"Oh, Ruby, what about her?" Belle gushed as she bent down in front of the cage. The kitten raised itself on its hind legs and began to swat at Belle's finger as she wiggled it through the opening. She turned and glanced over her shoulder, smiling brightly at her girlfriend. "She's so cute."

Ruby made a face. "A cat? Really?" She crossed her arms against her chest. "You're not really thinking this whole pet thing through."

Belle drew her brow together and straightened her stance. "What's that supposed to mean?" She mimicked Ruby's stance, cocking her head to the side.

"Um, do you not remember what happens to me every full moon?" She held her hand out toward the cage. "I could end up eating that thing."

Belle's arms dropped to her side and her jaw slacked. "You wouldn't!"

Ruby shrugged with a smirk. "You never know."

"You're horrible." she mumbled as she reached out and grabbed Ruby's hand. "Fine. Let's keep looking."

She dragged Ruby down the aisle, her heart melting with every meow and sad little face she passed. Ruby stopped suddenly causing Belle to jerk backwards. When she turned, her girlfriend was playing with a puppy. Belle rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"We already have one of those." she joked as Ruby turned her head and shot her a look.

"Very funny." she responded, unamused. She returned her attention to the adorable puppy, scratching his black fur through the gate. "Aw, he likes me."

"Of course he does." She reached down and scratched her girlfriend's head. "He probably thinks you're his mama."

Ruby reached up and swatted Belle's hand away. "I want him." She smiled when he turned onto his back, barking softly.

Belle shook her head. "We are not getting a dog."

"Well, we're not getting a cat." She turned her head to look at her girlfriend. "So, we need to figure this out because we are running out of options." She returned her attention to the puppy.

Belle watched as her girlfriend baby talked the little black ball of fur. He sat up, barking at her playfully causing Ruby to jump slightly and laugh. After a moment of thought, a smirk crossed Belle's lips. She turned and walked down the aisle, leaving unnoticed. She grabbed an item as she passed and walked straight to the counter to pay for it.

Belle returned, carrying a bag in her hand. She stood over Ruby, eyebrow raised, hand resting firmly on her hip. "Ruby?" she called out, but was still ignored. She cleared her throat, but Ruby still didn't look up at her. "Ruby!" she called more sternly this time.

Ruby snapped to attention at the fierce sound of her name. "What?"

Belle wiggled her finger. "Come here, please." she requested.

Ruby looked at her curiously as she slowly straightened. She walked to Belle cautiously, noticing the bag in her hand. "What's that?"

"I bought you a present."

"Really? What is-"

Before she could complete her sentence, Belle wrapped a bright red collar around her neck. She buckled it tightly and smiled. Ruby's expression fell flat as she crossed her arms against her chest. Belle's smile grew wider as she checked to make sure it wasn't too tight.

"It's perfect." she complimented, touching the tip of Ruby's nose.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of joke?"

Belle shook her head. "No, since we can't agree on a pet." She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's neck. "We'll just have to settle on you."

"Oh, yeah, sure, that's cute." Ruby replied, sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "So, now you have someone to play and cuddle with you on a full moon. What about me? Who do I get to play with?"

Belle bit her lip, pushing herself up on her toes. She hooked her finger inside Ruby's collar. "Me." she purred, kissing her deeply. She pulled back slowly, smiling at Ruby's closed eyes as she lingered in the moment. "Ready to go home?"

"If I had a tail right now, I'd wag it." Ruby joked, quietly as Belle gripped her collar and lead her out of the pet store...