-Judy-

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Judy owed Nick. One meal out, that was what she had promised Nick if she failed to wrap up his case in one week. She had handed in the carrot pen, checked the Jam cams and even interviewed the suspect that Nick had spotted. Yet all the leads he had tirelessly worked to uncover were undone in the time it took Judy to take over the case. The van had appeared as a burnt out husk while the suspects spotted in the club had run to hide in the shadows. A team of other officers were looking into the problem, indeed they had to seeing as the missing mammal reports were finally filtering through, yet the focus was on Nick's trial for both the ZPD and her. Driving down the street she tuned the radio, quickly catching the tail end of 'try everything'. Sadly, however, she had forgotten about the news bulletin scheduled to come after.

.

"ZNN news at 10 AM. The trial of ZPD officer Nick Wilde, for the crime of forced muzzling, is to start today in earnest. Wilde, who revealed his name after learning that his identity had been leaked, shot to fame last year when he assisted Officer Hopps of the ZPD in solving the infamous Nighthowler case. He went on to graduate valedictorian of his class and became the first vulpine officer in the ZPD's history. This has only made the accusations levelled against him more shocking, and has…"

.

Judy silenced the radio as she pulled up to a boarded up storefront in an old part of town. Getting out, she slipped into the open entrance and heard the rhythmic sound of a sewing machine humming away.

"Mr Wilde?"

Judy came in closer and saw Nick's father hunched down by a suit, carefully stitching the inner velvet to the tough outer fabric. His jaw was slightly open, pulling open the bizarre contraption around his muzzle which, in turn, controlled the sewing machines speed in place of the standard pedal.

"Mr Wilde?"

The Fox looked up and jolted from the surprise of seeing Judy. His mouth open, the sewing machine sped up and dragged the suit, along with his tie, through the needle. John was able to call out a quick 'whoa!' before clamping his mouth shut and stopping the machine just as it was about to skewer his nose.

"I'm sorry, let me help you!" Judy cried as she raced forwards, but John had already turned off a large safety switch and began to speak.

"Just… go upstairs and talk to the girls. I'll untangle myself."

"Are you…"

"Just go. Please."

Judy pulled back, before heading upstairs to where Nick's mum was waiting.

.

Francine Wilde was sitting in the dusty lounge, in her old lilac dress, where Judy herself had sat down a week or so ago; bathed in warming sunlight coming through the back window. Her eyes were closed as if she were snoozing, but as Judy entered, her left eye (shielded from the rays of the sun by her paw) opened and she spoke softly.

"Morning…" she said in what was barely more than a whisper.

"Morning Mrs Wilde," Judy meekly replied as she wandered in.

"If you want to be in the sun, just ask. I'll move."

"No, you… stay where you are. I'll sit down somewhere else."

"Suit yourself."

Her voice seemed monotone and distant, like what you would have expected out of Judy's 101-year-old grandfather (although in reality he was louder and more outspoken than the rest of her burrow combined). In reality, however, Judy could sense the pain behind her words as the Vixen tried to hide her feelings behind a veneer just like Nick had.

"You… don't have to hide anything around me. I'm here to be by your side, just like with Nick."

"You sound like you're a member of the family," Mrs Wilde said with a hint of happiness, "Just a shame really."

"What is?"

"We've got nothing to be scared about with you and Nick being together. But your parents… even before, and now. How bad has it been?"

"No, not bad at all," Judy said in a painfully optimistic voice.

"Dumb bunny, I can hear that that's a lie from a mile off. Comes with being a mother you know."

Judy sighed and shifted uncomfortably on her seat. "Well, at the end of the crazy day when I was back at home I chose to head back to Zootopia after seeing the video…"

"Video?" enquired Mrs Wilde.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers, you haven't seen it have you?"

"Seen what?" Francine said as her eyes opened (straining against the bright sun until she placed a pair of sun glasses over her eyes).

"Nick tried to interview the beaver at the scout hut. He… he broke down and it was captured on video."

Francine gulped somewhat and began fidgeting with her hands. Judy saw her body language change as the bridge of her snout wrinkled and ears dropped low against her head. Not the rigid low that Nicks ears did when he was in trouble or they were in danger but a limp, sorrowful down as if they had given up on supporting themselves.

"Anyway, seeing him in that state… it mollified them somewhat and they said that they were fine. They even mentioned sending an apology hamper to you for that night. But on the day he was arrested… I had to turn my phone off to stop the calls and texts coming in. They were pleading with me to come back for my safety or angry that I was selfish enough to risk being around such a monster."

"Monster," Francine barely whispered.

"I'm sorry," Judy stammered out realising what she had said, "I was… I was…"

"Quoting your parents, can't accuse you of anything really. I think I called John a pretentious git a few times in front of Piberius" she said, Judy being glad that her voice seemed to of picked up and a smile form on her mouth again. Judy herself, however, realised something and spoke up.

"Piberius?"

"My father in law." Francine commented. "Nice fellow, passed away a few days after Nick was born. He was old, had John when he was almost 50 you see, so he was thrilled to see him marry, yet alone be able to hold a grand Kit before he passed away."

"So you gave Nick his name in his honour?"

"Middle name, I'd never give a poor Kit an ancient first name like that," Francine chuckled, a signature Wilde grin slowly forming on her snout.

Judy, glad the Francine was getting happier, relaxed a bit and began pondering about a lighter subject to talk about. However, Francine had risen and gathered up a dusty book from a shelf. Peering at it, Judy realised it was a photo album

.

"So that's Mr Piberius?" Judy asked, as she pointed towards an elderly looking Fox cradling a bundle of cloth in his arms. A thin arm, coloured an orange brown, gently reached out and was trying to grasp the large nose hovering over it. To the right, Judy could make out Francine herself in her hospital bed, carefully looking on.

"Yes it is. He and his wife died before Nick was three so he doesn't remember them sadly. My parents were old too and both passed away just before John's accident, but he remembers them well however."

Francine turned over some more pages and Judy saw the little bundle of fluff she called Nick grow. His ears swelled out to ridiculous portions as his fur adopted its current red hue. There were pictures of a chaotic mess, which Francine merely smirked off as 'the introduction to the terrible two's', before Judy saw Nick grow further as he approached school age. Unlike with many other animals, there was little resemblance between little and adult Nick, bar the fur and eye colour. Judy had to remember that fox cubs kept their snouts very short in proportion to their faces and then rapidly grew them out when they hit puberty; which meant that they only got their adult faces very late on. Ending her train of thought, Judy realised that Francine was showing off a picture of Nick in a school uniform.

"I can't tell you how annoyed John was with those uniforms," Francine smirked. "He called them ugly jumpers and said that they gave the little animals no dignity or pride. Want to know what he did?"

"OK?" Judy enquired.

"He wrote to the school complaining. Asking if he could let Nick wear a blazer and tie in the school colours of all things! School said no, of course, but Nick would always have a freshly ironed shirt, trousers and jumper each day!"

Judy chuckled a bit, and then looked on. She passed on through fleeting glimpses of Nick Wilde's childhood: Learning to tie a tie with his father; playing football on the street with an older and slightly larger Fennec Fox; several cooking mishaps. She saw him stand proudly between his parents in front of a new suit store, glass and trim gleaming in the warm midday sun. It was only then that Judy realised something.

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"What happened to the storefront?" Judy asked, immediately regretting the decision and Francine's ears pulled back defensively.

"Some… nut jobs to say the least, thought it would be a laugh to smash up the place." Francine replied, sounding bitter.

"I'm sorry."

Francine turned to look at Judy and replied in a worn and defeated tone, "What about? You didn't chuck rotten eggs, break our window, write graffiti calling us scum and our child a monster."

"I… didn't know it was that bad." Judy said, concerned.

"It's… manageable. I mean, even with the extra cost and lost business…"

"Lost business?"

"Down a third, We've… we've had worse," Francine said, beginning to struggle.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you… and Nick".

Francine turned and looked sadly into Judy's eyes. Judy could see the veneer of control that Francine had built up crumble as she shuffled through the album. Reaching a page with a turned over picture, she grabbed it and flipped it so Judy could look at it. On the polaroid was an 8-year-old Nick, wide grin on his face, wearing a brand new Junior ranger scout uniform while his hand was up in a 3 fingered salute. Judy saw Francine run the tips of her fingers along the picture of little Nick, who was still smiling and gleefully unaware that his childhood was about to end brutally. The Vixen, almost seeming twenty or thirty years older than she really was, turned to Judy and her eyes turned red as tears began to form.

.

"Please… please. He's my little Kit. They must know he couldn't have done this," she sobbed, suddenly grabbing Judy and holding here in tight. "Tell them Judy. Please tell them that my little Nicky would never do anything so cruel…. He's not a monster. You saw didn't you?" she said, pointing at the picture once more, "whatever people say… whatever people think… you know that that isn't a monster?"

"I know," Judy said, beginning to cry herself. "Myself and a few other ZPD officers will testify in his defence. I've got an alibi and another last resort witness who could help out. Nick's old case has dried up so I'm putting in extra work for this. We'll show them everything and they will look back and wonder how they could ever think that Nick was a monster."

"… Thanks," Francine responded.

"Where are the twins?" Judy asked, realising she hadn't seen the two teenage Vixens.

"Up… upstairs. Nick's more of an uncle to them rather than a brother given the age difference and stuff but… Well like all of us they've needed time to think."

"Speaking of time," said Judy. "It's time to go."

.

Zootopia central court house was surprisingly new inside. The seating and furniture was all clean and modern (but quite sterile and soulless) while the air was cool and odourless rather than the dust and musty smell you would expect from this type of institution. Outside, Judy could already see several protestors turn up in support of Millie. Glancing over, she even though she saw a few members of Gazelle's organisation team, although the eponymous singer was nowhere to be found. Spotting four foxes from a mile off, a large number of protestors glared at the family with ill-intentioned stares. Judy herself received a good number too and nervously tugged her collar as the party pushed John up the ramp and into the main hall. Travelling across the marble surface, they came to a reception desk and asked for details regarding both the courtroom they had to attend and the location of the holding cells. A traffic Jam meant that they couldn't all see Nick at once and thus Judy elected to speak with Nick and his lawyer in order to brief him on his strategy. Parting from the four foxes, Judy walked down quite corridors until she met a guard who let her in to a cell. Inside was Nick and his lawyer.

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"Morning Judy," Nick said in a sincere and serious tone. Nick knew how serious this was, to the point where he didn't even need to be told to behave in such a manner, but the lack of teasing or the upbeat in his voice was disconcerting none the less.

"How are you handling it?"

"OK… I'm scared, bored but… OK."

"We don't have much time, but your family is here and they miss you."

Nick smiled and looked up, Judy could see him picture his family (not just the looks, as evident by his closed eyes, but the scent, his nose was twitching, their voices, his ears lifted up, and of course their personalities).

"Foxes," Judy began, "always so emotional."

Nick returned to the present and chuckled, relieving Judy seeing as she knew that the real Nick was unharmed by the ordeal. She turned to the lawyer, a newly qualified Weasel, and her glare hardens.

"You're a new lawyer provided by the courts. If you can't handle this, please say so now."

The Weasel, taken aback, quickly regained his composure.

"Miss Hopp's, let me assure you that I have won far more difficult cases. Having spoken with you and various witnesses, it is clear that such an act was both out of his character and impossible due to an Alibi we have. This should be an open and shut case, he'll be free within a week."

Judy, initially taken back by the gusto of the lawyer's self-defence, relaxed as she realised that Nick was in the hands of a professional. "So, what's the strategy?"

"Well, firstly I intend get Mr Wilde to respond to all the lies and slander brought forward by his accuser, thus neutralising their attacks. I then intend to interview both you, Chief Bogo and Mr Guazu into order to convince the Jury that Mr Wilde's Character is such that he couldn't of committed this crime. Finally, I aim to bring forward the witnesses and evidence that provide Nicholas with an Alibi. That should clinch the deal and convince our Jury that Mr Wilde is innocent."

"And the nuclear option?" Judy asked. From the corner of her eyes she saw that Nick had no idea what she was talking about, probably for the best.

"I don't know what use you think he is, but we can discuss tonight if you think we need to bring him in."

He doesn't know… thought Judy. Nick had made it known that he was scared of muzzles but she had assumed that he would have also explained why to his lawyer. She silently cursed at her stupidity, and looked towards Nick.

"You didn't tell him why, did you?"

Nick pulled back defensively, "I didn't think he needed to know Judy".

"Listen Nicholas Pi…" Judy began, but they were interrupted by a bang on the cell door.

"It's time," said the hulking guard, and with that Judy left the two in silence.