A/N: More twisted fantasies ahead. Also, updated chapter 1 to be way more graphic.
Chapter 3: A Twisted Gift from The Heart
Judy decides to sleep. It's been a long time since Judy has been alone. Usually, Jack has been here supporting her every single day. Surely, things will be better in the morning. Today was too surreal for her. She feels like she met Nick but also that she hasn't. The fox gave her a vague command, to learn the secrets that Jack Savage has. What secrets can he be hiding? Judy falls into an uneasy slumber.
The nightmare comes again, she relives the day she made the fateful choice. All Nick was saying was Judy and multiple variations of her name. At that moment, she chose, she chose Jack Savage over Nick which she didn't recognize in that moment. She wonders what would have happened if things had gone differently. Unable to change her actions but always regretting them every single day.
She cries out his name in order to try to change the past only for it to give way into daylight where reality remains. This time, it changes. This time in that very nightmare she's able to actually move. She chooses Nick and watches as Nick impales Jack with icicles that emanate from his tail.
She didn't shoot Nick this time only for the fox to mock her. A female voice comes from Nick. "Poor little bunny, are you that desperate for us? You cling to your false hopes and dreams."
Judy replies, "What do you mean?"
A male voice takes over. The one she still has yet to recognize. "You are unaware of his sins. You yearn for us. I want you to be trapped in a living nightmare."
Judy panics, she starts to feel regret. Maybe, she should have shot the fox. This isn't what she expected at all. She cries out, "Nick, where are you?"
The fox prances towards her menacingly. She hears Nick's voice at last. "I knew you are afraid of us. You would not accept us. This is the first time you slept without his embrace. We figured we would reward you with our presence."
The hostile male voice takes over. "You cannot change the past. Destroy the present to embrace the future. Only then, will you see us in physical form."
Judy finally finds the courage to respond, "Nick, I am not afraid of you. We can be together just come to me."
The female voice asks, "What are you willing to do to prove it?"
"Anything."
This time a new voice is heard from the fox. "Let us test your resolve." It sounds like a combination of all three voices. Judy can hear part of Nick's voice in it. "Do not scream during this next part… it is what we want. Can you stay silent?"
Judy's nose starts twitching despite how hard she's trying to hide her fear. Her fear of the fox that she so badly wants. "Do you still believe you do anything?" Nick's voice is full of concern and understanding. It also seems sad as if it knows the truth.
"Anything," Judy replies, her conviction remains unchanged.
The female voice takes over, "We will–" Only for it to be interrupted by the hostile male voice. "Test your resolve." The fox pounces on her and starts devouring her and scream she did.
Judy wakes up in the room, alone, alive and unharmed. She retains vivid memory of that nightmare. Every moment felt so real, she feels like she has failed again. She failed the second chance the fox unexpectedly gave her. Jack is still not back.
She remembers the fox's words and prays that she will be given a third chance, a chance she feels like she doesn't deserve. She decides to go back to sleep. This must be a nightmare. Jack is not by her side. The nightmare of her shooting Nick returns. She watches helplessly as she made the decision to choose Jack over Nick. This time upon waking, she retains knowledge of that dream.
She longs for a second encounter with Nick and forces herself to lie in bed and wait for the embrace of dreams to take her. She watches helplessly again where she shoots Nick. She watches him die right in front of her eyes because of her decision that fateful day.
Judy is adamant and doesn't give up. Every time the nightmare returns and Nick dies right in front of her eyes. She never got a chance to see Nick live again. The day passes and Judy hasn't eaten or left the bed. During the night, she relives the moments where she kills Nick over and over and remembers it all. Every time, she's unable to change what she's forced to do.
Morning comes, it's Monday again and time for work. Judy knows finances are tight and gets ready for work. Jack is still not back. She eats carrots and takes the bus to precinct one to wait for assignments. Judy arrives at precinct one. She goes into rollcall. Judy asks Bogo, "Where is Jack Savage?"
Bogo informs her. "He decided to take on another government job. You're going to be paired with Officer Skies today. Both of you have parking duty. Skies will drive."
They both get in Skies's cruiser. Officer Skies doesn't drive off yet. She and Judy talk. Judy asks, "What is your name?" She looks at the vixen assigned to be her partner. Her fur is white and she has blue eyes.
The vixen replies, "My name is Azure Skies. I am well aware of your situation. I know you seek the fox of the legends."
Hope, something Judy has given up on. She asks, "How much do you know?"
"I know what it took to create him. I know who did it."
Judy asks even though she's afraid of the answer. What would Azure reveal to her? "Can you tell me?"
"All in good time. We have a job to do." Azure drives them around and they pass out parking tickets. Azure notices that Judy seems to be slacking. They finish up this block and both of them get in the cruiser. "You are rather slow, slower than you were. My sister kept an eye on you in the past. Is something wrong?"
"Jack Savage left me and took on another government job without telling me. If Nick hadn't found me I would be dead. I can't sleep... I keep reliving this nightmare," Judy responds, she starts crying shortly after.
Azure wasn't prepared for such an emotional reaction. Azure embraces Judy and starts petting her. Gently stroking her ears to calm her down. "There, there, how much do you know about foxes?"
Judy appears dumbfounded at the question. "Not much at all." It was the last thing she expected to be asked. She obsesses over Nick but doesn't know much about vulpines at all.
Azure sighs. Her disapproval is evident in her voice. "For all your obsession with Nick, you don't know anything about foxes?"
How does she know about Nick? Something about this feels off to Judy. "How do you know about Nick?"
Azure simply replies, "You just told me about Nick just now."
Another emotional outburst from Judy. She cries into Skies's chest. Judy asks, "What else have I forgotten? What else don't I know?" Judy's voice becomes more and more hysterical with each word she speaks.
Azure shows compassion towards Judy. She replies, "You don't know a lot. I am planning you a very special gift, one that shows perfection of the vulpine species. You are special to me." Azure massages Judy's back to make her feel comfortable.
"Why?" is all Judy can manage. She is left dumbfounded by what Azure has told her.
"You don't know, you don't need to know. Jack Savage might be gone from your life. He took a government job without telling you. I am here for you now, I can support you with all your needs and get closer to your true desires."
Under any normal circumstances this would raise my red flags in Judy's mind but a hint of perhaps meeting Nick is enough to assuage her doubts. Judy asks, "How will you take care of me?"
"You can live at my house. I know the state of your finances and everything, it's not really a secret but enough of this, we still have parking duty. We don't want to disappoint the chief. Do well, and I will help you see Nick again."
This vague promise made by Azure is enough to brighten Judy's spirits. Judy's ears perk strait up and she feels a moment of true happiness She finally lifts her head off of Skies's chest. She is finally capable of working at full potential again. They hand out more and more tickets with increasing efficiency until it's time for lunch.
Azure drives them to Bugga-burger and they order food which Azure pays for in full. It's just as well that Judy in her haste forgot to pack any food at all.
While eating their meal, Judy tells Azure more about the nightmare that she's having. Azure understands and in turn tells her own tale and why she chose to become a police officer. Azure says both her sister and Nick influenced her decisions in becoming a police officer.
Judy asks, "Who is your sister?"
Azure reprimands her sharply. "Don't ask that again EVER."
Judy is clueless at what she did wrong. Her ears droop and she's sad again. She apologizes wishing not to fail yet another fox. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend, I was just curious. Please forgive me."
It takes a while but Azure finally realizes what she just did. She apologizes, "I'm sorry, my sister would be very disappointed in me for acting that way towards you. Please, don't ask again. It's a very sensitive topic for me."
Judy respects that decision, they finish the rest of the meal in silence. They continue their shift after their meal to hand out even more parking tickets. The day passes on in silence. Judy hands out parking tickets hoping that Azure didn't change her mind. She wants to be able to go to Azure's house today instead of returning to her own. She hopes that an adequate performance would cover her earlier blunder.
The day ends and Azure hasn't spoken a word towards Judy ever since that incident. Judy begs, "Please, please help me find Nick. I'll do anything. Please!"
That was completely unexpected for Azure. She didn't predict Judy would react this way. Azure says, "I'll help you. I still plan to give you a gift of true vulpine perfection." Azure parks the cruiser. They go into precinct one to give their report. Their combined effort has handed out eight-hundred parking tickets.
Bogo gives them praise. "Well done you two, Judy I'm impressed. This is the best you've done in a long while."
This is the first time in a long time where Bogo actually offered her praise. Judy's ears point upwards indicating extreme happiness. She cries because she's overcome with emotion. "Thank you, I'm glad I could do something right." They leave the precinct.
Judy gets into Azure's car it's rather lavish and high end. Judy is awestruck by the car. She has never seen such a fox with a Furrari before. "How can you afford all this?" Judy asks.
It takes a while for Azure to respond, "It's money that my sister made."
Judy feels rather tense around the slight mention of Azure's sister. She doesn't want to cause any offense to Azure. "Please don't get angry. I'm sorry I asked." Judy's ears droop fearing that she has offended Azure in some form.
Azure reassures her. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep my emotions in check. I know that you don't mean any harm."
Judy now seems content with Azure's reassurance. Azure decides it's time to drive. Azure drives them to her house: an elaborate mansion that seems to be beyond the wealth of most animals in Zootopia. Judy gazes in amazement. "This is awesome," she remarks. This is the first time she saw such splendor in person.
They finally arrive at the house and Azure parks the car in the garage. The other vehicle within the garage is highly advanced. It's like something out of a science fiction movie. Judy asks, "What's the story behind that car?" Judy points to the black vehicle beside them.
Azure looks crestfallen at that very question. "It's not your fault. It's mine, this entire house is filled with memories and items that are personal to me. I would really appreciate if you don't try to ask about any of them."
They disembark from the car. Judy decides to heed the warning Azure gives. She's not sure why Azure is displaying such kindness towards her and decides not to take advantage of it by stirring up any memories. They enter the mansion. Judy notices that the entire mansion is paved with gold. Everything is made out of rare gems or metals. The entire mansion could house all of her siblings and there would still be plenty of room.
Azure asks, "This is to your liking?"
Judy replies enthusiastically, "Yes, is are there any rules I should know? I really don't want to upset you at all. This is marvelous."
It takes a while for Azure to respond. Azure doesn't want to give the wrong impression or answer to Judy. "There is just one, don't go into this black door. I am preparing a very special gift for you inside of it. You can go anywhere else. We do have some time before I have to work on my project, let me show you around."
The mansion has many wonders and is rather advanced, just by vocalizing a few commands, the mansion obeys. It can control temperature with just Azure's voice. It can deliver food just by asking for it aloud. It's a technical wonder. The house contains seemingly all the games in the world, multiple stuffed animals of every shape and size including an oddity. A hybrid that Judy has never seen or heard of, a mix between a fox and a rabbit.
Merchandise in the house wasn't limited to Zootopia, there were items from foreign countries as well. Ones that Zootopia doesn't really have friendly relations with. Judy becomes more and more fascinated and really wants to know the history behind many of these items. She remembers Azure's earlier request and decides to keep silent.
They've been through multiple rooms and several floors, they still haven't finished touring the entire place. Azure says, "I have to work on my gift for you now. Here's where the computers are, you'll be fine won't you?"
Judy replies, "Yes, you don't have to worry at all. Thank you."
Azure takes off and Judy turns on the computer. Its splendor baffles her. It's the most advanced computer she ever used. It contains nearly every program imaginable and ones she hasn't even heard of yet. Judy plays on the computer and forgets her worries. She doesn't do anything inquisitive all for the fear of accidentally offending Azure.
Azure returns after a few hours. Azure's changed into a dashing white dress. She also brings several outfits for Judy to choose from. Azure asks, "Do you want to change your clothes? I realize that I haven't offered you the opportunity. I'm sorry for being an ungracious host."
Judy considers the options. She replies, "Sure, give me the green outfit and grey pants." Azure directs her to the changing room. Judy changes, she chooses these colors in the memory of Nick.
"How do you want to sleep?" Azure asks.
Judy replies, "Anything, is fine by me. Whatever you want." She tries not to be inquisitive at all and really doesn't want to offend Azure.
Azure guesses Judy's desires and makes them sleep in separate rooms. They pick two different rooms next to each other. They both get ready for bed and prepare to sleep.
Judy climbs on to the gigantic bed and prays that the nightmare won't come.
The nightmare comes again, she watches herself kill Nick over and over all the while unable to do anything to change the act. She remembers every single moment ever since yesterday where she was able to save Nick in a dream. She prays for a shift, anything to end this nightmare. A scene unfolds that never occurred before. This time, Nick doesn't attack Jack Savage. This time, Judy was able to calm the fox down and they all escape unharmed. Nick is unable to coherently speak in this version, all he can say is her name. Just before the dream ends, Nick speaks in a feminine voice. "This is my happy ending. One that will not occur. It is only fitting that you know my wish. We are divided yet united as one."
A cryptic message. Judy awakes from her slumber to see that Azure moved on to the same bed as her. Azure is cuddling Judy in her sleep. Judy can't break free of Azure's grasp. She decides to stop struggling in order to avoid offending Azure. The alarm rings and Azure wakes up. Azure defends her actions. "I'm sorry Judy but you were having trouble sleeping, I thought my presence would help you."
Judy replies, "You did, you broke the cycle of nightmares that I was trapped in."
They decide that this should be a continuous thing. Both of them get ready for work. Another day of parking duty. Judy now lives to hopefully please Azure enough so that she would help her find Nick. It's her new-found purpose.
Judy shows enthusiasm in her work because it's what she thinks Azure would want her to do. They embark on their duty with zeal. Azure doesn't reveal more about herself to Judy and Judy's smart enough not to pry.
They return home and Azure shows her more and more wonders of the mansion and Judy still hasn't seen it all. This time, Judy notices pictures of two arctic foxes together in multiple locations. Some of them fairly exotic and must not be in Zootopia.
Azure departs and works on her secret project yet again. Judy spends her time on the computer just like the day before. When it's time for bed, Judy sleeps in the same bed as Azure. Judy's nightmares shift yet again. This time, it's something different. She's in the room just before she made the fateful decision to shoot Nick. This time, the female voice of Nick says, "This is my other happy ending. I hope you will enjoy and not be offended."
What happens in the next few hours were completely barbaric. Judy keeps on making pleas hoping that Nick would stop this madness. Jack is brutally tortured to the point that he begs for death. Judy pleads yet again on Jack's behalf. "Please stop. It's enough. Why are you doing this?"
Nick speaks yet again but this time in the male voice she doesn't know. "You are weak, unworthy, I wonder why they even bother with you! Die!" The fox devours her whole.
She wakes up from this nightmare. Not even Azure's presence could keep that one away. Azure doesn't pry and Judy doesn't want to tell at the risk of offending Azure by accident.
The next two days pass in a blur. Judy and Azure are given parking duty. Azure leads Judy around to explore more of the house every day. Judy sleeps with Azure to hopefully keep away the dreams. This time, Judy has the same nightmare. Always, reliving the moment she decided to shoot Nick. This time, Nick's voice is replaced with the same unknown male voice. "They agreed to let me have MY turn. You will learn my desire in full." Nick makes her use icicles created from his tail to torture Jack Savage.
At first, Judy goes along with it to please Nick. After a while, Judy feels repulsed by Nick's demands and refuses to continue further. That same voice speaks, "You have to choose. You cannot have BOTH. This is my warning to you. A choice you should make soon." The nightmare ends.
Judy retains the memory of that nightmare. The fox wanted her to choose, she doesn't know which choice is right.
The next nightmare Judy has ends with a different outcome entirely. That same room, the same fateful moment before she decided to shoot Nick. The same unrecognize male voice speaks, "We have two desires. This is the other. They both embody facets of vulpine perfection." A surprising twist, they escape from that place and live happily ever after until the dream ends. The fox's parting message was filled with disappointment. "I see, this is your preferred version."
Today, at the end of parking duty. Azure drives them home. Azure exclaims with excitement. "You have really done it! You are sincere in your efforts! You didn't question anything! My gift will be ready in two hours."
Judy decides it's time to explore. She stumbles upon the painting wing. An image left uncompleted, she can see Jack Savage in the photo with multiple bunnies. The background reminds her of Bunnyburrow. The other half of the image is of Tundratown. The image is odd to her, why would Jack Savage be painted here? It's a question that she wants to ask but feels like she shouldn't. Judy keeps a handle on the time and makes sure to be ready at the black door within two hours waiting for Azure to emerge.
After two hours, Azure is finally ready to show her gift to Judy.
A gift of true vulpine perfection: a twisted gift from the heart.
A/N: I guess I'm going to turn this into a series or something.