The days flew by at the Hopps estate. At first it was a struggle trying to fit into the situation that he was dealt, but slowly a routine began to occur for him and Judy. As the family slowly accepted her, its seemed that they were doing the same for him. Of course he still got sideways glances whenever he walked into a rather busy part of the household but no one sounded an alarm whenever he walked in. It was clear that building up their trust (everyone of over 200 of them) was going to be a major challenge, and he started out taking Judy's advice and tried to gain the trust of the patriarch of the family.
Everyday brought a new opportunity and everyday Nick would somehow find a way to mess it up.
For example, it was a bright and sunny day about a week into their stay when Stu was out working on the field with some of his eldest sons. As far as what they were doing Nick didn't know, he had lived in the city his whole life and just the sight of a farm was a mystery to him. Normally he would have just watched and tried to learn from there, but he felt in that moment that if he could learn from Stu he could maybe grow closer to him. So he ventured outside in a pair of jeans and a plaid button up that Judy had gifted him.
"Mr. Hopps!" Nick called out as he went down the steps and walked towards the field. His call out gathered the attention of everyone working the field who stopped what they were doing and just watched as the tall fox walked towards their father. The old rabbit turned and as soon as his eyes hit the fox his body language changed, something that Nick noticed but he wouldn't let it bother him.
"What can I do for you Wilde? Don't you have a daughter of mine to be guarding?" Stu asked.
"No sir your daughter is actually asleep" Nick said stopping in front of the old rabbit, "I was just wondering if there was anyway I could help out"
His statement clearly caught Stu by surprise as the rabbit was left speechless for just a moment before he became suspicious again.
"You want to help us out here on the farm?" He asked slowly.
Before Nick could answer one of the other rabbits piped up their opinion,
"What do you think we rabbits ain't capable of doing our own work?" He asked in a clear country drawl.
"No I just think your work out here could go faster with an extra set of paws" Nick responded calmly.
That made the other rabbit go quiet as it was a fair point, one that Stu thought about for a moment before responding.
"Alright Wilde, we're out here picking the harvest to clean up and ship out, I want you to hold a box next to me as I pick the carrots and put them into the box. Think you can handle that?" He asked.
"Sounds good" Nick said picking up the box.
And with that the job went on, Nick did as he was told and held the box close enough to Stu for him to throw the carrots in. After about 45 minutes the box, which was already mostly full when he got it, was full. So he hustled back towards the house and placed the full box in an already made stack of other boxes. From there he went and grabbed another box and the process went on.
The morning sun gradually turned into the afternoon sun and by the early evening they were almost done. Rabbits from inside the house came outside throughout the day to check and see if the rumors of "the fox" working in the field were true, and to their surprise, they were. Even Judy came out at some point who was just as surprised to see Nick working, knowing that he had never worked at a farm a day in his life.
At some point Nick decided to go the extra mile and grabbed two boxes at the same time. Now these boxes weren't small, but they also weren't the largest boxes he had ever seen but for him they seemed life the perfect size to carry one under each arm.
When Stu saw him with the two boxes he didn't outwardly seem impressed but the fact that he noticed was enough for Nick. The process continued and Nicks double box trick was working, that is until the boxes became more and more full of carrots. The fact that he had been doing this for hours and the fact that he was now in the awkward position of holding two boxes that were ever growing heavier, the boxes began to slip from under his arms. In order to try and save them he scooted them up back under his arms and dug his claws into the bottom of the boxes to get a better grip.
This was his fatal mistake.
"Alright I think that's all of them" Stu said pulling out the last carrot and placing it in the box. Nick slowly walked back to the house, trying his best to keep the boxes where they were while staying close behind the older rabbit as he took the lead.
Just as he was about to put down the boxes the bottom ripped open around his claws, spilling dozens of carrots all over the ground. Stu simply turned around and shook his head with disdain at the sight.
Nick was stood there surrounded by carrots with two ripped open boxes connected to his hands via his claws.
'Shit' was all Nick could think as the days worth of work definitely left the older rabbits mind.
It was more events like these that caused Stu probably not to like him anymore or maybe even like him less.
Leaving the parking brake up on the tractor, falling down the stairs of the barn knocking over several rabbits, or even getting caught eating some of the harvest of blueberries (who could blame him).
The chances to impress Mr. Hopps became fewer and fewer as the older rabbit would take the fox's help less and less.
By week three Nick had almost given up, he felt that sooner or later they would be called back to the city and he could try again at a later date and time.
Throughout the three weeks Bogo kept in touch with the duo, filling them in on the status of the city and the state of affairs for them.
"The city is calming down slowly but it seems that the two of you are actually creating somewhat of a debate, there are mammals for you as well as mammals against you. One side is clearly stronger right now, that being the mammals against you, but more and more everyday there are other mammals joining your side" Bogo said in his most recent phone call with the pair.
That was three days ago, and Nick knew that the return date for them was soon approaching. And surprisingly enough Nick knew that he was going to be sad to leave the countryside. Sure 99 percent of the population probably didn't like him for his species but the wide open space and fresh air was truly freeing to him.
When they had arrived at the farm it was late summer, and now several weeks in they were fully settled into fall. The leaves on the trees were changing and falling, the temperatures dropped colder and colder everyday. The small town of BunnyBurrow had a festival every year around this time to celebrate the end of the harvest and prepare for the winter that was to come.
Nick only knew all of this because Judy had asked him if they could attend together,
"I'm going either way, I just figured my bodyguard would want to accompany me to the dangerous festival" She had said jokingly.
She sure did trap him into going, although leaving the house and exploring the rest of the town did sound like a good idea.
And so there they were walking at the tail end of the Hopp's clan walking to the festival. The festival was in a close enough distance that they could walk there in about 15 minutes. Nick also had no idea that the entire family was already going, which got him thinking.
"Hey Fluff how many mammals go to this thing?" He asked.
"Oh well every big farm shows up, my last time here is a few thousand, but this will be my first fall festival in a long time so there could be even more this time" She said nonchalantly.
'Great even more rabbits to deal with' he thought to himself.
The walk was over before they knew it, and now Nick stood at the front of an extraordinarily large fair. It was situated on a wide open field that must have been a square mile, and the rides, food vendors, and games took up the entire space.
Judy bounced along taking in the sights and smells which Nick found more than a little overwhelming, but seeing Judy have such a good time was enough to make him push through, after all he was still on the job technically. He would enjoy the moment but at the same time he made sure to survey the world around him and make sure there were no pertinent threats. Other than the immense amount of fried food that was being sold.
"Fried butter?" Nick asked with a disgusted look on his face, "you're kidding right?"
"While I do enjoy myself some basic fried food, the butter is something that I have never tried and don't plan on trying" Judy responded with a smile on her face, "come on Nick you could eat some fair food, I know you care about being healthy and all but couldn't you make today a cheat day or something?"
"If I see something that catches my eye that won't kill from grease overdose I'll let you know Carrots" Nick responded flatly.
"Good enough to me" Judy said.
This whole thing was bizarre to Nick, he had never been to an actual fair before but he had seen examples in movies and TV and this was exactly like that, every aspect of it other than the mammals who were there was directly reflected on TV. In some ways it was hilarious.
Even the rides were something out of a horror movie, huge rollercoasters that were brought in on the back of trucks and set up in a matter of hours. Every time a cart rolled over parts of the track he could see the supports bending as if they would snap on the next round.
There were maybe three rides that seemed somewhat safe enough to ride, but even then he didn't know if he would allow Judy to do so, it seemed she wasn't really interested in riding them anyways.
"Oh my gosh is that the Judy Hopps?" He heard a young voice scream from behind. He quickly turned around and identified who mammal was. A small rabbit ran away from her parents and was now running up to the pair.
"Well hi there sweetie" Judy said with her normal charm, taking a knee as to be more equal height to the small rabbit.
"Wow I can't believe you're here, I'm such a big fan. Could I get your autograph" The kid asked holding out a pen and the pamphlet for the fair.
But before Judy could take it the small rabbits mother stormed over,
"Isabelle O'hare, do not run away from me like that again" She said sternly, grabbing her daughter by the arm and pulling her away, "and don't you dare talk to those mammals every again, that rabbit is not like you" she said just loud enough for the both of them to hear.
"But mooom" the child said as she was dragged away.
It stung.
And if it stung for him it must be stabbing for Judy. He looked at the rabbit who was still on her knee but the smile that she once had was replaced by that of sadness, her ears falling behind her head. He couldn't help but let out a small growl at the sight of the rabbits dejection. He knew she needed cheering up so he grabbed her paw and led her away. It was then that he noticed the stares that they were getting, they must have been getting them the whole time but it was in that moment when he recognized what their faces were showing.
Many mammals thought what that mother had thought but most wouldn't say anything, they just decided to stare in disgust.
He quickly pulled Judy behind a tent where most of the mammals at the fair wouldn't see them. He brought the small rabbit into his chest and squeezed her into a hug as the tears started to fall from her eyes.
"Never let them see that they get to you Judy" he repeated his mantra to her as he rubbed his paw down her back.
"How do you do it?" She choked out through the sadness.
"Years of practice Fluff but look" he said taking a knee in front of her and looking her in the eye, "this relationship we have is something that probably no one has ever seen before. There is going to be backlash, if you don't want to do this to keep your reputation I am okay with it" Nick said honestly knowing that if she did want to end the relationship it would mean he would probably never see her again.
"No Nick, I knew that this was going to happen, I knew my family would take some time to understand but I just wasn't ready for that. But don't worry about me" she said starting to compose herself, "you are worth Nick I promise" she grabbed his head by the ears and pulled him close until their foreheads were touching, "I love you".
"I love you too Carrots" Nick said calmly. They had been a pair for almost a month now but she still knew how to make it feel like day one.
The moment was broken by the screams of a nearby ride.
"Well Nick," Judy said pulling away from the fox, "we're already here at the fair we might as well enjoy ourselves" She said sounding more cheerful.
Nick stood up slowly, rolling his eyes jokingly, "Well if we must".
The two walked away paw in paw, not caring about what stares they received or who whispered behind their back.
They continued to walk through the fair eventually making it to the main stage where a small country band was performing. There were rows of benches that spread out from the front of the stage and picnic tables near the back where many mammals were eating various fair foods. The area was surrounded by different vendors some selling fried food, others selling homemade goods and produce, which created a boxed in area the stage taking up one side and the vendors taking up the other three. The stage itself was the center of the whole fair so there was plenty of foot traffic in and out.
This is where Nick and Judy found themselves, attracted by the smells of the freshly baked pastries. Nick was much more relaxed at this point, there were so many mammals here, none of which wanted to talk to them anyways so he felt that the situation was a safe one where he could let his guard down. Especially as they waited in line at a bake stand. At this point his hunger had gotten the best of him so he searched for something that he could actually eat, and the sight and smell of blueberry pie sounded delicious. And the place must have been good considering the line in front of it was the longest out of any of the surrounding vendors.
Eventually they made it to the front of the line where they were met by a mammal he was least expecting.
Another fox.
"Gideon Gray?" Judy said as soon as she saw the other fox behind the table. The fox turned around and looked at Judy confused for a moment until understanding and surprise took over his face.
"Judy Hopps, well I'll be" the fox said in a thick country accent. Before Judy could Gideon started to ramble, "Judy I just want you to know how sorry I am about the last time I saw you, I know what I did was extremely wrong and since then I've gone to counseling and figured out that my aggression towards other mammals was actually a side effect of me having self doubt and other lacking parts of my life… I was a major jerk" he finished simply.
"I know what its like to be a jerk" she said looking at Nick, reminiscing on how she had originally treated the fox.
"But look at you" he said gesturing to the rabbit, "a big celebrity making it in the even bigger city"
"Oh gee well I just wanted to make a difference" She said bashfully.
The moment that the two were having was quite the spectacle, one that Nick did not understand and wanted to be filled in on. He cleared his throat loud enough to make his presence known once again, causing both mammals to look at him.
"Oh! Gideon this is my bodyguard and boyfriend Nicholas W-"
"Nicholas Wilde, my goodness it is a true honor to meet you. And might I say it is nice to see another fox around these parts" Gideon said taking Nicks hand and shaking it.
"Oh wow you know me?" Nick asked genuinely surprised.
"Yes sir, news spreads fast around these parts, not to mention that Peter Moosebridge gave you quite the shout out earlier this year. And of course you both have been in the news pretty heavily recently"
Both him and Judy looked at each other wondering what the fox was going to say next. Gideon understood the looks they were giving each other and quickly continued,
"Oh don't worry about me. I am the last mammal to be judging anyone based off of anything they've done or doing. And while I think your relationship is rather strange I see absolutely no problem with it" the other fox said kindly.
"Wow, well thank you Gideon, that's a first for us" Nick said honestly.
It was then that all three mammals noticed the line full of angry and hungry mammals behind them.
"Well shoot, I suppose we can continue this conversation at a better time and place, here" Gideon said handing both of them a slice of blueberry pie, "These are on the house".
The two gladly took their slices and thanked the other fox before stepping away.
"So who was that?" Nick asked never really getting the answer he wanted.
"Oh he was my old bully when I was a kid, always told me I would never make it in the world. I'm happy for him though, he seems to have really changed" Judy said thinking back to when the fox had clawed at her face, a detail that she left out for good reason.
"Wait so you're telling me that the fox we were just talking to, was your childhood bully, and now you are a in a relationship with a fox" Nick said, genuinely perplexed by the rabbit in front of him.
She nodded her head with a big smile on her face.
"Hopps you are one strange rabbit" Nick said.
To say the blueberry pie was delicious was an understatement, it might have been one of the tastiest things that Nick had eaten in his entire life. Even Judy was impressed by the quality of the pie. They sat in the large courtyard area, listened to music and ate their pie. It was lethargic for the two of them after their run in with the child and their mom. They now sat having a quiet conversation simply enjoying each other's company. The afternoon sun was getting lower in the sky, the temperature was dropping, everything felt peaceful.
That is until a thought jumped into his head, with everything happening he hadn't thought about it till that moment.
"Judy?"
"Yes Nick?"
"Why did you fall in love with me?" He asked seriously, his green eyes staring deeply into her purple ones.
She sat there shocked for a second, not expecting that question in that moment. She thought he was joking at first but when she noticed the seriousness on his face she sat and thought for a moment.
"To be honest Nick I kind of had a crush on you ever since I first saw you at the Zoozies, I saw the way that you really cared about your work and the care you put into taking care of Peter. I hired you for the reason that I knew you could do the job and you were good looking which would certainly help" she said jokingly, feeling more relaxed when she saw Nick smiling too, "but I fell in love with you when you started helping me with my problem, never have I met someone who cared so much for me and would help me whenever I needed it. Especially for how awful I treated you at first, I felt safe with you, I still feel safe with you, maybe even more now. And then that kiss on stage, while it may have been started from my coke filled mind, I meant every second of it and I'm so sorry that you had to find out in the way you did, it was a very dumb bunny move" She said sadly, knowing that her first show of love had to be brought out by an intense amount of drugs.
"I figured as much" Nick said with a sad smile on his face, "I did a lot of thinking over the past month, I figured that all the stuff on stage was the drugs running through you, and that in the moment you thought it was an interesting idea." Judys smile had fallen as she heard Nick speak and she was about to apologize again until Nick started talking, "But, I know that you wouldn't have done that unless you meant it, I knew that I loved you when you started opening up to me more, but I really knew that I loved you when I opened that door and found you on the ground in that trailer" the image of that moment still haunted Nick, "in that moment, the thought of losing you… it scared me more than any other time in my life, because I knew that I needed you, more than I've needed anyone else" Nick finished once again looking deeply into her purple eyes. She stared back at him, and in that moment he wanted nothing more to lean in and kiss her, but he held himself back simply staring back. Judy took her paw and placed it on his which was resting on the table, it was enough but they would have to deal with this later in the privacy of the Hopps burrow.
Their moment was interrupted by two loud pops that were easily heard over the music.
BANG! BANG!
Nick immediately went into action and grabbed Judy from across the table and pulled her in close to him. Everyone else sitting in the courtyard looked around confused, the band on stage slowly stopped playing as two more bangs rang out.
BANG! BANG!
They were gunshots, panic began to ensue as mammals started running in around trying to get away from where the shots were coming from.
"Judy, I'm going to get you out of here" he said to her as he stood up, continuing to carry her. Over the shouting he could hear more shots rain out as two mammals fell around him.
"NICK WILDE!" He heard someone scream out.
One more shot rang out and Nick a burning sensation in his ear as well as a good amount of blood splatter out onto his face.
'Oh shit he's aiming for me' he thought to himself. He ducked himself down to try and hide himself from the shooter. Once he was out of the courtyard he ran down the path and towards the exit.
The chaos outside the fair was intense even for Nick, there were just so many rabbits that the sights and sounds of it became extremely disorienting, he could feel his heart rate start to rise so he continued to breath deeply focusing solely on getting Judy to safety. Luckily a familiar voice called out.
"Nick!" It was Bonnie. The breath of relief that he had knowing that there was someone else there that he knew was nothing short of amazing.
"Bonnie, where's Stu and the rest of your family?" Nick asked quickly.
"Stu and the older siblings are rounding up the clan at the exits and sending them here. So far it seems that we have most of them." Bonnie said with a level voice, although Nick could tell that the matriarch was afraid, not only for her but for her family.
Nick let go of Judy who was clearly shaken up by the whole situation and was struggling to find her voice. She found it when she looked up to Nick and saw the carnage that was his ear.
"Nick, are you okay?" She said grabbing a loose grip on his arm.
He had mostly forgotten about the injury but was swiftly reminded when blood started to drip down his face and the searing pain from the wound began to make its presence known.
"Yeah I'm alright, just need a bandage. Are you okay?" Nick asked kneeling down to and checking her for any injuries.
"Just a bit shaken up" she said. Other than her nerves being high she seemed to be in great shape.
More shots rang out from inside the fair, but they were far enough away that he knew the shooter was still in the main courtyard, he was most likely firing at police who were trying to control the situation.
The group continued to grow as more and more Hopps' found their way to the rest of the family, Bonnie making sure to keep a head count as the number kept growing.
The number of police grew quickly as more cars began to roll up, including the BunnyBurrow SWAT team. Asides from the law enforcement there were also plenty of paramedics, one of which took care of Nicks wounds.
"Yeah its going to hurt for awhile, and its going to have a small portion of it missing, but you will still have an ear" the antelope nurse told him.
A total of 30 minutes had past when Nick heard his name being called out.
"Has anyone seen a Nick Wilde or Judy Hopps?" It was a gruff voice, and an unfamiliar one at that. Nick looked around to see an older looking wolf in a sheriffs outfit. The wolf made eye contact with the fox and didn't have to ask his question again, he found who he was looking for. Nick could tell by the wolfs demeanor that his visit to the two wasn't for a good reason.
"How can I help you officer?" Nick asked, hoping the wolf was level headed enough to not berate the duo.
"The name is sheriff Fangmeyer, and I should be asking you the same question. You see we got a bit of a sticky situation going on in there" He said pointing in towards the fair, "the shooter in there goes by the name of Edward Tulane, we don't know what exactly he wants but it clearly pertains to you two as we've heard him call out both of your names multiple times".
"What does he want with us?" Judy asked from her seated position next to Nick.
Fangmeyer shrugged, his tired eyes closing while he took a deep breath. It was clear that he didn't like the situation and the thought of telling all the dead mammals relatives about the casualties sat in the back of his head.
"Beats me but I do know that our negotiator is working right now to see what exactly he wants. Our biggest problem however is that this rabbit has a hostage" He said opening his eyes and staring at Nick.
Their blood ran cold, this rabbit, on top of killing several mammals already, now had another rabbits life at stake just to see the two of them. It was a nightmare scenario, one that Nick never thought he would see in his life, or could have even imagined.
"If you can both follow me, I will fill you in more as we walk to the mobile operating base" the wolf said before turning and walking, Nick and Judy following close behind.
The walk was short, just on the other side of the entrance where several police cars surround a van, inside the van there were several smaller mammals (most of which were rabbits) who were busy at work, talking to officers inside the fair as well as trying to gather information that could better help the negotiator.
"The shooter is a 18 year old rabbit named Edward Tulane, he is still currently located in the central courtyard of the fair and is surrounded on all sides by law enforcement. He is boxed in and not going anywhere, and as soon as he does anything, we will know." The wolf said showing the two a picture of the rabbit aforementioned.
As far as mammals went the rabbit looked perfectly normal, he had no criminal record before hand and didn't even have access to a gun.
"What is his motive?" Nick asked.
"Well he clearly has a problem with the two of you. All the information I know about you two is what the broadcasters tell me on the morning news from the city, so if I had to guess I would say that it is some radical mammal who thinks that what you two are doing is wrong" Fangmeyer said.
Judy was at a loss for words again as she considered the fact that all these mammals were dead over a relationship. Nick was equally as stunned but he also knew that there was only one way to get that hostage out alive.
"Who's the hostage?" He asked calmly, even though his emotions were at a high as well.
"The mammal in question is the 13 year old Isabelle O'hare, daughter of Frank and Alyssa O'hare. She was separated from her parents when the shooting started and somehow ended up in the hands of Tulane" the wolf responded pulling out a different picture of a rabbit who was familiar to Nick and Judy.
"That's the kid that wanted my autograph earlier" Judy said instantly recognizing the kid and replaying the moment in her head.
The kid was so innocent, she didn't deserve the terror she was definitely going through.
"Let me go in there" Nick said, surprising both the wolf and Judy.
"No Nick you can't do that" Judy said grabbing onto his arm once again.
"Judy, he is asking for us by name and as your bodyguard I will not let you go in there" Nick said taking her paw into his.
"Yeah but I'm your boss and I am telling you that you cannot go in there, look what he already did to you" she said pointing up to his ear, her voice growing shaky as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Yeah and imagine he will do to Isabelle if no one shows up, I think I can calm this guy down enough to get her out of there" Nick said trying to sound reasonable, but even in the back of his head he knew this was a very risky and probably stupid idea.
Fangmeyer stood there silently, he didn't intend on letting either of them in, but he knew the fox knew his stuff and was trained in combats. He did notice the connection between the two though, it was real, and something that he thought highly of as it reminded him of his own family. Shaking away those thoughts and returning to reality it seemed as though Nick had convinced the bunny to let him go.
"Are you sure you want to do this son?" He asked sternly. He wanted to make sure he was 100 percent on going in.
"I will do what I must" Nick said in response.
"Alright well lets get you kitted up then"
The kit was rather simple but had all the things he would need. A radio, a bullet proof vest that fit under his plaid shirt, and a camera which strapped on to the outside of his shirt so that the base could see what was going on.
Near the entrance to the fair a police barrier had been set up where dozens of rabbits waited to hear the status of their loved ones. Nick now stood at the entrance looking down the long avenue that would lead him to the courtyard, his plan of attack playing out in his head.
"Radio check one, two, Nick give me a thumbs up if you can hear me" the radio operator said, to which Nick gave a thumbs up in response.
"Loud and clear" Nick said.
"Alright, you will take this route up the courtyard where you will meet the negotiator before you enter the hot zone" Fangmeyer came onto the radio.
"Roger" Nick said. The radio was a live wire so that he didn't have to deal with pushing a button.
Before he went in he looked down one more time at Judy, who's fur on her face had become matted down with tears as she feared for her foxes safety. He knelt down to her and pulled her into another hug.
"It's alright Fluff, I'll be back before you know it" he said as pulled back before leaning in for a kiss. To the up roar of many mammals watching behind the police line. They were ignored as the kiss ended.
"You better" she said, her voice still a little shaky. She had confidence in him, but that didn't make her any less afraid.
Nick stood back and started walking towards the entrance when another familiar voice caught his attention.
"Please tell me what is happening to my daughter" it was Isabelle's mother, Alyssa. She was questioning a cop who was clearly being overwhelmed by everything. But with one look at the rabbit you could easily tell that she was going through it to. And although he didn't like her, he couldn't blame her. Her only daughter was currently being held at gun point.
Nick continued to walk, and as he crossed into the entrance of the fair, Alyssa noticed his presence.
"Wait hold on, you're sending him?" She asked aggressively, "You have all of Zootopia at your disposal and you're sending in a fox"
Nick couldn't help but let out a huff of laughter as he kept on walking, 'even when her daughters life is at stake she would still have her bias's.
The walk was quiet, every once in a while he would pass by a SWAT officer who was holding an angle towards the courtyard. When he made it to the border of the hot zone, which was the area where you could get shot from, he met the negotiator, who was another rabbit, one with a bullet proof vest of her own.
"Wilde, my name is Sylvia Striker, I'm the negotiator. Nothing has changed since I last called in, whenever you're ready I will use this megaphone to call out to Tulane that you are here" She said filling him in.
"Alright well I guess now is as good a time as any" Nick said as he stepped up to the entrance of the hot zone, which was heavily guarded on either side with more officers.
"Tulane" Sylvia called with her megaphone, "we have Wilde here, we're going to send him in, don't do anything rash and remember you are surrounded", She finished and nodded to Nick.
He took one more deep breath in before stepping forward. He quickly took in the scene, most of the picnic tables had been flipped over, all the vendors had been destroyed or were in shambles, and most notably there were several body's laying on the ground.
The air smelled of death. A smell so strong it almost made Nick lose the food he had eaten. But he managed to keep himself composed.
"Well, look who decided to show up" a cynical voice called from in front of him.
Nicks attention moved to the two mammals who were there with him. Edwards white fur stood out from his dark clothing, he wore a read button up shirt and jeans. He had little Isabelle clutched up against him, the gun still to her head. The little rabbits eyes were huge as she breathed deeply.
"I'm here Tulane, now let the girl go" Nick said as he stepped forward slowly, keeping his hands gently raised in front oh him, trying his best to take a relaxed position.
"Don't get any closer Wilde" the rabbit said as he stiffened, holding Isabelle tighter. Nick did as he was told and stood still, not wanting to risk the younger rabbits safety.
"Why are you doing this?" Nick asked, keeping his voice as steady as he could.
Edward smiled at Nicks question, it was a vile smile one that was rotten to its core.
"Oh this", he said gesturing to the body's who's deaths he had caused, "this was just a little show to get your attention. I really wanted both of you to be here but since there is just one I guess I will have to make do" Edward said as he took the gun and pointed it to Nick, cocking the hammer back.
Everyone watching the camera's live feed held their breath, not knowing what the next second would hold. Judy wasn't watching but heard the reactions of the officers watching, and at the sound of everyones gasps she felt her heart stop. But when no gunshot rang out she listened once more.
Nick took a step away and raised his hands, "Woah, hey, just take it easy, lets just talk it out"
"The fox's that killed my family didn't want to talk it out!" Edward yelled. Nick awaited the gun to go off as the words rang in his head. But when the bang never came he began trying to unravel the situation.
'Fox's killed his family, he wanted both of us here so he didn't want to just kill me. He wanted to kill Judy in front of me in revenge' all of these ideas swam through his head to create what he thought was the likely story.
"Listen Edward, I didn't kill your family. Just because I am a fox doesn't make me the bad guy here. My entire life everyone's told me that is how the story goes, but I've learned that each mammal is different, lumping all the fox's in the world together because some killed your family is as bad as everyone grouping all the rabbits together and saying they're going to be the cause of over population" Nick tried to reason with the rabbit.
The gun pointed at him was mortifying, he had been in front of guns before, but willfully standing in front of one was something entirely different, at any moment that gun could go off and that would be it for him.
"I need this closure, the ones who did it got away and left no trace. I have been waiting for a moment like this for so long! I… I.." Edward shouted, his emotions slowly taking over him.
Nick once again started walking forward, slowly and without sudden movements so the rabbit wouldn't notice. Even though Edward was a soulless killer, he was still a kid, and Nick could sympathize with him, and although his mother didn't die from killers, he did lose his mother in a horrific way.
"Listen, Edward. I know what its like to lose a loved one, my mother passed away when I was younger and for a long time I didn't know what to do with my life. But I found help, and we can get you the help that you need to, just let go of the girl and put the gun down" Nick said calmly, he was just out reach of them when he finished talking. He stopped where he was as he didn't want to risk getting any closer.
All was quiet for a moment. Nick held his breath as he continued to stare down the barrel of the gun. He only dared breath again as Edward slowly lowered his arm down as tears started to stream from his face.
His grip on Isabelle loosened and the little rabbit quickly scurried away towards the guarded exit. Nick didn't take his eyes off of Tulane for a second as the rabbit began to cry in front of him, his next words coming out as a whisper.
"I can't do this anymore"
The words barely registered in Nicks head as the rabbit started to raise the gun again, this time pointed at himself.
"NO!"
BANG!
The camera view showed everything, the rabbit raising his hand and Nick diving forward, but after that the feed went black and a gunshot rang out from the courtyard.
The sound rang out and caused Judys heart to stop.
"Oh no" was all she could choke out as she ran. No one could stop her, not even the officers guarding the entrance as she rushed towards the courtyard.
She didn't know it but Fangmeyer was close in tow, the fox was his responsibility and he worried for what had happened once the camera cut out. The gunshot was clearly not a good sign.
It all happened so fast, but to Nick it was slow motion, like every second was an hour. As soon as he realized what was happening he dove at the rabbit and reached for the gun. He couldn't let this rabbit die, not after coming this far.
The gun reached Edwards head just as Nicks paw reached it, the fox pushed the gun out of the way of his head just as the rabbit pulled the trigger, the bullet narrowly avoiding his skull. Nicks momentum carried him through into tackling the rabbit to the ground, hitting him with enough force to make him drop the gun and send it out of reach, thereby disarming the situation.
When Judy and Fangmeyer arrived they saw the scene of Nick holding Edward to the ground. Nicks breathing was heavy from the adrenaline pumping through his system. He was relieved to see Fangmeyer there,
"Can you get this gun out of here, I don't want to risk anything" Nick huffed out. The wolf nodded, walked over to pick up the gun before taking out the mag and clearing the chamber.
Judy stood watching, her tears flowing once again, but this time out of joy knowing that her fox was safe.
Nick got off of the rabbit and allowed Fangmeyer to cuff him. He then turned and faced Judy. At that point there were tears starting to form in his eyes as the weight of the situation started to settle in for him.
Judy rushed up and almost tackled Nick with a hug as the two quietly cried together.
The police that were surrounding the area slowly swept in and cleared the area, as Fangmeyer lead the still crying Edward Tulane out of the area and towards the exit, letting out the all clear over his radio.
"All units, this situation is code four, suspect has been apprehended"
The couple took their time, reveling in the fact they were both still there in one piece (other than Nicks ear).
As they collected themselves emotionally they slowly made their way towards the exit.
At the exit the dozens of mammals who were behind the police barrier cheered for Nick as they walked by. It was an interesting change of pace from the anger they were showing earlier.
"Excuse me"
It was Isabelle's mother. The two turned to see her and Isabelle standing there, Alyssa's face fur was matted as well as if she had been crying, and poor Isabelle was clearly still in shock as she clutched onto her mother.
"I would just like to say… thank you for what you did not only for my daughter, but for my family today. I'm sorry for everything I said, I was just so worried for her safety" Alyssa said almost breaking down in to tears again.
Nick put a gentle paw on her shoulder, "hey, its all okay. Just make sure she gets home safely"
The rabbit nodded and smiled, "thank you". She turned away with Isabelle and walked off.
"I simply hope she raises her daughter with an open mind" Judy said once the two were out of earshot. Nick pulled his rabbit in close as they continued their walk.
"One can hope Carrots, one can hope"
The sound of heavy footfalls gained their attention.
"Well for the love of Zootopia, I can't leave you two alone for once second without you getting into some type of trouble" Came the familiar gruff voice that the two hadn't heard in a long time.
Chief Bogo stood over them with his arms crossed. He had a look of disappointment on his face, which quickly faded into one of relief.
"I am glad you two are both safe, well except for the whole missing a part of your ear thing Wilde"
"Yeah its good to see you too chief" Nick said.
"What are you doing here?" Judy asked. It wasn't everyday that the chief of police makes out to BunnyBurrow even for something like this.
"Well for you two believe it or not. As soon as I heard about this I figured it was about you two. And with that I think now is a good time for you both to pack your things. It's clear that BunnyBurrow isn't as safe as we first thought."
"Wait are you saying what I think you're saying?" Judy asked with excitement.
"Yes, you're going back to Zootopia"
Hey y'all, this is a big chapter in case you haven't noticed. And it came out in less than three months which is exciting right?
Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter, its rather dark but at the same time I think it shows how raw these twos lives has become since their relationship began. But vacation is over and their going home.
If you enjoyed let me know, because I love reading the reviews.
Take it easy y'all and enjoy your holiday season.
DAG