Disclaimer: I do not own All Dogs Go to Heaven or any part of it. Ownership of the characters, plots, etc. belong to MGM, if I recall correctly. However, the fan character Keith Wiles, amongst others characters, does indeed belong to me; do not use him without permission.

An All Dogs Go To Heaven Fanfiction

A Soul's Price

Chapter 6: Tears and Trouble

As the three left the warehouse, David closed the door, turned and stroked the heads and necks of Charlie and Sasha. "I… thanks, you two. That was really close".

"Don't mention it, David", replied Sasha. "I'd go to the ends of the world to help keep you safe"

"Same with me, David", added Charlie. "But the question is, what does Annabelle want with us?"

David looked up into the sky. "I guess we'll find out", he says. Up in the air, floating down to earth was a blue ball of translucent energy. It floated down and down until it was about a foot from the ground. In a soft flash of light, the archangel dog Annabelle appeared.

The angelic Whippet spared no time to speak. "Charles", she spoke with a concerned voice, "David, Sasha. I have terrible news. Itchy has been captured by Carface"

"Oh, come on", said Charlie. "Again? Haven't they learned that won't work from last time?"

"That's not all that's wrong, Charles", added Annabelle. "Some of the angels have noticed that there have been strange things going on here in this city of San Francisco. Namely, some have reported seeing demons showing themselves and causing trouble. In addition, people and animals such as ourselves, who are not exactly the purest of heart so to speak, have been known to be enveloped by fits of reckless insanity, as if being possessed"

"This sounds like it has to do with Belladonna", said David.

"We think so too", said Annabelle. "But the question is why? What is that moral-depraved cousin of mine up to? Charles, I have a bad feeling about this. I fear that maybe Belladonna might be using the help of another demon. Either way, I am sad to say we may need to resort to… combat…"

"Why is that?" asked Sasha. "We've never really had to do much fighting in the past"

"The problem is", said Annabelle with a frown, "These fiends appear to be exceedingly violent, along with the people and animals under the spell of this lunacy. If this carries on, many people will be hurt or even…" Annabelle gulped. "…I don't want to think of it. Charles, my sincerest apologizes, but even your friend Itchy has been attacked".

Charlie sat back on his haunches and clenched his front paws like fists. "Then in that case, I say we bring the fight to them!"

"Charlie", said David, "What can we do? You have those miracle dog tags, but Sasha and I don't have any powers. And I don't think I've even got into a fight in school, so I don't know anything about fighting. You're going to need help with this, but what can we do?"

Annabelle shakes her head slowly. "I… I detest violence, but I can inform you that I have been given permission to allow for certain things. I shall explain what I can do, but first, I feel we need to wait for Keith…"

As David closed the door, leaving Keith in the dank warehouse, a soft beam of light soon materialized from the ceiling. It shimmered and sparkled brightly, and Keith had to shield his eyes from the luminance.

A familiar voice called down to him from above. "Keith", it called.

Keith squinted in the bright light. His heart skipped a beat as he heard the voice. It couldn't be… could it, he wondered? As the sparkling ended, leaving just the beam of soft light, Keith saw the figure descending down from the top of the ray.

"Oh my days!... d... dad… it's really you…"

In moments, the hind paws of the German Shepherd angel touched the ground. He had the whole typical angel look; he had a white cloak, a pair of small dove-like wings on his back, and even a golden, glowing halo floating over his head. "Keith", said the dog, his voice becoming more elated, "It's good to see ya again, son!"

Tears running down the sides of his face, Keith scampered on all fours to his dad, pouncing onto him and hugging him tight. Keith's head rested in his dearly departed father's chest, Jake Wiles returning the hug.

"Dad…" whimpered Keith, "I've missed you so much… I'm so glad you went to heaven after all…"

"Likewise, I have missed you too", replied Jake. "Seeing your son from above and physically holding him in your arms are two very different things, Keith". He patted Keith on the shoulder. "Good ol' Keith… I… I have some things I need to tell you"

Keith looked up and nodded. He backed up, sitting on his haunches. "Okay… anything, dad…"

"Keith, I've been watching you. I'm proud that you have chosen the way of justice. But… I'm not proud of how you did what you did. I am sorry to say that I am ashamed of how you have put me to memory in those notes"

Keith shivered. "I… I…" he lowered his head. "I understand. All I can give are my apologizes."

Jake nodded. "The sin that stains your soul is a dangerous thing", he said. "I can see deep inside that you are sorry for the deaths you have caused, though, even if you have grown cold toward killing. You need to make a promise to me here and now. You will do your best not to kill another mortal. I say that because your blade will be necessary to Charlie, and there will most likely be violence still in your future. But you must try your best to battle opponents without delivering a fatal blow. Son, do you think you can do this?"

Keith nodded slowly. "Yeah… it's for the best. I shall accept this as penance for what I've done. Yes, dad, I'll do my best to avoid killing others. I intend to still be a vigilante, but I don't intend to take lives when I fight… just to disable, or knock out, or weaken, or whatever. But never to kill".

Jake smiled softly at his son's oath. "Then you are on your way to redemption. I can't make any promises, but perhaps heaven may be in your future, too" With that, he began to rise into the air.

Keith looked up. As much as he wanted to plead for his dad not to go, he knew his desire was probably not possible. He merely stared up, and as the spirit of his biological parent floated up through the ceiling, and the ray of light faded away, Keith soon hit the floor, his face covered with his paws, sobbing uncontrollably.