HEY GUYS! Sorry for the long wait, I don't have WIFI, but three chapters have been made in my absence, so enjoy!
Chapter 15 A Mandatory Minefield
Nick was fixing breakfast the morning after his "Wilde West Dream" as he dubbed it mentally. He was making pancakes and coffee, putting sugar in both mugs. Nick's mug was a purple mug with a carrot on it, and Judy's was an orange mug with a cutely drawn fox on it.
"Niiiiiiiiccccckkkk."
Judy's "I'm the first person to ever be pregnant and I am utterly helpless, but not really" call got the attention of her lover.
"You want breakfast in bed?"
Judy's embarrassed silence enforced Nick's belief that he knew his rabbit better than anyone else. Nick got a foldable tray out, put Judy's breakfast on it, and headed upstairs to their room.
"Today is the first day back on the force, even if it just lousy paperwork."
Judy smiled, "Don't worry, sheriff, you will do fine."
Nick blushed, "I told you that in confidence."
Judy laughed, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, rough rider."
Nick flashed a sly grin, "You bet your ass I'm a rough rider."
Judy giggled at his lewd humor, "Come here, you're never gonna get that tie right."
Her plan worked perfectly, as he bent down, she grabbed his tie and pulled him into a kiss.
"Well, officer, I might have to mark you down for…"
Judy cut him off with another kiss, after which she fixed his tie.
"Be safe, okay?"
Nick looked her in the eye, "Promise."
Nick walked into the reception area where Clawhauser was.
"Morning, chief want me in the bullpen?"
Clawhauser's eyes hinted at a bit of mischief, but Nick's healing wound deterred banter at the time.
"Yep, he has a special introduction today."
Nick just shuffled to the bullpen, nursing his coffee. The bullpen went silent when Nick walked in, but was soon taken again with raucous whoops and hollers, all of which were welcoming Nick back. Nick held up a paw and thanked the officers, turning around just in time to see chief Bogo step into the bull pen, holding up his hoof to settle the remaining commotion.
"We have a special introduction to make today, our second ever fox officer, Cassidy Renard."
Nick saw a crème colored fox enter the bullpen in her dress blues.
"Wilde, you will be helping her get accustomed, seeing as you are the only other fox in the ZPD."
Many things went through Nick's mind when he heard Bogo say this, the most prominent was, "Shit."
Bogo doled out the other assignments and said, "If you find an interesting bit in your assignments, or an odd arrest of sorts, Wilde will take care of the paperwork, we almost lost him to a bullet, can't have boredom doing him in when we just got him back."
With that, the cape buffalo dismissed the crowd.
Nick high-fived a few officers, and Fangmeyer said, "Hey Nick, I know where some weird stuff goes down, I'll drop by there on the way to my case, may have some funny bits for you to fill out."
Nick was happy to see how much his fellow officers were still supporting him.
"Officer Wilde?" Nick turned around to see the vixen standing quite close to him.
"Yes, Officer Renard?"
She fidgeted, "W-where to first?"
Nick thought aloud, "Archives."
He spun around on his heel, marching towards the door, motioning for Cassidy to follow. Each place they went to, Cassidy stayed uncomfortably close to him, and it started to disturb Nick. After a while Nick asked for a bit more space, to which the vixen responded by backing only a step away, easing Nick's tension slightly. Nick lead her to the final part of the tour, the motor pool.
"This is where the cruisers go, any questions?"
The vixen stepped forward, "What do you think of this?"
She forcibly kissed Nick, and he struggled to get away in his weakened state.
"What the hell, Renard, what was that?!"
She looked at him with lust in her eyes, "What, you don't like me?"
Nick was terrified of what Judy would think.
"No, I'm a mated fox, I have a kit on the way."
She laughed, "I don't see a ring, so to me you are fair game."
Nick saw her lift a tranquilizer gun and shoot him in the chest. Nick struggled to stay awake, but the dart did its job, and within seconds he was out. Nick woke up in the trunk of a cruiser, his first instinct was to look for a way out, but he found no weapons. Nick slipped his cuffed wrists under his feet, so he could feel for something, and to his relief he found the emergency radio on the underside of the trunk's hatch.
"Dispatch, do you copy?"
The radio crackled for a couple seconds, "We copy, please identify."
Nick pressed the button, "Officer Wilde, I have been abducted, I am using the emergency radio in the back of the cruiser I am trapped in."
The radio crackled and again a voice came on, "Which cruiser?"
Nick had no idea, "Which cruiser did officer Renard take?"
The person at dispatch responded, "One eight six."
Nick thought, "I need you to get a GPS lock when the cruiser stops, and make sure to alert the chief."
The voice came back, "Ten four officer, stay safe."
Nick thought about how he should have texted Judy on his lunch break, but right now he had no idea what time it was, or where he was. The cruiser's brakes squeaked as it came to a halt, the engine stopped shortly after. Nick's mind raced, but as the hatch opened, he was hit with another dart, slipping him into another dangerous slumber. Nick awoke to find that he was naked and cuffed to a bed, this was bad, very bad.
"My, my, Nicholas, you look so toned, so tasty."
Nick cringed at her compliments, he needed to stall.
"Renard, I'm in no condition to do this."
She retorted, "I'll be gentle, I promise."
Nick kept stalling, "I won't be physically able to do this with you, I'm not attracted to you in that way."
She smirked, "I already took care of that."
She held up a syringe with a blue liquid. Nick's eyes widened, his fear of needles kicking in.
"You really don't want to do this."
She straddled him, holding the needle inches above his neck, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Nicholas."
Nick whimpered as the needle slowly advanced toward his skin, but it was stopped momentarily when chief Bogo broke down the door, riot shotgun in hand.
"Freeze."
Bogo's voice did nothing to deter her sticking the needle in Nick's throat. The chief fired the shotgun, the blast knocking the vixen on the floor. Nick passed out, only to wake up on a stretcher will a raging hard-on.
"What the hell did she inject me with?"
Bogo looked at the fox with concern, "It was a concentrated form of a marital aid, meant to overstep certain specie's boundaries in the intercourse department."
Nick gathered what the chief said, "So basically she forced me to have a boner."
The chief's face showed his embarrassment at the fox's blunt statement.
Nick's voice grew very solemn, "She tried to rape me, what will Judy say?"
Nick thought for a minute, "Chief, I want to press charges, but I want the trial to be a private one."
Bogo understood completely, "Very well, I will make sure that Cassidy stays in custody, as to avoid another incident like this, you can't defend yourself very well in that state."
Bogo thought for a minute.
"Wilde, from now until you are fully recovered, you will carry both a lethal and non-lethal firearm, so to deter any future incidents."
Nick nodded.
Judy was waiting on the sofa, when she heard a knock at the door, she slowly made her way to answer. In the door stood a crème colored fox.
"Who are you?"
The vixen smirked, "I'm Nick's new lover, he left you to be with me, not that it was a hard decision."
Judy was in shock as the vixen left as suddenly as she had arrived. She couldn't even fathom why Nick would leave her, they were starting a family, he seemed so happy. Judy began to overthink minor details, sobbing on the sofa for the next few hours. Nick was approaching his door when he heard his bunny's sobs, quickly he opened the door and rushed to her side.
"Judy what's wrong?"
Judy turned and slapped him, "YOU LEFT ME FOR THAT VIXEN!"
Nick's fears were becoming reality.
"Is that what she told you? I was abducted."
Judy was still upset, "Like hell you were."
Nick was terrified of losing Judy, "She darted me and stuffed me in the trunk of a police cruiser."
Judy stopped at this.
"She drugged me and tried to rape me, the only reason she failed was because she forgot about the emergency radio."
Judy could barely speak, "So…you…didn't?"
Nick pulled his wife in close, "No, I could never do that to you Judy, you mean too much to me."
Nick held Judy as she let her tears flow, he didn't blame her for her emotions running wild like this, to hear something like that at this stage in pregnancy must have been an emotional atomic bomb. Eventually Judy fell asleep, nuzzled close to Nick's chest, listening to his heart beat. Nick, not wanting to disturb her slumber after such an emotionally draining ordeal, followed suite. Another few weeks had passed before the trial, and Nick was still recovering both mentally and physically. The court room was devoid of the usual audience that spectated such events, as per the fox's request it would be only the necessary persons in the court, no more.
"All rise for the honorable judge Steiner."
Nick stood, seeing an elderly badger come to the position, motioning for everyone to be seated.
"We are here today for the case, Wilde versus Renard, in that Renard has been accused of abduction, sexual assault, and attempted rape."
The Judge looked at Nick, "Mr. Renard, do you have anything to say before we begin?"
Nick politely responded, "Sir, I am Mr. Wilde, and she is Ms. Renard."
The judge looked at both of them, a surprised expression plastered on his face.
"My apologies, now let us proceed, does the defense have anything to declare before we start this trial?"
Cassidy and her lawyers just sat in their chairs looking smug.
"Noted, let us begin."
The plaintiff went through the process of stating their case, but then it came time for the defense to take the stand.
The smug lawyer stood up, "My good mammals of the jury, this case is simply one mammal trying to make another look bad for his own misdeeds, Nicholas Piberius Wilde was a con artist before he allegedly "went straight" with the ZPD. I ask you, would you think this mammal trustworthy in a romantic relationship? He probably lies on his reports for all we know." The jury was swayed by the smooth talking goat as he rambled on, but it was Nick's turn to take the stand.
"Mammals of the jury, I know that my past was shady, but one day a single rabbit changed the way I looked at society, she inspired me to be more, why she's the very reason I joined the police academy, and after a year of knowing her, I finally asked her out."
The goat raised his voice, "Objection, Irrelevant to the case."
The badger gave the goat a stern look, "Overruled, it is completely relevant, you can count this as your first strike."
Nick smiled, "Thank you your honor. As I was saying, we had finally started going out, and yes, there was intimacy which led to her impregnation, soon after which I took a bullet protecting my pregnant lover. This bullet wound has left me weak for a very long time, and only recently have I begun regular work again. Now, I know you must be thinking to yourselves, "Well he can still cheat on his mate can't he?" Wrong, mammals of the jury, I am a fox, and it is not very well known, but when foxes find their one true love, they mate with them, for life. Once mated, we cannot feel any sexual or romantic urges towards other females, ever."
This didn't seem to sway the jury as much, since the goat had already portrayed him as a sly, lying fox.
"The defendant calls upon Nicholas Wilde to take the stand."
Nick took the stand, swearing an oath of truth.
"Nicholas Wilde, was the cruiser found at the scene not your personal cruiser?"
Nick thought, "It was."
The goat continued, "Are you not in an interspecies relationship with the Judy Hopps."
Nick face twitched with anger, "I am, and I wished to keep her identity confidential as to avoid further discrimination."
The judge cut in, "We are sworn to an oath of confidentiality, what is said in this room, stays in this room."
The goat pressed on, "Were you not found in a compromising position with Ms. Renard?"
Nick wouldn't lie, "Yes, one that I was forced into."
The goat rolled his eyes, "So you say, that is all I needed."
Nick could hear mumbles from the jury, and they were not good. As he sat down next to his lawyer, she reassured him, "Nick, we will win this case, don't worry. The longer she fights, the longer her sentence will be."
The wolf spoke, "The plaintiff calls Ms. Renard to the stand."
She took the seat, swearing an oath of truth.
"Ms. Renard, while at work, did Mr. Wilde tell you at any time he was uncomfortable?"
She replied, "No."
The wolf knew she was lying, "I see, and your standard issue weapon, it was discharged twice when found, why is that?"
She sighed, "I don't know."
The wolf proceeded, holding up a pair of handcuffs, "Do you know what these are?"
The goat went to object, but stopped under the icy glare of the judge.
"Handcuffs," the vixen responded.
"Okay, why were all four of Mr. Wilde's appendages handcuffed to your bedrails?"
The vixen smirked, "What can I say, he's a kinky fox."
The wolf turned to the Judge, "With your permission, your honor, I would like to present physical and digital evidence."
The judge nodded, "Very well."
The first thing that was produced was the syringe. "Mammals of the jury, this drug was what Ms. Renard attempted to use on Mr. Wilde, it is a concentrated form of a marital aid, used to bypass any restrictions that one may have sexually."
The second was the video from the forensics room, which took a few minutes to set up.
"Here we have Mr. Wilde clearly telling Ms. Renard to distance herself, clearly showing his discomfort with her."
The third was the motor pool footage.
"Here we have Ms. Renard making an unwelcome advance, which in Mr. Wilde's weakened state was unavoidable, and a chore to get out of. Now, as Mr. Wilde retreats, watch as Ms. Renard fires her weapon, effectively rendering him unconscious."
The jury was utterly shocked at how this vixen could do this.
"Mr. Wilde is dragged out of frame, only to be put in the trunk of his personal cruiser, and taken to the residence of Ms. Renard, were he was darted again and sexually assaulted, only to be spared the tragedy of rape by his commanding officer's impeccable timing."
The jury spent only a half hour deciding their verdict.
The otter that spoke for the jury stood, "We the jury, find the defendant guilty on all charges."
The smug look on Cassidy's face vanished, replaced with one of total shock, she had lost, badly.
The judge spoke, "I sentence you to a minimum of ten years in a federal prison, you will be placed on the list of sexual offenders, and a restraining order will be placed, you will not go within one thousand feet from Mr. Wilde."
The judge brought the gavel down, ending the session. Nick went to find him, eventually seeing him in a lounge.
"Mr. Steiner, I wanted to thank you, she went to my apartment, trying to get my girlfriend to think that I had left her, and if she wasn't so optimistic, I probably never would have been able to explain myself."
The judge smiled, "I was going to put her behind bars at the very beginning."
Nick was genuinely surprised, "What?"
The judge sighed, "The way you carried yourselves, she sat with an arrogant air about her, and you were respectful in everything you did, and when I was corrected as to who was being charged, I have to say boy, that takes guts to admit to something like that."
Nick could only muster two words, "Thank you."
The old judge chuckled, "Now you get back to that bunny of yours, and you better put a ring on her finger soon, or I'll kick your ass."
Nick smiled at the jovial remark.
Nick stopped at an ATM on his way back to the station, checking his balance before heading to a jewelry store. He searched the rings until one stood out, it was golden ring, a fox wrapped in a circle, tail meeting its nose, legs etched into the sides of the ring, the fur carefully detailed, and in each of the eyes lay diamonds. Nick knew that this was the one.
The clerk looked Nick up and down, "How exactly would you like to pay for the ring?"
His arrogant tone pissed Nick off, but Nick was about to give the wolf the surprise of his life.
"Cash," Nick laid the thirty-five thousand dollars on the table.
"Let me check its authenticity."
The wolf ran each bill under a light meant to spot counterfeit money, none of them were flagged.
"It seems that your money checks out, would you like this delivered to someone?"
Nick looked at the wolf as if he was stupid, sarcasm thick in his response, "Yes I would love to have a diamond ring simply delivered to the one I want to propose to in the most romantic way possible."
The wolf simply put the ring in a black box and gave it to Nick, "She must be one lucky vixen."
Nick was fuming, "She is a RABBIT, and I am the lucky one."
The wolf gave Nick a sideways glance, "How is that?"
Nick gave the wolf a serious look, "She is the one who changed my life for the better, now can I have my ring?"
Nick now had a new problem, where would he hide it until it was time?