My Dog is Chase Devineaux

Chase is transformed into a dog after wishing he understood Carmen Sandiego and why she tried to save him. Carmen finds him and adopts him. Chase becomes a part of the team as a dog and slowly develops feelings for Carmen. Maybe she is not the villain he thought her to be or maybe he's just falling in love. Oh help, he's in trouble now. Julia is worried about her partner and V.I.L.E hates Carmen's new ally. Chase/Carmen

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

It's finally here, the reunion for Chase and Carmen! For more emotional emphasis please play the music in the last scene of The Incredible Journey: Homeward Bound, where Peter and Shadow are running towards each other.

Thank you everyone for all the reviews, likes and alerts.

Chapter 8: Reunion and After

Chase couldn't believe what he was seeing, after six days on the island the sight before him was not only beautiful but almost impossible. He stepped forward and then stopped, she turned her head towards him and gasped.

Carmen couldn't believe what she was seeing behind her, she was afraid that this was a dream. Chase wagged his tail. She then shouted, "CHASE!" and started running towards him, "CHASE! OH MY GOD, CHASE!" A gust of wind blew off her hat but she didn't care.

Chase started running at the same time she did, "CARMEN! CARMEN!" he barked. The distance between them seemed endless as he ran up the hill and she ran down it, eventually, finally meeting each other. Chase jumped right into Carmen's outstretched arms, "CARMEN!" he barked, his tail having not stopped wagging since it started He was licking her all over the face and everywhere else, he couldn't sit still, he was moving around everywhere in her arms. Eventually, they toppled over, Carmen giving him a big hug.

"Oh Chase," she sobbed, "I missed you much, it was awful without you. I'm never losing you ever again, never, never, never. I love you so much," tears of joy and relief streaming down her face.

"I missed you Carmen, so, so much. I never want to be parted from you ever again, ever," he barked, snuggling into her. Oh, it felt so good to be in her arms again. He finally felt safe and his heart flowed with joy and love for her. He licked at the tearstains on her cheeks. "It's ok now Carmen, I'm here, we're together again, don't cry," he whined, pushing his head under her chin. She stroked him, hugging him just a little bit tighter. He didn't complain but felt that something had been dreadfully wrong while he'd been stuck here. He pushed back and looked at her, his eyes searching for something. "Oh, oh Carmen, I'm so sorry," he whimpered, seeing the stress on her face and bags under her eyes. He licked her cheek gently, she'd walked a grey road in the past six days, he could tell. He'd walked that road too, after his parent's deaths. It was ok though, he was back with her again and he'd help her. It was then Chase realised what his real role on the team was, he was Carmen's emotional support, her greatest confidant. He mentally smiled, he'd never leave her side again, she needed him too much…and he needed her.

"Chase, oh my sweet Chase, do those monsters do anything to you?" she asked, inspecting him. Apart from the fact that he was dirty, smelled, and needed a bath he seemed healthy enough. He did wince a tiny bit when she touched his throat. She frowned, "Let's go, I need to take you to the vet and then you're going to be pampered and get a good meal and everything," she said, standing up.

He barked, happy to hear that but he noticed that her hat was tumbling around on the ground and he wriggled in her arms to get down. "Chase?" she asked, confused. He barked and ran after her hat, catching it in his mouth and bringing it back to her, his tail wagging. "Thanks, Chase, good boy," she said, scratching his ears. His tongue hung out happily at that. He jumped into her arms again. "Shadowsan, bring round the chopper, we're going home," she said.

Chase didn't know how he would react to Shadowsan but then realised that he didn't need to treat the man any differently, he just needed to be there for Carmen when the truth was finally out; that was his job, to support her, not create tension between himself and the man who had defected from V.I.L.E. to help Carmen. The helicopter appeared, just in time as the four members of the Faculty appeared, looking tired, stressed, and bruised.

Carmen smirked at them, "I think you've all learned a big and important lesson, don't kidnap my dog. Au revoir." She grabbed a hold of the rope ladder and Shadowsan got them all out of there. Chase was barking up a storm as they left.

"So long suckers!" he barked as the rope ladder was pulled up by the siblings. Carmen stepped inside and sat down right away, holding Chase close.

"Chase!" shouted the siblings happily.

'Oh no, not you two. I did not miss you at all,' he didn't give them a speck of attention as he laid down on Carmen's lap.

"Hey, why isn't he happy to see us?" asked Zack.

"Give him a break you two, he's been through a lot. Let's get him back to France and his vet first. Once he's feeling better he'll greet you or something along those lines," said Carmen with a big smile. She cuddled him close and he certainly wasn't protesting, he just licked her in response. He looked at Shadowsan and gave a bark of acknowledgment. Shadowsan could see right away that Carmen was practically back to her old self and he was eternally grateful to the dog. He nodded back.

"It is good to see you, Chase," he said. Chase was surprised but figured that he must have had quite a time with Carmen during their separation and he did look slightly stressed. He gave him another bark and wagged his tail a little before continuing cuddle therapy with Carmen, she needed it.

"What the? He greets Shadowsan but not us?" asked Ivy.

Carmen didn't answer, she was too busy cuddling Chase and cooing over him to bother. She noticed that his ears were almost completely upright by now but still a bit soft and floppy. "Oh my gosh, you're twelve weeks old now, you're going to start losing your baby teeth soon," she said. "We'll get them checked by Dr. Greeth when we get there."

"Great, just what I needed," he whined. He'd been lucky to have a full set of milk teeth when he'd first turned into a dog, now he had to go through the pain of getting his adult teeth.

"Don't worry, I'll get you what you need," said Carmen hugging him. Chase sighed in relief and closed his eyes. He felt sleepy after all the excitement. "My poor Chase, just rest now, we're together again, forever," Carmen reassured him and he had no doubt about that. He fell asleep but Ivy did ask where his collar was. "Someone probably took it off him or he lost it, maybe in an attempt to escape, they could have used it to choke him. I'll get him a new one while at the vet," said Carmen. It took some time but they made it to the nearest airport and then flew to France.

France

Carmen took Chase to the vet herself, wanting no one to go with her. "I'm his owner, he's my responsibility, so you two stay here and get things ready, get some take-out or something. I'll get something for myself so don't worry about me," she said, getting in one of their cars and driving off with Chase. He sat in the passenger seat and enjoyed the ride, he liked it, that it was just him and Carmen.

When they walked into the vets the same girl that was there before greeted them and again they were not impressed by her lack of professionalism.

"Good morning Dr. Greeth, it's been a long time," said Carmen after they walked in to see Dr. Greeth.

"Carmen, Chase, good to see you, how have you been?" he asked with a happy smile.

"Not so good, it's a long story that I can't go into much detail on but long story short Chase was dognapped last week by my enemies in order to get to me and I've spent the last six days trying to find him. It's been stressful, to say the least," said Carmen, and Chase whined. He jumped up onto the examining table and then licked her face, trying to cheer her up. She smiled.

"My, that's terrible! Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am now that Chase is back. I was worried sick. This whole thing made me realise just how much I need him, he's my emotional support, my confidant. I didn't know how badly off I was without him. Is it normal to be so dependant after one adopts a dog?" she asked and Chase listened carefully, he wanted to know that answer too. It worried him, was Carmen always like this, even before he was turned into a dog?

"I can assure you, it's perfectly normal, even for the short amount of time you've had him. How would you describe yourself when you're around him?"

"Relaxed, happy, I feel calmer and less stressed. Even just hugging him makes me feel less tense," said Carmen, "I tell him a lot and he doesn't judge me, he just looks at me and seems to know just what to do, whether he gets me to take him on a walk, play with him or acts silly to make me smile," she said, stroking Chase's fur. "Having a reason to get up in the morning other than my job is great, I can focus on what he needs to stay happy and healthy."

"Miss Rouge, everything you've said is completely normal. As I said the first time we met, dogs and even other animals are great for taking your mind off of stressful things, they calm you down and you focus on them instead of your stress. You must have a lot more stress going on in your life than even you realised. I'm no therapist but I can recommend this, a lot of time together and take some time off work to just relax. Chase will help you through it, I can guarantee it," said Greeth kindly.

"Thanks a lot. Now that I know that it's normal, let's get to taking care of Chase," she said and he agreed. Chase was worried though, how much had Carmen suffered without him?

After the examination, Greeth told Carmen that there was some bruising on Chase's neck, and he was not underweight but not a normal weight. "Getting him back on a regular diet with regular exercise will fix the problem," Greeth assured Carmen and Chase. He also gave advice for Chase's teething. Carmen and Chase left the vet, much happier than when they arrived, Carman having bought Chase a new collar, he'd actually chosen it himself this time, a nice red one. He looked very smart. She also got the best puppy teething gel she could and edible chew treats as well.

"Let's go, Chase," she said, putting their purchases in the car and he barked, very proud of his new collar and leash. He'd insisted on a red one, to him, it signified his total turn around as a person and leaving his old life behind, which included who he'd been and A.C.M.E. Carmen did get her own food and returned to the hotel they'd booked. She opened the door to her room and Carmen got everything settled. Chase was delighted to see his basket and practically leapt into it.

"Oh, I missed this. Never thought I'd say that," he barked happily and his ears pricked at the sweet sound of food filling his food bowl. He ran over, waiting for Carmen to finish. He looked up at her and she nodded, he dug in only to bark in pain a moment later.

"Chase?" Carmen asked in alarm.

"OW! My tooth," he yelped, pawing at his mouth.

"Hold still, stand Chase, stay," said Carmen and he listened, though it was painful.

"Carmen it hurts," he whined.

"'Aw, you lost your first baby tooth," she said, checking his mouth. She found the tooth on the floor and picked it up. "You're going to have to be more careful for a few months Chase. Here, open up," and he opened his mouth to let her rub the teething gel on the area in which he'd lost his tooth.

"That feels good," he barked after she was finished.

"There we go, now eat slowly ok, the food isn't going anywhere," she advised and petted him before going to wash off the tooth and put it in a packet.

He blinked, 'Carmen must be the type to keep that type of stuff,' he thought before getting back to his food, eating much slower this time. Carmen smiled and left to run a bath for him. His ears twitched and he mentally smiled, he would enjoy being clean again. He felt at peace with himself and he reckoned that it was because he was now able to accept that he was a dog until the time came for him to turn back.

He finished eating and went into the bathroom where Carmen took his collar off and he hopped into the bath, "Eager, huh Chase?" she asked as he began to splash around happily.

"You have no idea how heavenly this feels," he barked happily, playfully splashing her.

She blinked, then grinned, "Oh, we're playing that game, it's on Chase!" she said gently splashing him back. He barked in delight at seeing her grin and splashed again with his paws. She laughed and they played around for a bit before Carmen had to put in some more hot water and actually got around to washing him.

"Oh, that feels nice," he barked, the feeling of Carmen's fingers rubbing into his fur and skin to get all the dirt off of him was heavenly. Carmen smiled as she carefully rinsed him off. He jumped out and Carmen got wet because he shook himself all over her, just to see her smile.

"Chase, you're cheeky," she laughed as she wrapped him in a warm fluffy towel.

"You know it," he barked and rolled about in the towel before looking up at Carmen with one ear down and tilting his head, the towel hanging over his head.

"You are so cute!" she actually squealed and took a photo with her phone. He simply barked, his tail wagging, he was happy that she was happy. Carmen dried him off and then gave him some more pampering with a blow-dry and good brushing, it was heaven to Chase. She brushed his teeth as well. "There we go, she said, after putting his collar back on. He barked proudly. "You look very handsome," said Carmen with a smile and he barked again before starting to lick her face, causing her to giggle like mad.

Carmen didn't hear the door open slightly but Chase did and he turned slightly to see Shadowsan watching them. He gave a small bark as if to say, 'I'm taking care of her,' and then continued to make Carmen laugh, hearing the door close.

Shadowsan gave a small sigh of relief, the dog…Chase was doing what he and the others could not; make Carmen happy. They could try and succeed but not as effectively as Chase. Shadowsan was eternally grateful that he was back with Carmen and he sincerely hoped that Carmen would never fall to where she'd been ever again. He told the siblings to leave the two alone for a few days. They weren't happy about it but Shadowsan insisted that it was for the best. They needed time to heal and reconnect.

In Carmen's room, her giggles had finally subsided and she was giving Chase a very nice belly rub that had his tongue hanging out and his eyes closed in the bliss he was feeling. "Oh, don't stop," he whined happily. Carmen smiled, she hadn't felt this relaxed in a week and it felt good. She stopped, much to Chase's chagrin but she scooped him up in her arms and just hugged him, "This is nice," Chase actually let out a small crooning noise when he said that. His tail just kept waging when Carmen decided that he needed his ears scratched. 'Heaven,' was all he thought. They stayed like that for a while before Chase realised he needed to go, so he wriggled a bit and barked, looking at the door.

"Ok, Chase, let's go, we'll make a walk of it," said Carmen, he barked in agreement and grabbed his leash while Carmen put on her jacket. He had an idea and grabbed his ball, dropping it at her feet. Carmen smiled and put it in her pocket and clipped on his leash. "Player," she said.

"Yeah Red, how's it going?"

"We got him back, Chase is home," she said.

"YES!" Player cheered.

"Hello, Player!" Chase barked at Carmen's com.

"Glad that you're back Chase, I mean it." Chase barked again, it was nice to hear the boy's voice again.

"Player, could you inform Shadowsan and the others that I'm taking Chase for a walk please," requested Carmen as she and Chase left the hotel they were staying at.

"No problem Red, anything for you and Chase, go and have some fun, you need it," said Player.

"Thanks, Player," she said before going offline.

They walked to the park where Carmen let Chase off his leash to do his business. He came right back afterwards and barked, pawing at the ball in Carmen's pocket. "Come on Carmen, let's play?" he barked, if he was still having his identity crisis, he'd question himself as to why he was initiating this, that he was a human, not a dog but he'd learned that the best way to be able to continue as he was, was to simply accept the situation and be himself. His job, rather, his purpose was to be there for Carmen, if it meant chasing and fetching a ball, then he'd do it. He'd also had a week of hell, he wanted some fun, he needed some fun.

"Ok, Chase, fetch!" shouted Carmen, throwing the ball as hard as she could and Chase tore after it barking non-stop. He found it in a bush and grabbed it, racing back to Carmen and dropping it at her feet. She laughed and threw it again for him. Chase had no idea that fetching a ball was this much fun, he and Carmen hadn't had the chance to play ball before his dognapping. They'd been focused on his training and capers and he'd normally played inside with his other toys or napped. They played fetch for a while before Chase flopped down on the grass panting, his tongue hanging out. Carmen flopped down next to him, she was just happy to have this time to play with him. "I love you, Chase," she said, gently petting his head.

Chase barked, "I love you too Carmen," while wagging his tail. They laid there for a while before Carmen sat up.

"Hey, you wanna try to learn a new trick? I brought some treats," she said.

'Now that's an exercise for the mind,' Chase thought and he barked happily, getting to his feet.

"Great but first, we'll warm you up with some of your older ones," said Carmen, and they began. Once Chase demonstrated his mastery over most of his tricks Carmen decided to teach him how to 'walk back'. It would be tricky but she knew that he needed to learn it for the future. "Chase, stand."

He wondered what she was teaching him but he did 'stand'. Carmen placed his ball on the ground in front of him and walked around him so that she was standing behind him and then spoke. "Chase, follow my voice, ok." He turned his head but she gently nudged it back to facing his ball. She then gently placed her hands on him and said, "Walk back," gently leading him to walk a step or two backwards.

'Oh, I see the trick now. Hmm, this will aid me in blending in with the shadows in a caper, moving back will definitely help keep the target in sight and make less noise than turning around and walking the other way would. I think I've unconsciously walked backwards on my time at VILE Island,' thought Chase.

"Chase, Chase ae you ok?" asked a slightly worried Carmen. He realised that he'd been lost his thought again and barked at her happily. She sighed in relief and then watched as Chase walked backwards at least five steps without aid or instruction. "Wow, Chase that was so good, where did you learn that?" she said, giving him two treats for it. He simply barked after quickly crunching up his treats. He made a motion of being afraid and it hit Carmen that Chase had learned it out of necessity of keeping out of sight when he was at V.I.L.E. "Oh, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get there soon," she said, kneeling down and hugging him.

"It's not your fault," he whined softly, looking at her with soft brown eyes and licking her cheek. She didn't stop hugging him for a while, he didn't mind, she needed the comfort. "Ok," she said, finally stopping. "Let's try again and then we'll move on to another trick." Chase just wagged his tail. He was willing to do anything to make her happy. He practiced walking back twice more before Carmen decided that he had it down and he was rewarded for it.

"Ok, let's try and learn 'bow,'" said Carmen after consulting her list of tricks.

'This should be interesting,' he thought. First Carmen got him to 'stand.' And then she helped him kneel on one paw while dipping his head at the same time. This trick took some time and more than a few tries and eventually Chase got tired and bored. He sat down stubbornly and yawned. "No more of this!" he barked crossly.

Carmen sighed and wiped her brow, this trick was tough to teach and it looked like Chase had had enough of it. "Ok Chase, no more for today. Sorry for pushing you so soon. Come on, let's go to that little café over there and get something to eat and drink," she said petting him and clipping on his leash.

Chase admitted it, he was hungry and thirsty, and maybe they had both jumped the gun in trying to learn new ticks right after he got back but he was determined to connect with Carmen and help her. He was grateful for the break though. He trotted beside Carmen and gave her hand a lick, letting her know it was alright. She smiled and he barked in thanks when a saucer was placed in front of him with water in it. 'Ah, freshwater,' he thought and was surprised to also get half a sausage. Carmen winked at him and took a sip of her iced tea. Chase mentally smiled and slowly ate his sausage.

They left for the hotel afterwards where Carmen sat down on a chair and sighed with a smile on her face. Chase looked at her and then looked around at the room, what was there to help them bond? Then he saw it, one of the books on the bookshelf, one that he enjoyed and he was sure that Carmen would enjoy it too. He walked over and carefully pulled the book out of the shelf. "Chase, what are you doing?" Carmen asked, finally noticing Chase's actions. He walked up to her and placed the book on her lap. "The Hobbit," she read. She looked down at Chase who was now laying next to her chair. "You want me to read the Hobbit?" she asked, somewhat bemused. He barked and tilted his head. Carmen laughed and petted him. "Alright then, let's begin," and she opened the book and began to read. Chase let her voice wash over him as he listened to a much-loved story.

'This is nice,' he thought. Eventually, Carmen stopped reading and ordered dinner.

"Chase, dinner time," she called. He stretched and happily walked over to his food bowl, barking in thanks after she filled it up with some wet food and a small amount of crunchy food for his teeth. Carmen yawned after she finished dinner and Chase did too. It had been a long day. "I'm turning in early tonight, come on Chase let's take you outside," she said. A little while later Carmen was curled up under the blanket and Chase was in his basket. "Good night Chase," she said with a smile, happy to have her dog back.

"Good night Carmen, sweet dreams," he barked quietly and fell asleep almost instantly as did Carmen. However, Carmen's sleep did not remain peaceful for long,

Carmen's nightmare

"Where am I?" she asked, she was in an empty space, there was nothing at all, except black. Carmen shivered, she was being watched; she could feel it. She heard a roar and it filled her with terror. Something came out of the shadows, the appearance filling her with dread, it was the V.I.L.E. hydra! "No! Not again! Chase, Chase, where are you?" Carmen called.

The hydra laughed, the head of Brunt spoke, "No one is comin' to help ya lambkins, you belong to V.I.L.E., after all, we're family and we're missin' a head," she said and Cleo laughed cruelly while Maelstrom smirked.

"It is your fate Black Sheep, no one can save you," he said.

"I'm going to have fun probing your mind Carmen Sandiego," said Bellum and they all reached for her. Carmen screamed, closing her eyes and covering her head but was knocked out of the way by something. She heard growls and barks, and opened her eyes to see…

"CHASE!" she watched in horror as Chase dodged the hydra; leaping over one head and running up another, eventually tangling them up into a knot. He then stood in front of her and let out a huge bark. The hydra cringed and somehow became smaller, he barked again, and once more the hydra shrunk. Chase kept on barking until the hydra was no more. "Chase?" she asked, she was shocked.

He turned and barked happily; tail wagging. He barked once more and the darkness disappeared, showing a beautiful place with the greenest grass she had ever seen, a sky as blue as sapphires, and the most bright and colourful flowers ever. The sun shone brightly and there was even a rainbow in the sky, surrounded by puffy white clouds. Chase tugged on her sleeve and she stood up and followed him. He led her down a path to a beautiful house, on the cute red mailbox it read, 'Carmen Sandiego and Chase.' Player was there and so was Shadowsan and then Devineaux came out and smiled warmly at her. Carmen's heart lifted at seeing them all, she was home. "Welcome home Carmen," all three of them said. Chase then leapt into her arms and licked her cheek before snuggling his head into her neck.

"Thank you for saving me. I love you, Chase."

"I love you too Carmen," he said, in Devineaux's voice before she woke up.

End dream.

Carmen found Chase snuggled up against her, sleeping peacefully. She smiled and stroked him, "Thanks for saving me from my nightmare," she whispered and his ears twitched but he didn't wake. Carmen laid in bed for a little while before getting up.

Chase whined a bit, "Hey, I was comfortable and warm!" before shaking his head. Carmen laughed and went to make breakfast. Chase whined a bit more before stretching and he wondered how he'd gotten on Carmen's bed. Then he remembered, he'd been woken up by her twisting and moaning and concluded that she was having a nightmare. Not on his watch, he'd thought, and he'd jumped onto the bed and gently licked her face to calm her down before slipping under her arm to provide comfort. She'd relaxed afterwards and even smiled in her sleep. Chase had decided to stay there for the rest of the night and that was how it happened. 'I'm glad she was able to have a peaceful night's sleep, she needed it,' he thought before jumping down and going to eat his breakfast. Carmen kept him on a strict schedule for his meals. He was also trained and he did slightly, slightly cringe at that word, to take food only from Carmen unless she said otherwise. Of course, that didn't mean that he was above begging or snatching something extra from Zack and Ivy's plates.

"Ok Chase, what should we do today?" Carmen asked after they'd finished breakfast and Carmen had brushed his teeth, rubbed the bruise cream on his neck, and applied the teething gel. She had just finished brushing him and put his collar back on. Chase tilted his head, what did he want to do today?

'Hmm, maybe a nice long walk,' he thought and went and grabbed his leash, bringing it to Carmen.

"Walk it is then," she said. That led to a number of walks and sightseeing for that whole week, Carmen spending all her time with Chase and reconnecting with him and he was focusing on keeping Carmen happy and relaxed. He'd had an idea when they'd gone to visit Centre-Val-de-Loire for the day, while there, Carmen had gone to Montoire-Sur-Le-Loir and had fallen in love with a house there. Chase had to be human to pull off his idea but he was glad to have his plan, for now, it gave him another goal to have. On the other hand, Carmen had found some property in Poitiers and was conversing with Player. "So can you buy it?" she asked.

"Our own headquarters in Poitiers, France? Red, do you have an ulterior motive?" asked Player with a smile on his face.

Chase heard that question and looked up at Carmen, waiting to hear her answer.

"It's perfect for us, it's also close to Chase's vet, no one would suspect us living here," she said.

"And I'm sure it helps that a certain Interpol Inspector also lives in Poitiers," said Player causing Carmen to blush at being found out.

"So what?" she mumbled, still blushing.

Chase's mouth had dropped open… 'Carmen wants to…be near where I live? Why is she blushing? Does she…have… strong feelings for me?' were his questions. 'Uh oh, I'm in trouble. I'm right here as her dog and I haven't been seen here for weeks. Carmen will find out and connect the dots or she'll get worried and look for me. This was not part of the plan…did I ever have a plan?'

"Player, can you buy it or not?" asked Carmen.

"Sure thing Red, give me a moment…and done. The house is now yours," said Player.

"Thanks, Player," she said and they went back to the hotel to inform Shadowsan and the siblings.

The siblings were not happy. "You bought a place without asking our opinion?" asked Ivy.

"We do need a headquarters and it's easier for me if it's near Chase's vet if anything happens to him," said Carmen.

"But Carm, what if we wanted to keep on globetrotting, we're fine and you can always just go to another vet," said Zack.

"No I can't, having multiple vets for the same dog would raise suspicion. I also thought I'd give us all a permanent home, someplace to come back to," said Carmen who was not happy with their attitudes. She was giving them a place in the world and that was their attitude? She was trying to be a good boss and friend here.

"You just want to do it for Chase, not for us…Ever since he joined he's been the only thing on yer mind," said Ivy.

"You haven't hung out with us properly for ages Carm, it's always work, talking with Shadowsan or Chase. You favour him, what about us?" asked Zack.

'Uh oh,' thought Chase.

Carmen saw red, "My life has never been better with him in it. I have someone to talk to about things I can't talk to anyone else about, he's good for me and I'm happier with him in the team. Have you already forgotten what a mess I was when he was dognapped?" she asked. Chase gulped, this was going to turn ugly. "Anyway, it's my money, this is my group, you work for me, and so it's my rules. Am I understood?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Yeah, sure whatever," said Ivy, and she and Zack left. Chase growled at them as they left.

"That's gratitude for you, I finally give them a place to call home and they reject it," said Carmen. "What about you Shadowsan?"

"I think that a headquarters was needed. They are mere children and are being ungrateful brats. You have several points, Carmen, I support you," said Shadowsan, and Chase felt his respect for the man go up a few notches. He barked at Shadowsan and wagged his tail. "I also know that you are indeed spending a lot of time with Chase but that is normal considering your circumstances, you need him and you need to continue training him for life and capers. It is natural for any owner to spend lots of time with their pet," he finished and then nodded to them and walked off somewhere.

"Uh, Red, what are you going to do?" asked Player, sounding nervous.

"I'll think on it," she said, picking Chase up and cuddling him. He didn't protest and licked her cheek, damn Zack and Ivy.

'What's their problem?' he wondered, he'd never warmed up to them, they'd been too pushy and were his entertainment. Besides, he was cross at them too. This morning Zack had not recognised that he needed to go outside and do his business and he couldn't go out himself as the door had been locked.

Flashback

"ZACK!" he barked at the boy. He was jumping up and down, he needed to go! Carmen had stepped out to get a few things and had left Zack in charge to see if he could take care of Chase. Ivy and Shadowsan were both busy.

"Hey Chase you wanna play with me at last?" asked Zack with a stupid grin.

"No, you red-headed moron. I need you to unlock the thrice damn door and let me out!" he barked angrily.

"Come on buddy, let's get yer ball," he said. Chase almost took his fingers off for daring to touch his ball. "YIKES!" yelled Zack. Then Chase went over to Zack's PlayStation and lifted his leg over it. He barked, giving him one last chance. Zack wasn't looking, too busy making sure his hand was still in one piece.

"Fine then, this is your fault, I can't hold it in any longer," Chase barked and went all over on Zack's PS.

Zack had a fit over his now broken PS but Carmen had a bigger one when she got back and had unleashed hell upon Zack for ignoring Chase's needs and it was his own fault that his PS was wrecked. She made him clean up the mess. She also refused to get Zack another PS. Chase had looked at Carmen and had actually hunched over, not sure if he was going to get into trouble, but no, Carmen hadn't blamed him in the slightest, she said that she knew that he was still just a puppy and that it wasn't his fault. It was Zack's fault and then she'd kissed him on the head. That made his tail wag.

"That's the last time I leave him in your care," said Carmen to Zack before leaving with Chase.

End flashback

Flashback

Yesterday Ivy was meant to measure him for an idea that Carmen had but she was busy so he had turned to his chew toy because his teeth were hurting but Ivy had taken his toy away saying his chewing was distracting her. His mouth and teeth hurt like the devil and the rest of his toys were in Carmen's room. Then he had found one of Ivy's shoes and settled down for a nice long chew. Ivy had been furious when she found out and had actually smacked him! Right in front of Carmen who was back from running an errand. She flew into a fury and told Ivy that it was her own fault and she shouldn't have taken Chase's chew toy away from him in the first place.

"He's just a baby! He chews on everything if he doesn't have a toy to chew on. I thought you'd know this Ivy. Especially since he's now losing his milk teeth. There's a reason I left a chew toy here with you and where are his measurements?"

End Flashback

Chase sighed, Carmen had scolded Ivy for that and afterwards she'd taken him back, put on some teething gel, and read to him. Zack and Ivy were in a really bad space with Carmen night now. He wondered if she would fire them. But then who would be the driver and the mechanic? He didn't know, he just followed Carmen to get some lunch.

An hour later

"RED!" came Player's voice, very loudly on the laptop, jerking Chase awake and making him bark before he realised it was only Player. He sighed, was it too much to ask for a decent nap? He'd worked hard in learning a new trick today, to 'weave.' He'd mastered the bow and jump rope earlier in the week.

"What's wrong Player?" Carmen asked, sitting up and paying attention.

"Zack and Ivy were in an accident!"

"What? How, what happened?" asked Carmen in concern and worry. Yes, she was mad at them but all families fight, she wasn't going to stay mad. Was this…her fault? Chase barked in alarm. Were they ok?

"They were driving and this guy tried to pull in front of them. Zack apparently wasn't having any of it and so it turned into a race, they ended up colliding with a truck, the guy they were racing, and three other cars! They're at the hospital right now. I checked their medical records, both of them have multiple broken bones, Ivy has a punctured lung and Zack is in a coma. The worst-case scenario, they'll be out of commission for a year or longer. The best-case scenario, well, I'm still trying to find one." Player gave Carmen the address of the hospital and she left Chase with Shadowsan.

Chase was worried, he didn't like the brats but he didn't want them to get hurt. He looked at Shadowsan who looked grave…wait; that was how he normally looked. They waited anxiously for Carmen to get back. It took a good hour and a half. "What is the news?" asked Shadowsan and Carmen collapsed onto the couch.

"Good news…they'll live, bad news, Ivy has amnesia, she remembers nothing of the past two years. She only remembers being Zack's mechanic and that they lost a race. Nothing else. The doctors don't know how long Zack will be in the coma for so we don't know if he has amnesia too." Carmen sat down and put her face in her hands. Shadowsan placed a hand on her back and Chase put his head in her lap. "Was this…my fault?" she asked. Now both Chase and Shadowsan had a confused look. "Did I push them too hard, was I too strict, too harsh? We have been fighting a lot lately."

"Carmen, Zack, and Ivy are children. You did nothing wrong. You placed Chase in their care, they said they could take care of him. They failed. They ignored him, you had every right to be mad at them. They were the ones being ungrateful about having a home, should you have spoken to all of us about it? Perhaps. But I understand that it was a surprise for us and for some reason previously known to themselves they disliked the idea. It is not Chase's fault either. A dog is a huge responsibility and you want to be a good owner to Chase. This means being harsh or strict to those who do not care for his well-being. Having a dog means having an emotional rock. I understand there are things only Chase knows because you feel safe in telling him. He is good for you. You are not to blame for the siblings' decisions and the choices they have made. Do not shoulder unnecessary guilt. You must now protect them from V.I.L.E.," said Shadowsan.

Carmen took a deep breath, "You're right, Zack is usually a safe driver even when racing. He probably let his anger get the better of him. That was his choice. Player?"

"Yes Red, what can I do?" he asked.

"Transfer money to Sharkhead Eddie, with interest, saying it's from Zack and Ivy. Then, once they're healed up and can be moved safely I want you to arrange for them to be moved to a hospital in Boston. I'm going to buy them a two-bedroom house there with furnishings so that they can live comfortably once out of the hospital. We'll arrange scholarships for them at a local college as well. I also want to create an account for them and put some starting money in there, one million should the trick. That should be enough to help them out. Can you do that Player?" she asked anxiously. The siblings may never remember her but she wanted to help them in every way she possibly could to make it up to them and to help them start a new life.

"I can do that Red. Setting up the account now, I've made sure it'll gain interest. I'll check around for houses and I'll set a reminder to contact the college at a later date once they're better. You're doing the right thing Red," said Player, trying to comfort her.

"Thanks, Player," she said and sighed.

Chase realised that Carmen was an even better person than he thought. She was actively trying to help Zack and Ivy, even though Zack was currently in a coma and Ivy had no memories of her. A house, scholarships, money, was there anything Carmen wouldn't do for others? He thought not. 'It's been a crazy week back but we'll soon be moving into an actual headquarters and we'll have to find new teammates to replace Zack and Ivy. It's always interesting with carmen around,' he thought and he was glad to be back with her. He licked her face, causing her to burst into giggles and he was glad, glad that he could make her happy.

Xxxxx

Yes, it was an emotional chapter for Chase and Carmen but they are back together again. Next chapter Carmen gets two new teammates and takes a holiday to connect with them.

Chase's age as a dog - 13 weeks, aka 3 months and 1 week. He's teething and has currently lost one tooth. His facial markings are changing as well.

Chase's tricks/commands list

Yes/No – learned

Sit – learned

Stay – learned

Shake – learned

Stand – learned

Speak – learned

Hush – learned

Lie down – learned

Come when whistling – learned

Beg – learned semi-automatically

Heel – learned automatically

Please – learned automatically with beg

Hello – learned automatically with shake.

High five – learned

Dance – learned

Roll over – learned

Jump – learned

Fetch – learned

Crawl – learned

Take it, bring it, find it and leave it – learned

Limp – learned

Spin – learned

Open/close door – learned

Leash – learned

Attack- learned

Catch – learned

Guard/Protect – learned

Walk back- learned

Bow – learned

Jump rope/hoop- learned

Weave – learned

Xxxxx

Steal – not yet

Play dead – not yet

Count/Spell – not yet

Bang - not yet