Regaining Trust-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twenty-Two

"What do you mean he's your nephew?" Skye asked. "I thought he was your son."

"No, he's Angel's son, not mine," Chase replied.

"And what's your relationship with Angel?"

"She's my sister," Chase explained. "After the incident five years ago, I was looking for a place to go. I considered Barkingburg and Adventure City, but I ended up choosing a small town in between. At first, I didn't even know my sister lived there. But a month after I arrived, I met her again. She lived with her owners, and I lived with whoever gave me a job. That particular day, I was a lifeguard when I saw her. She looked familiar, but I didn't say anything about it."

"So, how did you figure it out?"

"Actually, it was Angel that found out. They called out my name, and she remembered my name. She walked over, and immediately, I knew it was her."

"Who's older?"

"Oh, Angel is," Chase said. "She is two years older than me."

"And Junior?"

"He was born two years later," Chase explained.

"And his dad?" Skye asked.

"Different owners. I forgot what his name was."

"Oh," Skye said quietly. "Chase, I want to say sorry for being jealous. I thought that you and Angel were even more. I...I thought..."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Chase said. He looked out over the horizon. "And I get it."

"You do?"

"Of course, I would've gotten jealous if someone was with you, too."

"You would?"

"Of course I would. Skye, you're the prettiest, bravest, and beautiful dog I know. I would be lying if I were to say that I wouldn't get jealous."

Skye blushed. "You think so?"

"Skye, I know so," Chase said. "Skye, I love you."

"Wait, what?"

Chase realized what he said and almost regretted it. But at the same time, he was glad he could get it off his chest. "Well, it's true, Skye. I love you. I always have. Now, if you love me back, I'm not too sure."

Skye leaned over a kissed Chase. She separated and smiled. "What about now?"

"Yeah, I think I'm sure now," Chase said. Skye giggled as Chase leaned for another kiss. They separated and relaxed on the beach. Skye leaned her head against Chase's shoulder, and Chase leaned his head against Skye's head. They stayed in that position for a few minutes before Skye broke the silence.

"Chase, can I ask you a question?" she asked.

"Sure, you can," Chase replied.

"Why did you return in the first place?" she asked.

Chase thought about it. He told himself that he returned to be with his family again, but hearing Skye ask the question got him wondering what the real reason was. "Well, I guess I didn't want to fail," he answered.

"What do you mean?" Skye asked. "Well, you know how I was abandoned as a pup."

"Yeah?" Skye replied.

"Well, being abandoned had me wondering what I did to be in that position. I thought about everything that led up to that moment, but I couldn't figure out why. So I decided that with my next owner, which happened to be Ryder, I would do everything in my power to make them proud, to never fail, and to never give them a reason to abandon me again. I guess, with me leaving without saying goodbye, I felt like I failed at all three. That's why I returned."

"But Chase, you didn't fail at any of them," Skye comforted. "When we thought you died, Ryder spent the next two days talking about how you made him proud. None of us ever thought you failed at anything. Sure, you had your ups and downs, but you always got back up. And I hope you would know that Ryder would have never abandoned you. We all love you. I love you. That's not going to change any time soon."

Chase held out his arms, and Skye came in close. "Thanks, Skye," he said.

"You're welcome, Chase," Skye said.

At that moment, their pup tags rang. "Time to make our way to the Lookout," Ryder said through the pup tags.

"Guess we better go back," Skye said.

"Yeah," Chase said. "Hey, Skye, can you take Angel and Junior to the guest bedroom for me?"

"You're not coming?" she asked in a worried tone.

"I will, but I need some time," he replied.

Skye nodded. "Stay safe." She barked out her wings and flew away.

Chase smiled. He couldn't believe he told Skye how he felt. And better yet, she felt the same way. His night couldn't have gone better.

Chase looked out at the horizon. The full moon was over the still waters, illuminating the bay. The sky was clear, and the moon was big. Chase closed his eyes. As his mind drifted away, memories came flooding back. Memories of him and the others filled his mind, but three stood out from the rest.

One memory was of him and Ryder. Ryder and Chase were smiling at each other. It reminded him that things could change at a moment's notice. The second memory was of him and the others in Adventure City, the first time they went. They had just gotten new suits. They stood in their positions while Chase said that they were ready for action. That memory reminded him that people were always looking up at him, but also that he wasn't alone. He has a team who always has his back. The third memory was of Chase and Skye. Ryder had thrown the frisbee high, so Chase jumped up to grab it, but Skye caught it before he could and landed on Chase's back. At first, Chase was shocked, but they laughed it off. It reminded Chase of how lucky he was.

Chase was still lost in thought when someone sat down next to him. "Kind of late to be out here by yourself," Ryder said.

"Oh, Ryder, sir," Chase said. "Um, yeah, I should be headed back."

"Ah, relax, Chase," Ryder said. "We can wait a while."

Hearing this, Chase sat back down, and they stayed in silence for a minute before Ryder spoke again. "I heard your conversation with Skye."

***Author's Note***
I am dedicating this chapter to KenBlock_888. Thank you for your support and have a great day.