Finally got this beast done. This installment isn't quite as tight as I might like, but I wanted to get this wrapped up.
Then back to work.
Nick and Judy were up early to do breakfast together and then make their triumphal return to the precinct. Or, more accurately, tried to slide in rather inconspicuously. They had actually been back to the precinct a couple of times to deal with administrative details and to get Nick physically cleared for duty, but this was the first real day back to duty.
The whole Judy going rogue and Nick going undercover was suppose to be secret. A rather creative alternate version had been issued instead that explained their disappearance and his injuries that sidestepped some of the more sensitive details. Judy didn't like the necessity, but was content with just avoiding having to repeat the fiction as much as possible.
Nick was happy to weave an elaborate tale that grew and mutated with each retelling, careful to keep any actual facts as far away as possible.
They had intended to pop into the bullpen just before Bogo to keep the pre-briefing socializing to a minimum, but didn't anticipate Whitefoot coming in behind them. As he passed the pair, his nose flared ever so dramatically and he did a double take on them. Then smiled, oh so broadly, before he went to the backbenches with several of his wolfish comrades.
Nick cringed. "Oh glob, those wolves and their noses."
Judy took a fraction to realize what he meant, and was in the process of groaning out loud with her face in her paws when Bogo entered.
"And thank you ever so for that warm welcome." Grumbled the Buffalo.
But the rest of the briefing went along well enough. Bogo handed out assignments to Nick and Judy as though they had never been gone. Routine patrol. However, as they were leaving, the Chief made a little aside, "You'll need to see Clauhauser before you go out."
The pair shared a bit of a cringe at that. They'd been gone, together, for the last month, and the forever romantic Cheetah no doubt had fantasized all manner of scenarios that they may have indulged in.
They headed out to the front where Clauhauser kept a now much tidier desk. The Original Bellwether plot and his reassignment had shocked him into a more professional image, but he'd recently backslid a bit. The poster terrorist case had reinvigorated his attention and he was again the pristine first face of the ZPD.
He caught sight of the two and refrained from squeeing, but only by pressing his paws to his muzzle in delight.
"Think he remembered us?"
"Nah, we're just anonymous cogs in the vast Zootopia machine, so why would he?"
"Hey, Spots!"
"You guys are back! I was so worried, what with all that happened!" The huge cat was almost to tears in his delight and relief. "And how are you two doing?" Motioning between the Judy and Nick.
"Yes, my dear Benjamin, Hopps tended my wounds and soothed my fevered brow. Yet our relationship remains chaste, as it ought, as fellow officers of the ZPD." Nick dryly explained.
Clauhauser's expression fell for a moment, then, he cocked his head, seeing something off behind. Nick and Judy both turned to see a couple of wolves abruptly not doing something. Turning back to the Cat, they saw his face blossom in delight again.
"You're MATED?" He could barely squeeze out the words.
"What!? No!" The pair said in unison.
Then Nick leaned in to confess, "Okay, I did mark her. What else could I do? I mean, look at her!" He made a presenting gesture to Judy.
Clauhauser stifled the urge to squee again, but looked like he was about to burst from the effort.
Judy rolled her eyes. "Clauhauser. Please. I did take his mark." She gave Nick a hard glance, and continued at a near whisper, "But that's all. It's not like we're going to get married anytime soon."
"But that's still so wonderful! I knew you two would make a great couple." Clauhauser gasped, then recovering a moment, was reminded of something that immediately produced a guilty grimace. "Uhmm. You guys know the precinct has several betting pools going, don't you?"
Nick looked to Judy with a growing trepidation, and she attempted to remain neutral though hissed, "And you have one for us?"
The huge cat shrank back and whispered, "Several."
She rolled her eyes in the kind of exasperation that was more appropriate to a childish prank, then counted off, "Let me guess, first kiss, first real date, getting marked," Her tone got sharper, "Consummation," And shot Nick a death glance, "Formal engagement, and then marriage?"
Clauhauser squeaked faintly, "I didn't start it. The whole squad came at me for it."
"How big a pot for getting marked?"
"Only two hundred and fifty."
"Only?" Then Judy cringed and waved her hand, "No, I don't want to know."
"So, when, what date?"
"The seventeenth," Judy huffed.
The Cheetah pulled a fat binder out from his desk. "Let me see... None for the exact date, but closest would be Skippel, over in cyber security. Good for her."
Nick and Judy shared a glance. "I didn't think she cared."
That taken care of, Clauhauser observed, "How long 'till your pelt comes back in? The new dye job isn't quite - ya know." Referring to Judy's attempt at restoring her color. She'd bleached herself out then applied a blonde coloring for her turn as 'Nicole Savage', but the new dye job left her with a somewhat muddier version of her old greys.
"The rest of the season, I'm afraid." Judy was not normally a vain creature, but she had prided herself on her clean colors.
"There's a salon I know that might help, but I know what it's like." He brought out his tablet and brought up an image. It appeared to be a very young him, a gangly youth, in purple. "I couldn't resist, it was my junior year. And it was a permanent dye, so I had to wear it for the whole of the season myself."
Nick couldn't help but take a peek further in Clauhauser's file and stopped a few images on. "Benjamin, you've been holding out on us." And he held out the tablet for Judy to see.
It was a younger and trimmer Clauhauser in ZPD SWAT gear, holding a particularly ferocious looking gun.
"Yeah, that's me." And he looked a bit contrite about that. "I was in SWAT when I first joined, a sharp-shooter, but without a lot of action, I began to snack..."
"Huh. Next time we're on the range, you ought to show us a thing or two, eh?" Nick suggested.
"O-em-goodness, yes! I can get some time with my baby again!"
It wouldn't be until fall that both Nick and Judy had accrued enough leave time to go back to see her family.
"Think they'll remember me?" Nick taunted.
"How could they not, after Dad's announcement? And the little ones will be all up about 'Unka Nick' and his wonderful tail."
"About that. You know that my magnificent brush is a rather special part of my anatomy, both in practical terms and in vulpine culture. As such, it is most unsuited as the play toy for uncouth little bunnies."
"You don't seem to mind when this little bunny plays with it." Judy purred in a most sultry fashion.
"Madam, how dare you suggest that I'd submit to such lewd practice?"
"Hardly 'submit', you wanton beast."
Nick and Judy were now increasingly comfortable about being more than just friends, though were careful in their public and professional conduct. So much so that Clauhauser had been dismayed at one point, assuming they'd broken up. But it was just that they didn't need obvious gestures. Just the reassuring glimpse of a tail, or the little whiff of the other was enough to get them through the day.
That detail was going to be important when they got back to the 'Burrow, as there were still a lot of folk who might object to public displays of affection between some city-slicker fox and innocent home-town bunny. That, unfortunately included some within the Hopps family.
"And remember, no 'eating' jokes." Judy belated remembered to remind Nick as she saw the station coming into view.
"Oh poo!" And Nick pantomimed tossing out file cards of jokes he was perusing. "All my best material."
There was only a smallish hoard of rabbits waiting for them as they got off the train. Bonny and Stu held back to allow the youngsters to greet their famous sister and the exotic beau. Nick would have been happy to just let the crowd swarm Judy. He could see how she loved to reconnect, and suspected she missed them more than she let on.
But now he had his own well-wishers to deal with. Several hearty handshakes from the Bucks and little tugs from the tiny ones lusting after his tail. What he very carefully Did Not Notice were the appraising looks he got from some of the Does. A very much younger and less discrete fox could get into a lot of trouble here. A point he'd have to ask Judy about later.
Back at the Hopps compound there were even more welcomes and introductions. Nick very theatrically fell down in dismay at the wave of the littlests who were eager to sample the Fluffy Uncle. True, there were a few who held back, young and old, but seeing the majority delighting in the swarm of kits and the 'cruel and savage' Todd that was in the middle of the roil of fur, was heartening for Judy.
But she could not but notice some of the looks she got from some. If it were just a matter of their prejudice towards her Fox, she could live with that. Though disappointing, it was simply going to be an unhappy fact and not so different than the reactions from some in the city. But she knew that some of the stink eye was aimed at her and her unconventional career choices.
Her family had not actively prevented her from her interests. More concerned with what they feared would be her crushed dreams when faced with what they thought was the practical impossibility of her goal; they constantly voiced their concerns for her sake. As she had a particular drive and never thought that failure was even possible, she took it all as loving concern. It was the reaction she got from a few that was a different matter.
Like most folks in the 'Burrow, the Hopps clan was bound by tradition and practical conformity. Everyone knew their place and the expected roles they were to play in the family and society. That's how thing had always been done, and for good reasons. Judy's ambition flew in the face of all that.
Whether it was xenophobia, demand for conformity, fear of social reactions, or the petty outrage over not following The Rules, she was all too aware of the anger, even hate, directed at her then, and the lingering animus even now.
But they were not who mattered to her and her relationship with the rest of the family, and, anymore she felt more like pity for those who couldn't let go and move on.
As Nick was anchored by the crush of youngsters, Judy found herself similarly set nearby, which attracted the attention of the youngest as well, eager to have an adult who'd sit still for them. Though dutifully caring for her siblings growing up, she'd never been all that maternally inclined. These new little kits, her nieces, nephews, and cousins were not so bad, maybe not so much as to be thinking about having her own, but not nearly as awful as her teen memories.
They were able to wrest themselves away from the fluffle and rest of the day was spent showing Nick the farm, their previous visit had been a bit compromised by circumstance and he only now got the grand tour. Then a pleasant evening being mauled by youngsters yet again. Then, later, after bedtimes, polite but pointed conversations with various kin about the future.
"So, what Are you two about now?"
"Yes, we're a couple. And to be really honest, exactly where we're going with that- we don't entirely know.
"Are you going to get formal about it?"
'Maybe." "Probably." "Eventually." "While we technically can get married, it would be - complicated. Especially for our circumstance in the ZPD. Technically, police officer partners can't be in relationships, as it could jeopardize their reactions. Becoming too protective of each other in a situation, for example."
"But that's not what you're thinking about. Obviously, we're not going to have any offspring between us. That is something we've already discussed. For now, we're all about being officers, so becoming parents in any form would not be a thing anytime soon. But the future? How weird would it be for me to be a house husband and father to someone we adopt? Don't know. But it could be an option. Or not. Would you love Judy any less if she never was a mother?"
Those kind of thoughts were on both Nick and Judy's mind when they finally called it a night, so they were rather quiet getting ready for bed. Given their acknowledged status, they got a guest bedroom intended to accommodate couples. Once in the oversized bed, thick with billowy full comforters and pillows, all the better to nest into, Nick had to ask.
"Say, Judy." The 'J-word' meant something, and she turned to him with her full attention.
Very cautiously he continued, "I couldn't help but notice a certain something with some of your sisters."
"Ah, you saw that." Judy gave him a sly grin. "Before I went off and became this wild and crazy, off in the big city, interspecies things were not exactly forbidden, but it just wasn't done. But that didn't mean no one ever thought about it. The girl talk back in high school - ." Judy blushed at the memory.
"But all that was speculation due to the overwrought expectations of what sex was about." She sighed. "Bunnies do it, but it's hardly the ultimate erogenous experience that popular culture hypes." Judy made a sad sigh. "We're just not wired that way." She gripped Nick's paw and gave him an apologetic half-smile.
Nick made some faces of his own. They had skirted around this subject before. Judy had been oh so concerned about Nick's social life and well-being earlier on, fearing that he was selling himself short with her instead of a vixen who could provide him with more of his natural needs. He could tell her concerns were still there in some small part.
"As I've reassured you countless times," As he pulled her close to nuzzle her head and ears, "Foxes do not live by sex alone. True, in the moment, it is more of a spine-tingler for us, but it's not Why we do it." He pulled away to give her a good look into his eyes.
"You know what your average Todd thinks about when he's checking out someone? Its not for a superficial erotic experience, 'she's gonna be hot in bed', kind of thing. But, rather, 'I'd want to fill a den with kits with her', and any sex thoughts are only the means to that end."
And he immediately regretted the explanation, seeing her reaction. "I'm sorry Judy, I didn't mean to imply anything about us in that." He pulled her close again and inhaled her scent. "What I'm driving at is our relationship isn't about instinctual drive. Or social or cultural expectations of how we are 'suppose' to act. I'm not here for a bunny, or a female, or possible brood partner or any of that. I'm here for the heart and soul of Judith Lavern."
"Uhm, heart and soul?" She repeated in mock concern.
"Yes. I've got this little box I collect then in." He was so relieved that she was finally getting beyond her earlier reservations about their relationship.
"So, that's what that was." Judy returned thoughtfully.
"Oh. Back to the thing about the sisters. Like I said, there was a lot of speculation about sex and species. Fortunately, the school had a rather comprehensive sex-ed program, kept rather dry and clinical, but was very helpful in keeping teen pregnancies down. But it didn't stop experimentation."
"Oh my."
"Well, as previously confessed, I did try some things, but never with another species back then. There were some others who did, but never really going public or for any length of time."
Judy pulled back to give her fox a good look. "Then I met you." She smiled and gripped his paw. "Since then, let's say horizons have been broadened. Not like I expect anyone to seriously hook up with another fox anytime soon. Especially with the lack of eligible young prospects around."
Cruel sunrise. Nick whined with the death beams of the nuclear furnace that threatened his body and soul. And in that, realized why this particular guest bedroom was so aligned. It was on the one corner of the Hopps main house that would get the first blasts of the hell fire that was morning. Alarm clocks could be shut off or destroyed, but there were no drapes or shutters to block the blast of light.
"Good morning sleepyhead." The cruelest blow of all, the cheerful chirp of his best beloved.
"How can I resist the dulcet tones of such an evil beast as you?" He got up, not all that hard, once he overcame the bed inertia. He saw that she was already groomed and dressed for the day's activity.
'Mom's holding breakfast for you, including coffee." A special accommodation for the drug-loving fox. Rabbits could only tolerate weak teas.
"Ah, the elixir of life." Though truth be told, he had to watch his intake, as canids and caffeine were not a good match either.
Though it had been discussed well in advance, when it came time to head out, Nick needed to add some drama in the day's proceedings.
"So, what are we now? Reduced to a road-side attraction?" Nick regarded the prospect of staffing the family produce stand with some theatrical lack of enthusiasm. They were trooping out with several of the Hopps siblings to the storage sheds to pick up the daily wares.
"This is the tail end of blueberry season before we get into more obvious fall crops, so I thought you'd like to get in on it."
"Well, if that's the case, I better get'em while I can."
Then, as he entered the shed, he saw it. Racks of flats of blue berries, scores of flats of blue berries, and the scent of all those thousands, maybe millions? Of fruit.
"oh my." He whispered. He turned to Judy, "Okay, I can do this."
"This will likely be the last of the fresh crop, we'll be freezing what we don't sell today, as it has a rather finite shelf life."
They hauled several handcarts of produce out to the stand, along with the berries; there was a wide array of fall fruits and vegetables.
"I know it was a terrible bit of stereotyping to think you guys grew just carrots, but I didn't know you did such a range."
"We like to keep diversified, as well as rotating the crops to keep the soil good." Judy noted, "And because we do so, we get better quality without resorting to supplements. And, since we don't do large single type cash crops, we keep our exposure to market and growing conditions down."
"You can't be making all your income off your road side, can you? And about that, aren't you in competition with every other farmer in the county?"
Jacob answered that, "No, we have several restaurants we supply, as well as the growers co-op. We're not the biggest spread, but we still end up dealing with yields in the tons, so have wholesale customers. As for our stand sales, since we do a whole range of crops, we have the advantage of a one-stop-shop."
"And," Piped in Jasmine, "Even among farmers, variety is the spice of life. We do several varieties of veggies, but the next stand over will have some other varieties. Then the individual growing conditions and exactly when and how they get harvested put a spin on things. You ought to see a seed catalog to get a feel for how many variations on any one type are out there."
As they got the displays set up, Beth pulled out her smart 'phone and brought up a link to some varietals images, "Here, Nick, check out just the blue berry listings."
Nick was stunned. Page after page of varieties. His curiosity piqued, he checks on a few other vegetables and found even more. "I had no idea."
As they prepared the stand, Nick noticed the space left for other things. "What else are we peddling?"
Judy gave him a wicked smile. "Gideon's pastries."
Nick gasped in shock, gave a most theatric clutching to his heart, then went for his wallet. "No, not enough cash! And you guys don't take cards do you?"
Beth saw what was going on and joined in to torment the fox. She held up her smart 'phone and clipped a card reader to it. "So - what is your credit limit, Red?"
Nick whimpered. Then winked. "As much as I'd like to indulge, Judy is determined that I keep my trim figure and I dare not think of the cruel exertions she'd inflict on me if I gained so much as an ounce." He put his wallet away. "Such is the terrible fate of self-denial that a thoroughly domesticated fox must face."
This, of course, did not prevent him from 'sampling' Gideon's wares when he brought them in a little later. But only after some very heartfelt greetings. The baker seemed to have recovered from his ordeal and confessed that, in the long run, his business was actually up. The old adage of 'any publicity is good publicity' seems to have worked in his favor.
The poster/rabbit crisis had, much like the Bellwether plot before, refocused attention on lingering issues of interspecies friction. And like the previous event, had, for the most part, opened some eyes and changed some minds.
Judy did notice some stink eye from a couple or three as they slowly drove by, looking the situation over. She nudged Jacob. "Yeah, your career choice wasn't uniformly welcomed in the wider 'Burrow either." He was all too aware of the mixed reactions within the family as well. "As for poor Gideon, I'd wager that most of the kids he bullied when he was little have, at least moved on. Thankfully, the 'we hate Gideon' crowd is small, but seem to be pretty much irrationally rabid strangers to him personally."
"And how do people feel about Nick?"
"I'd say he's more of a subset of the Judy problem than a full on separate issue. Those who support you pretty much support him by extension. There's a lot less fox-specific concern about him than you might imagine." Jacob grinned, looking over at Nick fully engaged with several of the youngest. "That he gets along so well with the kits really helps."
"Yeah." Judy never ceased to marvel, "He has such a way with the little ones of any species. Don't know if it's a parental thing or he's just too much a kid himself."
Jacob looked at Judy looking at Nick and smiled.
Of course, as the word got around that the Hero Saviors of Zootopia and all that were on hand, there was an extra level of interest in the crowds to stop and shop. True, the actual volumes were never much of a 'crowd' a dozen folks at most at any one time, and any number were just friends and neighbors, out to chat and compare notes on the crops and such. And if anyone happened to want to, Nick and Judy were more than happy to pose for selfies and sign autographs. They didn't have anything like photos, but did have some Hopps Farms fliers and even a few ZPD pamphlets.
"I could actually get to like this." Nick smugged as he dramatically scrawled out his signature one more time.
"Just remember that you have to keep up the day to day hero-ing too." Judy reminded, "You're only as good as your last press release."
"Well, if that falls through, I can always fall back on being the Fluffy One for all these." It seemed that Nick now had a permanent little halo of kits around him.
Or at least until the day began to wind down. The little ones were finally leaving Nick alone, likely to not be on hand for end of day tear down of the booth. The crowds were thinning out and during a lull; Judy noticed a medium size cat, in a big floppy hat and bright sundress, concealed behind big sunglasses, standing off to the side. "Nick?" She tipped her head towards the mystery cat.
He shrugged, "Not every cat is our spook." Then he took a second look. "Nah, couldn't be."
She cautiously approached the stand. "Nice produce, and I take it the fruit in the pastries are yours as well?" That accent.
"Anlef?"
She took off her sunglasses and with a timid smile, said, "Call me Mara."
Don't expect any more in this specific story line, though other shorts and one shots could be considered to be coming off this or variations of such. Next new story, in one of these days, would be a restart, another what next after the movie sequel, taken in a very different direction.