A/N: With time running out, two bunnies head out to deliver an important message to a vixen.

Thanks to BeecroftA, TheAlienHeart, Bloodfox22, Tinbuzzard11, Zojak, InTheLionsDenOnDA, Guest, and Mooni.95 for reviewing!

Also, a special thanks to BeecroftA for editing this chapter.


Chapter 29: Second Chance

Morning light poured through the windows of a train as it picked up speed and began to pull away from Savannah Central station. Unlike most of the other trains that left the ever-busy station, the inside of the smaller green train was fairly empty in comparison. In the observation deck of the front carriage, two bunnies—one grey, one brown—stood side by side, watching the city go by through the window in front of them. One of them looked more lost in thought than the other.

"What's on your mind, Robbie?" Judy asked.

The brown bunny's ears perked up at the sound of her voice, and he turned his head halfway towards her.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was…just thinking. Last night, I could have been on a train like this heading back to Bunnyburrow. I could have been back on the farm by now, helping in the kitchen, cleaning the toilets, or running the stand. I never expected to still be in Zootopia…much less here with you right now."

"Well, I never expected that you would have tried to become a police officer either, but you did. I guess life's funny like that, huh?" Judy smiled softly. "I didn't have a chance to say it yesterday, but I'm really happy you're staying in Zootopia."

"Well, as long as I can, anyway." Robbie chuckled, before looking back down at the brace on his arm. "…Thanks for helping me to carry my bags back to my hostel last night. You were right; I never would have been able to take them all the way back to Bunnyburrow on my own."

"I did tell you, didn't I?" Judy grinned. "And even if things didn't go the way you expected, I'm glad you're here with me, Robbie. I'm going to need all the help I can get if I'm going to convince Evie to attend Nick's graduation."

"…I just hope this plan of yours works, Sis. Otherwise Nick is gonna be really, really mad at us." Robbie gulped nervously. "I take it he still doesn't know you're here?"

"Nope. Once we got home, he took a shower and collapsed on his bed. He was so tired that he passed out in the middle of the shoulder rub I was giving him. He was still out cold when I left this morning."

"You did leave your place with your uniform, right? Because if Nick wants to meet you later—" Robbie suddenly stopped himself short. "Wait—you actually gave him a shoulder massage?"

"Well, yeah. I did kick him in the side of his head and force him to do a perfect split. It's the least I could do for him. And don't worry, I packed my uniform in my bag, just in case he wants to meet for lunch or something."

"Right…" Robbie said. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he seemed to change his mind at the last moment. "Anyway, you did bring the carrot pen, right?"

"Of course." Judy reached into her bag and pulled out the orange pen. "I even made a copy of the recording on my phone, just in case. I'm not taking any chances; I'm going to make sure Evie hears this message today, no matter what. I know how much this would mean to her."

"It'll mean a lot to Nick, too. He's been suffering over this for so long. If he knew that his mom wanted to see him too, I can only imagine how happy he would be," Robbie replied.

At that moment, something clicked in the back of Judy's head.

Come to think of it…

"Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, Robbie. How did you even get this to begin with?" She held up the carrot pen.

"I didn't mention that yesterday?" Robbie asked, cocking his head. "Ever since you told me that you found Nick's mom at the precinct, I started carrying around a carrot pen—"

"No no, you already told me that," Judy interrupted. "I mean…how do you know so much about Evie? I know you and Nick have been bunkmates for months, but I didn't think he would have told you about her; he never wanted to talk about her with me, even though we're pretty close."

"Oh. Well, you're right, he didn't tell me about her. Not immediately, at least—it's a long story on how I know," Robbie said, thinking to himself for a moment.

"I think I have time for a long story." Judy smiled, leaning forward against the railing in front of her. Robbie chuckled, following suit.

"Alright then. So, you know I've never been very good at lying, right?"

"I think that's a slight understatement," Judy's smile morphed into a grin. "I still remember what happened with Jessica Hutch a few years back…"

"Please don't remind me of that…" Robbie groaned, shuddering slightly at the memory. "Nick told me the same thing too—a lot. The very first time we met, I tried to lie to him that I didn't know you, but he saw through me within seconds. I wasn't even close."

Yeah, I can totally imagine how that conversation went…Judy thought with an inward giggle, though she decided to keep that thought to herself.

"I begged Nick not to tell you about me being in the academy, and he was nice enough to agree," Robbie continued. "But I didn't count on you wanting to meet me in person on my birthday. I was desperate, so I asked Nick to teach me how to lie to you. And he was good at it. Very good. When I asked him about it, he hinted about having lied to someone from his family before. Eventually, he shared the story about his mom with me. That was about…a week before you called me to say you found her."

As Robbie finished, realisation began to dawn on Judy.

"I remember that call. You sounded so worried over the phone, and you were acting so weird the whole time…that was because you knew, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was. After everything you said, I realised that I could have helped you—and Nick—if I just told you everything that I knew. But I couldn't do it without revealing I was in the academy. I didn't know what to do. That's why I hung up on you halfway during the call—I felt like I was having a panic attack. After I ended the call, I literally jumped onto my bed and screamed into my pillow. I still wish I'd said something then…"

Judy immediately placed a paw on his shoulder.

"But you still told me everything in the end. And because of you, I have a chance to make things right with Nick's mom. So I'd say everything worked out just fine." She smiled, turning the pen over in her paws. "This time, I'm going to play my cards right. We'll make this work, Robbie. I promise."

Robbie nodded, looking considerably more relieved. A comfortable silence fell between the two once more as the train continued rumbling along. They both stared out the window together, watching as the tall buildings and concrete pavements gave way to a blanket of green pine trees.

"Now approaching the Evergreen Forest District. Next stop: Pine Springs Station." An automated voice piped up from overhead, causing both their ears to perk up.

"Have you ever been to this district before?" Robbie asked, finally breaking the silence.

"No, never. I've barely even figured out Savannah Central, and I've lived there for months." Judy chuckled. "I did do a little research this morning on the way to the station though."

"Oh? What did you find?"

"Well, I still have the page open in my browser. Hang on…" Judy pulled out her phone and flicked it on, sharing the screen with Robbie. "There's a whole lot of history here; it says that the Evergreen Forest is one of the oldest official districts in Zootopia. Unlike the other districts, the Evergreen Forest has the feel of a traditional small town with an overall slower pace of living."

"Huh, that's weird. If it was the oldest district, you'd think it would be more prominent on the local maps." Robbie remarked. "Where is it exactly? So far, it feels like I'm taking the train back to the academy."

"It's south of the Marshlands. And you're right—it's in the direction of Bunnyburrow, same as the ZPA. Now that I think about it, when I was driving back to Zootopia in the family truck, there was a big stretch of forest all around me as I approached the city. It seems like I drove right past it."

"How could you have missed an entire district?" Robbie asked, confused.

"Well, I wasn't exactly paying attention at the time, since I was trying to get back to the city centre as fast as I could. But still…" she paused for a moment as she scrolled through the webpage. "Oh! Listen to this: Notably, by the district's own bylaws, buildings are not allowed to be taller than the surrounding trees. The only exception is the famed tourist attraction, the Sky Bridge, which provides spectacular views of both the forest and the city."

"I guess that explains it. It would also explain why I never saw any signs of the place whenever I took the train back to the academy," Robbie said, leaning towards her to get a better look at the screen. "Anything else interesting?"

"Well, it says here that the district's most common inhabitants are mammals that tend to fall under the category of 'woodland critters', such as deer, elk, squirrels, chipmunks, beavers, and bears. It also has a higher percentage of predators compared to other parts of the city."

"Huh. Does it say why?"

"It doesn't…but maybe we could ask Evie when we see her later. She's lived here for a long time, after all," Judy said, glancing over at the clock that was on the wall. It was approaching half past eight in the morning.

"Oh right, speaking of that, what time did you tell her we were coming?" Robbie asked. "I hope we're not late…"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Robbie; she doesn't know we're coming."

"What?" Robbie blinked, looking as if he hadn't heard her properly. "You mean you didn't call to tell her we were coming today?"

"Nope. We only decided this last night, remember? And besides, I have a feeling it would be better if we showed up unannounced."

"But…why?" Robbie asked, confused.

Judy glanced out the window, watching as the blanket of pine trees surrounding the train began to thin out, and several small buildings started to come into view.

"Just call it a hunch."


A short while later, the two bunnies stepped off the train. There weren't many mammals getting off the train with them—it seemed that most of the residents were headed in the opposite direction, towards Zootopia. They were likely commuting into the city centre for work.

As the pair walked along the streets of the district, it became apparent just how different the place was compared to the rest of Zootopia. It didn't have the urban sprawl of Savannah Central, the lofty architecture of the Rainforest District, or the extreme climates of Tundratown and Sahara Square. It was just…a bunch of low-rise buildings in a forest. Most of the buildings close to the station were log cabins with moss-covered roofs. And with so many trees surrounding the buildings, the sounds of birds chirping could be heard from all over. Judy's ears also picked up the sound of a river running somewhere in the distance.

"Wow. This place is so…peaceful," Robbie remarked. "It's really pretty, too; I love how much green there is everywhere. I can't believe I've never heard of this place before." His mouth was open in awe as he gazed around him.

"Maybe that's why it isn't crowded," Judy thought out loud. "You know, the big city is great and all, but every once in a while, it's nice to be in a place that's easy on the ears. It kinda reminds me of home, actually."

"It does feel a lot like Bunnyburrow, just…with more foxes instead of bunnies," Robbie whispered the last part, noting a young fox couple walking by them and another older fox sitting on a nearby park bench.

That's true. I don't think I've ever seen this many foxes in the same place all at once…Judy thought. And it wasn't just foxes. As the article had said, there were distinctly more predators here compared to the other parts of the city. For a moment, she was worried that one of them would recognise her because of the Nighthowler press conference. But to her relief, nobody paid her much mind. In fact, no one else around—predator or prey—even gave Judy or Robbie a second glance as they walked down the street.

After about ten minutes of uneventful walking, they finally found themselves standing in front of a modest-looking house. The house was two storeys high, with a single window on the ground floor just beside the front door and a couple more windows on the second floor. All the curtains were currently drawn, preventing Judy from seeing inside. There was no car in the driveway either, but then again, Judy wasn't sure if Evie would have owned one, anyway.

She did a final check of the address on her phone to confirm that they were at the right place—145 Autumn Lane—before slipping her phone back into her pocket. She turned to Robbie.

"You ready?" she asked. The younger bunny looked rather hesitant.

"Not really…"

"Don't worry, we'll do this together. Just follow my lead."

With that, Judy took a deep breath, before walking up to the front door and ringing the doorbell. She then took a step back…and waited.

Seconds passed.

Both bunnies' ears twitched in unison as they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. There was the sound of a lock being unlatched, before the door finally swung open.

"That was fast, Renee. I didn't think you'd be done so—"

The vixen in the doorway paused in confusion, looking straight at the two pairs of different coloured ears right in front of her face. It took her a second before she finally looked down and made eye contact with Judy. The bunny cleared her throat.

"Good morning, Mrs Wilde. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Evelyn Wilde could only stare with wide eyes.

"…I must have taken the wrong medicine this morning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, before seeming to realise that the two bunnies standing in front of her were real. "Officer Hopps—I mean, Judy, is that you?"

"Yup, it's me." Judy smiled back. "How have you been, Mrs Wilde? You look a little tired."

"O-oh! It's nothing, I just had a late night, that's all." She unconsciously raised a paw to the clearly visible bags below her eyes.

"Ah, I see." Judy nodded, deciding not to push the matter for now. She noticed that the vixen did look like she'd just woken up not long ago—she was wearing a blue morning gown over a t-shirt. The colour of the gown was quite faded, and there was even a hole in one of the sleeves, indicating that it was well used. At the very least, the gown was appropriately fox-sized, unlike the raincoat she remembered Evie using before.

"What brings you here this early, Judy?" Evie asked curiously. "Did something happen?"

"Oh no, it's nothing to worry about. I'm sorry for the short notice, but I thought I should pay you a visit, to see how you were doing. And I hope you don't mind, but I brought someone with me."

It was at this moment that Evie turned towards Robbie. The brown bunny smiled a little nervously, raising his paw to wave at the vixen.

"Good morning, Mrs Wilde. It's…nice to meet you!" He smiled a little nervously. "My name's Robbie. I'm Judy's younger brother."

"Oh? Younger brother, you say? Well, I can certainly see the resemblance. Nice to meet you, Robbie." Evie returned the smile with one of her own. "And of course you're both welcome. Please, do come in." She pulled the door open and invited them in with a wave of her paw.

Judy and Robbie both wiped their feet at the front mat, before walking into the house. The moment she stepped inside, Judy had to force herself not to do an immediate double take.

This…is Evie's house?

Her eyes instantly began sweeping across the entire place, as if she were trying to download every single sight she was seeing. There were so many things that caught her eye all at once, like the green wallpaper that lined the walls of the house downstairs. The specific flower pattern on it was distinctively similar to the Pawaiian shirt Nick loved to wear. She didn't know what that meant exactly, but she knew it had to mean something.

As she passed by the flight of stairs near the front door that led up to the second floor, something suddenly clicked in her head. She took a quick glance at Nick's old photograph in her bag that she had brought with her. Sure enough, though some of the furniture in the picture had changed, she was looking at the very spot where the photograph had been taken.

Shoe cabinet, umbrella rack, big mirror, TV, even houseplants…Judy began naming off all the things she could see—and that was just on the first floor alone. Overall, the entire place was clean, well maintained, and it felt like a home.

And that left Judy feeling all the more puzzled.

Despite her confusion, she tried not to let it show on her face and continued following Evie towards the living room. She led them towards a modestly sized L-shaped sofa, which had a number of square cushions lying haphazardly across it. Evie quickly went to put all of them back upright, except for one cushion, which she slid over to the far corner of the sofa. She then motioned the bunnies over.

"Do make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Hot cocoa?" Evie asked, as Judy and Robbie both climbed up onto the sofa, their legs hanging off the edge.

"Any tea would be great, Mrs Wilde," Judy replied.

"I'd love hot cocoa, if you wouldn't mind," Robbie said.

"Of course, just give me a second, I'll be right back." Evie nodded, heading towards the kitchen.

As the fox left the room, Judy tapped her chin thoughtfully, still trying to make sense of everything she was seeing. Although Nick's old photograph had provided some hints on what his home looked like, from the way that he'd described his troubles growing up, and from the way that Evie had presented herself when they'd first met at the precinct, Judy did not expect the vixen's house to look as large, well-furnished, and neat as it did.

Wait a minute.

Her eyes had glossed over the living room the first time, but now that she was looking more carefully, her detective instincts started to kick in, and she noticed a few things in the otherwise clean and tidy room that stood out. The first thing she noticed was a small trashcan just behind the long end of the sofa set, half-filled with used tissues; there was nothing else inside of it.

Her gaze then fell on the pair of coffee-table books sitting on the table in front of her. More specifically, the single brown photo album that was hidden under the books. It was old and worn, with a fine layer of dust still covering the edges and spine of the album. That normally wouldn't have raised any eyebrows, but everything else on the table was dust-free, which suggested that the photo album had been pulled out from elsewhere. Although she couldn't see the pictures inside, she had a pretty good guess on who the subject of the album was.

Her legs began to stir, but Judy quickly stopped herself before she did anything more. The last thing she needed was to do something that would've left an even worse impression to Evie. She exhaled quietly, forcing herself to remain on the sofa.

Just be patient, Judy. You can't mess this up again.

As she pushed herself back in her seat so that she could lean against the sofa's backrest, her right paw accidentally brushed under the cushion that Evie had pushed to the corner of the sofa. As that happened, she felt something that was a different material from the cushion and the rest of the sofa.

She looked over to her right. There was something barely sticking out from under the cushion now. It looked like the sleeve of a small shirt, and it was a rather distinctive shade of green.

Could it be…?

Judy's ears twitched. She could hear the sound of water being poured from a kettle coming from the kitchen, followed by the sounds of drawers being opened. Her heart began to beat faster. She knew she'd just told herself not to be hasty, but Evie wasn't around, and it would only have been a quick peek…

She clenched her paws, before leaning over and gently lifting the cushion. Almost immediately, she had to bite her lip to suppress the gasp that threatened to leave her mouth. As she had suspected, the sleeve belonged to a green shirt, a shirt which had multiple different patches in different places, including a reddish badge with the number "914" sewn into the sleeve of the shirt. There was no mistake. It was a Junior Ranger Scout uniform.

It was Nick's Junior Ranger Scout uniform.

The shirt and pants of the uniform were lying in a pile under the cushion, both unfolded. It seemed that whoever hid the clothes there did so in a hurry, clearly not wanting them to be seen. Also, the shirt was slightly warm to the touch, indicating that someone had been touching it recently.

The tissues, the photo album, the uniform…

The pieces were all starting to come together, and although none of them were conclusive on their own, Judy had a feeling she knew what they all meant.

"Sis? What's—" Robbie whispered, but quickly cut himself off when he saw her holding up a single finger to her mouth in a shushing gesture. The younger bunny nodded wordlessly, settling back into his seat. She quickly lowered the cushion back down over the uniform exactly the way that she'd found it, just as she heard the sound of soft footsteps approaching.

Evie walked in, carrying a small plastic tray holding three ceramic mugs, all fox-sized. She gently set the tray on the table, handing the fairly large mugs to her and Robbie. She then smoothed her robe before sitting on the long end of the sofa, facing both bunnies. As she picked up her own mug, the vixen cocked her head curiously.

"Is everything okay, Judy? You look a little confused."

The question pulled Judy out of her thoughts. She blinked, quickly looking back towards Evie.

"Ah, I'm fine, Mrs Wilde! I was just thinking about how nice your house looked. To be honest, it's not really what I expected."

"What do you mean?" Evie asked curiously.

"Well, the first time I met you at the precinct, I noticed the food coupons in your bag and the big raincoat you were wearing. I didn't think your house would have looked so nice—uh, I mean, I thought you were having some money troubles or something!" she quickly corrected herself.

Okay, there was probably a better way to have said that. She winced inwardly. But despite her faux pas, Evie didn't seem offended. It took the vixen a moment, but then her eyes widened.

"Oh. Oh! No, Judy, it's not what you think!" she laughed. "I'm doing perfectly fine, I assure you. I can see why you had that impression; my friends sometimes tell me that I look like I'm homeless," she laughed. "I'm just used to using things until they literally fall apart. Old habits are hard to break, I suppose."

"So…everything's okay with you?"

"Mm-hm. We were quite tight on money in the past, but things have been a lot better ever since I paid off the house. I've even managed to build up some savings over the last few years, so I'm actually doing quite well, thank you." She paused. "I hope you didn't travel all the way here because you were worried about me…"

"Well, it was one of the reasons." Judy smiled softly. "Actually, the main reason we're here is that there's been some…recent developments that we wanted to talk with you about."

"…Is it about Nicholas?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

Evie's head dipped slightly, her gaze falling towards the coffee table in front of them. Judy watched closely this time, and she noticed that the vixen's eyes were resting on the photo album that was sitting under the books.

"…I read that the ZPA graduation ceremony is next week. Did he…make it through?" Evie asked hesitantly.

"He did, Mrs Wilde. He's going to be the first fox on the force," Judy replied.

Evie's face brightened immediately.

"That's wonderful news, Judy! Thank you for coming all the way down here to tell me this. I feel bad that you had to trouble yourself so much; I would have been perfectly happy to have heard the news over the phone."

But then I wouldn't have been able to see everything that I just saw, would I? Judy thought to herself. Although Evie looked elated, there was an emptiness in her eyes that betrayed the outward smile on her face. What's more, despite the vixen's apparent jubilation at the news, her tail hadn't moved an inch at all.

Judy had seen enough; it was time to play her final card.

"You know…the graduation ceremony is being held at the police academy itself. It's not too far from here, from what I've seen on Zoogle. I know you said before that you didn't want to talk to Nick, but you could still attend the ceremony. I could arrange to have you seated further back in the crowd so he won't see you."

"That's alright, Judy. I don't need to see Nick; I'm already happy enough just knowing that he made it," Evie replied, a tinge of remorse seeping into her voice.

Judy intentionally remained silent for a couple of seconds, before looking straight into Evie's eyes.

"Mrs Wilde…that's not true, is it?"

Evie stiffened slightly. Though the vixen's face was still unchanged, the subtle motion told Judy all she needed to know.

"What do you mean?" Evie asked.

"You're not happy about this, are you?" Judy stated plainly. "It's why you have dark circles under your eyes. It's why you've been looking at old pictures of Nick. And…it's why you tried to hide Nick's old scout uniform under the cushion behind you."

Evie recoiled visibly, looking as if someone had just slapped her across her face. And with how bluntly the bunny had said her words, Judy might as well have. She felt her heart hammering in her chest with every passing second. She knew that she was taking a huge risk calling Evie out like this. But the die had been cast. All she could do now was wait.

After what seemed like an eternity, Evie bit her lip, and she let out a defeated sigh.

"…I was hoping you wouldn't notice that."

With her eyelids closing slightly, she reached behind her and slowly pulled the Scout uniform out from under the cushion, holding it in her lap.

"…After you told me everything about Nicholas being in the academy, I really did feel happy—the happiest I'd felt in a long time. I was so glad that he had found his way, and that he had found a great friend in you. I even managed to get a good night's sleep for the first time in ages."

She slowly ran her paw over the sleeve of the shirt.

"But…as the days went by after that, I kept thinking about him. I dreamt about him talking with me, smiling like he used to." She closed her eyes. "I tried focusing on my housework, my knitting, anything I could to take my mind off him, but it didn't work. Then I thought that maybe looking at his old pictures and this old uniform would be enough to tide me over. But that didn't work either—in fact, that just made it worse. I guess…I wasn't as happy as I thought I was."

"Mrs Wilde…" Judy started, but Evie held her paw up, cutting her off. She still looked forlornly at the uniform in her lap.

"Judy, I know what you're going to say. I know you still want me to attend his graduation, but I can't. I don't think I could bear to see him there and not say anything. And the last thing I want is to say something that will ruin his big day. I mean, he's going to be the first…fox…on the force…"

Evie's voice was shaking, but she still barely managed to keep her voice steady. She swallowed a lump in her throat, before reaching into the front shirt pocket of the scout uniform in front of her and pulling something out.

"…Judy, you were holding on to Nick's neckerchief, right? Have you already given it back to him?" she asked.

The sudden question made Judy blink; it was not the question she thought Evie would have followed up with.

"No, not yet," she replied.

"If that's the case, do you think you could give this back to him as well? I mean, I doubt he'll want it, but I think it's only right that he has it."

She opened her paw, revealing what she had taken out of the pocket. It was a small gold ring with a capital "R" inscribed on it. The ring looked somewhat familiar to Judy, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Evie held the ring out towards Judy in her open palm, motioning for her to take it.

After looking at it for a couple of seconds, Judy gently reached her paws forward and closed Evie's fingers around the ring in her paw, before pushing Evie's paw back towards her.

"No, Mrs Wilde. I'm not going to."

"…W-What? Why?"

"Because you're going to give it back to Nick yourself when you see him."

Evie's shoulders slumped.

"Judy, we've already been through this. Nick doesn't want to see me, and even if he did, I—"

"—He does want to see you, Mrs Wilde. And I have proof."

Evie's mouth hung open, but no words came immediately. She eventually managed to find her voice, though it was trembling.

"You…do?"

"Yes. I promised I would find you proof, and I did. No, he did." She gestured at her brother, "Go ahead, tell her, Robbie."

The brown bunny, who up to this point had been quietly listening to the conversation while drinking his hot cocoa, suddenly choked, coughing loudly.

"M-me?" he sputtered. "But I'm…I mean, you should be the one that…"

"No, I want it to be you." Judy nodded encouragingly. "Go on, Robbie. You can do it."

Robbie slowly set his mug down on the table, taking a deep breath before turning towards Evie. The vixen was silent, though she watched him with intrigued eyes.

"Mrs Wilde, the truth is, I've been Nick's bunkmate in the ZPA for the last five months. In fact, I've been sleeping in the bed right above his. Judy never told you about it before because…I never told her about me being there. In fact, I asked Nick to help me lie to Judy about me being there—which he did. I only told Judy the truth yesterday."

Evie raised a single eyebrow, though her expression remained stoic. Robbie quickly continued.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. Nick and I were the only fox and bunny in the academy. Because of that, a lot of people laughed at us, thinking that we would never make it, but Nick stayed strong in spite of it all. I was ready to quit, but Nick encouraged me to keep going. He told me that no matter what everyone else thought of me, I just had to keep showing them my best self."

Evie blinked, suddenly sitting up straighter.

"Nick…said that?"

"Yes." Robbie nodded. "And he told me that the one who taught him that…was you."

Evie's eyes widened, and even though she didn't answer, it was clear that Robbie's words had struck a chord with her. The brown bunny placed a paw over his chest.

"Nick is a kind fox, Mrs Wilde. The kindest fox I've ever met. I've seen him get himself punished just to get one of our bunkmates out of trouble. And a month ago, one of the cadets accused Nick of stealing his engagement ring. He attacked me and Nick; I was about to get my face punched in, but Nick shielded me. He could have easily dodged it, but he stood there to take the blow. To protect me."

"What?!" Judy and Evie gasped at the same time, simultaneously looking at each other for a second before turning back to Robbie. Evie seemed a little confused that Judy was just as shocked by the story as she was.

Nick told me about the theft accusation, but he never said anything about him and Robbie being attacked! Judy thought. Though in hindsight, it made sense that Nick would have omitted that part of the story, since he had been trying to keep a certain lying brown bunny hidden from her.

Evie's confusion quickly gave way to concern as her gaze fell onto Robbie's brace. "W-wait, is that why your arm is…?" she jumped to her feet, looking panicked. "Oh my god—was Nick hurt?!"

Robbie immediately stood up and stuck his paws out towards her.

"No no, Nick is fine, Mrs Wilde! My arm was injured for another reason," Robbie reassured her. "Our bunkmates defended us; they were able to stop Frank in time before Nick got hit."

"I… see," Evie said. The vixen's breathing began to ease, and after a bit, she slowly sat back down, though she still looked understandably troubled by the story. Robbie remained standing, looking her straight in the eye.

"Nick told me the story of how he grew up, about how he lied to you for over twenty years. He knows he hurt you, and he's been hurting a lot too. He told me he's had nightmares for years, that you'd never forgive him because of everything he's done. He's sorry for everything, and more than anything else, he loves you, Mrs Wilde."

Nightmares? Judy's ears perked up. Nick had never mentioned having bad dreams to her either.

"Robbie, I…" Evie hesitated, still seeming doubtful.

"I don't just think that, Mrs Wilde. I know it."

Having said that, Robbie looked over at Judy. She nodded, taking out the carrot pen from her pocket and handing it over to him. He took the pen from her, before holding it out in front of Evie. The vixen tentatively took the pen, not seeming to understand.

"Just press the button in the middle," Robbie instructed.

Still looking confused, Evie did as she was told, pressing the button in the middle of the pen once. She almost dropped the pen when she heard the voice of her son come through the pen's speaker; it was probably the first time she had heard his voice in over two years.

"…My mom's going to find out about me becoming an officer eventually. So rather than let her find out that way, I figure that I might as well beat her to the punch. I'm going to go straight to her house after the graduation ceremony. I'm going to knock on her door, apologise, and tell her everything."

Evie gasped.

"This…this is…!" she stammered, lowering the pen and staring at Robbie, her eyes wide.

"Yes, it is," Robbie said softly. As he said that, Nick's voice emanated from the speaker once again. Evie clasped both paws around the pen, looking at it as if she were looking straight into her son's eyes.

"…No matter how sorry I am, no matter how much I want to make things right with her, I know that she may never forgive me for what I've put her through."

Her paws began to tremble.

"But this isn't about me. This is about her. She deserves to know the truth."

Her breathing began to grow heavy.

"And afterwards…even if she hates my guts and never wants to see me again, that's okay."

Her eyes closed, and she dipped her head until it was almost touching the pen.

"…I have nothing to lose."

With a soft click, the recording ended. Evie's grip tightened around the pen. As she did, tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. They streaked down the side of her face before falling onto the carpet below. She opened her mouth, but no words came. Her whole body began to shake, her breathing grew sharper, until finally, she let out a loud, pained cry. It was a cry that embodied years of pain, sorrow, and regret.

"Oh Nicholas…Nicky…I'm so sorry…" She pressed her forehead down against the carrot pen as she broke down, openly sobbing before the two bunnies.

Robbie's ears shot up in alarm from Evie's sudden outburst, his eyes darting around nervously. Judy stood up and placed a reassuring paw on his shoulder. He turned his head towards her, and she smiled approvingly in response.

You did great, Robbie.

Slowly, the tension in the brown bunny's shoulders began to ease. But all of a sudden, Evie suddenly stood up from her seat. Before either of them could react, she ran up and fell to her knees in front of them, before pulling them both in towards her in a tight hug.

"Judy, Robbie…thank you. Thank you SO much!" she exclaimed between sobs. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you before. I just…I…"

Evie couldn't even finish her sentence as her chest heaved with each sob, her breaths catching in ragged gasps. Judy had never seen anyone cry so hard and yet look so happy at the same time. Although the vixen looked like she was having an emotional breakdown, this was exactly what Judy had hoped to see from her. It had been a long, arduous road, but she had finally made it. And now, there was only one thing left to ask.

"I can't believe…my son is actually coming home…! I've dreamed about this for years!" Evie choked, a few fresh sobs escaping her.

"Well, you don't have to wait that long, you know…" Robbie said softly. Evie paused, letting go of the two bunnies.

"You…you mean…" Evie stammered.

A smile began to grow on Judy's face. Without saying a word, she turned around and reached into her bag, pulling out a small, white envelope. She turned back towards Evie and held it towards her with both paws outstretched. Evie took the envelope with a shaky paw, opening it and pulling out the letter inside.

"It's an invitation letter that the academy gives to the graduating cadets, for their friends and family members. They gave me a couple of spares because I'll be giving a speech on the day itself," Judy explained. She paused there, giving Evie a moment to read it. When the vixen finally lowered the letter, Judy looked straight into her eyes.

"Mrs Wilde…would you like to see your son graduate as the first fox on the force?"

It took a moment for her to process Judy's words, but when she finally did, Evelyn Wilde nodded her head in earnest. Despite her erratic breathing and the tears that ran down her cheeks, the vixen's tail—which up to this point had been completely motionless—slowly came to life, swaying back and forth in unbridled joy.

"I would. More than anything else in the world!" She sniffled, pausing for a moment to wipe her eyes. "I never thought that I…oh gosh, I'm sorry, I can't even think straight right now. I…I don't even know what I would do if I saw him. What would I even say?"

Judy's smile widened.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, Mrs Wilde…I do have a couple of ideas."


A/N: It's coming.