Sorry once again with the complete lack of chapters. I will try to improve on my timings and my organisation. Anyway here's the chapter. I hope you all like it.
Chapter 20
After the three of us had all sat down around Nicks wooden kitchen table with a cup of coffee each Judy began to talk and explain about her planned trip to her parents farm in Bunny burrow. Said grey furred and purple eyed rabbit then explained how she wanted Jerry and herself to go and see their parents once again and as soon as possible as she had said that her parents had begun to worry for their sons safety as said light grey furred and green eyed rabbit hadn't called them in over four months.
"Wait Jerry is your brother?" I questioned the grey furred and purple eyed rabbit that was Judy as said rabbit nodded her head in confirmation.
"Yep that's right. Jerry is one of my 275 brothers and sisters." Judy replied in an enthusiastic and joyous tone of voice as I could feel my lower jaw begin to lower in shock as I looked to Nick for support. Said fox only nodded his head with a smirk adorning his auburn furred face whilst I on the other paw let out a surprised sigh before leaning back on the wooden chair that I was seated on.
I let out a loud sigh as I dragged a black furred paw over my face before I dropped said paw to my side.
"I...I just...275...that's...insane.." I said as I looked towards Judy with my leaf green eyes as said rabbit was attempting to hold in her laughter by holding her right grey furred paw over her muzzle.
"Oh I'm glad that you find my shock and confusion so funny Judy." I said in mock annoyance as I turned my head to the side and pointed my muzzle in the air to look away from said rabbit in a childlike manner. This caused Judy to snigger as she began to move about in her chair in what I guessed was an attempt to stop herself from said sniggering.
"I was so sure that you were going to laugh just then Judy and you had to go and ruin my fun. Guess ill have to improve on my acting skills if I'm going to make you laugh." I said returning to my usual tone of voice as Judy finally ceased her sniggering and began to calm down.
"Anyway. I'm sure Nicks reaction was worse than mine when you told him am I right?" I questioned Judy as she shook her head before turning her attention to Nick who had just finished drinking his hot beverage.
"I will admit that Nick was rather surprised when I told him but he wasn't as surprised as you." Judy said as a wide smile began to make its way onto her grey furred face.
"I've always enjoyed watching mammals reactions when I tell them about how many brothers and sisters I have." Judy said as she gently sipped on her hot beverage whilst Nick got out of his seat and began to make his way over to the apartment's kitchen sink before placing his mug into said sink.
"And here I was thinking that you didn't have a fun and playful side to you." I said smiling smugly at Judy whilst said rabbit just smiled at me in response as she finished the last of her drink.
"Well when you're the only rabbit in the ZPD police force you have don't really have the time to have fun on the job too often." Judy said as Nick began to make his way back over from the kitchen sink before said fox made his way toward the grey furred and purple eyed rabbit that was Judy.
"Oh come on now Judy that's not entirely true. You love chasing down the bad guys as my hopping mad sidekick." Nick said as he came up from behind Judy before he picked up said rabbit with his black furred paws whilst chuckling.
Judy on the other paw just scowled in annoyance as she began to try and escape Nicks grasp whilst said fox just laughed at Judy's futile attempts of escape.
"Wow. I would have never thought that officers of the law could be so...ordinary." I said to myself which unfortunately caught the attention of both Nick and Judy who looked at me with puzzled expressions plastered on their furred faces.
"What do you mean by ordinary Ben?" Judy said in a concerned and suspicious manner as Nick let go of said grey furred and purple eyed rabbit.
"Were mammals just like you Ben. We're not just a uniform that walks and talks you know." Nick said as he looked at me with a hint of sadness as his emerald green eyes met my grass green eyes.
"Yeah. I guess your right Nick. I can't base my whole opinion on the police just because I've had some bad experiences prior to coming here. Especially now you're an officer of the law and all. I still can't believe you're an officer though. I know it sounds stupid but it might take me some time to fully trust you both." I said in a slow and tired tone of voice as I looked down at my hind black furred paws as If I had just seen them for the first time.
"Well you can trust us Ben. Me and Nick are different and so is the rest of the ZPD. We care about protecting the city and its citizens and that's why I love my job so much. I love my job because I can help mammals just like you on a daily basis." Judy said as she crossed her grey furred arm over her chest whilst smiling widely before she looked up at Nick with her bright purple eyes.
"Judy's right Ben. I know you've said how that wolf officer treated you when you were younger and I wish I could just find him and bring him to justice but that doesn't mean that us officers are all the same." Nick said to which I huffed loudly in response whilst Nick on the other paw sighed sadly.
"Listen Ben. Ever since I was muzzled at the junior ranger scouts initiation I believed that it was just myself against the world. I believed that the only way I could act and be like was what our species was portrayed as. Sneaky, sly and untrustworthy." Nick said in a slightly saddened tone of voice as I slowly raised my head up to meet both Nick and Judy's gaze as Nick continued on speaking.
"And over time I began to lose hope in being different than what other mammals thought and I gave up trying to go against our species stereotypes. And as time went on I gradually began to fall into the classic stereotype of our species. I didn't want mammals to help me and I even began to grow distant from my mom." Nick said before he sighed in sadness as he continued on speaking.
"So I moved to Zootopia where I believed I could just blend in and be what people thought I was and who I was as I couldn't seem to change my mind or the minds of other mammals." Nick said before he looked toward Judy and smiled at said rabbit in a loving way.
"That is until I met the one and only Judith Laverne Hopps out of the blue one day." Nick joked lightly before he placed his right black furred paw on Judy's shoulder to which said rabbit smiled in response.
"I wouldn't say you met me out of the blue Nick." Judy said as she smiled and turned to face me with her purple eyes.
"I'm guessing Nicks told you about what he used to do for a living right Ben?" Judy asked me as I put a black furred paw to my head in thought whilst I briefly looked toward Nick who had a slightly worried look plastered upon his auburn furred face.
'Well.' I thought as I looked at Nicks worried.
'I already know what Nick used to do thanks to a wild guess to save myself some trouble with Finnick which turned out to be true. But Finnick didn't really tell me what Nick did. He must have done more cons than just the pawpsicle one. But does Nick know that I know what he used to do before becoming an officer?' I thought as I turned my attention from Nick to Judy as I shook my head from side to side in answer.
"No. I can't say Nicks ever really told me about what he used to do?" I said as I watched Judy's grey furred face turn into a frown as she turned to face Nick whilst said fox looked at the ground in shame as his auburn furred and black tipped ears splayed to the back of his head.
"Nick. Is that true?" Judy said as Nick looked up from the ground before he brought his attention toward Judy before shaking his head and sighing.
"Yeah...its true Judy..." Nick said in a saddened tone of voice as he looked down at the floor once again before he looked up pleadingly at Judy with his emerald green eyes.
"...but can't you give me a bit of a break? I mean talking about my past with Ben really hasn't been on the forefront of my mind and to be honest with all the things that happened yesterday to this morning I really don't think now is the time to talk about it." Nick said as he continued to look pleadingly at Judy whilst said rabbit continued to frown at Nick.
"Well then Nick. I guess if you're not going to tell a member of your own family about how we met and became partners then I guess I will instead." Judy said in a slightly sad and annoyed tone of voice as said rabbit turned away from Nick before looking at me with her bright purple eyes.
Nick on the other paw looked dejected and downtrodden as his ears stayed splayed down to the back of his head as he gazed sadly at me as If he had done something horrible to myself.
'Come on Nick just spit it out already. I know what you used to do and be.' I thought as Judy opened her mouth to speak as my attention turned from the dejected looking Nick to the still slightly annoyed looking Judy.
"You see Ben when I first arrived in Zootopia from bunny burrow after graduating from the police academy I wasn't really given an opportunity to prove myself as an officer. For the first day on the job I was given the grand old task of being a meter maid by chief Bogo whilst the rest of the force were assigned to finding missing mammals." Judy said as I tried to supress a small chuckle which ultimately failed much to the slight annoyance of Judy.
"Yeah. I thought it was a joke too... until I was given the orange high visibility overtop and a meter made hat." Judy said as she sighed which caused my ears to lower slightly in shame at my slight chuckle from before.
"I don't know how you two can work with him as your chief. He seems like he doesn't care about his job or anything. He only seems to care about himself." I said growling slightly as I remembered how I had been accused by said chief as well as being carried off by the buffalo toward the station.
"He might seem like that but the chief really cares about this city and the mammals that live in it...he just finds it hard to express his true feelings." Judy said as I rolled my leaf green eyes before mumbling 'sure' slightly which Judy must of heard as she sniggered at said mutter.
"Anyway moving on from the chief after being given the job of a meter made on my first day I gave myself the task of getting 200 tickets done before noon as a way of proving myself to the chief." Judy said as I nodded my auburn furred head for her to continue as I caught Nick out of the corner of my eye walking off towards a fridge which was located toward the back of the kitchen that we were situated in.
"So when do you actually get to the part where you tell me what Nick used to do Judy?" I questioned the grey furred and purple eyed rabbit that was Judy as I faked a yawn which caused Judy to frown and lean over to where I was before said rabbit punched me in the arm much like she did when Nick irritated her.
"Ow. Judy how could you...I thought you only targeted Nick?" I said in an over exaggerated tone of voice as I closed my eyes in mock pain whilst Judy just smirked at me in victory.
"That's what you get for being sarcastic and rude Ben. And besides I was getting to the part when I first met Nick anyway." Judy said in a calm and collected tone of voice as I opened my leaf green eyes before smiling at the female grey furred rabbit.
"It's about time you punched Ben instead of me Judy." Nick said as he made his way back over to myself and Judy with what I guessed was a bag of blueberries in his right black furred paw.
"I was wondering where you went to Nick." Judy said as Nick shrugged before he popped a blueberry into his mouth before sighing in content as he made his way back to his seat.
"Really Nick? Are blueberries the only food that you consume?" Judy questioned the now sitting fox as Nick put his right black furred paw to his auburn furred head in thought before he shook his head in answer to Judy's question.
"Blueberry Ben?" Nick questioned me with a sly smile plastered on his face as I felt my ears shoot up at said question before I smirked at Nick before nodding my head in response.
"Do you really have to ask Nick?" I questioned the still sly smiling fox as I opened my muzzle before pointing my right black furred paw to my mouth as Nick chuckled briefly whilst Judy on the other paw looked at the two of us with an annoyed expression adorning her grey furred face.
"Well I would give you one Ben but it seems I've ran out." Nick said as I closed my muzzle before my left eye began to twitch as Nick literally poured the entire bag of blueberries into his muzzle before swallowing the heavenly berries.
"Very mature Nick. Especially coming from you." Judy said in slight annoyance as Nick shrugged of Judy's comment before said rabbit began to talk once again.
"Well anyway I'm glad you're here now Nick. I was just about to tell Ben where and when I first met you." Judy said as Nick nearly chocked on a blueberry he had half swallowed which caused myself to laugh as Nicks emerald green eyes began to water before he finally swallowed the blueberry.
"Are you OK Nick?" Judy questioned the heavily breathing fox in worry as Nick put his black furred paws up to signal said rabbit that he needed a minute.
After a minute of Nick catching his breath said fox looked at both myself and Judy before he fixed his gaze on Judy with a hopeful look plastered upon his auburn furred face before he began to speak to said rabbit
"Hey...Judy do you mind if we can talk alone for a minute?" Nick said in a slightly pleading tone of voice as Judy looked at said fox in slight confusion before nodding her head as she began to make her way over to the auburn furred fox that was Nick.
"Don't worry Ben. We'll be back in a minute. I just need to ask Judy something about our new work schedule that starting up in a few days' time." Nick said to me in a upbeat tone as I shrugged my shoulders at Nick in response to his question before said fox lead Judy out of the kitchen and down the apartments hall way.
As soon as both Judy and Nick where out of the kitchen I leaned back into the chair that I was sitting on before bringing my black furred paws up to my face and examining them with my leaf green eyes.
As I continued to stare at my black furred paws with my leaf green eyes I began to wonder and ponder on what Nick wanted to tell me with a certain mammal living on the outskirts of bunny burrow.
'Why would Nick need to take me with him all the way to this bunny burrow to meet someone.' I thought as I dropped my paws down to the side of my body as I slouched further into the chair before sighing.
'It just doesn't make any sense. Why can't Nick just tell me? It can't be that important...can it?' I thought before my mind wondered about why Nick needed to take Judy out of the room to talk about a new schedule or something.
"It must be an important schedule for Nick to take Judy out the room but what do I care about a schedule anyway." I said to myself as I began to tap my paw in wait for Nick and Judy to come back.
"Judy you can't tell Ben about what I used to do." Nick said as he looked at Judy with a serious and stern expression whilst Judy on the other paw looked at Nick in both shock and confusion.
"And whys that Nick. Ben deserves to know what you used to do. He need to know that if a con artist can trust the police then he can to." Judy said as she frowned at Nick whilst tapping her left paw on the apartments floor board repeatedly.
"I know that already carrots but...I just can't tell him..." Nick said as his stern expression began to fade from his face whilst Judy crossed her grey furred arms over her chest in annoyance.
"He is a member of your family Nick and by what you've told me already he's a very close family member to you. So I don't know what the problem is her." Judy said as Nicks stern expression completely vanished off of his face before it was replaced by a saddened and ashamed look as Judy continued on speaking.
"I thought you said that Ben was like a younger brother to you Nick. I thought that the two of you helped each other when either of you were struggling at something or if you were in trouble?" Judy said as she pointed her right grey furred paw towards Nick as said fox looked away from Judy in shame before he began to speak.
"I know that Judy but...if I tell Ben what I used to do then...I'll feel like a failure." Nick said as he continued to look away from Judy's piercing purple eyed gaze as said fox let out a sigh as he slowly began to look back up to Judy.
"Why would you feel like a failure Nick?" Judy questioned Nick in surprise as said fox let out another sigh before speaking once again.
"Because what would Ben think Judy? When Ben was staying at my mums house he used to always look up to me for help. He looked up to me for support and guidance Judy...and I don't want to seem like a failure to him." Nick said as he looked at Judy in sadness with his emerald green eyes whilst Judy on the other paw let out a tired sigh before she put punched Nick lightly in the arm.
"Nick. Listen to me." Judy said as she put her paws on either side of Nicks face as she looked into said foxes sad emerald eyes with her bright purple eyes.
"I believe that Ben will be amazed with how you've changed from being a con artist to being one of the best ZPD officers that this city has had." Judy said in a quiet but happy tone of voice as Nick began to smile along with Judy as she released his auburn furred face.
"Well if I'm one of the best then what does that make you Judy. The saviour of Zootopia is a fitting title for you then I think." Nick said as he smiled slyly at Judy as said rabbit only chuckled before punching Nick lightly in the arm again.
"Yeah, yeah Nick. Just promise me that you won't lie or go crazy again alright. I've had enough off an emotional day as it is already with both you and Ben." Judy joked as said rabbit began to make her way back towards the kitchen as Nick chuckled before following Judy's lead.
'Judy's right. Everything will be fine.' Nick thought as Judy entered the kitchen whilst Nick on the other paw stopped just outside said kitchens entrance before he took a deep breathe in.
'Come on Nick. You've faced down worse situations than this. You helped stop the night howler crisis for crying out loud. This is nothing." Nick thought to himself in reassurance as he shook his body a bit before he finally made his way into the kitchen to where Judy had gone and where Ben was still hopefully sitting down.
"I'm telling you Dave. Mr Big always gives me this lousy guarding assignment. I swear this is at least the twentieth time I've done it." Jerry said in his usual strong but calm tone of voice as said light grey furred and green eyed rabbit looked at the tall snow white furred polar bear to the left of him who was dressed in a black suit.
"And why do I have to wear this uniform in the first place? It restricts my movement so much." Jerry continued on as he pulled at the sewn on letter B on the black suit he was wearing. Said suit was identical to the polar bears suit whilst said polar bear known as Dave chuckled lightly as he glanced at Jerry before speaking himself.
"I know what you mean Jerry. You'd think that Mr Big would at least give us something else to do now and again instead of just guarding his personal bar. And I personally don't think the uniforms are too bad." Dave said in his normal low and gruff tone of voice which matched his intimidating appearance as said polar bear rubbed at a small stain on his suits tie with his big right white furred paw.
Jerry let out a sigh as he looked out upon the snowy streets of Tundratown before said grey furred and burnt black pawed rabbit began to shiver as he looked at the warm snow coats that the numerous mammals were wearing as they walked along.
"Feeling a little cold there Jerry?" Dave questioned the shivering rabbit next to him as Jerry just shook his head from side to side in answer as Dave let out a sigh before he spoke.
"Well I guess if you aren't cold then I'll just wear this winter coat instead of you." Dave said as Jerrys ears shot up in the direction of Dave's voice before said rabbit quickly turned his head to face Dave with a hopeful expression plastered on his grey furred face only to find that there was in fact no winter coat at all.
"Hahahahahha...I..I can't believe you fell for it Jerry...Hahahahahha." Dave said in between laughter as Jerrys grey furred face turned into a look of both betrayal and anger as said rabbit began to tap his right black furred hind paw repeatedly on the snow plastered ground.
"I can't believe such a childish mammal like you got into the Tundratown mafia Dave." Jerry said as Dave finally ceased his laughter before smiling widely at Jerry.
"Let's just say that I used to work on the streets with a fox who gained the interest of Mr Big." Dave said as Jerry let out a tired sigh before he stopped tapping his hind paw on the ground before speaking himself.
"And this fox did what to get the attention of Mr Big?" Jerry questioned the still smiling Dave as said polar bear began to speak again.
"Let's just say that Mr Big ordered a bunch of expensive car speakers for his limos which weren't to the high standards that he expected and was promised by said fox." Dave said as he sighed happily before he continued to speak.
"That was one of his most daring and idiotic cons ever but it turned out alright in the end. Anyway its seemed that Mr Big found my partners con to be quite amusing and he eventually tracked him and myself down before offering us to work in the mafia but my partner declined the offer in the end." Dave said as he gazed at the sewn on letter on his suit with his deep blue eyes before sighing in slight sadness.
"I on the other paw decided to take the offer and here I am now in the same boat as you." Dave said as he returned his blue eyed gaze back to Jerry only to find that said rabbit had his phone up to his right long grey furred and black tipped ear.
"Was I really that boring?" Dave questioned Jerry as said light grey furred rabbit glanced at Dave briefly only for said rabbit to put his left paw up to his muzzle as a sign for Dave to be quiet as the big white furred polar bear heard the familiar sound of a ringing phone.
"Hello Clark. It's been a while since I've heard from you?" Jerry said in a cautious tone of voice as he waited for an answer.
"A while? A while... are you being serious Jerry. Where the hell have you been? Mum and Dad have been worrying like crazy about you." The angry and irritated voice of Clark Hopps said into his phone as the toffee furred and black ear tipped rabbit handed a confused looking male wolf a bag of blueberries before the wolf placed some coins onto the rabbits stall before walking off.
"I've been looking for some work in Zootopia like I said before I left Bunnyburrow. But you've caught me at a really bad time Clark" Jerry said in slight worry as said rabbit beckoned Dave over with his left burnt black coloured paw as Dave sighed before making his way over.
"Oh really because I'm managing to sell the farms produce whilst talking to you at the same time Jerry. And I haven't even got my glasses on." Clark said as he handed a bag of strawberries to a familiar looking young rabbit before said rabbit snatched the bag from Clarks paw before running of and away whilst laughing.
"Chloe...what the...what are you doing here?" Clark said as he let out a tired sigh before he began to run after the young rabbit whilst leaving a bunch of confused looking customers behind at his stall.
"listen Jerry...I'm going to have to call you back...but...you'd better pick up when I do. You and Judy have got to sort out your visit." Clark said in between breathes as he continued to race after Chloe as the young rabbit continued to stay just out of Clarks reach.
"Ok Clark I will. I'll go and get Judy right now OK. I'll see you soon. Bye" Jerry said as he quickly ended the call before sighing in relief as he looked toward Dave in worry with his bright green eyes whilst Dave on the other paw just stared at said rabbit in confusion.
"Listen Dave...do you think you can cover the rest of the day on your own for me? I've got to go and find Judy to sort out a family gathering pronto." Jerry asked the tall and big polar bear that was Dave in hope as said polar bear just nodded in response.
"Dave. You are a life saver. I'll make it up to you I promise." Jerry said before he pocketed his phone into his black suits trouser pocket before said rabbit began to run off into the snowy streets of Tundratown leaving only Dave alone guarding outside the bar.
"Well Ben." Dave said to himself as he placed his huge white furred paws behind his back before he began to speak to himself again.
"Maybe sticking with you for a while longer might not have been such a bad idea." Dave said as he watched Jerry run off out of view before the polar bear began to whistle a tune to himself which seemed to blend in with the snowy weather.
"Nick." I said in fear and worry as I looked down at the floor in shame with my ears flat against the back of my head as I avoided the gazes of both Nick and Judy before I took a deep breathe in to calm myself down.
"I...I know what you used to do."