AN: so some of you might be wondering why I am posting this one shot and not updating Zuma's Fear or Truth or Dare. Well, sadly my computer is in repairs at the time and my current docs for those stories are still saved on that computer. Besides, I need the break to think how I want to do the next parts.

So enjoy this one shot I came up with in my spare time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Paw Patrol.

There were a lot of things about the city world that fascinated Everest, even after she had been adopted by Jake and started living in it for a few years. Getting used to cars, fridges, radios, heaters, TV, video games, lights, and so much more was all both amazing and a headache to learn about. Something she still didn't understand, like why go to the bathroom in a white bowl instead of a tree? Or why buy food when you could eat fresh food outside for a good clean kill? And why spend so much time on cellphones talking to people instead of just going out to meet with them?

Still, it was a better world then the old one she had lived in. Years of surviving out in the snow on her own made her a tough pup, but a lonely one. Having never known her father and her mother dying when she was just barely able to hunt on her own, and you had a pup who welcomed any companionship. That was why she saw Jake not just as her owner and best friend, but in a way her father too.

She loved how they snuggled in the warm blankets over coco while he told her all about his amazing snow adventures in the alps. Or how he was there to make sure she was healthy and safe every year with checkups. Although, she could do without the shots to her backside. Even if they did make her immune to disease.

Ryder and the pups were also like family to her as well. Obviously, Ryder was the big brother to all of them while each of the pups were like brothers and sisters. Skye in particular was her closest friend, having always wanted a sister and Skye in turn always wanting another girl on the team. She wasn't into the whole "make up" and design thing that Katie always loved giving the two, but she did enjoy feeling a little pampered her and there.

Everest was also the only dog Skye told her secrets to, such as her crush on Chase. She knew for a long time that the police pup had feelings for her (in fact everyone knew it) but she wanted to him to make the first move. Something she was sadly still waiting for. Everest herself had never really given much thought into the boys. Sure, her mother told her that one day she would need to find a mate for herself, but she wasn't sure which one to choose. Since Chase was taken, that left four other male dogs.

Rocky was nice, well mannered, and very smart. She might not have been as "city educated" as the rest of the pups, but even she could tell that Rocky had an intelligence that rivaled most humans. He could build anything out of anything, and even developed new technology for the Paw Patrol to use as he got older. Pretty soon, Ryder was outpaced by Rocky on new tech for the team to use. However, Rocky wasn't exactly "fun". Oh sure, he could play with the others and all, but he was always the more cautious type. Everest wanted someone who could be adventurous like her.

Zuma would fit that perfectly. Even though he was the Water Rescue Dog, Zuma loved doing all kinds of sports and activities. He was pretty much fearless in all aspects, and loved having fun as much as possible. Sure, he was a bit immature, but even Everest pulled a few moments of immaturity here and there. The problem with Zuma was he was a bit too wild, and too much of a "player" as Rocky had often called him. Zuma had a thing with flirting and going out with as many females as possible. While Zuma had experience, Everest was looking for something steady.

Rubble was a sweet dog, and the youngest but Everest didn't count age as a major factor. Her mother did say she was far younger when her father mated with her so there was no problem on that end. Rubble was as kind as a bunny rabbit and, despite his breed, was as lovable as one. There was barley a bad bone in his body, in fact he was too innocent and that was the problem. Rubble still was like a pup, despite having passed that stage in life long ago. In short, young at heart, but too young for a mate.

And finally there was Marshall. Marshall was… well… odd. Everest didn't know what to think of Marshall to be honest. He was kind, sweet, a big jokester, had a great heart, and was funny. He was very clumsy though, and sometimes he was so big of a screw up you would think twice before he was in Paw Patrol. However, what he had was passion, and on the job there was no one better in showing passion then Marshall, except maybe Chase. He was always ready when he was needed and would stop at nothing till the job was done.

Still, the idea of her and Marshall… Everest didn't know. Something might actually be there. Her mind then thought back to one Christmas (her absolute favorite holiday of all time and forever) where the two of them were tricked by the pups to be under a mistletoe. Since it was tradition and all, Everest kissed him on the cheek which made the dalmatian speechless for the entire night. She didn't see what the big deal was until Jake told her that a kiss was a sign of affection. Something she quickly cleared up with Marshall who took no offence.

But would Marshall be a good mate?

"Treat for your thoughts?" asked Jake, waking her up from her day dreaming as he entered the cabin they called home. Hanging up his coat, he looked at her with a smile. "So what'cha thinking about?"

"The boys," said Everest, deciding to be honest. "I'm getting to that state where I need to find a mate so I've been thinking which boys would be preferable."

Jake nearly back up in shock. "Woah, Everest. Uh, don't you think you should be dating before going to third base?"

"Right, forgot about that," said Everest, blushing. Another thing that was so different was that both humans and dogs took time to develop a relationship before actually going through with the mating. They even had weird ceremonies like dates and weddings. In the wild, you found a partner and just went with them. Love was sadly a secondary thing in the brutal wildlife, while pups was the primary purpose.

"No worries just make sure you take it slow when you find somebody," said Jake as he went to the fridge to grab a beer. "So who's on the list?"

"Well, all the boys have their ups and downs, but I can't find anything solid that really… draws me to them…" Everest sighed and shook her head. "Skye has it lucky that she wants Chase, if only he would finally tell her how he feels."

"It will happen," said Jake, sitting down on the couch and patting his lap. Everest happily barked and sat down on it, letting him stroke her. "It took me awhile to find my girl, right?"

Everest nodded as she took a glance at a photo of her owner and a blond woman named Sally hugging by a tree. She wasn't too keen at first with the girl Jake had been seeing, but her jealously soon faded as she found Sally to be nice and just as adventurous as her. She'd make a good mate for Jake. Um, I mean wife.

Suddenly, her dog tag lit up and at first she thought it was going to be Ryder needing her for an emergency. Instead, it was none other than Skye calling here with a worried tone. "Everest! You have to get to the Lookout right away!"

"What's going on? Skye?" asked Everest.

"No time! Just come on!" shouted Skye before the puptag clicked off.

Wasting no time, Everest jumped off of Jake's lap and rushed for the door. "Come on, Jake! Let's go!"

Jake put his beer away and grabbed his coat before heading out of the door with his dog. With a specific bark, the dog house turned into a snow mobile that Everest jumped into and started the engines. After Jake grabbed on from the back, Everest pressed her paw on the gas and headed straight down the mountain as fast as she could.

After a lengthy drive, Everest managed to make it to the Lookout where a few cop cars and an ambulance were already in arrival. A huge crowd had already formed but made room when Everest dive into the Lookout. Barking with worry, Everest jumped out and rushed towards a scared looking Skye and Rocky who were comforting crying Rubble.

"Guys, what happened?" asked Everest, panting and worried.

"There was a robbery in the Lookout," said Skye biting her lip but soon that turned to a growl as a hood covered man was being carried away by two officers. "He tried to steal some of our things when most of us were out, but Chase, Zuma, and Marshall were still inside when it happened."

"Was anyone hurt?" asked Everest which made the three wince. Her answer soon arrived when she saw Marshall, head wrapped in bandages, being carried on a stretcher towards the ambulance. "Marshall!"

She made an effort to rush to him, but Jake stopped her. "Hold on, Everest. Let them do their job."

Everest wanted to argue with Jake, but a stern look in her eyes made her back off. Ryder was right behind the EMC's as he followed them into the truck which soon took off. Chase and Zuma soon appeared from the Lookout with a few scraps on their faces. And some blood on Chase's mouth but Everest could smell that it was human.

"What happened?" asked Everest.

"That human tried to make away with our stuff," growled Zuma. "Luckily, Marshall saw him first. When he saw what he was stealing he went berserk and just launched himself at the creep."

"How did he get hurt?" asked Jake.

"The robber kept slamming him into the wall and other objects until he finally let go, but when he did both Zuma and I took him down hard," said Chase, but there was regret in his eyes. "I wanted to act sooner, but I was too surprised by the viciousness of Marshall that I froze. Damnit…"

"It's not your fault, Chase," said Skye, walking over and hugging him. "From what you told us earlier, even I would be scared if I saw Marshall that angry."

Everest raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how angry are we talking about? Because I've never seen Marshall angry before."

"Dude, it was like…" Zuma shivered. "I swear he was going to kill that robber, dude. All because of a mistletoe."

Everest's eyes widened and her heart stopped. "Did… did you say mistletoe?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Zuma.

Everest didn't answer. She just rushed into the crime scene and started sniffing around. Is it… could it be… she eventually found what she was looking for and her eyes confirmed it.

It was the same mistletoe that year when she kissed him.

Despite the blows he took, Marshall was lucky enough to just come out with a minor concussion. All the previous crashes he had done in his life had made him sort of a tank. He would be out of action for a few weeks, but personality wise he was doing fine. He laughed with this friends in his bed and calmed them down when they were worried about him.

Everest, however, had as little interaction as possible. Her mind was still a cluster of thoughts and she wanted to wait until she had an alone moment with Marshall to ask what had been on her mind for days. That soon came when the pups were called in for an emergency in Foggy Bottom (The New Mayor was a lot more friendly then the purple fat guy Everest remembered in her early years) and Jake had to head back to see if everything was okay back in the mountain.

This left her alone with Marshall in his hospital room.

"So, what's new Everest?" asked the Dalmatian with a bright smile. Everest just continued to stare at him for a long time so much so that the smile soon began to dim. "Um, is everything okay?"

"Why the heck did you risk yourself for something so foolish!" shouted Everest standing up on the bed and glaring at him. Marshall gulped as Everest's predator like eyes stared deep into his soul. "It was just a mistletoe for crying out loud! The robber could have done worse to you! He might have killed you! What made you so desperate to save that of all things?!"

"Because it's important to me!" shouted Marshall, sitting up straight. "I couldn't… I didn't…"

"Why is it so important to you?" asked Everest, shaking her head. "It's a stupid plant…"

"… because it reminds me of you," muttered Marshall, lowering his head. "It… reminds me of the time you kissed me…" Everest soon felt her cheeks heating up as she slowly backed down and stared at Marshall with her mouth wide open. There was a long silence, but soon Marshall raised his head and gave her a small smile. "I… I guess this is the most awkward thing to say now… and it's not what I imagined how I would confess but… I guess I should come out and say it. I like you, Everest. I really like you."

It was then that Everest remembered something else from her mother whenever she talked about her father. She said he made her feel a warmth in her heart whenever he whispered how much she cared about her. Her mother said when she met the right mate she would feel that same feeling. Sure enough, there was a fire growing in Everest's heart as Marshall's confession echoed in her ear.

"I… I think I like you too, Marshall…" whispered Everest, as she slowly crawled over and nuzzled him. She cooed upon feeling his soft fur mingle with her own and even louder when he kissed her cheek a few times before planting his lips on her own.

The flame in her heart erupted into a raging inferno as she felt his sweet lips. She was like melted snow, ready to flood the room in warm water. The kiss was brief, but lasted like a lifetime in her mind as she broke it up.

"Hey… when you get out of here… do you want to go out?" asked Everest, with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Only if I get kissed a bit longer," said Marshall with a grin.

Supporting one for herself, Everest slowly got on top of Marshall and whispered, "Who says I'm just going to give you a kiss?"

This made Marshall turned redder then the fire truck he drove as Everest jumped out of the bed and headed towards the door. She made sure to flick her tail back and forth while swaying he rear a bit for Marshall before she turned the corner.

Of course despite the flirty and earlier talk, Everest knew she would keep it slow. She would wait until it was ready for them to mate.

Just not wait long of course.