It has come to my attention that this story is desperately in need of an ending.
A reviewer made it known that this story had been dragging along for far too long now and I agree with him completely. Out of respect for the Zootopia fandom and respect for this story. It has to end.
I think I could still do two more chapters out of this story before I end it. It had a good run, it really did. With over 500 reviews and a thousand follows, this is the most viewed story that I ever wrote.
So without further ado here's the third to the last chapter of this story.
"Hi mom."
Everyone in the room froze.
Judy couldn't believe it. Nick's mother was here, now! At a moment where she was completely caught off guard.
What would she do? Judy didn't want her first impression with Nick's mother to be like this, she didn't even had a chance to fix herself yet.
"What are you doing here?" she heard Nick ask, "Uh, I mean... Not that I don't want you here it's just that you usually call first."
The vixen raised a delicate eyebrow, "I did."
The Todd's heart rate began to haywire. Choosing his words carefully he asked, "When?"
"Didn't Finnick tell you?"
From sidelines, Finnick mumbled, "Shit."
Nick chuckled nervously, "Would you excuse me for a few minutes, mom? I just need to have a word with Finnick."
"Well I-"
His son closed the door before she could even complete her sentence.
Frantically, his eyes zoned in on the one mammal that could answer the thousand questions that's running in his mind right now.
And said mammal had been trying to pry the window open in a desperate way to escape.
Unfortunately for Finnick, it wouldn't even budge.
A red paw grabbed him by the back of his shirt.
"Hey let go!" exclaimed Finnick as Nick dangled him in the air by his shirt.
Judy rushed towards them, "Nick calm down, you should probably let him go."
"Not a chance! Why didn't you tell me my mother called?!"
"I forgot, okay? I can't remember when she called, probably last night when the party was still going on."
"Oh my God," Nick groaned, "Why? Why did I give you that spare key?"
He finally let him down. The fennec sighed as adjusted his shirt.
"Look," he started, "I messed up, okay? I could not be more sorry about this. I'll just go outside and explain everything to your mom, okay?"
"That won't be necessary."
The three mammals looked back to see the vixen had entered the apartment unnoticed.
"I'll just be needing a few minutes to talk to my son." she informed.
Her voice was leveled and calm, to Nick, that was a bad sign.
She heard him speak his name, "Nicholas," his son gulped, "Please step outside if you would?"
"Sure mom," he nodded.
His feet felt heavy, it seems as though the moment looked like a prisoner was walking to the firing range for execution.
Judy watched her boyfriend's mother walk out of her apartment, the fox himself following not a second later.
The last thing Judy saw was his bushy tail going through the door frame before the door closed.
VVV
"Okay," Nick began, "Let me just start by saying- Ow! Ear!"
"No," Mrs. Wilde pinched his son's ear harder ignoring his yelps, "Let ME start by saying that if you ever close the door on me again Nicholas Wilde, I wouldn't care if you are thirty-two years old, I will bend you over my knee and tan your hide into a deeper shade of red!" she pulled hard, "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am," he yelped, "It won't happen again."
"Good." she finally let go of his ear, "Now answer me, what is going on? I called last night expecting you to pick up, but to my surprise I was met by a slew of drunken voices and an obnoxious racket. It took me a few minutes until finally I heard Finnick on the other line.
"I asked him where you were and he said you weren't there, I told him that I would be coming today to visit you, but apparently he forgot to tell you. Would you mind telling me where you went and why hadn't you even bothered to tell me?"
"I was at Bunny Burrow for the weekend," he answered.
His response only baffled the vixen even further, "What were you doing in Bunny Burrow?"
"I'm currently seeing someone who lives there... Well used to live there, she lives in this building now, she's one of my tenants."
"Are there any other things that haven't you told me about?" she demanded, "You hadn't gotten a girl pregnant, I hope?"
"What? No!" he exclaimed, "I didn't get anyone pregnant!"
"Who is this girl that you've been seeing? Why haven't you told me that you've started dating again?"
"We just started going out, mom. I thought it would be too early for you meet her. Plus you said not to call you unless it was absolutely necessary."
"You thought that not telling your mother that you've started dating again wasn't necessary?" she quipped.
"Well no but-"
"Where is this girl?" she asked, perching her paws on her waist, "What's her name?"
"Her name is Judy Hopps, mother. She lives in this apartment," he gestured behind him.
"I didn't see a vixen in there." she said, "All I saw was Finnick and some bunny girl."
Nick chuckled nervously, "Well yeah, that bunny girl WAS Judy."
Mrs. Wilde stared at her son as if he'd grown a second head.
"Well this just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically.
"Now mom, before you say anything else, Judy happens to be wonderful girl. She's a complete contrast to Claudette. She may be a bunny but she cares about me very much, and I'm lucky to have met her."
"Her being a bunny isn't in the list of my worries." she informed.
"It's not?"
Mrs. Wilde huffed, "I'm not prejudiced, dear. But I am curious about this new female in your life, as it is my job to know if my son is happy."
"I am happy, mom." he took a deep breath, "Judy makes me happy. For a long time since Claudette broke my heart, I thought I wouldn't feel happy ever again but here I am.
"Judy is a wonderful girl. So please don't try and scare her off."
"I wouldn't even think about doing that, dear. But I'm still going to give her the third degree."
Her son groaned.
"Now don't you make that noise at me," she scolded, "This girl is going to have to think twice before trying to take away my little boy."
"Oh God, please don't call me that in front of her," Nick begged, "I wouldn't hear the end of it."
Mrs. Wilde laughed at his son, "No promises dear. Now, get that doe out in this hallway and let me see what she's got."
VVV
A pang of relief and dread hit Judy when the door finally opened. Nick's head appeared through the gap.
"Judy, my mother would like to have a word with you." he meekly said.
Out of the blue, a paw connected with his head, making him yelp.
Mrs. Wilde pushed her son into the apartment, opening the door the all the way.
She glared at Nick scoldingly, "Make it sound like a death sentence, why don't you?"
"Mom!" he whined, rubbing the smarting area where his mother had hit him.
The strict vixen wasn't having any of that, "Sit!" she pointed to the couch.
The Todd quickly deflated and hung his head low, "Yes ma'am."
Feeling the tension in the room, Finnick thought that this might be a good time to leave. He moved his foot an inch-
And that was as far as he could go.
"Don't even think about it, Finnick." Mrs. Wilde ordered, "You may not be the one I'm after right now but don't you dare think that I have forgotten about that mess you made."
The sand colored fox gulped, "Sorry, Mrs. Wilde."
"Sorry isn't going to cover it," She said, "I'll deal with you later, right now I want you to go back down there clean that apartment spotless. Do I make myself clear?"
His brown ears pressed against his skull, "Yes ma'am."
She pointed to the door, "March."
Without saying anything else for fear of the vixen's wrath, the fennec fox quickly made his way out of the room, closing the door as he went by it.
The resounding click of the the door knob signaled what was about to come. Like the calm before the storm, it lasted a few seconds.
Then Mrs. Wilde turned and said, "Judy."
A chill went up the rabbit's spine. The way the vixen spoke her name so calmly, it unnerved her.
"Y-yes, Mrs. Wilde?" she stuttered.
The vixen's gaze lost none of its cold resolve.
"Sit right next to my son, would you?" she ordered, "I believe that both of you have some explaining to do."
"Of course, Mrs. Wilde."
To be perfectly honest with herself, Judy could admit that within ten seconds after she met her, Mrs. Wilde was a terrifying female. Not in a threatening predatory way, but in a strict, parental figure kind of way.
Nick hadn't been wrong when he described her. The vixen looked strict, and acted strict. She held a huge resemblance to her son which wasn't surprising; they had the same nose, same eyes and ears, yet her fur had a much lighter shade of red than her son's, added with a few white streaks here and there due to her age.
She wore a bluish grey blazer over a violet blouse, pressed and clean without a hint of wrinkles, with a black business skirt.
"Now," the vixen spoke, laying her purse down on the coffee table,"From the beginning, tell me exactly how this-" she gestured to both of them, "Happened."
The young couple exchanged brief looks with each other, Right before Judy took a deep breath.
"Okay," she began, "It all started when I first moved here."
VVV
They told her everything. And by everything, it really meant everything.
From their meeting, to that botched massage session and all the way down to their visit to Bunny Burrow and the near death experience that came with it.
Mrs. Wilde remained expressionless throughout the entire narrative to which did nothing to help the young couple's nerves.
And once they concluded, a tense silence filled the room. Neither tod nor doe moved a muscle as they waited for the older vixen for the verdict.
When Mrs. Wilde finally opened her mouth to talk, it wasn't the words that they expected.
"Nicholas, go downstairs and help Finnick clean up."
Nick's heart nearly stopped, his eyes widened at the sudden order.
"What?" He managed to say.
"Did I stutter, son?" asked the vixen, "Was I not clear enough?"
"Y-you were, but it's just..." The tod trailed off, sending a worried look to the bunny beside him.
Mrs. Wilde sighed, "I'm not going to hurt your girlfriend, Son. I just want to talk to her. Is that too much to ask?"
"Well no-"
"Then good!" She exclaimed, effectively cutting Nick off, "Go down there and clean up your room."
Despite the current mood of the situation, Nick allowed himself a smile.
"Now those are some words that I haven't heard in while." He joked.
Mrs. Wilde laughed lightly, "Yes yes, you're amused. Now go back down there and get to cleaning."
"Alright," he relented.
The tod paused to glance at Judy.
"I'll see you later, okay?" He said.
Judy nodded once, if not looking a bit unsure about the prospect of being alone with his mother.
Nick kissed her on the forehead, the soft contact slightly put Judy at ease. Though short lived as it was when the tod had left the room, leaving her with Mrs. Wilde.
"So," Mrs. Wilde began, "Who are you, Judy Hopps?"
The old vixen quirked an eyebrow, "And don't you give me some bland answer, like plainly telling me your name. I want the whole package."
Confused, the bunny's nose twitched curiously, "Whole Package?"
"Yes," the vixen nodded, "The various things that make up the sum of you. Your dreams, your ambitions, your visions for the future. Those sort of things."
Something had changed, Judy noticed. Like the vixen had transformed into something completely different; the vixen who came in earlier had been strict and terrifying.
Now though... This female in front of her was smiling now. Her eyes, previously hard and calculating, now light and encouraging.
"I'm confused," Judy said, "Am I in trouble?"
To her surprise, Mrs. Wilde chuckled at her.
"Oh why in the world would you think that?" She asked.
"Well... Earlier you were-"
"Oh that!" Mrs. Wilde realised, "Oh don't you worry yourself with that, dear. It was only for my son's benefit."
Judy chose her words carefully, "So... I'm off the hook?"
The vixen smiled then shook her head, "Nope."
"But I thought-"
"Yes I did confirm that you were not in any real trouble, but you are not off the hook yet young lady, you and I still need to have a little chat about your supposed relationship with my son."
"Oh. Right, that." The bunny looked down sheepishly.
"You do understand my need to do this, don't you? You've been around my son long enough, you've probably known about his... Previous relationship."
Judy nodded, "I have a handful of times. Who was she?"
Mrs. Wilde's face turned sour once more, "A no good, two timing, backstabbing, slave driving bitch that shattered my son's heart into a million pieces."
"That part I already knew." Judy mentioned, "But Nick never went into detail about what she did. I can only assume she only cheated on him."
"Only cheated on him? Ha! She deceived him! She made my son into her personal cash point, and tricked him into believing that she loved him."
"Was it really that bad?" Judy asked.
"Worse," the vixen sighed, "You see the problem with my son is that when his emotions get involved he gives everything he has into it. He gave her almost everything he had until he had nothing left to give. That's what happened with Claudette.
"When it felt like she had had enough of my son she moved on to the next rich bastard that caught her eye. How she ended it with Nicholas was rather cruelly conniving."
"She cheated on him," Judy said.
Mrs. Wilde nodded, "That and she made a complete show of it."
Judy tilted her head, "What do you mean?"
"She actually invited her new 'friend' into my son's own home and had sex on his bed."
"Oh my god, that's terrible!" Judy exclaimed.
"I know, but that wasn't even the worst part."
"There's more?"
"How much of this do you know?" asked Mrs. Wilde.
"Not much," Judy shrugged, "I asked about her once and he said he didn't want to talk about it."
"That's my son for you," the vixen sighed, "He shuts himself out if it meant not talking about something that reminds him of a painful memory. When Claudette left him, she left him a broken mammal.
"He didn't eat for almost two weeks and when Finnick and I finally got him to take a bite he got sick, deathly sick. I suppose you would know how delicate vulpine immune systems could be?"
"I do," Judy answered, "I took care of Nick once when he had a fever."
"You did?" Asked Mrs. Wilde, smiling slightly at the grey doe.
"Yeah, I fed him some mushroom soup and gave him some medicine, he was fine the next day."
The slight smile on the older female's face grew warmer with Judy's each word.
"Its nice to know that my son was in good paws," said Mrs. Wilde.
"Oh it was nothing, Mrs. Wilde. My parents raised me well, I was more than happy to do it."
"Veronica." Mrs. Wilde corrected.
"What?"
"You can call me Veronica, dear." She clarified, "You've earned that much."
It was a simple sentence, yet it meant what Judy had been seeking from Nick's mother; her trust. It made the young doe feel at ease knowing now that she approves of her being with her son.
"Now," Veronica started, "Let's have that little chat, huh?"
"Perhaps I should put some water on for tea before we get started," Judy suggested.
"Oh that would be lovely, dear." said Veronica, "Some Oolong if you have it."
Judy got off the sofa and sent the vixen a smile, "Coming right up."
'Beautiful, caring and polite' Veronica thought as she watched Judy disappear into the kitchen, 'She's going to do just fine, Son. She can fix your heart right up.'
VVV
A full hour passed.
With a final knot Nick closed up the last bag of trash before carrying it outside the building.
A number of other trash bags waited for him at the sidewalk, he tossed it into the pile and went back inside, not intending to look back at the mountain of garbage that previously littered his home. Its the garbage collector's problem now.
"Welp, that's the last of it," the tod dusted his paws to prove his point.
"Not really," Finnick came out of the kitchen, pushing out the beer keg, "What are we gonna do with this?"
Nick shrugged indifferently, "I don't know, maybe we could give it to a thrash metal band, I'm sure they could appreciate the new drum set."
Grunting, Finnick proceeded to push the empty keg out of the apartment, ignoring Nick entirely. For a little mammal, Finnick had the strength to push the keg out the door with relative ease.
The red fox let him be to his work. He huffed and took a glance around his apartment. He nodded once, approving that his home was in fact clean. With that previous task done and out of the way, he was left to wonder what was happening right now with Judy and his mother.
He tried not to let paranoia take over him, but with how intense his mother was he couldn't help but assume the worse. And assuming the worse could mean a lot of things; right now at this moment, his mother could be yelling at his poor girlfriend to the brink of tears.
Really, he IS trying. And seems to be failing.
Finnick decided to come back at that moment, sans bear keg. Rolling his shoulders to get the strain out of them from pushing a can that was nearly twice his size.
"Finnick."
The fennec fox looked up, "What?"
"What do you think they're doing up there?" Nick asked.
Finnick merely shrugged, "The hell should I know? Talking probably."
"About what?" Nick added.
"You gonna keep asking me these dumb questions for the entire day?" Finnick quipped back as he went by Nick, making his way to the fridge.
"I'm worried," Nick said
"What's the worst that could happen?" Casually pulling the fridge door open, the fennec poked his head into it, browsing it's contents, "Best case scenario, your mama's probably showing Hopps your baby pictures," He settled with a packet of fish jerky, ignoring the fruits entirely, and promptly closed the door.
"Worse case," he continued, "She won't approve of Hopps," he paused, taking a strip of jerky from the bag and popping it into his mouth, "But the last I checked, Mrs. Wilde loves you too much to ever do that to you. Judy ain't Claudette, plain and simple, your mom should be able to see that."
Nick wasn't expecting those words coming from Finnick. It calmed him down, slightly, but it helped.
"How long has it been since Claudette dumped your ass?" Asked Finnick as he jumped onto the sofa, "Three years, right?"
"Yeah," Nick nodded, "Three whole years. Can't believe it's been that long."
"Yeah, that's right," after pausing to take another bite of jerky he added, "Your mom knows you've been alone for far too long, and this bunny girl of yours is exactly what you need."
Of course Nick knew that. He didn't need Finnick to tell him that. He knew, right from the very beginning since he met Judy, that she was going to be the one.
It merely scared him to think that his own mother would be the reason to ruin it; her strict protectiveness scaring away his one (and could very well be his last) chance to be happy.
"Don't look now though," Finnick spoke up, voice slightly muffled by a full mouth, "They're coming down now."
Nick was about to ask who when he heard the unmistakable voice of his mother from outside, approaching towards the door.
The red fox turned to his friend, "Okay how did you-"
Finnick cut him off, pointing at his ears.
"These ain't for show." He levelly said.
Mrs. Wilde then entered the apartment, with Judy by her side, whom had finally changed into something more presentable; A pair of simple jeans and a grey T-shirt.
The older female was showing the grey bunny something of her phone. Although, Nick didn't have to wonder what his mother was doing for long. He just needed to listen.
"Oh here's a good one," cooed Veronica, "This is little Nicholas on his first Junior Ranger Scout meeting."
The vixen smiled as she showed Judy a picture of nine year old Nicholas, garbed in complete scout uniform.
"Ohhh sweet cheese and crackers," Judy squealed, "Nick, look at you! You were so cute!"
The old Nick groaned in embarrassment, while Finnick relished the fact that he had been right.
And obviously, Judy had not been wrong about her observations; kit Nick looked, as she had described, cute. Bright, wide eyes staring directly at the camera, his smile reaching ear to ear, a tiny snaggletooth peeking under his lips, and a pair of ears that were almost too big for his head.
He grew into them of course, as did everything else.
"Mother," he said with a begging tone, "Please stop."
"Oh come off it," huffed his mother, "It's been so long since I've ever shown anyone your kit pictures."
Nick sighed, "I would prefer if you didn't show them to anyone at all."
"Oh where's the fun in that?" Mrs. Wilde teased.
"Can I have a copy of the one where he was potty training?" Judy asked.
Nick's pupils dilated, sending his mother an annoyed look.
"You showed her that?" He whined.
Mrs. Wilde laughed despite of her son's suffering, "The life an old single vixen can be quite droll from time to time, thankfully I have a son to embarrass."
"I got the one where Nick was caked in mud after playing in the rain, Hopps." Finnick declared, "Its yours if you give me the potty training pic."
Nick ignored the dangerously unnerving twinkle in Judy's eyes to glare at the miniscule fox.
"What on earth are you going to use that for?" Nick demanded.
Finnick shrugged, "Blackmail."
The tod groaned, dragging a paw over his face in aggravation.
"So," he began, in an attempt to change the subject, hoping it would work, "What are we gonna do next?"
"Well, I for one could use a bit of food," answered Mrs. Wilde, "My time talking with Judith here got away from me and I'm afraid I haven't had my lunch yet."
"Well Veronica, Nick and I were planning on going out today before you arrived," Judy mentioned, "You should join us." She then glanced at Nick, "What do you think Nick?"
"I think that would be a great idea," Nick answered, "We were thinking of going to that new restaurant in Sahara Square."
"Oh how lovely," said Veronica, "I hear it's quite the establishment."
"Great, you girls wait by the car while I go and uh..." He gestured to his dirty shirt, "Freshen up."
"Of course dear."
As the two women went outside, Nick looked down at his ruined shirt once more and grimaced at the collective filth. He then made a straight path to his bathroom in order to dispose of it, before going into his bedroom to change.
"You know," Finnick called from the living room, "I think Hopps and your mom hit it off just fine."
Nick emerged minutes later with a new shirt on his back and fresh neck tie hanging loosely around his neck.
"I know." He smiled as he fixed his tie, "Did you hear what Judy called my mom?"
"First name basis already," confirmed the fennec, "Not bad for a first encounter with Mama Wilde."
With a final pull, Nick's tie was done.
"Guess you're right, I was worried for nothing." Nick said
"When are you ever going to realize that I'm always right?" Boasted Finnick.
Nick smirked, "Right, cuz throwing a party at my place without my consent and ultimately trashing it was such a good idea."
"Mammals make mistakes, leave me alone."
"Speaking of alone," Nick stopped by the door, "Are you going to be okay here all by yourself? You know... Without trashing it again?"
"Yeah yeah I'll be fine." Finnick shooed the red fox, "I got TV and jerky. What more could I ask for?"
"Want me to bring you something when we get back?"
"A burrito would be nice."
Finnick turned on the television and said nothing further. Nick took that as a cue to leave, no use in keeping his Judy and his mother waiting.
VVV
The afternoon sun greeted Nick as exited the apartment building. Warm and inviting, it heated his fur and it soothed him. Walking further out he spotted Judy and his mother standing near his car. He spied his mother bent down with her phone in her paw, undoubtedly showing the grey rabbit another one of his kit pictures. He repressed the urge to sigh as he approached the two females.
"Hey you two," he greeted, "Ready to go?"
Judy looked up first, "Yeah, for a minutes now. What took you so long?"
"I had to talk to Finnick about some things." He answered, opening the backseat door for his mother
"He better not make a mess of himself again." said Veronica after getting herself into the car.
"Don't worry mom, I think you've scared him straight already." The tod reassured before getting into the car himself. Judy got in, taking a seat on the passenger's side.
After making sure everyone was settled, Nick turned on the ignition and drove off.
VVV
The district of Sahara Square really does live up to its namesake. For Judy it was her first time here. From the car window the grey rabbit observed the visual plethora of colors, mammals and buildings blending perfectly with the rays of the sun beating down on artificial dessert environment. Judy couldn't wait to see what this place had to offer.
Just as soon as Nick finds a parking spot.
"Kinda crowded here today." Mrs. Wilde observed.
Both Nick and Judy merely silently agreed.
It took longer than expected to find the right parking space. Fortunately they were able to find one, just a block away from the aforementioned restaurant.
"I hope you don't mind a bit of walking mom," Nick said after they got out of the car.
"Oh it's quite fine dear," said Mrs. Wilde, "I may be old but I could still hold my own."
It came out of nowhere; a brown blur passed and Veronica felt a huge tug, knocking her off balance.
All three mammals looked up in time to see a weasel running away in full sprint with Veronica's purse in his clutches. Mammals scrambling out of the way as he ran.
At be sight of his mother on the ground, Nick quickly knelt down to help her up.
"Hey!" Nick exclaimed, "You son of a bitch! Get back here!"
"My purse!" Finally getting her second wind, Veronica realised what had happened, anger and frustration instantly took hold, "That damn hooligan!"
"I'm gonna call 911," Nick declared, "Judy, see if you-"
He turned and looked, Judy was nowhere near them.
"Judy?"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!"
*BAM!*
A loud thud was heard over the sound of the crowd. Nick looked up in time to see Judy tackling the weasel to the ground. The resulting impact made Nick and the surrounding mammals wince, while Mrs. Wilde looked on with approval.
"Get off me!" The weasel demanded, his face against the hot pavement.
"Not a chance dirt bag," Judy held the mustelid down by pressing against his back and pinioning his right arm against it, she then addressed the forming crowd, "Would somebody get me some rope please, and have somebody call the police for an attempted theft."
Nick appeared beside her with his own phone in paw, "Already done."
Veronica walked up and grabbed her purse from the weasel's paw.
"I'll take this!" She exclaimed, before leaning down and meeting the thug eye to eye, "I hope you rot in jail, you pathetic waste of fur."
Nick merely watched, unnerved by what the vixen had said.
"Harsh." Commented the tod.
Mrs. Wilde grunted and moved away not saying anything else.
A police car arrived fifteen minutes later and took the weasel into custody. While Judy talked to the police officer, a fellow Precinct One Officer; Officer Wolford, Nick tended to his mother, making sure that she wasn't hurt in anyway.
"Mom are you sure you're okay?" Nick asked for the umpteenth time.
"Yes Nicholas, I'm fine." Mrs. Wilde huffed, "You can stop hovering over me, I merely fell down."
"Are you sure?"
Mrs. Wilde groaned.
The police car drove off, Judy made her way towards the two foxes.
"Well, that didn't take long," Judy started, "That weasel was apparently a notorious thief and has been wanted by the authorities for months now."
"Do we have to go to the precinct for a statement?" Nick asked.
Judy shook her head, "No, Wolford said it wasn't necessary. This street has multiple traffic cameras everywhere. That's all the proof they need."
"Well I hope that bastard gets locked away for a long time!" Mrs. Wilde exclaimed, "Pity you got to him first Judith, I would've given that weasel a kick in the arse."
"Mom," Nick spoke, "Please mind your blood pressure."
"My blood pressure's fine, dear."
"Well, hopefully you won't be seeing him again," Judy said, "After all he's been wanted for quite some time now, he's got a lot of theft charges over his head."
"Meanwhile, we still gotta eat." Nick mentioned, "You still up for that restaurant, mom?"
"Of course, son." Answered Veronica before straightening her clothing, "Let's go and get some food before something else happens."
"Absolutely," Nick nodded, "It's just right up this block."
As her son some went ahead to lead, Veronica walked close to Judy, leaning down slightly.
The vixen spoke, "By the way Judith."
The grey doe looked up, "Yes?"
A mischievous yet proud smile slightly creased Veronica's lips, "That was an exemplary tackle you did back there, dear."
Flattered, the Bunny's ears burned. Feeling sheepish all of sudden. It wasn't every time somebody complemented her tackles. But then again, nobody has ever done that.
"Oh well, you know. That's what we do at ZPD." Judy said.
Veronica hummed in agreement, "Quite so."
The three mammals stopped in front of a building after minutes of walking. The building, much like the ones that occupy the sunny district, was dessert themed. Aptly named "The Cactus Grill".
"Here we are." Nick announced, "The newest restaurant Sahara Square has to offer."
The todd went ahead and opened the door for his mother and girlfriend.
"Age before beauty." Nick quipped, making his mother laugh as she went inside.
As Judy went in as well, her outstretched ear felt Nick's nose briefly touching it. She looked up to see him smiling down at her, his eyes warm and affectionate.
She couldn't help but smile back, "What was that for?"
"An appreciative gesture," Nick answered, "Have I ever told you how awesome you are?"
Judy giggled, "Less than a couple of times."
"Well," Nick leaned quickly, planting a kiss on her forehead, "I gotta do that more often."
He paused for a breath.
"Thank you, darling." Nick said, "For what you did back there."
Judy reached over and adjusted his tie, "Anytime, sweetheart."
On that note, the couple held paws and let the door close behind them as they got inside.
And cut there!
Well, here it is! The long awaited chapter. Damn, took me long enough huh?
Anyway. A lot has happened to me in these first three months of 2018. Tons of homework, projects and film shootings. I honestly couldn't find a time to finish this chapter.
And yes, the you have read the first A/N right; this story is about to end soon. Maybe two or chapters left. I think it's about time I put this story to rest, don't you? It had a good run.
Well, that's all for this chapter. See you guys again soon.
PS:
I modeled Veronica Wilde after the reboot version of Mrs. Betina Beakley from DuckTales. Strict yet affectionate and understanding when needed.
"I don't know maybe we could give it to a trash metal band, they could appreciate the new drum set."
This is me directly referencing Nu-metal band Slipknot. A band that utilizes empty beer kegs as percussion and drum instruments. My fellow maggots might know what I'm talking about.
PPS:
I'M ON TUMBLR NOW!
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