Her door wouldn't open.

Dammit whined and threw herself against the door, but neither one of them could get the darn thing open. Of course, Dammit was supposed to be in her crate... It was hard to fault whoever'd put her away, though. Noel hadn't been back in a few days and whatever Blac-Tac security mook had run that training exercise with her little puppy last hadn't secured the gate well enough. Hard to be mad when she'd been taking advantage of someone else's good graces.

"I know, Dammit. Just. Please hold it until I can get in."

It felt like she'd been gone forever with the whirlwind hospital stay and then her quick jaunt over into enemy territory. Michael was back home now according to Jude's last text. She probably owed that kid a Christmas present now.

Noel dropped her duffle and tried Michael's birthday again. It was March, wasn't it? She probably just had it wrong. It'd been awhile since she'd done that, but it wasn't totally unexpected. She pulled out her phone to call and realized that she probably should have called earlier. She could have called him earlier, but with everything that'd happened it honestly didn't cross her mind. She wasn't used to being courteous or conscientious of other people's feelings. Was this going to hurt his feelings?

She was pretty bad at that kind of thing.

So she pocketed the phone, grabbed up the duffle, and knocked on his door.

Dinner time on a Thursday? He should be home. (At least, she thought it was a Thursday. Noel double triple checked her phone.) She'd been hoping to grab a shower and make herself presentable before they met again face to face. That just wasn't in the cards this time. She at least tried to finger comb her hair real quick.

Ranger had called it a day at Blac-Tac a little early. He wanted to have a chance to work out. Being laid up in the hospital and then having to play catch up on all the business missed while he was out and manage the new business created by the rip had kept him from working out for far too long.

In his line of work being less than his prime could be deadly.

At Haven, Ranger went to CLASS and worked out. He then went back to his apartment where one of his employees had caged Reveille for him. She could normally contain herself and worked herself out of her cage much less often than Dammit. Ranger let her out and resisted the small bear’s attempts to bowl him over with excitement.

”Hey, girl.” He reached down and scratched behind both of Reveille’s ears. ”Ready f’r dinner?” At that Reveille turned away from the scratches and ran for the kitchen. Ranger followed her and filled her food and water bowls. They were still bowls, but before long would be five-gallon buckets.

With Reveille happily eating, which amounted to her grabbing food out of her bowl and walking several steps away to put it down and then eat it, Ranger went to take a shower.

Ranger planned to have a calm evening; catching up on reading, yelling at the news, and playing with Reveille. He would need to go tend to Dammit at some point. While Noel was across the rip she was getting to run around CLASS with Reveille but in the evenings she was locked up all evening if he didn’t stop by.

The beautiful thing with cooking most of your meals for a week at once was that you could take care of anything you wanted at home after getting home instead of immediately having to start cooking. Then, when it was time to eat all you had to do was heat up something already prepared and waiting in the refrigerator. Ranger took out a container with round steak and steamed okra when a knock came at his door. He checked that his pocket pistol was in the waistband of his ranger panties. Old habits.

When Ranger went to open the door, Reveille was at the door sniffing at the gap under the door. He pushed her to the side, ”Sit...Sit. Sit… … Sit. Good girl.” Reveille sat out of the way of the door, clearly not wanting to be still.

Ranger opened the door to see Noel standing there.

He hadn’t seen her since he was in the hospital, and most of the memory of that was spotty thanks to the morphine. She had been across the rip so other than him texting her when he had been taken out of traction there hadn’t been any contact between them.

”Howdy.” He said smiling, before Reveille had had enough of just sitting and barreled past him knocking him forward. He was able to arrest his movement before he stumbled into Noel. Reveille ran around them barking. Ranger wasn’t alone in being happy to see her.

Instead of just standing there inches away from Noel like a goof, he wrapped her in a hug. He did have to resist the urge to kiss her. As he often did. ”Welcome home.”

And there he was. All in one piece. Ambulatory. Smiling despite the fact that she'd shown up unexpectedly. She felt stupid for a second. She'd just taken it for granted that he'd be here and that he'd be whole. That he'd be happy to see her. That he wouldn't be mad. He could still be mad. That might come later.

"Hey." She wasn't yet comfortable with howdy. Maybe some day. Her eyes pricked with moisture when she got her hug. Geez. She didn't realize what it was like carrying around so much worry for somebody else.

> ”Welcome home.”

Revvie snuffled around their feet and up Noel's legs, clearly interested in what was new and exciting.

"You're... I..." She dropped the bag and just gave in to the hug for a moment. How could it have only been a few days? A sharp whine echoed down the hall from the little black nose that was trying to squeeze out from underneath her doorway. Revvie bumped her way past the Noel/Michael door block and went to help try to break Dammit out. Noel breathed a laugh and after one more squeeze she stepped back. She trailed her hands down his arms, which were whole and totally unmarred as far as she could tell. She definitely owed Jude a Christmas present.

"I can't remember my door code. Isn't your birthday in March?" She grabbed up the duffel and pulled out the rifle case that she'd taken without his explicit permission, anxious to get it back to where it belonged in Ranger's care.

"I didn't kill her. She also tossed your SIG in the river. Oh darn. You'll have to get your hands on another." Somehow she thought he might not mind that. Since the dogs were liable to break her door down for her, she settled for sticking the case behind the door rather than risk the integrity of Haven's doors. "She's on this side, now. Which turns out to be a longer story than I thought it'd be. I didn't expect to be gone so long."

Noel tried to say something, but gave up on it and went with the hug. It was a nice, but brief moment. Dammit whined down the hall and Reveille muscled her way past to help fight the door. It was cute, a little bear muscling past them. Give her a few months and it wouldn't be so cute.

After a final squeeze, Noel broke off the hug. Her hands worked down his arms as she stepped back. His arms bearing no mark from his run in with the woman not long before.

"I can't remember my door code. Isn't your birthday in March?"

Ranger have a slight chuckle, ”It is, but we changed all the locks after the other Devon showed up…” He was about to add that he could get the door unlocked before the dogs’ collective conniption destroyed the entire floor, but Noel pulled a rifle case out of her duffle bag. The case he kept his 700 Police in .300 Win Mag in. His memory of when he had woken up while Noel was at the hospital was hazy. But her saying she would take care of the woman floated to the top. He looked from the rifle to Noel. She wasn’t one for half measures. If she had said that and taken his rifle then…

"I didn't kill her…”

He heard the rest, but focused on that. Ranger had killed plenty of people in his time. It was literally in his job description. Yet, the woman thought she had been doing the right thing. Though… He would have killed the person who had done what they did to him, to her.

Having to replace his SIG was trivial. It was an excuse to trick out another one. And maybe it was time to show Jude how to work on a P226 more than just cleaning it.

Noel stashed the case behind the door and then told Ranger that the woman was back on this side of the rip. ”Did y’... She... “ The woman who had beaten him within an inch of his life and Noel had gone to kill was back in their universe. Noel said it was a long story, ”Let’s get y’r door open, then tell me what happened” Her lack of contact and having been gone so long had worried Ranger. His learning of SUPER hadn’t helped the matter, but Ranger knew how things could get when operating in a non-permissive environment. You can’t always reach out, and sometimes you get caught up and don’t think to.

But she was back.

And Haven was about to need a new door on their floor.

Ranger lead the way to Noel’s door and showed her the new code. ”I can always change it again f’r y’. Unless y’ think whatever y’ pick is somethin’ y’r double from the other universe could guess.”

She couldn't tell if Ranger approved or disapproved of her not taking out Combatant. He was right, though. They needed to prioritize the door.

"That'd be a negative. I, uhm, I picked up my copy in the other universe and we're holding him at Blac-Tac. I hope that's... I mean, I didn't want to implicate Haven and I figure your security guys are way scarier than the people here." She was tripping over herself to explain, but this wasn't even the beginning.

"You can put your birthday back unless you think that's a security problem. I didn't get a good taste, but he's secure and I doubt he knows you or whoever you are over there." She cleared her throat while Ranger worked his keypad magic. She did need to tell him. "I sort-of helped raid a Federal training facility. So. Probably we'll never be taking a vacation across to the other side."

And, still, that wasn't even the whole story...

But it was easy to let that sit for a bit when Dammit came bounding out. She was bigger now, almost up to her knee, and that surprised Noel. Had she been that big when she left!? Her puppy got the full scritch down: face, ears, back, and that special spot on her side that made her leg churn like a locomotive. Dammit got Noel kisses and Noel got Dammit kisses which were both cute and gross.

"How did you get out, Dammit T. Gage?" The cage looked intact, thank goodness. The room smelled incredibly doggy. She saw only one puddle and no other indications that Dammit had gotten into any of the other closed doors. Dammit and Revvie did the doggy best friends dance while Noel grabbed a towel and then threw that towel straight into the washer.

"Come, Dammit." She grabbed a treat from way up almost too high for even Noel to reach and then snapped and did the hand motions they had practiced to get the puppy to follow. It worked for about 4 of the 17 steps it took to walk from her door back to Michael's. Once Dammit saw Michael's door was open she was in like Flynn.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! I got a treat—! I'm just grabbing my bag..." Aaand she was on the couch.

"Since when can she get up there?" Noel cast an envious look at Revvie. Noel was sure that Dammit's behavior was mostly her own fault. She hadn't been here a lot this last week. Noel grabbed up her bag. Now that the rifle was out, it was only some clothes. She stopped to touch Michael again. Because he was real and here and whole.

"Okay. Game plan. You deserve a better explanation than all that, but I don't trust these pupperonis. Do you have food? Let me take them both down and they can do their business. I'll be right back. Way quicker than last time." That was all one cohesive something, right? Noel tossed her bag on her couch and went back for a doggie bag and a handful of treats.

She had met her copy. And he was being held at Blac-Tac. Blac-Tac has a prisoner and Ranger don’t even get a text… You miss a couple days and people forget you run the place. Noel seemed to have jumped into the middle of the story to answer him. She started at storing her copy at Blac-Tac and moved on to having raided a Federal training facility.

Ranger had just finished entering his birthday to return the keypad to its old combination, if Noel was sure he’d go with it. Her raiding a Federal facility gave him pause. It took him a moment to process through that it may have been a Federal facility, but it was not their own Federal facility. That other universe might as well be Canada.

”A Federal facility?... Was the woman also a Fed an’ locked up at Blac-Tac? Wait. I’ll just get the whole story once the puppies’re tended too.” Ranger entered his birthday a second time, this time to unlock the door, and turned the handle opening the door. Releasing Dammit upon the halls of Haven. And exciting Reveille; her playmate was free! Once she was done seeing how many licks to the center of the tootsie-pop that was Noel’s head.

Noel checked Dammit’s cage and cleaned up after her while the pair of puppies did that little dance a pair of puppies who play together a lot do before they decide to destroy everything. Ranger stood by to run interference for the inevitable rampage. His apartment had been the victim a couple of times while Noel was away.

Once Noel had the towel in the wash Ranger called, ”Reveille. Heel.” She looked at him but wagged her tail and then pawed at Dammit. ”Heel.” Ranger repeated with a raised voice and Reveille padded over to stand beside him.

As much as Ranger trusted Haven, his door was still wide open and it was guns galore inside. He doubted Devon would be pleased with him if someone wandered in and got a hold of something they were a bit too curious about. So he went back to his apartment with Reveille at his side, her interest torn between Ranger and Dammit in the apartment behind her.

In his apartment, Ranger took the rifle case and stashed it further in than just behind the door. He had enough time to set it down before Dammit came running in. Noel followed him in and before she could stop to grab her bag, Dammit had claimed the couch.

"Since when can she get up there?" Noel asked, looking to Reveille who was standing in the middle of the room sniffing around.

”Since I got back from the hospital.” Ranger said as he picked up Dammit and set her back on the floor. ”No. Jumpin’. On. The couch.” He told her with a cadence that suggested it was something he had told her several times before, for whatever good it would do. Dammit had always been the active one of the two. It had only taken a few times being kicked off for Reveille to learn. Dammit was proving more difficult.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t allowed on the couch, but she had to learn she could only be on furniture when invited. Especially with how big she would get.

Ranger watched as Dammit ran off to find something else she could do she wasn’t supposed to. Noel approached with her duffel bag in hand and touched him. It was good to have her back in their universe.

"Okay. Game plan. You deserve a better explanation than all that, but I don't trust these pupperonis. Do you have food? Let me take them both down and they can do their business. I'll be right back. Way quicker than last time."

Pupperonis? Ranger laughed quietly at the term. ”I’ve got food. I’ll get it warmed up while y’ take them out.” Ranger kissed her head before she went to get a bag and treats. It was the closest he could come to kissing her.

While Noel was off with the puppies, Ranger pulled out more food. Noel being back was an occasion for something better than just his pre-prepared meals. He could save time by scavenging vegetables from said meals, but he had some ribeyes on hand so they were up. Pan seared ribeye. Fire up the stove to 450 and go. The goal is to heat it at high heat to keep it from drying out. Use a meat thermometer and hit a perfect medium-rare.

As for what to go with them he pulled out brussel sprouts, broccoli, sweet potato, okra, and coleslaw. Noel could decide what she would like.

Since he got back from the hospital? Noel realized that she didn't even know how long that might have been. She would have to remember to ask. And speaking of remembering, she really needed to take notes on all this. It seemed that bed was a long way off still.

And it was a long way down the hall and to the elevator with two rambunctious puppies. She got them both to sit while the elevator made its way up to them and each girl got a half a treat for sitting (mostly) still while she attached leads to the collars. For all of Dammit's energy, she didn't really wander. She stuck close to the people she knew, but a leash was a guarantee that she wouldn't change her mind.

They made it down and back up with Noel's impatience building for every second that passed. When she was paying attention, sure, nobody wanted to do their business. Look away for a second and they'd be pooping on the floor. She made sure to run them back and forth a bit. The more tired, the better. It was only a few more bribes later that the elevator door dinged and three exhausted ladies were walking back to knock on Michael's door.

So, he hadn't popped a forehead vein yet, but he was still assuming that Noel's copy was a lady who'd been in duress. Not that he'd been the one making things worse for everyone over the rip.

And once the door was open, the smells made her knees weak. "Oh man. You know the way to a girl's heart." For Noel, apparently, that was protein. Sizzling, fatty, and it couldn't get in her belly fast enough. The veggies she would eat since she knew they were supposed to be good for her, but they were not what made her heart skip a beat.

She could get used to coming home to a scene like this... Ranger in his usual pantsless state and smells like that? Revvie and Dammit were set loose and Noel went to hover until things were done.

"I took the shot on Combatant, the girl that messed you up good. The windage was off and your scope's choked way the hell up. I saw black until I figured out where you stick your face, ya weirdo. I could have adjusted despite all that, but before I got off another shot, I got a message from Muse, the power booster we have here at Haven. Only, she wasn't in Haven. She was in trouble." Noel did her best to filch something to nibble without getting burned.

"I don't know anybody over there, but I did pick up that Combatant was dangerous and had a serious grudge against the people holding Muse. So I twisted her arm to get her to help. We went in just the two of us and Muse boosted Combatant into a weedwhacker. Fedwhacker? Anyway, I got us out of lockdown and once we got across the rip, the rest is history." Or, it felt like it. Some of that was only hours old and yet it felt like a week or more. Okay. That was a little bit of a summary, but it was over and done with. Nobody was breaking down the door looking for her just yet. This was the quiet after the storm.

When Ranger opened the door to let Noel and the puppies back in, he didn’t need Noel to say anything to know the smell had her. It was a similar enough reaction to what he would have had being let into an apartment where a pair of steaks were nearing completion.

”Only the hearts that matter.” Some women would only eat what his food ate. He wasn’t about to grill lettuce.

The puppies set about destroying everything and Ranger went back to finish the food. Which was mostly just finishing letting the steaks cook. All the rest was scavenged from his meals for the rest of the week. They just required nuking.

Ranger stuck a meat thermometer in the steaks as Noel jumped into her story. And while she talked he pulled steaming food out of the microwave. First up was sweet potato chunks that had been seasoned up with, most notably, cinnamon. And Brussels sprouts.

She had shot at the woman, Combatant. What an appropriate name for her. She had missed… and was at least partially blaming how he set the eye relief on his scope. ”I’m not the weirdo here, y’re the one who doesn’t lean her head forward.” Ranger said waving a meat thermometer at her.

So she shot at Combatant, missed, then got a message from Muse. Ranger had heard of Muse, he’d never met the woman, but as head of security he needed to know about her power. It could potentially complicate things.

Noel went for some food and tried to not get burned. Ranger pulled out a fork for her. Then Noel continued her story. Which involved Muse, the power booster, boosting Combatant. After what the woman had been able to do to him, that was a horrifying thought. ”An’ now the Fedwhacker is here on our side? Grab a plate. An’ y’r copy is at Blac-Tac? Was she rescued from there as well?”

Ranger stabbed a ribeye to drop on Noel’s plate for her. They could continue this at the table.

Only the hearts that mattered? But that meant that she mattered... 'cause that food was for her too. She tried to stop the smile that was spreading. Silly that just a few words made warm fuzzies. And even sillier that she couldn't seem to help it. It just happened. She didn't like that it was seemingly out of her control, but as far as things that had involuntarily happened to Noel, at least this one was nice.

> ”An’ now the Fedwhacker is here on our side?"

Noel grabbed a plate as instructed. She didn't have to be told twice. She did have to tell Dammit 'no' twice, though. There was no way Noel was sharing.

"Right. I dropped Combatant off before I took us to Blac-Tac. No sense in leading her back to you. It's not personal, but... I dunno. Seems like it could grow to be."

Sinking into a chair at the table, Noel realized that Ranger was assuming her copy was a girl on top of all the victim assumptions. Oh boy. She waited until he had a fork in transit to his mouth before dropping that bomb. She didn't want him to choke.

"My copy's name is Nolan and I guess he can brainwash people. He was working for SUPER, which was the facility that was holding Muse. So. Rescue is probably not the most correct term. I would like to pick his brain for SUPER information, he knows a lot, but I really grabbed him for selfish reasons. He's me. There's a chance he knows more about me than me, assuming that our parents are the same... that kind of stuff."

Was this a weird conversation to be having over dinner? She didn't know how else to get that information out there though.

”I already gave y’ y’r food.” Ranger said to Reveille with a point to her bowl before dropping a sixteen ounce ribeye onto his plate. She sulked off to lay on the rug under the table. A favorite spot of hers.

Ranger dropped off his plate on the table and grabbed a pair of glasses and filled them with water while Noel told him that Combatant was loose in New York City. ”For the best. No risk of a rematch that way.” Ranger said as he dropped off Noel’s glass.

The meat was very tender, and Ranger kept his knives sharp. It was like cutting into butter as he started on his steak. Having to stop and put his fork down when Noel told him about her copy. A man named Nolan who worked for SUPER. He was a prisoner not someone she had rescued.

Breaking into a secure Federal facility. Breaking out a prisoner. Abduction of a Federal agent. Definitely not vacationing on the other side of the rip. Ever.

”Bird put him in ‘the room’?” Blac-Tac has a room that is reinforced to hold prisoners and all the furniture is removable except a table that is bolted down. It was built to hold any human or adapted and some mutants. Many mutants can’t get through a reinforced wall. Those that can, no static defense will do much. ”Him? Interestin’... I ran into my copy while y’ were gone. She’s NYPD.” It was a little odd to consider that in that universe he was a she. And not as some temporary event.

Ranger ate a bite while considering Nolan brainwashing people. ”Brainwashing… have t’ limit access t’ him then. Until we know exactly how an’ can counter it... Y’r call. Y’ have the most information, and he’s you. Sort of. Do what y’ need t’ get information an’ if y’ find out how he brainwashes we can safeguard against it.” Ranger took another bite. ”Speakin’ of gettin’ intel about SUPER. I recruited an agent who went rogue.”

He got them drinks. She hadn't even considered it since she didn't have to worry about lies. Not here, anyway.

"What would you do if you saw her again?" Noel wasn't sure what she would do if there was a rematch... no. Actually, she did. She'd just have to make sure to start carrying again. Or do what was in her power to keep that from happening. That was probably the better option.

The sounds coming from Noel weren't obscene, they were appreciative. She had a new flavor to compare the varying degrees of truth to, she was sure. There was nothing more right than a good steak cooked just so. She shoveled as much food as she could while Ranger digested her last few days worth of escapades. The sad truth was that she'd gotten lucky. Really, really lucky.

> ”Bird put him in ‘the room’?”

"Didn't even know you had one. Was really glad you did, though." Gamble after gamble had paid off. She should go for Vegas right now while she was on fire. Noel stopped to breathe and chew. Those were both things too difficult to accomplish while talking and she had more to say.

> ”Brainwashing… have t’ limit access t’ him then.”

"I haven't done anything with him except cleaned him of his trace. I'd run him over with a really strong magnet before we get too self-congratulatory, but I did my best to clean up after that mess. And, Michael, I got lucky that I didn't have to nuke my brain to get out of there, but I expect some confusion after rolling through Nolan's head. Plus there's the upcoming mission for Haven... you haven't seen anything too bad from me. But my memory is about to get worse. Who knows what I'll dig out about SUPER, on top of all that."

> ”Speakin’ of gettin’ intel about SUPER. I recruited an agent who went rogue.”

She tried not to spit and ended up inhaling weird and doubling over with the resulting cough.

"You what? Where is this agent? How do you know he's a rogue and not a plant?" Geez. This man was entirely too trusting. Noel was already getting to her feet so she could go find this person.

”I’d…” Ranger began, but he wasn’t so sure.His first instinct was that he would want to pick another fight, but she had thought she was protecting someone and he couldn’t punch her in the face for that. He turned his fork in his hand while he thought. ”I don’t know. I really want t’ land a good punch right on her face, but that didn’t end so well f’r me the first time. An’ she thought she was helpin’ an old lady. An’... she helped y’. She can have a pass.” Ranger put a lot of stock into who helped who in combat. Combatant had fought with Noel to rescue Muse. He could forgive her putting him in the hospital.

It seemed Noel really liked the steak. Which was good, it was a prime cut of ribeye. It wasn’t cheap. Such were the things someone could afford when you weren’t paying an arm and a leg on rent and car payments… And you owned a small business that made a fairly sizable amount of money.

”I almost didn’t have it built. It would only be used f’r extracurriculars. Any stateside operations would just be security work, or so I thought.” And it cost a small fortune to reinforce a room to the degree the room had been.

Noel had removed his trace. Ranger assumed that meant he had some kind of a tracker on him, like researchers put on animals to follow in the wild. Being a secret government agency he assumed it was a little more advanced than a brightly colored ear tag that spoke to a satellite. It was good track covering.

What Noel brought up next was something that they had touched on in the past and something Ranger knew could happen. Noel had almost completely forgotten their first meeting after all. If she went digging around for a lot of information it could mean she could lose a lot, potentially even forgetting much of her interactions with him. And she was looking at doing exactly that in the near future.

Ranger needed a moment to process the impending reality of Noel’s memory have a great upheaval. He made a mental note to come back to this and told her he had hired a rogue SUPER agent.

This caused quite a reaction. It was enough to tear Noel away from her food and to her feet. ”I didn’t just fall off that turnip truck. I didn’t just hire him after he showed up an’ had ‘Rogue SUPER Agent’ on his resume. Before he even got wind of Blac-Tac he’d already been investigated an’ tailed. I believed what he said when I interviewed him, an’ y’ weren’t here t’ confirm it f’r me. I brought him in t’ be our Alpha intel guy, but I haven’t given him any Alpha level work or trusted him with any secure intel yet. I have him workin’ as Bravo here an’ at Blac-Tac for cash f’r now.” And if Noel wanted to give him the third degree now that she was back, she could.

Through all of that there was no noise from the puppies. No, barking, no growling, no patter of nails on the floor. ”The puppies are too quiet.” Ranger stood and looked out into the living room where Dammit was busy making confetti out of Ranger’s copies of the Perry Hotter books.

”Stop that, Dammit!” The dog was well named Ranger thought as he charged the dog to wrestle free the copy of ‘Perry Hotter and the Mug of Flames.’ ”Drop it! Out! Out!”

No. Ranger didn't just fall off the truck, but these people were born and bred manipulators, if Nolan was any reflection on the rest of the organization. Noel had faith in Ranger's discernment and total mistrust of SUPER and wasn't used to feeling so at war with herself about things. But a SUPER, working at Haven? She did have opinions on that.

"He's here? She was ready to go find and harass the secrets out of him. Like. Right now.

Dammit had other plans.

> ”The puppies are too quiet.”

The bottom dropped out of Noel's stomach. There were a hundred and ten million things (approximately) that she did not want Dammit to get into in here and she'd been wrapped up in talking. Noel hadn't noticed that Dammit wasn't at her usual spot begging for scraps. She was being an irresponsible pet owner and inattentive and— she cringed on the book's behalf when Dammit dropped the book and backed away, thoroughly chastened. Sometimes Dammit seemed to think getting in trouble was a game. Sometimes she seemed incredibly remorseful for a puppy. Like now.

Noel called her over and made her sit far, far away from Ranger's mangled book.

"Is it a goner?" He'd introduced her to the Perry Hotter series recently. She was skeptical going into The Magician's Rock since it was a children's book, but it was enjoyable enough and it helped her answer more than a few pop culture things. Apparently these books had been all the rage a few years back. "Is that the next one I'm supposed to read? Not that there's been a ton of time to be reading lately."

Noel ran her hands through her hair, totally derailed from the SUPER issue. She could get Ranger a new book. How was he supposed to read with her if he didn't have a copy...? "I'm sorry. Dammit. Say you're sorry." Dammit laid down for about 2 seconds before popping back up and sniffing at a passing Revvie. Ok. So she wasn't that sorry...

"He's here?”

”He’s off this evenin’, he’s off site.”

After Ranger had caught Dammit at his fun, and given him the raised voice treatment, Dammit retreated and Noel called her over and made her sit. He looked over the book in his hand. The book had seen better days before Dammit had gotten a hold of it. Ranger had started the series as something to read on long flights in the back of a C-130 while he was in the military. Now, that book in particular was dead. As a paperback it had not had much to give in terms or resistance. Pages and fragments of pages were everywhere around where Dammit had been, he front cover had holes, and the largest piece (what Ranger held) was at most sixty or seventy pages thick.

"Is it a goner?"

Ranger kicked at a few shredded bits of paper on the floor, ”It’s a goner.” Ranger confirmed. He tossed it at the trash can across the room. Missing by a foot. ”it lived a good life though. Even saw parts of Europe.”

"Is that the next one I'm supposed to read? Not that there's been a ton of time to be reading lately."

”No, that one’s…” Ranger turned to his bookshelf. Dammit had knocked the entire shelf with his Perry Hotter books onto the floor. He pushed the books with his foot to check their statuses, ”book four.” Hall of Redacted Information, Cellmate of Gulagaban, Firebird Guild, Mixed-Blood Duke, and the Macabre Miscellanea were all accounted for.

"I'm sorry. Dammit. Say you're sorry.”

Ranger wasn’t mad, he was less than pleased, but he wasn’t mad. It was a turd of a puppy being a turd of a puppy. She had looked remorseful, for a puppy, and even managed to lay there looking like she was sorry. Until Reveille crossed in front of her to go sniff the book Ranger had tossed. Dammit decided that was her cue to follow sniffing Reveille. Ranger chuckled softly. That damn dog, tore up his book and could manage being sorry for less than five seconds.

”It’s alright, gettin’ another copy won’t be that bad” Ranger grabbed and handful of the shredded book and walked to the trashcan to deposit it. ”I’ve heard people say y’ find the smart dog in a litter by findin’ the one that keeps runnin’ off an’ gettin’ int’ trouble. Dammit must be little miss Doggy Einstein.” He dropped the scraps in the trash and Reveille poked her head in to smell. Ranger scratched behind her ear before grabbing the can to take it over to the mess.

Doggy Einstein was nipping at her sister's ear and Reveille wasn't taking that, even from Dammit.

Noel was more concerned with helping to pick up the trashed novel instead of stopping a puppy scuffle. "It wasn't sentimental, was it?" He said it had travelled Europe, she had to guess he meant that it'd traveled with him. While Noel understood the concept of sentimentality, the practice of getting sentimental about things seemed a bit silly. Things could be taken away so easily. They were only things.

Dammit shouldn't have done that.

She should have watched her closer.

She just had to learn from this and move on... unless it was sentimental. Then she'd have to make up for it somehow.

And again... they just couldn't leave those puppies alone for a second.

"DAMMIT." Her voice was a whip that made the puppy stop right where she was on her hind legs. One leg was forepaw poised to jump all the way up onto the seat at the table. Her nose was pointed directly at the plate, as if what was left of that steak was just waiting for Dammit to resume her leisurely dinner.

Or maybe the book destruction was a ruse... Noel narrowed her eyes and made the hand motion for Dammit to sit.

She sat.

Maybe the dog really was smart.

Having helped with the last bits of paper, Noel all but melted back into her chair at the table and found that she hardly had the energy to finish. She wanted to just melt all the way down to the floor. All the stress was threatening to be too much. Instead, Noel tugged a bit of fat from her plate and slipped it to Dammit since she'd been so good in the last 2 seconds. The little bear curled up on top of her feet with her treat.

"So. How was your day, honey?" How much of a parody could they make this dinner?