Check out the author's note at the end.

Enjoy~

… … … … …

Chapter Six: My Lovely Girl Named Zootopia

Charlotte Beveren had a bit of trouble getting herself onto the train to Zootopia. On the plus side, a nice stranger had stopped to help her with her suitcase—but even then, simply sitting down in the hard plastic chairs was difficult. Her swollen belly made everything much harder.

Despite the difficulty of function, Charlotte loved being pregnant. Even if the three little bunnies growing in her tummy didn't have their father anymore, they had her and she had them; all three of them.

Not two. Three. Confirmed by a very relieved Dr. Woolard a week before.

He had recommended a specialist in Zootopia, just in case, though. Tumors can be unpredictable at times, especially in a developing baby—multiple visits would be in order, which means that Charlotte would have to stay in Zootopia until after she had her litter. She hadn't told Judy yet, she was hoping it could be a surprise; despite having been back in Bunnyburrow and occupying a secretary's desk until her third trimester, she had been quite lonesome and was very much looking forward to experiencing Judy's peppy personality again.

Besides, it had been quite a long time since she last saw Judy, and it hadn't been in the happiest of circumstances.

Charlotte shook off the negative thoughts—they weren't good for the babies!—and let herself settle as best she could into her seat, pulling a 25,000+ Baby Names! book and a little pink highlighter from her purse. Opening the book with her right paw and reaching for her bag of dried mango (full of vitamin A and C!) with her left, she made herself as comfortable as possible for the ride into the big city.

It would be okay if they didn't have a father, Charlotte decided as she popped a mango into her mouth and highlighted the name Lillith with a streak of florescent pink. At least she was only having three babies—she could have inherited her mom's superb fertility and conceived ten.

Yes, she and her three kits would be perfectly happy together. Their own little family.

... … … … …

Jack had executed plenty of arduous missions throughout his career, spanning from preventing other countries from using biological warfare to saving the Prime Minister's daughter from a hostage situation—but there was one mission in particular that Jack would always deem as one of the most difficult.

The ultimate objective was to take down a small terrorist organization. It didn't seem hard at first—at least in comparison to his other missions—and obtaining information wasn't too challenging…but unfortunately, Jack's assigned partner had gotten himself captured by the enemy. He was a rookie agent—a lynx who called himself Weston Rades, in his debut mission. To make matters worse, Rades also had in his possession the coordinates of the terrorist groups' hidden nuclear missile, so his escape was essential to their success.

As his colleague, it was Jack's responsibility to rescue Rades and obtain the coordinates.

Jack went through hell and back that day. He had to: sprint through a forest, scale a two-hundred foot cliff, take out one-too-many guards, change into a dead guard's disguise, pretend to be said guard, hack the computer to gain his entry, re-wire security cameras, make it through the extensive and extremely intelligent security system, fight a machine gun-wielding elephant, break into a safe, take on three more livid rhinos, pick an extensive amount of locks, and make it to the room Rades and the coordinates were being held in—not necessarily in that order.

And that was only the way there.

On the way back, he had to dart around more large mammals—it had seemed that the longer he was there, the more appeared. He eventually had to stop fighting them and start just running through them, dragging the rookie along with him.

They had just reached the outside of the building when a helicopter swept in and cut off their escape with obviously unfriendly intentions. They were surrounded, and the head of the terrorist organization sauntered out of the copter and engaged in some boring, self-gratifying monologue that Jack hardly paid attention to. Ultimately, one thing led to another and Jack found himself directing the copter off the ground, the leader slumped unconscious against the back of the copilot's seat and the grounded swarm of guards unloading their magazines into them. The rookie was stupid and tried to fire back down at the ground; he made himself visible, and in result got shot in the arm.

Jack never lets himself sigh in relief—even when escape seems close—because one could never be so sure. He was usually right. One of the mammals on the ground happened to have a Bazooka handy, and shot it as they had begun to fly away; the copter's tail was hit, and it began to spin out in a fenzy of fire, smoke, and the Rades' unappealing screams.

Fortunately, Jack managed to hold to chopper airborne long enough to pass over a small nearby lake, and because Jack always opted to jump instead of crash, he pulled himself and the other agent out of the copter just before it smashed onto the lake's surface.

The loss of blood and the impact of hitting the water was too much for Rades; he passed out. Jack used one arm to keep the lynx's head above water, and using floating debris as a buoy, he swam back to shore.

His job still wasn't over. Now, all the organization was searching frantically for the location of the hare as well as their leader—Jack could hear multiple helicopters lifting off from afar. After quickly tending to Rades' wound and wrapping it up, he heaved the lynx onto his back and set off into the forest.

Jack jogged two miles with Rades unconscious on his back, helicopters hovering overhead, and managed to reach the small stealth jet he used as his ride there. He lifted off and experienced minimal airborne conflict with nearby aircraft, thanks to the jet's speed versus the copters'; it was a relatively clean escape in comparison to how rough the rest of the rescue had gone.

If he had managed to pull off that headache of a challenge not much worse for wear, then why was this particular mission so difficult? Jack wouldn't say it was difficult as much it was a test. Jack used almost everything he had been required to learn extensively in that mission; it was a true determination of his abilities. A test of his strength, his speed, his combat, his operation of vehicles, his medical knowledge—nearly everything. Not only that, what made it so challenging in the first place was the incompetence and recklessness of his partner, whom he should have been able to wholeheartedly rely on.

Which is why he would not hold back with the informants' skill evaluations.

He didn't know what this mission—which he had inwardly deemed as Operation Risk (which was, he admitted, terribly uncreative)—would ultimately entail. He had to be sure that Wilde and Hopps could, at the very least, handle a majority of what might be thrown at them. He understood that they most likely couldn't fly a helicopter or have the names of each known mob boss and their constituents memorized—but if they happened to, he wanted to know.

… … … … …

The test had been intense, to say the very least.

By the time that Nick and Judy had walked into the department's gym at 3 o'clock, an elaborate course had been set up; none of it made sense to Judy at first. It simply appeared to be a bunch of junk spread out across the floor and around the pool; but then Jack explained that it was a mixture of obstacles that required mental exertion, physical exertion, or both.

"There are nine major parts to this first obstacle course," Jack had explained to the duo. "Parkour, close combat, weaponry, lockpicking, endurance, speed, mechanics, electrics, and stealth. I don't expect perfect results, but I do want you to try your best."

"There has to be more than that for spy work," Nick had scoffed in surprise.

Jack had nodded and smirked slightly. "There are fifty-two elements in the final test to become a secret agent," was Jack's snickering reply, "but we obviously don't have time for that. There are a few more parts in the second half of the evaluation."

The fox had not held back an exaggerated groan. "I'm at the edge of my seat with excitement."

The obstacle course was set up in a complicated order that Jack only briefly explained: first was a target with five different types of guns lined up on a table (such as an M-9 sidearm pistol, AA-12 shotgun, UZI and others, sized for their class of mammal). The magazines were out and a series of bullets were sitting upright in front of them, which meant that Judy and Nick had to determine which bullets went into which magazine, and which magazine into which gun; then they had to shoot at the target with each.

The second was simply a mat against a wall with a bell hanging on a high hook; the idea was to use their surroundings to find a way to maneuver up the wall and ring the bell.

The third obstacle was a series of several lock styles and a substantial lock picking kit—the intent was obvious.

The fourth was stealth; Jack had spread different types of materials across the floor and set up poles ten feet apart, which were strung with an intricate web of wire and twine laced with various items with much noise potential (cans, bells, etcetera). A chair had been placed in the center of the mess, where Nick would be sitting blindfolded while Judy attempted to soundlessly slide around him without alerting her presence—and vice versa when Nick did his own evaluation.

The fifth part was electrics, where a series of technologically-involved challenges would have to be solved, such as (but not limited to) defusing a fake bomb and rewiring an alarm. It also included hacking into a laptop.

The sixth part was close combat, with Jack as the opponent. Mechanics was the next portion, which was similar to the electric portion, except the intent was to fix the objects instead of manipulate them. Among the instruments laid out were broken tools, a small car engine, and even a gear-and-pulley setup

And finally, they had to jump into the pool fully clothed and swim laps for as long as they could; and Jack heavily emphasized "fully-clothed". No break, extra weight.

Judy took the initiative and volunteered to go first; but before she started, Jack made her run two timed miles around the gym's hurdle-lined track as fast as she could. After completing the two miles (which she knew she rocked), she was forced to immediately jump into the obstacle course—which was also timed, as if a grueling and intimidating test wasn't stressful enough already.

Judy honestly felt like she completely bombed it. Jack was silently watching her, taking notes on a small clipboard as she pushed through each obstacle—she was completely clueless on the electricity and lockpicking portions, so much so that Jack had shouted at her to forget it and move on to the next task. Her mechanical skills were acceptable—she silently told herself to thank her dad for forcing her to help fix his trucks and equipment. Judy was cheered up a bit at the fact that she proved to be a fair contender to Jack, who had won the close-combat match, but with some difficulty; she was quite proud of that.

Then it was the fox's turn; Judy couldn't help but roll her eyes at the blatant battle of manliness that was occurring, particularly from Nick. But, to her surprise, all he did was give off the vibe. He didn't snicker or send jabs at Jack, he only set his shoulders and started his test. He obviously meant business.

Judy thought Nick did amazingly on his test. If there was one thing that Nick excelled at, it was working under pressure; she would never dare tell him how much she marveled at his ability to keep calm in the face of chaos. He did well on the stealth portion despite her great hearing, and blazed through the guns and parkour. There was only one time that Jack told him to move on because he was struggling, and that was in the mechanics portion—Judy just figured that Nick didn't know much about machines because he always had Finnick to do it for him. Concern did flash quickly through her when she noticed how well Nick picked most of the locks and hacked into the laptop, but she decided to refrain from saying anything about it.

The ugliest part of Nick's test was definitely the close-combat portion. If Judy was being honest, she thought that she did a little better than Nick did on this particular part, but the match was still quite impressive; Jack won, of course, but at one point Nick had him pinned in an impressive lock. This made the fox a little too cocky, which Jack used to his advantage to win the match.

But that wasn't why it was so intense. Usually, while sparring, Nick bantered and laughed and cracked stupid jokes, but in that particular match he was completely silent; he wasn't glaring or angry-looking, but instead very serious…almost grave. Judy decided that it wasn't only because Jack was his adversary, but also because he realized the severity of the situation and committed his whole mind to the task at hand—which inevitably sent a jolt of pride through Judy. She didn't know why…maybe because he had grown an incredible amount since she first met him? She had no idea, but in the end, it didn't matter.

After Nick swam his laps, he went to change into some dry clothes and came out looking as spent as Judy felt. "Savage, man," Nick mumbled, swinging his towel over his shoulders and using it to dry the fur below his chin, "I don't know if I'm up for a second part of anything. I just want a long, hot shower."

Jack was jotting down last-minute notes on his clipboard and didn't look up as he replied offhandedly to the fox's remark. "Your enemies are not going to allow you to take a shower in the middle of a mission, Officer Wilde," he muttered distractedly. "This isn't about relaxation. This is about results."

"How long did it take you to set up all of this?" Judy asked, waving to the intricate setup with a tired paw. It felt like lead, just like the rest of her body; even her ears felt significantly heavier.

Jack gave her an amused smile. "I started very early this morning. Chief Bogo helped, I couldn't have done it without him."

She shook her head in disbelief and slumped back into her chair; it relieved her lower back immensely. "That's unreal. I can't imagine what the final test is like to become a spy."

"It lasts for several days, sometimes a week." The hare tucked the clipboard under his arm. "Unfortunately, we don't have a week."

"I'm kinda thinking that that's a good thing," Nick quipped, his classic half-lidded smile sliding onto his face. He fell into a chair beside Judy and sent her a sly little wink. "Don't you agree, Fluff?"

Judy felt one of her eyebrows raising. Nick's acting normal, even though Jack's here. "Um…yeah." Did our talk make him feel better about the situation? I hope so.

Jack's smile grew wider and more amused, his blue-grey eyes sparkling. "Well, the subsequent test doesn't involve nearly as much physical activity—though, it may be mentally taxing, I warn you."

"Why don't we stretch this test into multiple days?" Nick suggested, giving an offhanded shrug of his shoulders and an exaggerated stretch of his arms. "I mean, tomorrow sounds good. For part two, I mean. I think that's a better idea."

"I have to disagree, Officer," Jack replied sticking his paws into the pockets of his grey jogging pants.

Nick cocked an eyebrow at him, as if the hare had just introduced him with a personal challenge of some kind. Judy immediately felt her heart drop— and everything had been going so well…

But then a coy grin snuck onto his snout without another pause. "And why's that, Agent Double-Oh-Bunny?" Nick asked has he folded his arms over his bare chest, pressing down his fluffy, cream-colored fur.

"While you're on a mission, anything could happen," Jack immediately replied, almost as unmoving as a statue. "You may have to do all these things in a span of a few hours. It's best to know what all you can do in a short amount of time, so you can formulate game plans and be able to follow through." He paused for another moment, and glanced up at Nick pointedly. "And I'm a hare, not a bunny."

Nick shrugged, and the smug smile on his face grew wider; but he said nothing.

Judy felt a sigh of relief rush through her. Good fox, choosing your battles. "How did we do, Jack? Probably not nearly as well as other spies who do the program, I'm sure."

Jack snickered, the right side of his mouth pulling into a humored smirk. "You would be surprised."

"So we did well?"

"Considering the circumstances, and the fact that you've had no training under the ZIA or otherwise…" Jack pulled the clipboard out from under his arm and studied it silently for a moment. "Yes, I would say you did well."

"Of course she did," Nick chuckled, using the paw slung around the back of Judy's chair to give her a light smack on her shoulder. "Pride of the department, this bunny."

Judy felt something warm and bubbly rise to her cheeks, and she couldn't up but grin proudly.

"She can be a bit of a nuisance, though. She can hardly reach anything, I swear, I have to spend half the day with her on my shoulders so she can actually function—oof!" Nick's teasing ramble was interrupted by Judy jabbing her tiny bunny elbow into his ribs, which she was sure were very sore. She didn't feel an ounce of remorse.

"You did well too, Wilde," Jack replied, giving a respectful nod. "I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised."

A low, gruff hm was the fox's response. "Thanks."

"Of course." The hare cleared his throat and tugged at the collar of his tank top; this shirt revealed the dozens of scars across his shoulders and arms, and Judy had been trying not to look at them all day in fear of being rude. She thought about asking about them and had anticipated hearing some cool spy adventure stories, but then thought better of it.

"I guess now we start the second part of the test?" Judy suggested, sitting herself up and stretching her back muscles in preparation.

"You guess correctly, Miss Hopps," Jack answered.

"How mentally-straining is this going to be, exactly?" Nick asked his with a curve of his thick eyebrow.

Jack smirked. "Depends. Are you a strategic thinker?"

"I like to think I am."

"Then it will be doable, at the very least."

… … … … …

It was seven in the evening; the moon had crept out from behind the jagged horizon and buildings were aglow with neon lights of blinding luminescence, advertising happiness and beauty and full stomachs. Mammals walked and talked, some adorned in ornamented cocktail dresses and velvet suits, flitting with excitement for Zootopia's glistening night life—others, however, slugged home with slumped suitcoats and waning eyes, to which the eternal buzz of the city went unnoticed.

Nick was paying extra attention to these details as he walked alongside Judy; they decided once again to go back to her apartment and binge-watch episodes of whatever show caught their fancy until one of them passed out. Nick was looking forward to relaxing and expected they would fall asleep sooner than not this time, especially since the challenges had been so amazingly exhausting.

On the downside, Judy had run out of blueberries. Yogurt, too. Which meant no smoothies. Nick was disappointed, to say the least.

Oh well. At least he would be chilling with Judy. He needed to invest in a DVD player so they could watch the TV shows back at his apartment, which was way roomier and so much less of a shoebox than her stuffy Pangolin Arms room.

Judy had been chatting the whole way back, to which Nick would reply once in a while with a snide remark; but it had mostly been the bunny talking. She was currently babbling on about Jack's test, and how excited it made her for the mission—no surprise there.

"I mean, I felt like I didn't do so well," Judy said as they rounded the corner onto her block. "I thought you did amazingly! I'm just so ready to get down and dirty with this drug, help people like Sam and Jessica. Which reminds me, have you talked to Sam lately?"

"We talked a couple times," Nick managed to answer before she continued her spiel.

"We did too. I hope Jessica gets better. Sam is going through so much right now. We should get him something, Nick! Like a really, really good laptop for his studies. One with a touchscreen and tons of memory!" Judy's large eyes were darting from the path in front of her up to Nick, who couldn't help but only watch her with amusement in his cheeks and a chuckle forming in the back of his throat. Her smile was so big and toothy and adorable (not that he'd ever dare voice it for fear of further bruising of his arm); it made Nick want to smile, too.

Nick studied her as she continued to ramble, not really listening anymore. Man, her eyes were incredibly glittery—he could see the reflection of the city lights in her pupils. And she must have used that freesia soap when she showered back at the station, because his canine nose could smell it from even a few feet away; he was just glad she didn't use carrot-scented soap, because carrot-scented soap seemed like a very bunny thing to have. Almost everything bunnies own seemed to be carrot-themed in some way.

And did the soap do something to her fur? Her fur looked particularly soft. Maybe it had always looked that soft, he had just never noticed before—

"Oh my God," Judy suddenly said, interrupting her own ramble.

Nick blinked, tearing himself away from his thoughts. He noticed she was no longer smiling, but instead staring straight ahead at the dimly-lit entrance of Pangolin Arms.

"What?" He followed her line of sight; he noticed that there was a very plump bunny with dark grey fur and glasses standing at the entrance. She peered down at a piece of paper in her paws and then up at the building, as if she was unsure of where she was.

"Lottie?!" The breathless squeal from beside him was oh-so-recognizable, and Nick looked down at the source to find that Judy had adorned a massive smile that occupied most of her face; her wide eyes, filled with surprise and wonder, covered up what was left.

The bunny at the entrance had turned her head sharply toward the duo; when she saw who was standing there, her face was then too submerged in a very similar grin. "Deedee!"

Nick cocked an eyebrow. Deedee?

The rushed toward each other, Judy engaging in practically a full sprint and the other bunny only managing a quick and slightly clumsy waddle. Despite her rush to reach the other mammal, Judy was extremely gentle with her hug, as if the slightest touch might break her.

Nick just stood frozen in his spot, not knowing what to do with himself.

"Lottie!" Judy gasped. "Lottie, oh my gosh—" Another giant hug. "You're here!"

The bunny apparently called Lottie giggled; Nick noticed she was quite a bit shorter than Judy. "Yeah, I'm here, Dee. Surprised?"

"Very!" Judy laughed. Then she paused and broke away from the bunny suddenly, her expression growing concerned. "Wait, you're here? In Zootopia, by yourself. Charlotte! What were you thinking?! Did someone come on the train with you? Is someone here to take care of you?"

So her name was Charlotte. Ooohkay. Nick decided to refrain from calling her Lottie and stick to Charlotte.

Charlotte rolled her eyes exasperatedly, a humored smile curling onto her face. "Whoa, slow down. I'm fine. Dexter and Elijah helped me get to the station. I can handle myself."

"Lottie, that is so irresponsible! Do you seriously not have any help here, in Zootopia of all places?! I'll get Ms. Armadillo to let you stay with me, I can go get a cot or something and you can sleep in my bed—"

"Judy. Listen to me." Charlotte held her at arm's length to look her straight in the eye. "I'm okay, I promise. I have everything worked out. I'm not going to stay with you and mess up your work schedule, that's out of the question."

Judy snorted. "Who are you staying with if you're not staying with me?"

"You remember my good friend Gina?"

"Uhh…"

"She moved here after she graduated, remember? She got that interior designing job." Charlotte pushed her glasses up her snout.

Judy blinked a few times, and her eyebrows raised. "Oooohhhh, right. Okay, yeah, she's nice."

Nick couldn't help but let out a chuckle; classic Judy, worrying way too much.

But this Charlotte bunny heard his laugh, and glanced past Judy's shoulder to set her eyes on the fox. "Who's this, Dee?"

Before Judy could answer, Nick stepped forward and held out a paw to the rabbit. "Nicholas Wilde, ma'am," he answered, letting a bit of his snide smile show. "Pleasure."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, and slid past Judy. "Oh, I see," she replied with a small but enthused grin as she grasped his paw and shook in return. Nick noticed it was a lot smaller than Judy's paw. "You're Slick Nick! Dee's told me so much about you, I feel as if we're friends already."

When the new bunny had stepped around the visual barrier that was Judy, Nick noticed his earlier assessment of her being pudgy was incorrect; her large belly was not swollen from fantastic bunny food, but from pregnancy. Nick could see how tiny and petite she was past the roundness of her torso. While Judy had curves despite her small stature, Charlotte was just small in general; not only was her body a gentler and straighter shape, her feet and ears were slightly smaller than Judy's. It hadn't occurred to Nick until then that Judy might actually be considered tall, as far as female rabbits go.

Nick snickered. "You're Carrots' sister, then?"

Charlotte blinked at the nickname, but nodded amiably. "I am."

She's pregnant, by herself. No husband to take care of her? Probably divorce, but calling her "Hopps" would be the safe route. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Hopps m'dear."

She chuckled politely, pressing down one ear with an awkward paw. "Oh, um…just call me Charlotte. Or Lottie, whichever."

Judy shifted with discomfort, sending Nick a worried and uneasy look.

Okay, subject change. Got the hint.

He cleared his throat, and put on his most charming smile. "So, Charlotte, you like the city so far?"

Her brown eyes lit up; it reminded him of Judy, her eyes did the same thing. "Oh, yes! It's beautiful! I've been here a few times, but only on day trips. I've never seen the city at night before." Her voice was really soft, Nick could hardly hear it over the sounds of passersby and traffic and the static sound of neon lights.

"Ever eaten anywhere here?" Judy asked excitedly.

"No, I've never had the opportunity—"

"Well, you've come to the right fox!" Nick answered, giving her a wink. "Carrots and I have a favorite pizza joint—it's fantastic."

"Has the best pineapple pizza in the whole city!" Judy piped in.

Charlotte giggled. "Well, it seems I'm going to be convinced one way or the other. Very well, I give in. We'll go."

… … … … …

This pizza joint had first attracted Nick simply by the name—Cheezus Crust. Its slogan was, "Home of the heavenly slice!" and Nick figured that any establishment with a name that sounded like "Jesus Christ" and had an equally punny catchphrase had to be good.

And oh, it was. They weren't joking about the "heavenly slice" thing.

They split a large pineapple pizza, per Judy's demand. While Charlotte nibbled with delicate bites and a napkin in her lap, Judy tore off huge chunks, slurping the cheese and laughing as her sister rolled her eyes at her. Nick could only watch in amusement.

"Dee, I don't know how you manage it, but you're a perfect combination of dork and lady," Charlotte commented, popping a pineapple chunk into her mouth afterward.

"I think she's just a dork," Nick said, chuckling as he placed his crust on his plate. He glanced at Judy, waiting for a reaction.

But she didn't say anything in reply, only stuffed her muzzle with more pizza.

"So what brings you to Zootopia, Miss Charlotte?" Nick questioned, leaning onto the table and focusing on the smaller bunny when he realized he wasn't going to get a rise out of his partner. "The poppin' night life? The gambling, maybe?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Charlotte chuckled at his joke. "Unfortunately, no. My obstetrician back in Bunnyburrow recommended a specialist here…there were some previous complications with my pregnancy."

Nick blinked. "Oh. Well, I hope everything is alright."

"Yes, it's fine. The appointments I have here are just precautions, nothing more— but you can never be too careful."

Judy forced herself to swallow a mouthful of pizza, and wiped her lips with the back of her paw. "How long will you be staying, Lottie?"

Charlotte glanced at her sister over the rims of her glasses. "About a month, if things go well. The tumor has almost disappeared…so, in theory, everything should be smooth sailing from here on out."

Nick tore his eyes away from his pizza and on the dark grey bunny, who was now rubbing her large stomach with a smile. "Tumor?" he asked, letting himself furrow his eyebrows a bit.

Charlotte gave a small, sad nod. "One of my boys has a brain tumor. It's pretty much gone and he's going to live, so everything will be fine."

"So you know you're going to have a boy?" Judy grinned, obviously ready to divert the conversation away from the tumor subject.

Charlotte immediately lit up, her fur glowing and brown eyes shining. "Two boys and a girl." She let out a soft, happy sigh. "I can hardly wait."

Judy laughed loudly, tearing another slice of pizza away from the pie at the center of the table. "At least you're not having ten to twelve like Mom does!"

"I know, thank goodness."

Nick nearly choked on a pineapple chunk. Ten to twelve babies at a time? Holy cannoli.

"What about names, have you decided what you'll name them?" Judy asked, leaning on her elbow towards her sister as she stuffed the end of another slice into her mouth.

Charlotte cleared her throat and shifted politely. "I know I want to name one boy Matthew."

Judy blinked slowly. "…After Matt?"

A small nod. "Yeah."

"That's really great, Lottie. I love that."

Nick wondered whether or not he should ask who this Matt fella was. Maybe a brother? Or a cousin? He glanced at Judy with a cocked eyebrow and she returned it with a shake of her head at his curiosity. The message was clear: Don't ask, just eat your pizza.

But Charlotte must have realized this exchange, because she gave a somber chuckle. "Matt was my husband, Nick."

Nick cleared his throat, suddenly noticing how rude his curiosity must look. And to a relative of Judy's! Nice going, Nick. "Oh, well, I apologize. Divorce can be a sensitive topic, I realize that. Is Matthew a family name or something? Make your boy Matthew II?"

Charlotte glanced down at her pizza. "Um…he died."

Wait, hold on a sec. She just said that the baby wasn't going to—ohhh. Nick felt his ears heat up rapidly at his mistake. Great, Nick. You went and assumed that she got a divorce when her husband is dead. Fantastic. You called her 'Miss Hopps' and everything. "I'm…sorry. For your loss."

Judy sent him a death glare that could make the Devil himself shake in his boots.

Charlotte placed a paw over Judy's on the table and snickered at her. "Dee, dear. It's fine. It's not like I got pregnant all by myself; if I'm going to have my babies here, he'll know eventually."

"If you don't want to tell me what happened, that's fine," Nick mentioned before there would be an opportunity for tears and crying and sad vibes to take over. "Please, don't feel obligated to tell me anything."

Charlotte gave him a genuine smile. "How kind of you. No, I'll tell you; my therapist back home told me that bottling things up could be bad for myself and the babies."

"Lottie…" Judy intervened, gently placing a paw on her shoulder.

"Dee, babe, I'm fine. Chill."

Judy puffed out an indignant breath of air.

"Long story short," Charlotte began, facing the fox across from her, "Matt was a missionary. He was on a trip in Africa. A month into his trip, I found out I was pregnant; that same week, he contracted…" She swallowed. "…malaria…and he passed away a few days later."

Nick though Judy's brows might be permanently scrunched together from how much she was furrowing them; he tugged at his collar uncomfortably. "Oh…oh my God," he managed to breath. "I'm…so sorry for your loss."

Charlotte gave another small sigh, and patted her large belly fondly. "It's alright. I have these three boogers here, that's what matters. I'll keep Matt's last name for them, too; Beveren is nice, don't you think?"

"Very nice, Lottie," Judy agreed, smiling reassuringly and rubbing her sister's shoulder with a paw. "It really is."

"Thanks, Dee." Charlotte leaned over to lay her head on Judy's shoulder for a moment, a form of a hug that she didn't have to twist uncomfortably for. "You're lovely."

Judy giggled gorgeously.

"So, answer another question for me, Charlotte m'dear," Nick intervened, pushing his plate to the side and wrapping a paw around his Coke. "Why do you call Judy 'Dee'?"

Charlotte giggled suddenly, and sent a glance to her sister; Judy wore a toothy grin. "Well," Charlotte began, "when I was little, I had a little trouble saying my j's. Not a speech impediment or anything, I just…" A light chuckle. "As a three-year-old, speaking was already difficult."

"She couldn't say the Ju part of my name when I was born. Just the dy. So she called me Dee," Judy continued to explain.

"It stuck," Charlotte agreed, shrugging.

Nick chuckled, scratching the scruff on his neck with four claws. "I remember when I was small, there was this girl named Cassie—she was super annoying. She called me Lassie, because there was the las sound at the end of Nicholas. She wanted our names to rhyme." He rolled his eyes. "It irritated the crap out of me. I complained to my mom about it regularly, and she…" He paused for a moment, clenching his sharp teeth together once he realized where this story was going.

Well, he had two options. Number one was to continue the story and pretend it wasn't a big deal, and two was to end it there and make things awkward.

After quickly weighing his options, he gave an amiable laugh that he was relieved to find sounded perfectly natural. He decided to concentrate the interested smile Charlotte was wearing and not on the confused twitch of Judy's nose. "She made sure to tell me to lock myself in my room when Cassie came to our house every week. Cassie would even try to come up the stairs to see me but Ma would stop her every time."

"Well, your mother seems like a lovely lady," Charlotte answered, her eyes warm.

"If lovely means feisty, then definitely." The words flew out of his mouth before he knew it, and he immediately regretted elaborating on the subject of his mother, He suddenly felt extremely vulnerable.

Nick couldn't help but glance over at Judy; she had furrowed brows and stick-straight ears that told him her exact level of attention and worry.

Shit. Should have kept my stupid mouth shut. Nick pulled at his collar nervously, unsure of what exactly to say to change the subject. He watched in horror as the two bunnies glanced at each other, their expressions wary.

Charlotte blinked, and tried to pretend not to notice the fox's discomfort. "What do you think would be some good advice for raising a son?" She questioned, balancing her chin on her two dainty paws. She giggled. "I mean, I am going to have two of them."

Nick knew she meant to change the subject, but it was still mother-related; he didn't want it mentioned at all. Wow, I really should have kept my mouth shut. His instinct was to direct the conversation as far away from his mother as possible, and so he went with the first thing that popped into his mind. "Well, Miss Charlotte," he answered with his most suave coo, "there are quite a few things you'll have to know. Number one is very important: If we gotta pee, and we think it's a decent place to pee, we'll pee there."

Thankfully, the subject change seemed to work in its own odd way. Charlotte nodded like she was inwardly taking notes, but Judy wrinkled her nose before asking, "You mean, like on trees and stuff?"

"Yeah, that. And off bridges, in drainpipes, on the sides of buildings, on your neighbor's petunias…"

"That's disgusting," Judy wretched, sticking out her tongue in disgust. "Our brothers back home would do that stuff all the time. Dad would have to fight them away from the carrots and parsnips almost daily."

Nick shrugged. "That's boys. Heck, I still do it sometimes, if I need to."

"You do?" Charlotte gasped, wrinkling her nose. He glasses shifted with the movement.

"Maybe it's a canine thing, but I say when you gotta go, you gotta go. Who cares?"

"And that," Judy told Charlotte, pointing at the fox across from her, "is why I make him go to the bathroom before we hit the streets."

Charlotte glanced back at Nick, her brown eyes wide with a mix of wonder and horror. "So you're not embarrassed to relieve yourself in front of other mammals?"

Nick gave her a snicker, and a sly wink, letting his smile curl in a way that he knew was a bit too coy to be appropriate. "No, Charlotte, my dear. I am not."

The look Judy gave Nick could wilt flowers. "Nick." She knew exactly where this was going. It wasn't the first time they had had this conversation with someone. Charlotte was just watching obliviously through her glasses.

Nick only chuckled, and leaned toward Charlotte with one elbow. "Listen, Specks. When you're packin' heat, you can't be beat. If anything, other mammals would be embarrassed by—"

"Ooooooh-kay!" Judy interrupted, chortling awkwardly. Suddenly, Charlotte's shocked face was covered with the inside of Judy's furry paw. "Long story short, Nick was a hooligan when he was a kid and he's a hooligan now. Yayyy! Now let's change the subject." Judy emphasized the last three words with a pointed glare at Nick's direction.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he pushed her paw out of the way. Man, if there was one thing he loved to do, it was teasing Judy Hopps. That was a good portion of the reason why he liked his job so much.

As an added plus, Charlotte's ears were a very deep shade of red—but she had a wide and amused smile on her face. "You must have been quite the mischievous little bugger when you were a kid," she giggled.

Judy rolled her eyes. "You kidding? He still is now. And he's thirty-two."

Nick didn't acknowledge Judy's comment. "I was a happy little squirt…but I loved my pranks, yes."

"You must have driven your poor mother crazy," Charlotte happily sighed, flopping her chin in her paws again.

He grew uncomfortable again, shifting slightly. You have no idea. "Well—" Before Nick could reply, his back pocket started blaring James Brown's I Feel Good.

"Whoa! I feel good…I knew that I would now…"

Judy gave a light giggle as he pulled out his phone.

Nick felt his eyebrow raise at the caller ID. He pressed answer. "…Finnick?"

A large sniff rumbled over the receiver. "Hey, Nicky. 'Sup?"

"Why are you calling me? You need something?"

The fennec scoffed. "What, you don't think I just wanna call up my old buddy?"

Nick rolled his eyes and chuckled heartily. "Unless you want me to buy beer or some equally frivolous favor." Judy cocked her head nosily at him, and Nick waved to her as a way of saying I'll tell you in a minute.

"Can't deny that. Anyway, I need a tire. Helen's got a flat, I'm on the corner of Fifth and Everest in Tundratown."

Nick scoffed at Finnick's ridiculous name for his vehicle. "You don't have a spare?"

"The spare is on the damn van!"

"You live in a van and you don't have a spare?" He gave a small chortle. "Man, not only do you look like a toddler—you have the brain of one. That's rich."

A low growl. "Nick, I will wring your stupid bastard throat. Just get your ass over here so I can go buy cigarettes."

"You're gonna pay me back, right?"

"Oh, of course. I couldn't deprive you of your honest dime." Finnick's low voice practically dripped with sarcasm.

But Nick knew Finnick would pay him back. The fennec hated being in someone else's debt. "Fine. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Don't get jumped or anything."

"Thanks for the concern, I'll try my damn best." There was a continuous line of low grumbles before the line clicked and went dead.

Nick slipped his phone back into his pocket and stood, nodding to the two bunnies. "Well, ladies, it seems I must depart. Some tiny little mammal called for a strong, handsome fox to save the day."

Judy chuckled. "Have fun. Let's reschedule movie night, okay? Later this week or something."

"Whatever works," Nick replied, shrugging. He reached over to pick up the check, which was at the edge of the table. "I'll get this."

"Oh, you don't have to!" Charlotte intervened, reaching for her purse. "I can pay for my part—"

Nick held up a paw to silence her. "I insist. Think of it as a gift to introduce you to my lovely girl named Zootopia." He gave her a wide, coy smile.

Charlotte nodded warmly. "Thanks."

"Are you sure, Nick?" Judy asked, her ears lowering a little. Officially, it was her turn to pay, so she expected him to leave her the bill; but, despite popular assumption, Nick was somewhat of a gentlemammal. At least, he liked to think so.

"Positive." He gave them a wave and headed to the cash register, where the teenage vixen employee impatiently waited for him with her usual starry-eyed drool. "You girls be careful going home, okay?"

"Definitely," Charlotte replied, sending a friendly wave. "It was so nice meeting you!"

Judy gave him a broad, grateful grin that made her eyes sparkle. "Thanks, Nick." It lit up the room.

He simply winked back at them; he knew his coy smile was adorned, his swagger in check, his paws in his pockets…but he couldn't help but feel a bit vulnerable. What was it about bunnies that made him feel like that?

He shrugged it off, and pulled out his wallet as he neared the cash register. Hell if I know.

… … … … …

"What a nice fellow," Charlotte said to Judy as they watched Nick avoid further conversation with the smitten teenager behind the counter and slide out the door. "Odd, but nice."

"Things are never boring with Nick around," Judy commented in reply, taking a long sip of her watered-down Sprite. "We've been calling each other 'best friend' for the past month or so, so I guess I'm stuck with him."

"Is that a bad thing?" Charlotte giggled softly, rubbing her large stomach with one paw.

Judy shook her head. "Oh, no. Not at all. I love him to death, even if he does purposely tease me." She suddenly felt redness rise to her cheeks and her ears. "Sorry about his perverse joke. The public peeing comment was bad enough already…"

Charlotte flipped her paw, as if to wave it off. "Oh stop it, Dee, it was hilarious."

"You're so innocent, Lottie, I could believe that you've never heard a bad joke in your life. You certainly didn't when we were kids."

She rolled her eyes and then looked at Judy pointedly. "Just because I was married to a missionary does not mean I can't appreciate a good naughty joke once in a while."

"Be careful, then," Judy laughed. "Your babies' ears would be developed by now. You'll be a bad influence on them!"

"Perhaps when they understand English." Charlotte stabbed a pineapple on her plate with a fork, examining it for a moment. "But in all seriousness, I did like your partner. Thanks for letting me meet him."

"Oh, if anything, he should be honored to meet you, Lottie. I'm just glad you didn't react to him the way Dad or Pop-pop would have."

Charlotte scoffed warmly as she chewed her pineapple. After she swallowed, she gave Judy a wide smile. "If I was skeptical about him at first, his stories about his childhood certainly warmed me up to him. I've been obsessed with those." She giggled. "Maybe it's because I'm about to be a mom."

Judy felt something tighten around her esophagus; she coughed. "Well, moms have been a bit of a sensitive subject for Nick lately." She rolled her eyes. "Actually, he refuses to make it a subject at all."

Charlotte cocked a thin eyebrow. "How so?"

Judy sighed and shrugged exasperatedly; she could feel her ears lower and press into her back. "Oh, I don't know. He'll briefly mention her and then quickly change the subject; when I ask him about it, he immediately disregards it. Lately, he's been so closed off, and when he does open up he gets irritable and irrational."

"Well, Deedee, hanging out with you makes people feel like they need to open up." Charlotte rubbed Judy's forearm supportively. "Because you're so open about your emotions, even if you don't know what your emotions are. I'm sure being around you has had an effect on him."

"That makes me feel bad."

Charlotte shook her head swiftly, and leaned toward her sister. He brown eyes were warm, motherly. "No, no. You shouldn't feel bad."

Judy heaved a long sigh, pressing one paw into her eye. Guilt swung at her chest. "I'm just so nosy sometimes, you know? I tried to force him to invite his mom to his graduation from the Academy—but now I see that it wasn't my place. Asking about his mom is inappropriate, I should leave him be."

"Well, do you know what his feelings for you asking are, exactly?"

Judy scoffed. "Ha! Of course not." She scratched the nape of her neck awkwardly, looking down at the crumb-scattered tile floor. "But his mom has been coming up in conversation more and more lately…it makes me think that he has been thinking about her." Then she threw her paws exasperatedly. "Like, I found out the other day that he hasn't seen his mom probably in decades—I'm talking around twenty years. Why would he admit that if he wasn't thinking about it?"

Charlotte whimpered slightly, suddenly looking very guilty. "I'm sure I didn't help with that this evening, asking about his mother. I'm sorry…"

"No, don't say sorry, Lottie. I think it was a little good for him." Judy reached up to thumb at her ear in thought, pressing the thin membrane between her fingers.

Long eyelashes flitted. "You want my opinion, Dee?"

"Sure."

The slate grey bunny leaned back in her chair, rubbing her stomach and suddenly appearing a bit fatigued. "Some mammals tend to bottle up their emotions," she began, flashing her brown eyes over to her sister. "From what you're telling me, it seems like that's Nick's problem. Sometimes when mammals do that, they target others to avoid what's going on in their hearts. Maybe that's why he's irritable."

Judy blinked and nodded, remembering what has been happening the past couple of days, particularly around Agent Savage. "So…what do I do? Just let him work it out by himself?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Well, if it's his mother who's weighing on him, that's a sensitive topic. I won't tell you what to do…but I'll tell you your options."

"Okay."

"First is to do nothing and let him work it out by himself, which might be the more appropriate choice." She pushed her ears down behind her head, smoothing her fur as she spoke. "The second is this: if he's bottling up his emotions, you could help by…" she shrugged, "…loosening the lid a bit."

Judy hummed in thought and nodded. That made sense. Nick wasn't about to admit that he has been worried about his mom—it took him twenty years just to get out of being a conmammal.

"It may not be best to do that, though," Charlotte mentioned, interrupting her thoughts. "Pressing someone to feel or do anything isn't right. But on the flipside, once in a while, mammals need a bit of help. A slight nudge into the direction of happiness."

"Yeah…hm."

"But Dee, you can be a little overwhelming sometimes," Charlotte reminded her sister, putting a paw on her shoulder. "Just remember what your limits are. For lack of better words, you can't always be in control of everything—anything you've ever done has always been for an ultimate purpose. You always have a plan. Nick doesn't seem like a planner, so since this is about him…" she gave a shrug, "…maybe it's better to see where the wind takes this."

Judy nodded, losing herself deep in thought. Her hyperactive mind was already working out each possibility and each scenario, tossing around ideas and outcomes that may be good or bad. What should she say or do that would help Nick through this? Was this even a good time to talk about this, with the stress of the mission and Sam's misfortune?

Right then, Judy's phone vibrated on the table. When she looked, it was a text message from Bogo—she promptly opened it.

Packers' dead. Happened a couple hours ago. Make sure to go get his autopsy report.

… … … … …

Sam's left blazer pocket was buzzing.

Since his left paw was still holding Jessica's right hoof (and he had no intention of letting go), he warped his arm around the front of his torso to grab hold of his vibrating phone. He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.

Wilde Child

He could feel his tangled heart loosen a bit as he raised the phone to his ear. "Hey, Wilde."

"Hey, kid," Nick's low voice murmured through the receiver, sounding exceptionally less coy than usual. "How are you holding up?"

Sam shifted his tired eyes over to the doe lying in the hospital bed, eyes still closed and tubes still crisscrossed over her body. "I'm…okay."

"Bogo told me about your dad. You sure you're okay? Need me to go over there?"

Sam breathed a sigh. "No, don't come. I'm fine. And I mean…yeah, I'm okay." He paused. "Well, I can't say I'm not grieving, but… I'm also…"

"Relieved?" Nick finished.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah…he won't be hurting me, or Jessica, or anyone else anymore." He glanced over to the bandages wrapped around Jessica's neck and chest, and he felt a simultaneous pang in his heart and stomach.

"When did he pass?"

Sam glanced at his watch. "Three hours ago, I think."

"You don't seem to be in much shock."

Sam paused for a moment, contemplating this statement. "I'm…not." He gave a watery chuckle that came from the base of his throat. "I mean, you'd think I would have a lot of trouble letting him go, but…"

"…but he hurt you. And your fiancée, for that matter. Who would blame you?"

He allowed himself another chuckle. "He was…never really a dad, anyway. Even when Mom was still alive."

Nick's voice suddenly got fainter. "Here's your tire, you lug. Now fork it over."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, uh," he began to answer, clearing his throat distractedly. "A buddy of mine needed me to grab him a spare tire, because he was too dumb to go buy another one."

Sam could hear the low comment that was snapped back at Nick, and Sam chuckled. Nick laughed, too; it lightened the mood a bit.

There was a slight grunt, and then a shuffle. "How's Jessica?"

Sam glanced over to the doe in her hospital bed, who looked like an angel even with her bandages and oxygen mask. "The doctor says she's going to make it. She'll have scars, but…" He squeezed her hoof tightly. "She'll be fine."

"Well, thank God for modern medicine."

Sam shifted in his seat; the phone felt hot on his ear. "I'm…sorry you didn't get to…interrogate him."

"Your dad?" A scoff. "Kid, if you think that's why I'm upset, it's not. More opportunities will come, they always do with a drug ring like this. Always someone to nab and interrogate. It's you and Blondie I'm worried about."

Sam snickered and glanced over at Jessica's mussed blonde bangs, the reason Nick gave her the nickname in the first place. She was going to live, to survive, she was going to be fine, they were going to get married and start a life together and now nothing was going to stop them from doing that. "Well, I think everything is going to be okay now…I hope."

Nick gave a hm of agreement. "Yeah, it will be. Expect Carrots to call in a few seconds—you know how she is. Take care, okay, kid? Call if you need anything."

"Yeah, I will."

… … … … …

The next morning rolled in like an attempt at a comforting embrace; the air was crisp and fine, the sunlight draping over the tops of the suburban rooves like an orange wool blanket. But the morning air and the rising sun didn't help the nervous knot that wedged itself in Judy's throat as she stood at the bright yellow front door of 180 Red Orchard Lane. She hoped Clawhauser gave her the right address.

She was glad Bogo had given her the day off—otherwise, the only times she could have come were either late at night or early in the morning, and neither were appropriate. She glanced around the front porch; wind chimes hung from the rafters and tons of pots filled with brightly-colored flowers were lined up against the railing. A butterfly feeder hung nearby, and a few of the insects fluttered around it despite the cool morning that signaled impending winter cold. A tiny little garden lined a corner of the front yard, with vegetables and herbs poking up the last of their harvest for the season; it was neat, simple, and clean. Three things that Judy greatly appreciated.

She brushed at her plum sweater and ripped jeans, and then smoothed back the fur around her ears that had refused to cooperate with her brush this morning. Her eyelashes felt heavy with the bit of mascara she had applied, and the sports bra she wore suddenly felt way too tight around her chest.

This was a bad idea. Why was she doing this? It was stupid.

But she was going to do it anyway. She was already here.

Just as she took a deep breath of courage and raised her paw to ring the doorbell, her phone started to ring and vibrate against her butt. She sighed and reached into her back pocket to pull it out; the caller ID read Jackson Russel.

She raised it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Miss Hopps. How are you this morning?" Jack's voice rung pleasantly through the receiver.

Judy glanced nervously at the door again. "I'm…fine, Mr. Russel. And yourself?" She knew this small talk was just a cover in case anyone was listening in on their conversation.

"Excellent, thank you for asking. Officer Wilde and I are having a meeting to further discuss his finances, and it would be lovely if you could attend so I can ask you a few questions. Perhaps for consultation, as well."

"Well, I…" Judy looked back toward the doorbell, thinking for a moment. "Yes, of course. Where and when is it?"

"In an hour, at the place we discussed earlier this week. Can you make it?"

"Yeah, I can."

"Fantastic. I'll see you in an hour, Miss Hopps." There was a click, and then the dull ring of a dead line.

Judy sighed heavily, taking one last look around the porch before turning away from the door. Welp, she told herself as walked back down the steps and to her borrowed cruiser. Duty calls.

... … … … …

The mammal behind the door sighed in disappointment as the pretty little bunny returned to her strangely large car.

This mammal loved visitors, and hadn't had a new one in a while. Once she heard the familiar squeaking of her old metal gate being forced open, she went ahead and got up from her photo-sorting to wait at the door for a knock or the happy doorbell.

But there was none, not for several minutes. Was the girl down the street sneaking in to pick at her blooms again? She wouldn't be surprised, and conjured up a good scolding to give the little rascal.

However, when she pressed her eye to the peephole on her door, she didn't see the little ferret girl plucking flowers. Instead, she saw a soft grey rabbit, with a pleasant purple sweater that gave depth to her eyes; she was staring oddly at the doorbell, almost as if she was nervous.

How odd. She continued to watch the bunny with piqued curiosity. She looks familiar, too. Where have I seen her before?

The bunny brushed anxiously at her clothes and flitted her eyes around the front yard, studying the potted tulips and herbs that had been placed on the porch as if they held the answers to her concerns. She brushed busily at her clothes. Then, when she finally raised her paw and brought it to the doorbell, a faint sound pushed itself through the door; a pop song, from what it sounded like. With an almost relieved-yet-disappointed sigh, the would-be visitor pulled a cell phone from her pocket.

The bunny's voice, soft but assured, talked into the phone with what seemed like confusion. Then she hung up. She gazed longingly at the door for a few moments before retreating to the curb and out of sight of the peephole.

Huh, this mammal thought to herself. Strange. And with a shrug, she too retreated to her safe place: among her pictures and photos of treasured memories.

… … … … …

Hey, guys. Sorry about the long wait. School kicked my butt—I took a couple extra hours this semester AND decided to be an officer for a club, so I am/was stupidly busy…but I intend to see this thing to the end, so don't fret.

There was also quite a bit of personal stuff happening that inhibited my ability to do anything besides work and school. :( I apologize.

I know it's taking a while to get to the action part, but I promise it's coming. All this buildup is necessary to the development of relationships and blahblahblah. I hope the slight slowness is okay with you guys.

Kudos to Hawktooth, for being my beta and being a big help with word choice and terminology (I know nothing about guns, haha). You're lovely, kid. Go check out his stories, guys, they're amazing.