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Warning: this story is a continuation, containing material of adult nature, which include homosexual relations and graphic sexual encounters, and is not suited for anyone under 18. If you are under 18 and still choose to read this, or you're not into yiff, you've been warned.

Chapter 4: Terry's Closure

Fourth of July weekend had past, and the outing was over. It was a new weekday and back to the normal routine in the big city.

The cool morning wind passed through Terry's fur as he sat at the bus stop. As he looked at his feet, visions of the weekend replayed in his mind. All the outings, all the fun, the encounter with his new male, these visions came back to light and in living color as he sat by himself. Terry wasn't sure if it was okay for him to be around his father yet, so he decided that until his mother told him so, he'd stay away from home as much as he could.

The day was cool and cloudy. This was the first time all summer that the sky had threatened the city with a chance of rain. As the little dog sat in his seat looking up at the clouds, he seemed to wonder if maybe the sky was sad because that's how he was feeling. "You feel the same way huh?" thought the dog before he brought his head back down to see his ride pull up.

Terry got on the bus and took a seat, looking aimlessly out the window as he did so. He decided today, he was going to go to the zoo. He hadn't been to the zoo since he was nine years old. He remembered that it always made him happy. He was happy now except, he had to come back home to his father.

Sunday night he had high hopes that him and his father would be at least able to say hello to each other, but when he walked into the house, the only thing his father did was walk away. He knew that there were still some things his father was trying to work out, but he figured he could at least gesture or something, anything, to give him a clue. This left the little dog right back at ground zero, where he left all his insecurities to lay for a while.

Terry looked through the bus windows blank-faced as he passed familiar streets. Neighborhoods that were once horribly vandalized and beaten up were now restored and revitalized. Seeing these things usually netted the little dog a smile but not today. Just being home, away from Shaun, invoked all the bad feelings he had before he met him. Now that he was back in his old neighborhood, all Terry wanted, was his security, he wanted his Pit bull.

Terry had hit the stop bell to get off the bus. He saw the zoo just a couple of blocks away, wanting to walk the rest of the way. He padded across the street, making his way up to a large rot-iron gate.

Passing through the gate felt as if he was passing into another world, a better world, an easier world to live in. He walked down the cobble stone path until he came to the first exhibit. As he looked down from the overpass he stood on, he could see zebras as they galloped around the grounds. Across from the zebras, on the other side of the bridge, were a couple families of elephants. He stood there leaned over on the rail as he watched the cow elephant play with her child.

The Shepherd felt it was time to move on and moved down to the monkey house. He felt that if anything would cheer him up, this would be the place. As he walked in the door, he could hear whooping and hollering from the mischievous little primates. Walking up to the first window, he could see two chimps violently swing from one end of the tank to the other. There on the floor of the same exhibit, was a smaller chimp, eating a banana. As the chimp peeled its fruit, it would throw the peels at its two swinging cohorts, angering them. Terry managed to let out a giggle as he saw the three primates' battle over the banana peels. As his mood lightened, he moved on further into the zoo.

Terry had gone through quite a bit of exhibits before he felt his pocket vibrate. He pulled out a cell phone. This was a phone that Shaun had given him before he left his house. If Terry would ever need to talk to him or needed him for anything, the pup could always get a hold of him.

As he looked at the phone display, he could see his house number flashing at him. "Sorry, not in the mood" he thought to himself as he hit a button to ignore the call.

Terry kept moving through the park until he felt he had seen everything he wanted to see. When he was finished, he decided to make his way back to the street so he could go home. His mood had improved much from the morning hours, he was feeling a little better, but still didn't know about him and his father. He knew in his heart that things would be okay, but it was his mind that told him otherwise.

As he sat down on the bench to wait for the bus, he nervously shook his foot. As he waited, he grew impatient, he wanted to go see Alex and Tyler since he knew they were home by now, but the bus was nowhere to be seen. The longer he waited the more impatient he got, but, stopped himself completely when he realized he was having a panic attack. "What the hell?!!" he shouted. "What the hell is wrong with me?" came from him again as he started to tear up.

The bus finally came, leaving the Shepherd to try to pull himself together and get on. This wasn't like him, and he hated the way he was feeling. He never felt upset or angry, but he did now, and the reason didn't make sense to him. He caught his breath as the streets passed by him. He would be in the neighborhood soon, and soon he would be with his friends.

As the bus brought him closer to home, he felt his pocket vibrate again. Pulling it out, he saw Shaun's number on the display. "Oh, thank Gods" the Shepherd exhaled.

"Hey Pup" came from the other end of the line.

"Shaun! I'm glad you called me. I feel like I'm losing it."

"Hey now pup, you know it's okay."

"I....... I just feel so horrible, and I don't know why"

Shaun could hear the Shepherd's trembling voice over the phone. "Come on now puppy, what's going on?"

I.... I-I came home last night, thinking that I would be able to deal with this, but I can't"

"What do you mean, "Deal with this"? I thought you were okay?"

"I thought I was too, but as soon as I woke up this morning, I left the house. I didn't feel it was safe to be home."

"Terry, sweetie, I told you to call me if you were having trouble, why didn't you?

"Because Shaun, it wouldn't be fair to you, I know you're busy during the day. It's not right to bother you for things this stupid."

There was a long pause over the phone, followed by a deep breath. "Puppy......... this isn't a stupid reason to call me. I promised you that I would do anything to help you. That means listening to you, and it doesn't matter how big or how small the problem is. I love you, and I'm there for you. Don't ever forget that."

With a tiny smile coming from his muzzle, the Shepherd responded, "I love you too. I'll talk to you later."

Terry put his phone away as he saw his street coming up. He pushed the button to alert the driver to let him off and walked to the door. As the bus stopped, he jumped off and made his way back to his house. Walking down the street, he could see his father coming from the front door, and immediately, he felt his eyes start to water. The closer he came to his father, the more his stomach bothered him. He felt sick yet at the same time, he felt angry. He wanted to confront him, but at the same time, he wanted to ignore him and just walk away.

The pup crossed paths with his father, and as Michael passed him, he felt a paw grab his arm. "Say something to me damn you! Say......... something to me!....... I love you! I hate you! Anything! Just......... stop ignoring me!.......please!"

Terry shouted with tears in his eyes. Michael now, could see that his son was angry with him. Not that he hit him, but that he did in fact need him, just like his wife had said. The only problem Michael felt though, was that he still wasn't sure if he could be there for his son right now.

Michael was frozen by the way his son had reacted toward him. He still didn't know what to say, yet his wife's words repeated over and over in his mind. "Try saying I love you, there's a start". Michael looked at his son as he stood there broken in front of him.

"I ........ Love you son........ I always have and...... I always will."

Terry's tears came with even more force. It's been almost a week since his father said anything to him. Now he heard the words he needed to hear, but he still didn't feel right.

"Son, I did a horrible thing to you and your mother, and there's no good excuse for what I did. I know I can't undo it and, I don't expect you to forgive me. I....... I have to go someplace right now but........... I hope you'll be home when I get back. I really do need for us to talk."

With that, the Shepherd hugged his son. Terry was frozen solid as his father held him in his arms. He was so confused. All of these feelings rushed threw him like a bullet through his heart. His anger, his rage, his sorrow, all seemed to come to a complete halt, yet throb in his head where they stood.

"Kay dad.......... alright." The pup said silently as his father let him go and continued down the street. He stood there watching the other male make his way to a cab, only to disappear the next moment.

Terry managed to get himself together and walk the rest of the short distance to his house. As he walked in the door, he saw his mother on the couch watching television. "Hello sweetie, how are you doing? I was a little worried about you since I didn't see you this morning when I got up."

"Yeah...... I didn't really want to be home."

"Well Tyler called looking for you, he's a bit worried himself."

"I'll call him in a bit."

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"It's dad...... We talked for the first time today."

"Oh honey, you know he does love you."

"I know he does, he just told me."

"Well, what's the matter then?"

"I don't know...... It's just....... This all seemed to play differently in my head. I thought I'd feel better...... knowing he cares but........"

"Sweetie, we all go through that. There isn't one person that doesn't. We always think things will be better once we hear what we want to hear. Unfortunately, it doesn't work this way. You will understand this someday, and it will make you stronger when you do. This world is a harsh place to live in sometimes, and I'm sorry it got to you so young but, I believe that because of it, you will be smarter than the rest. You'll learn faster, and when the time comes, you won't have to fight with your problems because you'll already know the answer."

The Shepherd pup looked at his mother with a confused face. She knew that he probably didn't understand a lot of what she said, but in time he would, and that's what was important. Terry on the other hand, just wanted some firm footing with his father. He knew where they once stood, and he hoped that once they were able to get past this, he would know once again.

"I'm gonna go call Ty mom."

The little Shepherd walked upstairs and dialed the wolf's number. The phone picked up on the other end, prompting a small conversation. Afterwards, Terry hung up the phone and walked over to his dresser to change his clothes. He put a new shirt on, throwing the old one in his hamper and then walked out of his room. The pup padded back down the stairs and walked to the door, but before he walked back out, he turned to his mother.

"What time are you expecting dad back home?"

"Around seven, why?"

"He wants to talk with me" the pup mumbled before he opened the door and left his house once again.

Terry walked down the street, making his way toward his friend's house. He knew Tyler would be there for him, no matter what. Tyler was always his best friend. He always would be his best friend, and he knew that the wolf would be able to help him deal with these mixed-up feelings he had about his father.

Terry could see Tyler and Alex sitting on the front stairs as he walked closer to the wolf's house. As he saw them, they weren't joking around and talking with each other. They were just looking down the street, at him. As Terry got to the steps, Tyler let out a large breath.

"Terry, you had me worried pup."

"Why is everybody so worried about me?"

"Because, this weekend you were so happy, and now well, you're just totally the opposite."

"It's because reality set in........ I think that maybe I freaked. Especially when I realized that I would have to face my dad, and I just don't know how to handle this. I mean, what if Greg was right and he never does understand? I don't know how to deal with my own dad hating me, when I still love him a lot."

Tyler motioned the little Shepherd to sit on the step below him. He cradled the dog between his legs and put his paws on the Shepherd's shoulders.

"Terry, I'm sure things are going to be okay, but you have to believe this too. Do you want me to be there when the time comes?"

"I do Tyler, more than anything, but. I need to face him alone. I have to do this on my own. Otherwise, I won't ever get any closure. If I keep having you fight my battles for me, I'll never be able to win them."

Tyler looked hurt, but he knew what the little dog meant to say. Still, he couldn't let his friend think he was alone in this.

"Terry, I don't want to fight your battles for you. I want to fight them with you. I'm your BFF remember. No matter how hard you try, your never gonna get rid of me, and I'll always be there when you need me."

The little Shepherd started to tear up once more, putting a paw on his friend's knee. "I know you will be."

Alex looked at the other two canids trying to lighten the mood. "What say we get away from all the gloom and doom and go do something fun?"

The two other furs nodded as they got up from the stairs. Alex pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket, "How 'bout the arcade? My treat, okay?" Terry and Tyler smiled as the Pit-bull jumped off the stairs, pulling them down the street.

They walked into the neighborhood arcade, which was huge. The building was about fifty feet deep and just as wide, filled with just about every game that could be crammed into it. Alex hit the token machine right away, sparing no money he had in his pockets. The Pit gave each of the other two a hand full of tokens. "Come find me when you run out, kay?"

Terry made his way to a couple of first-person shooters while Tyler made his way over to the driving simulators. Alex made his way over to a couple of fighting versus games. The three of them spent quite a bit of time at the arcade, while feeding the games tokens, and while they were all having a great time, in the back of the Shepherd's mind, he was thinking about how his talk with his father might go.

Tyler was the first one to run out of tokens, so he figured he'd take a small break. He padded around the arcade looking for Terry. When he finally found the dog, he was many levels deep into Quantum Crisis 3. Tyler just sat and watched his friend as he battled the virtual terrorists in the game. Whatever the Shepherd was thinking, it improved his game quite a bit. He had played this game many of times with Terry, but never saw him play this far. He usually ran out of tokens way beforehand.

"What's going on Tyler?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just watching you play."

"You want to play with me?"

"You seem to be doing pretty good on your own right now."

Oh......Okay."

Tyler continued to watch the Shepherd until Alex popped up behind him. "Hey Ty, wanna fight me in Other Realm Kombat?"

"Uh, I hate that game."

"Aww, why?"

"Because I never win."

"Oh come on, I'll let you win one."

"Geez, thanks, but I still think I'm gonna pass on the challenge."

"Oh...... fine, be a chicken."

The Pit tried to get the wolf to challenge him, but his head wasn't in the game right now. Tyler just wanted Terry to be at ease, so he stood by his side as the pup continued playing his game.

Hours went by as they lost themselves in virtual bliss. The three had run out of money, and Terry had run out of time. It was past six thirty before he realized it and needed to make his way home. The Shepherd walked over to the wolf, rubbing his shoulders.

"Terry, what's the matter?"

"I've got to go home. My dad should be there soon."

Tyler looked around for Alex so they could leave. After about ten minutes of searching for the Pit, they found him with his nose buried in a pin-ball game.

"Alex, we gotta head out. Terry needs to go home now."

"Okay, just let me finish this really quick."

The dog was trying to net the high score on the game but failed miserably as he attempted it. After sinking the final ball, the dog slapped the machine with a growl, then turned away from it and walked toward is friends.

"All right, let's get you home I guess."

The three walked out of the arcade and made their way back to their neighborhood.

The three canids walked up to the front of Terry's house. Tyler gave the Shepherd a pat on the back as he turned around to walk away with Alex.

"Tyler, wait a second."

"What's up?"

"I....... I'm not sure I can do this."

"I think you'll be okay. Besides, your mom will be right beside you."

"I know but........."

"Terry, I think you're over-stressing yourself. Besides, you said he hugged you. If he was going to hurt you, I doubt he would have hugged you."

"I guess....... I guess you're right. Can I come over when I'm done with this?"

"For sure, you know you didn't have to ask."

Terry waved to his two friends as he opened the door to find his mother on the couch, watching television. As he walked to the couch, she could see the nerves rippling through her son's body.

"Did he come home yet mom?"

"Not yet sweetie, but he'll be here soon."

Terry sat down on the couch next to his mother. He slowly slid his head onto her lap as she sat there. She put a paw on his head and lightly brushed her paw through his head fur. He felt safe in his mother's arms as he lay on the couch. Every time someone walked past his house, he jumped up to see if maybe it was his father or not.

Seven thirty shown on the clock above the T.V. as Terry heard the doorknob jiggle and the front door open. He slowly sat up as he watched his father walk through the front door, putting his briefcase down on the floor by the couch. Michael looked at his son and wife, leisurely nodding to them both. As he finished unloading his belongings, he gestured to Terry to get up from the couch. The little dog did as his father instructed, sliding off the couch and making his way towards the door. "We're going to go for a little walk tonight", Michael told his son.

They walked out of the house and down the street, making their way towards Division. Terry felt a sense of piece wash over him as he walked near his father. It was a feeling he had felt before, when he was younger and there weren't any troubles. The two of them took a route that they hadn't walked together for a few years. It was an industrial zone but placed next to the riverside. There were rest areas spread out across the riverside, about every fifty to one hundred feet, with benches and light posts put there so people can look out at the view.

Terry continued walking with his father, until Michal decided he wanted to walk down to one of the rest stops. Terry followed his father as he went to sit down on the bench. As Michael sat down, his son just stood next to the bench watching him. "Come on, sit down", came from his father.

Terry sat down next to his dad, nervously shaking his legs. Michael looked at his son, taking a deep breath. "I............. Love you Terry. I always have, and I always will."

Terry's eyes started to tear up. Hearing those words coming from his father meant so much to him right now. Michael wrapped an arm around Terry as he continued his reasoning. "I know you need to know this right now more than anything. I'm still trying to figure things out for myself, but I can't neglect my son. The way I treated you was horrible and no matter what the reason, there is no acceptable excuse for what I did."

Terry looked up at his father with tear lines on his face fur. "I........I know you didn't mean what you said to me.................I-I know you just needed some time. I want you to take as much time as you need, because I need my dad in my life. I don't want you to hate me, just because I like boys. I'm still me, aren't I?"

The older Shepherd ruffled his son's head fur with a small smile. "Yeah, you sure are still you kiddo. I want you to do something for me. I'm asking you to bear with me, just for a little while....... I promise you son, I will make it so things go back to normal between the two of us. Just give me a little more time, okay?"

Terry said nothing to his father. Instead, he gave him a small nod and a hug. Michael returned the affectionate gesture toward his son. Shortly after, they made their way back to their house, Michael wanting to order Chinese for the family for dinner that night. This was going to be the first step for a new beginning and healing, for Terry and his father. The pup just hoped things were going to stay okay, but for the time being, he was just happy being able to talk to his dad once again.

With plans changing, Terry remembered that he should probably call Ty and let him know that he wasn't going to be coming by his house tonight. After a short discussion, Terry hung up the phone and went back into the living room with his parents waiting for dinner to arrive. They all quietly watched sitcoms on the TV and tried relaxing now that things were coming on the mend. Roughly 40 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. The older Shepherd got up t answer it. It was the delivery driver with tonight's food. "34.18 is your total sir" replied the driver as he handed him the large brown paper bag. Michael sat the bag down on the chair behind the door and rifle through his back pocket to reach his wallet. Shifting through the folds, he pulled out enough money to pay for the food and leave the driver with a decent tip. After handing the driver the money, the driver thanked him and went back to his car.

Michael brought the bag of food into the kitchen, calling for Terry and Jean to come in to join him. As they sat down at the table, Michael gave them both a big smile, just feeling happy that he can sit with his family like this once again. Mistakes had been made, bad things had happened, but he was going to work on regaining his family's trust and love once again. "This will be a good night for us" Michael thought to himself. As they started eating, Michael broke the silence asking his family how their day was, making small take and having interesting conversation through the evening. Indeed, this was for everyone, a good night for all of them.

After the dinner and conversations, it began to get late, and with Michael having to work in the morning, he decided that he was going to turn in for the night. He made his way upstairs and started walking to his room, when, he heard footsteps behind him. The older dog turned around to find his son standing behind him. "Dad, I just wanted to thank you for dinner tonight, and......... I just wanted to say good night to you."

Michael looked at his son, reaching out a paw to the boy's shoulder. "You're welcome, and......good night to you too son when you get there." Michael lifted his paws off his son's shoulder, turning around to start going back to his room again. He felt a nudge behind him followed by two arms wrapping around his waist. Terry gave his father a long tight hug not saying anything. He hugged is father for several minutes, not saying anything, just hugging him. Michael placed his paws on his son's arms, patting them gently. He then twisted around and gave his son a gentle head pat, and a soft tired smile. With that, the little dog let go of his father, and watched him continue into his bedroom, returning and turning in for the night.