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Bonnie kept a watchful eye on Nick from the backseat of the unfamiliar car. She didn’t particularly like him.

Sure, he was nice enough and he hadn’t really done anything to hurt her or Brian, but there was something about him. A darkness that she could sense in Brian as well sometimes. Maybe Nick had something to do with it?

Maybe Nick was the cause of it? Bonnie snorted, frustrated as she couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t something a dog was supposed to figure out, she presumed and with a sigh, she lay down on the backseat.

Today had not been a very good day, she thought. Brian had had the shaking thing and that in and of itself wasn’t so bad, but Bonnie hadn’t been able to get to him right away like she had been trained to do. Why he had locked himself into that room, Bonnie didn’t know, but she’d felt very frustrated when she could sense he was about to fall and she couldn’t get in. That was stupid. She was on job. She should be with him at all times.

Humans were not the smartest beings on the earth.

The car was silent, except for the music that was softly playing from the radio. Brian was asleep and Nick was driving, humming to the tunes of the music every now and then. Bonnie yawned, feeling tired as well, but Brian hadn’t told her she was off work before he went to sleep, so Bonnie stayed alert. The car ride was long and Bonnie believed she must have dozed off accidentally after all because before she knew it, they were back home. She jumped out of the car and stretched; her muscles stiff and protesting. She watched Nick help Brian out of the car, whose nap didn’t seem to have replenished his energy at all.

Brian’s movements were slow and unsteady and Bonnie made sure to stay directly beside him. She would do her job perfectly if he fell this time. But he didn’t fall.

They made their way over to the house and a flash of relief seemed to pass over both Nick’s and Brian’s face as they reached the door.

“You be okay?” Nick asked worriedly.

Brian nodded slowly, “Yeah, thanks.”

“Alright,” Nick muttered, “See you Monday.”

They went inside and Bonnie noticed the fresh smell of potato salad. She loved potatoes and impatiently waited until Brian would give her permission to be off work and go into the kitchen to inspect the potato smell.

Brian didn’t say anything though and she followed him into the living room, where he flopped down on the couch and gave a tired sigh. She nudged his leg questioningly and he smiled sadly at her.

“I saw him, Bon,” he whispered and Bonnie saw the now familiar darkness in his expression. She sat down and put her head on his knee. He scratched her ears, staring at the wall, “He was right there the whole time.”

Bonnie looked up at him, unsettled by his tone of voice. She could feel the sadness dripping off of him and she didn’t know how to make it go away. She was his dog, for crying out loud; she should be able to make him feel better. Wasn’t that what dogs were for? She whined softly and he lay his hand on her head, “It’s okay, Bon. He’s gone now. You wouldn’t tell anybody, would you? You’re a good dog. You’re off work.”

Bonnie felt a bit better when she heard she was a good dog. She wanted to stay with Brian, but the potato smell was begging for her to come closer; and technically, she was off work now. She stood up and left the room, sneaking into the kitchen quietly.

Brian’s mate wasn’t there and Bonnie relished the scent of the salad. It was poised in the middle of the counter and although Bonnie knew she mustn’t touch it in any circumstance, that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the smell. Her mouth was watering and she was startled when Leighanne suddenly entered the kitchen.

“Bonnie,” she grumbled, “You know the deal.” She pointed to the door and Bonnie sighed as she trudged out of the kitchen. Leighanne watched her for a second, then frowned.

“Wait, if you’re here-” she said, before hurrying out of the kitchen. Bonnie, fueled by the excitement, went after her into the living room.

“You’re home?” Leighanne sounded incredulous. Brian looked up in shock, a bit of relief on his face when he saw it was just his wife.

“I think so,” he mumbled.

“I thought you guys would be in the studio until five?”

“Yeah, about that,” Brian returned his gaze to the wall and sighed. “There may have been a little bit of seizure involved.”

Leighanne’s face softened before creasing in worry. “Oh honey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, feel a lot better now. Just tired.”

“You should have called me,” her tone was just a little bit accusatory.

“And then what?” Brian mumbled, “Nick brought me home. I think he was freaking out though.”

Leighanne sighed and her shoulders slumped as she sat down next to her mate. Bonnie could tell that she was now sad too and it made her nervous. Was there something happening? Were they in danger? She whined softly, but they didn’t look at her. Frustrated, Bonnie began to walk around the table, listening intently on any intruders that might sneak in. “She still has to go outside,” Brian remarked wearily.

“I’ll walk her,” Leighanne offered, then paused, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Brian looked at her for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, I’m... it’s just. What if it happened on stage, you know? I can’t stop thinking about that.”

His mate nodded, “Understandable, but just try and get some sleep,” she said as she stood up and stretched.

“Come on, Bonnie, let’s go.”

Bonnie looked at her before jumping up and then shot Brian a weary look. He gave her a tired smile and she cocked her head to the side. Something was bothering him, but she couldn’t figure it out. It was kind of frightening her. Then Leighanne rattled the leash and Bonnie felt the excitement return. She and Leighanne had gone out quite often lately, and Bonnie had started to really like her. She was nice and she always threw the ball; something which Brian did not seem to enjoy as much anymore. Also, Bonnie could always be off work when she was with Leighanne, which meant she could actually mind her own business instead of constantly watching her owner. Leighanne also liked to talk a lot during their walks, something Bonnie loved.

But Leighanne didn’t say a whole lot during the walk down the driveway. She seemed lost in her thoughts, barely paying Bonnie any attention and the brown border collie felt tense with frustration. What was going on today?

“What are we gonna do with him, Bon?” Leighanne sighed as they came to the end of the street. Bonnie knew there was a little field of grass to the left. She could already smell the grass, actually. She tugged on the leash, eager to explore, but Leighanne pulled her back. “Not so rough, Bonnie, for crying out loud.”

Bonnie looked up, confused by the angry tone in the woman’s voice. Leighanne’s features softened somewhat as she knelt down, “Sorry, Bonnie. I just... I just wish he’d talk to me, you know?”

Bonnie licked her hand and she smiled, placing a hand on her belly. Her belly was growing, Bonnie had noticed. Something was growing inside it, actually, she could smell it. Bonnie found it terrifying, but Leighanne seemed to be quite happy with it. Whatever was going on inside of there, it was going to change things.

When they -finally- reached the field, Leighanne retrieved the ball from her jacket and Bonnie jumped in joy. They played for quite a long time, and Bonnie felt a little tired when they headed back. The moment they stepped inside the house though, she felt all the hair on her body rise. Leighanne froze in place and Bonnie couldn’t suppress an anxious grumble. There were noises coming from the living room and a tremor of fear traveled through her body. Somebody was screaming and it took quite a while before Bonnie recognized the voice and was shaken out of her shock. She stormed into the living room, ready to jump on whatever it was that could make him scream like that.

She skidded to a stop, nearly colliding with the table, when she realized there was nobody that made him scream like that. But still, he was screaming. Bonnie gave a worried bark, but Brian didn’t look at her. He wasn’t looking at anybody, actually. His eyes were pressed closed and although he didn’t shake like he normally did when he had a seizure, his movements were uncoordinated and sluggish. Bonnie barked again, unsure of what to do. She watched Leighanne rush in quickly with a towel. She grabbed her mate’s hand and pressed the towel to his head. Bonnie had seen this before.

Countless nights had they ended up in the bathroom while she felt the fear pouring out of Brian like blood out of an open wound. But never like this. This was beyond terrifying. His screams were agonized; his voice hoarse and nearly unrecognizable and he didn’t stop.

Bonnie whined, inching back as she watched Leighanne sob, squeezing their hands together and talking to her mate in vain.

“Please baby,” she choked out, “Please come back, it’s just me. It’s just me and Bonnie here, Brian. You’re safe. You’re safe, Brian, I promise.”

Brian gave another strangled cry and Bonnie wondered if he was trapped. Why didn’t he wake up? Bonnie always woke up when someone called her name. She barked again and Brian’s eyes flew open with a gasp. He scrambled back, curling up on the couch and pressing his face to his knees as he shivered. Leighanne lay a hesitant hand on his sweat soaked back, but Brian moved away immediately.

“Don’t,” he gasped, “Just... don’t. Leave, please leave.”

Leighanne bit her lip, but nodded slowly before getting up. “Stay with him, Bonnie,” she whispered, her face wet and her make-up smudged with tears. Bonnie moved her eyes back to her owner, who was still shaking in fear on the couch.

With a sigh, Bonnie took her place underneath him, at the bottom of the couch. He would snap out of it eventually, she knew. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was definitely very wrong with him.