Things moved very quickly. Nick simply hung on as tight as he could while the day flashed passed him. The moment they left SafePaw the trio zoomed off to Nicks apartment. Whenever the fox got a little nervous by his current situation he felt in his pocket for his new baton that Sheng had gifted him, causing him to calm down. It felt good knowing that even if all this fell through he wouldn't be jobless out on the streets.
The atmosphere inside the limo was unsettling, both Judy and Clawhauser were busy doing things on their phones while Nick simply sat in silence. Ben was situated at the back of the limo while Nick sat across from the grey rabbit. The only time conversation was brought up was when Clawhauser would ask some general question in hopes to strike up a conversation.
"So Nick when did you first want to become a bodyguard?" He asked awkwardly.
"Oh… well…" Nick stammered, he had just met these two and he didn't really want to open about his past quite yet. Some of that information was… sensitive, "just after high school".
Both Clawhauser and Judy glanced at each other before staring back at Nick. You could cut the awkwardness in the limo with a knife. They clearly wanted to know more. But instead of giving them what they wanted he asked a question of his own hoping to cure the silence.
"When did you two meet?" He asked, wanting to learn more about the mammals he was now working for.
Ben looked at Judy as if waiting for her approval to share their story, which she eventually gave with a simple nod.
'Very interesting' Nick thought to himself.
"Gosh where do I begin? We first met on the first day of high school in our English class. I was just some awkward teen who didn't have many friends, but luckily so was Judy, so we bonded over that fact. But one thing that she had over me was the fact that she dominated in whatever fine arts she participated in. When I realized she had such natural talent I came up with an idea. 'What if we tried to turn her talents into a career'. So I started getting her gigs around the area and after about four years here we are." He said in a joyous fashion.
Nick listened attentively hoping to learn more about the rabbit across from him. As of right now she seemed to want to open up as much he did, so he would have to pry in the one mammal who was talking, which was Ben. Although even what he was saying seemed to be missing some elements. Plus the fact that he had to get her approval to share info made Nick question who the mammal in charge really was.
But for now it was time to push some boundaries, see where the edge was exactly.
"Hey Ben where are you from?" Nick asked.
"Oh, I'm from the out skirts of Sahara Square, I was born there but moved outside the city when I was 13 and then moved back in a couple of years ago when Judy's career started to take off."
"Hmm. And what about you Hopps, where are you from?" The fox asked thinking about his next words carefully.
"Well wouldn't you like to kn-"
"Wait let me guess" ,Nick said cutting her off, "Bunny Burrow".
The fox leaned back in his seat wondering what the rabbits reaction would be. She looked up from her phone, her face unreadable.
"Why do you say that, because I'm a rabbit?" She asked with a bit of hostility.
'Bingo' Nick thought to himself. And with that Nick learned that she didn't like stereotypes as much as he did.
"No, because the farm that I get my blueberry's from has your last name in their brand name" He said.
This clearly caught the rabbit off guard. It was a pretty obvious fact but not many mammals connected the dots between her and her families farm. She tried hard to keep that fact behind her because it didn't exactly look that good a superstars original life was supposed be working on a farm.
"How did you know that?" She asked nervously.
The fox put on his classic smirk and half lidded gaze and looked at the rabbit.
"Oh well consider it a lucky guess" he said, this made the rabbit visibly relax.
The silence was now a bit comfier as the limo eventually slowed to a final stop. Nick stepped out of the limo to see his apartment building with a moving truck in front of it. There were mammals already there moving his stuff into the truck which caused Nick to come to a realization.
"Wait how did you know where I live?" The fox asked to both Ben and Judy. Judy simply walked past Nick, turning to face him,
"Just like you we do our research" She said before turning back towards the building. Ben then walked past,
"By we she actually means me" reaching his arm around Nicks back to hold him by the shoulder and lead him inside. Up on his floor much of his room had already been emptied out. The small apartment now feeling slightly larger with nothing in it. One of the last remaining items inside was his coffee maker, which just a few hours ago he had used to make his saving grace. But now it had been unplugged and was left waiting to be packed away in the truck. Nick looked around reminiscing on all that had happened in the apartment. He hadn't lived there for long, maybe a year or so, but it was his first true apartment and something that he had been proud to call home.
A paw on his back pulled Nick out of his thoughts, Ben was standing next to him looking concerned.
"I know we just met Nick but I can tell that you are a very independent mammal. Where you are going to be living will be a lot nicer then this place and I promise that I will help you in any way I can to make this transition as smooth as possible", He said while looking at Nick.
"What about Hopps?" Nick asked wondering if the rabbit would be of any use to him other than his client.
"Weeellll" Ben said uncertainly.
"Wow look at this dump!" Came a female voice from the front entrance to the apartment.
Both mammals turned to see the rabbit in question walking in.
"Gosh Slick you lived here?" She asked taking in the view of the now empty apartment, "there is only like, two rooms. If you call that postage stamp of a bathroom a room."
The rabbit continued to walk towards Nick who crossed his arms apprehensive of what the rabbit was going to say.
"Boy, it sure is a good thing that we got you when we did… you can thank us later."
Nick knew that the rabbit was just playing around again but for some reason the fact that the smaller prey mammal was talking to him like that made him aggravated.
"Yeah we will see about that" he said through clenched teeth.
'Why did I say yes to this' Nick thought to himself. If this is how the rabbit was going to act he wasn't going to be happy. He only hoped that this was just how she treated a rookie and eventually she would treat him more respectfully. More like the mammal who was supposed to protect her.
—
It didn't take that long for the moving crew to get all of his stuff out, the last thing to go being the coffee maker. The way the movers treated his stuff made the fox nervous, they picked up and hauled everything with very little care and one of them even dropped his books that he had in his small bookshelf. In reality he didn't have that much stuff but that didn't mean that he didn't want it all to survive.
Once the truck was all loaded up and Nick turned in his key they left for The Loft's. The ride was more awkward silence with sparse conversation. It wasn't a long ride again, just to the other side of Savannah Central, but with traffic it took longer than it should have. Soon the large tower of The Lofts came into view. The limo rolled to a stop just out front and the group got out.
Nick stared up at the massive glass building in front of him. It reminded him of the building that Peter Moosebridge lived in but just not as tall. I reality that building was just a block away from where they currently were. This area of downtown was known for housing the wealthy as well as where most of the money in the city was moved around and dealt with.
The moving truck had already arrived and the crew was moving stuff inside, most likely to his new apartment.
It was now well into the afternoon and approaching evening time. There was an air of urgency in the moving crew as well as Clawhauser and Judy. An air that Nick didn't quite understand.
Upon entering the building Nick was met by the sight of complete luxury. The lobby was full of plushy couches, large tv's, and well dressed mammals. Elegant diamond chandeliers hung from the ceilings showering the open lobby with a warm yellow light.
Nick was impressed, the lobby was cozy but at the same time it was beautiful and extremely classy.
"Good afternoon Ben what can I do for you?" Came a male voice from behind Nick. The fox turned to see Ben talking to the front desk mammal who was a well dressed black panther.
"Oh I just need the set of keys for 5407 we have a new tenant moving in today" Ben said motioning towards Nick.
"Ah the bodyguard" the panther said digging through the draws of his large desk for the keys. Once he found what he was looking for he sat back up and handed the keys to Clawhauser. "Mr. Wilde I have heard a lot about you from the news."
"From the news?" Nick asked to which the panther nodded. "Hmm I hope its all good things then, most of it probably isn't true" the media loved to add info to make their stories seem better than they actually were. That was the only way they could get mammals attention.
"Oh I know, but as someone who sits and watches mammals all day I can tell you are quite the fox. Oh where are my manners, I am Julio Manchas" the panther said reaching out his hand which Nick took politely. "If you ever need anything my number will be on speed dial in your apartment phone, please don't be afraid to call."
"Thank Mr. Manchas" Nick said gratefully. Surprisingly all the mammals he had met so far had been very nice. All except one, said rabbit was waiting at the elevator, when she noticed that the other two mammals weren't with her she let out a yell,
"Wilde! Clawhauser! Let's go, we don't have much time."
Nick sighed and started walking over to where Judy was. Clawhauser hung back just a little longer knowing Manchas had another question for him.
"How long do you think he is going to last?" The panther asked genuinely.
Clawhauser thought for a moment, thinking about the fox and the rabbit and the dynamic that they had so far.
"I don't know. There is something different about him then anyone else I've brought in. I think he might be a keeper" Clawhauser said.
The panther laughed at Clawhauser's guess. "I don't know my friend, he seems like a good mammal but that client of yours is quite the handful. I'm gonna give him a week till he packs up and is out of here" Manchas said.
"Well we will see" Ben said.
"CLAWHAUSER!" Came the screech again.
"I gotta go" Clawhauser said before hurrying off to the elevator.
—
The elevator swiftly ascended up to the 54th floor out of 75. Not the penthouse but certainly a lot higher than where Nick had been living.
The doors opened revealing a long hallway the style of which was very similar to that of the lobby where they had just come from. There were a total of eight doors in the hallway, each with a different number on the outside.
Ben lead the way down the hall, passing all the doors until there were just three left. One door on the left, one on the right, and the last one directly ahead of them.
"Alright Nick so that door at the end of the hall 5408, that is my room. This one here," he said motioning to the door on the right, "Is Judy's room. Which means that this one" he motioned to the door on the left, "is yours". He said handing Nick the keys that Manchas had given him. At this point Judy had already disappeared into her room.
Nick took the keys and looked at the door, for some reason going into this new apartment made him nervous, 'what if this is all a scam and this isn't where I'm actually living' Nick thought to himself pessimistically.
Instead of waiting any longer Nick inserted the key into the door and unlocked it. Opening it up to reveal the wonders of his new apartment.
"Oh wow" Nick said surprised by what he saw.
The apartment was insane. Upon entering one was met with the large opening of a living room. The place had already been furnished, but it wasn't his stuff it, in fact it was way nicer than any of his stuff. The living room was split up into four chunks, the one to his left was the dining room with a glass table and several chairs surrounding it. To the right was a spacious kitchen complete with all appliances and marble countertops. And the last chunk in the back had a large couch facing an even larger TV. The fourth chunk was a hallway that lead down into three different rooms: two bed rooms and a bathroom. The largest bedroom itself had an extra bathroom in it. The walls were painted a deep blue with gray trimmings on the floor boards.
In total the place was at least four times bigger than where he had been living. Nick for some reason could not comprehend the fact that this apartment was now his. Just 24 hours ago he was living in his own apartment and now he was living in luxury.
"Hey Nick?" Ben called out gaining Nicks attention. "I know you are just moving in and getting used to all of this but we really must get going, the event is in 45 minutes".
Reality came crashing back down on Nick, he was only here for a job, a job that was supposedly in 45 minutes and he had no idea what he was doing.
"Oh yeah, okay I'll be ready in five minutes" Nick said before turning to the master bedroom. That's when a thought came to him, "wait". He said turning back to the living room where Ben was waiting.
"What am I going to wear?" He asked. He was still wearing his SafePaw polo, and now that he wasn't affiliated with the company he couldn't wear it. And all of his other clothes weren't exactly professional looking.
"Don't worry, your measurements were saved from Mammal's Warehouse when you last went. So I went ahead and got you a suit in a proper color scheme for this nights event" He said awkwardly.
"Oh, thank you" Nick said turning back around and heading to the bedroom once again.
—
The suit was really nice. It bordered the line between tuxedo and normal suit. The jacket and pants were a dark black while the shirt was white. The final piece of the suit was an emerald green silk bow tie that he wore around his neck. The suit even fit perfectly, it was slim to his form but allowed plenty of room for movement.
Once he had put it on and finished appreciating it in the mirror he went back out to the living room, making sure to grab his baton (just in case) before leaving. Ben, who was waiting for him, had somehow changed his clothes from his business casual to a black suit of his own and was also holding a clipboard.
'Why do all managers have clipboards' Nick thought to himself.
Together they left the apartment and went down the elevator.
"Wait where is Judy?" Nick asked. He had noticed that the elevator seemed too quiet.
"She is waiting for us down in the limo already" Ben said. "Let me brief you while I have the chance, then you can brief Judy in the limo with all of your protocol thingies that you have."
"Alright sounds good to me" Nick said. He was glad that Ben had a good grip on the situation, maybe he could ask him some questions once he was away from the rabbit who seemed to hold a tight leash on him.
"Okay we are heading to the Conan O'Lion show. Judy is the musical guest for tonight and the show starts at 11 pm but sound check and preparation starts at 6" Ben said looking at the clipboard that he was holding.
Nick checked his watch which read 5:14 pm.
"Yikes, we are cutting it a bit close aren't we" Nick said.
"We should be alright, it is only a twenty minute drive there but I'm sure they want us there because they want everything to be set and ready to go" Ben said one last time before the elevator doors opened. The two of them moved with purpose out the front door and into the limo which was waiting for them, as was the rabbit inside.
"You boys really just want to make me be late don't you?" Judy said sharply.
'Gosh, she is always just a ray of sunshine isn't she?' Nick thought to himself.
Once both him and Clawhauser were in the limo it took off down the road.
The Conan O'Lion show was one of the most popular late night shows in the nation, the host was a tall lion that was known for cracking jokes with the guest that tiptoed on the border of funny and inappropriate, which is why the show was so popular. Most celebrities ended up on the show eventually and made jokes with the lion, the musical guest of course performing a song of theirs.
The only thing Nick cared about right now was briefing Judy on the protocols and letting her know the codes.
"Alright Judy, are you ready for the protocols?" He asked the rabbit across from him.
Judy looked at him confused, "what do you mean by protocols?" She asked back to him.
Now it was Nicks turn to be confused, 'how did she not know what he was talking about?'
"You know like safety protocols and the codes you can say to let me know if you feel threatened or not." He said.
Understanding dawned on Judy's face, "Oh. No I don't need those".
Nick stared for a few moments wondering if he had heard her correctly. When he realized that he wasn't daydreaming he finally breathed.
"What do you mean you don't need those?" He asked dumbfounded by the bunny's lack of care for her own safety.
"I mean, I have no need for your silly protocols or codes or whatever. You just do your job that I'm paying you for and we will all be happy, does that sound good?" Judy said with venom.
'She's a maniac. She's crazy. She has no idea what she's talking about' he thought to himself again. Instead of getting mad at her Nick just decided to get answers.
"Let me ask you this. Have you ever been threatened by another mammal?" The fox asked.
Judy actually sat still for a moment in thought, "no I have not" she said eventually.
"Alright. Fine. We will do it your way, but when some crazy mammal comes up and tries to kidnap you I will save you." He said, this caused Judy to smirk as if she had won, "but not because I want to. Ill do it because I'm being paid to do so." This took the smirk off of her face and instead was replaced by a frown.
Before Nick knew it they arrived at the back of the Rockefeller Center where the show was recorded and then broadcast on MBC (Mammal Broadcast Channel). Even though it was the back of the large skyscraper where no civilians often went there were still several die hard fans who knew about Judy's performance on the show and were now crowded around the pathway into the building. Luckily security was there to help hold them back while Nick was simply there as insurance in case anyone got past their line.
Judy was the first to step out which caused all the people to scream out in joy at the sight of their favorite pop star.
"Judy! I LOVE YOU" called out an overly passionate lynx.
Nick followed close behind her, making sure the distance between him and Judy was minimal.
"Oh my gosh. Nick Wilde!" Someone else called out. Several other mammals called his name out as well when they realized who the bunny was being escorted by.
Nick was surprised by the fact that they had called his name out, forgetting the fact that Peter Moosebridge had called him out in front of millions and the footage of him and the rhino had been aired on the news as well.
He hated to say it but he was almost famous at this point, which is the opposite of what he wanted.
Either way the group quickly made their way into the building. Once inside they were ushered along by a rather excited pig who explained what was going to happen on the show to both Ben and Judy. Nick simply followed close behind listening in, this was the first time he had ever been to something of this level. The only other thing he could think of was of course the Zoozies a few days ago. But this was different, it was an actual TV studio for a show that he often watched.
They were eventually ushered into the green room where a female antelope make up artist was waiting to get Judy looking show ready. Through the whole process the rabbit continued to nag about looking as perfect as problem for the show.
"I don't want to be the embarrassment out there because of bad make up" she kept saying.
But after thirty minutes of working the make up artist finished her job and swiftly left once she received Judy's seal of approval. The antelope was completely flustered as she walked out, and Nick didn't blame her. If he had to deal with something as temperamental as make up with someone as temperamental as Judy he would be pretty pissed too.
Once Judy was completely ready she was taken out for sound check leaving just Clawhauser and Nick. The TV in the room provided a live feed of the whole stage much like the Zootopia Theatre had for the Zoozies.
While Judy wasn't there Nick thought he would take the opportunity to try and dig in further to Clawhauser and try to get some more information about Judy.
"So Ben what can you tell me about Judy now that she isn't here?" Nick asked flat out. He was tired of the hiding, he had been working for them for a few hours now and wanted to know who he was working for.
"What do you mean?" The cheetah asked confused.
"Like, I don't really want to delve into my own past just yet because it is not a happy story. But Judy, the mammal I'm supposed to be protecting has told me nothing about who she is or where she comes from. The only thing I learned about her is where she is from, which I learned based solely on a guess. So what more could you tell me that will help me grow more comfortable around you and her." Nick asked hoping to break through to Ben, he has known her for years so he must know something.
The cheetah sighed before leaning back more into the couch that they were both sitting on.
"Alright, but you have to promise that you won't tell her I told you. Okay?" Clawhauser said with pleading eyes.
Nick nodded, "yes I promise I will not tell her".
"So she hasn't always been the way that she is. You know a little rude a-"
"You mean a bitch" Nick interrupted bluntly.
"Well I wouldn't put it like that, but yes. She used to be really sweet and relaxed, but ever since her career took off she's been acting different, like how she is now. I think the fame just got to her and now she just expects to get whatever she wants" Ben said honestly.
"Anything else? I don't think it is just fame that could have turned a sweet little rabbit into that" he said pointing to the TV screen where Judy was doing her sound check that was just about to rap up.
"No not that I know of, why do you think something else is happening to her?" The cheetah asked concerned.
"No, I was just wondering. Again I know nothing about her." Nick said, "but thank you for telling me that, at least I know there is some kind of good in her".
It wasn't much information but it was reassuring to know that she didn't always act this way. After a few minutes of silence, the door to the green room burst open revealing a rather disheveled looking Judy.
"You sounded great out there Judy" Ben said, the cheetah was clearly lying because the audio had been turned down on the TV the whole time they were in there.
"Thank you. Now if you don't mind I have to use the bathroom" The rabbit simply stated.
"Ok, just let me know if you need anything" Ben said completely oblivious to the fact that Judy was not looking like herself.
The rabbit seemed rather normal, but certain parts of her seemed out of the ordinary. She was sweating, her pupils were extremely small, and her breathing was accelerated. Sure she just came from a sound check but its not like she was dancing or anything, she was just sitting behind a microphone singing her song.
Before Nick could notice anything more the rabbit disappeared down the hall.
"I'm going to go get her some water, it seems they didn't supply us any in here. Do you want anything?" Ben asked standing up.
Nick shook his head, "No I am good for now".
The cheetah nodded before heading out of the green room, leaving just Nick alone.
He was sitting for about seven minutes before he grew tired of sitting by himself, it also didn't normally take seven minutes to go find water. And in the action of standing up he felt the need to relieve himself.
'Bathroom'
He left the green room and turned in the direction that Judy went. Right outside the green room there were two more doors, two different bathrooms open for any mammal to use. Both of them showed that they were unlocked.
'Then where did Judy go?' He thought to himself.
He wasn't worried, the studio was crawling with security guards who made sure that the only mammals there were actually meant to be there.
So without a care he picked a door and swung it open. He was instantly met by darkness as well as a high pitched shriek that caused the fox's heart to stop. Out of panic Nick flipped on the lights not knowing what he was going to see.
The sight of grey fur instantly met his eyes. Without even thinking about it Nick shielded his eyes from the rabbit in front of him.
"Oh my gosh I am so sorry! I swear I didn't see anything!" He turned to walk back out but the door had already shut and his snout went straight into the heavy door. The fox opened his eyes to see what he had just run into, what he wasn't expecting was for there to be a mirror on the door in front of him. What he saw made his jaw drop.
It was Judy, and she was still fully clothed in her dress. But it was what was in her paw that surprised him, some other mammals might not know what it was. But where he grew up he knew exactly what it was.
The rabbit was holding a small purple container with its cap unscrewed, the cap was in her other paw but on the inside of the cap protruded a very small spoon. In reality it looked like a nail polish bottle, but to Nick it was a small cocaine container with a coke snuff built into the cap.
Nick turned and faced the rabbit, his jaw still hanging. It seemed that both him and Judy were at a loss for words. But after a few moments of silence Judy found hers,
"H-hey Nick. What are you doing?" She said quickly capping the bottle and shoving it inside her dress.
"Oh uhm, well you know, going to the bathroom" Nick said awkwardly.
"That's nice" the rabbit said before taking off for the door. She pushed past Nick and fought to get the door open. Nick grabbed her arm and pulled her back in, closing the door and locking it.
He held Judy and looked into her eyes. She looked normal once again, her pupils had grown back to a normal size and her breathing was relatively normal. She did just have quite a startle so her breathing was a little quicker due to that.
"Judy I know what that was" Nick said calmly. Judy's breath got caught in her throat,
"No I uhm, I don't think you do. Now let go of me." She said hoping to get out of the bathroom ASAP. Her breathing was picking up again and Nick began to feel her pulse through her arms which he was holding. She was freaking out and the fact that she was now on drugs wasn't helping. Nick knew what to do, he had dealt with this kind of stuff before.
He let go of the rabbit, knowing that in her current state she wasn't going to go running off. Nick kneeled down to be at eye level of the rabbit, the first thing he wanted to do was calm her down.
"Judy, I might be one of the only mammals who understands what is going on. Right now all I need is for you to calm down" Nick said softly.
The rabbits eyes were darting all over the place until they locked on Nicks. Her amethyst eyes stared deeply into Nicks emerald ones. The two just looked at each other for a few minutes of blissful silence. Nick wouldn't admit it but he could probably stare at Judy's eyes for a very long time, they held so much emotion and were utterly beautiful. But then he noticed something shiny coming from her eyes, they were tears. Her breathing which had calmed down almost to normal was now picking up again but with a different cadence.
The rabbit began to sob so Nick instinctually pulled the rabbit in close wrapping his arms around her in a hug. A flash of memories filled his mind causing a strange sense of déjà vu. The rabbit continued to cry but it was now muffled in Nick's jacket now.
"It's going to be alright Judy" Nick said reassuringly.
The rabbit shook her head against him in the universal signal of "no".
"What do you mean?" Nick asked confused. This was a problem that could be fixed and a it was a problem that he would be willing to help in any way.
"My career- is over" she said through sobs.
"Why is it over?" Nick asked confused.
"Because you now know about my problem and you are going to tell everyone and then my career is over" She whimpered out.
It was true, Nick now had the keys to her future. If he really wanted to he could just tell some paparazzi and they would spread the news like wild fire. And because of how horrible she had treated him thus far he might of considered it if he was a horrible mammal.
"Judy listen to me", he said pushing her away so that they could once again lock eyes, "I will not tell anyone about this, I promise. We can get you help without anyone knowing, and I will help you through it all."
Judy wiped her eyes with the back of her paws, "really? Why would you want to help me?" She asked, her crying slowing down.
"Because I don't want you to end up like…" Nick started to say before he realized what he was about to tell her. He was diving into the deep end by telling her anything more, and he was not ready for that.
Judy looked up at the fox wondering why he stopped talking, but she noticed that he was staring off into space. She wanted to know who he was talking about but for some reason she knew not to push it any more.
She felt good now, the coke running through her system keeping her level headed again.
"Are you ready to go back out?" Nick asked after coming back down to earth.
Once the rabbit nodded Nick stood up and brushed off the rabbits tears that had found there way onto his jacket.
"Alright well, we cant really be seen in here together so you go out first and I will leave a few minutes later" Nick said.
"Right, that would be bad wouldn't it" Judy said with a slight giggle sniffle mixture, before grabbing the door handle and turning off the lights.
Once the rabbit was out Nick locked the door and turned on the lights. He still had to relieve himself after all. Once he had finished he went to wash his hands before staring into the mirror at himself. He thought about how all of the dots were now being connected, as far as why she looked so off during her Zoozies performance. Or the fact that Clawhauser said that she had changed once her career took off. Drugs changed mammals and Nick knew that personally, he had gone through so much but came out on top of it. His mind began to race again as he thought about his past. His fear of the infinite, the never ending, the thought of being alone in a endless world.
Now he was starting to freak out a little, but luckily for him he knew how to control it, and after a few deep breaths he was good to go.
Stepping out of the bathroom Nick noticed that the corridor was a lot busier than it was when he first went in there. It calmed Nick down knowing that everyone was probably too busy to notice that two mammals just came out of the same bathroom.
Dodging mammals carrying cameras and lights Nick made it back to the green room. Inside Judy and Clawhauser were relaxing on the couch, both of them drinking water.
"Gosh it took you a long time to find that water Clawhauser" Nick said sarcastically.
"I couldn't find it, this place is like a maze" the cheetah said.
Nick looked at Judy who was avoiding eye contact with him and instead continued to look at Clawhauser.
The group sat around for the next hour waiting for Judy's part of the show. They sat around talking about various things, the whole time Judy somehow stepped out of every conversation involving Nick. To him it meant that she didn't necessarily trust him, whether it was because he was still a new mammal to her or if it was because he was a fox he couldn't tell. He would stress to her later that he kept his promises, no matter what.
But other than that the time they spent in the green room was uneventful and at 11:30 pm an elephant came in to bring Judy to the stage.
At this point Clawhauser turned up the volume of the TV so that both of them could actually hear what was happening on stage.
Someone had just gotten off the stage and the show was now running on commercial break. Conan was standing on the side of the stage talking to another mammal who Nick could only assume was a producer. Judy appeared on stage with the elephant and was put into her position in front of the mic while sitting on a stool. The performance was meant to be relaxed and personal which is why they had her sitting.
"We are live in 3… 2… 1…" and with that the lights flipped on and the stage was brought to TV life. The TV in the room now flipped onto the live feed that was being broadcast out to the world.
"Welcome back everybody. Oh boy do we have a treat for you tonight, performing her hit song Good Days, ladies and gentlemammals. The one the only Judy Hopps!" Conan said with his booming voice.
The camera then switched to a shot of the piano player as he started to layout a beautiful soundscape for the rabbit to sing on.
Once the camera panned to Judy, Nick couldn't help but be impressed at how natural she looked on stage. The rabbit he had just seen in the bathroom was completely gone and was replaced by a confident performer.
She sang the words gently and with very little effort. Just like at the Zoozies, Nick was captivated by the rabbits performance. Something about her just made Nicks heart pound a little faster than normal.
The more she sang the more involved Nick felt, as if he was sitting in the room with her, like she was singing just to him.
Before he knew it the song was over and the audience delivered a thunderous applause. Conan once again popped in from the side of the screen holding a picture of Judy's album cover.
"Ladies and gentlemammals, Judy Hopps!" The crowd continued to applaud while Judy stood up and accepted it. "Be sure you stick around because after the break we're gonna have more even more of everyones favorite rabbit".
And with that the TV faded to black before turning back to the wide screen live feed of the stage. Once again all the stage mammals started to set up the stage with the desk and chairs for the interview segment with Judy.
The rabbit and lion were busy talking to each other, their conversation not being picked up by the mics on stage, while the stage continued to be set up.
Once the desk and chairs were in space, and the producer let everyone know that the commercial break was coming to an end, Judy was ushered off stage and Conan took a seat behind his desk.
Again the countdown began, "3… 2… 1…"
"Welcome back everybody, you just heard my next guest perform and what a job she did am I right?" Applause filled the audience. "Her latest album 'Night Howlers' is available now on all platforms. Won't you please help me in welcoming back to the stage. Judy Hopps!"
The band began to play while the curtains opened revealing the aforementioned rabbit. The two mammals hugged and then moved to their predetermined spots, Judy on the plush chair, Conan sat behind his wooden desk.
Nick zoned out now, knowing that all the questions were gonna be pretty boring and the answers even less exciting. He liked this show but all the questions often just told the spectator information that they already knew. It made Nick wonder who determined the questions.
"So who sets up these questions?" Nick asked Clawhauser. The cheetah had to have known, he was Judy's manager after all.
"We get sent the questions in advance and I either approve or disapprove of them. Although knowing Conan he might throw in some questions of his own, those are the ones that you have to watch out for. But most of the time he keeps them appropriate." Clawhauser said not taking his eyes off the screen.
Nick nodded in understanding, turning back to the TV.
The interview kept on for just a little bit longer, the audience often overreacting in whatever way was necessary. It was winding down and Nick was getting himself ready to leave by standing up from his seat when the sound of his name caught his ear.
"So I hear that you hired Nick Wilde today as your permanent bodyguard. Is that true?" Conan asked. Nick turned to the screen while Clawhauser stood up from the couch as well.
"I guess this is one of Conan's own questions" Nick said to Clawhauser in disbelief.
Judy didn't let the question freak her out, in fact it looked like the question had already been planned as well with how little of a reaction she gave.
"Yes I did, me and my manager actually hired him this morning" Judy said with a smile.
"Very nice. Nick Wilde, for those of you who don't know, is the fox bodyguard that protected Peter Moosebridge from that rhino attack at the Zoozies a few days ago. We actually have some footage of him here…"
The TV then cut to footage of Nick taking down the rhino that someone got from the security cams. They cut out all of the graphic stuff such as Nick taking the punch but other than that it was all there. At the end he could even see him and Peter make a break for the exit.
Once the footage ended the audience once again applauded.
"Wow very impressive stuff. Now I am not one for stereotypes, but a rabbit hiring a fox to protect him… there seems to be a bit of irony there, I mean you must know that a long time ago foxes used to hunt rabbits."
"Yeah it is pretty ironic. But I think he is the right mammal for the job after what I saw at the Zoozies" Judy answered on the fly.
Nick was impressed, these questions were all coming from left field yet she was answering them really well.
"Alright last one before commercial break. So you've met him today, what do you think if him after spending the day with him?" Conan asked.
Judy sat in silence for a few moments, thinking through the possible answers she could give.
"He… is… an honest, kind, and trustworthy mammal and I'm thankful to have him protecting me" Judy said.
Nick couldn't tell if the rabbit had fabricated the answer or whether she was actually being honest. Either way it was the nicest thing she had said to him thus far, and she didn't even say it to him.
'Maybe she really isn't horrible after all'
—
Judy was the last guest on the show so once her interview was done the show was over. Once again all of the mammals began going around packing everything away and prepping for the next nights show. The same pig that got them to the green room now took them back to the same exit in which they came in from. For some reason Judy still wouldn't make eye contact or talk to Nick at all. She must have felt embarrassed for what she had said about him earlier, or maybe she was just tired after a quite emotional day, or maybe her drugs were just wearing off. As the group was heading out the door a deep powerful voice called out to them.
"You three hold on one second"
Nick turned around to see the very lion himself walking over to them.
"I presume you're Nicholas Wilde?" Conan said to the fox.
"Yes that would be me" Nick said.
"Conan O'Lion, it's a pleasure to meet you. Can we go outside and speak for a little while you wait for your ride?" the lion said politely.
Nick didn't really know how to answer, it was strange that the large lion was asking him for permission to speak with him. Instead of saying anything Nick just looked at Clawhauser who nodded while heading outside.
"So Mr. Wilde it seems that you have made a real impact out there in just a few days" Conan said. For some reason it felt like Nick was now the one being interviewed, and just to be sure he searched around for any cameras. Nope. No cameras.
"Uhm yeah. I seems I have, although I have been in a hospital for the past few days so I don't actually know what that impact is" Nick said honestly.
Nick made sure to orient himself so that he could still see Judy, the rabbit seemed to have become rather impatient and was now waiting on the sidewalk for the limo. There was a small distance between them that made Nick slightly uncomfortable but he didn't want to be rude to Conan so he just kept up the conversation.
Meanwhile Clawhauser stayed near Nick and Conan to be sure that Nick didn't say anything he wasn't supposed to.
"Well you seem to be inspiring mammals to try things that they didn't think they could ever do" Conan said.
"I mean I was just doing my job. I am thankful that my old boss gave me the opportunity to work with Peter Moosebridge, and I appreciate Peter shouting me out in on stage but I before then I was never noticed. I think there are more mammals out there making a difference that might be more important than me" Nick said.
Conan continued to speak but some motion just past him caught Nicks attention. A lynx that Nick recognized from when they had entered the studio had approached Judy and was talking to her. It seemed like a controlled situation, but considering Judy wasn't really in a state to protect herself it set him off.
"… I would actually appreciate an interview with you on the show eventually if you would like. Also if your manager approves of it" Conan finished.
Just then the lynx grabbed Judy's paw and pulled her in a little closer.
"Nick!" Judy called out.
Nicks eyes narrowed in on what he now confirmed as a threat and started moving in to take him out, pushing Conan out of the way slightly.
"Hey!" Nick called out still moving in on the target, he took the time to get there as a chance to size up the target. The lynx was two times taller than Nick but he wasn't very muscular. He could only guess that it was some fan who wanted to become more than a fan with the rabbit.
The lynx turn to where he had heard the voice call out and saw the fox approaching him. Instead of doing the right thing and letting go, he grabbed on tighter and ran off down the road tugging Judy along as well.
Nick took off running after the lynx. Judy was putting up a fight but the lynx was simply faster and stronger than he looked.
Judy didn't know where they were going or how far Nick was from them because of how busy her mind was. The adrenaline pumping through her was not mixing well with the drugs and the emotions inside her.
She lost track of how long they had been going but it felt like it had been a few minutes when in reality it had been just a few seconds. They were taking turn after turn, alley after alley. They turned down one alley when all of a sudden the lynx was knocked to the side by a red blur, causing him to let go of Judy who collapsed to the floor. Judy looked up from the ground and saw that the red blur was actually Nick who came from a side alley and tackled the lynx down.
Nick gave a few punches to the lynx before the larger feline forced him off. When the lynx stood up he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. Nick reached into his own pocket and pulled out the baton that Sheng had given him, pushing the button to extend it.
The lynx charged very quickly jabbing at Nick with the knife which he easily dodged, taking good care to keep the blade away from him. He took the butt of the baton and smacked it straight into the lynx's nose, causing him to flinch and back away from Nick.
The lynx reacted much faster than Nick anticipated. He reached for Judy, who was still just lying on the ground, and grabbed her by the throat hoisting her up. He then pressed the knife into the exposed part of her throat.
"Freeze fox!" He screamed. Nick stopped what he was doing, protocols and all sorts of different scenarios running through his head.
"Alright. Just relax sir, Judy its going to be okay" Nick said relaxed, hoping to keep the rabbit calm as well who was frozen in shock, her breathing becoming heavy and labored. He made sure to keep his paws visible, he didn't want the lynx to think he was reaching for anything else because right now the lynx was the one in control.
"Listen to me now. If I can't have Judy then no one can, and I especially won't let some disgusting fox take her from me" he said with an insane look in his eye. "Now put down the baton and then I will head off, and you will not follow" The lynx said.
"You got it, I'm going to move nice and slowly just for you" Nick said crouching down to the ground, a plan formulating in his mind. Just as he put the baton to the ground the lynx turned and began to run again. Nick picked the baton and threw it butt end first straight at his head.
The solid metal cylinder hit him square in the back of the head going fast enough to knock the lynx out. He face planted straight into the ground letting Judy go once again.
Nick ran up to the two mammals, first making sure that the lynx was out before picking up his baton and going to check on Judy.
"Judy are you alright" he asked gently.
The rabbit simply started to sniffle as tears began to fill her eyes again.
She was scared.
And Nick didn't blame her, if she had never been threatened then this must have been a terrifying experience.
Nick hoped to calm her down so he pulled her in close and hugged her tight.
"It's okay Judy, I gotcha" he said reassuringly.
"It's going to be okay, I'm not going anywhere"
—
What is up. How is everyone doing? I have really been enjoying writing this story. I feel like this is partially because it is a rather entertaining story to write, and also it is because many of you are leaving really nice reviews that I love to read. If you take the time to leave a review let me personally just say, THANK YOU, they are genuinely a pleasure to read because it lets me know that you actually like the story that I am creating. This chapter was a fun one to write, developing Judy's character might be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do as well as Nicks take on Judy. I feel like their dynamic is going to be something that I can play with throughout the rest of this story and I cant wait to do that. I don't actually know how long this story will last, I would rather it be longer rather than shorter. But I will write as the story will guide me, I don't really plan these chapters out too much, like I have the general idea of where I want it to go but other than that whatever my fingers type is what comes out.
Anyways that was really long tangent. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm hoping to keep cranking them out biweekly.
Take care and stay safe,
DAG
also yes I know Conan is not on NBC.