AN: Anyone who's ever been loved by a large, slobbery dog will empathize with Spike here.
The blazing mid-day sun beat mercilessly down on Sarah as she hung laundry to dry. Sheets flapped in the slight breeze as, shrieking happily, her son ran around the lawn being chased by their massive dog.
"Stay outta the flowers Matthew, you an' Duke both." She said and watched in satisfaction as both boy and dog turned away from the flower patch.
"Hey Sarah!" Called the familiar voice of Spike. He was leaning on the top of the gate and grinning widely. "For all the trouble you gave dad about not calling, you haven't done much calling yourself." His smile was kind, free of any sort of admonishment. Sarah laughed and waved for him to come into the yard.
"Y'got me dead to rights there Spike. I could've spared a moment or two t'call." Her head whipped to the left. "Duke! No!" She cried, too late. Two hundred and twenty of excited, mastiff cross launched himself at the fourteen year old.
In a feat of agility that visibly stunned the older woman, Spike jumped with legs spread, planted both hands on Duke's box-like head and vaulted over the barrelling beast. A manoeuver that had spared him Ravages' claws a fair number of times.
He stuck the landing like a pro, leaving his audience of two with slack jaws and round eyes.
"Ta da!"
"Good heavens Spike, where did you ... how ...?" Sarah stammered. Matthew cheered.
"Neato! Do it again! Do it again!"
Duke, surprised but unharmed, got to his feet and tried again. This time with more success. Spike was knocked onto his front and the two huge front paws held him down at the shoulders while Duke slobbered, drooled and licked everywhere his long, equally wet tongue could reach.
Including the inside of Spike's ears. His hair fell flat as every follicle was drowned in drool. The back of his neck took on a suspicious, slimy sheen as the frothy saliva slid down around his neck and pooled on the ground beneath his throat.
"Eeeeeyuuuugh! Get him off!" He cried, unwilling to kick his legs and injure the overly-friendly dog.
"Duke! Git!" She ordered firmly with a sweeping finger. The dog obeyed immediately.
Spike lay there a moment before declaring "I think I have a new most-gross moment of my life." Sarah chuckled and hauled him to his feet.
"Kinda like th' ultimate wet willy. He don' mean any harm, he loves people."
His face grimaced in disgust as his fingers ran through drool-drenched strands of hair. "Raw, apparently."
There was a pause before Sarah guffawed. "Raw! That's a good one, I gotta remember that." She bent down and picked up another damp shirt from the basket. "Now why don't you give me a hand and we can talk 'bout the real reason you're here."
"How did you ...?"
"I'm a woman and a mother. Y'need to ask?"
Spike chuckled ruefully and stepped back to allow Matthew and Duke run by. "Guess not." He handed her a wooden clothespin. "When are you going to get the diner fixed? If it's money ..."
Sarah interrupted him before he could take that thought any further.
"S'not a matter of money. Just waitin'. Every contractor and handyman in the state is booked solid for the next couple'a months." He voice spoke volumes about how frustrated she was about it. But that she said nothing negative about it conveyed her understanding of the situation.
"Wow ... all of them? For months?" He repeated as he absorbed this tidbit of information about life outside the Autobot base. It was news to him. Sarah gave him an 'I can't believe I have to tell you this' look.
"Spike, this city, this country, this world is stuck smack-dab in th' middle of a war between Giant. Alien. Automatons. Any business owner with a wad o'cash and a lick o'sense put a contracting company on retainer. Every one else gets put on a list and has to wait their turn."
When Sarah turned her back to continue hanging the laundry he cast an almost guilty glance over his shoulder to the yellow VW Beetle sitting in front of the house.