What's the worst that I can say? Things are better if I stay... Heh, I'm emo again.

"I'm not telling."

"C'mon, Ryder, tell me."

"I said no!" replied the boy.

"Why not?" asked Skye.

"I-It's personal."

"Is it embarrassing?"

"W-Why are we even talking about this?" shrugged Ryder, activating his pup pad to see the location of either Chase or Everest in the map, even though in the last hour he hadn't got any signal from the pups.

"Neither you or Katie spill the beans." replied Skye. "We're your friends, we're getting worried about you. Not a single girlfriend and you're like what, thirteen?"

"That-! Skye!" Ryder blushed at hearing the age, knowing he's a bit older than that. "I-I told you it's personal! Can we just not talk about that now?"

"I'm just killing time." sighed Skye. "I hope they come back soon."

Both the human and the pup looked down. Three whole hours had passed without any news of Chase or Everest, the last one who had entered the forest to find the lost German Shepherd. The sun had hidden behind the mountains not a while ago, Skye had been waiting in her copter parked next to Ryder's ATV and Chase's spy cruiser, occasionally trying to make the boy give at least a hint about his date with Katie, but he was a hard bone. Even though it was funny to look at her leader's face fluster only mentioning the blond pet caretaker, the Cockapoo knew she was only doing it to not think about Chase. Zuma's words were still fresh in her mind, but it was a risk she didn't feel prepared to take, at least not now with the problems rounding the lost spy pup.

In the other hand, Ryder was mentally preparing himself to scold the police pup for his actions. But not there, in front of Skye and Everest, this kind of things are better to face with serenity and privacy, so his pup wouldn't feel pressured or threatened, but confident, like it always was when it came to the boy and the pup. Ryder wanted to show Chase that he was still his best human friend, someone that he could trust on and not fear, but risking a mission was not something a good leader should allow. The idea was not to make him feel bad, but to look for a solution together.

He just hoped that Chase would let him.

"Look! Here they come!" shouted Skye. Immediately they heard the bushes making sounds and then could finally see Chase and Everest coming out of them.

"Ugh, those bugs kept chasing me all the way here." grumbled Chase, shooing away some mosquitoes buzzing around his ears. "I think one ended up in my mouth."

"It was the fastest way, stop your whining." chuckled Everest, who had leaves, branches and spider web in her fur and gear, which she shook off a little after.

Ryder clearing his throat caught their attention. Chase turned his head instinctively, but soon regret it, as nervousness took over his body seen the boy with his arms crossed, waiting for both to get close. The Shepherd gulped audibly as he and Everest walked towards him. Speaking of Everest, she really didn't like how tense the atmosphere was between those two, and couldn't help but feel nervous for no reason, although she knew it didn't have anything to do with her.

Skye looked at the two from her helicopter, noticing that worried expression in Chase again. He has been making that face very often this week. She guessed that it had to do with the drone not being used in the mission, since Ryder wouldn't tell her anything related to why Chase didn't deploy his drone. One thing was clear, it was going to be a long ride back home.

With a quick stop at Mayor Goodway's to return the purse, all pups returned to the Lookout after a 5 hours lenght rescue. Chase could only imagine what was going to happen. He had two strikes already, and he didn't know if Ryder would allow a third after two incidents in only two days. First the cows mission, then him dissappearing in the night, and now this. He didn't only risked the mission for not having the drone with him, he risked his own life in a routine mission, and that was what he was going to be scolded for, at least he thought. Ryder remained speechless since they took off to return home, he couldn't even look his face, much because of the helmet in his head. A couple of miles ahead was home, the Shepherd felt his heart beat a bit faster with every second. Maybe telling the truth was the right option.

Maybe not.

Ryder wasn't sure how to approach the problem. It was hard to consider punishing one of his pups. He would advice them or call them out when they did something bad, but it would be the end of it. Actually punishing them was something he never thought would correct anything. He always thought, unlike his father at least at first, that dogs should be treated with kindness just like a child, but even in the best families parents punish their kids when they deserve it. However, they boy didn't think Chase needed to be punished. The relationship between them was strong enough to solve the problem just talking, or at least he hoped that. The police pup hasn't been himself these days, he was distracted somehow, if that was possible for Chase. In retrospective, Ryder was the one who allowed Chase to go with this spy gear in the mission, so he shouldn't blame it all on him for making a mistake. What was a fact was that Chase had a problem, one that Ryder being his best (human) friend should be able to deal with.

Apparenty all the pups were in their pup houses or somewhere else, because there were no lights on in the tower apart from the usual, the ones decorating the ceiling, and none of them were playing outside. It wasn't that late in the night, and even so they normally play even passing their bed time, although Ryder always tries to make them go to sleep at time. In that moment some barks were heard in the distance as three small silhouettes appeared in the front yard to welcome the rescuers.

"Hey pups." saluted Ryder, as he parked his ATV. "Sorry for keeping you worried, but we had to deal with a situation in the forest."

"No problem Ryder, we already had dinner." Rubble answered. Zuma came behind him, and then there was Marshall. Chase saw how the Dally directed his view to the Husky pup who was parking her vehicle just as the others, but when their eyes conected, Everest showed a small smile and went running towards him. The converstion he had with the mountaineer was still echoing in his head, she wasn't the one in the other end that day, he was convinced, she didn't show any sign of being lying. Now Chase was really interested on finding out who it was, now that Everest was discarded as a suspect. However it was just a matter of time, since Marshall had already promised to tell him what it was all about. But that would have to wait, now the problem was Ryder.

For the first time in two days, he stopped thinking about that phone call mystery, about Marshall, about everything, and was focused on what was going to happen to him, and...

...can we have dinner before I get scolded?

"Chase." the voice of his leader called. He turned to see Ryder motioning him to enter in the Lookout with him. A little hesitating, he entered with the boy.

Rubble wasn't paying atention and Everest and Marshall had already left at the moment. Zuma and Skye just watched how the two highest ranks of the PAW Patrol walked together inside the quarters without saying a word to them. "What happened with the mission? And why does Chase looks like someone stepped on his tail?" inquired Zuma, turning at the Cockapoo.

"Some things happened..." Skye frowned, turning away.

Her mood seemed to be off again, a little different from earlier that day. "You don't look so good either." mumbled Zuma. "What happened now?"

Skye walked a couple of steps to look at the distance, giving Zuma her back. "I thought about what you said, but I don't know if I'll be able to do it." she sighed. "It's just... any time I try to get close to him something happens, and when nothing does, he rejects me. It's like the world doesn't want me close to him... like he doesn't..."

"You gotta stop thinking like that. He doesn't hate you, no one could ever hate you! You're the cheeriest, funiest and most caring pup I know! Just an idiot wouldn't notice you're great." snapped Zuma out of the blue. The flying pup turned her view, revealing her crying eyes, shocked by those words. "Maybe Chase is going through a lot of issues now, but we both know problems aren't forever. You just have to wait a little longer and everything will be solved for good."

Wind blowed across the yard, picking up some leaves in its way. Even though tears were still falling from her eyes, she chuckled lightly and walked towards her friend, nuzzling his chest once she got there. "Thanks for cheering me up." she whispered, silently cleaning the wet from her eyes, as he placed a paw around her back. That feeling would always calm her down, even back then when everything was harder...

Zuma let her go after some seconds. "Now go to rest. Tomorrow will be another day. Maybe we can go to the beach again?" he smiled, but didn't quite got the reaction he wanted. "...and we can get Chase to come too?"

This drew a little blush on the flying pup's cheeks. "Ok... tomorrow then. See ya."

"Bye."

Zuma watched how Skye walked towards her pup house and sighed somewhat worried. What the hell is going on with Chase?

Zuma was trying his best, he really was, but one more incident was going to make him kill Chase. He was resisting the urge of facing him and aim for his neck after all he was making Skye go through. The only two things that were keeping him from commiting a crime was the fact that he has known Chase for years, and he is not like this. To see him freaking out and acting like this didn't seem right, but it was better off if he solved them by his own. The Shepherd can get quite... aggresive if something was odd with him. That actually adds to the list. And the other reason... Skye.

"Zuma, Zuma!" Rocky appeared shouting.

"Rocky, dude. What happened?"

"Where's Ryder and Chase?"

"Up in the tower, why?"

"I'll tell you later!" It didn't take him five seconds to say all this and he had already disappeared again.

Not you too, Rocky...

DING!

The elevator doors opened revealing the boy and the pup walking into the dark into the dark control room. Both walked silently across it, Ryder directing to the control pannel, and Chase sitting where the pups are assigned their missions. Pressing a button, the lights went on, Ryder kind of didn't want to turn back to the pup behind him, not without something clear to say. "Well, let's get to it." he said before turning quickly.

The room was filled with an awkawrd silence for some seconds, Chase didn't move from his position, Ryder was resting in the pannel unwillingly. None of them wanted to look at each other. Both wanted the tension to break and to last forever at the same time. Neither of them wanted to speak first.

But it was his duty as leader to stop this. He would soon find out that he didn't have to worry too much, as Chase had already made a decision. And so it started.

"Why wasn't your drone in your cruiser?"

"Because I lost it."

"Was it when you went out last night?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Mr. Porter's."

"Mr. Porter's? What were you doing there?"

"Err... I was..."

"Ryder! Chase!" A high pitched voice called them, as the elevator opened again, this time Rocky stepped in, but with his claw holding something behind his back.

"Uh, Rocky. We're in the middle of something here." Ryder stopped him.

"I know. But I think you might want this back, Chase." said the mixed breed, now revealing what he had with him.

"H-Hey, it's my drone!" shouted Chase, with eyes wide open. Ryder couldn't hide his shock either.

"I was on my way back to Farmer Al's after you left when Mr. Porter made me stop by and gave it to me." explained Rocky, walking closer to his teammates. "He said he found it last night on top of the tree near the restaurant."

Surprisingly, Chase wasn't bohered, or mad, or anything. This was like a signal, something was making it all fit together to make him tell the truth.

"You can see it now, Ryder sir." spoke Chase, pointing at his device.

Ryder didn't waste time and took the chance. "Rocky, connect the drone to the screen."

Rocky did as he was told. Pressing a button on the drone a cable was revealed. The pup took it with his teeth and connected it to the pannel. It was taking some time to find the recording in the infinity of fields in the memory, but in the end they reached it, the last recording under the name of "PP_R_216". After the pup finished, Ryder took a step further and pressed the play button.

Thirty five seconds of video passed.

"It's... Marshall and Everest?" Ryder spoke first, watching how he had been tricked twice by his pups. He wasn't mad, though. "Well, that's one way to help Mr. Porter, but not what I expected." chuckled the leader, making the awkward face of a father who just found out one of his sons had his first girlfriend. But Rocky...

"T-That's from yesterday, isn't it...?" asked the eco pup with a shaky voice, the shade of his cap covering partially his face.

"Uh, yes." Chase answered.

...you've got to be kidding me.

DING!

Marshall and Everest appeared in the elevator.

Figures.

"Hey Chase, I have to talk with... you..." saluted Marshall with a bright smile, which faded away as he realized what was happening... oh, and the video on the big screen. "W-What's the meaning of this?!"

Rocky stepped closer to Marshall. "M-Marshall... y-you..."

The fire pup was ready to scream in anger, but the mixed breed's shaky voice was more than enough to make his stop in his tracks. "Rocky, are you...?"

Rocky closed his eyes violently and ran for the slide without looking back. Everyone in the room was left shocked by the scene, none of them sure of what just happened... well, except for Chase.

I don't think I'm having dinner any time soon...