Title: Destiny's Bond

Author/pseudonym: Wolfling

Email address: wolfling@email.msn.com

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: Blair/Enqueri

Category: Alternate Universe, crossover with Stargate SG-1

Status: NEW, complete

Date: December 22,1998

Archive: Yes

Archive author: Wolfling

Archive email address: wolfling@email.msn.com

Other website: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/3603/wolfling.html

Series/Sequel: first in an as yet unnamed series

Disclaimers: The Sentinel stuff belongs to PetFly, the Stargate stuff to Gekko. No money made, written purely for enjoyment, yadda, yadda, yadda

Notes: >whew< This one has been a long time in coming. When I started this story in early August I had no idea it was going to turn into the monster it has (complete with sequels already clamoring to be written). It has been a long but fulfilling journey and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is one of my auction stories, bought by Virginia and the little girl in the story is named after Virg's daughter.

Thanks to the crowd on IRC -- Virg, Heidi, Aysah, Cen, Boyd, Maig, and any others I've forgotten -- who watched me write this and constantly pestered me for more. Your encouragement kept me focused. Thanks to PeeJ for sending me the Stargate tapes in the first place – bet you never expected them to lead to *this* did you? <g> Finally thanks to sa, Lianne, Virg and she-with-whom-I-share-a-brain, Maigret for betaing this monster so promptly. This is the longest thing I've written so far and I'd definitely appreciate feedback of any sort.

Summary: While on a routine mission with SG-14, Dr. Blair Sandburg encounters his destiny.

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Blair Sandburg was having an exceedingly bad day.

Being caught in the goa'uld attack had been bad enough. Watching them destroy the village and listening to the screams of injured and dying people -- people who had been happily teaching him of their ways and culture only hours before -- was infinitely worse.

And then the mad race back to the Stargate, shepherding along as many of the panicked people as he and the other team members could, and holding the gate and the surrounding clearing while they dialed home and began evacuating the people, well, it was not the way he would've chosen to spend his afternoon.

Then came the strafing run by the deathwings and one of the children waiting to go through the gate had panicked and ran off into the jungle. Without thinking about it, Blair had run after her, the shouted orders by Banks to stop and let her go quickly being left behind.

"A chance to experience long dead cultures, he said," Blair muttered to himself as he ran. "It's an anthropologist's dream, he said. Well this anthropologist never dreamed about having a bunch of aliens with a god complex trying to kill me. Or stick an alien worm in me or whatever it is they're trying to do here."

He dove to the ground as a stray shot from a Jaffa's spear hit near by. "Okay, that does it," he muttered, brushing foliage from his face and climbing back to his feet. "First order of business when I get back home is to kill Daniel for getting me into this."

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

Late June, a year and a half before

Blair Sandburg sat at his kitchen table in his tiny apartment in Cascade, Washington, going through the responses he'd received to his job applications from various universities.

He was surprised at how many were offers of employment; he knew he had a reputation as a good teacher but he hadn't expected this level of interest in him, not by a long shot. He had figured he'd get one, maybe two positive responses and he really wouldn't have to make a decision. Just go where he was wanted.

Now, with so many choices laid out before him, he found he didn't know what he wanted to do.

If he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he wanted to accept any of them. He liked teaching, he really did, but lately he'd begun to feel increasingly like there was something missing.

It wasn't a new feeling; truth be told, he'd been aware of it on some level his entire life. It had eased somewhat when he had discovered the Burton manuscript on Sentinels and had made that his thesis project but now that his dissertation was done it was back stronger than ever.

It was like there was something out there, something that he was supposed to be doing, if he could only figure out what it was.

A knock at the door interrupted Blair's thoughts. He went over and opened it. And froze.

It couldn't be...

The person standing there was of slight build a few inches taller than Blair with sandy brown hair and intelligent blue eyes that looked out from behind a pair of glasses. He looked perfectly ordinary. Perfectly ordinary, that is, until you added the fact that he was supposed to be a ghost.

"Daniel?" Blair asked hesitantly.

The man nodded and gave him a shy smile. "Hi Blair."

"Oh man..." Blair stepped forward and hugged his friend. "I heard you were dead!"

"I was," Daniel replied. "I... uh, got better." At Blair's puzzled look he stated, "It's complicated. I'll tell you all about it but it's going to take some time. Can I come in?"

"Huh? Oh sure, man." Blushing Blair stepped back and let the other man enter, then closed the door behind him. "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Coffee would be good."

Blair nodded and went to the kitchen counter to pour some while Daniel sat down at the table. He brought two mugs over and handed one to his friend. Daniel took it with a muttered thanks and looked down again at the papers that were spread out all over the table.

"Looks like you're quite in demand," he said, gesturing with his free hand while he took a sip.

Blair shrugged as he took a drink from his own mug. "Not sure which one I'm going to accept though. None of them really grab me, y'know?"

"I may be able to offer you another option, if you're interested," Daniel ventured.

"Another option? Like what?"

"It's... complicated," Daniel repeated, with a half-smile. "But what if I told you that I could offer you an anthropologist's dream? A chance to explore living and growing cultures that have been long thought dead. What would you say?"

"I'd say 'Where do I sign up?'" Blair paused for a moment as his common sense kicked in. "Actually I'd ask how that was possible."

"Now that's where the complicated part comes in." Daniel looked up and met Blair's eyes, his expression serious. "This is going to sound pretty out there but I need you to keep an open mind. And whether you believe me or not I need you to promise that you won't repeat anything I'm about to tell you."

Blair was getting more and more curious. "Sure man, I promise."

Daniel was silent for a moment, staring down at his coffee as if gathering his thoughts. "You remember my theory about the pyramids not being built by the pharaohs?" he asked finally.

"You thought they had to be a lot older," Blair replied, letting his puzzlement show. He wasn't sure what this could possibly have to do with Daniel's offer. "I always thought it made a lot of sense but there weren't any clues to who did build them if the pharaohs didn't."

"I have more than clues. I have hard evidence. I know who built the pyramids."

"Who?"

"The ancient Egyptian gods," Daniel replied, glancing up at Blair. "Ra, to be specific. Only they weren't gods. They were aliens."

"Aliens," Blair repeated slowly, as if making sure of the word.

"Aliens," Daniel confirmed. "They're called the goa'uld. But I'm getting ahead of myself," he muttered, shaking his head. "In 1928 a strange circular object was found in the Egyptian desert. It was made of a metal that couldn't be identified and had markings on it that nobody could translate. It was capped with a coverstone, which had a message in hieroglyphics and seven more of those symbols in a cartouche. The message read 'A million years into the sky is Ra, sun god. Sealed and buried for all time is his Stargate.'

The reverence in Daniel's voice as he recited the inscription faded as he continued. "The Stargate was confiscated by the military who spent the next few decades trying to get it to work. Then, in 1992 I was approached to work on translating the symbols."

Blair's eyes widened. "You were working for the military?" he asked, more shocked by that than by the assertion that aliens built the pyramids.

"They're not as bad as you might think." Daniel paused for a moment. "Okay, some of them are, but for the most part not the ones that I'm working with."

"If you say so, man." Blair didn't miss the use of the present tense in Daniel's last statement but restrained his curiosity on that point for the moment. "So you were hired to translate the symbols. Did you? What did they say?"

"They didn't really say anything. They were a map, representations of constellations, a way of describing fixed points in space. Any fixed point has an address of six symbols; the seventh symbol represents the departure point." Daniel paused in his recitation and met Blair's gaze. "This is where it starts getting hard to believe."

'You mean what you've told me so far isn't?' Blair thought but didn't say out loud, maintaining his silence as Daniel continued.

"They programmed the seven symbols of the cartouche into the Stargate and it opened a doorway to another planet."

"A doorway," Blair echoed in the same tone he had used for 'aliens'.

"Well actually it creates a totally stable artificial wormhole but it acts like a doorway. Look, I can give you all the scientific explanations for why it works or as much as they've been able to figure out anyway, but it's simpler to just refer to it as a door. You step into the Stargate here on Earth, you step out on another planet millions of light-years away."

"Okay, it's a doorway," Blair said, trying to remember his promise to keep an open mind. "Did you get to go through it?"

"Oh yes," came the reply. "They needed someone to figure out how to activate the gate on the other side and that was me." Memories shone in Daniel's eyes and he fell silent.

"So what happened?" Blair finally blurted out totally caught up in the story. "What did you find on the other side?"

"The planet Abydos." Daniel's lips curved up into a fond smile. "There are people there -- humans I mean. Their ancestors had been brought there from Earth. They spoke a form of ancient Egyptian, and in many ways their culture was very much unchanged from that of their ancestors. It was an incredible find, anthropologically speaking.

"But they weren't the only inhabitants of Abydos. They were subjugated by this alien calling himself Ra. He was a goa'uld, a parasitic creature that looks sort of like an eel, only much more nasty, and he had taken over the body of a young human boy. He had brought the humans to Abydos to serve him, to be his slaves. He had ruled in ancient Egypt as well, until the people there had rebelled and buried the Stargate.

"To make a long story short, when Ra found us, he tried to send a nuclear bomb through the Stargate back to Earth; we stopped him, blew up his ship and him with it instead. I stayed behind when the others went back to Earth."

"To study the Abydos culture?" Blair asked, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't sure he believed his friend's story.

"Partially," Daniel admitted. "But there was also this woman... Sha'uri." He smiled. "She was beautiful, smart, spirited.. and I... uhh...had... kinda accidentally married her."

Blair's eyebrows shot up. "You *accidentally* got married."

"It was before I figured out what language they were speaking -- they thought I was a god and gave her to me as a gift and I couldn't reject her and -- what are you laughing at?"

"You," Blair said between chuckles, shaking his head. "Only you would end up accidentally married."

"Well it was the best accident of my life," Daniel replied with a wistful smile. "Sha'uri was very special. I loved her very much."

"Was?" Blair asked softly, his heart going out to his friend at the sadness he saw in his eyes. "Did she die?"

"Not exactly." He took a deep breath and then explained. "Ten months ago another goa'uld came through the Abydos Stargate with a small assault force. They attacked and killed or injured most of the people guarding the gate and... took… Sha'uri.

"There was a recon team from Earth on Abydos at the time -- the goa'uld had attacked through the Earth Stargate a few days before -- so I came back to Earth with them. I figured I had a better chance at figuring out where they had taken Sha'uri and getting her back from here than I did on Abydos.

"We got lucky. One of the soldiers who had been at the Gate when the goa'uld attacked had seen all seven symbols that they had used. So we were able to go after them.

"We found where they'd taken Sha'uri but we were too late. The goa'uld had used her as a host body. She'd been taken over by the goa'uld queen." A humorless half-smile touched Daniel's lips. "When I found her she tried to kill me."

"Jesus..." Blair breathed.

"We managed to rescue most of the people the goa'uld had captured as potential hosts when one of Apophis -- he was the head goa'uld -- one of Apophis' guards switched sides and helped us escape. But by then Sha'uri was gone. I haven't seen her since."

Blair reached out and touched his friend's arm. "Daniel I - I -" 'I don't know what to say,' he thought ruefully to himself.

Daniel gave him a sad smile. "I haven't completely given up all hope yet. She's still out there somewhere. One day we'll find her and figure out how to get that *thing* out of her."

Blair just nodded; there was nothing to say to that. Casting around for something to break the silence with, he went back to their original subject. "You were telling me about this 'dream opportunity.' I think we wandered a bit off-topic."

His friend seemed to shake himself and refocused on the conversation. "Actually, we didn't. Everything I just told you led to the establishment of the Stargate Program. Abydos wasn't the only planet the goa'uld seeded with humans. We send teams through the Stargate to make contact with and explore these transplanted people's cultures, as well as search for technology that the Earth can benefit from and that can help us against the Goa'uld. The program's been successful enough that they're expanding the number of teams." He looked at Blair. "That's where you come in.

"Every team has to have an anthropologist as a member, someone who knows how to deal with and interpret strange cultures. A detailed knowledge of ancient Earth cultures and languages is also pretty necessary. The military just doesn't have a lot of people who fit those criteria so they've been forced to search for civilian specialists. Like me." Daniel grinned. "And you."

Blair blinked. "You want me to work for the military?"

Daniel's smile widened at Blair's aghast tone. "I told you they're really not as bad as you might think. Look, why don't I take you to the base and show you around? You'll be able to verify that I'm not crazy or delusional, and you can meet some of the people you'd be working with and judge for yourself before you make your final decision."

"And if I decide to turn the job down after that?" Blair asked. "I mean after you've shown me all this top secret stuff are they just going to let me walk out?"

"They'll wipe the memories from your mind first, using the latest brainwashing techniques," Daniel said in a perfectly even tone. At Blair's wide-eyed look though, he relented. "I'm kidding. Of course they're going to let you walk out. You'll probably be required to sign a paper stating you won't tell anyone what you've seen but that's all.

"So what do you say? You interested?"

Blair thought about it. He really didn't like the idea of working for the military but if what Daniel was saying was true -- and it certainly sounded like at least he believed it to be -- there was no way he could pass this up. "Okay," he said finally. "I'll come and look. But no promises."

"Great!" Daniel replied enthusiastically. "If you let me use your phone I'll make the travel arrangements while you pack."

"Help yourself." Blair headed into his bedroom to throw some clothes into his backpack. "But remember," he called out over his shoulder. "If I end up mind-wiped in some military facility, it'll be on your head!"

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

The Present

'Well I didn't end up mind-wiped but having my brains fried by an alien weapon isn't exactly much of an improvement,' Blair thought as he dodged another blast from a Jaffa spear.

He ran deeper into the jungle, forsaking stealth for speed, head in constant motion as he tried to look in every direction at once, trying to spot both any attacking Jaffa and the young girl he was chasing.

A flash of movement off to one side caught his eye; he slowed and began moving a bit more cautiously in that direction. He wanted to call out reassurances if it was the child, but if it was a Jaffa that would only give away his exact position and probably get him killed.

Blair crept a bit closer and heard muffled crying. He breathed a sigh of relief -- he'd found the girl. Looking around and seeing no one else he decided to risk a soft call.

The little girl stiffened and spun around to face him at the sound of his voice. She stood there frozen, staring at him, and for a moment Blair thought she was going to run again. He called out another soft reassurance in her language, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

It seemed to do the trick; she took a couple of tentative steps in his direction. He held out his hand with an encouraging smile and she ran the rest of the way to him, hugging him tightly as she hid her face against his stomach.

Blair hugged her back for a moment, briefly stroking her thick black hair soothingly, then gently pushed her away, careful to keep hold of one of her hands. //We have to go now,// he told her seriously. //Before the bad men come.// They had already stayed still too long; Blair felt like there were a hundred eyes on them and fifty Jaffa spears.

The little girl stared up at him wide-eyed, teeth worrying at her lower lip as she considered his words. Finally she nodded and Blair was able to start retracing their steps, using his homing beacon to make sure they were going in the right direction.

A snap of a twig was all the warning Blair got. He spun and dove forward, cradling the child against his chest as he tried to roll beneath the spear the Jaffa was swinging at him.

The Jaffa however was not giving up. He continued forward, swinging his spear, which Blair continued to frantically dodge, the terrified child held close against him.

The fact that the Jaffa was not trying to kill them, only capture them, was not lost on the anthropologist and it terrified him as much as it did the girl. He knew what goa'uld used captured humans for.

'There is no way I'm going to become a mobile home to an alien eel with an attitude,' he vowed to himself as he dodged yet another spear swing.

With that thought in mind he pulled out and fired his gun, all in one smooth swift motion. The Jaffa was dead before he hit the ground; Blair's shot having hit him in the heart.

He stared at the body for a moment, before the reaction set in. Shivering slightly he holstered his weapon and gathered the sobbing child into his arms again.

'All right,' he allowed, breathing a shaky sigh of relief. 'Maybe the mandatory firearms training wasn't a *total* waste of time.'

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

Mid-July, a year and a half ago

"You have *got* to be kidding me."

Blair looked up from the copy of his training schedule at his friend Daniel, who sat across the table from him. They were sitting in the base's mess hall, relaxing over coffee. "I thought you said I wouldn't have to join the military to take this job."

"You don't," Daniel replied. "Your title is the same as mine: civilian advisor."

"Then do you want to explain to me why, if I'm not joining the military, they're putting me through boot camp?" Blair asked, gesturing at the schedule.

A faint smile touched Daniel's lips as he answered. "It's not boot camp. It's basic orien-"

"-orientation for new personnel assigned to the Stargate project. Yeah, I read the memo. But a rose by any other name..."

Daniel's smile widened and he laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's really not that bad, Blair. I was allowed some input into the course's design. It's all things you're going to need to know when you step through the gate."

"Okay, I can understand the courses on goa'uld history and technology and, from what you've told me, the 'what to do when someone asks if you are a god' protocols are pretty necessary as well. I can even understand the hand-to-hand combat bit but mandatory firearms training? I am *so* not into guns."

The smile disappeared off of Daniel's face and his expression turned serious. "Like it or not Blair, you're going to meet things and people out there that you aren't going to be able to talk out of trying to kill you, or worse. Sometimes the guns are necessary."

Blair could hear the ring of truth in Daniel's words but wasn't ready to let go of this quite yet. "I understand it's not going to be all sweetness and light but if it comes down to bullets isn't that what the soldiers on the team are for? Why can't I just stick to advising on cultures and languages and leave the shooting to them?"

"Because sometime you may find yourself in a kill or be killed situation and there won't be any soldiers around. I know it's happened to me more than once. And there are probably going to be times when your team will need to shoot its way out and then every person that can fire a gun is important if you're all going to get out alive. I've been dead once or twice. Take it from me Blair, alive is much better."

Blair was silent for a moment. Much as he wanted to continue arguing the point he couldn't think of any comeback other than 'Yeah, but- 'and that just wasn't going to cut it.

'Face it Sandburg,' he told himself, 'Daniel knows what he's talking about and you don't. He has the experience, you don't. Which more than likely means he's right and you're not. So what are you going to do about it?'

Two choices. He could stick to his guns, so to speak, refuse the firearms training and probably get tossed out of the program. Or he could stay and accept that this is a skill he needed to learn and had to be prepared to maybe use someday. No choice there. This wasn't an opportunity he was ready to give up lightly.

"All right," he said, with a loud sigh. "I'll take the gun training. But I won't like it."

Firearms training aside, Blair found the rest of the orientation program fascinating. He quickly assimilated all that they were taught about goa'uld culture and technologies and even, by the course's end, was beginning to edge towards fluency in their language, having begged Daniel and Teal'c for extra instruction.

Meeting Teal'c had been incredible; here was a real live alien willing and able to answer all the questions about his culture and people that Blair cared to ask.

Though perhaps the Jaffa hadn't planned on Blair having quite so many questions; he had answered patiently for the first hour but somewhere into the second his eyes had started to get that glazed look that Blair had long ago identified as "Sandburg overload."

Blair had politely backed off, not wanting to alienate -- no pun intended -- the man, telling himself that he would be able to find out the answers to most of his questions through reading the intelligence reports anyway, even if it wasn't the same thing as getting it straight from the horse's mouth, as it were.

He had been pleasantly surprised then, when two days later, Teal'c had sought him out and offered to continue their discussion.

It was Blair's enthusiasm, he later learned, that had been the start of earning the Jaffa's friendship. Most new recruits to the Stargate program, having been briefed on what exactly a Jaffa was, reacted upon meeting Teal'c with either fear or hatred, or, at best, wary caution. Blair's cheerful barrage of questions had been a refreshing change.

Not that there weren't some things that creeped Blair out. After reading all the reports on the goa'uld and seeing the video recorded of a soldier who had been taken over by a goa'uld larva, Blair had not been able to stop himself from jumping back when he had at last seen one in the flesh.

The fact that said goa'uld was sticking its blunt ugly head out of the slit in Teal'c's stomach did nothing to lessen the anthropologist's reaction.

The whole symbiotic relationship between the Jaffa and the goa'uld -- the Jaffa carrying the goa'uld larva in a special 'womb' until it was ready to implant a host and the goa'uld larva acting as the Jaffa's immune system, protecting them from disease and healing all but fatal wounds -- and how it affected their culture should have proven fascinating to Blair.

Instead it just creeped him out. Nightmares of having one of those things taking over his body had awakened Blair from more than one night's sleep in a cold sweat. He was beginning to see Daniel's point. If he had to shoot a gun to keep that from happening to another person, he knew that he would.

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

The Present

Blair picked the girl up and gingerly edged his way around the fallen Jaffa's body. He eyed it suspiciously, not being able to totally relax even though he was sure he had killed it.

'So, I'm paranoid,' he thought. 'I'm still not turning my back until we're out of this clearing.'

Once there was a line of trees between him and the body Blair turned and ran; cradling against his chest the little girl who was holding onto him tightly and burying her face in his neck. He continued on at full speed, dashing between trees and over vines, until his adrenaline high started to fade.

Slowing finally, he let the child slide down his body to stand on her own, and leaned against a tree, panting for breath. 'Well if they ever combine shooting and the 200 meter dash as an Olympic sport, I'm a shoo-in for the gold,' he quipped to himself. 'I always thought it was supposed to be fight OR flight. Trust me to do both. Always was an overachiever.'

Shaking his head and ruthlessly suppressing the last of his panicked response, Blair began to think and plan again. He had to get himself and the child back to the gate and pronto, preferably while avoiding any other close encounters.

He checked his homing beacon and groaned; when he had done his jackrabbit imitation, he had chosen the direction *away* from the Stargate. He was now even further from his goal than he had been when he'd found the girl.

He was actually glad that none of his teammates were there to see this; he was teased enough about his sense of direction, or lack thereof. 'They already pester me about carrying the homing beacon. If they find out about this, Banks is liable to put me on a leash!'

Well, the only thing to do was to start heading back to the Stargate, now that he did know which was the right direction and hope that his little detour hadn't used up time he didn't have.

//Let's go,// he said gently to the girl who had slumped to the ground and was hiding her face against her pulled up knees.

She peered up at him anxiously. He gave her a reassuring smile and held out his hand. After a second's hesitation she climbed to her feet and took it. As they started walking through the jungle, in the right direction this time, Blair murmured in English, "Don't worry. I'll get us out of this. I promise."

They had almost made it back to the Stargate clearing when it happened.

A sudden commotion off to the side was followed almost immediately by a spear blast that passed inches above Blair's head. He immediately dove to the ground, pulling the child down as well.

He started easing towards better cover, but a second spear blast made him freeze where he was. Pulling out his gun he aimed in the direction of the blasts and prayed that a target would present itself before either he or the girl was hit.

The commotion in the bushes got louder, but there was no further spearblasts and Blair continued to wait tensely. Suddenly all noise and movement ceased and an eerie silence descended.

Just as Blair thought he would scream if it continued a second longer, the bushes parted and a figure stepped out into the open.

Calm blue eyes surveyed the prone figures of anthropologist and child. //You can get up now,// a voice full of amusement informed them.

Blair felt his body go limp in relief, and for a brief second he allowed himself to just lie there trying to get his heartrate back under control.

//Enqueri!// the little girl cried out, jumping to her feet and running to the newcomer.

He gently hugged her then looked down at her sternly. //You shouldn't have run off like that,// he chided.

//She was scared,// Blair pulled himself into a sitting position then climbed to his feet. //She ran. It happens,// he said, thinking of his own mad dash.

//She knows better,// Enqueri countered, his gaze raking over Blair. //So should you. Your leader is not happy.//

"Yeah, so what else is new?" Blair muttered in English. At Enqueri's puzzled look he shook his head. //Not important,// he said, jumping slightly as he heard a distant energy blast. //Look can we get out of here now? You can scold me later.//

Enqueri looked at him, opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. Instead he turned and let out a birdcall. He tilted his head in a listening pose and was silent for a moment more. Then with a slight smile he said, //Incacha comes. We will leave when he gets here.//

Despite the danger of their situation Blair could not restrain himself at this display. //You can hear him? How far away is he? Does the noise of the battle get in the way? Just how far away can you pick out a sound with your hearing? Is that the-//

A hand covering his mouth cut off Blair's stream of questions. //Do you ever cease speaking?// Enqueri asked, amazement in his voice. //This is not the time for questions Blair Sandburg.//

Reining his enthusiasm back in, Blair sighed and nodded. //You're right, it's not. I'll wait until we are safe -- *then* I'll ask.//

Enqueri's lips curved upward almost unwillingly. //Why do you find me so interesting? I am no different than any other Sentinel.//

//That's just it. You're a *Sentinel*. I've studied Sentinels for years but I never thought I would meet one. You're a dream come true, Enqueri!//

The Sentinel looked at Blair then shook his head in puzzlement. //You must have very strange dreams then.//

'Yeah, well you're not alone in that assessment, Enqueri, my friend. My whole team thinks I'm a little out there about this Sentinel thing. Man, I'll never forget the look on their faces when they realized that *you* were a Sentinel and I had been right about their existence all along.' He grinned at the memory.

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

Six Days Ago

Juggling and fumbling with his gear, Blair ran for the gate room. SG-14 was scheduled to debark on their latest mission at fourteen hundred; it was now five minutes past that. He'd been so caught up reading the article on the recently discovered Temple of the Sentinels that he'd lost all track of time. Now he was late. And if there was one thing the military mind was anal about it was punctuality.

Sure enough, as he reached the gate room entrance he could hear the team leader yelling, "Where the *hell* is Sandburg?!"

"I'm here!" Blair called out in reply, skidding to a halt by the rest of his team. "Sorry I'm late, Simon --Captain Banks -- sir." He half-heartedly tried to salute but gave it up as a lost cause when Banks continued to glare at him.

"Sandburg, just what part of 'We leave at fourteen hundred sharp' didn't you understand?"

"Sorry, sir," Blair repeated, as he tried to settle his pack and other gear which had become a bit tangled in his mad dash for the gate room. "A friend sent me an article about this real big archeological find and I sorta got caught up in reading it. Won't happen again, I promise."

"It better not!" Banks shot back. Turning his head, he waved to the control room. The Stargate started turning as coordinates were programmed in, causing little tremors that vibrated the floor beneath their feet, tremors that would only get worse the closer the gate was to being opened.

"So Sandburg," Sergeant Rafe began casually, nudging the anthropologist, "this archeological find you were reading about. It wouldn't have anything to do with... oh... say... Sentinels, would it?"

"As a matter of fact it did," Blair replied with as much dignity as he could muster. "What's thought to be the long lost Temple of the Sentinels was just discovered in the Yucatan."

"So did they find any long lost Sentinels at this long lost temple of yours?" Rafe asked, unable to keep a straight face.

"Ha ha, very funny," Blair shot back. "You know, for someone who makes his living doing something most of the population would consider science fiction you're really not very open to extreme possibilities."

Rafe was obliged to raise his voice to answer as the noise of the gate's activation began to peak. "This isn't the X-Files, Hairboy!" he yelled just as the last coordinate was programmed in and with a large >whoosh< and energy wave the Stargate opened.

"Okay people," Banks called. "Let's move out!"

As they moved up the ramp towards the gate, the last member of the team, Lieutenant Connor, leaned over and spoke softly to Blair. "Don't let him get to you, Sandy. He doesn't mean anything by it."

"I know, Megan," Blair ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "It's just I get a little tired of having what was my life's work -- until I joined this program -- ridiculed all the time." A wicked thought occurred to him and he grinned mischievously. "You know I really hope one day we run into a Sentinel, just so I can see Rafe's face."

"If it ever happens I'll make sure I get a picture for you," Megan promised with a wink. Then she turned and walked through the Stargate.

Taking a deep breath Blair followed.

Travelling through the Stargate was an experience that defied description. When Blair tried to find the words to describe it the closest he could come up with was that it was like riding the world's largest and scariest roller coaster. Blindfolded. Naked. In a blizzard.

Over the year he had been using the gate, Blair had gotten somewhat used to it, as much as anybody could anyway. But it was still an extremely disorienting experience and one he never underwent on a full stomach if he could help it.

The other thing about travelling through the Stargate that one had to adjust to was the sudden change in forward motion that happened when one emerged from the gate. It took a certain amount of finesse to remain on your feet when you've just been hurtled umpteen number of light years through an artificial wormhole. But this was a skill that Blair had finally mastered; he still stumbled a little when he emerged from the gate, but he almost always remained standing.

As he did this time, staggering forward a few steps once he was clear of the gate before regaining his balance.

Blair looked around the clearing where the Stargate was located. P8-935, as the planet had been designated, was a jungle planet, or at least it was surrounding the Stargate. The weather was hot and steamy and reminded Blair of the time he had spent in South America on various field studies and trips while he was getting his degree.

"Sandburg!"

Blair looked around and saw Banks standing by a raised stone. "You bellowed, Simon?" he asked as he headed over to join the Captain.

That earned him a low-level glare but otherwise was ignored. "What do you make of this?"

The stone was covered in carved symbols. Blair frowned, putting on his glasses and leaning forward to get a better look.

"Looks like Mayan," he said, running his fingers over the symbols. "But not quite. It looks like it may have evolved from what was used on Earth."

"Can you read it?" Banks asked.

"I think so... Give me a moment here." Blair frowned as he tried to translate the almost familiar symbols.

"This is the gate of gods and demons," he read haltingly. "Through it comes wonders and horrors."

"So they knew about the gate," Megan said.

"Whoever 'they' are," Rafe added.

"Wait there's more," Blair said, forehead crinkling in concentration. "The tribe will be protected, while --" He stopped.

That couldn't say what he thought it said. Could it?

"While?" Banks prompted. "The tribe will be protected while what Sandburg?"

Blair looked up, eyes shining with wonder. "The tribe will be protected while the Sentinel stands guard."

"What?" Rafe asked. "You've got to be kidding Sandburg. You've got Sentinels on the brain."

"Maybe I do but that doesn't change what it says." He felt a giddy excitement rising. They may have just found a potential new source of information on Sentinels.

"We've got to find the people who carved this," he said, heading towards their supplies with boundless energy.

"Whoa Sandburg, slow down," Banks ordered, hands raised in a calming motion. "That stone could've been carved years ago -- centuries ago. We don't even know if there's people still in this area."

"There have to be," Blair insisted. "Somebody's got to keep this area clear. If nobody was tending it the jungle would start to reclaim it within weeks."

Megan chimed in. "He's right Captain. This place does have the feel of being looked after."

"That doesn't mean that whoever's tending it is a Sentinel or knows anything about them," Rafe pointed out.

"True," Blair agreed affably. "We won't know that until we find them and ask them. So let's go already!"

Megan suddenly froze staring out into the jungle. "I think we just found them. Or they found us."

The rest of the team followed her gaze. From out of the jungle two men appeared, wearing clothes and paint that made them practically invisible among the foliage. The smaller of the two was only an inch or so taller than Blair, with thick black hair slightly longer than Blair's shoulder length cut. Two braids in the front held it back off his face. The dark brown eyes that regarded them were alive with intelligence and curiosity.

His companion was much taller and much more intimidating. He was an inch or two over six feet and his chest, bare except for the paint, showed off an extremely well developed musculature. His hair was hidden underneath a bandana made out of the same material as his pants and his surprisingly blue eyes were wary and assessing. The crossbow he held pointed at them did not waver at all.

After a moment of mutual staring Captain Banks nudged his anthropologist. "I believe this is your cue, Sandburg."

"Right," Blair replied. He took several steps forward, eyes never leaving the weapon pointed at them, his hands raised and outstretched to show he meant no harm.

"Uhh hi," he began, trying English first.

There was no reaction from the two strangers.

"Don't speak English huh? Great. I don't suppose you'd like to say something so I can figure out what language you do speak, would you?"

More silence.

"Not the talkative type are you? Well you're certainly not making my job any easier. I suppose I could just try every language I know and see if you understand any of them but that could take a while and it might start annoying you which is the last thing I want to do as long as you're holding that crossbow on me..."

//Who are you?// the taller of the two men asked.

Blair breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized the words. A form of Quechua, undoubtedly slightly different than the Earth variations he knew but not so much that he couldn't understand. //I am Blair Sandburg,// he began pointing at himself. "This is Captain Banks, Sergeant Rafe and Lieutenant Conner." He pointed at each of his teammates in turn. //We uhh...// he paused, debating what to tell them and finally settled on the truth. //We came through the Stargate.//

The smaller of the two men looked interested at that, but again it was the other who spoke. //This is Chopec land. Your kind is not welcome here.//

//Our kind?// Blair repeated, warily eyeing the crossbow that was now pointed directly at his chest.

//False gods.// As Blair watched a muscle in the man's jaw began to twitch. //The Chopec will not serve or worship you. Leave now or I will be forced to kill you.//

//No, you've got it all wrong!// Blair frantically said, words practically tripping over each other as he tried not to think about what an arrow from that crossbow would do to his chest. //We're not goa'uld -- the false gods. We're human like you. We are explorers. We just want to learn about you and your people.//

"Goa'uld?" the shorter of the two men repeated, speaking for the first time.

Blair nodded. //Goa'uld. That is what the false gods call themselves. They are our enemies too.//

//You have fought these Goa'uld?// This again from the crossbow wielder.

//Yes. Well not me personally -- I am a scholar, not a warrior -- but my people have.//

The shorter of the two men moved forward then, stopping when he was directly in front of Blair. He gave the anthropologist such a piercing look that Blair felt like his very soul was being weighed and measured.

Finally the man spoke. //You are much more than just a scholar, Blair Sandburg, much more than a warrior as well. You will find what you are looking for if it is your destiny.// He smiled. //I believe it is. I am Incacha.// Gesturing to his companion who lowered his crossbow slowly he continued. //That is Enqueri. We bid you welcome.//

Blair let out a sigh of relief and returned Incacha's smile. //Thank you.//

"You feel like letting the rest of us in on what's going on Sandburg?"

"Sorry Simon," Blair apologized and even managed to sound sincere. "Things were just a bit hairy for a second or two there. But I think I've got everything straightened out."

"And?" Banks prodded.

"This is Incacha and Enqueri of the Chopec. At first they thought we were Goa'uld -- what they call false gods -- and were going to kill us if we didn't leave." Blair ignored the alarmed looks that brought to his teammates' faces. "But I straightened everything out and now they're welcoming us."

Banks stared at the anthropologist for a long moment without speaking. Finally he shook his head and said, "Sandburg, it never ceases to amaze me how many people want to kill you on sight and how fast you can talk them out of it."

"Yeah, Hairboy," Rafe chimed in. "You would've made a fortune selling used cars. Or writing political speeches."

"Sandy's just got a natural charm," Megan stated with a smile.

"It's amazing how charming I can get when somebody is pointing a loaded weapon at me," Blair replied in kind. "Saving my life is great incentive to talk fast."

"And you've had *lots* of practice," Rafe teased, grinning.

"Since I've been travelling with you I have," Blair shot back.

He looked back at Incacha and Enqueri who were both standing quietly observing the team's interaction. "And speaking of incentives," he began, "I'm going to see what they know about that marker."

"Yeah," Rafe said. "Maybe they can introduce you to a Sentinel."

"I'll ask them," Blair answered seriously. He turned back to the two natives. //The writing on that stone over there...// he began, gesturing at the marker.

//It tells of the gate,// Incacha said. //A warning about what may come through it.//

//Wonders and horrors,// Blair quoted.

Incacha nodded enthusiastically. //Yes!// he replied. //But if you can read it then what is your question?//

//It's actually the rest of the saying that I am interested in. The part about the tribe being protected as long as--//

//--the Sentinel stands guard,// Incacha finished. //It is clear, is it not?//

//So it's true?// Blair could feel himself practically vibrating with excitement.

//It is true.// Incacha's face clearly showed his puzzlement. //What is it that you want to know Blair Sandburg?//

//Your people have Sentinels?// Blair held his breath as he waited for the answer.

Incacha looked even more mystified. //Of course,// he answered. //Enqueri is the tribe's Sentinel. That is why we patrol this area.//

Blair stared at the tall man with the crossbow, openmouthed. //You're a Sentinel?//

//Yes,// Enqueri replied.

//Protector of the tribe, enhanced senses, all that?//

//That is what a Sentinel is,// Enqueri replied.

"Oh man..." Blair could feel the grin start at his toes. "Oh man, I don't believe it! This is just too... oh man!" He bounced in place a few times staring at Enqueri. If it weren't for the crossbow he would've hugged him. Here was the embodiment of his life's work, the proof that he had not been chasing fairy tales!

"You don't believe what Sandburg? What did they say?"

Tearing his eyes off the Sentinel --the *Sentinel*!-- Blair turned to his Captain. "The Chopec know all about the existence of Sentinels. In fact Enqueri here *is* a Sentinel!" He beamed at the team, his excitement and happiness overflowing.

"You've got to be kidding!" Rafe choked. Blair shook his head, grinning. "He's really a Sentinel? Super senses and everything?" Blair nodded, still grinning.

"Rafe look over here!" Megan called. When the man complied she snapped his picture, capturing his stunned expression for the ages. Winking at Blair she said, "Just like I promised, Sandy."

.

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

The Present

'That was the perfect accent to one of the most important moments of my life,' Blair thought with a fond chuckle. 'You'd think, the way Rafe reacted, that the picture was blackmail material.'

The sergeant, when he had realized what Megan had done, had made a grab for her camera. Megan had laughed while she held it out of his reach until Banks had yelled at them both to settle down. All the while the two Chopec had watched this interaction with bemused puzzlement.

Much like the look Enqueri was giving Blair right now. The man just could not comprehend the anthropologist's endless fascination and enthusiasm for all things Sentinel, didn't understand just what meeting and being able to observe Enqueri meant to him.

Nearby foliage rustled and Blair stiffened, bringing his gun up, only to lower it again when Incacha appeared. Enqueri, he noticed, had not been startled at all.

'Of course not,' Blair thought, as he watched the Sentinel nod in greeting. 'He's probably been tracking the man by hearing since he called him. What I wouldn't give to be able to get him into a lab and run some tests!'

Incacha returned Enqueri's nod of acknowledgement then turned his attention to the child, who, like Blair, had been startled by his appearance. He got down on one knee so he could look the girl in the eye and smiled at her reassuringly. //You got yourself in a mess didn't you Nanna?// he asked her, speaking in an affectionate, teasing tone. //Come. Your mother is worried about you. We'll take you to her. Okay?//

Nanna nodded and ran to Incacha, who enfolded her in a tight hug. Looking up at Blair he said, //Thank you for finding our lost one.//

Blair shrugged, a little embarrassed. //When I saw her run off, I just reacted. I didn't think. You would've found her anyway.//

//Perhaps,// Incacha conceded, //but that does not take away from what you did.//

Blair wasn't able to find a fault in that logic. //I guess not,// he said. //You're welcome.//

He found himself smiling at the man. While Enqueri had seemed perplexed by Blair's intense interest in all things Sentinel, Incacha had seemed to understand instinctively just how much it all meant to the anthropologist.

When Enqueri had grown tired of answering Blair's endless questions it was Incacha who had responded, answering as thoroughly as he could, the glint of humor never leaving his eyes. The one time Blair had asked him about his patience with the questioning Incacha had rather cryptically answered that he would help in any way he could to prepare Blair for his destiny. Other than that Blair had been able to get no more than a mysterious smile out of the man on that particular subject, though Incacha had continued answering any and all other questions put to him.

//They hunt for us,// Enqueri stated, interrupting Blair's train of thought. //We must go.//

Incacha nodded, standing and holding out his hand to Nanna. The child surprised Blair by reaching out for his hand instead.

//You have made a friend,// Incacha observed, smiling as Blair took the girl's hand squeezing it tight.

//Looks that way,// Blair said, finding himself grinning back. He just couldn't help but like the man, cryptic sayings and all.

Enqueri took point as they continued to make their way back to the Stargate, dodging an increasing number of Jaffa the closer they got. With the Sentinel leading the way however they managed to avoid them all.

Or almost all.

They were almost back to the Stargate clearing when it happened. Enqueri stopped suddenly, his face a study in intense concentration. Then he yelled, //Get down!// at the same time spinning and bringing his crossbow up and firing all, in the same motion.

Later, when he remembered the next 30 seconds, it would seem to Blair like time had slowed down just to make sure he would imprint every horrible detail. The arrow from Enqueri's crossbow flew towards the trees just as an energy blast was fired from the same direction, directly at Blair and Nanna. Incacha shoved them aside and was hit dead on in the middle of his chest.

Time seemed to slow even more. Incacha looked down at his wound, looked up and smiled serenely at Enqueri and then crumpled to the ground. Enqueri's cry of denial echoed through the jungle.

Blair scrabbled over to Incacha's fallen form, turning the man over and getting his first good look at the wound. He found himself repeating, "Oh god, oh god, oh god" over and over again as he swallowed hard against rising nausea and panic. There was nothing he could do. He'd seen corpses that weren't as badly damaged.

A small yelp escaped Blair as Incacha opened his eyes and clamped his hand around Blair's forearm. Hard. //Time.... to meet... your... destiny...Blair Sandburg,// Incacha gasped out in a breathy pain-filled whisper. //Enqueri... I cannot... you must...// He closed his eyes and obviously marshaled his remaining strength.

His eyes opened again and he fixed Blair with a penetrating gaze. //Protect... help... my Enqueri... promise... Promise Blair Sandburg... you must help Enqueri... your destiny... Promise...//

//I promise Incacha,// Blair said, speaking over the increasingly weak and frantic pleas. //I promise. I'll help Enqueri. Any way he needs. I promise.//

The words seemed to release all the tension in Incacha's body. He closed his eyes briefly before forcing them open again, his gaze focusing on the Sentinel who was knelt by his other side. //Enqueri,// he said simply, then smiled and closed his eyes again. And died.

//Incacha?// Enqueri asked, rising fear, panic, grief and denial in his voice. //Incacha! No! No, no, no...// Repeating the simple denial over and over Enqueri gathered Incacha's limp body into his arms and buried his face in the dead man's hair.

Blair stared at the heartbreaking tableau being played out in front of him, feeling his own eyes tearing up. He hung back, not sure what to do, wanting to respect the Sentinel's very real and immediate grief.

But as the moments passed and Enqueri showed no signs of moving, other than to slowly rock Incacha's body, he knew he had to do something. Enqueri was a Sentinel and Blair knew from his research that if a Sentinel became too focused on any one sensation or emotion they risked the danger of a zone-out. And a zone-out, if nobody brought them out of it, could prove fatal.

Tentatively he reached out and laid a hand on the Sentinel's shoulder. //Enqueri?// he said softly.

The Sentinel gave no sign he had heard.

Blair called again, a little louder this time. //Enqueri, he's gone. You have to let him go.//

//I can't,// Enqueri said, voice cracking with emotion. //I can't... I need him.... can't do this without him...//

Something in Blair reacted to those words with a mixture of grief and denial. Somehow he knew that there was more to this than Enqueri mourning his friend, he knew that Enqueri was giving up, that he would sit there until he zoned and died. There was no way in hell that Blair was going to let that happen.

Gripping the man's shoulders harder, he forced him to turn and look at him. //Incacha wouldn't want you to do this. We have to go Enqueri. Incacha would want you to. You know that.//

Enqueri shook his head. //No. I can't. Not without my...// He bowed his head over Incacha's once again. //I need him to help me. I can't do this, can't go on without help...//

Blair suddenly understood the promise Incacha had made him give. Incacha had known this would be how Enqueri would react. Well Blair was going to keep that promise.

Reaching out, he grabbed the man's face, pulling his head up until Enqueri was forced to meet his gaze. //I'll help you,// he said fiercely.

Enqueri blinked dazedly at the man from tear-filled eyes. //You?// he asked in a whisper, disbelief, grief and maybe a tiny thread of hope all mixed in his tone.

Blair nodded emphatically. //For as long as you need me. I promise you, like I promised Incacha.//

For a long moment Enqueri just stared at him, with eyes that Blair suddenly felt were peering into his very soul.

He seemed to be searching for something, looking for the answer to a question he couldn't voice. Blair experienced a brief flash of fear, as it suddenly felt like Enqueri was seeing all of him, his hopes, his dreams, his petty hatreds. His gifts and his flaws. Seeing and judging.

But the fear passed quickly, leaving in its wake a sense of wonder and peace that can only come when someone knows you to the core and accepts you anyway. And as Blair watched ice-blue eyes turn warm, shining with an inner light, that was exactly what it felt like Enqueri had done.

The Sentinel reached out and laid a hand against the side of Blair's face. The anthropologist gasped as the simple touch seemed to send an electrical current through his system. Everything around him simultaneously came into sharper focus, as if he had suddenly developed enhanced senses himself, and faded into the background, as the man before him became the focus of his entire world.

Blair had no idea how long they stayed like that and had no idea how much longer they would've continued if reality hadn't intruded. Reality in this case being another spear blast that came from the other side of the clearing, hitting mere inches from where the two men knelt.

In an instant Enqueri had pushed Blair to the ground, raised and aimed his crossbow and returned fire. A split second later, a dead Jaffa fell forward into the clearing, Enqueri's arrow buried in his heart.

Enqueri lowered the crossbow and climbed to his feet. //Come,// he said, reaching down to give Blair a hand up. //We must go. He was not alone.//

Blair nodded and turned to call Nanna to his side. As the child scampered over he turned back to see Enqueri kneeling by Incacha's body again. //Enqueri?// he ventured.

//It feels wrong to just leave him here,// the Sentinel said softly.

//I know,// Blair replied, reaching out and laying a comforting hand on the other man's shoulder. He groped for words to say that would help and suddenly they were there. //But you're not really leaving him. You carry him within you, in your memories and your heart. That is the most important.//

Enqueri nodded. //You are right.// With one last look at his friend's body, he climbed to his feet. //We must go,// he said, starting to head out of the clearing, trusting that Blair and Nanna would follow.

Which they did, after Blair took his own last look at Incacha. He wasn't sure where his last words had come from, but he was grateful that he had been able to ease at least a little bit the pain of the man walking in front of him. It made him feel like he was already keeping his promise to Incacha.

The rest of the trek back to the Stargate clearing was uneventful, if dodging and avoiding Jaffa patrols nearly every step of the way could be considered uneventful.

"Sandburg!" Captain Banks yelled as soon as they entered the clearing. He and Megan were standing guard while the last of the refugees were entering the gate. "When the *hell* are you going to learn to follow orders?"

"Sorry, Simon," Blair apologized as they came to a stop in front of the captain. "But when I saw Nanna here run off... I had to go after her. I couldn't just leave her behind."

Banks glared down at the anthropologist for a moment then sighed. "Is she okay?" he asked, his voice still gruff.

Looking down at the little girl that still held his hand, Blair nodded. "She's fine. Just scared. Others weren't so lucky though." His gaze traveled to the Sentinel standing silently a few paces behind him.

The Captain's gaze followed and he immediately noticed what -- or more specifically, who -- was missing. "Incacha?" he asked quietly.

Blair nodded. "He took an energy blast in the chest saving Nanna and me. He saved my life. And hers."

"He okay?" Banks asked, nodding towards Enqueri.

"Truthfully? I don't know, Simon. It hit him pretty hard. I think he's in shock right now."

Rafe joined them. "The last of the refugees are through, sir," he reported.

"Good," Banks said. "Sandburg, you take the girl and Enqueri through now. I don't like how quiet it's gotten in the last few minutes. They're planning something. I want us all gone before we find out what the hard way."

Blair nodded. "Right Captain." He turned to Nanna and Enqueri, switching to Quechua. //We have to go through the gate now.//

Nanna nodded and held onto Blair's hand tighter. Enqueri's expression did not change, but a muscle in his jaw started twitching. //You okay with this?// Blair asked.

Enqueri nodded curtly. //I have to be. Let's go.//

With one more look of concern at the Sentinel, Blair led the way up to the Stargate. Before they stepped in, he reached out and laid a hand on Enqueri's arm. //I'll see you on the other side, okay?//

Again Enqueri nodded and Blair could feel the incredible tension radiating off the man ease a little. Still maintaining physical contact with the Sentinel, Blair stepped through the gate.

The journey through the Stargate was as chaotic as always and, as usual, Blair stumbled a bit when he came out, but managed to keep both himself and Nanna on their feet.

Enqueri however was another story.

The second they were clear of the gate the Sentinel had fallen to his knees, curling in on himself.

Blair was immediately at his side, reaching out and running a gentle reassuring hand up and down Enqueri's back. //It's okay,// he soothed. //It's over now. Take a deep breath and focus on me until you can get your senses back under control.// Blair wasn't sure where the words were coming from, all he knew was that it felt like the right thing to say.

And Enqueri's reactions seemed to prove it was. The Sentinel took a deep shuddery breath, then another, and another until his breathing had calmed and the tension in his tightly curled frame slowly began to ease. Finally, with a deep sigh he straightened, and looked up into Blair's eyes. //Thank you,// he said softly.

"Report Doctor Sandburg," a commanding voice rang out. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

Blair looked up at the c.o. of Stargate command General Hammond. "Goa'uld attack, sir. Major attack. Jaffa troops, death gliders, the works. If we didn't evacuate these people they would've been killed."

Behind him he heard several other people come through the gate. "Close the shield now!" Banks yelled the second he emerged. "Now, dammit!"

Blair was aware of the shield on the gate being closed and the distinctive clang as something tried to come through and ran into it, and he was aware of General Hammond still firing questions at all of SG-14 now but these things only peripherally impinged on his consciousness.

His attention was focused on the man still kneeling on the platform beside him. Enqueri had momentarily got his senses under control, but the new chaos that had ensued with the rest of SG-14's return had overwhelmed the Sentinel once again. Blair watched helplessly as the man curled in on himself again, covering his ears with his hands. //Too much,// he groaned painfully. //Too loud, too bright.//

"Oh man," Blair muttered, frantically trying to figure out what to do. "Lesee... too much sensory input, over-stimulation of the senses. There's got to be a natural mechanism for dealing with this. Think Sandburg, think!" Another groan from Enqueri brought his attention back to the problem. //Umm, can you turn it down?// he asked.

//What?// Pain-filled blue eyes squinted up at him.

//Turn your senses down, decrease the input.// At the blank look he received Blair elaborated. //Okay, imagine a dial -- uhm switch -- in your mind. You turn the switch to the right, it makes everything louder and brighter. You turn it to the left and it turns everything down again. Now picture it being turned to the left.// As he spoke, his voice taking on a calm soothing tone, Blair had reached out and was again lightly rubbing a hand up and down the Sentinel's back.

For a moment Enqueri looked as if he was going to protest, but after a particularly loud crash made him flinch in pain he closed his eyes instead. After a few deep breaths, Blair could feel the man's muscles slowly start to relax under his hand. With a sigh Enqueri opened his eyes and looked up at the anthropologist. //It worked,// he said, surprised.

Blair found himself grinning widely. //Of course it did!// He helped Enqueri regain his feet. //You okay now?//

"Dr. Sandburg," General Hammond addressed Blair in a tone that made it clear it was not the first time he had tried to get the anthropologist's attention.

Tearing his attention away from the Sentinel, Blair looked up at the General. "Yes, sir?" he asked as meekly as he could.

"If it's not too much of an imposition, would you mind joining the debriefing?"

Blair winced at the sarcasm. "Yes, sir. Be right there." Turning back to Enqueri he quickly explained what was going on. //I have to go, our leader wants us to tell him what happened. The Chopec will be taken someplace safe where you can rest.// He hesitated, oddly reluctant to let the man out of his sight. //You'll be alright?//

Enqueri looked from Blair to General Hammond and back again. //You will come find me as soon as you are finished?// he asked softly in a tone that almost made Blair's heart break.

//As soon as I can, I promise,// Blair replied, reaching out and squeezing the other man's arm.

Enqueri nodded. //I will be alright.//

Blair nodded back, gave Enqueri's arm one final squeeze before letting go and watching the Sentinel walk down the ramp to join the rest of the Chopec refugees.

He felt a tug on his hand and looked down into Nanna's large brown eyes. She pulled at his hand until he knelt down in front of her then threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. //Thank you,// she whispered then scampered down the ramp after Enqueri.

Blair grinned, then turned and joined the rest of SG-14 on the way to their debriefing.

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

"...and when it became clear that this was more than an ordinary goa'uld raid, that they were in fact trying to wipe the Chopec off the planet we implemented evacuation procedures," Banks explained. "We escorted as many of the Chopec as we could to the Stargate and defended our position at the gate while they passed through to Earth."

Listening with a half ear Blair spared a moment's gratitude that the captain hadn't mentioned his little unauthorized detour into the jungle in his recitation. Not that he thought for a moment that Simon was just going to forget about it, but it was obviously something that would be dealt with within the team and not made known to their superiors.

Blair himself wasn't exactly sure how he felt about his actions. Sure, he had saved the little girl, but Incacha had been killed. He would never know if that would have been different if he had not been there. He was pretty sure, however, that if there had been no one there to pull Enqueri from his zone-out when Incacha died, that the Sentinel would not have survived either. Knowing that, Blair could not find it in himself to regret his actions.

"--Dr. Sandburg?" General Hammond's voice broke in and distracted Blair from his thoughts.

He looked up, shifting in his seat. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if we were boring you," Hammond repeated.

Blair felt himself flushing. "No, sir, not at all," he replied. "I was just uhm reflecting on the mission."

"Well perhaps then you'd like to share your reflections. What is this about a Sentinel, is it? A man with enhanced senses?"

"Yes, sir. I did my doctorate thesis on them -- they've appeared in primitive tribal cultures all over the world." Blair continued enthusiastically, his hands beginning to wave and gesture as he warmed to his subject. "They were the tribal protectors, a sort of early warning system against attack. When we came through the gate on P8-935 we found a stone with Mayan writings that spoke of Sentinels guarding the people.

"And then we met Enqueri -- he's the real deal, General. A real live Sentinel. The man is incredible!"

"It's true General," Rafe confirmed when Hammond looked skeptical. "I didn't believe it at first either but Sandburg and I ran some tests -- Enqueri's hearing, sight, all his senses are at least a hundred times more acute than the average person's."

"It was Enqueri who first alerted us to the goa'uld attack," Megan chimed in. "Without that warning we would've been caught totally flatfooted. Because of it, we were able to get a lot more people out than we would have otherwise."

"About the attack," Hammond began, leaning forward as he spoke, "do you have any ideas why the goa'uld would target these people for so brutal an assault?"

"They obviously thought that the Chopec people or something on the planet was a threat to them," Megan pointed out reasonably. "Every time we've seen or heard of the goa'uld hitting a place this hard it was because they felt threatened. Otherwise they just subjugate, not destroy."

"What though?" Banks asked. "The Chopec's technology is primitive. They have nothing that the goa'uld could possibly consider a serious threat."

"They do have one thing we haven't seen anywhere else." Blair paused as four pairs of eyes turned to fasten on him. "A Sentinel."

Rafe shook his head. "All that just to get one guy? Okay, granted, he's not your ordinary guy but still he's just one man."

"The inscription on the stone by the gate implied that as long as the tribe had a Sentinel they'd be safe from attack by 'gods and demons' -- a goa'uld by any other name." Blair's words sped up as he spoke, as they always did when he felt he was on the brink of something. "And when the goa'uld did attack, they didn't come through the Stargate, they flew there in ships. What if they did that because they couldn't attack through the gate? What if they'd tried that and failed?"

Blair's hypothesis caused quite the commotion, with every one around the table trying to offer their opinions at once. But suddenly the voices seemed like so much white noise to Blair. Something was happening, something was wrong. He wasn't sure how he knew but he was sure he was right. Shutting out all the ruckus around him, he focused inward, trying to follow the certainty to its source.

Yes, something was definitely wrong. The more he focused the surer he became of that fact. It wasn't him, not directly, though the feeling was starting to make Blair want to crawl out of his skin. It wasn't any of his teammates or anything with the station itself. The feeling of wrongness, of trouble was coming from--

"Sandburg!"

His concentration broken, Blair blinked dazedly up at Captain Banks. "Yeah, Simon?" he asked, trying to focus his attention back on his surroundings.

"'Yeah, Simon?' Sandburg, haven't you been listening?" Observing the confused expression on the anthropologist's face Banks sighed and explained. "Dr. Fraiser just called in. There's been a problem with--"

"Enqueri!" Blair finished, bolting straight upright suddenly, as the feeling of trouble found its focus.

"Yes, Enqueri. It seems he went a little -- Sandburg where are you going?" Banks called after Blair as the anthropologist ran from the room.

But Blair didn't stop to answer, he couldn't. Now that he knew that it was Enqueri that the feeling of wrongness was emanating from, he felt compelled to get to the man as quickly as possible. Blair put his head down and ran full out, ignoring the shouted questions and the surprised looks from the startled base personnel he passed.

He didn't stop until he had burst through the infirmary doors like a sprinter crossing the finish line. His eyes darted about the room, lighting on Doctor Fraiser who was staring at him like he had lost his mind.

"Blair, what-" she began, reaching out for his arm as if to check his vitals.

"Enqueri," Blair interrupted, between gasps of breath. Seeing the puzzled look on the Doctor's face he made an effort to elaborate. "The refugee you called about... You said there was a problem... Where is he?"

"In the isolation ward," the doctor replied, then stood staring as Blair rushed by her, heading for the aforementioned room.

Entering the isolation ward, Blair caught his first glimpse of Enqueri and stopped dead. The man was in restraints, tied down at wrists and ankles, with an I.V. inserted into his hand. His eyes were wide open but unseeing and his breathing was shallow. Even in the brief moment that Blair stood there frozen he could tell it was getting even shallower.

The sight hit Blair more severely than he could have possibly imagined; it felt like someone had kicked him hard in the chest. He practically flew across the room to Enqueri's side, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, undoing the restraints and taking hold of the man's limp hand.

He knew what this was, knew that it was a major major zone out and that if Enqueri wasn't brought out of it soon that he would die. And seeing as he was the closest thing they had to a Sentinel expert, Blair knew it was up to him.

'No pressure or anything,' Blair thought as he began to speak softly, calling to the Sentinel in his own language, rubbing his free hand in soothing patterns over the man's chest, praying that it would be enough of a focus to break the zone.

For long tense moments nothing seemed to happen, then gradually Enqueri's breathing began to get deeper. He blinked once, twice and the hand in Blair's suddenly latched on with a grip of incredible strength.

Enqueri's eyes focused on him for a brief second, before closing in pain. //Too much, too bright, too loud. No… control...//

His heart wrenching at the lost tone in the Sentinel's voice, Blair tried his best to help. //Focus on my voice, my touch, Enqueri,// he instructed, his voice falling naturally into a low soothing cadence. //Block out everything else.//

Enqueri's brow furrowed in concentration, but then he shook his head and a whimper escaped him. //Can't...//

//Yes you can,// Blair countered, a fierceness that surprised even him creeping into his voice. //Focus!//

For long moments it didn't seem to work, but then Enqueri's grip on Blair's hand loosened -- though he didn't let go -- and Blair could see his tense muscles slowly relaxing. Finally Enqueri's eyes fluttered open again, meeting Blair's gaze. //Thank you,// he said simply.

//No problem,// Blair replied, relief bringing a smile to his face.

Now that his attention wasn't entirely focused on the Sentinel, he became aware that Doctor Fraiser had followed him into the room and was staring at them, eyes wide in shock. "Did I just see you talk this man out of a catatonic state?" she asked slowly.

"It wasn't catatonia," Blair replied. "It was a zone-out. Though I guess technically a zone-out is a form of catatonia so yeah, I guess you did." The entire time he was talking, Blair's gaze never left Enqueri's face.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched Dr. Fraiser slowly shake her head in confusion. "I'm obviously missing something here. What do you mean by zone-out?"

"Enqueri is a Sentinel. His senses are something like a hundred times sharper than a normal human's. Sometimes he can be overwhelmed by all that input and he... zones." Blair didn't really have another word for it and he was still too concerned about Enqueri to give much more of an explanation. Because even though Enqueri had come out of his zone-out he still seemed to be having problems controlling his senses; Blair could tell by the way the Sentinel winced at every stray sound and flinched at the light.

There had to be a reason for it. //What happened?// he asked, keeping his voice as soft and soothing as possible.

//There were too many unfamiliar sounds, sights, scents, they were overwhelming me. I had nothing to hold onto, to brace against. I needed to find you.// The words were said quietly, so matter-of-factly that it made Enqueri's distress all the more poignant to Blair. //They wouldn't let me leave the room. I tried to explain, but they didn't understand. I tried to walk by them anyway but they grabbed me. I fought back. I didn't want to hurt them but I *needed* to find you and I couldn't make them understand.//

Blair found himself responding automatically to the desperation he heard in the other man's voice. //It's all right,// he soothed, squeezing the hand he still held reassuringly. //I'm here now. I'm sorry, I never should have left you alone until I knew you were all right//

Enqueri shook his head, then winced at the movement. //You had to do your duty.//

//Maybe.// But Blair still felt guilty. //What happened after they grabbed you? Is that when you zoned?//

Again Enqueri shook his head. //That happened after she-// he gestured weakly with his free hand at the doctor, //-pricked me with something. After that, everything was worse. I couldn't control my senses at all.//

Blair immediately pinned the doctor with an intense look. "What did you give him?" he demanded.

Startled, she took a moment to reply. "Just a light sedative. Nothing dangerous. He was extremely agitated and we needed to calm him down before someone got hurt."

"The sedative made Enqueri's senses go nuts. That's what caused the zone-out. Hurt him? You nearly killed him!" Blair stopped and took a deep breath, trying to get his anger under control. It wasn't the Doctor's fault that she didn't know about Sentinels and drug interactions, but he couldn't get the image of Enqueri lying there in such a deep zone-out out of his head. If he hadn't been able to bring him back...

Abruptly his eyes were drawn to the I.V. dripping even more drugs into Enqueri's system. "Get rid of that," he ordered tersely, pointing with the hand not holding Enqueri's.

Doctor Fraiser looked like she was going to protest. "Please," Blair pleaded. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

A long moment passed as the doctor searched Blair's expression intently. Finally though, she nodded and stepped forward. Without a word she turned off the drip and removed the I.V. from Enqueri's arm. Then with a quiet "We'll talk later" and a gentle clasp of Blair's shoulder she left the two of them alone.

They sat in silence for a while, Blair still holding onto Enqueri's hand, just being near, trying not to think about what could've happened. Finally though when he noticed the tension lines around Enqueri's eyes and mouth slowly ease he was able to put aside the what ifs and concentrate more fully on the present.

//Feeling better?// he asked, absently reaching up and brushing his free hand against Enqueri's cheek.

Enqueri briefly leaned into the caress before nodding. //Things do not seem so intense anymore. I am regaining control.//

//Good,// Blair answered, breathing a sigh of relief. He had no idea what he could've done if Enqueri's control had not come back.

Watching Enqueri's face, he could see the exhaustion that was stamped on the man's every feature. This whole experience had taken a very obvious toll on the Sentinel. //Try and get some rest,// Blair advised. //You look like you need it.//

Enqueri nodded, his eyes already closing. But after a few seconds, they flew open again, frantically seeking out Blair. //You will stay?// he asked almost shyly and the anthropologist couldn't help but hear the underlying plea in the man's voice.

Blair once again felt his heart wrench at those quiet words and he gripped Enqueri's hand more tightly. //I will stay,// he promised.

The Sentinel nodded once again. //Good.// Closing his eyes, he quickly drifted off to sleep while Blair still held his hand, maintaining his quiet vigil.

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

Blair wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed when there was a soft knock on the door and Doctor Fraiser looked in.

"How is he?" she asked softly.

"Asleep. The whole mess with the drugs and his senses going haywire took a lot out of him." Blair spoke in a low voice in an effort not to wake the Sentinel. It seemed to work; Enqueri stirred slightly but settled right back down again.

"Captain Banks would like to speak with you if he's settled."

Blair didn't think about the oddness of the doctor deferring to him on the medical condition of one of her patients. It just seemed... right somehow that he be the one taking care of Enqueri. It didn't seem unusual that Dr. Fraiser would pick up on that.

Captain Banks on the other hand...

He knew that the Captain would be practically frothing at the mouth, wanting an explanation for why Blair had taken off like he had in the middle of an official debriefing session, and Blair was sure that "I had to, I knew something was wrong," was not going to cut it, even if it was the unvarnished truth.

And the longer he avoided Banks the more difficult the conversation was going to be.

Blair knew that the prudent thing to do, the smart thing to do would be to obey this summons and get the whole confrontation over with as quickly as possible. It never paid to piss the Captain off more than he absolutely had to. But he found himself extremely reluctant to leave Enqueri's side. It had been hard enough to send him off with the rest of the Chopec while he went to the debriefing. Given what had then happened, Blair found it even more difficult to conceive of leaving him alone again. Especially after the man had asked him to stay.

Dr. Fraiser was still standing at the door, waiting. "Blair?"

"I promised him I'd stay, Janet," Blair said softly, the conflict plain on his face and in his voice.

The doctor's expression softened after regarding Blair for a long moment. "I'll sit with him," she offered, coming further into the room and laying a hand on Blair's shoulder. "The Captain is just outside, in the main infirmary waiting for you. You wouldn't be that far away."

Blair hesitated. He really needed to straighten things out with Banks as soon as possible and if they talked in the infirmary he'd still be close enough if there was a problem...

"You'll call me if he starts waking up?" he asked finally, looking up at her.

"If he so much as twitches," Dr. Fraiser promised, raising one hand in a silent vow.

Blair nodded, turning his attention back to Enqueri. He squeezed the hand that he still held. //I'll be right back, Enqueri, I promise,// he whispered, then let go and stood up. Dr. Fraiser smoothly took his place, sitting in his vacated seat and gently grasping the hand Blair had just let go of.

He found Captain Banks impatiently pacing back and forth in front of a row of cots when he entered the main room of the infirmary. The man did not look happy.

'One good thing about doing this here,' Blair thought, 'is that he won't be able to yell as loudly. Still, this isn't going to be exactly what I'd call pleasant.' He took a deep breath and stepped forward. "You wanted to see me Simon?"

The Captain stopped pacing and turned to face him. "Why, yes Sandburg, I did request the pleasure of your company," he said with a smile. Blair swallowed and had to force himself not to back up a step.

"Well, here I am," he said nervously.

"Yes, here you are," Simon agreed, still in an overly pleasant tone. "You're not hurt or anything are you Sandburg?"

"Hurt? Me? No, Simon, I'm fine. Thanks." Blair's eyes darted to the sides searching for possible ways of escape in case they were needed. It was never ever a good sign when Simon was *this* polite.

"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind explaining to me why you bolted from the room in the middle of a team debriefing?!"

Blair couldn't totally suppress his flinch, as Simon's anger became very clear and apparent. 'Man has no trouble expressing his emotions,' he thought idly even as he started stammering a response.

"I'm sorry, man, really but I had to. I just got this whole totally negative something is wrong vibe and when you mentioned Enqueri I knew that was where it was coming from. Somehow I just knew he needed my help. When I got here he was in like this major, major zone-out -- we're talking vegetable city here -- and if I hadn't brought him out of it, well let's just say it's a good thing I was able to. And it was all my fault in the first place, I never should have left him alone. I mean I should've realized that his senses would conceivably overload what with all the new and unfamiliar input, especially coming on the heels of having his home destroyed not to mention the trauma of having his best friend die in his arms..."

"Breathe Sandburg," Simon ordered.

"Breathe, yeah, right," Blair muttered but did manage to take a deep breath or two.

Once Blair had calmed down a bit, Simon asked for elaboration though in a much calmer tone of voice than he'd used before. "Let's take it a bit slower this time. You're saying that Enqueri's senses overloaded and he 'zoned...?'"

Blair nodded. "He was so far gone I didn't know if I could reach him. He almost died, Simon..."

The Captain waved him to silence. "But he's all right now?"

Again Blair nodded. "Yeah. Once I brought him out of the zone and got the doc to stop pumping him full of drugs he couldn't handle. Wore him out though. And I think it scared him almost as much as it did me. He's sleeping now." The anthropologist couldn't stop himself from casting a glance back at the door to the room where Enqueri lay resting.

When he turned back Simon was looking at him oddly. "What?" Blair asked, shaking his head in puzzlement.

Simon continued to stare for a few long seconds longer then seemed to dismiss whatever he was thinking with a shake of his head. "Seeing as how everything's under control here then Sandburg, General Hammond and the rest of the team is waiting to finish the debriefing. So if you'd just-"

"I can't." The words were out before Blair even had a chance to think about it.

The Captain froze for a moment, giving Blair another hard look. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I- He- I-" Blair stammered then shut up when he realized he couldn't seem to form a complete thought. He took a deep breath and tried again, though he still wasn't sure exactly what he could say. How could he explain the feeling of impending catastrophe he got at even the thought of leaving Enqueri right now?

Well he could only try. "I'm still worried about Enqueri. There's nothing that says he's not going to freak out and zone again."

"Is there anything that says that he is?" Simon asked, logically.

"Well, no..."

"You said he was all right now, that he was just sleeping."

"He is," Blair admitted, "but-"

"And now that you've informed Dr. Fraiser she can keep an eye open for this zoning thing and page you if needed."

"I suppose but-"

"Then what's the problem Sandburg?" the Captain wanted to know.

Blair thought furiously, trying to come up with a logical reason, but in the end all he could think of to say was the truth. "I *can't* leave him, Simon. I- It's just this feeling that I *have* to be here. I can't explain it."

Simon just looked at him levelly for a very long moment. "Don't you think you're taking this academic obsession thing a little too far?"

"It's not an academic obsession," Blair protested. "It's... He's... I can't explain it," he repeated, shaking his head in frustration.

"I think I can," came a new voice from the doorway to the infirmary.

Both Blair and Simon turned as Daniel Jackson joined them.

"Daniel what-" Blair began before his friend interrupted him. He couldn't help but reflect idly that he was having a hard time finishing sentences lately.

"I just came from talking with the Chopec elders. They were rather upset about what happened to Enqueri so I was trying to explain things and calm them down. In return they explained some things to me as well." Daniel looked at Blair as he spoke. "Enqueri, he's a real Sentinel, correct? The kind you did your thesis on."

Blair nodded. "That's what caused him to freak out -- his senses aren't used to a military base and the sedative Dr. Fraiser gave him only made things worse."

"It's a little more complicated than that. Blair, you remember in your thesis you wrote that all Sentinels always worked with a companion?"

"Yeah, to guard their backs and to keep them from zoning." Blair's eyes widened. "Oh man, that's what Incacha was... I mean I *knew* that but I didn't really think about it. Losing Incacha has to have been even more traumatic than I was thinking! No wonder he lost control of his senses..."

"There's more to it than that," Daniel said. "What were these companions of Sentinels called?"

"Well I found more than one name, same as with Sentinels themselves but they all were some variation on Guide." Blair shook his head. "Where are you going with all of this?"

"Just bear with me a moment. When Incacha died, did he say anything to you?"

"He asked me to protect and help Enqueri," Blair said softly, remembering the desperation in Incacha's voice as the dying man pressed him for a promise. "He said something else about it being time to meet my destiny, but I don't know what he meant by that. But he was very clear on wanting me to help Enqueri. Even made me promise."

Daniel seemed to start slightly at the destiny remark. "Blair, what was the word he used for help?" he asked carefully.

Frowning Blair repeated the word Incacha had used.

"That's not the word for 'help'," Daniel told him. "That's the word for 'guide'."

It took a few seconds for the implications of that to sink in. When it did, all Blair could think was, 'Oh shit...'

That certainly explained a lot however -- this strange connection he now felt to Enqueri and his reluctance to leave him. It may even explain how he had known that Enqueri was in trouble before he'd been told.

'That strange look he gave me when I offered to 'help', the one that felt like he was looking at my soul, that must have been him imprinting me as his new Guide,' Blair thought, absently beginning to pace. 'That's probably why I can suddenly bring him out of zones and help him control his senses. No wonder he didn't want me to leave... Oh man, this is *not* good.'

Simon watched as his team's anthropologist turned pale and started pacing and muttering to himself, then glanced back to Daniel. "Would one of you gentlemen like to explain to me just what you're talking about?"

"We're talking about me making a truly boneheaded mistake," Blair answered, never stopping his pacing.

"What mistake? So you mistranslated a word... guide, help, they mean the same thing more or less." Simon looked from one anthropologist to the other. "Don't they?"

Blair snorted. "Hardly."

"According to Blair's research, every Sentinel needed a Guide to function," Daniel elaborated. "From what the Chopec elders told me, Enqueri now sees Blair as his Guide."

"And this is a bad thing," Simon said.

"Are you kidding? It's a disaster!" Blair waved his arms. "Enqueri needs a Guide to function -- he needs me to function. What's going to happen when we find a planet to resettle the Chopec on?"

He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate as the beginnings of a panic attack made itself felt. Seeing the alarm on both Simon's and Daniel's faces, he stopped pacing and forced himself to take slow deep breaths. Freaking out wouldn't help anything.

But man, what had he done? More importantly what was he going to do?

Before Blair could say anything, before he could even begin to come up with any answers he was interrupted by Dr. Fraiser's urgent cry.

In a flash he was across the room and through the door to the isolation ward.

Enqueri was awake and agitatedly struggling with Dr. Fraiser. He stopped the second he saw the anthropologist though. "Blair Sandburg!"

All of his other concerns were forgotten for the moment as Blair practically flew across the room, taking the seat that Dr. Fraiser gratefully relinquished and reaching for Enqueri's hand. //I'm here.//

Enqueri did not immediately relax; rather his eyes seemed to rake over every inch of the anthropologist, even as he tightened his grip on Blair's hand.

"What happened?" Blair asked the doctor quietly, even as his gaze never left the Sentinel's face.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "One minute he was sleeping peacefully, the next he was awake and more than a little unhappy."

//You were upset,// Enqueri told him. //Angry. Afraid.//

Blair blinked. How did- The Guide thing. It had to be. The same way he had known when Enqueri was in trouble.

He noticed that Enqueri was waiting for some kind of response from him. //Yes, I was,// he said honestly. //I had just figured out that something I did wasn't what I thought I did and it kind of threw me.//

Enqueri frowned as he worked his way through what Blair had just said. //So you were not in distress?// he finally asked.

//No. Well not from anything but my own making.// Absently his mind registered Dr. Fraiser's withdrawal from the room.

The Sentinel shook his head. //I do not understand.//

//That makes two of us, my friend.// At Enqueri's puzzled expression, he sighed and shook his head. //Never mind. My mistake. My problem. I'll deal.//

//Tell me,// Enqueri asked, mouth set in a stubborn line.

//Why do you want to know so badly?//

//You are my Guide. You are troubled. Tell me why so I may help.// It was said so matter-of-factly, so confidently that Blair almost believed that it could be as simple as that.

//I'm sorry,// he said softly, feeling even worse for what he had inadvertently done.

//Sorry for what?//

//For this--// he gestured at the disconnected I.V. //--and leaving you alone so you zoned and for making you take me as your Guide in the first place!//

Enqueri froze, his expression turning stony. //You do not wish to be my Guide?// he asked in a voice devoid of all feeling.

The Sentinel's reaction was not at all what Blair had been expecting. //No! I mean yes! It's not that I don't want to be your Guide,// he hastened to reassure him. //It's just... I'm not a Chopec. Having me as your Guide is going to mess with your life.//

Enqueri's expression relaxed as understanding filled his eyes. //Blair Sandburg,// he began calmly, intensely, //if you had not became my Guide I would not have a life to 'mess with'. I would have died with Incacha.//

The simple words hit Blair hard. Intellectually he had known that, known that if left alone Enqueri would not have survived, but hearing it stated so baldly drove it home emotionally as well. Meeting the man's eyes he ventured, //I'm glad you didn't.//

But less than a minute later the whole thing seemed to come crashing down on Blair again and he jumped up and started pacing. //But I don't know what to do now! I have to stay with you -- not that that's a bad thing in and of itself, you're great, you're amazing and I'd love a chance to get to know you better -- but the Chopec will be leaving as soon as we find you a new home and I-I don't think I'll be able to get permission to go with you.//

//I know.//

//Stargate command frowns on their people going native. It's considered -- what did you say?// Blair stopped and turned to look at the man.

//You are not Chopec. I know this. You have your own tribe, your own duties to perform. I know this also. You would not be the man you are if you could just abandon them.//

//But-but-but-// Blair realized he was sounding like a motorboat and stopped. But Enqueri's calm acceptance of the very situation he'd been agonizing over left him stunned. //But as your Guide I have to stay with you,// he finally stammered out.

//No,// Enqueri countered with a smile. //As your Sentinel I have to stay with *you*.//

Blair blinked. For a moment all he could do was stare at the man. //Stay with me?// he repeated weakly. //But I just said I couldn't go with the tribe. If you stay with me you'd have to-//

//Leave the tribe. Yes I know.// Enqueri did not seem the least bit upset about it.

//And you're okay with this." Blair couldn't believe the Sentinel was accepting this so calmly, when he himself was this close to totally freaking out over it.

Enqueri shrugged. //What good would it do if I was not?// he asked. //It would not change anything and just serve to make this harder for everyone.//

//And it doesn't bother you?//

//Of course it bothers me!// A hint of the pain and anger that Blair had expected shone through for a moment. But Enqueri quickly got himself under control. //But that is the way things must be. Being dead would have bothered me more.//

//But...// Blair was finding it extremely difficult to let this go.

Enqueri got up off the bed and walked over to him. He put his hands on the anthropologist's shoulders and gently turned Blair to face him. Blair found himself looking up into a serious, arresting blue gaze. //Blair Sandburg, you are now my Guide. Without you I would be helpless, if I was not dead. Yes, I will miss the Chopec. But my place is with you.//

Blair caught his breath at that simple statement and the emotions it sparked. He should feel guilty and upset about what had happened but all he could think of was how *right* Enqueri's words felt. He thought about having the Sentinel by his side and found himself starting to smile.

//So I'm stuck with you?// he asked, the smile still curving his mouth.

Enqueri smiled back. //Yes,// he said simply.

That smile seemed to reach in and warm Blair's soul. "Oh man..." he breathed, finding himself swaying unconsciously towards the other man's body.

The Sentinel also seemed to be drawn to him, closing the distance between them. Blair gasped as Enqueri's face moved closer and closer to his own, his thoughts running scattered. 'Oh my god, what is he doing? Is he really going to-- Am I going to let him? Holy shit, I think I am...'

And then he was, lips touching and opening under Enqueri's, arms going of their own accord around Enqueri's neck, fingers brushing in the short hair, even as Enqueri's hands tangled in his own long locks, holding him in place as the kiss grew and lengthened.

"Ahem."

The soft clearing of a throat penetrated the sensual haze that had engulfed Blair at Enqueri's first touch. He sprang back so fast that he lost his balance and would've fallen if Enqueri had not reached out a steadying hand. He turned to see Simon, Daniel and Dr. Fraiser all standing in the doorway watching with varied shocked expressions.

For a long moment there was silence as the three stared at the tableau they had interrupted and Blair, blushing bright red, wished he could sink through the floor and disappear. He couldn't explain what had just happened, not even to himself, not yet, and the last thing he wanted was to have to try and explain it to someone else.

Daniel was the one to finally break the silence. "Uhh General Hammond has called a meeting to talk about the Chopec situation and the incident earlier." Daniel's eyes kept flicking back and forth between Blair and Enqueri. "He... uhh... wants you there. To help explain the Sentinel thing."

"Yeah, sure, okay." Blair ran a hand through his hair. 'Just as soon as somebody explains it to me!' he thought, still off-balance about what had just happened.

"You okay Sandburg?" Simon frowned as Blair took a step and almost fell again when he realized that Enqueri still had his hand on his arm.

"Yeah, Simon. I'm fine. Just..." He trailed off realizing he didn't know what he could say.

Enqueri seemed to sense his confusion and distress, and moved closer, laying his other hand on Blair's shoulder. *This* was not helping.

He needed some distance, needed some time to think, to figure out just what was happening between him and Enqueri. He couldn't do that with the man standing next to him. Right next to him. Touching him. It did anything but help his thought processes.

"Can you uhh give me a minute?" he asked the others. He needed to explain where he was going to Enqueri and why, and he wasn't sure if he could handle it with an audience right now.

Daniel nodded. "We'll wait out in the main infirmary," he said, overriding anything that Simon might have been contemplating. He gave Blair a supportive look, then turned to go, Simon on his heels. Doctor Fraiser smiled at him and followed.

Once they had gone Blair turned back to Enqueri. And found he didn't know what to say. He had to go, not only because he had been asked to, but also to get the distance he needed to sort this whole thing out in his head. But at the same time his instincts told him not to leave Enqueri alone. He wasn't sure how to reconcile the two diametrically opposed necessities.

Enqueri did it for him. //You must go.// It was a statement, not a question.

Blair nodded. //Yes. There's going to be a meeting regarding the Chopec. I have to explain what happened earlier, you know with you losing control like that. And probably the whole Sentinel thing in general.// His morose tone telegraphed exactly how much he was *not* looking forward to that conversation at the moment.

'Ironic, really,' he thought, 'considering that up until about 15 minutes ago the whole Sentinel phenomena was one of my favorite discussion subjects. Course that was before a prime example of said phenomena planted a lip-lock on me. Talk about getting involved in your work!' He realized he was starting to babble mentally and made an effort to drag his train of thought back on track.

He opened his mouth to ask Enqueri whether he wanted to wait here or with the other Chopec, but again that odd reluctance to leave rose up and choked the words off. Instead he heard himself asking, //Will you come with me?//

'What the-?' Great, now his vocal cords were acting on their own initiative. 'Just when did I lose control of everything?' he wondered a bit hysterically.

Enqueri was watching him intently, as if aware of Blair's inner turmoil. 'Probably is,' Blair realized. 'With his senses he can monitor my heartbeat and breathing to tell exactly how freaked out I am.'

Just as he thought he was going to start to hyperventilate Enqueri reached out a hand and laid it gently on his shoulder. Just like that Blair felt himself calming. 'Oh man... How'd he do that? Is this part of being a Guide -- finding out you have a six foot one security blanket?'

//I will come,// Enqueri said solemnly.

Blair felt the tension leave his body in a whoosh of exhaled air at the Sentinel's words. 'Like that solves all my problems,' he thought acidly. But he couldn't deny that knowing Enqueri was coming with him had seemed to conquer the incipient panic attack.

//Thanks,// he said quietly, feeling he needed to acknowledge the Sentinel's actions somehow.

Enqueri just nodded, his hand still resting on Blair's shoulder. //I can see that this is... difficult for you,// he said haltingly. //It is... difficult for me as well. But it will get easier.//

//Great,// Blair replied, starting to head for the door. //Always assuming, of course, that I survive this meeting.//

He entered the main infirmary, with Enqueri walking just a pace or two behind, and stopped in front of Simon and Daniel. "Okay, let's go," he said, doing his best to ignore the Sentinel hovering just at his back.

The others weren't quite so accommodating though. "Sandburg," Simon started, "where is he going?"

"Who, Simon?"

That was one thing he had learned since working with all these military types: when in doubt, play dumb.

"Who? Him! The so-called Sentinel that's practically breathing down your neck!" The Captain glared at Blair.

"Huh?" Blair made a show of glancing over his shoulder at Enqueri. "Oh. Him. He's coming with me."

"Absolutely out of the question!"

"Look, Simon, remember what happened the last time I went off and left him alone? Sentinel going berserk, attacking guards, ending up in a catatonic state? Ring any bells? Do you really want to take a chance of that happening again?"

"Sandburg, you can't bring an uncleared refugee into an official meeting," Simon said, exasperated.

"Why not? It's not like he's going to understand anything that's said."

Simon opened his mouth to reply then closed it again. "That's not the point," he finally managed to get out.

"Then what is?" Blair sighed, shaking his head. He was way too stressed to deal with the military mindset right now. "Bottom line Simon, either he comes with me to the meeting or I don't go. I am *not* risking a repeat of what happened earlier."

Simon looked like he was trying very hard to keep his temper. "Sandburg, you can't go around issuing ultimatums to superior officers. It's called insubordination and it's highly frowned upon."

"I'm not issuing ultimatums. I'm just stating facts. And the facts are that Enqueri needs a Guide to be able to function and that he's imprinted me as his Guide. I'm the Sentinel expert, remember? If you're not going to listen to what I have to say, why bother asking me anything at all?"

Daniel spoke up. "He's right, Captain. Nobody knows as much about Sentinels as Blair does. If he says he needs to stay with Enqueri then that's what he needs to do. Besides, he's right about the other point -- that Enqueri wouldn't understand anything being said at the meeting."

Blair shot Daniel a grateful look. 'I owe you one pal,' he thought.

Simon appealed to Dr. Fraiser. "Can't you keep Enqueri here, under observation?"

The doctor shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Captain. I agree with Dr. Jackson, Blair's the expert here. I've seen it myself. He's the one who helped Enqueri, not me. I just inadvertently made the problem worse. My medical advice is to do what the expert says."

Simon glowered for a moment, sputtered, then turned and stalked off.

"Can I get that in writing Janet?" Blair asked, with a little smile.

"Sure. If you think you'll need it."

Blair stared after Simon. "I just might. I'll let you know."

"Come on," Daniel said. "We better get moving. General Hammond is not a happy camper when he's kept waiting."

"Don't I know it," Blair replied ruefully. He turned to look at Enqueri who had been silently standing just behind Blair all this time. //We're going to a meeting now, with the leader of this place,// he told the Sentinel. //It might get a bit... uhh... loud.//

"That's one word for it," Daniel said half under his breath.

Enqueri looked after the departed Simon. //I had thought as much,// he replied. //It is much the same in councils everywhere I believe.//

Daniel grinned as they started heading towards the briefing room. //He has a point,// he said to Blair, speaking in Enqueri's language as a courtesy.

//Maybe it's a universal constant.//

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Daniel spoke again, this time in English. "You going to tell me what's going on with you and this Guide thing?"

Blair glanced at Daniel. "Hell if I know," he finally answered with a sigh.

"When we walked in on you, you were… uh..."

"Yeah." He shook his head. "I don't know how it happened. One minute we're talking and the next..."

Daniel watched him for a moment. "This is a new development, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!"

"Okay," Daniel said, holding up his hands in a warding gesture. Behind them Blair could feel Enqueri tense. "I was just asking."

Blair forced himself to take several deep breaths, telling himself that Daniel was his friend and that the question was a legitimate one. "Sorry, Daniel," he apologized. "It's just... This is some weird shit I'm dealing with here. It's got me off-balance." As he calmed, he could sense the tension easing in his Sentinel as well.

'He's tuned right into my emotional state,' Blair realized, some part of his brain taking notes on yet another aspect of Sentinel abilities vis a vis the Guide-Sentinel relationship. The rest of his brain was still too stunned to do much reacting at all.

Daniel nodded, wordlessly accepting Blair's apology. "That I can believe."

Sighing, Blair gave his friend a rueful glance. "How do I get myself into these things?"

"You're asking *me*? I'm the one who accidentally got married remember?"

"Yeah, well..." Blair glanced over his shoulder at the man following him so closely. "I think I've outdid you this time, my friend. At least you knew what to *do* with a wife."

Daniel smiled. "You'll figure it out Blair." He clapped a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Think of it as chance to do some real in-depth research on Sentinels."

'Sticking my tongue down my research subject's throat isn't exactly an accepted information gathering practice,' Blair thought, suppressing the sudden urge to giggle hysterically.

Before he could reply to Daniel they reached the conference room. Pausing before the door, Daniel turned to him and asked, "You ready?"

"No," Blair answered honestly. "But what choice do I have?" With that he took a deep breath and stepped into the room, with Daniel beside him and Enqueri a step behind.

When they entered, everyone in the room turned to see who it was and stopped talking when they saw Enqueri. The silence stretched out and the eyes stayed on him as Blair uncomfortably moved to take his seat, Enqueri still following him and placing himself behind Blair's chair when the anthropologist sat down.

General Hammond shot a glance at Captain Banks before focusing his attention onto Blair. "Dr. Sandburg," he began.

"General," Blair responded with a respectful nod. He didn't offer any explanations just yet, knowing that once he did start trying to explain he was going to go straight into babble mode if he wasn't careful.

The question wasn't long in coming. "Would you care to explain why you've brought your Chopec friend with you to a closed meeting?"

"I had to, General."

"You 'had to'?"

Blair nodded, trying not to squirm under the General's gaze. "Yessir." He took a deep breath and tried to explain. "Enqueri here is the Sentinel I told you about..."

"I know that, son. I read Dr. Fraiser's report. She said that he had gone into some kind of catatonic state and that you brought him out of it. But that doesn't explain why you brought him here."

"Actually, yes it does." At the General's confused look Blair elaborated, his words practically tumbling over each other in his rush to get them out. "Enqueri zoned -- err went catatonic -- because he lost control of his senses and they overwhelmed him. That was partially because of the new alien environment the base is for him and partially because he'd lost his focus."

Before the perplexed looks had a chance to fully form on the faces of his listeners, he explained. "Every Sentinel has a partner, a Guide, who works with them, watching their backs when needed and helping them control their senses. A Sentinel needs this Guide to function. Enqueri's Guide was killed in the attack and I... uhm... sorta stepped into his place. He's bonded to me as his new Guide, so now he needs me to function. That's why he went crazy earlier, in quarantine -- he needed me to maintain control of his senses and when he couldn't find me he kinda snapped. He needs me, General, to stay focused and in control. That's why I had to bring him."

The General didn't answer right away, looking speculatively at the man who stood so stoically behind Blair's chair. "Can't one of his own people take over as this Guide?" he finally asked.

Blair shook his head; somehow knowing instinctively this was impossible. "He's bonded to me."

"Well can't you just get yourself unbonded?"

For the second time that afternoon, Blair fought down hysterical laughter. That question was just *so* typical of the military mind. "It doesn't work that way, sir. Once a... connection... is formed between a Sentinel and his Guide it can't be transferred or broken. Well, short of death anyway." Even the thought made Blair shiver reflexively.

The General frowned. "What are you planning to do then when the Chopec are relocated, Doctor?"

Blair fought the urge to turn and glance up at the man standing behind him. "Enqueri and I have discussed that sir. He's asked to be allowed to stay here when his people leave. With me. He says... uhh... 'A Sentinel follows where his Guide leads.'" The anthropologist shrugged self-consciously. "It's not a perfect solution, but given our options, it's probably the best one, since I doubt that I'd be allowed to go with him and the Chopec."

"I can't give you an answer on a request like that right away, son," the General warned, though his expression was by no means as closed and foreboding as it had been.

"I know that, sir." Blair spread his hands. "You asked, I answered."

General Hammond nodded, then glanced at the Sentinel still standing behind Blair. "Is there some reason he's looming over you Doctor?"

Blair glanced over his shoulder. "I think he's trying to be unobtrusive."

"He's not succeeding." Hammond waved his hand at an empty chair. "Tell him to take a seat. As long as he's here we may as well see if he has anything to contribute to the discussion."

Blair relayed the request to Enqueri who nodded and took the offered chair. //What is it your leader wishes to know?//

Daniel answered him. //We're trying to figure out why the goa'uld targeted your people.//

Enqueri frowned. //I do not understand. Is that not what the ...goa'uld... do? You have said your people have fought them before.//

Blair translated Enqueri's words for the others before answering the Sentinel. //They don't usually attack on such a large scale. They were trying to destroy the Chopec, not subjugate them.// He paused and repeated his words in English before continuing. //They usually only do that when they feel that there is a threat to them. Do you have any idea why they might have thought that about the Chopec?//

//I do not see how,// Enqueri answered, spreading his hands. //The Chopec are a simple people. We do not have the means to challenge the power of gods. Even false gods such as these.//

There was a general disappointed sigh at the table when Blair translated that. "Okay," General Hammond said, taking control of the meeting once more. "Looks like we're going to have to figure this out the hard way after all. So let's start at the beginning again..."

Blair sighed and settled back in his chair. It was going to be a long meeting.

******

Blair flopped down on his bed with a groan.

Long meeting had proven to be an understatement. Marathon session had been more like it. And coming on the heels of what had to be one of the longest and most traumatic days of Blair's life, it had left him drained more than usual.

'Man, when was the last time I got some sleep?' he wondered, rubbing a hand over his face. 'Seems like a million years ago.' Though, when he took the time to think back, he found it hadn't even been a full 24 hours yet. 'So I haven't been awake for forever, it just feels that way.'

A soft sound made him open his eyes and look at the man standing uncertainly in the doorway of his quarters. //Stop hovering and come in and sit down. We're going to have a long conversation and we might as well be comfortable when we have it.//

Enqueri walked over and sat on the edge of the bed beside the anthropologist, scant inches away. Blair sighed, both more relaxed and more anxious at the other man's closeness. Briefly he considered moving but decided it was too much effort.

//What is it you want to talk about?// Enqueri asked.

Blair peered up at the man. //What do you think? This whole-// he gestured broadly with one hand //-Guide thing. What exactly have I gotten myself into here? I mean, what happened earlier, when you- when I- when we-// he broke off, with a frustrated sigh, waving a hand between the two of them. //You know, what happened earlier. What was that about?//

Enqueri frowned in puzzlement. //Do your people not kiss?// he asked, one hand reaching out almost absently to play with Blair's hair.

The anthropologist shivered at the casual intimate touch. //Sure we do. But kisses like that are usually reserved for someone who you-// 'Love.' //-know better.//

//You are my Guide,// Enqueri answered with a shrug as if that explained everything. His fingers continued to fiddle with Blair's hair.

//Yeah but you've only known me for a week! And for most of that time you thought I was crazy!//

Enqueri smiled faintly. //Yes.//

//'Yes'? Is that all you have to say?// Blair struggled up onto his elbows, turning slightly towards the other man. //A week ago you met this man you thought was crazy and now you're sticking your tongue down his throat but it's okay because he's your Guide?// He shook his head. //I just don't get it.//

//I do not understand. What is there to get Blair Sandburg?//

//It's just Blair, okay?// Blair interrupted. //You don't have to say my full name every time.//

Enqueri nodded. //Blair,// he repeated with a smile and another nod.

//You see? That's just it -- you don't even know which name to use!//

//But I know your soul,// Enqueri said, his eyes serious, as he leaned closer. //And you know mine.//

Blair looked up into the startlingly blue eyes. //Do I?// he whispered, even as a voice deep inside confirmed the Sentinel's words.

Enqueri smiled warmly and Blair caught his breath at its brilliance. //You are my Guide,// he repeated. //How could you not?// And with that he closed the distance between them, covering Blair's mouth with his own.

As had happened before when they had kissed, Blair found himself responding wholeheartedly. If he had thought about it at all he would've been wondering why he wasn't freaking out at this, it was so far outside his experience and expectations. And not just because Enqueri was male, though he'd be lying if he said that wasn't part of it. But it was this deep feeling of rightness, this instant connection, the total lack of alarm he was feeling that caused the real alarm. Any sexual interest he was feeling -- and he *was* feeling more than a little -- was almost incidental.

Enqueri's tongue teased lightly at his lips, and Blair willingly parted them, gasping slightly as Enqueri's tongue then slipped inside.

Okay, maybe not *that* incidental.

By the time he mustered up the willpower to push Enqueri away and sit up, he was panting in reaction and his pants were noticeably tighter. He raised a hand to push back his hair, then dropped it again when he noticed it trembling.

//What *was* that?// he asked, his voice much higher pitched than normal.

//That?// Enqueri repeated and Blair could hear the smile in his voice even though he didn't turn to look at the man. //That was a kiss.//

//I *know* that!// Blair glanced irritably at the Sentinel. //I meant why did you do it?//

Enqueri looked puzzled. //Did you not wish me to?//

//No!// Then, knowing that wasn't the complete truth, //Yes. Maybe. I don't know.// He jumped up and began pacing.

The Sentinel said nothing, just sat and watched.

//Is this a Sentinel/Guide thing? Because if it is, I'll do it, I promised I'd be your Guide and I intend on keeping that promise. I just need to know what I need to do, okay?// He stopped and faced Enqueri. //So tell me, what do I need to do?//

Enqueri stared at him -- through him -- for a moment then nodded. //We must complete the bond that was started.//

//Okay. Complete the bond. This is good. I can do that.// He paused then asked rather sheepishly, //Uhm, how do I do that?//

//We must join physically to symbolize our spirits joining.//

//Physically?// Blair squeaked. //By that you mean we have to uhm...// Unable to figure out how to finish the sentence, he resorted to gesturing with his hands to make clear what he meant.

Enqueri smiled slightly. //Yes.//

"Oh god..." Blair could feel the blood draining from his face.

Enqueri was at his side in an instant. //Blair?// he asked, his voice thick with worry, as he reached out a steadying hand.

//I'm all right.// He took a deep breath and forced himself to smile at the man. //Shall we get started?//

Enqueri didn't move, merely stared at him, frowning a little.

//What?// Blair asked, feeling even more jumpy.

//You haven't done this before have you?//

Blair flushed. //Sex? Sure I have! Plenty of times, lots of times. Just not uhm...//

//Just not with a man?//

He nodded, unable to look Enqueri in the eye. How did he get himself into situations like this?

A hand reached out and tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet Enqueri's gaze. The caring and understanding he saw there sent a warm feeling through him that went a long way to dispelling his embarrassment and apprehension. //I will not do anything you are not comfortable with,// the Sentinel vowed.

//I know,// Blair replied, realizing that he did know that. //Just... can we take it slow?//

Enqueri smiled. //As slow as you need.// He reached out and brushed Blair's hair back from his face. //Can I kiss you again?//

The question sent an unexpected heat to pool in Blair's groin. In answer he reached out and, holding Enqueri's face steady, leaned in and captured the other man's mouth.

Again the feelings of rightness, of connection surged through him, along with a healthy dose of sexual arousal. This time though, Blair didn't fight it, instead surrendered to it, pulling the Sentinel closer as the kiss deepened and lengthened. He tentatively darted his tongue out, and Enqueri's lips parted, immediately granting him entrance.

For the longest time they just stood there kissing, Blair unsure of how to proceed and Enqueri seemingly content to go at the anthropologist's speed.

Not that the kiss itself wasn't satisfying. Quite the opposite really. Blair had had orgasms that weren't as intense as just kissing Enqueri was proving to be, entire relationships that weren't as satisfying as this one moment. Once he had gotten past the weirdness of it, the feelings were incredible, totally mind-blowing.

He briefly wondered, that if a simple kiss could engender this kind of response in him, what the rest was going to feel like. And if it was this intense for him, how much more so must it be for the Sentinel?

The thought sent yet another bolt of arousal through the anthropologist's body and he shivered.

Feeling the shiver Enqueri pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss. //You all right?// he asked in a huskier voice than normal, his blue eyes bright with concern.

Blair just stared at the man with wide eyes, unable to remember how to speak. Instead he answered with actions, pushing the Sentinel down onto the bed and quickly following, blindly seeking out his mouth again to resume the kiss.

Enqueri chuckled at his actions, and Blair could feel the vibrations of the sound as it rumbled through the Sentinel's chest reverberating in turn through his own body. He gasped and moaned, as the laughter's caress seemed to travel straight to his cock.

Then Enqueri's hands were moving, threading through Blair's long hair, stroking down his back and buttocks, fumbling at what to the Chopec were the very unfamiliar fastenings on Blair's clothes, they seemed to be everywhere, even as he continued gently devouring Blair's mouth. Blair moaned louder, gradually losing himself under the sensual assault.

He wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually Enqueri managed to strip his shirt off, breaking off the kiss to pull the black T-shirt underneath over the anthropologist's head. Then the Sentinel wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him back down, recapturing his mouth as he did so.

The feeling that ran through Blair as his bare chest touched Enqueri's seemed to steal what little ability for thought he had left. Unable to draw in enough oxygen through his nose, he broke off the kiss, laying his forehead against Enqueri's shoulder as he panted for breath, body shivering and shuddering in reaction.

Suddenly the world flipped and Blair found himself lying flat on his back on the bed with the Sentinel looming over him. He blinked dazedly up at the man, watching as he reached out and ran a finger down Blair's chest. The anthropologist groaned and arched up into the light touch, unable to believe exactly how turned on he was. And they hadn't done anything really interesting yet!

Enqueri's hand continued down over Blair's stomach, coming to rest on the fastenings of Blair's pants. He looked up, meeting the anthropologist's gaze. //May I--?//

Blair gasped and panted, tongue darting out to lick nervously at his lips. For a brief second his nervousness was back full force and he hesitated. But the thrum of arousal in his body was already so high that it would hurt more to stop than it could possibly hurt to continue. So he managed to say one word. //Yes.//

With permission given, Enqueri wasted no time in stripping off the rest of Blair's clothes. Then he sat back for a moment and just *looked*.

Blair couldn't help but squirm under that intense gaze, some part of his mind remarking that you'd never been really looked at until a Sentinel looks at you. Especially the way this particular Sentinel was looking -- eyes warm with affection and approval, and overlaying it all the heat of arousal and need. The longer Enqueri looked, the stronger Blair felt his own need grow.

The moment continued to stretch on until Blair thought he would go mad if Enqueri didn't touch him. Then Enqueri did and he felt like he'd go mad anyway.

He watched as the Sentinel reached out and lightly stroked the inside of his left thigh, from knee to hip. Blair caught his breath and squirmed even more, the caress raising goose bumps all over his body and causing his already hard cock to surge even more.

The movement seemed to catch Enqueri's attention and his hand wandered over and gently stroked Blair's cock, from root to tip before closing around it in a loose fist.

It was like someone had fired off every neuron in Blair's brain at the same time. He groaned loudly, hips jerking upwards involuntarily as he sought to increase the maddening light touches that were only making him crazier.

Somewhere along the line his eyes had closed so he didn't see Enqueri lean over and close his lips around the head of his cock. He certainly felt it though, when that warm moisture engulfed him, crying out as his hips bucked violently upwards.

Strong hands grabbed his hips and restrained him as Enqueri continued to use mouth and tongue to tease and caress his cock, until Blair was thrashing on the bed and moaning continuously, completely lost in the sensations.

Then suddenly, finally, Enqueri ceased his teasing and swallowed him whole. Blair thrust upwards once, twice, and screamed as he came.

Everything grayed out for Blair then; when he once again took in his surroundings it was to see Enqueri lying beside him watching him with the slightest hint of a smug smile on his lips.

//That-// His voice came out a harsh croak; Blair swallowed, licked his lips and tried again. //That was... intense.// He shook his head, unable to describe what had just happened any better than that. //I don't have the words.//

Enqueri's smile widened slightly. //I am glad.// He reached out and gently brushed a sweat-damp curl away from Blair's face.

Blair reflexively leaned into the caress with a contented sigh. He looked up at the Sentinel's face and noticed a certain hesitancy in his ey