"Alright d'Artagnan, you ready to go see a close friend of mine?" Porthos asked, grabbing the collar and leash off the coat rack where Athos kept them and laughed when d'Artagnan slid into the hall, his tennis ball in his mouth. "You really love that thing, don't you? Well, it's a good thing because where we're going, you're going to be chasing that ball for who knows how long." He knelt down and buckled the collar around d'Artagnan's neck but as he went to clip the leash, the puppy took off towards the recliner where Athos sat and pawed at it with a whine. "Awe, sorry little guy. Captain Treville needed Athos to stay over a few more hours. That's what I'm here for." Porthos got the leash clipped on and walked d'Artagnan out of the door and into his car.

"The place I'm taking you to is very dear to me. I pretty much grew up at the Court of Miracles Orphanage and a very close friend of mine works there. Her name is Flea and she's been a great help to those kids, keeping their spirits up when they don't get adopted or if one of their friends gets adopted. I try to go once a week to see if they need any help or just hang out with the kids." Porthos took a corner a little too hard and laughed when d'Artagnan growled at him, nails digging in to the seat to keep him in one spot and not slide around. "Yeah, Aramis growls at me for driving too fast too." He slowed down a little, realizing he would be in big trouble from Athos if something happened to his puppy. It was another ten minutes and he finally pulled up in front of the orphanage and got out with a smile. He could see little faces running up to the windows and little hands waving down at him as he waved back.

"Porthos! I'm so glad you could make it," a voice said as the door to the building opened and a young women walked out. "The kids have been asking for you."

"Hi Flea. I have a surprise for the kids today." Porthos walked around to the passenger side door and opened it, picking up d'Artagnan and his tennis ball. He just closed the door when Flea was up on him and grabbed d'Artagnan from his arms.

"Oh Porthos, he's adorable!"

Porthos watched as Flea petted and kissed d'Artagnan all over but never missed how the puppy was shaking a little and looking at Porthos in fear and instantly went serious. "Hey Flea, calm down a moment." Porthos walked up to her and laid a hand on d'Artagnan's head. "Hey d'Artagna, it's alright. Flea's a good friend and won't hurt you. I promise. Just smell her and you'll see."

"Should I take that as an insult?" Flea asked.

"d'Artagnan doesn't like new people very much until he gets to know them. He can actually tell a good person from a bad person by smelling them," Porthos explained. "He was afraid of me too until Athos got him to really sniff me and now we're best friends, aren't we?"

Flea just laughed as Porthos talked to the puppy in her arms like one would talk to a baby, but she did what he told her and let d'Artagnan smell her. She laughed when the puppy sniffed up close to her chin and then started licking her all over. "I take it I passed?"

"Oh yeah." Porthos relaxed and took d'Artagnan out of Flea's arms and set him down. "Let's go see the kids and get this little guy worn out. He was running around Athos's house like a mad dog."

"So this is Athos's puppy?" Flea asked, arm around Porthos's as they walked into the building, children yelling and laughing all around them.

"Yeah."

"He does seem like a dog type person, but not a puppy," Flea said with a laugh. She watched as d'Artagnan sniffed at a bush by the door and lifted his head when the kids inside gave a squeal when they saw d'Artagnan walking up to the door. Flea walked in first to keep the kids from crowding around d'Artagnan until Porthos could get the puppy settled.

"Alright you little monsters," Flea said with a smile. "Porthos brought a friend with him but we need let him get the puppy settled so lets go into the backyard and Porthos will bring the puppy in."

Porthos, now unclipping d'Artagnan's leash, laughed when all the kids ran into the backyard, pushing each other out of the way to get there first. He watched as d'Artagnan sniffed around the place, taking in all the scents and smells and then his ears lifted up when the kids outside started talking and laughing. D'Artagnan finally looked up at him, tail wagging, when he finally noticed his tennis ball in his hand.

"Are you ready to make some kids happy?"

Bark bark bark.

d'Artagnan started jumping up and down, spinning in circles as he looked at Porthos with anticipation. He wanted to play with this tennis ball and he knew these kids would do just that. He took off towards the backdoor; turning around to make sure Porthos was behind him and pawed at the door to be let out. Once the door opened, he took off into the grass, running around the kids that sat on the grass with Flea.

"Everyone, meet d'Artagnan," Porthos said, grinning as d'Artagnan walked up to kids, sniffing and licking them in the face, making them laugh. "Now, do you guys think you can take a challenge?"

"Yes we can!" a handful said.

"Alright. You're challenge is to wear down d'Artagnan. This little guy has enough energy to put you to shame." Porthos tossed the tennis ball into the middle of the kids and d'Artagnan grabbed it before anyone could and took off around the backyard. The kids gave a scream and started chasing d'Artagnan around the yard, trying to catch the little puppy.

"So are you trying to wear d'Artagnan down or the kids?" Flea asked, pulling up a chair for her and Porthos.

"Both."

"Hey Porthos, I got the ball," a little boy said, holding the tennis ball up for him to see.

"Alright. Now throw it so d'Artagnan can catch it."

The little boy grinned and turned around to see d'Artagnan already to go. He pulled his arm back and let the ball go, laughing as d'Artagnan took off after it. The others kids' where jumping up and down cheering d'Artagnan on. Once he caught the ball, he ran back to them and dropped the ball at their feet. A little girl took her turn and threw the ball, jumping as d'Artagnan chased it.

d'Artagnan was in heaven as he chased his tennis ball. Sure Athos did this with him in their backyard but there was something about having kids do it that made it better. He ran back and fourth when he sound caught his attention. He dropped the ball and walked over to the privet fence that separated the backyard and a small ally. Walking up to a hole in the bottom of the fence, he listened carefully and could hear what sounded like a child crying and someone harshly yelling in a low voice. All sounding very familiar, d'Artagnan started to squeeze himself through the hole in the fence and let out a growl when he saw a woman hitting a little girl with a wooden board. Letting out a bark, he tried his hardest to get through the hole to help the little girl but the hole was small enough his whole body couldn't fit through.

"Porthos, d'Artagnan's trying to escape," a little girl said, running up to Flea and Porthos.

Porthos looked over and swore under his breath at d'Artagnan's body struggling to get through the fence. He got up and walked across the yard and just as he was about to pull d'Artagnan free, the puppy had somehow managed to fit through the hole and was gone. "d'Artagnan!"

"There's an ally back there Porthos. You have to go through the orphanage and out the front to get there," Flea said.

"Thanks." Porthos took off towards the building, not liking the sound of d'Artagnan's barks and growls. Passing a couple of the older kids, he took off out the front and rounded the corner that started the ally and stopped in his tracks when he saw d'Artagnan standing in front of a little girl, barking at an obviously drunk woman. The woman brought the board down on d'Artagnan and d'Artagnan was trying to bite at the stick but getting hit no matter what he did.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Porthos yelled, walking over to the woman.

"None of your damn business," the woman slurred. "This little brat isn't listening to me and needs to be taught a lesion."

"Beating her isn't the way. Now put the board down and back away from the child."

"Who the hell do you think you are ordering me around?" She brought the board down once more, hitting d'Artagnan on the side, making the puppy yip in pain.

"I'm an officer and I don't take kindly to a woman who abuses their children."

The woman didn't seem fazed at that information and raised the board once more to strike at the dog that's getting in her way of punishing her child when the board was stopped in mid air.

"I told you to put the board down," Porthos growled.

"Piss off!" The woman suddenly brought the board around and hit Porthos in the side, making him stagger a little, and was about to hit him in the head when she let a yell when teeth sank into her ankle. She looked down to see the black puppy that tried to defend her daughter and picked it up by the scruff of his neck and glared at him. "And who do you think you are?" She threw the puppy to the ground next to her daughter and let out a growl of her own when her daughter uncurled herself and pulled the puppy close to her chest as if protecting it. "Pathetic." The woman raised the board once more, ready to finish what she started when the board was once more stopped in midair but this time she was pushed the ground, board ripped from her hand and her arms twisted behind her back.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life," Porthos growled, for once not caring if he was hurting the woman. "When I tell you to put the damn board down, you put it down! You now being charged with child abuse, animal cruelty, and assault on an off duty officer." Porthos pulled out the handcuffs he always carried with him and slapped them on the woman before getting off her. He had already called this in and knew the moment Athos got word it was him, he would be the first officer on scene. He walked over to the child and knelt down, hands helping her sit up.

"Are you okay?"

"It hurts," she said, clutching d'Artagnan to her chest with one hand and the other holding her right side.

"Help is on its way sweetie. My name is Porthos and that little puppy you helped protect is d'Artagnan. What's your name?"

"Constance."

Porthos nodded and pulled d'Artagnan away from her so he could see how badly the puppy was hurt. He winced at the blood oozing from wounds on the side and a gash on his forehead. "Athos is going to kill me," he mumbled, soothing d'Artagnan as the puppy started whimpering.

"Porthos, is everything alright?" Flea asked, walking into the ally. She had pushed the kids back inside the orphanage and listened to everything from the other side of the fence and when she thought everything was done, she went to check on her friend.

"Will you check on Constance here while I try to get d'Artagnan cleaned up?"

Flea nodded and knelt next to the child and started talking to her, keeping her mind off the pain and making her laugh every now and then. Porthos pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket and started to clean some blood off d'Artagnan. He had managed to get most of the blood off when he heard sirens in the distance and getting closer.

"Constance wants to know if d'Artagnan is going to be okay," Flea said.

"He will sweetie, I promise."

"I let you dog sit for a few hours and this is what I see?" an amused voice asked from behind them.

Porthos looked up and, no surprise, there was Athos walking over to them. Porthos stood up and looked like a kick puppy himself when he held out d'Artagnan towards his master. "Sorry Athos. I tried to get here as fast as I could."

"I guess I should've warned you d'Artagnan likes to get into trouble and other people get blamed for it," Athos said with a smile, telling his friend he was not mad at him. He felt d'Artagnan lick him under the chin before placing his paws on his shoulder. He walked over to the little girl Flea was helping to stand and knelt down so he was eye level with her. "So you are the little lady my dog helped."

"He protected me," Constance said. "The tall man said he was going to be okay."

"Yes he is and so are you." Athos stood up when Flea took her by the arm and showed her to the ambulance that arrived and walked over to the woman that was being helped off the ground by Porthos and another officer. "And what do we have here?"

"Mother is about to find out what happens when you drink and abuse your child," Porthos said.

Athos nodded and walked away as Porthos handed the woman over to the on duty officers. The two walked out of the ally and headed towards Athos car and he opened the passenger door to set d'Artagnan down.

"I'm sorry d'Artagnan got hurt," Porthos said, still feeling guilty.

"No worries my friend. I think I better get used to it because I'm going to have d'Artagnan trained to be a police dog."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Porthos smiled and nodded when he spotted one of the younger kids from the orphanage walking towards them with an older kid. He saw d'Artagnan's tennis ball in her hand and smiled.

"Here you go d'Artagnan. You forgot your tennis ball," the little girl said, walking up to the police car and laughed when d'Artagnan's head shot up and tail wagged in excitement. She tossed it a little in the air so it would go into the car and d'Artagnan jumped a little to grab the ball.

Athos and Porthos laughed as the child walked back to the orphanage and the ambulance drove away. The two walked when Athos phone rang and he picked it up after reading the name on the caller ID. "Yes Captain…Yes…I think I can handle that…Yes, I will keep you updated…Good bye." Athos hung up and looked at Porthos. "Alright Porthos, Captain gave me a new order."

"What is it?"

"Taking you to the hospital to have your side looked at. Aramis will meet us there and watch d'Artagnan while you get checked out."

"I'm fine."

"Porthos, you've been holding your side and I can see blood on your shirt."

"I'm fine."

"Lets get a second a option. d'Artagnan, one bark for no two barks for yes. Does Porthos need to go to the hospital?"

Bark bark

"Traitor," Porthos mumbled, picking d'Artagnan up and sitting in the passenger seat, smiling when d'Artagnan curled himself into a ball on his lap. Never did he think a regular visit to see his friend would end like this, but then again, when d'Artagnan came into Athos lives, he came into their lives too…for the better.