It had been a good birthday. Well, better than most.

No aging comments had reached his ears, no corny presents had been given to him, and no dumb ancient song had been sung accompanied with a dried-out cake. In other words, Badcop hadn't told a soul that it was, indeed, his thirty-sixth birthday.

He'd finished work without hearing from President Business, driven back to his apartment, and had poured himself a cup of coffee. There he sat at his kitchen table, steaming cup in hand and eyes on the window, watching the oblivious world go by.

He startled when a loud knock pierced the silence, but didn't have to ask who it was. His brother usually came home later than him.

"Can I come in? ~" Goodcop's friendly tone was hard not to recognize.

"Yeah…" He frowned slightly, since when did he ever ask for permission?

The door swung open and the officer grinned at him, large box in hand, "Guess who didn't forget a certain someone's birthday?"

"I told you, I don't want anything!" Badcop rubbed a hand through his hair and shot a look at the approaching gift. He should have known that his words would pass through one ear and out the other.

"Oh, but I know you! I just wanted to cheer you up since I noticed no-one said anything today to you…"

"That's because I didn't tell them! Do you remember last year?" He groaned, "That was a disaster…"

Goodcop set the box on the table, "They meant well. Now be a good sport, please~" He took a step back and nodded his head eagerly, "I made sure to get you something that you needed, don't worry!"

Halfway to caving in and reaching for the present, Badcop's hand froze and he sat back again abruptly, "Goodcop…there's holes in this package…"

"Mm-hm!"

"And it's moving…"

"Mm-hm!"

His teeth grit tightly, "What the heck is it?!"

"You'll have to open it and see."

He wondered how the other could be so ignorant of how angry he was; he didn't want anything that lived and breathed, that just wasn't him. A hamster? Small and easy to ignore, so perhaps. But this was no hamster.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, he once again reached forward and undid the wrappings around the box and yanked off the cardboard lid.

There was a pause, before two tall black ears poked up, accompanied by a tan-furred head and two large brown eyes.

"…A dog." Suspicions confirmed, he helplessly looked over the furry nuisance as it just sat there, head tilting.

Goodcop clicked his tongue, "Not just any dog! It's a German shepherd, a police officer's best friend! Well, if it's trained right." He pushed the box towards his scowling brother a bit, "Go on and pet her! She needs to get to know you."

"No." He shook his head firmly, "The day I get to know this dog is the day Business tells the citizens to start thinking for themselves."

"Oh, c'mon…see? She likes you."

The only thing he could see was that 'she' was chewing on the rim of her container, eyes still locked on him, "No. You're returning it tomorrow. I don't have the time, or the money to take care of a needy animal."

Goodcop looked disappointed, but nodded, "Alright, well, it was worth a try. I'll take her back to the pound in the morning…" He lifted the puppy and headed off towards his room, "I'll keep her in my room, if that's Ok?"

A hand carelessly waved, answering him. Badcop didn't care what happened to that thing as long as it was well away from him.

After a few minutes he found that he had lost his taste for his coffee, so he dumped the remainder of it in the sink and retired to bed. Better to get this day over with quickly. The sooner it was morning, and not his birthday, the better.

As soon as he had gotten comfortable, and had just been about to doze, his door creaked open a crack. He sat straight up, hand snatching up the gun on his dresser and pointing it straight between the eyes of the intruder, who was…

'Her'.

He grumbled and set the weapon back where he'd gotten it, "How'd you get out?" She made no reply and continued to stare at him with great, sad eyes, tail tucked between her legs.

"He let you out, didn't he? Thought I'd warm up to you, eh? Well, go back and tell him it's not working." Shaking a hand at her, he made to lie back down. But she didn't move. No claws clicked on the ground, and no door cracked open enough to let the little guest out. Just soft breathing.

It was maddening. He pulled himself up again and stared, a little exasperated, at the steadfast animal, before snarling at his worst volume, "Go! Let me sleep!" Much to his surprise, she didn't even flinch at his loud voice. Tougher humans and creatures alike had backed down from his kind of yelling.

Confusion briefly twisted his expression and he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She watched, unmoving, as he walked towards her and crouched down. He reached forward with his left hand and placed it on the small, soft head and scratched lightly behind the ears.

His right hand reached behind the dog and snapped noisily several times. Her ears remained in place. He knocked on the wood paneling behind her, creating an even louder sound.

There was still no reaction.

Slowly, he leaned back, one hand still gently rubbing her head. He stayed there for a while longer; staring vaguely off as her eyes began to close, enjoying his company. There was a decision to make.

He then swallowed thickly, blinking away some of the starting wetness in his eyes, ashamed of it. While standing up, he reached under the pup, carefully wrapping his arms around her thin torso before lifting her into his arms. She went nearly limp, tired from the day's events.

It felt strange, holding something so small and delicate. So full of…life.

He moved back to his bedside and lay down, sliding her onto his stomach. Much to his surprise, she was extremely warm. The heat seemed to spread all over him, but it was a good kind.

"Brigid." He shut his eyes and breathed out, "you can't hear me...but your name is Brigid."

She gave his hand a small lick before settling her head on his chest and closing her eyes for the night.