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Title: 17. Diamond in the Ruff Summary: Belun has always been a diamond. The sun had crept out at last, warming the Skinner-Mulder-Krycek household and inspiring the denizens to react in various ways. Walter was cleaning everything. Mulder was practicing his hoop skills and I had just woken from a nap with Zelda on my chest. My excuse was that I wanted to enjoy the lounge that Walter had made for me last year for my birthday. The dogs were running in a pack, even stately Pluto forgetting his alpha role to romp, uttering what Walter called his musical bugle. I grinned as I saw Belun leap over Spooky. Mulder stopped in mid-leap to check his phone. He announced, "Scully and company are here." I had forgotten. Missy Scully who had the command skills of a great general had decided to orchestrate a birthday for Belun. No amount of detective work had ever revealed his origins and I had only the roughest idea his true birthday. Sometime in late March or early April. Missy picked April 13 as the date and insisted that the family give him a big birthday party. Today the red haired general had arrived to inspect the domain. I had suggested that we have the party at the school, but Missy said that Belun should have a birthday at home where he would be comfortable. Looking at me with her Scully eyes, clear, blue, and all science, Missy said that a dog that nearly died for lack of a home needed to be at home for his best birthday. John looked at me with sympathy. Between Dana, Monica, and Missy, he was bossed to bliss. He handed bags of decorations to Walter and Mulder. Shrugged as he let Watson out of the car. For a runt, Watson had grown to be a magnificent bloodhound. He was Missy's shadow, William's favorite pillow when he was having one of his nobody likes me moods. I wasn't willing to go outside so gave the excuse of working Watson with William. I was shamelessly wearing a muscle shirt, the sun hit my left arm and every warm ray that caressed my flesh almost brought me to tears. Like Watson, I owed something vital to Missy. It made no sense to me. I built Project Iustum to assuage my guilt. Thus Missy was found and saved. That was right, That was justice. For Kat, grandchild of the project, to give me back my arm, that was grace. I could not understand why this mercy when I already had the world, Walter, Mulder, my dogs, my friends and family. I accepted it though. If happiness is forced upon you, you accept it. William looked at the sky and then back at me. He said, "Uncle Alex, if they come back, we'll fight them. Missy, Kat, me, the others. All the ones they made will be the best weapon against them." I drew a breath. I didn't want it to happen. Not to William who was still a little boy. Not to Missy who was so full of love or Kat who saw the world as hers to conquer. I respected Mulder's son so I nodded and said, "If they come back. I hope they won't. I want you kids to have a better life." William grinned, picked up a stick and threw it for Watson. For once the next day, the gates were wide open. Belun reigned, crowned with a gold paper crown. His guests were multitude, the dogs in the family. Angel, Zeke, Watson, Chance besides his brothers, Pluto, Mars, and Spooky. Gina's dogs, mostly relatives of our Bloodhounds. Ellen who had involved me in my first puppy mill raid and who had dragged me to many other raids since. She still had the pair of Australian Shepherds she had saved from the same raid that brought Spooky to Mulder. Mervin and his pit bull therapy dogs, Heart and Soul. We had invited all the people that Belun had rescued in his stellar career as a search and rescue dog, from Mr. Goulet who was no better and no worse than he was the day Belun found him where he had wandered away from his nursing home to Amy Winston who been kidnapped by a predator who didn't seem to realize that he was not the hunter in this county where I lived. Our Amber alert had ran him straight into the country where Amy was lucky enough to get away and her abductor was somehow unlucky enough to fall into the river and drown. For once our gates were wide open. I watched as a teenager wearily walked into our yard. The moment Belun spotted him, my dog howled. The kid sank to his knees, put his arms around Belun, and cried. Walking over, I said, "I'm Alex Krycek." "My name is Morgan Price. Belun was my pup. Belun's mother is my dog." I have to admit that my first impulse was to grab Belun from the boy and shove the kid off my property. I said, "How do you know?" "He has a diamond hidden on his chest just like Cara, his mother," the boy said. The mark was never obvious in pictures. He had to be on his back, begging for a rub before you could see it. "I saw the article about him and I saw his picture. I just knew," the boy said. Proudly, the boy said, "I worked all summer and I had Cara fixed, got her all her shots, all by myself. This last summer I paid to put her through obedience school. We got a canine good citizenship." My heart softened. Belun returned to my side, leaning into me. "Thank you for my dog." "Yes, sir," the boy said. He added, "I just wanted to see him and be sure. I was worried when my Mom gave him away and then I found out that the lady who took him gave him to the shelter. I needed to know he was safe. I'll be going now." "Stay," I said, "Stay and celebrate his life." The boy looked uncertain, alone and proud. He said, "I didn't come to ask for anything." "I know. A man like you, one who trains dogs, would come in handy around here. You still interested in work?" "Yes, sir," Morgan Price said. We shook on it. I would explain to my lovers later why we now had our own kennel help. Hell, it was true enough that there were times we needed help. I rubbed Belun's ears. Happy birthday, boy. I guess there was one present you always wanted. The first one who loved you had found you. The thing about Belun was he had a great big heart. He made room and so can I. Happy birthday to Morganslady.
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