A/N: Sorry for the long update, I lost my mojo for a while, but I'm finally getting back into my writing. I'm sorry that you had to wait so long for this chapter, so I hope it makes up for that~!

Also, I'm sorry for the shorter chapter, but things are going to get much more interesting after this! :3

Judy followed Nick as close as she could as he led her down the alleyway between the garage and the old, abandoned-looking building beside it. This was a dodgy part of Sahara Square no doubt about it. She had seen almost no one besides a Leopard and a Tiger driving through in their car.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Judy asked, firing an anxious glance over her shoulder as Nick stopped at the back of a large red van, covered with sand and dust with a decal of a fox-knight holding a vixen in his arms. It was quite the "epic" scene.

Nick nodded at her, before clenching a fist and lifting it to the rear doors, knocking on them three times, hard. Judy panicked, grabbing his arm as he knocked.

"What're you doing! You don't know whose-." She started urgently before the door was ripped open by whoever was inside.

"Who is it!" A harsh, deep voice barked in response. Judy winced, closing her eyes and hiding behind her half-mammal, half-machine acquaintance. Nothing happened, except the dropping of what sounded like a wooden baseball bat. The small bunny slowly opened her eyes, and saw a small Fennec Fox, staring up at Nick with wide eyes, his large ears folding back...

He took a slow, long look up and down the Red Fox, analysing the scar on his neck, and the metal hand that Nick quickly hid away again.

"Nick..." The tan-furred fox breathed, giving him another once over.

"Nick! Oh my shit!" He hollered, a massive smile spreading across his face as he waved Nick down to his height. Nick did as he was asked, crouching down before being pulled into a very hard hug by the small fox.

"Where the hell've you been man! I thought you died!" He boomed, pushing Nick back and looking to his pocketed hands. The fox's face fell and he looked around the place, before spotting Judy.

"Who the fuck are you?" He snarled. Judy took a deep breath and stole herself. She was going to be a cop soon, and she wasn't going to let little preds like this intimidate her.

"I'm Judy Hopps. I found Nick in my apartment, so I brought him here hoping you could answer some questions for me. Nick's told me a lot of... Hard to believe things... And I want to hear your side of it all." She said sternly. Finnick looked from her before frowning up at Nick for approval. The tired-looking Red-Fox nodded, smiling slightly at his small friend.

"I-... In, quick." Finnick started, before sighing and stepping aside, waving them inside. Nick hurried in, quickly followed by Judy, before Finnick quickly slammed the door shut behind them.

The inside of the van was actually very pleasant. There were sightly tatty deck chairs sitting along the right wall of the van, and a pillow and sleeping bag set up along the front seats. A lot of the furniture in here looked like camping equipment. Foxes really did have it hard...

"Get that off, let me see." The small fox ordered, sitting heavily in the chair closest to the front of the van, flicking a small switch and turning on some yellow fairy lights that were wrapped around the edges of the ceiling, illuminating the space. Judy stared around at the place before noticing Nick staring at her.

'Can you help me?' He mouthed with clear movements, before pulling his terrifying hands from his hoodie pockets and getting to his knees in front of Judy. Letting out a sympathetic sigh, Judy took hold of the bottom of his new hoodie and unzipped it, before helping him pull it down off his arms. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be, not having the ability to complete simple tasks like this.

"Jesus christ Nick..." Finnick muttered, staring as Nick was freed of his hoodie, resting his mechanical arms on his knees and lifting his ears with small metallic sounds.

"What'd they do to you..." He growled, reaching his small paws out and taking hold of Nick's right hand, looking over them carefully. Like Judy, Finnick looked like he was living some sort of nightmare when she first saw Nick.

"You knew about where Nick was?" Judy asked softly. This must've been very touching for both of them, being old friends, so she didn't want to ruin the moment, but she was here for a reason, and that was to get answers.

"Yeah, I knew. I was the one who helped sign him up for the program... I just... I didn't think this was what they'd do to them." Finnick responded harshly. Judy let out a sigh... Was all this surreal stuff about to be validated?

"What was it that Nick signed up for?" She asked, lifting her legs and crossing them on the deck chair, cocking her head curiously. Finnick let go of Nick's hand and folded his arms, now turning his attention to Judy, whilst Nick collected his hoodie and rested it in his lap, before fiddling with the bottom of his T-shirt.

"It said it was simple testing for new prosthetics, helping test them out in real-world scenarios and shit like that. They never said they were gonna use their bodies for the testing." Finnick grumbled.

"Nick, this is some dark shit man... I thought you'd actually died man. You never called, never texted, nothin'." He sighed, looking back up to Nick.

'I never could...' Nick mouthed. Finnick frowned at him.

"W-What is that? Why ain't he talking?" He asked, pointing up at him with his thumb.

"They removed his vocal cords. He screamed so much he damaged them or something, so instead of letting them heal, and helping him, they removed them." Judy explained, signalling for Nick to lift his head, showing the scar across his neck.

"Fuck Nick..." Finnick sighed in a grim tone. "Were you the only one that made it?" He asked. Nick nodded, eyeing up the place on his leg where he'd been shot. It was probably still uncomfortable for him. Judy couldn't imagine how it must feel, but then after everything he'd been through, he probably couldn't even feel it.

"Man... This is some dark shit we've got here." Finnick stated, sitting back in his seat with a heavy sigh.

"So... Everything Nick told me... You're saying it's true?" Judy asked, her face stark. Finnick turned to her with a small frown.

"Whatcha mean? Depends what he told'cha. Yeah, I helped Nick sign up for this program being hosted by New Dawn, yes it's been months since I last heard from'im. I don't know all the little details, but just by lookin' at him, I can promise you, I don't wanna hear more." He grumbled.

That was fine because that's all Judy needed. New Dawn really did put out applications for this "volunteer work', and Finnick had basically proved everything Nick had told her was true. There were others that signed up, just like Nick had said. Realistically, what else was she expecting? If there was any other explanation for Nick even being alive right now, she'd really like to hear it.

"Man... I'm really glad you're okay..." Finnick sighed, turning back to Nick with a relieved sigh. He must feel responsible for this because he helped Nick sign up, but neither of them would've known this was going to be the outcome. The only question now was how Nick and herself were going to deal with one of the darkest criminal acts ever committed. Nick was her last living piece of evidence too.

"What now?" Judy asked out loud. Nick sighed and looked over to her, struggling as he handed the hoodie to her to help him put it back on, which she did.

"I think you should both take it easy for a few days. Something could develop naturally with New Dawn... I always had my suspicions about that company. That damn Vixen always made me uneasy, and I'm a ladies man, so it's gotta be bad." Finnick expressed coldly.

Judy slowly nodded, raising her eyebrows and looking up to nick as she zipped the hoodie up for him, before watching him fold his metal ears back and pull the hood up.

"I'm a cop in training, so I know all the base protocols for crimes... I just never expected anything like this. We can't tell the ZPD either, because if they find out about Nick, I don't think they'll let him go free, it'd make too many people ask too many questions." Judy responded.

"Don't go to them, so way, no how. They're the last people we need getting involved in this. Like I said, take it easy for a few days, see what happens. Who knows, you could have someone step forwards and give their story about the place." Finnick suggested.

"I'm just... I dunno what to say... Feels like some kinda nightmare." Finnick stated, tapping his foot anxiously on the floor, massaging the brow of his nose.

Nick smiled reassuring between the two, pushing his hands into his pockets. The fact that he was the one who'd suffered most and he was also the one who seemed happiest was what shocked her most.

"You two better go; it ain't safe 'round here, not in his state right now." Finnick said, getting up with a grunt and walking over to the door, pushing it open revealing them all to the sun. Judy's eyes ached, and it seemed Nick and Finnick also suffered that same feeling, each of them squinting as the dusty air met their nostrils.

"Thanks, Finnick... I really appreciate it." Judy smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it, kid." He smirked, before turning to nick, pulling him down into another firm man-hug. "You stick with her Nick. She's your best chance at makin' it out here now. I'll be here to help, but don't make me your first port'a'call. My names not exactly spotless." He said, firing a glance at the would-be-cop, who smiled reassuringly at him. It didn't matter what he'd done, Nick needed him right now.

"Go on, get outta here." He grumbled, smiling at them before pulling the door closed with a slam.

"So you weren't lying?" Judy asked up at Nick, who was hiding under his hood, looking down at his mechanical feet. He gave her a sideways smile and a nod, sighing again. She nodded slowly.

"Alright... Let's head back home then, I'll throw together something we can both eat." She smiled, reaching up and patting his arm. He really had been suffering through all of this... All of it was true, and as hard as that was to believe, it'd been proved correct by someone close to Nick, who hadn't seen him since he was taken in my New Dawn.

She was even more lost than before, and that worried her. She expected it to feel easier after having it all proved right, but she hadn't prepared herself to actually hear it confirmed. This was huge and in a bad way. Things were going to be really hard for Nick, and now for her, because she'd brought him into her life. However, she wouldn't have it any other way. He could trust her, and after this, she felt she could trust him, even if only slightly, and that was better than nothing.

Finnick was right, they had to lay low for a little while, just to see if someone brought something up and if not, then they could start thinking of what to do next.

Judy and Nick made it home with no hastle at all, but the small bunny couldn't help but feel some awkward tension between them, even though nothing had happened to make either of them feel that way.

Maybe it was the guilt she was feeling; guilt that she'd even doubted Nick in the first place. Then again, who could blame her? The story he'd told, and he himself, was far-fetched enough as it was, but he was also a Fox, and they weren't well known for their honesty. Now, she almost felt like she owed him, even though she knew that allowing him to stay with her was enough.

Then, a sudden whistle from Nick brought her from her thoughts. He had his hands on the waist of his trousers and was very slowly pulling them down, pointing his finger to the spot where he'd been shot. Judy's entire body went hot for a moment, before she noticed what he was asking, and calmed herself.

"O-Oh, sure, go for it. Lay on my bed if you want, I've got some writing work to do anyway." She smiled, swallowing nervously as she pulled off her jacket and hung it up by the door. Nick hadn't bothered taking anything else of, tugging off his trousers as gentle as he could, leaving them piled up beside her bed, lifting his legs up and laying on her bed with a sigh.

She tried her best to keep her eyes off him, but it was hard to do. Not only were his mechanical feet something that caught her attention, but this was the most of his underside she'd seem. It wasn't nearly as damaged as his upper body, but it looked just as muscular. There was one spot, in particular, she felt her eyes drifting towards, and she even stole a glance as she headed into the kitchen to make them some lunch. He was packing heat. Then again, he was much larger than her own species, so that was to be expected...

Come on, don't think of him that way, he's been through a lot and you should not be thinking of a pred like that. Judy ordered herself.

Nick let out another airy sigh as he struggled to sit up on the bed, putting uncomfortable pressure on his wound. It felt better after being sterilised and properly dressed by Judy, but it was still very uncomfortable. Nothing on his operations and the torture, but still agonising.

He was more than grateful to Judy, and he really hated that he couldn't show just how grateful he was due to his inability to go out alone. It would probably be hard enough even after getting used to living with his metallic appendages, but after escaping merely days ago, it wasn't a good idea.

He wanted to do something in return for her, but he couldn't. He couldn't cook, he couldn't give her a simple shoulder massage, he couldn't even thank her with his own voice. He could do nothing, and it was one of the most awful feelings he'd ever had.

For most of his life he felt like he'd just taken, and taken, and never really given anything back, and the one time he'd taken the chance to do that, he'd be destroyed and turned into this creature, unable to give anything back to anyone. It was like a downward spiral that kept going down and down.

He was grateful to be alive, and he was grateful that this young woman had offered him a place to stay and to help him try and expose what New Dawn had done, but how was he going to live with himself in this state? He couldn't chance dressing himself without tearing up the clothes Judy had brought him, he couldn't really cook anything until he'd learned to manage his strength, even simple tasks were some of the hardest to complete.

"Nick?" Judy asked softly, holding two plates of egg-mayo sandwiches. "What's got you teary?" She asked, her ears falling back as she strolled over to him. Nick frowned at her before feeling something warm and wet running down his cheek, quickly bringing his arm up and wiping the tears away, shaking his head.

"I don't think I've seen you cry before... Something's gotta be up." She smiled, sitting at his side after setting the plate down between them. Nick let out an airy chuckle in response and shook his head again. She couldn't imagine how frustrating it was being unable to really express how she was feeling with words.

"Alright, well... Tell you what, I've got a spare notepad in my draw, so if you can get the hang of writing again, then you can use that to tell me stuff." She smiled, pointing to the second draw from the top, left side draw with a smile. Nick nodded again, taking his sandwich from the plate once she'd offered it to him.

Writing for him probably wouldn't be too hard, just as it was with typing and how it would be when doing other simple tasks. All he had to do was learn to manage his strength. It was the same reason he hadn't really hugged Judy when he wanted to. He was too scared of hurting her. The only time he'd touched another mammal with his mechanical hands was when he fought his way out of the New Dawn facility.

He looked over to her out of the corner of her eyes, munching away at her sandwich with a small smile on her face. She looked much more content now everything about Nick and New Dawn had been proved correct, which made him feel much better. Now he knew there was no doubt between them, and that was something he was also very grateful for because there weren't many mammals that willing to trust Foxes.

Eventually, he'd like to try holding her paw or something like that, just to see if his 'being gentle' was still gentle. It was something that felt petty to be so concerned about, but he'd have no idea unless he tried it.

He just had to take things slowly in every sense of the word. He couldn't rush himself into re-learning things, because it would take time to master his new body parts. It wasn't only all these things that made him feel bad, but also that, even though he was grateful to still be alive, he wished he wasn't.

Then again, what'd happened to him made him even more grateful for the little things. Sitting in the presence of Judy; eating with her and conversating with her, to the best of his abilities. He was incredibly lucky to be here with her, and he couldn't- no, he wouldn't forget that. The one question he really had, was what now?

"So... Was there anything you wanted to do today? We could sit and watch a film... Ooor... We could maybe go for a walk around the city? We can always go get coffee or something and you can just get yours with a straw." Judy suggested, awkwardly swinging her arms back and forth, patting her thighs as she did. Nick looked down at his leg with a sigh.

It wasn't too painful, but it still wasn't very comfortable to walk on for too long. Then again, if they were getting coffee, there wouldn't be much walking involved, so maybe it would be fine. So, looking back at her with a smile, he nodded.

"Is that a yes to a movie, or to coffee?" Judy asked. Nick signed out the movement of drinking after letting out a little, silent laugh, and Judy nodded.

"Alrighty then, get your jeans back on big-guy, we're going to get coffee. I need one after the past few days." She said with a smile, lowering her voice a little as she stretched her arms over her head, yawning.

Nick smiled and pushed himself up from her rickety bed, grabbing his jeans from the back of her desk chair and carefully pulling them back on, avoiding his wound as best he could. Things had been incredibly bad for Nick over recent weeks, but now, with Judy in his life, things finally seemed to be looking up for him. Hopefully he could learn to live with his new parts as soon as possible, and he could finally give back to her what she'd given to him.

Happieness.