A/N: My apologies for the late update. I re-wrote this chapter 3 times, changing it every week. I needed to make it fit with the coming chapters. Also, a new school and a higher level of education doesn't help much with the amount of time I have to write. But it has given me time to think of how to progress the story. Fret not, I will see this through to the end.

Thanks to digimon, Bane767, Aronim, carl102.0, Carl Minez and Mildirk for reviewing.


Chapter 11: Words

Monday, two weeks after the fire. A new week, a new slew of problems and events occurring in the house. This would be a very important week for the three animals. This would be the week where their dreams would be tested, to see whether they would become reality. Three people, three dreams, three voices.

"Who am I? What can I become?"

"What is real? Am I enough for her?"

"Why am I feeling this way? Is this right?"

"I want to keep her safe."

"I want to tell him."

"I want to be somebody."


"It's out there somewhere…"

Monday morning began on a quiet—and odd—note, as Bolt realised. Mittens and Rhino were keeping to themselves, and they were in different parts of the house. Rhino didn't worry Bolt so much. He was still a little shaken by the truth, but he was taking it rather well. In fact, if he didn't know better, he would've thought Rhino hadn't changed at all.

But truthfully, Bolt was happy Rhino hadn't changed. Somehow, imagining Rhino as anything other than his overexcited, happy self was impossible for him.

It was 8.30, and Rhino was seated in front of the television. He was running through some channels, pressing buttons and raising the volume. Bolt noticed a fire in his eyes he never saw before. He jumped up onto the sofa to join him.

"Morning, Rhino," Bolt chirped happily. "What're you doing?"

"Morning, Bolt!" Rhino replied, smiling. "I'm looking for inspiration on the magic box. I need something to go on, and I think I can find it here."

"Inspiration?"

"Of course! Whenever in doubt, the magic box has the answers."

Bolt was about to ask what he was talking about, but Penny's voice interrupted that.

"Hey Bolty, wanna go for a walk?" He turned to face his person, his tail wagging excitedly at the notion. Penny was smiling down at him.

"It's been so long since we've had a walk together. I thought that since we have the chance now…" She didn't need to say much more. Bolt was already at her side, ready to go.

"Wanna come, Rhino?"

"No thanks, Bolt. This is your time with Penny. Enjoy your walk." He saluted the two of them.

Bolt did his best to salute back, and the two of them left. Rhino settled back into his ball on the sofa, feeling a burning in his heart. Today he was filled with more energy than usual, something he hadn't felt since being accepted into Bolt's team. Inspiration, it was close.

It's out there somewhere.


This is life.

The morning dew had collected on the blades of grass all around. They looked like shimmering crystals to Bolt. He stuck close to Penny's side, hearing, feeling each step they made together. This was nothing like the make-believe trees and grass on the set. This was real.

"I love you so much, Bolt." Penny said, her voice flowing through the air, and Bolt knew she meant every word of it.

"Penny, I missed you so much. I couldn't live without you. You are the world to me." He pressed himself closer to her as they moved ever so slowly across the garden. No hurry to go anywhere. No bad guys to fight. Nothing to tear them away from each other, ever.

Something rustled in the grass, and Bolt instinctively jumped and turned, poised to attack.

"Whoa there, buddy. It's nothing. It's nothing." She reassured, stroking his back. "No more bad guys."

"Penny…" That's right. It's not real. Everything wasn't real, but Penny is. She loves me, and that's real. He relaxed.

"That's right, Bolty. Good boy." She ruffled his fur. For a moment she was worried he was going to be defiant again like the times in the trailer.

It's okay, Penny. He's recovering, that's all. Give him some time.

They continued down the path slowly.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said, gazing at the scenery around her, feeling his smooth fur in her hands. "I don't think I could've lived without you here with me."

Bolt leaned into her hand, feeling its warm caress in the cool morning.

"Penny…I'm so glad I finally found you. I wish you knew what I…what we've been through to find you."

Penny heard his voice, but knew she couldn't understand it.

"Were you out there looking for me, Bolty? Did you run because you were worried about me?" He nodded, feeling a little tug of worry in his heart.

"Where did you go? You were gone for weeks."

Bolt frowned, unsure of how to answer her.

"Oh," Penny said, realising what he meant. "Never mind. Why don't we get Mittens to act it out later? I want to ask her and Rhino about their stories too."

Bolt nodded, feeling a little less burdened. He wanted to tell Penny everything—all his amazing adventures through the huge country.

"I'm still kinda shocked that you can understand me and everything. I thought that kind of thing only happened in stories." Penny said, laughing a little. "Are you saying words, Bolt? Do you talk to Mittens and Rhino the same way we do?"

Bolt cocked his head, unsure of how things actually worked. It just did.

Penny sighed wistfully, rubbing his head once more with her hand.

"I wish there was some way for us to talk. That would be a dream come true."

Yeah, it would.

It was quiet again as they moved on. Penny closed her eyes slightly and exhaled, feeling a new life force flowing through her.

"You know, we used to live here, a long time ago. That was when you were still a puppy." Bolt perked up.

Really? No wonder it feels so familiar here.

"Yeah. That was more than six years ago, before we moved to Hollywood."

It's nothing like the city. It's so quiet. I can hear everything around me: the wind whispering, the earth speaking.

Bolt moved in tandem with her, loving the fact that he no longer needed to run or be as alert as when he was on the set.

Still, Penny was his person, and he was ready to protect her with his life, even if there wasn't a threat around. But sometimes, he would feel scared; scared that he wasn't strong enough to protect her without his powers. He felt like he wasn't enough for her.

"You don't need powers, Bolt. You can protect Penny, just the way you are." That was what Mittens told him, and it helped to ease those fears.

Still, they seeped back into his head when he least needed it to. Doubts spread in times of reflection of his life. He wondered whether Penny was a part of it. A part of his deception. She must have known that what they were doing. Did she intentionally trick him?

No. Penny loves me. She would never have done that. That was what he kept telling himself. But still, the very thought scared him.

"Hey Bolty, you need to relax more," Penny said, a hand massaging his neck. She scratched him under his chin, invoking a wave of pleasure through Bolt. He murmured, his tail beating back and forth. Penny giggled.

"Looks like that spot still works, huh? Some things just don't change." She continued for a while, then did something Bolt didn't expect. She picked him off the ground.

"Oh wow, you're heavy." She adjusted her grip on him. "Ya like that, my little Bolty-Wolty?" she teased. Bolt felt a little embarrassed at hearing his puppy nickname.

She hasn't called me that for so long. It's like we're starting our lives all over again.

With little difficulty, Penny continued down the path.

"It's amazing. The world is so big, and everywhere is so different," she remarked, amazed at the expanse of land that surrounded them. Bolt had to agree.

It is. I can feel the world, the world I never knew. It's teaching me how to live.

This is life.


I...I just can't find the words to tell him.

Unknown to Bolt and Penny, two eyes were watching them from the window of Penny's room. They watched silently, and when they disappeared from view, the owner of said eyes turned away and collapsed onto Penny's bed, letting out a sound that could have constituted a whimper of pain.

What's wrong with me? Mittens thought. Why is this happening to me?

Lying was getting harder. Somehow, her ability to conceal her emotions was failing. She wanted to run as fast as she could and bang her head against the wall, but she resisted the urge to.

"Why am I feeling like this?" she mumbled to herself painfully, staring at the white ceiling. Immediately his face pictured itself in her head, and she turned away. But everywhere she turned, there was something to remind her of him.

It was Penny's room, after all.

She couldn't help it. Every time she was around Bolt, especially when she looked into his eyes or saw that silly grin of his, she would feel a fluttering in her heart that would not go away. The feeling was so clear, so undeniable, and yet she didn't want to admit it to herself.

She had fallen for Bolt.

"No! That's not true! I…I'm not in love with him!"

You're always thinking about him. You act strange around him. You become flustered when he's around you.

"He's a dog! I'm a cat! I can't possibly love him!"

But the signs were all there. There was a longing in heart, a longing for him to be close to her, for him to hold her, to feel the warmth of his body…

She shook her head vigorously.

No…it's not right. I'm not supposed to love him.

And that had been her source of distress over the last three weeks. She never found it in herself to tell him, for fear of what he would think. For one, the naïve canine hadn't even the slightest clue what love was, other than that towards Penny. It was something—the last thing—she had yet to teach him. It was already an awkward subject enough to talk about without having her own affections for him.

And because of that, she found it increasingly difficult to talk to him normally. Every time she saw him, she could only think of her question, and what his answer could be. But she knew, deep inside her heart, that it wasn't going to work out the way she wished it would.

In the end, she found it easier to just keep away from him as much as possible, to just not think about him, and hope it would blow over quickly.

It wasn't working.

"Okay…I've got to stop thinking about this. There must be something to cheer me up…" She closed her eyes, letting the silence take over. She knew there was only one thing that could cheer her up, though.

Bolt…

I wish you could understand how I feel…

And…I wish you could love me too…Her mind was wandering, dreaming of what she wished would be.

"Mittens…you…you love me?" Bolt would ask, stunned.

"I…I do, Bolt. I do." She would blush, her head down slightly, glancing up at him hopefully.

"Oh man, I thought it was just me. I…I think I love you too." He would follow suit, unsure what to do, just like when he didn't know how to be a dog.

"Look, I know it's crazy, but…what? You, you love me too?" Her head jerked upright.

"Yes, I do. I…I've loved you for the longest time now."

And she would be speechless.

It can't be…

He would place a paw on her shoulder, and she would move her paw to his smiling face…

"Mittens?"

"Ah!" Mittens' paw retracted so fast she thought it would dislocate. The Bolt she saw in front of her was not an illusion or a figment of her imagination. It was the real him. Her paw had reached out and touched his face. Time seemed to stop. She didn't know what to say, or what to do.

She only knew that she had made a very big mistake.

"Um…Mittens, are you okay? You were kinda talking in your sleep…"

"Er…I…um…it's…nothing! Absolutely nothing! What are you doing here, Bolt? I thought you were walking with Penny." Her heart was beating so fast she was getting a headache.

"Yeah, we just got back. I think we were gone about thirty minutes. How'd you know we were gone?"

"I…" What can I say? I watched you from the window? I've been observing you all the time because I'm in love with you?

"Mittens, is there something wrong? You can tell me." He asked worriedly, taking a step forward.

No, no, no! This is wrong! I can't tell him! Come on, Mittens, think of something!

"Oh, you know, it's all these powerful senses of hearing and all that."

"Really?"

"Um, yeah. It's a cat thing, you know? So, what's Penny doing?" she said very quickly.

"Penny? Oh right!" He perked up, sounding more excited. "Penny got something in the mail, and it looks awesome! I wanted you to—"

"Right, awesome! Let's go!" She jumped off the bed and bounded rapidly out of the room.

"Uh…Mittens?" But she was already gone.

Bolt stood puzzled in the middle of Penny's bed. It was rare to see Mittens so flustered about anything. The problem was that he had absolutely no idea what she was flustered about.

But, this isn't the first time it's happened…

He wondered to himself: When did she start acting like this?

Was it when we moved in? No…it was earlier. At the hospital?

He flicked his ears, the equivalent of scratching his head.

No…I'm pretty sure the first time she acted like this was at—he paused.

The fountains in Vegas.

He turned to the empty doorway, thoughts and questions tumbling about in his head.

Why? What happened there that was so significant? Something clicked.

Of course. The home. Mittens wanted me to stay in Vegas.

Come to think of it, Mittens still hasn't told me why she didn't stay in Vegas.

Although he didn't know the answer, with her odd behaviour and actions, something was becoming increasingly clear to him.

Mittens was definitely hiding something.

As Mittens walked—more like leaped—down the stairs, she shook her head, berating herself for allowing this to happen, and for coming up with such a lousy excuse. Had Bolt been more experienced with this sort of thing, he would have seen right through her.

I'm so stupid! How could I have let myself get caught like that?

She could hear Bolt's footsteps now, and she responded by quickening her pace. She needed to be as far away from him as possible now. She could not afford to tell him and risk ruining the friendship they took so long to make.

I...I just can't find the words to tell him.

She glanced behind, checking to see where he was. Then, she bumped into something hard and rough.

"Ow!" She fell backwards onto her back. Dazed, she shook her head, as Penny picked her off the ground.

"Hey Mittens, what's wrong? You look pretty shaken up."

"Yeah, you practically ran into a large box." Rhino commented from below.

"I don't remember it ever being there…" she mumbled. From her height now, she finally took notice of the towering box in front of her. It was roughly Penny's height, which to a cat was very tall.

"Where did it come from?" she asked.

"It came from the studio. They say it's a farewell present for Penny." Bolt answered, bounding up to the group.

"What is it?"

"It's a trap!" Rhino shouted. The two turned towards him.

"Sorry, force of habit."

"Alright, let's see what the people sent me." Penny unlatched the box, sliding it open. The moment it came into the light, all four of them arched their eyebrows.

"Wow," They said simultaneously.

In front of them, stood a huge gift basket, filled to the brim with an assortment of gifts. It had a huge ribbon tied around it, and a big card stuck to the front. Written on it were the names of various people, many of whom Penny did not know.

"This is amazing!" Penny exclaimed. "There's chocolates, books…games…what's that?" she asked, puzzled. She pointed at a black rectangular box nestled right in the middle of the basket. Reaching into the basket gently, she lifted it out.

"Legend of the Spartans? Is this a movie or something?"

"No, that's impossible!" Rhino yelled, causing Bolt and Mittens to jump, which in turn surprised Penny, causing her to drop the DVD onto the ground.

"Rhino! What is it? What's with the shouting?" Bolt asked.

"This is supposed to be the movie of the year! It's not even scheduled to be released until winter! How could it be here?"

Penny finally noticed a smaller card pasted at the back of the box. She bent down and removed it, reading it out.

"Dear Penny, I'm sorry to see you go, but at the same time I'm tickled pink to know that now you can live the life you've always wanted. This is just a little present to celebrate your freedom. Come visit us sometime!"

She took a pause and grinned. "From Malcolm, your—extremely resourceful—evil villain extraordinaire."

"Calico…" Penny mused. She chuckled, before folding the card and tucking it in her pocket.

"Alright, guys, there's a ton of stuff to do. What do you all want to do first?

"Movie! We must watch the awesome movie!" Rhino cried out, trying his best to lift the DVD and parade it around Penny.

"Okay…I think that's decided. Are you two fine with that?" Bolt nodded; Mittens didn't answer.

As they settled on the couch, Bolt noticed something—Mittens was sitting at the furthest end of the couch away from him. He wasn't normally conscious of this sort of thing, but when his friend was intentionally avoiding him and acting funny, he knew something was up.

What's wrong with Mittens?

Whatever it was, Bolt told himself he was going to find out, one way or another.