Moffitt was partly asleep when he heard Vanora finally come into the bedroom. He didn't move or say anything, getting the impression that it would be best that he did nothing and let Vanora choose whether she wanted his attention or not. He wouldn't deny he was disappointed when he heard and felt her lie down and face away from him, and looked over his shoulder to see Vanora was close to the edge of the bed, as far from him as she could possibly be. This is your fault anyway, Moffitt thought. He gave a quiet sigh, tempted to just apologize, to promise he would give River a chance in the morning, but he was afraid that Vanora wouldn't believe him.

Cuddling was such a routine part of being in bed that it was difficult for Moffitt to resist rolling over and holding Vanora close. He remained on his side of the bed, trying to think about something else. A black shape with glowing blue eyes appeared, and Anah slithered up to him, whispering, "If you need something to snuggle, here I am."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure I deserve it," Moffitt whispered back.

Anah sighed. "Nonsense, dear." She pressed up against him and nuzzled his chin.

Moffitt waited until he could hear Vanora breathing evenly and deeply in sleep, then said, "Is she angry with me?"

"Honestly? A little. She still loves you, but she is quite upset with you."

"I feel like there's more to this. I never expected her to react this way. She's known I don't like dogs since before we got married."

"She has, but… there is something you should know, that I will not go into detail because I think that is best left to Vanora. Her family did have a dog when she was a little girl. He passed away when Vanora was thirteen, and she tried everything to get another one. Her parents would not allow it, so… she has been waiting for something like this for a long time."

Moffitt sighed. "Why didn't she tell me? I wouldn't have been nearly as upset with this whole situation."

"Ask her in the morning, dear."

"Didn't you ask?"

"I did, and she said she did not want to discuss this anymore, especially with Jules around."

Moffitt glanced toward the door. "Did he go to bed, or is he still talking with Dietrich on the phone?"

"He went to bed about a half-hour ago."

"Is he alright?"

"I think so. Dietrich is good at helping people feel better, especially his favorite 'nephew.'" Anah nuzzled Moffitt again. "Everything will be alright, dear. Get some sleep."

Moffitt tried to fall asleep, but found it particularly difficult. He kept looking at Vanora, wanting to snuggle her, but he was afraid of her reaction. Anah, on the other hand, was keen for a snuggle, so Moffitt gently held the cobra, and felt her wrap herself around his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

He awoke the next morning to find Vanora had left the bed, and got up to see where she was. He found her in the parlor, having her coffee and staring out the window. Moffitt didn't think he had made a great deal of noise when he stepped in the doorway, as he wasn't intending on bothering her, but Vanora still sighed and looked at him.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I came to apologize," Moffitt said. "If… If you're willing to listen."

"Are you going to listen?"

Moffitt nodded. "First, I should probably say that Anah talked to me last night, and told me, at least in part, why you're angry."

"She told you about the dog I had when I was a girl?"

"Yes, and she told me this dog passed away and you wanted another, but your parents wouldn't let you."

Vanora became quiet for a moment. "Did she tell you anything else?"

"No. That was it. Did something else happen?"

"Well, my parents acted like you, but toward all animals. The only reason we had that dog was because my brother found him in a crate in an alley. We both wanted another one, but we were told no, over and over again. They acted like keeping animals as pets was childish, and we were both teenagers. We were 'too old' for pets."

"That is, honestly, the most nonsensical thing I've ever heard, but, having met your parents, I believe you," Moffitt said with a snort. "Anyone at any age, if they're capable, can have and enjoy a pet."

"Why do you think we don't visit my parents very often?"

"Oh, I know. My parents are more fun."

"Your parents are lovely people. Your father especially."

"Indeed. He's traveled a hard road, but I love him." Moffitt smiled a little, but it quickly faded. "I wish you had said something to me about this. I wouldn't have been nearly as grumpy."

"I was afraid you still would be grumpy."

"Look… I will try to get along with the dog. Emphasis on try. I may not enjoy the company of a dog the way I do a snake or a horse, but I will try for you."

Vanora sighed again. "You are right, though, about needing to talk. I should've said something yesterday, and I should apologize about last night. I'm… sure you noticed I didn't cuddle up to you in bed."

"I did notice. It was very tempting to roll over and hug you like I normally do, but you were angry and I feared that would make things worse."

"To be honest, I was hoping you would hug me. I was a bit worried that you were angry with me over not being more sympathetic."

"Oh, darling, no. I wasn't angry—well, I was angry at myself over being a bit of a prick."

"That's a relief."

"Yes. I'm relieved that we still love each other."

"Of course." Vanora kissed her husband's cheek. "You'll get plenty of cuddles tonight, I promise."

"And so will you. It was so cold without you." Moffitt leaned in to give Vanora a long kiss on her lips, only for something black and white and furry to dash into the parlor.

"Well, good morning, River, how are you?" Vanora asked, giving the husky a scratch behind his ears. "Where were you all night?"

"In my room," Jules said, appearing in the doorway.

Vanora's smile faded. "Oh, Jules, are you alright? I'm so sorry you had to—"

"It's alright, Mum. I'm just glad you and Dad aren't fighting."

"No, we would never fight," Moffitt said. "A slight disagreement is not a fight. That, and even though we love each other, we won't agree on everything. We still have to maintain good communication, make compromises, and that sort of thing." He moved away when River got closer to him. Despite thinking to himself the previous night that he wanted to change, he still found himself somewhat uncomfortable in the dog's presence. "For instance, I want to take interacting with River in baby steps. I'm sure you and your mother won't argue with that." He waved his hand in front of his face when River sat near him. "Bloody hell, stop panting your awful dog breath in my direction. Also, Jules… when you say River was in your room, you didn't let him on the bed, did you?"

"Well, where else would he sleep?" Jules asked.

"You could've brought his bed in from the drawing room. Now we've got to wash your bloody sheets."

"Easy, love—" Vanora ran her fingers through Moffitt's hair. "Jules, take the dog out to the kitchen so your father can relax."

"He really is being ridiculous about this," Jules muttered.

"If you want him to stop being ridiculous, please cooperate."

"Fine." Jules sighed before getting River to follow him.

Moffitt managed to relax once the dog was out of the parlor. Vanora squeezed his shoulder. "Let's focus first on getting you comfortable with being in the same room as a dog without much complaining."

"Alright. That makes sense. As long as River doesn't ruin my morning tea," Moffitt said.

"I highly doubt he's going to ruin your tea."

The two stood to go in the kitchen. Jules had finished serving River his breakfast and moved on to getting his own. Vanora started her coffee, while Moffitt put water in the kettle for his tea and Jules's.

Anah slithered on the counter and paused by the stove. "Is there anything specific that anyone would like for breakfast?"

"I'm having leftover cobbler," Jules said.

"Would you like ice cream with that, dear?"

"No one is having ice cream for breakfast," Moffitt said.

"Perhaps a bit of clotted cream would be a more appropriate alternative," Anah suggested.

Jules shrugged. "Sure. I'll take clotted cream."

"Leave the cream out when you're done," Moffitt said. "I'll have some with a scone."

"You need more than a scone for breakfast, love," Vanora said.

"Two scones?"

"No, Jack, you need a proper breakfast. We've been married nearly nineteen years and you're still thinner than a beanpole. Eat something, love."

"Perhaps some eggs will suffice?" Anah asked.

Moffitt sighed. "Fine. I'll take them fried, please." He added under his breath, "If it gets you two nags off my back." He didn't fully relax until he sat down with his tea, patiently waiting for the eggs. Almost as soon as he sat down, he heard the clicking of nails on the floor, and felt a weight on his left leg. He glared down at River. "Have you no sense of personal space? We're doing this in baby steps. I don't want you that close yet. Go on, then. Shoo."

"River, he's no fun," Jules said. "Come here, boy. You get to come with me on a ride when I'm done here."

Given River's track record of good behavior from the previous day, it was a bit surprising that he hesitated to go to Jules, instead keeping his head on Moffitt's lap for another minute or two before finally leaving. Moffitt was glad to see him go, and hoped the dog wouldn't get any funny ideas about trying to win him over with charm or anything like that. That only works if it's coming from a horse, Moffitt thought.

He took care of Frostcloud after breakfast, and after Jules left with Nightrunner and River for his ride. Vanora and Anah were in the garden, taking care of their own spaces, as well as the fruit and vegetable patch. Moffitt went into the yard after making sure Frostcloud and his elderly mare, Icepatch, had plenty of water, as that day would be another warm one.

"I hope these pumpkins come in nice this year," Anah said. "How do the tomatoes look?"

"Very large, Anah," Vanora said.

"Oh, those will be good for a few jars of homemade sauce. The hot peppers are looking nice, too."

"Please be careful when you get around to drying and powdering them. I know you're excited to have them, but they're hot. Use them sparingly."

"I will try." Anah looked up from inspecting her peppers and smiled when she saw Moffitt. "Hello, dear."

"Hello, Anah. Do you need anything?" Moffitt asked.

"Nothing I can think of. You can taste this strawberry, though. What do you think?"

Not one to refuse Anah, Moffitt took the strawberry and bit into it just below its leaves. "I think you can use it for just about anything."

"Good. I was thinking about making more jam with these."

"That would be wonderful." Moffitt looked over at Vanora, then back at Anah. "Have I ever mentioned how adorable you two are in your sunhats?"

"You have, Jack," Vanora said. "Every time you see us in the garden together."

"It's true, though."

Anah covered her face with her hat. "You really think I am adorable?"

"Oh, don't give me that act. You know I think you're adorable." Moffitt stood up after patting Anah's head. "Are you sure neither of you need anything?"

"No, Jack," Vanora replied.

"Is there anything in the house that needs to be done? I've got nothing to do and I was going to make a cup of tea and read for a bit."

"Could you check if there's enough laundry for a load, then?"

"I can, darling." Moffitt kissed Vanora's cheek before turning to head inside.

"Wait, where is my kiss?" Anah asked.

"You're covered in dirt. Later."

"Oh—" Anah flicked her trowel with her tail. "Fiddlesticks."

Moffitt had the house to himself for the next hour or so. He was impressed to see that Jules's bed didn't receive a new blanket comprised entirely of dog hair over the previous night, so he didn't bother taking the sheets off his son's bed to wash them. There was some hair. Some. Moffitt tried not to let it bother him. After all, his father's cat, Osiris, would shed all over the house, and nobody really minded. His mother did, but she would only really worry about it when they expected company.

Once the laundry was taken care of, Moffitt made himself another cup of tea and sat in the parlor. He heard the front door open, followed by River's panting and nails clicking on the floor, then Jules saying, "That was a lot of fun, wasn't it? And you stayed by me and Nightrunner the whole time. You're such a good boy, yes, you are. Bet you're tired, though." Jules filled River's dish with fresh, cold water, then let him drink. "Alright. I'm going out to cool off Nightrunner, and then I'll be back for lunch. I'm starving."

The house was quiet again save for River drinking out in the kitchen. When he finished, he stood still, panting the whole time. He then headed for the parlor.

Alright. Try to be a little more pleasant this time. No one's around to hear you complain, though. Moffitt figured it was best to try and not complain, even though he was alone.

River sat a few inches away from the couch, tongue lolling out as he panted. Moffitt wasn't sure what exactly to do here. He knew making eye contact with a dog was typically not a good idea, but that was advice best reserved for an aggressive dog. River, despite his wolf-like appearance, didn't seem aggressive in the slightest. With the big smile on the dog's face, Moffitt found River to have a rather dopey appearance, like there really wasn't much going on upstairs.

Moffitt sighed. "Why do you feel the need to stare at me? Do you have nothing better to do?"

River stood to move closer to the couch, and lay down beside it. He rested his head on his front paws.

Moffitt moved to the end of the couch furthest away from River. More importantly, he moved his tea, concerned about any loose fur that might now be flying around. Tea was meant to be savored and enjoyed, not rushed out of the fear of the menace of dog hair. Moffitt looked down at his cup, grateful that his tea was uncontaminated. He took a sip, and occasionally looked at River. For now, it seemed the dog was content with lying down and not doing much of anything.

I can live with this. At least for now. My poor tea must be treated like a glass of water and drunk quickly if it's going to survive, though. Moffitt kept looking at River every time he drank from his cup, worried the husky was going to do something—anything—that would ruin his drink. When he finished his tea, Moffitt was very disappointed. "Your mere presence makes it difficult to enjoy this," he grumbled.

River's ears perked up and he looked in Moffitt's direction without getting up.

"Yes, you. There's no one else in the bloody room, is there?" Moffitt set his cup down. He faced River, folding his arms over his chest. "Now, I imagine this is going to be a rather one-sided conversation, as you are a dog and you only seem to understand running around like a bloody maniac and trying to put all the attention on yourself, but I would like to remind you that tea is a very important thing in this house. Your owners might be content with a furry cup of tea, but not me. That's utterly barbaric."

River's only response was to smile up at Moffitt.

Moffitt rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell. Of course you don't understand." He stood, and went around River to put his cup in the sink. While washing his cup, Moffitt heard the dog enter the kitchen. River sat down next to him, and Moffitt instinctively moved away. "Wretched thing," he muttered. "I'm busy and I don't want to play with you. Go pester Jules. He likes you." He likes you more than me at the moment. Moffitt sighed, feeling his heart sink. He moved back to where he was before, continuing to wash and rinse the cup. He could feel River's breath against his leg, and didn't particularly like it, but he stayed, figuring he needed to get used to it. This is like being forced to eat a food I despise for every meal for the next two weeks. Worse yet, everyone else in the house enjoys it, so now I have to as well. He thought back what Vanora told him that morning. You don't have to like it, but you don't have to be a prick about it.

He set his cup in the drying rack, and looked down at River. The husky was still staring up at him. Moffitt would only admit to himself that the dog's ice-blue eyes were quite pretty, and not something he had ever seen before in a dog. It was also clear that Millington's daughter and son-in-law took good care of River's coat, as it looked soft. The parts of River that were white were as clean as a fresh snowfall. Best of all, there really wasn't a strong odor about him.

Apart from that, River had been extremely well-behaved. He hadn't yet licked Moffitt or tried to jump on him, nor was he really in the way. Moffitt glanced around to ensure he was alone before reaching out, but then he quickly pulled back his hand. No. Don't let this bloody dog sucker you in. Someone has to be the voice of reason around here.

River remained where he was, watching Moffitt's hand, but his smile widened and his eyes closed when Moffitt touched the top of his head. He nudged the lanky Englishman's hand, as if to tell him to keep going and actually follow through on what seemed to be a good scratch around the ears.

Oh, you are quite soft. Not as soft as a cat, but… actually soft. And very clean. And not foul-smelling. Moffitt made a reluctant sound before following through on his scratch. "I can tell you like this, based on the blissful look on your face. I'm starting to wonder if this is what I look like whenever Vanora massages my scalp, just without my tongue hanging out like a giddy fool."

He was finding it more and more difficult to be grumpy with the smile on River's face, but he quickly pulled away from petting the dog when the front door opened and Jules came in. "Hey, Dad," he said. "What're you doing?"

"Oh, I was just finishing up washing a teacup," Moffitt said. "I have no idea why the dog is here."

River whined while trying to bring Moffitt's hand back.

Jules smirked. "He wants you to pet him." His smirk faded. "Seriously, Dad, it's not going to kill you to just pet a dog. He's not as gross as you describe that little red dog that bothered you in North Africa, although Troy says you blow that way out of proportion."

Moffitt scowled. "Troy's not exactly the most reliable source when it comes to things like that."

Jules rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's not going to hurt to just give River a chance."

Moffitt glanced down at River, who had ceased his whining and instead kept his head on Moffitt's leg. I would prefer to do this on my own terms. He touched River's head with one finger, feeling greatly tempted to just give in to the softness and resume the scratching from earlier.

"See? You haven't spontaneously combusted, and he's not jumping on you or licking you. You're fine."

Moffitt wasn't sure how to feel about his son's attitude. He felt that Jules probably had a point in remarking about how silly he was being, but he also wasn't sure why he didn't want to show that he had been petting River earlier with no problem. Probably because everyone will just rub it in. He said nothing in response, and went outside to see if Vanora and Anah needed anything.

Moffitt felt Anah glaring at him when he sat down with his dinner. "I know I said you can take what you want, but that did not mean you can take two spoonfuls," she said.

That night's dinner was her take on New England clam chowder. Moffitt had taken more than two spoonfuls, but certainly didn't fill the bowl. His mood was still somewhat sour and he didn't have much of an appetite.

"What is troubling you, dear?"

"I'm perfectly alright, Anah, just not hungry," Moffitt said.

"Are you sick?"

"No." Moffitt sighed. "I'm simply not very hungry."

"Is it because there's a dog in the kitchen and he's ruining everything just sitting there?" Jules asked with a snort.

Vanora gave Jules a look. "That was uncalled for."

"Sorry."

Anah set a basket of small bread rolls on the table, as well as a dish of butter. "For anyone who wants them."

"Thank you, Anah," Vanora replied. "This is a very good clam chowder, by the way."

"Why, thank you, dear," Anah said.

Moffitt felt a weight on his leg, and looked down to see River's head. He sighed. "And what do you want? You had your dinner. This has more garlic than you can shake a fist at. You most certainly can't have this."

River started smiling up at him.

"No amount of smiling is going to change my mind. Besides, you've done nothing to get a treat of any kind."

Jules sighed. "You know, River, even I'm starting to question your intelligence when you keep going to Dad. All he does is say mean things and act like you're a nuisance."

River's smile faded and he began to whine again, nudging Moffitt's arm.

"Oh, for heaven's sake…" Moffitt put his hand on the dog's head. "See, this is why I don't like dogs. You're so bloody needy."

"Snowstripe did something very similar when he wanted your attention, Dad. Except he would knock you over if you didn't respond," Jules said.

"Snowstripe was special. I loved that horse. Don't compare him to a dog."

"Also, I'm sure River wants you to actually pet him, not just rest your hand on him."

Moffitt grumbled to himself about the indignity of this while scratching around River's ears. Bloody hell, you're so soft, but I refuse to give anyone the impression that I like this! You're a little curse, you fluffy idiot. He stopped petting River. "Alright, go on. You had your scratches. Go away."

As the sun started to set, Moffitt looked forward to his evening tea, and hoped to have the parlor to himself. He sat on the couch with his tea, a couple of biscuits, and turned on the radio. He waited until the voice on the radio finished giving a weather report for Cambridge over the next couple of days—as Moffitt expected, it was going to remain a pleasantly warm week—before sitting back to drown out his thoughts with relaxing classical music. The sound of harps and violins and pianos were quickly shattered by the significantly less pleasant sound of a dog whining. Moffitt slowly lowered his cup, and sighed heavily before turning to face River and his big, dumb smile.

"What do you want?" Moffitt grumbled.

River trotted over to Moffitt, who frantically searched for a place to put his tea to protect it from any potential assault of dog hair. He also moved his biscuits, as he didn't feel like having dog hair in his mouth, or running the risk of River eating chocolate. Fortunately, River didn't seem interested in either the tea or the biscuits. He sat by Moffitt, who was now cornered at the end of the couch.

"I'm not interested in your company," Moffitt said. "Shoo! Go on! Get!"

Much to Moffitt's utter horror, River got on the couch and lay by him.

"No! You are not allowed on the bloody couch! Maybe you are with your own family, but not with me! Get off, you insufferable hairball!" Moffitt paused, expecting Vanora to yell at him over being ridiculous. When nothing happened, Moffitt gave the husky a dirty look. "Ooh, you are really testing my patience. You're a right blasted pain, you are. You insist on being around me for no good reason! What about me is so bloody interesting?"

He and River stared at each other for a solid minute before Moffitt sighed heavily. "I'm arguing with a dog." He froze when River put his head in Moffitt's lap. "No. That's not allowed. Please, get off me. I can't have my bloody tea with you on me!"

"Is everything alright out here?" Vanora asked, peering out into the parlor. She smiled when she saw what River was doing. "Awww…"

"No! No 'aww!' This blasted dog has violated my space."

"Jack, he's just sitting with his head in your lap. Give him a chance, at least for a few minutes."

Moffitt drew in a breath. "Fine. Only a few minutes." He kept glancing at River while getting his tea from the shelf he had hidden it on. The dog did nothing apart from continuing to stare at him. No barking, no licking, no trying to knock Moffitt's precious tea from his hands. He didn't even move when Moffitt was performing the delicate art of dunking a biscuit. Just long enough to soften the chocolate and soak in a bit of tea to enhance the flavor of the graham biscuit beneath the chocolate, but not so long that the chocolate melted right off into the tea and created a sludgy mess. Perfection.

River waited until Moffitt set his cup down before shifting and pressing his head lightly against Moffitt's stomach. Little by little, River moved more of himself onto Moffitt's lap, until his head was rested on the arm of the couch and he had all but trapped Moffitt on the couch.

Admittedly, this is more comfortable than a large Burmese python on my lap, as joyful as holding big snakes can be. Moffitt glanced toward the door leading out to the kitchen before touching River's back. He cursed himself for finding the dog to be so soft. "Little curse," he muttered. He sighed when he noticed River's eyes closed. "Oh, don't fall asleep. Please, don't fall asleep. Your bed's in the drawing room. Go there if you think you're going to fall asleep."

Of course, that did nothing. Moffitt tried to adjust himself, but figured it was best to accept his fate under the black and white furry mass on his lap. "I find no joy in this." He's quite nice and warm, though. Moffitt looked around again before giving River a decent scratch behind his ears. He quickly pulled his hand away when Vanora came out into the parlor.

"Goodness, River," she said, laughing a little, prompting the dog to sit up at the sound of his name.

Moffitt winced when one of the husky's paws went somewhere quite sensitive. "Not my bladder, you clumsy oaf! Bloody hell, get off!"

Vanora coaxed River off of Moffitt's lap. "Are you alright, Jack?"

"Oh, I'll be fine." Moffitt groaned while adjusting himself. "Blast, that hurt." He looked down, seeing his trousers were covered in white fur. Before he could say anything, Vanora was running a lint roller over him. "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome, love. See? That wasn't so bad."

"Like I said, I will tolerate this dog for you, but under no circumstances will I ever consider actually getting one."

"I know, and I wouldn't ask you to, not if you're going to be miserable."

"Well, I'm trying not to be miserable. That is admittedly hard, but… I'm trying." Moffitt expected Vanora to tell him to try harder, but she didn't, remaining quiet while continuing to clean the dog hair off of him.

"It's still plainly obvious you don't enjoy River. Maybe it would be best we send him to a kennel."

The first thing Moffitt wanted to say was that he agreed. It would be better for everyone—except probably River. He really hasn't been bad. It's me who needs to be locked up for a few weeks for being a prick. Moffitt sighed. "No, we shouldn't. I'm the one who's being a pain, not the dog."

"I'm at a loss of what we can do to get you used to having River around. He clearly wants to be around you. I hate to say it, because I know you strongly disagree, but dogs are intelligent, even emotionally. He probably knows you don't like him, and he's trying to show you that he's not that bad."

"And he's a dog so he's showing me in the only way he knows how."

"Exactly. This is nothing like what happened in North Africa."

"You're right. I'm trying to keep that in mind."

Vanora kissed Moffitt's cheek. "Are you ready for bed?"

"I suppose. I also believe we both owe each other a good cuddle."

"We do."

The two stood to head to the bedroom. Moffitt noticed River sitting by Jules's door, looking up at the doorknob and whining a little. He thought for a moment. On one hand, I don't want Jules's bed getting covered in dog hair. On the other… He gave a quiet sigh before opening the door. Jules was asleep, but as soon as River jumped on the bed and snuggled up to him, Jules shifted and draped one arm over the husky.

Moffitt watched for a moment before closing the door. He went into his bedroom, finding Vanora getting comfortable and Anah coiled up on his bedside table. He figured River would be in Jules's room the whole night, so he left the bedroom door open. After taking his shirt off, he got in bed next to Vanora, and pulled her close for a good snuggle. "Good night, darling," he whispered.

"Good night, love." Vanora kissed the tip of Moffitt's nose. "Are you alright? You look a bit sad."

"It's nothing, just… Well, no, not 'nothing.' I let River into Jules's room, and I… I feel like I've been unreasonable."

"We do know that, love. Don't worry about it. You're trying. We just have to be as patient with you as you're attempting to be with River." Vanora hugged him. "Just enjoy your cuddles."

"Thanks." Moffitt hugged Vanora back, resting his head on top of hers. He nuzzled her before trying to fall asleep, and really hoped any attempt he made to get along with River would go well, rather than fall apart.