guilt that had plagued him since last night. He still felt horrible about hurting Jenna like that, but he knew he would never do it again.

When he got back to his boat, Boris demanded he tell him everything that happened. Balto told him, and then asked him more questions about being a father, and what it was like for Boris to raise a young half wolf. Boris was only too happy to oblige, as telling stories was his specialty. They talked until Balto couldn't keep his eyes open any more, and he fell asleep, exhausted.

Boris still saw Balto as his little pup, his furry, four-legged son. He was happy that Balto had become famous and well liked in town, and that he had met and fallen in love with a beautiful girl, but in the end Balto was still just his little boy. He picked up the blanket from the other side of the wheel house and draped it over Balto, who was sound asleep.

"Goodnight, my boy," Boris whispered. "Sweet dreams."

###

Afternoon lazily rolled around, and Balto arrived at Jenna's shed. He scratched at the door, and he heard the familiar "Come in, Balto." He nudged the door open to find Jenna standing just behind it, smiling at him.

"It looks like you're ready to go," he remarked casually.

"Mmm-hmm," Jenna said and nuzzled him.

"All right, let's go." He turned and held the door open for Jenna, and shut it behind them. They began their trek out to their favorite spot, moving at a medium pace and enjoying the warmth of the day. The forest was beautiful as the light filtered down through the trees and illuminated the forest floor in bright patches. The crisp Alaskan air and the scent of pine filled their lungs as they headed up the mountain to their favorite place high above the forest floor.

They arrived at their clearing as the sun was just beginning to dip down towards the ocean. They lay down together at the edge of the cliff to watch the sun finish its daily journey through the sky and down under the sea. They rested as the sky turned dark, the moon came out and the sky lit up with stars. Just like it was the last time they were here like this, the forest was beautiful at night, lit up by the moonlight.

"Balto...?" Jenna asked.

He turned to look at her face, and he couldn't help but stare. The moonlight played about her face and reflected in her eyes; it was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. "Yes, Jenna?" he whispered.

She turned away shyly for a moment. "Would... would you like to start a family? With me?"

Balto said nothing, but instead leaned forward to kiss her. She leaned in to meet his muzzle, and his heart began to beat faster as she returned his kiss. He lovingly nuzzled her face and took in her scent mixed with the cool night air and the smells of the forest.

He pulled his head back to look at her again, and he had never loved her more than at this moment. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him with adoration, and he leaned in to nuzzle the side of her face. She closed her eyes as he whispered in her ear.

"Yes..."

###

Jenna smiled and nuzzled Balto gently. "And two months later, our pups were born. I knew you would be a wonderful father, and you were."

Balto looked at her with deep affection. He noticed how much grey had crept onto her muzzle, and he leaned down to kiss her. When he was younger his only lifelong desire was to live and grow old with her, and now he got his wish. Seeing her like this only meant his dream had come true, and he loved her even more for it.

"You were right about everything. I loved being a father, and I still do. When our pups decide to visit us, that is," he chuckled.

"They're not exactly pups any more, Balto," Jenna said with a giggle. "They're only a few years younger than we are."

"Hmph," Balto huffed in mock annoyance. "They'll always be my pups, I don't care how old they are."

"Oh Balto," Jenna grinned and nuzzled him. "You were the best father they could have asked for. And they were all good mothers and fathers to our grandchildren because of your example."

"And yours," Balto nudged her. "We did pretty well, didn't we?"

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, we did. We did very well," she said as she drew him into a kiss.

The sun had begun to take its familiar arc down towards the ocean, and Balto and Jenna's shadows began to stretch behind them towards the forest. They sat in silence, watching the trees sway in the breeze and enjoying the feel of the wind blowing through their fur. They watched the water cascading over the waterfall far below them and felt the waning rays of the sun warming their skin.

"We don't have much time left," Balto said with a hint of sadness, as the sun continued relentlessly towards the sea. "We probably shouldn't stay here after it gets dark. We're not as young as we used to be."

"It's our last visit here, Balto," Jenna said as she looked out over the lush, green valley before them. "I'd hate to leave without seeing the moonlight over the forest again. You know how much I like it here at night."

"Yeah, I do. And I admit, I like watching the sun set from here. We've been coming here for so many years, and I'm still amazed at how beautiful everything is from up here." He nuzzled Jenna and looked into her eyes. "And I do mean everything."

Jenna smiled and nuzzled him back. "If you're trying to get me to fall in love with you again, it won't work. I'm still in love with you from the first time that happened, thirteen years ago."

Balto grinned at her response, and kissed her. Jenna snuggled closer to her mate as they sat and watched the sun begin to sink below the horizon for the last time from this place. This one little clearing up in the mountains held so many memories for them, an entire lifetime's worth. When their pups were old enough they began to bring them up to this clearing too, and it went from being Balto's favorite place to Balto and Jenna's favorite place, to his family's favorite place. They had even been able to bring Aleu up there along with the rest of the pups a few times before she left to lead her wolf pack.

He looked around and he could see his beloved children wrestling and playing in the leaves, and he could remember the many nights that all of them slept together on the plateau, under the broad summer night sky. He loved his family so much, and he loved being near his mate and his pups. When they would all spend the night there, he liked nothing better than to wake up surrounded by his family.

He missed those days, but he was thankful that he still had Jenna. Once he had brought her up to this place for the first time, he never came back by himself again. He knew he could never come back here alone, there were too many memories embedded in the forest floor and on the plateau.

"I never came back here alone after the first time I brought you here," Balto said as he looked out over the forest below them. "It would have felt like something was missing."

Jenna smiled at him. "I know the feeling. I've never been here without you, and I don't think I'd ever want to."

"Almost all the memories I have of this place with you are good," he said. "Some aren't so good though... like the time you had a hard choice to make, remember that?"

"Yeah," Jenna nodded. "I'm glad I only had to make that choice once. I know I made the right choice, but it wasn't easy."

###

Chapter Three: The Choice

"All I want is to feel this way
To be this close, to feel the same"

Balto scratched on the door to Jenna's shed, just like he did every morning, but he didn't hear the response he was accustomed to hearing. This time he couldn't hear anything, and he began to wonder if she wasn't in the shed. He scratched again and listened at the door to see if he could hear anything from inside. "Jenna? Are you there?" he asked.

Jenna heard him outside, but she didn't say anything. She heard him nose the door open and slowly walk inside, but she couldn't look at him. She knew that if she did, she would break down into tears. She put her head down between her paws as Balto walked up to her.

"Jenna? Are you all right?" She heard the concern in his voice, and all she wanted to do was lie down inside his embrace and nuzzle him. She forced herself to keep it together for just a little while longer so she could explain what was going to happen.

"No, Balto... I'm not," she replied, with her head between her paws.

Balto lay down next to her and gently nuzzled her face. "What's wrong, Jenna?" he asked softly.

Balto's muzzle against her face, his warm, soft voice and the feel of his body against hers was simply too much for her. She began to cry, and she pushed her head against his, seeking comfort. She cried into his neck fur as he held her close to him, and she couldn't stop. All she could think about was how much she was going to miss him.

When she had calmed down somewhat, she was able to tell him why she was so upset.

"Balto... I..." she began, choking on the words she was trying to say. "I'm leaving. We're leaving Nome," she said as she buried her face in his neck.

Balto felt his heart turn cold as he heard Jenna speak the words he hoped he would never hear. "Leaving...?" he said in shock. "But...