Out the Door

"Hey, Clawhauser!" Judy greeted as she walked up to the front desk.

The cheetah—who was gingerly sipping on a soft drink and paying more attention to his phone than to his surroundings—perked up, taking the straw he had been using with him. Upon seeing the rabbit, he smiled and let the straw fall onto the desk. "Hey, Jude! How's it goin'?"

"Pretty good," she replied. "Just finished up another round of reports and have nothing to do for a few minutes. I figured I'd stop by to say 'hi' and see if anything's happening on the radios."

Clawhauser checked through each of them at a pace that would surprise most people. For someone who appeared to spend so little time actually doing his job, he was quite adept at it. "Mmm, doesn't seem like there's anything going on today. Slow day."

"Aw," Judy said, disappointed. "It's good that nothing is happening, but is it bad of me to wish for a little action?"

The chubby feline swatted his paw at her. "Naw. You're just the type to not sit still. I'm the same way!" The bunny simply smiled and nodded, not wanting to be rude by saying anything offensive. "I'm always waiting for the latest news on Gazelle." Now understanding what he meant, Judy agreed more wholeheartedly.

The two carried on casual conversation until movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked at the upper floors and zeroed in on the door to Chief Bogo's office. To her surprise—or perhaps the opposite—Nick stepped out. Clawhauser followed her line of sight, seeing the fox as well.

"What do you think he got yelled for this time?" the cheetah asked her.

"Could be anything," she responded. "I guess I'll go find out. See you around, Clawhauser!"

He waved goodbye to her as she departed. "Later, Jude!"

The rabbit dashed to the elevator on the bottom floor after watching Nick step inside on the upper floor and waited patiently for it to come down. Her ears twitched as a resonant ding emanated from the elevator.

"So, what'd you do this time?" she asked as the doors revealed her partner.

"Nothing," Nick answered, walking past her with his paws in his pockets.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, believe it because it happened," he said without stopping to wait for her.

Judy caught up to him, matching his rather brisk pace. "Then what were you really in there for?"

"I asked for some time off."

"What? Why?"

"Goin' on a little fishing trip. That's all."

"A week?" the bunny repeated incredulously. "Jeez. What'd you have to give up for that? Did he need a carpet made from a fox's butt or something?"

"Nope. I just asked if I could get next week off and he said okay. No questions asked," Nick replied as they ended up back at their desks. He sat down in his chair and pulled himself closer to his computer. "You have next week off too, by the way. Starting Saturday."

She groaned. "Nick, you didn't have to ask for me. Unlike you, I'm perfectly fine with working. I love it, in fact. I—"

"I only asked for myself. Bogo told me to tell you that he was making you take a vacation 'whether the little bunny likes it or not.' His own words, I swear."

Judy's ears drooped down and she fell into her chair. "I guess I should have seen this coming." She glanced at her partner, who surprisingly began working on another report. Thinking back to what he said earlier, she asked curiously, "Fishing trip, huh? Where you going?"

"Someplace up north. You've probably never heard of it."

"Try me."

"Lake Caniapiscau."

Her face fell. "Oh."

While Nick continued to work on his report, Judy's thoughts gravitated towards her forced vacation time. She had seven full days to do whatever she wanted, but as she tried to come up with activities she could do, almost none of them were suitable for someone who was by themselves. She eyed Nick and considered his plans for a fishing trip. He hadn't mentioned if he was going with someone and it was someplace she had never heard of before, but…

"About that fishing trip of yours…" she said to her partner. "Are you going with someone? Finnick, maybe?"

"I was planning on going solo, but chances are that he'll be tagging along too; I do need a ride. And, no, you can't come with," he said, as if he somehow read her mind. He turned around and looked at her, which she realized was the first time since he had gotten out of the elevator. He quickly averted his gaze as he explained, "The place is kinda pred-heavy and it's not really any place for a, ah, cute little bunny."

"Okay," she said quietly. "I guess I could always visit my family. They're always wondering if I'm doing okay in the big city."

Nick pursed his lips, but this time he really looked at her. He rubbed his neck guiltily. "Actually, about that. I was kinda hoping someone could do some house-sitting for me. Well, it's more like apartment-sitting, but you get the idea."

"You want me to watch over your place while you're gone?" she asked in surprise.

"Well I was going to, but seeing as you're going to visit your parents, I might as well just ask mine. Though I was hoping I could avoid that since she'd probably just snoop through my stuff." He accompanied the last sentence with a grimace. "You know how mothers are."

"No, I can watch over your place for you. I don't mind."

The fox blinked. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted to see your parents."

"I do, but I call them every night to let them know how I'm doing. It'll be fine. Besides, I'd love to see where you live." Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as she spoke.

"You know, I wanted to ask you so someone wouldn't snoop around my stuff, but it looks like it's going to happen either way." Nick shook his head. "You're probably the lesser evil anyways. So starting Saturday?"

Judy nodded. "Just text me the time and place."

"Gotcha," he said before going back to his work. "And Judy?"

Caught off-guard by the fox using her first name, she responded, "Y-yes?"

"Thank you."

Nick walked down the street with his head downcast and his paws stuffed in his pockets. His loosely tied tie bounced against the plain white shirt he wore and his tail lagged behind him, just barely hovering above the concrete sidewalk beneath him. It was an old habit he fell into whenever he visited the less fortunate parts of town, especially at night. You needed to keep to yourself and be on alert so you didn't look like an easy mark. Changing out of his uniform after his shift certainly helped with keeping himself unnoticed. He'd have a small headache if the wrong people saw him walking down these streets.

While he had been down this way dozens of times in the past, there was considerably far less for him to lose then. And this time, his reason for coming this way was vastly different from the others. He was going to ask Finnick for a favor.

Had his partner known he was there, she might have guessed that he was going to see the smaller fox to touch up on the details of Nick's fishing trip. And she would have been right, that is, if what Nick had told her in the first place was the truth.

He wasn't going on a fishing trip to some bullshit place he quickly Zoogled. He was going to Pattermort to confront his deadbeat dad.

Nick balled his paws into tight fists as he recalled his exchange with the bunny earlier. He had been distant, and rightfully so as he was concerned with a much larger matter. But that didn't mean that it was fair to her. She deserved to know the truth. The bunny was, admittedly, his closest friend, but he was unable to tell her anything. He had multiple chances and each time he had driven her further away.

It was a necessary evil, he assured himself. He didn't want her getting involved with his past, he argued. This was his business and his business alone, he asserted. These were some of his justifications for keeping Judy in the dark. Deep down, though, he knew that each of those reasons were absolutely crap. His partner was strong. She would take on problems animals ten times her size would struggle with, even if doing so would put her into dangerous situations. Ultimately, this was the main reason why he chose to leave her out of this.

He had no clue what was going to happen when he got to Pattermort, so he was assuming the worst. The research he had done of the place beforehand hadn't helped that assumption. The city was known for attracting some more desperateanimals and with so many of them in one place, anything could happen.

No, he was going to do this by himself. Or at least as much as he could by himself.

Nick stopped in front of an alley. His eyes flicked from side to side, checking to see if anyone was watching him. His gaze briefly locked with a couple of questionable characters' across the street, but they looked away and went back to doing whatever they were doing. Satisfied, he dipped into the alley.

In it was a spray-painted van depicting a pair of foxes, one holding the other bridal style. The red fox could never remember what it was about—some sort of Incan or Mayan legend or whatever. He had never really cared about it in the first place. What he did care about was the van itself and, by extension, the owner of said van.

He approached the parked vehicle and rasped his knuckles against its backdoors. Nick immediately took a step back as they flew open and put on his best poker face.

"Who is it?" Finnick shouted as he raised a wooden baseball bat. Upon seeing his old partner, the fennec lowered the weapon for the slightest of instants and raised it back up menacingly. He narrowed his eyes at the taller fox. "What the hell do you want, Wilde?"

Unfazed by the threat of the bat in Finnick's paws, Nick answered, "I need to borrow your van."

"Hell fucking no."

Nick snorted and turned around. "I figured, but it was worth a shot. Whatever." He started to walk away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Finnick said, calling after the off-duty officer. "You're just gonna come all this way from your shitty little apartment to ask for my van and then walk away? Are you tryna hustle me, Wilde?"

Nick looked back with a deadpan expression. "My hustling days are over. I just needed a ride somewhere and I thought I'd try asking. See if our time as partners meant something, but I guess not."

"That's some gay ass shit right there," the fennec said. "Bein' a cop is turning you into a little bitch, you know that?"

He frowned at the smaller fox's offensive language. "Yeah, whatever, Finn. I'll just find someone else."

Finnick pursed his lips as he watched his old friend leave. "Yo," he called out again, prompting Nick to stop at the entrance of the alley. "Where you goin' anyways?"

"You ever hear about a place called 'Pattermort?'"

The hustler scratched his chin. "I think I might have heard of the place."

"Yeah, well, I need to check something out there."

The shorter fox gave him a look and leaned against his van. "If you want my ride, it's gonna cost you."

The officer folded his arms. "How much are we talking?"

"A favor," he replied.

Nick nodded. "Alright. Deal."

Finnick clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Not waiting to hear what the deal is? That's a rookie mistake, Wilde. You hafta be desperate as shit. But fine."

The red fox rolled his eyes and stuck his palm out. "Just give me the keys."

The desert colored fox barked out a laugh. "You fucking wish. Nobody drives my baby but me. I'm coming with."

"No, you're not."

"Then you ain't getting shit. Good luck finding another ride that won't squeal to your boss or that bunny cop." Finnick motioned to get back into his van.

Nick's previously expressionless face turned into one of shock from having his intentions so easily discovered. "How did you—"

"Why else would you ask me in the first place? I bet you coulda gotten some car from one of your cop buddies." The fennec smirked. "So what's it gonna be, Wilde?"

"Fine. Saturday. 3PM. Meet me at my apartment then." He stuck his paws back in his pockets and turned around, satisfied that his meeting with Finnick had gone as planned. "It was good to see you again, Finn. Later."

"Fuck you, too, Nick!" the fennec shouted. He signaled a rather rude gesture at the officer as he left.

Nick rummaged through the rest of his closet, trying to figure out what else he might need for the next week. He went to the duffel bag sitting atop his bed and sifted through it. There were only the essentials and a couple of situational items, but he couldn't think of anything else he would possibly need. He eyed the pair of letters resting next to the bag that was responsible for all this in the first place and frowned. He picked up the newer one, reading through it again before tossing it into his bag. He left the other where it was and let his gaze fall onto the small box he had brought back from his mother's.

Inside was a seemingly random assortment of items—some of which included an old polaroid with a date written on the back, a dirty old baseball, and a faded crayon drawing. Nick sunk a paw into the box and picked out the drawing. It depicted two figures, one bigger than the other, standing in front of a moderately sized store. It was difficult to tell exactly what the store was selling, but it was fairly easy to distinguish that the two figures were a pair of foxes. Above them and the entrance to the store were the words, 'Wilde and Son's.'

He crumpled up the drawing and tossed it back into the box with a snort. He picked up the whole box and went to his closet, sticking it precariously on the highest shelf, not wanting to see any of it. He had already gotten the information he needed from his mother's, so why did he feel compelled to take anything extra? All it did was resurface some unpleasant memories from his childhood.

The fox shut his eyes and took a deep breath, muttering to himself, "Never let them see that it gets to you."

He opened his eyes and checked the time on his phone. It was 2:27 in the afternoon. Judy was going to arrive soon and Finnick right after. His gaze was drawn back to his closet door for a moment and it gave him an idea. "Better hide whatever else I don't want Carrots to see," he said to himself.

Nick spent the next several minutes running around his apartment and grabbing the things he planned to keep out of sight. He was ferrying a stack of, ah, less than innocent magazines back to his room when he heard a sharp knock at his apartment door. The fox plopped them on the floor and went to answer the door after he closed the one leading to his room. He peeped through the peephole and spied a short, grey bunny standing outside with a bag over her shoulder, tapping her foot impatiently. He snorted and undid the locks and latches to his apartment that kept him safe.

"You really oughta stop that thing you do with the foot; it's a really nasty habit you got there, Carrots," he greeted, trying his best to keep up a jovial attitude. "I didn't even take that long to get to the door!"

"You know it's just a nervous tick I get sometimes, Nick," Judy replied. "And you really could have answered faster. I even sent you a text before I arrived."

Nick checked his phone and discovered that there was indeed an unread message from one Officer Hopps. He shrugged. "I was taking care of some things before I leave you with my apartment for the week. And what are you even nervous about? Are you afraid that I'm going to…eat you?!" He punctuated those last words with a flash of his teeth and a brandishing of his claws.

Judy didn't even react. "It's just that I've never been to your place before! You haven't invited me over in the past!"

"Well, you're here now, so you might as well step inside and get it over with."

The bunny did as he said and Nick shut the door behind her. She immediately began looking around, starting with the living area as that was what the fox's apartment first opened up to. A medium-sized flat screen TV sat on top of a wooden stand, positioned across from a brown leather couch. Between the two was a coffee table with a glass top and a small, black remote rested on it. A tall vase holding an assortment of multicolored branches stood in the corner. On one side of the room was the kitchen, separated by a countertop. To the other side of the room was a set of sliding glass doors leading to a small patio. Cream colored blinds hung in front of the doors, blocking much of the outside view, but Judy could make out some of the plants her partner had mentioned the other day.

Her jaw dropped. "You live here?"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's just—it's so nice!"

"Yeah, I guess," he said offhandedly. "You sound kinda shocked. I'm a little insulted, Fluff."

"I'm sorry, but how did you afford all this? This must have cost you a fortune!"

"If you don't know the right people, then sure. My mom is friends with the landlady, so she's a little nice with the rent. I help her out every now and then too, so you know," Nick explained. "A lot of this stuff was actually going to be thrown out at some point or another. I got a good deal on them." He gestured for her to follow him. "Come on. I'll show you the kitchen."

In it, there was a fridge, an oven, a stove, a sink and a few cabinets. "So, here's where I make my meals. I have a few snacks in the cabinets. You're free to grab whatever you like, but I'm not sure how much you'd like them. You can cook too, if you want. There are some pots underneath the sink. And if you need to use the bathroom, it's just down the hall to your right. While I'm away, you can hang out on the couch or whatever and watch TV; it's up to you. The only thing I need you to do is to water the plants which are out on the patio."

"That sounds pretty easy."

"And if you don't mind doing some cleaning…" Nick added, looking away innocently.

"Ha! You wish," Judy said. "Is that all? Anything else I should know?"

"Other than the fact that my room is absolutely off-limits, nope."

"Do you not want me to see your room?" she asked curiously. "I won't judge you if you have anything particularly embarrassing hidden away in there and I promise I won't say anything to anyone down at the precinct."

"As much as I would like to believe that, no. Not taking any chances," he said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Just one little peek won't hurt," she said, pinching her fingers together. "I won't laugh if—"

Judy's words were interrupted by a car horn and blaring hip-hop music.

"And that's Finnick," Nick said. He went to his bedroom and grabbed his bag, all the while making sure that his partner was unable to see a thing. He came back out with it in paw and walked to the door of his apartment after locking the door to his room.

As the fox stepped out of his home, Judy called after him, "Is that all you'll be taking? Where's your fishing gear?"

"Finnick's got everything in his van! See ya in a week, Carrots!" he replied without looking back. The door shut behind him and Judy was left alone.

The bunny huffed and folded her arms. "And he didn't even wait for me to say goodbye. Typical." Her eyes wandered around Nick's living room and then to the TV. She checked her phone to see if she had any errands to run, but her schedule was free for the rest of the day. She walked over to the couch and picked up the remote. "I guess I'll see what's on."

Judy stabbed a fork into her salad and took a bite as she watched some Netflix from Nick's television. She found herself looking around often despite having spent the last several hours in the 'fox's den' as she had dubbed it. She would never have imagined that he was living so well off. That wasn't to say that she expected him to live in some ditch somewhere, but she was still impressed. It was a huge upgrade over her own apartment, and that was probably why she was having her dinner here.

Suddenly, her phone began to ring. She set her bowl down and picked it up, expecting the call to be Nick checking up on her. Instead it was her parents. She briefly checked the time. It was half past ten. Alarm spread across her face as she realized that she had forgotten to call them at the usual time. She paused her show and prepared a smile as she hit the 'answer' button.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?" she said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, thank goodness! You picked up!" her mother cried as the screen displayed her parents on the video feed.

"She's aliveeee!" her father shouted.

Judy groaned at her parents' reactions. "Guys, of course I'm fine. I just lost track of the time is all. I'm sorry."

"Lost track of time doing what?" Bonnie questioned. The older bunny squinted at her phone. "And just where are you anyways? You're not at your apartment."

"I'm at a friend's," Judy answered. "I'm—"

"A friend's?" her father interrupted. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to see more of Nick's apartment. "What sort of friend? Do we know her?"

"It's Nick's place. He—"

"You mean the fox? What are you doing at his place for?"

"Yeah, Judy. Why are you at his place? I know you two are partners and all, but that's just work, right?" her mother asked.

"There better not be any funny business between you two…"

The off-duty officer threw her paws up. "We're just friends! There's nothing between us! You two always overreact!"

Bonnie gave her a motherly look. "We just trying to look after you. We worry."

"And just to clarify," her dad interjected, "you two are just friends. F-r-i-e-n-d-s? Nothing more? Because a relationship between a bunny and a fox is just too unnatura—"

"Stu, stop it!" Bonnie said, shooting her husband a stern glare.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Judy sighed. "Yes, we're only friends. And he asked me to house-sit for him. He's not even here right now," she explained.

"Well that's nice of you, Jude," Stu said calmly. "So how was your day?"

"It was good. Bogo actually forced me on a week-long vacation and today was the first day. I have some loose plans for the rest of the week, but I'm pretty much free."

"That's great, honey," her mom said. "You really should take breaks more often. You're going to overwork yourself."

"I know, I know. It's just that being a cop is just so—"

A noticeable thump echoed down the hall, catching Judy's attention. "Uh, give me a sec, guys. I think something fell over. I need to check it out." She set her phone on the couch and walked towards the source of the sound.

"Is the fox actually hiding somewhere there, Jude? Did you lie to—"

"Stu!"

The bunny ignored that last comment and stopped in front of Nick's bedroom door. She could have sworn that the noise had come from inside. The door was still locked from earlier, but it would be very poor of her as a housesitter to let this mystery go unchecked. Why, if something fell over and caused a mess, surely she should help clean it up. He did ask her to do some cleaning, after all.

Judy brandished a spare bobby pin she kept on her person and broke it in half. She bent the end of one piece at a 90-degree angle, and bent the end of the other slightly. She stuck the two pieces in the lock, using the L-hooked piece to create some tension while using the other to lift the lock pins into place. After some fidgeting, the door knob finally turned and the door swung open.

She took a moment to admire her work and smirked at the irony. "You'd think that someone like him would have better locks than this."

She stuck her makeshift lockpicking set into her pocket and peered inside. It was dark, as expected, and she felt around for a light switch. Her fingers brushed against one and she flicked it upwards. The room illuminated and the first thing Judy saw was a pile of magazines featuring vixens on their covers. She examined it briefly before realizing exactly what they were and diverted her gaze elsewhere, her cheeks burning. "I guess now I know why he wanted me to stay out of his room," she muttered to herself.

The bunny reached for the door and was about to lock it again when she remembered why she had broken into his room. She scanned the area for something that looked out of place, doing her best to ignore the stack of magazines, but there was one problem. She had no idea what his room normally looked like. There several articles of clothing strewn across the floor, his bed was unmade, and his closet door was ajar. For all she knew, he was always this messy.

Judy stepped around the obstacles scattered across the floor, searching for what had toppled over. She craned her head around the closet door and found a small box lying on the floor with what she guessed to be its contents spilled out around it. She picked up the box and the items nearby, putting them back in one by one.

"What is this stuff?" she asked out loud as she stowed away an old baseball. The name 'Dan Howland' was penned in faded ink across its leathery surface. She shrugged and grabbed the next item, an old photograph of two foxes—a young kit and his father. The kit had a wide grin on his muzzle while the older fox wore a more reserved smile, but it was clear how happy the two were. The older fox was also dressed in a neatly pressed, black business suit, a checkered shirt, and a tie of a color Judy couldn't figure out. The photo was in black and white. She flipped it over. Something was written on the back.

"06-17-90," she read. She looked at the older fox again then to the kit. She studied their expressions. "Is…this Nick and his dad? I wonder why he never mentioned him before."

She set the photo down in the box, being extra careful to not damage it. She continued this for everything else that seemed to belong in the box and when she was finished, she got up and shoved it all into the closet. There was no sense in having it someplace else where it could fall again. She closed the closet door and turned to leave the room, but stopped as her foot brushed against something—a crumpled up piece of paper.

Judy unfolded the paper and blinked in surprise upon seeing a drawing of two foxes standing in front of a shop. There was no doubt that it was done by a young child, possibly by even Nick himself from all those years ago. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the words 'Wilde and Son's' written above the doorway to the store. She stared at it uncomprehendingly. Why was something like this crumpled up like a piece of trash?

She brought it over to the box and added it to the rest of the collection. She stepped out of Nick's room and glanced at the box for another second before closing the door behind her, not bothering to lock it. As she walked back to his couch, a series of questions sprung up in her mind on top of the ones she already had. Where did the things in the box come from? How long had Nick had them for? What did they all mean?

Judy didn't know the answers to any of those questions, but she had a whole week to find out.

For those of you who might remember, the main change here is that there's an extra first part. Disregard the fact that the scene, before it was rewritten, was part of chapter one. There are some minor edits throughout the rest of it to try to keep it consistent. If you find any errors, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!