Disclaimer: Zootopia and all related characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights, belong to their respective owners.
…..
"B-2"
"Right there dear, in the corner," said the elderly hedgehog sow pointing toward Judy's card. "Don't worry, it's your first time. You'll get the hang of it."
"Thanks, Mrs. Quill," replied Judy stamping the indicated square with her fox-shaped dauber and then looking back and forth between her single card and the set of twenty in front of her new friend and tutor, asked, "How do you…"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"…never mind."
…..
Janae huffed while sitting in the dark with her arms folded across her chest, 'I'm going to twist her ears.'
One of Janae's on-alert ears twitched hearing a troop of giggling kits not so quietly turn a doorknob followed by the door quickly being pulled open.
"Hi guys, I'm awake. Let's go get some breakfast."
"What about Judy? Should we wake her up too?"
"No, no. We need to let your sister sleep. She's super tired from watching the movie last night."
"Right, tired from watching a movie," whispered Janae to an empty room.
Large, followed by small feet, padded their way down the hall and out of rabbit hearing range.
Janae started a silent count. Hitting ten, she heard a door crack open, pause, and then quietly close.
Sighing, she waited and thought about how her littermate would look with her tail inked blue.
Janae blinked as the door opened and said tail, still its natural grey and white, backed in as other body parts checked to make sure the hall was empty and then close the door and turned on the light.
"Ahem."
"Ahh! Janae, what are you doing in my room?"
Cocking her head, Janae watched as her sister, head down, fiddled with the hem of the overlarge ZPD t-shirt she was wearing, a t-shirt she'd obviously slept in after appropriating it from its former fox occupant.
"What are you doing not in your room?"
"Um, taking a shower?"
Janae raised a brow and then patted the still made bed next to her.
Judy sighed and plodded over next to her sister, and sat down.
"A shower? Try again. You smell enough like Nick that if a blind weasel caught a whiff of you, he'd think you're a fox."
Judy smiled. "Wouldn't be the first time."
"Count yourself lucky that everyone in the warren is pretty much nose-blind to his scent otherwise–"
"He smells good."
"That's beside the point," said Janae putting her arm around Judy and scooching closer to her fox-scented littermate. "You know you suck at keeping the whole 'Judy and Nick have the hots for each other' thing a secret, right?"
"It's not my fault."
"What? You accidentally tripped, fell into his bed, slipped into his t-shirt, and… wait, you guys didn't–"
"No, we just cuddled… mostly."
"Mostly?"
"Yeah, the way he wraps himself around me, I've never felt anything like it. He's like a one-fox bunny cuddle pile. Waking up feeling his fur against mine, his strong paws holding me, breathing in his scent all night long, I could stay in bed with him forever."
Janae shook her head and then sighed, "You suck at 'taking it slow and easy,' too."
"W-what?"
"You've bunny-bonded, haven't you?"
Judy's mouth opened to deny her sister's accusation, and then her shoulders sagged as she mumbled instead, "Maybe a little, I guess."
"You guess? Are you serious? Dad will lose his mind if he finds out. You need to… I don't know, something! Whatever it is, you and Nick need to slow down and be more careful, at least until Nick's done at the Sheriff's office."
Judy took a breath, and then letting it out, said, "Okay."
"Good because that means no more getting all pawsy like you did last night watching the movie."
"What? I wasn't–"
"One minute, I'm poking my head in to check on you two 'babysitters,' and the next, I'm getting ready to throw a bucket of ice water on you both. You're lucky all the kits were glued to the TV when the spaghetti scene came on."
"That's my favorite part."
"Obviously. Next time, try watching it without your tongue in your boyfriend's mouth."
"Fun sucker," Judy said with a smile as she squeezed Janae, "Thanks for watching out for me."
"Sure, sure, and there you thought being ten minutes older didn't count for anything." Standing up, Janae went over to the dresser, fished out a pair of shorts, and tossed them to Judy, "By the way, nice blueberry print panties."
-/-/-
"I-23," said the fox caller into his microphone.
*Stamp, Stamp*
"You don't have that one on your card, dear."
"I don't?"
Waving a furless paw toward Judy's card, the grandmother said, "The numbers go from 1 to 75. They're easier to find if you remember each column covers 15 numbers. First column, 1 to 15, second, 16 to 30, and so on.
"Okay."
"I've heard bunnies are good with numbers, so this should be pretty easy."
"Multiplication mostly, but yeah, we are. Thanks."
…..
Judy and Janae made their way to the dining room, but just before stepping into the crowded hall, Janae stopped her littermate before anyone could see her about to come in.
"What?"
"You really do suck at this. Knot Nick's t-shirt tight around your waist. Otherwise, with the way it rides on your tail, everyone's going to think you're on your first walk of shame instead of just getting some pancakes."
"But we didn't…"
"Blind weasel."
Judy huffed, but did as she was told and then paws on her hips, asked, "Better?"
"Uh-oh,"
"What?"
Janae motioned toward the kit's table, "Amy."
Judy turned as countless hours of training focused all her senses on a perp committing a most heinous crime, a 10-24/30, slutty sister touching her fox with intent to steal.
Standing behind a grimacing Nick, paws on his shoulders was Amy attempting to give the tense fox a massage as at least three litters of kits watched with wide-eyed, almost horrified, looks on their faces.
Amy, sensing a hush in the room, looked up from her attempt at seduction, and spying Judy glaring at her from across the room, giggled, gave her sister an ear flip, and sashayed toward the breakfast buffet table.
"Judy, you're growling," whispered Janae.
"Tell Michaela to get her medkit. Someone's about to need it."
Judy made a beeline toward her target, with Janae nervously following behind.
"Amy, what are you doing?"
"Judy, good morning," said Bonnie popping up from behind the food-laden table. "Here's a plate, dear."
"Thanks, Mom," said Judy handing the plate to Janae as her mom rummaged around inside another cabinet.
"Nick's hungry. I'm going to fix him a plate of food," smirked Amy as she picked up a plate, "and then I'm going to brush his tail out before he goes to work."
"No, you're not. Nick doesn't want you touching his tail."
Amy stacked some carrot waffles on the plate, and then reaching for the cranberry syrup, said, "Oh yes he will, five minutes alone with me, and he'll be begging me to run my claws through all of his fur, especially his tail."
Adding more plates to the stack, Bonnie tsked, "Amy, dear, I've told you time and again to leave the poor boy alone. Foxes are very sensitive about who touches their tails, and Nicholas is already having trouble enough with his girlfriend in the city. Please believe me when I say that vixens are quite possessive over their mates, and you don't want to do something that would upset her, now do you?"
Judy's eyes narrowed as they bored into Amy, "Yeah, I've met her, and you don't want to piss her off."
"Right, like I care about some girl two hundred miles away that doesn't know the first thing about how to take care of her male."
Judy took a step closer to Amy, "Two hundred miles? How about two–"
"Judy, hold this," interrupted Janae trying to hand Judy a plate full of blueberry pancakes, hash browns, melon slices, and some oatmeal with a cinnamon sugar topping.
Judy looked back and forth between the plates her two sisters were holding and said, "Mom do we have any hot sauce?" and then eyes boring back into Amy, "Nick likes his morning meal a little spicy."
"Sure, honey, I'll go grab a bottle for you."
All three does silently watched as their mother stepped into the kitchen and–
The plate of food Amy was holding was suddenly ripped out of her paw as Judy said with a fake smile, "And there's only one Carrot anything Nick's going to eat in the morning… and it's not a waffle."
Dumping the plate of food in the trash, Judy put her muzzle a bare inch from Amy's and growled out, "He's MY FOX, and you better start worrying about the girl who's standing in front of you, because if I EVER see your claws on him again I. Will. End. You. Understand."
The vision of a violet-eyed vixen tearing her apart set off every ancient instinct in Amy as she stepped back, "W-what?"
"You heard me, now get your boney ass out of my sight."
"B-but… you?"
"Yes, me," said Judy stepping back from her trembling sister as their mother came padding back.
"Here you go Judy," said Bonnie holding out a small bottle.
"Thanks, Mom," Judy said with a smirk to Amy, "but I don't need it anymore. I've got something else hot for him to eat instead."
Amy glared back at Judy and then, about to stomp her foot down, stopped.
Judy, lifting the corner of her mouth as if exposing a fang, held Amy's eye until she gently, and very, very quietly, set her foot back down on the floor.
"I, you–" Amy started to huff.
*SLAM*
Amy jumped back from where Judy's foot had nearly cracked a floorboard.
"I…" whimpered Amy looking around at all the stunned rabbits in the room, "I, uh, my ass is not boney."
Bonnie popped up from the other side of the buffet table, and seeing Amy nearly trip trying to get out of the dining room at a dead run, asked, "What's wrong? Why did you… If Amy's so worried about being too skinny, why did she run away without eating any breakfast?"
"Everything's fine, Mom," said Janae pushing Nick's plate into Judy's paws.
"Come on, Sis, I'm hungry," and then once they were out of earshot of their mother, whispered, "You suck at keeping Nick a secret, now Amy knows."
"She won't blab," growled Judy, "Not if she knows what's good for her. Besides, Mom's right, vixens are very territorial about their males, and so are does."
Janae chuckled, "And which one are you today, huh?"
"Both."
-/-/-
"O-65"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"It was certainly kind of Nicholas to go through our license paperwork and get it all straightened out. We've been trying for years to get it right. And then for him to take care of all the fees and back penalties, that was very generous of him."
*Stamp*
Judy nodded, "Yes, ma'am," and then rolling her eyes, "he's always been a wiz with paperwork."
…..
"I can't believe we got called out for… that," said Judy turning and waving her paw toward a small drab-colored house. And then kicking an acorn off the overgrown pathway into the weed-filled yard, Judy huffed, "What a waste of time, we have way more important–
"Nick."
"Yeah?"
"If you're standing behind me holding out one of those pictures Mr. Butt gave you, I swear I'll pound you."
"Nope, just cataloging the evidence. By the way, yours is way cuter than any of these. Although that's not too hard to achieve given that one of these guys must have a little mange on his right cheek. Probably should stop and show it to Doc Livingston, see if we need to put out an APB."
"Grrrrr."
"I'm kind of wondering how the lineup will go. Maybe we should contact the ZPD and have the CSI guys run these buns through their furry butt cheek recognition software. Of course… Ooof."
Now that Nick was doubled over, Judy deftly snatched the three photocopied bunny-butt pictures out of his paw, and then looking her smirking partner in the eye, said, "No ZPD. No CSI. You fill out the report and hope no one at work finds out what we just spent two hours doing. Got it?"
Nick nodded.
"And you're not supposed to call me cute."
"Well, technically, I wasn't calling all of you cute, just your butt, I mean you are cute, all of you that is, although certain parts are cuter than others depending on the light, or if you're asleep, well actually, those things don't matter, you're like the cutest all the time."
Judy's eyes narrowed.
"Honorary rabbit?" asked Nick, cringing as he held out the Burrow Meister medallion like a protective talisman.
Judy's foot started tapping.
"I'm about to die now, aren't I?"
Judy slowly raised her fist, and then just as Nick was at maximum cringe, she opened her paw and softly guided his muzzle to hers, kissed him, and whispered, "I think you're cute too. But we're working, and honorary rabbit or not, if we want to stay being partners, you have to be on your best behavior."
Opening one eye slightly, Nick saw Judy smiling at him, and then letting out what a moment ago he thought was his last living breath, asked, "So…"
"Off duty, and make sure no one hears you say it. I don't want anyone thinking I'd fall for a scruffy-looking nerf herder like you."
Nick dawned the dorkiest look on his face and then chuckled as he watched his bunny wiggle her tail just before hopping into the driver's seat of their cruiser.
"Who's scruffy looking?"
Judy rolled her eyes, "Come on laser brain, you're lucky Mark Camel isn't here for me to revenge kiss. He's sooo dreamy."
-/-/-
"I-27"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"Are you the same Judy Hopps that Nicholas talked about at the Mayor's press conference?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You must be very special to him. He sounded quite taken with you during the press conference."
*Stamp*
…..
Nick loved to watch his partner when she was in her element. Her head on a swivel, looking for crime while traversing the highways and byways of the great metropolis known as… uh, traversing main street and assorted side streets and alleys that made up the fine town of Bunnyburrow.
Next up on the major crimes docket was a call to handle a suspicious package left by an unidentified mammal on an old doe's porch. As the Grandmother pointed at the offending package from behind the safety of her screen door, Nick cautioned his delicate partner to stay back with the old doe as he examined the well-wrapped troublemaker.
Foot tapping in annoyance, said delicate doe rolled her eyes and then asked the elderly female if she'd ordered anything from Lambazon lately.
"Well, not recently, but about a month ago, I helped my grandson Caleb order a video game for his little sister, something to do with an old TV show I used to watch, 'Calling Howdy Doody,' I think was the name of the game. It's so nice to know they make fun games for little kits to play."
Nick looked over, "Ma'am, how old is your grandson?"
"He's eleven, bright boy, too bad his mom lost her credit card and couldn't order it for him."
"Yes, ma'am, a terrible shame."
"He was quite excited about getting the order in early. He wanted his sister to be able to play it before anyone else."
Picking up the package, Nick showed it to the doe and said, "I'll bet. I think your grandson pre-ordered a game from Lambazon, and if it's the game I think it is, it was released yesterday. He must have paid extra for priority shipping."
"How sweet of him, his sister will be so happy."
"Yes, ma'am. If you'd like, we'd be more than happy to drop it off at your grandson's house. Save him a trip all the way over here."
"You'd do that? You're so sweet. Let me give you his address, he'll be so excited. Would you like me to call him and let him know you're on your way?"
"No, ma'am. I wouldn't want you to ruin the surprise when he opens this package in front of his parents."
"Oh, thank you, Officer Wilde. All the girls in town think the world of you, and now I know why. Would you and your partner like to come in for some cookies and something to drink?"
Judy shook her head and started to say, "Ma'am, I don't think–"
"Besides carrot juice, I have some blueberry soda."
Judy sagged.
"A couple of minutes won't hurt, right Carrots?" And then stepping past Judy, Nick leaned down, "You know if you keep rolling your eyes like that, you're going to sprain something."
Judy huffed, "Fine, just don't ask me to do the report on this one either."
-/-/-
"O-75"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"How long have you two been working together?"
*Stamp*
"We've been ZPD partners for six months now, but Nick and I met a little over a year ago when he helped me solve a couple of important cases. So, we've worked together for a while now."
…..
"Thanks, Mr. Nick, you're amazing. We'll for sure raise enough money for a new basketball court now, maybe even enough to fix up some other parts of the park," said Charlie as he shook paws with Nick.
And then, giving Judy a quick hug, added, "Thank your brother too, Miss Judy. I can't wait to see how much that old game goes for."
Judy chuckled, "Yeah, me too," and then, tussling Charlie's head fur a bit, said, "Tell your mom that she should be proud of you and all the work you're putting in on your Venture Scout project."
"Kristy's helping too."
"I know, and when I tell my mom what you and Kristy have been up to, she'll probably want to organize a bake sale to help."
"Thanks," replied Charlie as he waved goodbye to Nick and Judy and let the door to the hobby shop close.
Judy waved to Charlie and then stepped over next to her fox and put an arm around him. "You're so sweet helping Charlie with his project."
Nick shrugged. After they'd visited Caleb and had him unwrap his new 'Calling Howdy Doody' cartridge in front of his parents, well, a certain young buck was lucky he only lost his secret stash of M-rated games and the use of his gaming console for two months.
Of course, when Nick had been asked to dispose of the grounded buck's illicit stash, he'd jumped at the opportunity to help the family rehome the stack of pretty decent games. That was until his fluffy conscience of a partner had informed him, in no uncertain terms, that it didn't matter how mind-blowingly, super awesome the games were, he couldn't keep them.
Whining, moaning, whimpering, not even bargaining worked, and now they'd just come out of Fehler's Hobby store having contributed the game stash, plus something Nick had acquired for an old hustle, to Charlie's online fundraising campaign.
Judy's phone buzzed with an incoming text. Taking a look, she chuckled. "Paul found the game cartridge in the garage and says he'll send it to Charlie this afternoon. He also wants to know how in the world you have an E.T. game cartridge for the Ztari 2600. He says it's a collector's item that's got to be worth at least a couple of grand because the game was so bad the company buried every copy they had in a dump somewhere on Outback Island."
Nick smirked at his bunny and then slowly raised a brow.
Judy rolled her eyes, "Right, you know a guy." Adding a shrugging bunny emoji to the end of her text, Judy hit send and slipped her phone back in her pocket.
"Come on you, another stop, and then we can do a foot patrol over to the park Charlie and Kristy are rehabbing for their Venture Scout project."
-/-/-
"N-34"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"So, you two were friends before Nicholas was a police officer? I heard he grew up in the city. That must have been interesting, a city fox and a country bunny becoming friends. Were you able to instill in him any of your wholesome bunny values?
Shaking her head for more reasons than not having the called number on her card, Judy replied, "No, ma'am, I was the one that needed to learn a lesson or two on what it's like to be a fox."
…..
Judy plotted out a large loop patrol that would take her and Nick through an older section of Bunnyburrow, past some of the town's more off-beat shops, and then to the kit's park with plenty of time left to get to the 'Hopping Good Eats' in time for a late lunch.
Judy started out the patrol showing Nick a few spots she remembered from high school, but her memory tour was soon overtaken by her partner's more current experience.
"Morning, Blossom," said Nick waving to a middle-aged, cream-colored rabbit doe wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt and beaded jeans, "I love your new walnut shell carvings. I bet they're selling online like hotcakes."
Judy brushed her paw over a selection of pinecone holiday ornaments, and then picking up one of the mini Jack-O'-Lantern carvings, she let out a chirp, "Everything is so beautiful."
"Thank you," replied Blossom, "Nicholas hooked me up with a friend of his in the city who set us up a website and showed me how to post my arts and crafts. Sales have gone up so much, I can't keep up with all the orders."
Nick set down a carrot-themed ceramic spoon rest and asked, "That's a good problem, right?"
Blossom, looking a little stressed, replied, "I guess, but it takes time to find the right shells and then the carving… It's not hard, but you need to have a steady paw to do it right. I don't know, if I can't find some help, I may have to stop using the website."
Judy's foot started tapping.
"Uh, oh," mumbled Nick.
Blossom looked back and forth between the two cops, and then whispering out of the side of her mouth to Nick, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Nick smiled, "Nothing, that's how she thinks."
"Oh. Is that good, or bad?"
"Usually good, but I'd put away anything breakable just in case."
Silence.
Glaring bunny.
"I'm not that bad."
"So says the girl who flushed me down a toilet."
"Shush, you're just mad because Bogo won't let you turn it into an amusement park ride and sell tickets."
Nick rolled his eyes, and then waving his paw toward Blossom, said, "Go ahead."
Blossom, now confused more than ever, started looking around for a box to pack up her display items, just in case."
"I was thinking…"
Nick and Blossom both looked at Judy's foot.
Judy huffed, "…how about if we talk to Charlie and Kristy."
And then to Blossom, who stealthily kicked an empty box back under the display table, Judy said, "Charlie Duncan and my sister Kristy are part of a mostly predator Venture Scout Troop. And their Troop is renovating a basketball court as a service project. The Troop needs to raise money for their project, and you could use some help from kits that know their way around a forest to collect walnut shells and pinecones."
Nick stepped up, "Yeah, and some of the Scouts have their merit badges in carving too. Great idea, Carrots."
"Carrots?" asked Blossom.
"Don't ask," replied Judy, "So, what do you think?"
Blossom replied by hugging Judy, "That would be wonderful, thank you."
-/-/-
"G-49"
*Stamp, Stamp*
Smiling mischievously, Mrs. Quill said, "I've heard that Nicholas can be a bit of a rapscallion and may have partaken in some unsavory activities when he was younger."
Judy chuckled and then replied, "I wouldn't believe everything you've heard. Nick has a good heart, but he's basically a big kit. And after having had to deal with hundreds of younger siblings, I know how to take care of one more misbehaving kit no matter how big he is."
*Stamp*
…..
Successfully, albeit at a slow pace, Judy was able to keep her fox moving along the chosen patrol route. A route past various female shopkeepers who all seemed to know Nick and kept inviting them, well, mostly him, into their stores to sample their wares.
A little frustrated that Bunnyburrow seemed biased against male store clerks, Judy shook her head and steered Nick toward the kit's park right after the only male clerk they did come across popped out of his parlor, and cooing, invited Nick in for a free chair massage, sans shirt of course.
"Come on, Slick, the park's over that way."
About a half a mile past the disappointed masseur, and just on the other side of the Predville line, the park came into sight. Calling it a park was a bit of a stretch, it looked more like an abandoned field with rusty soccer goal posts on either end and a set of wooden bleachers that only looked good for giving out splinters.
"That chalked-off area near where those girls are playing must be what Charlie was talking about," said Nick pointing to a hard-packed dirt court with two old backboards, one mounted on a utility pole, the other on a tree.
"Oooo, Double-Dutch, I used to love to jump rope when I was a kit."
Rolling his eyes, Nick chuckled, "No kidding, bunnies like to hop, who would have guessed."
Nudging Nick in the side, Judy said, "Hey, it's not just bunnies that like to jump. Take a look at that group of kits, they're all having fun."
Pulling her partner toward the group of teens made up of a pair of feline turners spinning the ropes for a rabbit doe and an otter girl jumping in time to a muskrat, two more rabbits, and a gopher clapping and chanting out a beat.
Letting go of Nick, Judy stood with the teens, a big grin on her face, bouncing to the beat as she clapped along and joined in on the chant.
"Banana, banana, banana split,
What did you get in arithmetic?
Banana, banana, banana for free,
What did you get in geometry?"
Nick wanted to make a math joke, but instead, he watched his bunny bounce and clap with the kits, 'She's amazing,' he thought, 'never in a million years will anyone ever be as lucky as I am to have her in my life.'
"Can I?" asked Judy.
One of the turners nodded to Judy as the bunny jumper exited and Judy took her place.
Nick walked up and started clapping too, watching his bunny, pure joy on her face as she jumped, put a grin on his face too.
Catching the turner's eye while Judy's back was turned to him, Nick waved and pointed until the feline smiled and whistled for the otter to exit. A moment later, the turners were spinning for a larger jumper.
Turning as she jumped, Judy faced her grinning partner as they both picked up the beat and jumped in unison.
"Birdie, birdie in the sky,
Why'd ya do that in my eye?
Birdie, birdie in the sky,
Gee, I'm glad that cows don't fly."
Nick nodded to Judy, and a moment later, Nick turned and bent low as Judy hopped over his back and landed with her tail bouncing in front of his muzzle.
They both turned sideways as the turners signaled for a change and then trying for an elaborate final trick, Nick waved at Judy and then went down for a couple of pushups. Feeling Judy on his back doing her own pushups, Nick made it through three before his tail caught one of the ropes, and he and Judy ended up sprawled on the ground in a tangled heap of jump rope encased rabbit and fox.
Fortunately for the now entwined former jumpers, they ended up muzzle to muzzle as their kit audience clapped and laughed at the fox-bunny burrito.
Staring into her fox's eyes, three thoughts came to Judy, Bogo's 'Best behavior,' Janae's 'You suck at this keeping you and Nick a secret thing' and her, 'Screw it, I want him,' and then moving her lips toward–'
"Hang on, we gotcha," said one of the turners.
'Sweet cheese and crackers!'
-/-/-
"N-38"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"Nicholas was quite brave in rescuing those kits from the river and then helping that poor, poor lost doe and her newborn litter. And did you know that he volunteers to work with kits in need in the city?
"He's going to make a wonderful father someday, don't you think?"
*Stamp*
"Yeah, he's pretty amazing with kits."
…..
After a few selfies with the jumpers, Nick and Judy finished their patrol loop and made it back to the cruiser. A short drive later, they were parked in front of the 'Hopping Good Eats'.
Judy hopped out and made her way to the door… alone.
"What's wrong?"
"Over here, take a look."
Judy hopped back over to where Nick was looking at a parked car. "I need your expert opinion on this."
"What?"
"Is this car parked too close to that fire hydrant?"
Confused, Judy looked at the car and then at the hydrant at the end of the block and then at her smirking fox and then back to the hydrant over forty yards away and then back to her fox holding his side in pain.
"Nope, in my expert opinion, it's fine, and you're buying me lunch."
*cough* "Yeah, I deserved that."
The lunch rush was over, so as soon as Judy stepped through the door, she was greeted with a bunny hug from Brianna and told to grab any table she wanted. Sliding into a booth near the main counter, Judy saw Nick say something to Brianna and then come over and make himself comfortable across from her.
Tapping her claws on the table, Judy was about to ask what was up with Brianna, when said doe padded up with silverware, waters, and to Judy's surprise, a strawberry soda for her and a blueberry one for Nick.
Taking a quick sip of her most favorite drink, Judy hummed a thank you to Nick.
"So Judy, finally decide to try one of our famous Meter Maid specials?"
Shaking her head, Judy said, "Nope, I'm not going to give Mister I-think-I-know-everything-about-everyone the satisfaction. When I was in school at Tri-Burrows College, some old guy who called himself the 'Sandwich Mammal' used to pull a food cart around campus at night, and when he'd get to a dorm, he'd blow his whistle to let everyone know he was outside. He used to sell pizza turnovers, drinks, and the best veggie wrap I've ever tasted."
Tapping her chin as if she had to think about her most favorite late-night snack of all time, Judy said, "He made the wrap with hummus spread on a sun-dried tomato tortilla, and then he added thin-sliced cucumber, spinach leaves, diced red pepper, avocado, broccoli sprouts, basil leaves, a large helping of Italian ryegrass, and to top it all off, crumbled Feta cheese.
"Oh, and it came with the yummiest roasted strawberry vinaigrette on the side."
And then, winking at Nick, she said, "I'd love one of those if you think you can handle it."
Brianna nodded and then to Nick she asked, "Your usual?"
"Yup."
"Okay," she replied turning toward Brian, who was listening from the kitchen, and yelled, "A Hustler toasted, and a veggie Meter Maid, wrapped." And then, with a twinkle in her eye, Brianna looked back at Judy and said, "It comes with a side of assorted veggie chips too."
Judy just stared at her smirking fox, "H-how…," and then groaning, asked, "How do you do that?"
"What can I say, I know my bunny."
-/-/-
"G-51"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"Tell me dear, Nicholas seems quite outgoing. Does he have a lot of friends in the city?"
Judy rolled her eyes, "Yes, ma'am, he says he knows everybody."
"I'll bet he does, but I wonder how many of those mammals he lets get close to him."
*Stamp*
…..
"Want a chip?"
Judy sighed, "Niiiick, I'm driving."
"You're barely going twenty-five, and I know you want some of the seasoned carrot ones."
"Just because I'm a bunny, doesn't mean I love everything carrots."
"Mmmm, yummy."
"Fine, but just… mmmm, so good. Maybe I'll stop somewhere and call us out for just a minute."
"Pull in over there," Nick said pointing to a large one-story building with about thirty cars and trucks parked in the surrounding lot, "You can munch while I run a quick errand."
"Founder's Hall? What's going on there… Oh wait, I remember them from when I worked with the Sheriff in high school. Are they still running unlicensed Bingo games? Did you talk the Sheriff into letting you cite them? He'd never let me, no matter how many times I asked."
Nick chuckled as he got out of the cruiser, "Come on then, we'll play good-cop, bad-cop and take care of this nefarious blight on the citizenry of Bunnyburrow once and for all."
Judy smiled as she straightened up and made sure her uniform was smoothed out, and then nodded to her partner when she was ready.
Nick pulled open the door, and letting his now stern-faced bunny take the lead, he followed her into the large hall filled with miscreants. Miscreants who all turned as one to face justice in the form of a very determined–
"Nicholas! You're just in time."
-/-/-
"B-1"
Judy stared in awe as her neighbor's paw flew over her card set, daubing the called number everywhere it appeared, it was almost as if the elderly hedgehog had all her cards memorized.
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
Focusing back on her card, Judy scanned the proper column and–
"He's quite cute don't you think?"
Judy looked up.
"Oh, I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean anything by that. I know how you bunnies are about that word. I really meant it in the kindest way possible about Nicholas."
Judy nodded, and then looking back down at her card, she carefully centered the dauber over the proper square and… "S'ok, he is pretty cute," …stamped it.
…..
"Go ahead Carrots, try and tell me you didn't have fun."
Judy smiled as she bounced toward the cruiser, "I don't know, maybe. I still can't believe the Sheriff let you call us out for that."
"Hey, community outreach, it's what us foxes do best. Besides, it's safer than my usual hustles. If I do it wrong here, getting away from a group of senior citizens is a lot easier than the usual mob of marks wanting to tar and feather me."
"Did you see that white-furred meerkat with the cane? She looked pretty spry, and I think she had the hots for your tail."
Putting his paw on Judy's shoulder, Nick pulled her a little closer as they walked and said, "Yeah, well, my tail's spoken for, so she's just going to have to–"
Judy's phone rang.
Stopping next to the cruiser, Judy checked the caller ID, and not recognizing the number, said, "Hello."
"Officer Hopps?"
"Yes. Axl? Is that you? What's going on?"
Judy put her phone on speaker and waved for Nick to listen."
"Yeah, it's me, and I'm calling in that favor you and Wilde owe me. I'm calling it in now.
"I know Wilde is playing cop out in the sticks somewhere, so I need you to start pulling whatever strings you have to that gets both of you here, in my place, noon tomorrow."
"Not going to happen, Thorn. I'm the one that owes you the favor, not my partner. You can cash it in when I get back in a few weeks."
"Wilde. Figures you'd be with the bunny. Now look, you owe me, and I'm collecting now, if you try and welch out of this I'll–"
"Stop it, both of you!" yelled Judy, "Axl, what's going on?"
"It's… Hopps… Judy, it's Billy, he's gone missing, and I don't trust anybody but you and Wilde to find him."
Judy muted her phone and looking up at Nick, said, "Talk to Bogo after rollcall and then Axl's place?"
Nick nodded.
Unmuting her phone, Judy said, "Alright, tomorrow noon."
-/-/-
"I-18"
"What is it like for a small rabbit to work with a big, strong predator like Nicholas? I mean, foxes used to hunt rabbits. They'd stalk them, and then when they were least aware, they'd pounce on them and grab them with their long claws and carry them off to their den. And their teeth, they're so sharp, and there are so many of them compared to yours. And once he has you in his jaws, there'd be hungry growling and then to have him taste all of you with his long, thick tongue just before… oh my, how in the world does your bunny heart not run itself ragged just thinking about all the things he could do to you?"
"STAMP, stamp stamp… STAMP, stamp stamp… STAMP, stamp stamp*
"Dear are you okay? You look flushed, would you like some water?"
*S-s-stamp*
…..
Nick's red convertible sped through the gravel parking area, and just before reaching his designated parking spot, it turned radically, braked hard, and slid sideways a few feet before coming to rest parked perfectly in front of the Hopps' warren.
"Sweet."
"Carrots!"
"I… like it!"
Hopping out of the driver's seat, Judy smiled at her somewhat green fox, "What? She drives great, need to tweak the carburetor a little if we're going to open her up on the highway, but…"
"Open her up? This car is older than both of us put together, and you hit at least ninety miles an hour. How much more 'opened up' do you want?"
Bending down, Judy rubbed the convertible's hood and whispered to its grill, "Don't listen to the mean fox, I'll bet you've got another thirty or forty miles an hour in you."
"Keys," said Nick in a Bogo tone.
"Nope," said Judy as she slipped the keys in her pocket and skipped to the porch, "we've bunny-bonded, so I get to drive her back home."
"Fine," grumbled Nick, and then looking at Judy's convertible, sighed in defeat, "Traitor, all those hours together, and as soon as a cute tail comes along, you toss me to the curb. How does that happen?" Looking over at his smirking bunny standing on the porch with her paw on her hip, Nick shook his head, patted his former friend, and said, "Yeah, I know, for her, every day of the week and twice on Sunday."
"Come on, Nick, we've got to pack and get going."
"Where are you guys going?" asked Janae closing the front door behind her.
Waving a paw toward Nick, Judy said, "Nowhere unless Mr. Slowpoke gets his tail moving so we can pack."
"We got a work call and have to head back to Zootopia for a few days," added the sad-looking fox.
"Yeah, can I borrow some tops and a couple of pairs of jeans?"
"Sure, grab whatever you need. I'd help, but Dalton and I are meeting up for dinner, and then we're going up to Lookout Point for a fire safety inspection."
Nick chuckled, "Yeah, right. I don't remember seeing anything to do with putting fires out when I was up there."
Janae patted Nick on the cheek, "They're there, you just have to know where to look."
"Sure, text me a picture then," Nick countered with a smirk.
"Hmmm, maybe," and then pulling her phone out, Janae smiled. "Speaking of pictures, stand over there by the railing. I want a picture of you two in uniform." Janae motioned to where she wanted Nick and Judy to stand and then moved around until the light and the hills in the background were just right.
"Janae," groaned Judy, "what is it with my sisters needing to take pictures of everything?"
Nick slid over and stood next to Judy, "Come on, Carrots, I'm a way more handsome prop than an illegally parked car," and then dropping his voice to a whisper, "and you won't believe the things I'm willing to do to get out of a parking ticket."
Judy rolled her eyes, and making sure she was a respectable distance away from her tease of a fox, said, "Okay, go ahead."
Janae gave her subjects a seriously look, and then glancing around, she motioned them closer, "Come on you two, no one's around, and I promise not to show the picture to anyone."
Judy didn't move, so Nick sidestepped closer, put an arm around his bunny, and smiled.
Judy looked up at her smiling fox and then down as she felt his tail wrap itself around her ankles. Giving up, she leaned into Nick, put her arm around his waist, and then feeling his warmth surround her, she smiled big.
"Much better, you guys look so cute together."
Judy blushed as Nick pulled her close.
Keeping it to only a few pictures, Janae sent them both copies, gave Nick a squeeze, and then hugged Judy tight, "Be careful, and take care of Nick."
Judy smiled as she nuzzled her littermate, "I will, see you in a few days."
Nick looked on as the two does hugged each other, happy that there was one doe in the Hopps' family that knew about him and Judy, and still loved and supported her anyway.
So happy, in fact, that Nick didn't see the window curtains fall back in place as a seven-year-old doe pocketed her mom's cell phone, happy with the pictures she'd gotten of Mr. Nick and her big sister in their police costumes.
-/-/-
"N-40"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
Leaning closer to Judy, Mrs. Quill whispered, "Do you know if he has a girlfriend or a mate? I only ask because so many of the young girls in town think he's quite attractive and have been practically pining away trying to figure out how to ask him out."
"Grrrrr."
"Oh my. Did you just hear someone growling?"
"No, ma'am."
*STAMP*
Mrs. Quill nodded at the bunny's forceful response and then starting to lean back, her nose twitched.
…..
First stop, Janae's room. Judy went through her closet and drawers and put together a few outfits that, as her littermate liked to say, were 'a little less stereotypical farmer,' than her normal casual wear. Slipping off her uniform, Judy was about to change into a pair of boyfriend jeans and a purple top when she spied Janae's grooming brushes on her desk.
Grabbing the short-fur brush, Judy made sure to do a thorough grooming, especially on all the parts that would be visible, arms, head, ears, and…
Nibbling on her lip for a moment, Judy smiled, grabbed Janae's favorite tail brush, and then spent a few minutes brushing out her fox's favorite piece of bunny anatomy.
Remembering back to Nick running his claws through her tail fur at the lake, Judy wiggled her tail a bit, thinking, 'A tail brush just isn't going to do it for me anymore. I can't wait to show Nick all the proper ways a doe likes her tail groomed,' and then smirking a bit, 'and maybe a few improper ways too.'
Shaking her head at the naughty bunny in the mirror, Judy quickly finished getting dressed and then grabbed an old carry bag from under Janae's bed. Stuffing everything Bogo had collected from her locker and then everything she'd collected from her sister, Judy bounced over to her slowpoke partner's room so she could drag him to the car. Except…
He wasn't there.
It turns out Judy's primping took longer than she thought, giving Nick just enough time to put his suitcase in the car and then get them both trapped by her mom's most foul delaying tactic, dinner. Or more precisely, blueberry slab pie, and for those few demented individuals not totally in love with blueberries, strawberry meringue tort.
Doom.
Delicious doom, but doom nonetheless.
And leftovers in a cooler bag.
And a blanket in case the car broke down.
And a six-pack of water bottles.
"Is your phone battery charged, Bun-bun? You can have mine if you want? Sunni, do you still have my phone?"
Leading her mom out onto the porch, Judy turned, "My phone's fine, all charged and everything. Nick and I will only be gone for a few days, and then we'll be back to help with the Carrot Days setup. Right, Nick?"
"Carrots is right, Mrs. H., we'll be back in the two shakes of a lizard's tail."
"But I don't want you to go, Mr. Nick," interrupted Sunni.
Nick kneeled and pulled Sunni into a hug, "It's okay, I'll be back before you know it."
"With treats?"
Nick chuckled, "Yeah, with treats, as long as you promise to cover my chores while I'm gone."
Sunni sniffled as she stepped back and put her paw out, "Deal."
Hopping over to her sister, Sunni jumped into Judy's arms and nuzzled her tightly, "Please take care of Mr. Nick," and then taking a sniff of Judy's neck, she whispered, "he keeps doing things wrong."
"I will," said Judy returning the hug and then setting Sunni down.
Bonnie nervously brushed herself off, "You promise you'll be careful, a-and you'll come back."
Smiling at her mom, Judy pulled her into a hug and said, "I promise, I love you Mom."
"I love you too, Bun-Bun," and then gently tipping Judy's head lower, Bonnie marked the top of her daughter's head."
"Mooom… I'm not a little kit anymore."
"You'll always be my little girl, don't you ever forget that."
Nick snickered as Judy rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, Mom."
"Nicholas."
"Yes, Mrs. H."
"Your one of my kits, too," Bonnie motioned for Nick to lower his head so she could mark him as thoroughly as she had Judy. And then, pulling Nick in for a hug, she whispered, "I'm counting on you to take care of Judy and have her back here in time for the festival."
"Yes, ma'am."
Bonnie folded her arms and mom-glared at Nick.
Nick stood up to the matronly look for only a moment before replying with a smile, "Yes, Mom."
"Better. Now drive carefully and text me when you drop Judy off at her apartment."
"Moooom!"
-/-/-
"G-58"
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
"How does your mate feel about you spending so much time with such a handsome predator. I thought most bucks were the type that wanted their does to stay home and raise a kerfluffle of kits."
Not seeing the called number on her card, Judy huffed, "A buck? Like I'd ever let a buck touch…" and then looking at the elder hedgehog, Judy coughed into her paw and said, "Uh, I meant, I don't have a mate."
Looking over at the fox pulling the next numbered ball out of the hopper and then back to Judy, Mrs. Quill smirked and then whispered to herself, "Of course, dear."
…..
Nick followed Judy to the car carrying all her stuff. Judy popped the trunk, unlocked the lockbox, and added her gun and spare magazines to Nick's. Relocking the box, Judy hopped around to the driver's side door, got in, and made sure everything was still adjusted properly from earlier."
"I thought I could drive, you know, it's getting late, and night driving and all."
"I'm good. Sally and I will be fine driving in the dark."
"Sally?" Nick asked, putting the bags in the trunk.
"Uh-huh, she's speedy, just like the Horsche 911 Carrera from one of my most favorite movies growing up."
Nick closed the trunk and rubbed it with his paw, "Sorry girl, it's all my fault. I didn't mean to fall for the only bunny in the world that makes Evel Knievel look like a sloth driving his family to a Sunday picnic."
"I heard that."
Shaking his head, Nick slipped into the passenger seat, "At least you didn't name her Christine, that would have been creepy."
Patting the dash, Judy cooed, "Don't listen to the mean fox, you'd never try to run anyone over." And then looking at Nick, Judy huffed and said, "I, on the other paw…"
"What?"
Judy folded her arms and stared at Nick.
"Seriously Fluff, what'd I do?"
"You marked me, didn't you."
"Uhhhh…"
Judy sighed, "A few days ago at least, I've been getting weird looks and comments from a few different mammals."
"I'm sorry, please don't be mad. It just sort of happened."
"Like you tripped and used your muzzle to break your fall on my neck, and now we're mates or engaged or something?"
Nick chuckled as he shook his head, "Almost. That night you waited for me on the porch with your mom. You fell asleep, and your mom asked me to carry you to bed."
"Oh, I wondered how I ended up in my bed, I figured it must have been Lucas that helped get me to my room."
"No, it was me, except when I put you in bed, you grabbed hold of me and pulled me down nearly on top of you and wouldn't let go. Your mom was coming, and I figured she'd have a coronary if she found me in bed with you so, I marked you. It worked, you relaxed and got all cuddly, and I was able to get up before your mom saw us."
Judy closed her eyes and cringed as she remembered how upset she was that night thinking that Nick was going to leave her. 'It had to have been the bunny-bond, probably further along than I thought.'
"It's okay. I've got some Musk Mask shampoo in my apartment, a thorough wash with that and only Wolfard or Pawson will be able to pick up on what's left of my mark, and then we can pretend it never happened."
Judy sighed and then motioned to Nick, "Come here."
Nick scooted closer and then, worried about what punishment his bunny was going to meet out, closed his eyes and let Judy pull his head close to hers.
Tensing up, he felt…
"What are you doing?"
"Shush."
Nick opened his eyes as he felt Judy rub her chin along the side of his muzzle and neck and then turned his head so she could thoroughly mark the other side too."
Judy's scent hit his nose, and then Nick, smiling at his blushing bunny, gently pulled her head down and rubbed his cheek along the top of her head, completely erasing the mother's mark that Bonnie had so recently applied."
Touching the top of her head, Judy took a deep sniff, and then with a grin on her face, she pulled Nick back into a hug.
Nick squeezed Judy tight and, after a few moments, asked, "So, does this mean… I mean, we didn't mark each other while mating, I haven't proposed, you had to do a repeat Courting meal, there's the law, your mom marked me, and your dad, along with the rest of Bunnyburrow, will still lose their collective minds if they find out about us."
Judy let out a breath, "I think it means… No, I know it means, we're two mammals who want to be together, and the rest of everything else… we're making that up as we go. How about that?"
"So, hold off on any more fox or bunny relationship customs and just focus on figuring out us?"
Judy nodded.
"What about…?"
Judy smirked and gently boxed Nick in the side, "Yeah, none of that either, at least for a little while."
Leaning over, Nick gave Judy a quick kiss and then winking just before slipping his sunglasses on, he said, "You know I was talking about you petting my tail, right?"
Putting Sally in gear, Judy shook her head, "Nuh-uh, you're forgetting regulation 8-6-0-0-7 slash B, that overrides everything."
"Smart Bunny."
"Dumb…," Judy took her foot off the accelerator and motioned out Nick's window, "…fox. What's Amy doing running through my old ZPA practice course?"
Nick shook his head at seeing Allison yelling at her littermate, who was trying to scale a mock 'ice' wall, "No idea."
-/-/-
"B-14"
"Are fox tails as warm and cuddly as I've heard?"
"Uh-huh. *Stamp* Sorry, what'd you say?"
"Nothing, dear, just talking to myself," whispered the now smirking grandmother.
*Stamp, Stamp, Stamp, Stamp*
…..
"Momma, are you worried about Judy?"
Sitting down in a porch chair, Bonnie brushed one of Sunni's ears back and said, "Just a little, but I always worry when any of my kits leave the warren, that's why I mark you little ones. It's my way of making sure that if you get lost or hurt, someone will know who you belong to and help get you back to me."
Sunni put her little paw on her mother's shoulder and said, in the most earnest voice a seven-year-old could muster, "Momma, you need to talk to Mr. Nick. I think he's worried about Judy too, except he didn't mark her right. If Judy gets lost, no bunny mom will know who she belongs to." And then shaking her head, Sunni huffed, "Mr. Nick keeps doing it wrong. He should know that bunnies have to be marked on the tops of their heads, not like he did to Judy. Now no one will be able to figure out who she belongs to."
Bonnie tsked, and then taking her daughter's paws in hers and gently said, "Honey, foxes don't mark bunnies. You must be mistaken."
"Nuh-uh, I smelled it on her neck when I hugged her goodbye, but he did it wrong, and we live too far away if she needs help. Will you call him? Pleeeeease, so he can do it right." Sunni pulled Bonnie's phone out of her pocket, and with big, tear-filled eyes, she handed it to her mother, still with the last picture taken frozen on the screen.
Taking the phone, Bonnie looked at the screen and then back at Sunni, "Dear, did you take this?"
"Yeah, Janae was taking their picture, and I wanted one too. Janae said they looked cute together."
Taking a good look at the picture, Bonnie couldn't help but see how happy they both looked. She hadn't seen a smile like that on Judy since, she wanted to say her academy graduation, but truth be told, she'd never seen Judy that happy. And Nicholas, he was a hard one to read, but as a mom, she could tell that his normal emotional mask was down, and standing there with his tail wrapped around her daughter, he was probably as happy as he'd ever been.
"Momma, can foxes be cute like bunnies?"
Bonnie started to shake her head 'no,' but… Looking up at Nicholas' red convertible racing away, her eyes suddenly went wide.
Nicholas' girl in the city, a girl who was afraid to let him meet her family. Judy's best friend in the city, the one she'd pushed away because she was worried about hurting the family. Work partners, inseparable best friends. Him standing up for her against Lucas, her foot-stomping Amy for trying to touch his tail.
Her boyfriend's tail.
Her fox boyfriend's tail.
Judy's fox boyfriend who's marked her.
'Oh, Bonnie Jeanne Hopps, you are such a dumb bunny!'
Turning back to Sunni, Bonnie tussled her youngest daughter's ears, and then trying not to grin too big, said, "Of course foxes can be cute too. And you don't have to worry about Nicholas ever losing Judy either. He's marked her in a very special fox way to make sure they'll always be together."
-/-/-
"O-61"
"BINGO! Over here everyone, Judy has a Bingo."
"What? I do?" asked Judy looking at her card.
"Yes, right here," said Mrs. Quill as she stamped the called space on Judy's card with her bunny-shaped dauber. "Four corners, you won in the most extraordinary way possible.
"Oh, and look at the lovely pattern on your card," gushed the hedgehog. Then, leaning in, she motioned to Nick as she whispered to Judy, "You are one very lucky doe."
Judy smiled as she traced the heart-shaped pattern of fox-stamps with her finger, and then looking up at Nick, she said, "Yes, yes I am."
…..
…..
A/N:
There are three pieces of art that go with this chapter. You can find them all on my DeviantArt account:
Sunni's picture is the cover art for this story drawn by Link6432 and can be found at:
www{dot}deviantart{dot}com/mikey2084/art/The-Long-Game-836965445
The first patrol scene was turned into a super-fun comic by Koraru-san and can be found at:
www{dot}deviantart{dot}com/mikey2084/art/Patrolling-In-Bunnyburrow-897191171
And lastly, a copy of Judy's lucky bingo card can be found at:
www{dot}deviantart{dot}com/mikey2084/art/Judy-s-Lucky-Bingo-Card-897185287
…..
Hi Everyone!
Here we are at the end of the third arc of this little story and I once again want to thank all of you for taking the time to read, comment, give kudos, or PM me with questions and feedback. It's still a lot of fun to see you guys pick up on all the crazy references I bury in these chapters and equally fun to see your reactions as the plot pieces start coming together.
As has happened the last couple of years, I need to spend some time working/reworking/editing the next set of chapters, so the next posting won't be until the end of February-ish time frame (I guessed that last year and missed by a month, so no promises 😁).
If you have any thoughts or questions, please PM me (fanfic and DeviantArt under Mikey2084) or comment and let me know what they are. Your feedback is great and I always enjoy reading it!
Family, friends, pets, even crazy-loud neighbors, I hope you and yours have a great holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, or whichever holidays are your favorites coming up!
See you back here soon,
~Mikey