Will's POV

I could already hear the sound of Sammy and Feather's barking, as they raced excitedly to the door, right before Jocelyn's mother answered it with her usual warmth.

"Shhh! Feather, settle down. You know him!" She laughed before looking back up at me. "Hi, sorry about him."

"Dogs will do that." I chuckled, leaning down to Feather's level to pet him, once he had a chance to sniff me out. "Hey, buddy. How are ya?"

He met my offered affection with his own, covering my hand with slobbery kisses, as Sammy trotted along behind him.

"Would you like to come in, Will?"

I had spaced out for a moment. "...I'm sorry?"

"Would you like to come in?" She repeated. "While you wait."

"Oh." I chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. "No, thank you. I don't mind standing."

She nodded before calling up the stairs, behind her. "Joan, your dad's here!"

"Coming!"

She returned her attention back to me as we waited for Joan to gather her stuff together. "How've you been?"

"Good." I lied.

She nodded, sympathetically, as if she were choosing to buy it. "So, Joan tells us you've found another new stray."

"Former stray." I corrected, offering a smile. "And more accurately, he found us. His name's Winston."

"That him?" She asked, pointing across to where my car was parked right up alongside the curb at the end of the walkway, where he was sitting with his whole top half out the window. His paws rested on the outside of the door.

I nodded. "He insisted on coming.

"Handsome boy." She commented, just as Joan and Jocelyn were coming down the stairs.

"I'll text you when I get home." Joan told her.

Jocelyn smiled at that. "I know you will."

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yep. Although, Sammy may be a different story." She chuckled, looking down at the dogs who had resorted to play wrestling.

I smiled at that. "I think he'll get over it."

She nodded. "Come on, Sammy!"

Sammy hesitated, but trotted reluctantly over when Joan called him a second time.

"That's a good boy." She rewarded him with a head scratch, before standing back up. "See you tomorrow, Joc."

"See ya."

Jocelyn had to hold Feather back, to keep him from following us back out to the car.

"Since when are you one to play favorites?" She joked, noting Winston when we were settling into the car.

"I'm not." I explained. "He followed me out to the car when I was leaving to come get you, I just couldn't say no."

She smiled, turning around to Winston who now was in the backseat, to pet him. "Spoiled boy."

"Aren't they all?" I pointed out.

"Deservingly so, though."

"To say the least, anyway." I agreed, starting the car up. "So, you have a nice time with Jocelyn today? I added, attempting to make small talk.

She nodded. "As we always do."

"That's good."

I looked back at Winston, who was starting to get Jealous of Sammy sitting across Joan's lap, and attempting to join us up front. "You, on the other hand, are not."

Joan laughed at that. "Awww, he's just jealous."

"I know."

I awoke early the next morning to the sound of the dogs barking excitedly, presumably to be let out. I rubbed my eyes as I came to, slowly recognizing that I had apparently, and unknowingly, left the comfort of my bed at some point during the earlier hours of the morning.

I took a once over of my new surroundings and found myself to be standing on the roof, just outside a second story window, which the dogs seemed to be looking out and barking.

I quietly crawled back in through the open window, hoping that maybe Joan was still sleeping, or otherwise unaware of the latest of my unconscious wanderings.

The dogs were more than eager to follow me as I made my way downstairs and to the kitchen where I found Joan, who had already made herself breakfast and was pouring orange juice into a glass. Sammy, of course, sat anxiously by her feet, staring up with hopeful eyes as he waited for Joan to drop him a scrap of whatever she was having.

She turned to look at me when she heard me come in.

"Morning, Dad."

"Uhh, morning." I answered, still feeling out of it.

"Sleep well?" She asked, tossing a couple scraps of toast down for Sammy when she sat down to the table..

"Yeah, better than the other night." I lied. Well, I suppose that's not REALLY a lie. The roof is probably better than the middle of the road, not having the slightest clue where I am.

"Sleep good on your end?" I asked in return, attempting to direct the conversation away from myself.

"I like to think so." She answered, taking a bite of her cereal.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?"

She chuckled. "Well, better than what I usually get for nights that I take time out of to write."

"I see."

She nodded. "You take the dogs out yet?

I poured myself a cup of coffee, hoping that might aid in making me feel more awake. "Ah, I have not..yet. Did you want to come with me?"

'I may have some time before the bus shows up." She answered, taking a sip from her juice.

"What time is it again?"

"I don't know that I said...or if you asked yet…" She answered, considering for a moment. "It's 7:30, though."

I nodded, taking a sip of the coffee I'd just poured. "Alright, finish your breakfast then, I'll fix up something for the dogs, and then we can go."

"Cool."

Winston had, by this point, joined Sammy in begging Joan for more table scraps.

"He just said he was going to get you your own food." Joan laughed. "Go on, go get some, you spoiled boys."

They, instead, remained in place until she finally gave in and tossed them the remainder of her toast.

"Share, you guys."

"I'm not sure share is even in their vocabulary." I chuckled, putting together each of their breakfasts.

"Probably not." She agreed, picking up her dishes. "Alright, ready when you are, I just gotta grab my shoes.

"I'll be right there." I called to her as she went back into the living room.