EDITED BY: YFWE & DrummerMax64

Chapter Twenty - The Mall

Nine. Nine times Edward was confident enough to turn around and check his back. He didn't like the feeling of being watched. It felt as if a billion eyes were trained onto him. That tree in the distance? Someone behind it watching him. The dark alleyway? Somemammal lurking ready to snatch him away to god knows where. Paranoia, as it turned out, was an unsettling mistress.

The only silver lining was that he hadn't succumbed to a panic attack despite the rapid heartbeat in his chest. Was he part rabbit?

Regardless, Edward was able to make it back to the Grand Pangolin Arms in record time and up the stairs to his apartment door at breakneck speed. He took one last glance up and down the hallway. Just like Charles' apartment complex, he was the only mammal in sight. The lupine pulled out his keys and with a swift motion unlocked the door.

A first gentle step inside his cramped home revealed the dimly lit space thanks to the lamp on their dresser. On the sofa was his lazy beautiful wife, who was still sprawled out, legs apart, still in nothing but one of his shirts. The television was still on, which he assumed was still stuck on the same channel that was replaying cringy vintage horror films. It had since stopped its normal broadcast and begun showing late night paid promotions. A quick glance over their closet area, bed, and desk quelled his burning curiosity—or rather, his overwhelming fear. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He felt his body begin to slowly relax. She was safe. He was safe. They were home.

The wolf did his best to settle in, removing his wallet and keys from his pockets and unbuttoning the top of his shirt. Only when he dropped the items in his paw into the bowl on the dresser, the TV turned off, causing the wolf to turn and investigate in desperate panic. The lupine was met after seeing the unlit television screen by his sleepy sheep slowly sitting up and rubbing at her eyes.

"Where'd you go?"

Oh, you know, pissing off a few mammals who might be trying to either kidnap me and Charles or harm you guys, the snide quip came. After having that minute scare, it was the first coherent thought that came to mind. How badly had he wanted to make that comment.

Knowing better than leaving her without a proper answer, he stifled the reaction and told her a half truth instead.

"Charles and I… just had a major breakthrough on that story."

"Really?" the ewe's voice roughly sounded. She tried her best on looking excited and surprised, breaking through the waves of exhaustion so clearly visible on her face, but Edward could tell she was still half asleep. "That's great news."

Edward shrugged. "It's something for sure, but we still don't have enough to round it out. And it's not like I work at the Gazette anymore. I can't just bring Horn this and say, 'hey, I've got more info on that story, please take pity on me. I want my job back.' That bridge has already been crossed, prepped with kerosene, and I've got the match ready."

"But Charles could vouch for you if he continues the story, right?"

"He could, but I don't trust her. Even if he does continue the story, there is little to no chance that Danielle will rehire me. For all we know, she could turn right around and fire Charles too. As much as I think he deserves it, and how justified Horn would be, I don't want that for him." Edward sat down at the foot of the bed. "Maybe I don't want the job back either? It wasn't really the best place for me. The last place I need is being under the hoof of someone who's a speciest jerk." He sighed. "I don't know…"

"Eddy," she cooed, getting close to him, "Don't beat yourself up over some asshole who refuses to understand. I know you'll find something better then the Gazette . Just give it some time."

The ewe's hoof cupped the side of his muzzle and drew his gaze towards hers. A light sigh blew through his nostrils.

"You're right. Something will be bound to open up. Maybe a little bit of change would be nice."

Pregnant silence fell between them. The lupine was still stuck in his own thoughts, as usual, wondering how well their confrontation with these mystery mammals would pan out and how Sharla didn't bother to ask what happened between him and Charles. Not that he wanted to share, anyway. He would undoubtedly tell her the honest truth if she'd asked, but she didn't. Maybe she already knew.

Before Edward could ponder any further, he felt his ewe finally make her move, giving a chaste kiss where that silence was. It almost felt out of place. But even with its spontaneity, he found warmth where his chills stemmed, right in his very soul. The embrace was lovely.

When they finally broke to catch their breath, she continued. "Regardless, it's great that you two are on to something." Edward didn't dare stop her as she unbuttoned the rest of the shirt, eventually revealing his silver furred chest in all its glory. Sharla's head pressed up against his chest fur, let out a near-silent bleat, and continued, "I know something new is bound to open up for you eventually. Maybe seeing wherever this story goes is the next step?"

"Maybe," he parroted, bringing his paws around Sharla. He could feel the chill tickle the tips his fur. If only she understood the gravity of what his story became. Perhaps then he could explain how frightened he actually was. For Sharla, his family, and the future.

"Hey," she softly spoke, pulling him away from his fear, "since you're free now, why don't we get out and do something? You know, to take your mind off of things?"

Edward pondered for a moment, wary of the possibility of encountering any of these mysterious conspiracy mammals the moment they set one foot out of the safety of the apartment, then eventually conceded, stifling his paranoia by flashing a small grin. "What did you have in mind?"

Sharla's head parted from his chest and gave a pondering gaze before climbing onto their bed from its back. Edward seized the moment of silence to weasel out of his jeans and completely shed his button-up. She had partly unraveled the top cover of their bed before she thought of something.

"How about we go to the mall?" she asked. Edward's ears perked. "We rarely shop for anything, and it's not like we have any accruing bills to pay; we live in a shoebox. We should treat ourselves to something nice."

For a moment, Edward felt his thoughts race. The mall, a place that frequented millions of mammals in any particular day. Barely any room to move let alone breathe, if this mysterious mammal he spoke to earlier had tabs on them. Who was to stop them if they decided Edward wasn't as much as an asset as they thought? Hurting both Sharla and the mammals around him would be more than a simple concern at that point. Maybe he could sway her.

"What do we need though that we don't have already? I've already got you."

"Aww," she cooed, a light blush flush on her snout. "You're so sweet. But I can think of a couple things."

"Oh, really?" Edward asked, sitting himself on the side of the bed. He felt his chances of staying home dwindle by the second. "What did you have in mind then?"

"Well, one thing's for sure: you can't write or apply for a job if you don't have a laptop. We haven't had one since the old one broke, and you don't have your work one anymore, so splurging on one wouldn't hurt."

"True," he shrugged. "What else?"

"Hmm…" she pondered. "Oh! We could look at some deals on some new clothes. I'm kinda feeling like getting something new. There's also the guitar store. I need new strings. Plus, there's the bookstore a little further down. I can see if I can find more cool books. Hell, we could even get a new couch if we wanted. All we need to do is bring the car."

The lupine saw the gleam in her eye through her exhausted exterior. There was no questioning it; she was adamant about going and bringing him along, and nothing was going to stop her. At that moment, he lost any chance to try and protect her.

"I guess that warrants a trip," he tried to grin through his anxiousness. "Getting a new couch and a new computer would be really… nice…" A flash of recollection flashed on the lupine's face, recalling the moment in their senior year of college, the moment their computer broke. All of the memories, the pictures, the… good times. "Do we still have the hard drive from it? The old laptop, I mean."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's still in the box with our other college stuff under the bed."

The breath held up in Edward's lungs finally escaped, another sigh elating his dampened spirit. "Good. I'd hate to lose everything on there."

"I bet you would," she smirked, waddling over to him, bringing her arms around his waist. "You know… speaking of that drive, I bet you miss that little thing we filmed together." Edward's ears perked as her hooves went lower, eventually reaching their desired target. The wolf's face flushed red. He remembered exactly what she was talking about. She began kissing his shoulders, then his neck. His arousal was more than apparent as she continued. She was still fiddling. "Maybe we could go get more toys too while we're out. I know you'd love that."

"...We could," he said weakly, a muted, unruly moan escaping his lips. Even if he couldn't see her face, he could feel her malicious smile rip right through his mind. Just imagining her excited his wild side, and he found himself completely at the mercy of his ewe.

"Then it's a date." She kissed the side of his face, then fell back. Noticing her absence, he turned to see her. She was fully exposed, his shirt on her back fully unbuttoned to reveal her sex in all its beauty. The view was tantalizing. "Now, get your fuzzy ass over here and show me how big and bad you are."

Edward didn't dare argue.

o o o

The following day, Edward and Sharla—both sore and unsurprisingly tired—got in their car and drove downtown, right to one of the parking structures adjacent to their destination, Outlet Zootropolis.

Located near the heart of the downtown area and in the shadow of the Zootopia One building was Outlet Zootropolis—the first and only mall in the city, the heart of the "small" shopping center in the downtown area. Once you stepped inside, it was virtually impossible to not find something to suit your fancy. Four hundred twenty shops. Over thirty restaurants. Two fully fledged movie theaters. An aquarium. Two separate parking structures with valet services to its east and west. Its very own subway station. Finally, a six-story-high fountain at its core to top it off made it the second largest mall in the country next to the Mall of Mammalia. The only lacking feature of the complex was a built-in amusement park. Not that Edward was complaining. He wasn't particularly a fan of them to begin with. He wasn't a thrill seeker. Sharla, on the other hand… was a different story.

Resting atop the bustling seven story outlet was another twenty floors of real estate, occupied solely by office space, which was sectioned off by its very own lobby towards Zootopia One—one of its tenants being none other than the headquarters of the Zootopia News Network. Edward thought of the possibilities of working for such a paramount figure in the news industry, but was skeptical at best. There were a lot of articles and stories that practically invaded the privacy of some mammals, and he wasn't keen on becoming that. But it was still a good job to have. Compromising his morals was the sacrifice he would have to make.

He found himself thinking about the potential career path until he and Sharla finally found a parking spot, right on the exposed top of the eastern garage. He took a moment to breathe before stepping out of the car, the faint fear of other mammals watching them pricking his memory. There was a plethora of factors to worry about, most he understood were out of his control but still made him all the more worried.

Eventually he found the courage to take the first step outside of the car, hoping to brave whatever might come their way. He found that was unable to resist looking upward at the buildings around him. Second thoughts swarmed his head like locusts.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

"Hey," Sharla spoke, appearing like a ninja beside him. "You okay?"

Edward eventually found the strength to smile, however faux it may be. "I'm good, Shar," he lied, anxiously fidgeting with the gold band they each decided to wear today, "I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

"We can still leave them here, Eddy," she assuaged, "We don't have to do this if you're not comfortable—"

" No ," Edward quickly reacted, unable to alleviate the stress in his tone.

The snap reply made his ewe have this look of shock and concern, which practically broke his heart in two. His tone reminded himself of the old version of his father. Becoming that spitting image wasn't an option. His mother would roll in her grave, and Aunt Veranda would have smacked the back of his head.

The lupine let out a sigh and took her hoof in his paw. "No. I want to do this. I would've said something if I didn't want to. You're my mate, Sharla. I don't care what anyone else says or thinks. I shouldn't. You're the love of my life."

Slowly, Sharla began retaining her warm smile, allowing Edward not to feel as guilty. She held his paw tighter. "I love you, Eddy."

"I love you too, Shar."

Edward bent down and kissed the side of her snout, gaining a giggle and a light blush onto the ewe's face.

"Come on, you big goofball," Sharla said, pulling him towards the elevators, "let's show these mammals what true love is."

"So demanding," he joked, rolling his eyes.

"Well, someone's gotta have the balls."

Their boasts roared from their maws at the jest, reverberating off of the cars and surrounding buildings, almost loud enough to overpower the distant sound of rescue sirens. Edward wished that this small moment between them would last an eternity. Unfortunately, they didn't have that luxury. They still had the entire day together, shopping until either—or both—of them dropped.

The eerie elevator ride down to the ground floor was fairly empty for a Saturday. Edward half expected a swarm of mammals to overrun them in a frantic rush. But surprisingly, their ride was a straight shot down. Considering how packed the parking lot was for the first few floors—and it wasn't a small lot—to say that he expected his claustrophobia to skyrocket was an understatement.

Edward let out a calming breath as the elevator came to a smooth stop. What's the worst that could happen, he thought slyly.

How quickly he regretted the quip as the metal doors slid open.

A mass cluster of animals nearly stampeded right over them before they could get out of the cramped space. Edward panicked internally, unable to move a muscle. Sharla, on the other hand, was hasty to maneuver them both through the crowd and to an open area away from the bustle, all while holding each other's paw and hoof, their safety line.

Meanwhile, the lupine quickly found in that short time breathing became a foreign concept. His lungs were on fire, struggling to take in the thin air. It was all the mammals. The fear. The judgment. The danger. The stares. It was as if a million eyes were on them. Someone was going to say something. Someone was after them. They were in the line of fire. Panic. Sheer panic.

It was too much. Way too much to for him to process.

Focus, he commanded amidst his irrationality. His paw was clasped tight onto the part of his shirt covering his heart. Focus on something. Her hoof, focus on that.

"Stupid inconsiderate mammals," Sharla huffed to herself, an angry stare piercing whomever stampeded over her and Edward. She gripped his paw tighter. "Didn't their parents teach them to look out for smaller mammals?"

"A-apparently not," Edward managed to force out.

Sharla wasted no time fuming about the rudeness displayed and promptly lead them inside. When they stopped for a brief moment, his lungs began working and took in the biggest, inconspicuous breath he could muster. He was almost thankful that his ewe hadn't noticed what happened. Causing an even bigger scene would've made the attack worse. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about something insignificant and effectively ruin her day.

Even still, why did the moment continue to torment him with constant reminders? Perhaps he was thinking too much. It had to be that.

So the two pressed on, gaining some unsavory, wayward glances along the way.

o o o

Charles stared silently into the bottom of a discarded oil drum, its contents long since emptied now filled with the remains of the Nighthowler story. With the help of a bag of charcoal and a touch of lighter fluid, the papers, pictures, and transcripts at the bottom would soon be nothing but ash. He hoped that whomever was in that beat up van tailing him was watching from afar.

The feline sighed and peered away from the barrel to the dazzling cityscape around him. He was outside some sort of abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Happytown, standing in a large, grassy, unkempt field that acted almost like a park. It even had a beautiful stone bridge at its center. Charles almost wished he had Edward with him. The lupine would've been able to tell him what this place was after a quick search in Zoogle. After all, when they were kids, he was the historian. Charles was just along for the ride, like he always had been.

With his attention back onto the barrel, Charles took a step back and inspected the base of where the metal drum stood. Although the grass around it was just short enough to reach his calves, the blades around the container was clipped and trimmed meticulously, which to him felt odd and almost lucky. The last thing he wanted was an arson charge and a stern talk from Thomas.

Then again, Charles didn't care about this place. It was just another abandoned building in Happytown. It was a run-down pseudo district with a bad rep and even scummier mammals. Who gave a damn?

Stop, his inner voice commanded. Just because you're hurting doesn't mean you get a pass at being a monster. Think about Bailey. Her flower shop and her dream would be ruined.

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to relax. The sooner he set the evidence ablaze, the better.

The feline reached into one of the front pockets of his blazer and pulled out a box of matches, taking one of the sticks from the package.

Moment of truth, he thought as he struck the match along the side of the matchbox with the emery paper, setting the red tip ablaze before discarding it into the depths of the drum. A deep, smooth, satisfying whoosh reached his ears, while the orange tips of the flames brushed the brim, anticlimactically settling into nothing more than a dim glow. The more the feline took in the scent of the paper, the more he found himself reeling for some sort of answer, something tangible to gain. Panic began settling in. His breathing hastened. Could he save something from the fire? Was it possible still? All of that work, all of that time and effort, he couldn't just stand there. Maybe there was a chance?

Charles' foot lifted from the ground, but was stopped when another voice sounded behind him, causing the feline to jump.

"A bonfire? This early?"

The tiger planted his foot and turned to place the voice to a sole fox, standing smug clad with brown khakis and a hideously green Pawaiian shirt. Whoever this was needed a stern talking to in the fashion department. However, he could help but raise his guard. Considering where he was and the spontaneity of the encounter, who knew what other motives this mammal had by coming over to him?

"There better be s'mores in that jacket of yours. Otherwise I'd've woken up from my nap for nothing."

"Sorry to disappoint," Charles shrugged.

The tod waltzed up alongside the cat to bask in the warmth of the fire, Charles making sure to keep him well within his sights.

"So…,"

"Charles."

"Charles," he repeated. "What brings you to my humble abode? Bad breakup? Turning a new leaf? Burning evidence…?"

"Sorry, I didn't know that anyone lived here," he dodged. "Sorry for intruding. I'll be out of here once the fire is out."

"It's fine," he shrugged. "I enjoy having company, especially when it's other mammals exploring my district. Lets me know others haven't forgotten about us."

"My coworker and one of my friends lives down here. Coupled with the great food, I don't think they'd let me forget about this place if I tried."

With that, the reynard let out a chuckle. "Good on them. By the way, the name is Nick. Nick Wilde."

"Nice to meet you, Nick."

"Likewise. So, what's in that drum?"

"Nothing important," Charles fibbed.

One look told him that the didn't believe that for a second. He sighed.

"Let's just say that it was a really shitty breakup and call it that."

Charles looked over towards the tod to find him still staring, as if he wanted more.

"Fine, okay? I said something I shouldn't've, pretty much screwed this guy over. Someone that pretty much meant the world to me. I'm sure he hates my guts now. And you know what? I don't blame him. I'm a piece of shit. What I did to him was really selfish, and all I can do now is hope that he can forgive me, which I know is never going to happen. I want to take it back, take back what I said, what I did, just so things could go back to normal."

Nearly on the brink of tears, the feline took one last look at the fox, finding his smug look to be absent, replaced by something more melancholic. His tail was low, and his ears were pushed back a touch, a brightly colored carrot-shaped pen gripped in his paw. It looked like something ripped straight out of the Burrows, or the ground. Why would he have something like that?

"What's that?"

"Oh, this?" He wiggled the pen between his fingers. "It's something that I got from a… friend. I don't really see them anymore."

"What happened?"

Nick shrugged, then frowned. "Bad breakup."

o o o

Hours had passed Edward and Sharla by in their shopping frenzy, and their haul was better than either of them expected.

The first stop was what they came for, which was finding a computer suitable for Edward and his work at the mall's Beast Buy. Unsurprisingly, the first representative of the store was less than accepting of Edward and Sharla's relationship, ousting them right in the store in front of all its customers. The lupine assisting them even went as far as growling and baring her fangs and making and unsavory comment about savagery. Sharla on the other hand remained unfazed. She stepped in front of her wolf and stared her foe down, maintaining their ground like a true alpha. Eyes and phones were glued onto them. In Edward's eyes, it was a nightmare.

But before Sharla had the opportunity to voice her brash opinion or act on her instincts, the onsite manager—a kind hare named John—was quick to deescalate the situation. He reprimanded the bigoted wolf for being out of line, fired her on the spot, and had security escort her out of the building. The rabbit-esque mammal apologized relentlessly for his coworker's ignorance and even offered them a fifty percent discount on their entire order. Edward and Sharla kindly accepted the more than generous offer, continuing with their mission with the assistance from John.

After two hours inside the technology outlet, the couple managed to snag two laptops, one being a PacBook Pro—the same one supplied by the Gazette— and the other a super high-tech gaming computer, comically branded Predator, which gained a laugh from both the manager and from Edward. With a couple computer mice to boot, and the signage to pick up the product at their parking garage, their trip to Beast Buy had concluded, now with more hardware they could ever need.

"John was incredibly kind to us," Sharla smiled.

"I can't believe that discount he offered," Edward noted.

"Not to mention the free diagnostic if anything goes wrong. I might just have to buy him a bottle of wine."

Edward nodded, and left it at that.

The two scoured the third floor for more stores to visit for a while. They didn't have a set plan after the laptop purchase, so anything in the mall was fair game.

After minutes of walking they stumbled upon the pint-sized Helping Paw donation center, and got themselves an outfit each. Following that came Sharla's pride and joy, Guitar Central. Unfortunately, Sharla couldn't find a guitar she liked or anything that piqued her interest, so apart from strings the trip there was a bust. However, across the way was Hot Tropic and Grunge City, where she and Edward managed to find a couple t-shirts from their favorite bands. Although, he found that his ewe was more than transfixed on the adult-friendly toys in the back. Too embarrassed to do anything, Edward convinced Sharla to ignore the sultry items. The two purchased their band merchandise and left.

Unbeknownst to Edward, Sharla already had something else in mind.

The lupine was distracted on his phone when his ewe yanked him towards another store. The windows were darkened and covered in red spray painted roses. He wasn't even able to catch the name before they encountered the burly boar bouncer at the front, who waved them in almost immediately. For some odd reason, the mammal chortled at them, more so at the wolf's confused glance than Sharla's spunk. Why would he laugh? Edward had a sinking feeling he wasn't going to enjoy this next stop

He hated being right.

It was an entire store dedicated to sultry desires. Magazines, vibrators, dildos, you name it, they had it. Edward felt his entire body go crimson. He would have rather told the entire populace of Zootopia about their interspecies relationship rather than step foot in that store, which happened to go under the guise Fauxxxy. Any ounce of struggle or defiance about delving deeper to his wife was simply met with a version of the phrase, "don't tell me you don't love it." He hated the fact that she wasn't wrong, but it didn't mean it wasn't embarrassing for him.

After thirty minutes of hell—the awkward selection of strap-ons, silicon extremities (of Edward's choice), as well as a pair of fuzzy cuffs—they sent the order to their garage and left the store both fully flushed and satisfied.

"Still not shocked about the feline schlong, by the way."

"Shut up," Edward grumbled, taking her hoof.

"You might not miss him, but you definitely miss that d—"

"Stop," the lupine whined, covering the red on his face.

Sharla giggled and pulled him close. "You know I love you, Eddy."

"Love to tease me," he rolled his eyes playfully. He shook his head. She was waiting. "I love you too, Shar."

The duo took some time to cool off and look around. It was only half past noon, three and a half hours after arriving at nine in the morning. There were plenty of other shops in Outlet Zootropolis, and they planned on exploring as much as they could. She was still hoping to pick up a new guitar, and knowing Sharla, it was going to bug her until she got the one she wanted.

For now, per Edward's request, their current quest was finding somewhere to refuel, and they had Japawnise on the brain.

It had been around fifteen minutes of walking aimlessly before either of them anything past a suggestion, until Sharla mumbled under her breath, "Wait a minute…is that…?"

Edward's ears flicked and turned his head to her, then to what she was staring at, which was a restaurant named Leaf-Cuisine. The lupine stomach growled. "What is it, hon? What did you see?"

"It is!" she said, ignoring his question giddily.

Sharla took her husband and pulled him along, just as she did with the previous stop. Edward had no idea why his ewe was still dragging him along, nearly tearing his arm straight from its socket, until he heard a specific name ring in his ear.

"Judy!"

The split second from hearing the name and looking up granted Edward the chance to spot the small female rabbit in officer garb standing in front of the on-display menu of the cheap looking restaurant.

Since when did I become so snobby?

That first thought brought a chuckle to his chest. As he got closer however, his thoughts began to process quicker, in turn bringing the pace of his heart up as well. Considering the call from before and the fear of whoever was on the other end of that line trailing the newlywed couple, he began wondering about the implications of being in the same area with Officer Hopps, let alone holding a conversation with her.

This was bad. The mystery mammal and his accomplices, if they were trailing him, if they cared—which they would—would consider the option that he'd ratted them out to the police. What else would it look like to them? How would they react? What would happen now? Would Sharla and his family be in danger? What about Charles? Anders? If Sharla found out about the plot, she would be in danger. His family. His future. Gone with a simple conversation.

The world suddenly became dizzy. He couldn't breathe.

Don't panic. Don't you dare have a panic attack. Not here. Not now. Anywhere but here. Breathe. BREATHE.

Finally, he stifled his fear and willed his lungs to finally take in air, just as they reached the female officer, who had managed to spot the couple.

"Hey, guys," the doe spoke with a smile.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you on patrol today?"

"They assigned me to downtown. I had to respond to a call about a domestic dispute outside the mall. It resolved itself, and while I was here I thought I might grab some lunch, so here I am."

"At least you didn't have to do much," the ewe chuckled. She turned to the lupine. "By the way, this is my lovely husband, Edward."

Judy extended her paw and warmly grinned at him. "Nice to meet you officially, Edward."

She's still not like how I remember. Less determined. Still kinda sullen. Though her ears are up? I'm not sure.

After a slight moment of hesitation, he shook the officer's paw. "L-likewise."

"So," Sharla grinned, "since you're getting lunch here anyway, why don't we all eat something together? Our treat."

The lupine let out a silent sigh. There's no way that they'll think otherwise now.

"I don't know," Judy shrugged, "I'm still on patrol, Sharla. I don't know if I'll have time."

"Did you already call in that you're on lunch? Or do you need to?"

"No, but we do have sixty minutes to eat if there's not a major emergency—"

"Then it's settled," she decreed, "you're eating with us."

Judy laughed, then finally conceded. "Alright, I guess I'm eating with you guys. What did you two have in mind?"

"What do you think about Japawnese? Edward and I were thinking about it and we've been searching this place forever for… one." Her eyes wandered behind her childhood friend and lightly fist-pumped the air.

"Never had it here," the lagomorph shrugged. "Guess we could try it."

"Oh, we're definitely doing it now. Good thing, too, 'cause I think I just found our restaurant." The ewe gestured behind her and both wolf and rabbit turned to the restaurant in sight, which went under the name The Roll. It looked fancy.

"Are you sure, Shar—"

Sharla pulled the unsure rabbit officer along and hopped toward The Roll. "Come on!"

Edward was right in his original assumption. The Roll was the fanciest restaurant he'd ever set foot in. Dim lighting, hibachi grills, an open sushi bar, professional chefs, it was a proper place for one hell of a date night.

The trio, with the help of a waitress, found an open booth in the far corner in a secluded part of the establishment. In the time it took for them to order, receive their drinks, eat, and receive the bill, Sharla and Judy were enthralled in the stories of the stories of their days in college and at work. Edward only added in and sparked conversation when needed, but for the most part inattentively listened. He was contemplating his next move.

Edward still wondered if he was still being tailed, the thought nagging at the back of his mind. If he was, he would surely face the wrath of whomever was on the other end of that line. If he wasn't after all, then that would surely be some great luck and a godsend. But this was Zootopia. It might look pretty on the outside; on the inside, however, the city was a cruel place.

That being said, if he was being tailed, dining with Judy was the final nail in his coffin. What other option would he have if they questioned why he was there in the first place?

The lupine rubbed his aching head. What's the point in sulking and mulling it over? I'm already screwed. I might as well just tell Judy what's going on and get it over with...

His mind lagged a bit.

What if they bought the fact that we were meeting up to reminisce? If they're close, as long as I don't say anything stupid, I should be alright. Still… I don't trust them.

Edward contemplated the odds further. It was possible that he could make out like a bandit, but there were so many factors in play. They seemed to always have the one-up on him.

What… what if…, he considered, I tip Judy off and not physically tell her anything? I'm not the greatest liar, but if I can get away with not telling anyone about the story or the plot against the city, then what's one more going to do?

The lupine looked around. There wasn't anyone particularly suspicious sitting next to them, but he wouldn't throw anything to chance. Saying anything aloud was not an option. He needed to be discreet. He needed a pen and a fresh napkin.

"So your documents are still in the mail?"

"Yep. Until they come in officially, I won't be able to call myself Sharla Snow or prove to MASA about my marriage, not that they wouldn't believe me, but I don't mind. I'm still waiting on my new debit cards and my license. Those sloths at the DMV make it so much more difficult to do anything."

"Right?!" Judy uttered rather loudly, turning a few heads. Noticing this, the lagomorph awkwardly giggled and cleared the air with a cleanse her throat. "I mean, yeah. I've had a couple of encounters with them so far, and after that, I just hope that they don't require me to be there for a while."

"You can say that again, right, hon?"

The silver wolf snapped back to attention. He almost missed the whole conversation. "Yeah, I would avoid going there at all if possible."

"So," Judy said, changing gears, "now that you two are married and you've got a lifetime ahead of you, are you guys thinking about kids?"

Edward's heart leaped out of his chest, his face turning a sharp shade of crimson, wanting desperately to crawl into some hole, never to be seen again. Having kids wasn't even close to an option for him yet. He still needed to live his own life first, which meant finding a new job, getting out of this ridiculous Nighthowler situation, and find a better apartment, all of which seemed daunting.

On the flip side, Sharla was giving the question reasonable thought. She was the first to speak.

"I guess we have once or twice. But to be honest, I don't think either of us are ready yet."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, we kind of live in the tiniest shoebox known to mammalkind, plus the place isn't really that safe, so we'd have to move before then. We haven't submitted any adoption papers yet, or talked about what species we'd hope to come across. I was hoping to get an ewe and a wolf, myself. But I just wish I could have Eddy's pups and call it a day," she glumly sighed, the lupine taking his wife's hoof. She gave a grin. "But, I guess it's not in the cards. It's down to either a sperm donor or adoption."

"I'm sure you two will find some way to work something out."

"I'm sure we will," the ewe nodded. "I'm worried with everything going on that others will bar us from even adopting in the first place. And before you start blaming yourself, don't. It's not your fault. Bigots will be bigots."

Their waitress shuffled towards their table and handed them back Edward's debit card and their receipts, along with a pen. The lupine thanked the elderly red panda and she gave a bow back before she was off to the next table.

"We've still got our whole lives ahead of us," Edward continued while writing his signature, as well as on the fresh napkin he found. "I'm sure that you understand, being a new police officer and all. You're pretty much married to the job until life finally throws you a bone. But I know once we're settled in with a better home and in positions that are manageable, only then will having kids be on the table."

Sharla nodded in agreement.

"At least you two know what you want," the lagomorph stated, getting out of her side of the booth. "Well, guys, it's been a blast, but I've got work to do. The city won't police itself."

The married couple scooted out of their side of the table and hugged the rabbit goodbye.

"It's been fun, Jude. Let's get together again sometime."

"Likewise."

Judy began her leave and was a couple of steps away from exit before Edward's heart started racing. Now was the time.

"Oh, shoot," he loudly whispered.

"What?" Sharla asked.

"I forgot to tell her something. Wait here, I'll be right back.

"Sure thing, I've got to hit the ladies room anyway."

Perfect. The wolf rushed over to the officer in a rush of pure adrenaline, napkin in hand.

"Judy," he called out. She was just reaching the exit.

The large ears of the rabbit perked, angled themselves toward him, much like a wolf's, then turned to meet him. "What's up, Edward?"

Edward stared blankly at her like a deer in the headlights. He was standing there like an idiot, unable to breathe. Finally, the wolf willed the breath to come out of his lungs. He looked down at the flimsy napkin and said, with a crack in his voice, "there's something I need to give to you. But you need to promise me that you won't open it until you're out of the mall and in a safe place. Maybe back at the Pangolin Arms if you can."

She looked confused, almost amused.

"What do you mean? Why can't you just tell me what it is?"

"It's… complicated," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with his free paw. "Please," he begged, "just trust me. It's really important."

She chuckled and shook her head, taking the paper and folding it into one of the plastic bags tucked away in one of the pockets of her utility belt.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Ed," she nodded. Edward was about to turn to leave, but noticed her mouth agape, trying to think of something to say. After a second, she found her voice. "I thought about what you said a couple of nights ago, and it kinda stuck with me. I do want to help you and the city. I want to make this city a better place. It's been my dream since I was a kid. I'll try—no, I won't try. I will . I'll make this right. I don't know how I will, but I'll do my very best. For you and all of Zootopia's citizens."

"Thank you," the wolf repeated, the tiniest of grins blessing his maw.

He was gushed at how his spite and sadness turned into such fire. Despite the tinge of heartache, he could see her grit, her determination. Regardless of his reservations, giving her the tip was the right call. If anyone had a chance at cracking this wild Nighthowler conspiracy, it was Judy.

Judy flashed a smile of her own, then turned to leave. "Have a good one!"

"You too," he waved back, in shock.

It's done, the thought raced. No going back.