Back 10-8
All good things must come to an end eventually. Most mammals would have wanted to extend a vacation before returning to work. Judy however was the exact opposite. She had called the ZPD's medical examination staff earlier in the week and requested an appointment so she could be cleared to return to active duty. The nurse on the other end seemed surprised when she found Judy's file.
"Officer it says here you were involved in a major car incident that totaled the vehicle just a week ago. You do know that the ZPD will put you on paid leave for a minimum of 2 weeks before bringing you in for evaluation on duty status, you still have at least a week of paid time off!" The nurse said over the phone, oblivious to who she was talking to. Judy had wanted to return to active duty sooner but had taken a week off so she and Nick could recover and enjoy a romantic week together after their date. Since the date had not gone exactly as planned she found herself with more free time than she had planned.
Judy wasn't mad about the situation. Far from it, she was happy that all the feelings between the pair were now out in the open. Even though Nick shared very strong feelings for her, he didn't want to risk what they had just yet and make the final leap. She respected the idea, even if she didn't agree with it 100%. At the end of the day she was just happy that Nick and her were still best friends. She was especially happy that Nick had agreed to continue the close physical contact part of their relationship as well, though there wasn't much in the way of passionate kissing, Judy admitted she enjoyed the cuddling she was allowed to now engage in without worrying if it made Nick uncomfortable.
"I understand ma'am, but if you speak to chief Bogo I am sure he will clear me for an early return." Judy didn't want to argue, especially with the staff that would hopefully be clearing her for active duty, but she was already beginning to feel little stressed.
"Please hold," The nurse informed her. It took almost half an hour to finally clear things up but Chief Bogo finally managed to bring everyone on the same page. Judy passed all her evaluations with no major problems. There was a few prying questions made during a mental evaluation however that made Judy uneasy. In the end though she was given a clean bill of health and informed she could return to work immediately if she wanted.
It was going to be a bit of an adjustment however. Nick was still not cleared to return and wouldn't be for another 2 weeks since his arm was in a cast. Nick had made a few comments about breaking his other arm just to see how long he could milk medical leave. These comments were quickly corrected by Judy who would give him a jab in the ribs.
It was finally time for Judy to return to work. She had to slowly ease back into her morning routine, since she had been ordered to relax for the majority of her leave Judy hadn't done much in the way of working out. Her normal morning run left her completely drenched in sweat while a stitch in her side continued to scream for her to stop. She pushed herself though and returned back to her apartment triumphantly, though completely out of breathe.
"Hey is that Fox friend of yours over or something?!" Came a muffled shout as Judy began to strip off her jogging clothes.
"Shut up! She obviously just went for a run!"
"You shut up!"
Judy ignored the shouting coming from her neighbors as she strolled into the bathroom, now completely naked. The sweat matting her gray fur to her slender figure. She felt a slight chill in the room and quickly reached for the shower knows, turning the setting to hot. As Judy waited for the spray from her shower to warm up she checked herself out in the small mirror that hung on the bathroom wall. All of her bandages had been removed and the last of her bruises had finally begun to fade. Both her ears were standing straight up. Judy was glad when she had finally been able to remove the bandages that had covered her body. In a way it was kind of therapeutic, it was like stripping away the memories of the crash she had caused not long ago. She still felt bad for having put Nick through all this. She was still apologizing occasionally but Nick would always just smiled and shrugged the situation off.
Steam began to fill the small bathroom, signaling the water was at an optimal temperature. Judy snapped back into reality and hopped into the shower. It didn't take long for Judy to clean up after her work out. She had finally managed to catch her breath and her heart rate was returning to normal. She was now enjoying that wonderful work out high she got after a good run. Judy could feel a skip in her step as she got ready. She quickly put on a fresh uniform and snapped her duty belt around her waist. One of her gray paws absentmindedly reached for her tactical vest but only grasped open air. She looked over at the empty hanger and remembered the vest had been disposed of after the crash. The airbags had burned the fabric of the vest and there was also a few blood stains apparently. Judy felt a new pang of guilt. The wolf in charge of requisitions, Ty, had put a lot of effort in making her new custom vest and she had managed to completely destroy it in a day. Judy didn't have a spare vest at the moment which meant she would have to face Ty in order to get her old one back. The thought made her feel a little uneasy.
Judy let out a sigh as she checked herself in the mirror before heading out. Without her vest she felt naked, she had worn it on the first day at the ZPD and every day since. She looked at her chest and felt like it she was exposed to the whole world. She giggled at the thought of walking into the ZPD topless. 'That's one way to get a pay raise,' her inner voice teased, causing Judy to blush at the thought. Judy decided there wasn't much she could do about the vest and it would be best to just talk to Ty about getting her old one. She tried to think of something she could bribe Ty with, if this was Benny all she would have to do was raid the vending machines. The old wolf in requisitions however didn't have much of a sweet tooth though. A few ideas popped into the bunny's mind but none of them would be do able this early in the morning.
'Maybe he will be in a good mood today,' Judy thought as she headed out of her apartment. As the bunny reached the outside of her apartment building she felt a buzzing on her side as her phone chirped, indicating a message. As Judy strolled down the sidewalk towards work she unlocked her phone and looked down at the screen. All of her worries just disappeared when she saw the message was from Nick. She had wanted to message him earlier but since he would not be returning to work with her right away she had decided to just let him sleep in. Nick however was always full of surprises. Judy stopped as she read the message, a look of confusion crossing her face. The message was just one word, "Wait!"
Judy began to worry as her paws began to type out a message of concern. Before she could send out her message however she heard someone coughing behind her. Judy's ears twitched as she recognized who it was. He didn't even have to speak, Judy just knew what her fox sounded like. Judy quickly turned around and let out a happy gasp of surprise.
Nick was standing there in his standard green pawaiian shirt and tie combo. His arm was still in a cast, it was covered though with different get well wishes a few mammals had managed to scrawl. A giant smiling carrot with hearts around it was in the center, Nick teased that if the ZPD had not worked out Judy could always go into art. The fox had a small brown paper bag in his good paw. "Morning Carrots," The fox said warmly as he approached Judy. Judy squealed with excitement and quickly closed the gap as she dove at Nick, wrapping him in a hug. "Awww Nick! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Judy asked as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest.
"Is that an invitation Carrots?" Nick teased as he gently wrapped his arms around the bunny and squeezed her. Judy looked up at Nick with wide eyes, "Don't tempt my Wilde," she teased as she stuck out her tongue. Nick chuckled as he looked down into Judy's wide purple eyes. The two remained that way for a few seconds longer. Judy didn't want to but she finally broke the embrace and took a step back. "So what are you doing up at this hour? Thought you would still be asleep during your leave?" Judy asked as she eyed the fox curiously.
"Well I knew it was my favorite bunny's first day back to school so I thought I would walk her to class!" Nick said as he winked at Judy. Judy felt her knees go weak at the words. "Aw, Nick that is so sweet!" Judy muttered as she shook her head in astonishment. 'If we ever end up dating, he is gonna get so many brownie points for this!' Judy thought.
"Also, got you some breakfast, gotta have a full stomach on your first day back," Nick said as he passed Judy the brown paper bag. "Aw what? Nick that's amazing!" Judy said happily as she opened the bag. She looked down inside excitedly and scanned the contents. Her face went dead pan as she saw the bag was just filled with blueberries that were obviously from the Hopp's family farm. "Don't hesitate to share," Nick said casually as he continued to stroll down the sidewalk. "Gee nick, you sure know how to spoil a girl," Judy said plainly as she popped some of the blueberries in her mouth. "I try," the fox said with his signature smirk.
The duo strolled down the streets towards the large ZPD building. The city was beginning to wake up and mammals could be seen heading to work as a few stores began to open their doors to early morning customers. Judy gave a few mammals friendly waves and of course her famous bright eyed smile as they passed a few businesses. Judy had been taking the same path to work every day since she moved here and had made many friends along the way, it seemed that everyone on her route knew her name and would give her a greeting or ask her how she was doing. Having been in the news during the first Night howler case probably helped but the bunny liked to think it was something more.
The large ZPD building came into few as the pair turned a street corner. Judy felt a mix of emotions begin to form. She was excited to be returning to work, anxious to solve the new case, nervous to face the wrath of Ty and sad that she would soon have to part with Nick's company. When they finally reached the wide steps that led up to the precinct Judy turned to look at Nick and gave him a nervous smile. Nick could tell something was wrong with his partner and swallowed the mouthful of berries he had been munching on before speaking.
"You ok carrots?" He asked as he studied the gray rabbit in front of him. His sharp green eyes trying to read her very thoughts. Judy took in a deep breath as she looked up at the imposing building in front of them and then back to her partner.
"Just weird you know, going to work without you is all, gonna be an adjustment." Judy explained as she smiled at Nick.
"Hey now, I'm just on leave! Not like Bogo has gotten rid of me! Well not yet at least!" Nick said with a chuckle.
"I know, sorry it's just, I don't know," Judy said as she shrugged her shoulders. There were a few fellow officers climbing the steps up to the precinct. Several of them took notice of the couple casually chatting at the bottom of the steps. Judy's ears twitched as she began to pick up other conversations. She wasn't listening to them closely but the occasional word would stick out. Words like: couple, cute, odd, and kiss. The last one caused Judy's cheeks to warm up.
"Well don't you worry, I'll be back up and running in no time, takes more than a car crash to take out Nick Wilde!" Nick exclaimed as he puffed out his chest.
"Dumb fox," Judy muttered as she shook her head and just enjoyed Nick's antics.
"Hey Hopps! Give your boy a kiss already and hurry up! We got briefing!" Came a shout from the top of the steps. Judy's eyes went wide and she looked up towards the large doors. Half of the day shift team was standing there with bemused looks on their faces. A few were having a hard time holding in their laughter while others where making kissy faces.
"Bunch of voyeurs!" Nick shouted up the steps. His comment was just met by a roar of laughter from the crowd. "Don't make me come up there and have Judy kick your collective asses! She will do it!" Nick said as he pointed at Judy, still giving the group of waiting officers the stink eye.
Judy wasn't looking at the officers, she was looking at Nick, and her face had a wicked look on it. Before Nick could even respond Judy grabbed the fox's wrist and pulled him down quickly. She then pressed her lips firmly against her partner's cheek and gave him a kiss. She could feel his muscles tense up as she allowed her lips to linger for a few seconds against his warm fur. She then pulled away and hopped up the stairs as if nothing had happened. The crowd of officers all cheered and hollered as the victorious bunny approached them, an obvious skip had returned to her step. Before entering the throng of pat on the back and victory high fives Judy took a moment to glance down at Nick. The fox was standing with his good paw on his hip, shaking his head, but with the widest smirk she had ever seen.
"Sly bunny," Nick mouthed up at Judy as he gave her a wine.
"Dumb fox," she mouthed back and giggled as she was surrounded by her cheering peers.
Judy felt like her paws would go numb from all the victory high fives she was receiving. She thought the whole situation was kind of silly but decided to just enjoy herself. She received a few playful comments and the occasional joke about who was the actual prey in the relationship. Judy wanted the happy atmosphere to go on but she thought it wasn't fair to Nick and everyone else if she didn't speak up.
"We aren't dating you guys that was just a playful joke!" Judy explained defensively.
"Sure Hopps," was the standard response.
"No really we aren't like that! Just friends I swear!" She had to continue to explain, the words tasted sour as she tried to get everyone to calm down. It felt weird, she was the one who wanted there to be more yet she found herself explaining why the partners were just that.
Much to Judy's relief she was rescued from the group of prying mammals as they strolled through the lobby. There was an excited squeaking noise coming from reception as the group approached. 'Thank the gods for that beautiful fat cheetah!' Her inner voice cheered. Clawhauser could barely contain himself as Judy made her way through the crowd of officers towards the cheetah. He was practically shaking in his seat as he beamed at the little bunny as she hopped up to his desk. "Good morning Benny!" Judy greeted the squeaking spotted mammal behind the desk. Benny began to look at the side of his desk and then back to Judy, only to look back at the side of the desk. Judy took the hint and strolled around the large wooden reception desk so she could get the welcome back hug the cheetah was obviously anxious to give her.
The cheetah hopped from the strained seat at his desk and wrapped Judy in a warm and squishy hug. The bunny's eyes bulged at the strong hug but soon her eye lids drooped as she wrapped her arms as best she could around Clawhauser's wide frame. Benny was famous for his friendly hugs and Judy had to admit it would be hard to decide who she loved hugging more, even Nick was at risk of losing the title to the cheetah. "Oh what a happy day it is in the Z to the P and the D! So glad your back!" Clawhauser blurted out as he gave the rabbit one last squeeze before setting her down.
Judy had to catch her breath as her lungs had all the air squeezed out. When she finally felt her breathing return to normal she smiled up at her friend. "Thanks Benny! It's great to be back! I wanted to thank you for all the help you have been! Driving my parents around while Nick and I were out of it was amazing!" As images of the past few days ran through her mind she remembered how helpful Benny had been during the whole ordeal. The cheetah had used a few of his vacation days to help play chauffeur while the Hopps were in town. She then remembered the conversation they had had at the train station. "Also thanks for breaking the news about Nick and I to my dad!" She said sarcastically as she crossed her arms and began to tap one of her large feet.
Clawhauser gave Judy a weak smile. The scene was somewhat amusing to passersby who didn't know the two. A small gray bunny glaring up at a large cheetah who seemed to be backing away slowly was quite a sight, even in Zootopia. "Sorry buns." Clawhauser muttered out meekly as he looked down at the floor, he then looked up with quivering lips and big kitten eyes. "Stop..." Judy said as she tried to maintain a stern look. Even for his large figure Clawhauser was starting to get to Judy, she wanted to let out a long "Awww" so badly at that moment. Benny maintained the look as he took a small shuffle towards Judy, his lip still quivering.
"Damnit Benny!" Judy urged out as she started to laugh, "You know I can't resist that face!"
Benny began to shake his whole body with excitement as a broad smile crossed his flabby face. Before the cheetah spoke however he looked down at the desk where his cellphone was buzzing with a series of alerts and messages. "Oh this has to be good!" the cheetah exclaimed as he reached down and began to scroll through his alerts. Besides eying the ZPD's main welcoming party Benny enjoyed the title of head of the gossip committee. If something happened at work Benny would be your source of what happened and who did it.
Judy was never one to take part in gossip till she joined the ZPD. She couldn't help but notice how it much a rumor mill the department was. She had come to accept it however and though she would never admit it, she kind of enjoyed it. "Whatcha got?" Judy asked as she hopped up onto the reception desk and tried to peek at Clawhauser's phone.
The video was blurry for a moment but it didn't take long for the camera to focus. Judy instantly recognized the scene. The video had been taken just minutes before from atop the precinct steps. Judy blushed as she watched herself on screen pull Nick into a surprise kiss on the cheek. The images reset and the scene played out again. "Who is that from?!" Judy practically shouted as she leapt at the phone and grabbed it from Clawhauser's paws. "Oh m goodness!" Benny shot back, Judy didn't know if it was from the video or from Judy's sudden phone grab. The little bunny's paws frantically tapped at the screen. The video was coming from multiple sources and the small phone buzzed with more notifications as the video spread through conversations like wildfire. "No no no no no no," Judy begged as if the phone could do anything besides display the video. Judy found the source of the first video and her eye began to twitch.
The gray bunny seemed to be radiating heat as her paws began to shake. Judy looked up and scanned the room and her eyes fell on Tammy. The Cheetah was on the far end of the large atrium and was frozen mid step as she had tried to tiptoe by. "TAMMY!" Judy yelled, her voice echoing throughout the large open room. The cheetah's eyes widened as she slowly looked over at the reception desk, a guilty look on her face. Tammy stood up straight and took in a deep breath as a smile crossed her lips. She then gave Judy a weak smile and waved, "Hi Judy, glad to see your back!" She said weakly, not realizing she still had her phone clutched in her large paws.
Judy slowly handed Clawhauser his phone, the video still playing on screen, never breaking eye contact with the cheetah that stood across the room. Every mammal in the vicinity was silent as they all looked at the two officers. "My monies on the Rabbit," Came a deep voice by the front doors. Judy's leg muscles tensed as her ears lowered, the sight was a complete role reversal from days past. What everyone saw before them was a cheetah who stood in pure shock as a veracious bunny prepared for her attack. With lightning like speed Tammy darted towards a set of double doors that led deeper into the building. Judy leapt from the reception desk with such strength it was amazing the wood didn't shatter. "Tammy get back here!" Judy shouted as she darted after the retreating cheetah.
"Officer needs assistance!" Tammy squealed as she dashed through the halls. A large lion in a business suit had to hug the wall as Tammy bolted by. "What in the?" The lion said as he began to step away from the wall. As the lion turned his eyes widened in surprise as a small gray bunny bolted ion his direction. "Geeze!" The lion said, this time diving for cover, not wanting to interfere with the rabbit who had fire in her eyes.
Tammy led the chase through the halls of the ZPD, giggling with nervous laughter the whole way. The laughter stopped however when she chanced a glance behind her. Judy was mere feet from her prey and was closing the gap quickly. Tammy had never had to worry about speed before, being a cheetah helped her move quickly and outpace most of her fellow officers. Judy hadn't gotten that memo and was not only keeping up, she was about to catch up completely.
"Oh gods!" Tammy yelled, this time more out of fear as she saw one of Judy's reach out and try to grab Tammy's tail.
"Get back here you spotted bitch!" Judy said, the insult didn't sting much, it was obvious just in fun, and at least that's what Tammy hoped. "AH! No be merciful!" Tammy squealed as she turned another corner and darted towards the women's locker room. "Safe at base safe at base!" The cheetah cheered as she drove through the doors. Tammy stopped and began to catch her breath, a wave of relief washing over her. Judy would never enter…the...women's…locker…oh shit. Tammy turned around nervously to see Judy kick open the large wooden door as if it were cardboard. The small bunny stomped into the locker room and towards her prey. Tammy raised her arms in front of her chest and waved them slightly, "Easy Judy…It was just for fun! Besides it was so cute!" The cheetah winced as she realized she had used the "C" word.
"You know what else is cute Tammy," Judy said through gritted teeth as her eye twitched, her ears were standing up straight at this point. The look of doom in Judy's eyes told Tammy that this was not gonna be good, "Bubbles, bubbles are very cute."
Tammy had been backing up the whole time and only then did she realize she was standing in the shower part of the locker room. "Oh no, please! I just got this uniform back from the cleaners!" Tammy began to beg, "And I got my fur just right! Please don't!" Tammy begged as Judy reached over to a small cabinet and produced a bar of soap. "But Tammy, I think I see a spot on you!" Judy teased, her teeth gritted as she gave the poor cheetah an evil grin.
A few minutes later in the bullpen the atmosphere was full of energy as officers prepared for the daily briefing. A few cellphones were still out, a familiar video playing across the screens. "Attention!" The hippo at the front of the room barked as Chief Bogo stormed into the room. The water buffalo was met by the usual stomps and howls from his team. He would never tell them but this old tradition was better than a morning coffee. Bogo stopped just behind the podium and put his glasses on as he prepared his briefing papers. He then looked up and began to bark out his normal greeting, "Alright, alright! Shut it!" He then scanned the room with piercing eyes which widened as they fell on a soaked looking cheetah that was covered in bright pink bubbles who was sitting casually at one of the desks in the bull pen. "Morning sir!" Tammy said with a smile as if nothing was a miss. Bogo was at a loss for words. He was considered to be fairly lenient on his officers when it came to their apparel. In his mind uniforms didn't need to match just work. If an officer wanted a vest over a button up shirt, fine. If they wanted to wear knee pads, ok. If they wanted to dress up in their finniest uniform every day, alright. Tammy's appearance though was a little much. "Officer Thompson, is there a reason for the sudden, uniform addition?" Bogo asked with a bit of twitch.
"No sir, apparently I had a spot on me, just making sure I got it," Tammy said casually with a smile. Bogo shook his head as he looked around the room, ready to lay into the poor cheetah. His eyes fell on Judy though, who was equally soaked as Tammy. Judy however seemed to be devoid of bubbles but Bogo began to put two and two together. Without moving his head his eyes went from Judy and then back to Tammy. A look of understanding on his large dark face. This was apparently something between the two females and Bogo had learned a long time ago to never get between two warring females. As long as this wasn't Tammy be insubordinate Bogo didn't care.
"Alright, I have a few things on the docket," The buffalo began as he opened the folder on the podium before him. As the buffalo began the morning briefing Judy looked back at Tammy with a smirk. Even covered in bubbles the cheetah smiled back and winked at the bunny. "It's good to be back," Judy thought as she looked back at Bogo.
Hey everyone. So I am gonna try a new format when it comes to labeling chapters. Since the Halloween Special has kinda thrown things out of whack. Still glad I wrote it though!
I will do my best to keep things in order for everyone!
As always reviews are appreciated!
-Blue