Chap 20
Yes! A long awaited update to the story! It's finally Thanksgiving day. What sort of trouble could anyone POSSIBLY get into on Thanksgiving morning?
Same disclaimers, I have no right, only write to show my appreciation, make no money, blah blah. I do however LOVE GI Joe, and I buy your comics, so you should like me!
Here's the chapter, please review if you like.
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Beach woke up and twisted himself around under his blankets. Looking out showed no smalls waiting to startle him this morning. He peered blearily at the clock. It showed "6:02" and he groaned softly and untucked one arm to rub his eyes. He'd been up until the early morning hours with the others and thus had actually only slept a few hours.
"Aww.. gah." He suddenly tossed the blankets aside and sat up. His body was awake and that meant it was time to get out of bed and be moving. He scrubbed a hand over his hair and did a full minute's worth of blinking. That was enough leisure and he got up and stretched, popping his back joints into place and dressing in fatigues and teeshirt for his morning workout.
Pattering his way down the stairs quietly, he exited through the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively at all the lingering aromas. Thanksgiving at the Pit was normally a low key thing. Roadblock would leave behind some things specially made for the Joes that stayed over the holiday as the skeleton crew. But it wasn't anything super special. This promised to have food rivaling Roadblock's best.
Outside and he took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, feeling the muscles beginning to loosen up finally. His normal routine of stretching, exercises, and then finally he got ready to head out on his run. He always left the run for last as his treat.
"BeachHead!! Wait for me!"
He sighed and turned as June rushed down the steps. She'd stayed behind on a 'sleepover' which seemed to involve much more giggling and running around with Kevin than actual sleeping.
"June.. go back inside." He put his hands on his hips and stood looking at her severely. "You're not going this morning."
She came to a stop and looked at him with a confused expression. "Uh-huh! I go with you! We go for a run in the mornings!"
He shook his head, scowling at her. "No. * I * am going for a run.. while you stay here." He narrowed his eyes, giving her his best stern no-nonsense glare. He'd seen recruits quake in terror from one of his infamous glares. He hated to inflict a glare on a kid, but she'd need to finally learn when he meant business.
She looked back at him out of eyes too large for her face. Her expression changed ever so slightly to a confused hurt look.
"You're not going." His voice was firm.
Her eyes focused on him and glistened just a little bit.
"Really not going." Was that his voice softening? No.. not at all...
She sniffed a tiny bit.
"You'll just slow me up." Was that him making an excuse as to why??
She blinked slowly and stepped forward to reach up and take his hand in her tiny one. "Don't you LIKE me anymore?"
He folded. No other word for it at all. Folded like a wussy little bleeding heart putz. Taking a deep breath, he tilted his head and looked down at her. "You do realize.. recruits are going to be unknowingly cursing you for the next month as I make their lives a living nightmare to make up for being this much of a big softy.... right?"
"Does that mean I can come?"
He slumped. "Fine.. but you better go further than two measley miles.. I don't wanna be carrying you across the entire county.." He turned and stalked out of the gate and turned loose of her hand. "Stay on the grass and keep up." Setting out at a trot, he headed down the road, pacing through the short half-dead grass.
Perhaps closer to two and a half miles, and he noticed her falling behind again. Coming to a stop he waited for her to catch up and crouched. "Get on.. lord knows I need to have some small wrapped around my throat for eight danged miles." She climbed up on his back and he adjusted her arms slightly. "Try not to choke me, okay?"
"I'm sorry I can't run as far as you can." Her voice did sound a little disappointed in herself.
He grunted softly. "Well.. you're really little compared to me.. so you have to make a little run.. right?" She agreed. "So.. you did a June-length run, and I do a BeachHead-length run. So that's okay then."
"Okay!" He smiled to himself and lengthened his stride out to a comfortable run, each step sending him flying over the brightening landscape. The sun rose over the horizon almost exactly when he stopped at the halfway point to turn around. He watched the heavy clouds moving in from the west and wondered how long before it began raining.
He arrived back at the house and found Aunt Beth waiting on the porch steps for him. "Wayne, are you insane? Why are you out running at this hour?"
"I overslept."
She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, come help me start breakfast then.." He willingly followed her inside, crouching to let June climb off his back.
"Uhh.. Aunt Beth.. you realize I can't cook anything more complicated than peanut butter on crackers.. right?" He peered around at various bowls and containers.
She sighed at him and plunked a large ceramic bowl down then pointed at the sink. "Wash your hands."
"Okaay.. but when I ruin something, just don't be surprised." She snorted disdainfully. "Okay, so what can I do?"
He was given a recipe and peered at it. Aunt Beth gave him measuring cups and he sucked at his lip reading the paper a few times. "Are you sure we don't need biscuits for breakfast? Cause I'm certain to screw it up."
She shook a finger at him. "Mix the ingredients together lightly. Then tell me, and I'll show you how to make the biscuits."
Shaking his head, he measured and stirred, trying to make certain all his measurements were precise. He figured a little bit of eggshell would just add calcium. "Okay.. I'm finished."
She came to look and raised an eyebrow. Sticking a finger in, she fished out a few bits of eggshell. He raised his hands. "What? It's just little bits. Umm.. calcium is good for bones and stuff." She declined to comment and stirred it a bit more before throwing flour on the tabletop. "Why are you doing that?"
"So the dough won't stick to the table." She rolled the heap around easily. "Okay.. you knead it a little bit like this. Don't overwork it." He watched her smushing the dough around and figured it looked easy enough.
"Uhh yeah.. I wouldn't know anything about overworking." She brandished a spoon at him and he ducked reflexably. "Don't whap me! You O'Hara women are all violent!"
"I will whap you.. just knead that."
"I'm kneading! I'm kneading!" The dough obviously didn't like him as much as it liked Aunt Beth, because it stuck to his hands and he had to constantly peel bits off and put it back into the wad. She took pity on him after several minutes and fixed it back into a obedient blob. Rolling it out flat was a lot easier.
Cutting out the biscuit rounds with a glass looked easy, until he realized that getting them out of the glass seemed impossible. Aunt Beth took it away and showed him again, clicking the glass down onto the flattened dough and lifting it to shake gently and make a perfect round biscuit. He took it back and spent five minutes getting a wad of dough pried out of the glass. He was sighed at, so he repeated that he'd told her he was no cook.
Finally she gave him batter to stir while she finished putting the somewhat mangled biscuits into the oven. Beating eggs was next, which caused him to get whapped when he mentioned he did an 'egggggscellant' job of beating things. Aunt Beth finally put him to slicing up fruit to keep him out of trouble. When he ran out of fruit to slice, she gave him a set of tongs to stand in front of a pan full of bacon. His job seemed to be poking the bacon every so often to make sure it was cooking. In his mind, the bacon would cook all by itself, but she had the big whapping spoon, so he stood there and poked the bacon every so often.
Surprisingly to him, Sean was the first one to appear. He gave Aunt Beth a kiss to her cheek and plucked up a slice of melon to stuff into his mouth. "Mornin'." He peered at BeachHead for a second. "Mornin' BeachHead.. cookin?"
"Ahh.. sort of. She made me." He turned back to poke at the bacon. "Aunt Beth.. I think it's burning." She rushed over to rescue the pan from his inept poking. "Sorry.. it just started doing that."
"Wayne.. you really are a disaster in the kitchen." He shrugged. "Take the biscuits out." He did manage to remove the pan from the oven without destroying any more food.
By the time she was attempting to teach him to make pancakes, most of the rest of the people had staggered or wandered into the kitchen. June was seated in a chair in the corner, pointing out that BeachHead wasn't nearly as good at making the pancakes as Curious George.
"Har de har har.. I don't have monkey feet to toss the pancakes over with."
Aunt Beth sighed heavily. "Flip them, not toss them. That one is ready.."
He grunted and slipped the spatula under the pancake and carefully turned it over. "Ha!! See! I can do it!" He started to poke at another one. "How do you know when it's ready to turn over?"
She pointed at the edges. "See the little bubbles? Turn that one."
He did and hummed softly. "Ahh.. I see. It's such a mystery.. I always figured that when it started to smoke you knew it was done." She shook her head and pinched at his cheek making him duck away. "Hey hey.. hands off the sergeant major.." She tweaked at his nose instead and he grinned then looked past her. "Morning Scarlett! Look.. I'm cooking!"
Scarlett blinked and tugged her robe more snugly around her. "Oh great. Is there anything edible? What's the odor? Something burn?"
BeachHead frowned. "No... almost burned.." She nodded and accepted a cup of coffee from Seth.
Aunt Beth began setting out plates. "Everyone go ahead and start.. and yes.. BeachHead has been a great help this morning. Sean was busy putting together the roasts for the smoker, so I needed a kitchen monkey."
Sean grinned. "Monkey is right.. 'anything a half-trained monkey could do' is exactly what Beach is good at."
BeachHead plucked up a strawberry to throw at him. "Shut it."
Scarlett picked up a biscuit then peered at it carefully. "What happened to the biscuits?"
"BeachHead happened to them.. they don't taste nearly as bad as they look." BeachHead threw another bit of fruit at Sean. "Hey.. cut it out kitchen monkey!"
Aunt Beth smacked Sean and then Beach in rapid succession. "You two stop that. Wayne, you're letting the pancakes burn."
He quickly flipped the rest of the pancakes. "No no.. not burned.." He poked at the worst ones. "Some are.. maybe a little.. well... they're cajun style pancakes."
A loud snort made them turn to see SnakeEyes entering the kitchen already dressed although his hair was still scruffy looking over the bandanna that seemed to be his standard morning wear for when it was just the immediate family. *You let BeachHead cook?*
Aunt Beth pointed at him with her spoon. "You just hush, Wayne's been a good help."
Seth suddenly turned to BeachHead. "Wayne?"
He received a deadly looking scowl. "Yeah?" Seth raised his eyebrows and looked at Scarlett who glared a warning at him.
Seth smiled and shrugged a little. "Nothing. Soooo.. BeachHead.. you gonna help out with all today's cooking too?"
"Maybe." He removed all the pancakes to a platter to set on the table. Aunt Beth came over to pour more. "Naw.. I can do it.. I watched you do it.. looks easy.." He carefully dripped the batter onto the griddle and then grunted. "Oops.. that one is for SnakeEyes.."
*Why do I get the bad one?*
"I didn't say it was bad! It's just... it'll be fine!" Beach grumbled to himself. Sallah came and peered over his arm at the pancakes. She rested her hand on his forearm gently with her face very close to his shoulder and he suddenly shifted away. "Hey.. there's plenty on the table.."
She tilted her face up at him and smiled and he noted that of everyone who'd come into the kitchen so far, she was the only fully dressed person. He wondered if that meant something, and resolved he'd ask SnakeEyes later on.
Scarlett saved him this time, calling Sallah to come sit by her. SnakeEyes sat on her other side, much to her carefully hidden disappointment when Beach settled on the far end of the table. Other than some good natured teasing over the occasional blackened pancake and the lumpy biscuits, everyone did agree that breakfast wasn't bad.
There was more talking and laughter than eating, which was nothing like the messhall in the mornings normally. At least, nothing like the messhall when BeachHead was likely to be there eating breakfast. Early mornings meant people were busy eating before heading off to whatever task had gotten them up early. Few Joes were such morning people that they would voluntarily get up early and then make cheerful conversation. BeachHead was happy to get his coffee and food down so he could get out to beat the greenshirts or Joes he was training out to the PT courses. Here, everyone joked and stole the food off their neighbor's plates, offered syrup or butter or jam around, teased each other and made the plans for the day.
"Beach.." Scarlett reached over to take the blackberry jam from in front of his plate. "Mmm, my favorite.." She spooned some onto her misshapen biscuit. "We have a family tradition that we'll be doing today.. but you don't have to come." He looked at her cautiously. "It's a trip to the family plot.. in the cemetery and well.. it's a family thing. I don't want you to feel like you have to come, it's fine."
Aunt Beth spoke up. "Beach can stay here with me. I watch the little kids, and keep the food cooking." She gave him a wicked glance. "I'd leave you here alone with the food and kids, but I think we'd like to have both edible dinner and live kiddos this evening."
He tilted his head at the laughter. "Oh I see.. I'm yer faithful kitchen monkey.. and ya make fun-a me." She leaned over to nudge his shoulder with hers. "Never mind that it's probably true.."
"Hello??" The strange voice from just outside the kitchen made SnakeEyes jump out of his chair and disappear through the backdoor just as the door swung open and a young couple entered. "Hey, we're here! Made it!" BeachHead started to get up to go check to see that his friend was okay when Scarlett shook her head.
Her voice was pitched for him to hear, while the others greeted the young people, fussing over the infant they carried in their arms. "He's fine Beach. He'll go in the upper story window and get dressed, put on a mask." He settled back into his chair and then shifted slightly further away from Aunt Beth who cuddled the baby, cooing at it.
He stood as the young lady held out a hand to him. "Hello.. nice to meet you."
Jack motioned to her and to her good-looking husband talking to Sarah and Seth. "This is Amanda, she's our cousin. That's her hubby Frank the most perfect man in the universe EVER.. yeah, they make us gag, sappier than even SnakeEyes and Shana, I swear. Oh.. and the itty bitty perfect beeeeby Amy.." Jack reached to tickle at the infant in Aunt Beth's arms. "Hey Amanda.. this is BeachHead.. he's one of Shana's friends. He helped make breakfast without destroying too much food which I'm informed was a true holiday miracle."
"Ha ha. Just remember, you're the ones washing dishes today." BeachHead held up his hands as Aunt Beth tried to hand him the baby. "Oh no.. no no.. that's okay. I'm fine without the baby. I'll probably break it."
Amanda gathered the gurgling infant up to hold in her arms. "Oh I'm sure you won't break her.. Amy is a real sturdy baby." She suddenly deposited it into his arms without warning and he had to either hold it or drop it. "See? She won't bite you!"
He huffed and struggled to get the squirming infant settled in some way that didn't make him feel he was about to drop it on it's little fuzzy head. "Oh this is a baaad idea.. really.. here.. take it back.." Instead she put his arms a certain way with a few tugs and nudges. "Okay.. yeah I get it.. holding the baby.. how wonderful.. take it back."
She shook her head. "No, you hold her a while.. look, she likes you. See her smiling?" He looked down into the tiny face with blurry unfocused eyes and chubby cheeks. "Just support her head like this.." He shifted one hand to cup her head properly. "There.. see? That's not hard!"
He held the little mite in her arms and watched her face screw up in comical expressions. He wasn't sure if it was happy expressions or she was about to begin bawling at the nervous stranger holding her. Jack reached to tickle her and she made happy sounding gurgles.
"Is she supposed to sound like she's gargling?" He bounced her a little bit very gently. "Uhh.. hi." She seemed to like the movement and waved little fists at him.
Jack laughed at him. "Yeah.. that's a normal baby noise BeachHead." He sighed as he was called over to the sink. "Gotta go wash the first of the two billion dishes today.. it'd go tons faster if you'd help out too, you know."
BeachHead smiled at the infant and then raised his eyes at Jack. "Remember when I said 'I don't wash dishes' when I won that bet? You guys lost, fair and square."
"I know I know... I don't gotta like it." The youngest of the boys slumped over to be handed a bottle of dishsoap by Seth. With all four boys working on it, the breakfast mess was quickly being cleaned up.
SnakeEyes did reappear, looking a great deal more hesitant with Frank and Amanda, although he immediately came to peer at the infant that BeachHead hadn't managed to pass off to anyone. The sergeant major gratefully gave it over to the ninja. His cloth mask didn't seem to bother the baby in the least and he propped her onto his shoulder to pat her on the back gently.
BeachHead watched him and shook his head. "You act like you know what you're doing there Snakes.. wouldn't have guessed you to be all maternal." He was given a head tilt and a snort as reply. "I know.. we get back to base and you're gonna take this all out on me on the hand-to-hand mats." The ninja snorted again and then turned to Amanda as she approached him.
"Hi SnakeEyes.. oh look.. Amy likes you.. " She looked as if she wanted to take the baby back, and SnakeEyes lifted her from his shoulder to hand her back. "Thanks.. I wondered if one of you would help Frank get the baby's things from the car? The boys are all so busy cleaning up."
BeachHead agreed and went out with the commando to the cars, blinking up at the low dark cloudy sky. He looked over at the silent man striding beside him. "She seemed a little nervous around you.. they not used to you like the rest?"
*Yes. I've only met them twice. Scarlett explains about..* He motioned towards his face. *But I still make them uneasy. It's okay.*
"I guess. Hi Frank.. I'm BeachHead.. you know SnakeEyes, right? Your wife sent us out to help you carry things."
Frank looked from one to the other and swallowed. "Ahh.. thanks.. "
Beach jerked his head at the masked commando. "Don't worry, he already ate breakfast, so he won't pull out your liver to munch on." The young man looked startled. "Oh.. that was a joke.. really. Sorry, I'm not very good at making jokes."
* * * *
Aunt Beth cradled little Amy in her arms and watched the group leaving. They'd gotten dressed nicely and gathered up umbrellas and raincoats. It was a remarkably unsomber group for people headed to a cemetery to his eyes. But then, it wasn't his family tradition, and he had no idea what sort of visit they made.
He'd helped Aunt Beth put two turkeys into the oven, one with different spices which he was assured was just as delicious as the normally baked one. He'd helpfully pointed out that he regularly ate freeze dried MRE rations, so he was certain to like whatever either one tasted like. Somehow it had seemed more complimentary of a comment inside his head.
Rather than going with the group, SnakeEyes chose to head out to the dojo to run through his katas and meditate. BeachHead watched him stride out in loose fitting clothing to exercise in and wished he could go hide out in a dojo and exercise himself. He'd already agreed to help out the matriarch though.
"Wayne.. come out and I'll show you how to baste the roasts in the smoker. Take that bowl and the baster.." He followed her out to the back porch, peering out at the kids playing in the backyard with Buster.
He opened up the smoker and sniffed at the meat roasts. "Smells tasty already. How long until they finish cooking?" He sucked up the fluid to squeeze over the meat, listening to the sizzling as it dripped.
The kids rushed past with Buster in pursuit. Aunt Beth nodded at them. "They'll be tired by early afternoon. The roasts will take most of today to finish cooking." Once inside again, she put Amy into a high chair where she gurgled and grasped at several bright colored toys. June, Kevin and the other half dozen children came through with the shepard and Aunt Beth shooed them away from the oven. "Yes.. you've had breakfast.. not time for snacks yet, go on and go play in the living room." June took a moment to hug BeachHead's leg tightly before she ran off yelling loudly.
She turned to him and looked him over with a thoughtful gaze. "Why don't you build up the fire, bring in some more firewood for today, then you can come help me with things in the kitchen." He nodded agreeably. Carrying wood was entirely preferable to attempting to not ruin perfectly good food.
Even carefully stacking the extra wood, and poking the fire up into the best formation to burn long and slow didn't take very long and he finally sighed and went to wash up. "Wayne, just in time. I need to go check the roasts and put these beans on beside them."
He nodded at her, wiping his hands dry on a towel. "Sure.. what can I do?"
"Watch the baby, you can feed her.. it'll just take me a few minutes." She picked up two heavy dutch oven pots and smiled at his look of dismay.
"Wait.. what do you mean.. watch it?" He gazed at the little baby sitting in the high chair. "Feed it?" She chuckled and pointed at a small dish. "Feed it that mushy stuff? Shouldn't it have milk?"
"Wayne you just spoon the food into HER mouth. Not 'it', say 'her'." Aunt Beth pointed and he sighed. "It's not hard.. just give her some of the strained peas until I get back inside. It's good for you, builds character for you to interact with the kids."
"I think I'm enough of a character.." His mutter wasn't quite low enough and she raised her eyebrow at him. "Yes ma'am. Feed the young-un. Got it." She waited until he picked up the bowl and spoon before she left. Looking down at the infant who gurgled at him, he scooped up the mush and sniffed at it. "I might eat it.. but somehow I think most folks wouldn't care for this stuff. Maybe you babies like weird food though. Here.." He offered a spoonful to her and she helpfully ignored the spoon to bang one of the pink plastic shapes on the tray instead. "Naw.. come on.. you're supposed to eat this stuff.." When she opened her mouth to make a happy noise, he stuck the spoonful into her mouth and watched as she sucked the goop off of it. "Oh.. that's how it's done, huh? Well, I can handle that."
Two spoonfuls went in just like the first, then she spat out a large glob. He grimaced. "Well, that's not supposed to happen. Once you eat it, you keep your food." She seemed very pleased to have drooled out the goop, and the way it smelled, he really didn't blame her much. He gave her another glop and she swallowed and then began looking at the tray, patting it with both fists. "What? Don't worry about your toy.. eat this.. come on.." She twisted her face away and whined. "Look.. mm.. eat this.."
When she began to whimper looking for the silly toy, he got up to look for it. "Alright alright.. so I'm finding the thing, hang on." Leaning over the chair, he looked for the plastic shape. He didn't notice his dog tags clinking free of his teeshirt to swing enticingly in front of the baby. Not until her chubby fist closed on them. "Hey! Hey come on.. turn those loose.. that's not your toy.. look..." Twisting himself around, he tried to tug backwards but she refused to let go. "Ahh.. yeah.. this is great.."
He tried glowering at her from the eight inches of slack he had. "Now you let go, right now!" She reached up and tried to grab his nose and he turned his face out of range. "Stop it.. now.. Amy.. yeah.. Amy.. good baby.. turn loose.." She made a secondary grab and got a handful of hair. She didn't have big hands, but that just meant it was a bit more painful as she enthusiastically tugged at what she got. "Ow.. ow ow.. yeah.. definitely should have gotten a haircut.." Reaching up, he gently tugged at her hand until the hair slipped through her fingers.
"Now.. just leggo my dog tags.." Trying to pry her hands loose from those was impossible. "Who the heck ever made up that stupid thing about 'taking candy from a baby' never had to pry dog tags loose from one. Come on.." She giggled and gurgled and tugged at her prize and he spotted the pink toy on the floor. "Oh hey.. there's your toy.. I'll get it for you..." He tried to reach it and was predictably just out of range. "Awww.. leggo.. come on.. I promise no more strained peas. I'll give ya a leftover biscuit."
Failing to get her to turn loose, he finally grasped the chain and fumbled to find the tiny fastener. "Of course.. it's in yer grubby little hand. Why would that surprise me." He hesitated but ducked his head down out of the loop of chain. It felt wrong but he shook his head, trying to ignore the unease he felt at the absence of the familiar chain around his neck.
"Okay.. where's your toy.." He grabbed it off the floor and immediately found it a bit too dirty to consider giving back to her. Taking it to the sink to rinse it, he turned to talk to her. "Alright.. so now I'll give you the toy.. you give me the tags.. even swap.. good deal huh?" The running water covered the slight clink of the tags and chain hitting the floor. "All clean.." Wiping the toy dry, he walked over and dangled the toy at her.
"Here ya go.. now.." He looked at her empty hands reaching for the toy. "Wait.." He let her grasp the pink seashell and began to look fruitlessly for the tags and chain. "You just had 'em.." Buster banged through the kitchen door and ran into his leg. "Oh go on.. stupid dog.. get outa the kitchen!"
Buster lunged around the table twice before he ducked to the floor and then ran for the living room again. "Yeah.. go play with the kids." BeachHead continued to look for the missing tags.
Aunt Beth returned to find him on hands and knees under the kitchen table. "Wayne! What the devil are you doing hiding under the table!?" Her voice was between outrage and confusion.
He started up, banged his head sharply on the underside of the table and backed out, muttering loudly to himself. "I'm not HIDING! I'm looking for my danged dog tags! Your little terrorist baby there snatched them, and now I can't find them!" He got to his feet. "She doesn't like strained peas by the way."
The short plump woman was trying not to laugh at him, rather unsuccessfully. "Oh Wayne.. I'm sorry.. I'm sure they're here somewhere." He frowned at her. "You have... have strained peas in your hair.." She let out a chortle. "I only left you alone in here for ten minutes..."
"Yeah.. well.." He reached up to pat his hair. "Oh gawd.. that's some nasty stuff. How can you feed that to a innocent baby?" His hand went almost unconsciously to his neck, feeling for the missing chain. "I gotta find those tags.. "
June and Kevin ran in and tugged his pants leg. "BeachHead!! BeachHead!!"
"What? I'm busy right now!" He peered at the floor around the oven. "Go play."
"But BeachHead!! Buster gots your necklace!" He froze and then turned around slowly. "He ran outside with it!"
"He what?" He was picturing Hawk's face when he stood in his office explaining how he managed to cause a security breach by losing the special dog tags he'd worn since his inception into GI Joe. The tags weren't just a flat metal ID, but had embedded technology. Trying to explain that an infant had caused him to allow a dog to run off with them.. that wouldn't go well. "WHAT?!? Where's that danged dog?! I'll murder him!" He raced off, dodging another kid in the living room and jumping the couch as he hit the front door and raced out onto the porch. "BUSTER!! You stupid dog! Where are you!?"
The shepard came racing up agreeably. Beach grabbed at him, kneeling on the ground to pull his mouth open to look, ignoring the dirt and mud. "Spit them out! Dang it! Where are they!?" Buster chose to lick him in the face and jump on his back. "Stop it! You stupid bowwow!"
"Wayne!!" Aunt Beth came out, holding the baby in her arm. "Wayne have you gone mad?!?"
He got up and looked at her. "No! He took my dog tags! I have to get them back! I HAVE TO!!" His frantic face convinced her this wasn't simply a case of him being attached to that particular set of ID. He pointed at the dog who still gamboled around him happily. "Bad dog! BAD DOG!!!" Buster lowered his head. "Where's my tags!?"
"I'm so sorry Wayne, but he's probably dropped them somewhere in the yard.. or buried them. He is covered in mud."
BeachHead groaned. "Of course he has.." He sighed and looked at her. "I gotta find them.. I'll find them.."
She took a deep breath, hefting the infant on her hip. "I can help.."
"No.. no you have things to do." On cue, the rain began to drizzle down on him and he looked up into the sky. "Really?? REALLY!?!" He sighed and stood there getting rained on in the yard with a ecstatic muddy dog at his feet. "Go inside Aunt Beth. You have the kids to watch.. food to cook.. I'll find them. He can't have taken them far."
Looking uncertain about it, she nodded, moving back inside the door. "Wayne.. you should come inside.. it's raining."
Shaking his head, he glared at the dog, feeling the chill rain beginning to soak his hair and teeshirt already. "No.. I gotta find those tags."
After an hour of attempting to figure out which of the recently dug up spots held his missing tags, Beach was about to strangle the dog and cut him open to make sure he hadn't eaten the things. Buster was enthused about helping him and often helpfully dug at the ground near Beach, throwing mud on him as often as not. He was already covered in mud up to his eyebrows from digging in the dirt by hand. The rain hadn't gotten much worse than a medium light rainfall, being just enough to keep him thoroughly drenched and cold.
He heard the returning vehicles just as he saw the slightest glimpse of something shiny in a muddy spot under a bush. Diving over, he grabbed and dragged the chain out of the mud, plucking the tags out of the ground with a smacking plop. "Ahhh... got ya." He got to his feet slowly, wiping the worst of the filth off the tags and flinging it aside. Looking down at the dog wagging his tail beside him, he growled lowly. "You bad dog! Don't you EVER touch these again!" Buster shook himself all over and trotted off to his dog house, uninterested in BeachHead if he was done being entertaining with the digging and shouting. "Stupid danged dog.. stupid danged vacation.. yeah, I was under STRESS on base.. not like HERE!" He swiped a hand across his face, feeling the grit and dirt under his fingers. "Great."
Slogging up the porch steps, he paused to shake himself all over rather like the shaggy dog had done only minutes earlier. Snorting at the rain flowing in his eyes, he stepped up to the porch itself only to stop at the sight of a horrified Scarlett and family.
She stared at his bedraggled state. "BeachHead.. what.. what are you doing?"
He narrowed his gaze at her. "Yeah.. got tired of being clean.. went and rolled in the muddy ditch for a couple hours." He paused and reached to scratch behind his ear. "Man, do I feel BETTER!" He shook his head again, slinging the worst of the mud out of his hair. Then he wiped his feet on the mat before he went upstairs to shower and change.
Jack watched him go up the stairs, dripping the entire way. "You know Sis.. nothing personal.. but some of your friends just ain't right in the head."
She sighed. "Yeah.. I know. Boy.. do I know."
* * * *
End Chapter:
So next up is the Thanksgiving gathering and dinner. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Poor BeachHead.. somehow the whole idea of a stress-free calm holiday just isn't panning out for him so well.