7 hours earlier…
Jasper and Rachel were currently waiting downstairs in their office area for Dolan Chase to show up. The LAPD detective had told them that he had news for them. But from the way Jasper had described it, Rachel knew that it wasn't necessarily good news, but she hoped that it wasn't bad either. As they waited, Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee from the brand new coffee maker that Jasper had bought specifically for the office area of Burbank-Kell Private Investigations. She sat down on the seat behind the desk, looking up the stairs every so often. Jasper just stood where he was, that was, next to the window, watching traffic drive by. As he was about to walk away from the window, he saw Dolan's truck pull over to the side of the street, not too far from their office. Jasper watched as his friend got out of the truck and started walking towards the door. Jasper then opened the door as Chase made it to the threshold. The LAPD detective then walked in and looked around the office area for a brief moment. That was when he noticed Rachel sitting in the chair behind the desk.
"Are your kids upstairs yet?" The detective asked them, the first words out of his mouth.
Jasper looked up the stairs, making sure that none of his children were out of the apartment.
"Yes. We came back earlier than expected, because Wakko started feeling lightheaded."
Dolan only nodded his head. "Still struggling with complications from what Kenneth did to him yet?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Rachel replied. "The wound's pretty much healed up, but he's still fighting yet."
"Poor kid. Still has to go through so much," Dolan said.
"Alright. Jasper's already told you why I came? You did, right?"
Jasper nodded his head as he rubbed his beard. Rachel poured Dolan a cup of coffee and offered it to him. The detective gladly took her offer, and after taking a sip of his drink, he sat down and began to tell them about the Unit's current case.
"First of all; you and Ray cannot tell any of the kids about what I'm about to tell you all, understood?"
Rachel nodded her head, whereas Jasper said yes. Dolan then continued.
"Okay, good. Then second of all; the news' out that these… these bastards are back. If you know who I'm talking about. The same ones that tried to kill your kids two years ago. And I'm talking… the toon-hating bastards. Luckily, Domhler isn't with this batch. But from what we—and I mean Fontana, the team and I—heard, some nut job attacked a young goat toon, and unfortunately, she coded before we even got the chance to ask her if she could possibly identify her attacker. And the other reason why I'm saying this is that you two are aware of what's going on here. Especially with what Wak went through back in January with Domhler. I swear, if I hear he's almost dying again, I'm going to lose it on whoever attacked him, or Yakko and Dot, for that matter."
"How come we never heard anything about this by now?" Rachel asked the detective.
"Beats me," Dolan replied.
"And I would've thought that someone would come to you all already. Considering that you all haven't gotten any cases in the last two months. The last one you did was just pathetic. The client totally sold you two up the chain for you all's money. Good thing that Skye and I took care of him before he got far. And Fontana, for that matter also."
Suddenly, Dolan's phone buzzed. He picked it up and upon reading through it, his face became an instantaneous frown.
"Oh my word. Skye just now. She said that we caught another scene. This time, two of them. I gotta get going."
As Dolan got out of his seat and headed for the door, the door to the apartment opened and closed as the kids came running down. Fay, Grace, and the Warners went over to where Dolan was standing at. The cop about fell over as Wakko and Dot ran into him, giving him a hug.
"Whoa! Children! You all act like you haven't Uncle Dol in ages," he told them.
"Why I just saw you guys last Sunday."
"Okay kids, let him go on his own," Rachel said.
"But we miss y', please stay," Dot begged.
"No can do Princess," Dolan answered. "Your Uncle Dol's gotta get back to his job, or he'll lose it."
The LAPD detective had a bright smile on his face as finally placed Dot back on her feet, planting a kiss on her head. The rest of them walked outside and waved Dolan goodbye as he got in his truck and drove off.
6 and a half hours earlier…
Dolan arrived at the scene within a few minutes after talking with Jasper and Rachel, and being surprised by the kids. When he got there, the man hopped out when he opened the door and slammed it shut after getting out. As he walked up, he saw that Zach was already there, and alongside the rest of the team. Once he joined up with Skyler, he looked around the premise.
"Okay, update me on what's going on." He told her.
"Two underage toon wolf boys. One's eleven, and the other, ten," she replied.
"Both shot twice center mass. Both dead. The oldest didn't make it before medical assistance arrived. The younger died just as they got him to LA Medical Center."
"Oh crap," Dolan said softly. "Both were Wakko and Dot's ages. For God's sake, it could've been them."
"Well, yeah," Skyler said. "Don't speak it into existence. Or Sarge's bound to lose his mind."
And speaking of which, Fontana came walking towards them. Once he to them, he fed Dolan more information.
"We didn't get their names, but multiple witnesses say that they saw a black colored SUV drive up close, and when they got up close, they rolled down the window, pulled a gun out, shot both boys, and sped away from the scene."
"So you're saying that the last two attacks were drive-by shootings?" Dolan asked his immediate boss.
"Well, according to our newest member of our Unit, he was able to connect the dots, and from the way he described it, I think he's on to something."
"Hold up, you're talking Diego Lampa? Zach's new partner on the job?"
Fontana only nodded his head. "Yes, I'm talking about him."
Dolan then scoffed, not about the newest member, but because the police department hadn't promoted him to the Unit when they had promised Fontana and the team that they would. All that had been five months ago.
"Diego should've been in our Unit a long time ago. If he had been, then Yakko, Wakko, Dot, or any other toon wouldn't have to worry about toon haters as much as they do currently. And speaking of whom, where is he?"
"Talking to a witness," Skyler answered.
"That's good, because I'm going to congratulate him on his quick thinking."
Dolan then walked over to where his new teammate was at. The young rookie cop saw him, and when he did, he only shook his head, in mock play.
"What's up amigo?" Dolan asked. "I heard that you were able to connect the dots. Is that so?"
Lampa looked him in the eye.
"Well, I mean that that would have to be the case in the last two attacks. If it all makes sense. Remind you, I'm new to this Unit, so I could be wrong."
Dolan only shook his head.
"No. No you're not. It makes sense. Detective Moises with Major Crimes said that when the last attack happened, that the little cat toon was able to identify the driver who had shot her from."
"Unless," Lampa said.
"Unless there's more than one person doing the shootings. Each time, a different person is driving the vehicle. Because if I remember correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong, the last time prior to last week's attack, one witness said that he thought he saw a short haired woman in black shooting that last toon down."
Dolan raised an eyebrow as he caught every word that Lampa spoke just now.
And this is exactly why he should've been in Intelligence already. The kid's damn smart.
"Actually, once again Diego, you're correct," Dolan told him. "I do happen to remember that."
Lampa looked around, then back at the veteran cop.
"Wasn't that one Animaniacs star shot in a drive-by shooting just last year at that 76 convenience store off of Monterey?"
Dolan, again, raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't a drive-by shooting, but you are correct about the rest of that," he replied.
"And speaking of which, one; Skyler, and I happen to know him, and his older brother, and younger sister personally. They're like niece and nephews to us."
"Wakko Warner? I figured," Lampa said. "Your fiance told me earlier today when I came into work."
"Well, did you hear that back in January of this year, he got shot again?" Dolan asked."
"Yeah, I did," Lampa replied.
"My patrol buddies and I talked about that for several weeks after the incident. Feel for the poor soul. Wasn't the guy who shot him a Domhler?"
Dolan only nodded his head.
"I thought as much." Lampa said.
"I've heard that the Domhler family is a little bit prejudice about toons living here in Burbank. But I never thought that Kenneth Domhler would pull that stint off. Just talking about it now almost makes me want to beat the prick up."
"Me too, on the same page hermano," Dolan said.
"Well, I think we better get back on the scene D, it was great catching up with you. And by the way, I'm glad to have you on the team."
"Thanks Dol," Lampa said. "If it weren't for you, I would be forever stuck in Patrol."
5 hours earlier…
"Wakko! Dot! Come on! Your brother's got basketball!" Jasper hollered up towards the stairs leading to the apartment.
The school that Fay attended had informed Jasper and Rachel that their son had a basketball game that evening. The two had their kids get ready for the game. But there came good news with that; and the good news was that Dolan and Skyler had told them that they would attend the game that evening, but that they would probably have to leave if their current case got in the way again. A minute later, both younger Warners came out and ran down the stairs, laughing as they came. Rachel caught a hold of Dot, but only gave Wakko a questioning look.
"What did your father and I say about running down the stairs?"
Wakko immediately hung his head down. "No chasing each other down the stairs."
"And?" Jasper asked, having caught of what just took place.
"No running down them, unless it's an absolute emergency." Wakko replied.
"Then we better not let that happen again," Jasper sternly said. "Understand?"
Wakko only nodded his head, Dot doing the same thing. A second later, Jasper told them to get in the vehicle as he only smiled at his wife.
"I remember those days. Back when I was their age," he said sarcastically to Rachel.
"I'm sure you do," she answered.
*
The elementary school that Fay went to was completely packed. With the LA Wolves versus the Bakersfield Eagles, everyone had anticipated the game between the two elementary basketball teams. By the time that they finally got there, Jasper had pulled up right next to where Dolan had told them where he and Skyler were going to park. Once her husband parked their brand new Lincoln Navigator, Rachel leaned her head forward and looked to her left and saw that both LAPD detectives were sitting there in the truck. Dolan's eyes got big as he took a look at the Navigator. Once the kids, and them got out of the vehicle, Dolan and Skyler did the same. Dolan only whistled as he took a closer look at the family vehicle.
"Where did you get that thing from?" He asked.
With a click from the fob, Jasper locked the doors to the SUV-styled vehicle as he replied to his friend's question.
"We ended up getting that from my dad all the way from Nashville."
"Your dad drove that all the way from there!?" Skyler asked, in utter shock over what Jasper just told her fiance.
"No," Rachel replied.
"He made a surprise visit after we adopted the kids and drove it from the dealership not too far from here, and well, surprised us with it. Plus, he knew that we had sold our Traverse, and since then, We've been driving that older Chevy Sebring that Zach gave us."
Skyler was about say something, that was until she felt herself being hugged by the kids.
"Ah. A bombardment of children," she said, a smile written across her face. Jasper and Dolan looked their way, and Dolan couldn't help but almost laugh.
"Kids, go easy on Auntie Skye," the female LAPD detective told them.
"Or she might have to release the tickling monster."
It was only then that all five children let her go, although Skyler had lifted Dot up and had placed her on her shoulders, considering that the girl was just small enough. Dolan had picked Wakko up and did the same as he saw Rachel doing the same with Grace. It took a couple of minutes to reach the entrance of the building, but it took even longer due to the amount of people that were there. Twenty-five minutes had passed since they made it into the school finally. Fay had finally been spotted by his coach, who after talking some with his parents, had him on his way to the boys' lockers. One of the teachers directed the rest of the family towards the gym area and towards the bleachers. Once they were seated, Skyler started talking with Dot when she noticed that she was wearing a sleeveless denim vest over her key lime green long sleeved shirt
"By the way, that looks so cute on you," she told the little girl.
"After all, you're the one that bought it for me," Dot said.
"That I am." Skyler said as she looked down at the basketball court.
She saw one of the coaches talking with the superintendent of the school about something, but she couldn't make it out. Wakko had came over and sat down in the seat next to Dot. He donned his usual attire, his red cap, blue turtleneck and all. But over his shirt, he wore a green sleeveless denim vest.
"You and your sister really do like those vests that Dolan and I bought for you guys." Skyler said.
Wakko looked her direction as he heard his name being said. He only nodded his head, tongue sticking out. A moment later, Skyler ruffled his cap. Suddenly, Dot looked down at the floor as she smiled.
"Still can't believe that you two are getting married," she spoke quietly.
"Yep," Skyler said as she took a sip of water from her thermos. She knew who Dot was talking about.
"Give it 'til next June," she replied.
Wakko, who barely had his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, had leaned his head on the back of his seat, eyes closed. Dot gently shook him at first, he never stirred. Skyler ruffled his cap again, and still nothing.
"Is he asleep?" She asked Dot.
Dot shook her immediate older brother a second time. "Maybe so. He's probably not feeling well, again."
Skyler thought she saw a glint of sadness in Dot's eyes when she noted how the little girl had said that one last word. The detective then placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I know. Dolan told me earlier after he and I got here and waited for you all to show up."
Dot looked at her brother again, and sighed as she guessed why Wakko was probably asleep.
"Ever since Wakko had been shot, it's like…"
Dot gulped as Skyler noticed that she looked like she was about to break down and start crying. The LAPD detective thought she had seen a tear roll down Dot's face. The Warner girl then continued on, trying her best not to let her voice crack.
"It's like ever since KD shot my brother, he's never been the same. Sometimes, while he's sitting in his therapy sessions, he will from time to time, space out, almost to the point that he'll go into a full blown panic attack. And others times, his PTSD is so bad that whenever we watch some action movie and he hears just one gunshot coming from the flat screen, he'll cower behind the couch and start to whimper."
Skyler took another sip of her water as she listened to her young friend.
"Dolan told me that when he took you all last weekend for that fireworks show when I was sick.
"Domhler did a number on him, and not just physically," Skyler said after a moment of silence.
"How'd you know that?" Dot asked, in a quiet voice.
Skyler barely cracked a small smile. "Just because I know. Plus, it's my job as a detective for LAPD."
Dot nodded her head and took a breath before she asked her friend a different question.
"By the way, what happened with you and Sergeant Fontana the night Wakko had been found shot and sick?"
"Regarding he, Domhler, and I?" Skyler asked her. Dot only nodded her head again, a concerned look on her face.
Skyler then began to tell her what had happened that night...
Fontana had wacked Domhler's leg yet again when he heard a vehicle of some sort pull up the parking lot of the abandoned storage unit. Fontana then turned around and faced the doorway of the shed that both he and Domhler were in. Soon enough, he saw a figure walk in. Fontana pulled out his service pistol and pointed it up at the figure. When the person showed themself, Fontana lowered his pistol and saw that the figure was none other than Skyler Washington.
Fontana walked over to her and was about to ask her why she came when she suddenly raised her hand.
"Whatever you're going to say next; please listen to me. We know where Warner's at right now. And probably by now, they already found him."
Fontana looked back at Domhler, then he looked at Washington again.
"That's not gonna save him from what he did to Warner! For God's sake! Skye! Domhler shot him! And because of that, he will most certainly get what he deserves!"
Washington only shook her head.
"No Sarge. We are not doing this. You need to just back off and let us turn Domhler in."
Fontana scoffed.
"Are you kidding me!? After what I just told about what happened to Wakko Warner!? We cannot turn him in! Plus, I never called it in."
Washington shook her head again. "Sarge! We're not doing this! Not now!"
Fontana then just ignored her and turned around and walked over to Domhler.
"And you! On the other hand," Fontana hissed.
"You're gonna tell me where Wakko Warner is."
Fontana picked up the crowbar and slammed it onto Domhler's leg. "Tell me!"
Washington suddenly rushed over to Fontana. "Stop!"
"Tell me!" Fontana shouted at Domhler.
Fontana slammed it onto Domhler's leg again, making him cry in pain.
"You're gonna tell me. Tell me," he hissed.
"Sarge! Stop!" Washington yelled.
Suddenly, both Washington, and Fontana's radios went off as Chaney issued an emergency situation.
"5032 Bobby! We've got a gunshot victim! And he's an underage toon child! He's been shot once center mass! Bullet went through and through! He's got a shallow pulse! We also got a positive on the Lincoln Continental! We have no emergency lights! We're got a Lincoln Continental! Send us some cars! We need these streets shut down! Pronto!"
"Tell me!" Fontana yelled.
"They found him! Sarge! They found Wakko!" Washington said.
"Is he alive!?" Fontana yelled into his radio.
"Dolan? Is he okay!?" Washington asked.
Chase's radio came back in.
"He's got a pulse. It's shallow. Chaney and Layton are taking him to Saint Joseph Med now. He's been shot once, center mass. The bullet went through and through. He's bleeding. He's been bleeding the whole time. Plus, his blood sugar has dropped too low."
Fontana immediately scowled as he turned around and walked over to Domhler, crowbar in hand. And he wacked Domhler right in the stomach with it.
"YOU SON OF A GUN!"
Washington rushed back to her immediate boss. "No no no! No!"
"Skye! Skye! Get your hands off of me." Fontana hissed.
Washington only stared at him.
"Sarge! Stop! Just back the heck off! Now! We ARE not doing this! This is not who we are! We found him! So just back off! It's not who we are! It's over now!"
"What do you want me to do? Should I call in Internal Affairs? The Mayor? WB CEO Nora Rita Norita and WB Chairman Ralph Theodore? Let them know that Wakko Ryan Warner's been shot!? Should I bring Kenneth Domhler in and arrest him? Skye. Listen to me… I didn't want you to come here… I didn't tell you to come here!"
"Don't you think that I don't know that?" Washington said.
"I wanted to come here. Not because of this, but because I wanted Wakko found! Because I wanted to stop you from doing something that you can't take back."
Fontana shook his head.
"Who we are? Skye? What did you think that I was going to do with Domhler? Did you really expect me to turn him into the District? Book him in? Arrest him? You knew exactly why I never had any of you come with me."
Washington then pushed Fontana back.
"The reason why I am here is because I know exactly how Yakko and Dot Warner feel about this. They need to testify against Domhler for what happened to their brother, Wakko! You're looking at and talking to a former toon artist who has seen everything that these beloved creations have been through. And now, for Wakko's sake, Sarge? We're going to bring Domhler in. Not because you don't want to, but because it's the right thing. I won't let you kill him!"
Fontana then cleared his throat. "We can't Skyler. It's too late for that. You need to go home."
Washington shook her head.
"I'm not leaving until I know for sure that you are gonna do what needs to be done. The right way. Plus, you told me that the Warners have grown onto you? If the worst case scenario does play out, this is not what Wakko would want you to do. So, we're bringing him in Sarge! It's the right thing to do."
Fontana scoffed again.
"Ha! The right thing? You wanna talk about the right thing? We're not doing this."
"Yes we are." Washington said.
"We need to; for the Warners' sake! So you're basically telling me that you'll let Yakko and Dot die from broken hearts, and extreme stress!? I've seen what happens to these beloved creations. And it's not pretty! So if you're not going to do what's right, then just back up Sarge and let me do the right thing!"
Suddenly, Washington's words hit Fontana like a car going right through a brick wall. He thought about what she had said. Maybe, just maybe, things were not going to that bad if they did turn Kenneth Domhler in.
Washington then turned herself around.
"Or I'll just let you cross whatever line you wanna cross. But you just remember that you were dragging me to the other side with you. Domhler's still alive. There's a way out of this. We come up with a story. A good story. He ran, he grabbed a weapon. We sell up the chain… please?"
Fontana's face grew rueful as he looked Washington in the eye.
"Okay… okay. We'll bring him in," he whispered.
Fontana gave his service pistol to Washington as he walked over to Domhler and unwrapped the chain around him. As soon as he felt the pressure of the chain around him loosen, Domhler stood up and let Fontana cuff him. And when he was done, Fontana walked over to the entrance of the shed as he told Domhler that he was under arrest, with Washington following after them as she grabbed her radio and called it in…
At that point, Dot had closed her eyes, and had hung her head down until it was touching her chest.
"Wow! That's not what I was expecting," she said in a low voice.
"Your boss going berserk on my brother's attacker!? First of all; KD kinda had it comin'. And second of all; no offense, but your boss is lucky to still have his job."
"I know, right?" Skyler said. "Sometimes, Fontana will go the extra mile to save the ones he loves."
"Then I'm glad he considers me a granddaughter in his eyes," Dot replied.
A moment later, Wakko finally stirred. Skyler again ruffled his cap.
"Just in time kiddo," she said to him. "Your brother's game is about to begin."
"Plus, I think that you don't wanna miss the National Anthem." Dot said.
Wakko rubbed his eyes open and looked around.
"Where am I?" He whispered softly.
"Fay's basketball game." Dot told him.
Wakko looked down at the basketball court and saw that the players were getting ready. He shook his head as he felt a wave of nausea overcome him.
"Do we need to go home Wak?" Dot asked.
"No… I don't think so," Wakko whispered weakly.
It was right then that Dolan had came down to where his fiancee, and the two younger Warners were seated at. He gently tapped Wakko on the shoulder when he came over to his seat.
"Hey, Wakko," he whispered softly.
"You're not gonna like this, but I'm taking you home. Your parents saw you passed out in your seat, and figured that you probably got a little dizzy again. So they asked me if I could take take you home."
Wakko only nodded his head as he slowly got out of his seat. Tears then started forming in Wakko's eyes as he slowly followed Dolan, his head hung low. Dot happened to see it all and sent Rachel a text.
"If it's okay with you and dad, I'm going home too. Wakko's crying. Probably bummed that he's missing Fay's game."
A moment later, her phone buzzed.
"That's fine. Your Uncle's staying with you all until we come back later on." Rachel had replied.
*
Yakko had looked down at the bleachers, two rows down from where he, his parents, and Grace were seated. He saw that Dolan had gone to where his siblings, and his fiancee were at. A moment later, Wakko had followed suit, and with Dot joining them a few seconds later. Yakko then tapped Jasper on the shoulder. The man turned his head until he was looking his adopted son in the eye.
"What?" He asked in a whisper.
"Where are Wakko and Dot going with Dol?" Yakko asked.
"Home," Jasper replied, a painful hint in his voice that Wakko had to miss out yet again. "Why?"
"If you're fine with it, then I'll be going back too." Yakko said.
Jasper looked down at the court area as he took a breath, then back at Yakko.
"I'm fine with it. You're a good kid, you know that?"
Yakko only smiled as he nodded his head. Jasper and Yakko then hugged each other.
"See you at home after a little while, love y'," Yakko whispered softly.
*
"Hey. Wait up!" Yakko yelled once he made it outside in the parking lot. Dot turned around and was stunned to see her oldest brother running towards her, Wakko, and Dolan.
"Do your parents know you're out here?" Dolan asked.
Yakko was almost out of breath as he reached them.
"Yes. They do. I'm going home with you all." Yakko gasped.
Dolan only chuckled, mostly to himself. Since when did the oldest Warner want to ever be separated from his younger siblings?
After seeing that one horrid skit about cyber security that they did, I can't blame Yakko. The detective thought.
"Get in then," he told Yakko. "Front seat's yours."
Once everyone got in Dolan's truck, he started it and was about to put it in drive when he saw out of the corner of his eye that Yakko had looked behind him and saw that Wakko had hung his head even lower, crying in a low tone. Dolan looked at him via the rearview mirror, and once he did, the man that the Warners considered their uncle looked back at the oldest.
"Yakko, do you mind if you sit in back with your sister?" He asked.
Yakko shook his head as he unbuckled his seat belt and hopped out the passenger side door of Dolan's truck. A moment later, Wakko climbed in, closing the door beside him once he was fully inside the vehicle. It was then that he felt a firm, but gentle hand ruffle his cap.
"I get it. I know that you weren't looking forward to this," Dolan said as he began driving.
"But this is not on you. Your mother told me about what happened earlier right as Skyler and I pulled into Griffith Park. And I want you to know that I'm not mad at you for you feeling lightheaded and such. I completely understand buddy."
Dolan could tell that Wakko was no longer crying, but he could tell that he was still downcast. Suddenly, Wakko smacked a hand on the dashboard of the truck and leaned his head up against the headrest of his seat. Completely understanding how the middle sibling currently felt, Dolan began ruffling the kid's cap again in an attempt to make him feel better.