Okay, there seems to be some confusion over the nature of this story, so just to clarify, this is not a lemon! This is a tale of deception and betrayal. Sex may be a plot device but it is not the focus. There will be no 'onscreen' sex in this fic at all. Glad we got that all straightened out. Enjoy the show. Also, Balto is owned by Universal.

Chapter 2

It was a beautiful day in Nome, Alaska.

The sun was shining, the ground was covered with fresh white snow, and the whole town was abuzz with activity.

Yes sir, it was a real picture-perfect day.

At least that's how it appeared from the human perspective.

However, amongst the canine community, a dark conspiracy was in the works; a conspiracy that threatened to alter the course of several young lives.

XXX

Sylvie was pacing around the alley behind Jenna's place; desperately racking her brain for a way to keep her friend distracted while Dixie was on the prowl.

"Okay… think! What takes a few hours?" the lanky Afghan asked herself as she frantically searched for the perfect diversion, only to come up with zilch. "Damn it! Why is this so hard?"

Fortunately Jenna hadn't left yet, the scarlet husky in question liked to spend her mornings playing with that little girl of hers. Unfortunately it was getting close to lunch time and Sylvie knew for a fact that she had plans with Balto that afternoon. So if she was going to do something she was going to have to do it fast.

Just then a strong and rather unpleasant aroma wafted past her delicate nose; causing her to gag uncontrollably.

"Holy hell!" Sylvie exclaimed before going into a violent coughing fit. After several minutes of hacking like a lumberjack, the Afghan managed to compose herself. "What… was… that?"

Her mission momentarily forgotten, Sylvie rushed to the nearest street corner, intent on locating the source of the offensive odor. Luckily Nome was such a small town; it took her almost no time at all to find the source.

Across the street, two large men were stacking barrels in front of the general store. Sylvie couldn't quite make out the writing on the barrels, but now that she was closer she was able to identify the smell.

"Bleck! Garlic Pickles!" the lanky Afghan said with great disgust. "I'll never understand how humans can eat such garbage. That smell almost gave me a concussion."

Just then an idea began to take shape in Sylvie's brain; an evil, underhanded, conniving, and brilliant idea.

"Bingo…"

XXX

It was just about half past twelve when Sylvie had everything in place for her sinister plan. And not a moment too soon, for at that very moment her scarlet coated target was strolling out her front door and into the street.

'Showtime!' the lanky Afghan thought to herself with cruel excitement as she walked over to meet her friend. "Jenna, darling!" she called out with false sincerity. "So good to see ya."

"Hello Sylvie." The red-haired husky replied in a voice like the chime of a crystal bell. "It's nice to see you too."

"So… how've you been? Since you started going out with that new beau of yours, it's like I never see you anymore."

"Oh… I'm fine. I've just been so busy with Balto that I guess I just lost track of everything else. I'm sorry."

"Eh… don't worry about it." Sylvie said in her trademark snarky yet reassuring tone. Then, feeling saucy, she decided to have a little fun with her prudish friend. "By the way, how is the old wolf-dog?"

"Balto's fine. He had a little accident the other day and hurt his foot, but he's doing much better."

"No Honey, I mean how is he?" the lanky Afghan said again, her voice dripping with sinful curiosity.

At first Jenna wasn't sure what her friend was getting at. It took a few moments of thought before she finally understood; then her eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Sylvie!" the scarlet husky yelped; her face flushed with embarrassment. "That's so inappropriate!"

"What?" Sylvie asked innocently. "Is it so wrong that I'm taking an interest in my best friend's life?"

"It is when it involves… that sort of thing." Jenna answered tentatively; trying not to say anything too… blue. "Those kind of things are personal; their just between me and Balto."

"So in other words you two still haven't sealed the deal yet."

"Like I said, it's between me and Balto."

Sylvie had known Jenna since they were pups, so she knew all kinds of ways to push her buttons. Most of the time she only did this for a little harmless fun, but this time she had a much more sinister motive in mind. The more she poked the more flustered Jenna got and the more flustered she got the less likely she was to dodge her little… surprise.

"Look sweetie, I know you're not exactly comfortable discussing this subject, but I have to say, I'm a little concerned about your… lack of activity."

"Listen, Sylvie, it's nothing serious." Jenna said tactfully. "Balto and I are just waiting for the right moment. We want our first time to be special. That's all."

"I understand that Jenna, believe me I do, but there's something you need to understand." The lanky Afghan said with false sincerity. "Look… when someone like you has been going out with someone like him for this long and they still haven't… legitimized their relationship, some nasty rumors start floating around."

"Rumors?" Jenna asked in a curious yet slightly frightened tone. "What rumors? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind." replied Sylvie. "Forget I said anything."

Now on the surface it seemed like Sylvie was trying to steer the conversation away from such an unpleasant topic, but in reality she was baiting her friend toward it. It wasn't necessary to tease the scarlet husky like this, but it sure was fun.

"Sylvie, please!" Jenna said insistently. "If the other dogs are saying bad things about my Balto I have a right to know."

"Yeah… that's the thing…" the lanky Afghan said with sigh; pretending like this was painful to say. "How do I say this? The rumors… aren't exactly about Balto."

"What?"

"They're about you dear… I'm sorry."

"Me?" the scarlet husky asked; her voice dripping with shock and horror. "What are they saying about me?"

"Trust me sweetie, you don't wanna know."

"Tell me." Jenna replied; a slight edge in her voice.

"Alright…" Sylvie said with another false sigh. "Some of the other dogs are calling you a… cocktease. They're saying that you're just stringing him along and that you're only using him to get attention."

It is important to note that this precise moment Jenna and Sylvie were standing directly in front of the general store and one of the pickle barrels was starting to wobble.

"H… how…" the scarlet husky stuttered; barely able to comprehend what she was hearing. "How could anyone think that?"

Unfortunately, before Sylvie could think up a reply, the barrel on top of the stack finally fell over. A loud crack, a sudden splash, and frightened yelp later it was all over. The trap had been sprung. Now all that was left was to reel her in.

"Oh, my gosh!" the lanky Afghan shouted in false astonishment. "Are you alright sweetie?"

Jenna didn't answer at first; she was too busy gagging as the repulsive bile melded with her formerly soft and fragrant coat. Miraculously she was able to remain conscious in spite of the noxious odor overwhelming her senses.

"Yeah… cough… Sylvie, I'm… cough… cough… just… cough… cough… cough… fine."

"You poor thing…" Sylvie said with false sympathy as she attempted to lead her friend in the opposite direction. "Come on, I'll take you back to my place and get you all cleaned up."

"Oh, you don't have to… cough… cough… do that Sylvie. I'll just head home and… cough… cough… get Rosie to give me a quick bath."

"Bath's not gonna cut it honey. You're gonna need some industrial strength grooming to get that stench. Now come on, we need to hurry before that slop stains your fur."

"But… cough… I have plans with Balto this afternoon."

"All the more reason to get this taken care of right away; with his nose that smell will probably put him in a coma."

"But shouldn't I…"

No buts, the sooner we get you fixed up the sooner you can see Balto."

Jenna wanted to argue, but she knew her friend had a point, so she just sighed and accepted her help.

"Alright Sylvie, lead the way."

As the lanky Afghan lead her unsuspecting friend down the busy street, she couldn't help but smirk at how well her plan had gone. She made a mental note to stop by the butcher shop later to pick up that rack of lamb she owed Nikki for his participation in her little endeavor; that dog may not have been much to look at, but he knew how to get a job done and when to not ask questions. Anyway, Dixie was probably at Balto's by now, so now all she had to do was keep Ms. Goodie Four-Paws busy long enough for the little powder-puff to do what she did best. Then the real show would begin.

"What are you smiling about Sylvie?" Jenna asked curiously.

"Oh nothing… just thinking about a dirty joke."

End Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one is where things really start to get interesting. See you then.