"Steve?" Pepper asked, as he seemed completely focused on something entirely different than the task at hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he jolted back into the present moment.

"Uh…sorry." He apologized, trying to focus. He looked at Melanie. "Excuse me ma'am, you were saying?"

Melanie cleared her throat. "It's okay to call me Melanie, or if you prefer, Ms. Porter – my mother is ma'am. She doesn't like it either, however…" A small smile graced her lips. "As I was saying, your puppy here is officially 9 weeks old. Ordinarily, I'd prefer to let them go closer to twelve weeks of age, but considering the bond you two have made, I'm willing to reconsider. Especially because this little rascal, along with her brothers and sisters, is already housebroken. "

"Thank you, Ms. Porter," Steve said gratefully. She was right – his puppy seemed particularly attached as she snoozed lightly in his arms.

"So I just need this paperwork filled out, and payment for her, and she is all yours."

"Here Steve, I'll take care of this paperwork since you're obviously busy," Pepper said as she stood and took the clipboard as her phone started ringing. Clearly she was going to work her multitasking magic and take the call while filling out the forms.

There was an awkward pause as Melanie sat down at a stool, clearing her throat. "So…your name's Steve?"

"Steve Rogers, miss," he said slightly stretching his hand while juggling the napping puppy in his arms.

"I saw you looking at some of these photographs on the wall…" she said, turning to look at them. She pointed at one – an entire family of dogs surrounded a little girl in a tutu. "I guess you can say that I've always had a soft spot for animals. So what better thing to do than open a pet shop, right?" Steve smiled at her. He wanted to ask about the photo, but didn't want to come off as too openly curious.

"I think that you've done an amazing job. And clearly all these animals are well-cared for."

"Over the years, I've had a lot of help. But I think everybody needs a little help sometimes. Some more than others, but that's obvious." She pointed to another photo – two dogs sitting and staring at the Eiffel Tower. "That one I picked up in a thrift store. It was too cute to pass up." She pointed to a few more photographs and explained them to him, and although Steve was doing his best, he was about ready to ask her about it himself.

"And this one," she said, pointing at the photo, "are my best friends on the planet – Coco, Giorgio and Vera." She pointed in order. "I named the two dogs, since Vera couldn't decide for herself."

"Vera," Steve repeated. "I've seen her somewhere," he said, trying to get more out of Melanie about her.

At that moment, Pepper walked back in and set down the forms on the counter, interrupting them. Steve groaned inwardly – he had been so close to getting information. All he had was her name, and not even a last name.

"All's said and done," she smiled at Melanie. "Oh, and here's the credit card for payment."

Steve frowned. "Pepper, wait, I can pay for this."

"You can, and I know that, but consider it…an apartment warming gift from Tony. Plus I also wrote down supplies at the bottom of the page that you'll need, and that'll be a gift from me." Melanie nodded at this and stood up, probably to collect everything Pepper had written down.

He opened his mouth to argue, but Pepper frowned. "Don't argue. Besides, you'll wake up this already spoiled puppy. What are you going to name her?" She asked, effectively changing the subject.

Honestly, he hadn't thought of anything. When he was younger he had always wanted pets, but the situation plus asthma and allergies to pretty much every animal hadn't equated to his wishes. He tried to think of something he liked, something that meant something to him…

"Summer. Her name is Summer," Steve said, assured in his choice. Summers had always held good things for him, even though he'd always been more of a winter person.

"Cute name," Melanie responded as she came back with an armful of things. "It suits her." She reached over and pet the soft creature near her ear. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. "Anyway, I think I have everything?" She questioned, looking to Pepper and Steve for affirmation that everything was there.

"Let's see," Pepper said, looking through the items. "Food and water bowls, a leash, a collar, food, of course….some treats and toys…you are a miracle worker," she smiled at Melanie. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Best of all, I already ran everything and you are good to go. Would you like a box for all of this?"

"That would be great," Steve answered this time, readjusting himself to move Summer in a more comfortable position.

"I'll even get this out to your car," Melanie responded, packing everything away. "Oh! And shameless plug time," she blushed slightly. "Here is my business card – if you have any questions at all, or want a pal for Summer here, don't hesitate to call or email, or even drop by."

"There's two business cards here," Pepper mused, looking at the other one.

"Well, if you need a groomer…" she said sheepishly. "I recommend her. I might be a little bit biased, but honestly – she's one of the best." Melanie looked at Steve now. "I didn't mention this, but Vera owns a pet grooming business. We've known each other such a long time and…well…a little publicity here and there is always a good thing." She smiled. "It's really only if you need a groomer – I don't want to force you to a groomer."

Pepper smiled at her answer. "Okay. Thank you so much for your help. We might be in touch about some more animals."

"Sounds great. Have a nice day out there." She waved as the duo exited her shop. Before leaving, however, Steve turned to look at her, and gave her a large smile. She had just given him all the information he needed.

Steve frowned as he looked at Summer. She was focused on chewing the tennis ball in front of her, and not on him.

"Come on Summer," the puppy turned to look at him. She was starting to register that that was her name. Sometimes she didn't turn, but other times she did, so Steve could only hope that his theory was right. "I need a reason to go to the groomer's…I can't just show up with a clean puppy."

She made a half-growling, half-groaning noise, looked at Steve and back at her ball. Ultimately, she chose Steve, standing and walking over. "Do you want to go for a run?" Summer tilted her head, and in his mind, it registered that he was trying to communicate with a dog. He sighed.

"Umm, okay…let's see here." He grabbed her leash and realized that he'd yet to put on her collar. He looked around and spotted it sitting on his kitchen table. The red leather was smooth to his touch, and Steve could only wonder how much Pepper had dropped on his dog.

Luckily for him, Summer didn't struggle as he snapped her collar on. It fit a little bit on the big side, even on the smallest setting, but Steve knew she'd grow into it – it was fine for now. He clipped the leash on her and she immediately started wagging her tail. Good. She knew what a walk meant – maybe.

He took it as a good sign, and headed out the door of his apartment and down the stairs. However, as soon as they were outside, Summer tugged slightly on the leash. Even though she was fully trained (as a few basic commands had shown him and Pepper), she was definitely stubborn.

"Summer…no." Steve scolded, feeling a little bit guilty, but immediately, she let up and walked right beside him. Well, at least she listened.

As they approached Central Park, Steve was gearing up for a good run. Hopefully Summer could keep up – he was pretty sure she would, with the never-ending energy she had as a young puppy.

Unfortunately for Steve, he hadn't counted on Summer's clumsiness – she clearly hadn't grown into her body as she started stumbling about. Steve sighed – maybe a walk could be nice too. Less energy, but still nice for the two of them. Summer let out a low groan and looked up at Steve.

"It's okay, we can make up for lost running time when you grow into your body. I know what it feels like." Even though he was opening up to a dog, it still felt pretty good – Pepper had been right. A pet was exactly what he had needed. But still…he felt that something else was missing.

Maybe it was time to concoct a plan to meet Vera in person.

What Steve hadn't counted on, however, was that fate had a bit of a different plan. It had been his mistake, really – the leash had slipped from his hand, and in that second, Summer had taken off. She was quick – but he was still a super-soldier, so he took off after her.

He would have almost missed her, had Summer not been wagging her tail and sniffing the gaggle of dogs surrounding her – a mussed mess of red hair. He stopped immediately, adrenaline thrumming through his system. He hadn't planned it this way – he was supposed to have a plan.

"Hello! Is this your dog?" The redhead offered with a smile. Steve walked over, unsure of what to say.

He cleared his throat, trying to think of anything to say…

"Umm, hi, yes, that's Summer…uh…she's mine." He could feel his skin getting hot.

"She's beautiful. And quite friendly." All six or seven dogs surrounding her started wagging their tails at Steve. "She seems to have made some friends."

"….yes, she's…something." Steve groaned inwardly. Ask her what her name is!

Almost as if she read his mind, she offered up her hand. "Where are my manners? My name is Vera."

"Steve," he offered, shaking her hand.

"Well, Steve, I would love to stay and chat, but I'm currently preoccupied," she glanced at the dogs, all sitting, but clearly seeming impatient. "Maybe I'll catch you later."

"Maybe," he smiled, then realized that his voice had cracked on the word 'maybe'. Was he really this nervous about meeting her? Before she decidedly took off, she turned back and waved. "Bye, Steve!"

Her friendliness was a rare thing in New York…but it had been the redhead at the coffee shop and in the picture – he had met her…and not exchanged a single ounce of information.

Holding on to Summer's leash, he considered running after her to get a phone number or something. Then, it finally dawned on him – he had everything he needed in the form of a business card sitting in his apartment.

Perfect.

A/N: To say that I've been busy is an understatement, but I won't make excuses - just uni, as always. Is it too much to ask for winter break already? Hahaha.
Anyways, please feel free to drop me a line about any thoughts - I'd love to hear them and feedback is always good for the muse. ;)

Best Regards,

Audrey C.