This pic also courtesy of Sharon @ Whispers of the Heart.

SHAMAN SCHOOL by Tegan Ridgway Chapter 1 After being led to the drivers side of his old beat up Ford, Jim watched in shock and horror as they put his friend, his partner, his *Guide* and *Shaman* into a body bag and into the back of the waiting ambulance. All the while listening, straining to hear that familiar heart beat. He was listening so intensely, that when the thought of a zoneout might occur, he just listened that much harder. The thought being, that if he zoned, he could zone to the point of no return, and thus be with his guide. But for some reason, he couldn't even zone. Maybe because he had never actually tried before. Then the thought occurred to him that maybe Blair wanted nothing more to do with him. After all, he was the reason Blair had died. He had thrown him out of his life, out of the loft, and told him to finish his dissertation on something else. Suddenly startled out of his thoughts by a low growl, he looked up to see everyone worriedly looking at him. Simon started to say something about driving him home when out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the black panther that was his animal spirit. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Turning to look at the animal, he suddenly found himself in the jungle. The panther looked at him, then suddenly took off through the jungle. Jim followed the large cat, knowing where it was heading. Once they both reached the temple, the panther morphed into Incacha. "Why did you disregard your guide?" Incacha asked "I don't know," Jim stated flatly "Why did you disregard your guide, Enquire?" Incacha asked again. Thinking about what had gone down in the last week, the dream of him shooting the wolf, the jaguar in the store the growl when Blair had come home that day and in his Blair's office where Alex was. He came to the only logical conclusion that there was. "I was trying to protect him." "A Guide's place is at his Sentinel's side where he belongs. Where you can watch each other's backs and help one another. Nothing should come between Sentinel an Guide." There were several very quiet moments between the two of them, and Jim was the first to speak. "I am guilty, and accept the consequences of my actions." "Very well," the Shaman said, "you must now go to the one who can help you find what you have lost." Looking very puzzled, Jim asked "Where do I find this `one´?" "Follow your heart Enquire, it does not lie," answered Incacha. With that, he turned back into the panther, and within a blink of an eye, Jim found himself back in his world and his body. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Looking up after recovering from the shock of having is consciousness slammed back into his body, Jim saw four pairs of concerned eyes staring at him. "Jim, are you ok?" Simon said in a caring quiet voice. "I think that you better let me drive you home, you are in no shape to drive" "No thanks Simon, I'll be ok...I just...I gotta get out of here for awhile. I'll call you later". Jim said looking very haggard. With that, he closed the door on his truck and started it up. As he started to drive off, he felt a hand on his arm. Looking up into Simon's worried face, he said "I'll be ok... there's something that I have to do. I'll be in touch, I promise." Simon just nodded as Jim drove away. Simon looked over at Henry and said "You and Rafe follow him, and make sure that he doesn't do something stupid." Henry and Rafe said "Yes sir", the headed for Henry's car. Jim had heard the orders Simon gave to his fellow detectives as he made his way through the parking lot, and knew that he couldn't be followed. So, before they could get anywhere near him, he turned onto a side street after leaving the university's parking lot, then went down several more. He stopped his truck to listen at the next stop sign. "Where'd he go Rafe" Henry said several minutes later. "I don't know H" Rafe replied "It's like he knew we were after him. Like he heard what Simon had said." "Well, we better let Simon know, or he'll have our heads as well as our badges." Jim reached over and turned off his police radio after he heard Rafe tell Simon that they'd lost him. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and turned it off as well. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Blair was suddenly conscious of voices around him. When he opened his eyes, Jim was doing CPR on him. But for some reason, it didn't hurt. Simon and Henry reached over and pulled Jim off of him saying "He's gone Jim. Let him go". "Noooooooooooo" Jim wailed as the two men pulled him off of his best friend. "Let him go baby," Henry said trying to get Jim to realize that it was no use to continue. Blair, not understanding any of this, got up and walked over to them saying "Let what go Simon, I'm fine." But no one would answer him. They just kept staring at something behind him like he wasn't even there. Confused, he turned around to see what was holding their attention so completely, and found his heart in his throat when he saw his own lifeless body on the ground. "This can't be real," he said out loud, but knowing now no one would hear him. "But it is real," said a voice from behind him. Startled, Blair swung around to suddenly find himself in the jungle facing a temple and Incacha. "Why did you disregard your Sentinel for another?" Incacha asked. Blair just stood there with his mouth open and nothing coming out. Incacha repeated the question. "Why did you disregard your Sentinel for another?" "But I didn't!" Blair hotly denied. "You are Shaman and Guide to Enquire, and no one else. Yet you walked away from him for another. Why?" Incacha asked. Looking straight into the eyes of Incacha, he replied "Because she needed help, and I was able to provide the help she needed." Looking sternly, yet compassionately into the young Guides eyes, Incacha said. "Your purpose is to be Guide and Shaman to your Sentinel. This you must know in your heart as well as your soul if you are to remain as his guide." Blair was getting more confused by the minute. Looking back into Incacha's eyes, he said "Excuse me, I mean no disrespect, but , what do you mean 'If I am to remain as his Guide?' I'm *dead*, I drowned in that fountain, and I was standing beside my own dead body." Then thinking to himself *I wonder if I can go back?* But the real question was *Would Jim want me back in his life after this screw up?* Incacha merely looked down at the young Guide and said,"The choice is yours Shaman, and you must make it now." "I choose Jim," he said with conviction. Then added "If he'll have me". Incacha simply nodded, then everything in Blair's world went black. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Simon was not a happy camper when he got the call from Henry and Rafe, saying that Ellison had managed to get away from them. But he realized Jim's need to come to terms with what had happened. Hell, he himself needed to come to terms with what had happened. Someone had already called in the forensics team to go over the area, as well as Blair's office. Realizing that he needed to amend the APB that was out on Alex to murder of a police officer he reached for his radio thinking to himself. *Blair may have been just an observer, but to everyone in Major Crimes, he was a bona fide Detective.* But just as he was ready to hit the button the radio to speak, it came to life. "Dispatch to Captain Banks!!!" the excited dispatcher said. "This is Banks, go ahead" he spoke into the radio "Captain we got a call from the Coroner's Office at Cascade General, and they said that Blair Sandburg is ^not^ and I repeat <^NOT^> dead. They asked for you to meet them in the ER, and that they will fill you in there.", said the very excited dispatcher. "I'm on my way" Banks said then added "Get Ellison on the line and have him meet us there as well." "I've already tried sir," the dispatcher replied "Either he's away from his radio, or he has it turned off. The same goes for his cell and home phone too. But I'll keep trying." "Thank-you dispatch, Banks out." Simon turned to an equally shocked Megan Connor. "Stay here with forensics. I want every inch of this place covered. I want enough to nail that Bitch to the wall for life, and maybe beyond." "Yes sir." Megan said returning to her work and a bounce in her step. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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