Chapter Eight - Bouyed by Hope and Love

Epilogue

There is for a time a need for solace, reblancing and regrouping of reality when exiting the Dream World and reentering Life. It is a time for reflection and recognition. During this time one becomes re-merged with humanity and one can finally realize the depths of pain and despair one must reach to truly enter the Dream World and how much hope and goodwill one must feel to finally free oneself from its grasp.

The Dream World holds tight its victims, it hates to lose the battle. If one really desires to return one can find a way... As long as there is love, hope and forgiveness, all is possible in both the Dream World and here in Reality.

~*~*~*~

It was a subdued duo who entered the loft that night. Their ordeal was both over and yet just beginning. There was much healing they both would need to do and there was much that still needed to be rebuilt between them. They had time though.

Brad Ventris was dead, his horrible scheme discovered and ended. His father had signed the settlement cheque although the money was not enough to pay for the damage done by his son. What Ventris got was no media attention and no black balling of his name. His son's crimes would never see the light of day in court.

What Blair and Jim got was a twisted but final sort of justice. Brad's death only meant that he could never come after them again. His father's money meant that they would never have to relive it again by telling their story.

Their bond had been ripped apart by hatred and anger but had been reformed into a tighter form. A shield against further chances at separation. The shared vision had given them a peace with each other, an understand without a need for verbal communication. Their emotions and thoughts were tied together in an intricate knot of love, trust and need. A truly symbiotic relationship that instead of frightening them actually made them feel safer and more secure in their destinies.

Jim had made a vow the night they had woken together after the vision. His promise to trust and guard his Guide, to hold him in times of need and to grant him freedom when required had gone a long way to sooth the hurts of Blair's fractured soul.

Blair had also made a vow, to guide, protect and nurture the Sentinel when needed, to love and hold dear the trust and love granted by his Protector and to give his undying loyalty to the only person who completed him.

From that moment on, they were truly one soul sharing two bodies. They would never forget what had happened to them, nor would they take each other for granted again. For that they had Brad Ventris to thank.

For the weeks that followed found a fragile peace in the every day routines. Neither had been cleared for duty or to return to the university but that didn't bother either one. They spent the days together, talking or not. It didn't matter, the fact that they were together meant more to them then being able to be around others. So far only Simon had been by and only to bring the final word on Rafe. That had been a week ago.

Simon told them that the young detective had been released and Lucy had taken to looking out for his every need. The wedding had been planned for June which gave Jim and Blair a few months before they had to face the others.

The strange events had made it very difficult to hide the reasons behind the peculiar partnership between an ex-covert ops police detective and a hippie anthropology student. Part of their talks had been to determine that it was time to let the rest of their friends in on the secret.

Jim was pretty sure they already knew or at least guessed. He was aware that Megan had found out during their trek to Sierra Verde and that she'd had to tell Henri when they’d found Jim, deep in a coma brought about by a deep zone. A zone so deep that no one had been able to bring him out of it until they’d brought Blair back from Baltimore. The others? Jim was only guessing that they knew, they weren't detectives for nothing after all.

It had taken some convincing but finally Blair agreed until all that was left was to invite them over and to tell them. To finally clear the air and let all their friends in to share the most important secret they had. Jim had argued that it would be a good way to restore trust in the department and to cover their backs completely. Perhaps if more had known then this whole mess might have been avoided. Someone might have noticed what was happening long before it got out of control.

Tonight was to be the night. Their friends were due in a few hours. Their doctor’s had finally pronouced both men fully capable of returning to their perspective jobs. Five months after awakening in the hospital they were finally ready to face their friends and colleagues. The ordeal that had begun a year ago was finally going to be filed away as a distance memory. Nothing would come between them again and with the help of their friends, life could begin anew.

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