Bites, Bytes and Bears, Oh My
by Larabeelady

Summary: a challenge story. Must include 1) a bon fire, 2) marshmallows, 3) tent, 4) sleeping bag, 4) fish, 5) a LIVE bear and 6) a computer. A short, smarm story.

Disclaimer: The characters and premise of the Sentinel belong to Petfly, UPN and Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended. The boys will be returned unharmed. Eventually

This was originally posted at Cascade Library under my other name and is being re-posted here.

Jim Ellison stared at his partner and roommate, Blair Sandburg. The kid was placing pieces of wood higher and higher within the stone circle that Jim had laid out earlier.

"Uh, Chief, we only need a small campfire, not a bonfire," he told his friend.

Blair looked up from his task, tucking a strand of his long, curly hair behind his ear. "Oh, c'mon Jim, it's not that big." Blair paused, looking critically at his work. "Well, okay, maybe it is. But it's usually too dry to have a big fire. Since it's been damp enough lately to chance it, I figured what the heck." He gently chewed on his lower lip, as he glanced at Jim. "Too much?"

Jim shook his head at younger man, his blue eyes sparkling. "No, Blair, it's okay. You're right, it is damp enough. But we will need to make sure the tent and sleeping bags are far enough away, so they don't catch a random spark." Jim headed back to the truck to finish unloading.

Blair joined him a few minutes later. "Hey, Jim, when did Simon say they'd get here?" He was referring to Jim's boss at the police department, Simon Banks. Simon and his son, Darryl, were joining Jim and Blair on their campout.

"They should be along anytime, Chief. Apparently, Simon discovered moth holes in his sleeping bag when he got it out of storage last night. He had to wait for the store to open today, so he could buy another one."

"Cool. Man, this was a good idea, Jim. It feels great to get away for a while, even if I do have to work on my paper while I'm here."

"I'm glad you have that laptop, Blair. At least you could bring it with you this weekend. I really wanted to get away from the city for the long weekend. Three whole days, just the four of us and Mother Nature."

"Yeah, and there will be less distractions here, so maybe I can finish it today while you guys are fishing."

Jim grinned at his friend. "You're not going to fish with us?"

Blair shook his head. "No this afternoon, man. I'll just stay on land and try to finish the paper. If I can finish it today, then I won't have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend."

"Sounds good to me, Chief." He gently ruffled his friend's hair, then returned for another armload of gear. Between the two men, they quickly got their tent set up and the sleeping bags arranged. They were just finishing when Simon and Darryl pulled up.

"Hey, guys," Darryl said, climbing out of the car. The young black man was dressed similarly to Jim and Blair, wearing jeans and a red, long-sleeved flannel shirt. His father, Simon, was also dressed the same, but included a hat with his outfit, lures hanging from it. Both Simon and Darryl had grins on their faces.

Blair looked closely at both Jim and Simon. In appearance, the men were markedly different. Jim's light skin and blue eyes contrasted sharply with Simon's dark skin and brown eyes. Both men were tall and well built. They shared the same sense of duty and honor and love of the law. It made them both fine police officers, but also meant that they tended to take on a lot of responsibility. Blair was glad to see that both men appeared relaxed and happy. Some of the stress and tension that had plagued them both for several weeks seemed to be vanishing as the soothing sounds of nature flowed over the area.

Simon stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it up. "Good morning, gentlemen." He took a deep breath and smiled.

"Glorious day, isn't it?" Simon looked up into the clear blue sky, enjoying the sunshine on his face.

"Sure is, Simon," Jim said. "Ready to catch some trout, sir?"

"You know it, Jim. Sandburg, you have any new recipes you're going to prepare for us this trip?" Sandburg was known to have any number of dishes that he just 'had to try' whenever they went fishing. Simon wouldn't admit it, but most of them had turned out delicious and he was eager to see what the young man had planned this time.

"Oh, yeah, Simon. A friend told me about this recipe that uses lime juice and black pepper. It's supposed to be really tasty."

Simon nodded. "Sounds unusual, but I'm game. How about you, Darryl?" He turned to his son, who was already starting to unload their gear.

Darryl smiled at the older men, his enthusiasm catching. "Sounds great, Dad. I can't wait to try out that new pole you got me for my birthday."

"Well then, let's get unloaded and go catch some fish." He quickly stopped at the sight of Blair's tower of logs. "Do you guys think we're going to need to signal the space shuttle with that fire?" He didn't wait for an answer. Blair just rolled his eyes at Jim's smirk.

Working together, the four of them finished setting up camp in record time. Simon, Jim and Darryl were soon up to their knees in the river, while Blair had found a comfortable spot on the bank and was steadily typing away on his computer.

/

Dinner was a success. Putting down his fork, Simon groaned appreciatively. "Sandburg, that was probably one of the best meals I've had in a long time. You're going to have to give me that recipe."

"It did turn out pretty well, didn't it?" Blair said.

"Yeah, it was great, Blair." Darryl started to gather up the dishes. "Well, since Dad cleaned the fish and you cooked. I'll do dishes."

"I'll help you, Darryl," Jim said, gathering up Blair's plate. The two made their way down to the bank, joking about Jim's impromptu dip in the river earlier in the day.

Simon lit up a cigar and moved a little closer to the fire, watching Blair as the kid got out his computer. "What are you working on this time, Blair?"

The grad student looked up from the computer screen. "I've got a paper due Tuesday on the sacrificial rituals of the various South American tribes. Animal sacrifices versus human sacrifices."

"Sounds interesting. Not something I want to hear about just after eating, though."

Blair laughed. "I understand, Simon." The night went quiet again as Blair returned to his work.

Simon leaned back against the rock he was sitting by, letting his gaze wander into the night sky. He was continually amazed at the number of stars that became visible when he left the bright lights of the city behind. His gaze went to where Jim and Darryl knelt by the river. He wondered how many stars Jim saw with his Sentinel sight. He'd have to remember to ask him sometime.

Darryl came back and put the dishes away. Jim had wandered off on the way back to the campsite. Darryl sat down next to his dad. "Nice night, huh, Dad?"

'

Simon draped an arm around Darryl's shoulders. "Yeah, son. I'm glad you could make it this weekend. It's nice being able to spend time together, away from the city and the criminals."

"For me, too, Dad. Thanks again for the pole. It's great." He grinned at his dad, and they both lapsed into silence.

Blair sighed and hit the 'save' button. "There. Finished. Now I can enjoy the remainder of the weekend."

Jim was just returning as Blair made his pronouncement. "Great, Chief. Then you can join us for our hike tomorrow after all." Jim was carrying four small twigs in his hands. Rummaging around in the cooler, he came up with a bag of marshmallows. "Aha," he said, holding up the bag. "Anyone ready for dessert?"

"Yes," Darryl and Blair both responded eagerly. All four laughed. Jim passed out the twigs and they gorged themselves on the sticky, sweet mass.

/

The next day, the foursome woke early and had cereal for breakfast. After making sure that all the food was stored so the animals couldn't get it, they started out on their hike. They took their time, enjoying each other's company and the beauty of their surroundings. They stopped for lunch on a cliff that overlooked the entire valley.

While Simon and Blair were discussing Blair's paper, Darryl put a hand on Jim's arm. "Jim?"

"Yeah, Darryl?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for inviting me this weekend. It's been nice, being able to spend the time with dad, away from the station and all."

Jim smiled at the polite young man. "You're welcome, Darryl. It's been nice having you here. And I know your dad was happy you were able to make it."

Simon and Blair walked up to them at that moment. "Ya know, Jim, I can't think of anything that could make this weekend more perfect." Blair said.

Jim's eyes strayed out over the valley, his Sentinel sight catching a glimpse of a rare and magnificent sight. "I do, Chief. Let me see your binoculars for a minute."

Blair handed Jim the binoculars, realizing that Jim had to pretend to have normal eyesight because Darryl was here.

"What do you see, Jim?"

Handing the binoculars back to Blair, Jim pointed down into the valley at a spot near the river. "See for yourself, Chief. Right there, near that outcropping of rocks." He then showed Simon and Darryl where to aim their own binoculars.

Blair focused the binoculars and gasped. "Oh, man," he breathed in awe. Both Simon and Darryl echoed his sentiments.

The four men watched in silence at the sight below them. In the river was a large grizzly bear, surrounded by three cubs. Mama bear was attempting to teach the cubs to catch fish. They chuckled softly as one cub's try ended up backfiring, and the fish slapped the cub in the face.

They stayed there until the bears finally left. A feeling of peace and tranquility descended over the group. Blair turned to Jim.

"You're right, ya know. That did make it perfect, Jim."

Jim draped arms around Blair's shoulders, unconsciously mimicking Simon and Darryl's pose. "Yeah, Chief. Perfect."

The End