xp_logs | Tandy and Julian: Birthday Present (Backdated to Friday 10/30)

Tandy takes Julian to the countryside to pick up his pair of presents. Puppy German Shepards!

"Enjoy your birthday bash?" Tandy smirked as she drove to the countryside for Julian's second birthday surprise. "I hope you don't have too much of a hangover."

"Breakfast helped with that," Julian said, slumping in his seat and adjusting his sunglasses. The sun was beating down through the open parts of the forecasted, 'partly-cloudy,' sending daggers into his brain. Usually, he didn't get hangovers, but last night had been something else- everyone had wanted to buy him a drink, not realizing that he drank for free there all the time. Owning a bar had its advantages. For the last half-hour, since they left Yonkers, they'd been conspicuously outside the city, "Where are we going anyway?"

"There is still some extra doughnuts in the backseat." Tandy lifted her coffee travel mug to her lips and took a sip. "Wish I could cure it for ya." She looked over at him with a smirk. "Can't tell you. It's a surprise but it is not far now." She turned down a dirt road a few seconds later.

The box of doughnuts opened a little too forcefully, spilling the few pastries remaining across the backseat. With a sheepish grin, Julian shugged, "Sorry." After a moment of concentrated breathing, one of the pastries floated to the front seat and popped itself into Julian's mouth. "Thamph," he said, before taking the food from his mouth and chewing. A beat passed, "No, really...thank you," he warmly smiled at his girlfriend.

"For the doughnuts and coffee? Or the morning drive into the country side? Or is it from the party last night. You should also thank Sue and Harry as well. But you are most welcome."

Rolling his eyes slightly caused Julian's head to shift, the sunglasses slipping down his nose. He pushed them back into place with his TeeKay, "You're wonderful, Bow. I mean it. I can't imagine not having you in my life...well, no, I can imagine it, because it happened." His mind flitted back to earlier in the year, Julian brought himself back to the present with the practiced force of will he'd built over the months that had followed Tandy's return. "Still...ya know?"

"Strange that only a year ago we started out on this adventure. Well, for me it seemed like five years ago - hate time changes sooo much." She finally arrived at a large house and parked the car. Turning in her seat to look at him, "I am not going anywhere. Promise. But we are here."

Looking around at the harvested fields, Julian's eyebrow rose, "And where exactly is, here?"

The blonde just gave him a sweet smile and exited the car. Looking around she headed towards the back of the house before waving for Julian to follow her. The sounds of dogs barking grew louder just around the house.

Following a few steps behind his girlfriend, and holding his temples in against the inane barking of the dogs coming from the house, Julian was hoping that this wasn't some sort of Asgardian initiation ceremony for when someone turned 24. "I reserve the right to fling anything that I don't like into the stratosphere, okay?"

"That would make me very sad. Especially since they are so cute." She waved to the owner of the house and approached the woman. After a few words of exchange, Tandy walked back over to Julian. "So these are puppy German Shepards and you get two of them. Happy Birthday."

It took a moment for the words to process in his dehydrated brain. A blank expression was broken by a titter of laughter, which was cut off immediately as Tandy's expression remained honestly happy. "Puppies? The plural of puppy, you mean?"

"Yup. Puppies. Two. Dos. Due. Zwei. Duex." She continued in the strange languages she picked up. "A brother and sister." She grabbed Julian's hand to pull him to the back yard pen.

Her boyfriend followed along, flabbergasted, as the farmer brought them to a large penned in area in the back of the house where a pack of puppies were roughhousing under the watchful eye of what Julian assumed was the mother. "We are taking puppies...back to the mansion? I assume, since my apartment won't let me have one pet, let alone two." As the gate closed, soft barking proceeded a stampeding horde of adorable, wagging tails.

"I am sure I can schmooze the owner of the building into letting puppies into the building. But yes, we can bring them to the mansion." Tandy gave a wink before turning towards the group of puppies. "I wish I could have them all. But the ones with the blue and pink ribbon are yours."

The multitude of yipping fuzzballs crushed into Julian's legs, jumping to vie for his attention. The pup's mother looked on serenely as Tandy bent down to scoop up one of the litter with a pink ribbon fashioned around its neck. At his feet, one with a blue ribbon was attempting to jump up to him. He bent down to pick it up, "Ow!" He stood back up holding his finger, "It bit me."

"He." Tandy corrected as she walked back over to Julian. "And puppies play with their mouths. And yes, have sharp teeth, baby teeth." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You'll survive."

The pink ribbon puppy followed Tandy's lead and after a bit of struggling lapped mercilessly at Julian's cheek. With a smile and sigh, he bent down to pick up the pup again, scooping him into the air and studying the pooch. He already had a name for him, which made him scoff. He tucked the pup like a football, "So what's her name?"

"It is up to you Mista J." The puppy wiggled in her arms as Tandy lead the way out of the yard. "Whatever you like."

Julian rolled his eyes again, wincing immediately as the action sent spikes into his brain. "Okay, Harley," the pink-ribboned pup barked and happily struggled to get to him again. It took a moment for the response to register before he said it again, "Harley?" The pup had the same reaction, responding to the name like it was meant for her, "Oh, there you go."

"Finding inspiration everywhere..." She walked back towards the front. "What are you going to name feisty one over there?"

Julian paused, looking down at the canine with the blue ribbon currently chewing on his jacket with unbound glee. "This guy...we'll call him, Nick."

"Nick? Harley and Nick?" Opening the back doors before heading to the trunk where two puppy size traveling holders were at. "What is the story behind Nick?"

"It's...it's aFrankenberrycat thing." Julian helped the puppy into the carrier, "We will need food and toys and...and...what else do puppies need?" An edge of panic was creeping into his voice.

Tandy said no more. She knew that she wasn't allow to talk about it, or everything could come undone. She wasn't keen on having the world end - again. "Puppies eat puppy food, and they play with dog toys, and puppies need to have lots of playtime."

Julian nodded, pausing before getting in the car, "Okay Bow, I'll follow your lead. I think I saw a pet store a way back down the road, should we stop there before taking them home?"

"Yup. We might as well." Tandy carefully placed the playful puppy into the crate and buckled the crate to the backseat. "I also got training classes for both puppies. So they won't pee on your suits."

Julian chuckled, "They wouldn't...right?" At her silence, Julian groaned, which caused the kenneled canines to begin to bark, until he looked at them. With a smile, he turned back to his very generous girlfriend, "Thanks, Bow."

"Right...." She didn't sound very convincing. "It's your birthday and animals to keep you warm at night if I am not around..."

"Like that would happen, you've hardly let me out of your sight in months...and I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled and held her hand as they started driving away from the farm, his hangover exacerbated by the yapping puppies secured in carriers across the back seat.