The lizards were all incredibly cute, most taking naps on rocks or fake logs. Noah's brightness gradually returned after looking into each enclosure. Ruth watched him as he gingerly traced a finger across the glass, making his way through reptiles then birds then fish. 

Ruth coaxed him away from the hermit crabs and down the dry food aisle with a well-placed glance. His body swayed after her, pausing when she did, leaning when she did, stumbling backwards when she changed her mind and doubled back. 

Crouching down, Ruth hesitated a moment before saying, "So I saw a man across the street today."

Noah had flipped a bag of dog food around with his spare hand and was reading the ingredients. "Preposterous. There are no men in Birchfield. Only women. And snakes."

"I have not seen a single snake."

"Checked a mirror lately?"

Ruth slapped him playfully on the shin. "He had dark hair and was wearing dark clothes. About our age I think."

Noah turned the kibble back around. "Was his hair slicked back?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did he look like he takes fashion cues from Edgar Allen Poe?"

"Kind of," Ruth laughed. "When he looked at me, he seemed...familiar."

"It was probably Don." Noah leaned against the racks, his hair brushing price tags. "I would stay away from him if I were you."

Ruth scooped up a bag of puppy food from the bottom shelf and rose. "And why is that?"

"He lives in the woods." Noah grabbed a basket from a stack at the end of the aisle. "It's dangerous for young women to enter the woods. I like you," he tipped the basket with one hand so Ruth could drop the dog food inside, "so I don't want you going into the woods. Ergo, I would stay away from him if I were you." Noah handed over the basket. "Out-lawyer that."

As they wove through the aisles, the pair continued to add items to the basket: dog treats, leashes, toys, bones, a food and water dish, and really anything that looked particularly cute. 

"It's not like I'm contractually obligated to visit his residence simply by making his acquaintance. I haven't been to your house, have I?"

"A growing disappointment--ow! Watch where you're swinging that basket--"

"--oh, I was watching." Ruth smirked and tucked a few stray curls behind her ear. 

"You have too much fun hitting me."

As Ruth wound up for another blow, Noah gently guided her arm away from his body, laughing.

"Speaking of fun," Noah shifted the baguette bag to his other hip. "Me and a few of my friends are going to a party tomorrow, do you wanna be my plus one?"

Ruth's ears grew pink, hidden under her dark curls. "Plus one?"

Noah's eyes widened. "I mean--I just thought it might be good for you to meet some other people our age in town. And my friends have been wanting to meet you, that's all."

Before she could respond, an older man in a green apron approached. "Hi there, are you Ruth Radley?" 

"Huh? Oh, yes. That is me. I'm Ruth."

The man glanced between Noah's flushed cheeks and her nervous smile and his eyes began to twinkle. "C'mon you two, he's waiting in the back."

As the man disappeared behind the counter and through a staff-only door, Noah offered to hold the basket and Ruth let him, for now. She was very, very excited. The doctors had suggested that Gram get a companion, something she could take care of and focus her energies on. Since Ruth did not want to be that companion, here they were.

"And here he is." The aproned man pushed through the door with something white and black and furry in his arms.

The young border collie squirmed until his dark, intelligent eyes met Ruth's. She grinned and his tail wagged slowly then incessantly. The old man set him down and he burst over to Ruth, licking her hands and face as she knelt down to pet him. Noah laughed when the dog knocked her off-balance and onto the ground. It was a torrent of fur and splattered slobber. 

"What should I put for the name on the paperwork, Ms. Radley?"

Ruth cradled the dog's face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "Jefferson. Jefferson Radley."

The man chuckled as he marked a clipboard, "How unusual--"

"And perfect." Noah pet the dog the best he could with the side of his foot. "C'mon Jeffers, we gotta get checked out."

The old man rang them up at the register; Ruth had her hands on Jefferson the whole time, patting his head, rubbing behind his ears, petting his coat. He looked so happy, so eager to get out into the world. 

Leash on and dog supplies in hand, Jefferson pulled Ruth out the pet shop door and onto the cobbled sidewalk. His nose twitched as he sniffed the walls and the cracks and Noah's shoes. Pulling Jefferson's leash close, Ruth and Noah crossed the street, heading home. 

Jefferson looked amazed by everything. He shoved his face in the small, red flowers dotting the seams in the sidewalk. He ran up to every shop owner and shop goer, receiving pets and "aww's" and one very disgruntled huff from Mr. Mason. When they reached the gravel road that led up to cottage, Ruth loosened the leash so that Jefferson could run back and forth in front of them. 

The father they got up the path, the closer Noah drifted, until their arms were brushing with every step. Ruth resisted the urge to mess with her hair or fix her hat or grab his hand and instead watched Jefferson as he played in the grass and gravel. 

"I hope he'll be happy here." They had almost reached the front steps. 

"He will." Noah tilted his head towards hers. "I hope you'll be happy here."

"I think I already am."

Ruth's honey eyes were caught in his blue ones. They beckoned her closer, deeper. Noah took a step forward, closing the distance. His gaze drifted down to her lips then snapped back to her eyes. She felt a smile dance across her face as a hand found her waist, pulling her closer. No, wait--snap! The leash pulled taut against the back of her knees and her face smothered in Noah's chest. His scent was all sawdust and citrus, soft and worn. 

Jefferson whimpered and they pulled apart, laughing and red. Carefully they untangled themselves and their bags from the dog leash. Noah handed her a baguette from the paper bag with a flourish.

"Goodnight, Ms. Radley." He reached up and tugged a small curl, the tips of his fingers brushing Ruth's cheek.

When he stepped back onto the path, Ruth went inside and put Jefferson and the baguette in the kitchen, shutting the bottom half of the beige split door. Breathless, she slid down the hall and slipped out through the front door again. He was five feet out and walking.

"Hey Noah," she called out, "I'm looking forward to that party tomorrow night."

Noah turned and smiled wide. "It's a date. I'll pick you up at seven."

As Ruth let the door slide closed, she desperately tried to ignore her secret hope that Don would be there too. 

---

In another forest, another life, Abaddon desperately tried to ignore his own secret and foolish hope that Ruth wasn't the girl of the prophecy--and that her red wood didn't await.