Defender
Author's notes: You'd think it'd be okay to bring your dog on a date, right/grins/
Comments:
Araz: Thanks bunches for the suggestions. As you can see, I liked them.
Kaesa Aurelia Secunda: Wow! That's a long name! Thank you for the kind words./big smile/ I'm glad you're enjoying the "game". Thanks for the crit, too. Beginnings are difficulte for me and when I'm done w/a story, I often go back and almost completely rewrite the first chapter or so.
hljodhr-zar'roc: Thank you. And here is the date.
.oO0Oo.oO0Oo.oO0Oo.
"But why did you bring him along?" Aaron demanded again.
Karen sighed yet again. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd understand."
"Look, I know he's your bodyguard and all that crap, but Karen, this is a date! Haven't you ever heard that three's a crowd?"
"I'm sorry…." She stirred her latté. "At least you don't have to pay for his drink?"
Aaron snorted. "If he can't eat on the job, then when does he eat?"
"In the mornings before I go to school and at supper."
"Heh. Like my dog." Karen looked sharply up at him, making him suddenly feel rotten. "Sorry. I guess I'm just peeved that he's here…still."
"I can't send him home. Don't speak German, remember?"
Aaron laughed. "You should seriously learn!"
His date threw him a weary smile. Changing the subject, she asked, "You said you have a dog?"
"Yah!" Aaron sat up straighter. "Bought her with my own money. A registered, full-blooded Doberman Pinscher."
Karen blanched. "Her?"
"Yah, a girl. Her registered name is 'Queen Elizabeth III'. Kind of a joke on my end. We just call her 'Lizzy', though." He paused, staring at Karen. "You know…you don't have to chew your nails. I can get you something if you're hungry."
"I'm fine." She laughed nervously and took another sip of her coffee.
Aaron leaned back and watched her slowly stir the dark liquid and then bend the straw in two. "I hope to train her as a show dog," he said, continuing the conversation. "Now that she's not a puppy any more, I figure it's time for her to earn her keep. Make sense?"
Karen nodded silently. Setting down the abused straw beside her half-finished latté, she smiled. "I think I'm done. Do you want to go see a movie now?"
"With or without him?"
"With, of course. There won't be time to drive him back to the house and still make it back to the movie."
"Will he understand that he can't go in the theatre?"
Karen frowned. "Probably not…but maybe they'll let him in anyhow!"
"I doubt it! They won't care if he's your bodyguard or the president; he'll still have to have a ticket and I won't buy it!"
"That's okay. I have a little cash."
"I think not!" Aaron proclaimed indignantly. "I can't let you pay for stuff on our first date!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?" she asked, her eyes flashing with irritation. "You won't buy his ticket; you don't want me to buy his ticket; I can't send him home; and he won't understand that he has to wait for us."
"Well then, I guess we can't go."
"Aaron…"
He cast her a peeved glance and then sighed. "I do wish he'd at least stop glaring at me. Totally unnerves me!"
She sat back with a pout. "Maybe he'd like you more if you weren't so against his being here."
"Oh never mind! Shall I drive you home?"
Karen toyed with her bent straw as she stared at the counter. "Actually," she answered softly, "there's a little pet store in China Town…."
.oO0Oo.
"Well, hello, Miss Karen," Count D greeted at the door. "What brings you and Dreizehn here at so late an hour?"
Karen stepped into the shop, smiled at Q-chan, who cooed in return, and then stopped.
"Oh, yes," the Count said with an apologetic grin. "The lieutenant and I were just having a pointless discussion—"
"It's not pointless!" Orcot interrupted, standing to his feet. "One of these days you will slip up and I'll be there waiting for you!"
"Now, now, Detective, I think we've had enough of this unpleasant business for one night. Perhaps you and Karen would like some German chocolate cake?"
"Oh, I would very much!" Karen sang, her eyes lighting with anticipation.
Leon frowned, glanced at the fancy cake that Count D brought over, and rose. "No thanks. I better go. Have to get up in the morning."
"Oh, what a pity," the Count sighed with feigned disappointment, but Leon chose to ignore him.
When he reached the door, though, he turned and added, "I'll be waiting for you," and then he was gone.
"What was that all about?" Karen asked as she sat down on the sofa.
"Nothing to worry yourself about. I'm afraid the Lieutenant is simply mistaken about a few things. He'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure. Tea?"
"Yes, please."
Having served the cake and poured the tea, Count D sat in the chair across from Karen. He sipped his drink and studied Dreizehn. Setting his cup in the saucer, he asked, "To what do I owe the honour of this late visit?"
"Well, I had a few questions concerning Dreizehn."
D nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"Is…is he fixed?"
She could have sworn the dog gave her an odd look that was a mixture of surprise and concern. D certainly closed his eyes a little longer than was necessary, but the rest of his expression was hidden behind the teacup.
"No, he's not," the Count answered simply. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I've a boyfriend now and we'll naturally be spending a certain amount of time together and Dreizehn will be there whether Aaron likes it or not and…well…he owns a female Doberman."
This time the Count did not even attempt to hide the smile that slowly crept across his face. "Don't worry," he promised. "Nothing will come of it. Dreizehn takes his work very seriously and, unless you specify otherwise, he will not stop guarding you."
Karen chuckled in return, suddenly feeling a little silly. "Well, that's a relief. But, there's still another problem that I've encountered: some people see Dreizehn as a man like I used to, but others see him as a dog. How am I supposed to know, before hand, who sees him which way, and what am I supposed to do if I'm ever in a position where not everyone sees him in the same form?"
The Count remained silent for a few moments. Setting the teacup and saucer on the table, he leaned back in his chair with his fingertips together. "Did you receive the incense that I gave you?"
"Yes…" Karen answered, a little confused by the shift in topics.
"Do you burn it every day?"
"Well, not every day."
"You should. Dreizehn misses it."
Karen stared at her dog, wondering how her host could tell. There certainly wasn't anything different about him that she could see.
"But what about my question?" she persisted.
"Oh, that will work itself out, I'm sure."
.oO0Oo.
During lunch the next day, Ellie finally asked the question that Amanda had steadily refrained from asking: "How was the date?"
Karen chuckled. "Kinda boring, actually. Aaron is so stuck on himself and totally did not understand why Dreizehn had to be there."
"Duh!" the two girls exclaimed in unison.
Karen looked from one to the other. "You guys don't get it either?" She rolled her eyes. "Well, never mind. He wants to go out again, but this time without Dreizehn."
"Well, good going!" Ellie cheered, lightly hitting Karen's arm. "He likes you enough to forgive you such an indiscretion as bringing along another man!"
"Did you accept?" Amanda asked.
"Well, yah. But I don't care what he says about my…about Dreizehn, I'm taking him with me. You know…chaperone, if nothing else!"
"That is so outdated!" Ellie exclaimed.
Karen just shrugged.
Amanda chewed on the end of her fork. "Do you like him? Even though he's 'so stuck on himself'?"
"Well…" Karen blushed. "A little. Enough, at least, to give him a second chance."
"Well good. In that case, I guess I'll let you go."
Karen's eyebrows rose involuntarily. "You were going to try and stop me?"
"No, of course not, silly! But if you have to have a chaperone, then you have to have permission, too." Amanda stuck out her tongue in playfulness.
"Oh, give me a break, you two! You know that's not the main reason Dreizehn has to come along."
"Well, if that isn't it, I'd sure like know what is!"
Karen sighed. "How many times do I have to say it! He's my bodyguard!"
"And I'm your mother!" Ellie threw back in a mocking tone, but instantly regretted it when she saw her friend's countenance plummet. "Oh Karen! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…. I guess I should've stuck with the regular 'Queen of England' routine. It's just…Amanda was being so…so…"
"No, it's okay," Karen said softly. "You're probably right, anyhow. I should leave him at the house."
.oO0Oo.
The next school day sped by incredibly fast for Karen. It was Friday and that night she and Aaron were supposed to go on another date. She had expected the day to creep along, but no, it was already five o'clock and Aaron had just pulled into the driveway.
Putting on the last touch to her make-up, she grabbed her purse and was on her way out the room when Amanda stopped her.
"Are you sure you're okay with leaving Dora-chan alone in the room with me?" she teased, batting her eyelashes.
"No, but I'm sure he can stick up for himself if you're crazy enough to try anything untoward."
"Touché!" Amanda replied with a laugh.
.oO0Oo.
"Sorry about last Wednesday," Aaron apologised as he helped Karen into his car.
She smiled at him. "I told you then that it was alright. Why do you think I agreed to a second date?"
He closed her door, walked around the front of the car, and opened the driver's door. "I guess I just want to make sure I didn't mess up my only chance."
"Hello, Aaron. I'm here."
He smiled at her. "And you're beautiful." Starting the engine, he pulled out of the driveway. "I'm just glad you didn't insist on bringing him along."
"I thought about it," she admitted quietly. "But you know…he has a name."
"Yah, but I forgot it."
"Dreizehn."
He rolled the name around in his head and attempted to repeat it.
Karen chuckled. "That'll do. Or you could call him 'Dora-chan' like everyone else. He'll know that you're talking about him."
"Oh great! Just what I needed." He winked at her. "So, is there an English equivalent to his name or is it exclusive to Germany."
"No. It means, 'Thirteen'."
"What the heck! Who names their kid 'Thirteen'?"
"Someone in Germany, evidently."
Aaron gave her a sidelong glance and shook his head in bewilderment. "Say," he interjected, "what movie do you want to see?"
"Horizon Lines okay with you? Ellie and Amanda saw it Wednesday night while we were out."
"I suppose so."
.oO0Oo.
As the ending credits came on the screen, Aaron pulled the empty pop-corn bucket out from between them and leaned in close to Karen's ear. "You could've warned me that this was a chick flick."
"You should've guessed," she whispered back. "But it did get pretty intense in the middle."
"Intense for a chick flick maybe," Aaron teased.
She chuckled. "I guess you can pick the next movie, then."
"It'll be a shoot-'em-up," he promised as he stood from his seat.
Karen shrugged and started to walk out with him. "Fair enough as long as it has a little fluff."
"Most of them do."
"You're not thinking 007 type of stuff are you? That does not count as fluff!"
Aaron paused. "Well…in that case…."
Karen spun around on one heel and firmly planted her index finger in his chest. "I thought that's what you were talking about!" she cooed triumphantly. "No, it has to have a little bit of actual romance in it. How it ends up, I don't much care, but I don't want to be subjected to two hours of guys with guns chasing guys with guns around the world without at least one love scene to break up the monotony."
"To give it monotony, you mean," Aaron teased.
"That's a matter of opinion," she returned with a flip of her hair.
Aaron stepped quickly to hold the door open for her. She smiled politely, exited, and then held the next door open for him. He raised his eyebrows.
"It's the door game," she explained. "Works every time! Oh don't look at me like that. I'll let you open the car door for me, if you want."
He let his mock frown slowly ease into a smile as he brought his keys out of his pocket and jingled them at his side. "You sure will."
In a matter on moments, they had found the black Porsche. Unlocking the door, Aaron made a show of slowly opening and then holding the door for Karen. She threw him a look and started to get into the car, but then stopped. There on her seat was a white slip of paper with four words printed in large capital letters:
I'M STILL WATCHING YOU!
Karen crumpled the paper in her fist and sat down without a word. Aaron shut her door and got in on his own side. He started the engine, but then turned to Karen.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Nothing," she lied.
He studied her a moment. "Does nothing always get you this agitated?"
"I—" She started to lie again, but thought better of it. "It's a note."
She placed the ball in his hand and then turned away. Aaron carefully uncrumpled the paper and read it to himself.
"Who is this creep?" he asked.
"My cousin, Edward," Karen answered softly. "He put one in my locker, too."
"Your locker? But your locker's always locked."
"So was your car just now."
Aaron suddenly grew doubly concerned. "Have you told the police about this?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"They already know that Edward's on the loose. Besides…I guess…" she paused and then sighed deeply, "I guess I still think of him as the cousin that I once knew. I guess I keep hoping that it's all just a big nightmare and that I'll wake up and there will be my mom and dad and we'll all be in our old house and Edward will still be my friend and my canaries that I got from Count D will still be there to sing to me and—" She broke down into tears.
Aaron guided her head to his shoulder and started to smooth out her curls. Not knowing what to say, he offered her the next best thing: silence and a sympathetic touch. Eventually, her tears subsided and she sat up again.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to do that."
Aaron just nodded, still uncertain what to say. Putting the car in gear, he backed out of the parking lot and headed to her house.
"Aaron," Karen began after a sufficient time to regain her composure.
"What?"
"How did you get your note in my locker?"
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask. I…paid off a guy to pick your lock. He put it in there for me."
.oO0Oo.oO0Oo.oO0Oo.
Last notes: Mwa ha-ha-ha! Mwa ha-ha-ha ha-ha-ha ha-ha /rolls on floor cackling with evil laughter/