Hey!
This will be a 'fifty fifty' chapter. There will be a lot of talking but also some action and blood spilled.
I must confess that I'm flattered with the amount of attention this story got. I never imagined that it would be so popular. I'm happy that you like reading it, it's the biggest joy for me. :)
To those who wonder about future chapters: I have it all planned out and don't intend on leaving this unfinished. Please be patient.
So let's continue!
Chapter 11
First, there was pain.
Then, more pain.
And when she opened her eyes, Judy was welcomed to the world of hangovers. For the first few moments she felt as if someone used her skull as a pincushion. She shut her eyes and groaned. Clutching her head with both paws the bunny dared to open her eyes again. Pain wasn't as severe as on the first try, but still was enough for her to regret being awake. Trying to focus on something else than the excruciating feeling, Judy aimed at figuring out where she was. First discovery was that she was lying on her back. Most likely on a bed, no floor could be this soft, no matter the amount of alcohol. It hit her that it was too soft to be her bed. The realization made her sit right up as if her spine was a spring. Ignoring the headache, Judy scanned the room that was obviously not hers. With every passing second, more and more she felt the chill crawling up her back.
Why was she in an unknown room?
Why was she in a stranger's bed?
Why was she wearing someone else's clothes?
Her eyes shot wide open in horror. She was dressed in a shirt and only her underwear beneath it.
A shirt far too big for her.
A green shirt.
A Hawaiian shirt.
She was dressed in a green, Hawaiian shirt that was too big for her and smelled of fox. That fox.
The bunny's face now expressed true fright and panic. She couldn't have… He wouldn't have… They wouldn't have… WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?! Judy was now on the verge of crying. Her breathing fast, frantic, very close to hyperventilating. Then she heard a kettle's whistle from outside the room. It went on for a couple of seconds before it was cut off. Grateful for the distraction, Judy slipped out of the bed and tiptoed towards the door. Behind them she found an open kitchen, connected to a spacious living room. The place dropped hints everywhere that it was decorated by a woman. It had an obvious feminine touch, with style and taste. Morning sun was shining through big windows, bathing the armchairs in the room with its light and warmth. One of the seats was occupied by a fox. It was sitting with its back to the bedroom so Judy could only see the top of the red furred head and ears. Clenching her little paws and bracing for what she was about to ask, the bunny stormed forward and circled the armchair.
"Nick, what has- oh… umm… sorry…" Her voice trailed off as the fox at the seat proved not to be Nick. In fact, it was a vixen. She was holding a cup of tea in one paw and a newspaper in the other.
"Good morning." She greeted Judy with a smile. She looked to be in her forties, dressed in a simple, but elegant dress and had a little necklace around her neck. "If you're looking for Nicky, he's not here at the moment."
"At the moment?" Judy repeated the end of the sentence automatically. The fact that the vixen called her friend 'Nicky' engraved itself inside her mind, leaving an unpleasant mark.
"He had some business to deal with, but I'm sure he'll be here on a later hour. After all it's his place." She sipped her tea.
"Wait, this is Nick's home?! Why am I here? And who are you? Are you one of Nick's… girls?" The bunny blurted out all those questions in one breath, still a bit dazed from the hangover.
The vixen raised a brow. "Girls?" She asked in a calm manner.
Judy blushed slightly. "I mean… living here, are you Nick's… girlfriend?" She remembered the vixen she saw with Nick at the street. "Or one of them, at least…" Judy mumbled, realizing only after she spoke what she actually said out loud in front of the vixen. She covered her head with her ears and held them with paws. She wished she could just disappear.
The female fox burst out with laughter to the bunny's puzzlement. Her arms were shaking so hard that she almost spilled her drink. When she finally managed to calm down, only with an occasional giggle left, she had to wipe tears from her eyes.
"Now that's… that's a first…" She breathed joyfully. "No, I'm not his girlfriend, nor I am one of his girls, as you were to call it. Allow me to introduce myself." The vixen put down her tea and stood up, offering her paw to Judy.
"Vivian Wilde, I am Nick's mother."
.
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Nick collapsed on the narrow bed in his cellar room, glad to finally have a chance to rest. After pulling an all-nighter in the Basker's casino all he wanted was to sleep. The goat made him check all the card games played by the VIP guests at that night, to verify if they weren't cheating. Having made himself a reputation of one of the best poker players in Zootopia at one time, Nick knew all the tricks when it came to card games. Still, he had to admit, that if not for his enhanced vision, he would've missed one or two of the new cheats. *Conmammals and swindlers adapt, what can you do…* Thought an ex-conmammal. But, all in all, he considered himself lucky. Thanks to the great timing of the VIP's visit, he got away with a rather mundane task. He didn't even want to think what else Basker could task him with.
Nick glanced at the watch he was using as an alarm clock. It was 7 in the morning. *Carrots will probably be waking up soon.* He dreaded the thought of what his mother will tell her about him, but he didn't have a choice, did he? The fox buried his face in the pillow. *Dammit, Carrots… Why must you end ep digging up so much of my past? If she keeps up the pace, she'll learn everything about me since I was a little kid by the end of the month.* This thought made him feel naked, defenseless, a feeling he despised. However, he had something to cheer him up. The image of a police bunny, waking up with a hangover and wearing his shirt. His mouth formed a toothy grin.
.
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"I am sorry! I am so, so very sorry!" Judy was bent in a deep bow, apologizing one time after another.
"Oh stop that already. Don't worry about it, if anything, I take it as a compliment. To be confused for a girlfriend of man, who's at an age that he could be my son." She laughed wholeheartedly. "Makes me feel younger."
The bunny straightened up a bit. "I'm sorry Mrs Wilde. It was so stupid of me. I shouldn't hav-"
The vixen placed a finger on Judy's muzzle. "Shshsh, that's enough young lady. I don't want to stay here all day and listen to apologies, all right?" Nick's mother smiled at her.
"But-" Judy tried again, her face still burdened with guilt.
Vivian looked annoyed for a second and the bunny thought she was angry with her, but the vixen laughed again. "Seriously! No wonder Nick caved in!" She was holding her stomach and laughing uncontrollably. Eventually she calmed down again and reached for her tea, to gulp it down as her throat was dry from all the laughter. "Ohhh, I didn't have this much fun in years, come here you little sweetie." With those words she grabbed Judy with both paws and pulled her in a tight hug.
The bunny opened her mouth but couldn't bring herself to speak when the cheerful vixen held her so close.
"Oh, but you must be still feeling the effects of the alcohol. Sorry, dear, I should've thought about it earlier." She lifted the stunned Judy with ease and seated her on the armchair. "Just wait here." With that, Vivian headed for the kitchen.
The bunny actually forgot about her headache for miraculous couple of minutes, but now it returned with twofold force and persistence. She groaned and collapsed in the armchair. The pain enveloped her in a tight grip, apparently with the intention of crushing her skull.
"Here." Said a concerned voice from above. Judy glanced up to see Nick's mother holding a glass of green liquid. "It'll help, trust me."
The bunny accepted it, thinking that nothing could be worse than what she actually felt, so might as well try something like this. She gulped down the contents of the glass, the liquid being mildly unpleasant itself. And to her surprise, Vivian lifted her up, sat in her place and seated the suffering bunny on her lap.
"Um, ma'am…" Judy was unsure what to say.
The vixen petted her gently on the head. "Shh, it's alright." She said, with a motherly warmth in her voice and put her arms around Judy, pulling the small back to her chest. The bunny melted in her paws, a pleasant feeling filling her body, covering her like a soothing blanket. Vivian started humming a song that Judy couldn't recognize, but it had a rhythm and melody that was so calming that she didn't even notice when she fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, Judy found herself still in the same position, warm fur wrapped around her. The bunny's ears twitched, trying to catch if her host was also asleep.
A friendly voice gave her an answer to that question. "Hello there, sleep well?"
"I…" Actually, she felt great. There was no trace left of the headache and her body felt full of vigor. "Yes! I feel absolutely fine! How long did I sleep?"
"I'd say for about an hour."
Judy's eyes widened and she instantly jumped off the fox's legs. "I'm sorry! I keep burdening you…"
"Judy!" Vivian raised her voice, the bunny flinched, hearing her first name. She rarely heard it these days, it was mostly used by her family. "May I call you that?"
"Oh, yes. Of course Mrs-"
Nick's mother stopped her by raising a finger. "It's Vivian. All right?" She smiled at the small officer.
Judy allowed herself a small smile. "Okay, Vivian."
The vixen clapped her paws with a happy expression on her face. "Excellent! Now, what do you say for some breakfast?"
The bunny nodded vigorously, not able to resist the grumbling in her stomach. At that moment she held a paw over it and instantly remembered that she was wearing Nick's shirt. Her ears dropped down and the unpleasant chill crept back up her spine again.
"Vivian!" Her eyes shot up at the vixen, with a pleading look. "Yesterday… How did I get here? With Nick? I know this is his shirt, did… did we…" Her voice began to break.
"Judy, calm down, nothing happened." The female fox said to her, placing a paw on her shoulder. "I changed your clothes. Nick never saw anything or didn't even touch you. Well, apart from the fact that he carried you here. You were so clingy with him, that he had to leave his shirt behind to fool your nose and you settled for cuddling it. That's all. He brought you here, laid you on the bed, left his shirt and was gone." Vivian explained.
"Really?" She said in a hopeful voice. The bunny's twitching nose calmed down a bit. She was ashamed of her behavior and couldn't even imagine how it had to look – a bunny clinging to a fox. But it still felt good to know that nothing happened.
The vixen smiled. "Dear, I know my son, trust me. He wouldn't dare touching a female if she didn't want him to, that's the kind of a fox I raised him to be." There was a hint of pride in her statement.
"O-okay, if you say so." Judy finally started to relax, glad to hear such reassuring words. "Um, what exactly did I drink before?" She said to change the topic.
"Ah, that would be our family's secret recipe. Perfect in such situations. If you ever get drunk again, come find me and I'll help you get better." She playfully clapped on her thighs. Judy blushed at the memory.
"I'm sorry, I call myself Nick's friend, but what you must think of me now."
"Actually, I liked it. You reminded me of the times when I cuddled Nicky like that, thank you."
The bunny turned her eyes to the floor, not sure how to say, that…
"Oh, I'm sorry dear." Vivian placed paws on her little shoulders. "I know that rabbits don't like to be called small, forgive me please. I just couldn't help myself."
Judy was visibly surprised at this display of honesty and care. "Umm, are you sure Nick's your son? You two are totally different." She felt comfortable enough to throw a little joke. With good effect as Vivian laughed again.
"Oh he's my son for sure. And I wouldn't want him to be any different." The vixen headed towards the kitchen. "He's a good mammal, even if sarcastic at times or too closed up."
"I'll say… " Judy followed her. "It seems impossible to drag out anything about him." Then an idea appeared in her mind and she grinned. "Wait, you wouldn't happen to know something interesting about Nick?" She asked innocently.
Vivian grinned back. "Oooh, the stories I could tell you. From his high school to jobs-"
"Job!" Judy grabbed her head. "I've slept in! Ohmigosh! Chief is going to be furious! I need to go, I need my uniform! Arrrgh, I'm so late!" She fidgeted in panic.
Seeing this scene Vivian snorted quietly and picked a phone from the kitchen table. She dialed a number. "Good morning Eddie, how are you doing today?" She listened for a moment. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Listen, I'd like to call in a sick officer. Judy Hopps." Another pause. "Of course, I'll send all the papers tomorrow, I always do, silly." She chirped to the phone. "Okay, thank you so much. I'll see you on Saturday, bye." The vixen ended the call. "And that's how it's done. You're fully covered."
Judy just stood there with her mouth open. "How? Who is… What papers…"
Vivian grinned at her with half lid eyes. "It's called a hustle, dearie."
Hearing this and seeing the likelihood between the mother and son, the bunny snorted, trying to suppress the laughter but couldn't do it and she laughed out loud.
"No, seriously, how did you do it? I can call in sick only when I have a confirmation from a doctor."
The vixen folded her arms, grin not leaving her face. "I am a doctor." She stated to Judy's surprise. "And I can write you a sick leave from today to Christmas if I want to." The vixen sent her a wink and clapped her paws. "Alright, that's enough fooling around. Time to eat, young lady." She switched to her motherly tone.
Judy rubbed her neck. "That's very nice of you… but you've already done so much for me an-"
Nick's mother leaned down to her and pointed at the table. "Eat. Your. Breakfast. Doctor's orders."
Judy shrunk under her gaze. "Yes, ma'am." She squeaked.
.
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Meanwhile, Nick wasn't the happiest fox around. The bullet in his body could have something to do with that. He groaned, a small streak of blood running down from the corner of his mouth. He sat in a back alley with his back to the wall, gripping his side, not helping much to prevent the blood loss. But that's not what worried him the most. Since he got shot, all of his instinct were running wild. He managed to force himself to flee from his attackers, instead of tearing them apart in a serum induced rage. No telling who else could've been caught up in such a fight. The only luck he had was that a police car was nearby when the shots were fired and its siren scared the assailants away. So now the main issue was to not bleed out to death in a dirty alley. *I can't trust a hospital in this situation… Nor can I rely on Carrots, she'll start asking questions… too many questions. That leaves…*
"Mister?"
Nick's ears shot up. A very young deer was approaching him with a worried look.
"Mister, you okay?"
Nick waved him away. "I'm perfectly fine. Nothing to see here." The fox's heartbeat accelerated to dangerous levels and his jaw twitched at the sight of vulnerable prey in attack range.
"You're bleedin', mister. I can go call an ambulance." The kid offered.
*Of all times… A dutiful one had to appear in a place where nobody gives a damn about others…*
He could feel, that the adrenaline level in his blood was rising. There wasn't much time left before he'd lose control. Nick had to take a gamble. The fox jumped to his feet and leapt towards the deer. "Scram!" He roared and took a swing at him. The kid screamed and ran away as fast as he could. Nick panted heavily, both from the strain to his body and withheld savagery surging through his mind.
"There he is!" A scream came from the alley's entrance. Two rhinos that attacked him in the first place finally caught up to him.
*Oh crap!* Nick dashed towards the nearest door and bust them open using his shoulder while bullets whizzed above his head.
.
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"This is delicious!" Judy munched the food served by Nick's mother.
"Glad you like it, usually I cook just for myself."
"Really? What about Nick? You said this is his flat."
The vixen shrugged. "He bought it. Send me the keys and money to furnish the place. I mean, I was shocked at first, never imagined that I could live somewhere else than in slums. Sometimes it still amazes me that all of this is real."
"So… he lives somewhere else?" The little officer made a mental note about Nick's earnings and what he spends them on.
For the first time Vivian sighed in Judy's presence. "He has his own life now… We don't contact each other that often."
The bunny tried to imagine Nick chatting with his mother on the phone and failed. "Um, how often, if I may ask?"
The vixen rested her muzzle on a paw and took a sip of tea. "Last time was nine years ago."
Judy dropped her fork. "NINE!?" She almost choked with her food.
"Well, he's a grown fox now and we had some issues about his line of work. I wouldn't count our last meeting as a pleasant one. So imagine my surprise, when yesterday he calls me out of the blue in the middle of the night, panic in his voice and asks me to take care of a drunk girl, that happens to be his friend." She took another sip of her tea. "And, believe me, the only person he had ever called a friend before was the fennec fox, Finnick." She put down the cup and stared at Judy. "So I was really curious who's that special lady that was able to grab his attention. And I'm glad that it's you."
The bunny blushed with the compliment, as she never considered herself as anyone 'special', not to Nick anyway. Plus, she never knew that being Nick's friend held such a meaning. It made her feel sorry for the fox, not making any friends for so many years. "You overestimate me. Besides, I didn't do that much…"
Vivian gave her a grateful look and a smile. "Judy, I haven't spoken to my own son for nine years. Years, you hear me? And you've changed that. He even promised that he'll call me today. That would be a second time in almost a decade we get to exchange words. Yesterday I wouldn't even dream of it." She reached out and squeezed her paw. "Thank you." Vivian whispered, tiny tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Judy watched the vixen with a paw at her tiny chest. She thought of something to say, but she knew that whatever she could come up with would sound stupid or improper in the presence of the moved mother. Instead, the bunny gently squeezed back. "You're welcome." She said quietly.
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Nick ran like his life depended on it. Escaping two rhinos in the maze of alleys wouldn't be a problem if not for the bleeding and an excruciating pain radiating from his skull. He was running away, but every muscle in his body wanted to turn around and jump at them to sink fangs in their throats. He stormed through a kitchen of a small restaurant, two laundries and a grocery store, navigating towards his goal. His best bet was to avoid the streets as much as possible. Those guys had a car and guns, not a combination to face in an open space. So he ducked, shoved and jumped over surprised mammals to move forward as soon as possible. His paws skidded on the pavement as he ran around the corner of the building, unmistakable screech of tires behind him. Other mammals fled out of the way, not wanting to be part of this crazy chase, especially when one of the rhino's had his hand outside the car and continued shooting at the fox. One of the bullets swished dangerously close and grazed the fox's shoulder. With a painful hiss Nick quickly checked his watch. *Two minutes.* With that thought he crossed the street and ran into a nearby apartment building, two thugs hot on his hindpaws.
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The flat was filled with laughter of two cheerful females.
"No way! Nick did that?" Judy asked between giggles.
"Oh yes, he always was such a resourceful young mammal. And speaking of young, I still have some pictures of him from the old times, want to see?"
Judy bounced up and down on the couch. "Are you kidding me? Of course!"
Vivian took out a huge album that looked like it has seen better days. She opened it and shuffled the pages. "Ah-ha! Here it is. He was twenty at that time." She pointed at a picture. It showed a fox standing somewhere outside in the sun, apparently working on constructing a wooden shed. He was in worker's pants and gloves, wiping his forehead with an arm. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Sweat glistened on his fur, making it stick to his body, revealing a shape of his well-toned arms and parts of torso. Judy swallowed, but held back her embarrassment and risked a glance at Vivian. She was grinning at her.
"Oh, no reaction, eh?" She chirped, convincing Judy that she showed her this picture on purpose.
"Haha, sorry for not blushing at the sight of half-naked fox." She quipped back.
The vixen laughed. "Sorry, I just thought that it would be interesting to see how you react. But you didn't…" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Not fazed by naked fur?"
Judy tried to deflect the question by smiling innocently and shrugging her arms.
"Or maybe… maybe you've already seen him without a shirt." She leaned towards the bunny. Judy managed not to blush and she shook her head, but the glint in Vivian's eye told her that she failed to fool the vixen.
"Oh… my… goodness…" Nick's mother gasped and put the album away. "Tell me EVERYTHING."
.
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Right after his pursuers ran into the building, Nick reappeared from behind the opened door and ran outside. He bought himself additional 10 seconds at best, but it should be enough. The fox approached the rhino's car and fished out a pocket knife and stabbed at the tires, aiming for the tire valve. A satisfying hiss told him that he succeeded and he repeated the action with other wheels. Only then he dashed forward, leaving a bloody trail behind.
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Judy sank into the couch, red as a beetroot. Vivian finally calmed down after the attack of laughter and managed to catch her breath. "Really, I haven't laughed this much in years." The bunny mumbled something unintelligible. "Oh, come on, Judy. There's nothing to embarrassed about."
"Maybe for you." Came a quiet mutter.
Vivian shuffled closer to the bunny. "Judy, Judy, Judy… Don't you see? Nick really cares about you. I can't imagine any other person he'd do this much for them."
Even through the veil of embarrassment, Judy could feel a warm feeling somewhere deep within her chest. It felt good to know that she's such an important friend for him.
"Look, I'm very grateful to you. You've started opening him to the world again. No one else was capable of that, even me and I'm his own mother. Please, look after him." She asked with great sincerity.
All Judy could do was to nod. "Okay."
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His pursuers were again on his tail, now additionally pissed about their car. Nick was wheezing the whole time, his vision starting to get blurry from the blood loss. He cast another glance at the watch. *Thirty seconds.* He stormed pass a surprised doorkeeper in an apartment building and headed for the stairs. After a frantic climb Nick kicked open the door leading for the roof and rushed outside. He went by the chimneys and ventilation shafts to the edge of the roof and stood on it. A loud crack of the door announced the arrival of the thugs. Nick turned to them, just empty space behind him now.
"Hey, nice weather for a stroll, eh?" He coughed. Both rhinos raised their guns at him. The fox looked at his watch and smiled *Zero.* Still smiling, Nick took a step backwards.