The Sentinel/'Crocodile' Dundee

Title: ‘Crocodile’ Ellison

Author/pseudonym: Tinnean

Fandom: The Sentinel/ ‘Crocodile’ Dundee

Pairing: Blair/Jim, Blair/Richard Mason, implied

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: Petfly claims them. If these gorgeous guys were mine, I’d never get out of bed! And ‘Crocodile’ Dundee belongs to Paul Hogan and Paramount.

Status: new/complete

Date: 11/01

Series/Sequel: Not on your life!

Summary: Blair Sandburg, working as a photojournalist, is given an assignment to meet with a man who survived a ferocious attack by a crocodile. He finds more than he bargained for.

Warnings: m/m, spoilers for the movie

Notes: This first appeared in the e-zine The Many Movies of the Sentinel. Thanks to Patt for offering this opportunity to me, to Silk for helping me keep track of the guys, and to Gail for all her invaluable comments.

// signifies thought. ~~ signifies a dream sequence.

‘Crocodile’ Ellison

By Tinnean

"Naomi, you can’t send him to Peru on this story! He’ll wind up getting eaten by a crocodile, or a jaguar!"

"Richard…"

"I’m telling you, he’s a dilettante!’’

"Who’s a dilettante?" Naomi’s son strolled into her office.

"Blair, sweetheart, I have a job for you." The CEO of the Cascade Post-Tribune smiled fondly at her son, and then glared at her star reporter. "Richard is just worried about his fiancé."

Blair glanced at the tall man who lounged casually in the chair beside his mother’s desk, and his mouth tightened. "I’m not his fiancé yet, Naomi!"

"Now, dear."

Brushing the riot of curls out of his face, Blair Sandburg refused to be drawn into another of his mother’s matchmaking schemes. "What’s the job? And why does Richard think I’m too incompetent to do it?"

The other man sighed in exasperation. "Blair, I don’t think you’re incompetent! Why do you twist my words? You’re just…You flitter from one job to another. You’ve been an anthropologist, a policeman, a teaching assistant, for chrissake! I think it’s high time you settled down."

"Oh, really? Doing what? Staying home and having your babies?" Blair was really tired of everyone telling him the only thing he was suited for was looking pretty. What did he have to do to prove how capable he was? His glare shifted from his soon-to-be former lover to his mother. "And what do you think, Naomi?"

She got up and walked around her desk. "I want you to be happy, darling. That’s why I’m sending you to Peru. I think you’ll find this assignment extremely interesting. And you’ll get to play …I mean you’ll get to use those cameras I bought you when you got your doctorate."

His scowl cleared up. "Excellent! What’s cooking in South America?"

"It’s a human interest story, sweetheart, and it should be right up your alley."

"In Peru?" he mused, and his face lit up. "About a sentinel, Naomi?" He began to bounce on the balls of his feet. "That’s just so cool!"

The man sitting beside Blair’s mother felt his cock twitch. When his young lover became enthusiastic, he was damned near irresistible. Things had become a trifle distant between them recently, but Richard Mason had no doubt he would be able to tie him down whenever he chose. He wanted Blair Sandburg, and not only because it would guarantee him a position as managing editor of Cascade’s widest circulating newspaper.

"Er, no, dear. It’s about an American who was attacked by a crocodile and managed to survive nine days in the jungle." She determinedly ignored his crestfallen expression. "You know there are no such things as sentinels, darling."

"No. Of course not." Blair looked as if someone had run off with his shiny new fire engine. "I’ll just stop at home and throw some things in a bag. What time does my flight leave?"

"I’ll drive you to your apartment, Blair, and then see you off. I don’t mind dropping you at the airport. It’s on my way to a story, anyway." Richard got to his feet and urged Blair toward the door, his hand on the small of the shorter man’s back.

Blair stepped away from his touch and waved to his mother.

Naomi smiled, but sighed as the door hid them from sight. She regretted her son’s disappointment. She had also noticed Blair’s cool attitude toward his lover.

Because of an assignment that had to take priority, it had been impossible to send Richard to Peru with Blair, which would have been ideal. They obviously needed some quality time together.

She firmed her resolve to see that her baby boy was married as soon as possible. He needed to be in a stable relationship.

****

Blair hopped out of Richard’s car and leaned down to grab his bags. "Thanks, Richard. I appreciate the lift!" He slammed the door and ran for the terminal, afraid that the older man would park in the forbidden white zone and come after him for a good-bye kiss.

Richard was becoming not only too possessive, but too complacent as well, and Blair was extremely dissatisfied with the way their relationship was going. He had found more and more excuses not to have the older man in his bed. They had been getting more and more flimsy, but Richard just wasn’t getting the message.

Maybe this separation would do the trick. Blair was not a fool: he knew that Richard cruised the bars whenever they were parted, and he was tired of it. He wanted fidelity from his lover.

Blair hated confrontations, but if the other man hadn’t found someone else to share the dubious pleasures of his bed, then Blair would break it off between them once and for all.

****

The young anthropologist cum photographer walked into the bar in Machu Picchu, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the dimness within. The heavy odor of stale beer permeated the place. Silence descended like an uneasy blanket.

"Que, muchacho?" The bartender was a greasy-looking individual who spat casually in the glass he was holding before drying it with a dirty rag.

Sandburg swallowed hard. "Uh, I’m looking for a man, un hombre? Um, Jim Ellison?"

The sound of a chair being scraped back against the hard wood floor was like fingernails over a blackboard. A tall, muscular man got to his feet and approached him. "I’m Ellison."

"Blair Sandburg." Blair began to tingle with sexual heat, and sternly reminded himself this was business. "I’m here to do an article on your adventure, and get some pictures."

The big man grinned, his pale blue eyes drawing Blair to him as if he were a fish on a line, and Blair went, a willing sacrifice to the frying pan.

The warmth of Ellison’s hand enfolding his made Sandburg blink. He returned to reality, surprised to find he was standing a few feet from the American, and not flush against him, rubbing his erection against the other man’s muscled thigh.

Silently he blessed the fact that even in the tropic heat of this portion of Peru he was dressed in his usual layers. "Let me buy you a beer and you can tell me your story."

"Sure." Rapid words in a language that was not Spanish fired between Ellison and the bartender.

"Um, make sure it’s bottled?" Blair whispered, and obligingly, Jim added the caveat.

The bartender grinned around the toothpick between his teeth and handed Ellison two bottles of beer. He offered a glass as well, but Blair smiled weakly and refused it. He passed over a handful of pesos and noted the surprised look on the American’s face.

"I learned Quechua when I was working on my dissertation." He followed Jim to his table and observed that his companion sat with his back to the wall, his eyes never leaving the inhabitants of the bar.

"Not your regular course of study."

Sandburg shrugged. "I found it interesting." He watched as Ellison hit the bottle cap against the edge of the table, knocking it off, then followed suit, pleased that once again he had surprised the big man. "So, tell me what happened, big guy."

****

Ellison watched in fascination. The young man who sat at his table listened with parted lips as he unfolded the tale of what he considered sheer stupidity on his part. He had been careless, trailing his catch over the side of his canoe instead of placing the fish in a basket inside it.

An unusually large croc had been desperate for food, and decided it wanted an easy meal. Jim had strong objections, and fought it for the string of fish. The canoe had tipped. He’d been dragged under the water, and the reptile had gone into a death roll. Then it had stuffed him unceremoniously into its storage shelf, the crocodile needing to wait for his flesh to become tender enough to be shredded.

Jim had other ideas. He’d gone up to the surface for a quick lungful of air, and then submerged to find and do battle with the creature.

He’d returned to civilization with a prime hide and enough meat to keep an entire village of Chopecs supplied with croc nuggets for the rainy season.

Blair’s blue eyes gleamed with admiration. "And you’ll take me to the spot where this happened?"

"I don’t know, Chief. This is tough country."

"Please." The younger man reached across the table and touched his hand.

Ellison had been having problems with his senses, which was why he’d returned to the land where he had first discovered them. He thought they were back under control, but found he was wrong when he felt the caress of Sandburg’s fingers. Heat zinged straight to his cock, and he was swamped with the need to take Blair to bed and bury himself in that compact body.

He moistened lips that had gone desert dry, and his eyes widened as he realized that the other man was staring at his movements avidly.

The former Ranger swallowed. "All right, Chief. We leave at first light."

"Cool! I’ll be ready!"

****

Of course, Jim didn’t believe the city boy would be ready to leave that early in the morning, and he was pleasantly surprised to find Blair fussing with the numerous pockets on his khaki cargo pants. A backpack was waiting at his feet in the hotel lobby, a sleeping bag fastened across the top of its frame.

The younger man grinned at him and swung the pack up easily, sliding his arms through the shoulder straps. Ellison noticed that it was a brand that had gotten an excellent write up in Consumer Reports, and while the material was faded and worn in spots, it was in good repair.

Blair looked up to see what was causing the delay, and found Jim’s cool blue eyes examining him with hot intent. He was suddenly so aroused he wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk upright.

Ellison’s nostrils flared, and Blair was relieved he had awakened early enough to shower. He would have sworn the big man was scenting him!

Jim nodded to his jeep, and Blair walked toward it, unaware that his companion’s gaze was riveted to the bunch and release of the muscles of his thighs and butt. The big man discreetly adjusted his trousers and followed him.

Blair glanced curiously at the mestizo who sat in the back seat.

"Raphael will drive the jeep back, and return for us at the end of the week."

Sandburg had his camera out and was busy snapping pictures, murmuring over the beauty of the scenery that they passed. From time to time he’d ask Jim a question, and it wasn’t until later that Ellison realized how much personal information the younger man had gotten from him.

"Uh, Chief, that’s strictly off the record."

"No problem, man. That was just me wanting to know about you." Blair’s lush lips parted in a smile that made Ellison want to throw him to the ground and have his way with him. Jim sighed and went back to watching the road, what little there was of it. "How much further do we need to go?"

"We’re almost to the spot where we leave the jeep. We hoof if from there."

"Good thing I brought my hiking boots, then."

"Do you do much camping, Chief?"

"Not recently, but when I was working on my diss I did. My dissertation," he explained. "I had found an old treatise by Sir Richard Burton. The explorer, not the actor." Blair grinned, letting his companion know he had answered this question many times. "He suggested that in pre-civilization there were sentinels, individuals with enhanced senses. Their job was to guard and protect the tribe." He turned away, but not before Jim saw the expression of regret on the young man’s face.

"What happened, Chief?"

"I never found him, my sentinel." He shook himself out of his gloom. "Anyway, I’ve camped all over the world. I won’t hold you back!"

Jim grinned and murmured, "Umhmm," and began to whistle between his teeth.

"Santana? Cool, man!"

Before much longer they had gone as far as they could go in civilized transportation. Until they reached the spot where Jim had had his run-in with the crocodile, they would be walking.

"Be careful with the jeep, Raphael!" Jim warned as he settled his pack comfortably on his back.

"Sure thing, boss. In a while, Crocodile!"

Blair’s eyes were slitted with humor, and Jim grunted. "Rafe has a penchant for 50’s music. Since they started calling me ‘Crocodile’ Ellison, he’s been tossing that at me whenever he can!" He reached for his shotgun and saw Blair’s questioning gaze. "The jungle is a dangerous place. This is just in case!"

He waved the mestizo on his way and watched as he drove out of sight. Then he turned and pulled a machete from his belt. As he strode through the undergrowth he swung it with a steady rhythm that Blair admired from his position bringing up the rear.

Jim was uncertain how much stamina the handsome young man had, so he decided not to push it that day. After some hours of trudging through the jungle, he found a small clearing and called a halt.

The beautiful curls were plastered to Blair’s skull, and sweat dripped along the curve of his cheekbones, but not once had he complained. In fact, he had been enthralled by the view, and had snapped away like mad with his camera.

"Why are we stopping, big guy?" The closeness of the humid air had him slightly out of breath.

"We’ll camp here for the night. I’ll set up the tent and then start supper."

"Let me do the cooking."

"That isn’t necessary, Chief."

"Please, Jim. Let me help!"

Jim wasn’t happy about letting the other man near his supplies, but he couldn’t see a gracious way out of refusing his help. He nodded grudgingly and set to work putting the compact tent together. Meanwhile, he kept an eye on Sandburg.

To his surprise, Blair seemed to know his way around a cook fire, and prepared a tasty meal from the staples Jim had brought along.

They ate in companionable silence. Once the aluminum utensils were cleaned and put away, Jim gave in to his desire to touch the young man’s shoulder, although he really didn’t need to.

"I have to… um… scout the terrain, Chief. Stay put, okay? I don’t want to go searching for you in the dark."

"All right. I’m kind of tired anyway." Jim didn’t know Blair, or else he would have questioned his ready acquiescence to his plan. Not for one minute did Blair believe the excuse the Ranger had given him. Well, not one hundred percent, at any rate.

He had every intention of following this intriguing man.

****

The scene Blair captured through the telephoto infrared night lens of his camera had never been seen by civilized man. The Chopecs Jim met with greeted him as an old friend. He stripped off his clothes, and was soon as naked as they. Blair’s soft gasp was swallowed by the night, but Jim’s head shot up as if he heard him.

The Chopec beside the big man said something, and Jim turned to acknowledge it. Blair released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He adjusted the lens for a more focused view.

They passed around a pipe that soon had the air above their heads foggy with smoke. A cup went from man to man, to be refilled again and again as they all took deep gulps. Around the circle, sticks began to rhythmically strike hollow logs. Thin reeds that had been fashioned into flutes sounded in counterpoint. One by one the men rose, and began to shuffle and stamp their feet, leaping and crouching, re-enacting in dance a tale of some memorable hunt.

Blair parted the brush that was interfering with his vision of the event. His camera clicked and whirred as he shot frame after frame of the fascinating sight. Suddenly, his view was blocked, and he growled in irritation, to hear a growl in response. His eyes widened as Jim’s head turned in his direction, and blue eyes seemed to bore into blue eyes. He toppled backwards onto his ass, then scrambled to his feet and, keeping low, raced back to the camp.

It had to be his imagination. There was no way Jim could have known he was watching. Not unless he had Sentinel senses, which was impossible!

Blair crawled into the tent he would share with Jim, tucked his camera into its bag and undressed quickly. He was in his sleeping bag, giving a good imitation of being in the arms of Morpheus, when Jim returned to camp.

He was dressed, as Blair could see through his lashes, and the memory of him naked had the younger man’s heart rate speeding up.

A very satisfied smile curled Jim’s lips. He removed his clothing, tempted to strip to his skin. His cock was hard, but he decided this was not the night to pounce on the man he was certain destiny had selected for him alone.

Since Jim’s senses had come online, he had often resented them. This night, however, he wished they were even more enhanced. He could just make out the bulge that tented Blair’s sleeping bag.

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The air in the enclosed space was redolent with the pheromones his tent mate was shedding.

Wasn’t the big guy ever going to go to sleep, Blair wondered a little frantically? Finally the steady rhythm of Jim’s breathing convinced him that he dozed.

His cock was throbbing, and he needed to come in the worst way. Perhaps if he moved casually, as if turning over in his sleep… Blair rolled onto his belly, his shaft trapped between his groin and the soft material of his shots.

Heat zapped through him, and he moaned soundlessly, his hips rocking forward in short jerks, trying to achieve an unobtrusive climax. His hands fisted the pillow and he bit it to stifle his groans. Blair enjoyed sex, and he wasn’t in the habit of coming quietly, but this time he forced himself to swallow his cry as his orgasm ripped through him.

With a silent sigh, his sated body relaxed.

In the other sleeping bag, Jim Ellison had timed his own climax to take him at the exact same moment as the younger man’s. His senses nearly overwhelmed him, and he shivered as he came down from that ecstatic high. //Next time, Chief, I’ll be the one to make you come!//

####

Part 2

The following morning they made a quick breakfast and broke camp. "There’s a tributary about halfway between here and where we need to go. The rainbow bass that swim there are as long as your arm!"

"Cool! I learned a neat way to cook them over a campfire!"

"Then let’s get a move on, my little guppy!" Jim smiled at him and Blair wished he had the nerve to kiss that smile.

It was a hot and sweaty trek. Piece by piece, Blair shed the layers of clothes he wore until he was down to a tee shirt that was molded to his torso by sweat.

The scent was rousing Jim to the point that a couple of times he actually zoned on it, returning to reality only when Blair’s voice called him back.

"Focus on my voice, man!" Gradually Ellison got control of himself, and Blair breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you all right, Jim? Where’d you go?"

"Sorry, Chief. I’m fine. This hardly ever happens here in Peru. That’s one of the reasons I live here and not in the States. I go into these…zone-outs, I guess you’d call them. It was worse there, it was happening all the time." He realized that Blair’s arms were around him, grounding him. For the first time Jim was able to talk about his senses with someone he felt might understand. "Anything could trigger them off. Sounds that were too loud, sights that were too intense, touch, taste, odor, any of those could cause problems!" He grew embarrassed by his confession.

Sandburg’s eyes were huge. "Do you realize what you are, Jim? You’re what Burton talked about! You’re a living, breathing Sentinel!"

Jim scoffed at that, but as they resumed their trek he pondered the young man’s words. If they were true, it explained quite a bit. But it also left him at a loss. How could he possibly handle those senses when they went raging out of control? He glanced sideways at the young man who strode along beside him. Blair knew so much about sentinels.

Maybe he’d have a clue to that as well?

****

There were still a couple of hours until sunset when they reached the spot that Jim spoke of with such enthusiasm. He shed his pack, pulled out the case that held his rod and put it together. Peeling back a mass of rotted bark, he found plump larvae and slid the hook through one. Blair watched in admiration as Jim cast it into the middle of the slow moving water.

"I’m going to set up camp, okay?"

"Sure thing, Chief," Jim answered absently, lost in the concentration that outwitting a fish required.

Blair backtracked to a clearing that wasn’t too distant, and prepared it for their overnight stay. He laid out kindling for the fire, put together the tent, and laid out the sleeping bags. There wasn’t enough water left in their canteens to start a pot of coffee, so he decided to go down to the river and fill them.

Blair crouched down at the water’s edge, one canteen still dangling from its webbed strap around his neck while he filled the other one. He was so wrapped in examining the ramifications of finally finding the real thing, of finally finding a Sentinel, that he didn’t pay as much attention to his surroundings as he should have.

Water exploded around him as the crocodile lunged forward to seize him, just missing the young man who jerked away, and tangling his rows of deadly teeth in the canteen’s strap. Blair gave one cry of dismay, and then saved his breath for the life or death struggle. The croc was winning, succeeding in pulling him deeper and deeper into the river.

A roar of rage shattered the stillness of the jungle, and then Jim was there, leaping between the young man and the huge reptile. The machete glinted in the late afternoon sun, severing the webbing and setting Blair free, before descending into the wedge-shaped head. With a vicious twist, Jim drove the blade deep into the brain. The creature’s tail flailed reflexively for long moments, and then sagged as all life left it.

Blair was shivering, struggling to regain his breath, to bring his fear under control. Jim turned and grabbed him up in an embrace that threatened to crack the younger man’s ribs. Blair didn’t care; he burrowed deeper into Jim’s arms, trying to bury himself in the safety they promised. "Oh, God, Jim! Oh, God!" Terror clogged his voice.

"Shhh. Shhh. It’s all right, Chief, I’ve got you. I won’t let you go!" Jim continued to murmur soothing phrases into Blair’s ear, the soft curls caressing his lips. He was starting to grow hard, from a combination of the adrenaline rush of the danger that was just past and the luscious body in his arms. Gently he eased his lower body away from Blair’s.

Blair knew he should tell Jim he was okay, that he had just been frightened, but he loved being held by the other man. Never had he felt this way before, so connected to another human being. And he knew it was highly unlikely he’d ever feel this way again.

When he realized that Jim was trying to move away from him, he thought his heart would break. But he allowed the distance and brushed the moisture the croc’s violent movements had splashed on him from his face. "I’m sorry, Jim! I’m better now." A massive shudder tore through his body as reality continued to settle in. "That croc was going to eat me alive!"

Jim exhaled in relief and the soft puff of air teased Blair’s ear. "I wouldn’t hold that against him." The Sentinel released him, and Blair turned to make his way back to the camp. "I had that thought myself once or twice!"

The last words were spoken so softly that Blair almost didn’t hear them. But he did, and he hugged them to himself.

Jim gathered up the canteen that the croc had latched onto and gripped it until his knuckles turned white. Deep punctures had gouged its sides, demonstrating the power of those huge jaws. He thought of what those teeth could have done if they had reached the younger man instead, and he felt sick.

****

Blair was positive he would be unable to sleep that night, but the knowledge that there was a Sentinel in the tent with him soothed him to such a degree that he fell quickly asleep. And when he dreamed, it was not of crocodiles.

~~~~

A dark, feline shadow circled the tent he was in, but Blair felt no fear. It was as if the animal, so much larger than the average panther, was his own personal bodyguard. Its angular head peeked through the tent flap, then pushed it aside and entered, and still Blair was unafraid.

It had been so hot and humid that night that he crawled into his sleeping bag clothed only in his boxers. Now the large cat hooked the waistband with a wickedly curved claw and stripped it down, leaving Blair exposed. The warm nose nudged his buttocks, urging him up on his knees, and the dreamer languidly complied, resting his head on his folded arms. A broad, moist tongue rasped over him, over the skin behind his balls, over the crack of his ass.

Blair gave a hum of pleasure and spread his legs wider to give the animal better access to his ass. The sandpapery tongue probed the young man’s anus, and before Blair realized what was happening, it slid into him, preparing him to be mounted. He knew that if the panther mated with him, the spines that covered its cock would make their coupling too painful for him to enjoy, but for some reason that didn’t matter.

He wanted the beast to possess him.

However, when the cock did breach his hole, it was a human penis that fucked him, and human hands that stroked his own dick until he came with a throat-rending cry.

Blair sank down onto the material of his sleeping bag, tilting his head so the side of his neck could be laved by the tongue that was licking its way across his shoulder as his lover thoroughly plundered his back passage. And then sharp teeth sank into him, marking him, as hot semen flooded his bowels.

He smiled in his sleep as the heavy body relaxed on his, and the roar of a satisfied jungle cat that had claimed its mate split the night.

~~~~

Blair roused slowly, recalling the events of the previous night’s dream. He marveled at how real it had seemed. With tentative movements he stretched, disappointed that his body didn’t evidence the tangible aches of a body well-loved.

The side of his neck was sore, and he reached for his shaving mirror. It was the burn left by the canteen’s strap when the croc had tried to make a dinner of him. Although if he squinted his eyes and turned the mirror just so, it could almost look like a bite mark!

"Hey, Chief! Breakfast is ready. Come and get it!" Ellison called. "I let you sleep in, but we have to get a move on!"

"Be right there, big guy." Blair unzipped his sleeping bag, surprised to find his boxers had somehow wound up around his knees. He dressed quickly and was surprised at his appetite. He polished off the eggs and bacon that Jim had prepared for him, mopping up the remains with some sourdough bread.

They dismantled the camp and were on their way by mid morning. Jim assured the younger man that they would reach their destination that day. Blair fell into step behind him and they started the final leg of their journey.

"Say Jim, will there be anyplace where I can get a bath? I feel really grungy after yesterday!"

"And I’m sure you won’t want to take a dip in the Amazon!" Jim remarked drolly.

"Damned straight!"

Jim chucked. "I know a perfect spot. A little pool that’s fed by a mini waterfall. It makes the perfect shower!"

Blair sighed. "How long until we get to this Eden?"

"It’s where we’ll camp tonight!"

The day was passed in conversation, and they learned a good deal about each other. Jim touched on the fact that he had been married once, but his wife hadn’t been able to tolerate his job as a detective or his growing need to find a place that didn’t play havoc with his senses. The marriage had lasted about eighteen months, although for a good portion of that time Jim hadn’t even been there.

Blair revealed that his mother had never married his father. He didn’t even know who his father was, although he had strong suspicions. "Did you ever read All the President’s Men, Jim?"

Jim looked awed. "You mean…?"

The younger man nodded solemnly. "That’s right! Deep Throat!"

Jim laughed, and Blair was so proud of himself for bringing that laughter to the man he was becoming more and more drawn to.

"So. Were you ever married, Chief?" The thought that his companion might have shared his life with someone disturbed Ellison.

"No, none of my relationships ever got that far. I could never trust if they loved Blair Sandburg, the …the dilettante," there was a trace of bitterness in his tones, "or Blair Sandburg, Naomi Sandburg’s son. And to top it off, Naomi is really getting on my ass about settling down."

"She’s impatient that you didn’t marry any of your… girlfriends?"

"*Boy*friends," Blair corrected in a preoccupied manner. Jim was somewhat surprised by the younger man’s casual acceptance of his sexuality. It had taken the former Ranger a long time to come to grips with his sexual orientation. He was roused from his musing by Blair continuing, "She wants me to be happy."

"That’s what all parents want for their children, isn’t it?"

Blair shrugged. "I guess. Only her notion of happiness is me married to Richard Mason." He missed Jim’s quick frown of displeasure. "Unfortunately, neither one of them is willing to accept the fact that Richard isn’t what I want!"

Jim released the breath he was unaware he was holding. "So you broke up with him?"

"Um, not yet. Not exactly. It’s not easy! He doesn’t hear what I say!"

"Maybe I ought to go back to the States with you and make sure he gets the message!"

"Don’t kid about something like that, man!" This time he saw the look Jim sent him. "You mean it, Jim? You’d come home with me?"

"Yes." Ellison turned and continued the journey, not waiting to see if Blair followed him, certain he would.

Blair sighed with relief that the end of this assignment didn’t mean the end of his association with his Sentinel. He hurried to catch up.

****

"The spot where I was attacked is about a hundred yards through those bushes, but I don’t think the light is good enough for any photos. Why don’t you get cleaned up while I set up camp, and I’ll join you in a bit?"

Blair rummaged through his backpack for a towel and clean clothes, and followed Jim’s directions to the waterfall.

It wasn’t hard to find. The splashing sound of the water hitting the pond below was like music, and seemed to refresh him even before he stripped off his sticky shirt and dirt-stained pants. Surrounded by the colorful tropical flowers that abounded in this portion of the Amazon, the pool was a small, green oasis.

He couldn’t see the bottom and wasn’t sure if it was deep enough for him to dive in, so Blair entered it cautiously. A noise behind him had him spinning to find Jim watching him, his blue eyes hot. The sight caused his cock to swell, and he took a step back, uncertain how much such a reaction would be welcomed by the other man.

The movement cost Blair his equilibrium, and he tumbled backwards into the water.

Jim was beside him before he had a chance to panic, pulling him to the surface. Blair sputtered and shook his head, the long strands of his hair whipping around to strike Jim’s naked chest and tangle on his nipples.

He wound his fingers in the long, brown curls and pulled Blair’s head back, only to find his eyes captured by Blair’s serious blue gaze. Jim’s eyes dropped down to settle on lush lips that were parted in helpless desire. He almost zoned on the sight, but managed to break the trance. "Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to do this?" he breathed as he settled his lips on the younger man’s.

Blair expected his mouth to be assaulted. It was what he had come to expect with Richard. But Jim’s kiss was soft and teasing. His tongue licked gently at the seam of Blair’s mouth, asking to be invited in. With a muffled groan, Blair parted his lips and waited.

Still Jim did nothing but trace the line of his companion’s mouth. He tested the edges of Blair’s teeth and touched the tip of his tongue to Blair’s.

Tantalized beyond bearing, he wound his arms around Jim’s neck and rubbed his aching erection against the other man’s hip. Jim’s aroused cock was jutting upward imperiously from its nest of light brown curls, and Blair shaped it tentatively.

"Yes!" Jim hissed as he backed Blair under the waterfall and braced his back against the moss-covered wall. He parted Blair’s legs and fitted himself in the notch between his thighs. "Squeeze me, baby!"

Blair’s cock was trapped between their bodies. Jim wrapped his fingers around it and pulled strongly while his hips thrust forward, sliding his dick against his lover’s crack, rubbing over the puckered opening.

Ellison let Blair draw his tongue into his mouth and suck on it voraciously. Sooner than either of them would have liked, they both began to come, Blair’s semen smeared over Jim’s chest; Jim’s hot essence spilling into the pool.

Their legs were too unsteady to support them after that satisfying climax. They floated on the still surface until their breathing returned to normal.

****

They sat across the flickering fire, their slow consumption of the evening meal almost an act of seduction in itself. Once they were finished, they made a rapid job of tidying the camp and retreated to their tent.

Jim connected their sleeping bags and sat back on his heels to watch his lover strip out of his clothes. As Blair pulled off his tee shirt, Jim leaned forward to touch the mark on his neck.

"This looks like something bit you, Chief!"

"Oh, no, that’s just the welt from the canteen’s strap."

"Could have fooled me. It looks like a bite mark!"

Blair’s eyes were wide, and Jim wanted to lose himself in the dark blue depths. "Hurry and get naked," he growled, pleased to see the effect of his words on his lover’s body. Blair’s nipples peeked through the swirls of hair on his chest, tight pebbles of flesh. He pushed the soft sweats he had changed into down around his thighs, and his cock sprang free, rising from the curls that covered his groin.

Jim couldn’t wait any longer: he pounced, his voracious mouth swallowing the younger man’s shaft. Blair fell back on the sleeping bag and moaned as Jim’s tongue probed the slit at the tip of his cock, causing it to weep salty tears.

Blair quivered, vibrating like an expertly played instrument, as his lover sucked his dick. Before he could come, Jim released him and brought him to climax with his hands. "Roll over!" Jim ordered hoarsely, and Blair complied with a graceful movement.

For long seconds there Jim just crouched there, observing the firm curves of his lover’s buttocks, and Blair wondered if he had zoned on the sight. But then Jim began to stroke Blair’s semen over his hole, pressing his index finger past the tight muscle, preparing the younger man for his assault.

Blair was on his hands and knees, his hips rocking back to take more of that finger into him. Jim coated himself with the remainder of the thick fluid and fitted the broad head of his cock to Blair’s anus. "Breathe, Chief! Breathe!" he urged as he rubbed the younger man’s back.

With a groan, Blair accepted the entire length of his lover’s cock, the wiry hair of Jim’s groin tickling his ass.

Jim scattered kisses over Blair’s back, trying to distract him from the burn deep in his body, keeping his thrusts shallow and gentle.

"Ride me, Jim. Please!" Blair begged as he bucked back onto his Sentinel, needing to be taken ruthlessly. "Oh, my God! You’re making me hard again!"

Those words were all the big man needed to release the tight control he had held over his motions and started the rhythm that would drive them both toward fulfillment.

"Jerk yourself off for me, baby!" he whispered hoarsely, and Blair whimpered and obeyed his order.

Ellison slammed relentlessly into his lover, nudging his prostate, and Blair came with a wild cry. His inner muscles clenched tightly around the cock in his ass and Jim started to come, filling Blair with his heat.

The two men collapsed onto the sleeping bag, Blair sprawled wantonly beneath his larger lover.

Jim found the bruised spot on Blair’s neck and licked it, then bit down.

"You’re mine, Chief!"

"Always!"

####

Part 3

"Jesus! Oh, sweet Jesus!"

Blair Sandburg’s voice was tight with horror. Jim Ellison gazed in surprise as the younger man turned sheet white.

"Chief, what’s wrong?"

Sandburg’s eyes were enormous, the pupils so enlarged that all that could be seen of their glorious color was a slim blue ring. His mouth opened and closed, but he could get nothing out. He just continued to stare in disbelieving shock at the remains of Jim’s boat.

The canoe was partially submerged, its bow buried deep in the bank of the tributary. A huge chunk had been torn out of the side, leaving jagged wooden splinters that stabbed at every angle, like the razor-sharp teeth that had caused them, threatening the unwary. Deep gouges scored the stern, and punctures were scattered randomly over what could be seen.

Ellison hadn’t paid much attention to the condition of his canoe at the time. He had been determined to exact a little payback from the creature that had stolen his catch. And then he needed to recover from the injuries he had sustained before making the long trek back to civilization, such as it was in that corner of Peru.

But it was extremely obvious to him that Blair was not taking his little pas de deux with the croc lightly. Sandburg whirled and threw himself into Jim’s arms, holding him tightly, shivers vibrating through him.

The Sentinel ran his hand gently over the shorter man’s curls while he held him close to his body. "It’s all right, Chief. It was no big deal!"

Blair looked at him with agony in his eyes. "You could have been killed!"

Jim brushed his lips over his lover’s lush mouth. "I survived, Blair."

Blair shook his head. "You don’t understand! You could have died, and I never would have known…"

"That there really was a sentinel?" Jim’s mouth turned down in disappointment, and he would have released his companion, but Blair refused to let him go.

"*Not* what I mean, Ellison! Don’t put words in my mouth!"

"So what were you trying to say?"

"Jesus, Jim. You can be such a dick! I … I care about you! Do you think I let everyone I photograph fuck me?"

"Well… well, no, of course not! I just… You care about me, huh?" For some reason that didn’t make Jim feel better. What had he expected, a declaration of undying love?

Blair cuffed his shoulder lightly and stepped away from him, dismayed that the idea of losing Jim before he had found him had almost led him to a premature declaration. He knew Jim liked him. He knew Jim liked fucking him. But how would the Sentinel feel when Blair finally confessed his deep feelings for the man?

"Let me finish getting these shots while the light is still good. Then if that’s all there is to see here, I’d like to return to Machu Picchu."

Jim nodded and stood close by, his shotgun at the ready. So far they hadn’t had any encounters with predators on the land, but he was taking no chances.

****

The journey back from the Amazon was a journey of revelations.

Blair taught Jim that if he considered his senses on a dial, he could turn them down and gain better control of them.

Jim learned that the sound of his lover’s heartbeat had the power to keep him grounded.

Neither man was in a hurry. Each night, in each other’s arms, they didn’t have sex, they made love.

But neither of them realized it.

Although Jim had volunteered to return to the States with him, Blair was uncertain if the Sentinel would remain with him. From what he had told him, Jim had had a very difficult time of it when his senses came online. He had to leave a job he loved working in Major Crimes in the Cascade PD, and he had no fond memories of that period.

Blair had to decide if he was willing to give up everything, possessions, friends, Naomi, and come to live with his love in the rainforests of the Amazon.

If he could get Jim to admit he loved him.

Although Blair had seemed to jump at the idea of Jim accompanying him back to the States, Jim wondered if it was because he was reluctant to confront the man he left behind, who seemed to be using Blair as a stepping stone in his career. From what he had told him, Blair had never allowed himself to believe he had been loved for himself alone.

Jim had to decide if he was willing to give up the peace and solitude and beauty of the rainforest.

If he could only get Blair to admit he loved him.

****

"Richard. How kind of you to finally show up." Naomi Sandburg studied the man who stood before her with cool eyes.

The reporter was suddenly struck by their similarity to her son’s. Blair had often regarded him with just such an expression. "I’m sorry, Naomi. Was it important?" Never offer an excuse, he had learned early in his career. It made people think you’d done something that needed to be excused.

"’Was it important?’ I rather imagined that you would have thought so, Richard. Blair’s flight should be landing within the hour. Why aren’t you at the airport waiting to pick him up?"

Richard Mason felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach. Blair was already returning? Damn! Richard had fully intended to meet the younger man, but he hadn’t expected Blair to return to Cascade for at least another couple of weeks.

Now, he thought sourly, he’d have to hurry if he was to get to the airport in time. And there was no way he’d be able to bring Blair back to his apartment, not for a couple of days, at least. That’s how long it would take to erase all traces of the luscious rent boy he’d had staying at his place. Not to mention all the toys he had purchased to use on the boy.

He brushed his hand over his hair and pasted a smile on his face, hoping his face revealed nothing of his thoughts. It would never do for Naomi to discover his secret life. "I just needed to tie up a few loose ends on that story I’ve been working on," he assured his boss. "I would have been on my way there if you hadn’t sent for me!"

Naomi’s eyes didn’t warm, and Richard wondered if it was possible for the old bat to know about his extracurricular activities. He smiled sickly, gave a brief nod and hurried out of her office.

Richard arrived at the terminal just as the jet was rolling up to the gate. He waited sullenly. If Blair had only arrived when he was supposed to, Richard would have brought him to his apartment as planned and fucked his brains out, thereby reinforcing Richard’s possession of the younger man. Maybe he would have even tried some of those toys on him!

In the wave of humanity that poured from the passageway, it was easy to spot the russet-streaked curls that tumbled about Blair Sandburg’s face. His head was turned as he spoke to a tall man who was at his side.

The man had only average looks: dark brown hair cropped short, and a widow’s peak. That looks like the start of male pattern baldness, Richard sneered to himself. He imagined that Blair had taken pity on the older man, something Blair had often done. It was an action that irritated Richard no end. Blair had no qualms about striking up a conversation at anytime, with anyone, and often with people whom Richard deemed quite unsuitable.

Once he got Blair to commit to him, he would put an end to that annoying habit.

Richard wiped his face clear of all irritation. "Blair! Here I am!" He strode over to his lover. "I’m so happy to see you again, cupcake!" and he leaned forward to kiss him. Blair turned his head, and the kiss landed on his cheek. Richard frowned.

"Richard, this is James Ellison, the man I went to Peru to find." Blair seemed a little tense as he made the introductions. "Jim, this is Richard Mason."

"Oh, you’re the crocodile hunter." Richard’s tone was patronizing.

"This is the boyfriend?" the average-looking man asked, and he smiled at Blair.

Richard sucked in his breath sharply. That smile transformed the tall man into someone dangerously attractive. And a serious threat, if the way Blair was gazing back at him was anything to go by.

Well, Richard Mason was nobody’s fool. He’d get rid of this backwoods hick, and lay claim to his lover once and for all.

****

As soon as the Sentinel had realized what a poor flier Blair Sandburg was, he had gone into Protector mode and done everything he could to distract his lover. He had massaged the tense muscles of his shoulders and the base of his skull, and his companion had practically purred his appreciation, nearly driving the other man toward a precipitate climax.

Just when it seemed that he might convince Blair to remain with him, this had to happen!

Ellison had seen the tall, dark haired man who was waiting impatiently across the concourse, trying to get Blair’s attention, and a sinking sensation took up housekeeping in his gut. He noticed the immediate change in Blair, who had spotted the attractive man at the same time. The younger man had gone from effervescent to vexed in the blink of an eye.

Blair introduced the man at his side to his former lover and Jim’s nostrils flared briefly. There was another man’s scent on his skin and clothes, mingling with this man’s, hot and sexual. Jim’s blue eyes seemed to go flat, and his mouth tightened.

They shook hands, and it became an obvious power play. But Richard didn’t have years of surviving in the jungles of Peru to fall back on, and he surrendered first, signaling his defeat with a grunt of pain.

Jim’s grin was feral in satisfaction. He hurried to wipe the expression from his face before Blair could see it.

Richard surreptitiously tried to rub feeling back into his fingers and glared at the former Ranger. "The car is this way, cupcake."

"Richard, please! I’ve told you I hate that nickname!"

The reporter ignored him. "We can drop off Jungle Jim and I’ll take you out to dinner. Then we can go back to your place then to celebrate your return!"

"Richard, don’t be a dick. I can’t leave Jim alone on his first night in Cascade."

Jim held his tongue, hoping Blair would be as unhappy with the idea of his Sentinel on the loose in the city as Jim was with the idea of Blair taking that smooth operator he had once had a relationship with home with him.

"No. Jim’s coming to dinner with us, and then he’s going to stay at my place!" For someone who didn’t deal well with confrontations, Blair was surprising everyone.

Jim let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

"*Blair*!" Richard was not happy about this turn of events.

Blair ignored him and went to baggage claim.

****

Dinner was not a happy affair. Richard had insisted on going to Chez Henri, Cascade’s only French restaurant and then tried to embarrass at the Sentinel by offering to allow him to order. Since the menu was in French, Richard was certain Ellison would make a fool of himself.

"That’s okay, I’ll do it!" Blair interjected hastily.

"Nah, Chief, I’ll give it a shot!" Ellison, regarding Blair’s former lover as if he were a particularly annoying bug, had picked up the menu and scanned it briefly. "Hmmm." He looked across at another table and his eyes lit up. "I don’t know what that woman is having, but it looks really good!"

He pointed, the gesture knocking over Richard’s water glass and spilling it into his lap.

"*Shit*!" Richard jerked to his feet, his chair rocking behind him. "You asshole! You did that on purpose, Ellison!" He stormed off to the men’s room, hoping the attendant would be able to assist him, muttering under his breath and drawing the attention of other diners.

"I’ll go help him, this was my fault after all!" Jim hurried after the man who thought he still had a claim to Blair. He’d be straightened out on that matter quite soon.

The only occupants of the men’s room when he got there were Richard Mason and a tired-looking old man who had no choice but to listen to the reporter pour out his vitriol.

"Amigo." Jim gestured toward the door, and the old man took one look at his face and gratefully hurried out.

"Hey!"

"Richard, you’re going to go home now."

"Oh, yeah? Why? What would I do at home?"

"I don’t really care. Fuck yourself! Or fuck the piece of tail you’ve got there."

Richard eyes became panicky. "I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

"No? Next time you stick your dick in someone before you go to the airport to pick up the person you’re supposed to be in love with, I suggest you take a shower and change your clothes! I can smell sex all over you!"

Richard’s mouth resembled a hooked fish.

Jim curled his lip at him. "I’ll tell Blair you weren’t feeling well and decided to make a short night of it. You can consider your relationship terminated."

"Well…well…"

"Ever see a knife, Mason?" Jim drew a huge hunting knife from the sheathe at his back. "This is a knife!"

There was a soft, hissing sound, and both men looked down at the yellow puddle that was spreading between Richard’s shoes.

Jim grinned, turned on his heel and walked back to the table where his lover waited.

Only to find that Blair wasn’t waiting.

****

Blair had wandered disconsolately through the streets of Cascade until he had finally gone to Naomi’s penthouse apartment and poured out his woes to her. "And to top it off, I was walking away as slowly as I could! I don’t know how many shop windows I stopped to look in. He just didn’t come after me! Naomi, what am I going to do? I love the macho schmuck!"

Naomi had never seen her son so distraught. Then again, she mused, perhaps he had never been in love before. "How did you expect him to find you, dear?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "I’m not stupid, Naomi! I left both addresses on the table!"

"Rather obvious, don’t you think?" She struggled to prevent a smile at his disgruntlement. "Explain to me again how you discovered Richard was seeing someone on the side."

"I gave them time to get to the men’s room and then followed them. Jim called him on it, said he could smell the other guy on Richard!"

"He could smell that Richard wasn’t faithful to you? I don’t understand how that was possible!"

"Um, something I neglected to tell you, Naomi." Blair paced restlessly back and forth before his mother. He looked a little flushed.

Which was how Naomi came to learn of Jim Ellison’s Sentinel senses.

"Can you believe Richard didn’t even have the smarts to shower before he came to pick me up? I mean, plain, old-fashioned good manners would indicate…"

Naomi glanced away. "I’m afraid that was my fault, darling. I beeped him. When he called, I ordered to my office, and never gave him a chance to say yes, no or maybe. He had forgotten you were coming home today, sweetheart! I’m so sorry, Blair. Richard Mason was not one of my better ideas."

Her son sighed. "I know you just wanted me to be happy. You had Richard all picked out for me, Naomi; you were actually hearing wedding bells! And you know how I am about confrontations." Blair threw himself down on the couch beside his mother. "Well, I guess it was for the best. He’s out of my life for good now, Naomi." He wasn’t sure to whom he was referring. "I hope that doesn’t bother you too much."

His mother’s glance was pensive. "The only thing I regret is that you’re alone, dear."

Blair sighed again. "I had hoped…"

The doorbell chimed sweetly and he bolted upright, his hair whipping around as he stared hopefully at the door. The pretty Jamaican maid went to answer it.

"Is Blair Sandburg here?"

The soft cadence of Jamaican patois was heard.

Naomi caught her breath at the expression on her son’s face.

"Never mind," the voice from the hall was saying, "I’ll announce myself!"

Jim stalked into the living room, his blue eyes hot as they sought his lover. Blair jumped to his feet and put the couch between him and his lover. "Jim!" he squeaked.

"So you love me, Chief? It would have been nice if you’d told me first!"

"Just one moment, young man!" Naomi placed herself between her son and the alarmingly intense man who had invaded her home.

Jim stepped around her, pulled Blair out from behind the couch and into his arms. "Yes, Mom?"

With a pleased smile, Naomi announced it had been a long day, and she, for one, was going to bed!

"You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone!"

The only sound that disturbed the silence of the room was the needy moans of both men as they kissed hungrily.

****

Blair Sandburg was sprawled out on the bed in their loft, aching pleasurably from the thoroughness of Jim Ellison’s lovemaking.

"It was really nice of Naomi to find this apartment for us, wasn’t it, big guy?"

"Mmmm." It was a sated rumble.

"It’s so cool that you’ll get your old position on the police force back again!"

"Mmm."

"They really missed you in Major Crimes!"

"Mm."

"I can’t believe you lived here in Cascade all the time I was here, and I never knew it!"

A soft snore greeted his last remark.

Blair grinned happily and relaxed into sleep.

~End~