FSE

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_Ahh! I've been so bad. Playing bejeweled and minecraft instead of writing. all the while I was turning new characters over in my head wanting to do something with them, scribbling little bits here and here and generally being a boob with no ambition.... Sorry! _

Thanks for sticking with meeeeeeeeeeeee!

Daisy and Boss: 9 - Penny For Your Thoughts

Boss closed the door to the spare bedroom softly, having tucked Daisy back into her bed. His back had complained loud enough finally that he had carefully extracted himself from underneath her slumbering body, although somewhat reluctantly. Another part of his anatomy had quite enjoyed the feel of the petite goat girl in his lap, especially the impromptu belly rub from before. Boss made a small disgruntled noise in the back of his throat as he shook his head and turned away from the room where the female in question was once again sleeping.

"Get your head in the right place, dumbass." He chided himself and stretched as he walked back down the hall to Daisy's bedroom and yawned wide enough to crack his jaw. As he entered the room and shut the door behind him, he glanced again at the digital clock on the desk and sighed. It was just turning six in the morning. They hadn't dozed as long as he'd thought. But the rest of the house would be stirring soon if some of the kids had school and Boss assumed that Kale had a normal work schedule. He gave one last spine curling stretch and dropped to the floor for a few push ups. As his muscular arms rhythmically lifted and lowered his lean body, Boss' mind wandered again to Daisy's scars and he could feel an ugly sense of violence towards the one who had harmed her building in his gut. Julian Wilderson.... He had always despised bullies, but he found his hate for Julian growing beyond normal animosity. He had known when he'd seen the scars what kind of abuse he'd visited on Daisy. The position of the teeth marks and the direction of the tearing whispered to his experienced eye of a brutal mating hold, one that Daisy had not willingly participated in. He'd raped her. More than once. But he could have figured that out from her mannerisms alone. The way she shrank away from contact, how she was quick to startle, the way she had reacted to the black dog at the service station. Boss felt his lips lift in a nasty snarl as his breath started to come in pants as he pushed himself, counting each pushup in an attempt to distract himself.

"Twenty... twenty-seven... Thirty-one... fuck..." He stopped and simply allowed himself to lie on the floor for a minute, feeling the muscles in his arms and in his abs tingle and burn. A small deviant voice in his head whispered. What about Ronnie?

Boss growled at where his thoughts suddenly wandered. Captain Ronnie Bates was a buddy of his who worked as the operations officer in Salem at the State Penitentiary where Wilderson was sitting cozy in a jail cell for the rest of his life. He wanted to kill the wolf for what he had done, which wasn't going to happen, but a good ass kicking wasn't too much to ask for, was it? Ronnie owed him multiple favors for getting him out of hot water a time or two. And it was only an hour's drive... He found himself digging his claws into the carpet at the thought of five minutes alone with the bastard who'd tortured and scarred Daisy.

"Boy, you have got it bad, don't you..." Boss huffed and got to his feet, shaking vigorously to dispel the violent plot. No. He wasn't about to do something like that. It was the kind of thing he's expect from a dishonest cop, and he wouldn't stoop to that level. Julian Wilderson could rot in his cell and he didn't deserve a lick of attention, even if that attention would have been a working over with fists and fangs.

Decision made, Boss got dressed and headed back towards the kitchen in search of some coffee. He found Kale already up and nursing a cup of joe with yesterdays paper at the kitchen counter.

"Good morning." The goat yawned, straightening the newspaper after turning the page with a rustle. "Looks like the rain stopped this morning... news says the flooding is already going down. Wasn't as bad as they originally thought, apparently."

"Did it say if they found the driver that got swept off the bridge last night?" Boss helped himself to a mug hanging on a hook next to the gurgling coffee pot and poured himself a full cup before settling down in a chair across from Kale. He skimmed the headlines on the back of the section Kale was reading with little interest.

"Yup. Fool was drunk turns out... He drove right off the bridge because he couldn't see the road thru all that rain. Did you sleep okay?" The black buck peered over his paper at the dog slouching over his coffee. Boss straightened self consciously.

"Pretty good. I'm an early riser. You are too, I guess." Boss smiled and took a swig of his coffee, sucking air in around his teeth with a quiet hiss as the hot liquid scalded his tongue. He glanced out the kitchen window, his gaze thoughtful as the grey light revealed a soggy but un-flooded front yard. He wasn't sure if being able to leave early was a good thing or not. Kale brought him back as he straightened his newspaper with a snap.

"Usually. I like to get an early start, have a cup of coffee, read the paper, go thru the mail. Kinda let it pile up this time, with all the excitement last couple of days with the extra kids around the house, and Daisy going off and getting herself lost." Kale shook his head and folded the newspaper, setting it aside in favor of a stack of mail waiting for his attention. With a butter knife he set about opening the letters and skimming. Tearing junk mail in half before setting it aside in a trash pile, and carefully putting the important ones back in their envelopes on top of the newspaper. Boss was looking out to the living room absently, not paying attention, and so he was startled into almost spilling his coffee when Kale gave an angry snort and stood, abruptly, his chair screeching on the hardwood floor. He stood there staring down at a letter in his hand. It had been double sealed, the smaller envelope placed into a medium sized manila one with no return address. Kale's fist shook as he set the butter knife down wordlessly with an angry clap and made his way to the living room, his face a mask of fury.

"What is it?" Boss asked, following even as he wondered if he should. Kale looked angry enough to spit, and all his muscles were tensed as he roughly pulled the cover from the fireplace and snatched a pack of matches down from the mantle. Kale didn't answer right away as he stood there with the matches in one hand, the letter clenched in the other. But finally he turned and showed Boss the letter. It was addressed simply with only a first name written in a meticulous hand, with the rest of the envelope remaining blank.

"Daisy...." Boss read. "I don't understand..." He started to ask. Kale gritted his teeth, his gaze murderous.

"It's from HIM." Kale ground out. Shock hit Boss like a hammer.

"Are you saying he's been writing Daisy letters from in prison!?" Boss growled. Kale nodded and went to strike a match to the letter. Boss' paw flashed out and stopped his hand. Kale's eyes rolled up to him and he shook his horns at the white dog in warning.

"Leave off, boy! I'm burning the damn thing like I do all the others. I opened the first one, and I won't have Daisy reading the filth that wolf has in his head about her! I wont!" He barked. Boss shook his head.

"No! Absolutely not! You need to report this! This is evidence of harassment!" Boss reached his free paw out for the letter but Kale yanked his arm out of Boss' grip.

"Don't you think that was the first thing I did!?" He hissed, careful not to raise his voice too much. Boss shot him a dark look.

"Give it to me." He said, his eyes steady on the buck. "And I promise there won't be any more. I'll find out who he's sending them thru and I'll put a stop to it." Boss' voice was deadly serious, and his steady gaze held Kale frozen for a moment before he slowly extended his hand with the letter towards the detective.

"All right..." Kale nodded as Boss carefully took the letter by the corner. "You know how she's suffered. I trust you to do what it takes." For lack of anything else to do, the goat turned and walked back into the kitchen.

"I will, I promise." Boss followed him and picked up the manila envelope that the letter had arrived in and slipped it back in. He folded the whole thing carefully and walked to the front door to tuck it into the breast pocket of his jacket. Just as he was returning to the kitchen to ask Kale a few questions about the letters, he heard a clattering down the hallway that announced the awakening of at least some of the kids. His questions would have to wait.

Kale visibly shook the aggression from his pelt with a small roll of his shoulders as Flossy and the two youngest kids came into the kitchen. The kids, after seeing that they were the only children awake, tore off back down the hall to wake the others with devious intent. Flossy bid them good morning and opened the fridge, her face still showing that she wasn't entirely awake.

"Did you sleep well, Detective?" She asked as she re-emerged from the fridge with a carton of eggs and a jug of milk. Boss nodded.

"I slept just fine, thanks!" He omitted the part where Daisy had woke him up with a nightmare. He somehow knew it wouldn't be a good subject. Flossy smiled back at him as she brought down a mixing bowl and set about cracking half a dozen eggs.

"I'm glad." She tossed each eggshell as she was finished into the garbage disposal with a practiced flick. Milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of vanilla followed the eggs into the bowl with the efficiency of a mother who was used to cooking breakfast for an army. "I hope you like French toast!" She said over her shoulder thru a yawn as she set about whisking the mixture. Boss got up and moved to the kitchen counter to offer assistance.

"I do." He beamed. "Is there anything I can help with?" Boss turned when Kale snorted from behind the paper he'd returned to.

"Now you'll get an earful." Came a mutter from behind the newsprint blockade. Flossy shot him a dirty look that melted as soon as she turned back to the tall dog.

"Sure!" She nodded. "I don't let Kale near anything edible until it's ready to eat, but if you want, you can slice one of those loaves of oat bread in the pie safe over there." She pointed across the kitchen to a beautiful cupboard with punched tin panels. Boss opened it and retrieved a large loaf wrapped in a cloth. He smiled to himself recalling the phone conversation he'd had with Kale yesterday. There certainly was quite a few left on the shelf besides the one he dutifully retrieved.

"Knife?" Boss asked and again Flossy pointed to a wood block with handles sticking out of the top. Armed with a serrated bread knife and loaf of bread, Boss set about slicing, feeling better about not just sitting by idly. Flossy sprayed a cast iron griddle with pam and took the bread he had sliced so far for a dunk in the batter before one at a time laying them out on the hot iron where they hissed and sizzled and began to cook.

"Thanks." Flossy smiled and gently shooed him back to his seat as the young kids clattered back into the kitchen with enthusiasm, followed after a moment by the less enthusiastic teenagers. Daisy was also behind them and seemed in good spirits as she kissed her father on the cheek and greeted her mother before coming to stand at the island with Boss. Seated, Boss was about the same height as the doe and he gave her a warm smile and a wink. Unlike him, she was wearing fresh clothes, and looked sweet in a lime green skirt and white blouse. She had taken little elastic hair bands that had a plastic daisy on each one and slipped them on her ears so that the daisy's rested at the base of her horns, and Boss was helpless to do anything but stare, making her blush and glance at him coyly under her lashes. The exchange was pointedly ignored, as Flossy organized the troops for breakfast. She handed the still blinky Mayflower a stack of plates and two bundles of forks and knives to Bluebelle and sent the two into the dining room to set the table. There were too many of them to all fit around the breakfast bar in the kitchen. A jug of orange juice and another of milk was entrusted to Petunia, and butter, syrup, and powdered sugar to Clover. Velvet and Lilac being the youngest were given a stack of napkins each and Daisy busied herself as well, stacking up about a dozen flowered water glasses and taking them in. Boss watched with amusement as the Fields family set about an obviously familiar routine. Flossy flipped French toast onto a large platter as the girls laid all the necessary culinary accompaniment on the long oak table.

"Daisy, be a dear and slice up another loaf of bread, I think we'll need two." Flossy requested when Daisy returned, eyeing her pile of French toast on the platter and obviously finding it lacking. Kale stood and grabbed his coffee, making his way into the dining room after the plate of food as Flossy went to put it on the table.

"C'mon Detective..." Kale waved. "Get your share before someone else does."

Boss followed and was ushered into a seat and presented with a large stack of delicious smelling food. Flossy refilled his coffee for him and patted him on the shoulder before returning to cooking. The big dog wagged his tail as he poured syrup over his French toast and dug in. It was crisp on the outside and fluffy moist on the inside and Boss found himself wolfing his food down enthusiastically. A glance around the table revealed the goat family doing the same. Little Velvet parked herself in the chair next to his, sitting up on her knees so she could reach her orange juice easier. After a minute of trying to poke her fork into one of her slices of toast she pushed her plate at him and looked up expectantly with her huge luminous eyes.

"Can you cut this for me? It's too big!" She stabbed at her plate with her fork for emphasis and Boss laughed and nodded, reaching to pull her plate in front of him.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, she knows how!" Mayflower piped up, giving Velvet a frown for being difficult. Velvet stuck her tongue out and made a face.

"But I want HIM to do it." She pointed at Boss as the detective set about slicing the food into bite sized pieces.

"It's no trouble." Boss smiled and Velvet giggled into her orange juice, getting her entire muzzle wet in doing so. Flossy returned a moment later with Daisy and another plate of French toast and then everyone was together. Eating and talking and enjoying themselves. The food disappeared in a flash and dishes were collected. Kids rushed around getting ready for school and Kale downed his coffee before going out to start the car. With a nod and a meaningful glance at Boss and a kiss for Flossy, he tossed on his jacket and pulled open the front door.

"Hurry up!" He bellowed towards the four school kids. "Bus is leaving in five minutes!" Boss blinked.

"The school bus runs out here?" He asked. Daisy shook her head.

"Sometimes when the weather is good they walk out to the bus stop. It's about a mile. But he means the car, he's driving them to school today." Daisy waved as the Petunia Mayflower, Bluebelle and Clover all rushed out the door as cries of 'goodbye!', 'have a good day!', and 'love you!' rang out from both sides. When the door was shut Flossy sighed and looked around. The crazy bustle had died down to two small kids, Daisy, herself, and of course the dashing Detective Boss. The house actually felt quiet with only the five of them.

"Well." Flossy clapped her hands. "Who's helping me with dishes?" She looked pointedly at the two small kids and they raised their hands as if volunteering in class.

"We will, Grandma!" They chimed together. Daisy shook her head at the innocent enjoyment of chores that only came with being three years old. Soon they would be trying to come up with excuses that would get them out of duties like dishes, but for now, it was just another game. Boss stretched and looked to Daisy.

"I wish I could stay and help, but I've got to get back to the city." He reluctantly admitted. Daisy nodded but her demeanor was less than enthusiastic. Flossy gave him a quick hug and thanked him again for bringing Daisy home and they all walked him to the door. Boss put on his coat and patted his pockets checking for wallet and keys habitually. The motions made Daisy gaze at him fondly, realizing the motion was an ingrained habit and finding it unbearably adorable. Boss caught her look and one eyebrow went up in entertainment.

"Don't be a stranger." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Call me if you need someone to go with you to the college next time, okay?" Daisy nodded and put a hand over his companionably. Flossy smiled and ushered Velvet and Lilac towards the kitchen for dishes with another thank you and farewell for Boss as she left.

"How about this Tuesday?" Daisy asked as Boss' hand slipped from her shoulder and fished his keys from his pocket. He furrowed his brow in a frown and Daisy hesitated, unsure. Unknown to Daisy, Boss' fingers had found the manila envelope, and it had turned his mind to darker thoughts. But when he saw her worried look, he smiled for her and nodded back.

"Tuesday sounds good actually, I can leave work early and we can go get some dinner afterwards." He pulled the small notebook he used for crime scene notes from his breast pocket and flicked it open with a practiced move. "What's the number here?"

Daisy and Boss planned their next meeting with anticipation but soon Boss was waving goodbye as he climbed into his car and set off down the driveway on his way back to the city. Daisy stood on the porch and watched him go, her green skirt fluttering against her calves in the breeze. Boss caught one last glimpse of her in his rearview mirror before he rounded the corner and she was gone from sight.

He only got a mile or so down the road before he couldn't stop himself from pulling over and investigating the letter. He dug a pair of tweezers and a set of surgical gloves from the dash compartment and carefully opened the second envelope, conscious that he should be waiting till he got back to the precinct so that an actual lab tech could open it and dust for fingerprints. But the cop voice in his head was firmly drowned out by a new voice within him. A strong aggressive desire to do whatever it took to protect Daisy. All those urges focused down to one point when he opened the letter and began to read.

_Hey there Babydoll! I had another dream about you the other night... I just can't get your sweet taste out of my head. If you were here now I'd have you in my teeth and on my dick in a heartbeat. They say the girl that gets away is the one you'll remember forever, and sweetness, it's true. _

_ I wonder what you're up to these days? Got a boyfriend? Going to school? I bet not... I bet you just wait in your room for big papa Julian to come back and give you what you really want. What you deserve, you dirty little cunt. Don't worry... I'll find a way to finish our game someday. Just you wait._

_ - J_

In the back of his head Boss knew he was growling, and it took all he had not to crumple the letter right then and there. Taking carefully controlled breaths he slowly calmed himself, putting the letter back in the envelope and putting it away out of sight. His growling continued however, for another several minutes of driving. At the first gas station he came to he parked and found himself a payphone, dialing a well known number right off the bat. It rang three times before a female voice answered sharply.

"Detective Danielle Hardy, who's this?" The voice belonged to his partner and room mate Dani Hardy. The kiger mustang mare was the best cop he'd ever worked with, and she was also the biggest pain in his ass. Opinionated and dominant, she was not an easy fur to know, but for some unknown reason, she liked Boss. And they worked well together.

"Hardy, it's Boss." Boss gruffed, his voice still rough and aggressive. He would have continued, but Dani cut him off with a snort.

"Boss, I could smack you! Where the hell did you disappear to last night!? You left your phone in the apartment, by the way, did you know that?" Boss could actually hear the mare pinning her ears at him, her annoyance was crystal clear.

"I'll explain when I get back, in an hour or so, but I need you to do me a favor. Grab me a spare work suit and my phone, bring it to work with you. I don't have time to come home first." Boss ignored her questions but the mare persisted, her interest piqued.

"One night stands are more my thing, Bossy... What's going on? You sound terrible." Her use of the nick name she'd given him showed her real concern and he softened slightly.

"I'm fine. I'll tell you about it when I get there. Thanks for worrying, partner."

"All right. You owe me." Boss heard the click of a receiver being set in its cradle as Dani ended the call. He hung up, quarters poised to dial another number. This one he had to think about for a minute before he dialed, mumbling to himself in concentration. The phone was answered shortly and a familiar gruff Doberman voice told him he'd remembered correctly. He grinned, and it was not a pleasant smile.

"Ronnie. It's Boss. I figured out how you can pay me back for all those favors you owe me...."