Here is a little test for Nick and Judy coming up. How will they respond? Oh, I cannot wait until our heroes become what they need to be. This is going to be a long, bittersweet chapter.

If there's one character I absolutely hate in this story, well, you'll know who it is. It's hard to write him in, since he's indecent, crude, rude, lewd, brutish, ignorant, vapid, inane, shallow, condescending, cruel, heartless, loveless, faithless, apathetic, and just plain wrong. And some might think it's harsh to say this about someone who lost their father like that, but there is no excuse for behavior such as you're about to see. There really isn't. People like that will receive their just reward.

I realized when starting this chapter that there is a strong emphasis on parenthood in this story. Guess I'm hoping to becoming a father someday. Gotta find a godly woman to marry first.

You'll see a reference to my favorite Looney Tune ever. He's my favorite because I struggled with a stuttering problem for years.

Zootopia belongs to Disney. Spider-Man belongs to Sony.


He was ready to settle down for the night. He sighed contentedly, remembering the cries of that kid he pummeled today. He was lucky he didn't put him in the hospital. He had considered it, but being a merciful panther, he decided to spare him that. The best part was that no one could do anything about it. The police were too busy chasing shadows to notice anything.

He looked into his closet at the snacks and candy he'd lifted from the grocery up the street this week. He didn't even have to worry about being caught. Everyone knew he was taking stuff; they just knew that no one would stop him. There was no one to stop him. He could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Now that was what he called the best life. He hoped Mr. Lukagi would keep this up. He had a good thing going here.

Picking up his guitar, he threw the strap over his shoulder and set up his amp.

This guitar right here, this was where he was most at home. He didn't care where he was, as long as he had this with him. He couldn't live without it. He strummed once, but cringed at the sour note coming from the fourth string. He turned the tuning peg the errant string was attached to and continually strummed it. It barely changed. A growl vibrated past his bared fangs. If Angel messed with his guitar, he was going to kill her!

"This..." He cursed under his breath. "Can't believe this..." He didn't care who it was, no one was allowed to touch his stuff. He'd take care of her later. Right now, he was going to unwind, just like he wanted to. And no one could stop him.

The panther growled again as the string tightened. Oh, he hoped the string wouldn't break. He didn't want to go through the trouble to get his mom's credit card to buy another set. He experienced a fleeting urge to lift the guitar over his head and smash it to a million pieces. But he wouldn't do that no matter what. This was one of the last gifts his dad gave him before he died. And ever since that day, he and this guitar were inseparable. He flipped a lock of fur out of his eyes as the note settled into its place. That should do it, he thought as he tested the note. Yeah, there it is...

Turning up the amp until it hummed from the high amount of electricity powering it, he began to play a heavy riff. He felt the thrill of the notes as he played a simple tune with a consistent beat. It wasn't any sort of song he was strumming per se; he just liked the sound. It helped him think, to focus on what he and predatorkind were meant to be.

He moved his hips as he strummed a fast melody that he sustained for at least a minute. He lost himself in the tune, walking through whatever passed by his mind.

"...Nathan!" a voice screamed over the noise. He didn't have time to react though, as a hand spun him around immediately. He yelped in surprise as he turned to see his mother huffing, her eyebrows furrowed in aggravation.

"What?" he asked. "I'm a little busy here, Mom; what do you want?"

She shook her head incredulously. He never listened to her, at all. "Yeah, I'm busy too! I have tests to grade and I can't focus with all that noise! I mean, how many times have I told you, Nathan?" Her teeth clamped together angrily. "Every time I tell you to turn the f-" she stopped herself.

"Uh-oh, do I need to get the soap?"

She ignored him. She spoke quietly, but her anger was boiling, causing her to shiver from the heat. "If you don't stop playing that guitar as loud as you possibly can..."

"It's only at half volume!"

"Nathan! If you don't stop, I am going to take that thing and throw it in the trash!" Nathan's eyes widened in intimidation. But it lasted for only a moment before it faded back into its usual scowl. "Do you know how many times I have had to beg Nick and Judy not to arrest you?"

"Oh please, like those saps would do anything!" he said over her.

"Well this is me doing their job before for them. I've had it! So turn it down!" She turned to leave the room.

"No," he said simply.

She stopped and turned back toward him. "What did you say to me?"

"I said, no. I'm eighteen, I'm an adult." He didn't respond to his mother's scoff at that remark. "Besides, Dad gave this guitar to me. So I can do what I want with it." With that, he began strumming a fast guitar riff, drowning out any and all sound. It pierced Athena's ears painfully, causing her to cover her ears. She ran around Nathan to pull the plug on the amp. Ear-splitting static blasted her free ear drum for the slightest instant.

"HEY!" her son quickly screamed behind her, grabbing her shoulder and shoving her out of the way. He slapped the switch back on and glared at her as he continued to play raucously. She looked at him, tears beginning to form in her frustrated eyes.

"I said, turn it off!" she yelled.

"Huh?" he mouthed mockingly. "I can't hear you."

Athena's anger seemed to deflate. She just stared at him with this blank for several seconds before turning around and slamming the door.

Nathan stopped strumming as a familiar but terrible feeling washed over him. He breathed deeply, watching the door. Taking a step toward the door, he paused to shake his head. His scowl returned as he continued playing, drowning out the antagonistic feelings. He was doing the right thing. She wouldn't understand now, but once things really change, then she'll have to see:

The weak don't belong in this world.

That look in her eyes lingered in his mind as he strummed defiantly - anything to keep him from submitting to that terrible feeling. Because he was a god, and gods needed no excuse to do just exactly whatever they wanted.

He strummed harder and harder, periodically turning the knob to the amp higher and higher until it stung his ears. The notes ascended further, past the ceiling, into the air above the house, into the sky. Through the atmosphere, only to dissipate in the vacuum of space. But still, he didn't feel any better. Eventually, his heart was spent with the ecstasy of the music and he stopped playing, sending the room into ringing silence.

Maybe he shouldn't have done that to her...

Setting down his guitar, he quietly opened his door and tried to listen over the ringing in his ears for his mother's presence. But he heard nothing. The lights in the hallway were off. Had she left?

Creeping out into the hallway, he went to the door to the kitchen, opening it slowly. She wasn't there. He slunk back to the living room. Nothing. Finally, he made his way to her room. The door was closed.

He took a step closer to it and heard a sound. It was hard to discern over the bells that were just beginning to subside. He heard it again. He knew it immediately, a sound he hadn't heard since...

It was the sound of crying. No, this wasn't crying. This was intense weeping. Heart-wrenching sobs that would refuse to let his mother rest, with no sign of slowing down. The kind he'd heard from her the afternoon after she'd heard that dreaded flatline.

The terrible feeling redoubled at the thought that flashed through his mind: Did... did he do that?

What was it he was feeling anyway? Fear? No. Anger? Sure, but not much more than usual. Disgust? Closer, but not quite.

Guilt?

Guilt?

He scoffed inwardly. Yeah, right. Like I have anything to feel guilty for. He turned around with a nonchalant smile. This wasn't his problem - she could deal with it.

After all, she never objected until now. Why bother? She needed to just mind her own business. With that thought, he went back to his room to continue playing as loudly as he wanted to.

Suddenly, several minutes into his rocking out, he paused for a breath. The ecstasy was overwhelming - no rules, no... What is that sound?

It sounded like it was coming from outside. A... growling sound.

He pulled back his blinds to see what appeared to be a large black figure... dragging a writhing creature in its arms across his yard toward the Wildes' house. His eyes widened. That was his mother. And she was growling and roaring... like a savage.


Nick picked up the lamb just before they reached the edge of the crowd and entered the square. The sun had just gone down. It was 7:30. The sun had just descended past the horizon beyond the large skyscrapers.

Suddenly, Arya was startled by a bright series of overhead lights that sent the night running. It was midday suddenly under those lights. The crowd around them cheered loudly, facing the platform near the edge of the square. There was what appeared to be an elevated platform at the far end of the square. Covering it were decorations reminiscent of the unique qualities that characterized each district - cotton in place of snow for Tundratown, sand covering the platform for Sahara Square, patches of grass for the Savannah, bowls of fruit for the Meadowlands, light fog for the Rainforest District, and glowing lights for the Nocturnal District. Arya took it all in, beginning to realize what was going on.

"Arya, guess who's appearing here today?" Nick shouted over the cheering.

Arya's eyes widened as she realized...

"Good evening, everybody," came an amplified, feminine voice, echoing around the square. There were chattering voices briefly. At the greeting, Arya looked intently toward the stage, where a light above it illuminated a familiar silhouette in the mist. The shadow emerged from the thick fog, revealing a Thomson's gazelle who glided gracefully onto the stage, the fog parting for her almost like a curtain. Her hips swayed with her step, along with tassels embroidering the collar and sleeves of a fiery red top that exposed her mid-riff, complemented by a pair of modest jean shorts. Arya gasped in wonder and wrapped her tiny hands around the edges of the base of Nick's ears in a death grip.

"Aaaaiiiiiii!" Nick cried as his fingers curled in pain. "Ears, ears, ears!"

"Oh! Sorry!" said Arya. She looked down at Angel, who contained her urge to burst out laughing at the poor fox.

"She does this every year!" she yelled toward the lamb. "Nick bought the tickets before we left."

"Really?! Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Nick, pulling on his ears in pretentious anger.

"Thurprithe thurprithe!" he said in a jovially nasal voice. He took her ankles and snorted imperceptibly. Smiling, Arya wrapped her arms around Nick's cheeks and under his chin.

"Thanks, Nick!"

"You're welcome, Sweetheart. I knew you would have liked to see her."

On the stage, the gazelle approached one of a few microphone stands lining its edge, where the closest fans reached out in an attempt to get her to reach down to them. She set the microphone she was holding into it. Behind her, several others emerged from the fog. The first was a male Thomson's gazelle carrying a guitar and wearing a light yellow plaid button shirt buttoned halfway up, loosely tucked into blue jeans with a simple brown belt. A modified brown, wide-brimmed fedora rested on his elongated skull. Interestingly, there were no horns projecting from the top of the hat. Even more interestingly, he carried a guitar... gazelles didn't play guitar or piano or any... Arya gasped when she saw... he had fingers! Like, real fingers! She had never seen that before.

"Nick! Nick! Look, that gazelle has fingers."

"I know, he's our District Attorney."

"What?"

"District Attorney, he handles high-profile law cases for big business guys in the Savannah and Downtown areas. Really smart guy; modest, too."

"Oh..."

On either side of her were two large male tigers all wearing fur-tight shorts. Everyone knew who they were.

Following them was a red fox with a simple t-shirt and short jeans. Last to step onto the stage was a female leopard with a bass guitar, wearing a dark green jacket over a white t-shirt with matching green pants. The cheering grew louder, especially as Gazelle waved. Arya curled herself over the top of Nick's head in excitement, almost trying to get as close as she could from her current position. She again pulled one of Nick's ears behind her cheek to get a glance at Angel, who smiled back up at her excitedly. She looked back at the woman, remembering the day she'd received a visit from the star during the latter end of her radiation therapy. It had been one of the best days of her life. She wondered if Gazelle would even remember her if she saw her. Gazelle spoke into the microphone. "This thing is on, right?"

There was laughter at that, followed by a giggle from her.

"Thank you, everyone. I am so feliz (happy) to see all of my animals having so much fun today. You had lots of fun, right?" The crowd responded with a shout. "Well then, let's show our beloved sponsor, Zsander Lukagi, how thankful we are that he's funded this for us. And let's never forget our bunny and foxy friends who saved our diverse, beautiful city seven years ago today." Nick straightened up proudly and adjusted his tie as she finished.

"As always, I won't start any show without acknowledging mi familia here on stage. Say hello to our newest additions..." the fox, the gazelle, and the leopard with the bass guitar waved. "...Our new foxy drummer, Ty Ipson and an occasional volunteer, District Attorney Weston Goldfurr." Weston modestly held his hand up briefly with a simple smile while the fox waved with both hands eagerly. Gazelle pointed to the leopard. "You all may have heard about Stephanie Stalkinew over the years, the first of the fourteen mammals to go missing when it all started. And the first of over thirty to be poisoned." Arya had heard about her. "I remember when she told her story as if it just happened minutes ago. Stephanie felt like she had nowhere else to turn. There was no way out. She had come to the point where she was moments away from the two-foot drop that would have taken her life from her forever. But a millisecond before she let herself fall, she made the incredibly hard decision to try to live for just a little longer. She thought, 'I can't be the only one.' So, were there others like you, Steph?" Gazelle looked at her, and she nodded, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "She thought no one could understand what she went through, but then she saw on the news that there actually was a group of animals who had suffered in the exact same way. So she got in contact with them, got to know them, and they have all been the best of friends ever since. It was while she was healing from what she went through that she discovered a talent for music. And she is now a rising star in this city, whose first album, 'Live Forever,' comes out in three months. She had a choice to make. She made it, and here she is tonight." She finished with holding up her arms as if presenting the leopard.

Arya joined in with giving the humble leopard applause. She'd needed that - a reason to hope that things would get better. Somehow. She briefly looked down at Nick, whose eyes looked up to meet hers, and he smiled with a wink - maybe they already had.

"These four goofballs," she gestured to the tigers surrounding her, "well, they don't need any intro, do they?" She then pointed to one of them. "Erik's father, Barkov Rulenstep, was the first to welcome me into the US when I knew no English, had no way to support myself. He took me in, taught me English, gave me a job in his own business. I wouldn't be here without him. And the rest of these guys, they've stuck with me through everything, through hell and high water." She paused to wait for the applause to end before continuing.

"Ty back here with the drum sticks, he wanted to play music throughout his high school years, but no one ever let him because of his species. And when animals were going savage, he began to lose hope that society would ever accept him as a mammal at all. But because of the efforts of our friends, the ZPD, here he is today, providing us with the most essential part of our music: a good beat. You'll see him next week playing alongside Jeremy Rosado at the Water Bowl."

Nick found himself puffing his chest out slightly in pride at the young fox's story. Finally, finally foxes besides himself were beginning to be able to shine.

"To my right is the Savannah's own District Attorney, Weston Goldfurr. I met him last year while visiting a little sheep in the hospital, who had bravely gone to war with cancer and won."

Arya screamed, squeezing Nick's cheeks hard and causing him to cover one ear. She looked down at Angel, who turned toward her in surprise. "That was me! That was me!"

Angel screamed in response. Then both screamed, which did not go unnoticed by the animals around them. And... oh, Nick's poor ears! And cheeks! But... rrn, he couldn't tell them to not be happy about that, could he? For a moment he figured that Gazelle had to have heard them but she continued on nonetheless.

"Weston and I got to know each other and, well, let's just say that I hope the news hasn't beat me to it yet..." she held up her hand in the path of a light beam to show a dazzling crystal atop her second finger on her left hand. There were sounds of gasps and whispers all over the square. "Meet the future Mrs. Giselle Goldfurr." The male gazelle looked down bashfully but not without a posed smile. Arya's hands tightened around her mouth and she squealed, though she couldn't hear herself over the cheering that had just erupted. She looked down at Angel, who was hopping in place. She just couldn't take it. Nick nodded with his eyes closed, mouthing, Not bad, Gaz, not bad, while still digging into one ear with his pinky. These girls had some lungs!

The fox took his place at the drum set and wielded a pair of standard wooden drum sticks. The fedora-topped gazelle himself stood at a microphone and began to strum as the fox clacked his sticks together to indicate the starting point. The leopard began to stroke her bass guitar while Gazelle took the microphone off of its stand. She and her backup dancers started dancing lightly to the beat.

"This is one you fanatics may have heard on the radio recently," said Weston in a pleasant Southern accent. It was immediately clear that he was likely more plain spoken and reserved, a curious foil to his boisterous and lively soon-to-be better half. "'Love You More Than Me,' by our lovely Gazelle Glossihorn."

The music continued building, allowing the square to become more animated.

"Levanta las manos al cielo. Levantate! Mas alto!" (Lift your hands to the sky. Rise up! Higher!)

The beat started soft, then grew in both pitch and volume until it peaked into a crescendo, at which point the bovid began her song:

"In the dark of the night and the dark of the day

...

When things simply aren't going my way

...

Still, I can find the courage to say that I love you more...

Even more than me..."

Nick nodded slightly to the beat while Arya practically jumped atop his shoulders. Seemed she was beginning to delve into more genres besides pop.

The concert went on for about an hour before he felt a brief vibration in his pant leg. Pulling out his phone, he opened the message notification.

Judy: "I'm here. Where are you?"


Judy pulled into the station parking lot. The sun had gone down. The street lights had come on full swing. Judy never got over how quickly the days shortened as spring turned into autumn.

"You think this is enough data?" Ellie asked jokingly while tapping on the top of the pack holding their equipment. "There's only, like, three hundred billion more cameras we could get it from."

She parked the cruiser and removed the key before relaxing against her chair and looking over at the fellow bunny.

"Ha! Knock yourself out. I'm getting back to my husband and daughter."

"Right, yeah. Hold on, did you say 'daughter?'" asked Ellie, ending with a snicker.

"No, I..." said Judy. She stopped to consider for a moment. "I don't think so... did I?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you kinda did." Judy notched an eyebrow. She did, didn't she? Ellie then snickered, which turned into a laugh. "You got it bad, Judy."

"Got what bad? I don't even... I mean, it was a little slip-up."

"You think I don't get it? I'm a bunny too, y'know; grew up in a place that put quite a bit of pressure on smaller mammals. I know our species pretty well - huh, probably better than you do! Your fur's always a mess from constant pheromones and -" she sniffed "-supersaturated with perfume to hide it. Huh!" she chuckled. "Also, your pupils are dilated, you're much quieter than you should be (usually can't get you to shut up), and you carry around those pregnancy tests. I mean come on! You actually thought no one noticed?..."

Judy shook her head slowly in both amazement and terror at Ellie's keen perception. She read between the lines and answered her question.

"Honey, I'm thirty-six, thirty-seven, somewhere around there. And I'm from Purrtland. I've seen enough crap in my life to know what a bunny with a closet full of pent-up heat looks like. It's a harsh, harsh reality. Because I've been there. I mean, you lived in a place where bunnies are married with a full nuclear family by age nineteen, at minimum. But - correct me if I'm wrong - you were probably a virgin 'til you met Nick. And you still have no kids by your thirties, when you've looooong since passed your earliest fertility window. I mean, this is really just an educated guess, since it's pretty much impossible for us to focus on... y'know, having babies and being a cop at the same time. Kind of a perfect storm because for us, sex only... well, ramps up our motherly desires. It's why we usually have so many of 'em."

Judy looked at her for a moment, having a sense that there was certain... regret behind her words, but curiosity kept her quiet at the same time. She wanted to ask what she meant by "been there," but didn't want to insult her again. Apparently, she caught on to her curiosity, because again, she answered the question before it was even asked.

"Like I said... I lived a life I didn't want to live, a tough life. I didn't want that life for myself, but I also didn't want it for a child, so I gave it up."

"...Gave up motherhood?" she asked, knowing she was bordering on presupposition.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed nonchalantly. "Wasn't easy but had to be that way." Judy knew that she was hinting more than what she said but felt it better not to pry.

"Well, I'm going to find Nick," she said, unlocking the door for Ellie, who jumped out of the cruiser and closed the door.

"And your daughter," she teased. Judy rolled her eyes with an indulgent smile and shake of her head. "Hey, Jude," she said, stopping her before she took off. Judy looked down at her. "That 'bun in the oven' test in your pocket? Get rid of it, i.e. right now. Trust me, that habit'll only make it worse. Ex-pon-NEN-tially," she added, pronouncing each syllable.

Judy stared at the bunny, who stared back with eyes that screamed, Don't even try to deny it.

"Also, I'll get this to Little Porky for ya. Cause you got places to be and all. But me, I'm going home."

With that, Judy smiled and backed up to drive toward the Plaza. Meanwhile, Ellie headed inside to give the data to another little colleague of hers. Canada Porky worked in the computer science niche inside the station. He was a shy little bugger, literally. Born with a kind of dwarfism and bearing a stuttering, high voice, he seemed oblivious to the snickers whenever he was among other animals. Ellie opened the door to his office, which was slightly dim for some reason. The first sound she heard was rapid clacking on a keyboard, intermixed with light, stammering mutters.

Smiling, Ellie quietly let the door close behind her. She crept up behind him as he continued clacking and muttering to himself continuously. He took no notice of her whatsoever. So she tossed the data chip from the recorder onto the desk beside him.

"AAH!" he cried out. He pushed away from his desk, but only succeeded in causing himself to spin in a circle several times before coming to a stop. "Oh-whoa-whoa," he swooned as he slowed to a stop, his hands on his head.

Ellie burst out laughing. The little pig focused his dizzy eyes on her.

"What was eh-theh-theh-eh-that?" he asked as he began to reorient himself. He put an angry look on his face, which only made his stuttering funnier: "Eh-do-do-eh-don't do eh-theh-theh-eh-that, will ya?" He stood up and stretched for a moment. Ellie cringed at the sound of his cracking joints. He was a young guy; why were heis joints making all those sounds? She could only wonder. "I'm very uh-bih-bih-uh-busy."

"Sorry, Hon," she said, "I just had to."

He immediately switched back to his happy state. "An-anyway, what can I eh-duh-duh-eh do for you, eh-deh-deh-eh-deh-deh-eh, uh, Officer eh-Foo-Foo-eh-Futsbauer?"

"Well, my friend, that chip there-" she pointed to it and he picked it up "-I need you to see if you can unlock some evidence for me."

"How, uh, l-l-l-eh-l-uh, long ago was the eh-foo-foo-eh-footage taken?"

About two days ago."

"Two days? Eh-beh-beh-eh-but Off-Offic-, uh, but Ellie, that's impossible! It's uh-uh already eh-beh-beh-eh-been deleted."

"What, I'm sure you could do it, couldn't ya? You crack stuff all the time. Heck, you've helped catch... what, thirty hackers in the past two years alone? You could fish out that extra footage, right? I mean, how much you want for it, two hundred?"

"N-n-n-n-no, eh-theh-theh-eh-that's not why I eh-seh-seh-eh-said it's uh, uh, imp-impossible. The eh-deh-deh-eh-data, eh, is eh-geh-geh-eh-gone once it's eh-deh-deh-eh-deleted."

"Judy and I saw the footage on the... the... things, the things below the traffic cams."

He shrugged apologetically, indicating that there really was nothing he could do.

Ellie stood there for a moment with her hands on her hips. "So what you're telling me..." Porky gulped at the blank but obviously frustrated look on her face "...is that Judy and I wasted our time chasing after footage that wasn't even there."

"Eh-peh-peh-eh-peh-peh-eh-eh... pretty much," he said timidly with a shrug. "Eh-theh-theh-eh-the server eh-deh-deh-eh-deletes all of its, uh, uh, eh-foo-foo-eh-footage after one eh-deh-deh-eh-day. So it's a l-l-eh-l, um, a lost cause. Eh-seh-seh-eh-seh-eh-eh-seh-eh-seh-um... sorry about-"

"Yeah, save it," she said glumly before grabbing the data chip. She leaned against the desk for a moment, looking toward the door with an angry look on her face. She punched the desk and stood up to march toward the door. "Don't know why anyone bothered to give us a..." there was the sound of breaking glass suddenly, causing Porky to jump "...heads-up, like, 'Oh yeah, the..." there was a metallic crash this time "...cameras don't actually record anything useful, so sorry ya stupid..." she slammed the door just before finishing. Porky turned and saw his glass soda bottle, followed by his stapler had fallen to the floor. He went to grab a broom to clean up the glass, making sure not to run into Detective Futsbauer again.


There she sat. Another dirty bathroom floor in a stall, hoping against science that the answer might be different.

Throw it away. It'll only feed the habit.

Those were the words that had zoomed through her head as she made her way toward the restroom near the Plaza's Square. She had known what the answer would be. The second line she wanted so desperately to see, a positive test, was an impossibility. Yet every fiber of her being screamed for her to try. She'd had to. Or she was going to explode.

No... don't! She'd stopped and tried to fight it, but it forced her forward. The last effort she'd given was a grunt as she'd pushed through the door.

And now, it was over... before she even knew it. She had watched the strip of the cassette as it processed. But the longer she waited, the wider the cavity in her chest grew. Eventually, she let her arm fall to her thigh. The cassette slipped from her fingers to land between her legs. She stared at the wall, remembering Ellie's words from before. Her species... couldn't focus on a family... and their job at the same time.

Why did she have this desire? This uncontrollable desire? Why had she wanted to be a cop? Why couldn't she focus on two things at once?

Why... why did she get married to a fox? The question she dreaded so much but never allowed herself to ask. She loved her life, her job. And yes, she loved Nick. And she yearned for something she couldn't have as long as she was with him.

Why did she get married to a fox?

She shook her head in shame, resisting the urge to break down. She was tired. She was so tired. Tired of pretending that this wasn't eating away at her, tired of hiding the resentment she held toward Nick, tired of this whole crisis...

Should she...?

Should she...?

She couldn't finish the question. She couldn't. There was no question. What she'd done that day was make a vow. She would never, no matter what.

Oh, Nick, she mouthed, don't let me...

After washing up and exiting the restroom, she took out her phone and sent a text: "I'm here. Where are you?"


It didn't take long to find him, being the red fox with a lamb sitting atop his shoulders and her torso sprawled over the back of his head.

"Hey, Carrots!" he half-shouted over the music. He'd set Arya down (onto Angel's shoulders) to talk to his wife. "What's up? Glad you didn't die!"

Judy froze, wondering how exactly he'd known... She closed her eyes and chuckled, too lightly to be heard over the noise. He waited for an answer from her, but she just looked at him with an... increasingly tight smile. Her ears dropped suddenly and she walked up to him and planted her forehead onto his chest. She seemed to sniffle.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She shook her head against his chest. "What's wrong, Honey? Hey, look at me." He pulled her chin up until her teary eyes met his. "You can tell me, Judy. It's ok." He pet her head lightly, and she smiled briefly with a sniffle.

"I just love you," she said with a breaking voice. "I love you so much."

"Well, heh, I am pretty lovable, 'specially in bed." She slapped his chest with a giggle. He responded with a devious laugh. Good thing no one else could hear them...

"Be serious, Nick!" She looked up at him again. "Can we go and... talk? I need you."

"Of course we can talk, Sweetheart. Come on. Wow," he said as he turned toward the square's exit. "This place cleared out quick." There was no one to be seen anywhere. Aside from a few park staff picking up trash and patrolling the area, the whole Plaza was deserted. "What time is it?"

"About 6."

"Huh! Where'd the sun go in such a hurry?"

Judy snorted and leaned against Nick's side, putting her arm around his waist. "Probably had a hot date."

"Ooh, a hot date. I could use one o'those."

She laughed. "I think we've been taking too much time off, Nick! We've taken a lot of time off these past few days."

"Ah, but that time off has been wonderful," he said, looking down at Judy with a smile. She smiled back with a sigh as that question she'd asked earlier was answered once again: Why did she marry a fox? Because she loved him.

They walked until they reached a small patio in front of a restaurant that was just reaching closing time - they could still see some animals inside. A light was on over the patio, which gave them more than enough light. They sat down across from each other on a round, wooden table.

"Excuse me," said a smiling female hippo sticking her head through the door. "We're closed now."

"Oh we know," said Nick, "we're just sitting down. We'll be going in a few minutes." The hippo nodded and closed the door back. "So, what's on your mind, Carrots?"

Judy opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. She clasped her hands tenderly as she contemplated what she was going to say. It was a familiar sight, the way she did that with her hands. She always did that when she tried to confess something painful. After several seconds, she seemed to deflate, as if she were retreating into herself.

"Carrots, can I ask you something?" She nodded, her eyes wide in anticipation. "Is this about the pregnancy tests?"

The moment he said, pregnancy tests... she froze.

"I swear, Judy," he chuckled. "How you hustled me, I have no idea. Because you are terrible at keeping secrets."

"Uh..." she stammered. "You knew? But Nick, why didn't you ever... ask me about it?"

"You're not the only one who wants to have a family, Judy, and you're certainly not the only one who doesn't always know how to bring it up. 'Oh hey, Honey, I know we've been trying for five years now so... what's the verdict today?'"

"Oh, Nick..." she whispered huskily, putting her hand on her face. "Oh, Nick... I'm sorry. I should have told you. But I didn't know how."

"Judy..." he reached across to wipe her eyes, then scooted around to sit right next to her and hold her close. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. We're not the first couple to try to have children and fail."

"I know," she said tearfully. "It's just... it doesn't hurt any less. I just... really, really want a baby." Nick pulled her closer as she took a deep breath. He massaged her shoulder with his thumb to comfort her. "After all this Crisis stuff, and not being able to have any real success on our case... I mean, I just feel so inadequate! Like, how is it that I... sorry, sorry, I'm being dumb."

"Judy," he said sternly while leaning down to look her in the eye, "I don't think that. At all. Can you tell me why you feel so inadequate? What makes you think that way?"

She shrugged with a sniffle. "I..." she sniffled again. "I don't know, I just..." she shrugged.

"You know what I think?" She looked at him. "I think you're beating yourself up way too much."

"What do you...?"

"Well, look at me. I spent twenty-one years of my life on the streets, hustling mammals out of their hard-earned cash because a few mean kids wouldn't let me into their club. You? You spent fifteen years dreaming to be a police officer and made it. Out of the two of us, which of us had the bigger hat?"

Judy couldn't help but snicker at the image. "You did, I think. You had a pretty big head." She laughed.

"That's my girl," said Nick, hugging Judy close and smushing her giggling face into his. He set her down and kissed the top of her head.

Judy began to feel much better, now that her not-very-well-kept secret was out. They sat and talked for a few more minutes before starting back toward the crowd. It occurred to Nick that he had been planning on telling Judy while they were dancing, or doing something more romantic than this, at least. But as he very well knew, life was good at throwing curveballs.

Speaking of which... "You know, maybe you and I have already been raising a child for the past week, and didn't even know it."

Judy looked up at him with a light gasp, remembering her conversation with Ellie. She remembered what she had said, what had passed by her so easily... get back to my husband and daughter...

"You want to?" asked Nick. Judy didn't answer, but a wide smile grew onto her face. She pulled close to him.

"You think we'd make good parents?"

"I know one thing, Carrots: you'd make one heck of a mommy."

The concert was drawing to a close. While disappointed that she hadn't been able to see the whole thing, she couldn't be happier. At least there was a slow song near the end, so that she could actually dance with Nick for once and allow him to put his skills(?) on display. The rest was just her jumping up and down while throwing her hands in the air, the way she always did. And it was perfect.

This day had been one of the strangest, among the more stressful. And the most terrifying, given that she'd endured a near-death experience at the hands of an innocent child. So yeah, rough day. The subtle bump on her head was still there, and it still pulsed slightly. She would probably keep that little tidbit to herself. No need to let her husband know that he was very close to becoming a widower.

Driving home that night, Judy and Nick talked with Arya about her day, laughing with her, joking around. Looking at the little girl in the rear view, Judy couldn't help but see the little lamb's mother in her. Not the evil Dawn Bellwether, but the woman she'd met at her graduation, the one who took her hand and let her know that she always had a friend at City Hall. She felt in her heart that this little girl was meant to be hers. Because she was what she missed from her memory of Dawn Bellwether. The one who never really existed.

They talked about the day's activities at the fair, and what inevitably came up was Finnick's new partner, which Nick made sure to show his disdain for.

"I still cannot believe that Finnick found another you," said Judy with a laugh.

"Oh, he wasn't. Trust me. No one in their right mind would actually call that masterpiece a Pawprint."

"You mean the masterpiece that is composed of sugary juice that's been siphoned through a filthy gutter and frozen inside snow divots left by a middle-aged fennec fox's dirty feet?"

"Yes! Exactly! And, hey... I did make sure to have those gutters cleaned and refurbished. Anonymously, of course. Cost me a fortune, though."

She shook her head with a smirk. "You have some crazy life story, Nick."

"He told us the story of how he set his tail on fire," said Angel.

"You set your tail on fire?!" said Judy in alarm, though it was to hide the fact that she wanted to laugh out loud so much.

"Uhm, uhhhh..."

"Yeah, he was making out with some ocelot and-"

"Ok! And we're... not home yet," he finished quietly.

"Oh really," said Judy with an air of jealousy. Nick hoped for all his life that she was messing with him. "Please Nick, tell me more about this ocelot. She pretty?"

"Carrots!" he sighed, "It was like eleven years ago!"

She patted his shoulder. "I'm kidding, Honey."

"Oh, good!" he exhaled sharply. "I legitimately thought you were gonna kill me."

"No, I'll do that later after I ask those two whether you had them ride the coasters or not..."

Nick's eyes widened. Judy looked back at the girls and winked.

"And then I'll find that ocelot of yours and nail her into the ground for snogging my Honey-Bun!"

Honey-Bun? he mouthed with a nervous smirk. That was a bit of a flip in the script. He was still musing about this when, suddenly, his eyes widened in realization... into the ground...

He had mulled it over for a while and then forgotten about it. His assumption had been that the tracker was defective. He had never thought... underground... what if... the reason Higgins couldn't find her...? What if... what if this explained why they were unable to find any serious leads? He tensed up.

Judy suddenly realized through her laughter that the car was accelerating. "Nick? Nick?" They were now going fifty on a twenty-five. "Nick, slow down!"

He relaxed and pressed on the break, staring forward. "Judy, I just realized something."

"What?!"

"That... er, woman who kicked my butt yesterday? The one I tried to track down?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a feeling that the tracker was accurate."

"Nick, what-"

"The tracker wasn't wrong; she was underground. That's why Higgins couldn't find her. I can't believe I didn't think about it till now." At that moment, Nick pulled onto their street. Angel and Arya looked at each other in confusion.

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about that right now - the case, the Crisis - let's talk about this when we get back to work. I just want to rel... what is...?"

Nick had already noticed. He'd noticed the ghost of flashing red lights on the windshield just as he'd turned onto the street, then the large, red vehicle parked in front of their house and a police vehicle next to it. Their front door was open. Several of their neighbors were gathered around the yard, watching the events unfold. What was going on? Had someone broken in? Were they still there?

"Judy?" asked Arya as Nick parked the car.

"Both of you stay in the car; we'll be right back."

"Is something wrong?" she asked again.

"Just stay in the car, Honey. Ok?" She closed the door, leaving the car in disconcerting quiet between the young panther and the lamb.

Arya and Angel looked at each other anxiously. "Did someone get hurt?" asked Arya.

"I don't know," she said. The two of them watched as the bunny and fox approached the EMT standing at the front of the house. The EMT turned toward them and Judy took something out of her pocket and showed it to him.

At that moment, an officer, a cheetah stepped out the door and ran up to the two.

"Ben! What in the..." they heard through the window from Judy. The cheetah took on a nervous look. His mouth moved but neither could tell what he was saying. But then, Judy took a couple steps back, as if she'd been struck, and covered her mouth with both hands. Her fallen ears tensed against the back of her skull. Even from behind, it wasn't hard to tell that she was distressed. Her ears always gave it away. She shook her head for a moment while Nick took her shoulders, his face turned to the side. Arya and Angel managed to get a glimpse of his face. And it betrayed... horror... that was the only word for it.

Angel began to breathe more heavily. "Mom was home today. I... I have to see if she's ok." Opening the door, she ran up to the three officers, loudly asking what was happening.

"Angel, no, no no, go back to the car," said Nick. Ben stood there nervously, looking as if he wanted to beat a hasty retreat.

"Is something wrong? Did someone get hurt?"

"Sweetie..." He took her arm and tried to lead her back toward the vehicle, but she jerked her arm free.

"Where's my mom, is she..."

"They're bringing her out now!" Arya and Angel saw a tigress standing at the front of the house. No sooner did she say this that a harsh growling noise filled the air, the kind that only a panther could make.

Angel froze at the noise, her eyes widening as a gurney was brought out of the house, a black figure strapped to it to keep it from escaping. Arya covered her mouth with a mortified gasp. Neither did Nick or Judy move, but they kept glancing at Angel, as if they didn't know how to handle the situation. Angel's eyes silently followed the gurney the whole way, never taking her eyes off of it. Only once the gurney was lifted into the ambulance did she fall to her knees, utterly defeated by the sight that had passed by her.

"Angel..." said Nick in barely over a whisper. "Angel, let's..." He didn't know how to finish. He himself was trying to process it. Their house... their house... had been broken into, and the mother of Arya's closest friend had been set on it. How... in what... sick, twisted world... he couldn't comprehend it. He couldn't comprehend how this could happen. How things could go from so good...

...to this...

He didn't see how they would deal with it. They couldn't even deal with this case...

But one thing he did see, which he hadn't noticed before: a bold-print note painted in bright red on the frame of their front door. The sight of it made his pupils shrink to pinpoints, made him bare his teeth in fury.

What it read was, Condemned. Bellwether inside.


They'll have to stick together through this. Now, let's see how events unfold.

"The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows, to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken." Psalm 37:14-15

Amen! For the Lord protects the poor and needy, giving them a good inheritance. But the evil and those who would hurt them will see God's rage burning against them in due time. O God, save!