Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry this fic has been on hiatus for so long. I have to try to bridge the events in current story to the events I have planned. Enough of my blabbering, I know you came here for story, so here it is!
Just getting off work at the police station, Nick got in his car. As he turned the ignition before he could put it in gear, his cellphone rang. He checked first to see who the number belonged to.
"Hey honey-bunny," he greeted cheerfully.
"Nick can you pick up some stuff from the store before coming home?" she asked.
"Sure," he replied.
She rattled off a list. It was decently long but Nick was determined to do the best he could.
"No problem, cute stuff," he smirked into the phone, "See you soon."
She huffed another exasperated sigh and disconnected the call without further comment. He would probably catch some retribution for "cute" comments later, but... bah, cute buns gotta cute, he figured.
Before too long, he pulled into the local grocery store, grabbed a cart, and began browsing the aisles for the items on his fiancee's shopping list. He wasn't really paying attention to the direction of his cart and had barely noticed the other one crash into his.
"Watch where you're-... Nick!? Nick Wilde?!" the other shopped exclaimed, angry at first.
He turned towards this shopper. An attractive female skunk, late 20s, with icy blue eyes. Dressed in a light blue sundress, with a white minicoat over it.
"Courtney Brushmarke, been a while," he stated flatly, trying to keep a civil grin.
"Is that how you greet an old friend?" she asked.
"Old friends, huh? You seemed done with me the last time we talked," he replied, his civil tone cracking.
"Always exaggerating. It wasn't that bad," she sighed.
"You weren't the one getting dumped," he reminded.
"Well, details details… Anyway, would you like to catch up over coffee?" she asked, adding a seductive tone to her voice.
He lifted his paws up warningly.
"Ah, no can do, sorry. I've got someone waiting for me at home," He shook his head, cutting her off, "And before you say something, no, I'm not ditching on her. Especially not for you."
"On her?! Nicholas Wilde, explain yourself right this instant!" she snapped off, all traces of good cheer vanishing under sudden indignation.
"Sorry, now that we've been separated for a while, your hissing doesn't do anything to me. I have to get going, pregnant fiancee having cravings. Bunnies are not exactly the patient kind," he stated.
With that he walked off, feeling quite accomplished and leaving the skunk feeling quite flummoxed. As rotten luck goes he was getting it today. Courtney was behind him in line and the cashier, a young vixen about 17 or 18, was giving him the look.
"What do I have to do? Wear a ring so everyone knows I'm off-limits?" he thought with a sigh, "Oh wait, I AM wearing one!"
After an uncomfortable check out with the cashier subtly hitting on him and him having to tell her that he was taken with equal subtlety. He headed out for his car, pushing the grocery cart when his phone rang again. He sighed when the number came up unknown. An unknown number usually meant a less-than-savory caller.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Nick? Good, boss wants to talk to ya'. Meet us in the Savannah Central Marina parking lot at 10 tonight, alone," Reymond's voice instructed.
"What's goin' on? He doesn't usually ask to see me," Nick asked.
"Dunno', he didn't sound angry and made it clear that he just wants to talk," the voice told him, "I would guess it's somethin' to do with Judy."
"Right, I'll be there. I mean unless something comes up and Judy needs me," Nick replied, "If she needs me at home, I don't care if your boss gets mad at me about it, I'm gonna' tend to her."
"Just a sec," there was a pause on the other end, "He says if that's the case, we'll call at the meeting time and you can explain why you aren't there to the boss yourself. He says he's feelin' generous right now so if you don't show we'll reschedule. He said it's an important personal matter but he's willing to be flexible, don't push your luck on this one. If you screw up again he won't forgive ya' this time."
He flipped the phone shut and eyed it with intrigue and trepidation. Talking to career criminals was always a nerve-racking deal, even ones that actually liked you. Nick shook his head, dropping the phone into the pocket and slipped into the driver's seat. Whatever the matter was, he was needed at home right now. Ten minutes later, he was banging on the door with his heel
"...Oi, Nick," Finnick proffered from the slowly opening doorway, unimpressed, "You might wanna' invest in doorbell at ankle height. That's the third time you been scraping the lacquer off the door trying to get in with your paws full. And that's a damn nice door too."
"Love you too, pal," Nick tossed back haphazardly, waddling towards the kitchen, his attention focused on keeping the overflowing paper bags from spilling anything over, "I can smell mom on the air, but who else is around?... Familiar scent, but..."
A sizeable paw grabbed one of the bags out of his arms, easing his burden greatly.
"It's me, man," Wolffard proffered somewhat needlessly, settling the bag down on the kitchen counter with a firm smack.
"Whoa. What are you even doing here, Wolffard? Aren't you on the clock right now?" Nick wondered, pulling open the fridge to start stuffing it full-er.
"Chief told me to keep an eye on you," he retorted, adding a shrug, "The word is something odd's been going on lately, and your name was bandied around. Judy's too, and often enough both of them together. So I'm on security detail today. Just in case."
"And if nothing else, he's good at scribbage," his mother offered from the living room, "Judy's been restless lately if she's nothing to do."
"My shift's nearly over. Soon as Grizzoli gets here, I'm takin' off," Wolfford stated calmly.
"Stay for dinner?" Lillian offered.
"Thanks but no, I got a date tonight. Scribbage was great, I'll be sure to put in for tomorrow too," he commented.
"Uh Bonnie is gonna' be here tomorrow," Lillian replied.
"Bonnie Hopps, I take it? I've heard Judy talk about her once in a while. I guess it couldn't hurt," he stated nonchalantly.
As Nick put the groceries away his mind buzzed about how to get away from his family, friend, and coworkers to head to his rendezvous.
"Mom, Carrots, mind if I borrow Finnick for a bit?" he asked.
"Fine, but I still need a foot-rub!" Judy whined.
The two headed out onto the back porch.
"What's goin' on, Nick? Normally, you'd be all over that bunny o' yours," Finnick pointed out.
"Normally yes, if today was a normal day. I got a phonecall from you-know-who and he wants to talk," Nick told him.
"I tol' you that rug made from a skunk's ass was bad idea," the smaller fox quipped.
"Yeah, speaking of skunks. I ran into Courtney today," he continued.
"Man, you got a good thing goin' with Judy. You even think about two-timin' her an' I really will bite yo' face off!" Finnick growled.
"Relax Finn, I've already made up my mind. Judy is my one and only from now on. Y'know the whole wedding vow thing, 'forsake all others' and all that," Nick replied.
"Still, runnin' into Courtney after all this time. An' right before havin' kids an' gettin' hitched? That's some shit luck right there, man," Finnick groused.
"Yeah, I'm scared you-know-who might've caught wind of that encounter and got the wrong idea. Y'know how fond of Judy he is," Nick sighed.
"Where ya' meetin' him?" the smaller fox asked.
"The marina tonight at 10, that's why I need your help. Carrots is heavy sleeper, especially ever since she started carrying but I'm gonna' need you to cover for me if something happens. I don't want her to know who I'm going to meet and I sure as hell don't need my coworkers finding out," Nick explained.
"Fine, but if she gets violent again, I'm squealin'. One bunny ass-kickin' is enough for one lifetime," Finnick sighed.
With that the two foxes went about their day. Finnick left for a while without saying where he was going while Nick and Judy watched a movie. Well, Judy watched while Nick rubbed her feet.
"Talk to the doctor recently?" he asked.
"Earlier today. Dr. Langstrum insists that I not see anyone else as my pregnancy doctor," she explained.
"Sounds to me like he's trying to extort us," he sighed.
"Thing is though, he isn't charging us a dime," she replied.
"Yet," Nick corrected.
"I asked him how much we're gonna' owe him at the end of this and he said he was treating me as a favor to your sister-in-law," Judy replied.
"I wonder if Alex knows his wife is gettin' frisky with her medical professor," Nick joked.
"That's not funny, Nicholas!" Lillian scolded.
"I get onto my father for putting his foot in his mouth, don't think I won't get onto my husband for it!" Judy growled.
"I hate to play Danny's card here, but from a skeptical perspective, it sounds suspicious. A medical professor who has a student earning her way through with modelling doing personal favors for her that he would otherwise charge a small fortune for? From a skeptical perspective that screams that she's having an affair with him," he stated.
"Nick, you get onto me about turning off my detective brain at home and here you are doing the same thing," Judy berated, "That said, you may have a point but that's between Alex and Lucielle."
A new voice rang out. Calm but obviously dripping with anger.
"Two things. First, it's rude to talk about people behind their backs. And second, come outside with me real quick Nicholas," his older brother's voice echoed.
Nick got up and followed Alex out the back door.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Nick sighed.
"Get what over with?" Alex asked, taking off his tie and rubbing the back of his neck.
"I know beat the crap outta' me over running my mouth," the younger replied.
"I'm not Deborah. And as a lawyer, I can see your perspective and how you arrived at your conclusion. That conclusion is wrong though, starting with who Dr. Langstrum is doing this as a favor to. It's not a favor to Lucielle, it's a favor in repayment to me," Alex explained.
"He's paying you back for something?" Nick asked.
"Dr. Langstrum is one of the best doctors in this city. A real medical genius, though his bedside manner is sometimes less than savory, and dedicated to the ideological perspectives of his profession. This has earned him quite a few enemies, even amongst those that he's treated before and his colleagues. He's also an easily misunderstood man. All that results in more than 10 false malpractice accusations just within the last two years. I volunteered to represent him for no other reason than he's my wife's medical professor. Over time, we've worked out ways to keep his bases covered but something always slips between the cracks. He's a good man at heart, serious about his work, and serious about his beliefs," the older todd explained.
Alex took a deep breath, pulled a stick of chewing gum from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Between chews he continued.
"As for Lucielle. We both take our vows seriously. I love my wife with my whole heart and I trust her implicitly and without reservation. I trust her to keep to our vows," he stated.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know and I made a fool of myself," Nick replied.
To his surprise, his older brother didn't hit him, just placed a comforting paw on his shoulder.
"I've learned to be patient and help others realize their mistakes rather than get angry at them for making those mistakes. It's why I can't be mad at Daniel and why I can't be mad at you. You make mistakes, you learn from them, you move on, and you try to get better. Your mistakes don't have to define you, Nick," Alex replied, "Aside from that, I have only one other piece of advice for you. Take care of Judy and your kids. Make sure that the love of your family is always one of the most important things in the world to you."
With that conversation finished, Alex went back inside before Nick to smooth things with Judy and Lillian. Nick followed shortly after, knowing full well he would owe his sister-in-law an apology as well. For the time being his mind was on that night and was buzzing with the possibilities of what could be so wrong with the city that someone would be after them.
"They let Bellwether out. She's out on parole with a restraining order on us. She's not allowed to come within a mile of us and she owes the city 500 hours of community service. The cherry on top is that if she manages to pay her debt to society, the restraining order remains and she's not allowed to hold a public office anymore," Judy explained, as if knowing what Nick was thinking.
"What about her associates?" he asked.
"What associates?" she replied.
"Those guys who were helping her," he answered.
"PMCs, the lot of them. I thought you knew that. She can't come after our families either," she explained.
At around 9 o'clock that night, Nick managed to slip out and evade the patrol car watching the place using Finnick's van. By 10 he pulled into the marina parking lot. The only other car there was a white limousine. He approached and the door opened.
"Get in here, Nicky," Mr. Big's voice commanded.
Hesitantly, Nick stepped into the limo and the door shut behind him. To his surprise and some relief, the car didn't start moving.
"Relax, I just wanna' talk," he stated.
"About what?" Nick asked tentatively.
"About your wedding. I'm gonna' be blunt, I want you to let Judy know I don't want an invite. She can invite Fru and her family, but it'd make me real unhappy if she me sent one," Big explained.
"Why? You think of Judy as practically a surrogate daughter. I'd think you'd want to be at our wedding," Nick replied, much calmer.
"Watch your-..." Kevin started.
"That's enough, Kevin. He can ask his questions. I'm the one who called him outta' the blue to come talk," Big lectured.
"Yes sir," the polar bear replied sheepishly.
"Truth is, I do wanna' be there for ya'. Both of ya'. But, it's more about your boss than anything. I can't have Bogo findin' out about me thinkin' about Judy as if she were my own little girl. He finds out, gettin' fired'll be the least of her concerns or he might just lock 'er up. I can't have that, not when you an' her are both so happy. Seein' you both happy makes me happy an' I ain't gonna' give that egotistical buffalo reason to take it away, capisce?" the shrew explained, "Now get outta' here before the feds figure out sumthin's up!"
With that he went home, he thought about stopping by the grocery store on his way back but decided against it. He was eager to get home after today. When he was hoping to cuddle up with his sleeping, pregnant bunny but as soon as he walked in the lights turned on and Judy was sitting in the recliner with a tied up Fennick sitting on the floor.
"So, what did you-know-who wanna' talk about?" she asked.
"J-Judy! Honey, what are you doin' up at this hour?" he replied nervously.
"Don't try to change the subject," she lectured.
"Is it really a good idea to debate this now?" he asked.
"Is it really a good idea to try to dissuade me from the issue?" she asked.
"How did you find out?" he asked.
"Fennick squealed on you," she answered.
"Untie him, we'll talk about it in the bedroom while I get undressed. And yes, I am fully aware of the implications but I mean we'll actually talk about it," he sighed.
"Fine," she relented, "But you ARE gonna' tell me everything you talked about. And about the skunk."
"How much did you tell her, Finn?" he growled.
Regardless, Judy untied him and the soon-to-be-wed couple headed upstairs to their room. As Nick changed into his nightwear they resumed their conversation.
"He asked to talk to me. Called me earlier today and wanted to meet. All he wanted to say is that he doesn't want to be invited to the wedding. He's worried about you losing your job," he explained softly.
"Oh, I see," she replied, much calmer now.
She remembered the other reason she had been angry with him.
"Now about the skunk?" she growled.
"Easy honey-bunny, baby remember," he told her calmly.
"You're awfully calm about this considering you may or may not die in the next five minutes," she continued to growl.
"Her name is Courtney Brushmarke, we dated for a year and eight months. That was about two years before I met you, Carrots. She broke it off with me. In a rather unpleasant way. Over the phone, with hurtful words and insults mixed in, mostly on her end. Looking back, it wasn't a pleasant relationship by any measure. Sure, she took measures to control her um musk, but that was about the only inconvenience on her part. The um bedroom relations were intense but it was only for her satisfaction. If I were left unsatisfied then I was on my own. I was emotionally neglected and she became possessive and jealous if I talked to any girl. I wasn't a person to her, I was property," he recounted, "I suppose you could accurately describe her as my very own Jack Savage."
"I'm sorry Nick," Judy replied.
"Don't be, you were thinking about our future. What kind of marriage would be built on cheating and lies? What kind of husband would I be if I was the one who cause all that?" he consoled, "Now let's get to sleep. No doubt Chief Buffalo-Buns is gonna' have another tower of paperwork waiting for me tomorrow.