Copyright Disclaimer
The following is a work of fanfiction: there is no intent of this author to violate, transgress, profit from or infringe upon the Copyright and Intellectual Property (IP) rights of the parent Copyright or IP holders of characters, events or locations belonging to the same which may be contained within this work. To reiterate; this is a Derivative Work meant to be used under Fair Use as described in 17 U.S.C. § 101 and § 107.
All language is either through Google Translate, or the site 'Bits'n'Bob-stones'
The Sons of Efrafa
.
"Adam 54 to Base, suspect vehicle has moved into the container yard; we need eyes in the sky to track them! Have units at all exits to Pier 30, in case we lose track…Jesus, Hopps! …track of them."
"You want to drive, Nick?"
"No thanks; I always sucked at Snake and that Light-Cycle game. WHOA! How the hell are you following them anyway?"
"They have a rock or something in the rear passenger wheel."
"Wait, you can hear that over all this?"
"Just barely, now shut up!...Dammit! I think they stopped somewhere."
"Right. Adam 54 to Base, what's the status on eyes?"
"Stand by, 54… alright, I'm linking a feed to your MDT (Mobile Data Terminal)."
"Alright Base, what are… whoa! Where's this feed coming from? I'm getting vertigo just looking at it."
"It's from a crane operator; he says you're just left of the big block of yellow Hanese containers, two rows inland. He says our perps are at… Queen's Knight to King's Bishop Seven? What's the…"
"I see'em, there Hopps. Go! Base, tell our friend 'Kasparov, Check in three!"
"Base… copies, 54?"
"Okay Nick, care to share? Ha, got ya!"
-Yipe- "Chess, Fluff. Not important now, just tune the super ears. Okay, I think I see where they're gonna come out. Adam 54 to Base, perps are heading for Service Gate 2; have units waiting for them."
"Roger, 54; Raibert and Snarlov are there, dropping a spike strip. Winters and Lupinski are in support."
"Copy Base, flushing them out now. Next left is a straight away, Hopps; punch it!"
"RRAAGGGHHH!"
Chapter 18
Once righted and the trio of Pronghorn sheep pulled out, the wrecked van was a treasure trove of stolen car parts. Interviews with several of the dock workers revealed that this particular group had been chased off of Pier 30 before, for trying to break into containers. Nick suspected they were leftovers from the 'Rave Raid', as the various precincts were calling it; he and Hopps would have to look into that more once they returned to the station house. Of greater immediate interest to Nick and Jacob, was the grey rabbit Judy was currently interviewing; he was the crane operator who had streamed video to Nick and Judy. His seemingly uptight bearing was easy for the fox and hare to recognize as a male desperate to impress a female with his cool poise. It was a monumental effort not to laugh, as Judy seemed to miss the entire thing, being so focused in her police mindset.
"Thank you, Mr. Davis, this was most helpful." Judy handed the rabbit a business card. "If you can think of anything else, don't hesitate to call me, or my partner."
"Please, call me Dickie." He smiled as winningly as possible. His ears drooped when Judy didn't even look up from her note book.
"I'm afraid that would be wholly inappropriate, Mr. Davis, given you are a witness to this crime; any perceived impropriety could negatively impact the investigation."
"I, ah, sorry. I'll just, yeah."
Judy looked up as Davis hung his head and shuffled back to the other longshore mammals, who greeted him with a mix of sympathetic back patting and chuckling. Her nose twitched, and ears swiveled in confusion at the rabbit's sudden change in demeanor. Putting away her note book, she headed back over to Nick and Jacob, who could only shake their heads.
"There she is, ladies and gentlemammals, Judy Hopps," Nick gave a slow clap, "…breaking hearts and shattering dreams the city over."
Judy huffed in frustration. "What are you talking about, Nick?"
Jacob nodded to the retreating crowd of dock workers. "He liked you, and you destroyed him rather spectacularly. Did he give you a bad vibe or something?"
"No," she looked for Mr. Davis in the crowd, "…it just felt like he was hiding something."
"Only the painfully obvious crush, Fluff." Nick turned and headed to their cruiser. "Come on; I'll drive us back to the Station house, so we can get these mammals processed."
"Yeah, let's… wait," Judy patted her pockets, then looked to see Nick jingling both sets of keys in his paws. "Hey!"
…
Hopps and Wilde were patrolling in the Banking district a few days later. When lunch came around, they decided to eat at an open-air café. Nick nursed his Black Bean soup while Judy was gesturing with her Hummus Wrap.
"Your mother on your case again, I take it?" Nick said with a bemused tone.
"Guh!" Judy let her head loll back. "Somehow she heard that I talked to a buck, and now she's planning my inevitable departure from the force to raise his kits."
Nick scrunched his muzzle in confusion. "Talked to a buck? What, the crane driver at the docks the other day?"
"Yup-pop-." Judy looked mildly stricken when her vulpine friend chuckled. "I'm serious, I just don't think I have time for a relationship, but I can't get my parents to understand that. I go out with some random buck, and next thing you know, it's marriage, then a couple of litters and, 'whoopsie!', there goes my career down the drain."
Nick snorted a laugh. "You only learned his name two days ago; worrying about 'tying the knot' seems a little premature. Besides, if he's nice, what's the harm? It would certainly keep the Clawhauser-esque rumors at bay if you hung out with another male besides me and Jacob."
"But I like hanging out with you guys; we have so much fun together and I don't want to give that up." Judy looked genuinely distressed, her eyes down and her ears twitching erratically.
Nick set his soup aside and took one of her paws in his. "Judy." She looked up at him. "You are your own person, and you have the right to live your life on your terms. Nobody, not me, not Jacob, not even you mother has the right to tell you how to live it; and if you want to hang out with other mammals, then you are the only one you are answerable to. So, go out, meet a buck! If they can't deal with you being a career cop, then… are you okay there?"
Judy's ears were now switching between pinching shut and trying to find something. "Sorry, Nick. Can you hear that?"
He let go of her paw. "I don't know, Carrots; can you smell that?"
She tilted her head in confusion. "I don't have your nose, Nick."
"And I don't have your ears, Fluff. Come on, let's settle up and saddle up." He paused when Judy snorted a laugh. "What?"
"Just picturing you in a Stetson, clinging to an Ostrich for dear life."
Nick snorted. "Now I know where that ozone smell is coming from; it's all that hot air coming out of you."
…
Hopps was at her desk the next day when her phone rang. "Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD; if this is an emergency, please hang up and call 911. How may I help you?"
"Hi, Officer; it's Dickie, from the docks?"
Judy hesitated for a moment. "Yes Mr. Davis. What can I do for you?"
"Um, I've talked with the other longshore mammals, and put together a list of dates and times that van has been seen, as well as descriptions of any mammals they have met with."
Her ears shot up in excitement. "That's great! If you can bring that down to the station house, we can get to work right away."
"Yeah, well, my schedule is, well, it's pretty nuts for the next two weeks. The only time I really have available is this Thursday around 6'ish. Could I, meet you somewhere? There's a Diner on Rambler Ave. called Annie's Port; the gang all swear by the place and I keep meaning to go. My treat!"
'And there it is,' she thought to herself, '…the come-on.' "We'll be there, Mr. Davis. Thank you again for this tip."
"We'll? Um, okay. I'll see you then. Bye."
Nick walked into their cubicle just after Dickie hung up. "What's up, Fluff?"
"Got a call; someone wants to share some info with us about the dock job. Are you available Thursday night?"
Nick's 'Hustler-sense' was tingling at her tone but chose to trust her. "I was going to take Zib to the Boardwalk; I got us tickets to see the Z-Pops perform, but I can rain-check; she's understanding like that. Why?"
Judy felt a twinge of guilt at what she was about to do, but it was for a good cause; and really, nobody was going to be hurt by this. "No need for that, they want to meet at a Diner called Annie's Port; it's on…"
"…Rambler Avenue West. They have an incredible Lobster Wellington, and a Sushi Chef straight from Yamato who specializes in Vegan Rolls. A real hidden gem, that place. You've got a CI (Confidential Informant) with good taste; you'll like it!" His unease increased when she scrunched her muzzle and sucked in a breath.
"Ohh, sorry. I've got a, thing that night. But don't worry! I'm sure this won't take more than a few minutes;" Judy swiveled back around to face her computer, "…just pick up the info, thank the mammal and enjoy your date." She couldn't see the look of concern on her partners face.
…
Friday morning at the Bullpen was as raucous as always when Judy walked in. Nadine Fangmeyer was patting her adopted brother Ralph's back while the smaller timber wolf lamented another failed date. Francine arm wrestled both Leo Johnson and Wade Snarlov while discussing her and her husband's impending anniversary vacation. Surprisingly, Nick was already in their chair. His back was straight, coffee cup and manual paws on the table. Judy came over and hopped up. "Good morning, partner!"
"Hopps."
She felt some alarm at his brusk tone, and the fact that he didn't even turn to face her. Shaking her concern off, she pressed on. "You're here early for once. What's the special occasion?"
Nick finally turned to her; the cold look in his eyes would have done Bogo proud. After a moment, he spoke. "Your, CI, came through; we're going to be busy."
Having said his peace, Nick turned to the front and waited in silence. Judy could only sit and wait for the Chief to come in and post assignments. The usual round of pumping up occurred, with the usual postings, until…
"Hopps, Wilde: you're working up a report for the OCT on this information you secured last night. I would tell you good work with that, but as it's literally your job, I'll just leave you to it." There was a round of laughter from the officers left, though Nick remained silent and simply nodded in acknowledgement. His silence caught the Chief's attention. "Make sure you CC myself, Det. Oates and Sgt. Daschle when you file your report. Stick around after morning brief."
With that, he moved on with assignments. Once the last officer had departed, he took off his reading glasses and leveled a stare at Nick. "Is there a problem, Officer Wilde."
Nick remained at attention in his seat. "Yes-sir, but it's personal; it won't affect our duties."
Judy knew the chief had caught Nick's implication, when he glanced her way. She was beginning to seriously worry that whatever had happened last night had damaged her friendship with Nick.
Bogo snorted when there was no further explanation on the matter. "See that it doesn't, you two. This is no place for schoolyard drama. Dismissed." He gathered his notes up and left the two small officers alone in the bullpen.
Nick dropped to the floor and headed to their cubicle, while Judy rushed to catch up with him. Once she got ahead of him, she spun around and blocked his path. "Nick, please! Whatever it is, I'm sorry! Just tell me what I did wrong, so I can make it right."
Nick stood in front of her for a moment, then closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his muzzle. "Judy, not here, and not now; I'm angry, and will likely say something I'd regret. So, let's get to work, and we'll talk when lunch rolls around."
Judy wondered if this was it: was she going to lose her friend? Then something occurred to her as they made their way to the office level; this was all the Chief had given them to do, and Nick fully expected to be busy until at least lunch. How much had Mr. Davis brought last night?
…
47 pages, not including the 17 date and time stamped full-page security camera stills which were cross-referenced throughout the packet; that was how much Mr. Davis had brought with him to give to her. Judy now understood a part of why Nick was upset with her: he couldn't have simply left this in Zabrina's car or his Vespa, and he couldn't have discussed the details of what was inside with Zib present. She owed them both an apology. The three of them, really.
Mr. Davis had really put in the effort on this: there were timelines dating back at least a year, lists of ships and shipping firms that were handling the freight, even names of customs inspectors who were on duty. There was a clear pattern emerging, suggesting a very organized network of smugglers at work, and she'd nearly blown it. By the time lunch came around, she had decided that she owed Mr. Davis that date, at the very least.
She was about to ask Nick where he wanted to go for lunch, when he set a package down in front of her. Opening it, she saw a green seaweed wrap with rice, shredded carrots, and avocado. She looked up again when she heard the microwave in the break room ding, to see she was alone. Nick returned a few moments later with a steaming pastry of some kind. Nick held up a paw to forestall comment. "Eat, then we'll talk."
Once the last morsel was eaten, and the last crumb cleaned up, Nick turned to fully face Judy. "You used me." His tone was flat, as if describing the weather in another district. Judy would almost have preferred if he had yelled. "You used me, and you used Zib. You lied by omission to me, and you falsely presented yourself to Mr. Davis. You're better than this Judy, so why?"
The words were on the tip of her tongue; the fears, the anxiety, the frustration at the crushing cultural expectations of young, single does. "I don't know." Her voice was as small as she felt telling the lie; it was made all the worse when she looked into Nick's eyes and saw that he knew she had just lied to him.
He didn't yell. He didn't tower over her and berate her. She could have dealt with that. Her heart broke when he hung his head and turned to his work station. "Alright. Let's get this finished."
Judy lunged out of her chair in a near panic. "I was scared!" She spun his chair around to face her. "He called, and said he wanted to meet at a restaurant, and it was every one of the blind dates my mom and sisters tried to set me up on all over again." She clung to his pant legs. "I didn't want to risk my career on some one-night-stand buck, so I, I used you, because you're smart, and you can read when mammals are trying to BS you, and you're not like them, and…"
She stopped when he placed a manual paw on top of her head. When she looked up, his expression was a mixture of frustration and determination. He got out of his chair and motioned for her to follow him. They silently made their way to the atrium, where he had her stand facing the building interior. He fussed and mumbled to himself before he headed to the reception desk. "Hey Benji, could I get an application form from you?"
"Oh sure! Do you have a prospective applicant in the works?!" Clawhauser looked gleefully at Nick.
"Nah, I just need a prop for a moment."
By now, there was a small crowd of officers gathering to see what Nick was up to. He looked over at them for a moment. "Could you guys, I don't know, mill around a little with your cell phones out? Yeah, just like that, thanks!" Now everyone was looking on in curiosity. When he was standing in front of Judy once again, he cleared his throat and ran through a couple of vocal exercises. "Okay, you ready for this?" She nodded. "Alright. -ahem- 'Oh, so there's a them, now?'"
Judy flinched as if she was slapped in the face. Nick turned to the now very confused crowd. "Thanks everybody, you did great." He turned back to Judy and began guiding her to their office area. Once back to their cubicle, Nick turned to face his irate friend.
"That was so far beyond mean, Nick! You know how I feel about that press conference. What the hell?"
He was still calm and collected when he answered her. "Yes, I know what the conference did to you, just like you know what it did to me. I needed you to know how you sounded to me a minute go: all fear and prejudice, none of the empathetic 'Try Everything' attitude that got you through the academy and, really everything leading up to it. Just a closed minded, 'Me-versus-them' stance that let you justify using your friends to demean and belittle a nice guy." Nick sat on his chair and rested his forearms on his knees while looking Judy in the eyes. "I am tremendously disappointed right now, Hopps. You're better than this, so help me understand why: why did you use us to blow him off."
Judy took a deep breath to center herself, and dove in. "It's, well it's my family. They've been trying to pressure me out of being a cop since I was a kit. When I got the academy acceptance letter, they backed off on trying to get me to give up, but they haven't stopped hoping I'll quit. They don't say it like that of course, but it's implicit. I wasn't kidding the other day when I said mom was planning my retirement from the force. She's been sending me photos of the new warren extension dad has been excavating for me and my expected new family." She hung her head and pinched her eyes closed.
"This isn't even new for them; Junior year in college, they suddenly started being super excited. I thought they had finally accepted that I wanted something different than to be a farm-bonnie. Turns out, one of my classmates, Joseph Grieve, had 'taken a fancy' to me. We had some classes together, gone on study dates and one movie with some of my other friends. He thought that meant we were in love, so he told his parents, who told mine. Next thing I know, I come home for Thanksgiving, and Aunt Maddie is sizing me up for a wedding dress! I mean, my parents had Joey and his family over for dinner to, 'meet the in-laws!"
By this point, Judy was pacing their cubicle, with tears of frustration pouring down her face. "I told them all; Joey, his parents, my parents, I told them I never asked for this, I didn't want to get married; and besides that, Joey had never even asked me out! Do you know what my dad said? 'Well, we've come this far, might as well go the distance!' Mom was standing right there, smiling as if they hadn't just sold me like a prize breeding turkey! And Joey? He was standing there looking at me as if I were a disobedient housewife! That's what I meant by you not being like them; every buck I've ever known or dated, they just wanted me to be a house-bonnie; to be less than I'm capable of so they can feel like they're more than they really are.
"Everyone spent the rest of the night trying to guilt me into giving in and marrying him. Obviously, that didn't happen, and my family lost business because of it. When I went back to college, I didn't hear from my parents until just before Christmas break. You don't know what alone really is until you've spent Christmas in a warren of 300 family members who refuse to talk to you."
Judy went to rub her eyes, only to find that at some point Nick had scooped her into a hug. "Judy, I need to ask you a question." She faintly nodded. "Were you afraid that we were going to stop being friends over this?" Her breath hitched. She should have known he'd figure that out. She nodded again while sniffling.
Nick chuckled softly. "I love you, you silly little bun. It's going to take a lot more than one mistake to get rid of me."
Judy suddenly flushed "Nick, I like you as a friend, but I don't (thok) OW!" She rubbed the top of her head where Nick had rapped her with his knuckles.
"You really can be a dumb bonnie sometimes, you know that? I said, 'I love you', not 'I'm in love with you.' I am dismayed that you have so little faith in me as a friend, that you think something like this could get between us."
Judy stared for a moment, then cried and laughed in relief.
Nick relaxed. "There's the smile I like to see." Nick stood her up, so she was facing him. "I'm not going to lie to you: I am upset, but I'm also going to share some hard-earned foxy wisdom with you. Are you ready? We only hate things that we fear, and we only fear things we don't understand. If you are afraid of Dickie's intentions, then find out what they are: ask him. If he turns out to be like this Joey, creature, then you kick him to the curb where he belongs. But from what I saw last night, I think he really just wants to get to know you. Still, it's your life, and only you have a say in how you live it. Just remember there are consequences for every decision. For instance, you might want to think up an, 'I'm sorry' gift for Zib; she was spitting mad last night. Also, you need to call Mr. Davis. He deserves an explanation; you don't have to bear your soul to him, just let him know the basics of what happened, and why. Here, I have his number; you can call him right now, I'll be right here beside you."
…
Judy was patrolling the banking district again; this time with Lupinski, as both Wilde and Winters were at the academy for certification on the new wireless TASER system the ZPD was going to be issuing soon. Lunch was, once again, at the outdoor café. "I'm really going to miss you, Moira. It's nice having another female officer who's not four times bigger than me."
Lupinski chuckled and shook her head. "I'm going to the Seventh, Judy, not San Andreas or Liberty City. I'm always just a phone call away. Besides, you still have to have me over for one of these infamous 'Bad-Movie' nights."
"Yeah, I know. We get anyone else in on this, and we're going to need to rent a theater; Nick's place is getting a little crowded."
"Speaking of the King of Candy, how have things been between you two? Usually you're thick as thieves."
Judy's ears drooped. "I messed up last week, and he had to read me the Riot Act. We're good now, I think, but I'm still bummed about it." She got a far away look. "It's funny, I'm not used to…"
Moira quirked her head to the side when Judy hesitated. "What, being wrong?"
Judy smiled hesitantly. "Being able to count on friends when I goof."
Moira reached over and gripped Judy's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. When she leaned back, she took up her tea cup and looked at Judy over the rim. "So, what else is new? Clawhauser's been chatting up that you have some date later this week?"
"Benji!" Judy ground out between her teeth before huffing. "It's not a date; I'm going to Ricoh Plaza to apologize to someone."
"That's all corporate offices. Who did you piss off?"
"That crane driver from Pier 30; it's part of why Nick's been upset with me. It's weird though; I called the number he gave me, but I got an office mammal named Mindy who scheduled an appointment."
Moira raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like a crane driver to me."
"I know. I'd look into it more, but Bogo has me and Nick working with Oates over in the OCT on all the info Mr. Davis provided. That's something else I'm going to be talking to him about; a lot of the details he provided were well beyond the means of a crane operator to get. Some of them I couldn't get without a warrant and subpoena. I need to know, how he… dammit, there it is again!"
Moira startled slightly at Judy's outburst. "You okay there Hopps?"
"I don't know." Judy was looking around. "This is the second time I've eaten here, and I keep hearing this weird grinding noise. Can you hear anything?"
"The city's full of unpleasant noises; you learn to tune them out."
"What about smells?"
The wolf sniffed the air. "Other than lunch, the city and a thunderstorm, nope."
"Thunderstorm…" Judy got a thoughtful look in her eyes, "…Nick mentioned smelling Ozone here before. I wonder…"
"Well, wonder as you wander." Lupinski stood while dropping a handful of bills on the table. "We've a patrol to get back to."
…
It had been a week since, 'the Goof', as Judy thought of her mistake. Now she was standing at the front of the Ricoh Plaza building. While not particularly tall by Zootopian city standards, it's placement at the intersection of two major inter-district roads, as well as its one block footprint made the 42-story structure an economic hub, and an architectural force to be reckoned with. The edifice was made up of four art-deco gilt granite towers, connected from the third to the fortieth floors by glass and steel spans which themselves, contained substantial office space. On the ground flanked by the towers was an open-air garden and sculpture park. Judy might have been able to appreciate the elegance more, if she hadn't been there to try to repair the police's reputation with one of its occupants.
As with most modern Zootopian architecture, the ground floor of Hollander Tower, as the northwest corner of the plaza was called, was sized to accommodate megafauna, but equipped with assistive devices to help smaller mammals; such as the stepped podium attached to the front of the reception desk which put Judy at eye level with the maneless lion mamming the desk. "Yes ma-am; how can I help you today?" There was no condescension in the lion's tone, which caught Judy off guard.
"Um, I'm supposed to have an appointment with a Mr. Davis; he's a…"
Judy was startled when the big cat held a paw in front of her and called someone on the desk phone. "Ming-Yee, it's George at the front desk; Mr. Davis' 2:10 is here. Alright." George turned back to Judy. "Harold will be down to escort you up in a moment, Miss Hopps." With that, George turned back to his duties, leaving Judy to wait and wonder.
A few minutes later, a wolverine in a business suit and business smile came up to the desk. "Miss Hopps, if you would follow me please?" With that, they set off towards the elevator column at the center of the tower. The elevator they arrived at didn't have a call button, but rather an RFID card reader and biometric scanner. Once inside, Harold used a small key before pressing one of the three buttons on the control panel. What Judy knew about the businesses located in Hollander Tower from her limited research told her that it was used as the corporate headquarters for several shipping companies, but only Hollander International was likely to have such dominance as to warrant a private elevator. She didn't have long to ponder, as the elevator arrived at its destination in less than a minute. The doors opened onto a tasteful, if eclectic ante room. Hanging on the walls or tucked into alcoves, were various pieces of art from around the world, as well as photographs of multiple oceanic and dirigible freighters. At the far end of the room were two desks, one occupied and one not. Judy assumed the empty desk belonged to her escort, while a slim female Red panda in business attire sat at the other.
Hanging over the two desks were a pair of paintings. One was of a five masted sailing ship, with a placard declaring it to be "The Flying Hollander". The other was a family portrait of three rabbits; a stately buck in a dark suit, a doe in what looked like an outfit out of Laura Jones or Indiana Croft, and a very familiar young buck in private school attire. The door between the two pictures had a sign saying, "A. R. Davis, CEO". The idea that she would have to explain her conduct to Dickie's father was so discomforting that she nearly turned around and left; but she had promised Nick that she would do her best to make amends. If that meant getting lectured like a kit, then so be it.
As they approached, the red panda looked up. "Is she Mr. Davis' 2:10?" The voice was identical to the mammal who Judy had spoken to on the phone.
"Sure is, Ming. Is he ready?"
"He should just be finishing up; I'll buzz her through."
Judy wanted to feel slighted at being handed off so impersonally, but then, she imagined that was how Dickie had felt. With a buzz and click, the office doors unlocked, and Judy stepped through to face...
"Yeah, Frank? My 2:10 is here. I'll talk to you later. -click- Officer Hopps. Please, have a seat. What can Hollander International do for the ZPD?" The voice was the same, but the rabbit standing before her was worlds again more confident than the crane operator she had met and brushed off two weeks ago.
"Um, Mr. Davis?" She looked at Dickie, then back at the door.
"I never had the heart to change the placard after dad died. Archibald Richard Davis, Jr., at your service. Now, not to rush you, Officer Hopps, but as I said the last time we spoke, my time is limited; I have a meeting I need to leave for in 10 minutes."
Judy was stunned into silence as she realized that Dickie Davis, the crane operator, was the CEO of one of the largest shipping firms in the Pacific! Pier 30 was his property, so of course he would have access to the extensive information he had provided! Suddenly, the idea that he ever saw anything in her other than a simple beat cop seemed absurd; the gall to think of her mistake as 'The Goof', just to spare her own pride was staggering. All he would need to do is snap his fingers and he could have a dozen does more beautiful than her hanging off his arms at a moments notice. Every apology she had thought up, every excuse she had considered sounded completely egotistical now. The idea of 'Pride' as a deadly sin made a lot more sense now, as her hubris, her prideful assumption that Dickie Davis had just been coming on to her, so he could claim her was laughable. She had to make this right, somehow. She had to…
"Five minutes, Officer Hopps."
Judy started when she realized she had been staring into empty space for five minutes. "I'm sorry."
"Take your time, just not more than four minutes of it."
"No, sir. I'm sorry. I made assumptions based on my own fears, rather than on any real facts, and in so doing I did you a great disservice. I'm sorry." Judy looked down at her paws. "I say that a lot. You'd think I would figure out how to not act in a way that needs apologizing for, but I keep making the same mistakes, over and over again." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again and looked at Mr. Davis, his entire focus was on her, though she couldn't tell what he may or may not be thinking. Judy really missed Nick's mammal insight right about now. She'd just have to go for it.
"The information you have given us has been more than we could have hoped for and has allowed us to begin investigations we didn't even know needed to happen. I realize, now, how my pride may have poisoned you to the ZPD, but please don't doubt the value of what you shared with us, or the value we place upon your efforts."
She stood up from the chair and faced him at parade rest. "Rest assured sir, the best detectives on the force are already pouring over what you gave us, and if you ever care to share more with the ZPD, you won't need to talk to me. Thank you for your time, Mr. Davis."
Dickie looked thoughtful for a moment, then a chime sounded from his desk. He also stood from his seat. "Well, that's time. Thank you for coming by in person, Miss Hopps. Harold will escort you out."
She turned and made her way to the office door with as much dignity as she could muster.
…
That Friday was the 'Going Away' bash for Lupinski, Winters and Raibert. Most of the medium sized mammals on the shift were there, including Nick, Judy, the Fangmeyers and Clawhauser. All the males had headed over to the pool tables to watch Mitch Winters and Benjamin Clawhauser play a round or two; Clawhauser had apparently made quite a name for himself in the competitive circuit before joining the force, while Mitch had paid his way through college by Sharking in pool-halls near the campus. This left the females, to include Zabrina and Valerie, to relax; much to the relief of Lillian Winters, who was five months pregnant.
"Oh, don't get me wrong; I love Mitch to death, but he's been nigh on impossible when it comes to anything dealing with the babies. You'd think I was the first mother in history." There was a round of good natured laughter.
Nadine sipped her beer while absent mindedly grooming Lillian's head fur. "Don't worry too much about it. He should be calmer the next litter you two have."
"Oohh no! There will be no next litter. Mitch and I talked about it, and we agreed: one litter and one litter only. Once I get my feet and ankles back, I'm getting tied off. I've got my own career to think about, for our future. A cop's pension will only go so far."
"Yeah, how's that supposed to work for you?" Moira gestured with a fried cashew-mozzarella stick. "We're going to Foxburough, not New Amsterdam; you're an Ad and Marketing specialist, and VT Commons isn't exactly the fashion capital of the New World."
"Reynard." Everyone turned to look at Zib. Judy scrunched her face in thought.
"Isn't that the new design firm Gazelle started using after that 'Foreign Sweatshop' scandal with Preyda six months ago?"
The silver vixen nodded. "It is, but Reynard isn't a company, he's a Corsacan tod, and an excellent clothing designer. My uncle is leasing him one of the old textile mills on Lower Canal. All the machinery has been brought up to modern standard, so there's going to be zero logistical train, since we already have people and resources on hand for nearly all of it: Yamatonese silk, Angora and Alpaca wool, Anatolian linen, all of it is either locally grown, made or donated. So, between no transport except for the finished product, a ready made and skilled work force, and the Gazelle brand name, Foxburough might just become the next New Amsterdam."
Lillian tapped a claw on the table. "That's right, and an up-and-coming mammal like Reynard needs good advertising; word of muzzle isn't enough, even in this digital age. You don't just need good press, you need BIG press!"
Val raised an eyebrow and ear. "You mean like the charity auction and exhibition fight in a couple of months to support the Iberians who were hurt by Preyda's business; that was your idea?"
Lillian grinned smugly. "Gazelle's people were still in full damage control mode, trying to distance themselves from Preyda's operations in Madrid. They were desperate for any idea, and Reynard, bless his little Mediterranean heart, hasn't the faintest idea about marketing. I just planted the seed of the idea. Gazelle donated one of the dresses Reynard made for her Europa tour, then Reynard brought me on full time. That's when these little seeds were planted." She looked down and fondly rubbed her growing belly. "So, when Reynard moved his operations to Foxburough, we started looking into moving. Mitch had already accepted the transfer orders, since there would be better promotion opportunities in the Seventh, so it works out beautifully for us."
Lily looked over at Val. "Are you going to be covering the event?"
"Are you kidding?" There was a child like gleam in the jill's eyes. "I grew up watching Roger Bove fight! He's a legend in the Bullfighting circuit; one of only five mammals in the last two centuries to hold the title of 'Minotaur' undefeated for Ten, Years! He's a Catalonian National treasure!"
A voice rose from over by the pool table. "Breath, honey."
"Shut it, Petita Ombra! Don't even pretend you're not excited too! Don't you have a pool match to watch?" The table chuckled at the by-play between the two hares.
"I have learned that playing pool is like being a sniper or an artillery officer: it's all geometry, and I hate math. Plus, Nick got all squeamish about giving me a handicap."
"You were going to dislocate my shoulder. That's not the type of 'Handicap' we were talking about."
At that, the ladies table devolved into full on belly laughter.
"-Ha-ha-he-he- Oh boy; make way for the pregnant lady!" Lilly started heading towards the restrooms.
"Lilly, do you need any help honey?" Mitch started making his way around the pool table.
"I'm going to the bathroom, Mitch, not crossing the Rockies."
As everyone was settling back into their respective areas, Judy's phone went off. Glancing at it, she saw it was her parents trying to Muzzle-time her. "They don't ever call at this hour. I've gotta take this." The assembled friends quieted down. "Mom, dad, what's wrong? Is everyone okay?"
"Way to go, Jude-the-Dude! Why didn't you tell us?!"
Judy was perplexed by the excitement in her father's voice. "Tell you? What are you talking about? Why are you calling, mom?"
"Oh, you don't have to play coy with us, dear. Archibald Richard Davis!"
Judy leaned her muzzle into her palm and groaned. "Mom, is this call about something important or not? I'm at a party with friends."
Stuart all but bounced in place. "Oh my god, is he there with you? Oh Bon-Bon, we're going to meet him!"
Judy boggled at her parents. "Is he…? NO! This is a going away party for some of my friends from work."
Bonnie crossed her arms. "Well, what are you doing there instead of with Archibald? Honestly, your little friends can wait, this is more important."
Zib and Val resting their paws on her shoulders was the only thing that kept Judy from leaping out of her chair, but it didn't stop her from growling out at her parents. "This isn't a garden party at the Lopperson's! These are my friends and peers! If you can't respect me, at least try not to disrespect them!"
Bonnie tried to placate her irate daughter. "But hon, this is your future we're talking about here."
"That's right, Jude." Her father chimed in. "I mean, you don't want to be a cop for the rest of your life, do you?"
"YES, I DO!" Tears streamed down Judy's face as she screamed at the phone. "And if you can't accept that then you can GO TO HELL!" With that, Judy threw her phone across the restaurant and collapsed sobbing onto the table. There was a sudden commotion as the pool group abandoned the game to find out what was wrong. They arrived to find Judy curled into a ball against Zabrina. "They're never going to accept me!" She openly wept while her friends did their best to console her.
Lillian made her way back to the able just behind her husband. "What's going on? What did I miss?"
Nadine Fangmeyer was petting Judy's ears. "Jude's parents called, basically said we, and her career, weren't important, and that she should ditch us to chase after someone called Archie."
Most of the guys were milling around, though it didn't take long for Clawhauser to work his way into the consoling cuddle with the distraught doe. Jacob all but vibrated in frustration for his friend. Soon, his ears picked up the tinny sound of two animals calling Judy's name from the other side of the room. When he got there, he found several mammals looking at a Me-Phone 6 in a grey Beaver Box™. Picking it up and flipping it over, he came muzzle to muzzle with two upset cottontail rabbits. The pair went stock still as the black hare stared emotionlessly at them. Jacob turned the phone's screen to show Judy's table, then turned the phone back to his face. Her parents looked ready to say something when he silently shook his head and hit the 'end-call' icon. Pocketing the device, he headed back over to the group.
When he got to the table, Jacob set Judy's phone down in front of her. "Hey, Judy?" She looked up at Jacob while sniffling. "Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to punch them in the Junk?" The offer was met with strangely hopeful looks from the males in the group, since that was something real, if illegal, they could do.
Valerie's eyes snapped wide at that. "Jacob Emanuel Raibert! You cannot just go to Bunnyburrow and punch Judy's parents in the Junk!"
"Yes, I can." Jacob's tone was conversational. "There would just be consequences." Everybody startled a little, then relaxed as Judy started laughing.
Zib huffed. "You all want something to do? Go refill our drinks. All of you! Shoo!" With the males 'banished' to a useful task, the ladies set about building their friend back up. That task, though it would be difficult, was made easier for Judy with the realization that she was with true friends.
