It was Aladdin, for those who guessed in review form or silently said as much to themselves. XD

I did that as a not so subtle nod to another film that I kinda made part of this story reflect (in a strange reversal role fashion mind you but still)

Now then, this is a shorter chapter than I had hoped to put out, but it covers a couple things and sets up my next chapter, OF WHICH i promise will come quicker than i have been updating this story as of late. I have a more cohesive writing schedule set up for myself and hope it gets me on a path of expeditious updates for all my stories on a regular basis. I know i have received more than a few mentions to that effect.

Honestly, this story was a buffer to which i could write when stuck on other projects and was more like a free-writing project that took shape. Now i have a clear cut plan for it, which you all hopefully will love.

Enjoy, review, and pull up a stump.

"Who?" Judith asked curiously, popping her head and ears rather comically from behind Nicholas.

The small fox groaned at having his introduction moment ruined.

"Finnick," he repeated, a paw dragging down his small muzzle. A slight growl escaped him when he saw the red fox smirking with crossed arms, clearly amused at the anti-climactic response to his dramatic debut.

"Finnick," Bogo voiced from the side of their little exchange, "I hope you're not bothering these two."

"Oh, he's not bothering anyone, Lord Bogo," the young rabbit chirped as politely as possible. She seemed to fear that the buffalo might take action against the fennec. Both Bogo and Finnick seemed to read this in her expressions and voice, looking to Nicholas in confusion.

He simply shrugged and mimed a short flurry of gestures trying to say, 'she's one of the good ones' to which his point seemed to be made.

The buffalo was now holding a couple small books that looked more akin to journals. They were newly made and seemed small in comparison to his large hooves.

The fox gasped, frantically deciding whether to break his silence or not. Judith now looked concerned, as did Finnick. Bogo looked more confused and tilted his gaze down to the journals in his hoof, not quite understanding why the fox would be so disturbed.

On the cover was a boring design of a burning flame, of which Nicholas assumed was to create a false identity to onlookers. That wasn't what caught his eye though. Inscribed as a notation to the corner of the depiction… was a symbol he had only seen scribbled by one mammal… the one he had forgotten for too long.

"Honey," he spoke. Bogo's eyes bugged out, Finnick dropped the wood slat in his mouth, and Judith's nervous smile froze on her face.

Jocabi was apparently otherwise engaged and could be seen nowhere in the shop as Nicholas looked around to see that they were alone.

"Where is she?" he asked the buffalo.

"So," the massive buffalo started, "it IS you, Nicholas… the Rouge Rogue." The fox saluted in respect, but remembered the unclear bit about him being a predator subjugator.

"Uh… Nicholas?" Judith tried to politely interject. "Are they… friends?" Her question was ignored as the fox waited for an answer from the buffalo. Bogo snorted and sighed heavily, looking around.

"We served together in the war to the north, Miss…" Bogo said, goading the rabbit into an introduction of her own.

She dipped down and did a quick curtsy saying, "Judith… Judith… um… Hopps…" The last word was barely squeaked out as she very well knew her family's reputation among these parts and wasn't one to take glee in the nervous shuffling it might cause.

The buffalo's and fennec's eyes narrowed skeptically at the mention of that name, but they saw the stare of the fox, quietly telling them to give it a rest, and digressed.

"Well my dear Miss Hopps," he continued, "I would be most pleased if you would join me and my lovely wife for dinner on the evening this next morrow. I assure you we will arrange all means of travel."

The fennec perked up and gave Bogo an awkward look.

"Are you sure, my lord?" he asked in his deep baritone.

"Quite, and we can discuss the concerns of this fox here at that time," the buffalo confirmed, giving Nicholas a glance and seeing that the fox seemed to accept that for now. Bogo didn't want to discuss anything to that effect in public, as ideal as their current level of privacy may have been. "So, Miss Hopps?"

"I… uh… of course!" the rabbit barely choked out, confused and taken aback by whatever was happening around her.

The buffalo smiled gently, sighing in relief.

"Wonderful," he said, then turned to Nicholas. "I shall answer your future concerns… but you must understand this is not the place. I bid you good day."

Nicholas was silently seething. He desperately wanted to know more and the captain obviously knew a great enough deal about what was going on that he felt like deferring their exchange until more private means could be established for their rapport.

Nonetheless, he clenched and unclenched his paws, breathing in deep and letting the issue go for now, nodding slightly to the two vastly differently sized mammals as they turned to leave.

Judith padded next to him, doing her best to read his body language, as she had become learned at doing quite well.

"What was all that about?" she asked softly, hoping not to turn the fox into a frustrated mess, judging at the demeanor the buffalo left him in after not answering him properly.

"A past obligation has come back to make itself known again," Nicholas told the rabbit simply, hoping she would accept it for now. He wouldn't have proper answers to give her likely line of questioning until he got answers of his own. "For now, let us get back and await the carriage's departure home. You had no other shopping needs did you, my lady?"

The grey doe shook her head in the negative and allowed him to heft the books once more before departing.

0000000

Once back at the Hopps' manor, it took some finesse to lug books back to her room with little scrutiny. No one dared to make an overt examination of the strangely wrapped package, but looks were common and fleeting. Many businesses used similar wrapping and such to protect purchases, so Judith was about to play the collection of books off as clothing accessories.

Nicholas barely found that believable but stayed silent, of course, because her wardrobe barely compared a fraction to that her other elder siblings showed off. If she came across someone who paid more attention to her, which seemed fleeting of its own accord, then her newly acquired interest in expanding that wardrobe might seem odd to them.

Luckily, no one cared much beyond the initial inquiries.

In her room, the two spread the books out and bolted the door shut for their own privacy.

The giddy and clearly hippy hoppy rabbit was loving seeing the collection of stories in front of her. At one point, she rolled around on the floor, giggling and muttering to herself incoherently.

The fox could only smile kindly and swish his tail in mild amusement at the display, his eyes never wavering from the exuberant bunny. She started trying to read three of the books at once, switching between each book at points and laying small slips of parchment in the pages to mark her place.

Nicholas deigned to pick up one he was curious about and sat, pensive and his eyes glazed. Enraptured in a book he had heard of but never read before, the fox took great pleasure in discovering a new tale for the first time in a long time. He couldn't remember the last time he truly enjoyed reading anything since he started ambling aimlessly a couple years ago.

"What do you have there?" Judith asked innocently, having crawled up to him while not looking. Instead of being surprised, the fox looked over at her curious eyes as she worked her way partially into his lap to read a bit of what he was holding.

The poor fox was frozen in place, looking at an overly excited and small bunny crawl into his lap like an excitable kit without truly realizing what she was doing in her curious state.

"Uh… it's uh… a tale," the fox stammered, looking down at the jittery rabbit with her tail shivering against him. She giggled and looked up, her eyes shone bright and violet.

"Of course," she beamed, "but what's it about?" Her ears tickled the fur under his jaw as she gave him a strangely calm and happy look. She wasn't just comfortable around him, she was completely devoid of any irrational or rational fear of him. He couldn't comprehend such implicit trust as that which she showed him. It warmed his heart and set him a bit on edge as well. Besides the innocent intentions she most assuredly had, the fact of the matter was that she was a fairly attractive rabbit of the age of 21, as she had told him, sitting in the lap of her natural predator like he was a comfortable pillow.

"It's… so far as I've read… it's… about a mammal that is cursed to a hideous form and… ends up keeping a beautiful female as a prisoner. It's pretty dark for now… but it's supposed to be romance I think."

The rabbit looks a little downtrodden, her ears falling softly behind her head. Her tail also stops moving and she looks at the book in his paws.

"If you had the chance to leave," she starts, "would you take it?"

Nicholas stiffens at that question. He wasn't sure how to respond. He knew that he would take that chance, but he didn't know how to word it without making it seem as if he weren't grateful for her kindness.

"I would," the fox chose to divulge simply, hoping that she would understand the meaning he wanted to imply. The small rabbit seemed to be undisturbed by his admission. Instead, she seemed rather relaxed by it. Her body seemed to meld further against him, with Judith's head nestling right underneath his muzzle.

Nicholas had no mental capacity left to comprehend this anymore.

"If you had the chance, would you take me with you?" she near mumbled. The question was so surprising that he dipped his muzzle down to look at her and was met with the fur on her head.

The red fox nervously sucked in a breath and was met with a cloudy haze of emotions boiling to the surface. She smelled so bittersweet, like the taste of green tea. Before he could put up the mental walls against such an unconventional attack against his psyche, the scent permeated every corner of his brain, soaking into his mind like a poisonous venom.

Gaining a semblance of decorum after his mistake, he pulled his muzzle back up and tried to consider her request.

"Why would you want to leave?" he asked softly.

"No one here understands me," the doe replied. "I've done what I could to become what I want to be… but I'm told it's not lady-like and directed to other 'proper' endeavors for a 'lady' such as myself."

"But you're safe here…" the fox countered half-heartedly. He couldn't deny her wanderlust.

"Safety and comfort isn't happiness," was Judith's near instant and most likely practiced reply. "I would rather die young and happy than live a long and oppressed life, under the thumb of parents who only seek to grow an empire that burdens the backs of predators."

Tears started to form in the corners of the rabbit's eyes and she brought her paws up to rub them away, little whimpers escaping her.

"I'm sorry," she meekly said to him, "you helped me get to a happier point than I've been in so long… and I ruin the mood." From his vantage point, he could see the insides of her ears tinged red as they flushed with blood. Was she embarrassed?

"You didn't ruin anything. I'm glad I could help you achieve some form of happiness…" he took a breath, "and if I could… yes, I would bring you with me."

Judith turned her head in his lap and looked up at him with watery eyes, her muzzle parted slightly as her eyes darted over him.

"Don't look so surprised," the fox tried to chide her, "You've been so wonderful to me and I couldn't ask for a better…."

His voice was cut off, however, when a certain rabbit decided to close the small distance...

Kissing him on the lips, her nose shivering against his own. Nicholas was so shocked, he froze in place. Everything in the world faded away to leave him in a world only occupied by the both of them. His brain told him that he shouldn't do this but his muzzle parts against his will and he renews the kiss. A soft moan escapes the rabbit and sets Nicholas's blood ablaze.

Some part of him is able to brace against the onslaught of swirling emotions as he breaks from the kiss to see a very hazy eyed Judith leaning in closer to him.

"We can't," he breathed.

He got the point across with little resistance, but the bunny began to overreact, leaping from his lap in a panic and gasping with a paw over her mouth.

"Oh no… no no no," she murmured to herself mostly, lifting her head to address the fox, "I'm so so sorry. I didn't think about you or your feelings… or even if you would…. Er could… be interested in me..."

Nicholas sat confused and panting slightly. He broke away from her because he wasn't sure about her emotional state and if she would regret her actions.

"My lady," he gently tried comfort her with a paw on her shoulder, resulting in the rabbit shirking away with downcast eyes. "I was surprised… but you have no reason to be ashamed."

"But I took advantage of you," she whimpered. Nicholas clamped a paw over her muzzle, trying to keep her from getting so frantic that she draws unwanted attention their way with her rising volume. Her tears dripped down onto his paw as she squeaked in response.

The fox sighed heavily.

"I may not… know… if I am interested in you." Judith looks a little more dejected. "BUT! I have never truly had the opportunity… to fall in love that is. I only said 'we can't' because I didn't want to take advantage of you."

Finally, the rabbit's eyes seemed to brighten a bit.

"You… take advantage of me?" she giggled. Nicholas scowled slightly as the obviously rhetorical question seemed a tad insulting. "You're far too kind for me to even entertain such a thought."

He couldn't help but smirk slightly in relief. He mentally chastised himself for thinking she would become condescending in that manner.

"Well," the rabbit doe started, wiping away a tear of laughter, "I must admit, that I'm not even sure how I feel… I know we're… different."

"Fox and rabbit, yes, I've noticed," Nicholas mentioned humorously. "Go on." He flicked his wrist a bit to goad her on.

"Oh… uh… but," she mumbled, "I lost my thoughts on the matter I think…"

The fox chuckled heartily.

"No need to fret, my lady," the fox softly said. "I myself have been rendered quite… speechless by our current predicament."

"And yet you still find the words to speak so calmly," Judith joked. "I'm quite jealous."

Another hearty laugh echoed from the fox as he said, "I am nothing if not clever and collected."

"Cocky comes to mind as well," voiced the bunny.

"Fair point, my lady."

Having passed a rather emotional moment, neither were willing to tread back into those murky waters to figure out how to pursue such a revelation. Each chose silently to leave it be for now and touch upon the subject of their impromptu kiss when the subject arose again.

In their current situation, though, Judith stepped on something still wrapped up from their excursion. Leaning down to pick it up, she noticed that it was something her sister Heather had purchased, with the wrapping matching that of her other things.

"Oh," she groaned, turning to the red fox, "would you be so kind as to take this to my sister?"

Nicholas mustered a gentle smile and allowed her to press the package into his waiting paws, their fingers slipping past each other with a slow drag. The simple contact sent shivers up his spine and raised his fur on his neck a bit.

Judith's tail shivered slightly as she looked up at the emerald orbs of her charge.

"Of course, my lady," he responded kindly.

Taking his leave and making sure to stifle the grin on his face to that of a more demeaned and gaunt expression, the fox made for Heather's room. Having now made the trip there with Judith on a limited basis for various purposes, the fox made it a point to remember where it was.

He made such a note for the more ironic purpose to avoid the rabbit's room, not pursue its location. Heaving a low sigh, he expeditiously made his way to her room, only needing to circumvent a corner or two until he stood at the door to Heather's chambers.

He was about to knock softly when he heard a noise…

A whine? Whimper? Pained moan? Suddenly, he was filled with an indecision to act. He couldn't call out for fear of demolishing the façade he enforced that he couldn't speak.

Looking to the door again, he saw it cracked, like someone made their way in and forgot to bolt it.

There was another noise, louder than the first. Nicholas felt compelled to leap into action but had to remain objective. Reacting too readily might put him in a precarious position that could be warped against him…. Again.

Holding his breath and tentatively pressing the door to open it just barely a crack, he saw shadows flickering from candlelight on the wall that he could see. Another strained noise reached his ears, making them flick. It was still day out, so the window must have the curtains pulled.

Daring to open the door a little more, he saw something he hadn't been expecting and clamped a paw over his muzzle to deter the breath he was holding from escaping in a strange gasp.

Pulling the door closed again, but leaving it like it was before, the fox made to stealthily but quickly, walk away and back to his charge's room.

His breathing became quite strained and now a few things he noticed became rather clear and obvious in his mind. There was no way he should have known but it seemed obvious all the same.

Pausing at Judith's door, he slumped forward and went over it in his head again….

When he had opened the door enough, he saw a large mirror that gave him a clear and unobstructed view of something he never thought he would see.

Heather was in the throes of what he could only call ecstasy, wrapping her legs around another mammal he had seen around before. In only seconds he could see that what he witnessed was of an intimate and very secretive nature. Who would want to advertise that anyways, as much as it looked well enjoyed.

Another rabbit would have been nothing to be so surprised about. Goodness, the irony of the past several minutes with Judith came back to almost make him laugh at how much he was proven wrong in his reservations.

Even another male would have been less surprising, but the mammal wrapped up with Heather was none other than the vixen that served Heather.

If what he remembered about Judith's passing mention of her name... it was... the fox chuckled slightly.

"Rose."

BOOM! dropped a bomb I wasn't even expecting, but it was fun.

Short chapter, I know but again... more plot content coming. look forward to it. and to give you a good time frame that i will do my best to hold to, I plan to have Chapter 5 ready and released by Monday night, Tuesday afternoon at the latest. What can I say, I'm excited for the next bit of story and recent revelation of how i want this all to play out.

Onto reviews,

sur2sur: DING DING DING, you win those 100 pointless points. Later you can cash them in for a lovely mindless mind. I'd give you mine but i seem to have lost it.

: thank you and glad you noticed the reference. XD

Guest from Apr 21: It shall be revealed, pretty soon actually. look forward to it. and thank you for your interest.

Guest from Apr 23: Thank you very much and I promise I'm working more frequently on this now.

Thank you all for your interest. I wasn't expecting this kind of intrigue for an AU of Zootopia but i love it nonetheless.

Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts.