A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Embrace

This was quite a difficult chapter to write. We have a conversation with constant probing questions but also a constant reading of emotions of someone who has a fractured mind and answers that lead to more questions. But we do finally expose some memories and hints about what might have happened. I enjoy challenges and this chapter certainly presented it's fair share of these. I never expected to create a conversation with so many complexities at once.

Zoodate: 122 P.C.

Drew and Judy decided to give Nick's mom a call and see if they could setup a time to meet her. Drew decided to give Judy the lead on this call as it would make more sense for the request to be coming from her. After ringing for a bit, a somewhat tired but pleasant sounding voice answered the phone. There was no video image.

Marion: "Hello?"

Judy: "Hi Mrs. Wilde. Judy Hopps here. I am a friend of your son."

Marion: "Oh… hi Judy. Of course I know who you are."

Drew: "Hello Mrs. Wilde. This is Drew Stevens. I am a friend of your son as well."

Marion: "Ah… you were involved with the mess at the power plant with him correct?"

Drew: "Yes… we have been friends ever since then."

Marion: "What can I do for you two?"

Judy: "We really just want to meet you and possibly ask you some questions about your son. We are trying to help him, but he is being difficult if you know what I mean."

Marion: "Yes Nicholas can be that way sometimes. He has always been quite guarded."

Judy: "Well he has met my parents and family many times. I thought it would be nice to meet his."

Marion: apprehensively "Is… is he coming?"

Judy: "He seemed to be hesitant. I am also not sure he would talk to us about what we needed to discuss if he was there."

Marion: sadly "I suppose that would be okay. When would you like to do this?"

Judy: "Late this afternoon okay?"

Marion: hesitantly "Oh… I am not sure if I have… if I am ready to entertain..."

Drew remembers something Nick had mentioned about his Mom not having a lot in the way of supplies and needing groceries.

Drew: "Mrs. Wilde… we really don't mean to impose. Would you like us to bring some take out for all of us to eat? I know it can be tough finding things for Judy's diet as she can wipe out a supply of fruits and veges quite quickly."

Judy looks at Drew slightly annoyed until she realizes that he is offering Marion an easy way to accept their offer to bring food.

Marion: "Oh… I didn't think… yes that would be wonderful."

Drew: "What would you like us to bring? Bug-Burgas? Pizza? Fish and Chips?"

Marion: "I suppose pizza would be nice. It's been quite awhile since I had any. But what about for Judy?"

Drew: "They have vege pizzas with vegan cheese we have brought in from the human world. They also have salads there for her."

Judy: "All of it is quite delicious."

Marion: "Oh… okay that sounds good then."

Drew: "What kind would you like?"

Marion: "Ah… they still have a meat lovers?"

Drew: "Sure I will get one of those and a deluxe if that sounds good. Is six o'clock okay?"

Marion: "That would be fine. I… I will see you then… do you need anything special to drink?"

Judy: "I will bring my own just in case."

Drew: "I am sure whatever you have is fine for me Mrs. Wilde."

Marion: "Oh please call me Marion."

Judy: excited "Thank you Marion. We look so forward to meeting you."

Marion: "Oh… do you need the address?"

Drew: "Your son gave it to us."

Marion: "Ah… okay… if you have any problems finding it please give me a call."

Judy: "We will. We look forward to it."

They hung up the phone.

Drew: "It is so strange talking to her after hearing so much about her from Reynard. It is almost surreal."

Judy: "I know. She sounds very hesitant about something."

Drew: "It is hard to read her over the phone but I got the sense she is just not used to entertaining anyone like Nick said."

Judy: "Smart move giving her an excuse for us to bring the food."

Drew: "Now you are rubbing off on me."

Judy: grins mischievously "Is that what you wanted me to do?"

Drew: grins "I didn't until you just said that."

Judy: "Well thank Nick's dirty mind for the thought."

Drew: laughing "I never thought I would be thanking him for that."

Judy: "There's always a first time for everything. Now get over here."

After getting cleaned up the three met and had a lunch shortly after midday.

Nick informed them that he was still catching up the paperwork and would stop by the Mayor's office to do some followup work. He would spend the remaining afternoon reaching out to his contacts about the current political situation and then move the rest of his belongings into the apartment.

Judy went into the office for the rest of the day to catch up on the paperwork and followup reports she wanted to finish so she would be ready to go back on patrol with Nick as soon as he was available.

Drew checked on the progress of the human UAV examination from his contacts on human Earth and gathered all information and detailed outlines on every option available to deal with the threat and prepare a full multimedia presentation for the Security Council.

That evening Drew ordered a car from the motor pool as they needed to pick up food and it was risky being seen together using public transportation. Judy called Nick and left him a message letting him know they would be gone for the evening. They placed an order for the food and picked it up putting it into warming bags they had previously been given by the restaurant.

They drove into an old run down suburb that had seen much better days. Apparently this was the former Happytown which was previously a predator only housing development, but now it was an open but run down neighborhood hinting at a past of Zootopia where prejudice was more accepted and discrimination tolerated. This was obvious by old graffiti on signs and some of the buildings which mostly now appeared to be overgrown and abandoned. From what could be read, tolerance and acceptance was not always part of the Zootopia landscape.

They parked on the street in front of an old dilapidated seemingly abandoned housing development. They couldn't even guess at when the last time any improvements had been done to the building. The outside was faded and weeds grew up through the many cracks in the pavement and concrete. An apparently homeless groundhog glanced up at them as they entered from his squatted area on the floor covered in newspapers and half-eaten scraps of food. They continued up the old stairs to the third floor and walked down an old hallway with a long faded and worn carpet with a moldy scent to a nondescript door with the number 9C at the top. The couple looked to each and Judy knocked soundly on the door.

The door opened and they were met by a tired but pleasant looking middle aged female red fox about as tall as right around the middle of Nick's height and the top of Judy's ears wearing a dark pinkish purple blouse and purple skirt with a small thin gold necklace holding a teardrop shaped gold bauble. The feature that immediately jumped out to the human and bunny were the tired but brilliant green eyes they knew quite well. There was no mistaking this was Nick's mom from this feature alone as they were as close a match to their friend's eyes as they could imagine. Her fur was similar in color to Nick's if only a bit duller in hue. Drew had his hands full of bags and gifts so he smiled and awkwardly bowed to her and Judy got a big grin and slipped in and gave the fox a hug. Marion got a very surprised look and then gently hugged the bunny back. Drew felt shock and surprise from the fox and then affection as he witnessed the scene before him. She waved them in through the door and they followed her a short distance down the hall to a small kitchen on the right.

The apartment was obviously old but neat and tidy. The room smelled slightly musty but otherwise clean. The hallway they had entered continued and a couple small rooms could be seen which Drew guessed were a couple bedrooms and a small hallway restroom. The entire floor was covered by a worn tan carpet. The sole visible window in the living room to their left had bars on the window and was decorated by floor length light blue curtains with a matching tier. The walls in the entire apartment were painted in a light cream color except the kitchen which was wallpapered in a dark and light blue crisscrossed pattern on a white background. The living room contained what would be a medium-sized couch for humans but was sizeable for a fox family. An old chestnut colored wooden table sat before the couch which faced a medium sized old model television sitting against the wall on a long amber wooden stand which had some magazines stacked on the sides. The most interesting feature of the room was the two large bookcases one set against the wall to the right of the television and the other next to the window directly across from the kitchen. The shelves were filled with many books of all shapes and sizes. There were numerous paperbacks and several hardbacks. Drew wondered how Marion had afforded so many books and figured it was another mystery in a growing list.

Drew separated the pizzas from their warming bags and offered several slices to each of the ladies. Judy grabbed two slices of the vege pizza and put some balsamic vinaigrette dressing on her garden salad. Mrs. Wilde decided to go for two slices of the meat lovers and one of the deluxe. Drew sensed she was quite hungry but intentionally made an effort to control her appetite. He grabbed two slices of the deluxe and a meat lovers. He then put the pizzas back into the warming bags. He took a glass of tea she offered, a napkin, his plate and his carrying bag and followed her into the living room and sat on the far end of a couch while the older fox sat on the other. Judy sat in the middle between them and put her plate and her fruit blend drink on the table in front of the couch. As if by unspoken agreement the three placed napkins down over their clothes and enjoyed some of the best pizza in Zootopia.

Drew felt an immediate shock and pleasure from Marion as she began to sample the pizza. He was quite pleased that he could read her very clearly as this would have been most likely a fruitless effort if she was able to mask her emotions like her son. He hadn't expected her to be capable of this anyway as he knew Nick's talent to hide those emotions came from many years of scamming and conning and was a skill developed rather than anything inherited. Reynard did not mask his emotions either as he probably never needed to being a thief, gang member and ultimately boss.

While he was quite charming and never lacked the talent of motivating and manipulating others, Reynard hadn't needed to constantly hide his emotions from others to accomplish his goals. After a round of "mmmming" and "ahhhhhing" from the collected parties and a slice finished each the silence was broken.

Marion: amazed "This… this is the best pizza ever! How? This isn't like any meat lovers I have ever eaten."

Judy nodded enthusiastically but her mouth was quite full.

Drew: "This is from Papa Fawns. They make pizza nearly as good as the best places back home."

Marion: "But… this… meat. It tastes… real."

Drew wondered how the fox knew what real meat tasted like, but then realized she was Reynard's sister and was no ordinary fox. He always wondered about those clean up crews Reynard always talked about especially when the casualty was a prey animal like the rabbit or sheep in the one story. Even though Aza was best friends with a bunny, he didn't think she would feel so bad about eating the rabbit that violated her best friend. Drew didn't exactly know how illegal it was to eat actual meat in Zootopia, but during those dark days of Zootopia's past it didn't seem out of the question for those criminals to sample some victims they found tasty. Being very concerned about Judy's well being, he was always very sensitive about keeping his empathic senses open for any predator that looked at his little bunny as food, but he had never gotten that sense from any of the foxes or other predators yet. But after hearing about the incident with Ffion the savage vixen, Drew couldn't help but be a bit paranoid and unconsciously always had an alert up.

Drew: "I brought all the best meat substitutes from human Earth and arranged to allow Papa Fawns to be a test store for all the latest products including the vegan cheese Judy there is enjoying. I can't even tell it from regular cheese. Instead of using bugs to make the toppings these are using meatless simulations of pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon and ground beef."

Marion: "I can't even tell you how much better this is than anything I have had before."

Drew: "Well this is also using real tomato based pizza sauce. While I brought in tomatoes from human Earth for Judy's family to grow, they still can't produce enough in Bunnyburrow to justify making but a few processed tomato products as they can't come close to keeping up with current demand as it is. So for products like pizza sauce, we bring that in as well. I am not sure what they used before they had real tomato sauce."

Judy: "Oh it was like a blend of veges to make a paste, but the tomato sauce you brought was a thousand times better."

Marion: "Oh… I feel bad… this must have cost a fortune. Anything with specialty products from your world must cost so much."

Drew: "Well your government doesn't charge the restaurants an outrageous amount for them as they are part of the goodwill of the humans. It was my intention that they be available to the public for a reasonable cost. Anything that can make humans look better I am happy to have widely distributed. As a test store Papa Fawns gets an even better rate."

Marion: "But still… this was too expensive."

Judy: "It was free."

Marion: shocked "Free?"

Drew: "Yes, the owner was so pleased with his massive increase in business from my arranging their test status and the introduction of human products, that he gave me and my assistant passes for unlimited food from any of their stores and our whole office gets a pizza party every Friday. I usually only get food there once a week as I did not want to take advantage of such generosity."

Judy: "I still wouldn't mind having it several times a week. I keep asking him for more..."

Judy realizes she shouldn't have said that, but then realizes they were going to tell Marion they lived with her son anyway.

Marion: "Oh… well I am with Judy. I would eat it more than once a week. Does he have you over to eat it every week?"

Drew: nodding to Judy "Well I will consider having it more often. Usually I pick it up when I don't feel like cooking."

Judy: "We live together… well with your son as well."

Marion: surprised "Oh… he never told me that. You share an apartment?"

Judy: "He lived with us before but he is now moving in for the foreseeable future. We live together in the new government housing apartments."

Drew: "They are quite large. There is plenty enough room for all three of us."

Judy: "More than plenty."

Marion: "I knew you two were friends but living in the same place..."

Judy: "Well we had gotten used to living with each other while on the human world. And we stayed close to each other all the time once we had gotten back here."

Drew: "It helped me a lot. I was all alone on a strange world and being with Judy made it just seem normal."

Marion: "Oh… I understand now. It must have been so lonely being the only one of your kind."

Drew: "It would have been without Judy and your son, but they made me feel so welcome."

Drew sensed Marion was still quite hungry but didn't want to appear that way so he decided to help her out.

Drew: "I am going to get some more. Worked up quite an appetite today. More for everyone?"

Judy gave an enthusiastic nod with her mouth full of salad and he got a slight nod from Marion. It always amazed him how much such a small bunny could eat. But he knew her metabolism was sky high and she could almost eat as much as he did and not gain any weight. He would sometimes think of her as the Energizer bunny with respect to her boundless energy. She thought this was strange until he showed her an ad showing it and finally understood the connection. He got up and grabbed a new plate and managed to stack two slices of each type on top. He gave two vege ones to Judy and he and Marion each split the others.

The three enjoyed the pizza on their plates and chatted about pleasant topics. Once all were finished Drew could sense everyone was satisfied, and he took the empty plates and napkins to the kitchen leaving Judy and Marion to chat. After he cleaned off the plates and put them in the dishwasher, he opened the refrigerator to get out some more tea and noticed it was mostly bare with only a few condiments, butter and a couple other small items. The freezer and cabinets only had a few items in them as well. The groceries Nick brought seemed to make more sense now. He wondered if Marion had some form of agoraphobia which didn't allow her to leave the apartment. He guessed it might have stemmed from the trauma she had suffered. He added it to the growing list of concerns he and Judy would need to deal with. He filled a pitcher up with the tea and brought it to the table with a folded cloth to place it on.

After he sat down he reached behind the couch and pulled his small carry bag out. He could sense a curious look from Mrs. Wilde and he gave her a reassuring smile.

Drew: "Judy and I got you something from the human world we thought your might like."

Marion: "Oh… you didn't have to bring me anything. That is too much."

Drew: "Nonsense I have brought Judy's family many gifts and I wanted to do the same for you. I hope you like it."

Drew pulled out a black box and remote. He could sense Marion's confusion.

Drew: "It is the latest media large capacity jukebox. I had it loaded with an assortment of movies, television shows and music for your age and demographic. There are at least a thousand movies and a similar number of television episodes and thousands of songs you can choose from. I had a booklet printed with descriptions and an index to help you decide which you would like to view."

He hands her the booklet and she accepted it loosely in her paws as she was still a bit shocked.

Drew: "Is it okay if I install it for you?"

Marion nodded her head as she remained a bit stunned.

Drew noticed the television was an older model and he thanked his foresight that he had brought an adapter to make it work in the older model. After a couple minutes he had it up and working. He would need to do something about this television and the food situation. These items were added to his growing list of todos for the mother of his good friend and Judy's police partner and closest friend as well as the sister of their new important friend Reynard. Marion had no idea she was now the focus of a great deal of attention as well as affection. She may feel she has been abandoned, alone and hopeless, but he vowed all that would change.

Once it was setup, Drew turned it on and demonstrated how to use it and tested some of the movies, shows and music and let Marion try it out and helped get her used to using it. Once he was sure she could use it perfectly, they shut it off and he could sense a deep emotion of surprise and gratitude. He could feel the extreme loneliness and despair surrounding her but also something else. Something buried deep inside hidden hinting at layers and layers of complex emotions. Drew had never felt such a distortion, a blackness if you will, a void surrounded by walls of hurt. Bringing out the gift and turning on those emotions had allowed him a peek at this malignancy, this cancer of the soul.

He was so focused on examining this dark ravine that he realized he had become lost in thought and had missed moments of conversation.

Judy: looking concerned "… you okay?"

Drew shook his head affirmative.

Drew: "I must apologize, sometimes I lose my way when I become deep in thought."

Judy gave him a knowing look and he gave her a glance she knew well. She recognized when he had been using his gift and was quite interested in what he had found. Normally Drew would have attempted to project emotions to help heal or counter such emotions, but he suspected he would need strong emotion to come forth in her in order to better read and understand the hidden shadows of Marion's subconsciousness. It pained him to leave her in such suffering, but he would have to overcome this in his time with her, and may even possibly have to push those negative emotions rather than heal them in order to get the results he needed. This thought almost made him nauseous as such a thing seemed alien to him. It smacked of evil. He had only unintentionally used his gift to project negative emotions when he had become nervous and insecure during any kind of romantic venture. It was ruthless in its effectiveness as he could amplify those feelings in others especially the closer emotionally he was to them. Only Judy had been able to provide a calming and neutralizing effect without the aid of large quantities of a numbing agent such as alcohol. He knew how powerful such a thing could be and was terrified by what such an application could do once unleashed intentionally. Theoretically without a block and properly applied, it could lead to dire consequences such as temporary insanity in the subject of the projection. He shivered and felt quite at ill thinking of such a sinister use, but now realized he may be in a position where he may have to do such a thing intentionally for the first time.

He realized he had been lost in thought and saw Judy looking up at him with quite a bit of worry and concern. He sent her strong thoughts of reassurance and love. While most could not realize when he was projecting emotions, Judy knew him and his talent better than anyone on two worlds and she was bonded so many times stronger than anyone in his life that she could instantly recognize when he was projecting emotions as if he had splashed her in the face with a bucket of ice water. She nodded that she understood and gave him a reassuring smile. She knew before coming here that he would be testing his skills to his limits and that he was in uncharted territory.

She realized that so much was unknown and untested and the true power and capability of her mate was barely hinted at. The previous night with Ben and Brian and the kiss hinted at the capacity and potential he could wield. If let loose without restraint, who knew what could happen. It was quite frightening and most others would have run screaming in pure terror if they knew the true possibilities behind his blue eyes. But just like she offered her neck to Nick in a complete act of pure trust in the Bellwether case, she knew she could do the same to with Drew as she knew his heart and intentions were completely pure with no hint of maliciousness. Where she offered her neck to Nick she offered her mind to Drew.

Marion: apprehensively "Are you… are you two alright?"

Her visitors nodded and began what they knew would be a very tricky operation.

Judy: "Everything is fine Mrs. Wilde. Sometimes Drew here has episodes."

Marion: looking with concern at Drew and then Judy "Is he okay?"

Drew nodded to Judy to allow her to explain his situation.

Judy: hesitantly "He… he is not normal. He has the ability to read emotions and sometimes he can get distracted."

Judy neglected to mention his ability to project emotions as she imagined this news would already be hard enough for the older fox to accept. She recognized immediately the concern on Marion's face. She didn't need to be an empath to read those emotions.

Judy: reassuring "He would not do anything to hurt you. Both of us love your son dearly and we are merely concerned for him and wanted to seek your help."

Drew: "We have only the very best of intentions toward you and your family."

Judy marveled at the turn of phrase Drew had dealt.

Marion: shocked "I… I am not sure how I can help you but I will try."

Drew sensed Marion was truthful in her intention and decided to test it.

Drew: "We are here because of our concern with Nick's deep apprehension regarding any questions concerning his family."

Judy: "He has always been hesitant to talk about his family and childhood. While we know of some of the things he has been through, we feel there is quite a lot more there he needs help with."

Drew: "The pain I sense from him with regards to the topic is so strong he can't hide it. We need to better understand that past in order to help heal those wounds."

Marion: very nervous "What… what can I do?"

Judy: "We wanted to know about his history so we could better understand and relate to him."

Drew: "We wished to ask questions that may seem extremely personal but with the understanding that our motives are pure."

Judy: "We want so much to help him in order to assist him moving forward with his life."

Marion: "Oh… you mean this is causing him to..."

This was the most important part of the plan. The hook that could get Marion to do anything to help them and thus help herself, Nick and her entire estranged family.

Drew: "We believe this damage and denial of family issues has stopped Nick from pursuing relations of his own. It seems to be the cause of his hesitancy to open that part of himself to those potential feelings. He must have some kinds of trauma related to this past and we believe he needs to deal with those issues to be willing to allow others to love him and see him as we do."

Judy: "He is so guarded. He makes it so difficult for anyone to really get to know him."

Marion was quiet for awhile. Drew could sense a great deal of sadness and regret in her. The sorrow was deep and swirled around seemingly touching everything. Finally Marion seemed to come to a decision and let out a deep sigh looking down.

Marion: exasperated "I suppose you are right. I have been waiting so long for him to find someone. I have always wondered if that might have had anything to do with that. I told myself he just never could find anyone good enough, but I am afraid you may be right. But what can I do?"

Drew: "Well we need to understand this pain involving his family to help heal him."

Judy: "We don't know how long it will take, but we love him so much and are willing to do anything to help him. We would never give up on him."

Drew could feel great sadness from Marion and she began to tear up. Judy hugged her and Marion embraced her tightly as the two shared a powerful moment of bonding.

After awhile the two separated and they finally heard the words they had been waiting to hear.

Marion: "I will try and help in any way I can. What did you need to know?"

Drew: "Can you tell us about your childhood?"

WHAM! Drew could sense a powerful manifestation appear in her mind. It appeared instantly triggered by that single word. There was great pain and the void he felt seemed to stretch forever.

Marion: unsure "I… I don't have much memory from that time."

Judy: "Do you know what happened?"

Marion: "I am unsure. Everything is in bits and pieces."

Drew: "Do you remember your mother or father?"

Marion: "Not my father. I have an impression of my mother. It felt like she died when I was little."

Drew now prepared the question he knew would get a reaction.

Drew: "Did you have any brothers or sisters?"

Pain! Excruciating pain!

Drew felt immense pain in his mind as he instantly raised his hands to his head with a grimace on his face. He had never been hit with emotions so powerful and he was visibly shaken. The sense in his mind was of terror, horror, disgust, hatred and despair.

Judy immediately sensed he was in excruciating pain and worriedly grabbed him and held him. He held her tight and let her feelings of love and support replace the images that had just assaulted him.

Marion was a bit shocked by what had just occurred and was unsure of what had just happened.

Marion: concerned "What… what is wrong with him?"

Judy looked up at her with a worried look on her visage, "He must have gotten a very strong painful emotional feeling from you."

Marion: "But… but why? Why would that question have done that?"

Judy: "Did something happen to your brother or sister?"
Marion: "Why… no… I mean… I don't know."

Judy: "Something dreadful must have happened for him to react this way."

Marion: hesitantly "I… I remember a brother."

Judy: "What happened to him?"

Marion: unsure "I… it is hazy."

Drew seemed to finally recover and he had to place a block on his mind. He slowly released it ready to place it back the instant he felt anything powerful. The brutal emotions were gone replaced with feelings of confusion, uncertainty and regret.

Drew: shaking his head as if to clear it "How about we try baby steps. Was it an older brother or younger?"

Marion: uncertain but then confident "Older."

Drew: "How much older?"

Marion: thoughtfully "Several years. Three maybe four years."

Drew: "Do you remember his name?"

Marion: hesitantly thinking awhile "Ren… Renner… Renny."

Judy: "Where is Renny?"

Drew tried to send Judy a warning message to say too fast… but the damage was done. He sensed incredibly intense emotion and he immediately slammed a mind block into place.

Marion: dejected "I… I don't know."

Judy glanced at Drew and realized her mistake. She had gotten too impatient and had jumped to the end. She gave Drew a sorrowful look and he gave her reassuring and forgiving thoughts. Drew waited until the emotions had relaxed and he followed the question.

Drew: "Think back. What was the earliest thing you remember about Renny?"

Marion: "I… I remember a house. A beautiful home. I remember Renny took me there."

Drew: "Do you remember where you were?"

Marion: "I remember ships."

Drew: "Where do they have ships?"

Marion: "Docks… near here. It changed it's name. It is called the Canals District now."

Drew: "Canals District?"

Judy: "It is just north of here on the northwestern part of the city on the water. Right next to the Rainforest District."

Drew: "So it used to be known as the Docks?"

Marion: "Docks District."

Drew: "Do you remember who lived there?"

Marion: "Ummm… Fran… Mrs. Franny..."

Drew: "Is that a first name or last?"

Marion: "I… I don't know. I just remember a nice lady… Mrs. Fran."

Drew realized that she was telling the truth and he was not going to be able to get the last name out of her without a deep probing.

Drew: "I suspect that is a first name. Any idea on her last?"

Marion thought… and then shook her head to indicate no.

Judy: "Renny lived there with you?"

Marion: "He did. At least for awhile."

Drew: "Is Renny short for something? Is it a nickname?"

Marion: "I… I don't know. I just know him as Renny."

Judy: "Have you ever told Nick of this Renny, his uncle?"

Marion: "I… I was afraid to. I wouldn't be able to answer his questions."

Drew: "Judy… let's focus on what we know of Renny first. Do you know where in the Canals this house was located?"

Marion: "I am not sure. I remember I didn't leave very often. I was..."

Drew sensed fear… terror… mistrust.

Drew: "What did you do there?"

Marion: "I am not exactly sure. I remember being taught and instructed. Maybe I was a student. But I helped there… maybe I was a servant?"

Drew: "You would be an unusual servant to also be a student. Perhaps you might have been a bit of both?"

Marion: "Maybe so. That would make the most sense."

Drew: "Was Renny a student or servant there?"

Marion: "Maybe… he would bring me books… I remember him reading to me. He… he helped there as well. He did chores… when he was younger."

Marion: "I am sorry… how will all this help Nicholas?"

Drew: calmly and in a reassuring tone "You are doing fine Marion. Right now Nick feels abandoned by his family. Not by you. But by the others. If we can replace that abandonment with possible answers or even potential missing family we can began to heal that hurt and allow him to open himself to love."

Judy: "He won't talk about it right now. He just gets a sad face and sorrowful eyes. He would barely even talk about you."

Marion sighs, "I just wish I could help more."

Drew: "But you have already helped so much. The answers are there. It just may take some time to find them. Fortunately you are talking to one who has spent his entire life being patient searching for the same thing your son seeks."

Marion: "Oh… do you think you have finally found it?"

Drew looks at Judy out the corner of his eye and gives a slight smile and answers, "I believe so."

Marion: "And you really think you can do the same for Nicholas?"

Drew: "I had to do the same thing. I had to deal with all that hurt and pain from my family. I had to finally put all that behind me and remove all those insecurities and regrets. I had to address the mistrust, sorrow and agony and see the potential to start anew and open myself to love in any form no matter how strange, hard to understand and uncomfortable it may have appeared."

Judy looked up into his eyes starting to get a sense of what the human had to wrestle with and what an arduous task it was for him to overcome. She knew she had to overcome some of her same demons as they had discovered only recently.

Drew knew they had a bit more work to do while they were there and he got up and offered to refresh their drinks. He then left the two ladies to chat while he used the restroom and then texted Nick that they had gotten food out and would be back in a few hours. He reminded Nick to feel free to get anything he wanted from the fridge. He knew Nick already knew this but because he was a newly reacquired resident of Casa de Carrots, Drew figured it wouldn't hurt to remind him. Nick had wondered about Drew's nickname for the place until Drew explained the Spanish reference and the fact that they both lived there at her pleasure based on the events of over two months ago. He also thought it had a nice ring to it.

He brought a bowl of ice for the tea and another fruit drink for Judy. The two ladies seemed to have had a productive chat as he sensed pleasant feelings and an aura of friendliness.

Judy: "… and we found out that it was butler all along."

Marion: laughing "Isn't that so cliché."

Judy: giggling "That is what Nick said."

Drew joined the laughter as he knew what story they were referring to.

Drew: "It is cliché on human Earth as well. I said… no… it couldn't be."

Drew gave Judy the new drink and emptied the ice into his and Marion's glasses.

He sat down and Judy unconsciously gave him a hug.

Marion: "You two are very close."

Drew and Judy both became a bit alarmed, but they quickly recovered from the moment as they were used to many moments of unconscious affection and were quite practiced now at explaining it.

Drew: "We had been through quite a lot together."

Judy: "We feel the same about your son. But he is a bit more resistant to that same affection."

Drew: chuckling "I have to threaten him with hugs to get him to do things sometimes."

Marion: "Oh I suppose you are right. We just never expressed the affection in our home you two seem to be able to."

Drew: "Oh we never shared that in my family as well. It is just that Judy is quite an emotional mammal and my link makes it feel natural to share those feelings with her."

Judy: "Nick used to be revolted by that sense of touch but he has gotten much better."

Marion: "You guys have a special relationship. I envy you that."

Drew: "Well the goal is to hopefully help your family to regain some of that as well."

Marion: "Do you really think that is possible?"

Drew: "I feel positive those answers are out there begging to be heard and reunited."

Judy thought to herself that there was quite a good reason for Drew to be positive about those answers, but it was so frustrating knowing all the answers but not knowing how to ask the right questions to get to those answers. She wanted so badly to scream at Marion, "Your brother loves you more than anything and has sacrificed everything for that love! Your family desperately wants to be reunited with you and Nick and it is your senseless stupid decision that has prevented it for so many wasted years! How could you ever reject your family! How could you ever hurt someone who loves you more than anything!" Tears began to gather in the bunnies eyes as she could not control her emotions thinking of how frustrating this whole thing was. She knew she didn't have the patience and ability to control emotions like Drew, and realized that it was probably very fortunate she didn't have Drew's talent as she might have recklessly assaulted Nick's mom until she gave up those secrets and admitted the truth.

Drew instantly sensed the change in his companion and quickly pushed strong thoughts of calm and support to her. He knew this whole thing was extremely difficult for her. She didn't understand that a fractured mind like Marion's wouldn't make sense. Marion was unable to make decisions that seemed obvious to the two of them as she didn't have the complete picture and had many unconscious blocks which didn't allow her to see the truths. They also didn't know exactly what had happened to cause Marion to completely break, but suspected it was something quite momentous. They both only knew that her brother only had her best interests at heart and loved both her and Nick more than anything.

Drew: "Well I thought we would see what other answers we could find. This is not a sprint but a marathon, and anything we discover is progress."

Marion: "Very well… but so much is jumbled. I wish I could be more helpful."

Drew: "Just relax and remember anything you can."

Judy: reassuring "You are doing great Marion."

Marion: "I just feel… I am letting you down."

Drew: "You have done well. But I want you to think about a later time. Where did you live after the house at the Doc… Canal District?"

Marion: "I… I remember a large place. It was like many houses in one. Almost like a castle from the storybooks but not exactly a castle but not exactly a house."

Drew: "Do you remember where it was located?"

Marion: "By the water… I remember going down by the water and watching the ships."

Drew: "Was this your house?"

Marion: "Don't be ridiculous. How could that be my house?"

Drew: "Was it your brother's house? Was it Renny's?"

Drew knew he was pushing close to the limit of what he was allowed to ask based on his foreknowledge but he deemed it a legitimate question.

Marion: "That sounds ridiculous. How could Renny or anyone own such a place?"

Drew: "Are you sure it wasn't his house?"

Marion: "I… I don't know. It just seems preposterous."

Drew: "Did Renny live there with you?"

Marion: "Yes… I remember him being there. But only part of the time."

Drew: "Who else lived there?"

Marion: "I remember many. There were many there."

Drew: "What did they do?"

Marion: "I remember many servants. People cleaning and taking care of things and many others. Many… rough types..."

Drew: "Rough types?"

Marion: "Dangerous looking mammals. All different species and sizes."

Drew: "Were they a danger to you?"

Marion: "No... no I didn't fear them… they… it makes no sense..."

Drew: "What?"

Marion: "They seemed to… to… they seemed to serve me… but how… how can this be?"

Drew could sense the excitement in his companion anxiously focusing her whole being into having Marion tell them what they needed to know. But Drew knew he was pushing too hard as it was as Marion was becoming quite confused and disoriented by facts that made no sense to her and he needed to steer her into a more palatable area.

Drew: "We will come back to that Marion. Do you remember anyone else there? Anyone you were close to?"

Marion: "There was Mrs. Fran… but only every once in awhile."

Drew: "Was there anyone you were close to?"

Marion: "I… remember… there… there were foxes. Foxes like me."

Drew: "How many?"

Marion: "Little ones… many kits… they were… I loved them. I took care of them."

Drew: "Whose kits were they? Yours?"

Marion: "No… yes and no. I felt they were mine but not mine. I can't explain it."

Drew: "Was there anyone else whose they could be?"

Marion: "Yes… a beautiful fox… with deep blue eyes… a friend."

Drew: "Do you remember her name?"

Marion: "She… help me Az… help me Aza. Aza."

Marion got a big smile on her face.

Drew could feel Judy clutching onto him her heart beating excitedly.

Drew: "Who is Aza?"

Marion: "She was… she was my friend."

Drew: "Were the kits hers?"

Marion: "Yes! But… but they were mine too. It makes no sense."

Drew: ""Were they your family?"

Marion paused looking confused and lost in thought. Finally she answered.

Marion: "I think they might have been."

Drew: "Were they Renny's? Were they your brothers kits?"

Marion: "I… I don't… yes he was with them. He was with Aza. I remember him kissing her and the kits."

Drew: "So they were his?"

Marion: "They must have been. It is the only thing that makes any sense. But..."

Drew could sense powerful emotion in Marion and he readied a block. The emotions swirled around the fox. Great waves of sorrow, regret and despair. Drew had to hold back tears of his own sensing such powerful negative emotions. He had to fight himself not to send out countering emotions as he knew Marion had to feel and explore these things. Judy instantly knew something was wrong and grabbed onto Drew's arm expressing concern. He cleared his thoughts pushing the feelings from his mind.

Marion then broke down in tears.

Marion: crying "How could I have forgotten? How could these things be lost to me?"

Judy couldn't control herself and dove to the fox hugging her and joining her in tears. She looked back to him with sadness begging him to do something to help. It was difficult rejecting both of them and their need. It was excruciating. But he had learned from Reynard that pain was a powerful force. It was something that was there to tell you something was wrong and needed to be fixed. It was why those suffering from leprosy neglected and lost body parts because they felt no pain and neglected that warning until it was too late. Pain was a motivator and a teaching tool. It was why sometimes he allowed Judy to feel it and merely provided her a shoulder to cry on and a reassuring hug rather than removing it from her completely. Judy's pleading continued but he sorrowfully shook his head no and she dejectedly lowered her head and buried it into Marion's side sobbing.

After awhile the two ladies ended their tears and recovered themselves. Drew had put a block in place to prevent himself from becoming overwhelmed by the emotions of both the girls and gradually loosened it once he was sure most of the sadness had dissipated. Marion wiped the tears from her eyes and Judy relented and returned to sit near him.

Marion: drying her eyes with a cloth "I must apologize. I don't know what came over me."

Drew: "It is completely fine. Do you have any idea why you couldn't remember Aza and the kits?"

Marion: "I don't know. How can I not know?"

Drew: "Extreme trauma can cause such a memory loss."

Marion: concerned "Do you think something happened… to Aza and the kits?"

Drew: "I am not sure. It is something we need to try and find out. It is inside you but well hidden and well protected."

Marion: "Why would I hide such a thing?"

Drew: "To protect yourself from remembering something… something that you can't deal with."

Marion: "How can I find this out?"

Drew: "It is something I have some ideas about. But I will discuss this later. There are still some tough things to address. Some things you will have to be strong for."

Judy: concerned "Hasn't she had enough?"

Drew: looking in Judy's eyes sorrowfully "They need to be asked while she has memories fresh in her mind."

Judy nods in acceptance.

Drew: "Marion… you remember your brother Renny at this… complex… correct?"

Marion: "Yes… not all the time but often."

Drew: "Do you know where he is now?"

Drew already knew she would have no idea but he had to set her up for the follow-up questions.

Marion: "No… I have no idea."

Drew: "Could he still be at this house… this large complex?"

Marion: "I don't think so. I don't know why. I feel… I feel something happened there."

Drew: "Something… something to Renny, Aza and the kits?"

Marion: "Something bad… yes something..."

Drew sensed a deep sadness coming on and he was afraid Marion would break down again. He quickly decided to distract her with the question. The question everything came down to. The question that everything hinged on. He cautiously delivered the question.

Drew: "Marion do you want us to find Renny, Aza and the kits for you?"

Drew's mind exploded and he fell unconscious.

…

Drew found himself in the void. He didn't remember how he had gotten here. He remembered an impossible pain and then nothing. The place seemed familiar to him. A place he had found himself a few times in the past. This was a place within his mind where he had locked himself away when he dealt with emotions he couldn't handle. But he had become far more proficient in handling such emotions and thoughts. Why was he here now? Did something happen to him? Was he knocked unconscious somehow? The memories were muddled as his mind sought to protect him from whatever had caused him to be locked away. He forgot how long he would be trapped here as time had no meaning and a moment could seem an eternity. He supposed he would just have to wait it out and hope he was not trapped here like he imagined Judy had been when she had been under the effects of the serum and locked in her mind. The difference for him was he knew his mind had done this to himself. He felt such sorrow thinking of the confusion and torment she and all the others affected by the serum had undergone. Judy! He remembered her and realized something he was doing with her had caused his mind to shut down.

He felt dampness now. How could he feel dampness in his mind? He was wet. He felt something on his chest. He felt something soft. There was something on his face… he was alarmed… but then he was not. He had felt that feeling before and associated it with happiness and love not danger and caution. The blackness was replaced with light as he opened his eyes and found something gray and wet in front of his face with tears in its large partially closed eyes dripping down onto his face and a mouth locked onto his. He kissed the mouth back and put his arms around the gray form gently hugging her for he knew it was a her. A her he was quite crazy about.

The form forced a smile and pressed the side of her face against his cheek and hugged him tight.

Judy: relieved "I was so worried. You scared me to death."

Drew: hesitantly "I… that hasn't happened in a long time."

Drew now recalled where he was and what he had been doing. He also remembered what had caused his mind to lock itself away. He realized one nagging thing his mind was trying to tell him he was forgetting. Something quite important. Finally he remembered and got a cold chill over his entire body.

Drew: whispering "Marion."

He then immediately felt the gray form go from elation and relief to worry and fear.

The two of them turned their heads and looked toward where they remembered the fox to be.

They saw green eyes looking at them in shock and disbelief.

Judy: softly to Drew "I'm so sorry. You went down and I forgot where I was. I completely freaked out. I had no idea what had happened to you. I was so scared."

Drew rose up and gave her a light hug and a kiss on the top of her head and lightly rubbed her ears.

Drew: softly "I don't blame you. It couldn't be helped. I probably would have reacted the same if the situation was reversed. I just didn't expect that would happen. The block is unlike anything I could imagine. It was like it knew what I was doing and was defending itself from me."

Marion sat there staring at them with wide eyes and an open mouth. Finally she managed to croak, "You… you two."

Judy: sorrowful "I'm sorry Marion. You had enough to deal with. It was my fault."

Marion: "Does… does my son know?"

Judy nodded to her.

Marion: "I see. That is probably why he never mentioned living with you two."

Drew: "He was protecting us."

Marion: "He is a good friend."

Judy: "The best. It is why we love him and want to do anything we can to help him."

Marion: "I… a lot of things are making more sense now."

Judy: "With your memories?"

Marion: "No… things Nicholas said. Your living together. Your closeness to my son. Why you two aren't seen together."

Drew: "Well I can see where Nick gets his cleverness from."

Marion blushes. The clever fox responded, "But why keep it hidden?"

Judy: "Because we are in the public eye. Because of gossip reporters and gossip shows. We realize we are a very unusual pairing and we garner a lot of unwanted attention both good and bad because of this. We value our privacy and just want to live our lives. But also because of recent political threats."

Marion: "You really think you are in danger from this new group?"

Judy: "We do. They nearly attacked us just for Drew being with my sister Tala and myself."

Marion: "But Zootopia stands for freedom… freedom of such judgment."

Judy: "We fear that may change."

Drew: "Marion I am sorry to lay this on you with everything else going on. I just hope we can count on the same discretion with respect to our situation as we do from your son."

Marion: "Of course. I would never do anything to harm friends of Nicholas."

Drew: "Thank you. What happened to me was that your mind assaulted me."

Marion: in disbelief "What?"

Drew: "It was like it was defending itself from my question."

Marion: "How can that be?"

Drew: "I can only surmise there are powerful forces and reasons at play. But it makes me even more curious than ever."

Drew put up a full block.

Drew: "I am going to ask the question again and just listen for the answer and nothing else."

Marion nods.

Drew: "Marion do you want us to find Renny, Aza and the kits?"

Nothing happened but that meant nothing as Drew maintained the block to prevent a repeat of what happened earlier.

Marion: "I… my mind screams no. It won't let me say anything else. But I am so confused. Why would it do this? Why would it not want me to see my family?"

Drew: "I am unsure. It is something we are going to have to discover."

Judy: "I wondered the same thing before."

Judy realized she had said this out loud and quickly looked around worriedly but Marion did not seem to notice as she was deep in her own thoughts. She realized that her statement could be taken to mean she had wondered about the current developments and not knowing the truth. Or at least part of the truth.

Drew carefully put another block in place.

Drew: "Marion do you remember what happened to Nick's father?"

Drew could sense a powerful emotion even through the block and was thankful it had been put in place.

Marion: "I… he left us… he left Nicholas when he was very young."

Drew: "Do you know why he left?"

Currently he and Judy had no clue what had happened to Nick's father and that part of the story. They only knew it was something quite traumatic.

Drew slowly released the block feeling sadness, pain and loss. But most of all he felt abandonment and betrayal.

Marion: "I… don't know. I am sorry."

Drew: "I am so sorry to bring up such painful memories. But it is all done for the best of reasons."

Marion: "I know. I know how much you are risking to do this."

Drew: "Well what we have to decide now is what to do. Even if we wanted to find your and Nick's family we would have no idea where to look. Not with the available information."

Judy: "You want to find out what happened don't you? You want to find the answers?"

Marion: "I… of course I do."

Drew: "Well I have some ideas about what could be done. I will have to do some investigation into any possible research into these topics from the human Earth. I will also need to find a doctor, a psychiatrist in Zootopia willing to try some unique experimental treatments with my assistance to see if it will help."

Marion: "But the cost. And the risk."

Drew: "Well I am sure I could write off any costs as experimenting with using human knowledge to treat mental issues on Zootopia. I have an assistant who is quite talented at expensing such things. As to the other… it is worth it to me to find the answers for both you and your son. It also allows me to attempt something I have never tried before and possibly discover something more about myself and what I may be capable of."

Marion: "I appreciate you making it sound like it is no big deal. But I know how much of an effort and how much work and risk you are offering to undertake for us. Nicholas is very lucky to have two friends like you two."

Judy: grinning "I wish he would realize that every once in awhile."

Drew: chuckling "One of these days he will Judy, I just know it."

Judy: "A bit too optimistic I fear."

Marion: "I will make sure he knows it when it is all over."

Drew: "You bring up something we need to address. We believe it is best not to mention anything to Nick in the meantime."

Judy: "He would get quite stressed unnecessarily."

Marion: "I agree. I will try and keep as quiet as possible about this."

Drew: "I will contact you as soon as I can arrange a time where we can attempt such a session. I will have to locate the right materials and find a willing doctor in Zootopia which presents quite a challenge in itself."

Judy: "You have been so brave Marion."

Marion: "I just feel so useless… not knowing what happened."

Drew: "We will try and find those answers. But we need to get back home as your son will be wondering where we are. He was busy moving his remaining items in and putting his stuff in storage. I feel guilty for not helping him but it couldn't be helped as this is far more important."

They got up and Drew grabbed his carry bag and the warming bags for the food leaving the remaining pizza and extra salad for Marion to keep.

Marion: objecting "I can't take this… it wouldn't be right."

Drew sensed she wanted to keep the food but was too proud to accept it so he came up with an excuse.

Drew: "We can't bring it home or Nick will know we ate there without him and he will be quite upset. I will have to order it in the next couple days for him anyway or he will annoy me."

Judy gave him a knowing smile and nod and echoed his excuse.

Judy: grinning "Which is fine with me by the way. I wouldn't mind it again right away."

Drew: chuckling "The bottomless pit that is a bunny stomach."

Judy: "That is not true. You can't stereotype all bunnies that way."

Drew: "I suppose you are right. Even Tala doesn't eat nearly as much as you unless she has been running. And then she puts you to shame."

Marion: "You are so sweet together."

Judy: grinning "Thanks."

Drew: "Very few can accept it."

Marion: "They just don't know you two."

Judy: "It has been so very nice to meet you after all this time. I feel so bad for not meeting you sooner."

Marion: "Don't feel bad… Nick hasn't brought anyone here in so very long. Since he was young."

Drew: "Finnick and Honey?"

Marion: "Finnick yes. I know of Honey but haven't met her."

Judy: "She is quite an unusual one."

Marion: "Yes Nicholas mentioned some of her… quirks."

The human and bunny said their goodbyes to their new foxy mom friend and got back into the car and headed back home.

Judy: "The answers were right there… I could taste them."

Drew: "They are… but there are a lot of defenses there to protect them."

Judy: "What were you able to read?"

Drew: "It is complicated. Much you would probably already guess. She is very lonely, frightened and in emotional pain. I suspect she has a form of agoraphobia and that is why she doesn't leave the apartment. I am going to have to find a way to get some things delivered to her she will accept. She is very proud and resistant to anything she feels is charity. I am not sure if this is related to her refusal to accept any help from her brother. I am sure he would be happy to set her up in a palace with servants if only she would let him. But that is not what she needs."

Judy: looking to him with concern "What does she need?"

Drew: "She needs her family. She needs that love and support that has been absent so long. That is what she will need to fully recover from the horrors of her mind."

Judy: "But… but we can't give her that without her help."

Drew: "Exactly. We need to help her recover enough of those memories for her to give us the permission and clues to find that family without the knowledge we have of them."

Judy: "This whole thing is just so… weird."

Drew: smiling "Another day in Zootopia."

Judy: "It is pretty weird even for Zootopia."