Author’s Notes: This story is a follow up to ‘Senseless’, ‘Blue Eyes’, and ‘Time to Go, Chief’.

~*~*~

On the floor of the basement of Blair Sandburg’s subconscious there is an imperceptible fissure, its seams overlapping each other in a tight, intricate weave of neural pathways and synapses.

Beneath the fissure, hidden away in a swirling blue mist, surrounded by darkness, laid a sleeping spirit guide, a wolf.

For ninety-three days the wolf lay undisturbed, alone. He had sought shelter in the mist, led there by his human with the help of the shaman, Incacha.

The guide, and all that connected him to the real world, had melded with the wolf, and left behind only a human shell.

The wolf had drawn a deep breath, infusing itself with the strength and purpose of the guide to protect his sentinel. He’d curled into a ball and watched with determined blue eyes as the fissure closed and the mist enveloped him. And then he allowed sleep to claim him.

Incacha had sealed the fissure, with chants and prayers to those who protect sentinels and guides, and secured the wolf within the subconscious of Blair Sandburg.

And the guide was safe.

And Enquiri was safe.

~*~*~

On the ninety-fourth day after retreating into the fissure, something had disturbed the wolf’s sleep. He had opened his eyes fractionally, and looked cautiously about. Peering warily through the mist, he saw a miniscule slit in the fissure’s seal.

The pain and need of the sentinel had penetrated the fortress in Blair’s mind. For a moment, the wolf let down its guard and allowed the guide to reach out to his sentinel.

But in so doing, the Voice also tried to be heard.

The wolf tried to retreat once more into sleep, but the sentinel knew now. He knew that the wolf, his guide, his friend was locked away. And the sentinel’s need would not allow the wolf to sleep, to stay hidden.

And so a struggle had begun, within the recesses of Blair’s mind. The wolf and the guide fractured into their separate states of being, and fought together to maintain control…to stay safe…to keep Enquiri safe.

Now and then the guide would reach out to his sentinel, with the wolf standing guard. If the Voice, or anyone or anything other than Enquiri came close, the wolf would pull the guide back into the mist.

The sentinel’s need grew.

The guide’s control began to slip.

~*~*~

On the one hundredth and eighth day, Incacha came striding through the blue haze. He looked up at the growing slit in the fissure and shook his head.

"Enquiri seems to be upset."

The guide sat, cross-legged, resting up against the reclining wolf. He rolled his eyes and frowned at the shaman.

"Ya think?"

"Perhaps you should return to him." Incacha shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"I don’t think it’s safe to leave here." The wolf whimpered in agreement and nuzzled the guide.

"I don’t know," The shaman ventured as he stared up at the eve- increasing gap in the seam of the fissure. "He seems pretty pissed."

Before the guide could respond to the shaman’s uncharacteristic choice of words, there was a great eruption and the fissure dissolved.

Incacha smiled and slowly faded into the fiber of Blair’s subconscious. The wolf and the guide coalesced once again into their former essence within Blair’s being.

And Blair woke up.

~*~*~

Blair was staring into the startled faces of William Ellison and a stranger. He looked around, trying to make sense of where he was and how he got there.

His cheek stung.

Across the room from him, Jim was prowling back and forth, throwing things…Blair’s things. He got to his feet and began walking toward Jim just as his friend growled at two men standing in the doorway.

Jim growled.

Something very odd was going on.

And then the big guy turned and looked at Blair and smiled. No, it was more of a smirk, Blair thought.

Blair threw out his hands, encompassing the entire scene as he gave Jim an incredulous look.

"Jesus, Jim. What the hell is going on?"

Jim grabbed Blair and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. He held on tight, nearly squeezing the breath out of the younger man. He mussed Blair’s curls and his voice hitched as he whispered into his friend’s ear.

"Jesus yourself, Blair. What took you so long?"