Well, I guess that's it. The Packers' season is basically over. 4-7 and almost zero percent chance to make the playoffs. I really don't think that Aaron Rodgers is coming back next year. He looks washed. As a bright spot to this disappointing season, Christian Watson's pretty damn good. Makes me feel blessed that I have the chance to cheer on a 6 foot 11 guy that runs and dunks (Giannis). Crossing my fingers for another great playoff run for the Bucks.
Anyway, Cuphead season 3 was definitely worth the wait. -mitch
paw patrol: all grown up #25: tying the knot
chapter 8: letting 'em know!
1 WEEK LATER
One week after the honeymoon began, it was all over. The week the newlyweds spent away from everyone and everything was simply wild and a whirlwind. The two spent the whole week chilling out at the cabin, shredding every single slope on Jake's Mountain, and enjoying each other's company at a level that would have been seen as unfiltered. Since Jake decided to go on vacation himself during Everest and Marshall's honeymoon (the mountaineer needed it anyway), both were free to have the resort to themselves as well.
But, after a week, good things come to an end.
"Morning, Marshy…" Everest whispered in her new husband's ear. Those words woke him up. He rose up from his slumber and turned to the love of his life. Then, around him.
"Hey, Eve…wait…what the…Everest, why is everybody here in our house?" The dalmatian gasped in surprise. All seven of their other canine friends were in the cabin, along with Jake and Ryder.
"It's the end of our honeymoon, ya meatball." The husky remarked, playfully slugging her beau on the arm.
"Oh. I forgot that yesterday was the last one." The fire dog replied dumbly.
"So, Marshall, my homeboy, I just wanted to ask…how was the week away from us?" Chase asked his best friend, snickering to himself.
"Oh, I don't know…It was pretty crazy, let me tell ya. It was heaven. Simple as that." The dalmatian answered in a dreamy expression.
"What about you, Jake? I mean, I simply can't ignore the fact that you gave Marshy and I the keys to your resort while you were gone." The lavender husky asked her old owner.
"Aye, thanks for asking, Everest! Not even Ryder asked me yet. I went over to North Carolina so I could ski down the Appalachian Mountains. Man, it was fun. That whole trip really energized me or something." The mountaineer spoke up.
"So, why did you invite all of us here, bruh?" Hailey asked the mountaineer rescue dog. They did not know that she-and only Katie, who Everest saw this morning before Marshall awoke-have a secret.
"It's a surprise for everybody. Marshall, I want to tell you something that happened during the honeymoon. Trust me, it isn't bad or anything." Everest told her mate in a casual manner, so laid-back that the dalmatian wasn't even concerned about the actual statement she said.
"What's that?" Marshall asked dumbly. What she said next would hit everyone with a surprise of a generation.
"Marshall…I'm pregnant!" Everest exclaimed with glee. Celebration broke out almost immediately. The girls rushed over to Everest, all of them squealing with joy. The male canines howled with ecstasy, with Marshall running outside the cabin in jubilation. The male canines saw the dalmatian jump into the snow like a child, and they all ran outside to join him. Ryder and Jake were beside themselves.
"Oh my god, we got more comin'..." Ryder grinned as he looked at Jake. The mountaineer couldn't have been more excited.
"LET'S GET IT!" Jake cried with jubilation as he embraced the young boy.
"You're pregnant, too, Eve?! I'm so happy for you!" Hailey congratulated the husky.
"In two months, we're both gonna be moms…I honestly can't believe it…" Skye rejoiced as all three girls had a group hug together. Jake knelt to the husky's eye level and felt tons of emotions hit him at once.
"Everest…it feels like just yesterday when we shredded the slopes on the mountain together for the first time. Now, you're having kids…I can't describe how excited for you I am. You already got a whole cabin built for you and Marshall to raise your puppies in…I…I can't…" The mountaineer choked up as he embraced his old friend.
"I love you, Jake…" The mountain rescue dog replied profoundly.
"Love you too, Everest. You make me proud every day." The mountaineer proclaimed with pride. Outside, it was a scene of jubilation as all the male canines congratulated Marshall in the snow.
"DUDE, YOU'RE GONNA BE A DAD!" Chase bellowed as he lifted his best friend in the air momentarily with his paws.
"LET'S FUCKIN' GET IT, MAN!" Zuma beamed with joy, a bro-hug with Marshall to follow.
"Marshall, I already know you're gonna be the best dad ever, dude." Jasen complimented the dalmatian.
"We're gonna be the best uncles, TRUST!" Rubble decreed to the fire rescue dog.
"I can't wait until one of the puppies breaks a bowl. So I can fix one and look at their faces, bro." Rocky laughed.
"Dude…that is the most Rocky thing I ever heard." Marshall chuckled.
"Why thank you, my spotted canine pal." The recycling dog answered.
"Bro, look at you and Everest. You two both already have a house already set up. Skye and I still live at the lookout, brother!" The german shepherd told his best friend.
"We're BOTH GONNA BE DADS, BROTHA!" Marshall rejoiced as the shepherd and dalmatian bro-hugged one another.
"I just can't believe it. You earned this honor, my boy." Rubble chimed in.
"Oh my god, look outside. They're carrying him back to the house." Jake told everyone in the cabin. All the male pups were carrying the expecting father like some kind of royalty.
"That's some king shit right there." Hailey remarked in astonishment.
"But I'm the queen. Don't forget that." Everest reminded everyone else. All the male canines re-entered the house through the small dog-friendly entrance, and the dalmatian was elated to see Everest. His wife, mate and now a future mother? We're so blessed. He thought to himself. He saw the husky shed tears of joy, and he felt water in his eyes as well.
"Everest…baby…I love you…" Marshall remarked, tears running down both their faces as they kissed one another.
"Marsh…did Eve even tell you about it?" Chase asked his best friend.
"No. I had no idea. The fact that she brought all of you guys out here just for this reason. To find out that Everest and Marshall are having puppies together. I mean, it doesn't get much better than this." The dalmatian told his friends.
"Marshy, trust me. It does." The husky hinted to her husband.
"What? How?"
"How many puppies are you guys having?" The cockapoo asked the expecting mother.
"Thank you, Skye." Everest told her best friend, as the pilot took the words out of the husky's mouth.
"Marshall…and especially you, Zuma…you're gonna like this." The mountain rescue dog told the two canines with a smirk.
"Why did she say my name…" The chocolate lab muttered in confusion.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Hailey whispered to her boyfriend.
"We are having…not one. Not two. Not three. Not four…" Everest began.
"Wait a minute…" Marshall and Zuma thought aloud.
"Not five. Not six. Not seven…" The husky continued as her smile continued to widen.
"Oh my god!" The chocolate lab and dalmatian freaked out with joy.
"Marshall, everyone, we're having eight puppies together!" The husky proclaimed.
"That's what I'm talking about!" The dalmatian cried as everyone around him cheered.
"Eight pups, man. That's just astonishing. Congratulations, you two." Ryder congratulated the couple.
"We're gonna have 8 pups in this very cabin. In two months. In the house that we conceived in our heads. There's nothing…and I mean, nothing that we can't do together." Everest affirmed to her husband.
"I know a certain friend of mine did this once when he found out his wife was pregnant. Eve, can you lie on your back for a moment?" Marshall asked his wife. A certain german shepherd-and cockapoo-knew what the fire dog was getting at.
"So everyone can see my baby bump? Why not?" The husky asked playfully, doing as she was told.
"No, goofy. I wanna do this." Marshall smiled.
"Wha-hey! Marshy!" Everest giggled as the dalmatian licked her tummy 8 times.
"One kiss for every little one in there. But there's one more I can't possibly forget. The one that makes it all possible." Marshall smirked as he kissed his mate on the forehead.
"Awwww…that's so cute…" Skye choked up. The pilot always thought that even before they began dating, Marshall and Everest would be a great pairing. To see them progress this far together was something Skye never dreamed of.
"Soo…I wanna talk to you guys in there. Yeah, you. You know who you are." Marshall said, as if he was talking to his mate's stomach.
"He's talking to his puppies. I…I'm gonna cry." Hailey gasped, getting emotional at the sight that laid before her.
"Pups…I am your father…" Marshall spoke in a deep voice, giving a horrible Darth Vader impression.
"Oh my god…" The husky cringed with a smile on her face, with everyone laughing at her reaction.
"That's a great father right there. Always start 'em young. Even better when they're in the womb while you're at it." Rocky grinned as he put his arm around his boyfriend's back. Both the mix and border collie were big Star Wars fans and relished in the joke.
"Rocky, you're such a chad." Jasen replied candidly.
"I'm Marshall. I'm gonna be your daddy in two months. A handsome dalmatian. A brave firefighter, and a guy who already has hundreds of dad jokes in his brain to make you laugh. Or cringe when you get older. And also…a guy who is so excited to meet all of you." The dalmatian spoke.
"They're gonna be the best parents ever. I don't think parenthood is gonna change them a bit." Rubble told the ski resort owner.
"Honestly, I think you're right." Jake observed.
"It's currently dark where you are right now. You are inside someone right now. That certain someone…that's Everest. Yep. She's your mommy. She's going to take very good care of you inside the womb. In two months, you're all going to see a light and she'll give you life. What does she look like, you may ask? Oh, she's the most gorgeous mother you'd possibly want. She's lavender, she's a husky and she is so soft. You'll love the last part the most. Everest is gonna love you, feed you, kiss you lots and so much more stuff that I can't comprehend. She's a husky, and she LOVES the mountains. And the snow. One day, when all of you are ready, we're gonna take you out there to see the magic. Both your mommy and daddy are very excited to see that you all are coming.
We built this log cabin for all of us to live in together, and it's so nice and cozy! 10 canines under one roof, man. You pups are going to bless this house and the world with so much love we can't describe yet. As a mom and dad…we are very lucky to have you." The dalmatian told his unborn pups.
"Well said, Marshy…" Everest choked up, embracing her mate tenderly.
"I'm not crying, you're crying." Rubble sobbed to his friends. The mood in the cabin was nothing short of triumphant and poignant.
"And you're telling me you improvised it?" The water rescue dog asked the lucky spotted canine.
"Every word of it." Marshall replied.
"I'm just shook, man." Zuma admitted. Everyone in the cabin was shocked at how thoughtful the dalmatian was in his words.
"This whole thing feels like a movie. It feels like someone is up there making sure we're ok…" Everest whispered to her husband.
"I wonder who that could be…" The dalmatian whispered back. There were two individuals watching from heaven, indeed. And they were smiling.
1 HOUR LATER
After leaving Ryder, Jake and their canine friends elated about the news, the dalmatian and husky had to tell one more individual themselves: Martha. They didn't tell her in person when they got engaged, and Marshall felt as if he owed it to his mother to tell her that he and Everest were expecting puppies face-to-face. They arrived at the Orchard Park firehouse at 9:30 in the morning and walked inside. All the firedogs and their mates had a little "dorm area" where they lived, and the fire department was generous enough to allow Martha to stay, even though her husband left the fire department many years ago.
"You think she's awake right now?" Everest asked her mate in concern.
"Of course! I mean, my mom isn't someone to sleep in like you and I." Marshall brushed it off. He knocked on the door, and the couple were answered within five seconds. Martha was awake, alright.
"Marshall, Everest! It's so good to see you, come on in!" The female dalmatian said with her maternal grin showing. The space that the female dalmatian called her own was basically the same size as a small college dorm room. The couple closed the door behind them and took a look at their surroundings.
"How's it going early this morning?" The younger dalmatian asked.
"Oh, wonderful. I've been working on a photo album of your wedding photos, and they turned out great! It should be done in a day or two." Martha replied warmly. The floor next to the back end of the room was covered with photos of their wedding just a week prior, a photo album indeed laying there.
"That's a lot of photographs." Everest remarked in surprise.
"You see, Everest, when I do photography, I take the same shot multiple times for anything I want in a photo. I picked the best picture of the multiple ones I took, and that's it. Not much else involved." Martha told the husky.
"Certainly can't wait to see it, mom. Especially with what you did for Chase and Skye." Marshall spoke. The spotted freelance photographer did events such as weddings, gatherings and other things. Just after the german shepherd and cockapoo announced that they were expecting, Martha gave them a photo album of their wedding as a complete surprise gift. The two were absolutely blown away by the results, and they both loved it dearly.
"So, was your honeymoon exciting? Other than the obvious part. I mean, that part is what honeymoons are for!" Martha joked, causing the two newlyweds to have an awkward laugh.
"Yeah, we actually did have a great time! Jake was actually generous enough to close the entire resort and leave the whole place to us for the whole week! It was so fun! Other than that, we simply enjoyed each other's company." Everest told her, holding Marshall's paw in the process.
"Well, that's very nice. Glad to hear you both had a wonderful time." Martha replied. The husky and younger dalmatian turned to each other for a moment and nodded in silence. It was finally time to break the news.
"Everest and I wanted to tell you something…pretty important." Marshall stated, having a lump in his throat over how his mom was going to react to the sudden revelation.
"What's that, Everest?" The female dalmatian asked innocently.
"Martha…the point is…well…Marshall and I are having puppies in two months!" Everest proclaimed proudly. The couple were beaming with pride as they nuzzled one another. Martha was in shock. Just a week ago, they got married. There's no way they're having puppies this fast. She thought to herself.
"Wait…are…are you serious?" Martha stuttered, the words coming out of her mouth like an avalanche.
"Yep. 100 percent. Look at her stomach. You see it yet?" Marshall grinned, pointing to her mate's belly. Sure enough, Martha looked down, and there it was. That one, small bump. The female dalmatian realized she wasn't hearing things.
"Oh…oh my god, you're right…" Martha gasped, beginning to get excited.
"Mom…you're gonna be a grandma." Marshall told his mother. Those were the words that sent the photographer over the edge with joy.
"My baby is having puppies?! I can't believe it!" Martha howled with elation as she hugged her son tightly. A little too tight, to be exact.
"Ma…ma…mom!" The younger dalmatian gasped for air, struggling to breathe from his mother's embrace. Everest giggled as she watched Martha let go of her son.
"Marshall…Everest…you two just made me the happiest mother in the world…" The female dalmatian spoke as her emotions got the best of her. She embraced the husky, although a lot more softly.
"It's a pleasure, Martha." Everest smiled as she wiped the tears off her mother-in-law's face.
"Soo, here's the real question, though. How many are you guys having?!" The photographer asked eagerly, wanting to know exactly how much grandpups she was going to love and care for.
"We're having eight of them." Marshall and Everest answered simultaneously.
"Eight?! Oh my goodness, that's wonderful!" Martha cried with ecstasy.
"I still can't believe we're having this many pups. It's amazing what Everest is gonna do over the next few months." Marshall remarked in awe. Martha took a moment to lay her paw on Everest's stomach. The photographer then looked at the husky with loving eyes that she gave her son many times over.
"Everest, I can't imagine a more gorgeous and beautiful mother. You're gonna be the greatest." The female dalmatian spoke proudly.
"Thanks, Martha. Really means a lot." Everest replied, a few tears of joy coming down her cheeks.
"So, does that mean that the second floor of your cabin is gonna be a nursery or something?" Martha asked the both of them.
"Yep. That's a storage area for now. But we're gonna change that pretty quickly." The younger dalmatian answered with a gleam in his eye.
"I can't imagine how happy you guys are gonna be. I mean, Skye and Chase are having their pups, and then you. I can't imagine how much you're going to learn from them." The photographer stated.
"They're going to be better parents than the both of us combined." The husky joked, the newlywed couple having a laugh.
"Oh, that's not true! You guys are going to have so much fun, I can already imagine it!" Martha said gleefully. She was happy that Marshall turned out like her and not like his father. She and Marshall were almost the exact same in personality (even the clumsiness was next to none).
"Yeah…eight puppies chasing Marshall around the house…can't get any better than that." Everest blushed, her face turning red as she imagined the loving father that her mate could be.
"Now, Everest…I know this is a bit premature, but I want to give you some advice." The photographer told the husky.
"What's that, old wise one?" The mountain rescue dog asked attentively. She was lucky to have Martha and Skye around, and she wanted as much knowledge as possible about being a parent before her due date.
"Enjoy your pregnancy. You're only gonna want it once, you know. Take care of yourself. And as weird as it sounds, there is no true rule book about being a mom, or a parent in general. It comes to you naturally. Your instincts do the job for you." The female dalmatian stated. She loved giving wisdom to Marshall every once in a while, even though she was just 20 years older than him.
"Thanks for the advice, old wise one." Everest thanked her, bowing like a karate student does to their sensei.
"As for the father…" Martha turned to her son, giving him a stern gaze.
"Oh, boy…" The younger dalmatian gulped nervously.
"Be there for Everest as much as you possibly can. She needs someone to protect her and be that emotional support. Your father barely did that for me. Even though my pregnancy was great, it was sad because Ed was barely there to support me because of his job. Now, times have changed for the better. The male canine is there more often during the female's pregnancy. I know from the bottom of my heart that you're not going to make the same mistakes as he did, because you love Everest more than life itself." The female dalmatian spoke up.
"Chase is doing the same thing. He's actually going to stop working in a few days to support Skye full-time until their puppies don't need her milk anymore." The younger german shepherd said.
"You see? That's a great example to follow." Martha replied, patting her son on the back.
"Sure is." Marshall agreed.
"Well, I don't want you guys cooped up in here. You might be needed by Ryder any moment, who knows?" The photographer shrugged. This "Ryder needing the pups at anytime" schnick was the main reason why Marshall and Martha didn't see each other for 11 dog years after the younger dalmatian left for the PAW Patrol. His mother didn't want to distract him if Ryder needed his son, so they resorted to calling each other once a month, which was the next best thing. One day, when Marshall was 16, Ryder allowed Marshall to have an off day. And the fire dog knew exactly how to use it. That day, he went over to the Orchard Park firehouse to surprise his mother. She opened the door and looked up. She couldn't believe this was her own son. Marshall kindly told his mother that he was indeed her own, and once she got his scent, she believed him. Both cried tears of relief, embracing each other for what seemed like hours. She was immensely proud of what her son told her about working in the PAW Patrol, and her interest peaked especially when Marshall said that he had a girlfriend that day. Little did Martha know that this "girlfriend" ended up being her daughter in-law.
"Thanks for the advice, mom. Really means everything to us." Marshall said, lightly hugging his mother in goodbye.
"Again…Everest…take care of your well being. Doing that will make a big difference." The female spoke gently to the husky.
"You know I will, Martha." Everest smiled, embracing her mother in-law one last time.
"Oh, and I know this is, you know, kind of early for me to ask, but when your puppies are old enough and need a babysitter…you know my number!" Martha proclaimed.
"We'll keep in touch, trust me. Love you, mom!" The younger dalmatian grinned as he and the husky left.
"See you guys whenever I see you!" Martha waved goodbye to the newlyweds. The soon-to-be parents walked back onto the sidewalk, where the fire truck was parked. Both got into the fire truck and sat still. Silence reigned as they held paws and nuzzled for a minute before they separated. Everest had a subtle smile as she cleared her throat.
"Your mom is the best. She's so sweet. She's gonna be the best four-legged grandma to ever walk the earth." The husky proclaimed with genuine admiration. Marshall was nervous when Everest met his mother for the very first time, but was very happy when the two clicked. Everest and Martha loved and respected one another, and Marshall couldn't be happier. The two women he loved most in his life were on good terms and that was all he ever wanted.
"The best moms usually get promoted to grandmas." Marshall remarked as he started up the engine.
"Preach, Marshy. Preach." The mountain rescue dog sighed as she licked her man's face. The two began the drive back to their cabin and began to think.
How are we going to move all of the stuff in the second floor of the house down? Rocky and Rubble are working on Chase and Skye's house. Ryder's saving the Robo-dogs. Oh, wait. He has extra ones. Yeah. That'll work. The two thought simultaneously as they hit the main highway out of Orchard Park.