"I have a surprise for you."
"Ooh, what kind of surprise?"
"Will you keep your mind out of the gutter for one moment?" Fred replied, trying his best to sound serious but unable to stop the corners of his mouth quickly creeping upwards. Daphne giggled, lightly swatting him with the magazine she was holding.
"That's not what you said last night, Freddie," she said, offering him a sensual look as they stood facing each other. He chuckled, pushing her playfully.
"You are shameless!"
"But that's why you love me..."
Fred smiled, glancing at the floor for a passing moment. He knew this carefree banter would soon fade when he informed her of his surprise. But he also knew the stalling couldn't wait any longer.
"Do you want your surprise or not?"
She held up her hands in apology, and nodded with a smile. Fred exhaled deeply, preparing himself for the enormous amount of convincing he would have to do.
"I'm ready."
"Okay..." he paused, talking another breath. He was sure that she had now noticed his nervous demeanour, but there was no way he was stopping now, "...I went down to the post office today, and in front of the door they had this box full of puppies..."
As soon as he had uttered the latter he knew he had made a mistake. Her expression changed dramatically, even going as far to take a step backwards.
"Puppies? Please, Fred, do not tell me you've gone and adopted a dog!" despite her apparent anger, Fred recognised something deeper in her tone. Fear.
"Daphne, I need you to hear me out on this one! You can't live your life consumed by such an irrational fear..."
"Irrational?"
You've really put your foot in it now, Fred...
"I-I didn't mean it like that..." It was no use. He had said it.
"Freddie, I was attacked by a dog when I was six!"
"I know, Daph, I know..."
"You see this scar?" she pulled up the hem of her shirt, revealing a series of small scars that formed a large bite mark on the side of her stomach, "I didn't get this falling in church! An Alsatian ravaged me." The way she said the words were harsh, and Fred stepped towards her, taking her in his arms. He was surprised when she relaxed almost instantly, burying her head in his chest as she sighed deeply.
"I love you, okay?" he whispered, using his hand to tilt her chin up so that she looked him in the eyes. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss, "...and I'd never do anything if I thought it would end up hurting you," he said, pulling away and continuing to hold her close.
"I know."
"...she's a golden retriever."
"Oh."
"You've seen those, right? All cute and fluffy. Bit like you, minus the fluffy part," he chuckled, and she smiled.
"I've seen 'em."
He could tell she was still unsure, but he was relieved she wasn't shouting at him anymore.
"The dog that did this to you..." he began, slipping his hand underneath her shirt and gently caressing the damaged skin beneath. She breathed softly, keeping her eyes locked on his, "...was a whole different kettle of fish. If you want it, this would be our dog. And it would love you as much as I do, maybe even more so."
Daphne chuckled lightly, starting to feel the rush of adrenaline caused by the difficult memories fade gradually.
"If that's even possible..."
Fred kissed the tip of her nose, unable to stop himself from smiling.
"That's my girl. Just give her a chance, and if you can't then we'll find her another home."
"One of these days I'm going to have to kick your ass, you know that?"
He laughed, happy that she was relaxing after her outburst. Not that he blamed her for having an outburst. It was sprung on her rather quickly.
"I look forward to it, now c'mon..." reaching for her hand to lead her away, he paused when he still felt tension in her touch, "...Actually, you stay here. Sit down, make yourself comfortable. I will bring her to you."
Daphne nodded with a smile, taking a seat on the sofa as Fred made his way to the front door. He stepped outside, bending down to pick up something out of view before poking his head around the door to look at her.
"You ready, Daph?"
He was smiling, obviously trying his best to keep a hold on what he was carrying. Exhaling quietly, she nodded.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Great, here I come."
And with that he pushed the door wide open, and immediately her eyes fell to the small, golden bundle of joy Fred was holding with his free hand.
Of course she felt the fear. Of course she did. But Fred was there. And he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
As he came closer, she finally got a good look at the puppy. Daphne had to admit she was a serious cutie. Glancing up at Fred, she almost laughed when she saw the look in his eyes. It was taking some serious restraint to not melt into a puddle of goo at the sight of the tiny thing.
"She's... she's adorable, Freddie..." she said with a smile, watching as the puppy squirmed, obviously not happy with the height it was being held at.
"Here," he said, squatting down in front of where she was sitting. Briefly, she panicked, but Fred caught the look in her eyes and placed his hand on hers, "Relax, Daphne. Nothing's gonna happen to you."
"Oookaayyy..." she breathed shakily, trying to focus on the positives. Its little paws were incredibly cute.
"Let her sniff you. You just sit still and she'll do her thing."
She trusted him more than anybody. He had been around dogs growing up, so he knew what he was doing. Now she had to do her part.
Waiting until Daphne had relaxed considerably, he slowly moved the puppy towards her until its nose was next to her hand. Fred could feel her tension, but he was proud of her for even trying this
"Relax, Daph."
"I know."
The puppy sniffed at her hand for a few moments, before gently licking her fingers. The sensation came as a surprise to Daphne, but she remained still nonetheless.
Fred smiled, lightly scratching behind the tiny puppy's golden ears.
"Do you want to hold her?" he asked, keeping a firm hold on the puppy itself. The last thing he needed was it jumping onto her and setting her back in her ways.
"Sure."
Being extremely careful, he slowly placed the retriever in her outstretched hands. The puppy squirmed for a second before relaxing again, lying comfortably in her arms. Daphne smiled, running her fingers along the golden fur coat that covered the tiny creature.
"Pretty amazing, huh?"
Fred leaned down, kissing the top of the puppy's head much to Daphne's amusement.
"Does she have a name?" she asked, and Fred nodded.
"Her name is Izzy, but we can always change that in the future," he explained, and she shook her head.
"I like it..." she smiled, stroking Izzy's head as she sat, "Hi there, Izzy. You're not scary at all, are you?"
Chuckling lightly, Fred got up and took a seat next to her on the sofa, all the while watching the small puppy as it scrambled around her lap.
"I'm glad you like her, Daph. And I'm proud of you for being so brave," he said, tilting her face towards his as he spoke. She smiled, pressing her lips to his in a loving kiss, almost wanting to deepen it immediately. But there was a certain canine that probably wouldn't appreciate such a romantic display of affection to worry about.
Pulling away, she smiled softly.
"I love you, Fred. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Daphne. And you love Izzy too, right?"
"More than anything..."
"Oh, so now I'm second in line for your affections?"
"Every doofus has his day, Fred."
"Thank you, sweetie. You always know how to make me feel better..."
Oh hey! Long time no see ;) This was a little prompted piece from my good friend Jazzola, so I hope you like it buddy! I'll try and write more soon guys, I promise! :D Adios!