Chapter 172
Our Door is Open

The day the call came, the first thought that came to them, fraught with hope, was that the boys were ready for this.

For about a month now, at least once a week but more if they were able, they had been taking the boys to the shelter. The first time, which had been just a few days after Maya's birthday and the giant card, had been preceded with a very important conversation. It had to happen if they were going to bring the boys anywhere near a building with so many dogs in it, all of them looking for a home if they weren't already claimed and just waiting to be picked up. They had to understand that while they would go out there and spend time with the dogs, they weren't actually going to bring any of them back with them.

By now they were proud to see that, if given a reason, laid out in no uncertain terms and calling to some amount of maturity growing in them, they could get their point across. They told the three brothers how they were going to see dogs who had no homes but still needed care and affection, and that was what they would provide. They would get to do that for so many dogs, and because they were always so good and loving with dogs, then it would be helping so much. Did they have any assumption in them that this would be enough and that there wouldn't come a day, or more than one day, where they would come across some dog or another and feel a connection that was so deep that they would not let go, that they'd feel heartbroken for leaving behind? Absolutely not. They knew they were tempting fate just a bit, especially as they might find it just as difficult to say no. But they had a plan, and they both felt secure in that it was a good one. They just had to get there.

Oh, they would not forget what that first visit was like. All three boys looked eager, curious, as they arrived, but then the moment they started hearing the dogs… It was a good thing that Lucas had Jamie in one arm, while he and Maya both had a hand from Elliott and Noah respectively, or they would have rushed off at once. The older boys certainly tried, Noah especially, but they finally allowed themselves to be led along. They knew what was coming, they were going in there, with the dogs!

They had grown up all their lives with a pair of dogs of their own, and as they went into the shelter, it showed as much in how they behaved around the animals as how the animals reacted to their presence. It was just on this side of overwhelming for the boys to find themselves surrounded by so many of them at once and they struggled to divide their attention among them, but once they managed to stop and stay with one for a bit before moving on, they really started to get the hang of things.

From there, they had started to bring the boys out there more regularly. They'd go all of them on the weekends, yes, but then also at other times, whoever would pick up the two from preschool – they tended to alternate the drop offs and pick-ups – would maybe take them out there again, just for a brief check in with the dogs. As expected, there were a couple of cases of attachment along the way, and whether it was sweet or sad, Maya and Lucas would both see sometimes how Elliott and Noah would either try and hide it or try to remind themselves of 'the rules.' That didn't stop them from feeling so happy when they'd arrive and run to find this dog or that one, or to leave with this disappointment at the back of their eyes, like they would have wanted nothing more but to bring them home and… what if they were gone the next time?

"I think Noah is under the impression that the shelter is where dogs come from," Maya pondered aloud, one quiet Saturday afternoon. They'd been there just that morning, but now all three boys had been taken off for a day with their Granny Mel and Pappy Tom, so what was a couple with a now empty house and an active desire for more children to do?

"Like… made?" Lucas grinned as he looked down to his wife, trailing his fingers along her spine as she lay by him.

"Yeah… Like a cake, except you get a puppy," she smiled back at him, doing her own bit of tracing, there on his chest as it rose and fell with his breath. "I know we could explain to them how it actually is, but at the same time I just think… Let them have this."

"Yeah…" Lucas agreed. They were quiet for a moment, just enjoying… this… lying naked together, heads still swimming, but also feeling… They looked at each other, and there was the spark. Lucas went ahead and met her in a kiss and she responded in kind as they started to shift position, the better for him to…

His phone rang on the nightstand.

"No!" Maya groaned in the general direction of the sound. Lucas was right there with her, but he planted a kiss at her neck before stretching over to see who it was. It could have been his parents. It wasn't.

They should have expected this, to some degree. When they'd been at the shelter that morning, they'd been told how there was a possibility they might get their first foster and that they'd get confirmation very soon. And now they had it. There was a dog waiting for them if they would take him.

Maya had already pieced together what the call was about by the time Lucas looked to her for a response, so she quickly gave him a nod. When the call was ended, he sat there for a moment, looking like he wasn't sure how to proceed for a moment. He turned to Maya again, considered the two of them where they were, and what they'd been about to do… The boys wouldn't be back for a while still, so what happened now? Did they get back to it? One look between them made it clear that, though they could no doubt get back into the spirit of it if they went for it, the moment as they'd had it was now good and extinguished. They might as well start thinking about what they would do about this dog.

"Should we go get him now so he's home when they get back?" Maya asked. They both thought about it for a moment, but they also reached the same conclusion.

"We don't want to make it look like this is going to be their dog to keep. A surprise might confuse things," Lucas said it aloud, and Maya nodded. "What about the pet store? Whatever we might need for him…" Again, they thought about it, but this time they agreed the other way. They would take care of that by themselves, leaving only the pick-up to be done with the boys, after which they'd get to come home with their canine guest.

As they got ready to head out, Lucas got in touch with his father, explaining to him what was going on and how they might proceed. Thomas Friar let his son know that they would all be back at their house within the hour. They would have all stayed there until dinner time, at which point Maya and Lucas would have joined them for the meal before taking their boys home, but now the plan was changing. They didn't want to cancel their evening with his parents, far from that, but now they would have that dinner at the young Friars' house. While Maya and Lucas would take the boys to the shelter, Thomas and Melinda would go to their house and wait, carrying on whatever meal prep had already been in progress.

Taking their time to head out and then stroll through the store – where they took the opportunity to get what they needed for the two dogs and cats already living with them – they finally headed to the elder Friars' home, there to find that Melinda had recruited her grandsons to assist in a bit of pre-Valentine cookie baking. Stepping into that kitchen made it clear that both of the grandparents were ardent supporters of their daughter-in-law's bakery. There were clippings about the midnight opening up on the refrigerator door, at least three magnets with the logo and contact information that they could see, a box to show they had been there recently… Very rarely, in all the years she'd known her, had Maya seen Lucas' mother in a t-shirt, but when they'd given her one of the shirts they'd had made, mostly for the staff, she had taken it with pride, had worn it a few times already that they had seen.

The boys were still at an age where a change of plans all of a sudden would usually be taken in stride. There might be some complaint if they didn't want to leave what they'd been doing, but the why of it all wouldn't reach them in such a way that they'd start to wonder if there was something bigger going on. When they saw their parents, they were just happy to see them and to show them the cookies they'd made, and when they were told that they had to go somewhere, there was a brief moment of 'what about Granny and Pappy?' They were assured that they would see their grandparents again later that day, so it was all they needed to know. They headed out, were buckled into their seats, and they were on their way.

It didn't take long for them to pick up on the fact that they weren't going home. They knew the route for that trip, even Jamie, and even without saying anything, it was there in their faces, they knew… something was up. After that, even if they had not been driving out there nearly as long as they'd done the 'home to elder Friars' or vice versa drive, it only took a couple of turns for them to start to wonder… Hey, they'd gone there just this morning, hadn't they? Once that was working away in their heads, it was time that they be caught up, so Maya told them… In the last week or so, after they'd been going to the shelter for a while, they had started to tell them about the idea of fostering dogs. They really wanted them to understand what it would be like, especially the temporary part, and they really seemed to get it. Today would be the real test.

When they were told that they would get their first foster to bring home and look after, the excitement was instantaneous. There was a lot of talking all at once, but Maya and Lucas both caught on to a general sense of 'we get to take care of a dog for its new family,' so they were doing great so far. They were all taken out of the minivan and put on their feet, and while they were all clearly very anxious to go inside, they stayed put, as they had learned to do since that first time where they might have dragged their parents inside if they could.

They were very well known by the shelter's staff by now, and as they knew what the family was coming back for, they were almost just as excited as the little boys were. They were brought along, and the boys greeted those dogs they saw and recognized as they went, until they were brought to meet the fretful fluffball that was Scoot. After being reminded not to crowd him, the boys made their approach, kneeling and talking to the dog if they could, offering their hands… Slowly, he approached. He reminded Maya and Lucas of their Lou, when they'd first adopted her.

Elliott had finally been allowed to pick her up – she was just small enough for him to do so – when someone came up to the woman who'd brought them out to find Scoot. They talked quietly for a few seconds before turning to the couple with questions in their eyes. They had a situation, a placement that had fallen through on account of a family emergency. Was there any chance they could take another as well? They had kept their voices low, so the boys wouldn't hear, wouldn't know any of this unless the answer was yes. What were they supposed to do? They'd told themselves that they could easily take two, three at the very max, but with everything else…

"Hey, guys, guess what…" Lucas turned to the boys when the decision was made. When they'd heard about this other dog, it had brought back memories of Maya's giant birthday card.

Scoot warmed up to Maya enough that she got to pick him up and carry him along, leaving Elliott, Noah, and Jamie to go along to find this surprise second dog. Lucas was already letting his parents know that there would be a brief delay, as this would mean a second trip to the pet store.

"That's a big dog!" Noah blurted out, unable to contain himself when he and his brothers found themselves stood before the animal as he was led out to meet them. He was as tall as Elliott, would be taller if he stood on his back legs! Jamie was just a bit frazzled by the appearance and he dashed to get hold of his mother's leg.

Meanwhile, the dog had already been startled by Noah's words, showing curiosity about the small humans, and approaching them, which was what had sent Jamie running. The toddler didn't worry all that long though. He watched as the dog came up to his brothers, and sort of crouched forward, sniffing at Elliott and Noah and quickly giving them both good kisses that made them giggle and reach out to pet him. They were already fast friends, and so Jamie released his mother and approached the scene. When the dog looked at him, he tensed up a bit, but then he reached out his hand, and the dog sniffed it, sort of tapped it with his head. Hello. That was good enough. Jamie reached up his arms around the giant dog's neck and embraced him, and the dog seemed to like this very much.

That was how they met Sirius. That was the day he came home with them along with Scoot. And while the small dog would only be with them for a very short time in the end, it would be another story for the big one. His planned adoption fell through at some point, and rather than send him back, the Friars had decided to keep looking after him until things could be sorted out, but almost just as soon, that just changed. Much as they realized it might set a bad precedent as they continued to foster more dogs, they couldn't pretend as though Sirius hadn't become very well loved among them. And when he found himself suddenly in need of a new family, a new home, the thought became 'well, why not us?' And so it was. He would stay with them, and everyone was thrilled to hear it, whether they lived in this house or not. Maya and Lucas would joke that, if they had decided to just let him go and find him another home, several of their family members and friends would have stopped talking to them. That might not have actually happened, but… near enough.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners