2: A Past Revealed

A/N: A guest was concerned about this being a 'biker life' story. It does NOT revolve around the biker style of living at all, it just happens to take place during the annual Stergis rally which is used as a backdrop/setting for the story. The fact that I've been to Sturgis a butt load of times makes it easier to write.
A/N 2: To answer another concern, Judy was around 23 in the movie, so yes, she'd be about 40 in the story, while Nick would be about 49 or 50. Simple math folks…

XxX

While everyone else's attention is on unloading the truck, Nicholle draws Nick to the side.

"Nick, do you real-"

"Do I realize that that's actually Judy Hopps from so long ago? Yes, yes I do. Do I care? For now, no I don't. If it's any of your business, which it's not, she and I are planning to talk at least for a little bit tonight. I have no idea if it'll resolve anything, but it's worth a shot. Besides, weren't you the one telling me that there was still room in my heart for someone?"

"Yea, but with her? … Really? After what she did to you? To all of us?"

"That was a long time ago sis, and aren't we supposed to give everyone a second chance? Isn't that what you've preached all these years? Isn't that what we've both lived all these years? And weren't you the one who insisted that I let someone else in to my heart after I lost Krystal?"

Grudgingly Nicholle admits "Touché Nick. You do make a good point. Just … be careful ok? She broke your heart once, and I'll kick her ass if it happens again!"

"You'll do no such thing Nickie. It's my heart and I'll give it to whomever I damned well please. And if it's to Judy and she breaks it again, then it's all on me, not her. I'm walking into this with my eyes wide open, so just … back the fuck off and leave us be, please."

"If that's the way you want it, fine. But if it goes south, I'll be the first in line to say 'I told you so'!"

"Always the supportive one ain't ya?" Nick asks, with a slight mocking tone in his voice.

"Get the fuck out of here before I kick your stupid ass, little brother" she comments.

"You'll never let me forget that you were born two minutes before I was, will ya?"

"Nope" she returns with a patented Wilde smirk "somebody's gotta keep your dumb ass in line. Now go on git, take your new lady love out for a good meal. I'm sure you'll both need it before the night's over, if you get as involved in this talk that you've brought up as I think you will."

Gathering Nicholle up in a warm hug, Nick has a few parting words for his sister "I know ya mean well sis, but this is something that I've gotta do, you know that, right? No matter how it works out, good or bad, she and I both really need this. There's a lot of pain in her eyes, I can see it, and they say that the eyes are the window to the soul. She's gotta be hurting at least as badly as I am. Maybe for some of the same reasons, maybe not, but I've gotta find out … if she'll tell me."

"Go on ya big dummy, take care of her, and of yourself. I guess you're right, everyone deserves that second chance, and I hope that if you two actually get together that it actually works out."

…

Releasing the hug and heading towards the area that the rest of the mammals are getting set up, out of the corner of his eye Nick notices Judy sitting in a corner hugging herself, with tears in her eyes.

"How much did you hear?" he asks gently.

Looking at the floor and letting out a deep sigh, Judy admits "Probably most of it. Like you, I have no idea how tonight's gonna turn out either, but we really do need to do some serious sharing, I know that. For my part it's gonna hurt, a lot, and from the sound of it, it will for you too."

Reaching out his paw and taking Judy's small paw in his to help her up, Nick smiles and says "Then let's go get an early supper, treats on me. And before you object, I always treat my mammals the first night here, so I see no reason why I shouldn't include you as well."

"Shouldn't we at least clean up a little?" she asks.

"Nah, if the Stergis Inn wants my money, which they always do, we're just fine. You can use the little doe's room if you want to wash up a bit, otherwise we're good."

…

"Welcome to the Stergis Inn mister Wilde" greets the comely female antelope as Nick and Judy enter the restaurant. "Seating for …"

"Just two this time Annabelle" returns Nick "the rest will be along later."

"Very good sir, ma'am. This way please."

Staring at Nick, Judy has to ask "Do I even need to ask if know you everyone here?"

"Everyone who is someone Fluff, and a lot of mammals who are considered no one … just plain folk. You don't mind if I call you Fluff, do you? The only reason I called you Carrots before was to get under your fur. I know that it's demeaning, and Judy is just to formal."

"Fluff's fine Nick, really. I do appreciate that you want to stop with the Carrots bit, really I do."

Taking their seats, Nick immediately notices another pair of diners eyeing them.

"May I help you sir?" he asks, standing and approaching the other table. "I can't help but notice that you've been giving us the furry eyeball ever since we sat down."

"Norman" the tigress began, placing her paw on his arm "Please don't make a fuss."

"Quiet Adelle, I know how to handle this biker trash" answers the male.

"So, Norman" taunts Nick "you really think you can handle this 'biker trash' all by yourself? With your fancy suit and all?"

"I have no doubt, yes."

"And yet you have no idea who I am, where I've been, or what I've done, have you?"

Nicks surprising air of confidence quickly unsettles the mammal, who is easily at least three times Nick's size and weight.

"I've been to places that would surprise you, done things that would curl your whiskers and make you sick for a week. I chose this life to help me control the very things that your, no our, ancestors did thousands of years ago. I could knock you out without trying or kill you in the blink of an eye" with Nick's hackles rising and his voice rising a bit with each word "so I would suggest that you either sit down, shut up and eat, or get up and get the fuck out of here, and I mean right now! Your choice.""

With that, the female stands, grabs her mate by the arm and leads him out of the restaurant.

Open mouthed, all Judy can do is sit and stare at what has just transpired, knowing full well that they will quickly be thrown out of the building at least, and maybe even out of town.

Breathing heavily, but beginning to calm down, Nick notices the establishment management heading straight for them.

As Judy stands preparing to leave, the manager, a male cougar who is native to the area, speaks "Mister Wilde" he begins "I'm afraid your money is no longer any good here."

As Nick opens his mouth to apologize, the manager holds up a paw and continues "That particular customer has been a huge pain in my staff's … sides for almost a week, but no one has had the gall to stand up to him. As thanks for your unselfish actions, your meals and anything else that you may desire this evening is on the house. In addition, a fresh fruit basket and complementary bottle of our best Champaign will be sent up to your room for you and your lady friend to enjoy. Again, on behalf of the entire management and staff, thank you."

Stunned beyond belief, both Nick and Judy can only mumble 'thank you' to the manager as he leaves and heads back to his station.

"Well, that was interesting" quips Judy "Does that happen often here?"

"Umm, no? Not that I recall…" answers Nick, not exactly sure to make of the situation.

Just then, an attractive female antelope stops by their table "Hello" she greets them "My name is Charlette, and I'll be your server this evening! Can I get you an appetizer and something to drink?"

Nick is first to answer "Umm, sure. I think I'll have a shot of Jack Black to drink, Judy …?"

"Huh? Oh, yea, sorry. I-I'll have a Fireball please, thanks."

"And some jalapeño cheese poppers as an appetizer if you don't mind" adds Nick.

"I'll be right back with your drink orders while you look over the menu. Thank you!"

…

As Judy watches the server leave, out of the corner of her eye she notices Nick staring intently at her "What?"

"I guess it's just difficult for me to imagine you drinking, let alone something like a Fireball."

"Times change Nick, and mammals change as well. I'm nowhere near the starry-eyed country bumpkin you knew all those years ago."

As Charlette returns with their drink order and appetizers he comments "I'll drink to that!"

Noticing the server standing patiently by their table, Judy asks her to give them a few more minutes to look over the menu.

"So, do we go all out or get something sensible?" Judy asks, looking over the many choices.

"Order what ya want Fluff, I plan to leave a nice tip, just like always. The staff here works hard for their money, especially during the rally, and most of what they make is off of tips."

"So that's why so many of the so called 'little mammals' know and like you!"

"Yea, generous to fault, that's me. It never hurts to be kind to mammals. I learned that the hard way. Which is why I'm so sorry for treating you like I did back in Zootopia."

Taking a sip of her drink and enjoying the slight burning sensation as it went down, Judy quickly defends the action "It may surprise you to know, but that actually made me a better cop and a better mammal."

"Really?"

"Yup. It opened my eyes and got me to look at things with a good healthy dose of skepticism rather than through the rose-colored glasses that I originally had on. It helped me to bust the Bellwether case, along with a bit of help from another of …" stopping for a moment and glancing around the crowded room "I'll save that for later if you don't mind Nick. It's not really for … polite conversation."

"I understand. So, what 'cha want to eat? I'd recommend the stuffed manicotti, it's really good and-"

"Nick … you can eat meat if you want. It doesn't make me uncomfortable at all…really."

Staring for a few seconds, Nick replies "You really have changed Fluff."

"I worked around predators when I was a cop Nick, I pretty much had to get used to it. And afterwards…"

"Ok Fluff, ok, I get it. I'll have the grilled salmon then, ok?"

"Then I guess I'll have the manicotti, if it as good as you say it is."

"Believe it or not, I actually have had it and it's terribly good."

…

After ordering their meals and not wanting to breach any subject that might come up later, Judy started the conversation "So, tell me about the rally. What's it really like? The rally that is. All of the mammals, all of the smells, the sounds…"

Thinking for a second, Nick begins "Well, I'm sure that you've seen the documentaries, so you've got some sort of how crowded it can be. You said you had 275 brothers and sisters right?" seeing her nod he continues "Imagine them all trying to eat at the same time, shower at the same time, get on a bus at the same time. That's how it feels.'
'As far as the mammals, there are mammals from every walk of life from those who are practically homeless, to millionaires to athletes to movie stars.'
'It kinda smells like a crowded Sahara Square in 100-degree heat with all of the traffic stopped. And the sounds … you heard what it sounded like when twenty of us pulled the bikes onto the garage right? Imagine thousands, all day every day until around two in the morning."

"Two, why two a.m.?"

Smiling Nick explains "The bars all have last call at midnight and try to close at one, so it takes a while to get everyone out of the building. Everyone leaves for the motels, campgrounds or wherever they're staying for the night, and when they're all gone, the silence is deafening."

Blinking rapidly, Judy can only ask "You're kidding, right?"

"Not a bit Fluff, not a bit!"

"He's right you know" interjects Charlette as she sets their food in front of them. "With the rally in town, it's actually easier to sleep in the daytime with all of the noise than it is at night after all the bikes are gone!"

As Judy sees and smells the food set before her, Charlette asks "Is there anything else I can get for you right now mister or missus Wilde?"

Before either Nick or Judy can reply, she adds "You really make such a lovely couple, congrats to you both. I'll have to admit though, I've had my eye on you for some time mister Wilde, so I'm a tad jealous. Anyway, enjoy and let me know if you need anything."

Looking at each other in a mild state of shock, Nick finally breaks the moment by saying "Let's just let it go for now Fluff, we can discuss it later or drop it altogether. Food's hot, let's eat."

Silence reigned as the two enjoy their meals.

For Judy, it had been a long time since she had enjoyed food this good in a place this nice. And, for a change, the company was exactly who she had longed for a very long time.

Finishing their meal, neither had room for desert, so, after leaving a generous tip (more than enough to actually pay for the meals) Nick and Judy get up to leave.

"So" begins Judy "Where do you want to go for our little talk? Are you staying at the shop? Or maybe one of the famous campgrounds?"

"Actually" replies Nick as they pass the front desk "I have the Presidential Suite right here! Stuff will be sent to my room, remember? Most of the rest of the crew are staying here as well ..." and noticing her expression he quickly adds "WHAT? I can't stay in a nice place?"

"Nice? Really? This is probably the nicest place in town!"

"Nicest within about 300 miles in fact, nothin but the best for my mammals!" says Nick proudly, smirk firmly in place as he picks up his room key.

Ascending to the third floor in the elevator there was a slightly off feeling between the two, being comfortable and yet uncomfortable at the same time in such close proximity to each other.

Looking down at the diminutive doe and feeling her nervousness, Nick takes her paw, causing her to look up at him, and tells her "It'll be ok Judy. No matter what happens from here on forward, whether we eventually end up together or not, this is our best chance to finally settle the past. There's no telling what the future holds, so let's just take this one step at a time and hope for the best … ok?"

Letting a single tear trickle down her left cheek, Judy nods and leans in to give her fox a soft hug.

'Mine' She thinks to herself 'at least for now, for tonight, my fox.'

As the doors open and they prepare to step out of the elevator, they are greeted by the sight of a goat couple.

When Judy notices the nanny looking her up and down, and her excellent hearing catches the billy muttering 'disgusting-pred chaser' it's her turn to go off the deep end.

Wheeling suddenly and getting to within inches of the billy's muzzle, Judy goes into a rant "Listen here you pompous sack of shit. Where I go, and who I'm with is absolutely none of your fucking business. If I wanted to live the normal life and be some kind of domesticated, inbred, goat fucking moron like you, I'd do just that. Life has not been kind to me, but instead of staying down and bitching about it, I got back up and kicked the so-called normal life in the teeth. This fox is the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. Years ago, I hurt him beyond belief, and now we're trying to at least patch things up so we can both have some semblance of peace in our lives. Yea, he's a predator, but he's also the kindest, gentlest, most giving and loving mammal I have ever known, including my own parents. So, if I don't fit your definition of how things are supposed to be, you can take your speciest ass attitude and-"

With that, Nick firmly, but gently touched Judy's shoulder "Judy, that's enough, ok? You'll never change some mammal's minds about the status quo, so just let it be. We've better, more important things to do right now. C'mon, please"

Looking at Nick, then back to the offending goats, on impulse Judy grabs the front of Nick's shirt and pulls him into a deep, passionate kiss, which of course leaves the goats (as well as Nick) speechless.

"C'mon Nick, let's go before I do something that we'll both regret" grabbing Nick's arm, Judy leads him down the hallway to the large room marked 'Presidential Suite'.

Coming to his senses enough to use the room key, Nick escorted Judy into the overly spacious but beautifully appointed room.

Taking in the room Judy is amazed at the layout. Large bed that could comfortably hold a couple of lions, dressers, desk with DSL computer access, 55' flat screen tv. And the bathroom…the tub was large enough to be a swimming pool for the two of them. And, believe it or not, a hot tub by the balcony that overlooked the city of Stergis.

"Woah!" she exclaims as she then notices the fruit basket on the table.

"Yea, they do things up nice here" Nick tells her, grin firmly in place.

Opening the gift basket, Nick picks up the strawberries first, much to Judy's amazement.

Noticing the look she was giving him, Nick explains "After tasting the blueberries from your folks farm, none really measure up, so I usually eat them somewhere in the middle."

Seeing the sad look on her face Nick asks "What?"

"My folks are gone Nick. They both passed several years ago. I-I'll explain as I tell my story, ok?"

"Ok, Fluff, that's fine. Whatever helps."

"Before I start, let me ask you something…you never said anything about having a sister before, why?"

"To be honest, I just never really got the chance. Things were so chaotic at the time the subject just never came up!"

"Even during our ride in the cable car?"

"Well, if you remember, we had just almost fallen to our deaths, I had chewed out your shit excuse of a boss, gave you the lowdown on my experience with the Junior Ranger Scouts and then we chased down the jam cam lead, it just never crossed my mind."

"Right, right, ok, points for that one. But … she really seems to hate me Nick, not that I can blame her, but she really doesn't want me to be around you at all does she?"

With a bit of a rueful smile, Nick answers "Fluff, you have NO idea how bad it was in the beginning. Nickie has actually mellowed a bit over the years, thankfully."

"How bad Nick?"

"Umm are you sure you really want me to go there?"

With a defeated look, Judy says "Yes Nick, I do. The truth, please."

Tapping his teeth with a claw and wearing a thoughtful look, Nick motions Judy to the table near the desk, politely seats her, then proceeds.

"Ok, here goes, and you ain't gonna like it! To begin with, I managed to stop her while she was on her way downtown to confront you on the spot. She had been at mom's, watching her when the interview was aired."

Picking up on Nick's hesitation, Judy prodded "And?"

"Judy, she was mad enough right then to actually kill you."

Continuing on, though noticing the shocked look Judy was wearing "She told me that she was gonna catch you, hang you by the feet and skin you alive, and use your hide for a seat cover. Then gut you and roast you with an apple in your mouth and a carrot in your … ass!"

"NICK!" she practically shouted "Really? You've GOT to be shitting me!"

"God's truth Judy, she was that mad. You have no idea what a pissed off vixen is capable of, especially when it comes to family!"

"Holy shit Nick!"

"Aaanyways, I talked her into leaving well enough alone, which worked fine until the pred scare got worse. Thankfully you and whoever you were partnered with at the time finally took down Bellwether and her bunch. After that, you were never mentioned again."

Looking at the floor, ears flat against her back Judy begins her tale "That's actually as good a place to start as any, so … here goes.'

'Thanks to the eye-opening advice you gave me during the short time we worked together, I managed to chase down a few more useful leads. I think the only reason that Bogo didn't fire me like he said he was going to was pressure from the mayor's office, from Bellwether herself. Even with that, Bogo wanted me out of his fur, so he handed me off to a ZBI agent named Jack Savage to work with. Jack's a hare by the way, so it made a peculiar bit of sense at the time. After we managed to put the ewe and her cohorts behind bars, Jack and I went out to celebrate and as you might guess, things got a bit out of paw. We both got drunk and I ended up sleeping with him, bunny hormones I guess.'
'Long story short, I ended up pregnant. Jack did the honorable thing and we got married, knowing all along that it was merely a marriage of convenience, and to save the kits the embarrassment of being born out of wedlock. Mom and dad were none too happy about the entire thing, but with more grandkits on the way they got over it soon enough. Shortly after the kits were born, we parted ways and Jack was well off enough that I didn't have to fight him for kit support."

Taking a short breath and wiping a few tears from her eyes, she continued. "The litter was small for a bunny, only being six kits. Unfortunately, only two lived past the first week, some sort of defect in the genes the doctors said. The two that survived, Jack junior and Jill, are seventeen and on their own now…"

Feeling Nick take her small paws in his larger ones, she looked up and gave a weak smile, thanking him for the gesture and the emotional support.

Lacing her fingers in between his, she explained "Bunnies mature much faster than most mammals, so at the age of consent, which is sixteen, they can declare their independence as an adult and leave the burrow, or home or whatever, if they choose. I guess there's too much of Jack in them, so they left. They call or write sometimes, mainly to ask for money or to meddle in my affairs. They were vehemently opposed to me taking this trip by the way … waste of time and money they said. So, I told them that it was my money and I'd do with it as I damn well pleased and that they were cut off, so good luck and god speed, have fun adulting. I think they went to find Jack after that, I have no idea if they found him or not, I haven't heard a word from any of them in over three months."

Seeing the look on his face, Judy quickly stopped the anticipated comment by placing a gentle finger on his lips "Don't Nick, not a word, please. It's my problem, my family and I can handle it, ok?"

"Fluff, Judy, you know you don't have to do this alone. There's got to be someone to help, it's not healthy to have to go through this alone."

"I honestly don't know who Nick, I really don't! After Jack and I broke up, things seemed to level out at least for a while. Then one day at work, after a long night with two sick kits, I was working with Liz Fangmeyer, a tigress in the department. We caught a robbery suspect who suddenly got violent and attacked me with a knife.'
'I lost it Nick. I totally lost it. I deflected the knife, broke his wrist in fact, then kicked him in the head and ribs before he even hit the ground. Needless to say, he ended up with a concussion, broken jaw, four cracked or broken ribs plus the broken wrist. Liz told Internal Affairs that my attack on the suspect was unprovoked, and of course they took her word over mine. I was summarily dismissed from the force and left Zootopia.'
'When I got back home to Bunnyburrow, mom and dad disowned me and had me removed from the property. There I was, jobless and homeless with two kits. So, I took the kits and went to Deerbrook where I got a part time job in one of the department stores. Money was tight, but thanks to Jack's kit support, we got by.'
'After a couple of years, I met a nice buck from Deerbrook, we started dating and I sorta decided that it was time for someone in my life. We got married, I got pregnant again, and then everything fell apart. Of the four kits in another small litter, three were stillborn and only one survived, a doe that I named Sarah, after my maternal grandmother.'
'Gerald was totally pissed because only a doe survived, so there was no one to carry on his 'legacy' as he called it. The divorce was brutal but thankfully quick. I got my old beat up car, the house and the property that it sits on and he took everything else, not that that mattered to me. As long as I had a roof over mine and the kit's heads, I knew that I, that we, would be ok.'

Noticing that her glass of Champaign was now empty, she held it out for a refill. Seeing Nick's questioning gaze, she shook it gently "I'm a big doe now, Nick, please…"

Shrugging and refilling her glass, Nick allowed her to continue.

"I stayed on at the department store, moving from part time to full time, then to being an assistant manager. Then, just when everything seemed to be finally going ok, dad caught *Calicivirus. It's a hemorrhagic disease virus that attacks only rabbits. It's a form of Ebola and a usually highly contagious disease.'
'Luckily, if you want to call it that, mom and dad were the only fatalities. After the funerals, my older siblings got to fighting over who got what and the whole thing had to be settled in court. In the long run, every one of the siblings got a 276th share of the land, equipment and the like. I sold all of my shares of everything to the highest bidder except for Pop Pop's old bike. One of the local mechanics in Deerbrook got it running for me and I decided to make one last big hoorah before getting back to finish raising Sarah and living out my last days basically alone.'
'Then I broke down on the side of the road where you found me, and that, as they say is that!"

After draining her glass again and holding it out for another refill, Judy noticed that the bottle was empty, and Nick had tears staining his fur.

"Nick" she said softly, reaching across the table and placing her paw on top of his "Nick it's ok. I'll get by, just like I always have…"

Taking her paw in his, he gently picked it up and pressed it lightly to his lips "I know Judy, you've always been a strong mammal. But know this, if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you. Night or day, summer or winter, come hell or high water, just call, and I promise I'll come running."

"But, why? Why would you do that for me Nick? Me, of all mammals?"

XxX

AN: *Rabbit Calicivirus is a disease which damages the rabbit's internal organs such as the liver and gut, and can also cause hemorrhage or bleeding. Calicivirus is spread from wild rabbits, in the air and on clothing and hands. Fleas also transmit the virus from rabbit to rabbit.