Hello again! Here's Chapter 7.

First: a warning. Again theres no sex, drugs, violence. There IS a little description and mention of childhood neglect which you may find distressing. Its not particularly long but its there.

Apologies for the cliffhanger ending, but I felt it was either that or have a ridiculously long chapter.

As per usual, thanks for any and all favourites, follows, reviews, praise, criticism. It all means a great deal to me. Everything Zootopia belongs to Disney, I own nothing

Enoy!

Chapter 7

"Soooooo... its Friday". Judy spoke cautiously, her wide eyes filled with both apprehension and excitement. As they had passed the day at work, she had become gradually more impatient: tapping her paws against the floor, ears constantly twitching, eyes repeatedly darting to whatever clock was nearby.

The pair were lying on Judy's well used leather couch, fox on one side and rabbit on the other. The TV was on but neither of them were watching.

"Oh my god Carrots. You're right. I'm so sorry I forgot". Nick raised his hands in apology

Judy smiled and opened her mouth

"Polar Police 2. I'm sure we can still catch most of it". Nick reached for the remote, yelping when Judy kicked his hand away.

"Dumb fox" she growled.

"Oh, you mean the other thing?" Nick winked. Inwardly, his stomach did a somersault. A part of him hoped she had forgotten. He doubted he would ever feel entirely comfortable talking about his past and he suspected it would only the get worse the deeper he probed.

Judy patted his leg soothingly, brushing the fur and making the fox shiver slightly. "We dont have to do it if you dont want to Nick"

Nick considered politely refusing. He considered postponing it, cancelling it, running out the door. The familiar fear rushed over him and he felt as if he were on the edge of an abyss, wondering whether to jump. He wasn't sure whether he could open old wounds. But the thought occurred to him

"Has she ever let you down before? Do you think she would ever refuse you anything?"

Nick smiled: unusually shy rather than confident or sarcastic. "You sure Judes? Last time we did this, I ended up moving in and we ended up a lot..." another wink " closer than before. I think I still have a Judy sized indent in my fur. Unless you're planning on us getting married...?"

Judy gave him another playful kick. "I think we can stop before it gets THAT far. Besides". Her tone turned sincere "not a day goes by I'm not grateful about you letting me in. Why not take it a little further?"

Nick swallowed heavily and he imagined himself jumping.

"Soppy bunny. Ok Doctor: Let us continue this tale of woe and despair": Nick melodramatically sank back in the couch and threw a hand over his face, trying to lift his own spirits as well as Judy's.

Judy sat up, and spoke quickly and quietly: not giving herself time to doubt or hesitate.

"Why don't you like to talk about family?"

Nick had been anticipating this question for days. He noticed how she would worriedly glance at him whenever the topic came up. He knew she was curious about it. And yet his blood still froze and he still suppressed a shudder, hearing it spoken. Years of self conditioning had turned his fear and loathing of the topic into instinct.

To Judy's shock, Nick climbed off the couch. He gave a weak smile at her alarmed expression.

"Relax Whiskers, I'm not running away. There's a couple places I should show you, if you want to get the real Nick Wilde experience"

As he grabbed his coat from a hook, he spotted a question in Judy's eyes. "And I promise not to drag you through any-more herds of wilder-beasts or unfriendly neighbourhoods"

Judy nodded solemnly. "Lead the way"

...

The two were quiet as they walked through the gloomy dull streets of central Zootopia. It had been a miserable day and was developing into a miserable evening: a light drizzle persisted, the roads were dotted with grey puddles, and dark clouds hung menacingly and close over their heads. The animals they passed hid themselves under their umbrellas and kept their heads down, as passing cars shot past, headlights shining harshly through the murkiness, wheels spraying water onto unlucky pedestrians.

Judy kept close to Nick, anxiously noting how his expression seemed to have hardened with grim determination. To her surprise, they seemed to be heading to the leafy suburbs of Zootopia as the houses grew taller and grander, and the cars more expensive. Shaking rainwater from her black waterproof , she marvelled at her surroundings. She had always assumed Nick came from a poor background but these houses...

The sky rumbled: tiny droplets of rains drummed on the pavement and tarmac. Finally Nick stopped outside the gates of one of the houses and sat on the garden wall which ringed the house: taking no heed of the rain which soaked his fur. He spoke with a subdued voice

"We're here"

Judy took a long look at the house. It seemed remarkably normal: a well mown garden with a cobbled path leading up to a two story brick house. Two cars lined the driveway. Light shone out the windows and Judy could make out the figures of people moving through the curtains. It was a picture of middle class domesticity.

Nick remained silent for a few minutes so Judy, taking a seat on the wall next to him, spoke in a low voice

"I dont suppose we'll find your parents and a couple of happy siblings in there?"

Nick didn't answer for a moment. He stared intently at the house, a deep longing in his eyes. Finally he spoke

"I used to sleep right...there", pointing at a shining window at the top left of the house. Judy strained her eyes but couldn't make out a shape within it. He continued wistfully "The walls were light green: I think they were supposed to match my eyes. I remember I had a big wooden box with toys at the foot of my bed. I had a bunch of ranger scout posters on the wall and...and..". He struggled a moment before quitting. "Each time I come back here, I remember a little less"

"Nevermind." He pointed again, this time at the front garden "Thats where I used to tie ropes, plant seeds, build trenches." He recited the mantra. "Brave, loyal, helpful and trustworthy. I was the perfect scout."

Judy restrained herself from holding him close. She had to let him finish the story.

"I never knew my Dad. Mom never told me about him. Every-time I asked, she said she'd tell me when I'm older. Sometimes I liked to imagine he was a spy off on a secret mission or a astronaut in space. I liked to imagine him coming back home one day and telling me about all his adventures. But I never knew him so I never really missed him..."

Judy silently clenched her fists.

"But I got on well with Mom. As long as we had each other, that was enough. I must have cried for days after the ranger scouts incident and she sat with me the whole time. I remember her working hard to make ends meet, worrying about money and such, but she was always there: when I woke up and when I went to bed."

Nick shook his head slightly to clear off some rainwater. He continues: the emotion draining from his voice and eyes. He felt as if he were coolly observing himself from a distance, as if someone else was talking. His eyes were fixed on what appeared to be the downstairs living room of the house: reliving the moment.

" I still dont know what exactly happened next. One day when I musta been around ten, I get home and let myself in. And there's nothing. The house is cold, empty, silent. I check her bedroom and I notice how all her stuff is gone. I figure sure thats weird but maybe it was a work thing for her secretary job. So I just sit myself down, make myself a few sandwiches, throw the tv on, wait for her to come back."

"A couple of hours later, its bedtime and she's still not here. I'm freaking out of course but she'll be here in the morning. I stay downstairs with the tv on. I wanted to see her the second she walked in. Plus I was too scared to turn off the lights and walk upstairs in the dark"

Nick gave a thin bitter smile.

"Next morning I wake up alone on the couch. I figure she's only a few hours away now. I make some more sandwiches for breakfast. "Just a few more hours". I keep making sandwiches, keep watching tv, keep waiting. Light bulb bursts because I never turned it off: thats okay because the TV gives off some light. Bread runs out, I start living off cereal. Cutlery and plates gets filthy, I start eating out of boxes and cans. Trash is piling up but thats okay because Mom will clean it when she gets back"

"I lost track of time but I think it was a couple of days before the police came round. I told them they can wait with me if they like." A dark laugh "They dragged me out of the house."

The drizzle had become a downpour.

"I must have come back here thousands of times over the years. Dont know why. I think a little part of me still hopes: still expects Mom to show up to pick up where we left off. Just can't let go I guess"

Judy was scared. She found herself wishing he got angry, wishing he cried, wishing he showed any emotion whatsoever. Nick's face was so impassive, so empty, that he could have been reading aloud a weather forecast. She looked deep in his eyes and saw... Nothing.

She reached for him and the fox slid out of her reach.

"One last stop Carrots. Still have to finish the story"

Judy finally found her voice. "Nick, maybe another time..."

Nick shook his head curtly. "I can't tell this twice. Lets go"

He marched off into the rain.

...

The sign read "Sunny-lane Orphanage"

It looked more like a military compound: complete with barbed wire and watch-towers. The rain beat relentlessly on grey walls and tiny slits which Judy supposed were windows. The buildings themselves were cheap one story blocks, devoid of any colour or character. There was a small patch of concrete beside the buildings on which a few twisted metal structures stood: a playpen.

Nick leaned on the sign.

"It doesn't look great but it wasn't that bad. You got three meals a day and shelter. Clean beds, hot showers. The animals who worked there were mostly nice. But I was a fox and that made me unwelcome with the other kids. Name calling, muzzling. You name it. Basically the Ranger Scouts all over again, except there was no escape."

He peered through the barbed wire

"And... And I still couldn't believe I belonged there. That was for people who didn't have parents but I just knew my mom would come home. Every minute I stayed there, my old home and my old life seemed further away"

"So I ran away one night. It was pretty easy and no one looked too hard for a fox. I slept under a bridge, learned how to play cards and hustle, and I would check my old home three times a day to see if mom was finally back. Then once a day. Once every two days. Once a week. You get the idea"

"My dad and my mom. Even ten year old Nick saw a pattern of people leaving. Started to think maybe the Ranger Scouts were right about foxes. Sometimes I still think that."

Nick felt a small paw touch his arm and he gave a start, as if surprised Judy was still there. Her voice wavered and shook as she asked

"Do you ever think I'll leave you?" She took a deep breath "That you'll come home one day and find I'm gone?"

Nick nodded. Judy's ears were folded back behind her head and the tips touched the wet pavement. She was aghast. She expected it to be bad but this?

"Get him home" a voice screamed in her head. "Get him safe"

Judy got a soft hold of Nick's arm and led him back to the apartment and out of the pouring rain.