Seven.

Elijah POV.

I must have fallen asleep, I woke up on the sofa alone, I looked at the cat bed expecting to see Toby but he wasn't there.

That made me jump up and go looking for him, I searched in the living room but he and his stuffy were missing. The gate was closed so he couldn't go upstairs, he wasn't in the kitchen or any of the rooms downstairs.

I remember him telling me about going out after the night, it wasn't night yet but if he's out without telling me. He's looking for a punishment already, I got my shoes on and ran outside the house.

I lived in a calm neighborhood, most people living here are families, my family has chosen this house for me after knowing I'm a daddy. They said it's a perfect spot to live along a little, that rule out the chance of someone kidnapping my baby but where did he go. I start to walk around the neighborhood just looking around but still no Toby, I ask my neighbors if they saw a little kitten but no one saw my baby.

I start calling his name loudly while walking around, all the houses around here are individual homes with front and backyards. He could be anywhere and this is getting me nowhere, I call my friends in the station and tell them I need help to find my little kitten, we haven't spent a full day together and I already lost him how did that happen.

In just fifteen minutes three police cars were in my neighborhood searching for Toby along with me, we searched the whole place twice before finally one of my partners called saying they find something.

I ran toward where he said he might have found something, up on a tree hanging down was a brown tail, a tail that's moving lazily. I heard calm sniffles but nothing else, the other guy said he tried calling to the kitten but he didn't reply, I stood on the ground and looked up, the kitten was too high up.

"Tobyyy..." I scream but the only reply I heard was sniffles.

The guys told me they'll call the firefighters to come to help us with the kitten, I couldn't wait anymore, I started climbing the tree. How did he reach so far up, as I got closer to him I could hear his cried louder now, I made sure to make him hear my voice so he won't be startled or fall from the fear.

"Toby, daddy is coming to get you" I told him.

"Daddyyy..." I heard Toby crying, just wait until I got him down, I'm going to chain him to the ground.

"Toby give me your hand baby" I say standing underneath the branch he's on, he just shakes his head no and keep hugging the tree trunk.

"Toby give daddy your hand so he can help you down" I say more firmly this time but she still shakes his head no and cries.

Not risking staying up any longer on the unstable branches I took hold of Toby's shirt and dragged him down toward me, instead of hugging the tree trunk he was now clinging to me. His ears were flat on his head, his tail was now circling my waist making sure he's holding tight to me. I climbed the tree down slowly making sure not to shake my already scared baby anymore than he's right now.

"You can open your eyes now baby we're on the ground," I tell him once we made it down but he shook his head no still refusing to let me go.

The rest of the guys came and started cooing at Toby, I wished to introduce him in better circumstances, Toby would have so many uncles and one bad ass aunt in the station, that if he let me go long enough to look at any of the guys.

"Thank you guys, I'll deal with him now" I told my friends since my baby still didn't acknowledge their presence. I carried Toby back home and close the door, and locked it behind me, this would never happen again.

Now to the hard part, punishing Toby, it's in his rules never to leave without me, he got out without a collar even, what if someone decides to kidnap him what if he got lost and couldn't find his way back to me.

I peel him off my chest and set him on his unsteady feet, he looks down crying and avoiding my eyes. I raise his head with my hand so we're standing eye to eye before talking.

"What you did was unaccepted Toby, any other day you would get a spanking" I start and he whines, he hates spanking.

"Just for today since it's your first day alone with me you're getting off the hook," I say.

"You still want me?" he asks and I nod my head yes.

He surprises me with a big hug saying thank you, what did he expect, I'll give him up for misbehaving, that would never happen.