Chapter 6

Mittens woke up, not knowing what time it might be. What she did know was what had happened before she fell asleep, and the fact that her beloved shepherd was holding her on top of his belly made her smile, because it had not been a dream. No, this time, it had been real. Keeping her smile on, she cuddled closer to Bolt for a while longer, not falling asleep again, merely enjoying his warmth. There was one more thing to do. Very carefully as to not wake him up, Mittens slipped out of his embrace and got off of him. Halfway through her walking to the door she heard a faint sound and turned around, only to find bolt moving his paws, searching for her while still fully asleep. Snickering, and stopping herself from making more noise, she kept going, for she wanted to find it before he woke up, and that didn't seem too far away.

Mittens went downstairs, unable to remove that smile. Down there was Rhino, watching television. However, the hamster turned it off when he spotted Mittens and jumped off the couch to intercept her.

"Well?" He asked. "How's he doing?"

"He's fine." She answered simply.

Rhino stared at her, clearly waiting for a more concrete answer than that.

"On, come on, cat," He complained. "I kept my part and stayed out until he woke up. You wouldn't be down here if he hadn't already, so I at least deserve to know how my hero and best friend it doing."

Mittens shook her head and rolled her eyes, but kept on smiling. And she would keep it on, nothing would remove the smile caused by that kiss. "Okay, okay. He woke up a few hours ago and is fully recovered. He will live. And…"

"And?"

Mittens' smile widened. "And… he's staying."

Rhino stared at her, a smile overtaking him, too. "You're gonna… let him stay?" He asked in wonder.

"After what happened, I wouldn't send him away. Ever."

"I know, right?" The little guy agreed. "He arrived just in time to save us."

Mittens nodded and walked to the pet door. When Rhino asked where was she going, she merely waved her tail to indicate him she wouldn't be long. Obviously the rodent had not understood what she meant with 'what happened', but she would let him believe what he wanted.

Once outdoors, she went straight to Trevor's hiding place, for the first time, looking for something else than him. She got into the bushes and started to search for the object that would seal all of that.

Where is it? She thought as she tried to reach in between the branches and twigs with her paws. I gave it to Trevor so it should be around— Oh, no! It's true, I tossed it away!

She jumped out of the plants, looking frantically in all directions as she tried to remember in which one she had tossed Bolt's collar, less than a week ago. However, when she gave just a couple steps forward, she stepped onto something that felt totally different from the grass. Looking down, she found nothing less than…

"Bolt's collar! But how…?"

She found her answer in a note next to said object.

I assumed you would need it soon. Don't let temporary emotions do permanent damage, especially when you're not sure of your feelings, Mittens. Enjoy every moment spent with him. Take care. –T

The cat took the collar and held it to her chest.

"Thanks, Trevor. I will… I will."

Excited, she grabbed the note and bolted back inside. She went upstairs and into Penny's room. She stared at him for a few seconds, watching him sleep peacefully, his paws still searching for the missing cat on top of him. She smiled, walked over to him and kissed him gently.

"Wake up, my sleepy hero," She whispered.

It took him a few moments, but the white Shepherd began to open his eyes.

"Mittens?"

"Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?"

Bolt got to his paws and stretched with a wide yawn. "Pretty good. I hardly feel any pain right now." The dog looked at his wounds. Then he noticed that Mittens was hiding something behind her back. "Uh, what's that?"

She smiled at him. "It's a surprise. Close your eyes."

Bolt obeyed in a moment and did as he was told. Mittens waved a paw in fron of his face to check they were closed.

"Now keep still." She told him.

Bolt nodded slightly and kept still. Mittens walked to him and placed his collar back on its rightful place. She adjusted it and then backed a little, licking his cheek as she did so.

"Open them, wags."

The dog opened his eyes and looked down, gasping a little when he spotted his name written on the collar back onto his neck. He touched it with a paw and stared in amazement at her.

"Y-You kept it."

"Why, of course I kept it, silly." She told him playfully. "And I'll admit I even slept with it for a long time. But it's yours, looks better on you, and I rather sleep with you."

Bolt didn't answer, blushed and looked away. Mittens, enjoying it more than she would care to tell, ran her tail over his neck, and told him, "I didn't know you were shy, puppy," in a flirtatious tone.

"M-Mi-Mittens, wait," The dog managed to say, stepping back a little. "I don't… I don't think I deserve this."

"Is that so?"

"Y-Yeah. I left you, I hurted you and I ran away. I did a lot of damage, Mittens. There's nothing I'd like more than being with you, but…"

Mittens shut him up with a kiss, and although at first Bolt seemed to be trying to resist, he let himself go into it. When she ended it, she didn't let him start talking again.

"Bolt, none of that matters now. We both made mistakes, and we're both guilty for what happened. I told you many things, as many as you told me. I love you," She told him. "Do you love me?"

"With all my heart," He answered.

"Then that's all that matters. We have lived so much together, and I want to live many more things with you." Mittens had more to say, but she stopped when Bolt took a step towards her. Before she could ask, Bolt pulled her into a tight hug, with all his affection.

Mittens got lost in the warmth of his hug and found herself purring and rubbing herself onto the dog's chest.

Eventually, Bolt pulled away from her. When he looked at her he seemed perfect, all his doubts cleared. Mittens didn't move her eyes from him, her mind racing a million thoughts per second, before Bolt got onto his paws.

"Now that I think about it," He started, looking around. "Where's Rhino?"

"Oh, he's downstairs. I… uh… wanted to be with you… alone… and I asked for him to give me some… privacy?" Mittens admitted, looking down to prevent Bolt from noticing her blushing.

She got a kiss in the forehead for an answer, which surprised her to the point of not letting her speak. She looked at Bolt and got lost into his smile.

"I promise," He said, "I will spend with you as long as you want, whenever you want, with or without Rhino. Playing or resting, day or night."

Mittens could barely contain her happiness. She could have stayed there forever, but Bolt had to see Rhino alright.

"Come on, let's go see him before I kidnap you." She told the dog.

Bolt and Mittens headed downstairs, she leading the way, and what they found was not surprising: A brown hamster inside a plastic ball sitting on the couch and watching television, a white dog and a young girl starring on the screen. By the looks of his excitement as he watched, it was deductible it was one of the good episodes from the series, when they had worked on it.

Mittens jumped to the couch and leaned down. "Hey, rodent, someone wants to see you."

"And who would want to meet the majestic— Bolt!" Rhino shouted when he spotted the dog next to the couch. He got out of his ball and jumped to hug him. "I knew you would survive. You are Bolt, the superdog. They may be two, they may be ten, they may be thousands, but Bolt will teach them a lesson nonetheless!"

"Thanks, Rhino," Bolt told him after leaving the small furball on the couch again. "But I think I'm done with action for a while; I'd rather spend time with you, guys."

"Of course; and you're more than welcome to stay, right, cat?"

Mittens rolled her eyes, but didn't stop smiling. "Yes, he can stay. You know what? No, he can't. He is staying."

Bolt nodded to her words. "I am staying."

"Be-awesome!"

Bolt got on the couch, besides his friends, and the three kept on watching T.V.


"Mittens! Rhino! I'm back!"

Penny crossed the doot moments after calling to both of them, and gasped when she saw the white shepherd with them.

"Bolt! You're awake!"

Mittens saw the dog jump from the couch, land nimbly, and run to his person to cover her with licks as she hugged him and pet him. After a few minutes of that, the girl pressed her forehead to Bolt's.

"!" She said softly before kissing his forehead. They held up for some minutes, like trying to sill in for all the time they had been apart, and then she got up. "Well, who's hungry?"

"Now that's my call!" Rhino said before turning off the T.V. and jumping off the couch. "You coming, cat?"

"In a moment," She said. Rhino shrugged and caught up with Bolt and Penny in the kitchen.

Mittens got to thinking. Things had finally settled. Bolt was home, she had finally admitted her feelings for him, and now they were mates—even though none had said it out loud, it was not really necessary. Both knew what they were—, and the dog was making a fine recovery of his injuries. Trevor had been right; he had always been right.

"Mittens," She heard Penny calling her. She jumped off the couch and went to eat with the others. Their first meal together since Bolt's return.


"Hey, guys, how did you bring me here?" Bolt asked. "And how long has it been?"

Penny had gone to her room to make her homework after eating; the trio of friends was back in the couch, watching T.V., in a silence that Bolt had just broken.

"An old friend of yours helped us," Rhino replied. "Fox appeared about a minute after you fainted. He helped us cover your biggest wounds with leaves and some not-so-dirty-papers we found around. He also helped carry you."

Bolt turned his gaze to Mittens, who was glued to his side, tucked under his arm.

"It's true, wags," She said. "When we got here, we changed your 'bandages' and he left you in the garden so Penny would see you. He didn't stay after that. When Penny saw you, she took care of you and tended to your wounds. Today actually was the first day she decided you didn't need them anymore."

"It's been three days," Rhino added. "And someone didn't let me stay in the room until you woke up. She wanted some space with you, I presume."

Bolt returned his gaze to the cat, who was blushing.

"I-I thought that… if I stayed by your side… you would recover faster. But if he had been present, he wouldn't stop teasing about what I did."

"And what were you doing that I wasn't allowed to watch, cat?"

Mittens realized she had talked more than she was meant to and bit her tongue. She covered he mouth with a paw, gesture that Rhino used immediately.

"Aha! So the little cat has a secret, huh?"

The hamster began taunting Mittens, speculating on what she had done while Bolt was unconscious. The cat did not need to hear that, and did not want any of the crazy things he was saying to stay in Bolt's head, even more when she had done nothing wrong. Crying and saying his name was what she had done most of the time, and when she got desperate, she hugged him; but, of course, Rhino did not stop venturing to say things like she had kissed him while he slept. After a minute, she got tired of that. She removed Bolt's arm from her back, flexed her legs and jumped on top of the hamster's ball, which was on the other side of Bolt.

"I'll eat you, rodent!"

The hamster stopped laughing, shrieked in panic and began to flee, all in the split of a second that it took for Mittens to land where he had been.

"Bolt, help me!" Rhino begged while running away from the furious feline that was chasing him through the whole house.

"I don't know, buddy… I think you brought it on yourself this time."

Knowing that she had Bolt's "support", Mittens sped up and jumped on Rhino's ball as he screamed in fear. She grabbed it, opened it, grabbed the little guy, took him out of his shield and held him on eye level. Her eyes were flooded with fire-like fury and his were drowning in pure terror.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I won't say it again! I'll let you cut my whiskers! Don't kill me please! Bolt! Bolt, please!"

"Okay, okay; Mittens, I think he's got enough." Bolt intervened, getting off the couch, when she was beginning to bring him towards her mouth.

The cat, resigned, opened her paw and dropped Rhino, who ran to hide behind Bolt's legs.

"I hope you stay out of my sight for a while, rodent, or I'll make you my dinner," She growled at him.

Rhino peeked from behind Bolt and then ran to his ball, got inside, closed it and climbed back into the couch. The cat, still annoyed, growled at him as he ran past her.

So focused was she in her anger towards Rhino, that she didn't heard anything until Bolt gave her a lick. Then he kept talking, because Mittens was sure she had missed the first part.

"Besides, you look prettier when you smile." He said, caressing her cheek. "Much prettier."

At such words, anger was gone and replaced by a fuzzy feeling in her stomach, a smile and a slight blush.

"You see? Gorgeous."

She blushed more. "Th-Thanks, Bolt."

"Well, remind me to keep you close when I'm taunting her." Rhino teased from where he was.

"And you," The dog said, turning to Rhino. "better stop pulling her whiskers. There are better ways to hang out."

"Yeah, I know, but this one's the most fun."

"But you're risking it. Whatever will happen the day I'm not around, or if you piss her enough that she won't even listen to me?" The dog pointed out, with the same voice tone Rhino had used.

Rhino did not answer, and shifted his eyes from Bolt to Mittens. After a few seconds, he simply nodded. The cat deduced that their "rough games" would probably continue, no matter if Bolt told him to stop or not. It was, in a way, the way in which the two lived together; in fact, thinking about it a little, she was glad Rhino had teased again, because while Bolt was not there, that habit had been lost. The fact that he started repeating it once again only sealed the return of her beloved white shepherd to his home.


"Goodnight, Rhino."

"Night, Bolt. See you, cat."

Smiling because of the first of many good days to come, Mittens told Rhino. "Don't stay up too late, rodent."

There was no response, for Rhino had his eyes glued to the television already. There would be an all-night long special of one of his favorite series, and the hamster wasn't about to miss his chance. However, she and Bolt had no reason to keep on watching the device. Both of them were tired, and Bolt still had to rest.

They headed upstairs and into Penny's room silently. The girl was already asleep, resting for another day of school. They headed to Bolt's bed, where he lay with his stomach up and then looked at the cat.

Mittens smiled. "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"Are you kidding? I slept much better these days than in the rest of my life put together," Bolt commented on her question.

Mittens was very moved by his answer, but stopped herself from just doing as he wanted without teasing first.

"You didn't answer me," She remarked playfully.

"Yes. Yes, I want you to sleep with me."

Mittens accepted his request and climbed onto Bolt's belly. He grabbed her as soon as she got comfortable. Before closing her eyes, Mittens got nose to nose with the dog for a second or two, before kissing him slightly.

"Good night, wags."

"Good night, pretty."

Without saying more, both closed their eyes. Just before falling asleep, Mittens' smile widened as she thought about the series of events that had led to that moment. All the problems, all the setbacks, but finally everything was in order again. There was only one, bright future for everyone ahead: as friends, as family and, with her and Bolt, as mates.


And this is how it ends. I would really like to thank for the support and the patience. Now that this one's finished, next time you see from me will be back in my main story, with the few chapters that are missing. Thanks, Basbon, you're the best, man. Thanks for your reviews. Nothing else to say, so... Los veré pronto, amigos míos.