Disappointment throughout the room was practically a promise with the sudden bullet of a statement, the originally encouraging atmosphere had faded away from their grasp. Audrey's head sunk to the ground upon hearing the news, with her immediate reaction being to crouch down and duck behind Marshall's leg. She refused to look at the boy, with the mindset of him not being able to see her if she couldn't see him. The tactic seemed to work during hide and seek, but she had a feeling her cloak of invisibility wouldn't save her this time.

"Listen, I'll give you guys a few minutes to yourselves, but try not to take too long. I need to do something upstairs real quick, so I'll be back. Hope everything goes well," he attempted to compromise while backing away and slowly shutting the door. The three were left in awkward silence, the only audible noise coming from the room was the pup's soft whimpering that was muffled from her muzzle being lost inside the Dalmatian's fur.

"I-I don't wanna," she quietly murmured, the way she kept nervously gripping his leg supporting her claim. They were used to her being more on the physical side with them, whether that be through hugging or playing with their fur, but her current actions showed a much different tone. She felt desperate, she was almost pulling them away from the horrors that lay behind the door.

"I know you don't, we don't either. But you just gotta be brave, you're good at that, aren't you?" he attempted to encourage her, gently stroking the top of her head. The pup only frowned and kept her eyesight on the ground below her, slightly shaking her head in denial.

"I'm not bwave. N-not like you and Mommy." Audrey slowly raised her head, eyeing her two caretakers while they glanced at each other. Even without watching her, the dally wrapped his leg around her before his caring gaze made its way back down to her.

"Of course you're brave, you're still a puppy and you've done so much that most would never be able to. I'd even say you're braver than us." The pup, not believing what she was hearing, tilted her head. Surely they were just over exaggerating, this comparison felt way out of her league.

"W-weally? B-but I'm scawed, that doesn't make me bwave," she countered, feeling rather confident in her argument, though that confidence only seemed interested in siding with her worries instead of making this easier for her. However, Marshall only shook his head, cutting through the cold of her doubt with his warm smile.

"You know, my Mommy and Daddy always said that being scared meant you were about to do something brave. You might not understand it until you're older, but you've done so much that we could've never done at your age." Although she still very much doubted him, she nodded slowly, reaching her paw out for the doorknob. There wasn't much of a point in trying to argue, it wouldn't do any good this time. All she cared about was getting this over with, if she couldn't hide from it, she might as well get past the pain.

"Hang on, don't get too ahead of yourself. C'mon, let us see that smile," Everest instructed her. Hesitantly, the pup weakly grinned, almost instantly gaining her a high-five from the husky. The action finally got a small giggle out of her, which quickly gave them the response they had been searching for. "There's our girl! Let's try to be excited, you're gonna make new friends, you might really love it with her."

"Mommy's right, she's gonna be excited to see you, it'll be fun. Just take a deep breath, Audrey." The collie, although far from enjoying this as her guardians encouraged, nodded, deeply inhaling and exhaling. But before leaving the safe haven of their home, she quickly wrapped them both in a quick group hug and gifted herself with the feeling of their furry legs grasping onto her, their hold protecting her from the demons she'd soon face. All of her worries could disappear within the softness of their fur, but that only lasted until she forced herself to raise her head.

"Ready?" The Dalmatian asked. Of course, they all knew his question was just begging for denial, how could anyone be ready for this? He couldn't bear the thought of having to move from home to home, and he was a fully grown dog. She was just a puppy who was already having to say goodbye to one of her many families. Some things were impossible to be fully ready for.

"I-I guess I'm weady." And with that small bit of confirmation, the Dalmatian opened the door to the yard. Audrey closed her eyes, trying to work up whatever confidence was possible. Her legs felt like jelly, and her paws were anxiously tapping against the floor without her even telling them to. She was terrified, the new life that she had no control over was waiting just outside of their house, and it wouldn't be taking no for an answer.

After feeling both of her caretakers brushing up against her, gripping each of her front paws with their own, she opened her eyes and stepped out onto the softness of the grass.

As at least some bit of good news, the very first face she saw was one she had grown to love. Katie stood in front of their house, wearing a dark pink jacket with her blonde hair draping over her shoulders. The pup barked happily, gaining the attention she was after as the girl bent down and extended her arms. Her invitation was gladly accepted, allowing her to scoop the small dog into her arms to be held.

"Hey, Audrey, are you excited to meet your new owner?" she eagerly asked, sounding rather happy about it herself. The pup, although she knew she was lying to herself, softly nodded and kept her head against her foster owner's shoulder. The last thing she could bring herself to do was make eye contact, it was just another relationship she cherished she'd have to watch slip away.

"U-uhm...y-yeah, I am. Is she here?" she answered with a question of her own. Katie gently bent down on her knees, placing that pup against the grass before petting her head. No one bothered to point it out, but they could all tell that the Border Collie wasn't the best liar, her anxiety-filled expression said everything. Not that they could blame her for being worried, it would've been more concerning if she wasn't.

"Yep, she's here," the girl answered. Audrey nervously nodded and scooted backward, wrapping her front legs around the Dalmatian's own. Her eyes darted around the yard, scanning for the person that she had never seen before in her life to come and take her away.

The life she knew was dangling in front of her, and the when second she made eye contact with the one who called herself her owner came, that string keeping everything intact would be cut. She forced herself to look past her own wants, and yet despite her effort, she only found her eyesight disappointing. It only added to the doubt poisoning her insides, the gut-wrenching anticipation to just move on already. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find anyone besides them.

"I-is she invisible?" The audible confusion in the pup's question caused the girl to giggle, and she only answered with a shake of the head. Audrey did a second quick glance around the yard, then a third, once again finding no one new. She felt like she was going to have a headache, first the constant stress and anxiety, and now her eyes were broken?

"Katie, don't mess with her, she's not in the mood, and she can't get too stressed out. Is her new owner here or not?" Marshall called out, almost irritated by how playful she was trying to be. The vet, however, never seemed to let her own mood die down. In fact, she almost smiled wider.

"Oh, she's here alright." The Dalmatian sighed, looking around himself. Of course, just as Audrey had stated, no one except for them was around. And she was clearly confused, looking up at him as if she was pleading for an answer. And while he wasn't able to give her one, he gently placed his leg around her to keep her from becoming any more stressed out than she already was.

"There's no one here except for us, and you're the only human." The girl raised her eyebrow at him, with a mischievous grin washing upon her face. The three of them looked at each other in confusion, this felt like some inside joke that they had missed out on, unless they really were completely oblivious to finding her new owner. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well..." Katie smiled and sat against the grass, her legs crossed as she patted her lap. Audrey, although still lost and confused, obliged and took her seat, only to receive light pets as the girl opened her mouth to continue.

"I may have gotten a bit too attached when I fostered her."

The pup let out a questioning hum as she carefully turned her head upwards towards the girl. She could tell that she was the center of the conversation, the star of the show, but that was about all she could pick up on. But when she turned to see her caretakers' expressions, who had their jaws against the floor in disbelief, all she was able to put together was that something important was going on.

"W-wait...so, you're...?" Everest trailed off, both of them blinking in shock. Their reactions only made Audrey more confused, seeing their dumbfound expressions. Her guardians' faces were enough to get her attention, though the tension was still weighing on her shoulders. At least, until a simpler explanation was handed to her.

"Yep, I'm her owner. But, ya know, I'm still busy and all that, and I'd hate to tear you guys apart. So, I was thinking she could just mostly live here with you guys, though she'd always be welcome at my place. How's that sound?" The youngest, now understanding what was going on, felt an immediate change of emotion.

She could feel her heart rising from the depths of her stomach and her cheeks glowing with warmth. The older two, meanwhile, couldn't say a word, only glancing at each other in shock. Their ears couldn't believe what they were hearing, and neither could their minds.

"Weally?! I get to stay with Mommy and Daddy?!" she exclaimed excitedly, leaping up and shoving her front legs against Katie's shoulders. This was a dream come true, every beg and plea was finally circling back around and paying off. She could see the chance for a loving family right in front of her shining, blue eyes, and this time it was within reach.

"It's all up to you guys. And even if not, you'll be staying with me, so you can see them any time you want." Once she had processed the news, she turned around and dug her paws into her new owner's legs, using them to launch herself off of her lap. She eagerly ran in front of her caretakers, with her tongue flopped out of her mouth and the biggest smile either of them had seen before plastered on her face.

"Can I? Can I?" she repeated endlessly, only stopping once the Dalmatian held his paw out. The two had to stop and think to even comprehend what they were hearing, much less figure out what to say. So much information was being shoved onto them at once, that it was impossible to take it as easily as the pup was. This was so sudden, and surely too good to be true.

"Katie, you're...kidding, right? T-this is just some crazy joke? Audrey isn't actually living with us...is she?" The pup stopped in her tracks, her head tilting as her tail slowed down and dipped towards the ground. All of her excitement disappeared with the snap of their fingers, the hesitation in their voice was nothing short of terrifying.

"Again, it's y'all's choice, not mine. I get that this is a big decision to make. Take all the time you need. " Despite the two remaining rather skeptical—this still felt like nothing more than some overly promising dream that they'd soon awake from—they turned to each other with the same thought. Even if this wasn't real, which neither of them believed it was, this was something at least conversation-worthy.

"Uhm...can we go to our puphouse to talk in private? We shouldn't take long," the husky spoke, the implications of being left alone while they talked scaring Audrey even more. She saw her new owner nod in acceptance, but she, however, was not on the same page as they were, causing her to reach out and grab the male's paw.

"B-but you said you'd let me stay if you could." The Dally sighed to himself, he wasn't wrong about what he had said, and he had no regrets in his words since it comforted her, but she really had no clue how much was being asked of them. While her worry and inability to understand why they weren't immediately jumping at the opportunity was reasonable, this was a permanent, life-changing decision they had to consider.

"I know, Princess, but Mommy and I have to talk about this. Just stay with Katie, we won't be long," he reassured her, licking her forehead. The Border Collie was hesitant, clearly not the biggest fan of their secrecy. But regardless, she slowly let go of him and scooted back to the girl, who quickly started up a conversation to keep her distracted.

The older two turned back to each other and quickly made their way back to their house, unable to make themselves look at the pup's face. Their paws shuffled against the grass, finally bringing them to their private safe space to recollect themselves. Marshall closed the door behind them, then turned back to face his mate in disbelief.

"What just happened?" she asked breathlessly, sitting down and leaning against the wall of the house as the physical support she needed. The Dally silently looked down at the cardboard box in the center, gazing down at all of the pup's belongings as he thought to himself. He knew there was an unlimited amount of paths that this could lead them down in the long run, everything about their daily lives would change with a simple yes or no answer.

"I-I can't believe this is even happening. What are we supposed to do? I mean...I'd love to have her here, but we both know that's a lot of responsibility." His answer was something he partially had to fight off, it was easier said than done to think with his head instead of his heart. He wanted this badly, more than anything he could think of, but he couldn't jump ahead without at least thinking of the side effects.

"I know, I-I wanna take care of her too, but we need to give it some thought. You know if we say yes, she's ours for life, it would crush her to let her stay just to go back to Katie's," Everest explained, though she was visibly trying to hold back a smile. Marshall nodded and sat next to her, resting his paw on her own and gently rubbing her fur.

"It would crush her to live at Katie's now. I'm glad it's her if not us, but either way, I'm not sure how Audrey's gonna handle it. She really needs someone to guide her through what she's going through, especially once she's older. I trust Katie almost as much as I do Ryder, but still, I just don't know," he stated in return. The husky quietly exhaled, raising her head as she firmly gripped the Dalmatian's wrist.

"Listen, I know that this is what she wants, and probably needs too, but we can't only think about her. Marshy, you know I love you, and I'm so proud of you for how far you've come, but we need to be certain that we're mentally stable enough for this. Whatever we do, we can't let our battles become hers as well," she countered, cracks filling her voice with the knowledge that she was fighting against what they both wanted.

"I don't know, Eve, I want to think that we're ready. I've wanted this since I was her age, and I think we've done fine raising her so far. She clearly brightens both of our moods, it might be what we all need. I'd say we do it, but I'm only on board if you are." Everest nodded solemnly, lowering her head and chucking to herself. Her expression easily caught him off guard, getting him to tilt his head in curiosity. "What?"

"Nothing. I just...never thought I'd actually get this far in a family, you know? After being with...him, I never thought I'd trust someone again, much less did I think I'd let myself get into another relationship. But now, here we are, about to raise a pup together. It's weird how things change," she explained, reminiscing on her earlier memories, both the good and the bad. Marshall felt an initial rush of sympathy for her, but that was until the entirety of her words were processed, creating a grin on his face as his eyes widened.

"Wait...so you're actually saying yes? Y-you really wanna raise her together?" he asked in shock. The husky smiled and leaned forward, cupping his cheeks against the insides of her paws. He could feel the sides of his face warming up, his tail wagging against the floor as puppy-like joy flew through his system.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying. Unless you change your mind, let's do it. I told you we would make that dream come true when the time felt right, and I think that time is now." The Dalmatian slowly grinned and leaned forward, wrapping his front legs around her and tightly squeezing her. She grinned to herself and returned the favor, letting his head rest against her shoulder.

His heart was racing circles inside his chest, and he wouldn't have had it any other way. The clumsy, lighthearted part of him was jumping in excitement, and it was only ever so often that part of him was able to show.

"I-I can't believe this is happening. Thank you." Everest patted his back before pulling him away, looking him dead in the eyes. He could've sworn he felt a few tears building up, and they might have escaped his eyes, but he didn't care enough to notice or stop them. His mind was only focused on the moment being presented to him.

"You don't have to thank me, I want this too. Now, let's go talk to our daughter, she's gonna want to hear the news." Still recovering from the overwhelming rush of emotions, Marshall planted his paws against the floor and turned to face the door. He took a deep breath and smiled to himself, now that all the worries of the previous days could be put behind him. With the official title now hung around his neck like a medal, he opened the door, almost instantly being bombarded.

"Daddyyy, you have to let me stay!" Audrey demanded, pouting while she forcefully planted her legs on the ground. Her eyebrows were scrunched together, accompanied by her sitting up straight as possible to appear taller. She wasn't exactly the best at making herself look serious, even if she felt like she was, but at the very least she was able to express how badly she wanted to persuade him.

"Princess, you're positive you want this, right? If you stay, that means you're gonna be here for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?" The pup, still attempting to appear pouty with him, nodded with confidence, letting out a hum of certainty.

"Mhm, I-I wanna stay with you and Mommy," she replied, gulping with the unclear answer given to her. Marshall glanced back at Everest, who gave him a gentle nod. This was up to him now, to bestow upon her what she had been waiting for. Even if it wasn't biological, this was what would finally make the moment official.

"O-okay, you can stay with us then, if that's what you want." Audrey's eyes began to shine as she jumped up, her tail becoming nothing more than a black and white blur. The excitement running through her took control of her body, resulting in her legs propped up against his shoulders as she licked his face.

"Weally?!" she exclaimed joyfully, eagerly looking between her two caretakers as she mercilessly attacked them both with her tongue. With what little ability to move their heads that she was allowing, the Dally managed a nod, which for all he could tell went completely unnoticed. In his final, desperate attempt for freedom, he wrapped his legs around her and gently pressed her against his shoulder. The pup whined happily, letting herself melt into the hug as she thought about everything that was happening.

By this point, there wasn't much she could bring herself to say, and that was assuming she was even able to find the right words. It felt like a warm blanket had been draped over her, keeping her safe, almost untouchable from the rest of the world she lived in. There was only one aspect of this moment that she couldn't wrap her head around, and that was the countless droplets of water falling from her eyes.

"D-Daddy, w-why am I cwying? I-I thought that was when you'we sad or huwt?" she asked breathlessly, quite clearly confused by what was happening to herself. The Dalmatian laughed softly and ran his paw against her face, wiping away the tears he felt trailing onto his fur.

"You don't only cry when you're sad or hurt, it can happen if you're really happy or excited too." The pup rubbed her eyes and nodded slowly, feeling herself calming down from the high rush of emotions. Without leaving the comfort of his hold, she carefully turned her head back and looked at Katie, waiting for some instructions on what to do next.

"What? Don't look at me, I'm not your Mom. You gotta talk to your parents." The girl winked at her, and the eye contact between them was enough to show understanding. Although, that didn't stop her from quickly bringing up a question as a cold breeze began drifting through the air. "Jeez, it's kinda cold, you guys wanna head inside?"

Of course, all Katie had done was drag the horrible curse onto them as well. None of them had noticed the weather up until they heard about it, and naturally, now it felt like their paws were about to freeze and break off. Regardless of the cause, it was enough to send them into the safety of the indoors.

Audrey had climbed onto the Dalmatian's back, playing with his fur with small bits of laughter pouring out of her mouth. This was easily the best mood they had seen her in since the night in the alleyway, and frankly, the same could be said for themselves. It all still felt like a crazy dream, one that they'd wake up from any second now.

Once the elevator door opened and the pup was given the opportunity, she climbed on top of the couch, loudly barking in hopes of grabbing the teams' attention for herself. As she had intended, the others—who had previously been doing their own things around the lookout—quickly came running, only to see her proudly standing above them on the back of the sofa.

"Oh, hey, Audrey. I guess you're leavin' soon?" Skye called out from the group. Before the pup could answer, Katie jumped onto the cushiony surface from the side, giving a quick wave. The rest of the team was a bit confused by her being here, but either way, they welcomed their friend. Ryder, who had been sitting next to her, glanced over and raised his eyebrow. Just as he hoped, she smiled and quickly nodded before they gave their undivided attention to the pup.

"Nuh-uh, guess what?" Audrey confidently asked, smirking at her aunt and uncles. Naturally, with her track record of having one of the wildest imaginations they had ever seen, they knew she could've been preparing them for anything, whether that be a sorrowful goodbye or whatever game she wanted to rope them into. Chase was the first to give her the curiosity she wanted, letting out a questioning hum in anticipation. "I'm living here with Mommy and Daddy!"

The others had to blink and quickly press the rewind buttons of their minds, just to double-check if they were just making it up by accident. It had been painfully obvious that she wanted to stay, but this was far from what they expected the solution to her worries to be. The question was just whether she was only trying to get out of leaving or not.

"W-wait, is she serious? She's actually staying here?" the German Shepherd finally asked, speaking as the singular voice among the team's confusion. Her parents jumped up below her, sitting themselves down against the comfort of the couch. Audrey remained above them, still sitting on the headrest of the sofa, but she glanced downwards and smiled as she waited for them to explain.

"Y-yeah, apparently. Katie's gonna adopt her, but she's living with us. I-if that doesn't bother you guys, that is," Marshall explained. And instead of having any answers of doubt or disapproval, the rest of the team silently glanced at each other before showering the pup in welcomings once she jumped off the couch. She received a tidal wave of high-fives, fist bumps, licks, and all the warm greetings she could ever dream of.

With a grin, the Border Collie glanced back at her parents, who were quickly pulled closer and given their own rush of congratulations. They certainly weren't expecting any praise or celebrations, but they wouldn't have been able to get away if they wanted to. The others were rather persistent when it came to showing their excitement.

"I told you they would love it," Katie muttered to Ryder, leaning away before anyone could catch onto them. The boy brought his eyes over to her and let out a small laugh, despite him never disagreeing with her. He could've sworn that this was the happiest he had seen the two in ages, now lost in the sea of praise with their new daughter. Everything had all gone according to plan.

The three of them had found their family, the step in their road to recovery that they never knew they needed.