So sorry for the long wait. Allergies made it hard to concentrate on anything besides feeling like my head wasn't going to cave in from sneezing every 30 seconds.

But here it is, the long awaited What Foxes May Come Chapter 9 - Fox on a Mission

Again, a special shout out to my buddy Blkdragon7 for the editing and some much needed filler. Go check out his ongoing story called A Friendly Hustle and show him some love. You can also check out his original work and link to his writing Blog, Scribblings, where a lot of it lives by hopping over to ( Direct: dcballard (remove the spaces) and my own writing blog, BearSpace, at: bearspace … because the forwarding is misbehaving.)

Without further ado, here is Chapter 8 of What Foxes May Come, Well, Hallelujah ...

**Also I don't own Zootopia, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, or other associated characters are the Sole property of Disney Inc. I do not own the rights, save a few of my own characters and those will be noted at the beginning of their respective chapter(s). ***

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Chapter 9

Judy woke with a smile on her face as a new day was peeking through the drawn curtains. The day before had been full of some pretty remarkable surprises. The biggest of which was the revelation that she was soon to be independently wealthy. She could finally go on that vacation to the Pawaiian Islands she had been saving here and there for. Of course that would have to wait till after her surgery and learning how to use a wheelchair. Her current situation sucked in many ways. She was growing antsy for more freedom, but as is she was still partly immobilized because she had shattered vertebrae, and any movement could cause the sharp shards or bone to sever her spinal cord. She was on some pretty hefty pain medication, and it made her sleepy. Rubbing her eyes with her free paw, she cleared the sleep from her eyes and looked around. Nothing had changed except … where was Nick? She started to panic and hit the call button frantically. Seconds later a nurse appeared, it just happened to be Jen.

"Judy? Everything ok?" she asked.

"W-wheres Nick?" she asked somewhat breathlessly as her anxiety began to take hold.

"Nick? Oh you mean Officer Wilde? Yes he left a message for you, wasn't sure he would be back before you got up. He had a meeting with someone, a lawyer or something, he said."

Looking at the clock she realized it was almost noon. Sighing as she calmed, she smiled and thanked Jen for letting her know. Jen meanwhile took Judy's vitals, made a remark on how well she was doing despite her current situation, and chatted briefly with her. Stepping out the door Jen gave Judy a warm smile, saying if she needed anything just hit the button. Judy reached over to the room phone, grunting as her muscles complained as they stretched. She decided to order lunch. She was really hungry and wanted something more than just vegetables. She wanted something substantial. so she ordered Thai vegetable noodles with extra snow peas, strawberry pudding, and carrot juice. Then sat back and waited.

She had a lot on her mind. Her surgery was now merely 2 weeks away, and it made her nervous. She would then be stuck on her stomach for at least a month as the incision healed and her muscles repaired themselves from the damage. It had after all been a horrific crash. Having seen the photos from the scene, she was surprised either of them survived the accident.

A short time later her meal arrived. It smelled great, and tasted better, with a hint of spice she found herself savoring. That surprised her as she'd never been one to enjoy spicy foods. Yet, the heat was a pleasant warmth in her mouth she didn't expect and found herself seeking out the chilis and nibbling them directly. The chili's heat making her lips tingle and burn. This being one of a few actual meals that she had had since waking up from what her doctors had called an 'active coma.' It wasn't rare, but certainly wasn't common. As most coma patients had almost no brain activity aside from the steady autonomic pulses. Her brain activity however, could have rivaled that of a high end spectral analysis machine. The doctor likened her brain activity to that of someone doing hard math or other heavily mentally taxing and strenuous exercises. While she remained in a coma longer than expected, she had found her way back to the real world and out of that … she shuddered as she shoved the feeling aside. She hadn't told anyone, especially not Nick, but she remembered the grey fog, the running, the voices, especially Nick's, and the faces in the fog. She remembered it all, and all she read said she shouldn't, so she worried on that, before again shoving those feelings and fears aside. She was still alive. She had Nick, but those fears, the insecurities were still there, brewing, festering in the back of her mind.

As Judy sat there lost in thought and enjoying her meal; on the other side of town a certain fox was on a mission. Early that same morning Nick had contacted a lawyer that specialized in working with marginalized and maligned species, stating they had a few hours free if Nick wanted to drop by and discuss his needs. The address oddly enough wasn't but a few blocks away from his favorite diner Therus.

Therus was primarily a pred joint as far as eats went, although they did have a small and ever growing selection of prey options for the more adventurous preds, and handful of prey regulars. Nick of course knew the owner and both of the waitresses.

Arriving at his destination of Jump, Brown, and Lazie, Attorneys at Law. Nick walked through the door and looked around. The interior was somewhat simplistic, sporting the usual deep brown leather chairs, polished metal accents and rich woods. Stepping up to the reception desk, he took note that the receptionist was not only a Skunk, but appeared male, if the nameplate and voice were any indication. Ron, was in the middle of a call and motioned for Nick to wait a moment and he would help as soon as he could.

It was only a minute or two when Ron hung up. "Sorry about the wait, you know how claims adjusters can be. How may I be of assistance?"

"I'm Nick Wilde, I'm here to see Leon .. errr … Lazie, he is expecting me. '' Nick said, checking his text messages.

"One moment, I'll see if he is ready to see you." Ron said as he picked up his pawset and pushed the right extension. A moment later, "Leon, a Nick Wilde is here to see you. ... Right, I'll let him know." Hanging up, Ron smiled up at Nick. "Leon will be out to see you in just a few minutes, if you would like to have a seat, he is just finishing up with a call."

"Thanks Ron, no problem." Nick said as he turned towards the waiting area. Picking up a magazine, Popular Meowchanics, he thumbed through an article that caught his eye. He had made it halfway through, when a voice caused him to look up.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Wilde, I'm Leon Lazie, it's been a bit of a day. Come with me and let's see if we can't help you."

Nick stood and followed Leon down a short hall to an office. "Have a seat Mr. Wilde, and let's get down to business shall we?"

Taking the offered seat in which was sinfully comfortable. "Please call me Nick, my dad was Mr. Wilde," Nick said with a slight smirk.

Leon chuckled a bit at this, "Ok Nick, how can I be of assistance."

"Well," Nick began. "I'm looking to buy a house and have it renovated to meet my partner's needs. She's disabled and will need some special facilities. And I fear… Who are we kidding? I know that because I'm a fox, I will get push back and be forced to pay a higher price, if not outright denied. It isn't fair, but that's life in the big city. That's where you come in, as I am under the understanding that you work with marginalized species such as myself."

"Indeed we do." Leon said. "We offer competitive rates on par with most other firms, and we don't discriminate. This firm has been in business for close to sixty years. And in that entire time we have strived to help the marginalized and maligned species. But getting back to your needs. You wish to buy a house, and need us to cut through all the red tape and minimise getting ripped off, does that about sum it up?"

Nick listened intently to the obvious sales pitch and contemplated his answer. It wasn't a hard sell, and his hustler instincts kicking in, Leon was confident in what he said. "That's pretty much it, how's your track record?"

"How's our track record? … oh you must be referring to our win ratio. Here let me show you something," Leon said as he thumbed through a file in one of his drawers. "This is public record, and you are welcome to look it up for yourself, but we keep this on paw as a quick reference."

Pawing the small stack of papers over to Nick, Leon continued. "As you may notice there are a number of maligned species listed on there, and all but one case has been a victory. Granted the one we didn't win was a criminal case. Simply put, we lost because the mammal was guilty and they knew it. Still got them the best possible sentence for what he was found guilty of. House arrest instead of what could have been five years in prison."

Nick looked over the names and dates, noticing several names he recognized, all of which were successful small business owners, or had been helped out to gain a better position in life. He could even map a few of the cases to incidents he could remember. Like the moose that tried to sue old Jake for a slip and fall. There was no way the moose could have fit in Jake's shop, Judy would have been cramped, since it was a small rodent food market. Nick had ordered some things from Jake, who was a larger black rat, but never tried to enter the shop. Chuckling at the memory, Nick set the paperwork back on the desk. After seeing all the data that Leon provided, and recognizing several cases, Nick was mostly convinced that Leon would be able to help. None of those he knew on the list had ever complained about being shafted by the lawyers who had handled the case. Heck, he seemed to remember Jake mentioning that they'd counter sued and gotten him a payout from the moose. With that, Nick just had one more question. The question was, how to approach it.

Nick furrowed his brow. He decided direct was best. "Mr. Lazie, I need to make sure that your firm is on the level. I'd hate to retain you, only to find out that you and your firm are dirty. It would cost me my job."

"I can assure you that all of our dealings and clients are above board. We have separate divisions for our civil work as you are seeking, versus our criminal defense work. We just list it there," pointing to the case list, "for reference and so we only have one list. I know you are an Officer with the ZPD, that's partly why I decided to take your case personally. You stated you wanted to buy a house for your partner, I can only assume that's Officer Hopps, and yes I know about the crash. I am truly sorry that happened, she truly was a great cop."

"Well she's still great, but because she is paralyzed from the waist down she is, shall we say, currently off duty." Nick said with a weak smile. "The last thing Ii need to know is this, how much?" Money wasn't really an issue, but Nick didn't think sinking hundreds of thousands of dollars into a firm was worth it either.

"Well, tell you what, two-thousand five hundred will be more than enough to garner a retainer and start working, and when it comes time to settle on a dwelling, then we can talk settlement of any outstanding costs. As for the rate, I will charge you our standing rate of 250 Z's per hour. I will also keep you informed when the retainer is used up, and all time used and for what. I'd rather you know what your money is going to, then worry that we're just charging you to drink overpriced coffee." Seeing something flash in Nick's eyes Leon continued," Don't worry Nick, I know how hard your job is so I will do this, we can do what I like to call a paper retainer, simply meaning that I'm at at your service until you no longer need me, and at the end you simply settle up either in full or on a payment plan. And yes as part owner I can do that." Leon said with a chuckle. "You just find the house you're looking for and I'll do the rest." He said as he stood and held out a paw.

Smiling, Nick stood and shook Leon's paw. The grip was firm, which made Nick all the more confident that the mammal in front of him, had only his and Judy's best interest in mind.

Leading Nick out to the reception area they chatted a bit more and Leon bid Nick good day, as it was time for his 11 o'clock appointment. Ron had some paperwork for Nick to complete, which took about 20 minutes. It included the initial retainer agreement, and described how, so long as Nick paid as agreed, JBL Attorneys were his lawyers for anything else he needed. There was also a form describing the house and modifications Nick wanted, which gave him pause.

Nick looked up at Ron. "Ron. What's the form about the house I'm looking for about?"

Ron looked up with a smile. "Oh. That's so we can send you some listings. As a law firm, we have access to a lot of non-public listings, as well as short sale or bank owned properties that are not or will not show up in most apps for weeks. Things like that. Gives you an in. And not to worry, it's a free service we offer to every mammal who seeks our help like you are."

Nick smiled, his confidence in the decision to hire JBL increasing. " That's great. Thank you."

After paying the 2500 Z's for the retainer, Nick had tapped his old hustling cache and pulled 5000 just to be sure. He was feeling very accomplished and headed to the electronics store to see about a new phone for Judy, as hers was destroyed in the wreck. He had a little bit of trouble in that part of his mission, but in the end he felt he did the right thing. After the tech mammal got her new phone all set up, Nick headed to Therus for an early dinner. A spicy shrimp wrap for himself and a lettuce wrap for Judy. Waving goodbye to his longtime friend Finnick after receiving the food, he made his way back to Zootopia General and Judy.

Slipping through the door to Judys room, he quietly closed the door and made his way to her side. She was sleeping peacefully with a slight smile on her pretty face. Nick gazed at her, smiling at his brave bunny, his heart aching because he still harbored guilt that wasn't his. If only he had gotten to her in time he thought. Setting his bag in the other chair. He leaned over and gave Judy a soft kiss on her cheek. She mumbled, and her smile got bigger. He reached up and softly stroked her ears, and in a quiet voice, "Hey Carrots, Im back, wakey wakey sleepy bunny."

Stretching as much as she could, she yawned, and opened her eyes to find herself looking into what, in her opinion, were the most gorgeous set of emerald green eyes she'd ever seen. "Mmmmmmm, hey Foxy, where you been all my life?" she said with her own version of the patented Nick smirk. Blinking a few times to clear her eyes of sleep, she felt her nose twitch as an aroma caught her senses. "What is that incredible smell?" she asked as her eyes widened

Nick gave her a smug look, "that my dear bunny is a spicy shrimp wrap," Nick said as Judy wrinkled her nose in distaste. Nick laughed, "Don't worry Fluff, I got you a spicy lettuce wrap, even those are to die for. I know you aren't big on spicy, but this is worth it I promise." Reaching for his bag, he brought forth the mentioned item and unwrapped it for her. After placing it on her empty tray, he cut it in half to make it easier for Judy to manage it single pawed. Pulling out his own, he waited to open his, watching Judy pick up one half, give a couple sniffs, then took a small bite. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the wrap then at Nick. "Oh my goffs, thaf is sooo good!" she mumbled around her bite. Nick chuckled as Judy took an even bigger bite and closed her eyes and let out little whimpers of pleasure as she enjoyed bite after bite.

Nick unwrapped his own and took a bite. Man, he thought to himself, Finnik sure knows how to make a mean wrap. Gonna hafta take Judy there someday. He listened to Judy make little happy noises as she obviously was enjoying her wrap. Finishing his own, he waited until Judy finished hers. She gave a small sigh of pleasure. "Nick, that was amazing, where did you pick that up at?"

It's a diner called Therus, owned and run by Finnik of all mammals. That surly sand fox can throw down a mean dish. He decided to go legit after I went to the Academy. He's makin good for himself now, steady customers, and more take out than he can shake a pawpcicle at," Nick smiled as he remembered that day, it was just ok money, but the making of it was fun.

"Oh," Nick said suddenly as he shook his head. "I got you a little present." Reaching back into his bag he brought out a new phone and handed it to Judy. "I tried to get them to port your number over, but they said unless you were present there was nothing they could do. In the end I put it on my account and made sure you had unlimited everything. Also all the apps are on there for the Precinct, all you need to do is log in"

Judy looked at the phone and then back at Nick. A single tear rolled from her eye. "Oh Nick you didn't have to do this, this must have cost a fortune." The phone was a brand new, top of the line iCarrot 12. She couldn't believe it.

"I know I didn't have to Carrots, I wanted to. Besides now you won't be tying up my phone with your nightly calls to your parents," he snarked.

"Oh you!" What ever did I do to deserve you? She thought with a small huff, then giggled with a smile as she looked at him. It made Nick smile to see his bunny happy despite her condition.

Suddenly her phone rang, it was a number she recognized. Staring at the screen for a moment she answered, it was of course a muzzletime call.

"Oh hey, it's my parents."

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