They're still not mine, but I'm still playing with them and will return them, hopefully a little happier.
Thanks so very much for the positive reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Like I ate a hamster. Only without getting the fur caught between my teeth. Sorry. Still fat and happy from a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
dontstopthelove15: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying this. Even though I take liberties with the characters, I still strive to stay true to them
Sandy-wmd: I don't ride motorcycles, but always thought the rainy conditions would make it pretty dangerous. I'm glad you like the dogs and hope you like the new additions as well.
Qweb: I like your 'code' idea. I'll have to give that some thought. Thanks for the suggestion.
The Red Fedora: Yeah. My dream place, too. Especially the shower and tub!
iammarvelgirl: You're welcome. I'm glad you liked chapter 8 and hope 9 is as enjoyable.
kali rogers: You are welcome. I appreciate your reviews, whenever you get around to them.
TT: Thanks for the reviews. Have you been reading ahead? Shame on you. ;-). This chapter gets pretty fluffy and there's plenty more to come, though the next one may be a bit more serious.
Fluff alert. Really fluffy. Hope you enjoy.
Stroll 9
"So, what are we doing here?" Maria asked, unbuckling her seat belt as she looked over at Steve.
"Just looking," Steve reminded her, looking through the windshield at the building in front of them. The local animal shelter was holding an open house/adoption day and he thought it would be a good time to go in and take a look around. "I still haven't decided if I'm going to get a dog, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to take a look at what they've got here," he told her, sliding out of the car and walking around it to open the door for her.
"Just looking," she muttered to herself. She wasn't entirely comfortable around animals. Needless to say, there hadn't been any pets in her home when she was growing up. The one time she had mentioned the possibility to her father, he had told her in no uncertain terms that she didn't deserve to have a pet and should she ever bring one home, he would make her watch him strangle it. After that, she never even looked at an animal on the street, fearing it might follow her.
SHIELD had a k-9 division, but her dealings with that group were pretty much limited to paperwork. On the rare occasions that she had had to deal with them personally, she had found the animals to be well trained and behaved, but she still maintained her distance. Once, when she had been there while they were working with a group of new arrivals, she had managed to make a quick exit.
Katya and Brody were proving to be well behaved as well. Katya had taken something of a liking to her, staying near her if Natasha happened to be out. Maria wasn't completely comfortable with that, but the dog responded instantly to commands and seemed to understand just how much space the agent needed. Brody would usually greet her when she arrived at the tower, but preferred Pepper's company to that of anyone else.
Calista, the golden lab puppy that Tony had finally decided on was still in the rambunctious puppy stage and spent time with a trainer every day. Her high energy meant that she never spent much time bothering any one person. Tony, meanwhile, was hard at work on a design for an iron dog suit. Pepper said that at least it kept him out of trouble.
Steve opened her door and offered a hand to help her out. "And I'm here because?"
He wrapped her hand in his. "Because I need to make sure that my girlfriend and my dog get along," he told her. "If I get one. Dog that is. I've already got the girlfriend."
"Yeah, you do," she affirmed, squeezing his hand.
When they walked inside, they were greeted by a young woman who directed them to an area full of people and puppies of all sizes, shapes, and colors.
A large ball of fur came bounding over, jumping up to plant both paws in the middle of Maria's stomach. Steve quickly stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from falling. She lowered her hand tentatively, resting it on the poufy head. Steve reached his hand out also, lying it next to hers.
"Do you think there's an animal under all that fur?" she asked.
"Not sure about that," Steve answered.
An attendant came over, pulling the dog off of her and apologizing. They proceeded to wander the room, stopping from time to time to examine a particular animal or pose questions to the helpful staff members. The puppies were utterly adorable, tumbling around and barking excitedly. Steve asked Maria's opinion on a few different ones, but didn't seem to find one that he really connected with.
While a part of her was glad that he hadn't found one, another part of her was sad for the poor, asthmatic boy who had played with the strays on the street and longed for a dog of his own.
She looked to one of the workers. "Do you have any older dogs available?"
"Certainly," the young man said, motioning for them to follow him. He led them towards a different area of the yard. "We usually start in the puppy area because that seems to be what most people want, especially young people. Were you thinking adult or senior?"
"Senior," something made Maria say.
The young man lit up. "Great. We have some really sweet seniors, but most people don't want a dog that they're not going to have as long with."
As soon as they walked into the room, Steve's attention was drawn to a scruffy looking mutt watching them with bright eyes from across the room. He was about medium size, and a lovely patchwork of color ranging from pale cream to deep black. He hopped to his feet, picking up the ball he had been chewing on and headed over to them. He looked to Steve, then to Maria before finally offering the ball to Steve and sitting at his feet.
The look on his face seemed to say 'Took you long enough.'
The young man with them bent over to scratch it's ears. "So, Bucky. Are these your people?"
Steve looked startled. "Bucky?"
The dog barked as the man looked up at him. "Yeah. That's what his last owner called him. He was a veteran who recently passed away and no one in the family was able to take him."
Maria had no doubt that Bucky would be accompanying them back to the tower.
Steve knelt in front of the dog, looking him in the eyes as the attendant continued. "He's probably about 12 years old. Mixed breed, clearly some terrier in there somewhere."
"There are several other dogs in the building he'd be living in," Maria commented. "A female rottweiler, a male dachshund, and a female lab puppy. Is that likely to be a problem?"
"Oh, no," he assured them. "He's very even tempered, good with other animals, children."
"No children."
Steve looked up at her with a grin.
"No real ones anyway," she corrected.
The other man looked a little confused, but kept his mouth shut and let Bucky do the convincing. Steve threw the ball a couple of times, the dog moving quickly to return it each time. The third time he picked it up, he came to Maria, sitting expectantly in front of her.
She looked to Steve and he nodded encouragement. She finally took the ball and tossed it for him. He gave a 'yip' of delight and took off after it. When he came back, he laid down in front of them, content to chew on his ball.
Steve turned to Maria and took her hands. "I know I said I was just going to look."
"But this dog is meant to be with you, Steve," she told him.
"You really think so?"
"No, I don't think so, I know so."
He smiled and leaned over to kiss her.
"What do we need to do?" Steve asked the other man.
Bucky got up, picked up his ball and walked over to the door, turning to watch them. When they didn't move, he put his ball down and barked softly at them.
The man laughed. "We follow Bucky," he said, motioning for Steve and Maria to precede him. The group headed back to the lobby area, joining a group filling out paperwork for lucky animals who had been fortunate enough to find their forever homes.
When all the paperwork was filled out and approved, they left the shelter with a list of local vets, supplies they would need, and Bucky's medical records. At the pet store, the cart filled quickly as he clearly expressed his preferences. They loaded the cart with food & treats, new collar and leash, bowls, blankets, bed, brush, nail clippers, an assortment of toys and various other supplies they thought might be needed and headed for the checkout.
The man behind the register smiled at them. "Your first?"
Steve nodded. "Just signed the paperwork."
"Had no idea they needed so much stuff," Maria commented.
"Almost as much as a kid," the man agreed.
Maria leaned over to Steve. "Our kid sure didn't need much."
Once the bill was paid, they loaded up the vehicle and headed back to the tower. Bucky hung his head over the seat, gazing adoringly at Steve. Every once in a while, he turned his head to look at Maria.
"I know," she told the dog softly, gently scratching his head. "He's amazing, isn't he?"
Steve kept his eyes on the road, but shook his head, blushing slightly. When he stopped at the next light, he leaned towards the dog as well.
"She's pretty wonderful, too, Buck."
Back at the tower, they unloaded the supplies, rearranging Steve's apartment and letting Bucky familiarize himself with his new environs. Then, they headed upstairs to the common area where the others were enjoying lunch.
Steve watched the animals closely as he informed the other humans about the new addition to their tower family.
Calista had immediately bounced up, completely ignoring Tony's orders to stay, and had bounded over to greet the new arrival. Katya's sharp bark immediately stopped her in her tracks and she dropped to her belly, watching the big rottweiler for further instructions. Tasha's dog crossed slowly to him, sniffing him carefully from head to tail. For his part, Bucky stood still and quiet, allowing her to complete her examination. She sat, considering for a moment, then nudged him with her nose and growled a soft approval.
When Calista jumped towards him again, Katya got in front of her again, pushing her back and growling softly at her and Brody.
"Almost like she's telling them something," Clint mused.
"Maybe reminding him that he's an older guy and they need to be gentle with him," Nat added.
That seemed a logical conclusion when the bigger dog stepped back and the other two approached the older dog in a more subdued manner. As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the canine quartet headed off to show the new arrival around the common area.
Pepper smiled at the new addition.
"So, Agent Hill. Should we have a pet door installed in your apartment at the same time they're doing the one for Steve's?"
She shrugged, but Steve smiled. "Might be a good idea, Maria. That way, you and Bucky can keep an eye on each other when I'm out of pocket."
"Actually, I was thinking that way everything would be ready to go when you drag the next dog in," Pepper responded.
Maria held up her hands in protest, shaking her head.
"Nope. Not going to happen. Never. Ever."
"You know what they say, Agent Hill," Bruce interjected. "Never say never."
Come on. You just knew Steve had to get his own dog. Please let me know what you think. I love feedback.
