"You've got to be kidding me! I'm not going down there!"
"Let me be perfectly clear, Wilde: You. Are. Going."
"And let me be perfectly clear: No."
"Do you want to lose that badge?"
"I've lost so much already, what's the difference this time?" Nick remarked bitterly.
Chief Bogo's expression softened slightly, but he was still maintaining a cold posture as he stood leaning forward, his front two hooves resting on his large mahogany desk.
"Wilde, you can't tell me you don't care."
"That's the problem. I do care! Of course, I care! Send anyone else, but not me."
"She hasn't checked up in a while and I need to know that she's okay, and besides, she needs a partner."
"Why am I the only animal for this?"
"You are the only one she'll listen to."
Nick scoffed and slammed himself into one of the two cushioned chairs in front of the Chief's desk.
"Yeah. She listens to me," he muttered darkly.
"I don't know what you and Hopps have going on, and frankly, I don't care, but I do care that one of my best officers hasn't been responding."
"You don't care what we have going on? You seemed interested in what we had going on five months ago when she showed up to work in my shirt," Nick growled.
"Don't overstep, Wilde! I chose to take your word on that subject – don't make me regret it! If you and Hopps have overstepped boundaries, I have chosen to look the other way, but do not cost me an officer, Wilde, or you'll see me overstep my boundaries!"
The Chief slammed his hooves against the wood, the sound echoing off of the walls in the small office.
"Send. Someone. Else," Nick growled dangerously, his claws scratching the arms of the chair he sat ramrod straight in.
The two locked eyes menacingly, both dead if looks could kill.
It had been two months since Judy had left to work a case in Bunnyburrow, and one month since Nick had sent the text that ended it all. She had only kept in contact with the Chief after she had left, but her contact was minimal, and she had apparently been unresponsive for the last week. Though she had stayed in contact with the Chief, Judy never replied to Nick's message. The Chief was beginning to grow concerned over the bunny's lack of response, while Nick was trying to move on.
The fox had reached a stage of being completely depleted of all of the emotions he had had when she first left him in their – his – apartment. He had grieved; he had been shocked when she left, he had felt the pain and the guilt of losing her, he had become angry, he had been depressed, and he was currently trying to turn his life around while still struggling with his depression. No, he wasn't close to moving on, and he didn't think he ever would move on, but that wasn't what mattered; he just needed to go on with living normally. Now here he was, arguing with the Chief over going down to Bunnyburrow.
Since no contact had been made with Judy over the last week, the Chief was becoming slowly convinced that she was in trouble, that something had happened to her.
Nick, however, knew better.
Judy was safe, he was sure of that. He was sure that she had seen all of the missed calls, all of the voicemails, and all of the messages he had left her, but she had just never responded to Nick. Now, she had just stopped responding to the Chief. Nick didn't think this was because she was in trouble, but rather because she no longer wanted to talk to anyone from Zootopia. Granted, Nick had to admit that this was out of character for Judy, who loved her job at the ZPD and Zootopia in its entirety, but Nick knew that the bunny was safe. He knew because he had called Judy's mother to double check that she was safe a few days earlier. Finding her contact information in Judy's police files, he had first called Bonnie Hopps a few weeks after Judy's exit, when he was feeling the pain and guilt of her loss, and her mother only confirmed it: Judy was safe and comfy in little Bunnyburrow. He had then called Judy's mother every other week just to ensure all was well, to make sure that his girlfriend – that Judy – was safe. He refused to disclose this information to the Chief, though, because that meant admitting that he had lost Judy… and he had lost her. Nick knew it was over, even before he sent that message to her confirming it, and that only twisted the dagger that had already been embedded into his chest.
His emotions mixed when he thought of the situation. He was furious that she had left him when he needed her most, and even though he understood that he was being dependent on her more than usual, he thought she could handle it. He was upset with himself for fighting with her, for saying the things he said. He was upset with her for not talking to him and trying to mend things.
It was official: Nick was grieving the loss of his life mate, the life mate who probably wasn't even giving him a second thought.
Tears stung his eyes as he sat in that cushioned chair in front of his boss, who had only hired him because of Judy. Looking down at his shirt, Nick rubbed a paw over his face as he mulled the situation over.
"Fine. I'll go," he finally murmured.
"Thank you," the Chief stated gruffly. "Bring her back to us, Wilde."
Nick stood and made direct eye contact with the Chief.
"I'll go, but she won't come back, Chief," Nick stated firmly. "I'm going because I have a few things to say to her, not because I'm trying to get her back. That's her decision."
With that, Nick left Chief Bogo with a surreal expression, and set out for Bunnyburrow. After a quick stop home to grab a suitcase and fill it with a few items he would need, Nick left. He didn't want to drive their – his – SUV, so he set out on a course for the Zootopia Monorail Station.
It was a ride that lasted a little over two hours, which wasn't too bad; what was bad was trying to figure out what he was going to say to her once he saw her. What had she told her family? Did they hate him? Did she hate him? Did he hate her? No, he was just… well, he didn't know what he was, but what should he say? Should he talk about the last few weeks, or act like nothing had happened? Should he play the role of a friend, a work partner, or an ex-boyfriend? He was all three… maybe; he still didn't know if they were friends, and their partnership wasn't very strong lately, but they definitely weren't dating. Nick shook his head as he attempted to clear his muddled thoughts.
"Don't think, just go with it," he whispered to himself as he watched the scenery fly by outside of the monorail large windows.
The trip seemed extremely short, and in what seemed like minutes, the monorail was pulling into the Bunnyburrow Monorail Station. The doors slid open, and Nick exited the monorail only to find himself on the platform, which was swarming with smaller animals, mainly bunnies. Nick smirked at the looks he was given by most of the animals there. He hadn't seen the "ugh, a fox" look in a while, but he had expected that upon arrival.
Focusing on his mission, Nick moved onward through the station. He knew where he was going; he had been here before. He had met Judy's parents and all 275 of her siblings, who had mauled him as if he were a shiny new toy. He had eaten dinner with them, had stayed in their home, had toured their farm, and now here he was, getting ready to go back in a most unsavory manner.
Ten minutes later, he was standing in front of Judy's home, a large above ground burrow that sat in front of acres of field that was ripe with carrot stems shooting out of the ground. Taking a deep breath, he let his paw knock on the wooden door. Voices could be heard inside as soon as Nick's paw went back down to his side.
"I'll get it!" a soft voice came from inside.
Nick inhaled deeply; that was her, and she was going to answer the door any second now.
Standing straight and putting a smirk on his face, Nick prepared for the show. The door opened swiftly, and there she was, in color washed jeans and a white button-up shirt that had the sleeves rolled up. She was smiling, at first. Nick could tell that she had been excited to open the door, ecstatic to interact with an animal, and then she saw Nick. The look she gave him was hard to describe; it was a mix of shock, chagrin, hostility, fatigue, anxiety, and heartbreak all in one. Nick let his usual smirk rest on his face as he hid his emotions, while watching hers play across her face in a flash.
"Nick," was all that she could say.
Wasn't a question, wasn't a greeting, wasn't an exclamation. It was just "Nick."
Nick nodded, slightly awkward, as he was not really sure how to officially greet her. Calling her by her first name seemed too formal, but calling her by any of the nicknames that he had previously called her by felt completely inappropriate in the current situation. They stood in silence for a moment, listening to the breeze shake the trees surrounding the burrow.
"Let's talk," she commanded, her anger overcoming her other emotions instantly.
Nick's eyebrows rose slightly at her tone, but he wasn't shocked, he was well prepared for this. He could easily play this game of "we're mad, but we aren't going to address it until we are in a place where we can yell at one another at full volume."
"Yes," he replied at ease. "Let's."