"Can I come in?"
The question snapped Abby out of her daze, and she crossed her arms, now suddenly suspicious. "Why should I let you in?" she asked pointedly.
"Because you invited me out here," Vivian answered, rubbing the back of her neck.
There was a pause before Abby stepped aside, gesturing to her sister to come in. Closing the door after her, the younger vixen asked, "What do you want?"
"I want you to slap me."
…
"I'm sorry, what?" Abby asked, perplexed.
"You heard me," Vivian answered.
"…Is this an entrapment thing-"
"Abby, do it!"
*SLAP*
Vivian didn't see her sister's paw, but she definitely felt it, her cheek stinging from the impact. She looked back at her sister, noticing the angry tears running down her face. "Feel better?"
"No," Abby answered, her voice breaking as she shook her head.
"Well, I also owe you a hug, will that help-"
Vivian was cut off as she was suddenly and quickly wrapped up in a tight hug from the younger fox. She returned it and the two stood there silently. After a moment, she couldn't help but smirk a little. "You just slapped someone with cancer."
"You deserved it," came Abby's muffled response, though it was clear that she was smiling as she said it.
They broke off the hug and Vivian looked down at her shirt and playfully groaned. "Aw, you got my shirt all wet!"
Abby stuck her tongue out at her older sister. She then sobered up and asked, "Seriously, though, why are you here?"
"I had an…enlightening…talk after you left this morning," Vivian said, shoving her paws into her jacket pockets. "It made me realize that life's too short to hold grudges forever. So," she gestured with her paws, "you said if I wanted to catch up…"
"Ah. Right."
The two stood in silence for a moment, each second growing more and more awkward. Eventually, Vivian cleared her throat. "So," she started, trying to break the ice, "how's the bank doing?"
"Pretty well," Abby said, shrugging her shoulders and sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Getting closer and closer to becoming head manager."
Vivian sat down in the chair across from her. "And this is something you actually want?"
"Oh, definitely," Abby confirmed, nodding her head. "Someone has to keep it in the family, and unlike you and Danny, I had always wanted to take over the business."
The mention of their brother reminded Vivian of what her sister said earlier that day. "Is Danny really missing?" she asked.
"OK, well, 'missing' is too strong of a word," Abby said. "We know he's alive and we know he's still in Foxden, but we don't know anything more than that."
"I thought he got clean."
"He did," the younger vixen confirmed. "Something got him hooked again."
"…I hope he's OK," Vivian quietly admitted.
"Me, too," Abby agreed. "Anyway, I should be eligible for the position in a few more months."
"Nice." Vivian paused before asking, "Is Sherwood still open?"
Abby nodded her head. "Yeah, it's still open. As long as Friar Tuck's running that place, it'll never shut down."
Vivian's ears perked up in surprise and happiness. "Friar Tuck's still running Sherwood?" she asked, smiling.
"Oh, yeah," Abby said, smiling as well. "They've been trying to get him to retire because of his age, but I think that old badger will outlive all of us. Plus, he'd get bored if he stopped." That brought a small chuckle from Vivian. "He misses you, you know."
The older fox's smile fell from her face. "I miss him, too. Last time I spoke to him was when Jon…" She trailed off, but Abby knew what she meant. Everyone who knew them had been hit hard by Jon's death, but none more so than Friar Tuck; he and Jon had shared a close bond, as the badger was the only constant mammal in the todd's life until he met Vivian.
"You should give him a call," Abby suggested. "I think he'd like that."
"OK." Vivian then noticed that her sister had changed out of the suit and into a simple get-up of jeans and a blouse. "You're looking good," she complimented.
Abby smiled. "Thanks. All things considered, you're looking pretty good, too."
"Certainly don't FEEL good, but thanks."
"Are you going through treatment back in the city?"
"Yeah," Vivian confirmed, nodding her head. "One of Jon's old associates offered to pay for it."
"What happened to insurance?"
"Rejected it."
"Yikes," Abby sympathized. "Do you know you need a bone marrow transplant or anything?" Vivian shook her head. "Well, if it ever comes to that…"
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you."
Abby nodded before she hesitantly asked, "Do you know what you'll do if…"
"If what?" Vivian asked, though she had an idea of what her sister was asking.
"...If the worst does happen?"
The older vixen sighed but nodded. "Yeah. I've got my will ready, and Nick and Skye would go live with Kii. I even asked her to go over all the legal documents about a month ago, just to make sure that everything's up to date. I don't plan on going down that easily, though."
"Good." Abby nodded and she ran her paw up and down her arm. The motion made Vivian notice something on her sister's finger reflecting the light, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"When did that happen?" she asked, pointing to her sister's wedding ring.
Abby looked at her paw and smiled. "About four years ago? We had claimed each other long before then, but we wanted an actual wedding."
"…I'm sorry I wasn't there," the older vixen said, looking away.
"It's fine," her sister said, shrugging. "It was a small ceremony, anyway; not many mammals showed up. Mother wasn't even there; she had an important meeting, I think."
Vivian resisted the urge to scoff at her mother's callousness and instead asked, "So, who's the unlucky todd? Or is it a vixen?"
"No, it's a todd," Abby confirmed, though she looked a little bashful. "Actually, it's, um…"
Vivian looked confused before it dawned on her. "No…" Abby just smiled and nodded. "You're kidding me. Matt, really?"
Her sister let out a little laugh. "Yeah. Surprised?"
"A little bit," Vivian admitted, leaning back a little. "I mean, I knew you had a crush on him when you were little, but…" She trailed off before saying, "I never knew he felt that way about you, too."
Abby shrugged again, a small mischievous smile on her face. "Guess he preferred the newer model."
That got a genuine laugh out of Vivian, which made Abby laugh as well. She hadn't realized how much she missed talking with her sister, where the two of them could just joke around and make fun of each other. It also made her realize how long it had truly been since she had last seen her. And that reminded her why she left last time and cut them off. Vivian sighed and asked the important question on her mind:
"Why'd you do it, Abby?"
"Why did I marry him? Because I love-"
"No, I mean, why did you take her side?"
Abby stopped and looked down at her paws, eyes full of regret. "…You just disappeared, Vivvie. One day, I had my sister, and the next, she was gone. Didn't say goodbye, didn't leave a note…" She sighed and looked up at the older fox. "It hurt, and…I guess I just wanted to hurt you as well. I know it's a terrible excuse, but it's the truth and…" Abby trailed before quietly finishing with, "I'm sorry."
"…I'm sorry, too," Vivian said, making her sister's ears perk up. "You were, what, eleven when I left? I didn't care if Mother or Father knew where I was, but…I should've at least said something to you."
"Yes, you should have," Abby agreed.
"You had every right to be angry," Vivian continued, "but my daughter was innocent in all of this. You decided that she was an easy target. I don't know if I can forgive you for that." Abby looked down at her paws, ashamed. "But…I want to try."
Abby looked back up, surprised but also hopeful. "I-I'd like that." She paused for a moment. "So, about the reason I came out here…"
"I'm not taking her offer; she's burned that bridge," Vivian said resolutely. She then took a breath and added, "That being said, let me know if you're ever in the city."
Abby smiled. "Deal." After a moment, she then said, "So, question."
"OK, shoot."
"Is there any place to get a decent drink around here?" the younger vixen asked.
Vivian snorted. "Yeah, let's go." The two of them stood only for Vivian's phone to start ringing. "Hang on a second." She pulled it out, not immediately recognizing the number. Curious, she answered it.
"Hello?"
["Heeey, Mrs. Wilde…"]
"Judy?" Vivian asked, surprised to get a call from her kits' friend. "Is everything OK?"
The bunny on the other side gave a small laugh, though it sounded terrified and nervous. ["Um, so, uh…"]
The fox glanced at her sister, slightly annoyed, and sighed. "Judith, what happened?"
["…Promise you won't be mad?"]
"Sure," Vivian said, rolling her eyes. Whatever had happened, the younger bunny was overreacting and it wasn't actually that bad-
["Nick and Skye got arrested."]
"WHAT?!"
["WHAT?!"]
Judy recoiled, pulling her phone away from her ear, drawing the attention of both Jack and Josie. She should have expected that kind of response from Mrs. Wilde. She put the phone back to her ear and said, "Um, Nick and Skye-"
The vixen cut her off. ["No, no, no, I heard you fine. What I meant was, what the hell do you mean they got arrested?!"]
"Uh, well, um," the bunny stammered out, suddenly wishing she had let Jack call her instead.
["What did they do?"] Mrs. Wilde asked, her voice now eerily calm.
"Nothing!" Judy quickly answered. "They didn't do anything wrong! Honest!"
There was silence on the other side before she heard Mrs. Wilde sigh, one devoid of any anger and instead replaced with resignation. ["What happened?"]
"We were just hanging out in the town center, near the ice cream shop," Judy said. "Some sheep started harassing us about Nick and Skye, and after we told her to leave us alone, a police car showed up and took them away."
["Just them?"]
"Yeah, Jack and Josie are here with me."
["And, just to clarify, you kits didn't start anything?"]
"No." Judy paused before adding, "Well, OK, we didn't exactly make things better, I mean, we kinda yelled back at her trying to defend Nick and Skye, and I kinda sorta kissed Nick, which I still can't believe I did that in front of everyone-"
["Judy, honey, I think I get the picture."] The bunny then heard Mrs. Wilde sigh again. ["Is it safe to assume that Nick and Skye are at the police station?"]
"They're still probably on their way there, but yeah."
["OK, I'll be there shortly, just meet me there. I'll see you in a few minutes."]
"OK." With that, Mrs. Wilde ended the call on her end. Judy sighed as she pocketed her phone, and she turned to Jack and Josie, saying, "She said to meet her at the police station."
"Is she going to bail out Nick and Skye?" Jack asked.
Judy rolled her eyes. "No, Jack, she's going there to tell them that she's leaving them there overnight; of course she's going to bail them out!"
"They can't charge them with anything, can they?" Josie interjected.
"I don't know," Judy answered, shrugging helplessly. "They might get charged with disturbing the peace, but-"
"Disturbing the peace?!" Josie exclaimed, sounding outraged. "They didn't do anything wrong! It was that sheep who started it!"
"Do you think she was the one who called the cops?" Jack questioned. "I mean, she was talking on her phone before she said anything to us."
"Yeah, she was!" Josie answered. "She also started throwing slurs around and started yelling at us."
"Yeah, and then we yelled back at her in a public spot. They might use that as a reason to charge them," Judy explained.
"But we were the ones yelling back, not them! Why weren't we arrested with them?"
Jack scoffed. "Take a wild guess why."
"Well, that's bullshit!"
"Preaching to the choir here, Jo," Judy muttered.
Josie grabbed her ears and tugged on them in frustration. "And all because that sheep didn't like that we're friends with them," she grumbled under her breath, furious. "I better not see that bigoted asshole again."
"Well, then don't turn around," Jack said, looking behind her, "because she's right there." All this did was make the brown bunny turn around and see the sheep, waiting at the bus stop. Judy could practically see the steam coming out her ears.
"Josie, don't-"
Her words fell on deaf ears, as Josie immediately made a beeline for the sheep. Judy turned and glared at her cousin, who grimaced. "Why do I say things?" he asked under his breath.
"Come on," the gray bunny grabbed her book before she motioned towards the direction Josie went off in. "Before she gets arrested, too."
The two of them caught up with her as she went, "Hey!" to the sheep.
The ewe turned and scoffed when she saw who it was. "I'm done talking with you."
"Yeah, well, I'm not!" Josie took another step before Jack grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Josie, stop, this isn't going to help," the buck said.
The sheep looked at Judy. "Get your friend under control. I did you all a favor."
"A 'favor'?" Josie repeated, wrestling her arm away from Jack. "Ma'am, those two are our friends-"
"They weren't your friends," came the interruption.
"And how would you know that?!"
"Jo, please," Judy said, shooting her a look. The brown bunny huffed and crossed her arms, still angry. The gray bunny gave her book to her cousin and turned back to the sheep, paws clasped together, saying, "Look, we've known the two of them for years; they really are our friends."
"Then you truly are dumber than you look if you actually believe that, and especially if you actually think that chomper has any real affection for you," the ewe retorted. "Of course, you're hoping that it does, aren't you, you little pred chaser?"
"You really are asking to get punched, aren't you?" Josie asked, who was barely being held back by Jack.
"Josie, SHUT. UP." Judy took a small breath, trying to keep her own anger in check as she put her paws in her pocket. "Ma'am, please-"
"No, you listen here!" the sheep interrupted. "I don't care what lies those two pelts told you, but you can't trust anything they say. They're foxes! One minute, they'll act like they're your friend, and the next, they'll make off with everything you own! Maybe not in that moment, but in the future."
"So, you admit that, in that moment, they weren't doing anything wrong?" Judy asked, removing a paw and pointing over to where they were hanging out.
"Sure, 'in that moment' they weren't doing anything, but I don't care! I made sure they're in jail where every one of those pelts belong, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!"
Josie's paw clenched in a fist, and it looked like she was debating if she should actually take a swing at the ewe, but at that moment, the bus finally showed up, slowing to a stop in front of the four of them. The sheep gave them one last contemptuous look before boarding, with the bus departing shortly later.
"What a rotten bitch," Josie seethed.
Jack huffed as the bus drove away. "Well, that was a complete waste of time."
"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that," Judy said, a sly tone in her voice.
The buck turned to his cousin, confused. "What are you talking-"
*CLICK*
'Sure, 'in that moment' they weren't doing anything, but I don't care! I made sure they're in jail where every one of those pelts belong, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!'
Both Jack and Josie looked at Judy in shock, the latter's anger dissipating. Judy smirked and took her paw out of her pocket, holding up her carrot pen. She pressed the button again, replaying the recording she made of the sheep. Once it finished, the three of them stood in silence.
"You recorded her?" Josie finally asked, looking at the pen in awe.
Judy shrugged, still wearing a small smirk. "Everything she said, I got it all right here," she said, waving the pen around.
Jack and Josie just stared at her before the former started laughing. "That is amazing!"
"That's hot," Josie murmured.
"What?"
"What?"
Judy shook her head. "Not important. You guys fancy a trip to the police station and clearing this all up?"
"Yeah, let's head over there now," Jack said. "Maybe we'll run into Mrs. Wilde on the way."
"Yeah."
"OK."
With that, the three kits started making their way to the police station. After a moment, Judy heard Josie say, "I'm sorry."
Judy glanced over at her. "Huh?"
The brown bunny sighed as she kicked away a small rock. "I was just making things worse back there, wasn't I?"
Jack and Judy glanced at each other before the former slowly said, "Well, she made it very clear that she wasn't going to change her mind about Nick and Skye, so no, I don't think that you made things worse."
Judy jumped in. "Besides, we have proof that they're innocent. And with any luck, we'll never see her again."
"Here's hoping." Josie was quiet until she added, "You guys are my friends, OK? I didn't have a lot of them before I moved here, so, when she started saying those things about them and to you," she shrugged meekly, "I kinda lost my cool back there."
"Hey, it's OK," Jack said. "I get it. Trust me, I wanted to let her have it, too."
Judy nodded her head in agreement as Josie said, "I guess I just wanted to prove I am your friend-"
"What?" Judy stopped to look at the brown bunny. "Why would you need to do that? You don't need to prove anything to anyone."
"Don't I?" Josie asked before she could stop herself. "I mean, I know that I'm not as close to you guys as Nick and Skye are, and I know that your guys' trips to see each other are your thing, and-"
"Let me stop you right there," Judy interrupted, quieting the other doe. "Josie, you are our friend. I know that, Jack knows that, Nick and Skye know that; you don't have to prove your friendship to us. OK?"
"…OK," Josie said quietly, giving a small smile. She took a small breath and said, "Speaking of Nick and Skye, we shouldn't keep them and their mom waiting, right?"
"...Right." Josie nodded and started walking again, missing the concerned look between Jack and Judy, who were not fully convinced that she was fine. The two of them decided that they could address it with her again later, with Nick and Skye with them. They quickly caught up with Josie, and after a moment, Jack finally asked the question on all their minds:
"So, how do you think they're holding up?"
MEANWHILE…
"Y'know, it could be worse."
Skye silently turned to her right and looked at her brother, unamused. "Oh, yeah?" she asked sarcastically before gesturing around the holding cell they were in. "How could it be worse than this?"
"…We could've been shot?" Nick offered, to which Skye just glared at him. "What, would you rather have been shot or put in here?"
"I'd rather have this never happen at all, you idiot," she shot back.
"Sorry," Nick said, holding up his paws in surrender. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
"Well, don't."
Nick put his paws down, starting to grow irritated by his sister's attitude towards him. "Why are you angry at me? I didn't do anything."
"I'M NOT-" Skye stopped and took a deep breath, continuing in a calmer voice, "I'm not angry at YOU, OK? I-"
"Hey! Keep it quiet in there!" Both foxes jumped at the interjection, turning to see the ram that arrested them glaring at them. "You have the right to remain silent, so use it!"
Nick opened his mouth to respond, only for Skye to quickly reach out and clamp his muzzle shut with her paw. He looked at her, and she shook her head.
"Don't antagonize him," she whispered. "It won't help us here."
After a few seconds, Nick huffed through his nose before nodding his head. Skye let go of him, letting out a sigh and ran her paws down her face. Nick looked around his immediate surroundings, noting how big the holding cell they were in was, made even bigger as he and Skye were the only occupants there. He looked through the bars in front of him, seeing the ram lounging at the desk in front, scrolling through his phone, occasionally chuckling. The two of them just sat on the bench in silence before Nick quietly asked, "Do you know sign language?"
Skye shook her head. "Nope."
"Damn."
His response made Skye's ears perk up in surprise and she looked at him. "Wait, do YOU know how to sign?"
Nick made a 'so-so' gesture with his paw. "Kinda, but not really; I've been trying to learn it."
"When?" Skye asked, now intrigued. "And why?"
"At the stand," Nick answered. "As to why, it can get pretty boring there sometimes, and I can only talk with Honey about conspiracy theories for so long before I lose my mind, so I need something to keep me busy. Thought it would be pretty cool to learn, so…"
"So, what do you know?"
"OK, so I know the alphabet, I can say 'Hello,' 'Goodbye,' 'Thank you,' 'Yes,' 'No,' maybe a couple others," he said, demonstrating each sign as he said it.
"That's pretty cool," Skye admitted.
"The thing is, it's best if I have someone to practice with, and Finn and Honey aren't interested, and Flash, well," her brother answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you wanna try it?"
"You want me to learn sign language with you?" Skye asked quietly, giving her first smile since they were arrested.
"Why not?" Nick reasoned. "It could be pretty useful to know, and if we both knew it, we could still talk to each other without being heard."
"Would it be just an 'us' thing?"
"Just an 'us' thing," Nick confirmed.
Skye thought it over before she shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"Cool," he said, holding out his paw for a fist bump, which she did. After a beat, he asked, "How mad do you think Mom'll be?"
"Hopefully, not at all if Judy explains it. Maybe she's calmed down since this morning," Skye said, though she didn't sound too sure of it. "Speaking of Judy, I'm sorry I told her about, you know…"
Nick was confused before he realized what she was talking about and shrugged. "It's OK, everything worked out."
"But what if it didn't?" she asked. "What if I had made things worse by telling her? What if-"
"Skye," Nick interrupted. "It's fine. Really." The vixen didn't look completely convinced but she nodded her head. "But on the topic of this morning…"
Skye breathed out a huge breath. "Right, yeah. That happened."
"Never thought I'd see Abby again," Nick said. "And given what happened this morning, it sounded like Mom was hoping to never see her again, either." He sighed. "What do you think happened between them?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Nick shrugged before continuing, "we knew Mom had a problem with Grandma, but I thought she and Abby were on somewhat good terms. But after the trip out to see them, Mom never talked about her again. Think it's related?"
"Maybe." Skye paused. "That's not what I've been wondering, though."
"It's not? Then what is it?"
"What did Grandma say about me?" Nick looked at her, confused. Skye added, "Back at the house, Mom said, 'Not after what she said about her'. She pointed right at me. What did Grandma say?"
Nick sighed. "I don't know, but I've been wondering that, too," he admitted. "And now that I think about it, what did Abby say? Do you think she agreed with her?"
"She must've, to warrant that kind of response," Skye said. "But if it was something bad and she agreed with Grandma, then why did she look happy to see us?"
Nick shrugged. "I don't know." The two sat in silence for a few seconds before he asked, "Do you think Abby was telling the truth? That Grandma wanted to help?"
"Maybe," Skye answered. "Though, I can't think of a reason why she would come out all this way just to lie to her."
"True, but-"
*CLANG*
Both foxes jumped at the sudden sound, Skye letting out a startled yelp. They both turned to see the ram holding a baton, standing in front of the bars; it was clear that he had hit them.
"I thought I told you pelts to shut up!"
It soon fell quiet again. After a moment, the ram turned and made his way back to the front desk, grumbling. As soon as he was out of earshot, Nick leaned over to his sister and, as quietly as he could, said, "OK, as soon as we're out of here, we are going to learn sign language together."
"Agreed," Skye said, just as softly, trying to pat down the fur on her tail, which was now all poofed out.
A moment later, Nick heard the door up front open, and he looked past the desk to see Judy enter and approach the ram. "Hey, there's Carrots," he said, nudging his sister.
"What?" Skye stood and walked up to the cell door, Nick following her. She put her paws on the bars, looking through them. "Where're Jack and Josie? And where's Mom?"
"Um, excuse me, sir?" they heard Judy say.
The ram looked up from his phone. "What can I do for you?"
"Were two foxes brought in earlier? A red one and a white one?"
"Who wants to know?"
"Well, see, they're my friends-" Judy then spotted the two foxes in the cell behind the ram. Her ears shot straight up and she pointed to them. "That's them right there! Listen, you need to let them out, they didn't do anything wrong!"
"Oh, really?" the ram said, unconvinced. "And where's your proof?"
"Right here." Judy then put her carrot pen on the desk between them. "The mammal who called confessed that they were just sitting there, not doing anything wrong. They're innocent."
"Wait, did she hustle a confession out of that sheep?" Nick whispered, looking at his sister.
Skye nodded her head, eyes wide. "Sounds like it."
"...Dog, that's so hot."
"Down, boy."
"Yes, I'm sure that's exactly what this is," the officer said sarcastically. "Did you get their name on here?"
Judy paused. "Well, no, but-"
"Are they standing outside the building?"
"No-"
"So why should I believe you? The word of one kit is not enough proof to just let anyone walk free." The ram waved his hoof dismissively towards the door. "Get outta here."
"What?!" Judy exclaimed, shocked. "But sir-"
The door to the station opened again, though this time was more forceful, and everyone turned to see Vivian and-
"Abby?" Nick asked. "What is she doing here?"
Their mother saw them almost immediately, and strode over to the desk, demanding, "Let those two kits out, NOW."
The ram cocked an unimpressed eyebrow. "Those your kits back there? Well, you're going to have to wait until their bail is set-"
"Nonononono, I don't think you heard me properly," Vivian interrupted, placing both paws on the desk and leaning over to the officer. "I said let those two kits OUT. NOW."
"And I told you that's not happening. Those two caused a public disturbance-"
"One that I was told they didn't start, nor took part in," the vixen spat out, teeth barely showing.
The officer scoffed. "And where's your proof?"
Judy held up her pen. "Right here-"
"What are you still doing here?" The officer interjected. "I told you to get out!"
Vivian's hackles rose, now furious. "Hey! You don't get to speak to her that way!"
The ram stood up, now looking more and more irritated. "Excuse me, but who the hell do you think you're talking to-"
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO?!"
"What is going on here?"
Everyone turned to the source of the question, where they saw a wombat in a police sergeant uniform standing by the entrance; amidst all the shouting, no one had heard him come in. Judy's ears perked up in recognition while the ram answered, "It's OK, sir, I have everything under control-"
"That wasn't my question," the other mammal interrupted. "And judging by the volume in here, you clearly don't have this 'under control'."
"Sergeant Davis-"
"I would like an answer, if someone is willing to provide one," Davis said, arms outstretched and looking at the others.
Judy immediately spoke up. "Sir, my friends were wrongfully arrested and jailed, and despite providing evidence of their innocence, he won't even listen to it at all."
Davis shot a look at the ram. "Is this true?"
The other officer fidgeted but said, "Sir, her 'evidence' is a recording from a toy pen, which conveniently leaves out the name of who is on there and who conveniently isn't present here."
"Hmm." The wombat stood there in thought before he looked at Judy. "May I see this evidence?"
"Sir, you cannot be serious!"
"I am, now be quiet." He addressed Judy again. "I would like to hear this recording of yours."
The gray bunny nodded her head, passing over her carrot pen. "Just press this button here," she explained, pointing to it on the pen. Davis nodded his head and played the recording. Immediately, everyone heard the interaction between Judy and the sheep, with Vivian getting more and more angry the longer the recording played out. Once it finished, Judy asked, "So, is that enough proof?"
Davis sighed. "Unfortunately, my colleague is correct. Without a name, we cannot confirm that this is legitimate."
"But-"
"Luckily for you and your friends, however," he interrupted, "I just so happen to recognize the voice on here, as she has made similar calls to us before about 'suspicious looking mammals,' all of which had been dismissed in the past." He then shot a pointed look at the ram. "What I want to know is why her call was taken seriously this time."
The ram fidgeted nervously. "Uh-"
"I would also like to know if the arrestees were told and given their rights."
"Well-"
"Did you at least notify their parents that their kits had been arrested?"
"No, he did not," Vivian answered, shaking her head as she crossed her arms and glared at the other officer. "I didn't even know what was happening until their friends called me and told me."
"I see," Davis intoned, giving the ram a critical look as well. "Care to explain yourself, officer?"
"W-Well, sir," the sheep stammered out, "dispatch made it sound like it was serious, and protocol dictates that-"
"That you call in any arrests you make and let us know what is happening," Davis interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Cripes, you didn't even tell their parents; what is wrong with you?!"
The ram officer looked around nervously. "Well, um, uh-"
"Save it," the sergeant interrupted. "It is one thing to respond to a call about 'suspicious' mammals; it is another to arrest them without calling it in, deny them their rights, and not even notify their family about what occurred. So, here is what is going to happen: those two kits," he pointed over to Nick and Skye, "are going to be released, and any charges levied against them will be dropped and removed from their record. Are we clear?"
"...Yes, sir," the officer mumbled, as Davis's tone made clear that it was not up for debate.
"And you better believe you're being written up for this."
The ram suddenly looked indignant, "Now, hold on a minute-"
"You're already on thin ice as it is, Ramses," Davis declared. "Do not make it worse for yourself." He then pointed to the door that led to the rest of the building. "You're dismissed."
Ramses stayed there for a moment longer before he exhaled derisively and made his way out of the room. Before he left, Vivian muttered, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Once the door closed, Davis sighed and turned to the vixen. "Ma'am, I am terribly sorry about all of this. I'll make sure to have a word with him."
"Good."
The wombat nodded and faced Judy. "Here's your pen. It was a clever idea," he told her, giving it back to her, "but sometimes, it might not be enough to prove someone's innocence; you and your friends got lucky here."
"Yes, sir."
Davis then looked at her critically. "You're one of the Hopps kits, right?"
"Yes, sir," Judy answered. "We talked at career day a few years ago."
"That's right, I remember you now. Judith, yes?" The doe nodded. "Well, I hope to see you in uniform within the next few years."
Judy beamed. "That's the plan, sir!"
"Hey, uh, not to sound ungrateful or impatient or anything," Nick interjected, causing everyone to look over to him and Skye. "But can someone let us out now?"
"Yes, of course. One moment." Davis grabbed his keys from his belt and started making his way over to them, with their mother, Judy, and Abby following behind him.
"Hi, momma," Skye quietly greeted, though she and Nick were a little confused to see their aunt with their mother. Davis unlocked the cell, opening the door to let the two younger foxes out. Vivian immediately wrapped up the both of them in a bone crushing hug as the sergeant spoke.
"There you go," he said, retrieving and giving back their phones. "Meanwhile, I believe my subordinate and I will have that little chat." He then left to go to where Ramses had gone, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Are you two OK?" Vivian asked quietly. "Are you hurt?"
"No, we're not hurt," Nick answered as Skye shook her head.
Vivian sighed with relief, the tension leaving her shoulders as she broke off the hug to look at her kits. "Thank Karma. Did anything happen while you two were here?"
Nick and Skye looked at each other. "Um…"
"Nicholas, Skylar," their mother began, sounding stern. "What happened?" After a moment, the kits explained what had happened while they were in the cell, describing the ram's attitude towards them. By the end of it, the older vixen was fuming. "I'm going to rip his wooly ass apart," Vivian growled out, rising to her feet before her sister stopped her with her paw.
"Yes, because you needed an excuse to get arrested right after we just got your kits out," Abby said sarcastically.
"Oh, yeah, that reminds me: what is SHE doing here?" Nick asked, pointing to his aunt.
"Well, hello to you, too, Nicholas," Abby muttered.
"Sorry. Hi," the todd revised before looking at his mother. "My question still stands, though; I thought you hated her."
"It's, um," Vivian looked over at her sister before returning to her kits. "It's complicated, but no, I don't hate her."
"This morning kind of said otherwise."
"Don't make me leave you here, son."
"Sorry."
"Anyway, you might want to hold off on 'ripping his wooly ass apart'," Abby interjected, pointing over towards the door, where they could hear yelling. "Because I think he's doing that for you."
"…Yeah," Vivian conceded, sighing. "Good idea."
Nick nodded his head when he was then wrapped up in a hug by his bunny ('When did she become 'my' bunny?'). "Hey, Carrots. You OK?"
"I am now," came her muffled response.
"Sorry for making you worried," Skye said, causing Judy to shake her head.
"It wasn't your fault," she said, and she went over to hug the white fox.
That was when Nick remembered Skye's question from earlier. "Where're Jack and Josie?"
Judy hesitated before answering, "They decided to wait outside for us. Jack…wanted to talk with her alone."
"About what?" Skye asked. "Is everything OK?"
There was another pause from the doe before she said, "I'll fill you guys in later tonight, but yeah, everything should be."
"OK, everyone," Vivian interjected, "I think we've overstayed our welcome; we should probably leave."
No one argued, and the group of mammals all exited the building. As soon as they were outside, Nick and Skye saw Jack and Josie waiting for them, sitting next to each other, the buck talking with her quietly. Nick wasn't sure, but it looked like Josie had been crying. Before he or Skye could say anything, the brown bunny looked up and saw them, immediately jumping to her feet and crushing the todd in a hug. "I'm so glad you guys are OK," she said quietly to him.
"Thanks, Jo." Nick thought about what Judy had mentioned moments ago and shot a questioning look at Jack, who just shook his head.
'Later,' he mouthed.
Nick held back a small sigh as Josie gave a hug to Skye. The brown bunny then pulled out her phone to check the time and winced. "Crap, it's getting late; I need to head out."
"You sure you can't hang out a little bit longer?" Jack asked her. Nick noticed the hopeful tone in his voice, but Josie shook her head.
"I was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago, but I had to make sure Nick and Skye were OK," she said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, though."
Jack and Judy glanced at each other before the former said, "OK. We'll see you tomorrow, Jo."
As Josie walked away, Nick and Skye both quickly looked at the bunnies. "Seriously, what happened? What's going on?"
"Not here," Judy told him. "Like I said, we'll explain at home." Nick looked like he wanted to protest. "Nick, please."
"...Fine."
"Vivian," everyone turned to Abby, "you should be with your kits right now. Maybe we can meet up again tonight at the motel?"
"Sure," Vivian immediately agreed. "Maybe at around 10:30?"
"Yeah, that works." With that, she turned to her niece and nephew. "It was great seeing you two again, though I didn't think it would be under these circumstances."
"Let's not make a tradition out of it," Vivian interjected. She looked at Abby. "I'll see you tonight?"
"See you tonight." A moment later, Abby embraced her sister, who returned it seconds later. The kits could hardly believe what they were seeing, given what happened that morning. Once Abby had left and was out of earshot, Nick turned to his mother.
"OK, I have several questions," he declared, with Skye, Jack, and Judy all voicing their agreement.
Vivian just smiled lightly. "Like I said, it's a little complicated, and not everything has been sorted out between us, but I talked with her again after she left this morning."
"Mom, it looked like you were ready to kill her this morning," Nick pointed out. "What happened between you two?"
"And does it have to do with what Grandma said about me?" Skye suddenly asked.
Vivian paused before she cautiously said, "It has to do with that, yes."
"So, what happened?"
Another pause. "Your grandmother had some…choice…words about you, and Abby made the mistake of agreeing with her. That's why we had stopped talking after that trip. She's apologized, though, so everything's good now."
Nick and Skye glanced at each other, not convinced that was the full story. "What did Grandma say?" Vivian looked pained at the question. "Mom?"
"…I'll tell you when we get back to the city," she said, quickly adding before her kits could protest, "Let's enjoy the rest of our time here first. I promise I will tell you both, OK?" Nick and Skye looked like they wanted to argue, but eventually, both nodded their heads.
"OK."
"Fine, but we're going to hold you to that."
"That's fine." Vivian then glanced at her watch and said, "OK, we need to head back to the house; Bonnie and Stu are probably wondering where we are." She started walking towards the parking lot, not waiting for the kits to follow her.
Nick sighed. "Do you think she'll actually tell us?"
"She will," Skye said determinedly. "Even if we have to pester her every second of every day."
"You think so?"
"After what happened this morning, she owes us that." Skye took a breath and shook her head. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Yeah, let's go," Jack agreed, he and Skye already walking away to catch up with Vivian, leaving Nick and Judy behind.
"You OK, Slick?" Judy asked, taking the fox's paw in hers.
Nick relaxed at the bunny's touch and tried for a smile. "Yeah, I'm good. It's just been a long day."
"I'll admit, I can't say that today was boring," she said. "I'm sorry that this happened to you guys."
"Hey, it wasn't your fault that someone who hates pointy teeth got us arrested," Nick told her, trying to play off how he really felt about the whole ordeal.
Judy looked at him, unconvinced. "Nick."
He sighed. "I'll be OK. Really."
Before Judy could say anything else, she and the todd heard Vivian call out to them. "Nick! Judy!" Both kits turned to see the vixen standing by her car with Jack and Skye. "We're leaving, come on!"
"You heard her, Slick," Judy said, starting to head over to the car. "Let's go."
"Yeah."
The two of them made their way over to others and got in the car, Skye taking the passenger seat and Jack, Judy, and Nick taking the back. As Vivian pulled out of the lot, Nick felt Judy take his paw again and rest her head on his shoulder. He held back a sigh.
'What a day.'
A few hours later, Vivian found herself outside her sister's motel room door again. She had spent the rest of the day with her kits, making sure that they were OK after the events from earlier. Both Bonnie and Stu were furious when they heard about what had happened, but eventually calmed down when Vivian told them everything had been worked out. Eventually, though, it was getting close to 10:30, so the vixen left again to see Abby again. Vivian raised her paw and knocked on the door, only to hear no response from the other side. She went to knock again when:
"Hey, there you are!"
Vivian turned to her left to see her sister walking towards her, though calling it 'walking' was being polite. "Sweet Karma, what happened to you?"
Abby drunkenly shrugged, the motion causing her to stumble slightly. "I found a bar."
"I can see that," Vivian droned. "How much did you have to drink?"
"Um…"
The older vixen shook her head. "Never mind. Do you have your key?" Abby nodded, stumbling again. Vivian immediately went to support her, grabbing her key and unlocking the door, leading her into the room.
Abby winced as her sister flashed on the lights. "Wow, those are bright."
"OK, here we go," Vivian said as soon as she closed the door, leading (or rather, partially carrying) her sister to the bed. Abby flopped down face first, before rolling to face the ceiling, giggling a little. "Karma, you are drunk."
"Pfft," her younger sister said, drawling out each word, "you think this is me drunk? Sister of mine, I have not even begun to defile myself."
Vivian shook her head as she went to get her a cup of water. "Remind me to never let you and Kii drink together."
"Hey, you should never let me and Kii drink together at all," Abby said, giggling even harder at her sister's look.
The older vixen just rolled her eyes. She went into the bathroom, grabbing a cup and turning on the sink faucet. "OK, smarty-pants, I don't think you're capable of intelligent conversation right now; let's get you ready for bed," she called out into the room.
"But I don't wanna go to bed!"
"What're you, five?"
"You're five!"
Despite her concern, Vivian couldn't help but smile at her sister's childish behavior. She walked back into the room to see Abby pulling on a pair of sweatpants. "Here," she gave the cup of water to the younger fox, "this will make tomorrow morning more bearable."
"Thanks," Abby said, downing the entire glass in one go before flopping back down onto the bed.
"What time is your flight tomorrow?"
"Hmm, I can't remember. It's in the morning, though, I think." She slowly got into a sitting position and gestured over to her bag. "My schedule should be in there."
Vivian nodded and went over to her bag, digging through it and finding her sister's planner. She found the current date and skimmed through it to find the time that Abby's flight departed. "OK, it says that your flight is at 9, so you should probably head to the airport at around 8, maybe a little earlier. Sound good?" She was met with silence, and when she turned to ask again, she noticed her sister's slouched posture, her ears pinned back against her head. "Abby?"
"I don't want to go."
'She really is drunk.' Vivian rolled her eyes. "Abby-"
"I just got you back," the younger vixen interrupted, her voice starting to break. "After what happened, I thought I would n-never see you again. I-I don't want t-to lose you again."
"Woah, hey," Vivian immediately went to her sister, kneeling in front of her and taking her paws. "Abby-"
The sound of her phone ringing interrupted her, and she pulled it out to see Kii's contact filling up the screen. Abby saw it as well and sighed. "You should probably answer that. I-"
She stopped as Vivian hit 'Decline' and pocketed her phone "She can wait; you can't." The older fox sighed. "Look, you're not losing me, OK? I've got your number, and you have mine; if you ever want to just talk, you can do that now."
Abby sniffed and looked up. "Promise?"
Vivian drew her in for a hug. "I promise."
"…I love you."
The older fox smiled softly. "Love you too, Pipsqueak." After a moment, she added, "You're getting my shirt wet again."
"You keep making me cry."
Vivian chuckled and just held her sister for a while longer. After a moment, she asked, "Do you want me to see you off tomorrow?" Abby didn't respond, instead getting heavier in the vixen's arms. "Abby?" She then heard her lightly snore into her shoulder.
'Did she just…?'
Shaking her head but being careful not to rouse her now sleeping sister, Vivian gently laid her onto her bed, tucking her in like she did when they were younger. Before she left, she set the alarm on the motel clock for 7:00 in the morning and left a glass of water and painkillers from her purse for her.
'That's going to be a nasty hangover,' she thought to herself as she left the room. Vivian couldn't help but worry about how normal this seemed to be for Abby. She immediately thought about Danny, and how he had lost himself to addiction years ago.
'Karma, if you're listening, please don't let her end up like him.'
The drive back to the Hopps home was quiet, with not even the radio playing to fill the silence. Pulling into the driveway, she decided to not go in right away and instead head to the back porch. Taking a seat in one of the chairs, Vivian let out a huge sigh, running her paws down her face and thinking about everything that had happened that day: Abby's unexpected appearance, her talk with Bonnie and Stu, patching things up with her sister, Nick and Skye getting arrested, consoling her drunk sister, Kii's call-
Vivian's ears perked up in realization. She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed the cheetah's number. A moment later:
["Hello?"]
"Hey, Kii, sorry I missed your call. I was…busy with something."
["Is everything OK? What happened?"]
"…Abby showed up this morning."
["…Oh. Please tell me that you didn't do something that I would have to defend you from in court."]
Vivian smiled softly. "Don't worry, Kii, everything's OK between us. Though, you might've had to defend Nick and Skye earlier."
["…Why?"] The vixen then explained what had happened that day at the police station. By the end, Kii just chuckled. ["I wish I was there; could've seen Mama Fox defend her kits."]
Vivian rolled her eyes at that. "I'll bet. So, what did you call about earlier?"
Kii immediately stopped laughing. ["…Right. You, uh, might want to sit down."]
"…Why?" the vixen asked, confused and concerned at the cheetah's uncharacteristically serious tone.
["Because we have a small problem."]