Just Another Lullaby

Chapter 5: Its a Start

The Paw Patrol stood there, silently staring at the man. This was...quite an odd situation to be in. Being told to leave the safety of their home to meet a total stranger in a secluded area, away from prying eyes. It would have screamed danger had the man not look so desperate.

Chase frowned. He breathed out his shock and walked towards the timid, and likely sleep-deprived man, considering his large eye bags. "Is this related to the kidnappings?"

The man's eyes were blown wide open. He ran the rest of the distance between himself and the rescue team, fell down onto his knees, clutched his hands together a shook them, startling the police pup into jumping back. The man's eyes darted between each an every one of the members, red and glossy.

"Yes! Yesyesyes! Please! You have to help, Paw Patrol! We need you! Please! We need you!" He spoke fast, almost too fast to be comprehendible. His voice was panicky, shaky. He wasn't just pleading for their help. No. He was straight up begging.

"Woah woah, you need to calm down, sir." Ryder quickly interrupted. This man was terrified. Like he's was being held at gunpoint, or a pray being hunted by a wild predator. Regardless of which, he was begging to be set free. To say that was unsettling would be an understatement. "You need to breathe."

Chase swiftly took a seat on the floor in front of the desperate man, dawning a serious look. "What happened?"

The man's lips trembled. "They took him! My son! They took him like he meant nothing to me or my wife!"

Chase's ears folded. The man's words left a terrible taste in his mouth, and an uncomfortable pit nested itself right in the shepherd's stomach. He could vaguely make out the worried murmurs from his teammates behind him. Chase swallowed, and looked the man in the eyes.

"Tell me everything that happened. "Don't leave a single detail out."

"I-I was helping my wife with dinner. We were bringing it back to the table so we could eat. I asked my seventeen year old son, Andrew, to fetch some silverware..."

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"Jacob, baby, can you help me with this?" The man —Jacob— heard his wife say to him. With very little hesitation, he got up from his rocking chair. His only regret was losing the comfortable spot he finally found after minutes of trial and error. Ah, well, t'was the price to pay when you get married.

Jacob found his wife in a kitchen. The poor lady was struggling to pick up the large pot of soup she had just made. He really should find a way to tell her she needs to go to the gym to work on that noodle strength of hers, if he can do it without it sounding like an insult to her weight.

Jacob replaced his wife's grip with his own. "Don't worry, Jen. I got it." He brought his nose to the rim and took a deep sniff, cherishing the savory aroma that elicited from the stew. It smelled heavenly.

He placed a quick kiss on his wife's forehead. "It smells lovely, honey."

Jenny smiled. She grabbed some bowls and walked with him over to the dining room table. They placed the items on the table and sat down in the chairs.

The wife gave a sudden grunt, and lightly gave her fist a single pound against her forehead. "Ugh, I forgot the spoons."

Jacob laughed, "That's what we got Andrew for, isn't it?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, but she couldn't resist a small chuckle. "You find any excuse to pass off any work to our son, you lazy potato."

"He's seventeen with no job experience. He needs to know a little work and responsibility." He rose his hands in self-defense, which earned a small giggle from his wife.