CHAPTER 09: WOUNDS AND WIVES PART 2

"Wedding!? You're Father!?"

"Yeah Silly! I'm getting married!" Fru was overjoyed. Or maybe, that was just her bubbly personality. Sometimes, it was hard to tell the difference.

"When is it?"

"Tonight!"

"Tonight!?" Nick was glad he wasn't pruning the bush, lest he accidently snip off an entire section of flowers. This was not the first time Fru had pulled something like this on him, but anything concerning her father meant him preparing for something.

"Why does your father want me there?"

"It's not just him, Nicky! I want you there, too!" Nick smiled at her. Not many people get away with calling him Nicky, but he'd known Fru since they were children, so he didn't mind. "But he has some big news and he wants you to be there to hear it."

"Oh?"

"So, please tell me you're coming!" Nick crossed his arms and began rubbing his chin in feigned contemplation.

"Hmmmmm… Okay. We'll be there."

"Great!" The Shrew went up and hugged him before letting go and heading out the door. "I'll have Kevin pick you up at six thirty! See ya soon!"

"Bye!" Judy waved enthusiastically, then turned to smirk at Nick. "So, Nicky, should we get going?" Nick turned to Olivia for confirmation, who motioned with her hands for them to get going.

"Go on! You two kids have fun! I'm meeting up with a friend in an hour anyway." And with that Nick set his pruners down and walked over to Judy and held his hands out.

"May I take your bags, milady?" He asked.

"Oh, such a gentleman." She quipped as she handed him her bags and they walked out of the shop.

6:25 p.m. Sidewalk Citizens' floor

Judy did a quick 360 at her mirror so she could take one last look at the dress that she bought earlier that day. The dress was a dark blue with a few white accents here and there. The dress hugged her body well and the pleated skirt was flowed well but wasn't poofy. All in all, she loved it. As she stepped out of her room and entered the main one, the guys all immediately stood up in surprise, a collective shocked expression on their faces.

"What?"

"You look… amazing, Judy." Joey stated, and Judy colored a bit at the compliment.

"Oh, stop it." She looked around in search of the red fox accompanying her to the wedding, then huffed in frustration when she didn't see him. "Where's Nick? We're supposed to get going soon."

"I'm in here!" She heard Nick call from his room. She walked in and was shocked at what she saw. Nick was standing over at his mirror… in a suit. It was a black suit that fitted his form quite well. He was wearing a white shirt and a champagne colored bow tie wrapped around his neck.

"Very nice, Slick." She stated as she turned him around to adjust his tie. He smirked and looked her up and down.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Carrots." He told her and then turned around quickly and brought back a white rose and pinned it to her dress "A gift, milady, from the Otterton family."

"Why, thank you, kind sir." She replied, and he smirked, then held out his arm.

"Shall we?" She smiled genuinely and looped her arm through his."

"Yes, we shall."

8:00 p.m. Big Residence

Nick was never really a big fan of weddings. They were big, fluffy family things that he just never really enjoyed. But this time, he was happy. He watched as his childhood friend said her vows and achieved her lifelong goal of finding true love. It was poetic, in a way. And now, they were out in the lit garden holding the reception. Music was playing, Judy was dancing with a shrew, Fru was dancing with her husband, everyone was having a good time. However, Nick hadn't seen Mr. Big at all at the reception. He wanted Nick here, and as much as Nick wanted to let it be, it kept gnawing at him.

Why did he want me here? What was so important that I had to be here?

"Nicholas." He heard a heavy Italian accent and turned around to see Mr. big standing behind him with a cane.

"Mr. Big." He acknowledged the shrew and bent down to kiss his ring, but before he could, he saw Mr. Big shaking his head and holding out his paw.

"There's no need for that. Just a pawshake will do." Nick was surprised, seeing as how Mr. Big was one of the biggest crime bosses in Zootopia, yet he held out his paw as if Nick were his equal. Nick shook it and they stood there together, watching the reception carry out. "How have you been?"

"Very good, sir. My life has taken quite a turn for the better as of late."

"Good, good. Your family would be proud." Nick's brow furrowed at the mention of his family.

"Have you been keeping in touch with them?"

"Yes. They've been holding me accountable as usual."

Nick couldn't help but smile. "That's good to hear."

"That is, as a matter of fact, the reason you're here." Nick rose an eyebrow as he felt Mr. Big's paw press against his back as they walked forward.

The dancing had settled down and everyone was taking their seats as Nick and Mr. Big entered the room, and now everyone was eating and enjoying small conversation. After a few more moments, Judy saw Nick stand up and tap the side of his wine glass with his fork, to which everyone turned to look at him.

"Ladies and Gentlemammals, some of you may not remember me, but perhaps you remember a fox couple that came up alongside the Big family, serving as Mr. Big's conscience in his dealings. And perhaps you remember their child who served as Fru Fru's best friend during her younger years. Well, I was that child, and I knew Fru when she was just a tiny little thing… Well, tinier than she is now." A couple of chuckles could be heard around the garden. "and with your permission, I would like to say a few things to her tonight.

"Fru, you were… crazy back when we were kids. I remember how you and I got into all kinds of trouble and I distinctly remember how I would take the blame for all of it." More laughs from the group. "But I also remember how you would tell our parents about how you were the one who came up with the pranks that we did. You've always looked out for others, often forsaking your own happiness for theirs. You may a little mammal, but you have a big heart." Fru Fru smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "But now, you get a happy ending. You met Tony there, and now you two get to spend the rest of your lives together. That love is something that I hope you two cherish forever. So, in short terms, this humble fox wishes you two a long, loving marriage and that the Wilde family will always be around if you ever need us." The group began clapping, then Nick stepped to the side and held out his paw, which Mr. Big took to pull himself up.

"If you would indulge an old man in his ramblings I have a few things to add." The garden fell silent as Mr. Big looked over at Nick, who nodded to him. "Fru Fru, my youngest child and my only daughter, the love of my life, my pride and joy. You have always been there for your father, even though you didn't agree with his lifestyle, and over the past few years, I had to come to terms with the reality that you couldn't stay my little girl forever." Fru was tearing up some more. "I was worried about Tony at first. I didn't want you going down the same road that I took, but then I realized that he was leaving my organization to become a teacher, and I knew that you would be safe with him.

"I was going over, in my mind, what I could possibly give you as a gift. You know that I would give you the world if I could, but I know that there is one thing that you have always wanted. Which brings me to the reason Nick is standing here with me." Murmurs could be heard as the guests tried to guess at what Mr. Big was talking about. "Fru Fru, all your life, the one thing that you told me every birthday, every Christmas, every year, was that one day, all of this" He gestured around the garden. "Would end one day, and every year, I tried to. But this year, on this day, I… We" He placed his hand on Nick's shoulder. "want to give you the one thing you have always wanted." Fru's eyes widened as she realized what her father was talking about.

"My dear daughter, tonight, your father is a criminal no more."

There were gasps and more murmuring around in the garden. Koslov, a polar bear and Mr. Big's right-hand-man began to smile. "Starting tonight, there will be no more dealings, no more shady business partners, and no more gang activity." Fru Fru got out of her seat and ran up and gave her father a tight hug, which he smiled and returned. The garden erupted in clapping and cheers, then Fru opened her eyes and looked at Nick.

"So, how are you involved with this?"

"Your father is going to be supporting my band as a symbol of thanks to my family." She laughed and hugged him. "But the reason he's leaving the criminal underworld is because of you, Fru." He hugged her back as the clapping silenced, and Mr. Big spoke up.

"This is a night of new beginnings. We must celebrate! Judy, Nick, would you do us the honor of playing for us?" Nick looked over at Judy, who was shocked and slightly nervous.

"Uuuuhhhh, sure." They both responded. Nick took off his suit top and rolled up his sleeves and walked over to the band, who handed him a guitar that he realized was his father's. Judy walked up behind him.

"Hey." He turned around after slipping the strap over his neck. "What are we playing?" He began running through a couple of songs that they could possibly play before settling on one.

"Do you know you're brother's song Like I'm Gonna Lose You?"

Judy smirked. "I helped him write it." The Nick nodded as he pulled the mic up to his muzzle.

"This is a song called Like I'm Gonna Lose You. It's a reminder that we're not promised tomorrow, so we should love each other as much as we can today." He then began plucking notes on the guitar as Judy began singing.

"I found myself dreaming in silver and gold, like a scene from a movie that every broken heart knows. We were walking on moonlight, and you pulled me close. Split second and you disappeared and then I was all alone. I woke up in tears with you by my side. A breath of relief and I realized 'No, we're not promised tomorrow'." Then Nick switched to strumming and he heard the band playing behind him.

"So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you, and I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye. Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted, 'Cause we'll never know when, when we'll run out of time. So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you." Nick smiled as he switched to picking with his claws and stepped up to the mic.

"In the blink of an eye, just a whisper of smoke, you could lose everything. The truth is you never know. So I'll kiss you longer baby, any chance that I get. I'll make the most of the minutes and love with no regrets. Let's take our time to say what we want. Here's what we got before it's all gone, 'Cause no, we're not promised tomorrow." Then he switched to a harmony as Judy joined back in.

"So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you, and I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye. Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted, 'Cause we'll never know when, when we'll run out of time. So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you." Then Nick turned to the electric guitarist as he began soloing a bit before he turned back to the front as Judy began singing again.

"So I'm gonna love you,"

"Ohhh."

"like I'm gonna lose you"

"Like I'm gonna lose you" Nick echoed.

"And I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye" Then they began harmonizing together. "Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted, 'Cause we'll never know when, when we'll run out of time. So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you."

As they finished, the garden erupted in claps and Fru and Mr. Big rose their glasses to them. Nick and Judy bowed as they smiled and thought.

It can only go uphill from here.

This just in: Mayor Leodore Lionheart arrested for the kidnapping of 16 predators around Zootopia. Mayor Lionheart pleads innocence, stating that "They were seemingly going savage, and that he caged them to protect the city." The 16 mammals were seemingly in a savage mental state, not responding to physical or verbal interaction.

A/N: Flapjack: Hey everyone, it's the Captain and the Fair Lady once again.

Fluff: So we figured that we would put out two chapters today for you guys since you were all SO kind and patient with us. We hope you liked this chapter. We were wondering how we were going to tie this together, and we settled on this.

Flapjack: So Mr. Big knows Nick's family, too huh? What else is there about Nick that we don't know?

Fluff: Yay! Nick has funding and support from the Big family, one of the most powerful families in Zootopia! That's good right!

Flapjack: Except they jinxed their luck.

Fluff: Freaking Dang-it, you're right! This isn't gonna spark some conflict in the future, is it?

Flapjack: Maybe. [Chuckling Evilly]

Fluff: The song is Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor Feat. John Legend

Flapjack: We'd like to inform you on some of the details of this fic. We plan on making a crap-ton of chapters… like, 100 maybe [shrugs un-committedly], maybe less. We're gonna take some time with the next chapter because it's a turning point in the story, so bear with us.

Fluff: Until then, hit tose fave/follow buttons! Leave reviews (We read them)! Critique the fic! Praise the Fic! Dow whatever, and we will see you next time!