A/N: Hello everyone!

I know, I know! Such a quick update! Don't get used to it, lovelies lol this only happened because most of it was already typed up along with chapter 10.

Now, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, as it is longer than I would like for it to be, but I felt it was necessary. Very minimal editing went into this chapter, so I apologize for any mistakes in advance. Without further ado, I bring to you chapter 11!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

The Outback Lands of Zootopia was a very well done replica of Australia. The engineers did a great job of capturing the climate, vegetation, and uniqueness of that continent that was essential for the survival of its equally unique inhabitants. It was the one temperate zone they had spent the most time on, and it paid off.

Despite being known for its dry and acrid air, September in the Outback Lands was known as "Autumn's Spring" by many Zootopians, since the seasons were the opposite for the part of the world it was fashioned after. It was beautiful. For miles to see, there were grasslands filled with wildflowers in full bloom; flowering trees such as the Australian Flame Tree, Ivory Curl, and Lemon Myrtle were also showcasing their best spring looks, their branches filled with vibrant blooms. The lush green and colors of the varying flowers contrasted boldly and stunningly with the naturally red dirt of the plateaus that surrounded the district.

Judy was in awe as she took this all in, feeling as if she had entered an entirely different world. Especially when she started to notice the inhabitant of this ecosystem. Most of these animals she had only ever heard of at the Academy, it being common knowledge that the majority of Australian mammals liked to keep to the homeland since many of them were endangered. However, now she was seeing koalas, platypuses, kangaroos, and wombats! Her face was nearly pressed against the window of the car as she continued to ogle her surroundings. 'I wonder what that stripped canine-looking mammal is. I've never heard of it before.' A chuckle from the driver's seat brought her out of her daze, and she turned to face Nick.

"First time in the Outback, Carrots?" The fox asked with a poor Aussie accent, lazy smile and shades firmly in place.

Judy blushed and tugged at one of her ears. "Yeah. I've only ever heard of most of these mammals. Plus, I had forgotten that the seasons were backwards here. It's so very different, seeing it all in person."

"Well, as long as you can control yourself when we get to the hospital, you won't be embarrassing me. Ow." He chuckled when his bunny punched his arm. She had been doing that a lot. Maybe he needed to tone the teasing down a bit.

Huffing in annoyance, Judy cast her gaze back out the windows of the cruiser, once again taking in the scenery. She watched fascinated as a platypus mother got ice cream for her three pups. It was just so different from what she was used to, and it provided a nice distraction from her other, darker thoughts for the time being.

It wasn't much longer until their overly large cruiser pulled up into the parking lot of St. Platy's Hospital. Getting out of the car, Judy did her best not to stare at the mammals around her, as that would be rude. Nick, on the other paw, had no such qualms as he stared at his girl, amused by her child-like wonder and her attempts to hide it. After the morning's events, it soothed him to see her so unguarded and relaxed, in turn relaxing him.

The fox pulled his collar slightly, feeling a bit overheated, and noticed Judy doing the same. Their winter coats were starting to grow in, and the heat of this district was not helping anything. Nick hoped they wouldn't venture outside to much; he wasn't a fan of panting. Walking through the parking lot, the pair made note of the news van for ZNN in the lot as well, and gave each other exasperated looks.

Coming up towards the hospital entrance, there were a few prey mammals there with signs that had anti-pred propaganda on them. The fox stared at them with a blank face, but a glance at his partner told him that she was upset by this, if the enraged expression on her face was anything to go by. Placing a firm paw on her shoulder from partially behind her, Nick leaned in and spoke low into her ear. "Leave it be, Carrots. We have more important things to deal with." He felt her stiffen at his words and tightened his grip on her reassuringly. He kept his paw on her and used it to guide her passed the protesting mammals. When it seemed like a particularly bold wombat was going to approach the two officers, Nick loosened his control slightly, but not by much. It was just enough to startle the marsupial, making him halt his advance. Once inside, the wombat was left confused and unnerved, unsure of what had just happened.

"Ah, much better!" Nick sighed happily, releasing his partner's shoulder's as soon as the doors closed behind them. Relishing in the cold air provided inside the medical facility, his emerald eyes did an unconscious sweep of the inside. It wasn't too packed, despite what had happened. He did tense slightly when he spotted the news crew for ZNN huddled in a corner, talking privately. They hadn't noticed them yet, and Nick wasn't dumb enough to think it would remain that way.

"I can't believe those mammals!" Judy finally exclaimed, no longer able to keep it in. "Two mammals have just been targeted by some deranged terrorist, and they are going on about "anti-pred" crap! Nighthowler doesn't affect predatory mammals exclusively, it affects all of us. How can they be so—"

"Okay, okay." Nick said as he bumped her furiously twitching nose with a clawed digit, stopping her rant. "Some mammals will use anything for their cause, regardless of the facts. They are the ones that won't change. The only thing you can do is ignore them and make sure they don't bring harm to others."

The bunny tapped her foot against the tiled floor in anger, arms folded and ears alert as she tried to calm down. It took a moment, but she eventually cooled down enough to not want to go back out there and give those speciesists a piece of her mind. Letting out a sigh, she gave Nick a slightly guilty look. "Sorry about that. And thanks…I know you don't like doing that." She was referring to his use of his savageness to holt that wombat's approach to them. "I really would have gone off on him if he had said anything to us."

Control back to where it should be, Nick smiled lazily at the bunny. "I don't mind when it's for you, Carrots." He lowered his shades and winked at her, causing Judy to give a surprised laugh. He took pride in the fact that her ears turned a smidge pinker. "Now, let's find Chief Kanga. Buffalo Butt had said he was an older kangaroo, so he shouldn't be too hard to find."

It was then that Nick felt an unwanted presence approach them, and turned to see the reporter for ZNN make her way towards them. She was a platypus, and dressed in a pale yellow dress suite, she seemed welcoming enough. However, the vibes the fox was getting from her made him want to raise his hackles. She was nothing but trouble.

"Good morning officers!" The reported greeted. "My name is Kyla Duckbill. I'm part of the ZNN team here in the Outback Lands. You two must be officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps." She didn't give them a chance to answer, not that they would have. Nick appeared indifferent, and Judy looked very apprehensive even as she ogled one of the stranger mammals of the district. "I was hoping you two could answer a few of my questions?"

"Now, now, Kyla." A deep voice said from behind the two smaller officers. Turning around, they were greeted by the sight of an older male red kangaroo dressed in the Assistant Chief uniform approach them. Using a combination of his large hind legs and his powerful tail, it really was an interesting sight to see him walk. Judy tried not to stare. "You know better than to question officers about an ongoing investigation." Coming to a stop right behind the couple, he towered over the three smaller mammals at six-foot-three. He gave Kyla a stern look. "Am I going to have to have to have another talk with your father about this?"

Embarrassed and upset, Kyla huffed and left without another word to the group.

The boomer sighed. "Sorry about that. Her father is one of my best friends. Good mammal. I don't know what happened to her." He shook his head in disappointment before giving the two smaller officers a smile. "The name's Larry Kanga, the Assistant Chief here at precinct ten. You can call me Larry."

Catching herself staring, Judy stuck out a paw, which the larger mammal shook. Nick did his best to hold back his snickers, but a few slipped out. "Officer Judy Hopps, and the poor impression of a hyena here is my partner, Officer Nick Wilde."

"It's a pleasure meeting the both of you." Larry said as he shook Nick's paw. "I'm grateful you could make it. Adonis told me you two had quite a rough morning."

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one." Nick quipped.

Larry gave them a sympathetic look. "I understand. Well, let's get started on why the two of you are here." The boomer said as he gestured for the two to follow him down the hall. The pair appreciated that nothing more was said about their morning.

"How are they doing, Larry?" Judy asked as they were led to an elevator.

"The mother, Terri Climber, just got out of surgery not too long ago." Larry said. He ushered them into the elevator when it opened and pressed the button for the fifth and top floor. "Fortunately, her wounds looked a lot worse than they actually were. The only reason they had put her under was because it made stitching her wounds easier. She should be waking up soon."

"And her son?" Nick asked, taking his shades off and tucking them into his chest pocket. He watched the boomer sigh, and was struck by the fact that Larry hadn't given any odd behaviors around him. 'Interesting…'

"Derrick Climber is his name, and physically, he is unharmed. We were able to dart him with a fast-acting tranq and administered the antidote on the way to the hospital." Larry shook his head sadly. "When he woke up, however, he freaked out. Some insensitive hospital intern told him what he had done to his mother before we could talk with him, and he's been growling at anyone who entered the room since."

"Please tell me something was done about that intern!" Judy said with indignation.

Larry gave the bunny a frustrated smile. "Not much we can do. However, the Chief Physician was livid with him, so we'll leave it in there paws for now."

Judy grunted in frustration before giving a small sigh. "I guess that's all we can do."

Larry nodded. The elevator dinged and the trio got off on the fifth floor. Making a corner, they were greeted by the sight of three officers gathered together in the hallway in front of a door; a male dingo, a male ocelot, and a female Tasmanian tiger.

'There's an animal you don't see every day!' Nick thought in shock. The Tasmanian tiger was a very unique, very endangered marsupial that didn't venture too much out of their homeland because there were so little of them. A glance towards his girl told him that she was trying to figure out what type of animal it was, to his amusement. 'I'll let her struggle for a bit.' A familiar scent tickled the fox's nose, and he smiled as he took a closer look at the ocelot who's back was towards them. "Jimmy!"

Surprised, the ocelot turned around. A large grin broke out on the small feline's face as he sped walked to the trio. "Nick!"

Judy watched curiously as the two small mammals gave each other hugs, patting each other on the back roughly, and a few other greetings that only males felt the need to do. 'Jimmy, Jimmy…where have I heard that name before?'

"I haven't seen you since graduation, Nick!" James "Jimmy" Purrow said as the two finally released each other. "Can you believe it'll be two weeks since we've joined the force?! How have you been? Get any good cases?"

At the ocelot's words, a lightbulb went off in Judy's head. 'There we go! He's one of the friends Nick made while at the Academy.' A warm smile made its way onto her face.

"I know; it's been a while." Nick grinned. It strained a bit at the questions, but no one noticed. "And we're actually here to help with the shooting case. Me and my partner," he gestured to Judy who gave a small wave, "have a bit of experience with the Nighthowler serum."

Jimmy's eyes went wide as he realized who, exactly, was Nick's partner. "O-Officer Hopps! It's such a pleasure meeting you! That speech you gave at our graduation was amazing! It inspired me to change, and make a change, and I just want to say that—"

"Alright, Jimmy!" Larry laughed as he placed a paw on his most talkative subordinate's shoulder. "We get it. Now, let's introduce these fine mammals to your co-workers and get back to the matter at paw, shall we?"

Face red under his fur and embarrassed, Jimmy gave a soft, "Yes, chief."

The group of four joined the last two officers in front of a closed door, and Nick couldn't help but notice their change in body language. They had been leaning comfortably against the wall, but as they approached—or rather, as he approached, they tensed up, righted themselves, and became alert. The fox sighed mentally. A brush of a paw against his had him looking down at his partner, who wasn't looking at him, but had a smug smile on her face nonetheless. 'Sly bunny.'

"You already know Jimmy." Larry gestured to the still embarrassed ocelot. "Here are my other officers. This is Officer Tanya Stripes," he said this as he pointed to the Tasmanian tiger, "and this is Officer Steve Diggin." He said as he gestured to the dingo. The boomer than introduced the couple. "These are Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. They are here to assist us with the shooting, and we will help them with their case in any way we can."

Tanya gave the two a genuine smile, and gave Judy an amused look as she noticed the glances the bunny was trying to make discreetly. "It's pleasure meeting the both of you. And I'm a Tasmanian tiger, love." She directed the last part to Judy, who blushed furiously as her ears fell to her back.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare…I've just never heard of your species…" Judy said softly.

Tanya gave a good-natured chuckle. "I'm used to it, so don't worry about it."

"Well, there goes my fun." Nick bemoaned.

'You knew?" Judy asked in betrayal.

"Of course, Carrots." The fox smiled lazily. "I know everything there is to know about in Zootopia."

Judy huffed in annoyance, mumbling something about egotistically fox. Tanya merely smiled, feeling a bit more relaxed than a few seconds ago. She wasn't a hundred percent sure, but it felt like the source of her unease was this fox before her. Which made no sense, since he seemed to be such a nice, if sarcastic mammal, from what Jimmy had told her and what her eyes were telling her. 'So odd.'

"No offense, but shouldn't they have sent us more experienced officers?" Steve asked Larry, not even glancing at the two smaller officers. He was still tensed.

The effect was immediate as the two seemed to guard up. The bunny kept her ears up and alert, seemingly training them onto Steve. Judy's face hadn't changed, but there was a glint of something hard behind them. Nick, on the other paw, appeared to not have changed at all. There was a lazy smirk on his face, and he seemed to be relaxed, but the subtle way he shifted to be in between his partner and Steve spoke of protective thoughts. This all, however, went unnoticed by the others.

"Steve." Jimmy whispered harshly. Tanya had a disapproving expression on her face.

Larry gave his officer a neutral look. "Of course, but I requested for them personally. Is my judgement not sound?" Steve merely looked away, and the boomer nodded before a large smile filled his face. "Now, report! Any changes?"

Jimmy shook his head in the negative. "No, sir. Every time we approach the door and open it, he either says for us to go away, or he just growls wordlessly." He fidgeted a bit. "The antidote did work, right?"

It was Judy who answered him. "He wouldn't have woken up if that weren't the case. That's how the antidote works." That was why she had thought Nick had been cured when he had first been given the antidote, though he had taken longer to wake up.

Nick's gaze was trained on the closed door, ears flicking every few seconds as he detected the sounds from within the others couldn't. A soft sob, a harsh breath. His eyes narrowed. "He's upset and feels guilty. I wouldn't want any strangers to see me like that either."

"Speaking from experience?" Steve sneered at the fox.

Green eyes glanced his way before focusing back on the door. "Something like that." They would find out eventually; no use lying. That response startled the precinct ten officers into silence, and Judy glared mildly at the dingo, who Tanya was mumbling something to.

"Would you mind speaking to him?" Larry asked softly. His mind was piecing things together, and the picture it was forming made him feel sympathy for fox. Glancing at the bunny, he didn't find any wounds on her, but that didn't mean she didn't have them.

Judy gazed with concern at her fox, who shrugged at the request.

"Sure, I don't mind. Not sure how he'd feel about a pred, though. You might be better for it, Carrots." Nick said as he glanced at her.

Judy shook her head. "He's not you, Nick. That might actually be a terrible idea. Right now, he feels guilty about hurting a prey mammal, his mother. I might actually make things worse." Larry nodded in agreement.

"Right. Well, wish me well." He gave a lazy grin before opening the door. A low, menacing growl was heard from within the dark room. "Rawr, to you, too!" Nick greeted before he closed the door behind them.

The hallway was silent after that. They were in a secluded part of the hospital, usually where victims of violent crimes were taken so they could have some piece and where the ZPD could question them without being overheard.

It was Jimmy who broke the silence, concern on his face as he spoke towards Judy. "Is it true, what he implied? Has Nick been hit by Nighthowler?"

Her attention had been on the door her fox had just gone through, so she had to turn her head to face the ocelot. She remained silent a moment longer before she gave a small nod. "About three days ago. It's why there's an open case."

"Adonis didn't give me any details." Larry spoke up, gaining Judy's attention. "If you could, we'd like to hear about it."

Judy mulled over her thoughts, trying to create a believable lie that still revolved around the truth. Until Nick was examined in a few days, Bogo didn't want them giving the full story to anyone, which they agreed with—especially with mammals like Jennifer Howler and Steve Diggin on the force. However, it would be weird and insulting to say it was confidential, as they were all of equal or higher rank than she. She could, of course, say that Bogo himself said not to tell anyone, but she didn't think it would go over well with them.

A lie it was.

"It was our day off, and he'd gone to hang out with a friend he hadn't seen since he started the Academy." Judy began, her tone taking on the one she usually got when she was giving a verbal report. "From what his friend told me, it had happened with no warning. One second, they were just laughing, the next, Nick was writhing in pain on the ground."

"Is his…he didn't…?" Jimmy asked, afraid to say the whole question.

Judy shook her head. "It wasn't his first time getting hit with the serum, so he knew what was happening enough to get away from Fin; that's his friend's name, by the way. Anyway, he ran away from him and actually found the shooter by chance."

"No way." Jimmy said in awe.

Judy nodded grimly. "By that time, the serum had taken full effect and he almost killed the shooter." While the fox hadn't explicitly said this, the bunny had deduced this by the way he had acted towards the cuffed capybara and his subsequent breakdown that day. "Fin had called me, so we were able to get there in time to stop him, so now we have an idea of who is targeting us."

"'Us'?" Steve asked, reluctantly intrigued.

"Yeah." Judy sighed, her ears flopping down her back. "We discovered today that one of Bellewether's fans was behind it, and has a hatred for both me and Nick for our part for putting the ewe away." 'Not to mention that she is a complete psycho!' "We also believe she is behind today's shooting."

The arrival of a male tree kangaroo nurse stopped further conversation. He gave the closed door a sad look. "Is he still not letting anyone in?"

"We managed to get an officer in." Larry said. "Why?"

"His mother, Mrs. Climber, just woke up, and is asking for him."

"I forgot to ask this before, but where is the husband?" Judy inquired.

"Business trip. Won't be able to make it back until tomorrow." Tanya stated.

The bunny folded her arms in thought, foot tapping against the tiled floor absentmindedly. Her ears suddenly perked up as she glanced at the tree kangaroo's nametag. "Kevin, is it? Can Mrs. Climber be moved?"

The bomber tree kangaroo put a paw to his chin while he thought. "As long as she is in a wheelchair, I don't see why that can't be done. Her wounds were very minimal."

Judy glanced at Larry. "Larry, with your permission, I'd like to try something."

The much larger kangaroo gave the little bunny a smile. "I'm all ears, Officer Hopps."

Judy smiled at that, it reminding her of a certain fox, and told what she wanted to do.

Meanwhile, Nick was seated comfortably in an overly large chair inside the young dingo's room, not even looking at the teenager. Derrick Climber, a dingo no more than fifteen-years-old, was sitting dressed in his own clothes with his knees pressed up to his chest in a defensive manner. He had stopped growling the instant the fox had closed the door, and there had been silence ever since. Naturally, the tod had caught the conversation taking place outside the room, and couldn't help but grimace slightly. How she found out about him almost killing the shooter was beyond him, but he wasn't really surprised. Judy was a lot smarter than most mammals gave her credit for.

Derrick, for his part, didn't know how to feel about the fox. He had thought he'd be like all the other adults, but there was something about him that made his walls lower against his will. He ultimately chose to ignore the fox as he allowed himself to wallow in his self-hatred and guilt. His hazel eyes were red-rimmed and the fur around them soaked with tears that still trickled out of them.

"Nick." The fox said, breaking the silence and causing the dingo to turn his head sharply.

"What…?" Derrick croaked, wincing at the rawness of his voice.

"My name." The fox explained. "It's Nick."

"I know who you are." The teenager grumbled, causing Nick's ears to tilt with curiosity.

"You do?"

"First fox cop. You're all over Instapaw and Furbook."

"Huh." Nick was genuinely surprised, as he never really paid much attention to the fads that swept social media, more focused on playing the games on there than anything else. He shook his head to clear it. "As interesting as that is, how about you tell me your name?"

"Don't you already know it?" The pup asked with disdain.

"Perhaps, but I rather get it from you." Silence was his answer, and the fox sighed dramatically. "You leave me no choice. I will call you Tails until further notice." Again, they were both silent for a few. "Your mom's okay, by the way."

A whimper burst out of Derrick at that. "No she's not…! I hurt her!"

"No, you didn't." Nick said firmly.

"You don't understand!" Derrick growled in emotional pain.

"Yes, I do." Nick said quietly, startling the pup.

"What?"

"I understand, Tails." Nick looked the dingo in the eyes. "I know what it's like to be hit with the serum."

The dingo pup wiped his eyes with a sniffle. "What…what happened?"

"I almost killed a capybara." Nick admitted for the first time out loud, and allowed the guilt within him to be visible to the suffering pup. "Fortunately, I didn't, but…I don't like to think about it."

"Did you know the capybara?"

"No."

"It's not the same then!" Derrick growled viciously as he swung his legs off the side of the bed, aggressively facing the fox. Nick merely observed him with a neutral, if pained, expression. "You don't understand what it's like! To be—to be told that you hurt another mammal! That that mammal was your own mother—!" He choked up here, a sob bursting from him. He shoved the palm of his paws into his face as he crumbled down to the floor, sobbing. He gasped and looked up sharply when he felt a paw on his shoulder. The fox had approached him soundlessly, a look of compassion on his face.

"I'm going to tell you something, and I want you to pay close attention. Do you think you can do this?" Nick asked softly as he crouched down besides the youth. Despite being more than two decades younger than him, the dingo was easily larger than the fox.

Once again, Derrick felt as if he could trust this fox. He felt safe; safer than he had felt all day. Rubbing his watery eyes, he gave a mute nod.

"What happened today, this terrible incident—is not your fault, you hear me?" Nick made sure he kept eye-contact as he said this, taking a page from Judy once again. He was genuinely hurt by the pain the young pup was going through; could physically feel it coming off of him. "You were not in control; the Nighthowler makes sure of that. The fault lies with the mammals who are behind this, and me and my partner will catch them." 'Damn straight, we will.'

Hazel eyes teared up once more. "But it's my claws that scratched Mom! My teeth that made her bleed…!" The dingo pup started crying once more, paws pressing firmly against the floor as he shamelessly let his tears soak his facial fur. "How could-how could she ever-ever forgi-give me…!"

"Hey, Tails, shh, shh." Nick whispered as he tried to comfort the pup. Memories of his own mother, and how—despite how disappointing he had no doubt turned out to be—she never stopped loving him, not even when she got sick. He felt his eyes burn. "Of course she'll forgive you. Mothers…they just—"

The sound of activity outside the door made Nick stop talking so he could hear better, and then it was suddenly opening, gaining the attention of the dingo. Two mammals stood in the opened doorway. The first he noticed was his bunny. He'd always see her first, even if she was behind something, which was the case in this instance. She was behind a wheelchair, a kind expression on her face as she pushed it and its patient into the room. Said patient was an older female koala in a hospital gown, her arms bandaged. It was obvious she was still kind of out of it, no doubt from the drugs, but her eyes were wondering the room, searching. They stopped when they landed on the dingo.

"Mama?" The dingo whispered in shock.

"Derrick!" She said with a sleepy smile.

"Why—why are you out of bed? Shouldn't you be resting?" He asked as he scrambled to get up, concern for his mother evident as he approached the older koala.

"I had to make sure you were okay." Mrs. Climber gestured to Judy. "This officer was kind enough to bring me here since you were being so stubborn." She teased.

A whimper sounded from Derrick as he fell to his knees before his mother. "How can…after I hurt you so bad, how can you still care for me?" The last sentence came out in a sob.

Reaching out a clawed paw, Mrs. Climber gently cupped the dingo's cheek and made him meet her gaze. Her forest green eyes were glassy with tears that spilled over as she smiled. "My sweet, silly, silly boy. I will always love you. No matter how tall you get, you will always be my little boy."

Wordlessly, and carefully, Derrick wrapped his arms around his mother's tiny body, resting his head in her lap as he sobbed into her. If it irritated any of her stitches, Mrs. Climber didn't say anything as the two of them cried together.

Getting up, Nick walked past the two and towards Judy, who was in tears herself, but was stopped by a small clawed paw on his arm. He turned slightly and met the grateful eyes of the mother koala.

"Thank you, officer, for speaking with my boy."

The fox gave her a kind smile. "We'll give you two a moment." And with that, he and Judy exited the hospital room, closing the door behind them. He heard a sniffle coming from his girl and turned to see her rubbing at her eyes. A quick glance around told him that the bunny wasn't the only one having issues with keeping their eyes dry, if Jimmy's watery eyes were anything to go by.

"You okay there, Carrots?"

"Yeah, it's just been a long morning." The bunny took a deep breath.

Nick's ears flattened against his head, displeasure welling up within him as he watched her continue to struggle with her emotions. Glancing up at the chief, he asked, "Is there somewhere we can go that's a bit private?"

Understanding showed on the large boomer's face and he nodded. "A few doors down there's an office for officers who need to use it. It's currently empty. We'll knock of if we need you."

"Thanks." Nick said as he placed a paw on Judy's shoulder, guiding the emotionally struggling bunny down the hall as instructed. He nodded to Jimmy and Tanya as he passed. True to Larry's word, there was an office marked "Police Only" and the door was unlocked. He led the now sobbing bunny into the dark room and closed it behind them.

"Nnn-Nick…" Judy sobbed and she was suddenly being picked up. She turned herself so she could wrap her arms tightly around her fox's neck, burrowing her face into his fur as she sobbed, letting the morning's events finally crash into her.

Easily maneuvering his way through the dark, Nick found himself an empty chair his size and took a seat, his arms wrapped protectively around the bunny in his lap. Tucking her head under his chin, the fox stared out into the room with slit pupils as he ran a comforting paw up and down Judy's back. A soft purr started vibrating in his throat, and he felt his girl press her face deeper into it.

The fox tried not to think. If he did, he would only get more riled up than he already was. Derrick's broken and lost expression, and Mrs. Climbers bandaged wounds were imprinted on his mind. No family should ever have to go through what they were going through. No one. Especially one so young. 'And now Judy's tears…' Nick tightened his grip on the bunny. 'Twily needs to be stopped.'

Nothing was said; words would only taint the moment with meaningless and over-said phrases, providing little comfort. Instead, the fox continued to comfort the bunny through touch and sounds, comforting himself in the process. Reassuring himself that she was only hurting emotionally, and not physically. It wasn't much, but it did help calm him down a bit.

The soft brush of something against his throat jarred him out of his thoughts and stopped his purr. It seemed like sometime during his musings, Judy had stopped sobbing and was now only giving a quiet sniffle here and there. Something brushed against his neck again, and a soft smacking sound reached his ears.

Heat suffused Nick as he realized that his little country bumpkin was…was kissing his neck. It was then that he became hyper aware of their position, with Judy straddling him, her legs on either side of his own. Another kiss had his breath catching. "Carrots? Judy?"

The sudden feel of teeth biting down gently into the flesh of his neck had the fox gasping, a tingling sensation spreading rapidly from that area. Nick tightened his grip on Judy, his paws having paused on her waist from his earlier surprise. "Judy…" He moaned softly when he felt her paws slide themselves slowly from his neck and down his chest.

With a low growl, Nick gently took a hold of Judy's ears and pulled her face from his neck, only to smash his lips against hers in a hungry kiss. Letting go of her, he felt his bunny wrap her arms around his neck as she brought her body flush against his, wrapping his own arms around her tiny waist. Her needy whimpers reached his ears and he couldn't stop the whine from forming as he hugged her closer to him, his tail coiling around them. He licked her lips, asking for entrance, devouring the taste of her as she let him in.

Judy burned, and it felt incredible. Nick's paws on her burned everything away, his tongue pulling her in. He made her forget everything else except him. Everything. Unconsciously she shifted against him, and they both gasped at the sensation, ending the heated kiss. "Nick…!"

"Okay, that's enough of that." Nick panted, keeping a firm hold on Judy so she wouldn't do anything unexpected.

"Nick…" Judy whimpered, grabbing at his uniform. She wanted for forget. She needed to forget.

"Shh, shh." Nick mumbled as he pressed their foreheads together. "Just breathe with me, okay?"

"Okay…"

For a moment, that's all they did. Staring into each other's eyes, taking deep breaths, and taking in each other's scent. Nick stared into her shimmering violets, and while Judy couldn't see that well in the dark, she could make out the faintest shade of dazzling green in the dark room. She couldn't see that his pupils were slowly returning to normal, but she had a feeling that's what they were doing.

"Feeling better?" Nick asked after a moment.

Judy nodded mutely.

"Wanna tell me what that was all about, Fluff?" The fox asked softly, still feeling a bit heated.

A different type of heat filled Judy as she ducked her head in embarrassment. Now that the moment was gone, she felt mortified by her cowardice and actions. How petty could she be? Trying to use Nick for her own selfish wants?

"Judy?"

"I…uh, I wanted…to forget…about this morning…" She admitted softly, facing away from Nick. The fox's soft chuckle only made her ears burn more.

"I can assure you, Carrots, that is not the way to go." Nick affectionately nuzzled her cheek with his own. "That would explain the complete one-eighty from this morning."

"I'm sorry…" She sniffled.

"It's okay." He gently kissed her forehead. "Let's just not do this anytime soon, 'kay? My control can only take so much of your adorableness." That got a soft giggle from the bunny. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Good. Now get off before I really ravish you."

"Eep!" Judy squeaked before she scrambled off of Nick, giggling all the way.

Standing up, the fox gave into the urge to shake out his coat, trying to shake off the last bits of arousal the bunny had awoken. He started to smooth down the fur Judy had no doubt mussed up, and readjusted his shirt. There was a small click, and the room was suddenly flooded with light, causing Nick to yelp in pain.

"Sorry!" Judy hissed. "Should have warned you."

"It's okay." He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes and tried to blink out the spots. When the fox's sight was back to normal, he found a relatively normal looking Judy. The only thing off about her were her still slightly red eyes, and that would go away in a few minutes. "Ready for the world, partner?"

"As I'll ever be." She quipped back before opening the door to the office.

The couple met back up with the other officers, acting as if nothing happened. Judy apologized for her breakdown, which resulted in Larry giving her an affectionate pat to the head.

"I remember my first murder case. It's to be expected; don't worry about it. And I won't tell Adonis!"

Not really sure if they could take the boomer for his word, the pair decided that they'd come back tomorrow to speak with the family, since they were still recovery. They were just as distressed and emotionally drained, if not more so, then the two smaller officers. A day of recovery would do everyone some good.

With a promise to Jimmy to keep in touch, they left the hospital. Nick, however, paused in the parking lot to take a look around. He felt eyes on him, but the only mammal he saw was a male goat walking down the street, minding his own business. Though unusual to see a goat here, it wasn't uncommon.

"You coming, Nick?" Judy asked, gaining his attention. She was halfway to the car, studiously ignoring the protestors at the entrance, who had grown in number.

Leaving it be for now, but filing it away for later just in case, Nick gave Judy a lazy smile. "'Course I am." And made his way to join up with the bunny.

And that's a wrap! I admit that I teared up or flat out cried typing this chapter. Why must I hurt them so T-T

Was it okay, guys? I feel like the scene in the office may have been a bit OC for the two, but they did have an emotional morning, and you do strange things when under a lot of stress.

Also, with the amount of psychologically disturbing things in this fic, curtesy of Twliy, do you think I should up the rating?

As always, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you drop a review! I do love reading them, even if it is to criticize!

Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Star