Lie Down with Dogs, Get Up with Fleas by Bucklin1

From his position on the floor of the run, Chris Larabee raised both feet and kicked at the chain link run door with all his might.

"Damn! Of all the stupid, damned things!" He yelled in frustration.

From her corner of the run, Charlie relaxed on her quilts and watched in obvious amusement. This was the first time she'd had any kind of night-time companionship in her two-year career with the ATF and the grin on her sweet, chocolate face gave her pleasure and amusement away. What she really couldn't understand, however, is why this man was trying so desperately to destroy her cozy home. Humans could be so confusing sometimes. Of course, she decided, their intelligence being of a low level, many of their actions should probably be overlooked. And Charlie was doing her best to ignore the agitated man in her run.

Hearing Charlie shift on her bed, Chris turned and glared at her. The chocolate lab only wagged her tail in response.

"Oh, shut up and help me get out of here," Chris growled.

It had been a long day. He had been awakened at three AM by a chilling phone call from AD Travis, requesting that he assist the explosive detection team in investigating the previous day's bombing of the Northside Women's Clinic. He was excited at first, finally being able to put his training with the elite canine team into use. After several hours of grimy, sweaty work, and pulling mangled bodies out of the rubble, the excitement had waned and he had settled into a steady pace, working in perfect coordination with Charlie, his canine partner for the day.

Chris looked at his watch in the dim light of the kennel and groaned. 10:45 PM. The guys would be at Inez's right about now. He wondered bleakly if any of them would be missing him. Vin would be, he was confident of that. Standing up, he went to the back of the run and turned to face the door. Lowering his shoulder, he ran to the door and butted it.

"Oh, hell!"

The door hadn't budged, and now his shoulder was aching.

Charlie cocked her head, her golden eyes full of questions she couldn't ask. As Chris walked to her corner and plopped down on her quilts, she thumped her tail again and nuzzled his arm. Regardless of this man's obviously lack of experience in handling canines, Charlie felt he had done well and she found that she was developing a deep affection for him. She gazed into his eyes and scooted closer to him.

"It's all your fault, you know," Chris grumbled, pulling his arm away from the lovable dog. "If you hadn't been so excited about being back in your little home..."

That was bullshit and Chris knew it. It was his own fault. He'd been so anxious to get Charlie settled in for the night that he hadn't paid any attention to the run door closing behind him. A chain link door that could only be opened from the outside. Chris shivered in the chill of the kennel and pulled a quilt out from under his cell mate. If only he hadn't laid his jacket on the table outside the run. But who would have dreamed he'd need it and the cell phone in the pocket of the jacket? He was only bedding the dog down for the night. And apparently himself.

Charlie stood and went to her automatic feeders. After drinking a little from the attachment on the water faucet, she began to crunch on her food, looking back at Chris every so often as if to ask if he was going to join her. It been a really rough day and she knew he must be as hungry and thirsty as she was. Silly humans. As lovable as they might be, they just didn't know how to take care of their basic needs.

Chris's stomach began to growl.

"Not on your life, Charlie. I'm not eating any of that shit."

Leaning back against the cold block wall, he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead on them. Contemplating the fix he was in, he groaned. It was Friday night. The automatic feeder and waterer were full and no kennel worker was scheduled to be in until Monday morning. The small dog door leading to the yard outside caught his attention. Crawling over to it, he stuck his head outside, but his shoulders were too wide to go through. A lot of good it would have done, anyway. The yard outside was enclosed by an eight-foot brick wall topped by barbed wire.

With a grin on her face, Charlie left the feeders and started through the door. Maybe this man can learn by example.

Chris slapped her lightly on the rump as she went out.

"And you just stay out there, smart ass." Seizing the opportunity, he went back to the pile of quilts and stretched out. "Might as well relax while I try to figure a way out of here," he groused.

"Can't you deal me any better hands than this, Ezra?" Vin tossed his cards down as he glanced at the clock on the wall. He had a niggling feeling something was wrong. Chris should have been here over three hours ago.

"No need to be concerned, Vin, our Mr. Larabee can take care of himself, I assure you," Ezra drawled, well aware that his friend's irritability and restlessness came from the Chris Larabee's absence and not the card game. He shuffled the cards and handed them to JD to reshuffle and deal the next hand.

"Yeah, Ezra's right, Vin. Maybe ole' Chris met him a girl and decided her company beat the hell outta ours. Come to think of it, I'd have to say he would be right. I'd much rather be in the arms of some soft little filly than in the company of you galoots," Buck commented, grimacing at the hand he was dealt and also the fact that he'd been too busy for the last week to round up a date for tonight. "I think JD here either needs lessons in shuffling or else he's learned to stack the deck."

Vin pulled his cell phone out and dialed Chris's cell. He let it ring twelve times before sighing and hanging up.

"I feel it in my gut. Something's not right. If he don't show up in the next couple of hours, maybe I should go look for him."

Josiah clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "Give Chris some time. From what I've heard about that bombing, it was really bad. Maybe our fearless leader just needs some time alone to wind down."

Vin nodded reluctantly. Josiah was probably right. Still, the bad feeling lingered. He had to agree that it was a certainty that Chris had had a rough day. Had he been in his blond friend's shoes, Vin wouldn't be in the mood to be around anyone, either.

"Well, I don't know about ya'll, but I'm going to call it a night. I promised Rain I'd help out at the free clinic tomorrow," Nathan said, tossing his cards down and pushing his chair back. "We still on to watch the game at the CDC Sunday afternoon?" He asked, jokingly using the name the team used to refer to the apartment JD and Buck shared.

"Yeah," JD replied. "And don't forget to bring some munchies."

"I believe that it is indeed a prudent idea to bring our own refreshments. I have seen what passes for refreshments in our compatriots' apartment," Ezra shuddered at the thought.

"Now wait a minute," Buck objected loudly. "Just because we prefer beer and nuts to your champagne and fish eggs don't mean our food ain't good enough to eat."

"Yeah. What he said," JD chirped. "Fish eggs." The youngest agent shuddered at the very idea.

Laughter erupted around the table as the men prepared to go their separate ways.

Buck wrapped a long arm around Vin's neck and affectionately ruffled the younger man's wavy hair.

"If we don't hear from Chris by the time the game's over Sunday afternoon, we'll go check things out. But I'm tellin' you he's fine. He just needs some space. 'K?"

Vin nodded. "I hope you are right, Bucklin." Buck had known Chris longer than any of the rest of them. And if Buck wasn't concerned, maybe there wasn't anything to be concerned about. Then again, maybe Buck was just covering up any concern he might have. In any case, Vin knew that come Sunday after the game, if Chris still couldn't be reached, Buck would stand by that promise to check things out.

As disturbing memories of the charred bodies being pulled from the rubble of the women's clinic filled his dreams, Chris rolled over on the hard pallet once again, his arm coming to rest across Charlie's side. Funny. He couldn't remember taking a woman to bed tonight. Prying his eyes open, he was suddenly reminded that he was not home at all.

"Shit. I'm sleeping with a dog." He pulled his arm back and sat up abruptly.

Charlie lifted her head and gazed at her bedmate. It sure was nice having company tonight. Someone to keep her warm and to pet her through the long lonely night. She sat up and licked Chris on the cheek to show him just how much she loved having him there with her.

Cursing, Chris wiped his face and jumped to his feet. From across the room, his cell phone began to ring. He counted twelve rings and then it was quiet again.

"Probably Vin," he muttered, hoping that Vin would come and find him soon. He paced the length of the run, reluctant to lie down with the beautiful chocolate lab again. What was the old saying? Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas? As exhaustion took over, he pulled Charlie from her bed and into the adjacent corner. With a command to stay, he went back to the quilts and laid down again.

Charlie waited patiently until Chris fell into a deep sleep again. Quietly padding back over to her bed, she made several turns, then sank back down against Chris with a soft, satisfied grunt.

Vin tossed and turned all night, worrying about Chris and praying that the other guys were right, that Chris just needed some time alone. He kept reminding himself that he would, too, if he had had to work that bombing.

Just before dawn, he gave up and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Oh his way to the shower, he tried Chris's home number as well as his cell. No answer at either one. Maybe he just wasn't answering the phones right now.

In the few years Vin had known Chris, he had seen the older man go through times when he wanted solitude. This time, however, worried him for some reason. Stepping into the shower, Vin tried to force his concerns away and think about the basketball tournament he was to referee at the rec center today.

A shrill ringing woke Chris from a deep, exhausted sleep. Sunlight streamed in through the small barred windows close to the ceiling. Damned if it didn't appear to be a jail or prison he was waking up to. The ringing stopped as Chris sat up and rubbed his eyes. A cold wet nose on his arm alerted him to his surroundings once again. Sighing in resignation, he put a hand on Charlie's head.

"Looks like we're stuck with each other, Charlie. When I get out of here, I'm going to put in suggestion that they change these doors." He had several suggestions regarding latches that even the most intelligent dog would not be able to open.

Charlie wagged her tail and leaned against her new roommate for a minute. Then she got up and stretched. She was hungry and, remembering that her companion had not eaten since they had been home, knew that he must be starved. Walking lazily to her feeder, she picked up a mouthful of kibble and, carrying it back to the quilts, set it down in front of Chris. Gazing into his blue eyes, she gave him a big lab smile.

"No, thank you. You eat it. I ain't eating that shit," Chris snapped, picking the dog food up and tossing it away from him.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him of just how hungry he was. But he wasn't that hungry. Never would be. Getting stiffly to his feet, he stretched his lean body and walked over to the automatic waterer.

"I will have some of this, though," he told Charlie as he unscrewed the attachment from the faucet. Cupping his hands, he drank his fill, then splashed some on his face. When he finished, he screwed the attachment back on.

Charlie watched Chris intently as he fixed her waterer back to the way it should be. She sniffed it, looked at Chris again, then began to drink.

"Great. You'll share your food, but not your water. Well, let me tell you one thing right now. I'm the boss here. Understand? As long as I'm here, I am the boss. And I'm telling you right now." He pointed at the quilts. "This is my bed. Not yours. You will not sleep in my bed." He thought about what he had just said and groaned. Good thing there were no witnesses other than the dogs in the other runs. "Damn. I've got to get out of here."

Vin was glad the tournament was finally over. Even though it turned out to be the best set of games he'd ever seen his kids play, his heart just wasn't in it and neither was his concentration. He called both of Chris's phones before he left the gym and again when he got home. Still no answer.

He stripped his sweats off and flung them into the laundry basket. The gnawing feeling that Chris needed his help frustrated him to no end. He took a quick shower and wrapped a towel around himself. As he stood looking into the closet, his eyes strayed to the telephone sitting on his nightstand.

"Nope. I'm not trying again. The guys are right. Chris can take care of himself," he muttered to himself as he pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the closet. As he dressed, he vowed to not worry about his best friend and to enjoy the dance he had committed to chaperone.

"Yeah, right," Tanner snorted.

Dances were not on the list of Vin's favorite things to do, but he'd do whatever it took to keep the neighborhood kids off the streets on a Saturday night. Not only would he not particularly enjoy the dance, but he was going to worry about Chris the entire time. Since the day he had met Chris Larabee, the two had had an almost eerie silent communication and Vin knew that until he saw for himself that Chris was fine, he was going to have that gnawing feeling in his gut.

Chris paced the length of the run for most of the night, swinging his arms in the attempt to stay warm. It had been an extremely long, frustrating day. His cell phone had continued to ring. And it had continued to be just out of his reach. His throat was raw from yelling and ranting in frustration and his gut felt as though his throat had been cut.

Finally, exhausted from pacing, he dropped down onto the bed next to Charlie. Laying a hand on her soft neck, he sighed. At least he wasn't completely alone. Charlie may only be a dog, but he found her presence to be somewhat comforting for some reason.

"Sorry, Charlie, but I'm a little chilled," he pulling a quilt from underneath her, he covered himself and decided to try to get some sleep.

Charlie sighed in contentment as she settled next to Chris. She'd give up one of her quilts any day if it meant she would have a companion. Of course, Butch, the handsome black lab in the run on the end would have been her companion of choice, but this silly human, flitting from one end of the run to the other, was certainly better than no companion at all.

Early Sunday Afternoon

Buck walked into the kitchen just in time to see JD slip his cell phone back into his pocket.

"Who ya callin', Kid? Gotta girl you're keepin' a secret?" Buck leaned against the counter, a big grin on his face.

JD turned a deep shade of red. "No. You know I don't have any girl. So what if I did? And, by the way, the only person I'd keep her from would be you."

"So, who were you callin'?" Buck persisted, as he retrieved a beer from the refrigerator.

"I was calling to see if Chris was coming. Why do you have to insist on tracking my every move, Buck? I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears kid who gets himself in trouble every time he turns around." Sometimes Buck just plain irritated the dickens out of JD.

"Well, I'm not so sure about all of that crap, Kid," Buck grinned as he cuffed the boy in the head. A more serious expression replaced the grin on the mustached agent's handsome face. "So, did you get him?"

"No. I tried his cell phone and his home phone," JD said. "I'm beginning to think Vin may be right. Maybe something's wrong."

Buck nodded. "Let's give him 'til this evening. Then we'll start lookin' around. If he's not wanting to be found and we find him, we're likely to catch hell. But then, if something's wrong... We'll go lookin' tonight if we don't hear from him." He opened a bag of corn chips and poured them into a bowl. "You gonna go get the sodas, or just stand there watchin'?" Buck dumped a can of Rotelle into the cheese and put it into the microwave.

Leave it to Buck to remember to buy plenty of beer and completely forget the sodas. JD caught up his keys from the counter and headed for the door. "I'm going to get the sodas. The smell of burnt cheese makes me nauseous."

"I make the best nacho cheese in town and you damned well know it, boy," Buck retorted, throwing an oven mitt, hitting JD square on the back of the head. "Don't forget your helmet."

Chris hugged himself as he paced the length of the run. It seemed to be chillier this afternoon than it was the night before. Maybe it was because he was starved. He always seemed to feel the cold more when his stomach was empty. Stopping at the run door, he tried once again to fit his hand through the chain link fence. Just couldn't do it. The latch was so close, yet so impossibly far away.

"Argh! Of all the damned..." He exclaimed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

He aimed an angry kick at the run door. The wire didn't so much as bend. Limping back to the quilts, he sank down and leaned back against the wall. Surely when he didn't show up at Buck's this afternoon, the guys would realize that something was wrong. He'd be out of here by dinner time. He just knew it.

Ezra dialed Chris's home phone number and let it ring over a dozen times. No answer. Disconnecting, he dialed the cell phone. No answer there, either. Certain that Mr. Larabee was most likely already at the CDC, and that there was indeed no need for alarm, he hung up the phone. Picking up the tray of spinach canapes and imported beer, he headed for the Jag and on to the gathering of the seven.

"Any word from Chris?" Nathan asked as he carried his vegetable tray and dips into the townhouse.

"Not a word," Buck replied, snatching a carrot from the tray. "When are you ever going to stop pushing your healthy eating habits on us, Nate?"

"Never, brother. If he did, he wouldn't be the Nathan Jackson we've all grown to know and love," Josiah said, stirring his famous chili as he rewarmed it on the stove. Picking up a large corn chip, he scooped up a bit of the chili and handed it to Buck. "Here. Try this."

Buck popped the chip into his mouth. "Yep. That's some good chili." Hearing Vin come in, he turned toward the tired looking younger man. "Hear from Chris?"

"Nope. Nothing. Zip." He set his bag of Twinkies and Zingers on the counter. "I'm thinking we should go lookin' after the game."

Buck nodded. He had a feeling nobody was going to enjoy this afternoon's ballgame.

Chris checked his watch once again. The guys would all be at Buck and JD's by now. Shouldn't be much longer and they would be missing him for sure. After drinking a little water, he rinsed his face and settled down to wait.

Vin paced the floor in front of the television. "Damn it, Vin. Sit down. You're gonna wear a hole in my floor," Buck exclaimed. He was on the verge of losing his patience altogether. He unfolded his long frame from his La-Z-Boy and started for his bedroom. "Just sit down. I'm going to get my shoes on and we'll go look for him. Can't make any sense outa this game anyway."

Vin stopped suddenly and turned to Buck. "No. Hell, no. You guys are right. Chris is just off somewhere spending some down time. Hell, he's a grown man." His face clouded with anger. "Least he coulda done is let someone know he was going to be outa pocket. If he don't care enough to let us know, I ain't goin' lookin' for him." Stalking to the kitchen, he snatched a beer from the refrigerator. "I'll bet he comes strolling into work right on time in the morning."

Buck sat back down and kicked the footrest out. "Yep. I've known Chris a long time and he's done this plenty of times before. He's holed up with some little gal, workin' Friday's stress off. No worries." He tried to focus his attention on the game again, but part of him was thinking that they probably should go looking.

Just after the sun had set, Charlie cowered in her corner and watched as her companion paced frantically and cursed. She didn't quite understand what he was saying, but it was evident that he was a very angry man. There was no way she was going to go near this raving lunatic.

Finally, hunger and frustration getting the best of him, Chris quieted and sat down next to Charlie on the quilts. As the dog shied away from him, he reached over and patted her on the head.

"One last night together, sweetheart, then I'm outa here. No offense, but I don't ever want to see this place again."

At 5:30 A.M. Monday, Vin pulled the Jeep into the parking space next to the black Ram. Having been worried to the point of sleeplessness, Vin had finally given into his troubled feelings and had spent the wee hours of the morning searching for Chris, first at the older man's home, then everywhere else he could think of, finally ending up at the ATF kennel.

As soon as he saw the Ram, his stomach lurched and twisted. Reaching the door just as Chad Pike, a kennel worker was unlocking it, Vin pulled his badge out and introduced himself. After a brief explanation from Vin, the kennel worker agreed to allow him to look around inside.

Trying not to disturb her bedmate by lifting her head or standing up, Charlie simply opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening. She immediately recognized the kennel worker and was overjoyed to see him but controlled herself, simply thumping her tail on the bed. Breakfast was coming and she sincerely hoped that it was something that her new roommate would eat. She was becoming concerned that he hadn't had a bite to eat since they had returned to the kennel.

"Well, Charlie, it seems you've gone and gotten yourself a new roommate," Chad said softly, grinning widely.

"Shit. He's been here all weekend," Vin whispered, intense guilt assaulting him. He knew he should have insisted on looking for Chris right away. His gut instincts were almost always right on track. Yet he had listened to the others and given their team leader a chance to unwind and relax. Even curled up in sleep, head on Charlie's flank, the irritation and stress of the weekend were evident on Larabee's face. Vin quietly opened the run door and stepped inside.

Charlie growled deep in her throat, warning the young stranger to back away. Her protective, maternal instinct had taken over and there was no way she was going to allow this man to come near her new friend. She bared her teeth and snarled as Vin took a step closer.

Feeling the low rumbling beneath his head, Chris came awake and stretched.

"Hell. It's not a nightmare. I'm still in this damned glorified dog house," he grumbled, reluctant to open his eyes. Charlie sniffed his face and softly nuzzled his neck. Chris pushed her away and sat up, his back to the run door. "What the hell are you growling at, anyway? I thought you were enjoying my presence."

Vin cleared his throat softly, causing a startled Chris to jump and whirl around. "Looks like your buddy here is afraid I'm fixin' to hurt you or take you away from her, pard," he said, unsuccessfully stifling a chuckle.

"Can it, Tanner," Chris said as he stiffly got to his feet. Stepping around Vin, he stalked out of the run and snatched up his jacket. "I'm going to the gym to shower." He shot Pike a warning glare. "This is not to be spoken of. Do you hear me? I will have your job. I want you to understand that." Turning his attention to Vin, he narrowed his eyes. "I'll see you at the office."

"It's a little early. If it's all the same to you, I think I'll tag along. Been out half the night looking for you and I could use a quick shower too," Vin replied. A shower would help to refresh his overworked brain before going into the office.

"Suit yourself," Chris mumbled on his way out of the door.

As Chris stepped out of the elevator at the office, Vin on his heels, the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee assaulted his senses and his stomach rumbled. His hunger had been pushed aside in his haste to arrive at the office on time and maintain a normal appearance. He grabbed a doughnut from the box on the file cabinet on his way to his office, painfully aware of the silence his arrival had caused. Something was up and he knew it. And it had better not involve his misadventures during the weekend.

As the team leader approached Ezra Standish's desk, the dapper agent sniffed loudly and covered his nose. "Pray tell, Mr. Larabee. What is that odious stench? Could it be..? Could it be Eau de K Nine cologne?"

Shooting Ezra a venomous glare, Chris then glanced at his watch.

"And I believe you have a report due on my desk in ten minutes, Standish." Giving Ezra no chance to answer, Chris went into his office and slammed the door behind him.

Dumbfounded, Vin continued onto his own desk. "I think ya'll'd just better leave Chris alone today. He didn't have such a good weekend," he advised. He wasn't sure how, but he had a gut feeling that the team had already heard about Chris's weekend.

It seemed that his coworkers had taken Vin's advice as the next half hour passed in relative quiet as the men worked on the tasks assigned them. Chris stepped out of his office, coffee cup in hand, and glanced around the bullpen. It was too quiet. Even the normally boisterous Buck and JD seemed abnormally intent on their work. Shrugging his shoulders, he headed for the coffee maker.

"Missed ya Saturday afternoon, Chris," Buck said, glancing away from his computer screen. "'Course, I figured you had something more important to do."

"Right," Chris said shortly as he made his way back to his office.

"Ruff. Ruff."

Chris whirled toward JD. "What was that, JD?" He demanded.

JD suddenly found his pen very fascinating. "Uh.. Nothing, Chris. I, uh.. I was just saying you look like you had a, uh, a rough weekend. Rough weekend."

Chris merely grunted and went into his office. "How the hell could they have heard?" He wondered aloud. "Pike's a dead man."

Nathan rapped lightly on the team leader's door, then opened it. "Chris, Josiah and I have this report ready if you have a minute," he said, sticking his head inside. "Of course, Nathan, Josiah. Come in." Finally. Some semblance of a normal working day.

Nathan handed Chris a copy of the report. "Ya know, you don't look like you had a very good weekend. Not enough to eat. Hell, you even look like you slept on a concrete floor. Or did you even get any sleep?"

"Brother, you do look troubled. If you need to talk, you know I'm always ready and willing to listen," Josiah offered. "Of course if you don't want to talk to me, maybe I could suggest a companion of sorts. A dog, maybe? There are some great breeds out there. Labs, for one. Real good dogs."

"I'm fine! And I don't need anyone to talk to! And I damned sure don't need a dog!" Chris snapped as he skimmed the report. "Looks like you summed it all up in your usual neat and tidy way." He snatched up his jacket. "I'm going to take an early lunch," he said sharply and stalked out the door.

On his way past Buck's desk, he couldn't help but notice Vin perched on the corner of the ladies man's desk, an intense expression on his face. "I'm tellin' ya, Buck. It's not a good idea. Don't do it," the younger man was saying.

"Don't do what? What's not a good idea?" Chris asked.

Vin jumped, startled by the older man's presence. "Uh. Chris. I, uh, I was just tellin' Buck here that it's not a good idea taking the girl from the lab out. It's just not good to date someone you see at work day in and day out."

Chris smirked. "Since when do you give Valentino here dating advise, Vin?" He looked around the room. "Two words for all of you. Back off!"

Vin's face reddened as he watched Chris step into the elevator.

Buck laughed loudly. "He's right, Vin. That was flimsy as hell, buddy."

"Well, don't say you weren't warned, Buck," Vin snapped as he went back to his own desk.

Having left earlier than he normally would, Chris took a longer lunch than usual and returned to the office feeling better than he had since his disastrous weekend. Things were quiet in the office as it seemed that everybody but Buck and Vin were still gone to lunch. Buck was carrying on a lively telephone conversation with yet another young woman and Vin was frowning in concentration as he slowly hunted for keys on his keyboard.

Stepping into his office, Chris immediately noticed a large vented box tied with red ribbon sitting squarely in the center of his desk. Dread filled his gut as he read the handwritten note attached.

You can call me Sam, you can call me John. But please, just don't call me Charlie. Love, your new roommate.

He grimaced. "Shit." Untying the ribbon, he slowly lifted the lid. Inside was a chocolate lab puppy, sitting on a small quilt, gazing up at him with liquid golden eyes. He quickly replaced the lid and was out of the office door in two steps.

"Buck!" He bellowed. "In my office. Now!"

Buck quickly ended his conversation with the girl on the other end and jumped to his feet, a look of panic flitting across his face.

Vin chuckled as he watched Buck go into Chris's office. "Told ya. Just not a good idea."

THE END