to seek out a new tribe to live with. Either that, or the man in her life would get that look in his eyes and go off to find game in a new spot and just never come back. Standing, Bay-lair gathered his grinding bowl and looked around. The chieftain had been making noises about the tribe moving farther in state, away from the ocean and its extremely cold winter. Looking up at the cloudy sky, Bay-lair could sense that true winter was not very far away, a few weeks at most. They already suffered with the much colder air and many mornings the ground was frozen. Moving day would probably be less than a week away. The young man wasn't sure if he wanted to go with the tribe or strike out on his own. Before he found Jim, hurt and so alone, Bay-lair wouldn't have hesitated to go off, but now he wanted to stay close to the white man. He glanced over at the wigwam and Bay-lair acknowledged to himself that it probably didn't make a difference. The look on Jim's face had been telling. With a sigh, Bay-lair pushed aside the blanket and walked into his home. Jim gave a quick look as he came in, but just as fast, he turned away. Bay-lair wanted to cry out. It wasn't fair that his first love was so quickly over. "I will fix us some food," he said quietly and turned away from Jim's leaving eyes. ^^^^^ James watched as Blair's shoulders drooped and heard his dispirited voice. "I will fix us some food," the younger man said dispassionately. He wondered what had happened to upset Blair so. "That sounds great, Chief." Blair smiled sadly before turning away. He pulled out some food from a few covered bowls. The bowls were simple in design, but had some beautiful drawings on the sides. 'What is that, a deer or a horse?" James focused on the picture, his eyes seeing each stroke of the paint and down to the pores on the clay... "Jim! JIM!" Ellis jumped in surprise and sucked in a shuddering breath. "You do not have to shout, Chief." James tried not to sound irritated, but the yell had made his head hurt. "I am right here." "You are now, but I do not know where you were just a moment ago." Blair frowned and James could see the worry in the younger man's face. "Has this happened before?" Ellis sighed and leaned back against the wall of the wigwam. "A few times, especially when I was in the Army. I had not been bothered with it for a long time, not until after the bear attack." "What kind of problems have you had?" Blair sat down on the floor in front of James and the constable's mouth turned dry at how beautiful the man was. "I can see things that I have no right to and I can hear people talking from far away." He tilted his head for a moment and listened. "Someone named Moon Dream is chastising your little friend about chasing you." James grinned. "She is really mad at the young woman." "What is in the medicine bag that I sent to her?" Blair asked quietly. "See if you can smell it from here." "Willow bark, garlic, mustard seed and some other kind of seed, I'm not sure what," James stated assuredly and without a moment's hesitation. The distance between him and the Chieftain's wife, not to mention the wigwams that were between them, wasn't a hindrance to the older man. Blair flopped down on floor beside James and stared at him in wondered amazement. "Sight, smell, hearing." He ran a featherlight finger touch down the inside of Jim's wrist and the older man shivered. "Touch," Blair stated unequivocally. He scrubbed his hand clean with some water and a cloth and then dipped a fingertip into an empty bowl and rubbed it against the inside. Blair stuck his finger into James' face; the constable licked the digit without being asked. "Honey," James said breathlessly. "Honey and," he wrinkled up his nose as he considered, "corn?" James looked down at Blair, who was grinning wildly. "Yes! I had corncakes and honey for breakfast. That was many hours ago and that bowl has been empty since then. No one else would have been able to even detect that anything had been in there recently, let alone taste it. All five senses are augmented." Blair looked up in wonderment, "you are a Guardian," he whispered. "A what?" James frowned at Blair. He was still trying to get over the sensation of tasting the younger man. When James had licked Blair's finger, the essence of the Indian had exploded over his tongue like wild berries and sunshine. The feeling still had him reeling and was making it difficult to follow the conversation. Blair had no idea of James' difficulties and was happily sharing the good news. "A Guardian." Blair jumped up and started gesticulating wildly with his expressive hands. "That is like a protector. He usually protects the tribe or even several tribes." Blair shook his head and looked at James in awe. "There has not been Guardian in over three generations." "What the devil are you talking about?" Unease made James lash out. His voice was filled with irritation when he spoke to Blair. "Make sense." Blair smiled and bounced up and down, not letting James' bad mood affect him. "A Guardian has all five of his senses, taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight, enhanced by nature. With these gifts he is able to guard against enemies and help his people to survive." The dark haired man started to walk around inside his little home, he zigged to avoid his sleeping platform and he zagged to miss the low, simmering fire that still had a pot of water boiling on it. The near misses with the fire set James' nerves even further on edge and made his temper flare. The younger man was still talking, describing other Guardians and the wonders they had seen and done in their times. His bright blue eyes were shining, the light from his glowing eyes almost seemed to envelope Blair. That worried James, he had never been that important to anyone before and he was afraid that he wouldn't live up to it…so he made sure he didn't. "Chief, I do not know what you are talking about. True, I can hear and see things a little better than anyone else, but I am not that special." Seeing that Blair was about to argue, James interrupted. "Besides, this," his arm swept out, indicating the world outside the tent, "is not my home and you all are definitely not my people." The happy look on Blair's face vanished in a second and James could see the pain he had wrought before Blair looked away. The other man looked down and concentrated on the leg of his pants. After several long moments, Blair brushed a patch of dirt off and looked back up; he wouldn't meet James' eyes though, concentrating on the mud that filled the cracks in between the saplings that made up the walls of Blair's home. "Of course not, how stupid of me. I do not know what I was thinking." James winced at the cold, impersonal tone. "If you will excuse me, I must check on the Chieftain's wife." Blair began to walk away; James couldn't stand the strain and reached out a preventive hand. "Chief, wait. I…" Blair looked back then and the devastation in his sapphire blue eyes stopped whatever James had been about to say. The younger man waited for James to finish what he wanted to say, but the constable couldn't find the words to apologize. Men in his family just didn't do that kind of thing and James had been trained well. Blair watched and when it was obvious that James wasn't going to continue, he nodded understandingly and patted Ellis on the arm. "Excuse me." James watched as Blair left and wondered why the wigwam felt so desperately cold all of a sudden. ^^^^^ Bay-lair felt like a fool; a stupid, hopeless fool. Jim had no reason to want to stay with him or accept his help. Why would the white man believe anything of what he said anyway? After his visit with Moon Dream, Bay-lair wandered around the woods for a while, ostentatiously looking for more medicinal herbs for his larder. Truthfully, he couldn't bear the thought of being near the man who had so quickly stolen his heart. 'Stole it and did not want it,' Bay-lair thought sadly. It was almost dark by the time Bay-lair returned to his home. Jim was pacing around the outside of the doorframe. Bay-lair's wolf was lying on his back and was watching, its head turned so that the animal was looking at Jim from an upside down position, watching the frantic motions of the newly appointed Guardian. "Where in the devil have you been?!" Jim burst out as soon as he saw the smaller man. Bay-lair just stared at him. That only made the constable madder. "It has been hours since you left…I-I was worried." Bay-lair's heart warmed for a moment when Jim expressed his worry, but he deliberately closed himself off to that feeling. He could tell that the Guardian would not accept his gifts and would be leaving soon and Bay-lair knew how much that leaving would devastate him. "I needed to gather more supplies," Bay-lair held up several pouches that were now bulging with different herbs and pieces of bark. The younger man saw the wince on Jim's face when the myriad of smells reached his oversensitive nose and hurried in to the wigwam to get them out of Jim's way. "…and you just had to pick them all now?" Jim's tirade hadn't slowed down any. Bay-lair pulled out some dried grains and dropped them in the pot with the slowly steaming water. He stacked a few smaller sticks around the pot, over the remains of the older fire. Bay-lair poked at the embers with a sharp stick and was satisfied when the new wood caught fire. "Yes, I did need to do it now. There has been talk of moving on to some place that will not be so cold this winter. If the village does move on and I decide to go with them, I may not have access to some of the things that grow naturally around here." "I…see." Jim turned away and faced the far wall. "Is there some doubt as to whether or not you will join them?" Jim asked quietly; almost too quietly and Bay-lair had to walk closer to hear him. "Yes. Recently I have considered going out on my own or possibly even staying here alone." Bay-lair frowned when Jim stiffened at his words. "What is wrong?" He laid a hand on Jim's arm and was not at all prepared when the older man spun around and wrapped his arms around him. "This is what is wrong." Jim pulled Bay-lair close and hugged him tight. ^^^^^ James couldn't believe it! It had been over three hours by his reckoning since Blair had left to check on the Chieftain's wife. Naturally, James saw through that ploy; the younger man had been hurt by what James had said and needed time to himself. But three hours! The constable heard a whine and looked over at the wolf cub. It was giving him a very sad and very disappointed look. "I know I hurt him," James said as he continued to fret. "I had to." The wolf raised its head from the resting place on its paws and stared. "Yes, I did!" James continued with an emphatic chop of his hand. "I cannot stay here; there would be all sorts of trouble if I did. It is a wonder that Father has not led a hunting party in here before now." Ellis looked around at the peaceful village, full of happy and nice people; he didn't want to see them injured. "I do not know what else to do." The wolf whined and then rolled onto his back. He began to twist back and forth in the dirt, scratching some wolfly itch that only it could feel and reach. When he was finished, the wolf just lay there, his tongue lolling out and watched James from an upside down position. James snorted at the humorous antics and started to pace again. It was getting dark; the sun was fast setting on the horizon. Before long it would be too dark to see your hand before your face. What if Blair was injured? They wouldn't be able to look for him before morning and there was no telling what the wild animals, not to mention the cold temperatures, would do to the smaller man. "Where is he?!' A tantalizing scent wafted past his head and the constable stopped, inhaled deeply and smiled as his body relaxed. He had no idea what the smell was, but it was warm and soothing. With crystal clarity, James heard the crackle of a fire on one of the hearths. The smell of someone's baby, fresh and clean, made him smile. At the center of all this input was an unusual thudding sound. It was getting closer and interspaced with the slight snap of small branches crunching underfoot. Ellis turned in realization and saw Blair finally coming towards him out of the late dusk of the evening. In spite of the murky quality of the light, James could clearly see Blair and how tired and sad he looked. "Where in the devil have you been?" The question, and the anger accompanying it, burst out before James could stop himself. Unconsciously he knew that he was saying other things and that Blair was answering back, but he couldn't for the life of him understand what was going on. He had never needed anyone like this before and the intensity of that feeling frightened him. No one ever stayed with him and if Blair were to realize how old James was, he would disappear into the woods, like a puff of smoke. The constable followed the smaller man into the wigwam and listened as Blair talked about moving on. That brought him back to reality and before he really knew what he was doing, instinct took over and James had Blair in his arms, holding him tight. And it was wonderful, the fulfillment of every hope he'd ever had and more than James had ever dreamed possible. Blair whimpered and clutched at the back of Ellis' shirt, obviously feeling what James was. James realized what he was doing and, more importantly, the age of the young man he was doing it with and pushed Blair away. The other man stumbled back and fell against the sleeping cot. He was looking up at James in stunned amazement and really, Ellis couldn't blame him. The constable wanted to grab Blair up and wipe that confused and hurt look off his face, but he knew it wasn't safe. If he got any closer to the medicine man he wouldn't be able to leave and that just wasn't acceptable. He had to leave for both of their sake's. "I-I am sorry, but I can not…" He waved a hand around, indicating anything and everything. "I need to go back to my people." "I understand," Blair stood up abruptly and turned his back on James. "I will lead you back at first light." Blair headed for the far end of the wigwam and sank down on a pile of furs that were being cured. The wolf gave James a disappointed look and went to lay beside his master. Ellis tried to apologize, but any time he got near the makeshift bed, the wolf would raise his head and growl at the Guardian. James laid down on the only bed and curled up into a pained ball. By turning Blair away at every turn, he had destroyed the closeness between himself and Blair as surely as if he had taken an ax to it. ^^^^^ "James!" Ellis jumped and turned to see Simon hurrying towards him. "Simon!" The two men grabbed each other by the arms in a welcoming embrace. "Are you all right?" Simon looked his friend over carefully. He looked behind the constable and his dark eyes widened in surprise when he saw Blair. "What happened?" The large man tensed up and stepped away, ready to defend himself and James from any and all threats. "Yes, I am fine, my friend. I was attacked by a bear and had a head injury; that is why I have been gone for so long." Seeing the suspicious look that Simon was giving Blair, the Guardian decided he had better give a more detailed explanation. "This is Blair," James pulled the smaller man forward. "If it were not for him, the bear would have killed me. Blair took care of my injuries. He saved my life." Simon relaxed when he saw how small the Indian was, not really considering Blair to be much of a threat. He further relaxed as he listened to James' explanation. 'Yes,' he thought, 'I can see him as a doctor, but I really do not see him hurting anyone.' "It is nice to meet you," Simon said as he nodded a greeting. "Blair doesn't speak English, Simon," James explained when Blair opened his mouth to speak. "He only speaks Algonquin." There was a loud yell and a lot of noise as several people came crashing through the woods and onto the path. Muskets were pointed at Blair and the men tried to pull James away from the "heathen threat". Once again, Ellis told about his attack and how Blair had nursed him back to health. By the end of the explanation, the muskets had been lowered, but the looks in the men's eyes showed how disgusted they were at the thought of Blair touching James that way. Ellis took hold of Blair's arm when the younger man would have returned to the forest. The other men, minus Simon, who they ignored, relaxed. It was apparent to them that the Indian was really a criminal of some sort and their constable was going to put him in jail. ^^^^^ Bay-lair walked in among the hostile men and wondered if he had made a mistake in leading Jim back to his people. 'They are all so big!' the smaller man thought with a grimace as he looked around from his position between Jim who was much taller than Bay-lair, to Jim's friend Si-mon, who was even taller and simply a much bigger man all over. The hostility was pouring off the other men; Blair could feel it battering him in waves. Jim apparently could too, because he kept pulling Bay-lair closer to his side. Si-mon moved closer to Bay-lair's other side every time Jim moved, so it wasn't very long until the Indian man was being squashed between them. He tried not to get too close to either man. Jim had shown how much it bothered him to be that near to Bay-lair and the other, darker skinned man only seemed to tolerate Bay-lair because Jim did. The medicine man watched the by-play between the men he was walking beside. Simon wasn't liked by the townspeople either, but he in turn, looked down on Bay-lair. It saddened the young Indian to realize that even among the outcast in their society, he was considered a pariah. ^^^^^ "It seems that I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my son's life," William said with jaw clenched and very little gratefulness evident. "And, I suppose, for taking care of him while he was injured." The older man's nostrils flared in disdain as he looked down his nose at Blair's long hair. The senior Ellis hadn't reacted very well to the story of James' rescue by Blair. He didn't actually laugh outright at the suggestion that his son owed his life to the much smaller and very young man, but the disbelief fairly dripped off of him. "Dad, I told you already that Blair does not speak English," James' patience was wearing thin at the way Blair was being treated. "Oh, yes." William shook his head and James could tell that he thought anyone who didn't speak English was beneath his notice. "Well then, son," the elder Ellis smiled at James, "you can translate for me. Tell this person how thankful I am and offer to give him a new life as a reward. It is apparent that he is not a real Indian, so he can be retrained and civilized." William picked up a Bible and waved it at Blair. "I can arrange to have you taught proper English. I am fairly certain that with a lot of effort you could be taught to read and learn the good Lord's word." James' mouth fell open. That was a flat out insult to the sensitive young man and James flat out refused to tell him about his father's magnanimous offer. In the end, it didn't matter. "Merci bien pour cette offre gentille, monsieur, mais je découperais mon propre coeur que vivant près de vous," Blair said with a perfect French accent. ("Thank you so much for that kind offer, sir, but I would rather cut out my own heart than live near you.") "What? What the devil was that?" The senior Ellis looked around in confusion. "What did he say?" "That was French, Mister Ellison," Blair said in English. "My people, the uneducated heathen ones, speak Algonquin, French and English." Blair turned to look at James and the Guardian could see the hurt in his eyes. "I never said I could not speak English." He turned back to the father, dismissing the son. "As for this," Blair plucked the worn Bible from William's hand. "I have no need for your generosity, I have a copy of my own." Again, he looked at James. "Naomi may have decided to leave this life behind, but she took her books with her." Blair looked the older man straight in the eye. "Personally, I think that the Song of Solomon is a bit too risqué to be in the Bible, but that is only my opinion." The younger man handed the book back to James' father. "And to answer your earlier question, I said 'no thank you' to your offer to civilize me. If narrow minded bigotry is the best I can hope for in your little world, then I respectfully decline." "As for your gratitude, you may keep it. I saved Jim from the bear and tended his wounds because it was the civilized thing to do. I did not do it in the anticipation of a reward, or even your thanks." Blair took a careful step away from his friend. "I am glad that you are happy to have your son back though; no one should suffer that loss." James was speechless, as were Simon and William. Blair inclined his head at Simon and then William. "Good bye." James looked into Blair's disappointed eyes and realized that he hadn't stood up for the medicine man at all. Blair whistled and his wolf came bounding out of the woods and took up his stance beside the Indian. He wasn't threatening the other men, but the animal wasn't approachable either…not even to James. "Come, Lupus, we must be on our way." James was startled, he hadn't even realized that the wolf had a name; it hadn't occurred to him to ask Blair. Blair noticed the confusion and nodded, as if he hadn't expected anything different from the man. "Yes, his name is Lupus; as in Greek for wolf. I named him after the constellation." Blair gave Jim's father a derisive look. "You know, those shiny lights in the sky." His tone was as condescending as William's had been. "Live long and be happy, Jim," Blair said quietly and then he walked away. The Guardian stood there and watched the man he loved leave. Yes, he realized he loved Blair, but it felt wrong to act on such feelings. He watched until, even with his newly enhanced vision, he couldn't see Blair's shining hair any more. James came back to himself to find that he and Simon were alone. "James, are you all right?" Simon seemed frantic and James wondered if he had suffered another 'fading away' episode. "No, I am not." Already his life felt cold and empty. James couldn't imagine feeling this way for the rest of his life. "Let's go inside where it is warm," Simon urged as he pulled James towards his home where Simon's son, Daryl was waiting. James let himself be pulled and wondered if he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. ^^^^^ Bay-lair walked slowly back to his village. He wished that he hadn't needed to take Jim back. He wished that Jim's friends and family hadn't treated him so badly. In one small corner of his mind, Bay-lair wished he had never met the Guardian. It was almost sunset when the young man finally got home. His back was bent with the weight of the world and he slumped into his bed, not bothering with food or a fire. Lupus whimpered and licked at Bay-lair's hand, the one that was hanging limply over the side of the bed. The medicine man looked at his faithful companion and tried to smile. "Come on up boy," he encouraged and the wolf hopped up on the platform beside him. "We're alone again," Bay-lair told the animal. Lupus raised up a gray head and whined quietly. He licked the trail of tears off the side of his master's face and then laid his head down on the bed. The wolf too, missed having a companion and longed to find a mate for himself. ^^^^^ James sat at his father's dining table and seethed. He should have known the invitation was too good to be true. This had all been a set up! A cheap setup at that, which made him all the madder that he had fallen for it. The Guardian had been asked, no begged, by his father to come to the house for a family dinner. Against his better judgment, James agreed. When he arrived, however, it wasn't just his father and brother and his family there, it was also Brother Brandford and his niece Cassandra as well. Ellis was too polite and stayed for dinner anyway, when he should have just walked back out again. In the two weeks since Blair led the way back to the settlement, James had been miserable. The townspeople either looked at him askance because he had lived with those people for a few days or they went out of their way to treat him carefully because of his trying ordeal. Simon and his young son, Daryl, were the lone exceptions. Daryl thought it sounded wonderful, to live in the same house as a wolf and talk to the Indians. Simon thought the freedom, true freedom, would be a nice change. The older man had admitted to James that he felt badly over the way he had treated Blair. He had been shunned for the color of his skin too many times and should have known better. For his part, James berated himself day and night. 'What was I thinking?' he asked himself as he looked around the dinning room table. 'So what if Blair is a lot younger than I am, so is Cassandra and no one would think twice of my marrying her. As for loving another man, well, I've done that for years. I would still be with Edward if he hadn't died that winter.' All through dinner the red haired woman tried her best to snare James. Her web was as big as the town and now even James' own father was trying to force him into matrimony. Ellis eyed his brother Stephen, critically. No, from the disappointed look on his sibling's face, Stephen hadn't known about his father's machinations either. That helped James a little, to know that at least his brother wasn't conspiring against him. Ellis looked up, towards the head of the table where his father was watching the mating dance avidly. James raised his glass in a toast. Just as the senior Ellis was raising his glass in what he assumed was triumph, James sat his goblet back down on the table. It was a deliberate display. There would be no more warnings and James had just let his father know that any more invitations would be ignored. The elder Ellis sat there with his glass in his hand, shocked at James' attitude. As soon as dinner was over, James excused himself and left his father's home for what would undoubtedly be the last time. Wandering through the town, the constable realized that it wasn't his home any more. Without Blair here, it was just a bunch of empty streets full of narrow minded people. With that in mind, James headed towards his house. 'Not home,' he thought and nodded to himself in agreement. 'Home is where Blair is.' James packed the small number of belongings that he wanted to take with him; a few mementoes and as many of his clothes as he could carry. He was a little sad. This had been his home for most of his life and James knew he would, in all probability, never be here again. Ellis realized that he was setting himself up for a big fall. He and Blair hadn't parted on the best of terms, added to which he wasn't sure if the two of them could ever be lovers, like he so desperately wanted. However, to James the risk was worth it. Even if he and Blair only stayed friends, it would be worth it to be around the loving young man. Sitting down at his table that was so much more modest than his father's, James composed a letter. He apologized to his brother, who he did really love, and said a restrained goodbye to his father. Another letter had him resigning his post as constable. Ellis hoped they could find another who was willing to take on the thankless task. In one final gesture, James signed over his house and whatever other property that he wasn't taking with him to his brother, Stephen. Walking out the door, James crossed to Simon's home and knocked on the door. Daryl answered the knock and invited Ellis in. "James, what is the matter?" Simon came out of the home's other room and stood in front of his friend. "Simon, I'm going away. I do not like living here any more and I want to be with Blair." James took a fortifying breath and continued. "I hate to leave you like this; I know the others do not treat you or Daryl like they should. But I cannot think of any other way to…" "We're coming with you." "…make this work out…What?" James looked stunned. Simon smiled knowingly and Daryl, hiding behind his father, outright snickered. "I figured you would go after Blair. I admit that I am ashamed of the way that I treated him myself." Simon hung his head and frowned. "I have no desire to stay in this town. What treatment I will tolerate for myself, is not acceptable for my son." James smiled at his friend and that man's son, who seemed to have grown from a boy into almost a man over night. "How do you want to handle this? I am leaving right now." "What a coincidence," Simon smirked, pulling up a soft sided bag. "We are ready to go, right now." James laughed, not really surprised that his good friend knew him so well. "Let us be off then." ^^^^^ James looked around the village apprehensively. Many of the wigwams were stripped; the outer layer of willow bark had been taken off the inner walls of the homes. He knew, from listening to some of the women talk, that this rare wood was taken down and carried from site to site and used to build the new wigwams. The inner shell was left behind and could be used again when someone came back to this area. So, the village was moving on. "I wonder if Blair is still here," James wondered anxiously. "Or has he left already." James hurried towards the end of the encampment where Blair's healer wigwam was set up, afraid that he was too late and had lost the one he loved. "You can always catch up with him if he has," Simon said as he and Daryl hurried to follow the agitated Sentinel. "I don't know," James puffed. "Blair was not certain he would go with them to the next area. He talked about venturing out on his own." "Damn," Simon said quietly. He knew that if the young Indian could not be found, then Simon would be looking for a new best friend, because James would give up. At the end of the village stood a lone wigwam that had yet to be taken down; a small curl of smoke rose up from the roof. This evidence of habitation gave the Guardian a little hope. "Blair?" There was a rustle behind the blanketed door and after a moment Lupus came warily out. The wolf stared at the small group for a moment and they seemed to pass muster, so he sat down by the door and waited for his master. Blair backed out of the wigwam, carrying a tied bundle in his arms. His hair was totally free, no braids at all, and flowed down his back in lustrous curls. Blair turned to look at his wolf and a breeze caught his hair, making it ripple and glint in the sunlight. James felt his heart stir. He had closed that part of his body off years ago, around the time that his mother died and his father turned into a bitter, resentful man. Now, he could feel the icy cold grip he'd always kept on his emotions, thaw and start to burn. Blair straightened suddenly, as if he sensed the change in James, and turned to look at his visitors. The medicine man stood there for the longest of moments and gave the Guardian qualms. 'Have I waited too long?' Ellis thought fearfully. The young man started walking towards him and began to smile. James dropped the bag he was carrying and met Blair halfway. They stood in front of each other for a few seconds and then James reached out and took Blair's hand. "Welcome, Jim," Blair said with a quiet smile. "My love," Jim answered back. Jim leaned forward, barely touching his lips to Blair's. The kiss was tentative and innocent, but a beginning… ^^^^^ "Chief? Chief. Come on, sleepyhead, it's time to get up," Jim's voice pulled the Guide from the past. "Uhngh." "Blair, are you alright?" Jim's voice had a tinge of panic in it now. Blair opened his eyes and smiled at how close Jim was. The Sentinel was leaning against Blair, almost laying on his hip actually. "I'm fine, Jim." Blair yawned and scrubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Ellison sighed and leaned back against the back of the couch in relief. "I was getting kind of worried there, Chief," Jim admitted. "I'm sorry." Blair sat up and rubbed a hand across Jim's cheek. He looked around at the empty loft. "Where is everybody?" "Simon and Joel left about ten minutes ago." His censorious tone told Blair just how many of those minutes Ellison had been trying to rouse his Guide. "Really? I'm surprised I didn't hear them." "Me too." Jim frowned. "You were out like a light. Like a…" "…out like a gay man on Sunset Boulevard."* Blair piped up cheekily. Jim snorted at the joke. "That is so tacky." "Thanks," Blair said with a grin and then he laughed. Soon, Ellison joined him. "I had the strangest dream," Blair said after a few moments. "Oh." Jim looked only slightly worried. That was understandable and perfectly reasonable, because usually when one of them had a dream, it turned out to be an omen and only rarely meant good things for either of them. "Yeah," Blair remained as casual as possible; he didn't want Jim to worry unnecessarily. "We were back in the settler days. You were a Pilgrim and I was an Indian. There was this seriously uptight leader type of guy who wanted you to get married." "You were an Indian?" Jim eyed Blair's hair skeptically. "Yeah. And Simon was there and Daryl and…" Blair trailed off as he tried to remember more of the dream that was already fading. "It seemed so real." "Hmmm," Jim wondered if this was something he should worry about. He looked at Blair's calm visage and listened to the steady lub-dub of his heart and decided all was well. "So, what happened to these other us'? Did they live happily ever after?" Blair pulled Jim in for a kiss and the two men lay back down on the couch. After he got his breath back, Blair looked up at his lover and smiled. "I don't know. I guess that'll be another dream." Jim pulled Blair's bottom lip into his mouth for a second. "Well, let me see if I can wear you out. Then you'll sleep some more and find out the rest of the story." Grinning at his love, Blair said, "works for me, Big Guy." ^^^^^ Standing by the balcony windows, the ghost of Bay-lair and James watched as their descendants started to make love. Turning to his lover, James pulled the young Indian into a warm embrace. "I think they have the right idea, Blair." Bay-lair smiled up at Jim. "I agree." Standing beside them, the wolf looked back and forth between the sets of lovers and grinned. The three ghosts faded away and left the Sentinel and his Guide behind. The End

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