You Made Me Beautiful: The Sequel
Part Four
Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins
A Jackie Chan Adventures Fanfic
Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Jackie Chan and subsequent characters belong to Jackie Chan and associates. It'd be pretty useless to sue me since I have nothing! I've made no profit nor will see any from this fic.
Summary: With VampireNaomi's permission, I have taken it upon myself to continue her fic since she had no plans to. When we last saw Finn, he was at the mercy of the evil William and it seems no one is there to help the thief--- or is there?
(Author's Note: I drew a picture of Jade and Zephyr bonding. You can find it posted on Deviantart at with all my other fun and sexy JCA fanart. My screenname there is Skymouth. Enjoy!)
"No dogs at the table, Jade." Jackie commanded.
Jade pouted, "A-a-a-a-aw! But Zeph's family!"
Jackie wasn't going to let himself be swayed this time, "No, Jade. Zephyr has his own bowl."
Finn wasn't happy, but that was his new lot in life. At Jade's urging, he shuffled off reluctantly and stared hatefully at the dry kibble in his bowl Tohru had been sent previously that day to get him. He could smell the wonderful scent of chicken curry they were eating and knew no amount of begging would procure him any of it. He wasn't going to eat this crap. It smelled like beef flavored chalk. Who were the dog food manufacturers trying to kid? If it looked like crap and smelled like crap, it was crap and he wasn't going to eat it! So Finn suffered through the meal. Not only did his growling stomach protest at the crummy offering, but he had to endure the boring conversations of the Chan's during suppertime. He was trapped in the dining area. He had yet to scout around Section 13 at his leisure. Once he had the chance, that was exactly what he was going to do. And perhaps Jade had sensed it as well, for she hadn't left his side all day.
"You have your homework done for tomorrow?" Jackie asked Jade. Finn listened in because there was nothing else he could do. Being a house dog was frigging boring!
"Um, most of it." Jade lied. She'd only read a few pages of the three chapters she was supposed to have done.
Jackie raised his eyebrow. "You should have done that on Saturday, Jade. You will do the rest of your homework right after dinner. No t.v. and no video games until you get it done."
Finn watched the exchange, getting a feel for how the Chan household worked. Jade was sly. He wondered if she was going to obey her uncle or not. He was only just beginning to appreciate her devious mind. It was one thing if she used her wiles against him and the Dark Hand, it was another to see her use it against her uncles.
Jade pouted as she ate the rest of her dinner.
"I'm finished. Can I do the dishes?" She asked.
This brought astonished stares all around.
Jackie checked her plate, "You didn't clean your plate."
"It's okay, I'm not that hungry. Heh, eye's bigger then the stomach!" Jade's grin was all teeth for her uncle.
"I've got studying to do." Uncle wiped his mouth and stood. "Jade will clean dishes! Tohru, come with me!"
"But sensei, I have not finished eating." Tohru protested quietly.
"Tohru-u-u-u, I need four hands for this!"
The large sumo sighed, "Yes, sensei. I guess I'm finished now." The two left their dishes.
Jade grinned. Good, they didn't clean their plates either.
"Well, I have studying to do too." Jackie admitted and after a few more forkfulls stood. "You will do your homework after you finish cleaning up."
"Sure thing, Uncle Jackie!" Jade said too agreeably for Jackie's tastes.
Jackie couldn't help but feel suspicious. After all, it wasn't everyday his conniving niece offered to do medial labor. But he didn't have time or the want to argue and left her to it. Jade waited for him to leave and then hopped down from her chair and started to gather everyone's plates.
"Hey, Finn, I know you're probably not going to eat your kibble, so maybe this will be a bit more appetizing." She scrapped all the leftovers from everyone's plates into his bowl.
Finn looked at his bowl with mixed emotions. Was this what he was reduced to? Snatching tablescraps? It was demeaning. But, damn it, the kid had tried to do something nice for him. The least he could do for her was show a little gratitude, right? But how? It took him a moment to think. Then it hit him.
Jade watched Finn and wondered what was going through his mind. It must be hard to be treated like an animal, she thought to herself. She also wondered why he was stalling. He kept staring into his food dish and she knew he was hungry, so why wasn't he eating? Was he just trying to give her a hard time? He better not, after all she'd done for him! Then he looked up at her suddenly and to her amazement, he wagged his whip-like tail at her and then ducked his head down and began to eat. Jade grinned. Well, well, was she finally getting through to Finn?
Jade went and did the dishes, feeling better about the arrangement. When she was done, Finn had been finished with his dinner long ago and had just been watching her since there was nothing else to do.
"Well, I guess I better go and study now." She said with some reluctance. "You're coming too."
Finn suspected as much. He followed along staring longingly down the corridor that led to the more secure part of the facility and wondered if Jade was ever going to let him see the rest of the lab. He must find a way to snoop around the place without his new shadow constantly at his side. But for now, he would play the part of placid pooch. Jade closed the door behind them once they got to her room. She dug through her school pack for her book and Finn lay down on the floor wishing he had opposable thumbs so he could at least read a book on his own or play one of Jade's video games while she read. After all, she was the one who was banned from her games, he was not. He was bored.
Jade found the book she had to read. "Hey, Finn. You might like this book. It's called the Outsiders, ever heard of it? About a bunch of gangster teenagers!"
Finn cocked his head. Sounded familiar, but he wasn't much for books anyway. Jade walked over in front of him and squatted, then turned and to Finn's astonishment, leaned back against his chest with her legs sticking out between his own, long forelegs. Her head was a few inches below his chin as she lay there against him and made herself comfortable as she opened her book. What the heck did she think he was doing? Finn wanted to know.
Jade began to read out loud from the page where she left off. Well, this was another new experience, Finn thought and decided it wasn't that bad. He only wished he knew what had missed in the few pages she had already read, but she didn't seem to be inclined to go back and reread them for his benefit. When Jackie sneaked a peak to make sure she was actually doing her homework, he had to smile at the scene he saw. Maybe Zephyr wasn't dangerous at all. He seemed very tolerant and dealing with Jade required a lot of that! It was somewhat disconcerting, however, when it seemed like Zephyr was hanging on Jade's every word as she read. But then Jackie had to remind himself that he was being silly. The big dog was simply responding to his mistress's voice was all. He quietly left, not wanting to disturb them.
Jade got to the end of her assignment and closed the book with relish. "Okay, enough of that!"
Finn was disappointed, just as it was starting to get interesting too! Jade hopped up from her perch and tossed her book in the general location of her bag. She went digging through a storage box in the corner. "Now HERE'S what I'm talking about! My latest Turbo Troll graphic novel!" Jade hurried back and repropped herself up against Finn. Finn sighed. Please don't tell him that Jade was going to read him Turbo Troll now? Why couldn't it have been a descent comic like Batman or Spawn or something?
She did read it to him out loud, and pointed at each panel to Finn. Somehow, seeing a comic that wasn't meant to be in black and white and yet was due to his animal vision, just wasn't the same. It distressed him. But this was going to be his only form of entertainment for the evening, he knew, so he had to take what he could get.
A little later, Jackie strolled by her room and made himself known. "Bedtime, Jade. First, you better take Zephyr out for a walk. Do you know if he's newspaper trained? You aren't going to go out alone in San Francisco in the middle of the night if he has to go out again."
Jade looked up from her comic. "But, Jackie, I won't be alone. Zephyr will be right with me! He can totally chomp on anyone who messes with me!"
Newspaper trained? Finn sighed. For crying out loud! He wanted to hang his head in embarrassment, but when he did that, his head rested on top of Jades.
"Sure he is! Zeph's a smart dog, aren't you boy?"
Finn wanted to roll his eyes. Why him?
"Well, I don't want to have to clean up any mess he makes, Jade. He's YOUR dog so if anything happens, it's YOUR responsibility."
"Duh, Jackie. Come on, Zeph! Walkies!" Jade hopped up again and slipped the makeshift leash over his head.
Finn stared at her feeling offended and annoyed. Walkies? He was a grown man and he most definitely did NOT go for walkies! The leash choked him and he realized Jade was pulling on it with all her might. Finn snorted and decided to follow. Well, he DID have to take a leak, but why'd she have to call it walkies? Was this another form of punishment?
Jade took him to his tree and then back to her room. Though before they got there, she'd grabbed up the days paper. In the room, she laid it out in the corner for him.
"Look, Finn, I know you hate this, but you can't use the toilet and you aren't going to mess up my room. This is here just in case you need it, that's all. This'll be here for you tomorrow too while I'm at school. Don't be mad at me, okay?"
Finn wasn't happy, after all, this was lower then low. Being asked to go to the bathroom on the paper when he needed too. He wanted to beg her to turn him into a human again, but she'd made sure he couldn't ask for anything. Well, he had too much pride. He put using the newspaper as a toilet on the list of things he NEVER was going to do.
"Turn your head so I can change into my pajama's." She instructed him and he obeyed grumpily. "Okay. Stay here while I take care of my own business."
Like he had a choice? He shuffled over to the side of the bed and lay down. His first full day as a dog had not been a happy one, but when he reflected on it, it could have been much worse. Jade was pretty descent, if a little weird. After all, who else would want to keep a criminal turned into a dog as a treasured pet? She also considered that those dangerous adventures she got herself involved in with her uncle as cool.
A little later, he heard her bare feet slapping against the floor as she walked to the bed.
"Well, goodnight, Finn. See you in the morning." She said somewhat cheerily.
Finn snuffed a disheartened reply and shut his eyes. He felt that hand stroke the top of his head again. Chow would have some smartass remark on hand if he found out Finn let Jade pet him. But screw Chow at the moment. Screw Ratso, and definitely screw Valmont and Shendu! They didn't give a damn about him! The only person on the Earth who currently gave a damn about him at all was Jade, Jade whom he'd done so many crummy things to in the few years he'd known of her, Jade who put in the effort to save his worthless ass, Jade whom he owed his life too. So he decided right then he'd try to put in a little more effort to pay her back. Screw it, he raised his head and licked her hand, then quickly lay it down again and tried to pretend he hadn't just done that.
Jade was wide eyed in shock and stared at her hand. She decided not to put him through any more embarrassment that day and didn't say anything about it. But the grin on her face wouldn't go away as she hopped over Finn and onto bed.
In the morning, the alarm nearly made Finn jump out of his skin. Crap, he looked at the clock. Seven in the morning? Just as well, he had to take a leak anyway--- and NOT on those damn newspapers! Come on, he willed at her, wake up and take me out! She groaned, pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a ball. He snorted. Not again! Was this going to happen EVERY stinking morning? He grabbed up the covers in his mouth and yanked again. But this time, she was prepared and held onto them tightly. Finn felt cross and didn't want to drag her off the bed again. Fine. He barked once, very loudly and almost in her ear.
"A-a-a-ah!" Jade shouted and nearly jumped out of her own skin. "Okay! I'm up! Sheesh! You're worse then Jackie in the morning!"
He whined at her and moved next to the door.
"You got the newspaper, come on, give me a break, Finn!" Jade complained as she yawned.
Finn shook his head and scratched at the door. Jade groaned.
"Fine!" She grimaced, "I'll take you out before I go to school. But if you gotta go while I'm away, Jackie isn't going to be around to take care of your needs. You'll HAVE to use the newspaper. Now turn around so I can get dressed, you pest."
Pest? Finn was insulted. SHE was the one who turned him into a dog! Why couldn't she have turned him into a monkey at the very least? That way he'd been able to use the toilet and have opposable thumbs to boot! Grumbling, she drug him out so he could do his business. Once that was taken care of, she drug him back to her room.
"Okay, I'm going to be back sometime around 3:30," she told him as she took him to the kitchen for breakfast. "You'll have to find some way to entertain yourself during the time I'm gone."
Well, that was just great, Finn mumbled to himself. Could she appreciate how boring it was being a dog?
Breakfast was uneventful. Jade wasn't able to sneak him any eggs or bacon. He ignored the kibble. Tohru muttered about Zephyr's reluctance to eat and being an ungrateful mongrel. Jade and Finn both took exception to his remark and only Jade could come to a reasonable defense.
"Well, maybe he just doesn't like dry dog food. They make that canned stuff that looks almost like real meat now. Even smells pretty descent."
"Dry is cheape-e-e-er!" Uncle informed her.
"He could starve!" Jade protested.
Uncle continued to eat his eggs, "He should be grateful to be fed at all!"
Jade pouted and Finn hung his head. He wasn't going to eat that mess! He wasn't! Why were they doing this to him? Why didn't they listen to Jade? Kid actually had good ideas. But no one made a move to better his breakfast and so he didn't make a move to eat it though his stomach wondered why and loudly.
"Jade, until we can trust him, we can't have him running loose in the facility while you're away. I'm afraid Zephyr will need to be locked up in your room." Jackie told her.
"Come on, Jackie! You can't do that to Zeph! He'll get bored!" Jade protested.
Finn flinched. Hours locked in Jade's room alone with nothing to do?
"I'm sorry, Jade. Maybe you can give him one of your toys you don't want anymore as a chew toy to keep him occupied."
Finn snorted again. Chew toy???
Jade pouted some more and ushered Finn out of the kitchen and to her room. "Sorry, but Jackie isn't going to budge on this one. I know. I'll just leave the t.v. on for you. Um, dunno if you can manage the remote or not, but I'll keep it handy for you so you can at least try."
The kid was trying, trying her best for him. He butted her gently with his head and she grinned.
"You're welcome, Finn. Look, I gotta go now. What channel do you want? Heh, Animal Planet?"
Finn snorted and shook his head.
"Okay, here's one. I gotta go now. See you around 3:30." Jade gave him one last headrub and then locked the door behind her.
Finn turned to the t.v. to see what channel she picked for him. He saw the logo on the corner of the screen and rolled his eyes. Court T.v. Jade's peculiar sense of humor. Oh well, maybe he'd see some of his friends there and get a chance to laugh at them. He may be a dog, but at least he wasn't in jail. He sheepishly looked around at his confinement. The food was just as bad, but the company was a million times better. He'd still laugh at them though.
He watched it for a few hours, tried to work the remote a few times, failed, and gave up. He took to pacing when he got bored with the television. The room wasn't that big, and with his long strides, it wasn't really pacing, it was really almost just turning around in a tight circle. When he got dizzy from that, he reluctantly went back to watching the t.v. He found himself anxiously watching the clock for her return. At least things were less boring when Jade was around. An hour to go. Damn! He had to take a dump! Well, he was NOT going to use the newspaper. He'd wait until she got home. He took to pacing again, or tried to. That just made his need to go to the bathroom that much worse.
When he heard the door open, he actually leapt up and went to greet Jade. He rushed to her but balked as he saw the expression on her face. He hung back and cocked his head, sensing something was amiss. It looked like she was struggling to keep a straight face and was losing the battle. As soon as she shut her door behind her, she tossed her book bag aside, brushed past him and threw herself on the bed. She hugged her pillow and he could hear her softly sobbing into it.
Finn felt awkward. He didn't know what he should do. He wanted his walk, but Jade didn't look like she was prepared to leave that spot anytime soon. What was she crying for? He'd never seen her cry. He'd seen many of her moods in the past few years, but never this one. Uncertain, he slowly moved back over to the bed, still trying to figure out what to do. What COULD he do? He was just a dog, after all. Once he was beside the bed, he hesitated, then put one paw up on it, then the other one, then slowly maneuvered his huge form onto the bed. He lay his front paws and his head upon those on the pillow beside Jade, wondering what the Hell he was doing.
Jade was snuffling into her pillow, feeling miserable. She hated that school! Jackie had no idea just how much she hated it! Well, maybe not the school, just the students and the teachers and the principal--- she felt the bed give way to the weight of an extra body beside her. Felt the warm, hairy body of a dog snuggle in close. She lifted her head from her pillow just enough to see Finn lying there next to her.
In her moment of pain, she didn't feel like she could find consolation in either of her uncles, not because they weren't caring, but because they might not understand. She didn't feel like going to Tohru all weepy and Finn was right there, right now, apparently ready to console her. She took his offer and threw her left arm around his neck, buried her face into his hairy shoulder, and continued to cry. Holding onto Finn felt better then that inanimate pillow. The pillow offered no warmth, no security, and oddly enough, the criminal did. She held tightly onto his gray hair. Her tears soaked into his shoulder. He lay still there for her, not daring to move, not sure what he should do if he did move. This was not something that happened to him every day. Finn wished he could ask her what happened. But he supposed that she would tell him in time if she really wanted to impart that. So he just let her hold him. Her weeping tugged at his heart a bit. It wasn't right for a little girl like her to cry like that. He wanted to know what had happened and found himself thinking that if he could do anything about it, he would. He kept waiting for one of her uncles or for Tohru to come walking in, but recalled her attempted poker face when she'd entered. She didn't want to let onto any of her family and wondered why.
It was a while before she seemed to grow calmer and loosened her fists. She stroked him, face still buried in his shoulder. But he thought she'd finally stopped with the crying. That was a relief. He didn't like hearing her cry. He wasn't used to feeling--- well, he wasn't sure how he was feeling, but he didn't feel quite so angry at her anymore for turning her into a dog. It was kind of hard to be angry at someone who sought you out for comfort.
Finally, she let him go; she lay back on her side facing him and used her left hand and continued to pet him. He turned his head slightly so he could see her out of his right eye. Even through his colorblindness, he could see her face was blotchy from the tears. She reached up and scratched his ear, knowing he was getting to like that.
She sniffed some, "Thanks, Finn."
Finn whined lightly at her.
"I-I-I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet."
Finn whined again. She smiled at him and rubbed her eyes with her palm.
"Sometime I will, but, not now." Jade sniffled.
He sighed. Well, if she didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to talk about it. He just wished he could do something about it. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to like the kid. She cared about him. Maybe genuinely. It'd been a while since he had that and it felt nice.
Oh great--- he felt it coming. He'd tried to ignore it while he comforted her, but now there was no putting it off. He knew there wouldn't be enough time for Jade to take him out. That's just great! He didn't want to move--- she was still scratching his ear and that was one of the few truly pleasant things about being a dog that he enjoyed. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her and hurried over to the newspaper. He couldn't believe he was about to take a dump in the middle of the kids room with her watching, no less!
Jade frowned when he moved off the bed and wondered if she might have taken things too far and then it came to her as he dashed to the newspaper just why he got up. Her mouth made an 'o' in realization and she hurriedly averted her eyes to save him the embarrassment he knew he already felt.
Finn squatted and checked Jade, glad to see she had looked away. Sighing, he did his thing then moved off the newspaper. Not wanting her to see, he did his best to fold the paper over what he left to cover it. It didn't work very well, but it was better then nothing. He hung his head and if he could, he would be blushing. He felt Jade next to him and winced then felt her stroke his back.
"Do you hate me too? For this?"
God, Finn wondered what was wrong. Then guessed, it wasn't something that had happened to her today, it had been someONE. If he ever found that someone, he was going to take them home with him and use them as his first and favorite chew toy. He looked her in the eye, saw the sadness behind them and the evidence of more tears waiting in line. He didn't hate her. He nuzzled her and she held onto his head, hugging him tightly.
"Thanks, Finn." She whispered and saw him wag his tail. She gave him a squeeze then released him. "It's been a long day, huh? I know you are probably wondering why I'm keeping you as a dog. I--- I just sorta need you right now--- crazy, huh?"
Well, Finn thought, yes and no. Needed him, huh? Well, Finn had to admit, it was nice to be needed. But he had to wonder, why HIM of all people?
To be continued---
Part Four
Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins
A Jackie Chan Adventures Fanfic
Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Jackie Chan and subsequent characters belong to Jackie Chan and associates. It'd be pretty useless to sue me since I have nothing! I've made no profit nor will see any from this fic.
Summary: With VampireNaomi's permission, I have taken it upon myself to continue her fic since she had no plans to. When we last saw Finn, he was at the mercy of the evil William and it seems no one is there to help the thief--- or is there?
(Author's Note: I drew a picture of Jade and Zephyr bonding. You can find it posted on Deviantart at with all my other fun and sexy JCA fanart. My screenname there is Skymouth. Enjoy!)
"No dogs at the table, Jade." Jackie commanded.
Jade pouted, "A-a-a-a-aw! But Zeph's family!"
Jackie wasn't going to let himself be swayed this time, "No, Jade. Zephyr has his own bowl."
Finn wasn't happy, but that was his new lot in life. At Jade's urging, he shuffled off reluctantly and stared hatefully at the dry kibble in his bowl Tohru had been sent previously that day to get him. He could smell the wonderful scent of chicken curry they were eating and knew no amount of begging would procure him any of it. He wasn't going to eat this crap. It smelled like beef flavored chalk. Who were the dog food manufacturers trying to kid? If it looked like crap and smelled like crap, it was crap and he wasn't going to eat it! So Finn suffered through the meal. Not only did his growling stomach protest at the crummy offering, but he had to endure the boring conversations of the Chan's during suppertime. He was trapped in the dining area. He had yet to scout around Section 13 at his leisure. Once he had the chance, that was exactly what he was going to do. And perhaps Jade had sensed it as well, for she hadn't left his side all day.
"You have your homework done for tomorrow?" Jackie asked Jade. Finn listened in because there was nothing else he could do. Being a house dog was frigging boring!
"Um, most of it." Jade lied. She'd only read a few pages of the three chapters she was supposed to have done.
Jackie raised his eyebrow. "You should have done that on Saturday, Jade. You will do the rest of your homework right after dinner. No t.v. and no video games until you get it done."
Finn watched the exchange, getting a feel for how the Chan household worked. Jade was sly. He wondered if she was going to obey her uncle or not. He was only just beginning to appreciate her devious mind. It was one thing if she used her wiles against him and the Dark Hand, it was another to see her use it against her uncles.
Jade pouted as she ate the rest of her dinner.
"I'm finished. Can I do the dishes?" She asked.
This brought astonished stares all around.
Jackie checked her plate, "You didn't clean your plate."
"It's okay, I'm not that hungry. Heh, eye's bigger then the stomach!" Jade's grin was all teeth for her uncle.
"I've got studying to do." Uncle wiped his mouth and stood. "Jade will clean dishes! Tohru, come with me!"
"But sensei, I have not finished eating." Tohru protested quietly.
"Tohru-u-u-u, I need four hands for this!"
The large sumo sighed, "Yes, sensei. I guess I'm finished now." The two left their dishes.
Jade grinned. Good, they didn't clean their plates either.
"Well, I have studying to do too." Jackie admitted and after a few more forkfulls stood. "You will do your homework after you finish cleaning up."
"Sure thing, Uncle Jackie!" Jade said too agreeably for Jackie's tastes.
Jackie couldn't help but feel suspicious. After all, it wasn't everyday his conniving niece offered to do medial labor. But he didn't have time or the want to argue and left her to it. Jade waited for him to leave and then hopped down from her chair and started to gather everyone's plates.
"Hey, Finn, I know you're probably not going to eat your kibble, so maybe this will be a bit more appetizing." She scrapped all the leftovers from everyone's plates into his bowl.
Finn looked at his bowl with mixed emotions. Was this what he was reduced to? Snatching tablescraps? It was demeaning. But, damn it, the kid had tried to do something nice for him. The least he could do for her was show a little gratitude, right? But how? It took him a moment to think. Then it hit him.
Jade watched Finn and wondered what was going through his mind. It must be hard to be treated like an animal, she thought to herself. She also wondered why he was stalling. He kept staring into his food dish and she knew he was hungry, so why wasn't he eating? Was he just trying to give her a hard time? He better not, after all she'd done for him! Then he looked up at her suddenly and to her amazement, he wagged his whip-like tail at her and then ducked his head down and began to eat. Jade grinned. Well, well, was she finally getting through to Finn?
Jade went and did the dishes, feeling better about the arrangement. When she was done, Finn had been finished with his dinner long ago and had just been watching her since there was nothing else to do.
"Well, I guess I better go and study now." She said with some reluctance. "You're coming too."
Finn suspected as much. He followed along staring longingly down the corridor that led to the more secure part of the facility and wondered if Jade was ever going to let him see the rest of the lab. He must find a way to snoop around the place without his new shadow constantly at his side. But for now, he would play the part of placid pooch. Jade closed the door behind them once they got to her room. She dug through her school pack for her book and Finn lay down on the floor wishing he had opposable thumbs so he could at least read a book on his own or play one of Jade's video games while she read. After all, she was the one who was banned from her games, he was not. He was bored.
Jade found the book she had to read. "Hey, Finn. You might like this book. It's called the Outsiders, ever heard of it? About a bunch of gangster teenagers!"
Finn cocked his head. Sounded familiar, but he wasn't much for books anyway. Jade walked over in front of him and squatted, then turned and to Finn's astonishment, leaned back against his chest with her legs sticking out between his own, long forelegs. Her head was a few inches below his chin as she lay there against him and made herself comfortable as she opened her book. What the heck did she think he was doing? Finn wanted to know.
Jade began to read out loud from the page where she left off. Well, this was another new experience, Finn thought and decided it wasn't that bad. He only wished he knew what had missed in the few pages she had already read, but she didn't seem to be inclined to go back and reread them for his benefit. When Jackie sneaked a peak to make sure she was actually doing her homework, he had to smile at the scene he saw. Maybe Zephyr wasn't dangerous at all. He seemed very tolerant and dealing with Jade required a lot of that! It was somewhat disconcerting, however, when it seemed like Zephyr was hanging on Jade's every word as she read. But then Jackie had to remind himself that he was being silly. The big dog was simply responding to his mistress's voice was all. He quietly left, not wanting to disturb them.
Jade got to the end of her assignment and closed the book with relish. "Okay, enough of that!"
Finn was disappointed, just as it was starting to get interesting too! Jade hopped up from her perch and tossed her book in the general location of her bag. She went digging through a storage box in the corner. "Now HERE'S what I'm talking about! My latest Turbo Troll graphic novel!" Jade hurried back and repropped herself up against Finn. Finn sighed. Please don't tell him that Jade was going to read him Turbo Troll now? Why couldn't it have been a descent comic like Batman or Spawn or something?
She did read it to him out loud, and pointed at each panel to Finn. Somehow, seeing a comic that wasn't meant to be in black and white and yet was due to his animal vision, just wasn't the same. It distressed him. But this was going to be his only form of entertainment for the evening, he knew, so he had to take what he could get.
A little later, Jackie strolled by her room and made himself known. "Bedtime, Jade. First, you better take Zephyr out for a walk. Do you know if he's newspaper trained? You aren't going to go out alone in San Francisco in the middle of the night if he has to go out again."
Jade looked up from her comic. "But, Jackie, I won't be alone. Zephyr will be right with me! He can totally chomp on anyone who messes with me!"
Newspaper trained? Finn sighed. For crying out loud! He wanted to hang his head in embarrassment, but when he did that, his head rested on top of Jades.
"Sure he is! Zeph's a smart dog, aren't you boy?"
Finn wanted to roll his eyes. Why him?
"Well, I don't want to have to clean up any mess he makes, Jade. He's YOUR dog so if anything happens, it's YOUR responsibility."
"Duh, Jackie. Come on, Zeph! Walkies!" Jade hopped up again and slipped the makeshift leash over his head.
Finn stared at her feeling offended and annoyed. Walkies? He was a grown man and he most definitely did NOT go for walkies! The leash choked him and he realized Jade was pulling on it with all her might. Finn snorted and decided to follow. Well, he DID have to take a leak, but why'd she have to call it walkies? Was this another form of punishment?
Jade took him to his tree and then back to her room. Though before they got there, she'd grabbed up the days paper. In the room, she laid it out in the corner for him.
"Look, Finn, I know you hate this, but you can't use the toilet and you aren't going to mess up my room. This is here just in case you need it, that's all. This'll be here for you tomorrow too while I'm at school. Don't be mad at me, okay?"
Finn wasn't happy, after all, this was lower then low. Being asked to go to the bathroom on the paper when he needed too. He wanted to beg her to turn him into a human again, but she'd made sure he couldn't ask for anything. Well, he had too much pride. He put using the newspaper as a toilet on the list of things he NEVER was going to do.
"Turn your head so I can change into my pajama's." She instructed him and he obeyed grumpily. "Okay. Stay here while I take care of my own business."
Like he had a choice? He shuffled over to the side of the bed and lay down. His first full day as a dog had not been a happy one, but when he reflected on it, it could have been much worse. Jade was pretty descent, if a little weird. After all, who else would want to keep a criminal turned into a dog as a treasured pet? She also considered that those dangerous adventures she got herself involved in with her uncle as cool.
A little later, he heard her bare feet slapping against the floor as she walked to the bed.
"Well, goodnight, Finn. See you in the morning." She said somewhat cheerily.
Finn snuffed a disheartened reply and shut his eyes. He felt that hand stroke the top of his head again. Chow would have some smartass remark on hand if he found out Finn let Jade pet him. But screw Chow at the moment. Screw Ratso, and definitely screw Valmont and Shendu! They didn't give a damn about him! The only person on the Earth who currently gave a damn about him at all was Jade, Jade whom he'd done so many crummy things to in the few years he'd known of her, Jade who put in the effort to save his worthless ass, Jade whom he owed his life too. So he decided right then he'd try to put in a little more effort to pay her back. Screw it, he raised his head and licked her hand, then quickly lay it down again and tried to pretend he hadn't just done that.
Jade was wide eyed in shock and stared at her hand. She decided not to put him through any more embarrassment that day and didn't say anything about it. But the grin on her face wouldn't go away as she hopped over Finn and onto bed.
In the morning, the alarm nearly made Finn jump out of his skin. Crap, he looked at the clock. Seven in the morning? Just as well, he had to take a leak anyway--- and NOT on those damn newspapers! Come on, he willed at her, wake up and take me out! She groaned, pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a ball. He snorted. Not again! Was this going to happen EVERY stinking morning? He grabbed up the covers in his mouth and yanked again. But this time, she was prepared and held onto them tightly. Finn felt cross and didn't want to drag her off the bed again. Fine. He barked once, very loudly and almost in her ear.
"A-a-a-ah!" Jade shouted and nearly jumped out of her own skin. "Okay! I'm up! Sheesh! You're worse then Jackie in the morning!"
He whined at her and moved next to the door.
"You got the newspaper, come on, give me a break, Finn!" Jade complained as she yawned.
Finn shook his head and scratched at the door. Jade groaned.
"Fine!" She grimaced, "I'll take you out before I go to school. But if you gotta go while I'm away, Jackie isn't going to be around to take care of your needs. You'll HAVE to use the newspaper. Now turn around so I can get dressed, you pest."
Pest? Finn was insulted. SHE was the one who turned him into a dog! Why couldn't she have turned him into a monkey at the very least? That way he'd been able to use the toilet and have opposable thumbs to boot! Grumbling, she drug him out so he could do his business. Once that was taken care of, she drug him back to her room.
"Okay, I'm going to be back sometime around 3:30," she told him as she took him to the kitchen for breakfast. "You'll have to find some way to entertain yourself during the time I'm gone."
Well, that was just great, Finn mumbled to himself. Could she appreciate how boring it was being a dog?
Breakfast was uneventful. Jade wasn't able to sneak him any eggs or bacon. He ignored the kibble. Tohru muttered about Zephyr's reluctance to eat and being an ungrateful mongrel. Jade and Finn both took exception to his remark and only Jade could come to a reasonable defense.
"Well, maybe he just doesn't like dry dog food. They make that canned stuff that looks almost like real meat now. Even smells pretty descent."
"Dry is cheape-e-e-er!" Uncle informed her.
"He could starve!" Jade protested.
Uncle continued to eat his eggs, "He should be grateful to be fed at all!"
Jade pouted and Finn hung his head. He wasn't going to eat that mess! He wasn't! Why were they doing this to him? Why didn't they listen to Jade? Kid actually had good ideas. But no one made a move to better his breakfast and so he didn't make a move to eat it though his stomach wondered why and loudly.
"Jade, until we can trust him, we can't have him running loose in the facility while you're away. I'm afraid Zephyr will need to be locked up in your room." Jackie told her.
"Come on, Jackie! You can't do that to Zeph! He'll get bored!" Jade protested.
Finn flinched. Hours locked in Jade's room alone with nothing to do?
"I'm sorry, Jade. Maybe you can give him one of your toys you don't want anymore as a chew toy to keep him occupied."
Finn snorted again. Chew toy???
Jade pouted some more and ushered Finn out of the kitchen and to her room. "Sorry, but Jackie isn't going to budge on this one. I know. I'll just leave the t.v. on for you. Um, dunno if you can manage the remote or not, but I'll keep it handy for you so you can at least try."
The kid was trying, trying her best for him. He butted her gently with his head and she grinned.
"You're welcome, Finn. Look, I gotta go now. What channel do you want? Heh, Animal Planet?"
Finn snorted and shook his head.
"Okay, here's one. I gotta go now. See you around 3:30." Jade gave him one last headrub and then locked the door behind her.
Finn turned to the t.v. to see what channel she picked for him. He saw the logo on the corner of the screen and rolled his eyes. Court T.v. Jade's peculiar sense of humor. Oh well, maybe he'd see some of his friends there and get a chance to laugh at them. He may be a dog, but at least he wasn't in jail. He sheepishly looked around at his confinement. The food was just as bad, but the company was a million times better. He'd still laugh at them though.
He watched it for a few hours, tried to work the remote a few times, failed, and gave up. He took to pacing when he got bored with the television. The room wasn't that big, and with his long strides, it wasn't really pacing, it was really almost just turning around in a tight circle. When he got dizzy from that, he reluctantly went back to watching the t.v. He found himself anxiously watching the clock for her return. At least things were less boring when Jade was around. An hour to go. Damn! He had to take a dump! Well, he was NOT going to use the newspaper. He'd wait until she got home. He took to pacing again, or tried to. That just made his need to go to the bathroom that much worse.
When he heard the door open, he actually leapt up and went to greet Jade. He rushed to her but balked as he saw the expression on her face. He hung back and cocked his head, sensing something was amiss. It looked like she was struggling to keep a straight face and was losing the battle. As soon as she shut her door behind her, she tossed her book bag aside, brushed past him and threw herself on the bed. She hugged her pillow and he could hear her softly sobbing into it.
Finn felt awkward. He didn't know what he should do. He wanted his walk, but Jade didn't look like she was prepared to leave that spot anytime soon. What was she crying for? He'd never seen her cry. He'd seen many of her moods in the past few years, but never this one. Uncertain, he slowly moved back over to the bed, still trying to figure out what to do. What COULD he do? He was just a dog, after all. Once he was beside the bed, he hesitated, then put one paw up on it, then the other one, then slowly maneuvered his huge form onto the bed. He lay his front paws and his head upon those on the pillow beside Jade, wondering what the Hell he was doing.
Jade was snuffling into her pillow, feeling miserable. She hated that school! Jackie had no idea just how much she hated it! Well, maybe not the school, just the students and the teachers and the principal--- she felt the bed give way to the weight of an extra body beside her. Felt the warm, hairy body of a dog snuggle in close. She lifted her head from her pillow just enough to see Finn lying there next to her.
In her moment of pain, she didn't feel like she could find consolation in either of her uncles, not because they weren't caring, but because they might not understand. She didn't feel like going to Tohru all weepy and Finn was right there, right now, apparently ready to console her. She took his offer and threw her left arm around his neck, buried her face into his hairy shoulder, and continued to cry. Holding onto Finn felt better then that inanimate pillow. The pillow offered no warmth, no security, and oddly enough, the criminal did. She held tightly onto his gray hair. Her tears soaked into his shoulder. He lay still there for her, not daring to move, not sure what he should do if he did move. This was not something that happened to him every day. Finn wished he could ask her what happened. But he supposed that she would tell him in time if she really wanted to impart that. So he just let her hold him. Her weeping tugged at his heart a bit. It wasn't right for a little girl like her to cry like that. He wanted to know what had happened and found himself thinking that if he could do anything about it, he would. He kept waiting for one of her uncles or for Tohru to come walking in, but recalled her attempted poker face when she'd entered. She didn't want to let onto any of her family and wondered why.
It was a while before she seemed to grow calmer and loosened her fists. She stroked him, face still buried in his shoulder. But he thought she'd finally stopped with the crying. That was a relief. He didn't like hearing her cry. He wasn't used to feeling--- well, he wasn't sure how he was feeling, but he didn't feel quite so angry at her anymore for turning her into a dog. It was kind of hard to be angry at someone who sought you out for comfort.
Finally, she let him go; she lay back on her side facing him and used her left hand and continued to pet him. He turned his head slightly so he could see her out of his right eye. Even through his colorblindness, he could see her face was blotchy from the tears. She reached up and scratched his ear, knowing he was getting to like that.
She sniffed some, "Thanks, Finn."
Finn whined lightly at her.
"I-I-I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet."
Finn whined again. She smiled at him and rubbed her eyes with her palm.
"Sometime I will, but, not now." Jade sniffled.
He sighed. Well, if she didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to talk about it. He just wished he could do something about it. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to like the kid. She cared about him. Maybe genuinely. It'd been a while since he had that and it felt nice.
Oh great--- he felt it coming. He'd tried to ignore it while he comforted her, but now there was no putting it off. He knew there wouldn't be enough time for Jade to take him out. That's just great! He didn't want to move--- she was still scratching his ear and that was one of the few truly pleasant things about being a dog that he enjoyed. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her and hurried over to the newspaper. He couldn't believe he was about to take a dump in the middle of the kids room with her watching, no less!
Jade frowned when he moved off the bed and wondered if she might have taken things too far and then it came to her as he dashed to the newspaper just why he got up. Her mouth made an 'o' in realization and she hurriedly averted her eyes to save him the embarrassment he knew he already felt.
Finn squatted and checked Jade, glad to see she had looked away. Sighing, he did his thing then moved off the newspaper. Not wanting her to see, he did his best to fold the paper over what he left to cover it. It didn't work very well, but it was better then nothing. He hung his head and if he could, he would be blushing. He felt Jade next to him and winced then felt her stroke his back.
"Do you hate me too? For this?"
God, Finn wondered what was wrong. Then guessed, it wasn't something that had happened to her today, it had been someONE. If he ever found that someone, he was going to take them home with him and use them as his first and favorite chew toy. He looked her in the eye, saw the sadness behind them and the evidence of more tears waiting in line. He didn't hate her. He nuzzled her and she held onto his head, hugging him tightly.
"Thanks, Finn." She whispered and saw him wag his tail. She gave him a squeeze then released him. "It's been a long day, huh? I know you are probably wondering why I'm keeping you as a dog. I--- I just sorta need you right now--- crazy, huh?"
Well, Finn thought, yes and no. Needed him, huh? Well, Finn had to admit, it was nice to be needed. But he had to wonder, why HIM of all people?
To be continued---