Serendipity's Shadow
Rated T
Chapter 50
"I DID NOT JUST HEAR YOU ASK WHAT I THINK I JUST HEARD YOU ASK?!"
If Nick had a death wish… he is pretty sure it just came true.
"We'll circle back to that question later." Nick winked nonchalantly at Nova making her smile bashfully.
"I still expect my flowers tomorrow."
"Of course." Nick shooed her away from the table as an angry Judy came stomping over.
"You find out I'm expecting and think 'Gee, I want a kid too' or something?"
"No… no, not really." Nick shrugged feeding Judy's rage.
"Nicholas!"
"Is it so wrong for me to give a kid who has nothing my family name?"
"You just met her!" Judy countered. "You know nothing about her. And you don't just spring a life-changing question on someone you've just met. Especially when it's your family name!"
"Counter argument. Doesn't the world revolve around strangers asking questions that can change their lives every day? And I do know her. We just played poker and Miss Nova Doe, an unfortunate name, smoked my ass. And I have an amazing last name."
"I can't believe you."
"Are you two done fighting yet?" Nova asked from the other room.
"Not yet."
"We're not fighting."
Nick gave Judy an exasperated look for trying to tell an obvious lie. Judy meanwhile rubbed her head in frustration from Nick's actions.
"We'll discuss this later."
"In bed? Before or after activities?"
"I will shoot you." Judy stated, before walking off.
"Promises, promises." Nick mumbled.
Judy eventually returned after ushering Nova into the side room to read or watch television alone. Then she went and grabbed Tia who she had to drag against her will out of the room. When Judy joined Nick at the table again Tia sat uncomfortably between the two.
"Be nice." Judy ordered in a harsh tone.
Nick lifted his hands up in surrender while trying not to glare at the ferret.
Judy wasted no time getting on the topic as soon as both she and Tia were seated.
"Where do we go now?"
Nick leaned forward on the table in thought.
"Ermine knows something is up. He just doesn't know what exactly."
"At this point I'd say Ermine is confident that the evidence is gone since…"
"Since your tiger boy cop crushed it?" Tia offered.
"Yeah." Judy nodded with a frown.
"I wouldn't be too sure." Nick stated.
"Why?"
"Someone like Ermine doesn't believe something is safe until he sees it for himself." Tia shivered at the memory.
"Exactly." Nick pointed at Tia, indirectly making her uncomfortable. "We made a show of it to find out who the spy was. That's going to have him on high alert. If I was him…I'd think that everything that happened recently was just too good to be true."
"So…Tia still isn't safe. And now I just put an even bigger target on my back." Judy rubbed her temple in thought.
"I'm not safe until he's dead or in jail and powerless. But I'm also a nobody he can ignore for a while. You however are an officer of the law that personally slighted while also…" Tia spared a glance at the Shadow before redirecting her gaze back to Judy. "Other personal things that I'm sure make you the cherry on top to any revenge pie."
"New rule. No one leaves the house." Nick stated firmly, crossing his arms.
"New rule. I don't listen to you and update Chief Bogo before Fenton gets any more information on the situation." Judy countered standing from the table.
"Nope." Nick stood in opposition.
"Not listening."
"Judy-"
"I'm not listening Nick-"
"Is it actually a good idea to go now?" Tia countered a thought.
Nick and Judy tilted their heads to the side like confused children seeing a telephone for the first time.
"It's midday. Broad daylight. The easiest time to kill someone in public."
"…I'll go tonight then."
"Double no!" Nick looked at Judy as if she had just grown two heads. "You thought I was crazy for wanting to adopt a kid! You want to go and just waltz in the middle of the night and hope Fenton isn't going to kill you?"
"He's not gonna kill me. If he has any brains, he went underground for the time being."
"Okay Fenton won't kill you, but Ermine will have many of his men looking for you and they will kill you."
"He's got a point!" Nova called from the other side of the house.
"Back to your room please!"
"Please not now Nova!"
"Geesh!" Nova stomped back into what she assumed was Nick's bedroom.
"Then how do I tell Bogo? Someone must tell him."
"I'll find a way." Nick knew Judy wasn't just trying to warn Bogo about Fenton. She was worried about her coworkers and friends at the police station. "But you running after them won't do anyone any good."
"I can't sit here and do nothing." Judy argued.
Nick really had to hold back from saying that he was a project she could always do.
"You're not." Tia spoke up. "You're still protecting me."
Tia had to admit, even if sheepishly, that she felt safe when Judy was around. And not just because she knew the Shadow wouldn't do anything with Judy nearby. It was the safe feeling of having a friend near to make you feel less alone.
"For now, we just wait and see if Ermine does anything. And you-" Nick gestured at Judy, "You really need to think about what your next moves are."
The quick glance towards Judy's belly did not go unnoticed much to the rabbit's annoyance.
"I wasn't born with the ability to sit by."
"I'm aware first rabbit officer of Zootopia."
"Can I come out now?" Nova called from the other side of the house again.
An annoyed silence filled the room while Tia looked back and forth between the two groups.
"I'm going back to my room…" Tia mumbled.
"You do that. Nova you too."
"I don't have a room!" Nova stomped off again giving Judy a headache.
Judy was rethinking this whole becoming a mom thing for a moment.