Welcome back my dearest readers.

Well, that was informative, wasn't it? Lots of inter-species couples, and I'd say some of those questions were pretty good too, as well as the answers. So, with that, we have caught up with the present and Judy. Here's where things go sideways, from her point of view, because this is the same time as Nick getting dusted.

On with the show!

I do not own and thus can claim no rights to Zootopia or its characters. They belong to Disney.

Chapter 12

Living World - Present Day

Judy felt herself laid on a bed, and again wished for Nick. The lack of his scent hurt the most at times like this. It's why she moved out of their apartment. Having his scent slowly fade would have been torture.

As she slipped into dream land, a single tear fell. "Nick…"

Judy woke suddenly, feeling hot, flushed, like the time she accidentally took a really big swig of Nick's coffee. She was awake. Energized like she was hooked up to a live wire. The kits were active as if they felt it too.

Sitting up did nothing to fix it. If anything, she felt more alive than ever before. "Gods. What is this?" Reaching for her phone, she found it was 3am. "Even I never got up this early unless there was an actual need."

She got up and went for a snack. Figuring that maybe she just needed something to help her get back to sleep. She reached for the switch and an arc jumped more than two inches, causing her to yell in pain.

Then next thing she knew, she was standing in a strange room, watching what she could only describe as Angels and Demons fighting some tentacle horror from a noir horror novel trying to force its way into the universe. Then she saw him… Nick.

He was helping a Demon fox adjust a flashlight more intense than any she had ever seen. She tried to call out, but it felt like she was trapped in amber.

She tried to scream when he was impaled by one of the tentacles. She did scream as he said goodbye to her and began to glow as he destroyed the thing that she felt attacking him. She tried and tried to push her love, her need for him, everything he promised her back to him to save him as he had saved her so many times.

When she tried, she didn't meet a wall, or a lack of his presence. She opened up and found a tsunami of power, raw, unfiltered, power. It filled her and kept filling her. Judy screamed in a mixture of ecstacy and agony.

She knew where he was. She knew also in that moment, her dream early on had been real. He was trying to get back to here. Instead, he ended up sacrificing himself. She heard the thing and its promises.

Snapped back to her body and the apartment, Judy fell to her knees, threw her head back and screamed out her pain. She had lost him again, and this time, forever. He gave up his very existence to protect her, just as he'd given his life.

Then the contractions hit just as Jack and Skye came running. Judy looked up, tears streaming. "It's time. I'll be a mother before the polls close."

Jack gasped as Judy looked up at him. "Judy! What? What is going on? Your eyes are glowing!"

Judy was suddenly standing. "Yes, so what? I just watched Nick die, again! Sacrificing himself to protect me and our kits, from hell and something else. But right now, you need to get me to the hospital, because I'm about to have my kits!"

Skye nodded and grabbed Jack's shoulder, giving him a shake. "Come on, Jack. Hospital. Kits being born. You grab the bag, I'll get her in the car."

Jack blinked, looking at Skye. "Kits?" Then turning back to Judy. "It's time? Oh crap! We can deal with the glowing eyes later!"

Skye nodded as Jack ran to get the prepared bag, then noticed Judy's eyes. "He's not wrong, you know. Your eyes are glowing, though that is diminishing slowly."

Judy nodded. "I can't explain it fully, but I do kinda understand what happened. I can't deal with that right now. Let's get my kits born, then I can deal with what happened. Then I can deal with losing Nick a second time, and this time forever."

Skye nodded. "I'm sorry, Judy." Helping her towards the car. "I cannot imagine it." Thinking to herself. It's gotta be the stress. Worry about the election. I hope she is okay.

Judy chuckled as she took a seat in the back of Skye's Maliburro. "Not stress, Skye. Not worry about the election. Like I said the other day, I'll never be okay, but I'm going to be alright, and so will my kits. I will try to explain to you later what I saw. What happened to Nick."

Skye spun around in the driver's seat. "What did you say?"

Judy tapped the side of her head. "I heard your worries, Skye. You thought them in my direction, so… I heard you. A parting gift from Nick. Like the ability to just have at hand what I need at that moment."

Skye was still staring at Judy in a mix of shock and concern when Jack entered the car. "Okay, I've got the bag. Let's go." Noticing Skye staring at the back seat, he looked and saw Judy smiling innocently. "Yeah, I don't believe that look for a second." Turning back to Skye and shaking her gently. "Come on Love. Whatever it is, it can wait until after the kits are born."

Skye blinked and nodded. Thinking to herself. That's terrifying. Can she actually hear my thoughts?

Judy chuckled in the back seat. "Maybe." Letting out a full laugh that turned into a groan as Skye squeaked with a look behind her, then started driving to the hospital. Once they were moving, Jack started to make calls so mammals on the campaign, as well as Judy's doctor, were ready and knew what was going on.

Fifteen minutes and four contractions later, Judy was wheeled into a delivery room for small mammals, the doctor showing up at about the same time. Jack opted not to be in the room, so it was Skye who got the honors of mammaling the muzzletime call to the parents.

Vivian arrived shortly thereafter and took over. It took three hours, but Judy had four healthy hybrid kits that were perfect mergers of their parents.

After many congratulations, Judy was given the chance to rest. Wrapped around her and Nick's kits, each of whom had a hint of his scent, she was able to sleep peacefully for the first time since his death.

xXx

As the sun neared its apex, Judy woke with a start as she felt the kits stir. Rousing herself she set about feeding and changing them. As she finished she felt a heavy presence in the room. Growling protectively, she looked around. "Who is there? Show yourself!"

A golden glow began as the shaft of sunlight in the corner of the room seemed to solidify. As the moments passed, it started to take a shape, indistinct at first, but quickly gaining terrifying details. Fully resolving into the demonic fox she had seen Nick helping.

Stepping out of the sunbeam he smiled warmly. "Hello, Judy." Pulling up a chair and sitting next to her, smiling gently at the kits. "You may recognize me. Upon reviewing what happened we found that you were present, psychically, so we decided that you deserved an explanation. Given the power I sense now in you, probably a gift from Nick in those final moments, I suspect you have some inkling."

Judy nodded. "You're the devil. Satan. Lucifer. Which is why you manifested via the sunlight."

Lucifer nodded. "Those are names I am known by. I prefer Lucifer, though I am not the evil being so many of your religions paint me to be." Rolling his eyes dramatically. "You get one mammal with psychic abilities catching me arguing with mom about something random once, and suddenly I'm the lord of lies, father of evil, and all that."

Judy shrugged, not feeling any malice or fear of this being. "I suppose. You do rule hell though, don't you?"

"I rule that section of what you would think of as the afterlife. One section of several, and that is where souls go for punishment according to their beliefs in life. That is not why I am here, however. After discovering that you witnessed your mate's sacrifice, I felt it warranted to give you an explanation, as best as we can, about what happened. I talked it over with mom, and given that Nick was one of mine, I should be the one that did it."

Lucifer then gave Judy a breakdown, much as with the conversation with Nick in his apartment and throne room. Judy blinked at the end. "I'm not sure what scares me more, that I understood that, or that I understood that. So that thing. When I first spoke of what I saw, it looked to me like something trying to tear its way into our universe."

Lucifer nodded with a smile. "That is quite literally what was happening. We don't know its name. It has called itself many things, the most common translates to legion. From what we are able to tell, it is an entity that survived the collapse of its bubble. It has hunted the chaos in an artificial bubble for a universe, a bubble sufficiently similar to its original home. It then tears its way in and devours all. I doubt that was its original intent, but it has long become insane, and from some samples we have tested before destroying them, it has succeeded several times.

It is a collection of minds, or souls from three universes from what we could tell from the samples we interrogated. It attaches itself to a soul, slowly consuming it, adding that soul to it's collective voice, the insane will of countless tortured souls overwhelming the one infected. Nick did something unheard of. He was infected, but the connection to you, his desire to protect you, let him do something we didn't think possible.

He overcame the infection long enough to collect power from me and everyone else there. Higher beings as you would call us, gods in some sense as I explained. He pulled power from all of us, combined it with his own will, his love for you, and obliterated the infection and himself in the process to protect you.

It destroyed him, yet once the infection was gone, his last act was to give you everything left of him, and all the power left over. You, and them." Indicating the kits. "It was not our intention, you missed how Cerberus tried to stop him from moving up next to me. Nick however wanted to help. We'd driven that thing back many times, this time, we may have done real damage. Thanks to Nick."

Judy nodded. "That's nice to know. To know that he wasn't in hell to be punished. That he got to spend time with his dad and brother. I don't know what I will do from now on though. What you have explained is that there will be another life, but despite the promise, which in any other circumstance would be fulfilled, there will never be a Nick."

Lucifer nodded. "I am sorry. Mom and I have spent the last few centuries, time moves differently there, trying to find a solution. There is nothing left to even try and base a resurrection on. Even the piece that was left in you is gone."

Judy nodded. "I had noticed that, but was too busy having my kits to think about it."

Lucifer nodded. "He burned up even that little piece of himself to protect you and your kits. Have you named them? I'd like to take the names back with me so their Grandpa and Uncle can know."

Judy smiled, Holding up the first. "This is the oldest, by birth. Aurora. Next we have Nicholas, Skye, and Elizabeth. Aurora after my mothers actual name, Nicholas for his father, and then Skye and Elizabeth for their guide-parents. If anything happens to me, I know they will be looked after and loved."

Lucifer frowned. "You aren't planning on?"

Judy shook her head. "No, even if Nick is truly gone. I could never do that. He'd come back just to express his disappointment in me."

Lucifer laughed. "Oh, having known him. I believe that. Before I go, do you have any questions, requests?"

"It's silly, but would it be possible to let Vivian and Anna see and maybe even talk to John and Demetri? Even if it is just in a dream?"

Lucifer smiled. "As selfless as Nick said you would be." Standing and stepping back over to the sun beam. "I'll arrange it."

With that, he started to fade out as Skye entered the room, freezing and staring at the corner. The clear form of.. Something, dissolving into the shaft of light. "What the… What‽"

Judy chuckled. "Hey, Skye. Time for me to go home?"

Skye nodded. "Yeah, Doc said once you woke up that he wanted to check you and the kits over one more time and then would send you home with us. You get to deal with Jack and I for a bit longer. We've got kit carriers and everything ready to go."

"Thank you, Skye. My brother couldn't have picked better."

Skye visibly blushed. "Hey. I could say that I picked the perfect mate. He's just the most amazing, caring… Anyway." Pointing to the sunbeam. "Don't even try and pretend that I was just seeing things. What the hell was that, Judy?"

Judy looked away. "I got a visitor. They were here to explain what happened, what I saw, and confirm my deepest fears. Let's get out of here, vote, and then get home. Then I will try and explain it to you."

Skye looked at Judy, nodded and sighed. "Okay. I'll… I will get the doctor."

The doctor looked over Judy and the kits and was quite shocked. After their nap, a mere four hours, they were all in as perfect health as they could possibly be. As far as the doctor could tell, were it not for the presence of the kits, and the fact that he had been the one that delivered them, he wouldn't believe that Judy had even been pregnant.

By three that afternoon, Judy, Skye, Jack, and four kits were back in the car and on the way to their polling place. There was a big fan fare over Judy casting her vote, amplified by the fact that she had just had kits and seemed to be none the worse for wear. When asked where the kits were, she just pointed to Jack and Skye who were looking after them.

Once Judy was done voting, she took over with the kits while Jack and Skye cast their ballots. One of the reporters decided to be brave and approached. "How can you be comfortable with those two looking after your kits? As a rabbit, how can you let a fox anywhere near your kits?"

Judy looked up very confused, seeing a sheep with a phone up clearly filming, and likely actually streaming. "I'm sorry, say that again. I am absolutely sure that I misheard you."

Several groans came from the rest of the press pool who were keeping a respectful distance. The reporter, clearly not expecting that answer, took another step forward. Speaking slowly, as if they were talking to someone slow or stupid. "I asked. How, can you, as a rabbit, allow a fox, near your kits? Let alone that rabbit who clearly is with that pelt."

An almost silent growl, but one everyone nearby felt, came from Judy. Her voice colder than liquid nitrogen caused the rest of the press to freeze lest they catch some of the blow back. "What is your name?"

The sheep seemed to be oblivious, or perhaps hoping for a confrontation given his smirk. "Keith Bellwether, Zootopia Independent Gazette. We're an online publication."

Judy nodded, her voice just as frosty. "Ah, yes. Dawn's brother. Your sister killed hundreds with her use of the Nighhowler serum. I'm familiar with that publication, and I use that term loosely. There is better writing and reporting that better reflects reality in the Zootopia Enquirer or Star. You work for a rag that no one will publish once they see the content, because it is that far removed from reality. Wild flights of speculative fiction have more connection to reality than the dung you push. You push specist tripe that is so demonstrably false that it is almost laughable, if there were not mammals in this city that believed the absolute dung you publish.

However, I'll answer your question. I am comfortable with Skye and Jack being around me and my kits, because they have cared for me, looked after me, and helped me through my pregnancy since the death of my mate at the paws of a mammal like you. One who actually read and believed the dung you publish.

It is not a stretch to say that your publication could be found liable in his death, given that you supported the terrorist organization that the mammal was a member of. You published hit pieces against me and my mate. You published full throated support for those mammals that were arrested, pushed their agenda, supported them, and claim that they are political prisoners, not terrorists planning on setting off a bomb that would have murdered thousands."

The sheep, Keith, suddenly looked terrified. "Why… Why can't I move?"

Judy shrugged. "I don't know. Fear? That's what you push. Fear without any truth to your claims, and the mammals that buy your dung just eat it up because they never bother to fact check because it feeds their fear, and confirms what they already think. It doesn't matter if it is true or not, not to you, and not to them. You love to use the term, fake news, when it is you that peddles fake news. Publishing stories you pull out from under your tail, stories and conspiracy theories that are more fiction than the Fur Wars movies.

So yes, I'm comfortable with a fox around my kits, a fox that is one of their guide-parents, along with her mate, my litter mate and brother. You know who the other set of guide-parents are? They're a tigress and a wolf, who are also mated. My mate was a red fox, you ignorant dung peddler. My kits are half fox, who again was murdered by someone that believed your dung.

If I thought it would get anyone out of it, I'd sue you for contributing to the situation. I'd probably lose, but I could probably also destroy you and your lie factory. But it would be a waste of my time and effort. It's enough to know that you were live streaming this, and gods only know how many viewers you had. Probably had them chomping at their keyboards just waiting for me to show up so you could try and ambush me the way your sister had Doug do to me in that cursed press conference.

Your family seems to live off of, thrive off of fear. So it is rather satisfying seeing you shiver there in terror, unable to move when I don't back down. When I don't show fear of you. You hold no power here, Keith. Your viewers that are watching, probably freaking out in the chat. They need to think. They need to do what they claim so often, and actually do the research. They need to stop listening to you and actually find out what reality is, not what they want it to be. Now go away, before I report you for harassment and have you arrested. Your press credentials are fake, I can tell that from here."

Keith gave a full body shake, looking at Judy in absolute terror, pissed himself, turned and ran. Tripping as he did so and smashing his phone badly enough it visibly shorted out meaning the battery ruptured.

Judy turned to the rest of the press and gave them a wry smile. "Sorry. Needed to get that out of my fur for a while. Now that I'm not ZPD, I don't have to hold my tongue with the likes of him."

Fabienne took a step forward, and was motioned by Judy to come closer. "We get it, Judy. As journalists, that mammal, and those like him, gives us all a bad name. I'm not saying that online media is illegitimate, there are plenty of real reporters that work online media. He is not one of them, just as you described. Now, would it be too much to ask for some pictures of you and your kits?"

Judy chuckled. "The paparazzi already snagged a few. I fear what nightmarish things they'll publish in the morning. So sure, let's get some real pics of me and the kits."

Fabienne smiled. "Always good to have some real photos out there to combat the bad photochop jobs. Now, I do have to ask. How, are you doing so well after just giving birth?"

Judy smiled. "I can only guess it is because I'm a meat eating rabbit, and I was probably in better shape than any other rabbit on the planet. So my body, much like a hard workout, was able to bounce back easier. That's a guess. Who knows, it could be magic." Giving a smirk to the cameras as everyone laughed.

Picking up Aurora. "This little beast is Aurora. She's the oldest, and already regulating with her litter mates." A collective Daaawww came from the crowd. "Then we have Nicholas, and you can guess who he is named after." Another cooing sound emanated from the crowd as Skye and Jack appeared, picking up the other two kits. "Then there is Skye, being held by Skye, and Elizabeth."

Fabienne tried and failed to hold in a joyous squee. "Oh my gods! They are just the most adorable things I have ever seen!"

Judy grinned proudly. "They are just about the cutest things, ever, aren't they. And I don't think you would be faulted for saying that either. I doubt there is a rabbit out there that could, honestly, not say that they are not that."

Fabienne nodded. "Maybe so, but it's still rude since they are half rabbit. But wow. They are truly beautiful, Judy."

The press all agreed and a small photo shoot took place. "Oh, I cannot wait to see how adorable mine are going to be." Rubbing her belly that was just starting to show. "Doctor says we're past the first checkpoint. Meaning that the chance we make it all the way has gone up a lot. But oh my gods. I'm eating so many of Peter's alfalfa bars. He has to get me more every other day. I had to stop myself from stopping at a public grazing area. I went directly to a cafe and got a massive salad."

Judy laughed. "That's what you get."

Fabienne nodded. "It is, and I couldn't be happier. Thank you, Judy. For helping Peter and I see that we didn't have to keep hiding. I know there are mammals out there that don't have a situation that will let them, but for those that can. The more that do, the better life will be for all, and the more chances those that cannot right now, will be able to."

"I totally agree."

After the impromptu photo shoot, Judy, Jack, Skye, and kits headed home.