This, along with the previous chapter is a kind of- sort of - alternate time line to any number of possible future Nick and Judy scenarios. Obviously not the Judy's New Career nor the How it Ends thing. But that is the fun of all this fan fiction, to play around with our two heroes in all kinds of what-ifs.
Be-boop! Be-boop!
"Nick, its your 'phone. Nick, 'phone? Nick?"
Judy looked up to not find her Fox in bed with her. "Officer Wilde's 'phone. Can I help you?"
"I am so sorry to call at this hour, but Officer Wilde is the only mammal I know here." Judy wondered what new complication her silly Nick had gotten himself into. But the female asked for Officer Wilde so it might be actual police business.
"Nick! 'Phone!" She heard a clatter in the bathroom, "He'll be here in a sec'. Can I help you in the mean time?"
"Thank you so. I'm Barbara Veruschka, and I met Officer Wilde during his trip to my country last year. He offered to be a contact if I came to Zootopia." She sounded like she might be a Fox, and had the accent of that distant land.
Judy gave the 'phone a look, and yelled. "Nick! Phone! Now!"
Nick finally rushed in, giving Judy a quizzical look, to which she gave him her patented 'what did you do this time' return. "Nick Wilde here."
She watched his expression run to a disturbing range of expressions, settling on mournful. After several minutes, mostly just listening, he ended the call with "I'll be there in just a bit."
"Judy, how do you feel about a house guest?"
"Who is she?"
"Remember the Vixen I met on my trip? Well, she's in town, but as a kind of refugee slash illegal alien."
"Tell me about it en route."
They were able to hail a cab and head out. Nick explained that Barbara was the Fox he had met for a little one-nighter on his out of country legal case. She was having a particularly hard time, both in her work environment and with various petty harassments from the government. She had just illegally left; the state tightly controlled emigration, and had lost everything to get herself smuggled into Zootopia.
"And you want this wayward girl to stay with us?"
"I don't know. But for tonight, she is broke, alone, and technically an illegal alien with real trust issues with state institutions." Judy could tell that this had wound Nick up rather badly. Predator and species prejudices had always been a hot button with him to start with, even more so when it was policy and not just personal. A less trusting person might wonder about any specific emotions he might have regarding the Vixen, but Judy was confident that Nick would do the right thing for any mammal in need.
They arrived at the location, and saw a huddled figure, looking all too much like a refugee from another time. She had a bulky travel coat and bundles crossed over her body, a scarf covered her head. As they approached, they could she her drawn face and dull fur and that one of the bundles was-
"What the hell!" Nick recoiled, spun on his heel and stomped some distance away to fume, his tail poofed and thrashing in rage.
The Vixen had also instantly transformed from sadly hopeful to bitter rage as well, "Curse you, Wilde! I didn't come here to look for any kind of paternal responsibility! Damn you males! I only came here, to Zootopia, to keep from losing this cub TOO!
Judy was stunned and torn between the now crying Mother and angry Partner.
After a moment, Nick pulled himself up, took a deep breath, and turned. His face was etched in pain and regret, "Okay." a pause, "I had a very bad experience once with a B- ah, Vixen, who tried to use her kit to play me." His paws flailed the air, too agitated for intelligible gestures. "Then I saw your little surprise and..." He struggled to find words to continue.
The Vixen was calming down a bit as well, but turned to consider Judy. "You're ?" and nodded towards Nick. Seeing her affirmative nod, the Vixen paused for a fraction, then her expression melted to hopeful joy and she wiped at her tears. "Officer Wilde said his girl was 'special', but I had no idea."
"Yeah, we're all full of surprises tonight." Judy looked to Nick for a clue how to continue, and figured she'd better do the talking for a bit. "So what is this about losing your Baby?"
"A few years back, the state decreed that I was an Unfit Mother, children out of wedlock, keeping immoral company." She clenched her paws, "Patricia... My soulmate..." She whispered. They took them away. Benny and Bierta. The Department of Family Welfare, Orphans and Foundlings Division, does a low-key but lucrative business in over-seas adoptions."
Judy was shocked. Even in her very conservative home territory, same sex couples were one of the few 'controversial' social issues that would hardly raise an eyebrow. And selling off confiscated children was monstrously unthinkable.
"Wilde, I didn't lie to you about my coming here. Things were already becoming intolerable, at work and with the state. All the petty indignities, all the harassment, simply because they had the power to do it. Then Bernard came."
She showed the tiny thing to Judy, a fuzzy ball of red and cream, and looked towards Nick. "I shouldn't have done it, kept him to term. But you were so decent to me that, I don't know... But I delayed making any decision so long that I then felt I had to take the chance."
Nick's rage had now clearly drained out of him and he came over to see his Son. "They are so small." He sighed. He wanted to hold the Kit, hug the Mother, but thought it best to give it some time. "Okay, let's go home and call it a night."
The Cabby, a Meercat, held doors open and nodded to Nick, "You were on the meter coming out, but I know about complicated families, and the return's on me."
The trip back was Very Quiet, and Nick tipped the Cabby massively when they arrived. They trooped up to the apartment and Judy showed Barbara where everything was, then offered to help her clean up. "A very good idea." She agreed. Then handed little Bernard off to Nick to hold.
While Nick focused on the kit, he was still aware of the range of emotions that played over the two females. He knew Judy thought he'd be a great Father; certainly he was wonderful with her younger siblings. But he couldn't read her various reactions in him actually holding his Son. Barbara's expression left no doubt that she was unhappily resigned to the situation and that he was holding her Son only because there was no one else available.
The two females went to the bathroom and stripped down for a serious shower. As with so much among furred social creatures, shared bathing was simply a practical way of getting the job done. The Vixen was Nick's height, similarly slender, though had the hips and small full breasts of a nursing Mother. Judy couldn't help but look with a touch of envy. To break her mood, she asked, "Can you tell me about your - mate?"
Barbara sadly sighed, "My Pattie. She was a Sea Otter. We met in collage. So different. She was the class clown and I was the academic nerd. But we really clicked to each other. But we never tried anything sexual. That was just a cyclic things that boys were around for to take care of." Judy could understand that. There were a few of her siblings who had gone on to non-sexual partnerships of various gendered arrangements.
"I got a real job right out of school, and then later kind of fudged my partnership status when I got myself pregnant. We really wanted a family; Pattie went so far as to do hormones so she could nurse too. Then office politics got ugly and my situation was found out."
The pair concentrated on the task at hand for a while. "When I get you out of the shower, you need the full Hopps Treatment."
"You've been with him a while now?"
"Yeah, seems like a whole life time now. We were forced to work together on a case to start, then got to be close. 'Cuddle buddies' for the longest time." With that Barbara allowed a little chuckle. "But we've been mates for the last year or so."
"You're an officer too?"
"Yes, and it was my bad influence that got him to join as well."
"Wait a minute. You're not That Fox and Rabbit - !" Barbara was stunned. "We heard about you, even with my government's censorship. They don't like talk about real equal rights and all that. Thought it was too good to be true."
"That's us." Like with great power, great celebrity came with great responsibility, and Judy still was of a mixed mind about that. "So, if I can ask, what happened to your Pattie?"
"It really scared her, but she has a family that she could retreat to and they were all sufficiently out of the way to be not be too badly bothered by the government. But they didn't have any room for a Fox."
Once dried, the pair of them went out and Judy began to give Barbara her Hopps treatment. As it was awfully late, well after midnight, she abbreviated it to just a thorough brush out rather than the deep massage that usually went with it. Judy was relieved to see the poor Vixen relax under her attention, so much so that Barbara fell asleep on the grooming couch.
Judy went looking for Nick, who had disappeared with the Cub. She found them in the kitchen. Nick had apparently cleaned and changed the little guy. He now had Bernard on the counter, and had set his arms around the cub, his face into the little scent tent, breathing in the special perfume of his Son.
She watched him with no small pang, she knew he was heretofore not keen on fatherhood, but at the same time, he had some regret that he had no legacy. Yet here was a beautiful Son. But it was also clear that he was not going to be allowed to be a day-to-day father to the Kit.
Nick finally rose and gave Judy a wane smile. "Wow. He is a thing, isn't he?"
"How are you?"
"Still a bit gob-smacked. In a different time and place, this would be the best of times, or the worst." He went over to hug his Bunny. "I'm so sorry that that one thing has come back to bite us in the butt."
Judy hugged her Fox back, "You know I've never begrudged you that. But- " She leaned out to give him a better look, "You never mentioned that she was so beautiful."
Nick loosed a small sad chuckle, "you know, at the first moment, it was just my nose talking. I'd have said 'Hi' to almost anything with that scent. Then, it was mostly her as a lonely mammal that prompted the next steps. Only later did I better appreciate that aspect."
"So, what are we going to do with her?"
"We Will have to let State know, of course. And I saw a directive notice about refugees, apparently there is a process to grant asylum to anyone seeking it from there. No surprise."
Judy considered, "I know you said things were bad there, but?"
"Well, you heard why Barbara is here. And she's an educated, upper-middle class professional. That alone is quite a feat for a Fox there, and shows how exemplary she was. But she is also a pred, and according to the state, a gender deviant and unfit mother, leaving her open to all kinds of legally sanctioned abuse. Including taking her offspring away."
Nick wiped his face. "And if you are a poor pred, even if you toe the line, you can still be legally jerked around. Remember the shock collars? How Zootopia considered them early on and the level of revulsion even in the prey community over the idea of applying them to their fellow citizens? That country trumpet that they never even considered them, but only because they knew they already intimidated the pred community so thoroughly that they didn't need them. And they do use a version, but as a wrist or waistband, on any pred, and only on preds, on parole. For any crime."
Nick went back over and picked up his Son. "There is a lot of hard travel between there and here, and she took a terrible risk to herself and this guy to get here. That should give you an idea how desperate she was."
Judy studied the pair. "Can I hold him?"
As joyful as his face was with the little one in his arms, he was almost to tears seeing his Son and his Mate together. For her part, it was all tears and bittersweet smile. "No regrets Nicolas P., no regrets."
"So, Dom, what will it this time?" The Mountain Lion looked across the table at the White Tail Buck.
"It was not me who called this meeting, old friend." The Buck's response was not one of camaraderie but of wary respect for an old adversary.
"Yeah, but I was hoping for something other than the same old song."
"Not a chance. The Criminal Verschuka must be surrendered to us in a timely fashion or there will be important consequences to the relationship between our two countries."
The Puma sighed- "And this is the fourth case this year with exactly the same script."
"The forms must be observed."
"So, what you really want is her to sign away any claims to her rights and all back home, then hit us up for some ridiculous 'fees' for the inconveniences."
"A bit more this time. She has taken a minor citizen out of the country and his welfare is at stake."
"It never ceases to amaze me how you can say all this with a straight face." the big cat pulled out a fat file folder. "Considering the background on this case, I would have thought you'd go easy on her."
The Buck sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Why do we even do this dance? As you said so yourself, you know what my Government wants and what your government is willing to do to make things happen."
"Well, that ends here." The Cat's face was carefully neutral. He pulled out some forms. "Here are the pro forma documents for her renouncing her citizenship and all claims of property or title. And here are the documents recognizing her as a refugee from persecution, per the International Conventions on the Rights of Mammals."
"So you intend to go public with this?"
"And here is the press release that would go with it." He plopped a thick text down, "And here are the photos to go with that. The loving couple whom relationship you criminalized and then legalistically harassed. The two kits that were seized and sold overseas. Interesting that only preds get that treatment, a population control tactic, perhaps? Then the Female driven to escape when she was threatened with a tragic repeat with her new kit. And, finally, her sponsor family, Hopps and Wilde, the Hero Inter-Species Couple of Zootopia."
"Do you think any of that will make a difference? My Government isn't going to be impressed with some cheap media stunt."
"No. But the rest of the world will be. Not that it would matter to your state-controlled media. It still gets me how much effort you put into these things. It isn't like there has been some kind of propaganda campaign being played out in any of this before. Some poor soul leaves, usually due to specie-ist pressure, and you're all blood and thunder about forcing a return or some kind of blood money to make it right."
"The natural order must be maintained. These malcontents and deviants can't be allowed an easy escape. These punitive demands have been an attempt to deter you from harboring them, but as you continue to do so, we will continue to demand our 'blood money'.
"'Natural order', or a hold over from ancient ignorance and xenophobia?" He flexed his paws, extending the long black claws. "The natural order would never have built this, or any city. Or have the two of us sit across from each other without me trying to make a meal of you." Or simply that your President for Life has decreed it, so must it be done? No matter." The Cat waved it away. "I've already got some initial feedback from both State and Commerce, and the consensus is that anything you try will hurt you a lot more than it will hurt us." He was not going to add that he had also gotten word from the President, who had told him that he had permission to quote, for him 'Do your worst'. But he was too much the diplomat for that.
The Deer was clearly stunned. This should have been a routine process. But this was a level of brinksmanship he was unprepared for. "Obviously, I'll need to consult with my Government."
"You do that. Let them go and we won't make a public spectacle of this. But keep in mind; the media will catch on eventually anyway, so anything you can do to mitigate the circumstances can only help you in the long run. No retaliation against any of her family or friends for starters."
"My government would never do such a thing."
"You keep saying that, and yet we both know about the long and nasty history of you doing just that."
A very long pause.
"Dom, while we have worked 'together' for many years, and I understand you have to maintain the official line, but I thought you were, as an individual, more decent, more honest than all this." The Cat was clearly saddened by the Buck's stern position.
The Deer let out a long slow snort of a sigh. "I have always represented my Governments policies, as well as personally supported them. That I have not expressed my personal feelings is simply part of the job."
"You are right. This isn't about the two of us. Well, you know where my government stands on this case, and any subsequent case like it. We honestly want what is the best for each individual, so will continue to take in any who want refuge."
"That you value the individual, and the notion of diverse species together, over the unity of a single social order, that perverse premise of your state will be its undoing, in the fullness of time. But mark my words, the Lagos are not the only ones who would hasten its fall."
-
Nick was surprised to find he was carrying some legal files to one of the public defender's offices. Not that shuffling paperwork between offices and organizations was an unusual chore that everyone did on occasion, but that he had one of Those Cards with him as well. Just a regular business card for that office, simply typeset a little differently. He wished Judy was there with him but she was tied-up with another task. These trips offered the opportunity for a little detour after for a bite, or something. And he preferred the support for what was likely to happen once he arrived.
He handed off the files to the receptionist who also took the card and directed him to one of the blandly uniform little conference rooms down the hall. As always, it was an average small conference room, the kind a client and lawyer would discuss a case in. And it had two doors. The one in which he entered, and the one in which a lawyer would presumably enter through. But in walked Mara, correction, in that outfit and with that coolly neutral expression, it was Agent Anlef.
"I though you had retired?"
"They prefer a level of continuity in contact, though I am off field work. For the most part."
She was a smallish wildcat, about Nick's height and age. But he noticed a slight limp. She had had some hard missions, and the cumulative abuse was showing. They had one of those hard missions together early on in Nick's police career, along with Judy, for the ZIA. Though Nick doubted that she was officially on theirs or any other agency's rolls.
"If I'm here with you, it can't be good news."
"I am afraid so. Same song, but new band."
"oh Cheese and Crackers."
In my main 'what's next for Nick and Judy after they are ZPD partners' story, still not ready to publish, they get dragged into a situation involving Agent Anlef and various adventures, including Judy's first chance at bedpan duty for poor Nick.