Chapter 8: The Sleepover
It was a big night at the Heeler house; all three kids were having sleepovers. While one might think it insane to have three children invite over friends to a party on the same night, it was really the only logical thing to do for Bandit and Chilli.
"Because if we only let Russell invite his friends, most of his friends are also Bluey's and that would be unfair to Bingo." Chilli explained.
"Okay, and then we let Bingo invite her friends, fine… But why are we letting Muffin and Socks bring a friend each?" Bandit asked, confused as to how that would fit in with the rest of their plans.
"Because Muffin and Socks are Bingo's closest friends aside from Lila, and Lila's only one girl-meanwhile Russell's bringing Rusty, Mackenzie, and Jack and Bluey has Chloe, Coco, and Honey all coming over."
"So to be fair we're letting Muffin and Socks each invite a friend?" Bandit tried to understand.
"Yes, that way Bingo has the same number of guests coming."
"Guests she's never met." Bandit said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but they're close with Muffin and Socks, so they should get along fine with her too." Chilli waved a hand.
"So, who are these kids I don't know?" Bandit sighed, resigned to having a gaggle of children disrupting his home and sleep for an evening.
"Well, Muffin passed on bringing a guest so that Socks could bring two-Jeffrey and Jackie."
"Really?" Bandit was surprised at their niece's decision.
"Yes Bandit, Muffin isn't three anymore, she's getting much better at being aware of others, particularly her little sister. Socks is close to these two and was nearly in tears trying to choose, so Muffin decided to let her have her guest as well."
Bandit smiled, glad to see his former terror of a niece growing up, "Well, that's actually really sweet."
"Yes, now let's get this thing planned so we can manage 14 kids in the house." Chilli said.
"Hooray…" Bandit sighed.
***PT***
The night arrived and after a carpool lane worth of parent drop offs the kids were all in the living room mingling. The boys sans Jeffrey had clustered by the sofa, Bluey and the girls her age were together on the carpet, and Bingo and her cousins and their friends were together.
Bingo walked over to her cousins with Lila. Socks and Muffin were both talking with two dogs she hadn't met before.
"Hi," Bingo waved hesitantly, "I'm Bingo, and this is my friend Lila."
"Bingo, these are my friends." Socks said motioning to the two dogs. There was a male heeler-dingo mix and a golden retriever girl.
"Hi, I'm Jeffrey." The boy introduced himself. "And she's Jackie."
Jackie briefly looked up and smiled before turning back to looking at her feet.
"She isn't always good with new people. Sorry." Socks explained. "But she's really awesome."
A small smile appeared on Jackie's face and she briefly glanced at Socks. Socks shook her head, "Not right now, maybe Muffin would be okay with it?"
"Sure." Muffin shrugged, opening her arms for a hug. Jackie briefly hugged the grey heeler before backing off.
Bingo looked at her friend and explained, "Socks doesn't always like being touched, so sometimes she'll ask you not to. Muffin fills in when she's around and Socks okays it."
Lila nodded, "That makes sense. It's nice to meet you." She waved at the four dogs she was just meeting.
Bandit walked into the room, "Hey kids, Mrs. Heeler is about to order some pizzas. Do you kids know what exactly you want on them or what you can't have?" Bandit asked looking at his youngest daughter, nieces, and their friends.
"What do you mean by, like, what we can't have?" Socks asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"He means things that could make you sick. Like I can't have gluten, which is something they use to make bread." Bingo explained.
"Exactly, thank you Bingo." Bandit replied with a smile as he ruffled the little red heeler's head.
"Um… if it's okay Uncle Bandit…" Socks said looking at Jackie a moment before turning back to her uncle, "Remember how I don't like some foods?"
"Yeah, your mum and dad gave me the list." Bandit said. "I don't think pizza was on it, was it?"
"No, it isn't, but I don't really like stuff that's…" She tried to explain.
"Mushy?" Jackie suggested.
"Yeah." Socks nodded, agreeing. "And Jackie doesn't either."
"Oh, okay. Would you girls be okay with a pizza without sauce?" Bandit asked.
Jackie and Socks looked at each other. "Yeah."
"Great!" Bandit smiled.
Can we get breadsticks? Russell signed.
"Yeah! And dipping sauce!" Bluey added.
"Okay, we'll get that too." Chilli said, "That way we have another option just in case." Chilli paused a moment before turning back to the kids. "Okay, I'm gonna see what Bluey and her friends want before I call in." Chilli said as she pulled her phone out and walked to the other side of the room.
"Okay babe." Bandit replied before turning his attention to Bingo, Socks, and their friends. "Alright squirts, what's on the list for sleepover fun?" He asked rubbing his hands together.
"We're gonna play in the yard." Bingo said.
"Yeah! We wanna play in the fort again!" Muffin and Socks said together.
Bandit had built a fort for the kids next to the fish pond and the three had taken to holing up in it for hours and playing.
"You have a fort in your yard?" Jeffrey asked.
"Yeah!" Bingo said, "My dad built it!"
"Jeffrey, Jackie, would you two like to play in the fort? I understand if you both don't want to. I just want to make sure that neither of you get overwhelmed or something like that." Bandit said kneeling down to talk to the golden retriever and dingo-heeler mix. "I can play some other games with you that aren't too loud." The light blue heeler suggested.
"I'm okay with the fort." Jeffrey said, "It'll be like recess at school. We can hide inside and talk." He turned to Jackie, "Right?"
She nodded.
"And maybe we could try some games, just nothing too loud." Socks said.
"Course!" Bingo said, "Like normal." Bingo turned to Lila, "Socks doesn't like loud noises, she has sensi- sense…"
"Sensitive." Muffin supplied.
"Yeah, that's it, sensitive hearing."
"How? Her ears don't look bigger than ours?" Lila asked, slightly confused.
"Well… having big ears doesn't always mean having sensitive hearing. It just means that Socks' ear drums are more susceptible to hear things that we normally can't. But it also means that certain noises-loud or not-can irritate her." Bandit explained as best he could to the Maltese.
"So, then why are her ear drums more strong?" Lila asked.
Socks sighed, "It's because I have autism."
"What?" Lila asked, having never encountered a child with the condition before.
"Autism, it means my brain is a little different." She replied. "I have trouble talking to people sometimes and I have some things I don't like and can't handle. Stuff that wouldn't bother you can make me really upset."
"But it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with her." Muffin quickly added, placing a protective arm out near her sister.
"And not all kids who are autistic are the same." Bandit added.
Socks looked at Jackie, who nodded permission. "Jackie has it too, but hers is different from mine."
"In fact, some doctors have said that they believe that nearly everyone is born with it. I was told I have a mild form of autism, what used to be called Aspersers, when I was a kid." Bandit chimed in. "It's not something that anyone should be ashamed or embarrassed of. A wise man once said, 'I like you just the way you are'." He explained with a warm smile.
"Oh, okay." Lila nodded.
"I don't have autism, I have ADHD." Jeffrey explained. "It's also something that makes my brain different, but for me it makes it hard to concentrate and I get overwhelmed sometimes with bright lights or noise."
"My cousin has that." Lila nodded, "He has special medicine he takes."
"I used to take medicine, but now I can focus okay and my doctor and I work on strategies to help me get better at dealing with when I feel like I'm having trouble." The dingo cross explained.
"Do you think you're starting to understand Lila?" Bandit asked, turning to the Maltese. "Sometimes things might not always appear how you think they are." He added. "Knowing if someone is autistic or not is very tricky. It's important to make sure to ask them if they have certain things that they might or not like." He continued explaining.
"Like the pizza. You said something about a 'no' food." Lila said, turning to Socks. "And that it was mushy."
Muffin looked at her sister, Socks nodded. "Socks has a 'no' list-stuff she isn't comfortable with that can trigger her. One of the things she has is hypersensitivity to certain things, and if it's something she doesn't like it's really bad. Like being stuck in an itchy sweater and having loud music playing near you bad. She doesn't like foods that are mushy or chunky, and pizza sauce is sometimes like that. My mum always puts it through the food processor at home to make it extra smooth when we have pizza. That way it's okay for all of us to eat."
"That's a very good example, thank you Muffin for explaining that." Bandit said, proud of his oldest niece.
"Thanks Uncle Bandit." The grayish blue heeler replied with a smile.
"Now then, you kids ready to have some fun?" Bandit asked, looking at all the kids as his tail wagged excitedly.
"Yeah!" Jeffrey said.
Jackie nodded before looking at Bingo and Lila. She looked down a moment before quietly whispering, "Can I hug?"
"Sure." Lila said, gently opening her arms. Jackie latched on and hugged the Maltese a good moment before detaching. She then looked at Bingo. The red heeler nodded consent and was also scooped off the ground. Bingo laughed as she wagged her tail, happy to have made a new friend. As Bingo wagged her tail in Jackie's deep hug the boys talked amongst themselves for the plan for the evening.
"Alright men, as you know this is familiar terrain, but tonight we have a new mission. Corporal Russell, this is your domain, go ahead and explain the mission."
Thank you commander. Russell signed. Men, tonight we have one goal-espionage. We need to gather as much information on the others as we can. It is our goal to gain intel to report back. Our base will be my bedroom, upstairs. There I will show you our equipment. I entrust you all brought some of your own as well, correct?
Mackenzie then raised his hand. "Yes, Private Border Collie?" Jack asked pointing to him.
"Why does Rusty get to be in charge?" Mackenzie asked furrowing his brow in any annoyed tone.
"Because, Rusty's dad was in the army for real life and he taught Rusty everything he learned in the army." Jack explained.
"My dad works as an accountant, that doesn't mean I'm good with math." Mackenzie countered.
Russell and Jack both looked at each other and took a step away from the border collie.
"Private, I don't like insubordination in my outfit." Rusty warned.
"Um… anyway, back to the supplies…" Jack said, trying to diffuse the tension. "I brought some walkie talkies and some snacks." He pulled a pair of the devices from his backpack.
Russell nodded approvingly. Awesome!
"Excellent, those will be very useful." Rusty smiled.
"Thank you Sergeant Kelpie!" Jack replied as he saluted Rusty.
"At ease, Lance Corporal." Rusty replied saluting back. "Alright men, grab a walkie talkie and see what intel you can collect out there on our enemies." He then ordered the boys in his group-or as he would call them his troops-to spread out.
"Wait, what?" Mackenzie asked.
"We're going to listen in to the other groups and see what's going on." Jack whispered.
"Couldn't we just ask them?" Mackenzie suggested.
Russell exhaled, Mate, just go along with it.
"Why? It's easier just to ask." Mackenzie said.
"Border Collie? Do we have a problem?" Rusty asked, turning back to the other boys.
Mackenzie growled, "No, and you don't have to call me that. You know my last name is just Collie."
"As far as I'm aware, private, your last name is Border Collie, or is that not what it says on your ID card at school?" Rusty smirked.
Mackenzie scowled. He didn't like the fact that he had no middle name and two last names. As far as he was concerned Border was his middle name and Collie was his last name, that's how it was with most collies. But for some reason his family had the distinction of having their full breed as their last name.
"Sergeant Kelpie, Private Collie doesn't have a problem. He's just having a hard time understanding the assignment, he's still learning the ropes of the army… sir." Jack explained as he saluted Rusty once again.
"Well, perhaps if he was more versed in the ways of military life he wouldn't have this problem." Rusty said, subtly jabbing at the fact that Mackenzie often didn't play with them, instead opting to do his own games during playtime at school. "But I understand your point. Lance Corporal, you will be the Private's keeper. Make sure he follows orders or it's your problem and his, got it?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good, now fan out men, we have intel to collect." Rusty concluded.
Mackenzie huffed, but didn't argue.
"Okay everyone in the living room!" Bandit called out to his son, daughters, nieces, and assorted friends. Bandit and Chilli came back into the living room and eventually managed to get the large crowd of children quiet. Soon all of the kids gathered in the living room and sat on the couch as Chilli and Bandit counted all of them. "Alright kiddos, I know all of you are excited to be here for the sleepover, but me and Mrs. Heeler have to go over some very important rules that all of you need to hear, okay?" Bandit explained, looking at all of them.
"Okay, we have pizzas on the way. We know that no one is allergic to dairy, but we do have a gluten free pie for Bingo and one without sauce for Socks." Socks nodded appreciatively at her aunt and uncle's consideration. While she didn't technically need a pizza without sauce, she definitely preferred it. Tomato sauce was one food that she could tolerate, but she'd rather not (as it was very close to her no food consistencies).
"Okay, since we've got some time until the food, let's quick explain the rules." Bandit said, looking at Chilli. They'd discussed the guidelines earlier with their kids, but figured it wouldn't hurt to go over them again. "First, girls and boys are sleeping in different rooms. Boys you'll be down here in the living room. Girls you'll be upstairs in the family room."
"Second, there are a lot of you, but that doesn't mean we need a lot of mess or noise." Chilli warned, "Remember, we have neighbors and we don't need them hearing fourteen of you yelling." Russell furrowed his brow slightly, "Sorry bud, thirteen." He nodded.
"And finally, remember to be kind and respectful of everyone. If someone says that they don't want to do something, don't force them." Bandit concluded. "Now go and have some fun!"
The kids quickly split up, and a few minutes later Bluey and all her friends had gathered in the eldest Heeler daughter's room. "Okay girls, my mum and dad have told me that since I'm ten I'm responsible enough to try make up and nail polish for real." Bluey said gleefully with her tail wagging in excitement as she and her friends sat in a circle around what was once her and Bingo's shared room, now her own as she and Bingo had needed privacy between them.
"Really? That's so cool!" Chloe said, watching as Bluey produced a makeup bag and unloaded a few different pieces. She placed a compact, some different lip glosses and a tube of lipstick, a bit of blush, and some eyeliner and mascara on the floor.
"What is all that stuff?" Honey asked, gently picking up the eyeliner.
"I'll explain in a minute, but first we need to figure out what colors will work best with your fur." Bluey grinned as she pulled out the final piece, a large eye shadow palette. It easily had forty different colors, ranging from every shade of the rainbow to black, brown, and grey. "My mum taught me about how different colors would work well based on your fur tone. Because I'm blue I do well with these." Bluey pointed to a few of the cooler colors. "But my mum is red, and these work better for her." She pointed to the other side.
Bluey turned to her left, "Honey, since your fur is a mix of honey, light brown and dark brown we're gonna use light browns, browns, and other colors that match with your fur." Bluey explained as she held up various makeups that matched the beagle's fur color.
Bluey turned to her right, "Chloe, your fur is all white with black spots. Or is it black with white patches? Anyway, we're gonna use black and any other colors that match." The preteen blue heeler explained to the Dalmatian.
"I already know mine." Coco said pointing to a few pinks and reds. "My older sister does makeup and I've seen what she does."
"Nice! Maybe you can help me teach Chloe and Honey. Do you know how to use this?" Bluey held up the small brush to put on the eye shadow.
"Maybe? I've never done it, I've only seen her do it." Coco admitted.
"Here, let me show you. First I gotta get my mirror…"
Moments later, after many attempts of trying to find the right color and attempts of applying the makeup, the girls were all finished with makeup that matched their fur.
"So… what do you want to do now?" Bluey asked, looking at her friends that were, like her, now all dolled up.
"Well, one thing that I know my sister does at her sleepovers is talk." Coco said.
"Talk about what?" Chloe asked.
"Talk about boys!" Coco grinned.
"Boys?" Honey asked.
"Yeah, like who they like or like like." Coco explained.
"Oh, okay." Honey said. "What if you aren't sure who you like?"
"Well, you can like more than one boy." Coco said.
"Oh wow… I've never really liked any boys before." Bluey confessed as she held her arm nervously. 'So… which boys do you like or like like?" She asked, looking at her friends.
***Five minutes earlier, down the hall with the boys…***
"Alright, do you have intel so far?" Jack asked Rusty as he spied on Bingo, Muffin, Socks, and the others playing out back.
"I do. I see Russell's mum conversing with the enemy." The red and tan kelpie said as he looked through binoculars, hiding in the bushes by the porch.
Mackenzie looked around. While he'd been to Bluey's house before it had always been Bluey's house. He'd never actually been in Russell's room before. As he picked up a toy from the window ledge the other two boys were around Russell's desk. On it there was a drawing of the house with their targets marked.
"Mackenzie, come over, we're supposed to be marking positions on the map." Jack commented.
Yeah, I spent all afternoon making this! Russell tapped.
Mackenzie frowned, he didn't know Morse code, but based on Russell's expression he was annoyed.
"Corporal Russell is saying that he spent all afternoon making this." Jack explained to the border collie.
"Oh, sorry." Mackenzie muttered before walking over. "So, what are we doing?"
Jack sighed, "We're recording positions of enemy troops to get intel later. Once the positions are marked we'll send out a spy to collect information."
"Then, once we have all the information, we'll return to Rusty and show him what we gathered so far." The jack Russell terrier explained. "You understand now, Private Collie?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the border collie.
"Yeah. I got it." Mackenzie responded. He normally didn't play army with the other boys at recess, and he wasn't exactly close friends with Russell. If he was honest he was surprised when he was invited to the party, but it was the first sleepover he'd ever been invited to, so he'd accepted. Now he wasn't sure if he made the right choice. As he thought the other boys returned.
"Okay men, we have spotted all enemy troops. Do we have them marked?" Rusty asked Russell and Jack as he reentered the bedroom.
"Yes sir!" Jack replied.
Russell held up the map to confirm it, then signed. Positions marked, sir!
"Excellent work men, now we need a volunteer to go behind enemy lines..." he looked at Mackenzie."Private, how'd you like to earn your rank?"
"What kind of rank am I earning?" He asked looking at Rusty as he crossed his arms. Something was telling Mackenzie that something was off about Rusty offering him what he figured was a 'promotion'. The question that plagued his mind was why was Rusty offering him one and what would he have to do to earn it?
"Well, private, seeing as you're the one with the longest fur and least tenure you're the perfect candidate to spy on our enemies down the hall." He snapped his fingers and Jack handed him the walkie talkie. "Hide this in your fur, then go spy on the girls. We need all the intel we can get."
"Wait, what if I get caught or they find out I'm spying on them?" Mackenzie asked as he looked down at the walkie talkie in his hands before looking up at the Red and Tan Kelpie.
"Then you get back to base as fast as you can." Rusty stated, "We'll provide cover." He motioned to the foam dart guns that Russell had on the bed.
Mackenzie hesitantly nodded, "Um, but how do I hide this?"
Rusty rolled his eyes, "Do I have to do everything?" He walked over and squared himself to Mackenzie's shoulders. They were close enough that Mackenzie could smell him. It was weird, the collie knew he had a strong nose, but as he took in a whiff of Rusty's scent he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up slightly. He felt Rusty place the walkie under the fur on his chest then nudge him toward the door."Now get moving, we need that intel!"
"Okay. Okay, no need to be so pushy..." Mackenzie replied rolling his eyes as walked towards one of the positions him and the other boys were told to mark-this particular 'enemy' positions being Bluey's room.
He arrived at the doorway and placed his ear to the wood, he could hear the conversation inside.
"I think I like Mackenzie..." Chloe said.
"You like Mackenzie?" Honey asked, "Why?"
"I don't know. I think he's kind of cute. And he's nice." She shrugged.
"He is kind of cute." Coco said.
"Yeah, he's got such soft fur. You ever felt his fur? I swear it's softer than mine. He must brush it for hours to get it like that!" Chloe said.
Mackenzie took a step back, he felt wrong. Not because of listening in, but because of what was being said. There was something in the pit of his stomach as he thought. He thought Chloe was nice, but he didn't like like her. He shook his head. Girls were gross, they were girls! He frowned, he was pretty sure he'd never like like a girl, they were just too weird.
"What about you Bluey, which boy do you like or like like?" Chloe could be heard asking as Mackenzie once again placed his ear on the door, preparing himself for the intel.
As he did he heard the walkie buzz. He quickly silenced it and whispered, "I'm in position. The girls seem to be talking about the boys they like."
The line was silent a moment before Rusty was heard, "Good, private, what have you learned so far?"
"Chloe likes me." Mackenzie replied, disgust evident in his voice.
"What's wrong with Chloe?" Jack asked in the background.
"Nothing, now quiet. Bluey is talking." Mackenzie hissed, trying to make sure he wouldn't miss what she said.
"Well... don't make fun of me... but I really like like Jack." Bluey confessed with a sheepish grin as a blush came across her face before she tried to cover it with her hands to hide it.
"You like Jack?!" Coco said.
"No way!" Chloe said.
"Really?" Honey asked.
"No, I like Jean Luc!" Bluey immediately corrected, realizing the others' reactions.
"Who?" Honey asked.
"He's a boy I met while camping..." Bluey explained.
"Private Mackenzie, do you copy?" Rusty's voice cracked through the walkie talkie before theblack and white border collie grabbed it.
"What is it?" He asked.
"What did Bluey say? I couldn't catch it." Jack's voice could be heard chimed into the conversation.
"Bluey said that she lik-" Before Mackenzie could reply, Bluey's bedroom door swung open and he fell backwards dropping the walkie talkie.
Bluey was standing with her arms crossed, the other girls behind her.
"Mackenzie!" Coco shouted.
"Get him!" Bluey ordered.
Mackenzie quickly got to his feet and started down the hall. He pushed the button on the radio. "Mayday! The girls know! I need backup!" He shouted, running as they chased him.
"You heard him men!" Rusty replied as he grabbed one of the foam dart guns from the bed and threw to his troops, Russell, who quickly caught it while Jack fumbled before catching his. "Let's go rescue Private Collie." Rusty said as he pulled the plastic receiver back on dart gun.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie was running through the house trying to get away from the girls. Luckily for him, he had always been faster than Bluey, even when they would race each other when they were six years old he'd had a good lead over her. He darted around a corner and ran through the upstairs living room. The girls were closing the gap as he narrowly avoided tripping over a tossed pillow. Only a little farther... he thought, seeing the door to Russell's room up ahead.
Here he comes! Russell signed to Rusty and Jack.
"Okay men, get ready to provide cover fire." Rusty whispered to them as they all got into position waiting for right time to strike. "Hold your fire and on my mark, he let fly." Rusty explained to them.
"Y-Yes Sergeant." Jack said nervously, not wanting to hurt one of the girls.
Mackenzie closed in and the girls were close behind. He quickly ducked and slid on his stomach as the other boys appeared from behind plants and a table in the hall.
"Suppressing fire!" Jack shouted as he set off darts, all of them managing to somehow surround the girls but not hit any of them.
Russell likewise was shooting, but he managed to smack his sister's nose. Given how Bluey's eyes narrowed he knew it was a mistake.
"Retreat!" Rusty shouted as the girls charged.
The boys slammed Russell's door shut and leaned against it to keep the girls from getting in as they pounded on the wood.
"That's it! You just declared war!" Coco shouted.
"Yeah! Prepare to be annihilated!" Honey added.
"Woah, take it down a notch Honey." Bluey said.
"Sorry," Honey blushed. "Prepare for your reckoning?"
"Yeah, that's fine." Chloe said.
"We'll be back! Be ready, boys!" Bluey said as she led the girls back to her room for their planning.
"Oh, Biscuits!" Jack exclaimed as he heard Bluey's dad say, "What are we gonna do Sergeant Kelpie? How are we possibly gonna win a war against the girls?" He said as he began to pace back and forth nervously.
Russell had seen this before with some of the kids back when he was in the home. The German Shepherd mix went up to the panicking Jack Russell Terrier and looked him in the eye. Hey... it's gonna be okay, this is just a game and we're just having fun. Now count to four-inhale-then count to four-exhale. He signed before demonstrating what Jack had to do.
Jack took a deep breath and followed Russell's fingers as he counted down. After repeating this twice he could feel his breathing becoming less rapid and his pulse slowing.
"Thanks Russell." Jack smiled.
You're welcome. He signed in reply. Now, we need to figure out how we're going to handle the girls…
Mackenzie looked over to Rusty, who was at Russell's desk. He slowly walked over, "Hey, um, I'm sorry I blew it."
Rusty sighed, "You did your best."
Mackenzie looked over the map; it was a good likeness of the house. "So what are you thinking on doing?" He asked, the collie getting close enough to again smell the kelpie. He couldn't help as his nose twitched slightly. Rusty didn't smell like rust, contrary to his name. It was different…
"Well, I have some ideas…"
***Meanwhile, outside***
Bingo sighed as she looked at the back fence, leaning on the rail of the fort. The others had been playing steadily throughout the evening, but a feeling of melancholy had overcome the middle Heeler sibling.
"Bingo, what's wrong?" Socks asked, looking at her cousin.
"It's nothing." She said.
Socks frowned, she was fairly certain that Bingo wasn't telling the truth. While she had trouble with emotions, she knew her cousin was sad. "Bingo, you're sad. Please tell me why. I don't want you to be sad."
"It's just... when I look at Bluey and Russell; they have ways of being special. Bluey is ALWAYS friendly and cool and Russell is funny and smart, even though he can only talk with his fingers." Bingo explained as she brought her legs to her chest. "I just feel like... I'm not special enough."
Socks frowned, "Bingo, you are special."
Bingo snorted, "Yeah right." She looked at her cousin. "I couldn't even manage to make enough of my own friends to invite to this party. My parents had to invite my cousins and their friends." She looked down.
"Bingo, don't talk like that." Lila said sitting next the small red heeler. "Remember when we met in Mrs. Retriever's class in kindy?" The Maltese asked.
"Lila, you're the only friend I made in that whole class." Bingo said. "You're my best friend, but you're also my only friend."
"That isn't true! At school we play with lots of the other kids!" Lila said.
"Yeah, Bluey and Russell's friends." Bingo said bitterly.
"Bingo, you are special. When we met I was really shy, but then you came in and asked me to wind you up and then you broke me out of that shell." Lila explained. "Maybe, you're not as special as your sister and brother, but you're special in ways that maybe you haven't discovered yet." The Maltese explained.
Bingo looked up, "Thanks Lila."
The Maltese hugged her friend. As they embraced Bingo felt a warm feeling radiate through her, and after a moment she couldn't help but smile.
"One day, you'll find what makes you special, maybe you already have or maybe it'll take a long time for you to find it. But when you do, I'll be there beside you and I'll be with you on your journey. But until that day, you should enjoy having fun with us." Lila explained as she rubbed her best friends back.
Bingo felt her tail wagging. "Thanks Lila." She whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too Bingo. You're my best friend!" Lila declared.
"You'll always be my best friend Lila... forever." Bingo said as she pulled her friend into a tight embrace.
It was at that moment that Chilli called out into the backyard. "Kids! Pizza's here!"
"PIZZA!" Muffin exclaimed as she ran into the house, much to the annoyance of her little sister as Socks winced at the yell from her older sibling.
"Are you okay Socks?" Bingo asked, concerned for her younger cousin.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Muffin's usually good, but sometimes she forgets." Socks looked down, Jeffrey and Jackie were also wincing, but after a moment they both flashed a thumb up.
"We're okay." Jeffrey said.
"Let's get some pizza." Bingo suggested, climbing down as the group headed toward the back door. After clambering down the fort Lila stood beside Socks for a moment. She looked over at the other girl, her new friend.
"I know you don't like being touched, but would you like a hug Socks?" Lila asked as she walked beside the dark blue Heeler pup.
Socks nodded. "Okay. But not too hard, okay?"
"I'll be careful. Tell me if it's not okay." Lila replied, gently wrapping her arms around and hugging her best friend's cousin.
"Is this okay?" Lila asked as she gently embraced Socks, not even squeezing or applying the slightest of pressure.
"That's okay." Socks said, then after a moment she started to feel a bit uncomfortable. "Can you stop now?"
Lila detached. "Sorry, was that too much?"
"It's okay. I just don't like long hugs."
"I understand, maybe you can practice hugging with your sister or your mum and dad. But only if you're okay with that." Lila suggested as her and Socks walked up to the backyard deck.
"Maybe..." Socks said.
The two walked together, with Bingo tailing behind with Jackie and Jeffrey.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I hope you, me, and Muffin can be friends too." Lila said as they walked up the steps and onto the Deck just outside the slide glass door that led into the Kitchen.
Socks smiled, "Yeah, I think I'd like that."
The group from the backyard entered through the doors and headed toward the kitchen. They met up with the boys and girls from upstairs who had decided to call a temporary truce, apparently food being more important than their ongoing battle
"So, is everyone having fun so far?" Bandit asked, looking at everyone as they each got a slice of their favorite pizza.
Bluey glanced at the boys with a wicked grin. "Yes, us girls are having a great time and we're definitely going to have an even better one after we finish dinner."
Russell looked at his sister when their parents weren't looking. I'm sorry for hitting you with the foam dart... I didn't mean to hurt you. He signed with a look of guilt on his face.
Bluey signed back, It's okay. I know you didn't mean it,but it is pretty fun having somebody to fight right?
Russell nodded with a silent chuckle before he grabbing his slice of pizza from his plate. Meanwhile, Mackenzie looked at Rusty before looking at his plate of pizza. "Hey Rusty?" The border collie asked glancing away from his plate.
"Yeah?" Rusty asked, looking at Mackenzie, "What is it?"
Mackenzie looked at the kelpie and fiddled with his hands in his lap. "I… well… I," he stuttered trying to figure out what it is he wanted to say.
Rusty raised an eyebrow and turned back to his food, "If you can figure out what you want to say, let me know." He said taking another bite of his pizza.
"I-I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for blowing the intel gathering, and I'm also sorry that I don't understand the army stuff that you, Jack, and Russell seem to understand really well." Mackenzie confessed.
Rusty's face softened slightly as he looked at the border collie. He sighed, "It's okay, I know there's some stuff that's new to you, and I'm sorry if I was a little bit mean earlier. I didn't mean to be, it's just I don't know, sometimes it seems like you act like you're better than us at school, and so I was kind of touchy about it. I guess though you have been doing a pretty good job, for somebody who's ever really played it before."
A small smile crept across Mackenzie's face, happy that Rusty didn't intentionally mean to be hostile towards him. "It's okay; I promise that I'll try to better understand the rules of playing army." Mackenzie replied before playfully yet softy punching the red and tan kelpie on the arm.
Rusty returned the smile and turned toward the other boys, before he whispered into Mackenzie's ear. "Well, it looks like we're going to have some more conflict after our truce with the girls for dinner… Perhaps you and I can talk strategy?"
Mackenzie nodded before whispering back into Rusty's ear. "Okay, you tell me what I need to do and I'll do my best to get it done." The two nodded at each other before going back to eating their slices of pizza.
Meanwhile, across the table, Jack was finishing up his slice of pizza and was about to grab a second and coincidentally Bluey was also doing the same. At that moment they accidentally bumped into each other, their hands both reaching for the piece at the same time. Jack pulled his hand back quickly and a blush started to spread across his face. Bluey did the same.
"Sorry Bluey, you go ahead and have the slice." Jack said to the light blue heeler, trying diffuse the awkward moment that had just transpired between the two.
Bluey swallowed and tried to gain control of her mouth again, "Oh, no, no you go ahead and have it." She offered. "I already had a slice. I'm okay you can take it."
Jack looked at her, "No, you take it. It's okay…"
"Here, let me sort you out." Bandit said as he grabbed the slice and grabbed a pizza cutter before cutting the slice in half and placing the two smaller slices on Bluey and Jack's plates. "There you go, now tuck in kids." Bandit said before continuing eating his slice of pizza.
"T-Thank you Mr. Heeler, sir." Jack said before grabbing his slice and glancing at Bluey.
"Thanks Jack, for offering me your side." Bluey said.
"Yeah, no problem." Jack replied. As they continued to eat Bluey's face became a little bit less red, and Jack's was still nearly as bright when Coco leaned over and whispered into Bluey's ear.
"Ooo, looks like that you more than like like Jack." The pink poodle said with a giggle.
"Coco!" Bluey hissed, "Please…"
Coco smirked.
" Okay maybe I do. But we don't need to talk about it, right?"
"It's okay, I won't tell as long as you don't tell anyone about my crush." Coco whispered before continuing to chow down on her slice of pizza.
"I won't, I promise." Bluey said.
"Thanks." Coco replied.
A few minutes passed and the kids had mostly finished eating, meaning it was time for the battle to resume.
"Oh, biscuits..." Jack said nervously under his breath, he really didn't want to fight the girl he had a crush on, but he also didn't want to betray Rusty and the other boys in his group. Jack felt like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place.
"Come on; let's get our base set up!" Rusty called, the boys quickly following up the stairs. The girls soon followed, leaving Bingo and her friends.
"I wanna see how this goes." Muffin said.
"Me too!" Jeffrey said.
Bingo turned to her mum. "Mum, can you make us some popcorn? We wanna watch the other kids battle."
"Tut, tut, tut." Bandit said wagging his finger at his youngest daughter. "What's the magic word?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her.
"Please? Uncle Bandit we need to see it!" Socks asked.
Soon the kids all circled up with puppy please eyes.
"That's the word I'm looking for, but I need to hear it from Bingo." Bandit said before returning his attention to his youngest daughter.
"Mum, can you make us some popcorn, so we can watch the other kids battle PLEASE?" Bingo as her mother more correctly.
"That's my girl." Bandit replied with a smile before ruffling her hair. "You got friends and younger cousins that you need to set an example for, okay squirt?" He explained.
"Yes dad, sorry I forgot." Bingo said.
"It's okay, mate." Bandit said.
"I'll go ahead and toss them into the microwave. Why don't you kids go ahead and find a good spot to sit on the sidelines and watch?" Chilli offered. As Chilli placed some popcorn in the microwave the kids went upstairs into the living room. She suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapped around her hips.
"How are you holding up so far?" The familiar voice of her husband gently whispered into her ear.
"So far so good." She replied, looking over her shoulder and her husband, "But we really don't need to worry about it yet. After all, we haven't even told the kids…"
Bandit smiled, "Well, hopefully soon."
Chilli smiled in return, "Yes, but we want to make sure that everything's going well, before, you know…"
Bandit then kissed his wife on the cheek before gently rubbing her stomach. "I'm kind of nervous about having this kid... but I'm gonna do everything I can to take everything off you and our baby." He said as he glanced down at her stomach. "Can't believe this happened all because of a broken franger..." he said with a sheepish grin.
"Well," Chilli said, "It wasn't like we were planning Bingo…"
"True, but when we had Bingo you weren't-"Chilli cut Bandit off with a quick tick of the tongue. He hesitated and then re-continued speaking, "The age what you currently are, which will not be stated out loud."
"Thank you." Chilli nodded. She was a bit sensitive about her age, and given how with its current number it's likely that this baby would be the last one.
"I don't care how old you are Chilli Heeler... I'll always love you, even 'til the day I take my last breath." Bandit said looking into her eyes, "I may have made a lot of mistakes and lived to regret a lot of things... but you, the kids, EVERYTHING we built together... I don't regret any of it. I just wish I could go back in time and do it all over again... if it meant being with you in my life all over again." He said as he caressed his wife's cheek with his thumb.
Chili felt a tear dripping down the side of her face. "Thank you Bandit." She said smiling. "If I could do it all over again I would do the same as well. You truly are a wonderful man and I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."
"Only by being the most Beautiful... Loving... Caring... and Amazing woman I ever meant." Bandit replied, pausing after every word he used describe his wife to kiss her neck before looking into her eyes once more before wiping the tear off her cheek.
Chilly pulled her husband in closely nuzzling her snout into the side of his shoulder, they embraced for a moment, just listening to each other's breathing, feeling their heartbeats connecting two into one. It was a beautiful moment, which was quickly interrupted by a microwave sounding indicating that a bowl of popcorn was ready.
"Oops forgot about the Sleepover." Bandit said with a sheepish grin before grabbing the popcorn out of microwave and pouring out the bag's contents into a bowl. "Don't worry about cleaning the table; I'll take care of it." Bandit said before hurrying out of kitchen with the bowl of popcorn in hand.
Chilli watched her husband leave the kitchen carrying the bowl as he did. She gently placed a hand on her midsection and whispered to herself, "Well, whatever you are, I'm sure you'll be just as wonderful as the rest of our kids."
Bandit arrived upstairs with the popcorn a minute later. On the side of the room Socks, Muffin, Jeffrey, Jackie, and Bingo were sitting on a variety of chairs and cushions, watching as the two other groups of kids had formed battle lines. The girls on one side of the room, and the boys on the other.
"Oh boy, this is gonna be one intense battle..." Bandit muttered to himself as he sat down on the couch with his youngest daughter, his nieces, and their friends.
"Thank you for the popcorn Uncle Bandit." Socks said, taking a handful out of the bowl before she gently started munching it.
"Yeah, thanks dad." Bingo said making sure to use her manners and her smile.
"You're welcome kids, now do we know what exactly is going on?" He asked.
Jackie pointed to the one side then to the other then made a couple of motions. Jeffrey quickly interpreted it. "Jackie thinks that the two sides are going to try to fight each other for the territory in the middle. I'm not sure why they're fighting, but it should be fun to watch." He said, amending, "As long as nobody's too loud."
"Okay but, please let me know if this becomes too much for any of you kids." Bandit said looking at all of the kids on the couch.
"Okay we will." Socks said, nodding.
"Yeah, we'll be careful." Said muffin, making sure to look over her sister and her friends. They nodded in reply.
"Good I'm gonna go in and check on the other kids, just to make sure that we're all okay here. You guys stay where you are." Bandit said, turning away from the sofa.
"Okay Uncle Bandit." Muffin and Socks replied as they did as they were told, watching Bandit walk over to the girls' side to check on Bluey and her friends. As Bandit walked over to the girls side he noticed that all of them had something tied around their arms. After a moment he cleared his throat and Bluey turned to look at her father.
"Hi dad," She said, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything's fine Bluey. I just wanted to come over and check in to make sure that you were all okay. Can you explain to me why it is that you all have those things around your arms?" Bandit pointed at the piece of cloth on Bluey's upper arm.
"Oh, it's like in capture the flag!" Honey explained. "If the boys get it then you're out, and if we get one of the boys' then they're out."
"Last team with someone left wins." Bluey concluded.
"Oh okay, but make sure all of you play fairly, and make sure no one gets hurt and nothing gets broken while you play, do all of you understand?" Bandit asked looking at his oldest daughter and her friends.
"Yes Mr. Heeler, we understand." Coco said.
"Good," Bandit replied. "I'm going to go in and check on your brother and the boys and make sure that they also understand." Bandit stood and then crossed the living room to head over towards the boys camp.
Meanwhile on the boys' side, Rusty, Jack, Russell, and Mackenzie were going over strategies to beat the girls and win at their battle. "Sergeant Kelpie, what strategy do you suggest for a possible victory?" Jack asked as he saluted the red and tan kelpie.
"Well," Rusty replied, "I think that it's a good idea that we have an attack team and a team on defense. But since we are not allowed to use weaponry-as per the girls' accords-we are going to make sure that we have defense by use of pillows and other shields. Russell can you explain what it is that you advise?" he said, turning towards the shepherd mix.
Russell nodded before explaining the plan, Okay, while Sergeant Kelpie and Mackenzie are guarding the Flag, me and Jack will hold off the girls and try to take their flags if possible. he signed.
Bandit arrived on the boys' side shortly after Russell's explanation. Russell turned to his father. Hi dad! He signed. We're just going over our plans.
Bandit nodded, "Good, and you boys are going to make sure that you're not doing anything that isn't okay, right?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." Replied Jack. "We're going to make sure that we do nothing that is outside the accords that we set up."
Bandit raised an eyebrow. "You set up a series of accords for this?"
"Yes!" Rusty replied, his tail wagging slightly. "It's my first time making accords, so hopefully they were okay."
"Okay and what are the accords that all of you have agreed on?" Bandit asked crossing his arms.
"Well, there are a few rules that we set out. First, we're not allowed to use any weapons. So we can't throw anything, or use anything that launches anything. Second we're not grabbing fur, we're only grabbing bandannas. So we're not tackling anybody or anything like that either. Third, we're not yelling or screaming. Because we are inside, and because you and Mrs. Heeler said that earlier that we had to make sure that we weren't being too loud. And finally, that if someone wants to, they're allowed to call a time out to use the bathroom." Jack explained
Bandit smiled as he heard, "And make sure Bingo, Muffin, Socks, and their friends don't get caught in the crossfire." Bandit added.
"Oh yes sir, no civilians will get hurt or injured during our battle." Jack replied nodding his head.
"But don't forget the most important rule of all." Bandit said furrowing his brow.
What's that Dad? Russell signed in confusion.
"Have fun." Bandit replied before ruffling his youngest son's hair.
Russell smiled as he nodded in agreement. Bandit walked back to the sidelines to see Chilli had joined the viewers.
"I couldn't stay away." She admitted.
"It is quite the event." Bandit said in reply.
The parents and assorted younger kids watched as the older kids started battling. Hijinks ensued, the younger kids watching and commenting as the boys and girls each lost members. Bandit and Jeffrey rooted for the boys, obviously, and the girls rooted for the girls.
"Looks like we're down to the final two!" Bandit said.
"Yeah, it's just Bluey and Jack." Muffin said, looking at her cousin and the boy from earlier who she'd seen playing with Russell.
Bandit felt his phone buzzing. It was his boss. "I've gotta take this call. It's my boss. He's in the states and is doing some important work trying to get us some new contracts. Let me know how it ends."
"We will." Chilli said, pecking her husband on the cheek as he answered his phone and left the living room.
Not a moment later Chilli received a call on her phone. It was Brandy. She slid to answer. "Hello Brandy?" She asked.
"Chilli, dad's in the hospital!" Brandy said.
Chilli quickly stood up and moved to the next room, continuing the conversation with her sister.
The kids were left to watch as Bluey and Jack remained in a standoff. They would have to end up confronting each other. Jack looked over the couch cushion he'd been hiding behind and caught Bluey glimpsing out at him. He immediately ducked back down and felt the same tingles as usual. Every time he saw Bluey he felt it, it was the same kind of feeling he had when he was on a rollercoaster. He was nervous and excited and happy all at once. He took a deep breath as he tried to figure out what to do. A few feet away Bluey was feeling something for the first time, her own tingles. She hadn't really been thinking when she'd said that Jack was a boy she like liked. She had just said it, it had felt right. But ever since she said it she couldn't stop thinking about it. She'd eventually come to the conclusion that she did like like Jack, and maybe even something a little bit more…
"Bluey, I don't want to fight you." Jack declared, leading to a series of gasps from the boys in the crowd.
"I don't want to fight you either." Bluey admitted, leading to the girls reacting similarly.
"Can we just tie?" Jack asked.
"I mean, if we agree to a truce then no one loses, right?"
"I'd be up for that." Jack agreed.
"Okay, we'll have a truce." Bluey nodded.
"So, how do we do that?" Jack asked.
Before he could utter anything else Bluey had pecked him on the lips. She pulled back and smiled, "Like this! Whenever my mum and dad make a deal they kiss to seal it."
Jack was scarlet as Bluey turned back to the girls, "Okay, fight's over. Let's get back to makeup! I wanna show you how to put on lipstick!"
After the girls left the boys check on Jack, who's speechless.
"Jack?" Mackenzie asked.
"Lance Corporal?" Rusty asked.
Mate! You just kissed my sister! Russell signed, slightly irritated, to say the least.
Jack blinked. "I… um… oh, wow…" He coughed, suddenly feeling even more embarrassed than when his little sister had spilled raspberry jam all over him before school. "Um, can we return to base?"
"Aye, I think that's for the best." Rusty agreed, leading the boys back to Russell's room.
A moment later the remaining kids spoke.
"My parents just shake when they make a deal." Jeffrey said, noting how Bluey and Jack had kissed.
Muffin rolled her eyes, "But that's not romantic!"
"But why would they want it to be romantic?" Jeffrey asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Because they like each other!" Muffin explained.
The younger kids made gagging noises.
"Gross! But boys have cooties, present company excluded." Socks said, gesturing to Jeffrey.
Muffin sighed, "One day you'll understand."
"I hope not." Socks said, scrunching up her nose. "The only boy I like is Jeffrey."
"Agreed." Jeffrey said, "I mean, about not liking… Well, except for you. And Jackie, and your sister." Jeffrey said, motioning to the others. "Oh, and your cousin."
The others giggled as Jeffrey shook his head.
Chilli returned, nearly bumping into Bandit. "Oh, hey, what happened?" She asked.
"Everything's going well; he just wanted my input on one of the specimens. What about you, I thought you were going to watch?" He asked.
"My dad's in the hospital." Chilli replied.
"Oh, biscuits. Do you need to go?"
"No, he's okay. He just over exerted himself and got dehydration. He's on an IV drip and should be out tomorrow. Maynard checked in on him and noticed he wasn't looking too hot, so he called an ambulance."
"Good thing, then." Bandit replied.
"So, who won?" Chilli asked, turning to the remaining kids.
"No one. It was a truce." Socks answered.
"Really?" Bandit asked, before being elbowed by Chilli.
"I think that's fitting, no need for battle. I much prefer love to war." She said.
"So do Jack and Bluey." Bingo said, causing the other kids to laugh.
***Later that night***
Bluey, Bingo and the other girls had spread out their blankets and sleeping bags across the floor of the room. Thankfully it was a big enough space, because with the nine of them there it was a big group.
"Alright, is everyone ready for bed?" Chilli asked, "Everyone brushed their teeth and used the toilet?"
"Yes Aunt Chilli." Muffin and Socks replied in unison.
"Yes Mum." Bingo replied as she lied down on her sleeping bag.
"Yes Mrs. Heeler." Lila replied at the same time as well, along with Chloe, Honey, and Coco.
Jackie was noticeable silent.
"Everything okay Jackie?" Chilli asked.
"Um... Mrs. Heeler, can I talk by self with you?" She said, looking at her duffel bag.
"Of course dear." Chilli said, "Here, we can talk in the hall." She gestured to the door that lead into the hallway.
Jackie and Chilli were soon outside of the room and went down the hallway. Chilli spoke once they were both out of earshot. "Sweetheart, if this is about you wearing night nappies, it's okay. Your mum told me before she left." Chilli whispered as she kneeled down with her hands on her knees.
Jackie nodded. "I'm not baby!" She declared.
"Of course not." Chilli said reassuringly, "Plenty of kids have to wear nappies at night to make sure they're okay."
Jackie looked at the floor.
"You're worried what the other girls will say, aren't you?"
Jackie nodded.
"Jackie it's okay, because there's a lot of kids who haven't figured out how to use the toilet before bed." Chilli explained. "It's nothing to be ashamed of and I'm sure one day you'll figure out when to use the toilet and won't need nappies anymore." She said trying to encourage the little golden retriever.
Jackie had a hesitant smile on her face. "It be okay?"
"It will, I promise. Do you want me to explain it to them, or do you want to say it?" Chilli asked, knowing Jackie's slight limitations with spoken word.
"Can you?" Jackie asked.
"Of course sweetheart. When you're ready."
Jackie nodded and took out one of the nappies before putting it on. After making sure it was on the right way she held Chilli's hand and motioned to the room where the other girls were.
They then arrived outside the room, "You wait here and I'll explain to the girls your situation." Chilli said looking at down at Jackie.
"Thank you." Jackie said.
Chilli entered the other room and Jackie heard a muffled conversation. After a minute Chilli returned.
"Okay Jackie, come on back. The others are ready to see you."
Jackie then poked her head into the room to check the situation, "Come on Jackie, it's okay." Chilli said trying to encourage the anxious little golden retriever.
"Yeah Jackie, it's okay. We won't make fun of you." Bluey chimed in.
"We all promise." Muffin chimed in as well.
Jackie stepped into the room. Her nappy was pink with little hearts on it. She awkwardly tried to cover it with her fur and hands, but it still showed.
"Jackie, it's okay." Bingo said.
"Yeah, I think it's kinda cute." Socks stated.
Jackie raised an eyebrow.
"I mean it. It's kinda like the swimsuit I have. Only mine has polka dots." Socks added.
"And yours is white with pink instead of pink with white." Muffin noted.
"It okay?" Jackie asked.
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, it's just a nappy. I have brothers and sisters in Nappies I have to take care of all the time." Coco said.
"It's just something to help you." Honey said, popping out her retainer. "Like my retainer. It's just something to help you. I won't need this forever and you won't need those forever either."
"You see Jackie, you're not alone in things that bring you comfort or help you in some way or another." Chilli said with a smile.
Jackie could feel her eyes watering. She sniffled and smiled. "Thank you, you all good friends."
"You're welcome, you're a great friend too, Jackie." Socks replied.
Jackie ran over to her best friend and stood tail wagging beside her. Socks nodded and Jackie happily pounced in her in a hug. After a moment she let go and stood back up.
Chilli smiled, "Alright girls, it's time for bed. I'll be in my bedroom. No going to see the boys, got it?"
She gotten all "yes" that was then followed by "Mrs. Heeler, Mum, and Aunt Chilli", before she made her way to the door. "Me and Mr. Heeler are down the hall if you need anything, and all of you promise to not go see the boys." Chilli said as she looked at everyone.
It was a good night for all as the kids and adults alike drifted off to sweet dreams. It was a great sleepover, and the beginning of much more for the Heelers and their friends in the future...
***Author's Note***
Holy cheeseballs! This is the single longest chapter I've ever written! Thanks again to Loyalguard 600 for his amazing help with all the dialogue here! I really couldn't have done it without him. Please check out his work, he totally deserves all the support you can give him. If you have any critiques or reviews, feel free to leave them in the comments, I try my best to read them all. Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
Loyalguard600: A/N: Hey everyone, thank you for reading this chapter and it was a privilege to help and work with you on this. Stay tuned for more chapters of Parenting and updates on more stories by The_Suburban_Guy.