Love & Lattes - Group Therapy Ep. 07

Karen smiled and moved a paw to his, the wolf slipping one off the wheel to grip hers. "Take the chances, swing at every pitch?" She asked out.

He showed his teeth and shook his head. "Live while you can, right?" His padded finger rubbed the band on her own paw.

A few more minutes passed before she squeezed his paw and looked over at him. "You'll always be enough for me, hon. Living in our little home and being bondsmen? It made me happy as can be, and I'd have loved it every single day until the day I died."

He nodded and squeezed back. "I know, and I feel the same, angel. What love we may grow between them and us aside, you were and will always be enough for me."

They pulled up to the small simple home on a quiet street, Joseph pulling his car into the little garage where he had restored it. The fox looked nostalgic as he stepped out to look around the small shop, memories of him working in here, the smell of wood and oil easily pulling him back to those times.

Ivory slid out of the passenger seat, offering him a smile. "Thinking of those days, huh?"

Joseph lifted his ears as he popped the hood of his car, lifting it up. He stared at the engine before giving a nod. "Yeah..." Karen and Isaac walked in as he was speaking, "I rebuilt this whole engine during that year after you, Karen."

The rabbit lifted her ears as she walked over to the front of the car with her husband. "Channeled your heartache, sweetie?" She smiled at him over the other side of the open hood as he looked up at her.

"It's surreal in a way... I cried so much for you, cried for my own self-pity, cursed you even though I hardly knew you at the time, Isaac." He sighed with a wistful smile as he continued, "Yet here we all are... a few years later and... together."

"Did you cry over me too, hon?" Ivory smiled at him with a tilt of her head.

"Of course I did. When I texted you for the first time, I was crying then. I guess I'm just a big baby, huh?" He barked a laugh and rubbed the back of his head, then gave a little yip as the wolf's strong paw clapped down on his shoulder.

"Crying doesn't make you weak or a baby, foxy." He offered the smaller dog a grin, squeezing his shoulder. "Sorry I hurt you, but I'm glad I'm making you happy now, you know?"

Joseph smiled at that and put a paw on Isaac's. "I know... I can't even fathom a time when I even remotely considered hating you. I wanted to, of course, I did, but the more I got to know you, the more I saw you and Karen's love... how happy you made her... How could I hate that? Then when I started falling for you... tch..."

"Yeah, it's all a complicated mess, but it's our complicated mess, huh?" Ivory purred and moved right over, hugging Joseph up, then he barked out as Karen joined in, the fox being hugged up by all three of his lovers, his tail wagging rapidly.

After several moments of basking in their love, he cleared his throat and squirmed a little as they pulled from him. "Ah... A-Anyway... I think I'll go over her some time while we're here, she needs an oil change for sure, maybe check over the sparkplugs and such." He composed himself, taking a deep breath to calm his heart.

"Gonna just leave us to fend for ourselves with, Josie while you hide in the garage, hon?" Ivory purred with a grin.

"Hey, any of you are happy to hang around, I'll put you to work." Joseph barked out cheerfully as he moved to the backseat to collect the box of chocolates he'd gotten for his mother.

The four of them made their way to the small house that was detached from the garage. Isaac felt his stomach twist, an awkward sense of deja vu creeping up his spine when he walked into the kitchen, the smell on the air familiar for some reason, even though he'd never been in this home before.

"Joseph, my little pup!" The vixen called out cheerfully as she trotted into the kitchen from the adjoining hallway. She sported a similar coat to his of course, though she did have just the faintest showings of gray starting to creep into the tips of her ears and tail. It was clear where the fox got his type preference from since Josephine sported quite an ample chest like Ivory, and curvy round hips like Karen.

"So this is your little family is it? Oh look at all of y-" Her nose twitched and her chestnut eyes zeroed right in on the wolf, an ever-faint snarl showing through her smile, but it was gone in an instant as she grinned once more.

Karen instantly recognized the tension, being the most perceptive one of the group, little things like Isaac's fur standing up slightly on his wrist, his tail flicking just a little sharper. She darted her green eyes to the vixen and cleared her throat, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Renault, or would you prefer Josephine?"

The vixen pivoted her muzzle up slightly as if acknowledging the rabbit's recognition before cooly flourishing a paw to the den. "Josephine will do just fine, but do not call me Josie, that is something only my daughter-in-law may do."

Ivory beamed at that, a loud happy purr filling her throat as she broke from the group and sauntered right over with her arms outstretched. "You won't believe it, but I've missed your stuck-up ass, Josie! Hug?"

"Of course and I have missed your smart-ass mouth, my daughter." she embraced the smaller cat, resting her muzzle upon her head between her ears, paw stroking the long flow of blonde hair. She keenly could smell the other two upon her before they pulled away and she shifted a paw to her hip. "Are you not going to hug your mother, Joseph? Is it too embarrassing before your new lovers?"

"C'mon, mom. I just was waiting on, Ivory." He grinned and moved right over, hugging her up, both the foxes nearly identical in height. She clung possessively to him, a loud rumble of a growl filling her throat as she stroked his long hair.

After that, she spoke out to Karen and Isaac. "My apologies for subjecting you to our family PDA, please make yourselves comfortable in the den, I've ordered food which should arrive soon enough. I will be with all of you momentarily."

"Thank you for your hospitality... Josephine," Isaac spoke the words politely, seeming to awkwardly speak the vixen's name aloud. She gave a nod and marched right into the adjoining room past the den.

"Honey... what was that?" Karen pulled him down to her, hissing the words into his ear in a whisper.

"Uh... I- Well, I'll explain later, I just need to confirm something, okay?" He whispered back, both Joseph and Ivory looking confused at the two of them whispering to themselves.

A few minutes later they were all seated around the coffee table in the den with a small spread of food. Josephine was sitting in a small chair all on her own with a plate in her lap. She casually pointed her fork at the new couple in the room. "I am not so along in my years as to not be accepting of things. There was a time I was more narrow-minded, but my little fox enlightened me. I'll not be judging, condoning, or chastising the two of you over this, so please rest easy on that."

"Thank you very much for that, we both care a lot for Joseph and Ivory." Isaac huffed out respectfully towards her.

Karen cocked a brow at that. Isaac was a very polite and respectful dog, he had been with her father as well, but he was being a little over-respectful in this situation. She looked back at the vixen who met her eyes, again showing a look as if she knew exactly what she was thinking. Karen parted her maw to speak but Josephine interjected immediately, "Karen, you're the rabbit that made my pup cry so much, aren't you?"

That jarred the rabbit out of her thought process which was probably what the vixen wanted. Karen frowned, then looked to Joseph who offered her an apologetic grin, then back to his mother. "Yeah, I am. It's not like I was trying to, but I was."

"It makes me glad you seemed to work something out. You are all adults, so I'll not roost on semantics, but I will offer you the same cautionary statement I gave my daughter. Do not break my little fox's heart, or else. That goes for my daughter as well, do not hurt her either!" Josephine snarled the words, her eyes growing sharper as she stabbed her fork into a hunk of meat on her plate.

"Mom! Can you please hop down from your alpha-mother soapbox and not threaten my lovers? They're fine! If anything I'm worried about hurting them!" Joseph growled at her, the vixen offering a growl back.

"Joseph! I am your mother, and I am just watching out for you, I simply wish you to not be-"

"Josie, c'mon... Karen and Isaac are amazing, they aren't going to hurt us. If I thought that I'd not have gotten me and Joe, involved, to begin with." She purred and moved her paw to rest on Josephine's arm since she was sitting right next to the vixen.

Josephine gave a tired-sounding sigh and nodded. "Please do not think ill of me in my protectiveness. Ever since Joseph's father left us, I have tried my best for him. I am sure you are both fine partners for them."

"That's okay, Josephine. None of us have kits, but I can respect the desire of a mother to protect her pup. I and Isaac aren't going to hurt him, at least we aren't trying to, is that acceptable?"

"Of course, it's not as if I'd come after you if things just didn't work out. I simply threw the warning out in case you tried to use him or my daughter, clearly that isn't the case though, so-"

"So we can just have a normal meal and relax then? Awesome!" Joseph glared at her as the vixen snorted in disapproval at his tone but then relented.

After a few minutes of quiet eating, Josephine broke the silence once more, "So, you will be joining my, daughter up on stage, Karen?"

She gulped down the food she was working on, taking a sip of her diet cola before nodding. "Yes, that's right. Ivory has been helping me train to sing, dance, and improve my showmanship over these last months."

"How terribly exciting. I'll have to come watch one of your performances once your tour begins!" She barked the words conversationally as she sipped her own sweet tea.

"You'll have your chance soon, Ms Re- Josephine. The label is already lining up venues and it looks like things will be going in just a few weeks." Isaac called out, Karen once again noting the overly respectful tone in his voice.

Josephine seemed to half-glare at him before she cleared her throat. "Isaac, as I said to all of you, no need to be so respectful in my presence." Her eyes hardened as she settled them straight on the wolf before continuing, "Stop it, now."

Karen lifted her ears at that, a small snarl of her own showing. "Josephine, are you-" She bit off her words as her husband's paw lifted before her.

"Angel, it's fine. It's her home and she didn't ask something so difficult." He settled his gaze back on the vixen's and cleared his throat, "Apologies, I was just nervous. Joseph and Ivory are very important to me, it seems in my concern of putting on a good impression, I've-"

"You are fine, Mr. Convel." She barked his last name, even though he hadn't given it to her, the others looked surprised by that but Isaac didn't even bat an eye. Still, the point was made as there was a lingering silence that filled the aftermath.

"Yes, I see your point. Please call me Isaac, I'll make sure not to accidentally call you by your last name again." He gave a nod as he moved to take another sip of his own diet soda.

Josephine sighed and shook her head. "I do apologize, I realize I'm making this a tense exchange, I did not intend such things... please, just relax and let us socialize normally, you both have my blessings with my son and daughter."

Karen didn't look convinced and once again, Josephine gave her that look, as if she were already thinking two moves ahead of her. The vixen tilted her muzzle up slightly as if daring the rabbit to say something.

"Josephine, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Karen stood right up from the loveseat she and Isaac were seated on.

"Angel, I don't think-" The wolf snapped his jaws closed as his wife held her paw out to him as he'd done her earlier.

"Can it not wait until we are done eating?" The vixen cocked a furred brow, both Joseph and Ivory looking stunned at what was happening.

"No." Karen showed her teeth, glaring openly now.

"So... this is the type of woman you prefer, is it, my pup?" The vixen set her plate aside and slowly stood.

"Uh... Mom, Karen, you guys aren't going to like, fight or something are you?" Joseph barked out nervously.

"Perish the thought, we just need to talk it appears, no blows will come to your rabbit, my son." Josephine ran her paw through her long hair with a huff, sauntering out of the room and out the back door.

Isaac stood up with a growl, "Karen, I don't think-"

"Just let me handle this and eat," Karen snarled and stormed off after Josephine.

Karen stomped out of the door, the vixen having taken several paces away from the house, all the way back to near the garage. She turned to face the rabbit, resting a paw on her hip, looking terribly bored with this whole thing. "You wished to talk to me, Karen?"

"Do you know my husband?" She shifted her paws to her hips, the stance she was in showing she wasn't going to be intimidated in this exchange, despite seeing the vixen's own stance was relaxed.

"Know, is a subjective word, we aren't friends, acquaintances, or ex-lovers if that's your concern." She showed a haughty smirk and flicked her ears up more prominently. "Though I did try to put the wiles upon him years ago, but alas, he was too wrapped up in his loss at the time."

"His... loss..." Karen twitched her eye at that, seeing the vixen knew about Isaac's ex-wife. "How do you-"

"Karen, there are things in this life, you are better off not knowing..." Josephine sighed as she put a paw to her chest.

"Don't feed me that shit! I've never seen my husband belly up like that to any bitch, what's your deal?!" The rabbit clenched a fist, her footpaws already shifting slightly, showing she was ready to make this into something if she had to.

"Your body language is not helping your case, Karen. I'm no fighter, so unless you're planning to beat answers out of me, you might as well relax your posture, I have no secret kung-fu skills at my disposal," Josephine groaned the words with a roll of her eyes.

Karen swallowed the lump in her throat and eased her stance slightly. "S-Sorry... I wasn't trying to get violent, I uh... just... I guess I was reading the situation wrong..."

Josephine showed an almost predatory grin at that before growling out, "You weren't... I'm as much of a threat as your body wants to perceive me to be, Karen Convel, daughter of Kadir and Aolani Kalama."

Karen took a step back at that, her jaw gaping slightly. She'd not even told Isaac the name of her dead mother. Josephine nodded at the stunned look as she jerked her head to the side. "Turn around, your husband approaches."

Sure enough, Karen jerked her gaze back to see, Isaac closing in on the two of them. She shook her head and glared back at Josephine, a snarl showing as she clenched her fist. "Explain yourself, now!" Karen spat the words out, real heat showing in her voice now at the mention of her mother's name.

The vixen tilted her head as if waiting for the wolf to close upon them before she looked between the two of them. "Didn't put the pieces together until now, Detective?"

Isaac sighed and put his paws on his hips. "You already knew I was just acting in a support role during that, I was still just a P.I."

"Isaac, what the fuck is going on? You know I hate being out of the loop on shit!" Karen glared at him, her mocha-colored ears lifted straight up, a sure sign she was at full alert and ready to fight if she needed to.

He frowned and looked to Josaphine, then back to his wife. The vixen gave her own sigh and shook her head. "Gods above... what am I to do with this mess? What am I to do with the two of you?" Josephine groaned the words.

Karen gapped her maw again, seeing a real look of concern cross her husband's face before jerking back over to the vixen before them. "Lady, what is your deal? How did you know all that?"

Isaac grimaced and put a paw gently on his wife's shoulder. "Karen, we don't need to be opening up this, can you please just-"

"It's a little late for that now, isn't it, Isaac?" Josephine growled and shoved her paws into the jeans she was wearing, looking the rabbit over. Karen bit her lower lip as she watched the vixen's whole demeanor change right there on the spot.

"Karen Convel, your husband has no doubt told you how easily your friend Keys could tear your life apart were you to upset them, yes?" Josephine spat the words out cooly, looking at the rabbit as if she were nothing, and was lucky to be hearing her speak at all.

Karen clenched her teeth at the sheer presence of will the fox was now giving off. "Y-Yeah, he has..."

Josephine clicked her tongue and pushed off the wall of the garage, circling both the rabbit and wolf, her tail lazily wagging as she continued, "Well, my dear... What your precious informant could do to you, is child's-play for me, do you understand what I'm saying? Or shall I elaborate on the intimate details of your mother's death to hammer home my point?"

Isaac finally spoke out, "Karen... I met Josephine about a year before I met you, on a case I was doing for the police, helping one of their homicide detectives out, we'd done a few cases like that actually..."

"Homicide?!" Karen stammered out, looking at her husband with shock in her eyes.

"Don't look at him in such a way, he was protecting you, and I appreciate you keeping your word and not blathering about this, Isaac." The vixen snarled as she moved back to lean upon the wall of the garage, pulling her paws from her pockets to fold her arms over her ample chest.

Isaac spoke out politely, "Look, I never... Joseph having the last name Renault, I never assumed he was-"

"Did you not see the similarities in us, Isaac? Surely the thought crossed your mind once or twice, I did kiss you back then and offered so much more. Yet it was my son you ended up wanting in the end?" Josephine cooed the words, looking amused.

"You kissed her?" Karen fired back at Isaac, cocking a brow.

"I kissed him, did I not just say he rejected my wiles, Karen?" Josephine sighed and shook her head. "Isaac met me while investigating... unfortunate events that befell my husband."

"More to the point, I was looking into the killer of some kits, Angel..." Isaac whispered and shuddered as the memories seemed to come to the surface.

"Indeed, and I helped you find the killer of those children, as any mother within their power to do so would, so do not assume that was involved with me, Karen. I only remove problems that are their own doing, like ones that hurt my pup."

"Is that a segue into threatening me and Isaac again, Josephine?" She frowned and put paw on her hip.

Josephine snarled, "No, that's a segue into my former husband's brake lines unfortunately failing one night by some unknown causes after smacking me and my pup around one too many times. It's a segue into me becoming the head of my late-husbands family. Truly, you are a bail bondsman, you work closely with crime, does Ivory and Joseph's last name not at all ring a bell with you, rabbit?"

Karen glowered at the fox, mulling on that for a moment, then lifted her ears again as she blinked a few times. "Hang on... Renault... L-like... you mean that-" Karen pushed a paw to her muzzle, blinking a few times as realization dawned on her.

"Josephine... If you knew about this, why did you have us come over anyway? Joseph and Ivory are obviously not in the loop." Isaac sighed and folded his arms.

"In truth, how could I have assumed you the same Isaac from then? I didn't have a reason to pluck my network until after you walked in that door. When I excused myself after seating you, that wasn't me going to the restroom to freshen up, that was me quickly looking up why you were in my son's life and the details behind the two of you."