Fic: Dogsbody (5/13)
May. 27th, 2010 09:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rusty_armourTitle: Dogsbody (5/13)
Author: Rusty Armour
Pairing: Lester/Quinn
Summary: Lester is forced to depend on the people around him when he finds himself in a strange and startling predicament.
Word Count: 1,727
Rating: Slash, PG-13
Spoilers: S3 in general
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters or the shiny prehistoric creatures. I just played with them for a while and then returned them to the toy chest.
A/N: I was inspired to write this fic after reading
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knitekat’s Under the Moonlight, the first story in the Under the Moonlight wolfverse. Although I had intended to post this as a serial, the original plan was to finish the story first, as I swore to myself that I wouldn’t commit another crime of WIP. However, as so often happens, this story ended up being longer and more complicated than I’d imagined. Reality has also been rearing its ugly head and there are other commitments I can’t put off any longer, so…WIP. Well, at least this time, a large portion of the story has already been written, so I think most of the posts should be delivered in a timely fashion. This is a sequel to Ps & Qs and Better Late Than Never, though this could probably be read as a stand-alone. As you’ll quickly realize, this story is complete crack and unapologetically self-indulgent. I’ve had a lot of fun writing this – probably too much fun. *g*
I’d like to give a big thanks to
lukadreaming for the Brit-check beta.
Although they had only been in the ARC for about an hour, Lester knew it was going to be a long day.
He couldn’t work. He couldn’t even walk around the ARC – not unaccompanied. Confined to Abby’s lab, he was bored, restless and frustrated.
Lester sprang out of his dog bed and performed another circuit of the room. Then he walked over to Abby and stared up at her. Unfortunately, Abby was peering through a microscope and didn’t seem to notice him. He stared some more, but Abby still wouldn’t look up from the microscope. Out of sheer desperation, Lester whined and poked Abby’s leg with his paw.
Abby glanced down at Lester. “Connor was right. We should have picked up some dog toys.”
This time, Lester applied his teeth to Abby’s leg and nipped it.
“Hey!” Abby said. “That was uncalled for!”
So was your remark about the dog toys. Lester skulked back to his bed, ignoring the bone once again and closing his eyes. He was just considering the merits of killing a couple of hours by taking a nap, when he heard the sound of Abby’s stool scraping across the floor.
“All right, you big baby, let’s go,” Abby said. “Maybe if you get some exercise, you’ll burn off that excess energy.”
Lester jumped up and headed straight for the door. Oh, good. A walk. Yes, a walk.
Thankfully, not everything at the ARC was concrete, metal or glass. The grounds of the ARC, limited as they were, had lots of grass and even trees. The grounds had seemed pretty mundane when Lester was human, but as a dog he found them fascinating. On yesterday’s walk, there had been so many different sights and smells. And squirrels. He liked squirrels a lot.
Lester brushed past Abby and sped towards the nearest exit.
“You’re supposed to run outdoors, not indoors!” Abby said, once she’d managed to catch up with Lester.
But squirrels. They’re out there. Lester gazed up at Abby sweetly and wagged his tail.
Abby snorted. “Does looking cute and doggy-eyed get you ahead in Whitehall?” she asked.
Surprisingly, no. Lester started pawing at the door.
“Yeah, okay. Out you go.” Abby shoved open the door, and Lester sprinted across the car park. “Watch for cars!” Abby shouted as she trailed after Lester.
Lester had just reached the grass, when his ears pricked up. He could hear noise off to his left. It sounded like voices. Lester followed the voices and quickly discovered that it was a group of Becker’s men. They were gathered in what roughly resembled a circle and were tossing a frisbee. When Lester was about 15 metres away, the frisbee flew past the person who was supposed to catch it and soared towards him.
Without realizing what he was doing, Lester launched himself into the air and caught the frisbee with his teeth. Not sure what to do next, Lester stood with the frisbee in his mouth, completely dumbfounded. Then Abby was running up to him, laughing.
“Well, give it back,” Abby said.
Oh, right. Lester headed over to the group of soldiers, who were already making their way towards him.
“Great catch.” A corporal, whose name Lester couldn’t remember, took the frisbee from him. “Is this your dog?” he asked Abby.
Abby shook her head. “No, I’m just looking after him…sort of.”
The corporal crouched down to pet Lester’s head. “What’s his name?”
Abby hesitated a moment then said, “It’s Lester.”
The corporal stared at Abby. “You’re kidding.”
Abby sighed. “It’s an in-joke.”
The corporal grinned. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Abby studied the frisbee in the corporal’s hands. “So, is this some kind of training exercise?”
The corporal blushed. “Uh, not exactly.” He glanced over his shoulder almost nervously. “Don’t tell Lester – human Lester, that is.”
Abby smiled and ruffled Lester’s fur. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“Hey, Davies, flirt on your own time,” one of the soldiers said.
Oh, because you’re being paid to throw a frisbee, Lester thought. Nevertheless, he yanked the frisbee from Davies’ hands and delivered it to the other soldier.
The soldier leaned down to pet Lester as he accepted the frisbee. “Good boy! You still want to play, don’t you?”
Well, unless you’ve got a beautiful Irish Setter hidden away somewhere, frisbee is probably the best offer I’m likely to receive. The solider backed up a few metres, raising the frisbee.
Lester twitched in excitement, his tail wagging.
“Fetch!” the soldier cried, throwing the frisbee.
When the alert had sounded, Lester knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. As there had been no new anomalies in over a week, it was only a matter of time before one cropped up somewhere. All the same, the alert had taken him by surprise. He had been so preoccupied with his own dilemma that he’d almost forgotten that anomalies existed.
Jolted from his nap by the blaring alarm, Lester followed Abby as she rushed out the door. Abby didn’t realize Lester was following her until they’d almost reached the garage. When she did notice him, she stopped in her tracks.
“Hey,” Abby said, “since when do you leave the ARC when there’s an anomaly alert?”
Since I lost the ability to work behind a desk, Lester thought, though he knew that wasn’t true. He had gone with Abby because he hadn’t wanted her to leave him. It wasn’t so much that he was afraid to be alone, but that he didn’t want to be separated from her. Lester knew he should be horrified by this knowledge and, yet, somehow, it didn’t seem strange.
Abby was studying Lester with the same intense look she always seemed to have when she was trying to work out what he was thinking, but, then, her expression changed to one of comprehension and it was obvious she understood.
“You stay in the car, okay?” Abby said.
Lester barked once and eagerly led the way to the garage.
“What’s he doing here?” Danny demanded as soon as he saw Lester.
Abby bit her lip. “He wanted to come and…Well, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to leave him here on his own.”
“But it’s a good idea to bring him along while we hunt down dinosaurs?” Danny asked.
“He promised to stay in the car,” Abby said.
Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh, that’s great ’cause it’s not as if a dinosaur has ever thrown a car in the air or stamped on it!”
Abby crossed her arms. “What was I supposed to do, Danny? Lock him in my lab? What if Helen’s twin showed up? Helen has sneaked into the ARC before. I’m sure she could do it again – whether she’s the same person or not.”
Danny sighed. “If he has to come then he sticks with us. We’re not leaving him in the car.” He crouched down in front of Lester and looked directly into his eyes. “And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
Abby snorted. “With his ‘little doggy legs,’ he could outrun any of us – easily.”
“Well, that’s great,” Danny said. “I’m glad to hear it.” He cleared his throat and rose from his haunches. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” Abby asked as she and Lester followed Danny to one of the ARC vehicles.
“Chesham Bois Wood,” Danny said.
Oh, hell, Lester thought. Chesham Bois Wood was only about 20 miles from his house. He definitely wasn’t happy about an anomaly opening that close to Joanna and the kids. He hoped they could close the anomaly before anything could escape from it.
“Lester, are you coming or not?” Danny had turned to glance back at Lester, who hadn’t realized he’d stopped. Knowing that Danny was looking for an excuse to leave him behind, Lester quickly started moving again. He sped past Danny and jumped through the open door of one of the SUVs, landing beside Connor.
“Hi,” Connor said. “I didn’t realize you were coming.”
Lester barked once and stared back at Connor, as if daring him to object.
Connor lifted his hands placatingly. “Hey, I think it’s great. We might need that nose of yours.”
My nose?
Connor nodded as if Lester had spoken aloud. “German shepherds are brilliant trackers. Police use them to sniff out drugs, and search and rescue teams take German shepherds to disaster areas to find people trapped in rubble. Their sense of smell is that good.”
Lester felt his tail wag. Yes, he liked that idea. It would be nice to be useful. All of this inactivity was driving him mad.
Connor beamed when he saw Lester’s tail and gave him a quick pat on the head.
“Hey, shove over,” Abby said as she climbed into the back of the car. Lester moved to the middle seat, watching Connor pull his laptop out of his bag. Connor brought up a website with a map of Chesham Bois Wood, and Lester craned his neck to see the screen.
“We detected the anomaly, here, in Great Bois Wood,” Connor said, pointing to one of the smaller woods that made up Chesham Bois Wood. “Hmm…parking could be a problem. I’m not sure if there’s a car park. We might have to find a lay-by or park at a pub.”
Lester barked twice and placed a paw on the far right side of the screen.
“What are you trying to show me?” Connor asked. “I can’t see. Your paw’s in the way.”
The alphabet blocks were back at the ARC, but Lester had something just as good – assuming his big paw didn’t get in the way. Fortunately, Connor anticipated Lester’s needs and opened up Notepad. It was a challenge typing with the one paw, but Lester managed with a bit of patience and a lot of concentration.
manor rd
Connor’s forehead creased. “What about it? Is there parking there?”
Lester barked once and typed again.
car park at pool
“Cheers,” Connor said. He thumped the back of the driver’s seat. “Danny, we should head to Manor Road. Lester says there’s a car park.”
Danny glanced at Connor and Lester in the rear-view mirror. “That should save us some time.” His eyes shifted to Sarah, who was sitting next to him. “Can you phone Becker and let him know?”
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 02:39 am (UTC)I like the idea of him helping out in the field, too. Having a couple of Shepards myself I can just imagine the big brown irresistible puppy eyes.... *melts*
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 03:07 am (UTC)Thanks,
I like the idea of him helping out in the field, too.
I couldn't resist throwing that in. I'm a sucker for any story in which Lester somehow ends up in the field, so I just had to have it happen in this fic when he's stuck inside a dog. *g*
Having a couple of Shepards myself I can just imagine the big brown irresistible puppy eyes.... *melts*
Oh, awesome! I'm glad I (or Anna Taylor) chose a German shepherd, then! :-) Actually, I wanted a dog that had some wolf-like attributes (as I was inspired by Under the Moonlight (http://knitekat.livejournal.com/3356.html)) and the German shepherd was one of the first (if not the first) breeds to pop into my head. I think I considered a husky at one point, but dismissed the idea because it seemed too wolf-like...or maybe I'm just thinking of Diefenbaker on Due South. *g*
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 07:52 am (UTC)*sporfle*
I love that Lester is getting so doggily enthusiastic about a walk and squirrels.
And the bit with the frisbee where the dog in him is going 'OMG frisbee! Play with me!' while the human part of him is thinking 'shouldn't they be doing something more constructive while they're on duty?' *g*
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 03:30 pm (UTC)I'm glad you noticed the conflict that has started to occur between the human and the dog inside the one brain. I wasn't sure how apparent that was in this installment, so it's great that you picked up on it. :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 09:18 am (UTC)And yay for tracker!Lester *g*.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 03:50 pm (UTC)An adorable chapter, and it looks like there might be some excitement ahead!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 04:51 pm (UTC)I'm happy you like the bit about the squirrel and thrilled that you got a laugh from the Irish setter line because I was hoping that someone would mention that! :-) As dogs always seem to want to stick close to their owners, I figured that Lester wouldn't be able to help sticking close to Abby. *g*
I hope you'll enjoy the next part. I really shouldn't say anything, but there's a chance you could be right about there being some excitement ahead... ;-)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 04:56 pm (UTC)"But squirrels. They’re out there."
Hee!
Awww...protective Danny: “And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
Too cute!
Lester would make an awesome spy! Even if it was just to see what people were saying about him!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 01:13 am (UTC)"But squirrels. They’re out there."
Hee!
Thank you so much! :-) I'm pleasantly surprised by the positive response to the squirrels! I've been too embarrassed to admit this before now, but I got the idea from that talking dog from Up. I haven't actually seen the movie, but I remember that one hilarious scene with him from the trailer when he gets momentarily distracted by a squirrel. And, while I'm confessing, I was also influenced by an episode of Doc Martin in which Ben Miller plays a park ranger who's convinced that he's living with a 6' tall squirrel named Anthony.
Umm...that's probably TMI... *g*
Awww...protective Danny: “And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
I'm happy you like that line! :-) I think poor Danny has been torn between wanting to protect Lester and running in the opposite direction, which is completely understandable considering how warped the situation is! *g*
Too cute!
I've been wondering if this installment has been a little too cute. However, I did say in the A/N that this fic is unapologetically self-indulgent. *g*
Lester would make an awesome spy! Even if it was just to see what people were saying about him!
Omigod! That's so true! He would make an ideal spy! I mean, he's already learned what Becker's men get up to behind his back! Just think what other secrets he could learn! First the ARC then the world! Watch out James Bond! You've got some serious competition! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 01:20 am (UTC)I'm glad you like the idea of Lester wanting to do his bit during the anomaly call-out. I get the feeling that he's the kind of person who likes to keep busy (mentally if not physically), so being trapped in a body and prevented from doing his job has to be driving him crazy.
And the squirrels. :-)
It's great that the squirrels have been popular with everyone. I wasn't sure what the reaction would be. In any case, I'm happy you like them. :-)
I should have said this earlier, but thanks for not only taking the time to read parts 2 to 5 today but for also leaving feedback! That was very kind of you! :-D
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 07:02 pm (UTC)Great stuff, great stuff. Still buckets of fun.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 01:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 10:09 pm (UTC)I love the way Danny's being so protective of him.
And the bit about the Setter cracked me up.
Great work!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 01:34 am (UTC)As I just confessed to
And Lester acting like a dog and thinking like a human while playing with the soldiers was excellent.
The mental image of Lester playing with the soldiers came pretty early on in the fic's incubation process. I just couldn't resist having a scene with him leaping up in the air and catching a frisbee. I'm kind of sick and twisted that way. *g*
I love the way Danny's being so protective of him.
I'm glad that works for you. I know Danny has kind of been all over the place in terms of his emotions, but I can't see him not being messed up over this. In any case, I've been trying to have that protective side of his shine through whenever he gets worried about Lester, or, rather more worried about Lester. *g*
And the bit about the Setter cracked me up.
Oh, good! I was hoping that line would crack someone up! :-) It popped into my head when I was writing the scene and I just had to keep it.
Great work!
Thanks,
no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 10:52 pm (UTC)Loved Lester getting excited over the squirrels and walkies. And the conflict between the dog part and the human part over the soldiers' playing frisbee. LOL over the Red Setter line!
Aww for Danny being protective of him. “And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
Love that Lester is getting to feel useful. It must be so frustrating for him when he's not been able to do anything. Although, meep for the anomaly being 20 miles from his ex and family.
*purrs loudly*
no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 12:52 am (UTC)Thank you very much,
Loved Lester getting excited over the squirrels and walkies. And the conflict between the dog part and the human part over the soldiers' playing frisbee. LOL over the Red Setter line!
I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Lester's excitement over the squirrels and going walkies. I had a lot of fun writing that particular scene. *g* It's nice to know that the conflict between the dog and human is evident during the game of frisbee. And I'm thrilled you got a laugh from the Setter line! I'm rather partial to that line myself!
Aww for Danny being protective of him. “And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
It's great that you like protective!Danny! I've been surprised by the positive response to this Danny moment. I wasn't expecting it -- not that I'm complaining! *g*
Love that Lester is getting to feel useful. It must be so frustrating for him when he's not been able to do anything.
As I said to
Although, meep for the anomaly being 20 miles from his ex and family.
*purrs loudly*
I think you're the first person to comment on how close the anomaly is to Lester's family. That may be significant a little later on in the story... *g*
no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 08:24 am (UTC)Oh, good. A walk. Yes, a walk.
But squirrels. They’re out there.
That reminds me so much of my dog. Albeit my dog prefered to chase crows and pheasants and ignored squirrels and rabbits.
</>“And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
*snickers*
I'm sure Danny will pay for this once Lester is back in his own body.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 11:42 pm (UTC)Thank you,
Oh, good. A walk. Yes, a walk.
But squirrels. They’re out there.
That reminds me so much of my dog. Albeit my dog prefered to chase crows and pheasants and ignored squirrels and rabbits.
Yay! I'm happy to hear that Lester!dog exhibited similar behaviour to your own dog, even if he prefers squirrels over crows and pheasants! *g* I know dogs love going for walks because I've done enough dog-sitting to have seen that firsthand. However, I wasn't as confident when it came to dogs chasing squirrels. I'd heard that a lot of dogs do, but I hadn't seen it for myself. I saw my cat, Marmalade, catch a grackle once, but that's not really the same thing...
BTW Marmie didn't know what to do with the grackle, so he just held on to it. However, the grackle was able to fly away once I pried Marmie's front legs apart. Uh, Marmie was kind of dense. *g*
“And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you.”
*snickers*
I'm sure Danny will pay for this once Lester is back in his own body.
It's great that line gave you a laugh! Yes, Danny may very well have to pay for that line if/when Lester gets back to his own body. *g*
no subject
Date: 2010-06-01 08:32 pm (UTC)Scooby-Doo & co. pile into the Mystery Machine and head off on an adventure -- what fun! (Although I'm sure Doggy!Lester will prove much braver, with or without Scooby snacks.)
Danny = Fred
Abby = Daphne
Connor = Shaggy (very apt!)
Sarah = Velma
no subject
Date: 2010-06-01 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-02 01:57 am (UTC)Thanks for reading this latest part,
no subject
Date: 2010-06-02 01:53 am (UTC)Jenny: So what do we do now?
Lester: Carry on. Daphne and Scrappy will have to take charge of the anomaly operation.
(Connor and Abby look at each other)
Connor: You mean us?
Lester: Unfortunately, yes. God help us.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-02 02:12 pm (UTC)Of course, those Scooby goggles can be dangerous. A few years ago, I saw an ad for a 'stage production' of Scooby Doo at one of the swank refurbished theatres downtown. Not having children, and not realizing Scooby-Doo was still in production and popular with contemporary children, I thought it was aimed at an adult audience. I was expecting something campy & Rocky Horror-ish, with a punk-meets-bubblegum score targetted to Gex-Xers nostalgic for their childhood. So, I bought tickets. But, when we got to the theatre, I was mortified to discover that my husband and I were the only adults there without children. Small children! Pre-schoolers! And EEEK! our neighbour and his 4-year-old son were sitting just a few rows away! It was hideous, like Sharon, Lois & Bram -- or even worse -- Polkaroo! With glow sticks and audience participation! And we were sitting very conspicuously in the front row. Ack! At the intermission, we very quickly and discreetly made our exit.
Moral of the story -- never buy 'theatre' tickets without reading reveiws first!
no subject
Date: 2010-06-02 02:25 pm (UTC)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ne3ibRiQc
*shudder*
no subject
Date: 2010-06-02 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-02 07:42 pm (UTC)