Chapter Nine: A Butt-Kicking Mommy
A/N: I SWEAR! I meant for this to be the final chapter! But the Targoat scene took much longer than anticipated. I keep trying to wrap this up, but the scenes always end up longer than what I play in my head. I promise that the next chapter will be the last (not counting epilogues) even if I have to go to 8,000 words or more.
On the plus side, I re-wrote the ending and gave Vivian her own turn to shine.
For those of you wondering about "the cold night in the van", you'll get all the details in this chapter.
"Ball Doll" Is loosely based on the popular L.O.L. dolls the little girls are buying nowadays.
Dinner ended and everyone had gone to bed. Morning came and Greg was jolted out of the top of his new bunk bed by his sister, "GREG! GREG!"
The little bunny fell out of bed. "AAAH! Penny! What's wrong with you?!"
The little fox girl's tail was wagging rapidly. "No nightmare!" She grabbed onto Greg and squeezed him. "No nightmare! No nightmare!"
"Okay! Okay! I didn't have one last night either, but you don't see me freaking out about it."
Penny then ran into her parent's room. "Daddy! Tooty!"
Judy sat up in bed. "I'm still 'Tooty'."
"Better than 'Stinky-Butt'," Nick replied. "What's up, little pup?"
"No nightmare!" Penny shouted excitedly.
"Well, that's great, sweetie! Do you have them often?"
"Evey night."
Nick and Judy's ears drooped upon hearing that news. "Every… night?"
"Uh-hunh."
"When was the last time you went without a nightmare like last night?" Judy asked.
"Ummmm…. I dunno."
"A few weeks?" Nick asked.
"I fink since… Mommy and Daddy died."
"That was almost a year ago! You've had a nightmare every night since then?!"
"Yeah."
Judy was crying and instinctively hugged Penny. "My poor baby!" To her surprise, Penny didn't pull away. She hugged back.
Greg climbed the bed and ran over to hug Penny along with Nick and Judy. "The way she woke me up the other night was so scary. If she woke up screaming like that every night, I… " He held his sister close.
The four of them hugged each other for a quiet moment, then Penny interrupted it. "I haff to pee."
They all spread out a bit and Nick spoke up. "Greg, help your sister down the stairs. It's still early, so I'll go downstairs and make breakfast."
Greg and Penny left while Nick and Judy had a little chat as they got up to get dressed. "I'll help her wipe," Judy replied.
Nick sighed. "I can't believe she's been having nightmares for that long!"
"Yeah," Judy replied. She then smiled. "She hugged me back! We're finally getting closer." Nick just turned away from Judy and growled. This confused her. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?! She's having nightmares and all you care about is her connection to you?!"
"Of course I care about her! I didn't know her trauma was that severe, but she didn't communicate or pushed herself away! Only now, she's close to everyone but me! How can I help her if she won't let me?!"
"By letting her come to you when she's ready!"
"Easy to say by someone who made a connection with her right away."
"And what about Greg? You and Finn already got him scared to death over his first day at school."
"He needs to be prepared. He needs to build his confidence so when Gideo-..."
Judy stopped herself in her tracks. Nick looked at her with disappointment. "Thought we were talking about Greg."
"Yeah, well... this is my point! These things can stick with you for a long ti-"
The argument was cut short by Greg yelling from downstairs "Mooom! Penny pounced me and then peed herself!"
Judy shouted back. "I'll be right down! She shouldn't be pouncing on a full bladder!"
Nick chuckled. "News flash! Pouncing Penny pees pants."
"I'll go help her change…. Nick, I'm trying my best. I swear!"
"I know hon-bun. I'm just frustrated right now, that's all. I'm sorry. See you at the breakfast table."
Nick headed downstairs and started making pancakes. Greg did his best to help. Meanwhile, Judy helped Penny wipe and change into new clothes, but the fox toddler was pretty insistent that she could do it herself, so Judy only helped when asked. Eventually, everyone made their way into the kitchen and Vivian was surprised to see her son cooking. "Nick! You got started without me!"
Nick kissed his mother on the cheek. "Hey now, you deserve a little rest now and again. Pull yourself up a chair."
"Pa-cake! Pa-cake!" Penny yelled.
"Just a moment, Sweetie! Looks like the days of 'I'm not hungry' may be over."
The phone rang and Vivian picked it up. "Hello?"
The bunny on the other line was nervous. "H-Hi! I'm Stacy Longears from the Bunnyburrow orphanage. I just called to check up on the children. I don't suppose Judy Hopps is there, is she?"
"She's right here. But it's Judy Wilde now."
"OH! Right, right. Silly me!"
Vivian gave the phone over to Judy. "Hey, Stacy! How're things?"
The bunny almost swooned. "She remembered my name! C-Could I get you on video chat? I'd like to see how the children are doing and if I'm being honest, see your beautiful face."
"Ha-Ha! Sure. But try not to be too flirty. My husband's right here too."
"Sorry! Sorry. I should be a bit more professional. May I see the children? It's important that I check up on them."
"Sure thing." Judy aimed the phone over at the little bunny. "That's Greg of course. Greg! Say hi to Stacy!"
Greg looked over. "Hi, Sister Stac-"
He was instantly interrupted by Penny shoving her face on the phone. She was trying to talk with a mouth full of food. "Hi Fifter 'Tacy! Hi!"
Stacy was absolutely stunned at the little girl before her. "... Penny?!"
Penny swallowed her food. "I having pancakes! Daddy made them!"
"I-I can't believe this! Your eating voluntarily?!"
"I miff you!"
"Awww! I miss you too. Are they treating you well?"
"Oh yeah! I love my new daddy and I haff Greg to pounce on and...and I love gamma and gampa too!... Tooty's nice."
"Well, Judy's your mother now and one of the greatest people I know, so you be nice to her. Okay?"
"... 'Kay."
"I'm in shock! That's not the same little girl who left this orphanage three days ago!"
Nick joked. "Uh-Oh! Did we get the wrong one? Looks like we'll have to take her back."
"NOO!" Penny shouted.
"I'm just teasing, Princess. We've all helped Penny with her trauma. Especially Finnick."
"Finnick? Is that 'Baby Grandpa' I saw on the internet yesterday?"
"The one and only."
"Well, he's amazing!"
This made Finnick smile. "This gal's got good taste."
"All four of you did more for her than this orphanage ever could. I KNEW I made the right choice in letting you adopt her and Greg!"
Judy took the phone over. "Well, I imagine with over twelve hundred children at the orphanage, she just didn't get the attention she needed."
"Sadly, no. It's true. She still has her therapist to see next week, but her change is astounding. You and Nick really are just… the best!"
"Thanks. Hey! Maybe if you're not doing anything this weekend, you can come to visit and hang out with us?"
Stacy was surprised. "Me?! Really?!"
"Well sure, we're friends now, right?"
"I'm….. friends….with Judy HoaaaAAAH! THUD!"
"Stacy?... Stacy!"
Nick tapped Judy on the shoulder. "I think your Stan fainted again."
"I'll make arrangements with her once she wakes up."
Nick's mother was curious. "What's a Stan?"
Nick explained. "It's an internet term for an obsessed fan. It's based off a song by the famous rapper, M&M about an obsessed fan who keeps writing him letters, but M&M takes too long to respond and the guy goes crazy and kills himself and his family."
"...Sorry I asked."
Judy chuckled. "Well, I'm sure Stacy's not THAT crazy. By the way, I need to go shopping later. I had to change Penny and I noticed that the kids are pretty low on clothes."
"Okay! We can go over to Targoat. You wanna come, honey?"
Finnick shrugged his shoulders. "Nah. Me and Nick are gonna set up the camera down in the basement and try my new show out."
"What's 'da fo?" Penny asked while chewing on some pancakes.
"It's an art class show." Nick replied. "Finnick will be painting while I film him on camera live. During the show, people can make auctions for the painting he's making."
"I love it!" Vivian replied. "You don't have to lug around your easel everywhere and you'll be home if I need you. You may even get internet famous!"
Finnick chuckled. "I think I already am with that 'Baby Grandpa' bit."
Nick joked. "Maybe you should paint with the baby elephant outfit on."
"Maybe I should knock you into the middle of next week!"
"Anyway, we'll do a trial run today and see how it goes."
Vivian drove Finnick's van with Judy and the kids to Targoat. Judy put the comfort mask on Penny to keep her from panicking in the car and the little fox did well. Meanwhile, Nick and Finnick went down to the basement to set up for the streaming event.
Nick sees Finnick's Venus painting of Vivan against the wall again. "Can ummm… can you cover that? Not that I care personally, I'm… Y'know thinking of the kids."
Finnick chuckled. "It's making you unsheath a little, isn't it?"
"NO! It's just…. My Mom doesn't even have a figure like that!"
Finick decides to be nice and cover the painting up. "Okay, okay. Don't want you fantasizing about my woman in bed anyway."
"HA! You probably fantasize about me when you're with her."
"Excuse me?!"
"That cold night in the van?"
Finnick was getting furious. "I told you a million times, don't bring that up! It never happened!"
"You kissed me."
"I was drunk!"
"You had your tiny tongue halfway down my throat, which is an amazing feat considering the difference in our muzzle size and you were starting to feel me up before I pushed you away."
"Shut up! It never happened!"
"I already forgave you! I just wanna know why!"
Finnick calmed down and started to set up the easel. "There were a lot of factors."
"Go on."
"I had a hot date that night. I was waiting at the bar and had a few drinks in me. I saw her come in. She was gorgeous. She took one look at me… and laughed."
Nick's ears drooped. "She laughed?"
"Right in my face. She then turned around and left before I could get a word out. I just ended up drinking myself into a stupor. By the time I got back to the van, I was freezing. We weren't using the heater at the time because we were in a garage."
"I remember. Yeah, asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning wouldn't be too good for our health."
"You were already in your sleepwear and trying to sleep in the back. It was a very cold winter. You didn't get your winter coat trimmed and I did. You saw me shivering and offered to have me snuggle with you. I was trying to be all manly at first and refuse, but I was so damn cold. Cold and hurt. I finally gave in. You were so warm. Warm and comforting. Loving. You were always better to me than I was to you because of my damn pride. I was drunk, hurt, cold and you were warm. Something just took over me and in that one moment, I just…. I'm not gay!"
"I know."
"... And it took you like, ten seconds to finally push away!"
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? You're a good kisser."
They both laughed. "I was always jealous of your family."
"Really?"
"Despite your fights, your family was very loving. Mine was always fighting and hurting each other. That's why I left them as soon as I could. Part of me always wished it could be part of your family. To have the love you guys had. Maybe that's why I love your mother so much and maybe that's why…. "
"... Yeah."
"Can we stop talking about it?"
Nick smirked. "About what?"
Finnick smiled. "Exactly. Check my viewership numbers on the 'Baby Grandpa' video, will ya?"
Nick checked. "They've doubled since yesterday."
"Hot damn! Looks like I don't have to worry about finances for a while after marrying your mom."
"Looks like. So who's the better kisser? Me or mom?"
"I told you to stop talking about that!"
Meanwhile…
Judy and Vivian were shopping in the Targoat store with the kids sitting in the cart. Greg had Mr. Jingles in his lap. "Well, we got Greg's school supplies," Judy said. "Where should we head to next?"
"Toys! Toys!" shouted Penny.
"We're not here for toys Penny."
"I rich!"
Greg agreed. "She's got twenty bucks thanks to me being desperate to get Mr. Jingles back."
Judy gave in "Well if you're buying, I guess there's no harm."
"There's also no harm in buying a toy for your big brother, Penny."
"No way!" Penny shouted.
"Not even in the clearance aisle?"
"It's her money," Vivian argued.
They went down the girls' toy aisle and Penny spotted what she wanted right away. "Ball doll! Ball doll!"
"What's a 'Ball doll'?" Judy asked.
Greg answered. "It's these small dolls that come in a ball with some accessories. "They're really popular with girls, but they're random so they might get the same toy."
"Sounds like baseball cards, only more expensive." Judy looked at one of the balls. "$12 for this?!"
Penny kept pointing at the shelf. "Ball doll! Ball doll!"
"Alright! Alright! You don't quite have enough for two, but I'll make up the difference. Which ones do you want?"
Greg raised his voice. "Hey! If you're paying extra on her stuff, then you gotta buy something for me too! It's only fair!"
"Fine! What do you want Penny? They have girl dolls, boy dolls, and pet dolls."
Penny looked up on the shelf and saw all the little, plastic balls and one giant one on the top shelf. She pointed at it. "Want big one!"
Vivian picked it up. " It's a variety pack with six dolls. It's sixty dollars!"
Judy shook her head. "I can't afford that, honey. Pick two of the small ones."
Penny, being a three-year-old could not comprehend why she couldn't have the big one, decided to throw a tantrum. "NO! Want big ball!"
"It's sixty dollars! You only have twenty! I'm paying extra as-is!"
Like most toddlers, Penny reacted by kicking her feet in the cart and screaming. "EEEEEEE! I WANT BIG BALL DOLL!"
Judy was getting very upset with her. "Well, you can't have it! Pick two small ones or we're leaving!"
"BIG BALL DOOOLLLL! AAAAAHH!"
"That's it! You get nothing! We're going to look at clothes."
Judy pushed the cart away with Penny kicking and screaming and having a huge tantrum. Vivian spoke up. "Would you like me to get two of the small ones for her?"
"No! She's got to learn not to throw tantrums in the store and that she can't always have what she wants!"
Greg spoke up. "I just wanna go on record that I have been nice and quiet and I love you without the need for material goods."
"Thank you, Greg."
"And if you ever wish to reward me for such good behavior, my favorite toys are 'Star Boars' and my favorite candy is jelly beans."
Greg watched Penny kick and scream. He put his arm around her. "Penny, Penny! Throwing a tantrum isn't going to get you anywhere. You gotta play it smart."
Penny wiped some tears and looked at him. " 'Pway smart'?"
"Yeah! Go for the financial part of their brain. Tell them it's a rare collector's edition. However, this can backfire and the toy you want winds up in a closet to collect monetary value. Also, instead of crying and stamping your feet, just look sad all day. Like this." The bunny whipped up some fake tears and started to sniffle. "SNIFF! It's okay if we don't go to the clearance aisle. I guess I haven't been a good enough boy for even a half-price toy."
This worked on Vivian. She picked up the bunny and cuddled him. "I'm sorry baby! We totally forgot! We'll go by on the way out okay?"
Greg wiped a fake tear. "SNIFF! Okay." He looked back at Penny and gave her the thumbs up.
Penny was impressed. "Oooh. He good."
They walked over to the boys' and girls' clothing department. Judy and Vivian started to pick out shirts for Greg. Judy picked one up. "Oooh! How about this one, Greg? It says 'Teacher's Pet'."
"Are you trying to get me killed?!"
"Okay, okay. You need something tougher. How about this one? 'Mommy's little devil'."
"I'm gonna be massacred at school!"
While Vivian was holding Greg and Judy was looking over clothes, they momentarily had their backs turned to Penny. The fox toddler took the opportunity to sneak out of the shopping cart. She climbed out of the side and quickly ran away to go back to the toy department. "Ball doll! Ball doll!" she said as she ran. The cub had a plan. A very bad plan, but she's only three years old so you'll have to forgive her. She planned to get the giant Ball doll set and sneak it underneath the other merchandise in the hopes it will get purchased without Judy noticing.
She was a little lost, but finally found the girls' toy aisle. She ran over to the Ball dolls, but she was too small to reach the giant set on the top shelf. "Do you need some help?" said a strange voice from behind. It was a scraggly-looking coyote.
Penny pointed at the top shelf. "Big Ball doll!"
The wolf took it off the shelf and handed it to Penny. "Here you go, pretty thing. So ummm..where are your parents?"
"Gamma and Tooty are fopping clothes."
"Well, that's far from here. Why don't I take you over to them?"
Penny backed off a little. She felt something was off. "You 'tranger."
"Oh, no. No. I umm….work here. I'm just got off work. It's a big store. I just wanna make sure you don't get lost okay?"
The coyote finally lured her in. ' 'Kay."
The coyote took her by the paw and pulled her in the opposite direction of the clothing area and towards the exit.
Meanwhile, Judy finally picked a shirt for Greg. "Okay. I guess you can have the 'Homework Stinks' shirt. Just don't tell your teacher I got it for you okay?"
Vivian looked over at the shopping cart. "Where's Penny?!"
Judy couldn't see her either. "Oh my gosh!" She started shouting for the fox. "Penny! PENNY!"
Penny could hear her mother shouting for her. "Tooty?" She looked up at the coyote. "Wrong way!" She pointed in the opposite direction they were walking in. "Tooty 'dat way!"
The coyote knocked the Ball Doll toy our of her paw and picked her up. He started to walk faster. "You're coming with me!"
"NO! GAMMA! GWEG! TOOTY!"
"Shut up, kid!"
Both Greg and Judy heard her shouting. "Greg! I normally don't want you doing this, but jump up on top of the risers and get a good look around! Find your sister!"
"On it!" Greg said. He leaped up on top of some jewelry shelves and knocked over some overstock to look around. He found her. "She's near the exit! Some coyote's got her! I'm gonna stop him!" Greg jumped head and ran across the light fixtures.
"Greg, no!" Judy shouted as she watched Greg leap onto other risers and swing from light fixtures. "I wish he was afraid of heights. Hurry mom! We gotta cut this guy off!"
Vivian was already running on all fours towards the exit. The coyote was now struggling with Penny. "Stop kicking! I'm almost at the door!"
"Lemme go!" Penny shouted. "You not my daddy!"
"I can be. Let me drive you home. You can sit on my lap! It'll be fun."
Before he could get to the door, he was kicked in the head from Greg above him. "That's how you pounce! Paws off my sister, creep!"
The coyote smacked Greg hard to the ground. "You little sh*#! I'll kill you!" The coyote stood over Greg. Fangs and claws bared. Greg was scared out of his mind.
The coyote snarled as he picked up Greg by his shirt. His long claws ripping the fabric. "You think I'm gonna let some tiny bunny stop m-" A tiny bunny did stop him as he was hit with a strong kick to the jaw by Judy. She hit him so hard, fangs went flying out of his mouth.
"Don't you touch my kids!" she shouted as she tore into the coyote. She shouted to Vivian. "Mom! Get the kids! I'm gonna teach this bastard a lesson!"
Vivian grabbed Penny and Greg. Penny watched Judy brutally beat on the coyote. The coyote tried to run away, but Judy grabbed him by the tail and tossed him over her head, slamming him to the floor again and again by his tail. "You messed with the wrong mama!"
The coyote couldn't believe it. "Bunnies aren't supposed to be this strong!"
Penny was amazed. "Wow! Stinky-butt mommy is kick-butt mommy!"
Blinded with fury. Judy pinned the coyote down and landed punches on his face. "Do you know what she's #$&ing been through?! The trauma she's suffered, you %$# ?! She was just getting better and now you come along you $#% ing bastard!"
Greg heard the profanity pouring forth from Judy. "Oh wow! I gotta remember some of those. Grandma? What's a %$# ?"
"Shut up Greg," Vivian responded.
By this time, the coyote was missing half of his fangs and had two black eyes. "Mercy! Please! Someone get her off of me!"
Finally, Targoat security came along and pulled Judy off of the coyote. "I couldn't have picked a worse time for a lunch break."
Judy shouted at the guard. "Where were you when this monster was trying to take off with my little girl?! I'm a cop! I'm pressing charges on him and why have you not sent anyone over to hardware to get some zip-ties so we can cuff him?!"
The guard shouted at an employee. "Store use some zip-ties! Now! We got him from here ma'am."
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere until the police come and I help them with a report." Judy then ran over and took her children from Vivian. "Oh, my poor babies! Are you okay?!"
Greg cried in her arms. "I was so scarrred! He hurt me!"
"I'm so sorry baby! He can't hurt you anymore."
Penny looked like she was actually happy. "You kick his butt, Mommy!"
Judy was shocked at what she said. "Wh-What did you call me?"
"Mommy. You my Mommy, right?"
Judy hugged her close. Tears running down her face. "Of course I am! Oh, Penny! You don't know how much I've been wanting to hear that! I should have never left your sight!"
"It okay Mommy. You are wike a 'tooperhero!"
"Hee!-Hee! Thank you. You know what? You can have the Big pack of Ball dolls."
"Reawwy?!"
"Yeah." Judy then kissed Greg on the forehead. "And we'll get you a toy too, Greg…..Greg."
Judy saw that the little bunny was shaking and looking over at the beat-up coyote. She stroked his head. "It's over now. I promise. Y'know… you were the big hero this time."
"Really?"
"Yeah. If you hadn't attacked him, he would have been out the door and we might have been too late. You really are a great big brother."
Greg smiled. "Yeah! Sooo… Can I have a Nine-Ten-Doe?"
"I don't know what that is, but… sure!"
"Awesome!"
Vivian gave the three of them a hug and kissed Judy on the cheek. "What was that for?" Judy asked."
"Well, you're not the only one who's happy her daughter is calling her 'Mom' now."
"...I did that?"
"Twice. Without even thinking. Thank you."
"Well…. You deserve it. Mom."
Vivian took the kids to the small cafe' while Judy waited by the coyote for the police to arrive. In the meantime, she called Nick. "Hey, Honey."
"What's up, Fluff?"
"We just had a big scare. Penny was having a tantrum because we wouldn't buy a large 6-pack of these dolls and…"
"I thought she had her own money?"
"She does, and the Ball dolls are about $13 individually and I was willing to make up the difference for two, but she wanted the $60 set and wouldn't let me talk her into the two dolls. Anyway, we went over to the children's clothes to shop and.. And… Nick, I swear! I only had my eyes off of her for a second!"
"She sneaked away, didn't she?"
"Yes. She went right back to that damn toy and this wolf came by and… and he tried to kidnap her!"
"...WHAT?!"
Judy told Nick the rest of what happened. The fox was getting more and more furious. A snarl came across his face. "I'll kill him!"
"Calm down honey. I almost killed him myself. He was begging for mercy when I was done with him. I'm waiting for the other officers to show up and I'll give them a full report. Nick, I'm so sorry. I never should have taken my eyes off of her!"
"It happens, Carrots. Mom can tell you a dozen stories where I took off on her, I'm sure. How are the kids holding up?"
"Surprisingly, Penny's doing great. She watched me beat up the coyote and is now calling me 'Mommy' and thinks I'm a superhero."
"I'm so happy she wasn't further traumatized. How's Greg doing?"
"Worse for wear I'm afraid. The coyote hit him and scared the heck out of the poor boy. He's already got worries about school and now this. But you know what? He was a real hero to his sister. He didn't listen to me and ran headfirst into danger. If he hadn't distracted that coyote, he might have gotten out the door. I'm rewarding him with some toy called a 'Nine-ten-doe'."
"A Nine-ten-doe Snitch?! Awesome! I haven't had a video game console in years!"
"Wait… It's a video game console?"
"Yeah. It costs three-hundred bucks."
"WHAT?! I can't afford that!"
"You already promised it to him and he needs something to get over his trauma. The whole family can enjoy it. Ooh! Get the Super Smash Litter pack and an extra pair of Joycons so all of us can play together."
"Oh, great. Now he'll want extra games for it. This is gonna cost me a fortune!"
"There are some free-to-play games on the digital store. If he starts playing Fartnite and Minecrap, he'll have something to talk about with the other kids."
"So… this 'Nine-ten-doe' will help with his social skills at school?"
"Definitely won't hurt."
"Well, at least there's an upside. I gotta go. The police just arrived."
"Okay, Hun-bun. Though you might want to tell them that you detained the suspect after he fought back. I don't want you accused of police brutality."
"Right. I'll see you at home. I love you."
"Love you too, Carrots."
Judy talked to the police officers and showed them her badge. They recognized her right away. After helping them with a report and pressing charges, she rejoined Vivian and the kids at the cafe'. Greg was holding onto Mr. Jingles very tightly. Judy came over and rubbed his head. "Are you gonna be okay?"
"I-I guess," he said timidly.
"Well, that bad man's going away for a long time. I talked to your father and we agreed that you can have the Nine-Ten-Doe."
His ears shot straight up. "Really?! Awesome!"
"But once you start school, you won't be touching it until your homework's done. Understand?"
"Okay, Mom."
Judy then turned to Penny. "And you, little girl. While I'm very happy you're calling me Mommy now, I'm very upset with you! What were you thinking?! Getting out of the cart and running away from us?! That coyote could have done horrible things to you!"
Penny bowed her head in shame. "I'm 'towwy."
"I know you're very young, but you should know better than to talk to strangers!"
"He towed me he work here!"
"Oh… Well if you ever get lost again, look for someone you can trust. Like an employee in his uniform with a name badge. And if you're lost outside of the store, look for a policeman or someone in uniform."
Vivian was a bit upset. "I still can't believe that security was so lax!"
"Seems like they only have one guy and he was on break."
"That's terrible! You should sue."
"These corporations have the best lawyers and I couldn't possibly afford my own attorney."
They were then approached by an employee from the store. "Hello, I'm the store manager at this Targoat. I am SO sorry for what happened here."
Judy looked at him with rage. "You should be sorry! If I wasn't a strong cop, he could have gotten away! Where was security?!"
"Our other security guard called out sick. We've been seeing that man in our store before, acting all suspicious, but we followed him and assumed he might be a shoplifter, but we never saw him steal anything. We had no idea that he was a child predator! I talked to our home office and if you can keep this whole affair from going to the press, we would like to compensate you."
"You can't buy my silence!"
"We'll give you a one thousand dollar gift card."
Judy's ears shot straight up and her foot began to stomp frantically in excitement. "Holy Moley! I stand corrected. You CAN buy my silence! We'll take it."
Judy signed a non-disclosure agreement and took the card. The manager seemed happy and Judy went back to a good mood. "Alright, kids! Looks like we're gonna have ourselves a shopping spree!"
As the manager was leaving, Vivian tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"I noticed on my daughter-in-law's document that she only signed for herself. I, however, haven't signed anything."
"Oh! Ummm… well… It was meant for both of you."
"If that was the case, I would have co-signed. Which means I am free to say whatever I'd like." Vivian gave the manager a cheeky smirk.
The manager was upset but at her mercy. "Fine! I'll give you a thousand-dollar gift card too. But I expect the kid's silence as well."
"Children can't sign legal documents, but I'll make sure they stay quiet. Oh, and my silence costs FIVE thousand. Not one."
"WHAT?! That's outrageous! I only had to pay her a thousand!"
"I'm a Wilde. We never take the first offer."
Fuming, the manager thought over it. "Home office is gonna kill me. Two thousand."
"Are you kidding me?! Four."
"Three….. and a half!"
"Well…. "
"Please! I'll lose my job if I go any higher!"
"I guess that'll be fine."
The manager breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you! I'll go get another waiver."
Vivian gave Judy a smug look. "And that's how you do it."
Greg ran over to his grandmother and jumped into her arms, crying. "That was amazing! I'm so happy I'm in this family!"
Vivian hugged the boy. "Part of me believes you. The other part of me thinks you just want some extra video games."
"Can't it be both?"
