Note: I will only be replying to questions or concerns from now on, although all other reviews are much appreciated :) I love feedback!

atmosphir- I don't have a definite posting period. Life can get very eventful at random times; thus I do not schedule updates.

- You never know when the armor may break. ;)

Ethan the Yoshi- No idea. There's just so many possibilities! There may be more than 20-30, because I have lots of ideas, not to mention the fluff that has yet to come!

Guest- Cliffhangers more intense? A gun to the face isn't intense enough? Lol. Anyways, the length in which I write my chapters is what I'm comfortable with, that's why they aren't longer. I just don't have the time to write chapters that are 8-10 thousand words long. However, the story itself will be a very long story, so don't worry!

hrg2damax- Indeed it is ironic! Uprisings certainly change things up.

Guest- Keep your fingers crossed! There's plenty of issues that have yet to catch fire!

WingsOfBronze- Because cliffhangers are life! ;)

A fan- The idea was to get Judy in a position in which she is entirely overwhelmed, which her brother's death helps to do. Also, Nick is her angel in a way that helps her through tough times, and she does the same. Bryce's death provided a conflict in Judy's life that Nick distracts her from, thus demonstrating just how strong their friendship is mentally.

Guest- Guess we'll see! ;D

Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long, but it's been a (very) busy week! But yeah, the cliffhanger was brutal, huh? Hah. Prepare for Judy to rescue Nick in the most predictable chapter beginning ever! Wait, does that happen or not?

Enjoy chapter twelve!

Judy POV

For Nick's sake, I'm trying my best not to break. I'm looking around the room for something, but there's nothing conveniently placed to miraculously shoot at him like in the movies.

I can't say I've ever been the smartest rabbit in situations that involve danger. I can reminisce back to the times I've spared my friends from the nimrod known as Gideon Gray, but never have I been in a situation this extreme.

Since I've never experienced a scenario like this, I do all I can do at this point.

"Wait!" I scream, already tearing up.

"What do you want?!" he asks in a shaky tone, and I stumble a step backwards, startled.

"Y-You don't want to kill him! You know why?" I ask him in a persuading voice.

"Why?" he asks cynically, not moving the gun even an inch in another direction. Nick just lies there, unable to move due to the tube attached to him with a horrified expression.

I know he's not just horrified due to the fact he's at gunpoint, but also because, well...

There's a good amount of people that want him dead, not just this buffalo. And secondly, the motive behind it all.

The animals in Zootopia do not want Nick to be on their level as a person. They have labeled him as inferior, and they are not willing to let that change.

"Because...he's...he's an icon! For tons of people in this city, Nick is a hero! You kill him and he become a martyr for all of fox-kind! There'll be protests and...and...you'll regret killing him! I assure you!" I beg, wishing I could simply rewind time and called the police before any of this went down.

He rolls his eyes.

"You think that I climbed into a building just to be stopped by some...some rabbit? Good one!" he spits ignorantly, and then he places his hand on the trigger.

My breath leaves me; not in a manner of losing my breath, but I literally stop breathing. If he pulls that trigger, I hope the air never comes back.

I swear my heart stops for a second or two as I shriek, my mom and dad watching helplessly. The doctor stands by, reaching in her pocket hurriedly, but I can't really take the sight in as I become light headed.

The second seems to drag along for much longer; something closer to a minute.

His finger presses down on the trigger, and I cannot move even an inch.

To my shock, I hear a click instead of a loud gunshot, and my eyes stare ahead like two laser beams at the gun.

Is it jammed? Is it supposed to do that? Was it suppressed or something?

Nick glances around the room in confusion, and the silence is awe-consuming.

The doctor must sense that something unplanned is going on and leaps onto the buffalo, stabbing a needle into his shoulder and injecting something that causes him a good amount of pain.

"No! No! You can't ruin this!" he screams, knocking the doctor to the ground but also falling to the ground himself, writhing in agony.

He slams the gun against the floor violently, desperate for it to go off and possibly take his own life at this point.

I can tell that even thought Nick is unscathed, the thought that someone actually pulled the trigger of a gun in front of his face is getting to him.

As my parents rush to assist in neutralizing the buffalo, I make my way to Nick as quick as my legs will carry me.

"Nick!" I say upon reaching him, and the buffalo stops screaming finally. The child in front me me stares into the abyss, knowing that he was an inch from death.

"Gee, that was close" he mutters in complete shock, his eyes staring into mine as they tear up.

I hug onto him for a moment, thankful that I still have him to hold and comfort. Once again I've failed at making any difference at all in such a perilous situation.

I really don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can be the first bunny police officer. I mean, I couldn't even help my best friend.

He almost died.

Security bursts through the door and helps pin the buffalo to the ground as he loses consciousness from the injection, and I ponder to myself.

Oh, the irony.

I haven't seen many adult animals act so out-of-their-mind violent in a long time.

However, as my heart-rate slows a bit, the police struggle to rip the gun from his clutches, and he finally manages to get the gun to fire, taking down one of the officers.

I can't so anything besides watch as one of the officers takes out his handgun with swiftness and lands a shot on the buffalo's skull, splitting his head into a grotesque mess of blood, tissue and skull matter.

I close my eyes tight as I tear up out of pure disgust, and my parents rush over to me with the utmost concern.

"Judy! Judy!" my father says, trying to get me to answer as I hide my face, "This is what can happen from these type of friendships! Being friends with Nick...it comes with a cost" he whispers the last part.

"Dad, I don't care" I mumble, traumatized by the sight, and the police drag the body out swiftly, leaving a long, rich trail of blood out into the hallway.

A good amount of officers stay behind to protect Nick from any further attempts at a hate crime, explaining his significance to him. They preach to him about how he's a symbol now; a symbol for equality and a peace that looks like will never come.

He's the face of a revolution that I hope doesn't cost the life of such an innocent soul.

"Good" he says as they speak to him, "At least I'm making a change now".

And boy, it looks to be a costly one.

I watch as the wounded rhino police officer nurses his leg-wound, wincing every few seconds and he soaks up the blood in a large rag.

My parents attempt to convince me to come with them back to our house, but I insist on staying with Nick, which they eventually allow.

The blood from the doorway has been washed away, and all is quiet besides the hurt officer of course.

I sit on the edge of Nick's bed after my head clears, and I place my hand on his arm sincerely.

"It's okay, I didn't see the bullet hit him" he informs me, letting me know he won't be haunted by the sickening sight.

"I did, but...after seeing my brother like he was...I'll be okay" I reply, and he nods.

"I just don't get it" he begins.

"What do you mean?" I ask, watching his face in interest.

"I...I just don't get why freedom is so costly. Why can't the other animals just say "okay" and move on? It used to be that way for tigers, but they had to fight a war for freedom. Now...foxes are just so hated...and I don't know why. I just want to be considered...you know...a normal person. I don't want to end up dead just because someone thinks I stole their keys or something like that. Am I not worth as much as everyone else?" he asks with teary eyes.

His words are completely honest, and they strike me deep down, reminding me just how harmful prejudice can be.

"Nick, I don't know the future, but I will tell you one thing".

He looks at me as if he wants me to continue my sentence.

"I'm going to be by your side no matter what, and before we're done...we're going to make a difference".

Two Weeks Later

Nick POV

It's been a while, and I can finally breathe again. I can stand on my feet and function as a normal fox once more, and my mind is back to it's normal, less drowsy state.

Life in the hospital was uneventful. Judy had to go to school, so during those eight hours, I'd basically just play video games and sleep. While Judy was there, it was simply amazing. I still don't know if she likes me, but I do know one thing for sure in my broken life:

I'm in love with Judy Hopps.

During the days she'd be with me, we'd lie on my hospital bed, talking about all we hoped to accomplish in life. We'd be close; crazy close even, like almost cuddling, but it never progressed more than that.

Security never left the room, as I'm now considered a nuisance to society by thousands of people; demonstrated firsthand by the buffalo a few weeks ago.

Violet and Melvin would come visit every two days or so, and even Finnick showed up once or twice, but no one else.

The doors to the hospital open, and I emerge from the air-conditioned interior alongside Judy, my mom and a couple of police officers, still slightly irritated by the cast on my hand, as it is quite uncomfortable.

The air feels crisp, and my soul feels bright, which isn't a common state of mind for me, especially after being beaten to the brink of death and then nearly shot.

Thinking back to the past few weeks, on the days Judy would hang around with me for a while, she'd fall asleep almost every time, and wake up screaming. She'd dream of the buffalo being shot, and my father coming to kill us in cold-blood. Still, the question remains:

Why did my dad kill the young buffalo?

Certainly not for my benefit. He's not kind enough, and I don't consider murder a fitting solution anyways. He clearly had alternative motives.

"Well, how do you feel?" Judy asks me with a curious expression.

"I feel...better" I say a bit louder than I've been able to speak as of late, continuing the walk to the car.

It's been a while since I've actually walked, so my legs feel quite stiff and locked up.

I glance away from her gentle eyes a bit, feeling painfully aware of my current look. My face looks beaten, bruised, abused and bandaged; more like a punching bag than a child-fox.

Well, upon reanalyzing the stereotypes, perhaps I represent the ideal look for a fox in this city.

I sit down in my car seat as the police glare at me; looking quite annoyed with me for reasons unknown.

Or perhaps I'm just being paranoid.

This isn't my car either, but simply a police cruiser. I guess they figured this would be a more secure way of transportation.

Once we begin driving, my mom looks back at me as I sit beside Judy, feeling content with her presence.

"So Nick, how aware are you of the surrounding controversy regarding your...unfortunate encounter?"

I blink with thought before answering.

"It made some people mad and I made others...happy?" I ask, admittedly not knowing much about anything that's going on.

"I'm afraid this is a lot more serious" the officer informs me, and I can see my mom stiffen in posture.

What if my dad did...all of this just to create chaos? He knew it would start an uprising, a conflict and strife throughout the city. Or did he?

"I don't know if this is the bes-"

"Ma'am, we can't shelter him forever" the police officer interrupts my mother.

I feel Judy rub my arm in attempt to comfort her, and I send a small, feeble smile her way to reassure her.

"Son, you need to realize...this is really..." my mom struggles.

"Let's just say that you've created a new cause" the officer says.

Well, isn't that a good thing? For once in my life I feel like I'm more than another fox lost in the wilderness of this cruel world.

"All I did was get beaten half to death" I say dully.

"Yes, but it was a wake-up call for a lot of the world with fox rights and such" the officer speaks, "And we just don't want this to accentuate any more than it is now. We don't want you to get hurt".

I nod silently, still not understanding that things can always go bad although nearly everything in my life has done just that.

The car pulls up at our house, and I gingerly step out of the car, my head still slightly aching from standing after lying on my back the past few weeks.

Judy grabs her bag and leaps out behind me, along with my mother, looking happy to see me walking.

My father has been locked up securely at Zootopia's most secure prison for fifteen life sentences; or some ridiculous number like that. However, I haven't had much time to think about my father. I've been caught up in thinking of ways to make Judy happy; especially the day after her brother's funeral.

Surprisingly, her parents have accompanied her many days at least for a few minutes in order to pay me a visit, and I wish I didn't associate their presence with such a dark image. Of course, that dark image being the death of Evan's father.

I rub my paw across my pocket to ensure the letter from Judy is still there, and my heart melts a bit at the thought.

"Your legs feeling okay?" Judy asks me.

"Oh, yeah, they're fine. It's this that's annoying me" I reply, gesturing to the constricting cast on my arm.

"Don't know if there's anything we can do about that, son" my mother says, overhearing our conversation.

We enter my home and I realize that this is the first time Judy has ever seen the interior. The air feels close yet distant as I reunite with the familiar atmosphere.

My mother got all of the damaged furniture replaced including our TV, which is a lucky break for me considering my love for video games.

"Cool place you got here, Ms. Wilde" Judy says as she scans the den area and up the stairs.

"Thanks Judy!" she says as she walks by us, "Wasn't so pretty a few weeks ago!"

"I"m sorry that happened" Judy says back softly, and my mother gives her a strong smile.

"Oh, it's fine. He's finally out of our lives" she tells Judy.

"Well...I'm glad that he's not causing pain for you guys anymore. Neither of you deserve it" the rabbit I adore so much speaks.

My mother smiles silently as she walks into the kitchen, leaving Judy and I standing in the den alone.

"It really isn't much, is it?" I ask, not considering my home to be more than a glorified apartment.

"Looks cozy" she replies with a gleam, "And it's home, right?"

Honestly, home is wherever you are.

"Yeah, I guess you're right".

"I"m sure it'll be better now that...you know..." she hints.

"Oh, definitely! I"m just glad my mom managed to get everything replaced" I say, eyeing the new furniture around me.

My mom gives us some food to eat which I welcome with open arms, as they didn't exactly serve feasts at the hospital; not to mention I lost my appetite for a few days after the buffalo incident.

"You wanna see my room?" I ask Judy.

"Why not?" she replies rhetorically, following me as I leave the table, and we walk up the staircase.

The vibes I detect from the house send mixed emotions through my body. It's not exactly hard to know why, remembering my past experiences in my home involving my father.

I reach the top of the staircase and turn right, turning the doorknob slowly, and I peer in.

"Oh, wow!" I speak, unable to hide my glee.

My furniture has all been replaced by nicer chairs, shelves and such, and I have a new bed as well.

"Is all this new?" she asks as she pads into my room beside me.

"Yeah!" I say, rubbing the blankets on my new bed with wonder, "I know my room's really small, but it's where I've spent a lot of my life, so it means a lot to me".

She smiles a smile void of a judgmental attitude as she takes a step closer to me.

"Good memories or bad memories?" she asks me, and I put on a straight expression as I think back.

"Both" I answer.

"Mostly your dad?" she questions again.

"Some of the time, but this is where..." I pause for a second, "This is where I'd always you know, cry my eyes out after every school day".

She nods solemnly and looks back into my eyes.

"I can understand why those aren't pleasant memories".

"It just became a daily routine, I guess" I add, beginning to feel down. Well, until Judy speaks again.

"Well, that routine is gone, I can promise you that".

She pulls me into a hug again and I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight. I can feel her light breathing as she burrows her head on my shoulder, and I embrace her warmth.

Going through all the pain I've experienced my entire life has been worth it just to meet the rabbit in front of me, and I mean that one hundred percent. Judy is the best thing I could have asked for in a thousand years of deep thinking. She's worth more than any amount of money, comics, video games, movies, you name it.

Just the feeling of having her close is enough to suffice my every mental need.

"I really care about you, Nick. I hope you know that" she whispers, and my heart flutters.

"I'll never forget it" I answer, "And I really care about you too".

Just tell her that you love her! I think to myself.

The words just won't squeak out of my mouth, however.

We continue the embrace in silence until Judy's eyes drift towards the stuffed-animal on my bed, and she releases me, picking it up.

"What's this?" she asks me, holding it up.

"Oh, that was a gift from my mom when I was six or seven. It...it was after a really hard day with my dad, and...she wanted to cheer me up. So she bought this for me and it really, really means a lot to me. I'm so glad it didn't..."

"Get destroyed?" she finishes for me, staring at the stuffed elephant.

"Yeah. Sometimes I stare at it and wish I could be normal...like an elephant" I confess.

She sets the toy down and resumes her gaze.

"Nick, you aren't normal. You're far from it, actually. But honestly..." she trails off, and I'm not quite sure where this is going.

"Honestly, you're amazing the way you are. I don't care if you're weird, or normal, or a flat-out reject to society. I still l-like you just the way you are" she stutters.

Like!? She means as a friend, Nick. Don't get too excited.

"Well, um...thank you!" I manage to say after recollecting myself, "But I just have to ask something".

"You can ask anything" she reminds me, making sure I know.

"I just...I want to make sure completely that me being a fox doesn't...bother you.."

She puts on a crooked expression mixed with a pitiful grin of some sort.

"Nick, that doesn't matter at all to me! That's why I'm helping with all this...discrimination stuff! Like I said, I wouldn't change a thing about you. I mean it" she says gracefully, her words simply oozing with mellowness and gracefulness.

"I...you...really?" I ask in shock.

"I promise with all my heart" she replies, and I smile even wider.

"So you think I'm...a good person?"

She laughs cynically, yet in a playful tone.

"Good? You're terrific! You've inspired me to be a better person, and so many others too! Why would I ever say you aren't a good...no, great person?" she asks, putting emphasis on the "great".

"I...I guess it's just because I've always been told that I'll be nothing in my life, and-"

"Well forget you ever heard that, because Nick...you're special in ways you can't even imagine to me".

She rubs her hand down my arm comfortingly, and I blush.

I begin to lose a grasp on what's acceptable friendship-wise as I begin to lean towards her a few inches, but my mother interrupts just before I make a potentially fatal mistake.

"Nick!" my mom yells from downstairs, and I jump back.

"Yeah?!" I yell down the stairs as I scratch the back of my neck with embarrassment.

"Judy's mom will be here in a few minutes to pick her up! It's almost six o'clock and you guys have school tomorrow!"

Great. At least I'll have a bodyguard tomorrow.

My mother assigned a bodyguard to look after me at school in case something were to go down like last time, which I'm very grateful for. I don't enjoy worrying all the time.

"Oh, um, well..." I struggle to say, staring at Judy bashfully again.

"Maybe we should go and wait for my mom downstairs" she recommends, and I nod immediately.

"Sounds good".

I walk down the stairs behind her, wondering if she realized what I was unconsciously attempting to do, or if she didn't notice.

I hope with all my heart that it's the latter.

Judy POV

It's now gotten to the point that the sound of Nick's voice makes my heart rate increase ten-fold, which is troublesome to say the least.

Now that I've grown even closer to him, I think it's safe to say I'm in love with him. Whenever he says hi, I choke up, but I manage to mutter a reply.

Whenever he compliments me in any way, my mouth dries up and I stutter like crazy.

Why do the effects of love have to make me look like an absolute idiot?

Nick and I peer out the window of his house, watching for my mother's car, but also enjoying the simple presence of one another.

Nothing else really matters at this second besides the fox beside me.

How will my parents react?! I'm in love with a fox!

The best I can hope for is that they'll realize love doesn't have the boundaries that I've been taught all my life. Being in love with a fox is actually the thing I embrace the most at this point.

"You okay?" Nick asks me, as I've been fairly quiet ever since I talked to him in his room.

"Yeah, just thinking" I reply, knowing it's the wrong thing to say. In fact, that may just be the wrongest thing to say in a thousand lifetimes.

"What about?" he asks as if the words themselves are scripted.

"Just...um...life" I stumble, the words seeming to slip out of my mouth.

"I do that too" he mutters, looking back out the window.

"Yeah, life is pretty complicated isn't it?" I ask before sighing and returning my glance to the street directly in front of Nick's house.

He nods with a empathetic look my direction and then takes a step closer to me, which I revel at.

He's not being romantic, he's being friendly.

"What about life is bugging you?" he asks me, and I scream internally at his question.

"Well, for starters: my brother, school, your situation with the protesters and all, and..." I drift off, leaving the rest of my sentence as a mystery.

"And?" he asks, leaning a bit closer in curiosity.

"It's just...emotions and stuff" I giggle, struggling not to uncover the true nature of my concerns.

It's an emotion all right.

At last, I see my mothers car pull into the driveway, and I gather my belongings as Nick tags along, not wanting to see me go.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Nick" I tell him with a warm smile, and then he hugs me once again as his mom walks into the room.

Despite his mother's presence, I hug him a bit tighter than last time, and begin to tear up.

I swear, if anything else happens to this kid, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

"Well isn't that sweet!" his mother comments, crossing her arms with a grin.

"I'll text you" I say into his ear, and I observe his tail as it wags in happiness.

"Yeah" he says gently, "I'll text you too".

We separate and then I wave to him as I open the door, and I note that he looks happier than I've ever seen him. Just from looking deep into his dreamy emerald eyes, I can see a newfound hope in life in the form of me.

I'm his best friend, and I wouldn't give up that title for anything.

"See you tomorrow, bye!" I say as I walk out the door.

"Bye!" he says, waving as I exit, and the door shuts behind me.

As soon as the door shuts, I stop on his porch for a moment, catching my breath.

I nearly faint from the amount of passion I feel towards Nick, but I take a moment to gather myself.

I can't hide these feelings much longer...

Still, there's something else bothering me. When Nick was a step from death, what did I do? Wish for divine intervention?

I didn't even make an attempt at interfering or saving Nick's life. What kind of future police officer does that?

Not a real cop, that's for sure.

However, my negative thoughts are swiftly brushed away as the thought of Nick overflows my mind once more, and I bounce to my mother's car with a goofy grin.

Wait, what?! No cliff hanger! I'm in total disbelief! What's wrong with me?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that fluff! Nick and Judy are getting pretty close, and it's only a matter of time! ;D

Anyways, please leave any thoughts in the reviews, and thank you for reading! I appreciate every view this story receives!

Until next time!