ten

John found himself stuck with Jim.

He supposed the other sentinel must not be that bad of a guy, but the territorial glaring and ready to fly off psycho look was wearing on his nerves.

Jim slipped past him heading for the couch and turned on a football game.

John hadn't seen a live game in years, even televised-live. He stayed back by the kitchen counter though and did his best not to let the pixelation of the television pull him into a zone.

Xander, Blair and Max had gone outside, settled down on a picnic table outside the carriage house. It wasn't like they were going to escape being eavesdropped on but the three brothers deserved a little time to themselves. John tried not to, but Jim's raised-hackles reaction was making it hard. He had the feeling Xander's ascertation that this was his territory was all that kept Jim from slipping a couple times. John just wanted to go home. He didn't particularly give a shit about what the hell Jim's problem was, made a little more sense that the only other sentinel that he'd ever met tried to--actually had killed, drowned, Blair.

John figured he'd probably be as bad if not worse if he were in Jim's shoes. Blair said Jim's initial reaction to the female sentinel hadn't been that bad. Dislike, wariness, but not...This also wasn't another sentinel in his territory, John had to admit he didn't know how he'd react to that. This was neutral territory, Xander's territory and the other sentinel was ridiculously protective of both Xander and Blair so John couldn't fault him too much even if he didn't like it.

"Cremate him."

"WHAT?" John gaped at the blurt.

"Xander. If he dies. Cremate him. He already made Blair swear that way back that he'd make sure it was done if the council people didn't. Need a body to resurrect. Body parts for spells even old bones'll do."

"And ashes don't work. Got it." John managed. "I'll make sure my people know. Casue hate to say it, if he's dead, I'm not gonna be in any shape to see to that."

Jim nodded.

"Can I sit on the couch or you going to rip my head off?"

Jim winced. "Yeah sit. It's not you..."

"I got that" John nodded.


~*~

"Why didn't you say anything!" Blair demanded, then reigned in his control and asked softly, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. "If you don't want us..."

Max's eyes widened peering out from the shadows of his sweatshirt's hood. "Didn't think you'd want me." Max managed.

"Little doofus." Xander growled.

~*~

"You going to be okay with the kid?" John asked quietly.

"If he can handle Cascade, yeah." Jim managed. "The other--he got that spell off. The other isn't that bad. He smells too much like Blair and Xander."

"Good." John sighed. "Atlantis is...dangerous."

Jim nodded. "Xan isn't Sandburg"

John nodded. Blair could fight, would if he had to, but very much preferred not to. Xander fought because for whatever reason he started, he'd been at it so long he didn't know anything else anymore.

"You guys will.."

"Letters, email goes through in bursts. Stuff sent on the Prometheus and Perseus through Cheyenne Mountain." John nodded. "Get back for visits when we can."

Jim nodded.

John winced. We? Goddamn it all, but hell it wasn't like he was going to let Xander come back to earth on his own. Not if he was still alive..

"Yeah, that takes a while." Jim snorted. "I'm not sure if Xander would be easier to adjust to than Blair. Blair drove me outta my goddamned mind."

John raised a curious eyebrow not sure he was brave enough to ask. Or what would happen to their 'zombified remains' if a 'sentinel death match' got set off by asking the wrong thing of Jim.

"Blair was bouncing all over the place wanting to do tests and establish perimiters of my senses and about creaming his jeans he found a real live sentinel. Blathering theories and pacifisim --and then he came with Naomi too which was bound to have things going to hell in a handbasket within five minutes of her appearance. It was like a cross between a mad-scientest and hyper puppy you couldn't kick suddenly attached to your side and you couldn't get rid of him."

"I've already got Rodney and Carson"

Jim laughed.

~*~

"That's the last of it." Xander said stuffing the box under the transport van's bench.

John nodded.

Blair about tackled Xander in a hug dragging Max with him into it. "You better email and write damn it."

"I will." Xander promised hugging them both tight. Jim loomed close for a minute and sqeezed Xander's shoulder around the tangle of three men. "You take care of each other." Xander said. "Watch out for my brothers Gaurdian or I'm gonna make you pay even if I have to summon your damned ghost to do it."

Jim smiled.

"Be able to get back in about eight months if there isn't anything drastic going on." John offered. Emails had already confirmed about that much.

"I'll send the Joint Cheifs newts next time if there's nothing but stupid" Max promised.

"Rodney!" John said sharply cutting off yet another spiel of Magic-Can't-Exist.

~*~

"Okay, My Little Pony Galaxy, here comes the Zeppo." Xander snorted as the van pulled through the gates of the Anya Jenkins School for Gifted Girls headed for Cheyenne Mountain and the Stargate there, to gate to the planet where the Perseus was parked.

"Pegasus!" Rodney sniped and was off on a rant.

"He's going to bitch the whole way." John murmured.

"It'll give him something to do." Xander whispered under his breath.