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Tangled Webs copyright 2014 comidacomida

If the evening with Tanner hadn't been enough to pull Paul from the quagmire of too many thoughts then the night certainly had done the trick. Regardless of what it was that snapped him out of overanalyzing everything, Paul awoke in the morning wrapped in the arms of his lover a full fifteen minutes before the alarm was set to go off, and he made the best of that quarter hour by snuggling back into the German Shepherd's furred chest.

The young man happily lost himself in the slow, easy breath of the Dog, planning each inhale in time with his boyfriend's and reveling in the gentle squeeze he felt in Tanner's hug. The Shepherd mumbled something sleepily; he never talked in his sleep, per se, but he did have a tendency to murmur and, on very rare occasions, let out little yippy whines. Paul, frankly, loved it. He smiled, managing to keep his laughter in check as he let out a wide yawn, arching his back just a little so he could stretch out a leg.

Tanner let out a soft snort and a firm paw closed around Paul's wrist. His muzzle angled down and the Human felt the Dog's tongue work against his shoulder, "You know, if you keep teasing me with that I might have to take you up on the offer."

Paul chuckled, rotating around in his lover's grasp so he could lay chest to chest with Tanner, gazing up into the Dog's brown eyes, "I was stretching... and besides, you'd be late to work if I had my way with you."

The Shepherd grinned, his muzzle full of sharp teeth, "If YOU had your way with ME? Somehow I think you got that backward."

The Human winked, "Yea... you'd think that, wouldn't you?"

He silenced further discussion with a firm kiss on his boyfriend's muzzle. Paul's hand was just starting to trail down Tanner's furry chest to his abdomen and lower when the alarm clock finally went off.Tanner reluctantly disengaged and reached over to tap the clock, "Well look at you... saved by the bell."

The Human made a face of overly theatrical displeasure, "You can imagine my relief."

The Dog sat up and gave him a kiss on the forehead, "I was worried you were in pain last night and here you are ready for a repeat performance."

Paul grabbed at Tanner's arm before the Shepherd could stand up and pulled him back down for a kiss, "I've been short Tanner time lately and I was hoping to make up for it... but you're right... you have to get ready for work."

The Dog stood up and turned around at the perfect angle to swat Paul in the face with his tail, "Yea? Well you still have almost a whole hour you can lounge in bed swimming in my scent. That should tide you over for a little while."

Paul popped up, getting out of bed as he smoothed out the blankets, "No I don't."

The German Shepherd glanced at him, cocking his head to the side slightly, "Early day at the office or something?"

The young man smiled, "It's the 'or something'... I'd rather spend some morning time with you before work. That's worth more than a little extra sleep."

Despite the so-very-mature raspberry Tanner offered in response the Dog really didn't put up much of an objection. Paul picked out a shirt and pants for his boyfriend while the Shepherd was in the bathroom brushing his fur, and then, once Tanner had dressed, the young man grabbed one of his own neckties and held it out, "Here ya go."

The Dog accepted it and shot an inquiring look at Paul, who managed to keep a straight face. Tanner paused a moment longer before he started to slide it around his neck, "I'm waiting for the punch line."

Paul rolled his eyes and batted Tanner's paws away from the tie; the Dog almost never wore one and it took him FOREVER to put one on without help. Besides, the young man reasoned, if he did then it would ruin the humor of the moment. Once Paul had finished tightening it just right he took a step back and, with his hands on his hips, nodded, "Yep... looks like I tied you this morning anyway. I had my way with you and you're still on time."

Tanner didn't bother responding verbally-- he simply threw a damp paw towel in Paul's face. The young man returned it to the bathroom, laughing the entire time. He stayed in the bedroom just long enough to get dressed before heading out into the living room in search of his suitably punned boyfriend. Paul finished his walk down the hall by hopping the last few steps, putting on one sock then the other as he sought out Tanner.

As it turned out, Tanner was in the kitchen heating up a pan while the coffee maker sat ominously on the counter. Paul paused to consider the machine as it bubbled and hissed, treacherously brewing the vile black drink that smelled insidiously good but tasted... well... Paul really never much cared for the taste. He stared at the coffee pot as it began the painstakingly slow process of filling. He flicked the glass, careful not to burn himself, "They need to make hot chocolate that smells like coffee."

Without missing a beat, the Dog started breaking eggs into the pan, "Yea? Well maybe they just need to make coffee that tastes like hot chocolate. Oh wait! They do! It's called mocha, and it's delicious."

Paul stuck his tongue out in overexaggerated disgust, twitching for added effect, "UGH! It still tastes way too much like coffee!"

Tanner shrugged, sliding four pieces of bread into the toaster, "Well, you seemed to like that blended caramel drink I got for you that one time at Starbucks."

The young man sighed, realizing that he'd never be able to live that down, "I was sick and my nose was stuffed... besides, you tricked me!"

The Dog simply shrugged, "I didn't trick you... you asked if it was a shake and I said no, it was a blended iced drink."

"It looked like a shake."

The Shepherd rolled his eyes, flipping the eggs, "Are we REALLY arguing about Starbucks? I thought you did enough of that at work."

Paul laughed, leaning back against the counter as he basked in the warm glow of a perfect morning, "Yea... but that's only because Miranda usually has WAAAAAY too much of it."

And, like that, the positive feelings were gone. The prior day's warnings of Miranda's tirade returned to him and he began fretting immediately. Tanner, ever astute, moved the pan off of the heat and took hold of the young man's hand, "Paul... it'll be fine. She may be a crazy-psycho-woman, but there are plenty of people watching your back."

The Human let out a breath, then looked up at his boyfriend's concerned eyes, "I can't believe you called my coworker a crazy-psycho-woman... that's just plain RUDE."

The Dog's ears went up in an instant, "Paul... aren't YOU the one who calls her a crazy-psycho-woman all the time?"

"Well... yea... but she's MY coworker."

Tanner rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, "Well... either way, she won't do anything that'd risk her job, right? So you're fine... even IF she is... uh..."

The smile couldn't keep off of Paul's face when he realized his lover was having trouble finding a suitable euphemism, so, of course, as a loyal boyfriend he took it upon himself to step in and help, "One model short of a photo shoot?... Too nutty to be a Payday bar? ...Oh! A crazy-psycho-woman?"

The Dog pulled the bread from the toaster and set them down two to a plate, and then placed an over-easy egg onto each piece of bread, "Sure. All of the above."

Paul laughed as he poured two glasses of orange juice, and then raised his cup in a toast, "All of the above."

Tanner rolled his eyes yet again, but he humored the Human nevertheless. The two sat down to breakfast and, surprisingly, Paul got past the growing unease the thoughts of Miranda had brought about. The rest of the morning with Tanner went just as well and he was elated to have the chance to kiss his boyfriend goodbye before he started getting ready himself. It was going to be a long day, especially having been out of the office the previous one. He had no doubt that there'd be plenty of work awaiting him but he wasn't worried: he was riding high on a full breakfast and a good helping of Tanner Time.

* * * * * *

The first thing Paul realized when he arrived at work was that there was not a single media van or reporter within sight. The morning continued to improve as he entered the building and was immediately greeted by Candy, who had brought in a box of doughnuts for everyone; Paul grabbed a maple bar, but decided to save it for later since he was still full from breakfast. Nevertheless he took a bite of it to satisfy the beagle, who was staring at him until he did. She skipped off down the hall, tail wagging counter-point to her gait.

Paul hadn't noticed Ben walking up behind him, and the man's comment almost made Paul jump out of his shoes, "Even without her brining in a box of doughnuts I think it's still easy to tell that the wedding's getting closer."

The young man quickly regained his composure from being startled and glanced after the happy, wiggly beagle, "Except I'm pretty sure she's like that all the time."

The observation got a laugh out of Ben, who held out a hand to Paul, "Welcome back, Dakota... you missed quite a circus yesterday."

Paul nodded, transferring his maple gar to his left hand before accepting the shake, "Yea... that's what I hear... Geez, I'm glad things are quieter today."

His coworker chuckled, "Because there's no media, or because there's no Miranda?"Paul glanced around, "She's not in yet?"

Ben shook his head, "Nope... haven't seen her all morning."

The young man leaned to the right to glance down the hall toward where Miranda's cubicle was, "Should I be worried?"

The tall black man shrugged, "Knowing her? Probably."

Paul sighed, "Thanks for the reassurance."

Ben shrugged again, "I'm a realist... and all she was talking about yesterday was you stabbing her in the back after all she did for you. What exactly was it you did that got her so worked up, Dakota?"

The young man hesitated with an answer but, in the end, he couldn't figure out how things could get any worse by telling, "I guess she was flipping out because a camera man got a video of a Collie kissing me."

His coworker raised an eyebrow incredulously, "Get outta here."

Paul shrugged, feeling his face turn red, "No... really. I mean... she was thanking me for helping her with... uh... relationship... stuff."

Ben out-and-out laughed. It was several seconds before he had the reaction under control enough to speak but, when he did, it was still interlaced with chuckles, "No offense, Dakota, but everything I've seen in you suggests that'd be the blind leading the blind."

The young man sighed, "How come every time someone says 'no offense', whatever they follow it with is offensive?"

Paul's older coworker put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting pat, "Well, just remember that you don't owe excuses or explanations to anyone, Dakota... and that INCLUDES

Miranda... you get me?"

"I... guess so."

Ben smiled, "Good. Now you'd better get to your cubicle... I think the next Mein Hund Marketing schedule is out for their fall sales push."

It always amazed Paul how quickly Ben could switch from business to personal to business discussions, as if, for him, there was no real difference. Really what it amounted to, the young man reasoned, was that it didn't. Ben treated all of his coworkers with a degree of courtesy and considered small-talk and personal communication to be a part of that interaction. It was just another thing that intimidated him about the man.

Releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, Paul headed toward his work space. Eager for the chance to finally get the doughnut out of his hand, the young man looked around at his cluttered desk-- there were a lot more papers on top of it than he remembered leaving when he headed out two nights previously. It took a moment for him to realize what he was looking at, but the fact that most of the paperwork was crumpled, folded, or torn into pieces finally made it click: someone had emptied at least one trash can all over his workspace.

Paul let out a sigh, mumbling to himself, "If that's the worst she did then I've been worried over nothing this whole time."

He was just starting to feel relieved until he wondered why his computer was off. He shrugged it away and pressed the power button... and nothing happened. He waited a few seconds and tried a second time, just in case the first time was a fluke-- again nothing. Groaning, the young man proceeded to go through "The Big Three" the best (and only) methods for fixing the issue as he knew them.

First, Paul recalled the time when the cleaning crew had accidentally turned off his monitor, so he tried that first. The young man pressed the monitor power switch; it turned off so he pressed it again. The monitor turned back on for a split second, flashing a quick "No Signal" for the duration, and then went blank again, the power light turning yellow instead of its usual green. He sighed, and moved on.

Kneeling down, he was just about to check the power strip for his station when he suddenly realized, "If that was off then the monitor wouldn't be getting power."

There was a time when Paul wouldn't have had anywhere near enough tech savvy to even start with simple trial and error problem solving so the small victory felt like a big win... until, when he moved to get up, his hand made the carpet beneath his desk squish wetly. He grimaced, crawling the rest of the way out before raising his hand to see exactly what it was he'd encountered. He didn't need to get his palm anywhere near his face to recognize the scent, "What IS this? Coffee?"

"Morning, Dakota." Ray's greeting caused the young man to jump up and turn to regard the Golden Retriever, who was lingering at the entrance to Paul's cubicle with a mug of coffee in one paw and a doughnut in the other. The Dog must have seen the Human's eyes zero in on it, "Yea... it has sprinkles-- sue me."

Paul was, for once, too occupied in a task to acknowledge the humor of the comment, "Why is there coffee all over the carpet under my desk?"

The Retriever took a sip from his mug, "It probably has something to do with the coffee that found its way into your computer."

Once again the humor of the presentation was lost to him, "...what?"

Ray reached to the right and pulled a note off of the cubicle wall where it was stuck with a note pin and handed it to Paul "Some Harrison-Pacific guys were in this morning about a report the cleaning crew filed last night... apparently your computer smelled like a combo of burned metal and dark roast."

The young man scanned the work order, which essentially collaborated everything Ray had told him up to that point. It also noted that his computer was scheduled to be replaced and that the work order would (hopefully) be completed by that afternoon. He looked up to the Retriever, who had just taken a bite of sprinkle-covered cake doughnut, "My computer blew up? So what do I do now with no computer?"

Ray chewed purposefully then swallowed, "Burke said you're with me in my office for now... we can look over spread plans and blocking until you're up and running again. TeeSee was by earlier and said he should have a replacement in sometime around lunch."

Paul glanced to his watch; he'd barely been in the office for ten minutes and it already looked like he was getting thrown a curve-ball. Unwilling to let it shape his day, he made a devoted effort to shrugging it off; if nothing else he got to hang out with a friend doing some relatively easy busy work, "Alright. Sounds good!"

Ray smiled around another muzzleful of doughnut and motioned with a flick of his head. The Retriever about-faced and headed off toward his office, tail wagging pleasantly. Paul smiled when he saw that, and followed. He'd been told time and time again that attitude more than anything else determined whether someone would be able to handle adversity, and he was committed to making it a good day.

He decided to start it with a positive topic. "Hey, Ray?"

The Dog glanced back at him, having just shoved the last of the doughnut into his mouth, issuing out a wordless "Hmm?"

"Thanks for your help the other day with getting outta here... Michelle too. You guys were awesome, and I really appreciate it."

The Golden Retriever stopped, causing the young man to do the same. Turning back to face the human Ray leaned forward and touched his nose to Paul's, "Hey, Dakota, that's what friends are for."

The Human blushed slightly at the gesture but, since nobody was around he shrugged it off with an easy smile, "Well, I'm still thankful for the help. It's good to have friends like you guys,

that's for sure."Ray chuckled and slid an arm around Paul's shoulder, walking him the last few steps to the office they'd be sharing for the morning, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you woulda done the same if either of us needed help."

Paul smiled, "Knowing me I'd end up wrapping the car around a telephone pole trying to get away... I don't have the best of luck, in case you don't remember... I mean, just look at the Miranda issues I have to deal with." He paused, smile disappearing as he glanced around the hall, "Speaking of which, is she off today or something?"

The Retriever waited until Paul had entered the office before disengaging and moving to his desk, "Miranda? I think she took the morning off so she could go deal with some stuff... at least, that's what I heard, anyway."

Paul sat down on the chair at the opposite side of the desk, "Stuff?"

"Yea. 'Stuff'..." Ray took a swig of his coffee before setting his mug on a notepad, "I'm not in HR so they don't tell me specifics."

The young man fidgeted, "Well... based on all I heard about yesterday, and then coming in today and finding my workspace conveniently trashed, that has me just a little worried. It's like being in a room with a spider and having to look away for just a second and then when you look back it's gone..."

Ray nodded, "Yea... sorry... I really wouldn't want to be in your shoes, Dakota."

Paul frowned, "Everyone is being so helpfully reassuring today..."

The Dog shrugged, "This IS Miranda we're talking about. I've told you all along that things are gonna get messy at some point with her and it looks like It'll be sooner rather than later. Anyway, she could be gone for any number of reasons-- stop obsessing because it might not even be about you."

The young man nodded with a sigh, "Yea... I know. You're right."

Ray offered a slight smile, "There... was that better on the reassurance front?"

Paul nodded, "Yea. I guess... but she's still probably up to something, and it most likely involves me, doesn't it?'

The Retriever nodded, ears falling slightly, "Yea... most likely."

The Human took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, siting up a little straighter as he pushed Miranda out of his mind, "Well okay then... we're supposed to be working on some pre-planning for the Mein Hund fall sales campaign, right?"

Ray's tail thumped against the back of his chair rhythmically, "Sounds good to me. I have the outlines right here."

The Dog picked up the file and moved around to Paul's side of the desk. Opening up the folder, Ray spread out their introduction to Eizenzahn's latest plans. On one hand, the young man felt almost more intimidated about the Doberman's expectations than he was about Miranda, but he realized that, in the case of the marketing project, at least there was something he could do about it. "Hey, Ray?"

The Retriever's eyes meandered from the papers on the desk up to meet's Paul's gaze, "What's up, Dakota?"

The young man's finger slid across the desk to a list of expectations Mein Hund had for a magazine ad, "I think I have an idea of the two page advert. What do you think about taking a few cues from modern art?"

Ray's ears went up at the question, and Paul realized that he had the Dog's full attention. In addition to all of the Retriever's other positive traits, Ray was also great for bouncing ideas back and forth, and Paul had a pretty big one. "Alright... well, have you ever seen one of those 'dogs playing poker' paintings?"

A smile split his coworker's muzzle in half, "You're ACTUALLY thinking about--"

Paul nodded, "Yep."

Ray leaned forward, propping his muzzle on the palm of a paw, "Tell me more."

* * * * * *

The two brainstormed for nearly three hours, each filling up several sheets of paper with the notes of their creativity session. They discussed a variety of topics, from camera angles, poses, number of models, the tie-in with the product and, most importantly, where Casey would fit into the shot. The talk probably would have continued on for some time, if not for the fact that Paul's phone went off.

Ray went respectfully silent when the young man answered, "This is Paul."

"Good morning, Paul. This is TeeSee with Harrison Pacific. I wanted to confirm that I have your new computer and I'll be able to set it up this afternoon."

Paul held up a finger and moved out of the office, continuing the call, "This afternoon? Wasn't it going to be around lunch?"

The husky's professionalism was not shaken the least by the question, "Mr. Burke asked us to deal with one of the drafting machines first. Don't worry though-- if I remember right we take our lunch earlier than yours so I should have your computer up and running by the time you're back at your desk."

Paul's mind was so caught up with his project he was about to ask who he meant by 'we' before he recalled that Tanner was still interning with him, "Oh... well that's good, I guess. Thanks... and good luck with the drafting machine thing."

TeeSee's voice came in only faintly through the phone, "You're right-- he DID say 'thing' at least once." and it came back full force for the next statement, "Tanner says hello, and that you're predictable when it comes to technology."

The Human sighed, "Well tell him that I was able to troubleshoot my way through figuring out that my computer wasn't working this morning all by myself."

The Husky's response was totally lost to him as he looked up and locked eyes with Miranda. She was walking down the hall right toward him, eyes focused with the pure obsessive gaze of a hunting eagle. Without anything to say, he simply stared, heart beat picking up as she drew closer... and closer... and closer--

He jumped in surprise when she reached up and slapped his phone right out of his hand. Before he could object she was already walking off, saying scornfully, "Don't take personal calls at work, Paul."

Paul didn't even have a chance to argue that the call was work related, not that it would make any difference, he realized. Sighing, he knelt down and picked up his cell, "Hey, TeeSee? Sorry about that... I... uh... dropped the phone."

He waited a moment for an answer but none came. "Hello?" he inquired.

Ray peered out from his office, "Was that Miranda?"

The young man sighed, "Yea... she knocked my phone out of my hand and I think my call got disconnected." Paul hit the END button then tried calling TeeSee back. He waited, unable to hear a ring tone, "Crap."

The Retriever regarded the phone for a moment, "Did you try--" but fell silent when his own cell went off. He glanced at it, "Hold on... looks like it's Harrison Pacific... that must be TeeSee."

He answered, "Ray here."

The Dog smirked, "Yea... small accident in the hall and he dropped it. The call got disconnected and now he's not getting a ring tone." Ray glanced at Paul and smiled, then nodded at whatever TeeSee was saying, "Uh-huh. Yea... sure. Just a minute."

Ray held a paw out and Paul obediently put his phone in the Dog's palm. The Retriever pressed a button on the side and suddenly a ring-tone broadcasted quite loudly. Ray's tail wagged, "Yea... that did it-- speaker phone mode works just fine. Thanks. Yea... I'll tell him. Thanks again. Sure.... take it easy." The Dog pressed the END button on his touch screen and put his phone away before offering Paul back his.

The Human accepted it and looked down at the cracked case, "So... it works?"

The Retreiver nodded, "Yea. TeeSee said that some phones have trouble with some of the sound equipment and when that happens the speaker phone option usually still works. If you have insurance on your phone your carrier'll probably replace it."

Paul looked helplessly at his coworker, "Phone insurance?"

Ray laughed, "Well... if you DON'T have insurance then this might be a good time to upgrade to a smart phone... it looks like you've had that thing since high school."

The young man looked down at his phone, "It took me forever to learn THIS thing... I'm not sure how I'd feel about having a phone that's smarter than I am."

The Retriever laughed and was just about to speak when Paul's phone sounded off again. The Dog shrugged, "Probably TeeSee checking in to make sure you can still take calls."

Paul glanced down at his phone and pressed the button to answer it. He held it up to his ear "Hello?"

The volume caused him to jump, and he immediately pulled the phone away from his head, "Hello Paul; TeeSee again. Looks like you're up and running for now."

The young man winced, rubbing his ear, then raised the phone again, "Thanks. Yea... this kinda works."

The Husky on the other end chuckled, obviously putting two and two together. "You don't have to hold the phone up to your head in speaker mode."

Ray reached out and took the phone from Paul, holding it at waist height between them, "Don't worry... I'll get him trained before he has to take a work call."

TeeSee's laugh was light and easy-going, "Alright. I'll see you two around lunch."

The Retriever nodded, "Thanks again." and he disconnected, handing the phone back to Paul, "when you're in speaker mode it can pretty much pick up what you say anywhere in the room as long as the acoustics are decent."

The Human raised an eyebrow, "I can only imagine how you've tested a claim like that. Is there a rebel, devil-may-care side to Fifteen Til Nine I should know about?"

The golden furred Dog let out a single 'ha' as Paul slid the phone back into his pocket, "I'm usually on speaker while I'm in the bathroom in the morning."

The young man raised an eyebrow, carefully dead-panning a reserved response to the statement, "So it's worse than I first thought?"

Ray rolled his eyes, "No, Dakota... it's just easier to speak with the phone on the counter when I have my hands full."

The Human simply continued staring at the Retriever, "So you mean to say that 'that' takes BOTH paws, huh?"

The Dog sighed, shaking his head, "Honestly, sometimes, Dakota I'm surprise that Tanner hasn't killed you by now."

Paul grinned, and opened his mouth to follow up with another work-place-questionable double entendre but he was cut short by his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, hit the TALK button and raised it to his ear, "This is Paul."

He almost dropped it when Tanner's voice was transmitted at a high volume right into his ear, "Hey! We're in the lunch room... you coming?"

The Human winced, moving the phone further away, "Yea... we were just closing up."

"Alright. Seems like most of the staff's in here today... something about Candy and pizza being ordered for the office."

Paul glanced to Ray, whose tail was wagging, "Candy got pizzas? Well, if there are any with sprinkles on em save a slice for-- OW!"

Ray shot the young man a dirty look, withdrawing his balled fist from the Human's shoulder, "Punning hurts, donught?"

Tanner must have realized the Retriever was there, "Oh, hey, Ray!"

The Golden Retriever leaned against the wall, "I'll bring him along in a minute... just gonna make sure he's got his humor under control."

Tanner laughed on the other end, "You two will be late for dinner at that rate."

Ray glanced at Paul with a hint of playful scorn on his muzzle, "Don't I know it."

Tanner hung up after a quick goodbye, and Paul looked down at his phone before flipping it closed, "Okay... well I guess as long as I can take calls it'll be okay for now... I mean, better than nothing, right?"

The two walked down the hall and across the waiting room at the front of the building before heading across the way to the staff lunch room. The cafeteria-like room was surprisingly full with a large number of AHB employees along with TeeSee and Tanner. The German Shepherd motioned to two empty seats at the table, "Glad you could pull yourself away from your work long enough to enjoy some pizza."

Ray glanced over to another table where Candy and Ben were seated while Paul served himself up a slice. The Retriever nodded to Ben, then smiled at the Beagle, "So... just because YOU'RE getting married that means the rest of us have to go and get fat on your happiness, is that it?"

A section of newspaper lowered to the table in the corner, Mr. Howe glancing over it, "Actually, it was my treat today, Ray. I thought since Candy is on vacation the next two weeks the least I could do is pitch in for some pizzas."

The Golden Retriever glanced to the gray-muzzled Terrier, ears up, "Walt? I thought you were heading down to LA last night."

Walter laid the newspaper down and laughed, folding his arms across his chest, "THAT eager to get rid of me, are you, Ray?"

Ray took a seat next to Paul, also taking a slice. he was obviously enjoying himself with the exchange, "Only because having you around gives the interns a conniption and no work gets done."

The Terrier laughed, picking his newspaper back up, tail beating a tempo against the cafeteria wall, "Candy convinced me to stay around for a few days; she said it would mean the world if I would attend the wedding this weekend."

The energetic Beagle let out a happy squeal, standing up and moving over to the table with Ray and Paul, "You're both gonna be there, right? Oh! I can't wait! Willy says everyone's welcome to come and you're all like my second family... you HAVE TO come!"

Ray offered a polite smile, "I'm pretty sure my schedule's open... I'd just hate to put a damper on things by being the only Dog there without a date."

Candy rolled her eyes, "Well, what about Dakota?"

The young man, who had JUST taken a bite of pizza barely managed to avoid coughing it up. He glanced at the Beagle, "Huh?"

She gave him a look as if he were slow, "YOU'RE coming, right Dakota?"

He glanced around the room, feeling as if all eyes were on him, "Yea... I mean, sure, but I don't know what that--"

Candy clapped her paws together, "Perfect! So the two of you can hang out together so neither of you have to look like you're there alone."

Despite how awkward her suggestion was considering the things she DIDN'T know, Ben still somehow managed to make it even worse, "How do you know Paul doesn't want to bring a date? I hear he's been linked to a very pretty Collie."

Rather than say anything more or take part in any further portion of the discussion, Paul simply lowered his head down onto the table... right onto his slice of pizza. He sighed aloud, but didn't bother moving either. Although it earned a fair number of laughs from the room, his coworkers THANKFULLY moved on to other topics.

After a time the cafeteria gradually began to empty, various discussions going on about the room as the different employees moved off to handle their allotted tasks. TeeSee and Tanner left as well, the Sheperd reaching out give him a comforting pat on the shoulder with a hint that they'd be talking later that night.

Ray, who had taken his lunch at the same time as Paul, was still at his table, "Still got another ten minutes... I'm gonna go hit the head and then get back to work. TeeSee'll probably have your computer ready to go by the time your break's done."

The young man nodded, "Yea... I think I'll finish this pizza and then go wash my face."

The Dog smiled, "Sounds good. Catch ya later, Dakota." And, like that, the Paul was alone... except for Walter, who he hadn't realized was still there until he heard the faint rustle of a newspaper page turning. The Terrier said nothing, however, and let the young man have some peace and quiet for the rest of his lunch break. Or, rather, it WOULD have been some peace and quiet if not for the fact that his phone vibrated.

Paul pulled the phone out of his pocket and was JUST about to hold it to his ear when he remembered what had happened the two previous times. He set the cell on the table and hit the talk button, "This is Paul."

He suddenly regretted not checking the caller ID when Mateo's voice boomed over the speaker, "What the FUCK, Miller?!?! Do you even KNOW who that Collie IS?!?!"

It took a second for Paul to recover from the surprise, and his answer was very forthcoming, "Angel de la Monyana."

The response was no less scathing in its correction, "de la Mañana... and YES. So first you steal my job, and then you steal--"

Having just overcome the lunchroom embarrassment, something inside Paul was not willing to let it continue, "What... your EX-Girlfriend? She was here looking for YOU, you know, Mateo... she told me YOU left HER." He wiped at the pizza grease on his forehead with a napkin.

There was a pause before the response, but it was, nevertheless, plenty aggressive, "Since when do YOU have the right to yell at ME, pendejo?!?"

Paul dropped the greasy napkin, "Since you started being a DICK!"

THIS time there WAS an extended silence, so Paul pressed the issue, "I didn't steal your job, Mateo. I don't know why you think I did. And I didn't steal your EX-girlfriend... she came here because she thought you still worked here. All I did was listen to her when she told me about the two of you being together in college."

Silence reigned supreme on the other side of the line for a long time, until Mateo finally spoke up, his voice quiet, "I loved her, Miller... I loved the HELL outta her and I told her all the time, but that perra didn't--"

"She never said it back... I know." Paul sighed; he'd never expected to be a couples councilor, especially not to a guy who had screamed at him, punched him in the face and then choked him while trying to get him to confess to something he hadn't done.

Mateo grunted an ascent, "...and then you went and kissed her..."

The young man heard the accusation again, and it rubbed him the wrong way, "I said I hoped she'd find you and she thanked me and gave me a kiss on the cheek."

"She ripped out my heart."

Paul lowered his head into his palm, propping it up with his elbow, "You did that yourself by jumping to conclusions, Mateo... just like when you lost your job here."

Another long pause from the other side of the phone was cut short by the sound of the lunch room door being thrown open. Paul felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end by Miranda's call, "PAUL!"

The young man was already dealing with one car wreck and he realized he truly didn't need another, "Miranda, I'm on the--"

She clasped her hands on either of his shoulders from behind, "No-- it's fine. I came to apologize for my behavior earlier today."

"...huh?"

Miranda grabbed the seat next to him and sat down, "See... it took me a long time to figure out what's wrong with you."

Paul glanced at his phone then back to her, "Listen, Miranda, I don't have time to talk about this because I'm--"

She slammed her palm on the table, "Then don't talk, damn it! Just listen! That's what I'm trying to tell you. Sometimes when I really care about something I overreact... like dumping the coffee in your computer and burying your desk in trash... that's only because I'm crazy about you!"

The young man, who had been about to stand his ground against her verbal onslaught shut his mouth. He wasn't sure whether it was sweat or more pizza grease on his forehead, but he simply stared at her, suddenly very VERY intimidated, "Uh... okay?"

She continued readily, "And... while you were in here having lunch I broke a glass bottle behind your car so you'd cut your tires up because I was so angry."

Paul had absolutely no idea what to say, "You're... uh... why are you telling me this?"

She leaned closer, "Because I don't WANT to hurt you, Paul. I want GOOD things for you... I mean... I saw how you had so much wasted potential and had Mateo fly off the handle by erasing his name from the credits and then letting him think it was you!"

The young man was struck dumb, and had absolutely no idea how to respond. The next person to speak however was neither of them. Phone, still open and on the table had picked up every word, "Miri? You TOLD me Paul did it!"

Paul watched the expression of Miranda's face go through a number of different emotions as she stared at the phone but all of them stopped the moment following a newspaper rustle from the corner. Walter cleared his throat, setting it down as he stood up stiffly, "Miranda... I would like you to join me in my office... please."

Of all of the things that could have been going through Paul Miller's head at that moment, the one single thought that he latched onto was very simple and straight forward: for once, when everything came crashing down, he wasn't the one that got buried. Despite everything that happened, he hated that the thought made him smile.