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SVS-11: Where the Jungle Ends by Jade, Part 2

Sierra Verde was just as he remembered it, full of life, noisy... And hot. Not even the rainy season made the heat and humidity more bearable. Casually wiping the perspiration away from his face, Blair looked at Alex. The damn woman was ready to have another tantrum.

They had arrived in Sierra Verde the day before, too late to do much of anything, so Alex had gotten them a room at the Santa Cruz Hotel. As soon as the sun was up though, they rented a jeep from the hotel and went out driving through the small town.

Alex wanted a gun; the idea of being unarmed didn't suit her one bit, so they prowled the streets until they found a small time arms dealer who could help her. Then they drove to the airstrip just outside of Sierra Verde in search of transportation that would take them into the jungle.

Unfortunately, the only helicopter available was under repair, so they had to wait until after lunch before they could proceed to the Temple. Alex was not a happy camper.

"You know, this isn't going to work," Blair told her as they were having lunch at a local restaurant not far from the airstrip.

"Why not?"

"What are we going to do? Fly around until we find the Temple? We don't know its location!"

Alex nodded, as if she had been expecting that particular question.

"You're right. I don't know the exact location. But I remember where the helicopter crashed the last time we were here. Once we're there, I know I'll feel the pull to the Temple, just like the first time. I know I'll find it."

Blair sighed. There was no point arguing with a mad woman. He just hoped that Henderson had mentioned seeing him in the airport and that rescue was on the way. He wanted to be home. Didn't matter where. Blair just wanted to see his lover again, to be with him again. Because if home was where the heart was, then his home was with Jim.

They finished eating and Alex decided to go for a drive until it was time for her long awaited-journey. Neither noticed the man watching them from afar. Or how he walked over to a nearby payphone as they drove off.

"Hello?"

"It's Montoya, Senor Arguillo."

"Yes. What is it?"

"You'll never guess who I just saw in town."

"I have better things to do than play guessing games, Montoya. Get on with it!"

"I saw one of the cops responsible for your brother's arrest."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

"Are you sure?" the man asked softly.

"Si, Senor. I was with your brother at the time. I remember the gringo cop well. Nice looking, long hair, big blue eyes..."

Arguillo snorted.

"Spare me the disgusting details, Montoya. Are you alone?"

"Si, Senor. But I can take him."

"Any of the others with him?"

"No, Senor."

"Too bad. Carlos died in that prison because of those American cops. I would've liked to get my hands on all of them. But I guess one is better than nothing. Get him, then. I'll send a couple of men to catch up with you on the way, he might try something. These gringos always think they're better than us."

"Si, Senor. Um, there is a woman with him. Doesn't look familiar. But she's always with him."

"Bring her along. I'm sure the men will find some... use for her," Arguillo finished with a laugh, and Montoya joined him.

"I'll be there soon, Senor... With our prey."

"Just make sure that you are."

Jim groaned as he stepped under the warm shower water, the heat loosening some of the tension in his body.

Another sleepless night. As soon as they'd arrived in Mexico City, the four cops had stopped at the American Embassy and then at the local police station to check for any news of Alex Barnes or Blair Sandburg. When they were finally through with all the exhausting bureaucratic and diplomatic bullshit, all they had known for sure was that Barnes and Sandburg were probably in Sierra Verde by then, under new identities. This time as Laura Simpson and David Williams.

Too tired to keep traveling, they had made reservations for a charter to take them to Sierra Verde in the morning. Then they'd rented rooms in the first decent hotel they'd found and collapsed.

His thoughts away from what he was doing, Jim began to lather his body with mindless, mechanical gestures. He knew his friends were surprised that he hadn't fallen apart yet, and by how much in control he seemed to be. God knew how much that was costing him. His senses were dialed down to about as low as they could go; it had to be that way if he wanted to survive a possible zone-out. As for his emotions... If Jim let them run free, he'd be a mess. He would never get his partner back that way. And he needed Blair back.

A familiar scent he associated with his lover teased his nostrils and Jim realized the soap he was using was one Blair favored. Unwillingly, his body began to react to the scent and to the sensory memories that came with it. Jim closed his eyes and his arousal grew as visions of lush lips, damp curls and ocean blue eyes made darker with passion flew into his mind.

Unable to stop himself, he stroked his hardening cock, urging his erection into the fist substituting for the tight ass he wanted so desperately to bury himself in.

"Blair..." he moaned, heart aching for the real thing, for the reality that was his lover.

Thrusting faster and faster, he pumped harder into his hand, still lost in a fantasy that couldn't come close to what he wanted, needed, so badly.

Finally he whimpered, his seed coating his hand as he leaned back against the tiles to prevent himself from falling. When he was able to move again, Jim rinsed away the evidence of his actions. And the stinging in his eyes wasn't tears. Not tears at all.

The airstrip was deserted when Blair and Alex got there, but that in itself wasn't odd. The only person around when they'd been there in the morning had been the helicopter repairman. But Blair's instincts were screaming at him to get away, that something was wrong. And since he'd been partnered with Jim, Blair had learned to trust his instincts.

"Uh, Alex, I think there's something wrong. We should leave."

"Don't even try it, Blair. You just want me to give up my search for the Temple!" She looked around. "Where the hell is he?! We've wasted enough time as it is!"

"Maybe we can ask that guy," Blair suggested, as he noticed a man leaving the main building. He was wearing a jumpsuit with the chopper company's logo on it.

They left the jeep and were approaching the man when Blair suddenly stopped, his heartbeat skyrocketing.

"Alex, the man's face..."

She frowned at Blair's hesitant expression, then turned her attention to the man moving towards them. And swore as she recognized one of Carlos Arguillo's men. Alex reached for her gun, but the man was too close and saw it.

He aimed his gun at them and nodded slightly as a way of greeting.

"I wouldn't do that, Senorita," he warned, as he noticed Alex was still going for her gun. "I have no problems with killing a woman. And what a shame it would be, when one is as lovely as yourself. Now, allow me to take your gun from you, Senorita." It wasn't a request.

Knowing that it was better to quit, at least for the moment, Alex subsided with a sigh. When the man extended his hand, she quietly handed her gun over.

"What do you want?"

"From you nothing, Senorita. But from your cop friend there..."

"Cop?" Blair echoed, startled. "I'm not a cop!"

The man laughed.

"Of course not, Senor. And my name is not Rodrigo Montoya. But as I was saying, what I want is revenge. Carlos Arguillo was a good man, I liked working for him. He was killed in prison a few months ago. And you're one of the men responsible for putting him there. Now, let's go!"

"Where?" Blair asked, wondering why Montoya didn't just shoot him where he stood.

"Juan Arguillo, Carlos' brother is, uh, very anxious to have a few words with you. Move!"

Montoya prodded them to their jeep, then turned to Blair.

"You drive. That way you won't have the opportunity to try anything stupid."

Alex and Blair exchanged a glance. There was nothing they could do at the moment; they might as well obey. Maybe they would get a chance to escape before they fell into Arguillo's hands. And Montoya had obviously failed to recognize Alex, which could work to their advantage.

Blair sat behind the wheel with Alex beside him and Montoya in the backseat, and they drove off.

Alex knew her rage was close to choking her, but was unable to stop the feeling from spreading over her. Of all the rotten luck... Talk about the past coming back to bite you in the ass.

Carlos Arguillo. She wouldn't shed a tear for the bastard's death. In fact, good riddance to bad rubbish. But his brother and his men might be a problem. A big problem. She would have to get rid of the Montoya trash if she wanted to continue her search for the Temple. And nothing, and no one, was going to stop her from reaching her goal. She'd been through too much, done too much, gone too far for that now.

The best thing would be to act soon. The sooner the better. They were plunging deeper and deeper into the jungle and further away from Sierra Verde. And that didn't suit her plans. To make things worse, the weather seemed to be changing as well. The sun had long ago vanished behind heavy clouds and it would begin raining soon. They had to get to the airstrip fast or it would be impossible for the chopper to take off.

The road they were traveling on wasn't paved; in fact, from its neglected state she'd bet it didn't get much use at all. It was too rocky, with too many holes and large bumps, which made driving hard. Alex had to hand it to Blair; he was one hell of a driver.

She smiled as she noticed how relaxed Montoya had become over their drive. He obviously didn't think much of her, thought that the only danger would come from Blair. And since Blair was driving, he had ceased paying attention to her, only glancing at her occasionally. He kept his full attention on Blair; that was going to be his mistake.

Taking advantage of a bump in the rocky path, and watching as Montoya's grip on his gun relaxed, Alex pounced. She jumped into the backseat, landing on the man and stopping him from shooting by using her body weight.

"Alex! What the hell...?!"

Alex ignored Blair's startled shout and continued her fight for possession of Montoya's gun. She suddenly felt it go off, surprised and relieved when the bullet missed her. A second later she realized the bullet had indeed hit a mark -- Blair. The Guide's right arm was bleeding profusely as he kept trying to control the jeep from its now run-away path.

Alex noticed that they were not on the main road anymore, but on a narrow dirt track. Blair had probably lost control of the wheel when he'd been shot. She wanted to help, but she was still fighting Montoya, throwing punches and kicks, anything to win her desperate fight.

"Oh, my God!"

She heard Blair's exclamation and looked up from the struggle.

The jeep was going straight over a cliff and Blair was still unable to control the vehicle. 'Must protect the Guide', came the lightening fast thought and, without even realizing what she was doing, Alex obeyed. She punched Montoya once more, then pushed Blair with all her strength, throwing him out of the jeep.

Events were moving too swiftly for Blair's exhausted mind to process properly. One moment he'd been driving towards an uncertain but undoubtedly painful destiny; the next Alex was fighting Montoya in the backseat, he was getting shot and then thrown clear of the jeep by Alex.

He barely had enough time to register the sound of ripping trees and torn metal as he watched the jeep and its two remaining occupants go over the cliff. The last thing Blair saw was the jeep sinking into the river below before giving in to the blessed darkness awaiting him.

The group from Cascade boarded the charter in Mexico City to a nearly blinding sun and landed in Sierra Verde to a dark, threatening sky. They were greeted with the sight of an airstrip full of cops. They were everywhere, creating the usual buzz around a crime scene. Only this time the background noise was in Spanish.

"What's going on?" Megan asked, as they glanced at all the activity going on.

"Let's ask." Henri suggested.

They approached one of the closer cops, who turned curiously to face them.

"What happened?"

The man gave them a blank look that clearly stated he didn't speak any English.

"Where's your Captain?" Rafe tried again. "Uh, su jefe?"

The man's face lit up with sudden understanding.

"Ah, si! Capitan Delgado. Esta alli," he pointed to a tall, sturdy man standing near the airstrip's main building.

"Gracias."

"Captain Delgado?" Jim queried, once they reached the man.

"Yes?" Delgado looked carefully at the strangers, obviously gathering his first impressions of the unknown gringos. "What can I do for you, gentlemen? And Senorita?" he bowed to Megan.

"My name's Detective James Ellison and I..."

"Ah, yes!" Delgado interjected. "I've been expecting you. Your Captain, uh, Target called and let me know you were coming."

"Taggert."

"Yes. Anyway, I have some news. And I'm afraid it's not very good."

"Why?"

"The two people you're looking for, Alexis Barnes and Blair Sandburg, or as we know them now, Laura Simpson and David Williams, were in this very place not an hour ago."

"Here? At the airstrip?" Henri echoed with a frown.

"Si. As far as my men can tell, the two spent the night at the Santa Cruz Hotel. This morning, they tried to rent a helicopter, but the one available was getting repaired and wouldn't be ready until after lunch."

"They left in the helicopter?" Jim guessed, knowing the only reason Alex would return to Sierra Verde would be to find the Temple of Light again.

"No. You see, the helicopter company has two workers only. When Henrique, one of those workers, came in for his shift about a half an hour ago, he found his partner dead. Someone shot him."

"You think Barnes did it?" Rafe asked.

"For a while I did, yes. But then my men began to ask around, looking for any possible witnesses to the crime. There weren't any, but the owner of a cafe close by saw Barnes and your young friend driving off into the jungle in a jeep. And she recognized the man they were with as Rodrigo Montoya."

"And?" Jim asked impatiently, knowing there was more to come.

"And that Rodrigo Montoya works for the Arguillo family."

Megan frowned. "Arguillo? Isn't that the guy..."

Jim nodded, beginning to get a clear picture of what Delgado was attempting to tell them.

"Yes. Carlos Arguillo. This doesn't look good."

Delgado tilted his head to the side as he regarded the cops with a knowing look.

"Then I think you should know it's bound to get worse. Carlos Arguillo died in prison three months ago in a fight with another inmate. His older brother is running the business now. I called your Captain Target..."

"Taggert."

"And he told me your Senor Sandburg was here last time," Delgado finished, ignoring Rafe's attempt to correct the Captain's last name. "If Montoya saw him and thought he was a policeman... And one responsible for putting Carlos Arguillo in jail in the first place..."

"Shit!" Jim swore, fearing for his lover's life. "You know where Arguillo lives?"

Delgado nodded and scribbled an address on his notebook, handing the sheet to Jim.

"Use my jeep; it's an unmarked vehicle. Your luggage will be taken to the Santa Cruz Hotel and I'll make room reservations. As soon as I can, I'll free some of my men and send them along as your back-up."

Henri shook the man's hand heartily.

"Thank you, you've been really helpful."

Delgad bowed slightly in reply.

"Good luck, Senores. You'll need it."

They jumped into the jeep, ready to go in pursuit of their lost friend. Jim was starting the jeep when his heart tightened in his chest and a chill swept over him, making him shudder violently. The howl of a wolf reached his ears and he turned in time to see his partner's spirit guide disappear into the jungle.

"Jim? Are you okay?" Megan touched his arm, concerned over his suddenly ashen expression.

"There's something wrong," Jim whispered. "Something happened to Blair."

The other three shared a worried glance. Somehow, they all knew that those anguished-filled words were true.

Waking up was a slow and painful process. Sensation flooded back to him first. He realized it was raining -- no, pouring -- and that he was out in the open. Then other things began to register; he was lying on soggy ground, his right arm hurt like hell, and his head was throbbing painfully.

Blair raised a shaky hand and touched his forehead. He felt something sticky covering a small lump near his left temple, probably blood. No doubt the cause of his massive headache.

A noise to his right made him turn his head. That was a mistake. A sudden wave of nausea and dizziness assailed him, causing him to moan helplessly. Trying to control his upset stomach, Blair took a deep breath and felt a sharp, stabbing pain take over his body.

Blair forced his brain cells to work and analyze his most pressing problems. He had a bullet wound, which was still bleeding. A head injury, which might or might not take a turn for the worse depending on how bad it was. And a few cracked or broken ribs. Plus, he was sore, exhausted, weak, dizzy, wet and sick to his stomach.

"Geez... You don't do things halfway, do you Sandburg?" he muttered disgustedly to himself.

He heard the noise again. With a small sigh of resignation, Blair opened his eyes to see what it was. He blinked a few times to try and clear his blurry vision, but it took a few seconds before he actually stopped seeing two wolves.

"Hey, there... What are you doing here?"

The wolf tilted his head as Blair spoke, but otherwise remained still.

"Guess I should do something about my condition, huh?"

Gulping in an effort to squash his rising panic, Blair gritted his teeth and dragged himself through the mud until he reached the nearest tree around him. Then, with careful slowness he sat up, leaning heavily on the trunk. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

When the nausea and the dizziness had died down somewhat, he undid his shirt and spent several painful minutes removing it and ripping the sleeves off. He used one to clean his face, wiping away blood, sweat and rain. With the other he made a crude tourniquet for his arm. It wouldn't hold for long, but for the moment it would serve its purpose. He thought about donning the rest of the shirt, but decided against it. Besides being torn and soaked, trying to put the shirt back on would only cause him further pain.

The wolf was so close to him now that Blair could almost touch the shiny, damp fur. He didn't though.

"What now, boy? I don't know how bad my injuries are. I should stay put..." Blair whispered. "But no one knows where I am. I need to get out of here. At least get back on the main road, maybe get some help... Does that meet with your approval?"

He tried to tell himself he wasn't being foolish for babbling away to his spirit guide. It kept him from thinking too much about his situation. About how he was all alone in this damn jungle, badly hurt; how the panic was close to the surface.

As if understanding what Blair was asking, the wolf rose. He gave Blair a glance, then began to walk towards the path that led to the main road.

"Well, I guess that answers my question..." Blair quipped weakly, as he watched the wolf stop and look back at him again. "Okay, okay... I'm coming...." he panted painfully, his whole body feeling like a king-sized pincushion. "God, I hurt!"

Getting to his feet was an exercise in agony and Blair was forced to grab the tree trunk in a tight grip to keep from falling flat on his face. Breathing shallowly to prevent jarring his ribs, he bit his lip to stop from crying out as everything hit him at once. Dizziness. Nausea. Hot, blinding pain.

After what seemed like forever, the sickness subsided and the pain receded enough for him to straighten up. A few shallow breaths and he was ready to go.

"Right..." he whispered. "Lead the way, Wolfy..."

Blair pushed the damp mess that was his hair out of his face and shuddered as a gust of wind hit his nearly unprotected body. Without his shirt, his only shield against Nature's elements was a t-shirt. And both the t-shirt and his jeans were beyond wet now, making it even harder for him to keep walking.

"Like I need any more hassle..." Blair grunted as he kept following the wolf.

They had been moving for what Blair figured must be an hour. His watch had stopped when Alex had thrown him from the jeep. Not that he would've been able to see much on the damn thing. His vision was still blurry and he kept seeing double every now and again. Not to mention his glasses were crushed to pieces somewhere on the jungle floor.

His strength was fading fast. The nausea seemed to have settled down, even when he risked a few sips from a miraculously found stream. But the light-headedness was still there. And his legs were trembling so hard he had to keep to the side of the road so he could lean on the occasional tree, so he wouldn't fall down. Because he knew that if he did, he wouldn't get up again.

As he walked, Blair thought about his life and all the important people who took part in it. Anything to stop himself from thinking about how far he still had to go, how long he still had to walk. His lover. Where was Jim now? Was he close? And were Simon or any of the others with him? And oh, God, Daryl... Blair didn't know anything about his young friend's condition. Alex had refused to let him call the hospital.

Naomi also came to mind. She'd sounded happy the last time they'd spoken on the phone. Just two days before Alex Barnes had stormed back into his life. Naomi had been staying with her mother, Blair's grandmother, Anna. Both women had chatted excitedly about Wolf Point, about how Shane McKenzie and Tom Boyden were officially living together as a couple. Oh yes, and how Tom had taken over his brother's real estate business.

Blair remembered the joy he himself had felt as he heard the two most important women in his life getting so close again. And how well Anna was recovering from her husband's death. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago. Those memories belonged in a warm, safe place in his heart. All he could feel now was cold... And pain. The almost frantic thoughts kept flying through his exhausted mind as he stumbled along the way.

The only good thing was that he was now on the main road, having left the dirt path behind a long time before.

The distant sound of a car engine brought Blair back from his pain-induced stupor. When he realized it might mean salvation, he felt like sobbing in relief. The noise came not from Sierra Verde, but from the opposite direction, which was even better. Whoever it was, they were heading towards the small town.

"Thank God!" he whispered.

Blair turned towards the sound of the approaching vehicle and took a couple of steps in that direction. A sudden growl from his spirit guide stopped him cold. He gazed at the wolf, surprised to see the previously calm animal in a threatening stance. Teeth showing and growling deep in its throat.

"What's wrong, boy?"

The wolf kept growling, his whole body tensing as if preparing to attack. He seemed to be waiting for what now sounded like a jeep to reach them. And Blair understood what his spirit guide was trying to tell him. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he sighed wearily.

"Help is not on the way, is it? It's danger."

The animal stopped growling and started walking again -- this time away from the road. Back into the jungle.

"Shit!" Blair followed him and hid behind some dense trees to watch. A moment later the jeep drove by. He didn't have time to see if any of the men's faces were familiar, but there were no mistaking the guns they were carrying.

Once the jeep and its two men disappeared, spirit guide and human returned to the road. And to their slow march back to civilization.

They'd been driving for quite a while when they spotted the broken-down jeep on the other side of the road. The hood was up and a man was leaning over the motor, probably trying to figure out what was wrong with it.

"Do we stop to help them out?" Henri asked Jim.

Jim didn't really want to waste any more precious time, but he knew his conscience would drive him crazy if he left the man stranded out in the middle of the jungle.

"Yeah, okay," he grumbled.

Jim stopped the jeep by the side of the road and joined his fellow officers as they approached the man.

"Need any help?" Rafe asked.

The man swung around to face them, a suspicious gleam in his eyes as he regarded the four cops.

"No need, gracias. We were to meet a friend along the road. He should be here soon, he'll give us a ride home."

It was only when the man said 'we' that Jim realized there was another man in the jeep, previously hidden by the hood. Cursing his need to keep his senses dialed down, Jim turned and found himself staring at a barrel of a gun. Held by one of Carlos Arguillo's former thugs. The cop remembered the man's face well. And apparently so did Megan.

"You!" she spat. "Where's Sandy? What have you done with him?"

Obviously not understanding who 'Sandy' was, the man blinked in surprise.

"I know not who you speak of, Senorita. But I know Senor Arguillo will be very happy to see you both!" he smirked, as he nodded with his head towards both Jim and Megan.

Jim felt his anger boiling. They were wasting time that could be spent rescuing his lover. He had no patience left for the two wanna-be tough guys. With a sudden move he knocked the gun out of the man's hands and threw himself at the Mexican, knocking him on the ground.

The man fought back, hitting Jim on the side of the head with enough strength to make him dizzy. Growling deep in his throat, Jim made good use of his left hook, punching the man twice in the face, then bouncing his head on the ground until he was unconscious.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to steady himself, then shaking his head to clear the dizziness, Jim finally stood up. And found Megan sitting comfortably on top of the second man -- who was lying helplessly on the ground -- while Rafe and Henri chuckled at the scene.

"She kicked the shit out of him," Rafe explained to Jim.

"Well," she sniffed in mock annoyance. "He called me a bitch. Nobody calls me a bitch. Now," she snarled as she grabbed a handful of the man's hair. "Where's Sandy?!"

"I don't know!" the man yelled.

"Blair Sandburg. Where is he? He was seen with Rodrigo Montoya. Where. Is. He?" Henri questioned, hoping he sounded pissed-off enough to convince the man.

"You mean the cop, right? Montoya said he'd seen him in town this morning and was going to capture him. Senor Arguillo sent us to meet with Montoya somewhere along this road. We were thinking Montoya had trouble getting him or was late because we haven't seen him yet. And he had more than enough time to do the job."

"Think he's telling the truth?" Rafe wondered.

Jim nodded silently. He'd risked dialing up his senses as the man was talking, and everything he said rang true.

"So, now what?" Megan asked.

"I'm guessing something happened to them on the way to Arguillo's place. We better keep going. If we don't find them, then we'll double back," Jim decided.

"And these two?" Henri glared at the two Mexicans.

"We tie them and leave them here with a note for Delgado's men. They should be here any minute."

"Right!" Rafe agreed, already looking for some rope to tie the two men with.

Five minutes later they were on their way again. In a few more hours it would be dark. If they wanted to find Blair they would have to hurry.

Blair looked up at the sky. The rain had finally stopped falling, but now it was beginning to get dark. A couple more hours and it would be impossible for him to see where he was going. And the idea of spending the night in the jungle, with no shelter, and as weak as he was feeling...

His attention was drawn to his spirit guide, who suddenly began to run away from him.

"Hey! Where are you going? I can't go that fast! Wait!"

But the wolf kept going until it was just a blur and then finally gone. Now Blair was truly alone.

"And it sucks..." he muttered.

Jim barely had enough time to hit the breaks when the wolf appeared in the middle of the road.

"Shit!" he panted. Not that he would've killed the animal; after all, the wolf was not real. But it was hard to overcome the reflexes of a lifetime.

"Why did you stop?" Rafe asked, a frown creasing his forehead, and Jim realized the others couldn't see the wolf.

"Uh, sorry. Thought I saw something," he mumbled as an excuse.

Realizing why his lover's spirit guide was there, Jim eagerly followed the wolf. At first there was nothing, but then suddenly... His heart hammering in his chest, Jim dialed up his vision. And then there he was, the most beautiful thing Jim had ever seen in his life. Dirt, blood and all.

"It's him!" he yelled.

"Where?" Megan squinted at the horizon, but was unable to see anything.

Jim didn't bother to answer. He stepped on the gas pedal, suddenly aware that the wolf had vanished. It didn't matter, though; its work was done. They'd found Blair.

Blair could hardly believe it when he saw the jeep coming his way. And the person driving it.

Too tired to do much, he just leaned against a tree for support, feeling a huge smile spread over his face. Joyful in spite of his pain. And feeling freezing cold. And looking like he'd been swimming in the sea -- with his clothes on.

He saw the four cops leave the jeep and approach him. Blair's eyes locked with his lover's, watching him getting closer, everything seemingly happening in slow motion.

"Blair," Jim breathed softly, hands cupping his lover's face and tilting it up tenderly.

Blair felt his eyes closing as Jim's lips brushed over his in a feather-like touch. In that moment nothing else existed except the two of them and the jungle surrounding them; time stood still for a heartbeat... Then it was over.

Three startled gasps broke the spell and the lovers turned as one to face their friends. Jim hadn't meant to 'come out' that way, but after so long away from Blair, he'd needed the contact -- no matter how brief.

Megan was grinning from ear to ear, while both Henri and Rafe stood gaping at them. Jim felt an absurd urge to yell 'Timber' and watch them fall down.

"What, no comments from the peanut gallery?" he asked, a huge smile lighting up his whole face. He had his lover back by his side; he was allowed the goofy expression.

"Well, I for one think you look cute together," Megan smirked, obviously happy for them. "I guess congratulations are in order." She kissed them both on the cheek. "If you ever need anything, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to... Count me in, okay?"

"Thanks, Megan," Jim nodded in appreciation. The two of them had come a long way since they'd first met.

Blair turned to the other two cops.

"Uh, Henri? Rafe?" he queried.

"I..." Henri frowned. "I won't say it never crossed my mind that you two were, uh, you know... But, to actually see... I mean..."

Blair sighed wearily. "It's okay, H. I guess it takes time to get used to the idea. Rafe?"

Rafe cleared his throat, opened his mouth, closed it again.

"I wasn't expecting it," he said simply, after a long moment.

When it became clear he wasn't going to elaborate on that, Megan thought it best to change the subject.

"Um, where's Alex? And Montoya?"

"Both dead," Blair replied, feeling the pain and exhaustion coming back with a vengeance. "I'll tell you about it later. Uh, Jim?"

Jim turned to his lover and realized for the first time just how close to collapsing he was. Darkened blue eyes regarded him wearily, dull with pain and tiredness. He was pale and sweating, and Jim could feel the shudders wracking his body even without touching him.

"Right. Time for another trip to the ER, Chief. Only this time you get to play tourist -- it's your first time in Sierra Verde."

"Haha! You're so not funny, man. Don't ever quit your day job, you'd starve as a comedian."

"Is that the best you can do, Darwin?"

"Hey! I lost two million brain cells today when I hit my head and lost consciousness! That's a known medical fact! I'm allowed to be a bit slow."

"You're telling me that each time you hit your head and pass out..." Jim began.

"Hey, I didn't pass out! I lost consciousness. It's a whole different thing!" Blair interrupted, sounding offended.

"Whatever. The fact is that if each time you hit your head and pass out, you lose two million brain cells... Shit! You shouldn't have any left!" Jim chortled, unable to keep the happiness he was feeling from erupting.

"Like I said, Ellison, don't quit your day job. And you shouldn't talk, man! You have no excuse."

"Blair?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Woof."

They bundled up into the jeep and headed back to Sierra Verde. Blair tried to stay awake during the drive back, knowing it was dangerous for him to fall asleep before reaching the hospital. He lost the fight as they were driving through the small town. When Jim burst through the ER frantically shouting for a doctor, Blair was unconscious.

Jim sighed softly as he watched his lover's naked body nestle against his larger one as Blair slept. He kissed the top of his lover's head, while his fingers played absently with a stray curl of silken hair. They were finally home after spending a week in Sierra Verde.

Blair had been forced to stay in the hospital overnight for observation, while Jim tried unsuccessfully not to hover or act like the mother-hen from hell. His lover had a concussion, three cracked ribs, and the blood loss from the bullet wound had the doctors worried for a while. Jim figured all that allowed him to behave a little on the manic side.

Eventually Blair had been set free and allowed to join Jim in their hotel room -- under strict orders to rest.

The rest of the week had been spent doing paperwork. Jim had been unpleasantly surprised to find out that the Mexican Police had at least triple the amount of paperwork than the Cascade PD forced them to do. And they had had no way out of it. They might have been on 'vacation', but they were still cops, and they had been responsible for apprehending two of Arguillo's men.

As for Arguillo himself, he was now behind bars. Given the choice of doing time or spilling the goods on their new boss, the two men obviously had chosen the latter. Especially after an Oscar-caliber performance of good cop-bad cop done by Jim and Megan.

The only thing that had bugged Jim was the fact that neither Alex nor Montoya's bodies had been found. Delgado had told them it wasn't that unusual. It was the rainy season after all, and the current on that particular river was very strong.

And then there had been Henri and Rafe to consider. The two men had been acting aloof around them, to say the least. Jim could see that Henri was trying to understand the change in their relationship, but Rafe...

His thoughts drifted back to the present as Blair moved slightly, nuzzling Jim's hand before opening his eyes and gazing directly into Jim's.

"Hey... What you doing awake?" Blair whispered.

Jim shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Blair nodded, his hand reaching out to caress his lover's cheek gently.

"I want to make love to you," he told Jim, sadness clear in the expressive blue eyes. "It's been so long..."

"I know, Chief," Jim sighed, kissing him softly. "But it's too soon, your body is still healing."

"Well, some of my body parts are just fine," Blair said in a mock pout.

"I can see that," Jim chuckled as he watched his lover's hardening cock, his own throbbing in anticipation. "Ummm... Let's see what I can do to make it go back to sleep," he quipped, as one of his fingers trailed over the tip of Blair's shaft.

Jim closed his hand around his lover's now aching erection, pumping once and smirking as he watched Blair trying not to thrust up. He began stroking the cock in his hand, slowly, taking his time, enjoying the way it throbbed at his touch.

Blair closed his eyes, his head pressed back into the pillow as his hands clutched at the sheets.

"Oh, yeah," he moaned. "That's so good..."

Jim began increasing the rhythm of his strokes, feeling Blair's cock lengthening and hardening, small drops of moisture appearing at the tip. Lips twisting into a devilish grin, Jim suddenly shifted and engulfed the head of his lover's shaft in his mouth, sucking tenderly, running his tongue around it and feeling it swell even further.

Wanting to prolong the pleasure and the torment, Jim released Blair's shaft and turned his attention to the balls, taking them into his mouth, licking and nibbling on them until Blair was writhing helplessly and begging to come.

His mouth never leaving the tender globes, Jim reached for his lover's cock with his hand. He resumed his stroking, pumping faster and harder this time, bringing Blair closer to the brink.

Weeks of forced abstinence made for little resistance and with a sudden shout of his lover's name, Blair came -- his seed flowing over Jim's hand and onto his own stomach. When he was finally able to open his eyes and notice the world around him again, Blair turned to his lover.

"What about you?"

"Turn on your side," Jim told him gently.

Once Blair was lying on his side, Jim spooned up behind him. He moved in until they were practically glued together, Jim's cock slipping between Blair's thighs. Jim nuzzled his lover's curls as he began to thrust in between his legs, his breath caressing the young man's neck as he began to moan more and more loudly.

Finally Jim grunted, his cock spasming as he orgasmed, his seed coating Blair's thighs and genitals.

"Shit, I needed that." Jim whispered, ignoring Blair's sleepy snort.

Jim used a corner of the sheet to clean them both, then snuggled back against his lover, this time face to face.

"I love you, Blair," he said, kissing his lover's lush lips tenderly one last time for the night.

"I love you too, Jim. And when these damn ribs finally heal, I'm going to show you just how much."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Blair replied, licking a moist trail around the shell of a pale pink ear, then whispering into it. "I'm going to fuck you through the mattress, man."

A lecherous grin lit Jim's whole face. "Looking forward to it, Chief, looking forward to it," he promised, a contented sigh escaping his lips.

The lovers nestled back together and finally fell asleep. And they dreamed about the jungle, watched as the jaguar ran towards the wolf. And just as before both animals leapt up and across and there was a blinding light. And this time, when it dimmed, only one animal remained.

An animal that was neither jaguar nor wolf. It was both. One. The same.