"He didn't!"
"Oh, he so did. Right in front of me too! 'Val,' as if I'm not right there next to him!"
"He used to call her that all the time. I hated it, I much prefer Carrots over Val, if I do say so myself."
"I know! My nickname is way better than hers!"
"So, she works at the ZPD?"
"Apparently! I've never even seen her around before, and then when things are finally going well, she's there! Besides, she hasn't been there long, because Nick was the first fox officer and he's only been there for two years."
"She used to be a con artist, just like him."
"Really?"
"With looks like that, of course! They were partners before Nicholas met that little fennec fox."
"Finnick."
"That's the one," Nick's mother agreed. "Finnick hated her. She was always all over the place and could never really be trusted."
"I can believe that."
"I was never really involved in Nicholas's scamming ways, but I knew that she was trouble. It ended badly between them, but I have no idea why. I suspect it had to do with her pulling a fast one over on him."
"Nick seemed almost amused to see her."
"I'm sure, it's been a very long time since he's seen her, and you know him, he never does or says the right thing."
"What should I do? Should I do something?"
"Judy, Honey, you need to relax. You're getting into your second trimester and you need to be careful. I know this is hard, but I trust that Nicholas will not be completely stupid in this situation."
Judy sighed and idly played with the spoon that rested in the mug of tea before her. She and Nick's mother were comfortably seated on cushioned stools that rested around a kitchen island. Mrs. Wilde still lived in the home that made up Nick's childhood, but the majority of the house had been renovated or remodeled at some time or another. According to Nick, he had come from a low-income background, but it was clear that life had treated his mother very well in the years that followed his leave. The house was much bigger than it had appeared from the outside, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a basement, as well as a large backyard with patio and all. After Judy had been invited in, Nick's mother had given her the full tour. Mrs. Wilde kept a very neat and organized home that consisted of a color scheme with light greens and whites, with modern décor that matched nicely. Judy noted that the wallpaper looked vaguely similar to Nick's green Hawaiian shirt.
Nick's mother was also a very wonderful hostess, as she quickly made tea for Judy and herself, and took the cookies out of the oven just in time for both of them to share as they chatted.
"I suggest we do something to take your mind off it."
"What were you thinking?"
"House hunting."
The look of pride present on Mrs. Wilde's face made Judy grin.
"That does sound nice," the bunny admitted.
"Wonderful!" Mrs. Wilde exclaimed. "I'll get my car!"
For the remainder of the day, Nick's mother and Judy drove all around Zootopia, talking and bonding. They viewed dozens of houses, narrowing down each individual attribute that Judy was looking for. They narrowed their search when they both decided that it was better that the home was located Downtown, making it near to the ZPD and Mrs. Wilde's home. Using Judy's phone as a search engine, the two decided Judy and Nick would do the best in at least a two-bedroom home with two bathrooms. Also using her phone as a GPS, the two found four homes that fit that description. After visiting all four, only one was absolutely perfect. It was a home that was painted white with a deep red color present in the trimming, and it was located just two blocks from Main Street. According to an online source, the house was very similar to Mrs. Wilde's, consisting of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a joined dining area and kitchen. The backyard was also fairly big.
Judy was in love in seconds. When she looked at the home, all she could see was her future children playing in the front yard, happy as can be. A few hours later, just as the sun was beginning to set, Mrs. Wilde had found a realtor, Judy had contacted a mortgage lender and had been pre-approved for a mortgage, Mrs. Wilde had made a price offer on the house, and Judy had obtained real estate insurance. No other two animals could have ever gotten so many important things done in such a short period of time. After a small celebration in the car that involved the two doing some very bad dancing and then laughing about it, Mrs. Wilde drove Judy back to the apartment that she and Nick shared.
"Thank you again, Mrs. Wilde."
"Not a problem at all, Dear. Oh, and do expect me to be paying for a large part of your home."
"You don't have to do that–"
"I want to. When Nick was little, he asked me for very few things that involved spending money. Now, with just me living in my house, I spend very little each year. It would be an absolute honor to help you get your family started on a good pathway."
Judy smiled and felt tears sting her eyes.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Wilde."
"It's not a problem at all, Honey. Now, go give Nick hell for what happened this morning, and then give him the good news."
"Will do," Judy laughed.
She waved goodbye as Nick's mother drove away before heading up to the apartment. At the door to the apartment, Judy moved to put her key into the lock, but was surprised when the door opened before she was able to.
"Carrots!"
Nick looked frantic, as if he had been running around in an absolute panic just seconds before. He also looked extremely nervous, and from the way he stood in the entrance of the door, he seemed to be hiding something. Judy was immediately suspicious and narrowed her eyes to show him that she knew something was going on.
"Nick?"
"How was your day?"
"How was your day?"
"It was good."
"I'm sure it was," Judy stated bitterly.
"That's not what I meant–"
"Are you going to move?"
"Huh?"
"You're standing in the doorway."
Nick glanced down at his feet before giving a nervous laugh.
"I guess I am."
"So, are you going to move?" Judy asked again.
"I was thinking we could go out for dinner."
"Nick, I've had a long day and I'm tired. Maybe another time. Can you move so I can go inside?"
"I think that–"
"Nick, what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah, that doesn't sound suspicious at all," Judy gave a hollow laugh. "Why can't I go inside?"
Nick didn't answer, he just gave Judy a pleading look that seemed to say, "be gentle." Judy's narrowed eyes slowly widened, her temper rising at an extremely rapid pace.
"No," Judy breathed.
Nick's ears flattened against his head as he prepared for the worse.
"Do not tell me she's in our apartment."
Nick cringed.
"When you say 'she'–"
"Are you kidding me, Nick? Are you really that stupid?" Judy hissed quietly, trying not to let Valerie hear her.
"Carrots, it isn't what you think."
"Oh, yeah? Enlighten me then, Nick!"
"She doesn't have a place to stay, and–"
"You're damn right she doesn't, because she's not staying here!"
"It's just one night."
"How are you not the least bit suspicious about all of this?" Judy asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "You haven't seen her in years and suddenly she's working at the ZPD, she's your partner, and she also just happens to not have a place to stay? That's not weird to you at all?"
"Look, I know this is all really weird," Nick began. "But let's just try to–"
"Well I would love to know where she's sleeping if you're sleeping on the couch."
"Carrots, be reasonable."
"I am being reasonable! She is your ex, Nick! How would it make you feel if I had an ex and I let him just crash on our couch?"
"But you don't have an ex–"
"Are you purposely being thick right now? She. Is. Not. Sleeping. Here!"
"It's one night, I promise."
"But it isn't one night. It's almost nine more months with her!" Judy said, exasperated. "Nine more months of you two doing whatever you want while I watch from the sidelines. Six months of me going through this pregnancy by myself and then three more months of me raising your kids without you!"
"Carrots, it's not like that."
"It's not?" Judy scoffed. "You know, I found a house today. Your mom and I set everything up and the closing is supposed to be next week if everything goes okay. I was actually excited to come home and tell you about it, and what do I find? Valerie in my apartment!"
"We weren't doing anything–"
"But how do I know that?"
Nick's face fell.
"You don't trust me?" he asked, clearly hurt.
"You didn't trust me when all I was doing was planning a stupid birthday party."
Nick sighed and shook his head.
"That was a mistake on my part, and you know it!"
"So is this."
Silence fell between them as they both broke eye contact with one another. A tear slid down Judy's cheek, which she wiped away hastily. Looking down at her feet, Judy spoke, her voice cracking with emotion.
"I would honestly leave right now, but you know that I have no place to go besides Bunnyburrow or your mother's home, and you know that I don't want to go and get into our car that I'm sure will smell just like her."
"Carrots–"
"And I would honestly leave right now, if I wasn't afraid to be all alone."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean–"
"She can stay one night on the couch, and you can sleep in the bed," Judy muttered as she pushed past Nick.
Tears now freely streaming down her face, Judy walked right past Valerie, who was draped across the couch, a "guilty" expression on her face, and made her way back to the bedroom. Shutting the door quietly behind her, Judy collapsed in the bed and sobbed. It felt like an eternity before Nick finally entered the bedroom and crawled into bed. He took one look at Judy and opened his arms, which she gratefully crawled into. Then, without a word, Judy fell asleep in Nick's arms.