Thanks go to Myrna, who beta-read this for me.  Any errors you find are, of course, my own.

Standard all-purpose disclaimer:  The Sentinel belongs to Pet Fly and UPN.  I'm making no money off this.  Feel free to distribute as long as this disclaimer and my name are attached.  Also feel free to archive.

**This story contains desciptions of a kiss between two people who are very much in love, but just happen to both be men.  If that bothers you for some reason, I would suggest that you make a very simple desicion and not read this.**

I'm going to rate this PG for safety, although I really think that it only deserves a G.

Written July 13, 1997

Fishing In The Dark
by Wintermoon

 "Chief, come on, hurry up," Jim Ellison called to his Guide.

 "Hey, hold on man.  Not all of us can see in the dark, okay?"  Blair called back.  He was currently scrambling around in the back of Jim's Explorer, trying to find the flash light.  Blair could have sworn that he had packed it in with the rest of the camping stuff, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be.

  Blair ran his hand around the floor underneath the back seat.  Oh, yuck there was something sticky.  Probably some of that pop Blair had spilt a couple months ago.  He thought he had cleaned it all up.  Don't mention that to Jim, he would *not* be impressed.  Dirt, rocks, something fuzzy, okay Blair didn't want to know about that, some loose change, a sock (a sock?), and, oh here it was.  The flashlight.

 Blair pulled the item out from under the seat, and turned it on.  Or rather, he tried to turn it on.  Nothing happened.  Ah man, couldn't anything cooperate tonight?

 Blair crawled out of the back seat of the Explorer and shut the door.  He let himself into the front and opened the glove compartment.  He dug inside and came up with the container of batteries that he had put in there right before they left.  Rechargeables.  Blair insisted on that, rechargeable batteries only.  He opened up the small plastic container and extracted two batteries of the correct size.

 "Hey Chief, what's taking so long there?" Jim called.

 "Batteries are dead, man.  Just give me a minute, okay?"  Blair called back as he fumbled to change the batteries quickly.

 "I thought you checked them before we left home," Jim commented.

 Blair got the new batteries into the flashlight and tried to turn it on again.  Nothing happened.  "Yeah Jim, I did," Blair sighed.

 "Well then?" Jim asked.

 He was suddenly standing in the open door right beside Blair.  Blair jumped.  "Ah man, I wish you wouldn't do that!"

 "Sorry," Jim said off-handedly.  "What's wrong then?"

 "Must be the bulb," Blair reasoned.  "We got any extras?"

 "Screw off the bottom and check under the spring, Chief.  Should be an extra one in there."

 Blair followed Jim instructions and came up with a new bulb.  He replaced the old one with it, and screwed the flashlight back together.  When he turned it on this time, the thing worked.

 "That's it then," Jim said.  "Let's go."

 Blair sighed softly.  He shoved everything back in the glove compartment and closed it.  He climbed out of the truck and locked it behind him.  Then Blair followed Jim out into the night.

****

 "Isn't this great?" Jim called back to his Guide.  They were carrying an orange fiberglass canoe through the forest and down a slight hill to the lake below.  It was the middle of the night, the late spring moon was lending some light to the night, but not enough so as anyone but a Sentinel could see without help.  The sky was clear, and the stars were out.  There was a slight breeze, and all that could be heard were the sounds of the forest and the water hitting the shore on the lake below.

 Blair had to agree.  "Yeah," he breathed.  It was soft, but he knew that Jim would be able to hear him.

 They continued through the forest for a few minutes longer.  Jim wasn't following any trail that Blair could discern.  They were just kind of tramping through the forest, taking the route that offered the least obstacles for the canoe.  Jim seemed to know where he was going, though, and even Blair could hear the sounds of the lake getting loader as they approached.  Eventually they broke out of the trees.

 Jim and Blair were standing on the shore of a small lake.  There was a small ridge running all around the lake, encircling it by rock and trees.  The water was calm and dark.  Blair thought that if he looked hard enough, he might see the night sky reflected there on the water.  Jim made a move to lower the canoe from their shoulders, and Blair followed suit.

 "Isn't it great?" Jim asked Blair.

 Blair could tell, even without being able to see Jim's face in the darkness, that the other man was smiling.  "Yeah," Blair agreed again.

 "My Uncle Al used to bring me up here every summer," Jim explained.  "He said it was his own special place, that no one else knew about it.  I don't know if that was true, but I never saw anyone else here."  Jim paused for a minute, carefully choosing his next words.  "He told me to bring someone special up here someday."

 Jim remembered his uncle's words exactly.  "Jimmy, when you're ready to get married.  When you know for sure that the person you have found is the one that you want to spend the rest of your life with, bring them up here and tell them.   This is where I asked your Aunt Eva to marry me, and she never left.  There's some kind of magic in this place, Jimmy-boy, ancient and powerful."

 Jim smiled at the memory of his uncle.  He had actually been the Jim's grandfather's brother.  He was ten years younger than Jim's grandfather, and nothing at all like the older man.  Alan had been a dreamer, a scholar of ancient religions, who put too much belief in what he dug up.  That's what Jim's father had said.  And Jim had believed him at the time.  He had never brought Carolyn up here, had never even thought of doing so.  But now he had met Blair, who reminded him so much of his Uncle Al, and he had remembered the words spoken to him almost thirty years before.

 "Jim, you there man?" Blair was asking his Sentinel.  He had come up and grabbed Jim's shoulder, ready to shake him.

 "Yea, I'm here, Chief," Jim assured him and smiled.  He knew that Blair was close enough to see it.  "Let's get this canoe in the water."

 Blair regarded Jim for a few seconds longer, and then removed his hand and moved toward the back of the canoe.  They picked the canoe up and carried it into the water.

****

 Jim and Blair had put their fishing lines in the water almost an hour ago.  Neither of them had even gotten a nibble so far.  Jim didn't know what was wrong.  He had checked the fishing reports before they had come out.  It should have been the right time of the month for the fish to be biting.  So why weren't they?

 Not that Jim mattered too much.  He was having lots of fun watching Blair.  It was almost like a new sport for Jim lately.  Blair watching.  Basically the object of the game was to try and observe his Guide with as many different expressions on his face as possible.  It took many long hours of dedication, but Jim believed that he was now up to about thirty.  There was the curious look, that one was easy, and it scored almost no points.  Then there was the pissed off look, not to be confused with the man-I'm-mad-at-you-Jim look, or the someone-stole-my-parking-spot look, or the why-won't-you-even-try-this look.  The I-just-found-something-for-my-thesis look was currently one of Jim's favourites, but it was definitely being given a run for it's money with the look Jim was observing now.  Blair was staring up at the stars with a look which seemed to be a mix of wonder and contentment.  It was beautiful, and it made Jim's pulse race.

 "Hey, Chief, you still with me here?" Jim asked quietly.  It almost looked like Blair was going to fall asleep.

 "Hum?  Oh, yeah, Jim.  I'm fine.  I....  It's just, wow.  Look at the sky.  You ever realized how small we really are?  There's so much out there, and here we are.  On this rock, in the middle of nowhere.  It's just....  Well, it's amazing and...."

 Suddenly Blair cut himself off, and with a small cry grabbed for his fishing line.  He had all but let go of it while he was staring up at the stars, and now it was threatening to jump out of the canoe.

 Blair grabbed the line.  He had stood up to reach it, and was balanced on one foot.  Just as his hands closed around the rod, the fish pulled hard on the line.  The rod jerked, Blair moved with it and lost his balance.  The next thing Blair knew, he was cold and wet, and in the lake.

 Jim couldn't believe it.  Trust Blair to fall in the lake!  His Guide was floating by the side of the canoe, spitting out water, and looking none too happy for his little adventure.  He looked so cute like that.  Jim couldn't help it, he had to smile.  He stopped himself from laughing, though, knowing that Blair might never forgive him for that one.

 "Well?" Blair demanded.  He knew full well that Jim was sitting there staring at him.  He was probably smiling, damn him, and most likely barely keeping from laughing!

 "Here, Chief.  Let me help you back into the canoe," Jim offered.

 Blair swam over to the side of the canoe.  He grabbed onto the canoe with one hand, and then reached out with the other to take Jim's.  Jim had to shift his weight over to Blair's side in order to help the other man back in.  Blair made a show of hauling himself up into the canoe, and then at the last minute, he pulled hard on Jim's arm and dragged the other man into the water with him.

 Jim came up sputtering.  "Sandburg!" He bellowed.

 "That's for laughing at me, man," Blair told him.  There was evidence of a smile in his voice.

 Jim didn't answer.  He just launched himself at the smaller man.  Jim grabbed Blair by the arm and pulled the student towards him.  Blair was momentarily scared that Jim was going to hurt him, but then the older man started to tickle Blair.

 Blair cried out in indignation.  He was being tickled, in a lake, in the middle of the night, by his Sentinel.  Blair knew only one way to deal with that particular situation.  He treaded water as hard as he could and tickled Jim right back.

 Soon they were both laughing, and spitting out mouthfuls of water.  And then, somehow, Blair was treading water in the middle of a lake, with Jim's strong arms wrapped around his middle.  He wasn't even sure how he got in the embrace.  But there he was, staring up into Jim's ice blue eyes, his face mere inches from his Sentinel's and their eyes locked.

 Something passed between them.  A promise was made, and accepted.  Permission was asked, and given.  Slowly Jim lowered his face towards Blair's, and then gently their lips touched.

 It was a slow kiss.  Full of promise and expectation.  It was the kind of kiss that you can get lost in.  Everything else disappeared into the night.  They were no longer in the middle of a lake soaking wet, they were no longer sitting under a tapestry of stars shining their majesty over the universe, they were no longer two separate beings scrambling around in the dark trying to find their way home.  They were one being, with one purpose.  And for them existed only themselves, only this kiss.  Only their lips gently caressing each other, only their tongues seeking and finding the warmth of the other's mouth.

 It lasted an eternity, and it lasted only a split second.  It seemed to go on forever, and then it was cut short all too soon.

 Jim and Blair broke apart slowly when the need for oxygen over-powered every other need either of them had.  Their eyes caught and held.  Jim reached up with his hand and cradled Blair's cheek.  Blair leaned into the small caress, and Jim smiled.

 Blair smiled back.  A bright beautiful smile that lit up the dark world around them.  And it was in that instant that Jim knew everything would be alright.  The promise that had been made and accepted was real.  They could make it work.  They had given each other the most important gift that any two people could give each other - the gift of love.

 "Come, love, let's get out of this lake," Jim suggested.

 Blair nodded and for the first time, Jim saw the I'll-love-you-forever look.  It almost made his heart stop.
 

Okay, here's the song that managed to inspire what you just read.  My parents decided to listen to 'Greatest Country Hits of the 80's' this weekend.  This was the last song on the CD.  Made me think of Jim and Blair for some reason.  Don't ask what goes on in this brain of mine, because even I don't know most of the time.  Anyhow, it's called Fishing In The Dark and it's by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  That's all I know.  I swear.
 

Lazy yellow moon coming up tonight
Shining through the trees.
Crickets are singing
And lightening bugs are floating on the breeze.
Baby get ready.

Cross the field where the crick turns back by the Old Stump Road
I'm going to take you to a special place that nobody knows.
Baby get ready.

Oh, Oh
You and me going fishing in the dark
Lying on our backs and counting the stars
Where the cool grass grows.
Down by the river in the full moonlight
We'll be falling in love in the middle of the night
Just moving slow.
Staying the whole night through
It feels so good to be with you.

Spring is almost over and summer's coming
The days are getting long
Waited all winter for the time to be right
Just to take you along.
Baby get ready.

And it don't matter if we sit forever and the fish don't bite
Jump in the river and cool ourselves from the heat of the night
Baby get ready.

<chorus x3>

*****

END

(c) 1997 Wintermoon

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