Bolt opened his eyes to a loud thud. He shot up, ears erect. As soon as the sound came it was gone; the loud bang being replaced with a high frequency ringing in his ears. He felt dazed, almost drunk if he didn't know any better. His surrondings were seemingly normal; nothing out of the ordinary. The same house he and Penny resided in. The same bed he slept on in the corner, and the same Rhino across the room, in a deep slumber, talking giberish in his sleep.

Not realizing it at first, but Bolt felt out of place, almost like he wasn't really in the room; He felt like an outsider looking in on his own reality. The normally bright blue walls that lined the inside of the room seemed dull. Bolt didnt know what but something didn't sit well with him; Possibly the fight that insued between him and Rhino lastnight. But even that didn't seem like an acceptable answer.

'What time is it?' Bolt thought looking around for a clock.

He crept into the kitchen taking care not to wake his roomates. He made it into the kitchen accepting to see the clock on the wall, but it was nowhere to be found. As if someone had moved it from it's normal spot.

Chills ran down Bolt's back and he felt almost nauseous.

'I must be dreaming '

He ventured deeper into the apartment sniffing around for trouble. He passed Both Penny's room and Ms. Foresters. He continued his search for something out of place, or a possible intruder. Anything to signify his growing suspicions that something was wrong.

Before long he found himself in the laundry room. He sniffed around finding no new scents, but rather the normal ones. Dirty laundry, the strong smell of flowery detergent filled his nose. But among them was Mitten's own scent causing Bolt's ears to droop as he took deep breaths of her scent.

"Im sorry Mittens." He mumbled tearing up.

"When are you going to stop blaming yourself Bolt?"

Bolt froze in his tracks, he spun around finding the doorway of the room; empty. He must have been hearing things.

"Up here wags."

Bolt nervously looked up to see his best freind sitting atop of the dryer, the only vibrant thing among the dull enviornment.

"Whats wrong cat got your tongue?"

Bolt was in a word, discombobulated. Trying to make sense of the information his eyes were sending to his brain. Working overdrive to comprehend if what he saw was truly their.

"Mittens...how? What...why are you here?"

She mearly chuckled at the bewildered dog she oh so loved, and hopped down from her resting place to meet his gaze.

"I'm here for you, to help you move on." She siad sweetly.

"Mittens.. your dead." Bold stuttered still at a total loss of what was happening infront of him. Before he knew it he was on the floor bawling like a lost puppy. "It's my fault this happend to you." He said but was instantly struck by a paw across his muzzle.

"This is why I'm here Bolt, to get this through your thick head." Her expression changing in an instant from sympathetic to angry once those words left the weaping dogs mouth. "What happend to me is done Bolt, it happened and you need to come to terms with the fact that you couldn't have done anything to change that."

This was alot for Bolt to take in as he composed himself, his full attention now on the cat at his paws. "But.."

"And now your letting what happened hurt the people around you, Penny has been loosing sleep because of you and I won't even mention Rhino." Her tone becoming more disapproving. "He's trying to help you Bolt..they both are, but they can't if you shut everyone out."

She placed a paw on his cheek, looking into his eyes. Her own eyes sparkling with light. Bolt held her paw against his cheek with his own as more tears slid down his muzzle.

"How can I not feel responsible, if it's not my fault then why did this happen?" he chocked out still holding onto the pain he felt.

"Sometiems bad things happen to good people, but it happened for a reason, but before you can find the reason why, you need to let go of the guilt you wrongly hold onto, it will do nothing but tear you apart. Can you do that for me?"

Bolt slowly nodded as he embraced her in the last hug they would share, taking in her calming scent, feeling her soft fur against his own, dreading the idea of ever letting go.

"But why you?" He whispered holding her tighter in his arms.

"It is not my place to tell you Bolt, you'll have to take it up with the Man upstairs."

Bolt nodded once again as he finally let everything he felt release from him in one last fit of tears. Mittens gently stroking his head and ear while he grieved for what she hoped would be the last time.

"Remember Bolt, I will be always be with you, wherever you go." Mittens said hugging Bolt with all her might before she let go, smiling to him as she wiped the last of the tears from his eyes. "No more tears my brave puppy, the time for that has passed, now is the time to live your life to the fullest, for the both of us." She purred looking into Bolt's eyes, watching as he closed them, a look of determination etched into his face.

"Ok... I-I will do my best.. I promise." He said opening his eyes, to find Mittens gone. Her words were still echoing in his head, up until he closed his eyes again and drifted away to sleep. For the first time in a long time, unafraid of what awaited him in his dreams.

"Bolt wake up! hey wake up." Rhino yelled shaking the white dog awake.

"Rhino..ugh.. What time is it?" He asked groggily rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"It's time to wake up , breakfast is ready." he said turning to go find his bowl. He was quickly lifted off his paws and embraced tightly.

"Im sorry about lastnight Rhino.. For everything, I shouldnt have.." Bolt tried to finish but was cut off.

"Its okay Bolt, thats what friends do. we forgive eachother and more importantly, we are their for eachother." He finished.

Bolt grinned widly and placed the hampster down and let him breath properly again.

For the first time in awhile, he didn't feel a pit of endless guilt or pain when he now thought of Mittens, but peace and love in his heart and hope in his eyes once again.

Rhino smiled back before looking passed Bolt, perplexed.

"Why were you sleeping in the laundry room anyways?"

A.N: Thats a wrap , Thankyou for those of you that stuck with the story until the end. I am much happier with how this finished than how I left it before and I hope you all liked the changes I made. Let me know what you guys thought of it. Until next time

Warriorpup out.