Written in the Stars

by VampyrAlex

Disclaimer: It was brought up to my attention that I've been using the same disclaimer since the first story I posted. For those of you who don't usually read them (I know I don't!), it read: Not mine, also no money was made from this, yadda, yadda, yadda. So...I'm presenting my brand new disclaimer on this story. Here it is: Not mine, also no money was made from this, blah, blah, blah. Better now? :-)

Note: This story came together from the ideas of three very wicked minds. :-) Mine, of course, and my friends Bine and DarkCherry. Hope you enjoy the final result. Bine, thank you soooo much for the absolutely gorgeous, beautiful, magnificent cover you did for the story. It's already on the webpage. A huge thank you to Erryn Lancaster, Patt Paulos-Darrow, and lovely Tricia for their support. Thanks also to my betas Bine, DarkCherry, and Monica for the excellent work. Any final mistakes are mine. And finally, Helen, I didn't tell you this before, but the last sex scene was definitely written for you. :-) Man, this sounds like an Oscar night speech! Lol.

For those of you who don't usually watch Stargate, or at least don't do it as religiously as you did with The Sentinel, don't worry about the spoilers. It's only a little canon, mostly regarding Daniel's family, you won't even know it's there. Everything is explained on the story.

Warning: Contains language, violence, and m/m :-).

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: Jim/Blair, other

Spoilers for The Sentinel- "The Switchman", "Sentinel Too", "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg"

Spoilers for Stargate- "Stargate-The movie", "The First Commandment", "Gamekeeper".

Summary: Jim goes primal during an offworld mission with the Stargate team.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

Blair

Blair looked around Simon's office, a place where he'd spent so many hours in the last four years, feeling strangely empty. It was over. Everything. His career, his job at Rainier...and more important, his partnership with Jim. No way would he be allowed to continue as a police observer after the press conference. He knew what would happen, the price he would pay for doing the right thing. He should be happy. So why did he feel so empty, so sad? So lonely?

Ever since his dissertation had come out, Jim had been acting distant, cold, even worse than when they'd first met. And it hurt. It hurt mostly because Blair was in love with his partner, and had been for a long while now. Somehow the necessity for being together had changed into acceptance, then friendship and without him knowing it, into love. He didn't even noticed it at first, how he kept watching Jim, feeling strangely happy whenever they were together even with mad bombers, psycopaths or rogue agents ambushing them at every corner. Hadn't realized at first that he didn't want to be anywhere else, didn't want to be with anyone else, not even the legion of women that seemed to follow him around. That he always felt good when Jim was with him, and that something was missing when he was away.

"God, I got it bad," he whispered into the deserted office.

And what was he to do now? He had nothing left and the possibility that Jim might not want him around anymore was frightening, he couldn't even let himself think about it. Think. That was what he needed to do, though. Think about his life, what he was going to do, what he planned to do about his feelings towards Jim.

His friend Daniel's call a few hours before, came to his mind. Daniel needed his help for some secret project in Colorado, had nearly begged him to be there as soon as possible. It couldn't have come at a better time. He would help his friend in whatever scheme he was involved in and then stay in Colorado a few extra days. Just relaxing and taking a good hard look at his life and what to do about his uncertain future.

Joel Taggart walked in at that moment intruding on his dark thoughts.

"Hey, Blair! What you up to, man?"

"I'm taking a last look around," the young man answered, trying to keep a brave face.

"Last look?" Joel echoed. "You going somewhere?"

"Well, yeah. I cleaned out my desk over at Rainier. I thought I'd do the same thing here. I'm a fraud, man. I don't think Simon's going to want me hanging around," he finished sadly.

He turned and watched the others entering in the bullpen, Rafe pushing Simon in a wheelchair, Jim supporting himself on a cane. Henri, Naomi, and Megan with her arm in a sling, were close behind them.

"Sandburg, that is not your office," Simon stated, a strange expression on his face.

"Hey, Simon, they let you out?" Blair asked lamely, as he and Joel came out from the office to join them.

"Nah, they threw him out," Jim joked.

"They didn't throw me out," Simon smirked. "They said I was too cantankerous."

"You?" Jim queried in mock-surprise, pinching Simon's cheek. "No!"

Blair turned his gaze on his mother.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" he asked, hugging her.

Naomi smiled gently.

"I'd never miss this occasion, Darling," she answered softly.

"Know what's great? Everybody's safe and out and happy," Blair stated, having a feeling he was missing out on something. Everyone was acting definitely weird.

"That's not exactly why we asked your mom here," Simon remarked. "I understand you gave up your job at the university and I saw you over there in my office. So we decided we needed to do something to keep you under control."

"You're, uh, you're finished in this department, Chief," Jim continued smiling, and for a moment Blair felt the need to punch him. Here he was hurting, his whole life in ruins, and his friend was all smiles. Bastard!

But all he said was, "Yeah well, I-I sort of...well, I figured that."

"As an observer," Jim finished his speech and tossed his Guide something.

Blair caught the object and looked at it stunned.

"This is, uh...what is this? This is a detective's badge. What's going on? I don't deserve this," he stated, feeling like crying all of a sudden. They were still his friends, they still wanted him around...*Jim* still wanted to be his partner after all that happened.

"No, you don't, at least not until you go to the Police Academy and complete firearms training," Simon interrupted. "And if you do, Detective Ellison is looking for a permanent official partner."

Blair looked up at his partner, his Sentinel, now standing close to him.

"Uh... yeah?" Blair hated the hopeful tone in his voice, but couldn't help it. "So, uh...does this mean a paycheck?" he joked.

"Can you say 'back rent'?" Jim joked back. "Come on, what do you say?"

"Say something, Sandy," Megan urged with a smile.

"I'm still not cutting my hair. I'm not going to do it," he repeated when Jim started to laugh.

"That's what you think," Jim said and proceeded to give him an affectionate noogie. "They're going to love you at the Academy. Captain, I'm going to make a little Blairskin rug for you here..."

"You're not going to scalp me! Forget it!"

After they all had a long laugh and Jim finally released him, Blair turned to Simon.

"So...can I think about this?"

Simon nodded.

"Wouldn't expect anything else from you, Blair," he replied in a surprising gentle tone. "It's a big step to take, I realize that. I don't want you to accept because you feel you owe it to us, I want you to accept *if* and only *if* you feel you're up to it, that it's something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. Personally, I think you'll make a great cop."

Blair nodded, grateful.

"Thanks, Simon. That means a lot to me. Uh...I'll give you my answer next week then. Is that okay?"

"Yes, Sandburg, it is. Now people, let's get back to work. There are criminals out there and we can't catch them sitting around moping."

Jim smiled at his friend and gave him a gentle pat on the arm.

"I'll see you tonight, okay? We need to talk."

"Uh...okay, Jim."

Blair watched his friend walk away a little concerned. Jim usually avoided serious conversations like the plague, especially if they turned out to be highly emotional as theirs would surely be. Half of him was excited about the idea of having a heart-to-heart talk with the Sentinel, the other was dreading it.

Sighing he turned to leave, when he saw his mother watching him intentely.

"Mom..."

"You don't hate me, do you?" Naomi queried suddenly.

The young man shook his head slightly.

"We talked about this before, mom. No, I don't hate you, how could I? I wish...I wish you'd told me what you were planning to do," he took his mother's hands into his own and entwined their fingers together. "I am old enough to make my own decisions, and there was a reason why I didn't want to let anyone read that dissertation before it was ready."

"I know that, now..."

Blair nodded.

"I know. Look, you made a mistake. I wish you hadn't and I'm sure you do too. But you're human and allowed to make mistakes. But most importantly, you're my mother and I love you," they hugged and he smiled. "I'll tell you what, I'm going to Colorado tomorrow to visit a friend. Why don't you come with me? We haven't travelled together for years, it'll be fun. You can meet Daniel and while he's working we can do a little sightseeing. What do you say?"

Naomi smiled.

"You're on!"

"Good. Let's go back to the loft then, pack our stuff and take care of our travel plans."

"And Jim?" his mother queried.

Blair sighed again.

"I'll talk with him tonight."

They left the police station in silence and while driving away, Blair couldn't help looking back at the impressive building, wondering if the next time he'd set foot in it he'd still be a civilian, or if he would be one of the cops.

****************

It was nearly dark when Jim finally arrived at the loft. Blair listened to him hang up his jacket, go to the fridge and finally come to stand close to him on the balcony. Blair could feel the warmth of the bigger body behind him and found himself sighing contentedly.

"Hey, Chief..." came the whisper from his partner.

"Hey..." the young man answered without looking back.

"Where's Naomi?" Jim asked.

"Out to dinner with some friends," Blair replied, finally turning and accepting the beer his partner was handing him.

"I'm sorry," Jim blurted out suddenly. "I...I mean...I really am sorry about the way I've been treating you the last few days, it was unfair."

Blair got back inside, into the living room, and sat at the end of the couch watching his friend wearily.

"I know. But...how could you think that I would sell the dissertation just like that? That I would do something so cheap?..." he paused to gather his thoughts, trying to control the hurt inside. "Don't you know me at all, Jim?"

He heard Jim's sigh and kept his eyes on him as the older man sat on the coffee table, his hands on Blair's knees.

"I didn't...don't...think that, Chief," Jim whispered, and the young man could see the brightness in the Sentinel's eyes. "I never really thought any of the things I said. I...I was scared and I lashed out...I didn't mean any of it..."

The young man looked at him with a quizzical expression.

"Scared?" he echoed.

"Yes," Jim huffed. "Over the years I came to depend on you more than I ever thought I would. I've never allowed anyone this close before, not even Carolyn. Somewhere along the way, you stopped being an annoyance and became a very close friend, my best friend. And I guess a part of me was always afraid that it was one-sided, that I was still just your Holy Grail and that you'd move on once the dissertation was done. This...situation was basically the same thing, the dissertation was finished one way or the other, everyone was commenting on how great it was, your doctorate was a given, you had a brilliant career ahead of you...we had no real reason to stay together. I know I should have told you how shocked and confused I was when all that stuff with Alex happened, but I stayed silent and let it come between us. I guess...after all that's been going on for the last months...that irrational, uncontrolable fear that you were finally leaving for good took over. I'm sorry."

A heavy silence settled between them for a moment, both caught up in the whirlwind of their emotions and their erratic thoughts. Never one to be confortable for long around quiet settings, the young man moved slightly closer to his partner, Jim's breath tickling his cheek.

"You know," Blair started with a gentle smile. "For a quiet guy you sure do a lot of thinking. *Wrong* thinking, but a lot of it nevertheless. Look Jim, I'm not leaving, not unless you want me to. You're my best friend as well, what we have...I've never been so close to anyone in my life before either. I would never do anything to hurt you, not intentionally anyway. What you feel is *not* one-sided by any means, and I plan to be around for a very long time."

"Does that mean you'll go to the Academy?" Jim asked, and the young man could hear the hope in his voice.

"I don't know, Jim..." he breathed softly. "These last few days have been a roller-coaster ride, everything happened too fast. I need to stop and look around myself, see what's left. I want to continue as your partner, but this is one hell of a big step to take, I need to think it over. Actually...that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. Daniel called me today asking me to join him in Colorado, he needs my help with something. I'm going tomorrow and I'll stay for a few days. I'll take the time to get my head straight, I'll have the answer to that question by the time I get back."

He watched Jim rise from the table and begin pacing silently. Blair found himself frowning, there was something wrong. Jim seemed agitated, and the way he was pacing reminded him of his spirit guide, a breathtaking feline grace in each barely controled movement.

"Jim...?"

The older man stopped and turned abruptly.

"You'll come back, won't you, Chief? I mean..." Blair watched him shake his head and grimace, and since nothing more seemed to be forthcoming, he rose and neared his Sentinel.

"What's going on, man?"

"I'm not..." Jim took a deep breath and started again. "I don't like being this out of control. Everything's...changing. I don't want you to go to Colorado," he finally admited, a slightly shamed expression crossing his features.

"Why? I'll be back, I promise."

"I know, I believe you. It's just...Daniel..."

"Daniel? What about him? Jim, you're not making much sense here!"

Jim kept stubbornly silent and Blair decided to take matters into his own hands. He cupped Jim's face, trying to force him into making eye contact, but the detective kept his eyes on the floor.

"Jim, look at me."

"No," the older man mumbled.

Blair gripped the aggravating man's broad shoulders.

"Look at me, dammit!"

Reluctantly Jim complied, their gazes locking, and Blair gasped at what he saw in the clear blue eyes regarding him miserably.

"Oh, my God..." Blair breathed. "You feel it too..."

"Yes..." came the whispered reply. "I love you..."

Understanding dawned in the young man's clever mind.

"You're jealous of Danny!"

"Well, wouldn't you be? You've known each other for years, he's about your age, intelligent, you two have so much in common...and I'm just a worn out cop...how could I compete with that?"

Blair gave him a crooked grin, and shook his head fondly.

"But it's you I love, man. You know, I wish we'd had this conversation before!"

"I know, but there were too many unsolved, unspoken issues between us, still are. And I wasn't ready to make a commitment before."

"'I don't know if I'm ready to take that trip with you'..." the young man understood, and echoed the words his partner had said months before during Blair's stay in the hospital after Alex Barnes' attack.

Jim nodded.

"I am now, Chief. I've been bottling all this inside for too long, fighting my own emotions...I don't want to fight any more. I love you, Blair. It won't be easy, but I'm ready to try."

The young man caressed the strong jaw lovingly, a feather light touch with the back of his hand.

"Good, because I am too. You have no reason to be jealous of Danny, he's a friend, a very good one, but that's it. It's you I gave my heart to. Let me get my head straight, and I promise when I get back we'll have a long conversation, resolve all those unsolved issues between us so we can finally move forward and take that trip together. What do you say, Big Guy?"

Jim smiled and brushed his lips lightly against Blair's.

"I'll be waiting."

Daniel woke up to a warm body spooned behind him, a hard cock nestled between his buttocks, and an arm draped over his waist. Heaven. His relationship with Jack was so recent that the feeling of waking up every morning in each other's arms was still brand new.

Only four weeks before, after another close call with the Goa'uld, and during a dinner with a considerable amount of beer in between, Jack had finally blurted out that he loved Daniel. That revelation had been quite a surprise for the young man. He'd always been a shy, awkward kind of guy, a book worm so to speak, never having much luck in the love department. Plus, as a foster child he had to work hard to get even a scholarship or place at a University and his somewhat weird theories didn't make life much easier.

And then Sha're had come into his life and he'd been totally baffled. He could confess now that he never really loved her the way she'd deserved it, but at the time, with all the problems in his life, no job except for the Stargate project, no money, no place to live, no one to share the good and bad of life...she had been a dream come true. A beautiful young woman who loved him no matter what, that was caring, loving, all the things he knew he was missing. It had been too much to resist.

But now, years later, he knew the truth. Sha're had been just that, a dream. And with her gone, and Jack close by, his feelings for the older man began to change. True, their relationship was anything but easy. They were complete opposites, butted heads more often than not, but little by little, Jack stopped being the anal-retentive military jerk, to become a caring, intelligent, funny man, and Danny realized he was in love.

But what would be the point in saying anything? It would only ruin the amazing friendship they'd started building, and Daniel didn't want to risk that. He didn't have all that many friends to begin with, and he honestly enjoyed having Jack as a friend. Plus, deep down he thought the older man still regarded him as the geeky nerd from when they'd first met and would never love him 'that way'.

So after the revelation, and after almost hugging Jack to death, Daniel confessed he loved Jack too, and they proceeded to have a long conversation about what they were going to do, especially regarding other people and their jobs.

They were keeping the new relationship between them a secret for now, not even Sam or Teal'c knew. Both were well aware of the problems they might have to face if the news got out, especially with Jack being in the Air Force. They were taking the time to get to know each other better, know the good and the bad about the one they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with, and so far everything was going great.

The sexual part had been the only hitch for a while, and even that was no longer a problem. Both had been heterosexual, never been with another man before, and even talking about making love brought forth its awkward moments. After finally seeing the humor in having two grown up men blushing like school girls at the thought of sex, they just decided to go slow and do what felt natural. The first nights they just slept together, nothing more. And then, night after night, they grew bolder, using hands, mouths, rubbing against each other, finding pleasure in giving pleasure, until finally two nights before they went all the way...both of them.

Daniel smiled at the memory and stretched in cat-like laziness. He rolled over slowly, eyes still closed, yawning. He snuggled up against the larger man, wrapping arms and legs around him in a drowsy hug. When he finally opened his eyes, Daniel found very warm brown eyes gazing back at him.

"Good morning," Daniel greeted softly, reaching up to tousle Jack's short hair.

"Ya think?" Jack asked with a teasing smile, leaning over for a kiss.

Their mouths met in a deep, slow, lingering kiss, and Daniel ran his hands down his lover's flanks, down to his hips and thighs, arousing Jack, urging him to make love to him. But then he felt Jack's hard cock brush against his own, the touch inflaming him as well. They rolled about in the bed, using hips and legs to wrestle playfully, until Jack finally used his bigger body to pin the younger man down.

Daniel found the older man's mouth again and nibbled on the full lower lip, his tongue caressing it sensually, dragging a moan out of Jack. He released Jack's mouth to nip his neck as his lover wrapped his strong arms around him, reaching down to grasp his buttocks. Daniel thrust his hips forward, frantic, wanting Jack to take him over the edge. He moved his body against Jack's, heated flesh sliding on heated flesh, stroking the sculptured chest with greedy hands.

Daniel pushed up against Jack with his whole body, trembling as his lover thrust back. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other, touching every part of the other they could reach, hands and mouths all over, lapping, sucking, nibbling, rubbing calves and thighs together, delirious with the pleasure they were creating.

Rubbing their bodies together with fierce passion, lips locked in a consuming kiss, they drove each other closer to the brink until Daniel broke away from the kiss shouting his lover's name, head thrown back, body rocking as he came, the shattering release shaking him utterly.

Still panting, but determined not to leave his lover behind, Daniel's hand closed around Jack's still erect cock, and a few electrifying strokes was all it took for him to climax as well, shuddering into ecstasy.

"Now that's what I call a *good* morning," Jack remarked a few minutes later, limbs casually draped over his lover's smaller form, their legs still entwined, his head resting on Daniel's shoulder.

The younger man snickered.

"Ya think?" he joked, using one of his lover's favorite sayings.

Jack just gave him a wicked grin.

"General Hammond only wants us back after lunch, right?"

"Right," Daniel answered.

"Good," Jack purred, nibbling on a near earlobe.

"But," Daniel interjected. "Blair will be here in a few hours, so we have to get ready."

The young man watched as his lover 'disappeared' and the Colonel took over. Jack raised his head and looked down on him.

"Blair? You called Blair? For crying out loud, Danny!"

He got out of bed and started to pace the room with an angry stride. Daniel sat up, confused with the explosive reaction.

"What, Jack? Why are you so upset? I told you I was going to call him. We *need* him! I don't know of anyone who knows more about Sentinels than Blair, he can help us!"

"Oh, come on!"

"What's your problem? Ever since we got back yesterday morning you've been acting weird!"

"That's because you wanted to call Blair!"

"So? I still don't get what's the problem! I thought you liked him!"

He watched as Jack's anger evaporated suddenly, and he sat on the bed, his back to Daniel.

"I do like him," Jack huffed. "It's just..."

"What?" the younger man queried softly.

He saw, more than felt, Jack's sigh.

"He's so much like you, Danny...the same likings, the same wide-eyed curiosity...sometimes I just feel..."

Daniel moved closer and wrapped his arms around him gently.

"Jealous?" he guessed, and watched the reluctant nod. "Oh, Jack!...You mean you've been mulling that around since yesterday?"

Another miserable nod was his only answer.

"Jack, I love you! Blair is just a good friend, that's all. I promise."

Their eyes met and finally Jack smiled weakly.

"I'm a jerk, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but you're my jerk!"

"Gee, thanks!"

Daniel laughed.

"Go on, you jerk, hurry up and go take a shower. We're running late."

"Take one with me?" Jack asked, oh-so-innocently.

"Oh, no! If we go into that bathroom together we'll never be ready on time! Go!"

"Yes, sir!"

Jack mock-saluted and left for the bathroom, leaving a grinning Daniel behind.

******************

A few hours later, after watching pleased as Jack shook Blair's hand warmly, all traces of jealousy gone, Daniel found himself behind the wheel of his car with Jack by his side and his friend in the backseat looking out the window.

"Where are you taking me?" Blair asked.

"It's a surprise," Daniel replied. "Has to do with the reason why I called you. You'll see soon enough."

"Okay."

Daniel was a little surprised that Blair didn't insist on knowing where they were going, he was an extremely curious person and the Anthropologist was sure he wouldn't rest until he knew why Daniel had called him. Instead he was silently looking out the window, a somewhat sad, thoughtful expression on his face.

Daniel couldn't help remembering the first time they'd met, and how much his friend had changed since then. A few months before Catherine Langford asked him to join the Stargate project, he was doing a series of lectures on ancient civilizations around the country, and ran across one of his former teachers in New York, Dr. Eli Stoddard. With Stoddard stood an energetic, intelligent, vivacious young man named Blair Sandburg.

Stoddard introduced them and they immediately started talking, taking an instant liking to each other, and over the years they kept in touch as much as possible even if Jackson's hush-hush job didn't allow it too much. The only time they'd been without any contact had been while he was on Abydos, and as soon as he got back one of the first things Daniel did was to call Blair.

At first it had been extremely hard difusing Blair's curiosity about what he was doing in Colorado, after all the Stargate was a top secret project and a number of unpleasant things could happen to Daniel if he spoke about it, but after a while he noticed Blair wasn't so curious any more. He had enough excitement in his own life living with a cop and being a police observer, and from the stories he heard when they met, Daniel had no problem understanding Blair had other things on his mind.

Over the years he watched as Blair became calmer, less exuberant and more responsible. Daniel guessed it had to do with what he was forced to see working with Jim, but maybe some of the maturity he saw in his friend had also something to do with the fact he was in love with the cop.

When Daniel realized he was falling in love with Jack, he had been too confused to know what to do. Each passing day he felt closer to the older man, but Jack still had too many demons to deal with, and then there was the fact Daniel was married to Sha're. So he turned to his friend, calling Blair and asking for a good piece of advice. Only his answer had been an amused chuckle and the confession he was going through the same with Jim. What a pair!

Daniel made a mental note to speak with his friend and find out why he was so blue, maybe something had happened between him and Jim. In the meantime, there were other matters to attend to.

"Blair? You got a place to stay?" he queried.

"Yeah. We're staying in a hotel room close to your house."

"We?" Jack echoed.

"Yeah, Naomi came with me."

"You're kidding?! Your mother's here too?! That settles it! After years of hearing all about the amazing Naomi Sandburg, I want to meet her. Tonight the two of you are having dinner at my house, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Blair gave the first real smile since arriving and nodded.

"I'll be there. Can't be too sure about Naomi though. She left the hotel as soon as we got here, said she wanted to go shopping. By this time she probably made a dozen friends and is having dinner with one of them!"

They chuckled.

"Okay. Just *try* to bring her then."

The drive was finally over and they got out of the car.

"What is this place?" Blair asked looking around.

"This," Jack replied. "is the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Used to be a missile silo, now it's where we work."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's get you a pass and get you inside."

Minutes later they were walking through the corridors and Daniel could tell Blair noticed the weird looks he was getting because of his hair and the way he was dressed. The Anthropologist chuckled.

"Don't let it bother you," he whispered. "They're Air Force men, they were born in uniform. It throws them off when they see someone in *real* clothes."

"I heard that!" Jack told them, and the two young men laughed.

"Okay, time to let you know why you're here."

They stopped by a door, and after knocking softly and getting permission to enter, they walked in. Sitting at the head of a large rectangular table was General Hammond, and Daniel nodded his head in greeting.

"General this is Blair Sandburg. Blair, this is General Hammond, you can say he's our boss," Jack made the introductions.

Both men shook hands, but Daniel noticed the guarded look on his friend's face.

The General sat down again.

"Please, sit down, Mr. Sandburg."

Blair sat a few chairs away from Hammond, Daniel and Jack taking the chairs in front of the young man.

"Did Dr. Jackson or Colonel O'Neil reveal the reason why you're here, Mr. Sandburg?"

"No, they didn't."

The General nodded.

"Before we get into that, I have to say that when Dr. Jackson suggested your name, he said nothing but the best about you. I trust his judgement, but I still had to check for myself if you could be trusted," Hammond stated, and Daniel was certain that Blair was turning pale.

The General however, seemed oblivious to the reaction he was causing and continued. "I'm sure by now you realized this is a classified facility, Mr. Sandburg. What you saw already is enough to give us some grief if you tell anyone. So, before I give the okay to what Dr. Jackson has in mind, why don't you explain to me why a few days ago you gave a press conference saying that your dissertation was a piece of fiction and a fraud?"

Blair didn't seem very surprised by the question, but Daniel and Jack were stunned.

"What?! Blair, is that true?!" Daniel couldn't believe his friend would do such a thing.

Before Blair could utter a word, Hammond answered the question.

"Last week a manuscript with the name of "The Sentinel" by Blair Sandburg came to the attention of a certain publisher. This manuscript was in fact Mr. Sandburg's dissertation, in which he stated that Detective James Ellison was a Sentinel. Then a few days later, with no apparent reason the same Mr. Sandburg gave a press conference saying the dissertation was fiction. Why?"

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, then Blair raised his head and looked Hammond straight in the eye.

"Are you saying that for me to join whatever project you're involved in, I have to justify my actions?"

"Yes."

Blair rose from his chair.

"In that case I'm out of here. I don't have to justify myself or what I did to anyone."

"Are you giving up so quickly, Mr. Sandburg?"

Daniel watched his friend turn cautious eyes on the General.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I know for a fact that you have a very inquisitive mind. Doesn't the fact we brought you to this compound to work on some secret project make you the least bit curious? All you have to do is tell me why you did it. I just don't understand it. No one knew your dissertation was a fraud, the manuscript alone could make you a fortune, and from what I was told there was even talk of a movie being done. You could've gotten away with it, and with enough money to last you a lifetime. Instead you were fired from Rainier, the academic world turned their backs on you, and you lost your status as a police observer," the General rose and paced the small room. "Of course, then there is the contradictory facts that I also don't understand. Why, after all that happened, does Detective Ellison still allow you to live with him? Why does the Major Crime team still think the world of you when you're supposed to have betrayed one of them? Or even more important, why do they want you to become Ellison's partner after you go through the Academy? Tell me the truth, Mr. Sandburg."

Blair gave him a sad look and shook his head.

"Sorry, General. Not going to happen. I already said what I had to say at the press conference."

Surprisingly, Hammond smiled.

"Tell me, Mr. Sandburg, why don't you trust me? Because you don't know me, or because I'm in the military?"

Daniel watched a real smile light up his friend's face.

"Both."

Hammond's own smile widened, and rounding the table, stepped closer to Blair.

"Honest answer."

There was some sort of silent communication between the two men, then the General raised his hand and extended it towards Blair.

"Welcome aboard, son," he said to the stunned young man.

"What? Just like that?" Blair asked perplexed, shaking the offered hand nevertheless.

Hammond sat at the head of the table again and nodded.

"Just like that. I needed to know if I could trust you and I got my answer. Not all military are the same, son. Not all of us have a hidden agenda like you see in the movies. This conversation will stay within these walls, as will what is being said here. I'm sure the government would love to get their hands on a Sentinel, but that's not why you're here, and like you confessed to the world, your dissertation was fiction. However, *if* your dissertation had been real, giving that press conference would've been an extremely couragous thing to do, especially given what you had to lose, and refusing to discuss it with me is final proof that you really are trustworthy. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Sandburg?"

"Yes, sir," Blair replied meekly, and Daniel grinned.

It was obvious that the dissertation was real and that Blair had been afraid for Jim, especially with the General being with the Air Force. Hammond had been given the proof that they could trust Blair with the Stargate project when he refused to give in and betray Jim, and the General had given Blair a way out of the discussion without revealing if the cop was truly a Sentinel.

Daniel couldn't wait to get out of there and have Blair tell him the whole story. He knew that once Hammond was sure Blair was reliable he wouldn't push for more. He was right.

"Good. Now that this is out of the way, let's get to the reason why you're here," Hammond said. "I would've liked to give you more time to be filled in and introduced to what we do here, but we're behind schedule already. We're working on what is called the Stargate."

"Stargate?" Blair echoed.

"Yes," Daniel answered and began to explain exactly what the 'Gate was.

He told his friend how the Stargate had been found in the Giza plateau in Egypt in 1928 by an archeology team led by Professor Langford. How Langford's daughter, Catherine, had asked Daniel to join the project and how he had been the responsible for learning how it worked. How they had ended up in Abydos, him married to Sha're, her death years later, and all that happened after that until the present time. By the time Daniel finished relating their adventures, Blair was speechless.

"Man...that is...unreal!" Blair took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll buy it. But what does all this have to do with me?"

"A month ago one of the SG teams traveled to a planet very similiar to Earth. One of the men found a metal unknown to us and brought a small sample over. After much testing our scientists found that it is nearly undestructable, harder than a diamond, but light as aluminium. However, once liquified it can be used as fuel, doesn't seem to explode no matter how high the temperatures we subject it to, and not only that, but used on airplanes for instance, it lasts longer because it burns slower than regular fuel. Obviously when this news reached the President's ears, the order was to get as much of this metal, galicite, as possible."

"For the moment it will just be for more tests, and probably be used on some of our planes," Jack continued. "But in the long run, maybe we can use the galicite on a wider range. The goal now is to bring enough quantity to allow our scientists to fully analyze it, and if possible, synthesize it here on earth."

Blair shrugged.

"I still don't get what this has to do with me."

"Simple," Daniel replied. "Besides the galicite, the other team also found a very primitive tribe. Actually, from the scientific point of view, they're an anthropologist's dream. They are equivalent to our neanderthal period, but have an extremely well organized society. We found traces of an abandoned Goa'uld city, but there was no apparent interaction between the two cultures or the tribe would've been more advanced. On the other hand they have a language which is based on ancient egyptian, so they *had* to have some contact with the Goa'uld. And that's not all! A few years ago one of the other teams found a similar tribe of cave dwellers on another planet who thought we were Gods. This tribe seemed to have been visited by Stargate travelers before because they welcomed us as equals, not Gods. They were extremely friendly as well, which is also strange, not only for a primitive race, but for anyone that had any contact with the Goa'uld."

"I take it you went there as well?" Blair queried.

"Yes, we did. The day before Daniel called you," Jack answered. "We were the designated team to go collect the galicite. The metal looks like your common Earth rock and the tribe uses it for a number of things, such as weapons or tools which they use on your day-to-day life. The other team found the sample of galicite on the tribe's village, but the main source can only be found on a particular area on the other side of the planet. Since the fauna on the planet is pretty aggressive, and the mine sources hard to find, only two members of the tribe actually knew where the galicite could be found, and collected it for the entire village."

"What do you mean the fauna is aggressive?"

"Well, we saw a few animals that made the ones from the 'Jurassic Park' movie look like puppies," Jack remarked. "Not exactly dinossaurs, but when you see a real ugly kind of wolf that is the size of a horse you tend to agree with the tribe's people. They had to build a kind of high wooden fence around the village to keep the beasts out."

"Jesus!" Blair huffed.

"Yeah," Daniel grinned. "Anyway, the reason why we need you has to do with the two members of the tribe who knew where the galicite is. One of them is a Sentinel...the other was a Guide."

Daniel could see the excitement on his friend's wide eyes. It was like seeing a kid with a new toy. He watched Jack rolling his eyes at the thought of being stuck with another over-excited scientist and snickered.

"You mean they have a Sentinel? A primitive one? The real thing? Oh, man!...That's...I...wow!" Blair seemed so lost for words that even Hammond chuckled. "Wait a minute! 'Was' a Guide?"

Jack nodded.

"Yeah. From what Daniel could understand from the tribe's leader, Talor, the Guide died two weeks ago. From Talor's description he died from something similar to our pneumonia. Easy for us to cure, but of course they have no medicine to help them. The Sentinel is the only one that can take us to the galicite now, but since the Guide's death his senses have been completely out of control. We saw him laying on the floor of a hut curled in a fetal ball, hands on his ears and eyes shut tight as if he was in a great deal of pain. He didn't even seem to notice we were there."

Blair grimaced.

"He *was* in pain. From what you're describing his senses of sound and sight were too high. It can be extremely painful."

"Can he be helped?" Hammond queried.

"I'm not sure, General, I'd have to see him. I may be able to help him, but communication might be a problem."

"Not really," Daniel interjected. "I don't understand everything they say, but I understand enough to hold a basic conversation with them. I can be your translator."

"Okay. I take it you want me to go to that planet with you, then?"

"Yes. That's why you're here," Hammond confirmed. "You have any final questions, Mr. Sandburg?"

"Yes. I'm assuming that the government is aware of that Sentinel?"

"They are, yes. And before you ask, yes, it did cross their minds to capture him and study him. Maybe find out more about his senses, how they work, so they could be used to our advantage."

"And?"

"It was considered too risky. He is primitive after all, and except for Daniel, no one would be able to communicate with him," the General gave them a knowing smile. "And since there's no other Sentinel around...the idea was aborted. Any more questions?"

"When will we go to this planet?"

"Tomorrow at 1400 hours."

Blair nodded.

"Very well. I have one condition though."

"Which is?"

"I want Jim Ellison with me."

"What?"

"He's my partner, and as far as I understand from what you're telling me, we don't even know at this point if their Sentinel is still capable, or even alive, at the time we get there. I'm also not sure if, and how, I can help him. He could slip into an even more pre-civilized state and go completely crazy. There's no telling how dangerous an out of control Sentinel can be, especially a primitive one. We crossed paths with a Sentinel before, and he has all the right military training. He can be very helpful."

Daniel saw the General nod albeit hesitantly.

"Very well, I'll allow it. Call him. I want you both here tomorrow at 1300 hours to meet the rest of the SG-1 team and to prepare for going offworld. And Mr. Sandburg...I'm sure I don't have to remind you that this *is* a top secret project, and that you can't mention this to any one."

"I won't tell a soul."

They rose and after shaking hands, Blair was dismissed and allowed to go.

"God, this is too unreal for words!" Blair said ruefully as they made their way back to Daniel's home.

Once there, and after Blair called Jim asking him to join him in Colorado, Daniel made his friend tell them all about what had happened with his dissertation, the press conference, and everything after.

"Any regrets?" Jack asked curious, when Blair was finished.

"Not really. I wanted to be an Anthropologist ever since I can remember, I won't deny I'm sad about not being able to follow that through. And yes, right now I'm a little lost, at a sort of crossroad, but I couldn't keep seeing Jim going through all that. The press always on our backs, everyone looking at him like he was some kind of freak...and what would happen when the government picked up on it? He would become nothing but a lab rat. It still can happen! I mean, your General Hammond did a little research on me and it's obvious he knows the truth. So maybe he's a good guy, but they won't all be."

"I'm military too," Jack stated.

"Yeah. But you're a good guy too. You both are," Blair said with a smile. "Well, if that dinner thing is still up, I better check up on Naomi."

"You bet it's still up! I want you both back here at eight, okay?"

"Okay, Danny. See you in a while."

Daniel saw his friend out, then leaned on the closed door. Jack walked up to him until they were so close their chests touched lightly as they breathed.

"When do we tell him about us?" Jack asked.

"At dinner. You know, I would've done the same thing for you."

They looked at each other, brown eyes locked on blue.

"What? Give up everything to protect me?"

Daniel nodded.

"Yeah."

He watched as a huge smile lit up his lover's face.

"So would I, Space Monkey, so would I..."

Dinner had been a fantastic event. Daniel and Blair were making coffee and talking excitedly in the kitchen, while Jack and Naomi were relaxing in the living room after the excellent meal. Both Jack and Daniel loved Naomi, she was an extraordinary woman, funny, intelligent, and as vibrant as her son. Her stories about some of the places she'd travelled to kept them highly entertained, and time went by without any notice from any of them.

To the three men's complete surprise, Naomi took the news that her son would be away for a few days on some mysterious project with both Jack and Daniel, really well. She didn't even blink when they told her Jim would be coming as well. Jack could see she was dying to ask where they were going, and to do what, but he figured after her meddling with Blair's dissertation, she was trying to stay out of his life. If he didn't tell her, he must have a good reason, and she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

Naomi was reading the titles to some of Daniel's favorites books, when she let out a happy exclamation.

"What?" Jack asked.

"The author of this book about ancient Egypt, Dr. John Melburn...I know him," Naomi answered, smiling brightly.

"Really?" Jack queried, surprised.

"I met John in Egypt when I was there for the first time in 1968. What a wonderful time..." she whispered.

"Did you know he was Daniel's father?"

Naomi faced Jack, her face suddenly pale, her blue eyes wide.

"John is Daniel's father?!...But...but...Jackson..."

Not really understanding her shock, Jack nevertheless nodded.

"His parents never got married. Jackson was his mother's name, Claire Jackson. Actually, from what Daniel told me, his parents had a big fight a little after he was born and lived apart for some years. I think he was four when they got together again."

"W-what...uh...happened to them?" she still seemed a little dazed, the color slowly returning to her face.

"They died when Daniel was eight. They were crushed to death in a freakish accident at the New York Museum of Art. Some heavy stones from an old temple that was part of an exhibition fell and buried them. Daniel was there and watched the whole thing."

"My God...John..." Naomi sat heavily on the couch as if her legs couldn't support her anymore. "And poor Daniel..."

"Yeah...after that he was adopted by a couple who were friends with Claire, and who knew him since he was a little boy."

Whatever more Jack or Naomi might have said, was stopped by the appearance of the two younger men. For the rest of the evening Naomi was silent, just giving Daniel the occasional glance, only perking up when Jack and Danny told them they were a couple.

After all the effusive congratulations and teasing remarks from a mega-watt smiling Blair, Jack set out to watch Naomi. He just knew he was missing something. He suspected that maybe Naomi and Daniel's father had been lovers while in Egypt. The dates fit perfectly, Daniel was born in 1965, Naomi said she met Melburn in 1968, and Daniel's parents got together again around 1969. And maybe Melburn hadn't mentioned he had a child. That would certainly explain her shock in finding out Daniel was Melburn's son.

He decided to leave it alone. He didn't know Naomi well enough to ask anything, and truth be told, he wasn't that interested. Whatever might've happened between Naomi and John Melburn was long and buried in their pasts, and Jack wasn't about to dig it up. It was none of his business anyway.

The evening came to an end a little over midnight. The day had been somewhat eventful and they were all feeling rather tired. After saying goodbye to both Blair and Naomi, Jack and Daniel just snuggled together in bed, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

*******************

The next morning started in a blur of activity. Blair would be arriving around eleven, and they were waiting for Ellison an hour later, so both Jack and Daniel had to get up early and handle whatever errands needed taken care of before they went offworld.

Jack had just returned to Daniel's apartment after doing some shopping, when there was a knock on the door. It was still early, not even ten yet, so he was surprised to see Blair already there, his expressive face a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

"What's wrong?" Jack queried, as he moved aside to let the young man in.

"I need to talk with Daniel, it's important," the young man stated seriously.

"He's in the kitchen. I'll get him."

Jack left Blair in the living room and went to get Daniel. When they got to the living room, Blair was pacing nervously.

"Blair? What are you doing here so early?" Danny questioned, worried.

"We need to talk."

"Want me to leave you two alone?" Jack queried.

Blair shook his head and smiled slightly.

"No, Jack, it's okay. You're a part of Danny's life, so you should listen to what I have to say too. Damn, how do I start this?!...God, this is too unreal, you know?" the young man stated excitedly.

Blair sat down on the couch, but almost immediately jumped up and started pacing again.

"Just relax and start at the beginning. What happened?"

Jack watched Blair take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

"Okay...Last night my mother noticed that one of your books was written by John Melburn. Jack told her he was your father. Well, apparently she met him in Egypt about a year before I was born and...well..."

"And?" Daniel echoed.

"Uh, well...they had an affair!" Blair finally blurted out.

"My father and your mother?!..." Danny chortled. "What an unbelievable coincidence!"

"Daniel, that's not all...They...were together for a couple of months. Then one day Melburn announced he was coming back to the States, because he had a family here, and they never saw each other again. The thing is...because of that, she never told him she was pregnant."

Jack was too stunned for words. He just looked at Daniel and watched his lover blink in shock.

"Pregnant?" Daniel whispered. "You mean...you're my brother?!" He walked up to Blair and grabbed him by the arm, forcing the young man to face him.

"Yeah..." Blair mumbled.

Jack's eyes followed Daniel as he released Blair, turning his back on his younger brother, and looked out the window.

There was a heavy silence in the room. Blair cleared his throat and Jack noticed he was getting nervous at Daniel's lack of response.

"Why didn't she say anything last night?" Jack queried to break the oppressive silence.

"Things have been a little rocky between us since Naomi sent my dissertation to that publisher guy. She wanted to talk to me first this time. I mean, all my life she told me she didn't know who my father was! I guess she didn't want any misunderstandings this time. She said she didn't tell Melburn because if he was set on going back to his family she wasn't going to come between them and destroy everything. I guess she truly believes in that famous saying 'if you love them, set them free'. Anyway, that's what she did. It was damn ironic that years later his two sons met and became friends."

Daniel shook his head.

"My God...what a story..." he looked at Blair as if seeing him for the first time, then his face broke into a huge grin. "You're my brother! God, you're my brother! Jack, I have a little brother!" he beamed.

"Hey!" Blair mock growled. "Watch it on the little!"

The three men laughed, easing the tension in the room, and Daniel hugged Blair tightly.

"It's okay...It's going to be okay..." Jack heard him whisper.

The older man watched the two younger ones hugging with a smile. Life sure was full of surprises, and this one beat everything he'd ever heard. But he honestly liked the idea of Daniel and Blair being brothers. Although Danny's foster parents were good people and loved him like their own, it would be good for him to have a brother, especially someone he knew already and was best friends with. And, Jack confessed to himself with a little guilt, now he didn't have to worry about how close the two of them were or get jealous of Blair.

Jack snickered mentally. He couldn't wait to see Jim Ellison's face when he heard about the news! Two years before, when he first met the cop, he couldn't help noticing the almost possessive way Ellison hovered around Blair, the way he reacted to Daniel's name, so Jack had no doubt the cop would be as relieved to hear they were brothers as he was.

He looked at his watch. Another hour and Ellison would be there. It was going to be strange being with the man again, knowing he was a Sentinel. Although they didn't see each other as much as Daniel and Blair did, Jack liked and respected Ellison, and saw much of himself in the younger man.

Jack knew that both of them had been set on disliking each other on that first meeting, it was a territorial thing, especially if you're in the military, but after fifteen minutes of hearing Daniel and Blair talking excitedly about some scientific mambo-jambo, the two older men surrendered to the fact they would have to talk to each other or go steer crazy.

And talk they did. They found themselves creating an uncommon kind of friendship that began based on the fact that their partners were best friends and they should get along, to finding out they had a lot in common and genuinely liked each other. By the end of the day they shook hands with the unspoken knowledge that if they needed help of any kind, the other would be there in a heart beat.

Suddenly Jack couldn't wait for their offworld mission to begin. He couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather have by his side on a risky mission than Ellison, and he couldn't wait to see his Sentinel abilities now that he knew about them. The fun was just about to begin!

******************

Always the military man, Ellison arrived at noon sharp. After shaking hands with both Jack and Daniel, he looked somewhat hesitantly at Blair. Understanding the reason for the hesitation, Jack smirked.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Ellison! Get on with it, greet your boyfriend properly! It's okay, you can kiss him. We know about you two already. You Army Rangers types know how to plant a big wet one, don't you? Or do you need lessons from the Air Force to do it right?" "

Ellison shot him a dirty look, but smiled, and after getting a nod from Blair, he kissed the younger man. It was a chaste kiss, but Jack wasn't really surprised. Like himself, Ellison wasn't the kind of man comfortable with being too affectionate in public, even if it was just him and Daniel. One thing was a friendly pat, other was a loving caress.

Once the kiss ended, and with his arms still around Blair, Jim looked at the three men with barely concealed curiosity.

"Okay. Now, what was so important that you made me come running to Colorado? Simon wasn't too happy on the short leave notice! And what's this about a top secret project?"

Jack, Daniel and Blair took turns explaining everything, from the fact Daniel and Blair were brothers, to the Stargate project, the mission they had ahead of them, and finally to the fact they knew about his enhanced senses. After a moment of silence to assimilate everything he was told, the Sentinel finally spoke.

"So you know?" Jim remarked.

"We know," Jack nodded.

Ellison took a deep breath and stayed silent once more. Then he nodded as well.

"I trust you to keep it a secret. But what about this General Hammond? Can I trust him to keep this Sentinel thing to himself?"

"Yes, I think you can. I trust him with my life. He's a fair man, honest, and trustworthy. You'll meet him later, so you can draw your own conclusions about him then."

"Okay. In that case there's only one thing I have to ask," Jim stated with a sudden smile.

"What?"

"When did you two get together?"

"What?! H-how...?! Blair, did you tell him?" Daniel sputtered.

"Nope, not me," Blair replied grinning.

"Then how did you know?" Jack queried, his gaze locked on Ellison's.

If possible, Jim's smile grew bigger.

"Well, I can smell your scents on each other's bodies, which means you've been *really* close lately," Jim chortled.

"That's a cheap shot, Ellison!" Jack mock-growled.

"Ya think, O'Neil?" the Sentinel smirked, making everyone laugh.

"You're a riot, cop. Come on, let's go. We're getting late for the meeting with Hammond."

They got into Daniel's car and the young man drove them to the Cheyenne Compound. Once there, they gave Jim and Blair passes and took them to see Hammond. After a brief conversation, Jack could see that Ellison liked the General and was willing to trust him with his Sentinel abilities. All that was left now, since both Jim and Blair knew what to expect from the mission, was to show them the 'Gate.

While the General went to fetch the other members of the SG-1 team, Jack and Daniel took the partners to the section where the Stargate was installed. As soon as the four men walked in the room, Blair gasped.

"Is *that* it?!" Blair looked at his friends, eyes wide in surprise.

"Yep," Jack answered amused by the awed reaction.

"What's it made of?"

"Well, the 'Gate itself is made of a quartz material unknown on Earth, the iris is made of pure titanium."

Hearing footsteps behind him, Jack smirked and looked at his friends.

"Well, campers, it's time to meet the other half of our team. Meet Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c."

Both Jim and Blair turned around, and to their credit, their first reaction to Teal'c was only a surprised blink. Carter shook hands with both and smiled.

"Welcome aboard. I'm Sam Carter. From what Daniel and the Colonel told us about you, it will be a pleasure to have you with us," the blonde woman greeted with an open expression.

"Thanks," Jim replied, still a little stunned. "I'm Jim Ellison, this is my partner, Blair Sandburg."

Teal'c nodded to both.

"Welcome, JimEllison, BlairSandburg."

Jack snickered at the partners shared look, but took pity on them.

"Okay. It's time to show you around the facility and get you the necessary gear for the mission. We'll be leaving in less than an hour."

The two men nodded, and less than half an hour later had seen all the sections of the compound they had access to, and were equipped with all the usual gear the teams used on offworld missions. Jack wasn't too happy about Blair refusing to carry a weapon, but the way Ellison was hovering over the smaller man, he was sure it wouldn't be necessary anyway. Besides, the only expected danger from Planet P4X-3897, their point of destination, was the wild fauna, and Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Ellison would be more than enough to handle it.

Hammond went to see them before they walked through the 'Gate.

"I expect you all here and well in four days. If anything goes wrong I want to know about it as soon as possible in order to be able to send another team."

Jack nodded.

"Don't worry, General. Everything will go according to plan," he turned to the others. "Okay, kids, let's go! Be careful on the other side, it's a bumpy ride, so don't fall flat on your faces now!" he chortled at Jim and Blair. They were just too easy to annoy.

He listened as Blair told Jim to turn down his dials, whatever that meant, and after a few minutes in which the Sentinel seemed to make sure the 'Gate had no effect on his senses, Jim nodded, and they were ready to go.

One by one, they all went through the Stargate, Jim and Blair after a small hesitation. The last one to go, Jack nodded to the General and followed the others. It was mission time.

****************

"Everyone okay?" Jack questioned, once they were on the other side.

After only getting affirmative nods, he glanced around.

"Sweet. Let's go then. The tribe's village isn't that far."

"That way, right?" Jim pointed.

"Yeah," Jack replied, surprised. "How do you know?"

"Can smell their cooking," was Ellison's soft reply, meant for Jack's ears only.

"I'll be..." he muttered, impressed. Those Sentinel senses of Ellison might come in handy after all.

They began walking through the thick forest, stopping occasionally when the growl of an animal close by made them raise their guards. Fortunately, all the animals that crossed their path seemed more curious than anything else, and after a cursory glance left them alone.

They'd been walking for some time when Ellison stopped suddenly.

"Jim?" Blair touched the Sentinel's arm lightly, and Jack saw him blink. "What's wrong?"

"I just...there's something..." Ellison seemed slightly dazed, and Jack looked at him warily. That wasn't a good sign, even he could see that.

"What's wrong, Jim?" the question this time came from Daniel.

"I just saw what looked like a huge tiger," Jim responded. "He looked at me, growled, and then vanished."

"Vanished?" Sam echoed. "How could he have vanished?"

"He wasn't real," Blair stated, suddenly pale. Jack saw the young man gaze up at Jim with a worried expression. "Jim, that could be the primitive Sentinel's spirit guide. Remember when you saw the spotted jaguar when Alex first arrived in Cascade?"

Jim nodded.

"Yeah, I remember. And I'm getting that same feeling that something isn't right, a sense of danger. It's driving me crazy!"

Sam and Teal'c were looking completely confused, so while Blair calmed Jim down, Jack took them aside and told them about Jim being a Sentinel as well. He knew Ellison probably wasn't going to be too happy about it, but it was a chance he had to take. In order to be able to function properly, his team had to know what was going on.

As soon as the three got back with the others, Jim looked at Jack and nodded.

"It's okay. You made the right choice."

"You heard?"

"Yeah. We better get going, Jack."

They resumed their march, and as they were walking, Jack began to notice a change in Ellison. He had an almost feral expression on his face, and was standing very close to Blair, a ridged stance warning whatever threat he thought was out there to back away, almost as if he was guarding his territory, his property.

Blair seemed to notice the change in his partner as well, and exchanged worried glances with Jack. Maybe things weren't going to be as easy as Jack thought. If Jim was reacting that way to the other Sentinel's proximity, how the hell was a near neanderthal creature going to react to Jim?!

Soon enough, and to everyone's relief, the small village was in sight. A tall, dark haired man dressed in furs, ran to them and Daniel smiled.

"That's Talor, the tribe's leader. He was the one that told us about the Sentinel, Amul, and all about the galicite."

The man greeted them effusively and began to babble non stop, gesturing frantically towards a hut. Daniel kept nodding and saying the occasional word, but mostly let him talk. When Talor finally stood silent looking expectantly at them, Jack turned to his lover.

"Well, Danny Boy?"

"I couldn't understand half of what he said. He's very happy to see us, and also worried sick about Amul. Seems he's..."

Before he got a chance to say anything else, a terrible growl was heard, and a man came running from the hut Talor had pointed to just minutes before. He looked dangerous, an angry expression on his twisted face, his teeth bared and ready to strike, and Jack raised his weapon instinctively.

"Jesus!" Daniel whispered. "That's Amul..."

"He's reacting to Jim," Blair understood. "He knows he's a Sentinel too. Oh, man! That doesn't look good!..."

At the mention of Ellison, Jack looked behind him. Jim looked just as bad as Amul, wild and ready to fight. The only thing that seemed to be holding him in place was Blair touching, and talking smoothly to him.

Amul growled again, and began repeating something over and over, always the same words, while he advanced on the SG team.

"What's he saying?" Sam queried, looking at Daniel.

"I don't understand its meaning, but translated to english is 'black tiger'."

"Shit!" Blair exclaimed. "Jim's spirit guide is a black jaguar. I think that's what he's talking about. They both saw their spirit guides. That is definitely *not* good!"

Amul seemed ready to pounce on them, when a young woman got in his way. She grabbed the primitive Sentinel by the arms, and although he was obviously stronger, Amul stopped advancing and listened to her. She kept talking to him, using-Jack noticed-the same tone Blair had used on Jim, and the neanderthal calmed visibly.

Releasing a collective breath of relief, the SG team lowered their weapons. Jack watched as Blair stayed close to Ellison, who seemed more himself, but not near enough for his liking. The young man sat the cop on a rock and came near the others, his eyes never leaving his partner.

"Daniel, ask Talor who's the girl and if we can take her along with us on the trip to gather the galicite."

"Why?" Teal'c queried, his eyebrow raised high on his forehead.

"Not everyone can control a Sentinel, Teal'c. If she hadn't stopped him, I have no doubt we would have a terrible fight on our hands right now. We may still have. Maybe during the trip I can show her enough to help her become Amul's Guide."

"That's a good idea," Sam agreed. "It's not fair to leave him nearly insane as he was the first time we came here. He was a pitiful sight. From what Talor said, Amul wouldn't eat for days and was in terrible pain sometimes, so he's probably not as strong as he usually would be. Maybe with a new Guide he can return to his old self."

Daniel left Talor and walked back to the others, smiling slightly.

"Things are looking better. Her name's Naya and she's the oldest daughter of Amul's dead Guide. She's not mated and from what Talor told me, she has a major crush on the Sentinel. And yes, we can take her with us."

Blair nodded.

"Her being the Guide's daughter explains a lot, like how she instinctively knew what to do to calm him down. Perhaps she saw her father doing it sometimes, I think she'll do just fine. Now all I have to do is teach her as much as I can in four days, and get Amul to accept her as a Guide."

"We may have another problem, BlairSandburg."

Everyone turned to Teal'c.

"What problem?" Sam asked, curious.

"How we get Amul to take us to the galicite without him and JimEllison killing each other."

There was a sudden heavy silence around the team at that statement.

*****************

It was actually easier than any of them thought at first. Blair talked with his now more lucid partner, and convinced him to spend the trip close to the others, while Blair himself would spend his time with Daniel, Amul and Naya. Jack could tell Ellison was making an almost inhuman effort to control his instincts around Amul, but it seemed to be working for now, and Jack wasn't about to complain.

And once Amul understood Blair was a Guide, he calmed down completely and became as docile as a child. Unfortunately, without a proper Guide, he seemed to be centering himself on Blair, and Jim began to get restless again.

By some unknown miracle, the first two days went without any major hitch, and they made it to the galicite mine without Jim or Amul killing each other. Naya was an extremely fast learner and with Daniel's help to translate, Blair was able to teach her alot. The young woman didn't seem to like the idea of Blair spending so much time with Amul, she kept looking at the two of them and frowning, but remained silent about it, and stayed as close as possible to 'her' Sentinel.

The nights were harder to handle. The Sentinels had to be kept as far apart as possible in the improvised camps they set up, and the others had to take turns watching over them. Jack was convinced neither men slept much during the four nights. The first one had been the worst. Blair had laid down to sleep next to Jim, but Amul had gone wild, growling, throwing things around, nearly destroying the whole camp, so the young man had to move away, and slept alone. Jim had gone balistic, but settled down after Blair spoke softly to him for a few minutes. Jack didn't hear what he said, but the other man quieted down after that.

The next morning, gathering as much galicite as their extra backpacks would allow, the team started to make the trip back. The tension between the two Sentinels was almost a living thing, they were becoming more hostile by the hour, and the others couldn't wait to get back to the village.

Finally, after another two days of trying to keep the two Sentinels away from each other's throats, the village suddenly came in sight. They were once again greeted by Talor, and after explaining they had to go back to their own planet soon, Jack watched as Blair and Daniel went to talk with Naya and Amul, while Jim paced like a caged animal close by.

"Well?" Sam questioned when the two young men returned.

"Done," Daniel replied. "We told Amul that Naya would have to be his Guide, because Blair had to go back to his own planet. We also told him she knew enough to be able to help him with his senses if he'd let her."

"What did he say?" Jim wanted to know. Jack could see he was dying to leave the planet.

"He didn't sound very happy about it, but there was nothing he could do," Blair answered, his hand soothingly on his Sentinel's shoulder. "In any case, I think we should get out of here, and the faster the better!"

"Okay. Let's say our goodbyes then."

They spent the next half and hour saying goodbye to the tribe's people, promising they would return soon. It was true, Jack thought to himself. The galicite they were carrying would last a long time, but not forever. If not them, another team would eventually return to the planet. Hopefully, by then Amul and Naya would be very happy together, and working perfectly as Sentinel and Guide.

Goodbyes said, the six began to make their way to the Stargate. They were almost there when Ellison turned to Jack.

"He's following us," the cop said.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Amul."

"What do we do?" Daniel turned around, but couldn't see anyone.

"Nothing," Blair interjected. "Maybe he just wants to make sure Jim is really going away. Just keep going and don't look back."

"Got it."

Soon the 'Gate was in sight. Jack watched as Daniel practically ran to the DHD and began to dial the symbols that would allow them to go back to Earth. The Stargate opened and Sam and Teal'c stepped through. Daniel went next. Jack, Jim and Blair were standing close to the opening when suddenly Ellison turned around with a growl.

It was too late. Jack only had time to see Amul push them both into the 'Gate and grab a squirming Blair, before he stumbled into the Stargate.

*****************

"We have to go back!" Jim shouted.

Hammond blinked.

"What happened? And where is Mr. Sandburg?"

"Sir, as we were about to step into the 'Gate, Amul, the Sentinel, pushed us and grabbed Blair. We have to go back and get him."

The General sighed.

"Fine. Open the 'Gate!" he shouted to someone behind them.

"Yes, sir."

They got rid of the backpacks with the galicite and returned to the ramp, waiting for the Stargate to open. Jack stole a furtive glance at Ellison. The Sentinel's jaw was set in stone, and the scorching fire in his eyes didn't predict anything good for Amul.

The 'Gate finally re-opened and the SG team, together with Ellison, stepped through again. As soon as they got to the other side, they were greeted by a frantic Talor. After asking him to calm down, Daniel finally managed to translate what he was saying.

"Amul is taking Blair to an ancient altar close by."

"Why did he grab him?" Sam questioned.

"He wants to bond with him and make him his real Guide," Daniel replied, his face pale with worry for his brother.

"Bond?" Teal'c and Jim echoed at the same time.

"Uh...yeah...as in mating."

"What?! No way!" Jim growled starting to close in on Talor, but Jack stopped him by grabbing his arms.

"Wrong target, Jim. It's not Talor's fault, you know that, so take it easy. We'll get Blair, just keep a straight head, or you won't do us any good."

Jim nodded with effort, and Jack released his friend, but kept a close eye on him as the cop took a few deep breaths trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry. Daniel, please ask Talor if there's any way we can stop Amul."

Daniel nodded, spoke with Talor for a few minutes, then turned to the others.

"There is only one way Amul will stop trying to make Blair his Guide. He will have to be challenged to a fight to the death by another Sentinel," he finished nearly in a whisper, looking at Jim.

"Damn!" Jack muttered. This wasn't going well at all. What had started out as a routine assignment had become a nightmare.

"I'll do it," Jim stated flatly. He tilted his head and seemed to be listening for something. "I can still hear them. Come on, this way."

Ellison began running, and Jack nodded to his team. He wasn't about to let his friend handle this alone, and there was no way in hell, he was leaving Blair with that neanderthal.

*************

The small altar was centered in the middle of a clearing, and probably had been left there by the Goa'uld, because Jack recognized some of the Egyptian symbols. He was surprised to see Amul and Blair still there, after all the Sentinel would've heard them coming and could've gotten away, but as they got to the edge of the clearing, Jack understood why.

Blair had somehow managed to break free from the Sentinel's grip, and was at a safe distance throwing rocks at him, and stopping Amul from getting any closer.

"Amul!" Jim called.

"Jim!" Blair tried to run to them, but Amul stepped in the way, and the young man froze in his tracks.

"Daniel, tell Amul that Jim is challenging him to a fight for the Guide," Jack ordered, fearing he was condemning his friend to his death, but knowing there was no other way. He just hoped Jim's military skills would serve him well against the neanderthal.

Ellison turned to him, and gave him the first real smile since arriving on the planet.

"Thanks, Jack..." he whispered.

Jack nodded.

"Just get out of this alive, cop," he tried to joke.

In a quivering tone, Daniel voiced the challenge to Amul, who nodded and waved Jim closer. Jim stepped closer into the clearing, while Blair took the chance to run towards the others.

"Guys, what's going on?" he asked fearfully.

"They're going to fight over you," Sam answered softly. "It's the only way to stop Amul from trying to claim you as his Guide."

"What?! Jack, you can't let him fight! He's not himself, you know that! You've got to stop him!"

Jack shook his head solemnly, trying to avoid the anguished blue orbs begging him.

"I'm sorry, Blair. I don't think I could stop him, he needs to do this. They both do. They've been walking towards this moment ever since Jim set foot on this planet. Trust him."

Blair ignored him and turned to stop the fight, but Jack grabbed him.

"Let them handle this," he whispered on a curl covered ear, as he watched the two Sentinels.

They were facing each other, spinning in a slow circle, landing the occasional blow, learning about the other. Jack couldn't help shuddering at the change in Ellison. The feral expression was back, and you could almost feel the coiled muscles in the powerful body. The rational, civilized man was gone, and in his place was the Sentinel hunter, primal and focused on his enemy.

Jack heard someone shout, and turned around without releasing Blair. Naya was running towards them crying, trying to reach the two men fighting, obviously set on stopping them from killing each other. Before she could come anywhere close to the Sentinels, Teal'c grabbed her as well, while everyone's attention turned back to the 'ring' where the death match was going down.

The two Sentinels were so engrossed in each other, they didn't even notice Naya's presence. Both were fighting harder, the learning period over, now it was time to bring the enemy down. Soon they were wrestling on the floor, both groaning, and panting heavily. Jim might have the training, but Amul was bigger and taller, and seemed to be winning.

Jim had a few cuts and bruises, the most serious one to the left temple, which was bleeding badly. Jack could feel Blair, who he was still holding, tensing with each blow Jim received, and knew he himself wouldn't allow this to go on for much longer. Primal need or not, he wasn't going to let Jim die on some forsaken planet light years away from Earth.

Then suddenly in a fast turn, Jim pinned Amul beneath him, beginning to bang the neanderthal's head on the floor until Amul stopped struggling.

"Oh, my God!..." Blair whispered. "He's going to kill him! Jack, let me go!"

Jack obeyed and watched as Blair ran to his partner.

"Jim!" the young man touched Ellison's back, and the cop swirled swiftly as if about to strike, but stopped as he looked at Blair.

He didn't seem to recognize him, he just gazed at the young man. Then, very slowly, he climbed off the unconscious Amul and moved closer to Blair. Pulling him roughly to his chest, Jim covered Blair's lips in a hungry, devouring kiss that left them both breathless.

"Mine!" he growled possessively, once he released the younger man.

Blair smiled tenderly at his partner.

"Yours, Jim...Come on, let's go home, Sentinel," he whispered, supporting his exhausted partner, and helping him along the way.

Teal'c released Naya as well, and the young woman ran to her Sentinel, her gentle hands caressing the fallen man tenderly. After checking Amul would be okay, and in the capable hands of his Guide, Jack and the rest of the team followed the Sentinel and Guide pair to the Stargate, relieved and exhausted. It was finally over, they were going home.

Jim closed his eyes, and let the soft nightly breeze caress his face. He couldn't stop thinking about the last few days, and everything that happened. He was a Sentinel, a cop, sworn to protect others, and yet...not even twenty-four hours earlier, he'd nearly killed a man with his bare hands.

He couldn't explain what came over him from the moment he stepped foot on that cursed planet. Only that his senses, his whole being, was affected by Amul's presence, by the threat of the other Sentinel. He'd felt it before, with Alex, but this time it had been ten times worse. What scared him was he'd stopped thinking, had blocked every rational thought from his mind, and became the caveman Blair once said he was. And the enraged way he acted, knowing he'd came so close to killing someone, scared him to death. He didn't want to be that way, 'the throwback to a pre-civilized breed of man', but maybe his actions spoke louder than words. Maybe he couldn't escape what he was destined to be.

Jim sighed and left the balcony. They were back in Cascade now, had been for a few hours. After returning to Earth, and after letting the head of the Stargate medical team, Dr. Janet Fraiser, take a look at his cuts and bruises, Jim was declared free to go.

A briefing with General Hammond to relate everything that occured on the planet followed, and then finally they were allowed to go. Sam Carter and Teal'c said their goodbyes and left them. Daniel drove them back to his apartment. During the whole ride, Jim stayed silence, ignoring the way the others tried to draw him into their conversation. He knew Blair was worried, but he needed to think.

Eventually, they said their goodbyes to Jack and Daniel as well, Daniel promising they would be going to Cascade soon, and after picking up Naomi from the hotel, they got on the first plane that would take them back home. Naomi, always a wise woman, noticing the bad vibrations gathered around them, left to visit some friends she hadn't seen in a while.

Jim sat on the couch and let his senses focus on his partner. Around midnight Blair had announced he was going to bed, but three hours later, the cop could tell he was still awake. Exausted as they were, it seemed sleep was going to elude them both that night.

He heard Blair sigh, and finally rise from the bed. The french doors opened, and the young man walked up to the couch, sitting next to him.

"What's wrong, Jim? Please, talk to me..."

Jim felt himself drowning in the beautiful ocean deep eyes of his partner, but resisted the pull, and dropped his gaze.

"I...I'm just a little shocked about the way I handled myself these last days...God, Blair...I totally lost it! I don't even remember the fight clearly! What did I become?"

"Jim...I think you're overreacting here. Yes, you went primal on that planet. And yes, you were totally out of yourself, but that's not you! You're a good, kind, beautiful human being, man! So, you made a mistake, so you're not perfect! So, what?!"

"I did *not* just make a mistake, Blair! I nearly killed a man! If you hadn't stopped me..." Jim tried to go on, to keep talking, but the words wouldn't come out.

"But I stopped you, Jim. That's why we are a team. When you need guidance, help, I give it to you. Look, you couldn't help it and went with your primal instinct, but you were protecting your Guide, and you weren't so far gone as to ignore me. You didn't turn into anything, man, it's not like you're a mad killer or something! What you did, even on that primitive basis, was to protect someone you cared for. There's nothing wrong with that. The truth is you can analyze this thing to death, and still come out empty handed. It happened, it's done. Amul is alive, and God willing, in Naya's arms right now. Learn from your experience, from what happened, don't dwell on it. Just because you went crazy once, doesn't mean it will happened again. I mean, what are the odds of us going offworld again?" Blair finished with a grin, and Jim couldn't help but grin back.

The young man moved closer and brushed his lips against Jim's.

"Besides, I'm kinda happy you went primal on Amul..." he whispered.

"What?!" Jim started, incredulous.

Blair's smile was positively wicked.

"Well, if you'd acted like you did with Alex, and tried to mate with him, I think I would've been the one going primal out there. You're mine too, Sentinel," and that said, he claimed Jim's lips again, this time in an all devouring kiss that left them both panting hard.

"You're too much..." Jim said awed, looking deep into Blair's eyes, his fear gone now.

The young man smiled, and caressed the Sentinel's cheek lovingly.

"I've been laying in my bed thinking about everything we went through the last weeks, and also about the last four years, being with you, becoming your Guide...I've made my decision about Simon's offer to join the force, Jim."

Jim heard his heart beat faster and wondered if the young man could hear it too, loud as it was. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting anxiously for a week, the moment of truth. The moment he would finally find out if he would get his life back, or would lose the person he most cared for, Blair.

"And?" he whispered, his voice husky with worry.

"I'm...I'm going to the Academy, Jim. I want to be your partner...for real."

Jim felt like shouting with joy, but tongue tied, all he could do was nod, his eyes bright with unshed tears. When he found his voice again, he leaned closer to the young man, and whispered against Blair's lips.

"You already are, Blair...you already are."