A Dog's Life #8
Roxy and Sergio are at Rossi's Christmas get together.
(Roxy the Dog, Sergio the Cat, BAU Team)
A big shout out and thanks to my beta, editor and unending support, Aut, without whom these stories would never see the light. Merry Christmas to all!
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She padded around the new room, acquainting herself with the layout of Friend Rossi's spacious living quarters. Of particular interest was an all glass door on the south side of the house. Outside, Roxy could see all sorts of beautiful and interesting things. There was a carpet of white snow covering the otherwise immaculate green lawn. Trees lined the property perimeters. It was so different from the surroundings of Master Luke's apartment, where everything was just concrete and gates and fencing.
"A park! Right outside the door! This is wonderful!" Roxy's tail wagged happily as she wondered how she'd go about getting out there.
"You're nuts", Sergio told her. "It's bloody cold out there! Why the hell would you want to go outside?"
"It's beautiful! And", Roxy paused as a movement caught her eye. Immediately she began pawing at the glass door. "Lemme out! Lemme out!" She barked frantically as she continued her assault on the door.
"Hey Luke?" Rossi called over his shoulder as he made his way to the French door overlooking his expansive yard. "Looks like Roxy wants outside. Is that okay?"
From the kitchen, Luke replied just as loudly, "Yeah, that's fine Dave, thanks."
Roxy scampered out the open door into the snow as Sergio watched from the warmth of the house.
That dog is certifiable, he thought as he made his way to an armchair and curled up on its pillows. Definitely time for a nap, Sergio decided, yawning and then pushing his nose down between his front paws before falling asleep.
Out in the backyard, the Rossi Estate squirrels were fleeing pursuit and Roxy was kicking up snow everywhere as she chased the little rodents. The squirrels scattered in several directions, befuddling Roxy who stopped short to reassess the situation. Unwilling to give up, she chose one squirrel and took up the pursuit, following the little animal through the expanse of Rossi's park until she reached the woods at the estate's southernmost perimeter. The squirrel escaped up a large oak tree and, disgusted, Roxy trotted back towards the house.
She returned to the glass door and waited for several moments. When no one arrived to let her back into the house, she pawed noisily at the door hoping to attract someone's attention.
Sergio yawned, annoyed at being awakened and lazily looked past the arm of the chair to see Roxy standing at the door. "Stupid dog! I told you it was too damn cold to go out!"
Roxy barked several times. "For Pete sakes, Sergio! Go get someone to let me in!" Roxy told him in annoyed tone, hoping the cat could hear her through the glass.
"Shut up!" Sergio grumped at her.
Huffing, Sergio turned and settled back into his chair. Roxy barked again and Sergio groaned. A moment later, he rose from his spot on the chair. He released a sigh and jumped down off the chair, landing quietly on the floor in front of the massive Christmas tree in Rossi's living room.
"Finally!" Roxy complained quietly. "Dog could freeze out here waiting for you lazy cat to go get a human!"
Sergio stood in front of the Christmas tree, transfixed by the shiny tinsel and ornaments it bore. He padded around the circumference of the Douglas fir and then stopped in front of a low hanging bauble. A light twinkled behind the ornament, causing it to shine and the cat could not help himself. He reached up with a paw and batted at the bauble. It swung to and fro dangerously and amused, Sergio batted at it again.
"Oh for dog's sake! Go get a HUMAN!" Roxy lost her patience and barked angrily, much louder than previously.
Distracted, Sergio's attention was diverted to the French door and he glanced towards the madly barking dog while still batting at the ornament with his front paw. The bulb fell to the floor and shattered as a startled Sergio stepped back.
The noise brought several people running, and Sergio quickly slunk away, climbing back into the armchair.
Rossi and Alvez hurried to let Roxy back into the house. Garcia and Prentiss, seeing the broken Christmas ornament approached the cat.
"You aren't fooling anyone, Sergio," Garcia scolded him. "You naughty cat, you broke the ornament, didn't you?"
Prentiss bent down to pick up the broken pieces as Alvez stepped past her, leading Roxy out of the living room. "Hey, Dave, you got a broom or something I can sweep the little pieces up with?" Prentiss asked while Garcia, clutching the misbehaving cat, apologised profusely for the damaged ornament.
"I hope it wasn't an heirloom or anything, Dave. I'm so sorry, Sergio that was so naughty of you!"
"Naughty? It was hardly MY fault. That stupid dog was banging on the door!"
"Non è niente," Rossi brushed it off, "It's not important." He retrieved a broom and dustpan from a closet in the kitchen and as he stooped down to hold the dustpan in place, Prentiss took it from him.
"Oh hell no. My—our—"she amended to include Garcia in the ownership, "cat did this, I'll clean it up."
"Gracie," he replied, stepping out of the women's way. Rejoining Tara, Matt, Spencer and JJ in the dining room, he indicated they should all sit down at the massive table centered in the room. After settling Roxy in the kitchen with her dinner, Luke joined the others just as Emily and Penelope returned. The sun had gone down in the late afternoon and Rossi's elegant dining room was tastefully lit with white Christmas lights that wound their way around the wainscoted perimeter of the room.
"Sergio's in his carrier," Penelope told them. "I put him in the back hallway."
"And the broken glass is all cleaned up. Once again, I'm sorry about that, Dave."
He waved her off again, and instead indicated the elaborate spread of sumptuous Italian food in front of them. "Buon Natale," he told them as he made his way around the table ensuring each wine glass was filled.
An hour or so later, eight BAU team members rose from the table, and true to the team that they were, in a matter of minutes had Rossi's dining room cleared, dishes loaded in the dishwasher and the kitchen cleaned to a sparkle. He ushered them all into the living room, and gestured to Garcia that she should liberate Sergio from his carrier and allow him to join them. Luke brought Roxy along and made her sit on the floor next to him.
"Honestly! You distracted me and I end up grounded in the damn carrier. Just not fair!" Sergio complained indignantly as Garcia set him down on the living room floor.
"I wasn't the one that knocked the bauble off the tree! You got what you deserved you careless feline!"
Cups of cappuccino were passed around as well as after dinner aperitifs and the eight friends spent several happy hours exchanging gifts and bantering.
From her spot on the floor next to Master Luke, Roxy kept a careful watch on Sergio. The cat was perched along the top of the sofa behind Garcia and Prentiss, eyeing all the sparkling ribbons adorning the packages.
"Just keep your paws off the pretty lights and things on the tree, Sergio" Roxy warned him. "You already broke one of Friend Rossi's shiny things!"
"It was an accident!" Sergio purred defiantly. "I didn't mean for it to fall and break!"
"You shouldn't be touching it in the first place!"
"Oh relax! It's not like I ruined Christmas! Friend Rossi isn't even mad."
"Friend Rossi is just too nice to show his anger."
Sergio curled up against the back of Garcia's neck and purred, knowing he'd been forgiven for his earlier transgression. Both Garcia and Prentiss reached up to pet him and he gave Roxy the most complacent look he could muster.
Sighing, Roxy laid her head down and rested her snout on her front paws. Reid, who was sitting on a sofa directly behind her, bent forward to give her ears some scritches. Roxy pushed up against his hands, happy to be acknowledged by her favourite member of the team who wasn't Master Luke.
"You're such a good dog, Roxy," Reid told her and she thumped her tail happily in acknowledgement. She lifted her head when she heard laughter from Tara and Matt as they'd acknowledged the gag gifts they'd received.
"Oh, look, there's a present for Roxy," Lewis exclaimed as she passed it over to Luke to open. He turned it over in his hand several times and then handed it to Roxy. She promptly tore the wrapping off the box. Paper and ribbons flew everywhere as the exuberant canine worked, finally taking happy possession of her new Kong toy.
"This is awesome! Roxy lost her old—" he started to explain and stopped when he noticed she'd stopped chewing on her new toy. He could swear she was glaring at him.
"I lost it? Don't you mean you lost it?" She barked.
Luke laughed, "Either Lisa or I lost her last one."
They all laughed at his disclosure and Roxy returned to chewing on her new toy.
Alvez looked past Roxy to Reid and thanked him for Roxy's gift.
"Very thoughtful, thank you Spencer. And Roxy thanks you."
"It's the least he could do, considering what Roxy had to put up with when you were seconded to Afghanistan," Garcia pointed out with a smile on her face.
"You know it!" Roxy barked in agreement. Luke laughed again.
"Yeah, my building super told me all about that," he smiled, remembering the disclosure of Reid's watery adventure and Roxy's role in his retrieval. Reid blushed as Alvez gave them all an abbreviated version of the details.
"And I'm sure Roxy appreciated being needed. She's retired as a military working dog but she still wants to do stuff all the time," he explained. "Pretty sure being home alone a lot gets boring for her."
Beside him, Roxy yipped her accordance and Reid stroked the dog's head again.
"Thank you for that, Roxy," he intoned close to her ear. He was rewarded for his attentions with a warm muzzle pushed into his hands.
After another hour of sharing stories and Christmas cheer, the party started to break up. One by one, the team members thanked David Rossi for his hospitality. Matt, Tara and JJ gathered their coats and lingered at the front door saying goodbye.
Spencer and Penelope were busy gathering up cappuccino cups and wineglasses, while Emily and Luke collected discarded gift-wrap and tidied up the living room. As soon as the room was devoid of humans, Sergio dropped down from his sleeping place on the sofa back and made his way to the tree.
"Don't!" Roxy tried to warn him.
"Relax, will ya? I'm just looking!"
"Yeah, well, last time you just looked," Roxy began.
A brightly twinkling ornament caught Sergio's attention and he couldn't help himself. He reached up with one paw and touched it, wanting to see it change colour as it moved. It swung slightly and Sergio reached out again.
"Stop!" Roxy warned again, and moved to prevent Sergio from making contact with the Christmas ornament. Just as Roxy's paw touched Sergio's back, Luke returned from the kitchen.
"Roxy, stop!" he ordered, not realising what Roxy's intentions were. She immediately complied with her Master's command and as she stepped away from Sergio, the cat jumped up into the lowest hanging branches of the tree.
Luke's breath caught in his throat, "Oh no," he muttered. Putting his hand on Roxy's back, he commanded her to sit and stay and then he carefully approached the Christmas tree.
"Sergio!" He said in a loud whisper. "Sergio, come here right now!"
He stood still, waiting for the cat to comply and Roxy twitched beside him.
"No, stop that," he directed at his dog and then returning his attention again to the cat, spoke a little louder, "Sergio! Come here!"
They each stood their ground; human and cat involved in a stare down. After about twenty seconds, their standoff was brought to an end with the arrival into the living room of Penelope Garcia.
"What the—Sergio! You naughty cat! You get down from there right this minute!" Garcia stormed towards him, unrelenting. "I mean it, mister! Get OUT of there. Right. NOW!"
Luke's mouth fell open and Roxy winced as they waited for Sergio's reaction.
"Sergio!" Penelope repeated, now approaching angry.
The cat met Garcia's gaze and haughtily swished his tail once, twice before jumping out of the tree. He landed silently on the floor right in front of his owner and she bent and scooped him up in her arms.
"You are being so naughty, Sergio. So bad!" He purred and burrowed against her bosom as though nothing untoward had happened. She checked to make sure no further ornaments had been damaged and was straightening up as Rossi returned to the living room.
Luke clipped Roxy's leash onto her collar and thanked Dave for including them both for the Christmas party and then he turned to address Garcia.
"Well. Roxy and I thank you again for the gifts Penelope," he told her, "See you next Monday at work I guess."
She nodded in return. Alvez tapped Rossi on the shoulder, thanked him once more and led Roxy out. Roxy's gaze met Sergio's and dog and cat addressed each other.
"Try and stay out of trouble, will you?" Roxy advised.
"I'm not in any trouble. See?" Sergio gloated as he snuggled into Garcia's arms.
"What am I gonna do with you, you naughty cat?" Garcia asked rhetorically as she lifted him up to nuzzle his neck. "You bad, naughty, sweet, wonderful cat." She stepped up to Rossi and thanked him for hosting the party.
Roxy rolled her eyes and followed Luke out of the living room.
"Spoiled brat cat," Roxy turned her back on Sergio.
She and Luke passed Emily in the foyer as they made their way to the front door. After a quick Christmas hug for Luke and pat on the head for Roxy, Emily joined Penelope and Dave by the Christmas tree.
"Thanks again, Dave, for hosting us all, putting up with the noise and the mess and the misbehaving animals," she paused, "And our pets."
He laughed and hugged her and then Penelope. "Merry Christmas, "Miei amici." Putting a finger on Sergio's forehead, he added, "E anche tu, gatto birichino."
Prentiss laughed at Garcia's raised eyebrows and translated for her, "Merry Christmas my friends. And you too, you naughty cat."
-fin-