Disclaimer: Zootopia stories, characters, settings, and properties belong to the Walt Disney Co. This story is written under Fair Use Copyright laws.
The Fire Triangle—A Zootopia Fanfiction
Part One:
Fuel
Chapter 13 –Facts are Stubborn Things
(Continued…Pt. 3)
"Dangit fox, where ARE you?"
She paced back and forth across the station platform, arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. A casual observer might have concluded that the grey-furred doe-bunny was hugging herself against the cold—except such was hardly possible, here in the Rainforest District. Not that Judy cared how she looked; there was no one around to see her, nobody here but us rabbits. It did not, however, mean she was entirely alone. She had plenty of company… company in the form of memories.
That spot over there, see those yellow chevrons? That was where she'd nearly gone skidding off into the gorge below while escaping from a crazed Renato Manchas. And that the lamp-post there; she'd shackled it to the jaguar's leg, right when he'd been about to turn Nick into fox fajitas.
"Buddy…one predator to another…"
And there, about three feet to the right; that was where Chief Bogo had been standing when he'd thrust out a hoof in her direction.
"Badge!"
And back there, at the head of the platform—that was where Nick had been when he'd made his intervention.
"Noooo, she will not be giving you that badge."
Judy turned and resumed her pacing, wishing that blankety-blank fox would hurry up get here—and at the same time, hoping he wouldn't show.
In fact, although she couldn't be aware of it, Nick was already on his way; he'd been out the door and headed here while she'd still been trying to decide, should she bring an umbrella or a raincoat? (She'd eventually chosen the first option.)
Their first few days on administrative leave had been…well, interesting. Unable to spend any time with her, Nick had decided to go and look up Finnick, a more difficult task than he'd imagined. Back in the day, whenever he'd wanted to connect with his partner, all he'd had to do was locate the desert fox's van; wherever it went, he went, not merely his transportation, but also his residence.
No such luck now, Finnick had finally managed to unload that ride, trading up for a high-topped Sprinthare van in refrigerator white, a vehicle that was about as easy to pick out of a parking lot as the proverbial needle in a haystack. And as if that weren't enough, the little desert fox no longer lived out of his vehicle; finding IT would not necessarily be a ticket to finding him. Still, it wasn't if Nick had any other pressing engagements. And so, after great deal of asking around, he'd finally managed to track his old friend to Cienega Circle in Old Growth City.
When he'd finally caught up with the fennec, it was like their Carrot Days encounter all over again. As before Finnick had his van parked with an awning deployed, tables out, and a host of T-shirts on prominent display. Not everything was the same, of course. For one thing, there was that new van; for another, this time the Tees were emblazoned with the Fox-Face / V-For-Vendetta logo and capped with the slogan, 'If U Fight The System - U Win."
"They don't sell quite as good as those Gazelle shirts did, but they sell," Finnick had said, after the two of them had exchanged greetings, "The hoodies though, wish I could get more a' those; I can't keep 'em in the boxes…leastways not when I'm selling here."
Old Growth City boasted one of Zoopia's cooler climes, to say nothing of being right next door to Tundratown.
"Yeah, about that," Nick had asked, taken slightly aback, "How come you're not down at the Meerkat Market right now? That's where I'd be, if I were you." (The day of their reunion had been a Saturday.)
In response, his former partner had made a face.
"Coz these shirts been BANNED from the Meer-Mart, can you believe that? Yeah, it's true; you ain't even allowed to wear one in there, much less sell 'em. They got signs up at the entrance and everything...Oops, 'scuse me a second."
A gaggle of customers had just appeared; a raccoon, two bunnies and three gophers. In response, Nick had hurriedly shielded his face. The others, he wasn't worried about, but if the rabbits recognized him…. "Hey isn't that the fox we saw on Fuzztube?"
"Agggg, grrrr, you're getting paranoid, Slick," he'd told himself…but had kept his features hidden just the same.
When the youngsters were gone, Finnick's attitude had turned instantly jolly.
"Haw, Haw, Har…don't get the idea I mind the Meer-Mart bannin' these tees, Nick. You know how kids are. The more the grownups tell 'em they can't have something, the more they're gonna want it."
"Riiiight," the red fox had nodded, favoring his former partner with a sardonic grin…a grin that had quickly faded when he'd remembered something else.
Oops, make that three major differences between now and the Carrot Days encounter; Conor wasn't here this time. Hmmmm, where was that silver-fox kid these days, what the heck had happened to him? Was he even still in Zootopia?
"I sure wouldn't hang around if I were him," Nick had quietly mused to himself, "Only, why do I even care?"
But then Finnick had thrown a knuckleball.
"Say-y-y, where's Judy, Nick; how come she ain't here with you? It ain't coz of Rock Hard…?"
"Yes!" the word had burst out of the larger fox like the air from a popped paper bag. Dangit, he should have seen it coming. Nobody knew more about his relationship issues than this little guy.
Finnick had nodded, put up a 'Back in 30 Minutes' sign and grabbed a couple of cans from his cooler. Shortly thereafter, Nick and he had settled down on a pair of old camp chairs for a talk.
"So, what's the story Nick," Finnick had asked, taking a sip of his strawberry lemonade, "is any of what that hyrax been saying true?"
"I…" Nick had tried to answer and then thrown up his paws in frustration. "Let me tell it from the beginning, okay?"
Finnick had nodded disinterestedly through the first part of the story; it was old news to him. But then his ears had pricked up sharply.
"Whoa, waitaminnit…that video was fake?"
"Yeah," his former partner had answered, grimacing in exasperation, "A deep fake, didn't you know?"
The fennec fox had swiftly held up a paw.
"Swear to my momma Nick, this is the first time I heard…"
That was as far as he'd gotten before a ragged fox-scream cut him off at the pass. And then it had been several more minutes before the Nick was able to tell him the rest of it; the events outside of Flora and Fauna, and the aftermath. The last part had made Finnick's ears pull back and put both of his fangs on display.
"Fah, if you wasn't a fox, they wouldn't have put your tail on leave."
"They also wouldn't have done it if Carrots WAS a fox," Nick had drolly reminded him. And then he'd said, "Tell me the truth; if there were anything going on between us, how would you feel about it?"
Finnick's cheeks had puffed out as if he were attempting to blow up a beach-toy.
"Whoa, dunno if can answer that one …s'like a vixen askin', 'Do this dress make me look fat?'"
Nick had smiled but he hadn't laughed, and his former partner had averted his gaze, massaging his knuckles with a paw.
And then finally, he'd met the red fox's eyes again.
"Okay…the truth. If you two was any other fox and bunny…yeah, I might have a problem with it." His expression had deepened by five degrees. "But you ain't just any fox—and she ain't just any bunny. I know you, and I know her. And you two been good for each other; I seen it at the Carrot Days." Nick had been about to respond to this, when Finnick had sniffed and narrowed his eyes." But I ain't the one you should be askin' Nicky; how do YOU feel about it?"
"I…!" the larger fox had shot up from his chair—then turned away with an anguished look on his face. "I…don't… Even if she…" Finally he'd met Finnick's gaze again. "I…don't know. Even if Judy was another..." He'd stopped here; all the breath seemed to have drained out of him. When he'd spoken again, his voice had been little more than a mumble. "You remember, right? After Robyn, I swore, 'never again.'"
By way of response, the fennec had picked up a stick and thrown it into the bushes.
"Yeah I remember that. And that was something I DIDN'T feel good about; never expected it to last so long, neither." He'd leaned forward with a penetrating gaze, "So...what you going to do 'bout it, Nick?"
The fox had answered his onetime partner by gazing into the middle distance.
And then finally he'd turned around.
"I'll do as Big Chief Buffalo Nickel 'suggested'—not see or talk to her until our leave of absence is over." A shiver had come over him then and he'd looked away once more. "After that…I-I don't know. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear."
"You can't avoid it forever, Nick," Finnick had cautioned, not unsympathetically, "Sooner or later, the two of you gonna have to talk it out."
"I know, big guy," Nick had answered with a slow, somber nod, "I know."
For Judy Hopps, the events of the past few days had been both more chaotic and more frustrating than for her partner. Upon returning to her apartment after they'd parted company, her first instinct had been to fling herself onto the bed and have a good cry—which she hadn't. The next idea to cross her mind had been to pack a bag and head home to Bunnyburrow for a few days. A phone-call to Erin had quickly disabused her of that notion. "Mom and dad saw that video of you two guys at the fire," the younger bunny had told her—and that was all Judy had needed to hear. Unlike the video of her and Nick in the safe house, the footage from Flora and Fauna was something she couldn't dismiss as a fake. The only explanation she'd have been able to offer would have been both lengthy and circumspect; in other words, the kind that leaves you looking guiltier than ever.
Scratch one homecoming.
And so, with nothing better to do, Judy had tried to keep busy. She'd replaced the wallpaper in her flat, performed hundreds of minor repair jobs, and gone on zillions of shopping trips, returning 99% of the time without having made so much as a single purchase.
Anything to keep her mind off…no, don't even think that fox's name!
After that, there'd been nothing to do but spend most of her time online, studiously avoiding any visits to Fuzztube. That had been good until she'd noticed all the take-out food containers piling up in her trash…and that her jeans were starting to feel a bit snug.
All right, the net was out…so what else was there?
The answer had come with the next day's mail, a flyer offering a free, one-month trial membership to Equine-Ex Fitness. 'To Celebrate the Grand Opening of Our Newest Location'—which had turned out to be only three Metro stops from Judy's apartment. She'd read only halfway through it before she was out the door and on her way there.
Normally she would have consigned the mailer to her wastebasket; Precinct-1 had its own small workout facility. However, given her current situation, the ZPD was a place that Judith Laverne Hopps needed to stay away from right now.
At first, she'd only gone in for an hour each day, the same amount of time she'd devoted to her workouts before being put on administrative leave. Soon however, she was spending more and more time at Equine-Ex; she signed up for a spinning class, she signed up for Pikates; she'd begun skipping the train and running to and from the fitness club. (It would have interested her to know that in another part of town, a certain young silver fox was driving himself just as hard as her; perhaps even harder.)
But even though Equine-Ex had been just what the doctor ordered, it wasn't going to last and she knew it. After 30 days, her free trial would expire…and even a barebones monthly membership was somewhat above a police-officer's pay grade. She could only hope that she and Nick would be recalled to duty before the final day arrived.
In the meantime, she'd continued her sessions with Dr. Hind…and thank God for that blacktail deer. He never judged her, never questioned her version of what had happened outside of Flora and Fauna. He had even seemed to have some genuine sympathy for her situation. By their third session, he had become her only remaining confidant outside of Erin.
And that was when he'd told her more or less the same thing Finnick had said to Nick.
"After you and Officer Wilde go back on duty, you're going to have two choices," he'd said, bringing his hooves together on top of his desk, "And I'm afraid neither one of them is going to be especially palatable."
Judy had gritted her teeth and regarded the arm of her chair for a second—and then looked at him with a twitching nose. "All right, what are they?"
"First choice," the deer-psychologist had said, tapping his desktop for emphasis, "You and Officer Wilde make a date to see Chief Bogo and ask for new assignments, in separate precincts."
Judy hadn't answered him; the cue-ball in her throat had refused to let any words past. Dr. Hind had just suggested a course of action that was all but unthinkable—and one that also might be unavoidable.
"And…the other choice?" she'd finally managed to say.
The deer-buck had regarded her soberly.
"Then you and Officer Wilde are going to have to sit down together and have a serious discussion about your situation and your feelings for one other. You simply aren't going to be able deal with what's been going on between you separately. If you want, I'd be happy to moderate…"
It was at then Judy had stopped listening…but for a long time afterwards, the suggestion had stayed with her, buzzing around in her head like trapped a housefly.
And yet…
And yet at the end of the day, it was no use; she simply couldn't bring herself to follow her counselor's advice.
Neither could Nick; after making his promises to Finnick, he'd begun making excuses to himself.
And then…two nights ago…
It had been a rainy evening, and Judy had been obliged to take the Metro home from the fitness club rather than run the distance. After heating up a veggie pot-pie in the microwave, she had pulled up a tray-table in front of her big, comfy lounge chair and settled down to enjoy her meal.
Midway through dinner, it had occurred to her that some music would be nice, and so she'd opened up her laptop and looked up Slothify.
Unbeknownst to her, at that very moment, Nick Wilde was also booting up his computer, with the very same purpose in mind.
He had long since finished his evening meal, but after channel surfing for 30 minutes, and finding all of his favorite shows were repeats, he had opted instead for some tunes. With nothing special in mind, he'd set his Slothify player to Random, and settled down to listen.
The first thing he'd heard was…
"What would you do if I opened up my heart to you?
Would I just be another…who is wasting his time?
Darling, are we just good friends?"
Leaping from his couch, Nick had dashed to the laptop and fast-clicked the 'Next' button.
At the same time, Judy had been hearing…
"Tell me your troubles and doubts
Giving me everything…inside and out and
Love's strange, so real in the dark
Think of the tender things that we were working on…"
Her dinner had nearly gone flying as she bolted out of her seat and rushed to the laptop, hitting 'Next' button as fast she could.
In the meantime Nick was listening to…
"Your coat is made of magic
And around your table angels play
And I will cry…when ye go away."
He'd hurriedly clicked 'next' again.
While In Judy's apartment…
"I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine…and I want you to know
That my feelings are true…"
She had also clicked rapidly….just as Nick had heard…
"Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you dow-w-wn."
He'd clicked forward so hard on that one, the key had nearly stuck.
Judy, at that moment, had been sorely tempted to do the same.
"We stick together and we see it through
Coz you've got a friend in…"
CLICK!
While over at Nick's place.
"Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go…"
CLICK!
And back to Judy…
"Are we in love….or just friends?
Is this my beginning or is this…?"
CLICK!
And back to Nick…
"And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?'"
CLICK!
Judy…
"Though your world is changing
I will be the same..."
CLICK!
Nick…
"Now that I've lost everything to you…"
CLICK!
Judy…
"You're on my mind
like a song on the radio…"
And that was when they'd both clicked off.
For an eternity of seconds, the fox and bunny had just stared at their respective laptops screens, each of their minds as silent as an empty ice-cave.
And then Nick had turned and grabbed for the cell-phone, lying on the table beside his computer. Before he could touch it, it burst into life, the caller's name visible on the display screen.
'Judy.'
Now she paced back and forth across the skytram platform with her ears erect, listening carefully for Nick…and for anyone else. Instead what she heard was a noise like an old-fashioned steam-whistle, echoing through the trees. Judy knew that sound, it meant the Rainforest District sprinkler system was about to start up—and so she stopped and unfurled her umbrella, getting it open just in time.
Although this meeting was happening at her behest, Judy suspected that if she hadn't asked for it, Nick would have; the location had been HIS idea. When he'd made the proposal, the doe-bunny had, at first, readily agreed to it. Now, she wasn't so sure. This particular spot wasn't all that far from the home of Renato Manchas. If he should happen along, he'd make her in a heartbeat…and the whole point of her and Nick meeting here was NOT to be seen by anyone who might recognize them. Hmph, maybe he wasn't such a clever fox after…
Her phone lit up and began to play Try Everything. She didn't need to check Caller ID to know who was on the other end.
"Nick?"
"I'm here, Carrots."
She looked around the platform, and then towards the station entrance. Nothing, no sign of him anywhere…or of anyone else; only shadows, rain, greenery, and streetlights, ringed by soft halos.
"Where, Nick? I-I don't see you."
"Look behind you."
Judy turned…and saw nothing; the opposite end of the platform was also deserted. No, wait…below and to the left, a pair of lights, rising through the mists; and there, just above them, was another light; small, bright, and flickering.
It was coming from a cell phone; Nick had taken the skytram to get here. Hmmmm, maybe he WAS a clever fox after all. But whoa, wait…if she didn't get moving, she'd miss him; those gondolas waited for no mammal.
Spinning on her heel, Judy leaped, and hit the floor at a fast sprint, hurrying in the direction of the approaching tram-car. An outline was visible inside it now; not entirely distinguishable, but clearly that of a fox. Only…why couldn't she move, what was that holding her back? D'ohhh, right, her umbrella; it was acting like a drag chute. She hurriedly closed it, but it was too little, too late…she wasn't going to make it. Ohhh, why hadn't spotted him sooner?
Putting it into overdrive…Judy was immediately treated to another blast from the past. On the third step her left foot skidded out from under her and she went hydroplaning down the rain-slick platform...only this time on her back and feet first.
"WHOA-OA-OA-OA-OA-OHHHH!"
Ohhhh, she did not want to lose her life for a silly mistake like this, but unlike the previous instance, there was nothing between her and the abyss; no railing to grab onto before she… Wait; the umbrella! If she could only…
"No, no, not now…Open UP, you…!"
Something loomed in front of her; she felt a fat, metallic lip strike her left heel, pitching her up and into a half-cartwheel.
…and right into Nick Wilde's arms.
She was still there when the sky-tram car rocked gently on its mountings and began to ascend through the canopy.
For many long moments the fox and bunny could only stare breathlessly at one another, too stunned to speak, or even blink. They might almost have been a pair of animatronic theme-park robots, in serious need of a reboot.
And then, all at once, the world came back and they pushed frantically away from each other, brushing themselves off and scanning their surroundings with fretful, nervous eyes. There seemed to be amber-lighted windows everywhere they looked.
"D'ohhh," Judy groaned inwardly, "WHY couldn't this have happened somewhere uninhabited? Oh, please don't let anybody have seen us!"
"You…okay, Carrots?" Nick finally asked her.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine," she answered, mustering up a smile as best she could. The truth of the matter was that she was anything but okay. A month, even a week ago, he'd have been making jokes over what had nearly happened to her. Not now, he wasn't…and who would have thought she'd ever start to miss it?
"Shake it off rabbit, you have things to discuss!"
Judy waited until they had ascended into a darkened grove of trees before she delivered the opener.
"Okay, here we are. Do you…want me to go first?"
Nick's throat tightened, and for a half a moment the doe-bunny thought he wasn't going to answer her. But then his long, pointed muzzle bobbed ever so slightly.
"Uh, yeah."
Judy took a quick, sharp breath and flexed her paws; at least part of her was wishing that he'd answered in the negative.
"Okay then," she said, bracing herself against the transom and barely noticing the raindrops on her neck. "Nick…please be truthful; how do you feel about me?"
She expected him to hesitate, maybe even look away, but instead the words came out in practically a torrent.
"Carrots, I have to admit, I was wrong about you. The first time we met, I thought you were just another hick—oops, excuse me—just another country girl who thought all she'd have to do is move to Zootopia, and the future would be a slam dunk. I hope you'll forgive me for thinking that," he averted his eyes for a second. "All I can say is, I'd seen that type a zillion times by then." A glowing smile spread over his face, "and you aren't one of them. You've never once taken for granted that you're going to make it, here in Zootopia, you've always been willing to work to get ahead."
Judy folded her arms, looking up at him, with a steadily rising eyebrow, while the other one flattened into an almost perfectly straight line. At the same time, her foot was trying to thump again.
"And when you went looking for that missing otter," the fox was saying, "I thought all you were interested in was a career boost. I was wrong about that too. You cared, you really cared...about him and his family. I saw that when we caught up with him in the Cliffside Sanitarium…"
Judy let out a sigh that was more of a grumble.
"Nick…"
He didn't seem to hear her.
"You may not ever make the world a better place, Judy Hopps, but you're helping to make Zootopia better…one case at a time."
Judy made the noise again, louder this time…
"Nick…"
He just kept talking.
"You're going to make detective, Carrots. I may not, but you will…or there's NO justice in this world…"
"Nick…"
"The best day's work Mayor Lionheart ever did was that Mammal Inclusion Initiative. You're an inspiration, Judy Hopps, not just to every other bunny, but to…"
"NICK!"
Okay, he heard her that time; his words came skidding to a fast halt.
"Wh-What, Carrots?" he was looking at her as if she had just accused him of something completely outrageous.
Now Judy's foot WAS thumping; in the confines of the skytram car, it sounded like a percussion-solo on an empty oil drum. But the doe-bunny's expression was not unkindly, and her voice, when she spoke, was gentle.
"Sorry Nick, but you didn't answer my question. I don't want to know what you THINK of me, I want to know how you feel about me."
His eyes pinched shut and he nearly doubled over—as if she'd just delivered a punch to the gut, (which in a sense she had.) It brought an instant shaft of guilt down on her…but she wouldn't take back her question; that was not an option.
Judy watched him turn away, laying an elbow on the railing, his voice only a notch above a murmur.
"Carrots…I don't know if I can…talk about it directly, but...please bear with me, o-okay."
"Okay," she answered softly, wishing she could tell him it was all right, he didn't need to say any more.
"Even if you were a vixen," he began, head lolling between his shoulders, "I'm still not sure if I…" he glanced at her over a shoulder. "After Robyn, I swore I'd never give in to those kinds of feelings again."
No way could Judy not respond to a declaration like that one, but when she tried, she was instantly checked by an outstretched paw.
"No, Carrots…I-I know what you're going to say." At last Nick turned to face her. "At the time, it felt like I'd never have those feelings again anyway. There had never been anyone in my life like Robyn—and there wouldn't be, ever again; someone that special only comes along once in a lifetime. It wasn't until much, much later that I figured out I that was still beating up on myself for having lied to her." His gaze lifted upwards, green eyes soft as new grass, meeting with hers, "It was after I met you, Carrots; that was when I knew." He closed his eyes again and shook his head, voice cracking in a thousand places. "You brought me back Judy; don't you know that? Maybe SHE couldn't make an honest fox out of me—but you could."
She didn't want to interrupt, but…
"Nick, you couldn't have become a police officer back then…any more than I could. And you were practically starving; you had no choice…"
"YES, I DID!" he fox-screamed, slamming his fist into the wall of the gondola and making a sound like a badly-tuned gong. His eyes found hers again, wet, earnest, and pleading. "That's not what I mean, Judy. Don't you get it? I could never break my word to you the way I did with her."
Judy's paw flew up to her throat, and her breath came to a gasping halt. There it was, out in the open at last.
But that wasn't all of it, not by a long shot.
"The first time we met," he said, returning to square one. "The first time we met, you told me I was a 'jerk, who never had the guts to try to be anything more than a pawpsicle hustler.' I didn't let it show, Carrots—never let them see that they get to you, right? But you have no idea how much that stung me; because you nailed it, that's exactly who I was back then. And not only that, it was the first time in years that I actually felt bad about hustling someone." A weak smile played out across his muzzle. "Although I'm pretty sure Finnick had a lot to do with it."
Judy's ears shot up and her nose began to twitch.
"Fin-nick?" she said enunciating both syllables of the desert fox's name. "What do you mean, Nick?"
His smile strengthened a little.
"That puppet-kid had a cricket; I had Finnick. Soon as you were gone, he was all over me." His voice dropped into an approximation of the fennec-fox's rough-cut contra-bass. "I don't mind messin' with speciest jerks like that elephant, Nick…but scammin' that bunny into payin' for this Jumbo Pawp was WAY out of line. What the foxtrot, boy? We finally run into a prey species that don't think all us foxes are shifty an' untrustworthy—an' what do you do? You up and run the con on her, just like any rube. I can't believe you did that!"
Judy blinked, and then stared. Finnick…had taken up for her? Whoever would have thought?
"And what did you say?" she asked.
Nick bit his lip, looking up and away, nervously drumming his paws on his hips.
"I uhhhh, said something about bunnies….and then I said, 'I guess you didn't notice that fox-repellent she was carrying."
Now Judy was the one chewing her lip; Nick didn't seize on it, but instead continued with his story.
"Didn't change his attitude, let me tell you. He said to me. 'You think you seen the last of that bunny-cop, you wrong, Nick. I know that type and just you watch; she'll get you back when you least expectin' it.'" The wan expression had returned to the red fox's face. "I laughed it off, but as you saw for yourself, HE had the last laugh. You got me back in spades, Carrots." His face softened, becoming gentle as summer mist, "And then you changed my life. Forgive if I repeat myself but…I don't know about making the world a better place, but you sure as heck made MY world better."
Judy felt her mouth shivering and her right foot trying to thump again. There was an elephant in the tram car with them, and this time it wasn't Francine Trunkaby.
"And then I gave that horrible press conference…and you turned out to be right all along."
Nick blew a puff of air and drummed his paw on his hip again.
"I'd be lying if I said that didn't hurt me Carrots…but do you want to know something else? When you left Zootopia and went back home again, I started missing you almost as soon as you were gone." he winced as if someone had just dropped a horrible pun. "Ohhhh, I hate, hate, hated myself for that, but I couldn't make the feeling go away. And then, when I saw you, after you came back, I had to get up and walk away from you–because if I hadn't I think I might have hugged you. Truth is, I'd have agreed to help you even if you hadn't called yourself a dumb bunny."
Judy's ears shot backwards and now her foot began to thump—angrily.
"You let me humiliate myself like that, when I didn't need to? Oooo, you…you…"
A sly grin crossed the red fox's face, and for a moment there, they were the original Nick and Judy.
But then he said, "No Carrots, you did need to; you needed to get that out of your system, get the albatross off your neck. It was the only way you were ever going to be able to make things right."
For many long moments, there was silence inside the gondola as Judy mulled his words…nothing to be heard except the buzzing of insects. Dang it was buggy here…and such ginormous critters too; that one sounded almost as big as a hummingbird.
Nick was right and she knew it; she'd have been useless against Doug—and those other sheep—if she'd still been chained to that ball of guilt.
"And I guess that brings us to the heart of the matter." Nick's voice was both sad and compassionate, "When I told you why I kissed you during the Rafaj Brothers sting, yeah, that was the truth. I did it to put those jackals off their stride, but..." He tried to look away again, except not this time; instead he stopped and forced his eyes to meet hers, "but that's not the whole truth, Carrots. Part of me WANTED to kiss you." His eyes flicked away again. "And…it wasn't the first time I felt that way. By then, I'd imagined kissing you, ohhhh I don't know how many times. Up until the Rafaj Brothers sting, I'd always been able to shake it off." His ears turned backwards for a second, but not in anger, "But once I had a reason to kiss you, there was no stopping me. That's how I feel about you Judy Hopps. I-I don't know if I'm making any sense, but it's all I can give you right now."
"Oh, Nick," Judy sniffed. She reached for his arm but saw him tense. It didn't matter, her paw had already reversed course. "Uh, sorry," she said, gazing down with a forlorn expression. Dangit, why COULDN'T she take his arm? They weren't doing anything wrong.
Then she heard his voice again, soft and velvety.
"Okay Carrots, your turn. Do you have any, uh…feelings for me?" For a few seconds, she saw his chest stop moving; he was bracing himself against a possible let down.
Judy knew at once that she wouldn't be able to keep it short and sweet, any more than he had. And there was that one big bug again, buzzing around the tramcar; what was that thing, a giant flying cockroach? It must have been attracted by the lights, or maybe…
"Quit stalling and talk to him, Jude!" her inner voice barked…and when she did, well, what do you know? She found it surprisingly easy to make eye contact.
"It's been different for me Nick. I've never had a Robyn in my life, that one special animal." Her mouth pulled a hard-right, "As a matter of fact, um, I've never been in anything you could call a real relationship." Seeing his expression change—he tried to hide it, but was unsuccessful—she quickly raised a paw. "I don't mean I never dated or anything, I've gone out with guys plenty of times. And don't get me wrong, I'm not some naïve, 'innocent' young bunny either…uhm, if you know what I mean
A little color rose in the red fox's ears; yep, he knew what she meant. And so she moved on.
"But I've never been seriously involved with a guy, Nick. Back in Bunnyburrow, and later, when I went to community college, things never went beyond casual, not with anyone I was seeing."
"Because you wanted to be the world's first bunny-cop?" he asked, looking as if the answer was self-evident.
Not quite.
"Because I was a doe that wanted to be the first bunny-cop," she amended, hoping she didn't sound bitter, "if I'd been a buck rabbit, it would have been different. Girls go for a maverick; at least that's how it was when I was growing up. And police officer or not, I was planning on moving to Zootopia someday…so if you were staying in Bunnyburrow and wanted anything long-term, I wasn't the girl for you." Her features turned flinty, "And there was one other thing."
"What's that?" Nick asked, fascinated, but also wary.
She looked away from him, out towards the lights of the Rainforest District, moving past them in stately fashion. "Something I figured out even before I graduated high school; if I was going to make it as a police officer, I was going to have to give it everything I had, my heart, my soul, and every single ounce of my spare time. And that's what I did; when I was going to the Police Academy, I never took a day off, not even Christmas. Every free minute I had, I spent either studying or working out—sometimes both at once." She could feel her ears pulling backwards, and turned around to face him. "Because I knew something, Nick; if it hadn't been for Mayor Lionheart and that Mammal Inclusion Initiative, my application to join the ZPD would never have been accepted. And I wasn't the only one who knew it, so did every officer on the force…and that meant the only way I'd ever be accepted as a real cop would if I graduated at least close to the top of my class."
"And even then, it almost didn't work," the fox observed, green eyes narrowing cynically.
"No, it didn't," Judy agreed, "But the point is; that kind of a lifestyle doesn't leave a lot of time for a relationship…or make for much interest in having one." Another bug buzzed close to the tramcar, and she realized she was getting sidetracked. "The first time we met…I mean after I found out you hustled me, I admit I couldn't stand you. And yet even then, you were able to move me…in a manner of speaking." Her face turned slightly mischievous. "Remember when we visited Mystic Springs Oasis? The only reason I was able to stick it out was because I didn't want to give you the satisfaction of seeing me throw in the towel."
Nick flashed a small, foxy grin. "Happy to be of service," he said, favoring her with a small bow.
Judy smiled back for a second, but then her face went soft, very soft.
"But then," she said, nodding backwards in the direction of the sky-tram station, "When I was that close to giving Bogo my badge, you stopped it. You'd been trying to ditch me all day; that would have been your chance to finally be free of me once and for all. But not only did you stop ME from quitting, you refused to quit yourself. The last thing you said to Chief Bogo, before we walked away was, 'WE have a case to crack.' For the life of me, I couldn't understand why …"
"What else could I do, Carrots?" the fox interrupted, spreading his paws. "You saved my life."
"Oh Nick," the impish smile had returned to her face, "After all this time, you should know that you can't lie to me about things like that. That wasn't why you decided to stick by me, I found out the real reason only a couple of minutes later." To illustrate, she took hold of the tramcar's railing…the same way she'd tried to take his arm, the last time they'd been here. "When you told your story, about how you tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts; when you repeated the oath you'd recited, 'I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be loyal, brave, helpful, and trustworthy…'"
His ears went sideways.
"Uh, that isn't the right order Carrots."
"Oh hush, that's not important and you know it." Her foot was thumping again. "What matters Nick is that the kit who made that promise was still there; I heard him, I saw him. That was who you really were; not some small-time street hustler, just barely getting by. When I told you, 'you are so much more than that,' now you know what I meant." She reached for his arm, but pulled back again, before he could take it away. "And you know what? You lived up to that pledge, Nicholas Wilde. When I got hurt in the museum, you refused to leave me; you stood up to Chief Bogo on my behalf—and Bellwether's hench-rams. You were the one who figured out where those wolves had taken Mr. Manchas, and…sorry, but you said it yourself. You've never broken your word to me." She went back to the railing. Hmph, there was Bugzilla again; never mind. She looked at him once again. "When I saw who you were on the inside Nick, I realized that was someone I wanted to get to know…maybe even take on as a partner someday."
She felt a bloom of heat flush in her cheeks. Oh Lord, this was hard… and she still had so much more to say. No wonder Nick's description of his feelings for her had been about as straightforward as a meandering brook.
"But then…?" he prompted, having sensed where she was going with this.
"But then," Judy let out a breath and her voice roughened into sandpaper, "But then I gave that awful press conference. Oh sweet cheez' n' crackers Nick, how could I not have realized what kinds of horrible things I was saying?" She thumped her foot in frustration, "Bellwether knew; that's why she didn't stop me sooner…and that's the worst part, I played right into her…"
"All right, enough!" Nick's sharp voice cut her off like a scythe. "Dangit Carrots, come back from your guilt trip already. Whatever you may have said at that presser, you more than made up for it later—when you came back to Zootopia to try and make things right."
Normally that would have stopped the doe-bunny in her tracks, but not this time, "I did more than just say things, Nick," she told him, blinking back the sting in her eyes, "My God, I almost pulled a can of fox-repellent on you!"
At once a silence filled tram-car, broken only by the sound of the whirring insects. It was the first time she'd ever spoken of going for that fox-repellent; the first time either one of them had mentioned it since that day.
But then, to the doe-bunny's nose-twitching bafflement, Nick just smiled.
"Yes, you went for that fox-repellent…but you'd never have gone through with it. If I'd taken another step, you would have pulled out that canister…and then you'd have thrown it away." He winked. "I didn't know it then, but I know it now. So how about losing all that extra baggage, huh?"
"Okay," Judy answered in a small, pallid voice, offering him a small, pallid smile. And then she went on. "Do you remember the first time we went out on assignment together, when you said to me, 'You know you love me.' When I answered you, "Yes…yes I do,' the words came easy that time." She looked away for a second…or tried to, but this time she managed to stop it. "But then later, whenever I said it, I began to…feel something, I don't know what." And now she did avert her gaze. "I kept telling myself it couldn't be…that. 'No way Jude, he's a FOX for crying out loud.'"
Her eyes came level with his again, "But then you kissed me Nick. Even though I know you only did it…er I mean I know why you did it, I…" She felt the air in her throat seize up, saw the world blink out as her eyes pinched shut. This was it, no going back. When she spoke again, it was like crashing through a window. "I…I've NEVER gotten a rush like that from being kissed…from anyone, not even close."
Nick tried to speak but could only stare slack-jawed. To be fair, he might have managed something, if Judy hadn't swiftly broken the spell.
"Except for the breath!" she groaned; face compressing into a mask of revulsion. "Ewwww! Sweet cheez n'crackers, fox...talk about spoiling the moment; what the HECK did you eat for breakfast that morning?"
His eyes rolled upwards and he sucked at his lower lip.
"Ummm…sweet cheese and crackers?"
Judy bunched her fists and advanced on him; he hastily threw up his paws in front of his face.
"Okay, okay-y-y-y…and some blackened cricket sausage."
"Ohhhh," now she was the one rolling her eyes, "Ohhh, now I get it; no wonder you tasted like a bug zapper."
His eyes and mouth both crinkled slyly.
"With...or without the power turned on?"
"Ohhh, YOU!" Judy knotted her fist again, but opened it just as quickly. "On Nick," she answered softly, "with the power turned on."
And once again, neither one of them was able to speak. Judy saw Nick open his arms for her, the way he had beneath the Meadowlands Bridge. She took a step towards him, but then stopped, unable to go any further. She lifted her paws and tried again. It was no use; the gondola floor might just as well have turned to Velcro.
She saw the fox try to come to her. But he too was brought up short, unable to proceed any further. It was as if an invisible wall of iron had sprung up between them. Or, to put it in proper perspective, a wall of irony; the very thing that had prompted them to open up about their feelings for each other was also what was keeping them apart. They dared not take it any further; if they did…and if a certain talk-show host got wind of it…
Predictably, it was Judy that broke first. "Oh Nick…Nick, what are we going to DO?" she lamented, barely able to keep her voice from cracking.
The answer she got was vintage Nick Wilde.
"First, we're going to get out of this tram-car; end of the line's coming up."
Judy's ears began to pull backwards, but then she saw that he was right. Cop-out or not, they were descending towards the Fruit Valley Station where the skytram line came to an end.
Well-l-l okay, the doe bunny silently conceded. But before the night was out, they were going to finish this conversation!
As the gondola clanked to a halt inside of the skytram station Judy felt an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity. Strange…this wasn't the first time she'd been here, and yet the surroundings all looked like nothing she'd ever seen. Of course her previous sojourn here had taken place in the breaking light of dawn, not the stillness of the night, but even so…
Oh well, at least the bugs were gone…and less than 20 yards away, blessed be; a Metro Station. If there was somewhere close by to finish their talk, she could be home in 15 minutes when they were done.
"Ahhh, what am I thinking about THAT for?" the doe-bunny wondered, wanting to give herself a slap in the face.
Against her better judgement, she let Nick help her from the tram-car. After all that they'd just said to one another, how could she possibly decline? She did not, however, allow him to take her paw afterwards; one thing at a time.
Exiting the station, Judy saw him pausing to check his watch. Hmmm, how long had it been since they'd boarded the skytram? She hadn't the faintest idea. "What time, Nick?" she asked him.
She never got an answer. At once, a dozen bright-red pinpricks lit up all over him, pencil thin shafts of luminous crimson, seeming to skewer the fox like a vulpine voodoo-doll.
And then a mile-deep voice shouted, "FREEZE!"
