Nick, Patrick Silverson and Judy, the bunny wearing one of the pairs of underwear she'd bought, a tiny head peeking over the waistband close to her right hip, stepped inside the private area of the Mystic Spring to discover Elle was waiting for them.

Patrick cocked his head. "There's something familiar about you..."

Elle smiled. "Beunas tardes, Mr Silverson."

The silver fox gaped. "Gazelle? The Gazelle? Why...?"

"We'll get to that," Nick promised, as he sat beside the antelope, Judy settling in his lap. "After our chat."

Patrick nodded, also sitting, setting the small bag he'd been carrying in his lap. "My brother. He made my life a misery from the moment he came into it up until he got himself expelled from college for attacking a fox-girl he'd fixated on after he found out she had a girlfriend. That's when his hatred of 'freaks' became a full-blown psychosis.

"He left home and took up with a low-level gang. It must have agreed with him, because within two years he was running it. Within a couple more it was a much bigger operation, with many interests, and he was growing quite rich. Then he started the Grey Markets, grew even more rich, and decided to spend some of that by buying out my clinic.

"I don't actually know why. The one thing he'd never tell me. Maybe he just wanted to hurt me more. Maybe he wanted to lash out at the 'freaks' he hated so much. Maybe both. Regardless, the dream it had taken so many years to realise became a nightmare, one I was trapped in until Aidy showed up.

"Gabriel couldn't control him. Aidy just kept fighting, for the patients, and for me. We connected, started making plans...fell in love. Gabriel responded by having Aidy killed." He paused. "He wanted to break me completely, but I just got angry. Vengeful. All I wanted was to bring all he had crashing down around him.

"Thing is, by killing Aidy, he started that process himself. People saw how unstable he really was, and cut ties. He lost suppliers, and allies, and gang members. That's when he began running guns, forcing clinic patients to make a lot of the drops, among them the latest one, Cody.

"Cody was another one who just wouldn't submit, even when Gabriel used methods he normally wouldn't, methods that left traces. He had someone to draw strength from, someone Gabriel couldn't reach, and whose name left my brother foaming. You, Nick.

"It was Cody who put the bookmark in the lockbox, and it was Cody I decided to help escape. I broke the window, cutting myself as I did so, and I did my best to make sure no-one was about, and I watched Cody run, making sure no-one tried to stop him. Then all I could do was sit, and wait, and hope, and thankfully, you came through."

"Failing Cody was never an option," Nick replied, with feeling.

Judy nuzzled his chin, the mouse now sitting on her thigh in briefs of their own, listening with visible interest. "Never." Her gaze returned to the other fox. "So, what now? Relaunch the clinic?"

"I'd like to," Patrick answered, "but that needs money, and I..."

Elle politely cleared her throat.

Patrick's ears snapped up. "You want to...?"

"Fund your clinic? Yes. I have one condition: a new name."

"I'm all for that. What name?"

Elle looked right at Nick. "The Jules Riverson Clinic."

The red fox's eyes closed. He swallowed thickly. Took a breath. Then opened his eyes. "Don't forget the lily leaf."

"I won't." Patrick promised, then sighed. "The other issue is, I can't do it alone. If Aiden were still here..."

Nick settled. "Funny thing. After Gabriel's arrest was announced, one Lucas Spring gave himself up to the officer who'd been tailing him. He was the one Gabriel paid to kill Aiden, but being of big voice and little grit, hadn't actually been able to do it."

Patrick stiffened.

"Now, he wanted to go straight, and the start of that was leading the officer to an old hideout of a former gang of his, where they found..."

"Me."

Patrick choked. Shaking, eyes watering, he slowly looked round.

"Hey, sweetie," greeted the meerkat standing behind him.

Patrick rose, turned, reached a shaking paw out to brush their cheek, then abruptly spun to root in his bag. Pulling out a small case, he knelt before the meerkat, opened it, and held it out. "Will you?"

A tear trickled down Aiden's cheek. "Yes."

Patrick surged up for a fierce embrace, and their muzzles meshed in a fiercer kiss, then they sagged into each other, faces pressed together.

"Lucky you had it on you, huh?" Nick noted, smiling.

"Haven't been able to let go of it," Patrick admitted. "And thank you."

"Our pleasure." Elle rose smoothly. "We can talk about the funding as soon as you're ready. For now, we'll leave you in peace." She looked to Nick and Judy and the mouse. "Time to go home."