Beep. Beep. Bee- Click!

17:00

Finally, five o'clock! I've been waiting for that watch alarm! How many tickets did I end up with? One hundred and twenty-five. Not bad. I should fill up the tank this time, just in case I need to come back later. I stop at the gas station I hit this morning and take the jokester back into the storage garage.

17:32

Hopefully Nick hasn't been waiting for too long. As I undo my safety vest and take off my hat I start walking towards the old hook to hang them up. I almost have a hard time putting them back. Thank you. I think as I put them away. Thank you for letting me have a better day. Even if I broke down over lunch. I enter the entry room of the station and see Nick pestering Clawhauser.

"Hopps!" Clawhauser calls me over. "I hear you went back to Parking Duty today!"

"Yeah, I thought I'd change it up for the day. Take a break from all of the cases." I walk over to them two and nudge Nick.

"We'll see you around Benji. Have a good one." Nick waves off to Clawhauser as we walk out of the station.

Nick and I walk out of the station. The sun is starting to set behind the buildings and I take out the neckerchief and clench it tight. Neither of us say a word for more than half of the walk. We just look around each other and he keeps trying to place his paw around me. I just can't break down while we are in the street. So I pushed him away a few times.

"So Carrots. How are you liking your new apartment?" Nick asks.

I can barely speak. "It's nice. I can't sleep very well. I think it's because I don't have any more yelling walls." I lie. "I have a small kitchen now, so that's nice."

"Oh yeah, I remember. I bet you are an amazing cook." Nick tries to cheer me up. I think he knows what we are going to be talking about tonight.

I try to shake it off, at least for now. "Oh I've made my way around a few meals, Nick. You know what? I know exactly the thing." I am going to make him a pie.

"Well then Bunny, maybe you should teach me some time." Nick loosens his tie as we get closer to my apartment. "Ah, I can't wait to take this belt off. After a while it really starts to feel heavy."

"It helps if you don't carry food in every pouch." I poke at him.

"Like these?" Nick replies, taking out the bag of produce I gave him earlier in the week.

"Nick, put that away! You'll spoil dinner!" I punch him in the arm lightly and roll my eyes.

I am very lucky I found Nick. He didn't have to give me his name that day I met him. He didn't have to help me as much as he did. He doesn't even have to be here. But he is. We walk up to my apartment building. We use the elevator and go up to the twenty-third floor of the complex and enter my apartment. I fold back Nick's gift to me and place it back into my pocket.

Nick takes off his work belt on the kitchen table and surveys the room. "You have a couch? When did you get that?" Nick says as he plunges into the cushions.

"My neighbor across the hall, the beaver, she moved out and gave it to me last week." I tell him.

"She didn't stay long." Nick says with his eyes closed on the couch. "Can't blame her though, I'd have to move away if you were my neighbor too." I see him smirk with one eye open.

I throw my belt on his face. "Whoops. Sorry. Now get over here and help me. I have a thing I want to make I'm sure you'll love."

Nick begrudgingly falls onto the floor from the couch and then picks himself up and walks over to the kitchen with me. "Alright Carrots, what are we doing?"

"I need a few things. I'm going to start getting the counter clean. Can you get the basket on the other side of the sink? The one with the red cloth on it? Don't eat any of it!"

Nick looking confused at my request goes over to get the basket as I wipe down the counter and get a pan out. "Did your parents send you this?" Nick asks.

"Yes they did! I see you found what's in it. You didn't eat-" I turn and see Nick has blue all over his mouth "-any of.. Nick! Those were for the pie!"

"Well you should've told me then!" Nick says while eating another blueberry.

"I did! Stop it!"

"Relax Bunny" Nick says with his mouth full. "There is still plenty more. And a pie huh?"

"Yes a pie! I know how much you like my family's produce so I want to make you something special. I just don't think I can make one very well." I admit. "But it's for you so it doesn't have to be perfect!" I say nudging him.

"Oh it better be, Carrots!" Nick says as we get to work.

I've needed a night like this for a while. This is the first night Nick has been here since he helped me move. Nick was even able to get me a TV for my place. We put the pie in the oven and talked for a while on the couch, while eating my leftovers from the night before, about previous cases and about our families.

"Thank you." I tell him.

"For what Hopps?" He suddenly realizes the reality of what is about to come.

"It's been two years, Nick. Two very long years. And all the while you've been there for me, even when you didn't have to. Thank you." I begin to feel tears. Oh no, here it comes. "Nick. I hurt so many people. So many innocent kids now are subject to hate and distrust. Friendships destroyed. Crime. And when that tiger ran over that pig a few months ago out of hatred, it's.." I shove my face into the couch and muffle out "..because of me."

Unable to stop myself from crying Nick reaches over to comfort me. "Judy, you can't blame yourself. Predators and Prey have never gotten along. You just can't change everybody." Nick comes in closer and embraces me. "You are amazing Judy. You do so much good for the city, we'd all be lost without you. Some more than others."

I gasp out between tears "Would you be able to.. Nick.. can you.."

"Of course I will. You know you never have to be alone." Nick tries to smile, but I know he feels lost. "I'll be right out here on the couch ok?"

I nod and barely manage to tell him "Thank - you." I reach over to the TV remote and toss it to him and bury my face into the couch.

"Carrots, you don't have to put on such a mask all of the time. It's ok to have doubts. To have fears. To feel pain. You don't have to let them see it gets to you, but you can always talk to me when it does. I'll always protect you." Nick squeezes me tight and I know in this instant I am safe. I am cared for.

Beep! Beep! Beep! – Beep! Beep! Beep! – Beep! Bee-

Nick ran over to get the pie out of the oven. The timer went off and I couldn't move.

"I got to say Carrots, this pie smells amazing!" I can feel his eyes on my back. "Judy, come on out here. We did this together."

Sniffling, I get up and start walking towards him "Ok." He finds some plates and starts slicing out a couple pieces of blueberry pie for us.

"We need to get your parents to send you more of this stuff Hopps. You are an amazing baker." I keep trying to dry out my eyes and nod to him. I know he's trying to make me feel better.

I can't eat anything. I let the pie slice just sit there. "Nick, I, I can't thank you enough. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm going to go to bed though. If you need any blankets they are still in the closet before my bedroom." I start shuffling away from the kitchen to my bedroom.

As I get ready for bed I hear out in the main room Nick turn on the TV. Sounds like he is watching some show about ex-cons. Funny, I guess I never expected him to watch something like that. I sit on my bed for a moment, the neckerchief in paw, looking out my window towards the city. It's seems so serene, so beautiful at night from the lights from the buildings, to the warm red glow of the wall, and the sounds of peacefulness. After a few moments I close my blinds and start walking over to turn off my lights when I hear Nick get up. I look out the door and see him walking my way.

"Nick, is there something wrong?" I ask.

I see nothing but worry in his eyes. "As long as you're going to be ok Judy, I'll be ok. So you tell me."

"I'm fine Nick, really. Thank you for being here tonight. Thank you for this." I show him the neckerchief in my paw. "I needed to have someone to know. I'll be fine, I promise. Have a good night Nick." I close the door.

I hear on the other side Nick open the closet for the blankets. "Have a good night Bunny, if you need anything, I'll be right out here."

I place Nick's gift on my nightstand. As I'm reaching for the light switch something happens.

PZZZT… POP

Loud noises continue to crack and pop as the lights flicker. The room goes dark. Quiet. I hear Nick sprinting to my door and it swings open.

"Carrots! Are you alright? What happened?" His heart is nearly jumping out of his chest.

"I don't know Nick. But the power is out now.." I remark. "We better get some sleep Nick, set your phone alarm for the morning just in case mine doesn't go off. After all we both work in the morning."

"Alright Hopps. Have a good night. I guess I'm bad luck after all." Nick turns and begins to close the door.

"Nick! You are not bad luck. The power isn't your fault. I don't know what I'd do without you. Now get some rest, we do both work tomorrow. Maybe we can have Bogo let you shove off the paperwork and go on patrol with me again." I smile. "Have a good night Nick. I'll see you in the morning."

Nick closes the door and goes into the main room. I hear him crash onto the couch and I begin to think of him for a while. I finally manage to fall asleep. I dream of days past. The times Nick and I have together. I don't know what I was doing while I was asleep, but I'm fairly sure I was finally smiling and laughing today.

BOOM!

The apartment shakes me violently awake. "What the- what time is it?" I reach for my phone.

BOOM! CRUNCH! BOOM!

What is happening? I hear Nick call out "Judy! Are you alright?! What's going on?"

I charge to open my door to make sure he is ok, turns out he had the same idea as we butted heads outside my room. BOOM! "Are those explosions?!" Nick yells.

"I don't know! The power is still out! What time is it?" I check my phone. Four thirty in the morning.

BOOM!

Nick runs past me and into my room to look out the window. He turns slowly back to look at me with nothing but horror in his eyes. "Judy. The Climate Wall. It's… it's gone."