A Zootopia to Remember
Nick was leaning over the bunny, slowly sinking in the wet cement, a smug look on his face.
'Serves her right' was his first thought. The naive little bunny, trying to make everything better, the hope for a brighter future that just wasn't there. Zootopia was not a good city. And it was about time for the bunny to learn that.
Nick refocuses and continues with his commentary "… you can only be what you are."
Nick looks smug again "Smart fox." as he sneers and points to himself, then with an even smugger look points to the bunny, "Dumb bu…"
It hits like a runaway bus. He suddenly buckles and screams in pain despite his training.. wait training? Memories. 30 years of memories, emotions, feelings, pain, love, joy and more drowns out his muffled screams and he shakes violently. The bunny before him shakes and screams, obviously going through a similar pain.
After what feels like decades, but only was a few seconds, the pain stops.
Nick blinks watery eyes, and shakes his head, then glances up, gently, slowly, following a gray lean figure that haunted his dreams, and nightmares, for 30 years. He can't help but whine out a cry of desperation as his eyes slowly go up, her body still shaking, as he takes in her face, still scrunched up in pain, eyes closed tightly, tears leaking out.
Nick can't stop staring, his breath coming in gasps, panting, hoping beyond hope. Is this a dream? Did it work?
Violet eyes snap open as Judy's body stops shaking, her head shakes back and forth slowly, suddenly gasping loudly she pats her body down, cringing and nearly crying, then glances down to her feet… in cement… and her gentle crying cuts off with a weird cry of 'what the…'.
Nick looks on, his brain rebooting, a smile slowly working its way onto his muzzle. Tears, previously of sadness, now of joy, start to stream down his cheeks. He did it. It worked. He's back. His bunny is back. His bunny is there. Judy…. Carrots…. Fluff… his bunny is here. Is there!
Nick reaches out and grabs his bunny, with her sudden squeak of surprise, and lifts her quickly out of the cement and crushes her body to him and… weeps. Openly. Willingly. Unblocked. Unbidden. Joy. Anger. Fear. Pain. Sorrow. Love. Time lost. Time recovered. He can't stop wailing. He hiccups. He can't breathe. He doesn't care.
Judy's brain is rebooting. The last thing she remembered was all the bullets piercing her body. The pain. The sudden knowledge of betrayal. Bogo's deceit. Her co-worker's contempt. The absolute failure of knowing she'll never see her fox again. The shattering of her body through the flimsy body suit Bogo demanded she wore instead of the vest she kept pushing for. Like Bogo knew she would… pain. Pain hits her head as 30 years of memories, not of hers, but of her foxes pummel her head. Wait, her fox? Of course her fox, but she just met him didn't she? Wait, what….
She felt herself lifted up suddenly, quickly and crushed into a warm embrace. She issues a squeak of surprise then the memories settle in and she starts to cry. Openly. Warmly. Lovingly.
"Oh Nick…" she had her fox back. She hears a muffled "Judy, I lost…" and then hiccuping and gasping. She returns the hug, tightly, warmly, the breathing slows, gently, calmly. All the memories of her fox settle into her mind. Hatred. Ever consuming hatred. She never felt this level of hatred. It was new, surprising, but the more the memories settled, the more she seethed and cooked her hatred. She was set up. She. Was. Set. Up. Sacrificed. She trusted them. Trusted. Them. And they dare. Dare.
Smoldering violet eyes meet seething green eyes. Her anger evaporates. Love. Longing. 30 years. And they both know. They have a chance. And damn everyone who tries to stop them.
As they were slowly moving for a kiss, a gentle cough interrupts them. One of the beavers are pointing to the mess in the cement and raising an eyebrow.
Judy and Nick look back, look at the cement still dripping off Judy's feet and then back at each other. Snickering boils up between them then laughter. It takes several minutes for the laughter to stop. None of the beavers seem amused.
Too bad. They still helped fix the cement before they left. A difference to what was. Hand in hand, rubbing up against each other, small giggles escaping them both, love drowning out between them, a lifetime of memories now shared between them of training, assassination, future technology, ways to make stupid amounts of money, instant thought to each other, all secrets unveiled, all emotions exchanged, all memories shared, the past known, the present shared, a future to be changed.
In the distance, a small fennec fox looked on, his jaw still hanging loose and swinging in the wind, "What the fu…"
Judy and Nick continued to walk to their shared destination, still hand in hand. They ignored the glares of the other mammals, the whispered 'prey chaser' from some, the 'predophile' derogatory comments from others.
A few, mostly elderly couples, gave open smiles of warmth and understanding. They recognized love knew no bounds, they remembered the species crimes of the past, and saw this as a hope to the future. Somewhere this was forgotten with the newer generation.
Nick and Judy would just have to… remind them.
Arriving at their destination, Nick gently sat down by the lake by the bridge where Judy met him years ago, or would it be months from now? I guess neither as that wouldn't happen now. New future, new changes. How refreshing.
Nick smiles as he held Judy in his arms as the sun gently set on the lake, Judy finally spoke up.
"I don't know where to begin other than, Nick, I am so sorry that—-"
Nick put his paw on her mouth, replacing it with his lips as he kissed her tenderly, gently, lovingly, pulling back "The only thing either of us have to apologize for is putting trust in people we shouldn't have. We've learned from it, we move on."
Judy nods, rubbing her chin up and down Nick's chest, his neck, marking him as hers, always hers, Nick returning the favor with an almost fevered intensity, his scent slamming into her like a sledgehammer of lust and love. Judy whispers gently "I still can't believe Bogo did that." Nick looks up to the sky and sighs "I believe it. Bogo was more interested in the 'big picture' and didn't care of the details to get there. Sadly to him details were people as well. He screwed up and I think he realized it at the end. But sadly I doubt he'd have changed what he did. He's too narcissistic in his own superiority."
Judy turns gently in Nick's lap and glances up "I saw all the memories Nick, did you really do that to Bogo?" Nick looks down and meets her eyes with a steady, determined look "He essentially killed you Judy. What do you think?" Nick nearly growled it out which turned to a gentle sigh and rumble as Judy scratched the bottom of his chin lovingly.
"But Nick, really? Bronzing his ass and using it as a toilet bowl?" Nick continued to smirk "Stu and Bonnie appreciated it. They refused to mount his head on a pike, but settled for this as an acceptable median. Though I did cut his head off and mounted it."
Judy caresses his cheek and tears up a bit "I think Mr. Big and FruFru would have appreciated it. At the very least his fearful expression etched on his head turned into a nice grave marker for our friends."
Nick nods "That he did. I did find out Wolford and Fangmeyer were on our side. Ben too. They were eventually killed trying to investigate your demise and my quitting by ZBI agents who were on the inside. Of all things, another fox and bunny."
Judy growls, Nick can't help but be amused and lets out a little laugh caressing his bunny's ears as she snarls out "Savage, I'll skin him alive and feed him to that vixen's moldy crotch-witted rot-weed." Nick can't help but openly laugh despite Judy's glare to him "Judy, never change. Your cussing never ceases to be nothing but beautiful to me."
Judy humphs and settles down in Nick's arms in a pout "Not everyone can be Mr. Foxy McFoul Mouth." which elicits a quick screech and giggle as Nick tickles her sides "I love you, Judy." He said it. Finally. Judy immediately stops moving, her eyes wide, gently turning her head to look at Nick, tears leaking out and suddenly a billion watt smile "You better Slick. I don't want what I feel to be one sided. I love you, too." She turns around and settles down to watch the sunset of a new day, a new beginning and sighs "Nick, we have so much work to do. So much training."
Nick sighs back and smiles "We'll get there. We have the knowledge, we just have to get our bodies to catch up to what it is." Nick yips with a sudden bunny-box "You make it sound easy Mr. AssassinFox." Nick rubs his side and grins "It will be easy, Mrs. AssasinBunny."
Judy blinks "Shouldn't that be Miss?" Nick grins warmly "Not after we're married, dumb bunny."
Judy just stares again, shocked without words, but her blinding smile drowns out the setting sun.
It was the following morning, and Judy's yawns were surrounded by furry warmth, that purred. She grinned as the memories of the night caught up to her and yawned again, not having gotten much, well, any sleep. Not that she minded. Nor did she mind the soreness. Nick didn't either and she could hear his laughter in her mind and gave him a mental raspberry. It was long overdue, and who needed clothing when she wore a fox blanket.
Judy snuggled back into the arms of her fox. It was Saturday morning, there was nowhere else she'd rather be. Nick continued to rumble, a smile on his face. He did, after all, read her mind.
It was mid afternoon and Nick and Judy sat at a table under the bridge making notes and timetables. Judy was tapping her chin as she continued to digest all the information Nick had brought from the future.
Judy stretched and looked to Nick "OK, so the plan. We have to set up an exercise plan to take advantage of all the training and fighting techniques you brought from the future. You were, BTW, absolutely brilliant in the style you created. If we fought now, you'd absolutely trounce me."
Nick grins and boops her nose "Just wait until Mrs. Rabid Attackbunny makes an appearance. Some of the styles I intentionally learned can only be used by someone as quick as you, Judy, so I think once we're both up to speed, it'll be an even tossup of who'd win in a fight, but more important I pity anyone who goes up against us." Judy snarls "I hope they do. I have so many I want to teach a lesson to, despite them not having done anything yet. I won't forget that pain Nick. I …. I can't."
Nick holds Judy "Trust me when I say I understand. They will all pay. Over. And Over. We will make the world a better place. For us. For those we care about…" Nick pets Judy's ears as he bends and kisses her, gently looking into her eyes "… our children."
Judy just smiles softly, a hand to her belly "I doubt one time did anything, Slick, besides, I'm on protection. Required as a cop. Butttt, once this is over? Remember Slick. I'm a trier." Nick just grins, coughs, then taps the paperwork again.
Judy sighs, rolls her eyes and grins a bit "Fine Slick, we'll shelve this for later, and you're right. One thing we need to do is get that nanotech working. I know we already have the nanotech for the mind-share, which, Nick, that was brilliant. I can't love you more than I do, but I'll try every day. But the nanotech that is bound to the nighthowler and enhances our healing and physical attributes? We need to reproduce that our the training you brought back won't work, Slick."
Nick nods his head slightly "And for that we need to make money, so, we invest and do the various lotteries and fringe investments under an umbrella company to hide our assets and ourselves. We then use that to form a private tech company and make our nanotech, which we provide to us, Ben, Wolford, and Fangmeyer."
Judy taps her chin "I think we should include Mr. Big and FruFru as well. Half their staff betrayed them and we need to warn them and include them We know already who can be trusted and… who can't." Nick is again nearly growling "Kevin, I'll skin him personally." Judy glares back, but scratches Nick's ears "Nick, he ate FruFru, he's mine, I'm sorry love." Nick sighs then nods his head sharply, once "Fine, but I make him… compliant… for your discussion." Judy squints at her fox, then smiles "OK love. Agreed. So, first up, we train our bodies, re-enforce our minds, and invest. It'll probably take about 4-6 months before we have the funds needed for the tech startup, and another 6 months to get everything set up to start making the nanotech. And then another 2 months to get it applied. So about a year before we're fully ready to start a take over."
Judy nods her head "We can do that. It was a year from now that Bellwether announced her takeover. We'll play that game to the same, lead it out a bit where we can and eat up time until we're ready. I figure by the time we bag Lionheart and Bellwether, we'll be set to go. Then we fast-track you to the ZPD. With your knowledge, and with the degrees that you'll be getting…" Judy glares to Nick who gulps and nods his head repeatedly. Judy smiles warmly "The 9 months you had before will be down to 3. With the pretesting and masters in law you will be valedictorian in no time."
Nick nods and takes over "Then once we're on the force together, we bring Ben, Fangmeyer, and Wolford into our circle, explain things, share tech, and get them caught up. Knowing Ben, he'll want to bring in Gazelle."
Judy blinks and stares, her jaw dropping "Why did I not think of that? She'd be perfect! She can secretly get out the word to everyone else who's positive to our cause, and with your knowledge and experience we know exactly who can be trusted. The fence sitters who were questionable we won't involve. Too much risk."
Nick nods his head "Exactly, and during our Weasleton issue we'll bring Mr. Big and Fru into it as well. With their help we can start to weed out the underground crime syndicate."
They both enjoyed each other and a moment of silence, and suddenly Judy scowled. "Bogo. He needs to go down." Nick growls, deep, throaty, then bites it back and sighs "He needs to be where he is for the next year at least, but once I'm on the force, we're making his life an utter living hell."
Judy chirps and smiles "I'm going to play a dumb bunny, if for no reason then irritate him more than usual." Nick cackles, his deep baritone voice echoing off the bridge's underside "I almost pity buffalo butt. Almost." Nick pets Judy as they continue to discuss the future, the plans, and get everything set up, fall back options, everything, from start to finish, and how they'll fake as much as they can, fool everyone around them, until it's time. Then the hammer will fall, and payment will be due."
In time, they stretched and went out to dinner. After all, even anti-heroes needed to eat. And he wanted to see his bunny eat meat. She did promise. Well, meat other than fox.
Judy walked out of the trading firm. She and Nick agreed it would be less questionable if a bunny put in the funds of the trades instead of a 'scheming fox'. They decided to invest all their combined funds. Judy had a fairly nice nest egg from savings with her family's farm and Nick wasn't lying when he mentioned the $200 a day since he was 12. if anything he drastically undersold how much he had. Between both of them, they had just shy of 7 million invested in what they knew would be short and long term dividends. They figure in 6 months they would break over 300 million, and break a billion by year's end. This would mean that Judy could start the investment of the company while Nick went to the academy and by the time he was out they would already have the company running and hopefully have enough nanotech for both of them. If they had the nanotech when Nick started it'd be easier to hide their improvement curve, at least until it was too late for the bastards to do anything about it.
Judy's phone ringing broke both Nick and Judy out of their reverie. Judy looked down, rolled her eyes as Nick started to snicker, already knowing who it was.
Judy answered and put on a fake smile "Oh hey it's my parents!"
Stu nearly shouted out the phone "Judy, you didn't call last night, are you alright? Did anything happen? Did (Stu leaned into the phone, his paw up to his mouth as if he was trying to whisper it) … did a fox try to eat you?"
Bonnie was heard behind him "Stu!" at almost the same time Judy growled out "Dad!" Nick couldn't help it, he was laughing out loud.
The silence was unnatural and Bonnie spoke up "Judith… who is your… friend?"
Judy sighed. Great. This was going to go over like a lead carrot. Nick continued to snicker as he panned her phone over to him, crowding into the picture and grinding his cheek next to his bunny. He took perverse pleasure in the gasp from Bonnie and Stu's grinding of teeth. Before the inevitable snarl of 'fox' that he expected he interrupted "Mr. and Mrs. Hopps. It's a great pleasure to meet you both. I am Nick Wilde, a friend of Judy's and future partner on the ZPD."
Stu, his mouth still opened, snapped it closed as Bonnie double-takes and looks at Judy "Partner?" Judy smiles, full teeth and grins "Yes mom, partner. Nick is a great friend and has been helping me since I came to Zootopia." Judy immediately looks to her dad and nearly growls "Don't be perverted. You know I mean as a friend, not as a meal, not as a sexual object, and not as a tool. Nick is far more deserving of your trust and kindness than most of my siblings. So I don't want to hear it!"
Stu's mouth snaps shut again, his ears drooping behind his head while Bonnie's shoots up and just stares at the phone "Judith…. That's not how you speak to-" Judy cuts her off 'Mom, I won't hear it. Nick is a friend. My best friend. Ever. I trust him with my life. He trusts me with mine. He's also my boyfriend. No, stop-" Judy holds up a hand and glares "Accept it. It won't change. I love him. He loves me. We will eventually marry, and Serendipity and Karma willing, have several children for you to spoil. If you want to have them in your life, say you're happy for us, and move on." Stu's mouth snaps shut again, tears appearing in his eyes as he squeezes and wrings his hat and Bonnie looks on, bending her head slightly and gives her patented stare #12569 "You're being honest. You mean it." She glances at Nick, and truly looks, for the first time. Truly looks, at the fox beside her stubborn eared daughter "I can see it now, I don't know how or why but… you're not Judy." Judy blinks and opens her mouth to speak but Bonnie waves her hand and interrupts.
Bonnie sighs and speaks up "Judy, a mom knows. I don't know how. I don't know why. But the Judy before me is… not the Judy who's my daughter. It's like you've lived twice your life and more. Like you lived two lifetimes and have a weariness and paranoia behind your eyes you never had. Not .. no, not afraid, but almost determined. As if you have been sent through the fires and forged anew."
Judy sighs and looks to Nick. Nick shrugs "Your call, Carrots. Your mom's damn perceptive though."
Judy sighs again and looks up, her mom with her arms crossed, obviously not caring for the careless profanity "Mom, first, drop the attitude. Nick uses profanity, not overly, but it'll slip, get used to it. It's how he is. He'll be careful around the kits, but otherwise, Nick is Nick. Accept it and move on. Secondly, yes, what you said makes sense and I'll explain. Not now, not over the phone, but I'll come down next weekend, and bring Nick. We… have a lot to tell you. A lot of it will make no sense. A lot of it you won't believe. And what you do believe will scare the fur right off your hides. But it'll all be the truth, and we need you, and the family, to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Stu blinks, his wringing of his hat stops as his ears snap up. He shows he's a far brighter bunny than most give him credit for "Again… Judy, what have you done?"j
Judy smiles sadly "I died, but I got better." as Nick gently holds her and caresses the top of his head with his muzzle.
Bonnie blinks and gasps. Bonnie's ability to tell truth from fiction is more than a mom's knowing. She's always had a gift, to detect fact from fiction. Truth from lies. It ran in her family, and she was well endowed with the ability. "Judy… you… he…"
Nick took over the phone, Judy as choked up as Bonnie, both coming to the same conclusion together "Hello mom. I kept my promise."
Bonnie, Stu, and Judy all started to cry, Judy full well on why, Bonnie more than being able to assume, and Stu, being far smarter than he let on, and secretly a massive Dr. Shrew series addict, full aware of how timey wimey worked in theory. The quick glance that Bonnie and Stu shared proved in this case fact was stranger than fiction.
Bonnie cleared her throat, and elbowed Stu who took the lead "Judy, if what you are hinting is true, we'll see you next weekend. We…. We have a lot to talk about. Nick?"
Nick glanced up to Stu and Bonnie, both with looks that were haunted, but for once inviting, almost like the last time-frame "Yes Bonn-" at her glare he cleared his throat which made her smile, her brilliant Judy-like smile "Yes mom?"
Bonnie nods her head, Stu beside her with his hands in his suspenders grinning like a loon "We'll see you and Judy next weekend. See you then, son." Hanging up Judy just blinks and stares and then glances up to Nick "… well, that happened."
Nick shakes his head and looks over to Judy "OK, that I didn't see coming." Judy nods her head slowly and continues to stare at her phone as if it was a foreign device sucking her brains.
Bonnie, having hung up the phone immediately drops the smile from her face. She glaces up to Stu who has already removed his hands from his suspenders "So the nightmares we had, they're true."
Bonnie nods her head slowly "Our Judy died, Nick couldn't save her, and while we hated him for a few years, we reconciled. It truly wasn't his fault. And…" Bonnie hiccups as Stu gently enfolds her in his arms "He was so broken Stu. So. So broken. And our Judy… our bun…" Bonnie can't continue on as Stu holds her, his eyes getting hard as flint "Nick promised he would burn the world for our trier. He worked himself to death, and continued to do it for her. Apparently he finished what he wanted." Bonnie blinks and looks to Stu "But, Stu, how do we remember? How do we know what is going on?"
Stu grins a bit and puts his hands in his suspenders again "Nick and I spent many a night working on the old tractor and just talking. Our futures, our pasts, our lives… the loves we share. Nick's a good kit. Best I've known, and the only one I'd trust with our Jude's heart. But a bit too trusting." Stu grins a bit as Bonnie's ears flop down "Stu. What did you do?"
Stu whistles and grins "Took what he talked about, when I got him going on pop's moonshine. It's blueberry you know?" Bonnie rolls her eyes and motions a 'get on with it' with her paws "Well, he talked about the nanotech and the mind share. And I convinced him to, well…"
Bonnie's foot starts to rapid-tap "Stu Hopps, what. Did. You. Do". Stu cringes a bit, does a half smile "I… may have talked Nick into applying the pre-alpha nanotech to us." Bonnie blinks "Pre?" Stu nodded "It wasn't what Nick needed. The first release which Nick considered a failure would pass knowledge, but not fully, and as if it was a dream state. So most would have been forgotten, but-" Bonnie puts her hand to her mouth as memories of previous nightmares flood her, nightmares that were now proven very real and starts to cry "Oh Stu, our bunbun, she was… she was…"
Stu's eyes harden and he growls, actually growls "Our bun was betrayed, and turned into literal meat by those damn officers. Those damn criminals. And I'll bet the entire damn farm to Nick and Judy to make sure they won't get the chance to do it again."
Bonnie, for once in her life didn't correct Stu. Hugging him close and sighs "We're going to war, aren't we." Stu takes off his hat with his arm not holding Bonnie and rubs his head between his ears "Bunhun, we've already been at war, we just didn't know it. But now we do, and I'll be damned if we lose our Jude this time."
Bonnie nods her head, rubbing her chin into Stu. Stu just holding her closer, because Nick and Judy were not alone, and they had an entire family of rabbits to back them. Angry rabbits. And you only underestimated a rabbit at your own peril. The last war should have shown that. It's time they make their enemies remember.
Stu put his hat back on, and led Bonnie back into their burrow. They had planning to do, and not much time to do it.
It was time for war.
Author's comments:
Woop, there it is! Nick and Judy are not the only ones to mind-share, apparently Stu is a crafty ol' bun. Things are coming afoot, and the pieces are on the chess board. It's going to be messy, and mistakes will be made. Time's a ticking and will they have the time to fix the future?