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Fic: Day of the Dog
Title: Day of the Dog
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Wyatt, Jeb, Toto (mention of Adora)
Rating: G
Summary: Wyatt Cain and Toto spend a Saturday together
Warning: HARD AU, post-series *Written for A Day in the Life at allthingsfandom ; same verse as THIS post
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
4:37 am
Wyatt Cain was a natural waker-upper. He didn't need an alarm clock. His system just woke up. Well, some mornings, his wake-up call had come in the form of a kiss from his late wife. Those early-morning annoyances were welcome. But, since his houseguest had arrived, Wyatt found that he was waking up far earlier than ever before. And the feeling of a wet nose against his cheek, followed by a low whine, was not a wakeup call he enjoyed.
"I know people in the Crime Scene Unit," he growled, pushing the puppy away. "I could make you disappear and no one would find you." The beagle puppy - his new partner - dropped down onto the comforter and stared Wyatt down, adding a huff for dramatic effect.
It wasn't his fault he had a tiny bladder. This fella was just lucky he had control of said bladder.
After another minute, the puppy scooted himself within range of Wyatt's hand and licked his fingers before letting out another whine. Wyatt groaned. "'dor," he said to the ceiling, "give me the strength to not drop a house on this thing." Taking a slow breath, Wyatt opened his eyes and looked at the puppy, who was giving his best look of pathetic helplessness, then pushed the blanket back.
"It better not be cold out there," he warned the dog. Pointing toward the door, Wyatt commanded the dog to go. "To Oz." As the beagle pup launched himself off the bed and into the hallway, Wyatt had to wonder what whomever named the dog had been thinking.
Toto was not a name for a beagle.
5:24 am
Wyatt was in the kitchen, sipping at his coffee as his eyes grazed over the newspaper on the counter. The article wasn't anything memorable, but if someone had taken the time to write it, it deserved to be read. That was something his wife had always told him; even if there was absolutely nothing valuable to be learned from it, it had helped someone earn a paycheck, so she would give them five minutes.
Just off to his side, down on the floor, Toto the beagle was making a mess of his breakfast. Hearing the sharp scraping of the food bowl against the floor, Wyatt made a face and glanced sideways. The dog's zealous appetite had shifted the bowl a good foot and a half from where he had set it down, and there was a trail of kibble marking its path.
"Y'know, the last time that kind of mess was on the floor," he grumbled, "my son was learning how to use a spoon." The puppy stopped eating for a moment and stared at him, then dropped his head and started on the kibble outside the bowl.
Wyatt's eyebrow rose slightly, wondering if the dog had actually understood him.
7:21-7:56 am
Wyatt was pushing the lawnmower across the side yard, the puppy trailing behind him. Getting the dog to stay in the house hadn't worked, because he wouldn't stop barking and scratching at the door to the garage. To save the door, Wyatt let the dog into the garage, and nearly had a heart attack when Toto bolted for a jogger with a small Schnauzer.
After turning beet red, realizing that the look the young woman was giving him wasn't because he was yelling for after the beagle, but because he had just yelled: 'Toto! Come back!' Wyatt gave the dog an icy glare.
"Get in there," he'd spat through gritted teeth. The dog tore back into the garage and promptly settled himself under the truck, behind one of the tires. Wyatt stretched his neck to each side and took a deep breath before returning to his task of filling the lawnmower with gas.
Wyatt stopped the lawnmower on the small walkway leading to the front door and put his hands on his hips. "You gonna freak out when I start this up?" The puppy cocked his head to one side and then barked once. When Wyatt leaned down to pick him up, the puppy took it as time to play and gave him a growl.
Wyatt's eyebrow shot up and the puppy let out a smaller bark, but stopped moving. Wyatt's hands closed around Toto's belly and he hauled the dog over to the porch. "Sit here," he ordered, setting the dog down. Taking a step back, Toto moved forward, but Wyatt's eyebrow made him stop. "Stay. There." There was a short challenge session between them, with Toto taking a step forward, then back; sitting, then rising to all fours.
"I will put you back inside," Wyatt warned, then stepped back to the lawnmower. A few moments later, the lawnmower roared to life and Toto bolted for the porch swing, hiding behind the large decorative pot in the corner. Wyatt didn't even try to hide the smirk as he started a pattern across the yard.
9:13 am
"All right, runt," Wyatt said, staring down at the puppy sitting at his feet, and harness in hand. "Now, you get to go learn how to behave." Once the yard had been finished and Wyatt had showered, it was time for Toto's scheduled obedience class. Usually, the police dogs went through training together, but as Wyatt had been on an assignment during the original class, they'd been rescheduled into the public class.
All else, maybe dealing with the other dogs would help Toto to learn not to go running after other dogs. Wyatt wasn't holding out much hope for the puppy's success in being a police dog, but he didn't have much choice. The chief wanted the two of them partnered together, and Wyatt knew that wherever she was, his wife was probably laughing.
Actually, he was fairly certain she had put the chief up to this one, as some sort of parting gift to him.
Toto looked at him expectantly and stood, then sat again. He was ready for the harness, because the harness meant he got to go outside. He should have been wearing it, earlier, because he needed to get used to having it on. But, if Wyatt wouldn't tell, neither would he.
As Wyatt fiddled with the buckle, Toto gave his hand a lick and stood up too soon. "Sit," Wyatt ordered. Toto obeyed, and licked Wyatt's hand again. "What is it with you and the licking?" he asked, then dropped his head and laughed. He had asked the same thing of his wife, one time, back when they were still dating.
That had been the night he had decided to propose.
"All right," he commented, pulling himself up with the counter's help, "time to go." Clipping his badge to his belt, Wyatt next pulled the shoulder-holster on and secured his firearm. Lastly, he grabbed the keys to his truck and Toto's leash. "We'll leave this off until we get there. But, soon as we do, it goes on. Deal?"
Aside from that morning's instance, Toto had been pretty good about staying within the confines of the house and porch, so Wyatt didn't bother with the leash. But, since they were going to be out in public, the puppy would have to deal with the leash. And Wyatt would have to deal with untangling himself at least twice.
The truck was high enough that Toto wouldn't be able to get into the vehicle himself, probably ever. In fact, he wasn't even able to get into a squad car without help. Once they were in the garage, Wyatt picked the dog up with one hand and leaned into the cab. There was a blanket on the seat, but Toto was more interested in exploring every inch of the cab, as if he'd never been in there before.
Wyatt shook his head and climbed in. "Sit still or you're getting buckled in," he warned. As soon as the truck rumbled to life, Toto froze, staring at the dashboard as if it was going to move. When the radio finally kicked on, the beagle barked loudly - for him - and then sat down on his hind legs. "Keep it up and you're riding in the back," Wyatt threatened.
With a look over his shoulder, Wyatt backed the truck out of the garage and pulled onto the side street. With another look to his passenger, Wyatt shook his head and headed for the training facility.
1:45 pm
The training class had been a disaster, though no fault of Toto's. One of the larger dogs, for whatever reason, just didn't want to play nicely with anyone and attacked the three smallest dogs, as well as one of the instructors.
That one most definitely didn't pass.
Following an extended visit with the veterinary paramedic on duty, Toto was allowed to leave with an incomplete. His instructor was, however, quite impressed with the beagle's resilience and courage under attack.
Had he understood what that meant, Toto would probably be quite proud of himself.
As a reward for surviving the attack, Wyatt decided to take the long way home and treat his new partner to lunch. There was a hot dog stand on the north side of town that was pet-friendly, and Wyatt decided that since neither of them were on a diet, it was worth the extra gas.
He may not want to be dealing with the dog, but he was finding that having someone else around the house was a nice change.
Toto's celebratory hot dog was nearly as big as he was, and the puppy only managed to eat about half of it. Wyatt, however, had powered through two human-sized hot dogs and was contemplating a third.
The sound of a cellphone drew the puppy's attention and he growled slightly as Wyatt reached for his phone. "Hey, kid," he answered, seeing Jeb's name on the display. "No, just a late lunch." As he listened to Jeb's offer to bring dinner over, in exchange for having a larger television set to watch the football game on, Wyatt waved a finger at Toto, teasing the dog.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun. But not that crap pizza you picked, last time." At his son's reply, Wyatt looked up and made a face. "Crap," he repeated slowly, popping the 'p'. "Yeah. Yeah, that place isn't bad." Raising his arm, Wyatt glanced at his watch and nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. Yep. See ya then." Placing the phone on the table again, Wyatt leaned toward the dog and made a face.
"Are you done?" Toto sat up straight and barked twice, then dropped his head to gnaw at the edge of the harness, which was digging into his leg. "Let's get you in the car and we'll take that off, okay?" Toto rose to all fours and wagged his tail, excitedly. "That thing is gonna weigh a ton when you earn that badge, y'know," Wyatt nodded. "Stay," he warned, collecting the remainder of their meals and moving toward the trashcan a few tables away.
Toto stayed put, watching every move Wyatt made with interest. Once Wyatt had disposed of the containers, he looked at the dog and put his hands on his hips. "Okay," he said, making the dog wait a whole minute, "let's go." Nodding his head toward the truck, Wyatt turned and Toto jumped off the bench and trotted toward him.
6:02 pm
Jeb pushed the front door open and glanced around the house, but aside from the noise of the television coming from the den, the house was silent. He closed the front door and shifted the bag of laundry in his hand as he moved further into the house.
The television was on when he reached the entry to the den, and stepping further into the room, Jeb spotted Wyatt stretched out on the couch, eyes closed and Toto curled up on his chest. Jeb fought back a laugh and Toto's head shot up.
"Hi, there," Jeb whispered, taking care to move slowly. He'd heard there was a dog in the family, now, but hadn't yet met future officer. Jeb held his hand out, and gave the beagle the lead. Toto sniffed Jeb's hand and, deciding he was friendly enough, gave the underside of Jeb's hand a lick, then stood up and hopped down from his perch atop Wyatt.
When Toto came around the edge of the couch, Jeb knelt down and smiled as the puppy gave him a proper exam. "So, are you any good with laundry?" he whispered before straightening. Stepping out of the den, Jeb wondered if his father had bought any dog treats.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Wyatt, Jeb, Toto (mention of Adora)
Rating: G
Summary: Wyatt Cain and Toto spend a Saturday together
Warning: HARD AU, post-series *Written for A Day in the Life at allthingsfandom ; same verse as THIS post
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
4:37 am
Wyatt Cain was a natural waker-upper. He didn't need an alarm clock. His system just woke up. Well, some mornings, his wake-up call had come in the form of a kiss from his late wife. Those early-morning annoyances were welcome. But, since his houseguest had arrived, Wyatt found that he was waking up far earlier than ever before. And the feeling of a wet nose against his cheek, followed by a low whine, was not a wakeup call he enjoyed.
"I know people in the Crime Scene Unit," he growled, pushing the puppy away. "I could make you disappear and no one would find you." The beagle puppy - his new partner - dropped down onto the comforter and stared Wyatt down, adding a huff for dramatic effect.
It wasn't his fault he had a tiny bladder. This fella was just lucky he had control of said bladder.
After another minute, the puppy scooted himself within range of Wyatt's hand and licked his fingers before letting out another whine. Wyatt groaned. "'dor," he said to the ceiling, "give me the strength to not drop a house on this thing." Taking a slow breath, Wyatt opened his eyes and looked at the puppy, who was giving his best look of pathetic helplessness, then pushed the blanket back.
"It better not be cold out there," he warned the dog. Pointing toward the door, Wyatt commanded the dog to go. "To Oz." As the beagle pup launched himself off the bed and into the hallway, Wyatt had to wonder what whomever named the dog had been thinking.
Toto was not a name for a beagle.
5:24 am
Wyatt was in the kitchen, sipping at his coffee as his eyes grazed over the newspaper on the counter. The article wasn't anything memorable, but if someone had taken the time to write it, it deserved to be read. That was something his wife had always told him; even if there was absolutely nothing valuable to be learned from it, it had helped someone earn a paycheck, so she would give them five minutes.
Just off to his side, down on the floor, Toto the beagle was making a mess of his breakfast. Hearing the sharp scraping of the food bowl against the floor, Wyatt made a face and glanced sideways. The dog's zealous appetite had shifted the bowl a good foot and a half from where he had set it down, and there was a trail of kibble marking its path.
"Y'know, the last time that kind of mess was on the floor," he grumbled, "my son was learning how to use a spoon." The puppy stopped eating for a moment and stared at him, then dropped his head and started on the kibble outside the bowl.
Wyatt's eyebrow rose slightly, wondering if the dog had actually understood him.
7:21-7:56 am
Wyatt was pushing the lawnmower across the side yard, the puppy trailing behind him. Getting the dog to stay in the house hadn't worked, because he wouldn't stop barking and scratching at the door to the garage. To save the door, Wyatt let the dog into the garage, and nearly had a heart attack when Toto bolted for a jogger with a small Schnauzer.
After turning beet red, realizing that the look the young woman was giving him wasn't because he was yelling for after the beagle, but because he had just yelled: 'Toto! Come back!' Wyatt gave the dog an icy glare.
"Get in there," he'd spat through gritted teeth. The dog tore back into the garage and promptly settled himself under the truck, behind one of the tires. Wyatt stretched his neck to each side and took a deep breath before returning to his task of filling the lawnmower with gas.
Wyatt stopped the lawnmower on the small walkway leading to the front door and put his hands on his hips. "You gonna freak out when I start this up?" The puppy cocked his head to one side and then barked once. When Wyatt leaned down to pick him up, the puppy took it as time to play and gave him a growl.
Wyatt's eyebrow shot up and the puppy let out a smaller bark, but stopped moving. Wyatt's hands closed around Toto's belly and he hauled the dog over to the porch. "Sit here," he ordered, setting the dog down. Taking a step back, Toto moved forward, but Wyatt's eyebrow made him stop. "Stay. There." There was a short challenge session between them, with Toto taking a step forward, then back; sitting, then rising to all fours.
"I will put you back inside," Wyatt warned, then stepped back to the lawnmower. A few moments later, the lawnmower roared to life and Toto bolted for the porch swing, hiding behind the large decorative pot in the corner. Wyatt didn't even try to hide the smirk as he started a pattern across the yard.
9:13 am
"All right, runt," Wyatt said, staring down at the puppy sitting at his feet, and harness in hand. "Now, you get to go learn how to behave." Once the yard had been finished and Wyatt had showered, it was time for Toto's scheduled obedience class. Usually, the police dogs went through training together, but as Wyatt had been on an assignment during the original class, they'd been rescheduled into the public class.
All else, maybe dealing with the other dogs would help Toto to learn not to go running after other dogs. Wyatt wasn't holding out much hope for the puppy's success in being a police dog, but he didn't have much choice. The chief wanted the two of them partnered together, and Wyatt knew that wherever she was, his wife was probably laughing.
Actually, he was fairly certain she had put the chief up to this one, as some sort of parting gift to him.
Toto looked at him expectantly and stood, then sat again. He was ready for the harness, because the harness meant he got to go outside. He should have been wearing it, earlier, because he needed to get used to having it on. But, if Wyatt wouldn't tell, neither would he.
As Wyatt fiddled with the buckle, Toto gave his hand a lick and stood up too soon. "Sit," Wyatt ordered. Toto obeyed, and licked Wyatt's hand again. "What is it with you and the licking?" he asked, then dropped his head and laughed. He had asked the same thing of his wife, one time, back when they were still dating.
That had been the night he had decided to propose.
"All right," he commented, pulling himself up with the counter's help, "time to go." Clipping his badge to his belt, Wyatt next pulled the shoulder-holster on and secured his firearm. Lastly, he grabbed the keys to his truck and Toto's leash. "We'll leave this off until we get there. But, soon as we do, it goes on. Deal?"
Aside from that morning's instance, Toto had been pretty good about staying within the confines of the house and porch, so Wyatt didn't bother with the leash. But, since they were going to be out in public, the puppy would have to deal with the leash. And Wyatt would have to deal with untangling himself at least twice.
The truck was high enough that Toto wouldn't be able to get into the vehicle himself, probably ever. In fact, he wasn't even able to get into a squad car without help. Once they were in the garage, Wyatt picked the dog up with one hand and leaned into the cab. There was a blanket on the seat, but Toto was more interested in exploring every inch of the cab, as if he'd never been in there before.
Wyatt shook his head and climbed in. "Sit still or you're getting buckled in," he warned. As soon as the truck rumbled to life, Toto froze, staring at the dashboard as if it was going to move. When the radio finally kicked on, the beagle barked loudly - for him - and then sat down on his hind legs. "Keep it up and you're riding in the back," Wyatt threatened.
With a look over his shoulder, Wyatt backed the truck out of the garage and pulled onto the side street. With another look to his passenger, Wyatt shook his head and headed for the training facility.
1:45 pm
The training class had been a disaster, though no fault of Toto's. One of the larger dogs, for whatever reason, just didn't want to play nicely with anyone and attacked the three smallest dogs, as well as one of the instructors.
That one most definitely didn't pass.
Following an extended visit with the veterinary paramedic on duty, Toto was allowed to leave with an incomplete. His instructor was, however, quite impressed with the beagle's resilience and courage under attack.
Had he understood what that meant, Toto would probably be quite proud of himself.
As a reward for surviving the attack, Wyatt decided to take the long way home and treat his new partner to lunch. There was a hot dog stand on the north side of town that was pet-friendly, and Wyatt decided that since neither of them were on a diet, it was worth the extra gas.
He may not want to be dealing with the dog, but he was finding that having someone else around the house was a nice change.
Toto's celebratory hot dog was nearly as big as he was, and the puppy only managed to eat about half of it. Wyatt, however, had powered through two human-sized hot dogs and was contemplating a third.
The sound of a cellphone drew the puppy's attention and he growled slightly as Wyatt reached for his phone. "Hey, kid," he answered, seeing Jeb's name on the display. "No, just a late lunch." As he listened to Jeb's offer to bring dinner over, in exchange for having a larger television set to watch the football game on, Wyatt waved a finger at Toto, teasing the dog.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun. But not that crap pizza you picked, last time." At his son's reply, Wyatt looked up and made a face. "Crap," he repeated slowly, popping the 'p'. "Yeah. Yeah, that place isn't bad." Raising his arm, Wyatt glanced at his watch and nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. Yep. See ya then." Placing the phone on the table again, Wyatt leaned toward the dog and made a face.
"Are you done?" Toto sat up straight and barked twice, then dropped his head to gnaw at the edge of the harness, which was digging into his leg. "Let's get you in the car and we'll take that off, okay?" Toto rose to all fours and wagged his tail, excitedly. "That thing is gonna weigh a ton when you earn that badge, y'know," Wyatt nodded. "Stay," he warned, collecting the remainder of their meals and moving toward the trashcan a few tables away.
Toto stayed put, watching every move Wyatt made with interest. Once Wyatt had disposed of the containers, he looked at the dog and put his hands on his hips. "Okay," he said, making the dog wait a whole minute, "let's go." Nodding his head toward the truck, Wyatt turned and Toto jumped off the bench and trotted toward him.
6:02 pm
Jeb pushed the front door open and glanced around the house, but aside from the noise of the television coming from the den, the house was silent. He closed the front door and shifted the bag of laundry in his hand as he moved further into the house.
The television was on when he reached the entry to the den, and stepping further into the room, Jeb spotted Wyatt stretched out on the couch, eyes closed and Toto curled up on his chest. Jeb fought back a laugh and Toto's head shot up.
"Hi, there," Jeb whispered, taking care to move slowly. He'd heard there was a dog in the family, now, but hadn't yet met future officer. Jeb held his hand out, and gave the beagle the lead. Toto sniffed Jeb's hand and, deciding he was friendly enough, gave the underside of Jeb's hand a lick, then stood up and hopped down from his perch atop Wyatt.
When Toto came around the edge of the couch, Jeb knelt down and smiled as the puppy gave him a proper exam. "So, are you any good with laundry?" he whispered before straightening. Stepping out of the den, Jeb wondered if his father had bought any dog treats.