Good afternoon all!

Finally got this written, which took waaaay longer than I thought it would due to getting the flu, the chapter being longer than anticipated, as well as writing and re-writing some parts I was having trouble with. But it's done!

Thank you to my lovely Beta, Marie Allen who edited this chapter for me I very much appreciate it!

As always a giant thank you to my readers and everyone who leaves a review, I am always anxious to hear what everyone thinks of the story.

Also a huge thank you to Combat Engineer for poking me to get this chapter done!

I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 10

Judy frowned, staring at the pile of case files in front of her. Three case files were spread open over her keyboard, her eyes studying each name and the dates they had been filed.

"You're supposed to be transcribing those into the system, not trying to solve them," Officer Growle observed as he lumbered past her with another box of cold case files.

"I know, but…over the past few weeks I've noticed that there are an awful lot of unsolved missing mammal cases."

"There are a lot of unsolved cases period," the bear replied as he set the box of files on the tabletop and sat down heavily in his swivel chair, the metal creaking ominously under his weight. "Some cases just go cold, no matter how good the officers assigned to them."

"But I'm not talking about stolen wallets, a stolen car, break-ins or shady business dealings, I'm talking about mammals that are missing," she reiterated. "We all worked hard on the missing mammal cases connected with the Night Howler incident and solved them."

The old bear sighed and scooted his chair closer to her. "Those cases were different," he stated as he picked up one of the files, the mugshot of a young pig glaring at the camera. "Sometimes mammals go missing, sometimes they just leave Zootopia and don't tell anyone, and sometimes they leave home to lose themselves in Zootopia and start a new life. The mammals affected by the Night Howler incident were different because…" he looked at her tiredly, "mammals cared that they were missing," he stated bluntly. "Most of the mammals in these case files were engaged in criminal activities, were transient, or homeless. Many of them, though not all, lived in Happytown, and unfortunately, the resident there are not very forthcoming or helpful when it comes to police investigations."

"But there must be hundreds of mammals who are missing, and you are saying that no one cared enough to look?" Judy asked incredulously.

"I already told you, the officers looked. It's just that often-times there are no leads, no one knows anything, or no one wants to say anything," he replied.

"But did anyone notice that there are so many? That most of them are prey? That there could be so many more missing mammals because we only have some of the reports," she pointed out, feeling a fierce light burning within her at the amount of missing mammal cold case files there were.

"Hopps, I get it. You're all fresh and full of righteous fire, which is good, but you are stuck down here doing mundane data-entry and you are trying to make connections and see things and solve cases that no one has looked at in years just to stop your brain from atrophying."

Judy was about to protest this assertion, but Officer Growle held up a paw and continued.

"To answer your questions, yes, we have noticed there are so many missing mammals and that a good portion are prey, but Zootopia is home to millions of inhabitants, not including the outlying areas, and most of those inhabitants are prey. It makes statistical sense that more prey than predators would be missing because prey are more numerous than predators. As for how many mammals missing in total, we do share our missing mammal reports with the other precincts, and they share theirs with us, so while there are no doubt unreported cases of mammals that have gone missing, it isn't because of precincts keeping their cases to themselves."

Judy felt herself deflate slightly at Officer Growle's words.

"We hope for the best," Officer Growle told her seriously. "We hope that they aren't missing, that they just don't want to be found, or they moved away from Zootopia. It's how we're able to shove these files in those boxes, put the lids on them, and put them in this basement."

Looking away from the old bear and at the files she had spread out in front f her, she gave an understanding nod. It was better to believe that the mammals that stared back at her were all okay and hadn't suffered some horrible, unknown fate. Or possibly even a known one, such as getting on the wrong side of Mr. Big.

But Officer Growle was right, there were some cases that had no leads, the trail running cold, and sometimes just slipping through the cracks. Unfortunately, this concession didn't make her feel any better, somehow, it made her feel worse. It felt as if every cop that had preceded her had failed these mammals in some way, but she knew that the cops were not completely to blame.

Sighing, she pushed the files aside, placing them in a pile to transcribe.

"Hopps, why don't you go grab a coffee or a take a break or something, it's almost lunch anyway," Officer Growle said as he turned back to his own computer.

"Okay," she said dejectedly as she hopped down from her chair feeling oddly despondent.

In the Academy, they learned the skills they would need to survive Zootopia, the rule of law, as well as the techniques to solve cases, but it didn't quite prepare any officer for the realities of taking what they had learned, and applying the animal cost to the crime.

Walking slowly up the steps, her paw gripping the rail, she reached the main floor of the precinct.

A familiar, dark-grey furred bunny was standing talking with Clawhauser, who caught her eye and waved, causing Freddy to turn around and offer her a wide grin.

She gave a forced smile in return, feeling embarrassed, awkward, and unsure about everything to do with the young buck.

After he had bought her and Officer Growle the sandwiches three weeks ago, she had not been able to thank him until nearly a week later as he had taken over for another biker's route.

Their paths had crossed again and she had thanked him by buying him a coffee a few days later when he had a few minutes to spare. They had quickly walked to the coffee shop down the block to grab their drinks before immediately heading back. She had bought a blueberry frappe for herself and he had ordered the blackest coffee available.

She had noted at the time that, unlike Nick, who dumped enough sugar in his coffee to barely be called coffee anymore, Freddy like the bitter brew completely unaltered.

Freddy had asked for her number and they had exchanged them. He hadn't asked her out again, and the previous offer of a real coffee date was still hanging between them, but she knew that she was going to have to address it one way or another soon.

Unfortunately, she felt as if she was at war with herself. She liked Freddy. She thought he was sweet and funny and wouldn't mind getting to know him better -their conversations thus far being constrained to brief intervals of time. At the same time, she felt this deep, black pit of clawing guilt open within her at the thought of actually going out with him for something as innocuous as a coffee date because of Nick.

The thought of going home and telling Nick about Freddy twisted her up into all kinds of knots that she couldn't seem to untangle or pull apart.

Nick was finally able to walk around a little, his ribs and shoulder nearly healed, and most of his fur had even grown back, but he was still completely deaf and the thought of telling him that while she was at work she had met someone that she wanted to get to know better made her feel like she was leaving him behind and happily moving on with her life while Nick was stuck at home, in limbo, waiting to see if his hearing would ever return and if he would be able to return to the ZPD as her partner.

If this were not bad enough, she had noticed that there had been a strained kind of tension that had formed between them ever since she had learned of Nick's deep regret at not being able to save her, and his belief that his injuries were some kind of cosmic payment for her still being alive.

It was hard to explain exactly what this tension was, but she felt more aware of Nick in ways she hadn't been before and there had been moments of intensity -a look here, an accidental touch there- that she was unable to quantify.

These things combined to create uneasiness and hesitation in pursuing anything with Freddy, which was unfair to the young buck who had been nothing but kind and thoughtful towards her.

Taking a steadying breath, she made her way over to Clawhauser's desk.

"Hey, Judy," Freddy said to her, his smile fading at whatever he saw on her face. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Your ears are droopy," Clawhauser pointed out helpfully.

"My ears are…" she sighed, not bothering to try to deny what was obvious. "I just-" she cut herself off, knowing that she couldn't tell either male the current thoughts that were swirling around in her head. "I needed a break," she explained, which was true.

"Don't blame you," Clawhauser said as he gave a shudder. "I mean, you've been down there for weeks! It's horrible."

"I'll tell Growle that you said that," she replied sweetly.

Clawhauser's ears shot up and his spine stiffened. "I mean…it wasn't awful… It was… Growle is… Oh, I think I hear Chief Bogo calling me," Clawhauser said as the cheetah moved faster than Judy thought he could towards the stairs that led to the upper level where Chief Bogo's office was.

"I didn't think he could move so fast," Freddy said in surprise as he watched the cheetah go, and Judy chuckled at having her inner thoughts shared aloud.

Freddy turned his attention back to her and smiled. "Feel better?" he wondered.

"Only a little bit," she acknowledged.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

Surprised, she wondered, "Don't you have to get back to work?"

"I have the day off," he admitted.

"Really?" she asked as she noticed that he wasn't wearing his helmet or messenger bag. "Oh…" she said as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Then why are you here?"

Freddy gave her an uncertain smile. "I was hoping you would go for lunch with me," he offered.

Judy stared at the buck. "I…" she paused, waffling. "Okay," she agreed, feeling that she owed it to herself to go out for lunch with him, because it was only lunch, she needed a break, and she needed to eat. Company wasn't a bad thing.

His ears perked up and he gave her a brilliant smile. "That's great! So I'll come back-"

"I was taking a break now," she told him, knowing that it was a little early for lunch, but not by much and figured that she needed this break sooner rather than later. She needed to rest her brain and control her disappointment at being unable to do anything about the cold cases she was transcribing.

She also knew that if she didn't go for lunch with Freddy now, she may not be brave enough to agree to Freddy's offer later.

"So where did you want to eat?" Freddy asked as he fell into step beside her as she walked towards the precinct doors.

"There's a café just down the street," she said, deciding she liked the idea of sitting out on the patio. It was a beautiful day and eating out on a patio was a very informal environment that she felt comfortable in.

"Oh, okay," Freddy said and Judy looked over at him as they passed through the doors.

"Is that okay?" she asked, stopping on the front sidewalk, unsure if he had other ideas though he had given her the choice.

"Yeah, no, that's fine," he said.

She looked over at him, trying to gauge the truthfulness of his words.

"No, really," he said laughing and holding up his paws in surrender at her probing gaze. "I guess I was hoping for something a little nicer than a quick bite to eat at a café, but I should have timed it better so that we both had a day off and could have had a nice lunch at a restaurant, or maybe even dinner, but I was a little too eager," he admitted.

Judy nodded at him, giving him a shy smile as they walked down the street towards the café.

"So, you actually have days off?' she asked, needing to distract herself from thoughts of Nick and the cold case files.

Freddy chuckled. "Yes, I have days off. I assume you have them too," he said teasingly and she responded in turn, relaxing.

"I do," she answered. "So, what do you like to do on your days off?" she asked trying to make small talk.

"Besides asking cute bunnies out for lunch?" he asked smoothly.

She gave a sly smile, trying to control a blush at the term 'cute bunny' and wondered, "Oh, so you are in a habit of asking out cute, random bunnies?"

His ears fell as he realized how his words could be construed. "No! I mean…Not always! I've asked other bunnies out, of course," he reassured his ego before quickly adding, "but not lately."

Judy lifted a brow-ridge and decided to quit playing with such easy prey. "Okay, okay," she said in a placating fashion. "So besides not asking out any cute bunnies but me, what else do you like to do?" she wondered.

"Well…" he began thoughtfully, "I like to run, but really, what bunny doesn't?" he said with a shrug, as if all bunnies liked to run for fun. To be fair, most bunnies did, but she did enough running during her job and for training purposes that she didn't consider it 'fun'. Perhaps freeing would be a better word. It was nice to just let go and tear down a trail or path with nothing but a good tune in her ears and the wind in her fur.

At this thought, she gloomily realized that it had been around two months since she had gone for a run.

"And I like restoring old cars," Freddy finished, interrupting her disheartening thought.

"Really?" Judy said in surprise, slowing her pace. "But you-"

"-ride a bike for a living?" he finished her sentence with a wry grin.

"Yeah," she said as they stopped in front of the café, Freddy opening the door for her and ushering her inside.

"Well," he began as they walked over to the counter and waited in line, perusing the lunch-time offerings. "I like being outside in the fresh air, and meeting new mammals. A bike is also much faster than a car in many places, except perhaps Tundratown. But pulling apart an old car, repairing it, finding authentic parts to replace ones that aren't working; that's my passion."

"Huh," she said, surprised by the admission and intrigued as well. "I never would have pegged you for a car enthusiast."

"Well, I am just full of surprises," he said with a flirtatious grin.

Judy laughed, shook her head and studied the boards above the counter, deciding what to order.

"Know what you want yet?" Freddy asked her.

"I think I'm going to get a veggie wrap and a carrot juice," she told him. "You?"

"Sounds good to me," he said with a nod. "How about you grab us a seat before this place fills up and I will order everything."

Judy balked at this. "No, I can pay for my own lunch," she protested.

"I invited you out, my treat," she was about to insist that she pay for her own meal when he added, "What would my mother think of me if I invited a doe on a date and then made her pay? She would be horrified," he stated. "You wouldn't want to horrify my mother, now would you?" he asked.

Judy blew out a breath, knowing when she had been beat. "Okay… Thank you," she acquiesced.

Freddy smiled and Judy turned and went to find a table outside of the café in the patio area.

Strolling outside, she found a nice spot in the corner of the cordoned off area and sat down on the wrought iron chair. Placing her elbows on the tabletop and resting her chin on her paws, she waited for Freddy and mused that, so far, their date was going rather well.

A moment later, her phone began to ring and she saw that it was her parents. Realizing that she hadn't talked to them for a few weeks and figuring that she had some time before Freddy brought their lunch to the table, she answered her phone.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," she greeted them.

"Hey there, Jude the Dude," her father said jovially.

"How are things, dear?" her mother said in concern, knowing that their last conversation had been a little...tense.

"Um…they're okay," she said, her mind flittering over Nick and his still healing body and her frustration with being unable to work the case that had caused her life to be suddenly turned upside down. "How are things there?" she asked, curious on how her brothers and sisters were doing.

"Well," her mother began. "Your-"

"Judy," she heard Freddy's voice from over her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. "Did you want mustard on your sandwich? I didn't know so I- Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that I was interrupting," he said staring at her phone.

"Oh, thank the stars!" her father blurted out. "A bunny!"

Judy's head whipped back around to stare at her screen.

"Uh…" Judy trailed off in surprise.

"Look, Bonnie, a bunny!" her father said as his face squished in closer to the screen. "She's dating a bunny!"

"Dad!" Judy felt her cheeks flame.

"No, no," her father said, cutting her off. "We were really getting worried about you and that fox."

Frowning in confusion she said, "What?!"

"You see, dear," her mother began, pushing Judy's father out of the way. "We were just a little concerned-

"-a lot concerned," her father interrupted.

Her mother ignored him, "-that your attachment to Nick had become a little…" her mother seemed to struggle to find the right word. "Serious."

"Serious?" she asked, not knowing where her parents were going with this conversation.

"Not that we think you'd actually date a fox," her mother assured her.

"We thought he was your boyfriend," her father put in bluntly.

"YOU," her mother corrected. "You thought he was her boyfriend," her mother said to her father.

"You what!?" Judy yelped incredulously.

"We like Nick," her mother began. "But you have to realize how things look."

"We work together!" she pointed out. "He's my best friend!"

"Which we understand," her mother soothed. "But…you two are very attached, and the way you two interact..."

"It's strange," her father put in gruffly.

"It isn't strange," Judy argued, knowing that her parents weren't wrong, but that didn't make her and Nick's relationship odd or romantic.

"It isn't natural to spend that much time with a predator," her father said.

"Stu, you and Gideon spend a lot of time together," her mother pointed out.

"Yeah, but Gideon doesn't look at me like Nick looks at Judy," her father responded.

"I'm hanging up now," Judy said, putting words into action and not knowing whether to be mortified or furious. She he felt both emotions rolling through her like a tidal wave, but she felt embarrassment win out as Freddy set the tray down in front of her and took the seat opposite of her.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she thought that she would be used to dealing with high levels of humiliation after living in an apartment with paper-thin walls and nosey neighbours who were very quick to give their opinion on everything, but this was a whole new level of embarrassment.

"Well…that happened," Judy said as she forced herself to meet Freddy's light-grey gaze.

"Your parents seem…nice," Freddy said as he passed her a sandwich. "No mustard by the way."

"Thank you," she said a little disappointed that her sandwich lacked the yellow condiment, but knowing it was at the very bottom of her list of concerns at the moment. Judy sighed heavily. "They are nice, most of the time," she grumbled, "frustrating, embarrassing, and infuriating," she said with a shake of her head. "Not to mention crazy and overprotective."

"If it makes you feel better," Freddy began, opening the paper that surrounded the sandwich, "my parents ask every doe I introduce to them when we are getting married and when to expect their first grandkits."

Judy found herself surprised into a burst of laughter. "I have 275 siblings and my parents already have grandkits, so I'm safe for a little while."

"The joys of coming from a large family," he mused.

"How many siblings do you have?" she asked curiously, opening her own sandwich and taking a bite.

"I don't have any siblings," he replied.

"Really?" she asked, fascinated as she took another bite of her sandwich. Her immediate family was huge, her extended family was enormous.

He nodded. "I grew up in Zootopia, and if you haven't noticed, most bunnies in the city have smaller families than bunnies in the country, due to a serious lack of room, but actually… I was adopted."

"You were?" she wondered, never having met anyone who had been adopted, especially not a bunny.

Freddy looked uncomfortable for a few moments and Judy felt awful for asking what had to be a possibly painful situation.

"I'm sorry, I-" she began.

"No, no, I brought it up. I just… My mom's a bunny and my father's a hare," he said, in a voice that indicated he believed he was revealing something scandalous.

A little surprised by this admission that his parents were of two different species, she didn't find the revelation too shocking. She knew that there would be some who would have problems with the relationship, but a bunny and a hare were from the same family and Judy herself had no problem with it.

If he was expecting a negative reaction, she didn't give him one and he continued, "I don't know anything about my real parents, only that I was found alone in a basket outside a firehouse. I don't know why it was only me and not any of my littermates, but I suppose it's possible I do have siblings I may not know about. As for my adoptive parents, they couldn't have kits, so they adopted me," he told her.

"Wow," Judy said, not knowing what to say and so went with the first positive thing she could think of. "It must have been amazing having a room to yourself." She then added, "And you didn't have to babysit or have your sisters steal your clothes."

Freddy blinked and chuckled. "True. But…it was a little lonely."

Judy nodded. Bunnies were social creatures, they loved being with other bunnies. "I could see that," Judy admitted. She couldn't imagine not being surrounded by her family growing up, but if she was honest with herself, she was less social than the rest of her family and since coming to Zootopia, she hadn't sought out other bunnies.

Giving credence to her parent's observation, she spent almost all of her free-time with Nick.

They ate in silence for a few moments as Judy sunk deeper into her own thoughts, when Freddy's voice suddenly jolted out of her abstraction.

"Sorry, I don't usually bring up the whole 'I was adopted, I'm an only kit, and my parents are different species' thing on the first date, but I figured that you might not be scared away since you didn't freak out when your parents admitted they thought you were dating a fox," he offered with a hesitant smile.

The embarrassment and anger she had felt at her parent's words resurfaced and this must have shown on her face because the smile dropped from Freddy's lips.

"Unless…it does bother you that my parents-" Freddy began in a soft voice.

"No!" Judy interrupted, shaking her head vehemently. "Honestly. Your parent's situation doesn't bother me at all. I just…" she shook her head. "My parents don't seem to understand…" she trailed off because the truth was that she wasn't sure she could even explain her relationship with Nick. Saying that he was her partner and best friend didn't seem to cover the depth and breadth of their connection.

"Probably because they aren't cops," Freddy offered and Judy looked at him in surprise. "Well," Freddy began, taking a bite of his sandwich and thinking about his words. "You and your partner just survived a situation that was life-threatening and terrifying, and it wasn't like it was the first time. I think that creates a special bond because it's a situation only you two and other cops can really appreciate and understand."

Judy gave a smirk. "Apparently bike messengers understand too," she mused, touched and comforted by his words.

Freddy looked embarrassed. "Will you think less of me if I admit that I watch too many cop shows on TV?" he asked causing Judy to chuckle and shake her head indicating she didn't think less of him.

Giving her a sheepish smile before his face returned to thoughtful, serious lines he observed, "It always seems like cops who are partners are like family; maybe even closer. I'm guessing it's because you have to trust each other and have each other's backs because your jobs are so dangerous."

Judy sat there stunned for a moment. Freddy's words made perfect sense, and yet, she still felt as if this didn't completely explain the bond she and Nick shared, but it made her feel better that Freddy was able to put into words what she had been unable to.

"I think if I told my parents that, they would still have a hard time understanding it and then they would really try to get me to go back to Bunnyburrow. They are proud of me and terrified for me at the same time."

"I can see that," he said. "Though, I am pretty sure that is how most parents feel all the time, no matter what career they choose. My parents are convinced I am going to be hit by a vehicle and die."

Judy thought about this and nodded in acknowledgement. Bike messengers had a habit of weaving in and out of traffic and she could see how this could be a fairly dangerous profession. "I take it that you have had some close calls?"

"I've been hit by two cars and a scooter," he told her with a shrug. "Only had to go to the hospital once though. I had a broken leg and arm."

"Wow. I think your job is almost as dangerous as mine," Judy murmured in surprise.

Freddy laughed. "Not even close, but thank you for the comparison," he said taking a drink. "So, what do you like to do?" he asked, turning the conversation away from himself. "Besides taking down bad guys?" he elucidated.

"Oh…" Judy thought about his question, which was sad because she thought that she would be able to pick out a hobby, but she was stymied by the question. It wasn't that she didn't have any hobbies, but they weren't as interesting as running or restoring old cars, and most of them involved Nick.

She and Nick spent a lot of time watching movies and TV, mostly just to decompress after a long day at the ZPD. When they had days off they went on picnics, hung out with Finnick and went for lunch or dinner to different restaurants. On rainy days they stayed in, played cards or boards games, and assembled puzzles. She did like reading law books and the occasional romance -which she would vehemently deny- but other than that…

It was no wonder her parents thought Nick was her boyfriend. Their lives were so intertwined that they really spent almost no time alone; now even less so that they lived together.

Realizing she hadn't answered Freddy's question, she replied that she liked to read and watch movies.

Freddy nodded. "Makes sense that you like doing things that take your mind off your work. Must be rough sometimes."

Judy studied her sandwich for a moment. "Yeah," she admitted. "Sometimes cases get stuck in your head. But right now, I'm just frustrated." She finished her sandwich, and tried to think of something else to talk about.

Freddy popped the last of his sandwich in his mouth and gathered up their garbage. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said politely, obviously not wanting to push and she didn't want to dump on him, so instead gave him a smile.

"Thank you, for the lunch," she said politely. "It was nice."

"Was it?" he asked as they both stood and she walked with him to the garbage where he deposited their wrappers in the trash.

Judy laughed. "Yes, it was," she affirmed, realizing that she was telling the truth. Although a little awkward at first, it hadn't been horrible, and she found that she wouldn't mind seeing him again.

Uncertainty suddenly filled her as she realized their date was officially over.

It had been a long time since she had been out on a date and she wasn't sure what he expected of her. A kiss? Another date?

"I need to get back," she told him, not knowing what else to say.

"The wheels of justice are never still," Freddy replied. "I think that's how the quote goes."

Judy laughed. "Turn slowly."

"Huh?" Freddy asked, turning slowly around to face her, causing Judy to burst out laughing.

"No, no," she said with a wave of her hand. "The wheels of justice turn slowly," she corrected. "But let me guess, cop show?"

"You got it," he replied with a wink.

Judy found herself relaxing and shaking her head as they walked from the patio towards the precinct.

"Sooooo… I was wondering," Freddy began and Judy looked over at the buck, uneasiness creeping through her. "On your next day off, would you like to go for a run with me? I can show you some beautiful trails over in the rainforest district," he offered. "And I know the best ones where you can even stay dry," he added as incentive.

"Uh…" Judy stalled her mind busily trying to figure out how she wanted to answer. Her and Nick usually ran as part of their training, but ever since Nick had been injured, she hadn't gone on her own, mostly because at first, she had been too busy taking care of Nick, and now, because she felt bad for abandoning him while she went to work. She could also admit that on her days off, she wanted to spend time with him.

But the prospect of fresh air sounded so good. She had been cooped up in the apartment or in the basement of Precinct 1 for weeks and it was so tempting…

Until she thought about the fact that Nick had just been able to get out of bed without seriously hurting himself and the guilt nearly consumed her.

She felt her ears droop at this thought.

"If you don't want…" Freddy began, his own ears falling with disappointment. "I just thought that-"

"It isn't that," she quickly interrupted him. "Going for a run sounds really nice," she admitted. "I have the weekend off, but I'll have to get back to you on if I'm available."

His ears perked up and Judy found that they were standing outside of Precinct 1.

"Okay," he said with a smile. "Give me a call and let me know if you can make it," he told her. "And thank you for coming out with me."

"Thank you for inviting me," she said as she returned his smile.

Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before giving her a wave and strolling away.

Judy stood in front of the doors for a moment, feeling a little stunned before she returned inside, trying to get her emotions in check and figure out exactly what she was getting herself into and how she felt about it.

Judy pulled open the doors of the elevator and slowly entered their apartment.

The rest of the afternoon had passed in a blur of case files and mixed emotions that she was no closer to sorting out than she had been after Freddy had left her after lunch.

She caught sight of Nick standing with his back to her as he perused the contents of the refrigerator.

The smell of cooked burgers filled her nose as Nick closed the fridge, taking out a jar of pickles, a bottle of ketchup, and some mustard.

Turning, Nick jumped, startled by her entrance, causing him to drop everything in his paws. She leapt forward and saved the glass pickle jar from hitting the floor.

"Nick!" she yelled, abandoning the pickles on the floor with the other condiments and rushing to his side, feeling horrible about unintentionally scaring him and causing him to hurt himself. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized.

Nick was wincing and grabbing at his ribs, leaning a little heavily on her as she helped him over to a kitchen chair.

"I'm okay," he said softly.

She relaxed slightly at his words before she found herself breathing in the scent of him; musk mixed with lemon and the hint of the burgers he had been cooking.

With her fingers buried in his soft fur, she felt something pull within her. Regret? Guilt? Something warmer? She wasn't sure what it was but she quickly shoved the uncomfortable, confusing emotion away and concentrated on making sure that Nick hadn't hurt himself.

She reached out and touched his shoulder, making sure he was looking at her. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, moving her lips slowly so he could read them.

"I'm fine, Carrots, I didn't realize you were home," Nick said to her. "I didn't hear you come in," he said with a self-depreciating laugh that caused her heart to twist painfully in her chest.

"Not funny," she growled, not that he heard her.

"Dinner's on the stove," he said to her. "Veggie burger for you and a bug burger for me. Also made a salad. It's still in the fridge," he said as he began to stand.

"Sit," she said to him, pushing him back down. "I'll get your food."

He nodded apparently understanding her.

She fixed both of their burgers and gave each of them some salad, her thoughts roiling chaotically through her mind as she surreptitiously glanced over at Nick, wondering how, when, and if she should tell him about her lunch date with Freddy.

Walking from the counter to the table, she placed a plate in front of Nick and sat down with her own, her thoughts and heart heavy.

She got halfway through her veggie burger before she realized that it tasted funny and Nick had been trying to get her attention.

Looking at Nick with wide eyes, she glanced down at her burger. "This is yours, isn't it?" she asked him, even though she already knew the answer. In her defence, she had put a lot of fixings on the burger which had masked the initial taste.

She tried to be disgusted, but after the day she had had, she couldn't find the energy to care. In actuality, it didn't taste that bad, mostly because of the mustard (a lot of mustard) and the ketchup, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onions that had been heaped upon it.

Putting the burger back on her plate, she pushed it towards Nick, her appetite gone.

"There's only room for one deaf mammal in this relationship, and I've got that one covered," he said in a light-hearted tone, but his face was full of concern, his ears lying against his head in worry. "What's going on, Carrots?" he asked gently.

Judy looked over at him, her heart twisting as culpable-filled dread flowed through her to settle like a lead weight in her stomach. She thought about telling Nick about Freddy, it was right there on the tip of her tongue to recount the date as well as the embarrassing phone call with her parents, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out.

She didn't know why it was so hard; why it felt like she was somehow betraying Nick. It didn't make any sense. She knew she felt guilty that she was moving on with her life while Nick was still struggling with getting out of bed every day, but the more she revisited this line of reasoning, the more hollowly it sounded within her.

Snapping her mouth shut, she resolutely pushed herself away from the table and went in search of her whiteboard. A few moments later she returned, and as she glanced at Nick solemnly, she wrote upon the board in black marker.

Tell me about Happytown

I have a sneaking suspicion that things are going to get a little sticky...

Thank you all for reading! Hope you enjoyed.