Chapter 28
July crept up on us pretty quickly and we all celebrated Fox's first birthday. He had some teeth growing in and was crawling, while also having started to sit up on his own. James and Vixy still hadn't made any progress on finding a house to move to. There were many animals at the party for Fox and a lot of celebrating going on. After all the presents were opened, Vixy said, "Thank you everybody for coming and helping us celebrate Fox's first birthday. I know at one, he most likely won't remember any of this, but these kind of fun events are always nice for a family to have. I know to never take having a loving family for granted. James and I love you all so much."
"We love you too, Vixy" mom said, hugging the vixen.
"How are you guys doing with finding a home?" dad asked, turning to James.
"We still can't agree on where we want to look" James admitted.
"What does Vixy want?" dad asked.
"She just wants to stay on Corneria, but I want to move off world" James explained.
"Where do you want to go?" dad asked.
"I'm partial toward Papetoon" James said, "I like how off the grid it is compared to the rest of the galaxy."
"You might have to just compromise and move to a house around here" dad pointed out.
Pigma walked up saying, "Sorry to interrupt, but have you given any thought about me working on your car?"
"Sorry Pigma, I haven't had much time to think about that, since I've had so many other things going on recently" James replied.
"Well, I have been helping you two out with creating the Arwing for the past couple months though" he stated, "as you can see, I'm very talented as a mechanic."
"Sure, you're talented, but Peppy has also been a huge help by helping us figure out our weapons for the Arwing" dad pointed out.
"I would think you would want to keep your wife and son safe when you're driving your car" Pigma stated.
"Um, why are you so worried about my car when my wife has her own car, too?" James asked.
"Because her car is already much more modern than what yours is" Pigma explained, "I think you really should let me work on your car."
James sighed, "Fine, you can work on my car. Do whatever you think will make it more modern."
Over the next month, Pigma would make some mechanical changes to James' car and would tell him that he can't drive it for a while. One evening in mid-August, Vixy came home saying, "Looks like we're going to be out both cars tomorrow."
"What's wrong with your car?" James asked.
"I'm not sure" she said, "the check engine light just came on while I was coming home from work."
"I could call Pigma and have him check it out for us tomorrow if you'd like" James offered.
"Yeah, I think that would be great!" she exclaimed.
James pulled out his phone and called Pigma. The pig answered the phone saying, "Hello?"
"Pigma, it's James McCloud" James said.
"Oh, hey James" Pigma replied, "What's up?"
"Vixy said her check engine light came on tonight, would you be willing to come check it out after work tomorrow?" James asked.
"Yeah absolutely" the pig replied, "anything else?"
"I was wondering if my car was okay to use tomorrow, since hers is currently out of commission?" James asked.
"It should be fine for you to use" Pigma answered, "it's sat long enough for some of the enhancements I've made to be okay for it to use, especially if you're just driving to work and back."
"Great, thanks Pigma!" James exclaimed, "See ya tomorrow."
"So, what did he say?" Vixy asked, holding Fox.
"He said that he'd come and check out your car tomorrow after work" James replied.
"Wonderful!" she smiled, "He's a real lifesaver."
"He also said that my car should be safe to use tomorrow" James added.
"I don't need to go in to work tomorrow" she stated, "you use it to get to work."
"Don't be silly" James said, "I can ask Mav to give me a ride. You should use my car tomorrow."
"Okay, if you're sure" she said, "we're so lucky your mom is always willing to watch Fox for us."
"Yeah, she loves having her very own biological grandchild to spoil" James pointed out, "I better ask Mav about that ride to work before it gets too late."
"Alright, I think I'm going to go to bed soon, I've had a long day and it's not going to get much better tomorrow" she said.
"Yeah, I'll be right behind you" James said, "I'll probably be gone before you."
Vixy walked up to James and kissed him saying, "Good night, James, I love you."
"Night, Vix" James replied, "sweet dreams."
Next morning, James woke up to his alarm at six o'clock. After he had gotten showered and dressed for the day, he kissed a sleeping Vixy and whispered, "Have a good day at work, Love. I love you so much."
"You too, Hun" she mumbled, as she was starting to wake up "I might come to have lunch with you today."
"Alright, then I might see you then" James said, as his phone vibrated "that's Mav."
"Don't forget to remind Pigma to come here after work" Vixy said.
"I will remind him when I see him" James smiled.
James grabbed something to eat, before he ran out of the house. As he was walking to dad's car, he peered into his car and continued to the car. "Morning James" dad said.
"Morning, Mav" James said, "no Wolf this morning?"
"No, Lana insisted on taking him to school today, since I was coming to pick you up" dad explained.
"You know I would've been okay with making a quick drop off at Wolf's school" James pointed out.
"Of course I know that" dad said, "Lana said that she almost never gets to drop him off at school, which is totally not true."
"Thanks again for giving me a ride this morning" James said.
"You don't always have to thank me, James" dad said, "you know I'll always be here to help you."
When they got to the scientific division, Andross noticed the two canines walking in together. "Well, this is crazy, James usually gets here after you Maverick" he pointed out.
"I asked him to give me a ride this morning" James said.
"Must be nice to have a friend who'll do just about anything for you" the ape stated.
James was about to respond, when Pigma walked in. "James, what are you doing here?" he asked, almost shocked.
"What do you mean, Pigma?" James asked, "Why wouldn't I be here?"
"I meant, what are you doing here so early?" he stuttered.
"Maverick picked him up" Andross said, in an irritated voice "isn't that nice of him, Pigma?"
"Yes, it's so nice of our pal, Maverick, to drive James to work at a time of need" Pigma said, still stuttering.
"Anyway, Vixy asked me to remind you to come to our place after work to figure out what's going on with her car" James said.
"I thought you were going to use your car this morning" Pigma pointed out, ignoring what James had just said.
"I told Vixy that she should use it instead" James replied, "there's no reason why she should have to miss work today."
Over the next couple hours, James, Pigma, Peppy, and dad were all busy working on trying to get more of the prototype Arwing constructed, when James pulled out his phone to check the time. "Huh, looks like I missed a call from some random number" he stated.
"Did they leave a voice mail?" dad asked.
"Yeah, should I wait until lunch to check it?" James asked.
"It doesn't matter to me" dad said, "whoever it was might've called the wrong number."
"Eh, I might as well check it now, since I know it's there now" James said, holding the phone up to his ear.
While he was listening, dad noticed James' face look confused. "What's wrong, James?" he asked.
"That was one of the local police officers" James said.
"What'd he say?" dad asked, concerned.
"He said to call him as soon as I got the message" James stated, "apparently there's something big that happened that he didn't feel comfortable telling me through voicemail."
"So, are you going to call him back?" Peppy asked.
"I guess I should if it's this important" James said, dialing the phone number he was given.
"Hello, Cornerian Police Department, Office Hawkes speaking" the voice said, answering the phone.
"Hi Officer Hawkes, this is James McCloud" James said, "I just heard your voicemail, so I'm calling you back like you requested."
"Ah, yes, Mr. McCloud thank you for calling me back so quickly" the officer stated.
"Well, it seemed like what you needed to tell me was pretty urgent" James pointed out.
"Yes, indeed" the officer said, James noticed the tone of his voice had changed "about an hour ago the police department got a phone call about a car having exploded."
"Oh my gosh, that's awful!" James exclaimed.
"What's wrong, James?" dad asked.
"Apparently there was a car that exploded about an hour ago" James stated.
"That's terrible" dad said, "did they say who it was?"
"No, not yet" James said, turning his attention back to the phone call "did you happen to identify who's car it was?"
"Yes, our detectives went down to the sight of the incident and recovered a license plate that had been separated from the wreckage and we ran the plate number to see who's car it was" Officer Hawkes explained, "the results had your name listed as the car owner."
"WHAT?" James shouted, tearing up "Are you sure it was my car?"
Dad and the others turned their full attention to James. "Yes, we're very sure" the officer replied, "we ran the plate number three times to make extra sure and your name was the only one that popped up."
"Where did the explosion happen?" James asked, trying to process what he was being told.
"Three or four blocks from where your listed home address is" the officer said, "it pains me to say this, but there's no way whoever was in that vehicle could've survived such an explosion."
"I understand" James said, "thank you very much, Officer."
James immediately called his mom, "Hi James, perfect timing. I just put Fox down for his nap" she said.
"That's great, mom" he said, sighing "is Vixy there?"
"No, honey" she replied, "she left for work little more than an hour ago. She said she was taking your car and that hers was going to be looked at tonight."
"Okay, that's good to know" James said, "thanks mom, I'll see you tonight."
"James, what did the police officer say?" dad asked, rushing after the fox who had stormed out of the room they were in.
"He said the car that exploded was mine" James said, tearing up again.
"Are they sure it was your car?" he asked.
"Yeah, he said they ran the plate number like three times and said the explosion occurred a couple blocks away from the house" James stated, "he also said… he also said that whoever was in the car wouldn't have survived."
"James, didn't you say a few hours ago that you told Vixy to take your car this morning?" dad asked.
"Yeah, I did" James said, as he started shaking "I… I think Vixy might be."
Dad immediately clung to the fox and said, "Shh, don't finish that thought. I am so sorry, James."
Peppy and Pigma walked out to see what was going on and saw James was bawling. Neither animal said a thing and dad lead James away saying, "Hey guys, I think we're going to call it a day."
As they were making their way to the car, Andross noticed dad guiding a still bawling James past him and said, "What's up with him?"
"James' car blew up" dad answered, "if I were you, Andross, I wouldn't piss him off."
Upon hearing this, Andross asked, "Wait, does that mean?"
"Yes, Andross, that means Vixy might have died!" James exclaimed, with puffy eyes and wet fur around his eyes.
James and dad got back to the house and dad continued to walk with James into the building. "James? Maverick? What are you two doing here so early?" Grandma McCloud asked, looking at the fox and noticing his eyes were red.
Dad looked at James then turned back to Grandma saying, "We think Vixy might've died."
"Please tell me you're joking" she replied.
"I didn't want to believe it myself" dad said, "we couldn't drive down the road to get back here. It was blocked off. I asked one of the animals standing there what was going on and they said a clean up crew was there cleaning up the remains of a car that got destroyed."
"How'd this happen?" she asked.
"We have no idea" dad said, "please tell me Fox is still down for his nap."
"He is" she said, noticing James wasn't speaking "how are you doing with this, sweetie?"
"I don't know how I'm feeling mom, I just lost my wife" he said, "and what's worse is that Fox just lost his mother."
"We should probably tell her father" Grandma said, "he deserves to know that his one and only daughter is gone."
Over the next week, the news of Aunt Vixy's death had been spread throughout the local area and we had the task of putting together her funeral. Uncle James had taken the week off from work, which everyone understood why he would. At the funeral, many animals that James had recognized as members of Vixy's friends and family had shown up, as well as a few of his friends such as Peppy and Bandit. The funeral hadn't started yet and James noticed two very familiar figures sitting close to the back of the room. "Mav" he whispered, "what are Corvus and Vers doing here?"
"I may have invited them here" dad said, "I know they both care about you."
Before James could respond, the ceremony began. "Welcome friends and family of Vixy McCloud. Today we come here together, not to mourn the loss of a young vixen, but to celebrate the life of a wonderful daughter, wife, mother, and friend" the preacher began, "first we'll have some friends come up and tell some stories about Vixy."
A few of her friends took turns telling stories about how they met Vixy and how what kind of impact she had on their lives. Then mom got up and said, "I've only known Vixy for a few years, but she became one of my very best friends. I remember when she walked into my life. Maverick, my husband, James, and I were out for dinner and she just walked up and practically forced her way into our lives. Even after she and James had broken up, she and I would meet up almost every weekend and just hang out. Before I knew it we were each other's maid of honor and became sisters in a way that I had never expected to be. James, I know she was your wife, but please remember how much Maverick, Wolf and I love you and her."
Then dad got up saying, "Like my wife just said, Vixy has always been the kind of woman who made her presence known." James chuckled, "I remember when she came up to us in that restaurant and sat next to James and kissed him on the cheek without even knowing who any of us really were. James was so hesitant about asking her out until I convinced him to make a move with her. As someone who was there to see the ups and downs of their whole relationship, I could tell how much she meant to James. She made him better and you could tell that he would do anything to make their relationship work. Vixy, I love you and I'll miss you so much. We'll see you again."
Finally, Uncle James walked up front saying, "I never thought I'd be standing here as a single parent at such a young age, talking about who Vixy was as an animal. I thought that we would've had many more years together and have more kits together and grow as a family. Vix, ever since you came into my life, I knew… I knew my life had changed for the better. You're the love of my life and the mother of Fox. It'll be impossible to forget about you, but Fox and I will push forward because I know you would want us to. Rest in peace, Love, I will see you again, Lord willing."
After James had sad down, the preacher walked up and said a quick prayer, then dismissed everyone. Many animals came up to James to wish their condolences. In the crowd of animals, one caught his eyes, that being Pigma, and a huge wave of rage flooded his whole body. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to catch someone before they leave" James said to the animal who was talking to him.
James made a beeline to Pigma, who saw the fox approaching him "James, I'm so sorry for…" he began, but was interrupted by James grabbing the pig with both paws and pinning him to a nearby wall. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" the pig yelled.
"You said my car was safe to drive!" James said, through bared teeth "What went wrong?"
"I don't know what went wrong!" the pig exclaimed, drawing attention from the rest of the crowd.
"James, what do you think you're doing?" dad asked, approaching with caution.
"He's the one who insisted on fixing up my car" James explained, "He's the reason Vixy is dead!"
"I had no idea the car was going to blow up!" Pigma yelled,
"Bullshit!" James yelled, with tears forming in his eyes "You're supposed to be this hotshot mechanic, if you're going to claim to be as such, I know you knew something had to be wrong!"
"What are you going to do, James?" dad asked, "Even if you kill Pigma, that won't bring Vixy back!"
James realized what he was doing and let Pigma go "I'm going to report you to General Pepper" Pigma stated, "you'll be done with the Cornerian Army!"
"If you do, you know you'll be losing both of us" dad pointed out, "is that something you really want to risk?"
The pig not knowing how to respond, left without another word. "Wow, James, that's the scariest I've ever seen you get" Corvus said, walking up to the fox.
When he saw the familiar figure, James hugged Corvus saying, "Thank you for coming. You really didn't have to come all this way for me."
"Are you kidding me?" Corvus inquired, "As soon as Maverick told me what happened, I dropped everything and came here to make sure you were okay."
"So, Thanos doesn't know you're here?" dad asked.
"No, of course not" Corvus stated, "I'm always discreet about what I'm doing when I'm on my own."
"That's good" James smiled, "we don't need him to make his presence today."
Corvus was about to respond when his communicator sounded. He sighed, "Looks like I can't stay long. We've got a new mission going on tomorrow."
"By mission do you mean you're going to invade another planet?" dad asked.
"That is confidential" Corvus replied.
"Why don't you stop listening to Thanos?" James asked.
"If I defied him, he could kill me" Corvus stated.
"But we defied him" dad said, "why hasn't he come to kill us, since he knows where we are?"
"He is disappointed that you still haven't returned to him, but he's convinced that you will come to your senses" Corvus explained, "you're still his favorites that have ever crossed his path."
"You know we can't do that, Corvus" James said.
"I know you can't and I don't want you to" he replied, "I have to go now. Stay safe and stay in touch. If you need anything, I'm just a call away."
They watched the large, gray being leave and dad said, "Remind me, why do we keep in contact with him?"
"He's on our side and is always looking out for us" James pointed out, noticing the familiar blond woman approaching them.
"There's never a dull moment with you two, is there?" she asked, smirking.
"Apparently not" James said, "so, how's life been treating you, Vers?"
"I go by Carol Danvers now" she stated, "this year has been wild."
"How so?" dad asked.
"Well, I learned that I'm actually not Kree" she stated.
"Where are you from?" James asked.
"I'm not sure if you've heard of this planet, but I'm from a planet called, Earth" she explained.
"Oh, yeah I've heard of Earth" James said, "I guess it makes sense that you would be Terran. You look like some of the people from their movies."
"I've also learned that Yon-Rogg implanted a memory inhibitor after I had passed out from absorbing energy from something called the Tesseract" she added.
"How much did he mess with your mind?" James asked.
"Enough to make me forget about you guys for five years" she stated.
"Really?" James asked, "So, you didn't remember us breaking us?"
"You know Yon-Rogg was the one who made us split up, right?" she questioned.
"Yeah, he told me I couldn't you anymore" James stated, "which reminds me, why did you stop talking to me after Mav's wedding?"
"You remember how we slept together that night?" she asked.
"Of course, I remember" he smiled, "you went commando that day. What about it?"
"Well, something unexpected happened from that night" she said, being vague.
Dad and James looked at each other, confused. "Wait, are you saying I got you pregnant?" James asked.
She nodded her head. "And you didn't think that was some important information to tell him?" dad asked.
"I wanted to as soon as I found out" Carol replied, "but somehow Yon-Rogg found out and manipulated my memory so I would forget you."
"So, do you know what you had?" James asked.
"Once I got my memories back, everything came back to me" she stated, "I had a girl and she came out with the body of a human baby."
"I have a daughter?" James asked, tearing up.
"Why isn't she with you?" dad asked.
Carol sighed, "I don't know where she is."
"How is that possible?" dad asked.
"After she was born, Yon-Rogg took her and sent her off to some other planet to keep her away from me" she explained.
"We have to find her" James said, "she deserves to be with either of her real parents."
"I agree" she said, "I just don't know where to look."
"We can help you find her" dad said.
"That would be great" she smiled, "when can we start?"
"Tomorrow" James said, "today is still all about Vixy."
"James, do you really think you should be going on those trips now that it's just you and Fox?" Grandpa McCloud asked.
"I have to find my daughter that I never knew I had" James stated, "plus I was hoping you and mom could look after him."
"Of course we'll look after him" grandma replied, "you will need to start looking after him yourself, though."
"I'll see you boys tomorrow" Carol said, walking out of the building.
Later that night, dad said that he'd stay the night at grandma and grandpa's so they could leave quickly. "So, are you excited to find your daughter?" dad asked.
"Yeah, I can't believe I've been a father for four years and didn't know about it" James stated.
"Other that this news, how are you feeling about everything that's happened in the past week?" dad asked.
"I'm still in shock of it all" James replied, "it doesn't feel real, ya know?"
"I get it" dad said, "I feel like Vixy's going to walk through that door any minute."
"I don't think I'll ever really feel normal again" James added.
"No one's expecting you to feel any differently" dad said, "if you ever feel like you need to talk about it, I'll be here for you."
"Thanks, Mav" James said, hugging the wolf "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Hopefully you won't have to find out for a long time" dad smiled.
