Hello again! This is probably the second fastest update I've ever done.

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R&R!

Enjoy~

"Absolutely not!"

"But-"

"No! I will not have Butch in the house with Chaz. Those things are bred to kill."

"I'm sure it'll be fine..."

"Not to mention we have another one on the way." Mrs. Jones patted her belly. "I just don't think that it's a good idea to have a pit bull AND two small children."

"But we've wanted a dog for a long time. You said so yourself." Mr. Jones protested.

Mrs. Jones sighed. "I know, but I was thinking of something less vicious. Like, say, a poodle, or a collie."

They were arguing because Mr. Jones had gone to the pound and brought back a young-yet large-pit bull named Butch. Upon arrival, Butch had managed to tear up the couch, a few pillows, and a roll of paper towels before Mr. Jones caught him and put him on a chain outside.

"Who said Butch was vicious?" Mr. Jones asked, trying to hide the fresh band-aids on his arm as subtly as he could.

Mrs. Jones raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know...the remains of the couch, five extra large band-aids, and half a bottle of peroxide, maybe?" She said dryly.

Mr. Jones winced. "But what am I supposed to do with him? I can't take him back to the pound."

Mrs. Jones gave him a sharp look. "I don't think you have a choice. If you want a dog that bad, then when you take Butch back tomorrow, pick out a new dog."

Mr. Jones frowned. He knew he wasn't going to win this. "Fine. I'll take Butch back. But it's supposed to rain tonight. Can he at least sleep inside?" He asked.

Mrs. Jones considered it for a moment. "Okay," she finally decided. "I guess one night wouldn't hurt too much."

Nodding, Mr. Jones glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. I'll bring him inside-you can go ahead and go to bed. I'll be there in a moment."

With that, Mr. Jones chased Butch back inside, Mrs. Jones made sure that Chaz's bedroom door was shut tightly enough, and they both went to bed.

Neither of them noticed the sleek black car parked on the road opposite of their house.

...~*~*~...

A large, dark figure entered the house. He, stepping carefully over a large mound of fur laying in the doorway, made his way through the silent house and stopped outside of another door. The man smiled to himself. He opened up his bag and rifled through, making sure that he had everything he needed. Rope? Check. Duct tape? Check. Ransom letter? Check. Blindfold, and some other scraps of cloth? Check.

The man grinned, satisfied. Now all he needed was the boy.

He pushed the door open, wincing at the echoing creak. He started to slip inside-only to yelp and stumble across the threshold.

An angry pit bull-the mound of fur- had woken up to the sound of the creak, and, spying an intruder, had raced over and sunk his teeth into the mans leg. He yanked his head side to side, tearing off some of the man's skin and pant leg.

The man screeched in pain and tried to get away, running into the door and knocked himself unconscious.

...~*~*~...

Mr. and Mrs. Jones stood over the would-be kidnapper in shock. They hadn't seen what happened. Instead, they found Butch standing over a strange man who, by the looks of it, had been trying to break into Chaz's room.

Chaz, surprisingly, had slept through the entire thing.

Mrs. Jones looked from Butch to the intruder, speechless. "What...Did he...This...Butch?" She stammered, gesturing at said dog.

Mr. Jones nodded, also surprised, not to mention pleased and proud. "Yes," he confirmed. "We should call the police. They'll take him away." He hesitated. "But, does this mean..."

Mrs. Jones smiled, and glanced fondly at Butch. "Of course. I guess he's our protector. (A furry protector, she thought with some amusement.) Who knows what would have happened if he wasn't here?"

"If who wasn't here?" Interrupted Chaz, who was standing in front of them, staring wide-eyed at the mysterious man on the floor. He had woken up just then, and was quick to react. "What happened? Did someone break in? Is this a robber? Did Butch kill him?" With this, Chaz prodded the man with his foot. "Cool!"

His parents just stood there for a second, unsure what to say and a little overwhelmed by all the questions.(It was three in the morning, after all.) Then, partly out of nervous tension, partly out of relief, and partly out of just plain amusement, Mrs. Jones began to laugh. After a few seconds, everyone else joined in. Even Butch howled along, which just made them laugh that much harder.

I had my doubts about this one...It was really hard to end for some reason. I liked the idea, though, and that's why I stuck with it.

Bye for now, people! Remember to tip your waiters!

LoL,

~Riverstone.