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I thought it would be better to make my chapters more bite-sized, so I can update more frequently.

Here's something I've always wondered: Why did Mittens build the home for Bolt and expect him to stay in Vegas? What gave her the impression that he wanted to stay instead of go back to Penny? Well, I gave it a long thought, and finally thought of a possibility. This is it, and I hope you enjoy this 2-part chapter.

* * * * *

Chapter 3: Recollection I

* * * * *

Assumption is a dangerous thing-Tan Solo

There is definitely going to be something for me in Vegas.

That was what Mittens always thought halfway through America, after hearing stories and rumours from multiple pigeons-rumours of insanely large amounts of food to eat, rumours of beautiful lights and sounds, and overall a happy life. But from the way they described it, it was initially hard to believe. Eventually though, she did.

Mittens was dreaming, again. It was about the cross-country journey. Again. This time, it was about the time spent in Las Vegas-city of lights, dreams, and bankruptcy. It was worth remembering, to say the least. It was the catalyst, the pivotal point of their journey.

It was where she decided to abandon Bolt.

* * * * *

Mittens had made no mistake-she was enjoying herself thoroughly throughout the trip with Bolt and Rhino. They had already crossed the halfway mark of the journey, and it just kept getting better and better.

Bolt was considerate, kind, always thinking of others before himself. He would give help in any way possible, even to strangers he didn't know. Whether it was a child that needed cheering up or retrieval of an object, Bolt would stop and offer his assistance, sometimes to her slight annoyance, hating humans and all. It was the hero in him, she guessed. Some things just wouldn't change.

Bolt left no favour unpaid, either. Every lesson she taught him would be repaid in some form or another. He'd offer to find food-he was the one with the 'dog face', after all-and would reserve the best portions for Rhino and Mittens, leaving the small scraps for himself. They did try to persuade him to share the spoils fairly, but he was adamant. Yet another 'heroic' characteristic of him.

And the best part was when they were at a little outpost in a mountainous region halfway across the map-at least, that was what they figured. He had to go and surprise her by finding a ball of yarn. That was pure bliss for her. He even waited for her to finish playing around with it before he even considered moving on. When even one of them felt the slightest bit of fatigue, Bolt would order that they stop until they recovered, even offering to carry them on his back sometimes. Of course, Mittens never accepted that particular offer; she was too proud to do that.

With all these little actions and words, Mittens slowly began to change. Her sarcasm still remained, but towards them, it lost its stinging bite that usually accompanied it. And she didn't care. She was having so much fun, she forgot the actual reason why she was even accompanying them in the first place.

And that was why the problems only surfaced in Vegas. She happened to remember that certain important fact while they were riding on a truck carrying steel pipes heading into the Sin City.

* * * * *

The sky had turned a little grey, a clear indication that rain was imminent. The three animals were riding on a truck carrying three large cylindrical pipes held down only by a length of rope. It wasn't exactly the safest-or cleanest-vehicle, but it sufficed. Rhino was fast asleep in his ball, which left Mittens in charge of making sure it didn't roll off as the truck rattled and bounced along the rough gravel. That was the least of her worries at that moment, however.

This is a big problem.

A large green sign that flashed past them at eighty miles per hour with the words printed in white: 'Las Vegas: 100 miles' was the real problem. It suddenly rekindled a worry that had formed in Mittens' mind since a few weeks back, but then forgotten. Until now.

Is he still going to look for his person? That...Penny character?

Normally, Mittens wouldn't have cared in the least if that happened. Her original plan-which she came up with back in Ohio-was simple and straightforward: Get Bolt to Hollywood, and maybe find some nice place on the streets to live-she heard the food was better, cleaner and easier to find there. Then, after she learned about Vegas, she thought of staying there instead. But no matter where she decided to go, the problem was the same.

She didn't want Bolt to leave. She wanted him to stay with her.

And yet, since Bolt was still travelling, it would mean that he was still going to find her. She had pushed aside the thought of what she was going to do countless times throughout the trip, telling herself that she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

Not anymore. They were only one state away from Hollywood. Time was running out.

What am I going to do?

"Mittens? Are you okay? You look dazed." Forgetting that Bolt was riding in the same pipe as her, she was thankful for inner monologue.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering about..." A large signboard advertising the 'Bolt' tv show passed by, but Bolt couldn't see it from his line of sight. An idea flashed in her head.

"...Er...I was wondering about your tv show? You were in one, right?" She was unsure on how to approach the topic. This was the best she could think of.

"Um...yeah, I was. You want to know about it?" She realised she'd never asked him about his Hollywood life throughout the trip.

"Sure, why not? It'll give us something to do for the next hour, until we get to the next place on the waffle map."

Now Bolt was wary. He had never asked about Mittens' life ever since he met her, even though he had his growing suspicions. He never mentioned his studio life once throughout the entire trip either. That was because from the weeks he spent with her, he had a feeling that she didn't fancy humans much, although he could never figure out exactly why. He was much too polite to ask her. He imagined the last thing she'd want to hear was about how he was surrounded by humans all the time.

But now she was asking him about it.

His suspicions were further aroused, especially with her obvious look of uncertainty written all over her face. But he obliged her anyway. For the next half hour, he answered every question she had for him. He even explained a few episodes of the show in detail to her, telling of his heroisms and actions that saved Penny from great danger. Heat vision, the superbark, incredible strength, exploding helicopters and tanks-and of course, stupid Calico henchmen. She had to laugh at that.

"So how long have you been a superhero?"

"Um...well, I don't really know how long. As long as I can remember, I guess."

"I'm just wondering, how did you think it was all real?" She questioned. "I've seen a few documentaries on movie making, and it all looks so fake, with all the cameras and backdrops around, ya know?"

"They always kept me in a...trailer. I think that's what they called it once when I overheard. They never let me out of it until it was time to protect Penny." He became more emotional now. "I've never seen anything in the real world before, so I wouldn't know what's real and fake. I've never even seen the sun before I ended up in New York!" He looked visibly upset. It wasn't surprising-he had lost most of his early life to something as stupid as television. That was cruel.

And from what Mittens heard, it wasn't surprising that Bolt never questioned his life. It seemed that the directors and producers really went out of their way to ensure that he believed everything was real, and that everything he did was normal to him. That was probably to bring out a more natural performance from him, to add more realism to the show.

Hollywood was so evil.

Her disgust grew deeper as she thought of how all the actors and producers never gave consideration to what they were doing to a poor, innocent dog's mind. Making him do dangerous stunts, using him however they saw fit-they probably didn't even give a second thought about how he felt, just like her previous owners.

"That's...horrible. I'm sorry Bolt." She had never seen him this disquieted since he first figured out his powers weren't real.

"It's okay Mittens, I'm fine now. I just..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I just never want to do all this again, you know? I think I've had enough of it." He softened a little. He then continued his long story, this time about how he infiltrated Calico's arctic hover-base.

Mittens wasn't listening, though. By this time, she had already tuned him out. What he said had suddenly got the gears turning in her head. His words opened up a new possibility for Mittens, one that whispered quietly in her heart, as if fearful that someone else would hear.

He hated his life.

That means that he may not want to go back anymore.

That was what she assumed, anyway. It was a small possibility, but it was there. And that gave her hope. Maybe somehow, she could get him to stay with her. She suddenly felt as if there was a glimmer of light shining down from the sky, even though right now it was even darker than before. The rain was definitely coming. As she thought that, Bolt gave a sudden yelp of surprise as a single raindrop landed perfectly on his nose.

"Mittens? What's this?"

"It's rain, Wags. Remember? The whole clouds and water thing?"

"Oh yeah," he replied as more droplets fell from the sky to earth, providing the trees and grass with much needed water. At first, it was just a few drops. But slowly, more fell, and eventually the mountain range was blanketed with a light shower.

"Go on, stick your head out," she willed him.

Bolt knew better than to question Mittens now-she knew about him way more than he did. He obeyed, and was once again greeted with another pleasant surprise. The rain felt cooling on his muzzle, and he murmured blissfully. No more words were said as the truck rumbled on, carrying three animals unknowingly on its back.

Mittens opened her eyes after a short spell of rest and stole a glance at Bolt. He was still enjoying the rain with his eyes closed, a smile creeping along his face. Bolt's fur had grown considerably dirtier during the trip, what with all the playing and lessons Mittens put him through. Burying, digging, he did it all. And without a proper bath that he always had in the studio, his immaculate white fur had darkened a little. The lightning bolt on his side, as Mittens had noticed, was already fading away. He didn't seem to mind though. He's really different now. Maybe somehow, he would choose to stay with her and all three of them could live happily together in Vegas, which was only a few more miles away.

With that thought in her mind, she laid her head down to rest on Rhino's ball once more, happy, and with newfound hope.

* * * * *

Las Vegas is known as the entertainment capital of the world, and is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. It is famous for the number of casino resorts and associated entertainment, which attracts millions of visitors a year. In one particular year alone, it managed to bring in thirty-seven million tourists.

Mittens wondered if those numbers ever included a cat, a dog, and a hamster.

They had finally entered the city, and were now riding on one of the city's most iconic roads: The Las Vegas Strip. From a hole in the top of the pipe, they took in the breath-taking view and the many sounds and smells that came along with it. Hotels, restaurants, and casinos, lighted in all their glory passed slowly by, as if the truck was slowing down just for them to view this montage of lights.

Eventually it came to a stop, and they bade it a final farewell as they stepped out of the streets and into a quieter alley, away from the hustle and bustle of walking tourists and vehicles. Mittens was a little uneasy about it-she heard there were some rough animals said to live in these parts-but she found comfort in the fact that she was not alone.

"So what should we do first?" Bolt asked excitedly, his ears standing straight up as proof.

"Let's go to that building over there! It's the most colourful!" He was pointing at one of the casinos on the Strip.

"Erm, Rhino, I don't think we can go in there." Mittens replied.

"Why not?"

"Well, we don't have any cash, and even if we did it'll probably be gone before we even make it halfway across the street."

"What about there?" Bolt was looking at a small group of people walking through a small doorway in the same alley they were in, but much further back. Some male, some female; they were laughing hysterically. One of them started throwing up.

Lovely.

Mittens didn't answer, frowning. What they were doing, was probably better left unknown to them.

"Then what do you want to do?" A growling in Rhino's tiny stomach answered that question. Mittens let a small knowing grin cross her lips-this was the moment she was waiting for. She hoped the rumours were true.

Walking a little further in the alley, they came to a stop in front of a large dumpster. They were about to jump up onto it, but stopped when the door right next to it rattled. Hunkering down behind the door, they watched in silence as a man wearing an apron and a blue cap emerged with a small tray of uneaten fries and unceremoniously dumped them into the open dumpster, then disappeared back inside.

Taking that as the cue, they jumped up onto the dumpster, Bolt giving Rhino some assistance. What greeted them was amazing-burgers, hotdogs, cupcakes, doughnuts-and that was just only what they could see at the top layer.

"There...there's so much!" Rhino exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's-" Mittens stopped, staring straight ahead. Something had caught her eye. Some things actually. She jumped back to ground, mouth agape, taking in the view. There were dumpsters as far as the eye could see, all similar to the one in front of them-filled to the brim with uneaten food.

"No...way..."Bolt stammered. They had never seen this much food in all the previous places they went through combined.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rhino shouted. "Let's dig in!"

Half an hour later, they had almost literally bitten off more than they could chew. Bolt was guzzling down food which he said was a million times tastier than the bland food in the trailer, to the point where Mittens had to hold him back, just in case he choked on something. Rhino wasn't any much better-he was literally sitting in a half-eaten large ham.

"Bolt, Bolt! Stop eating so fast. You'll get yourself a headache in the morning. Or your stomach might explode."

"Oh come on, Mittens. You know you want to." He grinned, a little bit of jam smeared across his muzzle. "...Cheesecake?"

Mittens raised one eyebrow, giving him a look.

"It's honey cheesecake." Bolt said in a sing-song voice.

"Give that to me," she said, pouncing on it. All three of them laughed, enjoying the fellowship and food that they shared.

* * * * *

Halfway through dessert, a sudden hissing sound interrupted them. Music was suddenly playing.

"What's that?" Bolt asked, his ears perking up and twitching with each hiss and spurt. It sounded like water.

"I don't know. It sounds like it's coming from just outside," Mittens replied, still carrying a frosted doughnut in her mouth.

Walking through the alley and emerging out the other end, they saw a grand building. It was the Bellagio hotel, one of the most famous and iconic of the Strip. As per every fifteen minutes, the world-acclaimed Fountains of Bellagio located right in front of the hotel were putting on a performance for the world to see. Water was being jettisoned into the air by several of the fountain's 1,200 nozzles, creating a beautiful effect that made the water look as if it were dancing and flowing to the rhythm of the music playing overhead.

"Whoa." All three said in unison.

Dropping the food they carried carelessly onto the floor, all three of them were drawn close to the performance. They managed to find a seat right in front of the fountains. No one walking past seemed to notice or mind three animals gazing in absolute awe at the spectacle that unfolded. There was a beautiful song playing with an equally beautiful voice singing.

"Love can touch us one time, and last for a lifetime..."

"Mittens, it's beautiful." Bolt whispered.

"It is, Wags. It is," she replied.

That was the last thing they said for a while, until Bolt found his voice again.

"You know, I never really thanked you properly," he said, turning to her and staring her face to face.

"For what, Wags?"

"For everything, you know? You taught me things I never knew, and if it wasn't for you guiding me every step of the way, I don't know what I'd be doing right now. I wouldn't be looking at this, that's for sure." He motioned to the fountains.

"Wags, I should be thanking you instead. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be stuck on the New York streets conning pigeons out of their measly portions. Now there's so much food for me to eat." She smiled. "And it's all thanks to you dragging me across the country."

"Well, I'm glad I did now. You deserve so much more than you're treated. You're smart, funny, and you have a great sense of direction." If nothing else, she could tell he was sincere.

She felt a knot rise in her throat.

"Thanks, Bolt," she whispered.

"You're welcome."

Another moment of silence.

"I could stay here forever." He continued. "Wouldn't it be great, Mittens? All three of us, living together and enjoying life."

"Yeah, I guess it would be."

But the impact of his words didn't register until a good three seconds later. When it did, Mittens' eyes widened in stark realisation.

He said that he wants to stay.

Suddenly, she felt that her little bit of hope was growing.

Mittens didn't say anything more after that. She was unable to. Bolt's sudden speech had taken her off guard. It had been a long time since she was this unguarded, shown clearly by her flustered expression. She was not good with words, and because of that, she didn't know really how to return his compliment. They all just continued watching the magnificent display in silence.

He wants to stay. The words kept replaying in her head. She felt like she was in heaven.

Glancing once more at the captivated canine sitting next to her, she couldn't help but smile. His tail was now wagging slightly as he looked at the fountain. She could tell at least, that he was happy. Noticing her gaze, he turned and smiled back at her.

And for the first time ever since travelling with him, deep inside her heart, there was a little flutter.

"We'll stay, forever this way. You are safe in my heart, and my heart will go on and on..."

As she felt that, as if just on cue, the fireworks began.