A/N: What started out as an "I'd like to ease myself back into writing" epilogue, turned into a sequel. Hope you like it! And I want you lovely folks to know that it's the kind reviews I've received on this story that encouraged me to keep going, so don't stop leaving reviews for hopeless writers like myself! It inspires more than you know.

DIY Happiness

Mabel heard Alfie at the front door and held her breath. Abe had told her before she'd left for the day that she might want to make herself scarce tonight. Apparently, it had been a bad run-in with the Shelbys and he was in a black mood.

"Screaming his fool head off, huh?" she teased. But Abe didn't laugh. He looked...grim.

"No. He's not saying anything, actually." Abe slowly replaced his hat and let himself out of her office, his eyes on the floor. Mabel frowned. Alfie was dangerous when he was silent, and she wondered if maybe she should put off her plans for the evening. She'd decided against it, but now she worried the fabric of her dress between her fingers and hoped it was the right decision. She rose from the sofa, and the puppy she'd been playing with bounded down and raced to greet the stranger at the door.

Alfie's blank mask blinked into a look of surprise, then was quickly replaced with a fierce scowl. "Well, what do we have here?" he growled, bending down to scratch the pup, with a softer touch than his voice suggested. The puppy squirmed with delight and tried to lick every scrap of skin she could reach. Alfie's face softened, almost against his will. "Hello, love, where the hell did you come from?" he said quietly. He picked up the tiny, caramel-coated pit bull puppy and nestled it into the crook of his arm. His eyes sought Mabel's, hard and questioning. "What is this?" His voice was flinty and unflinching.

"She was going to be put down. The owner said he couldn't handle so many puppies and she was the smallest, so she was going to go first..." Mabel felt herself babbling and forced herself to stop. "But she's healthy...and she's just a little bit sassy." She swallowed and offered him a tiny smile. "Do you like her?" She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't mind too much that she'd expanded their tiny family without asking and added responsibilities onto his already full plate, not to mention hers as well.

"Doesn't seem to matter what I like or don't like, yeah?"

Mabel felt her heart sink.

His gruff voice was focused on the pup in his arm, running his fingers over velvety ears as a tiny tongue tried to lick his wrist. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one. Yet." Mabel held her breath again.

Alfie frowned again, his mask firmly back in place. Mabel could usually read him, at least enough to know when to cut and run, but she wasn't sure what was going on in his head now. Maybe she should have asked Abe more about the Shelby meeting. Maybe she should have waited to see how he was doing before-

"Peaches," he said and, finally, his lip quirked up, his smile small, tentative and fragile. She smiled back, relieved. He kissed the pup's head and carried her off towards the kitchen, murmuring nonsense against her fur. In the doorway, he paused, his head still bent to the puppy's. "Mmph. I agree," she heard him grumble. He turned and walked to where she was still standing in the living room, the fabric of her skirt caught unconsciously in between her fingertips. Alfie slipped his free hand around her waist to press against the small of her back, his fingers splayed wide. He pressed his lips to her forehead and held her there for a moment, the puppy, Peaches, squirming between them. Then Mabel felt his shoulders relax a bit and she smiled, her eyelids slipping shut. She was glad she hadn't waited because even that grumpy bastard couldn't resist a wriggly puppy. She watched him carry the puppy into the kitchen and putter around getting a bowl for Peaches and tearing pieces of the meal Rowena had left out for him into it, his low rumble never stopping. His voice calmed the puppy and she watched him, her ears at rapt attention. Mabel grinned, unable to stop the joy spreading from ear to ear. He was on the floor of the kitchen, still wearing his hat and his greatcoat, the puppy's tail wiggling her entire back end as she jumped on him, tongue lolling.

"Nope, it's this moment. This is the one I want to live in forever," she thought.

Best birthday gift yet.