It was a stand off. The men wanted into the house. Jaffer had no intention of moving for them. They, of course, couldn't see Sam on the sofa and didn't realize that Jaffer was protecting a lot more than a couple TVs.
Jim swung the crowbar at Jaffer, and the big lab dodged it far more agilely than any of the men had anticipated. With a snarl, Jaffer reacted as he'd been trained, and his teeth flashed as he attacked the hand that had attacked him.
The crowbar dropped as Jim swore, pulling his hand back. His wrist had been slashed open to the bone in an instant and he was bleeding freely.
"Holy shit!"
"Grab him!"
While Jaffer's attention was on Jim, waiting for a counterattack, Tom grabbed the black lab around the belly and grabbed him. Jaffer whirled his head around and slashed out with his teeth once more, catching Tom's forearm and clamping down hard.
"Bastard!"
He whirled, and tossed the lab out the still open front door, and Gene slammed it shut before Jaffer could get his feet under him and come back for a second round.
"You two all right?" Gene asked.
Both men were grasping their bleeding arms. Jim had a very nasty slash on his wrist, but Tom was the one who was truly hurting, since he'd tossed the dog while Jaffer still had his teeth in his forearm, and the black lab had taken a fair-sized chunk out of the man's arm.
"I told you the fucking dog was dangerous." He told Jim, blood seeping through his fingers that were holding his forearm.
"Yeah, yeah." Jim wasn't any happier, and both men flinched when they heard something heavy bang against the front door. Jaffer wasn't finished with them, yet. Gene flung himself against the door. Since they'd jimmied the lock, it wouldn't latch closed, now, and he didn't want the black lab back in the house that was for sure.
"What do we do now?"
They'd effectively got the dog out of the house, but now they were pretty much trapped inside, since they didn't dare go out the front door, and the van was parked by the front door.
"Jack?"
All three of them turned at the sound of a voice coming from the sofa. A sleepy female voice. They could only see the back of the couch, but a second later a blonde tousled head came up from nowhere, and turned towards them. Sleepy blue eyes turned towards them, and even though they weren't focusing all that clearly, Sam knew that none of the three were Jack. The drowsiness brought on by the painkiller faded considerably at the shock.
"Hey! Who are you?"
Jaffer heard Sam's voice, and he threw himself against the door once more, snarling in his fury at being on the wrong side of the door. He wasn't stupid, though. He knew the door wasn't going to open, and he knew if he was going to get inside, it was going to be a different way. He headed around the side of the house, jumping over the gate easily, and landing in the back yard at a full run as he headed for the deck and the back door.
"Relax, lady..." Jim said, holding up his bleeding hand. "We're not going to hurt you..."
Things had definitely gone from bad to much, much worse.
"What-?"
Sam still wasn't positive what was going on, but she knew they didn't belong, and she shook her head, trying to get her fuzzy mind to focus enough to figure out what to do. She didn't have a gun handy, of course, and there wasn't even anything around her for her to throw at them. Nothing that would do any damage, anyways. But she wasn't going to just sit there.
A thud at the sliding glass door drew everyone's attention, and all heads turned as they heard Jaffer barking at the back door, his claws scrabbling on the glass as he tried to get in.
"Oh, God..." Gene was considerably paler than he'd been when they'd started this whole thing. Crazy dog. He was going to get in and eat them, Gene just knew it.
"Relax," Jim snapped. "He can't get in."
"Jaffer!"
Sam called the lab, hoping he'd figure out a way. Who knew what they'd taught him? Meanwhile, she grabbed up the remote control and flung it at the closest of the three men. One of the ones who was bleeding. The device hit him in the head, and he yelped in pain.
"Bitch!"
He advanced on Sam, who reached for the plate that had held her snacks (long since eaten by Jaffer once Sam had fallen asleep) and prepared to fling it. None of them noticed the scrabbling against the sliding glass door had stopped.
"Just relax, lady." Tom said, reaching out and grabbing Jim. The last thing they needed was for things to escalate. "We don't want any trouble-"
There was a crash, and a very furious, very large black form came crashing through the dining room window, sending glass everywhere and causing all of them to freeze. The dog crashed into the back of one of the dining room chairs, and went down, but only for a moment. Then he was back on his feet, eyes taking in everything at once, and deciding a target even as he attacked.
The black lab launched himself at the man who was far too close to his Sam for comfort. The man turned to run, wanting nothing more to do with the crazy dog, and Jaffer's teeth sank into the back of his shirt and the combined weight of the dog and the impact sent Jim sprawling, with seventy-five pounds of fury on top of him trying his damnedest to take off one of the man's ears.
"You've got it whether you want it or not," Sam said, chucking the plate at Tom, who dodged it and dove at her, landing on her and pinning her to the couch with his considerable weight. He wasn't really planning on hurting her; he was just trying to keep her from throwing anything else at him.
Sam yelped with pain when Jim landed on her already bruised ribs, and struggled under him, her hand reaching for anything that might be used to hit him. The yelp drew the attention of the last thing Tom wanted, and Jaffer turned, hearing the sound of pain coming from Sam.
He dared! Someone was touching his Sam! Jaffer's snarl was absolutely enraged as he turned his attention from scalping Jim to attacking Tom. The lab landed on Tom's back, and Sam had a chance to see a flash of vicious teeth before she heard a cry of pain from Tom.
Gene had been immobilized by the furious attack – both the dog and his friends', and he'd been leaning against the door, obviously debating whether to run or to join in.
"Call him off, lady!"
Then Jack arrived, and their bad day got a whole lot worse.
Jim swung the crowbar at Jaffer, and the big lab dodged it far more agilely than any of the men had anticipated. With a snarl, Jaffer reacted as he'd been trained, and his teeth flashed as he attacked the hand that had attacked him.
The crowbar dropped as Jim swore, pulling his hand back. His wrist had been slashed open to the bone in an instant and he was bleeding freely.
"Holy shit!"
"Grab him!"
While Jaffer's attention was on Jim, waiting for a counterattack, Tom grabbed the black lab around the belly and grabbed him. Jaffer whirled his head around and slashed out with his teeth once more, catching Tom's forearm and clamping down hard.
"Bastard!"
He whirled, and tossed the lab out the still open front door, and Gene slammed it shut before Jaffer could get his feet under him and come back for a second round.
"You two all right?" Gene asked.
Both men were grasping their bleeding arms. Jim had a very nasty slash on his wrist, but Tom was the one who was truly hurting, since he'd tossed the dog while Jaffer still had his teeth in his forearm, and the black lab had taken a fair-sized chunk out of the man's arm.
"I told you the fucking dog was dangerous." He told Jim, blood seeping through his fingers that were holding his forearm.
"Yeah, yeah." Jim wasn't any happier, and both men flinched when they heard something heavy bang against the front door. Jaffer wasn't finished with them, yet. Gene flung himself against the door. Since they'd jimmied the lock, it wouldn't latch closed, now, and he didn't want the black lab back in the house that was for sure.
"What do we do now?"
They'd effectively got the dog out of the house, but now they were pretty much trapped inside, since they didn't dare go out the front door, and the van was parked by the front door.
"Jack?"
All three of them turned at the sound of a voice coming from the sofa. A sleepy female voice. They could only see the back of the couch, but a second later a blonde tousled head came up from nowhere, and turned towards them. Sleepy blue eyes turned towards them, and even though they weren't focusing all that clearly, Sam knew that none of the three were Jack. The drowsiness brought on by the painkiller faded considerably at the shock.
"Hey! Who are you?"
Jaffer heard Sam's voice, and he threw himself against the door once more, snarling in his fury at being on the wrong side of the door. He wasn't stupid, though. He knew the door wasn't going to open, and he knew if he was going to get inside, it was going to be a different way. He headed around the side of the house, jumping over the gate easily, and landing in the back yard at a full run as he headed for the deck and the back door.
"Relax, lady..." Jim said, holding up his bleeding hand. "We're not going to hurt you..."
Things had definitely gone from bad to much, much worse.
"What-?"
Sam still wasn't positive what was going on, but she knew they didn't belong, and she shook her head, trying to get her fuzzy mind to focus enough to figure out what to do. She didn't have a gun handy, of course, and there wasn't even anything around her for her to throw at them. Nothing that would do any damage, anyways. But she wasn't going to just sit there.
A thud at the sliding glass door drew everyone's attention, and all heads turned as they heard Jaffer barking at the back door, his claws scrabbling on the glass as he tried to get in.
"Oh, God..." Gene was considerably paler than he'd been when they'd started this whole thing. Crazy dog. He was going to get in and eat them, Gene just knew it.
"Relax," Jim snapped. "He can't get in."
"Jaffer!"
Sam called the lab, hoping he'd figure out a way. Who knew what they'd taught him? Meanwhile, she grabbed up the remote control and flung it at the closest of the three men. One of the ones who was bleeding. The device hit him in the head, and he yelped in pain.
"Bitch!"
He advanced on Sam, who reached for the plate that had held her snacks (long since eaten by Jaffer once Sam had fallen asleep) and prepared to fling it. None of them noticed the scrabbling against the sliding glass door had stopped.
"Just relax, lady." Tom said, reaching out and grabbing Jim. The last thing they needed was for things to escalate. "We don't want any trouble-"
There was a crash, and a very furious, very large black form came crashing through the dining room window, sending glass everywhere and causing all of them to freeze. The dog crashed into the back of one of the dining room chairs, and went down, but only for a moment. Then he was back on his feet, eyes taking in everything at once, and deciding a target even as he attacked.
The black lab launched himself at the man who was far too close to his Sam for comfort. The man turned to run, wanting nothing more to do with the crazy dog, and Jaffer's teeth sank into the back of his shirt and the combined weight of the dog and the impact sent Jim sprawling, with seventy-five pounds of fury on top of him trying his damnedest to take off one of the man's ears.
"You've got it whether you want it or not," Sam said, chucking the plate at Tom, who dodged it and dove at her, landing on her and pinning her to the couch with his considerable weight. He wasn't really planning on hurting her; he was just trying to keep her from throwing anything else at him.
Sam yelped with pain when Jim landed on her already bruised ribs, and struggled under him, her hand reaching for anything that might be used to hit him. The yelp drew the attention of the last thing Tom wanted, and Jaffer turned, hearing the sound of pain coming from Sam.
He dared! Someone was touching his Sam! Jaffer's snarl was absolutely enraged as he turned his attention from scalping Jim to attacking Tom. The lab landed on Tom's back, and Sam had a chance to see a flash of vicious teeth before she heard a cry of pain from Tom.
Gene had been immobilized by the furious attack – both the dog and his friends', and he'd been leaning against the door, obviously debating whether to run or to join in.
"Call him off, lady!"
Then Jack arrived, and their bad day got a whole lot worse.