Talia waved at Gemma and she honked before driving off. They just came from the record store and Talia had yet another box of vinyl to call her own. Some of the records were of artists she didn't know of, but she didn't care. She'd give them a chance and sort through the ones she liked; Bobby could have the ones she didn't.

She already had her keys in her hand and managed to blindly unlock the door with ease. She didn't see Happy's bike parked anywhere, so he was probably at the clubhouse or out further disappointing Jesus. She went straight into her room and gently dumped the vinyl on her bed. It took all of an hour and twenty minutes, but Talia listened to every record she bought today and she was a very happy camper.

Talia was currently laying on her back on the floor and her feet were on the bed as the last song died down. She usually kept her records in the crate or box they came in and tucked them under her bed for safekeeping. She left her room just as the front door opened and Happy was coming in. She waved at him, but was more focused at making something to eat because she was starving. That was punishment for binging on music on an empty stomach.

"You hungry?" She called and grabbed a can of Beefaroni from the low cabinet, getting a pot.

"I'm good." Happy replied and he sounded closer, so Talia looked over her shoulder and found him sitting on the table. He was trying not to smile and his arms were folded over his white t-shirt, his leather draped over the chair.

"Did you just get laid or something?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Why'd you say that?"

"Because you're over there smiling like a psychotic animal."

"I can't smile just 'cause I'm in a good mood? Maybe I had a really good day. Maybe I came into a nice stack of cash. Shit, I could've found the love of my life today."

"You had me before you started talking crazy." She smiled at him and that made him laugh.

Talia had to take a second to wonder just what the hell was going on. Happy was too joyous to be in an uplifted mood solely from a good lay. Not even a pornstar could make him act like this. Happy's done his fair share of drugs in his time, but he told Talia that he doesn't touch the stuff anymore after he almost got killed because he was too inebriated to function. That doesn't stop him from smoking a joint with her every now and then, but he wasn't a stoner either.

Something soft tried to tackle Talia's ankle and she gently shoved it away with her foot, focused on what the hell was making Happy so...well, happy. After adding some butter to the pot and stirring it to prevent the food from sticking to the bottom of the cookware, she turned the stove off. She grabbed a bowl and poured her steaming meal into it, setting it on the counter to cool. She went to the fridge to get something to drink and saw a six-pack of Yoo-Hoos in glass bottles. She detached one from the plastic binding all of them together, but something nudged her in the leg again and she closed the fridge, turning around to see the source on the ground.

"Would you get outta here? Go on, shoo." Again, she tenderly pushed the white fuzz away from her with her sock-covered foot, but it must've thought they were playing because it came back to nip at her toes, making Talia sigh. She picked the light-eyed menace up and brought it to her face. "Listen here, you adorable little demon, I am not your…"

She stopped her venting when she realized she was staring into what had to be the most angelic turquoise eyes she's ever seen. In her hands was a freaking puppy and it was beautiful. Its white fur was the same color as a cloud and that just made the pup look even more innocent. There was a quarter-sized patch of mahogany-brown on its head and it had a reddish-pink nose. Even hoisted in the air, its tail was wagging and the softness was hitting Talia's forearms.

Jaw slack, she looked to Happy and he broke out in one of the most heartfelt laughter she's ever heard in all the years she's been with him.

"You got me a puppy?" Talia excitedly asked, not being able to stop the slight girlish shriek in her voice, and Happy nodded. Of course, that provoked a short squeal of glee and she set the dog down again. She got on the floor with it and it pounced into her lap, standing on her knees with its front paws on her chest to lick at her cheek and make her giggle. "He's adorable!"

"She." Happy corrected and Talia was a bit confused.

Happy told her about the Beagle he had when he was a kid and he named it Toast for some reason, but he loved that dog to pieces. They've never had a pet before, but she thought if they were ever going to get a dog, it was going to be a beastly male and probably a Pit Bull because that was Happy's favorite breed.

"Why'd you get a girl?" She asked.

"They're the best protectors." He reasoned. "You ever see what a bear would do to a grown ass man if he tried to come near her cubs and she thought he was gonna hurt them?"

"Mauled to death." Talia answered, laughing when the puppy managed to climb into the neckline of her shirt and fall in. She took the pup out and cradled it in her arms; still couldn't believe how cute she was. "What'd you name her?"

"Been calling her Bonnie since I got her, but she doesn't like it. Little bitch's been ignoring me." Talia huffed at her Dad, but set the pup down and Happy called her by the name he picked. She sat down, yawned and stared at him. Talia pet her and she plopped on her side to roll on her stomach, grumbling in content as she got her stomach rubbed. "Tig wanted to name her Cassiopeia after some goddess. He's actually the one who got her."

"Really?" She asked in awe and Happy nodded.

"I asked him if he knew any breeders and he sent me to one that specialized in mutts. She's half Rottweiler, half Husky. Her eyes are gonna get darker and she'll get some more patches in a few months."

"Is she already trained to be a killing machine?"

"Just housebroken and the basics. I'm gonna be training her. Gotta figure out a name first."

"Nothing's scarier than a bloodthirsty dog named Genevieve." Happy let out a noise of distaste that sounded like a disapproving groan and Talia smiled at it. "Caca sounds pretty cool too. Oh, or Morta. Morta's badass."

"Who the hell are Caca and Morta?"

"Caca is a Roman goddess of fire and Morta is a goddess of death, the cutter of the thread of life."

"Surprised you didn't say Zelda or that Chinese girl."

"What Chinese girl?"

"Suki or some shit. She's got pink hair and she's always with that fox kid."

"First off, Naruto is a Japanese manga series and videogame franchise. Second, the character you're talking about is Sakura, but I'll give you points for trying." She explained as she held the puppy up to him. "What about Rouge? That little patch on her head kinda looks like blush, but in makeup, it's called rouge."

"You wanna name the dog after makeup?"

"I was actually thinking about Rouge the Bat from Sonic."

"She's sexy." He grinned.

"Don't start." Talia rolled her eyes with a smile, but set the dog down to test her new name. "Rouge, sit." She commanded and the puppy did so, focusing on her master's eyes.