Welcome, dear readers!

Short info:

This is the last chapter before graduation ceremony and after that things will really speed up. So be prepared for some action, tears and complicated feelings.

Oh! You wanted a NickxJudy close call? Well, it can hardly get CLOSER than the one here. ;)

Chapter 23

Someone cleared their throat by the door. „May I?" Judy's mother asked, standing in the doorway.

"Of course." Nick wanted to get up, but Bonnie waved a paw, showing him to lie down, as she moved closer.

"Please, rest. You've suffered enough already. There's no point in straining yourself just to be polite."

"Uh… thank you?"

The doe shook her head, a wide smile appearing on her face. "No Nicholas, I thank you, for saving my children. I am grateful beyond words. Our family is forever in your debt." Bonnie bowed her head.

"Um… wait…" He waved a paw nervously. "No need for such gestures, I just did what any other mammal would do."

"You're too modest, Mr. Wilde!" Came another voice from the corridor. Abigail was sitting on a wheelchair and her father pushed it into the room. Her legs were covered with a blanket, but the casts were still visible from under it. However, she was wearing a bright smile as they approached the fox. "You saved our lives, while risking your own! That's pure bravery."

Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahaha, or stupidity, depending who you ask."

"My daughter is right!" Stu chimed in, puffing out his chest. "Son, I can never be grateful enough for what you did tonight! Know, that you will be always welcomed in our house!"

"Uncle Nick!" A loud duet joined the commotion. Two little bunnies stormed through the door and ran towards the bed. A moment later one of Judy's adult sisters appeared too, with an apologetic expression. "Get back here, you! Sorry! I couldn't stop them from rushing here. When they woke up, they were going on and on about their new uncle." She giggled.

The kids in question climbed on the bed and threw themselves to hug the surprised fox. But Judy was quick to act and grabbed both by their shirts before they collided with Nick. "Oh no, you don't! Nick needs to rest and you two certainly aren't any help."

She got a double 'Aww sis!' in response.

Abigail laughed seeing this scene. "Don't blame them Judy. They really like Nick now."

"Yeah! He knows a lot of jokes!" Alex said, hanging from her sister's paw.

"And he's so kind!" Olivia added, being in the same situation as her brother.

Judy blinked, hearing their reviews. "Wait a minute, are we talking about the same fox?"

"I heard that." Nick mused from his bed.

"I tell ya' sis, ever heard the one when a badger walks into a bar…"

"He even hummed us a lullaby, really!"

Judy's eyes wandered from the kids to Nick. The wounded fox gave her a sheepish smile, now visibly embarrassed by the little ones' statements.

The entire Hopps family laughed to this conversation, but they were shortly cut off by an irritated nurse that appeared in the room and started herding them out. "Enough, patient needs to rest. Go on, shoo!"

Judy was the last at the door and cast one more glance at Nick.

"Go get some sleep, Fluff. You look like a Frankenstein's bride right now." He waved her off.

The doe tilted her head and returned a smug grin. "If it isn't a pot calling the kettle black, Mr. Patchwork." She said and disappeared behind the door.

Finally alone, Nick breathed out with relief and went over the events of the evening. He was relieved that thing ended up this way, as it could've been a lot worse. And it wasn't even about the collapse of the building, rather what followed. When Nick threw the bunnies on the ground below him and that pillar fell on him, nails piercing the skin, he almost lost consciousness from the shock. And all the other debris soon followed, weight piling up on his back. Still, his body withstood both the impact and the strain that came after it. He had his savagely enhanced physique to thank for that. Under normal circumstances they'd be squashed like bugs.

It was true that he had to entertain the kids a little. Scared half to death, trapped in darkness next to an unknown fox, it was no surprise when they started crying. And even with the punctured back and overbearing burden on his body, Nick switched to his comical attitude and tried to calm them down. Sure, it took some time and Abigail helped a lot when she also tried to talk to them, she even laughed quietly at his first two jokes. Soon they were pretty relaxed and prompted by some weird instinct, Nick decided to hum a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him, when his was little. It did wonders, as the two little bunnies fell asleep shortly. But that revealed a new problem. Nick was barely inches away from a defenseless, injured bunny. The doe was sprawled on her back right beneath him and it took all of his willpower to stop the raging instincts of a predator. It didn't help when she lost consciousness and her head turned to the side, granting a perfect view of her neck. Nick's entire body ached from the effort to uphold the debris, but it was nothing compared to the strain he felt while resisting the urge of sinking his teeth into this little, furry target. *Thank God, that Carrots called out at that moment. I don't want to think what would happen if they didn't find us on time.* With that thought he closed his eyes and tried to send his fatigued brain into the embrace of slumber.

.

.

Next day greeted him with a ray of sun. It shined through the big windows and warmed up the blanket he was covered with. Nick blinked in the blinding ray and rolled over to another side.

"Good morning." A warm voice made him open a sleepy eye. He saw a smiling hare in a nurse's uniform.

"Mornin'…" The fox mumbled, not sure if such an excruciatingly early time of day could be called 'good'.

"I have brought your breakfast and I'd like to take some samples of your blood for analysis before you eat." The doe showed him a couple of empty ampules.

Nick rolled his eyes. *Here we go again…*

.

.

Later that morning, Judy strolled into his room, wearing that adorable smile of hers.

"Hey! How are you feeling today?" She walked up to his bed, with a small basket in her paws.

"Pretty good. At least I don't smell like grilled vulpine anymore." The shower he was allowed to take today was a godsend. He got special stiches that allowed him to bathe and his wounds from the nails weren't that big to risk anything. What worried him more were patches of missing fur in the places where it had direct contact with fire. Hopefully, it'll grow back properly.

"I have a present for you." She indicated the basket. "My siblings were picking them from early morning hours. You're their hero now." Her chuckle and words made him slightly blush and he was happy that it wasn't visible under his red fur. Nick's sense of smell already told him what was inside, but still, he smiled when she lifted the cover and revealed lots of blueberries.

When the hungry vulpine began devouring them, one pawful after another, Judy sat down on a stool by the bed.

"Listen, if you're feeling good enough, Abi would like to see you again. So does her husband. He arrived this morning and wouldn't hear of her moving around, but still wants to meet you."

Nick glanced at her while munching down the fruit. "Sh not a problem…" He swallowed another portion.

Few minutes later they were on their way, strolling through the bright corridors. Several bunnies eyed the fox with caution, but most mammals smiled at him and he even received a few congratulations from younger rabbits. Apparently the word spread fast and even being a fox didn't matter when it came to showing gratitude for his actions. *Bunny Burrow sure is a close-knit community.* He thought.

Upon arrival at the room, Nick was greeted with another wave of appreciative shouts. At least a dozen bunnies were gathered around the little hospital bed, where Abigail was seated.

"Mr. Wilde!" He got a smile and a wave of a paw from her.

"Nick is enough, really." The fox stepped inside, rubbing his neck. Just as he did, a dark grey buck in a black suit approached him with a meaningful expression.

"Mr. Wilde, Nicholas." He began with a voice that matched his serious attire. "I am Albus Lightpaw, Abi's husband." The rabbit held out a paw. Nick was a bit taken aback with such a welcome, but Judy nudged him discreetly from behind and the fox accepted the offered paw. Upon doing so, he saw the buck placing his other paw on top of his and gave it a firm shake. "You have my gratitude. You saved the most important person in the world for me and I am indebted to you. I am a mammal of my word. If in the future you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I shall grant you any request within my power."

Nick already heard from Judy that Abi's other half was a very serious guy and a successful businessmammal, but didn't expect that to this extent. All he could do in this situation is to accept his statement, else he would have offended his sincerity.

"I will remember that. Still, as a future police officer it was my duty."

The buck shook his head. "Nonsense! You have risked your life for my wife and for that I am willing to grant your any wish."

Nick couldn't stand all the seriousness anymore. He spoke with a lower voice than normal. "Well, some day, and that day might never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But, until that day, accept this gesture as a gift on my upcoming graduation day."

Hearing this, the husband's face turned into one of a puzzled mammal, but then Abi burst with laughter, rocking on her bed while clutching her stomach. Several adult bunnies, Judy included, joined in the laughter.

"Okay Albus, that's enough of all that serious stuff. I am alive and kicking… Well, not exactly kicking yet, but on my best way to do it. So stop bothering Nick anymore." At that she pointed a finger at the predator. "But you are coming for a dinner, once I'm out of these." She knocked on the cast.

Nick pulled off a salute. "Duly noted, ma'am."

The group laughed again and in the meantime a female weasel nurse entered the room. "Excuse me, 'scuse me." She made her way to the bed through the group and smiled at the doe. "How are we feeling today, Mrs. Lightpaw?"

The doe spread her arms, showing all the mammals in the room. "With these guys? Couldn't have felt better."

"Okay, I have your last portion for the drip and that'll be the end, ok?" She took a transparent plastic bag from the pocket of her uniform and hanged it on the stand.

Meanwhile, Nick got closer to the bed too and tapped the cast gently. "I say, Carrots. Lucky you never had to get your legs immobilized. How else you'd dance around like on that Gazelle concert?" He sniggered.

The doe folded her arms at his comment. "Hmph, I'll have you know I'm a great dancer. Better than you, anyway."

The predator replied with a grin. "Please, you call those jumps and twirls dancing? You were all like this." With that said, Nick spun around in a parody of a dance move, but staggered a bit and his paw caught the stand with the drip, causing the bag to fall. With his balance disturbed, the fox followed it swiftly and sat heavily on the ground. There was a splash as his elbow landed square on the bag, causing the liquid to spill on the floor.

"Dang! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Nick kept apologizing as he got to his feet.

But Abigail only chuckled. "Don't worry, nothing happened. Actually, it was rather funny."

Judy didn't share her sister's humor. "I'd say embarrassing. Seriously, Nick…"

"Are you okay?" Asked the nurse by his side.

"Fine, perfectly fine. But I've made a mess. I guess I should clean it up. Do you have any cleaning tools around here?" He asked the weasel.

"Um, yes, but…"

"Great! We'll grab something to wipe the floor." With these words he grabbed the surprised nurse by the arm and dragged her out of the room. Once outside, he hurried through the corridor and found an open staff room. It was a mix of a kitchen and resting room, with a round table in the middle and kitchen tops by the walls. Casting a quick glance around, the fox pushed the nurse inside and walked in as well. Nick closed the door and turned the key in the lock.

"What are you doing here, Uma?" He snarled at the nurse.

And her face suddenly wasn't that of a confused, innocent medical staff member, but a smug and confident weasel.

"Oh, come on Nicky. You very well know what's my job here." She purred as she walked backwards with paws behind her back. "By the way, nice stunt with that drip. You surprised me there. How did you know?"

The fox's eyes carefully followed her every move. "Don't change the subject."

"Oh come on, you know the rules. Eh, Red Tail?" She mused with a snigger. She was slowly circling the table in the middle of the room, keeping her brown gaze fixed on Nick's eyes.

"I thought I smelled gasoline in the barn, so I'm guessing it was your work?"

She giggled with a sweet voice. "Not telling, Mr. Handsome." The weasel nurse swayed from side to side, while slowly approaching Nick. "I say, you've grown up just fine, Nicky. How many years has it been? Fourteen? Fifteen? You were such a sweet kid back then."

The fox clenched his teeth. *This wretched… Who would send her here? And why Abigail of all mammals? Has Albus made someone angry enough to send an assassin?* These thoughts were interrupted when the female got even closer, still holding her paws hidden.

"Hey, Nicky." Her voice now even sweeter than before. "How about you step aside and let me through, for old times' sake? I promise I won't approach the girl again." And she reached out with one paw and traced a finger down Nick's chest.

"And if I say 'no'?" Surely, it wasn't the answer she expected.

"Geez, you're so much colder to me than before." The weasel huffed, but recomposed herself instantly. With a seductive smirk she reached up with one paw and undid the top button of her uniform. Then the second. "Why don't we try to change that now? This time we're both adults… So why not pick up where we left all those years ago?" The last sentence was purred with a voice like a female in heat.

Not surprisingly, the beast within swirled with anticipation, noticing a potential mating partner. It urged Nick's body to accept the offer. But Nick knew better. "Sorry sweetheart, but you only get two choices here." He raised a finger. "One, you give up on your target and the organisation will never touch her or her family or friends ever again. We both walk in our separate ways and never meet again."

Uma closed in on him. "Interesting…" And without any warning her paws shot forward in a blur, stabbing at his chest with knives she got from her pockets. "And the other one?!"

The blades stopped an inch from the fox's body. She saw Nick's paws on her wrists.

She glanced up to see savage, bloodshot eyes.

"Me."

He threw her arms apart and kicked her in the stomach, sending the weasel stumbling backwards. Nick stepped forward. "I don't normally hit females." The fox spread wide his paws, presenting two sets of claws. "But I'm willing to make an exception."

The female snarled at him and lunged forward. Being slightly smaller and naturally agile, she was a tricky opponent. Her movements betrayed a lot of training and skills. Nick kept his distance from her swift attacks and kept attention to avoid falling for numerous faints. But after getting used to her speed and movements, the fox switched to the offensive. Now the weasel had to step back as Nick's claws cut the air mere inches from her face. And now, none of her fighting skills could give her the edge over the savage fox. His paw came from the side and she set a knife on its way, intending to let him stab himself from his own momentum, but the arm stopped abruptly and she had to block a sudden jab from the other paw. When she succeeded in that, she brought her wrist down, intending to cut at the outstretched arm. She was interrupted by a sweeping kick that sent her to the floor. Uma rolled to the side on instinct, avoiding a bone crushing stomp from Nick's leg.

"Give up, I won't ask again." He gave her a sideway glance of his terrifying eyes.

"Aww, how sweet of you…" She chirped. Uma threw a knife at him and lunged forward. When he tilted to the side to avoid the projectile he had to face a gush of hot tea she poured at him from a nearby kettle. Ducking low was his only option and that set him in a perfect position for her kick. Nick jumped to the side and caught a glimpse of an incoming blade from opposite direction. Using his savage agility, the fox flattened himself against the floor to avoid it and right after that pushed down, launching his body upwards and did a back somersault in the air, catching the weasel's chin with the tip of his hindpaw.

The kick sent the female flying against the opposite wall as Nick gracefully landed on his legs again. Uma squealed from the impact but managed to stay standing. "You got good, Nicky. I'll give you that." She used her wrist to wipe a small streak of blood from her muzzle. "Guess I'll have to get serious."

With that, she took another knife from her pocket and assumed a new stance. One arm over her head and the other one kept low. *Oh crap… this is going to be a pain in the butt.* Nick thought and shifted his footing. His mind dug up the memory of Uma using this fighting style and her opponents never ended up pretty afterwards.

The weasel started spinning as she approached him, gaining speed with every step. His eyes darted around, trying to get accustomed to her movements, but to no avail. It was a whirling tornado with sharp edges that'd shred anything it touched. He clicked his tongue in frustration. Nick never got the answer why she was able to fight like this. Probably some weird genes that made her immune to effects of such intense spinning. And that moment of thought almost cost him a deep wound, but he jumped back, receiving only a shallow cut across the chest.

The fox sighed internally. He will have to get a bit rough to not turn into a chopped up vulpine. Making his decision, Nick relaxed his stance and let his arms down by his sides. He stopped watching her movements and instead focused on her breathing, as well as his own. Uma closed in upon him.

The beast stirred inside and Nick let go of the chain a bit. To win, he'd have to rely more on instinct than on his eyes.

A knife came at him and his arm moved only partially by his will, swatting away the armed paw like a fly. Another attack came and another, both deflected with savage reflexes. The next came in form of a flying knife, which the beast caught mid-air between fingers and cast it right back in one fluid motion. There was a yelp and the weasel slowed down for a brief moment. And it was enough for Nick's paw to shot forward and grab the smaller predator by the throat. He lifted her up and then threw her against the wall, eliciting a painful cry from the female.

"Nick?" Said a voice from the corridor. His ears shot right up. *Carrots?!* There was a knock on the door. "Nick, you in there?"

"Ooh dear… I hear a nasty little pest…" Came a snigger from the weasel. She hoisted herself up with some trouble and clutched her left shoulder. The dagger was embedded in it right to the handle. "Since it has come to this… " She reached to the edge of her nurse's skirt and lifted it enough to reveal a gun strapped to her thigh. Her paw grabbed it and pointed it at Nick, flicking the safety catch. "You have two choices, sugar boy." Uma mocked him in a sickly sweet voice. "One, we both walk out of here and you'll keep me company long enough for me to get out of the building." The weasel aimed right at his head.

"Nick!" Judy's voice became more insistent.

Nick kept still, to not provoke the female. "And the second?"

"I shoot you full of holes, as well as your new girlfriend. And make your choice quick or-" She blinked. Nick disappeared from her sight.

He was now right in front of her, ducked low. The fox moved too fast for her to notice. Nick's paw shot upwards, knocking the gun from her fingers. The pistol fired a round into the ceiling. In the same movement he caught her wrist and kicked the side of her leg. This resulted in a crunch, followed by her cry from the broken leg. In a blur, Nick spun around and elbowed the weasel in the stomach. Still clutching her wrist, he threw her over her shoulder to the ground, rolling with her and grabbing the limb in an arm bar. The fox pulled and twisted, effectively wrecking the female's elbow and causing her to scream from pain again. Right after that, he was on top of her. Knees pressing on the arms and fingers of one paw wrapped tightly around the throat. His other paw rose to a striking pose and froze. For the first time, Uma stared at him with fear.

Have you ever killed anyone?

"NICK! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Judy's voice came as a shout and the door shuddered.

He was panting heavily and his arm trembled from the indecisiveness of his mind. One swift slice and he'd get rid of this threat forever. His head ached like hell. Just one cut…

The door has been kicked open and Judy practically flew inside the room. She witnessed the scene and jumped to the fox. "Nick! Stop!"

"Carrots, the gun…" He hissed through his teeth, not looking at her.

The doe spotted the firearm and with no other questions asked, scurried to grab it. Meanwhile, Nick trusted himself enough again, to stand up from the weasel. Realizing that his eyes must have transformed, he instantly covered them with a paw. And just in time, as Judy spun around, the gun in her paw. She noticed the knives lying around and the cut on his chest, which started bleeding by now. The bunny pointed the gun at the lying weasel and circled carefully around her, always keeping aim at her.

"Nick, what happened?! Who is she?!" She stopped by his side, while several members of the hospital's staff peeked into the room. "Call the police!" She shouted over her arm.

At the same time, Nick had a serious problem. His savage side brought out more than ever since his last, uncontrollable outburst and Judy was right next to him. And now she even took another step and placed herself between her friend and the lying weasel, in the act to protect him from her. But that meant she was now directly below his muzzle, tips of her ears tickling his fur. The scent itself would be enough to make him cross the line. He sniffed the air. The scent…

He burst out of the room shoving the surprised nurses and doctors out of his way.

Nick ignored Judy's shouts and headed for the nearest exit. He almost collided with an elderly badger at the main hospital door, but managed avoid him and ran outside. He ran for a while, before tripping and falling down on the grass. Nick managed to get up on his elbows while panting heavily. He dug his nose into the lush green and took a deep whiff. Anything was better than the hypnotizing smell of the doe. He had to get rid of it as soon as possible. *Holy crap, I almost jumped at her!* Nick used a fist to knock some sense back to his mind. *This was way to close!* He rolled to his back and put both arms over his eyes.

He lied there for several minutes, before he felt presence of the person he dreaded and desired at the same time.

"Nick…" Judy began softly, as if she was afraid he'll run away. "Are you all right?"

He regained enough sanity to manage to stay calm in her presence again. "Not exactly… I got cut a bit."

"I can see that, but that's not what I'm asking." She stepped closer.

"Oh… in that case I'm perfectly fine." The fox stated with an innocent smile.

"Liar." Judy was quick to reply.

Nick groaned. "I'm telling you, Fluff…"

Suddenly, she yanked him up by the hospital shirt and he found himself to be sitting and looking up into a pair of angry amethysts.

"You almost toppled yesterday right after the car ride and now you bust out of a room where you got yourself in a fight with an armed nurse and claim it's nothing. Talk to me, Nick." The doe huffed right into his face.

"It's reall-"

"Tell me the truth, Nick." The doe cut in and leaned forward.

*Too close, TOO CLOSE!* Nick whined in his mind.

"Liste-"

"The TRUTH!" She tightened her grip, her eyes burning with tenacity.

The fox sprung forward, throwing her to the ground and pinned her little arms under his paws.

"Wha-" Judy began.

His muzzle pressed gently against her neck, causing her to gasp from surprise. The next thing she knew was Nick's face right above hers, green eyes strangely fogged up. "Judy…" His breathing heavy.

"N-Nick…"

He started slowly leaning down to her, lips parted. Judy blinked several times, but then, influenced by his gaze, she closed her eyes and slightly opened her own mouth. Nick's muzzle moved to her ear and whispered. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." Her eyes flew wide open.

And there was his sly grin. "You should see your face." He chuckled and rose to his feet. "Gee, I should've brought a camera." The fox headed back towards the hospital, leaving the stupefied bunny on the ground.