Emily's POV

I woke up to find someone in my bed, sleeping with me. Surprise, surprise, it was Dakota. He sat with me, looking at my feet. He jumped off the bed and started jumping at the closed door.

"Ok, buddy. Calm down!" I said, opening the door for him.

I walked downstairs and poured myself some hot cocoa and ate a gingerbread cookie. I checked my phone, and almost choked on my cookie.

"How's it already the twenty-fourth?" I asked myself. 

Dakota gently nibbled my leg and hopped to his bowl. I sighed and poured food for him and Ilio. Ilio was busy eating her food while Dakota dragged his bowl to the couch.

I ran upstairs and opened my closet. I pulled out a small, rectangular box covered in green and black wrapping paper and a white bow. I put the present back into its hiding place and walked back downstairs.

I plopped myself onto the couch, picked up my novel and began to read.

The sky was clear and empty. The fields were full of butterflies and caterpillars. We walked over to the skinny oak tree in the middle of that vast field and placed down our picnic basket and blanket. We sat under the tree, its cool shade shielding us from the sun's rays.

I never thought that Mac' and Cheese could taste so good. When I took my first bite, Parker said my face lit up with joy that day, my lips covered in the delicious cheese. 

I smiled and said, "There's no way to ever know what you're thinking. And you read me like an open book." 

"Well, you're the one making it easy!" Parker joked, earning him a punch in the arm.

"Shut up, you idiot!" I yelled, shoving him playfully.

For some reason, he smiled. He put one of his arms around me and whispered in my ear, "Sometimes- wait, no. All the time."

"All the time what?" I asked, looking at him.

"You, my friend. You're cute. All the time. Especially when you're mad."  Parker said, a large, comforting grin on his face.

"I wanna punch your face so bad right now." I hissed.

"And why don't you? Because you love me." Parker said, answering his question.

"Not true! That's not true at all! It's because I'm tired. Tomorrow, though. That's when you'll get a good beating." I said, shoving him onto the grass.

"Sure. You keep telling yourself that." Parker said, hoisting me up off the ground.

"Arwoooof woooooorr!" Dakota howled, pulling me away from my book.

It turned out that Ilio spilled all the flour onto the floor. All that perfect flour, gone. No longer useable.

"I can't leave you guys alone for two minutes, now can I?" I said, frowning. "Its almost Christmas, guys! C'mon, we're going for a Lil' walk."

Dakota had already walked over to the door and sat there, while Ilio sniffed through the magazines I had lying near the door. I smiled, slipped my plaid sweater on and attached Ilio and Dakota to their leashes.

We walked out of the house, and there was a small breeze that was comforting. The sun was shining, but it didn't make a difference to the temperature.

After an hour or so, I brought the dogs home. Ilio ran inside behind Dakota, who went to sleep on the couch.

+_=_+

The next morning I woke up to the realization that it was Christmas. I hopped out of bed, grabbed Dakota's present and went down the stairs.

I smiled at the sight of the fully decorated living room I decorated last night. I put Dakota's present under the small tree we had. The tree was covered in tinsels, ornaments, candy canes, ribbons and gingerbread cookies. 

"Arf..." Dakota barked groggily from the couch.

"Morning, boy!" I said, scratching his neck.

Ilio jumped on top of him, barking happily. I picked her up and put her on the carpet. She scampered off to somewhere in the kitchen. Dakota stretched, hopped off the couch and went to eat.

+_=_+

A few hours later, I brought the dogs into the living room. They sat on the couch and I sat on the floor, picking up Dakota's gift. I put it in front of him and he sniffed it. He bit into the wrapping paper and ripped it off his present.

"Surprise!" I said, smiling.

Dakota barked, happily wagging his tail. 

| ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' |

Dakota's POV

My bed was occupied by Ilio. Great. So I went to sleep with Emily, who had a bed way too big for just her. The morning came quickly though. Like I didn't get any sleep. I probably didn't get any sleep, who knows.

I hopped off the bed and walked over to the door. I had to wazz. And I was also hungry. I tried to open the door, but the knob was too hard to turn. I don't even know why the door was closed.

"Ok, ok calm down boy!" Em said, opening the door.

I ran downstairs and ran into the backyard. Sweet relief, I thought. I ran back inside and gently bit Em's leg as a warning.

She poured food for Ilio and me and went upstairs for some reason. I dragged my bowl over to the couch before Ilio asked,

"Why do you draaaaaaag your bowl all the way over there??" 

"Because I can eat where I wanna eat," I replied, eating.

Emily walked back downstairs and sat on the couch to read a book. Ilio waddled over to the kitchen counter. She jumped onto the counter and started sniffing a bag of flour.

Ilio looked over at me and asked, "What's this?"

"A bag of flour," I said, eating some more. "Why?"

"Why's it so white?" She asked, sticking her paw into it. "Wooooah!" 

I sighed and watched as she stuck her paws into the bag of flour and licked her paws. I don't think she should be doing that... I thought, walking over to the kitchen.

"WOoOoOoaAAaAahHh!"

*FWOOOOOOSHHHHH...*

I don't know what had happened, but when I turned around, I saw that Ilio was face-first on the floor, covered in flour with the bag next to her.

"How the heck did you do that?!" I yelled.

"I don't know... Buuuuuut it was fun!!" Ilio barked.

"I can't leave you guys alone for two minutes, now can I?" Emily said, frowning. It's almost Christmas, guys! C'mon. We're going for a Lil' walk."

I walked over to the door and sat there, waiting for Ilio to stop playing in the magazines. Emily put our leashes on and we headed outside. The wind was kind of comforting and distracted me from Ilio.

We came back after a few hours, and Ilio waddled behind me as I walked over to the couch and slept. I didn't mind when I felt her squish in with me.

+_=_+

It was early in the morning (Or it could've been late, I don't know how to tell time,) when Emily ran downstairs towards the heavily decorated Christmas tree.

Last night she stayed up to decorate the living room and I quite liked it. Ilio had already woken up and was laying next to me.

I put my head on the armrest and said, "Ilio... get off me..."

She was jumping and spinning on me for a while until Emily took her off.

"Morning boy!" She said, scratching my neck.

I hopped off the couch and walked into the kitchen, yawning.

+_=_+

It was pretty late, I assumed, when Emily brought us downstairs into the living room. She sat on the floor holding a present, while I sat on the couch and Ilio ate some popcorn on a string.

She gave me the present and I sniffed it, curious to find out what it was. It had deep green wrapping paper with black bones and a white bow.

How am I gonna open this thing? I thought, biting the bow off. I managed to rip off a small piece of the wrapping paper. I bit into the brown cardboard underneath and ripped it open.

"Surprise!" Emily said, smiling.

Inside was a small... something. I grabbed it and it squeaked.

"Whaaaaaat?" I said, puzzled.

I pulled it out and it was a small, green cactus plushie. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was my cactus plushie.

"I asked Jack to bring it," Emily said. "Like it, bud?"

I jumped onto her, my tail wagging. (Meaning yes, I did like it. I liked it very much,)

|'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''|

Heeeeeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeeeeeeh

So yeah!

Christmas special (in summer UvO)

DONE!!!

Uh, here'z the 'cactus plushie' that Dakota got as his gift.

YeAh

k

Also, to avoid confusion,

although it's not in the story, this cactus plush is Dakota's old plushie from when he was in the shelter.

Ok, byeeeeeeee! hope you're all ready for a 9-year wait for the next chapter!

-Audrey ;v