A/N: This story came to mind and wouldn't leave me alone until I got it written down. There is brief mentions of animal testing, but nothing too in-depths. Hope ya'll enjoy this story, I feel like it's cute and full of fluff. Flames not welcome! This is a one-shot story, if any continuations requested - I don't have anything planned but I may do something in the future to continue story.
Reviews appreciated though.
The klaxon blared to life from overhead, waking the occupants of Tracy Island from a restful sleep. Everybody scrabbled as they slid into their jumpsuits and ran to their dad's office. The brothers lined up from oldest to youngest, minus their space monitor John who was currently overseeing operations from his orbiting home on Thunderbird 5. Jeff cast an amused look around the room at the varying degrees of disarray found on his sons faces. None of them liked being woken up once they were sound asleep and to be disturbed the way they had just been proved to be an amusing sight.
Each of his sons decided to forgo the use of combs since they planned on going back to bed once it'd been determined a hoax call or the real deal. So between the four of them, their hair stuck up in odd angles all around. Scott and Alan were two of Jeff's more active sleepers and they both showed signs of restless sleep than their brothers. Scott's hair looked spiked since it was considerably short from his air force cut…whereas Alan whose hair was longer and somewhat curly looked like one of his brothers rubbed a helium balloon in his hair.
"What's the mission dad?" Scott asked.
"A testing facility raised the alarm. It would appear they've had a chemical spill which has now led to a fire of mass proportions. Due to the nature of the chemicals being tested on and the range of the facility to local homes, it's been deemed that if the fire isn't gotten under control – we could have another Chernobyl like disaster." Jeff said, going over the specifications John gave him before he changed views and continued uploading information to Thunderbird's One and Two.
"What do we need to do dad?" Gordon asked.
"The plan is this…do a brief recon mission. Make sure there are no people trapped inside the testing facility while everyone else works to put out the flames." John said as he joined the discussion before he changed course. "I spoke with the leader of the testing facility and he said this was no accident. A disgruntled ex-employee caused the spill and fire as a way to get back at the facility because he lost his job. "
"I'm guessing it wasn't his calm nature that lost him his job then?" Alan remarked snidely before he got his foot stepped on by Tin-Tin, prompting the younger man to hiss as he yanked his foot out from under his friend and lover's reach. "Ow!"
"Serves you right. We don't know what led to the employee losing their job." Tin-Tin stated as she cast a venomous look in Alan's direction.
"That's neither here nor there." John said, bringing the focus back on the topic at hand. "The fact of the matter is this. We've got a testing facility about to blow sky high and prepared to take more than fifty homes off the map including the occupants of these homes. We've got to move fast. There's no time to waste. Authorities are working diligently to evacuate the houses as quick as they can, but they need us to try to put out the fire and hopefully prevent another disaster as dad mentioned like Chernobyl. Let's move out and try to do what we can to save these people."
With that said, Jeff delivered the famous words that activated rescue efforts.
"Thunderbirds Are Go!"
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Once the thunderbird crafts landed, the brothers and Tin-Tin were quick to begin doing what they could to try to exterminate the fire before lives were lost. Gordon and Virgil teamed up to run the Firefly, while Tin-Tin and Alan teamed up to check the perimeter and to go into the inferno and check for victims that may be trapped by the flames.
"Got your respirators?" Scott asked as he double checked the ear pieces that Alan and Tin-Tin would be using whilst they entered the fire. "They working okay? Your goggles?"
"Yes Scott. We've got our goggles and we're about to put on our respirators. And yes before you ask, we can hear you just fine." Alan said as he helped tighten the waist strap around Tin-Tin's waist. He turned to let her tighten his waist strap to his own oxygen tank and respirator. "We're ready to go."
"You two be safe and if you hear me say to get out, you get out. No questions…okay Alan?" Scott asked.
"Yes Scott." Alan said even as he rolled his eyes. "We're going in."
"You stay in contact with me at all times. If you need help at any time let us know immediately." Scott said, making sure his brother and his girlfriend understood the rules. The two seventeen year olds replied that they would and without another word they entered the fire.
It was a few minutes after entering the fire and a few assisted rescues that Alan and Tin-Tin decided that to cover more ground that they'd split up. Scott stayed in constant contact with the two teens as did John, Virgil and Gordon.
Tin-Tin went upstairs while Alan went downstairs towards the basement. The blond hurried down the steps, taking note that the further down he went, the smokier it got. Down here must be where the fire started, before it traveled between floors and swallowed the building. As Alan went through the doors he paused when he saw cages.
"What…the…" Alan muttered.
"What is it?" Scott's voice crackled through the comm.
"Cages." Alan said. "You guys…what kind of testing facility would house cages?"
When a reply wasn't heard, Alan continued through the maze of cages and checked each individual cage. He gasped when he stumbled upon a cage near the back of the room.
"Oh my God. John?!" Alan snapped over the comm hearing his brothers and Tin-Tin gasp at his outraged voice being directed at the mellow space monitor. "You didn't bother to tell us that this was an animal testing facility!"
Nary was a reply heard for a few moments until Virgil's voice crackled through the comm.
"Sprout, you'd better be pulling our legs. And if you are I am so kicking your ass when we're back home. This is not funny." Virgil replied vehemently.
"I'm not kidding! John! You told us this was a testing facility. Why didn't you bother to tell us that this was an animal testing facility? Animal testing has been outlawed for over ten years now!" Alan yelled into his mic even as he looked around for a way to break the lock on the cage. Spotting a wrench with a pointed tip on it...Alan didn't want to imagine what tools like those were used for in a testing facility. He was hoping they'd been left behind by a member of maintenance, but wasn't holding his breath. Grabbing the wrench, Alan placed the pointed end through the padlock arms and stood with his back to the cage. Using as much strength as he could muster, Alan thrust the wrench forward and was successful in snapping the padlock arms.
As soon as that was done and Alan threw the padlock far from the cage, he entered said cage and knelt down beside the eight tiny squirming puppies that were struggling to do much of anything. Alan picked up one of the puppies and inspected the poor little thing. It gave a pathetic squeak as it tried to find a source for food.
"Aww, why would they ever want to test on you little guys?" Alan asked the puppy before he flipped the puppy on its back. "Er…I mean girl."
The puppy he held started squirming as she tried to continue the search for food. Alan righted the puppy and held her close to his own face, removing the visor of his mask enough to inspect and see that the puppy's eyes were still closed. Shaking his head with disgust, Alan tried to figure out a way to transport the puppies safely from danger.
"Alan get out of there! It's no use!" Scott hollered through the comm. "Tin-Tin just came out with a couple evacuees! You need to get out pronto!"
Alan startled but gave up the search for a mode of transport for the puppies. It was foolish and his grandmother would have his head for it, but he'd sweet talk her out of cleaning any messes the puppies made in his jumpsuit.
"You guys and gals are coming with me." Alan said before he unzipped the collar of his jumpsuit down to his chest. He worked quickly as he grabbed up each puppy and slid them into his jumpsuit. He made sure not to settle them too close to his pack so as to not hurt them should his pack pinch any tails or toes. Once he'd put the last puppy in his jumpsuit, he tucked the last wriggling tail in past the zipper before he zipped up his jumpsuit…and not a moment too soon.
"Alan get out of there! She's going to blow!" Scott yelled through the comm, prompting Alan to turn and run up the stairs. He kept his hands on his chest, trying to hold the puppies still as best as he could while he ran. Once he made it outside, he followed Gordon's wild gesticulating to board Thunderbird Two as quick as he could. Running with a quick burst of speed, Alan ran up the walk of Thunderbird Two and barely made it in before Thunderbird Two lifted off. The door was still closing even as Thunderbird Two flew up in the sky, trying to get as high as possible before the testing facility blew up.
"You cut it close little brother." Gordon said even as he looked out one of the porthole windows only to see the facility several thousand feet beneath them explode. "You cut it damn close."
Alan panted as he bent over to put his hands on his knees. He felt like he had eight little furnaces strapped to his chest and he couldn't breathe.
"What took you so long? I mean really? You like trying to give us heart attacks?" Gordon asked as he set a disapproving gaze on his little brother.
"I had a last minute rescue." Alan said even as he moved into the medical bay via the lift. Gordon followed him down, figuring his brother got hurt and he was going to document any injuries and continuing haranguing his brother.
"I know we rescue a lot of people and I know it goes against our code, but if a rescue puts your life in danger and it becomes a suicide mission, the rescue isn't worth it. You know what dad says…you can't save them all." Gordon said as he walked over and stood beside his brother.
"I know that…but…" Alan started to say before he stopped talking to focus on grabbing one of the bath sheets that Virgil kept on hand to cover them with if there was a water rescue or a deluge of rain to help soak up water and contain warmth. His intentions were to create a temporary nest for the pups.
"But?" Gordon asked even as he saw Alan settle the bath sheet on the floor all wadded up. "What are you doing?"
Alan looked as if he was going to say something before he unzipped his jumpsuit. Gordon's eyes widened as he thought Alan was going to begin stripping and he covered his eyes.
"You know, you're my brother and I love you, but I don't love you that much." Gordon said as he covered his eyes.
"Knock it off. I'm not undressing." Alan said as he removed one of the puppies from his jumpsuit. "Say hello!"
"Hell – Oh!" Gordon yelped as he opened his eyes at the unexpected clawed puppy paw that touched his chin. He fell back against one of the infirmary beds in shock as he glimpsed the puppy Alan held. "What the hell is that?!"
"It's a puppy doofus." Alan said as he settled the puppy in amongst the material. "What did you think it was?"
"I don't know, but…" Gordon started before he quit talking. He watched as Alan reached into his jumpsuit to remove another puppy followed by another. His jaw dropped as it occurred to him that Alan had been telling the truth about that facility being an animal testing facility. He shook his head in disgust as he thought of the few scientists they had in the pod cargo hold. He was going to have a word with all of them when they landed to drop them off. "Shit."
"I know. They're still so tiny, I don't know how anyone could test on an animal let alone these babies." Alan sat on the floor, leaned against the infirmary bed as he cradled the first puppy he'd picked up in the facility. He closely inspected the puppy before he announced his conclusion. "These puppies can't be more than a few days old. This little girl's eyes and ears are still closed."
Gordon's eyes widened when he heard Alan say that. He knelt down on the floor and picked up one of the many squirming puppies and cuddled it close to his chest. The black and tan puppy squeaked as it started nosing around on Gordon's jumpsuit and Alan chuckled when it occurred to him what the puppy was doing to not only Gordon but the one he held.
"It's trying to nurse." Alan said as he and Gordon both watched the puppies sightlessly nuzzle their chests in search of a teat to nurse from. "They're going to need to be fed Gordo."
"I ain't got any way to feed them. Do I look like a woman to you?" Gordon gestured at his chest to signify of his distinct lack of female attributes.
"I wasn't talking about that. I was just going to say that if you could go talk to Virgil about stopping at one of the air spaces it's safe for us to stop at so one of us can go get bottles and milk to feed these little guys." Alan said even as he offered a finger for the puppy he held to chew. It came as a surprise when he felt suckling and he watched the puppy suckle his finger in hopes of getting food. "Gordo, they need food."
Gordon looked at Alan, the smile that'd previously been on his face falling away when he saw the puppy trying to get food from a source that just wouldn't deliver. "Alright, stay here to make sure these little monsters don't make a mess and I'll go talk to Virgil." Gordon handed the puppy he held to his little brother before he stepped over the pile of puppies to enter the lift and talk to his brother. Just as the lift door was closing, Gordon heard a chorus of squeaks and whimpers followed by Alan talking soothingly to the tiny beasts.
"We'll get you some food guys…just be patient."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Virgil piloted Thunderbird 2. He flew steadily towards the area hospital, surprisingly the closest hospital was over an hour away. He had a few people on board that needed to be seen to for smoke inhalation and chemical burns. He was so focused on the task at hand he didn't hear Gordon come up behind him.
"Virge?" Gordon asked as he prayed Virgil wouldn't flip his lid that they had another species on board.
"Holy sh-…Gordon, how many times have I told you never to sneak up on me like that?" Virgil snapped but calmed when he saw Gordon's apologetic gaze. "What do you want?"
"I know you're a medic…but would you by any chance happen to know what to feed babies that are no longer with their mother?" Gordon asked, hoping to ease up to the mentions of there being eight defenseless puppies on board that will need to be fed before they reach their home over four hours away.
"Why do you ask? I thought you weren't interested in babies or for that matter what they needed to be fed." Virgil replied even as he thought back to when he decided to give his brother the birds and the bees talk when the boy finally started finding the opposite gender attractive.
"Well we've kind of got a situation in the med bay." Gordon said unsure quite how to say that their baby brother rescued 8 baby dogs.
"This was a testing facility rescue Gordo…to the best of my knowledge none of those occupants were pregnant and none of the victims were babies." Virgil said even as he looked over his shoulder at the redhead.
"Not quite human babies Virge." Gordon said.
"Come again?" Virgil asked eyes wide with confusion.
"Remember how Alan got mad at John during the rescue?" Gordon said as he tried to drop hints to Virgil so the medic wouldn't have a meltdown.
"Yeah, he said we'd uncovered an animal testing facility." Virgil said before it dawned on him what Gordon was getting at. "Oh my god, we've got animals on board don't we?"
"Yes…" Gordon said as he took a couple steps back in fear that Virgil was about to lose it.
"Does this airship look like Noah's Ark or something?! Why do we have animals on board, and for that matter how many animals do we have on board?" Virgil asked as he set the airship on autopilot. He fixed a heated glare on the aquanaut.
"Just a couple…" Gordon replied softly.
"Gordon…how…many…animals?" Virgil enunciated slowly.
"Eight…" Gordon winced as he prepared for Virgil to blow his stack.
"How big are they?" Virgil asked as he felt eight animals was too many to be on board.
"Big enough to fit into your hands if you cupped them." Gordon said.
"They better not be rats…or gerbils – Scott will raise holy hell if we managed to rescue rodents." Virgil said even as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Not rats…or gerbils. They're too cute to be rodents." Gordon said as he sensed it was safe to continue.
"Alright…what are they?" Virgil asked. Wanting to know what exactly was rescued and why they were on his ship.
"Dogs…" Gordon replied.
"Dogs…how big?" Virgil inquired.
"Little ones." Gordon ducked his head.
"Like Chihuahuas or…" Virgil trailed off.
"As in puppies. We don't know what breed they are, but Alan's got eight barely week old puppies in the infirmary and they are hungry enough to suck on Alan's fingers." Gordon said even as he saw Virgil's sympathetic side come out.
"I got to see this." Virgil said softly before he checked to be sure the airship would stay in the air before he wandered to the infirmary. Gordon stayed topside to supervise everything.
When Virgil made it down to the infirmary he stopped when he saw Alan dipping his fingertips into a cup of water to let the puppies suckle the water off his fingertips. He smiled at the moving scene before he entered the infirmary.
"What have we got here?" Virgil inquired even as he crouched down to pick up one of the wriggling puppies. "Hey little guy."
"That's a girl." Alan replied even as he failed to look up.
"What?" Virgil asked.
"That puppy you picked up. It's a little girl. I arranged them in order so I'd know who was a girl and who was a boy without constantly flipping them over." Alan said even as he dipped his fingers in the water and raised it to the mouth of the puppy he held. "Check if you don't believe me."
Virgil raised the puppy slightly and gazed at the underbelly and knew then Alan was right. "Pardon me…little miss."
"So…I take it Gordon told you what I rescued?" Alan asked.
"Yep, I thought you were kidding about this." Virgil said. He took and inspected the puppy and with the little bit he knew about animal science – these puppies couldn't be more than a few days old. "Damn."
"Yeah, took the words out of my mouth." Alan said. "What are we supposed to feed puppies this little?"
"It's gonna have to be formula…made specifically for dogs." Virgil said. The medic straightened up to stand to his full height as cradled the puppy in his arms, allowing the pup to suckle on his pinky.
"Can we pick some up before we return home?" Alan asked, using his puppy dog stare on his brother.
"You know dad won't let us keep 'em." Virgil said softly, knowing his brother adored dogs. He had posters and notebooks with dogs all over his bedroom back home.
"I'm not asking to…it's just these little ones need me. What if we give them up and nobody takes care of them?" Alan said as he gazed at the puppies lined up in a row along his left leg. "At least if I'm looking after them I know they're being cared for."
Virgil sighed as he understood the logic behind Alan's words. "Alright, I'll go pick up some puppy formula when we stop and I'll talk it over with dad about fostering them until they're old enough to go to good homes. Just…just don't get attached."
"Thank you Virge." Alan said.
"Don't thank me yet. You'll probably hate me tomorrow for agreeing to help you with this." Virgil said even as he turned to go change into his civilian clothes. He couldn't go into town parading around as a member of International Rescue. He had to be discreet.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Virgil entered the veterinarian clinic and smiled at the receptionist.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
"Yeah, um…my younger brother found some puppies that must have been abandoned and we need to feed them." Virgil scratched the back of his head as he saw the receptionist's smile fall.
"How many puppies? How old are they?"
"He found eight puppies…and I'd estimate they're only a couple days old. Their eyes and ears are still closed and they just wriggle around. They can't walk yet." Virgil said as he gave a vague idea of how big they were when he held out his hand. "They're small enough to fit in my palm."
"Poor darlings." The receptionist said. "Any idea what type of dogs they are?"
"I think they're shepherds but I'm not positive. They've all got similar coloring and roughly the same size." Virgil said.
"Okay." The receptionist started clacking away at her keyboard before she stood up and went into a back office. She came back with a case of milk replacement formula for dogs and put it up on the counter. "This should last you about two weeks, the puppies will need to be fed every two to three hours or six to eight times a day. I've also provided eight 3 milliliter syringes and a couple nursing bottles."
Virgil reached into his back pocket and grabbed his wallet. Even though Alan said he'd pay for the formula, Virgil felt he should instead. Alan would be sacrificing sleep to care for these puppies and he didn't need to focus on paying for the resources for these puppies as well as making sure they were fed every so often. He handed the receptionist his credit card and waited to sign his name on the pin pad.
A little while later, Virgil was entering Thunderbird 2 and making a beeline to the infirmary to set Alan up with a few syringes of milk to feed those eight little mouths. He smiled softly when he saw his kid brother curled up on the floor with the puppies nestled up against him all of them asleep. Virgil sat on the bed and prepared the eight syringes before he woke Alan.
"Hey kiddo, how about waking the monsters up and letting them have a bit of breakfast?"
Alan looked up at his brother before he nodded silently. Picking up the puppy closest to his hand, Alan accepted the syringe and followed Virgil's instructions on how to feed the puppies. The puppy became alive with action and started squirming as she started pawing at the air while she was fed her mid-morning meal.
"That a girl…eat up." Alan smiled as he slowly delivered the formula to the puppy. He wrinkled his nose some when some of the formula dribbled out of the puppy's mouth and onto his lap but that was quickly remedied by Virgil providing a towel for Alan to hold in his lap during the feeding. "Thanks Virge."
"No problem kiddo. I'm going to head on up and get us home. Call me on the intercom if you need my help or have any questions okay kiddo?" Virgil instructed before he ruffled Alan's hair and left the infirmary.
Once Alan was alone, he focused on the puppy he held and how she was guzzling the formula as fast as it entered her mouth. He chuckled softly when he changed the position in which she was held and gently stroked her head with his thumb while he continued to administer the formula to the hungry pup. "You know, we're going to need to come up with a name for you and your siblings…I can't call you all puppy."
Alan frowned when it occurred to him that the names couldn't be anything that held meaning. He didn't want to get attached to the puppies and be heartbroken when it was time to give them up to good homes. He looked at the puppy and studied her for a few moments. He smiled when he imagined her little nose looking more like a heart that anything and the name Baby-Love came to mind.
"I'll call you Baby-Love." The puppy gave a little squeak which sounded more like an agreement to Alan and he settled on Baby-Love being the puppy's name…for the time being. "Now to come up with names for your brothers and sisters."
Once Baby-Love finished her syringe of milk, Alan laid her down and watched as she squirmed and nestled in comfortably among her siblings. He picked up one of the boy puppies and repeated the feeding same as he did for Baby-Love. He studied the puppy while he fed it and tried to think of a name for the pup. He looked at the black and tan markings of the puppy, taking note how he had little brown triangles above his eyes and wondered in length on a name. When the puppy pulled away from the syringe, Alan thought he'd had enough of the formula and nearly lost it when the puppy gave a decent burp before continuing to feed from the syringe.
"I think I'm going to call you Kash…you seem like a Kash to me." Alan stroked the puppy's forehead with a gentle thumb and smiled as he continued with Kash's feeding. He'd have to find a way to mark them so he'd know who was who while he worked on raising them. "Hope none of you mind having various colors of yarn tied in bows around your necks. I swear I'll make sure it's loose."
Once Kash finished feeding, Alan laid him next to his sister and picked up another sister. He changed position briefly but stayed on the floor. He felt Thunderbird 2's thrusters rumble through the floor but it felt like home to him. The puppies whimpered but they quieted down when Alan began talking to them. He lay on his back, the puppies nestled against his side as he held the third pup and fed her breakfast. As he watched the third puppy feed, he noticed how she ate differently than her brother and sister.
"Well look at you. Such a little cutie you are." Alan murmured as he adjusted the puppy to lay on his chest. The puppy grunted as she fed, kneading Alan's chest almost instinctually. "I love your glossy coat. Reminds me of a raven's feathers. Is that your name cutie…huh? Are you a Raven?"
The puppy removed her mouth from the syringe and proceeded to nuzzle against Alan's chest, further melting Alan's heart.
"Alright, Raven it is." Alan declared even as he placed the syringe back in Raven's mouth to continue her feeding.
A few minutes later Gordon came down with a wide smile splitting his face. He sat on the bed above Alan and smiled down at his brother who was focusing solely on feeding the puppies in his care. Reaching down, Gordon picked up one of the puppies that was squirming around beside Alan.
"Has this one been fed yet?" Gordon asked, wanting to help his brother out with his task.
Alan opened his eyes to look at his brother before he shook his head. "No, he hasn't eaten yet. His belly isn't fat and round like the others."
Gordon looked down to see that the ones that had been fed did in fact have fat little tummies unlike the one he held which was just sticking his tongue out in anticipation for his meal. Gordon watched Alan feed the puppy in his grasp before he followed suite and began feeding the puppy he held.
"There you go Luna…time for bed." Alan said as he finished the puppy's feeding and settled her with her brothers and sisters.
"Luna? You've been naming them?" Gordon said as he looked at his brother.
"I know I shouldn't name them, but it's kind of hard to call them all puppy. They've all got different personalities and I feel like they should all have names so that when we give them up to good homes we can differentiate between them instead of puppy one through eight."
"That's a good idea. At least then we'll have an idea who is who so if anyone makes a mess we'll know the culprit." Gordon replied softly. He smiled down at the puppy he held when a tiny clawed paw rested on his wrist. "Any idea what we should call this one?"
Alan who was laying on the floor of the infirmary studied the puppy in Gordon's grasp and thought on a name. He smiled when a name came to mind when he thought of Gordon and how comfortable he looked feeding the puppy. "How about Shark?"
Gordon's eyes widened marginally as he realized the significance of the name. He looked down at the puppy in his grasp and smiled warmly as he nodded in agreement of the name. "Shark it is."
Alan chuckled as he imagined Gordon and Shark becoming pals. He frowned sadly when it occurred to him how much it would hurt though when it came time to give the puppies up to good homes. He quickly steeled his features so Gordon wouldn't get the hint that Alan was already growing attached to the puppies in the few hours that they've been in his care.
"So who's been named so far?" Gordon asked as he gestured to the puppies with fat little tummies in comparison to the ones with normal tummies.
Alan sat up and picked each puppy up and after studying them for a few moments told his brother each puppy that'd been named. "This one is Baby-Love, Kash, Raven, Luna and Shark. The other three don't have names quite yet."
"I like those names. They're different." Gordon smiled as he lay Shark beside his siblings in order to help Alan continue with the feedings. "So Virge talked to dad and dad's given his okay for you to foster the puppies until their old enough to be adopted out."
"Really?" Alan's head shot up in surprise. He didn't think his dad would let him foster all eight of the puppies. He thought his dad would've balked at the idea of eight defenseless, noisy and messy puppies squirming around in Alan's bedroom. But hearing his dad's approval proved to lighten Alan's mood. "Thanks Gordo."
"No problem. Just let me know if you need a hand with the puppies at any time." Gordon offered. He reached down and picked up another puppy and another syringe. He and Alan began feeding a puppy each and they both studied the puppies closely as they fed. After a few moments Gordon chuckled as he studied the puppy Alan held.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Alan asked in amusement.
"No, the puppy you're holding…she's got a little tuft of fur on top of her head…makes me think of Alfalfa from the Little Rascals." Gordon said even as he point out the tuft of fur that stuck up on the puppy's head. Alan studied the puppy for a moment before he raised the puppy up to check whether it was a boy or girl.
"Um…Gordo. I think you need a refresher course on male and female anatomy. The puppy I'm holding is a boy." Alan stated.
"Geez sorry. Can't a guy make a mistake?" Gordon said even as he raised the puppy he held to make sure he was holding a boy or girl. "I've got a girl.
"Okay, the last one is a boy. There were four boys and four girls." Alan stated.
"Good to know." Gordon went silent for a few moments before he spoke up again. "So what do you think of the name?"
"Alfalfa?" Alan inquired to which Gordon nodded in agreement. "I like it. Maybe the other one we can call Rascal. Partners in crime like the two of us."
"I like it." Gordon held his fist out and Alan reached up to fist bump with his brother after the newly named Alfalfa finished his meal. "So what should we name this little lady?"
Alan looked up and studied the puppy in Gordon's grasp. He noticed how she seemed to be the smallest of all the puppies. It occurred to Alan that she must be the runt of the litter.
"How about Evie…do you think it fits?" Alan inquired as he reached up briefly to pet the puppy's head. She quit suckling the end of the syringe to give a squeak before continuing her feeding.
"I like the name. Evie fits for her." Gordon said even as he depressed the syringe plunger to let the puppy drink her meal. "So we've got Baby-Love, Kash, Raven, Luna, Shark, Alfalfa, Rascal and Evie….I think those are suitable names."
"I think so too." Alan said. "Any idea how close to home we are? I'm beat."
"About thirty minutes last I heard, and that was ten minutes ago." Gordon said even as he laid Evie in the pile of puppies and watched her snuggle. "Any idea how we're going to get them in the house?"
"Same way I got them on Thunderbird 2…stow them in my jumpsuit." Alan said as he gathered the puppies to rest along his hip. "We'll need to figure out a litter box for them to keep them from doing their business on my bedroom floor…they'll far too little to take outside. I'd be afraid something would try to fly away with them."
"Not my idea of a good time." Gordon said even as he helped Alan to secure the puppies for landing. The method for securing the puppies involved laying on the floor using their arms to create a corral for the puppies to try to keep them in one place. It proved to be effective for when they finally landed. "Okay, let's get these little babies in the house and out of the heat."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Going into the villa, Alan looked around as if he'd get in trouble for stowing the puppies in his jumpsuit. He kept the main zipper unzipped so the puppies could wriggle around without overheating both Alan and themselves. He quickly checked the front of his jumpsuit, clicking his tongue and whispering reassuringly when one of the puppies gave a particularly sharp yelp. When he entered his dad's office, now changed back from Command Central, he found four pairs of eyes, joined by a pair of cyber eyes gazing at him intently. He felt like he'd been caught red handed with his hand in the cookie jar.
"What?" Alan asked as he leaned against the back wall, trying to look relaxed and cool. His attempts didn't fool Scott nor their dad.
"So you brought home a couple strays?" Scott asked as he set an accusingly stern gaze on his baby brother. "When will you learn that we can't have dogs here Alan?"
Alan sucked on his bottom lip to keep from snapping at Scott when Virgil stepped in on his behalf.
"Lay off Scott. Alan was right to rescue those puppies. They're innocent in this." Virgil said even as he moved over to look into his brother's jumpsuit at the delicate little puppies snuffling about. Looking to Alan, Virgil directed his next question. "How'd they take to the formula?"
"Likes a duck takes to water. They took a nap after finishing their meals." Alan replied as he tried to contain a chortle when one of the puppies began pawing at his ribs. It tickled.
"Good, good." Virgil said even as he reached out and picked up one of the puppies. "I should probably warn you, not all of fostering these puppies is going to be pleasant."
"Oh?" Alan asked even as he pet the puppy's heads in his jumpsuit. "What sort of unpleasant things will I have to do for the puppies?"
Glancing over his shoulder, Virgil raised an eyebrow before he looked back at Alan. "I'll tell you when we go to get the puppies settled in your room."
Alan rolled his eyes as he looked at his brothers. Swinging his gaze to John, Alan fixed him with a cold stare. "So John. When were you going to tell us that the facility was an animal testing facility?"
"I wasn't because I didn't know myself." John replied from over the web link. "I would have told you guys if I'd known."
John looked truly apologetic as he gazed at the defenseless puppies poking out of Alan's jumpsuit, or the puppy Virgil was holding. "When did you discover the puppies were in that facility?"
"I discovered them when Tin-Tin and I separated to cover more ground. I went downstairs while she went up." Alan said as he sat carefully on the couch. "I went downstairs and found the basement chockfull of cages of varying sizes. While I was checking the cages, I stumbled on the cage which these little ones were in."
Jeff tilted his head in question while Scott maintained a gaze set on Alan.
"The puppies were in the cage by themselves, and they were locked in. I had to break the lock to free them and I couldn't find a mother anywhere in the cage the puppies were being kept in. I'd have brought her if I'd found her." Alan said softly. "I just about lost it when I saw the puppies and realized what they were being used for. I wasn't about to leave them there and potentially be used for testing purposes. It's morally wrong to use animals for testing products that may be unsafe for humans and I despise that they were potentially being tested on and it's been illegal for the past decade. So of course I was rescuing them…stolen or not. They lost rights to owning these puppies the moment they decided they'd become testing subjects."
Gordon placed a calming hand on Alan's shoulder. Alan always got so worked up over animal testing. He loved animals, no matter their species and he couldn't bear to see them being used for testing products on. Anytime they were out and about on the mainland, if Alan saw an animal on the streets he'd go buy a can of food and put it out for the animal…unless it was a rat – then he'd stay far away.
"Okay, just calm down Alan. We won't let them take the puppies if they say anything Alan." Jeff reassured. He by this time stood up and walked over to Virgil who was actively stroking the puppy he held on the head. "Any idea what breed these little ones are?"
Everyone looked to Virgil then Alan who rolled his eyes. "I don't have any idea. Because they're so young, I can only assume they'd be shepherds." Virgil made a face like he agreed, but not fully.
"Any matter, I'm very tired and I'd love to finish the debriefing so I can help Alan with getting the puppies settled before I go to bed." Virgil said.
"Alright. Let' get cracking." John said with a smile.
Alan sat back against the couch, stroking his chest which made Gordon think that Alan was very narcissistic. He had to try hard not to laugh at his brother. He knew he was petting the puppies through his jumpsuit. John began the debriefing and he apologized first hand to the team for sending them unknowingly into an illegal operation. Jeff switched off with his sons and told them he wouldn't have called them back right away – he'd have wanted any people in immediate danger to be rescued. But he'd have requested they leave after a bit.
Once the debrief was complete, Virgil and Alan stood up first to go get the puppies settled. Kyrano had by this time delivered a box found in one of the store rooms which didn't house anything but some vegetables that needed to be used. Virgil carried the box while Alan carried the puppies.
Once it was just the two of them, Alan voiced his earlier question again. "So what was that unpleasant task I had to take care of with the puppies?"
Virgil looked at his brother before he admitted what it was. "The puppies are going to need to do their business. Normally a mother dog would help with that, but since these puppies don't have a mother to assist them – they're going to need your help to stimulate their urination and defecation."
Alan wrinkled his nose and made a vague gagging face but he nodded morosely at the new task he had to take care of. "And how do I do that?"
"You'll need to stroke the puppies' tummies and downwards to stimulate the movement of waste products. And you'll probably need to do that around the time they finish each meal."
"Okay." Alan replied with a bit of barely concealed disgust.
"I'll help you the first time, but after that if you need further assistance just let me know." Virgil said as he entered Alan's bedroom. "Kyrano said that he's been saving scraps of fabric from clothes we've given to create cleaning rags and he'll give them to you to lay on your floor should any of the puppies get out and make a mess anywhere."
Once Alan and Virgil got sat down on the floor, Virgil showed Alan how he was supposed to stimulate the puppies need to use the bathroom. With a wrinkled nose and firmly in place frown, Alan took over and watched as the puppies did what they needed to before going to sleep. Once it was taken care of for the puppies, Virgil left to go to bed while Alan snuck in to shower before he too attempted to sleep.
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A little over a week and a half down the road, Alan found himself sitting up with the puppies at another two in the morning feeding. These puppies ate so much – it astounded Alan. He hadn't been on a rescue in several days, reason being because someone needed to stay and care for the puppies. Kyrano had his own chores and none of his brothers wanted the responsibility that Alan had taken upon himself. He however refused to ask for assistance. He didn't need help.
The nice thing though was in the last couple days the puppies began one by one opening their eyes. They still didn't seem to be seeing clearly to Alan, he'd try to track their movement by waving a hand in front of their milky colored eyes and they wouldn't do anything except try to sniff him out. One thing Alan was dreading thus far was that the puppies had begun walking as their eyes opened. So most of the time Alan had to keep his bedroom door closed to keep the puppies in his room. The rest of the house wasn't puppy-proofed and he didn't desire his dad wanting to disown him for any messes made or damaged furniture.
"Kash, please be quiet and let me go to sleep." Alan begged, his eyes red and bloodshot from lack of sleep.
The puppy quieted down for a moment before he began puffing his chest and whimpering gradually growing up to a caterwauling noise. Alan winced at how loud Kash was carrying on and he picked up the puppy and grabbed a damp, warm cloth from his bathroom to massage Kash's tummy. He hadn't gone to the bathroom since yesterday, maybe that was the problem.
As he ran the cloth over Kash's tummy, it occurred to Alan that he was keeping track of another living thing's bowel movements and number of times the little creature peed in a day. He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. He nodded to himself when Kash made a noise which told Alan the pup needed to go. He took the pup over to a cat's litter box, Virgil got the necessary box to try to train the pups that they needed to go in an area where there was a lot of dirt, preferably not carpet or hardwood floor. Alan had unfortunately been a victim of a moonwalk incident and he never wanted to do that again.
"There's a good boy Kash…good boy." Alan praised when Kash finished doing his thing. With Kash taking care of business, Alan returned him to his box with his siblings and returned to bed. He'd only just laid down when two more puppies began whimpering and whining and Alan wanted nothing more than to cry. These puppies weren't letting him sleep a wink. And it was at this time that Alan decided that should he and Tin-Tin get married they were never…ever having kids. A couple of cats or dogs would be fine but absolutely no babies.
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Later that day, Scott came walking into the kitchen to find Alan had fallen asleep at some point between the microwave and the dining room table. The kid was leaning against the counter and was snoozing hardcore. The eldest brother didn't have the heart to wake his brother, but with a quick glance in the microwave – the eldest discovered a lukewarm mug of coffee. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Alan must have come down for a bit of caffeine and with a distinct lack of puppies swarming him had just fallen asleep where he stood. Scott called Virgil on his watch the moment he made sure Alan wasn't going down to kiss the floor.
"Hey, the sprouts asleep." Scott said the moment Virgil answered his watch.
"Good, let the kid sleep and come hang out with me." Virgil said. "I'm in the infirmary filing paperwork."
"I was actually going to bring Alan along. He's asleep but he's asleep in an odd location. And I was thinking he may want a few hours of peace and quiet away from the puppies." Scott said as he steadied Alan who was swaying on his feet somewhat.
"Where did he fall asleep?" Virgil asked with a sympathetic frown.
"Here in the kitchen waiting on his coffee to reheat in the microwave." Scott said.
Virgil frowned at that. Alan was pushing himself so hard to care for the puppies that he was forgoing sleep. And that didn't sit well with the medic. He'd told Alan that if he needed help to just come ask him and Alan said he would…so why hadn't he come to Virgil or Gordon for that matter?
"Yeah, bring him down and I'll ask Gordon to go keep an eye on the puppies until Al's gotten some sleep." Virgil replied before he disconnected the call.
Scott looked at his brother leaning against the counter…he was using his arms as pillows and as cute as that may be, it just wasn't healthy. He carefully pulled one of Alan's arms over his shoulder before resting his head against his neck. With a quick shift, Scott was carrying Alan over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He walked carefully down to the infirmary where Virgil was waiting with the bed turned down.
"So he was asleep in the kitchen?" Virgil asked as he noticed the dark circles beneath Alan's eyes. "He just looks done."
"I'd imagine those puppies aren't letting him sleep much. He's barely been eating but maybe a quick sandwich or something small too." Scott said as he brought up something he'd been keeping from Virgil after being sworn to secrecy by Alan. "He hasn't been getting much energy as of late."
"And it's things like this that'll make the dummy sick." Virgil said even as he tucked the blankets beneath Alan's chin. "Let's let him sleep. I've already got Gordon on his way to Alan's room to keep an eye on the puppies and I'll go up to make sure he doesn't have his hands full a little later."
"Good plan." Scott said before he left the infirmary to do what he should have been doing all along. Giving Alan a hand when it came to caring for the puppies.
A little over four hours later, Alan woke up slowly. Upon opening his eyes, he shot up once he recognized where he was in the villa.
"Glad to see you're awake." Virgil said from his spot at his desk across the room. He'd been keeping an eye on his kid brother but couldn't help but to hear the startled gasp that came from his brother upon realizing he was in the infirmary. Standing up, Virgil shrugged out of his white lab coat he tended to wear when he was in the infirmary. Didn't matter what he was doing, Virgil adopted the white lab coat as his uniform when he was in the infirmary even if it was just to go over paperwork. "So when were you going to ask for help when it came to caring for the puppies?"
Alan looked up at Virgil guilty eyes being redirected at the floor.
"You weren't were you?" Virgil guessed. "Alan, I told you to ask any one of us for help if you needed it. It wasn't a request. It was an order because I know how you can be."
"And how can I be?" Alan asked, taking offence to Virgil's statement.
"You can be incredibly pig headed and selfish at times, careless in your own health and you worry me on most occasions." Virgil pointed out. When it looked as though Alan was going to argue, Virgil held up his hand for continued silence. "Hear me out."
Alan closed his mouth, snapping his jaw closed with a click as he bit back a snide remark.
"You may be pig headed, selfish, and careless on some occasions…but you've also got a heart of gold. Nobody said you had to look after these puppies. Just because you found them didn't require you to do anything. If anything, the most you should have done was turn them over to an animal shelter…but you kept them and decided to care for them on your own. That's not what a selfish, pig headed person with a heart of gold does. But you know what they do?"
Alan shook his head, unsure of whether he should speak or not.
"They help others in need, no matter what the species are, a selfish and pig headed person with a heart of gold doesn't care about their own well-being. They don't care if they run themselves into the ground or worry those that love and care for them like you're doing with us. As long as they keep helping those in need, that's all that matters." Virgil said as he moved to sit on the bed beside Alan. "If it wasn't for Scott finding you asleep in the kitchen, what are the chances that you'd have made yourself really sick in caring for those puppies and we'd been forced to ground you from rescues until you recovered or admitted you to the infirmary for total body exhaustion? Did you ever think how worried we'd have been or angry that you sacrificed so much of yourself that you could've gotten hurt on a rescue or sick?"
"Virge…" Alan stopped when Virgil held up a hand in silence.
"I want you to answer me honestly. If Scott hadn't found you asleep in the kitchen, what would have been the chances that you'd have gone about your merry way with less than adequate sleep? What would have been the chances that you'd have gotten sick because you left yourself open to illness by not properly resting? What would have been the chances of you being required on a rescue, tired or not and getting you or someone else injured or killed because you couldn't spare a moment to ask for help?" Virgil had crossed his arms over his chest as he looked pointedly at his baby brother. "Care to answer any of those questions for me, because I would love to hear how you've suddenly become superman and don't need anyone's help. That's what family is for Alan and I know all of us are busy, but we're not all so busy to not lift a finger if someone lets us know that they need help every so often. If you're tired and the puppies aren't letting you sleep, come let me or Scott, or Gordon…hell even let dad know. We'll all be more than happy to let you crash in our beds while we rotate and help you in caring for the puppies. You don't have to do this alone."
"I know Virge…but I figured that to show responsibility that I had to do everything." Alan said even as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Dad said that I was fostering the puppies…so I took it as my sole responsibility. Nothing was said about asking my brothers or father for help, I just assumed I was on my own."
"And you know what assume says about a person right?" Virgil asked.
"Yeah, I know…makes an ass out of you and me." Alan sighed before releasing a large yawn.
"That's right little brother. And if I do recall correctly, I told you to come to me if you needed help with anything…right?" Virgil said.
"Yeah, but it's just…never mind." Alan started but stopped.
"What?" Virgil asked to which Alan shook his head in the negative.
"I just thought that with Tin-Tin and I being an item, when we have kids in the very distant future that if I proved that I could care for the puppies that I could manage to prove when it's time for us to think about starting a family that I'm ready." Alan said, lowering his voice a fraction of the volume. "I just wanted to make everybody proud of me."
"And why wouldn't we be proud of you Alan…you've already done so much." Virgil replied with a soft adoring smile on his face. "Not many people do what you do and not many people would have entered an illegal animal testing facility and rescue the animals from a deadly situation. Most might've figured the puppies to be a lost cause and left them for dead…but not you. You took them from their assailants and you brought them here, gave these puppies a home, food, warmth and love. That's all they really need, all anything anybody really needs." Virgil pointed out wisely. "You've already surpassed anybody's expectations…you've certainly surpassed mine."
Alan who'd by this time lowered his head as he was thoroughly chastised raised his head a little at the praise he heard from his brother.
"I'll admit, it shouldn't have been left up to you to ask if help was needed…but I thought you had it under control. I didn't see you much, but I figured you were just spending a lot of time with the puppies because you really liked them, not catching up on sleep wherever it was possible. You're not the only one at fault, we should have been checking in with you every so often to make sure you had it covered instead of assuming. For that, I'm sorry." Virgil said as he placed a gentle hand on Alan's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "I want your word that from here on out you'll ask one of us for help if the puppies become too much to handle. And I don't just mean not letting you sleep either…if you need to go use the restroom or take a shower, or even go play some video games in the lounge for an hour or two…just to get away from the fur balls and relax – I want you to tell one of us and we'll be there. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand loud and clear." Alan replied softly even as he raised his hand and yawned deeply.
"Good, now I want you…to lay back down and try to get some more sleep. Scott and Gordon are keeping an eye on the puppies for you and when you wake up again, I want you to go to the kitchen and grab a bite of dinner. And I don't mean a quick sandwich either. I want you to actually sit down and eat a full meal. I'll know if you're skimping on food. I've got eyes everywhere in this house."
"Yes sir." Alan said as he let Virgil force him back to lay down.
"Don't call me sir munchkin…you know how much I hate that." Virgil said even as he ruffled Alan's hair affectionately.
"Don't call me munchkin…I'm almost taller than you." Alan whispered even as his eyes grew heavier.
"Until you're taller than me, I still own the rights of calling you munchkin…munchkin." Virgil replied. "Now go to sleep."
The order issued by Virgil went unheard by Alan who gave up the ghost when it came to trying to stay awake. He was in a warm and comfy bed and in a peacefully quiet room where the only noise was the occasional shuffling of papers or the scratch of a pencil that emanated from Virgil who continued to work on paperwork.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Scott sat on the floor with Gordon in Alan's bedroom and he marveled at how big the puppies had gotten. It seemed like the puppies had grown like weeds since Alan rescued them barely three weeks ago. He'd seen them when Alan brought them in from Thunderbird 2 and he hadn't been impressed. At the time he just saw a mass of wriggling fur balls. But now the puppies had their eyes open and their ears now seemed to be opened also.
"He likes me." Scott chuckled at Gordon's statement when the puppy the redhead held began suckling on the tip of his nose.
"Why's he doing that?" Scott asked.
"I think he's hungry." Gordon said as he gently separated the puppy's mouth from the tip of his nose and grabbed an already prepared nursing bottle, showing surprise that Alan had apparently promoted the puppies from the syringes to the nursing bottles. Holding the bottle's nipple to the puppy's waiting mouth, Gordon and Scott watched in awe as the puppy latched on like a pro and proceeded to suckle with sureness. "I think he was really hungry."
"No kidding." Scott whispered as he watched the puppy drain the bottle quickly. "Geeze he must have been hungry."
"He always eats fast. I had to graduate him from the syringe to the bottle so he'd learn to pace himself."
Gordon and Scott looked quickly at the door only to see none other than Alan leaning against the door, mug of tea held in his grasp.
"What are you doing awake Alan?" Scott asked, knowing that Alan couldn't have gotten very much in the way of sleep.
"I got all the sleep I needed." Alan replied as he entered the room and took a seat on his bed.
"So how did you sneak out of the infirmary without Virge?" Gordon inquired, from what he was told by Scott…Alan was looking at an overnight stay in the infirmary.
"I didn't sneak…he let me out after I got some sleep and promised to go have some dinner before returning to my post. With the addition of some sleepy time tea to ensure I go to sleep later." Alan said as he gestured to the mug of tea he'd set on his bedside table. "Now what do we have here, Luna are you being a good girl?"
"Luna?" Scott's eyes shot to Alan. "Oh Alan, you named them? You know how bad an idea it was?"
"Scott, he had no choice. He raised a valid point, he had to call them something. If he didn't give them names they'd all have thought their name was puppy." Gordon defended. He understood Alan's reasoning behind naming the puppies.
Scott quirked an eyebrow and shook his head disapprovingly. He knew with Alan naming the little boogers it'd be hard for him to give them up in the end. He just hoped Alan understood he couldn't keep any of the puppies. They lived a hectic life and this life wasn't meant to house pets.
It just wasn't.
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"Rise and shine Alan, time for breakfast!" Gordon called into Alan's bedroom joyously a few weeks later. Now that the puppies were getting a little older, they weren't requiring feedings every two to three hours like they had been in the beginning. A quick glance into Alan's bedroom had Gordon's heart melting. And that wasn't often that happened. He peeked through the open door a little more and smiled when he saw Alan sprawled out on his back, with the added bonus of eight fluffy puppies snuggled around him. "Thank you for blackmail gold."
Alan continued to snore lightly, undisturbed by Gordon hollering into his room and definitely unbothered by Gordon's whisper about blackmail gold.
Holding his phone out, Gordon snapped a quick picture or four of Alan, one puppy laying under each arm, one up by his head snuggled in his hair, another beneath his hand, two down by his feet, one between the V of his legs using his thigh as a pillow and another lying along his hip. And Alan was merrily snoring away unaware that the puppies had somehow gotten out of their box and into bed with Alan. Or maybe Alan let them sleep with him to keep them quiet.
Gordon felt saddened by the notion. It wasn't so much that Alan had grown attached to the puppies…that had happened barely three hours after rescuing the little monsters, no…the puppies had in fact grown attached to Alan. He was Mr. Mom to the orphaned puppies and from the Animal Planet TV shows about orphaned animals, Gordon knew the puppies had imprinted on Alan. From the time he rescued them and up till now Alan was there for them. They learned to recognize Alan's scent and learned he gave them love, showed them how to do tricks – even if they still didn't understand what 'don't chew on Gordon's shoelaces' meant quite yet. Alan was the bringer of food and all around teacher. He taught them what 'no' meant, taught them how to walk and where best to do their business if it absolutely had to be indoors like say when it was raining. Thankfully Alan had managed to get the pups to understand the litterbox was a place to go if they couldn't be let out when absolutely necessary. Gordon was amazed at how knowledgeable Alan had actually been when caring for the pups.
Gordon knew the time was pretty much upon them to give the puppies up to good homes. Alan already had an appointment with a veterinarian on the mainland to have their immunizations taken care of so that they could be given to good homes with all their shots. Alan was already making sure they were being dewormed at the proper age. And no matter how disgusting, Alan checked to make sure the pups were okay and that the deworming medication was doing its job.
He looked at his phone and the pictures of the pups he'd snapped as they grew. He snapped a picture of Alan one of the times prior to Alan really taking on full responsibility for the puppies and becoming a parent to the little guys and gals. He'd admit it, the puppies were beginning to grow on him too. He'd be sad when it was time to give them up. He couldn't imagine how sad Alan would be.
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Alan walked down the hall, headed outside to go take the puppies down to the beach. As he walked past his dad's office, Jeff happened to look up just as Alan went by. The patriarch was on the phone with one of his colleagues and chuckled to himself when he noticed the puppies followed Alan in a single file line.
"Hmm? Oh nothing…just watching how the puppies my youngest son is fostering follow him around." Jeff told his colleague when he asked about what Jeff found so funny. "I don't know. I'm afraid of how heartbroken he'll be when he gives them up. He's so tenderhearted, I know he'll worry himself sick over the puppies just like a parent would when they drop their child off at college. I just wish there was a way I could save him the heartbreak."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Meanwhile, the moment Alan made it off the patio he released a long low whistle and started to run, holding a makeshift toy he'd made out of one of his pairs of socks the puppies chewed a hole in.
"Come on! Let's go, run!" Alan turned, jogging more to the side as he watched the puppies scamper along behind him. A chorus of tiny yips and squeaking barks followed Alan and Gordon, Scott and Virgil who were by the top deck of the pool watched their brother run with the puppies.
"It's amazing…who knew that animals could see humans as parents." Gordon said, referring to the puppies having imprinted on his brother.
"You'd be surprised how smart animals can be." Virgil replied.
"He's gonna have his heart broken though. You can see how much he loves those little scamps." Scott said, regretting ever helping Alan care for the puppies on occasion. He was finding himself growing attached to the puppies as well and he knew that if Alan started to cry when they departed, he'd cry too. He hated when his brothers cried because him, mister air force, mister all around manly man cried right along with his brothers. And he wasn't ashamed to cry too. He wouldn't necessarily announce it to the world but his brothers knew that he too could be sensitive.
Alan who was running down towards the beach kept glancing over his shoulder to see the puppies bounding playfully behind him. His grin was wider than Venus and he couldn't help but to be amazed at how much the puppies had grown since they'd come into his care. What used to be puppies that were tiny enough to fit in the palm of his hand now weighed roughly fifteen pounds each. Even Evie doubled in weight. Alan thought she was the runt of the litter especially considering how little she weighed, but now she was a little pudge. She ate anything her siblings didn't eat and Alan sighed any time he had to go push her away from the shared family bowl to make sure she ate in moderation, not gorging herself on moistened kibble.
"Come on Baby-Love, come on little girl! Come to papa!" Alan yelled when it seemed as though Baby-Love grew fatigued from the long run to the beach, but as soon as Alan called her she picked up the speed and soon ran past her brothers Kash and Rascal who had found a palm frond and were making it a team effort to drag the plant with them. Luna and Alfalfa had the cute sideways run going on and Alan found himself wishing for a camera more than anything. He soon spotted Shark running after Raven who had grown interested in the crabs that were scuttling through the tufts of grass in order to hide from the curious puppies. "Come on guys! I got the treats!"
From the moment Alan yelled the word 'treats' he suddenly had a stampede of puppies chasing him further down the beach. Raven who was the fastest of all her siblings sped off after Alan and gave a high yip to get Alan's attention. The young man turned just as Raven ran up and tried to nip at Alan's calf, he gave a yelp of his own and continued to run albeit a little faster to avoid Raven's milk teeth which had yet to be replaced with her adult teeth.
"No! No biting papa Raven!" Alan scolded firmly. He didn't know when exactly he became papa to the puppies, but once Scott had set Kash down after a bath in the tub and jokingly told the pup to 'go to papa' and the puppy scrambled over to Alan who was drying the puppies one by one only to bury his head in Alan's chest as if he were tattling on Scott for giving him a bath. Raven seemed to get the message though that biting was not okay and she started to sulk, slowing down to walk slowly with her tail between her legs. Alan picked up on her melancholy and he quit running himself and turned around to go pick up the pouting puppy and carry her the rest of the way.
Once Alan reached his cove, he sat down in the sand and was immediately surrounded by his pups. Alan tenderly held Raven in his arms and told her same as he would a child why biting was not okay.
"Biting hurts papa Raven, so you can't go biting when you get overly excited. No jumping either. You and your brothers do that sometimes and when you guys get bigger you could hurt someone. I know you don't understand me but I hope you'll learn soon why biting and jumping are not okay to do." Alan had read somewhere that making eye contact with dogs was not recommended but he felt it was necessary to make the puppies understand – he believed he'd read somewhere from another source that eye contact with a dog was okay just as long as it wasn't meant as a challenge. He was trying to assert his dominance over the puppies and make them understand that they were to obey whoever adopts them later in life. Looking Raven sternly in the eyes, Alan made sure not to be tense but relaxed so Raven would know he wasn't angry. "I forgive you for nipping at me, but you can't be doing that anymore. Okay?"
Raven seemed to understand Alan and she gave a soft yip in reply before she started licking Alan's face wildly.
"Okay, okay! I already took a shower today! Stop it! No! That tickles! Raven!" Alan laughed and carried on as Raven's licking attack seemed to spurn on her siblings and they joined in the happy licking festivities. "No! Stop! Please that tickles! Ha ha! Stop it! Ple-ha-ha-please! Stop!"
From the deck up by the house, Virgil, Scott and Gordon barely managed to contain their own laughter at the ruckus coming from Alan's cove.
"Do you think any of us should go to his rescue? Or leave him be?" Gordon asked from within the depths of the pool. Shrugging, Scott and Virgil shook their heads as they heard the laughter from Alan's cove continue.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Alan sighed as he held Alfalfa still on the vet's table. The pup didn't like the vet's office. Alan had to gradually take the pups in for individual appointments as they continued to grow. He didn't feel comfortable giving them up before they were over six weeks old. He felt they still had some growing to do.
"It's alright Alfalfa, calm down." Alan reassured even when Alfalfa whined and carried on like he was being burned with a hot poker. When Alfalfa was finished with his inoculations, Alan scooped him down from the vet's table and set him on his floor. The pup's ears stood half and half. One ear stood up straight and tall while the other seemed to want to hang onto its floppy nature. "There's a good boy."
Alfalfa turned his nose up at the vet tech that had helped make sure Alfalfa wouldn't go postal on the vet for sticking him with a needle in the scruff. The vet tech and Alan chuckled at the notion that Alfalfa was more human than dog.
"Come on Alfalfa, time to get you home for naptime with your siblings." Alan said even as he led Alfalfa who was training pretty well on the leash and harness. The puppy's tail started to go in a circle like a boat propeller. It only served to make Alan laugh that much harder. "Come on pup."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Jeff sat in the apartment, watching how relaxed the puppies had been during the time that Alan was home versus the time he was gone with Alfalfa to the vet's office. When Alan was gone, the puppies sat by the door watching, waiting and hoping Alan would enter in the next few minutes. Instead of playing, eating or sleeping they waited patiently for Alan to return home.
It struck Jeff as odd that the puppies seemed to be stuck on Alan as much as he was stuck on them.
"Hey pups why don't you go play?" Jeff inquired, despite knowing the puppies would ignore him. They really only listened to Alan. Turning his attention back to the files he'd brought in from the office, Jeff began to read. He was only reading for a few moments when he felt something against his leg and looked down to see the puppy Alan referred to as Baby-Love pawing at his leg. He looked down at the pup and their eyes met for a few seconds. Baby-Love used the puppy eyes that she must have learned from Alan and Jeff was eating out of her paw. The patriarch found himself picking Baby-Love up off the floor and setting her in his lap despite his wearing an expensive business suit. "All right, but just this once."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
It wasn't until a little over a week later that everyone in the house noticed Alan seemed to be in a somber mood. Gordon questioned, Virgil wheedled, John listened and Scott comforted when it came out that Alan was trying to put the ad out that he was adopting the puppies out to good homes. The only thing was, Alan wanted to check the homes personally to be sure his puppies – (he raised and hand fed them, of course they're his) puppies were going to be safe in their new homes. He decided on having people apply for the puppies and rather than sell the puppies he asked that any forms of payment be a cashier's check made out to a local animal rescue in the form of a donation. He didn't really obtain these puppies fair and square, fudged on the truth that he'd rescued the puppies from a box left in the ally outside his apartment so as to not raise questions if the animal testing facility claimed their testing subjects went missing.
At the prospect of the puppies soon leaving them for greener pastures or fresher bones – the family soon followed suit and joined Alan in the somber mood. Jeff noticed his sons were no longer quite so energetic when talk of which puppy was their favorite came out. Jeff knew from eavesdropping on conversation that Alan loved Raven and Luna most because they loved to snuggle and when he just wanted to sit and think, they'd sit silently and let him have his time to think with them as company.
Scott liked Kash because he seemed to enjoy tagging along on Scott's morning and evening jogs around the island and was a source of comedy for the pilot when Kash would find branches or palm fronds to drag along on the jogs. Scott never got tired of the rhythm of his feet pounding against the earth, muffled by the sand and glancing back over his shoulder at the gangly pup dragging a branch along to play with.
John though he hadn't met the puppies in person seemed to like Rascal most. The pup was always active. When John would talk to any of his family, Rascal would sit in front of the camera and tilt his head with a questioning look on his face as if he were confused by the man stuck in the tiny box.
Virgil was trying to get Evie and Alfalfa to train to smell the drugs in the infirmary. It was in hopes that Virgil could train them to be drug sniffing dogs, but he lacked the credentials to train them properly. Those two dogs seemed to be the best when it came to using their noses and Virgil hoped one day they could use their noses for good.
Gordon had his buddy in the form of Shark. That pup followed Gordon everywhere just as much as the other puppies followed Alan places. The young dog had even exhibited a savior mindset and had jumped into the pool to grab Gordon's hand and pull him up to the retaining wall after he'd jumped in. It was a never ending source of amusement and wonder if Shark could potentially join them on rescues if he lived with them.
Jeff on the other hand found himself growing fond of Baby-Love. She often would paw at Jeff's leg until he picked her up and let her curl up in his lap when they had an evening in the lounge watching TV. Jeff found the thought of giving her up heartrending and he figured if it broke his heart to say good bye to Lucy the few hours following his youngest son's birth, that this would be equal to it not only for him but the rest of his sons…Alan especially.
Alan was the one who rescued them and he was the one who'd raised them. It's true they lived a hectic and dangerous lifestyle, but imagine how much more they could accomplish if they had dogs to assist in search and rescue of victims that've been buried. Shark already shows a connection with water and he like Gordon seemed to excel with water rescues. Virgil was training Evie and Alfalfa to sniff out drugs, but imagine if they learned more – like how to sniff out injuries or illness in people who claimed to be okay but really weren't. It'd save Jeff the worry of whether his sons might have contracted a viral illness because someone they didn't know was sick and sneezed in their faces during a hurricane in Nicaragua. Scott had Kash to keep him company and hopefully be first to go get help if there was ever a place outside of range if Scott or anybody went on a jog around the island and needed help for any reason.
John had Rascal and the dog once he met the space man - Jeff imagined those two being inseparable. Alan had Luna and Raven to keep him busy. They seemed to be a source of comfort for Alan and Jeff hoped that maybe they'd be good therapy dogs. Especially with how well they sat and listened. If Alan was angry and raging, he could go down to his cove and his two girls would go and just sit down there and pant then once Alan let out all his frustrations would open his arms wide and the two dogs would run in and lick his face to wash his face of any tears sad or angry that may have spilt. Then Jeff had Baby-Love. She proved to be a good one to talk to when Jeff's sons were out on rescues. On more than one occasion, Jeff found himself stroking the young pup gently and her just letting him pet her while he listened to the grave peril his sons were in. She was a calming presence for the patriarch and somehow Jeff knows that if Baby-Love is around, everything will be okay.
The moment Jeff's epiphany ended, he smiled before giving Baby-Love tummy rubs when she gave a long and luxurious stretch across Jeff's lap.
"Boys how would you feel with adoption?" Jeff asked. He watched as each of his sons perked up at the question.
"What do you mean? You're not seriously considering that we…?" Scott asked whilst keeping a hand on Kash's head when the pup moved his head to take the big meaty palm that was Scott's hand back onto his head for more ear scratches.
"I am…maybe it's time we open our doors to new members of International Rescue, after all the team is just one lady and six men…what's eight new members of the canine variety?"
The smiles that adorned his son's faces upon hearing Jeff's decision was worth more than the weight of all the gold in the world. But the smile on Alan's face was priceless because it proved to Jeff how much he'd fallen in love with the puppies that came into his heart with a bang.
Alan got up and walked over to his dad, giving him possibly the biggest hug he'd ever given his dad in this lifetime. "Thank you so much dad."
"You're welcome son…I couldn't exactly ask you to forsake these pups that you've raised practically since birth. I mean they couldn't have been more than two or three days old when you found them. You're their papa and they're your pups." Jeff whispered softly. "I couldn't ask you to give them up. Not after all you done for them and to be honest…they've grown on us all. It'd have been too hard to give them up like they meant nothing to us."
"I don't even know when everyone started calling me their papa." Alan chuckled softly.
"I don't know when it came about, but after a while it just seemed natural to call you their papa. I think I started calling you that because you reminded me of me not long after you were born and we lost your mother. I had a lot of responsibility with five boys under the age of thirteen, three of which were under the age of ten and one of those youngsters being newly born. You had a lot of responsibility tending to and raising eight little puppies who didn't have a mother to help offset the balance." Jeff said softly. "Are you happy now that you don't have to give up your little ones?"
"Yes, very." Alan said softly, burying his head in his dad's shoulder. He didn't want to be seen crying, but truthfully he was overwhelmed that he'd get to keep the puppies after trying and failing to distance himself from the puppies as they aged and matured.
"Chin up son…there's no crying in baseball." Jeff said softly.
"I hate it when you quote that movie." Alan pulled back and sniffled as he wiped the happy tears from his eyes. "So, what are the chances of us having a big family dinner to properly welcome in our eight new members?"
At the mentions of dinner, there was a cacophony of yips and yaps from the prepubescent dogs and the family of six laughed as they heard the little cheers from the dogs.
"Okay, alright! Inside voices!" Alan commanded, instantly garnering a reaction. Baby-Love turned and licked Jeff's face, tail wagging ninety to nothing in joy that she gets to stay with her humans.
"Good girl Baby-Love…that's a good girl." Jeff praised when Baby-Love quit licking in favor of laying down to show off her belly in hopes of some celebratory tummy rubs.
END