15 And The Winner Is…
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Another slightly longer chapter…deal with it!
Just a friendly reminder, authors cannot reply to guests, you need to have a valid fan fiction before we can answer directly.
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SATURDAY MORNING ~ Stergis Motorcycle Rally ~ Day Seven:
0430….
BZZZ-BNZZZ-BZZZ-BZZZ
"Nick … NICK … NICK!"
"Whaaa?"
"Why in god's name did you forget the turn the alarm off?"
"I really don't remember turnin' it on…"
"SARAH!"
"What about her?"
"That little shit…"
"….?"
"She and Nickie disappeared for while last night while we were celebrating."
"Damn."
"Yea, damn."
"So, now what?"
"Well … seein' as we're already awake…."
"I like the way you think Fluff…"
…
0930 ….
"You ready to get up and face the day Nick?"
"Not really, but-" looking at the clock "I guess we need to get up and get to the fairgrounds, huh?"
"Yea, I suppose. Short honeymoon but…"
"After all the years of doing without you, I really don't give a damn, as long as we're together."
"I know. But there's so-"
And Judy is interrupted by Nick's phone going off.
Looking at the caller ID, Nick quickly picks up "Yea, this is Wilde!" mouthing 'lawyer' to Judy.
Listening intently, Nick's only comment was just before he hung up "Make it happen."
Seeing Judy's expectant face "Here's the deal … to begin with, the marriage is perfectly within all of the parameters for the adoption to be legal, not only for Sarah, but for Rose Marie as well. I'll need proof of stability and proof of stable income when we go to court, which is no problem. The court date is scheduled for the twenty first of this month, just a week before Sarah has to start school, so we should have plenty of time to go to Aweston and get back to Deerbrook before the court date.'
'The DA is still getting a list of charges ready to issue an arrest warrant for Gerald, who is going to be tipped off about the adoption a day or so before the court date, so hopefully he'll be there and be plenty mad that a fox is gonna be adopting Sarah, even though he has absolutely no say since he's given up legal custody of her. Once there, the Tri-Burrow sheriff is supposed to be ready with the warrant and cuffs in paw.'
'There are couple of things we need to talk over before then, but we can do that sometime after the presentation, so let's eat and head to the fairgrounds, unveil is only a few hours away and we really can't afford to miss it."
…
Entering through the back gate of the fairgrounds, Nick and Judy arrive at around ten thirty, only five and a half hours before the big unveil.
As the newlyweds enter the stage area, a loud cheer erupts and hundreds of strands of party beads are thrown on the stage for them.
As a thoroughly embarrassed Judy tries unsuccessfully to hide behind Nick, he simply bows to the crowd "Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!"
With both build bikes finished, everyone simply stands around talking, with both build crews once again congratulating Nick and Judy on their vows.
As the crowd begins counting down the final seconds, Nick and Barry stand by their creations. At zero, both pull the covers off of their bikes … and the crowd cheers and hoots at the two spectacular machines, that were totally converted in just over six build days.
…
Barry's bike had a springer front end, with the main down-legs that had been heated and twisted by Barry himself, then powder coated, giving the bike a very unique look.
The fuel tank was exactly the opposite of what Nick had done, and was actually double rounded even more than normal, giving it a slightly bloated look, which was made even more outrageous looking with the sprung solo seat.
The handlebars were a set of high ape hangers and controls were angled down for usage, with a set of short forward controls for foot controls.
The standard 96 spoke wheels were maintained.
…
Nick's bike on the other paw, was much leaner looking. The standard-length springer had replaced the factory slider type front suspension, with the added softail in the rear giving the bike a more hardtail look and ride worthy stance.
Handlebars were a double pullback style mounted on a set of short dog bone risers, with only the brake and clutch levers mounted on the handlebars. The horn was secretly mounted on the outside edge of the brake side of the handlebars, and the dimmer switch for the headlight was mounted on the top of the headlight case.
The concave fuel tank, while holding less fuel than a stock tank, gave the bike a much leaner look.
Since the standard rear suspension had been dumped if favor of the softail set-up, the smoother ride meant that they could mount the solo seat directly to the frame and never have to worry about rider comfort.
To top it all off, the paint that Sarah had designed was absolutely the pièce de résistance of the bike. The white pearl topped with layered candy apple blue, was then rubbed out to give it a weathered, well ridden appearance was the absolute centerpiece of the show.
…
At four o'clock, the votes were tabulated, and the winner announced by mister Kings.
"Ladies and gentlemammals, may I have your attention please! In a close, and I do mean very close vote count the winner of this year's build off competition is …. Injun Barry!'
'The vote count was so close that we actually counted them three times, and the margin was one hundred and thirty-seven votes."
As Injun Barry accepts the trophy, he calls a slightly disappointed Nick to join him.
"Nick, I know that the winner is 'sposed to get both bikes, but you did such a great job on your bike, that I'm letting you keep your bike as a wedding present. Congratulations!"
Absolutely flabbergasted by the generous and unexpected gift, Nick has a few words of his own.
"Thanks Barry, it's much appreciated. With that said, unless you have an objection, I'm going to do what I would have done had I won the competition…I'm going to raffle of both bikes, my build bike and the bike that Ness left, and give all of the money raised to a charity that's close to not only MY heart, but to the majority of my crew as well. That charity is the 'KIA Survivors Of Greater Animalia!'This group is composed of spouses and children of military members that were killed in action, regardless of where or when.'
'Most of you know that I'm a vet, but what you may not know is that most of my crew are vets as well … this is for those of us who never came back … thank you! Raffle ticket sales will be handled on my website, "
As the crowd cheers wildly, Nick gets a tearful hug from Barry as an answer, both build crews gather around to join in the hug, with only Nickie, Skye, Judy and Sarah holding back, tearful to say the least.
…
As the crowd disperses for various venues around Stergis, with it being the last official day of the rally, Nick gathers his crew around for last minute instructions.
"Ok, listen up! Lock everything up tight, then everybody take off for tonight, you've all done a terrific job. We didn't win, but so what? The shop got millions of dollars' worth of free advertising, and everyone watching knows we did a great job building a beautiful, quality bike. I want every one of you to have a good time tonight, because I need you all to be here at seven am tomorrow morning to pack up what's here and get stuff loaded up for the trip home.'
'I'll need you to load anything than Ramone won't need to finish his paint consignments so we can head home bright and early on Monday morning. Y'all got that?"
With a resounding chorus of 'yes sir's, the stage is quickly deserted, leaving only three foxes and two bunnies.
"What the hell are you two still doin' here?" asks Nick, addressing Nickie and Skye "you got nuthin' else to do?"
"Umm, we, that is Skye and I, wanted to apologize for your alarm goin' off early this mornin'." Admits Nickie
"So, Sarah had no part in it?" asks Judy.
"She needed to take care of somethin'… personal … in your room, so I turned on the alarm while she was in the bathroom. Sarah had nothin' to do with it."
"Thanks for that." says Nick a bit sarcastically "Now, go have some fun 'cause in the mornin' you'll be helpin' everyone pack."
"Yessir!"
And with that, the vixens were gone.
"So" begins Judy "what's next for us?"
"Well, except for organizing everything in the room and doing a bit of laundry, not much. You two wanna ride, cruise the main drag? What? This is a good time to just be a tourist for a change if ya want."
"Can I go with my aunties and help load stuff up in the morning?" asks Sarah.
"You sure?" asks Nick.
"Yup!"
"Ok then, go ahead, right after breakfast…"
"And in the meantime?" asks Judy.
"How about a nice, quiet, relaxin' night in the room, just the three of us? The hot tub, some munchies and a little wine or some Jack Black would help ease the stress of the build."
After looking at each other for a second, the does decide that would work just fine.
…
As the does shower, Nick phones the front desk and orders a large combination pred/prey snack tray and the best champagne that they can get.
When Nick's done with his shower, he joins Judy and Sarah in the hot tub, he first opens the special edition bottle of Jack Black and paws a small sip of each to Judy then Sarah.
"Be a bit careful you two and just take a small sip to start with" he cautions "this is hard liquor after all…"
While Judy takes a small sip and grimaces, not taking a liking to the sour mash bourbon, Sarah decides unwisely to down the entire sample, immediately regretting the action!
"My gods dad" she finally chokes out after the coughing fit, and wiping the tears from her eyes "how do you manage to drink this stuff?"
"It's called sippin' whiskey fer a reason Lil' Bit!" he says with his signature smirk fully in place. "I did warn you to just take a sip, remember? But truthfully, it's an acquired taste."
"Ok, fine, point taken. May I please have some champagne?"
"If you mom says it's ok, yes you may."
"So now I get to decide? Do I have to be the bad doe in the room?"
"It's up to you Fluff. You know it's gonna be ok as long as we supervise, right Sarah?"
"Yes dad. But … just so I know beforepaw what's it like to be drunk?"
Thinking for along minute, Judy answers. "Remember that time you went on the Tilt-A-Whirl too many times, got so dizzy you couldn't stand up or even talk straight?"
"Yea, and?"
"That's what it's kinda like. But the worst part is the hangover the next day."
"WHY?"
"Remember when you got the flu? You know, with the upset stomach, diarrhea, headache, all that?"
"I guess I'll pass on getting' drunk then."
"Smart doe." says Nick.
…
After sleeping in until six, Nick, Judy and Sarah head down to join the rest of the Wilde Rides crew for breakfast.
Finished with a leisurely breakfast, the entire crew heads out and assembles at the fairgrounds that has served to be a build area for the last seven days to begin loading up for the return to Aweston.
As Sarah heads backstage to help load all of the equipment, tools and whatnot, Judy is only slightly amazed.
"Ya know, while Sarah never shirked helpin' around the house, she never once volunteered to do anything like that before. You've really made a positive influence in her life, you sly fox you."
"You know damned well I never gave her the idea, that's her own doin'."
"Yea, but just you bein' you, and Nickie and Skye, and the rest of the crew, just … I don't know how to describe it!"
"Does it really matter Fluff?"
"No, I guess not. Now, what are WE gunna do?"
Lifting Judy's chin with a gentle finger, Nick plants a soft kiss on the end of her nose "Help pack up of course at least for a bit. What kind of boss, or dad, would I be to just stand and watch?"
"And then?"
"Let's help, then we've got a few things to talk over."
"Well then, let's go …"
…
After the stuff is packed up at the fairgrounds, the crew all heads to the shop that has been busy as all get out. Then they begin to pack up after the last customer leaves, intent on leaving only Ramone and his paint equipment.
While everyone is helping pack either tools, parts or equipment that won't be used by Ramone, Judy notices Nick in a seemingly deep conversation with Nickie and Skye.
Deciding that it's most likely business related, she passes it off for the time being.
After finishing his conversation with the vixens, Nick joins Judy, Sarah and the rest of the crew, helping load one of the trucks and trailers.
"Business?" asks Judy offpaw (offhand), nodding towards Nickie and Skye.
"Yea, stuff that'll need taken care of once we get back to Aweston. Since you brought it up, how about me, you and Sarah making the trip to Aweston instead of goin' straight back to Deerbrook? You can see the town and let me know what you think of the shop."
"You're up to sumpthin' aint ya?"
"Yes I am, but I'll ask you one time ta trust me… please."
"After screwin' up the reveal for our bikes, I think I can handle that. As long as it's a good thing, I'm down with it."
"Yet to be determined, but I think it's about 99% likely that it's gonna be a great thing."
"All right then, change of subject … it looks like we're 'bout finished here, what's next?"
"From the looks of it, we may need ta wait a bit fer Sarah" he says pointing thumb towards the makeshift paint booth where Sarah is intently watching Ramone apply a coat of fire engine red paint to a customer's tins.
"So, in the meantime I guess I can let you in on some of the stuff I've been workin' with for after the return to Aweston and then when we finally get to Deerbrook. Let's go sit in the small conference room so we won't be disturbed, ok?"
"Sounds like a plan. If you've got a laptop, bring it and let's go."
…
After a brief stop in the office to retrieve his laptop, Nick and Judy get comfortable in the conference room.
"Here's the deal. I'm thinking about selling some, if not all of the business…"
"What? Why? And to who?"
"Let's deal with the who first. It's to Nickie and Skye. They promised to keep the crew together, especially since everyone works so well together. If I don't sell it all, I'll keep fifty one percent of the shop so I'll still have a controlling interest."
"OK, so much for the who, now the why?"
I's not so much complicated as it is … ummm … I guess multi-faceted?"
"How so?"
"To begin with, how comfortable would you, or especially Sarah be living in a city like Aweston?"
"Truthfully, I'd probably be ok with it, but I'm not so sure about Sarah."
"Well, I checked with several of the crew and discovered that the public schools have a huge bullying problem."
"Really? I thought that the 'zero tolerance' law was supposed to handle that!"
"It actually seems to have the opposite effect. The victims seem to be getting more flack than the perps. On the other paw, the expensive the private schools are pretty much prey only or predator only with few exceptions. And with that, they're pretty much for like couples only. That is to say they're prey only and pred only, and of like species."
"That's awful!"
"Of course it is. That's another reason I wanna sell. And we've got ta think of that other doe, what's her real name again?"
"Rose Marie?"
Yea, her. How comfortable do ya think she'd be in a prey only school, with a pred for a dad, and being adopted to top it all off?"
"Ok, I get it, it'd prob'ly suck big time."
"Exactly."
"So, what would you be doin'? If I know you, sittin' on the front porch sippin' lemonade won't do."
"And you'd be right. I had my lawyer do some diggin' and there's a solution to both of these issues."
"And that would be?"
"How much do you know about the financial situation of your family's farm?"
"Not much to tell the truth. After I sold my share of the farm, I never had an excuse to keep up with it … why?"
"By this time tomorrow, I, that is to say we, will be the proud owners of the section of your family's farm that has the vast majority of the fruit, mostly the berries, on it. All of the blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and some rhubarb. The apple orchards are doin' well enough that I couldn't buy them."
"But that's a long way from Deerbrook to work the fields!"
"But it's really close to the small town of Aurora, right?"
"So?"
"How would you feel about moving to Aurora? I checked out the town, especially the school system, and you'll never believe what I found!"
"Which is … what?"
"The vast majority of residents are mixed species … with quite a few pred/prey couples in the mix. The girls wouldn't be out of place at all."
"That's for real?"
"Yup. And there's a really nice place, plenty big enough for the four of us. It's just outside of town and only about four miles from the fields."
"What am I s'pposed to do with the house I have now?"
"Rent it, sell it, burn it down, whatever. It's yours to do with what you want aint it?"
"…. I … guess it is! But … how can you afford all that? And don't you love the shop? Won't you miss it?"
"I'll let you in on a secret ok? I think that Nickie and Skye might each suspect the reason now, but they're probably not quite sure. The only reason I bought the shop after mom died … was to keep my mind and paws occupied.
"What-"
"To keep from thinkin' about you twenty-fours a day."
"…. I messed you up that bad?"
"I keep tellin' you how much I loved you even then, when are you gonna get that?"
"Nick I'm so sorry-"
"Listen, it's not your fault, ok? Look, I did this to myself. But now that I have you and Sarah in my life, I could give a shit less about the shop as long as the crew is taken care of. The place I'm lookin' at buyin' has a large shop and all of the equipment we'll need to work the fields. Sure, I'll still work on bikes, our bikes at least, and Sarah will still be able to run her little business out of the Aweston shop if I keep the majority share of it if she wants. The interwebs are funny that way! We'll have to see what this Cream is interested in so we can do what we can for her as well. We can work the fields while the girls are in school and they can help out a bit when they get home. How is this not a winner all the way around?"
"But the money-"
"Ain't a problem. Not countin' what the shop's worth, I've got just over fourteen million in the bank. And now that we're married, half a' that's yours…"
"W-what?"
"And by the way, the money that Sarah has earned this week? When we get to Deerbrook, I want you to put it all in a trust fund, managed by you and you alone. I want no control over it whatsoever."
"Let me guess, so the judge don't think you want to adopt her for the money!"
"Bingo. Plus, I plan to match every dime of Sarah's money for this Rose if we get to adopt her. But it ain't gonna be a gift, she'll have to work for it so there'll be no hard feelin's b'tween the two teenagers."
"Which reminds me, I need to borrow your laptop to get in touch with my cousin Nadine."
After logging in with her ID and password to her e-mail account, Judy opens her e-mail and finds that she has literally hundreds of e-mails, mostly junk.
Weeding through and deleting the majority of said e-mails, Judy comes across the item she's looking for.
"It's from Nadine. It says here that one rabbit doe, Rose Marie - no surname, has been a ward of the Deerbrook orphanage almost since birth. The poor thing was left on the orphanage's doorstep sometime in the middle of the night one night, so that's why no last name. She had good grades in school and she showed an interest in horticulture and plant husbandry until she was being bullied, so that's a reason that her grades temporarily tanked. Her grades began to improve after befriending another doe at school, with no name given for the mysterious doe. Musta been Sarah I guess.'
'Very quiet and likeable, but for some reason there's been no interest in adoption by anyone for whatever reason until we inquired. Nick, we've gotta get this doe and take care of her…!"
"Then we'll do whatever it takes to get her adopted, but let's save it for a surprise, both for her and for Sarah until the court date, ok? Urk!"
"…. just, damn it Nick!" says Judy softly, practically strangling Nick in a tight hug.
Smoothing his bunny's ears, Nick simply returns the hug "I know Fluff, I know. Now, let's go and help out before a certain young doe gets suspicious…"
…
Dropping his laptop off in the office on the way to the shop floor, they find themselves under scrutiny by not only Sarah, but Nickie, Skye and Midnight as well!
"Am I gonna have ta ground you two again?" asks Sarah.
Not bothering to hide a smirk, Nick answers "If ya do, it'll be a long time until we get to go home…"
"Just …. Will you two stop makin' out long enough ta get some work done?" asks Skye.
With a twinkle in her eyes, Judy answers "We were just talkin' some shop business."
Suddenly understanding what the topic was, both Nickie and Skye quickly understand, but Sarah on the other paw has no idea.
"I think we may have found somethin' that you were lookin' for." interrupts Nickie. "It's sittin' over on highway thirty-four, just past the Throttle and before ya get to the Chip on the left side of the road. Ya might wanna go check it out…"
"Really?" asks Nick, suddenly very interested.
"Take some cash, yer gonna needs some if ya really want it. They want about twenty K, but I think they'll probably take fifteen or eighteen knowin' how you deal!"
"We're on it! C'mon you two" addressing Judy and Sarah "let's go find some transportation!"
"But we've got the trike!" complains Sarah.
"Would you rather spend three days ridin' to Aweston on the trike, or maybe a day and a half in a car? Before I take you back to Deerbrook, I thought that you and your mom would like to see my shop in Aweston."
"Really? That'd be great!"
"So, ya still wanna go on the trike?"
Giving it a few moments thought "I guess a car sounds better."
"Smart girl. Load up and let's go."
…
Heading east on highway thirty-four, the trio travel about eight miles until Nick notices a car on the side of the road with a 'FOR SALE' sign on the windshield.
Pulling the trike over, all three dismount and the does wait patiently while Nick gives the car a thorough once over.
Noticing them looking the car over, the owner is quick to greet them and answer any questions they might have.
It turns out that the car is a custom rebuild of a '57 Nomad wagon. While the powder blue and white exterior has been only modified enough to allow wider tires, the engine had been upgraded to a 327 cubic inch motor which replaced the stock 283. A four-speed manual transmission topped with a Herst shifter and a black tuck and roll interior finished the car nicely.
Having the owner start the car and run it briefly through the gears, Nick manages to talk the owner down to sixteen thousand dollars cash.
After shaking paws, Nick returns to the trike.
"You think you can get the trike back to the shop without wreckin' it?" he asks Judy.
"Of course I can … dumb fox!" sticking he tongue out.
After winking at a giggling Sarah, Nick then kisses Judy soundly, earning a very loud "Eww, eww, eww!" from his stepdaughter.
"C'mon you two, enough already!" Sarah pleads.
"Problem?" asks Judy, wearing her best imitation of Nick's patented smirk.
Rolling her eyes, Sarah can only shake her head and make for the Nomad "C'mon dad, let's go, I'm hungry…"
Ears erect and mouth agape, Judy can only stare after her daughter… "You've got to be shittin' me!"
"Language mother" giggles Sarah, as she climbs into the passenger side of the Nomad.
Holding up both paws and shrugging, Nick can only grin at the two does as they interact.
"We'll meet ya back at the hotel" Nick tells Judy as he fires the car up. Throwing it into gear and heading west towards town, Nick takes it slow and easy so he can head off any trouble that Judy might have with the trike.
Arriving at the Stergis Inn, Nick parks the Nomad and informs the front desk that he has an additional vehicle in the lot. That accomplished, he joins Sarah and Judy outside, only to find both does sitting on the back of the trike, embroiled in a serious(?) disagreement!
"...ce when did you start choosing Nick over me?"
"That's not what it is mom, and you know it!"
"So, riding with Nick in the car rather than with me on the trike isn't choosing?"
"You're just mad 'cause I got to ride in it first, aint ya?"
"Really? You really think I'm that petty?"
"Sounds like it ta me!"
"Problem ladies?" asks Nick, deciding to break up the ongoing argument before it gets out of paw.
"Nick…." begin both does at the same time.
"I don't wanna hear it. if you two wanna keep the bullshit argument goin', I'll leave ya both here and go eat by myself…"
Glaring a bit at each other, then suddenly realizing that they had been basically arguing over nothing, the two does begin giggling, then laughing out loud so hard they had to hold their sides.
Rolling his eyes and muttering 'females'. Forgetting that the does had such great hearing, Nick gets smacked on both ears, one for each doe.
"OWW!"
"Oh Nick, ya wussie" giggles Judy "I know danged well that didn't hurt!"
Suddenly turning around and doing a quick light nom on one of Judy's ears, both Nick and Sarah catch the change in Judy's scent!
"If you keep that up, I'm gonna drag you up to the room … IF you're lucky …" Judy warns.
"MOM!" squeaks a horrified Sarah.
"Damn it Nick…"
"If my ears ain't sensitive, then yours ain't either…"
"OK, ok, fine. I'll behave … for a while … maybe."
Satisfied that he's at least quelled the argument that Sarah and Judy had going, Nick started the trike and headed towards I90.
"And just where do you think your goin'?" asks a slightly puzzled Judy.
"We're goin' to a place called Black Hawk for lunch. There's 's'pposed ta be a really great multi-species place ta eat there. I figured that we'd at least try one more different place before we head out tomorrow. And before ya ask, no I've never been … Skye suggested it."
During the short fifteen-minute ride to Black Hawk, Judy couldn't help thinking that there had to be a reason for Nick to choose wherever they were headed. And if so, she'd find out for sure shortly.
As Nick pulled up to a small café called the 'C'mon Inn' and noticing that considering the number of animals still in the Stergis area, it was relatively deserted, Judy was all the more sure of her analysis of the reason.
Entering the café and picking a seemingly isolated corner table, the trio seated themselves.
After a quick look at the menus located on the table, all ordered a chef salad (Nick a pred special with turkey chunks) and water to drink.
"Sarah" begins Nick "I need to ask you something." And suddenly Judy is positive what the conversation is going to be about.
"Okaaaaay …"
"You already know that we're gonna go to Aweston before we head back to Deerbrook, right?"
"…. Yes …"
"How would you feel about living in Aweston?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes, honestly. I, that is your mom and I, NEED to know how you'd feel about it. if you'd like to fine, but if not, we don't want to make you live somewhere you're not comfortable."
"Truthfully, I doubt if I'd like it. Big city an' all … I'm more of a country doe, like mom was when she was little."
"That's fine honey, we kinda figured as much" Nick answers. "And what about Deerbrook? I'm reasonably sure you don't like it there…"
"You're right about that" she mumbles. "But … what about you? you're gonna be with mom and me … right?" she asks in a worried tone.
"Yes sweetheart, of course I am. I thought about the notion of moving you and your mom to a town called Aurora. Do you know about it?"
"Of course I do. I've got several friends on Muzzlebook that're from there." she says sounding a bit hopeful. "But … what about you, and-and the shop?"
"I'm thinkin' about sellin' the shop to your aunties and moving to Aurora with you two. There's a nice house there, plenty big for all of us" winking at Judy, who knows the rest of the story that's not being told "with a bunch of land there and plenty stuff to do to keep us all occupied so no one gets bored.'
'I'll most likely keep at least some of the shop in my name so you can run your little paint consultation business out of the shop's interwebs account if ya want."
Suddenly finding himself with an armful of teary-eyed doe, Nick asks "Can I take that as a yes then?"
…
Returning to the shop the trio finds everything except the paint booth packed up and ready to make the return trip to Aweston.
"Here's a thought" begins Nickie addressing Nick and Judy "why don't you guys pack up and head out back to Aweston now? You can prob'ly make it to Selina before ya gotta stop t'nite and finish the trip t'morra. You three can have some quality time together before the rest of us show up and the madhouse resumes."
"Auntie Nickie" shyly interrupts Sarah "is it true that you and auntie Skye are gonna buy dad's shop?"
Kneeling in order to be eye to eye with the young doe, Nickie gives a straight forward answer "Yes sweetheart it is. Nick wants to sell it to us so he can be with you and your mom. He figured that you wouldn't wanna move to Aweston, so that's the best option. You understand … right?"
"Yea … but … will I ever see you guys again?" she asks tearing up slightly, deathly afraid of the answer.
"Sure! whatever gave you the idea that you wouldn't?"
"You'll be so far away-"
"Lil' Bit, it'll only be about nine hours by car. You can come see us on weekends and we can come see you anytime. It's not the end of the world."
"Plus, I've decided to keep fifty-one percent ownership in the shop so Sarah can keep her little business goin'. You know she's gonna have to stop by to check up on you guys and all" adds Nick.
"Let's go get packed" suggests Judy "We can stop and say 'bye on the way out of town."
"Cheer up Lil' Bit" says Skye, giving the doe a good hug "we'll be there in a few days. I'm sure you'll still be there when we get back."
"… Ok …"
"I promise we won't go anywhere before they all get back" adds Nick. "OK?"
"Yea, I guess …" responds a still sad Sarah.
…
After a quick trip to the hotel to pack everything into the Nomad and settle the bill for the crew's meals and lodging for the past ten days or so, Nick, Judy and Sarah stop by the shop to say their goodbyes and get hugs all around.
In slightly better spirits, the three mammals head east out of Stergis on I90 and a well-worn travel song plays on the Serious satellite radio - On The Road Again by Willie Nelson…..
XxX
AN: When alive, Indian Larry never lost a Biker Build-Off competition.
Special thanks to Caoimhin (Guest) for the suggestion to auction off the bike(s).