Chapter 8.
A/N: First, massive apologies for leaving you all hanging for the last 6+ months. Second big thanks to fellow author Irual for jolting me out of my slump. You know the saying "Life is what happens when you've got other plans." This story deserves to be finished and you guys deserve an ending. Keep your eyes open for updates and send me reviews if you feel like it.
"Wow…" murmured Wolford.
"Heavy stuff," stated Buckton.
"Wild that you trusted us with this Wilde," joked Fangmeyer before a slap from Delgado silenced him.
"So why tell us?" asked Delgado. "I mean I get that you wanted to get this off your chest but surely you could talk to your parents or some friends that already know about this right?"
"Nick's an only child," informed Finnick. "And as to his parents only fox Jesus knows where they are."
"Way to put your paw in it Stripes," snapped Fangmeyer.
"It's cool Delgado," Nick said finally. "As to the friends thing; well you guys are the closest friends I have. All the others hit the bricks as soon as I joined the force apart from Finnick here of course."
"Jeez we never knew Nick, thanks and sorry I guess."
"So what now?" asked Trent Buckton. "I mean now that we know your shady past what do we do? Arrest you?"
"I'd prefer if you didn't. What I'd like is your advice. Judy thinks she knows everything about me. You know the heroic, handsome and humble fox who came from nothing to make it as one of the greatest fraudsters and eventually greatest officers in Zootopia history. But she doesn't know about what I've just told you. And with this new case I'm not sure if I should tell her but if I leave it too late she might not trust me again. You get me?"
"Nick," began Delgado amid a chorus of groans. "As a renowned pussy magnet and I'm not just talking about felines here boys I would say the best time to tell her is right after you've fuc-"
"Sweet Wolf Buddha no!" exclaimed Wolford.
Fangmeyer held his face in his paws, Buckton had backed away slightly from the tiger and Finnick looked disgusted.
"What?" asked Delgado, the lustful sex guru gleam slowly leaving his eyes. "I say something wrong?"
"Not exactly but I'm not sure your methods will work on Judy," said Nick. "They sound more like techniques to get her to break up with me. And you're a married mammal Delgado for Gazelle's sake!"
"Well yeah but myself and Mrs Delgado are also members of our local swingers' club-"
"Enough! Please!" cried Wolford. "Too much… Far too much."
"Alright enough joking around," announced Finnick. "Nick's asked for help, let's give it to him."
"Break it to her gently if you do break it to her," suggested Wolford.
"But nothing fancy otherwise you'd just ruin a nice dinner," added Buckton.
"Be clear that you've changed your ways," Fangmeyer put in. "If you don't she might lose her trust in you. Last time that happened to me the she-wolf put a leash on me. Not literally of course but she did get very possessive…"
"Make sure she knows you love her," said Delgado after some thought. "And that you'd – What? I may be a lothario but I can be romantic when the time calls for it. And that you're willing to do whatever it takes to keep her in your life."
After that the conversation moved onto lighter topics but Delgado's words rang like bells in Nick's head. Even as he said goodbye to everyone around midnight and collapsed into bed nowhere near sober the sex-addicted tiger's advice blazed in neon red behind his eyelids. Nick had politely refused the tantric sex book Delgato Delgado had offered him but the rest of the advice he considered taking to heart.
MIDNIGHT. JUDY'S APARTMENT.
She'd thought about texting him as soon as he'd dropped her off at her place. She'd thought about calling him. She'd thought about Furbook messaging him. She'd even thought about braving the dangerous torrential rain outside just to see what was wrong with him. Nick was hiding something and as much as he'd talked about sharing the weight this morning she desperately wanted to know what this was. There were layers to the fox only he knew. She doubted even Finnick knew everything about his best friend's past.
She looked out the kitchen window at the rain sheeting down the glass. The day had been a long one and had only been made worse by the papers. She understood why people were curious. A fox and a bunny cop partnership? A year ago even she wouldn't have believed it. But that was then and this was now. Now everything was different. She loved him, unconditionally. Nothing could change that. Not her parents. Not the Monochrome Gang. Not his past.
She sighed and settled in front of the TV with a mug of carrot tea. ZNN news was on and Peter Moosebridge was reporting on the kidnappings. They were everywhere these days. From missing posters to the news, the kidnappings were unavoidable. It all gave Judy an uncomfortable sense of Déjà vu.
"In a startling revelation," began Moosebridge. "The Animalia Liberation Front or ALF have claimed responsibility for the recent spate of kidnappings perpetrated by the infamous Monochrome Gang. The Front were thought to have disbanded twenty years ago after a ZPD crackdown led to the deaths, arrests, and disappearances of their Military Council. The militant group was responsible for a variety of bombings, robberies, and kidnappings. City Hall have set up a special police task force to deal with the resurgence of this criminal group. Only one member of the ALF Military Council remains at large. Jackson Crossing, a zebra, is a violent anarchist and was considered dead after a joint police and military operation on the ALF's base in the Upper Wolverine Row. More as we know it…"
Judy sighed and shut off the TV. She couldn't think about sleep yet, let alone try. Even if it was nearly midnight she knew she'd just toss and turn. Sleep was a long way off at this point in the night. Her phone buzzed.
"Carrots are you awake?" read the text.
"Couldn't sleep if I wanted to," she replied.
"Good open the door."
Judy's heart began to beat faster. True enough when she opened the door Nick was there, dripping and morose. He stepped in and hugged her.
"Nick what's up?" she asked, worried. "Is everything OK? Have you been drinking?"
"Only a little," he mumbled. "This is the only way I could tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"Let me dry off first. Then we'll talk."
She boiled the kettle for more tea, decaf coffee for Nick. She settled on the couch but her shoulders were tense and nerves thrummed along her body. What did Nick need so badly this late at night? It wasn't sex fox libidos were generally quite low though that hadn't stopped Nick satisfying Judy's rampant sex drive. She heard the dryer shut off and Nick padded over in only a pair of jeans.
He sipped his coffee and appeared a great deal soberer. He breathed out slowly and then he began to talk as Judy listened as best she could.
"My father dragged us all down," he started, voice steady. "First my mom then me. Very few escaped the canine crack epidemic in Foxton. It was an escape for all of us. But you can't escape reality, not really. There were the police raids, the murders, and the overdoses. The last time I saw my father the Rusty Fang Gang had put him in a van and driven him somewhere. I never did find out if they killed him. My mother ended up in prison on a ten-year distribution sentence. The drugs helped me and Finnick con other mammals and to keep the nightmares at bay."
He took another few breaths and gulped his coffee. His paws were shaking like leaves in a storm. Judy took one of them and held on tightly.
"We slid further and further in," he continued. "Eventually we owed bad foxes money. We took our share of beatings and ran from the cops more times than I've had hot meals. Eventually our work began to suffer. Funny huh? What got us out of committing crimes was our dedication to the lesser crime of conning. We went to rehab, drug therapy and regular therapy. I never did give up the drinking but it helps me stay away from the harder stuff somehow. I built a mask for myself and fit a load of coping mechanisms into my head like cogs in a machine. I got clean. I became the fox you know now but old Nick is still in there craving the barbiturates, tranquilisers and coke. Old Nick's cage isn't as secure as I like to think it is. He's still there, growling deep inside."
There were tears now as he looked at her. Judy's heart was calm and fit to burst. It swelled with acceptance and pride. The last wall had been torn down. She saw it crumble in the water of his tears. She leaned forward and kissed him and he pressed her to him like she was a tree in a storm. The only thing holding them both down.
"I love you Nick," said Judy.
"I love you Carrots." And she felt him smile.