Usually when Johnny came home from work with the fire brigade, Liv was waiting for him, watching the sky for the fireball that was Johnny Storm to swoop down from the sky and make a perfect landing, either on the roof of Luks Condos or on the ground. He had tried once or twice to fly in through an open window, but after setting fire to the curtains, that form of entry was ruled out as too dangerous, not to mention Liv just got tired of replacing the curtains. But today, there was no fireball sweeping across the sky announcing his return. In fact, the sky was a little too quiet, and Johnny was a little bit late.

A year ago, this lateness would have worried Liv sick. She would have been calling Johnny every five minutes, calling his Chief at the fire station, calling anyone who might be able to tell her where her husband was. But a year was enough to condition her into not panicking unless Johnny was several hours late, which was why she'd given up watching the sky and had gone back to re-reading the latest script offer that Jon had expressed an interest in and making notes while she waited.

He wasn't hours late, plural, but by the time he arrived outside Luks Condos, it was nearly an hour later than usual. The reason for his lateness would become clear soon enough, but he was hoping he could somehow sneak in without Liv noticing, for now. That plan might or might not come to fruition, depending on how anxious Liv was for his return. He didn't see her at the window, so there was still a chance he could sneak inside and soften her up before his little surprise made itself known. That is, if he could get that little surprise to stop barking long enough to let him get inside and pave the way.

She was actually in the spare room they'd converted into an office, cup of coffee in one hand and contract in the other, wondering vaguely if this was actually her job. But then, she needed to know the ins and outs of Jon's contracts in order to be able to give him the support he needed to fulfill them. Unaware of Johnny's impending arrival, she sighed, leaning back in her chair to rub her eyes as she glanced at the clock. A faint frown touched her brow. No, Johnny was still late.

There was a faint click as Johnny unlocked the door to their apartment and let himself in, followed by what sounded like the sound of his voice mumbling quietly to himself, for some reason. He was dressed in street clothes, worn over the ever-present one-piece uniform that was really only shed when he was relaxing at home with Olivia. He looked around for his lovely wife, but didn't see her and assumed she was most likely hiding in the office taking care of some detail or other in the managing of her boss's life, er career, er whatever it was she helped him with. "Livvie?" he called, stepping toward the room where he thought he was most likely to find her.

"In here, sweetheart." The relief in her voice was obvious as she heard him calling to her, smiling at the thought that he was finally home. She could leave work alone for the rest of the evening and concentrate on her husband, which was by far her favorite thing to do these days. Setting the contract aside, she pushed herself onto her feet, moving toward the door. "How was work?"

He nearly collided with her as he rounded the corner into what had once been an extra bedroom, but now served as an office. "Oh!" he exclaimed, a little more nervous and jittery and hyperactive-looking than was normal, even for Johnny Storm. "I was just about to ask you the same thing," he said, taking hold of her shoulders to steer her back into the room.

Startled, she backed into the office under his guidance, laughing at the strange reversal of her course. "Since when is my work day ever anything but fascinating?" she asked him playfully, smoothing her hands against his hips. "I missed you when I got in. Did something happen at the station?"

"Did you go sock shopping today?" he asked, remembering an old episode of Seinfeld that revolved around Elaine, who was employed as a P.A., had to shop for her boss' socks and couldn't find a single pair that satisfied him. Wasn't that what being a P.A. was all about' Even Liv, who was used to Johnny's moods, might find him a bit neurotic today.

"Sock shopping?" Liv laughed aloud, yelping a little when her backward motion was finally brought to a halt by the edge of the desk at her rear. "What on earth is bothering you tonight' You don't get this strange unless you have had far too much sugar."

"Sugar" Me" No. What makes you think I had sugar?" he laughed nervously. A sound was heard from the other room that sounded suspiciously like the bark of a dog, which Johnny pretended to ignore. "So, what did you do today?" he asked, purposely blocking her path to the door.

One of Liv's responsibilities was to look after her employer's dog when he wasn't around, so she knew a dog's bark when she heard it, looking suspiciously to the door before finding her way blocked. Her smile turned warily amused as she looked up at her husband, wondering what he'd done. "Not as much as you did, apparently," she chuckled. "Am I being replaced with something on four legs, sweetheart?"

"Replaced?" Johnny echoed, his expression wearing a worried frown. "I could never..." There was that sound again that couldn't really be mistaken for anything but a dog barking. Once, twice, three times, before Johnny yelped as something nudged him from behind.

Liv giggled as he yelped, far from worried or offended. "I think your new boyfriend is getting jealous," she teased her husband affectionately, leaning close to kiss him before giving his arm a gentle slap. "Move, I want to see the interloper."

Johnny frowned into her kiss, that worried look not leaving his face. "You're not mad?" he asked, unsure what her reaction would once she laid eyes on the poor beast he'd brought home with him.

"Now, why would I be mad?" she asked him innocently. Of course, if he thought about it a little, he'd realize that she was learning to go with the flow - they'd discussed getting a dog a while ago, and nothing had come of it. She didn't mind being surprised, and this definitely was one.

Given that Cosmo had lived here with Jon and Vicki for several months, Liv doubted it would be a problem. She laughed at both of them, shaking her head at the silliness of the situation, and shrugged into her coat. "All right then," she grinned. "I will be back in twenty minutes. Half an hour, tops."

"We'll be here!" Johnny said with a grin. "Won't we, boy?" He walked Liv toward the door, anxious for her to head out so he could get started with the bathing. The sooner he got started, the sooner he finished, and he wanted to make Liv proud of him. He could do this!

Laughing still, Liv slipped out through the door and closed it firmly behind her, wondering just what she was going to come home to. She loved her husband, but she also knew him pretty well. Add a hyperactive dog into the mix, and who knew what would be waiting for her when she returned"

Twenty minutes was hardly enough to fill a tub and give a dog a proper bath, especially for someone who had never owned a dog or cared for one before. By the time they were done, they were both soaking wet, and it was hard to tell which of them had been in charge. The bathroom could have been worse, though there was soap water everywhere, and all of Liv's fancy bottled cosmetics were in disarray. Johnny had ended up using Liv's shampoo and conditioner on the dog's fur, since it was purported to "leave your hair silky and shiny", and wasn't fur just a whole lot of hair" Besides, it made the dog smell good, just like Liv after a shower. Okay, not exactly, but at least, he smelled better than he did when Johnny had first found him. Or was it the other way around"

It was just as well Liv returned just after half an hour had gone by, or she might have objected to the fact that her shampoo and conditioner had been used on their house guest. As it was, she recognized the smell in the air, but didn't object, figuring there was no point in telling them off when she hadn't actually caught them doing it. She'd brought in bowls, food, a collar and leash, a blanket, and a tube of tennis balls, hoping that would be enough for now. "I'm back!" she called out as she entered, closing the door firmly behind her. Best to give plenty of warning, after all.

At least, Johnny had had the good sense not to use one of Liv's best monogrammed towels on their guest. By the time Liv got back, Johnny had the dog out of the tub and was rubbing his fur dry beneath a towel that was warmed by the heat of his touch. The dog was obviously enjoying all the attention and Johnny had been rewarded with a least a few doggy kisses. "In here!" he called from the bathroom when he heard Liv return. "You be good and maybe Livvie will let you stay," he leaned in close to warn the dog.

"Okay!" He had a few more minutes of grace as Liv detoured to the kitchen to put the bowls and food on a counter, leaving everything else on the couch for the time being, but she was soon standing the doorway to the bathroom. Her eyes swept the disaster zone with a wide grin. "Had fun, did we?"

Thankfully, due to Johnny's inner furnace, both him and the dog were nice and dry. That couldn't be said for the bathroom, however, which was a mess, but definitely could have been worse. "He's all nice and clean now, Liv," Johnny told her, pulling the towel away from the dog to let her see his handiwork, the look on his face begging her to keep the dog, but knowing they had to do the right thing and make sure no one claimed him first.

"So I see." Stepping back out of the doorway, Liv considered the pair of them - the hopeful man and the dog who seemed to have adopted him happily. She had a feeling that, even if someone did step forward to claim this animal, they wouldn't be without a dog for long afterward. "Come on, then, you two," she jerked her head toward the living room. "Dinner."

The dog seemed to know exactly what that word meant, answering Liv with a happy woof, as he padded along after her. He might have been a stray when Johnny found him, but he'd belonged to someone once and seemed to instinctively know about baths and dinner and not piddling on the carpet. Even if the man he'd followed home didn't seem to know the first thing about taking care of him, he already seemed to know what was expected of him. "I have to clean up," Johnny replied, frowning as he looked to the mess they'd made in the bathroom.

"There's dinner for you, too, sparky," she called back over her shoulder to her husband, wondering how Johnny's jealous streak was going to cope with having to share her with a dog, even if it was only for a little while. "We can clean up later. It won't take long, and your pizza won't stay hot if you wait."

Sparky. It was a good name for a dog, but as Liv's nickname for Johnny, it was already taken. "Pizza?" he asked, perking up. He fully intended to clean up the bathroom, but if she was offering him pizza first, he was all for that. "What do you think we should name him?" Johnny inquired as he followed the pair from the bathroom.

"He followed you home, you get to name him," Liv grinned cheerfully, chickening out of that little conundrum with impish good humor. "You, sit." This was directed at the dog, who had clearly had some training, since he planted his rear end right where he stood to watch as she poured a cupful of food into one of the bowls and set it down on the floor of the kitchen. "Okay, c'mon. Dinner!" As the dog moved to eat, apparently pleased with the biscuits she'd brought home, Liv glanced up at Johnny with a smile. "What do you think suits him' It is a him, right?"

Johnny watched as Liv instructed the dog and the dog obeyed, impressed with them both. They seemed practically made for each other. He knew it had taken months of training to get Cosmo to behave, and even now the dog was just an overgrown puppy. This dog, by contrast, seemed to already know the rules of being housebroken, which only proved Liv's theory that he probably had a family out there looking for him somewhere. "I don't know. I never had a pet. Never had to name anything." Johnny had to smirk a little at her last question, however. "If lifting a leg to mark every tree he passes is any indication, I'd say it's a good bet he's a boy."

"Maybe you should call him Piddles, then," she chuckled, rubbing her hand over the dog's back as she bent to put down the full water bowl. She nodded toward the pizza box on the counter as she moved to wash her hands. "Tuck in. Just how you like it."

The dog reacted to Liv's question almost as excitedly as Johnny did to the image she had playfully placed in his mind. What he was thinking he didn't say, but whatever it was it was making his already high temperature skyrocket. The dog replied with another bark and a wag of his tail, while Johnny seemed lost in thought trying to sort out what it was Liv wanted to do to him.

"Right you are, then," Liv smiled, fully aware that she had made her husband start to radiate the kind of heat he usually only put out when she dared to tease him like this. "I'd better put my shoes and coat on again, then, hadn't I?"

"What about me?" Johnny pouted, pulling himself away from his thoughts about what awaited him later that evening, once they got Rover, er, Buster, to bed. From the look on his face, he looked like the kid who'd been picked last for the baseball team or had been left out of some game during recess.

She giggled. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to stay here," she pointed out with a grin. It wasn't like Johnny to be so serious about so many things in a single evening, reminding her all over again that a dog was inevitable in her future, be it this one, or another one. "Or would you like to take your new friend for a run and to do his business while I stay here?"

"It's a nice night for a walk. Why don't we go together?" Johnny suggested, not really wanting to choose between his wife and his new canine companion who might or might not be sticking around long enough to become part of the family.

"Now that sounds like a genius plan," Liv agreed, glancing down at herself. "I will, however, just run and change, because I don't think heels are going to help me run around after the pair of you." She flashed Johnny a grin. "I'd invite you to come and help me, but your new best friend has a collar that needs fitting to his neck before you put the leash on him." Yes, she was very much enjoying teasing Johnny tonight. He could, however, be absolutely secure in the knowledge that each and every tease would be followed through on later.

Normally Johnny would have risen to the challenge and the rest of the evening would probably have been spent making Liv giggle as much as possible, but their canine friend posed a small problem in that if Johnny didn't take him for a walk, he was likely to do his business, as Liv had put it all, over the floor. Johnny frowned just a little, as if he was only just realizing how much responsibility a dog could be, and how much of a kink it might put in his sex life. The truth was if Johnny accompanied Liv to the bedroom to help her get changed, "Buster" more than likely would never get his walk. "You're gonna have to make it up to me later," he told her, waggling a finger at her in warning.

"You know I will." And just to prove it, she gave him a kiss that was guaranteed to send his already toasty temperature through the roof, complete with the kind of grope he must be regretting teaching her by now. With a wink, she drew away, and blew the dog a kiss. "No fighting." With a last chuckle, she turned and slipped into the bedroom, searching out jeans and a t-shirt to replace the skirt and blouse she'd been wearing all day.

Even as brief as it was, Johnny got lost in the kiss, which was doing nothing to keep his temperature at a reasonable level. Fortunately, he had enough self-control not to spontaneously combust in the middle of the kitchen. "You see what she does to me?" Johnny asked his canine companion when Liv was presumably out of earshot, having to adjust his "package" beneath all the layers of clothing he wore. "Don't give me that look," he told the dog, who was tilting his head to one side and looking curiously up at Johnny. "You wait....You'll see. Find some pretty poodle that you've got the hots for and it's all tease, tease, tease." Johnny narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he regarded the dog. "You're not fixed, are you? You can still, you know..." The dog didn't seem to know what Johnny was asking him, but barked an answer, all the same.

Well used to living with Johnny, and knowing his patience could sometimes get the short straw when everything else was interesting him, Liv reappeared around three minutes later, shrugging into a hoodie over the top of t-shirt and jeans, looking far more relaxed and less like a naughty secretary. Hopefully that would help with her husband's packing problem. Hyping herself up, she ran from the bedroom to the living room, catching up the collar as she called the dog. "C'mere and let me collar you, ragamuffin!"

"Wait! I was just about to..." Johnny trailed off as Liv snatched up the collar and called the dog to her. "His name isn't Ragamuffin," Johnny pointed out helpfully, though he really didn't know what the dog's name was either. "I've decided to name him Buster," he told her with a smile, proud of himself for thinking of it. It was a lot better than Spot, especially since the dog didn't have any. The dog - Buster, rather - enthusiastically followed Liv into the living room, tail wagging furiously behind him.

"Buster, hmm?" Catching the dog as he came up to her enthusiastically, Liv dropped down onto her knees to wrestle the creature into the collar she'd bought. "Are you a Buster, do you think?" she asked the dog with a grin, grimacing and laughing as she was rewarded for her inquiry with a long, wet lick on her cheek. "You're a cheeky mutt, that's what you are. Almost as cheeky as Sparky over there."

And there was Sparky standing there with arms crossed against his chest and looking a little bit jealous of a dog, which even Johnny knew was kind of ridiculous. "Are you going to love him more than me?" he found himself asking with a small pout. As fond as he was of the dog, he liked being the center of Liv's world and selfishly didn't want to share.

Her mouth actually dropped open at that, genuinely shocked he would even consider that. Leaving the dog where he was, she rose onto her feet, turning to face her husband. "How can you possibly think that?" she asked him softly. "After everything we've been through' I love you, Johnny. No one can compare to you. You're my first love, my first lover, my husband, and my whole world. And when we have children, I won't love them more than I love you. Love isn't finite; it grows. And you will never be without the lion's share of my heart, no matter how many waifs and strays you bring home for me to love."

"Really?" he asked, brows arching upwards as his expression softened. It wasn't that he didn't trust Liv or that he didn't believe she loved him, but he'd never had to vie for her attention or affection before, not even with her boss or her sister. It wasn't so much Liv that was the problem as it was Johnny's insecurity. He'd been the center of his sister's world before she'd met Reed, and he didn't want the same thing to happen with Liv. He loved her too much to ever lose her. He knew it was silly, and yet, something inside him needed that little bit of reassurance.