Time for Chapter 3 of the Cloak and Dagger AU. After making contact with each other, Nick and Judy's power have now been activated. In the old concept, Cloak and Dagger gained their powers from a drug injected to them by some bad guys. They survived and later got back at them. The new concept is what I based this story on. So, now that Nick and Judy have met, what will happen next? What abilities will Nick and Judy gain and how will it affect them and their lives? Let's find out.
Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.
There the two of them were. Down on the ground of a cemetory with their paws emitting an unusual power. Judy's right paw glowing a bright white light and Nick's right paw shrouding a black mist of shadows. One question came to Nick and Judy's minds.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Nick asked Judy as he still looked at his paw.
"What the hell did I do? What WAS that?!" Judy asked still confused about what just happened.
"How should I know?" Nick asked stating that he was just asked confused as Judy.
"Because..." Judy said as she gets back up and walks to Nick. The light from her paw faded. The same for Nick and his black mist. "... your paw is doing the exact thing. It's also sort of... fami..."
Judy then frozed. She realized something. Not only was the mist from Nick's paw familiar, but so was Nick himself. Judy's nose started to twitch.
"What?" Nick asked wondering why Judy froze.
Judy waited about 3 seconds before responding.
"Are... are you him? The same fox boy... from the beach?" Judy asked as her voice was slightly breaking.
"The beach?" Nick said a bit confused. He then pondered it for a moment. Then his eyes widened as he realized what Judy meant. "You mean... after the storm? The same night... of the explosion?"
Judy shook a bit and was started to look tearful. She remembers. This wasn't the first time they encountered each other. She has seen him long before.
"It was you." Judy said starting to feel overwhelmed with mixed emotions. "I... need to go." Judy then tried to get away again.
"Wait!" Nick said halting Judy by grabbing her arms. "Stop running and let's just talk."
Nick then looked at Judy right in her eyes.
"Who... are you?" Nick asked.
Nick really wanted answers from Judy. Maybe Judy even had questions herself. But as Nick held on to Judy's arms, black mist started to appear around both his paws. Judy's paws started glowing brightly again. And brighter than before. It freaked Judy out to the point that she let out a scream. Then, the light shined so bright that it blinded Nick and he let go of Judy.
"GAAHHH!" Nick shouted as he shielded his eyes. He wasn't sure if Judy was still around. "Hello? Any one still there? Carrots?"
But the moment he opens them back up, Judy was gone. She must have run off.
"Oh. Great. She's gone." Nick said to himself. He then looked down and saw something left behind. A black wallet. "My wallet." Nick then picks it up. "Did she drop it or... did she left it for me as an apology?"
With his nose and speed, he could probably catch her again. But since he got his wallet back, there was no real point in chasing her. So he decided to let Judy go. But he still had a few questions about the girl and what was happening to him? Guess those question would have to wait.
As Nick, made his way out and back to the party, Judy watched him leave. She was still pretty concern too. The whole light and dark thing. As well as meeting the fox that saved her all those years ago. But for now, her main concern was getting away.
Later, Nick makes it back to the party and back to Finnick and Ben.
"Nick, you're back." Ben said.
"Did you catch that bunny girl?" Finnick asked.
"Yes... and no." Nick said. "Yes I caught her... but there was this flash and she got away."
"A... flash?" Ben asked confused on what Nick meant.
"Long story. I did get my wallet, tho. But I think she just left it for me intentionally." Nick stated.
"Really? You sure she didn't just drop it when she ran off?" Finnick asked.
"I don't know, man." Nick said as he shrugged. "Let's just get back to this party."
Nick decided to let things go after that. His mood was slightly shaking after the steal, but he later got over it and just tried to enjoy the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, Judy went back to her church sanctuary again. She was still quite shaken after running into Nick. She also didn't really steal from anyone from the party besides Nick. And that went south. She took off her beanie and changed into her sleep clothes. She then went to her dresser and pulled out the black hoodie she always sleeps in. Judy then started remembering that day. The day of her being on the beach with Nick.
It was the morning after the oil rig explosion. The young Nick and Judy both washed up by the beach near the water. The two were holding each other's paw but were both out cold. Judy then started to slowly wake up. She feels someone holding her paw and when she realized that she was a fox, they quickly moved back.
"*gasp* A fox? Wait." Judy thought as she looked around her surroundings. "Was he the who saved me?"
Judy wasn't used to meeting foxes. Being a bunny, her parents would often tell her to avoid them. Yet this fox was around her age and actually saved her. Yet as Judy looked around, she remembers something. Her dad wasn't one that beach. Since he didn't move and the car was in deep water. It was a safe bet that her father was really... dead.
"Daddy..." Judy said slowly as she curled up and started to cry. She didn't want to believe it.
As cold winds blew, she started to feel cold. She then notices Nick's hoodie. As nice as she was at the time, she was cold and really felt that she needed it. So she took the hoodie off of Nick and put it on herself. Oversized as it was, it was better than being cold. Judy then quietly whispered "I'm sorry..." to the tod before leaving the beach.
So the black hoodie she had was originally Nick's. Or to be accurate, it was the hoodie of the late David. Nick's friend who died that night. Seems like Judy had kept it with her this whole time. As she put it on, it made her felt secure about herself. It was better than been alone most of the time. She then lays on her mattress and slowly drifts to sleep.
Meanwhile, Nick came back to his house from the party.
"Yo. I'm back." Nick said wondering if his parents were around.
Nick's mom, Francine, then showed up.
"You're back pretty late." Francine said to Nick.
"Earlier than I wanted to be. The party wasn't all that great." Nick said to his mother.
Francine then took a few sniffs. She could smell the scent of alcohol on Nick.
"That smell... Nick, you weren't..." Francine asked looking a bit mad and concern for Nick.
"Yes, there was alcohol at the party. No, I didn't drink any. Someone just spill some on my jacket." Nick stated.
Francine gave Nick stare as if she didn't believe him.
"You can check my breathe if you want. I'm telling the truth." Nick stated firmly.
"No. I'll take your word." Francine said believing her son.
"I'm gonna head to bed now." Nick said as he makes his way to the stairs.
Nick wanted nothing more than to sleep of this night. Getting into his room, he took off his jacket and shirt, then he switches to his sweatpants. After that, he remembered something. He goes into his closet and pulls out a small brown box. He opens the box and takes out a small white ballet shoe. Nick now started recalling the day of the beach after the storm.
Young Nick slowly work up and feels the sand on his paws.
"Ngh... where... am I?" Nick thought to himself as he looked left and right. "I thought I was holding someone's paw and..." Nick then felt himself and realized he was missing something. "Huh? David's hoodie. I'm not wearing it."
Memories of the moment David got shot came to Nick's mind. Nick then started to cry.
"David..." Nick weeped. "You died because of me. And now I went and lost your hoodie. I'm sorry."
As Nick wiped his tears in sorrow, he stopped when he noticed something. On the sand, below him was a small ballet shoe. Nick thought it belong to the person who's paw he touched.
"A... shoe? Does... it... belong to the girl who's paw I felt? So she was real?" Nick thought to himself. "Then... did she made it out safe?"
Nick looked around to see if she could spot anyone. But to no avail. He was alone on the beach. Yet, for some reason, this little shoe gave Nick some comfort. Nick decided to take it with him as he leaves the beach. This ends Nick's memory of that day.
"So, this belonged to Carrots." Nick thought. He then had a light smile on his face before putting the shoe back in the box.
He stretches a bit before falling on his bed. He gets into his sheets and then he slowly drifts to sleep. But as he did, he still wondered what was with his paw after he touched Judy's.
Hours later, it was the morning. Nick could feel the sunlight on his face. He opens up his eyes slightly as he started to wake up. But then, he felt that something was... odd. His bed felt hard. Then he realized... he wasn't in his bed. As he gets up, he realized that he wasn't in his room, but on top of an building. He immediately stood up with his covers over his head feeling confused and freaked.
"What the? Where? How did?" Nick said to himself.
He sees the back of a neon sign that reads "Roxxon Corp" from the front.
"The Roxxon Building? How the hell did I end up here?" Nick shouted out. "Did someone pranked me... or am I dreaming?"
It felt too real to be a dream. Yet Nick was still in denial.
"Okay. Okay. I have to be dreaming." Nick said frantically. He then closed his eyes. "I'll count to 3 and then wake up in my bed. 1... 2... 3..." As he opened them, he was still on the roof. "Crap! Still here."
Nick has never been this freaked out in his life. Somehow, he ends up on a rooftop and he doesn't know how. He still felt that he was dreaming. This time, he got on the floor again and covered his whole body with his cover.
"Let's try this again. I'll count to 3 and wake up in my bed and not here." Nick said to himself still freaked out. "1... 2... 3..."
The second Nick pulled the covers away from himself, he's shocked to see... that he is back in his own room. Like nothing happened.
"Huh. I'm... in my room." Nick said to himself a bit surprised. "Ha... haha. Guess I really WAS dreaming."
While Nick thought that was the case, he noticed parts of his body were surrounded by a black mist. Similar to the mist that surrounded his paw last night.
"Then again, maybe it wasn't." Nick said as he looks at his paw before the black mist faded.
Somehow, Nick had gained the ability to teleport.
Meanwhile, as the morning went on. Judy had on a red and black long sleeve flannel shirt on over a white shirt and jeans. She walked around a trailer park somewhere in the down part of Downtown Zootopia. Since she hadn't really had much cash on her, she had to go to someone else's place to get some cash. She stopped by one of the trailers and opened up the door with a key. She looked for a second and it seems that no one was home.
She went into one of the dressers in a room but saw nothing of interest. She then decided to head to the kitchen. Maybe get some food for herself in the fridge. But she then hears some sounds coming from the kitchen. She then walks into the kitchen to see a female bunny with gray fur and a slightly plump figure. She had on a sky blue waitress outfit on and was pouring a bottle of white wine into a glass.
"Hey, mom." Judy said to the bunny.
"Judy. Surprised to see you here." The bunny said to Judy.
This bunny was Bonnie Hopps. Mother of Judy and... widow. When her husband, Stu Hopps, died, Bonnie nearly fell apart mentally. She really relied on Stu being the provider over herself. These days, when she's not drinking her sorrows, she does small jobs. The way Bonnie is now is the main reason Judy chooses to live on her own and away from her.
"How long has it been? Two... three weeks?" Bonnie asked since Judy hasn't visited in a while.
"Yeah..." Judy said as her ears drooped down.
"Still living with whatever boyfriend you're dating?" Bonnie asked.
"You know I don't do long relationship." Judy stated as she gripped her right arm. "I'm just living in some cheap apartment now."
Judy didn't tell her mother the truth about her living in an abandoned church.
"Can you even pay rent?" Bonnie asked.
"I get by fine." Judy stated firmly.
Bonnie shrugged before drinking her wine. Since she was still in her uniform, Judy expected her mother would be at work.
"So, finished your shift early?" Judy asked.
"More than that. I finished my last shift." Bonnie stated holding her glass. "The manager always expects too much for me. He's a total dick."
"Seems like every manager you work with is a total dick." Judy said. This wasn't the first job Bonnie quitted. "Mom, you can't keep quitting every job you take. You got bills."
"That's why I think it's time we get another lawyer and get back into court." Bonnie said.
"Mom, stop." Judy said halting her mom from saying anything else. "Court has been owning our asses since day one."
Bonnie moves from the counter and walks to Judy.
"Bun-bun, once we get the right case, we can finally get back what was ours. Even if it's only a little bit." Bonnie said. "Don't you want that?"
"Fine..." Judy said. "But remember, you and dad taught me not to get my hopes up. So I won't."
As one could tell, things have been rough for the Hopps. After the night of the explosion, many people died that night and Stu Hopps took the blame because the oil rig was from his design. It was because of this, Roxxon took nearly everything from Judy and her mom. Bonnie even had to go to a mental hospital for a while. It's because of all of this, Judy's the way she is. She has nearly lost all the hope she has. Losing almost everything at such a young age.
Bonnie noticed that Judy was gripping her arm a bit.
"Sweetie, is your arm okay?" Bonnie asked looking concerned.
"I'm fine, mom." Judy told him. To be honest, her arm did hurt a bit. Nick had a bit of a strong grip.
"Let me just look at it." Bonnie insisted.
"I said I'm fine." Judy stated.
Then... the moment Bonnie's paws met with Judy's, something happened. A bright flash of white light. The next thing Judy knew, she wasn't in the kitchen. She was somewhere else. She didn't know where, but it was very bright. She then noticed a few young girls in ballet unitards. What really shocked her was that one of the girls... was her. Young her trying to tie her ballet shoes. Bonnie then leaned down to young Judy.
"How about you let mommy help you out?" Bonnie said sincerely as she helps tie the little bunny's shoes. "Around... over... annnnnd..."
"Bunny ears!" Young Judy shouted out happily.
"Yes. Bunny ears." Bonnie said happily. She then finished up tying the shoes. "There you go."
"Thanks, mommy." Young Judy said smiling before going to the other girls.
This Bonnie was different from the other one. She seemed... happy and full of life and love.
"Look at her." Bonnie said turning to someone. "She used to love dancing so much. It made her so happy."
Judy then turns to see who Bonnie was talking to. But was in even more shocked when she saw who. A brown-furred rabbit on the plump side wearing a green flannel shirt.
"I know. Seeing her dance made us happy too." The rabbit said smiling.
"Daddy?" Judy whispered stunned.
The rabbit was Judy's deceased father, Stu Hopps. But how could this be? He died a long time ago. Yet Judy was looking right in front of her and seeing dad clear as day.
"Oh, how I missed those days." Bonnie said to Stu. "Everything was soooo perfect. You, me, and Judy. I loved you so much and you loved me. I wished things could have happened differently. Judith used to be so strong-willed and full of hope."
Judy started to feel very tearful and was close to crying from all of this. As she looked away, it all stopped.
Next thing Judy knew, her mother had let go of her paw and she was back in the kitchen. This made her felt even more confused.
"Wha... what was that?" Judy asked Bonnie.
"What was what?" Bonnie asked not knowing what Judy meant.
"What do you mean what was what? Did you know see that?" Judy asked.
"See what?" Bonnie asked still confused.
"The ballet school? You... and... da..." Judy stated before realizing something was up. "So... you didn't see any of it?"
"Judy, are you feeling okay?" Bonnie asked sounding really concerned for her daughter.
"I... don't know." Judy said trying to calm down and feeling her forehead. "Maybe I'm just really tired. Mom, you're okay if I spend the night, right?"
"Sure. You know where your room is." Bonnie said to Judy.
"Thanks." Judy said before leaving the kitchen.
Judy was still confused beyond words from what Judy happened.
"What was that? I saw a young me, mom was happy and dad... dad was in front of my eyes." Judy thought. "How is that even possible? Did mom really not see any of what I saw?"
The little bunny was confused by all of it. Then she noticed that her paws were emitting a bright light again. Just like when she touched Nick.
"Could it be?" Judy said to herself looking at her paws.
Somehow, Judy was given the ability to see the hopes and dreams of anyone she touched.
Meanwhile, as the day went by, back with Nick, he was out on his daily jog. He didn't have school, so he just focuses on having a nice day off. But it would have been nicer if he knew what was going on with him. He was still freaked out after this morning.
"Okay, this morning was... weird. Waking up on top of a building then back in my room. Dream or not, something is up." Nick thought as he ran. He then stops for a moment to look at his paw. "Could it be when I touched that bunny? Judy, was it? Wait? If I'm like this then does that mean she going through the same weirdness?"
Nick didn't know what was going on with him. But he was sure it was because of Judy. Problem is, even if he could teleport, he had no control over it. He had tried for hours and to no avail.
"Ngh! Maybe I really was dreaming." Nick thought. "You know what? I shouldn't worry about it. I just need to do what I usually do. Work hard, go to school, and get good grades. Then... maybe mom and pop could trust me again."
While it seems that Nick had everything together, the truth was that Nick didn't have such a great life either after the explosion. The day after Nick came back to his parents, as well as David's parents, went to the police to report about an officer killing David. The thing was, the chief of the ZPD, a buffalo by the name of Bogo, report that no such officer fit Nick's description and that David died of drug overdose. Nick told him that they were lying and he saw everything in his own eyes. But then... the officer showed the parents footage of something they did catch. Nick breaking into a car and stealing its stereo. It... was a total shock for Nick's parents to see their boy commit a criminal act. It hurt Francine enough to walk out of the room as she cried. John just chose to be disappointed. David's parent looked disappointed, but they felt that something was not right.
Since then, Nick's parents have a hard time trusting Nick. Nick had to work hard on everything just so that his parents could believe him again. The years help a bit, but it didn't help Nick lose his anger. A part of him still wants to find the guy that killed David and bring him to justice.
"David... I swear I'll find the guy and prove that I was right." Nick thought with a determined look on his face. He then looked at his paw again. He really didn't want to overthink the whole teleporting thing. But it was too much to ignore. "Alright. Let's try the teleporting thing again."
Nick spend the whole day trying to make his new power work. He tried thinking about the place, jogging left and right, even random shouting. But no luck. Eventually, the night was coming and he was getting tired. So he went back home. Sadly by walking and not just by getting there instantly. As he opens the door, he sees his mom, in a sweatsuit, finishing some paperwork in the living room.
"Hey, mom." Nick said greeting her.
"Hey, Nick." Francine said to her son. "You came home later than usual. Must have been some walk. You missed dinner."
"It was less of a walk and more of a 'think about life' thing." Nick stated.
As Nick walked into the living room, he then sat on a chair. He sees Francine all calm and collective as she was stacking up her paperwork and put it away. It always surprised Nick that his mom always had such a cool head.
"How do you do it, ma?" Nick asked. "How do you keep it all together after everything?"
"I just do, sweetheart." Francine said as she puts the last stack of papers away. "We aren't the first mammals to have a hard time and like it or not, we won't be the last. Besides, I wasn't always this cool and calm vixen you see now."
"You won't?" Nick asked a bit surprised to hear that.
"Before I met your father, I worried a LOT. Even after having you, I still did. But I learned something. Sometimes, you just got to bottle your fears and put them away." Francine stated. "Was too tired of having anxiety and guilt holding me back. So instead, I used it to help people. Put them in a good office and make their lives better."
"And it worked?" Nick asked.
"You tell me? Is your life any better?" Francine asked.
"Maybe a little bit." Nick said smiling a little. "I know things have been rough, but thanks. Thanks, ma. For making it a bit easier."
"You're welcome, sweetheart." Francine said happily.
Francine then walked up to Nick and then kissed his forehead. As she did,... something happened. It was like everything went black for a second. Next time Nick knew, he was somewhere else. It looked like a grocery store, but it was dark and the lights kept flickering on and off. Nick felt a grim feeling in the air.
"Where am I?" Nick said to himself as he looked around.
Nick's ears then flicked as he was hearing the squeaking sound. He turns to the direction of the sound and sees a shopping cart. Driving the shopping cart, his mother. But something was different about her. She seemed... scared and very frail. What shock Nick more was seeing a young little tod with her. The tod was actually... a young him.
"Mommy, can we get this ice cream?" Young Nick asked holding a tub of blueberry ice cream.
"Next time, Nick." Francine said to young Nick.
"Hmpt! You never let me have anything." Young Nick said a bit fussy and throwing the tub of ice cream to the ground. The young tod then ran off.
"Nicky, don't wander too far." Francine said to young Nick. The little tod didn't listen. "Nicky?"
Young Nicky ran and took a left to the other side of the store. A second later, there was a loud 'BANG!'. The sound of a gun going off.
"NICK!" Francine shouted out in fear.
Francine then left her cart and ran off to where Nick went off to hoping that the worst didn't happen. Nick was both confused and still stunned by what was going on. Concerned, he then ran to see what happened as well. The next site did not sit well with him. In front, he saw a tombstone that read 'Here lies Nicholas P. Wilde.' and his mother down on her knees and weeping.
"No... NO!" Francine cried.
Nick shook Nick to his very core. If it wasn't seeing his own tombstone, it was seeing his mother cry over it. Nick couldn't take it anymore. As he looked away, the next thing he knew, he was back in the living room. But he still looked scared to death and shocked by everything. Francine on the other hand, she started to feel woozy.
"Woah." Francine said taking a few steps back. "Suddenly, I feel out of strength." Francine then sat on the couch.
"Mom? Mom?" Nick said getting concern for his mother. He then walks over to her and puts his paw on her shoulder. "You okay, mom?"
"I'm... I'm fine." Francine told Nick.
"I don't think so." Nick stated. "You should get some rest."
"I still have too much to get done." Francine stated.
"No no. It can wait. You need to rest. Even if it's only for a few minutes." Nick said.
"Rest. Actually, that's not a bad idea. But only for a bit." Francine said laying down on the couch more.
Nick then got a red blanket and placed it over Francine.
"There. Just rest up." Nick told his mom.
"Alright." Francine said starting to relax. "Leftovers are in the fridge. Just heat it up."
"Thanks, ma." Nick said smiling.
With that, Frankie slowly drifted to sleep. Nick walked to the kitchen to get himself some leftovers since he skipped dinner. But as he walked, he was still stunned by what he saw.
"What the hell did I just witness?" Nick thought.
It seems that teleportation wasn't the only power Nick had gained. Like Judy's ability to see hopes and dreams, Nick has the ability to see people's fears and nightmares. An ability that's quite scary to have. But at least he now knew his powers were real.
Later that night, Judy was on another one of her nightclub runs as she walks down Savannah Central in a fancy dress. Even after what happened, she was still going to do her usual thing. Go to a club, jack a wallet or two, and pocket the cash so she could live another day. As she walks down an alley, she hears someone call out to her.
"Hey there, cutie." The person said to Judy from behind her.
Like before, Judy doesn't like to be called cute by anyone.
"Listen pal, you don't go calling a bunny c..." Judy said firmly as she turns around. Her ears then drooped as she stunned who she sees. The same bunny from the club before, Nolan. The same bunny who's wallet she took.
"Surprise!" Nolan said with a grin.
"Oh... he... he... hey. It's you. Nolan, right?" Judy said a little scared. She wasn't expecting to run into this buck ever again.
"So you still remember my name, huh? Guess it wouldn't be too hard since you... took my wallet with my ID in it." Nolan said as his grin changed to a serious angry look.
Judy's heart started to beat rapidly. With all the wallets she has taken behind people's noses, she was never actually caught by the person. She could already feel that she was in a tight spot.
"Listen, if you want your wallet back, I can get back for you." Judy said trying not to panic. "I didn't even use any of the cash in it."
"Heh. Do you really think I care about that?" Nolan asked. "Let me tell you something, Ms. Cute and Not-So-Innocent. My parents are rich. So I could care less about what's in the wallet. It was really just pocket change to me."
"If that's the case, why are you even bothering with me?" Judy asked.
"Quite simple." Nolan said as he loosens his tie. "You took my money, so that means I paid for your service. So I intend to get my money's worth."
Hearing that, Judy's nose twitching cause she knew she was about to be in a bind.
"Stay away from me!" Judy said as she tried to make a run for it.
"Not so fast." Nolan said as he grabbed Judy's arm. "Let's head into this alley, shall we?"
"NO!" Judy shouted out.
Nolan took Judy to a dark back alley away from any wandering eyes. Then he pushed Judy into a wall and held her down.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Judy pleaded.
"Let me tell you something else. The way you are, having an innocent face while being sneaky. You're closer to a fox than a bunny." Nolan stated.
"Ngh! You'd be surprised to know, most foxes aren't even close to how I am." Judy said as she still struggled to get away.
She was referring to Nick. She only meant Nick for that one more and she knew Nick wasn't even close to being as sneaky as she was.
"Either way, you can't sneak away from this." Nolan said.
"Please. I'm sorry. Just let me go." Judy pleaded again.
"I will... once I'm done." Nolan said with a sinister grin.
Judy was now breaking into tears. It was like her actions were finally coming to bite her. She started to feel regret and fear. Total fear.
"Stay away. Stay away." Judy shouted out tearfully. Then she let out a louder yell. "STAY AWAY!"
At that moment, Nolan felt some painful pinch as if a knife scratch his chest.
"Gaaaahhh..." Nolan shouted as he back away from Judy.
There was a noticeable cut on the side of his chest. Both stunned and shaken, Nolan quickly fell to the ground. Judy didn't know what happened to him... until she looked at her paw. In her paw, was a dagger made out of pure light. It was white and shined very bright. The tip of it, however, was red from the blood of Nolan after it cut him. Judy glared at it more as she didn't have any words to say. But in some way, she thought the dagger was actually quite beautiful. A second later, it vanished. The dagger she had just... disappeared. She then put her attention on Nolan. Who was still on the ground, groaning in pain about being stabbed. This all left Judy with one thought in mind.
"What the hell did I just do?" Judy asked herself.
Looks like Judy now has the ability to create daggers of pure light. A dangerous power, indeed as Judy has just realized.
End of Chapter 3.