Chapter 12: Absence and Resolve - Part 1
"Nick, she went that way!" Judy shouted as they chased their tiny target past some snow covered shrubbery and behind a multi-mammal public restroom building.
The target in question, a little vole, scurried along and found herself with nowhere else to run. Instincts took over and she dove straight into a nice giant pile of soft powdery snow. Nick skid around the corner with Judy in tow. His ears and nose twitched, detecting the trail, and he pointed with a wolfish grin.
"Over there! I got this, Carrots." the fox proudly announced as he sprinted towards the big snowy clump.
Nothing could prepare Judy for what she witnessed next. She watched, wide eyed, as her partner leapt straight up into the air, higher than she'd ever seen him jump, arched his body gracefully into a half circle and dove headfirst into the snow. All that was left to see was the rustling bottom half of his body as his tail swished about, searching for his prey. Within a few moments, he emerged victorious with the little vole in his paws and a big goofy victory grin on his snow covered snout.
"Got her!" Nick exclaimed as he held up the vole like a trophy and shook the snow off.
Judy's mouth was agape before she burst into tears of laughter. "Nick, what in the cabbage patch was that!?"
Her partner looked mildly amused at Judy's choice of words as he shifted the vole to one paw and gestured with the other.
"It's called a pounce, sweetheart." he stated so matter-of-factly. "And what's so funny? I did find Lucy here, did I not?"
He smiled at the tiny rodent.
"Aw. No fair! You guys are too good at this game," Lucy pouted.
"You did a great job, little lady. You were the last one we found," Nick reassured her.
"Officer Wilde is right, Lucy. You were awesome," Judy added after recomposing herself. "Let's get you back to your friends."
"Okay!"
Much to her delight, Nick placed Lucy on his right shoulder, so she could enjoy a ride while they walked back into the snow covered park where a large group of kits were playing.
"You know, Slick… I thought you might be a little apprehensive about us being assigned to Tundratown today," Judy mentioned while looking up to her partner from his left side.
Nick kept his eyes forward for a moment, before finally returning his partner's empathetic gaze, smirking for Judy, "Not anymore." He finished with a wink.
Smiling back, Judy placed a paw on his arm with half lidded eyes.
Today they had been assigned to participate in a ZPD public community event in Tundratown where citizens could meet and chat with ZPD officers from several precincts. Fangmeyer, Grizzoli, and Snarlov were also present, engaged in conversations with a few other parents and borough locals about various police related topics and inquiries.
Judy had decided to play with the kits, handing out junior ZPD sticker badges, and answered their questions about general police work. Nick was trying to play cool and stubborn at first until she finally convinced him to join in a few games of tag and hide-n-seek together.
The bunny decided to make some snow angels with the little ones once they rejoined the parents. After setting Lucy down, Nick bowed out of that one, putting his aviators back on, and leaned up against a nearby tree. He smiled to himself watching Judy have fun. Assignments like these were a nice break from the usual daily police dealings they faced.
Surrounded by several new junior ZPD officers, Judy waved her arms in the snow, making a little bunny snow angel. The kits followed her lead, making various sized angels of their own. After sharing some laughs, she sat up to look over at Nick leaning against the tree. He now gained an audience as a young kit ran up to him with a curious expression. He was intrigued to see a fox police officer.
The snow leopard kit excitedly asked Nick a million questions. Judy observed as Nick haunched over, lifted his aviators over his head, and chatted with the little guy. She remembered how dutiful Nick acted in his jumbo pop hustle with Finnick, posing as his Dad. As she continued to watch, Judy could see that perhaps it wasn't so pretend after all. Nick appeared to have a natural affinity with the youngster. He even reached behind the kit's ear and pulled out a junior ZPD sticker badge from thin air, like a magic trick, and pinned it on the ecstatic boy's jacket. Judy's paws found themselves over her heart as a warm smile grew on her muzzle. The bunny loved catching these small glimpses of Nick's softer side.
The lively conversation was suddenly interrupted when the kit's mother walked over to grab his paw and forcibly took him away. Judy's ears perked up as she caught the mom's whispering words.
"Sweetie, let's go. You don't want to bother THAT police officer, okay?"
"But Mom!? Officer Wilde is really cool. I want to keep talking with him!" the little boy protested.
"Hush. Now come on. You can chat with the nice tigress officer over there," she said as she dragged her son away from Nick.
Now Judy found her teeth grinding as she scowled towards the speciest predator. THAT officer she stressed? How dare that leopard she thought. She shot a concerned look over at her partner. Nick merely straightened back up, flicked his aviators back down, and resumed leaning against the tree, not letting it show that it got to him. But it got to Judy. It really got to her. Even Fangmeyer and Grizzoli noticed what happened, their ears flattening. It took a lot of effort for Fangmeyer to resume a happy face and pleasant tone when the snow leopard mom appeared in front of her, presenting her son, to chat with the tigress instead.
Judy hopped from the soft snow, excused herself from the kits around her, and walked over to her partner. "Nick, are you okay? I heard what she said and…" she whispered while placing a paw on his arm.
The fox smirked, as he glanced down, interrupting the bunny. "It's okay, Carrots."
"It is NOT okay! You know what? I'm going to go have a word with her." Judy said no longer whispering and actually pivoted on her foot in the direction of the snow leopard.
Before she could get very far, Nick gently grabbed her shoulder with one paw and stopped her in place. "Carrots. It's not worth it. Just let it go."
"How can you be so calm about this, Nick? And don't tell me you're used to it. This isn't fair to you. You don't deserve it and you know it," she shot back harshly, pointing a finger a him. Her foot began to thump, creating a hole in the snow below her.
Nick sighed, took his aviators off, and bent down to be eye level with his partner. "Judy... are we really going to have a fight over this? Here? Now?"
His use of her name caught her slightly off guard. "It's… just that…"
"Hey. Deep breath. Count to three," he said in a gentle tone while supplying a small smile.
She closed her eyes and sighed. Nick must have heard her share with Clawhauser how she sometimes practiced that technique to avoid acting out when she felt upset. Judy didn't know whether to be thankful or hate the fact that Nick was using her own advice against her.
The bunny took a deep breath, internally counted to three, and exhaled. "Okay. I'm calmer now."
"Good. Listen, some mammals are just stuck in their ways. Her kit? I think he'll be different. Like you said before, we'll just keep trying and making those little changes. It starts with us, right?"
She nodded.
"Let's go rejoin those kits you left in the snow back there. They keep looking over here, waiting for their favorite bunny officer to come back and play." Nick said, gently squeezing her shoulder, pushed himself off the tree, and walked past her.
Judy did her best to put a smile on as she followed him back to the group of excited children.
The event concluded and their shift was over for the day. They drove back to the station with minimal banter. Judy focused on the icy roads while Nick occupied himself with his phone. A part of Judy was still really upset over that little scene. Even she was surprised how much it still bothered her. Back at their desks, they typed away, filing a few small reports when Judy's desk phone rang. It was Clawhauser.
"Hey Judy, the Chief would like to see you in his office before you leave," the bubbly cheetah informed her in his usual jovial tone.
"Okay, Clawhauser. I'll go see him right away. Thank you!" she replied before hanging up the receiver.
Nick swiveled around in his chair with a teasing smirk. "Going to the principal's office, Officer Fluff?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "I'll be right back."
After climbing the four flights of stairs, she stood in front of the large office door, and raised her paw to knock.
"Come in, Hopps." came the brisk order before she managed to announce her presence.
Judy entered, closed the door, and hopped onto the large seat in front of Chief Bogo's desk. The cape buffalo was thumbing through several reports from the day shifts. Bogo removed his glasses, placed the reports onto his desk, and leaned forward with crossed arms.
Deciding to go first, Judy spoke up. "You wanted to see me, Chief?"
"Hopps. First, I want to say good job today at the community event. I've received many compliments from numerous citizens about you and Wilde."
This bit of news perked Judy's mood. "Oh? Thank you, Sir! Officer Wilde and I always try our best to make a good impression."
Bogo remained neutral and continued to address his smallest officer, pointing a hoof at her. "I was looking over your approved vacation time. You better try your best and actually use it. I know very well that you constantly work overtime and never take additional time off unless I order it. As much as I appreciate the dedication, Mammal Resources is constantly right up my tail about this." The buffalo now leaned closer and his usual scowl appeared. "Now... if I see you anywhere near this station or hear of you doing any sort of off-duty police work for the next two weeks; you will have a month of parking duty waiting for you when you return. Do I make myself clear, Hopps?"
The bunny officer's eyes went wide, glancing away for a moment before replying. "Yes, Sir. Perfectly."
The Chief finally relaxed for a moment. "Good. Now get out of here and enjoy your vacation. Dismissed."
"Thank you, Sir!" Judy saluted with a smile. "I just want to say that it's been…"
"Hopps. Shut your tiny mouth and go!" Bogo ordered.
"Sir!" she quickly hopped down and scurried out of the office; shutting the door behind her.
Chief Bogo smiled, placed his glasses back on his snout, and returned to his case reports.
Once their shift officially ended, the fox and bunny duo quietly parted. Back at her apartment, Judy was packing her small suitcase. She was going to catch the early evening train to Bunnyburrow. After folding a few articles of clothing, Judy fell onto her bed with a sigh. Not happy with how she left things with Nick, she reached for her phone. At first she was going to send a text but that felt lame. Clicking on his contact photo, which was still the goofy meter maid pic, the dialer began to ring. To her surprise, Judy immediately heard a phone ringing in the hallway, playing a familiar song, followed by a light knock at her door.
Shooting up with a nose twitch, she hopped to her door and opened it. There was Nick, still in his police uniform, with a smoothie in each paw while his pant pocket continued to ring and vibrate. His ringtone for Judy was a non-vocal snippet of 'Ain't She Sweet' from The Beagles.
"I'd answer that but my paws are full," he smiled, wiggling both large drinks in front of her.
With a chuckle, Judy canceled the call and looked up at her partner with a raised eyebrow.
"Carrot and kale smoothie?" he offered.
The bunny crossed her arms and the two stared at one another for a few moments. Nick began to wonder if Judy was still upset about earlier or not amused with his choice of ringtone. Judy, however, was extremely happy to see him right now. She answered his thoughts with a fresh smile, hopped up, wrapping her arms around his neck, and bringing him down as she hugged him something fierce.
"Hey… are you trying to steal both smoothies?" the fox teased.
Moments passed before Judy finally let go while shaking her head. "Nick, I'm really sorry about taking my frustration out on you earlier."
"Don't worry about it, Carrots," he replied, leaning against the door frame, and extended the smoothie for her to take.
"Thank you." Judy grabbed the smoothie with a smile, and inhaled a delighted sip. "Nick, is this from Susie's smoothie cart!?"
"That's right," he replied taking his own gulp.
Her mouth fell open. "But that's all the way over in…"
The fox winked. "I just happened to be in the area."
This earned Nick another squeezing hug. Susie's smoothie cart was one of Judy's favorite refreshment stands. The bunny saved her cart one day during a patrol by heroically leaping from their cruiser, and stopping the runaway cart before it was destroyed or hurt any civilians. Unfortunately, Judy had injured her arm during the process. Being grateful, Susie rewarded Judy with a free lifetime supply of smoothies.
Judy placed the smoothie on her desk before opening her small clothes cabinet. "Oh! Want to see the dress, my sister Violet, told me to pick up for the wedding?"
Nick nodded while she removed it from the rack. It was a nice simple elegant knee length aqua colored formal sundress.
"She picked out all the outfits and designed everything for Manny's wedding and reception. Check out the invitation," the bunny said excitedly and handed him the piece of stationary. "Okay. Let me put it on."
Taking a cue, Nick turned around and looked over the fancy invitation. It had a golden serif monogram with the letters D&M, for Dawn Skipski & Manny Hopps, surrounded by soft pastel colors and a flowing curvy nature motif, similar to many rabbit based designs he had observed.
Judy quickly changed and let him know when she was ready. "Ta-da! What do you think?" she asked with her arms out, eagerly awaiting his response.
The fox raised his eyebrows at her cuteness. Not saying a word yet, he walked past her, much to Judy's confusion, picked up her tiny carrot themed umbrella, and handed it to her.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked with a continued perplexed face.
"You'll need something to fend off all those bucks who are going to be hitting on you, dumb bunny," he smirked while leaning on her desk.
"Oh, shush you!" Judy chuckled while poking him in the side with the tip of the umbrella.
"Ow. You know, that could be considered assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon," Nick said while taking another sip of his smoothie.
"Police officer? Gosh. All I see is a dumb fox in front of me," Judy replied with her own smirk, tapping the umbrella handle to her chin.
They shared a snicker before Judy noticed the time on her alarm clock with a sigh.
"Oh, prickly pickles! I better finish packing quick or I'll miss my train," she quietly frowned.
She heard Nick suddenly cough and clear his throat.
"Um… Carrots…" he suddenly raised a finger as if to tell her something.
Judy looked at him bright eyed, giving Nick her full attention.
"Nevermind. I'll wait for you outside." Nick chuckled, flicked his aviators on, and headed for the door.
"Okay. I'll be ready in a few minutes."
Judy finished packing everything she needed and put the dress on a travel clothes hanger. Nick carried it for her and the two made their way together down to Savanna Central Station. They arrived with a few minutes to spare as the final boarding call was announced.
"Think you can handle two weeks without me, Slick?" Judy teased her partner with lidded eyes.
Pretending to mull over the question with a few taps on the chin, Nick smirked at her. "I think I'll manage. I'll still have the Hareraiser with me after all. Maybe I can get the artist who did Finn's van to add a superhero fox logo with wings on the side doors!"
Rolling her eyes, Judy pointed a finger at him. "Stop calling her that! And don't you dare spraypaint our cruiser!"
"How about if I add a bunny to it?"
"No!" she said while glaring at him and balling her fists.
Once more the final boarding announcement echoed throughout the station.
"I guess I better get going," Judy whispered, finding her ears naturally drooping.
"You'll have a good time, Carrots."
Looking down for a moment, Judy wished Nick could come with her. "We'll keep in touch?" she asked looking back up at him.
Nick nodded with a promising smile.
Judy said nothing more and dashed forward to give Nick one last hug. The fox closed his eyes and gently put a paw behind her petite head. She found herself not wanting to separate but reluctantly pulled away and boarded the train. All of the doors closed, and the train began its departure. Leaning against the window, she waved bye to Nick. He waved back. Judy moved backwards to the rear windows of the train to catch one final glimpse of Nick as he faded away once the train rocketed forward from the station.
As the train exited the station, Nick's smile faded to a neutral line. Judy was now officially gone for the next two weeks. With paws in pockets, he turned around and began his walk back home, stealing one final glance down the tracks.
The bunny stayed in the back of the train, eyes set towards the train station even after it was beyond her view. Judy sat and continued to watch the Downtown skyline vanish as she passed through the Rainforest District tunnels into the Meadowlands, then Tundratown, and finally Sahara Square. As the train made it's way over the elevated tracks across the bay, she continued to watch as Zootopia itself slowly disappeared around the bend as the train entered the Tri-Burrows county line. Despite being excited to see her entire family again, she found a large part of herself feeling melancholic to be leaving, even it if was just for two weeks.
Judy woke up at her usual time the next morning. The first breakfast session was a more quiet affair in the Hopps burrow since many siblings and family members were still asleep. Bonnie was already awake and preparing meals for her children. Stuffing herself full of a wonderful home cooked breakfast, Judy volunteered to go with Stu to get the family roadside vegetable stand ready for the day.
After setting up all of the goods, she took her place behind the counter, wearing her large brimmed sun hat. Checking the time, Judy leaned her chin on a paw, looking at her new phone home screen wallpaper. It was the picture of her and Nick smiling together from the photo booth. Soon Nick would be entering the bullpen, ready to tackle his assignment for the day.
Nick was sitting alone in their usual shared seat, drinking his second Snarlbucks coffee. Without realizing it, he was habitually sitting off to one side like normal, his mind subconsciously assuming Judy would arrive at any given moment and take her spot next to him. A few of his fellow officers took note of this with smiles.
Chief Bogo arrived with clipboard in hoof and silenced the room to begin his assignments.
"As you all know, today is the First Annual Skunk Appreciation Parade. The Mayor, along with many city council members, and Gazelle will be making special appearances to bring awareness for these mammals. Several of you will be assigned to crowd duty to ensure order is maintained," Bogo announced while putting his glasses on.
"Wouldn't want anyone to rile up the skunks and have them raise a huge stink, right Sir?" Nick quipped.
Bogo was not amused. He glared at Nick before countering, "That's why you will personally be the first line of defense if that happens, Wilde."
The room snickered for a few moments before Bogo's angry stare put a stop to it. Nick simply kept a smug grin on his snout.
Lifting his clipboard back up, Bogo read the details aloud, "Parade assignments will be Officers Fangmeyer, Grizzoli, McHorn, Rhinowitz, Wolfard, Delgato, Trunkaby, and Wilde. Meet with the organizers and keep the peace. Dismissed."
The eight officers made their way down the main street together and joined the parade preparations. Soon the main float arrived, a giant purple skunk sitting atop a round multi-colored platform on four wheels. On the top of the purple skunk base was a small raised circular stand with hand rails. Attached to the railing was an even larger navy colored skunk balloon floating above along with several colorful ribbons flowing down the sides.
Within the hour, the Mayor along with several city council members arrived. They were a motley crew of various mammals in suits: a leopard, polar bear, zebra, brown bear, pig, hippo, and raccoon gathered to meet the newly appointed skunk representative. Shortly after their arrival, Gazelle, escorted by some bodyguards, made her entrance, dressed in a form fitting bright glittery purple dress with a skunk tail attachment. Waving to the boisterous crowds, she climbed up to take her place atop the float. The ZPD officers took their positions amongst the crowd, making sure to keep their presence known and looking out for any rowdy behavior.
The large 'Skunk Appreciation Parade' banner was raised and the event was ready to begin. The leopard and hippo council members unrolled a long piece of red tape, while the Mayor raised a special large pair of scissors to cut the tape and announce the start of the parade. The float began to move, accompanied by several skunk dancers with pom poms, with confetti decorating the air, and Gazelle singing a new song to commemorate the special event.
Nick was leaning against the temporary fence erected to keep the crowds on the sidewalk and off the street as the parade traveled down the main avenue. Fangmeyer and Grizzoli were nearby, surveying the crowds in different directions. The majority of the parade goers were skunks, but there was a large mix of various other mammals attending, looking to show support, have some fun, or watch Gazelle perform.
Looking down the street, he noticed Susie, the prairie dog, with her mobile smoothie cart raking in the cash from the festivities. The fox smiled at her acute business sense. She was serving a fresh batch of smoothies to a small rabbit family. It made him think of Judy and how much he missed her already. She would have loved this parade. Susie saw Nick and waved with a cheerful smile. He saluted back with two fingers.
Glancing over to Fangmeyer, Nick made an observation. "Well, looks like this assignment's in the bag. The only potential danger I see here is a bunch of pulled muscles from all the smiling and arm waving."
Fangmeyer chuckled, returning the glance to her fellow officer. "I hope so, Nick. Though, I see a small protest gathering on the other side of the street."
Following her gaze, Nick saw a small group of young angry looking porcupines. Two of whom were holding up signs that read 'What about Porcupines?' and 'Porcupines are Mammals too!'.
"Those guys, Steph? I have nose hairs that are more unruly. I saw them earlier and called it in to Clawhauser."
The purple spiky haired porcupine with glasses and a yellow top, leading the group, became more agitated as the float passed by. The lyrics from Gazelle's song only served to irritate her further.
"––Don't believe all the lies that they tell; your heart, heart, heart, is stronger than your smell, smell, smell––"
"Doesn't anyone even care about us? Are we invisible to these mammals?" she huffed.
"C'mon, Lisa. Maybe we should just go home," her friend in a green beanie and shirt, holding a sign, suggested.
"No way! If they are gonna just ignore us, then I'll make them see!" Lisa growled.
Reaching behind her, she pulled several large quills off her back, and with olympic vigor, threw them all at the large skunk balloon in frustration.
Unfortunately, the quills found their target and managed to puncture the rear of the balloon, causing the seams to rip into a larger hole, rapidly ejecting massive amounts of helium into the air, making the float lose control, and suddenly lurch forward at higher speed.
Gazelle yelped, stopping mid-song, as she nearly lost her balance, and grabbed the railing to secure herself. The crowds of mammals gasped and shouted frantically. Nick and the other officers immediately reacted to the situation.
"We got a runaway float and pop-star!" the fox yelled as he dashed into a full sprint along with Fangmeyer.
Grizzoli was already on the police radio, informing the other officers, and the station, about the sudden incident. The largest officers, McHorn, Rhinowitz, and Trunkaby were ordering the crowds to keep calm and steer clear of the street.
The tigress managed to leap and latch onto the back of the float before getting jerked forward. She clung onto the ladder with all of her strength, claws scraping against metal.
"Steph! Hold on!" Nick yelled.
"I am holding on!" she shot back.
Running past the city officials, including the Mayor, who was still holding the large scissors, Nick immediately got an idea.
"Excuse me Mayor, but I need these. Thanks!" he said as he yanked the scissors out of the stunned Mayor's paws.
Running as fast as his fox legs could carry him, Nick managed to catch up to the float as it gained speed. Fangmeyer reached back, grabbed his extended paw, and curled him up alongside her. The fox cut one of the ribbons, quickly tying the loose end around one of the handles to secure the scissors.
"Gazelle! You need to cut the balloon loose!" Nick yelled up to the frightened pop-star before turning back to his fellow officer. "Steph, can you throw this to her?"
"Roger," she replied, taking the scissors and wound her arm back, twisting her whole body into it, throwing the scissors up like a pro ball player.
Gazelle barely managed to catch the scissors before they fell. Blinking at the tool, she understood what the officers wanted her to do. "Oh! I get it!" The pop-star turned and began snipping all of the wires holding the balloon until the last wire released it and sent the skunk balloon flying away.
"That worked, Nick!" Fangmeyer exclaimed.
Nick wasn't relieved yet. "Yeah, but we're still headed straight for the fountain! Hold onto something!"
The three mammals clung onto anything they could and yelped as the float crashed nose first into the town center fountain in front of the ZPD headquarters. Luckily, they were all okay. Nick looked back when he heard angry shouts, as a small mob began to gather at a nearby corner.
Back down the street, Lisa was frantic and shaking in fear. "Oh no! What did I do?"
A mob of angry skunks surrounded the scared porcupine. She looked around, finding her friends gone, and herself backed up against the side of a building. The mob began to shout and point fingers at her.
"She popped the balloon! I saw her!"
"What should we do?"
"I say we spray her!"
"Yeah! Spray her!"
Lisa begged the mob as she curled up into a ball awaiting her fate when another mammal stepped through the angry crowd and yelled over them.
"Hold it! ZPD! Do not spray her!" Nick ordered as he managed to run back in time from the fountain.
It was too late, one skunk had already lifted her tail, and attacked the frozen porcupine.
"No, no, no!" Nick threw himself in front of Lisa, blocking her entire body with his own, arms spread, and took the full brunt of the foul spray.
Now everyone gasped in horror, especially Lisa, and the skunk who sprayed Nick, realizing she just attacked a police officer.
"Oh my god! Officer, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…" the devastated mammal stammered her words.
"Ugh…" came Nick's muffled reply as he covered his nose with both paws, the defensive stench overpowering his more sensitive sense of smell, causing him to double over on the sidewalk in a fetal position.
A soaked Fangmeyer managed to catch up, only to recoil back from her fellow officer's predicament. Grizzoli and Wolfard were forced to keep a fair distance, the smell keeping the timberwolves at bay as they covered their noses as well. The crowd began to quickly disperse away from Lisa and Nick.
Lisa looked at the fox officer hunched over in front of her and tried to put a paw on Nick's shoulder, her face scrunching up by remaining so close in proximity. "Officer, thank you, thank you! I didn't mean for all of this to happen."
Delgato arrived with some special scent blocking muzzle masks and odor sprays, handing them out to his fellow officers, and came over to Nick with a special plug for his nose. He attempted to spray Nick's uniform to help ease the pungent odor for the poor fox. Because they were so close to Precinct One, several more officers arrived on the scene including Clawhauser and Chief Bogo.
Bogo came up to Nick, the cape buffalo's weak sense of smell and his mask allowed him to endure the odor, and help his rookie officer to his feet.
"Wilde, when I said you needed to be the first line of defense this morning, I wasn't being literal." Bogo said, voice still in full authority mode, but there was an edge of softness and sympathy for his fox officer's predicament.
"All part of the job, Sir," Nick wheezed.
"Delgato, bring more odor neutralizer." the Chief ordered.
"Yes, Sir! I'll be right back, Wilde. Hang in there." he said to Nick before running off.
The female skunk who sprayed Nick had stayed behind, concerned for his well-being, and knowing she was in big trouble. "Are you going to be okay, Officer?"
"Wilde, is this the skunk who sprayed you?" Bogo sternly asked while glaring at the mammal, causing her to shrink in fear.
"Well, Sir…" Nick began to answer till he was interrupted.
"She was aiming for me, Chief!" Lisa piped up. "This officer jumped in to protect me. This is all my fault. I was just frustrated that the skunks got a parade but my request for a porcupine one was never answered."
"Someone explain the entire situation, right now!" Bogo roared.
"Sir, I threw some quills at the float but I never thought it would pop the balloon and…" Lisa meekly explained while staring at the ground.
Before the porcupine could continue, Clawhauser interrupted her.
"Oh, oh! Chief, I think I know what started this! After Officer Wilde called in the disturbance, I remembered seeing an approved application for the Porcupine Parade a few days ago, but I couldn't find it. Then, I checked around again and found it was stuck to a bunch of other papers because of some donut glaze…"
Clawhauser's words quietly trailed off as it was his turn to shrink under Bogo's angry stare.
"Clawhauser, are you telling me, this whole incident could have been avoided if you hadn't been eating donuts at your desk!?" the cape buffalo bellowed.
"Maybe…" was the only word he managed to quietly whimper.
"Does this mean, I might be off the hook?" Lisa reluctantly chimed in.
The Chief sighed and began to inform the porcupine of her situation, "I'm sorry Ma'am but what you did was dangerous. You endangered the lives of several officers, civilians, and…"
"Excuse me, Chief Bogo?"
Bogo paused and turned to address the mammal who called for his attention. It was the newly appointed skunk council member.
"I apologize for interrupting, but the skunk committee and myself do not wish to press charges, if that is okay with you, Sir? We know what it's like to feel misunderstood. We would love to invite the porcupines and all mammals to join in the parade," the elderly skunk smiled with open arms.
The cape buffalo grumbled. "Very well, mister chairman, however, I cannot let her go without punishment." Bogo turned to Lisa. "Ma'am, you will still be required to do at least one month of community service."
"Yes, Sir. Anything!" Lisa smiled.
"Good. Now then... Wilde, do you wish to arrest this skunk?" the Chief pointed at the skunk in question.
She locked eyes with Nick, before dipping her head down, awaiting her sentence, and preemptively stuck her paws out to be cuffed.
Nick merely smirked, still having a bit of trouble dealing with his newly acquired odor. He was forced to breath through his mouth with the special plug covering his nasal passages, giving his usual smooth voice a rather comical higher pitched tone. A few of the officers had to keep their paws over their mouths to contain their snickering when he spoke.
"No. No Sir, I do not," he said with his back straight and paws behind his back.
The skunk's head shot up in surprise. Before Nick could react she approached him and actually hugged the fox officer.
"Thank you, Officer. I'm so, so sorry, this happened to you. I shouldn't have done that."
Momentarily taken aback, Nick patted her shoulder. "It's no problem, Ma'am."
Letting Nick go, the skunk turned to Chief Bogo. "Sir, I'd like to join the porcupine and help with community service. It's only fair."
Bogo remained neutral but was rather impressed with this civilian. He spoke with a softer gruff tone. "Very well, Ma'am. Come to the station after the parade and we'll sort the details."
By this point, Gazelle joined the group, followed by several reporters and mammals snapping hundreds of photos. She wasn't wearing a mask and endured the foul smell like a trooper, approaching Nick and Fangmeyer with a warm expression.
"Officers, thank you so much for saving me, and for being so gracious with these mammals," she said with a kind smile.
Nick's only thoughts were how he couldn't wait to tell Judy about this later. His inner monologue was interrupted when he saw how sad Clawhauser appeared in the background, knowing it was his fault for temporarily losing those papers, and feeling responsible for this entire mess, that the usual bubbly cheetah hadn't noticed his favorite angel with horns was right near him.
"Thank you, Ma'am. Actually, could I ask you for a favor?" he gave his best charismatic foxy smile at the pop-star.
"Of course, Officer." she replied with her soft accented voice.
"See that big, sad, goofy cheetah over there?" Nick pointed at Clawhauser who suddenly perked up with huge eyes at the mention of his name. "You see, he's your biggest number one fan and…"
Moments later, Nick managed to get Clawhauser a chance to meet with Gazelle, and she personally signed a few of his favorite memorabilia, along with snapping a few selfies. He had squealed with so much utter delight, he nearly hurt Nick with a big bear hug afterwards, much to their fellow officers' and Bogo's amusement.
Shortly after Gazelle departed, several reporters attempted to gang up on Nick and Fangmeyer, bombarding them with questions and camera flashes, before Bogo chased them away. The Mayor also appeared with a mask and personally thanked both officers for their bravery. He ordered the parade to resume. Someone crossed out the word 'Skunk' from the banner and replaced it to say the 'Mammal Appreciation Parade'. Gazelle returned with a different outfit and was singing a new song, entertaining the returning cheerful crowds.
Chief Bogo sent Nick home early, ordering him to take the rest of the day, and the next off, to get rid of that odor before coming back to the bullpen. The fox made his way home, clearing a wide path, as his fellow officers wished him well from a distance. Halfway there, Nick remembered he had no food left in the fridge. Feeling devious, it was time for a small detour.
Several hours later, Judy finished packing the few unsold veggies onto the family truck under the setting sun. It was time to close shop and head back to the Hopps Family burrow. Her mom had promised to make her favorite meal tonight for dinner. Driving back home with her dad, Judy's mind meandered to Nick, and how his first day going solo went. She decided to call him later in the evening.
With a warm motherly smile, Bonnie brought her daughter a big plate of leafy greens and veggies, before excusing herself to check on the younger kits and grandpa. Just as Judy was chewing a few delicious morsels, a big ruckus could be heard from the den. Ears up, she wondered what was going on. Out of the side door, raced Cotton Hopps, one of Judy's youngest sisters, who had eagerly run alongside the train one year ago, frantically waving goodbye to her big sister when she had departed for Zootopia.
The little cream colored bunny hopped excitedly to get Judy's attention. "Judy! Judy! There's a fox cop on the news!"
"What!?" Judy immediately bolted out of her chair, knocking it over, grabbed her sister's paw, and headed to the den.
The bunny hopped into the main den where a gigantic crowd of her siblings of all ages, eagerly surrounded their grandpa in his big red chair, and were watching a recap of the day's news on TV. It was about some parade.
The ZNN Anchors, Peter Moosebridge and Fabiene Growley, appeared on screen to replay the earlier news event.
Fabiene spoke with a perfect sweet delivery as she recapped the parade. "In earlier news, today marked the first Annual Skunk Appreciation Parade that was held in Downtown Main Street across from the City Town Center. The parade, unfortunately, was interrupted by a small group of protesters, who attacked the main float and sent it crashing into the city fountain outside of the ZPD headquarters."
Peter took over, continuing the story, "We have amaeatur footage showing two brave ZPD officers, who were able to stop the runaway float, and restore order."
The footage began to roll and took over the screen. Bonnie and Stu joined the family, their eyes glued to the TV alongside every other Hopps in the room.
"Judy, isn't that...?" Stu began.
"Oh, my sweet heavens. Is that Nicholas?" Bonnie interrupted her husband.
Judy gasped loudly and her nose twitched. Sure enough, there was her partner, along with Fangmeyer, jumping onto the runaway float and safely diverting it into the fountain with Gazelle's assistance. Then another video appeared. It was from a crudely filmed smartphone video, but it was clear enough to show a small porcupine about to get mobbed by an angry group of skunks, only for a red fox in uniform to jump in between them and protect the civilian, getting himself sprayed in the process, before doubling over onto the sidewalk.
Horrified, Judy's eyes only widened further and her ears fell. "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!"
Her thoughts were broken when her grandpa, Otto, began to yell and wave his cane at the TV.
"You see that! I bet that fox started that whole ruckus! He got what he deserved."
"GRANDPA!" Judy roared, snapping out of her shock, all eyes in the room turning to her. "He did not! Did you even hear the report? He was saving the float and protecting that civilian!"
"Pop-Pop, that's Judy's partner, Nicholas." Bonnie joined in with a scowl at her father-in-law.
"Partner? How can you trust a fox, Trudy?" Otto asked while adjusting his spectacles.
Cotton and a few other siblings also chimed in like a giant chorus. "Judy, is he your boyfriend?"
"Ugh!" she groaned angrily with arms in the air. Not being able to take this anymore, she turned to her parents. "I need to call Nick!"
"Judy is gonna call her boyfriend!" Cotton piped up again.
"Cotton Hopps, behave yourself young lady and stop antagonizing your big sister," Bonnie mildly scolded.
"Listen to your mother, Cotton. Mister Wilde is Judy's partner at work," Stu added.
Without another word, Judy sprinted out of the den, towards her room to get her phone, missing the rest of the news cast that showed the happier conclusion to the turn of events. Her mind was only focused on Nick.
Shoving the door wide open, Judy bounded down the short stairs, pushed the curtains aside, and leaped to her old desk. She quickly grabbed her charging phone and punched the MuzzleTime speed dial for Nick.
After several rings, it went to voicemail. She canceled and tried again. Again to voicemail. Her foot began to impatiently thump and she tried one last time before she was going to leave a message for him to call her back right away.
At the last moment, the screen changed. She watched a frantic pick up, as Nick's face suddenly appeared, haphazardly grabbing his phone. The fox was soaking wet, wearing nothing else that she could see from above his waist.
"Carrots? What's wrong!?" He looked worried.
"What's wrong!? I just saw the news! Are you okay? Why didn't you call me right away, Nick!?" She blurted out before suddenly realizing she was also staring at his bare russet upper torso. Judy didn't give him time to reply, her eyes and ears shooting upwards. "Oh my god! Are you naked!?"
"What?" Her outburst caused Nick to double check his towel. "No. No, I am not naked. I jumped out of the shower because you wouldn't stop calling my phone."
Beyond Judy's bedroom door, some random sibling overheard her and yelled back, "Someone's naked?"
"No one's naked!" she quickly replied, cheeks flushed, and ran over to slam her door shut.
"Although… this is Zootopia, where anyone can be..." Nick added over the phone, a smug grin returning to his face.
She didn't let him finish. "Nick!"
"Alright. Alright. Wait one second, I'll grab a shirt," he said while putting the phone down and sauntering off to his closet.
Judy could still see him in the front facing camera view, drying himself quickly with different towel before digging around for a few moments and pulling a dark shirt over his head. She was trying really hard not to look and failed. When he came back, she saw the letters ZPD written across the shirt.
"Better?"
Judy sighed before shotgunning her worried apology and inquiry. "I'm sorry I got so worked up, Nick. What happened today? I saw a news video of you on top of a speeding float and then getting sprayed by a skunk!"
"Yeah… funny story that..." he said while scratching the back of an ear. "Let's just say I'm on my third shower of the day, with this… organic tomato-based 'Miracle Skunk Away' shampoo. Doesn't seem very miraculous to me since I can still smell the odor." He held up the product for her before tossing it to one side. "I had to put in a requisition for a new uniform too. My old one's toast." He paused to take a few sniffs. "Hold on."
The bunny watched him grab a FurBreeze bottle and begin to rigorously spray it all around his apartment. Judy's ears drooped. She couldn't imagine how it must have smelled for his more sensitive nose.
"Nick, please tell me what happened?" she gently asked while bringing the phone closer to her muzzle.
Finding a more comfortable place to lean back against, Nick recounted the day's events in detail for his partner. He watched as Judy's expression continuously changed with each passing new piece of information. In the end, he managed to make her laugh and surprise her with the tidbit about Gazelle and Clawhauser.
Judy huffed and sighed. "I can't believe Clawhauser. Though, that was really nice of you to do that for him, Nick. And to forgive that skunk too." A wonderful smile spread across her small muzzle.
"Yeah, well…" he didn't know what else to say.
"C'mon, Officer Wilde. Don't be so modest," she teased him.
"Since when have you ever told me to do the opposite, Fluff? Am I talking to the right bunny? Or is this another Hopps?"
"You better only be talking to me, Slick!" Judy said before realizing how that sounded. It made her feel slightly embarrassed. The bunny didn't know why she said that.
Nick realized. He leaned closer, just smirked, and wiggled an eyebrow. Judy glared back.
"Tell me about your day?" Nick asked changing the subject.
Judy's glare softened and she shared her oh so exciting day of selling vegetables along the side of the road. At the very least, they had sold most of the day's haul, and made a nice profit.
"Do you have to go back to work tomorrow, Nick?" she asked.
"Well, Chief Buffalo-Butt told me, he better not catch me in the station till the odor is gone. According to him, my foul mouth is already more than enough for the precinct to handle."
This gave the bunny a good laugh, so much, that she had to hold her sides. Nick sat amused, watching her reaction, even if it was at his expense.
Wiping the wetness from her shiny eyes, Judy skipped over to her bed, sprawled across it, chin on her paws, smiling at the phone lying in front of her. "Then that means you can chat with me for awhile."
The fox smiled back, walked over to his bed, and took a seat, crossing his legs.
"You know. I may have to take advantage of this situation. I stopped to get some groceries on the way home and you wouldn't believe how fast I cleared those lines. No waiting at all!"
"Nick!" she half chuckled, half glared at her best friend. "That's terrible of you!"
"Terribly effective, Madam." he winked at her. "Maybe I'll take a trip around the city for my day off. I bet I could get an entire subway car to myself."
Judy rolled her eyes. Her mood brightened now from Nick's quips and playfulness. His general devil-may-care attitude was often contagious. He wasn't letting today's events get to him.
The duo began to banter about nothing in particular, before jokes, teasing, and inquiries were asked and answered about the Hopps farm, rabbit weddings, and the reception. Before either of them realized, it became very late. Nick had long since shifted over to laying down on his back, paws across his stomach, with his phone lying next to his ear.
Judy's voice grew quieter as they spoke. Nick asked if she was becoming too tired to continue chatting but she refused to end the call, despite evidence to the contrary. He looked over at the screen once she stopped talking altogether for some time. From the dim glowing screen light, he could see her illuminated face resting against the mattress covers, eyes closed, and softly snoring.
"Carrots?" he whispered, paused, and tried once more. "Carrots?"
Her only reply, was a quiet indistinctive murmur, before she curled herself into a ball.
Chuckling, Nick didn't have the heart to hang up, so he just plugged his phone into the charger on the nightstand and let it be.
"Goodnight, Judy." the fox whispered before laying his own head on a soft pillow and closing his eyes.
Whether or not Judy heard him, she shifted around once more, a smile on her face, as she entered a deep peaceful sleep.
Bonnie Hopps came down the stairs, walked down the hallway, and found herself standing in front of Judy's old bedroom door. It was already past 9AM, an unusual time for her daughter to still be sleeping. After a few quiet knocks on the door, Bonnie slowly opened the door and stepped inside. When she reached the bottom of the short staircase, she turned to see Judy sleeping in the same clothes she wore yesterday, curled up next to her phone. Her mom smiled, walked over to the bedside, and kneeled down to gently nudge her daughter awake.
"Bun-Bun." she whispered. "Wake up, sweetheart. You need to eat before we head out today."
The soft words roused Judy and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up, rubbing the side of her head, looked over to her old clock, and saw the time. Her alertness went from 0-100 in record time. "It's past nine!?"
"You must have stayed up late," Bonnie stated more so than asking.
Judy brushed her ears back. "I was talking to Nick and… I guess I lost track of time…" she trailed off, picking up her phone and noticing the battery was completely drained.
Bonnie smiled and placed a paw on her daughter's shoulder. "Yeah? Was he okay?"
With a loud chuckle, Judy glanced up. "He's fine, Mom. The Chief ordered him to stay home until he stopped stinking. It might take a day or two to get out."
"Good heavens." Bonnie gasped. "We'll have to pack him some extra treats to take back with you."
The younger bunny smiled at her Mom's genuine kindness towards her best friend. "He'd love that."
"Let's get you upstairs and fed Bun-Bun, we still have time before we have to get ready for your brother's wedding. Violet will be waiting at the train station and you know how your sister and her partner get if we run behind schedule."
"Okay." she nodded.
Hopping off the bed, Judy hooked her phone back up to the charging cable before joining Bonnie on their way upstairs to the dining hall. She shoveled some quick breakfast, changed into the aqua sundress, and joined the rest of their family as they headed to the train station. Hundreds of excited Hopps family members piled onto the Zootopia Express as it headed west towards Deerbrooke County, arriving at Podunk, where the wedding and reception was arranged to be held.
For the wedding ceremony, Manny and Dawn chose an outdoor picturesque grove with tall deciduous trees decorated with dazzling lights and flowers, opening to a lush clearing with a lovely brook running through the middle. Numerous rows of seats were set alongside a long carpet ending at a marble fluted archway with gossamer accents.
The swarm of rabbits eagerly took their seats. It was a relatively small ceremony, small in regards to hundreds of rabbits from both sides of the family. Judy sat surrounded by a horde of her siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles on the groom's side. Three of her younger sisters, Cotton, Megan, and Julie sat next to her in the same row along with Maude, who like Judy, was also in her twenties. Off in the distance, Judy could see her older sister, Violet and her partner Cecilia, directing and ordering the various guests, wedding party, and staff to their rightful places.
The ceremony was fairly short. Once everyone was seated, Dawn, who had golden colored fur like a rising sun with big green eyes, walked down the aisle in a beautifully elegant white gown, escorted by her father, up to the altar where an eagerly happy Manny was waiting. Manny really looked like his father's son, Judy thought. He and Stu were nearly identical in many ways with Manny being just a tad taller, slimmer, and bore a slightly darker muzzle. Bonnie and Stu were in the front row, Stu naturally crying at this emotional moment, with Bonnie attempting to calm him down.
The bride and groom exchanged their vows, shared a joyous kiss, and were now married. A thunderous round of applauses and cheers echoed through the grove from the giant bunny crowd. Manny and Dawn made their way back down the aisle and the two families followed suit to head to their next destination. Past the grove, on a nice rolling hill, was a quaint victorian style banquet hall, where the Hopps and Skipski clans joined in for a festive reception. A local DJ and band were set up, ready to rock the night away.
When Judy entered the hall, she was greeted to an unexpected surprise. Off to the far side, she recognized a husky fox, in a pink baking apron, wheeling a massive cake.
"Gideon. Hey! Long time no see!" Judy greeted as she hopped up to him.
"H-hey Judy!" Gideon replied, in mild surprise, as he turned to face the doe. "I-I… was wondering if you'd be here. Last I saw you's but a year ago when you ran off in Mr. H's truck."
The bunny chuckled. "Funny, you should mention that. I never did get a chance to thank you for giving me that clue about the Nighthowlers. It helped me solve the case."
"R-really?" he looked puzzled.
"Yup. I was able to reconcile with a dear friend, and with his help, we solved the case, and caught the real culprit together." she smiled. "So, thank you."
"Gosh. Well...i-it was nothing. I'm g-glad I could help." Gideon stammered while drumming his fingers together.
"So, you bake cakes too?" Judy asked looking up at the huge cake in front of them.
"N-not all the time. Sometimes I like to dabble. Your s-sister, Violet, asked me if I c-could when I went to make a pie delivery to y-your folks a spell ago. H-here. Try some."
The large fox expertly removed a tiny sample without disturbing the design and held it out on a small cake knife for Judy.
She took the sample and tasted it. It was a carrot cake.
"Oh, my gosh. This is so good! I know Dawn and Manny are going to love this," she complimented while smacking her lips.
"T-that's mighty kind of you to say," he replied with a bashful tone.
The tasty cake reminded Judy of her failed attempt at baking, back home with Nick, prompting her to pose a question to Gideon.
"Say, Gideon. Nick and I tried to bake your rhubarb pie once and we totally ruined it. Could you tell me what we did wrong?" she asked with a genuine smile.
"S-sure, I'd be happy to tell y'all," he offered with clasped paws and perked ears. He loved talking about baking with any mammal. Gideon wondered who this Nick fella might be. Her boyfriend perhaps?
"Really? Oh, that would be so great!" Judy hopped in equal excitement.
Gideon Grey listened to Judy's recollection of her pie baking and then offered his method and advice on how she should try again. After a brief chat, Judy thanked him and excused herself once the seating roll call began. The big fox waved goodbye and continued to put the final touches on the cake, pushing it over to it's final destination, where it would soon be devoured by an army of ravenous rabbits.
Being a single doe, Judy was naturally stuck at the singles table, where she and a few Hopps family members were sitting with several Skipski family and friends. She internally sighed. It might have been her parents' idea or Violet's. Spying her name on the table, she noticed she was surrounded by several bucks on each side. Judy greeted everyone with a friendly wave and warm smile, taking her seat, and waited for the party to start.
Once the initial toast and first dance was shared, everyone was free to mingle, eat, and dance. For now, Judy kept to herself and mammal watched all the guests having a jolly time. Her phone vibrated. With perked ears, she eagerly pulled it out, wondering what the notification might be. It was a text from Nick.
[Nick:] "Hey, Officer Fluff! I know you're busy having a good time, just saying hi. Don't arrest half the guests for disorderly conduct, it's a party after all. Hope you brought a stick. Give my wishes to your brother and his lucky lady. TTYL."
Judy chuckled at Nick's silliness and flirty teasing. Furious fingers swiftly gliding over keys, as Judy sent a few reply messages, when a tap on the shoulder interrupted her.
"There's my little sis from the big city!" a taller gray doe with the same violet eyes, matching glasses, and wearing a purple sundress hovered over Judy with her arms stretched wide.
"Violet!" Judy exclaimed and gave her older sister a hug.
Violet Hopps was the only other sibling in the entire immediate Hopps family to have gray fur and violet eyes like Judy and Bonnie. Judy had often wondered if she was born first, would her Mom have given her that name instead.
"I didn't get a chance to find you earlier. So, how's our big city cop?" Violet said as she tilted her head.
"I'm doing great! It's been really busy at the ZPD, but I wouldn't trade it for anything," Judy smiled.
"Sorry, I had to put you at the singles table, Jude. Mom and Dad insisted when we were going over seating arrangements when you said you were coming stag. No nice guys in the big city?"
Judy's eyes reflexively flicked to her phone for a split second. A brief image of Nick flickered in her mind before she shook her head and replied. "Well, those blind dates, Mom and Dad kept trying to set me up on didn't really go anywhere. And the life of a police officer… always a case to solve or a citizen to help," she shrugged, throwing out an answer to appease her sister's curiosity.
"I imagine so. A career bunny like you is probably too much for the boys to handle. They're probably too afraid of you," her sister teased with an arm tap, noticing Judy peek at her phone briefly.
The younger bunny decided to change the subject. "Yeah… so how's Cecilia?"
"Probably yelling at the photographer right about now, " Violet laughed. "I swear, she's more of a perfectionist than I ever thought to be. She's been a little stressed because our business has picked up too. Spring time. Love is in the air. All that jazz. You know how it is?"
Judy nodded as if she knew.
"Well, I better go find my little 'Dewdrop' and make sure everything is going smooth. I need to check with Gideon about that cake too and tell him he's welcome to stay. Catch ya later, Jude?"
"Of course," Judy said as she hugged her older sister goodbye for now.
"Oh, be the way…" Violet leaned over to whisper and pointed inconspicuously back to the table. "That cute dark buck over there is Morty. He's a friend of Dawn's. I think he could be your type."
Violet winked and walked away to find her partner. Judy rolled her eyes and sighed. Before she could check to see if Nick replied, a trio of tiny paws appeared below her, tugging at her dress, to get her attention.
"Judy, Judy, Judy! Come dance with us!"
It was Cotton, Megan, and Julie. They all wanted to dance with their big sister.
"Hey you guys!" Judy kneeled down so they could all jump into her arms.
"Will you come dance, Judy?" Cotton asked again, practicing her big pleading eyes and droopy ear routine.
"You don't have to ask me twice. C'mon, let's go!"
"Yay!" all three girls cheered as they all hopped to the dance floor together.
The four sisters hopped, jumped, and twirled around to an upbeat song, having a merry time and losing themselves to the rhythm. A few songs later, the bobcat DJ shifted the mood with a few slower tunes. The little ones took a break, deciding to hunt for some sweets. Judy's ears swiveled at the sound of an unfamiliar, yet articulate voice, attempting to gain her attention.
"Could I have this next dance?"
It was Morty, the buck that Violet had pointed out to Judy at the singles table earlier. He was only an inch or two taller than Judy, a slim lanky build, dark shiny fur, with hazel eyes. He was wearing a classy designer sleeveless blazer vest, holding his paw out, patiently waiting for Judy's response with a confident smile.
"Sure," Judy replied in a friendly tone. "I'm Judy. Morty, right? My sister said you're a friend of Dawn's?"
"Yes. Dawn and I grew up here in sleepy, little, Podunk. We've been friends since we were kits," he answered with brightened eyes.
"Oh, that's really nice," Judy said making friendly chit chat.
Morty, politely waited to let Judy extend her paws, and the two began a simple dance, casually, swaying from side to side.
"If I may be so bold, Judy… you look really cute in this dress," Morty complimented.
"Oh, thank you." Despite hating to be called cute, the bunny found herself blushing a tiny bit. She rarely received compliments except from occasional indirect sly word plays from Nick. She realized she just thought of him again. "I like your outfit."
The taller buck smiled in appreciation. "I heard you're a police officer in Zootopia?" he asked making more conversation.
"Yes. It's been my dream job since I was a kid," Judy replied with a renewed burst of excitement.
"That's quite the achievement, Judy." Morty said in awe.
"Thank you. What do you do, Morty?"
"My job is a little less exciting. Always been a numbers guy. My family owns the First Podunk County Bank. I'm the head branch manager. Though, I suppose if we ever get robbed, I know who to call!" Morty chuckled in an attempt to create some humor.
With a small chuckle of her own, Judy grew more energetic. "Funny, you should mention a robbery. My partner at the ZPD and I actually solved a robbery case a couple months ago. There were these two cheetah brothers who posted fake online job listings and used the crowds they gathered at each bank they targeted as a decoy. One of them would disguise himself as a crowd goer, grab a money bag during the armor car transfer, and escape using a flotation device in a nearby waterway, while the other picked him up in a jet ski."
Morty's eyes and ears shot upward, while his nose began to twitch. "Wow. I'm surprised a couple of preds could come up with such a clever plan. And you figured them out and caught them, huh?"
Judy paused for a moment, ignoring the predator jab, as she continued speaking. "My partner is quite the clever guy too. Nick was the one who suspected they were using the waterways to escape out of sight. So, we set up in waiting at their next heist once we caught onto their scheme. He also saved me from drowning after I had chased down the culprits on their jet ski. One of them couldn't swim and he grabbed onto me."
The darker buck managed to look impressed. "That's impressive, Judy. This Nick sounds like quite the fella."
"He is. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. I trust him with my life," Judy said with a reverent tone, her half-lidded eyes shining brightly.
Morty picked up on Judy's body language and the inflection in her voice, regarding Nick. He merely nodded, continuing his compliments. "I'm sure he thinks the same of you."
Several Hopps family members were eagerly watching the exchange. Bonnie and Stu wondered if their little Judy finally met a nice rabbit. Violet was also observing from a distance while she was chatting with Manny and Dawn about cutting the cake soon. She nudged the newly weds to look. Dawn bounced ecstatically, watching the pair mingle. Excusing herself, Violet made her way over to Gideon while keeping a tab on Judy and Morty.
Many of the younger rabbits were eagerly waiting for the cake to be cut, causing a bit of noise around Gideon, constantly asking when they could have a piece. He did his best to kindly remind them that the bride and groom would be having their first piece shortly. Violet came over to save him by shoo'ing all of the children away, while Cecilia arrived with the photographer.
The sounds of impatient disappointment reached both rabbit's ears as they turned to look at the nearby giant cake.
The darker bunny raised an eyebrow as he observed Gideon. "I'm surprised they hired a fox, " he whispered.
Judy's ear twitched at the hint of contempt in his voice. She turned back to face Morty, doing her best to keep a neutral expression. "What do you mean?"
"Just that." He gestured to the bubbly fox with a nod. "Nothing against him, but wouldn't it make more sense to hire a bunny chef to bake for an entire reception of rabbits?"
Taking a step back, Judy removed her paws from his, placing a paw on her hip, and frowned. "So, you think because he's not a bunny, he can't bake us a cake? You didn't even try the cake yet. Gideon gave me a sample and it was so delicious!"
"Sure. Okay. Can't really screw up carrot cake, I guess." he shrugged in a nonplussed manner while hooking his thumbs into his vest.
His answer made Judy pause and blink for a moment.
"Bet he overcharged for that thing." Morty rattled off his distaste. "You know foxes love their profit margins when they can get away it, from what I hear."
She looked at him with a shocked expression. Her brow became furrowed and her mouth pursed at this statement.
Morty took notice of her reaction. He wafted a paw in the air. "Come on, Judy. I know you're a cop and all but you don't really trust predators do you?"
Judy crossed her arms and gave him a hard stare for a few moments. It caused Morty to visibly fidget for a moment under her silent scrutiny.
"Actually, I do..." Judy proudly replied. She paused, expression turning into a smug half grin, pulled out her phone, unlocked it to bring up her homescreen, and shoved it right into Morty's face. "First of all, many of my co-workers are predators. And just so you know, my partner is a fox."
"I see." He squinted his eyes in disappointment, looking at the pic of the red fox smiling awfully close to Judy, who appeared quite happy, almost nuzzling right up to the predator. "Guess that Mammal Inclusion Initiative really lowered the standards."
"Excuse me?" Judy nearly shouted incredulously. "Nick had to go through the same training as everyone else and he passed as Valedictorian of his class!" She paused for a moment, not caring that several nearby eyes fell upon them. Tempted to say more, Judy decided it wasn't worth it. "I'm not in the mood to dance anymore. Goodbye, Morty."
As she turned to leave, Judy felt his paw grab her arm.
"Wait, Judy… I didn't mean…" he stammered trying to salvage the situation.
Judy stopped, stared harshly into his eyes, and spoke in a rather unnerving calm manner. "Morty. Please take your paw off my arm."
For a moment, the buck felt the hairs stand on his back, ears droop, and he backed off. Judy's subtle commanding tone and scary neutral expression gave him the impression that if he didn't quickly comply he would find himself dropped to the floor without hesitation.
Morty cowered away as Violet appeared next to Judy, with a concerned look on her face.
"Judy, what happened?"
"Nothing," she said. "I just need some fresh air."
The bunny left the dance floor, dodging stares, whispering gossip, and twitching noses. She made her way outside of the reception hall, and onto a nice outdoor patio, where Judy leaned against the railing, looking out at the grove.
With a sigh, she glanced at her phone, only to be surprised that there was a message waiting for her. At some point, Nick responded and she had missed the notification. Judy's mood instantly lifted and her finger hovered over the reply button. A moment of hesitation, she tapped the dialer instead, and brought the phone up to her ear with a smile.
"Hey, Carrots! I didn't expect to hear from you yet. Is the party over already? Don't tell me all of the rabbits there are lightweights and have passed out on the floor?"
"Hi, Nick." she quietly laughed. "No, no one's passed out, silly fox."
Her partner was able to pick up the edge to her real mood. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," she lied, however, she followed up her lie with a truth. "I wanted to talk to you. Did you go out in the city today?"
The fox dropped the concern for now and answered her question. "For a bit. I managed to bump into Finn and bought a few pawpsicles. He didn't appreciate my newly acquired 'cologne' and chased me away with his bat."
Judy laughed. "Nick! Though it serves you right."
"Ouch, Carrots. Who's side are you on? Such a mean bunny."
"Such a bad fox," she quipped back before becoming concerned again. "So, the smell isn't gone yet?"
"Not yet. But, if it makes you feel better, my Mom finally read about what happened in the paper and called earlier. Boy, did she give me an earful about not calling her too. Then she came by with some food and a bunch of products. Told me the smell should be gone by tomorrow."
"Aw. That's so sweet of her. And that's great news," she smiled.
"Yeah. She's the best. So, how was the ceremony?"
Pausing for a moment and glancing back at the banquet, Judy decided to just tell Nick about the wedding ceremony and described the lovely location and banquet hall. She was telling him about the huge cake and dancing with her sisters when she finally noticed her Mom behind her.
Bonnie stood quietly with clasped paws and a concerned face, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. Looking past her mom, Judy also spied Violet observing in the distance.
"Nick, hold on a moment." Judy said before lowering the phone and putting a paw over the receiver. "Mom?"
"Bun-Bun, is everything okay? Violet told me you needed some air," she gently asked.
Judy sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to make a scene. I just didn't know I would end up talking to a jerk."
"It's okay, sweetheart." Bonnie replied with a sympathetic smile. We're about to cut the cake. Your brother and sister-in-law wanted to make sure you didn't miss it."
"I'll be right there." Judy said.
Bonnie nodded and returned to the banquet hall with Violet as Judy put the phone back to her ear.
"Hey, Nick. They're gonna start cutting the cake, so I better go. Call you again when I get home?"
"I'll be here. Save me a piece." he teased.
She chuckled. "Since when do you eat carrots?"
"Well, there's a certain bunny who's always telling me to try everything."
Judy rolled her eyes. "I can feel your mockery though the phone, Slick."
"Madam, I would imply no such thing," he replied trying to sound offended.
Now she could feel his smile. "Okay. I really gotta go. Bye Nick!"
"Bye now!"
Upon returning to the banquet hall, the cake cutting ceremony began. To her delight, Judy watched as Dawn pulled a fast one on her brother and smashed a large piece of cake into his face first before he retaliated with his own cake flinging. The photographer caught all of it on film. Everyone laughed and soon every guest had a nice slice in their paws. Gideon, who was graciously invited to remain as a guest earlier by Violet, received many compliments and was able to hand out lots of business cards for his pastry business.
Once all the cake was consumed, Dawn found Judy and apologized to her new sister about the incident with Morty. Judy smiled, hugged Dawn, and let her know it wasn't a big deal. Afterwards, they danced together in a big family group. Judy then politely mingled at her table, while avoiding Morty, watched the bouquet and garter tosses, ate more food, and soon the evening came to a close. They were the last to leave, after some final goodbyes and boarded the train back to Bunnyburrow.
Back in her room, Judy slipped into her pajamas, hopped onto her bed, placing a pillow against the wall to lean on, and dialed Nick on MuzzleTime.
After a couple rings, a red fox with an extra smug grin appeared on her screen.
"Wild for Wilde," he answered while leaning back with an arm across his couch, still wearing his usual green pawaiian shirt and his dad's tie today.
"Seriously, Nick?" She laughed already. "That's just cheesy."
"You still laughed," he stated.
Judy found herself at a loss for words for a brief moment. Nick winked at her hesitation. She glared back on cue.
"Well, maybe I was just humoring you," she said.
"You're a terrible liar, Carrots." he teased.
She huffed. "I am not!"
"Was the cake good?" he shifted the topic.
She let that one go and snuggled deeper against the pillow. "It was wonderful. Gideon really knows how to bake."
For the briefest of moments, Judy noticed Nick's expression shift ever so slightly and his ears just barely flattened back at the sound of Gideon's name.
"Ah. So, our favorite baker was there."
Nick's response was rather flat and dripped with a hint of sarcasm. Judy couldn't fault him for possibly still not feeling completely welcoming yet for the fox who once bullied her. She let out a quiet sigh to pass the moment.
"So, how did the rest of the party go?" Nick asked, pushing past the subject.
"It was real great," Judy replied with a tiny hesitating slip in her tone.
"Carrots." he called her out again. "I know that tone and those words. Did something happen?"
Now Judy really had to sigh. Curse her partner for knowing her all too well.
"Alright. I didn't want to tell you but I kinda… sorta… had two incidents tonight." she said while glancing away.
Nick raised a concerned eyebrow. "What incidents?"
The bunny proceeded to tell him about the Morty fiasco before she called him and then later when she was back at her assigned table, eating some more food, another buck had tried to hit on her. Apparently, the rabbit didn't know how to approach Judy, nearly spilling wine all over her dress. Luckily for Judy, her super fast reflexes saved some embarrassment, and her outfit.
"Wow. So, how are there so many rabbits again? These guys are about as smooth as sandpaper," Nick jabbed.
The look on Nick's face and his choice of words made Judy laugh again. "They're not all that bad, Slick. Not everyone can be like you."
It had come out so naturally. Both fox and bunny paused for a moment. Judy realizing she just fed her partner's ego and was bracing herself for his retort. And there it was. Beginning with the biggest smug grin yet.
"You're right, Carrots. Not everyone can be an irresistible lady's mammal," he declared while adjusting his tie in a confident wiggle.
Judy shook her head.
"I'm sorry you had to deal with that tonight," came the surprising soft follow up.
"It's okay, Nick. I did have a lot of fun seeing my family and dancing with my sisters. Dawn is so nice. She and Manny looked so happy together. Oh, she got him real good with the cake too."
The fox chuckled. "You know you have a keeper, when your lady thinks alike, and beats you to the punch."
"Do I know that? Is that how it's supposed to go, mister irresistible?" Judy teased him with air quotes.
"Ugh. Let's not go with that one." Nick laughed.
She chuckled which turned into a tremendous yawn. Judy's eyes began to droop after attempting to blink them alert.
"Sounds like this bunny needs her beauty sleep. You should get some shut eye."
"Is that an order, Officer Wilde?" Judy asked as she slipped further along the pillow behind her.
"Yes, ma'am. Non compliance is a 10-115," he winked.
This made Judy tilt her head, look up and squint her eyes, trying to go over all the police codes in her mind, creating a mild hint of frustration, since she prided herself on memorizing them all.
"Huh? I don't know that code? What's it mean?"
"I just made it up," he smirked.
"Irksome fox," she yawned again.
"Sleepy bunny."
"Okay, Nick. I'll follow orders." She flicked her tongue out at him in mock defiance.
"Goodnight, Carrots."
A soothing moment passed between the pair, as they shared smiles. Before Nick could hang up, Judy edged closer to the screen.
"Night, Nick." She paused before the words just escaped her lips. "I miss you."
There was a longing glint in his eyes, Nick also leaned forward, his own smile curling further up his snout. "I really miss you too, Judy."
Her droopy eyelids and ears suddenly perked at the sound of her name and the gentle inflection she heard in his thick voice. Nick paused for a moment too, eyes wide, suddenly scratching his scruffy neck before quickly deflecting.
"Um… well, I should, you know… get some sleep too. Getting late. Gotta head back to work in the morning. Goodnight!"
The call ended before the bunny could reply. Judy sat in silence, blinking at Nick's contact photo, as she lowered her phone, her mind now alert, contemplating his words.
Author's Note: Hey Readers! Sorry, for the long update between chapters. I'm not dead!
So, we got to see how our favorite duo begin to feel now that they are apart after being nearly inseparable for roughly 3 months together at the ZPD. I was able to incorporate some story and characters from the recently released Zootopia graphic novel comic collection and the Zootopia Crime Files mobile game, such as the skunk parade, but with my own take on it, and getting some new canon characters and names. (like names and appearances of some of Judy's siblings, ie Cotton, Violet, Manny, etc). I enjoy being able to borrow or twist official material when it's available.
Next chapter will be Nick taking on his first real big case and what that will mean for our favorite sly fox. It's an original idea, so it may take some extra time to write up, as I figure out the finer details, along with holiday time and travel. Judy won't be left out of the story either. She has her small personal arc to solve too.
As always, I read and appreciate all the comments, reviews, and criticisms. Never hesitate to share any thoughts! :)
Happy Halloween!
