Chapter 12: An Unexpected Encounter

"So luv, why did you do that to me heart?" Jack called over to her as she stirred the pot. "You can't be that hungry!"

"Ah, Jack you broke my cousin's heart back in Tortuga, just call this payback," she replied with a snarl.

"Your cousin?" the pirate replied. "Who is your cousin? I've broke a lot of ladies hearts, it's in me nature, savvy?"

"She slapped you the last time you met!" she answered his question and then reached for a bottle of rum.

"That doesn't narrow it down much luv," he stated as he licked his lips as she took a swig of the rum. "Mind sharing?"

He frowned when she spit her mouthful of rum all over him and began chanting. "That wasn't what I meant luv," he sighed.

The fennec fox hugged the sand cat closely as they watched in relief as the police launch sailed back towards the pier. Both a dejected looking seal and a defiant acting antelope were in pawcuffs next to the little hutia in the tan suit. Two stately looking sea lions in their starched white constable uniforms also kept watch over the prisoners.

"Well I didn't even get a thank you!" Nick Wilde dramatically sighed as the blue uniformed cop joined them by the railings. "I don't think that the Inspector liked me very much."

"The skipper told me that he doesn't care much for foxes," Stone replied as he looked up at the larger fox. "So all this time that I was worried that someone was trying to kill either me or Karen, and it turned out to be just another hustle? It's still hard to believe that it was just a PR stunt!"

"So it seems like it was!" the red fox replied with a small smirk on his face.

"So are you and Judy going home now?" Karen asked.

Nick's smirk turned into a real smile as he looked out towards the island. "Nope, since Carrots and I have been reinstated with back pay I figured it's time we take a week's vacation," he chuckled as he turned to look at his partner. The bunny was busily writing up their report on a laptop and not paying any attention to them. "This might not be Pawaii, but it still has its tropical charms and besides I told your dad that I'd keep you safe."

"Safe from whom?" the smaller fox asked. "The case is closed…right?"

"Well that doesn't mean you are completely out of danger," Nick replied. He had adopted the half-closed eyes and the smirk that he gave before he teased someone. "Who knows there might be a ferocious cat lurking around here and I don't want you to catch cat scratch fever."

"There's no such thing as cat scratch fever…" Karen said before she realized what he meant. "Oh!"

"I'll take my chances," Stone laughed, "I already have a fever for this cat." He pulled Karen closer and kissed her.

"To late to save this poor pup!" the red fox moaned in a mocking tone.

Judy's voice interrupted their conversation. "So Slick what is this about mandatory vacation time that Chief Bogo sent me an e-mail about?" she asked the larger fox as she joined them, her nose was twitching with frustration and her ears drooped behind her head.

Nick smiled down at her before he gently put his digit on her nose to stop the involuntary twitching. "You bunnies must be terrible poker players!" he laughed. "The boss says you need to start using up some of your vacation time that you've accrued, so I figured now would be a good time and here is a perfect place. Sun, sand, seafood and surf, it doesn't get any better than this Fluff."

"I don't have a choice do I?" the rabbit huffed. "We've been out of commission already for too long and I want to really get back to work…"

The fox cut her objections by leaning over and giving her a kiss. At first her ears shot up and she blushed, before she stepped closer in his arms and passionately returned the kiss.

"He's got a bad case of bunny fever," Stone snickered as he winked at Karen. "So are you ready to put your paws back on solid land?"

"I could get used to living on a luxury yacht," the sand cat replied with a grin. "Maybe I'll ask you to buy me one for my birthday."

"I've got a few surfboards and they float, will one of those do?" the small fox asked. He smiled at her and touched his nose to hers. "You do know I'm just a poor surfer and a beach bum?"

"No, you're the sexy surfing fox that I am in love with," she answered before they kissed.

"So is no one going to admit I was right?" Reggie asked as he walked towards them. "I said that it was a PR stunt last night and everyone thought I was just nuts."

"You are nuts!" the fox chuckled. "But you were almost right."

"Almost?" the meerkat cried out. "I was right and you know it! So when do we get off this tub? Everyone has a companion but me, the crew and Mister Rock. Stoney you got Karen, the fox cop has the bunny cop, Cooper's got Billy and the cops just took away the only single female onboard in pawcuffs."

Stone laughed as the meerkat just gave another sigh and walked away.

By the time the water taxi arrived, Nick and Judy had changed out of their uniforms and into casual civilian clothing. The ship's purser had arranged for their luggage to be delivered to the resort, which left them free to enjoy the town's festive waterfront. Stone and Karen held paws as the browsed through the shops and into a vast open air market with all its many stalls of vendors, who offered all kinds of crafts and other goods for sale. In one of the stalls a book caught his eye and he looked it over, Famous Pirates of the Seven Seas was its title and Stone leafed through it. He sat it down and joined Karen while she looked at some overpriced junk jewelry made from Cowrie shells. "These are three times the price as the ones you can buy from Mike's on the Boardwalk," she whispered to the fox. Then she saw a pretty silver shell necklace with an engraving of a bird on it.

He watched as she picked it up and looked it over. "Would you like that?" he asked. Her tail twitched, but she shook her head no and sat it back down. "You're such a liar!"

"It's too expensive!"

He picked the necklace up and looked it over, it really wasn't that expensive. He knew that, like at the Souk or nightly market in Sahara Square, everything for sale in the market was negotiable. He turned to the fat Mongoose behind the cash register. "Say brah, will you take ten for this bracelet?"

"No my friend, that is a prize piece of jewelry which the pretty lady picked out and is cheap at twenty."

"You got this for no more than three bucks! Come on you'll still make seven in the sale."

"I'd go broke, if I started to sell my stuff for so little money!"

Karen chuckled as the fox and the mongoose verbally sparred over the price as she walked over to the book that Stone had picked up. "Twenty for the bracelet and the book," she interjected.

The shopkeeper tried to look offended and then he grinned. "I am always a sucker for pretty girls with green eyes," he laughed as he waved her to the register. She paid him his money and smiled at him as he bagged the book and gently put the necklace around her neck. "A pretty necklace for the pretty lady, may it bring you the luck that you will need."

"Thank you," she replied to the strange thing he had told her.

A few minutes later they caught up with the fox and rabbit, who were sitting at a table in a waterfront café and Stone laughed when he saw Nick had finally got his piña colada to drink. A puff of smoke bellowed out from behind the fox, but the surfer couldn't make out with whom the red fox was talking to. His ears shot up when he heard a familiar deep voice. "Dad?" he called out.

An older fennec fox leaned over into his view and grinned. "There's my boy!" Finnick joyously laughed. "You're still alive despite Wilde!" He put the cigar that he had been smoking down in an ashtray and jumped off the large chair he was sitting on so he could hug both Stone and Karen.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" the younger fox asked. "How did you get here?"

"You didn't think I'd not come running when I heard someone was gunning for my son?" Finn answered as he struggled while pulling a seat out for Karen to sit in. "No one messes with my boy!"

"And I thought my father was an Alpha?" Karen giggled as she climbed into the chair.

Finnick laughed as he climbed back into his chair and picked up the cigar, but then noticing the disapproving look that Stone gave him, he ground it out. "I know, I promised your mother I'd give up smoking," he sighed.

The young fox had climbed up into the oversized seat with Karen and looked over at the older fox. "But you can't come to Saint Sly without sampling the rum and cigars," Stone commented with a smile. "I don't think that mom would mind if you indulged yourself once and a while." The older fox's ears shot up and he smiled as he reached for the cigar.

"You never did answer Stone's question Finn," Judy interjected. "Just how did you get here?"

The fox hesitated from relighting his cigar when he realized that there was now nowhere to blow the smoke since Stone and Karen had joined them at the table. He sighed and put the now extinguished cigar into his off white bowling shirt's pocket. "I flew here on a rickety old seaplane full of live free range chickens!" he laughed.

Nick gave him a smirk before sipping his drink. The red fox wanted to laugh at the look that Judy, the younger fox and the cat were giving Finn. Leaning forward, he just asked, "Baloo?"

"Yeah Papa Bear," Finn answered. "You know that the big guy owed me a favor and since he was making a run down here with the old Sea Duck loaded with chickens, he brought me along to keep them under control."

"So where are you staying," Nick asked as he leaned back. "You can't sleep on a bench in this town."

"Maybe at the resort with my son and Karen?" the older fox replied giving the red fox a wink. "That is if they have any space in their room?"

"I'm sure that there is a sofa in the bungalow you can sleep on," Karen quickly added. "You're more than welcome to share the room." Stone fought to keep his ears from drooping and his tail from curling with thought of his father sleeping in the same room as he and his girlfriend during a trip that was supposed to be romantic getaway.

"He snores," Nick teased.

"No, he's not staying there," Judy cut in. "You two need your privacy and since Slick and I have a suite just down the street at the Royal Inn, Finn can sleep in the den."

"I'm just teasing the pup," Finn laughed. "I already have a small room in town and I already made enough cash yesterday to pay for it too!"

"Finn!" Nick sighed. "How did you do that?"

"The old map scam Red," the smaller fox answered with a grin. "It always works in touristy places."

"What's a map scam?" Stone asked.

"It's when you get your paws on a whole load of free maps and then turn around and sell them to tourists who don't know better," the older fennec fox explained as he pulled out and stuck the unlit cigar back in his mouth.

"You must have had to sell a ton of maps!" Nick said as he shook his head and chuckled.

"Just a few my friend!" Finn replied in a native sing song accent which matched that of the locals. "Day ha've a plenty more…no worries!"

Judy groaned and pulled her ears down over her eyes.

"I've still got a few left rabbit!" Finn added with a laugh. "I usually sell them for three bucks, but I'll give you a discount because you're a cop."

"No thanks," Nick replied.

"Actually, I didn't have to sell that many," Finn continued. "I'm staying in the youth hostel."

"Aren't you too old to do that?" Judy asked.

"The lady who runs it is nearsighted and has never seen a fennec fox before, so she has no idea how old I really am," the older fox replied in a much younger, less deep voice. "I'm just a young pup still in college!"

"Dad, you know that's not right!" Stone laughed.

"Oh like you haven't used that con yourself! I seem to remember a certain fox paying youth prices to get into the movies or a buying a kit's meal when eating out," Karen giggled. "I've seen you play the poor lost puppy gig at time of two too!"

Nick looked over at the now blushing younger fennec fox. "Like father, like son!" he laughed as he picked up his drink and saluted Stone. "A chip off the old block!"

"Shut up Wilde," both of the smaller foxes said together.

"Geeze, it's like stereo!" the red fox chuckled. Judy just rolled her eyes and laughed.