Feel You Slipping Away by soapbox_solo38 (Supernatural Challenge)

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Title: Feel You Slipping Away
Author: soapbox_solo38
Rating: PG
Character: Sedge, OC
Episode: 4x01, "Adrift"
Summary: To the universe, she is one person. To one dog, she is the universe.

KELLER: “Come on, we need you here, Elizabeth.”

KELLER: “She’s going into V-fib. Let’s hit her again. Clear!”

                ~

Fifty billion or so light years away, a pair of white ears perked up. A slender muzzle lifted off of crossed paws, and brown eyes looked somewhere beyond the glass sliding door.

Tucking one strand of curly hair behind her ear, Maggie glanced over at Sedge and lifted an eyebrow.

“What’s up, girl?”

For a response she got a slight whine and a tail that began to hit the ground. Thumpthump. Thumpthump. Thumpthump.

It sounded like, Maggie realized with a hint of unease, a heartbeat.

“You want to go out?” Rising, the woman put her pen down on the tax papers and walked over to the door. Sedge whined again, ears twitching back and forth, but didn’t get up when the door was opened.

“All right, girl.” Maggie patted her on the head, wishing she knew what was upsetting her sister’s dog. “I guess you just miss her; I do to, you know.”

After a moment, the tail ceased to move, and Sedge turned her attention back from wherever it had been. With a gentle push of her nose against Maggie’s hand, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

“Enjoy your nap.” The human muttered as she contemplated the hours of filing taxes before her. “Dogs are lucky, you know that?”

Sedge didn’t reply.

~

McKAY: “What is it, Keller?”

KELLER: “Elizabeth’s crashing. If we’re gonna do this thing, we need to do it now.”

                ~

Maggie sighed and stretched, glad that she had taken a break from the paperwork and curled up on the couch for a quick nap. There was nothing like a few minutes of rest to make a mountain load of work seem manageable.

As she swung her legs over the side and started to fold the blanket, the sound of sharp barks reached her ears. Sedge was standing in front of the back door again, barking hysterically.

“What’s wrong?” Hurrying over, Maggie peered out into the twilight, but didn’t see any of the usual suspects: squirrels, bull dogs, or burglars. In fact, there was nothing there.

Sedge continued to snap at thin air, legs stiff and lips drawn back far enough that she could see white fangs. In all the time that Maggie had known the dog, she had never seen her as upset as this.

“Ssh, ssh; you’ll disturb the neighbors.” She whispered, trying to soothe the frantic dog. When even holding the dog in a tight hug didn’t stop the crying noises and staccato barks, she reached for the door handle.

As suddenly as she had started, Sedge stopped.

“You done?” Maggie asked hesitantly. The dog whined once, tail drooping, and then turned to look at her temporary owner; the woman inhaled sharply, because there was something like very much like pain in the brown gaze that met hers.

Sedge licked her face once, and then slumped down on to the floor, curling up in a ball. Worried, Maggie stroked the floppy ears and tried to figure out if she was sick, but the closed eyes didn’t open, and the tip of her tail that touched her nose didn’t move.

And there was no apparent reason for her quiet pining for the next five days, until the morning that Maggie opened her door and saw a man in dress blues standing on her doorstep.

  

Comments

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

owww!

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Sorry! ;)

[rinsbane.livejournal.com]

Aww, I love this perspective. It's lovely.

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[silver_galaxy]

That's a great perspective and was very sweet

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Glad you thought so; thanks for reading!

[audreyscastle.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was very "ouch" in a good way....

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

That it hit, is good; that it hit where it hurts, even better. Thanks!

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

I'm glad. *hands tissue*

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

::sniff::

aaaarrroooooo!!

(btw, apocrypha in my family: great-granddaddy's favorite dog howled these heartrending wailing howls the minute g-granddaddy died, even though g-granddaddy died in a hospital room the next town over, several miles away...)

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

This story was actually inspired by a similar, half-remembered tale I heard as a child about the explorers who opened King Tut's tomb, or some such. Thanks for reading!

[elenariel.livejournal.com]

Aww. This was sad but in a good way, and very nice.

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[saphanibaal.livejournal.com]

...oh.

This is really good, but it hurts, and it reminds me of somebody's dictum that nearly all dog stories are sad.

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I've never heard that, but I can believe it; the brightest light only shines on the darkest night.

[linziday.livejournal.com]

Aw!!!!! I've seen several stories involving Rodney's cat, but this is the first featuring Elizabeth's dog. Very nice job.

[soapbox-solo38.livejournal.com]

Thank you; what happened to Sedge has always been something I wondered about, and this was the perfect challenge to answer it. :)

[duonoaikouka.livejournal.com]

recced at stargateficrec. I'm a HUGE dog lover and own two. This touched right below the breastbone. It's short but powerfully written. It's graceful. It's tragic and heart-breaking. Thank you for bringing this unique POV from SGA fandom. (http://community.livejournal.com/stargateficrec/1676397.html)

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

oh ouch!
Lovely!

[vazira.livejournal.com]

Aww, this was really well written and sad :c Good job!