A/N: Sorry for the big delay with this chapter, but life's a bitch sometimes, and this week it really went all out with it. This is another dialogue heavy chapter because I genuinely enjoy suffering. Hope you do too!

Warmth was the first thing her sleep addled brain picked up on. She was surrounded in it, and it was seeping to her very core. The second thing she noticed was a slow rhythm. It was soft and muffled, but her ears were sensitive enough to hear it nonetheless. It was almost like a lullaby, compelling her to surrender herself to sleep once more. All of this, coupled with the fact that she was still very tired, made the decision almost too obvious for her. Nuzzling the incredibly soft pillow her head was resting on, Judy was ready to let slumber take her again. Until her pillow moved.

Eyes snapping open, she winced, the soft light in the room she was in still too harsh for her sensitive corneas. Once her eyes adapted to the light all she saw was a blurred sea of reddish orange. Craning her head up Judy looked around the unfamiliar room, trying to get her bearings.

The first thing that caught her eyes was the screen of the very big T.V. facing her displaying the menu for a movie. The haze fogging her mind cleared up a little, and she finally remembered where she was. She was temporarily staying with Nick, and this was his living room.

Her entire body relaxing now that she recognized the unfamiliar setting, Judy turned her head down to look at where she was sleeping and was surprised once more. Until moments ago her head was resting on Nick's tail. She craned her neck backwards to look behind her and found the rest of him curled around her. His face was completely relaxed, his mouth very slightly agape and softly snoring. His ears were splayed on the sides of his head, and his nose was almost imperceptibly wiggling with his every breath. She didn't know when she fell asleep, let alone when they basically started spooning each other but no matter how she tried to look at it, she couldn't bring herself to think it was a bad thing. Nick was clearly not bothered by it, and she was still feeling the almost numbing warmth course through her body, dissuading her from leaving such a comfortable embrace. With the last dregs of doubt leaving her mind, Judy lowered her head and hugged the wonderfully soft appendage in front of her with a sigh of contentment, looking forward to some more hours of rest.

BEEEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP!

Both jumping at the blaring sound coming from her phone, Judy scrambled for the device sitting on the floor, turning it off after a good fifteen seconds of juggling it in her paws. Silence fell in the room, save from the ragged breath of a rabbit and a fox.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, rabbit?" asked Nick, clearly not happy with what just happened.

"Sorry, I forgot to turn off my alarm last night," said Judy with a hint of guilt in her voice, still looking at the phone rather than Nick.

"What time is it anyway?"

"Five thirty in the morning."

A loud and irritated groan escaped him, and he lazily got up from the couch, dragging a paw on his face. His eyes still closed, he made his way to the kitchenette and started rummaging in the cupboard, "Want some coffee?"

Judy finally looked at him, "Oh, huh no thank you. Rabbits and coffee don't really mix well together," she shivered, reminiscing about the time her cousin Robbie drank close to half a litre of the beverage in his teens, and almost burned the house down trying to cook breakfast for the entire family in less than ten minutes.

"Suit yourself," said Nick, his eyes still not entirely open. After some more seconds of rummaging he finally found what he was looking for, a bag of ground coffee beans. With the beans in one paw and a cup in the other, he turned to the coffee machine sitting on the counter. Throwing away the old filter and replacing it with a new one from the stack right besides the machine, Nick poured some of the ground coffee in it and turned it on, a whirring sound echoing in the room.

"How's the leg?" asked Nick leaning on the counter, waiting for his "morning kickstarter" as he dubbed it to be ready.

Judy tentatively rotated her foot and prodded a little at the gauze before answering, "I think it's fine. It doesn't hurt nearly as much as yesterday, and most of all I don't feel it throbbing anymore."

"Glad to hear that," said Nick, before yawning loudly, all of his teeth clearly visible to Judy from where she was sitting on the couch.

The pearly whites looked extremely sharp, and a paw instinctively went to her throat where they clamped down not a full day ago. Her eyes lost focus and she looked straight ahead.

Even if not completely awake yet, Nick still noticed her odd behaviour. He cocked his head to the side, his ears flopping with it, and observed her for a moment, trying to understand what she was doing. Once his still not fully operational brain didn't come up with an answer itself, he decided to voice his concerns, "Carrots, what's up?"

Her eyes were glazed over and she didn't move a muscle except for her wiggling nose. She was back in the pit, with a savage fox that looked like Nick but at the same time wasn't him. Froth was at the corners of his snarling muzzle and a growl echoed through the exhibit. Bellwether's laugh was reverberating in the air. Judy was backed up to the wall and was staring directly into the mindless eyes of the fox in front of her, pleading him to come back to reason. It was all to no avail, and the fox pounced, sinking his teeth deep in her larynx.

Having received no response from the rabbit slightly unsettled Nick, who straightened his head and asked again, this time louder, "Carrots, is everything okay?"

Slowly, Judy turned her head towards Nick, and with a tear falling from her eye leaving a wet track on her cheek and her ears falling limp, she breathed, "I should've died."

Nick mentally cursed, 'Why can't these things never wait after I take my coffee?!' With a drawn out sigh, he moved away from the counter sending a last longing look at the machine and sat on the couch facing Judy and crossing his legs. She looked up at him, her expression downtrodden and on the verge of breaking into tears. Looking straight in her eyes, he asked, "What do you mean you should've died?"

Judy was looking right back at him, her eyes already wet and nose sniffling, "We should not be here Nick. I've put us in so many dangerous situations in just a pawful of hours, not even an action movie hero would've survived through that! And all just because I wanted to prove myself!" she was openly crying now. Each sob shook her body, and her voice cracking every other word.

"F-First we get kitnapped and… and almost 'iced' from a mafia boss, then a savage jaguar chases us through the Rainforest District! Th-Then we dive from a sewage pipe into a 100ft drop! And after I dragged you through all of this what do I do to thank you?! I go up on stage and basically call all predators dangerous and send Zootopia into a frenzy."

There was a pause in her speech, but Nick did not jump on it. He knew she just needed to vent right now, and let out everything that was on her mind. So he remained silent, ears and eyes focused on her, she had his undivided attention. After some more sobs and a deep breath, she continued.

"Oh but I wasn't done yet was I? After I ran and hid for three months, here I am again back from more! And of-of course I couldn't do it alone, noooooo! I just had to drag you back into it again! So I look for you all around town, and after I find you and you're kind enough to forgive me what happens next?! Oh, I just had to get the whole train full of evidence to the ZPD! The serum wasn't enough, no siree! So… So I hijack a freaking train car and get in a fist fight on said car's rooftop! And the kicker? We CRASHED THE TRAIN! We should've been dead there, but by some miracle we survived…"

Another pause, only this wasn't to recuperate her breath. If up until now she was agitated and almost shouting, this time she visibly deflated. Her eyes lowered to the couch, and her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Then the pit happened…" she said with a mixture of fear and self-deprecation that Nick would've never in a million years imagined Judy could wear.

"I really should have not survived that Nick. If it wasn't for you and your idea of switching the pellets with blueberries, I would not have came out of that pit alive. You would be savage now, and Zootopia would still be in chaos, just because I… Because I couldn't-" she had reached the breaking point. Unable to talk anymore, she curled herself into a ball, and openly wailed. It all came crashing onto her. All the mistakes she made, all the wrong moves that almost costed not only her life, but also the life of what was probably the only mammal that really supported her throughout the whole journey. It was too much, and she just let everything loose.

Seeing this unfold in front of him, Nick felt heartbroken himself. Yes, she may have made some mistakes but she also saved the city in the process. Yet all she could see right now was the negative side of the coin. Knowing that trying to talk to her at that moment would be futile, Nick scooped her up gently and placed her on his lap, brought his tail around to cover the both of them and just embraced the bunny. Right now all she needed was comfort, and even if he wasn't totally sure how to comfort a rabbit, especially an emotional one like her, he knew that physical contact was always a good start.

As soon as she realised she was being hugged by Nick, Judy clung to his shirt and pushed her face to his chest trying to smother her cries and not make a fool out of her self more than she already did. She felt him pet her ears and back while mumbling something that even with her superb hearing she couldn't understand in her current state but was grateful for nonetheless.

This went on for several minutes, with the bunny desperately clinging to him, and the fox calmly reassuring and comforting her. After Judy was finally able to calm down she hugged Nick back, face still firmly planted on his chest.

"Thank you," said Judy, voice hoarse from her emotional breakdown and muffled by the fox's shirt.

"You're not perfect Judy. No one is," Judy snapped her head upwards. This was the first time she heard the fox use her real name and not a moniker he made up for her. "Yes, you did some mistakes, and yes you could've died. But you still tried. You still persevered, you still came back. You saved the city rabbit, yet you still only focus on the negatives. And while you might have had to blackmail me the first time, when you came back asking for my help I followed you willingly, on my own accord. So stop bashing yourself over it okay?" Nick finally looked down to her, and saw her stare at him with large reddened amethyst eyes and a wiggling nose. Her fur was a mess both from sleeping and their impromptu cuddling session, making for probably the most adorable and at the same time heart wrenching sight he ever beheld.

"Besides, I almost died plenty of times even before I met you Fluff, so don't give yourself too much credit," he smiled.

Judy's ears slowly raised up on her head once more, and she tentatively asked, "What do you mean?"

Nick's left ear flicked and he just stared at her for a moment or two, before looking up again. "Do you know what's the difference between a con mammal and a con artist?"

Judy's brows creased in confusion, and she tilted her head sideways, mimicking what Nick did some minutes ago, "No?"

"A con mammal leaves their mark angry, a con artist leaves their mark smiling," said Nick, with a small smile on his muzzle.

"When I started hustling I had no idea what I was doing. I was young and inexperienced and only barely managed to get enough money to survive until the next day. One time when I was 14, I decided to try a more complicated hustle. I wanted to see if i could pull it off, you know? I felt like a seasoned veteran already and wanted to prove myself. So I started spreading the word that I was selling very expensive rugs dirt cheap relative to their original price, very classy stuff straight from Purrsia. In reality, they were scanty imitation me and an associate of mine would put together barely a day prior. One day, a polar bear approaches me and tells me his boss is interested in buying one and wants to meet me. That should've been my first warning that something was off, but I was too overconfident back then."

Nick closed his eyes and shook his head before continuing, "So I follow the guy, all the way into Tundratown and up to this enormous mansion. That was the second warning, but I still ignored it. That's how I first met Mr. Big. At the time, I had no idea who he really was, and throughout our transaction he never identified himself as a crime boss, only as an interested buyer. We sat down over dinner and discussed the price and what type of rug he wanted. He didn't seem to mind that I was extremely young, only that I was selling something he wanted. At the end of the night we struck a deal for a black and white rug with a zebra pattern. One of Mr. Big henchmammals drove me back and I immediately went to my associate to work on the rug."

A rueful smile crept on his muzzle, "Turns out my friend knew just the right mammal to get the fur from. Can you guess where this is going?" he asked glancing down to Judy. She looked entranced in his story and only nodded, never breaking eye contact with him.

Nick chuckled and resumed his story, "We make the rug and the deal is a success. I felt like the king of the world after that. I actually managed to make considerable profit from one of my scams instead of pocket change. After I actually learned who the mammal I just conned actually was, I thought no one could stop me," Nick clicked his tongue, "I was a real idiot," he said with scorn in his voice.

"We continued with this little scam for a while and spent money like there was no tomorrow, enjoying life like the spoiled brats we were, until one day we got sloppy with our work. One of the rugs we were selling came loose and undid itself right in front of the buyer. He was obviously furious and demanded his money back, problem was we already spent it all. Boy, did we geta beating for that." Nick said with a smile. Rather than regret in his eyes there was fondness, like he was recalling a childhood story. That thought gave Judy some pause. He actually was recalling a childhood story.

"Anyway, after that we decided to lay low for a while, we both didn't want to risk another beating and even if we spent most of it, we had enough money to stop for a short time. But I guess word got around fast that we were actually selling crap, because no more than 2 days later did Kevin and Raymond show up at a hangout spot I used to frequent. I tried to talk my way out of it, but it obviously didn't work. Only thing I got out of it was a gut punch from a polar bear and a hard shove into a limo. I was terrified of what was gonna happen, I couldn't see myself surviving this. Once I got in front of Mr. Big, I was 100% sure I was gonna die, if the look on his tiny face was anything to go by. I don't think I ever saw a mammal more infuriated in my life. He told me about the death of his 'grandmama', how he buried her in that same rug, that was apparently her favourite and how he found out only after she was already 6 inches under that it was made out of a skunk's butt fur."

Nick's brows furrowed for a second, "To this day I still don't know how he found out about that detail but I guess that's a perk of his 'job', getting to know those kind of things. Anyway, after he explained all this to me, that's when the hatch comes off and I am dangling above my icy demise. Before he 'iced' me, Mr. Big said he had only one question for me; Why was I doing that at such a young age?"

If Judy seemed entranced before, now she looked sharp as a tack, completely focused on every word that would come out of Nick's muzzle. "The question took me by surprise, and I was hesitant at first but after realising that I was gonna die anyway, I just spilled everything. I told him about the Scouts, about how my Mother barely made ends meet, hell I've even told him about my father…" Nick stopped for a second and his eyes seemed to unfocus and stare at nothing in particular.

Judy could almost see his brain going through the memories, "What happened to him?"

Nick's left ear twitched again, and he returned to the present, "That's not the important right now. The point his, Mr. Big must have took pity in me, because he ordered Kevin to put me down and close the hatch. I didn't know what was going on at this point, and all I could do was look directly at him, shaking like a leaf. He stared back at me and told me that he too was young and foolish once, so he understood my motives and would let me go this once but if I ever showed my face around his territory again, I would get what was coming to me. Needless to say I hightailed it out of there and never crossed paths with him until I met you," Nick finished his retelling and heaved a sigh, seemingly exhausted by only recalling the whole ordeal.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Nick," said Judy, with real sorrow in her voice and lowering her ears. In her mind, no one should go through what Nick did while they were so young.

"I'm not," was the immediate response of the vulpine. Judy ears snapped up so fast they almost hit Nick on the snout.

"What? Why?"

"Because it taught me to know my limits and were to draw the line. It humbled me, and made me realise that I wasn't in fact untouchable. Just like you, I should've died because of my mistakes, but I didn't. So I learned from them, I didn't let them stop me and I became better because of them," explained the reynard.

"What I'm trying to say Carrots, is that you should do the same. Don't make the mistakes you made stop you from becoming what you really want to be, and learn from them so you won't make them anymore."

Judy's eyes watered again. He was right, she shouldn't let what happened haunt her, but she should strive not to get herself in those situations again. She hugged him one more time, and even though she thought she had no more tears in her after her breakdown, some sobs still managed to escape her. "T-Thank you Nick"

Nick gently hugged her back, "There, there. Seriously, what is it with you bunnies and crying? It's starting to get creepy."

Judy snorted and lightly tapped him in the back, "Shut up and let me have this."

Some seconds later she pulled away from him and rubbed her eyes with her paws, trying to dry some of the tears from her fur. With a small smile on her face she looked at Nick again, "I bet this was not how you thought your morning would go, is it?"

Nick chuckled, "No definitely not, but I had worse. Now however, I am in desperate need of a coffee," he said before gently picking up Judy again and sitting her on the couch. "You said you didn't want any, but maybe I can tempt you with some tea?"

Her smile growing, Judy nodded, "I would really like that, thank you."

With a nod of his own, Nick got up from the couch and got to the kitchenette once more. His coffee was cold at this point, and even if it pained him to waste even a spill of the beverage, he poured it over in the sink. If there was anything worse than bad coffee, it was cold coffee. So he prepared the machine once more, and put a teapot on the stove for Judy.

Judy remained silent and just observed the fox at work. She was still feeling a bit off, and she was just mentally recuperating. Her ears still drooped, but with a smile on her muzzle, she thought of how fortunate she was to have a friend like Nick in her life. He seemed to believe in her even when Judy herself didn't, and that was something the bunny never knew she needed so much until now.

After a while a shrill whistle erupted from the teapot, and the humming from the coffee machine stopped almost simultaneously. Gathering two mugs from the cupboard, Nick poured both liquids into them and turned towards Judy, "Black, green, or mint tea Carrots?"

Judy weighed her options for a moment, before picking green tea. She heard somewhere that it was supposed to help you relax, and she thought she could use it in that moment. Nodding, Nick dropped the small tea bag into the mug and got back on the couch, offering it to her. She gladly accepted relishing the warmth seeping through her paws.

"So now that we averted that crisis, I have to bring up an obvious issue," said Nick after he took a sip of the still scalding hot coffee in his paws. If he didn't know it already, he would have been surprised of how much he loved it.

Judy quirked an eyebrow at that, "What issue?"

"Your clothing situation Carrots. As much as I love how cu-" a death glare coming from the rabbit made Nick gulp and correct himself, "adorable you look in that oversized shirt, it's not really something you can wear in public now, is it?"

Judy kept her glare for a couple of more seconds for good measure, but it didn't seem to faze Nick all that much, so with a sigh she dropped it and thought about what the fox just said. "Yeah you're right. I guess you have a solution?"

Nick smirked at her, "Glad to see you're learning. I propose that after we're finished with our drinks since your leg seems to be better, I put a laundry load with your clothes and after that we go out for a quick bite and a little bit of shopping, just until you can go back to Bunnyburrow and get your stuff."

"Until we can go back Nick. My dad wants to meet you too, remember?"

"Yeeeah about that, are you sure it's a good idea? A fox in a house full of rabbits isn't really the best idea I've ever heard. I wouldn't want to cause more trouble than it's worth," Nick nervously explained.

"You wouldn't be the first fox my family ever met Nick, don't worry. Besides, you would cause more trouble by not coming at this point. My parents already think of you as this sex crazed monster, not showing up would only make it worse," Judy reassured.

Nick hummed, "If you say so Carrots," he was still clearly unconvinced. This made Judy a little worried, maybe he wasn't comfortable in meeting her parents? But why would he be? He wasn't her boyfriend or anything, so it shouldn't matter to him right?

Judy didn't have enough time to wonder on that however, as Nick quickly changed the subject back to the original conversation, "So what do you say? Think you can handle some Wilde shopping?" he asked as he waggled his eyebrows and drew closer.

Judy snorted, and put a paw to his snout pushing it away, "You're terrible! And yeah, I think I can manage a little bit of shopping," her ears snapped to attention once more and her nose wiggled when she remembered and important detail. "Or rather I would, if I had more than 30 dollars on me," she said as she looked back to the bathroom door, where her jeans and wallet resided.

Nick shrugged, "I can lend you some if you want."

Judy shook her head in the negative, "You are already doing more than necessary Nick, I can't ask you that too!"

"Carrots, I'm not lending you money to go gambling, I'm lending you money to buy clothes. Stop being so hesitant about it!" said Nick. He couldn't understand why she was making it such a big deal. Money were such a fickle thing.

Judy frowned, "I'll accept on the condition that as soon as we get to Bunnyburrow I will pay you back."

"Will me saying yes to that make you shut up about this whole 'doing too much' business?" asked Nick with a smirk.

"Just shut up and accept you dumb fox!"

Nick chuckled and shook his head. This bunny was too stubborn for her own good. He sent a smile her way, "Drink up Carrots, we got an exciting day ahead of us."

A/N: And that's that. Little bit heavy for bed talk isn't it? Honestly, this was a real challenge for me, because the amount of emotion displayed in this chapter alone was almost overwhelming to write. I hope I did them justice and portrayed them fairly. As always all reviews and feedback on how to improve or where I did wrong is more than appreciated!