Disclaimer: I don't own GSR, CSI, Bruno, etc.
Rated: T
A/N: This is an idea I had and started a year and a half ago and finally got around to working on it some more. This idea came to mind weeks after my dog Scooter had suddenly passed away. While watching a CSI episode with Bruno("Hank") in it, I thought how much fun it'd be if the boxer had a canine friend to get into mischief with and this story came to mind. This story follows no time line. Lindsay will always be a little girl to me and Warrick is alive and well. As like all my other stories, this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. The past will be in italics for the first chapter, then return to normal type when it gets to the present. Hope you enjoy it.
Summary: Brunofic. The gang gets together to celebrate Scooter's 16th birthday and reminisce over Bruno and Scooter's past adventures.
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PARTNERS IN CRIME
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Chapter One-Prologue
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Four Years Earlier….
Moving day had finally arrived.
Grissom and Sara had been dating for six months and decided it was time to take the next step and move in together. It was also a big day for Bruno for he was not only gaining another human companion, but a canine companion as well. Sara was bringing along her dog Scooter, a twelve year old golden retriever/black lab mix.
When Sara first moved to Vegas five years earlier, the only person she knew was Grissom. She felt she could use a furry friend to keep her company while she adjusted to her new surroundings and got to know the team, so she went on down to the local shelter on her day off.
One by one Sara would read the charts on the kennel gates and then kneel down to greet the dog. On the chart it had the dog's name, breed, gender, age, color, length of time they've been at the shelter, and a brief summary of how they came there. Sara didn't want too small of a dog, like a Chihuahua or dachshund, but also didn't want a huge dog like a Great Dane or St. Bernard either.
Halfway down the kennel Sara came to a chart that read Scooter, golden ret./blk lab., MN, 7, brindle, 1 year-Scooter came to the shelter after his elderly owner was forced to give him up due to medical problems which facilitated the need for her to move into a nursing home where pets were not allowed.
Sara squatted down to greet the dog, "hey boy, how ya doin?" Scooter sniffed at Sara's outstretched hand through the chain link gate, then began to pant happily while wagging his tail.
Scooter was medium sized like a lab but had the body structure of a golden retriever. His fur was mostly black with golden hairs mixed in around his head, shoulders, and legs. "Well aren't you a handsome boy….and so sweet too. How come no one's taken you home yet?" She asked the dog as she scratched behind his ear the best she could through the chain link.
"Have you seen his age?" asked the shelter worker who had obviously overheard Sara.
"Yeah, so what?" replied Sara.
"Well most people who come here are looking for a puppy or a young dog four to five years tops. They see six and older and they think their best years are behind them and they're just gonna slow down.", Sara looked into the dog's happy brown eyes as the worker spoke, "you know two months after Scooter first came here I overheard a man say to his wife "six? Too old, he'll probably die in a few years""
"You're kidding me." Sara commented shocked.
"I wish I was" the woman answered, "I wanted to bite the man's head off for his remark but I held my tongue. Instead I politely pointed out to the man that dogs and cats can live well into their teens if cared for properly and given lots of love. The couple left without choosing a dog and I'm glad. Didn't want to send one home with them anyways." Scooter leaned against the gate and sighed, clearly enjoying the attention he was getting from this stranger. "Unfortunately many dogs Scooter's age spend the rest of their life in the system. It can be very hard to place an older dog in a home."
Sara knew what it was like to live in the system, wondering if you would ever get a permanent loving home while younger kids got adopted, bouncing from foster home to foster home. Well she wasn't about to let that happen to Scooter. He was a sweet dog who deserved a good home. She didn't care how old he was. As far as she was concerned he was probably better then a puppy cause he was already housebroken and she really didn't have the time to spend teaching a puppy to go potty outside, not inside the home.
"Well you can subtract one dog from that list cause I'll take him." stated Sara.
"Really? Great!! Just follow me and we'll fill out the adoption form" answered the woman excitedly. She then turned and lead Sara back up front to fill out the necessary forms. Five years later Sara didn't have one regret in her choice to adopt the older dog. Scooter was as happy as ever and still had plenty of energy, minus a step or two here and there. A little grey now shown around his eyes and muzzle but you'd never know he was as old as he was unless someone told you, and now he was about to gain another master and a "little brother" in two year old Bruno-Grissom's boxer.
"I hope Bruno doesn't mind Scooter moving into his home." worried Grissom as Sara and Scooter entered the house. Scooter and Bruno had met several times in the park and got along great, but had never visited each other's home. Grissom was excited to have Sara and Scooter move into the house with him and Bruno, but at the same time he was a little nervous that Bruno would become protective of his turf and turn on the other dog.
Bruno trotted up to greet his new housemate as Grissom held his breath, waiting to see how his dog would react. Within seconds Bruno bowed to the ground in front of Scooter and wagged his tail. Scooter responded with a bow of his own and in a blink of an eye the duo was off and running around the room.
"HEY HEY HEY BOYS!! TAKE IT OUTSIDE HUH?!!" hollered Grissom. He walked to the back door, open it, whistled to Bruno, and a moment later two blurs went zipping past him into the fenced backyard almost knocking him over in the process. Sara giggled as Grissom stumbled and regained his composure.
"You sure he's twelve?" asked Grissom as he stepped onto the deck and watched Scooter chase the younger dog, occasionally pausing to playfully bat at each other. "Well you know what they say, you're only as old as you feel" Sara answered giggling as she joined Grissom on the deck and wrapped her left arm around his waist, leaning into his side. Together they watched the two dogs continue to play for another ten minutes or so before calling them in for supper. That evening Sara and Grissom both had the night off and relaxed together on the couch watching t.v., while the dogs laid on their beds and munched on some treats.
"I think its time to get ready for bed" Sara announced as their program ended.
"OK" yawned Grissom as Sara headed upstairs to the bathroom to wash up. When she came back down Grissom had fallen asleep on the couch and the dogs were nowhere to be seen. Sara gently shook Grissom's shoulder, "Come on Gil, lets head to bed. Where'd the boys go?"
"I don't know" he yawned as he got up, "they were here a moment ago."
"BRUNO!! SCOOTER!!" they called as they headed up the stairs. "Maybe they somehow got out? Maybe I should check the backyard" Grissom suggested. Sara suddenly paused in the doorway to their bedroom. "Found them" she announced a moment later. Sound asleep on the bed, laying back to back with their heads on the pillows, were Bruno and Scooter. "Well, you did say it was time for bed" chuckled Grissom as he walked over to the bed.
"Alright boys, off the bed. You've got your own beds to sleep on." Reluctantly the dogs got off the bed and headed back down the stairs, each giving a grumble on their way. "Yup, I think they'll get along just fine living together" Sara giggled as she watched the dogs sulk off.
Present Day…
"WOOF!!"
"AHH!!"
*THUD*
"Damn it"
"You ok Gil?" Sara asked peering over the edge of the bed. "Yeah I'm fine" Grissom replied rubbing his thigh as he stood up, "just got startled by the "alarm clock" here and fell out of bed." Sara covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh but failing miserably. "Yeah laugh it up chuckles. You wouldn't be laughing if you landed on the hard floor" he said with a smirk.
"Well maybe you need to hang onto me tighter so you don't drift to the edge of the bed again" Sara smiled slyly at him.
"Well maybe YOU should hold onto ME tightly to keep me from drifting away from you." he replied winking his eyebrows as he placed his hands on the bed and leaned towards Sara.
"WOOF!!"
Grissom and Sara froze just as their lips were about to touch. "I think someone is getting impatient" Sara giggled. "Coming master" Grissom sighed as he turned around to face the six yr. old boxer now standing in the doorway, panting happily. Grissom followed Bruno out of the bedroom as Sara got up and headed for the shower.
"Morning Scoot" Grissom called down to the sixteen yr. old lab mix waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Over the past year stairs had become too difficult for the older dog to manage so he would wait patiently at the base of the stairs while Bruno went up to get their "parents".
"Happy Birthday old man" Grissom smiled, ruffling the fur on top of Scooter's head as he passed him and headed for the kitchen.
According to Scooter's records it said he was born in September but they didn't know what day, only the year, so Sara made the last day of the month his birthday. In celebration of Scooter's sixteenth birthday(hey, it wasn't every day that a dog got to see sixteen) Sara wanted to throw him a sweet sixteen party and invite the gang over. Luckily the whole team had the following night off so they didn't have to worry about anyone having to rush off to work. Somehow the big wigs thought giving each shift the day off once a month, and having the other two shifts split the time, would help save money. The team wasn't really sure if the idea made sense and would really save any money but they weren't about to argue.
"Here ya go boys" Grissom said as he placed the dogs' dinners in their raised stands. "Chew Bruno chew. Taste the flavor" he tried to order the boxer as he inhaled his food. He swore that dog didn't know how to chew, only swallow. Scooter glanced at his friend as he slowly ate his food.
"SARA DINNER'S READY!! COME AND EAT, WE NEED TO GET TO WORK!!" Grissom hollered awhile later.
Twenty minutes later Grissom and Sara left for work after letting the dogs out into the backyard. Their next door neighbor would let them back in later when he got home from work at midnight(he worked twelve hour days, four days a week). Sara hated to leave the dogs out during the night but at Scooter's age he couldn't hold it in all night and the couple would often come home to a small pond on the hardwood floor. Luckily the dogs were pretty quiet so they didn't disturb any sleeping neighbors. One of their neighbors happened to be a carpenter and built a custom made dog house big enough for both dogs at the same time, since they liked to nap together, to protect them in rainy weather. He even put hinges on the roof to allow it to open so they could help Scooter up, if he was struggling to stand, so they didn't have to reach in and drag him out and risk hurting him in the process. They very rarely had to do this since Bruno often helped his old friend up by bracing him with his own body till Scooter was up and steady on his feet.
"Are we ready to par-tay?!!" yelled Greg excitedly as Grissom and Sara walked into the break room. "Easy big guy, its just a party for a dog, not a neighborhood block party where you can meet some girls" chuckled Nick. "Hey, free food is free food" Greg pointed out. The gang had been having fun joking about having a party for a dog but in reality they thought it was a great idea. They considered the dogs just as much a part of their family as each other.
"Don't forget guys, party starts at three" reminded Sara.
"OK assignments" announced Grissom. It was a pretty easy night and every had simple B&E, robbery, trick roll type of cases ensuring they would get out on time and be able to catch some sleep before the party. "See you tomorrow afternoon guys, have a good night. I've got my cell if you need me" finished Grissom as everyone headed out on their cases.
Next afternoon….
*Ding Dong*
"Hi Aunt Sara, Hi Bruno" exclaimed Lindsay as Sara opened the door to welcome Catherine and her daughter. "Hey Linds, Hey Cath. Everyone is in the backyard waiting." Greeted Sara, "Hey Bruno, why don't you go wake up the birthday boy" Sara asked, looking down at the boxer standing beside her.
*Woof* he replied, as if to say "ok" and ran to the living room. *Woof* Bruno barked at the edge of Scooter's bed as Sara, Cath, and Lindsay walked past heading for the backyard.
Scooter didn't move.
"Is Scooter ok Aunt Sara?" asked Lindsay nervously when the dog didn't stir. "Yeah honey he's fine, he just has trouble hearing. See…you can see his chest moving." Lindsay nodded as she noticed the dog's chest rise and fall.
*WOOF* Bruno barked even louder, startling Scooter from his sleep and causing him to partially slide of his bed. Sara patted her thigh and called the dogs.
"Come on boys, lets go outside."
To Scooter it sounded like Sara was calling from outside, rather then the same room. As he attempted to get up his front legs, which had ended up on the hardwood floor along with the front half of his body, proceeded to slip and cause him to fall back down. He tried a few times to get up but each time his front legs would slip out from under him and he couldn't get any traction. "You need help sweetie?" Sara asked as she moved towards her dog.
Before she had taken two steps, Bruno had already arrived at Scooter's side and laid down beside him. He braced his shoulder against Scooter's side and pushed upwards as his friend made his next attempt to stand. He waited until he was sure Scooter was steady on his feet before stepping away. "Wow" Catherine admired, it amazed her how animals could show that kind of compassion.
Together the group headed outside onto the deck. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOOTER!!" everyone shouted happily as the group stepped outside. Scooter stood and looked at the group confused. He didn't know what the fuss was all about but everyone was smiling at him so it must've been something good and he loved the attention. He slowly walked to each person and got a scratch behind the ears, or a pat on the head. Bruno followed right behind him, anxious for some attention too.
On the table was a cake with two candles forming sixteen and a picture of Scooter's smiling face. Sara had bought the cake at a bakery that used ingredients safe for dogs so both humans and canines could enjoy it. She cut the cake and passed out the slices, placing Scooter's plate on an empty chair so he didn't have to bend down too far.
Two Hours Later….
Greg and Lindsay played Frisbee with Bruno in the yard while Scooter relaxed under a tree watching the trio. The rest of the gang sat around the patio table relaxing and chatting. "Hey guys, look what I found" Sara announced as she came out of the house. It was an album full of pictures of just the dogs and their adventures over the years.
"Oh I remember that day" Nick stated as he pointed to a picture. In the photo were the two dogs smiling, wearing bowtie collars, and covered in cake….wedding cake to be precise.
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TBC….
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A/N: Well I hoped you liked the first chapter. Just a little history on how they came together. I got my Scooter from my college(He was part of the Animal Care/Vet Tech programs) when he was 6 yrs. old and he had plenty of energy left in him. In fact he didn't really start to slow down till he was 14. The body may have slowed but his mind stayed young. Also the bit about Grissom worrying about Bruno reaction to a dog on his turf came from real life. Although Bruno was fine, I knew a dog who DID NOT like ANY dog in her house. She let them on her property as long as you didn't offer the dog food or water, then she'd go nuts. If she saw a dog peek its head into her house she also went ballistic. She was like a Jekyll and Hide. Other then that she got along great with dogs, loved kids(owner ran a daycare) and she loved cats. Next chapter we'll start with the reminiscing stories. I'm sure you can guess what story will be up first. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one for each chapter.
~Neelloc12~