Well, part 2 for Shock and Awe didn't take too long to put together, just because the idea was fresh in my mind. It will leave you saying things like 'I knew it' and 'Oh, that was cool'. Keep those reviews coming, because I always enjoy seeing 'em.
A/N: I do not own Bolt or any of its characters. All characters are the property of Disney and its subsidiaries.
Shock and Awe PART 2
"Keep your eyes peeled for Seth too. If he's here in town, we need to be looking." Bolt said as the family walked to the payphone stand outside the building as carefully as they could without being seen too much. Once inside, Bolt shut the swivel door, and Rhino opened the book beginning to flip through the pages, hoping Nova would stop him once she saw something.
"So, where am I supposed to look?" Rhino asked Nova.
"Just flip through the middle of THIS section, and I'll tell you when to stop." Nova ordered Rhino looking at the White Pages part of the phone book.
"It's a little cramped in here." Bolt said looking around the small space they had to move around.
"Yeah, no kidding." Trigger said just as he tripped over his own feet, and bumped into Nova. As he got to his feet, his muzzle brushed up against Nova's. The two dogs looked at each other, completely speechless as they stared into one another's eyes.
"Um… sorry." Trigger said trying to say something instead of just standing there looking like an idiot.
"It's okay." Nova said trying to catch her breath. Nova tried to focus her attention back to the book, lookin at Bolt every once and a while. The expression on his face read 'You really DO have a terrible poker face.' Rhino continued flipping through the pages for some time before Nova stopped him by placing her paw on the book.
"Here! This is it." Nova said looking closer at the page.
"I see about 40 Montoya's in here. In other words, this could take some time." Nova said looking at each member of the group, all of which had looks of frustration placed on their faces.
(Seth and Simone)
It had been about 10 minutes since the dog and cat had left the warehouse, and were now turning into the small town of Frazier Park. Their first turn brought them to a house right next to a river, and the SUV parked itself and shut off.
"YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION. HAVE A NICE DAY!" said the navigation system in the car. The passenger side door popped open and Simone jumped out, waiting for Seth to do the same.
"Well, aren't you comin'?" Simone asked, and slowly Seth jumped from the cab of the SUV with the door shutting itself right behind him.
"So, who are we here to see?" Seth asked
"You'll see soon enough." Simone said as the pair walked up the front porch. Simone scratched at the wooden door, and within about 10 seconds, it opened, revealing who exactly it was she was here to see.
"Simone!"
"Hey Preston." Simone said as she ran into Preston head-on, knocking him onto his back as they continued with their embrace. The two dogs laughed as they held onto each other with Seth still standing at the door, wondering when she was going to properly introduce him. Simone slowly got off of the husky and let him get to his feet.
"I've missed you, baby!" Preston said as he looked at his lover.
"I've missed you too." Simone said before he pulled her in for a kiss; one that she had obviously been waiting a while for. As they let go, Preston looked at the door to see Seth standing there with a coy smile on his face.
"So who's your friend?" Preston asked
"Oh. Preston, this is Seth." Simone said. Preston looked at the tabby, shocked.
"Seth?" Preston muttered
"I recognize you from the pictures. You must be Preston." Seth said introducing himself.
"Oh My God!" Preston said practically shouting as he rushed to hug the young feline. Seth let Preston have his moment as he was pulled into a tight hug. At one point, he almost couldn't breathe, but he thankfully let go just in time.
"I can't believe I'm looking at the son of Bolt. How've you been?" Preston asked
"I've been better, but hopefully that will change soon." Seth said, leaving Preston to wonder what he was talking about. Simone moved closer to him to whisper in his ear.
"I'll tell you on the way." Preston looked at her, trying to figure out what she was planning.
"I hope you don't have anything planned for the day." Simone said
"Why do I have a feeling that I do NOW?" Preston asked looking at Simone with a curious look on his face.
"I'll take that as a 'NO'." Simone said walking back to the Tahoe, with the door opening once again and Seth jumping in. The door shut, with Simone giving Preston the same speech she gave Kurt outside the warehouse less than a half an hour prior. Seth sat inside the car, thinking about everything that had happened in the last 36 hours. At one point he thought about the possibility that he'd gone too far with his stunt of running away. She doesn't want me in her life, but that's her choice to find her family. Just because she wants to find them, doesn't mean I have to give up the family I have back home. Why couldn't she just be happy with the life she was given? Seth thought before he was snapped out of them with the door opening and Preston and Simone jumping in to join him.
"So, Simone tells me that you're trying to get to Bakersfield." Preston said starting conversation. As the talk began, so did the Tahoe, and they were off to their REAL destination.
"That's right. I'm gonna bring Nova and her real family together so I can get her out of my life."
"What did she to you that night?"
"She doesn't see me as her brother. If we'd never found those stupid digital frames, I wouldn't be out here and she'd still be the sister I want her to be." Seth said looking down. Preston looked at the heartbroken cat, wishing he could talk him out of it, but he saw no use in trying. He wouldn't have come this far if wasn't determined to follow through with it.
"Okay! I'll do my best to help in any way I can." Preston said.
"Thanks… Well, I'm gonna try to get some sleep. I barely slept at all last night traveling." Seth said jumping to the front.
"We'll wake you up when we get there." Simone said looking at the front seat.
"Thanks." Seth said before settling down for the rest he never got the night before.
"You really think Eli and Beverly can convince him that he made a mistake?" Preston asked Simone.
"I really hope so. If anything, he'll realize that he made the mistake before someone else has to tell him." Simone said before curling up next to Preston. As she backed up into his chest, she smiled listening to his heartbeat; something she missed having been apart from him for nearly a month.
"Are you sure you need me here, or did you just bring me along because you missed me?" Preston asked smiling widely. Simone looked up at him; a few stray tears falling, which was an obvious sign that she just missed him. Preston brought his arm around her and held her close.
"I used this as an excuse to use the car to get out of the warehouse. I knew you weren't training today, so I gave it a shot and it worked." Simone confessed.
"You do realize you just lied to Kurt." Preston said
"I know, but I'll stay true to my word and bring him home alive. He needs to make things right anyway. I didn't know how much longer I could be away from you." she said nearly sobbing.
"Oh, baby. I'm not that far away." Preston said in a hushed tone, trying to comfort her. For about 10 minutes, the couple just laid there and enjoyed the time they were sharing. Suddenly, Preston got an idea that he had been saving for the next time they were together. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Slowly he looked up down at Simone with a smile on his face, which she easily noticed.
"What?" Simone asked
"You know, I have an idea."
"For what?"
"Something you can look back on and maybe not feel so lonely the next time you think of me."
Simone thought about it for a few seconds before realizing what was on his mind. At first, she thought about it being the right time.
"Are you sure?"
"If something happens, then we take it as it comes. I'm willing to take the chance if you are." Preston said staring into Simone's eyes.
"I am!" Simone said smiling, causing Preston to smile back. Slowly the two of them made their way to the very back of the SUV, and enjoyed their time together in a way that WOULD make them stronger, and put Simone's mind at ease.
(The Phone Booth)
The night sky began to slowly creep over the foothills that surrounded the city of Bakersfield, and still crammed inside the phone booth were Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, Nova, and Trigger. They had watched Nova put together a mental puzzle of places to look; tearing the map out from the book and pin-pointed the addresses of each Montoya in the entire city. The process took more time than she had originally planned, and it wasn't long before she looked up to see stars slowly taking form as the evening came upon the valley. Frustrated, she sighed and looked around to see everyone asleep right where they stood. She laughed as she looked at each of them: Bolt and Mittens were leaning up against the door, Rhino was stretched out across the bench, and Trigger… She soon realized that he wasn't inside the booth. Nova looked around and saw that the door was cracked a little, and as she peered outside, she saw him coming back with a bag dragging behind him.
"Where did you go?" Nova asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake her family.
"To get this." Trigger said dropping the bag, and letting the contents spill out onto the ground. Nova saw slices of pizza, donuts and half of a bucket of fried chicken.
"Where did you get all of this?" Nova asked amazed.
"There are a ton of restaurants just down the block. You'd be amazed at just how much good food they throw out." Trigger said
"I'm looking at it." Nova said laughing, which Trigger was happy to laugh along with.
"What time is it?" Nova asked
"I walked by a clock that read 8:06." Trigger answered
"Wow. Was I really looking at that page for more than 5 hours?" Nova asked
"Yeah, pretty much. Did you make any progress?"
"Actually, yeah. I narrowed down how many of the Montoya's live in the country, and that cut the number down to 6. From there, I calculated if any of them had the first name 'Kelly' as the head resident, and it left me with one… THE one." Nova explained, satisfied with the results. Trigger just looked at her with shock, and wondered how she was able to do all of that.
"How did you do all that, exactly?" Trigger asked dumbfounded.
"Finding the addresses on the map took the longest, but everything else was easy. Maybe it's because I can read." Nova said as the two of them sat down to enjoy the bounty of food. Trigger smiled seeing just how much she enjoyed doing all of that research. Nova looked at him, wondering what was making him so happy that he smiled.
"What?" Nova asked
"You're a natural." Trigger said.
"At what?"
"At being an agent. You did all of that research, all of those calculations to pinpoint the exact location of something. To a rookie, that would take weeks to teach. You should be proud of yourself." Trigger said continuing with his compliment. Nova blushed at the remark, which only made Trigger smile more. Nova knew she couldn't hide it, but she DID try her best anyway.
"Well, I feel embarrassed." Nova said
"Don't. To have that ability is amazing… just like you." Trigger said, sweet-talking Nova. The husky couldn't help but shed a tear at the last compliment. She'd never felt this warm sensation in her heart before, but she loved every bit of it. Nova looked at Trigger and scooted closer to him, hoping he would do the same, and he did. She gently laid her head on his arm, and leaned up against his shoulder. Trigger nestled his head right next to hers on the pavement and smiled as they continued to stare at each other. The next thing she knew, Nova felt a soft lick across her cheek, instantly causing her to melt. Trigger laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes, enjoying one of the best moments of his life. Nova closed her eyes as well, realizing that she did feel a special bond with the lab, one that she wanted to last forever. Within a few minutes, the pair fell asleep, and not long after that, Bolt began to wake up.
"Whoa, somethin' smells good." Bolt said sniffing the air, catching the scent of pizza and chicken. His sudden change of position woke Mittens from her slumber as well.
"What's going on?" Mittens asked groggily.
"Do you smell that?" Bolt asked his mate.
"Smell what?"
"I don't know, but it smells amazing." Bolt said slowly getting to his feet.
"Bolt, where are Nova and Trigger?" Mittens asked as she looked around the phone booth, seeing no sign of either of them. Bolt began to look around and realized that Mittens had a point to her question.
"I don't know." Bolt said as he slid the booth door open slowly, falling to the pavement below and taking Mittens with him.
"Ugh… sorry, baby." Bolt said apologetically.
"Oh, it's okay. I was ready to stretch an…" Mittens began before looking up and seeing a sight she couldn't help but gasp at.
"What?" Bolt asked trying to turn his head to see what Mittens was looking at, but being stopped by her paw pulling his head back towards her.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Bolt asked
"Before I show you, promise me that you will stand completely still and not move a muscle." Mittens said sternly as she stared into Bolt's amber eyes.
"Why?" Bolt asked
"Just promise me." Mittens pleaded once more.
"Uh… okay, I promise." Bolt said. With that, Mittens got off of the shepherd, and let him get up so that he could turn and see what it was that Mittens was making such a fuss about. What he saw brought the same facial expressions that Mittens had on her face when she first laid eyes on it. Trigger and Nova were sleeping together on the cement slab next to the side of the store; Nova's head was resting on Trigger's front paw, with his head on top of hers, and her front paw resting on his other paw. For Mittens, it was a sight that brought tears to her eyes; however, for Bolt, it made his heart break a little, which didn't go unnoticed by Mittens.
"Bolt, you promised me you weren't going to move." Mittens said reminding him of the promise he made, hoping it would prevent him from tearing Trigger to shreds. Bolt didn't take his eyes off of the sleeping couple, and wasn't sure he wanted to.
"I know." Bolt said quietly.
"Bolt, I know you don't exactly like what you see, but…"
"No, Mittens… I do. I'm happy that she has feelings for someone, but…"
"But what?"
"It seems like only yesterday we brought her home." Bolt said; a few tears coming from his eyes. Mittens walked over to her mate and gently placed her head on his shoulder, letting him know that she knew what he was going through.
"Bolt, do you have any idea what would normally happen if she was part of our litter? If we could have kids?" Mittens asked
"What are you talking about?"
"Bolt, if she was part of our litter, she would have found a new home with new owners by now. She would have been given away at 8 weeks. If we waited until now, it would be harder for her to find a home. Puppies are much cuter than full grown dogs, and humans take that to heart. We've been blessed to have her as a part of our lives for so long, but sooner or later, we have to let her have a life of her own… with a new family and maybe even… a new mate." Mittens said looking at Trigger. Bolt never even thought about the fact that he was the perfect example of Mittens' explanation. He was sold at a pet store when he was 9 weeks old, and barely remembered what his parents looked like. It was a lot for him to take in, but he knew that he couldn't win this battle; eventually Nova had to grow up, and he couldn't stop her.
"Parenthood sucks!" Bolt said which caused Mittens to laugh.
"I don't want to see her leave either, but God knows sometime, she has to." Mittens said looking at Bolt, hoping that he would be content with the path Nova was making for herself.
"Well, I don't have to like it completely." Bolt said
"You're not supposed to." Mittens said jokingly, and jumped around in front of him, placed her front paws on his chest and kissed him passionately. As they broke apart, Bolt smiled at Mittens as the went back into the phone booth to get some sleep for the next morning; when they would finally make their trek to the Montoya's house, and hopefully find Seth there waiting for them.
**End of Chapter**
I'll be honest with you guys; in the process of writing this chapter, I shed my fair share of tears. I have two friends back here in Montana that are only a few years younger than me, and they're both like my kids. They're both seniors in high school, both girls, and they both see me as a father figure because both of their fathers are hardly ever around due to jobs as truck drivers, and of how protective I can be at times. It's probably what made writing this chapter so difficult AND easy at the same time. I feel for Bolt! Let me know how I'm doing, guys. You know I love hearing from you!
Adios!
