"So, in a stunning twist, Buster Moon has elected to plead GUILTY to FOUR of the six charges placed against him by Jimmy Crystal! Looks like someone realized there's no running from the tru-!"
CLICK!
The 50-inch screen mounted over the fireplace went black, the remote for which was in the free hand of Charlie, who had since changed into a more casual attire of khakis and a red and white-striped button-down shirt upon returning home from the courthouse, with the rest of his legal party in tow. Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, Cherry, who had invited Ryan over to help tend to Porsha, who was out of the room at the time, had been watching Linda Le Bon. Though, not because they liked the talk show horse, but because they wanted to see what lies she was feeding her fan-base about the trial.
And needless to say, Charlie, who had taken the opportunity to change as everybody got comfortable on the couch, the comfort undermined by the propagandist's broadcast, let a groan of disapproval leave is throat as he entered the living room.
"My God, does that woman ever shut up?"
"You know the answer to that Charlie," Suki half-heartedly chuckled, the saluki having grabbed a spare pair of clothes she kept at the house, returning from changing into a more comfortable teal blouse and jean shorts, as well as tying her hair into a high bun, actually exposing her ears to the others, who were surprised to see the otherwise professional saluki in such a casual state of dress. Even Buster, who merely removed his tie and jacket, looked upon Suki with a gaze only an enamored boyfriend would give his stunning girlfriend. But, upon receiving a nudge from Ash, the porcupine sending him a teasing smirk, Buster just couldn't stop the blush that bled through his fur.
"JA!" Gunter quickly added in with his comical frown, one hand on his hip as another jerked a thumb towards the now dark TV.
"Grade A Bullscheiße Artist," he said in his native tongue, the German expletive actually managing to cause a chorus of laughter to resonate from the others. Buster was even surprised to find that he could laugh as well.
"Ja, mein Freund, ein sehr großer," Charlie responded, his answer to Gunter's observation catching everyone by surprise, save for Suki, Cherry and Ryan.
"Didn't know you spoke German, Charlie," Clay said, the lion sitting in one of the large recliners set up in the room, his input causing every to nod in agreement as they looked to Charlie with amused smiles.
"Was part of the exchange program in high school," the lawyer answered with a smile as he took a seat by Cherry, the young mutt joining Ryan in sandwiching Porsha between them, the young wolf having shed the black jacket of her attire, the sleeves of her shirt rolled up to allow the fur on her forearms to breath in the crisp ocean air flowing in through the open French doors by the fireplace.
"Spent a year abroad and picked up some of the language."
"JA! DAS IST WUNDERBAR!" Gunter joyfully proclaimed, waddling his way over to Charlie who happily returned the high five that was offered to him. Unfortunately, despite the levity presented by the exchange, the group knew they could not escape the crushing reality that was to come. It was actually because of this that Rosita had sent Norman back to the hotel to relieve Nick, who had offered to watch the piglets, the mother needing some time to register all that had happened.
In fact, she had not only sent Norman to relieve Nick...but to pack up and get himself and their little darlings back to Calatonia.
Rosita thought it best that her 25 little ones weren't around for what was about to happen.
Norman agreed. And after pulling a few strings, Nick had managed to get Norman and the piglets on a bus that was set to leave the following afternoon.
"Mr. Moon," she began hesitantly, all the others turning their attention to Buster, the koala having focused his gaze on the clasped hands in his lap, "are you sure you want to go through with this? I know you want to take responsibility where it is due, but I mean, think of what you're risking. The show, the theater back home…us?"
"Yeah, I mean, come on," Johnny added in, his tie long since discarded as he sat by Nooshy, the lynx having removed her green hoodie due to the heat of the day, "you can't honestly bethinking about just throwing it all away."
"He won't be," Suki added in, placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder as she stood behind her brother.
"Charlie can make sure that all Buster has to do is pay the fines. No jail time."
"But maybe I should."
This sudden, almost tense rebuttal from Buster caused everyone to still as they looked at the koala, who's gaze now looked ahead, no discernible source of his attention evident.
"Mr. Moon," Meena practically whimpered when she caught on to what Buster was implying, Rosita quickly taking a hold of the pachyderm's hand as a means to try and calm her, even though her own worry was growing by the minute, "please don't talk like that."
"Why shouldn't I, Meena?" he inquired gently, but with the same firmness of a father scolding his child.
"What I said in the courtroom was true. No one should hang for this but me."
"Nobody's gonna hang ya, Moon," Clay butted in with the same firmness as Buster, though the way he said it made it seem as if he were trying to convince himself and the others more than Buster.
"Yeah," Nooshy added in with a wave, a twinkle of mischief in her eye as she offered teasing smile, "besides, I don't think they do that anymore, except maybe in France."
"Nooshy please," Johnny said in a combination of a gasp and a laugh, the young gorilla's response to his lynx girlfriend's comment actually causing a little bout of chuckling among the group. Buster even managed to crack a small smile as he looked at the lynx, only for it to falter a second later as his gaze lingered on the young feline.
"You know Nooshy," he began, catching the street-dancer's attention, "I really do appreciate what you did for Johnny."
"Eh, it was nothin'," she responded with a wave.
"No, I mean it," Buster added, a bit more firmly this time.
"I can't believe how blind I was to what Klaus was doing to him."
The mention of the big-nosed monkey caused Johnny to stiffen, Nooshy immediately resting her hand on his arm in an attempt to keep him calm. It worked, as Johnny sent the lynx an appreciative smile as he refocused his attention on Buster.
"I hadn't realized how much of his confidence he was draining. I mean, Johnny just started getting it when we first met. But I basically just handed him over to Klaus as if saying, 'here ya go chief, don't spend it all in one place.'"
This led Buster to let out a long, sad sigh as he shook his head, his gaze briefly landing on the coffee table in front of him.
"I mean, you really helped him Nooshy," he finally continued after a long moment of silence, sending the girl another appreciative, "and I couldn't be more thankful for that. And I really appreciate you sticking around. You really didn't have to. You could have just saved yourself and no one would have stopped you."
"Hey," Nooshy interrupted with a light laugh, "it wouldn't be my first time having a run in with the fuzz. I knew getting in what might happen. Besides, I owed it to this big lug to stick around."
This bit was said with a playful punch to Johnny's arm, the gorilla letting out a faux gasp of pain as clutched at his "injured"shoulder.
"Us weirdos gotta stick together."
"Amen to that," Porsha added with a laugh, which in turn led to another round of laughter to resonate through the group.
"Well, I see everyone is in a better mood," and Irish laden voice sounded, causing everyone to look in the direction of the stairwell at the front of the room as a female Irish setter descended in a simple blue t-shirt and cargo shorts, giving her an almost tomboyish look.
"AUNT ELLIE!" Porsha cried as she bolted from her spot on the couch, running to greet Ellie with a huge hug, the embrace happily returned by Ellie with a light giggle.
"Moon Troupe," Charlie said as he stood to his feet to go stand beside his wife, the male saluki placing his arm over her shoulder, gesturing with his cane as he did, "this is my beautiful wife, Ellie."
And of course, as Charlie went around introducing everyone, everyone had their own greeting.
"Ellie this is Rosita…"
"A Pleasure, Mrs. Lane."
"Ash…"
"Sup," the porcupine greeted with a deadpan face and peace sign wave, only succeeding in causing Charlie to roll his eyes.
"Meena…"
"Hi Mrs. Lane," the elephant greeted with a meek smile and wave, which was returned warmly by Ellie.
"Gunter…"
"LOOKING SPICY FRUALEIN!" Gunter exuberantly greeted, shooting Ellie a couple of finger guns and wink, causing the setter to giggle behind her hand.
"Nooshy…"
"Hey Mrs. L."
"Johnny…"
"Hello Miss," Johnny greeted with a small wave.
"Miss Craw-…Miss Crawley?"
At that moment, Miss Crawley hopped up from behind Johnny and Nooshy, the sudden appearance of the crazy lizard, glass eye in her hand, causing both youngsters to let out a small shout of alarm before taking a breath as Miss Crawley put the obviously lost but now found eye back in place.
"Anyway," Charlie continued, the unsettled lawyer taking a moment to shake that unpleasant image from his head before gesturing to Buster, who had since made his way around the couch to properly greet Ellie, the setter, upon taking notice of the koala of her, kneeling down to Buster's level, the move bringing a smile to everyone's face, even Charlie.
"Last but not least, Buster Moon."
"Your husband is a good man, Mrs. Lane," Buster said as he offered his hand to Ellie, who, with a sly smile respond…
"DOCTOR Lane…didn't spend ten years and two-hundred thousand just to be called Mrs."
"OH!" Buster gasped, the koala now trying, and failing to hide the deep blush bleeding through his cheeks, the sight alone causing the saluki siblings and Porsha to try and stifle their laughter as Buster began issuing stuttering apologies.
"I am so sorry Mrs.- UH DOCTOR LANE!"
"Mr. Moon, Hon," Ellie responded with a laugh as she tenderly placed a comforting hand on Buster's shoulder.
"I'm just messing, Love...just Ellie is fine."
"Oh, uh," Buster answered with a nervous chuckle,"okay."
The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Charlie to look up. He noticed there was one uninvited guest in the room, a smartly dressed fox who had silently slipped his way into the room through the open French doors.
"Hello," Ellie said as she looked to the newly arrived vulpine, "who is this?"
"This, my dear, is the infamous Nick Wilde," he said with a rather annoyed tone, pointing to Nick who was clearly eyeing Ellie.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilde," Ellie said politely offering her hand to Nick, who gladly took it in his
"The pleasure is all mine," he smiled and kissed her hand.
"Anyway," Ellie said as she stood to her feet to address the others, "it is a pleasure to meet you all…officially. And you are welcome here anytime. In fact, anytime you want a little' tropical' retreat, go ahead and hit the beach. It's private and Charlie has a restraining order against practically every bit of paparazzi in the city, including Le Bon."
"Thank God for that," Clay added with a chuckle, soon joined by everyone else until the aged rocker rose from the recliner, the lion shedding his tweed jacket as he made his way to the open doors.
"Well," he said with a groan as he stretched his back, sending a wink towards Ellie, "if it's all the same to you lot, a little stroll sounds like just the thing the doctor ordered."
"Heck yeah!" Nooshy explained as she hopped to her feet, the lynx dragging Johnny by the arm towards the open doors, the young gorilla actually blushing from the contact, which did not go unnoticed by Ash and Porsha, both girls trading a mischievous smirk as the porcupine followed her idol out to the private peach, followed closely by the remaining troupe, save for the Suki, Charlie, Nick and Buster, with the latter looking at his wife with worry, the lawyer well aware of the fact that she was under a lot of stress treating a very special patient.
"How's the Aldan boy doing, El?" he inquired softly, his gentle inflection causing a tender smile to form on Ellie's face.
"Very good, actually," Ellie responded as she cupped Charlie's cheek, the setter turning to Suki and Porsha, who had stiffened at the mention of the name Aldan, their minds going back to the ghastly scene at the mall.
"The new police chief's boy. Has rare form of bone cancer. But we may have an ace in the whole. Shira Longtooth gave me a sample of rock from the cave in Jasper she and her friends were found in. Turns out, the rock has some form of healing factor we can't quite crack. But it would seem exposing Matthew to it has greatly improved his condition."
A rock that improves healing? Nick thought to himself. Maybe this would prove useful to him in keeping his empire going for a long time.
The last bit resulted in a collective sigh of relief, the group unaware that just twenty miles away, Able Aldan was walking down the hall of his and his family's rented home, the police-wolf stopping at the door that went into his son's room. Gently knocking on the door, Able was answered by his wife's voice.
"Come in."
Not even wasting a second, Able slowly opened the door to the teal blue room, the smell of sea air blowing in from the window adding to the tropical atmosphere brought on by the ocean-themed wallpaper. But Able's attention was drawn to the twin bed, the only occupants being his wife and son, the latter fatigued from the most recent round of treatment.
"How we doing buddy?" Able sadly chuckled, earning a small giggle from Matt as he set down the book he and his mother were reading.
"Sleepy," Matt responded in a light, but still raspy voice.
Able couldn't help but smile sweetly as he closed the distance between herself and his family, the chief laying on the other side of his son's bed, both parents showering him with more attention than he thought possible.
"Yeah, but you'll feel awesome soon," Rachel responded, bringing her hands up to cup Matt's face, the pup letting out a soft giggle when his mother smushed her cheeks and rubbed their noses together, adding the frosting to the whole thing by cooing to her pup, "and then we get to go home."
"Mommy," Matt laughed as feebly tried to push his mother's hands away, the older female laughing along with her husband as they just stared at each other, arms laced in a loving embrace around their son as the family just lay in silence. And after a solid minute, the silence was broken.
"I'm so sorry you have to go through this, buddy," Able said sadly, nuzzling his muzzle against the top of Matt's head as he clenched her eyes shut, the pup closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of content as he returned the gesture.
"It's okay, daddy," Matt said, breaking the nuzzle as he looked into his father's eyes, which beamed with delight as his son suddenly got a second wind as he suddenly remembered something amazing.
"I actually feel a lot better. Dr. Ellie gave me this cool necklace."
As he said this, Matt fished out said necklace from his shirt, showing it to his father, who gawked at the pinkish-blue stone at the center. But what really amazed him was that the stone seemed to be dimly…glowing.
"And where did she get this?" Able inquired, his curiosity growing as his wife explained.
"Dr. Lane said she was given some samples by her new' prehistoric friends,' in Jasper. Apparently, this stone has some sort of healing property. She says that their labs are running tests on the other samples."
"I see," Able said, giving the stone back to his son, who put it back in his shirt just as a loud yawn escaped his muzzle. Smiling at their pup, Able and Rachel let themselves drift off, the family just content in the moment they were in.
After a while, Rachel awoke. She looked over and saw her son and husband still sleeping. The lovely she-wolf felt a tad peckish, so being very careful not to wake her family up, Rachel got up and headed for the vending machine. Once there, the mother wolf looked at the selections. A very tasty oat bar with nuts caught her eye.
Rachel pulled out her card and scanned it. A beep quickly followed.
"Alright," she smiled and pressed the buttons. The vending machine hummed to life, but suddenly stopped.
"Oh, give me a break," Rachel groaned.
"Not to worry," came the voice of Cain.
"I got it covered," he said offering her a box of takeout. Rachel looked shocked to see burgers, some sodas and two pieces of cake.
The two of them began to eat the food, but even while she ate, Cain could only watch his brother's wife as she finished her meal. For some reason, seeing this caring side of Cain made Rachel look at him in a different light. True she knew Matthew loved to spend time with him, but never had she ever seen him take the time to spend time with her.
"Cain, why did you really drop by?" she asked. "I can already tell that it wasn't just to see Matt, but for something else."
Cain sighed, knowing that she was going to find out the reason sooner than he thought. Taking her hands into hers, the dark wolf stared deeply into his brother's wife eyes. His breathing was slowing and he knew this was the only time he wold have to say it.
"Rachel, ever since you married my brother, I have been jealous that he now has the most beautiful wolf there is." Cain said pouring his heart out to her. "Nothing matters more to you than your family, but I just wish had the same devotion to family as you do."
Rachel felt moved by Cain's words. Never had she seen Cain in this light. For some reason, the mother wolf reached her hand up and placed it over Cain's heart. Rachel could feel his heartbeat and before she knew what was happening…
Their lips met and their tongues danced.
Rachel's hands began to move towards Cain's belt, but stopped before she could unbuckle it. Breaking the kiss, the lovely wolf mother looked sadly at her brother-in-law. Her lips quivered, trying to find the words.
"Rachel, I-" Cain began but she suddenly stepped away from him.
"Cain, I'm married. I can't betray Able like this."
Cain turned away with a smile.
"I understand, but my door and heart are always open for you." he said, leaving Rachel alone.
Meanwhile, back at the Lane Household, Buster joined Charlie, Ellie and Suki in the living room, Ellie having procured a tray of iced tea for them to enjoy as they continued to talk. And while Charlie would prefer just to talk about random things, he knew Buster would want to get into the nitty gritty of the trial. What could Charlie do for him and his crew?
He noticed Nick scrolling through his phone, but he turned his attention back to Charlie.
"So," Buster began, the koala taking a sip of tea before placing it on a coaster on the end table by the couch, "what did you have in mind for helping Johnny's dad?"
Charlie letting out a muffled laugh, what with his cheeks full of the refreshing sweet tea, the lawyer relaxing in the recliner that Clay had occupied just a moment ago, his bum right leg draped over his good left as his cane rested against the coffee table, Ellie having taken a seat on the right armrest, sending her husband a warning glare not to spit his drink on her freshly vacuumed rug.
"Don't you worry," he said with a laugh after swallowing the mouthful of tea he had, "Jimmy's lawyer can play whatever card she wants, but she will fall short because he always forgets the key to all my success."
"What's that?" Buster inquired, looking at Charlie with wide eyes full of curiosity, the saluki lawyer sharing a teasing smirk with his sister, the female turning her head to look Buster squarely in the eye as she gave a quick, succinct, one-worded answer.
"Technicality."
"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!" Buster practically exclaimed, his hands up in the "slow down" motion as his eyes clenched shut in disbelief, the koala thinking he might have to clean his large ears as he believed he hadn't heard the talent scout right.
"You're telling me, I am staking my freedom, my career, and the freedom and career of my friends…ON A TECHNICALITY?!"
And while Buster tried his hardest to stay calm and collected, the fact that Charlie and Suki, and for that matter Ellie, stared at him with that same teasing smirk did little to appease his frustration.
"Buster," Charlie began with a laugh, "you fail to realize that, or in this case, SEE, the many technicalities of this case. Self-defense being one of them."
"Best self-defense is a great offense," Nick said pouring himself a glass of high class brandy.
At that very moment, Buster felt his frustration start to melt away, the koala quickly catching on to what Charlie was getting at. And upon noticing Buster's relaxing posture, Charlie, his smile never waning, continued to speak.
"See, I can tell the doe thinks that she knows me based on the previous debacle I had with Jimmy."
"Debacle?" Buster inquired.
"Yeah," Suki added in, her legs crossed as she sipped at her tea, "five years ago a disgruntled personal assistant attempted to sue Crystal Enterprises for sexual harassment at the "grabby" hands of the previous talent scout. Jack Burro, who was the defending lawyer for the case, and who was basically Crystal's go to, was more than ready to send the, as he put it,'little slut' out."
"OH, and he had the whole song and dance planned out to site HER as the guilty party," Charlie added with a laugh.
"But, Crystal didn't account for one thing."
"Which was?" Buster inquired, the koala sitting at the edge of the couch, his eyes wide in intrigue.
Charlie answered.
"That personal assistant was the sister of the best lawyer in Redshore."
Stunned upon hearing this startling, and admittedly juicy bit of information, Buster immediately cast his gaze towards Suki, the saluki holding what could only be described as a defiant smile, a small huff escaping her throat as she sent Buster a teasing wink.
"Let's just say," Charlie continued as he brought Buster's attention back to him, "when Jack Burro first saw me as I walked into that courtroom and sat down at that table, his eyes went as big as hen's eggs."
"That talent scout was obviously fired," Suki added, her smirk still very present, "and as added compensation I was given his position. And I've made sure I never let that chance go to waste."
"But I don't get it," Buster added, his look of surprises crunching into one of confusion, "if this doe has no chance, then why are you…?"
"Because, despite the fact my southern charm works on her, she appears ambitious…and calculating," Charlie interrupted, his smile now gone as he set his tea beside him, the lawyer leaning forward, a stern, no-nonsense expression on his face as he began to break it down for Buster.
"Jack Burrow is a 'fly by the seat of your pants' kind of lawyer, the kind who feels he knows how to prepare and conduct a case by knowing who he will be up against. That is why I made sure that me being the prosecuting attorney was kept under the radar until the trial started, to catch them off guard."
"Kind of underhanded, isn't it?" Buster innocently inquired, the koala receiving a teasing smirk from Charlie as a result.
"Wanna be the pot or the kettle?"
"Touché," Buster conceded with a chuckle, the little guffaw actually doing the three dog's hearts some good as Charlie continued, his serious frown now back on his face.
"But this move by Crystal to change lawyers caught me off guard. And this is going to be more challenging than before. When the harassment case started, I cut through all of Jack's arguments and so-called evidence like butter. I was able to cut that jackass down to size so fast that even the fastest talking auctioneer would be astonished. It didn't end well for Jack. The legal world tore him apart. And I guarantee you this, the way he looked at me this morning told me right of the bat that he still holds a grudge."
"Yeah?" Buster inquired, his nerves actually starting to become frayed again at the edgy tone Charlie's voice had taken.
"But the doe, I don't know. I had my team at the firm try to dig up what they could about her, but she's an enigma. And I guarantee you this, she caught on to my cockiness and is developing a plan to deal with me. Cause you know what they say? 'Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…"
"Shame on me," he and Buster finished together, the koala's face now crestfallen, his gaze on the carpet beneath his dangling feet.
"Well," the dejected Buster said, "shame on me."
"Now you listen here Buster" Charlie practically growled, catching the dejected Buster's attention once again by his firm inflection, the koala unsure if Charlie was actually using his name or the unflattering nickname, his squandering in self-pity obviously getting on the lawyer's nerves, "this doesn't mean Lu is necessarily going to win where it counts. You've already pleaded guilty to two-thirds of the charges, so Lu has lost a significant amount of leverage. Emotional Abuse? Porsha's a strong girl so you can bet your ass she'll take the stand, and for that matter, stand beside you."
"She is strong," Nick said sitting next to Suki.
"I never met a girl who could look her rapist in the eyes and not back off."
Suki smiled and took Nick's hand in hers.
"Battery? Believe you me I have it all figured out."
Upon saying this, Charlie leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him as he spoke.
"You see, if I've learned anything from my time on the legal stage, is that you have to be two steps ahead, but also be ready to take what comes at you. My reputation of never losing a case is by all means an exaggeration. I've had my own fair share of loses. But if my dad taught me anything from his time, is that you accept your failures, as well as your success, with quiet dignity and grace. That…"
Charlie jabbed a finger in Buster's direction at that.
"That is how you win. You see Buster, there are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool, a lowlife, 'a talentless little loser,' to quote a certain asshole. But don't you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Do you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it."
At that moment, Charlie, paused, a forlorn look in his hazel eyes as he reached for his cane, the saluki lawman looking at the brass eagle head that stood as the handle, the man appearing to study the glistening metal with keen interest, an almost haunted look bleeding into his eyes as he finished his thought.
"There's something you need to know about failure, Buster...You can never let it defeat you."
For a solid minute the quartet sat in silence, the weight of Charlie's words keeping them still in their seats as they just let them sink in. For a solid minute they sat in silence, the air so thick Jimmy Crystal could slash it with his claws. Even Porsha, who had just come down the stairs now dressed in flipflops and a blue one-piece borrowed from Cherry, kept moving, the teen wolf realizing right off the bat that the four adults wanted some time alone.
Nick, who had just caught Porsha's tail vanish through the door, let out a little chuckle as he followed behind her. The fox clearly looking for some alone time with Porsha. Charlie chuckled as he took Ellie's hand, the setter looking at her husband as he offered her a kind, but still somewhat sad smile.
"Hon, why don't you and Suki go down to the beach with the others?"
A pause.
"I wanna show Buster something."
Realizing what her husband meant, Ellie stood up, followed by Suki, the female saluki placing a comforting hand on Buster's shoulder before both women left, leaving Buster alone with Charlie. And almost immediately, Charlie, with some effort, stood up from the chair, cane grasped tightly in his hand as he began to walk towards a shelf right by the fireplace.
And resting on a shelf…
A gold plaque fitted to a wood-stained board.
And as Buster moved closer, he could make out the painstakingly etched engraving on the shining metal.
Presented to Sergeant Charles J. Lane
United States Air Force J.A.G. Corps
For Going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
And in an open wood box beside it, nestled perfectly in the navy-blue cushion…
The Purple Heart
"I was just starting in law when the planes hit," Charlie said with a sigh, the deadpan on his face interrupted by a wince of discomfort as he sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, the one angled so that it faced the uniform and shelves, the saluki watching Buster with keen interest as the koala scanned the many decorations, documents and photos on the shelves.
"Was visiting a potential partner in Union City..."
Charlie stalled for a moment, his attempt at keeping a strong façade slightly faltering as he relived that horrible day as if it were yesterday.
"You could see the smoke from where we were at."
Charlie paused again to take a deep breath, Buster's attention shifting from the photos and accolades to the saluki now just staring out the window.
"After the towers fell, I told the family I was planning to enlist. But dad insisted that I use my degree where it counted and convinced me to go into J.A.G."
Charlie let out a slight huff of a laugh as he looked to Buster, the koala having taken a seat in the other barrel chair. This earned a chuckle out of Buster as he clasped his hands in his lap, the koala listening to Charlie with great attentiveness.
"Went to an Air Force recruiter. Put me in a starting position in J.A.G. Worked my way up, got a pretty good name for myself defending airmen falsely accused of going AWOL."
The two men shared a good laugh at that. Unfortunately, Charlie's smile faltered, clearly remembering another bitter memory.
"Ellie and I were already married, and Cherry was still just a little tyke. Then it all went to shit, and I realized…this is not the world I want my family living in. I swore to myself that I would fight, and die for them…"
A pause as a haunted look swept over Charlie's fatigued features.
"And I nearly did."
Buster knew what was coming next.
"It was inevitable," Charlie continued nonchalantly, rattling off his experiences as if they were nothing.
"Got deployed some years later. Spent three years over there before an RPG knocked my Black Hawke out of the sky."
Charlie's face hardened.
"Miraculously, we all survived…but that didn't mean we didn't get banged up."
Buster's eyes widened in astonished horror.
At that moment, Charlie lightly patted his bum leg.
"Took some shrapnel to the leg. Took eight hours and two surgeons before it was decided I could keep it."
Another pause as Charlie glanced out the window, the saluki allowing Buster to soak up what he had just told him.
"Came back," He finally said after a minute or so.
"Stayed in J.A.G. for a couple more years. And you wanna know something?"
Charlie turned his head to look at Buster.
"The last case I presided over in J.A.G. involved me defending another airman who had gone AWOL. Now, unlike those others which were simple misunderstandings…this one was guilty as sin. But I knew just from talking to him he was a good kid. He just made a mistake, and I could tell he really regretted it. I fought for him…and won."
Another pause.
"That's why I do what I do Buster. I fight to give the little guy a second chance when no one else will."
Buster, at this point was beginning to think Charlie would make a great actor given his love for taking, as he observed, a dramatic pause.
"Just remember what I said," Charlie continued as he leaned forward.
"Accept our failures, as well as our successes, with quiet dignity and grace. And trust me…everything will be fine."
And after a long minute of thought, Buster, the self-loathing in his very being having dissipated to almost nothing, looked at Charlie with a new sense of self-worth.
"I will…Thank You Charlie, in more ways than one."
And of course, Charlie knew what Buster meant as they both looked at the uniform proudly on display.
And by the time night rolled around, everyone began to settle in.
Clay returned to his house, even taking Ash with him, which turned some heads, while Rosita, accompanied by Miss Crawley and Nick decided to return to the hotel. And as Meena and Nooshy settled themselves in one of the guest rooms prepared for them, Johnny and Gunter doing the same, Buster just sat on the stairs of the outside deck, the koala letting the cool night sea breeze waft over him, a deep breath escaping his mouth as he let his eyes fall shut.
"Getting ready for lights out," a familiar feminine voice sounded, Buster opening his eyes as he got up and turned to meet the tender smile of Suki, the talent scout now dressed in a simple attire of silk pajama bottoms and a red t-shirt.
"Ok," Buster said, returning the smile, "thanks Suki…for everything."
And upon hearing this, the smile on Suki's face grew.
"It's been my pleasure."
And with that, the two retired into the brightly lit mansion, both silently praying that the real first day of the trial would go in their favor.
But, as the large group settled in for the night, Rosita, having just sent her kids to bed, walked through the now empty living space of their hotel room, a lone table lamp her only source of light. But, as soon as she reached over to turn it off, a light rapping came at the door, followed by the sound of something being slipped under it. And as she approached the door, she could hear the faint sound of footsteps walking away.
But that was not the main focus of her attention…
But rather the single sheet of paper at her feet.
Reaching a shaking hand down to pick up the piece of paper, Rosita felt her heart-rate getting faster and faster as she dreaded what this random note might say.
And once she turned it over…her blood ran cold.
Do You Guys Fly, Mommy Pig?
Rosita quickly hurried across the hall to Nick's room. Knocking on the door, the mother pig frantically waited for the door to open. The minute Nick began to open it, Rosita pushed her way in. Although angered by her display of manners, Nick noticed how scared she was.
"What's wrong, Rosita?" he asked.
All she did was show him the note. Nick's eyes went wide and quickly pulled out his cell phone. Making a quick call, the fox turned to the distressed mother pig.
"Don't worry Rosita, I called Sam and Dax to ask them to keep an eye on your family until I can get them back to California." he told Rosita.
"Thank you, Nick," she said and embraced him in a tight hug.
Nick could feel her breasts pressing against him, and even though she was wearing a shirt, it was turning him on. Still, he knew it would be wrong to try and fuck her when she was so upset. All he could do was wait until later. After all, MILF's were his favorite lovers.
"You're welcome, Rosita," he smiled, picturing her without her clothes on. Then, he led her back to her room and assured her that nobody would touch her family.
Redshore City, New Jersey, 10:34 PM
Richie's plane landed at the airport as he was picked up by Renato Manchas and arrived at his meeting with The Bad Guys and Tony.
"Colonel," Richie said as he offered a quick salute.
"Lieutenant," Tony said as he returned the salute. "How has your assignment as an undercover agent within Shendu's organization?"
"I messed up again. I forgot to ask him for vital information to his operations and especially SHODAN. To make matters worse, I slept with him and he noticed I was wearing concealer."
"It's alright, Richie. Not only are you my most trusted agent, but you're also part of my family as well," Tony comforted Richie with a smile.
"Yeah, man. So far, he still hasn't found out who you are," Snake said.
"I can offer some assistance to your disguise if you want," Shark said.
Richie smiled at this as he heard from Snake and Shark.
"Thanks guys. A guy couldn't ask for a better gang of friends."
"While you had sex with Shendu, Belle and I were able to pick up on intel from Shendu's office while he was away in Jasper," Webbs said.
"What did you find?" Wolf asked.
"So far, Gears had started some prototype synths for SHODAN and building giant battle robots," Webbs said.
"Does Skye know about this?" Diane asked.
"She is aware of this. She, Big Daddy and Dr. Martin Torque are building security mechs for the military and especially for us to even the playing field."
"I admit it has been too long since I seen and spoke with Marty and especially Baloo. Maybe Big Daddy and I can stop by Cape Suzette to dig up more of Jimmy Crystal's organizations at what remains of Khan Industries. From what I heard, it was recently taken over by Tai Lung."
"Tai Lung? Isn't he one of Interpol's most wanted criminals along with Marmalade?" Piranha asked.
"Indeed. Which is why you'll need some help," Tony said. At that moment, who should show up but the individuals who knew of Tai Lung best, the ones who had first apprehended years earlier; The Furious Five, accompanied by their faithful Panda companion, as well as a much shorter red panda, the latter dressed rather sharply in a burnt-orange blazer, black pants and shined shoes, the white shirt beneath his jacket unbuttoned at the top. But at that moment, Richie was more concerned, or rather happy, to see his old chubby friend.
"Po!" Richie asked as he hugged the panda, both laughing as they embraced, earning a few chuckles and laughs from the group, save for Tigress, who eyed the two with confusion.
"Richie, what's up, buddy?" Po asked as he hugged the German Shepherd back. It was then Tigress voiced her thoughts.
"Po, you know him?" Tigress asked, the tiger quickly gaining the attention of Richie, who couldn't help but silently admire the tiger from toe to head, her outfit leaving little to the imagination; shined knee-high black jack-boots, skin-tight black leggings that hugged her shapely, yet slightly muscular legs, a red leather jacket with gold trim, which did little to hide the impressive bust underneath a black crop top that exposed her angry looking abs.
"Of course, Po, Tony, Mason and I trained together in the martial arts in Japan when I was stationed in Okinawa," Richie said. This peaked the red panda's interest, the four-foot four mammal only slightly craning his neck to meet Richie's case.
"And I must say, what an honor it is to meet you, Agent Barkin. Po speaks very highly of you…I am Shifu."
"It is an honor, Master Shifu," Richie said, offer a very deep, sincere bow to one of the most revered Kung Fu instructors in the world, who now moonlighted as the head of his little group of mercenaries comprised of his former students. Shifu, letting a rarely seen smile spread across his face, happily returned the bow, much to the satisfaction of his students. Tony then came up behind Richie, placing a hand on his shoulder as he spoke.
"The others and I are going to be hitting up that new casino your old man opened up. Heard Nick and Judy were meeting up with King Bear. Care to join us?"
"As if you have to ask, Tony," Richie replied with a shit-eating grin
About an hour later, the gang arrived at the casino that Richie's father had opened, or rather swindled from an old business partner, called "The Pirate's Booty." And the moment they stepped inside, Richie was surprised to see the place was packed. All around the pirate themed casino, Richie could see a lot of activity, whether it be on the gaming floor, at several bars situated around the casino, or a few of the open restaurants. And throughout the gaming floor, several patrons were playing roulette, craps, blackjack, slot machines, or betting on car races. But what really caught Richie's attention was the all-female serving staff. While the dealers of the casino where appropriately dressed as pirates, the busty waitresses were scantily covered, wearing nothing but green opened-toed heels with a scale pattern that matched their skimpy thongs, and multicolored sea-shell theme bikini tops, obviously a little mermaid-esque wear in a pirate themed casino.
Unfortunately for Richie, his ogling was cut short as Tony had their team split up into pairs of two to cover the casino; for the overt teams, Po and Tigress, both dressed to the nines as a big-name business-mammal and his hot girlfriend made their way over to the craps table, while Wolf and Diane were sent to "take in the atmosphere," dressed in the same apparel they wore at the infamous charity gala hosted by the disgraced, and at large, Professor Marmalade. Also on the floor were Shark and Mantis, the small insect begrudging posing as pretty rose on top of the "Sugar Mama" Shark's red hat.
As for the COVERT part of the operation, Webbs and Piranha stealthily mad their way to the security office to monitor the screens in order to keep an eye out for Shendu's goons, the two actually not having to break in as the guard on duty was made aware that they would be there. Up on the roof, Crane and Monkey kept a birds-eye view of the various exits, both ready to spring in at a moments, all while Snake and Viper blended in perfectly, the two serpents stealthily keeping close to the walls as they kept an eye out for any suspicious activity.
In the end, Richie was left with Tony. But as the two began to make their way into the gaming area, Richie heard an all too familiar voice sound from behind him.
"Richie! It's good to see you again."
Turning around, Richie let a broad smile form on his muzzle as he beheld the sight of a short German Dachshund, one of the casino's restaurant managers, dressed in a snazzy grey pin-striped suit, the four-foot canine making his way over to the shepherd with open arms.
"It's good to see you again, Uncle Itchy," Richie said as he leaned down to hug the dachshund, both of their tails wagging as they did, leaving Wolf surprised and confused.
"You know him?" Tony asked.
"Of course. Uncle Itchy is my godfather and my dad's best friend. He was the best man at the wedding."
"Say, isn't that the Big Bad Wolf I saw you with?" Itchy asked as he laughed, his use of that old name making Richie and Tony chuckle.
"It is, but most of us call him Wolf, and he only lets me call him Mase," Richie said with another soft laugh. But before he could say anymore, he heard a pair of easily recognizable voices coming form his left.
"Richie!"
Turning to the source of the call, Richie beamed from ear o ear as he saw his parents make their way over to him.
"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" Richie asked after he pulled himself from the embrace that they had enveloped him in.
"Well, I wanted to show your mother that I was telling the truth about besting old Carface," Charlie said, the Shepherd offering his female companion as sly wink, which only made her roll her eyes, though with a slight smirk, which did not go unnoticed by Richie.
"Come on, I saved your party a table at the restaurant's casino. And Charlie will tell you 'Remy's Kitchen,' is the best," Itchy said, ushering the group to one of the many restaurants in the casino.
"Thanks, Itchy," Sasha said as the party entered the restaurant, where they ordered what they wanted while having a wonderful time, unaware that Nick Wilde and Judy were in the same restaurant with King Bear O'Connor on a FaceTime call with Queen Bear.
"Richie told me and Cain about your 'barbaric tactics' and policies toward the prey population in Jasper City," Nick said.
"Isn't it enough that I made it illegal for any Lord of Prey supporter to attack any predator whether they are minors, adults or elderly?" King Bear asked.
"You presume too much, King Bear," Judy said.
"His Majesty, like history, judges not only the outcome of the war, but also the manner with how it is fought," Jack said.
"We must conduct ourselves accordingly. These brutal tactics must stop!" Judy ordered.
"The Lords of Prey out of the way," King Bear countered, "my business and your business have thrived and I sent some of my best sluts over to Zootopia to please Chief Bogo?"
"We serve the Rainforest Mafia, the US military and Zootopia PD accordingly and the manner in which you serve upon us, reflects upon us!" Nick said with a deep scowl.
"The prey population in Jasper, like in Zootopia, are our brethren. From now on, you will go through our graves. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, Nick," King Bear said.
Then, Richie appeared on stage playing the piano as couples, including Mason and Diane, danced on the dance floor.
"Are those your eyes?
Is that your smile?
Well, I've been looking at you forever
But, I never saw you before
Are these your hands holding mine?
Now, I wonder how I could've been so blind
For the first time, I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now, I understand what love is, love is
For the first time."
Snake was nervous as Viper asked him for a dance.
"Don't be nervous, Caleb. Just hold on to me, mind your rhythm and let the music flow within you," Viper said in a kind tone, the female serpent leading snake in a secret serpentine tango on one of the ornate chandeliers hanging from the roof, the duo not even get a sideways, or rather upwards glance as they did.
Mason and Diane were dancing so well that some people were taking videos and pictures of the couple before them. But they weren't the only ones getting the attention from the crowd. People were amazed with Richie's talents with the piano and his singing that they even recorded a video of him performing and posted it on the YouTube and Facebook.
Can this be real?
Can this be true?
Am I the person I was this morning?
And are you the same you?
It's all so strange
How can it be?
All along, this love was right in front of me
And for the first time, I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now, I understand what love is, love is
For the first time."
Po and Tigress also moved with the rhythm of Richie's performance, the sexy tigress grinding her rear against the panda's ever growing bulge in his pants, which seemed to be the go to for a lot of happy couples.
"Such a long time ago
I had given up on finding
This emotion ever again
But you're here with me now
Yes, I've found you somehow
And I've never been so sure
And for the first time, I am looking in your eyes
For the first time I'm seeing who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're looking back at me
Now, I understand what love is, love is
For the first time."
With the song coming to an end, Wolf dipped Diane as the crowd cheered for them.
"You are one good dancer, Mason," Diane said as she kissed his lips.
"You too, Diane," Mason said as he pulled out a little black box.
"Mason, no," Diane gasped as she saw Wolf open the box to reveal a 24 karat gold ring with a flawless diamond shaped like a heart.
"Diane Foxington, I love you so much. For every day I never got to see you, be near you, or waking up every single day without you by my side, hurts worse than getting shot at, beaten or have the door slammed on my tail. And I can't think of a better way than this. Diane Foxington, will you marry me?" Mason proposed.
Tears of joy were starting to form in Diane's eyes as she spoke, "Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Mason Canis! You made me the happiest girl alive!" Mason slipped on the ring on her ring finger and she kissed his lip deeply.
The crowds cheered as Nick saw the happy scene before him. He turned to one of the servers and said,
"Darling, send the happy couple a bottle of your best champagne. Compliments of Nick Wilde."
"Right away, Mr. Wilde," the server said.
Later that night, in the privacy of a VIP lounge in the casino, Richie and the other guys ran up to the happy couple as they hugged Mason and Diane.
"Congratulations, guys! I'm so happy for the both of you!" Richie said.
"Rich, for being my best friend since childhood and in the service in the military, will you and Caleb be my best men?" Mason asked.
"I would be honored to be one of your best men," Richie said.
"Me too, buddy," Caleb said.
"Serena, will you be my maid of honor?" Diane asked.
"I would be happy to be your maid of honor, Diane," Webbs said.
Meanwhile, back in Shendu's secret base, Gears was busy working with the synth schematics with SHODAN as he looked at a picture of his sister, Angela.
"Soon, we will avenge your untimely destruction, Angie," he said.
"Gears, some people in high places are getting too curious about this operation. We must accelerate our plans and terminate some people who are in our way," SHODAN said.
"You know, I agree, SHODAN," Gears said as he laid down his plans to take out some pawns like in a game of chess.
This chapter is dedicated in memory of Dom Deluise, the voice actor of Itchy from All Dogs Go to Heaven.
You maybe gone, but you will never be forgotten.