Title: Curious Shelby
Timeframe: S10; Takes place after karaoke in Abandoned.
Summary: Shelby gets into some trouble. (And yes, he's a boy in this one, lol) Shelby's POV
Rating: PG-13

Shelby lifted his head as he heard the sound of the kitchen door swing open. His eyes shifted to the source of the noise, not seeing a soul. Then unexpectedly two figures, his masters he noticed, appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the kitchen. The realization got him up from his comfortable position on the dining room floor and he trotted into the living room, watching the two from beside the couch. He had become familiar to these mysterious appearances of Clark over the years, but it still startled him when they happened sometimes.

Lois giggled as she squirmed in Clark's arms. "So was this the plan tonight, Smallville? After some karaoke, you get your girlfriend tipsy then bring her back home so you can have your way with her?"

"Well, the tipsy part was optional, but I was certainly hoping for the latter." He grinned as he leaned into her.

Lois bit the bottom of her lip as she started to peel Clark's black jacket off his upper body. Once the jacket was off of him, she threw it to the side, not bothering to see where it landed. Where it landed was on top of Shelby— who shook it off, sending it flying over the coffee table.

The sound of the smacking the lips began, something else Shelby had grown accustomed to. He then watched as other articles of clothing started to hit the floor, the couple creating a trail of them as they swiftly moved up the stairs. Shelby ducked, not wanting a repeat of what happened with the jacket, and stretched his neck around the couch seeing Clark lift Lois up in his arms and disappear into thin air again. The dog's ears perked up as they tuned into the shutting of a door, some giggles, and then a mild, continuous squeaking.

Diverting his attention, his nose picked up the smell of something new. Sniffing the floor, his snout hit Clark's jacket. Using his muzzle to inspect the new scent, a tiny black box rolled out of the pocket. Curious, he picked it up in his mouth. It was hard and didn't feel like the tennis ball he usually played with, but Shelby was interested about it nonetheless.

Walking towards the open door in the kitchen, his paws echoing as he walked across the hardwood floor, he wandered outside and stood into the night. There were many places on the farm he could go to play with his new toy. The barn? The field? The garden in the front yard? He firmly held the toy in his mouth and sniffed the night air. He knew the perfect spot.

/

Shelby's body was sprawled out on his side in the dining room, basking in the sunlight streaming in through the window. The sound of feet coming down the stairs woke him up entirely as he scrambled to stand up. As he did so, there was a rumbling in his stomach. Hunger. Once he had his master in his sight, he ran over and nudged his leg.

"Morning boy." Clark said as he pet the dog's head, a feeling the dog reveled in, and opened the fridge, bringing out the orange juice and placing it on the island counter.

Shelby lifted up his paw and hit Clark's leg, letting out a slight whimper to get his attention.

"You hungry?"

Shelby barked his answer and Clark moved to the cabinet, getting out a can of food. Shelby's mouth watered as Clark opened a drawer and grabbed the can opener. His tail started to wag uncontrollably as the aroma of the food filled the air. His panting heightened and he followed Clark closely when he went to put the food in his bowl. As soon as Clark finished filling it up, Shelby pushed him aside and began to devour the meal.

As he chomped down, he could hear his master start to tidy up the house. When he finished the last morsel of food, he looked up to see Clark picking up his black jacket in the living room. He had a goofy grin on his face as he dug his hand into the pocket of the jacket, but then his grin fell quickly as he found the pocket empty. A panicked look came across his face as he frantically checked the opposite pocket. When he found that one empty too, he lifted the couch up effortlessly then put it back down. He then crouched down and crawled around, inspecting the rest of the living room.

Amused by his master's actions, wondering if he was playing a new game, Shelby followed him around the living room as he listened to Clark mutter, "Where is it? How could I lose it? This isn't possible."

Feeling the desperation and anxiety coming off of Clark in waves, Shelby whined, not liking that he was upset. Clark glanced down at him, looked back at the living room, to the jacket in Clark's hand, then back down at him.

"Shelby…please tell me you didn't…." he asked, shaking his head.

Clark stared at him, almost like he was concentrating, and Shelby cocked his head to side in confusion of what he was doing.

"Nothing. At least I don't have to worry about getting a ring out of you." Clark said then cupped Shelby's face in his hands. "Did you take it, boy? Where is it?"

Shelby blankly stared at him. Did Clark want to play with him? At that thought he became happy and began to lick Clark's face.

"Ah! Shelby!" He exclaimed. "You want to play, huh? Okay. I guess this is hide and seek. Shelby, where did you put the box, boy? Where did you put your new toy?"

Shelby's ears lifted at the sound of the word "toy". He turned from Clark and ran for the side door. It seemed that Clark wanted him to find his new toy and he was more than eager to retrieve it. As he ran behind the barn he stopped at the freshly dug hole that he had made the night before. He barked twice and suddenly Clark was right next to him.

"You buried it?" Clark asked him.

Shelby barked happily, sinking his paws into the dirt.

"Of course you did."

Immediately after he said that, there was a gust of wind, dirt was flying everywhere and getting all over Shelby and the barn. When the wind stopped, Clark was again by his side, but now he was covered in dirt, as well, and holding the black box.

Shelby started to whine for it and then jumped up trying to fetch it.

"Nuh uh, Shelby. This is not a toy." He said holding it high above the dog's head.

Clark opened the tiny box and knelt down slowly. Shelby could see something tiny sparkling in the sunlight.

"I'm going to give this to Lois. What do you think?"

At the sound of Lois's name he lost interest in the box, barked happily and wagged his tail. Thoughts of her raced in his head as he sprinted for the house.

"Shelby!" He heard Clark call out from behind him.

Running into the kitchen he found Lois already in there, drinking her morning coffee. Shelby ran up to her and barked excitedly, delighted to see that she, too, was up. As another gust of wind sent his rusty colored fur flying, Clark appeared behind him.

"Hey, Scooby…Shaggy. Why are you two covered in dirt? Out solving another mystery?" She quipped, putting her cup in the sink.

Clark smiled, "Something like that," as he wiped his hands on his shirt.

"Oh, yeah?" Lois asked as she lifted an eyebrow. "As a reporter I think I should get the scoop on this."

"Soon." He said, winking down at Shelby.

"I see." She nodded. "Well, in that case, I'm going to go take a shower."

Shelby's eyes followed her as she walked slowly toward the stairs. She then abruptly stopped when she reached the first step and turned her head over her shoulder to look at Clark, who was still by the counter.

"You coming, Smallville?" She asked in a deeper voice than usual.

Shelby looked up at both of his owners as they smiled at one another and in a flash Clark had her pinned against the wall frame that led into the foyer. As they leaned into each other, the smacking of lips began again. Every morning it was like this, but Shelby didn't care. He'd never seen them so happy in his whole dog life.

Extending his paws in front of him, he stretched and slid his body down to the floor. He put his head down on top of them, letting out a content huff of breath as his mouth formed a doggy smile.