Saturday morning, Jethro and Shannon got up, had some French Toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and took advantage of the 63-degree weather to go out for a walk around Lubber Run Park which was just a few minutes walk away.

The park wasn't particularly large, but it was still a great area that had a nice trail with paved paths and a little creek. Despite there being a lot of people there that particular morning, given it was rather nice out and a Saturday to boot, it still felt quite secluded and serene, giving the couple some much-appreciated privacy.

They walked around until just before noon when he and Shannon started to make their back towards the house so they could grab a bite to eat.

Shannon made some soup and sandwiches for lunch, and, after pouring both him and his wife a fresh cup of coffee, Jethro joined her at the kitchen table.

She swallowed a spoonful of her soup and then glanced over at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "It's not too late to back out, you know."

Jethro rolled his eyes at her in amusement. "I'm actually looking forward to it." They'd gone back and forth about it a couple of times and he'd finally conceded that getting a pet might actually be nice, becoming much more enthusiastic about the idea. As such, they were heading to an animal rescue service that afternoon.

"Me too," she replied with a grin.

"Medium-sized," he reminded her in between bites of food. "If we're gettin' one, I want an actual dog, not some tiny Shih Tzu." The main thing that had won him over was the prospect of having a guard-dog for Shannon. His protective streak had subsided some, but a part of him was constantly worried about both Shannon and Kelly.

His wife rolled her eyes. "I'm aware." She ate another spoonful of her soup and looked back over at Jethro. "We should probably start getting

They finished their lunch, hopped into Jethro's pickup, and made the ten-minute drive to Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation in Falls Church to look at some animals.

Turning onto Wilson Boulevard, they quickly found a parking spot, got out of the truck and walked the couple buildings down to their destination.

"Good afternoon," a voice came from off to the side. "How can I help you? Are you two looking to rescue a pet today?"

Jethro turned to face the person. The young woman appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen-years-old. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she was wearing a name tag that read 'Amelia.'

"Uh, yes," Shannon confirmed. "We're actually looking to adopt a dog."

"Great," Amelia said with a smile, "what kind of dogs are you interested in?"

His wife quickly jumped in. "We don't have a specific breed or anything in mind."

He raised an eyebrow. "Preferably medium-sized."

The young woman nodded. "Alright, follow me and I'll introduce you to some of the pups that we currently have here with us. There's one girl that I definitely think you two'll get a kick out of."

He and Shannon walked around for a while, interacting with quite a few different dogs. They met two different Labrador Retrievers, an Australian Shepherd, a Blue Heeler, and a Jack Russell Terrier.

All of them genuinely seemed like pretty decent dogs, but when he and Shannon met the fifteen-month-old Pit Bull, Jethro found himself quickly becoming attached to the puppy. She was light brown with a white patch down the face and green eyes.

Jethro went to kneel down so he could pet her and the puppy immediately jumped up and started licking his hands and face.

His wife eyed him. "You like her, don't you?"

Jethro grinned as he looked up at Shannon, still playing with the puppy. "Maybe."

She chuckled. "So that's a yes."

"How can you say no to a face like this?" he said, not taking his eyes off the dog. She definitely had a personality and on the plus side, this one was still a puppy. Most of the dogs were older, but as she was a puppy, they'd be able to more easily train her.

"She is pretty damn cute," Shannon agreed, petting her.

Amelia walked back up from quickly giving someone else a hand who'd stopped in and immediately looked pleased with what she was seeing. "I figured you'd get a kick out of her. Bailey has a great personality."

"We'll take her," Shannon said without hesitation. "She's such a sweetheart, and well... as you can see, she's already managed to turn my husband into a pile of mush."

"Hey!" he said, feigning offence.

His wife rolled her eyes. "As if it ain't true."

"I'm glad to hear that," Amelia informed them. "She's a great dog and it's hard to find good homes for Pit Bulls. The breed has a rather unfortunate reputation."

"Yeah," Jethro agreed. "Bad rap, but they're affectionate. They're smart, loyal. Keep ya safe. If you treat 'em right."

"I wish more people understood that," the young woman said.

They did what they had to in order to officially adopt the dog, and then, after paying a visit to a pet store to get dog food and everything else they'd need for Bailey, the pair finally headed home.

As they walked in, he turned around back towards the door and gave a small chuckle as the dog stood by the door, looking around. "Well, you coming in or not?"

Bailey gave a little whine and walked up to Jethro. The puppy then sniffed and whined happily as Jethro petted her, Shannon looking on and shaking her head in amusement. "And you weren't sure about us getting a dog at first."

He chuckled. "Yeah."

They played with the dog for a bit and then decided to get some things done around the house, Jethro vacuuming the house and doing some yard work while Shannon cleaned the bathroom and got a load of laundry started.

Shannon then decided to do some baking, something that she'd always really enjoyed, while Jethro played fetch with Bailey outside in their backyard.

Taking a short break from fetch, Jethro headed into the house. The patio doors opened right into the kitchen, so Jethro watched as Shannon took a tray of cookies out of the oven and made her way over to the fridge to grab a glass of milk. "Want some?"

"Sure," he agreed, grabbing one of the cookies that had already cooled down and been put onto a plate there on the counter.

He thanked her as she passed him a glass.

Bailey jumped up to get Jethro's attention and then looked up at him expectantly, the puppy glancing between Jethro and the cookies. "Someone wants a treat."

"Well, she's in luck!" Shannon commented, grabbing one of the bags of dog treats that they'd bought earlier and opened them. "Let's give her the peanut-butter ones first."

"Those'll be a safe bet," he said with a snort.

Bailey sniffed the treat curiously and licked it a few times, a bit uncertain, before the puppy ate it, immediately perking up and wanting another one.

"Told you," he said, grabbing one of the treats from his wife and giving another one to the newest member of their little family.

Knowing what it was this time, Bailey immediately grabbed the treat, gobbling it up, and eyeing them both, panting.

"No more," Jethro said with a slight shake of the head. "Sorry, girl." He wasn't about to get the puppy hooked on treats. That would be a rather hard habit to break. He had learned that particular lesson with his dog Apollo. Picking his cookies back up off of the counter, he practically inhaled one.

His wife rolled her eyes. "Chew, Jethro, honestly."

He gave her a cheeky smile. "Yes, Ma'am."

Shannon gave a sarcastic little hum before taking a bite of her own cookie.