Dresden Files: Pet Peeve

[awanderingbard]

Title: Pet Peeve
Characters: Harry Dresden, Fay Dresden
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Word count: 270
Summary: The Dresden Family acquire a furry friend - but not the kind Fay is hoping for.
Author's notes: Written for joyfulfeather who gave me the prompt of 'mice' and for the 'Dreams' prompt on my occhallenge table. Set in the mini!Dresdens 'Verse



As Harry pulled the brush through Fay's tangled locks over breakfast, she wasn't saying anything. This worried him, as when Fay got thoughtful, questions followed. Questions were usually awkward or impossible to answer.

"Daddy," she said, suddenly.

Harry winced. "Yes?"

"I want mice," she said.

"Mice," Harry repeatedly. "As in...mice?"

"Pet mice. I want them, like Cinderella has," she explained.

"You know real mice don't talk or turn into horses, right?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Daddy," she said, with a giggle. "I just want them 'cause they're cute and we don't have any pets."

"I'll think about it," Harry said.

Fay sighed. "That always means no."

---

For the next few days, Fay was very persistent about mice. Harry repeatedly, politely, gently, said no. Mice were not practical, they didn't live very long and they weren't much fun to play with. Fay disagreed.

About a week after the subject was first brought up, Harry had a case. He was helping out a monk who had several temple dog puppies stolen from him. Harry returned them, but one of the puppies stowed away in Harry's pocket and he couldn't get to the monk before he'd returned to Tibet.

"Can we keep him?" Fay asked, as soon as Harry returned home with the puppy.

Harry explained that they needed to try and find the owner before he could promise anything. By the time he'd managed to get a hold of the monk, Fay and Mal were thoroughly attached to the dog. Fortunately, the monk allowed Harry to keep him as thanks.

"So," Harry said, after all was settled. "What are you going to name him?"

Fay lifted her chin defiantly. "Mouse."

Comments

[gusthemoose.livejournal.com]

I don't think there's an "aw" big enough for this. Adorable and it's great how it fits in with Mouse's actual canon.

[orockthro.livejournal.com]

Okay, that? Was amazing. I love the fact that the dog belonged to a monk, that Fay wanted to have Cinderella's mice, and that the dog ended up being named Mouse because of it. XD
And, of course, the book reference is fantastic in its own right.
Thanks for sharing this!
I always love to read your kids!au. It just brightens up my days. :)