A/N: Okay this is a request for Mysterwriter24 and Gez Lutz Merrygold, you both wanted Carvie.

Warning, this is a little sad but ends on a lighter note!

Enjoy!


Carlos' year had been pretty awful.

But the main part was having to say goodbye to his best friend; A friend who had helped him with almost everything. The friend that had been a constant companion and who had always listened attentively while nibbling roast chicken.

Dude had had a long old life but it didn't make Carlos feel any better. In fact he felt three hundred times worse knowing that Dude had been there for so long. There was a genuine ache in his chest every time he walked past the puppy park or past the butchers where he'd stopped to get his bud a sneaky treat.

Thankfully, Evie had sorted everything else out for Carlos who was just too broken to function after the old boy passed in his sleep. She had moved everything into a box a week or so after the pup had passed on - she hadn't binned anything but it was no longer a constant visual reminder of the void in Carlos' life. It had been hard enough waking up without a Dude sized dent in the bed covers but now Evie was there to coax him out of bed in the mornings.

It had been one hell of a year since Dude had gone and one morning, Carlos rolled over in bed to face his beautiful wife sleeping peacefully next to him and felt an epiphany wash over him.

He stayed quiet throughout the morning, watching his princess sleepily make breakfast, shower and pull on clothes before he sprung his surprise.

"I want another dog." He said quietly and noted Evie still, facing away from him before slowly spinning on the spot.

"Are you sure?" She hummed, putting down her eyeshadow palette.

"Yes, there will never be a replacement for Dude but I do think I'm ready for another dog." Carlos sighed and watched Evie's face soften and she smiled.

"Well then whenever you're ready let's go." She pressed a kiss to his lips and stroked his cheek.

"We'll go after you finish that other eye." He nods at her and she snickers before picking up her palette once more.

~E&C~

"THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN!" Evie screeched, desperately tugging on the leash that was wrapped around her wrist.

"Evie stop fighting Duke!" Carlos called.

"Why did you throw the bloody stick?!" She snarled but managed to free her wrist and had now rolled to a stop. Carlos came running to her side as she glared up at him from the grass. The pair were ignoring the pup sprinting to the other side of the park.

"Duke's just high spirited?" He offered tentatively as he helped her up.

"When you said you were getting another dog, I did not mean you should get a Great Dane." She growls. "Now go get and get your miniature warhorse, we'll be going home." She huffed and went to stalk back to the carriage but Duke decided he loved Evie and came barrelling into her, sending her flying once more.

Scraping herself up from the ground once more, she was ready to scold the hound before her but she looked into his dark brown eyes and sighed. He dropped the slobber covered stick at her feet, sat back on his haunches and whined pitifully when she still stared at him.

"Fine, you brute you win this round." Evie dragged herself to her knees, scratched Duke behind the ears and dangled the damp stick between two fingers. "Ready for a new dog sure, one that's bigger than both of us, what an idiot Carlos is…" She cooed to Duke whose tongue lolled from his mouth. "Come on then Beastie. Fetch!" She hurled the stick in Carlos' direction and watched him lollop towards the lean man, the man whose defence position put up barely a fight from the might of Duke, the man who went down with a scream. "Much better." She smirked.