Author's Note: this story involves non-consensual sex.
The car trundled into the driveway and parked.
Laura got out, grabbing her backpack and purse from the other passenger seat.
Her brother had stayed behind while their parents had picked her up from campus, and when she opened the front door, she saw why.
"Welcome home!" he yelled, along with a few members of their extended family and some of her friends who had already returned home.
"Aww, you guys," she said, setting her bags by the door and going over to them, "you didn't have to do this."
"We know," her brother said, "but we wanted to."
Her family and friends hugged her one by one.
A thump over by the door caught her attention after the last hug. She looked over to see her dad walking back out to the car to grab more of her stuff.
"Wait, Daddy," she called, starting after him.
"Don't worry, hon," he answered over his shoulder, "there're only a couple bags left. I got it."
She turned back to the group, and then glanced around the living room.
"Where's Rufus?"
"The backyard," her brother answered.
She padded through the rest of the house, the group just behind her, and slid open the screen door leading into the backyard.
"Oh, Rufus!" she yelled out. "I'm home!"
A bark came from the corner of the backyard, just outside of her range of vision.
A second bark was followed by a golden blur as Rufus raced towards her.
She crouched, and the golden retriever jumped into her outstretched arms, the impact knocking her onto her butt. As she giggled, Rufus wriggled and barked excitedly, a manic ball of loving energy, his nose knocking against her face as he sniffed and licked her.
When he finally calmed down enough to just look adoringly at her, the group went back inside.
"We ordered from Paisan's, by the way," her brother told her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, pumping her fist. "I missed Paisan's. Couldn't find any good pizza by campus."
"Welcome back," he said, hugging her again.
"Did you grow more?" she asked incredulously, pulling back to get a better look. "You weren't taller than me last time I saw you."
"Yeah, a little bit," he answered proudly. "Now you're my little sister."
She laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Like hell I am, smartass."
"You just got home," her mom playfully admonished, "and you're already calling each other names?"
"Hey, I didn't do anything," her brother said quickly, "she started it."
Laura stuck out her tongue at him, fighting back a giggle at the dramatically scandalized look that was his answer.
++++++++++++++++++
The welcome home party was over, and Laura was tired.
Her friends, and those extended family members, had left, and her parents had gone to bed. Now, it was just her brother and her in the den, her on the couch, him on the recliner, Rufus on the floor next to the couch.
"I'm going to bed," her brother announced, following his announcement with a yawn.
"Yeah, I should probably go too," she answered, following that with her own yawn.
He nodded absentmindedly, heaved himself from the recliner, and trudged from the den.
"Night, love you," he called over his shoulder. "Night, Rufus."
"Love you too, night," was her half-yawned reply.
She stretched out on the couch.
"Time for bed," she murmured down to Rufus, who was already dozing.
When she got up, he stirred, and when he saw her leaving the room, he followed.
Her bedroom was just as she had left it the last time she had been home, which had been the last day of winter break.
She realized, as she changed into sleepwear, that she had not actually slept in her bed since leaving home for her freshman year of college late last August.
During a weekend back here in October, she had slept one night at a friend's house when a reunion had become an impromptu sleepover, and then had slept on the couch the next night because she had been too lazy to go upstairs to her room. Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend had been spent at her maternal grandparents' house across the country, so she had not had a night at home, as she had flown out by herself from an airport closer to campus and flown back also by herself to the same airport. Her winter break, except for the last two nights, had been spent in London, with her flying there right after finals alongside her British roommate, and her parents and brother flying over a few days later to spend some of the break with her. The second-to-last night had been spent at another reunion-turned-sleepover at a friend's house, and the last night she had slept on the couch, again too lazy to schlep herself upstairs. Spring break had been spent down in Miami with her college's Habitat for Humanity chapter.
Rufus leapt on the bed and settled to the side.
Now wearing a tank top, and boxer shorts with nothing underneath, she slid into bed, giving Rufus an affectionate pat before lying down and closing her eyes.
++++++++++++++++++
Laura woke up.
A growl came from next to her. She squinted over to see Rufus standing on the bed, his attention fixed on the floor, another growl coming out.
"What's wrong?" she asked blearily, surprised at his demeanor, none of his customary goofy playfulness apparent.
A third growl followed.
She leaned over and turned on her bedside lamp. A check of her phone showed her that she had only been asleep for a few minutes.
A fourth growl came, and she hesitated before peering over the edge of the bed.
There was nothing there besides floor.
"What is it?" she asked Rufus, but he only stared down at the floor, lips drawn back to reveal his teeth.
When she eased herself off the bed, he leapt down onto the floor and poked his nose underneath the bed.
She knelt and followed his lead.
There was nothing there besides more floor.
"What is it?" she asked Rufus again, rubbing at his back, glancing over to the space under her bed one more time.
There was, again, nothing there besides more floor.
