If you have not done so, PLEASE go back and read The Strongest Bonds! I will be making quite a few references seeing as this is the sequel, so you will miss out on jokes, plot points, and other important information if you don't go back and read the first story.
That's right. I'm back people! FINALLY, after two months since I promised I would start on Family Ties, I have the first chapter here for your reading pleasure. And woo boy, is it a long one!
Anyway, I want to thank everyone who read The Strongest Bonds and gave feedback! You are all greatly appreciated, and your reviews have helped me grow as a writer. Now, without any further ado, I give you Chapter 1 of Family Ties!
Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps enjoyed spending time together as they participated in many different activities. They went to the movies together. They went out to eat together. They spent their days off at home together. Even at work, the dynamic duo could find ways to enjoy the time that passed, whether it was creating a competition to spice up Parking Duty or taking down a criminal together.
Of course, Nick and Judy weren't doing any of that right now. They had daily errands to run, such as a "quick" trip to the bank to deposit a paycheck. It wasn't something either of them was really excited to do, but they both had the day off, so they decided to go together. Because why not? They could at least keep each other entertained in the bland atmosphere of the Furs Zootopia Bank.
The main room was large, the polished walls and the marble flooring giving the bank a sense of authority, respect, and class. The sunlight spilled into the room via large windows in the front of the building, revealing the bustle of Main Street. Massive pillars stood proudly against the left and right walls, placed apart at regular intervals. Two armed guards were posted on either side of the room, keeping an eye on the patrons and bank tellers.
"Ugh, this is taking so long," Judy said, impatiently tapping her foot as she and Nick waited in line. While there were other lines, this one had been the shortest; now Judy knew why. A sloth was at the front of the line, slowly signing a deposit check. Apparently, the other patrons had learned this and skedaddled to a different line before it was too late, much to Judy's disdain. She heard Nick chuckle beside her.
"Don't worry Carrots," Nick said, his signature smirk plastered prominently on his muzzle. He looked down at his bunny, admiring the pink, button-up shirt and jeans she wore. "I'm sure the sloth at the front of the line will be finished sometime this century."
Judy shot her partner an annoyed look. "While that is a very comforting thought, you seem to be forgetting our plans tonight."
"I didn't forget, Carrots," Nick said as he tussled Judy's ears, much to her annoyance. "Just don't care," he teased in his best Chief Bogo impression.
Even though Nick's eyes betrayed this phrase, Judy turned away from Nick, her nose upturned and her arms crossed. "Well then," she said, ignoring Nick's smirk. "I guess you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight, Mr. Wilde."
"Come now, Mrs. Wilde; that's a bit rash," Nick pleaded, placing a paw over his chest. "Besides, you'd just join me eventually; I know how hard it is to resist my charms." That earned him a punch in the arm.
Judy turned away from her chuckling – yet injured – husband, hoping to hide the scarlet tint her cheeks had developed. Her sensitive ears suddenly picked up the sound of a silent struggle off to the far side of the room. She focused on the noise as she slowly scanned the large chamber, looking for the source of the commotion. Unfortunately, the larger mammals in the bank obscured her view, keeping her from finding the source from her current position.
"Where are you going, Carrots?" Nick asked as Judy began walking away. "Was it something I said?"
"Oh, hush," Judy replied automatically, her attention focused on the noise. "Just hold our spot. I'll be right back." With that, she disappeared behind a large elephant.
Something nagged at Nick, telling him to follow Judy; he knew that nothing good was in store when Judy got like this. However, he shrugged off the feeling. She probably saw some shifty fox and decided to investigate, Nick thought, smiling to himself as he remembered meeting Judy at Jumbeaux's Cafe about three years ago. However, Nick occasionally cast a wary glance about the room, keeping an eye out for Judy or trouble, although he had the feeling he would end up finding both.
Very few mammals paid Judy any attention as she slipped through the crowd, and she paid very little attention to them. Judy was completely focused on the possible struggle she was listening to, which, to her growing dismay, sounded like it was coming to a close. She picked up her pace, hoping to get to the source of the noise before it was too late.
After squeezing between a rhino and a giraffe, Judy found between two large pillars a door labeled Employees Only, yet there was no guard in sight. Judy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion; she knew this bank to be extremely strict on security, and an unguarded door that was meant to be closed to the public was the exact opposite of that. As she walked up to the door, Judy glanced around, checking for any sign of the guard.
What she did find made her freeze on the spot.
Off to her left, the crumpled heap of a wolf in the security uniform of the bank was hidden behind the pillar. A small, wire rope was wrapped around the mammal's neck, and the hook that would have held his key card now held nothing.
The thought to call Nick flashed through Judy's mind, rationalized with what had happened the last time they split up during a case. Besides, she reasoned she could use some backup in case she found who had killed the guard. As her paw reached for her police radio in her back pocket, gunshots rang through the air.
"Everyone on the ground, NOW!"
Every primal instinct screamed at Judy, and she obeyed without another thought. Hoping to get away from the gunshots, Judy slipped inside the door and closed it behind her. She pressed her body to the door, taking a moment to catch her breath. After she calmed down, she mentally kicked herself for hiding like she did. Sure Nick could take care of himself, but images from a less than a year ago flashed through her mind, reminding her of the dangers of splitting up. Not only that, but Nick would have even more material against her in their usual bantering!
Just as she finally calmed down, more gunshots rang from behind the door. Judy's heart rate spiked again as her breathing hitched; it was as if she had never calmed down at all. She took another moment to even out her breathing, lowering her heart rate in the process. As she realized that she would have to investigate by herself while Nick was probably about to be shot, Judy sighed angrily.
This was not how she wanted to spend her one-year anniversary with Nick.
Without Judy by his side, Nick realized just how boring standing in line at the bank was – even more so with the sloth at the front of the line. Without Judy, Nick had no one to lovingly tease, no one with which to engage in witty banter. All he had was his inner mind, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't busy focusing on Judy. His beautiful, funny, cute Judy, who wasn't in line with him...
Nick groaned quietly, annoyed with himself for being incapable of not thinking of his wife. There were so many other topics to occupy his thoughts and help him get through this tedious errand. Work, sports, checking up with his mom, Finnick's next visit, the upcoming Gazelle concert and whether or not Clawhauser would buy Judy and him tickets even if they didn't want to go; he didn't have to think about how boring it was without his best friend next to him. Sure, today was a very special day for the two of them, requiring most of their attention to be on each other, but that didn't mean that Nick had to internally suffer as he waited to deposit a paycheck!
But what if Judy was in trouble?
Nick was so confused as to why this question suddenly popped into his head that he scoffed aloud, much to the visible displeasure of several of the other bank patrons. Why would Judy be in trouble? He and Judy were celebrating on their day off, running an errand together in one of the highest-security facilities in all of Zootopia. The fact that Nick couldn't see her did not mean that Judy was in danger. Not even in the slightest.
But it didn't stop him from worrying about Judy, and he questioned why. Why did he think that Judy was probably lost? Why did he think that Judy had maybe hurt herself? Why did he believe that Judy may have found something worth investigating, but won't call him in for backup? As he questioned these thoughts, Nick realized that his breathing was short and sporadic, and his heart was beating rapidly. Rolling his eyes, Nick took a moment to drive away his worries and even out his breathing; a trick he had learned over the past few months. He hated that his anxiety levels had been a bit unstable ever since his "incident" with Hunter, but he considered himself lucky that it never incapacitated him in the field. It sure as hell put a damper on his mood, though, and the gunshots that rang through the air didn't help, either.
"Everyone on the ground, NOW!"
As several screams pierced the air, several thoughts pierced Nick's mind. Where's Judy? was the first, immediate thought. Nick glanced around the room, looking for any sign of his partner. As he did so, the second thought pierced his mind: Who's shooting? Unfortunately for Nick, too many larger animals obstructed his view, keeping the fox from seeing any sign of Judy and the shooter. After Nick had come to this conclusion, his third thought pierced his mind: I need to get on the ground.
The natural desire to survive kicked in and mixed with his police training, sending Nick on edge. He quickly fell to the ground, keeping his eyes peeled for Judy or the shooter. More gunshots rang through the air, producing more screams from some of the patrons. Nick instinctively ducked his head under his arms in response to the sudden shooting, his fur bristling. Upon still not finding any sign of Judy, Nick came to the conclusion that she was – hopefully – out of harm's way, but he was about to get shot. He sighed angrily.
This was not how he wanted to spend his one-year anniversary with Judy.
Judy cautiously crept down the hall, her ears swiveling as they searched for any sign of criminal activity. Her mind kept nagging at her, telling her to radio for Nick. To rub salt in the wound, images of less than a year ago kept flashing in her mind. The door closing Nick off from her. The massive paw hitting her in the back of the head. The fuzzy memory of a bumpy ride in a van. Judy pushed these thoughts away, forcing herself to focus on the present. She would find out what was going on and then radio Nick.
Slowly but surely, Judy scoured the hallways, her amethyst eyes constantly glancing around as they searched for any relevant evidence. Judy began to grow tired of the unchanging marble floors and bland walls, each hallway starting to mesh together until Judy had no idea where in the bank she was.
Despair decided to gently grip Judy's heart as the bunny officer glanced around, trying to gather her bearings. The thought to radio Nick returned with vigor, and Judy nearly gave in immediately. However, as she inched forward and reached for her radio, a distinct clanking of metal made her ears perk.
Bingo.
Judy immediately hopped towards the source of the sound, knowing that she had finally stumbled upon something. She pressed herself against the wall, poking her head around the corner to get a look at the commotion. Her eyes widened at the sight.
In front of the large, steel door of the safe, two mammals – a bear and a wolf – in clown masks were operating a large, clunky drill, the source of the clanking. Apparently, from the amount of cursing coming from both mammals, this drill broke down like this often, causing them many problems.
Judy took a moment to study the two mammals. Both were wearing navy blue business suits under Kevlar vests, giving the criminals a bulky appearance. On their paws were purple latex gloves, ideal for keeping pawprints off of anything that could be used as evidence. Even though their faces were hidden under the clown masks, Judy could tell that both mammals were pissed at the drill.
The bear's radio crackled to life, startling Judy. "Chains, Dallas, how are things going on over there?" the radio said, the voice somewhat gruff.
"Things are going," the bear replied, his voice reminding Judy of Finnick. "This damn drill keeps getting broke – no thanks to Bain – so Dallas and I have to always keep an eye on the thing. You know if Wolf took down the alarm system yet?"
"Yes, as well as all of the surveillance cameras," the voice on the radio said. "The entire building is dark."
"What about you, Hoofston?" Dallas – the fox – asked, his gravelly voice filled with sharp cunning. "Are you holding up your end?"
"Things are just fine," Hoofston replied. "Hurry up, though, or all of our asses are heading to jail!"
With that, the radio went silent. Judy leaned back against the wall, processing what she had just heard. Four mammals were in the process of robbing a high-security bank, and they were succeeding. The thought to radio for Nick flashed through Judy's mind again, but she blatantly refused; if this Hoofston was busy keeping an eye on all of the patrons, then radioing Nick would be a bad idea. Unless...
A plan formulated in Judy's head. It was incredibly risky, but then again, Judy was no stranger to risk. Setting her jaw with a determined gleam in her eyes, Judy turned to her left and raced down the hall. Judy kept herself focused, paying attention to small details to help her determine where she was. A potted plant standing in the corner. A painting hanging slightly off-center. A trash bin moved off to the side. Within moments, Judy had formulated a crude map of the bank in her mind.
As she ran down one of the many hallways, Judy made a sharp, right turn, taking notice of a plaque on the wall that proudly held the words "The Safest Bank in Zootopia," a phrase that Judy had just learned was false.
After making the left turn at the end of another hall, Judy's heart fluttered as she saw the door labeled "Security." Noticing that the door was slightly ajar, Judy slowed her pace, moving as silently as possible. Judy craned her neck to get a glance inside the room, but all she could see was a cold, blue light spilling from the room.
Judy slipped through the door without a sound, immediately analyzing her surroundings. The office was filled with filing cabinets and PC boxes. Wires were spilled on the floor along the walls, each of them connecting one machine to another. There were a few desks, all of which were empty. Looking down, Judy covered her mouth with her paws; the bodies of several mammals in security uniforms littered the ground, small pools of blood painting the floor. Judy took a moment to calm herself down; she still couldn't get over seeing a dead body, no matter how many times she would see one. It was worse whenever Judy imagined Nick in the body's place.
Judy shook herself from those thoughts and brought herself back to reality. Now is not the time to have a breakdown, Judy, she told herself. The bunny officer turned her attention to the back of the room.
At the back wall was a large set of different screens. At any other given time, these screens would be showing a live feed of the bank, but as of right now, each screen was reduced to a blue-tinted static. Standing in front of the screens as he rummaged through files and drawers was a wolf dressed similarly to Dallas and Chains. While the wolf's back was turned to Judy, the bunny could still make out the outline of a clown mask on the fox's head.
This must be Wolf, Judy thought, an unimpressed look on her face. How fitting.
Judy noticed the radio on Wolf's shoulder, a sly grin creeping over her muzzle. As she slowly crept up on the wolf, Judy's leg muscles coiled tightly. Judy quickly calculated her plan of attack. Being much bigger, the wolf would have the advantage if Judy lost the element of surprise. However, one, well-placed kick could render the canine unconscious, and Judy wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the difference in size.
Well, here goes nothing, Judy thought as she got within range.
"Hey!" she said, her voice piercing the silence.
Wolf turned around, immediately aiming his gun towards the source of the sound. He saw the rabbit's eyes widen in shock as she noticed his mask, her hesitation just what he needed. Wolf fired at the bunny, crazily smiling under his mask.
Judy used the tension in her legs to jump off to the right, out of the bullet's range. She twisted her body around, planting her feet against a large filing cabinet and launching herself towards the wolf.
Wolf brought the side of his gun up against his body just in time to catch Judy's kick. Pushing against the bunny, Wolf managed to throw Judy across the room, using her momentum against her.
Judy rolled on the ground before picking herself up. Wolf shot at Judy again, only to see her roll off to the left, behind a large shelving unit. Taking careful steps forward, Wolf aimed his gun at the shelves, looking for any sign of the small rabbit.
Judy hid behind the shelving unit, taking a moment to catch her breath. Her sensitive ears caught the sound of Wolf's shallow steps, telling her that he was on the other side of the shelves. With a quick glance to take in her surroundings, Judy pushed her back against the wall and her feet against the shelving unit. Using all of the power her legs could muster, Judy pushed the shelves forward.
With a loud creaking sound, the shelving unit began to tip over. Wolf noticed this too late, unable to get away.
Judy winced as the loud crash of metal, cardboard, and other small items that had been resting peacefully on the shelves filled the room. Picking herself up from the ground, Judy looked down at Wolf's unconscious body, a large crack running down the length of the clown mask.
Judy's eyes caught sight of the radio on the wolf's shoulder, and a plan formed in her head. She only hoped it would help Nick instead of getting him shot.
Nick lay on the ground, his ear flat against his head as he scanned the room. Now that all of the patrons were cowering in fear, Nick could actually see more of the room. To his dismay and relief, he saw no sign of Judy. However, he did see the source of the gunfire.
A zebra dressed in a business suit, Kevlar vest, and a clown mask stood over the crowd of mammals, a high-end assault rifle in his gloved hooves. The lifeless eyes of the mask scoured the crowd, looking for anyone who dared try to be a hero.
Nick had listened in when the zebra – Hoofston if he remembered correctly – had called his associates on the radio. The conversation had spiked Nick's anxiety a bit more; if there were more armed criminals in the bank, then Judy could be in danger, wherever she was.
"Psst, hey!" a deer off to Nick's left whispered. "Aren't you a cop?"
Unfortunately for Nick, the whisper echoed throughout the room, reaching Hoofston's ears. Nick grimaced as the zebra spun around, glaring at the deer.
"What was that?" Hoofston snapped, his voice causing the deer to flinch.
Nick scowled as a hoof was pointed in his direction. Thanks a lot, pal, he thought before turning his gaze to the zebra who now had the barrel of his weapon pointed straight at Nick.
"Get up," Hoofston said coldly.
Nick did as he was told, raising his paws in the air in the process. While Nick's outer appearance was calm, a battle raged inside of him. His primal instincts were telling him to make a mad dash for the nearest exit, to abandon everything in a desperate attempt to save himself. His police training was telling him to remain calm, and not to do anything "funny" unless absolutely necessary. His love for Judy sided with both voices, telling him to run away so that he could find Judy and come up with a plan.
Under the blank smile of his clown mask, Hoofston took a second to size Nick up. Said fox was dressed casually: a loose, green shirt with leaves imprinted on the cloth, each plant a different shade of green, plain khakis, and a purple and pink striped tie hanging loosely around his neck. All in all, the zebra found Nick … unimpressive.
"You a cop?" the zebra asked as if he had maybe told the wrong mammal to stand up.
Keeping his face as neutral as possible, Nick nodded.
Hoofston looked Nick up and down again as if he didn't trust Nick's word. "You armed?" he asked.
Nick shook his head. "Off-duty," he said, his voice echoing through the large room.
The zebra nodded as if the two mammals were having an ordinary, every-day conversation. Before Hoofston could ask another question, the radio on his shoulder crackled to life.
"Uh, hey, this is Wolf, here," the gruff voice said. Nick face-palmed; he could tell that the voice was Judy trying – and failing – to sound masculine. Obviously, Hoofston could see right through Judy's act as well.
"Who is this?" Hoofston said, turning away from Nick.
"Uh, Wolf?" Judy replied, suddenly sounding not so sure of herself.
Hoofston challenged Judy again, but Nick didn't pay attention. Instead, he turned towards the last place he saw Judy run off to. He noticed the "Employees Only" door, his ears perking in interest. He glanced at Hoofston, who was still talking with "Wolf," and then back at the door. His mind was made up.
Nick bolted for the door, not risking a glance back at the masked gun-mammal for fear of tripping over some sorry patron. Staying away from the larger mammals, Nick weaved through the crowd of cowering patrons.
"Hey!" Hoofston shouted, ignoring his radio as he noticed Nick make a run for it. He aimed his assault rifle at the cop and fired, but Nick was too fast. As the gunshots echoed loudly throughout the building, Nick ducked down and slid along the marble flooring. The fox stopped at the door, wasting no time in slipping inside to get away from the gunfire.
Hoofston grunted in disappointment, but did not give chase; the bank patrons couldn't go unchecked. The zebra took a moment to gather himself and reached for his radio. "Dallas, Chains, we've got a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Dallas asked, his gravelly voice filled with trepidation.
"The kind that involves about two cops and an unaccounted-for Wolf," Hoofston replied, his voice sharp. The zebra was more annoyed than panicked about the current situation.
The radio silence didn't faze Hoofston, but the zebra knew what was coming. "What the hell, man!? I thought that we planned this out perfectly!" Chains cried incredulously.
"Shut up, Chains," Dallas snapped. "We've got this under control. Do you know where the two cops might be, Hoofston?"
"I guess one's in the Security Office, so the other's bound to be on his way there."
"Good. Don't move from that room. Chains, go check up on Wolf. I'll stay here and man the drill. And most importantly, don't get your asses thrown in jail. We're not gonna be stopped by two cops who aren't even supposed to be working," Dallas said before the radio went silent.
Judy grimaced as she heard Hoofston cry out "Hey!" over the radio before the communications device went silent. She desperately hoped she had given Nick just enough time to get away. Her sensitive ears picked up the faint, muffled sounds of gunshots coming from the main room of the bank, causing her to worry.
What am I so worried about? Judy asked herself, shaking her head as if the motion was helping get rid of the thoughts. Nick can take care of himself. He won't let me down. A new sense of determination flooding Judy's body, the bunny officer hopped off of Wolf's unconscious form and reached for the police radio in her back pocket.
"This is Officer Hopps to HQ, do you read me?" Judy said into the radio.
The small device crackled to life, and Clawhauser's voice reached Judy's ears. "Hey, Judy. Didn't expect your call today. What's the occasio – ?"
"Not now, Clawhauser," Judy snapped, annoyed at the cheetah's cheery attitude. After lashing out, Judy took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Sorry, Ben. We have an armed robbery in progress at the Furs Zootopia Bank. I'm not sure where Nick is, but I do know that there are four, armed mammals trying to break into the bank's vault. We need backup!"
"Alright, I'll get right on it!" Clawhauser said with a serious tone.
"HOPPS!" another voice bellowed over the radio.
Judy cringed at the all-too-familiar sound. "Yes, Chief?" she asked.
"Whatever you do, do NOT engage those criminals," Bogo growled, the bass in his voice threatening to break the tiny radio in Judy's paw. "I cannot afford to lose two of my best officers before backup arrives; especially on their day off!"
Judy cast a quick glance to the unconscious wolf behind her. "Yes sir!" she replied, turning back to the small radio, thanking her lucky stars that Bogo could not see her now.
"Good," Bogo said, sounding pleased. "Backup should arrive in about fifteen minutes, so you and Wilde lay low," the emphasis placed on "low" made Judy cringe away from the radio before the little device went quiet.
Great, Judy thought, placing the radio in her back pocket. Now all I have to do is find Nick!
Judy turned to the unconscious wolf, eyeing the body suspiciously. Letting her police training – and gut instinct – take over, Judy quickly used her spare pawcuffs to further incapacitate the masked criminal. Throwing his assault rifle out of reach for good measure, Judy felt pleased with the current situation. He's gonna have a bad headache when he wakes up, Judy thought before turning towards the door.
Zootopia was an open book to Nick. He knew every single street and alleyway, and every shortcut in between. Back in his conning days, he could easily outrun the authorities within minutes without actually running very far. As a cop, he could easily cut off any criminal as they tried to make their escape. The entirety of Zootopia was mapped out in his cunning mind, every district as familiar as the back of his paw.
But in regards to the inside a bank with bland, repetitive hallways? That's a different story.
Nick had no idea where he was going or where he was. There was no respite to the marble flooring, no break between the dreary walls that were devoid of any decoration. Occasionally, Nick would come to a corner and make a mental note of anything that could be used as a landmark. A potted plant. An off-center painting. A plaque on the wall that proudly held the words "The Safest Bank in Zootopia" – much to the fox's bemusement.
That was when Nick caught her scent. Even though Judy didn't live in Bunnyburrow anymore, her scent still managed to remind Nick of freshly-tilled earth and carrots; while not exactly fitting of Judy's character, Nick still thought the scent suited her.
Nick took in a deep breath through his snout, honing all of his attention on his bunny. The aroma began to beckon him, telling the fox exactly where to go. As Nick began to jog through the halls, he took his first left into another hallway. Passing three other junctions, Nick took another left, all the while sniffing the air and honing in on Judy's scent. Down the hall, Nick saw a door with a sign labeled "Security" above it.
Bingo.
The door opened and a small, gray bunny stepped out, glancing around the hallway. Nick's ears perked up at the sight of his wife, driving him to practically sprint towards her. He noticed as Judy turned to him, her eyes widening with relief at the sight of her husband. Nick could almost feel her soft fur beneath his arms as he ran when something tackled him from his right. Something big.
Judy gasped as she saw the large bear charge at Nick from a hallway off to her left, throwing her fox into the wall with a loud thud. The force of the impact was enough to put a cracked dent into the drywall, but not enough to render Nick unconscious. Without another thought, Judy quickly charged forward, determined to help her partner.
Chains lifted himself up from the fox, a satisfied smile hidden under his clown mask. The soft patter of feet caught his attention as he turned his head to the right. The giant bear noticed Judy charging at him, picking up speed with each stride. As the small bunny launched herself at him, Chains crossed his arms over his chest, catching the rabbit's powerful kick. Using her momentum against her, Chains threw his arms forward, launching the bunny across the hall. With satisfaction, Chains heard the small 'thud' of the bunny's body hitting the marble floor.
Nick had just opened his eyes as Judy was sent flying across the hallway and winced when she hit the ground. Inhaling deeply as to replenish some energy, Nick picked himself up only to roll away from the bear as a massive paw was swung at him. Keeping a safe distance away from the masked criminal and his large punches, Nick began to analyze the situation.
He and Judy were significantly smaller than this bear. Paw-to-paw combat would be useless, the weight differences giving the bear the advantage. But, Nick and Judy were also faster than the large predator, with the stamina to match. Another point that Nick noticed was the clown mask. The bear's peripheral vision would be greatly hindered with those small eye-holes, creating quite a few blind spots for Nick and Judy to hide in. The fox and bunny could easily tire out the large predator and get away.
First things first, Nick had to get to Judy.
Nick dashed to the right, only to immediately roll to the left as Chains launched another blow at the fox. Picking himself up, Nick dashed towards Judy, getting to her as fast as possible. As he predicted, the mask kept Chains from seeing exactly where Nick was, buying the fox some precious time.
"Carrots?" Nick whispered as he gently nudged his bunny. When she didn't wake up, Nick tried again. "Carrots, get up!"
Her eyebrows twitched and the corners of her mouth tugged into a small frown as Judy's eyes slowly opened, revealing her amethyst pools to the world. She groaned as she turned her head towards her fox. "Nick?" she asked sleepily. "What time is it? Five more minutes..."
Nick rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop the small grin that formed on his muzzle; Judy never asked to sleep in. "Come on, get up."
As Nick helped Judy up, the bunny decided to stretch away her sleep, much to the fox's amusement. After she was done, Nick noticed that Judy's eyes seemed to shine, reflecting her energetic nature.
Suddenly, the giant bear charged at the two officers as he lowered his body and spread his arms, effectively turning himself into a large wall of muscle. The guttural roar that Chains emitted from his throat shook the entire hallway and the bones of both the bunny and fox.
Nick and Judy quickly glanced at one another, a plan forming in both of their minds. Nodding in affirmation, Nick clasped his paws together, giving Judy a foothold. When Chains got close enough, Judy stepped on to Nick's paws and – with an added push from Nick – leaped into the air, well above Chain's lowered head. Nick noticed that the large bear paid no attention to the bunny as he kept charging at the fox. Setting his jaw, Nick braced himself for impact, stabilizing his stance and leaning into the bear.
Judy's eyes widened as she was launched higher than she expected; she was sure that Nick would've launched her at Chains, giving her the perfect opportunity to land a powerful kick to the bear's face. But no, Nick had other plans, as it seemed. Judy twisted in midair, her eyes widening again as she noticed what Nick was doing. He was bracing himself for impact, not making any move to fight or run from the freight train of a bear barreling at him.
"Nick!" she shouted as she landed on her feet, her paws habitually reaching for the taser that should've been on her belt. Unfortunately, she only had her police radio and one pair of pawcuffs on her during her days off; her taser was back at the apartment. So instead, all Judy could do was helplessly watch as Chains charged into Nick head-on.
It felt like he was hit by a train at full speed, and then some. Nick's body was thrown backward, his paws lifting off of the ground. He hit the ground hard, his body sliding across the marble floor. Coming to a stop, Nick groaned as every muscle in his body ached at the same time. Nothing was broken, but that didn't mean that he didn't feel broken. Opening his eyes, Nick could only see stars flitting around his vision.
That's when he heard it. The one sound that tugged at him, drove him to do more. Just one, simple name being called out by one, not-so-simple source.
"Nick!"
Judy's voice echoed across the hallway, bouncing against the walls and reaching Nick's ears, filling the fox with newfound determination. If that wasn't enough, Judy's voice also made Chains turn around, the large bear ready to finish the job. Nick picked himself up, but his eyesight was still blurred from a possible concussion. Almost immediately, his knees buckled on him, sending the fox back to the ground. With a groan, Nick tried again; he was not going to give up. Using the wall as support, Nick managed to stand up, although he looked a bit woozy.
The large bear advanced towards Judy, popping his knuckles loudly. He smiled under his mask as he noticed the bunny's look of determination; she was not going to back away, not matter how big Chains was compared to her. His slow advances sped up to a walk, and then to a jog, and then to a full-blown charge at the small bunny.
Judy stood her ground, coiling her leg muscles in anticipation. As the bear quickly closed the space between them, Judy calculated exactly where she would need to jump to land a kick that would do some damage to the massive predator.
Judy was suddenly reminded of a few minutes earlier when Chains had thrown her aside as she tried to land a kick. If Judy tried to land another kick, Chains could just throw her aside again. This doubt caused hesitation in Judy, fracturing the bunny's focus.
"Hey! Over here!" Judy heard Nick call, catching the large bear's attention. She grinned as she refocused on her objective; Nick's distraction was exactly what she needed. As the bear was distracted, Judy launched herself into the air. She twisted her body around, aiming her legs at the oncoming predator.
All Chains saw was a streak of gray, pink, and blue before something small hit him full on in the face. The bear could feel his head stop as the rest of his body pushed forward from the momentum of his charge. The massive bear's legs swept out from under him as he landed on his back with a loud thud.
Judy landed on the other side of the bear, her legs spread apart with one arm in the air and the other holding her weight; it was one of her favorite landing poses as it made her feel like those superheroes in her favorite movies.
"Nick, quick! Your pawcuffs!" Judy called, her arm outstretched towards her fox.
Still a bit flustered from being tackled, Nick fumbled with the pawcuffs, nearly dropping them twice before throwing them in Judy's general direction. He saw Judy catch the silver restraining device before applying them to the unconscious bear.
"Nice move, Carrots," Nick said as he leaned against the wall, clutching the bridge of his snout with his paw; he had a terrible headache, no thanks to that masked bear.
Judy bowed deeply. "Why thank you, Slick!" she said with dramatic flair. Her demeanor then became serious. "But how are you feeling?"
Nick slid to the ground, groaning as he did so. "Oh, great, Carrots!" he said sarcastically. "I totally don't feel like crap after being tackled by a bear!"
"I'm serious, Nick," Judy said, sitting down next to her fox. "Let me look at you; you could have a concussion."
Nick complied with no resistance, using the moment to get some rest. He allowed Judy to check his eyes and vitals, even going as far to check for any broken bones. As Judy gently squeezed his arms and legs gently, Nick winced as bruises made themselves known to him. After she was done, Nick watched as Judy stood up.
"Well, nothing's broken, and you don't have a concussion," she said, a relieved forming on her muzzle. "But you need to take it easy."
Nick winced as he shifted his weight. "I don't know, Carrots," he began, a concerned expression on his muzzle. "You know better than anyone that I don't take it easy," he winked, which earned him a punch on his bruise-free shoulder.
"Careful, fox, or you definitely be sleeping on the couch," Judy snapped, although the smile was evident in her amethyst eyes. "Backup should be here any minute. Until then, Bogo told us to lay low."
Nick gestured to the unconscious bear a few feet away from them. "I think we've done a fantastic job of that, don't you think?"
Judy ignored the remark, rolling her eyes as she glanced around the hallway as if she was looking for something to do. She could feel Nick's emerald eyes on her as she began to pace the hall.
"Something wrong, Carrots?" Nick asked, his snarky grin paired with his half-lidded eyes.
Judy groaned. "We have two of the four criminals accounted for, and one of them is busy drilling into the vault! And we can't do anything about it!"
Nick chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "You won't be pent up for much longer. Like you said, backup should be here any minute."
"Right, but the bad guys could've gotten into the vault and gotten away with the money by then!" Judy said, gently biting her finger in apprehension.
"Then why don't we check up on them?" Nick suggested.
"How?" Judy asked, turning towards her fox.
Nick pointed at the unconscious bear. "Him."
Judy glanced from Nick, to the bear, and then back to Nick, confusion etched on her features. "I'm still not following."
Nick smirked. "Just get me his radio. I'll take care of the rest."
Judy finally caught on, her eyes widening with the realization. "But Nick, what if they don't fall for it? You saw what happened with me!"
"Right, but you were trying to pretend to be a male wolf, Fluff!" Nick retorted, pointing a finger at his wife. He then pointed at himself. "I just have to pretend to be a two hundred fifty-pound bear!"
Judy rolled her eyes and retrieved the radio from the comatose predator. Handing the device to Nick, she stepped back and waited to see what her husband had planned.
"You didn't happen to catch his name, did you?" Nick asked, pointing at the bear.
"I believe it was Chains," Judy said, thinking back to the conversation she had eavesdropped on earlier.
Nick nodded before clearing his throat several times. Turning on the radio, Nick gave Judy a small wink before speaking in a believably-deep voice, "Hey, Chains here. I've got the two assholes –" Judy scowled at the smirk her partner gave her. "– that were roaming around the bank. What should I do now?"
A second of silence ensued, rousing Judy's anxiety. Were they on to them? Were they on their way? Were she and Nick in trouble?
Her train of thought was derailed as the radio crackled to life. "Good job, Chains," a gravelly voice said. "Did you find Wolf?"
Nick nodded despite the fact that he couldn't be seen by the source of the voice. "Yeah, son of a gun is taking a good, long nap, no thanks to those two cops," the fox replied, unknowingly guessing the truthful situation.
The voice groaned. "Alright, fine. Get him up and head back here; drill's almost through."
"Uh, actually, I think we may have a problem," Nick said, feigning hesitancy.
The radio went silent for a second before the voice spoke up again. "What is it this time?"
"I have a feeling that the two cops managed to call for backup, so we better get the hell outta here before the fuzz arrives!" Nick gave Judy a wink as the radio went silent again.
Judy was impressed. Sure, their little "act" for Bellwether about three years ago had proven the two of them to be incredible actors, but Nick managed to surprise Judy from time to time. Must be all those years he spent with Finnick, Judy thought, her mind hearkening back to the small fennec fox whose voice did not match his size.
Judy was once again pulled away from her thoughts by the crackling of the radio. "Goddammit!" the voice cried, the sound almost too loud for the radio.
More silence.
As Nick and Judy waited, Nick couldn't help but imagine the criminal right now: probably glancing around the room nervously as if the cops would start forming from the walls or desperately looking for a sudden escape as to not get jailed.
Instead, Dallas was carefully formulating a plan that would get them the money they came for and get them all out in one piece. A hard task for anyone else, but Dallas prided himself on his quick wit and keen cunning; he wasn't the leader of the group for nothing!
"Alright, listen up," Dallas said, the radio nearly startling Nick and Judy. "Take care of those cops. I don't care if you tie them up and throw them in a closet or kill them, but get them out of our fur. Then grab Wolf and meet up with Hoofston in the main lobby. The drill is almost done, so I'll stay here and grab some cash. If we're lucky, then we can get some pay outta this job! I'll let Hoofston know about the new plan."
"Got it," Nick replied as the radio went silent. Handing the radio to Judy, Nick gave his partner a sly smile. "What's with that look, Carrots?" he asked as Judy stared at him for a moment. "Didn't think I could pull it off?"
"Not one bit," Judy replied with a sly smile before tossing the radio on Chain's unconscious form. "I'm surprised that they bought it. I've never heard such terrible acting in my life!"
After Judy took a seat next to Nick and rested against his good shoulder, Nick wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a gentle side-hug. "I'm hurt, Carrots," he said in a mock, whining tone. "And after all the good things you said about my acting skills when we tricked Bellwether during the Night Howler Case!"
Judy chuckled softly. "That was a fluke, Slick; anyone can have great acting skills once in their life."
Nick shot his bunny a sideways glance. "But that means I was a great actor, right Carrots?"
Judy rolled her eyes before nodding. "Yes, Nick. You were a great actor. At one point long ago in your life."
Nick scoffed as he planted a kiss on Judy's forehead. "Sly bunny."
"Dumb fox," was the jovial reply.
Suddenly, Judy's police radio crackled to life. The bunny quickly retrieved it from her back pocket just as Bogo's voice emanated from the small device.
"We're here, Hopps," the cape buffalo said. "Stay put and we'll come get you. Could you give us your location?"
Judy glanced at the sign above the door down the hall. "We're by the Security Office," she replied.
"What did I say about laying low, Hopps?" Bogo asked, sounding like he was trying to keep from snapping at the small officer.
Judy winced. "Sorry sir, won't happen again."
"I highly doubt that," came the reply. "Just stay there." The radio went silent again.
"Ooh, looks like someone's in trouble," Nick teased, drawing out his syllables in a teasing manner. His shoulder suddenly erupted with a faint pain in response.
The radio on his shoulder suddenly crackled to life. "Hoofston! Listen up! We've got a change in plans!" Dallas said over the radio.
"What's going on?" the zebra asked, glancing around the room of cowering patrons.
"Chains took care of the two officers, but Wolf is down, and the police are on their way! I'm staying here to grab what little cash I can, so wait for Chains to show up and be ready to get the hell outta there!"
A distant siren echoed off the buildings outside, bouncing into the large room. Hoofston turned towards the large windows at the front of the building as several police cruisers pulled up to the bank. Dozens of officers then flooded out onto the street, each one of them locked and loaded, ready to take down these criminals.
"Uh, Dallas," Hoofston said apprehensively. "They're already here."
"What!?" Dallas cried out over the radio. "Where are Chains and Wolf, then?"
"I don't know. They're probably on their way here," Hoofston said, unable to hide the doubt in his voice.
"Come out with your paws or hooves up! We have the premises surrounded!" Chief Bogo bellowed through the speakers on his car.
"Don't worry, we have bigger guns than them," Dallas said over the radio. "When Wolf and Chains get there, those coppers won't stand a chance!"
"Uh, I hate to disappoint you," another voice said over the radio. Hoofston immediately recognized the voice as the cop from before, "but your pals aren't heading your way. They're a bit … tied up at the moment."
"What!?" Dallas cried incredulously over the radio. "How!?"
"Dallas, what do we do?" Hoofston asked, nervously glancing between all of the cops gathering on the street outside.
"Give me a second!" the fox hissed.
"You don't have that much time, I'm afraid," Nick taunted over the radio.
"Dallas, I think we should listen to the cop," Hoofston timidly suggested. "They've got the whole force out there!"
"Your friend's smart," Judy said over the radio. "He knows when he's beat."
The silence over the radio only helped to raise Hoofston's anxiety with each passing second. After what felt like a minute of radio silence, Dallas finally spoke again.
"Goddammit! How did we lose to two cops!?"
"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," Judy said over the radio. "Boom."
Like moths drawn to a flame, hundreds of mammals huddle around the front of the Furs Zootopia Bank, every pair of eyes trying to get a good look at the commotion. Within moments of the cops arriving on the scene, the media and news reporters arrived as well. As the four criminals were escorted out of the bank and into the awaiting van, dozens of microphones were shoved in cops' faces, every journalist trying to get the best "scoop" on this newsworthy situation.
The two officers that got the worst of this pestering were Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who were the last to exit the bank.
"Officers, what can you tell us about the criminals that were apprehended?"
"Did you know that these criminals would attack this bank?"
"How did you two survive against a bear, fox, wolf, and zebra!?"
Blinded by the numerous camera flashes as they tried to climb down the front steps, the fox and bunny asked their own questions and answer those instead, allowing them to also give short and simple answers as they made their way through the crowd of microphones and cameras.
After escaping the hungry jaws of the press, Nick and Judy made their way over to Chief Bogo, who was just finishing giving the reporters a statement.
"Nick, Judy," Bogo greeted as he turned to the fox and bunny. "Well done in there. Sorry you had to be put on the spot on your day off, let alone your anniversary."
"No problem, Chief," Judy began to say before being interrupted by her husband.
"You're welcome, Chief, but I expect overtime pay for this!" Nick complained, a light of sarcasm in his eyes.
Judy face-palmed as Bogo gave the fox a death glare. Nick had taken a relaxed stance: his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slightly slouched, and his signature grin plastered on his smug little face.
"In other news," Bogo said, choosing to ignore Nick's statement; it wouldn't be right to take away Judy's husband on her anniversary. Besides, they had to come in to work tomorrow; there would be time to exact punishment then. "We also found the getaway car that the criminals had planned on using."
"Oh yeah?" Judy asked. "What was it?"
"A bright red Zooyota Treeus," Bogo stated clearly. "Don't know why they chose that car; there's no way it could've outrun our cruisers," the chief gave a sigh of pity as the two small cops snickered. "Alright, you two get going. I'll take care of anything else the press may throw at us."
Bogo turned from the two cops and made his way back into the swarming sea of cameras, microphones, and annoying questions. Nick and Judy began to make their way to their car, politely ignoring any questions thrown at them.
"Predophile!"
That one word traveled past all of the reporters, piercing Nick's emotional walls. He glanced at the crowd, looking for the source of the insult to his wife.
"Prey Chaser!" Another blow, hitting Judy hard as her husband was insulted.
"Get with your own species!"
"Freaks of nature!"
"That's just wrong!"
Nick and Judy were hit by every insult, the words cutting deep and threatening to take root in their hearts. Immediately, Nick's emotional defenses were up, his features hardening and his gaze going cold. Judy's ears drooped behind her head as she fixed her gaze on her husband. She sighed as she gave up on trying to read what was going on in his head; when he got like this, not even she could tell what was going on behind those emerald orbs.
Judy walked a little closer to Nick, taking his paw in hers. A small smile tugged at Nick's lips as he glanced at her, his cold gaze thawing out at the sight of his partner, much to Judy's relief. Judy rested her head against Nick's arm as they walked towards their car, both of them starting to drown out the insults flung in their direction.
Don't let them see that they get to you, they thought individually. Nick could feel his spirits rising as the insults faded away. He looked at his wife, smiling as she practically bounced alongside him, her worries faded away as well.
"Get away from that bunny, you sick animal! Stop taking advantage of her and leave her alone!"
Nick's heart skipped a beat as this last insult hit hard; it didn't help that he had started to lower his emotional defenses. The fox stopped in his tracks, his paw leaving Judy's as she continued forward. Nick felt like he was just shot through the heart as he stood there, staring wide-eyed at the ground. His breathing became short and sporadic, his heart rate increasing dramatically. Doubt, anger, pity, shame – these feelings and more rushed through Nick's head; some of it directed at himself, some of it directed at those who didn't understand or accepted Judy and him for who they were.
"Nick, are you alright?" Judy's voice calmed his raging mind. The fox looked at his wife, who was now turned towards him. Again, he admired the pink, button-up shirt and jeans; it was the same outfit she wore that day under the bridge, those years ago.
Nick smiled sadly at his partner. "I'm gonna get some air, Judy," he said as he began walking out onto the street. "Go ahead and head to the apartment without me."
"Where are you going?" Judy asked, her ears falling behind her head. She watched as Nick merely glanced back at her before disappearing around a corner.
Well look at me, writing 9,000+ words! Cimar of Turalis would be proud! Anyway, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out to you guys; I had a horrible case of Writer's Block and Procrastination when writing this, plus a desire to write different parts of this story. But I finally got through it, and I feel SO happy! Luckily, with all the time that I took, I can proudly say that Family Ties is very well-developed, so you guys are in for quite the treat! Buckle up, everybody, because I'm back and better than ever!
P.S. I plan on updating every Friday, so make sure to hold me against that if I fail! It will be tough, though, since I will be starting my last year of high school on Monday... But I will power through it!