Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

It had taken Nack several hours to calm his frothing rage at the fake diamond. In the end he had been quelled by a rather large check written out by Eric, though the sum had been raised a few times before the weasel was finally satisfied. Bark and Bean had mostly stayed to the side while Nack argued it out with the Frost estate, the former nursing his own wounds and the latter chuckling at the Hooligan team leader's erratic behavior. Stella had sat between them wearing an expression of pity that barely masked the smile tugging at her lips and the snorting laughs that emerged as she watched the purple weasel.

Now, though, they all stood in front of the Frost estate with the Marvelous Queen parked and loaded with its passengers. Nack himself stood to the side of the vehicle, checking over the signature of the check with a very exasperated looking Eric. Stella was peeking around her uncle's legs to watch the exchange—how she was able to even move was beyond the weasel. Her uncle had loaded her down in multiple sweaters, socks, and scarfs overtop her usual pink jacket. The child seemed to be having a bit of trouble moving about in it.

It was not enough trouble to suppress her occasional giggles, Nack noted with irritation.

He slapped the red fox's hand away carelessly and shoved the man to the side, stuffing the check into his hat with a scowl soon fixated on the small arctic fox. Her eyes widened and her ears flattened down as the bounty hunter glared down at her—with a sigh the weasel bent down on one knee and placed a hand on her head awkwardly. He was only rewarded with a look of confusion from the girl.

"You're a rotten little brat, you know that?" He finally said.

"If it makes it any better, I didn't WANT to scam anyone. I just didn't think anyone would take on my job if I didn't have anything to pay them with." Stella averted her eyes down to the piles of snow that her boots were buried in. "Y'guys seemed like the right guys for the job. And the greediest."

"…Well, at least you got one thing right. I'm definitely the greediest for the job. You're a good judge of character, I'll give you that." Nack groaned, his face falling off the girl's head to smother her face. A small squeak of protest emerged from the child as she flailed to bat his hand away. The weasel grinned wickedly. "…Look. I've said it before and I sure as hell am gonna say it again. I ain't good with kids. Don't really like all that noise with the brats and whatnot. But'cha know, kid, I kinda enjoyed hanging out with you. Even if you almost got me killed a few times."

"I kinda figured almost getting killed just came with the territory of being a bounty hunter." Stella commented. Nack dipped his head to hide his growing grin.

"You little shit."

The snow fell softly around them all as the weasel pulled the little girl into an awkward hug. With a holler, Bean jumped out of his seat to jump onto them all and cling to the two. Bark followed quickly, a small smile peaking out the side of his scarf as he enveloped all three of them in his massive yellow arms to pick them up. Both the bird and the fox shrieked in delight, Bean's legs kicking both Bark's stomach and Nack's legs. The weasel hit the bird across the head irately.

From a distance, the red fox uncle watched them all fall into the snow to laugh together. He watched, curiously, as Stella jumped up enthusiastically to chase after Bean in the snow. He watched as the purple weasel followed suit, realizing that the duck had taken his revolver. Eric Fairfield watched as his niece was lifted up without a care and thrown onto the weasel's back as they took chase after Bean, their larger companion just collapsing in defeat next to the red fox.

"…You know, I've never seen her smile like that." Eric commented. Bark stole a glance at the fox. "Nor have I ever seen her laugh like that, or even enjoy herself at all. Stella has never enjoyed a single day living at Frost Manor as far I can tell. Not that I would be able to tell at all, since I barely know her—I only married Vanessa last year. And her sister was still alive back then."

"…Sometimes, I would wonder. And now I realize that I'm still wondering. Am I fit caretaker for this child? Surely, I can give Stella three round meals a day and the best education that money can offer. But I just don't think I can offer her anything like this. I can't imagine anyone being happy to continue being prisoner at the place where they were just lucky to wake up not being killed by their family. Much less waking up to a family that would stimulate her, care for her, and love her."

"What're ya all blabbin' about?" Nack huffed, collapsing by the bear as Bean made his way back around to climb up on Bark's shoulder—where the weasel couldn't reach him without a firearm. Which the duck was currently waving around without abandon. Bark rolled his eyes and reached up to wrestle it from Bean's hands, dropping the weapon in the snow.

"I was just commenting on how nice it is that you get along with Stella so well. All of you." Eric seemed almost lost in thought. "Nack, isn't it? Yes?"

"That'd be it, though sometimes I go by my business name. Fang the Sniper. Sounds cooler. Especially the Fang part. Or maybe it's the Sniper part. Its just a lot more intimidating, you know?" Nack rambled. Stella laughed, seated on the side of his back. "Oh, think that's funny, huh? I'm call you Brat the Trickster from now on."

"Trickster sounds cool!"

"Kinda does, don't it? Damn it."

"Nack." Eric cleared his throat; the weasel looked back to him with a lopsided grin. "Could you give me the check again, please?"

"What? You ain't gonna cut the costs again, are you? Because I'll have you know that I'm an expert forger and I'll give my money however I gotta." Nack said suspiciously, pulling the paper out of his hat to hand to the red fox. Eric shook his head, pulling a pen out to scribble on the check before handing it back to the Hooligan. Nack looked at it speculatively before his eyes widened. "Damn, fancypants! I don't know what prompted THIS but I'll TAKE it!"

"What is it, what IS it?" Bean whined, jumping down to peer over the weasel's shoulder. His mouth promptly fell open in shock. "God DAMN."

"Hate to press my luck because this is some good luck, but what's with the sudden generous donation?" Nack asked, sitting up. Stella fell into the snow behind him with a shriek, popping out to shove the weasel with her lips pursed together in annoyance. It went ignored.

"Nack, I realize that you and your kin are not good folks. You're rather bad, as a matter of fact. I do my research, after all. And you all have a lot of information out there." Eric shot them a judgmental look with a raised brow. "However, I can't deny that you seem to provide Stella with something that I can't quite give her. She likes being around you three, and it seems to make her a much happier person. And ultimately what one learns outside of formal education is just as important as what one learns within in. So I am handing you that check as something of an overhead, so to say. To take on a 'job' for the Frost family."

Nack had a feeling what was coming, but stood up to push the snow off his fur and squared his eyes with Eric's. "What're we sayin' here? What kind of job?"

"For a time period currently undecided, I'm asking Team Hooligan to take on Stella as its ward. Let her see the world, so to say, and let her make her own decisions. I have never before seen her stand up to her supposed superiors like she did with her aunt…and I can only assume that such confidence was instilled in her by being around your group." Eric explained. "We would of course prefer if she was left out of more unsavory jobs you take on, but she needs to see the world. She needs that confidence to stand up to those bigger than her. And she needs it from those that she trusts, cares for, and thinks of as family."

Eric cleared his throat, a forlorn smile crossing his features. "And right now, I believe that you three would be the best for that job. So…will you take that raise in money and Stella along with it?"

Silence overtook the blustery field of snow. Bean had scrambled over to try and squeeze behind Bark to hide—the bear simply took the bird and shoved him in the green scarf adorning his furred neck. Nack glanced at the check, to Eric, to Stella, and back to the check. Finally he sighed with some forced irritation, taking off his hat to shove the check back into it as his free hand caught Stella around the waist to lift up and carry at his side.

"You goddamn rich people always gotta say shit in this fancy-shmancy way. Good lord. You think I'll turn down a paying job THAT easy? Babysit a kid for thousands of dollars, oh yeah, I'm totally gonna say no." Nack snorted as he tossed the white fox into one of the passenger's cars. The other two Hooligans quickly followed in after her, the entire car giving a heavy shift to one side when Bark squeezed into his car. The bear shrugged nonchalantly when Nack glared at him. The weasel sighed, then turned his attention back to the kid sandwiched next to Bean. "You're a temporary Hooligan now, okay, kid? You gotta act the part."

"So I gotta be mean and conniving and confident?" Stella questioned with a smarmy grin. Nack chuckled.

"As if. You gotta work your way up to the big leagues, kid." Nack turned back to the girl's uncle as he climbed into the driver's seat of the Marvelous Queen—the worry was apparently on Eric's face. "Thanks for the extra money, fancypants. We'll take good of your little princess."

And Eric Fairfield watched as the airbike erupted into the sky, leaving the Frost Manor and all its ugly history behind. The man sighed and shook his head, wondering if his decision had truly been the best one—then clicked his tongue at his own thoughts. There was no need for that kind of concern or worry. The Hooligans had already proven they could keep her alive…and make her better, too.

He chuckled, turning back to the steps of the Frost Manor wistfully. One day that little girl would return, a very different person. Maybe a rougher person. But, he figured, maybe it would be better for her to become rougher than become as vicious like her other family members. And maybe, just maybe, he thought…

Maybe when she comes back different, they'll come back different too.