Chapter 12: The Runaways
The auditorium was built to hold thousands of students, almost as if the entire building was built like an opera house. Not that BunnyBurrow even had an opera house in the first place. So when Judy finally walked up on stage alongside Neve and Dawn she was instantly hit with the eyes of her hundreds of classmates. She frantically looked near the stage and eventually locked eyes with Nick and Jasmine. Both of them had encouraging smiles and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled back, masking the growing feeling of dread behind her face.
Judy stood behind her podium, conveniently placed at the end, closest to the backstage entrance, where she had a great look on Sharla by the tech booth. The ewe gave her a reassuring nod before turning back to her work. She wondered if what they were about to do would really even help. Judy had never been the type to stir up drama, so wouldn't she be doing exactly that if she tried exposing Dawn.
But was she even mad at her in the first place? Yes, she illegally looked at her medical records and then proceeded to blackmail Judy to no expense. Not to mention that Dawn also went out of her way to take a picture of her and Nick in an intimate moment just so she had even more leverage against them. Sure, everything she's managed to have done in the last few weeks was insane. But that didn't mean Judy should blame all of her problems on her. It wasn't as if Dawn had done anything as bad as her family.
Judy had been so deep in thought she didn't notice the debate had already started. Neve was near the end of her introduction and Dawn was about to start hers. Her heart flipped anxiously as she wondered if everything she was about to do would only potentially backfire on herself. Neve had just about finished her speech when Dawn was already headfirst into hers. It was only a matter of time...and she still couldn't figure out what to do.
The minutes were moving faster by each second and it felt as if Dawn's speech ended just as it began. So just like that, it was Judy's turn. Her head pounded with stress and she knew her nose was twitching out of control. Finally, she let out a huge breath and looked up at Nick one last time. He mouthed a quick, "You got this," before giving her one last supportive nod.
And at that very moment, Judy knew what she had to do.
"Excuse me." She said, addressing the audience and scurried off stage in the direction of Sharla.
"What are you doing?" Sharla whispered confused. "Get back up on stage, we still have a chance to expose Dawn!"
"Change of plans," Judy exclaimed. She then turned around and poked her head back out of the entrance and urged Dawn over.
"Dawn! Come over here!" She pleaded while moving her paws in their direction. The ewe stared at her dumbfoundedly but reluctantly walked away from the pedestals and stood beside her and Sharla.
"What is going on? Is this some part of your stupid plan?" She hissed.
"Wait how did you know-" Sharla began but Judy stopped her before they got into another useless argument.
"There's no time to explain. Dawn, I'm dropping out of the race." She sighed looking at her previously acclaimed enemy.
"What, why!? Are you just trying to lie to me to throw me off my game?" Dawn accused.
"No, I'm not. And neither are you. No more lies or tricks. I'm done with all of it." Judy asserted.
"So? That won't stop me from doing whatever it takes to win." She scoffed.
"Well, you know what? I don't care Dawn. I'm going to leave, and I won't give a flipping shit if you still try posting the pictures or tell everyone about me and Nick. I'm tired of all of it, the stress and the blackmailing. It's too much! But I don't want to keep fighting with you Dawn. You deserve to fight for the chance to be President, I don't think I even wanted it in the first place." Judy explained.
Dawn looked at her in shock, her expression a mix between relief or anger. Or maybe it had been something else entirely.
"What do you mean you're going to leave?!" Sharla blurted fearfully. "Sharla, I'll be fine with Nick...And I have to go. My parents tried to force me into an abortion. Even if I know they can't make me get one legally, the thought of potentially seeing both of them again scares me. I don't want them around my kits, and I definitely don't want them around Nick." Judy sighed.
"Your parents tried to make you get an abortion?" Dawn exclaimed silently.
"Yeah…" She chuckled darkly in response. "It's been a pretty hectic start of the year. So I'm going to try and put an end to it. And you're going to go back up on the pedestals and beat the heck out of Neve." Judy said pointing to Dawn
"What's the catch…? You can't possibly be trying to let off so easily?!" The sheep argued.
"No catch. I only hope that if you win you won't turn this place into a dictatorship but try to help make it a better place." Judy said reassuringly. "You really would be a great president Dawn, if you'd just pay attention to both sides of the spectrum…"
She looked at Judy with yet another mixed expression on her face, as if the ewe was having an epiphany right then and there. Just then, Neve walked backstage.
"Um, guys...Is everything alright? The debate is still going on and everyone out there is pretty confused. Should I get a teacher?!" The vixen exclaimed frantically. Judy sighed one last time, knowing she would have to go talk to her headmaster to explain in most likely a few more minutes. She only hoped her words got through to Dawn at least once.
"Well, I guess I'll get going. Good luck to both of you." Judy beamed while turning around and embracing Sharla once again.
"Call me when everything's alright. Ok?" Her friend pleaded.
"Ok. Make sure your cousin doesn't turn the school into some crazy empire." Judy giggled.
"I'll try, but I make no promises." Sharla sighed, giving her one last hug before the two waved goodbye.
Judy scampered down the stairs past the backstage door and encountered the gazing faces of her classmates yet again. Whispers and snippets of conversations floated around as she cringed. Maybe leaving the stage with no explanation wasn't the best choice to do? She pushed the thought from her mind, it was too late to turn back now. And what point would she prove by doing so?
Judy made her way farther into the seats until finally seeing Nick, his eyes filled with concern but he thankfully managed to keep a calm expression as to not make a scene. Not like what she did on stage wasn't dramatic enough...
"Carrots!" He said, urging her over. "What happened, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine…" Judy sighed smiling at the fox.
"Ok, so why did you get off the stage? Come on, you should get back up there!" Nick exclaimed.
"I can't," she explained. "I have to do something…"
"What?" He asked, cocking his head in confusion. Judy contemplated if what she was about to do would be romantic or risky. But in reality, she should take a bite at the jalapeno instead of nibbling at the sides. It was something her grandmother always told her, which was weird since rabbits can't eat jalapenos…
And besides that, Judy decided to go for it.
"This." She stated while bringing Nick down to her eye-level and kissing him almost instantly. Her ears perked, catching the gasps of her surrounding classmates. But she didn't care. It was past time for Judy to reveal her secrets, and keeping them benefited no one. And it wouldn't even matter what her classmates ended up thinking after this, because she was leaving them all behind.
After a few more seconds Judy pulled away from Nick, giggling at his shocked yet somewhat relieved expression.
"Sorry…" She laughed. "I didn't want to take you by surprise. I just... really needed to do that." His eyes morphed into those filled with fondness and kissed Judy on the cheek in response.
"No problem Fluff. I figured seeing me at school every day and not being able to kiss me would become torture soon enough." He smirked. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled back. Nick truly was everything she'd ever want in the perfect mate.
Judy suddenly became more aware of her classmate's gawking faces and she led both of them away from the crowd and into the hallway. But Nick just had the rub the moment in their faces even more and pulled them back into the auditorium for a quick second and yelled,
"I love my girlfriend!"
Judy blushed at his outburst but loved every minute of it. And the shocked looks on her peers didn't hurt either.
The couple ran back into the empty hallways laughing like mad-mammals. Their paws intertwined with each other as if they were running from a crime scene.
"I don't think we'll be able to show our faces here again without everyone whispering about us." He chuckled while catching his breath. Judy felt her smile drop at his statement and turned to face him seriously.
"Nick...I think we should leave." She said hesitantly.
"What do you mean? Like leaving school? Or leave BunnyBurrow?" He asked.
"Both I think. I mean, is there really anything here for us? And I don't want to risk seeing my parents again after everything that happened. Besides, the only reason you left Zootopia was to get away from Simone. Yet she still followed you!" Judy argued.
He stared at her deep in thought before smiling slyly.
"I don't know...I think this farm town has grown a bit on me." Nick shrugged. "And where else in the world would I get such amazing blueberries?"
Judy rolled her eyes at his sarcasm and cheekily pulled him down by the collar, kissing him more passionately than she had done in the auditorium and thankfully, shutting him up. She pulled away, trying hard not to snicker as he blinked dumbly in surprise.
"Nevermind," Nick smirked, glancing back at her playfully. Judy grinned in triumph and continued leading the two of them towards the headmaster's office.
"We still have to set up a transfer. Do you know any good schools?" She proclaimed.
"Carrots please, I know everybody and anybody back home. Of course, I know all the good schools." He bragged. Judy resisted the urge not to roll her eyes yet again and turned to face him expectantly.
"The North Academy," Nick exclaimed. "Probably one of the best...However…" He trailed off.
"However what?" She questioned.
"I feel like you should take a break," Nick explained while staring at her concerned.
"A break? B-But I still have to get an education and make it into t-the ZPD!" Judy squealed worrisomely.
"Carrots you're pregnant." He sighed bluntly. "Do you really think going to a new fancy school in the city will make your stress levels lower somehow?" She opened her mouth in protest but quickly shut it, acknowledging his words. Her ears drooped in defeat as she nodded timidly in response.
"I guess you're right...Then what do you think I should do if you're so well versed in what is or isn't stressful!?" Judy pouted."
"Well getting a GED could give you the same credit," Nick stated, reminiscing to the moment in his apartment where Julie had shown the two of them all those articles. "And if you want to, you could try going online for a while." He suggested.
"They both sound like good ideas to me," a voice from behind the two of them expressed. She and Nick turned around surprised and saw Ms. James standing mere feet away from them.
"M-Ms. James!" Judy shrieked. "I-I u-um…" She stuttered on her words, attempting to think of a good excuse.
"I already heard all about it. Some teachers were freaking out over the phone so I thought I should head down there and check it out but it seems you two were already gone." Ms. James expressed with a raised eyebrow.
Judy continued stammering flustered and looking back and forth between Ms. James and everywhere else in the hallway.
"Don't worry I'm not going to yell at you for disrupting the entire meeting." She laughed.
"You're not!?" They both proclaimed.
"No, honestly I don't care." Ms. James shrugged. "I only have to stop students from getting into fights or whatnot so this is out of my paycheck."
"S-So...you wouldn't be upset if we asked you about transferring?" Judy asked tentatively.
"Well, I would be sad to see one of my best students leave." She sighed while looking at Judy with caring eyes. "But I know that this place isn't going to be accepting towards you two, so transferring would be the best option."
The two let out a sigh of relief, having another mammal judge their predicament yet again would only be another block in the road.
"The papers are already done if you both needed it." Ms. James chortled while handing Judy two different stacks of papers. She stared at them in shock.
"W-What...H-How?" Judy exclaimed, looking back and forth between the pages and her.
"I had a sneaking suspicion...Oh, and Karla called me not too long ago." She laughed. Judy scowled irritatingly, that lynx was always one step ahead of her. But in the end, they both cared about her. Karla, Ms. James, even Nick…
She would miss this. All of it, Sharla and Jasmine, the serenity of the country. Even if Judy was leaving it all behind it didn't mean she wouldn't at least try coming back. Maybe once everything was calmer. And Judy had had the kits and then maybe she could try facing her parents again.
"All that aside…" Ms. James sighed, a large smile still plastered against her face. "I should probably head over to the auditorium before any more of the teachers start freaking out." She started to walk away, leaving the couple alone in the hallway. But just as she was about to disappear a corner Ms. James turned around and shouted back.
"Don't forget us when you make it big in Zootopia!"
Judy felt her heart warm and smile grow as she called back.
"I won't!"
*Three Weeks Later*
Judy impatiently stomped her foot as she watched Nick carry the last of their boxes into their newly bought apartment. He walked slowly, carefully holding all of it in his paws while trying hard to keep them from falling over. She groaned irritatingly.
"Can't you at least let me hold one of them!" Judy pleaded while watching her boyfriend clumsily put down the boxes.
"Carrots how could I possibly risk you getting hurt carrying one of these heavy boxes!?" He exclaimed while putting a paw to his chest in protest. She rolled his eyes at Nick and scowled.
"They barely weigh anything! And I'm only at nine weeks Nick. God, It's not as if I'm physically useless." Judy protested sitting on the floor in anger. Their couch wouldn't be delivered until tomorrow so at the moment she had nothing to throw herself on in irritation.
Nick sighed and moved to sit down beside her.
"Is this because I didn't ask you to help me carry up the bed stand?" He asked tentatively while absentmindedly playing with her ears. Judy knew he was happy. She was happy. They were finally together, away from all the stress brought on from back home.
Home...Judy had left that all behind. She had said goodbye to Jasmine, Sharla, and Karla as well. Her parents found out about her escape quickly after they left. And in short, they were livid. Bonnie and Stu tried calling her countless times and the only time she picked up was to tell them to leave her alone. She was happy now. Happy that they wouldn't bother her any longer.
At this point in her pregnancy she was at the start of her third month yet she still wasn't used to all the side effects. The morning sickness had begun hurting harder than usual. Most days Judy would just sit in bed tired from all the countless trips to the bathroom.
Her body even started showing signs she was pregnant. However, not by that much. She was only in her third month after all. Nick, as always, was being such a supportive boyfriend. Helping her every time she got sick and constantly being right by her side.
Over the last few weeks, he proved almost every day that she had made the right choice. Judy was happy with him. She just wished that her parents could see that.
She melted peacefully into Nick's embrace as he continued to play with her ears. They were drooping tiredly down her back and she sensed he knew something was wrong once he stopped moving his paw down them.
"Alright...you've been acting like this for days. What's wrong?" He demanded while raising an eyebrow. Judy stared at him innocently, in hopes of keeping up her facade, but his expression only pressed on further. She sighed, defeated. Nick could read her like a book. Of course, falling in love with somebody could do that to a mammal.
"It's just...I'm having a hard time getting used to all this…" Judy mumbled while pulling her legs closer to her chest. He looked at her sincerely and pulled the doe closer into his embrace, trying desperately to cheer her up.
"I know...Imagine how I felt when moving to BunnyBurrow for the first time." Nick chuckled while watching his girlfriend intently for a change. And just like he intended, Judy burst into a flurry of giggles and shoved him playfully from behind.
"You dorky fox." She laughed while not noticing the smile moving its way onto her lips. Nick only hugged her tighter and grinned at her cheerful expression.
"Dorky fox...Happy bunny." He mused.
That was what sent Judy over the edge. She started laughing uncontrollably, still smiling brightly, and pushed him playfully.
"Oh my god, you're so cheesy!" Judy chortled.
"Yeah, well you fell for cheesy." Nick bragged while continuing to stare at her lovingly. She eventually settled down but felt glad that he was able to wash away her stress almost instantly.
"Thank you…" Judy muttered, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his arms wrap around her caringly and smiled. Nick truly could read her like a book.
Just then, their doorbell rang, and both their ears perked up in the direction of the dimly lit foyer.
"I'll get it!" They both exclaimed simultaneously. Judy looked at him and snickered.
"We'll both get it." She giggled. The two got off the carpeted floor and opened the entryway to the apartment. Nick's sister, Nina, stood behind the door with a stack of mail in one paw and a mysteriously filled container in the other.
"Hey, Nina!" Judy beamed.
"Hey, Judy!" She smiled back while looking at Nick casually. "Mom says to remember to visit her on weekends."
"How am I not going to visit her, you guys are two rooms away from us!?" He argued.
"And yet it feels like an ocean away!" Her voice screamed from the farther room, echoing through the hall until reaching Judy's ears. She chuckled slightly, knowing Nick was probably rolling his eyes right now.
"Anyway, I grabbed your guy's mail for today. I know, your welcome." She smirked slyly while shoving the stack into Nick's paws. He mumbled angrily before retreating back into the apartment.
Judy snickered slightly but returned her attention back to the Tupperware in Nina's other paw.
"Why do you have a container?" She asked intrigued.
"Oh! This is just a little something me and Cooper made to congratulate you guys on the move in." Nina exclaimed while handing her the carton. Judy hastily opened up only to have a strong chocolatey smell fill her nose.
The container was filled with about a dozen intricately cut frosted brownies and she beamed excitingly at the vixen.
"I didn't know you and Cooper could bake?" Judy asked.
"Yeah, we get it from our mom but our little Nicky got the sensitive gene!" She proclaimed, yelling loud enough for him to hear.
"I did not!" He yelled back.
She giggled at the sibling's bickering but dropped her smile ever so slightly. Hearing Nina call him Nicky stirred something up in Judy. It made her think of Xena for the first time in weeks.
Of course, she knew that Xena and the others were far away from where she was now but every now and then her mind would wander to them. Everything they did...It was all too much. She might've been able to forgive Dawn, a very small might at that, but Judy wasn't sure if she'd ever forgiven Xena and Simone. Simone, for obvious reasons. And Xena, well, she was just crazy so it made sense.
"Well if you guys ever need help you know where to find us. Cya later Judy!" Nina waved, walking back down the hallway.
Judy smiled and watched the vixen leave. She could get used to living in Zootopia. No judgmental parents or diabolical classmates. Just herself, Nick's family, and-
"Oh my god!"
Suddenly, Nick's voice blurted from the other room and Judy rushed over in concern.
"What!? What's wrong?" She questioned, still holding the container of brownies close to her chest. He looked up quickly and grinned at her.
"Oh, it's nothing big. I just saw that Dr. Firefox finally mailed us the pictures from the last ultrasound." Nick shrugged, referring to the pictures in his paw. Her eyes bulged and she dropped the box of food and instantly rushed up next to him.
"Let me see!" Judy urged reaching for them. He rolled his eyes playfully and handed them to her. They felt warm in her hand, even after being in a metallic mailbox for god knows how long.
"I can't believe we're having two fox kits," Nick exclaimed while leaning against the countertop and staring at a spot in the ceiling.
"I know…" She muttered in response, her eyes still captivated by the picture. The three blobs you have all learned to love had of course grown much larger since you've last seen them.
(I love breaking the fourth wall, sorry :3)
Her kits were now big enough to be defined by their species. And according to Judy's last ultrasound, they were having two foxes and a bunny. It was still too early to find out the sex but it made them happy nonetheless.
"I do not plan on helping unless it's a boy." Nick mused, grabbing one of Nina's brownies and breaking her trance. She glared at him, pursing her lips and he quickly moved beside her.
"Oh, Carrots you know I'm joking." He stated while enveloping her in a hug. Judy pouted angrily but still reluctantly smiled as his arms embraced her. They both continued to look down at the pictures in her hand. Two foxes and a bunny. That didn't sound too hard for 16-year-old parents. Of course, by the time the kits were born the two would already be newly 17. So maybe it wouldn't be such a challenge after all.
"Did you finally end up deciding on which school to finally transfer to?" Nick asked, separating her thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I think I finally narrowed it down to taking the afternoon classes at ZU until my second trimester but waiting to take the test for the GED until after the kits are born." She responded, beaming up at him.
"Well, I'm happy for you." He smiled while placing a kiss on her temple and moving back to unpacking the boxes in their living room.
"And you? Did you decide on going back to your old school?" Judy pressed, hopping onto the counter and eating the rest of the brownies. Her legs kicked back and forth lazily as she watched Nick figure out which box had their bare essentials in it.
"Still not sure yet...where is it?" He said non-heartedly, still focused on the many boxes.
"You can't just not get an education." She argued, plopping a brownie in her mouth.
"I'm still going to get one-oh I found it!" Nick exclaimed, finally finding what he was looking for. He pulled out a small photograph and quickly placed it on the counter beside her, his tail swishing happily as he stared at it.
Judy got off the counter in interest and stood beside him, staring at the photo as well. It was the one of her and Nick from their first Saturday rendezvous together. She was smiling awkwardly while he took the picture wearing his famous smirks.
They were both so young and new to all of this. And here they were now. Together, in their first apartment, expecting children. Sure, if you tried telling this all to Judy around the time they took this photo she would tell you you're crazy. But right now, even after everything that's happened between the two of them. The pregnancy, the dinner, the drama...Judy found it all worth it. Because, as cheesy as it sounds, she got to go home at the end of the day to Nick. And in reality, that mattered more than anything her parents tried to influence on her.
"I think I'll take a knack at business…" He proclaimed, stopping her trance.
"Huh? What do you mean?" She asked, dazed.
"Well since we're both obviously getting some sort of education." Nick started. "I thought about what to do after. You know, how you're going to be a police officer. Maybe I could be a businessman."
"Hmm...Manger Wilde. I think it has a nice ring to it. Don't you think?" Judy beamed.
"Slow down, I don't even know if I'll go through with it." He laughed in protest.
"Too late, I'm already ordering your nameplate." She bragged, cozying up to him.
"Then I'm going to start planning for your acceptance speech," Nick argued.
"Acceptance speech? For what?" Judy questioned.
"Well for when you accept your award for the greatest officer of the year of course!" He proclaimed, spinning her around. She giggled and complied, moving around the room with him.
"And what about when you become Zootopia's next big tycoon?" Judy quipped.
"Manger now a tycoon? Jeez Carrots, your expectations of me are bigger than I thought." He chuckled, dancing alongside her. They both laughed, continuing to move around the room. And Judy knew that she would cherish this moment forever. One where they were doing something as silly as dancing around an empty apartment with only the noises of the bustling city outside for music. Just this moment, and every other. Judy would cherish them.
So who cares if they most likely become one of those cheesy couples she gagged at in the streets? Nick cared about her and the kits, so that was what really mattered.
(Gross I know, so cheesy XD But suck on it! Because these two deserve ONE happy chapter! Alright bye bye :3)