THE CRIMINAL FILES ~ Happily Never After

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/One pill makes you larger, and one makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all. Go ask Alice; when she's ten feet tall. And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall, tell em' a hookah-smoking caterpillar - has given you the call. Call Alice; when she was just small. When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go - and you've just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low. Go ask Alice; I think she'll know. When logic and proportion, have fallen, sloppy dead and the White Knight is talking backwards, and the Red Queen's off with her head - remember, what the dormouse said/ ~ Jefferson Airplane {White Rabbit}

Kristen's Perspective

My feet pounded against the ground. Dirt flying all around me. My heart rate had escalated, and my breathing was going a mile a minute.

I swung my arms back and forth, thrusting my body through the air. I was panting, and my legs were turning to putty but I needed to beat him.

So I kept going. He never lasted long anyway. All I had to do was run a few more miles and then -

"Hi!" He shouted, coming up behind me. I groaned, and acted like I didn't hear him as I paced myself. "Aw, c'mon, Kris - not everything is a competition."

I pulled out my headphones from my coat pocket, and trotted while plugging them into my phone. "Kris!" He shouted at me. I smiled to myself, and turned away from the trail we were on into the forest.

The leaves and branches brushed against my sides, arms and legs - as sticks cracked beneath my feet.

I loved spring.

Everything looked healthier, and while it was warm enough to wear short-sleeves, there was still sometimes a small nip in the air that caused you to wear a light jacket.

I couldn't help but giggle. Jackson isn't much of the out-doors-y type. Never was. If I wasn't with him now, he wouldn't of found his way out...at least, in that month. Maybe three or four months later he'd get out. But that's a big, maybe.

It took me almost an hour to haul him out of his apartment and into my car. But I didn't go off the trail because I wanted to, it was because I had to.

Balto had gotten slightly adventurous the past few weeks. I promised Jackson if he came I'd bring the puppy. We brought bottled water, and a few dog treats for him along the something-hour jog, but what we weren't prepared for...was for six-month old Balto to shake himself out of his collar and run off.

Jackson was practically hyperventilating at the fact that I just lost my dog, but I wasn't worried.

I pretty much programmed the trail into Balto's memory. We tried to come here every Sunday, and if I was working that day, we'd go another day of the week.

I began to introduce Balto to off-road trails, and if I was feeling adventurous, I'd set up small but nonetheless helpful scavenger hunts - that introduced him to different scents. And, although Balto was around six months old, he was learning better than most dogs at six months. (Well, duh, I'm his owner)

He was my fur-baby. In this single month that I've had him, my whole life has pretty much revolved around him.

However, although I wasn't worried about him before, that feeling was slowly dying down.

My breathing became erratic, and worry was starting to fill my lungs. "Balto!" I called out, my voice echoing. I continued to run forward, the wind stinging my face. It had gotten colder the farther I went.

"Balto!" I called out once again. I stopped running, listening to the thumping of my own heart and the heavy breaths I was taking.

In the distance there was no sound. Nothing to give me any reassuring feeling that I hadn't just lost my fucking damn dog.

Then through the sound of absolute nothingness I could hear whining and whimpering. I sighed and ran up the small hill. Climbing over a large, fallen tree trunk, I heard the splash that was made by contact from my running shoes hitting a puddle. It had rained the night before, and if that whining was from my dog, I gave myself a mental note to make Jackson help me wash him.

Long blades of grass groped my legs, and branches seemed to pull and claw at the black fabric that covered my arms.

After coming across a small pond with a stream heading down the mountain, I saw Balt sitting on the mud, glaring up at the tree. I walked over to him, sighed, and kneeled down. "Now, what have you been doing this whole time, huh?" I ruffled the fur on his neck. He shook his head, the jingling from his collar seeming to guide Jackson - who appeared out of nowhere -over to us.

"What's he staring at?" I shrugged my shoulders and looked up. A small blue butterfly, with black-tipped wings flew down from the tree, and landed on Balto's nose.

His eyes fixated on the butterfly, while letting out a growl. Startling the insect, Balto began to bark and yip at the butterfly that decided to fly around in hopeless circles. I wondered if it got pleasure in watching Balto go all nuts over it.

Balto was now hopping in circles, jumping and clamping his jaw shut one too many times. Neither ending in the outcome he hoped for. But soon, the butterfly had lost Balto's interest and the puppy was chasing his tail around him.

I shook my head, laughing quietly. "C'mon, big boy, let's go home." After hearing the word, 'home', Balto was off. Hoping over puddles, plowing through piles of leaves.

When we finally got back to the car, I popped the door open for Balto, as I got in the drivers seat, bidding goodbye to Jack who took off in his own car.

Balto flew into the apartment, instantly going for the couch. I ran over to him, scooping him up before he got another thing muddy. I held him above my head and smiled. "You stink," I said aloud, tucking him beneath my arm, heading into the bathroom.

I drew his bath, placing my hand under the water, making sure it was warm enough. Balto continued to run in circles, licking some of the water in the bath, and having laps in between my legs.

Unlike most dogs, Balto actually enjoyed baths. Although, most of the time he ended up sitting in the water and playing in it.

I crouched down, picked him up, and slowly put him into water.

I was drying him when I felt a hand caress my shoulder. I smiled to myself, and stood up, leaving Balto to run around.

Landon was home from his shift. I could tell just by the weight of his hand. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he placed a kiss to my shoulder and absentmindedly ran his fingers over my abdomen. "How was work?" I asked, glad Lily convinced me to use up one of my vacation days.

Another kiss was placed on me. This time of the back of my neck. "Tiring." He mumbled into my shoulder. I giggled from the sudden contact of his face to my skin.

"When do you go to work tomorrow?" His voice was quiet.

I hummed, trying to picture my schedule in my head. "Probably not until lunch. Why?" He got a tighter grip on me waist, and threw my over his shoulder. I laughed, watching the floor change as he took me to our room.