Chapter Two

Man, am I glad she gave me a list, Nick thought, as he pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket. He and Judy had moved in together about a month after their first kiss, and he had never been happier. HE knew some people frowned upon his dating a bunny, calling him a "freak", or telling him that he was a terrible person for dragging such a sweet bunny into his twisted fantasies. He didn't much care, really. Judy had taken the insults harder than he had, often becoming angry and tearful at his expense. When you'd worked the hustle game as long as Nick had, you developed a pretty thick skin. But some things were hard to adjust to. The difference in diet being one of the main ones. Nick had never known there were so many ways to cook vegetables, much less that that many vegetables existed. His diet was pretty simple, mostly grasshoppers and fish, with the occasional potato or salad thrown in. Because of this, Judy always did the grocery shopping, making things simple. She knew what she liked to eat, and what he did, better than anyone. Nick never was good at remembering all that she could eat, with her herbivore dietary needs. That's why when Judy got called in on a case, and she told him to go grocery shopping, he asked her to write a detailed list of what she needed. Surprisingly enough, there were only a few specific items on the list he didn't remember on his own, and they weren't that expensive either. The shopping was uneventful until Nick was walking to his car, pushing his cart and heard a voice call his name from across the lot.

"Nick? Nick Wilde? Is that you? I haven't seen you in years!" Nick turned around warily as another fox walked towards him. The fox was of medium height, and a darker red than most he had seen. He was dressed well, but not fancily, in a pair of jeans and a light cotton V-neck. He looked vaguely familiar, and considering Nicks background, that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Nick! It's good to see you! Don't you remember me?"

"Wait, Ron?!" Nick said, stopping the cart by his car as the other fox met him there. "Long time no see! You look good!"

"Hah, you don't look to shabby yourself! You've put on some muscle! And, you're doing your own grocery shopping? You used to just live off Bugga Burgers when I knew you!"

"Yeah, well I've gone through some pretty big life changes, that's for sure. New job, new girlfriend, new outlook on life, that sort of thing."

Ron looked into the bags and did a double take at the large amounts of carrots nick had bought.

"Whoa nick, that's a lot of carrots! Almost like you live with a bunny!" Ron laughed and looked at nick, expecting him to laugh too. When nick smiled sheepishly Ron gaped.

"No! You are! That's great! Man, I never would've seen that coming. Is she a friend or…?" Ron trailed off.

"Well, you know that… uh….. That new girlfriend I mentioned?"

"You're dating a bunny! Man you have changed and I'd for sure say for the better. Tell you what, you two come to dinner next week, and I'll introduce you to the wife. She makes the quiche, I'll tell you what. What day works best?"

"Well, we both don't work Friday night, so barring an emergency, that should work."

"Excellent! I'll tell Mitchie. Good seeing you man! I'll see you Friday!"

Nick smiled as Ron walked off, glad to see someone he knew.

Friday Night

"Who is this again?" Judy asked, as she dressed for the dinner.

"I told you, an old buddy of mine I met shopping earlier this week. And don't give me that look, he's from the less shady side of my past. He's never hustled anyone in his life."

Judy chuckled, having had to stop herself from making a skeptical face at the same time nick told her not to, even though he was in the other room. He knew her so well. She was excited to wear her blue dress, and meet someone from Nicks past. She knew a lot about him know, but she still didn't know much about his past. Always pragmatic, Nick never liked to talk about it much. It was one of the things that had caused some tension between them. To be honest, Judy thought to herself, this dinner will be great. Nick and I need to get out of the house and relax. Tensions had been high as they go used to each other, the vast differences in their lifestyles taking some time to get used to. Predator and prey, messy and tidy, relaxed and stressful, they were opposites in so many things. Judy knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her, but there were days when it was just so HARD to not just yell at him for all the little things.

"Ready yet Carrots?" Nick came in wearing a light blue button down shirt, khaki dress pants, and a khaki vest, his tie, the same color as her dress, untied and hanging loose around his neck. His fur on his head was ruffled lightly, forming a stark contrast to the crisp clean lines of his clothes. Judy's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't known nick even OWNED dress clothes, much less that he could clean up so nice. He saw her staring and laughed.

"What's with the look of surprise?"

"I...ahm..." Judy cleared her throat, embarrassed at the squeak in her voice. "I've just never seen you dress like that."

"Haha, well it doesn't happen often, so savor it. You look fantastic."

Judy blushed. She had bought this dress a long time ago and had never gotten the chance to wear it. It was soft blue silk, cut modestly around the bust, but it hugged the curve of her hips and stopped just above her knees. She had on a simple silver necklace and her earring were blue sapphire drops, the same deep blue as the dress. She looked at nicks tie and marveled that he had found a match, especially considering he had never seen this dress before. Nick came over and gave her a quick peck on the lips, before walking out of the room.

"C'mon Carrots, we are gonna be late!" Nick paused by the mirror in his own bathroom to brush his teeth and tie his tie. He met Judy in the hallway and they drove to Ron's house. As they pulled into the drive, Judy was nervous.

"What if he doesn't like that I'm a bunny?" she asked Nick.

"Oh, he already knows. He guessed it from all the carrots I was buying."

"He didn't seem to mind?"

"No, he thought it was funny actually. He invited us over after he found out, so I guess that means he's fine with it."

'Alright. If you say so."

The door was pulled open just as they rang the doorbell, by a graceful grey tabby. She had on glasses, and was dressed in a green sparkly dress, just as modest as Judy's.

"Oh. Um. I'm sorry but I think we have the wrong house" Nick said, with a confused look on his face.

"Oh! You must be Nick! Ron is just putting on his tie, he'll be down shortly." The tabby said brightly, ushering them inside the well-lit house. Judy shot Nick a confused look, to which Nick responded with an equally confused look and a shrug.

"I'm Mitchie, Ron's wife. He's told me quite a bit about you Nick, but he failed to mention that you're date was this pretty!"

"That's because I knew nothing about her," Ron said, coming around the corner. He sputtered a bit as Mitchie ran her fluffy tail across his nose, with her back still turned to him. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Of course dear, that why I do it every chance I get" Mitchie replied with a wink towards Judy. She yelped and spun, her fur fluffing out in all directions as Ron grabbed her waist and tickled her quickly. "Hey!" she said, glaring at him. He shrugged and laughed.

"You started it. Enough though, let's get these two sat down with a drink, and see if we can clear up the confusion I can see on their faces."

Nick and Judy were lead to a parlor room, with some comfortable couches and a large grand piano in the middle of the room. Ron brought Nick a glass of scotch, and surprised Judy with a lovely carrot wine in a smaller glass.

"I told you id introduce you to my wife nick. I just didn't think she'd beat me to the door." Ron said, in response to Nicks still puzzled look.

"That's why you laughed when I told you I was dating a bunny! It's because you're married to a cat!"

Ron nodded. "I never did get your name." he said, turning to Judy.

"Oh, it's Judy. Judy Hopps."

"Ron Parson. And this is my lovely wife, Michelle, Mitchie for short. Nick it's, been so long since I've seen you! Tell us about you, and especially about her."

As nick went into the story of how they met, Ron and Mitchie smiled wider and wider.

Mitchie spoke up, "You wouldn't happen to be Judy Hopps, the first Rabbit ZPD officer would you? THAT Judy Hopps?"

"I am."

Ron burst into laughter at this. "Nick! I can't believe it. A conman like you, dating a cop. How's she feel about your jobs that you pull?"

"Well, I don't pull jobs anymore actually."

"Really? What do you do then?" Ron asked, curious.

"…I… I'm actually her partner at the ZPD. I'm their first Fox officer." Nick said, hesitantly.

"Hah! You were always a funny guy. I love your jokes man." Ron laughed, holding his sides and shaking his head, right up until Nick pulled out his badge, and handed it to him.

"You weren't kidding! I never thought I'd see the day you ever even liked a cop, much less became one! That's what you meant when you said you had some major life changes! Well, I am happy for you man, I really am. Glad you could join us on the straight and narrow."

"Well, you're more of a crook than I am now" Nick laughed back. "He's a lawyer, one of the more decent ones you'll meet." He explained to Judy. Judy laughed and smiled.

"Well I don't really mean to pry, but how are things in your relationship?" Ron asked, after a few minutes of small talk.

"Well, it's good. Some things are hard to get used to but we are working through them." Judy said, Nick nodding in agreement.

"Ah, I understand. Truth be told, that's part of the reason I invited you over. Mitchie and I know from experience how hard interspecies relationships can be. But we've been married for 6 years, and we dated for two years before that. I know you just met us, and in Nick's case, just reacquainted with me, but if you ever need to vent, or need advice, you are more than willing to call us." Ron said, Mitchie nodding along.

"Especially if you need advice on how to survive a fox's messy habits" Mitchie said in a stage whisper to Judy. Judy laughed and the indignant noises from both nick and Ron and replied.

"Oh I would love some. It's a real hassle sometimes." Mitchie laughed. Ron and nick smiled, glad the two ladies were making friends.

"Let's have some entertainment!" Ron said, refilling his glass and Nicks. "Nick, do you still play?"

"I haven't in years, Ron. I'm pretty rusty."

"Play what?" Judy asked, looking confusedly at Nick and Ron.

"He hasn't told you? Nick here was one of the best piano players I've ever heard." Ron said.

"Who nick? I don't believe you." Judy scoffed. Nick smiled.

"It's true, Carrots. I was pretty good. It's been a while though."

"You have to play something!" Judy said, her eyes filling with excitement. She somehow manages to look both adorable and mocking at the same time, Nick thought to himself.

"Alright alright ill play. It's been six or seven years since I've played though, so bear with me."

Nick walked over to the piano and lifted the cover off the keys. He sat down and unbuttoned his sleeves. He cracked his knuckles and sighed softly. He put his hands to the keys and paused.

"What would you like to hear?"

"Play something that means a lot to you." Judy said eager to get a glimpse into Nick's softer side.

He smiled sadly. "Alright, but it's kind of sad."

He sighed and moved his fingers through the air, remembering the chords. Then he began to play.

It started soft, and mellow. Lots of G and C minor. It quickly rose in speed and complexity, point and counterpoint, harmony and melody weaving together in the key of A minor. It was, simply put, beautiful. Beautiful and sad. Judy felt tears in her eyes and looked over to see Ron and Mitchie tearing up as well. Nick played, his back straight, hands a blur, and Judy marveled to see a tear flow down his cheek and land on his lap. The song changed. It seemed warmer now. Warm, but still sad, as if remembering good times with someone long past. The music spoke of love, and loss. Of warmth and emptiness, all weaving together seamlessly and soft. The music slowed, and finally stopped on a lingering chord, as if a question lay unanswered. Nick took a deep breath and turned to the others, a soft, sad smile on his face. He cleared his throat, and when no one spoke after a moment he asked

"Well? How was it?"

Judy stood up and threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking him off his stool.

"Oh Nick that was beautiful! I can't believe you never told me you could play like that!"

"I'd almost forgotten that I could."

"What song was that? I've never heard it." Ron asked, after he cleared his throat too.

"I wrote it."

"Wrote that?!" Judy said, nearly speechless. "It was amazing! But so sad. Why did you play that one?"

"You told me to play something that meant a lot to me. So I did."

"What is that song about? It seemed to mean something very specific to you."

"Yes. It does. It's the piece I wrote for my mother's funeral."

Silence.

"Oh nick." Judy whispered, pulling him close, and wiping a tear from his eye.

Judy and Nick left soon after that, saying that they needed to be up early for work. Ron and Mitchie said they understood, and they gave their phone numbers to both nick and Judy, telling them not to be strangers, and to call or text whenever they felt like it. With multiple promises that they would, Nick and Judy left. The ride home was a somber one, Nick uncharacteristically quiet, and Judy occupied with her thoughts.

"Nick?" Judy finally broke the silence. "Can… can you tell me about your song?"

"My mother died about eight years ago. I never really knew my father. I hadn't seen my mother much, trying to keep her safe if something went wrong with a job. I got a message that she was ill, and that she wanted to see me. I mean, I couldn't not see her, y'know?" Nick was rambling now, but Judy had never seen him talk this much about himself so she let him talk. "I walked into her room at the hospital and it's like I didn't even know the woman on the bed. She had always been strong, and lively, telling me to do my best and try everything. She could barely lift her head. She told me she didn't have long to live, and she wanted me to play a piece at her funeral. I said yes. So I wrote that. It doesn't have a name, because I think you can't really name grief. I tried to capture her warmth, and the gap she left in my life when she was gone. I couldn't figure a good way to end the piece so I just stopped writing. It reminded me of how I felt when she died. All I could think was 'What now?'" His breath caught and he began to sob quietly. He parked the car in their driveway and sobbed quietly into his hands. Judy unbuckled herself and crawled into his lap, taking his face in her hands and kissing him lightly on the nose.

"She was one of the only people I knew that loved me for everything about me. No matter what I did, I knew she wouldn't love me less. And when she was gone, I didn't know what to do." He took a deep breath and pulled Judy into a fierce hug, surprising her. This wasn't the nick she knew, always cool and collected. He sobbed gently into her shoulder and whispered "that's how I feel about you Judy. You make me feel like nothing I do could make you love me less. And you just don't know how much that means."

"I will always, ALWAYS be there for you nick. I love you. You are the best person I have ever met, and I will never let you go. You're perfect."

"I am now that I have you."