The Champion *ON HOLD*

Chapter 2- Things Get Weirder

A/N: For those of you who are not gun savvy, the term "30-6" is a type of rifle and the numbering refers to the bore, or width, of the barrel. Also, "30-6" is pronounced "Thirty ought six" in case any of you were wondering. Also the picture above is of Koda. I do hope you enjoy the second chapter of The Champion.

The next day, Avery woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. With a groan, she rolled over and looked at her clock. Six-thirty in the morning. She groaned again and rolled back over, pulling a pillow over her head.

The ringing stopped and she could hear her answering machine pick up the call. Her voice recording sounded and after a high-pitched beep, a male voice started talking. Avery pulled the pillow off her head and sat up a bit, listening.

"Hey Avery, it's Nick. I got a favor to ask of you. Could you call me back as soon as you get this message? Thanks." The message ended and Avery sighed, flopping back down. Her boss. What did he want at six-thirty in the damn morning? A large part of her wanted to just go back to sleep and call him back later, but the smaller, more responsible part of her knew she should call him back now.

A weary sigh escaped her lips and she threw the covers back, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She groggily rubbed her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms over her head and letting out a moan of pleasure when her joints popped. She relaxed and looked at her dogs, still snoozing. With another yawn, Avery shuffled to her bathroom, idly scratching her hip, and brushed her teeth. She used the toilet and walked out, going over to the phone and picking it up.

Avery whistled to her dogs and they both shot up out of their bed, running ahead of her to the front door. She dialed Nick's number as she let them out to go potty. It rang twice before Nick answered.

"Morning," Nick greeted cheerfully.

"Morning Nick. What can I do for you?" Avery did her best to sound alert and professional but she had a feeling there was a hint of sleep in her voice. Tiredly, she shuffled to her kitchen and pulled out a Folgers' coffee can.

"I have a favor to ask of you," He stated, ignoring her fatigue. Avery measured out a few scoops and dumped them into the filter of her coffee maker.

"What's that?" She grabbed some water and poured it into the machine and turned it on.

"Well, first off I'm gonna need you to fill in for Mike today." Avery sighed and nodded, although Nick couldn't see the gesture. It was supposed to be her day off but she supposed that wasn't going to happen.

"Okay, what else," She grunted.

"You know how Jason Hughes ordered that 30-6 three weeks ago?" While she listened, Avery grabbed some eggs out of the fridge and bread out of the pantry.

"Yeah, what about him?" She placed two slices in the toaster.

"Yeah, um, he wants it delivered to his house today and I'm swamped with paperwork here at the range." Avery suppressed a sigh and pulled out a skillet.

"I take it he wants it gift-wrapped, yes?" She quipped, grumpy.

"Avery, don't be snappish. He's a big client of ours and he's been very good to us over the years. Will you do it, or do I need to disappoint one of our best customers?" This time Avery actually let her sigh out. Wasn't so much a favor as it was an order.

"Yeah, Nick, I'll go deliver it. Give me two hours and I'll be at the range to pick up the gun." She could almost hear the smugness in Nick's voice when he answered.