WingedKatt here. FYI: On his phone, Finnick plays the song Feel Invincible by Skillet at the end of the chapter. If you want to listen to it when he plays the song, now would be the time to look it up. Now enjoy.


"Ya, ya, jeep rally." With a wide grin, Finnick explained, "Honey heavily modified the jeep so she could win the jeep rallies." Still pointing at bunny cop, Finn continued his explanation. "When we were younger, she'd take Nick along as her co-driver and I'd be her assistant mechanic. Then when her health made it difficult to drive or do her mechanical work, she made Nick the main driver and I was the mechanic, with Honey coming along for the ride."

Judy sat stunned. She knew the jeep had been modified to ride smooth in the city, but she hadn't thought much beyond that. But now . . . With a broad smile, she clapped her paws together, exclaiming, "This is so awesome. Of course, we have to attend. When do they start?"

"The first rally starts the last week of August, with another rally happening the last week of September, and then a big two-week rally the second half of October."

Judy was positively beaming. "I don't think we can make the October one, since Nick will be entering the academy the first of November, but we should be able to attend the two in August and September." Clapping her paws again in excitement, she squealed, but then remembered she'd be working by that time. This knocked some of the excitement out of her as she said, "I'll be working during the weekday, but I can join you guys in the evening and all day on the weekend."

Finnick nodded, not at all surprised she couldn't join them during the day, but happy at the prospect of finally getting to attend a rally again after so many years.

While thinking of the fun they could have at the rallies, Judy beamed as a thought suddenly struck her. Leaning closer to the sand-colored fox beside her, Judy said, "You know, Finn, I have an older sister that is crazy about this sort of stuff. She's always wanted to attend one of the Zootopia Rallies, but never had the chance." In a softer voice, she leaned in a little closer and added, "Her name is Amy and she's also a mechanic—a dang good one, too." Looking Finn over, Judy said, "I think the two of you would get along really well. She's not specist at all, and has no problem working with other mammals. In fact, some of her best friends are predators."

Finnick's jaw dropped, then snapped shut. Waving a finger at her, he replied, "Stop that. Wipe that stupid grin off your face and that dumb thought out of your head. You and Nick are crazy enough and I want no part of it."

Judy just chuckled, then said, "What? I just said you'd get along really well together. Is it so bad to have another rabbit as a friend? She's a mechanic freak who loves all things automotive. She didn't have Honey to tutor her, but give her a few pointers and it won't take long before she's as good as you."

Finnick's ears perked up as the idea of having another mammal to talk shop with was an intriguing idea, and the fact the mammal was Judy's sister further piqued his interest. And having another mechanic along during the rally would be much better than just himself. Scratching his chin, he replied, "Okay, you have me halfway sold on your sister joining us for the rallies, but it won't matter if we can't get the jeep there." Dropping his paw, he leaned forward and pointed a clawed finger at Cottontail and said, "So your job will be convincing Loverboy to sign up."

Judy nodded and asked, "So how can I do that?"

Finnick leaned back in his chair and tapped a claw on his chin, then asked, "Have you seen the medals and trophies sitting on his mantle in the living room?"

Judy nodded. "That first night Nick brought me home, but I haven't had a chance to really look at them yet."

Finn flicked an ear in acknowledgement, then explained with a wave of his paw, "Most of those are trophies and medals he and Honey won at the rallies. So all you have to do is ask about them. Get him to relive the fun we had." With a smirk, he clasped his paws together and cocked his head while saying, "Then bat those long eyelashes at him"—Finn batted his eyes—"and sweetly ask if he's thought of going again. Tell him it'd mean the world to you if he took you."

Judy started laughing at Finnick's antics. With her arms wrapped around her middle, she stammered out around her laughing, "I . . .haha . . . don't . . . ha . . . look like . . . haha . . . that!" Still laughing, Judy leaned over the table and rested her cheek against the beveled glass.

Watching Cottontail laugh, Finn leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Having someone besides Nick laughing at his jokes was pretty nice, and he idly wondered if Judy's sister would laugh at his jokes, too. Realizing the direction his thoughts were heading, he suddenly sat up straighter. Deciding he needed a distraction, he said, "I need something to drink." Meeting Cottontail's gaze, he asked, "You want something?"

Judy sat up as her laughter cut off, then replied, "Yeah, that would be great. Is the lemonade here any good?"

Finn made a face. "Blah. After tasting Sonjay's lemonades, the ones here are mediocre at best." Shaking his head, he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "There's a smoothie joint over there that's really good. What flavor do you want?"

Judy thought a moment, then asked, "Do they have a strawberry kiwi smoothie? Oh, or a Pina colada flavored one. That sounds really good right now."

Finn nodded, saying, "I'll see what they have." Hopping down off his chair, he stepped toward the smoothie joint when Cottontail stopped him.

"Oh, wait, Finn, here." Judy fished her wallet out of her pocket (Nick had snagged it from her box before taking off) and said, "Let me pay for them."

Finnick's ears perked forward as this was another first—prey offering to buy him something that didn't involve some sort of angle. "Are you sure?"

Judy nodded as she opened her wallet. "It's the least I can do for saving me from my brother and telling me more about Nick." Pulling a ten out, she handed it down to the little fennec and added, "Thanks for telling me about yourself, too, and I'll definitely be telling Nick he has to take us to a rally." Beaming at her new friend, Judy watched him nod. It was obvious from his expression that her gratitude and willingness to pay was a new experience for him, and it pained her heart at the reminder that foxes were frequently taken advantage of.

Finn nodded as he looked at the money in his paw. This felt strange, having someone besides Nick willing to pay for something and expect nothing in return. Honey was the only other mammal he knew of that was so generous. With a shake of his head, he stuffed the money in his pocket and turned back around. Speaking over his shoulder, he said, "I'll be back in a few." Since the lunch rush had already come and gone, the line was short, so it didn't take long for him to grab the smoothies and return to their table. After handing the drinks up to bunny cop, he jumped up onto his chair.

"Thanks, Finn," Judy said as she sipped her white, icy drink through the straw. Humming happily, she murmured, "I love coconut."

Finnick shrugged his shoulders and took a drink of his own blackberry smoothie before reaching into his pocket to bring out the left-over money.

As Finn went to hand it over, Judy shook her head and said, "Keep the change."

Finnick coughed on his smoothie, scrunching the money in his paw as he leaned over and pounded on his chest. As he cleared his windpipe and took a breath, he felt Cottontail leaning over him, then her warm breath tickled his large ear.

"Are you all right?" Judy asked as Finnick finally stopped hacking and began taking several deep breaths.

"Ah, ya, I think I'm good now." Looking up, he found bunny cop staring at him with real concern for his welfare shining in her bright amethyst eyes. Ah, this is going to take some getting used to, Finn thought. A bunny and a cop who's actually concerned about me. It wasn't that no one besides Nick would feel concerned about him if something happened (there wasn't many, but he did have a few other friends), but for prey to be concerned, especially since they'd hardly met, just felt odd. Nick was right, bunny cop was weird—but in a good way. "Are you sure you want me to keep this?" he pressed. Mammals just didn't give away free money, even if it was only a few dollars.

Judy grinned. "I'm sure. I wasn't lying when I said you saved me from Henry. Having to argue with him for over an hour wasn't on my list of things to do today."

With a grateful nod, Finnick stuffed the money back in his pocket and returned to his smoothie.

They enjoyed the cool treats for several minutes in silence, as both were lost in thought, but then Judy asked curiously, "So why did Nick quit going to the rallies?"

Finn's ears laid back and a scowl crossed his face as he hissed out, "If that two-faced, lying, cheating snake hadn't betrayed him when Honey died and set him up to be iced by—" The words froze in Finnick's throat as he realized what he was about to confess—to a cop. Snapping his muzzle shut with a clack of his sharp teeth, Finnick folded his arms and stared off into space, his small body practically vibrating as he seethed in anger.

Judy watched as Finn attempted to control his rage. It wasn't hard to figure out who he was ranting about, nor what he was about to let slip. Running her paws around her cool, moist cup (the moisture in the air was condensing on it), she then whispered, "I know that Nick worked for Mr. Big for 6 years."

Finnick's ears twitched as he turned his gaze back to her. "He told you that? And you're fine with it?"

Judy shrugged while a small smile played across her face. "Fru-Fru told me first. She thought I'd get my heart broken if I fell for Nick." With another shrug, she added, "Nick told me himself right after he asked me to be his girlfriend. He wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be a deal breaker for me."

"And you're still dating?" Finn couldn't believe bunny cop was okay with Nick working for the biggest mob boss in Tundratown.

"Fru-Fru said Nick was working for her dad in the information gathering aspect of his business. And then when Nick was telling me what Nakita did to him, he assured me he'd never killed anyone and he'd never dealt with drugs."

Finnick shook his head, saying, "Honey would have never stood by him if his heart was into that sort of stuff." Pausing in thought for a moment, he then added, "Of course, her care and concern for him was probably the biggest factor in Nick keeping his moral compass as good as it was."

Turning to meet bunny cop's questioning gaze, he explained, "Nick holds a high regard for both his father and mother, and he's always wanted to make them proud, even if they weren't around to see him. But they were unable to be there for Nick when he needed them most, nor could they help him develop his skills and talents. His father was dead and his mom struggled to take care of herself. But Honey stepped in and took it upon herself to be all that for Nick, to give him that sense of security and support he hadn't experienced in a very long time, and then she gave him the tools to be the best he could be. Nick really respected Honey for that and never wanted to do anything to disappoint her or to break the trust she placed in him." With a grin at all the fun times they had together (Honey had done the same for him) Finn added, "Honey showed him how to truly live and enjoy life."

Judy nodded as she thought of the love and affection Honey had showered on her foxy boyfriend. But then she thought about how she'd found Nick, the uncaring hustler who took great delight in tearing her down and telling her how pointless her dream was. Remembering what Nick said about Nakita's betrayal during his grief of losing Honey, Judy took a deep breath and murmured, "But all that changed when Honey died and Nakita betrayed him."

Finnick scoffed. "That's putting it mildly." Running his small paws through his head-fur, he explained, "Honey's death was a huge blow to Nick, but he could have recovered from it in time, I think, but having Stan betray him for Nakita, and then losing his employment, his reputation, and nearly his life all in the same day really took its toll."

Shaking his head at the memory, Finn then continued, "After escaping Big's mansion, Nick lived in fear of a severe beating on a daily basis for over a year—it took Big's goons that long to stop actively seeking to hurt him for betraying their boss's trust and respect." Tapping the table with his claw, he added, "And that's not counting how his reputation for integrity was smeared through the mud."

Judy raised an eyebrow while listening to Finn say Nick had a reputation for integrity. He was a con-artist wasn't he?

Seeing Cottontail's questioning gaze, Finn shook his head, "Yes, he fudged the truth on his hustles, but while working for Mr. Big, Nick developed a reputation for getting things done. You needed information, he'd get it and ensured it was accurate. If you needed something, he could get it, and he made sure it's what you asked for. But after the whole skunk butt rug, Nick was back to being nothing more than another filthy, conniving, backstabbing fox. No one trusted him and no one wanted to work with him after that."

Looking down at the table, Finnick muttered, "It just took the life out of him. And then to top it all off, he finally lost his first court case." Waving his paws around in frustration, he added bitterly, "If it were any other mammal who finally lost after a stunning winning streak, everyone would've been, 'Hey, everyone loses sometime. Chin up, you'll get them next time.' But no, because Nick was a fox, everyone was, 'Ha! You failed! We knew you couldn't do it.' Never mind that he put away one of the worst criminals of the decade!" Finn's large ears were twitching with the anger the dark memories brought up and he curled his paws into tight fists. "He had already lost his street cred and now he lost his court credibility."

Judy's ears perked up and it was a battle between her curiosity about her fox in court and the obvious injustice he'd been shown. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "First court case?" Nick had told her about defending his mom and the others who were being experimented on, and of course prosecuting Nakita, but nothing more of his time in court.

Finnick nodded as he pushed the bitterness down. Scratching his neck, he said, "Ya. Nick only took the lawyer job to protect his mom and sister from a legal standpoint, but he also used his skills to help others out as well—other disadvantaged mammals who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time—and were usually the wrong species. Foxes aren't the only mammals discriminated against."

Judy nodded, just now remembering Nick saying no one would hire a fox if they had the money to hire someone else. "He worked pro-bono for those other cases, too, didn't he?" she asked. That would explain why he never filed his taxes for any case he worked.

Finn nodded and took a sip of his smoothie. "There were several that exchanged goods and services as Nick's payment for representing them, but most of the time he took favors in exchange for taking on a client."

Judy cocked her head in curiosity. "Favors?"

"Ya, ya," Finn said, then explained, "If Nick won the case, then the mammal had to owe him a favor, sometimes several favors, depending on how difficult the case was." At Cottontail's surprise, he added, "When living on the streets, favors can be more valuable than gold." With a grin, he then said, "Nick has a lot of contacts, and many of them were made through his clients. Either the mammal himself or their family and friends. Most mammals can't show enough gratitude when you're able to prove they, or a family member, is innocent of a crime they didn't commit."

Judy nodded in thought as she considered everything Finn had just told her. Hearing how Nick willingly used his lawyer skills to help others, even when he wasn't getting paid for it, made her heart swell even more for the smug todd she hoped to soon be married to. Stirring her shake with the straw, she asked calmly (she didn't want to make any assumptions), "Did . . . did Nick ever defend any criminals?"

Finn's ears disappeared behind his head and a scowl touched his muzzle. "Of course not. I told you, he respected his parents and Honey too much to use his skills to represent those who made a living hurting others—and trust me, he had a lot of offers. And the money! Criminals were willing to pay a fortune for Nick to represent them—he was that good—but he refused them all. No matter how much money they threw at him, he utterly refused to represent anyone actually in the wrong."

Judy's eyes widened. "He really refused all that money?"

Finn nodded. "I asked him about that once. Although I could see him not wanting to represent thugs or murders, there were still a lot of petty criminals who would have paid him his money's worth if he accepted their case."

"So, what did Nick say?" The fact that Nick could have made a killing from defending criminals, and yet refused, stunned her, but also warmed her heart even more. She knew Nick had a good heart (he wouldn't have stuck with her when the chips were down if he hadn't), but this was further proof.

"He gave me this funny look, then said, 'There are more important things in life than money, Finn.' Then Nick stared off into space and said, 'If I represented criminals, then it'd be no different than me defending the swine who stabbed my dad or the drunk who hit my brother or the bastard doctors who let him bleed to death.' He looked back at me then and said, 'I could never live with myself if I did that.'" Finnick shook his head. "Until that moment, I don't think I fully realized just how much of an impact his dad and brother's murders had on him." Scratching his ear, Finn whispered, "He still wakes up in a cold sweat sometimes from the recurring nightmares he has of their deaths."

Looking up and seeing bunny cop's watery gaze he quickly waved his paws out in front of him and hastily explained, "Not as much now. And while Honey was alive, they'd pretty much stopped, but after her death and Nakita's betrayal . . ." Finn's gaze shifted to a random point somewhere in front of him, and he continued in a hushed voice, "The whole bloody thing was just too messed up and his old nightmares came back."

"And he couldn't get help for the nightmares? See a shrink or something?"

Finn gave her this dumb bunny look for several heartbeats, then finally said, "Cottontail, this is Nick we're talking about. He was never really open with his feelings, but after Honey's death and the whole bloody mess with Nakita and Big, something inside him died. It's almost like he gave up. All the things we enjoyed doing stopped being enjoyable to him. That popsicle hustle we do—ya, that's one of our lowest paying hustles, and yet it's the only one Nick wants to do. We have one other hustle we switch to in the winter, but it's a far cry from what we used to do."

Shaking his head, Finn continued, "Nick used to love coming up with new and interesting ways of conning money out of people before he started working for Big. And after he started working for the mob boss, he had the funnest time staking out criminals trying to move in on Big's territory or going undercover to gather information for the arctic shrew. And it was at this time that Nick took on clients and defended them in court. And of course, Honey was still dragging us on all her crazy outdoor adventures . . ." Finn waved his paw around for emphasis. "But now—he just doesn't care anymore. The popsicle hustle pays the bills—barely I might add—but there's little excitement and barely any thought involved after all the years we've been doing it."

Judy sat stunned to hear about how Nick's life had taken such a downward spiral. She was speechless as she tried to internalize everything she'd just been told.

Rubbing his face a moment, Finn then turned to Cottontail and pointed a clawed finger at her. "These last two days Nick spent with you have been the happiest I've seen him in over 5 years. Not since Honey was alive and still dragging us on all her crazy ventures, have I seen Nick so animated and alive. I meant it when I said you would completely destroy Nick if you ever left him."

Judy had no reply. When Finn had first told her this morning that cutting Nick's heart out would be kinder than walking out on him, she hadn't really thought too much about it beyond Nick being serious about her, but now, hearing how all the joy in his life had disappeared after Honey's death and the tragedy that followed—she now understood what he meant. Nick's words yesterday came back to her: Red foxes mate for life.

Although she was in this for the long haul, the gravity and responsibility of falling for a red todd, her red todd, finally sunk in. Until now, she hadn't realized the sheer amount of trust and faith Nick was giving her in letting her into his heart, in giving her his heart. Fru-Fru was afraid Nick might break her heart, but it was Nick who stood to lose so much more if she broke his heart.

Both mammals fell into companionable silence as their thoughts turned to the red vulpine who had become such an important part of both their lives. Finnick hoped bunny cop finally realized how much power—power to save or destroy—she had over his friend.

Judy was feeling a bit lost. After spending her whole life looking out for herself and bullheadedly ignoring most other people's thoughts and opinions (she had a strong sense of compassion and empathy for others, but if they weren't supporting her in her hopes and dreams, then she didn't much listen to what they had to say), she found the gravity of her situation a bit mind boggling.

She loved Nick, there was no question about that, and she was truly committed to supporting him in whatever way he needed, but now, after realizing the depth of her involvement, it was a bit more than she'd bargained for. Not that she'd shirk her responsibilities because of it. She'd never do that. Especially to Nick. He was worth anything and everything she might have to go through to protect and support him. And remembering what Finn and Nick both said before about the abuse foxes typically faced, she might be doing more protecting than supporting. Which she was totally fine with. She had no problems defending herself or others, especially not her foxy boyfriend whom life and society had repeatedly knocked down and kicked.

While stirring the last of her smoothie, Judy looked over to Finnick and asked softly, "Were you serious? Nick right now is really the happiest you've seen him in over five years?"

Finn made a loud slurping sound as he sucked the last of his smoothie, then looked up and said, "As serious as a heart attack." Cottontail nodded, but remained quiet, and so he continued, "You asked if Nick could see a shrink about his nightmares." Pointing to the bunny beside him with his straw, Finn stated, "This thing you and Nick have going on, as weird and crazy as it is, is the best therapy he could ever have." Throwing his paws in the air, he exclaimed, "Nick is finally facing his feelings and all the crap life has thrown in his face, some of which he has never faced."

Staring hard at bunny cop, Finn elaborated, "You said you know what happened to his dad and brother." At Cottontail's nod, he went on, "That's something I had to find out from Anya. Nick absolutely refused to talk about it. I'm not even sure he told Honey the full details of his dad and brother's murders." Shaking his head, he added, "So, ya, I was serious. You are the best thing that has ever happened to him if Nick opening up to you is any indication." Leaning back in his chair, Finn waved a paw through the air (straw still in paw) and said, "So keep doing whatever it is you're doing, because it's working. And who knows, in time, the two of you might be able to put his nightmares completely to rest."

Judy nodded and wondered what the best way would be to go about doing it, to get Nick to face his nightmares so they could no longer haunt him. This will take some careful thought on her part, but she vowed to do whatever it took to put his nightmares to rest. Sucking the last dregs of her smoothie up, and making a loud slurping noise of her own, she finished off her drink and pushed the cup towards the middle of the table.

Looking over, she watched Finnick stir his straw around at the bottom of his empty cup, completely lost in thought. She watched him for a minute, then rested her elbow on the table and her cheek in her palm. Running the fingers of her other paw across the glass tabletop, she finally asked, "So why did Nick decide to work for Big? If he enjoyed hustling so much, why did he agree to work for the mob boss? And you still haven't told me how Nick is involved in Anya's scholarship program."

Finn looked up from his cup and stared at her for a minute, wondering how much he should tell the bunny cop. Considering how much Nick had already told her, and the fact the red vulpine didn't seem to be able to hold anything back from the grey ball of fluff, he decided to come clean with her. With a grin, he leaned back in his chair and took out his phone while answering, "You see, the answer to both is one and the same."

"Huh?"

With the smug grin still plastered across his face, Finn didn't immediately answer as he pulled up one of his music apps and found the appropriate playlist (one of his tamer ones as he didn't think Cottontail would care for his normal music). Hitting shuffle, he set his phone on the table as the music (Feel Invincible by Skillet) began to play. At bunny cop's curious gaze, he explained, "Super spy 101: when in a public place and you wish to have a private conversation, make sure there's music playing. It'll drown out your words to any would-be eavesdroppers."

At Cottontail's stunned, wide-eyed stare, Finnick clasped his paws together behind his head and leaned back in his chair, the smuggest grin on his face. He couldn't wait to see her expression when she realized just how far her vulpine boyfriend would go to ensure his family was taken care of—a family which now included the bunny he was dating.


WingedKatt again. What did you think of the info Finnick imparted to Judy? Next chapter will let us see what Nick is up to, then Finn and Judy will continue their conversation, with Judy dropping another bombshell in Finnick's lap.

Chapter 40: Just Be Yourself, will post on Saturday. This will be the last double posting I'm doing. Ch41 will post the following Saturday. If you have any thoughts, comments, or questions I'd love to hear them.