Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the second part of the Season 2 finale of Joy of L'Amour. As always, it's dedicated to my friend Reyu-Chan, and my loyal fans. Happy reading!

Chapter 21: Fears (Part 2)

Pepé cried over his father's body, tears streaming from his face. He then glared at Roman and rushed at him kicking the gun out of his hand then started beating on him.

Raymond looked at the entire scene from several feet away, wondering what he should do. As he did he started thinking about how he started out, and what turned him into what he became. "I don't get it. What am I doing here? Why…? These memories of her… Why am I thinking about her all of a sudden?"

He remembered the sweet smile his ex had, her positive outlook, her smile and her beautiful brown eyes. He started to remember all of the fun moments he had with her.

Raymond was just a young boy of 12 years sitting in the park. He would always serenade to an invisible audience by a large tree everyday and recorded ideas for poetry in a small booklet.

One day, a young girl with long silver hair, and brown eyes looked at him from afar. She watched him sing and write constantly. She admired the passionate eyes he had and the soft light yet also grounded voice he had. It made her heart stir whenever he opened his mouth. However…

"Eww, that annoying skunk is back! Always polluting the park with his stench; why doesn't he take his bad singing elsewhere?" Her sister said.

"Like it or not, he's here Raven. Let's just ignore him and play at the playground okay?"

"Right Sam; c'mon girls, let's get going." Raven replied. Samantha, Raven, and their other sister Tamara followed, leaving their little sister Jasmine alone with the skunk a few feet away.

However instead of following, she went to approach him. Part of her was afraid he'd be like all the other skunks her mother told her about. How they were smelly and would ogle women, going through them like different flavors of ice cream. She went over to see him anyway, hoping that her doubts would be proven wrong.

The skunk, two years her senior noticed her and looked away bitterly. "What do you want? Come to berate me for living?"

"Now that's not very nice. I'm Jasmine." She held out her hand. "Jasmine Wolfe."

"Nice name. Please leave now. You're interrupting my genius." Raymond said coldly.

Jasmine looked down sadly. "You don't have to be rude." She got up to leave, not wanting to further offend him.

Raymond looked at her seeing how deeply she was hurt. "Hold it, uhh… Um…"

"Jasmine."

"Right, sorry. Why did you come over here anyway?"

"I was wondering if I could hear you sing a little." Jasmine asked, putting her hands together pleadingly. "Please."

Raymond decided to tease her a bit. "Nope." He said, sticking his tongue out.

Jasmine pouted. "But why?"

"You've heard me sing enough for today Miss."

Jasmine grabbed his hand. "Sing a song for me." Right when Raymond opened his mouth, she covered it. "No no no! Not yet, I want it to be perfect."

Raymond patted her head. "Seems like a pretty tall order, don't ya think?"

Jasmine giggled a bit, and then pressed her nose against his neck.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?" Raymond said, pushing her back.

"You don't smell like a garbage can to me…" Jasmine smiled.

Raymond blushed a bit. "Uhh, thanks… wait, who says I smell like a garbage can?" He grimaced a bit.

"My sister Rae-Rae, she always talks about how skunks are stinky and per…perv… pervy!" She said, trying to remember the word "perverted".

Raymond giggled. "Well, we skunks try to be gentlemen little lady." He said trying to fake a French accent.

"Raymond, where are you?" His mother called out. "There you are… time to go." She was a tall one about 5'9, with curvy features, and had white hair and green eyes like Raymond. She glared at the wolf girl a bit, showing disapproval of them hanging together but tried not to show it for the sake of being a good person and walked away. "Excuse us dear." She said to Jasmine.

"Bye bye Ray." She said waving sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"

"Sure, don't worry. I'll be back!" He said, raising his thumb.

However, he was restricted from going back to the park, for his mother Marissa knew that little Jasmine would be there. Nevertheless, he would sneak out and keep going back, and Jasmine would sit by the tree, talking and laughing. He was the only joy she had since she would have to go home to her authoritarian mother; and their love, albeit in secrecy, would only grow the more time they spent together… or so they thought.

He smiled a bit then remembered Naomi and Michael being together. "I have to wonder. Had I not ran… had we had ran away together… could we have worked out? Jazz and I… Could we have been like that Le Pew guy and his wife, and Naomi and Michael? Did I give up too easily?" He asked himself. He then walked toward the crime scene thinking of the life Jasmine and he could've had. "Had I not become angry and used women for pleasure... had I tried harder to be with who I loved… could I have won her back? Le Pew, Michael… what would you guys have done if you were me?" He then ran to one of the trucks and opened the hood. "I'm doing this for you Wolfe, better be grateful." He said shutting it back.

Weston looked back and saw Raymond in the distance. "Hey! What are you doing here?" He growled. "Arrest him! He's one of Roman's guys."

"Hey! Calm down! Hear me out! I'll help you guys take down Roman!" Raymond said, slipping something under the truck.

"That's bull-!" Weston barked.

"Wait a minute Chief." One of the officers said. "Why help us? What do you want?"

"I'm helping because I've finally understood him now. Why he went so far to protect Naomi… I'll give you a deal. You give me a passport back to the United States and pardon for my crimes, and you can rest assured Roman will be in US custody."

"Why should we grant you leeway like that? Huh?! You'll probably just be back out there like every other crook!" Weston said grabbing the skunk by his shirt.

"Do you want Roman stopped or not?!" Raymond shouted. "Believe me! Trafficking for sex wasn't my intention either! All I want to do is put this mess behind me and move on! If you can't grant me pardon, if I must go to jail, fine! But I'm sure you don't want to see an innocent newborn die! Either you let me help or they're all dead anyway!"

Weston growled angrily clenching his fists. "Fine… do what you have to do! We'll grant your wish, but if I ever see you again, your butt is mine skunky!"

Raymond smirked a bit and ran inside.

Roman then went for the gun but Pepé jumped on his back, locking his arms behind him. "Get off of me!"

"Never!" Pepé then climbed on top of him and sprayed him in his face.

Roman yelped holding his face. "You little—!"

Pepé landed on his feet and grabbed the gun. "Now!"

Michael and the others rushed in and subdued Roman by pinning him down.

Bugs meanwhile made it to the scaffolding and seen the mess. "Daff, looks like the others have Roman! Chief, Pepé and the others have Roman!"

Weston smirked. "That's good! Way to go rabbit. Well Raymond, looks like your services aren't needed after all." He then noticed Raymond was gone. "What the heck?!"

Raymond got to the announcement table. "Let Roman go Pepé! It's over now!" He placed his smartphone on the table setting a timer. "I've placed a bomb in the bottom basement of the hospital. Let Roman go or I'll blow this place sky high!"

"What?! Why that backstabbing little-!" Weston growled.

Bugs growled. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Aww great, as if we didn't have enough problems!" Daffy grumbled. "Send a squad down to the basement now!"

"Roger! You heard the mallard! Go go go!" The officers shouted.

Pepé gasped. "A bomb?! Sacrebleu!"

Roman chuckled. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, partner! I'm sorry I thought you betrayed me."

"Sure, we're partners right?" Raymond smirked.

"Drop the gun Le Pew!" Roman said. "You don't have the gall to take life."

Pepé growled and pointed it at him. He then looked at the baby crying as Penelope held her.

"Your choice, Daddy."

Michael growled and tightened his grip around Roman's neck. "Shut up! If he doesn't kill you, then I might!"

Roman chuckled. "Go ahead. Kill me! Like the rest of your kind does!"

"You—!"

"Wait, I'll go with you!" Naomi said.

"Naomi no! Don't do that!" Pepé shouted.

"Quiet Pepé! I'll be fine. Michael, please just let him go!"

Michael thought it over and let him go. Roman then kicked him in the stomach and grabbed the gun. "No!"

Roman chuckled and shot Pepé in the chest. "Buenas noches dulce príncipe! (Good night sweet prince!)"

Pepé gasped and passed out.

"No!" David shouted, trying to get up but was in far too much pain from the gunshot. "Pepé!"

Vivian gasped trying to keep pressure on David's wound. "No David don't move! You'll only make it worse!"

"Pepé!" Penelope screamed, as she teared up.

Roman grabbed Naomi by her hair and flung her over his shoulder. "Sorry about this dear but it's time to go!" He punched Cassidy in the jaw as he ran by. "Move tramp!"

Cassidy wiped her mouth. "Naomi!"

"Check on Pepé! Please sis!" Naomi shouted.

Cassidy nodded and ran to the room where Alphonse was bleeding, and Pepé appeared out cold. "Oh crap!"

Meanwhile the officers and paramedics stormed in to tend to the dead and the injured. Some of them raced into the room and went to see if the mother was alright.

"Don't worry about me! Check on the boys!" Penelope hissed.

David and Alphonse were rushed off directly to the ER, with Charlene following them. Meanwhile, the others went to check on Penelope and the baby. "Never mind me, is my Pepé alright?

Pepé smirked and stood up slowly. "Surprisingly yeah!" He opened his shirt showing a bullet-proof vest. "Thanks to Bugs Bunny!"

Penelope smiled crying happily. "Oh thank goodness you aren't dead!"

Pepé grunted. "Worst injury I've gotten today is a busted knee, but I'll live I think."

Cassidy smiled and sighed then went to check on Michael. "You okay there?"

Michael smiled and looked at her. "Yeah I'm fine! Where's Naomi?"

"Hopefully I can still get to her! Wait here with Pep and Pen!" She said running out.

Meanwhile Daffy and the others ran to the basement where the bomb was said to be. "Wait, I don't see anything here! Bugs there's no bomb here!"

"What?! Raymond's what's going on here?!" Bugs yelled.

Raymond saw Roman run by, then smirked. "Sorry bud."

Roman then ran out of the hospital but got cornered by SWAT and police with their guns drawn. "Not so fast, I have a hostage! Let me through or I'll kill her. I can kill her faster than you can pull your trigger Americans! Lower your weapons!"

The forces had no choice but to let him pass for now. They cleared a path for the two. Weston growled at Raymond through the radio. "You traitorous—I should tar and feather you for this!"

"Shut up and watch the show! You may learn something about me! Remember when I mentioned I had a bomb at the basement of the hospital? Well I kind of lied about that."

Roman ran to one of the armored trucks and threw her in the back. "Don't worry, the ride will be short and sweet!" He then slammed the door and climbed in the driver's seat, laughing. "Rats! My plan may have failed, but I still have you! I'll get my revenge on the US police force yet!" He then started the engine but the car would not start. "Oh come on! What the—come on!" He kept trying to turn it, and eventually it started. "There we go!"

However, just as he pulled off, Raymond's timer hit zero and the truck was covered in a yellow paste-like goop. "There we go!"

"What the heck is that?" Roman asked as he sniffed it. "Applesauce?!"

Raymond laughed. "Yep! My homemade applesauce bomb worked like a charm! I knew minoring in chemistry would pay off someday!"

"Raymond, you double crosser! Why?!" Roman said as he was arrested by the feds.

"Roman you are under arrest, you have the right—."

"To remain silent! Anything—blah blah blah! I know the rest!" Roman griped.

Weston smirked. "Good, now for Raymond…" Suddenly a phone rang, it was a call from Weston's boss. "Yes! Oh, yes sir! What?! You want me to—but sir!" He growled. "Fine! Grrrrrrrr! Darn, I hate US policy!

Naomi jumped out of the truck and met with Cassidy who hugged her.

Meanwhile Raymond checked the camera to see that Pepé and Michael were banged up but otherwise alive. "Thank goodness." He then started laughing. "I can't believe I just said that. Those two couples. They're something else!" He then stopped laughing as the cops stormed in with guns drawn. "Whoa! Easy!"

Weston walked in as they cleared a line. "Ahem… Raymond, I talked to my boss, and it seems that due to your efforts in helping us stop Roman Costello, your jail time has been lessened severely. We will still have to process you and you still must serve time for your role in the crimes but you've been granted pardon for your participation in the crime."

Raymond smiled. "Well now, this is amazing." He got handcuffs put on him. "Maybe someday, I'll get another chance to see her again… who knows? I may just be able to start over…" He then got put into a squad car.

Pepé looked out the window as his knee was being taped and smiled as he saw Raymond, who smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Pepé tilted his head a bit confused, then chuckled a bit.

"Pepé what's so funny?" Penelope asked as she was breastfeeding the baby.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing." Pepé then looked back as Raymond's squad car drove off. "So, you helped us in the end after all. Thank you Monsieur."

David looked over at Vivian who held his hand as the surgeon went to fish the bullet fragments out of his stomach. He smiled a bit. "I'll be alright."

Charlene cried a bit on Alphonse who hadn't woken up at all and was in fact being operated on in hopes he could be saved. However, his heart had stopped beating as he had lost too much blood. "Alphonse…"

Bugs walked into Pepé and Penelope's room. "Hey."

"Seems like this whole mess is finally over with huh? Guess we can all rest peacefully." Pepé said, as he started eating some yogurt.

"Not yet Pep. We have a problem. Your father's on the verge of dying. His heart stopped while they were operating."

Pepé gasped. "No way!" He said, dropping the yogurt.

David looked at Alphonse through the window. "Dear Lord… this can't be happening!"

To Be Continued…

I'm just terrible aren't I? Like I said, I was planning on finishing this up in June and I will. As to whether or not there will be a third season, or a spinoff of this remains to be seen. I may go on hiatus from this story indefinitely since I find it very difficult to keep writing. There will be a next chapter this month, but after that, I don't know. Stay tuned for the last chapter (for real this time) of Joy of L'Amour!