Nick walked back to Judy's room and was about to knock on the door when he heard voices. He couldn't hear what was being said but he could tell that Judy and her mother were in a heated conversation. Tip toeing quietly away he made his way downstairs, he was heading out the door when he saw Stu in the kitchen cooking something. Stu turned around, saw him and waved him into the room. Reluctantly Nick walked back to the kitchen and leaned against the counter.
"So you and Jude got pretty drunk last night" Stu said still working on whatever he was working on.
"We had a little to drink, yes" Nick said, his patients with this man's attitude was beginning to wear thin.
"Why" Stu continued putting whatever it was on a plate.
"Why" Nick asked, his tone changing to a condescending pitch "Maybe because of that little stunt you pulled last night" Stu went to interrupt but Nick cut him off "you've made it pretty clear to her that you don't approve of anything she's done, first with her job and now me" Nick was now scowling at the short, fat, little rabbit in front of him.
"Why wouldn't she have a little to drink" he added and Stu's face changed to an angry expression that Nick found hilarious.
"Now listen here I" Stu sputtered, Nick waved his words away and straightened up crossing his arms.
"You may be her dad but you're not mine, so don't try to give me a "talking to". And guess what, she doesn't need you to protect her anymore, I've seen her knock out a wolf. Can you do that" Nick asked, Stu simply shook his head.
"Mr. Hopps I'm not a threat to your daughter. I" Nick stopped he rubbed his brow trying to come up with words but when he looked up he saw that Stu's face had changed. His face had softened to one of almost fear and he was staring at the staircase, Nick turned to look and saw Judy standing there crying.
"Why" she asked before walking out the door slamming it behind her. Nick took off after her and caught up with her in the driveway. She had been crying and walking towards the car, Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"We never should have come here" she said "I knew people wouldn't accept us but I thought my own parents" she cried into his chest. The door behind them flung open and a sobbing Stu ran out after them.
"Judy wait" he called and ran down the driveway wheezing as he came to a stop. Nick and Judy stood there watching him struggle to breath, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"Judy, I have not been a good father" he said trying to hold back his tears and failing miserable "And I know that. I've never supported you and that's wrong" he sniffs and continues "And I'm trying to change I am. So even though I, I may not like your choices I will, I will respect them" and he broke down.
Judy also crying moved forward and hugged her father and they cried together. Nick stood there and took in the whole thing not really knowing what was happening or what to do. He just kicked his feet on the driveway moving rocks around and waiting.
After a minute or so Judy and her father broke apart and Stu went back inside. Judy went back to Nick and hugged him.
"Bunnies" he said "You guys are too emotional" Judy laughed into him mixing her tears with the laughter.
"Shut up" she said holding him closer, he returned the embrace while petting her head. "I'm good now" she said breaking away, he put his paw under her chin and raised her head so they were looking into each other's eyes.
"Now what was all that about" Nick asked "Why'd your dad come storming out to stop us". Judy smiled weakly as she looked at him.
"Well" she started "My mom came in early, while you were gone and started "explaining" to me that you and I don't belong together and that we shouldn't be affectionate to each other in their house" Judy paused rubbing her paws nervously before continuing, as if it was difficult to say the words again "We fought, and at the end I said we were no different than them, that we were right and that if they couldn't accept you then they couldn't accept me" she looked up at him "then I said good bye". Nick was dumbstruck, she was willing to leave her family for him?
She believed in him, wanted him that much? He smiled, not a cocky or self-confident smile like usual but a smile filled with joy. What he had done the morning before had been the right choice. Was now the right time? He reached into his pocket and felt it, looking at her as he did.
Then his phone rang, he grabbed it and read the message. It was a text from an unknown number, it read simply "Here you are. Go get them" followed by an address. He showed it to Judy who grabbed the phone and shook with excitement.
"I know this place" she said taking off towards the car "it's an old warehouse complex, hurry up" she jumped in the driver's seat pulling his spare keys from the glovebox.
"Hey carrots, do you think maybe I should drive I mean" Nick said as he walked towards the car. It was his car after all, he would like the paint to remain intact.
"Shut up and get in fox" she said throwing on his shades "We have work to do". Nick was stifling laughter as he climbed in reaching over to retrieve his glasses that were slipping off her face.
Judy took off like a rocket, easily passing the speed limit as she raced toward the warehouses. Nick sat in the passenger seat getting more and more nervous, he really couldn't afford another citation on this car.
Judy continued at break neck speed the whole way, stopping right outside the complex both of them silently slid out of the vehicle. Moving along the walls of the compound they found a small ledge where they could watch the warehouses from. Climbing onto the ledge they crammed up against each other to get a good view.
As they sat and watched Nick reflected on how fast the last couple of days had been. In the span of a week he had gotten the girl, pissed off said girl's parents, possibly lost his car if they had passed any stoplight cameras, and now he was crammed up on a wall trying to find a dangerous criminal duo with no back up.
"Just like the good old days" he muttered, Judy turned to him and smiled.
"You know if us being cops doesn't work out we could always go private" he said "WildeHopps private eye". Judy giggled under her breath.
"First off" she replied "it would be Hopps and Wilde. And secondly why don't we just make sure we don't get fired" Nick shrugged or at least he shrugged the best he could on the tight space.
"This is more fun though" he said "plus you can't take nudie shots as a cop" he grinned at her. She looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"If you want to take naked pictures so bad all you have to do is ask" she said pulling the side of her shirt down a tad before returning it to her shoulder. Nick smiled and went to say something when he noticed a truck pull up, it backed into a spot right in front of a hangar door, which opened for it.
"You see that" Nick said pointing at it, Judy nodded as she pulled out her phone.
"Clawhauser" she said after the phone had rung a short time. There was a pause in which Nick heard Clawhauser excitedly talking about something. "This is not a social call" Judy finally said "we have eyes on the nighthowler production facility at 6318 norths beets street just north of Redwall" another pause "unit D".
Then Nick saw him, quickly nudging Judy and pointing to the truck which a particular ram was exiting.
"We've got him" Judy said into her phone "We've got Jesse".
A half an hour or so passed before the squad cars quietly arrived lining up just out of sight. Nick and Judy left their perch and met up with them walking over to where they saw Chief Bogo standing, Nick took note of a familiar sedan parked next to the squad cars. They walked up in front the Chief who looked his usual self, irritated.
"I thought I put you two on vacation" he said "do you know what vacation is, I'll tell you what it isn't, working" he said down to the two small officers.
"We got a lead and we followed it" Nick said "we found the bad guys". He pointed to the warehouse and shrugged, Bogo looked at him and just waved them away. Nick made his way over to the tactical unit's van and grabbed a vest and tase rifle. Walking over to the rest of the tactical squad he put his vest on and checked his charge. The team was gathered going over the building layout and the entry points of every team, he found a spot open in alpha team and sat down next to a rhino he knew from the Academy.
"Speed is key gentlemen" the lieutenant up front said "you have to get in and block their escape, weapons are free so if it moves tase it". Everyone nodded some of them laughed, Nick thought he had something to add.
"Oh yeah" he said "and sir, that building is probably full of rabbits hopped up on nighthowler gas. I can tell you from personal experience that that is nothing to mess with" he felt the chuckle rise amongst the present officers and the rhino next to him gave him a slight bump with his elbow and a wink. Nick sat back down wondering before it hit him why they were laughing and he felt the dread, which he hid behind a smile. Worry later, he thought, gonna have one hell of a fight real soon.