This story was originally written for the 2004 Moonridge Auction, and appeared first in the Special Edition of the My Mongoose E-zine.

Disclaimer: Pet Fly and Paramount own the copyright to The Sentinel and its characters. This piece of fan fiction was written solely for the love of the characters and to share freely with other fans. No profit is being made from the posting of this story.

Acknowledgments: I would very much like to thank Mary, who always does a terrific beta job for me.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Whoops - none. Not even a Blair owie in this one.

Summary: After a weekend camping, an accident on the drive home leaves Jim grieving.

Comments welcome and appreciated!

Jim pulled his sleeping partner closer and kissed his ear. Blair stirred, rolling onto his back in the confines of their double sleeping bag to open his eyes and smile up at his lover. Jim took the opportunity to lay a major lip-lock on the inviting mouth, until Blair pushed him away.

"Sorry, man, but I've gotta pee." Blair unzipped the sleeping bag and crawled out of their cozy two-person tent into the cool, foggy morning. Standing and stretching, he looked around. "Boy, you sure wouldn't know it's summer by this weather," he said, making his way toward the nearby latrine.

"It'll burn off later in the morning," Jim commented as he started their campfire and got out the cooking equipment.

Blair returned a few minutes later, rubbing his hands together and then crossing his arms, tucking his hands in his armpits to keep them warm. "Not soon enough for me."

"Have some coffee, Chief; it'll warm you up," Jim said, offering his partner a cup.

"Thanks." Blair settled on the campstool nearest the fire and sipped the strong brew. "Hard to believe the weekend is almost over. Time sure goes by fast when you're out here."

"You lose track of time," Jim agreed, sipping at his coffee as he tended the eggs and bacon in the frying pan. "Hungry?"

"Are you kidding?" Blair looked up in disbelief. "Being outdoors like this makes me ravenous."

"Me, too," said Jim, scooting closer and resuming his interrupted kiss. One arm snaked around his partner's shoulders, while the other hand groped Blair's crotch, squeezing the growing erection.

Blair squirmed away once more, reaching over to remove the pan from the fire before their breakfast burned. "How about we wait until we get home?" he suggested. "Right now, making long, slow love in a nice, soft bed sounds a heck of a lot better than a quick fuck on the cold, hard ground."

Reluctantly, Jim backed off, getting their plates and dishing up the food. "All right, but you owe me."

"Don't worry," Blair said, winking. "I always pay my debts."

They finished their breakfast quickly and began to break camp, stowing the gear in the bed of the pickup. As they made their way back to the highway that would take them home, Blair squinted through the fog. "I don't know how you can see to drive," he commented. "If anything, the fog has gotten thicker."

"Don't worry, I can see well enough," Jim assured him. Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes. Both men heard and felt a dull thud before the truck came to a complete halt. "Damn!"

"What is it, Jim? What did you hit?" Blair asked anxiously, as both he and Jim opened their doors to get out of the truck.

"I saw something move out of the corner of my eye," Jim explained as they came around to the front bumper. "I stopped as fast as I could."

"Aw, crap!" Blair squatted down at the head of the animal they had struck. "We hit a wolf." He reached out to stroke a hand over the gray-brown head. "She's such a beauty, too. Is she dead?"

Jim laid a hand on the animal's ribs and fine-tuned his hearing and touch. "She's still alive," he finally commented. "Just barely. I can hear a heartbeat, but it's thready. She's breathing, but she's broken a couple of legs," he said, his hands gently feeling the slender limbs. "It would be best if we put her out of her misery."

"No! You can't do that!" Blair protested, hugging the shaggy head to his lap. "We've got to do something to help!"

"There's not much of anything we can do," said Jim. "It'll be merciful and painless, I promise. Just a quick twist and her neck will be broken -"

"Please, Jim," Blair pleaded. "We could take her to WuLF."

"Wolf?" Jim asked, looking up at his distressed partner.

"Rainier University's Wildlife unLimited Foundation. They take in sick and injured animals and rehabilitate them. The ones that are fit to be returned to the wild are released, and the others are kept in a park-like zoo where they can live out their lives, protected." Blair continued to hug the injured wolf. "She deserves a chance -"

Jim saw the desperate look in his partner's eyes and made his decision. "You stay here; I'll get a blanket." He went around to the bed of the truck and dug a blanket out of their camping supplies, bringing it back to where Blair waited.

Blair gently lifted the slender body as Jim slipped the blanket underneath and wrapped the animal warmly. "She's not going to be warm enough with just the blanket," Blair commented. "We have to keep her warm if she's going to live until we get her to WuLF. I'll sit in the back with her."

"You're pulling my leg, right?" Jim asked, looking at his shivering partner. "You'd both freeze back there."

"We have to do something to keep her warm!" Blair insisted. "And there's not enough room in the cab of the truck."

"I'll ride in back with her. You drive," Jim said, handing Blair the keys. He stood up and headed for the bed of the pickup, clearing enough room to sit with the injured wolf.

Blair gathered the animal into his arms, cradling it carefully as he carried it to where his partner waited. Jim had jumped in the back of the truck and now held out his arms for the wolf. Blair handed her over, and Jim settled on the truck bed, his back against the cab. He pulled the wolf onto his lap and allowed Blair to wrap an extra blanket around them both.

Climbing into the truck, Blair pulled out on the road, grateful that in the intervening time, the fog that had been so treacherous had begun to lift. By the time they were off the mountain and approaching the wildlife rehabilitation center the sun was shining brightly, warming their precious cargo.

Blair pulled into the driveway and parked. Getting out, he hurried around back to see how Jim and the wolf were doing. "How is she?" he asked, picking at the blanket to pull it back for a peek.

"Nova's fine - well, as fine as she can be, considering her condition," Jim explained rather lamely.

"Nova? You named her?" Blair asked, incredulous.

"You got a problem with that?" Jim asked defensively. "I was talking to her during the drive. I had to call her something."

Blair rolled his eyes heavenward. "You're such an old softie! C'mon let's get her inside so they can take care of her," he chuckled in amusement, ignoring what sounded suspiciously like growling coming from Jim's direction.

Jim hugged the animal a bit closer. "I'd like to wait a few minutes, if you don't mind. She's nervous."

"You can hear her heartbeat; tell she's nervous?" Blair asked.

"It's more of an overall senses thing," Jim hedged. "She's confused, disoriented."

"Well, that's understandable," agreed Blair. "But we have to get her inside."

"May I help you?" A man with a WuLF insignia on his shirt walked out to the truck. He put out his hand for Blair to shake. "Matt Wilson."

"Blair Sandburg; and this is my partner, Jim Ellison."

"Blair; Jim -" the man acknowledged his guests with a nod. "What can I do for you?"

"We were coming home from a camping trip earlier this morning," Blair explained. "It was really foggy up on the mountain, and we hit a wolf." He indicated the pile of blankets in Jim's lap. "We think she has a couple broken legs. Other than that, she seems to be stable, but we don't know how seriously she might be hurt."

"Why don't you give her to me, and we'll take a look?" Matt suggested, reaching for the bundle.

Reluctantly, Jim handed over the injured animal and climbed out of the bed of the truck. "You're going to treat her, right?" he asked. "You're not going to just put her to sleep?"

"Oh, no -" Matt said, shaking his head. "We never put an animal down, except as a last resort. We'll take good care of her."

"Nova," Jim added. "Her name is Nova."

"Don't worry, Jim. We'll take excellent care of Nova," Matt assured him. "If it's at all possible, once she's recovered from her wounds, we'll release her back to the wild. If she's permanently crippled -" He stopped when he saw Jim cringe slightly. "It's all right. It was an accident; these things happen," he assured the distraught man. "If Nova can't take care of herself, she'll have a permanent home here. Would you like a tour of the facility?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as he carried Nova into the compound.

"Yeah, thanks!" answered Blair, slapping Jim on the back to propel him forward.

They walked across a small yard to a white clapboard building. Inside was an amazingly modern veterinary clinic. "As a grant program connected with Rainier University, we get all the finest equipment here to take care of the animals," Matt informed them. "Annie, here, is a fourth year veterinary student," he said, laying Nova on an examination table. "She'll do the preliminary exam and start treating the patient. Dr. Bernard will make sure everything is done correctly. Come -" He led the way out the back of the clinic and across another yard. "These are our holding pens. Once Nova has been treated, she'll spend the first forty-eight hours in the clinic, and then be released out here for the duration of her recovery period. We like to keep the injured animals separate, so that the healthy ones don't take advantage.

"And this is our zoo facility," Matt continued, rounding a corner and waving an arm at several large, fenced enclosures. "If Nova can't be returned to the wild, this is where she'll live out her natural life."

"Are there many other wolves here?" Blair asked, looking around.

"We have three, so far; two males and a female. Another female would be welcomed," Matt explained, leading them to one particular enclosure.

Jim peered through the fence into the wooded pen. In the shadows of the fir trees, three wolves lounged or prowled. A small wooden structure was tucked into one corner; its floor covered with pine needles and soft brush - a perfect "cave" for the wolves to retreat to when the weather turned cold and wet. He nodded his approval. "Would you mind if we stopped by in a few weeks to see how Nova is doing?" he asked.

"No! As a matter of fact, we'd welcome your visit. Come by any time," Matt insisted. "We're thinking about opening up the zoo portion of the facility to the public," he said. "It would be a great way to educate children about wildlife conservation, while at the same time, earning us a little money to help support the animals we keep."

"How expensive is it?" asked Blair, his eyes glued to the three wolves in the pen.

"It can cost us upwards of four thousand a year to feed and care for those three, alone," Matt answered. "We also have a three-legged bear - another automobile casualty - several deer, a pair of foxes, a heron, and a number of owls. We get our operating expenses for the clinic from the university, but it's been up to the staff to find creative ways to earn enough money to keep the zoo animals fed."

"That's a lot of money," Jim said, rubbing his chin as he looked between the wolf enclosure and the two men. "How about when we get home, I send you a check for a thousand dollars to offset Nova's care and upkeep?"

"That's very generous of you!" said Matt, his face alight with a huge smile. "But I'd rather you brought the check in person. How about you come visit us in two weeks, when Nova is up and about on her legs again?"

"She'll be walking that soon?" Jim was surprised by the pronouncement.

"We'll set the legs in walking casts, and she should be good to go in a few days," Matt said. "You'll see. She's going to do fine."

Blair sighed, turning his attention back to his human companions. "That's a big relief. I was scared to death we'd killed her. When I heard and felt that thump -"

Jim reached out and put a hand on Blair's arm. "That's enough, Chief. I don't care to relive that part of the day."

"Sorry," Blair apologized, turning puppy-dog eyes on his partner. "I won't mention it again."

"Don't worry," Matt assured them. "Come back in two weeks, and you'll hardly recognize her."

"Sounds good to me," Jim agreed. "Come on, Darwin; let's go home." He guided Blair down the path with a hand resting in the small of his partner's back until they reached the truck. "It was nice meeting you, Matt," he said, shaking the man's hand. "See you in two weeks."

They climbed into the truck and pulled back onto the highway as Matt waved his farewell.

~oO0Oo~

They got home, stowing their gear in the basement storage before taking the elevator up to the third floor.

"Boy, it feels good to be home," Blair said, hanging up his jacket and making a beeline toward the bathroom. "A shower sounds like just the thing, don't you think?"

Jim detoured to the kitchen for a beer, and then headed to the couch. "Nah, not right now," he said, settling on the cushions and picking up the TV remote. "I'm not in the mood."

"All right," Blair capitulated, "but no 'Judge Judy', it rots the brain. Try watching the Discovery Channel." He began to strip as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Behind him, Jim tuned to 'Divorce Court' and settled in to watch TV.

Twenty minutes later, Blair emerged from the shower, his freshly shampooed hair hanging in damp ringlets around his shoulders. "Hey, Jim?"

"Yeah," Jim answered, not taking his attention away from the histrionics on the small screen.

"Turn off the TV and come here a minute," requested Blair. Jim turned to look over his shoulder at his mate. Blair was standing near the base of the stairs leading up to their bedroom. He was naked and stroking a weeping erection. "I seem to remember promising you some bedroom gymnastics once we got home."

"Not right now, Chief," Jim sighed, turning back to the TV.

Blair approached the couch, grabbing the afghan off the back and wrapping himself in it before settling next to his partner. "Okay, what gives? Are you still upset about what happened this morning?"

"It was my fault," Jim sighed. He turned to pin Blair with an icy blue gaze. "What the hell good are these damn sentinel senses if they can't help me see a wolf in the road?"

Blair reached out to rub Jim's shoulders. "It was foggy. Very foggy," he reminded his partner. "Nova couldn't see any better than you could. She stepped out onto the road in front of the truck. You didn't have a chance. Jim... it was an accident."

"Fat lot of good that does anybody now," Jim said.

"Look," said Blair, his mind moving with lightning speed. "Maybe we can do something more to help."

"Like what?"

"Well... you were planning to donate a thousand dollars to the foundation. Maybe we could come up with a way to earn some more money for the upkeep and care of the animals."

"Like what?" Jim repeated, his voice sounding a bit more hopeful.

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe a we could organize a talent show and charge a nominal fee to get in - say two or three dollars - with all the proceeds going to WuLF." Blair nodded, his excitement growing. "I could ask around on campus, and you could hit up the guys in Major Crime and Vice. We're bound to have some talent there."

Jim nodded, a smile slowly curving his lips. "I like that. Think we could pull it together before our return visit in two weeks?"

Blair thought about it. "That's cutting it awfully close, but I think we might be able to manage. I play guitar - you could be my lead singer!" he teased.

"You've got to be kidding!" Jim scoffed. "Why don't you accompany yourself?"

"Haven't you been listening when I sing in the shower?" Blair shot back, a huge smile on his face. "When I was little and us kids would be singing camp songs, everyone else would turn to me, point, and laugh. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, man!" He chuckled.

"I play drums," Jim admitted, remembering the set he had stored in the basement.

"Well, there you go!" Blair crowed. "All we need is a singer, and we've got ourselves a band. Now, we just need to do some fast recruiting."

Ten days later:

"Who would have thought Megan could sing like that?" Blair whispered to Jim as they came off stage after their second set of the evening. "We're really popular!"

"There's quite a crowd, too," Jim said, smiling. "And I've heard rumors that some people have donated extra for the fund."

"And why not?" Megan asked, walking up to the pair. "It's a very worthy cause, after all. I didn't even know about WuLF until you said something, Sandy. Thanks for getting this organized."

"Thank you for offering to be our singer," said Blair. "I was afraid we weren't going to get this little band off the ground."

"Anything to help the animals," Megan said, patting Blair on the back. "Don't you think it's about time you counted the take and made the big announcement?" she suggested.

Blair nodded. "Good idea." Fifteen minutes later, he stepped up to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I'd like to thank you all for coming, and to all our talented volunteers -" he turned to the stage wings and gestured, "for making this possible. The Wildlife unLimited Foundation takes in and cares for dozens of animals each year. Many can be returned to the wild, but a few are less fortunate. Those few are kept and pampered by the Foundation's dedicated workers who must find funding for their upkeep, or take the money from their own pockets. Your generous donations this evening has made it possible for the Foundation to support its wolf pack for a full year.

"I suppose I've left you in suspense long enough," Blair said, pulling a note card from his pocket. "Tonight's collection netted -" he waited as Jim did a dramatic drum roll, "$4,223!" The crowd stood, applauding and cheering at the generous amount raised in support of the animals. "Thank you all very much!" Blair shouted over the noise. "Good night!"

With his final words, the stage lights dimmed and the house lights rose as the crowd began its push to the exits. Backstage, Blair walked up to Jim. "This should make you happy," he said, smiling. "With your contribution, we're donating over five thousand dollars to the care of the animals."

"Yeah," Jim said, finally grinning. "It helps."

~oO0Oo~

Wildlife unLimited Foundation:

"Jim! Blair!" Matt greeted the pair like a couple of old friends. "I'm glad you came back. Come on," he said, "wait until you see Nova!" He led the way to the back where the wolf pen was located. Nova was happily limping around the pen with her two cast legs, lapping up the attention of the dominant male.

"It looks like she's enjoying herself," Blair commented.

"She's getting along quite well," Matt informed them. "So well, in fact, that we decided to move her from the holding pen to here." He turned to Jim. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that despite our best efforts, Nova won't heal well enough to be returned to the wild. But," he added quickly, "Dominic seems anxious to take her as a mate." He indicated the large, black wolf. "And Nova is willing enough. I think she'll be quite happy here."

"That's good to hear," said Jim, relieved that his wolf was doing so well. "I brought my check, and a little more, besides." He handed the check for $5,223 to Matt.

"Whoa! That's serious money," Matt exclaimed, impressed.

"We arranged a charity event to raise some extra cash," Blair told him. "It went so well," he turned to Jim with a teasing grin, "that I think we'll make it an annual affair."

"Sounds like a great idea!" Matt agreed. "I can't tell you how much difference this is going to make. Thank you both so very much!"

"No problem, man. It's for the animals," Blair said, reaching out to shake Matt's hand.

They stayed a while longer, watching as Nova made the rounds of the small wolf pack. Despite her current disability, she appeared to be the dominant female and was enjoying the attention of the two males.

"Looks like she's going to be okay," Blair said, turning to Jim with a smile.

"Yeah. So am I," Jim replied, wrapping an arm around Blair's shoulders and leading him back out to the truck. "You know," he said as they pulled out onto the road. "I think I'm ready to take you up on your offer -"

Author's note: 'Nova' is the name of the wolf that Garett "adopted" at the first Moonridge Celebrity Event in August of 2001.