The Good Life

AN: Back after a month. I'm not even going to try to make excuses as to why I didn't upload yesterday because I had time to finish it, but I spent that time playing Baldur's Gate with my friend. Fantastic game, by the way. Definitely recommend 10/10.

As for the estimates in the last chapter about how many are left, I think it's still accurate. Maybe three or four left after this one. We're getting close!

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia or the Bad Guys.

Chapter Seventeen:

After their shopping spree, which took a little over two hours to finish—mostly a result of traffic since buying the stuff he needed didn't actually take very long—Mason stopped by Viktor's garage. Alex didn't mind, though he did stipulate that he would accompany him in to talk to the bear while Diane and Snake waited in the car.

This little talk shouldn't take too long. He just wanted to update Viktor about the situation and explain it'd be a bit more than a month before he could come back to work. If he still had a job to come back to, that is, which is another reason he wanted to check in. Plus, his Ferrari was still there...hopefully.

The garage was alive with the sound of normal mechanic shop sounds like air guns and loud metallic clanging. Stepping out of his car, he looked around as Alex squeezed out of the backseat, and relief immediately flooded through him when he saw that his car was still here. It wasn't where he left it, though, which was interesting. It'd been in one of the empty bays that didn't have a lift, but now it was in the side lot next to Viktor's old tow truck.

He studied the car for a moment before tearing his eyes away. Hopefully, Snake and Diane didn't notice it, or if they did, they didn't connect the dots and realize that was the car he bought. The door of his car shutting behind him snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked back to see Alex was out, and the door was now shut with the windows rolled down.

His cousin nodded at him, so Mason led the way into the garage. The two walked past a Cadillac with its passenger door open. A familiar rabbit was lying on his back on the floor, installing a new ECM. "Hey, Jamie," Mason called as he walked past.

The rabbit sat up in surprise upon hearing his voice and ended up bonking his head on the open glove box. "Wolf? You got out of prison already?"

Mason stopped walking, confused. Then, he turned around to regard the rabbit, who had climbed out of the car to better talk to him. "Who said I went to prison?" He glanced to Alex when he asked that.

"We had a press conference after that night and told the public we arrested three suspects, which was true. The other two are in prison right now, but we kept you out for interrogation. Of course, the public thinks that all three went to prison." That explained that. Hopefully that meant King though he was in jail, too, but that was probably a longshot. If he or one of his associates visited the jail or got a phone call from one of the other two, he'd know Mason hadn't been incarcerated with them.

"Yeah, what he said," Mason told the rabbit as he gestured to Alex. "I wasn't sent to prison. I was just being detained for questioning."

"Well, it's good you stopped by when you did. Viktor's in his office interviewing someone to take your place." Not that he was going to explain it to Jamie right this moment since Viktor was the one he needed to explain the situation to, but hiring another employee, even for a temporary position, probably wasn't a bad idea. It'd be another month before he was allowed to come back.

"I suppose I'll go tell him what for, then," he smirked.

Before he could turn away fully, Jamie spoke again. "You might want to ask him to take the ad for your car off the internet, too." Mason froze completely at that. "He was going to sell it since you were going to be stuck in jail for a while...or so we thought."

Yeah, that wasn't happening.

With a new sense of urgency, he fast-walked over to Viktor's office. The door was open, surprisingly, but he supposed there weren't many people that came through here at any one time, and Viktor needed to know if a customer came in.

When Mason stuck his head in, Viktor ended up doing a double take, his jaw falling open in surprise. The tiger who he'd been talking to turned around in confusion and then sighed heavily upon realizing the wolf standing there was the employee he was supposed to be replacing. "Don't be upset, guy," Mason told him politely. "I'm not stealing whatever job he's offering you." As confusion returned to the tiger's face, Mason regarded the bear. "You have a moment?"

Viktor stood, now glaring suspiciously at Wolf. "Give me a moment," he told the tiger. Just from that, Mason could tell that Viktor thought that him being here was...less than legal. Mason stood back from the doorway next to Alex as Viktor stepped out of his office. He glanced between the two wolves for a short moment before walking over. "Thought you were in prison."

The bear crossed his arms as he awaited an explanation. Picking up on the suspicion, Alex spoke first. "He wasn't. Him being here is completely legal. We already went through the paperwork, so you don't have to worry about anything." Viktor didn't appear convinced, so Alex fished his badge out of his pocket and held it out for the bear to see. Viktor leaned down and studied it for several seconds before nodding.

Alex put his badge away as Viktor stood up straight and uncrossed his arms. Several seconds of silence passed as he thought about what to say, but in the end, he settled with, "What happened?"

The next ten minutes consisted of Mason and Alex explaining the former's arrest, questioning, and deal that kept him out of prison. Mason didn't bring up anything regarding his past or real identity since, even though he liked the bear, Viktor didn't need to know any of that stuff. "So I'll be gone for five more weeks. Hiring that guy in there probably wouldn't be the worst idea, but...am I still going to have a job to come back to after this?"

Viktor was quiet for a while, studying his former employee intently to look for any sign of deception. After nearly thirty seconds, he spoke. "You are best employee I've ever had, Wolf. Promise me right now that there will be no more street racing, and you will have job when time at police motor pool is done."

Mason raised his left hand and placed his right over his heart. "I swear."

The bear snorted but nodded his appreciation. Then, he fished something out of his pocket and gazed at it for a moment. Neither wolf could make out what it was, but then Viktor tossed it to Mason, who caught the object. When he looked at it, a massive grin broke out across his face. It was a set of keys...with a Ferrari badge keychain. "We finished it while you were gone. I was planning on selling it, but since you're here and not in prison, it's yours again."

"Thanks. I really mean that." How lucky he was to have such a good guy for a boss...

Viktor just smiled and gestured off to the side. "Go on, then. Enjoy your car. I should get back to the interview."

As the bear walked back to his office, Mason turned around and walked out of the building with a massive grin. Excitement was rolling off of him in waves, and now that they were alone, Alex spoke up. "What's this car everyone keeps mentioning?"

Somehow, his grin grew even wider as he turned to his cousin. "I'll show you." First, though, he went over to the Camaro's passenger side and opened the door. Diane's confusion turned to intrigue when she saw his excitement. "Diane, Snake...I've gotta show you something."

Both snake and fox looked to each other in confusion before looking to Alex, who shrugged. At last, they looked to Mason and shrugged. Diane stepped out of the car, taking Mason's offered hand, and Snake slithered out behind her. Once they were all gathered before him, Snake broke the silence. "Alright, Wolf, what's this about?"

Putting aside the small twinge of guilt at the reminder that he still needed to talk to Snake about that, he grinned at all of them. "Remember that car I bought a while ago?"

"You mean the one you wouldn't tell anyone anything about?" Snake asked, raising a single eyebrow in growing interest.

"Is it one of these?" Diane looked around at the other cars parked outside of the garage, most of which had some form of modification to them. From her expression, she clearly didn't like all of the chrome bits and flashy paintjobs.

"No, those are all customer cars," he assured her. Then, he stepped aside and held out a hand towards the small side lot where only two vehicles were parked. "Behold...my car."

Alex and Diane had expressions he expected—surprise and shock—but Snake had one he didn't expect. Confusion. "You bought an old, beat up tow truck?"

Mason blinked and shook his head. "No, I didn't buy a—" He cut himself off when he saw Snake's mischievous look. "Ha ha, very funny," he deadpanned, making the other three snicker in amusement.

"A Ferrari, huh?" Alex crossed his arms. "Not my kind of car, but you do you."

Mason's mood fell a bit at the rather unenthusiastic response from his cousin, so he hoped Diane's reaction was better. However, when he turned to see her expression, she was gone. He looked around in confusion before spotting her bouncing towards his Ferrari with as much excitement as he'd felt when he first saw it."

With a grin, he chased after her, the other two following behind him. "Oh my god!" he heard her yell. "This is yours!?" When she looked back at him, he nodded with a massive grin, and she stopped next to his car, taking it in from every angle as she walked around it. "It looks like the car from Miami Vice."

"It is the car from Miami Vice." Her head shot up at that, and he smirked, spreading his arms out. "So what do you think? Do I make a good James Crockett or what?" It helped he was wearing a white blazer over a black shirt with matching white pants, the look that made that particular character so iconic.

"You'd have to roll up your sleeves first," she smirked, and he promptly did so. Taking another good look at him, she nodded. "Now you're Crockett."

Snake's comment of, "Not really a big fan of European cars," was ignored by everyone present as Mason unlocked the door and sat down in the driver's seat. Everyone was quiet as he put the key in the ignition and slowly turned it.

He paid special attention to the dash. First position, the gauges all lit up. Then, as he turned the key into the second position, the air conditioner started blowing. If there was a radio in this car, this is when it would turn on, but no Testa Rossa ever came with a radio. Then came the moment of truth as he cranked the engine.

The 12-cylinder engine roared to life, and unlike the first time he cranked it, there was no belt screeching to ruin the beautiful soundtrack. He hit the button to unlock the other door, and Diane wasted no time climbing into the other seat. Glancing at her, he revved the engine a few times, laughing in utter glee. "Oh, I am so driving this home tonight!"

As the engine idled, Diane patted his arm. "I'm glad you like your car. I suppose I'll drive the Camaro for you, but you better give me a ride in this thing later!" Despite her seriousness, he could tell she was just as excited as he was, so he just gave her a two-fingered salute.

"Alex, you ride with me. Snake and Diane can follow in the other car." His cousin nodded, and when Diane climbed out, he got in.

"What? I don't get a ride, either?" Snake didn't seem too broken up about it, despite his complaining. Mason could tell he was just teasing. The fact he was already following Diane to the other car showed as much. "See ya in a bit, Wolf."

As Alex and Mason shut their doors, the former turned to the latter with a half-joking, half-serious quip. "I know you're excited, but make sure you don't go over the speed limits."

It worked enough to temper his excitement, so he just nodded to his cousin as he pressed the clutch and threw the car into first. With it being an Italian supercar from the early 90s, the clutch, gearbox, and steering were all extremely heavy. This car didn't have power steering, of course. The Testa Rossa was as much a continent-crushing touring car as it was a driver's car. You could drive for miles in this car and still be relatively comfortable with things like air conditioning, cruise control, and electrically adjustable seats while still enjoying the sensation of driving without distractions like the radio or driver assists like power steering.

There was a popular saying among car enthusiasts: Don't drive your heroes.

He hoped, in this case, at least, that it wasn't true.

Easing off of the clutch, he pulled out of the side lot, the flat 12 purring at such low revs. Diane was already waiting for him to go first, and as he stopped at the exit, awaiting a clear enough space to pull out onto the busy road, he rolled down the window. Unlike most cars, where the window controls were where you expected them to be—as in, on the actual doors—the switches in this car were on the center console between the two seats.

There were two reasons he rolled down the window. First, so he could wave to Diane and Snake as he drove past them. Second, however, it was to better hear that beautiful soundtrack as he pulled out of the driveway. Already, he could see heads turning as he just sat there, and when he pulled onto the street, both the sound and knowledge of what he was driving made him feel like such a badass. There may have been giddy laughing involved.

Alex gave him directions to his place, and as per the terms of his release, he kept within the speed limits. Every now and then, he'd glance at the mirror to confirm Diane was still behind him. The two were surprisingly quiet save for Alex's guidance. There was no doubt plenty that his cousin wanted to say but didn't. Though that was probably because they were on the road and what needed to be said was better left for when they weren't in traffic.

The whole trip took about thirty minutes, and maybe it was a bit early to say for certain, but right now, Mason could say that he didn't regret getting the car he's always wanted. Yeah, it wasn't as easy to drive as his Camaro since it didn't have power steering. And there wasn't a radio for him to listen to his favorite tunes on, but who needed one when you had such a killer soundtrack coming from the engine? For a car nut like him, the music from that engine was akin to Beethoven, simply inspired.

Right now, they were actually outside the city in one of the suburbs west of Savannah Central. The fact his cousin could afford one of these houses, which were often close to a million bucks if not more, was a genuine surprise. They all looked like regular family homes—about 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft—but houses like them were expensive so close to the big city. "Just to make sure, you do live out here, right?"

Alex snorted in amusement. "Yeah, I do. I, uh..." He trailed off, suddenly seeming a bit awkward as he gave Mason the side eye. "My wife comes from a wealthy family, and I was lucky enough to catch her eye."

Mason glanced at him in surprise. "You got married?"

Alex just shrugged. "Yeah. I would've invited you, but..." But he hadn't been around, is what he was going to say. "I've got kids, too. A boy and two girls." He pointed ahead. "Take a left there. You should see Hopp's and Wilde's police cruiser."

He turned where he was told, and he did indeed see the cruiser two houses down on the right, but that's not what he was concerned about. "You...You had kids, too?" Never in his life had Mason felt more like scum than in this moment. While he was off in California making a name for himself as a world-class criminal, his cousin, his last real family member that he had left, was making a life for himself. One that he hadn't even known about. One that he hadn't cared to be a part of until just now.

"They're staying with Sam's parents over the summer. After they retired, they moved to Texas, and we send the kids down there every year to spend time with grandma and grandpa." He was quiet for a moment, having caught onto Mason's foul mood. "Sorry you couldn't meet them before they left. But Sam should be back home in..." he trailed off to check his phone, "Two or three hours, depending on if she stops somewhere."

Mason nodded. It royally sucked that he couldn't meet his cousin's kids, but then again, he wasn't sure if he deserved the privilege. What right did he have to be a part of their lives now when he hadn't even known they existed until a minute ago? In an effort to take his mind off of it, he gestured to the house in front of them. He'd parked in the driveway, two wheels on the grass to not block the garage. Diane had parked right behind him. The police cruiser was parked on the curb.

The house itself wasn't anything special. Go down any street in the country, and you'll find dozens, if not hundreds, of similar homes. This one had tan siding and a grey shingled roof. The lot number was displayed proudly upon the front door, which was the centerpiece of a small front stoop. A concrete path led from the stairs to the driveway. In the back, Mason could see the backyard had a tall privacy fence.

"So what's your wife do to have this much money?" There were probably better things to ask about first, such as the name of his kids and how old they were.

Alex, if he thought the same thing, didn't say anything about it. "She's a politician, like her parents were." He chuckled awkwardly. "Right now...she's the assistant mayor of Zootopia."

Well...that was unexpected. He stared at his cousin, stunned silent. Someone speaking to him from the window broke him out of his surprise. "Everything okay?"

He turned to nod at Diane, who was leaning on the car window and looking in at them. "I just found out his wife is the assistant mayor of the city."

"Oh, really?" Based on her tone, Diane was suddenly quite interested. "I bet she and I will get along just fine, then."

That's when Alex opened his door. "Let's go. I'll show you around. Hopefully, Hopps and Wilde haven't gone crazy while we were gone." At his prompting, Mason rolled up the windows, shut off the car, and pocketed his keys. He locked the car as he stepped out and shut his door and took in the neighborhood. It looked peaceful. A lot of the houses he saw had decent-sized trees on their lots.

"This looks like new development," he commented. Everything seemed so shiny and new. The road was smooth, the sidewalks weren't cracked or overgrown.

"Relatively new, yeah," his cousin replied as he walked towards his front door. "This part of the subdivision was built about fifteen years ago." That was enough time for things to fall in disrepair, but it seemed the residents did a good job in taking care of their community.

As he slithered past, he saw Snake's appreciative gaze taking in the sights, as well. Apparently, he was a fan of the location, too. He'd have to get his buddy aside later and give him the talk, but for now, he had a tour to go on.

AN: So Mason's still got a job, Alex has a surprisingly high-ranking wife that we're going to meet soon, and the former still hasn't had a conversation with Snake yet. Which of those conversations are going to be more interesting, do you think?

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22