It's been… a while. The new school year starts in a few days for me, so I won't update things super quickly but I hope you guys will be patient with me and hang around. Enjoy the newest and last chapter of The Aftermath.
As soon as Zuma departed to his pup-house, Marshall turned to Chase, his brother-in-arms, his leader, his oldest and now former friend.
"What?" Marshall snapped, annoyed and tired, his tone icy. "Going to verbally rip me to shreds tonight while we're alone together for the first time in three years?"
Chase leaped down from his vehicle and faced him head on. "No. Not tonight, at least. We will talk tomorrow when we are both rested and wide awake." His words were an order, a warning, and a promise all in one and Marshall thought his heart skipped a beat in nervousness.
It had been three years and it was the first promise, the first shift back to equal ground, the first time all hostilities were dropped between them, the first time civility was no longer just a thin veil trying to cover up how dysfunctional they were as partners, as joint leaders. Marshall felt sick. Chase shouldn't be the one extending the olive branch. Chase shouldn't have to be forced to tolerate him even if it was for the good of the team. Marshall shouldn't have said what he said or not done what he needed to do all those years ago on that very day that their friendship, their confidence and loyalty in each other, their brotherhood, splintered apart never to be healed again.
"I want to trust you again." Chase whispered, turning away from Marshall towards his pup-house.
His words followed Marshall until he fell asleep early the next morning in the dark, moonless time of no light that was two in the morning.
I want to trust you again.
I want to trust you again.
And despite all their current differences, Marshall too, wanted Chase to trust him one more time. As partners, as brothers-in-arms, as friends.
The next morning the team was woken up bright and early by buzzing pup-tags indicating a problem somewhere around Adventure Bay. Well, bright and early by Marshall's standards. Chase and Zuma had been up for a good few hours before the rest of them.
Sleepy and bleary-eyed, Marshall stumbled into the elevator with the rest of the team, for once not causing a pup pile-up, and they were whisked to the second floor to get changed. Once in his uniform and pup-pack, standing at attention preparing to leap out of the elevator following Chase's lead, Marshall felt a little more awake and ready for the upcoming mission.
Alas, it was the customary, every three days, early morning routine of saving Chickaletta from wherever she'd gotten off to. His sleep, already restless as it stood, was interrupted for that? Marshall just wanted to go back to sleep and it was clear that his teammates wanted nothing more than the same. Even Chase was giving Ryder just half of his attention and the German Shepherd was the most disciplined out of all of them by a clear margin.
Marshall was dragged out of his sleep deprived thoughts by Ryder saying his name. "Marshall, you'll be joining us on the ground to check for injuries and we might need your ladder too, depending on where that chicken has gone."
Ryder's last comment's objective, designed to get the pups to laugh, failed and it was all Marshall could do to force himself to respond with an exaggerated, "I'm fired up!"
To Marshall's surprise, Chase joined him for the mission as a reserve. Wasn't he supposed to be resting still?
Marshall and Chase might not have been on good terms with each other, but the dalmatian still knew how to read his former friend. Knew that Chase's twitching tail was a sign of impatience and annoyance, knew that Chase would rather be sniffing around to find said chicken to make the mission end faster than listening to the mayor ramble about how Chickaletta couldn't possibly be on her own out here.
Finally, the mayor let them start the rescue and Marshall couldn't have been more relieved. In a matter of minutes, Chase had tracked Chickaletta to a tree and they could see her balancing precariously on one of the higher branches.
In theory, the rescue was simple.
"Marshall, you're going to raise your ladder up to the branch height, then climb up yourself and try to get her down safely. Chase, you will aim your net under the tree in case Chickaletta or Marshall fall before either of them fall before getting to the ladder." Ryder said confidently, running through the rescue with them before they put it into action.
In reality, the rescue went to hell the moment Marshall reached the top of the ladder. Chickaletta refused to move towards the ladder.
"Come on, you silly chicken," Marshall huffed. "Ryder, what do I do? She's not getting on the ladder!"
"Marshall, this is taking a big risk, but try getting on the branch yourself and see if Chickaletta will go to the ladder then."
"Roger that, Ryder."
The changed plan also didn't work. At least, it didn't until he heard a sharp crack pierce the air.
"The tree branch is cracking." Chase said grimly through the comms and Marshall's heart dropped to his paws.
Luckily, Chickaletta hopped from the branch to the ladder just as the branch cracked a little more.
"Marshall, you need to drop. Chase's net is set up at the bottom of the tree. Don't think about jumping, it's too dangerous." Ryder ordered, his voice taut and Marshall could just imagine him clenching his jaw.
Marshall made the jump anyway, scaring Chickaletta down the ladder. He jumped just in time, the branch free falling through the air.
"Marshall!" Chase's voice was sharp and the dalmatian knew that he was so in for it when they got back to the Lookout.
"I told you not to jump!" Ryder reprimanded him.
"Sorry." Marshall muttered into the comms, still at the top of the ladder. "It was instinct. Ladder down!" Best to get it over with then, he thought.
When the ladder was all the way retracted, Marshall was faced with Ryder's stern look and Chase's unreadable one.
"We won't discuss this when we get back, but think about the consequences. That could have gone horribly wrong." Ryder said firmly, and Marshall could only nod and glumly follow his leader to the town hall where the mayor was waiting.
After listening through the obligatory, 'Oh, you saved my sweet little chicky-chicky!' and 'You silly chicken, always going missing!' the mayor allowed Marshall, Chase, and Ryder to get back to their day.
When the three of them got back to the Lookout, it was to the other pups now wide awake and, in Rubble's case, very hungry.
Ryder had known his team long enough that he knew Chase wanted to talk to Marshall alone so he, very tactfully, left his two most experienced pups to work out whatever had gone wrong. He knew that Marshall knew what he'd done wrong, but it was clear that Chase and Marshall needed to discuss something else that was not for his ears.
Marshall let Chase take the lead as they took a walk around the Lookout property and it was quiet for a few minutes as they found a place where hopefully no one could hear them.
"You took an unnecessary risk." The accusation was clear in Chase's voice.
Here we go, Marshall thought grimly.
Chase kept talking. "My net was set up at the bottom of the tree in case the branch did fall with either you or Chickaletta still on it. Was the smarter decision to make that jump or let yourself drop to the net?"
"Drop to the net." the Dalmatian muttered.
"Listen, I'm not mad that you made the jump, I'm mad that you didn't think the jump through. This is like Iraq three years ago." Chase said tiredly.
"Iraq three years ago? Hell no it isn't." Marshall snapped sharply.
"When you didn't think what would've happened if you had even tried to help Bella?" Chase's retort was swift and his voice low and dangerous. "The techs said she had a chance to pull through if you had tried. If you had thought through the possible consequences of your actions I might still have a sister!"
The words Marshall wanted to say die in his throat so he says the one thing that comes to mind. "I'm sorry."
"If that's supposed to be an apology, you better know it was a weak one." Chase said coldly, starting to walk away.
"Trust me," Marshall blurted out and Chase stopped walking away. "Please."
"I wish I could." Chase whispered and he continued walking until Marshall couldn't see him anymore.
I wish I could.
I wish I could.
Those four words drove a spike into Marshall's heart. Of course Chase wouldn't be able to trust him. Not after what he had done. Not after Marshall was the reason Chase and Storm had lost a sister.
Explosive endings are always fun to write. Comments, constructive criticism, writing prompts if you so wish, are all accepted.
-Mafiapartner2
