Disclaimer: Now I know what you're thinking. A birthday party when preparations for saving the world are in order? How would that work? That's exactly what the week long time skip was for my friends. And don't worry; Flare and the others are still determined to save Foxcadia. That doesn't mean they can't take a break for a birthday party though.

Also, I don't own Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol X

Demon Defense arc Episode thirteen: Innocence: The Value of a Birthday

One week after Wolfland's destruction, Snow was in the room she and Everest chose in Rex's home, and she was drawing something while sitting at the desk in the room. It was a drawing of her and Flare kissing with the word 'Someday' written right above them. She had a love struck look as she was drawing this. It showed that her feelings for Flare were much stronger and more apparent than before. She then heard a knock on her door however, and she flinched when she heard Flare's voice. "Snow!? You in there!?"

Snow instantly hid her drawing in her drawer, not being ready to confess her feelings to Flare yet. "Yeah, I-I'm in here! Come in!"

Flare opened the door and started beating a drum to the beat of 'Happy Birthday'. The song sucks, but Flare gave all the heart he needed to in this performance. And it was enough to make Snow smile and laugh as he hit the final note. After Flare was done, he took his drum off just before he and Snow hugged. "Happy birthday Snow!"

"Thanks Flare." Snow responded, allowing Flare to let go as she expressed how crazy it was that she was able to reach ten years of life. "I've finally hit double digit years. I feel like I can do so much more than I could before." Snow then realized something and asked Flare about it to see if it were true. "Is this what you felt on YOUR tenth birthday?"

"Probably." Flare admitted, knowing that ten was a pretty big jump for anyone. Granted, Snow didn't have his Identity conflict, but still. "Anyway, I know we're supposed to be training for Slash's next attack, but that's no excuse to not celebrate your birthday. So I have something huge planned for you later today!"

Snow smiled in response to that, glad that Flare was still able to focus on bringing everyone joy. "Almost three years later, and you're still Flare Munroe."

Flare giggled a bit before admitting to that being the case. "Yeah." Flare then gestured Snow out of her chair as he explained more of it. "It's a super big surprise though, so I talked to Skye, and she's up for spending a few hours in Foxcadia with you while I get it set up. So you get out there and enjoy yourself while not trying to guess what it is!" Snow raised an eyebrow with a smirk as Flare then pointed to the window to keep her from seeing the surprise. "Through the window."

"Okay your Majesty." Snow snarked playfully, walking over to the window and opening it before looking back at Flare. "At least I know you're not ignoring me."

Snow hopped out of the window and closed it with Flare rushing off to let the others know that it was a success. "Operation Snow's tenth birthday party is a go!"

Flare and Marshall were decorating for Snow's party in the living room with Charm entering the room as he expressed his disbelief in what was going on. The Paw Patrol were supposed to be training for when Slash made his next move. Why were they wasting their time celebrating someone's birth? "Is it really that special that Snow was born today?" Flare and Marshall looked at Charm, who crossed his arms as he pointed something out to them. "She wasn't the only one born on June 13th."

"True, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate her birthday." Flare pointed out, making sure the punch bowl was exactly where it should be on the snack table.

Charm wasn't familiar with birthday parties, so he didn't get why this was more important than training. "And why is this 'birthday' more important than training?"

Flare went over to the oven as it dinged, opening it up and pulling out some baked goods for the party. "It's not. I just figured it wouldn't hurt to go through with this since we've been working our butts off since we got here. And also to show Snow that we care about her."

Marshall was still scared of Charm for a variety of reasons, but he felt it wouldn't hurt to join in on the conversation. "We do it for all of our friends. Rocky had a party last month."

Charm had to admit that the idea of birthday parties intrigued him. Having never had a real party himself, he felt it'd help him understand what being a normal canine was like. After Flare spoke up however, Charm hid his interest, knowing the others wouldn't buy it. "You can help us set it up if you want."

Charm scoffed, walking over to the fridge and getting himself a soda as he declined. "I'd prefer you let me know when we're having cake."

Flare shrugged with a smile, and as Marshall dropped the big drawing board, he bent over to pick it up. His butt was pointed into the air as he did this, and Flare walked right past him as he did it, resulting in...

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT

...a loud and ripe twenty second fart hitting Flare right in the face, making Marshall's butt vibrate as the green cloud of moldy cheese sent Flare back and covered him in fart gas. Flare ended up crashing into the table with the punch bowl on it, resulting in it falling onto his head, leaving a blushing Marshall to look back and rush over to him. "Flare!" Charm couldn't help laughing as Marshall took the punch bowl off of Flare. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay!?"

"I've been hit with worse." Flare assured Marshall, winking to him as he brought up something else. "Besides; now that Chase is gone, someone's gotta bring on the thunder."

Marshall chuckled in response to that with Charm turning the fan on as he smirked with his mind changed. "I suppose if we get to fart in each others' faces during preparations, it won't be a total waste." Despite still being a little fatigued from Marshall's butt blast, and Charm's reason not really being the point, Flare was glad to see Charm joining them.

Snow and Skye were watching Tod and a Bloodhound, who was cheering the fox on in a beer chugging contest. Skye noticed that Snow had something on her mind and decided to ask about it. "What's wrong Snow?"

Snow flinched before answering Skye's question, knowing she could be honest with her about anything. "Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about when Flare and I will become a thing." Skye put a paw on Snow's shoulder as she expressed how she felt about this. "I wish I knew how to tell him how I felt. Especially with what he's got on his plate right now."

Skye knew Flare, and she felt he'd be reasonable about it. Hopefully, he shared the feelings Snow had for him. "If you want my advice, try asking him for a private moment." Snow looked at Skye, who smiled as she continued to give the advice. "That way, you'll be able to avoid any interruptions, and you'll have more time to approach how you do it."

Snow was grateful for the advice, and then she thought about when Chase and Skye got together. She knew she'd love to see her bring that up. "Here's hoping I handle it as well as Chase did when he asked YOU out."

"Trust me Snow. You're strong, and you're closer with Flare than everyone besides Marshall. You'll do great." Just then, Tod, who won the beer chugging contest, was puking into a bucket nearby. The Bloodhound and Vixey patted his back to support him with Tod laughing as he puked into the bucket again. "Also, just a warning for when it happens. Whenever Flare does something dumb, you'll be the first one expected to do something about it like Copper and Vixey are for Tod." Snow gave a thumbs up in response before the two went to see if Tod was okay.

Back at Rex's lab, Flare and the others were still setting up with Flare talking to Marshall about his feelings for Snow in the kitchen as they were watching the birthday cake. "Do you think it's too soon to act on them with what I've been dealing with lately?"

Marshall didn't know how good he'd be at this kind of advice, despite having been in a relationship with Everest for two years now. He could also tell by Flare's expression that he didn't want to do anything that could hurt the bond he and Snow had. "I don't think so. It hasn't been making it harder for you to hang out with us."

That was true, and Flare smiled as he thought about it. He thought these feelings would be hitting him way harder. "I have been handling it really well, haven't I." Flare looked at the cake again as he finished what he was saying. "And Snow's already been helping me by getting me into contact with Dr. Paw-Shell."

"Exactly! So if there's anyone you won't be rushing it with, it's her." Just then, the oven dinged, and Marshall handed Flare the oven mitts. "Be careful."

Flare nodded in response and opened up the oven, taking the cake out and bringing it over to the stove. Everest was setting up some kind of soda cup game when she smelt the cake. She instantly recognized the smell and went into the kitchen to find Flare having prepared a Devil's Food cake. "That looks perfect Flare! Snow's going to love it!"

"That's the idea." Flare replied, glad that he and Everest agreed on the flavor Snow would like the most. Charm then popped up in between the two and attempted to get a taste of the cake himself with a cheeky grin. Flare slapped his paw away gently, informing him that the cake wasn't for tasties. "No tasties!"

Charm groaned in annoyance, wishing he could get some of the cake early. "Ugh; fine. Excuse me for loving cake."

Everest got a look at the banner Charm set up, and he did a surprisingly good job with it. Of course, Flare gave him that job, but Everest still found it worth pointing out. "Funny. I figured you wouldn't put any effort into your part of the party prep."

"Not for Snow's sake, but I'm not going to pretend I don't know how to put up a banner." Charm retorted, showing that he was still struggling to see the point in all of this.

"Make way guys!" Richie called from the doorway, entering the room as he let the others know about something cool. "Our resident inventors have something cool to show us!"

Snow and Skye were at the Foxcadia park with Tod and Copper showing them a local landmark of Tod and his siblings. One of them was a male, older than Tod, and the other two were one male, and one female, who looked to be twins. Their parents were there as well. Tod was more than happy to explain what the statue represented. "Alex, Jill, Danny, and I founded Foxcadia with our parents during my early twenties. I'm sure you've met my siblings at least once."

"Danny's the strict business owner, right?" Snow asked, and Tod nodded his head yes with Snow finishing her statement. "Thought so."

Skye hoped it wouldn't hurt to ask why Tod didn't add his parents in that statement. "Did your parents move out some time ago?"

"Well... no." Tod answered, feeling a sense of sorrow as he brought up what really happened to them. "Slash got to them before I settled down with Copper and Vixey;" Tod held Copper's paw as he finished his explanation. "a few months after we founded the village."

Copper spoke up a bit himself, knowing how hard this could be for Tod to talk about. "That's what led to us setting up that force field you see around the village."

Snow and Skye had immense sympathy for Tod, and Snow was quick to show it as she spoke up. "I'm sorry for your loss Tod. I'm sure they were great parents."

Tod smiled in response, showing that he was able to recover from this rather quickly. "They were the best parents you could ask for." Tod then snickered a bit as he brought up a bad habit from his mother in good nature. "Even if mom cleared way too many rooms for her own good. More than me and Copper combined."

"Oh, we know what that's like." Skye mentioned while the four were laughing at the good old days, and the coincidence of both of the families having gasbags. Skye did start thinking about Chase during this time though. 'It's been a week since he turned, and I'm still not over it. We'll get you back Chase. I promise.'

During the party preparations, Ryder, Rocky, and Rex were getting ready to show the others a robotic dog they made. It was shown under the covers as Ryder hyped him up. "Behold! You've seen dogs with flesh all around. You've seen foxes and wolves, the canines of the forest. Now prepare yourselves for the very first..." Rocky pulled up the blanket, revealing the robot dog to the group. "Robot dog!"

Flare and the others were impressed with Flare dashing up to the robot dog and petting him. "This is the coolest robot ever! Is he actually programmed like a dog!?"

The robot dog barked to confirm this, leaving Flare to squee in amazement as Ryder continued to introduce him to the group. "His name is Robo-Dog. He'll be fulfilling any tasks for us that we're either unable to do, or not at the Lookout for when needed. Think of him as a second Guard Dog for the Paw Patrol."

Claw walked up to Robo-Dog as he challenged him to that front, feeling rather confident with his own position as guard dog of the Paw Patrol. "Second Guard Dog, huh? Well he'd better have a bark as bad as his bite if he wants to compare to me."

Robo-Dog quickly put Claw's ego in it's place by not only letting out a super loud bark, but also biting Claw's paw. It didn't hurt that much, but Claw still felt it enough to see that Robo-Dog had enthusiasm. And he could tell he was holding back. "Welcome to the team buddy."

Robo-Dog barked again, only to then sense evil in Charm, who noticed him staring and spoke up in response to it. "Someone's got an eye for the common threat." Robo-Dog dashed over to Charm, flying up to his level while growling in his face. Charm, unfazed, simply slapped Robo-Dog across his right cheek, making him whimper and go to the ground.

Ryder laughed a bit, admitting that he forgot about that part. "Sorry about that Charm. We didn't tell him you were working with us yet."

Charm shrugged, not really being offended by Robo-Dog's judgement. "To be honest Ryder, that might work to your benefit."

Rocky walked up to Robo-Dog, giving him some oil to heal up the slap as he advised Charm not to heal him. "Just try not to hurt him, please? He's not ready for battle yet."

After Rocky finished healing Robo-Dog, Charm spoke to him with a bit more scorn in his voice, which Rocky quickly noticed. "You'll have to help him learn his place first." Rocky wasn't surprised by Charm's coldness showing again. He felt it was going to take him more than a week to learn about those 'sparks' and all that stuff.

A little while after Robo-Dog was introduced to everyone else, Snow and Skye were at some kind of art supplies shop, where Skye was treating Snow to her birthday present. She was waiting outside the shop patiently with Skye then coming out with some painting supplies, surprising her to a certain extent. "Happy birthday bestie!"

Snow cringed at the use of the word 'bestie', but still smiled as she accepted the art supplies from Skye. "Thanks Skye. Never been much of a painter."

"That's why I got them for you." Skye admitted, knowing that this would be a good hobby for Snow to have along with drawing. "Since you love drawing so much, and Flare finally got you back into it last month, I thought you'd enjoy expanding your horizons."

Snow got a good look at the paint, the paintbrushes, and the easel with a canvas all ready for use. She definitely saw the appeal in expressing art in more ways than one. She gave Skye a grateful smile to show how true that was. "Then you're as right as you are skilled at backflips!"

Skye giggled a bit just as she got a text, taking her phone out and saw that Everest told her 'Everything is set up. Come back as soon as you can'. She was glad to hear that and texted back 'Okay, we're on our way!' before filling Snow in. "Everest just texted me. Everything's all set up for your surprise back at the lab."

"Let me guess. A party that screams 'This was put together by Flare!'?" Snow snarked playfully, having a good idea as to what this was going to be. Skye shrugged, pretending not to know what the surprise was going to be as she and Snow headed back. Snow couldn't help giving a smiling eye roll as she played along with the obvious secret hiding. "Okay. Let's go face the surprise of the century." On the way back, Snow couldn't help thinking about how she'd use her new painting supplies. She hoped it would be as easy to get the hang of as drawing.

Flare and the others were getting ready for when Snow and Skye arrived with Rex asking Ryder about how everything went. "So you guys do this for every birthday on the team?"

"That's right." Ryder answered, being pleased with it, despite knowing the drawbacks. "It gets predictable after a while, but it's the thought that counts."

Charm was there too, despite almost everyone being unsettled by his presence. He couldn't help thinking about how much work all of these parties must be. And yet, he never even had one. He had to wonder his worth if that were the case. Instead of focusing on that, he struck a conversation with Rocky about last week. "So. You feel like... breaking down crying again?"

Rocky snorted before commenting on that well meaning, but harsh jab, at Rocky's former trauma response of bottling up his emotions. "I've actually been trying to find a healthier method for that since we started working on the demon weapons." Charm was surprised to hear that as Rocky finished what he had to say. "I'm still hurting from when Chase and Zuma turned Charm. It's just hard controlling, or even expressing, my heavier emotions sometimes; being that I'm Autistic."

Charm was surprised to hear that, having never realized anyone in his family was Autistic. Rocky took notice to this as Charm asked him about it. "You have Autism?"

"Yep. It's actually part of why I'm so focused when working on the anti-demon weapons." Rocky noticed Flare giving him a thumbs up from nearby, showing his support for Rocky. Even though Charm was still far from a friend to the Paw Patrol, they knew Rocky needed this. Rocky appreciated this and explained more. "It's also why sometimes... my struggles aren't always apparent. I struggle with emotion regulation, which can lead to me bottling up my emotions. It can also affect my trauma responses. Like when Zuma turned. It obviously shattered me, but I didn't show that until we-"

Snow and Skye then arrived at the door, leaving everyone else to yell out "Surprise!" as soon as Snow entered the door.

Charm silently mouthed to Rocky 'I suppose I get it.', leaving Rocky to smile and silently mouth 'Thanks for understanding.'. Even though Charm then silently mouthed with a 'Whatever', showing that he was still adjusting to the idea of talking about big stuff like this. And yes; that's why they haven't talked about what Slash did to Charm yet.

Snow set her art supplies down with Skye's help, and Flare then rushed over to Snow with Everest, and both of them hugged Snow with nothing but warmth in the action. "Happy birthday Snow!"

Charm then spoke up about something he figured was going to happen as he looked at Rocky. "So I take it you expect me to stay for the party?"

"Well, that's up to Snow." Rocky admitted, knowing that it shouldn't be anyone's call but hers.

Snow wasn't wild about the idea of Charm staying herself, but she figured she should at least let him decide. "You can leave if you want to. I don't care."

Charm thought for a moment, and then he looked around and saw how much effort everyone put into the party. It was clear to him that they weren't doing this for an occasion that didn't mean anything to them. Perhaps there was something he was missing about birthdays. He decided that he could at least stay for the party, just to see if he could understand it himself. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay. At least to find out if I can see the point in birthday parties."

Snow shrugged in response, figuring like something like this would happen. At least Charm didn't plan on hurting any of the pups, or humans. Flare then got excited for whatever Snow wanted to do for her party. "Alright Snow. What do we do first!?"

The first thing everyone was doing was a game of pictionary, which they did on that big board Flare and Marshall set up earlier. Claw was taking a turn, and he decided to pick something easy for everyone to guess. He made it face forward for a bit of challenge, and it looked like a forward facing hot dog. Rubble was focusing hard as he tried to figure it out, and before anyone else could guess, he blurted it out. "It's a butt hole!"

Charm didn't get how that answer made any sense, bluntly asking Rubble where he got that idea from. "How exactly does that look like a butt hole?"

"Actually..." Everyone looked to see Claw changing the picture, and before he started laughing, it was revealed to be a drawing of Charm. "You're right Rubble!"

Some of the others started laughing with Charm giving a deadpan expression in regards to the joke. He then got up with a grin and walked up to Claw, snatching the marker from his paw while talking. "Alright Marshall 2.0; let's see you wisecrack about this one." Charm drew something as Claw went to sit down while flipping Charm off behind his back. Charm warned him about that as he finished what he had to draw. "Do it to my face or don't do it at all!"

Charm let the others see what he drew, and he started snickering as it shocked most of the residents in the room. The only one it didn't shock was Tracker, who was quick to speak up, since he didn't realize how messed up this was. "Oh; I know! It's you stabbing Claw in the leg!"

"Correct! Well done Tracker! You get a prize that doesn't exist!" Tracker barked happily, since he didn't quite get the joke. At the same time, Flare and Snow exchanged a glance that showed they were in for quite a bit with this party. Charm started laughing however, and Rocky quickly noticed it. Perhaps this was a sign that Charm was starting to get why birthday parties were a thing.

Ryder then quickly spoke up, feeling that they should keep this tame for everyone else. "Okay; no more pictures that involve stuff like that. For all of our sakes."

"Fine. If it helps you sleep at night." Charm joked, snickering a bit as he tossed the marker to Rocky, since his turn was next.

Rocky drew something rather complex, and for a bit, the pups didn't quite get it. Richie did however, and it played into Rocky's love for inventing. "Hard insulation foam!"

"That's right!" Rocky cheered, hi fiving Richie with Charm seeing that the group was having a good time. He didn't expect to be enjoying himself like they were, but for some reason, it actually felt... good, spending time with the Paw Patrol.

The next activity was soda pong, and Snow and Marshall were playing around as Marshall missed another shot at the farthest cup. This declared his loss, leaving Snow excited as she held her ping pong balls tightly. "Aw, I missed."

"But I won't." Snow threw three ping pong balls to let the others observe; one in the middle, one in the top right corner, and one right at the end. After her skills declared her the winner of the round, Rex wrote it down on a whiteboard with Snow clapping in response. "That's right people! Free soda for me!"

The rest of the pups laughed, except for Charm, who was simply observing from nearby. He saw that the pups, along with Ryder and Richie, were still enjoying themselves. He was able to understand why a little, thanks to the pictionary game, but not by a bit. Seeing some ping pong balls, he got an idea and decided to throw the others off guard. He got ready for this just as Rocky brought up that he was next. "Guess it's my turn. Who am I up against?"

Before anyone else could speak up, Charm's first ping pong ball went right over Rocky and into the first cup. The other two then went over as well, missing the second one by tapping on the lid, and the third one knocking over one of the cups. Flare took advantage of this and let the soda pour into his mouth as it fell off of the table. This made the rest of the Paw Patrol laugh before Flare burped into his paw...

UUURRRP

...Marshall helped Flare up as he did his usual habit of puns in response to Charm's start to the round. "I hope that's not your example of a charming entrance."

Charm rolled his eyes in response with Flare and Everest laughing as the others called him out as usual. "Marshall!" The rest of the pups then laughed as well with Rocky noticing that Charm had a light smile on his face. He tried to hide it after Rocky noticed, but he had to admit that he was having fun. He also felt something inside of him that he wasn't familiar with. It felt as if something familiar was starting to reform inside him. He couldn't quite pin down what that was.

Later that day, the Paw Patrol were waiting for Snow to blow out her birthday candles as the Husky admired the cake from where she stood. As always with anything Flare either cooked or baked, it looked absolutely stunning. Flare then reassured Charm on something he felt he would need to know. "Don't worry. We don't do the birthday song here. None of us like it." Charm gave a thumbs up to Flare, despite not being the victim of listening to that song himself.

Snow didn't have to think all that hard about what her wish was going to be. She knew what it was as soon as she saw the cake. Even though she couldn't tell anyone, Skye and Everest looked at her in a way that showed they knew what she was thinking of. After a few more seconds, she blew out every last one of them with one big blow. The rest of the Paw Patrol cheered with Flare being the first to run up to Snow and give her a big hug. She was quick to accept it as well, wrapping her arms around Flare as he wished her a happy birthday. "Happy birthday Snow!"

Even though Charm wasn't that close with anyone on the team, he saw how happy everyone was celebrating Snow's birthday. And joining in on the party helped Charm feel a similar emotion to it. He had to know for sure however, just to be safe. He went over to Rocky, knowing that he wouldn't mind telling him about this. "Rocky. Question." Rocky looked at Charm, who gestured him to the joy surrounding the room. "The happiness on everyone's faces. Is that why we celebrate birthdays?"

"It sure is." Rocky answered happily, feeling that it wouldn't hurt to elaborate for Charm, since he cared enough to stay at the party. "Even though we're a much bigger team than how we started out, we still love spending each others' birthdays playing, laughing, and spending time together.

Rocky may or may not not have realized it, but what hhe was saying was leaving an impact on Charm. "That's not the only reason though. The biggest reason we have birthdays, is to help us appreciate, remember, and acknowledge our lives, in the most friendly and cheerful way we can."

Although it was sudden to Charm, Rocky's description of birthday parties finished reforming one part of him that was lost. Now, as he looked around at everyone, he could feel the innocence and kindness that surrounded the room. Sadly, he couldn't feel it as strongly as they did, due to this feeling came back suddenly after seven years. But now that he understood the value of birthday parties, he felt his reconnection with his innocence rekindling. He knew this was a feeling he'd have learn to understand again.

He still didn't know for sure if he could become his own canine however. Despite his willingness to try, the fact that Slash and Trickery never saw him worth throwing a birthday party for made him question his worth. Was he really only meant to be their sadistic pawn? For now though, he decided to hide away his conflicted thoughts and enjoy the party. "Don't even think about leaving me without a slice!" Of course, most of the Paw Patrol were still wary of him. It'd take more than a party to change that. But he was more than welcome to have some cake.

Later that night, Flare and Snow were sitting on the roof, looking up at the stars as they thought about life, right as Flare was giving Snow her birthday present. Snow happily accepted the gift box and opened it up, finding it to be a white friendship bracelet with blue stripes. Snow loved it and happily put it on while thanking Flare. "Thank you so much Flare! It's perfect!"

"Ya wanna know what else is perfect?" Snow looked at Flare, who revealed himself to be wearing a white bracelet with red stripes. "Pups of red and blue!"

Snow laughed in response to that before she and Flare bumped their bracelets; Flare's with his right paw, and Snow's with her left. After that, Snow admitted to what her wish was to Flare, now that they were alone. "Ya wanna know what my wish was?" Flare listened closely, and Snow then expressed what she's been feeling when around him lately. "This. Just a moment of the two of us talking, and having a chance to enjoy the night."

Flare felt extremely touched when he heard that. He then took the chance to move his paw closer to Snow's after they set them back down. "You always have great wishes." Snow giggled a bit in response, and then Flare grasped Snow's paw, much to her surprise. He felt that now was the perfect time to try and confess his feelings to her again. "Snow? Do you remember when I tried to tell you something last week?"

"Right before Charm came to Wolfland with the journal, yeah." Snow answered, wondering what Flare was going to tell her. "You can tell me now if you want."

"I plan to." Flare assured her, looking her deeply in the eyes as he gave her the full truth. "I know you're still worried about keeping your promise about not hurting me. Everest told Marshall, and Marshall's secret keeping skills are barely existent most of the time." Snow rolled her eyes while smiling at that revelation with Flare getting back on track. "You haven't hurt me once during that time Snow. Every moment I've been spending with you since we made up has only made the way I feel about you grow even more."

Snow started to get a good idea as to where this was going. She decided to let Flare finish, just in case, and soft and tender music played as he did. "When I look at you, I see the most beautiful mountain in your eyes. When I hear you, I feel like I'm listening to the most beautiful voice I'll ever hear. And when I hug you, or touch you at all, I feel like I'm touching the softest fur pelt in the world." Snow felt her eyes starting to water, proving Flare's words of genuine compassion to be genuine. He couldn't feel his love for her any more if he tried. "Snow... I love you."

Flare and Snow then leaned in and kissed underneath the moonlight, feeling their warm embrace and tender love through the night sky. They finally confessed their love to each other, and they had no regrets over it. The feeling in their hearts was unlike anything they'd ever felt before. The warm hug, the soft, tender lips, the genuine love sensed from both sides, it all made the moment so perfect. After a few more seconds, Snow pulled Flare away with a question. "When do we tell the others?"

"Tomorrow morning works for me. I think they've waited long enough." Flare answered, knowing that it was getting close to bedtime, and that the night should end on the strongest note they both felt possible. Being perfectly okay with that, Snow nuzzled Flare's nose and went inside with him, holding his paw as they went in through the roof window. Despite everything that's been happening as of late, the two of them were more than happy to finally be together. Now, they both had something new to protect for any danger that came their way: Each other.

Charm was writing down his weekly journal entry, putting down his usual case of important thoughts for helping him keep in control. 'Not only did I enjoy myself at Snow's birthday party. I managed to understand why so many people have them, and how important it is to acknowledge the day of one's birth. It makes them feel as if they're special in a way that no other event can. And during the party, I felt like I was having light hearted fun without a care in the world. I don't know why, but I think I'm starting to... like the Paw Patrol. I know; it's insane!'

Charm did show a more grim side to this however. His next paragraph was direct proof of what caused this. 'Still. This is only the start of me regaining my lost humanity. And if I tell anyone about the demon blood, it could hamper my progress with rediscovering it. Although... Rocky did mention to me that he was open to talking last week about what Slash did to me. For some reason, I want to take him up on that. I just don't know how. Heh. That's ironic. I've ruled an army for years, and it's deep discussions like this where I struggle now.'

Charm looked over at the bedside table, where his knife stood. He nodded his head no after looking at it for a couple seconds and kept writing. 'Perhaps if I manage to become my own canine... I can have birthday parties then. I'll figure it out. I'll figure it all out.' After Charm finished writing in his journal, he set it down next to his knife and went to bed. Despite his continuous conflicted thoughts on his situation, today, he managed to break the first lock to finding his humanity: Innocence.

To be continued.

Rock music played as Flare started speaking in regards to what was going to happen with specific moments from the next chapter being shown. "Rocky sure has had a lot on his plate lately. My talk with him today helped, but I hope we can help him overcome his burdens soon. Huh? You and me Charm? Um, okay; if you insist. Don't you worry Marshall! I'll make sure Charm doesn't get up to anything bad! I just hope Rocky and Rex can handle the anti-demon weapons without him."

Rocky finished the announcement with the words Paw Patrol in all blue with red outlines surrounded with a white border with Flare on the right, and Marshall on the left. "Next time, Empathy: What Emotions Can Do! (Rocky and Rex are shown to be inventing as Rex notices a small note fall out of Rocky's hat) Believe me Rex; I wish these thoughts would stop recurring too."