Dog Days   Dog Days is a collection of snippets that began as an Obsenad for an off topic post on Senad, and just wouldn't let go. It's not quite a story, more a set of related vignettes. Not betaed, but spell checked. Pure fluff, really.   The muse was not cooperating, but an obsenad owed is an obsenad owed so... You're My Home By Griffin Blair carefully carried his bundle up the stairs to the loft. Jim wasn't supposed to be home for a couple of hours, so he had plenty of time to figure out how to solve his current dilemma. It took some juggling, but he was able to carry his now wiggling armful in to the loft, into the bathroom and put her into the bath without any major mishaps. "Okay, baby. Let's get you cleaned up and see if you're okay," he crooned. The bedraggled basset hound thumped her tail, splashing water everywhere. Blair laughed, and began wash the dog. As he washed, he checked for injuries, and carried on his conversation with the dog. "Poor baby. Lucky I came along, aren't you? Scared those bullies right off. Throwing rocks at a defenseless dog. Although you're not much more than a puppy, are you? A little skinny, too. Probably haven't been fed in a while, huh?" He drained the dirty water out, and ran fresh warm water to rinse the dog. "Doesn't look like you're hurt, though. Looks like we lucked out. Now all we need to do is get you dry, fed, and figure out what I'm going to do with you. What we need do to is find you a Jim. Somebody who will take in a stray, and make sure you're warm, and fed, and safe, huh? Give you a nice home." Blair lifted the clean dog out of the tub, and began to dry her off. "That's what you need. A nice home, and somebody to love, who loves you back, that's all anybody needs...." he trailed off. The dog seized the opportunity to vigorously shake herself, scattering droplets of water everywhere. He laughed. "Just great, dog, now I gotta clean the bathroom, too. I suppose I should come up with a name for you. I can't just call you dog, and Baby does not suit you." "Why not call her Lucky?" suggested a voice behind him. "Jim!" Blair squeaked. He whirled to face him. "You aren't supposed to be home yet! I mean, the dog, uh, I wasn't..." "Relax, Chief. You don't have to throw her out on the street." He squatted down and snapped his fingers, and the dog trotted over and sniffed his hand. Apparently he met with her approval; she flopped down on the floor, rolled over and offered her belly to be scratched. "She's pretty trusting. She can't have been out on the street long." "Yeah," Blair agreed. "I guess I should put an ad in the paper or something. She's probably a lost pet." "Until we get an answer, as long as she's well behaved, I think we can keep her here. It's warm and safe, and we can feed her. Every once in a while, Chief, I've been known to take in a stray." "I guess you heard all that." "Yeah. I've got really good hearing." Since Jim seemed to have lost interest in scratching her belly, Lucky the dog scrambled to her feet, and trotted past him into the living room. Jim stood up and offered Blair a hand, pulling him to his feet. They stood in the doorway and watched as the dog explored the loft. "I do, you know," Jim commented. "What?" Blair responded, confused. "Love you. Just in case you wondered. You're not a stray, you have a home, and I love you." Blair smiled radiantly up at Jim. Jim slowly leaned down, his lips just millimeters from Blair's. "Jim." Blair breathed his name like a prayer, and...Lucky stood by the door and whined, obviously wanting to be let out. The moment lost, Jim kissed Blair on the forehead. "Go take your dog outside, Chief. I can wait." I told Aly I would write her a snippet, cause she knew who Rula Lenska is. (Don't ask), and Janet wanted to know if the guys get to keep the basset hound, so, without further ado, here is the sequel to 'You're My Home". No puppies or guppies were harmed in the production of this. Forever in Your Eyes by Griffin   Blair trudged slowly up the stairs to the loft, Jim behind him. Jim worried about the dejected slump to his shoulders. "Chief, you gonna be okay?" "Yeah. It's just kinda - quiet, you know?" Blair looked around the loft and sighed. He walked into the newly established den and placed the blue nylon leash in his hand into the desk drawer. He picked up the tatty old blanket from the corner, where it had been used as a bed, and carried it to the laundry hamper. He returned to the living room to find Jim and a cup of tea waiting for him. He smiled at his lover, and stepped into Jim's warm embrace. "She was really happy, Blair. Her dad told me he had given up hope of ever finding the dog." "I know. She could've lit up Las Vegas with that smile. And Lucky was wagging her tail so hard she shook all over." "Not Lucky, Xena. Although Xena just doesn't strike me as a basset hound name..." "I thought it was clever. If I was a nine year old girl named Gabrielle, I would name MY dog Xena, too." He sighed. "It was nice having her here, but really, Jim, we're not home enough to have a dog." Jim tightened his arms briefly, wondering who Blair was trying to convince. "I love you." Jim watched Blair as he prepared dinner. It had been two weeks since they had reunited Xena the basset with her owner, and he was still - subdued. Jim had to admit that he missed the puppy, too. It was time to take steps to shake Blair out of his funk. They were scheduled off all weekend, Friday would be a good time. He just had to make some calls....   Where the sappy 80's love song titles came from I don't know, and honestly, I don't think I want to know. It's safer that way... Part 2, cause Blair really wanted to keep Lucky, er, Xena, and Jim just can't stand it when Blair is unhappy. Forever in Your Eyes, pt.2 by Griffin   "Come on, man! You've been being mysterious for the last two days. Where're we going?" "We're going to visit a friend of mine." "Out here in the middle of nowhere? Come on, give me just a little hint." Blair gave Jim his most pleading look. "Turn off the eyes, Olivier, we're almost there." Jim turned the truck into a driveway marked with a discreet. sign and parked in front of what looked like a barn. "Come on. There's somebody here you need to meet." Blair climbed out of the truck. The air was filled with the sound of barking dogs. Animal Rescue Foundation was painted in white on the barn door. He looked at Jim with hopeful eyes. "C'mon, chief, the entrance in around the side." Blair followed Jim down the walkway and into the barn. A sturdy, grey-haired woman greeted them at the entrance. "I'm Judy Brandt. May I help you gentlemen?" "I'm Jim Ellison, this is Blair Sandburg." Jim replied. "We spoke on the phone yesterday?" "Ah, yes Mr. Ellison. We have some paperwork that needs to be filled out, and some policy information for you..." Blair tuned out the conversation as Jim followed the woman to a desk. He looked around. The inside of the large barn was divided into many enclosures, some with just one dog, some with more, with ID sheets on each door. He began to walk, looking carefully at each dog. He passed a variety of breeds, from St. Bernards to Yorkies, and a number of just plain mutts. Each animal's ID sheet gave a brief history of the animal and it's temperament. He paused at a German Shepard, a handsome animal who gave him a challenging stare. Not quite the one he was looking for. A few enclosures over, he found a basset hound. The basset raised its head and looked at him, then returned to it's nap. Still not the dog he was looking for. Then, in the far corner, he found her. She was alone in her enclosure. She pressed her nose to the gate, tail wagging furiously as Blair approached. "Hey, aren't you a beauty." Blair looked at the ID on the gate. Her name was Magnolia, she was a year and a half old, and she was housebroken. Perfect. A passing volunteer opened the enclosure, and Blair soon found himself sitting on the floor of the barn with a lapful of happy wiggling silver-grey fur. "Well, Maggie, you're the one. Just what I was looking for. You can come home with Jim and I. We have a nice loft, you can have your own room. You can run with us, and go hiking and fishing, or just hang around. You're gonna love it." While Blair was looking for the perfect dog, Jim was filling out adoption forms, and discussing responsibilities and requirements for dog owners. When he was finished, he set out to find his partner. Blair was not visible among the maze of enclosures, and the scent of dog was pretty overwhelming, so Jim turned to sound, and listened for his voice. Yep, there he was, in the far corner of the barn, having a conversation with a dog. Apparently, this was THE DOG, judging by what Blair was saying. As he rounded the corner, Jim paused. He couldn't help smiling at the sight that met his eyes. Blair was sitting on the ground, petting the dog in his lap, in the middle of intense discussion. The dog was gazing at Blair with rapt fascination, tail wagging furiously. As he got closer to the pair, Jim took a good look at the dog his partner had chosen, and groaned. "Sandburg, that's not a dog, that's, that's - a poodle," he growled. "Yeah! She's perfect!" Blair enthused. "Poodles don't shed, and they are intelligent and loyal. She's housebroken, and she hasn't been mistreated, so she's really affectionate." "But, a poodle. They're so - frou-frou." "James Ellison, I never would have pegged you for a poodlephobe!" "Aw, Chief..." "Besides, we don't have to give her a frou-frou haircut. We can just keep it even all over. Now come down here and meet our new dog. Jim, this is Magnolia. Maggie, this is Jim. He's really all right once you get to know him." Jim knelt, and reached out to pet the dog. She sniffed him, and then settled down to let Jim pet her. As he stroked her curly fur, he glanced over at Blair. Blair gave him a happy smile, and clambered to his feet. He gave a little bounce as Jim continued to pet Maggie. Jim grinned. If the poodle put the bounce back in his partner, the poodle it would be. Hell, if Blair wanted a Shi-Tzu, then that's what they'd get. Jim stood up, and the dog stood up too, and shook herself all over. "She's pretty big for a poodle, " he commented. "She's standard size. She's not purebred either. Think your macho image can stand having a poodle?" "If it survived you, I think it can handle a poodle, too. You ready to go?" "Yeah. Come on, Maggie." Blair clicked his tongue, and Maggie trotted obediently beside him, as the three of them headed to the desk to finish the adoption procedure. As they lay curled together, sated and relaxed, Blair said, softly, "Thank you." Jim cuddled Blair closer. " You like having a dog. I like making you happy. I'm never gonna live down this poodle thing, though, " he teased. "I guess I'll just have to find a way to make it up to you," Blair teased back. "I'm sure I can think of some type of compensation. It will take a long time, though." "How long?" "Very long. Years and years. Maybe forever." "Forever. I can do forever." "Mmhm. Love you." "Love you, too. 'Night." "Mmhm. 'Night." End     Hey, at least I didn't use sappy 80's love song lyrics! <G>