Chapter 28 Broken Vessals
Edited by Euphonemes
AN: picks himself up from underneath a pile of pinecones...Okay, I get that everyone now hates Bellwether with the passion of a thousand suns. Don't worry, I do too. XD And I have good things planned for her that she'll have a blast with. Mwuahahahahah. But first! The moment you all have been looking forward too...
Nick strutted towards Zootopia with a spring in his step, a fire in his belly and a grin on his muzzle. His tail swished merrily behind him as he rounded the last curve and the city lay in his sights. Smiling even more at the adobe structures rising in his sights, he quickened his pace, hoping to be able to catch Judy right after the raising of the colors.
With the sky brightening and the sun at his back, Nick found he was already closing in on his destination. His talk with Judy yesterday, though disguised as The Fox, went rather smoothly, and he was hoping that soon he'd be rid of this burden he was bearing. Nick was absolutely certain that if anyone could find out information to shut down this ring of corruption and knavery that had held hostage the city of Zootopia for far too long, it would be Judy.
If anyone can help end this evil, Judy can.
Nick covered the distance to the fort while thinking amorously of the lagomorph, his tail wagging through the plumes of dust his skipping feet kicked up. Looking up at the massive fortress he had grown far too accustomed to, whether during the day or at night, he wondered at how today might go.
First, I have to get Judy ready for our date...he thought. The grand party he held every year for the citizens of Zootopia in his orchards. La gran mascarada was the culmination of his efforts to bring the city some joy under the rule of tyrants in the past. Now, he hoped it would be a much more pleasant affair.
Especially with the company I seek...the fox thought with a smile.
Waiting patiently outside the massive wooden gates to the fort, he rocked back and forth on his hindpaws, awaiting the signal that the raising of the colors was over.
Several minutes later, his foot began tapping. First slowly, then picking up in speed as he looked for the sun's height in the sky to check the time.
Judy is nothing if not punctual, so why is the posting of the colors so late today?
'thunk-creeeeaaak'
Nick's ears raised as he heard the gates to the fort creak open. No bugle rang in the new day, and as he stepped back, he couldn't even see the Califurnia flag whipping in the light breeze. In fact, the flagpole was rather barren.
What is going on here?
Nick crept ahead slowly as he saw the gates moving inward. Several soldiers trudged out of the fort, their gait a shuffle and heads hung low.
"Excuse me, sirs?" Nick began as the soldiers approached. They spoke nary a word as they shuffled past, not even acknowledging the fox at all.
"Pardon me, could someone tell me where to find Capitán Hopps?" he asked in full while strolling alongside the soldiers. Several of the mammals flinched as he stated their leader's name, and Nick's ears perked up in confusion and sudden interest.
He slowed to a stop as , the other mammals trundled on to their patrols, leaving a head-scratching fox in the wake. Turning back to the fort, he hurried through the fort's entrance, hoping that Judy would have an explanation for the sudden shift in attitude of her soldiers.
Spotting Sergeant Clawhauser was no difficult feat, and the fox quickly jogged towards the portly feline. As he drew closer, he noticed another mammal, a sand cat by the looks of it, ripping into the cheetah with gleeful abandon.
"...and which is worse, is that you've grown friendly. You don't need that anymore. You need an
aire de confianza mi amigo! I have such a song that would..."
"Excuse me," Nick interrupted as the sand cat reached for a violin strapped to his back. Both felines turned towards him, the cheetah with relief and the sand cat with a look of annoyance. "Could you tell me where the Capitán is?"
"He is right here," the sand cat replied, sweeping his arms out in front of him as he chuckled. "And oh what a tale it is of him getting to this point. Here, let me sing you a song of his travails."
Nick's flummoxed gawping at the feline did nothing to stop the small cat from playing his violin and letting out a quick hum.
"Oh please Sanchez," Clawhauser mumbled. "Please no..."
"I once was poooor, and destitute!
But then that eweee, she found me cute!
With the bunny goneeee, and me now hereeee!
I'll be the..."
"Hold on," Nick stuttered while grabbing the violin out of the 'Capitán's' paws. "Where did Capitán Hopps go?"
Growling at the interruption, Sanchez snatched his instrument back away from the fox. "As I was saying..." he began as he played the violin.
"That horrid bunnnn, she is now gone!
Bell had her singggg, her own swan songggg.
Good riddance nowwwww, we can all beeee...
What I..."
"Enough with the singing!" Nick snapped, a slight growl escaping his lips. "Where's Judy!"
"She isn't here anymore."
The feminine voice sent a shiver down Nick's spine. "Magistrate Bellwether..." he said coldly as he turned towards the ewe. "Where is Judy?"
"Oh, that stupid little dust bunny pet of yours?" she crooned before giggling. "I tossed her out on her fluffy bunny butt last night for the fun of it."
"You what?!" The fox's shout stilled all movement in the fort. Several soldiers peeked their heads out of the cantina, while those standing guard along the walls all turned to see the irate fox, his fur bristling and tail shooting straight out behind him, staring down the ewe who simply admired her hooves.
"I...fired...her," Bellwether cooed, her own gaze icing over to coincide with an evil grin.
Nick was at a loss for words suddenly...
...though only for a moment before his rage boiled over.
"You dastardly little twit of an ewe!" he shouted, taking a step towards the smaller mammal. "How dare you, you insolente, sin valor, pequeño cretino!"
"Is that all, Don?" Bellwether giggled as the panting fox glared down at her. "I thought the son ofSeñorita Vivian de la Wilde would have more to say. Where did she go after she abandoned you as a pup, hmm? Heard that the government wasn't too happy to hear about her...history."
"Why you..." Nick shouted, stepping towards the sheep with a raised paw, pointing a finger at the sheep. "How dare you insult my mother like-"
Nick's comment was cut short by a loud roar and a paw smashing into his muzzle. Don Wilde flew backwards, landing harshly in the dirt of the courtyard, coughing and gagging on the dust cloud as the tiger who hit him stood protectively over the sheep.
"My, my..." Bellwether laughed, stepping forward. "One would think you would remember the example your father set for you. Manners, manners, my young pelt," the ewe taunted Nick as he got to his feet. "That's something that the pathetic excuse for a Capitán should have learned, though I think she's been taught that lesson now."
Bellwether shoved her hoof into the pocket of her jacket, then tossed two items at the still fuming fox. "If you see her, tell her that she forgot these after they were ripped off her shoulders."
With slightly trembling paws, he picked up the two golden epaulettes from the dirty ground. Noting the strands of blue fabric still attached to them, he gaze turned back to the ewe, who was grinning like a mad-mammal.
"Now, pelt," she began. "This is my fort. My city...and he," she pointed at the sand cat," is your new Capitán." With the smuggest of grins she could muster, she crossed her hooves in front of her chest. "If you leave now, your precious conejito won't meet the same fate as your mother. I know where the dust bunny is, and it would be all too enjoyable to see her feet dangling like another certain vixen we knew..."
The fox turned and bolted from the fort to the cackling laughter of the ewe. It wasn't until he was several blocks away, the sheep's' laughter still echoing in his mind, that he stopped to finally breathe.
He felt like he had been suckerpunched in the chest. The icy tendrils of the Magistrate's words lacerated his heart as he slumped against a rough-hewn stone wall. Several mammals nearby stopped to utter hushed whispers to each other, then quickly passed by the distraught mammal.
Only one place to go...he thought, as his feet took him in the direction of Weidii's pub. I'm going to need the distraction for a bit if Judy really is gone...
The door to Weidii's pub was yanked open as the weary fox slunk in. Nick's shoulders were slumped, tail dragging behind him as he made his way to the counter.
"What are you doing here this early, Nick? The eggs and biscuits aren't even ready yet."
Weidii strolled out from the kitchen with a spatula in her paw. How she always knew when he arrived was a secret he would probably never figure out. Even the times he had crept in behind larger customers, she had always known his presence the moment he'd arrived.
Which was also why Weidii was one of the very few who knew about his, other, activities.
Nick grabbed a barstool and sunk into it. He slowly rubbed his eyes as he placed his muzzle on the counter.
"She's gone, Weidii...my last hope for this place...gone." As if it were possible, Nick slunk lower into his seat and laid his head on the table while crossing his arms in front of his muzzle..
"What are you rambling about now?" Weidii rolled her eyes, though she dutifully popped open an unused flask of whiskey from under the counter and poured him a shot. Nick shot her a tired but thankful smile before downing the stiff drink. "Who has been the latest vixen to break my poor Zorro's heart?"
"...notavixen..." Nick stated, his words slurring together while his arms lay in front of his mouth, blocking the sound.
"¡Disculpe!" Weidii asked. "Can't hear you through your incoherent mumblings."
"She wasn't a vixen..." Nick growled. Noticing the shot glass had been refilled, he went to take it. His paw received a quick slap for the effort.
"Not until you explain yourself, amigo. Now, why are you sulking in here an hour before your regular time, no? Especially on the day of the Ball that you should be busily attending to setting up? I didn't go and buy a dress for Finnick for nothing!"
Weidii's wild spatula barely missing his paw startled Nick from his misery.
"Geez, Weidii," Nick said, sitting back and away from the margay who now had her paw pressed to her hip. "I meant Capitán Hopps. She's gone! Bellwether fired her and dismissed her from the army." His eyes once again assumed a tired look as he curled into himself. "And what is worse is that it is probably my fault."
"Then you should go apologize to her immediately," Weidii shot back while leaning forward.
"I can't!"
"Why not?"
"Because she's gone!"
"Really?" Weidii replied with a grin, one ignored by the now angry fox.
"Yes really!" Nick said, pulling on his ears. "Do you think Bellwether would have let her stick around at the fort after how that ewe treated her? After what poor Judy had been put through?" Nick let out a huff as his tail agitated behind him. "And after what I just did to her."
Weidii's eyes narrowed, and she leveled her spatula at him. "What did you do, Nicholas Piberious de la Wilde."
Nick recognized the threat/not-question he had just been posed. "I...may have asked her to look into some things of Bellwether's for me?"
"The cajones of you, you stifling fox!" Weidii growled. Before Nick knew it, the cat had jumped onto the counter and was smacking the top of his head with her spatula. "Why would you jeopardize her position like that?! You of all mammals should know what Bellwether is capable of!"
Nick fought off the spatula attack, finally managing to grab it from the margay's paws.
But Weidii wasn't done yet.
Looking around her, she spotted a bowl of pinecones she kept around for her more squirrely customers. Nick noticed where she was gazing and instantly grimaced.
"Now, now Weidii...no need for-"
"PINECONE!" Weidii shouted, as one of the aforementioned items bounced off Nick's snout. Just as he began rubbing the spot, another bounced off his left ear and got it twitching. Nick leapt off the stool, holding it in front of him like a shield while pinecone after pinecone crunched against the improvised wooden shield.
"You should have simply gone in as Zorro you arrogant fool!" the margay shouted. When her paw found only air instead of a pinecone, she growled and threw the entire basket at the fox.
Nick, taking the silence to mean that she was out of weaponry, snuck a peek over the stool, only to have his head clocked by the empty basket. The fox fell onto his rear, yelping as he landed on his tail while Weidii advanced on him.
"She has been here all night drinking away her sorrows and crying enough tears to fill every river and lake from here to Santa Meownica." She finally reached him and grabbed him by his black jacket. "I've tried to console her for hours, but she is in such a state that not even my homemade tamales could bring her out of it!"
His ears perked up. "Wait...she's here?"
"Of course she is here!" Weidii snapped. "It's why I'm up trying to make a breakfast that she might be able to eat, the poor conejita."
"Where is she?" Nick was up as quickly as a mammal who mistook a cactus for a chair. "Weidii, please, I need to apologize to Judy."
"Should I let you after what you did to her?"
Her response cowed the fox. His franticness disappeared instantly as his tail curled around him.
"I probably don't deserve it," he replied, his eyes boring holes into the floorboards. After a brief pause, he turned his gaze to the feisty feline in front of him. "But I know I need to. It won't bring back her job, but...I need to do something, please."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Weidii let a good minute pass before nodding her head towards the stairs. "Second guest room on the right."
Nick mouthed a thank you and was running towards the stairs when Weidii's voice stopped him cold in his tracks.
"Nick, don't you go breaking that bunny's heart again, you hear me?" Weidii scolded. "I won't be repeating what she said while drinking away her sorrows last night, as that information stays between a patron and their barkeep, however..."
Weidii's eyes narrowed and her spatula, which had been tossed to the floor earlier, was back in her paw and waggling at him. "...you have an hour until the breakfast tamales are done. If you haven't apologized by then, I don't want to see your face again in here, comprende?"
Nodding his head once, Nick turned and bolted up the stairs. Letting out a huff of air, Weidii turned and walked back to the kitchen.
Nick made his way to the second guest room upstairs. Hesitating outside the door, he couldn't bring himself to knock.
You are the one responsible for this, you know...
Nick let out a heavy sigh, ears and tail falling low behind him. I shouldn't have had her investigate. I could have easily done so but...
But what...?
The fox already knew the answer to that. "How can it be that I'm not afraid to tackle a ship of smugglers, yet can't even face a single ewe and her tigers..." He let out a groan as his head thumped against the door.
"Weidii?" a voice from inside hiccuped. "Is...is that you?"
Nick's heart about broke at the sound of Judy's sorrow-soaked voice through the door. The mirth and joy he had come to know over the past few weeks was completely gone. Erased, leaving only what sounded like a broken husk of the rabbit he knew...and dare he say it, beginning to love?
"It's me, Nick," he replied slowly, cautiously. Worried that somehow she might know who he really was and seek revenge for losing her position, her rank...her life goal. The silence within the room was deafening after his announcement. Slowly, he heard the sigh of a bed, followed by soft pawsteps across a creaky wooden floor. As the lock clicked, he stepped back from the opening door that revealed such a pitiable sight that his heart broke the rest of the way.
The shell of what once was Judy stood before him. Streaks of tears pouring from bloodshot eyes had stained her fur. Her usually pressed and clean attire was wrinkled and unkempt. Her normally pristine jacket, one she took great pride in, was rumpled with two large gashes running down her shoulders where the epaulets of her rank should have been.
What worried Nick the most, though, was the empty bunny-sized bottle of Jack Savage whiskey clutched loosely in her paw.
"Oh...mi bella."
He barely had time to bend his knee and stretch out his arms before Judy was upon him. She dropped the empty bottle and gripped his coat with both paws wrapped around his neck. A wave of fresh tears stained his clothes as the rabbit wept in his arms.
"I've lost it all," she cried between hiccups. "I wanted to make the world a better place...but now...I've ruined it."
Nick wanted to say everything would be alright, but he couldn't gather the nerve to do so knowing what he did. You didn't ruin your dream...I did.
Following his instincts, Nick picked Judy up and carried her to the nearby bed. Sitting down, he leaned against the wall, letting Judy spill her emotions out to him. It was startling to him to see her in this state. The normally well-kept Capitán with a heart of gold and the ability to stare down a charging rhino had been reduced to an aching, timid stereotype of a rabbit. Nick glanced at the empty bottle on the floor, shaking his head as he knew that Weidii must have 'prescribed' it to her.
Curse the bottle for what it does...he thought before ministering to Judy, rubbing her back while rocking her back and forth.
It was ten minutes before Judy had calmed, then another ten before she stirred in his arms, gazing up into his eyes.
"Thank you," she said, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."
"I blame the bottle," Nick replied, causing Judy to turn her head slightly in confusion. "You aren't you when you're drinking."
Judy shook her head. "No, I have to take responsibility for my action. I am the reason I am..." her head lowered as her voice nearly broke. "...here."
"What happened?" Nick asked, fully knowing the why, but still wanting to hear it from Judy's lips.
The bunny let out a wry chuckle. "Bellwether happened...again. I learned some things about her and so I went on the advice of an...acquaintance, to see what else I could find."
At least she didn't say enemy...Nick thought, the idea the one bit of good news so far today, though they both still faced an avalanche of awfulness.
Judy continued as she sat back against Nick's chest. She let her arms fall atop her legs and let out a heavy sigh. "I...I found some things. Horrible things, but..." Judy cast her eyes onto her paws and expelled a mournful sigh. "...Bellwether burnt it all. I thought I could come back for it later, but no...her tigers caught my scent where she hid her book and so to protect her crimes, she burnt it and..."
One of her paws unconsciously went to her shoulder, stroking the place where gold braiding should have been. "So now I have nothing to prove her crimes to Bogo, and I can't even protect the citizens of Zootopia from her anymore."
Always thinking of others first. Nick smiled for the first time since arriving in town that morning. He felt a momentary urge to press upon what she had found. The thought was erased just as quickly as he realized it was not the right place, nor even remotely the right time to be asking such questions. Judy needed someone to be there for her, and Nick would make sure of that. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two very familiar epaulets.
"I think you may have dropped these," he said, holding them out to Judy. Seeing her nose beginning to twitch, as well as a tremor shoot through her body, he quickly added, "I know you said that you are no longer a Capitán, however..." He took one of Judy's paws in his own, and placed the rank insignia in her paw, closing her fingers around them. "The people of Zootopia know different, your soldiers know different, and I know different."
Judy sniffled once and wiped at her eyes as a small smile darted across her face. The next words came from Nick's heart before his mouth could halt them.
"And you will always be my Capitán, Judy Hopps." Leaning forward, he placed a kiss upon her forehead, in between her ears, feeling a pleasure-filled shudder flowing through her body at the touch of his lips.
"And you will always be my Capitán, Judy Hopps."
Judy's mind was already in a fog, thanks to the long evening before, the night of tears and the bottle provided her by Weidii. Nick's words only thickened the haze with the flurry of emotions it brought. Hope, distress, love, pain...they swirled in her mind as he leaned forward. What the fox didn't see was how she closed her eyes as he approached, arching upwards, hoping to catch his lips with hers. She winced at a pang of disappointment when his muzzle slipped past her lips, and he gently lay his kiss between her ears.
With what happened next, she couldn't say what prompted her. Her own feelings, liquid courage or just the emotions from the previous night overwhelming her. No matter what it came from, the results were positively electric for her.
He missed...a voice in her mind stated bluntly. You need to fix that. You can at least fix that, right?
I can fix that...Judy thought with a grin.
Judy's paws reached out as Nick leaned back. Gripping her paws around the cusp of his jacket, she pulled the startled fox forward until her lips crashed against his like waves breaking against shoal. She felt her emotions churning and bubbling, her mind awash in a sensation of soaring as she kissed Nick.
Then, the unexpected happened...he kissed her back.
A growl issued from Nick's throat as the fox pushed forward, his own side of the kiss growing as they both pressed in against each other. The scent of Judy filled Nick's mind with an explosive sense of euphoria, wanting him to deepen the kiss, and then some. He let out a startled yelp, breaking the kiss for a moment as Judy shoved him onto the bed. She sat above him, positioned on his chest, her eyes leveled at his own. Those amethyst jewels twinkled in the early morning sun, while the rays of light filtering through the window bathed her in a heavenly glow.
It was Judy's turn to be stunned, her ears shooting up in surprise when Nick reached up and pulled her towards him, reuniting their kiss in a display that even surpassed the euphoria of the fabled couple of Westpawly and Princess Butterfluff. Minutes passed in bliss between the two, the pair eventually halting the fevered kisses and instead wrapping themselves around each other. Nick held Judy close within his arms, tightly against his chest while Judy, who had found Nick's shirt suddenly missing its top two buttons, snuggled into his creamy fur, relishing in the warmth it provided.
"Thank you," she whispered, snuggling closer to the Don.
"You're welcome," he replied, his words a soothing balm to her troubled and hazy mind. His paw tenderly stroked her long ears, and he savored how Judy snuggled closer to him at his touch.
Together, the pair slowly drifted off to sleep. The rest a grateful distraction from the events which, thanks to the embrace they were in now, felt like long years past.
Judy awoke slowly. Eyelids fluttering open and awash with a new sensation of warmth. First she noticed the steady, rhythmic breathing next to her ears, as well as a tickling sensation of wind flowing over them. The next thing she noticed was the contrast of russet and cream fur at odds with a black jacket she was currently snuggling into.
"Good afternoon, Señorita," she heard from a familiar voice. "Sleep well?"
Not even jostled in the least bit by her position, the feeling of happiness overcoming all else at the moment, Judy simply nodded. Even the slight twinge of a headache from what must have been a hangover couldn't deter her from a positive thought. "Very..." she cooed. Blinking several times, she now felt herself wide awake. "Wait, afternoon?" she now said in a shocked voice. Pushing herself away from Nick, albeit with a most vehement protest within her mind at the movement, her eyes darted around the room. "My troops are..."
Her statement died on her lips as the memories of the preceding evening flew into her mind. Her ears, which had shot up in surprise, were now lowered just as quickly. Her shoulders slumped, a weight that should have been upon them now hauntingly gone.
"Oh no..." she heard Nick say from behind her as the bed rustled. "I will not allow you to go back to that place of tristeza and desesperación." The feeling of two arms wrapping themselves around her assuaged her sudden fears. "Besides, I have a big night planned ahead for us that I do not think you would want to miss."
"What do you mean?" Judy said, her paws already wrapping around Nick's that were holding her tightly. She wanted to look up at the fox holding her, but instead her gaze went around the room. She noticed a rather large glass of water, two plates of tamales and a paw-written note on the nearby desk.
"Have you already forgotten?" Nick said with faux surprise, the rumbling from a deep-throated laugh within his chest showing otherwise. "You and I have a ball to attend tonight."
A ball? What ball...oh. THAT ball...
Judy felt a blush creeping up her ears. She had completely forgotten about the masquerade that Nick had asked her out to. Instantly, a frown came upon her lips.
"I have no dress worthy of such an occasion," she replied morosely. "Nor do I believe that an elegant ball is a suitable place for a disgraced Capitán."
"Nonsense!" Nick jeered, turning the bunny around on his lap so he could look into her eyes. "There is no place I'd rather have you be than at my side tonight." His eyes narrowed while a playful smirk remained on his lips. "And I will not accept no for an answer, no?"
Now feeling a soft smile adorning her face, Judy couldn't help but now feel a bit of excitement for the day. She couldn't place why she felt this way. But then again, her mind reminded her, just enjoy the night for once.
"I guess I should probably find a dress?" Judy remarked, earning an even broader grin from the fox.
"I guess you should!" he exclaimed. "If not for a certain fox who had already thought this through for a certain bunny who never took time off to search for one."
Black-tipped ears perked up as Judy's eyes widened. "Wait...are you saying-"
His nod was all that she needed as a mirthful squeak escaped her lips. She felt herself positively overflowing with excitement, the previous night entirely forgotten in her joy at what Nick had accomplished.
"Weidii will help you as she has graciously helped me in finding a suitable gown that could possibly match your beauty. But first, she has made us some of her famous breakfast tamales, and it would be a sin to let them go to waste, no?"
Hearing an aptly timed grumble from Judy's stomach, the two laughed before moving from the bed, and paw in paw, walking towards the table.
The two chatted over their breakfast. Nick was grateful to hear the happiness back in Judy's voice, while Judy was filled with gratitude towards her friend. Or is it something else now? she wondered. She couldn't remember much of what happened since Weidii gave her that bottle last night, though waking up in the arms of the fox munching on his tamale next to her was positively delightful, so she wouldn't complain.
Some things just felt right.
As they finished, the two grabbed their plates and headed downstairs together, with Nick describing what would be happening at the masquerade he was hosting as well as how it was also a charity event he hosted for the poor of the city. Every year, he'd invite the entire town to come and join in the celebration. Whether rich or poor, he opened the doors of his villa to them all. The previous week his servants, and himself when he could spare the time, were toiling to transform the massive front yard of his lands into an area suitable for a party of this magnitude.
Judy was so enraptured by how Nick described the event, especially after he mentioned how the donations from the other Dons invited would go to help orphaned kits in the city, that she failed to see a smiling Weidii leaning against a pillar as they walked past the margay.
Weidii watched as Nick bowed deeply in front of Judy near the door, his smile as broad as the horizon as he bid his farewell to her, promising that he'd see her that evening but had to prepare his home for the party. Judy nodded, smiling as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss upon his cheek. The margay watched Nick leave, the memory of the last time she had seen that smile burning within her memory.
"I don't know what you've done to him," Weidii exclaimed as she smiled towards Judy. "But I haven't seen him smile like that since he lost Skye. Thank you, Judy."
For a moment, Judy appeared happy at the statement, though that sentiment quickly morphed from happiness, to a sudden realization, horror, sadness...even a hint of anger. Her mind sobered up quickly from her hangover as the clues from conversations with Nick and Zorro clicked in her mind.
Capitan Skye is Nick's fiancee…?
Weidii was surprised when Judy ran up to her and gripped her larger paws within her own, the bunny's trembling ears and misty eyes hinting her discomfort. The feline felt trapped within the rabbit's gaze, a surprising turn of events for the predator to feel like prey.
"Weidii," Judy exclaimed, her voice flooded with so many emotions it was hard to choose which one ruled the rabbits tone. "Please tell me everything you know about Don Wilde and Capitán Skye."
AN: Oops...my hand slipped and sent out the fluff a day early. How can anyone ever forgive me *snickers*. So, lots of stuff in this chapter. Hints about Nick's mother, Judy finding out who Skye is to Nick, the reader finding out that 7 out of 10 bunnies prefer Jack Savage Whiskey above all others, Nick and Judy are hopelessly romantic and fluff is good. :D Next chapter, the ball and more wonderful artwork drawn by yasminoliveira534 over on tumblr! :D