Just a quick bit

"Quite a nice rental they arranged." Judy drove the big plush sedan towards Bunny Burrow. Various unnamed government agencies had brought them out of Rain City's jurisdiction and had been in contact with the ZPD and Bogo about rehabilitating Judy to duty. She still needed to come in and do some fierce face time with the Chief, but there was more urgent family business to attend to first.

Nick pawed through the packet they'd been given as well as he could, "And a deluxe suite at the Tri-burrow Rammada. Ooh, and credit cards. We need to do more business with them."

"Don't think you have enough digits to afford much more." Judy reminded. Nick still had his paws in splints and his forearm cast threatened to remain for another four to six weeks. "And the family will just spit if we don't' stay with them instead of being holed-up at a hotel."

"That is if they don't want to run me out on a rail."

Judy thought about that. Even with Gideon exonerated, there was a lingering poison in the air. While she didn't think anyone in the family would actually get physical, there were some who would have attitudes all too similar to the PDR, especially after the public tensions their agents had created. Some mammals could be so ignorant and by extension, easily manipulated.

Soon, they were at the Tri-Burrow regional hospital. It was always a busy place, not so much for actual in-patient admissions as much as the often huge families that would come to visit their loved ones. Judy recognized any number of the Hopps clan in the mix and was dreading the mobbing she was likely going to get. Luckily, as Judy was still in her dye job and Nick was unknown locally, and looked more like a patient than a visitor, they were able to get up to her Father's room without drawing any attention, fair or foul.

There was a Deputy standing guard outside the door, more for crowd control than security any more, and demanded ID for the two strangers. Judy presented her ZPD card and the deputy, a young Deer, gasped in surprised delight. Recognizing the crush of other bunnies around them, she leaned in and whispered, "Sheriff Clark and I were the ones who responded to the call and found your Father. He still looks a lot worse than he actually is, but is doing really well."

Judy gripped her hoof, "Thank you ever so. I was briefed on what you did, and want to see you later as things allow."

"Sure, anytime."

She opened the door for them to enter. Inside there were merely a dozen or two younger Hopps siblings lining the walls in a quiet vigil and a rabbit sized bed with the Patriarch, entangled in support equipment in the middle. There was a collective 'who is this strange Doe' and a few stink eyes at the Fox, then the old Rabbit croaked "Hey Jude."

There was a collective jaw drop and silent shock as Judy approached. She tentatively touched her Father's paw. "Hi Dad. Sorry that you got pulled into all this." He did look terrible, over and above the bandages, braces and plumbing that covered him, his fur was dull and he had lost weight, making him look so much older.

"I'm just glad I got to come back from the dead." Then he stopped in concentration, "Judy, go see Gideon. This hurt him so bad."

"Of course." Judy considered her next words. "Dad, we got those who did this to you."

As weak and vague his face had been, it hardened with consternation at that. "oh, Judy, I've never wanted you to get into danger, even for my sake."

"Dad. This was so much more than us. They were foreign terrorists, intent on destroying all that Zootopia stands for, and were willing to hurt or kill anyone. I had to stop them."

Stu considered that for a moment, his face falling into great sorrow. "So, so much for my little Bun." Then, recovering, he tried to break the mood and change the subject, "That color doesn't suit you, too much like your Cousin Cathy."

Judy was happy to lighten things up as well, "Yeah, a dye job. I've been too busy to get it changed back." She glanced around to see the collective 'oh that explains it' from the now approaching crush of kin. There was a flurry of hugs and kisses and a few tears. She HAD been gone too long. She glanced over at Nick, who seemed to be content to stand back out of the way and enjoy his Bunny's moment.

While the rest of the Hopps clan was now ignoring the Fox, he did catch Stu's eye. He struggled to make his voice heard above the din, "So! You're the one who's stolen my Daughter's heart!"

The shocked silence before was nothing like this.

Nick was braced against the wall, looking like he was ready to jump out a window or otherwise flee. Judy just froze, eyes wide, in an atavistic fear hunch. The rest just stared, looking back and forth between their obviously demented Father and the two unlikely subjects.

"The Fox is Judy's Boyfriend?" One of the little ones piped up. Judy, still frozen, at least now looked around frantically, her mouth struggling to do something useful. Nick began to relax, a wane smile on his face, but before he could say anything, the elder Hopps turned to Judy.

"We hoped we'd get some grandkids out of you, but your sisters beat you to it. So it's okay"

"Daaad, no..." Judy whined, torn between denial, sorrow, and confusion. She glanced over to her Fox, pleading with her eyes.

Nick sighed and approached, parting the sea of Rabbits. "Judy and I do have a relationship, several in fact. Companions in adversity back when we first met. Partners in the fight against crime with the ZPD. We're even," and his expression flickered to bittersweet, "what Judy calls cuddle buddies" There was a range of reaction from 'aww' to 'ick' with that.

He reached Judy, "Are we more than that?" He looked down to the most precious thing in the world, and he spoke more to her than the crowd, "We're still figuring that out."

Some time later there was a knock on the door, it was the Deputy, come to warn them that the media had gotten wind of their presence and there was quite a crowd out waiting for them.

Judy and Nick exchanged looks. They had been briefed about how much they could and could not say about what had happened over the last week, but had been cleared to make some small statements in that kind of circumstance.

"Nick, I'm not really keen on getting in front of reporters again." While she had done some successful public speaking after her infamous predators comments, they had been more rehearsed speeches. She didn't have a script, only some notions as to what she wanted to say.

"Well, I'm not going to get up in front of a crowd of still half-scared bunnies. Besides, you're the home town hero and it's about time you started getting the fresh off the vine adulation you deserve."

She could only weakly smile at that.

Shortly she was in front of a small cluster of reporters, all local and a few little more than loggers, and a surprisingly large crowd of onlookers. With Nick holding her paw, she began.

"Let me first say that, since this whole thing is still an active investigation, I can't answer every question you might have, but I can fill you in on a few elements." She looked to Nick, who nodded in encouragement.

"And yes, I am Judy Hopps, just in a dye job. And this is Nicholas Wilde, the Fox who helped me in the Night-Howler and Bellwether Plot." She was feeling pretty good, so far.

"Starting a week ago, there was a plot to terrorize rabbits into retreating into isolation from the rest of the mammals in Zootopia. The beasts responsible were themselves rabbits. Separatists. And were willing to hurt and even kill their own to force us with fear away from our fellow citizens. But the City rallied against them, with the many other species standing in support and defense."

"As the plot failed in its goals and the perpetrators sought, they made one final petty lashing out, attacking my own father, Stuart Hopps, and implicating our good friend, the fox, Gideon Grey." Judy's tone turned a bit sharper, "The Fox who provided a crucial clue in solving the Night-Howler case. And even now, with his exoneration, still faces fear and distrust by his neighbors who should know better."

"As for the rabbits responsible, I can only say that all state security agencies are confident that they or others like them should not be able to threaten us again." And Judy was ready to end it there, but she sensed the reporters and the larger crowd wanted more.

"Were the separatists foreigners?"

"I cannot respond to that, as its part of the ongoing investigation."

"Can you tell us how your Father is doing?"

"I'm happy to say that he's looking like he's going to have a full recovery."

"There were reports that the attacks in the city were actually done by other mammals?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that, in the city, there are desperate creatures who would do anything for the right price. But they were paid and directed by those rabbit agents. Further, there were several separate murders committed by the rabbits themselves, killing their hirelings as they chose."

"Again, what was the goal of the attacks?"

"They wanted to 'prove' that rabbits could not safely live in mixed species societies. Both to drive rabbits into self-segregated communities and to also discredit the basic notion of Zootopia being a place where all species could live in harmony."

"About that. Is there anything to the suggestion that, after your own gaffe that caused so much pred/prey division, that since then you've been pushed into high visibility situations in order to rehabilitate your image as a token bunny and spokesbeast for the new administration?"

Nick jumped in on that one. "Officer Hopps has never been a media artifact for city hall or the ZPD. She has been a full duty cop all along, and her participation in this current case was as a full and honest member of the investigation. To suggest otherwise is to diminish and denigrate her sterling service."

"And what about you, a fox, her all too unlikely partner in all this? Could it be any more a stunt?"

"I, Sir, am not a stunt!" And Nick gave a quick pirouette, to which the crowd chuckled.

"Nick Wilde has been a steadfast friend and able partner, unofficially during the Bellwether plot and now as a fellow officer. If anything, there was been all manner of pressure to discourage us from working or even socializing, not unlike the same kind of separatist mindset that became deadly terrorism just now." Judy didn't intend to be quite as heated, especially in the last part, but that kind of talk infuriated her so. She gave the reporters a glare and her foot thrummed in anger.

"And I think we can end this now, eh? Officer Hopps?" Nick saw how angry and hurt Judy was becoming, and didn't want that to become a scene. "Thank you and good day."

He all but dragged her away, not quite baring his teeth at a couple reporters who had clearly not gotten the message. "Come on Judy, we don't want this to become 'blood bath on hospital steps' headlining tonight's news."

Judy snorted, "Like you'd actually do anything, my gentle pup."

"I was thinking more about the mayhem you were considering."

She growled at that.

They got back in the car, Judy behind the wheel still fuming a bit.

"You up for driving?"

"Give me a moment." Judy had to take a few clearing breaths to settle herself. "All these unwarranted - things, about our relationship, that we shouldn't be anywhere near each other, or that we're in some gwad-awful perverted thing - ."

Nick made a little face. "Perverted thing?"

Judy grimaced and let go a tiny painful whine at that. "Nick. You're so special to me. Almost like we're already mated, not in the physical sense, but the ways that really matter." There was just the hint of sob.

Nick suddenly found his eyes tearing up. His comments to her Father were skirting around just this. He let go a long sigh. "I'm glad you said the 'M' word first, 'cause I was too afraid to even suggest it." He awkwardly got an arm towards her, offering his paw tips, at least, for her touch. "Love, the real thing, isn't about anything so superficial as sex. Not like sex isn't a bad thing." Even then he needed to keep a little bit of snark in there, least things get too heavy. "But I'm here for you in the long haul, regardless of how far we do or don't take it."

She gave him a long and loving look. "Thanks."

They sat there for a few moments more, to consider their situation and to settle down a bit before proceeding.

"Okay. We're off to see Gideon, but we're taking the long way 'round to give us some more time. Wouldn't do to have us show up all teary-eyed and all."

They drove thought the countryside, very nostalgic for Judy and gave Nick a hint at the kind of pastoral hell-scape that she had escaped from. But, finally they were in Bunny Burrow proper and Gideon's little bakery storefront.

There they found members of the Hopps family minding the store, a sign informed that they could only offer limited service at the moment. And an ominous detail, the front window was freshly reinstalled, the framing still raw and unfinished.

"Judy!" Several kin gushed. "We heard about you showing up at the hospital for Dad. Glad you could make it!" One of her Brothers pulled her close, "Gideon could really use your company right now." And he nodded up to indicate the upper floor where Gideon kept a room.

Nick nodded to indicate he was happy to stay down with the family, who were very curious about Judy's Fox.

"Hey Gideon."

"Hey Judy."

Gideon was sitting at a small table, a cup of sad coffee and a pile of paperwork, looked like old receipts and account books. But seemed he was just shuffling things, not really doing anything. He seemed dull and vague, not really there.

Judy didn't know quite how to proceed. She half-expected some form of overt grief or other emotional demonstration, not this zombie shadow.

"Saw Dad today. He looks awful, but he IS recovering. And he's really worried about you."

The fox clenched his eyes shut for a moment. "You folks have been so supportive, didn't believe the story, and been helping out all along." He let out a shuddering sigh.

"And I'm not even all that off about those who were quick to believe the worst." He grimaced. "Living as a fox here..."

"I know. With my Nick, I see the unfairness that gets thrown at him and others."

Gideon looked up to her, "That's right, yer mated to that Todd who helped you on all those cases."

Judy wanted to correct him about the 'mated', but let it go.

"But it's none of that. It's waking up with yer Pa's blood in my mouth." His face twisted in haunted pain. "I know I was a rough kit. But for all of it, yours was the only blood I ever drew. And while I didn't think much about it at the time, how introspective does a kit get at that age? I never forgot. That's why I became such a loaner later."

Gideon was moody and withdrawn through his teen years, in no small part due to his abusive home life. Judy never suspected any regret for his earlier actions until his apology during the Bellwether plot.

"Then to think that I could have gone so far, spilt so much blood, I think it's kind of broke me."

"I won't say that getting up and onward isn't going to be a trial, but that you can see what's happened to you means you aren't nearly so 'broken'." Judy tried to be encouraging.

"I don't know if you can find anything in it, but I can tell you that I got those rabbits that did this to you."

"They were rabbits?"

"Separatists. Terrorists. They were behind all the troubles in Zootopia. I helped track them down."

"You caught them?"

Judy made her own painful face, "I helped kill them."

Gideon was shocked. "Oh Judy!" He rose up and came to her, enfolding her in his full arms. "Such terrible times."

"Well, they didn't give me much choice, gun fight and such."

"You really are the tough one after all." He held her out at arm's length to give her an appraising look. "Funny how life changes. You and me and your family. And you and your own fox."

Judy was heartened to see Gideon seemed to be livening up. "Want to meet him? He's downstairs with the family."

At that he really perked up. "Gosh yes! To see the Todd, Buck, or whoever finally caught you, sure would!"

She gave him a hint of a cross look.

"Well, you were never the popular Doe back in school."

"And how would you know?"

He sighed, "I kept out of the way, but I paid attention to a lot of things. Made me better appreciate that I wasn't alone or unique in the social push and pull. Made it easier to forgive, and to ask forgiveness."

Judy could tell that he wasn't over the trauma yet, but getting him up and interacting for now was going to do him a world of good. Any steps forward were good steps.

As they made their way down stairs, they heard Nick yelping. "Hey, that's attached!"

With any real number of the Hopps clan, having a few underage kits on hand was inevitable, and they had found Nick's big brush of a tail irresistible.

Gideon nudged Judy, "With him as a distraction, I ought to be able to get my chores done easier."

"Judy, save me. They were pining away without 'Mr. Gideon's' tail to glom on to. And now I'm stuck with them." Nick sat on the floor with several kits in his brush, a couple more looking very intently at his foxy features, especially his ears and toothy muzzle.

Seeing Gideon, and that he gave a hint of a smile to them, several peeled off of Nick and politely approached the large fox. "Are you feeling better, Mr. Gideon?" One tiny Doe asked.

Gideon beamed, a bit weakly, perhaps, and plopped down next to Nick. "Thank you, yes, my dear." Then turning to Nick, "So, you must be the famous Nicholas Wilde." And held out a paw.

Nick shrugged and gestured with his splinted limbs, "According to my shirt label, I guess I am." He saw the look of residual pain in the Todd's eyes, "And you are the master of blueberry delights, and the local vulpine adjunct to the Hopps clan, eh, Mr. Grey?"

Todds are not usually all that social together, as they tend to be insular and highly competitive for mates and territory. But the two looked at each other and around at the highly unlikely circumstance in which they found themselves, and shared a special knowing smile.

"Heck of a note, buried in bunnies like this."

"I usually try to schedule deliveries to the farm when I know I can make a clean getaway."

"Hope the current unpleasantness settles out quickly. Judy's little scolding to the press today ought to help."

"Yeah, Judy. She's a wonder." Gideon considered.

"That she is." And Nick looked over to his Bunny, who was catching up with her kin off to the side. "That she is."

A few days later, our heroes stood before Chief Bogo. Instead of his signature stiff and stoic meme, he was very animated and somewhat at a loss for words. He'd start to say something, then look at the report he clutched in his hoof and made a face and flail his arms, all the while pacing around his office.

Nick whispered to Judy, "Do you think we actually broke him this time?"

She just gave him the look.

Finally, the big buffalo just quit, slumped into his chair and sighed. "Wilde, you're obviously on medical leave. Hopps," He gave her a tooth-clenching grimace, "Administrative leave, against your current accruence, concurrent with Wilde."

The pair exchanged a hopeful glance.

Then Bogo continued. "Despite our friend's recommendation, when you return, you will get a full re-evaluation of your record and fitness to continue." The tone was ice cold. "You got lucky, again. But it was razor thin, and neither Wilde nor our friend got away unscathed." Bogo made a little ritual out of taking his glasses off. "Beyond insubordination and all the rest, there was a matter of trust... " Bogo held Judy's gaze for a very hard quiet moment. Then, "Dismissed."

Judy was stunned, and Nick had to guide her out of the office.

"You okay?"

Judy's face collapsed from rigid shock to grievous dismay and she clutched at Nick for support. "That's it, I blew it." she whispered.

Nick lead her out of headquarters though one of the back ways to avoid their fellow officers. Judy was silent but was breathing hard, making Nick rather worried. If she was sobbing, he had a clue, but she seemed beyond tears. Once outside, he sat her down on a low wall.

"Judy, you going to be okay?"

She didn't look at him, if anything; her eyes didn't seem to be focusing on anything. Her face had relaxed, but only to a dull slack listlessness. After a distressingly long pause, "I ruined everything. After all the crazy of the Bellwether case," She flickered a more guilty look, "And some other things. Bogo and I had a long heart to heart. I promised and he trusted. And I blew it all to hell."

Nick wanted to say a lot of things, but at the moment, knew that there wasn't anything he could say to assuage her regret. So, finally, he gave her a little encouraging tug, "Let me walk you home."

Her apartment was quite a few miles off, but he knew the long walk would give her time to settle and the exertion would burn off some of the tension. And he could use the work out too.

After the first hour (told you it was quite a few miles) in silence, Judy looked like she'd settled to the point of near normalcy, and Nick took the risk of saying something. "Do you feel like getting a bite?"

Judy grimaced and whined, but nodded her head.

They were making their way down a pedestrian boulevard and several cafe options were available. Nick steered Judy to a mid-size mammal shop that offered grazer greens as well as fruits that he could eat too.

Judy dutifully worked on a bowl of greens while Nick did a fruit and breads plate. Finally, she spoke.

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, for now, see that you get home, give you a good brush out, or at least as good as my bits will allow. Then I think we could use a good cuddle."

Judy almost smiled at that. But bit her lip before continuing. "I mean, will you stay on the force?"

"I honestly haven't thought that far ahead. But I know what you're worried about. I don't want to sound evasive, but I'm not going to say anything for now. In a month, who knows?"

He reached to her, his paw tips stuck out of their splints so he could touch her, and he stoked her shoulder. "I do know that right now I'm here, and here for you."