My song of inspiration was Dreams by Bastille. I dunno, just the right tone. This is a request as well as the finisher to last chapter. Basically last chapter was the set up for this request cause it didn't work any other way. lol I hope it's as fun to read as it was to write. Enjoy!
"Give me. The key." Judy clenches a fist at her side and extends the other to the cell guard. Her eyes burn dangerously. She already has the cell key, but that isn't the one she so desperately needs.
He shakes his head. "You know I can't do that. Violent animals have to be-"
"Violent?" Judy's lips curl back in a snarl. "Nick is not violent. I don't care what they say. Besides, he's locked up! What's he gonna do? Huh, huh? He doesn't need that damned muzzle on anymore. And you know it." She points her finger in his face.
The guard blinks down at her. "I'm sorry."
Judy laughs coldly and with a clear edge. "Look, you have two choices. Either you give me the key, or I take it from you." She narrows her eyes.
"Are you threatening me?" He meets her gaze unflinchingly.
"No, it's a promise."
"Enough!" Bogo's voice resounds throughout the space. "Just give her the key." He sighs and presses his fingers to his temple.
Judy flashes a smug smirk at the guard.
"But Judy," Bogo says her name with such emphasis that she can't help but jump slightly. "Watch yourself. You may be an officer, but that does not give you free reign. You know the law, so I suggest you stick to it."
Judy bows her head, but she can't curb the disdain in her eyes. "Yes, sir." She yanks the key away from the guard and sprints off the Nick's cell. She unlocks it in an instant and rushes inside. "Nick!"
Nick trashes about inside the cell. He smashes his head against the wall as he pulls uselessly on the steel muzzle on his face.
"Nick, calm down. I'm gonna help you." Nick doesn't react at all to her voice. It's as if he didn't hear her. Is he really so frenzied? So Judy seizes him by his tie and jerks him down. "Hey." She looks him dead in the eye. "Listen to me."
Nick's breathing is ragged. "Judy, it won't come off. It's stuck. I can't-I can't…" His hysteria spikes again.
"I know. I've got it." She soothes. "Just hold still." She reaches around and slips the key into the lock. It clicks and she slips the muzzle off his face. She lets out a breath. "There." She lets the thing clatter to the ground and reaches up to run her hands over his snout. "It's off now."
Nick sinks to the ground as relief overwhelms him. "Thank you." He gasps. The panic tapers off and his heart and breathing return to normal.
"No problem." Judy smiles, letting her hands leave his face as she takes a small step back. "I had to break a few arms to get it, but you know, whatever."
Nick puffs out a laugh. "Seriously," He runs his hands over his face. "I don't think I could have…" It's an overreaction as much as her when someone touches her unexpectedly, but that doesn't take away the very real fear.
"I know." Judy curls her hands around her arms. Her eyes swim with pain. "I'm sorry they did that to you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them."
"It's not your fault, Carrots. I'm just glad you were able to do what you did."
Judy moves forward and wraps her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm going to get you out of here." Her voice wavers with emotion despite her efforts. "I promise."
Nick hugs her back. "I know you will, Carrots." If anyone can figure out what the hell is going on with him then it is definitely her.
Judy pulls away. She stands and stares at him for a long time, hating the thought of leaving him in a place meant for criminals. He is not a criminal. Still, there is nothing she can do for him here. So in the end she turns away, picks up the muzzle, and leaves, locking the cell as she goes.
Nick stares at the place she once stood long after she is gone. Unlike her, he has nothing more he can do. His only solace is knowing she won't stop until he is free. "Good luck, Carrots."
As the day goes by the pressure in his head slowly builds. Each day Judy comes back to visit him and each day he struggles more and more to hide the pain he is in. Where the hell is it even coming from? It's just like those days after he was stung. That means he is going to forget again soon. Anything he does will be a black space. His only solace is that he is at least confined here in this cell. Like this he won't be able to do anything terrible like he apparently did before. Right…?
He tosses and turns in the cell. He can't sleep and he knows with unnerving certainty that this is the day. He'll just stay down this time though. He won't wander about like an idiot – not like he can now. His mind muddies and he sinks below the surface. Unfortunately he is very much conscious.
There is noise outside of his cell – a soft shuffling. He lifts his head to peer out. Perhaps it is Judy. Only he sees no one. At first silence is all that greets him. Then there is a voice, enticing yet unnerving all at once. "I'm back." It whispers. He knows the voice, but he can't place it. "I know you missed me."
Nick shakes his head. He may not remember this person, but he knows without a doubt he wants nothing to do with them. They make his hair stand on end. Yet he listens with intensity despite this unsettling feeling.
"I told you I'd come for you. I promised. And her I am. So come with me, darling."
Nick whimpers. He grabs his ears and pulls them down. "No." His voice trembles. "No. I don't want to. You can't make me." Yet his body aches to listen. Why? He doesn't want to. No. He doesn't. His mind screams at him, but it is making no difference.
"I won't make you do anything. You want to be with me. You know you do. Just do what you want. Come."
Nick picks himself up and stumbles to the edge of the cell. "Don't make me do it. Not again." He doesn't know what he means, but deep down there is a terrible pit in his stomach and he feels sick over what he did, whatever it was.
"I told you. I don't make you do anything. You want to do it. You're a predator. A monster. My little monster."
"Your…monster." He says in a daze. Still, small whines escape his lips. No, no. He isn't. He never has been. No. Yet he doesn't retreat. He waits with his hands clasped around the bars of the cell.
The figure steps around the corner into full view. Bellwether stands before him, a smile twisting her face and a malicious glint in her eyes. She unlocks the cell and grabs Nick by the arm, jerking him down to her level. "Good boy." She clasps a collar around his neck and releases him. She is sure to speak into the voice modifier as she says, "Mommy's so proud." He is so out of it as long as she keeps her voice altered he will never be able to place her.
She directs him down on all fours and leads him out by the leash attached to the collar. Step three is now in motion.
…
Judy sits out on the curb with her face resting in her hands, the darkness of the night seeping into her very veins. She breathes deeply in and out, trying to keep a handle on her cracking mind. It has been days and yet she is no closer to figuring this thing out. She has revisited the crime scene countless times now and each and every time it only becomes more and more clear that Nick did in fact do this. His teeth marks litter the body of the victim and his fur is all over area as well as in the victim's own mouth. He had fought back. She wants to believe the other animal attacked first and Nick only acted in self-defense, but that body is decimated. It goes far beyond self-defense. It was cold blooded murder plain and simple. But no! She refuses to believe it. Nick would never do such a thing. Besides, he was acting strangely in the days leading up to the incident. It has to mean something. But for the life of her she just. Can't. Figure. It. Out.
If only she had more time. If only she weren't under such duress. She figured out the Night Howler case. Why can't she figure this one out? The answer is simple – because it is so much more important. Fourteen missing mammals and savage predators were big, don't get her wrong, but this is personal. Nick will suffer if she can't prove his innocence. And that makes it all so much harder. They tested his blood too. There was nothing there, nothing perceptible anyway. That must be the answer, she knows it, yet there is no proof. Nothing. God. She lifts her face and looks miserably across the street to the ice cream shop where she first met Nick. Furious tears blur her vision. She just isn't good enough. She can't be the best without Nick. It is their minds combined that solve cases, not just her and not just him. Them. Together.
She stands and drags her feet as she heads to the scene of the crime for the fiftieth time. There won't be anything to find, not any more than what has been there every time before. Still, she goes. It is her only hope. Eventually she picks up speed and in thirty minutes she is there. A shiver races up her spine despite the familiarity. Night makes this place even more unsettling. Murder was committed here. There is no way around that. And this kind of murder – by animalistic methods – certainly isn't common.
She must get closer though. She has work to do, even if only to keep her mind busy and away from the terrible reality. She moves in and freezes seconds later. Her gaze darts to the shadows and her nose twitches. There was movement there. She saw it. "Who's there?" She tenses, every muscle at the ready. The last thing she needs is for something else to conspire here.
It is Bellwether who steps out of the shadows.
"You." Judy grabs for her gun and aims. "It was you, wasn't it? You did this. And you framed Nick."
Bellwether giggles. "Oh my, what a story. You sure can jump to conclusions can't you dear?"
Judy bares her teeth. "It's no story! It's the truth. Admit it."
"And where's your proof?" Bellwether raises a brow. "Huh?"
"You attacked Nick before. That's all the proof I need. And you returned to the scene of the crime. Just like any criminal."
"Hm," Bellwether's lips twist into a grin. "But will that be enough for all your little police buddies? After all, that poor mammal's blood is all over Nick. And on his teeth."
"See? That hasn't been released to the public! There's no way you could know that without being the one who did this in the first place." Her breathing intensifies. It takes every ounce of control not to shoot her dead, right here, right now. But unfortunately she is right. There is no proof that gives her reason to shoot nor is Bellwether posing any kind of threat as she is. It burns Judy up from the inside out. "So what did you do to him? Huh? What did you inject him with to make him attack that mammal? More Night Howler?" That can't be right though. Those animals go savage and stay savage. Or perhaps she gave him the cure shortly after he did as she wanted. But…why?
Bellwether laughs. "I don't know. Why don't you ask him yourself?" A sinister smile splits her lips. "Nickie." She calls. "Come to mommy."
Judy starts. She drops her arms to her sides, lowering the gun. Her brow creases and her eyes swim with confusion. Nickie…? Mommy? What the hell is going on here? She watches with heightening apprehension.
Nick saunters forward from the darkness on all fours. He looks up at Bellwether, a lightness to his gaze. His tail wags back and forth.
Bellwether snickers. "Good boy." She scratches beneath his chin. "Now, meet Judy." She points to the rabbit.
The shift is immediate. Nick tenses as he jerks around to find Judy. He locks his on her and they narrow instantly. His lips curl back in a snarl and a growl rumbles from his throat.
Judy gasps, the intense hate in his green eyes enough to send a shiver up her spine. What the hell? "N-Nick…" She jerks her gaze over to Bellwether, forcing the shock away in place of fury. "What did you do?" She seethes. She does not overlook the collar with the flashing green light secured around Nick's neck. What is it? Some kind of mind control? She brings the gun back up.
Nick snarls. He lunges forward, but does not make a go at her. It is merely a threat.
Judy jumps. Guilt washes over her in a wave. She was scared of him. After everything she still manages to feel fear. Still, this isn't the same as before. He is quite clearly out of his mind – savage. "Nick!" She keeps her gun on Bellwether but turns her eyes to him. "Come on, it's me. Judy."
Nick growls louder, saliva dripping from his razor sharp teeth.
Judy jumps again. Great. Her name is some kind of trigger. What the heck is she supposed to do about that!?
"Nickie," Bellwether purrs. She frowns and a cold edge flashes in her narrowed eyes. "Sic 'em." She snaps her fingers.
Nick rushes forward. There isn't a beat of hesitation as he closes in.
Judy scurries back, tripping over her feet in her franticness. Her heart hammers in her chest and her breathing grows erratic. This is too much like in the museum with the Nigh Howler case. Only he isn't pretending. Not now. "Nick, Nick, please." She scrambles on all fours, never once turning her gaze away from his approaching figure. "You don't want to do this. This isn't you." Her hand trembles terribly around the gun still in her hand. She doesn't want to use it, can't. Not on Nick. Still, her options are dwindling. What the hell does she do? She grunts as her back hits a wall and runs out of space to retreat. She gasps and stiffens.
Nick lurks closer. Each step is slow now as he approaches. Mere inches separate them, his breath pulsing against her fur.
"N-Nick," Judy's voice is tight. "Don't make me hurt you." She leans as far from him as possible. His breath on her skin makes her hair stand on end and the crazed look in his normally placid eyes paralyzes her. Don't.
Nick stares into her deep purple eyes. For a long moment he does not move, as if reconsidering what he is about to do. Then he lunges, going for the throat.
Judy throws her arms up at the last second, his jaw snapping around her arm. It is a deep and searing pain and she screams. "Nick." She bends her leg inward and jams it out, slamming her foot into his jaw. "Let go!" Over and over she kicks.
Nick is relentless. Each blow jars him and alters his position, but he refuses to relinquish his hold on her.
Judy gasps and whines, tears welling in her eyes as his teeth shred more and more of her arm each time she kicks him. Still, she has no other choice. It's this or shoot him. And she just…she can't. She gives one more powerful kick, knocking him loose.
Nick stumbles back. He shakes his head to ride himself of the daze.
Judy's flurried mind is not eased by this momentary reprieve. It does, however, allow her mind to lock onto a solution she overlooked in her panic. Right! She drops the gun and goes for the tranquilizer in her belt. She rips it out and pulls the trigger, praying for a clean hit.
Nick gasps. His head swims and he sways on his suddenly unsteady feet. He makes strange incoherent sounds somewhere between a whimper and a growl. Then he collapses in a heap.
Judy's chest heaves. Her whole body trembles as the fear releases her and leaves her frazzled. "Nick…" Her voice wavers. "I'm sorry." She runs a hand over her head. "I'm so, so sorry." She says it even though he probably won't be able to remember even a second of this terrible night. She says it for herself, to calm down.
Judy snaps to attention and leaps to her feet. She rushes about the area, looking every which way for Bellwether. Unfortunately there isn't a single sign of the sheep. She growls and slams her fist into the wall of a nearby building. She hisses at the backlash, but she is so frustrated and overwhelmed by every possible emotion that she can barely be bothered to care. She grabs her communicator and calls the Bellwether sighting in as well as requests an ambulance for both her and Nick.
She sighs and makes her way back to Nick. His breathing is steady and remains sprawled out on the ground. It was an elephant tranquilizer after all. He should be out for a good long while. "It'll be alright now, Nick." She plops down next to him and runs a hand over his fur. "Help is on the way." She grazes her fingers over her bloody arm and yanks it back immediately as she hisses. For her too. Man, what a rotten day. Still, she looks to Nick, at least I got him back. She leans over and sinks into his fur. Right now there could be nothing better.
…
Nick wakes in a white room. Oh geez. He's been through this before. What could it possibly be this time though? Last he recalls he was in a prison cell and in a blinding amount of pain. Then…nothing. He jolts upright and his eyes widen. What did he do this time? Did he really escape? But how? Why?
Judy is jostled from sleep and jerks her face up off the bedside. "Nick!" She gains her bearings with alarming speed. The grogginess of sleep has no effect on her in this moment. "How are you feeling?" She grips the edge of the bed with all her might as she leans forward and watches him intently.
Nick is put at ease by her very presence and the pressing questions that first seized him fade away. It can't be too bad if she is here. He rubs his head and grimaces. "Head kinda hurts. My jaw too. Like I got sucker punched."
"Yeah," Judy sighs. "The doctors say there's nothing they can do about that. Whatever the chemical is can't be flushed out of your system. It'll run its course over the next week and then the pain and the blackouts should stop." She frowns. "So you'll have to deal with the pain for a little longer, okay?" She doesn't acknowledge the comment about his jaw. No way is she going there.
Nick's ears fold down. "And the blackouts?"
"They're going to keep you here for the week so that you can be monitored and you don't do anything stupid." It's easier to say 'stupid', as if nothing severe happened during his blackouts. It makes it feel less horrible. And he can't remember anyway. Why bring up the fact he very likely did kill that poor mammal? Or attacked her. She really doesn't want to bring that one up.
Nick perks as he notices the bandages wrapped around her arm. His brows knit together and he frowns. "What happened?"
"Oh, this?" Judy shrugs. She touches the bandage gingerly. "It happened trying to prove your innocence. Casualty of war." She laughs and even after practicing time and time again in the mirror she is surprised by how genuine it sounds. She expected and nervous edge to creep in somewhere.
Nick hums in acknowledgement. "So who was it?"
Judy falters. "I'm sorry?" She chews on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from biting her lip and giving herself away.
"Who killed that guy? If I'm innocent then who really did it?" He tilts his head.
Judy grimaces. "Bellwether." She has never been happier to have a half-truth under her belt. No way she could have said it so believably if she told a straight up lie.
Nick's eyes widen. "Seriously? Her again?" He shakes his head and his lips curl in disgust. "What did she even have to gain from something like that?"
"She just wanted to frame you. To put you through what she endured." More half-truths. She can't tell him about the collar bit yet though, not when his mind is still reeling from the blackouts. They removed the collar hours ago and flushed his system of the chemicals responsible for his loyalty to Bellwether. So unless he starts remembering – and she sorely hopes he doesn't – she might never bring that up. Any of it. Does that make her a bad person? A bad friend? Is it really her choice to withhold his memories just because they might hurt him? She sighs and casts her eyes down.
Nick frowns and his brows knit together. "Carrots? Is something wrong?"
Judy starts out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, no. I was just…thinking. About how we can stop Bellwether." If only she could think about that. It would be a welcome reprieve.
"Alright. But if anything is bothering you, you know you can talk to me." He smiles rather softly down at her and that familiar mild gleam to his eyes has returned.
Judy puffs out a laugh. He really is him again. "Yeah, I know." But this is the one thing she can't. It is up to her and her alone to decide how to act. Conceal so he doesn't feel gut wrenching guilt or reveal so he has all the pieces of himself? Or does he even want those pieces? She just doesn't know.
Moral of this story? Zootopia needs a better jail system. First Bellwether breaks out and now she breaks in and out again? Crazy. On a more serious note, I could have had Nick separated from Judy for far longer and her have to search for him after that first encounter, but that would have just been depressing. I'm depressing enough without even more of it. lol Will they ever catch Bellwether? I dunno bro, it's more fun and eventful with her running amuck in the city. You know it is.
As far as what was happening with Nick, what he was 'stung' by in the other chapter was a chemical that caused his pain to build up until it was so bad he blacked out. In this state he was conscious but was extremely suggestible and since he was in a blackout state he didn't retain memories from that period. The collar was just mind control. She didn't use it on him immediately because she is a terrible person and just likes to screw with him and Judy. Nick being like Bellwether's dog was the part of this story that was a request. Thanks for the super fun idea! Please review.