There weren't many things that threatened to depress the Human Torch, but apparently reuniting a stray dog with his worried family was one of them. Liv had been trying not to laugh at Johnny's determined pout for most of the morning, and had finally given up as they walked "Buster", their stray friend, from Luks to the house just a few blocks away, where he had come from. It really was just as well she had already made sure the shelter had visited them to make sure they were suitable for re-homing a dog with - that way, they would be able to take one home with them today. But for now, she had to get Johnny through the trauma of parting with the dog who had followed him home a week ago, and that didn't look like it was going to be easy.

"Sweetheart, seriously," she commented, hugging her arm through his as they approached the house in question. "He's going back to a family that loves him. How is that such a terrible thing?"

Part of the problem was that Johnny had never had a dog or a pet of any kind in his entire life. Being an orphan was like that, and he thought Liv probably felt the same. He'd never had a home of his own really until now, and had never had the opportunity to keep a pet or learn how to be responsible for taking care of a pet. But now that Johnny was with Liv, things had changed. He had changed. He had grown up a lot since he'd first arrived in Rhy'Din and had proved his ability to maintain a job and take care of a wife and home. Even though they'd only known each other a week, he'd grown attached to "Buster" and was going to be sorry to see him go, even if he was making someone happy by returning him. "It's not, Liv. I'm just gonna miss him, that's all," Johnny replied with that ever-present pout.

She smiled gently, squeezing his arm. "Trust me," she said fondly, "you'll get over it quicker than you think you will. And you get to make one little boy very happy in the meantime." She kissed his cheek, turning him as "Buster" began to pull, finally recognizing his own front door and eager to get to the people behind it.

"See?" Johnny said mournfully, as Buster tried to pull at the leash, eager to return to the family who loved him. "He's already forgotten me," he said, only slightly mollified by her kiss. He knew he was being selfish. There was someone waiting behind that door that needed Buster more than he did. Wasn't making sacrifices and doing the right thing what being a hero was all about' And Johnny Storm definitely wanted to be a hero. He asked himself on a daily basis - What would Steve Rogers do' He knew he was doing the right thing, but why'd it have to hurt so bad"

Not only pulling, but barking too, loud enough for the inhabitants to hear him. The front door flew open, and - just as Liv had said - a little boy came bounding down the steps to throw his arms around the dog, who wagged his tail so hard it looked as though it might drop off. "Barker! You came home, you came home!"

Barker. So that was his name. Well, at least he'd gotten the B right. Johnny held fast to the leash, not wanting Barker to get lost again, though he doubted he would now that he was back with his family. "Hi, uh..." Johnny started, awkwardly, looking to Liv for a little help. Barker didn't exactly come home; they'd brought him home, after a lot of searching.

As the little boy giggled, being licked all over by the highly excitable Barker, Liv smiled at Johnny's awkwardness, looking up to find the boy's parents on the steps in front of the house. "Mr. and Mrs. Henley?" she asked, just making sure.

The man nodded, his face creasing in a warm grin as he came down to them. "Yes, uh, and you must be Mr. and Mrs. Storm," he said in a friendly voice, extending his hand toward them. "I really can't thank you enough for finding Barker. Luke's been a nightmare to live with since he slipped his leash."

"Johnny," he corrected, offering a hand to the other man. Mr. and Mrs. Storm sounded so formal. "He, uh....followed me home a few days ago. He's a good dog. We've taken good care of him for you," Johnny assured them, though that much was obvious from the dog's appearance and disposition. He'd been lucky to have been found by someone who had not only been willing to care for the dog, but look for his owners.

"Oh, I'm sure you have," Mr. Henley said with no small amount of relief. "I can't tell you how relieved I was when your vet called us to say he'd been found. Really, I-I don't know how to thank you. Luke, come and say thank you to Johnny."

The little boy dragged himself up off the floor and fought his way past the dog to hug Johnny tightly around the waist. "Thank you for bringing my Barker back home, Mr. Torch, sir."

Johnny arched a brow at Liv as he found the little boy unexpectedly hugging him around the waist, and it was as if someone flipped a switch inside Johnny and he realized just how much the dog meant to the boy and how important it was that they'd returned him. It was like returning a beloved member of their family. And apparently, the boy knew who he was, which also came as something of a surprise. "You don't have to thank us. It's the least we could do. Bust-Barker should be with his family, where he belongs. I'm just glad we found him for you."

Of course the boy knew who he was - between Johnny's stint at the Wonderplex, and his very visible presence as the working face of the Rhy'Din Fire Department, there probably wasn't a child in the city who didn't know who he was. "I am very, very glad he's home, Mr. Torch," Luke informed Johnny as he stepped back, his hand automatically going to the dog's back as the creature turned to lean in against his side. "I promise I won't give him a collar that's not the right size again, and I'll look after him properly."

His father smiled, proud of his son. "I think that's all that needs to be said," he said quietly. "Really, Johnny, thank you. And you, Mrs. Storm."

Johnny awkwardly hugged the boy back before he stepped back, the heat from his body obviously warmer than that of a normal human. Johnny handed the leash to the boy before crouching down to say his own last goodbyes to the dog that had won his heart. He ruffled the dog's ears fondly for the last time. "You take good care of your family, B-Barker, and don't run away again!"

Judy turned out to be a woman around the same age as Johnny's big sister, the unfortunate possessor of a mane of frizzy red hair that seemed determined not to stay in the bun she'd corralled it into that morning. It didn't take her long to introduce herself and take them out to the kennels at the back of the property, where the dogs looking for new homes barked and bounced in their own personal space in the hope that someone would stop and pay attention to them. "Have at it," she told them, gesturing with a grin. "And don't feel guilty about not taking them all with you - just the fact that you're taking one makes a difference."

Johnny came to a halt when they reached the kennels, his eyes moving over all the many pens that held the numerous orphaned dogs, all looking for a home. "So many," he murmured, not even sure where to begin. He wanted to save them all, but he knew he could only pick one. The question was which"

Liv glanced to Judy for a little guidance here. "What we find is that when you walk down the passage, usually one or two catch your eye," the woman explained with a quiet smile. "Most people find a dog they have an instant connection with, and we'll get them out and let them introduce themselves before the decision is made."

Johnny was still frowning, doubtful he'd find one dog that stood out among the others, but he nodded his head, knowing he had to start somewhere. He just hoped she was right. He linked his fingers with Liv as he started down an aisle at random, searching the cages for a dog that seemed he seemed to feel some connection to.

There were no two dogs alike, all of them barking, hoping for the attention of the two humans who were so close and yet so far away. Hand in hand with Johnny, Liv walked with him, letting her eyes scan over the kennels, wondering if she'd even notice a difference. But there was one difference. She paused, intrigued by the sight of one of the dogs not bouncing and not barking. Instead, she was just sitting hopefully, big eyes pleading for the humans to notice her. "Johnny. Look."

Johnny's eyes moved over the hopefuls, passing each kennel one by one, wondering which one was the dog for them, until Liv called his name as one of them caught her attention. He came to a halt, turning to see what it was she wanted to show him.

Sitting tall behind the steel mesh, the dog looked up at them with clear, hopeful eyes the shade of melted milk chocolate, floppy pointed ears twitching to catch their voices as they stopped. Her coat was sleek and black, accented with golden brown on her legs, chest, and muzzle. As their attention turned to her, she barked just once to acknowledge them, and raised a paw, resting it on the metal between herself and the humans whose eyes she had caught.

Johnny found himself drawn to her, for some inexplicable reason. Her coloring was similar to Buster's, but they weren't identical - two very different dogs, really. He crouched down so that he was on the dog's level and reached out to stick his fingers through the metal mesh to touch her paw. "Well, hello there. What's your name?" he asked, glancing to see if there was a tag somewhere that held her name.

The plate on the door to the kennel bore the legend Bella. It also stated that she was two years old, and had come to the shelter from an abusive situation when she was a small puppy. As Johnny's fingers touched her paw, she bent her head forward to sniff at him curiously before looking up at him once again. Liv smiled, a little enchanted by a dog that had so much dignity in such a noisy place as this.

Johnny frowned as he read the description on the tag that proclaimed her name "Bella". So, unlike Buster - no, Barker - she was a lady dog. He found himself wondering whether she'd get along with Cosmo. "Bella," he greeted her, wiggling his fingers at her between the mesh. "I'm Johnny."

Bella barked again - just once - seemingly in acknowledgement of the introduction, as Liv crouched down next to Johnny. She slipped her own fingers into the mesh beside her husband's and the dog's paw, unable to help smiling again as she, too, was sniffed hopefully. "Hello, Bella," she said, her voice as soft for a dog as it was for any human. "Do you have enough energy to tire out the Human Torch here, I wonder?" She looked to Johnny. "What do you think, would we like to meet her properly?"

"Tire me out?" Johnny echoed, chuckling. "I didn't realize that was our goal. Do you have a hidden agenda, Liv?" he teased with a smirk before turning back to Bella. "Yeah, I think we would. What do you think?" he asked, taken with the gentle nature of the creature and touched by the tragedy of her past.

"I think you're right." Liv rose out of her crouch, turning to Judy. "Um ....we'd like to meet Bella, if that's okay," she said a little hesitantly, not entirely sure of the correct procedure here.

Judy grinned, pulling the key chain from her pocket. "That's fantastic," she nodded cheerfully, moving to unlock the kennel door. "She's a Beaucheron, pure bred, too. They're very good family dogs." She pushed the door open, and Bella obligingly backed up, giving them plenty of room to walk into the wide kennel and say hello properly.

Johnny wasn't sure what that meant exactly. He didn't really care if she was a pure bred or a mutt. All he knew was that she was a dog; all that mattered was whether she was the dog for them or not, and that was what they were about to find out. Johnny stood waiting while Judy unlocked the door and pushed it open before walking very slowly into the pen. He crouched down so that he was on an equal level with the dog and slowly held out his hand so that she could properly check him out and decide whether she approved of him or not.

Whatever else Bella was, she had been trained into good manners, staying back until the cage door was closed once again. As Liv crouched down beside Johnny, a subtle change came over the beautiful Beaucheron - she stood up, creeping closer to sniff at Johnny's hand before nudging her head underneath his fingers, demanding to be petted. Liv chuckled softly, touching her cheek to her husband's shoulder. "Sure you'd be able to handle being at the beck and call of two women, sweetheart?"

If there was a dog for everyone, it seemed to Johnny, he'd just found his. She had charmed him almost from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her. She was timid and shy and yet seemed to crave love and affection, and those were two things Johnny thought they could give her. His fingers found their way into her fur and rubbed gently. "So long as you're willing to share," he replied with a smile up at Liv. "I think she's the one, Liv. What do you think?"

Johnny laughed again, both at Liv's enthusiastic encouragement and at Bella's insistence that Liv join the game. In the meantime, Johnny was looking through the collection of toys for something a little more interesting than a ball for playing fetch.

If anything, once Bella's tail got going, it wagged with more force than Cosmo's ever did, as Liv found out when she was clocked around the head with it a couple of times. Laughing, she threw the ball for Bella again, genuinely delighted when the dog bounded after it with every sign of enjoyment. "Johnny, I really hope you don't mind, but I think I'm falling in love here," she chuckled to her husband, letting out a grunt as Bella inadvertently knocked her onto her backside again.

It seemed Johnny couldn't stop laughing at the dog's antics, finding her as energetic and friendly as Cosmo, once she got comfortable with them. "Bella!" he called again, holding a frisbee in his hand. He'd played this game with Cosmo often, always amazed at how easily the dog managed to snatch the flying disk out of the air. With a little practice, he thought Bella could be just as good at this game than Cosmo. He drew the frisbee back and then tossed it in the air, curious to see how Bella would react to this new game.

Dropping the ball next to Liv, Bella demanded some more love from the giggling woman before Johnny's voice called her back to him, watching the frisbee soar over her head and land before rushing to pick it up and bring it back to him, as though he'd dropped it by accident.

Okay, this game might take a little more practice. "Liv!" he called. "Show her how to catch!" He took a moment to reward Bella with a few more words of praise and petting before letting the frisbee loose again, this time soaring in the air toward Liv. It wasn't a game of keep away, but a game of catch. "Throw it to her and see if she catches!" he called again.

Scrambling onto her feet, Liv jumped up to catch the frisbee as it flew toward her, for once not falling over her own feet in her effort to do something that hinted at some kind of athletic ability. Beside Johnny, Bella fidgeted, watching and waiting, eyes bright with interest. "Bella," Liv called to her. "Catch!" She threw the frisbee back, and for a moment, it looked as though Bella might jump for it. But she didn't, simply picking it up from the ground where it landed to bring it back to Johnny for more praise.

This was where things got tricky, he thought. He had no idea how to train or teach a dog to do tricks and assume it was something that probably took time and patience. Just because she wasn't getting it now didn't mean she wouldn't get it later. This was just a game she hadn't learned yet, but with time, he was confident she would learn it. Besides, he expected the livelier Cosmo would be happy to teach her all kinds of new tricks. He took the frisbee from her before rubbing his warm fingers affectionately into her fur and murmuring soft praise. "That's a good girl, Bella." He dropped the frisbee onto the grass and rubbed behind her ears with both hands. "Would you like to get out of this place and come home with Livvie and me?" he asked, though he knew she more than likely wouldn't understand her words. "I promise we'll take good care of you, and you'll never be lonely again."

Hearing this, Judy glanced to Liv, who smiled. The woman nodded and slipped back inside for a moment as Liv moved to crouch down with Johnny, just in time to see Bella lavish her husband's cheek with a wet, affectionate lick. "Do you know, I think she might like you," she teased softly, rubbing her own hand up and down one of Bella's forelegs.

There was only one thing that worried Johnny really, and it was something he'd been thinking about for a while now. "Do you think she'll be okay at Luks?" he asked, wondering if she didn't deserve living someplace where she'd have more room to run and play and be surrounded by people. Someplace like Maple Grove.

"I think that, for now, she will be," Liv told him quietly, drawing her fingers through his hair as Bella leaned against him companionably. "But that was a conversation I was saving to have with you until after you recovered from today." She smiled affectionately, leaning close to kiss his cheek.

He arched a brow at her, wondering what she meant by that, but guessing this might not be the time or the place. "Think I can't handle too much excitement, Mrs. Storm?" he asked, with a teasing smirk as she kissed his cheek. Despite his sadness at saying good-bye to Barker, he was in good spirits. He had just made a new best friend.

"Think today is all about Bella, Mr. Storm," his wife countered laughingly, looking up as Judy came back into view, paperwork in one hand, and a brand new collar and leash in the other. "Be back in a sec," Liv promised Johnny fondly, passing the collar and leash to him before moving to complete the paperwork with Judy.

Johnny took the collar and leash from his wife and set it on the grass at his feet, turning back to Bella to offer her a little more affection, hoping to put her at ease before he fitted the collar around her neck. "Livvie and I are gonna take you home now. I hope you like it there. There's a park not far away, where we can go for walks. And we'll take you to Maple Grove so you can meet Cosmo. You're gonna have a whole different life now, girl. No more pens and kennels. You're part of the family now," he told her as he wound the collar about her neck.

Bella seemed a little bemused by the fact that the other human had gone away, but was easily distracted with affection as Johnny spoke to her. Those big eyes watched his face as he spoke, offering no resistance as he fitted the collar about her neck comfortably. She even sat without being asked, her tail thumping against the grass as she listened to a voice she was growing accustomed to.

"No one's ever gonna hurt you again. I promise," he added as he linked the leash to the collar. Maybe it was silly telling all these things to a dog who probably didn't understand a word of what he was saying, except from the soothing tone of his voice, but it needed saying. It angered him that someone had hurt her once. He didn't understand why anyone would want to hurt such a gentle creature as her, but he vowed both aloud and in his heart that no one would hurt her again.

He moved to his feet with Bella at his side and started toward Liv, who was finishing up filling out the papers that would make it official. He leaned over to brush a kiss against his wife's cheek, silently thanking her for this little surprise. She really knew him too well, understanding their shared desire to build not just their life together, but a family, too. And today, that family had finally begun to grow a little, paving the way for more to come.

"Come on," he told both his girls. "Let's go home."

((Weirdly, this was a lot of fun to play out, however difficult it is RPing playing with a dog! Huge thanks to Johnny's player for being awesome!))