A/N- Hey all; we're slowly approaching the 10,000 view mark, hoping I can get a few more follows, favorites, and reviews in before we pass that! Also, I think it's about time that the slow recovery our characters in draws to a close...

Read on!

Chapter 24

By Your Leash

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Family is a cursed blessing

Both a vice and grandest virtue

Support and care, your memories

Yet they are also the key to hurt you

One values little more than those they love

Your life readily traded for theirs

They are a leash around your neck

A mark of belonging, but easily grasped by dark affairs

Hold them close and hold them dear

Few things can hold greater value

But protect them too from the shadowed world

Lest the world uses them to trap you

-0-

"So you haven't heard anything at all recently?"

"No, not a word in a couple of months actually," Vivian sighed, adjusting the phone against her cheek so that it would balance better as she mixed the batter in the bowl she held. "Of course, that's not entirely unusual, considering my son, but certainly more odd recently. But I won't worry too much. They could be on an important case, and I'm sure they're both fine."

Brielle, the wolverine on the other end of the line and one of Vivian's longest-held friends, gave an exasperated huff that the vixen could only smile at. Perhaps it was a trait of the species' famed temper, but nevertheless amusing from someone otherwise so well-mannered. "It would drive me insane not knowing what my Xavier was up to, especially if he were in that kind of job," she said. "How do you manage not trying to nose in and check up on him?"

"I'd say probably conditioning from seventeen years of not even knowing where he was the vast majority of the time, or if he was alive save for the checks he'd send," Vivian admitted. She set the bowl down and opened a cabinet door to pull out a non-stick muffin tin, before sighing and leaning against the counter. "Call it one small bit of good that came out of that experience; I had to learn how to step away so as not to self-destruct, so I'm no longer at risk of being a helicopter parent. Though I can't say I'm immune to smothering him now when he does show up. A mom's gotta make up for it somehow."

"I'd say you were well within your rights to squeeze the details out of him this time," Brielle drawled. "They can't hide everything about their escapades from their own parents, I'm sure."

"Oh, depends on the case."

"Always 'the case'. Alright, well, what about that partner of his? Your opinion? You've yet to actually tell me what you think of 'the city's hero.'"

Vivian snickered, adjusting the phone again as she picked the bowl back up and started pouring the batter. "As a mammal? Great soul, if a little on the naïve side a times. She's exactly what Nicky needed though, and I can't thank her enough for pulling him out of that mess he'd gotten himself entrenched in."

"But…?" Brielle prodded. "Sounds like there's something more, too."

"Mmhmm, observant as ever. Nothing I can hold against her here though, mind you. You should see how they tease each other all the time, and the looks! If I didn't know better, I'd have said they'd already been married a decade."

The wolverine on the other end of the line sucked in a breath that was more than audible over the connection. "Wait…are you saying little Nicky is dating a bunny? His partner at work? Will that even work?"

The vixen let out another long breath as she tipped out the last of the batter, and then turned to slip the tray into the oven. Almost immediately her nose began to pick up the smells of the baking bread, and it let her relax a bit. "I don't think he is," she admitted, "at least not yet. Mostly because I don't think they even know about their interest in each other themselves. I've been dropping hints every time they come by to try and find out for sure since I met Miss Hopps, but I don't think either of them are picking up on them." She crossed her arms, lips pursing. "I wouldn't disapprove though, even if it's a bit unconventional; she's the best thing that's happened to him in 25 years and I've seen stranger couples work out."

"You'd have to say goodbye to having grandkits though."

"Oh, I don't know if Nick was ever the fatherly type anyway, but I can still tease them mercilessly about it. Mother's job after all. Plus they could adopt, though their occupations might make that tricky."

Brielle gave a thoughtful hum. "Well, you're not wrong. Heaven knows there are plenty of lost kits out there already. Well, got some errands to run, so I'll let you get back to your day. Keep me updated if you hear anything, and make sure to bring me one of those muffins I know you're baking over there next time you drop by, hear?"

Vivian had to laugh at that; her friend never changed. "Oh, you'll be the first to hear. And I swear, you can smell baked goods through the phone can't you?"

"My little secret m'dear. Take care now."

"You too."

The line clicked off, and Vivian leaned against the counter, releasing her breath in a slow, content huff before turning off and pocketing her phone. Her eyes were drawn thanks to the prior conversation to the series of pictures she had framed on the far wall of the dining room, the only remaining ever-present reminders of the legacy she now had. After all, even what was Nick's room was now cleared out by the tod himself.

Life as a fox had never been easy, especially a family in a home on the edge of Happytown (and despite everything, Vivian had refused to move out even with all the money her son had sent over the years; the majority that she hadn't spent on simply renovating the little house had been locked in savings for a special occasion, or to return to her son one day), but she had tried to do her best even as Nick made things harder. His sudden vanishing in his teens certainly hadn't helped, but it had, as the vixen told her friend, strengthened her capacity to watch what was left of her family from a distance.

Contrary to what she often said for emphasis, Vivian hadn't ever lost track of her son, not for long anyway. Rather, with her own network of friends she'd made sure to keep tabs on him, but never took it on herself to approach him, much as she wanted to at times. Vivian was a wise vixen; she knew if she'd gone after Nick it would have only pushed him away more, made it harder for him to ever want to return to her at all and perhaps truly make her lose him to the world. So, even as the young tod had hooked up to hustle with Finnick and took over his own apartment only a half hour away in the Rainforest District, Vivian had stayed put, waiting and watching as she kept company with the few photos she had of Nick's childhood up on the wall. Her photo of him in his Ranger Scout uniform was bittersweet yet once her favorite, everything that little kit had wanted to be but scarred by what the world had given him instead.

Then, a little less than a year ago, Vivian was rewarded by the exact thing she'd always been praying for. A knock on her door had revealed a now fully grown-up Nick standing on her porch, looking as guilty as could be and barely able to get out the word hello. Behind him, the rabbit that Vivian would soon learn had changed everything gently pushed him forward. A tearful hug and words of forgiveness were followed by introductions and Nick's presentation of his ZPA letter of acceptance, a photo of which now hung just above the kit in the ranger uniform.

Six months later, a trio of photos joined those two up high on the wall: Nick in his dress blues at his graduation, him and Judy together in both their uniforms, and then one taken by Judy of Vivian and Nick side by side. It had been a long road getting there, but Vivian knew Nick had finally ended up where he belonged. And if Judy stayed in the picture permanently she could never complain. Rather, she hoped Judy and her son would make things official soon, because she was certain only the best mammal for Nick's life could have accomplished such a turnaround.

Besides, watching a rabbit blush was somehow a whole lot funnier than getting Nick to do so, and Vivian was Nick's mother after all; he had to get his sense of humor from somewhere and it hadn't all been from his late father.

As if mocking the memory of that first return of her son, a knock on the door brought the vixen out of her reverie, her ears perking up as she turned to look toward the front of the house.

Odd, she mused, I wasn't expecting any visitors today.

In her part of town, door-to-door salesmammals or religious advocates were a rare occurrence too, one of the few blessings of Happytown. Other facets of the populace however left Vivian with a high level of caution as she approached the door. A peek out the peephole revealed no one she was familiar with, so with her standard polite but reserved manner she unlocked the door and cracked it open only so far as the security chain would permit.

"Hello?" she said. "Can I help you?"

The visitor was a well-dressed but odd looking ungulate she'd never seen before, stout and solidly built with a pair of fang-like tusks protruding from the corners of his muzzle. As she'd opened the door he'd been fiddling with the satin blue vest he was wearing over a maroon button-up shirt and gray slacks, but at the question he perked up and gave her a somewhat nervous smile.

"Oh! Uh, hi, name's Tristan. I'm, uh, a friend of your son's, and I've been trying to get a hold of him for a couple of days now but none of the avenues I've tried have worked, so I was hoping you might be of more help."

"I see," Vivian said, still cautious. "Are you an old friend of Nick's, or newer? I don't know many of them myself."

Tristan chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, um, new. We sort of met through work. The Precinct he's at didn't tell me much how to reach him though. I thought perhaps you might have another number I could use or something."

Vivian nodded understanding and held up a finger, closing the door to unlock the chain so she could speak more amiably. After all, she was more certain that Nick's newer crowd of associates were less likely to pick pockets or barge in without invitation. "Well, I guess that depends on which number you have," she said, pulling out her phone and opening the door more fully so she could address the mammal properly. "I have to be honest though, I haven't heard from him in a little while either, so I don't know how much use I'll be."

"Well, don't worry too much. You've been plenty of help already."

The sudden change of tone made Vivian lookback up, and she only barely caught sight of the barrel of a tranquilizer gun before Tristan pulled the trigger. The dart hit home, driving into the vein on her neck and causing her to drop her phone as she yelped and clawed at the metallic shaft.

"I-what are you…?" she asked in growing panic, finally managing to yank the shaft out and looking down at it in shock. Then she looked back up at Tristan.

The other mammal's eyes were no longer warm and lost-looking, but icy, calculating, a predatory gaze that the vixen would have better imagined on the face of her own kind. "It's nothing personal to you, other than supporting your son's current partnership," Tristan said flatly. "We've been trying to get to Mr. Wilde for some time now, as he's a rather important asset to us, and as other options have run dry we're having to take some more drastic measures. I'm sure you will understand."

Vivian's heart was racing as the panic set in fully, and she bent down to grab her phone and run to call 911. The serum in the dart was already acting however, so she stumbled and overshot her phone, collapsing on the porch of her house as Tristan bent over to pick up the little device instead.

"Don' worry too much," he said, his face starting to fade with Vivian's failing senses. "We don't really want to hurt you, so if he comes compliantly, you'll be back here and free to go about your business soon afterward. Might as well let you live your lonely life before everything returns to how it should be."

The vixen tried to get out one last word, but she barely had the strength to whisper. The tranquilizer finally took full effect and she fell asleep, the last thing she saw being the Musk Deer reaching down for her, his expression as passive as if here were merely picking up a box on the porch.

Tristan hauled the limp vixen to his shoulder and turned to leave, before the scent of something baking in the kitchen reached his nose. Lotera had told him not to leave any more evidence than necessary, and that included an active oven that might burn the house down while they were busy with dear Mrs. Wilde. With a scowl, he trudged into the house, locating the kitchen and turning the appliance off, before nodding with scant satisfaction and slipping back out the door, disappearing among the dilapidated buildings down the street.

Everything they had wasn't promising in the slightest, and that repetitive realization was beginning to grow old, really fast.

Embron scowled as he looked over the map they'd laid across the table in the guest house basement, knowing full well the thoughts running through the other heads around him as well as the likelihoods of success each of those ideas had. Judy wanted to get back to the fight somehow, hoping to end this and bring the perpetrators to justice however they could and wanting to remove the risks their being in Bunnyburrow brought to her family and friends, however great or small those risks really were. Nick wanted to get back out and end this too, though driven more to protect Judy than anything else. Though he was finally starting to break away from his past, Jack would seek to place the two officers in safety somewhere and go after the Primalists without them, in part driven by his long-cultivated sense of retribution, and Skye…well, her drives were already more or less covered by the others too, a similar strong moral compass as Judy and a want to protect her own partner as he dove headlong into danger.

All of their notions on what the next step ought to be of course had their merits, but flaws as well, and Embron and his sister likely knew best just how risky each of those flaws were bound to be. It was a game of balance; they would never get anywhere without giving something in turn.

"Winning at this point isn't gonna get any easier from here," Scarlet said lowly, one ear flicking in annoyance. She swept a paw over the map, pointing at the Meadowlands. "They abandoned their first base here, and from there, knowing their preferences, they could have traveled to any location throughout here." She drew a finger across the Alpine District down through the Rainforest and Canal Districts, before jumping across to tap on the Canyonlands section of Sahara Square and even gesturing to Outback Island. "It's a lot of ground to cover, and of course not even including the possibility that they also decided to leave the city like we did. I think there's less chance that they're on Outback or in the Canyonlands, since that would require crossing either the city center or open water where they'd be at greater risk of being spotted, but"-

"Actually, it's pretty easy to get from the Meadowlands to Sahara without being seen," Nick interjected, reaching over and tracing a finger through Zootopia's center. "The maintenance and old construction tunnels used to reach and build the Nox run through the bedrock under the city surface, and not a lot of mammals know about or use them all. It'd be touch and go to avoid any maintenance workers that might come through there at random times, but considering what that Thylacine can do, I doubt it'd be difficult at all for them to slip by unseen if they decided to use the tunnels."

"And how do you know about these tunnels, Nick?" Judy asked, a prying grin forming as she arched an eyebrow at him.

Nick huffed and looked away. "I plead the fifth."

"So that just means the likely options are still nearly as broad as they were to start," Jack sighed, his ears wilting slightly before he shook his head and focused back on the map, pointedly ignoring the bantering of the couple in their midst. "Voltom and Tubolinez will already be busy combing the western portion of the city, and Matista should have the mini drones he promised up and running shortly to help with that. Probably means that we can try searching out Canyonlands; Outback is less likely, I agree with Scarlet's conjecture, so only if our other options are exhausted do we head there. Hopps and Wilde should remain inside of Precinct One while we're"-

"No," came the simultaneous chorus of four different voices, cutting Jack off and causing him to develop a bewildered scowl. The officers, who had been two of the dissenting voices, turned and looked in surprise at the Canistons.

"Look," Scarlet said, crossing her arms, "admittedly, having them stay there during the day and then heading to a safe location with the rest of us at night would be one of the safer options for them, at least in short-term, but it won't last. Desperation can drive mammals to do drastic things and if they can't reach Hopps and Wilde by their stealthier methods, I can guarantee you that the Primalists will start losing their inhibitions about public attention eventually. Lotera would have little problem bringing down a building from the shadows in order to flush his targets out and into the open, and now that we've pissed them off and spread their pictures around both Avery and Saber are great about sowing the kind of chaos that could leave us all vulnerable."

She held up a hand, a ring of light forming and rotating slowly above her palm. "Embron and I, other Gifteds as well if need be, can do a lot and if we have to we will step into the public eye to keep you two safe," she said, looking at Nick and Judy in turn, "but as much as I hate to say it a slight compromise to your safety is now most likely to be the best way to end this. It's over the edge of sane to have you sticking right alongside us as we try and sniff out the Primalists, but if we keep you with someone else trustworthy –your two officer friends that are getting roped into this already, perhaps- and in the same general region that we're searching, it would probably be enough of a draw to get Lotera or one of the others to try something and thereby show their hands. At the same time, you driving around with Fangmeyer and company should keep you public enough to ward off greater risks for now. And, it doesn't give them a 'safe house' target to bring down which would endanger a whole lot more than just the lot of us. Put you in the Precinct, all the officers there become collateral damage to Lotera if he decides to take things up a notch."

"Sounds reasonable enough," Judy nodded, "though still annoys me that none of you are gonna let us search too."

"By the contrary," Skye countered, shaking her head. "You'd have to be on patrol in the area, so you are still searching. And while it won't be as rigorous as what we'll be doing, that gives opportunity for you guys to try and come up with other angles. Nick, you know the city's layout better than any of us, clearly, and you and Jack have the greatest experience when it comes to how criminal elements may operate. You might be able to think up a better trap or plan as we narrow our search ranges." She turned her head, looking from him back to Judy. "Judy, you're thorough; Nick misses anything and you can probably pick it up. Scarlet and Embron are right, we'd rather be able to stick you two somewhere that we know you'd be safe, but they're also right in that nowhere will stay that way forever so we'd just end up bouncing you from place to place again, and there are advantages instead to at least having you out halfway with us. Sound good?"

Tod and doe nodded, and Skye clapped her paws together, standing up straight. "Great!" she exclaimed. "Not really much else we can get going from here I'd venture. We'll be heading back out tomorrow morning, so in the meantime everyone should enjoy our last evening out here if you can. That includes you, Jack."

The buck snorted and waved a paw. "Yeah yeah, quit the finger-pointing. I promised Jennifer I'd help her and Bonnie in the kitchen tonight. You don't have to worry about me right now."

"Wow," Nick marveled, "you sounded a little like me at the start there. What an improvement!"

"Don't insult me Wilde."

Snorts and giggles followed as Embron rolled the map back up and everyone started heading upstairs, Nick and Judy bidding good evening to the others as they headed outside, but the two of them didn't make for the house. Rather, taking advantage of the mild summer evening and the promise of a few hours of sunlight left, the pair joined hands and took a detour to the west past the guest houses and a narrow strip of crops, up to a short, tree-crowned hill.

The little berm was a favored hangout for many members of the Hopps homestead and their friends, with the trees bearing enough branches to entice the more adventurous among them to climb amongst the leaves (bringing nostalgic memories back to Judy) and even a couple of limbs sturdy enough for tire swings to hang from. The artistic sorts nestled into the trunks to write stories or daydream, or sketch the landscape, sunsets, or whatever else caught their attention, and sometimes the introverts of the family would head up to find a nook amongst the tree roots for peace and a moment of rest (of course, until the younger members of the family decided that alone time was over and swarmed them).

Then, there were the romantics. Neither Nick or Judy had ever thought they would end up among the ranks of love-struck couples looking for the right atmosphere, but yet somehow there they were, hand in hand as they walked past the trees and what few kits that hadn't yet been corralled back into the house by elder rabbits still out giggling in the grass. They headed for the other side of the copse, to where the sun was still warming the ground. There, the two sat down on a soft patch of grass, looking out across the rolling hills and fields the countryside was so known for as Nick's tail wound itself around behind Judy, and Judy in turn leaned into him.

"This'll probably be the last chance we really get for moments like this, for some time, huh?" the doe half mumbled, her eyes tracking a lonely cabbage white fluttering by.

Nick hummed, before nodding slightly. "Yeah, sorry to say I agree," he sighed. "Something tells me this isn't gonna wrap up in any less time than it's already stretched out for, or any cleaner. So, I for one intend to do exactly as Snow White suggested while I can." He turned and snuffled his nose through the fur on top of Judy's head while the rabbit snickered at his comments.

"You know if she catches you calling her that she'll wring your neck like a wet towel."

"Yep, which is why I only say it when she's not around."

"You are incorrigible. You know that just gives me something to blackmail you with." She pushed on his chest playfully, and the fox scoffed.

'Blackmail? You, the perfect little star officer? Never."

They both giggled in tandem before returning to watching the breeze roll across the grass. The atmosphere was peaceful, beautiful, and somehow encompassing a sense of lasting serenity that had been missing for too long despite the knowledge of what they'd all be diving headfirst into soon.

Nick's gaze didn't remain on the horizon forever though. A sight that he found leagues more enticing sat at far closer range. It started as an occasional, quick glance, before he soon found himself lingering on the soft gray tones of Judy's fur, enraptured by the brilliance of the golden sun reflecting off her amethyst eyes. Judy wasn't long in noticing the attention either and soon joined in the trading of looks. Trades gave way to both of them simply watching each other, violet falling into emerald and vice versa. Something magnetic, almost electric, ran between them, and they didn't fight the slow urge to lean toward each other, eyelids falling as they prepared their lips to meet.

A phone started ringing.

Fox and rabbit both jerked back into the present, disappointment and irritation coloring their moods at the interruption, and Nick turned to glare down at his pocket where the offending buzz was coming from.

"Great icebreaker there Slick," Judy snarked. "Way to ruin the moment."

Nick curled one lip as he reached down and pulled his phone out. "Look, I could have sworn I had the damn thing turned off, what with Stripes' warnings about getting traced and all," he quipped, looking down at the screen. "Not to mention that it…hey, wait, it's my mom!"

"Wait, Vivian's calling?" Judy queried, ears perking up a bit as she scooted over again to see the screen. The interruption was still not exactly welcome, but she could at least give Nick's mother a break. Plus, in all her time around Nick it was the first she'd seen the vixen calling her son instead of vice versa.

Nick nodded, though his expression was turning bewildered as he continued staring at the device. "Yeah, but she almost never calls me," he said. "Usually it's just the other way around. Must, uh, must be important I guess; better her interrupting than some random sales call though, right?" He grinned, earning an exasperated smirk from the doe beside him as he pressed the answer button on speaker. "Hey Mom. What's up?"

"Hello, Nicholas."

The voice that replied was not Vivian's. Nick's mouth suddenly turned dry as the Atacama, and he slowly pivoted to Judy, terrified eyes meeting petrified.

"I'm so glad I could finally reach you again," Lotera continued, his voice dripping in faux cordiality. "You see, there are a few very important outstanding situations that we need to discuss one on one, immediately."

A/N-Mrs. Wilde is such a mystery character, hope you'll like my version of her (don't worry, this is far from the last we've seen of her; she's still got a scene or two yet to come). I had heard that the directors claim she's still in the same house as in Nick's kithood and likes to nag on him about kits of his own, so I find it fun to play with that a little (and everyone knows a good mother has a great sense of humor).

Anyway, as you can probably tell it's high time things start heating up. However, due to several upcoming changes in life (trying to launch my own website, about to enter grad school, work's still a PITA, etc.) and how long the chapters are, I may be lengthening the intervals between updates from about every 3 weeks to just straight up once a month or so, such that I can actually get the chapters done ahead of typing time. The story won't be getting let go, ever, so don't worry about that, just slowing the update pace bit.

As always, let me know your thoughts, suggestions, predictions etc. in your reviews!

Until next time, HawkTooth out!