"PETER!" Micky screamed, and Peter jumped up from his bed, hurrying out to see what the commotion was.
Micky and Davy were huddled together, standing on the couch. Mike was in the corner of the kitchen, watching the alligator's every move as he wandered around the Pad. He was waiting for something to go wrong, waiting for the moment he'd have to jump in.
"PETER, WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?" Micky shrieked and Peter smiled slightly. Why did they all look so worried?
"There's nothing to worry about," He laughed to himself, walking toward the alligator in the living room.
"PETER, DON'T! IT CAN SMELL FEAR!" It was Davy's turn to cry out and Peter shook his head.
"I'm not afraid," he smiled, gesturing to the gator. "This is my friend, Alvin. I met him on a walk."
"You met an alligator on a walk?" Mike asked, scowling down at the creature.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "I think he was lost."
"Where?" Mike asked hesitantly, and Peter thought back to earlier in the morning.
"It was in the woods by the creek, I think."
Mike sighed, shaking his head. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened before.
"So you're on a walk by the creek and you see an alligator-"
"Alvin!" Peter interrupted, and Mike frowned at him. It was going to be hard if Peter was already attached.
"You see Alvin and your instinct is to take him home."
"He actually just followed me," Peter smiled, crouching down beside Alvin and petting him like he was a dog. "So I just picked him up and carried him the rest of the way. He actually didn't fight it, he just let me. I think he likes me."
Mike raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Peter, we can't keep him here. You know that. The creek's probably his home."
The creature looked up at Peter with sad eyes, almost like he knew what they were talking about.
"I know," he sighed, looking down at him. "It's just, he looked so lonely and I thought..."
"Look, Peter," Mike shook his head. "We can't keep him. There's a no-pet rule and I think that applies to all pets."
Alvin turned his focus to Mike and began charging toward him, Mike backing away as far as he could to avoid him.
"He's not going to hurt you, Mike," Peter smiled, even though he didn't know what was going on in the creature's mind. "He's friendly."
"Yeah, I hope so," He chuckled nervously as he pushed into the wall.
"MIKE, GET ONTO HIGHER GROUND!" Micky screamed. Mike was about to retort how ridiculous it was before the alligator got closer. Without any hesitation, Mike jumped onto the counter and laid down flat so he wouldn't hit the cabinets.
Once he got his breathing under him, he turned his head to face Peter.
"Besides, I'm sure he'd be happier living in the wild than cooped up in here," he offered, hoping that might convince him. "He needs to be in his own home."
"But what if he doesn't have a home, Mike? What if we're just sending him back to being sad and lonely?" He asked sadly, only making Mike feel worse.
"We can't keep him, Peter. You know that."
Peter nodded slowly, walking toward the alligator. He picked him up and held him like a baby. To the others' surprise, Alvin didn't fight it.
"I'll take him back," Peter looked down and Mike rolled off the counter, standing up again. Micky and Davy still clung to one another as they slowly made it back to the ground.
"I'm sorry, Peter, but it's for the better."
"I know," he sighed, not taking his eyes off the floor.
"It'll be alright, Pete." Micky smiled, his voice still trembling slightly.
"I know," Peter repeated and took a deep breath before turning his focus to Alvin in his arms. "Okay, let's get you home."
Mike nodded in approval and opened the door as Peter made his way out, still trying to stay as far away from Alvin as possible.
"I hope Peter isn't too upset," Davy frowned as he walked out.
"He'll be fine," Mike sighed, keeping a close eye on Peter.
"Maybe he shouldn't go alone," Micky stammered. "What if he gets hurt or something and we're not there to help?"
"You wanna go?"
"NO!" Davy and Micky shook their heads in unison. Mike sighed and grabbed his coat off his chair.
"Peter, wait up!" He called out before chasing after him.
