Yeah. Sorry about being late. I was originally late and when I got it back from my editor, the site wasn't working no matter what I did. But, here's chapter 4. Enjoy.
As always, thanks to my editor Evil-Copper. Feel free to check them out. Really talented individual.
...
Christopher Prowler stood in his new office, his paw holding a glass of whiskey, in his newly built office building. By far, this was Prowler's largest office space, doubling his floor space from what it was before; he couldn't help but feel a little homesick.
He looked longing towards the mountain range behind him, knowing that he finally caught up to the rich, lavish lifestyle. He looked down at the suit he was wearing. It even had a bow tie, yet he knew that he would have known how to tie one himself if it hadn't been for Nicholas Wilde.
Awhile back, Nicholas Wilde had played him in a game of poker. Nick had played well and didn't even cheat, but he had beat him out of a large sum of his money at the time, nearly $10 million.
Now, however, that money made little difference.
"I built this empire, and now I stand above the rest," Chris said to himself, pouring himself a glass of scotch. He wasn't even technically wrong, as Gladiator Tower was officially the tallest building in Zootopia, even taller than the Grand Palm hotel and casino.
'I built this empire' reverberated in Chris's mind, it being the reason for his success. But, he was willing to take others along with him. In the corner of his office, a large painting hung, overlooking the entire office. The painting showed five snow leopards all standing, chests held high.
"Hey, little bro."
"Hello, Jackson," Chris said, turning to face his older brother. His brother was easily a foot taller than him, a huge distance for their species, yet he lacked the authoritative stance Chris had. "You here alone?"
"Beth is in the hall, but I asked her to wait out there because I needed to talk to you privately," Jackson said, looking down at his brother. "Have you done any dealings to the German Hounds?"
"Of course not! I'm a perfectly legitimate business, not some low criminal," Chris snapped.
"Legitimate, huh?"
"Oh shut up. I haven't sold to anyone that has done any harm to this city," Chris said, eying the taller leopard.
"You've ruined careers, though. Most recently Mayor Lio-"
"He made the choice that ruined his career!" Chris cried, throwing the glass wildly towards Jackson, missing on purpose. "I only laid down the groundwork for him."
"You funded his entire operation!"
Chris remained silent at his brother, furious at what Jackson had implied. Indeed, Chris had funded Lionheart's operation, in return for another oil deal.
Chris was furious with someone he had never met, a rabbit that found Lionheart out before they could come up with a cure. With Lionheart's career ruined and a lack of a mayor that was so easily… persuaded, Chris was out millions on the property and a puppet in office.
Chris calmed himself, knowing that he was getting worked up over something miniscule.
"Has our 'beloved' mayor responded?" Chris asked, scratching his chin while crunching some numbers in his head.
"Her secretary is now hanging up on us."
"Let's see how she responds to a bit of applied pressure. Raise our prices on oil by 12 cents a gallon. Natural gas… let's say 30 cents a gallon," Chris said, smiling devilishly to himself.
"You sure that's the right move? This is a risky move. You're pushing the boundary," Jackson replied. Chris narrowed his eyes, causing the much larger leopard to put his paws up.
"Need I remind you who you work for? You are MY employee-"
"Calm down, little bro. I simply asked a question, not accused you of murder."
Chris quieted himself, looking out at the brewing storm clouds, which flashed with lightning occasionally.
"Refineries and the gas company are going to be pissed."
Jackson pulled out his phone and started walking towards the door when his brother called to him.
"Oh. And send a get well basket to Olivia Wilde. I heard she's in the hospital."
…
Judy watched Nick from the living room of the safe house while he sliced and chopped vegetables. Nick was not a five star chef, but he had an ability to learn and adapt quickly.
Judy, on the other hand, was a horrendous cook, usually finding some way to ruin a dish accidentally, even with directions right in front of her. Normally, the mistakes were only minor and the worse that would happen would end with the food in the trash. However, Nick's nose had saved their apartment twice to this day, smelling smoke from an overdone birthday cake and unpleasantly crispy vegetarian lasagna.
"Alright. Food is in the oven and we have a list of '70s movies that the ZPD can't seem to update," Nick called the last part a little louder, turning towards one of the many cameras, making a face.
The lack of privacy was the one part of the apartment Judy and Nick alike disliked about the safe house. Every room had cameras, the master bedroom's cameras being the most private, where the cameras faced the window and door, the rest being private for obvious reasons.
The solitude was very nice for Nick, being antisocial as he was, while it was antagonizing for Judy. The ZPD was very lenient on outside communications for the pair, Nick and Judy alike being able to talk to their families and friends. They couldn't use their phones, yet Judy was able to get a secure video chat with her parents every night to update them on their situation. Judy was permitted to leave as long as she was under watch of another officer at all times. Nick, because of his history with the group, was required to wear body armor and be accompanied by two other officers, making it very hard for him to go outside, his daily visits to the hospital at random times the only times he left.
…
Nick lay awake that night, hearing the slow breathing of the rabbit next to him. He usually tried to get as much sleep as he could, mornings usually being extremely tough on the fox, yet he couldn't manage to keep his thoughts out of his head. He settled on an old memory that he forgot he had.
Nick sat under the bridge with Olivia; both huddled in each other's arms as the rain came pouring down.
"Was this worth it, just to put me through college, Nick? I can always finish after we both get jobs."
Nick looked over to his sister. "You're going through college now. I cannot let you waste this talent of yours. I have to live in someone's basement."
"You're getting the master's bedroom. I wouldn't be this far without you."
Nick laughed with his sister, genuinely happy for the first time in months, even if he was soaking wet, homeless, and hardly able to survive.
…
"Didn't sleep well?" Judy asked, walking into the kitchen just after she had woken up. She saw the bags under Nick's bloodshot eyes. "You didn't sleep."
Nick flipped on the TV without saying a word, the TV already set on the news channel.
"Thanks, Jeffrey. Back to our people on the ground covering last night's attack."
"Thanks Diana. Around 9:00 PM last night, a canister of what we now know is night howler gas was released in this very mall. Twenty seven are dead. The names two deceased that have been released are 42 year old mother Kathryn Bogo and 17 year old daughter Teresa Bogo."
"This is just the beginning. Bogo is scrambling everybody. Well, except for me."
"So we have a day of hanging out around here, don't we?" Judy asked, Nick shaking his head.
"Note that I said 'me', not 'we'. You're back on the case this afternoon. However, I'm surprising Liv today with her favorite deserts today, so if you would like to come, you are welcome to," Nick replied.
…
Nick smiled as he walked into the hospital room, his sister showing surprise when he arrived. Judy had been curious what Nick had gotten Olivia and was in the bag.
Nick pulled out some forks and paper plates, along with a blueberry pie and blueberry ice cream.
"I thought you said you were getting her favorite dish," Judy said, Nick putting a scoop of ice cream on top of Judy's pie.
"Trust me. If you thought Nick ate a lot of blueberries, then you will be amazed by me," Olivia replied, laughing light heartedly. That was something Judy liked about Olivia. She was in a tough situation, yet still had a sense of humor. Even Nick's spark seemed to dwindle, yet Olivia's still shone brightly.
"It runs in the family. Mom adores them, both Liv and I adore them, Dad enjoys them. Wildes and blueberries have always gone together," Nick replied.
"Did you guys see the news today?" Olivia asked with a full mouth. "Sorry."
"Yeah. I haven't slept since yesterday. Been on the phone for a majority of the night," Nick replied. "Chief doesn't blame me, but I know that he knows that if I weren't on the ZPD, this wouldn't be happening."
"You wouldn't have saved the city the first time, Nick," Judy replied. Nick smiled at Judy. Oh how innocent she was, seeing the bright side of everything and lacking the vision of the dark underbelly of life.
Nick looked to Olivia with a look that, in her eyes, showed the one question she would be uncomfortable to be around when Nick asked. Olivia nodded to the door, gesturing Nick to ask her in the hall.
Nick stood and leads Judy to the hall. He waited for the doctors to clear and knelt down to Judy's level.
"Judy. Do you wholeheartedly trust me?"
"Of course," Judy replied, relieved that Nick wasn't asking anything too much.
"I'm not done," Nick replied to the rabbit as she was reaching for the doorknob. "What do you think about going separate ways? I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! Well, I kind of do, but let me explain. We 'break-up'..." Nick added quotation marks with his fingers. "In public. Make sure the hounds know. You 'hook up' with a buck, and therefore you are out of danger. Olivia wasn't someone we could so easily do that with. But you and me? I couldn't bear it if you were hurt or worse because of me."
It was Judy's turn to talk, and she decided to make it very clear that she refused to give him up. "Nicholas Phirbious Wilde. Never in a million years would I ever do something so wrong. I am with you until death. Don't think I'm willing for a moment that I would give you up. We are in this together, not the strong, brave fox takes the bullet for his damsel in distress. Not the other way around, either. It misses both of us, or it hits both of us."
"God. Is it bad that I want to marry you right here, right now?" Nick asked, laying a kiss on Judy's head.
"Is it bad that I'd say yes?" Judy asked without realizing what she had said. Both mammals' eyes shot wide open. Judy's mind was a jumbled mess of cheering and whooping while the other half was wishing she could grab back those words, not in regret, but in fear of how this would happen. In the end, Judy's mind just waltzed out of her head, leaving the mess of the rabbit to stand there.
In reality, Nick had wanted to take back the words the moment he had said them. They had been in their relationship for six months. While that may have been standard on rabbit terms to get married, it was a little rushed by fox standards. His regret, however, diminished the moment the rabbit had asked her question.
"So what now?" Nick asked for lack of a better conversation maker.
"I-I don't know. I mean. I don't even know how to properly court a fox."
"Nor I a rabbit," Nick replied. He hugged the rabbit. "We'll talk about this when you get back."
Nick stood and twisted the door handle, opening it for the rabbit. Nick raised his fists in a victory pose.
"What the hell happened out there?" Olivia asked, eying Nick up and down. He tried to keep his complexion stable, yet Olivia could see through his deceptions. Yet, she still couldn't place it. "What happened?"
"Oh, you know. The usual."
"Holy shit! My brother's getting married!"
Judy watched the vixen cheer for her brother when Nick spoke.
"Not entirely. I didn't propose, so she can back out-"
"Which I won't," Judy quickly added to the fox's statement.
"And we have a lot to figure out. I'm clueless how to court Judy and she's clueless how to court me, so we'll be doing a bit of research when we get back."
…
Nick sat in the living room, realizing how much easier this would be if he had someone to talk to about this and explain everything he didn't understand from all the ridiculously vague websites.
"You've got Frost."
"Skye. It's Nick. I need a huge favor. I need to talk to your boyfriend.
…
"Okay. You're starting from scratch. No knowledge on what happens whatsoever, correct?" Olivia asked the doe, who nodded, her notepad and pen out. "First thing is first and needs to be out of the way. Foxes mate for life. If you're uncomfortable with that for some strange reason, get out now." Olivia waited for a response saying she wasn't. When Judy unsurprising said nothing, she continued. "Alright. Wedding bands are non-existent in fox culture. Now, if he gets you a ring or whatever bunnies do, then follow bunny culture. If not, there will be two options that will work for you. He will either get you a bracelet or a necklace. If he does either, don't be surprised if it isn't diamond. Foxes go all over the place when it comes time. Usually, the tod chooses a gem that will match your personality. If he goes for the gem, he will do Sapphire judging from what he's told me."
"Sapphire. Got it."
"Now we get to the fun part. The week before the wedding day, he'll do something you love every night without repeating the same thing. On top of that, we also have another tradition. Normally, the one who isn't going to be the one to cook/do laundry/other chores will be the one to do it the entire week."
"So I'm cooking, he's got chores. Got it."
"Wedding day. Fox wedding schedules are very precise. Some cultures see it that it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other on the wedding day. In fox culture, this is complete garbage. The tod and vixen are always together until about an hour before the actual ceremony, which is normal at sunset. Usually, weddings are small, direct family only. Small will not be what happens at this wedding."
"We usually stream weddings while a chosen half dozen to dozen actually go when it comes to my family," Judy replied, Olivia nodding.
"Alright. This is likely going to be the most uncomfortable part of this thing, but you should probably know all this. When you two are… ahem. Sorry that I'm not enjoying imagining my brother screwing you. Anyway. When you two are 'Pinned' for the first time, he will put a claw mark somewhere visibly on you. Knowing him, he'll try to keep it out of sight, but it will probably hurt knowing fox claws. We call it a claim scar."
…
"Well, you decided to get married, Wilde. Congratulations," Jack told the fox over video chat. "Now. What do you know?"
"I know that there are multiple ways to court rabbits depending on a lot of factors."
"Good. That's a start, yet you have a lot to learn. First off, I know from Skye that foxes do a necklace or bracelet thing instead of a ring. I am going to let you two discuss what you want to do from there. Second, I should get this out of the way. I've known Judy for a long time. She will be nervous and you're going to have to guide her through the mess. Thirdly. I will tell you to speak to her parents about marrying her. Now timing is everything, here. Not…"
Jack's voice faded away as Nick's mind filled with thoughts. Timing WAS everything.
"Wilde? Is now a bad time?"
Nick returned back to reality, two nervous faces on the computer screen. "I'll call you back." Nick ended the call and headed to the bathroom, needing to clear his head. He turned on the hot water in the shower before staring at himself in the mirror. He looked up to his face, his eyes deep in thought.
Nick stripped down to nothing and walked into the shower. He let the hot water run across his head and down his face. Why was this bothering him so badly?
Nick heard a knock on the door followed by a "Nick? Want to talk after you're done?"
"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute," Nick called back. He decided he would keep his suspicions to himself.
Nick scrubbed his fur with his shampoo quickly and turned off the water, drying himself off when he got out. He walked into the room, finding his clothes set out for him. Nick smiled to himself. "Sly bunny."
Judy laid on the couch, busy reading her book while she waited for Nick. Her ears perked up as Nick returned from the bedroom fully clothed in casual attire.
"So. Are you still willing to go through with this? I mean, it won't be accepted. And this is early for foxes to get married," Nick told Judy. In the call with Jack was one thing, but discussing it with Judy now was something totally different. "So. Liv tell you about our alternatives to wedding rings?"
"Yes. And I like the bracelet idea. Necklaces are banned, and the ring is just going to get in the way," Judy replied, now moving to the heavier topic. "If you're nervous, we can wait. I am a patient bunny and can wait. Am I onboard with this? Yes. Yes I am," Judy replied, easing Nick's nerves.
"I'm sure that I'll be ready by the time the whole thing rolls around, Carrots. I don't know how long it will take me, but I know I will be eventually. Maybe once this is all over, I'll be ready, but I honestly don't know," Nick replied, wrapping his arm around Judy and planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Then we need to make it through this TOGETHER," Judy put emphasis on the last word, sighing as she laid herself onto her side. "No more of this lone wolf stuff. No more talk of breaking up. I'm ready to say my vows when this is all over, Nick, including 'till death do us part', but I want death to do us part after I grow old with you, and not a minute earlier.
The pair sat silently, in a lovers' embrace and a best friends' embrace. It made Nick happy to be with Judy, and Judy to be with Nick. She nuzzled closer to the fox, smiling.
Judy's ringtone from Gazel's latest album filled the room, making Judy pull out her phone, groaning due to her screen being filled with a picture of two bunnies and the title Mom and Dad plastered across the screen.
"You got your phone back. Lucky you," Nick said, standing up. "I'll go.
"No. My parents have seen you and our relationship is getting pretty serious. I might as well tell them that we're dating," Judy replied, pushing Nick back down onto the couch.
"Hey guys," Judy said, a smile plastered across her face that Nick knew was entirely fake.
"Oh. You're with Nick," Bonnie said to the bunny. Nick watched the quiet buck with attention.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am," Judy replied, trying to calm her nerves with the fact that Nick was right here with her. "And I have some news. I- we…"
"We already know you two are dating. Sorry, Jude. I know you probably wanted to tell us, but you could gather a lot from how you talked about him. And for your information, your mother and I are hesitant, but willing to give it a try if you are."
"It took your father some warming up to. He wanted to send every buck that he could your direction, but I got behind the fact that I'm sure you two love each other and Nick would take a bullet for you as your partner, so there is no doubt you wouldn't do the same in the relationship," Bonnie added.
Nick cracked a small smile at Judy's parents, trying to show some of his emotion.
"Maybe we could come and visit sometime?" Nick suggested, eying Judy. "You could take the week off and just be my escort."
"Wait. Escort? I thought that the mammals after you were after you because you solved their case awhile back. Why is Nick in danger?"
Judy turned to Nick, realizing that he had made a huge mistake.
"Long story short, Judy had gone to visit her siblings in the city and had taken the day off. I was working with another partner and we accidentally took down the majority of their operation."
Judy mouthed a quick thank you before turning back towards the camera.
"Well, we'd be happy to have you Nicholas. As long as you don't endanger the burrow," Bonnie replied. "Well, Stu. You have an early morning. Why don't we head off to bed?"
"I'd like to talk to Nicholas before he goes. It won't take long, Bon. I'll be right behind you. Jude. Do you mind if…"
"Oh. No problem, Dad," Judy replied, handing the phone to Nick and heading to the bedroom.
"Nicholas. I am not sure how I feel about this. On one paw, my daughter is the happiest she has ever been, even after getting accepted to the academy. However, I would much rather see her with a buck. Bonnie is right that I am willing to give this a shot, know that I do not like this."
"DAD!" Judy yelled from the bedroom. Nick didn't even know how she had heard, yet she was in the frame very quickly. "I love Nick, alright?! Like it or not, I couldn't care less about your opinion. He is who I see myself growing old with. Now you're just going to have to accept my choice," Judy yelled. "Goodbye."
…
Thelonious stared at the photo on his desk, two smiling faces staring back at him. He quickly became enraged at the mammal that took their lives. Not the savage wolves, but the man who threw in the canister in the first place.
Thelonious suddenly gripped the photo harshly, the glass cracking under the pressure of his hoof. He threw the frame at the nearest wall, the glass and frame shattering. Bogo rested his head down onto his arms, sobbing as he remembered his wife and daughter. He wanted the memories gone, yet at the same time, he wished for them to be more vivid.
"Chief? I heard a- Sorry," Clawhouser stood at the door. Bogo looked up at the visitor with his bloodshot eyes and a life filled with pain. "Do you want me to clean that up?" Clawhouser gestured to the shattered frame next to the wall.
"No. I-I've got it. Thank you."
Bogo stood when the door closed and walked over to the frame. He picked up the splinters and glass, not minding the cut that one of the pieces gave him. However, he dodged around the facedown photo until it was the last thing left to take care of.
Bogo used a shaky hoof to pick up the picture, refusing to look at it as he carried it back to his desk.
Bogo flipped the paper over, looking at the smiling faces, unable to hold back the tears. He touched the photo, murmuring "I wish you guys were here."
