Disclaimer: Zootopia and all related characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights, belong to their respective owners.
…..
"Nick!"
Bonnie watched as the look on Judy's face went from worry as Stu and Nicholas started talking, to anger at her friend and partner being dressed down over Ruth Anne, to something that almost looked like fear as Nicholas grabbed his car keys and rushed out the front door.
She'd reached out to try and calm her daughter, just to have her motherly instincts swatted away as Judy started toward the office… and Stu.
About to intercede, she'd heard a car door slam, followed by Judy's yell and the front door opening and closing again.
Intercede. Maybe she shouldn't have tried.
'What have you done, Stuart Hopps?' huffed Bonnie as she balled her fists and prepared to confront her mate. How could any mammal with half a brain hear what Nicholas had been through as a kit, see all the good he's done for this town, and then punish him for rescuing a family in need?
'The mammal in that room is not the same mammal I took as a mate, and this behavior has to stop.'
Reaching for the door, Bonnie saw that it was still cracked open, and then, ready to kick it open and confront her mate she… froze.
Ears focused on the small gap, nose twitching in disbelief at what she was hearing, Bonnie put her paw on the doorknob and…
"Mom?"
Bonnie silently pulled the door closed and put up a paw to quiet Janae. "Everything's fine, dear."
"What do you mean 'everything's fine'?" came a loud, angry voice from the foyer, followed by a grey blur suddenly waving a finger in her mother's muzzle.
"Judy, please…"
"Don't you dare defend Dad, I heard him in there. Nick's a good mammal, and I'm not going to stand by and let anyone chase off my boy–"
"Best friend," interjected Janae as she grabbed her littermate by the shoulders, "Nick's your best friend, right?"
Glancing at Janae, Judy tried, unsuccessfully, to shake off her sister's paws and finally said, "Yeah, my best friend," and then staring daggers at her mother, she ground out, "I want to talk to Dad."
"But, Bun-Bun…"
"Now."
Feeling Judy's muscles tense up as she prepared to confront their dad, Janae heard a rustling behind her as the kitchen filled up with gawking rabbits. "Everyone's watching," Janae whispered into the closest ear.
"I don't care," came back an equally quiet response.
"Why did Mr. Nick leave without saying goodbye?" asked Susan.
"Or giving us hugs?" added Sasha.
"He looked sad," said Sunni, "Janae, would you please find Mr. Nick and tell him not to be sad."
Looking down, Janae nodded, "I think Mr. Nick would like that." And then squeezing Judy lightly, Janae asked, "What do you say, Sis, want to help me find Mr. Nick?"
Turning away from her target, Judy saw the assembled kerfluffle and sagged, "Fine."
"Good, let's get changed, and I'll drive," Janae said as she grabbed Judy's paw.
"Mom, when I get back…" promised Judy before letting her sister pull her away from all their siblings.
Glancing at the study door, Bonnie replied, "Yes Dear, I know."
-/-/-
Nick paused and gave himself a last once over just before opening the door to the Mayor's office suite. "Good morning, Daisy."
Daisy looked up from her work and smiled as Nick stopped in front of her desk, "Good morning, Officer Wilde. How are you today?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders and, with a half-smile, said, "Well, hopefully, I'm doing okay, but I won't know for sure until after I meet with the Mayor."
Daisy giggled, "I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean, it's not like the Mayor would ever punish someone by dropping them through a trap door built into the floor that leads to a freezing cold underground river, or anything like that." And then winking, Daisy whispered, "You might want to avoid standing on the throw rug in front of her desk though, you know, just in case."
Nick started to chuckle at the doe's obvious joke but was instead caught in a steely-eyed stare that showed no sign she was trying to hustle him.
"Uhhh…" was all Nick got out when Daisy broke the contest and motioned toward the main door just as Mayor Ackerbunn burst through it, carrying both an old ornate book and an aggravated look on her muzzle.
"Mayor Ackerbunn, Mr. Hayes would like a word with you. He's called three times already this morning, something about your town council meeting yesterday."
"Of course he'd call, next time he does, tell him he and his speciest buddies can all go to h… never mind, find Ken and tell him to get his tail over here, and I'll call Hayes back." Finally acknowledging Nick, Ackerbunn looked him over and added, "As soon as I'm finished with Officer Wilde here."
Opening the door to her office, Ackerbunn made her way to her desk, calling out behind her, "Come on, Wilde, you're up."
Nick gulped and looked over toward Daisy to see her silently mouth, "throw rug," while slowly shaking her head.
Nick's claws clicked on the wood floor as he walked into the Mayor's office and...
"Please close the door behind you."
"Yes, ma'am."
Nick did as he was instructed and then made his way to the edge of the small rug in front of the Mayor's desk. Glancing down at the innocent-looking floor covering, Nick quickly reoriented on Mayor Ackerbunn and said, "You wanted to see me, ma'am."
"Yes." Ackerbunn opened the book she'd been carrying to a marked section and slid it across her desk in front of Nick. "Interesting section in the Old Law translation on the Burrow Meister, it seems there's a little more to it than it being just a service award."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Are you aware of this part?" Ackerbunn said as she tapped a section of text.
Nick leaned forward and squinted, trying to read the ornate calligraphy, "Uhhh."
"Come closer, take a good look," said Ackerbunn as her paw moved down behind her desk, "don't worry, it won't bite."
Taking a breath, Nick delicately placed one foot on the carpet, and as he shifted his weight, he heard what sounded like old rusty hinges giving way.
Cringing, Ackerbunn let her ears drop, and then with her free paw, she pressed the intercom button, "Daisy, would you please tell maintenance to come fix that squeak in the floorboards again. It's driving me crazy." And then, without waiting for a response, Ackerbunn fished around in a drawer with the hidden paw until she found a ceramic mug and started tossing it back and forth between her paws.
"So?"
Nick shook his head, made a note to himself that Daisy needed some payback, and then stepped forward to take a look at what the Mayor had pointed to. "…responsible for upholding and defending the decisions of the duly recognized leader of Bunnyburrow," read Nick out loud and then, looking up, added, "Yes, ma'am."
"Good, that means that even though your job may have just been expanded a little, you still work for Bunnyburrow, and you answer to the Sheriff and ultimately, me. Are we clear?
"Yes, ma'am."
"Are we clear, Officer Wilde?!"
"Crystal, ma'am."
Ackerbunn looked sternly at Nick, and then setting the mug down intact, flipped the book closed and walked around her desk to where Nick was standing at attention, ramrod straight.
"Are you wearing the medallion now?"
Nick pulled the Burrow Meister medallion out from under his shirt, and, letting it rest against his chest, he said, "Yes ma'am, I figured after yesterday's televised Town Council meeting, you might be needing it back."
Motioning for Nick to lean over a bit, Ackerbunn reached out and held the medallion in her paw. Rubbing the engraving on the front with her thumb, and then flipping it over, she focused for a moment on the writing on the back.
"I can't read a lick of Lapine."
Nick shrugged, "It probably says something like, 'If found, please drop in any mailbox.' "
Ackerbunn stared deadpan at Nick for a few seconds, and then her face finally cracked as she laughed, and then with a big smile on her face, she stood on her tippy-toes and gave Nick a hug.
"I meant everything I said yesterday. The medallion is still yours. Thank you for taking care of Ruth Anne and her kits. Banishment is something I've lobbied against for years. I can't tell you how happy I am that we're now able to bury that evil practice once and for all."
Nick, a little surprised by the burst of bunny emotion, gently returned the hug until Karen stepped back and said, "You did good, Nicholas. A little more of an upfront warning would have been nice, but you did good."
Nick smiled, 'maybe now was the time to ask,' lifted a finger, opened his muzzle, and–
"No lights for your car, and definitely no siren."
Crestfallen, Nick sagged. "But…"
"No buts, I need you to keep a low-profile for the next week or so. There are a few things I need to take care of before you start marauding around town in a souped-up convertible pulling over tractors."
"Yes, ma'am," came the fox's subdued reply.
"Karen," interrupted Ken's voice from the intercom on the Mayor's desk, "that reporter I told you about, Dick Hornburg, is calling again. He wants an interview. What do you want me to tell him?"
"Hang on a second, Officer Wilde," said Karen as she reached over and pressed a button.
"You tell that sleaze of a supposed journalist, again, 'Hell No.'" And then pausing, she hit the intercom again, "Tell him we're only giving interviews to, uh, what's her name, that groundhog girl I talked to, uh…"
"Longtooth, Cassidy Longtooth," whispered Nick.
Picking up the handpiece, Karen said, "Yeah, Longtooth, tell him not to come to Bunnyburrow because we have an exclusive agreement with her."
Karen covered the mouthpiece with her paw and said, "Have a nice shift, Wilde, and stop by Daisy's desk on your way out. She has something for you."
"No, that's fine, set up a phone interview with her then, whatever it takes. I don't want that vermin anywhere near my–"
Nick stood up straight, and then in proper Academy tradition, spun around and walked out of the Mayor's office.
Closing the door behind him, Nick chuckled, 'Cassy's going to owe you big after this is all done. Hmm, maybe she could drop a hint or two with the Mayor about lights and a siren.'
"Still dry and breathing."
"It's still early, Dear," replied a smirking Daisy.
"Yes, yes, it is. The Mayor said you had something for me."
"Yes, Officer Wilde," replied the doe as she picked up a box from the floor next to her, "The Sheriff sent this over."
Nick opened the box, and as he looked inside, his eyes widened, his tail started to wag, and he nearly howled in joy…
…a brand-new Smokey the Bear hat.
-/-/-
"Stop huffing, I said I'm sorry."
"I can't believe it took you that long to get ready. We're just going into town."
"What if I see Dalton?"
Judy rolled her eyes.
"Well, we're almost there. Why don't you give Nick a call and ask him where he's patrolling?"
"No, I'm supposed to stay off my phone for a while. It's part of me staying low-key while I'm at home. Besides, Nick's upset, and if I try and call him, he'll just disappear somewhere and trust me, if he doesn't want to be found, you won't find him."
"Okay, use my phone and call the Sheriff then, he might know."
Judy shook her head, "After all the times Mom and Dad called Bogo to check up on me. I don't think so, Nick would never forgive me."
Janae slowed the truck down as she crossed into town, "So, where to then?"
"I don't know," waving a paw toward the town square, she grumbled, "as far as I can tell from his phone calls, all he and Buckstein did was wander from diner to diner investigating blueberry pie recipes."
Janae chuckled, "Good idea, it's a little early for lunch, but I know his favorite place."
Making her way through town, past the town square, and after a few turns, Janae pulled the truck into a parking spot in front of the 'Hopping Good Eats' diner.
"Here we are."
"Nuh-uh, I'm not going in there, old bun Leapwell is a speciest bigot, and I swore to myself in high school that I'd never spend a dollar in his diner.
"Come on, that old buck passed a few months ago, and his grandkits took over. I think you'll like what they've done with the place."
Janae held the door open for Judy and waved her in with a bow and a smile. "Welcome to the most popular diner in Bunnyburrow, all thanks to your boyfriend."
Judy gave Janae a sharp look for using the B-word, but relaxed when she realized no one could hear her sister over the sound of all the activity they'd walked into.
The diner was full of mammals, mammals of all types, rabbits, otters, squirrels, skunks, even a pair of lynxes in a corner booth. Predators and prey mammals of different species all eating and enjoying meals together in the same restaurant.
"Wow," and then turning to her smiling littermate, Judy said, "Just, wow. This is great."
"Smells good too, doesn't it?" came another voice, and then with a laugh, the voice added, "Hi, Janae, where's Dalton? Aren't you two supposed to be working on another one of Nick's fire safety reports? He said to always give you guys a private booth in case things got heated."
Judy lifted an eyebrow, "Fire safety? You and Dalton?"
"Don't ask," groaned Janae, "Brianna, this is my littermate Judy, and we're looking for Nick. Have you seen him?"
Putting out a paw, Brianna said, "Wow, nice to meet you. You're Nick's partner in the City, aren't you? It must be so cool to work with him. Is it true you set a Commonwealth record for giving out the most parking tickets in a single day?"
"You mean that picture Torrie took of you was for real?" gushed Janae.
"Yes, I mean no. I… no, that picture wasn't real."
"But you set a record, like THE world record for parking tickets?"
Brianna leaned in closer to Judy and said, "We named our house special after you. It's called the Meter-Maid because we promise you can order and eat it all within twenty minutes. Clever huh, it was Nick's idea for mammals that only get a short lunch break."
Facepalming, Judy groaned, "I'm going to kill that fox."
Janae put an arm around her littermate, who was mumbling something about digging a shallow grave near the south barn, and said, "Do you know where we can find Nick?"
Brianna shook her head, "No, he hasn't been in today. Deputy Buckstein was in earlier for second breakfast and said that Nick wanted to patrol by himself today, but he didn't say where. Sorry."
Janae sagged, "I guess we can–"
Whatever Janae's suggestion was, it was interrupted by a teen mink sow screaming out, "That's totally tubular!" followed by loud laughter from the group of girls sitting with her in a booth by the window.
"Actually Janae, if you guys really want to know where Nick is, go ask the Mynkmunn girls, I bet they'd know. When it comes to tracking down boys, they're better than a whole pack of Commonwealth Security wolves.
Janae cringed, "Seriously, the Mynkmunn's, do we have to?"
Brianna chuckled as she turned Judy and Janae around, pushed them toward the giggling group, and said, "Bunny-up girls, they're just teenagers."
"The Mynkmunn's, who are they?" whispered Judy.
"You are soooo lucky you went away to school," Janae whispered back and then pulling Judy close, "No matter what happens, stay quiet, and let me do all the talking."
"What… why?" was all Judy got out before Janae stopped them next to a table overflowing with the scent of furspray and whispered out the side of her mouth, "I speak Valley."
"Yello, dudettes, this is my littermate, Judy. Judes, meet Evie, Eva, Ella, and Elin Mynkmunn."
Standing next to Janae, Judy drew on all her police training to quickly assess the threat level of the mammals sitting around the table in front of her. Four teenagers, all dressed differently. Evie, prim and proper in a white blouse and Polka Dot skirt, Ella, channeling some sort of workout motif in Spandex and a red cut-off sweatshirt, Eva, acid washed jeans, a yellow top and a jean jacket, and finally, Elin, wearing pink metallic pants, a black suede top and a neon purple headband.
Judy shivered, no overt weapons were on display, but the fashion threat level was off the charts.
Evie huffed, "Janae."
"Grody, to the max, where did you find that blouse?" said Ella, waving a paw at Judy.
"What?" asked Judy looking down at her pink plaid shirt, "This is my favorite top."
Elin stuck her finger in her mouth, made a face, and said, "Gag me with a spoon."
"Vals, uh, I know my galpal here isn't exactly, ah, fly, but she's looking for her Brody partner, Nick Wilde, so any 4-1-1 you have on which 'hood he might be chillin' at would be, like, totally rad."
"She's Five-O? No way," said Elin, looking Judy up and down, and then leaned over and whispered to Eva, "Dweeb-o-rama."
"Officer Wilde is a stud muffin," gushed Ella, "I'd be stoked to party hardy with him."
"Get real, you and him getting horizontal, like, not even," said Evie, laughing, "a righteous dude like him deserves a choice Betty, not a Joanie like you or," nodding toward Judy, "a bimbette, like her."
"Word," moaned Elin.
"Grrrrr," came a low rumble from next to Janae.
"What's your damage, girl? It's major important we find him, like," and then popping her hip, Janae said, "you know, now."
"Poser," said Evie, and then nose held high, she turned to her littermate, "what have you got for Miss wannabe Prep, here?"
"Grrrrr," came a low rumble from next to Judy.
Holding her phone up, Eva replied, "My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kit whose going with a girl who saw Officer Wilde go into The Howling Wolf about twenty minutes ago."
Judy's eyes widened, and then with all the Mynkmunns staring at her, she said, "Uhm, thanks, that was very helpful… I mean, ah, totally… gnarly."
"Yeah, no duh," replied Evie turning her nose up at the two bunnies, "let's do lunch sometime. Not," and then dismissed the does with a head-fur flip.
"Do you think Officer Wilde would arrest me if I wore bellbottoms? Maybe put me in fuzzy pawcuffs?" asked Elin.
"Are you mental, paisley clashes with your fur."
"Can I borrow your Bedazzler then?"
"Only if I can wear your pink sequin top for my date tomorrow night."
Janae whispered in Judy's ear, "Quick, while they're distracted, let's bounce," and pulled her littermate out of the diner.
-/-/-
Pushing open the door to the large enclosed loading dock, Marvin continued tapping on his phone as he made his way down to his partner doing surgery on their van.
"Everything alright?"
"Not really, she's losing oil faster than normal, and I need to change out one of the radiator hoses. It sprung a pinhole leak yesterday on my way back from disposing of all of Orange's old experiments.
"Why the hell he didn't use one of our regular trucking services, I don't know," groused Larry.
"I think White is trying to play it safe while we wait for the news to break on the bunny cop. Which, I guess, means we have to do all his dirty work for a while."
"Well, he needs to stop taking it out on Piper here. She's sensitive, doesn't like getting all dusty and dirty, and driving those old roads isn't good for her suspension."
"Piper?"
"Yeah, like in the Pied Piper. Get it?" and then nudging Marvin with his elbow, "Great name, huh? You know since it's our job to lure preds in and–"
"Yeah, sure, ha ha. You do realize the Pied Piper was a… never mind, just hurry and get the van ready. I got the word that tonight's the night. I should know exactly when and where later this afternoon."
"So, is the plan still for us to do a snatch and grab? I hope so, I really don't want to have to wear my wolf disguise, you know that thing makes me look fat."
"Trust me, it's not the disguise that makes you look fat. And, yes, I need you to go in as a wolf, so suck in that gut and get ready to party."
-/-/-
"Wilde, W-I-L-D-E, Nick Wilde."
"Ohhhh, Officer Wilde? With the Sheriff's Department, right?" replied the female voice on the other side of Nick's phone.
"Yes, yes it is. And I'll need the room through the Carrot Day's festival."
"Hmm, let me look. The computer's been acting up but… Oh, here we go. We have one space left. Check in time tomorrow at 5:00, one filthy, flea-bitten pred for the slop house. There's a family of hogs in there now, I'll make sure not to clean it out, maybe I'll even add a few extra buckets of shit to the mess. I know how you foxes like rolling around in the muck. Oh, and the room rate includes fifteen minutes at the swill trough every morning for breakfast."
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, Nick quietly said, "Hello, Courtney."
"That's Miss Hayes to you, asswipe," followed by the line going dead.
Nick sighed as he reached over and shut off his phone. "Great. Now what?"
The pat on the back he'd gotten from the Mayor lasted long enough for him to let Buckstein know that he wanted to patrol solo in his own car today, and then for about a half an hour of said patrolling before reality reminded him that he needed to find a place to stay.
Calling the motel for a room pretty much took care of any residual thought that he wasn't a worthless pelt that hadn't just spiked everything he cared about into the toilet.
On autopilot, Nick's car crossed over into Predville.
"I guess maybe a little car camping, what do you say buddy? It'll be like that weekend Dad took us to the Meadowlands."
Nick's car turned down a side street.
"Yeah, you're right, buddy. All the rooms were rented that night too, weren't they?"
Pulling into a parking space, the convertible shut itself off and waited.
"Pretty much all that's left is to wait for the fat lady to sing, and then we can call it a night."
Nick looked out the windshield at the building marquee and nodded, "The Howling Wolf? It's not the Foxburg Pub, but it'll do, I guess."
Seeing the closed sign in the window, Nick pulled open the unlocked door anyway, made his way to the bar, and claimed the same stool he'd used oh so long ago, or not even a week ago to those that weren't despised by the love of their life's father.
Andie heard the bar's front door open and then chided herself as she headed out of the backroom to see who had wandered in, 'Dummy, you're lucky you're safe in Predville, if you'd been back home…'
"Hey, Nick. What are you doing here? Everything okay?"
"A whiskey, please."
"Uh," Andie looked around, not sure what was going on, "It's a little early, I mean we're not even open yet," and then chuckling, she added, "I could get busted."
Nick unpinned his badge and slid it into his pocket and then put a twenty on the counter.
Andie's smile faded, something was wrong with Nick. She'd seen mammals try to drink their sorrows away, but from what she'd seen and heard about the fox, she hadn't thought he was one of those types of mammals.
"You sure you don't want one of my famous blueberry cream sodas?"
Nick shook his head, "Make it a double, please."
Andie poured out two fingers of Buckanan's into a small glass and slid it in front of Nick, and then leaving the twenty on the bar, said, "It's on me, I owe you big time for hooking me up with Doc Stoan."
Nick nodded and then stared at the shot glass.
Andie looked back and forth between the fox and the test of amber will.
After a long minute of staring, Nick sighed and looked up at Andie's ear. It was still covered by a bandanna, but now, with bandages around the base where Doc Stoan had worked on it.
"Thank Lucas, he said you were in an accident a year ago, and then he had to explain to me why a rabbit with an ear injury is a big deal."
"Yeah, an accident, that's what happened," Andie mumbled.
Nick's eyes narrowed as he tried to read the doe in front of him. It didn't take years of mammal study or hustling experience to know that something had happened to Andie, something serious. Nick stared for an uncomfortably long few seconds, and then, with the back of his paw, he slid the whiskey glass in front of the doe.
Andie stared at the glass and then gave Nick a lopsided smile, "You know that's supposed to be my line."
Smirking now, Nick reached up, flattened down one of his ears with a paw, and then waggled the other one, "All ears, mostly."
Shaking her head, Andie couldn't help but laugh a little, "Alright, I'll go first.
"Ex-boyfriend. A real piece of work. And stupid me, I was waiting for him to take me to bed and mark me. I thought for sure he was the one." Andie huffed, "Turns out he was a player. When I found out about the other does he'd been sleeping with, I dumped him."
Pointing up at her bandaged ear, "This was my parting gift. He grabbed me by the ear and threw me out of his dump of a trailer. I made it as far as Bunnyburrow and decided to hide in Predville so I'd be able to avoid any more rabbit complications."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "You came to Bunnyburrow, to avoid rabbit complications?"
Andie chuckled, "Yeah, probably not one of my most brilliant plans."
"I'm guessing it worked out in the end."
Andie's uncovered ear turned red as she blushed, "Promise me you won't tell Lucas, he's really sweet and super-cute, and I don't want him getting in trouble trying to hunt down my ex and going all alpha-bun on him."
"Sweet?" Nick asked, "The big guy I was here with a week ago? 'Sweet and super-cute,' yeah, exactly how I'd describe him too."
Rolling her eyes, Andie said, "Thanks."
"You know," Nick leaned toward the doe, "if sometime I were to find out the name of your ex and where his trailer's parked, I might know some people…"
"Thanks, but no thanks, I've moved on. I don't need any of my old drama spoiling what I've got with Lucas."
"Alright," replied Nick, "but if you change your mind…"
"I won't."
Nodding, Nick extended a claw and turned his focus to tracing over a scratch in the bar top.
Andie looking at the fidgeting fox, pushed his whisky glass back in front of him and said, "Your turn."
Nick looked up and shook his head, "Are you sure you want to hear the sob story of a poor fox who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and ended up in an old bar out in the middle of nowhere? It's a little bit of a downer."
Andie leaned forward, put her elbows on the bar, chin in her paws, and smiled while waggling a single ear.
"Well, there's this girl. She's smart, and tough, and beautiful, and even though she's way, way out of the fox's league, she puts up with him. She saved him from spending the rest of his life on the street, completely turned his life around, got him a job, and helped him become a respectable mammal."
Andie coughed.
"Fine," Nick smirked, "a more respectable mammal."
Nodding, Andie motioned with her ear for Nick to continue
"So, this fox wants to ask for permission to court her, but…"
"She lives in the City, and her family doesn't approve of him?"
Nick cocked his head.
"Sorry, girl talk the other night."
"Close," Nick thought about the last month and all of Judy's brothers and sisters, and smiled, "her siblings were great, it was a little rough when they first met, but they ended up getting along. No, it's her dad. He's dead set against the fox even being around, let alone courting his daughter."
"So, what does the girl think about all this? Is the fox afraid she's going to break his heart?"
Nick slumped, and then rubbing the side of the whiskey glass with his finger, he whispered, "No, I think maybe he's afraid she won't."
-/-/-
Judy hopped out of the truck and rushed over to the door. Seeing that the bar wasn't open yet, she tentatively pulled on the front door, and then finding it unlocked, she stepped into the bar's dim interior. It only took a second for her eyes to adjust when she saw her fox sitting at the bar talking with an extremely cute doe.
Judy froze and gasped, "Oh no," into her paws as she covered her muzzle.
Nick, hearing a familiar voice, turned around in his chair and spied his bunny by the door.
"Carrots?"
Looking back and forth between Nick and the doe behind the bar, Judy's ears dropped, "Who…"
"It's okay, that's Andie, Lucas's girlfriend," whispered Janae, putting her arm around Judy's shoulders.
"Lucas has a girlfriend?" replied Judy, turning to see her littermate nodding.
"Yeah, it's a long story. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Judy took a breath, forced her ears up, and then with a worried look she couldn't completely erase from her muzzle, she made her way to the bar.
As she approached, Nick stood, pulled a stool out for her, and then waited silently as she climbed up and took a seat.
Janae gave Andie a quick hug and said, "Andie, this is my littermate, Judy. She's in from Zootopia. She and Nick are ZPD partners."
Andie grinned and put out her paw, "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Lucas."
Judy lightly touched Andie's paw and quietly replied, "Hi," and then put her paws together in her lap and looked down.
Nick hunched over a bit and, with his own paws in his lap, leaned toward Judy, but didn't say anything.
Janae looked back and forth between Judy and Nick and then over to Andie just in time to see her smile fall.
Janae cleared her throat and said, "So… Andie, I've been helping my boyfriend, uh, survey fire safety procedures. Could you, maybe, show me what procedures this place has, you know, in the backroom?"
Andie looked over from the unmoving pair of mammals and nodded, "Sure, no problem," and then, coughing once, she said a little louder, "it'll probably take at least five…" Janae shook her head, "I mean fifteen minutes to find everything."
-/-/-
Once the two does were safely out of sight, Judy looked up and smiled tentatively, "Fire safety survey?"
Nick shrugged, "Not my best hustle, but hey…"
"Losing your touch?"
"A little," Nick reached out and took Judy's paws in his own, "I've been distracted lately."
"Oh," Judy said, looking down again.
Nick squeezed Judy's paws and then ran his thumbs across the back of them. "I'm sorry."
Leaning into Nick until their heads almost touched, Judy whispered, "Please don't go."
-/-/-
Janae and Andie pulled back from the doorway, and Andie silently closed the door and then turned to her co-conspirator, "Alright, spill. No way are they just work partners."
"What?" replied Janae, "So, they're good friends, too. No big deal."
Andie folded her arms and started tapping her foot, "I've seen couples mated for decades that aren't that in love."
"Uhm," and then pointing at Andie's bandaged ear, said, "looks like your ear's almost done healing."
"Thanks, Lucas has been helping me keep it bandaged. Now spill."
"Well…"
"Wait a second, partners in the City? She's his girl from the City, isn't she?"
Janae cringed, "You can't tell anyone."
Nodding, Andie said, "Yeah, some of the mammals around here would lose their minds if they found out."
"Uh-huh, and my dad is one of them."
Andie poked her head out the door, checked on Nick and Judy, and then whispered to Janae, "They haven't moved."
-/-/-
Nick breathed in Judy's scent, but it wasn't as soothing as it usually was. It had a tinge to it, a sadness. Nick tried to disassemble the different scent when all thought was halted by a tear hitting his paw.
"Judy."
"I let you go once. I'm not doing it again."
"I promised your dad, Ruthie stays, but I have to go. It's not what I want, but I don't have a choice."
"I'll go with you."
Nick leaned back, and then with his thumb, he gently wiped away another tear that was trailing down Judy's cheek. "You know that won't work, you love your family, and it would break your mom's heart to see you leave so soon after having come back."
Judy sniffed once and then shook her head, "If I have to choose between you and my family, I choose–"
Putting a finger across her lips, Nick silenced Judy and said, "I'm not going to let you make that choice. A month ago, before I met your family, before they welcomed me into their warren, I might have let you choose, but today I can't let you do that. I know now why you love your family so much, Sunni, Janae, Colton, even Lucas, they're all a part of you. I know what it's like not to have any family, and I don't want that for you.
"Tomorrow, I'll grab my stuff and get a room at the, a room somewhere. You need to stay home. You're hurt and, and it's still too dangerous for you to be seen. You shouldn't have come after me."
"But…"
"No buts, I'm only here for another month, we'll work something out." Nick stood, cupped Judy's cheek, and…
They looked each other in the eyes, Nick knew what he wanted to say, knew what he needed to say.
"Judy, I–"
She grabbed his muzzle to silence him.
"Nicholas Wilde, don't you dare say that to me and then leave." And then, sniffing back a tear, she whispered, "Don't you dare do that to me… to us."
Nick gently peeled Judy's paw off his muzzle, and then after kissing each finger, he let his heart whisper, "As you wish."
Judy's heart skipped a beat, "No…"
She searched his face for a tick or a tell that he was joking, but Nick's eyes told her he meant every word.
Leaving his bunny and pushing open the door, Nick hesitated at hearing Judy sniff back another tear.
"Nick, wait…."
The door swung shut.
"…Dumb fox, I love you, too."
And then she cried.
-/-/-
Andie heard the front door open and close and quickly took another look in the bar to see Judy sitting all alone with her head in her paws, sobbing.
"Oh, no," grabbing Janae, Andie pulled her out of the backroom, "Nick's gone."
Janae rushed over to her littermate and pulled her into a hug, "What happened?"
"He left," and then sobbing into Janae's shoulder, "he's planning on moving out of the warren tomorrow, all because of Dad."
"Oh, Judy, I'm so sorry."
"What am I going to do?"
-/-/-
Pulling into the last spot he could find within fifty yards of the warren, Nick shut off the engine and sat.
When he'd finished his shift, he'd taken a long drive to nowhere in particular. After a while, he'd pulled into an abandoned picnic area and spent a couple of hours just walking and thinking. Over and over, he'd rehashed all the events that had led up to his talk with Stu. No matter how he broke it down, there wasn't a scenario where he didn't help Ruthie and her kits and, by extension, no scenario that didn't involve him having to move out. Which meant, no matter how this went, Judy, the girl he loved with all his heart, was going to be hurt.
This was so much easier when it was just him and Finn working out the details of their latest hustle. Now that he was sitting in his car, about to lose everything, he almost wished they'd never met. Not even a heartbeat later, a whine escaped his throat, making it clear that no part of his soul was going to let him give up on the girl he loved.
Setting aside the complete disaster that was his life, Nick stepped out of his car and headed up to the door.
Stepping on the porch, Nick noticed a blanket-covered lump lying in the swing. Reaching down, he lifted the thick, carrot-themed comforter and saw that the lump was Judy, fast asleep.
"She waited up for you, poor thing. She fell asleep about half an hour ago."
"Mrs. H."
Motioning to the chair next to her, Bonnie replied, "Sit for a moment."
Nick was going to object, but Bonnie's tone brooked no argument, so he sat.
"Sorry I was so late. I should have called."
"Yes, you should have. If not for me," and then nodding toward her sleeping daughter, added, "for Judy. She was worried sick about you."
Nick nodded and looked down at his paws in his lap.
"She said that you're planning on taking a room in town starting tomorrow."
Nick nodded again.
"Judy wore herself out looking for her father after meeting with you. Probably a good thing she wasn't able to find him. As upset as she was, no telling how Stuart would have fared."
"Where did he go?"
Bonnie chuckled, "What is it they say on those lawyer shows, 'Spousal Privilege'? No, sometimes, when Stuart is upset and needs to work through things, he likes to be alone. He hasn't ever been gone this long, but I expect he has a lot to think about."
"Yeah, I guess I had a lot to think about too." Looking up at Bonnie, Nick said, "I'm sorry, I never wanted me being here to cause your family a problem, and that's exactly what's happened. Judy and her dad, you and your mate, Mr. Hopps… and me. The worst of it is, no matter how I twist things around in my head, it all ends up the same, I wasn't going to leave Ruthie on the street, and I end up hurting my best friend.
"Nicholas, you've done nothing wrong, what's been going on with Stu, and Judy, and even me, has been festering for years, you being here," Bonnie smiled, "may have stirred the pot a little, but nothing's happened that shouldn't have happened years ago."
Nick sighed, "I don't know…"
Bonnie reached over and, with a paw on his arm, said, "Thank you for helping me with Judy. I've missed being able to spend time with her more than you can imagine.
"The other night, I told you how important of a friend I thought you were to Judy, but after seeing the two of you together these past few days, I know, as only a mother can, that you're very special to her and you leaving is going to break her heart.
"Please, for Judy's sake, I wish you'd reconsider and stay."
Nick looked over at Judy's sleeping form, and his breathing hitched. He didn't want to go, but how could he stay? "I made a deal with Mr. Hopps. I'll think about it, but I'm not sure if I have a choice."
Squeezing his arm, Bonnie smiled, "Good, thank you."
Nick stood, and with Bonnie following him, he made his way over to Judy. Bending down to check on her, he heard Bonnie whisper, "Nicholas, I hate to wake her, would you mind carrying her to her room?"
"Of course," replied Nick as he gently picked Judy up and cradled her in his arms.
Holding the front door open for Nicholas, Bonnie whispered, "The poor dear, she didn't eat a bite of dinner. I'll put a snack together for her and meet you in her room in a few minutes to tuck her in."
Bonnie followed Nicholas, and as he carried Judy through the foyer, she saw her sleeping daughter nuzzle into Nick's chest, and then Judy did something she'd not heard her daughter do since she was a little kit, she started to purr.
Arms across her chest now, Bonnie watched Nick until he was past the common room and down the hall, 'She needed to have a long talk with Stu in the morning.'
As Nick slowly maneuvered his way through the warren toward Judy's room, he kept looking down at the beautiful bunny cradled in his arms. Still deep asleep, she looked so content and happy. Her paw had slipped into his shirt, and as she purred, he could feel her soft paw rubbing his chest fur. And her scent, it was intoxicating, like the almost-mark she'd left on him except calmer, it reminded him of his parents, long mated and completely devoted to each other.
Stopping in the doorway to Judy's room, Nick wanted more than anything to carry his bunny a few steps down the hall to his room and put her to bed with him so that he could wrap himself around her and comfort her all night long.
Nick closed his eyes and sighed, taking Judy to his bed, even if it was only to sleep, wouldn't help him with Mr. Hopps. If anything, it would give the old buck an excuse to demand his resignation from the Sheriff's Department, and then Judy would be on her own if the Mule suddenly showed up.
Nick stepped into the small bedroom, and like she somehow knew what was going to happen, Judy whined.
Her grip on his chest fur tightened, and she started to shiver. Nick quickly crossed the room, and set his sleeping bun on her bed or tried to. Judy whined again and mumbled in her sleep, "No."
Hunched over, Nick, hoping to get Judy to release him without having to wake her up, whispered, "Carrots, it's time for bed. You need to let me go."
Judy, still hanging tight to Nick's fur, pulled him to her. "Mine," she moaned sinking her muzzle into his chest fur. Nick's mind blanked at Judy's needy touch, the feel of her muzzle rooting in his fur, and the overwhelming scent of need she was giving off.
Nick's instincts took over. His mate needed him. His mate. Nick rubbed his cheek along Judy's neck and muzzle, and then, completely lost in his desire to make this bunny his, he opened his mouth, bared his teeth and–
Footsteps.
Nick's eyes shot open, and the full realization of what he'd been about to do, and then sniffing, the realization of what he'd already done, hit him.
"Dumb fox, what the hell's wrong with you?"
Judy, on the other paw, took in a deep breath of Nick's handiwork and sighed. Her whole body instantly relaxed. Her paws dropped from Nick's chest, and she cutely curled up into a contented ball of fluff.
Hearing mom footsteps just down the hall, Nick quickly covered his purring bunny with a comforter, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and hurried to the doorway.
"She's all tucked in."
"Thank you, and goodnight Nicholas."
Stepping around the Matron of the Warren, Nick nodded, "Goodnight, Mrs. H."
…..
A/N: For those of you that haven't seen the movie, The Princess Bride, 'As you wish' = 'I love you'
Das-Leben, over on DeviantArt, created a beautiful piece of fanart for this chapter. If you'd like to see their work, it's located here: www{dot}deviantart{dot}com/mikey2084/art/As-You-Wish-887435405