Chapter 10
"Alright let's go over this again," sighed Koalski pushing back his glasses and slapping his pointer at the projector screen. "What are the different kinds of subgroups of reptiles?"
Judy's arm shot into the air, like she was back in school. She glanced over at Nick sitting beside her at the table. His paw was cupping his head and it looked like he was trying hard to stay awake.
'How on earth did he make it past the police academy with that lazy attitude,' she thought to herself.
"Officer Hopps, I think you have exhibited your extensive knowledge on this subject matter," said Koalski in his flat voice. "Perhaps we should let Senator Prickson have a turn?"
Judy blushed a bit and lowered her arm. She glanced over to her other side at the nervous and twitchy hedgehog beside her. Senator Prickson looked like she was about to have a heart attack looking at the images of the different reptiles on the screen. Her secretary, a finicky and distrusting squirrel, named Sandy Nutley, was furiously scribbling away on her clipboard, who knows what. Judy honestly had no idea why out of all the senators in Mammalia the President had assigned these two to represent all mammals. The two of them together looked like they would faint at the first contact with the reptiles.
"Senator, please I must inform you that it is important for you to know this, so as not to appear disrespectful towards our hosts. I must insist on you knowing this information." Koalski was practically begging the skittish hedgehog.
"Well I don't see why we can't have a radio in my ear and you just feed the information to me," she demanded pushing her own red horn rimmed glasses up her nose. "I have never encountered any of these creatures, how can you expect me to become an expert? They all look rather the same to me."
Judy glanced back up at the screen in disbelief. On screen was an alligator, a turtle, iguana, and snake. How on earth could she claim that they all looked the same!
"Senator, if I may, I believe what Agent Howards is trying to say is that, this is the first time that we are encountering these creatures. Surely, the more knowledge we have of them beforehand the better. It would make a better impression of us mammals. I know this is frightening, but they are willing to reach out to us peacefully. I am sure that not all of the reptiles that we encounter will be half as bad as the ones, Officer Wilde had to face." Judy looked over at Nick and shaking her head towards the Senator, as if to say 'help me'.
Nick looked annoyed, but he obliged her. "Listen, Senator I was there, I got a chance to see these animals for myself and believe me they were… impressive. Agent Howards, has assured us that the majority of these animals are actually no bigger than a squirrel." He indicated her secretary who gave him a humph and continued to scribble on her clipboard. "I don't know about you, but I feel pretty relieved to be going somewhere where you will be towering over the majority of the citizens and not the other way around."
This seemed to calm Senator Prickson quite a bit. "It would be nice to not have to constantly be looking up, ay Ms. Nutley?"
"Yes, ma'am," replied the young squirrel curtly.
She turned towards Koalski. "Is this true?"
Koalski shifted his eyes around a bit. "Well… they are not shall we say anywhere near the size of an antelope or even a sheep. There are a few species that can be quite large, but they are the minority in their class. Most of the lizards, snakes, turtles, even frogs, newts and salamanders are smaller than Officer Hopps here, much smaller."
Senator Prickson looked back over at Ms. Nutley. "Well I suppose that is better and smaller than what we are all used to… I think I will take you up on the offer for a break Agent Howards. Ms. Nutley and I will retire to our rooms for about an hour. Please understand, this is really a lot to take in…some would say too much. But we have been chosen and we will perform our duties."
She nodded over to the squirrel who quickly got up and held the door open for the hedgehog. They both headed out down the hall, whispering between the two of them.
Judy sighed and glanced over at Nick. Nick rolled his eyes and glanced back up at the projector screen. She saw him shiver at the sight of the enormous crocodile. Judy wandered what was going through his mind.
"I believe we should all follow the Senator's example and take a momentary break from all of this," stated Koalski. "We should be arriving soon into the city, and we are still not sure what to expect. Jack has been on the phone all day with the Terraria homeland security department. It seems that they aren't all too familiar with the kind of animals that are coming to visit them either. He keeps having to reassure them that the mammals on the job are naturally gentle creatures and those who do eat meat stick to the fish and bug protein diet."
Nick scoffed and without another word left the room, Judy close on his heels. They made their way on to the upper deck. It was a very sunny day, the temperature was high, and even though there was a light breeze it was still warm. Judy and Nick had found earlier a little corner of the ship that was left relatively undisturbed. An oversized lifeboat allowed them to have a little bit of privacy, something that they hadn't had too much of since they had joined the ZIA team. It seemed that there was always someone milling about trying to keep an eye on them. They both assumed it was under orders of the untrusting Director Hunt. Once they had reached their spot, Nick pulled out his aviators and put them on as he casually leaned up against the bannister looking down at the sea below.
Judy was very impressed when she first boarded the ship on the first day. It was her first time on a boat or ship and she was happy to be able to share the experience with her good friends both old and new. Unfortunately, it hadn't lasted long as she suffered a bad bout of seasickness the first few days out on the open water. Cooper had produced a bottle of handy pills that allowed her stomach to stop regurgitating back up her meals. However, the pain in her stomach never seemed to fully go away. It gargled now angrily as she joined Nick on the railing.
"You know, Carrots, if you still feel seasick we don't have to be up here," Nick said in a concerned voice.
"Nah, the open air helps my stomach feel better. Besides have you seen the number of cameras that are on this ship? I wouldn't be surprised that there is one in my room! I have to change inside the bathroom, every time." Judy shivered a bit. "Makes me nauseous thinking that there might be some ZIA agent watching me sleep."
Nick chuckled. "I am pretty sure they are more concerned with other things than watching a cute gray bunny sleep. The world doesn't revolve around you, Carrots."
Judy frowned at him. There he went using that word again. "Nick, I have told you before you can't call me cute. And I know that. It's just still disconcerting all the same."
Nick looked down at her, as if he was about to ask something, thought better of it and continued to gaze out on the ocean.
"What do you suppose this new city is going to be like," asked Judy her nose twitching as she smelled the salty air of the ocean.
Nick shrugged. "No idea, Koalski told us that this city of theirs is eighty percent underground. It's located inside and below a large canyon, surrounded on one side with a lush tropical jungle and the other side barren desert. I would assume that the majority of the city is dark or perhaps they have an extensive network of lighting."
"It's all so very different, yet exciting! Do you think the citizens are going to welcome us?"
Nick laughed in a mocking manner. "I seriously doubt it. Probably going to be a lot of oogling and aweing at us. I am just hoping that we don't get turned into crazy science experiments for their researching pleasure."
They both stood silent watching the water. Judy's thoughts returned back to Nick's reaction upon seeing the picture of the crocodile.
"Nick…do you think you are going to be okay if you encounter another one of those crocodiles," she asked cautiously eyeing his every move.
Nick's aviators shielded his expression from her, but his ears flattened a bit at her question.
"Koalski, says that the probability of seeing one of them is few. Apparently, this place is more segregated than Zootopia. The small group of larger reptiles mostly live in their own communities outside of main Terraria. They prefer living close to water and need larger homes that are out in the sun and not underground. But even so I get the feeling that we are going to have to deal with them eventually…so…". He shrugged his shoulders. He continued to stare out at the ocean and the expansive sky above it.
Judy placed a paw on his arm, much like she had that day on the rainforest lift after Nick had stood up for her. Nick looked down at her paw with his other hand took off his aviators and rested them on his head. His expression was hard to read, it almost looked like he was in some sort of daze. Perhaps he was even reliving that night when he was all alone in that cold fish locker. Judy was sure he had never imagined one of those great beasts coming down that ladder.
"It's okay to be afraid you know," she said softly looking up at his green eyes.
"I won't be this time," Nick replied, holding her gaze and gently placing his free paw on hers in a comforting way.
"Why is that?" Judy gave him a small smile.
"This time I'll have you beside me," he replied softly.
Judy's heart skipped a beat at his words. Nick immediately pulled away from her as if she had just shocked him or something.
"That is…um…I meant…you and the…team. Ha ha! You know since last time I was alone in the fish locker and no radio communication, no backup. This time I will have backup…with you and the whole ZIA!" He laughed again nervously scratching the back of his ears as he said so. He turned away from her and replaced his aviators on his nose.
Judy sat there blinking, not really understanding what had just happened between the two of them. Had they just shared a moment? No way, this is Nick after all. 'He is my best friend. Probably just still in shock and happy to be back with a partner he can trust…must be'. Judy looked back at Nick who seemed very preoccupied with fixing his tie. 'Then again there was that look that he gave me...it was…different.'
"Nick, are you sure you are okay," she asked placing a paw on his shoulder. Nick wriggled away from her touch and tried to put on his charming smile again.
"I guess I am just glad that I have you back on my team. Can always count on you, Miss Top-of-Your-Class."
He smiled at her nervously. Judy was not convinced, it was almost like he was hiding something. He was acting fidgety and twitchy… it was so not like Nick.
Judy's phone at her waist began to vibrate.
"Oh, thank heavens," whispered Nick leaning back up against the railing.
Judy looked at the caller id. It was Jack. She groaned a bit, knowing full well it was probably yet another debriefing meeting. Jack was probably the most organized rabbit she had ever met. It was her understanding that this was his first time leading a mission, a job that he was taking very seriously. They had already had about six meetings in the four days they had been aboard the ship. Each time, Jack had been prepared with a power point presentation, folders, and, to everyone's dismay, study material. The meetings were mostly made up of the team members, and only one had taken place in the presence of Senator Prickson and her faithful secretary. He was thorough…very thorough.
Judy clicked the phone on and held it to her ear.
"Hopps, speaking," she said looking over at Nick who was rubbing his temples with his fingers, apparently also annoyed at the jack-rabbit's thoroughness.
"Judy, where are you two? The captain says we are only about seventy miles away from Terraria. We still don't know if these waters are safe or not. I need you and Wilde to be at the Senator's side at all times. Do not leave the Senator's side for any reason, unless if I tell you two otherwise."
"Yes, Jack, I understand. We will be heading back down below deck."
She hung up the phone and looked over at Nick. "We got to go, Jack says that we are only seventy miles away from Terraria. He wants us to officially no longer leave Senator Prickson's side."
Nick groaned before standing up straight, his aviators back on shielding his eyes. "Alright, let's go Carrots, before Bunny Boy decides to send out a search party for us," said Nick leading the way back to the lower deck of the ship.
Judy watched Nick for a moment. It seemed like he was back to his old confident self. Even his strut was back. Hmm…didn't matter it was probably just nerves. 'To be honest I am nervous too, way more than I let on,' she thought to herself.
She sighed heavily as she placed her phone back on her belt. Hearing Jack's voice brought back the same feelings of jealousy she had originally felt that night in Stella's apartment. After she had figured out the true identities of her new friends, she couldn't help but feel jealous. Jealous of the title and accomplishments they had. Jealous of the chances to travel and see new places. Jealous of the prestige that came with the position of being a member of the ZIA. For so long, Judy thought that accomplishing her dream of being the first bunny cop was a huge stepping stone for her species and other smaller mammals. Now she felt like a small child playing dress up, while other mammals like Jack and Stella were off risking their lives every day and saving not only the animals around them, but the entire country of Mammalia. She had felt so stupid, even ashamed of being proud of her own accomplishments.
Of course, it wasn't Jack's fault. He was very courteous and gallant about her accomplishments with her. Still, Judy felt that she couldn't compare her own accomplishments to his. It was for this reason that she had been distant with Jack initially when she was first asked to join the mission. She had been grateful towards him for trying to make amends and attempt to cheer her up that night in her room. Even so, those feelings of jealousy remained gnawing away at her. As they descended the stairs below deck, Judy shook the feelings of jealousy and self-pity away. She would turn this around on its head and have it serve as motivation for reaching her goals of detectives.
'Who knows,' she thought as she watched Nick's long red tail bobbing back and forth behind him as he walked, 'perhaps a new set of goals is in order…'.
A few hours later…
Judy and Nick were both outside of Senator Prickson's and Ms. Nutley's rooms. The two room were on opposite sides of the hallway which made guarding them very easy. So far, bodyguarding was not at all what it was cracked up to be. In fact, it took all Judy and Nick had not to yawn or fidget as they watched over the Senator. Since they were still on the ZIA ship there was not much bodyguarding to be done. Not to mention the fact that the place was filled with cameras. The conversation was, if possible, even more boring than the activity. Judy just couldn't fathom how on earth this nervous, spineless individual had gone up in life and secured the spot of a member of the Senate. Jack had mentioned earlier that Prickson had an impressive political lineage, and wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that she gained that position because of said lineage. Even so, that wouldn't account for the endless drabble of nonsense that came out of the hedgehog's mouth when she chose to strike up conversations with her secretary.
'If our hope relies on this hedgehog making some sort of agreement with the reptile community, we are royally screwed,' Judy had thought irritably as she had observed the pair giggling over the latest quizzes found in a gossip magazine during meals.
Nick was probably having a harder time of it, than Judy. Ms. Nutley, the secretary, seemed to be a bit prejudiced against foxes or perhaps it was just preds in general. It was a trait that many squirrels harbored Judy had learned while living out in Bunnyburrow. Squirrels avoided other predators like they were carrying some form of disease. Nick had been quick to pick up on it, when Ms. Nutley had accidentally dropped her apple on the floor, which he had picked up and offered it to her. She quickly refused and told him that he could have it instead. Judy had told Nick that maybe she was just a bit OCD and had a thing against germs. He didn't buy it. In true Nick fashion, the sly fox had decided to make himself Ms. Nutley's official body guard taking care that he followed her wherever she went, while keeping a respectful distance of course. Whenever she would turn around to glare at him, he would give her his toothiest smile possible always make her jump and run back to Prickson's side.
Now it was eleven pm and the Senator and her secretary had gone to bed over an hour ago, leaving Nick and Judy with not much to do except sit outside the hallways, and come up with ways to keep each other awake. Jack, Koalski, and Cooper were nowhere to be seen. Judy had called them earlier to see if they needed anything to which, Jack had replied that they were providing plenty of help by standing watch over the Senator. Needless to say, this did not help Judy's growing sense of jealousy in the slightest. Nick seemed to be handling it better, he had convinced Cooper to install a game on his ZIA issued cell phone earlier, Mouse Run, and was busy playing it. Judy had never been one for video games, but she remembered seeing a small bookshelf in the mess hall dining area.
"Be back, Nick, I am going to run over to the mess hall and look for a book to read," she said getting up from her position on the floor.
"Sure thing," replied Nick happily tapping away on his phone, "could you do me a favor and see if they have anything to eat, if I am going to make it for the next hour or so, I am going to need some munchies."
"Sure thing," replied Judy heading down the hall. They were only supposed to stay outside the Senators door till 1 am. Afterwards, they could return to their rooms, which were adjacent to the hedgehog's and squirrel's. Judy couldn't wait for her head to hit that pillow. It had been a long day.
When she rounded the corner, she was surprised to see that the motion sensor lights of the mess hall were on. Coming a little closer, she was even more surprised to see a figure slumped forward head on the table. Cautiously, Judy took out her tranq gun and tiptoed over to the particular table. When she was only about ten feet away she lowered her tranq gun. It was Jack, sound asleep head laying on the table on top of a file folder with paperwork strewn across the table, a half-eaten dinner plate of food shoved carelessly to one side.
Judy chuckled to herself at finding Agent Jack Savage in such a vulnerable position. She carefully placed her gun back in its holster and walked up to him. He was laying on the side of his head, breathing deeply, his back rising and falling with each breath. He was using his arms as a makeshift pillow. Judy couldn't help, but admire his handsome features, and wondered if not for the first time if those striped markings on his face were real or if they were tattoos. She didn't have the nerve to ask, and quite honestly was hoping someone like Nick would ask the question for her.
Her eyes wondered away from his face, to the paperwork underneath his arms. They looked like a series of blueprints of buildings and even a map. Could this be the map of Terraria? Cooper had said he was working hard to hack into their systems so he could get access into the city's plan and layout. Perhaps this was some of the fruits of his labor.
Judy gently placed a finger on the map with the intention to draw it out from underneath Jack without disturbing him. As soon as she bent over him, Jack's eyes snapped open and he immediately grabbed Judy by the back of her uniform and flipped her over the table and onto the floor on the other side. Judy hit the floor hard, knocking the wind right out of her. She barely had time to register what had happened before Jack had deftly jumped over the table and pinned her down using his legs, his plastic fork that he had been using poised to strike only centimeters away from Judy's face.
Judy groaned with pain and surprise. For a moment, it seemed that all the two rabbits could do was just stare at one another, both breathing hard.
"Judy," Jack asked as if it had just registered who it was that he had so violently thrown and pinned down.
"That's me," she managed to gasp out.
"What were you doing…" Jack trailed off and looked around him.
"I was just about to wake you. You fell asleep on the table. Bad idea." Judy managed to smile a bit.
Jack lowered the plastic fork. It was almost as if he was still waking up. "Oh gosh, I am so sorry… I have been up all night for the past three nights and I think it just finally caught up with me…"
"I understand," replied Judy. "Do you mind? You are surprisingly heavy."
Jack glanced down at his knees where they were pinning down her legs. His fur turned from white to red faster than you could say 'awkward'.
"Of course… of course…my mistake…it's just all the…the…training…Here."
He gently got off of her and offered her a paw. Judy was still in a bit of a daze after the unexpected knockout to the floor. She slowly took his offered paw and looked up at him as she did so. Later on, Judy wouldn't be sure if it was because she had bumped her head hard or if it was because she was so tired, or both, but she could have sworn that at that moment she saw little twinkling stars around Jack's handsome face. They held paws for a brief moment before he pulled her back up with ease. It seemed almost magical.
Jack led her to a chair and helped her to sit down. Judy sat down gingerly her back hurting still a little bit, and the stars around Jack's face still twinkling.
"Judy, I am so sorry! I guess I should have warned you to never attempt to awaken a sleeping agent. The end result almost always is the same, it's all part of the training…Is your back okay? How about your head…you don't look fine?"
Judy's head rolled a bit from side to side. Jack placed a paw on her cheek to steady it. At his touch, Judy looked up again. She was no longer feeling as dizzy as she had before, and the twinkly stars had seemed to disappear. Immediately she became aware of Jack's closeness to her, his paw at her cheek, his gray eyes inches away from her… She quickly pulled away from him, ears drooping in embarrassment and cheeks flushing bright red.
"Judy, are you sure you are okay," he asked again.
Judy nodded willing to slow the beating of her heart down, which was drumming so loudly she was afraid he might hear it. Jack pulled up a chair beside hers and plopped himself down, sighing and rubbing his temples as he did.
"Are you okay," she asked.
"I would be lying if I told you I was," he answered her, glancing back over the pile of paperwork.
"Did Cooper manage to get some information for you all to look at," Judy asked feeling that it was safest to talk about work, after such an awkward encounter.
"Yeah, he…he did. It's part of the city plans and the layout of some of the more important political buildings… Judy look I feel terrible about what I did. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" His eyes showed deep concern and shame. Judy smiled and blushed. Even work was not keeping his distracted from what had just happened.
"Well…you can fill me in on what is keeping you up at night," she answered back slowly.
Jack looked away. He stared back at the file folder, drumming his fingers on the table in front of him. 'He is weighing the options of whether he should tell me or perhaps how much he should tell me,' Judy thought.
He turned back around after a moment and looked Judy squarely in the face. "I haven't been entirely honest with you Judy," he began.
Judy raised an eyebrow, questioningly.
Jack sighed before continuing. "There is a second mission that is off the books, it was issued to me by Director Hunt herself. You see she doesn't trust that the good senator is going to make much leeway with the politicians of the reptile community. President Trunk and President Caius had already spoken briefly and the latter had ensured the former that there was no such illegal activity happening in Terraria."
"So that means, there may be something going on under the government's nose that even they may not be aware of," put in Judy furrowing her brows.
Jack nodded. "Or they are hiding something. Naturally Hunt wants us to find out what is really going on during our stay here. The problem with this is that this means that the team will have to separate. You and Wilde were assigned to be the body guards of Prickson and Nutley, so therefore you are already tied up. Koalski would have come with me to do some further investigation, but Prickon's stubbornness and attitude towards the reptiles in general, makes it dangerous to leave her alone and unsupervised. Then of course, that leaves me. Well Cooper and I, since he will be working as my analyst and be my ears and eyes."
"But Jack, you can't really intend to go off on your own!"
"I don't see any other option," replied Jack. "I have already tried many calls to the other members of their intelligence agencies and federal bureaus, but no one seems willing to help me by answering any of my questions. It could be that they are distrusting of a mammal, which I can hardly say I don't blame them. So, there is nothing left for it, but to do a little digging on my own." He shrugged as if this was the most casual thing to do.
Judy stared at Jack in disbelief. 'Was he crazy? How on earth was he going to manage that?' Then another part of her, the part that usually led the way when it came to challenges was practically screaming, 'there is no way you are leaving me behind in this!'
"Jack," Judy said firmly taking a hold of his wrist, "you cannot do this alone. First, it's not like you can blend in. You will be the only rabbit in the entire city, you will stick out like a sore thumb! Second, what will happen if you get yourself into trouble and you need backup? If we don't even know where you are how can we reach you?"
She took her hand off his wrist and stood up straight and proud. "Let me come with you," she exclaimed.
Jack looked up at her, one eyebrow up in disbelief. "Judy…"
"Let me come with you! Listen on my first case as a ZPD officer, I had to do the job of detective, officer, and even meter maid, all at once. I was the top of my class at the Academy and my skills in detective work were exceptional! I am your bunny, I am your partner! Come on… you owe me one after tossing me to the floor the way you did. Please!"
Judy placed held her paws together and hopped a bit as she stared at Jack using her puppy eyes. Jack didn't say anything at all for a moment. He just continued to stare at her with wide eyes and disbelief. Finally, he grinned at her and nodded his head.
"Yes!" Judy jumped up in the air. It was finally happening she was going to be able to use her detective skills on this case and not just waste away in front of closed doorways.
Jack chuckled at Judy's excitement. He got up from his chair and just watched her celebrate.
"Who knew that you got so excited so easily," he observed, looking at her with his paws casually placed back in his pockets.
"It doesn't take a lot to make this bunny happy," admitted Judy barely able to contain her excitement. "Besides I forgot to mention my third reason why you wouldn't be able to go on this mission alone."
"Oh, and what's that?"
Judy smiled at him slyly before saying, "I promised your ex-partner Stella that I wouldn't let you go on a mission alone. She said if you did she would tell the whole world what you told her that one night when you had a little too much to drink."
Jack pulled his hands out of his pockets immediately and began to panic. "She wouldn't!"
"Oh, she would," replied Judy playfully as she sashayed her way around the nervous Jack on her way to grab an uneaten chip still on his plate.
Jack cleared his throat and seemed to recover himself. "Guess I have no choice," he admitted, laughing nervously.
Judy was curious to know what the big secret was. Perhaps one day, Stella would spill the beans. Who knows maybe it was about those striped cheeks of his.
"So are you going to be heading off to bed then," asked Jack collecting his half-eaten dinner and throwing it away.
Judy looked back up at the clock. She still had about forty minutes left, before she could get to bed. Hooray, guard duty. Suddenly she remembered the whole reason why she had come into the mess hall in the first place. She quickly went over to the pantry to see if she could spot any of Nick's favorite snacks. A bag of microwavable popcorn caught her eyes. She grabbed it, ripped open the outer plastic, and placed the bag in the microwave. She turned around to see Jack watching her, an amused smile playing on his li
ps.
"Sorry, I have only a few more minutes and I promised Nick I would bring him back a snack to hold him over." Judy held up her hands as if to say, 'what you gonna do'.
"Yeah, I know," said a familiar voice at the door. Judy and Jack both jumped and turned around. Standing at the door was Nicholas Wilde himself looking deeply annoyed.
"I was wondering what was holding you up, Carrots," he continued as he walked inside the room stopping a few feet away from the surprised rabbits, "thought something must have happened so I came to investigate." He looked pointedly at Jack. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to find you here."
Jack scowled a bit. "What are you implying, Wilde."
"Never mind," shrugged Nick grumpily, pushing past Jack to stand in front of the popping popcorn.
Judy started to get worried a bit. 'How long was he standing there? Did he hear anything about her arrangement with Jack?' She knew all too well that Nick would never agree to letting her go off on this sort of mission without him, even if it was with Jack. He would probably think it was too dangerous and become obnoxiously over protective again, like he was when he was assigned to be on a fishing boat and not her. 'Sweet cheese and crackers, I really didn't think this through. What am I going to do? If I go with Jack in Terraria and not tell Nick he will be worried sick and might even come after me. If I do tell him, he might make a huge scene and our cover will be blown. If only he could come with us…but Jack is right his job is beside the Senator. Way to go Hopps, how are you going to get yourself out of this one?!'
She looked back up at Nick. His popcorn had finished popping and he was occupied with gingerly opening the bag without getting burned by the steam. Hmm, he seemed to be acting normal. Perhaps his annoyance was just coming from a place of hunger? Judy glanced back over at Jack who for some reason was looking very annoyed at the fox. His arms were crossed and his right foot was stamping the floor.
Nick watched Jack's foot with an amused expression. After swallowing the popcorn, he had in his mouth he chuckled. "Hey, look Carrots, he does the angry bunny stomp too! You bunnies are too funny."
Both Judy and Jack looked up at the fox in frustration. They both attempted to correct him at the same time.
"I've told you before Nick you can't walk around saying things like that!"
"I'll have you know I am not a bunny, but a jack rabbit, Fox!"
"Woah, woah, woah… I think it's past somebody's bed time. Time for the two little snuggle bunnies to head back to bed. It's practically 1 am anyways." He popped another popcorn kernel in his mouth and gave them both a sly smile.
Judy was mad at him. What was his deal? Why was he acting like such a jerk?
"Come on Hopps, we have a long day of standing outside doors ahead of us tomorrow. Good night, 'jack rabbit'." As he said the word jack rabbit, he made quotation marks with his fingers.
Jack gritted his teeth at Nick's antics. Judy was ready to give Nick a piece of her mind. Nick led the way out of the mess hall, still popping popcorn into his open mouth.
Judy turned to Jack quickly. "Sorry, I am not sure what is going on with him. He's is probably just tired and frustrated with Nutley…I'll talk to him. Good night and thank you." Without waiting for Jack to respond, she hurried off after Nick.
She walked alongside Nick in silence for the moment, the only sounds were his crunching his midnight snack. Once they were safely out of earshot and right outside their rooms, did Judy venture to face her best friend.
"Just what was up with that," she demanded standing between him and the door.
"It's called being 'hangry', Hopps, look it up on Zoogle sometime," he replied rudely pulling out his key and trying to get passed her to unlock his room.
"Nick, I know you better than anyone else. That…that episode was not just you being hangry!" Judy stood directly in front of the door lock and glared up at him, her paws balled up in fists.
"You are right, Hopps. It wasn't. Now can you move aside please. I really don't want to get into this with you right now."
Judy's gasped. He knows. He heard something. She looked away from him a moment, ashamed at having to keep a secret from him. Still, that didn't mean he had to act like such a jerk.
"Nick, listen I don't want to leave things like this. I really want to talk to you about this."
"Yeah, well I am tired and I really don't feel like talking about it. What I really want more than anything else is to go inside my room and get some sleep. I will ask again, Hopps, please move!"
Nick almost bared his teeth at her when he said this. This startled Judy a bit, and reluctantly stepped aside, her ears and head drooping.
"Thank you," mumbled Nick as he unlocked his room and opened the door just enough for him to squeeze in. Before he closed the door on her, he sighed, his head hanging low, and his tail laying completely flat on the floor. He took one more look at Judy before he closed the door. Judy's heart broke at what she saw in those green eyes. Hurt. Pain. Betrayal. The same emotions she had seen that day when she was interviewed about the Night Howler case.
Judy's eyes filled with tears and she let out an involuntary small sob. "Not again," she whispered into her paws as she stood before the closed door.