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Alec sighed and rocked back and forth on his heels, eyeing the customs line. He picked up the carrier again when the line shuffled forward. He smiled when he was directed off to the side and followed the customs agent. He placed the black and yellow chequered carrier down on the low table when gestured to do so.
“Mr. Kuznetsov, Dmitry?” The agent asked as he read the Russian Federation passport and the pet passport that Alec handed over. Alec nodded. The agent glanced through the records and then frowned. Alec immediately dug into the folder he was also carrying and pulled out the vet certificate. The frown vanished as soon as the certificate was read over.
“Everything is in order. I believe my associate had a few more questions, and will need to check over the animal in question,” A young woman clad in the white short sleeved shirt and black tie of Customs appeared at the doorway.
“Thank you.” Alec said, offering his hand to shake. He then picked up the carrier and followed the new woman.
“Welcome back, Alec.” The woman said as soon as the door was shut behind them. Alec relaxed and smiled at Tait, even as the blond hair confused him for a brief moment, then he remembered -- she’d dyed her hair right before he left.
“He doesn’t know, right?”
“Not a clue. Helena is handling cameras, I put a personal flag on this passport, so I’d know when you were scheduled to touch down. Now, let’s see this little one.”
The top of the carrier was popped open and Tait slid on gloves. She then carefully reached in and lifted a silver-blue fox kit out and placed it onto a white towel.
Alec set the paperwork down next to the woman and watched as the kit’s eyes, nose, mouth, paws, ears, fur and rear were all looked over. It’s tail wagged and it pawed at Tait’s fingers.
Blond head lifting, Tait pinned him with a lifted brow.“She’s in perfect health. Healthy coat, great teeth, bright eyes, cold nose, clean ears and she reacts when I snap my fingers. She’s five months old, correct?”
“Yes. The Russian vet at the farm said she was in perfect health. James watched her get all her first set of shots, I witnessed her most recent.”
“We’ll be adding some Panacur in liquid form here. I see the vet did it, but a boost isn’t a bad thing. Especially coming from fucking Russia.” Tait grumbled as she picked up a syringe, checked the dosages and then took the needless implement and looked up at Alec.
“Russia is --”
“Save it, Double-oh Six. Hold her please.” Alec’s hands cradled the kit and Tait’s free hand pressed open the jaw. She shot the medication into the kit’s mouth with practiced ease.
“What was it for?”
“De-worming. Considering parasites are zoonotic…” Tait trailed off as she went back to filling out the form she had in front of her.
“What does that mean? Zoonotic?” It sounded like something that Q would spout off about while coding.
“Contagious between animals and humans. And species of mammals.”
Alec must have had a blank look on his face, because she continued to enlighten him, “Like you can get roundworm from a dog, or a dog can give it to a cat.”
“Oh. That explains how James got intestinal parasites that one mission in Cambodia….” Alec muttered. “It was a rather… friendly… cow.”
Tait snorted in amusement, because she had heard that story, and scooped up the kit. She carried the young vixen over to a scale and set the animal down. She noted down the numbers and then carried the animal back to the table and it’s towel.
Alec automatically reached out to hold the little fuzzball and it cheerfully gnawed on a knuckle, little dark grey flecks on its muzzle contrasting nicely against the white fur and dark nose. He frowned when Tait returned with something in her hand.
“This is Revolution. It's a flea, worm, tick, and mite preventative. It’s monthly prevention, so you’ll have to show both the Quartermaster and Bond how to do this.”
"A fur treatment?"
“Kinda. Spread the fur at the base of the shoulder blades and apply on the skin. See?”
Alec nodded. She changed her gloves and scratched the kit behind soft ears. It yipped and tried to lick her wrist.
“All right. I can sign off on her, and I can take her overnight and drop her off in the morning, so that she’ll be there for the Quartermaster on Christmas morning, or you can give her to him tonight. Bond already has the food and arrangements made. It was a good thing the three of you moved six months ago, the back garden is more than big enough for an outdoor enclosure, which Bond had built at Skyfall and shipped to the house.”
“I’ll take her home with me, if possible.”
“She was kept isolated for the last month?”
“Yes. Helena has the cam records actually.” Alec said.
“All right. Sign here, and here. And that will keep Her Majesty’s Customs happy with us all, and the little one. And this is her copy. Keep that with her pet passport. Her British one, Double-oh Six, once you’ve figured out a name.”
Alec picked up the biro she slid to him and realized he had triplicate forms twice over. One set was in the name of the passport, the other was in his actual name. He signed both and knew they would be filed with the correct authorities.
The kit was loaded back into the carrier and Tait washed her hands after she stripped off the gloves then collected the paperwork.
“So? Am I taking her?”
“No. Thank you for the offer, Tait. Q is going to adore her. He’s been wanting one for two years, but they are nearly impossible to get ahold of.”
“Q will love her. Just remember… do not try and put a bow on her. She will rip it off and may try to eat it. Foil is not something she should chew on or ingest. Plastic is also bad. You lot didn’t set up a tree or wreaths, did you?”
“The only decoration is a wreath on the door. We haven’t had time.” Alec growled as he picked up the documentation and snagged the carrier. He heard the young animal whine and sighed, knowing he had possibly frightened it. James so owed him for dealing with Customs.
***
Alec punched in his code as soon as the door clicked shut behind him. He turned his head and nodded to James who stalked forward on socked feet. Alec passed him the carrier and the paperwork. The other Agent merely shook his head.
Alec sighed. It meant Siger was not yet at home. Of course, he wasn’t supposed to be home yet either. He’d gone dark after finishing his mission in the Ukraine, telling his handler that he would see to his own extraction. He’d left the young woman cursing as he destroyed his earwig, but actually mailed back most of the rest of his tech. He figured the radio, pair of butterfly knives and the watch Q had painstakingly crafted for him would arrive three days after Christmas -- provided Yenski hadn’t absconded with the package he’d handed the fence to post. Of course, if he had -- it would be easy enough to arrange for a bullet between the eyes.
“I have a bow for around her neck.”
“Try it and Tait will have your bollocks for earrings. She expressly warned me off that.”
“Fine. Your office or mine?”
“Mine is set up for the little blighter. And I saw that they will use a litter pan.” Alec grumbled as he toed off his shoes and then followed his blond lover through the house, slipping down darkened hallways and into his office -- first room to the left of the junction.
Alec checked, to make certain that James had cleared out any electrical cords. All outlets had been covered with those plastic baby protector things, and the rug was gone. Alec blinked at the metal baby gate and then realized it was a great idea. He set the carrier down and popped open the front door.
The little kit padded cautiously from the yellow and black carrier. He watched her sniff around the small ceramic bowls and dip a paw into the water bowl before lapping at her paw. She then edged over to the blue bowl and began lapping thirstily.
Alec frowned at the odd mush that the fox buried her nose in and then started gulping down with relish. He could see it had meat and other things.
“Special mix, from an exotics vet over in the States. She does rescue for these guys. I’ve got more portions in the freezer. We are feeding on half portions for a few days, then I’ll up it to a full portion.” Alec made an agreeing noise as he and James watched as the little kit gave her dark paws a good cleaning and then licked her muzzle with a bright pink tongue, making certain it was all shiny white.
Neither man heard the alarm being reset and Alec flinched when Siger cleared his throat. “Double-oh Six?”
“Present, Quartermaster.” Alec said, not bothering to tense further or get to his feet as Siger slipped into the room. He heard Q draw in a surprised breath as he came up to the white metal mesh gate and then peer over the top.
“Wha-- how?” Siger spluttered, sinking onto his knees.
“Happy Christmas, Quartermaster. Helena slipped me an email nearly a year ago that you’d been scrolling through pictures of foxes and muttering about wanting one.”
“But --”
“This is a vixen. She is a Belyaev fox. She is a gift from both James and I.”
“They are the only known domesticated foxes in existence. He started it in the 1950s, you know.” Siger muttered, reaching out and gently scooping up the little silver vixen. She made a noise and then nosed at long fingers and darted a quick lick with a bright pink tongue.
“She can be litter trained. We’ve got the food set up for her. She just needs a name.”
“Who did you trust to get her to British soil?”
“Myself. It was easy enough. A simple extraction. She’s been checked out. Paperwork is all in your name, Little One. She’s uncontestedly yours, and is cleared to go to work with you.”
“Hmm. Noel?”
“It is Christmas, and she is silver.” James agreed.
Siger shook his head. “Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace.”
James frowned, the name sounded familiar. He mouthed through the names and then Alec smacked the back of his head. James growled. The vixen -- now Noel -- echoed him.
“Ada Lovelace, you lout. Computer programmer?” Alec elaborated. The figurative light dawned for James.
“Brilliant, love.” James said, he would have never put that together. Especially when it was in the middle of the entire ruddy name.
Siger gave him a kiss on the cheek and then set Noel down. Alec tugged the Quartermaster to his feet and Q reached down for James’ who came fluidly to his feet with a smirk.
“Happy Christmas you two. Now… I believe, since you presented me with my wonderful present, the pair of you will wish to unwrap yours?”
The look Siger gave his lovers was heated. Both blonds traded predatory looks and grinned. Siger smirked before he was scooped up by James and carried, laughing, towards their bedroom.