Ever since Dodger and the gang had left Oliver with his owner, something had changed in Dodger. He was silent and kept to himself more, going out and not coming back till days later at a time. It was worrying everybody in the gang. Especially Rita.

She curled up on the couch of the gang's small room and watched the fuzzy TV before hearing the familiar footsteps of Dodger entering the room after one of his many late nights out. "Dodge?" Rita asked, her voice soft. The other dogs were sleeping due to it being nearly midnight so it left only Dodger and Rita.

"Hey, Rita. How's it going?" he asked, glancing at her with a cocky smirk on his furry face.

Rita frowned and hopped down from the couch, deciding it was time to end Dodger's antics. If he wasn't careful, he could be caught by Animal Control. Or worse…killed. "Where were you?"

"Out, sweet cheeks." He said, moving around her and lapping up some water in the dog bowl. "Why?"

"No one's seen you in five days. We were worried something happened." Rita said, watching him. Though she'd never admit it, Rita had always liked Dodger. They had a special bond she didn't share with the others and she was worried something had truly happened to Dodger and he refused to talk about it.

"Well, I'm here. No need to worry." He said, hopping onto the couch and curling up, yawning.

"Yes, need to worry. You know, ever since we left Oliver with his owner, you've been acting…different."

Dodger frowned and lifted his head up, looking at Rita. "No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have!" she insisted, trying to keep her voice down so she wouldn't wake the others up. But it was quickly becoming difficult. "You've been more distant than usual, gone for days at a time, and you're worrying everybody here. Your change has been obvious."

"Sorry, princess," Dodger said, knowing she hated that title, "But I got things to do. Places to be, dogs to see." He leaped off the couch and landed in front of her. "That gonna be a problem?"

"Maybe it is." She said, eyes narrowing. The two faced each other, waiting for the other to make a move. After a few minutes, Rita sighed, her shoulders sagging as she shook her head. "Just tell me what changed. What happened?"

Dodger frowned and walked around her, purposefully knocking her to the side as she turned towards him. "Nothing changed. Nothing happened. I have to go. Tell the others I'll be back in a couple of days. Later, princess." He said, a sudden bitterness to his voice. Rita looked away from him, closing her eyes as she heard his paws going up the stairs. She shook her head, knowing he wouldn't be back for at least a week. What was going on with him?

Dodger walked the streets of New York, enjoying the dim lights of the streetlights and crowds around him. New York truly was the city that never slept. But what was Rita's problem, confronting him like that? Nothing was different. The little kid just had made him grow soft and he was trying to toughen up. That's all.

Seeing Oliver with his family bugged Dodger. But he didn't know why. Oliver was happy, that's what mattered. But Dodger wasn't…He growled softly, frustrated with the situation as he kept his head to the ground, walking around. "The kid had a family before her…Before Jenny. We were his family." He muttered before stopping, accidentally bumping into a person behind him who proceeded to kick him to the side. Not paying any attention to the human, he mentally hit himself. Of course! He had grown so attached to the kid that it stung that he left! Was that it?

For some reason…that didn't feel like the only reason…

"Ah!" Dodger froze when he heard the scream, looking up. Who was that? They sounded almost familiar… Running through the crowd, he tried to follow where he heard the scream, looking around fervently. "Help! Somebody!" Dodger froze. Again, that voice! Dodger looked to the left, across the street and quickly jumped onto a taxi, ignoring the shouts before jumping across two more cars and onto the side walk on the other side. Why was no one doing anything about that scream?

Running down the street, he barely saw a girl fighting a man at least twice her size. She was struggling as much as she could, but he obviously had the upper hand. That cat really had made Dodger soft…helping some random kid. Dodger slowed slightly, hiding behind a motorcycle as she was pulled into an ally. For a mere second she was able to get away and ran only for the attacker to grab her arm, spin her around and punch her jaw. "Come on, girl. Let's have some fun." The man said and, even from where he was hiding, Dodger could smell the familiar stench of too much alcohol. But then, another smell wafted through his nostrils. Lilacs…How did he know that smell?

Running after the girl and her attacker, he turned onto the ally to see the man had her pinned up against the wall and was reaching to rip off her shirt. For some reason, a sudden protectiveness filled Dodger and he growled, running towards the man and biting his leg as hard as he could. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. "Why you-!" the man shouted, spinning around and dropping the girl. Dodger growled, releasing the man's leg and jumping back as he swung, trying to hit Dodger. Turning, Dodger jumped onto a trashcan, leaped, and shoved his paws against the attacker's chest, sending him into the wall and into a pile of trash. Dodger barked and growled, landing on all fours as he bared his teeth, ready to attack again. But no move came from the attacker…

Dodger watched him, his form tense until he felt a hand on his back. He turned quickly to see the girl was kneeling beside him, tears in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks. Bruises marred her face and arms where the man had grabbed and hit her. Dodger instantly relaxed, worried about the girl. Stepping forward, he licked her cheek and felt the salty tears on his tongue. Why was he being so thoughtful? "You're such a sweet dog." She said with a soft voice. Dodger froze. He recognized that voice.

Brushing his snout against her hand, he relaxed when she ran her fingers through his fur, scratching behind his ear. His tail wagged and he smiled slightly before looking up at her as the moonlight shined down, revealing her face. The right side of her jaw was already forming an ugly blue and purple bruise and her lip was busted along with a bruise above her left eye. But those eyes…a deep, fathomless bright blue that seemed so familiar. Tilting his head to the side, he noticed how she tucked her black hair behind her left ear and his eyes widened as he finally remembered.

Alexa.

-Three Years Ago-

A younger, happier Dodger chased around his owner as she laughed. "Alright, alright, boy. Calm down." She reached into her bag and pulled out a bright red bandana. "Sit." She instructed. Dodger obediently sat down as she kneeled in front of him, her bright blue eyes filled with happiness as she tied the bandana around his neck. "Good boy!" Alexa said, kissing the top of his head. "That looks awesome on you."

"Thanks, kid." He said, smiling as he nuzzled her neck. Dodger had only been talking to Alexa for a short time now, but he absolutely loved her and couldn't help but share his secret with her. Hugging him, Alexa smiled and patted his head.

"You better behave while I'm gone. Momma and Dad said they'd take good care of you."

"Why do you have to go?" Dodger said, not wanting her to leave. Even though her parents were the ones who got Dodger, they never truly loved him. Not as much as Alexa did.

"If I get into this college, then it'll be just you and me. No parents. We'll take on the world together." She said, smiling at him apologetically. "But I can't take you with me right now. That's too much stress on you; I'll be driving almost the whole time to get to SCAD. That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, does it?"

"No, but-"

"I promise you, I'll be back in two weeks. Just two weeks, okay?" she promised. Dodger sighed, but knew he couldn't say no to Alexa. He never wanted to upset her.

"Alright, kid. Two weeks."

-Present Time-

Dodger tackled Alexa to the ground and she yelped in surprise as he licked her face. She laughed before sitting up. "What has gotten into-" Her eyes widened in recognition. "Dodger?!"

"It's me, kid." He said, grinning as he licked her cheek. But then he remembered. It's been three years…three years. He backed off of her and sat down. "Where have you been?"

Alexa looked down at him and frowned slightly. "I came back as soon as I could, Dodge. But by the time I got there, you weren't there. Dad said you had run away…" she said, looking down as tears filled her eyes. "Why'd you run away?"

"I didn't run away!" he said, suddenly angry at her parents. "They stopped feeding me, giving me water! I had to do something! So I went out to find food for myself. I got lost…and…" Dodger sighed, bowing his head. "And I couldn't find my way home after."

Alexa looked at him and ran her fingers through his fur. "I missed you, Dodge. I searched for you for a year, but by then my parents thought it was hopeless."

"You didn't get in to SCAD?"

"I turned it down. I couldn't go there without my best friend." She said, a sad smile appearing on her lips.

"Aw, kid…" he said, licking away the blood on her chin. He then felt her finger his now much faded red bandana.

"You kept it?"

"Didn't see a reason not to." He said honestly. He felt her arms wrap around him in a tight and warm hug.

"I missed you so much, Dodge. Now we can be a family!"

That's when it hit him. That's why he was so sad…That's why he envied Oliver. Because, even though the gang was a 'family', it wasn't his true family. Oliver had Jenny and that was his real family. And Dodger had lost his family a long time ago. But now he had a chance to get that gift back.

But what about Rita…Tito…Einstein and Francis? Could he just leave them? Looking up at Alexa, he saw the pure happiness in those bright blue crystals and knew he couldn't say no to her. She meant too much. Just having him back made him feel like he was his most happy.

"A real family?" he asked hopefully.

She smiled before promising, "A real family." Standing, she let him leap into her arms and she held him up, laughing. "Come on, we need to go home."

Dodger looked up at her and smiled before resting his head on her shoulder. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he closed his eyes and whispered, "I am home" before falling asleep.

Dodger had found his home once again.