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Hello everyone! No one-shot this month. This January was a lot busier than I had expected. I do have a few started, some of them are even almost finished. Hopefully I'll be able to get one of them up for next month. Here's the ninth chapter of the cop story I started what seems like forever ago. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading!

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June 22nd, 1969

Outside the 42nd Precinct

Travis let out a contented sigh as he walked down the steps of the precinct for the last time. He turned in his letter of resignation to Donna, the grey furred Porcupine who worked at the receptionist's desk. For a few moments, the German Shepherd was honestly able to enjoy himself. The sun was shining, the air was pleasantly warm, and August was out of the office. The Dog even managed to duck the Chief. He was in the clear, at least until he set the protest up.

He rounded the corner, walking down the narrow alleyway beside the police station. After another right turn, Nathan was standing against the wall, his head hung. Travis was surprised that the Australian Cattle Dog wanted to walk him down to the police station, but he allowed it. It was nice to see the younger male enjoy himself. Even if it was only for a short while. Being this close to the police, especially August, must have made him extra-wary. Nathan looked up and smiled at the German Shepherd.

"Get it done?" Nathan asked, "It wasn't too bad was it?"

Travis put a paw on his boyfriend's shoulder and started walking back out to the street with him. He maintained the contact as long as possible, but let his paw fall once they were a couple steps from the street. Nathan let out a quiet whine, but didn't protest further. The German Shepherd would have driven, but parking in the police station parking lot was a risk the ex-cop was not willing to take

"It was fine," Travis chuckled, "Donna didn't ask too many questions."

"Is that good?" Nathan whined, "Does she usually ask questions?"

The German Shepherd let out a soft chuckle. Ever since he told Nathan his plans, he had been antsy and paranoid. He was worried, and eager to leave. Just as eager as the German Shepherd was.

"She was normal," Travis replied, "Every other sentence out of her mouth was "I'm too old for this shit." Believe me, she'll fulfill her end of things."

The plan was for Donna to "lose" Travis's letter of resignation. They'd find it after she retired in a couple of weeks, by which time Travis would be long gone. He'd also already gone to his landlord and let him know that he was planning on moving to Pittsburgh and that his roommate was moving back to Queens. If things hit the fan, the fake information would help to give the German Shepherd and the Australian Cattle Dog some more room to maneuver. He had to move fast, especially if he wanted to plan these protests as well.

There was no question that Furs were pissed and scared. The hope that Lionel and Travis had was that a protest, one in a well-lit and populated place, would help to showcase how horrible they gay Furs were treated at the hands of the police. Once that happened, maybe things would start moving in the other direction. Until that, however, it was going to be an uphill climb.

"So what next?" Nathan asked, "Are we going home?"

Travis nodded.

"We'll start packing," Travis began, "And start planning."

The sidewalks were crowded. It was a little after 5, which meant rush hour traffic was in full swing. It was neither the time nor the place to be discussing protests and homosexuality.

"Can I make a request?" Nathan asked, "I uh, want to pick up a comic book or two."

"A comic book?" Travis stopped and looked over at the younger Dog, "Aren't you a bit old for those?"

Nathan stopped as well and rubbed his arm, clearly embarrassed. Travis thought for a moment, eyes going wide as he realized the most likely reason for the strange request. The Cattle Dog must have been thinking of his late brother, Martin.

"I didn't mean it like that," Travis amended, "Of course we can. Is there a store near here?"

Nathan nodded.

"I know you didn't," Nathan chuckled, "He always got so excited by those comics. I was always too busy to sit down and read them with him."

The German Shepherd felt terrible. He should have known better than to make fun of the Australian Cattle Dog over something this trivial. Grieving had been hard for the Australian Cattle Dog, at least, that's how it seemed. If the younger male did any crying, he did it while his boyfriend was out. Travis could understand, after all, he grieved for Victor pretty much on his own. He could fix Nathan's reaction to his outburst, even though he knew he didn't need to.

"Lead the way," Travis flashed Nathan a smile, "I might pick one up too. Maybe I'll pick up a comic book too. I did use to love the Amazing Wolf back when I was a kid."

The Amazing Wolf, Travis chuckled. The comic book market for Furs was small, and most of the time they played the villain to other, more popular, human heroes. The Amazing Wolf was a hero from the start, even if it was a small, local start. Once the 1960's rolled around, his likeness was bought by a bigger company and distributed nationwide. Slowly but surely, Furs made their way into other comics, making them even more visible and normal to the world at large. Nathan smiled and led the way, shaking the German Shepherd out of his nostalgia.

The crowds added a few minutes onto their travel time, but the two Dogs made it to the comic store by 4:30. Nathan led the way over to a wall full of shelves and grabbed two books from the new section, an X-Men and a Thor. Travis gave the shelves a quick scan and let out a growl. No Amazing Wolf.

"Hey buddy!" Travis said loudly, trying to get the attention of the bored looking human teen behind the counter, "Do you guys have any Amazing Wolf comics?"

The teen groaned and leaned back in his chair.

"In the back," He replied, "By the candy bars. That's the Fur section."

Travis walked to the back and sighed. The Fur section was small, but they had the newest edition of the Amazing Wolf. He picked it up and looked it over, feeling a wave of giddy childlike excitement wash over him. Artistically speaking, the comic had come a long way from when he was a kid, easily holding its own with the ones that Nathan had selected. He walked over to the Cattle Dog and nudged him.

"All done?" Travis asked, "I found mine."

Nathan nodded and walked up to the counter with the German Shepherd. They set their comics on the counter, paid, and walked out. Travis carrying all of the comics. The sidewalks were still busy, but the pair were able to make it home in a few minutes. Travis unlocked his front door and breathed a sigh of relief. There was no sign that anyone had been in the apartment. He opened the door and walked with his boyfriend, startling Lionel.

"Jesus Travis, what took you so long?" The Cat took a deep breath as the Dog locked his door behind him, "Did you get it done?"

Travis was able to get a hold of Lionel through the bar. He met the Lion a few blocks from the holding cell and drove him here. To Travis's surprise, his old partner James was the one who had let Lionel out of the cell. Gay bars could sell liquor since 1965 and, by all appearance, the Crimson Plaza was a legal bar.

"Yeah," The German Shepherd nodded, "My tracks are all but covered I just have to pack, get those new ids, and cancel the PO Box."

"Good," The Lion leaned up on the couch and chuckled, "Should we get down to business or do you want to read those first?"

The German Shepherd sat down in his armchair across from the Lion. He set the comic books down before clearing his throat and adjusting his collar.

"I'm thinking we should aim for the 29th," Travis began, "That way, if we cause enough of a scene, we'll be on the front page of the Monday paper."

Nathan grabbed the German Shepherd a drink, a double bourbon served neat, and set it down in front of him. He knew that his boyfriend liked a drink at this time every day. Travis kissed his paw in thanks and took a sip.

"We'll keep the real date between the Furs we can trust," Travis continued, "We'll tell everyone else a later date, the 31th perhaps."

Nathan sat down on the German Shepherd's lap. He reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it to Travis. There were 3 numbers followed by four numbers, separated with a dash.

"What's this?" Travis asked, "Who's phone number is this?"

"August's," Nathan said softly, "I found out a way to help."

Travis growled.

"No you did not," Travis replied, "You are not spending any more time with that psychopath than you have to."

"Look," Nathan began, "He's got your nose in your business, he's expecting you to do something. Besides, if I go to him, do you really think he'd hurt me like the first time?"

"I hate to interfere," Lionel interjected, "But Nathan is right. If we don't want another fiasco like our last attempt, we've got to distract August."

Travis sighed and looked down. He hated this idea. The thought of the Australian Cattle Dog even pretending to want that repulsive Fox made his insides roil. He paused and swallowed an angry retort. On the other paw, this would make it a lot easier for Travis and Nathan to get away clean. As long as they weren't on the front lines holding signs, he and his lover could go anywhere in the country. Well, except Pittsburgh.

"Go ahead and call him I suppose," The German Shepherd shook his head, "I hate it, but I know you're doing it for a very good reason."

Nathan leaned in and kissed Travis on the cheek before going over to the phone. Travis did his best to focus on Lionel, trying hide the little flinches he made in reaction to the number being dialed.

"Do you have people you can trust with this?" Travis asked, "For obvious reasons we're going to need a different place to meet."

"Obvious reasons?" Lionel scoffed, "This is a private residence. As long as the traffic is low and the company is discrete,what's the problem? Are you not allowed guests?"

"The cops have been watching me," Travis said matter-of-factly, "I told you my plans. The police can't know I'm caught up in this. If they do then Nathan and I are in big trouble."

As Travis said that Nathan giggled behind him. Lionel and Travis both looked up, shocked as the Australian Cattle Dog leaned against the desk, finger twirling the phone cord like a lovestruck teenager. Travis could tell Nathan was good at acting, he probably had to be to keep August from bringing him in for prostitution back when the Cattle Dog worked the streets.

"You promise?" Nathan blushed hard, "That sounds so lovely."

Travis growled and tried to tune out the conversation.

"Oh August," The Cattle Dog continued, "I'd love that. When can I meet with you?"

Lionel looked over at the German Shepherd with a sigh. There was no amount of acting that would mask the pity in the older Lion's eyes. He got out of his chair with a groan, and embraced the German Shepherd.

"I'll get going," The Lion began, "I've still got my end of the bargain to hold up. Try and meet me at the Crimson Plaza tonight, I'll get the Furs I trust. We'll figure out a place to meet and plan."

Travis sighed and nuzzled the Lion. He didn't like this at all.

"Don't worry," Lionel whispered in his ear, "It'll be over soon."

Lionel broke the embrace and waved goodbye to Nathan before collecting his coat and going out the door. Travis let out a whine and watched like a scolded puppy as Nathan hung up the phone.

"I'm going to be fine," Nathan groaned, "I just have to pretend I'm madly in love with him."

The Australian Cattle Dog walked over and sat on the arm of the German Shepherd's chair. Travis put his paw on Nathan's thigh and rubbed, both Dogs' tails wagging at the intimate touch.

"How long do I have with you?" Travis asked, "When are you meeting August?"

"I'm meeting with him tomorrow," Nathan replied, "During his lunch break. He wants to, uh, have me over for a sandwich."

Travis growled.

"He wants to share you?" The German Shepherd whined, "How is that part of the deal?"

"That was my first thought," The Australian Cattle Dog replied, "He just wants me to have lunch with him."

"Seriously," Travis scoffed, "I have a hard time believing that."

Nathan sighed and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Travis tensed but let him pour. He hoped the Australian Cattle Dog knew better than to overdo it. Nathan took a big sip and shuddered as the fiery liquid rolled down his throat.

"August is interesting to say the least," Nathan replied, "He's terrified of being found out."

"I doubt that," Travis shook his head, "We all know exactly what he is. A pyschopath."

Nathan nodded.

"He is," The Australian Cattle Dog began, "But he doesn't want to be. I think he feels like he has to, otherwise the entire world will see how vulnerable he really is."

"Please don't tell me you think you can change him," Travis growled, "Don't tell me you think you have a mandate to save that asshole... Or even worse, that you think you can change him."

Nathan scoffed and shook his head, bringing a reluctant smile to the German Shepherd's face. At least the kid wasn't a fool.

"Hell no," Nathan began, "I'm just telling you what I see in him to make you feel better. The guy is lonely and scared to show it. For someone like that, it's hard to play nice unless no one sees it."

Travis nodded and stood up, starting to pace restlessly. It was only for another week, Travis kept telling himself. Nathan was probably right and, as much as the German Shepherd hated to think about it, got this knowledge from experience.

"So," Travis sighed, "What now?"

"A date?" Nathan asked, "When's the last time we went out together? You know, just for fun?"

"We haven't since the zoo," Travis paused and sighed, "God I'm sorry. I suppose I owe you a date."

Nathan sat back on the arm of the German Shepherd's chair.

"I'm not mad at you," Nathan let out a quiet whine, "It's been really intense lately. Let's just go out for dinner and maybe a walk in the park?"

Travis smiled and walked forward, using his weight to put the Australian Cattle Dog on his back. Nathan let out a quiet giggle as the bigger Dog got on top of him and pushed his lips against his. The German Shepherd echoed the giggle with a lewd growl, his tail wagging as he worked his tongue into his mate's muzzle. He hadn't kissed Nathan like this in way too long.

"Well," Nathan chuckled as Travis pulled away, "What was that for?"

"An apology," Travis nuzzled the younger male, "Another one, for not treating you as good as a sexy Dog like you deserves to be."

"Apology accepted," The Australian Cattle Dog wagged his tail, "Let's go eat before we get sidetracked again"

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6:30 PM

Travis bit into his hot dog, letting out a quiet murr as the juicy meat exploded under the force of his teeth. He pulled away, ketchup and mustard coating the fur on his muzzle. Nathan laughed and handed the German Shepherd a napkin.

"Please," Nathan began, "It'll drive me crazy if you leave it like that."

The pair were sitting on a bench in a small and quiet park. There was light foot traffic, mostly blue collar humans walking their dogs after work. You couldn't tell from inside the cover of the trees, but rush hour traffic was still going by. Travis took the napkin and balled it up in his paw.

"Maybe I'll just leave it like this," Travis grinned, showing off some fresh ketchup and mustard stains on his teeth, "What do you think of my pearly whites?"

Nathan shrunk away in disgust and elbowed the larger Dog. Travis chuckled and licked his teeth clean.

"Fine," Travis began as he started cleaning up his muzzle-fur with the napkin, "Better?"

"Much," Nathan chuckled, "I got a lot of napkins."

Nathan finished off his hot dog and sighed happily, putting his arm around the back of the bench. Travis looked over at the younger Dog, and chuckled.

"What'cha thinking about?" Travis asked, "Something deep?"

Nathan shrugged.

"I'm just excited," Nathan replied, "It'll be nice to be my normal color again."

The Australian Cattle Dog huffed.

"It took me a week to recognize my reflection as my own," Nathan continued, "I thought I was going bonkers."

Travis smirked.

"Well you did," the German Shepherd stuck out his tongue, "You're absolutely loony and I adore that about you."

Nathan laughed and looked down at his paws, grinning. Travis couldn't help but smile. He loved seeing the Cattle Dog like this. This was real.

"Shut up," Nathan blushed and played with his headfur, "What about you? What are you thinking about?"

Travis looked over the last bite of his hot dog quizzically.

"Why in the hell do they call these hot dogs?" Travis asked, "There's got to be a million better names."

Nathan shrugged.

"I mean, they call them wieners cause they're shaped like cocks," The Dog paused, "Or do they call cocks weiners cause they're shaped like wieners?"

Travis blinked.

"What does that have to do with Dogs?" The German Shepherd asked, "If I saw a Dog cock that looked like a hot dog I'd run like hell."

"Oh god," Nathan shuddered, "I know what my nightmares are gonna be about tonight."

Travis laughed and gave the younger dog a nudge. Nathan returned the chuckle and sighed quietly, looking down at his paws.

"This is nice," Nathan continued, "We'll get to do stuff like this more often right?"

Travis chuckled.

"Soon," Travis replied with a sigh, "Come on. We should probably get home."

Nathan didn't stir, even as Travis stood up from the bench.

"It's all going to change now isn't it?" Nathan asked, "Really fast."

"Yeah," Travis adjusted the collar on his coat, "But we'll be together."

The German Shepherd took a quick look around. There was a momentary lull in foot traffic, and the two Dogs were as close to alone as two Dogs could get in New York City. Travis took his paw and softly lifted Nathan's chin.

"Now let's go home," The ex-cop continued, "We'll laze around, make love all night, and have a late morning tomorrow. What do you say?"

Nathan gave a little chuckle and smiled up at the larger Dog. Travis winked and removed his paw, slowly starting off in the direction of their apartment. Nathan stood up and followed after the other male, tail wagging furiously behind him

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June 24th, 1969

The Crimson Plaza

Travis and Nathan sat in the back room. It was safer than the bar for sure. The German Shepherd groaned and rubbed his jaw. His injuries had been feeling more than sore the past couple of days, now it was finally getting to him. Nathan looked over at him and grasped the German Shepherd's paw.

"You okay baby?" Nathan asked, "What's wrong?"

Travis grimaced and moved his paw back to the coffee table.

"Yeah I'm okay," Travis let out a little whine, "I guess I should have listened to what Doctor Garces said."

Nathan growled and pulled his paw back.

"What?" Nathan replied, "What did he say?"

"He said I should stick with soup for a while," Travis scoffed and put up his paws, "I don't see what the big deal is."

Nathan let out an even louder growl. Travis could tell he was wearing on the Cattle Dog's nerves.

"Uh, how about your jaw healing wrong?" Nathan barked, "Did you think of that?"

Travis scoffed again.

"I was chewing gently," Travis shook his head, "Besides, there's no way I can live off of just soup."

Nathan crossed his arms and glared at his boyfriend.

"You are going to have to," Nathan replied, "Once we finish up with Lionel we are going to the grocery store to buy stuff for soup."

Travis grumbled and crossed his arms. He hated soup, and didn't take too kindly to being babied by the younger male. Lionel hustling into the back room and locking the door behind him prevented the German Shepherd from supplying a sassy retort. Lionel sat down across from the two and put his head in his paws.

"I keep seeing that damn Fox around," The bartender sighed, "He knows something's going on."

The German Shepherd growled and looked over at Nathan. The smaller Dog shrugged and shook his head. He didn't know anything about this.

"I don't think he knows any details," The Lion continued, "So I still think we should proceed as planned."

Nathan nodded.

"I can try and press him," The Cattle Dog replied, "He's usually pretty candid once he relaxes."

Travis frowned and looked away. He still wasn't happy about August and Nathan being so close, even if it was for a good cause. At least the dates had gotten tamer. Nathan hadn't come home bloody since his first encounter with the Fox. Lionel noticed the German Shepherd's discomfort and put a comforting paw on top of his. Travis managed a slight smile, but didn't look up. He knew better than to mouth off right now.

"So that means we need you to start making signs," Lionel began, "Is your place safe?"

Travis perked up and let out a low sigh. He honestly wasn't sure.

"Well, I think if Nathan is able to warn me about any potential searches," Travis rubbed the back of his neck, "It's a maybe. There's not much I can do if August decides to search my place again."

"He won't," Nathan interjected, "He gave me his word that our place won't be bothered again. He got what he wanted."

The room fell quiet. Lionel smiled in spite of himself. It wasn't often one heard good news like that when planning a protest. Travis looked over at Nathan and studied his body language, searching for any sign that the younger male had to give up something big in return.

"Do you trust him?" Lionel asked, breaking the silence, "Does he really mean it?"

"Yes," The Cattle Dog replied, "He doesn't want to bring any extra attention to what he's doing with me. Besides, he came up empty the last time he searched the place. The Chief didn't like that."

Travis chuckled at that. Chief Hickling always was a prickly bastard. If you weren't telling him the results he wanted to hear, it was best not to talk to him at all. It was refreshing that a brown-noser like August finally got a taste of that side of the chief. After all, he was the token Fur now. It was his turn to meet the chief's unreasonable standards.

"That's settled then," Lionel reached into the desk and pulled out a wad of money, "These are contributions from out front. Can you guys start buying materials? Plywood, paint, brushes."

"Sure," Travis chuckled and got out of his chair to shake the bartender's paw, "Don't worry. We'll spread out our purchases."

"Excellent," Lionel clapped and let out a chuckle, "Are you sure you can't have some guys come over and help?"

Nathan shook his head.

"It might be best to let us handle that," The Cattle Dog replied, "We've got some friends we can ask if it gets too overwhelming."

Travis put a paw on Nathan's shoulder and nodded. He was happy the younger Dog had been thinking about this too. It was refreshing to know that someone had his back in this.

"One more thing," Lionel began, "If we don't do this protest outside of the neighborhood, there's a good chance it won't resonate with the people we need it to resonate with."

Travis frowned.

"You can't do it in a Fur neighborhood either," Travis replied, "They'd tear you apart before the cops even got there."

Nathan's eyes brightened and he nearly shot out of his seat.

"What about that park we ate dinner in babe?" Nathan asked, "It's in the right neighborhood, and there's loads of traffic down there. That way everyone will see."

The German Shepherd didn't react. It would be a good spot. The only thing that worried Travis was how close it was to the police station.

"Since it's close to my old precinct, you'd have to time it during lunch or dinner hours," Travis added, "That way there would be lots of eyes on the cops. It sucks that we can't do it on a weekday, but it will have to do."

Lionel nodded.

"I'll spread the word then," Lionel shook his head, "I suppose there isn't any safer way of doing this."

"No," Travis replied, "It's going to probably be worse than the raid."

The Lion nodded and bit his lip. That clearly wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. There was nothing Travis could do to change it.

"Well I'll let the two of you get to it then," Lionel sighed and got up from the desk, "The owners are coming by today. I have to make sure the place isn't too gay."

"Good luck," Travis chuckled, "Everything is too gay right now."

"Not for the mob," Lionel shuddered, "Your drinks pay for all kinds of seedy things."

The Lion waved at the two males and left the room. Travis groaned and put his head in his paws.

"What's the matter?" Nathan asked, "We're home free. We just have to make those signs and then we can get the hell out of here."

"You really think it's going to be that simple?" The German Shepherd replied, "Sometimes things sound too good to be true."

Nathan scoffed.

"This isn't one of your stories Travis," He chuckled, "Sometimes things are truly that good."

Travis frowned. He knew he shouldn't have shared his writing with his boyfriend. The ones you loved often turned out to be the harshest critics.

"Come on," Travis began, eager to change the subject, "Let's go to some hardware stores."

"And the market," Nathan jumped out of his seat, "We're having soup tonight."

Travis groaned as Nathan took his paw and led him out of the office and down the back stairs. The younger male released the German Shepherd's paw as they reached the bottom of the stairwell. He turned, cozying up to Travis in the small space, and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. Travis's tail wagged at the forward display of affection, and he returned the kiss with just as much fervor.

"Maybe we can head home before we get the signs," Nathan blushed and pulled away, "If you're feeling up to it of course."

Travis smirked and planted a kiss on the Cattle Dog's forehead.

"Signs first baby," Travis chuckled, "Then I'm all yours."