'I can't believe you talked me in to getting not one but two dogs Maura,' Jane complained as she struggled to open the door while holding several bags of dog supplies.

'They were a bonded pair Jane, we couldn't separate them,' Maura retorted following Jane holding two leashes.

Jane snorted as she dumped her pile of dog supplies on the couch. 'That was just a ploy by the shelter to get you to take them both. I bet they didn't even know each other before the shelter.' Jane cast a conspiratorial look at their new pups.

'It was not!' Maura exclaimed!

Jane rolled her eyes, 'sure and they didn't talk you into a sizeable donation either.'

Maura shook her head, 'I wanted to make that donation Jane.'

'Uh-huh, sure you did,' Jane replied, kicking off her shoes and tossing her jacket on the chair. Jane flopped onto their couch.

'I did!' Maura said, throwing a dog toy at Jane.

'Hey! Don't throw squeaky toys at me!' The pup at Jane's feet yipped. Jane smiled at her, 'see, she agrees!'

Maura sat next to Jane, looking at their new pups 'they're cute.'

The shelter hadn't known their exact breeds, some mix of shepard, retriever or labrador. The pup at Jane's feet was a strawberry red color. She had a pink nose and ears that folded nearly in half, with warm golden brown eyes. She sat between Jane's feet, tail wagging tentatively as she took in the room. The other pup was black with white tipped ears and white socks. She had a white patch on her chest. She was wondering the living room, sniffing every inch of space her nose could find. The rescue had said the pair had been found together huddled under a trash bin, in the pouring rain. The fact that the black one wouldn't settle down until she was kenneled with the red one made them 'bonded'. Privately, Jane admired that they looked out for each other.

Maura, Jane and the red pup watched the black pup explore the room in silence. When the pup deemed her task as finished, she wandered over and rolled over at the red pup's feet. The red pup gave her a tentative sniff and then lay down beside her. 'So what are we going to name these young rascals Maur.' Jane nudged the black one with her foot, 'she's got socks.' Jane offered a grin.

Maura laughed and shook her head. 'We could name her Hemera, she's the greek goddess of day and night.'

Jane scrunched her face, 'no goddesses.'

'I guess that rules out Nyx then.'

'Wasn't she like terrifying and really, really bad?' Jane asked. Maura ignored her, pulling out her phone to take some photos of the snuggling pups. 'What about for her?' Jane nodded at the russet pup.

Maura paused, looking at Jane with a rare softness. Jane knew that whatever Maura said, she'd go with it if she was making that face. 'I was thinking Berry,' Maura spoke with affection. 'She's such a beautiful red and it's close enough to honor him without making it uncomfortable.'

Jane's eyes got wet and she nodded, gulping back a knot in her throat. 'Yeah, Berry sounds perfect.' Jane bent down to scratch Berry's ear. She let out a tiny puppy grunt that made Jane smile. 'Should we name her Susie or something? Chang?'

Maura shook her head, 'it's a nice thought, but Susie was allergic to dogs. Maybe our next tortoise, she quite admired Bass.' Jane nodded, reaching over tentatively to take Maura's hand. They sat for a moment, thinking of their lost friends. Maura cleared her throat, 'maybe we should go with something food related.'

'Oreo?'

Maura shook her head. 'Cream?'

Jane scrunched her nose and shook her head. 'Mozzerella?'

Maura considered it for a moment and then shook her head. 'Pie?"

'Berry and Pie?' They both shook their heads at the same time, making them both laugh.

Jane grinned. 'I got it! Kale.'

Maura laughed, 'Jane we can't name our dog after something you hate!'

'Yeah but you love it so much you could marry it!' Jane retorted, her grin growing bigger. Maura smacked Jane's thigh, barely containing her own laughter. 'Or we could name her Quinoa!' Jane said between fits of laughter. Maura was laughing with her now. The pair were laughing hard enough that the pup in question lifted a sleepy head to stare up at this odd behavior. Berry snuggled closer in to the black pup, ignoring them outright.

'Maybe we should name her after something you love like Lasagna or Gnocci.' Maura smiled back at Jane.

Jane sat up excited, 'that's it! I got it!' Maura sat up expectantly. 'We'll name her Boston.'

Maura thought it over. 'Boston and Berry,' she murmured to herself softly.

'Yeah! It's got one of those same letter things and it's a way to honor our family and home, ya know?' Jane was talking herself up, getting excited over her idea.

'I like it,' Maura declared with a smile. 'Berry and Boston, Boston and Berry. It's a good homage.'

Jane smiled, bending down to give both dogs a pet, 'Welcome to the family Boston and Berry. We've got our fair share of nuts. Just wait until you meet my mom. But I think you'll like it. And, if not, I can always bribe you with lasagna.'


Jane woke to the sound of soft yipping sounds at her door. Her alarm said 12:30am. Jane opened the door to find both Berry and Boston sitting expectantly at the door.

'What's up ladies? Need to do your business?' Jane asked, rubbing her eyes. She walked the dogs down the stairs and to the back door. She took both dogs outside to do their business. When they were both content, Jane followed the pups up the stairs. Boston headed straight for Maura's open door. Jane smiled at that. Maura needed the excitement Boston could bring. Jane opened the door to her bedroom for Berry. Jane went back to bed, crawling under the covers. Berry gave the room a sniff before sitting on her haunches and yipping.

Jane stared at the dog. 'What is it Ber? I just took you out.'

Berry yipped again. This time, she sounded less patient. Jane sighed and threw the blankets off. When she reached Berry at the door, the red dog trotted out. Jane followed her down the hallway and in to Maura's room.

In a whisper, Jane replied 'if you wanted to sleep with Boston you should have just followed her.' Jane turned to go back to her room but a pair of quiet yips stopped her.

'What?' The dogs looked at her expectantly. Jane turned to leave and both dogs began yipping again. Jane whirled around to hush them but they stopped immediately.

'Jane?' Maura's sleep heavy voice asked, 'do they need to be let out?'

Jane grimaced, feeling guilty for having woken Maura. 'No, I let them out already. They just won't let me leave the room.'

Maura stiffled a yawn, 'they're pack animals. They are probably worried that a predator will attack you if you sleep outside of the pack's den.'

Jane couldn't help but smile. Sleepy google-mouth Maura. 'So you think they want us to sleep in the same room.'

Maura didn't answer, just threw back the other side of the blankets. Jane climbed in, glancing at the pups who had both settled in to the same dog bed. Boston had closed her eyes and was on her way back to dreamland. Berry, however, watched Jane settle in to her place, only closing her eyes after Jane was settled. Berry had decided Jane needed someone to look after her. That was Jane's last happy thought as she drifted off to sleep in Maura's bed.