18: Distractions
XxX
As the 'convention' progressed, Nick had to admit that it was one of the best things that the shop had had in a long time. With the costumes, the food and drinks and the atmosphere, the mood of everyone had improved considerably.
Seeing that the sound equipment was set up and ready to go, Nick grabs Midnight and Lefty and talks to them quietly. Noticing this, Judy asks Laverne "What's that no-good husband of mine up to now?"
"I have no idea, but knowing my son, it can't be good."
"May I have your attention please" begins 'officer' Wilde "I'd like to dedicate a song to my darling wife."
"Nick, are were really going to do this again?" questions Judy.
"Are we? …. Why yes, yes we are."
"Anywhoooo, here we go" says Nick as he begins playing and singing 'Shake Your Booty' by K C and the Sunshine Band.
"Ok, but don't forget" says Judy "you started this" as she takes the stage and begins singing and playing 'The Thrill is Gone' by B.B. King'
"Oh no, you didn't go there" rejoins Nick as he goes straight into 'Bad Case Of Lovin' You (Doctor-Doctor)' by Robert Palmer.
"Maybe you didn't get the hint" says Judy as she comes back with 'Hit the Road Jack' by Ray Charles.
"Here's another one for ya then" says Nick with a sly smile as he plays 'I Fought The Law' by the Bobby Fuller Four, in reference to the uniforms they were both wearing.
"You damned loveable fool" laughs Judy "here's one last song just for you. It's called 'Hot Stuff' by Donna Summer."
When Judy finishes the song, she grabs Nick by the tie and drags him offstage and heads towards the drink table.
"Do you think that you can behave for a while, or am I going to regret the last song?"
"Your wish is my command, officer."
"Good. Now I'm going to go get us some of that Jambalaya, you get me some red beer and I'll meet you where you mother and aunt are sitting. While you're at it, find out who that very attractive Artic fox is talking to your mom."
"What fox, where?"
"Over there dummy" pointing to the table where Laverne and Shirley are sitting.
When Nick begins to head immediately towards his mother, Judy grabs his arm and chides him firmly "Beer first fox, then be nosey".
Shaking her head, Judy gathers up two bowls of Jambalaya and heads over to sit with her husband, mother-in-law and Nicks aunt, and some mammal as yet unknown to her.
"Judy" begins Laverne, noticing her approach "I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Jason Silver. Jason, this is my daughter-in-law Judy."
Noticing Nick's less than pleasant look on his face, Judy shakes mister Silvers proffered paw.
"Pleased to meet you mister Silver."
"And in case you've completely missed my son's pouting attitude-"
"Mom. I'm not pouting."
"What would you call it then Nick?"
"I'm … concerned, ok?"
"Nick I'm a grown vixen, and I can take care of myself, you know that. Besides, whether you like it or not, I'm allowed to have a personal life."
"Ok, ok, I get it. If I may ask" being a bit snarky "how long have you two been seeing each other?"
"Well, let's see now. Today is Saturday" replies Laverne with her own bit of snark "so it's been … what… almost three years? That sound about right Ron?"
"Yea, sounds right to me."
"Wait, you've been dating for almost three years and I'm just now finding out about it?" he asked, more than slightly miffed.
"NICK" shouted Judy and Laverne together.
"What?"
"You know damned well that nothing serious has been going on" scolded Laverne. "You know I go strictly by tradition. I would never go against tradition, and I would never consider getting married or doing anything else unless I told you first. For crying out loud get a freaking grip."
"Alright, alright already, I get it. It's just a bit of a shock ok? To find out that my mother, of all mammals, has been dating for almost three years and this is the first I'm hearing about it? With everything else that's been happening lately it's a bit much to process."
Patting Nick on the top of his head "You'll be ok dear" says Judy sarcastically.
As the evening begins to wind down Judy and Laverne notice Nick and Jason in a hushed conversation.
"What in hells bells is going on with those two now?" Judy wonders out loud.
"From the look of it, we won't have long to find out" counters Laverne as the fox and wolf step up to the stage.
"Closing this evenings entertainment" begins Nick "mister Silver, I mean Jason and I have a little treat for y'all."
When the opening strains of 'Dueling Banjos' fill the air (which is a bit odd being played on acoustic guitars which were drop-D tuned), everyone is amazed to see the two actually smile. As the tempo increases and everyone begins to clap along Laverne can only grin with a full heart, knowing that her son and her boyfriend have found a common ground and are coming to terms with one another.
After the final notes finish echoing through the shop, Nick and Jason shake paws and bid each other a good night.
Biding everyone a goodnight and safe journey home, Judy is a bit taken back when Duane is one of the last to leave.
"Where are you going Dewey" she asks "I thought you were still living upstairs."
"Still am" remarks Duane, gesturing towards the stairs "but someone else kinda wants some privacy tonight."
Looking in the direction Duane was pointing Judy is only a bit shocked to see Skye disappear into the overhead apartment.
"Well I'll be damned" she remarked.
"Hmmm?" queries Nick.
"Never mind, I'll tell you later, ok?"
"Ok, fine. I doubt if whatever it is will be as big of a surprise that mom sprung on me tonight."
Shaking her head and giving Nick her best imitation of one of Nick's smirks "I wouldn't be too sure about that."
After telling Nick about Skye possibly spending the night with Josh and laughing herself silly over his reaction, the couple took a relaxing shower and again proceeded to play some 'night games' before finally getting some well-deserved sleep.
With Sunday being pretty much a rerun of Saturday, every one decided to help clean up the shop in preparation for returning to work on Monday morning.
…
Monday morning came with everyone in the shop arriving with a positive attitude.
The usual Monday morning assignments pretty much went as expected with Midnight telling everyone to pick up where they left off on Thursday.
Judy finished up with the parts orders and looked for Felix for further instructions.
When she got to the office, she noticed Nick finishing a conversation with Felix, both sharing a short laugh and grinned as he saw her enter.
"Ok, what's up you two?"
"Up? What could you possibly be talking about?" asked Nick, smirk firmly in place.
Walking up to Nick and dragging him down by is tie so she can stare him eye to eye he hurriedly relents.
"A-alright Fluff, since it actually involves you, here it is. Felix has talked Jackie Feulit into bringing a couple of his cars around for you to get familiar with."
"Say what?"
"I've talked Jackie into bringing a 427 Corvette like the one being restored and an upgraded Cobra for us to take to the Road Zootopia racetrack" began Felix.'
'Jackie is going to take the 'Vette for three timed laps around the track, then you're going to take the Cobra and learn to drive like a racer. You're going to work your way up to driving like a pro. It should be no problem for you to beat Jackie's time by the time you're finished. And if you can beat Jackie's time with his Cobra, you can sure as hell beat Johnny with ours."
"This is for real? No shit? What about the build, who's going to work on it?"
"You and Felix will" replied Nick. "Jackie won't be here for another couple of weeks, so you're got that much time at least to get a good start and possibly finish it."
"Great, now you and I have just one more thing to take care of today before I start rounding up the parts I've ordered."
"And that would be…?"
"We have an appointment with doctor Cotton today, remember?"
"Umm, yea … about that…"
"Nick, do NOT tell me that you're actually thinking about backing out?"
"No, no I'm not. I'm still a bit-"
"Nervous? Apprehensive?"
"Yea, all of that. What you said"
"Don't worry I won't let the mean doctor hurt you."
"Har, har."
"And yes dear, I'll help you with your 'contribution'."
"Umm thanks? Shall we go get this over with?"
"We shall."
…
Arriving at Zootopia University, Nick and Judy are directed to the DNA research division, which is located on the fourth floor in room R4125.
Entering room R4125, they're greeted by doctor Cotton and one of her research staff, a pronghorn antelope.
"Welcome, it's good to see you both again. So, are you ready to begin?' noticing Nicks less than enthusiastic attitude 'Am I missing something here?"
"I'm afraid Nick considers this little adventure an afront to his maleness" answers Judy with a very convincing smirk. That being said" she continues "I've agreed to lend a helping paw when he-"
"JUDY" interrupted Nick "what the hell?"
"What? Did you think no one would notice when it came time for you to-"
"Will you please stop talking?"
"Listen Nick, do you want to do this by yourself?"
"No, not really…"
"Then shut the hell up. Go over and sit in the corner and be quiet. I'll be out in a few minutes after doctor Cotton is finished with me. Are we done here?"
"Yes ma'am" indicated a now very docile fox.
…
After collecting 'biological contributions' from both Nick and Judy, doctor Cotton calls them into her office.
"Just to keep you both up to speed with how I want to go about all of this here's a brief reminder of what we've already done and what is in store for the near future'
'Today the procedure obtained genetic material for DNA profiling and sequencing. I intend to totally map the DNA strands from both of you for comparison to the contributions you'll be making every few months."
"W-wait, what?" stammered a Nick who was taken completely off guard. "You mean we have to go through this again?"
"Nick, calm down" scolded Judy.
"Of course. Did you really think that I'd only need one sample from each of you?" inquired doctor Cotton.
"Well, yea, I was really kinda hoping that would be the case."
"Damn Nick" interrupted Judy "use your head. Doctor Cotton has to have something to use as a reference, doesn't she?"
"… yea, I guess."
"And then she'll need something to compare the results against, right?"
"… Umm … yea?"
"Ok then. Now, be quiet and let her finish."
"As I was saying" continued doctor Cotton "your initial contributions will be used as a baseline to be used to compare against samples that will need to be taken every three to four months. I'm going to be giving you various organic compounds to be taken orally between each set of samples.'
'The compounds are completely safe, as Michael and I have already been taking the same compounds in different strengths for some time."
"How will these compounds affect us?" inquired Judy.
"The compounds should not affect your normal day to day functions, nor should they affect your core DNA. What they will do is slightly modify your genetic samples. What I'm trying to do is to gently nudge the DNA of your biological contributions to 'evolve' if you will, at a faster rate than is normal.'
'We are ever naturally evolving to become more compatible with each other regardless of species as your recent pregnancy suggests. The compounds are meant to bring your individual DNA to a more common ground so to speak. Rabbits share common DNA material, regardless as to whether they are male or female, as do foxes. That's what enables hares to interbreed with rabbits and different fox species as well as all canids to interbreed.'
'Since you've already become pregnant with Nick's kits once, the possibility is there that your individual DNAs are very close to being at a common junction already. It only takes a very small push to bring them into complete compatibility. The trick is to find the right ingredients in the right amounts to accomplish this feat.'
'Make no mistake, this will not be easy, and will most likely take a good amount of time. The real issue is to take that push in the right direction."
"Nick" says Judy, looking directly at her husband "I know you feel that this is demeaning, but it's something that we've got to try. Neither one of us wants to go through what we did a month ago, so please, just … just tolerate this as best you can. Please?"
"For you, my darling bunny, I'd do anything. All you have to do is ask nicely."
"WHAT! Then all of the fuss you caused earlier … was just a ploy to-"
"Yea, pretty much … OWWWW!"
"Just you wait until I get you home, I'll-I'll-I'll …"
"You'll what?" asks Nick wearing the biggest smirk Judy could ever recall.
"I don't know yet, but you can bet your tail I'll think of something, and I guarantee you won't like it." She states with conviction.
Turning her attention back to doctor Cotton "Sorry about that doctor Cotton, but I promise that there won't be a repeat of what just happened just now. Is there anything else we need before we leave today?"
"Yes, actually. Don't forget to stop by and get a supply of the supplements that you'll be taking from my assistant at the front desk. You each need to take a large tablespoon full of each mixture during each meal or at least three times a day with a hot beverage, whether it's tea or coffee or coco really doesn't matter, it just needs to be dissolved in the beverage.'
'Then I'll need to see you again in three or four months for another contribution from each of you, so I can continue my sequencing and use for comparison with your initial contributions. We need to give the formulas time to work their magic if you will. Does that work for you?"
"We'll be sure to make it work… won't we Nick?" insists Judy, with an 'I dare you to contradict me' stare.
"Ummm, yes we will, no problem dear." agrees a slightly worried fox.
…
On the ride home, Nick keeps peeking at his wife, trying to figure out just how she's going to get back at him for his little stunt at doctor Cotton's office.
"What Nick?" asks Judy, well aware of his not so casual peeking.
"Umm, are you really mad?"
"Actually, I'm not mad."
"Well then-" he says, slightly relieved.
"I'm infuriated, pissed …. I have NO words to describe how angry I am at you right now."
"But I …"
"I really don't want to hear it right now Nick. You need to get your head out of your ass, and I mean quick. Do. You. Understand?"
"…. Yes, yes, I do, and I apologize."
"Put your apology in your pocket Nick, it really doesn't mean much right now. Playing with my emotions like that it's just …"
"Ok, ok, I get it. It'll never happen again."
"Talk's cheap Nick."
"I know, I'll find a way to prove myself to you, I promise."
"Again, talk's cheap. Don't tell me, show me. Right now, I'm going home, but you're going back to the shop."
"The shop, why?"
"First of all, I need a bit of alone time to sort out this latest screw-up of yours. Secondly, you need to get with Fritz and find out how soon all of the parts upgrades we ordered will be ready for pick up. When I can start picking up the parts, then I can occupy my mind by working on the Cobra.'
'Nick, I love you to death and back, but sometimes you just make me want to strangle you."
As they pull up to the front of the house, Nick looks so forlorn that Judy can't help herself "C'mere ya big dummy, I think we both could use a big hug right now."
As they hug, Nick whispers in Judy's ear "I am sorry Fluff, I'll make it up, I promise."
"I know, just … damn it Nick, it hurts you know?"
"Yea, I know. I promised long ago not to hurt you, and I've failed miserably."
"Nick, I understand. It's NOT ok, but it does happen. Now, get going and bring some pizza home for supper, ok?"
Seeing the shocked look on his muzzle "And NO I'm NOT pregnant, I just want some pizza, ok? Half whatever you want and half asparagus and broccoli for me. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am, I'll be home after I check on your parts and see how the shop's doing. See you in a bit."
"I love you Nick, that'll never change."
"I love you too Squeak, and I'll try to remember to engage my brain before my mouth from now on. Try is the key word there."
Laughing, Judy told him "I get it, now get going, I'm hungry,"
…
While Nick was gone, headed to the shop to check on Judy's parts orders and the state of the shop in general, Judy goes over the days' happenings in her head. She went over everything from finding out about her driving lessons to the stunt Nick pulled at doctor Cotton's office. Not that she actually minded lending Nick a paw for his contribution which actually caused her to giggle a bit, it was just so infuriating that he acted like such an ass (not to denigrate any donkeys that she knew) sometimes. Knowing full well that he shouldn't have been that uncomfortable with providing his contribution that way, an idea suddenly came to her that would make him uncomfortable for sure.
Grinning evilly from ear to ear, which is quite a feat for a bunny, Judy suddenly knew the best way to really make the point with Nick was to make him wait until the very last minute to let him know what his punishment was.
…
As Nick enters the shop, he heads directly to the office to confer with Midnight.
"So" he begins "how go the 'Vette and Cobra builds?"
"Well" says Midnight "let's start with the 'Vette. The body's headed to paint, the frame's been painted and is waiting for the motor. We were going to powder coat it, but you said exactly per factory specs, so paint it is.'
'The guys at 'Year One' say it'll be around a week on the motor rebuild. Evidently all that was needed on the block was a good glaze breaking and crosshatching. The heads are fine and only needed a valve job.'
'Brakes and suspension were easy to find, Chevy's new/old parts section really came through.'
'We should be ready to go to final assembly when we get the motor back."
"Good, and the Cobra?"
"Well according to Felix, most of the parts that Squeak ordered are ready for pickup. Speaking of Squeak, where's she? I kinda expected both of you to show up."
"Umm, we had a few personal issues so she decided to stay home."
"You pissed her off somehow, didn't ya?"
"Yea, my mouth getting ahead of my brain again, let's leave it at that ok?"
"Figures. Anyway, back to the Cobra. Fritz said that he found the motor they needed and Squeak can pick it up tomorrow at Prestige Motorsports. The rebuild parts for the motor are ready at Rust-eze Speed Shop, and the suspension parts are ready at Competition Suspension. I know we were originally going to use Jegg's but they didn't have what we needed so Fritz took the liberty of calling Gerald at Competition. They had what we need in stock so there's no wait time involved there.'
'The brake components from Rousch won't be ready until the tail end of next week, so Felix figured that Squeak could pick up the 'Vette motor and the brakes for the Cobra next week.'
'The body guys should have the body prepped and ready for paint right after the 'Vette comes out. Which brings up a point that Duane made."
"And what would that be?"
"You're sure that Squeak's going to win this thing, right?"
"Absolutely, one hundred percent … why?"
"Well, Duane thought that maybe he could paint it with whatever color you or Squeak wanted, then put a coat of some godawful pink that you wanted over the top."
"What would the point of two different colors be?"
"Easy, according to him. The paint he's going to do the second coat with is easy to wash off."
"Really? Let him know that that'll be perfect. I'll have Squeak get with him to decide what color she wants. The car's going to be hers after the race, so I want her to decide the color."
"I'll let him know. With luck, there's only around three weeks left on each build. They should be ready at about the same time."
"Great. Now, do you know where Felix is for sure?"
"Yea, I think he's at Squeak's bay. Last time I saw him he was on the phone, presumably with that Jackie Feulit dude."
"Ok, thanks, I'll go touch base with him and see how that's going."
…
Approaching Judy's bay, Nick sees Fritz just finishing a phone call.
"Well, how goes the project?" he asks.
"Not bad. Jackie 'll be here on Wednesday of next week, with the cars arriving on Friday. With the project cars about three weeks from being finished, that'll give Judy around a week and a half to learn to drive a true muscle car. Where is she by the way?"
"We had some … misunderstandings at the doctors' office and now she's mad at me."
"Your fault no doubt."
"Yea, yea, yea, my fault already."
"At any rate, I'm sure that Midnight told you that Judy should be able to pick up most of the parts tomorrow, the only hold up is the brake parts from Rousch. They'll be ready by Friday, so we should be able to get most of the prep work finished by the end of this week. By the time Jackie gets here, the engine should be rebuilt and ready to install in the frame, along with the suspension and brakes.'
'The frame and subcomponents are already back from powder coat, so when we get the parts picked up we can start assembly."
"Ok, thanks for the updates, I'll pass the info along to Judy, I'm sure she'll be here tomorrow, ready to go back to work."
…
Returning home, Nick found Judy seemly passed out on the living room couch, several empty bottles of apple cider lying about. Gently picking her up and taking her to bed, he undressed her and tucked her in. Going into the bathroom, he retrieved a bottle of aspirin and then got a bottle of water from the kitchen fridge.
Returning to the bedroom, he was just about to set everything on the nightstand when Judy suddenly sat up.
"Thanks Nick, but I really won't be needing those."
Jumping a foot into the air, water going in one direction, aspirin in another "Shit, don't do that. I thought you were drunk and passed out."
"It's called a hustle, sweetheart. I put the cider in a gallon jug and hid it in the bottom of the fridge. This is a little taste of what's in store for you off and on for the foreseeable future.'
'Now, what's up with the builds?"
As Nick regaled the news of both builds progress, Judy listened attentively.
"So, what you're telling me is that tomorrow I can pick up most of the parts needed for the Cobra build and start putting stuff together, right?"
"Yea, according to what I've been told.'
'Look, I know I screwed up at the doctor's office ok? I really am sorry and whatever I need to do to make it up to you ok?"
"I know, but you're still going to pay bigtime. You know that right?"
"Yea, and I know I deserve whatever you're going to do. But can we call a truce in the meantime? I-we've got enough to worry about with the builds and you learning to race without a bunch of extra drama in the works. Please."
"… I guess so. But I'm warning you, if you screw up like that again …"
"Ok, I get it. How about a trip to the Gaslight, for old times' sake?"
"The first place you took me on the day we met? That sounds wonderful."
"I'll call ahead and tell Mellissa to expect us. Thanks Judy, maybe this 'll help keep things going in the right direction for me."
"It'll be good start, thanks Nick. It shows that you actually do mean to make up for being so insensitive. It means a lot to me."
"I know. Let's get dressed then. I mean to show off my beautiful wife to the world and show how proud I am of her."
With a sly grin, Judy commented "And I know just the outfits to wear."
Seeing Nick's more than slightly concerned look she adds "Stay there, I'll be right back."
When Judy returned with two sets of clothing, Nick was stunned. What se carried in her paws were the clothes that they wore when Nick followed the Hopps tradition of asking the matriarch (Bonnie) for permission to date Judy.
In one paw was her pale blue dress, with spaghetti straps that had the neckline that dipped and showed just a peek of her bust, while the skirt's hemline reached down to just above her knees. Complementing the dress was her amethyst and emerald necklace, the only thing missing was a fresh Calla Lily.
In the other paw was Nick's attire, from the light blue button-up shirt that matches her dress perfectly, and the tan slacks.
"I know it's not really called for, but could we stop somewhere and get a fresh Lily?"
"For you my lovely bunny, anything. Let me make a quick call to a florist I know while you get dressed and we'll be set to go."
After stopping by Otterton's Fine Florist for a fresh Calla Lily, the couple headed to the Gaslight Cafe and Lounge, where they had a sentimental meal that was the same as the first day they met.
From there, it was a quick trip to the Icehouse, where they had some beer (red beer for Judy) and picked up some BBQ chicken pizza to go.
Returning home, they fell asleep in front of the tv watching (or trying to watch rather) an old Robin Hood movie.
…
Bright and early the next morning, Judy was awakened by the sound of Nick trying to make breakfast.
"What on earth are you doing?"
"Sorry, I was going to make some … what did you call them again?"
"Grits?"
"Yea, those, but first I couldn't remember what they were, then I dropped the pan, sorry."
"Ya big goof, move over. The grits are behind the oatmeal in the cabinet, go get 'em and I'll teach you how to cook 'em. What ever possessed you to make grits anyway?"
"I know they were actually meant as a punishment the first time, but I kinda like 'em."
"Especially with blueberry jam and butter?"
"Well yea, there is that."
After a quick breakfast of grits, toast and juice or coffee, they head to the shop.
After a pleasant twenty-minute drive they arrive and head their separate ways, Nick goes to the office while Judy heads for her bay where she finds Fritz waiting, gazing at the white board.
"I see there are a few things already marked off" she states.
"Yea, the frame cam back from powder coat and the body panels are at prep. Everything except the brakes for the Cobra and the engine for the 'Vette are ready for pickup, so you can start with that if you want. The only change was with the suspension parts. Jegg's didn't have what we needed in stock so I called the guys at Competition Suspension, I'll give you the address before you leave. We can start putting the car together as soon as you get back, but we'll need to wait until we get the major components installed before we worry about wiring, brake lines and such."
"Ok, I'll grab the step-side and get to movin'. Is there anything else I need to pickup while I'm out and about?"
"Not that I can think of right now. If something pops up I'll holler at you."
Stepping into the office, Judy lets Nick know that she's heading out on her parts run.
"While you're at it" he tells her "try and think what color you want the Cobra painted."
"I thought you were just going to paint it pink to piss off Johnny."
"Well Duane came up with the idea to paint it whatever color we wanted, then go over it again with a washable version of pink. That way we can just wash off the pink and no worry about either repainting the car or just driving a pink Cobra."
"Brilliant. Ok, I'll work on a paint color then. But why me though?"
"Well I was going to surprise you, but once you beat Johnny's ass in the race, I was planning to give you the car."
"Wait, what? But-I never dreamed you'd let me keep it. It won't be streetable though will it?"
"We can always either detune it, or you can race it occasionally or both. And just so you know, I always planned on giving you the car anyway."
Giving her husband a quick hug and kiss "Well, I'm gone for now, thanks for the car, I'll try not to wreck it during the race. What?" noticing a thoughtful look on Nick's muzzle.
"Thanks to you, I just thought of an addendum to put in the contract."
"Which would be?"
"If Johnny wrecks the 'Vette, or causes you to wreck, he would be liable for any and all damages including replacing either car if one or both are damaged or totaled. If Johnny won't sign it, the race is off. And if he does, he'll think twice about wrecking you just to win the race."
"That's the sly business mammal I fell in love with. Welcome back Nick…"
…
While Judy was out on her parts run she got a call from Felix, informing her that she had one additional stop to make. That was at Applied Electronics, where she needed to pick up a complete wiring harness set for the Cobra. After picking up most of the parts needed for the Cobra build, Judy started helping Felix assemble the suspension components and other major parts onto the frame. Since almost everything was a complete unit or a major subassembly, the installation process went fairly quickly.
The next few days flew by, and before anyone knew it, it was Friday.
As Duane rolled the finished Corvette body out of the paint booth, the Cobra body which was ready to paint, was rolled in. Noticing that, Nick headed to the booth, anxious to find out what color that Judy had selected.
"Well" he asked Duane "what color is this beast going to be?"
"Can't tell ya." came the reply.
"Can't or won't?" Nick asked.
"Pretty much the same thing."
"I'm your boss, and you won't tell me what color your going to paint one of my cars?"
"According to Judy, you're giving here the car after the race anyway, right?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Judy told me what colors she wants on the car and gave me strict orders not to let you know under any circumstance. You're not to see the car until it's completely finished, period. Truth be told, I'd much rather tangle with you than with her. If you've got problems with that, you need to talk to her."
Taking every bit of two seconds to consider asking Judy about her color choice and her not wanting him to see the car until it was finished "Nah, that's ok, we both know how that'll play out. Thanks."
Heading over to the bay where Judy and Felix were putting the finishing touches on the suspension he was greeted with a hug. "Hey beautiful" he greeted his wife as he returned the hug. "Sorry Felix, ya get no hug, wouldn't want to make Winston jealous."
"Much appreciated. What's up?"
"Not much, I just wanted to see how the build was progressing, and to ask my darling wife why she didn't want me to see the car until it's finished."
Folding her arms across her chest, Judy fixed Nick with a stern look. "Two reasons actually."
"And they are?"
"Number one, remember your little stunt at the doctor's office a while back?"
"Yea, and number two?"
"I just really want to surprise you with it. I really think you'll love the colors. After we wash the ugly as shit pink off of it that is."
"Ya know, I'd forgotten about until Duane reminded me about that to be honest. Ok, fine. I'll trust you and I promise not to peek. Have you picked up the motor for the 'Vette and brakes for the Cobra yet?"
"Nope, I was actually going to head out in a little bit after cleaning up."
"How about me riding along and treating you to lunch on the way?"
"You know I'm not going to let on what colors I'm having the car painted right?"
"Farthest from my mind, love. I just wanted to spend a bit of quality time with you is all."
"In that case, I'll take free lunch anytime. Do I get to pick?"
"Of course, where to Squeak?"
"The Icehouse. And no, you know I'm not going to have a beer while I'm working, even if it is with the boss."
"Then let's go, times a wastin'."
….
After a quick lunch of pizza (veggies and cheese) and iced tea, Nick and Judy make two quick stops. The first is at Rousch Racing, where they pick up the competition brakes for the Cobra, the second to Year One for the motor for the 'Vette.
After dropping those components off, Nick heads over to see how the Corvette build is progressing while Fritz and Judy start installing the brakes on the otherwise finished rolling chassis that will soon be a race ready Cobra.
Arriving at bay four where Snow and Sneezy are grinning widely "Hey you two, you 'bout ready to get this thing runnin'?"
"Hell yea" answers Skye "all we've really needed was the motor. We started assembly as soon as it came out of paint, including the wiring. As soon as we get this installed and put the fluids in we'll be ready for a quick test start. After that we'll change the oil, run it for about and hour and change the oil again. This thing should be ready to go by tomorrow morning. How's Judy doin' on the Cobra?"
"The body's in paint, and with the brakes being picked up the same time as your motor, I think the Snake 'll be finished by Friday. Two builds finished and running a week and a half ahead of schedule has got to be a record."
"Well, get out of here and find somethin' constructive to do, you're slowin' us down. Git"
"Fine, be that way then. I'll just go in the office and pout."
Seeing Midnight gesturing to him from the office he heads that way.
Entering the office, he notices a mammal not much smaller than himself seated next to his desk.
"Nick" begins Midnight "there's a Jackie Fuelit here to see you."
Standing and walking over to Nick, the large rodent introduces himself (a Welsh rat to be precise) "Muster Wilde" he begins with a Scottish brogue "Ah'm proud ta make 'yer acquaintance." (Please bear with me on the accent, I really don't have much of a reference for it).
"Mister Fuelit, I'm honored to have you come here to my little shop. Forgive me, but aren't you a little early? Fritz said you wouldn't be her until next Wednesday."
"Ach, 'tis no a big deal, when mah gud friend Felix told me about you're luttle problem, 'ahm happy ta help. As fer bein' early, ah had nothin' better ta do, so here ah am."
"Well then, how about we go meet up with your new student then?"
"Lead on then laddie."
XxX
AN: I know the 'Scottish' accent sucks, but there really isn't a lot of info out there to draw on, so let that poor attempt slide, ok?
