"Do you see it, Jim?" Blair asked, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets. He shifted a bit from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm.

"Not yet, Chief. Are you sure it's supposed to be visible now?" Jim was scanning the sky over Cascade from his position on the roof. It was 4 AM, and Blair had dragged him out of bed and up to the roof to try and spot the... the.... "What's it called again, Blair? The Halle Berry Comet?" He glanced at Blair as the young man burst into laughter.

"No, man. That's an actress!" Blair checked the newspaper article again that explained how to locate the comet they were seeking. "It's the Hale-Bopp, Jim. Should be in the Northwest, low in the sky." He came to stand beside his big lover again, following Jim's gaze as the detective scanned that area of the sky.

"Hale-Bopp? Sounds like a fifties dance craze," Ellison sighed, and rubbed his tired eyes. "I dunno, Chief. I still don't see it," he said, glancing around at the city stretching out before them. "Maybe the city lights are too bright? We should go camping this weekend. Bet we could see it from the mountains with no problem," Jim looked down as Blair shivered, snuggling up to the bigger man. He reached down and wrapped his arm around the anthropologist's shoulders, pulling him in close to the warmth of his body.

"You cold, kid? You wanna give it up for tonight?" Jim smiled down as Blair gazed up at him.

Blair sighed, and took one last, hopeful look at the sky, then gazed reluctantly at the telescope they'd set up, apparently in vain. He only had the telescope for this one night, then he had to return it to the astronomy department at the University. But it seemed they were out of luck; if Jim's superior sight couldn't locate the comet, the telescope wouldn't be much use either. "I guess so," he said sadly. "Sorry Jim, looks like I ruined your night's sleep for nothing." Blair gave what he hoped was an ingratiating little smile up at his love.

Jim smiled back, and leaned down to cup Blair's chin in his hand. He gently pressed his lips to Blair's for a moment before replying, "Well, I wouldn't call it ruined, Chief," he grinned evilly. "I mean... as long as we're awake...," Jim let the sentence hang, and listened as Blair's heartrate sped up. The young man smiled, and reached up to wrap his arms around Jim's neck, pressing his lips to the detective's cold cheek.

"Yikes, your skin is like ice, Jim!" Blair said, turning to go retrieve the scope. "Let's go inside before we...," The rest of the sentence was lost as Jim suddenly seized Blair's arm.

"Chief look!" Jim cried, turning Blair to look where he was pointing.

Blair followed Jim's finger, and gasped at the sight of the huge meteor streaking across the sky, tail streaming out behind it. "Wow," he breathed, as the star finished its burst of glory, and faded into the glow of the city lights. He turned to study Jim's profile as the big man continued to watch the spot where the star had vanished. "That was just about the best shooting star I've ever seen, Jim!" he said excitedly.

Jim turned to look at him. "Shooting star? Is that what it was?" Jim looked again at the sky. "Huh, I thought that was what we were looking for." He looked again at Blair, quizzically. "Are you sure that wasn't the comet?"

Blair giggled. "Yeah, Jim, I'm sure." He leaned forward to kiss Jim again, wrapping his arms around the big man's neck. "Haven't you ever seen a shooting star before?" he whispered against Jim's ear.

Jim's body tingled as Blair's lips tickled his earlobe. "I guess not, Chief. Not like that, anyway." He turned and pressed his lips to Blair's again, letting his tongue slip into Blair's mouth for a quick sweep.

Blair sighed, and tightened his arms around Jim's neck as the kiss deepened. He wasn't cold anymore! As the kiss ended, Blair laid his head on Jim's shoulder. "You know," he whispered. "There's a custom you're supposed to follow with shooting stars." Blair paused to kiss Jim's ear again. "You make a wish when you see one. Supposedly the wish will come true," Blair pulled back to gaze into Jim's eyes.

Jim studied Blair's face, looking up at him with such love. "Really?" Jim breathed, leaning down to steal another kiss. "A wish huh? OK, I can do that." Jim pulled Blair tight into his arms and closed his eyes. What did he want to wish for? Happiness? Got it. Love? Ditto, plenty of it. Health? The list went on, and Jim began to realize that there was really only one thing he could think to wish for. He took a deep breath, and made his wish.

Blair was thinking along a similar track. There wasn't really anything he wanted that Jim hadn't provided him with already. He snuck a quick glance up at his partner again, smiling at the look of concentration on the detective's stoic face. Blair wrapped his arms tighter around Jim, and pressed his face into Jim's chest. He closed his eyes, and made his wish.

"What'd you wish for Chief?" Jim asked, running his hand through Blair's curls. He felt the young man sigh, and snuggle into his chest.

"Not gonna tell you, man," Blair mumbled into Jim's coat. "It won't come true if I tell you!" He pulled back and smiled impishly at the older man, who just rolled his eyes.

"Fine," Jim grinned. "Have it your own way," he was quiet then, just looking into Blair's eyes. Eyes you could get lost in. Jim leaned down and kissed Blair again. The young man's lips parted, and Jim's tongue began to explore the interior of his young love's mouth. His senses registered the minty tingle of toothpaste, the faintest trace of seasoning from dinner, and most of all, the wonderful taste that was just... Blair. The kiss deepened, and Jim tightened his arms around Blair, lifting him up off the ground.

Blair surrendered to the kiss, letting Jim's tongue have its way with his mouth, letting his own tongue do the same. He ran his tongue over the ridge of Jim's teeth, memorizing each bump and curve. He gently sucked Jim's lower lip into his mouth and scraped his teeth over it, grinning as the detective moaned, and held him tight. Then Blair giggled a little as Jim lifted him off the ground. He picked his legs up and let Jim swing him around and around, getting dizzy and loving every minute of it. At last, Jim slowed the circles, gradually lowering Blair back onto his feet. Blair stood unsteadily as Jim let go of him. He was still dizzy, and didn't even realize he was teetering until Jim grabbed his arm.

"Whoa! Y'Ok there, Bug?" Jim asked, holding tight to Blair's arm. He grinned, blue eyes full of love. The grin widened as Blair's dizzy gaze settled up on him.

"Yeah, man. Just dizzy.... Totally your fault, by the way...," Blair trailed off as Jim suddenly scooped him up in his arms. "What are you doing?" he asked, giggling.

Jim smiled as he carried Blair across the roof, heading toward the door that led downstairs. "The suspect is showing signs of disorientation...," he began, in a serious tone of voice he usually reserved for reporting to Simon. "This could be evidence of anything ranging from cranial trauma, to psychosis...," Jim bit back a grin as Blair laughed and started to struggle against him. "To possible use of narcotics... HEY!" Jim stopped his little monologue abruptly as he felt Blair's hand snake down the front of his sweats. "Blair!" Jim warned, as his love let his fingers do the walking, stroking him through his boxers. Jim's stride became unsteady. "Blair... jeez! I'm gonna... Ohhh.... I mean, I can't... YIKES!" Jim yelped as he lost his footing and started to tumble. Desperately, he turned himself on the way down, to try and cushion Blair with his own body. The hard gravel surface of the roof rushed up, and Jim connected with a *thud*, losing his wind as Blair's head slammed into his solar plexus. Jim lay very still, with Blair laying on top of him, face pressed into Jim's chest. The young man's body began shaking. *Oh no,* Jim thought, as he raised his head and quickly patted Blair on the back. "Blair?" Jim gasped, trying to get his stunned lungs working again. "Blair are you hurt? I'm sorry!" Jim grabbed the young man's shoulders and tried to raise him up, to see his face. Blair was still shaking. "Blair...please...," Jim laid a big hand on the back of his love's head, soothingly stroking his scalp. "Hey..., say something.... Bug?" Jim was starting to get worried. The fall hadn't been bad, but....

Blair lifted his head then, laughing. He just looked at Jim, shaking his head in disbelief as his body was racked with mirth. "Nice move, Baryshnikov!" he sputtered, tears running down his face. "That was just about the most ungraceful thing I've ever seen you do!" Blair took a deep breath, trying to get himself under control. But then Jim made a face at him, and the laughter started with renewed vigor. Blair reached down to caress Jim's face with his hand. "Are you all right, man? You landed like a ton of bricks!" He broke off into giggles again. "The people downstairs are gonna wonder what the hell is going on up here!" Blair smiled as Jim grabbed two handfuls of his coat, and dragged him up along his body so they were face to face. The young man closed his eyes as the detective's lips closed over his, silencing any further smartass remarks.

Jim pulled Blair down on top of him, hands caressing his love's back through the heavy coat, sliding up to weave through the long hair, then down to cup his bottom, squeezing the tight muscles. He smiled as he felt Blair begin to twist a bit, and press himself down into Jim's hips. When Blair lifted his head to breathe, there was an unmistakable flush to the young man's face that Jim found completely irresistible. He leaned up, and placed a quick little love-bite on the tip of Blair's nose, smiling at the look of surprise on his young love's face. Blair responded by trailing his lips along Jim's jaw, down over his chin, and down the long column of his throat. Jim gasped as Blair flicked his tongue across his Adam's Apple, before continuing downward.

Blair explored Jim's throat with his lips and tongue, loving the slightly stubbly feel of Jim's skin. He moved lower, kissing down Jim's throat until he came to the collar of the big man's coat. He kept his lips busy as his hands crept up Jim's body to the coat's zipper, which he began to slowly ease down. Blair shifted sideways just enough to fully unzip the coat, then his fingers moved to the hem of Jim's sweatshirt, and began pushing it up.

Jim felt Blair's cold fingers trail over his chest, down to his belly, and back up. The detective shuddered a little as the cold night air hit his sensitive skin, but the temperature was soon forgotten as Blair ran his tongue over Jim's nipple. Jim gasped, and tightened his arms around Blair. "Chief...," he gasped, "Do you think this is such a good idea? I mean... ohhh, yes... I mean, we're kind of out in the open, y'know?" Jim arched his head to look up at the darkened windows of the taller buildings on either side of them. He didn't see any signs of life, after all, it was 4AM; normal people were asleep now. Jim's gaze moved briefly to the door leading downstairs, wondering if there might be other stargazers planning to visit the roof tonight. His sentinel ears didn't pick up the sounds of anyone approaching. Right then all he could hear was his own heart pounding, and the heart of his love, plus the wet little sounds Blair's lips made as he kissed patterns over the detective's chest.

"I don't care," Blair murmured against Jim's midriff. He ran his fingers down Jim's sides, letting his fingernails bump over ribs and muscle. He kissed his way down the center of Jim's body, brushing his lips lightly over the smooth, hairless expanse of Jim's stomach. Blair grinned as he felt Jim's chest rumbling under him as he moaned. *Just like a cat purring,* Blair thought, as he dipped his tongue into Jim's belly-button, then licked teasing little circles around it, as Jim's moans increased in volume.

Jim arched his head back as Blair nibbled at his abdomen, feeling his Guide's sharp little teeth scraping lightly over the ridge of muscles just below his navel. He dug his fingers into the back of Blair's coat, feeling his love's muscles flexing, even through the heavy leather. Then he gasped as Blair tugged the waistband of his sweatpants down, freeing his rock-hard arousal. Jim gasped as Blair gently liberated him from his boxers, and ducked his head to run his tongue over Jim's cock. "Ohhhh, gaawwwd...!"

Blair trailed his tongue lightly over Jim, tasting him, feeling the pulsations against his lips. He listened to the sounds of his lover's moans of pleasure, smiling as he slid his mouth around Jim's shaft, and began to gently sliding him in, and out..., in, and out.

"Yes... yes..., oh yyyyesss!!!" Jim cried, head thrown back, gravel digging into his scalp. "Oh, Blair.. Blair... Ohhhhhh!!!" Jim came, explosively, hips thrusting, screaming in ecstasy. He shuddered, feeling Blair draining him dry. Jim relaxed his arched back onto the gravel of the roof as his muscles continued to quiver, feeling his body slowly winding down. In the back of his mind, he was vaguely aware of Blair carefully tucking him back into his pants, and closing up his coat. Jim reached out and pulled Blair down onto his chest, hugging him, feeling the shivers run through both their bodies; Blair's from the cold, Jim's from the aftershocks of his orgasm.

Blair snuggled against Jim, running his tongue over his teeth, tasting the last lingering traces of the big man in his mouth. He smiled as Jim's big, warm arms folded around him, drawing Blair down into the warmth of the broad chest. Blair lay there a long time, before speaking to Jim. "So... did you get your wish?"

Jim didn't answer for a moment, he was still recovering. But then he said, weakly, "I'm not sure." He raised his head to look into the sapphire pools gazing down at him. "It depends," he continued.

"On what?" Blair asked, crawling up Jim's body to plant a kiss on his lips.

"On what you wished for," Jim said, reaching up to stroke Blair's face. When Blair gave him a puzzled look, Jim chuckled softly, and explained, "I couldn't think of anything that I wanted, that I didn't have already," he paused to kiss his little Guide's forehead. "So I made it simple... I wished for your wish to come true." Jim smiled at the look of love the washed over Blair's features. Then a smile formed on the full lips, and Blair began to laugh. "What's so funny, Bug?" Jim asked.

"Us," Blair giggled, tightening his arms around his big lover. "You and me.... The way we think alike sometimes." Blair kissed Jim's cheek as he added, "I did the exact same thing you did."

"Oh... You wished for your wish to come true?" Jim said, snickering. Then he yelped as Blair jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow!"

"No, smartass, YOURS!" Blair laughed, "I mean I couldn't think of anything that would improve my life, and you looked like you were really concentrating on your wish... so I figured I'd give it an extra push." Blair smiled as he reached up to run the back of his hand over Jim's cheek. "I wished for YOUR wish to come true, too." He chuckled as Jim's hands came up to frame his face. "Are we like, the epitome of SAP here, or what?"

Jim smiled, and slowly shook his head. "That not quite the way I'd put it, Chief," Jim pulled Blair's face down and pressed their lips together. He probed Blair's lips with his tongue, teasing the little groove below his love's nose, smiling as Blair leaned into him, nuzzling. Jim's arms held Blair tightly down onto his body, trying to keep him warm. But soon, Jim felt the cold of the gravel beneath him bleeding his heat away, and knew they'd have to go inside soon.

Blair shivered as the cold seeped into him. He hadn't noticed the cold before, for obvious reasons. But now that it was over, his body began to remind him that it was winter. He was secretly glad when Jim tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to sit up. Blair shifted off of Jim, and watched the big man get to his feet, stretching and shaking the gravel out of his clothes. He reached down and took Blair's wrist, pulling him to his feet and into another embrace.

Jim sighed as he wrapped his arms around Blair. Then, a thought occurred to him, and he quickly lifted his head to scan the surrounding buildings. He knew he'd been a bit... noisy during their little tryst on the roof. Had they disturbed the neighbors? Jim looked up, but the windows were still dark, their occupants apparently undisturbed. He sighed in relief, and turned to head toward the door, guiding Blair with an arm around the young man's shoulders. "C'mon, Bug. Let's go get some sleep," he said quietly, kissing the top of Blair's head.

Blair crept quietly up the stairs to the roof, shrugging into his coat. He was rather cross with himself. He and Jim had just gotten settled, when Blair remembered the telescope. He'd been so...distracted before, that he'd completely forgotten about the very valuable instrument he'd borrowed from the University. He had dressed quickly, and was now on his way up to retrieve the scope. He hoped to be up and down within a few minutes, without waking Jim. The big man had been snoring loudly when Blair slipped out, and the young man was thankful that he hadn't disturbed his big lover's sleep again.

Blair silently pushed the door open, and crept out onto the gravel surface of the roof. He paused to let his eyes grow accustomed to the dark, then started across the roof toward the telescope. It was right where he'd left it, apparently undisturbed. Blair walked over to it, relieved, and was about to pick it up, when a glow in the sky caught his eye. He straightened, and stared.

The Hale-Bopp comet was clearly visible in the Northwestern Cascade sky, a brilliant ball of fuzzy light with a long, glowing tail trailing behind it. It was beautiful, breathtaking. Blair had seen a lot of comets in his lifetime, having traveled to so many parts of the world. But this was incredible; he'd never seen anything like it. Blair just stood and watched for a long few minutes, as the comet traced its slow, nearly undetectable path across the early morning sky.

After awhile, Blair suddenly realized that Jim wouldn't want to miss out on this. Leaving the scope in place, he turned quickly to go and get his lover, only to bump his nose against Jim's chest. Blair gasped, startled, taking a step back. Jim had come up behind him without making a sound.

Jim reached down as Blair jumped a little. "Sorry kid, " he said, pulling his young love into his arms. "I didn't mean to scare you." Jim turned his gaze on the magnificent sight in the sky. He kissed the top of Blair's head. "So that's it?" he breathed. He felt Blair nod under his chin, and he loosened his arms to let Blair turn back toward the comet. The young man leaned back against Jim, and the big detective folded his arms around his love's chest, hugging him. "That's really something, Chief," he said softly. "Definitely worth getting up at all hours for.... Twice, even." He chuckled.

Blair smiled as Jim's chest rumbled with laughter against his back. He had tried so hard to be quiet when he came up to get the scope, but apparently not quiet enough. Blair was glad, since it meant Jim would get to see the comet with him. This was something special, and Blair couldn't think of anyone he'd rather share it with. "Isn't it beautiful?" he whispered, knowing that Jim's Sentinel hearing would catch the faint words with no problem. He shivered, not from the cold, as Jim leaned down to brush his lips against Blair's ear.

"Yes, Chief.... Very beautiful...." Jim breathed the words lightly over Blair's ear, grinning at the shudder that shook the smaller man's body. He began to kiss the cup of Blair's ear, moving down to let his tongue play with the two ever-present silver hoops at the lobe. Meanwhile, Jim's hands wandered over Blair's chest until they found the zipper to his coat. He opened the front of Blair's coat, and reached in to slide his hand over the soft, long-sleeved shirt, feeling Blair's nipples through the thin fabric. Jim continued to kiss Blair's ears and neck, as he tugged his young love's shirt out of his waistband.

Blair leaned back against the warmth of Jim's body, leaning into the kisses being distributed over the back of his neck. He felt Jim unzip his coat, and shuddered a little as the big hands slid down over his shirt to his waist. Then he felt Jim gently tug his shirt out of his pants. Blair gasped as Jim's hands suddenly crawled up under his shirt, fingertips running lightly over his skin. He groaned and leaned back even harder against Jim, as the detective's warm hands began exploring his chest. Blair actually wavered a little as the rough fingers brushed over his nipple.

Jim felt the pert little nub tightening under his fingertips, and he grinned. Then, he quickly grabbed Blair's shoulders as the young man swayed a little. Jim steadied Blair, then took a step back and carefully removed his own coat. He knelt, and spread the coat out on the gravel, then moved to wrap his arms around Blair again.

Blair waited anxiously as he heard Jim moving around behind him, not touching him. He was about turn and ask what was wrong, when Jim's arms came around him again. Blair relaxed, and allowed Jim to gently lower him to the roof. As Jim eased him back to lie down, Blair winced, expecting to feel gravel bite into his shoulders. When it didn't, he turned a bit, and saw that Jim had laid his coat out beneath him. Blair closed his eyes as a wave of love rushed over him. Jim was taking care of him again. He smiled up as Jim came to lay on his side next to him, reaching out to brush his fingers over the big man's face. "I love you," he said softly.

Jim responded by leaning down to press his lips to Blair's. The kiss went on and on, growing in intensity. Jim's hands went into motion again, reaching down to push Blair's shirt up, fingers fumbling through the layer of cloth, trying to find skin. Jim kissed a path down over Blair's chin, then quickly bowed his head to nuzzle under Blair's chin. Jim's finger's began to trace tiny circles around Blair's nipples, feeling the pebbly, warm skin around the little buds that hardened at his touch. His replaced his fingers with his lips, suckling lightly, then grazing his teeth over Blair's nipples as the young man arched and writhed beneath him.

Blair balled his fists up in the fabric of Jim's shirt, holding the big man down against his body as Jim's tongue teased his chest. His chest began to heave with each breath as he felt Jim's long fingers begin to trail down his body.

Jim continued to kiss and nip at Blair's chest, feeling the soft, dark hair tickling his lips. At the same time, he let his fingers wander down Blair's body to stroke gentle circles over the young man's stomach. He followed the path of his fingers with his lips, kissing a line down the center of his Guide's chest, pausing to take a sharp little nip at a patch of skin over the ribs. Then he trailed his tongue down Blair's stomach, probing and tickling the little hollow of his belly-button as his fingers danced patterns over the young man's ribs.

"Ohhhh, mannnn...," Blair moaned, as Jim's lips slid over his belly. "Jimmm... oh gaaaawwwwd... Jim...," Blair closed his eyes as he felt Jim gently easing his pants down. When Jim's lips closed over the head of his arousal, Blair arched back off the blanket with a short cry of pleasure. Jim deep throated him, and Blair felt waves of sensation beginning to rock his body, making his hips move in a slow, thrusting pattern against Jim's chest. A moment later, Blair came with a gasp, and fell back on Jim's coat, limp and exhausted. Soon, he felt Jim crawl up and lay beside him, and sighed as the big man ran his hand over his chest.

"Y'OK, baby?" Jim asked, stretching up to kiss the corner of Blair's mouth. Blair shivered suddenly, and Jim quickly pulled the young man's shirt back down, and pulled his coat closed. Then he snuggled close and pulled his young lover into his arms, feeling the tremors slowly cease as the orgasm faded. He grinned as Blair turned his head and kissed him.

"I'm fine man.... I'm... just fine...," Blair closed his eyes and leaned against Jim. He felt so warm, so loved. In that moment, he felt that everything was right with the world. He opened his eyes and caught one last glimpse of the comet, still on its path across the heavens, before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Jim lay still, watching the comet, listening to Blair's breathing. He lay there on the roof for a few minutes, just relaxing, thinking about how much his life had changed since Blair had become a part of it. Jim was nearly asleep himself, when he felt a shiver run through Blair's body. Jim sat up and looked around. The sky was just beginning to brighten in the East. If they were lucky, he and Blair could catch about 2 or 3 hours of sleep before they had to start their day.

Jim got to his knees, and carefully passed his arms under Blair's body, gathering up his coat as well. Jim got to his feet, cradling his sleeping love in his arms, and turned toward the door. As he moved across the roof, Blair stirred slightly. Jim froze, not wanting to wake the young man. But Blair just sighed, and reached up to wrap his arms around Jim's neck before settling back into slumber. Jim smiled, and lightly pressed his lips against Blair's forehead as he continued along.

Jim deftly managed to get the door open without rousing his sleeping Guide. He shut the door behind him, crossed the room, and slowly carried Blair up the stairs. Jim sat him down on the bed, and undressed him, using one hand to hold him upright. Then he tucked the young man into bed, shed his own clothes, and climbed in beside him. Jim pulled Blair's cold body against his own, wrapping his arms and legs around the young man to try and warm him up. The kid was shivering, even in his sleep. Jim reached down and pulled up the extra blanket to cover them, and settled down into the pillows. Soon, Blair's shivering stopped, and the young man nestled close to Jim, who held him tight.

"Good night, baby," Jim whispered, kissing Blair's temple. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

About an hour later, Blair opened his eyes sleepily, and looked around. He frowned, and flopped back down onto the bed with a muttered curse.

"Still forgot the damned telescope," he yawned, and went back to sleep.

Meanwhile the Hale-Bopp comet continued on its peaceful path through the heavens.

THE END