Rosy's walk home from school was less pleasant than usual. Not because of anyone or anything surrounding her. But because of the unknown question of whether her beloved dog would be greeting her when she got home. Jenna's excitement to see her was always a highlight of her school days, so to go through the entire day unsure if she would get that put a damper on her spirits. She had no idea if her dad had found Jenna yet, but she was praying that he had.

These prayers didn't seem to be getting answered today. For when the front of her house reached her line of sight, Rosy could also see her father sitting on the front steps. He was hunched over with his head resting in his hands, not looking like someone who had good news to share. Rosy immediately wanted to cry. She wanted her dog back. But the little girl kept it in as she slowly went up to her father, who greeted her warmly with a hug.

"Hey, sweetie," he said.

Rosy could only mumble into his shirt in response. She didn't want to beat around the bush and came out with it. "Did you find Jenna?" she asked.

Her father just sighed and gave the answer she had been expecting. "I'm sorry, Rosy."

That was enough for the dejected girl to collapse in her father's arms.That evening, after her mother got home, the three of them ate dinner in relative silence. They could all feel the absence, and their worry from last night had now doubled with a whole day having gone by. Rosy just picked at her food, not really feeling all that hungry.

But the silence was eventually interrupted by barking. That of two dogs, it seemed. And it was getting louder every second, the source seeming to be getting closer.

Rosy perked up cautiously. "...Jenna?" Before her parents could stop her, the child bolted from her chair and ran to the front door. She opened it up, desperate for her hopes to be realized.

No words could describe the joy on her face when she saw that they were. Jenna was speeding to her house, barking her head off. And beside her was Balto, who looked almost as happy.

"JENNA!!" Rosy squealed, and ran out the door, not even bothering to put boots on. The dogs' barking intensified, and soon the human girl found herself knocked into the snow with her dog assaulting her face with licks.

"Jenna! Oh my gosh, Jenna, where were you?!" Rosy said in between fits of laughter at the tickling tongue. She didn't even try to stop it, instead rubbing Jenna's head until she decided to stop. Rosy got up and wrapped her small arms around the husky's neck, tears flowing down her face. Jenna nuzzled her girl's head, just as happy to be back home.

All the while, Rosy's parents watched at the door, beaming at seeing their dog return. But they also noticed that Balto had arrived with her. It made them wonder ...

"Balto? Did you find her, boy?" Rosy vocalized her parents' thoughts. Jenna, hoping to answer the question, went to Balto and nuzzled him deeply. The little girl put her hands over her heart at the gesture. "Awww!"

Her parents couldn't help but be moved by the display as well. They also began having deeper thoughts. It would seem that whatever happened to their dog, Balto had been able to find her and bring her back. The hopes that Rosy's father had had in the wolfdog earlier had come true. While it wasn't as dire a situation as far as he knew, it was the second time that the wolfdog he once feared had managed to do good for his family.

In fact, he was now finally realizing just how much Balto had already come to be a part of their family. He was over almost every day, played with both Jenna and Rosy, always behaved himself, and despite being half wolf, and Rosy loved him. He looked over to his wife, and she looked back at him with the same expression.

It was clear what had to be done, and that they had put it off for far too long.Two weeks later, in the late hours of the evening, Rosy was ready to turn in for the night. She had put on her pajamas, brushed her teeth, kissed her parents goodnight, and headed to her bedroom. There, calmly and patiently waiting for her on her bed, was the brown wolfdog that had wormed his way into every heart in this family. And after befriending their daughter, saving her life, and proving to be their dog's best friend and possible savior, Rosy's parents were finally pushed over the edge and took him in as their own.

It had been one of the happiest days of any of their lives.

Just as Rosy got under her covers, her other dog padded into the room, a peaceful grin on her face. As Jenna looked at the sight before her, the love of her life laying on the bed of her owner, the last piece of the puzzle to a perfect life seemed to fit into place. They could be the happy, whole family she knew they should be. And not even Steele would be able to take that away from her. If anything, his actions seemed to have been the cause.

She couldn't have asked for better revenge.

As Rosy patted the bed to beckon her husky to join them, Jenna happily obliged with a wag of her tail. She hopped up and crept her way over to Balto. He'd been given the first proper bath of his life under the family's care, as well as finally receiving healthy, filling meals on a daily basis. And it was already working wonders for him, allowing his muscles to start developing and his fur to shine without losing the scruffiness she loved about it.

She lay down on the comfy bed before nuzzling and curling up into Balto's warm side, treating his body like the world's most lovable pillow. When he rubbed her head with his nose, she sighed in delight as she slowly closed her eyes. Balto had been celebrated for his grand, heroic gesture, and rightfully so. But Jenna strongly doubted that any of them could appreciate the smaller moments that he could give to someone, the ways he could brighten one's day just by being there and being himself.

Maybe Steele would come back and try to destroy all of this once more. But if he did, Jenna was ready and determined to fight him with everything she had. Because holding on to this wonderful life for years to come was more than worth it.Balto, the original images, and all the characters all belong to Universal.

Originally uploaded on August 9, 2019.Just a quick little wrap up with Jenna returning home, and the fulfillment of Balto being adopted by Rosy's family. I'd say that both he and Jenna deserve to have him in the family! And I realize that this conflicts with Balto 2 where he's still living on the boat, but I really don't like that movie. Sorry to those who do, but it just really rubs me the wrong way for many reasons. So I have no issue going against its continuity for the sake of a proper ending to my story.

Thank you for getting to the very end of this story! Whether you read this when it first came out or read it for the first time now, thank you very much for the continued support, and I hope this story satisfied you!