Chapter 3 - "I Really Did Mean It"

"Why isn't he here?" Nick asks Judy, almost as if asking the car door. "It doesn't make sense that he'd leave any part of the file here."

"I thought you would be able to understand his logic. I thought he taught you everything he knew back then."

"That was ten years ago," he says. "I'm sure he adapted some other form of robbing banks and stealing, plus a backup if he got caught. If I were him, I would've just burned the file and got on my way. No sense to make a hassle out of such a simple problem."

She pauses. "No, Nick. I know exactly what this is. He's wasting our time."

"What do you mean?" Nick says.

"Here's what I mean," Judy looks to the back of the car. "I caught that in the corner of my eye when we got here. Look."

Sitting comfortably in the back seat of the car is a large chest, spacious enough to fit Judy if she curled into a ball. It has a black, plastic appearance to it, and touching reveals a metallic interior. Judy examines the front of the chest, where a single button sits in between the lid and the base of the chest. She presses it and the chest opens harmlessly.

The two officers turn their heads toward one another slowly. Judy's lips are pressed together while Nick raises both eyebrows. "Well, that was easy. What's in there?" he asks.

Judy reaches into the box and brings out a small stack of papers, each one having a unique shape, size, and thinness. "It's the rest of the accusations," Judy says. "Are you sure we have the real Finnick?"

"It looks like 'ol Finnick is a little off his rocker, a few brush strokes short of a masterpiece."

"Here's what I said about him wasting our time. He intimidated and tricked us into believing that he was going to destroy all these accusations. Guess what now? We have all fifty-two accusations back in our paws and a very simple but strange file report going on his record. Maybe he isn't a little off his rocker, he sandbagged us."

"Well, well, well. I see that Hopps, ahem, cracked the case," Finnick says, impersonating Bogo with the last three words. One of his paws grip the back of the passenger seat and the other is free. He is still in the same clothes he wore when he made his visit. Nick twiddles the permanent marker in one paw while Judy glares at Finnick. He backs up in faux fear. "Look, guys, Hopps was right all along. I did sandbag you, and I did well.

"First, I made Nick look stupid and demeaned by stealing something he could have so easily protected and absolutely crushing him in a wit battle," Finnick flashes a smug smile at Nick. "Then, I drove over here, set up a camera connected to my phone," he points to the small camera hidden at the top corner of the van, "then I hid in the bushes until one of you was clever enough to crack the case. See what I did there? I was just playin' a joke on you two. A harmless Christmas joke."

Judy looks at Nick, eyes wide. They both look at Finnick. "Joke?" Nick says, voice rising. He opens the side door and jumps out, handing Judy out before shutting it forcefully. Finnick jumps from the passenger side and leaves the door ajar.

"You caused more than twenty officers to jump up from their break and begin searching the city for you," Nick says. "I had to get my apartment manager to drive twenty minutes to my apartment complex, where he asked his security, ten minutes away, to speed over here and thoroughly inspect every crack in that apartment complex." He points angrily at the building. "More importantly, you wasted the time of Judy and me who hoped for a relaxing and uneventful Christmas Eve. I hope you're happy."

"That's what the joke includes, N. I can't help invigorating the city once and a while. This part of the city needed some excitement, anyway."

"It's not the city who got excited, Finnick. It was you. Want me to spell it out for you? Y - O - U. Not me, you. Not some other person walking the street or even the police force - you. You exhausted the police, exhausted my apartment manager, and exhausted twenty-two police officers - including Judy and me. We don't seek exhaustion, and if I want to be invigorated, I'd seek it from anybody but you. It wasn't exciting, it was boring and useless now that I figured you played a quote-unquote, 'harmless joke' on us."

"It was another technique I showed you. Sandbagging is a good one, isn't it?"

"When we saw your techniques, even with the explanation we still think you're three peas short of a pod. If you tried to make us look stupid and tried to demean me with your pathetic wit, you're mistaken. Look what you did - you made a mistake that demeaned you. Look, you just gave yourself away by taping the whole scene," he walks forward and seizes Finnick's cell phone. He slips it into his pocket and pulls out a warrant. "Search warrant. We can take anything from you we feel needs to be removed."

Nick looks at Finnick firmly. Nick steals Judy's communicator from her belt and brings it to his mouth. Finnick looks genuinely surprised. "Dispatch, Wilde here. We've got a suspect who executed a very disappointing plan."

There is silence on the other end. "What do you mean, disappointing?"

"He gave us all that we needed to arrest him while giving us more evidence to put him on trial."

"That is disappointing," Clawhauser says. "Where are you?"

"Just across from the apartment complex. Turns out he decided to give himself away too early for us to have some real fun with this case."

"Okay, over. ETA one minute."

Nick hands the communicator back to Judy and produces a pair of handcuffs, pinning them back to Finnick. Judy takes his wrists and Nick faces him again. "Fin, it really seems that there's a catch to this. You let yourself go so fast, and it looks like you didn't prepare well enough unless you're lying to us and have something else. Are you sure you're done?"

"Yes, N. You got me this time." He smooths out his shirt then runs his paws through the fur atop his head. "Are you wondering why the results came out so poorly?"

"The suspense is killing me. Spill the beans, Fin."

"Well, N, it's complicated. The guilt is getting to me from what I've done over the years. I'm losing my usual income, and since you're no longer paying me, I'm losing money, fast." He licks his lips, going silent for a moment. "I can't get government money because I'm a criminal. Plus, since I'm losing my reputation in most of the bars and clubs I go to, I have to live on the street alone. There's nobody to be with. I feel just like I did when I picked you up that one day when you were just a little pup outside that scout place. Lost, alone. I have to be with somebody. The big house is a good place to start."

"That's not a clever way to think of that, Fin," Nick says. "You could have easily stayed with Judy and I. Carrots saw how meek you were after our last encounter in Savannah Central. We would have welcomed you warmly. But now, since your - ahem - entertainment places are starting to demean you, you made a mistake. You made a demeaned mistake to think that Judy and I are too dumb to know your tactics, and I have to admit, your most recent was especially irregular. Now, after you make this mistake, you're not really going to the big house yet. I think it's four hundred hours of community service. Hey, you can meet some new people and have a chance to put those three peas back in your pod, one at a time."

The backup police pull up to the curb, dragging small Finnick toward the police car along with the file and Finnick's cell phone. Finnick stops the officers with the extension of one paw, a tactic Nick had never seen before. "N, I have to at least make a point here before I disappear."

Nick sighs and turns from Judy. "Whatever you say. Officers, bring him a little closer."

The officers abreast of Finnick lead him closer to Nick so that they face each other with a two-foot gap in between. "Don't you remember me as a father figure, the one who picked you up from baseball practice and helped you earn all that money?" He gives a subdued laugh. "All those good times we had?"

"This may sting a little bit, Fin, but what's the purpose of staying with you?" Finnick's mouth gapes slightly at Nick's comment. Nick smirks at him. "Look at my life. I used to be a con artist with the same routine every day. I had nobody, even you, to appreciate me. All you did was want the money - that is all you've ever wanted.

"But what happened?" Nick reaches his paw back and spans Judy's shoulders. "I met Judy. She appreciates me. She helps me." Nick looks at her for a second, tears developing in his eyes. He grips her shoulder and shakes it a little bit. A weary smile crosses his face. "She reminds me of my mother." He looks at Judy, who blinks before staring at him softly. A smile crosses her face and she spans her paw across his back, rubbing his ribs lightly.

Finnick is speechless and looks at the two figures. Nick rubs his eyes with his one free paw, and Judy smiles weakly, her eyes wetting. She tilts her head and rests it on his shoulder, which he relaxes. He presses his lips together and blinks, fighting tears, staying quiet for a moment.

"One more thing." Nick fights the emotion coming to him. He releases his grip on Judy's shoulder, prompting her to lift her head. He steps forward, narrowing his eyes, clenching his jaw. "Unless you can change, you are dead to me. You hear that? Dead to me.

"With a record like yours, I don't know why I wasn't ashamed being around you. Now? I can't bear to even be around you without evoking memories - those memories that I realize aren't what I wanted in my childhood."

Finnick looks at him, letting out a long breath. "You know what? I thought I wanted you. I thought you were someone who appreciated me, but I guess I was wrong." The officers start to drag Finnick back to the police van. "You want me to say it? You're useless." His eyes darken. "You're a goody-goody, useless pet."

Nick does not look surprised at his comment. "If that's what it takes for me to stay away from you, then I'll take it with open arms. Goodbye, Fin. Maybe some time cleaning up the park and at the big house will give you some time to think about what I said. Here are my last words for you: if you want me to accept you again, I need a changed Finnick, not some criminal who is an enthusiast in excessive and sometimes inappropriate entertainment. I want someone to look up to and admire." He gestures at Judy. "Right now, that's Judy and if you can't change, don't come crawling back with an unclean slate. It's your problem, not mine." He looks away from him, walking back slowly to Judy's position. "Officers, take him away."

Standing abreast with Judy, Nick looks to the floor and closes his eyes while Finnick harshly screams profanity out the ajar door. It ceases after the door closes and the car rolls away, Finnick's silhouette against the back window of the car as it disappears around the corner.

Nick lets out a heavy sigh and drops his shoulders. Judy grins at him and squeezes his right paw between her two. "You meant every word you said?"

He looks at his open palms. "Yes, I did. He messed up my life." He stays silent for a moment, avoiding eye contact with her. "But I have to give him credit." He looks at her with a smile. "I wouldn't have met you if I didn't meet him."

"Not just that, Nick. The mother part. The part where we got all emotional?"

"Yes, I really did mean it. Every word."

She embraces him. "Thank you."

"Lesson of the day?" Nick asks Judy as they enter his apartment again. The front door mat is ruffled from their quick departure that day, and the cinnamon scent that once lingered in the air is now gone. The air is cool because Nick left the window open a crack before Judy arrived that morning. The room envelops a feeling of leisure around the two figures, allowing them to relax their muscles and gradually approach the couch in the living room, Judy plopping down before Nick, who does the same about fifteen seconds later. Nick is on her right, Judy on his left side.

"What was it that you said?" Judy says, looking at Nick. He is sitting a couple of inches from her. "Some type of lesson?"

"It was, 'what was the lesson of today?'"

"Don't be three peas short of a pod?"

"Yes. Also, don't take risks after someone's put you down beyond what self-doubt can take you," Nick says. "A.K.A. Finnick."

The silence encompasses them, the emotion from before lingering in the room. Judy tilts her head again, resting it on his shoulder. She closes her eyes, taking a relaxed breath, eventually becoming a series of semiconscious breaths. His muscle tenses as he spans her shoulders with his left arm, then it relaxes again. He closes his eyes and tilts his head to rest on the top of the backrest. The fabric is cool and comforting.

Her eyes remain closed when she poses a question. "What other comparisons did you make up besides the peas in the pod one?" The question cuts the silence like butter.

"I don't know," he yawns, eyes closed, removing his paw from her shoulders and stretching both over his head. He produces a high-pitched noise from his throat, making her smile. He settles his paws behind his head to support his neck. "A few brush strokes short of a masterpiece, a few revolutions short of a tightened nut, a few cups short of a gallon."

"There were a few there you made up on the spot, didn't you?" she asks softly, eyes still closed.

"Maybe, maybe not."

She stays silent for a moment. "What's the best one you can make up?"

"How about a few steps short of a plan?"

"Too bland. How about a few components short of a carrot pen?"

"Works for me." He uncrosses his legs, only keeping one of his ankles over the other. He moves his paws to his lap and yawns silently. "I'm going to take a nap if that's okay with you."

"Me too. We'll go shopping later."

"Even if I wasn't tired, I would always want to go shopping later."

Judy can't help but smile.

11:43 AM

Her eyes open, looking at the television in front of her. She stretches her legs, then relaxes them against the foot of the couch. She yawns, rubbing her eye with her paw. She rubs her feet back and forth against the carpet to warm them.

She glances to her right. Nick is asleep, his neck flaccid on the top of the backrest. His left arm as up against her leg, something she had not noticed when she awoke. His right arm is up against his leg.

She shifts her weight slowly to not wake her partner, then stands. She shuffles across the floor, glancing at the clock on the wall to the right of the couch before entering the hallway. To her left is the first door, just against the entrance of the hallway on the left wall. She opens it to find a somewhat unorganized room with an unmade bed, clothing strewn in various places of the room. She closes that door and opens the one on the right wall just ahead. The room is slightly smaller and organized. It has a closet, a neatly made bed, and an end table with a lamp.

She proceeds to the next door, which is at the end of the hallway. She opens it, inspecting the room. The floors are a clean white tile and the walls are tan. To her direct right while facing the room is a white grate suspended a couple inches below the floor, creating a large cavity. The walls of the cavity are made of stainless steel.

Ahead of this strange contraption, on the right wall, is a white toilet, and beside that is a towel rack. In front of the toilet is a rug that hugs the base of it. Across from the toilet, on the left wall, is a sink embedded in a counter. Above this sink, on the wall, is a mirror. At the back of the room, a two-in-one tub shower sits.

Judy closes the door behind her as she enters. She places her paws on the counter around the sink and looks in the mirror, her reflection staring back at her. The fur atop and around her head is mussy, so she runs her paws through it and eventually resorts to the sink water to tame it. She is wearing her police uniform she had donned, prompting her to remember how she had donned it - in the back of the car. She presses her lips together and sighs. Great. I left my clothes in the back of the car.

She grabs her keys and quietly leaves the room, being sure to close the door behind her after entering the hallway. She lets out a sigh and places her paw over her heart. Although relieved by leaving, a thought nags her that she should be guilty of feeling this way. She lets it linger for a moment before ridding herself of it.

She paces to her car, unlocking it and opening the back-right door, prompting a consistent beep that lasts about five seconds, although it seems much longer. She climbs to the back, surprised to find Nick's clothes also. She gathers his and her clothes, each set of clothes in a different arm, then exits her car and locks it. She hikes back to the apartment and takes the elevator back up to the hallway. She opens the apartment door after finding it locked, then enters and shuts the door behind her.

Nick is still asleep on the couch, both his arms in his lap. She smiles at him, setting his clothes on the cushion beside him and walks to the bathroom, changing her clothes and relieving herself before emerging in her casual clothes. She examines Nick again while heading toward the kitchen. She surrenders to the dining chair behind the couch, only able to see the back of Nick's head from that position.

After ten minutes of scanning her phone, she sets it face down on the table and walks up to Nick. She grips his shoulder and jerks him awake, his eyes fluttering open before meeting hers. "Hey, Judy. Is it Christmas?"

"No, silly. It's only been..." she glances at the clock, reading 12:01 PM, "...about two hours. Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."

"I think so." He eases into a standing position and saunters into the kitchen, shaking his head quickly to wake himself. He opens the refrigerator doors, pushing near-empty jars and containers around and surrenders a jar of jelly, setting it on the counter. He moves a half loaf of packaged bread next to the jelly. He searches through a couple cabinets before discovering a jar of peanut butter and setting it with the other materials. "I hope you like PB&J's because I haven't been shopping for a while. There's milk to drink."

"Okay," Judy says, getting right to work on the sandwiches. "I got your clothes from the car. If you want them, anyway."

He doesn't reply, picking up the clothes on the couch. "Okay," he says.

"You seem really down today. Was it Finnick?"

"I guess..." he says, shrugging. "I'm going to go get changed," he says slowly and apathetically. "You can make a sandwich for me if you have the time." He ambles off toward the bathroom.

Her mind wanders as she prepares the sandwiches. I got to get a way to cheer him up. A smile crosses her face as the previous night's conversation enters her mind. I got it.

Nick returns from the bathroom, his clothes mussy. He tries to smooth his shirt, but to no avail. His expression is boring - his mouth flat and an unfocused gaze -, arousing a tightness in her chest. It releases again after she remembers her plan. She brings two sandwiches to the table, then returns to the kitchen and brings two glasses of milk.

He is now in the chair, his fist supporting his head. He avoids her gaze, taking a small bite of his sandwich and sip of the milk. "How'd you sleep?" he asks quietly, looking at her without a smile.

"Fine. You looked cozy when you were sleeping, so I assume you slept well also?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." His intonation barely changes. He produces his phone from his pocket, staring at it.

"Nick." He looks up to her serious gaze, her eyebrows squished together. "It's Christmas Eve - you should be happy. Instead, you're all bored and tired."

He rubs his eyes with an open paw and lets out a heavy sigh. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" He lets out an insincere laugh. "My mind is racing with all the things I said about Finnick. I was stupid. He didn't deserve it."

"Why did you say those things?"

"Because I was angry. I was worried that he would ruin our partnership in the force. I was frustrated with his joke, so I insulted him. I got really angry when he insulted me back." He goes silent, holding his face in his hands.

"Nick, he did something that I believe justified your feelings for him. Everyone gets angry once and a while. Has this happened before with him?"

He looks up. "Yes, but I've never felt this way after the fact."

"It's being with the police, Nick. It's unlocking your softness while simultaneously strengthening your good spots. It's teaching you that you are a fallible fox. I'm fallible. Finnick's fallible. Everyone in Zootopia is fallible." She pauses. "We all make mistakes. Look inside yourself and realize that there is something in there called guilt. It may not seem like it at first, but it's a good thing for you. It's a little voice saying that somewhere in your heart, you love him. Don't feel bad if you feel that."

He takes a deep breath and looks up at her, a smile on his face. "I agree, Carrots." His eyes are wet, but the muscles around them comply with his smile. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I thank you for cheering up when I tried my best to cheer you up."

"How can anybody not be cheered up when they hear a speech like that?" He looks down at the table, smiling. "How many rabbits does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"I don't know - three?"

"None. They're too short to reach it."

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "How many Nicks does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"One."

"You don't need him to change the lightbulb. He just looks at the light bulb and it changes itself."

He raises his eyebrows, a smile crossing his face. "Clever. How many rabbits does it take to solve a case?"

"I honestly don't know," Judy says.

"It doesn't matter. They all become meter maids."

"If you weren't so far away, I'd hit you."

2018 Update: A new chapter of this story is currently being drafted and is scheduled to be released on Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 12:30 AM UTC. Please note this date is subject to change.