Hello everyone,
We're so glad to be back with chapter ten after our break!
Hope everyone is having a great summer so far :)
Before proceeding with this much-awaited chapter, we do have one message to pass (along with continued thanks to all our readers and reviewers, you rock!)
We are very sorry when we have to delay updates. You will appreciate however, that the author and beta (as well as everyone else who contributes lovely work to the many superb fandoms out there) do this on their (often very limited free time). There can be no guarantee that no rescheduling will happen in the future; If you find this unacceptable, we are very much in compassion with your sentiments, but this is the way it is.
That being said, once a chapter is up it is (hopefully) worth the wait, and we do try and add bonuses each time - sketches, questions and polls or - this time - a very special surprise! That we are excited to share. Read on and discover the surprise at the close of the chapter :)
Cheers!
O will you accept a new silver pin
To pin up your hair and your fine donotuse-e-lin?
Madam, will you walk?
Madam, will you talk with me?
- folk song
Mr and Mrs Oscar Wilde were your average middle-class foxes. Their family was a handsome bunch (though the young father's fur was already somewhat receding over his brows, and he was a mite portly from one too many evenings spent down at the pub with the guys). They were also numerous, particularly for a fox clan that is. With three little vixens and tiny Oscar junior, the baby, the Oscar Wildes were hard to miss when the whole family paraded up and down the street on their Sunday afternoon stroll.
Oscar's mother was the youngest sister of Mrs Nicholas Wilde Senior, she had in turn married a Wilde, a cousin on Nick's dad's side. Thus Nick was related to Oscar by blood both on his mother's and on his father's side. The two had played quite a lot together when they were kits, and it was hard for them to avoid being compared by their relatives, the two cousins growing up so close and being within a year of each other's age.
That being said, their lives had certainly turned out differently. Oscar had more or less kept his nose clean most of his life (if one didn't count the occasional lending a paw to some buddies who smuggled stolen artwork and getting a penny for that. Oscar Wilde ran a furniture shop, you see, and his truck was very handy for transporting big framed paintings). Oscar had gotten married and settled early enough, and had consequently welcomed his four children one after another year after year. Oscar's wife, Fanny née Lennox, rather thought her life bordered on the perfect, it has to be said (much to Oscar's credit, one may add.)
Yes, Fanny Wilde had all her heart could desire; a husband who provided well for the family, a nice house with a smallish garden and four cuddly toddlers (their minute paws kept warm thanks to their grand-aunt's hand-knitted socks). Fanny liked nothing more than to promenade idly on a Sunday afternoon, her children and husband in tow, nodding here and there and stopping to chat with friends and neighbors. Then, after settling the children down with a snack, once the lot were back home, to fix a nice hot drink and a platter of waffles with maple syrup and settle down in the loveseat, side by side with Oscar, and tune into the late afternoon news, going over the endless mending the children's' clothes required in between bites of waffles and getting up when one of her kits summoned her attention.
Fanny was very fortunate in life; she had not been overly ambitious and found herself more than content with her lot. She was (surprising but true) not a very observant or cunning vixen either; she didn't dig too deep under the surface. So she missed the long sighs her husband sometimes heaved over his brimming mugs of beer as they'd lounge in front of the TV of a Sunday.
That particular Sunday Fanny was even less likely to notice her husband's pensiveness than usual. Not only had she added whipped cream to her waffles, but she was particularly intrigued by the news' edition, as a certain vixen journalist, whose screen fame was budding fast, was to conduct the talkshow.
"Margaret Frost," Fanny read off the screen as Miss Frost was announced on the ZNN channel. "There you see," she turned to her husband in triumph. "We're finally seeing a vixen on the central channel. Exciting, isn't it?"
"I guess," Oscar said noncommittally.
Fanny Wilde was studying the guest of the show thoughtfully; having barely heard her husband's reply. The vixen had been so absorbed with following Margaret Frost's arrival that she had almost not paid attention to the actual subject matter or the animal that was to appear along with Miss Frost.
"The rabbit looks familiar," Mrs Fanny was acknowledging with a kind of slow surprise, as if amazed at herself that she would remember a bunny's face. "Hang on! Isn't that what's her face? You know, the one that works with cousin Nicky?"
"I'll be darned," Oscar confirmed, after looking at the TV over the brim of his glass.
"Wow," Fanny Wilde was suitably impressed. "Talk about fame. The ZNN could have interviewed Nicky too then, do you think? They sure have some exciting careers, lucky things. What is it baby, do you want your plushie?" this last remark was of course addressed to little Oscar Junior who had crawled over to where his parents were sitting.
Oscar Senior gazed at his son fondly, but his face fell a little when he turned back to the talkshow. It was the rabbit cop, Nick's partner – Judy Hopps, that was the name, he remembered it now, as it flashed on the bottom of the screen. Old Nick sure was going places, if his partner was called in so casually for a national interview.
For maybe the thousandth time in his life, Oscar Wilde puzzled over this, shaking his head a bit. He knew, he was quite sure he knew his cousin Nick. How had that kit grown up to be so darn ambitious all of a sudden? Hadn't they played together, gone to school together, more or less led parallel lives through their youth? Well, Nick had had some dumb ideas when he was a kit, parading around in a scout uniform, like anyone would ever have taken a fox into the cubscouts. Then, when the cousins had become adults, Oscar often raised an eyebrow at how daring Nick's 'business' ventures were. Oscar dabbled in the shady side of affairs too, of course, but always cautiously and keeping his paws as clean as possible, making sure other animals did the dirty work. Nick had pulled off so many fur-raising affairs practically on his own; it was a real marvel he'd never done time.
And here he was, Mister High and Mighty and Reformed, an Officer on the Force, a position no fox had ever held before. Seriously, how did it all come about? It was a mystery, and perhaps one of the sources of Oscar's frustrations. One can be very happy, you know, staying on the mediocre levels, if there aren't too many exceptional individuals around to spoil it.
Not that there was anything particularly wrong with Oscar's life or his family. It was just; it wasn't the kind of life that you can really tell a story about. Unlike our heroes' lives of course, you could tell plenty about them. The 'Oscar Wildes' of the world though, they came, they went, and the universe was not much changed. (Though we have it on good authority that someone had booked that name in another world, promising to put some shine and fame on it. No worries there then.)
Oscar often asked himself in his heart of hearts, in a kind of astonished disgruntled voice, what on earth it was that his cousin Nick had that had enabled him to get so much further ahead. He observed and pondered, and could find no answer. Poor old Oscar, the answer existed, but it was not very visible. After all, the crowds see the results, but they don't see the sweat, the work, the nights spent revising for Police Academy exams and the following mornings, with the alarm going off way too early in order to have time to hit the gym, and the reports one has to fill in endlessly at work, the many cups of coffee to keep going.
Or the breakneck dash over to the ZNN headquarters at the close of that same balmy Sunday, desperately anxious about that bastard Savage suddenly popping up, for all the world like some toadstool after a good shower of rain.
In a nutshell, what Nick had and Oscar lacked was courage. It hadn't just dropped out of nowhere; like all things worthwhile it had taken quite a while to grow and get stronger. Maybe that was why Oscar hadn't noticed it, hell, Nick would probably have been rather taken aback if one pointed out to him just how much bravery he actually possessed. But it was there, the bravery, as Nick Wilde rushed to the rescue. He was ready for anything.
He'd really been born ready, you know. Pretty much.
Time seemed to hang suspended.
Well, ok, it did go by actually, when one really paid attention, but in kind of slow gooey dollops, like glue that someone is trying to reheat after it got too old, or extremely sticky caramel nougat. That's to say it went by at a snail's pace. Or a sloth's pace.
Judy hadn't moved from the little couch on which she had sat on through the interview, side by side with Savage (alias Harry Henderson the Hare). Savage did not budge either, though Miss Frost had drifted away to the back of the spacey room to chat with the camera-animals. She had more or less told Judy and Jack that they were no longer needed, had thanked them for their time and had risen to accompany them outside. You can imagine the vixen's bemusement therefore, when neither rabbit followed suite. Eventually leaving her resilient guests alone, Miss Frost moved away with a shrug and a careless notion that the bunnies would show themselves out once they had finished their staring contest.
A staring contest it was indeed. Judy gazed steadily back at Jack Savage, her heart beating more regularly than a minute ago. She berated herself inwardly for the qualm of fear she had experienced moments earlier.
"You're the first ever bunny who made it onto the force Judy Hopps," she whispered furiously in her mind. "You are not going to be intimidated by some-some-" her brain struggled to find a suitable term.
"Some long eared jerk," she concluded finally in her head, with a minute nod of self-satisfaction (though it has to be pointed out that her own ears were every bit as long as those of Savage.) Still, she felt much better, and braver into the bargain, and she raised her head a fraction higher as she faced Jack, vowing to herself that she would not be the first one to speak, no matter what.
Jack studied her for another second, before breaking the silence.
"It's like reading the proverbial open book Officer Hopps, watching your face I mean," he commented in his well-bred even tone.
Judy was ready to reply bitingly to anything he opened with, so this remark (that could after all be interpreted as a veiled insult) was more than welcome.
"So you're a psychologist then," she shot back, with as much snarkiness as she could muster. "You sure get around Mister! A chocolate chef and a hare one day, a bunny shrink the next. What'll you be up to tomorrow?"
Savage's expression never changed, although he tilted his head to the side a bit, as if he were looking at some museum display critically, trying to assess its quality.
"I didn't choose to parade around as a hare Officer," he said, as if offering justification for a slightly shameful act. "But the chocolaterie I took over as an alias had belonged to a hare previously. It was less hassle to keep the paperwork as it was."
Judy felt a tad stunned to hear Savage acknowledge this act of fraud so serenely (in the presence of a ZPD representative to boot). She hid her reaction as best as she could though, folding her paws on her chest and raising an eyebrow in what she hoped was a sarcastic manner at him.
Jack blinked at her once, before setting his paws down in his lap neatly and adding as if in afterthought,
"Most mammals are incapable to spot the difference between a rabbit and a hare in any case Officer. Even other rabbits, one may add."
Judy felt the heat rise to her ears; she recalled only too readily that her own parents had had no problem in believing Savage to be a hare when he'd approached them. She pointed out in hurried triumph,
"Nick sure knew you were a liar quickly though, didn't he?"
"Nick?" Savage looked at her, his eyes open wide, feigning ignorance. Then, as if realizing suddenly whom she meant, he nodded curtly. "Ah yes, Mister Wilde. The retired fox hustler, correct? Yes, he could tell a rabbit when he saw one. Predator's primal instinct, do you think?" he smiled sardonically.
Judy burned at the fox quip. Miss Frost and every other member of the ZNN crew were still huddled on the far end of the room though, chatting and laughing and completely oblivious to the conversation taking place between the two guests of the afternoon show. It helped that the talk was conducted sotto voice, both rabbits' excellent hearing allowing them to converse at a volume that would hardly have been sufficient for most animals.
"I heard about your and Nick's meeting," Judy leaned back on the sofa carelessly, pretending to be at her ease. In truth, she had a pretty good feeling she was more or less trapped and that Savage would hardly let her get away, one way or another, after trying to corner her for so long, until he got what he wanted out of her. What on earth it could be, she had no idea. "I hear you've been going round my family and friends, trying to get to me. Well, here I am," she raised her paws in the air in mock-defeat. "And I'm on the edge of my seat. What is this urgent business you wanted to discuss Mister Harry-Jack?"
Savage gave her another long look, before replying seemingly off-topic.
"You're quite far from what I'd imagined you like Officer," was his unexpected remark.
"Really?" Judy was genuinely surprised at this. "Do tell."
"Indeed," Jack was nodding. "I had been more accustomed to imagine a sort of plush police mascot."
Judy was so taken aback for a moment that she actually wondered whether she had heard correctly. Such an insult, and from another rabbit! Quite the evening it was turning out to be.
"And you're the plush undercover spy then?" she asked bitingly. "The other toy in the set? Great thing we're both here, maybe whoever buys us will get fifty percent off the second one!"
The corners of Savage's mouth twitched.
"Very amusing Officer," he inclined his head.
"I'm so happy you like my jokes," Judy replied in exasperation. "Now, you maybe have all night, but the rest of us… what I mean is, did you have anything you wanted to discuss in particular?"
Savage seemed to snap out of his reverie and his session of observing Judy.
"Yes of course, excuse me for detaining you Officer," he said. "I was wondering if I could request your help with this case I have been hired to work on."
"Uh-huh," Judy said dryly. "And by 'request' do you mean 'demand and then capture and torture the animal until you get what you want out of them'?"
Savage actually did smile at that.
"You paint an exceptionally brutal image of me Officer."
"You seem the type," Judy returned mercilessly.
"Really?" Savage shook his head. "From one rabbit to another?"
"Oh, more like from one rabbit to someone who resembles the folkloric wolf in sheep's wool," Judy shrugged.
"I mostly work alone Officer," Jack spread his arms evenly. "Therefore, forgive me if I'm a bit unfamiliar with modern ZPD slang. Or perhaps this is a manner of speaking you have picked up from your red-furred partner?"
Judy had a very good comeback to that, that was to open with the words "Nick isn't here Savage, so leave him out of this and tell me just why-", but unfortunately she chose to pick up the little plastic cup of water down on the coffee table by the couch to take a sip first, dragging the time out a bit before delivering her reply. As she was setting the cup back on the table and raising her head to pronounce those very words, her gaze drifted over the top of Jack's pointy ears and she all but choked on her sip of water.
Her phrase starting with the assertion that Nick was not there was rendered useless as her friend was suddenly and miraculously very much there, giving her a hasty thumbs up sign as he hovered some ten feet behind Savage, his footfalls disguised by the heavy rug spread over the studio floor, so neither rabbit had heard him approach. Fighting to keep her face blank as she was engulfed by surprise – and a certain generous amount of relief – Judy fixed her gaze back on Savage carefully.
"You sure approach things in a strange way Mister," she commented robustly; "For an animal looking for my help."
"You sure approach things in a strange way Officer," Savage returned dryly, "for a rabbit who just pronounced herself to be in an exceptional hurry."
"Meaning?" Judy countered.
"Meaning, just collaborate kindly Officer and you can be off and on your way in ten minutes," Jack Savage explained with a little nod.
Judy counted to ten in her head to cool off a bit before replying. Nick raised his eyebrows at her behind Jack's back.
"For brevity's sake," Judy clicked her tongue irritably. "I'll just ignore that notion you dropped there, like I have to ask your permission before I go or something," she sniffed disdainfully here. It was much easier to act haughty when Nick was there to support her and she did not feel so alone anymore. And, best of all, Savage had no idea of this sudden turn of tables. "And I'll let you lay your whole story out – provided you do it quick, please- cause I have a feeling you'll just keep on pestering me and popping up time and again if you don't get it off your chest. So this assistance on the – did you say case – you're supposed to work on. How on earth am I supposed to help you and why do you think I should lend you a paw?"
"To answer the first part of your inquiry, Officer," Savage cleared his throat. "The matter is rather simple as you will see. I would like to have your confirmation as to the fact that ample evidence has been conserved pertaining to the infamous Night Howlers' case. Given this is true – as I am sure it is – and given that you have access to this evidence, based on your status of confirmed ZPD officer – I would like to request that you obtain me a sample of serum from this evidence."
Judy was so thrown by this small speech (delivered in a tone so neutral one could have imagined Savage to be requesting an extra bread roll at an upscale café) that it took her a couple of moments before she could regroup her thoughts sufficiently and formulate some sort of reply.
"So.. do you want fries and ketchup with that too?" were the words that eventually came out of her mouth.
Savage smiled curtly at her remark.
"More of your rookie humor Officer?"
"Why," Judy ran her paws through the fur on her head in exasperation, "do you think I would even consider such an offer?"
She exchanged a minute look of amusement with Nick. She was a bit surprised to notice from the corner of her eye that her friend seemed far from amused though, his red brow was furrowed and he was watching the back of Savage's head in concentration. Judy was suddenly and uncomfortably reminded of natural history textbooks that pictured a fox spying out a rabbit in similar fashion. Except that the dangerous personage in the current situation was the animal that had previously been the prey.
"Well, to be honest Officer," Savage was looking at her closely again," I was going to negotiate in terms of monetary compensation," he grinned faintly at the look of silent outrage that appeared on Judy's face at these words. As the bunny cop opened her mouth furiously, Savage raised a hasty paw.
"Oh, no need for that Officer," he said quickly. "Save your eloquence. It is very easy to see, even after only a short conversation, that you are decidedly not the kind of animal with whom to evoke such terms."
"Absolutely not," Judy spluttered, her fists clenched in her lap.
"Quite," Savage shrugged indifferently. "I can understand that you have idealistic views Officer. You are very young… you will see in time that money works on most animals, even the ones that say 'no' to it at first. One will find – in most cases – that turning the 'no' into a 'yes' is merely a question of how high the sum of money offered is."
The undercover agent smirked in a singularly creepy way at this, as if he had had ample experience to back up his words. Judy wrinkled her nose in distaste, making him laugh.
"That being said," Savage continued. "I may be able to find other arguments to convince you Officer."
"Such as?" Judy asked, sitting straight in her seat. If this was a veiled threat, she was determined not to show herself scared.
Savage looked at her, his gaze speculative.
"Have you considered a career in private investigation Officer?"
Decidedly, this rabbit was breaking every record for the animal that would startle Judy Hopps the largest number of times per hour. Bar none. Except for Mister Nicholas P Wilde, on her first day at the ZPD, perhaps.
"What makes you think-?" Judy started, throwing her paws in the air.
"You are very dramatic in your delivery Officer," Savage remarked, leaning back on the couch easily. "This often goes away with experience too. Please consider a moment, before acting scandalized. You have much talent, to be sure. You have achieved what none of our species have achieved before on the force. You are surely not planning to remain on the ZPD your entire career though?"
"Why not?" Judy asked.
"Officer," Jack looked at her in what was almost a stern matter. "Please. I am sure you are learning many things, it still being early years for you. A police officer is a mundane career after some time however, I assure you. And if one rises – as you should rise, given your outstanding qualities – you will see that the only reward will be a huge amount of administrative work and endless reports to file."
Judy squirmed in her seat. These remarks did ring a faint bell; it was true that Bogo seemed to spend the greater part of his time stuck behind his desk, going through tons of paperwork. This was not the issue at paw though, she told herself firmly, and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
"A private investigator will generally earn much more than a police officer too," Savage was saying. "Just for your information," he added modestly, flicking an imaginary speck off his shirt.
"I'll try to remember that," Judy exhaled. "It does make your first argument sound terribly like your second one though, doesn't it? Money money money. Is that all there is for you? And if I don't accept to help you out on these terms, I guess you have no more ideas as to how to convince me – except brutal force? Or another veiled bribe maybe?"
Savage clicked his tongue reproachfully.
"I will consider that you'll think about this at your leisure Officer," he said. "And hope that you change your mind at a later date. You would be an extremely useful partner for any PI," he added almost courteously.
"Charmed," Judy said, unimpressed, her tone dripping with irony.
"Indeed," Savage sighed a bit. "But provided you do not agree with my offer at this time, I must find other means of ensuring your assistance."
Judy planted her feet firmly on the rug-covered floor, prepared for a sudden assault. She did not dare look at Nick, but she could feel the tension emanating from him as he also waited for Savage's next move.
"Officer, I do not believe in violence," Jack said, noticing Judy's stance. "Well, unless it is the inevitable last resort," he added as an afterthought. "A very last one. I am sure I can convince you to assist me without bending to such gruesome methods."
"Is that so," Judy said, never relaxing her pose or missing a heartbeat.
"Can you think of nothing?" Savage looked at her in mock-innocence. "That would convince you to help a poor private eye out Officer? All I need is a tiny shred of evidence. And all you need is for no one at work to know about any deals you will have entered into with well-known criminal lords."
It was official, no one had stunned Judy into silence this many times in a row. She gaped at Jack as the fur on her back seemed to crawl in slowly rising panic.
No, it was impossible. Did Savage know about their deal with Mr Big? Was he going to use it to get her to help him out?
How could he know? Whom was he working for?
No. No way. Was his mysterious client also Mr Big? Was the shrew father somehow playing them one against the other? What for?
Or was his client another animal? An enemy of Mr Big's maybe? But if that was the case, how did Savage know of her connection with Big? Did he know?
Holy carrot and beetroot sticks, did Savage know about the money Big had lent them for the real estate purchase?
If he did, would he really somehow expose it to the ZPD and get her and Nick in trouble? What would happen at work if everyone found out they'd borrowed money from Big? And why was she only stopping to consider this now, instead of thinking everything through before she had asked Big for the loan?
Dumb bunny.
Judy's mind reeled at the possibilities, and she gulped, unable to find a suitable, and what's more, a safe, response, as Jack watched her closely, his eyes narrowed.
"Perhaps you need a few days to think things over Officer," he suggested in a would-be mild tone.
"Perhaps she does," Nick said suddenly and brightly, rescuing Judy from any necessity of replying.
Savage jumped a bit in his seat, and whipped around to find himself facing Nick, who had closed the distance that had remained between him and the couch, and was now perched precariously on the back of the sofa, smiling down at the two rabbits. Jack scowled at him for a second, but quickly regained his composure.
"Quite," he said, without any questions or remarks as to Nick's sudden apparition. "That is all very good. Please take your time Officer, and you will hear from me again shortly," these words were addressed to Judy, as the other rabbit turned back to her, completely disregarding Nick.
It was Nick who answered again though.
"Sure thing," he said cheerily, cuffing Savage on the shoulder lightly from behind. "Why not drop by and see us at precinct one next time though? Pay us an official call?"
"I will be seeing you at my own convenience," Jack snapped, twitching his shoulder and throwing a look of contempt at Nick.
Judy's frantic mind was calming down thanks to this reprieve, and her thoughts mere mercifully lining up normally again.
"You're scared of showing up at the ZPD headquarters, aren't you?" she heard herself say, as she faced Savage once again. "Why? Does Bogo have something on you, or someone else?"
Jack's expression remained carefully neutral, but there was a slight shift in his posture that somehow made her feel she'd struck gold. The fact that he hastened to close the discussion deepened this conviction.
"I've encroached sufficiently on your time for one evening Officer, " he was saying, moving to get up. "As I've said earlier, you'll be hearing-"
Nick was quick as a shot, he sprang up at the same time as Savage and clasped his elbow from behind.
"We'll both be hearing from you, kay pal?" Judy heard Nick hiss at Savage. "Something you should get into your head, we're partners, Hopps and me. So enough of this trying to corner animals alone, got it?"
Judy saw Savage's lips pull into a thin taunting smile, that showed he was plainly not impressed. Her pulse quickened again as she saw him open his mouth to retort and wondered just how rapidly and how far this was going to escalate -
When suddenly the little scene was miraculously interrupted by Margaret Frost.
"Thank you again, Officer Hopps - and you, Mister Henderson," the vixen was saying, suddenly swooping on them, startling all three animals so that they jumped in surprise. "Officer Wilde again? How kind of you to pop by and see how we've wrapped up," she smiled at them, her even white teeth gleaming. It made Judy think about the Natural History textbooks again, only this time, the correct way around;
"It has been a very good show, hasn't it?" Margaret was saying. And then, without waiting for a reply, "The crew are rather tired out now though. And the building normally closes within another thirty minutes or so. I wonder if I could show you all out-"
"We were just leaving," Judy said quickly, finally and thankfully jumping off the couch.
She wondered for a second whether she and Nick would have to go to extra pains to shake Savage off, but he was already heading out the door, after shaking Miss Frost's paw and murmuring his thanks. Evidently he had meant what he'd said, that he would leave Judy some time to think over his request of assistance; Whether or not Nick's parting threat had had any effect on the private eye, Judy had no idea. The animal was hard to read.
And so was Miss Frost, Judy decided, as they shook paws in a final goodbye; The vixen sure smiled widely down at her, but Judy somehow could not feel the grin to be entirely sincere. Perhaps it went with the profession, journalists had to talk and face the camera so much after all. Still, Judy felt all but relieved that her meeting with Miss Frost was drawing to its close.
As if reading her mind, Margaret smiled and said,
"I am so very glad to have met you both today Officers! It makes me feel like I'll be less of a stranger when I find myself at the ZPD headquarters in a couple of weeks' time."
As Nick and Judy understandably raised their eyebrows at this remark, Margaret gave a hearty tinkling laugh.
"Oh, it's supposed to be a secret as of yet, but I understand that our director here at the ZNN has already received confirmation from the ZPD. It's part of this spin-off they're making you see, to get more young mammals interested in pursuing a career at the Force, and to keep the Mammal Inclusion Program running," she glanced at Judy at this. "I'll be shooting footage at the Police Academy, at the ZPD, on the field... I must say I was thrilled to bits to learn they'd confirmed me as the host! I'll be seeing both of you again, I'm sure - you are quite the mascots of ZPD diversity, aren't you Officers? I look forward to it so much."
"That's great," Judy managed to choke out, trying to smile at the journalist. She chanced a look at Nick. He caught her eye, before turning to Margaret himself and nodding shortly at the latter in acknowledgement.
As they were ushered out of the studio by Miss Frost after their last farewell, the vixen was the only animal of the three who was smiling.
It had been a roller-coaster weekend. Judy dragged her feet along the pavement, heedless of whether or not she would get creases in her fancy blazer now that the interview was over and done with. Nick walked beside her in the failing light, paws in his trouser pockets, lost in thought. The moment when Judy's parents had arrived so suddenly at the penthouse seemed ages away, though it had just taken place the previous day.
"Where to, Carrots?" Nick asked, as if they were coming back from any normal weekend outing.
"I need to drop by my old flat," Judy replied with a groan, as Nick's question made her suddenly recall the chore at paw. "I am officially no longer residing there starting tomorrow morning, so I should pick up anything I still had left over there. And say hey to the landlady for the last time. Whatever."
"You still have stuff back there Carrots?" Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought it was tiny and that you had no room for anything, Yet here you are, bringing carrier bag after carrier bag over since we took possession of Zootopia."
"There isn't a lot of space," Judy confirmed. "But I somehow.. still seem to have crammed quite a lot in over the years. I've been living there since the day I started working at the ZPD, you know."
"I'll go with you," Nick offered easily, as they turned and started heading towards Judy's soon to be ex-flat.
"Thanks," Judy said gratefully, feeling exhaustion almost dripping from herself. "Oh and.. thanks," she added a bit awkwardly, referring to Nick's sudden appearance at the ZNN headquarters.
"Are you going to say that a third time Fluff?" Nick asked cheerfully; "Three's the charm?"
"Shut up," Judy muttered, punching him on the arm lightly. "You know what I mean. Thanks for showing up like that Nick! When Savage materialized there out of the blue-"
"Yeah, I saw your face," Nick exhaled sharply. "Oh, on TV. At my Mom's," he added, as Judy looked at him questioningly.
"Cream cheese dip, I must have looked quite the sight," Judy groaned. "When he came on the set!"
"No, you did fine," Nick assured her. "Really! Even when Savage flounced in, you sure handled it well. My Mom was watching too, remember? And she didn't notice anything unusual was up."
"So you think it went OK? The interview I mean?" Judy asked him hopefully.
Nick grinned, ready to deliver some infuriating punch line. When he turned to face Judy, however, he found her gazing up at him with so much wistfulness that he was quite incapable to take the Mickey.
"You did fine Carrots, I told you so," he grumbled instead, averting his eyes. "Now step on it if you want us to be at your flat sometime before midnight."
"Easy for you to say," Judy huffed, moving her feet fast to keep in stride with her friend.
The two animals crossed the road and made their way down a side street.
Judy hopped over a crack in the pavement, coughed lightly and rubbed her temples. Really, there had been too many happenings one on top of the other during the last forty eight hours. Where to begin. One had to start with something. The final scene at the ZNN popped into her head. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Nick, do you actually-"
"That Savage guy is really-" Nick was beginning at precisely the same second.
Both friends broke off what they had started saying.
"Go on Nick," Judy prompted.
"I cut across you Carrots, you go on," came the reply.
"Kay," Judy agreed with a shrug. "I was going to ask - do you know Miss Frost Nick?" she peered up at the fox in the semi-darkness as she worded her inquiry.
"Miss Frost?" Nick stared at her. "What, the journalist?" he seemed to have been caught quite off guard; obviously his thoughts had been elsewhere.
"Yes, the journalist," Judy confirmed, rolling her eyes. ""How many Misses Frosts have we met today?"
"I've never met her before," Nick returned. "What gave you that idea?"
Judy had become somewhat accustomed to picking his replies apart though.
"I didn't ask you if you'd met her Nick," she said, pointing a stern finger at him. "I asked you if you knew her."
Nick sniffed irritably, caught out, as Judy waited for his reply, blocking his advancement across the pavement.
"I.. am not sure," he said finally. "I knew - briefly - someone who looked a lot like her. One of my Dad's - business - associates. I remember the fox from when I was a kit, an arctic fox it was too, and this Frost lady looks a damn sight like him too. Related maybe? Who knows."
Judy had hardly ever heard Nick mention his father;
"Your Dad was.. a business animal?" she asked delicately.
Nick smiled widely at her, his gaze a touch rueful.
"Yup Carrots. Business alright. He had a lot of big ideas, my old man did. Got into quite some debt too," he scratched the back of his neck absently, his gaze far away. "This guy, the arctic fox, they were partners on this huge pet project my Dad had. He wanted to open an amusement park, of sorts, for predators only. Long story... But one that ended with this other guy running off with most of the cash."
"How could he," Judy exclaimed, angry. "Couldn't your Dad do anything to persecute him Nick? Couldn't he attack him through the courts or..." she caught Nick's significant look. "Oh," she said, lost for words.
"Yeah," Nick nodded. "You can't exactly appeal for official help when you're on the unofficial side of the law yourself Carrots."
"Right," Judy cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"Oh, no need for sensitivity Officer Bunny Whiskers," Nick told her, waving an airy paw. "You'll soon know what it feels like, if our new friend Savage goes through with his threats."
"Crisp corn crackers!" Judy grabbed her ear as the memory came flooding back. "Do you think he was serious Nick? Is there a chance he knows about our deal with Big?"
"There's always a chance," Nick said, rather unruffled. "But I rather felt he was bluffing Carrots. Just fishing for opportunities so to say. We should be on our guard though."
"How?" Judy asked the night sky dramatically.
"Well," Nick hummed a bit thoughtfully. "For starters, you should see old FruFru again. She owes us an update on that hair salon idea she had, the one that's supposed to flood Zootopia with customers and get us out of debt fast. And the faster we pay Big back Carrots-"
"The better, as no one will have any more leverage on us," Judy agreed with him. "Besides," she added, suddenly lighting up at an idea," FruFru for one is honest. I can try and ask her whether she knows anything about Savage, whether there is a chance he is working for her father."
"Good call," Nick agreed. He kicked a stray coke can, before turning to Judy, his expression serious. "Having the upper paw in getting information will be crucial Carrots, trust me. We had better sniff out whom Savage is working for and fast, before he learns more about our own circumstances."
"Right," Judy agreed feverishly.
"Things are really shaping out strangely," Nick leaned against a lamp post, considering Judy's apartment building that they had just come in view of. "This vixen too - she just pops out of nowhere and she's suddenly arranging interviews where you and Savage guest star together , and then she's telling us she'll be 'seeing' us at the ZPD. This is all very.." he trailed off.
"Do think they're somehow in league with one another?" Judy asked anxiously. "They didn't seem to know each other..."
"They'd never let on if they did know one another," Nick told her, raising his eyebrows. "Think about it. A perfect undercover team! A fox and a bunny, who'd ever suspect a thing?"
"Who would?" Judy pretended to furrow her brow in contemplation. "It sounds oddly familiar though, hang on a sec."
Nick threw his head back and laughed merrily at her simple joke. Judy beamed herself, feeling some of the tension rise.
"We sure are in a fix, aren't we?" she asked him, shaking her head. "Have you ever been in such a twisted situation before?"
"Oh, once or twice."
"How did it end?" Judy asked hopefully.
"Usually with someone dead," Nick grimaced theatrically.
"How lovely," Judy replied, deadpan.
"Don't worry about me Carrots. It was always the other animal that wound up in the gutter."
"And now I'm just full of comfort," Judy huffed, her paws on her hips, as Nick chuckled. "Any bright tips you have on staying alive and well, you let me know," she turned to make her way into the apartment building at that.
"One useful tip," Nick said quickly, catching Judy's sleeve to stop her from entering the house; "Is to use one's strong points, whatever they may be."
"Do we have any?" Judy asked him in some surprise, lingering in the doorway.
Nick seemed to be choosing his words with caution.
"If we did," he said slowly, "It would make absolute sense to use them to lure any information we can out of Savage."
"Agreed," Judy nodded. "But this isn't poker, where one has to bluff, like you told me."
"Actually Carrots," Nick nodded at her slowly. "This is exactly like poker. Savage had the upper hand in the first round cause he had the element of surprise. So we had better make sure we take round two, when he approaches you again."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Judy asked him, bemused.
"One good way," Nick said emphatically, lowering his voice with a quick glance at the windows overlooking them. "Would be if you pretended to be interested in his offer of eventually becoming a private eye."
"He'd never buy that," Judy said, once she'd gotten over her surprise. "Are you kidding Nick? He'd see right through me. I could never act that out convincingly enough."
"Sure you could Carrots," Nick said, gesticulating in his agitation. "You should consider it - you'd do great."
"Consider, everyone is telling me to consider things today!" Judy slapped her forehead in irritation. "You, Savage, the ZNN, my parents..." the thought of her parents suddenly made her go quiet as an unexpected idea popped up.
"Now Carrots," Nick was saying, as Judy suddenly looked up, bright eyed.
"In fact it could work," she whispered wickedly, rubbing her paws together. "If I found the right angle. I've always felt, since that play in kindergarten, that play-acting was one of my secret ambitions."
She giggled gleefully, and Nick joined in, though somewhat surprised by her quick change of heart.
"By 'finding the right angle' Carrots," he said eventually. "What exactly do you-"
"It's the perfect plan!" Judy yanked Nick's tie in her excitement, all but causing him to double over. "I'll get close and fish information out of Savage by pretending to fall for him, you see?"
Nick did see. He spluttered wordlessly and gaped at Judy.
"It's the perfect plan," Judy was muttering, rubbing her nose. "He seems stuck up enough to believe in that. I'm not the best flirt, but I'll channel my sister Jillian, she's the expert. Watch me strike a pose!"
"No way," Nick covered his eyes hastily to avoid seeing Judy's would-be rabbit fatale pose. "And no way Carrots! You have to be crazy after your over-exertion all day. This is an insane scheme, you'll never manage-"
"I like that!" Judy frowned at him. "A moment ago you were saying it was great!"
"Yes well," Nick took her by the shoulders squarely and steered her into the building. "We'll stick to the original plan. Do our best to make our way out of debt asap, and avoid all and every shady type we meet on the way."
"We can do both," Judy replied irritably. "Collect information on our enemies and work our way out of that loan."
"You never catch anything if you run after two rabbits at the same time Carrots," Nick told her reprovingly. "That is," he added, upon catching her eye. "Uh.. bad choice of words. But you get my meaning."
""I get your meaning," Judy turned into her corridor sharply. "What I don't get is - evening Ma'am! Moving out today, as promised." These last words were meant for the landlady she and Nick had run into in the passageway.
The landlady peered at the two young animals gloomily, before stepping aside to let them pass.
"Don't forget to return your key," she told Judy grimly. "Or the money will be withheld from your deposit."
"Good evening to you too Ma'am," Nick said brightly as he and Judy sped by the old lady.
Once inside her minute studio flat, Judy proceeded to collect her remaining belongings (random things, like a ZPD hoodie and some discarded notebooks and a couple of framed family shots) and pick up the conversation in a furious undertone (desperately hoping her neighbours would not hear them.)
"Why don't you focus on the 'getting us out of debt fast' aspect then Officer Wilde?" she requested. "That way the various double agents surrounding us won't have any arguments to make us collaborate with them."
"Don't you think I want to Carrots?" Nick flopped on her bed dejectedly, paws behind his head. "Options are limited when you're a model citizen though. To think how quickly I'd be able to earn our way out if I were still working that hustle," he groaned.
"Private agents do earn more than ZPD officers, don't they?" Judy said, her temper softening.
"You bet," Nick replied with a sigh. "Savage was right about that one in any case."
"Then maybe we should broaden our scope," Judy pronounced, planting her feet on the floor decisively.
Nick eyed her warily from the bed.
"I don't like where this is going," he commented rhetorically.
Judy ignored his remark.
"Nick," she said, paw on her chest; "What do you say we sign up to sit for the State Examinations next year? It will mean going back to school for a bit, but it will also mean that, provided we succeed the exams, we'll have a real opportunity of becoming Chiefs one day."
A silence greeted her words. Judy waited a heartbeat.
"Nick?" she prodded.
"I'm sorry Carrots, I blacked out at the word 'school'," she was answered.
"Don't be that way," Judy said sternly, tossing her rolled up hoodie at Nick. "You can't complain you're stuck with a limited earning potential and refuse to shoot for something higher at the same time! I'll help you out, we can study together-"
"This is all part of your dark plan Rabbit," the heap on the bed replied morosely from under the hoodie. "In between getting me to drink your carrot juice drink of death and get me to jog, you are plotting to get me back to sweating over books, attending classes-"
"It's for your own good," Judy said grandly. "Consider it! Ha! My turn to use that catchphrase tonight!"
Nick eyed her darkly, propping himself up on one elbow. He was met with Judy's bright grin of optimistic glee.
"I'll... think about it later," the fox mumbled, sensing defeat.
Judy opened her mouth to reply happily, but before she could get a word out, her neighbour Gary's voice drifted over to them through the thin wall;
"Good luck on those exams cops!" was his cheery comment. "There's more animals that fail them than succeed! About five times more, I've heard."
Judy quite forgot whatever upbeat remark she was going to utter at that, and stayed put, her mouth slightly ajar, without ever getting her words out.
Aaand now... time for the surprise, as promised! :)
Dear friends,
Time to celebrate the world of Zootopia and salute its fandom – plus, mark the publication of chapter ten of our fanfic 'Zootopia: If It Ever Happens' – by holding a small contest. Hopefully you will all enjoy yourselves; maybe this will be a kind of tradition for every ten chapters we put up! It all depends on how this first try goes.
So here are the rules!
— We are setting very loose limits so far as the subject and medium go. Fanart of any kind is accepted, fanfiction also (though please make any stories shorter than novel-standard so that we can get through them in a reasonable time), poetry, sewing, music, cosplay, knitting… you get it.
* A note about fanfiction – if you feel like writing something in a language other than English, we will do our best to judge your work fairly. We can at least promise you that we are capable of assessing work submitted in the following languages: English, French, Russian, Polish, Swedish, Spanish, German, and Mandarin. If you have another language in mind, get back to us and we'll see what we can do!
— The main criteria will be originality. So let's avoid copy-pasting stills from the film without changing them – but if you are not a great artist but feel like making a creative collage or comic using stills from the movie, that's great! Let your creativity run free.
— The one and only demand – has to be Zootopia-related. OCs accepted, humans in Zootopia accepted, crossovers accepted, another age and time in Zootopia accepted – but no random animal art that is claimed to be Zootopia-related.
— Strictly PG-rated please.
— Any work submitted does not have to be made specifically for the contest. If you feel like one of your earlier works fits the bill, feel free to submit it!
— A single person can submit any number of entries.
— Stealing other people's work is absolutely prohibited. We are quite good at tracking things down. Be warned, immediate disqualification for plagiarism.
— Please feel free to include a note detailing when your work was completed approximately (so we can check that it is not stolen) and giving any details you feel relevant (especially for OCs.)
The contest opens July 25th and runs for six weeks, last day to submit entries will be September the 5th. Once closed for entries, the jury (aka author and beta of Zootopia: If It Ever Happens) will deliberate for a couple of days over the entries and select the winner. This winner will be announced by September the 9th.
We have decided to only select one winner because we would like to offer a real prize – one Zootopia Infinity 3.0 figurine of the winner's choice will be shipped to the lucky guy or gal! Shipping will be handled via Amazon, and there is absolutely no preference or discrimination as to where the participants are from. Provided Amazon can ship parcels to your place, we're good! If not, we will search for a solution. But they handle most locations pretty well, so we should be good :)
If only one person enters the contest, that person will be the winner :) If no one enters, the authors will keep the figurines for themselves :) :)
We wish we could offer a prize to everyone who enters! We will be asking all of the main Zootopia fandom sites to feature all of the participants' work though, with references, so that will be a small consolation prize! We are also addressing them currently to help us spread word of the competition. Please feel free to share with friends and reblog!
— How to enter: easy! After completing your work, send it in to the following dedicated inbox: zootopiaftw AT gmail DOT com
We will send a small confirmation in reply. If you do not received a confirmation within a couple of days, get back to us.
Any questions you may have – same email address.
Good luck everyone! We look forward to receiving your entries!
Enjoy your summer :)
— ChezIBY
UPDATE:
Dear friends and readers,
We are under the unfortunate duty of postponing the next update, which will not be published August 8 as previously announced, but one week later, August the 15th 2016. Excuse us for the delay; unfortunately, as previously explained, the authors are not able to guarantee an absence of delays in the future. It is not even the intervention of any specific events or circumstances that makes us postptone the pleasure of bringing you a new chapter, but often the very wish to ensure that we have taken into account your critique and that we are delivering writing of consnant – and, hopefully, improving – quality, that remains true to the characters' original portrayal in the film (this, for us, is a vital point). We feel it is worth it to make you wait a little more, but to deliver something that does not disappoint expectations.
(How dare they! Rubbish! Infamy! Making us wait a few extra days! The idea! There, we have done it for you, no need to post your enraged comments in the feedback now :))
Please stay tuned and be a little patient, keep enjoying your summer and consider entering our previously announced Zootopia fanart/fanfiction contest :)
Cheers!
- ChezIBY