said.

“But…” Balto started.

“No Balto,” Jenna said, her voice as sharp as nails now. “Go on!”

She stepped forward, and pushed him with her nose, making Balto trip and fall to the snow.

“Get out of here!” Jenna yelled.

She looked at the snow, and started sobbing.

Balto stared up at her from the snow.

He sighed, and stood up.

“Jen….”

Nothing.

“Jenna please….” Balto said.

Jenna shook her head, and walked around him, heading for the house.

Balto watched, until she got to the top of the steps, she paused just outside the door.

Jenna looked back at him.

Balto was unable to hold her gaze, and had to look away.

Jenna shook her head, and stepped through the door.

Balto sighed and looked at the ground.

“Damn you Angel!” he thought.

Then he whirled around and ran down the street.

Chapter 6

It was several more days before Balto got up the courage to go see Jenna again.

He realized as he stood at her door, that he had no idea what he was going to say.

“What can I say?” Balto thought.

He scratched on the door.

“One second!” Jenna called from inside the house.

Balto stepped back, as Jenna stepped out the door.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw him.

“Oh...it’s you.”

“Jen…”

Jenna cut him off.

“Balto, we’re back to Jenna.”

“Jen…na, please listen to me.”

Jenna sighed.

“Balto, what do you want?”

“I… I want to go back in time and not go on that walk with Angel.” Balto said.

“Well,” Jenna said, “that’s probably not going to happen.”

She paused and when she finished, her voice was as cold as ice.

“Did you just come over here to waste my time?”

Balto sighed.

“Jenna, I… I just…. these past few days…. Not seeing you, or talking… it’s…. it’s killing me Jen.. I… I can’t live like this.”

“It’s killing me too Balto, but… but I guess I was dead when I left huh? And one other difference…. I…”

Jenna started crying again.

“… I actually loved you.”

Balto sighed.

“I… I loved… love you too Jen, I… I just don’t…”

Balto sighed again.

“I want to start over Jen, go back to the beginning.”

Jenna laughed.

“Oh yeah,” she said, “that’d be just perfect for you wouldn’t it, if I just let all this go… best…”

Jenna had to stop talking, as she started crying harder.

“… best of both worlds huh?”

“Jen…” Balto started.

“I told you we’re back to Jenna,” she said.

She sighed.

“What… what did I do? or… what did I not do?”

“Jenna,” Balto said ”it wasn’t your fault, I just… I don’t know, I made a mistake.”

“Well that’s about the smartest thing you’ve said all day.” Jenna said.

Balto sighed.

“Jenna, this… our relationship together was… well… can’t we get through a few bumps in the road?”

Jenna almost yelled at him, bt regained her composure, bringing her voice down to a forceful, almost violent tone.

“You think this is a bump in the road?! Try a freakin’ road block!”

She stopped, and when she looked back up at him, there were tears in her eyes again.

“Balto how… how am I supposed to get around it. I keep running, looking for way around it, and…. and the wall just runs forever. I…”

She broke into tears then, and looked away, and then at the ground.

“I.. I keep looking for a way to get passed it, but… I can’t, I want to, I want you back more than you could ever know, but…. But this is your freakin’ choice, not mine.”

Balto remained silent for a moment, and when he spoke, it was in a very quiet, reserved tone.

“Have… have you told the kids?”

Jenna sighed.

“No, I haven’t quite figured out how to go about that yet.”

Balto said nothing.

“I tell you what,” Jenna said, “how about you leave, now, I don’t even know who you are.”

“Jen please….”

“No, leave.”

Balto stepped forward.

Jenna gritted her teeth at him, and almost growled.

She slapped him on the side of the head with her paw, as hard as she could.

The blow caught Balto off guard and he stumbled back, bouncing off of the steps and landing in the snow.

Balto lay and looked at her, shocked.

Jenna just turned around and walked into the house.

Balto’s face stung.

He stood up and shook the snow from his fur, feeling a vague pain in his shoulder as he did so.

He looked back up at the door and sighed.

Then Balto ran away.

June watched Dash from a distance, across the chamber.

She felt sorry for him, after the night the two had spent together last week he hadn’t spoken a word to her, In fact, she was almost certain he’d been avoiding her.

He finished his conversation with the wolf, and he ran off, leaving Dash alone.

June walked toward him.

Dash saw her, and started to walk away, but she ran up to him.

He sighed.

“Hi June,” he said.

She smiled at him.

“How are you doing Dash?”

“I’ve been better,” he said.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I… I don’t know,” he said.

He hesitated for a moment, and then resumed speaking.

“I’m sorry about the other night,” he said.

June smiled.

“Dash, you don’t need to apologize, understand.”

“No June,” Dash said, “I shouldn’t have put you in that situation, I… it’s my fault.”

She laughed.

“Dash, I enjoyed myself, even though it ended somewhat awkwardly.”

“That’s what I’m saying was my fault.” Dash said.

“No,” June said, “it was as much mine as yours…. I’m…. I’m still not over Dalchei. I don’t think I’ll ever be.”

“I do understand that,” Dash said.

“If… if you don’t… if you’re not comfortable with me, I understand, but…. but know that I’m still here for you.”

Dash smiled.

“Thanks June.”

June smiled.

“I told you I’d take care of you, that’s what friends are for.”

She turned, and walked away.

Dash sighed, and walked toward his chambers.

Chapter 7

Balto didn’t go back to the house for another week.

This wasn’t going to work, it couldn’t, him without Jenna was like… well was like iced tea with no sugar, bland and tasteless, might as well drink water.

So, he was walking up that street once again.

He, again, did not have a clue as to what he would say, but… if nothing else, he had to see her.

As he was walking, he saw his daughter, Sheae walking down the same street.

He smiled.

He always enjoyed talking to his daughter, she was so nice to him.

He ran up alongside her.

“Hey sweetie.”

She turned her head, and saw him.

“Oh it’s you.”

Balto stopped walking, as he heard her tone.

She kept walking.

He finally regained his senses and ran up to her again.

“Sheae, what’s wrong?”

She sighed, and turned around.

“You are.”

Balto hung his head.

“So.. she… uh… told you huh?’

Sheae just nodded her head.

“How could you do that to her… to us?”

“Sheae I…”

His daughter cut him off.

“I thought you loved us.. me.”

She shook her head, and walked away.

Balto watched her for a minute, and then ran back up to her.

“Sheae…” Balto said.

She turned and looked at him.

“I don’t even know you, and mom told us not to talk to strange dogs.”

Balto sighed.

“Sheae, I’m your father, not a strange dog.”

Balto stepped forward to nuzzle her.

Sheae took a step back.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but my dad is dead.” She said sharply.

Tears threatened the corners of her eyes, and she turned and ran off.

Balto sighed and looked at the ground, then turned and ran away, tears blinding him as he ran.

Jenna was sitting in an alleyway thinking, thinking back to what a dog named Char had told her once,

Her words drifted back to her then..

“Life as a sled dog is hard, live long, love short and hope there’s someone like him at the next stop.” She said, hoping it would rationalize her actions.

It did not.

“Not necessarily,” Jenna said. “My mate, Balto, is a sled dog, and he’s never done anything like that.”

“That you know of,” Char said, “you might be surprised, it gets pretty lonely out on the trail…”

“Balto’d never do that to me,” Jenna said, but as she said it, she realized she really didn’t know for sure. She’d never thought about it.

“Balto would never do that to me, she thought, “would he? No Jenna, stop thinking like this, of course he wouldn’t, he loves