"This is the place?" a masked dog asked "Yeah, the boss says this is the place" another masked dog answered. The two dogs walked out of a small car and walked across the street to a familiar house "Think anyone is inside?" the first one asked. The second one shrugged and pulled out a phone then dialed a number, a few seconds later a voice would answer on the other end. "Hey boss…do we still go through with this if nobody's inside?...well no we haven't been inside yet…yeah we have everything ready…alright…sure thing…okay bye" the dog then hung the phone up. "What did boss say?" the first asked. The second one laughed "Well my little pyromaniac, boss said we still go through with the plans, either way we're not losing anything valuable" "Hey!" a voice called out from behind the two masked dogs. They both turned around to see a chihuahua officer who had noticed them "What are you two doing here?" The first dog groaned out of annoyance then looked at the other dog "Singed?" The second one nodded "To a crisp" The chihuahua looked at the two confused before both of them simultaneously attacked the officer, tying the officer's limbs together. The two dogs then pulled gas masks out of a bag and slipped it on under the original masks and would manage to break into the house. After a few minutes, they would both exit the building and the second one would approach the officer, picking the unfortunate chihuahua up and walking back towards the building, the first dog would mock the officer "See this is why I don't get cops like you, you say that you join to make things better for the community, then you bogans go solo while you're out on patrol and shit like this happens" The officer tried getting free but struggled "Like what?" they asked in a panicked tone. "You'll see" the first dog said before laughing. Soon the second dog tossed the officer into the house. The officer struggled to sit-up, once they managed to they noticed something odd about the house, an odd smell. "Wait…petrol?!" a molotov was thrown into a window of the house, causing a near instant eruption of flames, and an unfortunate end to the innocent chihuahua. The two dogs laughed at their handiwork as the second one pulled out their phone "Boss, there was a casualty…no they're okay…it was a nosy officer…alright, see you later" The two got back into the small car and sped away from the scene. Little did anyone know at the time, this burning home was significant to a specific border collie, who would be at the home of someone very dear to him.
Mackenzie and Bluey had managed to finish cleaning up the mess they caused while dealing with Chucky earlier that day. "It's no wonder he was so tired, look how much blood he lost" Mackenzie said while mopping some blood off a wooden section of the floor in the playroom. Bluey stared at the mop water and how it had gained a slightly red color in the bucket "Still he was pretty impressive with his determination" Mackenzie raised an eyebrow "Impressive? He was going to kill you, or kill us both" Bluey smiled at him "Well, it's not everyday that you use your home to beat the crap out of someone, also I'm surprised we didn't knock a few teeth out his mouth when we hit him in the face with the door, or you pushing him down the stairs" Mackenzie smiled back at her "Hey, I only did it because he needed to know that I would do whatever it took to protect you" Bluey's tail wagged "You know usually, people protect the things that belong to them, not the other way around" Mackenzie raised an eyebrow "Me? Belong to you? Since when?" He asked jokingly. Bluey smiled and rolled her eyes before moving closer to him "Since…" she raised her finger to a sore and bruised bite mark on his neck "Since this!" she said as she pressed down on his neck. Mackenzie flinched as she pressed it "Still sore" Bluey smirked "Good" she said as she kissed his neck on her bite mark. Mackenzie blushed "It hurts…but it hurts good" Bluey blushed "That's a little weird" Mackenzie shrugged and picked up a few books before setting them neatly on a shelf "I've done weirder" Bluey nodded "I agree, like that time you were acting like a sheep on my helicopter" Mackenzie blushed as he remembered Bluey's tree stump helicopter "Now that I think about it, it was pretty cute" she said as she took the bucket outside then walked back in "Finally, all finished"
Mackenzie sat next to Bluey and stared at her for a few seconds, a question lingered in his mind while he rubbed his chest where Bluey had bit him while she was chasing him "Something wrong?" she asked. Mackenzie thought about it for a few seconds "Just thinking about how you broke through my window, bit my tail and my chest, and chased me all around the park" Bluey laughed nervously "I did?" Mackenzie nodded "Yeah, then you pinned me to the ground and started to choke me" Bluey felt a bad for attacking him "W-well I" "Except for the choking part, the pinning me down part was kind of hot" Bluey's eyes widened as that wasn't the response she expected "Excuse me?" Mackenzie laughed at her sudden reaction "I prefer being able to breathe" Bluey smiled and sighed. Mackenzie leaned against her "But…what was that?" Bluey looked at him confused. "What do you mean?" Mackenzie closed his eyes "When I looked into your eyes, it was like…it wasn't you, like it wa someone else in your body, trying to kill me" Bluey held mackenzie's hand "It's weird to talk about" Mackenzie smiled "That's okay, after all you said that I'm a little weird" Bluey played with his fingers "So apparently…it's like my mind's way of trying to defend me. She says that she wants to get rid of things that cause me to feel pain, and she wants to keep me from struggling at times?" Bluey said as she was confused by the words that were coming out her own mouth. Mackenzie nodded "Oh, alright" he then realized what that fully meant "But if she wants to get rid of things that hurt you…and I caused you pain then…" Bluey nodded "If it wasn't for Aunt Brandy, or someone else I…or she… may have actually killed you" Mackenzie's eyes widened "I told a doctor I was seeing once before about it, she said that one day when I fully come to terms with whatever is bothering me, then she would go away" Mackenzie nodded "I gotcha" Bluey looked at him a bit curious "Did you actually find that hot?" Mackenzie smirked "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't babe" Bluey blushed at his boldness
Their peaceful afternoon would however be interrupted while Bluey was looking for something else to change the channel to. She would go to a different news channel than the one from earlier before when it would show a building on fire "...where an officer was found burnt alive inside the…" Bluey would change the channel before Mackenzie would grab the remote "Hey, what?" Mackenzie quickly flipped it back to the news channel before his eyes widened "M-my house…" Bluey looked closer before she realized he was right, mackenzie's house was burning on the news. Mackenzie quickly pulled his phone out to check to see if he received any calls or text from his parents. After a few attempts to call either parent, only to receive no response he quickly jumped up from the couch "Bluey, I need to go check it out" Bluey shook her head "It's too dangerous" Mackenzie quickly walked to the door "I know, but I need to see if my parents are okay" Bluey tried to stop him "Wait Kenzie, I think you should-" "Bluey, I'm sorry but I need to hurry up!" Mackenzie would run and ignore Bluey's attempts to call him back inside. Bluey would sigh out of frustration while she sat on the couch alone"
It wasn't far to his house, and he could run the distance. While he ran he panicked as thoughts filled his mind "Why aren't they answering?! Please don't be inside the house!" Mackenzie would continue to sprint inn the direction that led to his home while avoiding the other dogs on the sidewalk, even passing by some of his friends that he knew. He was so worried for his parents that he didn't even stop for oncoming traffic despite nearly being hit a few times and angry drivers honking their horns at him. "I know I need to slow down, but this is an emergency, and I'll have to apologize to Bluey later" he thought as a strong smell would find it's way to his nose, the smell of something burning. It wouldn't be much longer before he would see the lights on the fire engine and ambulances. The smells coming from his home were strong and odd, he felt funny the closer he got to his home.
Bluey was annoyed over the fact that Mackenzie had ignored her because of something she had saw on the broadcast, she would let him know just how annoyed she was when he got back, She would pull out her phone and go through the contacts, she had to ask her parents a question and despite the circumstances, it would still be awkward. Elsewhere, Bandit would answer a phone call from Bluey "Hey, Bluey!" Bandit would respond. "Hi dad!" Bluey would say excitedly "Um…I have a favor to ask" Bandit would smile "Ooookay, let's hear it" Bluey laughed nervously "Actually, is mum with you? It would be best for both of you to hear the question" Bandit nodded "Oh, uh okay…one sec" after a second Bandit would put his phone on speaker "Hey sweetheart!" Chilli said, as happy as usual "What's up?" Bluey laughed nervously again "Right…would you be alright with Mackenzie living with us?" "WHAT?!" Bandit responded with complete shock "Doesn't he have his own home?" Bandit asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Um…no" Bluey said seriously. "Wait, what?" Bandit asked, legitimately confused. "Did his parents put him out?" Chilli asked. Bluey realized her parents didn't see the news "Do either of you have the Brisbane local news app?" she asked them both. "Yeah one second sweetie" Chilli responded "IS THAT HIS HOME?!" Bandit asked, completely shocked by what he was seeing. "Yeah, he left to go see if his parents are okay" Bluey responded. "Bandit?" Chilli asked. Bandit grumbled a bit "Well, if his parents are fine with it I guess, can't just leave him without a home" he let out a sigh. "But no sharing a room!" Bandit said. Bluey smiled "Oh no worries, wasn't thinking of letting him in my room this time anyway" "Alright, we should be home soon…wait…what do you mean by this time?" Bandit asked with slight concern. Chilli could be heard giggling behind Bandit "Anyways dad, I'll let him know when he comes back, love you!" Bluey said as she quickly hung up to avoid her father's question. "Now to wait for him" Bluey said with slight annoyance in her voice.
Mackenzie finally approached the perimeter of his home where some paramedics had stopped him from going further "Who are you? This area is off limits" one of them told him "This is my home. Are my parents okay? He asked as he saw a body covered by a white sheet. "You lived here? You just missed your parents, they told us to tell you that they'd be at the local park" Mackenzie nodded as he stumbled a little "Look you need to leave, there is hazardous material in the air around here!" The paramedic demanded as Mackenzie felt dizzy and started to head towards the park. Once he reached the park he was starting to feel better since he was no longer around the fumes. He would then see his parents sitting together on a bench "I'm so glad both of you are okay!" he said as he ran up to them and pulled them into a hug. "Of course we're okay. We were worried about you!" his father said. Mackenzie looked at them confused "We couldn't call because our signals were jammed for some reason" his mum told him. "Well…what are we going to do now?" he asked them after seeing how their home was now burned. Mackenzie's mum smiled "Well, we do have home insurance, and coincidentally there are a few open plots on the same street Chilli lives on" she smirked at her son. Mackenzie's eyes widened "So that means…" his dad nodded "Yeah, you can go tell your angry little girlfriend that we'll be closer to her" Mackenzie smiled in excitement before realizing what his father said "Wait…angry?" Mackenzie's dad nodded "Oh boy, you left your phone at her house and the tone in her voice was not a pleasant one" Mackenzie wondered what she was angry about "W-well I" "Gotta go right? Don't worry, we have some business to take care of ourselves" his mother told him. He smiled at them then dashed off "Should we have told him that it's fine for him to live with them for now? Should we have told him why she's upset?" his dad asked. His mum giggled "Nah, I think we should let Bluey deal with that, it was her idea after all"
Mackenzie would run back to Bluey's house albeit slower than he was going while running to his own house. He would then stop as an idea crossed his mind, it would take him another 15 minutes, but he would slowly and quietly return to the heeler house carrying a small bag inside with him. Bluey would turn her head a little to see him then she would turn back to the direction she was facing "Oh, you're finally back" she said. Her tone let him know that she really was upset with him "Bluey?" he asked. Bluey sighed before she turned around and gave him a fake smile "Welcome back, anything I can do for ya love?" she asked with a sarcastic tone. Mackenzie groaned "Come on, what's this about?" he asked. Bluey rolled her eyes "Bluey, i'm sorry but I need to hurry up!" she said, imitating his earlier statement "Mackenzie, you're always in such a hurry!" she said with a bit of anger. Mackenzie sighed "I had to check on my parents, my house was burning!" Bluey walked over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the living room "If you would have listened to me-" she pointed to the television, his eyes widened once he saw a frame where Mackenzie's parents were talking to a reporter, confirming that they had not been in any danger. "O-oh…but why are you so mad?" Bluey grunted "Because I know you, I know that if you weren't sure about your parents you'd take a risk and sneak into your own house just to see if they were okay" Mackenzie raised an eyebrow "Yeah, I would but…what's wrong with that?" Bluey glared at him "Are you really that ignorant?" Mackenzie just shrugged "What is it?" Bluey just scoffed and walked away then laid on the couch and closed her eyes. Mackenzie would kneel next to the couch and tap her shoulder "Don't touch me!" she said as she turned away from him. He gave her a light smile before pulling a bag of chocolate marshmallows out of a grocery bag before setting it on her stomach "You know you can't stay mad at me babe" he said in a playful tone. Bluey grabbed the bag of marshmallows and pulled it in front of her face, still trying to ignore him. Mackenzie would think about what to do again before he would begin to rub Bluey's feet. Bluey looked at him confused. "What are you doing?" trying to pull her leg away. Mackenzie carefully pulled her leg back while massaging her foot "Helping your mood" he said with a nervous smile. Bluey ate a few more of the marshmallows before sitting up and sighing.
Mackenzie continued to massage her foot before moving onto the other one "So…what got you so upset?" Bluey looked at him "He really doesn't understand?" she patted him on his head. "Look, first thing is that you didn't even try to see what I wanted to tell you, that hurts a little" Mackenzie nodded "Right, I'm sorry" "Then, you ran to your home, a building that was burning" she said. He tried to explain "But my-" she interrupted him "Even if they put the fire out, you know what firefighters wear? Gas masks! And you know what happens to a burned building? It becomes way less sturdy! A burning building is way too dangerous for a civilian, yet you would have risked your own life to confirm something that you didn't need to worry over if you would have just listened to me! Sometimes you're still that impatient puppy that I played shops with so long ago" Mackenzie felt stupid once he listened to everything that Bluey had said even more when he remembered the paramedic warning him of hazardous material being in the air that made him dizzy "So what you're saying is…you're mad because you were worried about me?" he said with a smile. "OF COURSE I WAS WORRIED YOU IDIOT!" she yelled as she threw a marshmallow at his snout. He rested his head on her lap "Have I told you how cute your angry face is?" Bluey rolled her eyes "Very cliché" Mackenzie smiled at her "I'm sorry for making you worried, you know I had a good reason" Bluey nodded "I guess" she sighed "I'll forgive you but next time listen to me, that's one of the most important things in a relationship" he nodded and reached for a chocolate marshmallow before Bluey smacked his hand away "No! Those are for me!" she said as she moved the bag out of his reach.
After eating a few more she gave him a small smile "Anyways, I have some good news for you" He looked at her with a smile "Yeah? What is it?" Bluey looked to the stairs "My mum and dad said as long as your parents are fine with it, you could live here" Mackenzie looked at her in surprise "Wait really? Your dad is okay with it?" Bluey giggled "He wasn't a fan of the idea, but he did agree" Mackenzie smiled "Funny coincidence, mine said they were thinking of buying one of the empty plots near here anyways, so we could be closer." Bluey smiled at him "That sounds neat, both families could live near each other." He nodded in agreement. Bluey then grabbed his hand making him look at her "Funny to hear you ask me if I was worried" He looked at her confused "Why's that?" Bluey looked at him "Because I remember a certain someone was trembling like a leaf when Chucky came very close to stabbing me" Mackenzie smiled "Well yeah, what would I do if I lost the person I belonged to?" Bluey blushed "Well what would I do if I lost the person that I marked…because he wasn't thinking" she said. "Could've been worse, I could've been one of those people that worried about things that could be replaced" Bluey nodded "Yeah, you're right"
Mackenzie sighed "But it is upsetting, there were a lot of good things that we just lost, and while she didn't say anything, I know my mum is upset about losing her garden" "What kind of garden?" Bluey asked. "She just had some flowers is all, but she kept them going for a long time, she was proud of them" "you didn't have any pets?" "Nah, I wanted one when I was smaller, but dad said it was too much work" Bluey chuckled. "I had a pet long ago, it was a pet emu that Bingo and I took care of together" Mackenzie looked at her confused "An emu?!" Bluey nodded "His name was Shaun, he even had babies!" Mackenzie's eyes widened "You have got to be pulling my leg" Bluey laughed as she explained the game that she would play with Bandit and Bingo, how her parents used the opportunity to teach their kids about pets and how discipline is needed at times. Mackenzie smiled then leaned back against the couch and sighed "Well, I did lose something of mine that I treasured" "What would that be?" Bluey asked. "It was a picture of us as kids, on Bingo's birthday, when we were racing each other" "You treasured that?" she inquired. He nodded "Yeah, I won most of those races" he said with a smirk. "Did not!" Bluey argued "Did too, I remember it distinctly" Bluey rolled her eyes "Well, you're distinctly wrong"
Mackenzie's mum would call his phone a few minutes later, to give him an update on their situation "Hey Mackenzie, your dad and I got some of the business taken care of but in the meantime we've been able to get an apartment. We'll give you an address later" she said in a calm tone. Mackenzie nodded "Alright mum, I'll see you when everything is okay" he said before she hung up. Bluey looked at him "Everything okay?" He smiled "She said they got an apartment for now and that they'll send details later." "Alright" "But still, it's a bit odd" he said while thinking about his home "Mum and dad never leave the stove or oven on…and we didn't have any flammables in the house to begin with" he sighed "It just…doesn't add up" Bluey looked at him "Well, I'm sure the police could figure something out, they did say that this had turned into a murder case with them finding that other officer tied up in your home" Mackenzie shuddered at the thought "Who could even be twisted enough to do that to a cop in the first place?" Bluey shrugged "Did your family have a fire safe?" Mackenzie nodded "Some of the most important things were in there, so it's most likely how things are going along smoothly for them"
While he was still thinking about the oddness of it all the reporter on the news spoke about the fire that destroyed the border collie's home "We have received word form an individual who wishes to keep their identity a secret, that the fire was caused by two masked dogs in an arson attack. We have also received video footage, be warned as this may be too graphic for some" The reporter said. Mackenzie stared at the screen as the two masked dogs were seen looking into the home, pulling out a phone, being approached by an officer, then proceeding with attacking the officer and eventually trapping him inside the home and igniting it before they got into a car with no license plates and speeding off. Mackenzie growled as he watched his home burn "What…the…hell" he uttered. Bluey hugged him to calm him down "I know it's beyond horrible, but please calm down" some of Mackenzie's fur stood on his body "They murdered an innocent dog, and an officer who was only doing his job!" Bluey stroked his hair and tried to shush him "Kenzie…take a deep breath" Mackenzie was understandably frustrated and after a few seconds he had did what Bluey asked. "Now, look at me" Mackenzie turned his head and looked at Bluey. "In time, they will get what they deserve" she spoke to him calmly as she held his face in her hands. His breathing slowed as he calmed down "You're right, it's pointless to try and rush everything" Bluey smiled at him "Good boy" Mackenzie smiled back "Can this good boy get a reward?" Bluey moved forward and kissed him on his cheek "I appreciate that but that's not what I meant" he said. Bluey raised an eyebrow "What? Then what did you mean?" He pointed at her chocolate marshmallows "I want one of those!" he said with a smirk. Bluey grabbed one and placed it in his hand "That's all you get, border boy!" she laughed then poked his nose. He would smile and happily eat his small snack.
Mackenzie typed some things down on his phone to remember later before he stood up from the couch "I need to go to the store for a few things" he told Bluey. Bluey nodded "Anything I can help with?" He thought about it for a second "Sure actually, think you can get me a new tooth brush and some soap? I'll get the rest" Bluey nodded "Sounds simple enough" after a few minutes both of them were out the door "You did lock it right?" Bluey asked. Mackenzie nodded "Yes, I locked it" he said. "Be sure to check it, we don't need another Lila incident" she said just so he knew to be sure. Mackenzie was a little annoyed by it but it didn't bother him much since he understood where she was coming from, he checked the door knob then gave her a thumb's up to signify that it was indeed locked. The two then began to walk to the nearby stores that had the basic necessities that Mackenzie would need to replace everything that had been lost. The list was pretty long and tedious to complete, but he knew that it would have to get done, and it would be better to get it done sooner rather than later.
It would be a long day in the stores that would be crowded by other dogs, they would run into a few friends and take some breaks to have a few friendly conversations. They would then meet up with Rusty who offered them a ride before all the things they needed would become heavy, they gladly accepted and got into his truck. "That's crazy, but I really am sorry to hear about your home" Rusty said as he kept his eyes on the traffic. Mackenzie sighed "It is, what it is I suppose" he responded while he watched them pass other dogs on the road "Thanks again for this, carrying all this stuff back would've been a pain" Rusty smiled "No problem, but won't you need a bed?" he asked "Nah, my mum and dad have a spare he could sleep on in his room" Bluey said. "Aww, can't we share a bed?" Mackenzie asked in a flirtatious tone. "Nope!" Bluey responded confidently "Besides, do you want my dad to punch you through a door or something? He can be pretty scary when he's mad" she said with a smirk. "T-through a door?!" Mackenzie's eyes widened. Rusty laughed "Get a room you two" Mackenzie shook his head "Not if her dad's gonna punch me through a door!" he exclaimed. Rusty and Bluey laughed at his reaction. "Hey Rusty…are you seeing anyone anyway?" Mackenzie asked. Rusty laughed nervously "Oh…that's a bit complicated right now" he responded "I bet it's Indy isn't it?" he asked. Rusty grinned "Maybe" Bluey gently nudged Mackenzie "Hey come on…he said it's complicated" Mackenzie nodded "Alright I won't pry" he said as he looked at the bags "It's gonna be a long day tomorrow…it's already been a long day today" Rusty raised an eyebrow "How so?" Mackenzie groaned "Chucky almost killed Bluey" Rusty's eyes widened "HE WHAT?!" his reaction would cause him to lose control of the truck for a second, causing all three to be surprised before he regained control of it "B-but…we managed to get him to finally stop" Bluey said nervously. Mackenzie and Bluey could feel their hearts almost jumping out their chests. Rusty laughed "Sorry 'bout that" he said as he stopped in front of the house.
The two would walk over to the door while Rusty honked his horn and drove off, Bluey pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, allowing Mackenzie to bring the bags in then locking it again after he was finished. Mackenzie quickly carried the bags upstairs, trying his best to do all of it in one trip. Bluey would watch as he managed to succeed and she would take him to a room across hers "What's up with this room?" he asked. Bluey shrugged "I think my mum wanted another baby at some point, but she doesn't like talking about it, this was also my room for an entire day…but it didn't feel right without something" Mackenzie looked at her "Did you know what the thing was?" Bluey nodded with a melancholic look on her face "It was Bingo" Mackenzie hugged her "Nothing must've felt right after Bingo died" he thought as he sat on the twin size bed. After Mackenzie would get a few things set up for himself, Bluey would walk to her room "I'm going to go to bed now" Mackenzie would follow before she turned around and stopped him from entering her room "Nope" she said with a smile. "Aww why not?" he asked. Bluey's smile turned into a smug grin "Consider it punishment for ignoring me and making me worried about you" Mackenzie groaned "Come on, I thought I already made it up to you" Bluey smiled and kissed his cheek "You'll survive" she flicked his ear "But seriously, no more running off to dangerous places" Mackenzie nodded "I'll be on my best behavior" he said as he smiled at her. The two would then go to their separate rooms for the night. Bluey would have a bit of trouble falling asleep "Even after all this time, it's just not the same without you…" she spoke quietly in the direction of where Bingo's bed used to be, it had been an empty space for a long time. Bluey envisioned her younger sister laying in her bed and laying down "Goodnight Bluey" Bingo would whisper. "Night Bingo" Bluey would reply. The memories were almost enough to make Bluey cry, she would face towards the window "I wonder if you're playing with Malcolm, wherever you are"
Even when someone has been gone for over a decade, if you loved them it doesn't make the loss any less sad when reminiscing on the good times you had with them right? Treasure your family before it's too late everyone! Other characters in this story should know this lesson too…after all…the heelers and their neighbors aren't the only ones who are going to lose family in this story…