This is an epilogue to the Judge and Jury / Justice Served series where Kane receives a big surprise from the judge following his successful lawsuit victory against his father.

Justice Served - Epilogue

Following the events of the recent trial and success of Kane's lawsuit, Kane and Tobi agreed to meet with the judge directly after the trial. So here they are, inside the judge's chambers in a personal meeting. Judge Vagaday requested them to see him in his private chambers, so the two young tomcats are now in a private meeting with the doberman judge, who simply wants to talk to them.

Inside the judge's chambers, Kane and Tobi take a seat before Florentino, who warmly welcomes and commends Kane for his bravery. "First off Mr. Filla, I want to commend you on your courage in speaking up. It must have taken you years to finally step forward and confront your father about this. Not too many victims of domestic abuse are able to speak up at all."

Kane nervously admits, "I let it all go at first, thinking it wouldn't resurface. But after reflecting on my bad childhood, something in the back of my mind said 'Speak up!' So I did; that's what I finally decided to do!"

The young LaPerm even grins at Tobi, where the Maine Coon shuffles a bit in his seat and throws an arm around him. Kane resumes in commenting, "If it wasn't for Mr. Eriksson and his team, then my dad would still have walked free. And what a nightmare that would have been…!"

Just bringing up his father makes Kane deflate and shudder. Tobi hugs him and objects, "Kane, it's not your fault you chose to be who you are and what you are. Your dad was horrible and he shouldn't have let a predator anywhere near you." The Maine Coon gently scratches and rubs Kane's head and plainly admits, "We've been through hopeless acts, but yours is much worse than mine."

Kane's ears recede to a flattened position where he shamelessly compares his situation to that of Tobi's, "Man, for someone who's slightly handicapped, you sure have a better perspective of things. You weren't sexually tortured by a predator of your father's best friend!"

"No, but I was often beaten and framed for murder. And yes, I've considered and attempted suicide many times and I'm still on meds. But while everyone looks at the lawyer's perspective from the outside, nobody knows what's going on inside." Tobi acknowledges his own situation in comparison to Kane's along with his job as a defense attorney as well as the internal struggles he has personally.

The black / white tomcat further relates, "Ever since I've been living with Judge Vagaday when he adopted me, my mental health has improved a lot. But there are still times when I have nightmares and PTSD attacks…"

Seeing Tobi now downcast, Kane squeezes Tobi in a hug of his own and nuzzles him out of friendly comfort. Even the doberman puts in his two cents, "It's a challenge living with and caring for someone with mild autism, and a high-profile background at that. But it's the time spent and the encouragement and affection that makes them thrive the most, rather than just constantly spending money."

"Tobi, stop purring on me! You're gonna make me fall asleep!" Kane jokingly warns the Maine coon not to lull him to sleep with his direct purring. But the judge, watching the display, sneaks in a crack through this tender moment. He retrieves a manila folder from a drawer underneath his desk and sets it directly on the table in front of the two tomcats.

"Huh? Sir, what's that??" Seeing the folder, Kane is inquisitive with his eyes now sparkling in wonder. This is where the judge carefully explains the matter, "Between us, this is a surprise that I've been waiting to reveal to you. When I found out about your lawsuit against your biological father, I secretly spoke to a certain someone about adoption and they agreed to it. All you need to do is open the folder and you will find out who is adopting you.

Shaky from building excitement, Kane opens the folder and is immediately floored. Recognizing those pink eyes and calm smile, Kane gawks at the profile in instant recognition and squeaks, "P-paulo Eriksson!!?? Him?? You selected him for the adoption process??!"

"There is another one that I was referred to by him but if you want to take a look, go right ahead." The doberman judge mentions a second adoption candidate to Kane, giving him the choice to find out who it could be. At first, Kane refuses but then he turns pensive and flips the page, now presented with the smiling mugshot of a middle-aged Bengal tiger.

"Never heard of this guy. Who is he?" While Kane and Tobi both observe the mugshot, the young LaPerm stares up at the doberman for an explanation. And Florentino couldn't be happier to explain.

"That is Peter Frazier, also a married father and Army general. But Mr. Eriksson told me about him during our little chat together. The two are almost alike in a positive sense. Family backgrounds and credentials check out and whatnot. But Kane," The doberman caresses Kane's hand gently, assuring him of his safe plight, "it is your decision."

"Then I will go with Paulo! He'll make a good replacement!" Kane enthusiastically chirps. He can hardly contain his excitement. Even Tobi is happy for him, where he plops himself on Kane's shoulder, purring in his ear.

"I'll give you his number so you can call him and go from there. The adoption papers are ready for pickup, so this'll be a brand new walk in the park." Florentino is confident that Kane will enjoy his new atmosphere.

~~~~~

The following afternoon, Kane is at his workplace on break, just standing outside and keeping to himself. Already reflecting on his brand new atmosphere, Kane giddily squeaks, "I'm free! I'm gonna be free! This is so heavenly I can almost cry right now…!"

If Kane thinks he is spinning in circles, there is a surprise waiting for him just seconds afterwards - a red exotic pulls up to the flower shop, parking on the curb. When the young tomcat sees the car, he perks up at a minute detail on the car - the badging. "Oh? A Ferrari?? Could that be Alessandro??"

"Funny seeing you here. The judge told me about you and your case." If Kane was paying more attention to who's behind the wheel, he would have recognized the driver instantly. Upon seeing those pink eyes of a familiar snow leopard, Kane leaps at the senior snow leopard, dropping him in an excited hug.

"!!!" With a grunt, Paulo crashes onto his back from being tackled by the elated housecat. With a sympathetic stare in his pink-eyed expression, Paulo sits up, gently caressing the young cat, who is now sobbing in his arms.

Paulo agreed to meet Kane at his place of work when he is on break, and the timing could not have been more perfect. What Paulo was going to show Kane is the adoption papers that are still in the car. In his excitement, Kane is overjoyed to see his new parental figure entering his life, something was absent from his life. Now the young LaPerm is cradling his new adoptive dad; Paulo doesn't seem to mind - except for the nosy onlookers he'll send warning glares to.

After the encounter, Paulo shows Kane the adoption files, and the LaPerm couldn't be happier. He sparkles with excitement, "These are all for me??!!"

With a nod of his head in acceptance, Paulo confirms, "They are all consent forms for me to adopt you. And I welcome you to my little family, Kane."

The sight of a senior snow leopard cradling a young housecat in his arms while sitting on the sidewalk may seem like an odd spectacle, but it is truly a bizarre sight to behold. Unfortunately, the tender moment is shattered by the sound of a ringing alarm. This causes Kane to groan, "My break is over. I guess I'll see you later."

The young LaPerm goes back to his station, leaving Paulo to stand up and observe. Then he gets an idea - he casually approaches Kane and catches up to tap him on his shoulder. And when the inquisitive cat turns to face him, Paulo makes his request, "Can you make me a bouquet? Or two? I want to surprise my wife with a gift and surprise the entire family."

The LaPerm sparkles, "I can do that! I'll have 'em ready in a flash!"

Paulo withdraws to a seating area inside the flower shop where a smile graces his features in reflection of what's about to come. His new lifestyle with Kane will be a positive turn not only for Kane himself, but also for others affected by the new change of events as well.

~~~~~

Kane Filla belongs to Sunnahal from ToyHouse; Florentino Vagaday, Tobi Blackburn, and Paulo Eriksson are mine!