The Time Giver

July 2nd: Break

Zach sat up in bed and stretched, groaning as his shoulders popped. He stumbled into the bathroom, stepping over Piper on his way. He glanced in the mirror as he passed it. Dark rings hung under his eyes from staying up late. For hours, he'd lain in his bed, tossing and turning as he tried to figure why in the world he'd decided to help Kelly with the dishes. Finally, exhaustion had caught up with his mind, and he'd fallen into a fitful sleep only a few hours before sunrise.

As he reemerged, the toilet flushing behind him, Kelly called up the stairs. "Breakfast is on the table. Better hurry, though; Piper's got her eyes on your bacon."

Zach's nose had caught a whiff of the pork before Kelly even mentioned it, making his stomach growl. "Dumb dog better not think of stealing any of my bacon," he muttered as he tromped down the steps, not caring if all he was wearing was boxers and a t-shirt one size too big.

Kelly was placing a cup of orange juice in front of his seat. On his plate, two biscuits were smothered in sausage gravy, and a small heap of hash browns nestled against it. On a side plate was a stack of bacon, and as he hit the bottom step, Piper had her big nose inches from the closest piece, her eyes wide as she edged closer.

"Get!" Zach growled, swatting his hand in her direction. Piper ducked as she shuffled back a safe distance, her eyes shifting from Zach, to the bacon, and back again. He eyed her as he shuffled the plate to the middle of the table before digging into the biscuits and gravy. Even as he ate quickly - though not as quickly as last week, when Kelly had laughed at him -, his glower would land on the dog, who was staring at him pitifully, a line of drool hanging from her mouth.

"Any plans today?" Kelly asked as she sat down across from him, frowning at her dog's begging. She snapped her fingers once and pointing, directing Piper to the living room. With a small wag of her tail, the Bernese Mountain Dog followed orders. Mooney watched with a small grin on his opossum face as he finished his breakfast.

Zach looked up, taking time to swallow his mouthful of hash browns before replying. "I don't know. Probably going to work with Turner. I need to clean her stall anyway."

Kelly nodded, then glanced out the window. "You'll want to get everything done earlier today. A storm's moving in later, so we need to get everything done before it hits. Otherwise, the thunder will send everyone into a frenzy; it's supposed to be a big one today."

Zach followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow at the cloudless sky. "No way," he commented. "It doesn't even look like rain."

Kelly smiled and faced him. "Don't you feel the pressure drop, though?"

"No."

Shaking her head, Kelly downed her coffee and placed the mug in the sink. "Just be careful." With that, she walked out.

Zach finished the biscuits and hash browns, then plucked a piece of bacon from the depleted stack. Piper, having watched him the entire meal, lifted her head to stare. He smirked at her, waving the bacon back and forth before taking a large bite out of it. She licked her lips. He narrowed his eyes deviously, and repeated the process.

After doing so two more times, he reached for the last piece, only to find it gone. He scanned the kitchen, his jaw dropping as he zeroed in on Mooney trotting toward Piper, the succulent bacon sticking out from his mouth on both sides. With his jeering, Zach hadn't noticed the Siamese hop into Kelly's chair, then step onto the table and snatch the prize.

"Take it," he growled again as he stood to place his plate in the sink. As he was walking out the door, he turned back to see Piper bite the piece in two, allowing Mooney to take one half while she gulped down the other. Shaking his head, he headed for the barn.