"Would you care to join us for a walk, Mr. Reese?"
At the sound of his favorite word, Bear jumps from his bed and bounds to the coat rack to nose his leash. He turns, eagerly awaiting the humans to start moving in his direction, his nails clicking out a message of impatience as he dances in place with barely suppressed energy: hurry, hurry, hurry….
"I don't know Finch…I've always heard 'two's company, three's a crowd'." Reese replies, not bothering to look up from his book.
"I'm sure Bear won't mind."
...
For days now skies have been gray and rain has fallen intermittently, making such outdoor excursions less than pleasant. But now with the sun out and rain a forgotten memory, he takes a couple of deep breaths, savoring the snappish cold. A good day for a walk…
They've taken this route many times, crossing the busy streets into the park. It's a pleasant area for a stroll, with well groomed trails lined intermittently with benches. Peaceful. Quiet. They walk at a leisurely pace, a bit too slow for his liking…or comfort…but he shortens his stride to match that of the man beside him.
Every time they've walked this way he puzzles over the infirmity that causes his friend to move with such stiffness and is tempted to touch the stylishly clothed leg. Would he discover part of it to be metal? It wouldn't be a surprise…mangled limbs were all too often a result of military action, and many of the men he's met who limped like this functioned on artificial parts.
But he's never seen the older man without his elegant clothing and knows instinctively that touching that leg to satisfy his curiosity would not be welcomed, so he remains conscious of his position and makes the effort to stay even.
At this slow pace, he can thoroughly take in the surroundings, scan the treed areas, inspect the people passing them. That's a result of his training of course, and a habit he's probably never going to break. Like recalling precisely former activities sparked by current images. For instance, around the bend, there will be a large grassy field to the left of the trail, a bit of country in the middle of the Big Apple. And it's obviously not just his favorite part of the park for the open area always attracts people trying to find relief from the noises and crowds of the city.
He scrutinizes the area. The last time they were here…
And yes! There she is again…walking with a friend, a woman. The blond that had so fascinated him the time before. Such beautiful legs, gorgeous body. Lovely blond hair that is slightly darker on top and then lightens where it covers her shoulders. And every once in a while, when a slight breeze blows their way, he can catch the scent of an alluring perfume.
They trail her for a while, but the sedate speed set by his companion soon allows the pair ahead to pull away and he thinks about stepping up the pace…but with that infirmity the limping man would never be able to keep up. And on these walks, he's more than just a companion to the weaker man; he's also taken on the role of protector. He won't leave him behind.
But then they round another corner and he sees the blond sitting patiently alone while her companion attempts to coax water from an ancient drinking fountain. Oh, this is a temptation hard to resist! He glances at his friend questioningly.
"Oh, go on! I know you want to go see her. I'll wait here."
Given that permission, he turns and heads toward the blond, pulled in by her perfume like a fish on a reel...
...
Finch unclips the leash, allowing Bear to race into the chamber where the ex-op is seated in the auxiliary chair, a book on his lap and his long legs comfortably positioned on the pristine desk top. Finch sighs. He has managed to train his employee to take the extra chair, but evidently can't convince him to keep his big feet on the floor. That will have to be the next goal…
Reese glances up from his book. "Glad you texted me Finch, or I'd have been out looking for you."
Finch doesn't respond but hangs up his coat, fumbling through various pockets until finding the item he seeks. Then palming the scrap of paper, he limps to the computer station and hands it to the ex-op.
"Here. As a responsible pet owner, I will expect you to take care of this."
Reese raises an eyebrow questioningly, reaches for the paper and unfolds it. "It's a ticket. From the park police." He looks up at his benefactor. "And for quite a large amount!"
Finch lowers himself into his chair, and stretching his aching leg under the desk, scowls at the ex-op.
"Your dog…" he says with emphasis on the pronoun, "Decided to go off on a romp with another…the golden retriever we met the other day. And by the time I got my wits together to call him, he was too far away to hear!"
Reese glances at the ticket again. Harold is obviously upset by the incident and if he were anyone else, with good reason; it is a sizable fine! But considering the computer genius' wealth, this cost is insignificant and won't even qualify as a line item among their other expenses. Even he could pay this out of his generous salary and never notice. So what has gotten his benefactor so upset?
"So what happened, Finch?"
The computer geek snorts, an obvious precursor to what will likely be a condemnation of this day's activities.
"By the time the other owner and I caught up with them, they had already been…impounded!" He sighs heavily, his disgust evident. "We had to go to the shelter and pay their bail to get them out. Which by the way is also not cheap, and I will be docking your pay for that as well!"
Finch turns, glowering at Bear. But the dog is thoroughly focused on the ear rub his Alpha is providing, the park incident a past event and no longer a memory of interest. Leaning into the Tall Man's caress, he meets Finch's eyes innocently, his dark bronze eyes free of even an iota of remorse.
"So what's this ticket for?" Reese asks, scanning the scrap of paper again, while continuing to administer to the now languid dog. "Seems a bit extravagant for breaking the parks leash law."
Finch snorts again. "It wasn't just for running off leash. When the park police found the two they were engaging in some very…inappropriate…behavior!"
Reese concentrates on stroking Bear as he conjures up the image that has Finch so flustered! He understands his employer's embarrassment, but considering the struggles they had solving The Machine's numbers this past week, this whole innocent event is welcome entertainment and he has a hard time keeping his amusement to himself.
Then Finch adds, "…on the children's play ground!" …and Reese bites his lip to keep from smiling.
Finch continues, sputtering his indignation. "I'll never be able to walk in that park area again without having some irate mommy or nanny attack me!"
This time Reese ducks his head, but the laughter that had been threatening to bubble up finally breaks free. Bear looks at his Alpha in confusion. This is not a sound he normally associates with the Tall Man…
"Not funny, Mr. Reese! There could be some unintended consequences…!"
Reese finally gets his mirth under control, and resolutely not glancing at his boss, places his hands on each side of the dogs head and looks into the dark eyes staring back so adoringly.
"Bear! You could be a daddy…!"