After yet another long week of enforcing the law, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps were ready for the weekend. Though Nick was relieved that he once again had the opportunity to sleep in, Judy had made plans for the entire weekend; namely wedding planning. Nick grumbled his displeasure about having to be involved with all of it, wishing that they could just go to the courthouse and have a small ceremony and be done with it.
Judy, like so many other girls, dreamed of a big wedding; an outdoor wedding to be precise. As she went on and on describing everything she wanted, Nick kept seeing their bank balance growing leaner and leaner. Traditionally, the father of the bride was expected to pay for the wedding, but with Judy parents having two-hundred seventy five bunnies to take care of, that was out of the question. Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Nick gave in, agreeing to Judy's wishes, albeit it grudgingly.
"Okay," said Nick, setting down at their desktop computer. "I suppose we should start by sending out invitations."
"Right," agreed Judy. "Let's make a list."
Nick opened the word processing program on the computer and pulled up a blank document to start out the list. Stretching his paws in preparing to type, the fox turned around, looking at Judy.
"Please tell me we don't have to mail out an invitation for everyone of your siblings, honey bunny."
Judy scoffed. "No, dumb fox. All of my siblings are either still living at home or in Bunny Burrow with the rest of my family."
"Just checking," mused Nick. "My tongue would get pretty dry licking two-hundred and seventy five stamps."
"Smart alec," snorted Judy. "You know very well that stamps already come with the adhesive on them these days."
"These days, everyone should be sending digital invitations, not sending paper through snail mail."
"Not everyone has a computer, Nick."
"What about a cell phone?" he said, "It's 2016. I think everyone has one of those."
"Not all of my family," stated Judy.
Nick spun himself around in the computer chair, facing Judy in complete disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. Do they even have electricity in Bunny Burrow?"
Judy twisted Nick's right ear, "Yes, we have electricity, you smart ass!"
"Ow, ow, ow!" said Nick, pulling Judy's paw off of his ear before rubbing it. "If your mother was here she'd be chastising you for that filthy mouth of yours."
"Nick,' grumbled Judy. "Would you please get back to the list?"
"Yeah, yeah," said Nick, spinning his chair around so that he was once again facing the computer. "Okay, so we obviously have your parents, Stu and Bonnie Hopps. They'll take care of informing all your siblings. . . " Nick paused, making Judy wonder what the matter was.
"Was is it?" asked the rabbit.
Nick spun around to face Judy once more. "By the way, you'll want to have carrot cake at the wedding, right?"
"Nick!"
Grinning and amused that he had made his fiance grumpy, Nick spun the chair back to face the computer. "Okay, I'll take this seriously, honey bunny."
Nick and Judy made an exhaustive list of all her family members in Bunny Burrow that she wished to invite to the wedding. If Nick thought that their bank account would be lean before, after Judy had finally called off her entire family he thought that they might need to take out a loan to pay for the wedding; not a pleasant thought to the money conscious fox.
"Okay, I think that's it for my family. Now, onto your side."
"Alright," said Nick, feeling his paws ache. "Uh, would you mind taking over the typing, honey bunny? My paws are killing me."
"Sure," said Judy.
Nick relinquished his seat to Judy. As he stood up, he realized that his legs were almost asleep from sitting for such a long interval. Leaning down, he rubbed at them with his paws, trying to restore life back into them from the lack of circulation. As Nick was feeling the warmth of blood flowing back into his legs, Judy spoke aloud, naming out Nick's family members as she typed them.
"Let's see," said the rabbit. "We have Cindy Wilde, your Mom. There's your Uncle Bill and Aunt Sophie, your cousins Richard, Alan and Denise. . . ."
Judy went on and on, typing away, when something suddenly popped into her mind. In all the time she'd known Nick, she had never once heard him mention a word about his father. Judy knew that Nick had been raised by his mother, but had no idea as to the whereabouts of his father. The cop in Judy knew that there were only a few reasons for this. One: Nick had never known his father. Two: His father was dead. Three: Nick knew who his father was, but didn't wish to have a relationship with him.
"Nick," said Judy as she slowly turned around to face her fiance. "What about your father? Should we invite him?"
Immediately, Nick stopped rubbing his legs. Standing straight up, he slowly folded his arms, an irritated look hung over him. "No," he said flatly.
"What . . . what's the deal with your father anyway, sweeite?" said Judy, in a calm voice.
"The deal is, my father is a worthless, no good son of a bitch," said Nick, his face looking angrier by the second. Against her better judgment, Judy continued to press the issue.
"But is there any chance you might . . ."
"Judy," interrupted Nick. "I don't want to talk about my father, okay?"
"Okay, okay," said Judy, trying to calm down her husband to be. "Let's go back to the list."
"Good idea," said Nick in a none too pleasant tone.
Judy breathed a sigh of relief. She had obviously hit a nerve with Nick, who grew hostile when she even brought up the subject of his father. To say that Nick was sensitive about the subject would have been a tremendous understatement. As the couple continued with their invitation list, Judy decided that she was going to have to find out more about Nick's father, and she knew just the person to talk to.
Later that day, Judy told Nick that she was going out shopping for some groceries. This was only a ruse for her real purpose She couldn't get the thought of Nick's father out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to know why it was that Nick hated his father so much; what it was he did to make Nick so bitter.
"Apartment C12," said Judy to herself. Walking up to the door of a low rent apartment building. "Here we are."
She knocked on the door and waited. Her sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of footsteps getting closer to the door before the stopped. There was a brief moment where the person behind the door must have been looking through the peep hole to see who was knocking. Then, the door opened.
"Judy," said the vixen standing in the doorway. "Come in!"
"Thanks, Cindy," said Judy as she walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her.
"Sorry, if the place is a little messy," said the vixen. "I've been working a lot at the restaurant lately, so my cleaning's kind of been neglected."
Judy looked around the tiny apartment of Cindy Wilde, Nick's mother. It was a small area, with a single, torn couch being the only furnishing that Judy could see in the living room. Taking off her jacket, Judy sat down next to Cindy.
"Could I get you something to drink?" offered the vixen.
"Oh, no thank you," said Judy. "Thank you for agreeing to see me."
Cindy smiled, and Judy could see some of the same features in her as she did in Nick. "You're always welcome here, Judy. After all, you're going to be my daughter-in-law!"
"Thank you," said Judy. "Cindy, I've got a favor to ask of you."
"Sure," said the vixen as she crossed her legs. "What is it?"
"Could . . . could you tell me about Nick's father?"
Cindy was taken aback. "Nick's father?"
"Yes. Earlier today, Nick and I were making up the guest list for the wedding and I brought up the subject of his father and he got really upset. I'd never heard him mention anything about his father, and after how he reacted, I didn't want to press the issue any further."
Cindy got up from the couch and went over to the refrigerator, bringing out a beer. Twisting the top off, she took a long swig before setting it down on the floor. "Nick's father . . . what is there to say about him? He knocked me up and then abandoned us."
"Has Nick ever met him before?" asked Judy.
"No," said Cindy. "I didn't even tell him who his father really was until he was sixteen. He's never shown any interest in wanting to meet his Dad."
"Maybe I could change that," said Judy.
"Honey," said Cindy before taking another drink of her beer. "I highly doubt that, but you can try."
"I want to try. I don't want him going through the rest of his life hating his father," said Judy. "Do you know how I can get in touch with him?"
Cindy sighed. "I have his phone number, at least I think it's still his phone number. I haven't called him in years . . . so it might not even be in service anymore."
"Could . . . could you try?" asked Judy.
"Yeah," said Cindy. "I'll try and set something up for you, but don't get your hopes up."
"Thanks," said Judy, giving the vixen a big hug. "I hope I can have Nick reconcile with his father."
Judy gave Cindy a hug before heading out the door. As the door closed, Cindy shook her head. "Don't count on it, honey."
Another week went by and Nick and Judy were enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon at home snuggled up on the couch and watching a movie. The week had been particularly long for the two as they had been forced to work double shifts three of the give workdays. It had been grueling work, with a triple murder in the 1st Precinct's jurisdiction.
Chief Bogo had ordered the extra shifts in response to the homicides, vowing to make that case priority number one. With several officers on the case, the perpetrator was eventually brought into custody by the precinct's new star officer, Nick Wilde. After that, Nick was even more appreciative of his weekends.
"Mmm," said Nick as Judy rubbed up against him. "Nothing like spending some quality time with my honey bunny."
"And I love spending quality time with my handsome fox," added Judy.
Nick ran his paws through Judy's long, silky smooth ears. Judy pulled away, propping her feet up on Nick's lap. The fox smirked over in Judy's direction. "Does my honey bunny need a foot massage?"
"She she does," said Judy. "Would you please?"
"My pleasure," said Nick. "After all, rabbit's feet are suppose to bring good luck!"
"Oh," said Judy, feeling the tension and pain melt away from her feet. "Nick . . . that feels wonderful."
Nick rubbed away at Judy's feet, making his fiance feel like a million dollars. Unfortunately for Nick, he suddenly felt his stomach grumbling.
"Uh-oh," said Nick, putting a paw on his stomach.
"What's wrong?" asked Judy.
"I need to go to the bathroom!" said Nick, moving Judy's feet off his lap and making a mad dash to the bathroom.
"Great," said Judy. "My foot massage ends and now I won't be able to go in the bathroom for an hour!"
As Judy waited for Nick to finish his business, there was a knock at the door. Jumping to her feet, Judy ran over and checked to see who it was through the peephole. A tall, middle-aged looking fox in a very expensive double breasted tan suit was standing outside of the apartment.
"Oh my God," said Judy as she unchained the door and released the lock. Opening the door, she was greeted by the fox smiling at her pleasantly.
"Is this the home of Nick Wilde?" asked the fox.
"Yes it is!" said Judy, awestruck by who it was. "Your Norman Skulk, the industrialist!"
Norman Skulk, multi-millionaire and known to everyone in Zootopia was one of the richest animals in the city. He had grown up poor, but had amassed a fortune through lucrative business deals. Very much in the public eye, Skulk had been involved in philanthropy, charity and numerous events.
"I am," said Skulk. "You must be Judy."
"I'm Judy," said the rabbit, still blown away that Norman Skulk was standing in her apartment. "But, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I . . ."
Norman was interrupted by the sound of a toilet flushing in the background. Nick soon appeared, looking much better than before he'd run into the bathroom as though he was fleeing from a tornado.
"Oh," said Nick, wiping his forehead. "I feel much better after . . ."
Nick caught sight of Norman and instantly stopped in his tracks. Judy ran over, grabbing Nick's arm. "Nick, Nick, Norman Skulk is in our house! Can you believe it?"
Nick cocked his head to the side while Norman attempted to talk. "Hello, Nick . . . you look good."
Nick's look of confusion was slowly turning into the very same expression of anger Judy had seen when she brought up the subject of his father. Judy, confused at first, looked back and forth between Norman and Nick, and then it finally dawned on her why Norman Skulk was standing in her home.
"Wait a minute . . . you mean . . . you mean Norman Skulk . . . is your father?"
"Well, I . . ." began Norman.
"I wouldn't put it any higher than sperm donor, right, Dad?"
"Nick, I'm sorry about . . ."
"Day late and a dollar short, Dad," said Nick, his voice oozing with contempt. "Tell me, how many other secretaries did you knock up and then fire, huh? You remember what it was like, growing up poor, right? Well, guess what? That's exactly how Mom and I lived, in dirty, filthy apartments that should have been condemned. Oh, it was so much fun living on food stamps, getting made fun of because your clothes are too small but your Mom couldn't afford to go out and get new ones. You happy to hear that that's how your son grew up, Dad?"
"I'm sorry I put you through that Nick."
"Oh, you're sorry? I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that you're the biggest hypocrite and liar in all of Zootopia! I wonder what everybody would think if they found out you have a bastard son who was forced to work as a con artist to try and make it in the world? You think that might blemish your public image? As far as I'm concerned, you're the bastard and con-artist!"
"Please, Nick, hear me out."
Nick stomped over to the door, flinging it open. "Get out," he snarled under his breath as he pointed out to the hall.
"I'm begging you, Nick . . ."
"GOD DAMNIT, I SAID GET THE HELL OUT, NOW!" screamed Nick at the top of his lungs.
With his head hanging low and tail between his legs, Norman Skulk, millionaire and philanthropist, walked out of his illegitimate son's home in disgrace. Nick wasted no time in slamming the door behind his father as he huffed and puffed in a terrible wrath.
"I can't believe the nerve of that asshole," growled the fox as he went out to the kitchen. "Showing up here like he can just ask for my forgiveness!"
Judy, realizing that plan had backfired terribly, tried her best to conduct some damage control. "Nick, are you alright?"
"No," said Nick, getting a plate out of the cupboard for some food. "The last person in the world I wanted to see was that piece of shit. How did he even know where I live?"
The fox opened the refrigerator, sticking his head in to look for something to eat. Judy knew that she had to confess her involvement in the ordeal.
"Nick . . . it's my fault."
"What do you mean," asked Nick, still angry.
"I . . . I went and saw your Mom. She called Norman and must have told him where we live. I didn't mean to upset you."
Nick stopped rummaging through the refrigerator. Slowly, he moved his head out from inside and closed the door. His plate still in his paws, he glared angrily at his fiance.
"You . . . you did this?" said Nick, barely able to contain his rage.
"Y-y-yes, Nick." said a sheepish Judy.
Nick took the plate and slammed it down onto the kitchen floor. The ceramic dish shattered into several pieces as it gouged the linoleum. Judy screamed in terror as she witnessed Nick's terrible wrath.
"Nick, you're scaring me!"
Nick pointed his paw at Judy, shaking it angrily. "Unbelievable, Judy. Un-fucking-believable. I told you to leave it alone, and what do you do? You bring that scummy sack of crap over into our house. Well, good job!"
"Nick, please forgive me!" begged Judy.
Nick shook his head in disbelief. Grabbing his jacket, he opened the door and headed out, with Judy following close behind him.
"Get away from me," said Nick. "I don't even want to look at you right now."
"Nick, let's talk about this!" begged Judy. It was at this time that several tenants in the building had opened their apartment doors, wondering what all the commotion was about. Nick saw an adult male beaver sticking his head out the door and staring at him.
"The hell are you looking at?" snarled Nick. "Mind your own fucking business!"
The beaver heeded the fox's advice, going back inside and shutting the door. Judy continued pleading with Nick as the elevator door opened and he got on.
"Nick, please, come back home! We can talk about this!"
Nick just glared at her in anger as the doors closed, taking him to the ground floor. Judy ran back into the apartment, tears running down her face as she sobbed. She had gone from making a wedding invitation list to wondering if there would even be a wedding now.
