A/N: Sets out tissue box again; just in case.
Chapter 6
Since Jack had the Friday and Monday off from school of Easter weekend, the family decided to spend the long weekend at the cabin. The Virginia spring has turned glorious and with the late date of the holiday, they would be able to spend the time getting the yard and pool cleaned up.
After they arrived Friday morning and got the spring supplies put away, they had a quick lunch and dived into their work outside. Jack worked just as hard as his parents and they got a lot done around the yard that afternoon. Dave made a hearty dinner for the hard workers that evening and they enjoyed a quiet evening watching The Sandlot, a cute movie centering on the friendships made by a bunch of boys while playing baseball during the summer. Aaron and Dave enjoyed the movie as much as Jack. Yet, with the hard work, they all turned in early.
Aaron cooked a big breakfast and they went outside to face the big job of getting the pool cleaned out. Even with the cover, leaves and snow melt were able to get into the empty pool. "It looks funny without any water in it," Jack noted. Aaron pulled on a pair of Dave's wader boots and got it swept out with the pool vacuum. Dave took Jack with him and they went over to the Cory and Tina's to borrow Cory's truck, leaving his vehicle behind. They used it to the haul the leaves and twigs they had cleaned and bagged from the yard and took it to the local compost. They returned the truck after lunch and the three of stood on the porch overlooking the yard towards the lake. "Looks pretty good to me Papa," Jack noted with pride.
"I think we deserve a reward for all of our hard work," Dave said, rubbing Jack's shoulder. "Let's go for a ride."
Jack looked at him with a bright smile. "Does that include a stop in town at the Mable's?" Mable ran an old fashion ice cream parlor that served sinfully good treats.
"Just what I was thinking," Dave smiled, winking at him.
Aaron walked by both of them. "You just keep thinking Dave," he smiled.
It took Jack almost five minutes to decide which flavor he wanted, finally settling on the cookie dough flavor. Dave went Rocky Road and Aaron had chocolate mint. They ate their cones in the sunshine outside the shop before getting back into the SUV.
They drove out of town in the opposite direction of the cabin. "Where we going dad," Jack asked, looking out the window.
"There's something Papa and I want to check out." Jack took in the scenery, with Dave giving Aaron directions from time to time. Twenty minutes later, they pulled into a farm driveway. Aaron parked by the garage and they got out. A yellow lab, with a muzzle full of gray hair came around the corner of the garage and barked a slight warning.
"Hey fella," Dave said. The dog immediately walked up to him with his tail wagging. Dave rubbed his neck as a man came out the door from another building. Aaron and Jack walked around the car and the old dog was immediately attracted to Jack and walked up to him. Jack smiled and petted his head. Dave looked at Aaron who nodded.
"Dave," the man said, putting out his hand. "I'm Brian."
"Pleasure to meet you," Dave smiled, shaking his hand. "This is my partner Aaron Hotchner," they shook hands "and our son Jack."
Brian held out his hand to Jack. "Hi Jack," he smiled. "I see you and Ranger have hit it off."
Jack shook his hand, rubbing Ranger behind the ear. "That's his name? Ranger?" Brian nodded. "Hi Ranger," Jack said. Ranger gave him a happy bark, sat down and offered his right front paw. Jack laughed and shook it. Brian looked at Dave and Aaron with a small smile and a wink. He nodded towards the building he had just exited.
It was a newer building with steel siding. "Come on Jack," Aaron smiled and they all followed Brian. Ranger ran ahead and waited for Brian to open the door. Brian opened the door and entered with Ranger scooting past his legs.
"This is where my guys hang out and I train them during the winter." The two profilers immediately noted that the building was heated. They looked at three very spacious kennels that had food and water bowls with the doors open. Dave looked in the first one more closely. Besides the dishes, it had a couple of play toys and a comfy bed for a dog to sleep on.
Aaron looked around, seeing a grooming station in one corner and the large open area in the middle. While the floor was concrete, the open area was covered with green. Brian smiled. "A poor man's version of artificial turf, but it's better than concrete for my guys." Another yellow lab was chewing on a rawhide bone in the area. He looked up and barked, wagging his tail. He started to run to the group. "That's Sal; he's my mobster," Brian smiled. "He likes to steal things," he winked. Ranger barked at the full grown, yet young dog. Sal slowed down and walked up to group, zeroing in on Jack.
Dave laughed. "Ranger rules the roost."
"Yup," Brian smiled. "The younger ones learn from him." Jack rubbed Sal's back after Sal licked his face. Another dog came out of his space and stretched, obviously being woke up from his afternoon nap. "That's Popeye; he's six. One day, he'll replace Ranger as the elder statesman around here."
"Where does Ranger stay," Jack asked. The mini-profiler hadn't missed a thing.
Brian smiled. "He stays in the house with my wife and me. It's more comfortable for his old bones."
Popeye sauntered up, joining the group. Aaron gave his back a rub down, with Popeye enjoying every bit of it. Brian nodded all of them to the end kennel and motioned for the other three dogs to run off; they quickly obeyed. Aaron and Dave both noticed that.
Aaron softly put his hand around Jack's shoulder as they followed Brian. They all looked in. In the kennel was another yellow lab enjoying his afternoon nap, lying in the sunshine coming through the window that each kennel had. By one look, they all knew the pup was young, yet was quickly maturing into an adult. His body was still on the small side; yet he was all legs and big paws. Jack looked at his dad. "Why are we here?"
Brian looked at Dave, thinking all the introductions were going well. "He's the son of two profilers," Dave whispered.
Aaron knelt down next to Jack. "Buddy, Papa needs a new dog to duck hunt with him." That was the strategy the two parents had agreed on to get Jack to accept a new dog in their lives. Dave walked in, knelt down to the dog and gently rubbed his back. The dog awoke with a large yawn, sticking out his long tongue. He looked at Dave, got to his feet and nestled up to him between Dave's legs, accepting his touch and wanting more.
"He's our lover," a female voice said. They all looked up.
Brian smiled. "This is my wife Aly; she's the one that trains the pups I keep to be housebroken." Dave and Aaron nodded at her with a smile. Jack just kept looking at the dog his Papa was loving.
Aly rubbed Jack's head. "He's a great dog Jack and he'll be a super duck dog for Papa," she smiled.
"He's not Mudg," Jack countered.
Aly bent down to look in his eyes. "No, he's not. There is not a dog in the world that can replace Mudg." She got the younger version of the Hotchner glare. "But he'll be a great dog for your Papa when he goes after ducks. Don't you want that for him?"
"Mudg died hunting with Papa," Jack said, storming off. The adults all looked at each other.
"Clearly that didn't go like we hoped," Brian said.
Hotch rose up to go after Jack. "Aaron," Dave said, halting him. "Let him blow off his steam. We both knew this was going to be hard on him." They all noticed Ranger chasing after Jack. He slipped out the door behind him when Jack threw it open.
Jack stomped out into the open yard and then stopped to wipe his eyes. Ranger came up to him and set his chin on Jack's shoulder. Jack glared at him but Ranger would not move. Jack bent his head and rubbed Ranger's neck. "I loved Mudg," he said, wiping away a tear. Ranger licked his cheek.
Jack looked into Ranger's eyes. "I don't know if I can love again." Ranger barked at him, licking his face again, his tail wagging. "I don't know Ranger; I'm tired of losing the ones I love. It's not fair." Ranger sat back down and put his head on Jack's shoulder. Jack rubbed his neck and then hugged the elderly dog. "Can I Ranger?"
Ranger rose up on all four legs, pulling away from Jack. He looked Jack in the eye and gave his young charge a very pronounced and deep large bark. Jack looked up to see the four adults coming out the door; his Papa had the young one on a leash, with a collar around his neck.
Jack rubbed Ranger's neck again. "Can I?" Jack whispered. Ranger barked loudly again and licked his cheek.
Aly rubbed Aaron's back. "That's why Ranger is the elder statesman around here," she smiled. "Let Jack make his peace with the new one."
Brian looked at Dave. "I know you're on board with what the transition will take." Dave nodded. Brian eyed the two parents. "Just give it time," he softly smiled.
Dave got the pup into the backseat, unlocking the leash as Aaron made sure Jack was buckled up for the ride back to the cabin. The dog quickly settled into the floor of the other side of the backseat, and resumed his nap. Jack shook his head. The parents looked at each other and shut the doors. It was a very quiet ride back to the cabin with Jack looking out the window at his left side, never looking at the dog or saying a word. Aaron looked at Dave and both of them knew better to try to engage Jack in a conversation. The family drove back to the cabin in silence.
Aaron pulled the family SUV into the garage. Jack unlocked the seatbelt and sprang out his door. He gave his dad the Hotchner glare waiting for the door into the cabin to be unlocked. Aaron opened it, with Jack running in as Dave leashed the pup back up and took him for a walk. Jack bolted up the steps to his room and slammed the door.
Dave came in a few minutes later and unleashed the pup. He looked around and went exploring. Aaron looked at Dave. "Is he going to take a dump somewhere?"
Dave shook his head. "Both jobs were covered on our walk. Where's Jack?"
"In his room with the door soundly shut. Dave, I have full buy-in on this. But what's the next step."
Dave smiled. "I think Ranger supplied that answer. We just have to let Jack figured it out."
The family enjoyed the hearty beef stew that Aaron had pulled out of the freezer that morning; one of the leftovers from last fall they had saved. As they enjoyed their meal, the pup crunched away on his dinner in the laundry room. Dave and Aaron shared small talk, as Jack remained silent, almost insolent.
Finishing his stew, Jack climbed down from his chair at the nook table, shoving in his mouth the last bite of the dinner roll that Dave had made for the family. He took his bowl to the sink, used the stool his parents had in there for him to help with doing dishes and rinsed out the bowl. He shoved the stool aside with his foot, clunking it loudly against the cupboard in the kitchen and put the bowl in the dishwasher. The parents recognized the rebellion stage. Aaron looked up to reprimand Jack. Dave softly touched Aaron's arm and shook him off. Jack leveled his Hotchner glare at his parents as the pup entered the kitchen, emitting a loud burp. "Does it have name?"
Dave looked at Aaron and knew he had to be the "bad" parent. "Yes, Jack; his name is Max."
Jack gave a "humph" and went back up the steps. Max looked at Jack and started to follow him. Dave called him back. Max walked to the table and looked at Dave. "Not right now boy," he smiled, petting the dog.
The family enjoyed another night of watching a movie, with Dave's homemade popcorn. The pup sat at Dave's feet, getting an occasional treat. Jack shook his head each time.
After they got Jack to bed, Dave took Max for a long walk. Brian had warned him to keep Max on the leash until he fully understood his new home. "That's part of the transition; you've got to give him time to adjust to his home so he doesn't run off," Dave remembered in their conversations. Aaron headed up to bed and Dave put Max in the laundry room, silently shutting the doors. Max immediately started whining, not knowing his new surroundings and missing his old home.
As Dave climbed in bed next to Aaron, he got his partner's full gaze. "This is what we have to put up with all night?" Max was not only whining, but was now pawing at the locked doors.
Dave kissed Aaron and smiled. "I hope for not long."
After an hour of the pup's incessant whining and pawing at the door, Aaron rolled on his back. "Dave, I love you; but this is not good."
Dave rubbed his chest. "Patience Aaron," he smiled.
Jack tried everything from putting his fingers in his ears to pulling his pillow over his head. Lying on his back, he looked out the window at the stars. "Mommy, I talk to you all the time. Please talk back to me this once." He quickly grew restless with no answer.
Then Jack felt a sudden wave of calm that warmed him. Ranger gave you the answer my son; and Mudg approves.
Jack silently slipped out of bed and quietly descended the steps. He opened the laundry room bi-fold doors that his Papa had latched. Max sat down and looked at him. Jack shook his head. "Come on Max." The pup headed out the door to follow him. Jack stopped at the bottom of the steps, putting a finger to his lips. Max quickly heeled at his legs. "Just be quiet, OK?" Max stood up on his legs, wagging his tail with acceptance. They quietly ascended the stairs.
Fifteen minutes later, Aaron looked at Dave, noticing the quiet of the cabin. "What the hell happened?"
Dave kissed him. "Acceptance," he smiled, rolling over to climb out of bed. Dave nodded at Aaron to follow him. Aaron got out of bed and followed Dave down the hall. They looked into Jack's bedroom together. Jack was soundly sleeping.
Unlike Mudg, who slept with Jack curled around the back of his legs with his face to Jack's feet, Max was curled up next to Jack against his thighs, his head lying next to Jack's stomach. Dave looked at the person that loved him and rubbed Aaron's chest with a large smile and then looked back at their son. "Welcome home Max," he whispered.
Aaron kissed Dave. "Welcome home Max."
-00CM00-
Aaron and Dave were packing up the SUV for the trip home Monday afternoon, when Cory and Tina pulled into the driveway. Jack was out back with Max on his leash, letting him do his "thing" before the ride home.
Jack came through the garage with Max. He powered into Tina for a hug and then he and Cory shared their special handshake. It was the one Morgan had taught him and Henry. Tina smiled at the partners. "Cory and I wanted to drop off something before you left for home. We thought you should have it." She petted Max. "This seemed like a good time," she smiled.
Cory went to the trunk of Tina's car and pulled out a rectangular object wrapped in a blanket. They all went into the house and Cory set the object on the nook table and gently undid the blanket.
Encased in glass was a beautiful taxidermied mallard duck standing on a tree branch with fall foliage around the rest of the small limb. The bottom oak wooden frame held a brass engraved plate. Jack looked at the writing.
"In honor of Mudgie," he read. "Loy….," he stumbled a bit, sounding out the word, "loyal companion and world class duck dog." He smiled at the couple. "I know just where to put it." They all went into Dave's study. Aaron gently moved the urn to the left as Dave held up Jack and he and Cory put the duck next to Mudgie's ashes.
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