Chapter 2: Keepsakes
This was it! Their first day of work together. Judy felt as excited today as her first day on the force. She entered the ZPD lobby and saw that her fox friend had already arrived and was engaged in a very animated debate with Clawhauser at his desk while sipping some coffee.
"C'mon Claws, that's overrated."
"It is not Nick!"
"Okay, look, I will bet you that blueberry glazed donut that…" Nick stopped mid sentence, when his ears shot up and heard the light scampering of feet rushing towards them. "Oh no."
He barely had enough time to brace himself from spilling his coffee when a small body of gray fur collided with him. "And there she is. Hello Officer Sunshine," he muttered with a sigh.
"Morning!" Judy exclaimed towards both fox and cheetah. "What were you two talking about?"
"Hey Judy!" Clawhauser had leaned over on his elbows towards the petite rabbit officer. "Officer Wilde was about to bet me that…"
"Hey! Look at the time! I think we're gonna be late, better get down to the bullpen, got to make that first impression, am I right? See you later, Claws!" Nick placed his free paw behind Judy's back and quickly escorted her away.
Clawhauser looked surprised but then leaned his cheeks onto his open paws as he watched the two smallest officers of Precinct One walk away. He thought they looked adorable together.
"Nick!" Judy said as she placed her paw on his arm to stop him and shot him a glare. "Are you seriously hustling your fellow co-workers on the first day on the job?"
Nick put his paw over his heart and pretended to look taken aback, "Madam, this time I have a real badge, I would do no such thing." He finished his dramatic pose by gesturing to his shiny new badge while smirking.
Judy rolled her eyes and pointed at it, "Yes, your 'crooked' badge."
"What?" he replied and looked down to double check that it was pinned correctly. He looked back at her with a frown as she smirked back.
"Made you look," she whispered and turned towards the door. She didn't want to feed his ego that his immaculately pressed field dress and rolled up sleeves made him look good. "C'mon, let's get inside."
The fox followed her in, making a barely audible growl about 'sly, hustling, carrot farming bunnies from the burrows' under his breath.
"I heard that."
"Of course you did."
Judy walked down the bullpen aisle and hopped up to her seat. Nick walked up and looked around. He hadn't had the chance to ask his former classmates to see if anyone else made it to Precinct One. He discovered two of his academy classmates in the back row, an elephant and lion, who were right behind him in standing. The three of them shared a nod. It seemed there were no other seats left in the front row. A light tapping sound caught his attention and he turned to see Judy gesturing with her paw to join her in the large seat.
The fox smiled and climbed up. He was tall enough to sit and lean forward, while Judy had to stand. She put her paws together and leaned forward as well. The bullpen began to get rowdier as Chief Bogo finally entered.
"Alright. Alright. Shut it!" The cape buffalo roared as he stepped behind his podium. "We have some new recruits with us this morning, including our first fox." He gestured to Nick while Judy stole a quick side glance at him.
"Who cares," Bogo deadpanned while picking up his clipboard.
Nick, naturally would not let this golden opportunity pass and could not keep his trap shut, "Hah. You should have your own line of inspirational greeting cards, Sir."
"Shut your mouth, Wilde!"
The room of officers briefly snickered. Judy had a goofy look on her face trying to fight back a laugh. Bogo began to hand out the day's assignments. Judy still didn't know if he was going to pair her and Nick together. She turned and watched as her fellow officers left with their tasks, then her name was called.
"Hopps. Wilde."
She perked up in excitement while her partner kept a cool smile.
"Parking duty. Dismissed."
Judy gestured with open paws on the countertop as both their mouths dropped in shock.
Bogo eyed them for a moment and replied with the goofiest high pitched voice he could muster, "Just kidding!" He went back to his usual gruff self and announced their real assignment. "We have reports of a street racer tearing up Savanna Central. Find him. Shut him down."
After grabbing the case file, both fox and rabbit officers exited the bullpen. With keys in paw, Judy lead Nick to the cruiser parking lot. He spotted their smaller cruiser in the far corner.
"Here it is!" Judy announced waving her paws to her vehicle and unlocking it with her key fob. The designation on the side read 'Z-240'.
"Ah, I finally get to see the infamous 'Hareraiser'."
"Don't call it that!" Judy glared at her partner and pointed the ignition key at him. "And I'm driving."
"You're the boss," he replied as he took another sip of coffee and opened the passenger side door.
Nick plopped onto his seat and fastened the seatbelt. He looked around the interior of the cruiser. It was quite spacious and not as small as he had expected it to be. It was actually built for medium-sized mammals but the front seats, dash, pedals, and steering were retrofitted and raised to accommodate Judy's size. Glancing towards the rear, they definitely could put larger mammals than themselves in the back with the exception of the tallest ones such as elephants, rhinos, and giraffes. He set his coffee and aviators down by the middle compartment. Judy did the same with her notepad and carrot recording pen.
She looked over to Nick. "All set?"
He nodded affirmative and Judy turned the ignition. Z-240 roared to life. She merged into traffic and headed south towards Savanna Central.
On the way down, they discussed and formulated a plan to patrol along the longest avenues and streets incase their racer was a fan of drag racing along straightaways. The morning passed pretty quickly and there were no signs of the elusive street racer. The duo had stopped at some small food carts on Acacia St. Nick ordered himself a spicy cricket burrito while Judy bought some leafy veggie wraps. They found a local park and ate their lunch at a wooden bench.
"You know, I could get used to this." Nick began with a mouthful of food. "Being chauffeured around, mammal watching, napping in the park, and getting paid to do it! This is the life after all."
His partner glanced at him with a cocked eyebrow and teased, "Don't get used to it, Slick or I'll make you drive the rest of the shift and file all the reports later."
"Now that is one thing I am not looking forward to," he replied while pulling out his phone when he felt it vibrate in his pocket. He eyed it with a rather serious stare and then began to peck away at something with his thumb.
"Whatcha doing?" Judy asked before taking another bite of her lunch.
"Playing Words with Mammals. It's my turn. I have a nice lead on this poor mammal and I am about to crush them in this round."
Judy snorted. "Nick, I swear you are just a big kit in fox's clothing."
"I'll have you know this is a great way to test one's vocabulary and inflate my ego," Nick replied as he tapped in his word.
"Because it isn't big enough already?" she smiled his way.
"Nope. And I win!" he declared when his word play netted him an additional 300 points by hitting a double and two triples and the random player he was matched against quit the game. "Hah, it's always satisfying when they rage quit."
Scooting over, Judy stood up and arched her neck and placed her chin on his shoulder to get a better view of the phone screen, staring at the word board. Nick pretended to not be fazed by the sudden physical contact. She didn't recognize the word he played. "What's 'QUIXOTRY'?
"Really? My partner has never read 'Don Coyote'?" He smirked in her direction. "It means a romantic idea or action."
His tease earned him a prompt elbow to the gut. Judy stuck her small tongue out at him, "What do you know about romantic actions? And I read plenty, hot shot. How do I play you?"
"Ow." He rubbed his side and then a devilish grin formed on his muzzle. "And I know plenty romantic actions, Fluff. Give me your phone."
She handed it over and Nick downloaded the app and opened it. He gave the phone back to her. "Okay, make a username and I will challenge you."
Judy tried her name and found it already taken. She tried another variation. Taken. She sighed and tapped furiously for a solid minute with no luck. Nick sat amused, eating his lunch, watching her irritation and impatience grow until finally she found a name that wasn't used. "Okay, now what?"
"What name did you pick?"
"Laverne."
"What?"
"L-A-V-E-R-N-E."
Punching in the letters and sending the game invite, Nick shifted so he could look at Judy, "What is that from?"
"It's my middle name," she smiled.
Nick had to put a paw over his snout to contain his snickering. "Judith Laverne Hopps, huh?"
The rabbit glared daggers at him, "And why is that so funny, Nicholas P. Wilde? What's your middle name?"
"Not telling."
"That's not fair you jerk!" as she waved her veggie wrap directly at him.
"Life's not fair sweetheart. Besides I kind of like it. Laverne makes me think of lavender, just like your eyes," he smiled while putting his elbow up on the bench and made direct eye contact.
Judy was about to argue some more but somewhat deflated at his last comment. She was still glaring at Nick but felt a small blush in her cheeks and her ears reddened.
Waving his fingers to mock her, he teased, "Quixotry. Check your phone and see if you got my invite."
She was about to comment on that word play but looked down at the app first and saw a challenge from a 'FoxyWithTheMoxy'. The bunny doubled over in laughter.
"Nick, are you serious!? FoxyWithTheMoxy?" Judy said wiping some wetness from her eyes.
"You'd be surprised how many mammals underestimate that name, Carrots," he pointed out unfazed by her commentary.
After collecting herself, Judy noticed the time. "Oh shiitake mushrooms! We don't have much time left to eat. Let's finish up and get back to the car. Since it looks like it's my turn to go first, I will play a word later tonight."
He nodded and they both wolfed down their meals and jumped back into the cruiser.
Several hours passed as the cruiser continued to patrol down the street, passing a street clock that indicated it was a few minutes after 5PM. No racer. They had begun to wonder if he or she was even out driving today. Nick made a routine check-in with Clawhauser. The dispatcher had no new information to report either.
Leaning on his paw on the window, Nick was lazily scanning all the passing streets when something caught his attention. "Oh. Oh. Carrots! Stop. Stop the car. Pull over!"
The cruiser came to a screeching halt next to the curb. "What? What is it? Do you see the street racer?"
Her fox partner was already out of the door before she got an answer from him. Violet eyes went wide and locked onto the red fox who then stopped in front of…
"Oh my god, Nick." Judy fumed.
"Pawpsicles! Get over here and get your friggin pawpsicles," came the loud gravelly proclamation from a tiny fennec fox while waving a sample. Finnick stopped when he caught sight of another fox approaching dressed in all blue.
"Well, look who it is! My little boy is all grown up and taking over the family business," Nick said with paws clasped by his chin in mock reverence. "I'm so proud!"
Finnick furled his brow and growled. "Shut it, Wilde. Why don't you come a little closer so I can bite your face off."
"Wouldn't that be assaulting a police officer?"
"I wouldn't be assaulting a cop. I'd be assaulting a chump."
The two eyed one another before bursting into chuckles.
"How's business, Finn?" Nick asked as he hunched over a bit with his knees to be more eye level with Finnick.
"Usual. Not the same without you. Feels twice as hard and three times as annoying. Least I don't have to wear that elephant suit anymore and I get to keep all the profit," he smirked.
"Then I shall take two pawpsicles, my good sir," Nick said reaching for his wallet.
"Here. I don't want your dirty cop money."
"C'mon Finn, don't be like that," the officer smiled. "Okay, how about this? Here is a tip for the most excellent of customer service. I'll even give you a five paw review on Yip."
Officer Wilde peeled out a twenty dollar bill and placed it on the cart and grabbed two pawpsicles.
"Whatever. Say hi to the bunny cop for me," Finnick crossed his arms avoiding eye contact but unable to hide a small smile.
"Will do. See you around, Finn!" Nick saluted as he skulked off with his prized sweets.
"Ciao."
Coming back to the cruiser, there awaited a very annoyed bunny whose right foot paw was thumping at mach one speeds.
"Nick, I can't believe you did that," she huffed with her arms crossed. "I thought something important or dangerous happened. On top of that we can't just break patrol any time you feel like grabbing a treat. That racer could've driven by for all we know!"
His ears flattened at his partner's genuine ire. "Sorry, Carrots. I was just so excited to see Finn after all this time. I should've asked you first." He extended his paw to give her one of the pawpsicles.
Judy's eyes bounced from Nick's apologetic face to the pawpsicle and back. She sighed, uncrossed her arms, and her ears drooped down as well. Her foot stopped thumping.
"I'm sorry I got so angry, Nick. I know how much he means to you. I'll have to pass on that pawpsicle though. Thank you for the gesture," she smiled.
He smiled back, "Finn says hi by the way." Looking around he spotted a nearby recycle bin. Nick gestured one moment, walked over, quickly chomped the second treat, and threw the stick into the bin. Quickly returning, he signaled that he was ready to go and headed towards his side of the cruiser.
Both mammals jumped in and continued the hunt for their suspect. They continued circling through Gnu York before heading over to Acorn Heights. Nick provided a few short cuts through the city streets to help avoid traffic as they continued to scan the major roads.
It was nearing the end of their shift and still nothing. They covered several more streets and were slowly approaching another intersection. Neither had spoken for awhile. Nick was reclined on his seat, elbow up, pawpsicle in left paw looking out his rolled down window. He decided to brighten the mood. The only way Nick Wilde could do.
"So, are all rabbits bad drivers or is it just you?" Turning to glance at Judy as he gestured with his pawpsicle and went to take a lick.
A look of irritation grew on Judy's face and she decided to get him back. She waited till the last possible second and slammed the brakes at the red light. Nick crashed forward to the bottom of the passenger dash as the cruiser jolted to a sudden stop.
Judy with half-lidded eyes looked his way and mocked him. "Oops. Sorry!"
Her partner got back up. His pawpsicle was stuck to his fur over his left eye. Nick grunted as it took some force to remove it from his face. He chuckled as he turned back towards Judy, waving the pawpsicle at her. "Sly bunny."
The bunny had turned to face the road again with a satisfied smile and quipped, "Dumb fox."
Nick leaned towards her and proclaimed, "You know you love me."
Judy peered at the roof of the cruiser pondering the statement. "Do I know that?" She turned her head and leaned to Nick with a smile and answered her own question. "Yes. Yes I do."
The fox smiled back. They held eye contact for a moment.
Their light turned green and Judy began to enter the intersection when a speeding blur of red and white roared right through the red light from the left, causing her to slam the brakes to avoid the collision.
The two sat wide eyed for a brief moment in disbelief. It was the street racer! They quickly exchanged a glance while Nick flicked open his aviators and Judy prepared to gun it. He reached down to activate the lights and siren.
She slammed the pedal to the metal and peeled out in pursuit of the speeding muscle car. The chase didn't last long and the car quickly pulled over to the curb. Both partners exited the cruiser with Judy in the lead taking out her pad and pen, while Nick followed her with his paws behind his back walking towards the driver side window. He noticed the car had a custom plate: FST NML.
"Sir, you were going 115 miles per hour. I hope you have a good explanation," Judy said as she stopped next to the window with both paws on her hips.
The window rolled down to reveal a terrified sloth wearing a collared shirt.
Nick walked up, ears perked, amazed to see that the street racer was none other than his DMV buddy. He removed his aviators with an amused grin. "Flash, Flash, hundred yard dash!?"
Judy blinked in silence with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
The sloth's fearful expression quickly melted into a huge sleepy smile when he also recognized his friend and replied in his slow speech pattern, "Nick!"
"Flash, old buddy, could you wait right here?" Nick ordered and looked to Judy. "Officer Hopps, may I speak to you a moment?" He motioned with his snout to move back towards their cruiser.
His partner obliged and they stepped away, "What it is Nick?"
"Carrots, I know you may not agree with this, but I was thinking we could let Flash off with a warning?" the fox asked as he kneeled down to be more eye level with the bunny.
"Nick! You can't just let friends off the hook if they are caught breaking the law! He was going 70 miles per hour over the speed limit! That's…
"Reckless driving defined by driving over the speed limit by 20 miles per hour or more, punishable by 30 days jail time, up to $2500 in fines and possible license suspension," he finished for her. "And he ran a red."
His partner raised her eyebrows, ears up, and kept her paws on her hips waiting for him to continue. Nick held a paw up.
"Hear me out. He was a big help to us in finding Otterton and those missing mammals. How about you let me talk to him? I will give him a one time warning, take his information, and give him a small fine to drive the point home. If we hear about him racing again, we will bring him in, no objections from me, and I'll do all the paperwork for the report. I promise I won't make a habit of this. How's that sound to you?"
"Fine. I trust you on this, Nick." Judy's expression softened and she handed him the citation booklet and her carrot pen.
"Thank you, Judy. I owe you one."
Judy's black tipped ears shot back up and she blinked at Nick in awe while he walked back to have his conversation with Flash. For the one year she knew this irritating fox, not once had he spoken her name directly to her.
Fox and sloth engaged in a very lengthy conversation. Walking back to the cruiser, she decided to hop up and sit on the hood, legs crossed and paws on her lap, watching Nick exert great patience conversing with his friend. Whenever he spoke it was brief and animated. When Flash was talking, Nick stood at full attention with paws behind his back. At one particular point, Nick seemed to be excited and looking agreeable about something. She saw him finish by handing Flash a ticket and waving goodbye. The cherry red muscle car started back up and drove away obeying the speed limit.
Sliding back down, she waited for Nick's approach. He returned and handed her items back, "Got his plate, license, registration, address, and a small recording on that pen of yours. Our street racer is shut down." He looked at her with a satisfied smile on his face.
That smile was contagious and she grinned back lightly punching his arm. "Not a bad first day on the beat, Slick. Now it's time to head back so you can fill out your first official case report."
"Oh goodie," he drawled.
"How long have you known, Flash? You two seem like you go way back."
"Since High School. We were on the track team together."
"Are you hustling me, Nick?" the bunny giggled.
"100% the truth. Ranger scouts honor," he replied with a two fingered paw.
They both turned to get into their cruiser.
"Can I drive on the way back to the station?" Nick asked.
"No."
They hopped back into Z-240 and triumphantly drove back to Precinct One. After arriving, Nick had to make due on his promise and proceeded to do all the paperwork. Judy left him to grab some snacks from the vending machines in the break room. She came back munching on some type of fruity granola bar.
"Still working on that report?"
A low growl was her only reply.
"Don't be such a kit," she chuckled giving him a small flick on his shoulder. "You made a deal after all."
Judy's small corner cubicle desk was given a small extension from the ZPD maintenance crew and now she shared the desk with her partner. Nick was pecking away at her computer to finish their case report, since his was still being prepared by the IT department, and they would be done for the day.
"You don't have to wait around for me, Carrots."
"I don't mind," she said after finishing the last bite. Judy was still hungry. "We can grab a bite to eat after?"
Nick swiveled around in his chair. "Oh, so you aren't tired of this handsome fox yet? Well, I can't blame you."
Of course he got another punch to the arm. Judy picked up her phone. She was thinking about playing a word on that game they started during lunch when she heard her name suddenly.
"Hopps!"
It was Chief Bogo yelling from the fourth floor and pointing back to his office.
The two officers exchanged questioning looks and the bunny's nose twitched. "I'll be right back."
"Does he ever go home?" Nick asked aloud to no one in particular.
Standing in front of the office door, she was about to knock when Bogo spoke first, "Come in Hopps."
Entering the office, she scampered up to the large seat. "Yes, Chief?"
Bogo had his arms folded on his desk. He looked at Judy for a few moments before speaking, "I heard you and Wilde have already put a stop to the street racer case. Good work, Officer."
"Thank you, Sir."
"The reason I called you up is because I have something for you."
Judy's ears flipped up and a look of curiosity covered her face. "Sir?"
"Earlier this afternoon, we received a letter and special donation from the Mayor and Gazelle. This Friday, they will be converting the main town square and fountain outside our building to host a special Unity concert. We will be assisting and working security details but they personally asked that these special tickets be given to the officers who helped solve the Nighthowler case."
Chief Bogo opened a drawer and placed four tickets in front of Judy. "These are for you, Wilde, and two guests. VIP front stage access."
Willpower failed and Judy unprofessionally squeaked in disbelief. "Oh my god, sir, this is incredible! Two extra tickets… I should give one to Clawhauser! Would you like to go with us too, Sir?"
Even Bogo couldn't hide a small smile from his tiny officer's enthusiasm and kindness. "That won't be necessary, Hopps. I made sure Clawhauser got a ticket. Bring some family or friends and enjoy yourself. You can have the weekend off as well but be on standby. Dismissed."
"Thank you, Sir!" Judy reached out to grab the tickets, flashed the chief a sweet smile, hopped down, and raced back down the stairs to tell Nick.
With the two extra tickets, Judy and Nick decided to invite her parents. Bonnie and Stu Hopps seemed very excited to spend a night in the city and visit their daughter. She was very eager to introduce Nick. She had talked about him quite frequently. At first, her parents showed a small sign of caution in regards to her partner being a fox, but after hearing about him defending her job and helping solve her first major case, they had softened up significantly towards this fox friend they hadn't met yet. Bonnie happily supplied extra blueberries for her daughter's monthly care package when Judy shared how much Nick loved them.
The rest of the week passed by pretty uneventfully. The most excitement consisted of pulling over a few speeders, breaking up a small fight amongst some drunks, and catching some graffiti artists who were tagging historical buildings.
Once Friday arrived and their shift ended, they had planned to shower and change in the ZPD locker rooms. Nick was back in his usual awful green shirt and striped tie and Judy put on a nice blue and teal short sleeved shirt, tight black leggings, and her FitBite sports bracelet.
Outside the entrance, they stood on the large steps, viewing the nearly finished construction. Nick looked around indifferently while Judy was wide eyed checking out the set design. It was nearly complete and they could hear the sound engineers performing their final audio tests.
"Nick, look at those screens! They're movie theatre size. I can't wait to see the show!"
Her friend simply stood there with paws in pockets and changed the subject. "You haven't played a word yet, Carrots. Getting cold feet?"
Judy had forgotten about the app game since the concert news. She shot him a nonplussed stare, "Fine, I'll do it now. I will make you eat those WORDS."
Eyeing her available letters, she didn't have much to work with yet. The bunny punched in a four letter word vertically.
Nick's phone buzzed and he took a peek. A wide smile grew on his muzzle and he taunted. "SHIP, huh? And I had the impression I'd be playing a cunning linguist."
"You think you're so clever, Slick. Play a word then."
"Nope. It's more fun to leave you wanting more."
"Or maybe you're just stalling because you won't be able to keep up."
"I can do this all day," he winked putting his phone away.
They both laughed. Judy really enjoyed her friend's easy going company. "Shall we head over to Savanna Central Station? My parents will be arriving soon."
She noticed Nick turned a little nervous. He had looked away and then back while rubbing the back of his neck, "Do you think it will bother them that your partner is a fox?"
Judy inched closer and squeezed his paw and quietly reassured him, "Nick, don't worry. They know all about you. We actually have a close business partnership with a fox named Gideon Grey. He makes some of the best pies in the Tri-Burrows. We used to be classmates when we were younger."
Naturally, Judy left out the part about being bullied by Gideon and getting her left cheek raked. Those three scars lines still remained beneath her fur. She could still feel them whenever her paw brushed the area.
"Okay, Carrots. Let's go pick up Mom and Pop," his trademark smirk returned.
The pair walked towards the nearest subway entrance. After a short trip, they arrived at the station. The Zootopia Express pulled into the station as the loudspeaker announced its arrival.
Bonnie and Stu Hopps stepped out of the opening train doors and into the station alongside several larger mammals. The grand central train station was still a sight to behold for the country bunnies. They searched the crowd till they spotted Judy who was looking in the opposite direction while engaged in conversation with a taller fox in a green shirt and tie leaning up against a column. The fox noticed the Bunnyburrow arrivals and tapped her shoulder, gesturing for Judy to turn around.
"Mom! Dad!" Judy ran in and pulled both her parents into a big hug and gave each of them a quick kiss.
"Hey there, Jude the Dude! Hi sweetheart!" they both returned with a warm embrace.
Nick caught up, casually strolling up to the trio of bunnies with his paws behind his back.
Judy turned to put a paw on his arm and gestured towards him with a beaming smile, "Mom. Dad. This is Nicholas P. Wilde, my friend and partner at the ZPD."
Her partner cleared his throat, smiled, and stuck his paw out towards Bonnie first, "Mr. and Mrs. Hopps. Pleasure to meet you."
"Nicholas, so nice to meet you too! Judy has told us so much about you," replied Bonnie, keeping his name proper.
Stu politely shook his paw next. "Mr. Wilde. Thanks for coming to meet us. Bonnie and I haven't had a chance to see the big city yet. We're exciting about this concert Jude told us about, right Bon?"
"Oh, yes, we can't wait to see it!"
Turning back to Bonnie, Nick decided to break the ice some more with a genuine smile and playful tone. "Mrs. Hopps, please call me Nick, and I'm sure whatever Ca—Judy has said about me is not true."
This of course earned him a smack on the arm.
"Ow. See what I have to put up with?" he rubbed his shoulder and smirked at Judy who was returning his expression.
Bonnie and Stu shared a glance when Nick spoke up once more. "Please, let me help you with your bags." He reached to pick up both small suitcases.
"Dear, you don't have to carry those," Bonnie said.
"It's no problem, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Nicholas. But before you do, I brought some snacks." Bonnie opened her suitcase and pulled out a small clear plastic box filled with blueberries. "These are for you."
Nick's eyes went wide and graciously accepted his gift. "Oh, these are so delicious! Thank you." He already began to pop several into his mouth, practically forgetting to chew.
"Nick! I swear I sometimes think you're a pig, not a fox," Judy rolled her eyes while giggling.
"Mmm. Don't care. Have blueberries. And that's mean to pigs," came the muffled reply.
Judy looked at all three of them and waved her paw towards the station exit, "Come on, let's get you guys to your hotel and then we can head over to the concert."
"Lead the way, hun," Stu replied holding his wife's paw and following his daughter.
The three bunnies lead the way while Nick tailed them with luggage in tow. Judy had glanced back to look at Nick and mouthed, "See! Told you so."
Nick silently mouthed back with a wink. "You sure did, Jude the Dude."
Her ears fell instantly and she glared, pointing a finger at him, "Don't call me that!"
The four mammals exited the train station and headed over to the nearby, City Lights Downtown Hotel, where Bonnie and Stu would be staying the night. After checking in and dropping off their luggage, they all shared a nice meal before it was time to walk over to enjoy the concert.
"Good evening, Zootopia!" Gazelle began to a cheering crowd, "C'mon everybody, put your paws up!"
The pop star and her tiger dancers were on top of a gorgeous lighted platform converted over the main town square fountain. Colorful dazzling lights strobed around the large screen panels surrounded the circular setup that displayed mammal themed patterns, while matching water bursts shot towards the sky. It was a packed show filled with celebrating mammals of all shapes, sizes, and species.
Her opening song was 'Try Everything', one of Judy's favorites. The small rabbit could not help herself from bouncing and shaking with excitement as she turned towards Nick with the biggest grin.
The fox was calmly watching the opening display with a paw in his pocket, he noticed how bouncy Judy became, looking her way with a real smile of his own. He thought her fangirling elation was adorable.
As the song progressed, Judy began to vigorously hop up and down with arms swinging to the beat of the song while Nick was still playing it cool, simply looking ahead and just barely moving his head and shoulders to the rhythm.
She had looked over at him and hopped closer, goofy grin on her face, winding up her hips and slammed them into Nick's side. He almost doubled over and pulled his paws out of his pockets and decided to humor Judy with his terrible dancing skills, bobbing his body up and down while moving his arms in circular motions.
Judy glanced back over laughing, happy to see Nick getting down, and was really moving with the beat now. Looking across the way, she saw her parents dancing together arm in arm, twirling one another, and clapping in an old fashioned Bunnyburrow dance.
Glancing further over, she saw Clawhauser, who was even more excited than she was! She waved at him, and he noticed her and Nick, waving both paws in excitement and continued his dancing.
"Oh my god, Nick. Look! Is that… Chief Bogo?" Judy pointed to another section of the crowd.
Sure enough, there was large cape buffalo cutting loose on the dance floor with extreme energy and a rare look of happiness on his face.
"Hah… who would have ever expected to see Chief Buffalo-Butt here? This is pure gold. I should get a picture for blackmail."
She turned to her friend, still bouncing, and reached her paws out to him. "Dance with me, Nick!"
"Carrots, these feet have no rhythm."
Judy wasn't going to take no for answer. She moved closer and grabbed his paws, hopping to and from with the beat. Nick tried to match her pace but was comically failing. He swung her around a few times and they continued to move until the song finished. They joined in the round of applause and she gave him a great big hug as the next song was ready to be performed.
After a few hours, the concert concluded. Gazelle shared a few parting words, thanked the cheering audience, and the crowds began to disperse. They found Judy's parents and walked them over to their hotel. After saying their goodbyes to Bonnie and Stu, the two partners were walking together down the street.
"That was so much fun!" Judy said but then got caught in a yawn.
"I see the energizer bunny does eventually run out of steam."
He already knew it was coming, but it didn't make the pain any less. He shot her a glare while rubbing his arm from the punch for the upteenth time tonight and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Walk me home? It's just a few blocks away."
"What kind of gentlemammal would I be if I didn't?" came the snarky reply followed by the usual smirk.
Nick glanced down to his partner and she smiled back.
As they made their way closer to her apartment, Judy's ears tensed. "Nick, do you hear that?"
"Hear what? You gotta be specific, Carrots. I don't have super rabbit ears."
The noise was faint but Judy could hear the sounds of someone struggling. "I think someone is in trouble! Quick this way!" She pointed to a nearby alley and ran towards it.
The fox chased after the bunny and when they rounded the corner, they saw a female antelope struggling against a very large gray wolf in a trenchcoat who was trying to rob her purse.
"Somebody, please help!" screamed the antelope.
"Shut up and give me the purse, lady, if you know what's good for you!"
The assailant's ears perked as he heard another voice directed at him from the street.
"Stop right there! ZPD!"
The wolf turned to see a bunny and a fox running straight towards him. He decided to let go of the purse and shoved the antelope towards the cops while sprinting down the dark alley in the opposite direction.
"Nick, check on her, I got this!" Judy yelled as she leaped over the fallen antelope and continued pursuit.
"Carrots!" But it was too late, the bunny was already making distance. The fox skidded to a stop and helped the victim to her feet, "Ma'am, I'm Officer Wilde, are you alright?"
"Yes, Officer, thank you, I'm just a bit shocked."
Nick pointed to the nearby lit sidewalk, "Ma'am please wait there and we will be right back." He sprinted back down the alley where he last saw Judy disappear while pulling out his phone and dialed the direct number to the ZPD dispatcher.
A different dispatch answered since Clawhauser was off duty, "Dispatch, this is Officer Wilde, we have a two-one-one, suspect is a gray wolf in a black trenchcoat on foot, Officer Hopps is in pursuit, near 6th and Troop St. Victim is a female antelope. She is safe. Requesting backup."
"Roger, Officer Wilde. Officers McHorn and Trunkaby are en route, five minutes. Over."
Gripping his phone tighter, Nick went into a full sprint and slid through the corner into a darker alley where Judy was catching up to the wolf.
There was a single small flickering light before pitch darkness again. With a burst of speed, she overtook the wolf, jumped up and planted both feet into his back, causing the perp to lose his balance and fall forward, tripping over some garbage.
The wolf rolled onto the ground and pushed himself back up, when she tried to get a hold on him. He flailed his arm out, knocking her to the side, where she caught onto the railing of a fire escape and swung herself around to safety avoiding a crash into the wall.
She was about to pursue again when he threw a loose brick at the small light and plummeted the entire alley into darkness. Judy froze for a moment, ears up, nose twitching, and tried to reach for her phone. Hearing the approaching steps, she tried to brace herself for impact when the wolf kicked her to the ground. She landed with a grunt, hearing a loud crack from her pants pocket.
He was about to lunge at her, when Nick came running, unfazed by the lack of light, and slammed shoulder first into the large gray wolf. Both canines fell to the ground into a struggle with growls and fists flying.
Judy recovered and found her phone. It was damaged from the impact and landing on top of it. She quickly tried to activate the camera light function, and shined the light on Nick and the wolf, as they grappled back to their feet. Nick's foot slipped slightly on some greasy trash, giving the wolf a chance to reach into his coat and she saw the flash of a shiny sharp object in his left paw, just as her phone light blinked and died, bringing the darkness back.
"Nick! He has a knife!"
Barely able to respond in time, Nick threw his whole body backwards as the wolf attacked in a backhanded horizontal slash cutting into his shirt and tie. He fell against a bunch of trash cans, instinctively grabbing the nearest lid and bringing it up to his torso, stopping the next attack, metal hitting metal.
He tried to back away against the wall and pushed back with the lid as a shield, desperately trying to activate the flashlight feature on his phone with his other paw while keeping his eyes trained on his attacker. The wolf attacked relentlessly and almost had him pinned, snarling near his face, "Just a dumb little fox."
Finally able to turn on the light, Nick shined it directly at the wolf's eyes to buy him some time and lightly tossed his phone underneath the wolf so that it illuminated his position from the ground. "Only one bunny can call me a dumb fox, and you made the mistake of turning your back on her," Nick growled looking past his attacker's shoulder.
Just as the wolf was about to attack again, a powerful double kick collided directly into the wolf's right temple and sent his head flying against the nearby hanging fire escape ladder and knocked him out cold, flipping him onto his back and the knife dropped to the ground.
Judy quickly restrained the unconscious wolf and could hear the approaching police sirens. The adrenaline was wearing off. Nick, still panting, let himself slide to the ground, dropped the lid, and looked at Judy, "You okay, Carrots?"
"Ugh. I'm okay." She picked up his phone and rushed over to him, shining the light on him and checking this torso. Small paws furiously patted down the slashed shirt. His tie was cut in half. Pulling her paw away revealed small traces of blood.
"Nick, you're hurt!" voice cracking, as she put her paws back to keep some pressure on his wound.
"I'll be alright," he quietly responded, avoiding eye contact. His eyes looked grim and full of sadness as she followed his gaze to his tie. He was holding the remaining half in his paw.
Behind them came the sound of large footsteps and bright lights as McHorn and Trunkaby arrived into the alley.
"Hopps? Wilde? You two back there?" McHorn's voice echoed past the building walls.
"Over here! Nick's been hurt!" Judy frantically yelled to her fellow officers.
Both rhino and elephant officers quickly came to their side.
McHorn shined his light around the alley and spotted the unconscious perp. "I'll take care of this wolf, Francine. Call in the EMTs for Wilde."
With a nod, Officer Trunkaby called a medical bus to come check on Nick, while McHorn threw the muzzled wolf into his squad car to be hauled down to the station. They took a report from the antelope and Judy. She returned to her partner's side, after thanking her fellow officers. The two officers wished them both well and drove away. Once the EMT had cleaned the small slash across Nick's chest and bandaged it up, he was given a shot for tetanus and a small dose of antibiotics.
Judy noticed Nick's silence and how he tightly gripped the severed half of his blue and purple striped tie in his paw.
"You're all clear, Officer Wilde. Go home and get some rest," the EMT said.
The fox slid down from the back of the bus, quietly thanked the EMT, and began to walk away. Judy quickly grabbed his paw and tried to stop him.
"Nick, talk to me." she spoke softly, ears drooping.
"I'm fine," came the tense reply. He stopped suddenly, realizing his reaction and putting his other paw over his face, ears dropping to his head. "I'm sorry, Carrots. I'm glad you're not hurt. I… I'm just mad that… something could have happened to you."
She didn't let go. She saw how his eyes looked at hers and smiled. Judy knew he may have been upset at her for charging in without thinking but he wasn't blaming her. And she also knew he was very upset about his tie. It was the tie she saw him wear almost daily. The bunny didn't want to push the issue any further, so she stayed silent.
"Let me walk you home and then I'll head out," the fox whispered.
Judy was still looking at his bandaged wound. "Nick, where's your apartment?"
"Don't have one anymore. I was going to head back to the warehouses by the Docks."
"Wait! You had an address on your tax forms! I remember it being in Cypress Grove?" she asked.
Nick paused briefly. "It's just a mailing address I use."
"But… the warehouses by the docks… you mean by that bridge where I found you nine months ago? Are you… HOMELESS!?" Judy almost screamed the question. Several pedestrians looked their direction at the outburst.
"It's not a problem."
"Yes. It. Is. You dumb fox!" The rabbit put herself in front of him to block his way. "I am not letting you go all the way across the city just to have you sleep under some damn bridge or in an abandoned building!"
"Swearing isn't becoming of you," he attempted to deflect.
"Don't start with me, Nick. You are coming with me and staying the night. I am not taking no for an answer!" Judy crossed her arms with an intense glare. Her foot began to thump.
Nick stubbornly glared back with paws on hips. Judy held her ground as well. She was not going to give in either.
Finally sighing and giving up, Nick threw his arms up. "Fine Officer Fluff, you win."
"Good," she shot back in triumph and pivoted on her foot to lead the way.
They walked the remaining several blocks in silence and arrived in front of the old rickety complex.
"The Grand Pangolin Arms, huh?" Nick eyed the older building. "Let me guess, the landlord is an armadillo?"
"Let's go inside." Judy tugged, ignoring his question, and opened the building door.
They quietly climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway stopping in front of a door with a carrot themed 'WELCOME' mat.
"Of course, you have a carrot themed welcome mat," he commented looking down at his feet.
Judy simply closed her eyes, exhaled through her nose, and shook her head. She was happy his snarkiness was slowly returning even if it was still a bit irritating. It was a good sign. Unlocking the door, she swung it open and walked inside. Nick followed her in and she flipped on the light.
"Here we are!" she announced waving her paw.
"Wow. This isn't an apartment. This is a shoebox," Nick said wide eyed, glancing around the tiny living space.
"I didn't have much time to find a place when I first moved to the city, It's close to work, and I can afford it on my salary," she declared.
Stepping further inside, Nick approached the desk. He saw a few Hopps family photos, a small reading lamp, tiny alarm radio, and a folded piece of paper. The square paper looked familiar to him. Picking it up, he unfolded it, and a small crumpled sticker fell onto the desk. It was his original completed ZPD application and the small Junior ZPD Officer badge that Finnick had slapped onto his shirt after being hustled by Judy over a year ago.
"Carrots, you held onto these?" he quietly asked.
She rubbed her shoulder in slight embarrassment looking down to the floor. "Guess, I just always hoped I could give the application back to you someday. Then you went and applied all on your own. And… I just couldn't make myself throw the sticker away when I picked it up after you left." Nick heard a small sniffle during the pause. "I decided to keep them as keepsakes. Bit cheesy, huh?"
Nick gently smiled to his friend, putting the badge back with the form, folded the application, and returned it to its spot. He loosened his ruined tie and placed both halves on the desk next to the piece of paper.
Judy checked her phone. The screen was cracked and it didn't want to turn on. Closing her eyes, she let out a big sigh, and placed it on her desk. She was going to need to fix or replace it.
Looking at the bed he asked, "So, how do we want to do this? I can take the floor."
"You are not sleeping on the floor, Nick."
"Well, I don't want you sleeping on the floor either," he put his paws on his hips in protest.
"If you sleep on the floor, I sleep on the floor. We will share the bed," she said nonchalantly.
"Uh…" his eyes went wide. He didn't know what to think.
Judy had to laugh. "Are you afraid of sharing a bed with a small bunny, Nick? Come on, I'm not going to bite. I'm used to sharing a space, especially when you have to deal with two hundred and seventy-five siblings."
The fox snorted trying to hide his rising heat. "I figured you wouldn't think it's proper."
"Look, I will take the inside half next to the wall, and you can have the rest of the space. It'll be fine, okay?"
"If you say so."
"Let me just change." She moved to her tiny clothes cabinet.
She opened it and pulled out some pajamas off the rack. When she glanced back at Nick, he had already turned around facing the rear wall and had a paw over his eyes. Judy smiled. He really was a gentlemammal she thought.
Hearing the sounds of ruffling clothes, Nick patiently waited as Judy undressed and changed.
"Okay, I'm done."
Nick turned around to see her wearing white pajamas with lots of small floaty colorful carrot patterns swirling all throughout her sleepwear.
A half smirk formed on his snout, and he opened his mouth, about to speak when she interrupted him. "Yes, Nick. I have carrot pajamas. Come on, I'm sure you're tired."
Judy hopped up, opened the window to let some air in, and moved a bunch of her plush dolls away to make room. She scooted over to the wall and turned on her side to face it. Her ears fell down her back and onto the mattress.
Watching her get settled in, Nick picked up one of the many plush rabbits. It was soft and wearing a blue tee with a large junior ZPD badge stitched to the front.
"Do you miss home?"
She peeked over her shoulder to see him inspecting the plushie. "Sometimes. But there's still no where else I'd rather be than here." She offered him a warm smile.
Smiling back, he set the plush back down, and looked at his torn and dirty green shirt.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Would it be okay if I took off this shirt? I don't want to get your sheets dirty."
"I don't mind," Judy replied while returning to face the wall again.
He unbuttoned his shirt and hung it over her small desk chair. Nick pawed the mattress. It really was a rickety bed. Still much better than a stone cold floor. Slowly easing himself down, he turned to his side and curled up slightly, facing the opposite direction of Judy, left arm under his head and draped his right arm over his side. His tail hung off the edge of the small bed. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.
With eyes half closed, Judy lightly ran her fingers against the mattress. "Nick?"
"Yeah?"
"If you were hustling two hundred dollars a day, why were you living in squalor?" she quietly asked not expecting an answer.
After a few moments of silence, he spoke up. "Long ago, I had my own place in the Nocturnal District, in one of the few apartments that would willingly let me stay. So the manager gave me the leaky basement to occupy and I slept in a makeshift bed in the bottom drawer of a large cabinet. It was mouldy, smelly, and cold... but it was home. Eventually, the property owner found out there was a fox living in the building, so they kicked me out."
He took a deep breath and continued, "I knew of an old warehouse I could squat in at the Docks. At least it had fresh air, no leaky roofs, rent free, and it was nice and quiet. As far as the money, after I give Finn his share, I just took what I needed for eating and keeping clean, and sent the rest anonymously to my Mom."
Judy's mouth was pursed, eyes wide and completely teared as she listened to his confession. The bunny desperately wanted to turn over and hug her friend. He really had such a big heart that he kept locked away from the world because that same world often treated him worse than dirt. She knew he didn't want any pity so she forced herself to lay still.
"Nick." she whispered and her voice cracked a bit, "You're always welcome to stay here anytime you want."
"Thanks, Carrots." came the barely audible response.
A few minutes passed and she looked over her shoulder, to see his faint outline in the moonlight, body slowly rising and falling to his deepening breaths.
Judy managed a weak smile, closed her eyes, and whispered, "Goodnight, Nick."
