Dog: Gone
by J. Ferguson a.k.a. Timeless A-Peel
Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers, or any of its characters. They belong to Canal+ (Image) International. This story is written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.
Timeline: Sometime during season 2 of the original series.
Author's Note: Well, here's a rarity. I don't often write fics not set in or around the TNA era, and when I do, they tend to be about TNA characters. I think this is the first fic I've ever written that's set in the ordinary course of the original series. But I stumbled upon a wonderful prompt by liadtbunny on the Obscure & British Multifandom Commentfest, and couldn't resist. The prompt was "Why did Steed get through so many dogs in the Cathy Gale era?" Since this is something I've often wondered about myself, I just had to take a stab at it. I rarely write for Cathy, which made things challenging, but it was quite fun to do, so I thought I'd pass it along. We will then return to your usual TNA-centric programming.
"It's extremely obliging of you to come to the rescue in my hour of need, my dear," John Steed said to Cathy Gale as she stepped into his flat.
"It's for the dog's sake, not yours," Cathy reminded him tersely. "If you're going to keep a pet, you should be present to care for it, but I'm not going to let an animal suffer because of your lifestyle."
"And I'm sure she'll be extremely pleased to hear it," Steed said cheerfully, broad smile never wavering for an instant. He lifted a leash off a hook on the wall with a deft touch, and whistled. "Sheba! Here, girl."
"Sheba?" Cathy repeated, brows knitted in puzzlement. "I thought it was Freckles."
"It was," Steed confirmed, dropping into a crouch as the sleek grey whippet trotted over to have her ears scratched.
Cathy put her hands on her hips. "Steed, this is becoming ridiculous. Before Sheba you had Freckles and Junia. You change dogs the way people change clothes. Are you leasing them out by the month, or did they all liberate themselves from you at the earliest opportunity?"
"And deprive themselves of my winning personality? Never." Steed chuckled as Sheba licked his face, then caught sight of Cathy's evil eye, and sobered up. "Look, it's my Auntie Penelope," he explained. "Dear old thing. Loves her dogs like her children. Possibly more." He patted Sheba on the head and straightened up. "But she's taken on rather more than she can handle, you see, so I keep one of them for her on a rotating basis. That way she can be sure they'll all receive enough attention, and for few blessed months, no one forces them to eat her rock cakes." He furrowed his brow at the thought of the leaden baked goods. "I only wish the same could be said for me when she chooses to visit."
Cathy softened. "Steed, I'm surprised. That's unusually altruistic of you."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Steed agreed. "Of course, there's also an allowance."
Cathy felt her eyes narrow. "An allowance?"
"To cover expenses," Steed went on. "Of course, it's always a bit more than needed, so I can have the odd treat myself. Isn't that right, Sheba?"
Cathy snatched the leash away from Steed and hooked it onto the whippet's collar. "Come along, Sheba," she said tersely. "I think we both need a holiday from the Steeds. All of them."
"Oh, now, don't be like that," Steed protested, but Cathy was already on her way out the door.
"Never mind me. I saw some biscuits on the counter on the way in." Cathy swung the door open and turned to face him. "Have one and choke on it, there's a good boy." She slammed the door with feeling, but not before Sheba barked with something that sounded suspiciously like approval.
End