Art by  Iumm3N
(This pick ups at the epilogue of the last series.)


Leaving Todd on the porch, Darlene got back to the kitchen, she slammed her old collar in the sink to wash it.
Her husky friend and former girlfriend Stephanie was pouring coffee for the two of them.
Stephanie: "Hey, was that Todd at the door?"
Darlene: "Yes it was your brother. Why?"
Stephanie: "Don't you think you were kind of harsh? He was just giving you your collar back."
Darlene: "Look Steph, after the Alex debacle I don't want to look at either of those stupid corgis. Was habe ich jemals in dem kleinen Bastard gesehen?" Her docked tail drooped after saying that.
Stephanie: "Darlene, I'm grateful to have you back. But you and I both know that a dog's tail never lies. Don't you think he deserves another shot?"
Darlene: "Yeah with the rifle your dad gave you."
Stephanie: "Okay, first off you are not getting in my gun safe with that attitude. Secondly, why are you so mad at him specifically? He hasn't even been here for almost a year. If anyone you should be mad at Alex."
Darlene growled and went to get ready for work, not wanting to talk about it.

In truth she wasn't so much mad at Todd, she was angry with herself for having been fooled. The little corgi just being an easy target for her rage.
After getting away from her captor Heimrich in Bavaria, she had a very strong disdain for male dogs. And men in general aside from the one that got her out of THAT place and into safety in Bakersville, Stanley Baker.
After all the mental scarring in her homeland, and all the deception in this land she didn't know what to do with herself.
She figured: "I'll get through work, then I'll go to the pub and drown myself in beer. Not the healthiest outlet, but it will have to do." Despite Bakersville lax policy on clothing, Darlene decided that today she would be fully dressed. Jeans, a t-shirt, and in a bit of an odd choice for her, no collar.
Stephanie: "You ready Darlene?"
Darlene: "Lass mich meine Zähne putzen!"
Stephanie: "Okay! Just hurry, we don't want to be late."
The fit little husky then mumbled to herself: "Boy I wish I had learned German. Russian I can speak fluently, but German I got nothin..."
After a minute Darlene was downstairs and the two got in the car, heading off to the office.

It was a pretty chill day at work, just a few folks coming in and paying bills, and one or two borrowing some quick cash.
At around 1 o'clock Darlene was called up to the boss's office, Stanley wanting to have a word with her.
She took her seat across from him, as he said: "Well Darlene, I hear that you've been having a problem?"
She sat there quietly, not really wanting to respond but knowing she couldn't just ignore him.
Darlene: "I'm fine sir. Did your son say something to you?"
Stanley: "Sort of, he-"
Darlene: "I'm sorry sir, but where does he come off talking about me? I do my job, and I do it well! That punk called you to have me fired for leaving him didn't he? Well if that's the case I may as well quit!" He waited until she had finished her rant.
Stanley: "I ain't petty enough to fire someone fer that, Kichaa is still here and she threw him in a trashcan. If you hadn't of interrupted me, I was fixing to say that he called me this morning worried about you."
Darlene: "What? Warum sollte sich diese kleine Nuss immer noch um mich kümmern? Ich dachte, ich hätte sein Interesse zerstört, als ich ihm die Tür vor der Nase zuschlug."
Stanley: "You slammed a door in his face? I reckon that explains the swollen nose."
He shook his and got back to what he was saying. "At any rate, I can't tell you what to do with your life but he asked to meet you at the diner later to talk. Just talk. He said he would have asked you personally but you blocked his number."
Darlene: "I'll think about it, what time does he want to meet?"
Stanley: "6:00, you are free to go unless you want to talk to me Darlene. I'm always here for ya."
She nodded politely and went back to work.