"Daddy!" Esmeralda and Harrison cried, bounding out of the room. Andromeda was right on their tails as all three crowded around their parents. Sparky and Cupcake crept out of the room and watched with smiles on their faces. Gidget's tail wagged nonstop while Tiberius purred softly. The small family shared a group hug.

"Does this mean we can go home now?" Harrison asked. This led to all three to pull off puppy dog faces. Giggling quietly, Gidget nuzzled each of them in turn as she replied, "Yes, we can head home now. It's gonna be a long walk though, I hope you three realize that."

"We can manage," Esmeralda reassured their mother, happy that they were finally heading home after a long and stressful day. Yipping, she joined her brother and Cupcake in the lead as they made their way towards the staircase. Sparky followed close behind the puppies while Andromeda stayed by her parents' side. "Don't go too far and wait for us!" Gidget called out to the pups.

"Pray they heard you," Tiberius whispered as he and Gidget watched the puppies continue onwards. Nuzzling the fluffy white Pomeranian while purring, he added quietly, "I missed you." A smile spread across Gidget's face as she gave her husband a loving kiss. "I missed you too," she spoke softly, resting her head against the old hawk's shoulder as they walked together. She listened to his heart beating, causing her tail to wag joyfully.

Then the gunshots rang out.