Benjamin Clawhauser's bouncy morning routine was stopped in its tracks by the approach of a small, gray police officer.
"Judy- Officer Hopps!" The cheetah quickly snapped to attention and peered down at her. "You're back so soon! It's only been... what, barely two weeks...?"
"Yeah, my counselor actually said it'd be good for me," Judy replied, nodding slowly. "She figures I need my fellow mammals. Can't just hole up."
"Well, it's great to have you back," Clawhauser offered her a warm smile. "What kind of counselor did we get you?"
"Oh, she's a doe," Judy answered.
"Really? That's great! Must be good to talk to another of your species."
"No, I mean, like," a nervous giggle escaped the bunny, "a deer doe."
"Huh," Clawhauser considered. "Do you find that intimidating? Like how tall she is?"
A smirk grew on the bunny's face. "Not any more than I find you intimidating, Clawhauser."
"I do try to keep my claws shaved to a non-threatening length," Clawhauser considered them. "Cheetahs can't retract them."
"I'm not sure having big scary claws would make much of a difference on you, Clawhauser..." Judy joked, starting to move past him.
"Well, um, have fun today!" Clawhauser waved, before pausing to reflect on his choice of words with a contemplative face.
A few more steps, and Judy was nearly at the entrance to the bull pen. Before that could happen, she caught the eye of Karen Skippel, the arctic hare technical officer. Karen stopped in her tracks, looking like she was seeing a ghost.
"Hopps..."
"Hello, Officer Skippel," Judy gave a small wave.
Skippel's eyes flitted all around, then trained down, as if she was looking around for some words to reply with.
"Do I..." Skippel started, "may I have permission to give you a hug?"
Judy blinked. "Um, sure."
Skippel drew in cautiously, then gave a rather awkward, guarded hug. She let it go after a rather short time. It felt nice, despite the sense Judy got that Karen did not have very much hug experience.
"I can't imagine what you've been through," Karen breathed out, not meeting Judy's eyes. "It's... good to see you."
"Thank you, Skippel," Judy replied. "Good to be here."
The arctic hare retreated into the bullpen without another word, and Judy soon followed.
"Hopps."
"Officer Hopps."
"Good to see you, Hopps."
"There she is."
It seemed like all of Bogo's unit were greeting her as she walked in, the tall, towering figures looking at her with reverence, respect, and perhaps even pity. She hadn't remembered getting this much attention from her fellow officers in her life, even the day she was reinstituted to the ZPD after she "saved Zootopia". Instead of the typical clamor, an eerie calmness prevailed as the officers stood at attention to herald Chief Bogo's arrival.
Nick stood politely next to Judy in their shared chair, but offered her a brief look, and the tiniest smile she'd ever seen on his long muzzle.
"Officer Hopps," Bogo addressed her specifically before turning down to his papers. "Bit alarming to see you here so soon. However, welcome."
"Good to be here, sir," Judy found herself saying.
"Delgato, Grizzoli," Bogo barked, making the lion and polar bear officers sit up. "Where are we at on the John Buck investigation?"
"Sir," Delgato piped up, the lion standing next to his chair. "We've found out that his name actually was 'John Buck', sir. We've procured a warrant to search his property."
"Good," Bogo grunted. "Exercise all due caution. McHorn, Trunkaby. Want you two to make sure you're around the area and ready for backup in case there are any surprises."
"Got it," McHorn snarled his confidence.
"Fangmeyer, Wolfard," Bogo turned his attention to Judy's tigress savior and her wolf partner. "You're going to take on Hopps and Wilde's patrol today, in addition to your own."
"Of course, sir," Fangmeyer nodded.
"And Wilde, Hopps..." Bogo looked over them.
"Parking duty?" Judy asked in a meek voice.
Bogo nearly smiled, but not quite. "...I'll find something for you both to do. Desk work in the meantime."
Nick hadn't said much as the two took their places in their cubicles, sitting with their backs facing each other.
"You've been quiet this morning," Judy noted.
"Mm, sorry, just got things on my mind," Nick excused himself in a distracted voice.
"I haven't heard yet how..." Judy twisted her mouth, "how everyone saved me."
"Well, it was a team effort," Nick started, half-turning to look at her. "I noticed you'd broken your usual patterns, no one had seen you, and that wasn't like you. Course, we couldn't reach you. So I suggested we do a search, and Bogo agreed. Skippel organized the search. We traced all your usual haunts."
"You searched the whole city for me, huh?" Judy caught his sidelong eye with her own, a small, appreciative smile on her face.
"Well, I was one of many," Nick deflected, his voice and face serious. "All our best noses were out."
Judy's mouth wobbled. "He... he said no one'd ever find me. That he'd covered his tracks. Something like that."
"He was using some sort of super odor-blocker," Nick nodded. "I'd never smelled anything like it, and that's what was distinctive about it. Lost the trail as he must have dragged you onto a subway train, then caught it at another station. I hoped I was on the right track, and then, I knew I was."
"Did you...?" Judy began to get misty eyed, giving a tiny smile.
"Yeah, I uh..." Nick squinted his eyes, and he shook his head. "Well, I know what you smell like. Just a touch of it when the mixture lost a bit of strength and I had the trail again, certain. We headed right to that creepy abandoned ChemiCo plant."
"You saved me..." Judy breathed out, giving a shaky, happy sigh.
"Like I said, it was a team effort, Hopps," Nick said, his voice even. "I wasn't the one that went in."
"Easy, Wilde," Bogo approached them, hands behind his back. "Let's not go down that road again. Mm?"
"Yes, sir," Nick replied glumly.
The large buffalo gave glances over the two, not betraying any emotion, despite theirs being as readable as neon print. "Hopps, Wilde, I have some case files in records that need alphabetizing. Could you two get on that?"
"Of course, sir," Judy said quickly with a nod. Nick joined the nod, and the two scooted out of their chairs. Bogo stroked his chin, releasing a sigh as he watched the two go.
Soon, Nick and Judy were sitting in a pile of old records, trying to sift through them. It looked like no one had bothered sorting those files in years.
Judy subtly shook her head as she did what felt like homework, but at least it was some kind of work.
"Guess I should get used to everyone treating me with kid gloves for awhile, huh?"
Though she'd tossed the line casually to Nick, his ear flicked, then both of them went back.
"Well maybe that's what some of us need, okay!?" The fox surprised both of them by nearly barking at her. Judy's ears went back and her nose started to twitch. Nick's jaw dropped. "Sorry- I'm sorry for yelling." He look a pause as he stared holes in the file he was looking at. "Maybe some of us... you know. We didn't think we'd taken you for granted, not by a long shot, but... we're still not ready for the possibility of you just... not being here."
"Yeah," Judy whispered.
Silence prevailed for quite awhile as the two shuffled through case files, working together and quietly like a well-kept machine.
"I've heard Skippel's electronic file organizing is top-notch," Nick said, his voice carrying uncharacteristic nerves. His uneasiness continued and dropped off through his voice as he sighed. "Y'know. The only reason we even need these is for backup. Or if we get hit by an EMP."
"You never know," Judy tried a smile. "It's something to do, anyway."
Judy's paw stopped on a file with an unusual name and a big red "CLASSIFIED" stamp.
"Hey, check this out," the bunny briefly laughed to herself as she displayed the file. "Tiberius Sabre. Sounds a little familiar, huh?"
"Judy," Nick rolled his eyes, but managed a small grin. "My middle name is Piberius, with a 'p'. Who names their kid 'Tiberius' anyway?"
"Sounds like some superhero moniker you might come up with when you were a kit," Judy winked. "The great 'Tiberius Sabre'... hm, this case is still open? But it's from like a decade ago. Wonder what it's about."
Nick sucked his teeth. "Well, just in case bunnies can't see red, it's classified, so maybe you should be a good bun and heed that."
"Right," Judy nodded, filing it away.
Even though it was so small, her apartment almost felt too big at night.
Trying to focus on breathing slowly, she felt her breaths run away from her.
In, out, in, out.
The sound seemed to stretch out like it was trying to echo, just as her breaths did down in that chemical hell. Judy shot up from her bed and threw open the window's shade. The darkness was too much. Her breathing was too much. The city nightline was barely better, with the blurry features of the building coalescing into those drums she was promised to be dissolved in. She leaped out of her bed and turned on her desk lamp, rifling through her drawers, looking for something like earplugs.
"Music, maybe some music," Judy's quiet voice trembled severely, desperately wishing her neighbors had something to fight about. Her paw hovered over her radio. Midnight. Maybe she shouldn't make noise. She scrambled for her earphones, paws wobbling as she held them. She unlocked her phone and searched for her music app, but before that, she noticed her contacts.
Judy's breaths picked up again as she relented, touching one of her contacts and setting her phone down near desk, asking for a muzzle time. The phone rang, vibrating against her desk.
"Please don't pick up," Judy softly begged.
"Hello?" A cream-colored rabbit with white masking and amber eyes answered the phone. The family resemblance to Judy was quite strong, though she was a little taller. The rabbit got out of her bed and rubbed her eyes, looking down at her phone. "Judy, that you?"
"Yeah, hi, Samantha!" Judy's voice began to fill with false enthusiasm and mirth. "How are you?"
"Uh, I'm okay," Samantha looked around her room quietly. She had her room to herself, unlike most members of the Hopps household. "It's literally the middle of the night. What's going on? Is something wrong?"
"No, no, nothings wrong," Judy lied, her voice threatening to pinch. "Just wanted to know how you were."
"You've never called me directly before," Samantha looked skeptical. "What's up?"
"Oh, just things," Judy shrugged. Inwardly, the bunny was screaming. She couldn't believe she'd done this, been so selfish as to call Samantha. She knew her older sister had suffered an incredibly difficult bout of personal trauma, and was still a recovering survivor. She couldn't believe she was calling to seek advice, to try to relate. To try to stir up her painful past for her own benefit.
"Yeah?" Samantha's brow went up, unaware of her sister's inner turmoil. "They treating you okay there at the ZPD?"
"Oh, yeah, great," Judy nodded. "Just... things I'd never imagined I'd be doing." Misleading, but not untrue.
"Huh," Samantha nodded. "Well, I can't say I thought it was gonna work out. Vi did... good thing she didn't shove it in our faces..."
"Oh, that Violet, she's so smart!" Judy replied in an artificial, jaunty voice.
"You sure you're okay...?"
"Yeah, I'm just...!" Judy swept the phone around her room. "Y'know, alone, trying to get to bed. Figured I could... uh, just say hi to a family member! Chosen at- at random..."
The Hopps were typically very bad liars, but most of them also didn't easily pick up on duplicity either. Samantha was no exception.
"Uh, okay then, well, I hope you can get some sleep," Samantha shrugged.
"Yeah, me too," Judy nodded. "Oh, you too, haha. Sorry for waking you."
"Night, Jude," Samantha hung up.
A look of anguish exploded onto Judy's face and she collapsed into bed, sobbing. She'd tried to use her own family to mitigate her pain. To call back the specters haunting her sibling to ease her own.
She felt so weak, so tired, and yet sleep eluded her.
Her tears met her pillow as she tried to keep quiet. She didn't want to wake her neighbors, didn't want them to know how soft she was.
It took too long, but the void claimed her once again.
At a typical outdoor cafe, Nick sat opposite Judy. He was wearing dark shades and clearly trying to look as intimidating and or cool as possible.
"You know, I think I could get used to this," Judy chuckled, sipping from a coffee. She hoped her eyes didn't communicate her fatigue. "I thought I wouldn't like you being my 'bodyguard'."
"Well, if it helps," Nick sipped his own coffee, looking at her from above the shades. "You can think of it as a date."
"Wouldn't that be a stretch?" Judy laughed lightly.
"Is your counselor helping?" Nick replaced his glasses on the bridge of his muzzle. "What was her name again?"
"Abigail Verdun," Judy nodded. "She's very sweet. I think she's helping."
Judy flashed back to her recent talks with her. If viewed from an aerial perspective, Judy was sure she'd look like she insane as she was scrambling around the room, sitting on a chair, on a couch, shouting out the window. She talked to the deer counselor about everything, leaving nothing back. Her fears, mostly, her worries. Her needs. Her desires.
"Nick," Judy interrupted her own thoughts before they carried her away. "...You said awhile ago. ...You said you'd do anything for me."
The fox took his glasses off. "Uh oh."
"I... was thinking... wondering," Judy stammered. "What do you think about moving in together?"
"Moving in...!?" Nick repeated, shocked. "I mean, I... uh... like..."
Judy made herself laugh. "Oh dear, I fear I've fried those foxxie neurons."
"I mean it seems a little sudden, is all, haha..." Nick looked stunned. "I definitely couldn't move into your place."
"No, definitely not," Judy agreed. "My place sucks."
"As does mine," Nick quickly added, shaking his head. "You would not be moving there."
"Guess I could look for somewhere new for us," Judy nodded. "Mid-size place for two."
"Any reason... why? All of a sudden?" Nick's voice pitched up uncomfortably.
Judy caught the shadow of a large mammal approaching, looking up toward it. Nick snapped out of his stupor and spun around, producing a stun gun like lightning from his coat.
"HEY! KEEP WALKING, PAL!" Nick snarled.
The polar bear stopped in his tracks and looked down at the two. "Jeez, Wilde, you could hurt someone with that thing."
"Ant- Grizzoli?" Nick blinked.
"Hey Hopps, hey Wilde," Anthony Grizzoli waved. The polar bear was in casual clothes, khaki pants and a blue and white pawaiian shirt.
"Hey, uh, like your shirt," Nick tried not to sound as high-strung as he felt, energy pouring into his veins. He put away his weapon.
"Hopps, I'm glad I found you," Grizzoli pointed at her. "The investigation isn't closed yet, but it looks like that creep was workin' alone, no successors or prodigies or anything."
"Well, that helps, a little," Judy nodded. "Thank you for telling me."
"Yeah? You doin' all right besides that?" Grizzoli crouched down a bit to not cut as huge of a figure.
"Not really, if you want me to be perfectly honest," Judy said, blunt as she could muster.
Nick looked pained, but turned his head to Grizzoli. "I appreciate you coming out to tell her that, Ant."
"Hey, it was mostly luck," he shrugged. "Listen, bun. The ZPD's been through something like this before. It isn't easy. It's gonna take time. But we all got your back, Hopps."
"Thank you..." Judy said gratefully, but her brow furrowed. "Wait, you said this happened before?"
"Well, not exactly like what you went through," Grizzoli scratched his head.
"To whom?" The bunny pursued.
"I uh, you... hm..." Grizzoli looked uncertain. "Not sure it's my place to say. But in any case, we're strong. The strongest. We'll help you through."
"Thanks, Grizzoli," Judy muttered distractedly as he took his leave.
Nick and Judy exchanged glances.
"You don't think... no..." Nick blurted suddenly.
"Fangmeyer?" Judy seemed to catch his train of thought. "Could it be? She did say something like 'thanks for giving me an excuse' when she put him down..."
Nick snarled. "Bogo, that BASTARD! He says I'M too emotionally compromised to lead the charge to rescue you but he puts someone like Fangmeyer on the lead!? When she's...?" The fox put his head in his hands.
"Well, I dunno if it's her for sure, but I definitely want to find out," Judy mused quietly.
"And if she froze up!?" Nick's breathing started to get out of control. "I could have lost you- WE could have lost you...!"
"But here I am, anyway," Judy tried to smile. She didn't know if it actually came out.
Nick's head bowed and he clutched at his head with both hands. Judy didn't know what to say. She felt like her own pain was bleeding into the fox and tearing him apart from the inside.
After several moments of Nick's strained silence joined with Judy's contemplative hollowness, Nick's head rose back up. His muzzle was calm, but his eyes were warm.
"...I meant what I said. I'll help you look for a place."