"Yeah Chris, why was Vin naked?" Buck chuckled.

"I have no idea, I found him that way earlier. That's what the blanket was for."

"I beg to differ gentlemen. Vin was not 'naked', he was nude. There is a considerable difference." Ezra lectured. "Naked is to be exposed. Nude is to simply be in a natural state. It's all in one's attitude," Ezra smirked.

"He wasn't wearing clothes. What was he thinking, Cassey was in here," JD hissed in a scandalized tone.

"It's not as if he blinded me with his beauty," Cassey snorted.

"I'm sorry Cassey I should have made sure . . . " Chris's voice trailed off as the girl giggled faintly.

"Chris, the MacLeods' are migratory. We took advantage of any water source to bathe and wash clothes. It's not as if rivers have his and hers sides you know. Vin grew up the same way. Skin isn't an issue."

"Oh," several voices responded.

"Style of clothing or lack there of, is a matter of cultures," Ezra reminded calmly. "Except for an emergency Vin would never consider appearing in public without being fully clothed. Mr. Tanner is aware that such a thing is not acceptable in Centari society. In private . . . if lack of attire will be an issue, please speak up. Vin would not knowingly make any of you uncomfortable."

"He hasn't been running around bare assed before," Buck reminded.

"Thought it was because we were bonding so often . . . Back at the cabin he spent as much time nude as dressed before you all arrived." Larabee frowned thoughtfully

"There was a lot of skin at the cabin," Nathan reminded. "Kids were in the water an awful lot."

"That was different," JD protested.

"Why?" Ezra asked curiously.

"He was swimming . . . now there's Cassey," JD blurted.

"What about Cassey?" the girl demanded.

"You're a girl!"

"You finally noticed. So what?"

"Vin shouldn't run around like that way with you here," JD answered in a scandalized tone, blushing brightly.

Cassey looked puzzled. "Why not?"

JD spluttered a moment. "BECAUSE!"

"JD's concerned that Vin's behavior may have upset you," Josiah explained. Those cultural clashes aren't just between Centurion and Human. JD's almost speechless.

"Of course I'm upset. Vin obviously had a touch spike the way he scratched up his arms and chest." Cassey snapped.

"Shit, I was so busy trying to get him out of a zone I didn't notice," Chris growled angrily before heading to the bedroom to check on his sentinel.

"Clothing would have irritated his skin, that would account for the lack of attire," Ezra mused.

JD looked embarrassed now. "I didn't know."

"You have a Sentinel of your own JD, pay attention," Cassey fumed.

"Guess we still have some adapting to do," Nathan muttered. "Give 'em a minute then I'll see what needs doctored.

"Call for an escort, I'm taking Vin to sick bay," Chris stuck his head out of the bedroom for a moment.

"I'm on it," Buck responded, nodding at Nathan as the medic snatched up his bag and headed into the darkened bedroom.

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Why didn't I notice how bad he's looking? Nathan sighed deeply taking in the miserable figure curled on the bed.

"Let me see," Nathan coaxed.

"Didn't notice I'd done it . . ." Vin hissed in pain.

"Scratches aren't too bad. So where'd this blood come from?" Nathan carefully kept his voice calm.

Wordlessly Tanner held out his hands.

"You didn't NOTICE?" Nathan stared in dismay. "How did you do this?" Jackson modulated his tone when Vin flinched.

"Guitar, been too long since I played. Don't have the calluses anymore," Tanner answered faintly.

Nathan took a deep breath before cutting loose on a tirade. "What kind of an idiot does this kind of thing to himself. Any fool would have known to stop when it started hurting," Jackson ranted.

Vin tucked his hands against his chest and seemed to shrink.

"Nathan, not now."

"I can't believe this," Nathan fumed ignoring Larabee's order.

"He ZONED, Nathan." Chris growled protectively standing over his sentinel.

"Zoned? . . ." Jackson's tirade trailed off and a look of dismay appeared. "I went and did it again didn't I? Vin, I just hate to see you hurting and I . . . got stupid. Will you let me take care of your hands?" Nathan sat down beside the human and waited. I've got to do better about jumping in without information.

Vin peeked over at the contrite healer. He's learning just gonna take a spell. Giving a deep sigh he scooted closer and held out his hands. "They's crampin' a might."

"I can numb them until we get you down to sickbay," Nathan offered.

Tanner nodded his acceptance. "Touch is bouncing all over the place. Mah control is shot to hell for some reason."

Chris and Nathan exchanged worried looks.

"When did this start?" Chris asked softly.

"Not sure, snuck up on me . . . might have started 'fore we went to bed?" Vin looked up questing.

"You sure couldn't get comfortable," Larabee agreed.

"We'll figure it out later. First we get these hands taken care of," Nathan directed. "I'm just going to numb them until we get to Sick bay, they have better equipment."

"Reckin they'll have one of them regenerator things?" Vin asked hopefully staring at his hands.

"I'm sure of it." Nathan promised.

"Good, wasn't lookin' forward to them healin' regular like. Takes hands and fingers a long time to heal up," Vin sighed.

"Let's get some clothes on you." Chris suggested.

Vin nodded faintly and scooted to the edge of the bed.

"Hold up," Nathan ordered. Gently as possible he straightened the damaged fingers and misted them with something from his bag. "That ought to help."

The easing of pain was evident as Vin relaxed. "Can you get lots of that stuff?" Tanner asked cheerfully.

"You planning on needing it?" Nathan scowled.

"You ain't seen JD on a bad day yet. Figure he'll need to take a bath in it." Vin chuckled.

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When Vin, Chris and Nathan reentered the main room everyone crowded around their injured team mate. Tanner obviously flinched back bringing them to a halt. "Got stupid is all, must have zoned whilst I was playin' tha guitar,"

"Have you reset your base lines?" Ezra asked softly.

"Do it after I get this fixed."

Ezra shared a look with Chris.

"We'll do it again after we get back. I'm not letting you out of here with your senses out of control," Larabee ordered quietly. I'm doing a lousy job of being a guide. If Ez hadn't called us on it, I'd have walked Vin right out there with his senses all over the place. How could I have not noticed how tore up Vin's hands are.

Obeying his guide, Vin simply turned and rested his head over Larabee's heart. Chris gently supported the damaged hands while the sentinel balanced himself.

"Nathan, you're going to need to bandage them or something or we're going to leave a blood trail from here to sick bay," Chris grimaced as he got his first clear look at the damage. I've seen hamburger that wasn't as minced up.

Jackson simply wrapped Vin's hands in clean towels. "Wound seal would have to be scrubbed off before they use the regenerator. This will just be easier on him."

Josiah answered the door chime to reveal the security team. "Just a moment."

Curiously the four strangers watched the human step out of Larabee's hold.

"Rekin I'se as ready as I'll ever be." Vin rasped hoarsely.

"Need to have the doctor check that out too," Chris muttered.

"What?"

"You're sounding awful hoarse."

"Been makin' too much noise is all."

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"I ain't gonna bleed out or upchuck on yer clean floor, fellas. Mind if we slow down a might, mah legs ain't as long as yers," Tanner noted.

Ignoring Vin, the young officer addressed Chris. "My team have been ordered to escort your hou . . . hunter to the infirmary, Colonel." The youngster quickly changed the derogatory 'hound' to a more acceptable hunter, due to Larabee's icy glare. "The human has proven himself to be unruly at times. He will not be allowed to do so on my watch.

Vin grinned as the man beside him rolled his eyes.

"Chris, don' kill him. He's just a pup, ain't hardly offen the teat."

"If he doesn't watch himself, he's not going to get any older," Nathan chuckled faintly.

The young officer flushed in embarrassment and his team scowled at the impertinent men.

Larabee slowed his pace. Vin's never had any trouble keeping up before. What's he up to now?

/Must be a perty good officer the way his men got offended by the teasin'./Vin 'said' thoughtfully.

"Your first command?" Chris asked the young officer calmly.

"Yes Sir."

"You have a good team?"

"The best," the young officer answered proudly.

"Relax and trust them to do their jobs," Larabee advised as a seasoned officer to a promising younger one.

"Yes sir."

"Chris Larabee, Nathan Jackson and my bonded Vin Tanner," Chris introduced.

"Daniel O'Neal, Austin Graves, Jim Temple and Mike Robinson," O'Neal introduced himself and his team.

"You was almost nice there, Cowboy. See, it ain't so hard, bit more practice and you'll be fit fer polite company," Vin teased Larabee.

Nathan coughed ducking his head so Chris couldn't see his grin.

"I will paddle your scrawny ass if you keep this up," Larabee warned calmly.

"Didja hear that? Now, he's gonna beat on the weak and helpless."

"There's nothing weak or helpless about you," Chris retorted. Vin looked down at his wrapped hands. "Tanner, you forget I know what you're capable of, those fingers are only an inconvenience."

"Yah must have me confused wit' Ez er somethin' . . . Cowboy."

Nathan struggled to suppress his laughter. One of these days Vin's going to get sassy and Chris'll surprise the hell out of him.

"You can be taught respect, human," Lieutenant O'Neal growled, still stinging a bit from the human child's comments on his age.

Vin locked gazes with the young officer for a long moment. "Respect ain't taught, it's earned. Larabee knows damn well I respect him. Happen ta like him, despite him thinkin' he runs tha universe."

"Lieutenant, I'm quite capable of handling my bonded," Larabee interrupted.

"Since when," Nathan muttered faintly. Jackson winced as Vin sniggered.

"Reckin Chris'll be wantin to speak wit' you about that disrespectful thing too?"

"Sorry, Colonel," Nathan hastily apologized.

"Bwaccck, bawck, bawck, never see'd me a chicken that big before," Vin noted looking Nathan up and down.

Nathan considered thwaping the unrepentant Tanner on the back of the head. Probably give him a concussion and then I'd have to deal with him loopy . . . pleasure isn't worth the pain.

"Children should be seen . . . not heard," Chris growled.

"Yer Mommas use that'n on ya'll too?" Vin smirked as he sauntered along.

Snorts and coughs greeted the human's question.

"Is he always like this?" O'Neal asked curiously. I really don't think he was intending on being insulting. Think I just took that 'pup' comment the wrong way.

"Most times he's worse," Larabee admitted ruefully.

Nathan became more distracted the longer they walked along the corridors. Vin's trying to keep everything together and Chris isn't paying attention to anything but Vin right now. Last thing they need is for me to cut loose. When this is over I'm going hunting for the idiot that ordered this. Our suite is less than 500' from the nearest infirmary. Nathan worked hard at controlling his temper in an effort not to trigger Vin's notice.

"Nate," Vin's tone became serious.

"What do you need?" Nathan immediately turned to his injured team mate.

"How long's that numbing stuff suppose ta last?"

"2 hours or so why?"

"Rekin it don' work too good on me."

"It's wearing off? Already," Nathan groaned. "You and me are going to have to sit down and figure out what we can use on you."

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Chris didn't even have both feet inside sick bay before he was flung back into the hallway by a dangerously protective Sentinel.

Oh hell, it had to be this idiot. Nathan groaned as he recognized the doctor who had darted Larabee upon boarding the vessel. At least I'm where they can patch me up after Vin's finished with me. Jackson locked one big hand around the back of the fast moving Tanner's neck and the other latched on to his belt and lifted the growling sentinel completely off his feet aborting the attack. Nathan struggled to hold Vin at arms length to minimize the damage to himself. It's like trying to hold Jell-O with teeth . . . and feet. Jackson yelped in pain as a foot made firm contact with his knee. "Stop it!" The big medic snarled and shook the squirming Tanner till his teeth rattled.

/Vin don't kill him/ "Sentinel stand down!" Chris barked trying to push past the security team now blocking the door.

Vin stopped fighting Nathan's grasp. It was obvious that Tanner wasn't happy about obeying but he submitted to his guide. A low warning growl continued to fill the air.

"Let me by this is a Hunter/Handler situation," Chris snarled dangerously.

Now that I've caught him how do I turn him loose? Jackson wondered in amused dismay. "Rule #1, Don't piss off the Guide. Rule # 2, Only THE Guide can calm a Sentinel that's gone feral." Nathan recited in a very calm voice. "Hope Ezra knows what he's talking about. Guys, let me back out of here. We need to keep Chris and Vin together."

Moving into the hall Nathan never loosened his grasp or let Tanner touch the floor. "I think this is yours." Jackson held the growling human out to his Colonel.

Chris stepped closer and took the sentinel's shoulder in a firm hold. "Stand down," he coaxed.

Vin stubbornly held his ground, growling all the while.

"STAND DOWN!" Larabee's voice dropped into the kick-ass tone of a pissed off Alpha Guide.

The growling stopped but the icy sapphire eyes never left the quaking physician.

"Leave it, link to me now," Chris ordered grasping Tanner's jaw and turning his head away from the doctor.

Vin went limp and simply dangled in Jackson's hold. "Protect and serve, my Guide."

The security team exchanged relieved looks as Larabee brought the Sentinel under control.

"What set him off?" O'Neal demanded after positioning his team to prevent any possible 'escape' attempt.

"I guess Vin hasn't exactly forgiven him for trying to kill the Colonel," Nathan answered in an amazingly calm tone.