GhostWolf88 : Kind of a typical start, given that their story starts by butting head in the movie, though not for the same reasons... Thank for the compliment, I'm trying to not be too heavy on the pathos here.

Sapperjoe85 : I like Finnick being a chubby chaser (or a mountain climber really).
For several reasons, I don't think Judy will ever get rid of her wedding band... As for being a fangirl... Well, it was only logical.

mhiggs678 : He gives a litteral meaning to "Drowning in pussy."

Guest1 : Maybe. Maybe not.

Guest2 : Yep, baggage. A truckloard of it. I think you read the situation perfectly.


Chapter 4 - First Dive

A crappy evening had been followed by the same kind of crappy night. The fox had once again slept in his office. He was currently making his way down the stairs as Finnick's shouting from a few hours prior still resonated in his head.

The few things he could remember from it was that he was an asshole that should maybe try not to pass his nerves on the new recruit, and that just because their situations wasn't the best at the moment didn't give him permission to do whatever he wanted. Especially making an innocent bunny cry. And if she had left, he'd better have a pretty good excuse ready.

Entering the building's living/meeting-room, the tod noticed three things. First, the chatter was unusually absent. Second, Finnick was not on Joan's shoulder, and was instead glaring at him from the seat next to Judy. And three, Judy was resolutely avoiding his gaze (and also, surprisingly, still there).

The elephant, bear and weasel, for their part, were wearing dubious expressions, obviously asking themselves what was going on. The fox decided he wasn't in a mood to explain everything, especially in front of everyone, and started talking before anyone could start asking questions.

"Alright folks, I guess everyone has had the time to greet the newcomer. Duke and Herbert, you'll keep working on fixing the refuges."

They both nodded.

"Joan, you're taking the newbie with you. Teach her the job, plus anything you can think of."

The elephant raised her trunk. "I'm not sure I'm the most qualified for this, boss."

Nick gave her an encouraging smile. "See it as a new experience. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Okay, boss." She answered meekly.

"Good. Fin-"

"The vehicle parts were delivered while you were droolin' on yer desk." The small vulpine stated, with more than a hint of hostility. "I'm gon' spend the day under the hood."

Nick pinched his lips. "Fine by me. See you tonight." He then strolled back up, ready to dive head first into his personal hell.

...

Judy had barely slept that night. She had spent most of it staring at the ceiling, hoping that the previous day would turn out to only have been a bad dream, and that she would wake up next to Ethan in her comfortable, miserable and predictable life.

When the sun had risen, she was still in the same room with a squeaky bed, a worn chair, cracked desk and stained wallpapers. She had taken a quick cold shower, since hot water didn't seem to run.

Then she had waited at her window until Finnick's van had arrived on the parking a lot. When she had entered the living room, the chatter had immediately stopped. She had awkwardly sat herself near the fennec fox, waiting for their boss to arrive and tell them what their work would be.

Now, she was following a pachyderm that was giving her the occasional nervous glance, stopping when the bunny's belly grumbled.

"Did you have breakfast ?" She asked.

"I forgot." Answered the bunny, with a tinge of embarrassment.

"Follow me." The elephant led her to an immense kitchen obviously built (or rather, reconfigured) with megafauna needs in mind, and started raiding the fridge, emptying some of its content in a cooler. "Are cereals okay ?" She asked, taking out a milk jug and an orange juice bottle.

"Yes."

The both of them sat at a large table, the bunny directly on it, since the provided chairs wouldn't be high enough for her.

"I'm Joan." Stated the massive mammal as Judy took her first spoonful of cereal.

The bunny froze, realising that she had in fact completely forgot to introduce herself to her coworker. "I'm Judith Hopps. You can call me Judy." She said with a nervous smile, shaking the offered trunk.

The bunny started eating again, to try and ignore the awkward silence that was growing.

"So… What happened between you, Fin and the Boss ?"

Judy froze. "Er… Well. What makes you say something happened ?"

"Fin was pissed, but I don't think it was at you, and you were trying to avoid the Boss' gaze. Also, he was trying to avoid yours and Fin's. I'm guessing there is a story there."

Judy opened her mouth and closed it. Whatever the elephant views on her boss was, she wasn't about to badmouth him behind his back, even if she thought he deserved it. "I'd rather you ask them before telling you my side of the story." She answered looking away.

"Did you three fight ?" Asked elephant inquisitively.

"Fin wasn't there." The bunny blurted before closing her mouth again. "Listen, I'm new here, and I don't feel like I'm having a great, or even remotely good start… I'd rather not talk about this until it's resolved. If it resolves. And if I'm getting fired, I don't want to risk bringing others down with me."

"Nick wants to fire you ? This soon ?" Reacted the elephant with a confused expression.

"Can we switch topic ?" Cut the bunny uncomfortably. "I really don't want to talk about this."

The elephant frowned. The situation perplexed her. In her book, Nick was one of the most decent mammal she knew. Granted, he had been on edge the last year because of Ramowitz's actions, his mood diving even deeper since the ram's retirement, and because of the impending inspection that was sure to follow Nick's intronisation. What could have the bunny done to attract his ire, though ? She'd ask Finnick later, he would know.

"Alright. Got it. What about I tell you what we're going to be up to today ?"

"That would be great."

The elephant went on to explain her than a recent storm had unrooted a lot of trees, and that most of them had landed in the rivers leading to the canal and rainforest districts. They had installed nets in preparation for the event, which had caught the bulk of it. But they still needed to get them out of the water, to avoid them from spilling out and damaging the city, or creating dams, which could lead to flooding.

Hearing that, the bunny had made her way back to her room to grab a few things, while the elephant waited for her in the parking lot.

...

They started to make their way into the forest, and Judy had trouble following along, as her coworker's cruise speed was the same as her jogging pace.

She had to break into a sprint a couple of times to catch up to her, until the pachyderm finally stopped for a break.

"Am I going too fast ?" She asked. "I always forget you little guys are slower than me."

On one paw, Judy felt a little upset by calling a 'little guy' (more for the "little" than the "guy"), on the other, she felt a bit ashamed to struggle on her first day. "It'd be nice if you could walk a teensy bit slower. How far are we anyway ?"

"Half an hour."

The bunny couldn't stop herself from groaning. Half and hour more at this speed and she would collapse. Her stamina wasn't as good as it used to be.

"Alternatively, you could hop on my shoulder with your bag."

Judy's mouth curled down. That would be humiliating.

"Hey, don't worry, Fin and Duke do it all the time with me and Herb. The boss wouldn't admit it, but with his bad leg, we need to carry him for the longer treks." She extended a hoof to let her climb. "Plus it will make talking easier."

The bunny bit her lips. The elephant wouldn't be offering if she wasn't okay with being used as a ride. She climbed up and the elephant gently dropped her on her shoulder.

"So what's your story ?" Joan asked out of the blue.

Judy didn't really want to go in length about where she was coming from, so she opted for the short version. "I'm from Bunny-Burrow. I grew up there, spent most of my life there. I guess I wanted a change in scenery."

"Were you a farmer ?"

The bunny shook her head. "Not really. Part-time I would say. I was a lot of part-time things really."

"You were looking for your calling."

Sadness crept up in the back of Judy's mind. She knew what her calling had been. She simple had never been able to reach it. "I guess I was looking for something that would make me feel like… Well, like I was making a difference."

The elephant chuckled. "You might find that here. Taking care of this park is a pretty big responsibility. Wasn't it hard to leave the place you grew up in, though ? Or maybe you don't have family there anymore."

That was absolutely not the topic she wished to broach at the moment. "Both of my kids are in college, in the city."

"And they were your main reasons for staying. Got it."

"Yeah. Something like that." The bunny sighed.

"Bad break-up ?"

"Something like that." Judy evasively answered again.

The elephant stopped dead in her tracks. "He didn't die, did he ?" She asked worriedly "I'm sorry if it's a painful topic."

"He didn't die, but it actually is a painful topic."

The pachyderm exhaled in relief. "Good. Well not good, but you get it. I was worried I was putting my hoof in my mouth again."

"Don't worry, it's fine. Mostly. What is your story, then ?" She asked, to stir away the topic from her own life.

The elephant shrugged, which rocked the bunny up and down. She grabbed the large mammal's shirt to keep her balance. "There isn't much to tell. Dad was a cop, mom was a cop. Most of my grandparents were too. My two brothers followed the same path. I didn't."

"I feel like there is a little more to it than that."

Joan scratched her eyebrow with her trunk. "I'm the eldest sibling, so there were big expectations riding on me. I didn't really like that. I know they did it to motivate me, but they were always comparing my achievements with their own, trying to push me to do better than them."

"That's not a good situation to be in." Said the bunny with empathy, knowing full well how unpleasant it was to be pushed toward a path she hadn't chosen. A thing her own parents had done for years, even before the Inclusion Mammal Initiative had been disapproved.

"They even enrolled me into the ZPA prep' program without consulting me. They assumed I would just follow in their footsteps." Continued the elephant with a tinge of anger.

Judy cringed. Part of her felt jealous of Joan, for having thrown away a chance she had never gotten, but the other perfectly understood her coworker's situation.

"Fortunately, I had already found this job here. I threw every single beef I had with them in their faces and I just left. I've been working here ever since."

"So, that makes it…?"

"Seven years. Four more than Finnick, five more than Duke, three less than Herbert and the boss."

Judy lifted a brow. "I don't know if it's a social faux-pas to say that to an elephant, but you seem very young. How old are you ?"

"I just turned twenty-four."

She quickly made the math in her head. "You started working here at seventeen ?"

"Sixteen technically."

Legally, that barely held. "Didn't your parents try to break you contract and take you back home ?"

The pachyderm grinned. "They would have needed to know where I was. At first, I thought they'd send me back home but both the old Ramowitz and Nick were way too happy to have someone my size working for them, they weren't going to take the risk of seeing me leave. Things are always lagging behind here, administratively speaking or otherwise, so my contract might have taken two years to reach city hall. By the time it happened, I was eighteen, so… Not anything they could do about it anymore. We're on speaking terms again, but it took a few years to get there."

Judy's mouth had fallen agape. "You worked here illegally for two years ? And Nick condoned that ?" She was starting to have serious doubt about the fox's integrity. Having spent years with Gideon as her best friend, she had forgotten that the vulpines' reputation had to come from somewhere. She really hoped they hadn't used her situation to exploit the elephant.

"Not only did he condone it, he made it work. He covered every single legal angle and loophole. He set up a string of dummy bank accounts for me to be able to access the money they were paying me anonymously. He went to great length to help me hide from my parents. It was a bit strenuous to use, but he made a point for me to never lack anything. To be honest, I owe him more than he'll ever admit, and I'm pretty he'll never let me pay him anything back."

Judy was flabbergasted. Never in a million years she could have guessed the fox could be so generous with someone else. The way he had acted toward her was in total opposition with what she was hearing.

"That still sounds a bit fishy." The bunny said.

The elephant shrugged again. "It was, that's for sure. But once the boss considers you part of the crew, he'll do anything in his power to protect you. I never understood why him and Ramowitz were at odds. According to Fin, it's because of the Bellwether case…"

Judy raised a brow. "What would it have to do with him saving the city ?"

"He never talks about it, but I know some prey were less than happy about what him, Duke and Fin did… Ramowitz might have been part of these preys, but why would he have hired him if it was the case ? Or any predators for that matter ?"

"Have you ever asked him about it ?"

The elephant snorted. "First rule : you never ask about the boss's past. He'll tell you what he thinks you should know in his one time. I've gotten breadcrumbs here and there, things that showed that he could relate to what I was going through… Don't try to ask Finnick, he won't tell a thing. Even though I'm sure he knows everything."

"What about Duke ?"

The elephant snickered. "He'll give a lie so convoluted you'll forget about your question. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't know much anyway."

They had finally reached the river, and Judy could see all the logs spread on the river and caught in the net, as well as a bunch of them piled up on the shore. She wondered what she could do to help out the pachyderm, given her size and strength.

"So what's the job, exactly ?"

Joan glanced at he bunny. "I need to take these out of the water, and cut away the branches to make them easier to pile up."

"How did this happen anyway ? I don't see how the wind could push all these in the river."

The elephant put a knee to the ground and started trudging into the bag she had brought. She took out an old topographic map and laid it out on the ground. "See there ?" She pointed at a place upstream. "There are high hills with loose soil and dense vegetation. When it rains hard enough, the water can rise up to the top and take a lot of the trees with it. Fortunately, down stream, there's a sort of canyon where every smaller stream join up again. That's where we are, and where we set up the nets to catch the debris. There are actually other nets upstream, but I'm pretty sure half of them are busted. As long as we keep this place in working order, Zootopia should be fine."

The elephant put the bunny down and started rolling the legs of her pants up. "First, I need to check on the net and repair the holes-"

"I can do that." Proposed the bunny.

"The water rises up to my belly, you won't be in your depth."

"I know how to swim. And repair nets."

The elephant looked surprised. "You know how to repair nets ?"

"The result of twenty-years as a bun-scout, among other things."

Joan lifted a brow. "Why would bunny need to know how to repair nets ?"

Judy chuckled. "We had non-bunny members, and the ranger scout in chief believed we should broaden our skillset to accommodate for our newer recruits. Some of them even started wearing bunny-ears as a joke."

"Why didn't you changed the name then ?"

Judy chuckled. "We tried, but the ones wearing bunny-ears refused. They didn't want to give them up."

Joan laughed in turn before returning a more serious expression. She looked like she was thinking the bunny's offer over. Having Judy do that part of the job could save her up several hours of work at the very least. On the other hoof, it wasn't without danger. "Alright, give me a second." She said, looking inside her bag. When she turned to the bunny again, she was wearing shorts, a simple tank tops, and had a pair of diving goggles in her hands.

"What ?" Reacted the bunny at the elephant's confused expression. "You said we were going to the river, I came prepared."

The elephant nodded. "That you did. Put your belt back on, though. I'm going to secure you to a tree."


For some, the day had passed in a flash. Judy, Joan, Duke, Finnick and Herbert were chatting and bantering in the HQ's small garden, sharing their day while nibbling on some snack the bear had brought back from the kitchen.

Nick, on the other paw, had spent his head buried neck deep in paperwork, and his own thoughts. And of the two, the former were more pleasant. He reached the bottom of the stairs and heard his team banter. What better way to raise his mood than to spend a few minutes with them ?

"Hey guys, how was your day ?" He asked cheerfully, as he approached them.

Three things happened. One, silence fell instantly. Two, Finnick started to intensely glare at him. And three, the bunny looked like she was trying to disappear in her chair.

"Uhm. Fine Nick." Answered Duke. "Nothing to report."

"Yup." Confirmed Herbert.

"On my end, it was perfect. Judy was a big help, she fixed the net, and helped me cut out the small branches I had trouble with." Smiled Joan, glancing a Judy, expecting her to confirm.

Instead, the bunny was nervously playing with her ear, and kept her gaze away from her boss.

Nick's eyes fell on Finnick, who hadn't stopped glaring, and he didn't need a translator to understand he wasn't welcome. "Alright. Then good job everyone. I'll see you all in the morning." He stated, before retreating back to his office. So much for raising his mood.

Joan, Herbert and Duke exchanged perplexed look before Judy's voice cut through the silence.

"I'm going to go too. I'm feeling a bit tired." She hopped from her sit and started making her way to her room.

"What the hell is going on ?" Muttered Duke.

"Nothin' y'all need to worry about." Answered Finnick.

"Well, I'm worried." Stated Joan, raising from her own sit, and following the bunny. She reached her near the employee's housing unit. "Hey, Judy, wait !"

The bunny stopped but didn't turn around yet. Joan clearly saw her wiping her eyes. "What is it, Joan ?" She asked, finally turning around.

"Are you okay ?"

"Perfectly fine." Came the lie, badly hidden behind a fake smile. "Just a bit tired."

The elephant approached the bunny and put a knee to the ground. "It doesn't take degree in psychology to see you're not fine. I'm here if you need to talk."

Judy struggled to keep a straight face. All she wanted to do was to break into tears and pour out everything that was plaguing her mind. "Don't worry about me. I'm really fine."

The pachyderm decided not to insist on the topic. IF she needed to talk, the bunny would do it in her own time. "I'll still be here if you change your mind. Do you intend to take a shower this evening ?"

"Yeah. A cold one probably. I can't get the hot water to run." Judy answered, happy to switch topic.

"That's probably because your building's water heater is busted. It hasn't work in months. There is a shower next to Nick's office if you need it." Given the bunny's frown as a reaction to that news, it wasn't an option to her. "Alternatively, my caravan has its own independent hot water. It's megafauna sized, but I suppose you could use the sink as a shower."

"You live in a caravan ?" She reacted.

"Can't fit in the housing unit. I actually slept in a tent during my few first weeks here. Thazt was before they refurbished the first three levels into one. Buying the caravan was Nick's idea. It was less costly than building dependencies and I bought it from the department a few years back. That's my house on wheels. I sometimes house Herbert for the night when he's too tired to get home. So ?"

"I think I'm going to take you up on that offer." Answered the bunny. "Just give me five minutes to gather my things."

A few moments later, Joan could hear the water running in the small (at her scale) bathroom. Then under the sound of water, another strange sound appeared. At first, she thought the bunny had hurt herself, since it sounded life a cry, then she realised she was sobbing. Part of her wanted to go in and sooth the poor bunny, but barging in on a naked and crying coworker maybe wasn't the best way to be supportive. Instead, she directed herself to the kitchen corner to look for her smallest glass.

To Judy, the day had been very good. She had no problem with physical work, even if it had woken muscles she was rarely using anymore. But seeing her boss' face again had reminded her of his harsh words, and how some of them had rung way too true. Then the event of the day prior had come rushing back and her chest had been crushed by a tide of sadness, leaving her prostrated and sobbing in the elephant-sized sink she was using as a shower. After she had regained her senses, she had turned off the water and dried herself, before hopping from the sink to the door handle to open it.

"I've made hot cocoa, if you want." Came the elephant's voice. A hot beverage sounded pretty much perfect, and Judy smiled at the large mammal's thoughtfulness. She stepped on the offered hoof, and let herself be put on the table. The glass she was given was nothing more than whisky bottle cap, but it was still a bit big for her.

She sipped her drink, it brought some warmth to her and her thoughts.

"Whatever you're going through, it's going to be okay." Said the elephant with a supportive smile.

"Thank you." Judy answered meekly, both for the beverage and the encouraging words.