That Ball Thingy chapter 10

John arrived at the compound and was immediately pounced on by Atiya.

"Uncle John!"

Dropping his bag and catching the girl, Sheppard hugged her almost as tightly as she did him. He laughed and said, "I missed you, too, kiddo!"

Once his daughter had slid to the floor, Xander was free to shake his brother's hand and slap the older man's shoulder with his free one. "It's good to finally have you here for a visit!"

They all go into the front room of the house where they meet some of Xander's slayers. John was sure he'd never remember all of their names and wasn't quite sure just how many there were all told, either, they bounced around so. He was very uncomfortable with the flirting though, considering how young so many of them were.

Once the introductions were over and the slayers had retreated, he looked at his brother and glared, "You didn't say I'd be treated like a side of beef by teenagers when I got here!"

Ibuin laughed, "They will settle down. You are a shiny new thing at the moment, just wait, it will get better. Especially if you let them know in no uncertain terms that you are unavailable." She started to walk out of the room, but stopped at the first snorting laugh of her husband.

Xander had taken one look at his brother's reaction to that and laughed until he nearly fell over. "Ibuin, he's worse than me!"

She turned around to see Sheppard looking positively green at the thought of having to say anything to the young girls. She put her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

Atiya, however, had caught on to the fact the teen slayers had made her beloved Uncle feel uncomfortable and decided to come to his rescue. "I'll protect you from the silly girls, Uncle John!"

He turned to the girl with a sincere smile, "Thank you, Atiya. I knew I could count on you!" He gave her another hug.

Over breakfast, the plan was made to take John on a group patrol that evening so that he could see some of what they had to deal with on a regular basis. The slayers discussed and then chosen to go with them would be the ones that didn't react like sharks and he was the bleeding seal. A fact that had John visibly relieved and set Ibuin to chuckling.

As they cleared up the breakfast dishes, Atiya pouted that she wouldn't be allowed to go with them.

Xander told her, "Hey, I need to leave my best slayer to protect our home, don't I? And I'd feel much better knowing you're here to protect your mother, especially in her condition."

John's head whipped around to look at Ibuin in surprise, but her gaze was centered on Atiya as she cupped her hands protectively over her abdomen. He grinned from ear to ear and also looked back at Atiya as the girl's puzzled frown turned into comprehension. He stepped back out of the way, just in case.

"A baby? I'm going to be a BIG SISTER?" The small slayer jumped up and down for joy and ran to her mother, stopped short and very carefully hugged the woman, afraid of hurting her unborn sibling.

Xander grinned at the sight and then turned to see John's reaction, making the older man smile as he held out a hand to shake.

"Congratulations!"

Atiya let go of her mother and raced to her father, "Papa, Uncle John, I'm going to be a big sister!"

Both men laughed and John stepped over to Ibuin to congratulate her, too.

Everyone was charmed when Atiya went back over to her mother and began chattering to her mother's belly, promising to be the best big sister in all of history.

Later that evening, the patrol went well, though John was a bit shocked at the variety of demons his brother's "family" had to deal with. They even helped him stake his very first vampire. He choked on the dust and everyone laughed, then Xander told him, "You have now been initiated into the Scoobies!"

He looked at one of the other Watchers and asked, "That's a good thing, right?"

"Oh yes," the woman enthused.

John couldn't remember her name at the moment, so just nodded and said, "Okay."

The next day, John was on his way out of the kitchen with a snack when he was startled by a glowing green energy portal opened in the entrance hall. "Incoming!"

Xander and a couple of slayers came running with weapons in hand, but slowed down when a long haired, long legged brunette stepped out of the portal and it closed again. Xander called out, "Stand down! Hey, Ibuin, Dawn's here!"

The young woman ran and hugged him, "Ibuin just called and told me. Congratulations!"

Ibuin had come down the stairs while that was going on so that when Dawn turned, she immediately pounced on the older woman. "I'm so happy for you, both!"

Ibuin let Dawn gush for a couple of minutes and then said, "We are so very glad you found time in your busy schedule to drop in, little sister. Now, we must introduce you to a man who is visiting all the way from another galaxy and an alternate universe."

With a gasp, the young woman asked, "Xander's big brother is here?" She looked around and her eyes focused on the man just inside the kitchen, holding a bowl of freshly popped popcorn.

He waved, "Hi, I'm John. You guys don't have any secrets, do you," he aimed at Ibuin.

Dawn laughed, "I'm Dawn. Since Xander and Ibuin have adopted me as a little sister, I guess that makes you my brother too and we don't keep secrets from family. Got enough popcorn to share? I've been studying forever and I'm starving!"

John handed over the bowl and Xander dragged him away to start the grill. Dawn's presence apparently prompted several people to come out of the woodwork and start chopping up fresh fruits and vegetables.

Xander explained, "Dawn has been studying to pass the bar, in three states. She's going to represent the slayers, if slash when, they get into trouble. As such, she does NOT eat enough or healthy enough. So when she shows up, we feed her."

John asked had heard all of that, but was stuck on how she'd arrived, "And that whole, energy portal thing?"

Ibuin and Dawn walked up at that point and the latter handed Sheppard back the now half empty bowl as she answered, "Portals are kinda my thing, but I have to have been there at least once before I can open one to any place I need to go. My range is up to halfway around the world now, by the way," she looked at Ibuin with a wide grin. It was the older woman's turn to gush with praise, "That is wonderful, Dawn! I told you, your powers would increase and you will only get stronger from here on. I imagine you'll be able to open portals to John's Atlantis by this time, next year." The young woman looked shocked, "Really? But, it's another galaxy in a completely different universe and what if I'm not ready for that and I've never been there and I doubt I'd have permission to just pop in and what if some trigger happy soldier shot me and I couldn't get home again and mfff-!" Xander had pulled her into his arms from behind and clamped a hand over her mouth as he joked, "I rate her babble at an 8.5 because she's nowhere near as fast as Willow." Dawn elbowed him in the ribs, making him let go as she grouched, "These are valid concerns!"

John repeated, "Portals are your thing? You didn't use any technology to open it, you did it yourself?"

When Dawn simply nodded, he chuckled and looked at Ibuin to ask, "And she thinks she's adopted?"

Dawn's mouth dropped open, Xander burst out laughing and Ibuin waggled a finger at the girl while trying not to laugh and failing miserably.