19: Lessons

XxX

Again, please bear with the (attempted) Scottish accent, I really don't have a lot of reference material.

This is going to be a REALLY long chapter, but I couldn't justify breaking it up, so buckle up buttercup, here we go…

XxX

As Nick led Jackie Fuelit to the space where Judy and Felix were working, Jackie couldn't help but be impressed with Nick's shop.

"Ye've got a right nice se-up here laddie, Ye do well, ah take it."

"Well enough. It makes life a little more comfortable for the mammals I have in my employ."

"Fritz tol' me a bit aboot tha. Ye seem ta take in mammals that have had a wee hard time in life."

"Almost every mammal here has had a hard life, been broken as we say here. We all have had tragedies in our lives. From the loss of loved ones to combat vets to shattered dreams that left scars both on our bodies and on our souls, myself included. Who better to know and appreciate these kinds of mammals than someone who's been there?"

"An' the lassie that ah'll be teachin' to drive is one of those mammals?"

"Yes, she is. And in fact, she's my… Judy, Fritz, you two got a sec?" interrupted Nick as he and Jackie reach Judy's bay.

Turning, Judy and Fritz are both a bit shocked to see Jackie standing before them.

"What the hell Jackie" questions Fritz "I thought you weren't gonna get here until next week."

"Well, as ah tuld thus fine yung mammal, ah relly had nuthin' better ta do, so here ah am. Busides, ah rully wanted ta meet th yung lassie ah'm gun ta be trainin'."

"Well then, here she is" commented Fritz "your new student. Judy Wilde, Nick's wife."

Turning and looking back and forth between Nick and Judy "Ya din't mention that the yung lassie was married to the owner here Fritzie."

"Is that a problem?" asks Nick, at least a little concerned.

"No' at all laddie, jus' wasn't expecting such a fine lookin' lassie such as her to be workin' as a wrench in a shop is all."

"There are a lot of things about Judy that might surprise you" added Nick.

"So it seems" admitted Jackie "so it seems."

"What with your cars not being here, and the shop not having either of the cars that'll be racing anywhere near ready to go, what are we going to do in the meantime?" asks Judy of Jackie, feeling a bit left out of the conversation.

"Well, it so happens that ah rented a specially equipped Challenger in case yuh didn' have anythin' raceable at paw. We can all take a short trip to the track so ah can get familiar with it, and the lassie can ride with me to get used to it as well."

"Not a bad idea" admits Fritz "there's not much left to do on either car. The 'Vette is headed to final assembly, and the Cobra body just went into paint. We've pretty much done all we can do with that until the body's finished.'
'Nick, is there anything in the shop that you'd be comfortable taking out on the track?"

"Would anything raceable qualify, regardless of the type of car?" Nick asks with a mischievous smirk working his muzzle.

"Ah don' see why not." Replies Jackie.

"Why?" asks Judy. "I know that smirk, and it usually means trouble."

"Do you trust me sweetheart?"

"Normally, yes, but this idea is sure to have bad written all over it."

"You haven't even heard it yet … "

"I know, that's what's got me worried."

"Look, you know I'd never put you in any real danger, right?"

"Yea, and?"

"You take the step-side. Fritz can ride with you and Jackie can follow you to the track in the Challenger.'
'I've got an old racecar in the warehouse that'll work just fine for you to follow Jackie around the track, just to get the feel of what it's like to race, to get your paws wet so to speak. The Cobra will stomp the hell out of anything else we can put on the track, but you need to get the sound and feel of what it's like to compete. OK?"

"Ok, fine, but I'm still not sure about it."

"Just … look, you all head to the track, I'll be along in a few minutes. I've got to get the car ready and loaded onto one of the rollbacks. But before you leave Squeak, go into the storage room just off of the office. There should be a fire suit and helmet that'll fit you. The car's as safe as it can be, but strange things can happen on a racetrack. I'm not going to take any chances of you getting hurt if I can help it ..."

As everyone else heads to the track, Nick goes into a remote corner of the warehouse and uncovers an old race car.

'This will do I think. It's old and ugly as hell, but it's got plenty of power and the handling should be adequate for her first time' he says to himself.

With Midnight's help, Nick got the car ready to drive. Filling the fuel tank, checking the oil, making sure the tires have enough air etc.

After a few minutes of wrangling the car onto the rollback, Nick heads to the track.

As Nick rolls into the pit area to unload the car, Fritz, Judy and Jackie all wonder if Nick has lost his mind.

"What in the hell is that?" they all ask, for varying reasons.

"Why are you bringing that-that thing for me to drive?" asks Judy. "And is it even drivable?"

"Are you serious about letting anyone drive that? It's a piece of Zootopian history dude," queries Fritz.

"Is thot thin' even a race car?" asks Jackie.

"This" answers Nick "is almost a piece of racing history. I bought the car from Dale Elkhardt senior after the Whatkins Glenn race several years ago. It was his backup car that was never used.'
'It was built specifically for road racing, so yes Squeak it's drivable. And at the time was very competitive. There's no way it'll be able to catch either the 'Vette or the Challenger that Jackie 'll be driving, but it'll still give you a taste what it's like to hear and feel what it's like on the track. Besides, if Squeak can handle it, she can handle the Cobra when it's finished.'

"But it's a stock car" interrupted Fritz.

"Look, in the first place, there's nothin' stock about a stock car. It's a race car, get over it already.'
'So, Jackie, you're the master here, what's the plan?"

"Well, ta begin with, ah thot ah'd do several circuits around the track in the Challenger with the wee lassie ta get she and ah familiar with the layout. First slowly, then at a higher speed.'
'then she can get inta thot … thing yew brot and follow me as best she can."

"Judy, you good with that?" asks Nick.

"Let's do this, I can't learn anything just standing here."

"That's the spirit. Ok Jackie, let's see what ya got." Says Nick.

Climbing into the car with Jackie, the first thing Judy notices is the 5-point safety harness and roll bars.

"Where did you say you rented this again?" she asks.

"Ah don recall saying at all" replied Jackie "but ah 'borrad' it from a friend of mine who builds race cars. He actually built it just for road racing."

"Oh, ok" was all Judy could say.

"Anyway, here we go. Ah'll jus make a couple of slow turns to get the feel for the track, the ah'll open it up fer a wee bit. Hang on and enjoy the ride lassie."

With Jackie taking the twists and turns at a moderate pace to begin with, Judy begins to relax a little. After the second lap, she tenses when she hears the throaty roar of the hemi engine pick up.

"Ye might want ta hold on a wee bit tighter lassie, now the fun part begins."

Dropping the 6-speed manual transmission into first gear and flooring the accelerator, Jackie throws the Challenger into a slight power skid entering the first turn. With the turn being a long sweeping right hander, the car picked up speed rapidly, pining Judy into the seat. Climbing through the gears from just under 40 mph to over 120 in a matter of seconds, Judy's eyes threaten to bug out of her head, being so wide open.

As her heart threatens to beat out of her chest, Jackie suddenly applies the brakes to slow the car to a series of quickly approaching S curves, which pitches Judy forward, hard into her safety harness.

After negotiating the esses, Jackie is back hard on the throttle again for a few seconds, then again on the brakes to negotiate a set of two quick 90-degree left hand turns.

Then back hard on the throttle, he goes through the gears again. Going from almost a dead stop to over 160 in just under a half mile, he then quickly down shifts for a very dangerous off camber right hand turn.

Then it's quickly back up through the gears through a short quarter mile straight shot to what's affectionately referred to in the racing community as a 'bus stop' or inner loop, where the speed is drastically reduced again.

Then up through the gears into another 90-degree right hander that opens up to a half-mile long straightaway which includes the start-finish line.

After slowing down and pulling into the pits, Jackie steps out of the car but notices that Judy is still buckled up in the cockpit.

As everyone runs up to the car with very worried expression on their faces, Nick jerks the passenger door open and asks "Judy, are you ok? What's the matter? DAMN IT SAY SOMETHING…"

"Umm …. two things. First, I … think I may have wet myself."

"Damn. And?"

"How fast will the Cobra go when it's finished?"

"Hopefully a hell of a lot faster than the Challenger and the 'Vette. Why?"

"Because … THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!"

Seeing the look on his bunnies' face Nick started laughing.

"What the hell is so funny?" she asks.

"Two things" he said, mocking his wife a bit "one, you wet yourself? Snow's gonane love that."

"Nick if you tell her that-"

"What? You'll be embarrassed? Again?"

"Never mind. I'm sure I'll just laugh about it somewhere down the line. And the second reason?"

"You're an addict."

"What?" she says, staring in disbelief.

"I said you an addict."

"Nick, make sense. Addicted to what?"

"Speed. You've become an adrenalin junkie."

Thinking about his statement "Then you're gonna have to feed my addiction. You started this, you're gonna have to keep me going, you know that right?"

"Squeak, I have no problem with that at all. I already told you that the Cobra's yours after this is all said and done, so I'll be happy sponsor you anytime you wanna race."

"Great. Now, let me out of this thing so I can go change. Luckily, I actually brought a change of clothes with me. And get that … thing ready for me to drive."

Grinning, all Nick could say was "Yes dear."

By the time Judy got back to the pits from changing, Nick had the stock car unloaded and ready to go. While she puts her fire suit and helmet back on, she gets some instruction from Nick.

"Ok, listen up. Everything about this car is different from anything you've driven before. Throttle response is quicker. Steering is quicker. Braking is much more severe.'
'You may or may not have noticed that there are gravel pits and sand traps at the exits of each of the turns. If you take a turn too fast, they'll stop you from hitting anything solid.'
'Don't be afraid of making a mistake, it's how we learn. Now, get out there and make me proud."

Just as she was getting ready to climb into the car, Judy notices something above the driver's door.

"Nick, what the hell is this?" she asks.

"What?"

"Above the door here."

"Oh that? I thought you might appreciate that."

There, above the driver's door window was Judy's nickname "Squeak' in grey letters with a red border.

"Josh did that while I was getting the car ready. Neat huh?"

Rolling her eyes, she gave her fox a quick kiss for luck. As she settled in and finished adjusting her 5-point harness, Nick gave her one last instruction.

"Whatever happens, I don't give a damn about the car, just be safe … and have fun."

Smiling at Nick, Judy fires the engine and her grin gets noticeably larger hearing the powerful V-8 engine come to life.

As Judy follows the Challenger out onto the track, she hears Nick's voice in her ears through the helmet radio.

"Jackie's supposed to do about the same thing he did when we first got here. Start slow for a couple of laps so you get the feel for the layout of the course. Then he's supposed to gradually go faster. Do your best to stay with him but remember he's used to this and you're not. He's been doing it for most of his life while you haven't. Have fun bun."

"You did not just call me a bun. Damn Nick …"

"Well, it did rhyme."

As the first laps go by, Judy gets a feel for the increased horsepower of the racing engine, the sharpness of the turning ability of the steering, the g-forces she experienced in the turns and the forcefulness of the competition brakes.

The suddenness of the transitions from the massive straight-line acceleration to the heavy braking and centrifugal force of the sharp curves offered physical challenges to the bunny unlike anything she'd ever seen in her life. The first time she knew she had really screwed up was when she went into the off-camber right hand turn at a slightly higher speed than she was comfortable with. As the car started sliding to her left, not knowing for sure what to do she simply let go of the wheel, closed her eyes and hoped for the best.

Luckily, the car went straight and buried itself in the sand trap and Judy felt the 5-point safety harness bite into her shoulders and groin a bit under the sudden deceleration.

Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, Judy slowly opened her eyes.

'Well, that was interesting' she thought, her heartrate beginning to return to normal 'Now what?'

As Nick, and Fritz pull up to the edge of the sand trap, she hears Nick over the helmet radio "Just stay buckled up in the car, we'll use the winch to pull you out. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but I think I wet myself again" she said, only joking this time.

"Damn, you're awfully hard on clothes today Squeak."

"Kidding this time Nick, thank you very much" she laughed into the radio.

"Well, let's get you out of there and see if there's any damage to the car."

After Fritz and Nick get the car out of the sand trap, Jackie finally pulls up.

"Are you ok lassie?" he asks. "Ah dinna see you in me mirror but figured if there was any real trouble ah woud've heard aboot it."

"No, I'm fine" she answered. "Other than nearly soiling myself. Again. I got by with only a bit of damaged pride this time."

"Thot be a wicked corner, one ye cud use to yer advantage when ye race the blackard."

Suddenly seeing the wisdom of Jackie's statement, she began to understand some of the strategy that Jackie had mentioned while waiting for Nick to get to the track.

'Ye've got to remember somethin' lassie' he'd told her 'ye've gotta race the track first and yer competiters second.'

"So" she said thoughtfully "I can actually use the uniqueness of the track to my advantage."

"Ach, now ye be getting' the idea" he said, beaming.

Looking at Nick apprehensively, Judy asks "How's the car? Is it good enough for me to get back out there again today?"

"The only real damage seems to be a bent tie rod, but we should be able to fix it quick enough. You're sure you want to go back out so soon?"

"Hell yea, I think I could drive this old clunker all day. And by the way, you were right."

"About what, precisely?"

"Me being an addict. This is an absolute blast."

Trademark smirk in place, Nick could only gaze at his bunny.

"Give me about ten minutes, and we'll have you back on the track. Get some water out of the rollback, it's easy to get dehydrated while racing. I don't want you to pass out while driving."

Back in the car after the minor repairs, Judy refires the engine and gives Jackie the go-ahead signal.

Following the Challenger and using the Challenger's brake lights as hints as to when and where to brake, where to coast and where to accelerate, Judy quickly adapts to the car and to the nuances of the track.

After another hour or so, Nick calls a halt to the day's activities.

Pulling into the pits, Judy climbs out of the car, sweaty, dirty and tired, but with a grin that just won't seem to go away.

"You know" she said "I don't think I would have ever thought that enjoying something so noisy and stinky would be so much fun!"

"You've really got it bad Squeak."

Addressing Jackie "Well, how did the bunny do?"

"The wee lassies' a fast learner. We, and by that ah mean you, need ta get her a faster car ta drive until ya get the Cobra finished. I'm thinkin' she's getting' everythin' out of the old beastie that there is to be got."

"Is there any way to speed up the delivery of the cars that Fritz told me that you were going to be providing? That should make things a lot better a lot faster."

"Now that ye mention it, they should me here by late tammara afternoon" reflected Jackie. "Since ah knew ah'd be here early, ah made sure the cars would arrive directly after me."

"That's great" interrupted a highly emotional bunny, who had been listening to the conversation.

"Easy Squeak, you'll get your thrills soon enough. And don't forget, you've still got the Cobra to finish. Work first, play later."

"Ah've been wondrin'" says Jackie "just why do ye call the lassie Squeak?"

Judy, too busy trying to hide a very telling blush by pulling her long ears down over her face, allowed Nick to tell the story.

"Well, when she first started working for me, we both felt a connection. When she confronted me about my feelings towards her I told her that yes, I liked her and would like her to be my girlfriend, then she proceeded to kiss me and the entire shop went nuts. Well, she jumped about a foot in the air and let out the loudest squeak I've ever heard. So then Skye, one of the girls in the shop, gave her the nickname and it's kind of stuck."

"Interestin'."

"Anyway, I guess it's time for most of us to head back to the shop, we'll see you tomorrow around what time Jackie?"

"Ah figured ah'd wait and bring the cars with me, so probably around two or three. Does thet sound ok ta yew?"

"Sounds good to me. Squeak go ahead and get out of the fire suit and head for the shop in the step-side if ya want, Fritz and I'll bring the rollback and the car."

"Ok, but do not take any side trips. I'm hungry, thirsty, sweaty and smell bad. We need to get a good shower before you take me out tonight."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me" talking as she wiggled out of a very sweat drenched fire suit "We're going out tonight. I just drove a race car for the first time and I'm going to celebrate. And Jackie, you're invited as well."

Noticing Jackie giving off a questioning look, Nick addresses the legend "You might as well just give in and come, when Judy makes up her mind, there's very little in this world that'll change it.'
'Icehouse dear?"

"Yup, they've got the best pizza and beer in town and I mean to get my share..."

Grinning, Nick relents "Don't worry Jackie, I'll text you the address, just dress casual, ok?"

"Now thot sounds like a plan laddie, ah could go for a cold pint aboot now."

"Great, well meet you there in about an hour and a half. We need to drop the car off at the shop, then go home so Judy can get a good shower. I'm afraid my bunny smells really funky abo-"

"NICK!"

"Umm, yes dear?"

"If you want to shower alone, keep it up…"

"Umm as I was saying, we'll meet you there in about an hour and a half or so."

Arriving at the shop, Nick leaves the rollback and race car in the capable paws of Midnight, knowing that the car would get unloaded and put away safely.

On the ride home, Nick can't help but notice that Judy keeps a steady gaze in his direction.

Wilting a bit under Judy's intense gaze, Nick asks "What?"

Getting no immediate answer to the question, he just knew that he'd screwed up (again) bigtime.

"Look, I know already. It's not that easy to stop making smart remarks after a lifetime of it ok? I'm trying and-"

Suddenly standing up and walking across the seat, Judy walks over and stares intensely eye to eye and nose to nose at Nick.

"Stop the truck Nick." She says in a very serious tone.

"W-what?"

"You heard me, stop the truck."

"But-"

"Stop the damned truck, NOW Nick."

"Ok, ok…." As he pulls into a vacant parking lot and shuts the truck off "Look I-"

"Shut it Nick" and with that, Nick received the most passionate kiss that he'd ever gotten from his bunny.

Looking directly into her husband's eyes Judy begins "If you don't hurry your ass up and get us home, there's going to be a very large stain on the seat. Move it Nick, and I mean NOW!"

"Yes ma'am" he replies as he throws the truck into gear, making his second attempt at breaking every traffic law in Zootopia heading home.

After a very intense shower with an extremely horny bunny, Nick made an astute observation:

"If I knew driving a race car would turn you on like that, I'd 've started you out a long time ago."

"I really had no idea that it would affect me like that. To be honest, I was actually a little bit afraid of it all until I put the car into that sand trap. The adrenalin spike was absolutely awesome. And how did you not notice with that overly sensitive nose of yours?"

"I guess the different smells of the car and how sweaty you were must have masked it. Usually I can smell when you're turned on."

"Well, let's finish getting ready, I wouldn't want to keep Jackie waiting." A grin slowly working its way across her muzzle.

"I know that look, what's on my devious bunny's mind now?"

"Nothing for sure at this point in time. It's something I want to talk to you about after I beat the shit out of Johnny on the track."

"If you say so. Anyway, let's get moving."

Entering the Icehouse a bit later than planned, mainly because of their prolonged, intimate shower, our pair is greeted by their usual bartender, Joe-Bob.

"Your bunch is back in the Chill Room" he comments "Welcome back, it's been a while."

"Yea, sorry about that, a lot's been going on lately. Make sure the pizza and beer keep coming, especially Judy's favorites."

"Believe it or not, Snow already ordered several pizzas and three pitchers of Judy's favorite red beer. And while we're at it, who's the other bunny buck that Snow brought in with her? I know it's not the same one from several months ago."

"Not to worry, I think it's probably one of Judy's brothers."

Looking at one another, Nick and Judy get nearly identical smirks, and proceed to get their camera apps ready.

"You know, this is gonna be epic, right?" Judy asks.

"You know it. Shall we?"

"We shall."

As they enter the room, the party is in full swing. However, two mammals seem to be conspicuously absent. With everyone's attention currently being occupied by an arm wrestling contest between Midnight and Bolo, Nick and Judy decide to go on the prowl, hunting for the mammals in question.

Slowly surveying the room, Nick gently nudges Judy and inclines his head towards a suspiciously dark corner booth. Sneaking around the edges of the room, the foxes excellent vision allows him to identify their quarry. Readying their cameras, they suddenly step in front of the darkened booth and each take a multitude of flash pictures and videos, catching Snow and Judy's brother Josh in mid lip-lock, and totally by surprise.

"What the hell!" exclaims Snow, trying her best to rebutton the top buttons of a very revealing blouse.

"Well" says Nick "looks like turnabout is fair play."

"I think this one would be the best to send to your mom, don't you think?" says Judy, showing Nick a shot of Josh with his paw in the top of Skye's mostly unbuttoned blouse.

"And to your folks as well, don't you think?" added Nick.

"Don't you dare!" pleads Skye as Judy shows her the photo "Please, don't, not that one… please."

"Don't worry sis, I'm going to keep that one in my private collection. But I think Laverne will love this one" showing Skye a pic that's just a close-up of her and Josh kissing.

"If ya gotta send one, I guess that's the one" Skye admits, more than a bit crestfallen. "We were bound to get caught sooner or later, I'm just glad it's by you."

Hearing a very loud uproar in the room, Judy, Skye and Josh look to see what the commotion is about. Looking at the 55-inch TV screen mounted on the wall at one end of the room, the three see a short video loop of Skye and Josh kissing, pulling apart as they're startled, then kissing again.

"Oh, shit" exclaims Skye, her entire body turning beet red under her snow-white fur. "Josh, say something…"

Looking like he'd just been woken up, Josh shook his head to try and clear it "Umm … you're a better kisser than any of my sisters …?"

Looking like she'd been struck by lightning Skye huffed and gave Judy a sorrowful look "Just kill me now, please."

With that, the entire room erupted into chaos as Skye and Josh were treated to a popcorn and beer shower.

"Thanks a lot, you bunch of assholes!" shouts Skye at everyone, which prompts more popcorn and beer being sent their way.

"Looks like you two might need a good shower" prods Nick, laughing so hard he can barely speak. "It's a good thing the shop's only a short walk away. And don't worry about the water bill, use as much as you need."

"And you know you'll most likely have to contend with Laverne and Shirley in the morning, right?" adds Judy.

Looking a bit apprehensive Skye and Josh nod, knowing that Judy's absolutely right.

After the new couple leave to get cleaned up, Nick and Judy make their way to where Fritz, Winston and Jackie are sitting.

"Well, thut wuz inturestin'." Began Jackie. "These things happen a lot here?"

"Only just about every time we get together" admitted Nick.

"Ah'm thinkin' ah'm glad ah'll be spendin' more time at the racetrack then."

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport" says Judy. "Here let me buy you a beer and have some pizza, it'll do wonders for your attitude."

"An' what in the world do ye be eatin' and drinkin' there lassie?"

"Red beer and BBQ chicken pizza."

"Just what is red beer?" mouth slightly agape "And why would a bunny be eatin' chicken of all things?"

"Long story" grins Judy "try some of both and I'll tell ya about it."

As Jackie tries some of Judy's 'delicacies', liking the pizza but not so much the red beer, he can't help but be enthralled by the unfolding tale.

"So, let me get this straight" losing a bit of his brogue as he got a little tipsy (you'd think it would get thicker, wouldn't you) "all of this came about after sharing some of your most painful memories with the white furred lass?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"And you obviously still like it, even with all you've been through?"

"If anything, it's just gotten worse" added Nick.

"Oh? How so?"

"Well" pipes in Judy "I tend to eat turkey sausage, eggs and the occasional bug burger, but that was only when I was pregnant. Can't stand the damned things now."

"Well with all that bein' said, ah think ah'll retire for the evening. Thank you all for the lovely day and interesting evening, but I think it's time for me to be off … wait, ah just said that didn't ah?"

"'Fraid so. See you tomorrow Jackie, do you need a ride to wherever you're staying?" asks Nick.

"No, thank you, the Palm, that's the hotel ahm staying at, has a shuttle service. Ah jus' called them ... they should be here in just a few … wait, I think that's them now" as a shuttle from the hotel pulls up to the front of the bar.

With Jackie's departure the party begins to wind down and everyone, including Nick and Judy, heads their separate ways.

"Well" declares Judy as they arrive at home "this has certainly been an interesting day."

"Yea, who knew I would have a hard-core racer as a wife."

"You complaining mister Wilde?"

"Not in the least missus Wilde."

As they get undressed and head to bed, Judy asks in a very sultry voice "Mister Wilde …" with a bit of smirk on her muzzle.

Looking directly into the half-lidded eyes of his very naked bunny "Yes?"

"Why do you still have those boxers on?"

Saturday morning arrives to find a certain fox buried under the covers while a gray bunny is running around the house like a mad mammal.

"Nick. NICK. NICK! Damn it Nick wake up."

"I'm awake already woman, damn" comes a muffled voice from under the covers.

"Then get the hell up. I don't want to miss Jackie arriving with the cars."

"First, it's Saturday. Second, it's only just seven am. And third, Jackie's not supposed to arrive until around two or three, so what's the hurry?"

Bouncing from foot to foot, Judy can absolutely not contain her excitement "C'mon Nick you know much I'm lookin' forward to this and I-"

"-Can hardly stand it" remarks Nick as he throws back the covers and jumps out of bed, fully clothed.

"Nick, you shit!"

"Ow, ow, ow, c'mon Squeak, that smarts." Nick whines as he's pummeled by an irate bunny.

"One of these days, I swear-"

"Don't swear, it's unbecoming."

"Nick…."

"I know, I know. Now, I can tell you don't have breakfast ready, so while you were running around in a panic-"

"I wasn't in a panic-"

"-I took the liberty of texting Mel to have breakfast ready for us. If we leave now it should be on the counter waiting for us when we get there."

"You did this on purpose…"

"Yup, pretty much."

"What am I gonna do with you?"

"Well … you could go to breakfast with me" he remarked with a smirk.

"Arg … fine, let's go I'm hungry."

Arriving at the shop after a good breakfast, Judy heads to her bay and finds Fritz locking down the last of the suspension components.

"Ok" she asks "What's all left?"

"To start with, according to Midnight, the 'Vette is finished and ready for a test drive.'
'The suspension, brakes and the entire driveline including the exhaust is finished on the Cobra. As soon as Duane lets us know that the body is dry enough to handle we can mount it and get the Klock brothers in here to wire it."

"Did he paint it like I wanted?"

"I believe so. All I've really seen is that god-awful pink that's on it now."

"Well, if there's nothing left for us to do here for now, what say we make a trip over to the area where the employees keep their project cars. I've got an idea that I want to run past you."

"Why not Nick first?"

"I want you to help me figure out if it's doable first, then I'll run it by Nick. I'm sure he'll let me do what I've got in mind, I just want someone else's take on it first."

"Ok, let's see what you've got."

Meanwhile, Nick and Midnight are in the process of trying to wrangle the previous night's activities from Josh.

"Hell no, I ain't telling you shit boss" says Josh forcibly "a gentlemammal don't kiss and tell."

"Not even a hint?" asks Nick.

"I told you before, if you want to find out anything, go ask Skye."

"So, it's Skye now and not Snow? Interesting. Whadda ya think Midnight?"

"Definitely something goin' on, that's for sure."

"Ok, let me ask you one question that I think I already know the answer to. It's not really personal, it's just kind of a fox thing … did Snow ask you out or did you ask her?"

"… She asked me, ok? Satisfied?" answered Josh with a bit of an attitude.

"Yea, it'll do. For now. In parting, I'm going to ask you a simple question that I really don't want an answer to right now, just something for you to think about. Do you really like her or is this just a fling? I don't like my close friends getting hurt … I still have one bunny to deal with for messing with her and Judy, don't make it two." and with that he left the office, heading towards Judy and Fritz's bay.

Noticing the pair heading back from the area that personal projects are kept, and being the nosey fox that he is, Nick asks "What's up?"

Kissing her fox on the cheek, Judy replies "Not much, just showing Fritz some of the personal projects that are going on. What's up with you?"

"Midnight told me that the 'Vette was finished, so I let him take it for a shake down cruise. I though we could take it to the track when we get the Cobra finished the first of next week. Maybe Jackie would be willing to see what our 'Vette can do. If you can beat him driving that car, Johnny won't stand a snowflakes chance in hell. No pun intended."

"Wait, you want me to race Jackie … for real?"

"Actually, I thought it'd be a bit smarter to race against each other's times. There's less of a chance of wrecking one or both of the cars until the actual race in just over a week."

"Let me get this straight. Jackie and I 'll be making timed laps and not actually race each other? How's that gonna help me race against Johnny? He's not gonna settle for timed laps, you know that as well as I do."

"Well, it just so happens that since you won't be trained on the Cobra by Dale Elkhardt like I originally planned, Dale has graciously agreed to go one on one with you in the stock cars. You'll get to race against not one, but two racing legends.'
'Even though with Jackie it'll be timed laps, Dale will be on track. And believe me, they don't call him the 'Intimidator' for nothing.'
'He knows ever trick in the book, legal and … questionable, to win a race."

"And just why is he willing to do this? Especially on short notice and after not training me in the first place?"

"Squeak, you already know that everybody in the car community knows me and I know them, right?"

"Yea, and?"

"If they know me, they know you. And if you think Jackie was upset when he found out about how you were treated by Johnny, you should've seen Dale, he was absolutely furious. Dale may be pretty much anything goes on the track, but when it's about family, he's absolutely straight line.'
'Yea, he was a bit upset when he found out that Fritz brought Jackie in to help train you in the Cobra, but he's a professional and understood the difference in the cars. That being said, he's the one who suggested a one on one race with him to get you used to actually racing someone on the track. He'll show you how to win by driving, and not with just the brute force of the car. He'll show you a lot of the less than stellar moves that can make or break a driver.'
'Do I expect you to win against Dale, no I don't" noticing Judy begin to get a bit angry "but I do expect you to try. Again, Dale's been doing this for decades and you're barely beginning. If you really want to continue racing after this is all said and done, this can be an invaluable experience for you. Dale is one of the best professional drives in the country, how could you ask for a better opportunity than to be trained by the absolute best?"

Calming somewhat, Judy sees the wisdom in what Nick says "Fine, but mark my words, I'm going to beat him."

"Don't tell me" Nick says, with Judy noticing a huge smirk playing on his lips as he looked over her shoulder "tell him".

Turning and looking in the direction of the main bay, Judy gapes at the imposing figure of an average sized bull elk, dressed in an all-black fire suit approaching.

While his size was average, Judy couldn't help but notice that it was his attitude that must have defined him as a racer and as a mammal. Confident in the way he carried himself. The eyes, full of purpose, a fire that Judy was only beginning to feel and understand herself. 'that could have been me if I was a cop' Judy thought 'but that was a lifetime ago. New life, new challenges. Am I sorry that I wasn't able to be a cop? Yes, a bit maybe, but this is going to be much better in the long run I think. Everything that's happened to be has happened for a reason. This is my life now and I'm going to make the most of it.'

"Squeak, you alright?" asks Nick.

"Hmm? Oh, yea, just zoned out there for a second, I'm fine."

As Judy stared into the eyes of Dale Elkhardt senior she understood. The intense gaze was part of who he was, how it defined him. She recalled the same gaze staring back at her from the mirror in her room when she was a kit, wanting to become a police officer.

"Dale Elkhardt, this is my wife and future racer Judy Wilde. Judy, Dale Elkhardt senior, also known professionally as the 'Intimidator'."

"Mrs. Wilde."

"Mister Elkhardt. And please, call me Judy."

"Very well, Judy. You ready to go?"

"Pretty much born ready. Did you bring a car?"

"It's headed to the track. I just wanted to get introductions out of the way here. I'll see you there."

As Judy joins Nick getting into the rollback she comments "I can see why everyone calls him the Intimidator, those eyes-"

Actually, that's not the reason at all" Nick adds with a smirk.

"Then why?"

"You'll see when we get to the track. If you think he looks intimidating, wait until you see how he drives."

As they pull into the pit area, Judy notices a black banged-up racecar sitting on the asphalt, ready to go. Looking at the nearly pristine condition of her car she hears Nick comment "losing your virginity twice in a lifetime has got to be a weird thing."

Noting the suddenly horrified look on Nicks muzzle as he realized what he said, Judy whispered in his ear "I actually lost it the first time to you, Slick."

Grinning at the suddenly confused look on her husband's muzzle she continued "Part of the reason that my folks and the doctors didn't believe that I'd been raped all those years ago was because my hymen was still intact. You were actually my first Nick."

Turning away from her now gaping husband Judy notices Dale approaching "You ready to go mister Elkhardt?"

"It's Dale Judy, and yea I'm ready, are you?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Any last words of advice before we get this started?" asks Nick.

"Only one thing for Judy to remember" Dale says, looking directly at the doe "The first couple of laps I'm going to be talking you through what to expect from the track at speed, then I'll show you how to handle a real race situation. First it'll be gentle nudges, then it's going to be every mammal for him or herself. Above all, regardless of what happens do not and I mean do notunder any circumstances, ever get angry. Anger leads to bad decisions and bad decisions lead to mistakes. Not only in racing but in life. Got it?"

"Got it, let's do this."

After climbing into the cars and getting buckled in, Judy hears "Ok, comm check." over the helmet radio.

"3 car, ready to roll" she hears Dale say.

Temporarily at loss for words, Judy then remembers the number on the side of the blue and yellow car "5 car, ready. Let's go already."

"All right, get rolling" says Nick over the radio "the first lap is a pace lap. Warm your tires up and get your mind in the right place Squeak. You need to remember that there aren't any brake lights on these cars, so use the pace laps to remember where to brake."

"Got it, now be quiet so I can concentrate."

As the first lap goes by quicker that Judy realizes, they go past the start/finish line and Fritz waves the green flag.

Following Dale for the first couple of laps, going a bit faster each time, Judy gets into a bit of a groove, instictivly knowing where to shift by hearing the sound of the engine and not relying on the tach.

After the third lap, suddenly the 3 car downshifts and begins to leave Judy behind "Let's see what ya got girlie" comes over the radio, catching Judy completely off guard.

"I'll show you what I've got" she remarks with a bit of a huff as she downshifts and applies full power to the engine.

The first laps trying to catch the 3-car showed Judy just how poorly prepared she actually was mentally. Heading into the curves too fast then over braking the corners she was in the grass more often than she was on the track.

"What did I tell you about getting mad?" came Dale over the radio. "Drive with your head, not your emotions. I'll let you catch up to me and we'll start this again, ok?"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she asked.

"Worked like a charm too right?"

Realizing that this was just another tactic to be used she readily admitted "Yes it did, and thanks for that."

"Lesson one in the books, you ready for more?"

"Hell yea, let's go."

Taking the next few laps a little faster each time, Judy quickly was able to almost keep up with the 3 car.

"I'm going to let it all out now" came Dale over the radio "Let's see how well you can keep up."

"Is that a challenge?" she countered.

"If you want it to be, sure."

A bit shocked to see Dale side by side with her, Judy totally missed Fritz drop the green flag again.

Seeing the 3-car gain on her and head into the first turn at race speed, it was all Judy could do to stay calm. Shifting into second gear and applying power, Judy slowed the advance of Dale ahead of her. While she noticed the 3 car slowly disappear ahead of her, Judy stayed calm and gradually learned where the transition points were and how fast she could take the curves, where the shift points were, both up and down shifting.

Coming up to the pit turnoff after several laps, she heard Nick over the radio "Bring it in, the car and you both need a break."

As she rolled the car to a stop, she noticed Dale talking to Nick and Fritz with a smile on his muzzle.

"Well, how'd I do?" she asked.

"Are you sure you've never driven before?" asked Dale.

"If you don't count yesterday, then yea, I'm sure."

"You did really well. After we take a short break, I want you to take the lead, and I'll try to catch you."

"WHAT? How is that even remotely not going to happen?" she asks.

"Look, a big part of racing, especially on a road course like this, is not only being able to know how and where to pass another driver but know how to not get passed. The best way to teach that, is to show you … on the track."

Break over, it was back on the track for more hard driving. After another hour of hard racing, two beat up racecars made their way into the pits.

Climbing out of his car Dale walks over to Judy "I hope you never decide to race the stock car circuit, I might have some serious competition."

"Coming from you, that's high praise" says an exhausted Judy.

"Judy-"

"Squeak-"

"Pardon me?"

"Call me Squeak, all my friends do."

"Ok Squeak. You're a great mammal and a hell of a driver. I know you'll do well with the race you have coming up. Keep your head screwed on straight and you'll have no problems. Give 'em hell my young Padawan learner."

"No you didn't just quote a Jedi master."

"If I had, I would've just called you Snips instead." Said Dale, grinning as he headed for his hauler.

Staring open mouthed at the famous driver as he walked away, Judy barely heard Nick.

"Squeak … JUDY"

"Huh, what?"

Let's load up and head back to the shop. I just got a call from Jackie; the cars have been delayed and won't be in until Monday sometime. We can drop off the rollback and check on the status of the Cobra, then head home. There's really not much else to be accomplished today. By the time Jackie gets here with the cars, we really won't be needing them since both of ours will be finished and ready to race.

"Snips …"

"What?"

"He called me Snips."

"Okaaaay. And?"

"From here on out, that's my nickname."

"I think everyone 'll be good with that, all things considered. Now, let's go, you need another shower something fierce."

"Nick… thank you. For everything. I can't begin to tell you how much you've changed my life for the better."

"The pleasure has been mine Sqea-I mean Snips. Now hustle your furry gray butt, I seem to have a very hungry and horny bunny I need to get home and take care of…"

XxX

Annnd that's a wrap for a really long chapter. No apologies, it just wanted to be long, so who am I to argue. Read and review, thanks for stopping by.
Never fear, the race is coming next chapter. I really hadn't intended to drag this out, but there was so much good stuff here I just couldn't help it.