Judy followed her sullen husband, her two steps matching his one. "Nick! I'm talking to you, you can't just walk away from this. Not this time. What the heck did you do?!" She hopped over his fallen tail, and stood in front of him. "Where do you think you are going?"
"There is nothing to talk about, and I'm going to see my girls. Leave it alone, I'm telling you this for all of our own good. Trust me on this." Nick gently pressed on her shoulders, softly shifting her out of his path as he walked towards the nursery. He touched the door handle, then gave a sad smile back at Judy as she rubbed where his paw rested moments before. "Just let me carry this one, no one else needs to suffer." As he turned the handle, he felt Judy's soft paw tugging on the back of his shirt. "Come on, let-hrrrk!"
Judy lowered her body as she pulled Nick over her shoulder, barreling him onto his stomach. She stood over the surprised fox, her fists clenched, her ears covering her eyes. "Idiot. You are such a self centered, egotistical moron!" She sniffled as she moved her ears from her eyes, her face torn between sorrow and anger, tears running from her fierce violet eyes.
"Are you nuts? What was that about?!" Nick angrily stood, still in shock. He brushed himself off, before he saw the furious bunny stomp closer to him, pressing her finger into his chest.
"Don't you dare! I'm talking now! Carry this one? Carry this one? Do you think that's going to fly with me? What you are doing hurts more than whatever happened to me. You know that? At least if I knew, I could deal with it, but not knowing? That's a million times worse, and knowing that you do and you just feel some stupid need to keep it from me and take it on by yourself? That's a billion times more! One quadrillion times, Nick! A full quad! We are married. Sickness and health, good or bad, all of that!" Each lowered yell Judy punctuated with a jab at Nick's chest with her finger. Nick backed away, with Judy pushing him through their bedroom door, and onto the floor. Straddling over him, she glared at his face as he tried to find words, then looked away from her. "See, that's exactly what I'm talking about! We can't get past anything if you don't open up your mouth and say something? What happened to the fox that could hustle out of anything? Are you that dead inside? You think I don't know? You think I don't know that you are faking everything just to make me feel better? You think no one notices? Everyone does! Especially me! Did you forget I'm your wife?! Or maybe there's someone else that has your mind occupied."
Nick's throat went dry. "No! Why the hell would you even say something like that?" He tried to push her off of him, but pushed his paws away. "Why can't you just get it through your hopping mind that I'm doing this all for you? Isn't that enough? This isn't a case, you can leave it alone now! It's over."
Judy shook her head, then stood up. "You don't get it. You don't get me at all. Maybe the Nick I knew died, because you certainly aren't him." She turned away. "Go on, run away. I'll figure it out on my own. I don't need your help. I'll bring you back on my own, I'll make us whole again on my own."
"Bring me back?" Nick stood up, watching her move to their bedroom window and open the curtains. "What are you talking about? I'm right here. Like I've always been."
"Are you really? That fire in your eyes is gone. Your laugh is gone. Everything about you is on mute. The only way I get any reaction out of you now is conflict, and that half-hearted thing you say is love. All you do is stay away from me, like I'm some kind of disgusting thing. Was being with me that disturbing? I don't even get to remember making love with my husband. And I don't even get chance to experience it, because every time you just back out. You tease me, make me think that MY Nick has come back. Then you just make up excuses. And through all of this, you keep a secret about my own life away from me. I guess all you can think about is sheep."
Nick stared at his paws, then looked at Judy as her ears fell to her back. Her frustrated stifled sob tore at his heart. In his head, he heard Bellweather's words 'You'll never get me out of your head, I still own you fox' over and over. Clenching his fist, he furred his brow. "Damn it, you are right. You are so right."
Judy turned as Nick approached her slowly. She wiped her tears away, her anger starting to return. "What am I right about?"
Nick stepped close to her, then rested his paws on her chest. "Just..." He bit his lips, then tightened his grip on Judy. "Just let me fix this!"
"What?!" Judy shrieked in terror, as her shirt was ripped open, torn from her body. She stared at Nick as his lips flared, and tried to pull away. "Nick! What are you doing?! Nick-mmph!" Her cry was cut off by Nick covering her mouth with his own. His harsh kiss, began to soften, then she felt a cool wetness hit her chest. Peering at the blurred redness in front of her face, she saw the tears run from Nick's eyes. Breaking away from the kiss, she touched her lips, embracing something in the back of her mind. "What was that...?"
"I'm going to prove to you that she isn't what I want. I want you!" Nick captured her lips again, his paws running down her sides, catching at her hips. "I'm not backing out anymore."