Post by greenie on Apr 25, 2010 19:14:54 GMT 10
Title: On Guard
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1125 words
Summary: Beka and Tunstall have a new Puppy.
Notes: Set four years after Terrier.
Achoo danced around Loretta’s feet. She seemed to somehow know that tonight was different, and that her favourite person (except for when Beka was holding a treat, of course) was coming on watch with them.
Beka, on the other hand, wasn’t so excited at all. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Loretta to be their Puppy; she’d known her since she had been a Puppy herself, and she’d always liked the gixie. It was the look she was getting from her Watch Sergeant that was causing her stomach to twist into knots.
“Muster out!” The Dogs around the room finished their conversations and began to move for the door, adding sniggers as the order was followed up with “And you lot, come here.”
“You’re in for it now,” called one Dog.
“Don’t let my precious baby get hurt,” mimicked another.
“Get your sarden bums out on duty!” bellowed Goodwin, and the Dogs piled out the door.
Beka trudged behind her partner and her new Puppy up to the desk, Achoo at her heels.
“At least look attentive, Cooper,” Goodwin snapped. “I expect you to do much better when you’re out on the streets and protecting my daughter.”
“Mama,” Loretta protested. “I’m sixteen, I can look after myself.” Goodwin and Tunstall both snorted at the same time, and Loretta looked outraged. “Uncle Matty, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“There are no sides,” protested Goodwin.
Tunstall laughed. “If you’d known your mother at your age, you’d understand why she’s so worried now.”
“You,” Goodwin fixed him with a look, “shut your gob.”
“Mama, remember what Da said.”
Goodwin looked surprised. “You didn’t hear that.”
Loretta looked guilty. “Yes, I did. He said I’m a big girl now and you shouldn’t-”
“I should kick your bum between your ears for listening to others’ conversations, we raised you better than that. It must be those other Puppies you were living in the barracks with, they’ve had a bad influence on you and-“
“Clary.”
Goodwin’s eyes flicked to Tunstall’s and narrowed. “What?” she snapped.
“Why’d you put Little with us?”
“Stop calling me that, someone might hear!” Loretta protested.
Tunstall grinned down at her. “But you’re still littler than me,” he pointed out. He ruffled her hair and she rolled her eyes and fixed it as she gave him a light kick on the ankle.
Beka hid a smile; it was impossible to miss how many of Goodwin’s mannerisms had been picked up by her daughter over the years.
Tunstall had noticed it too. “Mama’s girl,” he teased.
“Mama’s girl is with you because you’re the least likely pair to get her killed,” Loretta retorted.
“Although I’m starting to doubt that now,” muttered mother and daughter in unison. They blinked, and then grinned crookedly at each other.
Goodwin narrowed her eyes at Tunstall again. “If she ever comes back with so much as a scratch on her-“
“Then Beka and I had better be carried in wrapped in sheets, I know.”
“Don’t interrupt me.”
“I’ll be fine, Mama. I’ve already had lots of bruises from training.”
“Training’s different.” Goodwin scowled, and her gaze turned on Tunstall again. “And you.”
“What?”
All of a sudden, Goodwin had grabbed him by the front of his tunic and pulled him down so that his face was right in front of hers. “If you lay so much as a finger on my daughter-“
“Don’t be cracknobbed,” he protested. “You know I’d never hurt her.”
“You know full well what I mean.”
“Well I wouldn’t do that either.”
Loretta frowned at Beka. “Are they talking about canoodling?” she whispered. “Because Uncle Matty’s nice but he’s old and I wouldn’t want to canoodle with him.”
“Hey, I heard that,” Tunstall protested.
“You shouldn’t want to canoodle with her either,” snapped Goodwin. “And don’t look at me like that, it’s not like you haven’t tumbled partners in the past.”
“What partners?” Loretta asked, wide-eyed.
“Keep your nose out of it,” snapped Goodwin.
“She’s my Puppy, not my partner, and I’m with Sabine now.”
Goodwin snorted, and Loretta sighed.
“Mama, you’re wasting all of my first watch and everyone’s going to laugh because they know you’re being all grumpy and overprotective.”
Goodwin sighed and shook her head. “Never have children,” she advised Beka. “Muster out.”
“This is even more fun than I thought it would be.”
“It shouldn’t be fun,” said Beka, startled. “It’s serious work, and you need to keep your wits about you so you don’t get your head bashed in.”
Loretta shrugged. “Obviously, but apart from that it’s fun.”
“It’s hard work that makes an honest cove hungry,” murmured Tunstall, his eyes on the row of food stalls nearby.
“We’ve barely been on watch an hour,” said Loretta, surprised.
Beka shrugged. “He’s always like this,” she explained. “We’ll wait here,” she told her partner, and Tunstall grinned and strolled off in search of food.
Loretta twirled her baton expertly, and Beka watched in envy. The younger girl had been surrounded by Dogs her entire life, and they had started to teach her baton tricks as soon as she was able to lift it.
“So, how’m I doing?” she asked Beka.
Beka couldn’t help but smile. “As you said, we’ve barely been on watch an hour,” she pointed out. “But you’re doing very well so far. Much better than my first watch as a Puppy.”
Loretta laughed. “I remember hearing about that. Mama came home furious that she not only had a Puppy, but had somehow ended up with the doziest one in the whole litter.” She seemed to realise that what she’d said might have been offensive and hastily added “She started liking you a few weeks after that though. Hey, Beka?”
Beka looked at her. “Yes?”
“Do you think I’m all grown up now?”
“You look every bit a Dog.” Beka smiled at her. “I think we’ll have to break Tunstall of his habit of calling you ‘Little’.”
“Good,” said Loretta, her baton falling still to her side. “Because I’m not little. And if you think I’m grown up, then maybe you won’t mind if I do this.”
All of a sudden, Loretta was right in front of her and warm lips pressed against Beka’s own. Beka’s eyes drifted shut as she relaxed into the kiss, but her mind quickly caught up with her and she pulled away.
“Not on duty,” she managed, and then gasped as she saw her partner standing beside them again, his eyes alight with mischief as he chewed on a mouthful of raisin patty.
“And yet it was me who had to deal with all the warnings,” he complained. He grinned at them both. “I can’t wait to see the look on Clary’s face when she finds out.”
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1125 words
Summary: Beka and Tunstall have a new Puppy.
Notes: Set four years after Terrier.
Achoo danced around Loretta’s feet. She seemed to somehow know that tonight was different, and that her favourite person (except for when Beka was holding a treat, of course) was coming on watch with them.
Beka, on the other hand, wasn’t so excited at all. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Loretta to be their Puppy; she’d known her since she had been a Puppy herself, and she’d always liked the gixie. It was the look she was getting from her Watch Sergeant that was causing her stomach to twist into knots.
“Muster out!” The Dogs around the room finished their conversations and began to move for the door, adding sniggers as the order was followed up with “And you lot, come here.”
“You’re in for it now,” called one Dog.
“Don’t let my precious baby get hurt,” mimicked another.
“Get your sarden bums out on duty!” bellowed Goodwin, and the Dogs piled out the door.
Beka trudged behind her partner and her new Puppy up to the desk, Achoo at her heels.
“At least look attentive, Cooper,” Goodwin snapped. “I expect you to do much better when you’re out on the streets and protecting my daughter.”
“Mama,” Loretta protested. “I’m sixteen, I can look after myself.” Goodwin and Tunstall both snorted at the same time, and Loretta looked outraged. “Uncle Matty, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“There are no sides,” protested Goodwin.
Tunstall laughed. “If you’d known your mother at your age, you’d understand why she’s so worried now.”
“You,” Goodwin fixed him with a look, “shut your gob.”
“Mama, remember what Da said.”
Goodwin looked surprised. “You didn’t hear that.”
Loretta looked guilty. “Yes, I did. He said I’m a big girl now and you shouldn’t-”
“I should kick your bum between your ears for listening to others’ conversations, we raised you better than that. It must be those other Puppies you were living in the barracks with, they’ve had a bad influence on you and-“
“Clary.”
Goodwin’s eyes flicked to Tunstall’s and narrowed. “What?” she snapped.
“Why’d you put Little with us?”
“Stop calling me that, someone might hear!” Loretta protested.
Tunstall grinned down at her. “But you’re still littler than me,” he pointed out. He ruffled her hair and she rolled her eyes and fixed it as she gave him a light kick on the ankle.
Beka hid a smile; it was impossible to miss how many of Goodwin’s mannerisms had been picked up by her daughter over the years.
Tunstall had noticed it too. “Mama’s girl,” he teased.
“Mama’s girl is with you because you’re the least likely pair to get her killed,” Loretta retorted.
“Although I’m starting to doubt that now,” muttered mother and daughter in unison. They blinked, and then grinned crookedly at each other.
Goodwin narrowed her eyes at Tunstall again. “If she ever comes back with so much as a scratch on her-“
“Then Beka and I had better be carried in wrapped in sheets, I know.”
“Don’t interrupt me.”
“I’ll be fine, Mama. I’ve already had lots of bruises from training.”
“Training’s different.” Goodwin scowled, and her gaze turned on Tunstall again. “And you.”
“What?”
All of a sudden, Goodwin had grabbed him by the front of his tunic and pulled him down so that his face was right in front of hers. “If you lay so much as a finger on my daughter-“
“Don’t be cracknobbed,” he protested. “You know I’d never hurt her.”
“You know full well what I mean.”
“Well I wouldn’t do that either.”
Loretta frowned at Beka. “Are they talking about canoodling?” she whispered. “Because Uncle Matty’s nice but he’s old and I wouldn’t want to canoodle with him.”
“Hey, I heard that,” Tunstall protested.
“You shouldn’t want to canoodle with her either,” snapped Goodwin. “And don’t look at me like that, it’s not like you haven’t tumbled partners in the past.”
“What partners?” Loretta asked, wide-eyed.
“Keep your nose out of it,” snapped Goodwin.
“She’s my Puppy, not my partner, and I’m with Sabine now.”
Goodwin snorted, and Loretta sighed.
“Mama, you’re wasting all of my first watch and everyone’s going to laugh because they know you’re being all grumpy and overprotective.”
Goodwin sighed and shook her head. “Never have children,” she advised Beka. “Muster out.”
“This is even more fun than I thought it would be.”
“It shouldn’t be fun,” said Beka, startled. “It’s serious work, and you need to keep your wits about you so you don’t get your head bashed in.”
Loretta shrugged. “Obviously, but apart from that it’s fun.”
“It’s hard work that makes an honest cove hungry,” murmured Tunstall, his eyes on the row of food stalls nearby.
“We’ve barely been on watch an hour,” said Loretta, surprised.
Beka shrugged. “He’s always like this,” she explained. “We’ll wait here,” she told her partner, and Tunstall grinned and strolled off in search of food.
Loretta twirled her baton expertly, and Beka watched in envy. The younger girl had been surrounded by Dogs her entire life, and they had started to teach her baton tricks as soon as she was able to lift it.
“So, how’m I doing?” she asked Beka.
Beka couldn’t help but smile. “As you said, we’ve barely been on watch an hour,” she pointed out. “But you’re doing very well so far. Much better than my first watch as a Puppy.”
Loretta laughed. “I remember hearing about that. Mama came home furious that she not only had a Puppy, but had somehow ended up with the doziest one in the whole litter.” She seemed to realise that what she’d said might have been offensive and hastily added “She started liking you a few weeks after that though. Hey, Beka?”
Beka looked at her. “Yes?”
“Do you think I’m all grown up now?”
“You look every bit a Dog.” Beka smiled at her. “I think we’ll have to break Tunstall of his habit of calling you ‘Little’.”
“Good,” said Loretta, her baton falling still to her side. “Because I’m not little. And if you think I’m grown up, then maybe you won’t mind if I do this.”
All of a sudden, Loretta was right in front of her and warm lips pressed against Beka’s own. Beka’s eyes drifted shut as she relaxed into the kiss, but her mind quickly caught up with her and she pulled away.
“Not on duty,” she managed, and then gasped as she saw her partner standing beside them again, his eyes alight with mischief as he chewed on a mouthful of raisin patty.
“And yet it was me who had to deal with all the warnings,” he complained. He grinned at them both. “I can’t wait to see the look on Clary’s face when she finds out.”