A/N / So... Here is yet a 6th installment. Hope you enjoy.

The events here take place a year or two after the movie. I'm not actually sure how long, but it has been enough time that Nick and Judy are officially together.

Note: I am going to use an internal dialog technique here that I am totally stealing from another author. I loved it so much I'm test driving it here in hopes of using the same technique in my original works.

Note2: This is the refresh. I want to thank Hereford67 and Bear678 for their work. Bear678 as my regular beta that keeps things at least marginally readable, and Hereford67 for their selfless volunteering of listing all the items they took note of. Thank you both!

I do not own and claim no rights to Zootopia or its characters. They belong to Disney.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mall of Zootopia - Girls day out

Some time later, laughing and smiling, the group entered the store next to the Juice Bar, Vixen's Secret, and started to look through the various offerings of racy, sexy, revealing, and lacy night and underwear. Sometimes all at the same time.

Judy quickly found and picked out what she was after. A pair of sexy, sheer fabric teddies that matched her eyes, plus an emerald green, and a brilliant sapphire blue one..

Lizz saw her picking them out and smiled. "Are those what Nick destroyed?"

Judy nodded as she considered a bright green one in a solid rather than sheer fabric similar in color to Nick's eyes. "Yes. The key is finding what sets him off, and playing to that. One thing that seems universal though is wearing their shirt, if you can."

Elli nodded from a nearby rack. "Oh, true that. Ed almost cannot help himself, especially if I hook the back of it over my tail so it shows things off."

Judy laughed. "Exactly! Walk past Nick with one of his Pawaiin shirts, back hooked on my tail, and the fox cannot help himself. He has destroyed several of his own shirts that way." Elli giggled as Judy held up a sheer green and a sheer black teddy towards Lizz. "Hmm... I actually think green." Turning and digging through the pile until she found a brighter green one and held it up. "Oh yeah. Elli, what do you think?"

Elli stepped over from where she had been looking through a rack of lacy thongs, and looked at the teddy. "Hmm..." Taking it from Judy and holding it up towards Lizz, who realized what they were doing, her eyes going wide. "Yeah. The green for sure. I'll see if they have one in the right size." Handing the teddy back to Judy to put back and walking towards the registers in the back.

Lizz put up her paws. "Hold on a second."

Judy just grinned at her wickedly. "Oh, not to worry, Lizz. My gift to you and Mike. You may not know it, but seeing you pregnant is probably keeping his engine running twenty four seven. Put this on, and he won't be able to hold back."

Looking down embarrassed. "You think so?"

Chuckling, Judy held up a blue one. "I know so." Yelling back towards Elli. "The..." Checking the tag. "Sapphire blue, too."

Elli yelled back. "Got it!"

Lizz frowned. "Judy. We're saving up for the move, I can't afford..."

Waving Lizz off. "I need five, and I put one of the purple ones back, still have one at home that's intact." Pointing at the sale sign. "Already budgeted, and honestly, these are for after the kits are born. Nick and I snuggle, and we do other things, but at this point, there's just no way. I don't know about you and Mike. I've got one hell of a night planned for after."

Lizz smiled, a blush turning the inside of her ears red before they laid back, the blush also showing in the thin fur around her eyes and cheeks. "No. Haven't been able to do anything much for about a month, mostly because Mike doesn't want to do anything to hurt me or the cubs. So, we're probably doing much the same as you are. Lots of snuggling, and letting our paws and tongues do the work. Doing something once the cubs are born, now that sounds like a good way to celebrate."

"Yeah... Nick was much the same once I really started to show, sadly we just cannot at this point. Got to say, that canine tongue sure makes up for a lot though. Though, now that we know that I can get knocked up, I'll be going on birth control until we decide to have another liter. You?"

Carry laughed and piped up. "Oh... It soo does!" Joan and Elli just giggling along with the deer behind the counter.

Lizz shivered with a grin and a nod. "It does at that. I'll be doing the same."

The cashier handed the two teddies for Lizz to Elli. "So, you're all in relationships with canines? Is it really that good?"

Elli nodded. "Thank you." Taking the teddies. "We are. The pregnant pair just went public, if you will. If you're asking if it is worth it, then we're kinda biased. Just like any relationship, it has to be with the right mammal, and it takes extra communication, because of physical and cultural differences, but it still boils down to tab A, slot B."

The cashier blushed brightly. "Oh... But, isn't that Judy Hopps?"

Elli grinned. "Hey Judy, Cashier wants to know if your last name is Hopps."

Judy turned to look at the deer, ears up, with a mischievous smile. "Might be. Does it get me a discount?" The cashier blanched and Judy laughed. "I'm kidding." Walking over. "I am Judy Hopps."

The cashier's eyes went wide as she took in Judy's condition. "Oh my. Well, it is truly an honor to meet you. Please don't think badly of me, I am just surprised."

Judy waived it off. "It's fine. You've not been speciesist or anything, and I'm kinda used to surprise at this point. If you're curious, then I'll just say that no, it isn't bad at all. It also isn't for everyone. The key is seeing them as a mammal and not their species, and a lot of communication to get past cultural and species differences. That said, I wouldn't trade my mate for anyone."

The cashier nodded with a smile. "Well, I can't give you a discount on anything already on sale, but if there is anything you've been eyeing that isn't, I'll be sure to see what I can do."

"Thank you!" Judy grinned up at the deer. "There just might be."

Chuckling. "My pleasure. That goes for all four of you." Looking up at Lizz. "You know what, I think we might have something just specially for you."

Lizz's head snapped over. "What?"

The cashier came around the counter and lead her to the larger mammal area. "What is he?"

"A wolf."

Grinning, the cashier laughed. "Yep. I have the perfect thing for you then. Follow me." Lizz did, glancing back at a grinning Judy, not sure if she should be angry at, or thankful for, the rabbit in that moment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, they were walking out of the store, each with at least one small bag. Lizz glanced at her bags with a shake of her head. The two teddies that Judy bought her, a sheer nightie of some shimmery material that looked like moonlight on a pond, and several embarrassingly revealing pieces of lace and satin underwear.

Carry looked up at Lizz with a grin. "Do you happen to own any dresses? I know Judy didn't, not really, before we got our paws on her."

Lizz shook her head. "No. Never owned a dress."

Joan looked back as they walked. "Not even a prom dress?"

Lizz looked down, clearly embarrassed, her tail still and ears back. "I was never asked out to prom, so I didn't go. Like I said earlier, I never really had a boyfriend, at least nothing serious, until Mike. Didn't really care at the time. Looking back, I really think I would have enjoyed it."

Judy barked a dark laugh. "Better to not be asked then get asked as part of a dare and bet. I totally get you though Lizz, not being asked out much or often. I had a couple of boyfriends, though I'd barely call them that. It never lasted more than a few dates before they started putting down my dreams, expecting me to just shut up and be nothing but an incubator. When it became clear that they were not going to be supportive, I would end it."

Lizz flinched. "Ouch. Mine weren't that bad, but at the same time, like that too. Yes, I'm a tiger, but wanted to be a cop... That wasn't something the males I knew and asked me out seemed to understand, and they were certainly not supportive. Which at the end of a date or two, ended things pretty quickly."

Judy nodded, giving Lizz and pat on her paw. "Totally. I might be exaggerating slightly, but it was that lack of support. That expectation that I'd give up my dream, that it was silly and I should just settle for something normal." Lizz nodded in strong agreement.

Elli shook her head and gave Judy a side-hug. "Not everyone had your experience with prom, or dating for that matter, Judy."

"I know. Still bitter. It's one of the many experiences that made it hard to see and recognize my feelings for Nick."

Lizz frowned. "What happened?"

Judy shrugged her shoulders. "It was a bet amongst the popular bucks in high-school. I really should have suspected something when he asked me, but I guess I just wanted to be accepted. I'm sure I convinced myself that even if it was a pity ask, it was an honest one. It wasn't... The loser of the initial wager had to ask me to prom, but then, if he managed to steal my first kiss he'd get a reward, bed me that night, an even bigger one. I overheard them talking when I went looking for him because he'd taken so long to get us drinks. They were discussing if giving me the spiked punch would be considered cheating, or just a hazard of prom versus deliberately spiking my drink. At least they concluded that deliberate spiking would constitute cheating." Shaking her head angrily.

Lizz stopped in horror, before taking a few quick steps to catch up. "Oh my gods! That's terrible."

Judy shrugged again and gave a sly grin over her shoulder at Lizz. "I broke his nose and cracked both teeth." Pointing to her own long front teeth. "He had to go to the dentist to get them ground down and cleaned up. They were flush with his gums like a newborn kit. Took almost a year for them to grow back enough to be just even with his other teeth. His friends tried to hold me back in my rage. Four broken paws, one dislocated shoulder, one broken and one dislocated jaw, and a lot of bruises and contusions, black eyes, bloody noses, fat lips, etc... At least three broken tables, including the one that had the spiked punch bowl on it, resting atop one of the bucks after he went through said table. I spent the night in the jail for assault until the truth of the bet, their discussions, and such came out. None of them or there families were willing to try and press charges after the reason for my anger came out. I'm just glad that it didn't effect my ability to join."

Lizz shook her head. "Wow, I wish there was video."

Joan laughed, pulled out and worked her phone. "So, we need to get some dresses. Vivian's?" A quick nod from everyone but Lizz determined their next stop just a few stores away. "You're in luck Lizz. You'll get a dress or three, meet Nick's mother, and get to watch the video. Set your phone to receive a link." Lizz pulled out her phone and did so, Joan flicking a link to a video over to Lizz

Judy groaned. "Dammit. I thought all of those had finally been taken down."

Joan grinned back at Judy. "Sure, but the copies that certain mammals downloaded still exist, and then get put right back up. You're fighting a losing battle there, Judy."

Growling, Judy turned to Joan. "Who? You?"

Putting her hands up in surrender, Joan took a step away from Judy. "Not me, but I do have a copy."

Judy put her face in her paws, ears flopping over. "I'll never live that down. Just like the video of me and that rhino that had the reaction to his meds, or scaling the giraffe to rescue that poor squirrel kit, and the poor giraffe herself, who was also freaking out. Having a small creature you can only feel and hear, but not see, clinging to your head and screaming in absolute terror is going to freak any mammal out."

Lizz was watching the shaky video and chuckling at the comments of the rabbit doe that had filmed it. Judy's ears twitched as she heard the all too familiar commentary and the sudden crash of George going through the punch table. Lizz winced several times as she watched a much younger Judy beat the crap out of seven bucks, clearly larger than her, and also completely out-classed by her.

Joan nodded and sighed. "Oh Judy... There is a EweTube channel dedicated to your exploits. It's got cell video of your exit from the Museum, as well as some of the CCTV stuff once it was released. There's video of you working the protests before you quit, and from several cases as you suggest. That rhino video is intense. It even has a grainy video of The Rabbit Avenger and her partner The Crimson Gazelle, putting down a gang of muggers. Since it happened when you were in college in the same town, the current theory is that it was you and a friend of yours. Though no one can prove it."

Judy had stopped and was standing in the entryway of the store, Vivian's, ignoring them all and banging her head against the side of the door jamb. "Stupid. Stupid. It's got to be Maria and Jarvis. Only they have copies of that accursed video." Stopping and looking towards Joan. "Is there another video of those two stopping a robbery and the gazelle breaking the tip of her horn?"

Joan looked at Judy, her head falling to the side. "Yes. It's one of the reasons so many think it is you. Speculation on who the Crimson Gazelle is, is wild, up to and including Gazelle herself. The gray fur is clearly visible on The Rabbit Avenger in the hold up video, but the ears are covered by the costume, and eyes being the goggles, so no eye color to go by. How do you know about that video?"

Judy ignored Joan, stepped away from the door and entered the store, the vixen behind the counter glowing as she saw the group. "JUDY!" Then freezing as she sees the almost distraught bunny, ears down over her face, shoulders slumped, looking down and dragging her feet. Anger replacing the initial joy in her voice. "Oh my god! What has that stupid todd of mine done!"

Looking up with a start, Judy's ears shot up to attention. "Vivian? What‽ Nick? No! He hasn't done anything, he's perfect. More than perfect." Giving a resigned sigh. "Just video evidence of past, youthful, poor decision making, coming back to haunt me."

Joan looked on in shock for a moment, then started to squeal, dancing in place in joy. "Oh my gods! It was you! No way! I cannot believe it!"

Lizz laughed out loud. "Now I know why you have a sealed IA file already."

Vivian turned a harsh look at Judy. "An Internal Affairs file? Judy, what did you do?"

Looking around at the group staring at her. "Can we please go in the back before we discuss this at least. I'm not really prevented from talking about it, but I'm highly encouraged not to do so." Walking towards the door to the back of the shop, clearly an unhappy bunny. "So if you want to hear it, then come on. Besides, you need to get Lizz's measurements." Pointing at the tiger.

Vivian looked up at the Tiger. "Ah, you must be Lizz, the cop my son and Judy said they were going to help come out as mated to your own partner, who happens to be a wolf."

Lizz nodded. "Gods. How many people have they told?"

Vivian grinned. "Simple deduction. They haven't actually told us your names, or really anything other than that they work with you and you're in an interspecies relationship with your partner. Judy did just mention that your name is Lizz, and I can smell him on you and your cubs, which are clearly his." Coming around and directing Lizz towards where Judy went. "You can't keep things like that from an old vixen like me. Now, come on. I'll take really good care of you while we all enjoy watching a rabbit spontaneously combust in frustration and embarrassment."

Lizz chuckled. "Okay, that makes sense. Me being the unknown mammal, around Judy, when meeting up with her and the mammal she says she's helping. It just kinda follows."

Vivian nodded. "Exactly! No big mystery or her spreading your secrets, just simply deduction."

"I have to say, given how my week started, I haven't had this much fun in years."

Entering the back, Lizz stops, seeing the others sitting around on comfortable couches on one end of the rectangular room. Judy was seated in one of a set of chairs sitting on the opposite wall to the couches, and glaring back at them.

Vivian indicated a small dias at the center of the room after shooing a younger raccoon out to watch the front of the store. "As you can see, I do quite a bit of custom work as well as the stock we keep up front. Now up on the dias with you so I can get a measure of you. You'll have to come back after your cubs are born so I can verify your measurements and make any needed alterations."

Lizz hesitated before being pulled along by the vixen. "I don't know..."

"Don't be shy, but if you're worried about the other ladies here, they've all been through it themselves. Now, off with the clothes."

Lizz's eyes going wide. "What?"

Giving her a wink, Vivian smiled. "Don't worry. Nothing any of us girls haven't seen before. Besides, we're all going to be focused on the rabbit trying to blow up her friends with a glare."

Flicking her eyes towards Lizz and Vivian, Judy huffs. "I'm not trying to blow them up, just convince them to not ask."

Lizz laughed and shook her head. "Well, it's no worse than the locker room at the precinct. If anything, it's a lot nicer. And Judy... It's way past the chance to not have to talk about whatever this is. Though I want to see more of these videos."

Vivian laughed. "Oh, is this about the Rabbit Avenger videos?"

Lizz looked over to Vivian as she dropped her pants and set them on an empty chair along with her blouse. "That's what I gather. I get the impression that Judy and a friend of hers from college got themselves in a bit of trouble."

Vivian chuckled and started running her measuring tape over Lizz once she was standing on the dias. Occasionally stepping over to a small fold down desk on the wall to make a note. "I wouldn't say trouble, per-se, not based on the story she told me. Although they did cause laws against vigilantism to be passed, as well as some very embarrassed police and political mammals to eat a large helping of their own tails."

Lizz looked down at Vivian as she wrapped the measuring tape around her hips. "Knowing Judy, that doesn't surprise."

"It really doesn't once you get to know her. Same goes for Maria."

Lizz looked over to Judy as she lifted her arms for Vivian to measure her chest. "Okay Judy. Spill already, I'll watch the video's later."

Crossing her arms, Judy glared at the assembled mammals, giving each one a full second, including her mother-in-law. With a loud sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment. "Fine! When I was in college, they hadn't passed the MII yet, and though rabbits and smaller mammals were not specifically excluded, they kept rejecting my applications. Maria, her boyfriend at the time, and I, were heading back to our room from a costume party. A, Savage Territory, comic themed costume party. We saw the crime in progress and Maria and I made a citizen's arrest, while Jarvis took the video. The part where the cops show up, us having a long conversation with them about being at the party and the costumes being a pure coincidence, never gets shown.

After we left the cops who had stopped us to ask about the getups, Not twenty minutes later, while we were in that convenience store looking for some snacks, which we never even got, and some idiot decided to try and hold the place up. Maria rammed him, knocking the gun free and breaking off the tip of her horn. I then put him down. Same cops show up from earlier, which is again not shown in the video that gets posted."

Joan nods. "Uh huh. That explains the first two videos, though I didn't know they happened on the same night. You being there before the robber showed makes the video make more sense. So what about the rest of them?"

Judy pulled her ears down over her face. "Now I know for a fact that it is Maria. So... A few weeks later, we are out for a late food run and came across another crime in progress, a bunch of frat boys doing something really stupid. I don't even remember what, probably tagging, as we had time to get to our dorm and change. Maria talked me into putting our costumes on and teaching them a lesson.

It got to the point that we kept the costumes in the bottom of a large purse we both carried that had a false bottom. I took to wearing leggings and a tight t-shirt under my things so I could change quickly. Maria just wore it under he clothes. Near the end, I was doing that too. Less to carry and easier to conceal.

The cops knew who we were, because it was always a citizen's arrest, costume or not, and there are rules for that. The defense tried to argue that our arrests were illegal, despite the strong rules about citizens' arrests and that we didn't just leave them there, but waited for the cops, always had recordings of what they were doing before we took action thanks to Maria's boyfriend, etc... Called the cops ourselves most of the time. The defense kept trying, and failing in those arguments.

The real issue was with the higher ups in the police department. They really hated us, but couldn't do anything, and with us running around, crime went down. The beat cops were fifty-fifty on us. We eventually got called before the city council, and showed up in uniform, of course. They just assumed that we were miscreants, and didn't expect me to show up with a full presentation, with sourced facts.

When I got done, I pointed out that the entire reason we even had the chance to get started doing it was because the city council had cut back the police budget to the point of absurdity, resulting in long response times, few to any actual patrols, etc... I even had it documented where that money had gone, that being into the paychecks of the council members. One of the council mammals that was more outspoken against us tried to say what we were doing was illegal, which it wasn't and I had the rules laid out for that too. By the end, the council looked like morons, the police chief and higher ups looked incompetent, etc...

The result was a referendum on the council and police. To try and save their jobs the council tried to find money by stealing from other places and got called out for it. In the end, most of the council mammals lost their jobs, along with the police chief and others. The new council cut their own pay and put the money back where it came from, which included the police, parks, and other things.

The police started hiring and were quickly back to fully staffed and able to do their job properly. At that point, CG and BA didn't have much to do anymore. Then they put in laws that prevented the sort of budget raiding the previous councils had done so they couldn't raise their own pay directly and then turned to us; or rather what we represented. When they were done, vigilantes were not technically illegal, but... you have to register and get a license, insurance, have some police training, and other things that pretty much ended it and put Maria and I out of business."

Joan groaned and put her face in her paws. "Oh gods. That's so boringly normal! I mean, other than the fact that you actually started wearing the costume under your clothes, but still! That really kills the mystique. There was no nemesis, no arch villains, volcanic lairs needing to be infiltrated."

Judy laughed. "What did you want? Some wild story about my tragic past and all that? A secret millionaire? That's Maria, by the way. No, the closest we had to that was one of the frat's that decided to go a bit crazy, doing stuff as a challenge to us. Got themselves, as a frat, banned, and some of the leaders of the house expelled." Looking over to Lizz. "You should ask Officer Beltison in precinct 3 what he thinks of The Rabbit Avenger. I doubt he's forgiven me yet."

Lizz chuckled. "I'll do that."

"Yeah, yeah." Joan waived her paw in the air. "You couldn't even embellish it some? What I don't get though is the council meeting. I've watched that video too, and you really did give it to them with CG standing behind you looking menacing. Thing is, your voice is different on the video. How?"

Judy gave an evil grin. "Oh, that I cannot tell you. Us superheroes have to have some secrets."

Joan whined. "Oh, come on! You have to give me something!"

Judy shook her head. "Nope. That's a secret that only Maria and Nick know, and it's staying that way. It might come in handy some day on an undercover or something, so nope. You're just going to have to suffer in curiosity."

Joan pulled at her ears, glaring at Judy from her spot on the couch. "GAH! Evil rabbit!" Judy laughing in response.

Lizz spoke up. "Okay, so why the sealed IA file then?"

Judy grinned. "I technically have one hundred and thirty arrests to my name, under the alias, The Bunny Avenger. Maria has one hundred and thirty-five as The Crimson Gazelle, and a sealed file of her own. The town really wanted to sweep the whole situation under the rug and let the news cycle forget that they had honest-to-goodness vigilantes in town, who made the town itself look like the bad guys. Thus, the sealed file.

As part of the IA interview at the academy, IA required a full accounting of what happened, so as I had disclosed the file number on my paperwork, they showed up with the file in hand, but hadn't looked at it. I guess they figured it was going to be something bad and I'd be on my way out by the end of the interview. The agents left the interview room laughing hysterically. Seeing this, the Major was understandably a bit confused, to say the least. I ended up in her office, having to tell the her why IA canceled the rest of the interviews for that day so they could laugh their way off campus. I still have some of the figurines and other merch that Maria had made. My punishment was to give one of each of the figurines to the Major."

Lizz started laughing and had to sit down for a moment as she got control of herself, the others looking at her in shock. "I saw them... haha... when I visited her a year ago. hahahaha.. I would have never connected them to you. No wonder she looked at them with such pride."

Joan perked up. "Wait! You have figurines! You actually have figurines of The Bunny Avenger and The Crimson Gazlle?"

Judy pulled her ears over her face again. "Yes..."

"OMG! Do you know how much those are worth?"

Judy tried to shrink into the chair, trying to pull her legs up and failing due to her belly. "Maybe..."

Joan let out a screech of shocked joy. "You're that person that sells the mint BA&CG merch every so often. What's that username..." Tapping her lips. "BC something..."

Mumbling to herself, Judy speaks up. "BCNsM"

"YES! That's it! That's really you? What does that sand for?"

Judy was now as small as she was capable of being in the moment. "Yes... That's me. Stands for Bunny Cop Needs Money. It paid off my student loans, and because the file was sealed, no one knows our real names but the cops that worked with us, now you guys, and Nick and Vivian of course."

"Does Nick know about the merch?"

"Yes. He helped me set up the account, gave me pointers on how to get top dollar out of it. Extending the auction length and such. Saw it and the rest of my collection when we first moved in together. That's when some of those particular secrets came out."

Vivian laughed. "You know, I think I remember some stories about a masked vigilantly forcing a college town to get its act together. Gods, if they found out that the great Judy Hopps, Hero of Zootopia, was actually The Bunny Avenger, the value of those items would skyrocket!"

Judy nodded from behind her ears. "Yeah. That's what Nick said. I never wanted to be famous. I just... It didn't look like I was going to be able to be a cop, so I was taking extra classes and was looking to be maybe a PI. Maria was teaching me how to fight too. I thought I could prove myself that way and then get into the academy after a few years. At least I would be able to help people. I just wanted to make the world a better place."

Vivian walked over and made some last notes. "I'm all done dear, you can put your clothes back on." Turning to look at Judy. "Judy, dear. You really have nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. You did a lot of good. You still do a lot of good, and you should be able to get at least some benefit out of it. So, is Nick going to sell any of his Vengeful Vulpine stuff?"

The screech of joy from Joan was loud enough it made everyone flinch and their ears to fold down. "NO WAY! NICK WAS THE VENGEFUL VULPINE!" Fanning herself a moment. "I am so fan-girling here!"

Vivian laughed. "He was. The entire purpose was the merch, though he actually did some good too. However, much like with Judy, they passed a law that made it impossible to keep going, but before he could generate a lot of buzz. He only managed a bare dozen arrests before they passed the law."

Judy uncoiled a bit. "Yeah, he told me. Seventeen total, actually. Said that his IA interview went much like mine. Which is why the Major has a VV figurine too." Liz gave a bark of laughter and Judy continued. "He said he was so frustrated at the time, all the effort wasted to get the costume, the merch created ahead of time, plan out where he would patrol for maximum visibility and chance to stop some crimes. No point is being a vigilante if you aren't going to stop some crimes, right?

He still has all the merch. Couldn't bring himself to just dump it for some reason. I guess he really was proud of what little good he did, even if his reasons weren't all that pure. So, using my BCNsM account, we have pushed a few items, calling them a unique find for one of Zootopias only ever vigilantes, The Vengeful Vulpine. Since then, demand has gone way up. We pay our taxes and everything on the sales. Like I said, the money paid off my student loans, helped clear Nicks back taxes, bought my car, fixed his, upgraded our apartment, and leaves us enough money in the bank that we're not hurting."

Judy paused as everyone absorbed what she had told them. She looked up at Lizz with a pleading glare. "Lizz. Bogo doesn't know any of this. He can't know."

Lizz laughed. "Oh, he already knows, Judy. You really think he hasn't seen your and Nick's IA files? I saw yours on his desk one day, after you were reinstated. There was a very un-Bogo smirk on his face the entire time I was in his office. He couldn't stop glancing at the file and chuckling. I've wondered about it ever since."

Judy blushed, her ears falling behind her as they went crimson. "Oh gods..."

Joan stared at Judy for a few moments, the others seemingly in thought. "Judy, do you know how rich you could be if you sold off enough of those?"

Judy frowned. "That isn't the point, Joan, and as Nick also points out, if we flood the market, then the value goes down. I knew that from when I collected SpiderWolf comics and watched some idiot flood the market with three hundred mint condition SpiderWolf #15 alternate covers. Value of those went in the tank and has never recovered."

Joan nodded. "Oh yeah, don't remind me. I'd strangle that idiot if I could."

"Don't blame you. I gave mine to my cousins at that point. It was a good starter comic for them. Still worth a few, but not what it was. Nick would be very cross with me if I sold my Mint, SpiderWolf, alternate cover, #1."

Joan's eyes bugged out, her voice actually angry as she stood and paced towards the rabbit, pointing an extended claw at her. "Judy. Do NOT! even joke about that. I own a comic shop, and I know exactly how much that comic is worth." Freezing mid-step, her finger falling and eyes going wider. "Wait... You said... mint‽"

Pulling out her phone, Judy pulls up a photo before pulling her ears over her face again, holding up the phone. "I did. Nick and I are saving stuff like this for when we want to buy a house, retire, etc... We'll sell one or two of the BC/VV comic crossovers that are in less than mint to pay for our next big vacation. We're planning on a month long cruise. It's funny, Maria handled all the merchandise stuff, so I never really knew of or met VV." Laughing lightly. "Then I go and marry him. Funnier, Maria never met him either, everything was done over the phone, so she still doesn't know that Nick was VV."

Joan was speechless, muttering and pacing, her head shaking from side to side, sometimes violently. She would stop, turn to Judy as if to say something with a paw raised, then turn away again. Lizz looked at the photo, over to Joan and back. "I'm guessing that is worth a lot of money?"

Carry shrugged. "Based on Joan's reaction, I assume so. She owns one of the biggest comic and collectibles stores in Zootopia. Judy, when you say Maria, you mean our Maria?"

Judy nodded. "I do." Carry just shook her head and laughed.

Pulling out her phone, Lizz chuckled. "Okay. As Joan seems to be offline for the moment." Watching as the fox collapsed, face in her paws and still mumbling, back into her spot on the couch. "Let's see what my brother thinks. He's a big enough nerd to probably know the answer." Dialing a number and putting it on speaker.

A few rings later, the line answers. "Hey sis, what's up?"

"Got a question for you, regarding comics."

"HA! You, comics? What is this about, some case? And why is mom making us all meet up at this place called Therus? Never even heard of it."

"Long story. It's a nice place. It'll make sense when we meet there. I asked her to put it together."

"What, did you find a mate or something?"

"Uhm... Regarding the comic."

"WHOA! No way! Lizz, you found a mate? Who is he? What's he like? Is it a he? Not that it matters as long as you're happy. Is this why we haven't seen you in months? How long have you been together? What does Mike think about him? Has Mike met him yet? Why am I just now hearing about this?"

"Larry!"

There was a long pause. "Sorry. Wow sis... Yeah, no... You are not springing this on me, period. Where are you, I'll meet you there."

"No. I am out with some friends, trying to relax. If you must know before hand, I will call you tomorrow and we can meet up early at Therus. The food is good, reasonably priced, and friendly staff. Now..."

"Okay. The comic."

"Right. How much would a..." Looking up at Judy. "Judy?"

Speaking up to be heard. "Mint, in bag, alternative cover, SpiderWolf #1."

"... Be worth."

The other end of the line was quiet for several breaths. "There are only four of those known to be in existence, and none of them are mint. They don't even list mint for that in the catalog because there are none. If one were to hit the market, the bidding war would be epic. We're talking millions, easy."

Lizz blinked in surprise. "Wow. Really?" Looking up at Joan. "No wonder Joan is freaking out."

"Joan? You mean Joan Relics, owner of Relics Comics and Curios?"

Seeing Joan nod as she fell back into her spot on the couch, looking shell shocked. "Apparently. She is a friend of Judy Hopps, you remember her."

"The rabbit cop."

"That's her."

"Who doesn't. I still have fifty bucks on a bet that her and that Fox she's partnered with are an item."

Seeing Judy nod and wave a paw to go ahead, Lizz grinned. "Oh boy. Bring smelling salts tomorrow, you're going to need them."

"What? Why? Lizz, what's going on?"

"Talk to you tomorrow."

"Lizz! Don't you da..." Lizz hung up at that point.

Judy laughed. "You're evil. I guess we're having lunch at Therus tomorrow."

"Yep. Least you can do."

Joan stood up again and looked down harshly at Judy. "I totally get why you're not selling this stuff, especially the comics, and I apologize for my earlier outburst. It's just... Like Lizz's brother said." Throwing her arms up in the air. "They don't even list mint in the catalog because they don't exist. For your own safety, I require that we set a date where I can evaluate your collection and provide you an insurance quote. I will then assist you in getting it all insured. Please tell me you keep things like the comics in safe deposit boxes?"

Judy nodded. "Per Nick's requirement. We have them distributed across a half dozen banks in different parts of the city."

"Okay, so a full days work. We'll have Nick do the escorting. When is his next day off?"

"Tomorrow, which I assume is why Lizz wants to meet her brother tomorrow, because Mike will be off as well."

"Yeah, it won't just be him though, which is why I want you there. I'm going to need the moral support."

"Why won't it be?"

"Larry will mention that he's meeting me tomorrow to my mom, probably already has, she'll invite herself, at the very least Earl will tag along, or be dragged along. Doesn't matter, he'll be there, willing or not. Since both Larry and Earl will be there, mom will strong arm Allen, and he'll join us late."

Judy frowned and looked down. "Sorry. This really was supposed to be a low stress day, and I can't seem to keep things low key."

"Judy. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm not stressed about it. Not anymore, although I think Joan may be."

"I am, but not in a bad way. I'm shocked. From a comic standpoint, I just saw a photo of the holy bloody grail. I'm going to charge you one each of the figurines and one or two of the comics. The BA and VV stuff, the SpiderWolf is too valuable, and I'm clearly getting the hint that you have other comics in equally good condition and rarity. Any other world-shattering comic revelations? The BA, CG, and VV stuff is valuable, but it's niche, unlike the SpiderWolf. Though if you sold them with SpiderWolf as part of a collection, you would probably get more than individually."

Judy looked to the side, away from Joan. "I have SpiderWolf #1 through #10 in main and alternative covers. IronMammal #3 in all three covers." Joan was knocked back in shock, backing up to the couch as she listened to the list. "All mint or near mint. Then there is the Empowered set. Not sure what all I have in those, but they're all mint or near mint, and I know they are first release. I always bought 2, one to read and one to keep. Nick has Iron Mammal #1 though #5, all near mint, in primary and primary alternative covers, as well as a mint, #6 in the blue." Joan audibly gasped and a tear fell. "He's also got an Empowered collection, and of course our collection of un-circulated BA and VV stuff."

Joan sat down heavily. "A Mint IronMammal #6, in blue... That's worth as much as the Spiderwolf. There were only twenty made, a mistake at the printing press. ... I need a drink." Everyone watched Joan as her face morphed across emotions until she looked up at Judy. "I can't... You're that fabled mammal that realizes that they have something of value but holds onto it because money isn't why you have the stuff. You are both the most sought after and hated mammal in the world of collectibles, because you'll never sell the stuff unless you have to, or your life goals require it. Worse, it is actually about the money, because you know what you have and it's an investment, so until you need that money, things just sit, hidden. Like you were saying you're going to sell one of those crossovers to pay for a cruise for you and Nick."

Shrugging, Judy stood up. "What can I say. I took good care of my things. Vivian, I'm heading to the back really quick. Lizz, you need?"

"If it's the bathroom, most definitely."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N … Obviously, more to come, and soon. If you are truly enjoying this, you can check out my original work by popping over to my blog, Scribblings. You can link to it here: dcballard dot com and then select Scribblings Blog.