SH Fanfic: Noddy Boffin, Private Ear. 5/6

[goldvermilion87]

 
 

Chapter 5

"Noddy, it's nothing to be upset about now! It's all over now."

"I know, Jack. It's just that I was thinking—what if we hadn't survived, and I hadn't told you how much you meant to me. Oh, that would have been so horrible."

"But Noddy, I knew. And I think I understood how you felt. I knew how hard it was for you to tell me you loved me. But, look what you did for me! Whatever you admitted to yourself, it was clear to me what you really felt."

"Thanks, Jack. Well, I'll go on with the story, if you don't mind. I think it will be good for me. I haven't thought about it in such a long time. There were some very good memories. Not altogether happy, but brave memories. You were very brave, Jack…"

---

Noddy awoke to the sound of the root at the entrance to the tunnel being pulled back. He looked at Jack. Jack was stirring softly, but not yet awake. He looked at the little rabbit's lacerated face. "That will hurt him when he wakes up," Noddy thought. He licked the long scratch.

"G'morning, Mr. Sherlock," Jack muttered.

"Good morning Jack. You feeling okay?"

"Yup, only my face hurts a little." Jack smiled bravely, but Noddy thought that it probably hurt a little more than a little.

"Well, I want you to lie quietly here until I say otherwise, got that?"

"Yes sir!"

Noddy turned to face the animal that had just succeeded in moving the large root. It was Max.

"So, how are you today Mister Sherlock?" the raccoon asked derisively.

"I am quite fine," Noddy answered haughtily. "Although I am sure that you do not care."

"Well, you won't be fine for long." The raccoon grinned. "Keane has decided that you are not to be eaten. He said you were much better to him alive. The little rabbit should be very tender, as he's a young'un. But I think Keane has got a bone to pick with you, and he wants to have a talk with you. He doesn't want to end your life too soon."

"In fact, I do not believe that he will be ending either of our lives any time soon. I believe that once I have talked with him, he will decide to take a different course of action."

"Well," Max leered, "we'll see about that one. Right now, I believe he wants to see ya. We'll take the little one."

"Oh no, you won't," growled Noddy. "I think you have had enough fun with him to last you for a while. If you don't want me to repeat last night's performance on you, you will keep your paws off of him."

Max stopped his movement toward Jack who lay huddled on the floor. He was not brave enough to face the large rabbit alone. Instead, he retreated toward the door, calling to his friends. "Clyde! Ray! C'mon guys! The biggun doesn't want to be helpful."

As the other ruffians walked toward the door, Noddy cornered Jack and whispered sharply "You leave this to me!"

The look in Jack's eyes was not very amenable.

"You promised me, Jack."

"I promised not to do anything foolish, Mr. Sherlock, and I won't. I think it would be very foolish to lie down here and wait for these creatures to kill you first, then me. I bet the office will send a troop down soon, so if we work together we might be able to hold them off long enough."

"I really don't need any help!"

"I think that you do, Mr. Sherlock."

"Just take care of yourself, please."

"Of course, Mr. Sherlock, I will." Jack smiled at his hero.

The two rabbits wedged themselves into the tunnel, protecting their backs from attack. As the scruffy animals advanced toward them, most seemed nervous. Max seemed confident in their numbers, but his companions did not.

They were met with a valiant attack from the detective and the detective-in-training. Clyde gave a squeal and ran out of the tunnel. His eye was pouring blood. One raccoon ripped through Jack's ear, but was paid with a strong kick from Noddy. Max, in his effort to avoid Noddy's strong feet, found himself struggling to pull away as Noddy bit savagely at his throat. Jack, with flaming eyes kicked the big raccoon. "That's for what you did to my friend yesterday. I hope you will be less insolent in the future."

Jack had just called Noddy his friend! Well, Noddy would straighten him out later. Why did the little rabbit insist on calling him his friend? It did make him feel happy, but it also scared him. He had to stay strong, and resist the little creature finding its way into his heart. He had to…a yelp from Jack brought him out of his thoughts. He had been mechanically kicking at everything in his way, and had not noticed one raccoon that had gotten the upper hand with Jack.

Most of the other animals were defeated, and slunk out of the tunnel, but the raccoon was just making ready to rip open Jack's throat. The raccoon held the limp bundle down as he went in to make his move.

"NO!" he shouted.

He leapt on the raccoon, knocking him off the senseless little rabbit. He raged, kicking and biting, until he realized the raccoon was not moving. He had killed it. Noddy shoved the carcass towards the opening of the tunnel.

"Now, don't anyone else dare to enter this tunnel, or they shall be served as this rascal was."

The gangsters did not seem ready to attack again, so Noddy turned to inspect little Jack. But a cruel voice stopped him.

"I knew you would be able to vanquish my stupid ruffians."

Keane! Noddy groaned inwardly.

"They were just there to tire you out," the fox continued. "I did not feel up to a big fight today. If you don't want your precious little friend—oh, I can see how much you care for him—to become our supper, you will have to face me first."

"He's just a boy that I am training for the office." Vulnerability, Noddy thought.

"Oh, just your son."

"No, not my son." But he may as well be, Noddy realized.

"Well, I'm sure you don't want him killed! I will kill him though, before your eyes. I hate you! You represent the law. You are a great detective, and you have spoiled too many of my plans before."

Noddy could not remember having been on any case connected with a fox. Keane seemed to have read his thoughts. "You didn't realize it, but I have been behind many crimes that you have stopped. Old Mercury may never have told you this, but that limp—have you noticed it?—is my doing. Oh, I hate everything to do with your office, but you are the epitome of everything about it that I hate. Therefore, I will see that you suffer, before you die."

Noddy just crouched at the entrance of the tunnel. He would not let those creatures harm Jack. He was under Noddy's protection. "It's not personal," Noddy repeated to himself. "He's just my responsibility." Then he shoved the thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on the advancing enemy.

The fox stopped in the middle of the room. "Come and get me!" he said.

I'm not that dumb, Noddy thought. He would wait, and not be lured away from Jack. Keane came closer.

"You might as well just give in right now. You know that I can get you and the little thing very easily. Don't waste your time fighting with me."

"You won't get me or him."

"We'll see about that!" And the fox leapt at him. Noddy braced himself for the shock of the huge body pounding against him, but it never came. A shriek came from the large fox as he fell short of the tunnel. A large rabbit had grabbed onto his tail.

"Mercury!" Noddy shouted.

"Yes, I'm here, my boy." The rabbit spoke as well as he could through a mouthful of fur.

Noddy saw that many other animals that he recognized from the office were pouring in. He hopped over to Jack. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" The words drifted up to him and he heard no more.

When he awoke, he saw that he was on a mat of leaves in the office. "What happened?" he asked the nearest rabbit.

"Oh, you were worn out from your long night, dearie," answered the matronly rabbit.

"Oh. Is Jack okay?"

"Of course! He said that you wouldn't let them hurt him."

"But I did! He was hurt badly."

"Well, not as badly as you were. I think you're his hero!"

Noddy needed to go talk to that little rabbit to straighten him out. But first he had to talk to Captain Mercury. "Where is the Captain?"

"He's back in his office. He told me that you were to see him as soon as you woke up."

Noddy got up off the leaves. He felt a little stiff, but he was okay. He hopped over to the little room where Captain Mercury was relaxing. "Sir?" he asked.

Mercury turned to him. "Congratulations Sherlock. That was a job well done!"

"Thank you Captain…but I don't think I would have survived it if you hadn't come to rescue us."

"Oh, I think you might have. But I was happy to have the honor of killing that Keane myself."

"Yes, I'm glad you got it! But I would like you to explain to me about Keane—he said that you had dealings with him before."

"Oh yes, my slight limp was a present from him. He was notorious several years ago for abducting whole litters of rabbits, to fill his larder, of course."

"I was afraid that his boasting was true."

"Yes. Well, since I gave him his wound—did you notice it?"

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, well his chest has a large scar on it—that was from me. Since I gave him that wound, he has sworn to hurt our office as much as possible. Many of the crimes that you have solved were of his instigation. You did not realize it, but I knew it. I had not heard of this gang of his, however. We have heard reports from outside our district of many abducted mice. But I had thought nothing of it. Obviously Keane was behind them all."

"So, how did you find your way into the hideout? I'm sure I never would have found it. And I didn't think that those three boys would have the nerve to come tell you what they did."

"No they didn't. But Boycie saw you leaving, and followed you just to make sure you were okay. He saw when you went in, and when we called the alert he was able to lead us into the hiding place. If you noticed, he got that rat Clyde pretty good."

"I don't think I noticed much, after you stopped that fox. I think this is the first time I have ever been glad about the nosiness of Boycie. I'll have to thank him."

"Yes, but I believe you should be getting back to your cage ASAP. You are late already, and if your owner has found out that you are missing, there could be an uproar."

"I'll do that right now. I'll talk to Boycie tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Sherlock."