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Description
Jeremy fixed breakfast while I called the pound the next morning.  I called every pound around the area, and even tried some a little farther away, but none of them had an eight-month beagle in.  I went around town, putting up flyers on every open space I found.  I offered a reward of 100 dollars that I printed in big bold letters on the flyer, and I put my name and number at the bottom.  Jeremy, of course, helped me with all of this, seeming a little more calm than me, but I knew he understood.

After searching and putting up flyers. I decided to just sit back and wait. After returning home, Jeremy and I sat on the couch and watched a little TV to unwind from all this mess.  He held me close to him, looking down at me, saying, "How're you feeling, babe?"
"I'm fine…"
He rubbed my shoulder, kissing the top of my head gently, saying "He'll be ok, sweetheart…trust me."
I nodded, pushing closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder becoming completely relaxed with him near me.

---

After weeks of waiting I gave up hope.  We had decided that if no one shows up by the end of the day, we were gonna take the flyers down.  I looked over at Jeremy and raised a brow as he told me this plan, saying, "Well, we've been waiting for three weeks for someone to bring him back…I just don't think that we're gonna get anyone, unfortunately."
"I know, Sam, but we've been waiting for three weeks…what's another 4 hours?"
"Yah your right…," I said with a sigh.
Jeremy looked down at his hands before taking mine into his, caressing the top of it with his thumb.  He looked at me and smirked, saying gently, "I love you, babe…"
I smiled, something about him still giving me butterflies when he did these kind of things, saying back to him, "I love you too…"
He seemed to recognize this, leaning towards me, kissing me gently, his soft lips trailing up to my forehead, pressing his lips to it.  He squeezed my hand ever so gently, gently pressing my head to his chest, hugging me to him tightly.
I wrapped my arms around his masculine body, tightly enough to reassure him that I was never gonna let go.

We lied together on the couch, checking the clock occasionally.  He looked down at me, his arms around my waist, smiling that eye catching smile he always does.  I smiled, saying to him quietly, "Honey…I don't want to get up…I want to stay like this…forever."
He bit his snake bite a little, bringing me closer to him, "Then don't…"
I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest.  I felt his head rest on top of mine gently.  I started to dose before I heard a loud knock at the door.  I shot a look at the door before back at Jeremy quickly, smiling big, but scared I was just gonna get my hopes up.  I got up and walked over to the door, taking a gulp as I opened it, seeing a tall man, with a young dog in his hands.  I stared at Cricky, the sight of him killing me. He looked like he had been in a fight with other, definitely bigger, animals.  I took him in my arms, Jeremy immediately coming to my side, looking at Cricky horrified.  I handed him to Jeremy, looking up at the man who was just all too familiar.  He smiled at me like he knew me.  I invited him in and he took me up on the offer after making sure I was positive.  After sitting down at the table, Jeremy cradled Cricky in his arms, I looked at the familiar man curiously, "So how'd you find him?"
"Well, I was walking from my car to the store and I heard a bunch of yelping and barking, so I went to see what was going on and I saw him getting beaten on by other big dogs, so I started grabbing rocks and throwing it at the other strays, and one of them…came after me and knocked me down," He said as she showed me his ankle.  His pants ripped there, dried blood on his pant leg.
I gasped a little, getting up almost immediately.  I grabbed a washrag, damping it with hot water, giving it to him afterwards.

After talking a little more about the incident, I couldn't help but ask, "Sorry, but I don't think I ever got you name, sir."
"Oh, I'm Jonathan Spicer…,"  He smiled at me again, the same one he did when I first saw him standing in my doorway.
I stared at him, my mouth slightly agape.
"I've missed you, Sam…I'm so sorry for leaving you…but when I saw those flyers…I-I couldn't help but look for him.  I knew it would lead me right to you…," He said, looking down at the coffee table.
I shook my head in disbelief, "Ok, so…I'm gonna go ahead and give you that reward, now," I said, standing up and clearing my throat.  I glanced down at Jeremy who was looking up at me with a quizzical look.
Jonathan stood up and shook his head, "Sam, I don't want a reward…I want to be your father again…I want to care for you and laugh with you like we used to…"
I looked down, sighing, "How could you just leave us there…alone during the hardest times.  Mom was unemployed and so we had to suffer because of you."
"I know…and I'm sorry…I really am and I wish I could just take it all back…just go back in time and fix things."
"But you can't…that's the problem…you can't take it all back…it's over now…," I thought seeing him again wasn't going to be this hard…until now.
He stood in silence, sighing before saying quietly, "I love you…you're my daughter and I will always loved you…I was confused about-"
"About what…the fact that you "loved me" or mom…or the fact that you thought drugs and sleeping around were more important?"
"No…I was confused about my life…the way I wanted to live…the way I wanted to be."
I put my hands on my hips, jutting them out a little, "Well, you chose the life you've wanted and now you've got it…so congratulations…I'm happy for you…now I'll give you the one hundred dollar reward and then you can go on with your life…like it's always been,"  I said, starting to write out the check, sighing
"I told you…I don't want the reward…"
"Well, you're gonna get the damn award because that's what I said on the flyer…I keep my promises unlike you," I handed the check to him, walked around him and opened the door.
He sighed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Thanks for finding my dog…"
"I'm not gonna give up you know…I'm gonna keep trying…"
I smiled a little and nodded before the smile faded away slowly.
He walked out the door and I closed it behind him.  I pushed my back against the door slowly, resting my face in my hands as I sobbed quietly.  I felt Jeremy's arm wrap around me and Cricky's tangled fur pressing against my arm.

Description
Jeremy fixed breakfast while I called the pound the next morning.  I called every pound around the area, and even tried some a little farther away, but none of them had an eight-month beagle in.  I went around town, putting up flyers on every open space I found.  I offered a reward of 100 dollars that I printed in big bold letters on the flyer, and I put my name and number at the bottom.  Jeremy, of course, helped me with all of this, seeming a little more calm than me, but I knew he understood.

After searching and putting up flyers. I decided to just sit back and wait. After returning home, Jeremy and I sat on the couch and watched a little TV to unwind from all this mess.  He held me close to him, looking down at me, saying, "How're you feeling, babe?"
"I'm fine…"
He rubbed my shoulder, kissing the top of my head gently, saying "He'll be ok, sweetheart…trust me."
I nodded, pushing closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder becoming completely relaxed with him near me.

---

After weeks of waiting I gave up hope.  We had decided that if no one shows up by the end of the day, we were gonna take the flyers down.  I looked over at Jeremy and raised a brow as he told me this plan, saying, "Well, we've been waiting for three weeks for someone to bring him back…I just don't think that we're gonna get anyone, unfortunately."
"I know, Sam, but we've been waiting for three weeks…what's another 4 hours?"
"Yah your right…," I said with a sigh.
Jeremy looked down at his hands before taking mine into his, caressing the top of it with his thumb.  He looked at me and smirked, saying gently, "I love you, babe…"
I smiled, something about him still giving me butterflies when he did these kind of things, saying back to him, "I love you too…"
He seemed to recognize this, leaning towards me, kissing me gently, his soft lips trailing up to my forehead, pressing his lips to it.  He squeezed my hand ever so gently, gently pressing my head to his chest, hugging me to him tightly.
I wrapped my arms around his masculine body, tightly enough to reassure him that I was never gonna let go.

We lied together on the couch, checking the clock occasionally.  He looked down at me, his arms around my waist, smiling that eye catching smile he always does.  I smiled, saying to him quietly, "Honey…I don't want to get up…I want to stay like this…forever."
He bit his snake bite a little, bringing me closer to him, "Then don't…"
I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest.  I felt his head rest on top of mine gently.  I started to dose before I heard a loud knock at the door.  I shot a look at the door before back at Jeremy quickly, smiling big, but scared I was just gonna get my hopes up.  I got up and walked over to the door, taking a gulp as I opened it, seeing a tall man, with a young dog in his hands.  I stared at Cricky, the sight of him killing me. He looked like he had been in a fight with other, definitely bigger, animals.  I took him in my arms, Jeremy immediately coming to my side, looking at Cricky horrified.  I handed him to Jeremy, looking up at the man who was just all too familiar.  He smiled at me like he knew me.  I invited him in and he took me up on the offer after making sure I was positive.  After sitting down at the table, Jeremy cradled Cricky in his arms, I looked at the familiar man curiously, "So how'd you find him?"
"Well, I was walking from my car to the store and I heard a bunch of yelping and barking, so I went to see what was going on and I saw him getting beaten on by other big dogs, so I started grabbing rocks and throwing it at the other strays, and one of them…came after me and knocked me down," He said as she showed me his ankle.  His pants ripped there, dried blood on his pant leg.
I gasped a little, getting up almost immediately.  I grabbed a washrag, damping it with hot water, giving it to him afterwards.

After talking a little more about the incident, I couldn't help but ask, "Sorry, but I don't think I ever got you name, sir."
"Oh, I'm Jonathan Spicer…,"  He smiled at me again, the same one he did when I first saw him standing in my doorway.
I stared at him, my mouth slightly agape.
"I've missed you, Sam…I'm so sorry for leaving you…but when I saw those flyers…I-I couldn't help but look for him.  I knew it would lead me right to you…," He said, looking down at the coffee table.
I shook my head in disbelief, "Ok, so…I'm gonna go ahead and give you that reward, now," I said, standing up and clearing my throat.  I glanced down at Jeremy who was looking up at me with a quizzical look.
Jonathan stood up and shook his head, "Sam, I don't want a reward…I want to be your father again…I want to care for you and laugh with you like we used to…"
I looked down, sighing, "How could you just leave us there…alone during the hardest times.  Mom was unemployed and so we had to suffer because of you."
"I know…and I'm sorry…I really am and I wish I could just take it all back…just go back in time and fix things."
"But you can't…that's the problem…you can't take it all back…it's over now…," I thought seeing him again wasn't going to be this hard…until now.
He stood in silence, sighing before saying quietly, "I love you…you're my daughter and I will always loved you…I was confused about-"
"About what…the fact that you "loved me" or mom…or the fact that you thought drugs and sleeping around were more important?"
"No…I was confused about my life…the way I wanted to live…the way I wanted to be."
I put my hands on my hips, jutting them out a little, "Well, you chose the life you've wanted and now you've got it…so congratulations…I'm happy for you…now I'll give you the one hundred dollar reward and then you can go on with your life…like it's always been,"  I said, starting to write out the check, sighing
"I told you…I don't want the reward…"
"Well, you're gonna get the damn award because that's what I said on the flyer…I keep my promises unlike you," I handed the check to him, walked around him and opened the door.
He sighed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Thanks for finding my dog…"
"I'm not gonna give up you know…I'm gonna keep trying…"
I smiled a little and nodded before the smile faded away slowly.
He walked out the door and I closed it behind him.  I pushed my back against the door slowly, resting my face in my hands as I sobbed quietly.  I felt Jeremy's arm wrap around me and Cricky's tangled fur pressing against my arm.