Seamus

Duff sat around his castle and felt lonely…again. His family was gone, and he was completely and utterly alone. Will moved out, Duff kicked his father out, and everyone else was just, well, dead. Bess was taken away by child services, and Duff didn't have a girlfriend, much less one that lived with him. It made Duff grumpy to feel so pathetic. He had no social life, except for one night stands which didn't really do him any justice. He felt like he needed something…anything.

Or anyone, rather. Not having any friends, really, Duff often liked to pick on his fellow villains to rant to. Some he preferred more than others. Drakken was whiney and didn't want to be the rantee…he wanted to be the ranter. Shego he hardly knew and she didn't really want to listen to him anyway, Dementor was….loud, DNAmy was extremely weird, creepy, and a very desperate last measure, and most of the other villains all had their faults, but Monkey Fist seemed to always be Duff's best choice. Yes all he ever talked about was monkeys, but there was more to him than that. Monkey Fist was once an English gentleman and in a way, still is. He was serious in conversations and seemed to give intelligent advice. Duff thought he would give him a call and see what he was up to.

"Yes?" Fist answered when Duff called him.

"How ye doin', lad."

"Ah, Killigan. I just finished my daily training of Tai Shing Pek Kwar…what may I ask is the meaning of this house call?"

"Och, eh am so bored! Eh feel like an ant."

Monkey Fist paused for a moment. "An ant? Pray tell me why such a creature?"

"Ehm all alone in tis big castle o' mine. Eh got nuthin' te do an' eh got no one te talk te. How dye survive it? Yer castle is almost as big as mine, an ye live alone too."

Monkey Fist thought he should let that one slide on his castle being smaller than Duff's, which, in his opinion, was certainly not true. "I am not alone my friend. I have my monkey ninjas to keep me company."

Duff tried not to laugh. "Monkeys? Lad, no offense but…how can an' ape keep one company?"

"You would be surprised. Humans aren't the only beings on this Earth with life and soul. If you desire a human, then find a woman. If not, I suggest getting some sort of pet."

"Eh pet?"

"Indeed. I can spare one of my monkey ninjas for the time being if you wish?"

"Err…tha's okay Monkey Fist…"

"Then perhaps you should purchase a dog or something."

Duff took that in. He never had a pet, much less a dog. As a child he always wanted one, but his father never approved. Duff was scared Allan would hurt the dog anyway, just as he hurt everyone else in the household. Duff thought maybe Monkey Fist was right. Maybe he should finally get a dog and see how things go. If things don't work out, then he could always get rid of the thing.

The next day Duff looked through the newspaper while drinking his morning cup of black coffee. He found a section in the newspaper for breeders, and one little column caught his eye.

Scottish Terrier puppies

for sale 8 weeks. 3 males

$300, 1 female $750.

Shots, papers – call Darren

Duff picked up his phone and called the phone number indicated under the article.

"Hullo?"

"Err….is tis Darren?"

"Aye, an' whose tis?"

"Meh name's Duff…eh wus lookin' ah yer advertisement in The Scotsman."

"Oh fer te pups?"

"Aye."

"Well hullo Duff! Are ye interested in checkin' 'em ou'?"

"Sure…where dye live?"

Duff wrote down the address on the newspaper. The man lived in Glasgow. Duff let the man know that he lived on an island off the coast of Scotland, and that it would be a trip for him. The man didn't have a problem and wished him luck. Duff hung up the phone and sighed. He was really going through with this. He was going to buy his very first pet.

Duff couldn't stop thinking of his childhood and how he never was able to have a pet in the house. He remembered all the kids he knew had pets, like Mary. Her family had a cat which Duff enjoyed playing with. Allan would scold Duff, telling him the animals had disease and referring them as 'ratwags'. As a child Duff loved all kinds of animals, he loved petting a dog or a cat to feel their fluffy fur. At one point in his life he wanted a dog so bad he would ask his mother each day (never his father), but the answer was always the same and it was always disappointing.

One year for Christmas Belle gave Duff a stuffed dog that was as furry as a real one. Duff loved it so much until Allan took it away; he said a toy like that was pathetic for a little boy.

Duff shook all these memories out of his head once he was out on the roads of Scotland after docking his boat on the ports. He got in his red sports vehicle and drove to Glasgow. The whole trip took him awhile since he came from near the island of Islay. When he came to the apartment, he parked his car in the street and went up to the room. He knocked thrice and a young man dressed in hip clothing opened the door. Duff felt so old looking at this lad…he wore a baseball cap, a big red T-shirt and baggy jeans. Duff wore black shoes, dark fitted jeans and a black sweater. Darren looked in his early twenties, while Duff was in his late twenties, but he felt so much older, especially since Duff shaved his head just a few weeks prior.

"Ye Duff?" Darren asked, extending his hand out for a shake. Duff took it.

"Aye." Duff peered into the apartment as he could and he saw an area that was penned. He could see little black puppies running around and playing behind the gate. Oddly, Duff was beginning to feel giddy.

Darren led Duff through the apartment and to the penned area. Four tiny black Scottish Terriers ran around and played with each other, jumping and biting and pouncing. Darren stepped over the gate and told Duff to do the same. As soon as Duff's foot touched the inside of the pen, a puppy ran over to his foot and started biting at it.

"Hey!" Duff chuckled as he set his other foot down. He bent down and picked up the puppy. It squirmed in his hands, wanting to lean forward and lick Duff's face. Duff brought the puppy to his chest and held it there, and the pup stayed still, almost like it was relaxing. It snuggled up to Duff's chest and gave him a few licks on his neck and jaw. Duff smirked and felt so loved and happy. He felt like a kid again. For a second, he almost forgot that he was a twenty seven year old man.

"Ye like tha' one? He's three hundred." Darren noted. Duff nod his head and without hesitation said, "I'll take 'em."

Duff bought the dog on impulse and thought of names while he was in the car on the ride home. Eventually, he came to the name Seamus. He always liked the name, he thought it was a good one. He looked over to see what Seamus was up to, to see if he was napping in the chair or trying to stick his head out the window to feel the breeze or to watch the scenery, but no, instead he was taking a leak.

Duff gasped and stopped the car. He got out, ran to the other side of the car, opened the door, grabbed the dog, and held him to finish outside. But, as soon as Duff took him out of the car he stopped.

Duff was not a happy camper. He loved his car, and he did not love it when his car got dirty, or in this case, soiled.

With an unkind attitude, Duff cleaned out his car and made sure Seamus was done before he was let in the car again. Duff made sure to cover the seat with a blanket, just in case, and to keep reminding himself that this animal wasn't house trained.

The rest of the ride home was fine except for the one accident. Duff was forgiving…though he was upset about the car seat which he would have to replace because he would not deal with the cleaning or any chance of anything remaining, Duff understood that it wasn't Seamus' fault and he didn't know better…..or did he?

Fact of the matter is, Seamus was indeed a ratwag. As soon as Duff got home and chat on the phone with someone to fix his car, he let Seamus run around the island. Duff talked for a good hour, and when he hung up he looked around for Seamus only to find him digging up his garden.

"Bad dog! Ye mutt!" Duff scolded as he tore his dog away from the dug up flowers. Now he would have to call a gardener too!

Duff growled and took Seamus into the house. But that was an even bigger mistake. Over the course of several weeks Duff had to deal with waking up to find his furniture torn, his kilts ripped, and his floors and walls soiled.

Duff wasn't one for animal abuse, but he was close to it. Duff got angry easily, and this dog made him very, very angry. However, deep down inside, Duff had a heart. He would never hurt Seamus, and if anything, he would simply give him away. Duff surprised himself considering he didn't give up on Seamus yet. Perhaps, he thought, he wanted to promise himself that he would train this dog. Maybe deep inside his brain Duff couldn't let Seamus go, since everyone else in his life left out of his control.

Duff had Seamus for about a year before things started to settle. Seamus eventually became trained to go to the bathroom in the yard and away from the garden, to not dig up the yard, to not chew Duff's shoes or any of the furniture, and to certainly not rip up any of Duff's kilts. Duff fed Seamus every day and he hired someone to clean up the little presents left behind outside. Duff did grow attached to Seamus in a way, but not completely. That is…until one day, a very special day as a matter of fact, something happened.

Duff was working on something big, something that would redeem him out in the world. It was about three years after having Seamus, and a short time after working in the black market. He was introduced to this man named Professor Green, and during the time Duff was angry at the world for banning him from all golf courses. He wanted revenge, and Professor Green held the key. Green had a formula for a fast growing grass, and Duff's plan was to cover the entire world with this grass to make the world his own personal golf course. He learned all about the grass on the internet—it was perfect for his plan. The only warning label it came with was that it was highly toxic to animals, but Duff didn't need to worry about that.

When Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and Will Due came to stop Duff Killigan and his evil plan, they sneaked around his dungeon and saw all was covered with the fast growing grass. Not only did they find Professor Green covered in the solution, they also caught a glimpse of a little Scottish Terrier running around, covered in grass. They didn't know anything of it. The day of Duff's plan, Duff had put Seamus in the dungeon to keep him hidden from anyone who would try and stop him. When he kidnapped Professor Green and threw him in the dungeon, sprinkled the special seeds all around the room and watered them, causing the whole room and its inhabitants to be covered, he completely forgot in the moment of victory and frustration that Seamus was down there too.

When Duff finally remembered that his dog was in danger of dying from toxic poisoning he was already in the police car covered in dandelion flowers and on his way to a Japanese jail center. How could he let this happen? He was responsible for the death of a sweet little dog he loved so much. Duff didn't realize how much he loved Seamus until he was too late. Yes he had a hard time training him at first, yes Seamus did terrible things and ruined many treasured items and was such a pain, but Seamus was always there to lick Duff or snuggle to him when he was feeling down. Seamus was a part of Duff's family. Seamus almost acted like a best friend, and in a way he was. Monkey Fist had been right—animals were a lot like humans. When Duff thought about it, he never felt alone when Seamus was around. There was always something in the dog that was comforting, even if he was just in the room sleeping. Seamus was as human as Duff was, but now he was gone. There was nothing Duff could do.

Police thought Duff was upset about being caught and having to go to jail when they saw tears in his eyes. Little did they know that Duff had lost his best friend.

Little did Duff know that Seamus was saved when the woman he hired to clean up after Seamus found him and brought him to the veterinary hospital, and just in time too. Little did Duff know that Seamus was fine and living a healthy life with the woman. Little did Duff know that he didn't need to feel guilty and tear up every night, thinking he is the cause of all the deaths of his family. He was guilty of his grandmother, his mother, his sister, his dog…the guilt ate away at him with no reason and logic. He wasn't responsible, but so he thought miserably. It was only until the woman visited Duff in jail bringing him the news did he realize that he cried for nothing.