Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.

Gale moves slowly through the aisle, barely glancing into the different caged areas as they move. Madge is by his side with her arm looped through his and a hopeful expression on her face.

"For the last time," Gale murmurs. "I don't need a god damn dog." Madge doesn't falter in her excitement, her face still bright as she peers into each and every section.

"Yes you do," she says. "Because your apartment is in a bad place and you sleep like a rock." Gale nearly snorts. She wants him to get a guard dog. "And you're lonely." Before he can protest she asks, "Now what about this one?" She comes to a stop in front of a Great Pyrenees dog standing with her tongue out. She's large and fluffy and white and looks just as damn hopeful as Madge does. "Her name's Lucy." Madge looks up at him. "Aww, Gale!"

"Madge, I don't need a dog."

"Just look at her," Madge insists, tugging him forward slightly. He huffs and takes a step toward the dog. If anything, why would he want a giant fluffy white dog? He should get a German Shepherd, or a Lab, or something he can take on a hike. "Come on, Lucy. Sit!"

Lucy sits diligently and then continues panting. Gale reads off of the little tag by Lucy cage, reading that she'd been with a loving family for four years before they moved and couldn't take her with them. If she isn't adopted by the end of the month then they're going to have to put her down. He sighs, dragging his hand through his hair. Kill-shelters are the worst.

"Fuck," he mutters. "Fine, okay. Fine." Madge fist-pumps in victory. "I guess you're coming home with me," he says to Lucy, crouching down to get a little closer. As though she understands, her entire face lights up.

Lucy is curled up on Gale's floor that night while Madge reads up on her breed. "Good with kids," she says, causing Gale to snort. They've been dating for almost a year but haven't dove into the conversation of kids yet. Soon, he thinks. Because you have to have the kid talk before you propose, and Gale feels like that's coming. He swings his arm over her shoulder and tugs her closer. "Intelligent, good watchdog, Gale she's perfect for you."

"Yeah, yeah," he says with a little sigh. "If you say so."

"This one says 'serious dog and independent in nature' so yes, I say so." Gale laughs again, dipping down to kiss her forehead. Madge closes her laptop and turns to her boyfriend. "You really want her though," Madge asks. "Right? I didn't force you into getting a dog you don't want?"

Gale's eyes travel to Lucy on his carpet, happily snoozing away. Gale shrugs. "I wouldn't have gotten her if I didn't want her," he murmurs.

It does get lonely at night, though Gale won't admit that to Madge, so it'll be nice having some fluffy company. Plus it'll encourage him to be more active. He works from home with an architecture firm so he doesn't get out too much. Now he'll have an excuse to take a walk. And, fine, she's a beautiful dog. Gale can't fight the feeling that he knows he'll spoil her.

"Plus I'll be around to help all the time," Madge teases.

Gale grins. "You just love me for the dog," he jokes back, bending to kiss her. "I see how it is." Madge laughs wildly as he tugs her toward him, shoving the laptop out of the way and

A month flies by and Lucy integrates herself perfectly into Gale's life. She sleeps at the foot of his bed when Madge doesn't stay over, and in the little bed Posy bought her when Madge does. She loves walks in the park no matter if it's rain or shine. And her favorite place to be is by Gale's side when he's on the couch doing work, just out of reach of his hand so he can pet her when he gets distracted.

One night Madge comes over and they eat some take-out while Lucy sits by the foot of their chairs. She's a pretty lazy pup, often dozing or laying down, but when food is involved she's front and center. Lucy doesn't beg or whine but she does look hopeful and use her puppy eyes to her advantage.

"I just don't understand why you won't even consider it," Gale mutters to Madge as he digs into his meal. "We've been dating for almost a year, Madge, what's so bad about moving in together?"

"It's not that I don't want to," she counters, pushing her food around her plate. "It's just your apartment is so much farther from my work and my apartment isn't big enough for Lucy." She perks up when she hears her name, hoping to get some food, but eases back down when she doesn't.

"Then we can find a new place that fits both of us," Gale carries on.

Madge shakes her head. "I just don't have the money right now."

Frustration bubbles in his chest. "We'd be saving money in the long run! If you don't want to move in with me, then just say so!"

"It's not that I don't want to," Madge says again, her voice picking up as his has. "I just–I'm not ready!"

Gale nearly explodes, "Then why didn't you just say that!" Lucy lets out a loud bark that causes the both of them settle. Gale whistles, snapping his fingers while Lucy trots up to his side. "I'm going to take her out," Gale mutters before sighing. "C'mon, girl." He stands, pushing his way from table, as Madge sinks backwards.

Lucy makes her way to the door and Madge rubs at her temples, avoiding Gale's gaze until he leaves the table completely. She listens as he hooks Lucy into her leash and then sighs another time when he hears his heavy apartment door shut.

From there on things seem to get worse and worse.

The two drawers Madge keeps at Gale's apartment shrinks to one. Madge doesn't stay over all that much. And when she does she's distant, always doing work on her computer. Or they're fighting.

"It doesn't make sense to me, Madge," Gale grumbles one night. He's sitting on the couch and she's at the kitchen table a few paces away. Lucy's nestled by Madge's feet, she's always loved Madge since that day in the shelter. "Why would you want to go on a week long business trip to a conference that you don't even care about?"

"Who said I don't care about it?" she shot back.

"You did!" Gale tries his hardest to stop himself from getting angry but everything these days just seem to be getting worse and worse. "I thought you were looking for a new job. Why even entertain this one if you're not happy?"

"It's not that I'm not happy," Madge mutters in return. "But this–at the firm I can get promotions here and rise up and make money to pay my parents back for school and–"

"Since when does that matter?" Gale cuts her off. "Since when has money ever mattered to you? You're not working with kids like you've always wanted to–you're just–you're a glorified secretary where you are now!" Madge slams her laptop shut and Lucy sits up as though sensing the tension on the room. "It doesn't make any fucking sense!"

"It makes plenty of sense!"

"Why?" Gale leaps from the couch and starts after her. The words he swore he'd never speak are slipping from his mouth. "So you can get away from me? Is that what you're trying to do?" Madge sits still at his table, her eyes flickering away from him. "Make more money so you can go off on your own, never see me again?"

"Gale…"

"Fucking end it," he snaps. His voice isn't loud, but it is cold. "You know you want to." Madge is staring at his floor. "You don't want to move in together, you don't even stay the night anymore Madge." His voice picks up as she doesn't look at him. "If you don't love me anymore, then just fucking end it! I don't know what else I can do, Madge!"

"There's nothing that–" she shouts, but stops, looking back up at him.

"Is it someone else?" he presses.

"No, Gale!"

"Then what–"

"There's nothing!" Madge shouts. "It's nothing! There's nothing that's making me act this way it's just–it's–"

"You don't love me anymore," he exhales. Madge doesn't respond, though her eyes have filled with tears. Lucy lets out a hesitant boof and Madge gasps for a quiet breath. "Fine," he snaps. "Fine, Madge. Get the fuck out of my apartment."

"Gale…"

"Get out!" he yells. "I do every god damn thing for you! I moved out here for you, and I got a new job for you, and I–"

"I never asked you too!" she screams back. Madge stands up and Lucy barks another time, louder than before. "I never asked you to do anything for me, Gale!"

"Fine," he snaps another time. "Just get out then! Get the fuck out and never talk to me again!" Madge is already hastily shoving her things into her bag. "I'll pack up your shit and send it to your apartment," he continues, his voice still loud and angry. "Just get the fuck out!"

"Don't even bother," she snaps back.

Lucy barks again, and then his apartment door slams shut, and Gale feels his heart shattering.

The apartment is silent with her gone and he can hear her car start through the thin walls. He rushes to the balcony, Lucy hot on his heels, just in time to watch her pull out from the parking lot.

Gale has never felt more guilty or more angry at himself in his entire life.

He wanted to marry her. God, he wanted to marry Madge and he fucked it all up–why? Because of his own goddamn insecurities? Because she needed more space than he wanted to give her?

So he throws himself into his work. He focuses on his architecture projects until his eyes are bleeding. He takes Lucy on a walk three times a day. He drinks at night until he falls asleep. He tries to think about anything other than Madge.

A month after she's gone, after he reluctantly packed her things (she didn't have much left at his place, a book, a pair of yoga pants, a sweatshirt) and sent them to her, he thinks he's mostly recovered. Or at least, is getting there.

He hasn't moved on yet. They were together for a long time and he loved her. He loved her so damn much. But he thinks he will be in time, if he tries.

He's walking Lucy at the park one afternoon when she takes off sprinting. She's not the type to run randomly, not even after squirrels, and it startles Gale so much that he lets the leash go as she books it across the park. "Lucy!" he shouts after her, quickly running after his dog, another one of his daily reminders of Madge, only to find that Madge is exactly where Lucy is taking him.

He stops a few yards away, watching his dog happily jumping over Madge who's sitting on a park bench. "Hi, Princess," she says soothingly, stroking Lucy's fur and scratching her between the ears lovingly. Gale's frozen. It takes her a few moments but she looks up at him. "Hi, Gale," she says softly.

"Sorry," he rasps. "She–she ran–I guess she misses you." He whistles to get Lucy back to his side but she only shoots him an apprehensive look. "Sorry," Gale murmurs again.

"It's okay," Madge says, still petting the fluffy white dog. "Miss her too," she admits.

Both of them are quiet for a few minutes before Gale whistles another time. And then on a whim he digs into his jacket pocket, pulling out a tennis ball, and tossing it across the park. Lucy sprints after the ball and Gale walks to Madge's side, taking a seat on the bench beside her.

"I just want to apologize," Gale says quietly. Madge has put her book away and is watching Lucy running through the grass, her head tilted in a way so Gale knows she's listening. "I never should've shouted at you. Especially like that. The second you were gone, I…" he trails off, shaking his head. "It wasn't okay for me to act like that and I'm sorry."

Madge nods her head a little bit. "Okay," she responds. No, I forgive you. Nothing like that. Just okay. Gale doesn't feel any better. "Me too."

He turns to her. "What?"

"I'm sorry, too."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Gale asks. "I cussed at you and kicked you out of my apartment. I was… awful to you." His face is morphed in confusion, his eyebrows together and his lips parted.

"And I was awful to you," Madge carries on. "All you wanted was little steps forward and I just kept… stepping back." Madge finally turns to look at him. "I had never been with someone like I was with you," she says. "And it scared me. You were making all these sacrifices for me and you wanted to move in together and after that would've come marriage and I was so… I was scared out of my mind."

"Madge…"

"My parents got divorced–you know that–and I… I loved you so much and I was so scared of it, Gale. So I pulled away. And you being mad at me, being frustrated… it didn't come out of no where. I know that. It came out of me pulling away from you without telling you why."

It took every part of him to restrain himself from reaching forward, to grab her hands, to shake his head, to beg for her back. Instead he folded in on himself. "Maybe it just wasn't the right time for us," he finally forces out.

As though Lucy knows they're having an important conversation, she stays in eyesight but far enough away to not interrupt.

"Maybe not," Madge agrees. They sit quietly for a few moments. "I quit my job," she tells him. "At the law firm. I'm working at an elementary school now." Gale smiles softly. "School counselor."

"That's really great to hear, Madge. Congratulations."

"Thanks," she says quietly. "And you… you're doing okay?"

I've been better, he thinks. But he doesn't want to guilt her. He knows it's wrong. "I'm doing okay," he returns, though there's a sense of sadness in his voice. Lucy starts trotting back to them and Gale wants to say something, to invite her to coffee or just something, but he can't.

When he yelled at her that night he felt as though he lost all control. Madge deserves someone better.

He turns to say goodbye when she whispers, "I still love you." Right after she says it her hand lifts to her mouth, almost as though Madge is surprised she's said it herself. "I–I'm sorry," she forces out. "I didn't…"

"I still love you," Gale echoes gently. "But I pushed you too much. And I know that now. And if we… if we don't work, Madge, then…"

"Can we try?" she asks. Gale warns his heart not to get its hopes up but still he feels it beating faster, pounding against his rib cage. "I–I'll be better, I'll… I'll tell you when I'm nervous or hesitant so we can… so we can talk about it instead of me just shutting you out. And if you–if you just bear with me and be patient instead of pushing to hard then I think we can… I just want to try again."

Lucy arrives then, nestling her chin on Gale's leg and looking up at him, hopeful like she was the day he found her in the shelter. Gale looks back to Madge and she, too, despite everything, looks hopeful.

So not caring if it brings him heartache, he nods his head forward. "I'd like that," he breathes.

(Two years later, Gale ties a ribbon around Lucy's neck that has an engagement ring dangling from it. Madge says yes without any hesitation.)