...

When Rubble woke up he wasn't on the beach anymore. Instead he was at the lookout, somehow standing up.

I don't remember walking here. Did I sleep walk here? He wondered curiously, squinting to find a golden-brown speck approaching him happily.

Dreamily, he smiled.

Skye.

She was trotting to him with a happy smile on her face.

Rubble liked it when she was happy. It made him happy.

"Oh, Rubble! I have great news!" She yipped with a wide smile.

She looks so happy. Rubble noted as his tail wagged a bit.

Her tail was also going like Rubble's.

"What's your great news, Skye? Did you get an even better set of wings? Perhaps you won a contest! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Rubble cheered in excitement.

Skye's face suddenly turned darker. She smiled evilly. "Oh please." She snorted. "You wouldn't like this. You're trying to keep us apart." Skye growled.

What?

"Keep you from who? I would never!" Rubble barked.

It was true. While he did love the dog in front of him, he would never force her to love him. Especially if she loved someone else.

Is she in love with someone else?

Skye held out a beautiful red rose.

Clichely, it's beauty would never compare to the pup holding it.

Rubble knew he would never compare to any of the other pups in the patrol. He was definitely one of the more emotional pups.

Definitely more emotional than Chase.

"Liar! You spending time with me is keeping me from my one true love, Chase!" She barked, shoving him.

"Chase gave me this beautiful red rose. And what did you give me? More problems, that's for sure! You're just a problem and a love breaker." Skye snarled.

Rubble's heart broke. "Wha-what? No! You don't have to love me, you can love Chase. Go to Chase if you love him. I am not forcing any of this." He woofed in a panic.

"I support you two all the way! I've accepted it!" He barked.

Skye took a step towards him.

"Then get over me. Date Sweetie. Date Everest. Date someone other than me and get over me, you useless bulldog!" Skye roared, shoving her face as close to his as she could.

Skye was growling.

Rubble was scared.

"D-date Sweetie? But what if it isn't the same?" He questions her with confusion alight in his gaze.

"Then deal with it! I am in love with Chase, and you need to stop hanging out with me!"

"But...can't we still be friends? Just because I'm a guy and you're dating Chase doesn't mean I will get in your way." He whined.

Skye pushed him to the ground.

He smacked the ground with a Yelp. Pain flared through his behind as he landed.

"No! Any guy who comes near me is a threat to Chase and I's relationship. Rocky has already accepted it, why can't you?" Skye asked.

"What a selfish dog." Skye huffed as she shook her head. "Wanting to be friends, when everyone knows that every dog who becomes friends with the girl dog ends up becoming the enemy. I'm saving you from fighting Chase, Rubble. Why can't you see that?"

Skye continued to glare at him as he thought of something to say.

Maybe she was right, but...is this seriously how a relationship should be? Forced to talk to only one male dog while the others are being chased off from a possible continuing friendship? Can't a guy and a girl just be friends?

She shouldn't limit herself. Just because she's dating someone doesn't mean she can't have male friends.

"And why can't you see that Chase is limiting who you can see? Would you let him limit seeing Everest? Ella? Gasket? Would you let him ruin every friendship you have just because you're dating him?" Rubble flashed at her.

"Yes! True love is like that." Skye threw.

"No, it's not! True love isn't forcing someone to destroy all connections! True love is understanding one another and accepting someone for who they are!" Rubble barked, pleadingly.

"Lies! You selfish brat! You don't deserve me, and you know it! Stop trying to force me to love you!" Skye snarled, pouncing on him.

...

Rubble awoke with a start, yelping loudly.

He felt soft sand under his paws. He was no longer on hard pavement.

Was that...all a nightmare? Rubble wondered with a shiver as he whimpered.

Skye was still asleep next to him.

Rubble blushed as he stared at her, realizing how close she was to him.

She would never abandon our friendship over a possible relationship with Chase would she?

Rubble shook his head.

My brain's messing with me. She's so kind and sweet. She stayed with me even though she could have slept back at the lookout.

Rubble heard a voice coming from Skye's pup tag.

The voice was so sudden it made him jump in the air; luckily, he landed on his paws.

"Skye, Skye are you there?"

Ryder's voice.

Rubble approached the pup tag.

"Ryder?"

"Oh, Rubble! Are you with Skye?" Ryder inquired.

"Yes, Ryder. She's asleep." Rubble apprised with a nod. He knew Ryder could see them. Though, he knew he couldn't see Ryder since it was a pup tag.

"Where are you two? You weren't in your pup houses this morning, and the pups and I are worried about you. Chase has been pacing the hall for the last two hours while I tried to contact you two."

What?! I missed morning roll call by two hours? Well, it has been hard to sleep lately, so maybe that's why, but I still can't believe I missed breakfast. Rubble pondered. Ryder and the pups must have been frantic. I feel bad for taking a walk with Skye, though that was really fun.

Rubble glanced at the sleeping Skye for a moment before replying.

"Skye and I went for a walk during the night Ryder. We're at the beach now." Rubble informed his leader.

"Oh, well I hope you had fun, but could you come back? We actually have a mission for Skye to go on." Ryder informs Rubble, filling him in on what was currently going on.

"Wait, was that two hours ago too?" Rubble asked in shock.

Rubble could hear his leader's giggles through the pup tag.

"No. I got just got a call five minutes ago from Jake and Everest. I'm glad you answered when you did."

"Wow. I'm sorry about all this Ryder." Rubble somberly woofs.

"Rubble..." Ryder began, trailing off. "Don't worry, I'll wake up Skye, but uh, we kind of left our vehicles back at the lookout, so we can't exactly just walk to the scene."

Rubble glanced around to confirm this.

Yep. That was a really bad move on my part. I should have at least brought my rig.

"Gotcha Rubble. Anyways, I'll send Chase and Marshall your way. I'll inform you of what we're dealing with when we get there." Ryder told him before the pup tag went silent.

Before 'we' get here? Is Ryder coming to pick us too? That's weird. And what we're dealing with? What happened while I was away? Rubble wondered.

He shook his head.

I have to wake Skye up.

Determined, he shook Skye. Gently he tried to wake her up.

The cockapoo blinked open her abnormally magenta eyes and stared at him with a smile.

"Good morning Rubble." She sweetly yipped, yawning. She rubbed her eyes lazily.

Rubble smiled nervously.

"G-Good morning Skye." He stuttered as his voice cracked a bit. "How'd you sleep?" He asked her.

"I slept great, Rubble, how about you?" She wondered, blinking up at him cutely.

Rubble felt himself guiltily look off to the side.

Horribly. I had a nightmare about you saying some pretty odd things. Not like I can tell you that out loud.

"I slept fine." Rubble told her.

She didn't buy it. Skye opened her jaw to say something else, but before she could give him any advise or sooth him, Rubble blurted out what Ryder had told him.

"Ryder has a mission for you." He then cleared his throat. "He kind of called us on our pup tags for two hours looking for us."

Skye gasped. "We forgot to let them know where we went! They must be so worried!" She barked.

Rubble nodded. "Yes. Don't worry, I told Ryder where we were, and he's sending Chase and Marshall over now to come pick us up and get your 'copter."

Skye sighed in relief. "That's great! So, do they need you on this mission?" Skye inquired him with a curious gaze and a smile; the smile was usual of Skye though.

"No. From what I've heard Jake and Everest called Ryder. So it might be in the mountains where they need help."

Skye nodded. "It makes sense."

The two sat side by side and talked about different things while they waited.

"So," Skye finally drawled.

Rubble turned to her and indicated with his paw to continue.

"Are you okay?"