Puppy Love

Author's Note- I think I've kept you guys depressed enough. Now it's time for a happy story! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Busta, you do not have to go out again!" Chris whined, seeing Busta sitting at the door of the bus and looking out into the dark and rain.

The little dog whined and wagged his tail as he waiting for someone to let him out. Chris groaned and looked at his clock before getting up. It was blinking 12:00. "Damn storm," he mumbled, walking through the dark. The rest if the guys were still sleeping through the loud rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning. "Shit!" Chris cursed, stubbing his toe on the corner of a table. A flash of lightning showed him the correct way to the door, and he continued safely. "This is the last time," Chris mumbled, turning on the small outside light. "Hurry up," he added, opening the door. "What the-" he started, looking down at the small figure in the doorway.

There, huddled in the doorway, sat a small, brown dog.

She looked up at Chris and wagged her tail. Chris stood there for a minute, stunned. He glanced back to make sure the others were still sleeping, then whispered, "Come on, get in here!"

He patted his leg and the dog wearily trotted in, wagging her long tail. Chris shut the door and examined the dog. She was small, but two and a half times bigger than Busta. He figured she weighed about fifty pounds, and she had long, red-brown fur. Her eyes were a soft brown color. She was soaking wet, and Chris noticed how fat she was. "Hold on, I'll dry you off," Chris whispered to the newcomer. He turned on a small lamp that sat on the table as Busta and the dog greeted each other. Chris grabbed the nearest shirt, which happened to be baby blue, and sat down in front of the dog. He gently started to dry her off, and she licked his chin in return. As he dried her off, he felt her stomach and realized she was pregnant.

~>~>~>~>~>~>

Thankfully, the alarm clock had a battery back up. It went off exactly at 5:30am, and J.C. was the first one to lazily throw his pillow at it.

"Is it me, or does that thing get earlier every day?" Lance yelled from his bunk.

He was answered by tired groans from the others as they slowly rolled out of bed. They each began gathering their clothes and heading for the shower or to get breakfast and watch TV.

"Get up Chris," Justin said, smacking Chris on the head as he walked by. "Get up Busta," he added, tapping Busta, who lay beside Chris. "Get up, dog," Justin continued, tapping the brown dog that lay at Chris's feet. He continued on and got his Apple Jacks, then sat down on the couch with the box. J.C. was in the shower, so Justin, Lance, and Joey sat watching cartoons with their breakfast.

After a few minutes they snapped their heads up and at each other. "Dog?!" they all questioned. Lance and Joey shot up and ran back to Chris's bunk, Justin trailing behind.

"Get up!" Joey said, slapping Chris as Lance petted the new dog.

"What?" Chris mumbled, turning his back to them.

"What's this dog doing here?" Joey asked, petting the dog. She still lay on Chris's feet and wagged her tail at the attention. Lance and Joey ran their fingers through her long, silky light brown fur.

"Don't touch me," Chris mumbled.

"Move," Justin told Joey. Then he threw a handful of AppleJacks at Chris, and the dogs jumped up and gobbled them down, licking Chris clean.

"Ew! God, Justin, you're dead!" Chris yelled from under 70 lbs. of wriggling dog.

The guys cracked up as Chris was buried in dog. He managed to roll out from under them, landing on the floor with a thud.

"What was that?" J.C. yelled from the bathroom. He came out; still dripping wet and with a white towel wrapped around his waist. He saw the new dog and exclaimed, "What is that?"

"That's what we're gonna find out," Lance replied, watching as Chris picked himself up and sat on his bunk in between the two dogs.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 1

Pt.2

"Guys, this dog came to me last night and she doesn't have a home. Even worse, she's pregnant."

"NO! Stop right there! We're not keeping it!" J.C. started, going back in the bathroom.

Chris started petting her, and she nuzzled him, blowing on his neck. He put on his puppy face and looked at the others.

"Oh, there he goes," Justin said through a mouth of AppleJacks. "I like her, but I gotta go with J.C. on this one. We can't keep this big of a dog, and puppies, on this bus. Sorry man."

Chris kept his puppy face on and looked at Joey.

"No, no, no. Don't even look at me. I would if I could, but you can't," Joey said, backing up.

Chris then turned to Lance, but he had already slipped away. "Guys," he whined. "She's pregnant! I'm not gonna turn her back out in the streets!"

"You don't have to," J.C. yelled form the bathroom. "Give her to a vet."

"But they'll put her to sleep!" Chris replied, getting up and heading to the refrigerator.

"Then you figure something out," J.C. answered.

"Fine. I will. I'll stay here all day until I find her a good home," Chris said, finding some old tacos in the fridge.

Joey, Lance, and Justin watched Chris as he unwrapped the tacos, smelled them, picked off the mold, and set one on a plate for himself, and split the other one in half and gave it to the dogs.

Then Chris grabbed his plate and sat down beside Justin. The others watched with amazement as he ate the old, cold taco.

"Is that good?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Chris asked as he munched.

"Never mind," Joey said, rolling his eyes.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Justin said, moving away from Chris.

"What?" Chris asked, looking around, trying to see what the others were staring at.

"Shower's free," J.C. announced, coming out of the bathroom fully dressed.

"I'm next!" Joey and Justin yelled at the same time. They stared at each other, and then Joey challenged, "I'll fight ya for it."

"You're on!" Justin replied, setting down his AppleJacks.

"Okay, let's go," Joey said, motioning to the door.

"Justin stepped out into the damp morning air, followed by Joey, who grabbed a basket ball on his way.

Lance looked at Chris, who said, "Go ahead. We'll both have plenty of time by the time they're done."

Lance grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom, laughing.

"So you're not going with us then?" J.C. asked, looking through the refrigerator for something to eat.

"No, I gotta figure out what to do with her," Chris replied, finishing his taco.

J.C. shut the door and turned around. "What happened to those tacos that were in here?"

"I ate them," Chris replied simply. He held his plate down to let the dogs lick it clean.

"You ate- but those were in here for three weeks!" J.C. exclaimed.

"Was it?" Chris asked, watching the dogs.

"I swear," J.C. started, opening the fridge again. "Your stomach must be made of steel. Nothing makes you sick."

"I am invincible," Chris teased, getting up and laying the plate next to the sink. Then he went back to the couch and lay down, turning the cartoons back on. The new dog came over and laid her head on Chris's chest, looking at him with expressive brown eyes. "Hey, J.C., look at this," Chris called to J.C., who still had his head in the refrigerator.

J.C. turned around, pulling out a slice of pizza. He threw it on the plate Chris just set down and took it over to where Chris was laying. "What?" he asked, taking a bite of pizza.

"I think she loves me," Chris replied, smiling as he petted her soft head.

"She is kinda cute," J.C. agreed, kneeling down next to her. "She's pregnant, you say?" he asked, felling her stomach.

"Yeah, that or she's really fat," Chris replied, with a hint of annoyance.

"Haha. Hey- I can feel the puppies!" J.C. exclaimed.

"I know. It's because she has no fat," Chris replied, watching J.C. continue to eat off the plate the dogs licked.

When J.C.'s touching became too uncomfortable for her, she jumped on Chris and lay down, curled up on his stomach.

"She doesn't like you," Chris announced, gently petting the dog.

"That's though," J.C. replied. "That's why she can't stay."

Chris came close to telling J.C. off, but instead said, "I know." He didn't know why he had such strong feelings for this dog, but she was special. Chris turned his head and looked out the window to hide the tears that were forming. Suddenly, he had an idea.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt 2

Pt.3

"When we come back, that dog better be gone," J.C. said as the guys headed out.

"Okay, whatever," Chris said, practically shoving the guys out the door. "Bye!" he called after them, closing the door. "Now, time to work," he said to his canine companions.

They sat and watched him curiously as he took out all the drawers that were under his bunk and dumped them out. The new dog lay down on her side and whined softly.

Chris froze as a feeling of dread rose up. "What's wrong?" he asked her, going over and kneeling next to her. She raised her tail slightly in an attempt to wag it and didn't even move her head as she looked at him.

When she whined again, Chris believed his feeling to be true; she was having her puppies.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Chris had made the dog's bed under his bunk by taking out all the cardboard drawers and emptying them into the closet. Then he cut the fronts off and glued them together, forming a removable wall to the space under his bunk. Inside, he placed some towels and old shirts for her to lie on. Busta lay on Chris's bed and watched curiously. Chris decided to name the dog Hope, because she had trusted him with her puppies.

Chris was scared out of his mind. He had no idea what to do. While he was making her bed, he had put in the movie, '101 Dalmatians' and watched the delivery part over and over again. He got some boiling water, although he had no idea what it was for. He still had a couple hours before the guys came back, but he hadn't planned on the puppies being born yet. He planned on having Hope stay under his bunk without being noticed, but not the puppies too.

He gave a frustrated sigh as he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. He sat petting Hope's silky head, and she started to whine again. Chris's eyes wandered to her back end, and he saw the first blood-covered pup.

Then he fainted.

~>~>~>~>~>

End pt.3

Pt.4

Chris slowly came to, and he carefully sat up, confused. He was slightly dizzy as he looked around, trying to figure out what happened. Everything hit him full force when he saw Hope, and seven nursing puppies.

"Hope?" Chris asked.

The dog was lying on her side, completely still as Chris came over to her. His heart began racing as he started to pet her, getting no response. Then he pushed one of her front legs, then blew on her face.

Nothing.

Chris's heart grew heavy and he got a sick feeling as he silently started to cry.

She was dead.

Tears blinded Chris as he bent over her and gave her one last hug. Slowly and regretfully, Chris turned his attention to the seven tiny newborns. Their eyes were still closed as they piled on top of each other to eat. They were specked white and brown; each one differently marked.

He watched the puppies nurse as he tried to pull himself together. The rest of the guys would be back any minute and he was stuck crying over a dead dog and her tiny puppies.

One by one, the puppies finished eating and dragged themselves into a pile, nestled down in the bloody towels. Chris grabbed his jacket and numbly picked himself up. He laid the jacket on the floor and carefully placed Hope on the jacket and wrapped her up. The puppies were sound asleep, and he replaced the cover on the hide-away bed before taking Hope out to the second rental car.

He drove to the nearest vet and explained what happened. The vet told him he had done everything he could, and that Hope had died from being so malnourished and not being able to stop bleeding. The vet said he would cremate her for free, and gave Chris some puppy formula and explained how to care for them.

Chris left the vet's office feeling a little better, and nervous about having to take care of the pups. He debated on whether or not to tell the other guys, and soon decided against it.

When he got back to the bus, the others hadn't arrived yet and he ran inside to check on the pups. Chris tossed his jacket on the table and joined Busta, who was staring at the fake wall with interest.

"Hey buddy," Chris said, petting Busta and taking the wall down. "Guess you're the dad now. Will you help me take care of these little guys?" Chris asked.

Busta licked Chris's hand, then ran into the puppy's bed and began checking each one.

Chris marveled at how tiny the puppies were. He could easily fit three of their warm bodies on one hand. With a warm heart, he watched them weakly and blindly crawl around.

The slamming of a car door broke his attention. "Shit," he muttered, putting the wall back on the puppy bed. He sat down on the sofa just as the guys boarded the bus. Chris turned on the TV and pretended to be involved.

"What are you doing?" Lance asked, looking at a nervous Chris.

"I'm watchin' TV," Chris replied, glancing at the others.

"Really?" Joey asked suspiciously. "What are you watching?"

"I-"

"What's this?" J.C. asked, holding up the bag of supplies that the vet gave Chris.

"It's nothing," Chris said, jumping up.

"Oooh, I think it's something," Joey teased as Chris headed towards J.C.

"Come on, give it back," Chris whined, holding out his hand.

J.C. tossed the bag to Joey as Chris pounced on him, knocking them down.

As Chris and J.C. untangled themselves, Joey looked in the bag and cracked up.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt.4

Pt.5

"May I ask what you're doing with a bottle and a can of milk?" Joey asked, laughing.

"Chris, is there something you need to tell us?" Lance asked, cracking up.

Then J.C. grew serious and asked, "You're not a father, are you?"

"No- I, uh…" Chris started, not sure what to say.

"Oh my God. Christopher- I…" J.C. stuttered, sitting down before his legs gave out on him.

"I can't believe it!" Justin exclaimed. "You're the one always telling us to wait!"

"Guys-" Chris started.

"Do we know her?" J.C. asked, holding his head in his hands.

Giving in, Chris said, "Yeah, but she's gone now."

"Oh, man. What a bitch. Did you get to see the baby before she left you?" Joey asked, rubbing Chris's shoulder.

"Yeah I saw them," Chris said, instantly regretting it when he saw the shock on their faces.

"Them? You have twins?" Justin exclaimed.

"How long have you been hiding this from us?" Lance asked.

"I-" Chris started.

"It this gets out…"J.C. interrupted.

"It won't," Chris assured them.

They sat in stunned in silence, until Justin finally spoke up. "Where's Busta?"

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Chris looked around and realized he must have put Busta in with the puppies.

"Here Busta!" Joey called while they all started searching the bus.

Chris watched the secret door, praying Busta wouldn't break it down. Then Chris saw a little black nose poke out under a corner, glistening in the light. "Uh, why don't you guys go outside and look for him?" Chris said, jumping up. He sat on his bunk and kicked the wall back on.

The others gave him a look that they would have given a be-headed chicken. "I guess it's a father thing," Joey whispered to Justin.

The guys left, shaking their heads and confused. Outside, they spread out and began calling for Busta.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Inside, Chris ran and locked the door behind them. Then he grabbed the milk and bottle and went back to the puppies. He took down the wall and sure enough, Busta ran out. The puppies were crying pitifully and blindly looking for their mother. "I know, I know. You guys are hungry. Hold on, I'll get you some food." Chris began to read the directions on the milk, when a little ball of light brown/blonde fur ran into him, and began crying when it realized it was by itself. Its tiny ears flopped as it bit the air, trying to find it's mother's milk.

Chris laughed as he thought of the perfect name for the little guy.

He named it Nick.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt.5

Pt.6

"Well this sucks," Justin said, shivering in the cold night air.

"It's his dog, let him look for it," J.C. agreed, walking back to the bus.

They walked up to the door, but when they tried it, it was locked. "What the-?" J.C. exclaimed, trying the door again.

"That stupid son of a-" Justin muttered, his teeth rattling as he shivered.

"Chris!" Joey yelled. Then he got an idea and walked around the side of the bus. "Hey Justin, come here!" he called.

Justin hugged himself as he walked over to Joey. "What?" he asked.

Joey moved under one of the bus windows, then bent down and cupped his hands. "Step up here and get his attention."

J.C. and Lance joined them as Justin peeked in the window. He sighed as he watched Chris microwaving the milk. After a few seconds, Chris took it out and tested it on his arm. "The poor guy," Justin said, his breath fogging up the window. "He's making a bottle of milk."

"Oh, man, this is worse than I thought. We're gonna have to get him some physiological help to get over this," J.C. groaned.

"How could someone take his first born children like that? If I ever see her, I'll-"

Justin interrupted Joey as he whispered, "Crap!" and jumped down.

"Did he see you?" Lance asked.

"I don't think so. We better give him some time alone though," Justin replied.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Chris took the milk back to the puppies. He sat down and held the bottle out in front of the closest puppy. It found the bottle and began sucking on it happily. Chris couldn't tell if it was a male or female, but when he looked under it, he found a tiny bulge, bigger than the rest of the puppies. The little male was all white except for brown markings on the tip of it's tail, and some that resembled a small goatee on its face. Chris experimentally took the bottle away, and the puppy gave a pitiful, tiny growl. Chris laughed, and as he gave the bottle back, named the puppy A.J.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

After half an hour, the puppies were finally done eating. There were five males, and only two girls, one of which he named Trust, in memory of Hope. The other female was the runt of the litter, and she was a tad bit strange. Several times, she would repeatedly run into walls, and get so lost she would cry until Chris moved her. She spent a lot of time licking herself and cuddled next to Nick. Chris named her Britney.

Next came Brian, a handsome little male puppy, beautifully marked with brown and white marbleized spots. His fur was slightly wavy, even though it was so short. Brian was nice to all his brothers and sisters, and had a shorter nose than the rest of the puppies. Then came a smaller male, who was totally brown. Often, he would lick the other males when they were piled together. Chris named this one Howie.

Finally, came the shyest puppy. The puppy's dark brown fur stood straight up on its head, and it had gentle greensih-grey eyes. The bottom of its lips were black, and so was a spot on the bottom of its chin. Chris named this pup Kevin.

Chris suddenly realized the rest of the guys were still outside, and ran to let them in. When they came in, they were half-frozen and unusually nice to Chris.

"You feeling okay, man?" Justin chattered.

"I'm fine," Chris replied, confused.

"You want to order tacos or something?" Joey asked.

"No…I'm not hungry," Chris said, eyeing each of them.

"Okay, we'll be right here if you need anything, or just want to talk," J.C. said as they sat down in front of the TV.

Extremely confused and tired from his day, Chris just sighed, then lay down on his bunk and fell asleep.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt.6

Pt.7

The next morning, Chris woke up first. He heard a ripping sound before he even opened his eyes. Busta, who always slept beside Chris, began licking Chris's face to wake him up. Chris pushed Busta away and rubbed off the slobber. Then he looked around and gasped at what he saw.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

He numbly got out of bed, stepping on the fallen wall he had made. All over the room lay torn clothing and shredded paper. Sitting right in the middle of it all, was A.J., his eyes now open. Kevin and Trust were sleeping, curled up next to each other. Howie was chasing Nick around, in their weak, stumbling puppy way. Brian was chewing a piece of torn shirt, and began wagging his tail furiously when he saw Chris.

Chris sighed, and yanked one of his braids, hoping to wake up. Instead, he was left with a sore spot on his head. The puppies looked at Chris expectantly, wanting him to join them. Kevin and Trust woke up and wobbly trotted over to Chris, sitting before him and looking up with innocent eyes. Suddenly, A.J. ran for Kevin, and knocked the puppy down. They started giving little puppy squeaks and yelps as they rolled over each other, playing.

Chris bent down and picked up Trust, looking her in the eyes. Then he realized he couldn't be mad at the tiny ball of fur and he smiled, petting its head. "Come on, we'll get some breakfast," he whispered, not waking the others.

~>~>~>~>~>~>

The warm sun shone through the bus as Chris got to work. He could only salvage three of the fifteen shirts, which he wondered how they even chewed them, having no teeth. He picked up the paper and put it into a trash bag, along with the ruined shirts. The puppies lapped the milk from a bowl as Chris fixed the wall under his bunk. He added two locks, and kept the keys on a necklace he would never take off. He started to the bathroom, and found Britney, cocking her head as she looked in the full-length mirror. She then started to lick the mirror, until Chris picked her up and put her with the others.

Once he had cleaned up himself and the bus, he headed out into the warm morning air, the seven puppies trailing behind him. While he waited for all the puppies to go to the bathroom, he glanced at his watch. It was 8:30, and the others usually woke up at 9:00. He turned his attention back to the puppies, and watched them wobble through the grass. They were getting stronger by the minute, and Chris could almost see them growing. Brittany sat beside Chris, not wanting to get her feet wet by the morning dew that shimmered on the grass. The puppies were too short to be seen they were only located by the trail they made through the grass.

Chris grew concerned as he watched Nick squatting as he urinated. "No, no, no. You gotta lift your leg!" Chris shouted. "Here, let me show you." Chris went over next to the puppy, who looked at Chris with amusement. Chris got down on all fours and lifted his leg. "Like this," he said, showing the puppy the right way.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Justin yawned as he woke up. He thought he had heard something outside, and he stretched, revealing his toned abs. He rolled over into the sun and blinked. He pushed himself up and looked out the window, the covers dropping further, showing his boxers. "I must be dreaming," he said out loud, looking out the window. Outside, he saw Chris on all fours lifting his leg like a dog. He rubbed his eyes, and looked out the window again.

Still there.

"Oh, man, he's totally lost it," Justin said, a little louder. He sat spellbound, watching Chris, until the alarm clock went off, pushing him back into reality.

Justin turned to the others as they woke up, eager to show them the scene outside.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt.7

Pt.8

Chris gave up with trying to teach Nick how to pee like a 'man', when he heard the alarm clock go off in the bus. He glanced at his watch, reading the time 8:35. "They must have set it for earlier today," Chris told the puppies as he started to get up. He felt a tug on the back of his head, and turned to see A.J. attempting to pull out an extension.

He shook the annoying puppy loose, then stood up, trying to come up with a way to get the puppies back inside. As he desperately looked around, he noticed the others were watching him through a bus window.

He gave an embarrassed smile as the others tried to make something out of his behavior. "What?" he asked, gently stepping on A.J. to hold him down as he tried to eat Chris's jeans.

The others shook their heads sympathetically before they turned away. When he made sure they weren't looking, Chris got his bearings on all the puppies. Trust and Kevin lay at his feet, while the others lay on their bellies, eating grass. Britney sat royally under the bus, licking her feet to clean them. "What am I gonna do with all you?" Chris asked, looking around for a place to stash the puppies. His eyes fell on the second rental car; the one no one else would drive because it was lime green. Chris felt a little hurt by the gestures, as he picked out the car. "Well, you guys would be safe in there, for a little while anyway," Chris said, gathering the puppies in his arms.

The puppies wriggled in his arms as he carried them over to the car. He balanced the puppies as he opened the door, then placed the puppies on the driver's seat.

They looked up at him with sad brown eyes, sensing he was leaving them. "You guys stay here. I'll be back soon," he said, then shut the door and headed for the bus. When he stepped inside, the guys stopped what they were doing and looked at Chris sympathetically.

"So what were you doing outside?" Lance asked casually.

Chris thought for a moment, open-mouthed. "I, uh, was looking- no, I was checking the air in the tires,"" he stuttered.

"Out in the grass?" Joey questioned, not looking up from his cereal bowl.

Chris started to blush as he lied, "Yeah, well, I uh, dropped the gauge and it blew in the grass, and I was getting it.

"It blew? I thought they were metal," Justin asked.

"It's a strong wind," Chris replied.

"Doesn't look windy to me," Lance replied, looking out the window.

Chris grew redder as he argued, "Weirder stuff has happened."

"So where is it?" J.C. asked.

"What?" Chris replied.

"The tire gauge," J.C. said flatly.

"In my pants," Chris shot back.

"Oh. Okay."

A horn honking outside broke the silence. The guys raced Chris to the window, and won.

"Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is your car's horn honking?"

~>~>~>~>~>~>

End part 8

pt 9

Chris moved to the window a few feet away and looked out. From there he could see one of the puppies standing on its hind legs, trying to see out. Luckily, he was still too short to be seen by the others. "Uh, it's the alarm," Chris replied finally.

"What set it off?" Joey asked, looking around outside.

"Rabbit."

"Rabbit? I don't see one."

"It ran off."

"How'd it set off the alarm? Don't you have to try to break in?"

"It ran into the side of the car."

"That hard?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

Chris left it at that, and headed over to the refrigerator to scrounge for breakfast. While the others knew Chris was lying, Joey remained at the window, looking for the rabbit.

After finding nothing in the refrigerator, Chris moved to the cabinet, and pulled out a can of ravioli. He pulled out the can opener, opened the can, then got a spoon and dumped the ravioli into a bowl. He ignored the staring eyes that followed him as he sat on the couch and began eating.

"Okay, well I'm gonna get a shower now," Justin said, taking a deep breath.

"Lucky," J.C. mumbled. "Hurry up. If this keeps up, I may get sick."

"Hey, I don't have to listen to this. I'll just go outside," Chris huffed, getting up and carrying his bowl outside.

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