Continued from Chapter 50
"Uh, no?" Judy said, pushing her way through the herd of wildebeest on the crosswalk. "Podunk is in Deerbrooke county and I grew up in Bunnyburrow."
"Okay," Nick said chidingly, rolling his eyes and stealing a small handful of blueberries from a vendor. "Tell me if this sounds familiar." What an eerie thing to say, Nick thought. Now how did the speech go, again? Before he could start it though, Judy rushed up to him.
"Nicholas Wilde, you're under arrest," Judy said, her voice suddenly fierce.
"Wuh!? For petty theft?" Nick blinked in surprise. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! "C'mon, I grabbed less than a dollar's worth of-"
"Felony tax evasion," Judy's voice sounded almost tired and she flashed a form in front of his face.
"What the-!?" Nick's eyes widened. "You have that already?"
"What do you mean 'already'?" Judy said cautiously.
"Well, uh, we're supposed to go around this corner, through this yard, and you're supposed to stand... right over there, in that cement," Nick said. He felt incredibly sheepish as Judy for some reason followed where he was nodding with his head. Judy looked up at him.
"Very funny, buster," Judy said. "Listen, I'm trying something different this time, so I'd appreciate your cooperation, as always."
"Uh...?" Nick made a confused face. "Wait, wait. Carrots."
"Come on, you," Judy started to drag him off.
"No, wait! Uh..." Nick wracked his brain, trying to think of something he remembered from the future. "It's not like a bunny can go savage."
Judy froze, gasping. She turned her head towards Nick, slowly. "What... what did you just say?"
"Flash, flash, hundred-yard dash?" Nick raised one eyebrow. Judy had a fixed, intense gaze locked on Nick. "Um... you know you love me?"
"Nick... you 'remember' this time...?" Judy marveled, the tension seeming to drain out of her stance and face.
"What do you mean 'this time'?" Nick said worriedly.
"Okay, how many loops do you remember?" Judy said, suddenly gesturing wildly with her hands and taking off Nick's handcuffs.
"I only remember uh... one? The thing that was supposed to happen with Bellwether and the Nighthowlers?" Nick said. "Is that bad?"
"Heck if I know, Nick!" Judy squeezed her eyes shut in annoyance. "I feel like I've been through this loop a dozen times now or more, and I still have no idea why. I'm starting to conflate some of these time-lines with each other. I feel like I've 'tried everything'."
"Speaking of, that's where my new pre-memories or whatever they are stop," Nick mused. "Right after that concert you and I went to."
"Yeah, that concert's only happened that first time I can 'remember'," Judy sneered. "But none of the loops go past that; where it should have been in the timeline."
"Wow, listen to us, talking about some sort of time loop like it's the most natural thing in the world," Nick chuckled.
"From my perspective, I've been at this for over a decade, Nick," Judy had an upset expression. "Each loop lasts about a year. I mean, some last a lot less if I screw up really bad, heh..."
"When do they start?" Nick was curious.
"They always start with the first time I ever see you," Judy said. "At the ice cream parlor."
"Yeah, the first time I saw you is when I started to feel those weird feelings," Nick said, then giggled a bit bashfully. "Uh, about the future, of course."
"Right," Judy closed her eyes and smirked. "You got any ideas, hotshot? This is the first time you've been 'in on' this. I wonder if whatever anomaly is causing this is getting tired of me screwing up."
"Wow, you look really weary, Carrots," Nick looked at her in pity. "Well, since our earliest pre-memories are both of the same thing, why don't we try doing everything just like the 'first time'?"
"Everything...?" Judy looked crestfallen. "You know what that means, right? What I have to do? You're a smart fox..."
"Right, but shouldn't it not hurt as much this time, since we know what'll happen?" Nick held his arms out and shrugged his shoulders. His smirk was unsure.
"It's still going to hurt..." Judy said with anxiety lining her voice, and Nick saw her eyes sadly sparkle. "Ever since I got the pre-memories, I've never been able to do that press conference the same way again..."
"Hmm, it can't hurt to try, can it?" Nick wondered.
"Well, besides all the species tension it will cause," Judy said flippantly. She continued in a voice dripping with cheerful sarcasm. "But who knows? It'll probably be wrong again and I'll be running into you at the ice cream parlor before I know it."
"Maybe after another few loops only I'll have the memories, huh?" Nick tried a reassuring grin.
"That might be nice," Judy admitted. "I'm just so... so tired of this."
Nick nodded over towards the cement. "Well, if it's not too late for this loop, we should try to recreate every detail, right?"
"I'll certainly get the despair I felt tonight right," Judy murmured, walking into the cement. She looked at Nick and tried a look of frustrated anger, but it looked tired and almost sad. "I'm not a dumb bunny."
"Right," Nick said smugly, trying not to look at the baffled beavers that saw Judy just march into their wet cement. "And that's not wet cement."
Nick and Judy both walked out of the concert hall. Judy exhaled slowly, trying to find a corner to be by herself. Or at least with Nick, because he was following her.
"You okay, Bunny?" Nick caught up with her and stood next to her at a street corner where there was very little incidental mammal traffic.
"I dunno Nick," Judy shook her head. "I dunno. We did everything 'right', as far as I know. Figures I'd need you to make sure everything went off as I remembered."
Nick shrugged his shoulders, putting his hands in his pockets. "It was kind of easy for me, like a play. Just had to read the script."
"Yeah..." Judy placed her hands on her chest. "My heart's beating so fast..." She turned her head up towards Nick. "Nick, I'm... I'm scared. I'm terrified."
"Of what?" Nick blinked, scratching his head.
"This is where everything stops, this night," Judy said, starting to hyperventilate a little. "And I... I really don't want to go through it all again."
"I get that," Nick put his arm around her shoulders. "I can't imagine how hard this has been for you."
"Pretty hard," Judy said in a high-pitched, whiny voice. Her breaths came in shudders, and she sobbed a bit.
"Shh..." Nick drew her into a hug and pat her back. "It's okay."
Judy pushed away from him after a few seconds and shook her head. "No. No you're right. You're right. It is okay." Judy nodded rapidly, wiping her eyes. "I'll be okay."
"I kind of hope I remember again next time if that's what has to happen," Nick had a sad smile. "That way I can be there to support you again."
"It doesn't matter if you remember or not," Judy sneered, tears threatening to well up again. Nick felt a stab of pain in his chest. But then Judy's eyes widened and she let out a terse gasp. "But... but it doesn't matter if I remember or not, either."
"What?" Nick was very confused. "What do you mean?"
"Because," Judy's face broke out into a wobbly smile, showing her teeth. "I just realized something. No matter what, in all of these loops, no matter what happens or how much I screw up... there's you."
"Huh?" Nick continued to be confused, but the compliment made him smile. "I'm not sure I follow."
"Every time, no matter what sort of mistakes I make..." Judy rotated her hands at the wrist. "You always end up helping me. Somehow, some way. I've... I've always been able to count on you. Even when I tell you about the time loop stuff and you call me crazy." She let out a small, choked laugh.
"I can definitely see me being unable to believe this stuff," Nick shrugged. "But now we've lived it, so I guess anything's possible."
"Yeah, anything," Judy smirked, balling her hands into fists. "And because anything is possible, I'll go through it again and again, no matter how many times it takes, because I know you'll be there to help me."
Nick closed his eyes and sighed. He nodded his head slightly backwards. "Look what you did, Fluff. You made my tail wag." Said tail was swishing gently.
Judy giggled, pleased. "I hope you don't mind if I give you a little... well..." Judy got up on her tip toes and kissed Nick's cheek. The tail wagging accelerated.
"No, I don't mind," Nick said, then had a strange sensation, like his mind was 'falling'. "Wait, mind. ...Mind what?"
"Mind what?" Judy repeated, and smirked in pity. "Are you acting like one of those cartoon characters that gets flustered to the point of confusion when a pretty girl kisses them?"
"Uh..." Nick held out a forefinger and shook his hand, then his head. "Uh... Carrots, what were we just talking about?"
"You don't know?" Judy blinked. She felt a strange sense of something missing, like she awoke from a spacey daze. "...Wait, what were we just talking about? Wh-why did I kiss you?"
"Well, obviously because I'm so handsome," Nick adjusted his tie, smirking proudly and shutting his eyes confidently.
"Right," Judy rolled her eyes. "If that was the case, I would have kissed you a long time ago."
"Oh, I see," Nick's smile widened until he was beaming. "Okay, Bunny." His smile vanished. "Wait, you've been crying?"
"Have I?" Judy wiped at her cheeks. "I guess I have. Wow, Gazelle's music has never gotten to me this much before."
Nick shrugged. "Guess it must have got to me too, a little. I feel like I've had a head rush."
"Me too," Judy nodded.
"Well, Carrots, I think it's about time we go home," Nick offered his arm. "Maybe we should lead each other to the subway so we don't get confused or lost."
"Sounds like a plan," Judy smiled, hooking her arm in his and they both started to walk to the subway station.
Judy felt a welling up of immense satisfaction that she couldn't put a definite source to. She let out a slow, relieved breath. Nick winked at her.
"Partner," the fox said. Judy nodded.
Pleasantly, she hummed the last few notes to "Try Everything".