Though nothing had been taken, Nick and Judy filed a report with the local police department, giving the department their credentials as they did so. After filing the report, they spent a good majority of the night picking up the home and notifying the right animals of the damage done to the beach house so that they wouldn't be charged for the damages. Thankfully, everyone they spoke with was incredibly kind, and apologized for the negative experience that had taken up part of their honeymoon. The couple slept in the following morning, not waking until nearly noon.
"Nice hair," Judy giggled when she caught a glimpse of the ruffled hair on Nick's head that was sticking straight up, defying gravity.
Nick shot her a nasty look and attempted to smooth it, only for it to bounce back to its upright position, making both Nick and Judy laugh.
"I guess I slept harder than I thought," Nick chuckled, still trying to smooth his hair.
"It was a long night," Judy shrugged as she stifled a yawn.
Nick's reply was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing from its place on the nightstand. Glancing over sleepily, he read the name on the screen, and then immediately scrambled to answer the phone.
"Hi, Mom," he answered casually, trying to mask the fact that he had just woken up. "No, no, everything's great. How are the kids?"
Judy giggled at the expression the fox gave her, as if speaking to his mother were a weekly chore.
"Be nice," Judy mouthed quietly at him, only to receive a scowl in return.
"Well, that's good. They're being good, I hope… Okay, good. You'll let us know if you need anything, right?... Okay… The trip? Uhhh…" Nick looked at Judy for an answer, to which the bunny replied with an overexaggerated nod.
"Good! It's good. We had a bit of a problem last night, but it's all fine now… No, no, someone just broke into the house–" Nick cut himself short at Judy's gestures to stop talking. "I mean–No! Mom, everything is fine! We don't need to come home, we're fine."
Judy stifled her laughter as she watched Nick try to redirect the conversation to keep his overprotective mother from panicking. Knowing that fox, Mrs. Wilde would surely take the next flight to the Canal District if she was worried enough.
"Yes, I'm sure. We are absolutely fine, Mom," Nick laughed as he watched Judy stand and begin making her way to the bathroom to start her morning routine. "You know, Mom, Judy and I actually have something to tell you."
Judy stopped abruptly, only a few feet away from the bathroom. She looked at Nick confused, and slightly tilted her head to the side to demonstrate her lack of knowledge.
"Yeah, turns out Judy's preg–" Nick faltered when he saw Judy shaking her head vigorously.
"Not yet!" she whispered frantically. "Not yet!"
"Preg–uh, promotion! Judy got a promotion at work!" Nick lied quickly. "We just found out! Yeah, I'll be sure to tell her you said that… Uh-huh, okay, I gotta go, love you!"
With that, he hung up the phone and looked at Judy.
"Mom said 'congratulations' on the promotion."
"Nick! You almost told her I'm pregnant! We said we wouldn't tell anyone until after we got back from the honeymoon!" Judy laughed.
"I know, I forgot!"
"Now your mother thinks I've been promoted. What are we supposed to tell her when she starts asking questions?"
"I don't know; I panicked!" Nick laughed as he collapsed back onto the bed.
With a content sigh and a shake of her head, Judy went into the bathroom and went through her morning routine. The two then spent the afternoon shopping in the Canal District, as Judy wanted to get a few more outfits for the kids. While they were out, Nick purchased a new Hawaiian button-up shirt that was light blue with pineapples on it.
"What? It's awesome," he had said in defense to Judy's raised eyebrows.
He, of course, wore it the rest of the day.
After dropping off their purchases at the beach house, the two headed to the Salty Iguana, a famous Canal District restaurant they had dinner reservations at that evening. Once they had been seated and ordered their dishes, the two talked over drinks – wine for Nick, and iced tea for Judy, much to her displeasure.
"Way to get me pregnant before the honeymoon, Nick. Now I can't even enjoy the many drinks they have to offer."
"I think you'll live," Nick smirked.
Judy shook her head and smiled.
"So, you've been to the Canal District before?"
"A couple of times when I was a kid. My dad had some business out here at times and occasionally brought me along."
"Tell me about your dad."
"Well," Nick paused and thought for a few moments. "He was kind of quiet, just kept to himself. He worked all over the place, but finding work as a fox used to be difficult, so we didn't have a lot of money. We moved around a lot, and Dad had all of these big dreams, but never really got the chance to make them happen. I honestly didn't know him very well."
"He died when you were young, right?"
"Yeah, and then it was just Mom and I. She didn't really like the con artist life I was living," Nick chuckled softly.
"No, really?" Judy asked sarcastically with a grin.
"Okay, Fluff, now I have a question for you."
"Okay, shoot."
"Do you ever think about doing something other than cop work?"
Judy faltered at the question, expecting anything but the question presented.
"No, why?"
"Well, I've been thinking lately…" Nick began, but didn't finish.
"You don't think I should be an officer anymore?" Judy asked, her voice expressing that she was a little hurt by the idea.
"No, that's not it," Nick immediately said. "It's just that you've been through a lot, and it might be safer if you–"
"No," Judy shook her head firmly. "I love my job. It gets dangerous, yes, but I knew that going in. I'm not quitting."
"It's just that with this second pregnancy, I worry about your health."
"Nick, I'm in perfect health," Judy laughed dryly.
"Well, you aren't really young anymore."
"Excuse me?" Judy scoffed incredulously. "I'm only thirty-three! You're forty-one! Maybe you should think about your health."
At this, Nick laughed and put his paws up in defeat.
"Okay, okay, I'll give you that one. I just want you to be safe."
"Nick," Judy smiled at him warmly. "Everything is going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me or the kids. You worry too much."
Their food arrived just as Judy finished her statement, and the two changed the subject over the course of dinner. After they finished their meal and paid the bill, the couple walked back to the beach house. The evening was warm, and the setting sun cast a golden pink glow over the area.
The two reminisced as they walked, laughing at each other's stories.
"I was not that hyper!"
"Carrots, that coffee made you feral," Nick laughed heartily. "I had to sit on you just to get you to calm down! You will never touch caffeine again if I can help it."
Judy laughed, turning her head to the side as she did so. Through her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of a slim figure walking behind them just a few yards back. The familiarity of the figure made Judy stop suddenly. Nick walked on for a few more feet, still laughing, before he realized Judy had stopped.
"Carrots?" he asked as he turned.
Judy was staring at the space where she had been sure the figure had been, but there was no one there now. Red fur, sharp features – surely, she hadn't seen her. No, she couldn't have… could she?
"Did you see that?" she asked Nick over her shoulder.
"See what?"
"There was someone following us," Judy murmured as she gestured to the empty sidewalk behind them.
Nick shrugged.
"I didn't see anyone."
A chill ran down Judy's spine, making her shiver despite the warm air of the night.
"Carrots, are you coming?"
"Yeah, sorry, I'm coming," Judy replied as she turned back toward Nick.
She continued to look over her shoulder the rest of the way to the beach house, and for the rest of the night, she couldn't stop thinking about who she was sure she had seen.