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
I don't own anything
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Chapter 2: Integration
Carmen drove to the hotel that Player had organized for them and got out. She picked up Chase and his things and walked inside. Chase read the name, 'Sejours & Affaires Lamartine, this is a great hotel!' he thought in surprise.
"Hello, I'm Rena Rouge, I've got a reservation for three and my dog," said Carmen to the receptionist.
"Yes, here you are, rooms 300, 301, and 302, the penthouse suites," smiled the receptionist.
"Thank you," said Carmen, leaving with a shocked Chase.
"Penthouse suites! Just how much money do you have? How much have you stolen?" he said, Carmen just hearing a bark.
"Shh, Chase, there are others here, this place only allows small pets," she said, pressing the button for the elevator.
'Right now, I don't care. You have some explaining to do, Crimson Ghost,' thought Chase.
"You know, I never thought that it would be easy to talk to a dog but it is. I've never had a pet before. Well, when you're raised on Tropical Island by thieves who keep themselves isolated from the outside world except for the Faculty, you don't have the chance to have a pet."
'Wait, she was raised by V.I.L.E!' was Chase's thought. 'That explains so much but why is she against them if she was raised by them? Wait a minute… She betrayed them!' was his final thought and he was so stunned he didn't notice that they'd made it to the suite and that Carmen had opened the door.
"Well, this is nice," commented Carmen. Chase blinked and looked around. He had to agree, it was nice. She placed him on the plush carpet and then placed the basket next to the bed, it was a nice soft one with a blue and red pattern. A green ball, a Frisbee, a squeaky toy, a rope, and a regular chew toy were placed next to it. A food bowl and a water bowl were placed in the kitchen section of the suite and both were filled with dog food and water. A box of dog treats was placed on the counter along with his muscle ointment. Chase witnessed the dog shampoo being placed in the bathroom and a dog brush as well. His blue lead was hung up next to Carmen's coat. Carmen smiled as she walked over to him after placing a laptop on the coffee table. "Right Chase," and she picked him up and put him in the basket, he looked at her with a puzzled look. "This is your basket," she said, stroking him.
"Oh come on Miss Sandiego! I'm not a real dog!" he barked crossly, getting out of the basket only to be put right back in it.
"Chase, this is where you'll sleep, no arguments," said Carmen firmly. He turned his head away from her.
'Who does she think she is, bossing me around like I'm actually some kind of animal?' he thought, he was not her pet, he was a human. 'But right now you are a dog, what is she supposed to think? She doesn't know it's really you! She's trying to be a good owner to a puppy that she found on the streets. She's bought you all these things and you're basically throwing it back in her face. This is the same type of attitude that not only got you fired from A.C.M.E. but most likely got Miss Argent to resent you because you didn't listen and did things in your own bull-headed way. Even if you don't listen to anyone else at least listen to her, it's the least you can do Chase Devineaux!' he heard that though in both his voice and his parent's voices and he winced. He was being ungrateful. Again. He sighed and turned around in his basket carefully and he laid down, looking up at Carmen, giving a little bark and his tail slowly wagged.
Carmen smiled and scratched him behind the ears, 'That's heaven!' was his only thought as he closed his eyes in bliss. He could get used to this, he'd do anything for this…' Wait, no, don't give in Chase, don't give in! Oh, but it's so nice,' his tail really wagging now. The laptop screen which was on suddenly changed to Player's face. Chase's ears pricked and he looked towards the screen.
"Hey Red, so how are things?" he asked, "Did you take the puppy to the vet?"
Carmen stopped scratching Chase, making him sit up indignantly, "Hey, I was enjoying that," he barked.
"Hey Player, things are great and yes I did. I adopted him," said Carmen, sitting down on the couch. Chase cautiously walked over to the coffee table and then pawed at Carmen who turned to look at him.
"Did you just say adopted?" asked Player, looking surprised. Carmen picked up Chase and placed him on her lap.
"Yes, I did. He's now a part of the team. I named him Chase. Chase, this is Player, he's my first and best friend. He's also our white hat hacker and gives us the 411 about the places we visit."
"Nice to meet you Chase, Red, he's really cute. I'm sure that with time, he'll be a valuable asset to the team," said Player.
Chase was just staring, Le Femme Rouge had her own hacker and they'd never suspected a thing. But, he was just a child, he couldn't have been any older than sixteen! What was Carmen Sandiego thinking? Unless…unless no one but Carmen Sandiego's team knew he even existed. A white-hat hacker, well, at least he wasn't out there fighting. He decided that Player seemed like a good guy and barked at him.
"Aw, Chase said hello to you," Carmen smiled and Chase simply wagged his tail.
"Like I said Red, he's cute. So, you named him after Devineaux. I'm not surprised considering how worried you are about him.
'She's worried about me?' thought Chase in surprise.
"Yeah, I can't go and apologise personally, he'd arrest me on sight. I hate innocent people getting mixed up in my fight against V.I.L.E. He got hurt because of me. I should never have swiped his A.C.M.E. key card. It got swiped and so Chase Devineaux got targeted. I'm sorry for everything I've ever said and done to him, he deserved more respect than what I gave him."
'Carmen Sandiego…' was all Chase could think.
"Red, we've talked about this, you didn't know he'd be kidnapped. You went to save him, despite the risk. You visited him in the hospital, he's safe now. You've got to let it go," said Player. Carmen had a depressed look on her face.
'She…visited me? She…she honestly did try to rescue me!' the image of her now quite clear in his mind, she came for him, despite his chasing of her and everything. He suddenly felt really guilty. 'Looks like we both have problems,' he frowned, wondering what he could do to comfort her. He remembered that he was a dog and then he knew what to do. He reached up on his hind legs and licked her cheek.
She gasped, "Chase, what…" and stopped when he continued licking her all over her face, causing her to erupt into giggles.
Chase once again noticed that she had a nice laugh as he stopped and sat on the couch, eyes twinkling and his tongue hanging out, making it look like he was laughing too. "What…what was that…?"Asked a breathless Carmen.
"He sensed you were unhappy Red, he cheered you up. Think about it, you're not down anymore are you?" asked Player who had watched the entire thing, he'd also recorded it, just in case.
"No, I'm not. Good boy Chase, good boy," she said, scratching behind his ears, he flopped onto his side at that.
"Yes, that's it, right there," he barked happily, making Carmen giggle.
"He is definitely a part of the team in my book," said Player with a smile and Carmen nodded. Chase tilted his head slightly, still blissed out from the ear scratch. "He's gonna be great for you Red," and she nodded.
Chase sat up and shook his head, feeling his ears flop around, and then his stomach rumbled and he looked startled, he'd forgotten all about things like being hungry with everything that had happened today. He was surprised when Carmen picked him up and placed him in front of his food bowl, which was filled with dog food.
'What?' he thought and sniffed at the food, 'She can't possibly expect me to eat this. It's dog food. I am Chase Devineaux, I am a human, not a dog! If I am going to be taken care of she could at least feed me proper food!' and he turned away from it. He spotted the food packet on the counter, 'Royal Canin German Sheppard Puppy Food 12kg, Chicken flavour,' he read.
His stomach rumbled again but he ignored it, Carmen, however, didn't, she was quite cross. She picked him up and held him up to her face, "Listen up Chase," the firmness in her voice made him blink. "You are now my dog and my friend and it's my job to look after you. You are going to eat this food, I'm not putting up with a fussy eater, ok? You will get treats if you behave but you will eat the dog food. It's good for you and I want you to be healthy and happy. You are not going to get away with not eating and being fussy Mr. Now, you are going to eat, I won't have you starving yourself." She put the stunned Chase down in front of the food again. He slowly looked up at her and she looked down, looking quite mad. He felt shame and his ears drooped, he let out a tiny whine. "Eat," she said firmly, her arms crossed. Chase looked at the food, back up at Carmen, and then the food. His stomach was now really loud and somehow the dog food looked a lot better than it did two minutes ago.
'Time to swallow my pride. I can't take this hunger anymore and it smells good. Besides, Sandiego is mad at me, who knows what she'll do if I don't eat.' He sniffed the food and unable to contain himself any longer he took a bite. It wasn't the worst thing he'd eaten, it tasted like chicken, just like it said on the packet and it was soft enough for his young teeth but crunchy too. 'I guess…it's not that bad,' and proceeded to lick the bowl clean, licking his chops afterward. 'That…was actually good,' he thought but he was thirsty now and carefully stepped over to his water bowl where he took a long drink, finding it weird to use his tongue but he quickly got how to do it.
Carmen sighed in relief, she was afraid Chase wouldn't eat at all.
"Nice job Red," said Player, who had watched the whole thing. "You were firm with him, which is good. Remember, the owner can't be walked over by the dog. Same thing if he doesn't listen when you train him to do tricks and stuff. You need to be firm but kind."
"Thanks for the advice Player," Carmen kneeled down and petted Chase on the head, "Good boy Chase."
He really wished his tail wouldn't wag when she said that but he was coming to realize that although he had his human mind he had the very pronounced instincts of a dog, which meant that he was going to either have a lot of conflicts with her and himself or he was going to suck it up, behave and learn everything he needed to in order to survive in this new body and situation. He wasn't sure what she'd do if she ever found out he really was Chase Devineaux. 'I guess I can act like a highly intelligent dog,' he thought but he also knew that his pride would get in the way a lot until he conquered it. He was drawn from his musings when he heard the door open. He turned his head to see two people, a boy, and a girl, both with ginger hair and freckles walk in. 'Hey, she's the one from the Swiss Alps! Gah, she was working for Carmen Sandiego the whole time!'
"Hey Carm/boss!" said the two, entering with at least three boxes of what had to be pizza, according to Chase's new sense of smell.
"Hey guys, guess what?" said Carmen with a smile at her crew.
"What?" they both asked and Carmen picked up Chase.
"This is our newest teammate, my new dog," she said, the sibling's eyes widened before they grinned so widely that Chase thought their faces would split in two.
"A puppy!" yelled the gangly boy.
"He's so cute!" said the girl, running over to them, her brother not far behind, dumping the pizza on the table in the process.
"Guys, this is Chase, Chase, this is Ivy and her younger brother Zack," introduced Carmen. Chase blinked, how the heck did he respond to that? He mentally shrugged and barked once.
They reached out the pet him when Carmen took just half a step back, much to their confusion. "What gives Carm?" asked Zack.
"Yeah, why can't we pet 'im?" asked Ivy.
"His front right paw is slightly sprained in the muscle and I need to tell you how he came to join us. He needs rest," said Carmen.
"Aw, the poor thing," said Ivy.
"Is he gonna be ok?" asked Zack.
"He'll be fine Zack, just, let's not overwhelm him, alright," said Carmen, sitting down with Chase on her lap.
They nodded, sat down, and opened up the pizza, "Pepperoni for me, Hawaiian for Ivy, and Meat Lover for you Zack," said Carmen, taking a slice. Chase sniffed at it, it smelt good, really good. Hmmm, he was sure that Carmen wouldn't give him a piece but maybe…Zack would. He just needed to look cute and sucker him with the puppy dog eyes. He carefully got down and walked over to Zack. Carmen didn't notice as she was explaining how Chase came to be here.
"Hey Chase," he said, munching on his pizza. He whined a bit and looked up at him and the pizza. Zack made the mistake of looking down and saw the biggest, most pleading puppy eyes looking at him. Zack gulped, sweating as he kept on looking at Chase.
"Come on, give me a piece, just give in, give the pizza to the cute puppy," he softly barked and let out a little whine for emphasis. Zack gulped again, checked to make sure that Carmen wasn't watching, and gave him a slice. Chase gulped it down in a flash. "Thank you," he barked softly. He felt a bit giddy, he just basically conned the boy into giving him his pizza. 'No wonder dogs get away with so much,' he thought. That pizza was good though so he waited until Zack wasn't looking, hopped up onto the couch, and snagged another piece of Zack's pizza, quickly hopping down, though he did hurt his sprained muscle. He quickly wolfed the pizza down. 'Delicious.'
"Hey, where's my pizza?" the redhead asked, noticing that he had less than before. Chase made himself scarce by going over to his water dish, the pizza had made him thirsty.
"Ugh, Zack did you eat all of ya pizza already? How hungry were you?" asked Ivy with a frown.
"Ivy, I swear, I had two pieces left, now I only have one, I gave one to Chase earlier…" and he stopped at the look on the girls' faces. Ivy looked mad but Carmen looked downright scary. He gulped and so did Chase.
'Uh oh,' he thought and tried to creep away to his basket but Carmen swooped down and picked him up. He gulped again and whined, trying to look innocent. She looked at him closely.
"Pizza crust crumbs," she said. "Chase, I already know that you are a very intelligent puppy. Don't try and hide it, did you or did you not steal a second piece of Zack's pizza?"
'Bon sang, I'm in trouble, I better confess, I don't want her mad at me for lying, even if I am a dog,' thought Chase and he slowly nodded, whining with sad eyes.
Carmen sighed, what to do? "Bad, bad dog Chase!" she said sternly. Chase inwardly winced, why did it feel so bad to be scolded? Was it the dog's instincts or his own guilt? Was it both? Either way, he didn't like it, being scolded by Carmen Sandiego was the worst thing that had happened tonight so far. His ears dropped and he looked down, ashamed. Carmen put him in his basket, giving him a frown and he just stayed there. "As for you Zack, do not feed him. Now let me say this once, to both of you. Chase is my dog. I feed him, I take care of him. He is not to be fed anything other than dog food and treats unless I say so. I will not have a dog that thinks he can get away with eating just anything and becoming a fussy eater or fat. Am I clear?"
They both nodded and so did Carmen, satisfied that she laid down the law where her dog was concerned.
"Uh, Red, he's scraping at the door," said Player, indeed, Chase was, while Carmen was scolding and laying down the law with Zack and Ivy, he found that he needed to go.
"Oh, right," Carmen picked him up and quickly took him outside. Chase was so embarrassed, he ran behind a tree, and Carmen, looking slightly amused, went back inside the lobby. "A dog who doesn't like being watched. Well, it's that same thing with humans. Each dog to their own personality. I wonder who trained him to do that already though, his former owners?" she asked herself softly. Chase scraped softly on the door, adding a bark to get her to notice him. She opened it for him and he carefully walked inside. His head was hung, still feeling bad over making Carmen mad and he didn't feel so good after the pizza, having two pieces was a mistake, especially after eating dog food. He whined as Carmen picked him up, his stomach hurt. "Chase, what's wrong?" her concern overriding everything else she felt at that moment. He just whined unhappily, attracting the attention of a couple sitting down with some coffee.
"Excuse me young lady, is this puppy yours?" asked the man, standing up and walking over to them.
"Yes, I just adopted him, he was fine just a moment ago when I took him out," said Carmen, looking worried.
"I'm a dog breeder by trade, Mr. Darian Berger at your service, Miss…?"
"Rena Rouge, pleased to meet you. Can you tell me what's going on with Chase?" asked Carmen. Chase looked up wearily to see the worry on her face and in her eyes. He tried to bark but couldn't as he felt like throwing up instead and so he just whined, feebly licking Carmen Sandiego's hand instead. "Oh Chase, I'm sorry I was cross with you," she said, gently hugging him. Berger's wife looked concerned.
Berger asked Carmen to describe what had happened and she told him about the pizza incident. "Ah, he's alright, just suffering from his own naughtiness. You'll want to take him outside and allow him to throw up, after that have him drink plenty of water and he'll be as good as new in the morning after a good night's sleep," advised Berger.
"Thank you very much," said Carmen, walking outside and set Chase down on the grass. He stood there for a few moments before he started throwing up. Carmen winced, she didn't like this at all. Neither did Chase!
'Merde, I am never eating pizza while I am a dog ever again,' he mentally swore. The whole episode was horrible and Chase wanted to curl up and die. 'Is it over?' he wondered as he flopped down on the grass.
"Chase, are you done?" Carmen stroked his head and he whined, looking up at her, he was feeling very sorry for himself. She gently picked him up and carried him back to the suite.
"Carm, what happened to Chase?" asked Ivy in concern.
"He got sick from the pizza. This is why you only give a dog regular dog food and train it not to eat human food. I'm not having a go at you Zack, this is a lesson for all of us."
"I'm still really sorry Carmen. I just couldn't resist the puppy dog eyes," said Zack, he felt awful.
"It's ok but we've all learned something from this. Now I'm going to give Chase a bath and so I'll see you all in the morning," said Carmen.
"Night Carmen, night Chase, night Player," said Ivy as she left for her room.
"Night Carm, sorry again, night Chase, feel better. Night Player," called Zack as he went after Ivy.
"Night guys. Good night Red, good night Chase, I hope you feel better tomorrow," said Player as he disappeared from the screen.
Carmen placed Chase in his basket before going to draw the water for his bath. Chase stared after her, she was a conundrum. She could be firm, stern, scary, kind, caring, gentle, concerned, and forgiving. He didn't understand her at all. He knew that he was in the wrong tonight and he paid for it. He decided that he'd try and be better, it would be hard but he'd try. "Ready Chase? It's bath time," said Carmen. Chase wanted to argue, he didn't need a bath and he would not be washed by his arch-enemy but then again…well, it wasn't like he could bath himself, he was in her care. Hadn't he just decided to try and be better? He sighed mentally and allowed her to put him in the bath without a fuss. It was nice and warm but not overly hot.
"It's nice," he barked softly at her as he paddled in it. She'd made the bath deep enough for him to swim in. It was obviously for him to relax.
"You poor boy, you've had a rough night huh?" she asked, watching him swim.
"You don't know the half of it, La Femme Rouge. You think you are talking to an ordinary puppy. But I am the one who chased you for so long, turned into a dog, and now a part of your team. It's been hectic and let's not go into the fact that my workday was awful as well," he barked. The water was helping his leg feel better too.
"Ok Chase, I'm going to wash you now, so sit still for me," said Carmen as she got the dog shampoo. She let out some of the water first and then after putting some shampoo on her hands she began to wash him. If he could have blushed he would have. It was embarrassing being bathed like this but he stayed still, reminding himself that he was going to try and that he did not want soap in his eyes. "Good boy Chase," she praised him and then proceeded to rinse him off with more warm water. She carefully lifted him out and wrapped him in a towel. He poked his head out to look at her. "Aww! You are so cute!" and she'd taken a picture before he could blink.
'Aw no, she's now got proof that I'm a dog. I'm not cute though,' he thought, a bit miffed at the fact that his picture had been taken but Carmen was already carefully drying him. She then plugged in her hairdryer and proceeded to blow dry him afterward. She giggled as she did so but Chase found he didn't mind, the hot air was nice and it ruffled his fur, which he found he liked. She then brushed his fur and he enjoyed that. 'There are some benefits to being taken care of as a dog,' he thought and barked happily.
"I'm glad you're enjoying this Chase. Next, we brush your teeth," said Carmen, who already had the dog toothbrush and toothpaste ready.
'WHAT!' before he could do anything Carmen was gently brushing his teeth for him. "Ugh," he whined but after being sick, it did feel nice to have his teeth cleaned, he guessed he'd tolerate it. It wasn't that bad, he reflected afterward. He walked over to his basket and turned around a couple of times before curling up and looking at her. She'd done so much for him in just one night. "Thank you…Carmen Sandiego," he barked softly.
She petted him before getting herself ready for bed, causing him to avert his eyes, not wanting to invade her privacy, "Night Chase," she mumbled as she curled up under the covers.
"Good night Carmen," he barked even softer than before and he too drifted off to sleep, both of them unaware that this night was the first of a grand adventure for them.
Xxxxx
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review.