by Ami-chan
Charlie was scratching out equations on the chalkboard in his office, following up on a line of thought in his latest theory. He was only vaguely aware of the fact that a small little shadow was trailing after him, following his every movement, or at least every movement that was in leash-range. He was nearly complete when the sound of someone clearing their – his – throat interrupted him. Well, sort of. Charlie ignored whoever it was in favor of finishing up what he was working on and only then turning toward the door to where Agent Colby Granger was waiting.
“Nice dog.” Colby was smirking in a way that made the comment sound like an insult.
“Uh, thanks. So, I assume Don sent you? He called…” A glance at the clock proved useless since he wasn’t exactly sure when Don had called, hours at ago, perhaps. “A while ago to say that he needed my help.”
“Yeah. So when’d you get the dog?”
Charlie shrugged, glancing down at the puppy squirming at his feet that wanted to be petted or picked up. “A couple weeks ago.”
“What’s it doing here?”
Yes, Colby was definitely amused though Charlie wasn’t sure why. “He gets lonely if I leave him by himself so this way he’s here with me.” He glanced at the cage residing in one corner of the room where Sir Charlie was kept when he had to teach a class. He unhooked the leash from where he’d tied it to his desk and glanced back at Colby. “I’m ready.”
An eyebrow arched. “You’re taking the dog with you?”
Charlie nodded.
“To the FBI building?”
“Yeah.” He ignored the look Colby was giving him because there was no way he was leaving Sir Charlie here by himself. “Come on, S.C.”
Colby, falling into step beside him asked, “S.C.?”
He cleared his throat, lowering his head slightly. “Sir Charlie.”
“You named your dog Sir Charlie?”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “You know, people with the name ‘Colby’ really shouldn’t make fun of anyone else’s name. Besides, Don named him and he already responded to it and he had the tags so it wasn’t like I could change it.” There was some satisfaction in the cold glare he got from Colby about the name comment. Generally he wasn’t one to resort to such petty remarks, but really, making fun of Sir Charlie’s name? That was low.
Once at the federal building, after a rather tense and silent drive, Charlie picked up his visitor’s pass then said, “And he needs one too,” and lifted Sir Charlie to get his, as well. The unsmiling woman behind the counter suddenly brightened at the puppy’s appearance and began petting Sir Charlie, to which Colby rolled his eyes. A visitor’s pass was clipped to Sir Charlie’s collar and they then continued into the building.
When Don saw them he smiled in welcome then whistled loudly. When Sir Charlie pulled on his leash, Charlie released it and allowed the puppy to charge across the room to Don. “Hey there, buddy.” He was tossing the puppy up and into the air by the time Charlie and Colby caught up.
“You’re calling him ‘buddy’ now?” Charlie asked in surprise, because Don called him buddy not the dog!
“Yup.” S.C. was placed back onto the floor and Don turned his attention to “business” and the problem that he need Charlie’s help with. He was about halfway through his explanation when Megan joined them, her eyes immediately gravitating to the small dog at Don’s feet, wagging his little tail. When Charlie began pacing, thinking out loud about the information he would require in order to find some sort of answer that Don could work with. As he paced, S.C. followed him, trotting along behind him, turning when he turned and following him in whatever direction he decided to take.
It was Don’s soft laugh that made Charlie pause and frown slightly. “What?”
“Your dog’s following you.”
He glanced down at S.C. who peered up at him, opening his mouth in a wordless yip, his paws moving up and down even though S.C. remained in place. “Yeah, he does that.”
“Why’s your dog here?” Megan chose to ask, leaning against a desk as she warily eyed S.C.
Megan was eyeing S.C. in the same way that Colby had – the sight made Charlie sigh loudly. “Don, do you realize you are working with cat people here? Where’s David? He’s a dog person, right?”
“Hey, I just wanted to know why there’s a dog in a federal building. That doesn’t automatically make me a dog-hater.”
“I didn’t say you were a dog-hater,” Charlie pointed out. “Just that you’re a cat person.”
“I am not a cat person,” Colby interrupted, clearly not liking the label. “I don’t like animals period.”
Charlie mumbled something under his breath that sounded vaguely like “Colby cheese” even though he remained focused on Megan. “You have a cat, don’t you?”
“No, actually I have two, but that really isn’t the point. Isn’t there some sort of thing against having pets here?”
“Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a very friendly breed – in England they still have a law that allows them in any public building, including parliament. And, yes this is American not England and yes, there is a regulation against animals on federal property, but S.C. is here as my assistant therefore it is perfectly legal.” Charlie was grinning as the puppy wagged his tail happily, waiting to see what would happen next.
“Your assistant?” Megan stared at him in disbelief. “You actually looked up the policy and decided it was okay? How exactly is he assisting you?”
Don was smirking faintly, shaking his head in amusement. “That should be obvious. The dog’s an emotional stabilizer, keeps his attention focused and keeps him from losing it. You know how these geniuses are, so absent minded – Charlie’s remarkable at finding things, the dog, I mean,” he added when Charlie raised his eyebrows at him. “So, we keep our genius working by having the pup here.”
“You’ve had this approved?”
“Yes, of course. A week or so ago, some technicality or other – having a good bit of influence really does help.” Charlie grinned down at S.C. who whined and jumped up, wanting to be played with. “Well, that and the threat of me never offering my expertise again.” He lifted the dog up so that Megan could clearly see that S.C.’s visitor’s ID had been custom-made for him with Sir Charlie’s name and picture on it.
“The dog has more clearance than I do,” Don offered. “But back to the case…”
David wandered in sometime later, helpfully providing more information that Don had apparently asked for earlier and when he was done with that he immediately turned his attention to S.C. “I heard we had a new Charlie around here. Everyone’s been going on about it. Has his own ID and everything.” He offered his hand to S.C. and the puppy immediately went to David and begin licking him in greeting. “Will he get any bigger?”
“A bit, but not much.” Charlie told him absently even as he smiled triumphantly because he had been right – David was a dog person. He knew he liked him for a reason!
“I heard you pulled some strings to get him approved. Something about being a service dog?”
Charlie could see Don smirking out of the corner of his eye and before Charlie had the chance to say anything in his own defense Don was replying, “It was necessary to keep one of our most highly sought consultants. Have to keep the genius happy, after all, so I guess the little ankle biter stays.”
“S.C.’s not a ankle biter!” Charlie protested, turning a frown on his brother who continued to smirk though he was now attempting to hide the look behind his hand.
“What makes you think I was talking about the dog?”
Charlie’s jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding me!”
Don shrugged. “The dog’s never bitten my ankle before.”
“What do you – oh, that doesn’t even – I was – no!”
“I’m sure there’s an interesting story behind that,” Colby noted dryly as Megan nodded in agreement; David was distracted by S.C. but was definitely listening in.
Charlie was still glaring at his brother. “I was a kid! I was teething and that does not count!”
“Whatever you say, Charlie.”
Even though he knew Don was purposely teasing him he still was unable to stop his own reactions to it and it wasn’t until S.C. whimpered in distress, the large brown eyes fixed on Charlie wanting to know what the tension was about, that Charlie managed to calm down. He grabbed the materials he needed and threw the notes he’d taken at Don before heading quickly toward the door, ignoring Don’s protests. The chime of metal tags colliding made Charlie pause just long enough to retrieve S.C.’s leash from where it was being dragged across the floor. Their passes were left at the front desk – Charlie was well aware of the fact that he’d lose them otherwise if he didn’t leave them – and he almost made it to the exit before Don caught up with him.
“Hey, hey Charlie. Don’t do that, buddy, I’m sorry, okay?”
Charlie’s teeth clenched as he wondered to himself why it was back to “buddy” again and if Don really thought of him more like a useful dog than a person. “Which Charlie are you talking to here? I’m thinking at this point you should probably specify that way – ”
Don physically halted him and turned Charlie so that he either had to stare at his chest or his eyes. It was always safer to look Don in the eyes. Normally, anyway. “I’m taking to you. I said I was sorry, but aren’t big brothers supposed to tease their little brothers a bit?”
That was probably the safer option, Charlie agreed silently, as opposed to showing actual affection or praising them or hugging them or kissing them or fuc – “There really is a limit, Don. The dog’s name, fine, but making a comparison like that? That’s low, even for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” From apologetic to defensive, typically Don.
“I don’t know, Don, what do you think it means? Maybe that you enjoy pissing me off, maybe that’s it? Maybe you always have to be hounding me about every little thing or bringing up things to hurt me?”
“Name one thing!”
“The thing about me being bad about keeping secrets? Remember that? Or, ‘why are you wasting your time with that impossible math problem, Charlie?’ or ‘I’m here so that you don’t take complete and utter advantage of dad’ or – ”
Don threw his hands up as if to ward off an attack even though Charlie had never once tried to hit him ever. It was more usual for Charlie to have to try to get away from Don’s physical aggression, because, really, that was how Don tended to deal with things or at least things having to do with Charlie. “Fine, I get it.”
“No, I don’t think you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t still be trying these – these juvenile tactics to get me to react!”
“If they didn’t work so well than I wouldn’t – !”
“So you admit it!” Charlie inwardly winced as his voice raised an octave, his eye narrowing in annoyance directed more at himself than at Don. Was it really Don’s fault that he got so upset over every little thing that Don said? On the other hand if Don had any idea of the effects his words had on Charlie… but of course he didn’t so that didn’t really matter at all. “Fine, whatever.”
The urge to growl when Don grabbed his arm almost made Charlie rethink his similarities to the small fluffy puppy at his side. Not that Charlie had a good deal of time to think that through, not when he suddenly found himself in Don’s arms, clutching at his shoulders in a desperate attempt to keep his balance. The sighed chuckle and words that followed only made him that much more defensive. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie.” Until he realized that the words were not meant for him, but for S.C., who had apparently been the thing Charlie had tripped over and was now the thing that was pawing and yipping at them insistently. “You should pay more attention to where your dog is, Charlie, otherwise you’re going to wind up with a broken nose and then you wouldn’t be able to win the cutest professor award. Two black eyes and a bandaged nose aren’t very cute.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m clumsy?” Though Charlie was reluctant to pull away from Don he did so in a timely manner, straightening his clothing as if that were going to make any difference whatsoever.
“No, just that you’re unobservant. I’m sure you remember that time in gym class that – ”
“No one really remembers or cares about!” Because, really, remembering following from that damnable evil climbing rope from hell, even if he’d only fallen because it had been so focused on calculating the actual distance of the rope while climbing, was not something he cared to recall. Charlie’s only saving grace had been the large mat he’d fallen onto, though that hadn’t stopped his arm from breaking or the embarrassment of an ambulance ride and his parent’s wide-eyed expressions. Nor had it stopped Don’s near constant amusement at the situation along with his, “Charlie you are such an idiot” and “Who the hell falls from the top of the rope, Charlie? You couldn’t have waited until you got down again?” or the ever favorite, “I think they should get you one of those helmets like the ‘special’ kids have”. That last comment had gotten Don several bruises, one of which had been distinctly baseball shaped, which was a very good indication – to Charlie, at least – that Don shouldn’t leave ammunition lying around.
“We okay?”
Charlie nodded hesitantly. He never could stay angry at Don, not for very long at least, no matter how many times Don seemed to say the worse possible thing at any given moment. “Yeah, we are.”
“Good, then I’ll give you a ride to – where were you going?”
A glance down at S.C. did not prove useful, as the dog certainly couldn’t explain what he’d had in mind when he made his attempt at rushing out of the federal building. “Back to CalSci?”
“Works for me.” A hand clasped Charlie’s shoulder just a bit longer than necessary as they finally headed out and to the waiting vehicle.
“Oh, I accept your apology,” Charlie conceded as he settled S.C. on his lap in the passenger seat. The relief that lit up Don’s eyes spoke much louder than Don’s quiet, almost casual, “Good.”
-The End- (for now)
End Notes: I like Megan and Colby, really, but there’s something about Megan that makes me think she wouldn’t like dogs and something about Colby that suggested to me he wouldn’t be fond of animals in general. I find that most people that do like cats like dogs, as well, and vise versa (though there are always extremists – “dogs only” or “cats only” clubs, which I think is a bit ridiculous since both animals have their good and bad points).
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