Protection Detail
Summary: A few someones don't like thunder. Set in the 'Future Perfect' universe.
Disclaimer: Katie and Leigh are mine; the rest belong to other people.
A/N: This takes place in the 'Future Perfect' universe, which features Caitlyn and Leigh, the twin daughters of Tim and Abby.
Abby blinked, wondering what had woken her up. A sudden flash outside the window briefly illuminated the room. Ah, she thought. Mystery solved.
She braced herself for an onslaught of small bodies as another peal of thunder made the light fixture shake, and set off the neighbour's car alarm. The twins definitely didn't like lightening storms, and this was the first one they'd had since they set up the new 'big girl' beds. She fully expected them to come flying through the door at any moment, taking advantage of their newly-acquired night-time mobility to do something more proactive than sit up and shriek when the thunder woke them up.
To her surprise, she didn't hear little feet pounding down the hallway, and she didn't hear any screaming, either. Were they actually sleeping through the storm?
Finally, her curiosity getting the better of her, she slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe, ignoring Tim's comments about her worrying too much, since the girls were obviously not awake. She padded softly to the twins' room.
Her heart stopped at the sight of two empty beds, illuminated by a convenient flash of lightening.
She flicked on the light and spun around, searching the room for her missing daughters. A quick check confirmed that the window was still shut and locked. She was about to call to Tim to start a search of the house when she heard a soft whine from under one of the beds. Of course, she thought. That's obvious.
She got down on one knee, peering under the blanket that trailed off the edge of Katie's bed. Two little girls dressed in soft green pyjamas were huddled in the small space. Katie was sucking her thumb, and Leigh was clutching a blanket that she had dragged off her own bed.
Between them, an elderly German Shepherd was shaking in terror.
Even though the retired Navy drug dog had been conditioned not to react to gunfire and ordinance explosions, he somehow could tell the difference between the normal sounds of a military base and a thunderstorm, and the tough-guy canine who had once been named 'Butch' invariably turned into a quivering ball of fur during a storm. It was his whimpering that had attracted Abby's attention.
Abby struggled not to laugh as she reached out a hand and gently coaxed the twins out from under the bed. She guided them down the hall.
'They were under Katie's bed,' she explained, catching Tim's questioning look as the girls snuggled in between their parents.
A moment later, a furry hurricane bounded into the room and installed himself on the other side of Tim.
'Him, too,' Abby explained, openly laughing at Tim's startled expression. She'd expected Jethro to come looking for a new human security blanket, instead of going back to his basket in the kitchen.
Another deep rumble of thunder made three-fifths of the bed's occupants whine in protest.
'Some guard dog you are,' Tim grumbled.
'Don't be too hard on him, Timmy. Everybody's scared of something,' Abby told him, settling in in the hope of a few more hours' sleep. 'Besides, he's great with heights...'.