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**Shopping**

"So boys, have you decided what the cat's name is going to be?" Mr. Ellard asked his sons, as they drove to the pet store.

"I haven't really thought about that. What about you Marcus?" Grant asked, looking at his brother.

"How about Brian? That's what is written on the name tag," Marcus said, looking at Brian in the carrier the Ellard family rented from the animal shelter. Grant then moved to see Brian.

"Oh yeah. I didn't really noticed the collar before," Grant said, seeing the collar.

"Hey Mom, does this mean that somebody owns this cat?" Marcus asked his mother. "What if we took a cat that someone lost?"

"I wouldn't worry about that dear," Mrs. Ellard said. "I heard of this new program of identification for animals in shelters. They give collars with name tags to animals ready to be adopted. The collar the cat is wearing looks like one of them. Animal shelters only give the collars to animals that are strays. So I don't think we took a cat that already belongs to someone."

"Okay. Thanks Mom," Marcus said, and then he looked at Brian again. "Should we stay with the name on the collar?"

"I think it's cool," Grant said.

"Okay. Cat, your name is going to be Brian," Marcus said to Brian.

Brian breathe in a sigh of relief, glad to know that the family decided to stay with his name.
~*~

"We're not home yet Midnight. We need to get supplies for you," Linda said, when she saw Kevin look around, after the minivan stopped.

"I'm going to get you everything you need," Linda said, after she exited the vehicle and walked into the pet store, carrying Kevin inside the cat carrier. "We're going to get you your own carrier, beds, dishes, collar, toys. You're going to be so happy!"

Kevin mumbled quietly to himself, hearing the items that he didn't really want.

"What's wrong Midnight?" Linda said, stopping and looking at Kevin. "I promise everything will be better once we get home. You're going to love it! We live on a ranch."

"Ranch?" Kevin asked, picking up his head in interest. Linda smiled hearing Kevin's meow.

"We have horses, cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep," Linda said. "I wanted a pet that I can have inside the house. I finally talked Dad into getting a cat. He thinks a cat will be good for getting rid of mice."

`Let's not talk about what I am going to do at the ranch right now,` Kevin thought. Linda smiled, as she walked down the next aisle.

"I don't care if you chase mice, but don't go after the squirrels and birds. Okay?" Linda said.

"You got my word on that part," Kevin meowed, and then nodded his head. Linda laughed seeing that, before she joined up with her parents.

The idea of being on a ranch sounded somewhat appealing to Kevin, as he watch the people shop through the carrier door.
~*~

Howie almost dragged the kids into the pet store, when he walked in. He desperately needed a change of scenery since his bath.

"Look Mommy, Dino wants to shop," Donna said, as the rest of the Meadow family walked inside the store.

"Dogs need a lot of things, right Daddy?" Luke asked, as the family looked at the items on display.

"Yes Luke. Dogs need to have the right food, toys, brushes-" Mr. Meadow said.

"Shampoo," his wife added, sternly, walking ahead.

Mr. Meadow then told the kids to pick out a collar and leash that they liked for Howie, before he ran up to his wife. Howie smiled, watching the parents talked; he knew the real reason of their conversation. For when Mr. Meadow was giving Howie a bath, he used the last of Mrs. Meadow's good shampoo on the dog. Howie chuckled to himself, watching Mr. Meadow apologize to his wife about his mistake, before the kids pulled him into an aisle.
~*~

"So we need food, grooming equipment, and of course, cat litter," Ruth said to Gina, as the girls walked into the pet store.

"Don't forget a new cat carrier," Gina said, looking at the one Nick was in, that Ruth carried.

"Right! I need to return this one to the animal shelter," Ruth said, as they started shopping.

Nick smiled, as he watched the world through the carrier door. He still didn't like being in a cage, but it was the only drawback that he saw. Gina and Ruth adored him! They pet him, and told him how cute he is. This was better than anything he experience.

`Maybe being a cat won't be so bad,` Nick thought, watching Gina and Ruth pick out toys for him.
~*~

"Okay dude, I know you don't like dog food, but the chick said it will be bad for your health if I only feed you hamburgers," Richard said to A. J., as they stood behind a shelf of pet products. "So go with me with the dog food."

A. J. only sighed, but gave Richard a look that he agreed.

"Alright!" Richard cheered, petting A. J.'s head. "The babe said that I have to wash out the hair dye. That's a shame."

"What? No!" A. J. exclaimed, but Richard only heard A. J. whine.

"Hey, come on. You know it's not my idea. Can you believe the chick thought that I was the one that put the hair dye in? I wouldn't do that to a dog," Richard said, then he bent down to A. J.'s level. "Besides, chicks dig when you listen to their advice."

A. J. groaned, as Richard stood up and walked to another shelf.

"I know it's a bummer Barry. But she said you might get sick if you got hair dye in your mouth," Richard said.

A. J. sighed, as Richard continued to shop. He was too caught up thinking how he was going to live as a dog, that he almost forgot about how advance dogs' senses are compare to humans. A. J. remember that fact, when something got his attention from his senses.

`Wait . . . do I smell . . . Howie?` A. J. thought, turning his head to the side. `I think I do!`

"Whoa Barry! Hold up!" Richard exclaimed, when the leash he was holding slipped through his fingers, and A. J. ran towards a different aisle. "Where you're going dude?"

A. J. ignored Richard's calls, and ran to where Howie was at. He then stopped, when he saw where the scent lead him.

"Howie!" A. J. called out, relieved, seeing his friend.

Howie turned where he heard someone call his name. He then saw who it was.

"A. J.?" Howie exclaimed, trying to walk to his friend.

Donna and Luke turned their attention to Howie, when they felt him pull on his leash. They then saw A. J.

"Donna, look! It's his friend!" Luke said, seeing A. J.

The kids walked towards A. J., and petted him. A. J. wagged his tail, not because of the kids' attention, but because he found his friend.

"What are you going here?" Howie asked, his tail also wagging.

"I was adopted," A. J. stated.

Richard then suddenly appeared, gasping, which got everyone to look up at him.

"The bad news is by him," A. J. said, disappointed.

"Dude . . . don't do that again . . . okay?" Richard said between breaths.

It was then that Donna's and Luke's parents returned, after their conversation.

"Mommy look! It's the paintbrush dog!" Donna said, pointing to A. J.

Mr. and Mrs. Meadow examined the dog, to see if it was the same one. Meanwhile, Richard looked over Howie.

"Oh! You're that family who adopted the dog that was sharing the same cage!" Richard said. He then extended his hand. "The name is Richard Shea. I volunteer at the animal shelter."

"Nice to meet you Richard," Mr. Meadow said, slightly nervous. "I am Alan Meadow. This is my wife, Carol."

"Pleasure to meet you," Richard said, shaking Mrs. Meadow's hand.

"I'm Donna," Donna said.

"I'm Luke," Luke said.

"Awesome," Richard said to the kids, making them smile. He then saw A. J. "Almost forgot to introduce my new buddy. This is Barry."

"This is our dog. His name is Dino," Donna said, petting Howie's head.

"'Dino'?" A. J. exclaimed.

"'Barry'?" Howie said, stunned.

Then they both stared at each other in silence.

"I promise not to laugh, if you won't laugh," Howie said.

"Deal," A. J. said.

"So I see you chosen a Portuguese Water Dog," Richard said, looking over Howie. "Very interesting history of that breed."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Meadow asked.

Richard then explained the history behind the Portuguese Water Dog to the Meadow family, as A. J. and Howie had their own private conversation.

"Maybe Richard will take good care of you," Howie said, as they watched Richard.

"He's . . . full of surprises," A. J. said.

Howie then laughed, as he looked at A. J.

"So how did you meet Richard?" Howie asked.

"Now that was strange," A. J. said. Howie tilted his head to the side, curious to know what happened. "He saw me, thought I looked cool, then his boss arrived. Richard asked if he could adopt me, but his boss said no. Then it got weird."

"What do you mean?" Howie asked, interested to hear what happened.

"This . . . guy appeared behind Richard's boss, and no one seemed to noticed him, except me," A. J. said. Howie looked surprised hearing that, and what A. J. had to say next. "I then heard someone say 'It's going to be okay.' I'm sure it was that guy. Anyway, I blinked and the guy was gone. Then Richard's boss said that Richard could adopt me. He soon left, but he looked really confused."

"This guy you saw, have you seen him before?" Howie asked. A. J. shook his head. "What did he looked like?"

"Brown hair and eyes, his hair was short, looked around our ages," A. J. described.

Howie thought over who was this mysterious guy, but he didn't had an opportunity to do so.

"So the Portuguese Water Dog is a good swimmer," Richard said, finishing off his explanation.

"Well, it's a good thing we have a swimming pool," Mr. Meadow said.

`It also explains why I was happy when the kids showed me the swimming pool,` Howie thought, as Richard picked up A. J.'s leash.

"Well, nice to meet you, but I need to finish my shopping," Richard said, then looked down at A. J. "Let's go Barry."

"Hey," Howie said to A. J., as Richard started to leave. "Have you seen the other guys?"

"No, sorry," A. J. said.

"If I find them, I'll tell you," Howie said.

"How?" A. J. asked, as Richard turned a corner.

"I'll find a way," Howie said.

Both dogs smiled at each other, before Richard walked off with A. J.
~*~

"Let's see . . . what kind of cat food would you like?" Linda said, looking at the cans of cat food. Kevin watched on.

"Linda . . . you don't really have to buy me cat food," Kevin said. "I'll eat table scraps."

"He must be hungry. Listen to him meow," Mrs. Crown said, looking at Kevin.

`Okay, from now on, don't try to communicate with the family,` Kevin thought, frustrated.

"Linda?" a new voice said. Kevin felt Linda turn around to see who talked to her.

"Grant. Hey," she said, as Kevin looked at the boy Linda was talking to.

"Is that your cat?" Grant asked, looking at Kevin.

"Yes. His name is Midnight," Linda said, holding the carrier higher so Grant can see Kevin better.

"Cool. We got a pet today; a cat too," Grant said, holding the cat carrier so Linda could see the cat. "His name is . . ."

"Brian?" Kevin exclaimed, seeing his now cat cousin.

"Hi Kevin! Looks like I found family as well," Brian said, smiling.

Kevin smiled back, glad to see Brian was safe.

"What about Nick?" Kevin asked, as Linda and Grant talked about schoolwork.

"I don't know. When the family got me, Nick was still there," Brian said.

Kevin's smile faded, thinking about Nick.

"I hope he's okay," Kevin said.

"I am," a familiar voice said.

Brian and Kevin turned their heads to the side, to see Nick in a cat carrier. The cat carrier was held by Ruth, as she and Gina looked at a different row of cat food.

"Hi guys," Nick said, happy and calm.

"Nick!" Brian and Kevin exclaimed, relieved to see Nick.

"This is great. All we have to do is find Howie and A. J.," Kevin said, feeling better.

"How?" Brian asked.

"Find two dogs that sound like them," Nick said, smiling.

Kevin was about to respond to Nick's comment, but then he started to think it over. Brian then heard Grant finishing off his conversation with Linda. Gina and Ruth were also starting to leave as well. Nick, Brian, and Kevin told each other that they will find a way to meet again, and to find A.J. and Howie, before their new owners walked away in different directions.
~*~

"Hey Barry, do you see anything that you like?" Richard said, looking at the shelf of dog shampoos and conditioners. A. J. just whined back.

"Hey, I know you want to keep the hair dye, but the chick's right," Richard said. "If you lick your hair dye, you might get sick. It's not like there's a hair dye safe for dogs to use."

"Hair dye for dogs to use," Richard said, thinking over his words. "That might work out . . . "

A. J. just shook his head and walked to the end of the aisle, as Richard thought over how to make hair dye for dogs. A. J. watched and listened to the other people shop, while waiting for Richard to stop planning of making hair dye for dogs.

"What do you think of this collar, Gina?" a voice A .J. overheard asked, coming from the next aisle.

"The gray one? I don't know Ruth," another voice said. "What do you think kitty?"

"Whatever you like," a familiar voice said.

A. J. recognize that voice and walked around the corner to see two college girls. One was holding a cat carrier, with a white cat inside.

"Nick?" A. J. asked. The cat turned around to see A. J.

"A. J.?" Nick exclaimed, seeing the Jack Russell Terrier. "Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" A. J. said, sarcastically. He then heard Nick laughing. "Stop laughing."

"Sorry. I heard that we came in with two dogs, but I never thought you would look like this!" Nick said, through his laughter.

"Wait, what's with 'we?''' A. J. asked, and Nick stopped laughing.

"Kevin and Brian. Who else?" Nick said.

"You saw them?" A. J. asked.

"Yeah. They're cats now, like me," Nick said. "But they look different. Kevin is a large muscular black cat with green eyes, and Brian is a white cat with yellow and orange markings with blue eyes."

"Where are they now?" A. J. asked, his tail wagging, hearing about his friends.

"With families," Nick said, and described the families that adopted Kevin and Brian. "Say, where's Howie?"

"He got adopted. He's a Portuguese Water Dog," A. J. said. Nick looked confused. "He has dark brown curly fur and medium size."

"Oh," Nick said. Then Gina and Ruth started walking down the aisle.

"Let's see what else they have for you, Snowball," Gina said.

"Um, see you later then," Nick said, as he was carried off.

"Okay, see you later . . . " A. J. said, when Nick was gone and walked back to the aisle where Richard was. " . . . Snowball."

A. J. then burst out laughing.
~*~

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Grant asked Marcus, as the Ellard family walked down an aisle.

"You like her," Marcus said, smirking.

"Who?" Grant asked.

"Linda," Marcus said.

"I do not!" Grant said.

"Yes you do," Marcus said.

"Shut up," Grant said, pushing Marcus away.

"Then way do you spend a lot of time with her?" Marcus asked, walking up to Grant.

"We have the same classes together," Grant said. "We help each other out with assignments."

"Which you enjoy," Marcus said, teasing and smirking at Grant.

"Knock it off," Grant said, pushing Marcus away again, but he didn't pay attention where he pushed Marcus.

"Ow!" Marcus yelled, when he collided into another person.

Brian looked up to see Mr. Ellard and Marcus apologizing to the man Marcus collided into, while Mrs. Ellard scolded Grant for pushing his brother.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," the man said, then looked at his dog. "What about you, little dude?"

"I'm alright," A. J. said, nodding his head.

"A. J.?" Brian asked, getting a better look out of his carrier.

"Brian?" A. J. asked, looking at the cat.

"Oh . . . wow . . . um," Brian tried to say to A. J., surprised to see A. J. as a dog.

"Please don't say anything," A. J. said. "It will be better than what Nick said."

"You saw Nick?" Brian asked.

"Yup. He told me about you and Kevin," A. J. said, nodding.

A. J. then told Brian about Howie, and described what he looks like now and the family that adopted him.

"I think that's enough shopping today, Barry. Let's go home," Richard said to A. J.

"'Barry?'" Brian said, surprised.

"Yeah, Barry. What does this family call you now? Whiskers?" A. J. asked.

"Brian," Brian said and laughed. He then thought he saw A. J.'s jaw drop.

"No fair! How come you get to keep your name?" A. J. whined.

"Luck?" Brian said innocently, as A. J. grumbled.

"Well at least my new name is better than Nick's new name," A. J. said.

"What new name?" Brian asked, curious.

"You don't know?" A. J. asked. Brian shook his head.

`This is good,` A. J. mischievously thought. "Snowball."

A. J. smirked when he heard Brian laughing, as he and Richard walked away.
~*~

"Linda, do you think this is a good idea?" Mr. Crown asked, as Linda looked at the harnesses displayed.

"I would like to see if it works," Linda said.

"I just don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't work," Mrs. Crown said.

"Mom, you said that Great Aunt Pam once had a Siamese Cat who she took on walks and traveled with her, wearing a leash and a harness. I want to see if Midnight can do it as well," Linda said, and looked at Kevin.

"Do you think he's smart enough?" Mr. Crown said, looking at Kevin.

`That's it. I'm going to learn this harness trick,` Kevin thought, frowning at Mr. Crown, wanting to prove him wrong.

"Dad!" Linda pleaded, making Mr. Crown walk away from Kevin. She then looked at Kevin and smiled.

"I think you're smart enough, Midnight," Linda said, and Kevin smiled. "Mom and Dad don't know it, but I want to take you along when we visit Grandma and Grandpa over the weekend. You'll like them. Grandma has a parrot named Opal, and Grandpa has a dog. A Border Collie named Style."

"Dog?" Kevin said, a little nervous, remembering J max's words. Linda giggled a little.

"Don't worry. Style's a good dog. She's very nice and polite," Linda said. She then picked up two harnesses and showed them to Kevin. "Which one do you like? The red one or the green one?"

"Maybe the green one," a familiar voice said, that only Kevin understood. "Then again, the red might look good on him."

Kevin turned his head to see a medium sized dog, with dark brown furry curls.

"Howie?" Kevin asked.

The dog nodded and smiled back.

"Hi Kevin," Howie said.

"Are you okay? How's A. J.?" Kevin immediately asked.

"Man, even as a cat, you're still the same guy that I know," Howie said and Kevin smiled. "I am okay. As you can see, a nice family adopted me. By the looks of it, you've been adopted by a nice family as well."

"Thanks," Kevin said.

"A. J. . . . is now a . . . Jack Russell Terrier with hair dye in his fur," Howie said, and Kevin laughed. Howie then described Richard to Kevin.

"Yes, that's our A. J.," Kevin said.

"So how are Nick and Brian? They are cats now, right?" Howie asked. Kevin nodded.

"Nick's a white cat with blue eyes," Kevin said. "Brian is a white cat with yellow and orange markings, and has blue eyes."

Kevin then described the family that adopted Brian, and the college girls that took in Nick.

"Man, A. J. will throw a fit if he knew who adopted Nick," Howie said, and Kevin smiled.

"We're done shopping Dino. Let's go home," Donna said, pulling the leash around Howie's collar.

"Okay Midnight, we can go home now," Linda said, picking up the cat carrier that Kevin was in.

Howie and Kevin told each other that they will find some way to communicate later on with the other guys, before they said good-bye. When the other guy wasn't looking, they chuckled quietly to themselves, hearing the other guy's new name.
~*~

When each family was at the check-out line, the guys saw each other, one more time. They gave each other a quick hello, and said that they were alright. Soon, the purchases were made and paid for. Then each family drove home, and each BackStreet Boy went to a new home.
~**~

**~To Be Continued...~**