Thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites list, and a really big hug and a cookie to everyone who has left a review. I love hearing what ya'll think about my writing, and appreciate your taking the time to tell me what you enjoyed and what I need to work on.

We arrived at Ashley's house pretty quickly. It was a typical suburban house, red brick, two story, and black front door. "Ok," she whispered, "We're going to have to sneak you in. My parents don't really want a dog right now. Just hide if I tell you to." I nodded, and she laughed. Ashley had the most beautiful laugh, it sounded like a thousand beautiful bells. "I don't really know if you can understand me, boy, but you are too cute." She pet behind my ear.

Quietly, she took a key out of her costume and unlocked the door. There were stairs right in front of the door, and there were two rooms off the foyer, a dining room and a den. "Ashley, is that you?" called a voice from the den.

"Go", she whispered at me, pointing at the stairs. I snuck up quietly, waiting for my angel at the top of the stairs. There was a long hallway at the top, and I thought it would be best not to wnader around.

"Hi Daddy," I heard her respond.

"How was trick-or-treating?" asked who I assumed was her father.

"Great," she said, "Ricky was the perfect gentleman, of course. We were able to get a ton of candy for Nick."

"Glad you had fun," her dad said, then gasped, "What happened to your cheek? How did you get that bruise?"

"It's nothing, Dad, I ran into a tree. I'll be fine."

"You need to be more careful when you're walking, honey," he said, concerned, "At least Ricky was with you to take care of you."

"Yeah," she said, "I'm pretty tired. Night Daddy." She ran upstairs, and found me sitting at the top of the stairs.

"Good boy," she whispered, "now come on." I followed her to the room at the end of the hall. There was a little pink sign on the white door. Ashley's Room it said. Quickly, Ashley opened the door. I entered, wagging my tail.

The room was white, with a pink polka dot border, and the comforter on the big, wooden bed was light pink. The sheets were bright pink, and the pillows were white. A pink beanbag chair was in the corner, next to a white book case with tons of books. The carpet was an off white color, probably the only thing in the room that didn't match. The dresser was the same kind of wood as the bed.

"I just have to get out of this costume, and then we'll get you in the tub," Ashley said, walking over to the dresser and pulling out a pair of pajamas. She untied the cape, and just let it fall to the floor. She 

took off the dress, and was standing around in a pink bra and floral panties. Yes, ok, I looked. Wouldn't you? I didn't like what I saw. There were bruises all over her skin, and I was pretty sure I knew where they came from. There was a handprint near her breast, as though someone had tried to grab her there. I growled, knowing full well Ricky was responsible. She turned toward me, and unclasped the bra, that's when I closed my eyes. I wasn't going to be a peeping Tom. I opened them a minute later, and she had on a navy cami with lace on the top and bottom. She had plaid boxers too, and they showed off her toned legs, and the bruises up and down her thighs. I went up to her cautiously, and licked her leg. She laughed again.

"I'm fine," she told me sadly, "Ricky only does it because he loves me. He's never caused huge harm before. Now come on." She led me over to a door next to the bed, and opened it. It was her bathroom. The floor was white tile, and the wall was painted pink. I laughed inside, everything in her room matched. She walked over to the bathtub and pulled the shower nozzle off its hook.

"Come on," she encouraged, "Can you get in on your own?" I did as she asked; I would do whatever she asked me, anything. It was a tight fit, but I was able to fit in the tub. Ashley turned on the water, and it felt good. The warm water washed over my skin, the first bath I'd had in a long time. Ashley grabbed a bottle of shampoo off the shelf near the tub. "I don't have dog shampoo, so this will have to do," she said apologetically. She poured the apple scented goo over her hands, and rubbed it into my fur. Her hands on my back was the most amazing feeling I could imagine, it was magical. She massaged the shampoo into my fur lightly, and I could see the dirt washing into the drain. She rinsed out the shampoo, and I felt a lot better, even though I could see Ashley was upset. She turned the water off, and grabbed a towel. I thought it would be rude to shake myself dry, so I let Ashley towel my dry.

"There you go," she said once I was dry, "I've got to get a shower too, so do you want to wait in here, or the bedroom. I hopped out of the tub, and lay down by the toilet. "Ok then," she said, stripping off her pajamas and rinsing off the tub. She poured some bubbles into the bath tub and turned the water on. I was staring at her; her perfect breasts were barely visible through the bubbles.

"It feels better," she explained, "than a shower. It relaxes me and keeps my bruises from swelling up. I inched closer to her and nuzzled into her hand, which was dangling over the edge of the tub. "Thanks, "she said, petting my head. After a few minutes, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. She dried off and put her jammies back on. We heard a door slam across the hall ,and she snuck down stairs, leaving me alone upstairs. I changed back to my human form for the first time in months, enjoying the feeling of two legs and opposable thumbs. I heard the door open again, and Ashley walked into her room, holding a bowl of hamburger meat and another bowl of water. When she saw me standing there in my human form, naked, she screamed.