Hello everyone! Whooooo! SOOOO close to being done! There is an Epilogue to wrap things up, but this is pretty much the last chapter XD
Thank you all for reading this story and sticking with it until the end! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed and favourited this fic as well!
A giant thank you to my beta Marie Allen who beta read and stuck with me during this whole story!
And now...please enjoy!
Chapter 26
Nick watched from the shadows as the doors to the darkened office were thrown open, a figure bundled in an intricately woven grass rug popular in Savana Central was carried in by Raymond and Kevin, the two polar bears dumping the rug on the wooden floor.
The rug struggled, muffled curses emanating from within causing Nick to give a malicious smirk.
Mr. Big moved a paw and the two polar bears took turns kicking the rug.
A sound from Mr. Big caused the two polar bears to cease their beating. Raymond leaned down and grabbed the edge of the rug, rolling the occupant out.
Panting on the floor, eyes burning with rage, the tiger slowly stood.
"DO you have any idea WHO I AM?" he snarled furiously, taking in Raymond, Kevin, Mr. Big sitting in his chair on his desk, and Koslov, standing behind Mr. Big. "You have signed your own death certificates," the tiger promised, brushing the debris from his suit and straightening it.
Mr. Big continued to look unimpressed as Koslov glared at the tiger from his towering height.
"I run this place and unlike the Blacktails and the Greywards, I know what's going on in my district."
The tiger's eyes went wide as he seemed to recognize the names and made the connection.
"I have mammals that will be looking for me," the tiger warned.
Mr. Big motioned with his paw and smiled maliciously, "And they will find you… Eventually."
"What do you want?" the tiger growled. "Money? A cut? You'll have to wait for me to get my operation up and running again. But if you lend me your resources and maybe a place to work out of, I can give you ten percent of the profits."
Mr. Big remained silent, the bears all growling.
Eyes darting around, his muscles tense, expression angry, offered, "Twenty-five percent. I'm bringing in the clients and the business model-"
"You come into my home, stand in front of me, disrespect me-"
Interrupting Mr. Big he offered, "Thirty percent and that is my final offer."
"You made my daughter cry," Mr. Big accused in a low serious voice.
The tiger looked confused but straightened his posture in defiance. "I apologize for any and all wrongs I committed against her."
"A bunny cop saved my daughter's life. My granddaughter was named after her. She was my granddaughter's godmother," Mr. Big informed his reluctant guest. "She was family. You had her killed," he stated. "I invited into my home a fox, we broke bread together, my grandmama cooked him cannoli. You had him killed."
The tiger's eyes shifted, flicking over the room, looking for a way to escape from what he finally realized was a dangerous situation.
"You are a brilliant business mammal," the tiger placated with an ingratiating smile. "I know we can come to some sort of-"
Mr. Big made a paw gesture and Raymond and Kevin moved, hoisting the tiger up by his expensive suit. "I have a reputation to keep," Mr. Big began, "a promise to my daughter to uphold, and a debt to repay."
Koslov moved around the desk and pulled away the intricately woven rug that lay before the desk, revealing a wooden panel that lay over a hole cut in the stone floor.
The smile that crossed the shrew's face made Nick glad he was not on the receiving end of it, but admitted he liked the look of terror that crossed the tiger's face as Koslov slid the panel out of the way, revealing the icy water below.
"Ice 'im," Mr. Big ordered with vicious enthusiasm.
"Nonononono!" the tiger screamed in horror as he struggled in vain as they dropped him.
The tiger hit the water, and lighting quick, the bears pulled him out.
Dripping wet and shivering, the tiger was again held in the air.
"I'll grant you this mercy," Mr. Big offered magnanimously. "But maybe, you'll wish I had left you in the water." With a wave of his paw, Raymond kicked the wooden cover back over the ice flow. "I won't see you again. If I do, I won't have them pull you out."
The polar bears turned and left the room, the sputtering tiger still held in their paws.
"You sure you don't want me to call them back?" Mr. Big inquired.
"No, we got this," Nick replied, peeling himself from the shadows. "Thanks. Your guy did good. We couldn't have done it without him."
Mr. Big made a humming sound of annoyed resignation. "Good luck."
Nick gave a nod of acknowledgement.
Slipping from the back door of the house, he made his way around to the front, the raised voices of ZPD officers ordering the tiger to lay down on the ground and put his paws on his head.
Nick gave a smirk as he strolled to the road, waiting and watching as three officers from Precinct One arrested Ben Gaul, the one responsible for Nick and Judy nearly losing their lives not once, but twice, and who sent too many mammals, one-hundred and twenty-six confirmed so far, to their deaths.
When the news had hit about the criminal organization that had been operating a deathmatch mammal fighting ring, the citizens of Zootopia had been shocked.
The petty grievances, fears, and anger that had erupted after the Nighthowler incident about predator and prey and how they treated the other, had been washed away at the cruel horror of the Pit and the Black Event. Mammal had been pitted against mammal and it hadn't mattered if you were predator or prey, it was kill or be killed.
A dark cloud hovered over the once bright and vibrant city. The head of the criminal organization remaining at large and the populace was uneasy and frightened.
It had taken almost a month, but the officers from Precinct One in conjunction with every Precinct in Zootopia armed with a list of names procured from the little black book of extortion, blackmail, and sin, were carrying out mass arrests of clients, crew, and facilitators.
Standing in the cold, wearing the same clothing he had worn the night he and Judy had nearly lost their lives, he didn't feel the bite of the frigid wind, only the satisfaction of tormenting Ben Gahl one last time.
The cruiser drove past where Nick stood in the shadows, Pennington and McHorn completely unaware of his presence, but the tiger's furious gaze caught Nick's emerald one.
The tiger's ears dropped in shock as Nick blankly watched as the tiger was driven past.
Nick stepped back around the large tree he had been standing in the shadow of, waiting for his ride.
Chief Bogo, who oversaw the arrest of Ben Gahl, drove his cruiser towards the entrance of Mr. Big's compound and stopped at the tree.
"We've really got to stop meeting like this, Chief," Nick quipped.
Chief Bogo rolled his eyes and snorted in faux annoyance. "You need to get dressed."
Nick gave a sigh. "Don't know if I'll be able to do a costume change," he admitted. "I'll throw on the jacket over the clothes and put the hat on, but that's all I'll be able to do," he compromised.
Chief Bogo looked at him with a raised eye-ridge.
"I wanted to torment him for a little longer before the reality of his situation sinks in," Nick defended, grabbing the hat, placing it on his head, and dragging the jacket onto his lap.
"You sure you want to do this?" Chief Bogo asked in concern.
Nick let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to do this," he admitted truthfully. "We lied to our friends, our colleagues, and all of Zootopia. Everyone thinks we died. Either they'll understand why we did what we did, or they won't, and they'll either celebrate us or hate us."
"That's not what I was talking about and you know it," Chief Bogo accused.
"I don't have much of a choice, Chief," he mumbled, looking out the window and trying not to allow the devastation of his decision to show on his voice. "The ZPD won't have much use for a half-deaf, one-armed fox. Even I know that."
"Maureen said-"
"I know what the doc said. But this shoulder…" he motioned to his left shoulder, still in the cast and sling, bandages wrapped tightly around his torso. "Between the injuries from the explosion, being shot, and what the hyena did, she thinks that with physio I may get some arm movement back, but thirty percent mobility won't do me any good in the field. And I know you said desk duty is an option, but-"
"Officer Wilde," Chief Bogo interrupted sternly, "you're a good cop and you leaving the ZPD would be to the detriment of both the ZPD and Zootopia. You and Officer Hopps are both on medical leave for the next four months and I know you've both taken some personal time off as well, so please, just think about it."
"Okay, Chief," Nick agreed even though he knew that he would never want to sit behind a desk staring at a computer all day.
His ears drooped as he thought about Judy.
She hadn't said much about what her plans for returning to the ZPD would be after she recovered, and he hadn't brought it up either. They had been too focused on the present, but now that Ben Gahl had been arrested, the future was something that would need to be addressed.
"I'm guessing you haven't told Officer Hopps of your plan to not return to the ZPD, have you?" Chief Bogo's soft question intruded on his dark thoughts. Throwing a smirking glance his way at Nick's obvious affirmative answer, Chief Bogo shook his head. "She won't stop fighting," he observed. "No matter the obstacle, hardship, or deterrent thrown her way, she doesn't know how to quit, which means she won't let you quit either."
Nick felt the objection hover on his tongue, except he knew the buffalo was right. Nick didn't give his companion the satisfaction of an answer, and Chief Bogo took his silence for the admission that it was.
"Your friends Finnick and Freddy are going to be given the Civilian Medal of Bravery next month for their role in the rescue of the mammals."
Nick gave a genuine smile. "They both deserve it." He glanced out the window and his expression turned anxious. He recalled the last time he had seen the buck, laying listless upon his hospital bed, the doctors believing he wouldn't survive his injuries.
Surprisingly, the buck had woken up the day after Nick had visited and he had been shocked and relieved when he had heard the news.
"I was really worried Freddy wouldn't make it," Nick admitted. "I'm glad he's okay. We couldn't have done it without him. I'm just sorry he had to go through so much," he whispered in a pained voice. "And Finnick," his expression turned somber, "he really saved my ass. I honestly don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there."
Chief Bogo didn't reply and Nick's mind drifted.
"I can't believe he moved in with Freddy. Finnick hates everyone," he murmured, thinking out loud, his mind slipping into dark, troubled thoughts.
He wasn't exaggerating when he had said that Finnick hated everyone, he really did. Except for Judy and himself, he knew of no one else Finnick could stand.
But his friend had moved in with the good-natured buck and Nick suspected that Finnick, who had been abducted from his van -his home- was now too uneasy to live there anymore.
It was one more gnawing trauma heaped on top of a life full of festering traumas.
Heart twisting with guilt and sorrow, he accepted that he couldn't change what had happened to Finnick. All he could do was help his friend with anything he needed and be thankful that the diminutive fox had someone who had stepped in to help him.
"I just hope Finnick doesn't bite my face off when he finds out we're alive. Though, I'm strangely looking forward to the threat," he said with a hint of wistfulness, admitting that he had greatly missed his friend's acerbic nature and sharp comments.
With a sigh, he brushed his fingers across the coat laying in his lap. "But Finnick and Freddy learning we're still alive can't be any worse than the conference call to Judy's parents yesterday," he mumbled, his ears drooping.
Chief Bogo gave a grunt of acknowledgement.
The buffalo had been the one who suggested making Judy's parents aware that their daughter was still alive before it was revealed during the press conference, and the buffalo had made the call.
Nick's heart twisted at the remembrance of the expressions that had rippled across Bonnie and Stu's faces when Judy had appeared on the screen after Chief Bogo had passed the phone over to her: disbelief, hope, relief, joy, and devastation.
It had been hard to watch as the two older rabbits broke, sobbing uncontrollably, wanting to clutch Judy tightly and never let go, but being unable to.
The anger came after the tearful reunion, most had been aimed at Chief Bogo, but a good portion had been placed at his feet as well, and with good reason.
He had made them suffer for three weeks longer than Chief Bogo had planned, but Judy had explained why they had remained silent and hidden.
Her parents accepted Judy's explanation, but he suspected that her parents hadn't forgiven either Nick or Chief Bogo for their roles in the deception.
Chief Bogo turned the cruiser, pulling up to the side entrance of Precinct One, the front entrance filled with reporters entering the building to report on the press conference that had been called.
Ben Gahl was going to get all the attention he didn't want. McHorn and Pennington would have, by this time, dragged him in through the front doors of the precinct and booked him on one-hundred and twenty-six charges of First degree murder, fifteen cases of blackmail, fifty-six cases of illegal gambling, and numerous other felony and fraud charges.
Judy had promised the tiger that she would walk him through the front doors of the Precinct. Unfortunately, she wasn't recovered enough to do such a thing, but she would be there.
Chief Bogo exited the vehicle and walked around the car to shield Nick from anyone who might look their way. Opening the door, Nick slowly slid out and made his way to the side door, slipping in unnoticed.
Walking through the halls, he had to admit that it felt good to be back. It would be nice to see his co-workers again, but any excitement he felt at this prospect was tempered with nervous dread.
He had been flippant with Chief Bogo in the car, but his sentiments had been sincere. He didn't know how anyone was going to react to the news that they were alive, and he supposed he had to apply the cliché adage of expect the worst and hope for the best.
A good portion of Precinct One had been assembled in the bullpen, awaiting a briefing from Chief Bogo, while Ben Gahl was being processed.
Chief Bogo made his way into the bullpen and Nick settled himself behind a few potted palms, waiting for Judy to be brought to the precinct by Maureen, who at one time had been Chief Bogo's babysitter.
Under the curmudgeonly surface of Maureen's caustic tongue was a darling of a porcupine who was only too eager to share some of Chief Bogo's childhood follies as revenge for dragging her out of retirement.
Closing his eyes, he ignored the throbbing pain that shot through his ruined shoulder, the pain killers he had taken in the morning beginning to wear off.
"There's my favourite fox," a low voice purred, and he opened his eyes, smiling at Judy who was being wheeled in by Maureen. "Though to be fair, I don't actually know many foxes," she quipped.
He gave a smirk. "You know you love me," he murmured softly.
"Do I know that?" she mused. "Yes, yes I do," she assured him as she smiled at him.
"Ugh, you two are so sweet you're going to give me a cavity," Maureen grumbled, but the slight upturn to her lips took any sting out of her words.
As Chief Bogo and Maureen had both been witness to their reunion, it had been impossible to pretend their relationship was anything other than it was. Oddly enough, Chief Bogo said nothing and Maureen had only complained about 'kids these days' like she was an old biddy of eighty rather than a vibrant sixty-five.
Turning serious, Nick flicked his eyes over the wheelchair and forced himself not to let his fury show.
It wasn't long after Judy woke up that they discovered she had no feeling in her right leg, the path of the bullet hitting very close to Judy's spine before it had made its way through her kidney and liver. Thankfully, there had been no spinal damage, but the porcupine suspected femoral neuropathy, damage to her femoral nerve, caused by internal bleeding crushing the nerve.
But Chief Bogo was right, Judy was never going to quit. She wasn't going to let a little bit of nerve damage stop her from walking again, and she wasn't going to let him give up either.
Slowly getting to his feet, he offered Judy his paw, which she readily took.
Standing in the open-air foyer where they had stood when Judy had given her first press conference, and so many more afterwards, he was reminded of the first time they had fought. He had thrown the completed ZPD application form back at her, crushed that just when he had allowed himself to believe he could be something other than just a shifty fox, it had been taken away from him.
It had all worked out in the end, and against all odds, he had become a ZPD officer.
Judy wasn't the only one who was going to fight for him to return, he was going to fight for himself too. And he was going to fight for Judy. She was going to walk again because Ben Gaul didn't get to win.
Period.
Giving up meant that even though the tiger was going to spend the rest of his life behind bars, in the end, he still won, and Nick refused to contemplate this possibility.
They were both going to do everything they could to recover and return to the ZPD because that was where they belonged.
Together.
"Are you ready to do this?" he asked Judy seriously.
"I'm ready to end this," she affirmed, squeezing his paw.
"Alright, you two, let's get you into place," Maureen said pushing Judy towards the interrogation room, Nick following unable to push the wheelchair himself, but wishing he could.
Settling Judy on the far side of the room, her wheelchair was not visible. Sitting next to his girlfriend, Nick waited, Maureen leaving to wait in the observation room until Judy needed to be collected.
Chief Bogo entered a few minutes later, hauling Ben Gahl in to sit across from them.
The tiger was shivering with cold, soaked, defensive, angry, and arrogant, snarling at Chief Bogo that, "My lawyer will have me out-" until his gaze fell upon Nick and Judy and he choked on his words.
"Hello, Mr. Gahl," Judy greeted the tiger perkily. "Or should I just call you, Mr. Khan?"
"Y-you…" the tiger appeared too stunned to process anything as his gaze shifted back and forth between Nick and Judy. "You have no evidence," he finished lamely.
Chief Bogo quietly shoved the perpetrator of so much misery into the seat and went to stand behind the tiger; his presence threatening and intimidating, promising violence if the tiger even blinked funny.
Nick smirked as Judy gave a brilliant smile. Nick was just there for show. He had wanted for Judy to be able to drag the murdering piece of shit sitting across from them in through the front door and past a swarm of reporters, but as that was impossible given Judy's present physical limitations, this was what they had come up with instead.
Her face schooled into an expression of innocence, Judy continued, "We had a warrant to search your apartment, the one you purchased with various shell companies, where we found some very interesting pieces of evidence."
A heavy book bound in red cloth sealed within a clear evidence bag was set down in front of the tiger by Chief Bogo.
"We have the site of the Pit, the Black Event, the warehouses you used as way stations to transport the kitnapped mammals, and where you produced both Feral Red and Feral Blue. We also have audio of you incriminating yourself at our gravesite," Judy smiled, and it wasn't a pleasant expression. The doe was about to go in for the kill. "That book also contained a list of all of the mammals that you were blackmailing, your client list, the dirty cops, and did I mention your right-paw male, Mr. Clawson?" Pausing dramatically, Judy readied the final nail in the coffin of Ben Gahl's defence. "And Mr. Clawson is co-operating fully."
That had been a stroke of luck, getting the Timber wolf to flip on his boss. But with all the evidence, either the wolf was going down or the tiger was, and the wolf chose to make a deal.
"I'm not saying anything until my lawyer gets here," the tiger bit out in fury and Judy shot a look at Chief Bogo.
"I think we're done here," Judy observed as Nick dragged the evidence bag containing the book towards himself.
"Have fun in lock-up. Betcha you'll make a ton of new friends," Nick taunted with a little wave and a malicious smile that was all teeth.
Chief Bogo dragged the tiger from the chair, protesting the entire way.
The door to the interrogation room closed and Nick looked over at his partner who had slumped slightly.
"You okay, Carrots?" he asked gently.
She breathed out a sigh. "I think so," she said softly. "We finally got him." She dragged a paw down her face, looking exhausted.
"Yeah, we did. And he's not going to ever get out."
"I know, but with everything he did, all the evil he committed-"
"Don't worry, Carrots, prison isn't going to be easy for him. Caged and surrounded by hostile mammals, I think it's the perfect punishment."
Judy gave a thoughtful nod, but her expression became dour. "But it isn't over yet," she whispered morosely.
"No, it isn't," he agreed.
"What if they don't forgive us?" she asked in a small voice.
"Depends who you mean by 'they," he responded pragmatically. "The ZPD? We caught the bad guys and we didn't declare us dead, that was all the Chief. As for our friends…" he paused a moment in thought. "I think they'll be too grateful we aren't dead to be mad, but I could be wrong," he added.
Judy threw him a look and he lifted his paw to indicate that he had no other answers to give.
"Alright," she said with a nod as Maureen ambled into the room.
Walking down the hallway, Judy was wheeled back towards the large open foyer of Precinct One where the press conference was about to take place. They turned the corner to go past the bullpen, but officers had already assembled before them. A roar of joy echoed around the smaller space nearly deafening him.
Too many mammals were talking at once, most expressing relief and elation at discovering they had not died. They were curious about what had happened; lauding the investigative abilities that led to the rescue of so many mammals, and the downfall of the mastermind and his horrific organization.
Nick was surprised to feel a huge weight lifted from his shoulders as his heart lightened at the sight of their co-workers' support.
Clawhauser was suddenly in front of them, a wide, tearful grin on his face. "When the Chief told us what happened… I was so happy!" He dove forward to grab Nick and drag him into a bone-crushing hug-
Only to be frozen in his tracks by a strict professional voice ordering, "Don't you dare, young male!"
"Right. Sorry. Forgot." Clawhauser quickly apologized to Maureen.
"It's good to see you too," Nick said with a genuine smile.
Clawhauser's expression became serious as his gaze roved over Nick's injuries and then shifted to Judy, who was sitting in her wheelchair.
The big cat's face fell. "Judy…" he whispered in devastated accents.
"Don't worry," Judy waved off his concern with a paw. "I'm determined to make a full recovery."
The 'but it will take time' hovered in the air and the cheetah's ears continued to droop.
"But, good news," Judy offered brightly. "Nick got his hearing back!"
"You did?!" the cheetah perked up.
"Yup," Nick nodded. "Well, in one ear. Still deaf in the left one," he admitted. "And the hyena sorta crushed my left side, and that's where I was shot, soooo…" his overly cheerful voice trailed off, but he gave the cheetah a determined expression. "I'm determined to make a full recovery too."
Clawhauser's devastated expression vanished and he gave a smile. "Well, you two had better hurry up and get better. Fangmeyer and Delgatto are eyeing up your desks."
Nick felt his eyes widen in surprise before gave a slight chuckle of acknowledgement. "You got it."
The sound of Chief Bogo's voice echoing from the foyer caught their attention.
"That's your cue," Maureen said as she pushed Judy closer to the foyer, setting her beside a potted palm, the attention of the reporters fixed upon Chief Bogo who explained the intricacies of the case. "Don't tire yourself out," Maureen warned.
"I won't," Judy agreed, her ears perking up when she heard Chief Bogo begin to explain who the accused was, and the charges laid against him.
After acquiring the red book, they had discovered Officer Growle's role in Ben Gahl's organization. The tiger had over twenty ZPD officers on his 'debt' list and fifteen on his payroll. Those on the debt list had agreed to do a specific job or task for Ben Gahl to pay off the gambling debts they had acquired at the Palm.
According to the book, which had taken a few days to decode as nothing was explicitly stated, Officer Growle had been tasked with 'collecting the snow from HT,' which they believed meant keeping an eye on any missing mammal cases from Happytown and making sure they were placed in a Cold Case box.
Officer Growle didn't even have to do anything. The few cases that were reported usually went straight to Records. With no leads or interest in entering Happytown to find any, the cases would be marked as a Cold Case.
Judy was the first officer who had remarked on the number of missing mammals from Happytown and Officer Growle had attempted to dissuade her from digging any deeper.
It was noted that Officer Growle was supposed to 'take out the garbage in R', his name crossed out in red. They interpreted this as an order to kill Judy, which was refused, and the reason he was murdered.
Officer Growle had scratched GUILTY into the linoleum of the Records room for Judy to find, because although he hadn't done anything that he wouldn't have done otherwise, he knew, deep down, that there was something going on in Happytown and he had let it continue.
Chief Bogo had determined that because Officer Growle had been murdered, it would serve no justice to make public Officer Growle's involvement or bring charges of murder against either Ben Gahl or his assassin, Mr. Clawson. They had enough murder charges being brought against both predators and it would do nothing but drag Officer Growle's legacy through the proverbial mud and hurt his family.
"For the Black Event," Chief Bogo's voice rang out, "two of our officers, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were kitnapped. Officer Wilde was drugged, and both Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde were attacked by two mammals who had also been drugged by a substance known as Feral Red. As you know, during the raid, Officer Wilde was shot by an unknown officer, and Officer Hopps sustained various injuries, which included being struck with the same bullet that hit Officer Wilde. Through our investigations, we determined that there was a Precinct Five Officer whose goal was to assassinate Officer Wilde, Hopps or both, if they survived the Black Event."
There was a gasp from the reporters as questions were shouted at Chief Bogo, demanding to know if the officer had been apprehended and who had pulled the trigger.
Ignoring the questions from reporters, Chief Bogo continued. "Twenty one officers from all five Precincts have been arrested on various charges such as fraud, bribery, theft, conspiracy, and attempted murder," Chief Bogo announced, which caused a new flurry of questions to be hurtled at the Cape buffalo.
Three officers from Precinct One, all on the 'debt' list, had been arrested and charged. The various charges were making a false statement, unauthorized use of a computer, and obstruction of justice.
The officers were mammals he knew, and ones that had obviously gotten in too deep and had been unable to get themselves out. Nick was just glad that none of the officers had been on Ben Gahl's payroll and that none of them had tried to kill him and Judy during the Black Event. That honour went to two officers from Precinct Five. One had stolen the uniform and given it to Mr. Clawson who had then used it to murder Officer Growle. The other had informed the hitman how long it would take the ZPD to reach the farm, allowing Ben Gahl to flee before the ZPD raided the Barn, as well as taking the shot at Nick.
Chief Bogo cleared his throat, his voice grave. "Because of my belief that there may be officers in the ZPD who were employed by or under the thumb of this organization, I made the decision that if Officer Hopps and Wilde survived their horrific injuries, to place both of them in protective custody."
A confused murmur went through the crowd of reporters.
Chief Bogo outlined the events, including the injuries they suffered, who had committed said injuries, and that they both barely survived. "I announced their deaths to save their lives and found I was right to be concerned. While recovering, they tirelessly continued to work the case and because of their actions, we were able to execute all warrants and make the arrests that we did."
Chief Bogo stepped away from the podium and strode to where they were ensconced. The foyer erupted, too many voices fighting to be heard, until Judy was wheeled into view.
Instead of a boisterous flurry of questions, a pin could have dropped and even Nick would have heard it.
Placing Judy beside the podium, he reached into the wooden stand, pulled out a microphone, turned it on, and gave it to Judy.
"Thank you, Chief Bogo," Judy said as Nick looked up at the Cape buffalo and gave him a nod.
A barrage of questions were shouted at Judy, and Nick was content to let her answer them. After her first disastrous press conference she had gotten much better at them and she was a pro at handling tough questions and not answering the ones she wasn't able or not supposed to.
Most of the questions had to do with Judy and Nick's medical condition as well as the charges against Ben Gahl and the ZPD officers, but then one stood out.
"Is it true that your partner, while under the influence of Feral Red, tried to eat you?" a boar asked, tape recorder held up high.
Horrified curiosity filled the air as Judy gaped at the boar. "No," she stated emphatically. "He would never," she hissed. "He saved my life and protected me."
"But the doctors said the drug acted much like the Nighthowler serum. The mammal goes savage, but they have enhanced physical and sensory abilities," the boar quickly shot back. "So how did Officer Wilde protect you? Witnesses saw you in his mouth. Was he the one who injured you rather than the other mammals?"
Judy was furious, and though Nick was tempted to defend himself, he knew it wouldn't do any good; they wouldn't believe him.
"Then your witness would have seen that Officer Wilde carried me to safety, hid me, and then protected me from attack," Judy's voice rang out, clear and true. "Even though he was under the influence of Feral Red, Officer Wilde does what he always does: helps me and protects me," Judy argued emphatically.
"But Feral Red-" the boar began to refute, but Judy interrupted.
"I know what Feral Red is supposed to do," she bit out, "I had a front row seat." Judy took a deep breath, seeming to come to a decision. "Officer Wilde," she addressed him.
Nick glanced his partner, wondering what she wanted him to say. Expecting her to hand him the microphone, she motioned for him to lean down, as if she wanted to tell him something.
He inwardly gritted his teeth. Leaning down was not a motion that was comfortable for him, but she knew his limitations and that she wouldn't ask if it wasn't for a good reason.
Bracing himself by placing a paw upon the arm of Judy's wheelchair, he slowly lowered himself down to her level, leaning forward slightly.
Putting the microphone in her lap, the scratch of fabric and thunk of the action echoing around the large area, she grabbed his head and pulled him forward, kissing him.
Too surprised to react, he didn't return the action. A moment of terror thrummed across his skin. Everyone who had encountered the truth of their relationship had been unusually accepting, and Nick suspected these mammals would not be so tolerant. However, since they were already in for a penny, they might as well be in for a pound.
Judy pulled away, but he didn't let her go. If she wanted to show the whole of Zootopia and beyond that they were together, then a short peck on the lips wasn't going to cut it. Not allowing her to pull away, he yanked her back, his lips devouring hers, hungrily kissing her and leaving no room to doubt what kind of relationship they had.
Finally pulling away, Judy's expression slightly dazed, he gave her a smug smile, which she returned.
Emerald caught violet and it was a moment before they remembered they weren't alone.
Judy picked up the microphone and turned her attention back to the stunned reporters. "Officer Wilde and I love each other, and he would never hurt me, no matter what," she affirmed.
Judy had absolute faith in him, and even though he knew the sentiment was severely misplaced that day, he'd like to think maybe it wouldn't be.
Shocked gasps and startled exclamations were steadily growing in volume.
"WOOOOOO!" a voice shouted from within the crowd of reporters. "FINALLY!"
"Whoops, sorry about that," a deep, snarky voice offered innocently as the boar who had accused Nick of trying to eat Judy went flying forward.
Nick narrowed his eyes. He recognized those voices. His face split into a wide grin as the crowd of reporters were shuffled aside by two diminutive mammals smiling at him.
Tears welled up in his eyes and he desperately blinked them back. Neither Finnick nor Freddy seemed angry or betrayed about the fact that they had let them believe they were dead.
"Yeah! Team WildeHopps all the way!" Freddy shouted as he clapped loudly, much to the embarrassment of Finnick, who stood beside him.
The throng of reporters surged forward.
"How long have you two been an item?!"
"What's it like dating a predator?!"
"What do your parents think?!"
"Does this relationship have the approval of the ZPD?!"
They were suddenly barraged with questions, the press conference completely veering off-course.
"Hey, Judy!" Finnick appeared before the doe and gave a short wave as he yanked the microphone away from Judy's grasp. "Listen up!" he shouted towards the reporters. "The answer to all your questions is none of your damn business, got it!? Now, get lost before I bite your faces off, and don't think I won't do it!"
The microphone was lifted from Finnick's paw by Chief Bogo, who looked at them disapprovingly.
"That is all we have for you today," Chief Bogo informed the reporters as he took hold of Judy's wheelchair and pushed her away from the swarm of reporters now being pushed back by more than a few Precinct One officers.
Freddy and Finnick ducked McHorn's massive arm and followed them as Chief Bogo led them to an interrogation room.
Freddy was the last one to enter the room, Chief Bogo not saying a word as he left, closing the door behind him.
"That could have gone better," Freddy acknowledged, and Nick's eyes roved over the buck, taking in his damaged ear, now healed but still missing a large chunk of flesh, and his slightly thinner frame.
His gaze shifted to Finnick ,who looked as prickly and irritated as ever, but there was a hint of exhaustion upon his features.
"Understatement of the year," Finnick groused with a shake of his head, his russet gaze catching Nick's. "Glad you two aren't' dead, means I get to kill you myself," he threatened, cracking his knuckles and giving a vicious smile.
"What are you guys doing here?" Nick asked.
"We saw that the ZPD had called a press conference," Freddy answered. "We figured it was an update about the whole Feral Red thing."
Nick gave a curt nod, knowing that the newspapers had narrowed in on the name of the drug and ran with it, much as they had with the Nighthowler incident. "You don't look too surprised that we're alive," Nick observed as he took a step closer to Judy, flicking a glance her way to see how she was doing with seeing both of their friends after so long.
Finnick gave a snort. "You're like a cockroach, Nick, impossible to kill. Figured you'd squirreled Judy and yourself away somewhere 'till you could catch the bastard who had done this to you."
Nick narrowed his eyes sceptically.
"He was devastated," Freddy offered softly. "We both were," he admitted, the mood in the room turning somber.
Finnick shot Freddy an irritated look filled with betrayal.
"We're so sorry," Judy choked out, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Finnick took a surprised step back before he shot an accusatory look at Freddy. "Now look at what you did! You made Judy cry."
Judy let out another heaving sob as Freddy looked at Judy with a guilty, bewildered expression on his face. "Y-you're calling me Judy," she wailed, dragging her paws across her cheeks to wipe away the tears. "And, I k-know th-the only one you c-call by his name is Nick-"
"I was trying to be nice!" Finnick interrupted defensively.
"He only calls you by your name if he likes you," Nick soothed.
"He even started calling me by my name instead of only calling me Rabbit," Freddy interjected.
Finnick was furious and uncomfortable. "Fine, you two are back to being Rabbit and Bunny Cop. Serves you two right for trying to die on me."
"What about me?" Nick asked incredulously. "You didn't care that I almost died?"
"I already told you, you're a cockroach, but if you don't quit talking, that will be your nickname," Finnick bit out.
Nick let out a snort, but Judy gave Finnick a slightly hopeful look.
Finnick rolled his eyes. "Ugh, bunnies," he complained.
"So emotional," Nick agreed with a gentle smile given to Judy before he turned his attention back to Finnick and Freddy.
Freddy laughed. "Whatever, it's why you foxes like hanging around us," he pointed out with a teasing grin.
"I don't understand," Judy's solemn tone shattering the light-hearted camaraderie of the room, tears again shimmering in her eyes. "H-how are you guys not angry? Y-you both almost died because of us. And if that wasn't enough, we let you believe we were dead."
"We don't blame you," Freddy replied. "It wasn't your fault. Granted, I'd rather not do something like that again, and yeah, I almost died, but I have no regrets," he explained. "And my ear, well, females love scars, right?"
Judy gave a snort of disbelief, shaking her head.
Finnick gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Because Nick here decided to visit Rabbit and dump flour everywhere, and since he was sorta awake, we thought you were both still alive and kicking," Finnick explained.
"We hoped you were alive," Freddy corrected. "We weren't sure. It might have just been my brain playing tricks on me or a dream, but Finnick is the one who put everything together."
"You wanna become a cop now, Finnick" Nick questioned innocently.
"Suggest that again and I will bite your face off," Finnick snapped.
"Ah, I missed that threat. You have no idea," Nick mused with a teasing smile that hinted at sincerity.
Finnick gave a huff of annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Does that mean it's all over?" Freddy asked hopefully.
Nick shared a glance with Judy.
"It's in the paws of the court now," Judy replied. "We did everything we could to get everyone who was involved and make sure none of them could possibly get out of the charges," she explained. "We wanted to make sure that all of you were safe."
"Feels a little anticlimactic, doesn't it?" Freddy wondered.
"That's the way it works," Nick responded. "We catch the bad guys, we arrest them, then our job is done."
"You don't suppose I could convince you to let me in a room with him for five minutes?" Finnick questioned, cracking his knuckles again.
"No," Judy and Nick responded together.
Finnick sighed and shrugged. "Can't say I didn't try."
Nick narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Finnick's tone was too innocent. Knowing the fennec fox, he had been formulating a revenge scheme for weeks, most likely involving his many contacts within the prison system who owed him one.
Nick almost warned the smaller fox but changed his mind. He didn't think Finnick would order a hit, but Ben Gahl was going to have a very, very unpleasant time in jail, and Nick gave his friend a vindictive, knowing grin as they shared an instance of complete understanding.
Nick was still a cop, but he could play innocent too. After all, nothing was said or even hinted at. No evidence to act on.
"Though," Judy closed her eyes as she interrupted Nick and Finnick's moment, "I wanted the press conference to focus on the arrests, not on me and Nick and our relationship."
"Yeah, that was pretty stupid of you," Finnick agreed. "Brave, but stupid."
Judy groaned and put her face in her paws.
"But I say fuck 'em," Finnick reassured her. Judy's head shot up in surprise. "You think you two are the first mammals that've fallen for someone they 'shouldn't have'?" he asked using air quotes.
"Finnick, I never knew," Nick quipped.
"Shut up, Cockroach," Finnick snapped.
"Ouch," Nick placed his paw over his heart in mock hurt.
"Not me, but pretty sure it's happened before and is happening right now. Look at Rabbit's parents. Betcha it's happened loads and no one talked about it and ignored their feelings because for some reason, everyone thinks it's 'wrong'. But I can tell you from where I'm standing, it can't be wrong because I've never seen two mammals in love with each other as much as you two are," Finnick explained fiercely, his fur standing on end he was so emotional. "So, I say fuck 'em. You two have other shit to worry about." He motioned to Nick's shoulder and Judy's wheelchair.
"Don't you worry," Judy promised, "we're not going to let anyone tell us that what Nick and I feel is wrong and we're not going to let our injuries stop us from coming back and resuming our duties at the ZPD."
Finnick gave a pleased smirk. "Wouldn't expect anything less."
"Okay, Chief, you can come in," Nick said as he flicked a glance towards the two-way mirror.
A few moments later, the buffalo entered the room. "Come on you two, you need to greet your cheer squad."
"Cheer squad?" Nick asked in confusion as Freddy reached out and took hold of Judy's wheelchair, following the Cape buffalo who led the way.
Entering the foyer that had been emptied of press, through the windows of the front entrance, there was a crowd of mammals holding signs with hearts and slogans such as 'Love is Love' and 'You are our HEROES!'
"Not everyone will approve," Chief Bogo's smooth voice echoed around them as the ZPD officers filed in behind them, cheering and clapping for them. "But there are those who will support you every step of the way."
"You guys are so cute!" Clawhauser gushed as he stood beside them.
"You both did good," Chief Bogo complimented them. "And I know you'll both walk back in through those doors to resume your duties."
"Awh, thanks, Chief," Nick said with a hint of real emotion, his eyesight becoming suspiciously blurry.
A paw was slid into his own and he looked down at his girlfriend who was beaming up at him, her violet eyes filled with tearful determination.
Not able to resist, he leaned down and kissed her.
The renewed cheers caused them to pull apart with embarrassment.
"Dumb fox," Judy murmured with soft teasing love.
"Smart bunny," he whispered in reply before turning his attention back to the crowd cheering outside, a wide, pleased grin stretching across his features.
awwwhhhhh